Category: Fashion

Bali Guide; My Favourite Sundowner Spots

March 17, 2024

Sunsets in Bali are always a spectacle; rain or shine, the sky always manages to put on a show. Canggu is known for its world famous beach bars & clubs, so here are my top five spots to chase sunset on the west coast of Bali.

  1. La Brisa, Canggu – https://labrisa-bali.com

The epitome of Bali beach aesthetic, it doesn’t get better than sundowners at La Brisa. With its maze of bamboo tree houses and pools amongst the jungle of green luscious palms, it feels like you’re on a remote tropical island paradise.

From day to night, you can take a dip in the pools and sip cocktails as the sunsets over Echo Beach.

Even at dusk and into the evening, the warm glow of fairy lights and orange hue lanterns set the jungle aglow.

There is a minimum spend for a table if you want food and a good view for sundown, but you can spend hours there to make the most of it.

We spent two evenings here during our stay, the second of which was our final night when there was a magnificent thunderstorm. Not the final golden hour we had envisioned, but certainly an exciting way to bring our time in Bali to a close.

2. The Lawn, Canggu – https://www.thelawncanggu.com

Just down the beach from our hotel, we headed here for our first evening sundowners and it didn’t disappoint. Life was pretty peachy as I sipped my Paloma cocktail watching the perfect sunset of orange and pink hues.

Again, this is a beach club where you can spend the whole day into the evening on a sunbed or table with a view for a minimum spend, which is easily made back on delicious food and wonderful cocktails.

We only visited The Lawn once for cocktails, but they often have events and special guest DJs which would be the ultimate vibe to accompany a killer sunset.

3. Finns, Canggu – https://finnsbeachclub.com

Claiming itself as the ‘World’s best beach club’, this is one for the party goers in search for that dancing til dawn destination.

It was a little overcast when we visited Finns, however we still enjoyed cocktails at dusk on their 2 for 1 offer and soaked up the party vibes from the comfort of our own table with no minimum spend. There are also a number of different cuisine food outlets situated around the venue to suit everyone’s tastes.

Whilst I know sunset framing their iconic Finns sign lit up with lanterns over the pools is picture a perfect moment, the interiors inside with this gorgeous cluster of bamboo shades made for fabulous Friday night vibes shared with other winers and diners.

4. Savaya, Uluwatu – https://www.savaya.com

On our visit down to the South coast of Bali in Uluwatu, I had seen incredible photos of this place on Instagram and had to experience it for myself.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much of a sunset and also an event featuring Jamie Jones on the evening we went meaning a hefty entry cost, but it was still an awesome place to see in person.

I would be super keen to go back here when the sun is promising to put on a show, so I highly recommend this spot for sundowners if you are staying in Uluwatu.

5. Echo Beach, Canggu – https://www.oldmans.net

My fifth favourite spot for golden hour is of course, Echo Beach itself. There are lots of bars along the front offering drinks and a seat right on the sand to sit back and enjoy the view of surfers catching waves at sunset.

With each minute that passes as the sun dips on the horizon of Echo Beach, the colours grow even richer and deeper until the moonlight finally takes place of the sun.

I’ve mentioned Old Man’s as a fun club which I visited during my last stay in Bali after Bintangs on the beach at sunset, but these days me and my boyfriend prefer a nice dinner and sophisticated cocktails at Billy Ho or Mason.

So that’s my roundup of the best places to enjoy a cocktail or local Bintang whilst watching a beautiful Bali sundown.

Bali sunsets have my heart and chasing them is my favourite time of the day when in Bali ❤

Bali Calling; Back Soon

March 15, 2024

Friday is here and after being back at work this week following a dreamy holiday in Bali, I’m very glad to be welcoming in the weekend. We landed back in London on Saturday evening and whilst our jet lag wasn’t bad out in Bali, coming back has been a challenge and the extreme fatigue set in. Thankfully after a few days back in routine, we’re feeling a lot more alive and I can’t wait to share all of the Bali content from our awesome trip back to my favourite island.

From chasing sunsets whilst beach bar hopping and sampling the best of Bali’s foodie scene, to exploring the rainforest and rice terraces in Ubud and surfing on Echo Beach, we certainly made the most of our 10 days in Bali.

Over the next month or so, I have an exciting schedule of posts about our trip including where we stayed, what we got up to, my favourite places for sundowners, the creme de la creme of restaurants in Canggu, how much things cost and my top tips for visiting Bali.

So stay tuned as I soothe my Bali blues by reliving our holiday with lots of exciting Bali content to come! ❤

Friday Fits; Day to Night

February 25, 2024

Happy Sunday! This week I’m sharing some outfit inspo for what feels like a never ending, rainy winter we find ourselves in here in England.

For my daytime look when working from home on Friday, I kept it very comfy and casual with a pair of grey flare leggings which I picked up in Primark this week and I’m loving, so now I’m keen to get a good quality pair from Alo or Tala. I then wore this camel knit jumper with cute backless detail and my Ugg platform slippers to complete the cosy fit.

To meet friends for drinks at the pub that evening, I changed into my Neuw black denim jeans tucked into these killer snake skin long boots, which I toned down with a simple knitted nude boxy fit cardigan with gold buttons. An oversized long grey trench coat from Na-kd kept me warm and dry from the rain.

I have to admit these boots are not my usual style, but they were on sale in Primark and I can see them being a fun piece for transitioning into spring paired with dresses, skirts and shorts. The key is to keep the rest of the outfit fairly simple and let the boots do the talking.
They’re giving Paris Texas vibes but at a fraction of the price, I’m obsessed ❤

14.02.24; Be My Valentine

February 18, 2024

Celebrating Valentines isn’t something we’ve always got involved with, however with it falling on hump-day this year, it felt like the perfect excuse for a midweek date night at home.

My boyfriend surprised me with this gorgeous bunch of red roses and the cutest card with a pop-out teddy bear.

Inspired by some stunning hairstyles I’d found on Pinterest, I decided to try putting my hair into a French Roll and it turned out so well. It was giving chic and sophisticated vibes for our date night, I’m obsessed.

I set the romantic mood in our dining room with candles and music whilst I set the table ready for dinner. It’s the little touches that make dinner for two at home special, like using our nicest gold cutlery with lovely napkins and putting condiments into aesthetic serving dishes.

It was midweek Mexican night, so we made our favourite burrito bowls with a side of chilli cheese nachos and all the dips of course. A bottle of red wine, candles lit and dinner served, we felt like we were in our own restaurant.

Mexican feast devoured, we moved to the lounge to watch ‘How to loose a guy in 10 days’, a romantic comedy classic perfect for V-day night.

I love a cosy date night at home and this was the perfect way to spend our Valentines evening together; simple and fuss-free, yet super cute and romantic ❤

Salty, Sweet & Always Spicy

February 11, 2024

When it comes to a cocktail, you can never go wrong with a classic Margarita. It’s definitely an acquired taste which I’ve grown to love as my palette has matured with age. Needless to say, but Margs are not for the faint hearted!

As I finished up work on Friday I had a Margarita on my mind, so me and my boyfriend decided to hit the local cocktail bar and welcome in the weekend with a few cheeky cocktails.

I prefer my Marg on the sweeter side with a strong kick of spice and this one didn’t disappoint, it was so delicious and satisfied my craving.

For our spontaneous date night I wore my Stradivarius dark wash flared jeans, a Cotton On tie front brown top, my cropped grey blazer and a pair of ASOS lace up maroon heels to complete the glam look.

Friday nights are my favourite so I was one happy girly with a Marg in hand and the whole weekend ahead of us.

Salty, sweet and always spicy; cheers to the weekend ❤

Chapter 29; Twenty Nine & Feeling Fine

January 28, 2024

Friday 26th January 2024, my 29th Birthday and entering the final year of my twenties!

Waking up on Friday morning, it was a gloriously sunny day with clear blue skies and a crisp winters chill in the air as I took my morning walk.

I was working from home for the day, so I decided to move to the sofa for the afternoon and put ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ on as I enjoyed my coffee and answered emails.

Once 5pm rolled around and work was wrapped up for the week, I got myself glammed up and ready for an evening of celebrations.

My Birthday fit was a pair of flared tailored black trousers from Zara, a dusty pink bandeau also from Zara, my silk Le Scarf neckerchief, a cropped nude cardigan with gold buttons, my ASOS lace up maroon heels, plenty of gold jewellery to accessorise, a vintage Jaegar green oversized blazer to keep me warm and my Sandro velvet green handbag to complete the look.

At 6pm I went to our local pub for a drink with my Dad, where they gave me a glass of bubbles on the house and even brought out a Happy Birthday brownie.

We then had 8:30pm reservations at The Ivy Asia in Guildford, so my boyfriend kindly drove me and my parents there after we finished catching up with friends at the pub.

I always love visiting The Ivy Asia with its opulent interiors and buzzing atmosphere, especially on a Friday night.

We started with duck pancakes for the table before ordering a number of their smaller sharer plates.

We had all sorts of dishes from spicy tuna sushi rolls and king prawn skewers, to Korean fried chicken bites and claypot chickpea pepper curry. Every mouthful was so delicously flavoursome and my parents even said it was the best Asian meal they’d ever had!

Saturday morning we got out early to go to Bicester Village designer outlet in Oxford.

The shopping day cute and cosy look was a pair of Stradivarius blue flared jeans, an off shoulder brown jumper, my platform Ugg boots, an earthy tone wool scarf which I got for my Birthday, my Coach signature print cross body bag, a faux fur black Ugg coat and my favourite khaki baker boy hat from Mango.

Being a weekend, the shops were quite busy and unlike my previous visit to Bicester, there wasn’t much that was particularly jumping out at me.

We couldn’t leave empty handed though and I needed a Birthday gift from my boyfriend, so I was thrilled to find a the perfect gold ring from Monica Vinader to add to my jewellery collection.

Later that evening we were invited over to my parents house with my brother, his wife and my adorable niece Layla who I had lots of cuddles with, I just love being an Auntie!

My mum cooked her famous Spaghetti Bolognese and I did what I do best making a big salad of rocket, cherry tomatoes, avocado, parmesan shavings and balsamic vinegar. Good company, home cooked food and divine red wine, this made me a very happy girly.

Before I knew it, Sunday was here and I spent the afternoon with more family including my other darling niece and my wonderful Grandma. This card from my sister was brilliant, it’ll be a right laugh trying those poses next time I’m having a cocktail.

So that concludes my 29th Birthday celebrations and I couldn’t be more grateful of where I am at this time in my life. I want to embrace this final year of my twenties and look forward to another 12 months of growth, learning and achievements; cheers to chapter 29 ❤

Winter Lookbook; Four Seasonal Fits

January 21, 2024

Winter season is all about the oversized coats and layering with jumpers, shirts and scarves, not to mention the choice of cute hats which I’m a sucker for; I just love a hat moment! This lookbook demonstrates how I would style my outfit for four different occasions this season, from a winter walk and running errands, to drinks at the pub and cosy date nights with my boyfriend or the ladies. Whilst I’m a summer girl at heart, Winter brings with it a whole new dimension to my wardrobe as I get to experiment with knits, oversized fits and statement coats which take centre stage this time of year. Keep reading for outfit details of each look.

Outfit #1 Running Errands

Camel tailored trousers – H&M

White fluffy polo neck vest – Cider

Stone trench coat – H&M

Knitted beanie hat – Ganni

Platform boots – Ugg

Cross body tan bag – Coach

Brown leather gloves – H&M

Gold signature logo ring (worn throughout) – Celine

Gold dome ring (worn throughout) – Cali Tiger

Gold signet ring (worn throughout) – Cinco

Topaz stone gold ring (worn throughout) – Vintage

Gold ear cuff (worn throughout) – Astrid & Miyu

Gold chain ring necklace – Vintage

Gold hoop earrings – ASOS Design

Outfit #2 Date Night

Black straight cut jeans – NEUW Denim

Striped off shoulder sweater – ASOS Design

Black cropped aviator coat – Zara

Camel wool scarf – Zara

Black heeled chelsea boots – Windsor Smith

Green velvet chain handbag – Senso

Blue tartan bow worn in hair – Fabric Shop

Gold signature logo ring (worn throughout) – Celine

Gold dome ring (worn throughout) – Cali Tiger

Gold signet ring (worn throughout) – Cinco

Topaz stone gold ring (worn throughout) – Vintage

Gold ear cuff (worn throughout) – Astrid & Miyu

Gold chain statement necklace – Abbott Lyon

Gold twist detail hoop earrings – Cali Tiger

Outfit #3 Winter Walk

Black skinny ripped jeans – Topshop

One sleeve tie waist sweater – NA-KD

Green oversized trench coat – Missguided

Check print scarf – Zara

Khaki wool baker boy hat – Mango

Maroon chelsea boots – Soletrader 

Cross body tan bag – Coach

Gold signature logo ring (worn throughout) – Celine

Gold dome ring (worn throughout) – Cali Tiger

Gold signet ring (worn throughout) – Cinco

Topaz stone gold ring (worn throughout) – Vintage

Gold ear cuff (worn throughout) – Astrid & Miyu

Gold chain ring necklace – Vintage

Gold chain heart necklace – Vintage

Gold hoop earrings – ASOS Design

Outfit #4 Pub Drinks

Blue vintage style flared jeans – Stradivarius

White pearl button sweater – ASOS Design

Black fur teddy coat – Ugg

Brown knitted beret hat – Urban Outfitters

Rusty brown square toe boot heels – ASOS Design

Green velvet chain handbag – Senso

Gold signature logo ring (worn throughout) – Celine

Gold dome ring (worn throughout) – Cali Tiger

Gold signet ring (worn throughout) – Cinco

Topaz stone gold ring (worn throughout) – Vintage

Gold ear cuff (worn throughout) – Astrid & Miyu

Gold chain ring necklace – Vintage

Gold chain coin necklace – Cinco

Gold hoop earrings – ASOS Design

Gold chain bracelet – Astrid & Miyu

Brown strap black face watch – Daniel Wellington

2023 Reflections; 2024 Resolutions

December 28, 2023

And so we find ourselves in that strange time between Christmas and New Years when you don’t know what day of the week it is and we hurtle towards the end of the year. During this time I like to take a moment to reflect on the year that has passed and celebrate my achievements, before setting my goals for the next 12 months ahead.

Looking back over the year I’ve achieved a lot; from getting laser eye surgery and investing more in my health, to reading books again and visiting lots of amazing corners of the world I’ve never been before.

It’s not all about specific goals though, I like to include general resolutions on my list for the year ahead like nurturing relationships and remaining grateful.

I also use Pinterest to create a visual mood board for my aspirations and goals. Here I find inspiring and motivational quotes to refer back to over the year too, such as ‘we are creators of our own luck.’

Whilst I didn’t quite tick off every single goal for 2023, sometimes the universe might have alternative plans for you, so I always just trust the timing of my life.

A lot changes in a year too, so never be hard on yourself if resolutions from the year past no longer align with your overall goals in life.

I’ve also found journalling this year a really helpful tool for getting my thoughts in order and accepting everyday is not perfect, but there is always something to be grateful for.

So upon sitting down this afternoon and writing up my resolutions and goals for 2024, I wanted to make my list ambitious yet achievable and not overwhelming.

The majority of these resolutions are things I already do, I just want to continue the growth and progression I’ve made in 2023 and thrive even more in 2024.

I have a feeling 2024 is going to be my happiest year yet living life on my terms with a loving heart and grateful soul; see you in the New Year ❤

Christmas Party Silly Season

December 17, 2023

As soon as we hit December, I find myself at another Christmas celebration week on week; this is the official season of partying and being merry!

The month began with a festive lunch and private show around on the 5th December at the newly opened Fairmont Windsor Park.

I was invited with work to view the stunning event spaces and rooms there and the hotel was beautifully decorated ready for Christmas, it got me feeling so festive!

We were treated to lunch in the gorgeous bar area where I had a few small plates of dill cured salmon served with buttermilk sauce and pickled cucumber, and the pumpkin kale salad topped with blackberries and pumpkin seeds. The food was exquisite and it was a lovely afternoon being hosted by the team at the Fairmont.

Later that week, it was our member’s Christmas Social Lunch with work which we held at Platform in Shoreditch.

Starting at 12 noon, we welcomed our guests to play retro games together whilst enjoying drinks and freshly made festive pizzas. This is a relaxed, fun event we host every December to thank our members for their engagement and support throughout the year.

Onto the second week of December, last Thursday we had our internal team celebration lunch at Zero Degrees in Reading. This was a great opportunity to spend time with colleagues outside of work and celebrate another successful year together as a team.

That brings us to yesterday when we drove to the Cotswolds for a family lunch with my boyfriend’s relatives. I wore my Stradivarius mid-wash flared jeans, Pull & Bear khaki long sleeve backless top, platform Ugg boots, Zara cropped aviator jacket, a check print scarf also from Zara, my brown knitted beret and my new Coach signature print handbag, worn across body to complete the look.

We met at a pub called The Bell Inn at Welford on Avon and to start, me and my boyfriend shared the fresh bread and olives served with oil and balsamic.

For main I opted for the smoked salmon and prawn salad paired with a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio wine, the perfect light lunch.

There’s plenty of roast dinners and heavy food to come over the Christmas period, so I always like to have something fresh and healthier when I can.

Another wonderful afternoon spent with family and friends enjoying good food and drinks whilst catching up and having lots of laughs together.

So now we approach the final week before Christmas bringing with it yet more parties and celebrations with loved ones; let the happy merry times roll ❤

My Black Friday Finds

December 3, 2023

On the last weekend of November every year, UK retailers offer their biggest discounts in an effort to boost sales just before Christmas. It can be tempting to end up purchasing things you hadn’t planned on buying previously given the irresistible deals, so my rule is to do your research and know exactly what you want before hunting for the best discounts during the sales.

I’ve been lusting after a Coach handbag for a while now, and whilst the Tabby style which I had originally wanted wasn’t included in any of the discounts during Black Friday, I did stumble across another style in their new season collection which I’m even more obsessed with.

After scanning the internet for discount codes on different luxury buying platforms, I discovered that the website 24 Stories based in Paris, was offering the best deal with a generous 30% discount on the Coach Mira Shoulder Bag In Signature Canvas. This was better than the Coach website itself which was only doing 20% off, so I ended up saving £118 and getting the bag for just £285 from 24 Stories.

As a new season bag and best seller in the Coach line, the Mira Bag is now back to full price retailing at £395, so I was super chuffed with my fabulous find. I couldn’t wait to style her with a head to toe tonal outfit to match the rich brown and red hues of the autumnal leaves; she even matches my hot chocolate brown Mini Cooper!

I love how versatile this design is with the longer strap to wear it across body for a more casual look, or the short chain shoulder strap to style it with an evening outfit. The quality is stunning, it’s got a lot of room inside for a shoulder bag, and the classic design means this bag will never go out of fashion, it’s timeless ❤

The only other order I placed during Black Friday was on ASOS. As you can see, there’s a clear theme in the colours here as I am leaning towards those earthy, neutral tones which I am enjoying styling particularly during this fall season.

I bagged myself a dark brown Cotton On tie front cardi top, a khaki long sleeved backless top by Bershka, this stunning teracotta knot front asymmetric swimsuit by a London brand called Catch, and finally a smokey blue Miss Selfridge sporty style playsuit unitard. ASOS was offering 30% off site wide, so these were all a great saving too.

On reflection, Black Friday can be a trap to spending money which we should be saving for Christmas. However if you do your research and find a deal on items you were going to purchase anyway, or you know there’s some Christmas presents for loved ones you could make a saving on, then that’s smart shopping I believe 🙂