‘Be the energy you want to attract.’ These past few months I’ve been investing more of my spare time into those things which perhaps in the past I’ve put off for fear of not being good enough. However at the beginning of March I felt something shift and my creative energy was flowing again. Since then I’ve been inspired to vlog more, film my workout routines and even take on the challenge of securing collaborations for travel trips alongside my boyfriend’s business. As soon as I believed I was capable of doing all these things which constantly play on my mind, I have been able to accomplish goals I previously thought were unachievable for me.
Other habits I’ve incorporated into my daily routine is reading, journalling and positive affirmations. Being a moon child at heart, I believe the cosmic movements of the moon and the stars strongly impacts our own energy flow. The Moonly app I have keeps me in touch with the phases of the moon and also offers daily affirmations which are always uplifting and inspiring.
Remaining present and grateful is another key contributor to feeling happy and fulfilled everyday. Even if I’m not having as much of a productive or positive day mentally, remaining grateful for the little things keeps me grounded, present and thankful.
It feels great to be creating content I am passionate about and I’m excited to continue seeing where this energy flow takes me both personally and professionally. Aura glowing; energy flowing. ❤
I’ve been considering laser eye surgery for over a year now, so with my 28th Birthday last month, I booked in for my treatment as a present to myself. Whilst this isn’t the cheapest of procedures, I figured it will be well worth it for 10+ years of perfect vision without glasses or contacts. Having done my research, I chose to go with Optical Express which is the UK’s number one provider of laser eye surgery. My experience was extremely positive, from the initial consultation to find out which eye surgery I was suitable for, to the day of surgery and aftercare which is just as important of course.
I had Lasik eye surgery which is the most common type of surgery with a very short recovery time, usually only two days. Immediately after the procedure which I had on Friday it was quite uncomfortable and I had to go home to sleep for a few hours. After a good night’s sleep however, I woke up with clear vision and could see everything in sharp focus, it felt like a miracle! I went for my next day checkup back at Optical Express on Saturday morning to check everything was healing ok and my prescription was indeed back to zero. Now it’s Sunday evening and I’m feeling good and ready to return to work tomorrow morning. I have a number of drops to take four times a day for a week as well as lubricant drops I will continue to take for a month. No makeup is allowed for a week and I mustn’t touch my eyes for this time also, but everything is feeling great and I don’t doubt I’ll be ready for a face of makeup by next Friday. How refreshing going to the pub this weekend makeup free though.
I couldn’t recommend laser eye surgery more to anyone who doesn’t like wearing their glasses and finds contacts inconvenient. My treatment cost £3,500 in total including all the aftercare and it’s been worth every penny for such lovely staff and specialists who guided me through my journey and made me feel very well cared for indeed. There’s no denying the surgery is quite invasive and you are awake, but it’s only a matter of minutes and the surgeon talks you through it so you know what to expect. It truly is life changing and I can’t wait to go on holiday for the first time with my new eyes! Thank you to the team at Optical Express for making my experience with laser eye surgery so seamless and positive.
We’re only two weeks into 2023 and already I’m feeling my mindset shift as I strive to achieve my goals for the year ahead and embrace a new perspective on things. I’m determined to make progress this year particularly in my personal mental health and wellbeing, which will in turn give me the freedom to reach my highest potential in all aspects of life.
I was listening to Riley May’s podcast this week in which she delves into The Power of Discomfort: How Embracing the Uncomfortable Leads to Growth and Success. Riley has experienced an extremely successful year building her business as an online mentor and she claims this is very much down to her quote on quote ‘unfuckable mindset’. It’s all about not letting anything external decide your pace or the way you feel or the way you behave, because that will not serve you and it will not excel you. Instead, you have to take responsibility to control your own mindset, and just let go of those things you don’t have power over. It’s this elite frame of mind which will always support you regardless of anything else externally that happens around you or to you whilst navigating through life.
This reminded me of one of my favourite quotes; ‘Every next level of your life requires a different version of you.’ I believe each individual goes through different seasons of their life which challenges them in different ways. My taking from this is that the key is to find your inner peace and power to know no person or event in life can take you from you. So, as I continue forward into the new year, I choose to work on creating my most resilient inner being in order to drive me towards reaching my goals, whilst providing me with that unshakable mindset which isn’t affected by external factors.
Happy New Year! It’s the first day of 2023 and I’m ready for a reset following a few weeks of fabulous festivities and celebrations this Christmas. Whilst I’ve enjoyed a wonderful holiday season spending lots of cherished time with friends and family, I always crave routine and look forward to getting back into the flow of daily life.
So having seen in the New Year last night with close friends and my boyfriend, I took a quiet few moments on this first day of January to write my resolutions for the year ahead. I always try to make goals on my resolutions list realistic and attainable to avoid feeling disappointed in myself if I don’t achieve them by the end of the year, but equally I want to hold myself accountable for those things I say I am going to do but may have pushed aside in the past.
My list also contains a mixture of specific goals such as starting my PT course and getting a second tattoo, as well as more general actions I would like to take forward into the new year like nurturing relationships and simply just staying sane!
A few days before NYE I also put together my yearly Pinterest vision board for 2023. I love using photos of art, fashion, food, travel and quotes to envision my aspirations and goals as well as gaining inspiration for the kind of aesthetic I picture my life embodying.
Cheers to another year ahead full of achieving more great goals, travelling exciting new places, being grateful for the everyday small things and being present whilst living in the moment with loved ones ❤
December is here and the countdown to Christmas is on! The festive season always flies by in a flash so I’m all for getting the tree up and decorating our home as soon as we enter December.
With the Christmas tunes on and a Tia Maria tipple in hand, we were ready to assemble our tree and get decorating. We have an artificial tree with frosted branches which fits perfectly in front of the french doors in our living room.
Simple elegance is the aesthetic I like to go for with white and gold baubles complimented by cute crystal blue snowflake lights. And not forgetting the all important statement gold light star to top the tree.
Tree complete, the first present to put beneath it this year is an old school gigantic white Toblerone block, iconic.
Feeling festive and cosy at home, we finished the evening with a classic heart-warming Christmas movie, The Holiday. Festive vibes in full swing, love it ❤
Happy Sunday babes! I can’t believe it’s September already but we’re still enjoying those late summer days here in the UK. With the bank holiday last weekend, me and my boyfriend went on a picturesque countryside walk and shot some outfit pics along the way too.
As we transition into Autumn, the weather remains warm enough to continue wearing cute summer dresses but with boots and a jacket for the cooler evenings.
I’m obsessed with my Stradivarius cowboy boots, they were definitely my favourite purchase this summer and the best thing is, I’ll be able to wear them into the winter season too!
I channelled my inner country girl roots by pairing this daisy print tea dress from H&M with my cowboy boots and Lack of Colour Rancher hat. We even found some horses to complete that countryside chic aesthetic.
Throughout the month of September we will begin to see signs of Autumn looming and those endless summer days getting shorter. However my summer isn’t over yet as me and my boyfriend finally jet off to Mallorca this week for our late summer holiday. I can’t wait to jump in the ocean and top up my golden glow whilst sipping cocktails by the pool – summer isn’t over yet!
Paris; A beautiful city full of charm, elegance, history, art, architecture, fashion, food, nightlife and of course, LOVE. This weekend me and my boyfriend spent two days exploring this magnificent European city for ourselves. With only 48 hours in town, we didn’t waste a minute and managed to cover most of the most famous hotspots whilst sampling the best of French cuisine and soaking up the glorious early summer sunshine.
Taking the Eurostar from St Pancras on Friday evening, we found ourselves in the centre of Paris within a matter of a few hours. Having booked through the Eurostar with hotel combo deal, we checked into our lovely 4* boutique HotelMademoiselle, only a 5 minute walk from Gare du Norde train station.
Waking up fresh from a good nights sleep following our journey, Saturday morning we strolled the streets of the local area and grabbed a quick breakfast at a cute corner cafe.
We then headed straight for the Eiffel Tower where we found this famous side street Rue de l’Universite for that picture perfect photo.
A quick whip around the supermarche and we had ourselves a throw together French style picnic by the river overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
From there, we walked to the Champs-Elysees for an afternoon browsing the shops before we reached the Arc de Triomphe.
Following the madness of the tourist spots on a Saturday afternoon, we stopped by Cafe De Paris for an early evening drink in the sunshine and much needed rest from our feet.
A quick stop back at the hotel to freshen up and we were ready for a night out in Paris. Destination Moulin Rouge, an iconic landmark I had to visit during our stay and only a 10 minute Uber from our hotel.
This area was buzzing on a Saturday night, so we found a local brasserie where we could sit out on the street with our dinner and soak up the those Parisian nightlife vibes. Our night continued into the early hours with cocktails and a traditional Nutella crepe for desert at 2am!
Sunday late morning, we made our way over to Le Recrutement Cafe for brunch with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
We then decided to spend the afternoon on a hop-on and hop-off bus tour around the city, a super easy way to navigate all of the tourist spots in one day.
The Louvre was a highlight with its stunning modern architecture juxtapose to the grandeur of the surrounding historic buildings.
Back at our hotel that evening, we enjoyed sundown drinks with an exquisite charcuterie board amongst the gorgeous French aesthetic of their courtyard at Hotel Mademoiselle.
We had to see the Eiffel Tower by night, so for dinner we went back to the river for a delicious Italian at Firmine.
The light show is on the hour every hour until midnight, so we had cocktails at the nearby Frame Brasserie from where we had views of the Eiffel Tower.
For the final light display at midnight, we had front row seats in the park for undisrupted views of this incredible spectacle. It felt like a dream seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle by night, showering the city in golden hues; simply divine and tres romantique.
Before we new it, Monday morning rolled around and it was time to hop back on the Eurostar to London. This was a whistle stop tour but we certainly made the most of our time here and emersed ourselves within the Parisian culture. I have fallen in love with the vibe of this exciting city with its chic style and vibrant charm; we will be seeing you again soon Paris, merci beaucoup ❤
Having lived in our wonderful house for almost a year now, it was time to change up the spare room decor and finally get a dressing table in there for me too. We wanted to make this room more mature by introducing black and bronze tones to compliment this gorgeous new set of abstract pictures now above the bed.
After a lot of playing around with different pillow options and arrangements, we settled on these stunning black and gold feather scatter cushions which make a subtle statement, whilst also fitting in with the new bedding perfectly.
The dresser is from Ikea to match the other furniture in this room and fits just right in that corner by the natural light of the window. With a large singular drawer in the dresser, I can now store and organise all of my makeup properly without having to put it away in makeup bags all the time. The stool and mirror are both from Amazon and perfectly align with the colour palette of the renewed spare room.
I’m obsessed with this Moroccan style bronze tray which I am using to hold my many perfume bottles. The spare room has had a fabulous makeover with just these few elements which have been changed up and I’m very grateful for the dresser gifted from my boyfriend for my birthday. Hope you’ve had a great weekend babes and Happy Valentines for tomorrow – Kiss, kiss ❤
It’s been a slow Sunday for me here at home following a fun evening out in Reading with my boyfriend and his mates last night. With my boyfriend’s birthday tomorrow we organised early celebrations this weekend and I was so ready for a proper night out on the town!
Starting with dinner, I made 8pm reservations at Thai Corner in Reading. We absolutely love Thai food and this place didn’t disappoint, my prawn pad thai noodles were delicious. The restaurant was buzzing on a Saturday night and the service was fantastic too. No doubt we will be returning for a date night there again soon when I will have to try one of their yummy curries too.
After our meal we went to Brewdog for drinks before heading over to Spinners for our 10pm booking at the mini golf.
A few drinks down and with more drinks as we played, we had a right laugh as we took on the mini golf course. I actually managed a number of hole in ones even after all of the prosecco I’d been guzzling!
After finishing our game, we continued the par-tee spirit and decided to hit a few bars and clubs in town. It ended up being a late one as we found ourselves still dancing in the club until 3am!
Everyone had an awesome evening in celebration of my boyfriend’s birthday, only this morning’s hangover was less enjoyable…but this is how we roll, making memories and embracing the moments together because life is for living ❤
On Wednesday 26th January 2022 I officially entered my late twenties and welcomed in chapter 27 of my life. It’s been quite the week of celebrations and so amazing to be with my family and friends again following a lockdown birthday last year.
I had a wonderful family birthday dinner on the big day at Giggling Squid in Farnham. I was even surprised by my brother who I didn’t know was coming all the way from London to join us for the occasion.
I’m very lucky to be so close to my family and it was the best birthday present I could wish for to have us all there celebrating together.
After our cocktails to kick off the evening, we shared a selection of starters including delicious squid and duck spring rolls. For mains I opted for a traditional vegetable red Thai curry which was exquisite.
At the end of our meal I was presented with this gorgeous birthday desert and everyone sang Happy Birthday. It was a joy to be with my family just chatting, laughing and enjoying the moment over fantastic food and drinks, we didn’t leave the restaurant until they were closing!
With my birthday being midweek, I decided to invite my girlfriends over for an evening at my house on Saturday.
My birthday fit for the night was this stunning backless silver blouse along with my stretchy flared pants and cute fluffy slider slippers – dressy but comfy.
I absolutely love hosting so I was super excited to setup the dining room and prepare a spread of nibbles as well as my famous cheeseboard platter of course. Candles lit, music playing and prosecco popped, I was ready to welcome the girls for a fun cosy evening at home.
A number of bottles of bubbly and wine later, we’d had such a beautiful night full of catchups and plenty of laughs, those girls really are my soulmates.
Now its Sunday evening and I’m feeling so content and happy following such a fabulous birthday week. It’s certainly been an epic start to the year already and I can’t wait to see what chapter twenty seven of my lift has in store.
Dani Aneka 