An updated hair routine has been long overdue for some time now, as not only have my cut and colour changed dramatically from the last instalment, but my styling process too. I've stripped down the amount of products I was using and now stick to the key items that generally revolve the big four - shampoo, conditioner, a treatment and one styling product, and honestly my hair's never been happier. I've also thrown in a little how-to using the GHD Curve Classic Wave Wand - my new favourite heat tool, which is the closest thing I've ever found to achieving the tousled, Olsen-esque locks that I've always dreamt of!
Over the last few weeks I've been giving my wardrobe a bit of an overhaul and after accumulating quite a few new items - from basics to one rather large investment piece, a haul was definitely in order! February is always an awkward month for style. The weather is still bitterly cold making layers and thick knits a necessity but with Spring just around the corner it's hard not to find yourself yearning for bright colours, sheer materials and lighter coats. Today's haul is the best of both with Winter staples contributing to the bulk of my picks but a few warm weather appropriate pieces making an appearance too!
Last week ended up being a complete whirlwind that I'm still getting over, but a very fun one indeed. On Monday morning before the sun had barely even risen Suzie, Lucy, Tijan and I were whisked away to Paris for the day with the French beauty subscription box service, My Little Box. We were invited along for a tour of the office and after a quick sit down for brunch and a fierce instagramming session we had a good nose around their beautiful space which, if I had to describe in just one word would be utterly 'Pinterestable'.
From one food stop to the next we headed over to Buvette in the ninth arrondissement were I indulged in a plate of Croque-Forestier, a melt in the mouth cheese, bread and mushroom explosion that I won't be forgetting in a while. Afterwards we made a stop at Oh My Cream, a gorgeous beauty boutique dedicated entirely to skincare with the likes of Sunday Riley, Antipodes, REN and Aurelia lining the shelves. We had a workshop session on devising the perfect routine - aka an hour of trying out as many products as possible that I'd always wanted to get my hands on, and all left with a very big mental shopping list.
Our last hour in the city was spent doing a quick run of the pharmacies - no time to stop off as Sephora this time around unfortunately but I did manage to stock up on a year's worth of Bioderma! Before I knew it we were heading back to Le Gare du Nord and hopping on the train to London again. It was a fleeting visit but a very special one and I also vlogged the day - see below! Paris, you were beautiful as always and I miss you already!
Twelve months worth of favourites videos have been and gone and now we're back to square one with the first edition of 2015 and my January beauty loves. January wasn't the most exciting month for make up - I could probably count the number of times I went out of the house with a full face on two hands, but I still managed to pick out a some gems from the last few weeks, including an oh-so covetable brush that I've been dying to try and a new fragrance love!
I'm a bit of a sweet tooth fiend when it comes to the weekends, especially when chocolate biscuits are involved - wave a packet of McVitties dark chocolate digestives anywhere near me and I'll be salivating. In order to avoid the inevitable mid-day sugar crash though I decided that making my own sweet treats would probably be best and began searching for the perfect healthy cookie recipe. For a long time it was an almost impossible task but just as I was about to give up hope and resign myself to the fact that flavour and 'good for you' ingredients just couldn't coincide I discovered Ella's blog.
This place is literally a dairy, gluten and refined sugar free heaven and while I haven't quite taken the steps to eliminate all of those from my diet just yet, cutting down always makes an amazing difference to my energy levels. A year on and the Deliciously Ella cookbook has just hit the shelves and I made sure to grab myself a copy and devour it as quickly as possible.
One of my favourite recipes from both the blog and book are the Chocolate Chia Cookies. These couldn't be easier to make (anything that can be thrown into a food processor all in one go gets a thumbs up from me) and they taste delicious, honestly better than any other biscuits I've tasted and bonus - they're packed full of good ingredients! A batch of these make for the perfect fuss free Sunday bake and will have your home smelling gloriously chocolaty without any of the guilt!
