Friday Favourites: Friday 25th March

Happy Bunny Bank Holidays or Happy Easter. 

I couldn't be more excited for a few days holiday oh wait I am sat on the couch watching Ugly Betty writing blog posts (all the series are back on Sky TV YEY) and Adam is studying for his mock surveying exams...

So it's not all party, party in the Kay household. It's not even party. As its a Friday it is of course time for Friday Favourites duh duh duuuuu! There a little bit of chocolate, a smidge of becoming the perfect hostess and lots of flowers.

Hope you enjoy

Spring Time

With the sun actually making a rare appearance and daffodils gracing my household I could not be more excited about Spring time and on Sunday when the clocks go back we finally get more light in the evenings which means I wont feel like I should be in bed at 7pm and a glass of wine in a pub garden is totally acceptable on a Tuesday. Now its time to start thinking and planning my Summer holiday, will it be Greece....Thailand or maybe just the South of France.

Easter eggs 

Wave your hands in the air like you just do not care...its the time of year when its totally acceptable to eat as much chocolate as humanly possible, including Chocolate that looks like a cute bunny rabbit like this one from Home Bargains and its only 99p BARGAIN! During the Easter holiday I will be relaxing with lots of chocolate, food and herbal teas and how cute this this heart tea pot from Avon. I did not even realise they had stuff for the home but the collection is  really cute, very Country chic and practical bits and bobs.

Tiger 

I popped into Tiger the other day to get some Spring blog props and my love for the brand came seeping back its all so bright, practical and oh so cheap. I did not go too crazy but I brought some little colourful chicks, a tray set which has a larger green tray and a small dusty pink one which are very practical, they currently have flowers and alcohol on them. I also brought a strange flower crown any who I brought it to cut the flowers off, don't they look pretty.

Crabtree & Evelyn 

If you are an avid Time2Gossip reader my love for Crabtree & Evelyn is sewed throughout my blog with huge love hearts in all my reviews. Today I am not taking about a new product just my love for an old favourite the Avocado, Olive & Basil collection. This range is a key staple to the fruits & botanicals range from Crabtree & Evelyn full of natural ingredients that make my skin feel truly pampered and smells amazing.

So first of all you I have been using the Avocado, Olive & Basil Shower gel then to feel luxurious the thick body butter then to finish everything off I use the hand therapy (I always carry around a mini version in my handbag).

Bed time reading 

So I have always had a secret love for Lauren Conrad, The Hills was a big part of my teens (maybe I should re-watch instead of Ugly Betty) anyway Lauren has published quite a few books but her new launch has got me feeling all giddy with excitement. It's called 'Lauren Conrad Celebrate' which will be available to purchase from the 6th April 2016 as an essential guide to entertaining. That's right people I dream about being the perfect hostess and can't wait to read this (YUP I am featuring it in my Friday faves and I have not even opened the cover yet!). It is also quite a beautiful hardcover book I think it will end up becoming my first bar cart book..what a match made in heaven. Delving into Celebrate there are chapters on invitations, decor and the bar and it focuses on core occasions like baby showers, birthday parties and weddings. So EXCITED! 

Take a trip to the Hard Rock Cafe...but remember to book 

Last weekend I went out with one of my bestie's to London for a bite to eat and some cocktails. We ended up in the Hard Rock Cafe...note that the queue is big so book ahead, its one of those restaurants that's a bit of a tourist spot. 

The food is good old american and its HUGE not as big as Texas mind but the nachos were cray cray, for our main as we were so full we decided to share a meat platter with ribs, pulled pork and chicken and we even made space for dessert which was a sexy Oreo cheesecake. Now it was quite dark in there so I do not have any food porn worthy photos but I do have a pic of my personalised classic tee, which is from the Hard Rock shop across the road. 

Old School Radio 

I have been thinking for a while that I have no idea what is going on with todays music because I never have the opportunity to listen it but now thats all change as I have the cutest radio from Goodmans, the Oxford DAB+ Digital Radio. This radio is inspired by the 1960s but with a modern touch, I think in love...

View Full Post

Friday Favourites: 19th February

I am loving February for a mountain of reasons; I met Edie, my besties new born baby. There is day dedicated to love and even better a day dedicated to the fluffy loveliness of pancakes. If this wasn’t enough my birthday is on the 28^th, so as you can see it’s a pretty decent month so happiness all around. Amongst all of that I thought I would share some of the things I have been lusting over this week:

I received these for Valentine’s day but have not had the time to post about them yet but the perfect way to my heart is food and if you mix this with roses you have a winner. These allbutter rose biscuits are just delicious you can see crystallised rose petals pouring through with a delicate rose flavour and beautiful packaging.

Also I need to do a shout out about the new Evelyn Rose EDP the velvety rose scent is just amazing. The fragrance features soft heart notes with hints of peach, nectar, citrus and amber creating a sensual scent. The bottle is pretty beautiful as well!! 50ml, £45. This scent is also enriched in the Evelyn Rose Body Cream for a heavenly experience. The Evelyn Rose Body Cream is £30.

The other week I headed down to Maître Choux which is based in South Kensington after hearing about the best Éclairs and Choux pastries in town. Look how pretty they look, each one looks like it took hours to make with love poured in. I want more now! 

As you might know I have been on a health kick since January and this week Mini Babybel Light has been my snack of choice, I have been really missing cheese but these little babies are only 42 calories per Babybel and they are delicious. Stacey Solomon has also been getting involved with this campaign encouraging people to be healthier by getting London commuters on pogo sticks to get to work. Why not try them this week to lighten up your lunch?!

I am in love with the SS16 collection from River Island it’s got me really excited to see the other collections from London Fashion Week. The new collection is full of swede, floral prints and cute waistcoats. This SS16 beauties are going to be a winner for sure…what should I buy first?!? 

I headed to the Creme Egg Cafe this week and it was glorious. Humour around every corner in true Creme egg style including a ball pit which I jumped right in. On the menu there are Creme Egg toasties and as a special treat I got to taste some special recipes created by Great British Bake Off star Martha Collison including Creme Egg Rocky Road and Creme Egg Caramel Squares. Keep an eye out for my take on the Rocky Road bars shortly!

View Full Post

REVIEW: Crabtree & Evelyn Spring Nail Lacquer Collection

This latest nail lacquer collection from Crabtree & Evelyn is really cementing the brand to be a big player in the nail polish world. When most people think of C&E I would not say nail polish is the first thing that pops to mind but things will change after they see these delicious, bright spring colours. The shades mirror spring blooms and these lacquers are perfect to match the spring scene and who wouldn't want that ?!?

The great thing about nail lacquer from Crabtree and Evelyn is they are lovingly created with no toxic chemicals that you usually find in other brands and they still last as long with a luscious creamy texture. YEY.

The colours in the collection are stunning and the names are taken from beautiful blooms:

Almond: I do love a good muted beige shade and this one is a little darker adding more definition than the others in my collection. The darker hues make the colour really pop. 

Lilac: You don't usually see this deeper shade of lilac, it is usually more muted tones so this is perfect for something a bit different and perfect with an all white or black outfit.

Peaches & Cream: I think this is one of my favourites for an all day look. The opalescent peachy shimmer is going to be a hot shade this Spring.

Azalea: You always need a brand new bright pink shade for the season and Azalea is just perfect. 

Mint: This colour is perfect for when you want to liven up your nails from the usual shades and too add a stylish tone.

Poppy: With red and orange hues mixing a tinge of pink this shades really mirrors the stunning flower it is named after.

These shades will launch in Spring 2016 but you can get them online now. RRP £6.00.

View Full Post

What to visit with 24 hours in Paris

Just the other week I headed to Paris for 24 hours and it's beautiful with so many places to visit I thought I would share what I got up to and where I recommend you visit. As a warning, this blog post is jam packed with photos. 

What I did in Paris for 24 hours

My trip began at Kings Cross to meet some other lovely bloggers and the Crabtree & Evelyn team, and then we headed to Paris on the Eurostar. I couldn’t quite belive the journey was only 2 hours going to Paris more often has made my New Year resolution list. The reason we were visiting Paris was to visit Crabtree & Evelyn at the Feel Unique pop-up store, themed; The Best of British Beauty, promoting the launch over Feel Unique in France. Crabtree and Evelyn were, of course, featured as one of the core brands for British beauty showcasing some of their key products like their hand therapy creams, Noel candle as one for my faves from the Christmas range and many others. There was also free hand massages and manicures, I went for something quite festive with gold leaf and the Crabtree and Evelyn nail polish in Cardinal. So to all my readers in France head to FeelUnique.fr and get your hands on Crabtree & Evelyn goodies.

 

If you are in Paris for just a Day I recommend saving a tiny bit of time for some shops, unfortunately, I didn't get time to pop in but they have a one of the largest Sephora’s I have ever seen and I visit Texas annually. I also really wish I had time to visit some of the incredible bakeries. If you are looking to do a quick tour of Paris you can rent little cars or get the bus, some must see tourist attractions are:

 Louvre Pyramid
         Pont Des Arts or Love Lock Bridge
         Champs-Elysees
         Eiffel Tower

If you are looking for a spot of lunch head to Le Dome du Marais it's so Parisian and has beautiful interior look at the ceiling!!! I had the salmon and a pretty extravagant chocolate bomb dessert that melted away after hot chocolate had been poured over it - lush!

Have a lovely Tuesday lovelies
X 

View Full Post

5 Scents Of Summer

I don't know about you but I am not a 'one perfume' kinda girl, I have an array of different scents and they change with the season so I thought it would be nice to do a round up of my top summer scents that all smell divine.

1. Jo Malone, Peony & Blush Suede Cologne

First up is a brand that every girl should have proudly displayed on their mantel, Jo Malone and Peony & Blush is the perfect summer scent. This fragrance is delicate yet flirty and who in their right mind would not want to smell like peonies with a touch of red apple, jasmine, rose and gillyflower. This fragrance does tug at the purse strings a bit but I think its a worthwhile purchase.
£42, 30ml 

2. Crabtree & Evelyn, Parisian Millefleurs Flower Water

Next up is from a classic English brand, Crabtree & Evelyn with an opulent looking bottle, again looking a vision and great for makeup table Instagram photos. This fragrance plays homage to the 18th century taking inspiration from France with strong and vibrant scents of wild flowers contrasting against one another with narcissus, rose, tuberose, violet, french juniper, cypress, bensoin and French Elemi entwining together. This is definitely a night out fragrance, think Ibiza.
£45, 100ml

3. Avon, Cherish - ON SALE

Avon, Cherish is a cheap and cheerful scent next that wont need a credit card. The notes are filled with jasmine sambae and creamy sandalwood creating a sweet fragrance perfect for a work day as it's small enough to keep in your handbag and lasts most of the day!
50ml, £14 on sale for £8

4. Liz Earle, Botanical Essence No. 100

I am loving Liz Earle at the moment, you may have seen my recent haircare post and the fresh, floral fragrance of Botanical Essence No.100 is no different. The essence of the fragrance is to capture the joy of a British flower shop. With notes of damask rose, orange flower and Indian jasmine are gently entwined by the subtle sensuality of cypress, sandalwood and Bourbon vanilla, finished with the light, transcendent clarity of mandarin and bergamot it certainly does the job! This fragrance was originally a limited edition in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Chelsea Flower Show due to it being a hit it is here to stay and we can not be happier. 
£49, 50ml

5. Ghost, Eclipse

Ghost's new summer fragrance is a fruity explosion of notes with sweet bergamot, lemon, mandarin, apple and peach that create smells of a perfect summers day. In contrast, freesia, Lotus Flower, amber, musk and rose ensure add a flirty and sensual character and with the addition of a scented body shimmer that comes with the product, Ghost Eclipse is a perfect date night fragrance.

The confetti from this shoot can be purchased by the bag on my Depop page.

View Full Post