bloomzy /

Where to Eat in London: The Hawksmoor

The Hawksmoor | Bar/Dinner | Spitalfields | Website
– reservations available –
I’m a pretty big foodie, if you hadn’t already guessed, so I wanted to post a bit about food in London.
This is my version of a Where to Eat in London – I have included the name, type of restaurant/cafe/store, the location of the place I visited, and a link to their website, as the bigger places have more than one location.
This is an ongoing series (you can find the series here) as my love for food and discovering new bars, restaurants etc. continues to blossom. This time I decided to feature only one restaurant as I loved it so much, and that is The Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar. I went for my birthday celebrations with a group of 6 friends, so we were given a booth, which was lovely and definitely added to the atmosphere of the place. All the waiters were lovely, especially the Japanese guy we chatted with about Tokyo and eating in London.
I had the cheeseburger, with triple cooked chips. I was a little worried when they didn’t ask me how I wanted my burger cooked but it turned up medium rare, which is what I would have chosen anyway. So I was more than happy, especially when I dug in – the meat was perfect and the pickled cucumber was a welcomed extra. The highlight of the meal though was the dessert. I had the peanut butter shortbread with salted caramel ice cream – honestly there could not be a more perfectly suited dessert for me. Hidden inside the shortbread was a layer of liquid chocolate waiting to ooze out, and the peanuts scattered around the plate were a nice added touch. The presentation of the burgers was the only thing that let The Hawksmoor down, but I can forgive them as I’ll definitely be back!
I wouldn’t have included this place if I didn’t love and recommend it.
So if you have the chance you should definitely check it out!
bloomzy /

My Tatty Devine Collection

My Tatty Devine Collection of Necklaces

Tatty Devine is an amazing British jewellery brand that I often feature on the blog.
By now you’ve probably heard me gush about how I’ve been a fan of around 10 years, quite a few times.
For me, Tatty Devine never gets old, and that’s why I’ve been expanding my collection as of late.
For my birthday I was lucky enough to receive 3 necklaces from friends and family.
The lovely Randa & Dodo bought me the Crown Mini Necklace, which paired perfectly with the Gem Crown Necklace that my grandparents bought me for my birthday. I can’t wait to layer the two together! I also received the Leopard Head Mini Necklace from the fiancé’s family for my birthday, who actually bought it all the way back in December.
The German Cookie Necklace was a gift from the fiancé at Christmas, as I love the tradition of German cookies.
My most adored piece though has to be my Frida Necklace, as she’s probably the closest thing I have to an idol.
An amazing powerful woman immortalised by Tatty Devine, run by two amazing powerful women – love it!
It also pairs with my Sugar Skull Necklace, which I made at the workshop I went to – such an amazing experience!
I also have to mention the customer service at Tatty Devine!
If you read my Twitter you will know that customer service is a big deal to me.
TD never let me down, and recently the lovely Laura (always a pleasure to chat to) tracked down the last Crown Necklace in the company for me! That meant a lot to me, especially as it was part of the present from my grandparents. 
So thank you so much TD for making awesomely pretty things, and giving wonderful service!
What’s Next? I have my eyes set on a custom name necklace!

bloomzy /

OOTD: Green with Envy

(Shirt: The Lazy Ones, Skirt: Miss Selfridge, Necklace: Tatty Devine)

I decided to go all green for my birthday meal last night.
I was joined by some lovely friends, some of whom included Randa, Dodo, Emmie and of course, the fiancé. 
We headed to The Hawksmoor as I’d heard good things, and we fancied some tasty meat.
The food and atmosphere was amazing, and our waiter was lovely.
I felt like letting my classy side out for the event…it does exist, I promise you.
So I went with this gorgeous shirt, which I picked up from The Lazy Ones on Brick Lane.
I absolutely loved the detailing and colour of the shirt, so much that I bought it in two colours!
TLO is probably one of my favourite stores right now, as I always manage to find something there.
I paired the shirt with my new Tatty Devine necklace, another birthday gift, from family.
I really loved this outfit and I think it was all made by this shirt.
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Birthday Celebrations

Left: Victoria & Albert Museum, 
Right: Homa Restaurant, Church Street
 
Birthday/Anniversary meal, at Homa
 
Birthday present from the fiancé 
 
I had an amazing birthday this year, thanks to my wonderful family & friends.
I wanted to do a separate present post so this is just a short photo diary of my birthday.
I spent my birthday at the Victoria & Albert museum, and then continued to a restaurant in the evening.
It wasn’t that important to me that it was my birthday, but I did like being able to make the time to do the things I love, and using that excuse always seems to work. The restaurant we choose in the evening was Homa – a place we had passed a few times and wanted to visit. The food was lovely. I choose Duck & Foie Gras Terrine, Crab Linguine and Yoghurt Panacotta with Rhubarb Sorbet. My birthday also happens to fall on mine and the fiancé’s anniversary, and this year we celebrated 4 years!
I only received one present from the fiancé this year, but oh boy was it a big one!
He bought me a Macbook Air, because he wanted to help support me in my career choices, and so I could blog more.
Now if that isn’t true love, I don’t know what is! Seriously though, I’m a very lucky lady.
I’ll be continuing my birthday celebrations tonight (Saturday) with my lovely ladies too!
bloomzy /

OOTD: Life in Colour

(Top: ASOS, Trousers: H&M, Watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Earrings: Accessorize, Lipstick: Chanel)
Today’s OOTD marks the beginning of my birthday celebrations.
It may not be my birthday until Tuesday, but my family are visiting this weekend.
That means a mini shopping spree and an excuse to go eat out at some of my favourite places.
I also decided to try out a different kind of layout for my outfit posts today.
This way seemed more appealing to me and I also liked being able to include a bit more detail.
I think the trousers may have inspired my need for more detail because they are so amazingly gorgeous!
I grabbed them in H&M’s January sales, and it was love at first sight. I just love the patterns and colours.
They also went well with my new badass (faux)leather sleeve top from ASOS, which I also got in the sales.
I’d been after the top for a while and I’m so glad I waited as I got it for less than half price!
What do you think of the new ootd post layout?

bloomzy /

Review: Klorane Shampoo & Conditioner

Klorane Pomegranate Shampoo & Conditioner, for coloured hair*
Klorane is one of my favourite beauty brands, who I’ve mentioned several times on the blog.
To me the French brand’s products are natural, but also luxurious, which isn’t always easy to come by.
After attending an event for the brand I was curious to try out their shampoo & conditioner for coloured hair.
“This [shampoo], formulated for colour-treated hair, protects against progressive colour fading and loss of radiance. Hair colour retains its intensity and shine. Its cleansing base is enriched with regenerative agents so that hair remains soft, silky and easy to style.

Used in addition to KLORANE shampoo with pomegranate, this [conditioner] repairs and regenerates the hair fibre deep down to leave it soft and supple. Protected from fading, hair colour remains as intense and glossy as the first day.

Both are hypoallergenic.”


Pros:
+ Leaves my hair soft
+ Conditioning
+ Smells amazing
+ Great price
+ Brought out my colour
Cons:
– Shampoo doesn’t lather easily
Notes:
Certain brands of shampoo dry my hair out, even though I use a conditioner each wash.
So I was very happy to find that Klorane’s shampoo & conditioner didn’t do this to my hair.
Some people might find it slightly pricey at £6 each, but it’s actually cheaper than what I would usually buy. I’ve been looking to change shampoos for a while, but I haven’t found a natural product that looks after coloured hair for a decent price, so that’s a big plus for me. The only downside to the shampoo is that it doesn’t lather easily, but that’s a problem with using natural ingredients in a shampoo, and is not down to Klorane in particular.
You can purchase Klorane’s shampoos & conditioners in John Lewis stores or online, here.
bloomzy /

Giveaway: 3 Year Anniversary #2

January means it’s the blog’s 3 year anniversary!
Over the next 2 weeks I will be hosting 2 back-to-back giveaways.
Sorry if you missed the first one, but there’s still plenty more where that came from.
This week’s prize is fashion themed and is from a wonderful British brand.
What can you win?
1 x £30 Gift Voucher for Mary Jane Fashion
This gift was provided by MJF and was not purchased by myself.

How to enter:
+ Be a follower of ‘Bloomzy’ via GFC or Bloglovin.
+ ‘Like’ Mary Jane Fashion on Facebook
+ Earn extra entries via Twitter etc.
– Twitter accounts made purely to RT giveaways will be disqualified.
The giveaway is open for 1 week (ending Thur 31 Jan).
Open internationally!