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Style: Transitioning into Spring

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Backpack: ASOS | Pom Pom: Wonderound | Crop Top: Tokyo Laundry* | Facemask: Face D*

The dreaded wardrobe transition. You know, the one where you spend a whole weekend packing away your ‘Winter clothes’ and bring out your Spring/Summer clothes from the suitcase under your bed. No, just me? It’s something I do every year around this time, as I try to be less pessimistic and actually start to believe that we might see the sun again. The beautiful weather this weekend made me think about this inevitable shuffle, and how I would be transitioning into Spring this year.

The light, fluffy accessories that were popular in Winter, such as my pom pom from Wonderound  transition well – I mean, lambs and chicks are fluffy, and they’re basically the epitome of Spring. That’s my reasoning anyway. As for clothing, that’s a little more difficult. Britain is infamous for it’s bad weather especially around April, so I was on the look-out for something that felt like Spring, but had the practicality of a Winter item. Tokyo Laundry‘s striped crop top is thick enough to keep me warm, and the crochet accent definitely doesn’t feel like Winter . Finally, skincare! As the weather changes, so does my skin. It’s as if it thinks I’m doing something terrible to it, and so it freaks out and dries up on me. That’s why I need to keep an eye on my skin, even in the warmer months. I was so impressed with Face D’s Instant Effect Depuffing Eye Mask that I have added them and the Instant Hydrating Anti-Ageing Mask, to a permanent position in my bathroom cabinet.

All these little changes may not feel like much, but I’m certain they will carry me through into Springtime well.

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A London Life… in Tokyo?

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Eat Tokyo, Hillgate Street, Notting Hill, London

One of the best things about London is being able to find authentic food from pretty much any country or region. That isn’t to say though that there aren’t imitations. Unfortunately for every Asakusa, there are ten Wagamamas. Still, part of the fun of discovering new places to eat is in whether or not they will be true to form. One place I had heard about through the grapevine was Eat Tokyo. I’d heard several people say “this is the real deal” or “it’s the best Japanese food in London”. However I’m pretty critical of cuisines I know well, and I’d also heard some not-so-great reviews, so I decided to take these opinions with a pinch of salt. In fact I’d resigned myself to never visiting the restaurant “chain” (they currently have 6 locations in London). Yet last week V.A and I found ourselves unsure of where to go for dinner after our SHOW DRY salon visit. Low and behold, there was Eat Tokyo on our Zomato app with a 4.6 rating. So we decided to give it a go.

First off, let me say, the Notting Hill location is small. VERY small. In fact we were lucky enough to get the last table, right next to the front door. The layout of the kitchen and seats – this location features seats where you can watch the sushi chefs at work – reminded me very much of a typical izakaya. Even though the restaurant was full, the staff were efficient. We were given the ginormous menu (really guys, it’s too much) and took our time looking through it. I took charge and ordered a whole selection of my favourite dishes for the both of us, as V.A wanted to try something new. This included: Natto (fermented soy bean – Japan’s marmite), Unagi Don (grilled eel on rice), Wakame-su (pickled cucumber and seaweed), Agedashi Tofu (fried tofu in a tentsuyu broth), Salmon Sushi Rolls and Karaage (fried chicken). The chef also accidentally made us some natto sushi, which we were given for free.

As for the food, was it authentic? Everything apart from the wakame-su (it should have been sunomono) tasted exactly as I remembered it from Japan. The flavours and textures were all there, but something was lacking. Unfortunately whereas Eat Tokyo excels in bringing authentic Japanese dishes to London, it did not excel at bringing good quality ingredients and well cooked food to our table. The karaage wasn’t bad and neither was the age-dofu. However the unagi was overcooked and chewy, the sushi was cold, the natto didn’t come with a side of tare or mustard, and the wakame-su wasn’t pickled, and had ginger on top?! Overall not a great experience, but not one that I regret. I won’t be heading back anytime soon, but if I had nowhere to go I’d probably give them another chance.

You can read more of my restaurant reviews on Zomato.

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OOTD: Bookworm

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Jumper: Tokyo Laundry* | Trousers: Topshop | Antumbra Necklace: Clarice Price Thomas*

As a kid I would read 2-3 books a week at school. My dad would read the classics to me and my sister before bed, and I would buy a new horrible history book whenever I was given pocket money. Needless to say, my love for books followed me into my teenage years, and through into adulthood. When I had the chance to visit Hay-on-Wye this weekend I jumped at the chance. For those who don’t know, the small market town is famous for it’s bookstores (lovingly nicknamed The Town of Books) and the Hay Literary Festival. So I wrapped up in my new Tokyo Laundry jumper, ready for a day of rummaging through books. It’s a lovely Welsh town that I could easily spend hours wandering around. However I had my eye’s set on Richard Booth’s (the man behind the town) bookstore – an old, beautiful bookshop that any child would swear is magical. In fact I fell in love with the magic of it myself. Dusty old books sit next to shiny new novels – this store doesn’t discriminate – and comfy sofas and chairs are close-by for those who just can’t wait to get home before they start their new book. It truly is a book lovers paradise. I browsed the shelves for Murakami before grabbing myself a copy of Emer O’Toole’s Girls Will Be Girls. Eventually I was dragged away as I pleaded “No, just a little longer…”

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SHOW Your Best Side

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SHOW DRY Salon, Notting Hill, London

I love having my hair washed by someone. No I’m not lazy, and no I don’t have some kind of weird fetish. I just find it incredibly relaxing, and after a busy day at work it’s nice to indulge in some pampering. However, having my hair styled by someone else is another thing entirely. I have awkwardly curly, coarse hair, which I apparently seem to hide well. But once a stylist discovers it’s real form, all hell breaks lose. Ok so I may be overdramatising here, but a lot of stylists do find my hair hard to work with. For me, it’s easy. I’ve gotten used to it over the years and I know how to handle it/style it right (all those years have finally paid off). That’s why I like going back to the same hairdresser (once I’ve found a good one). So with this in mind I headed to SHOW’s new salon in Notting Hill with V.A for some hair pampering. Part of me couldn’t wait, and the other part was a little nervous…

My qualms were settled though as we walked through the ornate doors, and into the chic interior. The smell of roses and haircare products filled the air in the predominantly pink and gold salon. Everything was immaculate, from the displays of products that lined the wall right down to the bouquet on the reception desk. It took everything in me not to stand there with my mouth hanging open – this is a classy establishment Emma, don’t mess up. We were greeted by a cheerful member of staff who kindly introduced us to the salon and our stylists. We were taken downstairs for a quick tour before being whisked away to have our hair washed. At this point I came to realise that the smell that had hit me when I walked in was SHOW’s own haircare products; and boy do they smell amazing. It was thanks to this that my shampoo and condition was incredibly relaxing.

After heading back upstairs we were given a glass of bubbles each, and our stylists got to work. Unfortunately my stylist did comment on how awkward my hair was – another one defeated by the genes of my father. Thanks Dad. However she did leave me with soft, bouncy hair. I can’t really blame her for not being able to style it properly – as I explained my hair is very awkward – and the products did actually leave my hair feeling and looking good. As for V.A (with her lovely, approachable hair), she left with some gorgeous, enviable waves. I also saw several other ladies leaving with exceptional blow drys. Overall I can’t complain, and maybe next time I could go back with a bit more time and the same stylist would be more prepared to tackle my mane of hair…or I’d just go for an up-do.

You can check out the services on offer, and book an appointment at SHOW Dry.

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Afternoon Tea at The Mandeville Hotel

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Vintage Afternoon Tea at The Mandeville Hotel – Reform Social and Grill

Afternoon tea symbolises everything great about English food; cake, sandwiches, scones and tea. It’s also the perfect introduction for anyone visiting or moving to the country. It truly is a relaxing and indulgent treat. That’s why I decided to treat my mum to afternoon tea at The Mandevlille Hotel in Marylebone, when she visited for her birthday.

We started with a mango bellini, which we were served as we were seated. The menu mentions being able to choose from a selection of seasonal bellinis, but this wasn’t the case for us. Though we were offered a choice of which tea to accompany our food with – I chose the refreshing organic mint melange, which was clearly a quality tea. Next up were the sandwiches, which were light and flavourful. The cucumber and cream cheese was my favourite of the selection. I know cucumber sandwiches sound incredibly boring, but they’re one English tradition that I dearly hope will never fade.

One of the most integral parts of afternoon tea are the scones, of course. These ones looked as good as they tasted – rustic (there’s something just not right with a smooth scone) and slightly sweetened. The jam was store bought, but was sweet and not overly sugary. However the pièce de résistance was the clotted cream – something I’m always very critical of – which was rich and sweet. And before you ask, I always put cream on first, then jam.

The apple and custard pots were by far the best sweet offering on the table. The soft, tart apple contrasted perfectly against the sweet custard, and the crunchy, sugary crumble. Both me and my mum agreed that we would quite happily eat a plateful of them. However the rest of the sweets on the table were a bit of a let-down, the raspberry meringues and battenburg cake were good, but nothing to write home about. However the biggest upset of the afternoon was the cake, and as we all know, cake is an important part of afternoon tea. So to be served up dry coffee and walnut cake/chocolate fudge cake (that tasted a day old) was quite upsetting for me. Luckily my mum had left hers until last, by which point she was quite full, so she wasn’t upset. Though if I had been taking anyone else here, I would have complained.

The hotel itself is a comfortable setting, and the afternoon tea area is quite intimate (around 6 tables), making for a lovely experience. However whilst I felt that we ate and drank plenty, I felt that the quality of the food was lacking slightly. It’s not one of the best afternoon tea’s I’ve had, and I probably wouldn’t go back, but for the price it isn’t bad. Afternoon Tea at The Mandeville Hotel is £26.50 each with a free bellini (minus service charge).

You can read more of my restaurant reviews on Zomato.

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Sweet Like Chocolate…

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Hotel Chocolat Milk-Free Milk Chocolate Scrambled Egg*

One thing you may not know about me is that I actually don’t drink much milk. I know, I know, I live a crazy life. Joking aside though, I prefer almond or coconut milk. People honestly look at me oddly when I say I don’t eat milk chocolate. It’s not the end of the world, but it can make it awkward when people buy me chocolate as a gift. So when Hotel Chocolat offered to send me a treat from their new Easter selection, I knew exactly which one I wanted to try – the Milk-Free Milk Chocolate Scrambled Egg.

Now you’re probably wondering why this post even exists, as I don’t usually do food product reviews. Well, as a kid my sister and I didn’t really get too many Easter eggs. Instead our parents bought us gifts. Probably because they knew what we’d be like if we received too many…which is made evident by the following story. One year, we actually ended up with quite a few chocolate eggs from various relatives. So my sister and I decided that we would play a ‘chocolate game’ (the underage version of a drinking game apparently), in which we would watch the movie Chocolat, and whenever a piece of chocolate came up on the screen we had to eat a piece of chocolate. Now this may sound like fun, but actually we didn’t anticipate just how much chocolate there would be in the movie. Suffice to say, there is a lot! Both of us ended up on a sugar high, which culminated in me falling into a paper bin (arse first) and getting stuck. We were pretty sick the next day. Even so, this is still one of my favourite memories from my childhood, and my sister and I still laugh about it now. So I guess what I’m trying to say is, Easter is a nostalgic and sweet time for me.

The milk-free scrambled egg smells like dark chocolate, and tastes like it too. It’s a smooth, rich flavour, which I personally love. The addition of the Nutty Fruitcases was an extra treat, and again I found the chocolate to be reminiscent of dark chocolate (more so than milk). Something which contrasts well against the crunchy hazelnuts and sweet sultanas – I’ll be keeping these to have alongside a cup of tea. The whole set is a great alternative to a milk chocolate egg, and wonderful for anyone who can’t (or doesn’t) eat dairy. I may be a little wiser now (and not drown myself in chocolate) but I do still love savouring one quality Easter egg a year. This year I’m glad it was this one.

Pop by Hotel Chocolat to browse their selection of Easter Eggs, and to purchase the Milk-Free Milk Chocolate Scrambled Egg.

bloomzy /

Review: OGX Coconut Water Hydration Oil Hair Spray

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OGX Coconut Water Weightless Hydration Oil*

Remember when I reviewed the OGX coconut water shampoo and conditioner? No? Well that’s ok, I’ll forgive you this time. Anyway, in that particular review I mentioned how I use the coconut water hair spray alongside those two products. So it seemed only right that I review the hydration oil also.

Pros:
+ Lightweight
+ Helps hydrate dry hair
+ Smells lovely
+ Leaves hair glossy

Cons:
– Not for use on grease-prone hair

Notes:
I really love this little product. I’ve been using it for a few months now, and I know I can rely on it to perk up my hair when it’s looking (and feeling) dehydrated. The spray is lightweight enough (some might say weightless, ho ho ho) that I can spritz it onto my roots or ends. Not only that, but it leaves my hair looking glossy, and smelling wonderful. A word of warning though, this isn’t for grease prone hair. I have tried it on my strands when they’re in need of a wash, and it leaves them looking greasy and heavy. For £6.99 I would happily purchase this. You only need a few spritz, so this will last you a while.

You can buy the OGX Coconut Water Weightless Hydration Oil at Boots.