bloomzy /

Celebrating Women: My Idol, Frida Kahlo

This may be a tad late, but in celebration of International Women’s Day I wanted to do a special post.
Of course IWD was all about celebrating women, so I decided that I wanted to celebrate one woman in particular.
A lot of you may already know this as I often tweet/tumblr about it, but my idol is Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a Mexican painter who is well known worldwide for her self-portraits.
Described as surrealist, her work heavily features artefacts of her personal struggles, life in Mexico & Mexican culture.
Frida had a troubled life as she suffered from several health problems, most of which stem from a bus accident she was in as a teenager. She later went on to marry Diego Rivera, a man whom she loved deeply, but unfortunately their marriage was not stable. Diego and the affairs that occurred between the two of them are also heavily featured in her art. 
To me, Frida and her work are exceptionally beautiful.
Her paintings show the physical and psychological wounds she suffered from.
Not only that but they represent how proud she was to be a Mexican woman living through the revolution.
Even though her art is bright, bold and wonderful that isn’t the only reason she has become my idol.
She suffered greatly through her life; miscarriages, health issues, marital difficulties and yet she still remained a strong woman. She provoked what was mainstream and often discussed taboo subjects. Even though her art didn’t truly become popular until the 1980s, she was a representative of Mexico and feminists worldwide. I respect her for the decisions she made during her life, and the way she handled love and lose. 
For me, Frida is a role model; someone to admire and learn from.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Frida Kahlo I would recommend the movie ‘Frida‘.
Or the biography, which the film is based on: Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo.
Did you celebrate International Women’s Day?
Who is your idol?
Source; 1, 2, 3, 4
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Neon, Nails… & Cake

Last week I caught the nasty stomach bug that’s been going around.
So when the weekend came I was pretty excited to go out and enjoy myself.
I didn’t go too crazy as I was still feeling a bit gross, but I did indulge a little bit.
I stopped by both Fika and Kahaila, two amazing foodie gems right on Brick Lane.
I also popped up to Tatty Devine to order my first name necklace.
I can’t wait for it to be finished so I can show you all!
As for loves right now, I’ve hopped on the neon bandwagon.
It’s bright, it makes me happy, and I’ve covered myself in it.
I’ve even added a few neon pieces to my home decor.
I also did a bit of nail art last week, which I’ll be posting tutorials for soon.
Unfortunately that lead to me organising my nail polish collection, something I’ve needed to do for a while. 
It meant saying goodbye to old polishes, but also welcoming new ones that had started popping up on my dresser.
The polishes have been reproducing by themselves, honest.
You can follow me on Instagram @bloomzy
bloomzy /

Event: Tie-Dye Workshop @ Boxpark

Tie-dye workshop at Boxpark, held by Monkee Genes, sponsored by Rekorderlig 

Last weekend myself and a friend were invited to a tie-dye workshop sponsored by Rekorderlig.
You all know I’m a big fan of the fruit cider, so I was excited to hear about them sponsoring an ethical clothing brand called Monkee Genes. I knew a little about the brand as their jeans are sold in Topshop, but I was very interested to hear more about a brand that made organic clothing (yes, that is a thing) and cared about the people that make their items.
Tie-dye is popping up all over the place again this season, so of course I wanted to tie-dye some creations of my own. 

My tie-dye creations – a pair of Monkee Genes, and a pair of socks*

The event was in association with an amazing group called Neon Stash.
Our lovely tutor for the afternoon was so energetic and chatty that she really made the event!
Everyone was given a t-shirt to tie-dye, and I was also given some jeans (by Monkee Genes) and some socks.
I was ready to tie-dye! I wanted to go for something subtle that I knew would fit my personal style easily.
I choose pink and purple for my jeans – I used the ye’old crumple tie-dye effect – and dip-dyed some socks yellow.
I didn’t want to post a full-on photo of the jeans as I want to reveal them in an OOTD post.
That is, as soon as I get them altered, as they’re about a foot longer than my legs right now.
I had a brilliant time and so did my friend.
I’d like to thank everyone at Monkee Genes, Neon Stash and Rekorderlig!
You brought me back to the days of my childhood when tie-dye ran supreme.

What do you all think of my tie-dye creations?
bloomzy /

Review: New Style Boutique for Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo 3DS XL & New Style Boutique Game*
I know it’s not my usual kind of post, but I love playing games almost as much as I love beauty/fashion.
My usual kind of game play involves Resident Evil, GTA or games of the like, not usually fashion related ones.
So when I was contacted and sent a Nintendo 3DS XL and the New Style Boutique game about a month ago, I was very excited to try out a game aimed more at the interests I chat about on here.
What is New Style Boutique?
You start the game as an assistant at a boutique in your town.
Gradually you work your way up as a stylist and eventually the owner of your own boutique.
Working in the boutique means that you get to style your customers, from head to toe – men & women!
There are over 12,000 items of clothing and accessories to choose from, including handbags etc.
You also get the chance to enter stylist competitions and have your look go down the catwalk.
Exciting extras include; a hair salon where you can change your hair style & colour, a beauty salon where you can buy make-up for your character, the ability to decorate your apartment and of course, shopping for clothing for your boutique!
What did I think?
As I said before I don’t play fashion related games so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Style Boutique.
In fact I really really enjoyed playing the game and with so much going on I wasn’t bored at all, and I actually ended up playing the game on my morning/evening commutes to work, as well as during my lunch breaks. There wasn’t much I disliked about the game, apart from maybe the overused dialogue – but I wasn’t expecting Shakespeare, so I can’t complain. My favourite attributes of the game were entering the style competitions and shopping for clothing, for my boutique. If you’re not a fan of gaming but love fashion then maybe this is the perfect starter for you! It’s not an overly complicated game, but it’s in-depth enough that you’ll enjoy the game play. And if you’re like me, a gamer who usually stays away from this genre? I think that if you love fashion then you will love this game.

bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Celebrating in Style

Photo Diary Catch-up – Celebrating in Style
I’ve been accessorising like crazy lately!
That’s all thanks to the lovely people who bought me these lovely presents.
The neon accent leather cuff (Whistles) is from my parents and the studded bracelets (Zara) from a friend.
My Tatty Devine crowns look amazing layered, thank you to Dodo & Randa, as well as my grandparents!
I’ve also been nibbling on treats from Japan.
Zak bought me some leopard print chocolate & banana sponge cakes.
You can purchase them in the Tokyo Sky Tree – Tokyo’s latest tourist attraction.
Of course I have to nibble whilst having perfectly manicured hands – I used Mavala polish & glitter.
For my birthday I visited the Victoria & Albert Museum.
We had a look around and had lunch in the amazing food hall.
The same friend who bought me the bracelets also bought me macarons.
They were gone in only a couple of days – and that was after holding myself back!
I also took my parents to The Breakfast Club, who haven’t stopped going on about it since.
Finally, a big thank you to Nintendo who sent me a Nintendo 3DS XL and a copy of the new Style Boutique game.
Expect a review soon, because I can’t get enough of it!!

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 /

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!