bloomzy /

Where to Eat in London 4

The Book Club | Brunch/Dinner | Shoreditch | Website
– reservations not available –
Byron | Lunch/Dinner | Hoxton | Website
– reservations not available –

Chicken Shop | Dinner | Kentish Town | Website

– reservations not available –

I’m a pretty big foodie, if you hadn’t already guessed, so I wanted to post a bit about food in London.
There are some amazing places to eat and pick up food, and these are just a few of the places I have visited lately.
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 all of the restaurants, apart from Byron (I’ve now been to two of their locations – both wonderful) are all one offs – meaning they can’t be found in multiple locations in London. If you’re curious about what I ate feel free to ask but I didn’t write it as I think it’s self explanatory from most of the photos.

I wouldn’t have included these places if I didn’t love and recommend them.
So if you have the chance you should definitely check them out!

bloomzy /

Store: The Dairy

Purple Nebula Galaxy iPhone 4 Case*
A few weeks ago the lovely Cam from The Dairy sent me the most amazing iPhone case.
I’ve written short reviews on iPhone case stores before so I definitely wanted to add this one.
The Dairy is an Australian company run by Cam who prints iPhone cases from one of the many amazing collections that are featured on the site. There are plenty of designs to choose from – the Star Gaze collection is my favourite.
I choose an added extra and went for the ‘Armoured Case’ which includes a rubber insert.
The rubber insert is very much like a silicon case and the plastic case fits over top of it, to offer extra protection.
It doesn’t take anything away from the look of the case but you can see it on the front – check out the pic above.
I kind of love it as it makes me feel like my iPhone has become a tiny, impenetrable tank…or something like that.
As for the case itself, I’m so happy with the design I chose. I’m also mega impressed with the gloss and colour.
Thanks to Samispoon who originally introduced me to the brand, and I hope to see a review on her case soon!
The Dairy make cases for: iPhone 4/4S/5 and Samsung Galaxy S2/S3 you can view the designs here.
bloomzy /

Review: Joliebox

Joliebox gift box from the Birchbox event*
When I attended the Birchbox champagne afternoon tea event last week I was gifted with a Joliebox.
If you didn’t see that post then you might be confused, but this is because Birchbox have taken over Joliebox.
If I remember correctly the box wasn’t a particular month, it was a mixture of products & previous month’s boxes.
The box contained samples from previous boxes and new items, such as:
– Twistband –
– Ritessens Exfoliant –
– RMK Cleansing Balm –
– L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream –
– Dr Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap Pillows –
– Redken Protective Straightening Lotion –
This box was a great way to introduce someone to some of the wonderful brands that Joliebox has worked with.
It also shows you an example of what you might receive in a box; beauty, skincare, hair & lifestyle products, travel essentials, and even full size samples. Birchbox allows you to create a personal profile which your samples will be based on – which is a great feature, I hope they keep it when the takeover happens in January. The magazine is something which is unique to Joliebox and is very popular with a lot of subscribers, so it was nice to receive one with my box.
Joliebox will soon become Birchbox, and is a monthly beauty box service.
For £10 (plus postage) a month you will recieve 4-5 beauty samples to your door.
You can sign up and subscribe here.

bloomzy /

OOTD: Nana Fancy Dress

(Jacket: Primark, Top: Japan, Shorts: Zara, Tights: eBay, Shoes: Barratts*)

On Saturday I went to a joint party for two friends, and of course there was a theme.
All the best parties have themes, and this one was ‘Cartoon Characters of the 90s/2000s’.
I don’t watch many cartoons but from the ones I have watched/watch I just couldn’t think of a character.
Then I remembered that one of my favourite fictional characters of the 2000s was originally an anime (Japanese cartoon).
So I may have cheated a little bit as mine was based on a live action movie character, but the thought was there.
Who did I go as? Nana Osaki (reference photo here).
I love her strong character, and of course her personal style!
I paired suspender tights with my new faux leather jacket, a staple for any Nana costume.
I also choose a skull motif top I bought in Japan (fitting, no?) and some ripped denim shorts from Zara.
The piece de resistance though were the wedge creepers that Barratts recently gifted me – I’m in love!
They are the comfiest, most badass pair of shoes I own at the moment and I want to pair them with everything.
They are perfect for the rock chick side of my personal style…and for any future fancy dress parties, of course.
I even created a short bob hair style using this cheat by Cheesie, and used a leather bracelet as a choker.
What do you think of my fancy dress costume?
For fans of the creepers, they also come in red, blue and purple – I WANT THEM ALL!
bloomzy /

Event: Birchbox Champagne Afternoon Tea

Birchbox – Joliebox Champagne Afternoon Tea event

As soon as my plus-one and I walked through the doors we were giddy. I’d invited her to the Birchbox event as we both share a love for champagne and afternoon tea. It was held at The Soho Hotel, which is fashionably fancy, as is the drawing room which we were directed to. The tables were lined with cakes, sandwiches, biscuits and scones – with jam and cream, of course!

We arrived early and were greeted by the lovely team behind Birchbox and Joliebox. We were shown samples of October’s Joliebox, whilst waiters offered us salmon sandwiches and champagne. I loved the effort that the team went towards to greet and have a proper talk with everyone, not just a 5min chat. I knew quite a bit about Joliebox but I was really interested in finding out more about Birchbox, an American monthly beauty sample box company which are now moving into the European market, hence the event.

We even got to meet Katia Beauchamp, one of Birchbox’s co-founders – an incredibly funny, intelligent and gorgeous lady – definitely a power woman if I did ever meet one. I thought having some of the American team there was a really great edition to the event and showed just how passionate they are about making it here in Europe. Although I won’t lie, the highlight of the event were the ornately decorated (and incredibly yummy) biscuits! I think we can all expect big things from Birchbox once it’s launched in the UK – I can’t wait!

Birchbox UK will be launching in January 2013.
Joliebox will now be merging with Birchbox and becoming Birchbox UK.

bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Tatty Devine Sugar Skull Workshop


Tatty Devine Sugar Skull Workshop, Brick Lane
Last weekend a very good friend came down to visit me in my new pad.
We’d already made plans to visit the Rekorderlig event on the Friday, but we also needed to fill up our Saturday.
It so happens that I follow Tatty Devine on Twitter (big fan, as you know) and they mentioned a workshop they were holding to make and design your own Sugar Skull necklace, much like the ones they had on sale this Summer. You probably remember how much I wanted one of their Sugar Skull necklaces, but actually I didn’t end up buying one as I was too busy saving for the big move to London. So this was the perfect opportunity for me to make my very own unique Tatty Devine necklace! After some persuasion from my friend – he wanted to make one too – we decided to go.
The workshop itself is quite small so the event only had around 11 people (2 being TD staff members).
My friend was the only guy there, but the ladies loved him, and we all had a lovely time. Everyone was super chatty and very friendly – I think the atmosphere in Tatty Devine helped, it was very welcoming and laid back. We got to play with spray paints, stencils, crystals and a whole manner of shiny & sparkly objects. Everyone’s design was completely unique and it was fun comparing them along the way. Some went for shockingly pink, Barbie inspired skulls, others went for ALL the bling, while I finally decided on a dark gothic inspired sugar skull – it was that or purple.
My final design is the one on the left and the one on the right is my friend’s.
I had a brilliant time and met some lovely people. The TD staff were wonderful – funny, helpful and kind.
If you get the chance to attend one of their workshops please do! The experience alone is worth the money.
Spaces sell out very quickly though so keep an eye out (here) and book as soon as you can!
bloomzy /

Announcement: I’ve moved to London!

Finally, I am able to make the big announcement I’ve been keeping a secret for weeks!!
This weekend I moved to London with the fiance. Yep, the big and brilliant capital of England is now my home.
After searching for quite a while and visiting various letting agents and searching online (I don’t recommend it) we finally found an amazing apartment in Hackney that we knew we could call home. I’m so excited – it still doesn’t feel real!
My hometown isn’t too far from London but visiting for a few days is very different to living here.
Luckily we were able to find somewhere in an area we know well and really wanted to live in.
We will be doing the grown-up thing and searching for jobs, but I’ll also be making time for fun (of course).
It’s going to be a big adventure and I feel so lucky to have this opportunity – hopefully I will be able to share it with you all.
However as we have just moved in we won’t have internet access for a couple of weeks. 
I will still answer emails and Tweet via my phone. I’ll also be trying to blog by visiting cafes etc.



Source; I couldn’t find one. If you know the source for this photo, please let me know – it’s beautiful!