bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Sunday in Shoreditch

Spending a Sunday afternoon in Shoreditch is one of my favourite things to do.
I love the vintage markets, world food stalls and street style of Brick Lane.
I love the smells, colours and the people who wander down Columbia Road.
It’s somewhere I always take people when they visit because it has such life.
Everywhere in Shoreditch has such atmosphere and effortless style.
If you aren’t a fan of London I suggest you visit these places and then decided again.
If you can’t make it to London anytime soon, hopefully my photos will help.
Locations/People in this photo diary include:
Hanni Bow, Brick Lane Coffee, Rough Trade East, Brick Lane Market & Columbia Road
bloomzy /

Review: The Chelsea Day Spa – Manicure

My trip to The Chelsea Day Spa for a manicure*

Last week I was invited to visit The Chelsea Day Spa for a manicure.
The weather was absolutely horrible and I was pretty windswept when I arrived.
Thankfully I was greeted by a beautiful interior and staff with lovely warm smiles. 
The spa itself doesn’t look very big from the outside but they’ve managed to fit a lot in.
As I waited for my nail technician I browsed the treatments on offer and was pleasantly surprised.
As well as offering manicures & pedicures, you can also indulge in massages, facials, waxing and more.
I went for a New York Manicure – I was offered a pedicure, but you guys know I have a foot phobia.
I also had gel nails on at the time, so I had those soaked off for me, to prep my nails for the manicure.
Rodica was my manicurist, and she was absolutely lovely – I really can’t recommend her enough!
There were no awkward silences because she was so friendly and chatty, making it a great experience.
We chatted for the whole hour about Romania (her home country), the culture and history.
You know I’m a culture-nut so I thoroughly enjoyed this.
My manicure was flawless and looked amazing – almost like gels.
The shade range of polishes (normal & gel) was good, as is the brand they use – Jessica.
The polish lasted for a week before it started to chip, which I think is an achievement.
The service and final product were well worth the visit, and the money – only £17!
For the lovely surroundings, staff and manicure I would certainly visit again.
Visit The Chelsea Day Spa for locations and treatment lists.
bloomzy /

Street Style: Japanese (Tokyo) vs. British (London)

Tokyo and London are both well known for their amazing street style.
One may be completely different to the other but that’s why I wrote this post.
This isn’t about comparing the two and choosing a winner, a more fashionable street style…
The point is to show how both cities have so much to offer in terms of fashion and inspiration.
No matter which way you look at it, both cities offer shockingly vibrant and fun fashion.
Both are stylised and brimming with personality, leaving you wanting to see more.
Not that you would expect anything less from two of the world’s fashion capitals.
I love both Japanese and European street style so I hope you can enjoy it too.

Source; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Bob, Bacon, Bling

Cryptic as that title may sound, it pretty much sums up my last couple of weeks.
It’s been a busy few weeks but I’ve been relaxing and treating myself now and then.
I went to Sundown Festival with my bestie Jemi and had my nails done by Effy Nails.
I’m now convinced that I need to hire Rachel to be my personal nail artist – I’m hooked!
I was sent some luxurious fruit gelato by Divino, which I promise I didn’t eat all at once.
I got my hair done at Bleach, as this week marks the start of something special so I had to look good.
I rocked the amazingly gorgeous Avantgarde tights that Renka sent me – see my package video here.
I ate out several times this week with friends and the fiancé…it’s my weakness, I must be stopped!
I also indulged in some new candles from Kringle and Oliver Bonas – gingerbread, and vanilla.
Finally on Sunday I had a day to relax to myself before the start of a hectic week.
I can’t wait to let you all in on my exciting news, so keep an eye on my Twitter.
bloomzy /

New Shoes: Liberty & Vans Collaboration

Liberty of London x Vans Collaboration – Exclusive to Office

As soon as I saw the Liberty collaboration with Vans I was in love.
The prints were perfect and true to Liberty, and didn’t make the sneakers too serious.
In fact I think Vans choose the prints amazingly well as I’ve had my eye on 3 pairs for a while now.
For me they’re the exact mix of style, femininity and casual – three things I always consider.
I like to mix typically girly items with casual ‘boyish’ ones, so these are perfect.
A couple of days ago I finally decided on Liberty Leaves Pink.
I won’t take all the credit though as the fiancé bought me these as a gift.
I think they’re probably the first pair of shoes that he has wanted to steal for himself.
And incase you were wondering, yes these are unisex – they’re sized for both men and women.
I think that’s pretty cool. Vans are really good at doing this with the majority of their shoes.
Who says that men can’t wear pink floral print or that women can’t wear camo print etc? 
If you can work it, wear it…and if you can’t, it’s all good as long as you’re happy!
You can purchase these at Office online for £54.99, or on the high street.
View the rest of the collaboration here.
bloomzy /

Where to Eat in London: Madsen

Madsen – Lunch, Dinner, Weekend Brunch – Kensington: Website
– reservations available –
Madsen is a Scandinavian restaurant that offers traditional and contemporary dishes.
They use fresh ingredients so that every mouthful is full of goodness and flavour.
“The emphasis at Madsen is on freshness, simplicity, purity and taste.”
I headed there on a Saturday evening with 3 friends.
We had made reservations but actually ended up wanting to move them forward an hour due to our schedule, and luckily the lovely people at Madsen were able to accommodate us. The setting was clean, stylish and modern – we were all impressed. I always order a starter and main, or a main and dessert, purely because I can’t eat anymore, so it’s always an internal struggle to choose between the two options. Madsen made this even more difficult for me as all of the dishes sounded delicious. Still, I was able to finally decided and ordered a Pear Rekorderlig as I waited for my veggie risotto dish to arrive, whilst the others ordered meat dishes; rump steak, pork belly and Danish meatballs. As our meals arrived we commented on how they had been presented so nicely – I like my food to look as good as it tastes, and taste as good as it looks….which thankfully these did. My risotto was perfectly creamy, and the Swedish cheese gave it a wonderfully strong flavour. The dishes may not look filling but they certainly were and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to tempt myself with a dessert, but the Swedish Waffle was calling to me and so I gave in. Thankfully it was very light, and tasted better than any other waffle I’ve had before. I think I may have also dreamt about it that night.
Madsen is a wonderful restaurant with delightful staff who went out of their way to help us. I’m not sure I would go back for dinner again though, purely because I feel that I’ve experienced the dinner menu, thanks to the 4 of us ordering 2/3 of the mains and desserts. However I am intrigued by their lunch menu and I would certainly pop in if I was in the area.
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Masturi in London, Dalston Roof Park

Last weekend, the fiancé and I headed down the road to Dalston Roof Park for Matsuri in London.
For those who don’t know ‘matsuri’ is Japanese for festival, which means food, drink and a good time.
The event itself was set up by Fumio Tanga of Sho Foo Doh & Tim Anderson (Masterchef 2011 Winner).
Some of London’s best Japanese street food, cocktails, cinema, music and artists gathered for the event.
We arrived to Dalston Roof Park and a very long line of confused people – some had tickets and others didn’t. It took a bunch of us enquiring for the problem to be solved but eventually after waiting for a bit we headed in. We were greeted by a very sunny & hot roof top, where we proceeded to jump upon refreshing green tea cocktails. It was good that we had bought tickets as the venue soon started filling up and buzzing with excitement from eager foodies etc. We indulged in okonomiyaki and karaage burgers whilst lounging on the roof top, taking in a bird’s eye view of East London. It was pretty relaxing and the food was more than good. However we didn’t notice or hear about any of the ‘special events’ that were supposed to be taking place. I was also a little sad when I went to buy some matcha soft cream and was told the flavour was changing, and I would have to wait 30 minutes. Sorry guys but I only wait for matcha.
Overall I had a good time at the event, thanks to good food and company.
I’d definitely head to Dalston Roof Park again and I hope another ‘Matsuri in London’ is held next year.