bloomzy /

5 Lifestyle Instagrams You Should Be Following

Yes, the ‘Instagram 5 Series‘ series is back, and better than ever! I’ve picked out 5 of my favourite Instagram accounts where you can find some lovely lifestyle inspiration.

Who? @parkncube
Why? I thought I’d start off with a well known little lady by the name of Shini Park – author of the blog Park & Cube. Luckily for us she also posts daily photos on Instagram, and if you’re like me, then her photos are probably why you fell in love with her blog in the first place. She documents her travels, and general day-to-day life in the form of some beautifully composed photos that could easily have come out of Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar.

Why? I only recently started following Hannah on Instagram, but it was love at first sight when I saw her photos. They’re clean, crisp and beyond classy, which is probably down to her design/textile background. I don’t think there is one photo of hers that has popped up on my timeline that I haven’t liked. It also helps that she’s a very sweet lady.

Why? Michiko Yamawaki is a Japanese stylist who I recently came upon as she styled a shoot for a Japanese model I also follow. I loved her photos as she made normal everyday things (like putting your shoes on, yes you did hear me correctly) look good. Her images are colourful and enticing yet still simplistic. 


Why? I love Yishyene, she’s such a bubbly and fun little lady. Her instagram is basically everything inside her colourful head (no hair colour pun intended) spewed out in the form of a photo. Sometimes simple and monochrome can be nice, but I also love an injection of colour, and that’s exactly what her photos bring.

Why? Van Anh is a fellow blogger with a love for food…need I say more? Ok you got me, it’s not the only reason I love her Instagram. This lovely lady knows how to use a camera and it comes across in her photos because each one looks as though she has put so much thought into the composition of it. I may enjoy her food photos but I love seeing anything she posts.
I often post lifestyle photos of my own, and you can follow me @bloomzy
Source: Please see individual Instagram accounts listed above.
bloomzy /

Primark’s Must-Have New Beauty Travel Bag!

Polka dot monogram beauty/travel bag
Lorna and I went on a bit of a Primark binge yesterday. We spent about an hour wandering around the Tottenham Court road store. After trying on all of the items we had hoarded, we decided to hit the beauty section. I wasn’t after a new beauty bag, but I did think my Whistles one was looking a bit meh. Then I saw this. You know when you find that gem amongst the rough of Primark items? Yeah that. I just loved everything about it, and I automatically began searching for an E. The polka dots. The gold letter monogram on the front. The double zips. It’s perfect. I can see this featuring on a lot of dressers, in bags, and on everyone’s Instagram. I fit all my necessities inside such as my lipsticks, lip balm, mirror, perfume etc. The double pockets mean you’re able to fit a whole bunch of stuff inside of it. It’s useful, chic and fun, with a design that will appeal to most people.
They seemed to have most letters available but certain ones were a bit sparse. 
So head to your local Primark to grab one before they go!!
bloomzy /

Review: Clue Quest – The Live Escape Game

clueQuest – The Live Escape Game
clueQuest Ltd, 11 Plough Yard, London, EC2A 3LP
On Wednesday evening I met up with some shady looking characters in an alley in East London. I’m kidding! Those shady characters were actually some of the lovely people from Nuffnang. We were there to celebrate Nuffnang’s birthday with a night full of experiences and adventure. It was a fabulous night, but today I’m going to chat about our first outing of the evening – clueQuest.
clueQuest is currently the top #1 London attraction on Trip Advisor, so maybe you’ve heard of it?
Well if it just so happens that you haven’t, you’re in for a treat, because this is an attraction like no other. clueQuest is a live escape game where you are locked in a room (don’t worry it’s not scary!) and given only 60mins to escape. The room/s are full of mysteries and clues that you and your team need to figure out in order to progress through the game, and to ultimately escape your room. You don’t need to be strong, or fast. Nope. You just need your wits, common sense, some logic, and a bit of teamwork. Anyone can do it (it’s suitable for all ages), but you will need a team of people, between 3-6.
We arrived at clueQuest HQ and were immediately debriefed.  It turned out Mr Q had been watching all of us bloggers for a long time. He had chosen us, out of everyone in London, as potential new agents. We were handed a clipboard, pen and walkie talkie (to communicate with HQ), and sent out on our mission. Little did we know what Mr Q had in store for us behind that locked door. Now naturally I can’t say much about the room, or show you any photos. Why? Because that would spoil the experience, silly! All I can say is that the whole experience was unlike anything I’ve ever done before. I’m a bit of a gamer and I love solving riddles etc. so this was like Christmas for me. My team – Team Awesome – were all on the ball, and we went into super spy mood as soon as we heard the key turn in the door. So, did we escape the room? Of course, we did! Finally, as we left and celebrated our escape, we were given special secret agent cards. Mr Q was very happy with our work and had recruited us to help save the world!
There were riddles, brainteasers and lots and lots of clues to make sense of. I can’t recommend this enough, and it’s perfect for pretty much everyone – as long as you enjoy a good mystery, and solving puzzles.
Prices start at £17 per person. If you’re curious, head over to clueQuest to find out more and book your escape!
bloomzy /

How I Fight My Eczema – Eczema Remedies

Korres Fig Showergel & Fig Body Butter, and Avène Rich Skin Recovery Cream
I suffered from eczema a lot as a child. 
It would often cause me a lot of pain and discomfort, and I would usually bleed due to the severity of it. I remember my parents trying all sorts of remedies to get rid of it, but nothing really worked, until one day…it just disappeared. 
I had pretty much forgotten about it until September 2011, when I saw my eczema return, with a vengeance. I had returned from my holiday to Provence and suddenly my whole stomach, leg and breast area was covered in dry, sore, itchy spots. I visited the doctor and they confirmed it was eczema. I was given an emollient cream to help, but it didn’t work. I was then given a steroid cream that I could only use for 2 weeks. My eczema disappeared…then it came back a week or so later. The doctor didn’t know what to do and told me to relax (as it can be caused by stress) and continue using a moisturiser and the original cream. I would have a shower and then look down at my body and burst into tears. I felt embarrassed and grossed out by my own skin. My fiancé tried to console me time after time but it had worn me down. I’d had enough. None of the medications worked well enough to solve the problem so I decided to try out something a little more natural and sensitive. Surprisingly they worked a lot better and even got rid of most of my eczema.
My eczema remedies are:

Korres’s Fig Showergel (90.4% natural content) & Fig Body Butter (93.5% natural content).
These products have been my saviour and I 100% believe they are the reason for the eczema on my stomach, legs and breasts disappearing. I had heard from a friend that these were great at combatting eczema and even psoriasis! She wasn’t wrong because I now use these daily to help keep my skin hydrated and to combat my eczema. I first used these until I ran out, then my eczema came back and Anna bought me some more. Now it’s slowly going away again. 
I swear by these products.

Avène Rich Skin Recovery Cream.
You all know I am a big Avène fan and use it in my daily skincare routine. Well when my eczema started appearing on my face for the first time I didn’t know what to do. It actually coincided with my trip to Chamonix, so I figured that since I was in France I’d try out a cream by one of my favourite French skincare brands – since they recommend it for those with eczema. I used it for a week on my face, and by the end of my holiday my eczema had cleared up. This is free of parabens, fragrance and colouring agents – and they’ve used as few ingredients as possible, making it perfect for sensitive skin. 
This is now my daily moisturiser for face & neck.

Eczema can be a very uncomfortable, painful and sometimes embarrassing illness.
I don’t want anyone else to suffer so I’m hoping these remedies might help others also.
Let me know your own personal remedies in the comments!
bloomzy /

Let’s Talk About…Boobs & Bras

I recently bought a couple of new bras after suspecting that my bra size had changed and thought it might be a good idea to chat a little bit about bras and finding the right size etc. on here. 
It turned out I was correct and after a fitting I left with two new very comfortable bras. I am just over the average end of the bra spectrum at a 34E and have had back trouble in the past because of poor fitting bras. These new ones felt so comfortable that it was almost odd. I soon realised I’d been wearing the wrong size for about half a year, which is worrying. It’s not that I didn’t care, in fact I’d been meaning to get fitted for a new bra for more than half of that time, it’s just that life and work took over. How silly is that? The majority of women wear a bra everyday, so it’s pretty important that we are wearing the right one. 

Now how about some horror stories to prove my point?
When I was 13 years old I actually had a member of a very well known, established high-street store tell me that wearing underwire bras can cause cancer. Yes that actually happened, and I was a very impressionable teenager at the time. I was so worried I tried to find non-underwire bras, and stopped wearing the ones that I had. Obviously I soon found out that this wasn’t true after I told my mum a few months later. Several years on and I finally went back to the same store to be fitted for a new bra. The woman looked at me, and without measuring me, told me I was a 32C. Up to this point I’d been wearing a 32E so I knew this wasn’t true. I tried to tell her this but she refused to believe me and told me to try on the C cup bras she had brought me. I was quite upset but tried them anyway, because “Hey, this is her job so she must be able to do it properly, right?” Wrong. The bras were painfully uncomfortable and I left the store very annoyed and with no new bra. 
I haven’t been back since.
My point here is that there are a lot of myths and silliness concerning bras and your size, so it’s important that you know what is best for you, and that you get the best fit. If I had let these people leave a long-term impression I would be wearing the completely wrong bra for me, and I’d also probably have long-term back problems. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when buying a bra such as the size, fit and style of the bra – not all styles will fit in your particular size or offer you the support you need. That’s why I think it’s important to be fitted, because you can discuss sizes and styles with the assistant. They’ll tell you which will fit you best and which ones to stay away from. Alternatively you can try finding out your bra size yourself at home. This method can be flawed, but is helpful for those who aren’t comfortable with doing it in a store.
I have since been to several other high-street stores that have offered great bra fittings, which I would highly recommend. These are House of Fraser, Ann Summers and Boux Avenue. All 3 stores offer something different but have impressed me with their services. I buy my regular t-shirt bras from Boux Avenue (sizes A-G) and at only £18 each, they are a bargain! I have a couple of lacey bras from House of Fraser, which are a little more expensive but offer great quality. Finally if I fancy something a bit sexier I go to Ann Summers, who have some gorgeous bras for larger busted women – something that is not always easy to find. 
So here’s to finding the perfect bra for you – good luck!
bloomzy /

Sale Finds Series: Collectif

ve decided to do a small series on some of my online sale finds this month.
That means I’ll be posting mini-wishlists or recommendations from various online stores.
It’s quite simple really, if I find an amazing sale I want to be able to share it with everyone!
This seems like the easiest and also best (I enjoy making wishlists too much) way to do it.
You can find the series here.

Collectif Sale Wishlist

Who? Collectif
What? 40s & 50s vintage style clothing
How much off? Up to 75% off!
Running until? Undisclosed – new items are still being added
Collectif is a 40s & 50s style vintage clothing brand I have known of for a little while.
I went to their Spitalfields store last weekend, and immediately checked out their online sale after.
I saw some of the pieces from their in-store sale and a few others that they didn’t have in the shop.
I like vintage style items, but I like to fit it into my own personal style so I don’t want to spend lots.
I featured Collectif’s Skull Print Dress on my Instagram at the weekend and a lot of people liked it.
So I decided to share their sale with all of you, in the hopes you might find something too.
You can view the full Collectif sale here.

Source: 1
bloomzy /

Sale Finds Series: Nuxe

I’ve decided to do a small series on some of my online sale finds this month.
That means I’ll be posting mini-wishlists or recommendations from various online stores.
It’s quite simple really, if I find an amazing sale I want to be able to share it with everyone!
This seems like the easiest and also best (I enjoy making wishlists too much) way to do it.
You can find the series here.

Who? Nuxe
What? French Beauty/Skincare products
How much off? Up to 50% off
Running until? Whilst stocks last
Nuxe are one of the few beauty brands I have an email subscription to.
That might seem like an odd thing to say, but I hate newsletters, so maybe that helps explain?
So when I received an email mentioning they had an ‘up to 50% off sale’, I was pretty excited.
They’ve recently worked their way into my heart and bathroom cabinet, to become one of my favourite brands.
The sale is pretty varied and offers products from most of their ranges, as well as including gift sets.
The deals are pretty good, especially if you would usually be put off by Nuxe products due to the price.
So it’s a great opportunity to pick up some old favourites, or to try something new from the brand.
You can view the full Nuxe sale here.

Source: 1