Autumn is well and truly here and while I don't look forward to the short, dreary days I do love celebrating all of the winter festivities! If you have kids it's a great excuse to go all out on Halloween....costumes, decorations, homemade sweet treats...the works.
This year I'm trying to cut down on my two boys' sugar intake but still make it fun and spooky for them. Instead of doing the usual Trick or Treat rounds I've decided to throw a haunted house party at our house complete with games, surprises, goodie bags, and of course...a costume competition. This time, however, I won't be handing over endless supplies of sweeties and chocolates as I have decided to go down a healthier route. Think fruit carved into scary creatures, sugar free jelly, frozen yoghurt apples etc. Here's to hoping that it will be a success and that healthy will win over the usual sugar saturation!
As a general principle I like to try and give out small presents at Halloween instead of just sweeties...it's more personal and healthier. For little girls (like my nieces) I found cute little witches cauldrons complete with spell ingredients and a wand. Fires up imagination and also doubles as part of a costume. For my boys I got them a Halloween themed video game that they can play at the party with their friends.
This year I decided to extend my gift giving to the mums in the school-run group. Let's face it...if anyone really deserves a gift it's the mums that run here there and everywhere after their children while balancing work and running a house at the same time. I gave a Luxuriating Body Butter by my favourite luxury brand, Sakare to each of the mums and made them promise me that they would take some time to themselves that night to relax in the bath and apply the lotion.
The next day I was thanked over and over by mums that hadn't even realised that they weren't taking time for themselves. They all loved the body butter and were impressed by how nourishing and beautifully smelling it is. I have definitely earned my space in the good books for the next few months...I doubt anyone will be looking at me to host a bake sale anytime soon!
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
Saturday, 10 October 2015
The Ultimate London Guide: What to See & Do
If you are planning on a trip to London or live in London and want to take family and friends on a less touristy, more enjoyable tour then follow this guide!
From my experience people want to do 3 things: sightseeing, sampling the culture (including the food), and shopping!
First of all I take them on a tour of the most famous central places. I find that walking is the best way to get around and enables you to take in more of the beautiful London streets and buildings. For the sightseeing part of the trip I find that it is important to cover these main places or your guests might start to question whether they are really visiting the British capital: Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Covent Garden, Leicester Sq, Green Park, Trafalgar Sq, The Strand..it goes on. Zones 1-2 can be walked around easily and even if you don't know where you are going you are bound to stumble on some pretty famous places.
For sights such as Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and the Shard, take a trip along the Southbank in the evening or during the day. A beautiful walk along the Thames hits all these sightseeing nails on the head and there are loads of nice places to stop for eating and drinking along the way.
And so this leads me to the next stage...sampling the culture. British pub culture is a must see...whether for a traditional fish & chip dinner or just a pint. There are so many to choose from, pop into a few in the central area and see what quaint establishments you can find.
Another huge part of London culture is the musicals showing in the West End. Whether looking for something funny, theatrical, serious or tear-jerking there is something for everyone. If you aren't sure then you can't go wrong with a classic like Phantom of the Opera, or the Lion King.
If you have time a trip to South Kensington is well worth it for the museums. The V&A, the Natural History, and the Science Museum are all not to be missed. Depends on how much time you have and what your interests are of course.
You can't come to London without going shopping! A trip along Oxford Street and Bond Street are the cherry on top of the tour. Try to avoid Saturdays as it will be absolutely mobbed and not even enjoyable. Don't waste all of your time going into every single shop...I would recommend hitting 3 main stores....Topshop, Sakare, and of course, Selfridges.
You can't not take a trip into the biggest store in the world...Topshop. Be aware though, you will get lost and you will lose phone signal so agree a meeting place and time! My next stop is always Sakare on Bond Street....the most luxurious and exclusive street in London. Sakare offers beautiful cosmetic products at decent prices and the experience of looking around this store is not to be missed. Finish off by looking around the prestigious Selfridges department store, with everything you could dream of buying in one place. End the day with a glass of champagne in the food hall....you will probably need it by this point!
Make sure you plan your days ahead of time so that you don't miss anything out but most importantly....enjoy!
From my experience people want to do 3 things: sightseeing, sampling the culture (including the food), and shopping!
First of all I take them on a tour of the most famous central places. I find that walking is the best way to get around and enables you to take in more of the beautiful London streets and buildings. For the sightseeing part of the trip I find that it is important to cover these main places or your guests might start to question whether they are really visiting the British capital: Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Covent Garden, Leicester Sq, Green Park, Trafalgar Sq, The Strand..it goes on. Zones 1-2 can be walked around easily and even if you don't know where you are going you are bound to stumble on some pretty famous places.
For sights such as Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and the Shard, take a trip along the Southbank in the evening or during the day. A beautiful walk along the Thames hits all these sightseeing nails on the head and there are loads of nice places to stop for eating and drinking along the way.
And so this leads me to the next stage...sampling the culture. British pub culture is a must see...whether for a traditional fish & chip dinner or just a pint. There are so many to choose from, pop into a few in the central area and see what quaint establishments you can find.
Another huge part of London culture is the musicals showing in the West End. Whether looking for something funny, theatrical, serious or tear-jerking there is something for everyone. If you aren't sure then you can't go wrong with a classic like Phantom of the Opera, or the Lion King.
If you have time a trip to South Kensington is well worth it for the museums. The V&A, the Natural History, and the Science Museum are all not to be missed. Depends on how much time you have and what your interests are of course.
You can't come to London without going shopping! A trip along Oxford Street and Bond Street are the cherry on top of the tour. Try to avoid Saturdays as it will be absolutely mobbed and not even enjoyable. Don't waste all of your time going into every single shop...I would recommend hitting 3 main stores....Topshop, Sakare, and of course, Selfridges.
You can't not take a trip into the biggest store in the world...Topshop. Be aware though, you will get lost and you will lose phone signal so agree a meeting place and time! My next stop is always Sakare on Bond Street....the most luxurious and exclusive street in London. Sakare offers beautiful cosmetic products at decent prices and the experience of looking around this store is not to be missed. Finish off by looking around the prestigious Selfridges department store, with everything you could dream of buying in one place. End the day with a glass of champagne in the food hall....you will probably need it by this point!
Make sure you plan your days ahead of time so that you don't miss anything out but most importantly....enjoy!
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Visiting Family & Successful Sakare Goodies
If ever stuck for ideas for gifts I always run straight to Sakare. They have something for everyone and the quality is so high that they make impressive gifts for even the toughest to impress.
That's why as soon as I planned a short visit home to visit my family in Manchester I headed first of all to pick up some treats for my loved ones from Sakare. I never return home empty handed. When you don't see your extended family for long stretches of time you somehow feel that you need to make up for it, and for me this is expressed through gift giving.
So here's what I bought and how much they loved it:
That's why as soon as I planned a short visit home to visit my family in Manchester I headed first of all to pick up some treats for my loved ones from Sakare. I never return home empty handed. When you don't see your extended family for long stretches of time you somehow feel that you need to make up for it, and for me this is expressed through gift giving.
So here's what I bought and how much they loved it:
Anti-Wrinkle Eye Serum for my Mother
Mum always comes first. After everything she has done for me over the years she really deserves a treat. Not one to spoil herself, it's always left up to me to do it. Probably the best product that Sakare have to offer, the anti-wrinkle eye serum is truly amazing and I would urge every ageing woman (or man) to go out and purchase some. After using for just a week my mother even noticed a difference in the fine lines around her eyes. Safe to say I was definitely the favourite child after that!Deep Cleansing Salt Scrub for my Sister
This scrub is a foolproof option for almost everyone. You can really tell that the ingredients are pure salt from the dead sea and not much else. Not a watered down scrub that won't get rid of dry skin, this one means business and is perfect for problem areas. My sister, Julie struggles with dry skin and so I thought this treatment would be great for her. It is excellent for exfoliating impurities off the skin surface and then restoring moisture all in one go. Julie has since called me in London to ask if I can bring her more pots of the scrub next time I am up....Nail Kits for my Nieces
Young girls just never seem to get over the thrill of giving each other manicures do they? Well my nieces don't anyway. I just knew they would go crazy for the nail kit. As soon as I gave them the present they ripped it open and set up a mini-salon in the front room, bringing over a range of nail varnishes and asking me what I wanted. They especially loved the buffer because they thought it was simply magical how shiny it can make your nails. A perfect gift for youngsters but don't be put off buying it for grown adults either, the quality is true to the Sakare name and is not only practical but luxurious.
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