THE FOOD EDIT: MY MUM'S SUGAR & SPICE VERMICELLI WITH HOMEMADE PARATHAS

The other day at work we were talking about our favourite seasonal foods; many loved roast Turkey, pigs in blanket and of course mince pies, some even loved Brussel sprouts (it's true!). For me however my favourite is my mum's sugar and spice vermicelli and her amazing home made parathas. This dish is made with Asian vermicelli and we traditionally eat it for breakfast on Eid, where it's customary to start the day with something sweet after Ramadan. A treat well deserved after a month of fasting. This dish though became a firm favourite for us all so we indulge on special occasions such as my brother coming home from uni, my sister and her family coming to visit from Germany or Christmas, really it's to celebrate family time.

REVIEW: BEAUTY PIE - FIRST THOUGHTS

Those of you who love all things beauty related, will I'm sure be familiar with the concept of beauty subscription boxes. There's a number of them out there and they've been around for a while, but exciting news! There is something new on the scene, not just another beauty box no, but a whole new beauty concept in the shape of Beauty Pie, as featured in this month's Vogue. Already available in the US, Beauty Pie launched in the UK on 8 December and instantly became my latest beauty discovery. It's a revolutionary new concept in beauty, quite simply it's beauty without the mark-up.

JO MALONE CHRISTMAS MINIATURES CANDLE COLLECTION

Marvelling over the Jo Malone Christmas Collection has become a bit of a tradition for me. Every year it's lovely to see the Christmas packages and the special edition scent which feature. This years collection is one of my favourites. From the packaging to the fragrance range, everything is beautiful. The entire collection is embellished this stunning print, and this year even the  I love the fact that the cracker and Christmas bauble gift features the pattern too! Also, this year Jo Malone is introducing their first ever Christmas Cologne, Orange Bitters which smells divine! For me however the item that most stood out for me was the Jo Malone Christmas Miniatures Candle Collection, this was definitely coming home with me!

REVIEW: ZOELLA LAZY DAYS REED DIFFUSER

Like so many around the world, I've been a fan of Zoella for a good while now. Her's were the first Primark haul videos I watched and since then she's become a huge inspiration to me when it comes to all things blogging. I know I'm not alone in that, with Zoella being the next cover star for Blogosphere magazine which temporally broke the internet and she even got a namecheck in the new Gilmore Girls series!! Talk about blogging goals! All that said, I hadn't really tried any of her product range until a recent drugstore shop in Superdrug, where I came across a huge display of Zoella and Tanya Burr products including Zoella's lifestyle range. By now it's no secret that I have a weakness for scented candles and room diffusers so it's little surprise that I couldn't resist picking up the Lazy Days Reed Diffuser.

REVIEW: PRIMARK PS PRO BLENDING BRUSH

I've been keen to try out Primark’s new range of oval-shaped makeup blending brushes from PS…Pro for months now, but I hadn't been able to track them down, until that was my local store had a major make over and the stock range took a huge turn for the better.

TASTE OF LONDON: THE FESTIVE EDITION

Taste of London Food and Restaurant Festival is my favourite food festival in London, run twice a year during the Summer and in the run up to Christmas. This weekend it was time to head down to  The Tobacco Dock in East London for Taste of London: The Festive Edition so Mum and I had a Mother and Daughter evening on Friday at Taste and we had such an amazing night and we even got to hang out with a celebrity chef or two!! (cue the Jazz hands emoji!)

REVIEW: MARC JACOBS UNDER(COVER) PERFECTING COCONUT FACE PRIMER, INVISIBLE

Lately I've been a bit meh about primers, being short of time in the morning I started not bothering with a primer after I finished my last Laura Mercier one, that was until I discovered the Marc Jacobs Under(Cover) Perfecting Coconut Face Primer, Invisible (it's a mouthful, I know) by accident in the John Lewis beauty hall. I was just browsing the Marc Jacobs beauty collection and asked the make up artist what she would recommend and very handily they had a Marc Jacobs hall of fame for most loved products and the MUA pointed out this primer and I was a little sceptical it would a silcone based primer which I'd hate! I was wrong though, because as soon as it was applied to my hands, which are always in need of moisturising, I could see such an instant difference and there was no siliconey texture insight.

The Met Police's Christmas Tree Project 2016

This is the first Christmas post from me and I know some of you may think it's way too early, but it's for a really good cause I promise! So if you live in London or will be visiting London over the coming weeks, read on to find out how you can channel your inner Elf and spread some Christmas cheer and kindness to a child in need.

REVIEW: ESCENTRIC MOLECULES:MOLECULE 01

Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 has become something of a cult product with bloggers and perfume lovers alike. For a while now I've heard rave reviews for this fragrance and I'd become more and more intrigued by it. Molecule 01 consists of one single ingredient known as Iso E Super in the fragrance industry and I first heard about at a perfume event last year at the Shoreditch Sisters with 4160 Tuesdays. This ingredient is said to be something of an enigma with the chemistry of it adapting to the wearer and is different for every person. Pretty unique really as there isn't anything quite like it.

THE TRAVEL EDIT: THE AMALFI COAST

For about the last 10 years or so I've wanted to explore the Italian Amalfi coast and while in that time I’ve been lucky enough to visit other parts of Italy such as Turin, Rome, Florence, Sienna and Pisa, somehow I never made it further south. This year I figured a 10 year wait is long enough and it was time to make it happen and so we headed to Amalfi for my birthday week and it was pretty awesome!

THE FITNESS EDIT - OCTOBER

Although starting off pretty determined, my fitness goals came to a bit of a screeching halt in September sadly. Over the last few weeks I've been feeling quite poorly with labriynthitis & anaemia which left me feeling really dizzy and nauseous all the time. Not fun and not something that's gym friendly either. Thankfully though things are getting better, albeit maybe not as I quickly as I'd like but everything is improving and so it's time to think about my fitness goals for October.

HOUSE OF FRASER HOME COLLECTION AW16*

For anyone who has seen or follows my Pinterest account you'll know that lately I'm pretty  much homewear and interiors obsessed. I really can't help it there are just so many beautiful looks, styles and homewear items I'd love have in my home and that was very much the case at the House of Fraser Home AW16 preview. So many lovely things to feast your eyes on and the best bit is they're all available now and there's a homeware sale!!

THE STYLE EDIT: INDIAN SUMMER

Despite the odd hit and miss days it looks like the Indian Summer we're experiencing here in London is set to continue for another week or so which is lovely! I can't believe I haven't raided my thick black tights collection just yet and was happily wondering around in the sunshine with bare legs over the weekend.....bliss! I've also continued to turn to one of my favorite wardrobe staples from the summer, this versatile Palm print shirt dress from Topshop.

THE STYLE EDIT: LONDON FASHION WEEK HIGHLIGHTS

In this digital age fashion has become super accessible with livefeed catwalk shows and instant interactions on Twitter and Instagram, so for those of us who weren't lucky enough to be invited to the amazing designer catwalk shows of London Fashion Week, we can still catch all the action and have a live front row seat just with the added benefit of being cosy in our pjs with a cuppa in our hand and that's exactly what I was doing this last week. The shows were incredible and I fell in love with so many beautiful designs so here are my highlights from LFW.

MUSICBOX XGL PREVIEW

Today I have a little something new for the blog with a music preview of the Musicbox XGL event happening tomorrow night in London at Proud Camden. The event organised by my beautiful friend Digna (a true Wonder Woman!) and her team who together make up Xposed Group Limited (XGL) an entertainment company which provides a platform for live music and performance arts. This is XGL's inaugural event and it promises to be an amazing night!

THE LIFESTYLE EDIT: GEO-FLEUR

One of the reasons I love blogging, is the amazingly lovely and talented people I meet along the way, at events, on social media and through other bloggers and their beautiful blogs. I first came across geo-fleur just over a year ago on Stylonylon's Sunday Edit, I'd wanted to add some greenery to my home and I instantly loved the cute collection of succulents and geometric pots on the post and so we headed out on a very rainy Sunday in August to geo-fleur's stall on Chatsworth Road Market. I was so glad I did brave the rain that day as I got to meet the super lovely Sophie Lee, founder of geo-fleur and also discovered the most incredible donuts from Vicky's Donuts (Vicky's stall was next to Sophie). I came away that Sunday with the best donuts, a beautiful terrarium and signed up for a terrarium work shop at West Elm. Now my house is full of greenery and I've spread my love of West Elm and Vicky's Donuts!

REVIEW: L'OCCITANE ALMOND VELVET HAND CREAM

Unless I'm on holiday somewhere hot and a little humid, my hands can get really dry so I'm always on the look out for a really good hand cream. The L'Occitane Almond Velvet hand cream was a recent discovery and it instantly has become a life saver for my hands.

THE STYLE EDIT: CUTE PRINTS & METALLICS

Lately I’ve been feeling a little stuck in a style rut, so I’ve been tackling my wardrobe, getting rid of the things I no longer wear; so far I’ve donated four full bin bags of clothes, shoes and accessories to the charity shops and I’m making an effort to try new things like my pink Mango skirt and this kitten print and mint green shirt from Topshop.

THE WEEKEND EDIT

I know I say this most Monday’s but this last weekend really flew by and I was a little shocked to hear the alarm go off at 6.30 this morning. As quickly as it may have gone, I had such a lovely weekend, full of friends, family and fun activities.

REVIEW: CHARLOTTE TILBURY MATTE REVOLUTION LIPSTICK - LOST CHERRY

When it comes to lipstick, it really doesn't take much to enable me so when I saw this pretty Raspberry-Peach sorbet lipstick from Charlotte Tilbury on Rougepout Beauty's Instagram, I knew it would be the perfect Summer shade and couldn't wait to add it to my lipstick collection.

THE TREND EDIT: THE HOUSE OF FRASER A/W 2016 COLLECTION

This is my one of my favourite times of the year; it's still Summer with sunshine and warm weather to enjoy, but thoughts are gradually turning towards Autumn (I love Autumn!). In stores the last of the sale stock is being phased out to give way to the fresh and exciting AW16 range and whilst summer is still here, we have the luxury of having some time to pick out the key Autumn pieces to add to our wardrobe. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the beautiful things to come in Autumn at the House of Fraser AW16 press day. Everything was lovely, there was no denying that, but there were some key pieces which really caught my eye. It was fun to see how the season's trends have come from the catwalk onto the high street.

Suede Jackets

This suede trench coat from Therapy was a real show stealer for me. I loved the attention to detail and the fitted style of the coat, it's gorgeous and a real timeless investment piece. Suede is great for Autumn and this coat channelled the Americana trend we saw on the catwalk.

Victoriana Lace - New Romance

Lace has been a trend staple for a good while now and I love that the trend is here to stay for a while yet. The Victoriana style has had a bit of an update in the 'New Romance' trend. I love to combine a black lace dress with a slick of eyeliner and some red lipstick for that femme fatale look, perfect for date nights and parties.

The lace detail remains feminine but a little twist in the detail or colour palette can easily give the look an edge.

Embroidery Detail - Beautiful Botanicals

The beautiful florals from Spring have also had a little update with rich tones of Red and Oxblood really standing out in the embroidered detail which is going to be a big trend for Autumn. 

Faux Fur

AW16 wouldn't be the same without some snuggly faux fur to throw into the mix. Lots of 70s inspired faux fur gilets continue to be an AW staple with plenty of decadent faux fur coats to take you into the party season, not to mention a gorgeous range of fur wraps to dress up any coat.

Animal Print

I love a bit of animal print as you probably already know by now. Animal print is a great neutral which can make an outfit just pop! Shoes and accessories are a great way to incorporate the trend into your look, but there are also bold pieces such as this gold animal print pencil skirt from Biba which would looking amazing with black or you could  team it with the matching top for a high impact look.

 Structured Bags

Of I couldn't leave out accessories, there were just too many which caught my eye. The structured shape with the little extra details added a subtle edge to the outfits and really completed the look. I completely fell in love with the Lulu Guinness collections, it's beautiful and I just can't resist a statement clutch!

Jx

THE FITNESS EDIT: LET'S DO THIS!

'What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.'

                                                                                         Gretchen Rubin

REVIEW: COLAB SHEER+INVISIBLE DRY SHAMPOO

I've followed Ruth Crilly and her blog A Model Recommends for quite a while now and what I really like about her blog are her honest product reviews. So when I heard that Ruth had launched her own range of dry shampoos, I had a good feeling that they weren't going to be a faddy spray that smelt nice but did nothing for my hair and I was right.

REVIEW: KIKO MIRAGE LIP STYLOS

These limited edition Kiko Mirage Lip Stylo lipsticks launched in a range of gorgeous shades with the Kiko x Lovegrove Summer 2016 Collection recently and of course the combination of Rose Gold packaging and a bright lip colour was something I just couldn't resist.

THE TRAVEL EDIT: ALGARVE PHOTO DIARY

Last month I headed off to the Algarve in Portugal for a much needed holiday and of course sunshine. The holiday was my 21st birthday present to my baby brother and as my brother is away at uni usually, it was really lovely to have some brother-sister time and catch up! Our time in the Algarve was amazing! We'd hired a car, so we explored the region, starting off in West Algarve and gradually moving East with everyday being a little adventure. I'll be sharing my top recommendations of things to see, do and eat while in he Algarve soon but today I thought I'd share a photo diary of the trip with you all. Warning it's going to get a bit photo heavy from here on!  

THE WEEKEND EDIT

It's been a while since I've done a weekend edit post, mainly because I've either been away, getting on with 'project declutter' or trying to rest and recharge for the week ahead. This last weekend however was pretty active as I tried new things, caught up with my best friend who is overseas and enjoyed the sunshine, all in all a really lovely weekend! 

Friday night was pretty chilled with a soak in the tub and then curling up & catching up with Betty magazine; just what I needed after a long week at work. 

Saturday I was up and out early as we were off fruit picking. It was the first time I've been although it's been on my bucket list for ages so it was great to try something new and it was such a beautiful summer's day too. We'd headed to Parkside Farm just outside of Enfield & it was amazing to see urban London quickly roll away into fields and fields of fruit and vegetables. I gotta tell you though, fruit picking, it's addictive! Before we knew it we had punnets full of all kinds of berries and bags of fresh vegetables. You just can't beat that feeling of pulling fresh produce from the earth & then rustling up something delicious to eat.

We had time for a quick ice cream pit stop before heading off to Oxygen Freejump trampoline park in Acton. Again another first for me, I haven't really been on a trampoline since I was 16, but the trampoline park was great! There were of lots of trampolines but also trampoline dodgeball ball and my favourite bit, the foam pit assault course which looked like something from the Gladiators! It was time to pick up a punch bag equivalent of those giant Gladiator cotton buds and do battle on the beam. Suffice to say I ended up in the foam pit and it wasn't my most graceful moment as I attempted to get out (ahem I may have needed the Body Coach lookalike to lift me out), but it was all so much fun & I can't wait to go again!

We ended the busy day by chilling out on deck chairs at Camden Beach at the Roundhouse. There was such a lovely summery vibe as people sipped rum punch and built sand castles or played volleyball with the complimentary essential beach accessories. One of the best Saturdays of the year  so far for me.

Sunday was a much more laid back affair as I got on with all my usual Sunday tasks done, starting with picking up some beautiful fresh flowers. 

The afternoon was spent blogging away at my little patio table in the garden before I pottered around the fruit and veg plants having been inspired by the farm the day before. The perfect Sunday afternoon!! 

The rest of Sunday was spent making progress on 'Project Declutter'. The end is in sight but there's been a fair bit of furniture rearranging lately as I'm working on  a dedicated blogging space, which is very exciting!! I'm looking forward to sharing the results of the hard work with you all soon. 

Sunday evening was of course spent curled up with the new Harry Potter book. I had that same buzz I used to get when the previous books were released. I have to admit I'm reading this really slowly as I just want to make that excited feeling last.

Hope you all had lovely weekend too!!

Jx