27.9.12

Three years ago......

.... (yesterday) on a rainy Saturday evening in Athens, Mr Jones and I were married in front of friends and family who travelled from all over the world to be there for us. We both had the most fantastic time and I'm sure my friends who read this blog are by now sick to death of my wedding photos but here are some of my faves:


Last night we celebrated our anniversary with dinner in Hakkasan which is one of my favourite Chinese restaurants. I work on Wednesdays so that didn't leave me much time to get changed, in the end I just threw on some bright red lippie and changed the flats for some trusty Louboutin heels. 
 
To all those brides out there organising their own weddings, enjoy the planning and most importantly, enjoy the day!

xxxx

24.9.12

Operation Hair Repair

Ugh my hair has just been so vile lately, even viler (is that a word?) than usual!
In a bid to reign back my spending on cosmetics, I decided to try out 'supermarket brands' for my hair but they just aren't doing it for me. My hair has the appearance and texture of straw and NO I will not get it cut!

Then I had a brainwave to re-purchase Kevin Murphy's Hydrate Me wash and rinse. I came across this brand a few years ago after having a Brazilian Blow dry in Harrods. They are free from sulphates (which break down the chemicals in a Brazilian Blow dry) and don't contain any parabens either. I developed a serious aversion to products containing parabens during my pregnancy and have continued to search out paraben free products ever since.



Many shampoos and conditioners leave yucky residues behind but not this one and after a week's use my hair is already feeling hydrated and generally in better condition. The unique block shaped packaging not only looks cool but it's also very practical to pack when travelling. The shampoo lathers really well and did I mention how great it smells too? I Love love love this stuff although I do hate the way they are called wash and rinse instead of shampoo and conditioner- far to confusing for my little blonde baby brain!!!

I usually order mine from Amazon for around £15 each and ok that's not exactly a bargain but I look at it this way: I would happily spend £30 on a jumper and I don't wear that every day, my hair I do wear every day and even though these products are expensive, a little goes a VERY long way. Therefore I declare these products an investment in decent ( hopefully) hair!

I've also tried his Angel and Luxury ranges but they didn't do anything for me so you really need to find the right range for your hair type. However one other great product in this range which deserves a mention is Body Guard which is a fantastic multipurpose product ( love my multipurpose products!) it's both a hydrating leave in cream and a heat protector.



A bientot my lovelies xxxx

23.9.12

La vie en Luxe

After much deliberation, we have finally booked our flights to Singapore to visit little E's Grandad & Granny J next month. Although E has managed to rack up the air miles in her first year on the planet, she has never been further than Greece, so this will be our first ever long haul flight (13hrs, eek!) and I'm a little bit nervous. Any tips for long haul flights with little ones would be much appreciated!

I have visited Singapore a few times and Mr Jones spent a lot of time there as a child, so we are quite familiar with the city. Nevertheless, I find the Luxe City Guides absolutely invaluable for finding out about the coolest restaurants and shops. I often find myself writing lists for friends with things to do and  see in Athens/ Paris and the Luxe City Guides remind me of the sort of thing you would write for a friend. It's just like a pamphlet full of really really useful tips and what's more they are regularly updated.......
So I went online to order a new Singapore Guide only to find that the thoughtful Luxe Guiders have released a Family friendly version just in time for our holiday!!!! Naturally I have spent the past few days absorbed in my new find and googling all the places suggested. The Guide is made in conjunction with a website called Little Steps Asia, which has given me loads more ideas for our trip including this list of Travel Apps for the iPad. Despite the hideously long flight, we're all getting super excited about our trip, especially as we may just sneak off to a near by Island for a few days break which would hopefully mean some sunshine!!!!! Bliss :)






20.9.12

Nails of the Week- Nail Bling!!

Woohoooo, I've managed two posts this week!! The first time since I've started back at work. Although technically this one is a little bit of a cheat because a) they're a variation on the Grey Polish I wore the other week and b) these nails are from a few weeks ago but you're aren't going to hold that against me now are you????



Of course I couldn't resist these 3D Bling Envy wraps from Elegant touch. When my beady eyes fell on them in Superdrug, it was love at first sight, I had to have them!!! I had been looking for some simple nail art that would work with a UV gel such as shellac and these fit the bill perfectly.



These are called Bling Candy Sprinkles and they come in a sheet of 18. They're really easy to apply, you just need to match the correct size to each nail, press them on, stretch any surplus over the edge of the nail and then file it off ( Don't worry, it comes with simple instructions!)  To begin with I actually did a full manicure using a regular top coat but it seems the shellac gel underneath didn't like the top coat and they all came off in a matter of hours. On my second attempt I decided to settle for an accent nail and used my Gelish Top it Off - top coat. This worked fine and lasted until I got bored, although you only need a very thin layer of gel on top so as not to lose the 3D effect.



Next time I'm hoping to try these with regular polish underneath. If you love these then keep your eyes peeled for an update.


16.9.12

Happy Birthday Papou !!

First of all I have to apologise  for my infrequent blog posts lately. I have recently returned to work and I am still getting used to combining motherhood with work which unfortunately hasn't left much time for blogging. I do hope to be a little bit more organised in the coming weeks as I have heaps and heaps of posts in mind.

Last Sunday was my Father's birthday or Papou as he is known to little E and cousin M (which means Grandad in Greek) We took him to lunch at The Gilbert Scott restaurant which is in the newly renovated and quite spectacular, St Pancras hotel. I don't think that families with small children are exactly the target market for this restaurant and that was made quite obvious to us by the death stares we received from the A.A.Gill wannabe diners as we walked in to the restaurant with two little ones. That said, the staff were absolutely fantastic with the babies. We brought our own food for little E and cousin M so food wasn't really an issue but the waiters were always on hand for anything we required and constantly smiling at the girls and making them giggle. They even noticed us whisper singing Happy Birthday to my dad and brought over a little birthday desert for him.





I'm always a little nervous when we go to smart restaurants with little E, mainly because I don't want to be at all disruptive to other diners. I needn't have worried as both girls were beautifully behaved as always.
You're probably thinking well, why go to such restaurants if it stresses you out.  Our main reason for choosing this restaurant was because we had arranged something quite special for the eve of Papou's birthday. We had secretly bought him & my mother tickets for the closing ceremony of the Paralympics and after lunch we waved them off on the Javelin train which took them straight to the Olympic park from St Pancras in just over 5 minutes.Papou claims it was the best birthday surprise ever. Although I have no idea how we are going to beat that for presents next year!!!!!!!!!!

Oooohh and check out the restaurant's gorgeous Walnut Stokke Tripp Trapp high chairs.......





10.9.12

Mini Me Shoes

I was reading an article a few weeks ago about Mini Me dressing ( which is basically dressing your child in miniature versions of your  own clothes, a la Suri and Katie) And it got me thinking....
I'm kind of at odds with the whole idea of dressing my daughter like a mini version of myself. She always looks so sweet and cute, they aren't babies for long and I think it would be a shame to make her look older than she is.
However, regular readers will know that I'm a bit of a shoeaholic. I spotted a pair of Baby Marc Jacobs mouse shoes and couldn't help thinking how cute she would look in a baby version of my own shoes. Obviously I'm not talking about putting little E in Louboutins I'm thinking more along the lines of ballet flats or high tops in a cuter, baby version ( rather than merely a smaller size). Here are some of my faves:



Mini Me shoes




Pink wedge / ChloĆ© leather flat  TOMS pink shoes,  / Zara Velour High-Top Sneaker / Pink Scallop Edge Shoes,  / Bloch London Baby Classica Bb424-Arg,  / Pink Pop Herringbone Tiny TOMS Classics,  / bloch




I'm loving these contrasting styles. What do you think of mini me dressing? Do you coordinate with your little one? I confess I often find that I dress myself and E in similar styles without realising!

2.9.12

Holidays

A few weeks ago, we woke up one gloomy London Wednesday morning and decided to hop on a plane and go visit our family in Greece for a few days. We've always been a bit lastminute .com in our family and whilst it's nice to have things to look forward to, I always feel as though I'm wishing my life away so whilst it's not for everyone, it suits us. Admittedly this is much easier as a couple sans baby, but we made it and we had a great time. Little E had her first ever swim in the sea, which she absolutely LOVED! She is a true water baby it seems. 
Anyway, as you all know I'm a touch obsessed with beauty products so of course I had to tie them in to this post somehow. I hate flying, so a mini haul at the cosmetics counter in the departure lounge was in order to distract me from my impending flight.


YSL False lash effect mascara is an old favourite of mine. I sometimes flirt with other brands of mascara, but nothing comes close to this baby for volume and lengthening. The other day Mr Jones asked me if I had been using some of 'that eyelash stuff' because my eyelashes looked so long ( I think he meant Rapidlash) I hadn't, I'd just starting using my YSL Mascara again *does a little happy dance*
This mascara retails for about £23 but at the airport you can pick up a pack of two for £36. So if you love this mascara it's worth stocking up when you're passing through the departure lounge, or if you know someone who is and who doesn't mind carting beauty products around the globe for you.


Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder is another old favourite! It has just the right amount of shimmer, too much looks silly and too little makes my skin just look dirty. I bought this in No2 which is exactly the colour of my skin with a light tan. I don't remember how much I paid for this, I blame the Valium I had for the flight, it makes my brain a little fuzzy :)


And finally, some photos from the holiday (clockwise from right) The Aegean Sea! I'm wearing Orly Passion Fruit on my toes; Little E wearing her new swimming costume at the beach; I LOVE Freddoccinos, they are kind of like Frappuccinos only a million times better!!; Little E and Daddy on the plane, she stayed awake for the entire flight despite take off being at 10pm!

Little E is already a seasoned traveller, she took her first flight at just 5 weeks old. If your going to be travelling with your little one in the near future HERE are my travel essentials when flying with a baby.
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