Self Care In Style | 2018

This year I'm focusing on self care x100.

No more cheating myself of great experiences on my own, this year we're (I'm) going all out.
Nothing's wrong with taking yourself out for a  lunch/dinner date, treating yourself to a much needed spa day or manicure & even just popping out for a change of scenery to read your new book or chill out. You might even get a nice photo for the 'gram while you 're at it!

2018 we're doing self care in style (outside your home) because from now on you're going to be your own best friend, word to Beyoncé.

E A T

É L A N C A F E | BROMPTON ROAD, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

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taken via @elan_cafe Instagram

C L E R K E N W E L L G R I N D | Old Street, London

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taken via Grind website

I love coming across cute cafes/restaurants with great aesthetics. That might just be because I'm always looking for a great photo spot but also why should we eat in dull places anymore. I've vowed to take myself on more lunch dates to cute /fancy places because I can. These are two of my favourites that I came across on Instagram.

Elan Café is based in Brompton Road & Park Lane, think pink rose walls & then some more pink with a very girly yet classy vibe. This is by far the cutest café I've ever seen and I can't wait to see it in person. Honestly have you seen anything more picturesque, I'll probably end up filling my camera roll whilst there! Cakes is something they are not short of, believe me! If you're looking for breakfast/cake & coffee head to Brompton Road, whereas Park Lane seems to be better for hot food and lunch with a cake to sum it up, if you must!

Clerkenwell Grind. This place pops up on my feed 24/7. This group of coffee shops/restaurants are placed all around London so you've probably come across or passed one of their locations at some point. This particular one however is the one I want to visit. The décor gives me strong 50s vibes, somewhere Sandy & The Pink Ladies would of spent their time in the modern day. Velvet seating, the neon light and a mix of marble is what I'm here for! They have a great selection of food on their menu at their restaurants and a coffee and cocktail menu perfect for their cafés/bars. This location actually has a bar downstairs to add the cherry on top. They also have an amazing Instagram feed if I do say so myself, here.

B E A U T Y

M BY M O N T C A L M S P A | OLD ST, SHOREDITCH

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taken via MbyMontcalm website

W A H N A I L S S O H O | SOHO, LONDON

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taken via Time Out website

Who does not like to be pampered...I'll wait! Another thing I want to pay attention to whilst self caring is treating not only myself but my body too. I'm talking spa days, manis + pedis (although my feet are ticklish so not too many of those), taking more care of my hair and anything else that makes me feel & look amazing.

Spa Days. Are. A. Must. Honestly until you've actually spent a few hours just carelessly lying on a lounger by the pool, popping into the Jacuzzi, having a massage/facial you won't know what you've been missing out on. M By Montcalm is the only spa I've ever been to but obviously there are 100s in the world you can choose from. Last year I came across a great deal on Wowcher (don't sleep on it) it came with a facial & access to the spa facilities incl. sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, pool and some light refreshments too. I highly recommend checking sites like Wowcher, Groupon, Treatwell if you want to go on a spa day. Let me tell you this, you'll feel so refreshed after you'll make it a part of your lifestyle.

Wah Nails SOHO. Girls. Now I know everybody has their favourite nail shop but this one here is something different. I've been following WAH for some time now and they have grown so much as a brand/company. Owned by the lovely Sharmadean Reid, this salon isn't just about beauty it's like the GIRL POWER hub of all things beauty. From nails to brows to hair this place has it all for you. They even are the first ever to have a virtual reality nail app. I attended a talk there last year and it really touched me how much they care about empowering women and being inclusive of everyone. I feel like if anything this is such a nice place to go and meet some cool girls or take your best girl mate and just hang out over getting your nails done. Check their 'gram out for inspo here

FEEL FIT + HAVE FUN

P S Y C L E L O N D O N | SHOREDITCH

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taken from Psycle London

A T Y O U R B E A T | LEICESTER SQUARE + OTHERS

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taken from AYB Instagram

So the summer body didn't make the cut for the last 5 or more years but that's fine, pending has no time limit. This year I made a pact with myself to finally treat my body well and help it keep in shape because Lord knows eating badly will not. I was, still am, one of those people who hate the idea of gyms. I'm sure there are many people paying extortionate prices and they turn up once a month. So I decided to look into ways to work out in a more fun way preferably with music involved and it actually exists!

Spinning. Did anyone else see that video that went viral of the spin instructor who was dancing around the studio and the class was practically doing dance moves on their bikes to great music. After that I knew I had to join a spin class but one that provided me with good music along the way. Well these things do exist and they are called BoomCycle & Psycle London. The photo above is from Psycle Shoreditch, I love that place so much but I suffered a hip injury last year which meant I had to give it up otherwise I'd stil be there spinning my life away! Expect a bit of Solange, Kendrick Lamar, house music, rnb & more. Every instructor has their own playlist style. Boom Cycle is perfect if you are a lover of themed rides, I went to a Old School Garage music themed ride and had such an amazing time it felt like I was in a rave! You actually sweat so much & I lost quite a bit of weight from it too! Highly recommend it as a fitness class to everyone that asks me honestly you can't go wrong and if anything it's worth the vibe.

Dance Fitness? Yeah that's a thing. I thought you either did one or the other but apparently not. AYB are the game changers when it comes to dance & fitness, as well as their weekly class timetable filled with dance classes from BashmentBeat to StrutBeat for all levels they also do fitness focused classes which mix dance moves in to make it more fun. I was lucky enough to go to one of their first classes (BarreBeat) at their new pop up at White Space, literally a stone throw from Leicester Square station, which was a Barre class (moves inspired by Ballet using a bar) with some dance moves to hip hop/rnb/pop music thrown in and added ankle weights to increase the resistance. I had such a good time I think I'll be adding a class to my week here and there. Other classes include BoxBeat, JazzBeat & they also have a FitBeat class which is a full on dance HIIT workout. Check out their full timetable here

Self Care is so important & I think a lot of people don't realise that. It's not all about spending money of course. You have to love and treat yourself like THE BEST always. Most importantly take some time out for yourself, drink + eat well & get good rest...that's only the beginning.

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Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort ― Deborah Day

Turkey Travel Diary / Arcanus Side Resort

There is so much beauty in the world that we miss out on. Some people will never get to see what else the world has to offer. Cherish the ability to travel & expand your mind and views.

Two months back I was living my best life! In the most beautiful resort set by the ocean in Side/Antalya in Turkey. Arcanus Side Resort, to be exact. Words can not really describe the views my eyes were blessed with, the food my stomach was filled with and the feeling I felt just to be on a beach holiday for the first time in many many years. This trip was one of the most memorable and best experiences of my life accompanied by my beautiful friend Cheyenne, we truly cannot express how much fun we had!

The first half of the trip was honestly spent relaxing. It's crazy how you can wake up so early on holiday ready to do everything but at home I can barely get up to my alarm for work. Such is life. Our days started with an amazing open buffet breakfast of endless pastry & bread choices, fresh fruits and salad options as well as multiple other hot food/savoury choices e.g. pancakes, sausages, chips, beans, eggs etc.. We were honestly spoilt for choice, so much that we did cheekily go up for a second plate after each meal. You know, just to "test" everythings potential of course! What was amazing is that despite being Vegan Cheyenne was also able to enjoy the food and had multiple options. Relaxing by the pool & on the beach really made me feel at peace. It felt so great to just have no commitments and be able to do nothing for a moment. The hotel had its own cocktail list, the best one on there however was a non-alcoholic fruit juice mix called 'Heidi' we definitely downed enough of those.

Our room was a standard twin room that could fit up to 4 people in it as we also had a bunk bed in there but was nonetheless perfect for our stay. We opted for the garden view as opposed to sea view which we were so happy about as when we arrived we were met with the most beautiful silence on our balcony, the most quiet I have ever experienced in my life! Housekeeping was very on their job, we had the sweetest woman who came to clean our room everyday leaving designs on our beds using our blankets, renewing our towels & toiletries & just making our rooms a great haven to return to in the afternoon. The staff at the hotel were super friendly and welcoming to us, we were two of few non-European people in the resort who spoke English as their first language.

Activity wise we managed to fit a few things in. Parasailing. Scary to think about but one of the most peaceful experiences to fly over the ocean and see it from a birds eye perspective. I'm so glad that I did it despite me being close to nearly crying at the thought of it.
 The day before last we also decided to go on a River boat tour which included a trip to the bazaar and Manvagat waterfalls. Honestly this was an experience in itself. To say that the ocean is beautiful is a true understatement. I had never seen water so blue, it looked like it had been coloured in! We sailed along where the river met the ocean in a huge wooden river boat, embraced the views, tasted fresh pomegranate juice on the beach, ate lunch aboard and then got off to go and see the waterfalls. Now, you know how in movies & programmes people are always falling off waterfalls or hanging on for dear life to escape their death. It's honestly so dramatized. Not all waterfalls are like that, unless you're at Niagra Falls then yes they are definitely like that lool, but this one was SO BEAUTIFUL! Omg! The water even separated into two colours as you will see in the photos and it wasn't scary at all. It was almost somewhat more attractive the more you looked at it. This is honestly why you have to go out and see things for yourself because the TV lies!

I have realised that travelling is truly a luxury in this lifetime and by not visiting different parts of the world in so long, I have cheated myself out of many experiences but going forward I want to make sure I make the most of being able to travel. By the time I am posting this I would have just come back from Amsterdam making that 4 trips in one year. I can only hope that 2018 brings me many more amazing memories! 
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To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted - Bill Bryson