So, my family vacation has come around this summer and my parents have taken my two brothers and I to the south of Spain! My friend Becky challenged me to pack at least one colourful item of clothing and alas, I was unable to complete this task. I believe I have thrown out the last of my non-monochrome clothes, so here I am in 30 degree heat with nothing but black tops and skirts. As we have are staying in a villa for the coming weeks I will not be doing much moving around, however I will try and get as many posts up about what I've been up to in the days prior to this (London, shopping, etc) and we are set to go to Madrid for a couple of days too.
I'll share my current summer spotify playlist as it's defo my favourite to date:
1. Shot for Me - Drake
2. In the Name of Love - Martin Garrix
3. Four Door Aventador - Nicki Minaj
4. Or Nah (feat. The Weeknd, Wiz Khalifa and DJ Mustard) - Ty Dollar $ign
5. Cold Water (feat. Justin Bieber & MØ) - Major Lazer
6. Good Grief - Bastille
7. Don't Let me Down - The Chainsmokers
8. Perfect Strangers - Jonas Blue
9. Into You - Ariana Grande
10. Tilted - Christine and the Queens
Enjoy!
Lauren
At the beginning of the week my friends from university, Mae and Becky, invited me to stay in Cheshire for a few days. A cool 2 1/2 hours drive from me, I set off on Monday morning in my little car. I have family in York but this is the furthest I have ever driven alone! Both Mae and Becky live in beautiful houses, and of course it was so, so good to see them! We chilled out, watched Shawshank Redemption, ate Pizza and got drunk. The usual.
The next day we went to see The Secret Life of Pets, which was the cutest film ever! And then Mae’s family cooked steak and dauphinoise potatoes with portobello mushrooms for dinner, literally my favourite meal.
I met up with my brothers in London today for a quick shop before we head off on holiday early Saturday morning. So excited it’s unreal.
Song of the day: Where are you Now - Lady Leshurr
Lauren
Hotel: CitizenM Tower of London // £103 for the night
Now ok - this hotel is perfect. HUGE bed, rainfall shower and so modern. There are internal and external rooms (with better views), but we just needed somewhere to sleep. Now I don't mean this in a harsh way at all, but the room literally makes you want to leave your bags and just head back out into London no messing. It’s cosy enough for a lie in but it’s not somewhere you’re gonna spend a lot of time - which I love! Anyway, so we visited the new DSM, which is around the back of the National Portrait Gallery. Highly recommend a trip if you want to drool over the Hermes collection, which I did, and they have the odd Celine bag kicking about too. We obviously went to Pizza Pilgrims in Soho again (see older post) and then headed back to change before going out to Fabric. The hotel has a roof top bar with views over Canary Wharf, the Shard, the Gherkin, like I was just blown away. Honestly guys, what a gem this place was. After a few drinks we headed on to Fabric in Farringdon. I know this is a seriously positive post but oh my god, what a night! I’ve never heard that quality of music in a club. If you're used to sort of tinny, loud, horrible, tinnitus inducing club music, this place will genuinely change your life. It stays open till 7am and they offer discounted entry for students, like, I wish I was there now.
Day 2, we were feeling especially fragile so we just went to Hyde Park to lie in the sun. I got burnt - of course.
Song of the day: Hazard & Felon - Recorded Live on 31/10/2014
Lauren
(a short guide)
So the current temperature, according to the weather app on my Mac, is 32 degrees. A humungous leap from the dreary weather we’ve been experiencing the past couple of months. It was raining less than a week ago when I went out for lunch in Oxford, so this change is more than welcomed. It is England however and having constant hot weather is something we are not renowned for. Here are some tips on how to survive the next 3 (approximate) day heatwave:
1. Wear something loose. I don't know why but wearing clothes at all in this weather is so hard.
2. The temperature outside is the same as it is indoors - so I would probably recommend staying indoors, in bed, with the covers off and a cold towel on your forehead. And the curtains drawn.
3. Avoid having a black car - if you have a black car like me, park it in the shade and leave it there till it rains again. It’s so hot everywhere and it’s only necessary to leave the house for essentials, like ice cream.
4. Still go to the gym, don't miss out on those gains, but be prepared to sweat just that much more so take a towel.
5. Suncream (if you do go anywhere)
6. Maybe even use fake tan. I’ve tried this so many times and it always goes wrong; but I am so pale that I don't realise I am as pale as I actually am (if that makes sense)
Enjoy it while it lasts people!
Song of the day: Lines (George Fitzgerald Remix) - Lil Silva
Lauren
(pics r from Bicester Village earlier today with Mumma)
So, my supppeerrrrr good friend Emily studies Photography at London College of Communication and I haven’t seen her in, like, foreevveerrr (since Easter). We finally got together for lunch the other day and had a little catch up. Pizza Express do the best deals on food so we headed there - 3 courses for £12.95. Garlic bread with mozzarella, caesar salad and chocolate fudge cake… goodbye gym workouts. It was soo good, and we were so full. (I had Emily’s olives off her pizza too, haha)
Shout out to all the friends you don't see for ages and who have their own lives but once you see them again it’s like you’ve never been apart.
Song of the day: You and I (Stripped) - Pvris
Lauren
image source: T Swift's Insta
Clockwise from the top:
ASOS // Swimsuit - £28
Made by Dawn // Bikini Top - £85
Made by Dawn // Bikini Bottoms - £88
Solid and Striped // Swimsuit - £109
Bikyni // Bikini Top - £37 (The Crop)
Bikyni // Bikini Bottoms - £37 (The Cheeky Hipster)
Made by Dawn // Bikini Bottoms - £88
Solid and Striped // Swimsuit - £109
Bikyni // Bikini Top - £37 (The Crop)
Bikyni // Bikini Bottoms - £37 (The Cheeky Hipster)
So, if like me, your TV screens have become consumed by Love Island and girls walking around in bikinis then also, like me, you may have come to question your own bikini collection. Now, in the past few years I’ve heavily drifted towards the ‘bandeau top with a different coloured bikini bottom’ look. However, after my brief visit to Barcelona, I have realised that my swimwear collection is in fact, very poor. White bikinis stained a strange yellow from factor 50 suntan lotion, bikini bottoms too skimpy or too big, and bandeau tops that flatten what little chest I have. I know us Brits rarely actually have any sun or any reason to own a vast bikini collection but I have recently enjoyed looking for new swimwear.
Things to consider when making that crucial summer purchase:
1. Will this leave a weird tan (I don't tan but this is still such a worry)
2. Will I look like Gigi Hadid at Taylor Swift’s 4th of July Party
and
3.Will I ever wear this again
Of course Taylor Swift’s 4th of July party has sparked immense envy amongst the best of us when looking for summer inspiration. She rocks the Solid and Striped Anne-Marie swimsuit in Americana Stripe but luckily for us monochrome lovers, it comes in black too.
Quote of the day: “My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.” — Coco Chanel
Song of the day: Spoken Word - Chase & Status, George the Poet
Lauren
Story time. The trackpad on my mac ceased all functioning the other day, with the keyboard following a similar demise. After 15 reboot attempts, I figured it was time to hunt down an old school usb mouse and contact Apple support. Turns out my laptop was pretty fried with no explanation. When I say fried, I really mean it was totally fried. 48 hours Macbook down, the lovely people at Apple completely restored my laptop to its former glory! Overjoyed.
Hot tip: Have Applecare. If you don't have Applecare, then get Applecare. If you do one thing tomorrow, get Applecare.
Sorry for the boring post but I have literally being working and working anddddd you guessed it, working. I’ve squeezed in a few gym sessions here and there but my crazy schedule is throwing me out. I did go out for the day with my younger brother to do a spot of shopping which was really nice. I swear when you start earning your own money you always get so frugal. Saying that, I did order some new leggings to workout in and a Wet and Wild lipstick that is supposed to be a good Mac dupe.
Song of the day: Surprise Yourself - Jack Garratt
Lauren
Size: UK 6
Condition: Used
Colour: Black with dark grey
Price: Around £25
Just before flying to Barcelona, I got my hands on these Air Max 95 in black / dark grey. According to previous foot measurements, I would place myself at a UK size 7. A lot of forums said that 95s were true to size or come up smaller, so I decided to opt for the 6. They actually did fit really tight to begin with.
(Obviously I would recommend going to JD Sports or somewhere similar to try 95s on before committing to a purchase)
I have to agree that these trainers are incredibly comfortable and do make my legs look toned! I wore them out for dinner the other night with jeans and a white button down shirt; they definitely gave my outfit more of a relaxed look. I recommend looking on eBay or depop for a second hand pair at a good price! I also need to get a shoe tree for mine just to stop them looking crumpled when i’m not wearing them.
I’m super keen for the OG Neon 95s too, (link) so hopefully I can get my hands on a pair of those soon as well!
Outfit pictures to follow.
Song of the day: Night Trouble - Petit Biscuit
Lauren
Hotel: Hotel Praktik Bakery
(Breakfast not included in the overall bill but then the whole ground floor is a bakery, can’t go wrong)
Restaurants: Tapas 24 // Restaurante Margherita
(obviously we ate elsewhere in the day, such as Gonzalez & Co, but these were our big nights. Couldn’t recommend more, such lovely food and amazing atmospheres at both places)
Locations visited: The Fundació Joan Miró // Sagrada Família // Park Güell // Passeig de Gràcia // La Rambla // Rambla De Mar // The Beach (lol)
Price: £228 per person // 3 Nights and 4 Days // London to Barcelona Flights return
Right okay, the nighty gritty. I took around €200 (*loud gasps*) I know I know but I’ve worked so hard and I didn’t want to go away and feel limited by the price of anything we wanted to do. It’s good to have a little extra to work with for taxis, the metro and just general emergencies you haven’t planned for. We went for 4 days and 3 nights, booked through last minute. A short amount of time for the two of us because we definitely felt like we could’ve done more, but then also such a perfect amount of time to really cram stuff in. I was desperate to do galleries / charge around the city / had actually drawn up a map of Barcelona beforehand and crossed out all the places I wanted to go. In fact, this was stupid.
Lucky for us, our hotel was incredibly central and extremely nice. The rooms were spacious, modern and exactly what we needed. With a 24 hour reception, we constantly felt safe returning to the hotel, even after checking in late when our flights had been delayed (don’t get me started). 100% recommend this hotel if you are ever in this beautiful Spanish city.
Top Tips:
1. There is A LOT of Gaudi. If you’re feeling it then by all means, indulge. We went to some Gaudi hotspots but didn’t go in as they were incredibly busy (€€€). 2. Eat, drink and sleep well. I can’t stress this enough. It was incredibly hot for our short stay and as much as we would’ve loved to have been up at 7am everyday heading out to do things, we needed to rest and stay hydrated. Always carry water with you and a small snack. There are tonnes of 24 hour places for this sort of thing. 3. Walk. We took the metro once. Barcelona has so much to offer down it’s back streets that if you’re stretched for time, a day of walking around aimlessly will actually show you a lot more of the city. 4. Suntan lotion is obvious. 5 Research where you want to eat beforehand. This helped us out a lot. So many trip advisor reviews enabled us find where best to dine and where best to avoid. We had two lovely evenings out and they really made a difference to our stay.
I had an amazing time and if you haven't been to Barcelona... go!
Song of the day: Glassbeadgames - Martyn + Four Tet
Lauren
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