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saharasplash24 October, 2016

London Fashion Week Day Five

Woohoo we made it to day five! Or rather I did haha! I think I saved my best look till last as a lot of thought went into this outfit inspired by Harley Quinn. For those of you who have experienced fashion week you will know when I say how much hard work it is. I mean I’m still covering it and we are now in October! It’s not just about the shows, it’s about you, your friends, making new contacts and above all having a good time. So that’s why it is so important to not overdo it, to not try and go to absolutely everything because it’s just not possible. Choose smart and whatever happens, wear flats on the last day! Here is London Fashion Week Day Five for you…

My Outfit

My outfit number five consists of a custom made Harley Quinn jacket (because I just had to!) and I ‘m wearing ripped denim shorts and a dark red bralette/choker set from Boohoo. My bag as ever is by the fantastic brand Today I’m Me. I want to thank Today I’m Me for helping make each outfit look so great and it’s always a pleasure working with my favourite bag boutique!

Little Extras

These stunning earrings are by Roz Buehrlen, a British designer who is based in Kent. These are Gold Swallow earrings which also come in silver too. I think this adds something a little extra to the look but still manages to maintain its concept.

Catwalk Highlights

Fun Affair

Fun Affair was such a great show. We had lots of variety and I got the best views from the front row. I would definitely use the caption ‘woke up like this’ to describe this show. It was effortless dishelvement as clothes were put on backwards with bralette on top of a crisp white shirt- I’ve actually seen this out and about recently so very on trend! It was mix and match but done very stylishly and I could see that a lot of thought had gone into each look.

David Ferreira

These last ones came out a little dark so apologies for that. Lighting isn’t always something that can be counted on for a fashion show especially as the music and light work together to reflect the mood of the designs. David Ferreira was absolutely worth the wait and I didn’t care that I didn’t have a seat either. For me this season reminded me of the inspirational Lady Gaga so much. The powerful message to ‘break free from your stereotype’ along with some exquisite garments really stuck wth me and I think that Gaga would definitely rock any one of these looks.

Saharasplash x

Thank you so much for reading my five part fashion series, to catch up on the previous posts just click here

PR Samples included

saharasplash26 August, 2016

Marinade Masterclass with Heinz

Things started off pretty well this week for Yasmine and I as we made our way to the ever trendy East London for something very special. I made a bad decision to walk from Bethnal Green to Shoreditch High St in the midday heat to catch the overground but we made it on time, if not a bit hot and sticky! We were in for a real treat as we rocked up to the Berber & Q Bar and Grill for a marinade masterclass with Heinz.

We had the Berber & Q to ourselves for the duration of the afternoon, it was such a great place for the type of food we were cooking- homey but incredibly saucy which really reflected our surroundings.

We got settled in and met our masterchef Josh Katz as well as the Heinz team, the Golin team and some great guys from Unilad too. We got our very own Heinz aprons to wear as we went through everything from kitchen safety to the ingredients which looked so good!

Heinz Peri Peri & Honey Glazed Smoked Chicken Wings

For the rub- preferable to rub and marinade the day before

1tsp Smoked Paprika

1tsp Cayenne

½ tsp Cumin, ground

1tsp Black Pepper, coarse

For the marinade

60ml Heinz Peri-Peri Sauce

1tbsp Lemon Juice

10ml Maple Syrup

For the glaze- combine all together and heat on med/high before using on the wings

150ml Heinz Peri-Peri Sauce

90ml Clear Honey

30ml Lemon Juice

½ tsp Black Pepper, coarse

The Kitchen had its very own smoker so as soon as we had glazed the chicken all over, in they went! If you don’t have a smoker, here’s where the BBQ comes in. We grilled the lemons and added chopped parsley to finish this dish.

BBQ Whole Head of Broccoli, Harissa & Charred Spring Onion Aioli

The next part we got a little hotter as we went over to the grill with some fabulous veg. I learnt how to blanche and flame grill a broccoli too!

For the Charred Spring Onion Aioli

80ml Heinz Salad Cream

50g Crème Fraiche

2 Spring Onions, blackened on the grill & finely chopped

1 Garlic Clove, minced or finely chopped

15ml Olive Oil

15ml Lemon Juice

After blanching the broccoli we put them on the grill to make them lovely and crispy. To garnish we used 2 tbsp harissa and roasted hazelnuts to go with the Aioli, I cannot believe how intense and flavoursome this dish was!

We also did a duck recipe too but I couldn’t have it due to the soy sauce involved. But luckily, Josh was kind enough to create my very own duck and seasoned with a little Heinz Peri Peri, salt and pepper! All the sauces we used in the recipes from Heinz were gluten free and I think you should definitely try using some for a marinade or glaze the next time you fire up that BBQ! Thank you so much to Berber & Q, Josh, Heinz and Golin for such a wonderful marinade masterclass with Heinz, we are now fully stocked up on all the essentials for a while!

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading my marinade masterclass with Heinz, why not check out some more great gluten free food, this time from Sainsburys!

saharasplash5 August, 2016

Keeping it Sassy with Spectrum Collections

I had the pleasure of attending a very exclusive event last month, and I had been wanting to check these guys out for a while after the social craze going on with their collections. Spectrum Brushes hosted a fantastic launch party for their brand new range- The Bomb Shell by Chloe Lloyd and it was amazing! I had met a new blogger friend (as I always do) earlier on that day, and so we went together to the venue in Soho. Her blog is HelloMissJordan and you must check out her blog after you’ve finished this post! Here’s how we were keeping it sassy with Spectrum Collections…

The vibe of the whole event was mermaid, so bloggers were arriving with the most fabulous hair colours and dressed to impress. Jordan and I went for purple and pink!

So now I’m going to show you some of the wonderful brushes on display from the new Bomb Shell collection, and in case you don’t know much about Spectrum Collections all their brushes are cruelty free and vegan friendly!

How beautiful are these brushes? The have pink handles with rose gold detail. This setup gave me some serious inspo as to how I’m going to be displaying my brushes from now on! Any recommendations for rose gold cups like this leave me a comment below! And now onto the piece de resistance, the one you’ve all been waiting for:

eee! This Bomb Shell drops in September 2016!

Now it wouldn’t be a complete blog post without sharing with you the amazing display of food from the Spectrum launch. I would describe it as a feast fit for a unicorn and a mermaid tea party- just look at all of it!

Everything sparkled and looked so gorgeous! Of course no donuts or cupcakes for the coeliac, but I certainly enjoyed the clam macarons and the pearly merringues! So there’s one more thing I’d like to show you, and this is the pure definition of keeping it sassy with spectrum collections. We met a very talented artist who goes by the name of DOM & INK. He was fabulous and turned both Jordan and I into mermaids!

We definitely channelled our inner Disney princesses for these!

I had such an amazing time and want to thank Spectrum and Avant PR for hosting such a magical launch party, I cannot wait to trial the brushes out!

Wearing In One Clothing and necklace from Tatty Devine

Saharasplash x

Thanks for following merbabes! Now go check out Jordan‘s blog!

saharasplash8 July, 2016

Bloggers Hangout Summer Heatwave

Another month, another fabulous Bloggers Hangout event. This time the location was Charing Cross and the venue was The Strand Gallery. I had been looking forward to this as I do every BH event. Danielle (the founder) always goes the extra mile and certainly puts on one hell of a shindig for the bloggers as well as the brands attending. The Bloggers Hangout Summer Heatwave (as I am calling it) was a 3-day extravaganza of which I managed to attend 2 days. I can’t wait to give you all the juicy details about my fav brands there and who I went with!

On the first day, I went with a lovely blogger called Kendra. She is an American blogger over in London for a few months so we met up and I showed her just how amazing being a blogger in London can be! It was so hot in the venue we both were glad we wore summery dresses!

We visited KB Hair and took this epic snap, KB Hair Extensions had some lovely colours to show us, including grey!

Sass and Belle, a homeware brand with so many lovely things, had a chat with us and talked us through their range of amazing summer products. I adore my pineapple cup which I featured in my Karma Cola post!

We met a fabulous nail wrap designer who was displaying her amazing collection of Dinkibelle wraps. I can’t wait to try mine out and show you!

The Perfume Shop was located downstairs at the venue and they had the most amazing display of all their favourite fragrances old and new. My absolute favourite of the day was Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb, it’s to die for! Floral fragrances and the stunning setup definitely had me in the summer mood at the Bloggers Hangout Summer Heatwave!

Onto Day Two. This time I took with me my best blogger bud Merrell-Ann from TrousseauDiaries to explore some more!

We met Pink Parcel who are a fabulous brand helping girls from all over with their ‘Classic Period Drama’ It’s a monthly subcription service to help us girls through our stressful times every 28 days and they include not only femenine products but makeup, skincare products and best of all- chocolate!

I met with Faust’s Potions on the 2nd day who were just great. They have come up with some lovely remedies to help wake you up in the morning (which tastes like orange juice) and also they have one to help relax you before bed at night time. I’ll be fully reviewing these products on the blog very soon so not going to give away anything else!

Regenerate were great to see at the event, they are a dental care company who have created products which help to restore your enamel. I must say I’ve been using the toothpaste for just over a week now and there is no sensitivity anymore when I eat cold things which is wonderful. I will definitely keep you all posted on how I progress with the advanced toothpaste and boosting serum.

I also took some shots of three gorgeous bloggers wearing DaSilva London clothing outside the venue. It’s the perfect spot for a blogger to stop and take some photos if you don’t want to trek all the way to Kensington!

Thanks so much for a spectacular Bloggers Hangout Summer Heatwave 🙂

Saharasplash x

For more fabulousness, find out more about my 2 great skin savers for summer now

saharasplash3 July, 2016

The Bloggers Ball 2016

Where do I begin with The Bloggers Ball 2016? It is going to be really hard to capture the essence of this event I think as it was one of those ‘you had to be there’ events in my opinion. To sum up for you before I go into further detail, it was crazy, big, wonderful and addictive! So many bloggers and brands, so many bodies and booths to visit, I imagine it was something similar to speed dating but on steroids, and I still didn’t get to visit everyone and see everything! I’m going to talk about my favs that I did get to see and of course I have to shout out to Scarlett London for organising this grandeur affair at DSTRKT London!

Selfie Glow

Selfie Glow are are cute company just perfect for bloggers who love a good tan! Cruelty and paraben free, these guys were the first exhibitors I visited. They are US based but making their way over to the UK market this year. I hope I can work with this lovely brand soon while we have some sun in London!

Fei Liu Jewellery

Fei Liu jewellery really caught my eye. I love the elegant design of his pieces and I am still after something signature to wear on my wedding day. Fei Liu really stood out to me and the sparkle was just lovely!

Bon Prix

I’m sure you have all heard of the longstanding brand Bon Prix. They had brought with them a few of their summer collection essentials which were fabulous! Definitely check out their site if you’re going on holiday or just feel you need to jazz up your summer wardrobe, I’m sure they will have you covered!

Bravura London

Bravura London are a new find for me. It was great to meet them at The Bloggers Ball 2016 and talk about their different products meant for different types of skin. I chose to trial the Glycolic acid for its abilities to reduce fine lines and breakouts.

Monin

I’m sure you’ve all had a taste of what Monin has to offer, whether you know it or not. Monin provide the syrups for Costa coffee, so those caramel lattes and hazelnut mochas are all down to this great brand. On the day, they had brought with them a lovely pitcher of lemonade which was fantastic. I didn’t know how many syrups they did until I saw the range at the Bloggers Ball- check out their site to discover all the amazing flavours, they have practically everything!

On The Beach

On The Beach are an online travel agency who aim to deliver great holidays at great rates. They were there on the day to meet us bloggers and also have a beach party too! There were plenty of selfies taken at their booth and the OTB team were such great fun! Really hoping to take an On The Beach holiday if the wedding budget allows this year!

Vatika Naturals

Vatika are another new brand I discovered at The Bloggers Ball 2016 and I’m so glad I did. I’ve been using the Argan Shampoo pictured below since the event and it’s honestly the best shampoo I’ve ever used. Not only does it smell amazing, it creates a fabulous lather without using half the bottle, and my hair comes away feeling so nourished my hair is like silk. Definitely recommended, and I can’t wait to try out their Black seed hair mask! Available at Superdrug.

Tessuti

The last brand (and the most fabulous by far) is Tessuti. They are an online luxury boutique who stock both men and women’s ranges. I was immediately drawn to these guys as soon as I saw the Melissa shoes- you kow how much of a Melissa shoe collector I am! I’m really excited to be working with Tessuti after meeting them at The Bloggers Ball 2016 so stay tuned this month to see what piece I’m styling up from Tessuti.co.uk!

What I Wore

I wore a bright orange cocktail dress courtesy of Solace London and I paired the dress with some rose gold lace up heels from Ego. On my nails I have Thumbs Up nail wraps!

Saharasplash x

For more content and to find out about a fabulous fizzy drinks company called Karma Cola, click here.

saharasplash13 June, 2016

Thai Square Spa London

I don’t really attend spas all that much- between working, blogging and balancing a social life I find that there isn’t much down time left for me to take a break and relax. That all changed recently upon my visit to the newly relocated Thai Square Spa London, and I’m so excited to tell you all about my visit there…

I booked a day off work and so on Friday morning I packed my bikini in my oversized handbag and set off for Charing Cross from Canning Town. Thai Square Spa is about a 5 minute walk from the station and sits on the very corner of the block- it’s easy to spot as there are huge flags outside the building!

As I went in, I was immediately greeted by reception, and I confirmed that I was booked in for a signature wrap and use of the facilities after my treatment. The reception area was decorated so nicely and had a lovely relaxed feel as soon as I was inside.

The iMantara range of products affiliated with the spa was on show and available to purchase if you liked. I have tried the Siamese Sole foot scrub and lotion which are absolutely divine. The scents are so unique with hints of tea tree, orange and jasmine, and the brand is against animal testing which is something I always look out for.

So onto my treatment!

I had a Thai Square Spa Signature Wrap, which I was quite intrigued about when I saw it on the website. I had only ever had massages before and so was up for trying something new for a change. The treatment started with a lovely foot soak from my therapist. She used salts and warm water to cleanse my feet while I enjoyed the signature blend of herbal tea from Thai Square Spa. After that, I got onto the massage table face down, and I had the cool algae painted on me from my feet all the way up to my shoulders with a brush. It was really soothing and the massage bed was heated too so that it started to dry and harden on my skin. I turned over and the process was repeated on my front half. Not going to lie, the belly felt the cold more than the rest of my body, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all. After this, I was wrapped up like a china doll in loads of towels, and left for 15 minutes for the wrap to soak in. It was lovely and toasty, any more than 15 minutes and I would have definitely fallen into a deep sleep!

After this, I showered to remove the wrap and my skin was super silky. Once finished, it was time to venture round the rest of the Thai Square Spa facilities.

I pretty much had the spa to myself, so it was the perfect time to take some shots!

Here is the central point of the spa. There are plenty of chairs to lie back in and remove yourself from the busy London city, I was completely blissful as I sipped my tea and enjoyed my lazy afternoon.

The jacuzzi and steam/sauna rooms are in a separate chamber just past the lounge area. It was so nice to feel the warm bubbles of the jacuzzi, I felt like I was back in Dubai again!

Thai Square Spa London is the perfect place to get away from everyday life and have some luxury pampering. I went by myself, but I can definitely see myself going back with Paul or maybe some girlfriends too for a great time. Thank you to Thai Square Spa for having me, and I will be seeing you again soon!