fblogger Archives - SAHARASPLASH

saharasplash3 November, 2016

Dragonfly Tea celebrates 15 years

I usually am pretty good at getting to events on time as I like to think I am quite organised and a fairly good planner. On the evening of this event however, I don’t think that I could say either of these things as I ended up getting incredibly lost around Kings Cross station. I was hopelessly following my Google maps directions in circles and by this point I was starting to feel like I would never get to the event which had begun well over an hour ago. I ended up calling one of the girls who had invited me who was so great at directing me and 10 minutes later (feeling very puffed out and silly) I arrived at the DFMasterclass!

If you haven’t seen my previous post on Dragonfly Tea, they are a family owned British company who are just so passionate about bringing the best quality teas to the British high street. This year Dragonfly Tea celebrates 15 years and to mark this they have brought out a fantastic new range of teas called the tea house collection. They were also kind enough to host a select few of us for this fabulous tea masterclass!

The location (which I will now remember for the rest of my days) was at the Waitrose cooking school and I was so happy to see it when I arrived. I had missed a little bit of the tea trivia but the staff and hosts were so gracious and set me up with a Long Island green tea straight away.

Our host Georgia Ginsberg from Dragonfly Tea talked us through what would happen next, which was a tea test! We had 10 teapots around the kitchen and we had to taste, smell and work out which one was which from the new collection. The academic in me always jumps at the chance to take a test so I was straight in there!

Even though I missed the first part, my tastebuds did me proud and I got 7 out of 10! I do like to drink a range of teas so I think this helped a lot 🙂

We had a great time taking photos of all the teas and flowers, it was one of the most amazing blogger events I’ve been to this year!

Dragonfly Tea celebrates 15 years in style, as not only do they have the brand new tea house collection, they have also brought out a luxury candle. This candle is super lovely and it’s definitely something everyone should have when taking a relaxing bath. The scent is homely, woody and just right for the transition into the cold season. I had the best blogger evening at the DFMasterclass and want to thank the Babushka Comms team for inviting me along!

Saharasplash x

Head over to my latest beauty post about my 12 week trial with SmoothSkin IPL here

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

saharasplash17 October, 2016

London Fashion Week Day Four

Day Four of Fashion Week came around quicker than expected. With all the rushing around and different outfits it has been quite nice to go through all my footage and break it all down into daily chunks for you. I think that the shows from London Fashion Week Day Four were really strong and unique, so enjoy!

My Outfit

I was incredibly happy about my London Fashion Week Day Four outfit because as you can see it’s my favourite colour- bright orange! This lovely dress is from Sydney Davies London and I cannot thank The Colour 8 agency for hooking me up with this. I had a wonderful time at the Look Fantastic Blogger’s Lounge where the Philip B team styled my hair to go with the bold dress. My stylist plaited and then ironed the plaits to create a crimped mane for my day four look- I think it was fantastic!

Little Extras

The one thing I love about Fashion Scout is that all the designers from the week’s catwalk shows are on display to view in one of the many rooms. You may remember seeing these pieces in my LFW Day One post!

Catwalk Highlights

Run

Run was actually a presentation rather than a catwalk show. Guests could walk right up to the models as they slowly moved back and forwards which was great to see and get lots of shots. Having a presentation instead of a catwalk show means more work for the models as they are having to stay in character on the runway for a much longer time than usual. These girls did a fantastic job, and I just loved the vibrant collection!

VIN+OMI

This catwalk show was by far the most far out show both for distance and concept. It took my sister and I quite a while to find it but when we did the queues were easy to spot which went round the whole building. At one point we thought we weren’t going to get in, but we managed by the skin of our teeth and got quite a good view from a standing position near the end of the runway. As you can see there were hundreds of origami birds hanging from the ceiling. The message was really dark and powerful from the clothes. Very creative and memorable.

Point Blank

One last presentation to wrap up London Fashion Week Day Four- this time we are taken to the beach! Point Blank went for a beach concept and showcased swimwear and fabulous holiday wear for its SS17 collection. I loved the makeup and wetlook hair of the models and the music helped set the scene with crashing waves to make us feel those summer vibes!

Saharasplash x

Check out Day Three right here!

PR Samples included

saharasplash14 October, 2016

London Fashion Week Day Three

I hope you’ve all been enjoying my Fashion Week adventures so far, there are three more days to come and I have lots more content to show you! Fashion Week is something very special to me ever since I started blogging. I’ve met some lovely people and discovered some great designers over the past three seasons, and today I’ll be sharing more adventures with you. Here is London Fashion Week Day Three.

Outfit Details

I went for a monochrome vibe for day three and wore some washed out grey skinny jeans with a bodysuit from American Apparel. I stole my sister’s jacket and went for a high ponytail with a bright red lip. My bag is from Today I’m Me.

Something Unexpected

One of the things I love about LFW is that you never quite know what is around the corner, quite literally in this case! As I was headed to a blogger lounge, my Google maps took me past Soho Square where I stumbled across an outdoor exhibition by Malone. This was something unexpected yet totally fabulous.

Catwalk Highlights

Apu Jan

I was lucky enough to be FROW for the Apu Jan show. This was a brand new designer for me and so I went into the show pretty much clueless on what to expect. This turned out to be one of my favourite shows from the whole season. I loved the concept, the blue colours and the variety from the show. The music was so melodic which added nicely to the overall effect.

Oxford Fashion Studio

And now we come to a golden oldie of catwalk shows (well in my experience!). This is a series of designers who showcased as a part of Oxford Fashion Studio which I always eagerly anticipate. OFS select a brilliant range of talent and this season did not disappoint. Among the designers were April Banbury (first three dresses) and Ines de Luca (last shot). I also love the location where the catwalks take place each season- Devonshire Square. It’s so different and refreshing to not be in a building for a change!

Saharasplash x

Coming soon- Day Four so stay tuned!

Missed the previous days? Catch up right here and here

PR Samples included

saharasplash18 August, 2016

Free From Afternoon Tea

This is a really big post which I am so excited about! Not only do I get to eat loads of yummy snacks, I can tick off one pretty big thing from my 2016 goals list, and that is to do a collaboration with Sainsbury’s! Sainsbury’s are without a doubt my favourite UK supermarket and I was so surprised to find this particular package waiting on my doorstep last week. The package in question sent to me was a massive bag filled with all the necessary equipment to have a fabulously free from afternoon tea in celebration of National Afternoon Tea Week.

For those living a gluten free lifestyle for whatever reason, I’m sure you have noticed the staggering changes in the free from market over the past 5 years. It is getting bigger and better with every launch, and Sainsbury’s have very recently revamped their entire range of free from products. I’ve tried pretty much everything out as I’m the type of coeliac who sees a new product and instantly feels like it’s my duty to buy it, eat it, and if it’s good then tell all my gluten free friends and family about it! I even went and bought the new Sainsbury’s birthday cake even though it’s not my birthday for months, no shame in admitting that one! So, onto the free from afternoon tea…

I set everything up in my mum’s back garden as it was a beautiful and sunny day.

My favourite from the range is defintiely the chocolate brownie! Before too long, the afternoon tea had a gate crasher…

As pretty as my pooch is, he wasn’t getting any of it! It didn’t stop him having a sniff and licking his lips though!

Thanks to Evie for the necklace loan for this shoot!

These fantastic new treats are just waiting for you to try at your local Sainsbury’s and are all free from wheat, gluten and milk:

Rich Fruit Cake Slices

Fruity Granola Slices

Cherry & Almond Slices

Chocolate Brownies

Mini Bakewell Tarts

What are you doing to celebrate National Afternoon Tea Week? Whether you have a food allergy or not, everyone should get to have some fun with a lovely afternoon tea this week!

Saharasplash x

PR Samples

saharasplash25 July, 2016

The Real Greek Lunch

Just two weeks after my last day at my office job, I found myself heading for Westfield Shepherd’s Bush at 1 o clock on a Friday afternoon. I was so excited as this was to be my first blogger’s lunch and boy was I in for a treat! I’m sure you have all seen one of The Real Greek restaurants if you are local to London, there are 9 in total and I was about to experience The Real Greek Lunch celebrating the launch of their new book. This inspired cookbook is written by the restaurant’s consultant and expert in all things Greek- Tonia Buxton. I was so surprised when the menus came round to see the incredible variety of things which I could eat as a coeliac. Over half the menu is gluten free and so I was thrilled to see what was going to be brought to us, ordered all by Tonia who looked after us so well.

It was lovely to meet the Blink Publishing team along with Tonia herself and a handful of bloggers too. It was great to chat blogging and food while we waited for our starters to arrive.

We tried pretty much everything from the starter menu, my favourite was the Melitzanosalata, an aubergine dish which I have recreated in my own kitchen and photos are at the end so you can see!

We tried a range of wonderful mains too, a lot of the fish I didn’t eat just because I’m not a fan of things from the sea, but the others certainly enjoyed the dishes.

I had the most amazing greek salad and chicken skewers with peppers. The stand out dish for me was a vegetarian dish called Gigandes Plaki. Giant beans in a tomato sauce went down a treat.

Speaking of treats, I tried something new which I had never even considered to be a dessert until this was put in front of me. It looked like yoghurt and mushrooms, but Tonia explained that it was candied walnuts. I tried one and fell in love!

The sweet nut paired with the greek yoghurt was so moreish, it was lucky we were sharing this as I would have eaten the entire thing.

The tea was also a big hit, it’s a herbal blend called Greek Mountain tea and was so good, I have been back since just for this alone!

What I discovered at The Real Greek Lunch, aside from the amazing tastes, was a new found repsect for Greek culture and the great importance food has for it. I loved how simple the dishes were and how we shared them out to try a bit of everything- this is definitely something I will be going back to with friends and family to show them the way of the Greeks!

As promised, here is a little something I cooked recently using The Real Greek cookbook. The Melitzanosalata recipe on p29 was so simple and easy to follow, I made the most amazing accompaniment that gave my turkey steaks and quinoa rice the perfect zing!