london blogger Archives

saharasplash28 November, 2019

A Very Moonpig Christmas

Press Invite to Moonpig HQ, all thoughts and views my own

Are you among the 1 in 3 people in the UK that has used Moonpig before? I certainly am, and I cannot tell you how many times. When Moonpig got in touch about their Christmas event this year, I was so excited to get my train booked and head into London.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from an event at Moonpig HQ, but as soon as I walked in, the mood was set. Moonpig had gone all out to make a handful of bloggers feel welcome and get into the Christmas spirit. There was a huge screen with a burning log fire and a glass of bubbly waiting for us. Moonpig cards and gifts were scattered about as well as gifts under a huge Christmas tree. It was so lovely seeing the latest collections, including a few Frozen items too!

Moonpig’s CEO Nickyl Raithatha led us into the evening with a presentation on the company’s background and most importantly this year’s Christmas message: personal giving. If you haven’t used anything like Moonpig before, it really is so easy to create a heartfelt, personalised card to send to anyone for any occasion. They have thousands of designs you can customize with text and photos, and have it delivered in record time.

Back to the event, we had three fun activities to try and up first was cocktail making. Even though I am not heavily into the alcohol, I did thoroughly enjoy our Christmas tutorial from our personal mixologist. He taught us how to make three cocktails (recipes below) and I became quite partial to the Christmapolitan!

Cocktails

Gingerbread Mojito – Rum, Mint, Lime, Gingerbread Syrup, Soda
Port of Call – Gin, Port, Cranberry Sauce, Cinnamon Syrup
Christmapolitan – Amaretti, Lime, Cranberry Juice, Champagne

Moving onto our second section, photoshoots! Moonpig, being kings of creativity, pulled out all the stops and set up a green screen for a true Christmas photobooth experience. We even had a visit from Santa, so I decided to grab Olaf from the present stash and bring him in for a Frozen-themed snap. I then got to upload the photos onto Moonpig.com and create my own Christmas card which was posted out to me.

Cocktail finished and photos done, we moved onto our final station of the night, and there was a table full of flowers waiting for us. Moonpig had organised their very own flower buyer to give us a masterclass in flower arranging. I picked up a letterbox flower gift filled with beautiful tulips, and we each picked three jars. We were shown how to properly cut the stems and arrange in different sized jars to create a floral masterpiece.

As if that wasn’t enough to finish the night, Santa then came round to deliver us all a present each. I couldn’t have felt any happier to act like a child on Christmas, so thank you to Moonpig HQ for an epic night!

Are you planning on using Moonpig to give personalised cards and gifts this year? All links to products used on the night are right here for you:

Personalised Christmas cards:

https://www.moonpig.com/uk/personalised-cards/

Flowers used for the table decorations:

https://www.moonpig.com/uk/flowers-and-plants/all-flowers/

Gifts section, including the spirits we used for the cocktails:

https://www.moonpig.com/uk/gifts/

Saharasplash x

Wanting more Christmas-related content? Then head right on over to my Christmas Gift Guide 2019 blog post

saharasplash5 November, 2019

AD] Lucky number 13 for WICKED!

NB: This is a no-spoiler, press invite review of WICKED the musical, all thoughts and views my own.

I had been wanting to see WICKED the musical since it first came to the West End in 2006, so literally 13 years! It may be an unlucky number for some, but this year I was invited to see the show on a very special press night along with many other bloggers and celebrities. I felt so honoured to be sat in the theatre among the likes of Dame Kelly Holmes and Craig Revel Horwood as the 13-year anniversary show made its debut.

In my opinion, it was imperative to wear green and so I pulled out a floral kimono that I last wore on my 42^nd week of pregnancy! It was perfect for the occasion. I left at 3pm and drove to the Intercontinental Hotel near the O2 where I was staying for the night to drop my bags off and get ready. I met my husband, Paul near the Apollo Theatre Victoria to grab some quick dinner before the show started.

On the night

At 7pm sharp we were outside the theatre to take in the atmosphere and of course, to get the shots. We took about a hundred to get the perfect one before we went inside. The entrance was filled with the hustle and bustle of people arriving, getting drinks, their tickets and waiting to be seated. The crowds were also being filmed from every angle for the 13^thanniversary video (which you can now see on the WIKED social channels). There were so many things to take in before the show started, like costumes hidden all around the theatre and an ‘Ozdust Boutique’ for souvenirs just as you entered the main theatre.

The performance was wonderful. I’m not going to post any spoilers for my readers who still haven’t seen it and are planning to. The show was magical, uplifting and absolutely worth the long wait to see. I knew a few of the songs throughout the performance, as well as a very good idea to how the story was going to play out based on my knowledge of the world of Oz. It was lovely to see old characters come to the stage from a previous timeline, as well as meet the new ones like Fiyero and Madame Morrible. It was in some ways a standalone, and what I mean by this is that you don’t need to know much about the Wizard of Oz to enjoy it. The characters of Elphaba and Glinda are simply spell-binding and I cannot believe I waited this long to see it.

The After Party

Once the curtains closed and the sea of green balloons cleared, we made a swift exit and headed down the street to the Park Plaza for the after party. It was such a thrill to not only see the show, but to meet the actors afterwards too and get to speak with some of them. I got the chance to share a moment with the beautiful Nikki Bentley who plays Elphaba and also Idriss Kargbo who is currently Boq.

Needless to say, I listened to the soundtrack all the way home the next day and couldn’t stop singing the songs (in a good way). I want to sincerely thank the Official London Theatre for arranging this magical escapade; I hope it’s not too long until my next visit to the West End.

Saharasplash x

Let me know if you have seen WICKED yet, or if it is on your bucket list in the comments below!

saharasplash2 November, 2018

A seasonal shift in style

When the leaves start falling and the weather reaches single digits, you know a change is coming for your wardrobe. Whether you’re a smart dresser, a casual babe or somewhere inbetween like me, a new season is a great excuse for a good old look in those drawers to get yourself prepared and warm. Today’s post features several brands which I’ve never blogged about before. A seasonal shift in style is coming your way in three, two, one…

The houndstooth print is a failsafe from September to December, especially when it’s in the form of a darling, high-waisted miniskirt. My collection of Karen Millen cardigans are the perfect length for this look, and no doubt I will be trying them all with this skirt from Unique 21.

My buckle belt is a brand new addition from my sister’s belt biz @e.buckled and this just completes my first seasonal style look.

Look two is a grungy/urban street vibe, and yes the leopard print is out in full force! I’ve paired these lightweight palazzo trousers from Unique 21 with an amazing lace bodysuit from Catwalk Clothing and some black tights to beat the morning chill. The burgundy sketchers add a colourful pop along with a dark lip and some beautiful lashes courtesy of KISS products.

I chose to adorn a suede effect satchel bag to add a bit more swag and a leopard print hair clip to tie the whole getup together.

My final look to honour a seasonal shift in style is more of a night time glam look. I’ve got the same beautiful lace on top but switched the bottom up to a glitzy skirt from Minnie’s Boutique and snakeskin accessories.

Even though my style may change from day to day and season to season, my love of fashion still sticks around. A huge thanks to Catwalk Clothing and Unique 21 for helping bring this blog post to life.

Saharasplash x

If a seasonal shift in style has left you wanting more, head over to read all about an exclusive launch party with Pandora Jewellery and Mabel.

PR Samples included

saharasplash30 October, 2018

Seeing Reflexions with Pandora Jewellery

Happy almost Halloween to all you seasonal crazies! If you’re anything like me, you will be revealing in October as much as you can by browsing all the stores for Halloween essentials and noticing Netflix’s new spooky startup sounds. This post isn’t particularly scary, but it does have a bite of something wonderful with a wicked surprise guest appearance. Seeing reflexions with Pandora Jewellery started out on a Thursday night at the Village Underground, Shoreditch.

Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Pandora

Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Pandora

My reflection wore a leopard print jacket, black maxi dress and grey top, but I quickly ditched the jacket after seeing a sea of leopard print at the club from all angles.

One of the best things about being a blogger veteran is knowing you’re going to bump into so many pals at a London event, and this one did not disappoint. 20 minutes in and I had a girl squad that rivalled the best of them.

The surprise guest appearance for the night was Mabel, such a huge artist right now and we were all so excited to see her perform. While we waited we got so many pics on this amazing ring light swing!

Mabel sang a great set, and was the perfect vibe for the Pandora reflexions launch party.

So, let me show you one of the gorgeous new bracelets from the collection. It is modern and different in style to the usual Pandora bracelets. It’s a mesh-style bracelet, and comes in silver, gold or rose gold. Of course there’s a brand new set of charms to go with the new designs too!

I cannot wait to mix and match the new charms just like my wedding bands- silver and gold.

The first time I wore the bracelet out, I paired it with my white Karen Millen denim jacket with gold studs.

How do you like the new Pandora Reflexions collection? Leave me a comment if it’s going to be on your Christmas wishlist this year!

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading Seeing Reflexions with Pandora Jewellery. Head back to the home page to access my latest articles

saharasplash6 May, 2018

Celebrating the rose with Cyprus Tourism Organisation

I’m going to take you on a bit of a journey with this post. Don’t worry, it’s a really good journey! A few week’s back I was invited to a rather unique and special event in London to celebrate with the Cyprus Tourism Organisation. Sadly the event wasn’t actually in Cyprus, but they most definitely brought the party, feel and Cypriot style right to the venue.

The event was centred around celebrating the annual Festival of the Rose which is held each May in the rural Cyprus village of Agros. Famed for its bright and beautiful roses, Agros springs to life as visitors flock to learn all about the distillation of the roses, attend exhibitions and take part in workshops.

I turned up to the venue ready and set in my floral trousers (got to look the part) and instantly fell in love with the building…

The whole place was decked out head to toe with Alice in Wonderland tributes! Not for the event mind you, this building near Waterloo is like this all year round- my heart melted a bit as I missed Alice who stayed at home while I came into London for the event.

Roses in shades of red and pink could be found everywhere, it really was a perfect venue for an event dedicated to the power of the rose.

We had a warm welcome from the Cyprus Tourism Organisation who gave us some great background into the festival and the country itself:

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea
Cyprus is filled with vast areas of dense forest and valleys
Cyprus annually celebrates traditional festivals such as The Rose Festival
When rose water is distilled, its aromatic fragrance can be used in hundreds of different ways- in beauty products like perfumes and oils and also in sweets and liqueurs
The Rose of Damascus blossoms in between April and May, making right now the ideal environment for growth

Bloggers and press were then taken into the main area for the night, filled with treats and wonderful things inspired by The Rose Festival.

Mahalepi- a traditional dessert made from rose water, cornstarch and rose syrup

As if this wasn’t enough, we were treated to a one to one tutorial in flower arranging from Rebel Rebel, a popular London florist- just look at what we created..

Finally, after all the hard work, guests were treated to luxury hand massages and manicures- I got some gorgeous rose details by @poppinpolishldn, go check her Instagram out before you leave!

Thanks to all involved for making this event happen, or rather, ευχαριστώ in Greek!

Fun fact- I did actually take a course of Greek lessons while at sixth form and I still remember the whole alphabet ?

Saharasplash x

I hope you loved reading all about my adventures celebrating the rose with Cyprus Tourism Organisation. If you want to subscribe to my blog and get posts straight to your inbox the link is on the homepage, just below my photo!

saharasplash3 April, 2018

Going for the mummy chop at RUSH Hair Shepherds Bush

Ok so I’m not going to admit how long it’s been since I had a haircut, but let’s just say it’s been a very looooong while. My hair, as you may have guessed, is very fine and tends to get tangled up with minimal effort. Since having Alice, my hair has been low down on my priority list as I just tie it up every day, but enough is enough. I just couldn’t keep on living in a hair disaster movie. It was too long, way too uneven in colour and so going for the mummy chop at RUSH Hair Shepherds Bush was the plan.

We took a before shot from the back and you can see what I mean. Outgrown roots that could pass for ombré when styled and curled, but left untamed and boring was what we were dealing with. I told my stylist at RUSH Hair Shepherds Bush exactly what I was after, at least 4-5 inches off and a clean cut and refresh.

I just love every RUSH salon I go to, the lighting is always on point so you don’t look into the mirror and scream when you see yourself. Magazines, drinks and anything you need on hand for a relaxing and stress free appointment.

This is how much hair we took off in the end- savage but I felt so good as soon as it was done. Sort of like makeover week on America’s Next Top Model!

I chose a Kerastase treatment as well, the green vile for reconstruction, and it worked a treat.

Here are my after shots- so much better right?! Alice won’t be able to get her hands on my shorter locks so easily, but the length is still long enough to tie back if needed, just not every day moving forward!!

If you’re looking to get a new look done, I have a special offer for you if you visit the Shepherds Bush Salon – 50% off for all new clients! You’re welcome, and thanks for reading…

Saharasplash x

In collaboration with RUSH Hair and Beauty

Going for the mummy chop at RUSH Hair Shepherds Bush left you wanting more? Next up is some motivation as I head to my first gym since giving birth!

Cocktails

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On the night

The After Party

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