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AD |Experience TK Maxx with me

This post is a paid partnership with TK Maxx, all thoughts and views my own

There comes a time in every blogger’s career that when a certain brand/business gets in touch, you squeal in excitement. When TK Maxx got in touch a few weeks ago, this is exactly what happened. Be it TK Maxx in the UK or TJ Maxx in the US, I have been a shopper there since my mid-teens. While some may shy away from the stores and moan that they can never find anything in there, I believe it’s because they haven’t spent enough time looking. Each individual store is a treasure trove of possibilities, you must enter with an open mind and let your hands and eyes do the exploring without a time frame. TK Maxx has big labels, small prices and ridiculous possibilities if you give it a chance.

So this is where my journey took me (with Alice in tow) on a sunny Tuesday in September. I usually frequent my nearest TK Maxx stores in Braintree Village and Ipswich Town, and so I was inordinately excited to be visiting the largest one in the UK on Oxford Street.

Our journey had a bit of a rocky start, half way into London our train was cancelled so we were taken back to where we started and had to drive in instead. Nevertheless I was still in a great mood and looking forward to meeting our guide for a VIP tour of the newly-opened establishment. 

Upon entry into the store we were greeted with skincare and handbags- two categories I just love to peruse. We walked through to find jewellery and then at the back there was a lift (which I definitely needed with Alice, a buggy and a suitcase in tow!). We took each floor at a time until we found homeware, kidswear and toys. Needless to say our tour guide (Miss Alice Schaefer) led me and our real guide straight to the toys, and there she fell in love with a fish named Flippy.

After finding a wealth of exciting things to play with we headed to my most favourite section of all- homeware. If you like a bit of organisation, then feast your eyes on this gorgeous snap…

Yes, there are lots of different types of kitchenware items BUT they are so exquisitely unique and assorted by colour you are easily able to find a colour scheme that fits your agenda. Shop by colour, not by item is definitely the perfect attitude to adopt in this section and you will be guaranteed to find some gems no matter what you are looking for.

We had endless fun playing hide and seek in the pillow section

At the moment I am going through a massive organisation phase. After seeing Marie Kondo’s ‘Tidying Up’ show I am on a mission to find a place for all my belongings and that normally means a storage box or three. This next wall made my heart flutter, I want all of them!

To sum up my visit to TK Maxx, I would say that I was blessed to arrive on time despite the train debacle, super impressed with each unique section on each floor and definitely satisfied with the prices of everything I bought. At TK Maxx, prices are up to 60% less than the RRP so it’s not just another high street store. What you can’t bargain on is that things will stick around, so make sure you head in-store or online to find exactly what your home needs this season.

Saharasplash x

If you enjoyed this post, why not check out another before you go? Being a Blogger without a Photographer is waiting for you…

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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

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Family Fun with Yellow Zebra Safaris

During this time of the year, places in East Africa like Kenya and Tanzania are receiving their heaviest amounts of rainfall. Although the U.K. is relatively pleasant at the moment, we are still ten degrees behind where Africa is temperature wise. Why am I sharing this information with you? Well, this is going to be a post all about Africa along with Europe’s leading Safari tour operators- Yellow Zebra Safaris. This award-winning luxury travel and adventure company specialises in African Safaris, as well as family safari holidays. Which brings us to our special day out and family fun with Yellow Zebra Safaris…

We (Paul, Alice and I) were kindly invited to a London location recently to help celebrate and learn more about what Yellow Zebra Safaris have to offer. The day was filled with surprises and thrills, and it all started out with this amazing setup for the children and parents.

Alice had great fun looking at all the animal-themed decorations around the room, and she was also pleased to find some new friends along the way too!

Having fun with Fleurdelondres and her daughter Sofia

After a grand welcome, the kids (and adults) were treated to a live animal show by the talented animal conservationist Safari Pete. All of the animals we met were rescued and have quite a back story, but you could see the special bond he had with each of his animals and could tell us all about them. Here are a few we met!

Alice was just loving it! 

When it was time to meet the meerkats, Alice had just woken up from a little power nap, so was a bit shocked! But honestly she was back to her happy self in no time

The food display was ready and waiting for the adults to pounce. The children had their own animal-themed buffet as well which looked like it came straight from the heart of Africa.

After some Safari-themed songs over lunch, it was time for some ceramic painting. The children just loved painting their own animals to take home, clearly Alice and I did something a little different, but it turned out amazing…

She sat wonderfully while having her hand painted bright blue, and here is the result:

We want to thank Yellow Zebra Safaris and all involved for having us, the day was simply perfect, and I know Alice had the best time. This guy below came home with us, and we now have a giraffe in our living room!

If you are thinking about booking a safari trip for you and the family, September is the best time of year for big game viewing. See more info via the YZS website here.

Thanks for reading Family Fun with Yellow Zebra Safaris, we hope you loved hearing about this experience,

Saharasplash x

Needing more cute baby content? Head straight over to my latest post all about a fab little product which can help with sleep and night terrors: https://saharasplash.com/2018/05/sleepy-feet-mummy-loves-organics/

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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! 

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Getting fit on demand with ESquared

I don’t know about you but I find it extremely hard to commit to a gym. It’s not just the motivation, but also the fact that I am never in one place long enough to ‘get my gym on’ on a regular basis. I’ve failed miserably at subscribing to several gyms when I was at uni and also when I moved to London, so a new found app called Esquared has got the solution to help a girl just like me.

The Esquared app lets you get fit on demand, no strings or memberships attached. It’s as simple as click and go whenever you want, even if for just one class or session. There is no monthly fee, just a one off cost to enjoy a gym/fitness/yoga sesh near you, and trust me it’s amazing.

The app works around Greater London to help you book onto a class or gym floor with minutes to spare, I booked mine 15 minutes before arriving at the Quad Health Club and Spa inside the Crowne Plaza Hotel. You can also book in advance too, but the idea of the Esquared app is fitness on demand, and that’s usually for the fast-paced lifestyle!

Paul and Alice set up in the hotel bar and enjoyed coffee and crackers while I went off to work out. I say work out lightly, as my body is still quite fragile and I wanted to work myself slowly into some cardio. I started off stretching on the gym ball- something I’m very familiar with since becoming pregnant.

I then decided to head over to the cross trainers to do a simple 15 minutes mixed with high and low intensity. It seemed so much longer than I remembered it, but with TV screens and a beautiful window looking out onto the docks, I managed it. I burned about 85 calories which was a lot more than my body has been used to burning, so I felt happy with my little triumph.

I went back onto the floor to continue with some ab and core training, I had picked up a lot of my moves from previous Pilates and Pole Fitness classes back when I was living in London full time.

Sufficiently sweaty, it was time to change and get ready for a more relaxing scene…

I was so excited to find a gym, health club and spa with the Esquared app that I never would have discovered before. This one is located near Royal Victoria, so really easy to get to from where we are, even though we live outside of London.

Getting fit on demand with Esquared is the way forward for me along with home exercise. Would this app suit your lifestyle? Find out more on www.esq2.com and download the app for Apple here and Google Play here.

Get 15% off when you use my unique code SAHARA15

Saharasplash x

This is a sponsored post 

For even more London adventures, find out what happened when I went to The Berkeley Hotel for a gluten free afternoon tea!

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Baby massage class with Spa Experience

At just 24 days old, Alice took her first journey into the city. My sister Evie came along with us to help out during the day. We were headed towards Kensington at 10am (after a quick stop to get some hash browns) for a very exciting blogger event. Alice had been invited to experience a baby massage class at Kensington Leisure Centre hosted by Spa Experience.

I was a little nervous about taking her out for an entire day after just little outings, but as per usual she was brilliant.

It was also the first time taking out my Fact + Fiction baby bag!

We arrived just in time and the setup was carefully laid out for mummies and babies.

Our Spa Experience instructor Neji talked us through what to expect throughout the class and it was super relaxed and chilled out. We got Alice out of her nappy, thankfully she had just done her business so we were safe!

We used the oil provided to practice massaging the legs which is the easiest part to start with as baby massage beginners. We practiced the ‘Swedish milking technique’ which uses both hands. You go from ankle to thigh with one hand while keeping hold of the ankle with the other. We also used ‘rolling’ on the legs and she loved the ankle circles!

We sang songs to create a lovely atmosphere, and by this time Alice wanted to have a feed and walk around to see the room so we listened in on the last part of the class.

After a boosting smoothie, the mums were treated to mini spa treatments and so I opted for a back neck and shoulder massage.

We also came away with some lovely products and a book all about baby massage. If you are interested in the book, I’ve got the link for you here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Infant-Massage-Handbook-Loving-Parents/dp/0285636170

Thank you so much to Spa Experience for inviting us along to the baby massage class- we had a fabulous time and have been massaging at home ever since!

Saharasplash x

Find out what’s in my Big Fat Christmas Beauty Gift Guide this year!