london lifestyle. blogger Archives

saharasplash17 June, 2017

Say hello, at the Moxy hotel London Excel

I’m not sure if you are aware, but when Paul and I moved to London in 2014, we moved to an area called Newham- Canning Town to be more specific. This is a stone’s throw away from the ExCel Centre and London City Airport- very handy! As we lived there we watched the area being built up around us. We were in one block of newly built flats, but the area continued to expand and this included around the Royal Victoria Docks too (which is where the Moxy Hotel comes in). The Moxy hotel, part of the Marriott Group, has just opened its doors and I was so excited to be one of the first to head down there to see it. After all, I had watched it come along week by week until this May- and it’s finally ready to say hello!

You can’t miss this modern place with bright pink logo on the front of the building. It has 164 brand new rooms ready and waiting. The Moxy Hotel is pet friendly and most importantly there’s free wifi! This, much like the rest of the Moxy hotels around the world, have a very unique concept about them. They want guests to feel so at home in their hotels that they operate on a ‘DIY’ basis. Help yourself to drinks and snacks on offer 24/7, how cool is that?!

It’s a really casual space with great little touches everywhere you go.

The press and bloggers had more than a night’s worth of entertainment. Weird but fabulous displays, an alien chick, plus nearly naked waiters to serve the food and drinks throughout the night too! If you didn’t see my Snapchat from the party then I’m sorry you missed that!

The rooms upstairs were also decked out for us. One room had been turned into a Karaoke bar, another had a tattoo artist on hand doing actual tattoos for the guests! I’ve never experienced anything quite like this before, and I hope you will check out where you can check into your nearest Moxy Hotel for your next venture!

Dress: Forever 21

Jacket: M&S

Boots: Belong to my sister

Say hello, at the Moxy hotel London ExCel

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading! Check out more fun and games by heading to the home page before you say bye!

saharasplash10 January, 2017

#WeLoveSleep Tempur Event

I find it shocking that we spend 1/3 of our lives asleep. It’s crazy when you think about it, 33.3% of our lives just gone! I think we all see time quite differently. Some of us are live in the moment people, and others spend our time looking back at the past wishing and regretting. Well I am a person who loves to think forward, always excited for what’s to come. Either way, it is vital that we spend one third of our time on sleep that we so desperately need. In this post, I’m going to share a few memories from the #WeLoveSleep Tempur event including Dr Nicola Barclay’s expert talk on sleep.

Merrell and I were thrilled to be invited along to the talk and event held at the Royal Institution of Great Britain on a December evening. The location, being one of scientific education, was perfect as the company Tempur is founded on the science behind a good night’s sleep.

Dr Nicola Barclay was the guest speaker for the evening, and she explained how her job involves the investigation of factors to do with insomnia as well as sleep patterns.

She showed us the ins and outs of REM sleep and went into detail about why not only sleep is so important, but also the right amount. It is recommended that we receive 6-8 hours. She mentioned that studies have shown that having more than this can actually be detrimental to your heath- an increased risk of heart disease and BMI issues. But sleep is also an individual thing, your body knows how much it needs.

A few stand-out facts from the #WeLoveSleep Tempur event:

Our cells in the hypothalamus receive information when we sleep including retinal indicators of light which tell us that it’s time to wake up. This is called a Circadian rhythm, basically why we wake up a few minutes before our alarm.

Cotton sheets are better than synthetic materials for dispelling heat as you can’t get to sleep easily when too hot. The optimum temperature is 20-22 degrees. Check out this guide for more on the best bed sheets.

Having a bed that supports you is absolutely key. This is especially important for people with pain and sleep apnea.

Don’t look at your clock if you wake during the night- imagine you have all night left as this will help settle you again.

Leave worries and work outside the bedroom. Don’t take your phone to bed with you, remove it as it’s something associated with the daytime and being awake.

A few from the Q and A session:

Question 1: Snoring, what can be done about it?

There are three causes for snoring: tongue, nose and facial areas. The best thing to do is find out what type of snorer you are with an online test!

Question 2 (my question): I find that having the TV on helps me sleep better rather than being in complete silence- why is that?

The reason for this is habituation, and also the use of TV as a distraction. This helps many people to switch off and block out their own thoughts and work etc. I found out that Dr Nicola falls asleep to the TV also, so now I don’t feel like it’s a bad thing!

We had such an incredible, informative night at the #WeLoveSleep Tempur event, we even were lucky enough to take a Tempur pillow home too, plus a Tempur teddy which I named Barnabus!

Sleep well, and leave a comment down below if you liked!

Saharasplash x

Keep on reading, the next post is all about Cadburys Chocolate!

saharasplash20 December, 2016

Spray Tanning, Norvell and Cucumba

I know this may seem like a funny kind of time to do a post on tanning but I think that it doesn’t matter what day, week or month it is during the year when it comes to looking your best. Tanning is something that I have only recently discovered. This year I have had a grand total of three spray tans and each of them have been completely amazing. The first time I ever had one was by a beauty therapist in Ipswich- Victoria Bradfield. I was so nervous at first because I have always had the palest of skin and I didn’t think that I would really suit a tanned look; but to my appreciation and surprise it actually turned out rather well. So here is where my third tanning story comes in for you- Spray Tanning, Norvell and Cucumba.

It was a crazy busy day and I had just been to a launch party on Carnaby Street. I was in the right area for my appointment at Cucumba beauty boutique which is located just a few minutes from Liberty London. Cucumba is a trendy spot for those wanting a quick eyebrow tint or a 15 minute spray tan. They have just started to use Norvell as their spray tan product in their salon and so I was there to test it out. The place was looking amazing and I was greeted with a lovely glass of champagne on arrival.

Cucumba have a downstairs section for all of the spray tanning pods so as I made my way downstairs I got a good look at all of their services.

Of course we had to do a before pic and so I decided that as I was wearing some of my better underwear I wouldn’t mind doing a full body shot for the blog.

Here I am in all my pale glory!

The spray tan process is something that I’ve been getting accustomed to over my past few experiences. I went for the lightest spray tan as I usually do and the whole process took about 15 minutes to spray me from top to bottom. The great thing about Norvell spray tan is that there is no biscuit scent unlike other competitors. The tan itsself when applied and dried has a very faint aroma but it is more like a vanilla body spray.

So here is the after picture taken as soon as I got home

Yes this looks very dark but you do need to leave it to develop before washing off. As my appointment was an evening appointment I decided to go to bed and leave it on overnight before showering the next morning.

I thought I would also include a photo after a few days to show you the difference a couple of showers can make!

This shot was taken three days after my tan and on my hen party weekend. I can honestly say that the glow of the Norvell spray tan was so amazing and it had me feeling fabulous for the whole weekend.

If you have a chance you should definitely make it down to Cucumba near Oxford Circus for a New Year spray tan with Norvell!

The Norvell range is a huge one and also includes products for self tanning at home. They have an exclusive Strictly Come Dancing sunless collection from shimmering mist to those all-important self tanning mousses and sprays.