January Loves...

A kick start to a new year with a list of endless possibilities. Places to be discovered with holidays booked and countires to be explored, trinkets from Moroccan markets, Parisian macaroons and the Austrian Alps perhaps? Photographs to be taken to keep the adventures well documented and to share with you all, outfits purchased to be worn with love throughout the year. As well as being a fresh start the classics remain with lazy Saturday girly catch ups sipping milky tea, Sushi & cinema dates to escape the bitter Winter nights. Hand written Thank you notes arrive in the post, new diaries are opened with the crisp pages waiting to be inked. The January uniform of black is well tested but paired with a pink Mulberry Charlie brightens up the Winter days, my classic and comfort skinny jeans, brogues, cashmere jumper, layers of necklaces and a touch of Chanel Rouge Allure on the lips will be at the front of my wardrobe.

Laduree Pick Me Up

 The middle of the week has now passed, Wednesday is done and dusted. Today was one of those days, an yes you know exactly what I mean, nothing is going right an you wish the day away. So with a little thundery cloud over my head as I got home it soon vanished with the delightful oh so perfect sight of a beautiful box of delicate sugar Laduree Macarons. My lovely dad had returned from a business meeting in London an brought me home a much needed pick me up treat, an it certainly worked! What your mid week pick me up?! X

Pretty Pink

Pink, who doesn't love this colour it's so summer, bright and of course girly an that is exactly what my long weekend was like! With my first girly hen party pink was a key feature of the day, with pink cupcakes, cocktails, decorations it was perfect! Then on a shopping trip I discovered a pink dress that I'm having made for the Wedding and it really was love at first sight! So really I don't think that I need any more excuses, so enjoy these gorgeous pictures X

Parisian Perfection

In the small time that i wasn't busy today in work, I started daydreaming about the lovely Paris. I am feeling the urge so badly to pop on a plane or the Eurostar and head back to Paris and capture every little detail of the city itself. Take as many snap shots (although its never enough) but I just want to see it all over again, gaze around the Louvre, have Afternoon Tea in Angelina's, stock up on Macarons, take a stroll through the Tuileres Gardens and purchase some Parisian stationary and of course stare adoringly at the fabulous outfits and gorgeous architecture... j'adore pari...

Vanilla Macarons

Vanilla Macarons

I can’t think of another dessert that’s quite as adorable and scrumptious as macarons, I find them simply divine.  I have spoken about my love of this perfect desert before on my blog, discovering them on a trip to Paris a few Summer's ago with my boyfriend we both developed a fondness for them. The fashion crowd loves them, perhaps because they look so chic, and partly due to their exposure to fine pastries on trips to Europe. I find there is just something about the little cookies sandwiched together that creates a bit of magic with every single bite. 

One of my friend's in work makes the most delicious cupcakes, the icing is thick the sponge is soft and mixed together with the most amazing flavours you can't get enough of them. For the past couple of weeks I have been pestering her to make me some Macarons, she has never made them before but is eager to experiment. When I came into work this morning I discovered that she had made me a dozen of vanilla macaron's, she certainly brightened up my Monday morning. For her first attempt they were amazing, very light with the creamy soft vanilla centre that was maybe a tad too much. I have decided that I am going to bake some of my own macarons (in pistachio, my favourite flavour) and see if they are a success. I will keep you updated on how it goes, fingers crossed. 

Parisian Stylish Sugar

Colourful sweet cakes that are crispy on the outside and soft and sweet in the middle, pretty & delicately packed in keep sake boxes Macaroons are one of my favourite discoveries from Paris. 

If I am being honest  had never tasted or even exactly knew the sugary details of a macaroon until I read the 'Goddess Guide' by Gisele Scanlon which is one of my favourite books and one that always ends up in my suitcase. The guide has 2 whole pages dedicated to macaroons (so I knew they had to be something special) explaining the unusual flavours and scents they create. The bright colours they come in that make your eyes pop open when deciding which ones to pick and the finishing touch of the tissue papered, beautifully detailed boxes they come in that make you never want to open them and spoil what inside. 

Laduree is the well established luxury cake an pastries in Paris that specialises in Macaroons, selling thousands each day but sometime getting a bit over crowded with tourists who have been told to visit there for the best macaroons. Pierre Hermes is a worthy competitor for the making the best macaroons & where I purchased my first box of macaroons when in Paris. Located on Rue de Cambon we had just come out of Chanel and where heading towards the Louvre when I notice the Pierre Hermes shop on the other side of the quite street. I was so excited at having unexpectedly found it that I gave out a little shout of excitement. Picking which macaroons to get is one of the exciting parts as there are so many flavours that you don't even know where to begin. I remember savouring each bite and after each flavour giving it a score on what we thought of it!  With macaroons being an established Parisian sweet it was inevitable that they would collaborate with an equally famous designer John Galliano. He together with Laduree was inspired by the rose and ginger scents of his new romantic perfume that they created the exact same macaroon. Romanticism is apparent in the romantic vintage theme of the box with his noticeable signature scrawled across the front. I suppose to some macaroons may just seem a regular sweet but there is so much more hidden beneath the scented layers and each time they are so much sweeter and perfectly formed then you last remember, that you can't help but enjoy buying a box of macaroons maybe even more enjoyable if your lucky to be in Paris as well. 

A bit of Eat, Pray, French & Pilates

I haven't made a post in the last couple of weeks but things have been pretty hectic at the minute and there are quite a few things that I want to blog about that I don't even know where to begin, so I'm just go to say it all in this one post so bare with me.

Lately I have really wanted to learn French again, I don't know why because in school I absolutely hated it, i mean i used to dread going to classes but I'm suddenly desperate to learn it again. Usually once I've got an idea in my head that's it, i wanted to do whatever it is straight away so I've already been out and bought some books and enrolled on night classes in January! I know its most probably going to take me ages to speak it but as cliche as this sounds I've got this image in my head of being in Paris and speaking French as if I've being doing this for years. I was in Paris last summer with my boyfriend for a week and completely fell in love with the place, the buildings, shops, museums, macaroons, cafes, everything about it. Were going back next summer and I can't wait, hopefully by then I will have mastered the basics.

I'm reading Eat, Pray & Love at the moment and normally I am a really quick reader however with this book it seems to be taking me quite a while. I don't think i would have normally picked this book, as much as I've got quite a mixed taste in books this one I doubt i would have bought, but seeing the movie trailer made me want to read it before i see the film. When films come out that I want to see i usually want to read the book before hand as they tend to make so many changes, also I have a bad habit of only wanting to read the original copies so i hate books with the film promotion pictures as the front cover. To me it reads more as an autobiography which I'm not a huge fan of but in another way it draws you in that bit more, as I loved hearing about her living in Rome on her own for 4 months, conquering the language and doing whatever she felt like doing. ( I think this might be a slight reason why I'm so desperate to learn French again.)

Pilate's for some reason is something else that I want to start at the moment. I don't know why I'm so keen, I did a Yoga class once and afterwards I had a dreadful headache I think I had to lye down for an hour or something. That is why I'm steering more towards Pilate's and not Yoga plus I've done my research and Pilate's seems to more what I am looking for. Surprisingly though I could not believe how few classes there were in Liverpool honestly there are about 4 teachers within Liverpool! I thought I'd be able to turn up to my gym and be able to pick a class but obviously not I've got to go on a waiting list! A waiting list for Pilates classes I cant believe it, it must be like the new 'it' Chanel or Hermes handbag, you've got to join the list to become a part of that new club.