Skylon

By Sarah Redman

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My Skylon coat chip – really wanted to keep this but I did kind of need my jacket back!

I love eating out, personally I would rather save up and go out somewhere nice and maybe even treat friends or family (thats if I’m feeling really nice!)

The other evening I ended up in Skylon at the Southbank Centre.

The restaurant takes its name from the original, iconic structure that was built for the 1951 Festival of Britain and the restaurant’s design echoes the style of the Royal Festival Hall during the same time period.  It is filled with more contemporary accents too – not going to lie their chandeliers caught my eye.

Skylon’s floor to ceiling windows hold an amazing view across the River Thames. When we turned up the blinds were draw as the sun was setting and creating a rather undesired greenhouse effect. I always run cold so I wasn’t complaining – but I think most people appreciated the cooler air that came after the sun had dipped below the buildings. The blinds then opened – working their way slowly up the massive windows – revealing water sparkling in the last of the suns rays and leafy green trees lining the banks. Not the worst view for dinner!

The food is seasonal and modern British, but if you are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere the restaurant and grill are divided by a statement circular bar in the centre of the room. It’s known for its cocktails but after a glass of wine over looking the river before we headed to the restaurant I felt I should maybe just stick to the food… and a bottle of wine to go with. Obviously.

I went for a simply mouth watering Haddock Risotto to start – it arrived in a small sauce pan and I got kitchen utensil eveny. I then had the Duck with hands down the best Pea Puree I have ever tasted. I genuinely could have just had a bowl of it!

For me pudding was the best bit (and the only bit I managed to remember to photograph)

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I tried what was simply called ‘Strawberries’ – a strawberry sorbet on a crumb bed and a strawberry salad topped with a lemon curd filled meringue. Cue taste bud heaven.

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My dining companion chose ‘Peanut Butter’ – I was too preoccupied with mine to steal a spoon but from the rate it disappeared this chocolate and peanut butter, I want to say mousey, delight was a good shout too.

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I couldn’t possibly tell you how I still had enough room but in my mind it would have been rude not to have at let tried some of these beauties.

First up: Rose Marshmallow – melt in the mouth heaven.

Second: Chocolate Truffle – when you break through the chocolatey shell you are surprised with a mouthful of salted caramel. Don’t mind if I do.

Finally: Coconut balls – I’m not a coconut person so I didn’t try these, I also didn’t have the room but I’m sure they tasted amazing.

I was too full of all this amazing food for a decent picture of my outfit – so I’ll just describe it instead. I wore a Navy Floral Jacquard Bodycon Dress from River Island, retailing at £28.00, this dress is a classic cut, low scoop back, a short sleeved, simple, statement dress. I teamed this with a simple H&M denim jacket and classic wooden T -bar heals from Clarks.

Did you like what I wore or like the sound of Skylon? Let us know and leave a comment, Tweet us @thesarahsblog or post on our Facebook page.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

By Sarah Redman

This lovely little thing I found on Instagram- so I thought I would spread the word: SampleSale

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I will be up in London with my girls so I may just have to attend!

Let us know if you go and if you get any great purchases, comment below, Tweet us @thesarahsblog or post on our Facebook page.

 

Lush-ious Lips

By Sarah Redman

Too obvious? I popped into the new Lush store in Tunbridge Wells the other week. I was home and Christmas shopping the day of the store’s opening, so popped in to see what delights they had to offer.

I have always been a Lush fan, ever since finding their fantastic store in Covent Garden, London. The perfumed smell of their stores is enticing and their products are amazing. The idea of fresh handmade cosmetics not tested on animals is great.

#FreshMatters

They have really expanded their brand with their traditional bath bombs and scrumptious soaps through to make up and hair products. Walking around their stores it seems like a little treasure trove, with amazing products made from lovely ingredients, there really is something for everyone.

Alongside a fabulous purchase for myself, I noticed Lush also has some great low price products that are perfect stocking fillers!

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My latest purchase is their ‘Mint Julips‘ lip scrub. At the moment I have a wonderful cold and sore throat that just won’t go away, hence I am feeling rather run down and my lips are super dry. This mint choc chip tasting lip scrub contains peppermint, vanilla and tagetes oil. These moisturising oils along side the castor sugar clear away the dead skin from your lips, leaving them moisturised and smooth.

This product is so easy to use, just use your finger to massage a little bit of the product into your lips; this exfoliates the delicate skin whilst the oils moisturise them. This is best done before applying your lip balm or lip stick and you will get the best results if you use it on a fairly regular basis. This may seem like a tiny pot, but you don’t need mush so it lasts a while.

Lush’s lip scrubs are available in ‘Bubblegum‘, ‘Mint Julips‘, ‘Popcorn‘ and ‘Santa’s Lip Scrub‘.

Have you tried Lush’s lip scrub range or do you think this is the product for you? Let us know and leave a comment or Tweet us @thesarahsblog

Winter nails

By Sarah Redman

During the winter my nails get quite brittle so nail polish chips easily, this can be really annoying especially if my nails are weak.

Recently I have discovered Rimmel London’s Salon Pro with Lycra (£4.49). I love this polish, i think it’s going to become my go to nail polish… I now own the three shades below!

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The Lycra makes a noticeable difference to other nail polishes and whilst it has never lasted the whole ten days it claims it can last you up to, I still love it and the colour definitely doesn’t fade either. Even with one coat the coverage is great and it is really fast drying. The brush is another great factor to this polish, it is wide, flat and shaped, perfect for even nail coverage first time.

This product comes in a range of rather lovely colours, some designed by Kate Moss – I find they are a bit different to some more standard ranges, this includes more of a range on colour, going for the dusty pink (grape sorbet) above right and the powdery denim blue (navy seal) above centre. Personally i feel this product is great value for money.

I think for the optimum results from this polish two coats and a top coat are required, but then that works best for most polish’s. My only criticism is that the lid is quite chunky, which is fine – but if you are used to a smaller lid to hold it can seem a bit tricky to get the precision you are after on first use.

Have you tried Lyrca Pro? What did you think? Leave a comment and let us know or Tweet us @thesarahsblog

Geek chic

By Sarah Hugill 

Comfortable in Sloane square, Chelsea, for a day out with the marge!

It seems the heavens have opened and with not a sunny spell in the sky I thought i’d share a  favourite outfit of mine, from warmer days! 

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I chose to team my grey leopard print Nike Air Max trainers from Office, with a grey skater skirt, a black crop top, an oversized cream bag, white laced socks and a silver statement necklace all courtesy of Topshop.  

Call me boring but I often opt for darker colours as they’re easy to co-ordiante and can be worn come rain or shine!

What do you think of this outfit let us know @thesarahsblog 

 

Paper Lashes

By Sarah Redman

Paperself Eyes

I discovered these beauties a few years ago at London Fashion Weekend, when I spotted various people wondering around the shopping area with the most amazing eyes and felt totally underdressed in the makeup department. Needless to say I didn’t take this lying down and made my friend queue for half an hour till I got my lashes!

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The brand I lusted after, Paperself, were the designers of my ‘peacock’ inspired lashes, and yes, the clue is in the name: they are made from paper! My first thought was how easy will it be for me to give myself a paper cut with these things and the second will I pick them up and rip them?! But after my free trail I was sold.

Previously, I have never been too impressed with False Lashes. I have a phobia of spiders and the idea of sticking ‘dead’ ones to my face was kinda creepy! The glue was always too messy and my hand-eye co-ordination didn’t help one bit.

The designs I saw shown at London Fashion Weekend were original, dainty, and fresh. Recently many celebrities have been spotted with designs on their lashes, from letters, to block colours, and patterns. This is becoming a lucrative industry, the lashes can be a real talking point, and can make a great feature or just glam up an outfit!

Paperself quotes Marcel Proust on its website -“The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Paperself was ‘launched in 2009 by London based designer Chunwei Liao’ and in September of 2011 worked on a pair of Lashes for the V&A. The lashes ‘inspired by nineteenth century French silk bobbin lace’ and are just beautiful! They have recently won themselves a spot on the Nylon 2012 Beauty Hit List as well. Find out more on their blog.

Check out their website to see the quirky ways they display their lashes and maybe even bag a few yourselves!

My latest favourites are the Birds, also their London Skyline design – awesome, but where is The Shard?

The beauty of Paperself is their versatility. The lashes can be cut to leave only one section of the pattern you want which can be attached to the outer corner of your eye: on the top lash for a minimalistic look with a difference or glue to your lower lash line for a statement effect (slightly easier than testing your eyeliner skills).

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[Both ways seen on the model – Grace Redman: “These feel so light on, normally false lashes just annoy me.”]

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With such a variety of lashes available now, from glitter to gem studded, you can be spoilt for choice. But if you are looking for something special then try these guys, with their wide range of patterns and ever growing company you will find what works for your outfit.

Check out their awesome YouTube Video HERE

(Definitely worth a watch!)

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Have you tried these lashes or thinking of giving it a go? Drop us a comment or Tweet thesarahsstyleblog @thesarahsblog

Valentino: Master of Couture

By Sarah Redman I made it half way through the Valentino exhibition, at Somerset House in London, when I settled upon the perfect wedding dress. A 2003 master piece (for me his best year – but everyone has their favourite!) … Continue reading

& Other Stories

By Sarah Redman

And Other Stories

And Other Stories

This is H & M’s brand spanking new ‘little sister’, as I would like to call it, and yesterday it opened it’s very first store in the UK, at London’s Regent Street.

& Other Stories seems to be a brand with a difference, taking inspiration from social media, street style and bloggers in particular. With this the fashion store has created a series of ‘stories’ – basically taking a look and creating a story through showing you which items pull it together. This channels ideas seen on many what-i’m-wearing style blogs and easily walks the customer through a quirky new way in which to put their outfit together via the shopping basket.

Personally i’m a fan. Already trying to fit their entire shoe range into my student budget – not going so well… anyone want to help me?!

You can view their new range on their website and lust after their quirky graphics!

This great article: High-concept outlet from H&M influenced by fashion bloggers from guardian.co.uk explains the concept in full.