The London Trip June 2018

At the beginning of June I finally visited London again. If you have been a reader of my blog you know I absolutely adore London and everything about it. When I came back from my trip my life turned upside down and I was too busy with uni to even write a post about it, so that's what I'm doing right now!

Tuesday June 5th

An early flight took us from Amsterdam to London Gatwick and the small delay didn't stop us from going straight to the hotel and to our first breakfast spot: The Breakfast Club. I LOVE this place so much. It can be busy -which is probably the only thing I do not like about it- but their pancakes are so good that I easily forget about the 30 minute wait. The berries & cream version is loaded with so much cream, maple syrup and berries that I order it every single time. I mean who can say no to that?

Since the weather wasn't as good we decided that today was our shopping day. We went past New Look, Primark, Boots, Zara and Topshop and I surprisingly only bought a bag at the last store. Oh, and a few beauty bits from Boots obviously. Got to stock up on my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer somehow. 

We ended the day at Zizzi near Paddington station and went to bed early since we slept for like three hours the day before.

Wednesday June 6th

Rise and shine because on this day the sun decided to join us! So happy when London doesn't look as gloomy. We walked around the Sloan Square area to eat breakfast at The Locals. I went for these eggs with feta cheese, tomatoes and red pepper and it was so tasty. Top that off with a curcuma latte and I'm all happy.

Since today was going to be all about food we immediately went to Peggy Porschen Cakes. One of the reasons was to skip long queues and I was surprised to see there were like two tables left. At 9:45 AM. People must love cake. We ordered way too much -everything for a pretty Instagram pic- and took the big slice of cake with us in a box. I loved my cupcake though. It was with berries and I get hungry even thinking about it.

Since Dominique Ansel Bakery is on the same street as Peggy Porschen Cakes it felt stupid not to include it on this foodie day. They have these amazing watermelon soft serves and we had to try them. They start selling them from 11am -which we didn't know- and we were so lucky because we popped in at 10:59am. The ice cream was so pretty and yummy but did melt fast. Especially with the hot weather.

Then we walked over to Harrods, cycled through Hyde Park and made our way to Notting Hill. All the pastel houses make this one of my favourite areas in London. I bought a vegan red velvet donut from Doughnut Time - which was delicious btw- and also tried the vegan chocolate cookie from Pret a Manger that everyone is raving about. I have to say, that one was pretty good too.

After all the sugar we hopped on a tube to the Tower Bridge and took way too many photos. With the blue sky in the background the bridge looked even more magical. We stayed there for a while and took a bus to Covent Garden. Ever since New York I really miss Shake Shack so I had to fix my Shack burger and cheesy fries cravings. After my first bite I was so happy and it totally brought me back to my first trip to New York in January of this year. 

Dear Shake Shack, can you please open in Amsterdam too? Sincerely, a Shake Shack obsessed girl.

Tuesday June 7th

Sadly, this was our last day in London town so we packed up our things -which was surprisingly easy since I always have to sit on my suitcase to close it- and hopped to our last London breakfast. I think I have told you about  Eggbreak before in a best London brunch post, and it's hands down one of my favourites in the city. You find this hidden gem on a side street in Notting Hill and they serve the best breakfast foods. I went for caramel pancakes -shocking choice I know- and they were SO good. The plates they serve everything on are so pretty too.

Then we went to Camden Lock Market to get me some new rings from the Poppie Jasper stand. I talked about this on my Insta stories, but they honestly have the best jewellery. I have about seven silver rings from them and they still look so nice. The guy behind the stand even recognised me from when I was there in November. 100% would recommend having a look at their stuff.

We then visited the London Eye area and walked to Covent Garden for some Milk Train ice cream. I entered one of their giveaways the week before, so we got two soft serves for free! The ice creams looked so cute with the cotton candy clouds, but because of the warm weather they started to melt pretty quickly. They were so yummy though.

The last hotspot that we wanted to visit was Saint Aymes. This place and its pretty flowers are seen all over the gram and I loved everything about it. We had a pink hot chocolate, a blue latte, some macarons and a unicorn cookie. It was expensive though, but we had to do it for the gram. Go on a non-rainy day so you can sit outside with the pretty purple flowers. You'll love it!

And that was everything we did. After another sugar overload we grabbed our suitcases, jumped on a busy train to Gatwick and boarded our flight back to the Dam. I already made a list of new cafés that I want to visit so expect a new London travel post soon! 

What are your favourite hotspots in London?

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Pixi Overnight Glow Serum

Confession time: I'm a bit of a skincare junkie. Even on my last trip to the Big Apple I purchased way too many skincare from Ordinary and went a bit shopping crazy in Ulta Beauty and Sephora. I still love make-up but it's much better to get good skin so you don't need to cover up the bad. And believe me I have a lot of bad. Acne, scarring, redness, large pores and all that jazz. That's maybe why I love skincare so much. To see what actually does something to my skin to make it all go away. 

Today, I want to talk to you about one of the products that actually does something to my skin: the Pixi Overnight Glow Serum. You might know Pixi from their hyped up Glow Tonic, which I LOVE a lot too. I have been using it for years and this serum is even better than that. Like that can be possible?

The Pixi Overnight Glow Serum is exactly what it says in the name. The serum has a thick consistency that I leave on overnight and I wake up with the most amazing glow. Isn't that what we all want in a skincare product?
According to the Pixi website it exfoliates and soothes skin and it's a miracle serum that works while you sleep to reveal a brighter complexion. It's formulated with 10% glycolic acid & arginine that helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and fade sun spots over time and is enriched with cucumber & aloe vera extracts to calm skin and vitamins A, C & E to nourish.

I use it in the PM -otherwise it's not overnight, right?- and this is the last serum that I put on my face. The dropper is one of the only things I don't like as much since the serum can get everywhere if you are not careful. I put 1-2 drops on my hand and massage it into my skin. It can sting a bit, but for me that's a sign that it's working. I leave it on a bit before I add my moisturizer and pop into bed for some well rested beauty sleep -after binge watching season two of 13 Reasons Why, obviously-.

The next morning I wake up with the most glowy skin in the world. I have combination/oily skin too so there is lots of shine there, but when all that goes down the drain with my Face Cleanser from First Aid Beauty I am left with such an amazing glow. My skin seems more even, the scars are faded a bit and the redness is not as present as before.
I know this sounds too good to be true, but I honestly love this product a lot. With £26 for 30 ml it's on a higher price range but compared to other beauty brands I think it's still reasonable. 

If you are looking to try out a product from Pixi or searching for a good glowy serum this babe is the one. I love it even more than the Glow Tonic, so even if the tonic didn't work for you this probably will. Your dull and tired skin will thank you for it!

What is your favourite Pixi product?

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The New York Trip May 2018

In January of this year one of my biggest dreams came true: I finally went to New York. I never would have thought that I would visit the city again a few months after and even thinking about this my teen self is jumping up and down and stuffing her face with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

On May 14th I jumped on a plane to go across the ocean to see what The Big Apple looks like when it's not freezing my toes off and let me tell you it's bloody amazing! I enjoyed my time a lot more since I had been before, knew my way around the city, it was warm -which always puts me in a happier mood- and the city seemed more alive as well. It's save to say that I know a bit more about this amazing city and can we also say that I am one step closer to living the Serena van der Woodsen life? I honestly come closer to broke Rachel in season one of Friends with the amount of money I spent in those five days but let's quickly forget that.

I know I just bored you with a huge post about all the ins and outs of this amazing city, but it wouldn't be an official trip if I didn't tell you what I did each day and more importantly what I ate. So grab a cup of tea and some Oreos -I know I will- and let's get cracking!

Monday May 14
Since my flight was at 12:30pm I had a pretty chill morning. I could sleep in a bit, put the last things in my suitcase and then headed to the airport. I flew with Norwegian Air, (on my last trip it was Delta and KLM) an airline that I’ve never flown with before but I've become obsessed with them since this trip. 
I dropped off my suitcase, bought some food before security, went through security and waited at the gate till it was time to board. My return flight from Amsterdam to JFK was €330 which is hella cheap. The only thing is they don't give you airplane food -well they can for €35- so I bought a lot of sandwiches and snacks and refilled my plastic bottles with water. You must be thinking: why do you still love Norwegian Air? Well, their planes are super nice! They have all this special coloured lightening on board and you can order food and drinks with the screen in front of you and then an air hostess bring it to you like you are in a restaurant. Maybe this is all day-to-day stuff for you, but I still get very excited by this.
The flight was pretty chill as I watched Collateral Beauty, 50 First Dates, Modern Family and Big Bang Theory. By the time I arrived in New York I wasn't as tired as I was last time and was so pumped to be out and about. I had a transfer bus pick me up and drop me off at my hotel. I unpacked my suitcase, fixed my greasy airplane face and hopped on the subway to Target –priorities, I know-. I only picked up two bottles of Fiji water -my fave-, some sweet potato crisps- another fave- and these sour cream and onion crisps -absolute fave!-. I took a shower, snacked on the crisps and fell asleep instantly.

Tuesday May 15
Let me tell you that it was 30 C this day and it was too humid and hot to function. After taking a shower and doing my make-up I walked around The Village to Jack's Wife Freda. I had a seat in one of their booths and ordered the rosewater waffle with a mint lemonade. The staff was really friendly and the food was amazing too. The hype is definitely true with this one. I then walked all the way to MoMa museum which I know is like 50 blocks but hey, the sun was shining and it's better than sitting in a sweaty train on the subway. MoMa museum was really nice. I am more of a modern art kinda gal anyway so this was right up my street.

I walked to Times Square -has to happen when in NYC- and took the subway to Nolita for some soft serve at Milk. It was good but a bit hyped up. I don't know what I expected but it was not as amazing as I thought it would be. I did a bit of shopping at Deciem, the abnormal beauty company and Glossier and had another ice cream -the weather was calling for it- at Taiyaki. I had a unicorn taiyaki which looked so good. Because of the temperature it was melting fast and my hands got all sticky which I didn't like as much. But for looks this ice cream gets a 10/10! After all the sweet indulges I bought a pair of Dr. Martens boots. I wanted a pair for ages and they are cheaper in America -I was basically saving money you know-. Since it was around 5pm already I dropped off all my new goodies and had a quick nap -jetlag and all-. That's when it started to pour down with rain -I don't mean a light drizzle but like buckets and buckets of rain-. I still had to eat and my heart was set on mac & cheese from S'MAC, so my umbrella and I travelled all the way to the East Village -I did take the L train though- to pick up 4 cheeses mac & cheese. I took it back to my room and ate it all as I watched Bring it On: All or Nothing -such a classic- on Netflix. Let me tell you this, it was the best mac & cheese I have ever tasted in my life. If I could get some of that cheesy goodness right now that would be highly appreciated.

Wednesday May 16
After the sunshine and heat came grey clouds and rain. This day was a bit of fail #foodie wise, but I still had a good time. In the morning I went to Top of the Rock, which I have visited before but wanted to see again since the view is amazing. Because of the weather it was not as great as last time, but I still enjoyed the sights of the Empire State Building and Central Park. I then took the subway to Ulta Beauty on the Upper East Side where I bought way too many beauty bits. I didn't go there on my last trip so I was really excited to enter the store. If you are wondering why I didn't eat breakfast: I ate some leftover mac & cheese –I’m such a classy lady- and wanted to go to Egghead, but it was very busy and tiny that I didn't go in. On the opposite side of Ulta Beauty you have Papaya King, a typical New York hot dog shop. I went in and ordered the classic American foods: a corn dog -wanted to try one since I saw it on Big Time Rush, fried Oreos and a fried Twinkie. The corn dog was interesting and I think I prefer a normal hot dog instead. The Oreos and Twinkie were just a lot to handle. There was a lot of batter around it and a lot of grease. Still liked it but didn't finish it all.

After this fried food fest I freshened up at my hotel and then jumped on the 1 train to Times Square to see the musical Frozen! I booked this ticket a few months before and it didn't come cheap -125 dollars to be exact- but since I love the movie and the songs so much I was like why the heck not. Don't know if it was worth that amount of money, but considering the fact that it just opened on Broadway and a lot of people want to see it I had a good time. It had all the songs, the dramatic costume changes and the Frozen jokes that I love. A must see for sure! 
After taking the subway back I bought falafel over rice from a food cart on the street -always wanted to do that too- and ate it in my hotel room. It was good, not as good as the mac & cheese though haha!

Thursday May 17
Another breakfast failure as I wanted to eat pancakes at Clinton St. Baking Company but I arrived at like 9:30AM and it was really busy with a huge queue so I made the decision to go to Target in Brooklyn first. I love that one since it's big and they have EVERYTHING there. I also FaceTimed my sister -their Wi-Fi is pretty good too- and showed her around the store and brought her with me as I did my shopping. 

After all that I dropped off my cookie dough, pancake syrup and peanut butter M&M's -you know the essentials in life- back to my hotel and the foodie crawl began. First, I walked to Bleecker Street Pizza in The Village to get a slice of pizza. I had the Nonna Maria and it was honestly the best pizza I have ever tasted -If my dad reads this, I'm lying because your homemade pizza is the best!- But seriously, such a classic with tomato, cheese, basil and garlic. I would walk back to London New York to get one of those babies –had to put a Friends reference in this post-. After the best pizza in the world -don't worry dad, love your pizza too- I went to Milk & Cream Cereal Bar in Nolita to get a Froot Loop soft serve with gummy bears. Again this is a day of bests, because this also was the best ice cream I have ever tasted. I love how they mix vanilla ice cream with your favourite cereal and then top it off with drizzles and funny foods like gummy bears. After taking care of my sweet tooth cravings I walked around and ended up in The Sosta, a hip pasta place on the same street at The Butcher's Daughter. I had courgetti noodles with pesto sauce and again it was so good. I thought the courgetti would be a good addition too since I had not really been eating healthy on this trip.
On my way back to the hotel I stopped by this donut shop called The Donut Pub. A place where they sell the most amazing donuts. I bought a maple bacon cronut, glazed donut and a cruller and they were all very good. The maple bacon was my favourite for sure!

Friday May 18 - Saturday May 19
Sadly this was my last day. I packed my suitcase and surprisingly got everything in there and I even had space left! To celebrate my last morning in New York I had pancakes at Bubby's. Now, I always eat pancakes whenever a restaurant or café has them on the menu so I consider myself a bit of a pancake expert. These. Pancakes. Are. The. Best. Ones. Ever! On my last trip The Wild Son took the number one spot on my pancake list, but Bubby's has taken it now and I don't think there are better pancakes out there. I had the blueberry pancakes and they were thick, fluffy and tasty and everything I want in a pancake. I couldn't finish all three of them and ended up eating 1,5, which I thought was still pretty impressive since they were freaking huge. I walked around mid-town Manhattan, had one last food shop at Target -you know to get even more M&M's haha- and walked back to my hotel, taking in all the New York vibes before it was time for me to leave. 

My transfer picked me up around 1:45pm and as we drove across the Brooklyn Bridge I was so happy. New York is such an amazing, vibrant city and this second trip definitely made me love it even more. Again I watched way too many films: The Kissing Booth on Netflix -love this film SO much-, Eat Pray Love, Wonder -such a good film!- and a few more episodes of the Big Bang Theory. As we touched down in Amsterdam around 7:30AM -f*ck my sleeping pattern- I was very sleepy but still happy that I went to New York, again! I know I'll probably won’t be able to visit any time soon, but I'm saving up already to explore even more of New York and other cities in America too.

New York you were amazing as always and I bloody love you. Until next time. X

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