Medea at the National Theatre.

On Friday, me and my friend Liv went to London for the day before going to see the National Theatre's production of Medea!
We went to Covent Garden (surprise surprise) and looked around there for a while as we both love it as it's a great place to window shop!
We looked around Kate Spade and I fell in love with this display, the bag is so cute and the flowers look so pretty!

Kate Spade displays are so pretty!

We also went to Laduree so I could get my usual rose, orange blossom and strawberry macarons, and the window display here also caught my eye; it's so pretty!

Yum.

We also had a look around a few other shops including Chanel - it's fun to dream! We went to a sweet shop to stock up for the theatre later and I got so many different flavoured gummy bears, they're all so nice!

We then made our way up to Oxford Street and went to Selfridges which was fun, I love looking around at the stuff I'd never be able to afford! It's Magnum's 25 year anniversary so they have a section in the shop where you can create your own magnum which looked amazing! Sadly there were too many people in the queue to actually get one but hopefully I'll be able to go back and buy one at some point before it stops!

So pretty.

I bought a couple of macarons from Pierre Marcolini in Selfridges too just to see what they're like as there were some really yummy sounding flavours! I got a passionfruit flavoured one and one that had cinnamon, nutmeg and a few other spices in it. Both tested amazing and I would probably say that they were better than Laduree macarons! They do different flavours though so I'll have to switch between the two! 

So so good!

For food, we went to Ed's Easy Diner in Mayfair which was lovely as it was quite small and just off Oxford Street but not particularly busy! I love the soundtrack they have there as well as the whole look, it also does brilliant food which is always good! 

I love their wall designs!

We then went down to Southbank to watch Medea. I was a bit nervous as I'd read that it was quite scary and I don't handle horror very well but it ended up being a brilliant performance by Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy from Harry Potter!) and the rest of the cast. It's a disturbing story to begin with and the performance created a chilling and gripping atmosphere which I felt was perfect for such a story - I'm pretty sure I held my breath through some of it! It was heartbreaking and genius - the setting, music, characters, costumes and everything else were completely on point - I may have to go and watch it again when it's shown in the cinema just to relive it! 

It didn't have a specific time period that it was set in but the costumes suggested that it was a relatively modern setting, meaning that some of the original story had to be changed which ended up actually working rather well! 

After studying it as part of my Classical Civilisation A level, actually seeing a production of it in a modern setting was really interesting as I got to see the impact of the whole play from beginning to end instead of just analysing section by section. It gave me a better understanding of it and I'm really glad I got the opportunity to see it!

The rest of the tickets are sold out but if you have the opportunity to see it in cinemas on 4th September than I wholeheartedly recommend that you do as it's a fantastic production.

Amazing.

Jess xx

A day with Kate #4!

I got to meet up with Kate again on Wednesday as exams are long gone so instead of Guildford, we went to London to go somewhere different and mix it up a bit! 

As she's never been before, I took her round Covent garden and the surrounding area - next time she's taking me to Camden as I've never been there, I'm super excited! 

While I was waiting for Kate to arrive, I went to Forbes bookshop in Waterloo station and bought The Secret History by Donna Tartt as I'd heard about it from a friend reading it and it sounded super interesting! I read a bit on the train home and I love it already! I will post a review when I'm done.

We looked around my usual favourites (Kate Spade, Banana Republic etc.) and went to Ed's Diner in Soho for lunch which was really good! We meant to take photos of our lunches but we forgot - it was so good though, they never disappoint! The music also helps with the 50s American diner vibe they give out - bar seating and booths galore!

We went to H&M where Kate got 2 dresses, then went to TK Maxx where I found the softest jumper which will be perfect for when the weather gets colder again, I can't wait to wear it! I spent way too long looking at the jumpers and figuring out which looked the best and which was softest - I'm so happy with my choice as it'll look perfect with jeans and boots come Autumn! It has just the right amount of slouch to look laid back but still pretty and I love it! TK Maxx is such a great place to find cheaper pieces from more expensive brands. My jumper was £7.99 and was from Vero Moda.

We also went to Laduree so I could get my macaron fix and I got some sweets from a shop just off the main part of Covent Garden - the marshmallows are so yummy and are quite addictive, the raspberry jelly stuff inside makes them less sickly and just nice! I also didn't go overboard like I usually do, I'm trying to cut the amount of sweets I'm eating slightly in an attempt to become a bit healthier and get better control over my diabetes.

We then went to Oxford Street and to Selfridges to look around and it was crazy how expensive the items in there are! I was really close to buying a set of Ciate nail polishes (even though they're a bit harder to put on, their lasting time is amazing!) but decided against it eventually as they were £18.

We then went to sit around in Southbank while we waited for my train and found a cooler corner in the building away from the scorching heat.

I always love meeting up with Kate and despite the crazy heat, I had such a good day!
Jess xx

Instagram snapshots #4

I've been spending the last two weeks mostly at college doing lots of work so I can spend more time at home relaxing! It's working so well and I'm getting to sleep more too which is obviously a lot better than only getting 5 hours per night like I have been previously.

Amazing book.

If I could have an unlimited supply of these, my life would be perfect.

Excited to review all of my new pieces!

The best combination.

A perfect day out in London finished with the perfect macaroons.

My new favourite nail polish - Essie Chinchilly.

Instagram snapshots #3

You can follow me here if you want to see these when they are posted!

Jess xx

Family outings!

I said a couple of weeks ago about going to London with my family but having to come back home due to my brother being ill. We returned on Saturday and it was so amazing! 

We went to Covent Garden for the day and the Christmas decorations were up! Covent Garden is my favourite part of London anyway but it looked so pretty. There was a huge tree in the centre with lights and baubles and in the market, there were huge baubles hanging from the ceiling! It's got me in the mood for Christmas now so beware, festive things are definitely coming your way on this blog soon!

It was so tall! The lights were flashing and it looked so pretty.

Giant baubles are awesome!

We first went to Zara where I tried on (and eventually bought) a really gorgeous sheer black long sleeved top with buttons down the back and a white peter pan collar! It's really gorgeous and I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it, I'm a sucker for collars like that! I also tried on the dress from my On top of the world Polyvore but it was too small and didn't have the next size up so I had to sadly leave that behind. 
We had a look in Kate Spade and the range there at the moment is sadly not to my taste but I found a piece that I've had my eye on for ages but more of that when Christmas comes around as everything bought was taken by my parents and hidden to be given back at Christmas! 

We went to an amazing steakhouse called Hawksmoor just opposite Kate Spade and it was so so amazing. We went there the last time too and I love it so much, I've never had better steak! If you're in London, I highly recommend you check them out, you won't regret it!

I also finally got to go to Laduree and I can tell you now that it's hyped for a very good reason. I got 6 macarons (or macaroons…however you spell it), 4 in the whackiest and loveliest sounding flavours and 2 safer, normal flavours. I've eaten them all now and the slightly odd flavours tasted the best; Rose, Gingerbread, Strawberry Candy Marshmallow and Orange Blossom. The Lemon and Raspberry flavours weren't as nice which is strange! I'll definitely be buying more though next time I'm in London. I love the little box they come it too, I'm definitely keeping that!

It's a bit blurry but I love the packaging so much!

How pretty are these? Almost too good to eat! Almost...

Left to right: Strawberry Candy Marshmallow, Orange Blossom, Rose, Gingerbread, Raspberry and Lemon

Once we got back, I went round an old friend's house to watch the 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who. It was incredible and she had even baked chocolate chip cupcakes and decorated them with blue icing, blue glitter and a mini edible TARDIS!! I really enjoyed the episode but I think there were a few things they could have improved on - I can't wait for the Christmas episode though, I'll just be sad when Matt Smith leaves, I think he's great in the role and I'm still not sure how I feel about Peter Capaldi…we shall have to see.

I think she should make cakes and sell them, they're so yummy! 

This week is going to be really hectic with coursework and homework so I will have to see when I get time again to actually write another post - bye for now though! 

Jess xx