ON REPEAT #1

Mood-lifters, sweat-pumpers, smile-makers - these are some of the songs that have been putting many a pep in my step...

Play em' loud and proud. Its the only way. 

SPEX

I recently (FINALLY) , after much deliberation, got a new pair of glasses - and I am super chuffed with them. They are exactly what I wanted, so I'm really really happy. I'd had my old glasses for a verrrrrrry long time, and it was getting to the point where they angered me, I didn't like putting them on my face, and wanted to aggressively burn them at all times.

 These frames are by Wildfox and although I could never justify spending money on their totally 'LA cool' clothing, I can most definitely justify this.

They are a very dark brown tortoiseshell, a change from my previous black frames. The frames themselves are actually very thick, and really protrude.

They're big and I love them. I wanted something more oversized than what I had before, and a little rounder so these really were the perfect choice!

 These new frames have given me a little baby self esteem boost, which is always a welcome added bonus - it helps to feel good in something you place on your face everyday!

The all important obligatory selfies. OBVZ. 

MoBa - French Asian Bakery

Just today I came across this place on instagram. Where else would I find it, duh?

MoBa is a French Asian bakery not too far from Goodge Street station. The image that led me to further investigations was that of a hot beverage and what appeared to be a croissant with a green - YES A GREEN - tinge.

'Could it be?' I thought. 'Could it really be a matcha infused croissant?!'

I WUZ RIGHT. Cool, heh?! 

Turns out they also do a matcha green tea BROWNIE. EH?! I mean, to be honest, I'm not a connoisseur of all things green and matcha, infact, I've never even tried matcha. But I do,now, rather enjoy green tea amongst other herbal offerings, which is the reason behind my interest. It looks like a really exciting and interesting place, really quite unique and niche which in turn makes it attractive. The aesthetics; divine, the prices; affordable, and they even offer lunch in the shape of some exceedingly enticing 'banh mi'. I love stumbling across places like this, its really satisfying and so much more exciting when you venture out of what you may normally be drawn towards.

I can wait to give MoBa a go...ba!

...I know, I know.

UNI ESSENTIALS #1

I'm excited.

Ever since I applied for University, and even more so now I know I am definitely going, I have been compiling a list of items that I want to collate before I start. It's well fun. 

1) BACKPACK 

Since I will without a doubt be carrying work and a laptop around with me, a comfortable, good quality backpack is essential, and is one of the things I'm looking forward to getting the most. I have been wanting one for a while truth be told, for when I go on days out, because its just so easy and fuss free - I know, I know, how can a bag be fuss-free? I DON'T KNOW OKAY I KNOW WHAT I MEAN. As a matter of fact though, its not actually fuss free - in fact its the complete opposite, having to continually take your bag off your bag to get your purse out and what not, i think that's been a deterrent, and why I haven't already got one.
Oh Courtney, you are such a rational, contradictory creation.

There is a backpack/brand that I literally have not stopped thinking about since I laid my hands on its/their buttery softness on the Saturday before last...

OH FFS. 

The Oxford Street Topshop cruelly introduced me to this beautiful creature, and the brand itself. This design comes in this dreamy grey toned blue, a classic black, a nudey, lilac-y pink, and a bright orangey red (not my cuppa) and they were just so beautiful and buttery and amazing and beautiful.

PELTOLA - LOOM COLLECTION; £115

Matt and Nat have many other designs, not only for backpacks but just bags in general, and are a vegan brand, which I find to be a really appealing feature. I like this design because of the square shaping and feel it would encase a laptop comfortably, but I still want to assess their other designs. Although its gotten to the point now, where I feel dissatisfied with any other backpack I look at.

WHY TOPSHOP WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO MEEEEEE.

2) SNEAKZ

Any excuse to 'have to have' a new pair of trainers is FINE BY ME. But this time though, there actually is a valid reason/excuse so its good, its okay. I will be walking to the station so feel there is a burning need/want/desire to have a danggg comfortable pair of trainers to pound dem pavements in - can you notice a reoccuring theme of comfort here? 

No, vans are not the most comfortable trainers in comparison to others on the list, BUT I have been looking at them for an age anyway and thought I would add them in - jus'coz. As you can see they will almost definitely be black or white, more leaning towards black I think. I want to have a white pair for the summer, so if that all goes to plan I will end up having both. YAY SHOES. 

These are the main two 'splurge' items that I want, but of course I have many other silly little things I want to get in preparation, and many outfit ideas!

I will be sharing it ALL.

(Except like, knickers and bras. Like, I won't need to share those.)

TO GO #1

List making seems to be rife in this day and age, and I, for one, am a great lover of a good list or 4000. I am forever making them in my phone, head, and on paper, and so I want to start doing some on here too - and then documenting my successes in completing them/checking them off.

There are many, many, many, many, many places I want to go. So, I'll start off small shall I?

Inspired by my recent trip to Monmouth Coffee Company I want to go to...

THESE COFFEE JOINTZ IN LDN;

1) Tap Coffee - Wardour Street 

Stumbled across this place on instagram yesterday, and thought it looked really quaint and authentic. I particularly love the understated and super minimalistic aesthetic. 

'We think that people enjoy what we do because we enjoy what we do. If the intention is to make something great every time, the limits of what is achievable tend to disappear.'

2) Milk Bar - Soho 

Well-reviewed, this little place looks promising - plus, for whatever reason, I'm drawn to the name; I love it, so simple and sweet.

'We offer some of the best all-day breakfasts around, healthy lunches and naughty antipodean cafe treats and not forgetting out expertly prepared and delicious speciality coffees and teas.'

- I'm sorry, did someone mention food?

3) Kaffeine - Fitztrovia

Another instagram discovery from a while back, and once again, I'm head over heels for the aesthetics. I think I have a 'type' when it comes to coffee shops I find alluring. Kaffeine also serves up breakfast, lunch and indulgent temptations - ding ding dingggggg.

'At Kaffeine we have taken a lot of time and effort to perfect our coffee in order to provide you with the perfect cup, each and every time.'

So there we go.

There are roughly, I would say, probably, about, maybe around a bajillion coffee shops in London, so I'll stick to these 3 for now - anymore and fufilling this list would take 20 years longer. 

16/4/15 - Borough Market and Monmouth with Mimi

Another trip to London under my belt - this vow I've made to explore more of London on a regular basis is really going rather well. hm.

An annoyingly abrupt, unforeseen interruption of mildly Arctic wind made my wait for Mimi at West Ham tube station feel like an eternity. I hadn't prepared for any kind of cold breeze outfit wise - seemingly, neither had the girl whose dress flew up in the wind to reveal her underwear-less derrière - so I really couldn't wait to get on the tube.

Borough Market was our destination, and it would be my 2nd visit thus far. I went not all that long ago with my mum back in the beginning of Feb and had this: 

Prawn Pad Thai from Khanomkrok

It was, just, I mean, it was - hang on, let me find a word suitable enough, bare with...

CELESTIAL.

So, as a result of my previous experience, my high hopes were - well - high. 

It was busy - it was lunchtime, and we were people-weaving like ne'er before. Punched in the face by the tantalising aromas of vegetarian indian cuisine, paella, pulled pork, and ethiopian curries, we made our way through the crowd - knowing that making the decision on what to have was going to be tougher than an overcooked leg of lamb. Its safe to say our stroll through the stalls selling baked goods was nothing short of sexual. We were simply reduced to groans and noises, no fully formed sentences left our mouths - infact, if we recorded our dialogue during this time, it would probably be marketed as soft porn. 

I will quickly brush over the fact that what I had wasn't actually that great. I went for a pulled pork baguette type thing, with a cheese sauce and salad etc. It was 'aight.' It filled a hole and that was it. I wasn't angrily disappointed, but definitely a little disheartened. So, I'll move back onto the more triumphant findings. 

As aforementioned in previous posts, Mimi shares a love of baked goods, and so our plan was to peruse all the stalls, pick out 2-3, and then head to Monmouth Coffee (I'll tell you about that later.) A stall had caught my eye on one of our many strolls around the market, a stalled called 'The Free From Bakehouse' - considering my interest in baking, and healthier baking, I was interested to find out what one of their products would taste like. It was a tough choice between a Peanut Butter and White Chocolate blondie (would probably try that if/when there is a next time) or the Raspberry and White Chocolate Brownie - made with 64% peruvian cocoa solids. 

100% gluten and wheat free, it was one of the fudgiest I've ever had. Super rich and indulgent with every bite, this brownie was smooth and decadent - and exceedingly photogenic by the looks of it.

My last 2 purchases were from the same stall, 'The Cinnamon Tree Bakery' fronted by a charasmatic silver fox with an accent. I'm not going to lie, his rather mysterious charm teamed with his generosity in letting us taste anything we seemed interested in was half the reason we went back. 

We both picked up an almond macaroon the first time round, agreeing that it was a good choice considering we had both decided we wanted to try something we wouldn't normally go for; 

Wonderfully chewy, this macaroon was a good choice. 

BUT. The winner was the triumphant White Chocolate and Sea Salt Cookie. 

It tasted like, almost like, popcorn. On first glance, I thought - oh, you know, the salt will just be on the top and you'll get that savoury flavour when you reach the middle where its all sitting - BUT OH NO. NO. The salty flavour ran all the way through the cookie, till the very last morsel, continually hitting your tongue paired with the creamy sweetness of the white chocolate. Amazing. It was a very crunchy cookie, not super soft - but I was ok with that, because the flavouring was so sublime and so skilful.

We concluded our day with a trip to the much raved about Monmouth Coffee Co, a beautifully simplistic building, with minimalistic aesthetics, oozing with cool and nonchalance. 

Not knowing what 'good coffee' is, and knowing that this place supposedly delivered just that, I was eager to know/taste what all the fuss was about. Being a novice I got a latte, and at £2.70 I didn't feel as though I was being ripped off. One thing I loved was where you picked up your coffee, they had 2 giant bowls of brown sugar - none of that murderous white stuff, so I put in 1 and a half spoonfuls praying it was enough to please me.(Thankfully, it was.) It was only when I got through over half of the coffee that I realised this stuff was good. Real good. My latte was like velvet; it was smooth and silky and left me wanting another one. Mimi went back the next day. I died a little inside.

Heres to you, Monmouth.

We sat down on the cobbled floor and basked in the sun, then cloud, then sun, then cloud, then sun, chatted about buttery soft backpacks, did some online trainer browsing and indulged in some stylish people-watching. 

Another lovely day with one of my most treasured friends.

Till next time!

Friday the 13th.

London has such a huge place in my heart.

I have been lucky enough to visit London twice with in the space of 3 days and I am so content. I couldn't think of any better way to spend my days off - infact, I wish to do this even more so.

On Friday I met up with one of my (with the risk of sounding 80 years of age) dearest friends whom I cherish and adore very much, we only had a few hours together and decided to meet at Oxford Circus. We have both agreed that we want to spend a full day together in a part of London we want to explore, but this is going to be saved for next month - funds pending. We are very familiar with Oxford Street and its surrounding streets and landmarks, but very bizarrely I have never been to Carnaby Street - so, it was an easy decision to make, considering its closeness. As glorious and magical as Oxford Street is, I've traipsed up and down that street too many times for it to still provide me with childlike excitement. On the way to Carnaby there was a gravitational pull into the very beautiful '& Other stories'; we felt everything and vocally exclaimed love throughout our peruse of the tastefully minimalistic store and left feeling inspired and dizzy with infatuation from the idyllic aesthetics.

We wandered through Carnaby Street in London's drizzly, frizz-enducing tricklings of rain, popping into various shops with enticing aesthetics, and nattering away as we went. Hunger struck, and the need to sit down and verbally vomit at eachother came a'knockin - in order to discuss important, serious matters; boys, beauty products and varying nut milks. Of course, being the foodie that I am becoming, I had researched places to eat beforehand, so whacked out google maps which skillfully led us to kingly court - the home of our 'eats' for the day.

We had a fufilling lunch at Pizza Pilgrims, with its wonderfully nostalgic, classically italian interior and buzzing atmosphere, it really was a real catch to have stumbled upon. The Pizza was delicious, fresh, stonebaked to perfection and artfully filling; meaning I didn't feel like my food was sitting in my windpipe/feel like I had a loaf of bread perched in my stomach. And may I say very reasonably priced! I had a simple margarita (not my usual choice), it was the size of a dinner plate and only £6.50! #SAYWHA. For central London that is a whopper of a price, claps all round.

Of course we had to go somewhere else after this to get our sweet fix - you can't just do it all in one place when there is an abundance of choice around you. It would be criminal for people like myself and Mimi, who both share a deep, deep rooted love affair with 'Gails Bakery' (SO MUCH LOVE.) - to not seize these opportunities of sheer indulgence.

I stumbled across Jamie Oliver's channel on Youtube last year, and then I tripped and fell head over heels in love with CupcakeJemma on Youtube - an affiliate contributor to his channel. Meanwhile, I had been following/stalking/perving on/wishing I was a part of/lusting after/dribbling over a company I found on Instagram called 'Crumbs and Doilies' for a little while when the puzzle came together; CupcakeJemma is the co-owner of 'Crumbs and Doilies' - isn't it wonderful when two things you admire come together in baked matrimony? SO. After following them for so long I realised I could only get my mitts on one, or potentially 412 if self-control was lost, if I went to certain markets on certain days at certain times, which thus deterred me from doing so. THEN. The announcement of a shop opening made me feel rather elated.

... can you see where I'm going with this?

I MEAN. CAN WE. JUST. EVEN. I MEAN. HUH, HEH, EH, WHAT.

Like, I know this probably sounds ridiculous. But. I honestly have no words other than perfection. I have never seen a shop that looks so perfect and cute and perfect and pretty and quaint and beautiful. Honestly, its just - I have no superlatives. Everything I could have hoped for and more.

The selection process was torturous, it was only 1.45pm and the cupcake selection had already taken a light battering. I went for the Raspberry Bombe and a baby tiny Lemon Mess, and wish I could go back everyday to try the ever-changing, creative flavours they offer. As soon as I left I wanted to get home and bake. I always want to bake. I love it so much, and know it is something that will be an eternal infatuation of mine. I WILL be the grandma that bakes the nicest cakes.

I have been having thoughts really recently of how I would love to have my own deli/bakery. I genuinely think I really would. There is something so enchanting to me about a bakery, any bakery, I can't help but be drawn in, even if its just to look. Its an unexplainable adoration, that I have yet to discover the root of, but all I know, for now, is that it, like London, like fashion, will - to me - always be very close to my heart. 

Exploration is inspiration.