Afternoon Tea: Bond and Brook

Earlier this week, I was kindly invited to Afternoon Tea, at Bond and Brook, in Fenwick, on New Bond Street. Literally a stone throw away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, it was nice to slip onto the much quieter New Bond Street after an afternoon of shopping and walking around.

I decided to take my mum along, as she is a real tea expert, and I felt she deserved a treat. We headed into Fenwick and went to the second floor, where Bond and Brook was located.
I was in awe of the décor. It was a beautiful little restaurant, and I loved the casual book shelves around.

The staff were all really friendly and so nice, and the restaurant itself was really inviting. First up, we decided to pick our teas. There was a huge selection of teas on hand, and my mum settled for English Breakfast tea, while I decided to go for something different: Jasmine Fairy Maidens Art Tea.

My mum loved her tea! She's a massive tea drinker, so getting the nod of approval from her was a big deal. I went for something different, and I'm glad I did. I'm not a tea drinker (haven't had a cuppa since I was about 7), so looking forward to finding out what all the fuss was about. My tea was delicious and looked incredible! It was a tad too strong for me, so I sadly wasn't able to finish it, but I would totally recommend it to you regular tea drinkers.

We were also treated to these amazing little mince pies, which they'll be having just for the Christmas season. The tasted so good and were enough to put you in the Christmas spirit.

Then our food came. How delicious does this tray look? Everything was as good as it looked.

I actually told my mother off for picking up a sandwich before I had taken a picture, then made her put it back.

We started off with finger sandwiches. Flavours included: Cream Cheese and Cucumber, Salmon and Capers, and Egg Mayonnaise.

Each sandwich was delicious and made very well. The salmon was my favourite, so much so, that I ate both instead of sharing with my mum. The Egg Mayo was amazing as well and I know my mum loved the cucumber one.

Next up we had scones: the most delicious scones ever, and the clotted cream was perfect! I could easily have eaten them all day. They were definitely the highlight and tasted amazing.

Finally, my favourite part: 'dessert'. The fruit tartlets were one of the best I've had and the chocolate balls were delicious! It was such a good mix of fun little desserts.

Bond and Brook has the HiFashion seal of approval. The food is all delicious, and the restaurant itself is absolutely lovely. Afternoon Tea starts at 3pm, so if you ever find yourself tired during a shopping trip in Central London, definitely head over and have a relaxing Afternoon Tea.

Where do you go for Afternoon Tea?

Sherin xx

P.S. Have you entered my Matalan giveaway?

Interflora Flower School

Last week, I was invited to do something very different...yet very fun. Interflora, the leading florists, hosted their very first ever Flower School: an amazing experience that teaches people how to make beautiful floral arrangements.

We have a garden, but my mum likes me to stay away from it (no idea why), so I've never really had 'green fingers'. I wasn't the most creative at school either, so was pretty nervous especially since I had no idea what to expect from the day.

I headed over to Chandos House (such a beautiful building) and once everyone was there, and seated, we got started.

(What I was met with on my table)

Our amazing tutor Sarah Horne kick started the afternoon and was absolutely lovely. Both she and her flower store had won awards, and she's worked all over the world, so we were in very capable hands.
She put together a gorgeous floral arrangement, and even made the basket from scratch, which was very impressive. She was chatting along to us the whole way, while we were frantically making notes on everything she was doing, and she even threw in a few funny anecdotes about life in the floral industry. The theme of the class was 'Natural Collection', and the arranged tied perfectly into this. The orange and red colours, mixed with the green, was enough to put al of us in the Christmas spirit.

We were left in complete awe, and I hope everyone was thinking the same thing as me: 'There is NO way I can manage that', but we got started. Both Sarah and an Interflora expert were on hand to help out and answer any questions we had, while making it.

I got started with the basket, which was made from moss and metal wires. It required some 'sewing' of moss around the metal, and I was surprised that I managed it. It definitely wasn't has hard as I thought it'd be, but at this point, I still didn't think I would manage to create something beautiful:

But after that step, it was a piece of cake. The oasis in the middle was a bit like a watered pot, and all I had to do was arrange flowers into it. We had all sorts of flowers on hand, such as Roses, Carnations, dried oranges, so we could be as creative as we wanted with the arrangement.

I was immensely proud of what I made, and couldn't believe that it's something I created. That's a great feeling of fulfilment. If I saw something like this out and about, I would definitely buy it. It came out great. 

Would I recommend Interflora Flower School? Hell yes!! It was such a fun afternoon, and it flew by, while I was chatting to everyone else and putting something together. It's informal and casual, and there's no pressure for what you create to be perfect. Everyone's working at their own pace, and there's such a great atmosphere there. Taking someone to Flower School would be a great present as it's such a great way to spend your afternoon. You can keep what you make as well. Giving flowers is something special anyway, but the fact that they're made by yourself make them an extra special present.

Have you, or would you, attend Flower School?

Sherin xx

Don't forget to enter my Matalan Giveaway. 

Saturday Brunch

I wore this while going for Saturday Brunch this weekend, with Marin. We went to this adorable place in Crouch End called The Haberdashery, which we're both huge fans of. It has a such a community feel to it, and I loved the mismatched plates....and the chocolate brownie I treated myself to was so delicious.

I really liked what I wore and the pictures don't do the outfit justice at all. Everything about this outfit, including the heels (from Best Mountain), was really comfortable and great to spend a few hours in. 

Although, during brunch, we did find out that The Times Style Magazine was having an insane sample sale and we headed over and spent the afternoon grabbing massive bargains (£1 Armani lipsticks, £5 Dune shoes, heavily discounted Sam Edelman shoes, amongst many others), so I kind of regretted being in heels by the end of the day, while I was limping home.

The jumper, in particular, was so comfortable and so soft. It was part of a little package that arrived from Fat Face: I can't wait to share the rest of the items. I've always been a fan of Fat Face. The clothes are made from the best quality, and look/fit extremely well. I love the casual pale pink colour and how it's the perfect length. It's cropped, but just reaches the top of my jeans, so it doesn't reveal too much. Wearing it all day felt great!! And, because it was a mild day, it was easy just to add a coat over. It kept me warm, but not too stuffy while I was on the underground. So a pretty perfect jumper, I'd say.

The jeans fit perfectly as well. They were sent over from Apricot and are made to fit amazingly. They're part of the 'Transformer Denim' collection, which come in in Peachy, Juicy and Electric fits. Peachy is designed to enhance your silhouette, Juice is designed to boost curves, while Electric is designed to make you feel hot.

I got the Juicy Fit ones, which sit lower at the front and higher at back, with side seams made to hug curves. The jeans definitely increased my confidence and they were, indeed, very flattering. They were really comfortable and I could move in them without feeling to constrained (which is sometimes the case with skinnies).

What do you wear on a casual Saturday?

Sherin xx

P.S. Have you entered my Matalan giveaway yet?

Christmas Giveaway: Matalan

I have one or two Christmas giveaways for you. The first one is very kindly bought to you by Matalan. They're offering a £30 voucher for one of you lucky souls! And we all know that £30 gets you really far at Matalan.

So what do you have to do to enter? Well, it couldn't be easier (she says, while looking jealously at all you who can participate).

All you have to do is have a look at the advert below..... (isn't it the sweetest???)

....and then comment below leaving, a link to your favourite piece from the collection. All the pieces from the ad can be found on the website here.

This giveaway ends on the 7th December 2011, so good luck!!

Sherin xx

Press Day Round up

A load more events and press days this week. Here are the highlights:

Superdrug

Superdrug took us ice skating at the Tower of London. I love Ice Skating and it was so much fun doing it outdoors as well, especially with a bit of rain. It was the perfect way to check out all the upcoming winter products. The products are half price until 3 January as well there being free delivery online until Christmas.. We all know how harsh winter can be on your skin, so the creams are designed to revitalise your skin, as well as combat the effect of the elements on your skin.

Made of Carpet

This press day was absolutely remarkable. After being fed the most delicious Russian cake ever, I was got the chance to check out some really unique bags. The bags are made from real carpets and the straps are leather. Initially taking inspiration from Mary Poppins, the bags had a whole range of beautiful prints and colours and no two were the same. I definitely recommend you to check out Made of Carpet if you want something different in your bag collection.

Very

Very is always a pleasure to go to. There were amazing clothes there, and I particularly loved checking out the Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby collections, as well as Verys own line. It's great to see so much colour and lot of fun prints, and we even had fun props to get our pictures taken with. I absolutely love the Giraffe dress below, from the Dee V, Diana Vickers, range. That was definitely one of my favourite pieces.

Simply Be/Simply Yours

Simply Be focus on larger sizes and prove that you can find pretty and stylish clothes no matter your size. There were some really gorgeous pieces, fit for the curvier lady, and there was also a whole host of amazing bags and shoes on display as well. I only thought that Simply Be catered to larger sizes, but was impressed at their shoe and accessory section. Definitely somewhere I'll be checking out.

Simply Yours focus on lingerie, for all sizes. What I love about them is that with babydolls, not only can you get them in standard sizes (8, 10, 12 etc), but you can also get them for your bust sizes, so that they really do fit amazingly. I also loved that there were some stylish pieces for us flat chested girls as well, which is not something you see a lot of. Again, there were pretty prints and colours, and the quality of the lingerie was very impressive.

Stilorama

Stilorama.com is a luxury marketplace that brings together a whole range of really talented designers and lines. I was lucky enough to be at the press day and had a great time checking out all the designers and grabbing a quick word with all of them. Designers included Bayan Loutra (skincare), Dina Kamal (jewellery), SU (bags) and Farah Lister (jewellery). It's a great concept, as there's so much variety online, and there's even an online magazine.

Bayan Loutra had some remarkable skincare. Everything smelt amazing and the ingredients are very good quality.

DinaKamal had some gorgeous pieces of jewellery. As an ex-architect, the designer clearly takes a lot of inspiration from this and the pieces are very cool. 

SU London is a bag brand that I've recently fallen head of heels with. Not only are the bags really stylish, they're made really well and are very practical. For example, there are adjustable straps and handles, that can have one bag turn into 5! They're multi functional so you can use one bag for all occasion. What I also loved is that as much effort is put inside as out. Every bag's interior is lined with red velvet. 

Farah Lister was another jewellery designer there. Slightly different than the other, the pieces were still gorgeous. They were bold and unique: just what jewellery should be. I saw this gorgeous chocker necklace as well. It was purely stunning.

I'm at various different events this week as well, and there's even one that could be of interest to all you Londoners. St Martins Courtyard and Seven Dials, in Covent Garden, is doing a special 20% off evening, and it's just in time for Christmas. You can get all your Christmas presents sorted, at a price, while also in a fantastic environment.
This is taking place on the 1st December, between 5-9, and will play host to a whole range of activities, such as in sore entertainment, giveaways, live music and mini beauty treatments.

More information can be found here.

I'm also really excited that all the winter Ice Skating rinks are officially open. I'm a huge ice skating fan, and have already been to the on at Tower Bridge and Westfield London. After watching this video, I'm even more excited about popping down to the one at Somerset House. Even better that it's Part of Tiffany and Co!!

Sherin xx

Precious as a Petal

This winter, I'm trying to be as stylish as possible. Instead of just jeans, boots and hoodies, I'm have so much fun seeing how well I can transition my pretty summer dresses.

I love this dress. It's so beautiful, and I love how, when paired with tights, boots and a cardigan, it turns into a perfect Autumn piece.

I'm wearing a dress from Boohoo, cardigan from People Tree and boots from Sarenza.

I also took this as an opportunity to take out my gorgeous new, silver plated, earrings, which were kindly sent over by Petal Jewellery. I absolutely love them, and while browsing the website, I saw a lot of other really pretty, and affordable pieces. I love how simple the earrings are, and at £4, they're amazing value for money! They're the perfect earrings for an everyday look, and look so great on.

There are 3 beautiful collections on the site: Original, Fairytale and Prestige. The Fairytale Collection, in particular, is worth a look as there are some fun earrings, such as a sword and Cinderella shoe earrings.

Sherin xx

River Island: Postcards from the Past

Don't you love statement jewellery. They can turn the simplest of outfits into something different and special, and make you really stand out.

I got sent these super amazing, insanely large earrings from River Island and am in love with them.

They're from the new AW Hustle collection, and the rest of the collection is just as great. I've had a lot of fun these last few days, styling them up with as much as I can, and I'll be wearing them a lot in the future as well. The Hustle trend is all about the seventies, with retro prints and rich colours.

I paired it a plain black dress, from Vero Moda (ASOS) and black heeled brogues from Tesco.

To tie in with this, River Island have launched a Postcards from the Past Competition on their Facebook Page, where 5 lucky fans can win an entire trend from the Collection, with the Postcards from the Past App.

All you have to do is identify all of the hidden objects in a postcard, with the App. There'll be a postcard fro each of River Island's key trends: London Boy, Savage and Hustle, each available on Facebook over 3 consecutive fortnights.

So go on, give it a shot!

Good luck

Sherin xx

P.S. I was contacted by Kimberly from Ever Ours, and she is offering a 20% discount on all items for you guys, until the 27th November. The site is filled with really cute and affordable pieces, including this ring, which I need in my life, so definitely get buying. Some of the pieces will be wonderful Christmas Presents. Here's the discount code: HEARTYOURBLOG