London: House of Peroni

This week Annie and I went to a fun little house called The House of Peroni in London. Hosted by Peroni Nastro Azzuro, the focus of the events at 41 Portland Place was Italian inspiration from the London fashion scene in a special series of immersive experiences bringing together some of fashion's biggest names and emerging talent.

The events that were a mix of art and fashion with Italian themes took place this month and even included master classes and special guests such as Roksanda Ilincic. Even though the event is finished (and will hopefully be back again!) you can still view The House of Peroni online.

Annie and I attended the collar making workshop with Vita Gottlieb and had lots of fun doing it. The end result certainly didn't look amazing (I ended up prickling myself with the needles at least 10 times) but pretty good for my first ever attempt!!! Let's just say I won't be taking any sewing classes any time soon haha....

Starting out ambitions with the leather samples 

Pinning the pattern on to the fabric 

Before I realized I'll be keeping my day job

Yay 

 

T Shirt - River Island (on sale)

Shoes - River Island (also in black)

Bag - Balenciaga part time

Necklace -  Topshop (on sale)

Lipstick - Nars Damned

The garden was so cute and the cocktails AMAZING 

Beauty: Beach holiday

What I'll be taking with me to Croatia on Tuesday...

1. I'm a new found fan of Simple products and their facial wipes are great. They're cheap, they last for ages, they're just wet enough, they don't make my eyes itch and they 100% remove all makeup and dirt - perfect! I prefer to take this on holiday as it's easier when I can't be bothered with the whole cleansing routine. £3.25

2. It's no secret that St. Ives Apricot Scrubs are UK's No1 in their field, and it's definitely not a surprise. With 100% natural exfoliants and extracts, the facial and body scrubs guarantee smoother skin within seven days. It definitely works, and this big pot lasts for months as you only need to use it about 2-3 times a week. Essential for holiday and for prepping skin for a nice, durable tan! £5.49

3. Love this body butter from Soap & Glory...there are so many body butters and moisturizers out there but this one just feels a little different...it makes me feel so cozy after a shower and smells great and different to any other moisturizer I've had. It absorbs perfectly and my skin feels great for hours. Moisturizing is another essential step after a nice scrub and shower, to prolong that summer glow. £9

4. Another product recommended by a friend who's a beauty junkie...the Piz Buin Tan & Protect sun lotion. It's really expensive at xx and I still need to see whether it works, but apparently it's the best thing out there to enhance your tan and make it last. Sun protection is really important (especially against wrinkles!) so I got this one in an SPF 30. £17.49

5. I'm sure a lot of people use this and know about it, but the Aussie shampoo gives my hair a silky and weightless feeling...and the smell is amazing! £4.49

6. Ahhh the Laura Mercier matte bronzer makes yet another appearance. I have to say it's the best one out there, stays on all day and there is a waiting list for it so all those people must be right! £23

7. I LOOOOVEEE this Nars lip pencil and all the great shades they have. It's my favourite staple piece of make-up that I put on when I'm going out and it stays in for hours no matter what you eat...or do :) £17.50

8. There are lots of cheaper eyeshadow palettes and sets out there, but I love my Chanel smoky eye set. It's really easy to apply either just with a finger or brush, and stays on really well. I've had mine for years as I don't use it that often, but you don't need a lot to apply so it's worth the pennies! £37

So there we go...a round up of some of my favourite products to take with you on holiday. Everyone is different and likes different colours, brands and make-up looks so it's worth experimenting a little before you start buying the expensive stuff! I totally agree that some cheaper products are great such as eyeliner, nail polish, etc. but I also have to say that it's worth paying a little extra for the staples such as foundation, brushes, mascara (I use Dior Diorshow) and bronzer.

Desire: Senso boots

Senso is this cool Australian brand that I just discovered. They do these unusually cut booties which look awesome with jeans! Wish they had all the styles in the UK but they are still fairly new over here. Check them out at Harvey Nichols.

Senso, around £160

Images from Sincerely Jules and Google

Travel: Cornwall

Some weeks ago I went to Cornwall with my family for the weekend. I've never been there before so I was really excited, especially as we had a little 7 hour road trip all the way there! The journey didn't go as smoothly as we expected but we finally got to the beautiful cottage with a huge garden which was located in St Endellion near Port Isaac.

Over the weekend we went to Polzeath beach where you can go surfing (lots of hot boys!), we visited Port Isaac and its little narrow streets, and we had coffee in Padstow.

For me, it was a lovely tranquil place with lots of nature. The beaches were beautiful and huge, and everyone was extremely friendly. It's quite far away to drive but the train only takes about 5 hours which is a comfortable journey so I would recommend that.

Another spot worth a visit is the famous Rick Stein restaurant, named after the renowned chef. You can also attend the Padstow Seafood School there, where you end up cooking with some of the best chefs and drinking wine. Courses start from £95 for half a day, and it's a great way to spend a day in Cornwall.

London Food: Flat Iron

I heard about Flat Iron from the lovely Saffron and Adrian of We Love Food and it was 2nd on my steak hit list after their also recommended STK (review here). I had no idea just how popular Flat Iron was until I got there at 7pm and realised you can't make a booking and the wait was two hours! It was all well worth it, though, as this place serves one of the most delicious dinners I've ever had.

AMBIANCE **

Like I said before, the wait was really long as you can't book, so I would recommend getting there as early as you can and putting your names down. They will give you a buzzer and you can go out for a drink nearby or spend the time in their cute little cellar bar where they serve great cocktails. The girls at the door were quite stressed out but efficient, and despite having to wait for two hours they sorted us out with a good table. The place is really small, so small in fact that the chairs are vintage style so you can't squeeze people in, you just have to sit in groups of up to six or less. It's a little dark, but it all adds to the decor and style of the place!

SERVICE *****

Even though the girls at the door were a little stressed (understandably I suppose), the service was superb. They were very polite and tried their hardest to get us a table as quickly as they could. The restaurant staff were relaxed, friendly and knew their stuff. The food was quick and our drinks, too.

DRINKS *****

The cocktail bar downstairs serves great drinks and foreign beers, and the restaurant itself has a selection of alcoholic drinks, juices and Dandelion & Burdock which is what I opted for.

FOOD *****

Flat Iron is quite a simple place, no messing about. If you're indecisive like me when it comes to menus, this is like heaven because the menu only consists of one type of steak, five sides and four sauces to choose from. The easiest thing to do was to of course order it all! We tried everything - the sides are big enough for one person but if you're in a group you can easily share it all. The chips were nice and thin, all the sides were delicious but the best choice was the creamed spinach so we ordered one more!

The steak doesn't really need any sauce, but the bernaise complimented it really well in my opinion. The little chopped bits of meat arrived on a hot iron and wood display and was beautifully presented. For £10, this was one succulent and magnificent piece of steak! I have no idea why it's so cheap to eat here but it obviously works because there are always queues outside their door.

My favourite part was the cutlery...how cool is that knife?! You also get to nibble on salty popcorn displayed in a vintage metal cup before you order which I found really cute.

For dessert it was again very simple with just one option - salted caramel mousse. This. was. incredible. I don't even like caramel and I loved this. It's so smooth and light that you don't even feel like you've had dessert...and the added salt enhances the flavours.

I'll be going back to Flat Iron and telling all my friends about it...but will also make sure I arrive at 6pm next time!

Salted caramel mousse...delicious 

A meal for one with one side, sauce and cocktails costs around £35

17 Beak Street, Soho, W1F 9RW. www.flatironsteak.co.uk

First two images from Trip Advisor