A Piece of Me In... Berlin, Germany #1

Lovely breakfast at Strandbad-Mitte

Lebanese lunch at Zaim

For my birthday a couple of months ago, a friend and I went to Berlin for a few days. I'm not sure where the urge to travel to Berlin came from, but once I decided that I wanted to go away for my birthday I knew that Berlin was the spot. It seems as though I always choose the coldest countries to travel to in March; it was freezing cold when we were there! I'm sure there was sleet at some point as well! For this reason I chose health over fashion and wrapped up warm so my outfits won't be the focus of these diaries, but there was lots to see and do.

Short city breaks are great, we spent three nights and managed to do a lot of the tourist-y things. There was a lot of graffiti in Berlin. I found it to be a colourful city with lots to look at. No matter where we went there was some kind of artwork on the walls. And we had some cool graffiti outside our hotel room! We visited East Side Gallery that is literally just one continuous wall of graffiti.

We ate out pretty much every day, but funnily enough, we didn't have any German food... ridiculous, I know lol! My favourite place to eat was an Italian restaurant called Ristorante a Mano. The food and atmosphere were amazing! We had such a great night there, honestly some of the best Italian food I've had - and if you know me you know I love Italian food! Definitely worth a visit if you're in Berlin.

Have you visited Berlin? What did you think? xo

NOTD | Eternal Optimist

It's been a while since I treated myself to a manicure so today I decided to do just that. My middle nail broke a few days ago (bummer!) but I refused to let that stop me from getting them done! Described as a spiced tea rose colour, Eternal Optimist by Essie has become my favourite nude pink. It's a shade that can be worn any season, day or night and is perfect for those who love to wear nail polish but not a fan of colours.

I absolutely love nude shades of nail polish such as this, as they are easy to wear and look great on most if not all skin tones; a classic in my opinion. This application was done professionally however I have used it in the comfort of my own home and have achieved the same great results. Two coats were applied which dried fairly quickly, leaving a streak-free creme finish. 

I will most definitely be purchasing more shades from Essie and if you're interested in getting some yourself Essie polishes retail at £7.99/15ml available from selected Boots and Superdrug stores xo

Sunday Brunch - American Style Blueberry Pancakes

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I love pancakes. I like making them, but I love eating them. I have a sweet tooth. I'm a person who cannot start their day until they have had their breakfast. So the best breakfast for me is something that is quick and easy to make and doesn't involve cooking; like a smoothie (see previous post) or a bowl of cereal. Boring, I know. So I always use brunch-time as an excuse to cook up a storm in the kitchen and experiment.

Whenever I have the time and ingredients, pancakes are my go-to choice. I've also started making French toast which I'll probably share with you in the future. Today I decided to try something I haven't made before, blueberry pancakes. They are really easy to make and of course taste amazing. This recipe makes about five pancakes, enough for one greedy person (like me) or can be increased to cater for more people.

Serves 1

Ingredients

100g plain flour

100ml milk

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp melted butter, plus extra for frying

Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Couple drops of vanilla extract (optional)

1 heaped tsp baking powder

Golden or maple syrup

Method

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder. Then add the sugar and cinnamon.
2. In a separate bowl melt the butter and allow to cool before mixing with the egg, milk and vanilla extract.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
4. Heat a frying pan to medium/high heat. Melt a knob of butter add a ladleful of batter, spreading gently to create a circular shape.
5. Cook for approx. 1-2 minutes until bubbles start to form on the pancake. Then turn and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. (Side note: I added the blueberries on top of the batter already on the pan but you can mix them into the batter beforehand.)
6. Store in a preheated oven or on a plate on top of a pan of hot water to keep warm while preparing the rest of the batter.
7. Serve with golden syrup, or whatever floats your boat. Enjoy!

Click here to see my post on my previous creation buttermilk pancakes xo

Afro Hair & Beauty Live 2015

Three years after I went to my first one, my sister and I ventured yet again to Afro Hair & Beauty Live at the Business Design Centre in Islington (24/05/15). I took some pictures, received a shedload of freebies and make a few purchases. The great thing about this convention is that products are sold at a discounted price, which meant that I bought some old favourites and new buys at a lower price. Another great thing is that we are able to sample and buy products that are not yet available in the UK!

Singing competition - The main stage with hosts Amanda Star (far right) and Reuben Christian (left)

Diligence Barbers models *swoon*

After a long day we decided to go for a quick bite at Five Guys which was close to the venue. It was both our first times eating here and we were not disappointed... with the burger. I found the fries to be a little burnt but the taste wasn't terrible.

The great thing about this place is that you can build your own burger. I had a bacon cheeseburger with pickles, lettuce and BBQ sauce. YUM!

Because who doesn't love freebies?!

My purchases consist of 6 products; shea butter (not pictured) and extra virgin olive oil, KeraCare hydrating sulfate-free shampoo - I received it as a sample from my first visit and loved it so was really happy to buy it at a great price, ORS Curls Unleashed (exclusive! not currently available in the UK), Mixed Chicks deep conditioner and Cantu Shea Butter leave-in conditioner.

I made sure I made it to this years show as in the last year I have been transitioning my hair. Yup after 11 years of relaxing (or perming whatever you call it) my hair, last September I decided to go natural. By that time my last relaxer was in June so next month I'll be one year natural, yay! It definitely hasn't been easy so far but with this new age of YouTube and blogs, which I didn't have when I was natural before, it is helping so much! I'll probably have some more posts on my journey in the future as well as some pictures, if you guys would like that! Also, let me know of any tips to help with the transition or blogs I should check out for natural hair xo

New In

These are just a few pieces I've bought over the last couple weeks. I haven't done a lot of shopping this year (shock!), whenever I go out I just play with old pieces to come up with new outfits, like my last outfit post. But these are some things I've seen during the current sales and couldn't not buy.

I'll start with the fashion pieces.

The first thing is this cute light jacket (heavy cardigan?) from H&M. One thing that irks me about season sales, is that the things on sale are usually from the previous season so everything on sale now coming into summer, is from winter.

However, I think this jacket will be perfect for the current spring weather and those chilly summer nights. It was £29.99 but I bought it on sale for £15. I already have a few outfits in mind with this jacket so watch this space!

The next thing I couldn't help but buy were these lovely suede Penelope banana heels from Office. I don't have a pair of banana heeled shoes but I've always found them really interesting.

For those who don't know, banana heels are just slightly curved to give a unique shape to the usual heels. Although I've only worn them around the house, I love them and they seem quite easy to walk in. I can't wait to take them for a spin! I bought them on sale for £25 down from £65.

Next is this absolutely gorgeous smelling perfume Princess by Vera Wang. I recently saw a deal on WOWcher that was selling it for £24 with the RRP being £60 (100ml) so I just couldn't pass it up! I'm someone who loves fragrances and I am always looking for new scents to try. I remember a couple years ago an old friend recommended it to me but I just didn't get round to buying it. I'm really glad I did as it smells amazing! A very feminine scent that will be perfect for the Spring/Summer - personally I think it can be worn any time of year. It is a floral scent with notes of vanilla, golden apricot, mandarin meringue, water lily and dark chocolate.

Lastly, I picked up a few new lip products from KIKO. I love lipstick so I'm actively trying to include more in my collection. One of the tips I've picked up that I found works well for me is the easiest way to wear bold or colourful lipstick is to start with a brown lip pencil.

Precision lip pencil in Chocolate Brown (315) // Smart lipstick in Cherry Red (909) &  Classic Rose (918)

I bought this one on sale for £2.90 (RRP £4.20). I loved how it looked so much that I went back and bought two more! It also looks great with these lipsticks that I bought on sale for £2.50 (RRP £3.90). I love a good nude and once in a while like to shake things up with a red lip. These lipsticks are super silky and smooth-gliding! xo