The Luxe Life Book by Fleur de Force

With its rose gold spine, glamorous front cover and striking photography this book oozes every ounce of Fleur's chic, effortless yet personable style. The Luxe Life is the second literary instalment from YouTuber Fleur de Force and is a gorgeous addition to your coffee table.

This new release seems to have taken a more mature stance than the original and first release, The Glam Guide, and is packed full of brilliant features and mouth-watering recipes to help idle away a lazy Saturday afternoon. Fleur covers a multitude of topics in this book, targeted at those luxury lovers, from lifestyle, beauty and food. Helpful hints and nifty tricks come thick and fast such as getting the most out of your luxury candle, hosting the most sumptuous afternoon tea and finding that perfect dinner date outfit. I wont give too much away but it is a lovely read and it is like listening to a good friend as Fleur takes us through her beauty loves and special ideas to create a cosy, movie night in.

The Luxe Life is a lifestyle bible for anyone looking to make every day special. I think Fleur's DIY gift ideas and thrifty interior posts are my favourite and just prove that you can make every day that little bit more luxurious, regardless of budget or time restraints.

The Luxe Life from Fleur de Force is available online and from most book stores.

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*this post contains samples gifted for review purposes

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Look Fantastic Beauty Advent Calendar

I feel a bit mean publishing this blog post. In the time it took for me to take these photos and type up the below spiel, this sensational beauty advent calendar from Look Fantastic has sold out in double quick time! It is no surprise really - this calendar worth over £250 has a luxurious surprise behind every window, a selection of beauty miniatures from the most coveted of brands and all for the fab price of just £70. Literally heaven evert day in the run up to Christmas for any self-confessed beauty junkie.

Beauty Advent Calendars have really become a thing now and every Christmas you can expect some of the biggest brands to release a grander and more luxury-filled calendar to delight beauty fans whose love for cosmetics far outweighs chocolate! This whopper of a calendar, The Beauty Secret Advent Calendar from Look Fantastic, contains an assortment of makeup, skincare, body care and haircare to make you feel ultra glam this Christmas and New Years. I allowed myself a sneak peek behind a few of the windows to give you an idea of some of the brands and items featured but have kept the rest as a surprise for myself once we enter December. Already we have the likes of Moroccan Oil, Pai, Eylure lashes and MonuSpa with the likes of REN, Eve Lom, Redken and Molton Brown also lurking behind those tempting windows.

If you did manage to get your mitts on this incredible calendar then high-five to you but if you missed out then don't fret too much, you can already pre-order your Beauty Advent Calendar for 2016 right here and Look Fantastic have also released the Keratase Luxury Advent Calendar which is still available and an absolute must for anyone looking to try out a host of gorgeous hair products from this brand.

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Kate Spade Gold Glitter iPhone 6+ Case

Kate Spade Gold Glitter and White iPhone Case | £29 from Apple stores

Ever since I picked up the new iPhone 6+ in New York a few months ago I have been searching for the perfect phone case - a task that was a lot harder than I first anticipated. I spent ages trawling the Kate Spade website looking at their offerings of phone covers and even though they have a dreamy selection of case for the iPhone 5, 5s and 6 - there was nothing that would fit my new Apple addition. The moment they release that Watermelon case in the iPhone 6+ size though, it will be mine!

I was at Westfield Stratford the other week so decided to pop into the Apple store to buy just a boring, regular phone cover to tie me over until I found something a little more garish when I saw a selection of Kate Spade cases that were the perfect fit for my new phone. Leopard print, polka dots, gold and glitter - I was in heaven! I opted for this sweet white and glittery gold striped hard back cover for a fairly reasonable £29. Great quality and adds a lovely splash of sparkle to my phone - so fun and ideal when trying to locate it at the bottom of my handbag!

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Pancakes at The Breakfast Club

If I had the choice to dine out for breakfast, lunch or dinner every day for a year I would, without a doubt, pick breakfast! Labelled as the most important meal of the day breakfast really has got it all...fancy fruit, bircher muesli, eggs any way you fancy, pancakes, waffles, French toast, muffins, all washed down with a freshly-brewed pot of Earl Grey tea - it is a satiable feast whether you are craving savoury or sweet. So whenever I am in London and have a hankering for fluffy pancakes or a hearty bowl of porridge topped with a healthy handful of nuts and berries then there is only one place to head - The Breakfast Club.

Quirky, fun and full of character with a menu packed full of lip-licking options, The Breakfast Club is one of my favourite places to go with a group of friends to cure those early morning hunger pangs over some banana French toast or a breakfast burrito. Whenever I am out for breakfast my eyes will instantly dart to the pancakes on offer so needless to say that the pancakes with berries is my favourite dish to order once seated at The Breakfast Club. The serving is ridiculously huge, so much so that I can barely ever manage one and a half pancakes (and I skip the buttery-cream topping), but boy oh boy are they good! Some of the fluffiest, finest pancakes I have ever had the pleasure of sampling and enough to rival some of the epic breakfasts we feasted on in New York.

With many locations dotted around the capital from Soho and Camden to Angel and Hoxton Square, it is the perfect place to "do brunch" on a lazy weekend morning. All you need is a few friends and a hearty appetite and I promise you will leave very happy. But if breakfast isn't really your thing then pop along to the Spitalfields restaurant at sunset, open wide the innocent-looking Smeg fridge door and head downstairs to the secret basement bar for a speakeasy experience over a cocktail or two!

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Tea and Treats

Last week was a week of treats following a rather productive visit to London, most specifically Selfridges and all the beautiful things it has to offer. As Rob and I are departing to New York City next Friday for our little (and somewhat belated) mini moon, I really wanted to get a new passport cover to flash as we fly through security. I had been eyeing up a few on the Aspinal of London website so when I stumbled into the stationery section in Selfridges and saw this pretty soft aqua-blue cover with contrasting pink ribbon marker I couldn't resist picking it up. I also love the fact that Aspinals offer the personalised embossing so of course gave it a personal touch with some silver letterings in the bottom corner.

Just a few steps away, whilst perusing the Mothers Day cards, I was distracted by the little Kate Spade stand offering a whole host of their adorable accessories and fun, slogan items. I am such a hot drink junkie and love a good cup of Earl Grey for an instant wave of comfort and relaxation so couldn't say no to this travel mug to make those morning walks to work or trips to the city a little bit more bearable and warm. Plus I always have chilly fingers so this one was particularly apt!

Finally a little tea box of treats arrived for me this week from Bluebird Tea Co. - my one stop shop for the finest array of fun and deliciously-blended teas. If you are a tea lover like me then you have to check Bluebird Tea Co. out whether shopping online or if you are passing through Brighton any time soon. As part of their seasonal launch they have brewed up a selection of Easter-inspired treats to tempt us to put the kettle on - Hot Cross Bun is a rooibos tea infused with the aroma of currants, cinnamon and freshly baked buns and is utterly divine. An eggs-cellent tea time treat! :)

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Netflix & Mr Selfridge Catch Up Tour - Part 1

Mixture of my own images and professional photographs by Doug Peters

It is hard to imagine a time before Netflix. A time before we had the convenience of catching up on our favourite programmes, starting a new series or discovering a whole new documentary with a simple click on our laptop, tablets or TVs. I have noticed that television talk between friends, family and work colleagues has slowly moved away from the latest soap gossip and onto the widely-acclaimed shows that Netflix has got first dibs on such as Dexter, Pretty Little Liars and my favourite of all time, Breaking Bad! Gone are the days of waiting a week for the next episode to air, leaving you on a cliffhanger for seven days - Netflix will seamlessly take you onto the next episode making those lazy Sundays of TV binging far too easy!

If you were a fan of ITV's Mr Selfridge last year then you will be delighted to hear that series 1 and 2 of this popular show are now on Netflix for you to catch up on ahead of series 3 debuting on ITV from 25th January 2015. To celebrate Netflix, Mr Selfridge and all things that are great in our Capital, London, I was invited to experience a Catch Up Tour with the guys from Netflix and a wonderful bunch of international bloggers which transported us back to recency London 100 years ago. Something which was touched on during our trip which I thought was quite poignant was the parallel between Mr Selfridge himself and Netflix and the way they revolutionised the norm; Mr Selfridge with the way we shopped with his clear vision of a new store layout and Netflix with the way we consume entertainment exactly what, where and when we want it.

The Catch Up Tour was a real treat featuring king sized beds, silent screenings, Selfridges hampers, delicious dining experiences, vintage cars, a few famous faces and of course, a shopping spree in Selfridges. It was a really chance for us to see Mr Selfridge brought to life as we visited many locations and sights depicted in the first series and experienced a real flavour of regency London and what inspired Mr Selfridge to revolutionise the way we shop today. With far too much to share on one post I thought I would touch on the culinary delights and our home for the trip in this first post and then will share more about our tour around the city and the sights we saw in my second post. So here it is, food, food, glorious food! We stayed in the ever so luxurious Browns Hotel which had a bed that made me feel like I was sleeping on clouds and the obligatory fluffy dressing gowns. We had a gorgeous dinner and breakfast in the Hix restaurant within the hotel before heading over to Selfridges to experience their afternoon tea. I like to think I am a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to tea and cake and this particular one was just...incredible. From the rose and raspberry eclair and black forest top hat to the whipped goats cheese and beetroot on rye bread and those lemon curd scones, it was heaven. Washed down with many cups of earl grey tea I could have stayed there all day. In the evening we were treated to an evening at The Savoy which was a bit of a pinch-me-moment and I think I am still reeling from their vegetarian spread. I felt very lucky! And considering we were on a trip with Netflix it would have been rude not to retire to our rooms to catch up on our favourite series. Luckily I had packed my iPad so could starfish in my marshmallow bed whilst getting hooked on Pretty Little Liars...no spoilers please!

I would love to hear what shows you are currently loving on Netflix at the moment? Will you be catching up on Mr Selfridge?

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Kate Spade Metro Watch

With its soft, champagne-coloured strap, elegant design and stunning mother of pearl dial - this watch could not be more perfect and I was over the moon with its surprise arrival on Christmas Day morning. That Santa Claus has got great taste! I have had a Kate Spade watch (and bag and purse!) on my wish list for some time now but could never fully commit to a particular style - do I go modern and make a statement with a gold, chunky metal number or keep it elegant and classic with the more lady-like designs? My mind was made up for me this Christmas as I unwrapped my final present and unveiled the most darling of watches from within that lovely mint green and pillar box red box - it seemed Rob knew, deep down, that this Metro watch was the perfect style to choose and it could not be more me! Everything from the delicate gold features and that trademark spade symbol to the creamy, champagne strap and the beautiful mother of pearl dial which catches the light so prettily, it is just so lovely and it has hardly left my wrist since Christmas Day. I love its timeless elegance and versatile style meaning I can wear it day and night knowing it will make a subtle statement, whatever the occasion.

Do you love the Kate Spade watch (and bag!) collection as much as I do?

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My Love of Bluebird Tea

Me and tea. Tea and I. What is it about the simplicity of a cup of tea that just seems to make the world alright again?! Whether it is Earl Grey, Chai, Lady Grey, Peppermint or Green tea...there is something so comforting and relaxing about brewing the perfect mug of tea, from choosing the prettiest mug to selecting the right milk - will it be soya, almond or regular, and then deciding on your preferred tea. I have tins and boxes galore of different teas with an overflowing cupboard of mugs to match. I am always on the look out for different and exciting new teas so when I was shopping in Brighton last year I was delighted to stumble across Bluebird Tea Co. on Gardner Street. It was the sweetest independent tea shop, tucked away in the Lanes, offering such a wide array of every type of tea imaginable. They had black teas, white teas, green teas, teas to help with digestion or boost your energy levels as well as a plethora of diffusers, teapots and mugs - I was in heaven! Jars of colourful loose tea leaves were stacked up high like your very own candy shop with the most delicious-sounding names like Elderflower Champagne, Honey Bee Beautiful, Cherry Bakewell and Peppermint Cream. Whether you like your tea black, with a dash of milk or chilled and pour over ice, there will definitely be a tea to suit you!

As you can see I have amassed quite a collection of loose teas from Bluebird Tea, having repurchased a few of my favourite from their online store. One of my all time favourites is Skinny Minny which is an energising, metabolism boosting, stomach calming elixir of oolong and pu'erh tea and is a lovely blend of ginger, fennel and ginseng. It is the perfect tea to brew when you are feeling a bit sluggish or bloated or need a quick pick-me-up. Spiced Pumpkin Pie is also pretty special when blended with hot, frothy almond milk and a drizzle of caramel syrup. Also, if you are like me and love a cosy, spice-infused hot drink to get you in the festive spirit then the Bluebird Tea Christmas Collection is a must. The hardest decision though is choosing which tea to brew up for a Christmas movie marathon - will it be Gingerbread Chai, Mulled Wine, Christmas Cake or Candy Cane?

Are you a tea lover like me? Which teas take your fancy?

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