Foodie Loves | Chez Antoinette

Another food post... what is coming over me? I just couldn't not share this little gem I found in Covent Garden.

Tucked away in the lower ground of the Market Place in the Covent Garden is Chez Antoinette, a beautiful little French eatery. Inside it has a cute, vintage vibe that makes you feel immediately at home.

Foodie Loves | The Chelsea Ivy Garden

I love uni, but sometimes a little bit of home is what you need to get you feeling ready for the week ahead, and for me nothing beats a visit from my mumma. (And no that's not just because of the free lunch, I promise...)

Sloane Square and King's Road is one of my favourite areas of London for a mooch around, plus all the Christmas lights were up making me feel all festive! After trekking round Zara and all browsing through all the shops, I was definitely in need of a pick me up, and that was definitely what I got at The Chelsea Ivy Garden!

Saatchi Gallery | Chanel Mademoiselle Privé

A friend of mine texted me asking what I was doing at the weekend, and when I replied that I was seeing a Chanel exhibit at the Saatchi gallery, her response was something along the lines of how I'm not exactly living the student life... But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. I completely adored the exhibition (plus it's free!), and I can think of few better ways to spend my Sunday than visiting it, and having a stroll and coffee along the King's Road afterwards.

(image from Italian Vogue)

Alternative Ways To Spend A Day | London

After finishing uni one day, I popped my headphones on a went for a wander to try and get to know London better, and maybe uncover some gems. It's one of my favourite things to do, as you get to know where you're studying better, and it's a fun way to get some exercise (which I needed after I discovered Snog...)

How To Survive Being A London Fresher

I have officially survived freshers week! *cue celebratory cheers from where I'm curled up in bed* And whilst I may not have succumbed to the infamous freshers flu, my body clock has definitely been messed around a little bit. On the way I've made great friends, brilliant memories, and come up with a few fail safe tips on how not only to survive freshers, but also to flourish!

On nights out, I've spent a maximum of £7.50 which I'm pretty impressed with. How? A few money saving tips which has helped me out enormously.

1. If there's a wristband available, get it.
Mine was £30 for the week which may sound a lot, but it got me access for 7 nights into some of London's top clubs, and people I know who didn't get wristbands spent up to £15 for entrance on one night, so I made the value back in just two nights! Plus, I got mine before I arrived, so if you can sweet talk your parents that's even better...

How To Live The High Life For Less | OOTD

When I first saw this shaggy navy coat in Zara, it was love at first sight. It's so cosy and is one of those items that can be thrown over any outfit and give that effortless cool impression. And whilst I'm a Zara lover through and through, I'm equally a fan of its lesser known, and cheaper, little sister brand Stradivarius.

How To Live The High Life For Less | London

I like the good life, who doesn't?! But rather than being Blair Waldorf, an Upper East Side Manhattanite (I miss Gossip Girl...), I'm a slightly broke student in London. Sigh.

But there's always ways around this, and recently I've been living it up for less, so I thought I'd share some of these ways.

1. Competitions

I know it sounds cliche and unrealistic, but recently when I was watching TV one evening, I thought I may as well give some competitions a go- someone's got to win, right?! And for one of them, it actually was me!

Day Tripping | Edinburgh

This summer I seem to have got around the country a lot, and recently I went to stay with my grandmother in Cumbria. It was so lovely and peaceful- this was the main source of traffic we came across! I've spent almost every summer here since I was a child and it is a place firmly entrenched in my heart, it feels like a whole world away from the bustle of London and I always leave with a sense of peace.

Theatre Review | Austentatious

I was intending to write a post about Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a whole, but I found I had far too much to say about the wonder that is Austentatious and felt it deserved a post all to itself! My long suffering family had the pleasure (!) yesterday of carting me around in a wheelchair due to an old skiing injury, but they all said the trek up the many hills was worth it for this production.

If you like comedy, improvisation, Jane Austen/the Regency Era or even just going to the theatre, this is well worth a watch.

Music | Counterfeit

If I had a choice of how to spend an evening, going to a gig would be top of my list pretty much all the time. There's really no feeling like hearing the voice that's sung you to sleep, motivated you in the gym, got you over heartbreak, from 5 metres away.  Or the way the music spreads through your body until that's all you think about, or lusting over the skinny jean clad guitar players, or even the way you walk out sweaty, ears ringing, probably covered in warm beer... Okay so maybe 1/5 times I'd take a hot bath with a glass of wine and a good book. 

But if the voice that's the soundtrack to your life is Taylor Swift, or Foo Fighters, or Jay Z, tickets to see them in a massive arena where they're a little pinprick on a stage far away can set you back at least £70. Not particularly in a student budget. Sigh.

Luckily I've found some amazing up and coming bands, and their relative obscurity means that tickets are super cheap, plus there are perks like smaller venues. (Excuse the awful photography, I was too busy dancing...)

Day Tripping | Oxford

I seem to have spent a lot of time in Oxford recently, but it's such a beautiful and varied city that I haven't done the same things twice!

My best friend and I went shopping and had a general explore of the city, and I couldn't resist snapping a quick car selfie of her chauffeur role for the day.

A Book A Day Keeps Procrastination At Bay...?

The title may seem excessive, but in these long summers I could definitely polish off a book in one sitting.

I know there's nothing like the smell of a new book, the feel of it in your hands, and that general excitement of going to a book store, but reading is an expensive hobby and I've recently discovered the delights of free books on my iPad.

Now I've been through A LOT of these, and whilst some are... not so good shall we say, there are some real gems lurking in the depths of knock of 50 Shades of Grey freebies, and I've whittled down some of my favourites.

Often they're the first in a series and are free to entice you in, so they could be opening up a whole new world for you to escape into! I'm aiming to post whenever I'm hooked to a series, here goes...

1. The Key, Jennifer Anne Davis

 

Sale Shopping Success

Don't get me wrong, I love a good sale. But 2 weeks in when everything has come off the hangers and the only things left are teeny size 4 crop tops screwed up on the floor? Not so much.

However, I braved it today and was rewarded!