Lifestyle: Winter Weekend in Stockholm, Sweden

In December, I finally managed to get away for a well deserved holiday with Ben. We wanted to go to somewhere new we have never visited before in Europe, and preferably something that would give us Christmas spirit. Eventually we decided on 3 nights and 4 days in Stockholm, upon recommendation from a girl in my team at work who hails from the city. Its safe to say we made the right decision, as we loved the city and our time away.

The flight there was really easy, about 2 and a half hours from Gatwick, although the 5am wake up call was quite painful! We flew with Norwegian airlines, and their planes were really comfortable, with TV programmes showing the whole flight and free wifi, which I thought was pretty great for economy and a short haul flight.

Once we touched down in Arlanda airport, we got the Arlanda Express train to the centre of Stockholm, which takes about 20 minutes. We stayed in a hotel very near the centre called Miss Clara and it was absolutely beautiful. We chose this hotel mainly because the style inside was very Scandanvian and we weren't disappointed. Our room had lovely touches such as a chair back connected to the end of the bed so you can eat breakfast in bed comfortably, and fairy strip lights in the windows and ceiling which gave it a nice ambience. The bed was the most comfortable thing we have ever slept in, and the bathroom was incredible - the bath was so deep the edge came up to my hip when I was standing in it!

One of the main reasons I loved Stockholm so much was that although it is made up of about 4 or 5 islands, you can walk it very easily. There is loads of different public transport such as the tram, underground or bus, and there is even uber available there too if you wanted to use that, but we decided to walk most of the time during the day. The weather at this time of year was pretty cold though, I wore thermals every day, with a fur headband and gloves as we were outside most of the time.

The people were also so friendly and spoke amazing English which made us feel very at home. The only downside is that it is a very expensive city - we spent about £400 in total over 4 days on just food and drink. It is also worth noting that you can also buy alcohol over 2% in off licences as it is not available in shops and the rate of a beer is about £7-8 for a little less than half a pint. The Christmas markets were also a little bit disappointing but were still fun to explore.

All the food we had was absolutely amazing, we had the best burger in Stockholm at Flippin Burgers, a delicious first meal at Grill and traditional Swedish meatballs in the oldest restaurant in Stockholm. We also tried a mixture of Moose and Elk at the small Christmas market which was interesting and quite yummy, washed down with a cup of Glogg (similar to mulled wine).

Of course we did a little shopping while we were there, and I picked up a few make up items from KICKS, which is a bit like our Boots and they have their own brand make up line. Unfortunately the Sephora was tiny so I didn't buy anything there and there was also another drugstore brand I was recommended to try next time called Issadora.

Our Top Suggestions for Stockhom

* The Christmas Market/Village in Skansken situated on the island of Djurgarden - very touristy but there is also a zoo, food and drink and lots of craft stalls.

* Grill - a Tiki themed restaurant which had the most delicious cocktails and tasty food. Quite expensive but worth it.

* Miss Clara Hotel - amazing breakfast, service and rooms, I could not recommend this hotel enough!

* NK - big shopping mall similar to Selfridges in the UK

* Princess cake - you can get this pretty much anywhere but it is very traditional and yummy.

* Urban Deli - similar to Whole Foods but so much better and has a restaurant/bar inside. Delicious meals and snacks to take away.

* Weiners cafe - lovely for a glass of wine or afternoon tea. Super pretty inside.

Where is your favourite place in Europe to visit? xxx

New Year, No Resolutions

2016 marks nearly 4 years of blogging for me. It's so great to look back at what is essentially an online diary for me and see so many memories of events and things I have loved. However, its also a bit sad because when I first started I was at uni, with plenty of time and was truly dedicated to this space. A full time job, a big break up, multiple house moves and a really tough year mentally have made me really neglect this space over the past two years, especially in 2015 so my blog isn't really how or where I want it to be.

Instead of setting myself multiple goals of where I want to be within life, the blog etc, I am making one goal and that is to be happy. How cliché but its true. I always set myself up for a fail with my whole life plan, my fitness, beauty, health, blog goals and the problem is I end up comparing myself to other people instead of focusing on the positive things about what I can do, lose motivation and then am unhappy with where I am again, so its like being stuck in a vicious circle.

So I'm not making any promises about these things to myself or others, but have decided to carry on the positive lessons and mindset I have learnt over the last few months and hopefully that will trickle down to lots of other areas of my life.

I'm truly excited for a fresh start and I hope this year brings lots of happiness, positivity, health and loads of new experiences and memories. 

Happy New Year! xxx

My 23rd Birthday | An Instagram Diary

The other week it was my 23rd birthday and I wasn't happy about it. I've always loved birthdays but since reaching 20 (bar my 21st) I've always felt a bit sad about them because I feel so old!! Which is probably ridiculously over dramatic but you can't help the way you feel.

Anyway, I had a lovely time celebrating and was very much cheered up by this. The Sunday before my birthday I went to my parents house where we had a big lunch with all my extended family which was really lovely as I hardly get to see them now we have moved to the SW of London. I opened a few presents early and got to blow out some candles on my monster of a chocolate and raspberry flavoured cake.

My birthday was on the Tuesday and I was surprised the night before by Matt when he presented me with something in bed...It was an envelope! It said my first present was a lie in - which I thought meant at the weekend as Reuben wakes us up super early to be fed so I was quite happy with that. He actually went one step further though and had contacted my boss earlier in January (before I had even started my new job!) and had asked for me to have the day off. Luckily for me he said yes! Then I got to open the itenary: Kew Gardens, afternoon tea at Bluebird Chelsea and then dinner at Petrus in the evening.

We didn't manage Kew Gardens as we ended up having that lay in and then was treated to breakfast in bed while watching the final episodes of The Killing (you need to watch it!) I put on my party dress after opening the rest of my presents and then we were off to Bluebird, which is one of my favourite restaurants and the food did not disappoint and neither did the unlimited pots of tea. We had a selection of sweet and savoury treats and I even got a little surprise birthday brownie.

In the evening we went to Petrus in Belgravia and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the best meal of my life. I've been lucky enough to go to some beautiful restaurants but this was something else. The restaurant itself was quite small and low lit with no background music, which made the atmosphere very cosy and intimate. I really liked how you were seated next to each other rather than across the table so you could talk quietly and really enjoy the experience together.

The staff were incredible, so on the ball without being too fussy and made us feel at ease. They even had a velvet cushioned stool for my handbag to sit on!! I will for sure be judging every restaurant on whether they have a stool from now on haha.

We went for the tasting menu which had 9 courses, including canapes and petit fours, that enabled us to taste the best of what the restaurant had to offer. Everything was so different in texture and taste as to what you would expect but all of it was absolutely divine! For once I didn't take copious pictures of the food as it really wasn't the time of the place but meant I enjoyed the experience a lot more.

The next weekend I had a few friends round and we went out to our local club, which was so much fun but not so much fun the next morning! I loved putting on heavier make up than usual and playing around with my palettes - I went with a smokey eyes and Faux lipstick.

What has been your favourite birthday party? xxx

You Can't Live A Positive Life With A Negative Mind

Blogging can be so therapeutic sometimes. I wrote this post when I was feeling emotional about something and it really helped. I wasn't sure whether to post it but maybe it will help you if you have been feeling the same way.

For the past two years, a lot went wrong for me - I had a lot of bad news, health issues and seemed to always attract toxic people who made it worse. Over the latter half of last year, I really tried to focus on the positive and start on the right track to a healthier and more positive mind. I know that sounds totally cliche and vom worthy but its true.

Excercise helped when I was feeling low, and sorting out my diet to include lots of healthy clean foods also aided my well being. I read a few self help books, went to some counciling sessions which did the world of good and tried to train my mind to be more positive which was the hardest part. I failed many times, and even sunk lower than I had before but towards the end of last year I was getting the hang of trying to put a positive spin on things.

I got the confidence to cut out negative people, I put more effort into the good and positive people who surrounded me and I made the effort to change jobs when I wasn't happy where I was anymore. Rather than sitting there wallowing which is so tempting to do, I went out and did something about it which made me even more confident and positive. It is a very good cycle which is very hard to build. I also found that quotes really helped too. Again that sounds so Pinterest and cliche but whenever I was feeling low, I could always find a quote that really fitted how I felt and gave me a boost or push to change it.

I guess why I'm writing this all down is because after looking back at the past two years and how far I've come I feel so so proud of myself and I think that positivity and strength is starting to shine through and I;m getting back to me. Unfortunately there seem to be a a few people left in my life who don't seem to like this, maybe its because when someone is worse off than you it makes you feel better but that is such a toxic way to look at things.

I'm not going to lie - I used to feel like that sometimes too but honestly, praising someone for doing well or giving the tiniest of compliments really makes you feel so much better than being bitter about someone else's success. There will always be people who are better at other things than me in so many ways and those who are not but at the end of the day it is only myself who I can compete with.

Now I've finally had the epiphany and I've felt my mindset change, I can finally let myself enjoy my successes and not doubt myself or worry about whether or not I deserve it.

If you have tried your best and you work hard and you are kind and positive you are winning already and I hope no one ever makes you doubt that xxx

Strip Teas Teatox | Review

Embarking on a Teatox has always intrigued me. I feel like its the perfect place to start if you are a bit too lazy to start committing to juicing every day but want to kick start your health regime. For an avid across the board tea drinker this kind of detox is something I can get on board with. It is great for winter as you get a guaranteed 3 warm mugs of tea a day, and it also helps with your hydration, skin and metabolism.

The Strip Teas (great name) Teatox lasts for 14 days, and you get three very cute packages of tea for morning, day time and night. The bags are also ziplocked at the top which is very handy at keeping the contents fresh as well as featuring cute quotes on the back of each sachet. Each tea bag consists of loose leaf herbs housed in fully biodegradable pyramid bags, which look quite swanky and let the tea move about so it tastes better. It is worth noting that for the Daytime Teatox you can choose between Original, Berry Burst or Vanilla - I chose the latter.

Lets start with Morning Wake Up*. Normally I need a strong cup of Yorkshire Tea before I can even speak first thing in the morning and I was worried I would miss my caffeine hit by drinking a herbal tea, but I needn't have worried. The ingredients included in this tea are: Chinese White Tea, Yerba Mate, Lemongrass, Liquorice Root, Orange Peel, Ginseng, Ginkgo, Eucalyptus and Spearmint. I'm not a fan of liquorice normally but it didn't over power the tea, instead the flavours of spearmint, eucalyptus and lemongrass were most strong for me. It did a great job of waking me up and getting my metabolism going gently.

The second tea of the day is the Daytime Teatox*. You are meant to drink this shortly after your main lunch time meal - I like it mid afternoon around 3pm when I'm starting to feel sluggish after lunch and would normally reach for a coffee. The ingredients include: Chinese Oolong Tea, Fennel Seeds, Cinnamon, Pu-erh Black Tea, Schisandra Berries, Black Peppercorns, Calendula Petals, Sunflower Petals, Orange Blossom and Vanilla Flavour. The floral scents of this stand out for me and you get a smooth vanilla undertone. This tea is meant to aid digestion which is definitely does and also reduced bloating for me as well as aid fat burning by keeping your metabolism high.

The final bag is the Sleep Tight* tea. Obviously, you drink this before bed to help you relax and unwind for a good nights sleep. The ingredients include: Rooibos, Ginger, Ashwagandha Root, Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Peppermint Leaves, Hawthorn, Vanilla Pieces, Lavender, Vanilla Flavour. Normally night time teas don't do much for me as I dislike Chamomile, but the flavours were balanced so it didn't put me off. It was nice to have something comforting which wasn't heavy or caffeinated after dinner.

With all these teas I would advise not to over brew - 3 minutes is plenty to get a well balanced and delicate taste that won't dry your mouth out. The best thing about these teas is that they aid an overall healthy lifestyle - there are no laxatives included, instead using natural ingredients to amp up your metabolism and supress appetite.

I've really enjoyed the process of this Teatox and would recommend you to try it if you're looking for something different to kick start your healthy regime.

If you would like to try it I have a discount code for 10% off: LILMISSLIFESTYLE10 which you can enter at the checkout. Remember to let me know what you think!

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

Similar to most people this year, I feel like 2014 has flown by. At the start of last year I was still looking for a full time job after graduating from Uni in December, although I wasn't sure exactly what path I wanted to take. I thought it would be good to concentrate more on my blog which I did do very well at the beginning of the year and I started my YouTube channel too. However, fast forward to 4 house moves (the first which was leaving home for good), embarking on my first full time job and having Reuben join our family unit to name just a few land mark points to have happened in 2014, what I thought was going to be achievable was not.

I ended up feeling drained, stressed and really worried about the small details in  life rather than looking at the bigger picture, as well as feeling guilty that because of all this I couldn't dedicate time to the hobbies and people I enjoy. 

A lot can change in a week but it wasn't until I looked back at the year and saw how much I have actually achieved and been through that I realised I was being way too hard on myself about the little things I didn't do. 

One of the best things I have achieved is changing my thought process, although I still  have a long way to go. I feel as though I am stronger at removing negativity from my life and try harder to be more positive and kind at times when I am at my lowest.

After looking back at everything that has happened in 2014, I feel like I'm in a good place to set some realistic and positive goals for the new year. These will be flexible and are small steps to my overall goals because 2014 has taught me that  life gets in the way and you can't always be perfect, no matter how hard you try.

1. Read more: My commute to and from work used to be the perfect time for me to catch up on reading but since I started driving I have found it really hard to find any time at all. Reading is one of my favourite hobbies and now I am starting a new job and will have to commute on the tube I am hoping that I can pick this up again.

2. Stress less: Since moving into our own home I have become really controlling and almost obsessive about everything looking and being perfect, which has in turn extended into other parts of my life. Being away and spending time at both our families homes has really put things into perspective. I want to spend more time on my hobbies, relaxing and making memories than obsessively cleaning and worrying about stupid things.

3. Focus on my health: Quite a broad resolution but I want to continue working on my mental health and positive well being as well as building on our healthy eating and exercise plan. We tend to eat quiet healthily anyway, but we want to invest in a juicer and make a bit more of an effort. Exercise wise I was doing nothing because I couldn't find the time but now I'm going to make time as much as possible, even if its just going for a brisk walk through the fields with Matt.

4. Spend more 'me' time: Like I said before, I seem to spend most of my spare time looking after the house and our little unit and feel guilty when I spend anytime doing something for me. I'm going to put my happiness first and start doing more hobbies. I want to learn to sew properly, do more crafty things in general, blog and youtube more among other things. At the same time I am not going to pressurise myself at consistently posting here as it was making me quite unhappy when I wasn't fulfilling the targets I was setting. This blog was always for fun and I want to keep it that way.

5. Make more effort with family and friends: Spending more time with our families over the festive period has really put things into perspective. Its so easy to get caught up in your own life, especially as time goes so quickly at the moment. I'm going to make more of an effort to text back (I am so awful at this), give loved ones a quick call when I can, and pencil in diary dates to see people.

This has been quite a serious and personal post, but I've always felt like this blog is a bit like a personal diary which I can look back at and see all the wonderful memories I have made and what I have achieved. I am really looking forward what 2015 has to offer including starting a new job later on this month!

Thank you for every view, comment, tweet and like in 2014 - I look forward to interacting with you more over the coming year. Please leave me links to your own youtube channel or blogs so I can take a look!

What are you looking forward to in the near year? xxx

All pictures are from Pinterest

Agadir, Morocco: Sun, Sea & Souks

Almost a month ago now Matt and I went on a long over due summer holiday to Agadir in Morocco. It was absolutely beautiful and we had such an amazing time that I knew I had to blog about it. Over the course of the week I didn't actually end up taking that many pictures, purely because we wanted to relax and immerse ourselves in the holiday rather than trying to capture everything on film (or should I say memory card!) We stayed in the Riu Palace Tikida Hotel which was 5* All Inclusive and one of Thomson's premier hotels so our flights, full board and hotel transfer was all taken care of. It was absolutely beautiful from the rooms, to the pool and the service we really didn't have any complaints at all. It's safe to say the week went way too quickly for our liking but we would absolutely love to visit the country again.

We flew from Gatwick (which has the most amazing duty free by the way) and the flight took us around 3 and a half hours. The transfer was pretty quick too on the coach and we were greeted with cocktails while we checked in. The hotel was huge and beautifully furnished but even though it was large it didn't lose any character. Our room was much bigger than we thought with it's own private balcony and one of the best bonuses was that the mini bar was free!! Luckily it is the same time zone in Morocco as England so we didn't have to worry about being jet lagged at all.

One of our favourite days was when we visited the Souks which was recommended to us before we went away. When you stay in a hotel it can be tempting to stay by the pool every day and not really immerse yourself in any culture but we really wanted to see the local life and considering it was only a short and very cheap taxi ride away it would have been a waste not to go. Unlike my experience in Egypt, the people in the Souks were hardly pushy at all. If anything everyone was very friendly and once they realised you weren't interested they were very gracious. The hardest part was bartering which is a massive thing in Morocco and something us Brits aren't very good at! We managed to get a few lovely bits in the end to take home as momentos which you can see below. The hotel served the most amazing mint tea (yes mint tea can actually be amazing!) so I was really excited to buy the proper herbs to make it at home. We had no idea that 5 different ingredients went into making the tea including dried stevia leaves, rose buds and three different types of tea leaves.

Talking of the hotel, we were lucky enough to be situated right by the beach as well as having the large pool. The hotel also offered so many other things including a spa, activities such as beach volleyball, aqua classes, a gym, an indoor pool, and entertainment every night which was always good fun.

Moving onto the food, we knew it would be a bit of a gamble as all inclusive can tend to go either way. However I am pleased to say the food was absolutely amazing! They had two theme nights in the week but the traditional Morccan food was so delicious featuring melt in your mouth meat and vegetarian tagines with cous cous and chicken pastillas to a pasta bar, loads of different meats and vegetables, and the puddings were incredible too! For breakfast there was a range of fresh fruits, cereals, cooked breakfasts, pancakes, doughnuts, champagne and more. They also had a snack bar open in between meals so it really was 24/7 food. I'm so pleased the quality was fantastic and the chefs knew what they were doing.

The staff were all incredibly friendly too and made us feel at ease in all aspects of our holiday. If you are thinking about visiting Morocco then Agadir is a little bit more touristy than Morocco but I highly recommend it if you are new to the culture. Thomson also offer a variety of trips which we would have loved to do if we were there for longer so you can really engage with the Moroccan lifestyle.

This was a bit of a whistle stop, generalised post of our holiday but honestly I can't say how impressed I was with the hotel and country xxx