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

Scent of the Summer: Estee Lauder | Bronze Goddess Skinscent |

£47 for 100ml

Normally perfumes don't feature over on my little slice of the internet, purely because I am pretty awful at describing scents. When I picked this baby up though I knew I had to spread the word because it is just amazing and you need it in your life for the summer months!!

You might have seen this mentioned in my May favourites video but I thought Bronze Goddess deserved a post of its own. With a heart of golden amber and notes of coconut milk, vanilla, lemon, sicilian bergamot, jasmine and magnolia petals to name a few, this scent evokes all those dreamy summer memories: sun cream, the seaside, palm trees, cocktails on holidays, a soft summer breeze... I think you get the gist. It also comes in a shimmering version too which looks beaut!

It is actually the first perfume that I have bought myself as I normally receive them as gifts, which says a lot in itself, and although it is expensive I think the amount you get and the design of the bottle is well worth the money. The gold translucent packaging and the fine spray really upholds the luxury of the Lauder name and reflects the fact it is a summer scent. I think the only downside is that it doesn't have the best staying power so you do have to reapply regularly throughout the day. The fact it is a limited edition fragrance which is only available from April until stocks last also makes it a must have for me - is anyone else like that? When I hear limited edition I seem to hand over my bank card a little too easily!

Other products in the Bronze Goddess range that I have my eye on are the large bronzer and the self tanning lotion for the face. The essence of this post is: you need this in your life!

Apologies for the terrible pictures but the nature of the bottle makes it very hard to photograph, plus it has been knocking about in my handbag...!

Have you tried anything from the Bronze Goddess range? Do you have a favourite summer scent? xxx

Recipe: Homemade Summer Berry Ice Pops

For ages I have stashed away lots of recipes for ice lollies on pinterest, waiting for the moment that we get a tiny bit of sun to not only try out the recipes but also use my Laura Ashley moulds that I got in the sale a year ago! The last couple of weeks have been amazing so I have been making these refreshing and super tasty ice lollies quite regularly. You can find the original recipe here but I have tweaked it a little bit to suit our tastes and also to fit around what we had in our fridge at the time, which of course you are free to do as well. I know ice pops are really easy to make but these take a little more effort and the taste and look of them are definitely worth it.

Ingredients (makes around 8 lollies)

* 1/2 cup of raspberries

* 1/2 cup of blueberries

* 1 cup of sliced strawberries

* 1 cup of frozen summer berries

* 1/3 cup of sugar

* 1/3 cup of water

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice

* 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Method

1. Combine all the fruit in a bowl and mash them up with the back of a wooden spoon to release the juices.

2. Add the lemon juice and mint, then stir will to combine everything.

3. Leave to rest in the fridge for about an hour to let the flavours infuse, I sometimes leave mine for longer.

4. After the fruit has rested for the right amount of time, put your sugar and water into a small saucepan and heat gently until all the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow to boil. It is useful to use a saucepan with a lip so you can pour the sugar solution more easily.

5. Leave the syrup to cool for a few minutes and then pour into the fruit mixture. Combine well with the wooden spoon.

5. Using a jug with a lip or spoon, carefully administer equal parts of fruit and syrup into the moulds, making sure not to fill all the way to the top as it will expand when frozen and you need to fit the sticks on top.

6. Put your sticks into the lolly mixture and leave to freeze for at least 6 hours.

And that is all you need to do for a very simple but delicious recipe which should see you through the summer! 

I hope you enjoy it and please let me know if you try this recipe xxx

A Trip to the Seaside | Brighton Vlog |

On Saturday Matt and I decided to have a day out in Brighton on the beach. Now that we have moved we are quite close and as the weather was beautiful it was the perfect day to go. We thought it would be nice to combine seeing his brother and his girlfriend at the same time as they live just down the road from Brighton too. Most of the day was spent chatting and catching up on the beach, but we also had a walk down the boulevard and along the pier then down lots of side streets where we explored the shops. I ended up getting very burnt as there was a breeze I didn't realise how hot the sun was :( We had such a great day though and I'm really pleased we vlogged it as we now have a record of what we did. I hope you like the vlog as it is my first attempt and I have never edited on my phone or used iMovie either (I have the app on my iPhone). Let me know what you think and please like the video and subscribe to my channel if you enjoyed it.

Do you have any suggestions of good places to visit/eat in Brighton? xxx

Take 3: The Best of Aussie

My Take 3 series hasn't made an appearance in months but I'm excited to bring it back as it's a nice way to talk about different products in another way, rather than just single reviews. This particular installment is focused on the high street brand Aussie that I've loved for years, and who I think create effective and affordable hair care. I've tried a number of their products, but so far my firm favourites include an intensive conditioner, a leave in spray conditioner and a curling mousse. 

Aussie Miracle Colour Insurance Leave in Conditioner: Like all Aussie products this smells divine and the scent lingers for ages. I like to use spray leave in conditioners after washing my hair to detangle and this does a wonderful job. It has a decent spray on it as well and isn't too heavy on my hair which has the tendency to be weighed down by too much product. This is also great on dry hair in between washes to give it extra nourishment although it can leave it a little bit wet. I love using this on holiday on damp hair once I've been in the pool or sea to give it extra nourishment because sun + chlorine + highlights = super dry hair if not properly cared for. The bottle lasts for ages too making it really cost effective, which is the case for most Aussie products. There are many variations of this leave in conditioner and this is the best one for my hair type.

Dual Personality Curl Defining and Shine Mousse: My hair is naturally wavy rather than curly but nevertheless this mousse does a wonderful job of holding and defining my waves without feeling heavy, sticky or brittle. The product is easily distributed through damp hair by scrunching through the lengths and gives a light weight and flexible hold. I also use it on dry hair when I've styled it in a more curly fashion as it helps to hold the style for longer. It doesn't dry out my hair at all and it is easy to brush my hair too as I find many mousses make it difficult to get a brush through. Definitely one to try if you have a natural curl or wave pattern.

3 Minute Miracle Colour Mate Deep Treatment: Similar to the leave in conditioner, this type of product has lots of different versions dependent on your hair type. Seeing as my hair is highlighted I pick up the colour version which smells lovely. A splodge of this run through the lengths of your hair and left for a few minutes works wonders to add some moisture into over processed locks. It has a thick consistency which feels really nourishing, and once washed out I can feel a real difference in the quality of my hair. The squidgey tube also makes for easy application in the shower. This is a product which I will always have a back up of as an affordable treat.

So that is my round up of the best of Aussie I've found so far :) What are your favourites from Aussie? xxx

NOTD: Tropical Glitter

American Apparel 'Neon Orange' // £9 // Models Own 'Sunset Chillout' // £5 //

If you follow me on instagram you might recognise this amazing duo for summer, featuring two of my favourite polishes of the moment.

My Models Own collection is quite substantial now and the large majority of the polishes I own from them are glitter. I think that proves that they are definitely one of the best brands if you are looking for sparkly fingertips. In particular I really like the Hed Kandi range, so when I saw this new one I naturally had to pick it up. 'Sunset Chillout' is unlike any other glitter I own - an array of different shapes and colours of glitter suspended in an easy to apply clear polish. I love that the glitter is really packed into the formula so it applies as an even covering, rather than just giving you one or two pieces per application.

I think it goes really nicely with bright colours - this time I paired it with a neon orange from American Apparel which is another lovely polish (read my review here). What do you think of this combo? Do you have any favourite nail polishes for summer? xxx

P.S. I have recently set up a Facebook page for this blog as another way to follow me for you to receive updates on my blog and other beauty related things! Please 'like' it if you are a Facebook user - it's free :)! 

Simple Summer Smoothie

Hey guys, I haven't done a recipe post in ages so thought I would ease myself back with something healthy, easy and delicious. My favourite way to have my five a day is in smoothies as they are yummy and it means I can eat more fruit in one go that way - does anyone else find that? When it comes to smoothies I'm normally quite slap dash and throw in whatever, but this particular combination was delicious so I thought I'd share it with you. If you like sweet things this will be right up your street.

Ingredients

* 1 banana

* handful of ice

* handful of strawberries (5-6)

* 1 peach 

* 1 cup of almond milk

* chia seeds (optional)

Put the ice in the blender first followed by your chopped banana. Hull the strawberries and half them and remove the stone from the peach then quarter. Add all of them to the blender. Finally add a generous glug of almond milk. Blend it all thoroughly and add more almond milk if its a bit too thick. Pour into a glass and top with Chia seeds if you would like. 

      

      

See, I told you it was easy! Let me know if you try this out by tweeting me or commenting. What is your favourite summer drink? xxx

Where have I been?

It seems like over the past few months I have stopped and started with this blog so many times! I've been really busy and then when I have had a moment of quiet to write a post I either don't have the photos, something comes up or most recently my laptop dies. I thought I'd share little snippets of what I've been doing such as making the most of the sunshine, spending time with friends and family, visiting new places in London, Wireless festival and Matt's graduation (he has a Masters now!) and my first event (post to come soon). I know this post is picture heavy but a picture can speak a thousand words can't it?

A lot of these photos have come from my instagram - if you would like to follow me there too you can find me at lilmisslifestyle. What have you been up to this summer? xxx