La vie en rose translates to see life through rose-colored glasses. I love this time of year because the weather gets warmer and the flowers start to bloom adding pops of color all around us.… More
Friday Favorites 3.22
Hey, there Spring! It’s been a very chilly week leaving me wondering, is Spring on its way or if I am going to continue to pay a high PECO bill keeping the heat on blast to stay warm? Next week is my Spring Break and it’s hard to get excited when it’s this cold outside and I have no plans to go somewhere warm. The one perk I’ve been enjoying the last few weeks is that sunset is later in the day. Those extra few hours have been helping me stay motivated to be productive when I get home from work. It’s hard to see but I know summer is around the corner!
Speaking of summer, on a recent call with my mom we both had the realization at the same time that my wedding is coming up. We are on track to get vendors booked and the rest of the items on our longgg wedding to-do list checked off. My goal is to get a blog post dedicated to our wedding planning on the blog soon because so far, it’s been very smooth and I’d love to share some details!
I have been using these exfoliating peel pads on my face like every other day because I’ve become obsessed with how soft my skin has felt after using them consistently. I’ve used a lot of face masks and creams and nothing compares to how amazing my face feels after using them!
At this point, if Elemis sells a product I need to have it because I LOVE LOVE LOVE their stuff. It’s pricey but they are a staple in my skincare routine. I’ve been using the Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream in the morning under my makeup and my face stays hydrated and glowing all day.
Bought myself an iced coffee maker a few months ago and in honor of Spring, I finally took it out of the box and have been enjoying an iced coffee on the weekends. It’s easy to use and makes delicious iced coffee – I miss my trips to Stabucks, but it’s nice to make an iced coffee for pennies!
I have been on the HUNT for these amazing macaron pillows and I found a blue one in stores! I’m still hoping I can find the other colors to add to my collection.
- Quiet on Set Any 90s kid who grew up with Nickolodeon will have a hard time watching this and learning what happened behind the scenes of the shows we grew up with.
- Vanderpump Rules It’s become my gym show that I watch while I’m on the bike. Life is so crazy right now we all need something frivolous to watch.
- For All Mankind I’m kind of embarrassed to admit how fast we binged this show but it was so good! Each season is a time jump and keeps the story going in a direction we were not expecting.
London Trip: Day 9 Pints in Regent’s Park
We needed an extra cup of coffee this morning because this was our last full day in London and had a lot to do! We enjoyed a full English breakfast at the hotel restaurant and made our plans for the day. My most helpful travel advice is to plan what you want to do before you go and have your day mapped out before you head out. We were able to pack so much into our last day because we had it mapped out with where we were walking and where we were taking the Underground.
While we were here, we wanted to stop by the London office of the company he works at. They were in the process of moving offices so we stopped by to say hello to his coworkers and see the new office. It’s next to St. Paul’s Cathedral and I wish we had more offices with this view here in the States!
We walked around St. Paul’s Cathedral and it really is magnificent. I was hoping to be able to go inside but they charged money for people to go inside and it was just a bit too pricey for an entrance fee. While we didn’t go inside, the grounds around the cathedral were beautiful. It’s definitely worth making time to just walk around it, not so sure it’s worth the 25 Pounds to be able to go inside though.
From there, we took the Underground to Kings Cross Station to catch a train to Hogwarts. JK! But we did go to Kings Cross Station and visit the Platform 9 ¾ gift shop. It’s a bit of a queue to get inside the store but the line moved quickly. There is also a photo area where you can get a photo of you traveling through the bricks to get to the Hogwarts Express. There was a long line to get a photo and we were trying to accomplish a lot this day so I said we could skip it since we had already gotten photos of the same thing at Harry Potter Studios.
We got lucky and the sun started to peak through the clouds. Of course the sun finally makes an appearance on our last day! We then made our way to the Sherlock Holmes Museum and got tickets to visit the museum. If you don’t have time for an hour to visit the museum part, you need to make time for the gift shop. It’s perfectly currated for the best souvenirs and gifts!
By the time we finished up at the Sherlock Holmes Museum, the clouds were gone and the sun was shining brightly! Jacob wanted to take me to one of his favorite parks in London, Regent’s Park, so we started to make our way there. We had to stop at a pub when we saw that they had takeaway pints for the park. We both grabbed a Camden Hells and made our way through Regent’s Park.
Can you imagine being able to walk through this park every day??
Next up on our list was shopping at Harrods! I was hoping to treat myself to a nice handbag while we were there but I wasn’t in love with anything. In the lower level there is a Harrods Gift Shop with much more reasonable prices 😉 I fell in love with this large tote bag and also got the matching cosmetic bag as a nice souvenir. We picked up a few other items for gifts for our friends and family while walking around the very large floor of Harrods souvenirs.
We left Harrods and made our way to Piccadilly Circus to walk around. It’s London’s version of New York City’s Time Square. We walked around enjoying the bustle of the street and did some window shopping. Piccadilly Circus is filled with so many restaurants and stores that you could spend the whole day here.
We chose to walk back to our hotel so we could walk past Big Ben one last time. For our last night, we decided to get dinner at the restaurant at our hotel and it was the perfect way to end the night. We got all dressed up and enjoyed a nice dinner and drink to celebrate our last night in London. We spent the dinner talking about our favorite parts of the trip and planning our next trip back! It was also hard to say goodbye to our beautiful hotel, The Royal Horseguards.
London Trip Day 8: Tower of London
By day eight, we were exhausted from the time change and all the walking we had been doing. So we stayed in bed and ordered room service to the room. We had such an amazing hotel suite so I wanted to enjoy a slow morning enjoying it! When in London, you must have an English Breakfast at least once!
With a slow morning, we enjoyed our brekkie and some coffee before getting dressed for a full day of sightseeing. Be sure to pack layers because the weather is constantly changing! One thing that made this trip so eventful is we had our full itinerary planned in advance so we could fit so much into our days without feeling rushed to do everything. We tried to do one big thing a day and made time to walk around the area before heading to dinner. It also helped that Jake had been to London in the past and he knew what to do in a day to make sure we do a lot but not too overwhelming.
We walked to the Tower of London, a famous London monument, that was on our list of places to visit. In our heads, we had planned to be there for two hours max for some sightseeing before going to our next stop. We had no idea the property was so large with so much to see that we didn’t even see everything. The Tower of London has a lot of historical significance which is why I originally wanted to go but there were a lot of other exhibits; torture, weapons, jewels, etc. to see.
We left the Tower of London with plans to visit again because we could spend hours walking around the large property. Next on our itinerary was dinner at the Sherlock Holmes pub that everyone includes on lists of things to do in London. I hate to be that person to pop that bubble, but it’s fun to walk past and walk in to see the decor, but I found it not worth the hype. The wait was too long for a table to sit and eat and I was secretly relieved. We grabbed a beer at the bar and decided to walk around to find another pub to eat dinner at. One thing I LOVE about London is there are so many pubs with amazing decor and themes to choose from. It seems like everyone after work goes to a pub to grab a pint with their friends and I wish we had that in America.
Since we were hungry but not starving, we decided to walk through the neighborhood, Covent Garden. The neighborhood is appropriately named because just like other parts of London, there are parks every few blocks. Whenever we found a park, I would insist we walk through it to enjoy the greenery because I love how neighborhoods are developed around green spaces. It’s something I also wish we had more of back at home because it was so lovely to walk through. Jake had been to a restaurant in this area on his last trip so we took the long way to do some sightseeing and see The Royal Opera House. Next trip I hope we can find a reason to go inside!
There are plenty of amazing restaurants the challenge is which one to pick. After a week of pubs, we got dinner at an Italian restaurant, Cafe Concerto, and it was such a fun vibe! I love the pubs but it was nice to get some pasta and a cocktail. They had my new go-to, Pornstar Martini on the menu so I was a very happy girl! Some days we had dinner reservations but my favorite dinners were ones we just walked around to sightsee and picked a place when we were hungry.
With a full belly, we made our way to Trafalgar Square, another must-see when in London. The city was alive at night it was hard to walk back to our hotel even though we were both exhausted. There’s so much to do and by now I was starting to be able to walk around and still find our hotel. Luckily, to find our hotel you just needed to find Big Ben since our hotel was next door. A part of me wanted to stay out and grab another drink, but I was happy to get comfy in our hotel room because we had a busy day planned for the next day too!
London Trip: Day 7 Kensington Palace
Each morning I fell in love with our hotel suite even more! We would call room service for tea or coffee to enjoy while we got ready for the day. With a busy day ahead of us, we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to make our way to Kensington Palace.
We were lucky to get a sunny day to visit Kensington Palace. There was an exhibit at Kensington Palace when we visited, From Crowns to Couture, featuring some looks from years past MET Balls and some historical royal fashions to see how trends have changed over the years. It was an amazing exhibit that even Jacob enjoyed and allowed us to walk around the palace. The pictures do not fully capture how historical and amazing this building is.
After we toured the inside of the palace, we made our way to the Kensington Cafe to get some tea and scones before we toured the palace grounds. Have you ever seen a cuter tea set?? I promised myself I would start drinking more tea once I got back home to the States.
Kensington Palace is located next to Hyde Park so we made our way back to our hotel through the park. We came across a cafe by the lake and got Pimms to enjoy while walking which was a nice treat! We kept joking about how different parks are in Europe because they invest in their upkeep and the wildlife is abundant. We had to keep pausing for ducks to cross the walking paths and the swans run the parks and they know it! I love our parks in Philly but there is really nothing like the parks in London here in the States. It may be one of my favorite parts of our visit because everywhere you looked, there was something else to fall in love with or see.
We quickly changed into something warmer to walk around and find a Pub to eat dinner. There is a pub on every corner in London and you can’t go wrong. We ended up at the Horse and Guardsman and I’m happy we did because the decor was everything I imagined a British pub to be!
We walked back to our hotel as the sun was setting and I just held Jacob’s hand as we walked saying to myself, “I can’t believe we are here”. Seeing the city lit up at night, cars driving by, and the hustle of the city brought me so much joy to be a part of.
Evening Skincare with ELEMIS Superfood Midnight Facial
Every night I make time for a little “me time” before bed. I make some tea and put on a podcast like Goop to start to unwind for the night. I’ve loved slowing down and being more intentional with enjoying the little things like washing my face at night instead of rushing rushing rushing. When you experience burnout, you quickly create habits that make you slow down and enjoy the little things. I love to use my new spa headband that I bought in bulk a few months ago to give to my bridesmaids. It was the most popular item in their boxes to ask them to officially be my bridesmaids and those boxes were full of higher-end goodies too! I like to wash my face with a makeup remover like this balm, and then use an acne wash, before using a basic skin cleaner like this one to clean my face. All of this to say, those spa headbands have been a lifesaver!
Once my face is really clean; my makeup is off, exfoliated, and clean, I sit at my vanity and apply retinol. I used to use retinol twice a week but now I use it nightly because before it was for preventative reasons but now my skin really needs it for the benefits! Next is the ELEMIS Superfood Midnight Facial. I’ve been a big fan of ELEMIS in the last few years and the night cream leaves my skin looking smoother and brighter. You know when you see people online with the perfect glowing skin and you wonder how their foreheads can look shiny in a good way? It’s because they use a good night cream and this one gives me hydrated skin that is just glowing when I wake up in the morning. It took using a night cream to understand how important they are in your evening skincare routine and I think I will cry a little tear when I run out of this one!
Friday Favorites 1.19
If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy tales and I like them best of all.
Audrey Hepburn
I am bundled up and enjoying the first snow day in years! With all of the snow and ice this week it’s nice to be able to stay home during this snowstorm and be able to enjoy it from home. It took me a few days to get ready for the new year, but I have finally settled into a routine.
- Saltburn
- Buccaneers
- Real Housewives of Miami
I got a Blendjet for Christmas and it makes my mornings so much easier! I like to prep my smoothie at night and put it in the fridge so I can just grab and go in the morning. My one issue is that it doesn’t blend frozen fruit but I don’t mind prepping a smoothie with frozen fruit at night because by morning it’s melted enough to blend together.
One excited purchase I’m excited about is I signed up for the gym last weekend and I’ve been really committed to it.
Picked up these black leggings with gold buttons from Zara and I’m so excited to style these!
One great thing about January is the after Christmas sales! We picked up a few ornaments for our tree next year.
Last weekend I did a big grocery trip to set myself up for success this week. I’m back to eating healthy and that means meal prepping! I’ve been eating a salad for lunch and packing pretzelcrips, peppers with hummus. Instead of counting calories, I’m focusing more on healthy meals and healthy snacks during the day so I don’t eat junk food when I’m starving at the end of the day. For dinner, I made taco salads and rice bowls with protein this week and we enjoyed a nice pork tenderloin in the crockpot on Monday. I love using the crockpot but I always forget about it!
Starting to swap out my Christmas decor for hearts and pink!
Finally sitting down and working on my posts about our London trip. It’s nice to go through photos and write about our trip, I’m already planning our next trip back!
Blonde Rosie Blog 