It’s my birthday weekend!! I can’t believe I’m another year older, where does time go? I’m not a massive fan of birthdays, in fact, I’m famous for getting birthday blues. I’m very lucky though, I have a very kind boyfriend who knows not to throw me a surprise party and instead buy me beautiful things and take me for a quiet meal. Here is my birthday blog… enjoy!!
Obviously, every birthday weekend starts on the Friday, right? So what better excuse to take myself out for a little shopping trip to some of my favourite stores. First up, I headed to Sloane Square for the Dubarry of Ireland flagship store! My whole family are obsessed with Dubarry of Ireland and I have been lusting after a pair of their boots for years now. Dubarry are a fabulous Irish brand who make the most beautiful country and coast wear.
Think heavy tweeds, luxe knitwear, quality leather goods and their famous Gore-tex lined boots. If you are into country living you will know exactly which boots I mean, they are the most beautiful, practical and comfortable boots ever. Perfect for a Winters day walking. My mum has a pair and they are great in the country, but can also look great dressed up for town. When I see her wearing them, I feel jels and I really think it’s about time I got a pair!
I know we are in the middle of Summer and I was probably the only person in the whole of London looking at coats today, but all the best coats get snapped up super fast, so it is good to buy early. I am 100% smitten with Dubarry of Ireland’s heavy tweed tailored coats. They are so classic, so chic and I am desperate for one this Winter. They really are the most beautiful classic coats.
The girls in Dubarry of Ireland are amazing, they are always so friendly and helpful. They remember customers so their conversation is really easy and natural, and they even got me a little birthday cake, which was the sweetest thing ever! The girls at Dubarry of Ireland are all real horse country and horse enthusiasts, so it is lovely chatting to them about walks, horse riding and country life.
While round Sloane Square, I popped into some other stores I love, Anthroplogie, Kate Spade, Space NK and Russell & Bromley. I couldn’t linger in this part of town for too long, as I had to head into central London for the Neal’s Yard Remedies press launch of Frankincense Intense Serum. It couldn’t have come on a better day for me, after all, now that I am getting older, I need to do everything I can to keep my skin youthful!
I’m a big fan of the NYR brand, their Frankincense intense cream is amazing, so I’m really excited they have created a serum as a sister product. I learnt all about the ingredients, ethics and science behind the product. As with all Neal’s Yard Remedies, this product is organic, ethical and uses all their knowledge of ancient aromatherapy. It also contains stem cell technology with proven clinical results, it is the perfect combination of old and new and it is beautifully refreshing, hydrating and fast absorbing. It really plumps the skin and leaves it youthful and hydrated. This product will be released in November 2014 and I think it will be another huge hit for the brand!
On Saturday morning, we got up late and my lovely boyfriend presented me with some beautiful gifts, a few items from him and a few items which had arrived in the post for me the days before my birthday and he had squirrelled away for me (more on them later!), we had breakfast, spoke to my family on the phone and did some ‘normal’ things for a few hours, like dropping items off at the dry cleaners and watching the Wimbledon coverage. I always think there is something really nice about keeping a little normality to crazy days like Birthdays and Christmas. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit of a child at heart and too much excitement will make me crazy!
We headed into town for a spot of shopping, the weather was pretty dreadful, but we were in high spirits and we headed to Starbucks for a birthday coffee and then to a few shops round Soho and Oxford Circus; Topshop, Office, Clarks, Urban Outfitters and Liberty. Before having a small lunch and taking a walk up Bond Street. We stopped by Penhaligon’s as I have ‘Elizabethan Rose’ on my wish list. I adore this perfume, it was created in 1984 and mixes English rose with musk, violet, geranium and violet. It really is the most beautiful perfume and I am still crazy for it, however, somehow I left the store with a bottle of Blenheim Bouquet. I am not quite sure what happened, I just fell in love with the lemon, lime and lavender scent, mixed in with base notes of pine, musk and black pepper. This scent, along with most Penhaligon’s fragrances is unisex and apparently it was worn by Winston Churchill, it is the scent of success and victory! I guess I will just have to keep Elizabethan Rose on my wish list for a little longer!
While we were in Central London, we were lucky enough to catch part of the Pride in London Parade. It was of course fabulous and a really beautiful and inspiring parade, even in the rain! There were such huge crowds for it, we had to stand quite a few rows back, but it was worth standing in the downpour for!
Then off we trotted to Laduree for some sweet treats to take away, I am pretty sure it is impossible to walk past a Laduree shop without a handful of macarons! So of course I had to treat myself, one day I will get one of those adorable bag charm / key rings too! Too cute!
Then off to Bond Street to check out the new Chanel Dallas collection, I liked it so much better in real life and one of my favourite sales assistants was in store to show me around the full ready to wear collection. When she found out it was my birthday, she insisted we had to have champagne! Champagne in Chanel?! I was in heaven! The customer service in the Bond Street store is so good, they are always so kind, helpful and knowledgable about the collections. They are never pushy and also so nice! Ah Champagne in Chanel, I was so happy!
So where do you go from here? The Ritz! I’m not even kidding! My boyfriend took me to the famous Rivoli Bar for a cocktail. I love this bar, it is tiny but beautiful, the barmen are amazing, the drinks are delicious and it is just so glamourous. Everyone thinks The Ritz is full of tourists, but all I see is the fabulous building, the dreamy decor and the glamour! I love it here, but we only stayed for one drink (it’s way to expensive to stay there all night!) so we headed to dinner, which my boyfriend had booked earlier that week at JW Steakhouse, in Park Lane. It’s not every week we eat in Park Lane, so this was a real treat! We both ordered the fillet steak, it was incredible and such a treat! It was so filling though that I couldn’t even manage desert! What a jam-packed day right? I feel incredibly lucky!
And the gifts? Feast your eyes!
Dubarry of Ireland Wallet
Dermalogica Cleanser and Eye cream
Chanel Scarf
Bernstock Speirs Bunny Cap
And can you believe?! A Cartier Ring!!!!
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