October Recap / Favourites

October has been a busy month and seems to have passed by in the blink of an eye. With it also being my birthday month it's been a bit hectic, but definitely in a good way!

As you may have already read about, I went away for a short break in Palma which was beautiful and just what the doctor ordered.

My Mum and I went out for lunch to this beautiful little tearoom which was fully in bloom with Autumn colours. We had the soup and sandwich which was lovely but ridiculously filling. But it finally seems justifiable to start eating cosy food like soup again.

My birthday came round and I managed to cram a lot (of mostly eating) in with different people. 

I had a night out with the girls and we went for tapas and cocktails which was amazing.

I was very spoilt on my birthday, not only with going out for lots of meals, but also with some lovely presents. I got a Fat Face voucher (which I put towards this and this), a Decleor facial, some perfume, candles and in an emerging theme lots of books and stationary, which will keep me going nicely through Winter! I love stationary (anyone else miss being back to school after holidays purely for the stationary?!) and my friends and family were so thoughtful when it came to choosing things to motivate and inspire me to get out of the rut I've been in lately.

My main present (I know, talk about spoilt) from my Mum was to have my hair and make up done by a professional make up artist! Matte was so lovely and he made me feel amazing, just what I needed before heading out on the town. I think I need to hire him permanently, haha.

In other not so exciting news; I've been decluttering my life and having a huge Spring (well Autumn) clean, and trying to make my little living room look cosier, which I think it does. I've been making plenty of time for myself, enjoying lazy breakfasts where I can and catching up on my reading. I've just started The Desire Map - anyone else read it? I'm not far enough into it yet to have a proper opinion, but its definitely giving me some things to think about.

In my quest for Hygge, I've been lighting candles constantly as usual, and made the executive decision that its never too early to crack out a Christmas Yankee Candle!

Finally, my only real favourite this month is MAC's Heroine, I'm loving it and it's SO bold for me, which is both scary and exciting!

How has your month been?

5 Favourite Hand Creams

It's no secret that I love a good hand cream. I'm quite obsessive about clean, good smelling hands and as I wash them a lot they can get quite dry, especially in the winter. I currently have or have had, most of these on the go at once! These are the 5 hand creams I'm loving this season.

Cath Kidston Honeysuckle Hand Cream

I got this as part of a trio of hand creams gift set, and saved the best till last. The set also featured rose and bluebell, but honeysuckle was my favourite and I've only just finished it having made it last as long as possible. It contains shea butter and vitamin E to really nourish your hands, and with no parabens is also good for you.

Soap & Glory Hand Food

Like most bloggers, I'm a big fan of Soap & Glory and hand food is one of the best products in the range, it currently lives on my desk at work. It contains shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow, I love the smell, its so distinctive and it really moisurises my hands well without feeling at all greasy. 

Figs & Rouge Rose Berry Hand Cream

I absolutely love the bright packagining, and this hand cream is completely natural and also grease free. It also contains shea butter so again it's nourishing, and its the perfect handbag size. It feels quite high end and I really like it. This one travels around in my bag with me most days.

Nivea Pure & Natural Argon Oil Hand Cream

This has been firmly ensconced next to my bedside for quite some time now, its an oldie but a goodie. A lovely smell and a very rich consistency make it perfect for use before hand (I smear it on my elbows too for good measure!) the tube also goes a really long way so it's lasted me ages.

Lanolips Lovely Lanolin Antibacterial Hand Cream

I got this one in the October Glossybox and it was my favourite product in there. I absolutely love the fact that it's antibacterial as it'll be perfect all winter, and the pretty packaging is so much more aesthetically pleasing than the usual hand sanitisers I pick up. This is just an all round winner for me, I love it.

What's your favourite hand cream? Have you tried any of these?

Palma: Where to Eat

My final post in my Palma series - I promise! 

One of the best things about Palma is the abundance of good places to eat and drink. The Spanish certainly value their food and there are some places I would definitely recommend if you ever pay Palma a visit.

The Guiness House

We sort of stumbled upon this place while we were at the Cathedral, its basically right opposite. OK, if I was to be completely honest the service was kinda rude...but if you're looking for unparalleled views of the Cathedral in all its glory this is the place for you! They had a good selection of tapas, but the prices were higher than some so we opted for pizza and sangria, and very tasty it was too.

Amorino

You can get Gelato in hundreds of different places throughout Palma, but I really liked this place. It had quite an old-school feel to it, loads of choice and the ice-cream itself is just delicious! We found this place when we hopped off the sightseeing bus, and I'm glad we did.

The Boat House

This place is so amazing it deserves it's own special post, which I just might do! I absolutely love it here, if I could bottle a happy place this would be it. The food is gorgeous, the decor and design is flawless and there's an amazing atmosphere there whether you go there by day or by night. Plus they served the best darn elderflower martini I've EVER tasted.

Pizzeria Domenica Trattoria

We had lunch here the day we visited the Port of Soller, it had a nice, relaxed ambience about it and lots of greenery which drew us in. It was a really hot day so it was nice to shelter in the shade with a glass of  wine and people watch. Again, the pizza's were really good, service was slightly slower than I'd like, but it was still a nice place to visit.

Hard Rock Cafe 

This place doesn't really need much introduction, what you see with the Hard Rock Cafe is what you get! I know they're not for everyone, but I personally really like the chain, and this one has a particularly nice feel to it. We ate there twice, and chose to sit outside both times as it was still warm enough to. The cocktails are amazing, I'd recommend the Pickled Tink. I also loved the trio of mini margaritas I had on the last night; I chose raspberry, cucumber and blue caracao and they came with cute snacks-size nachos. So good!

Sa Ribelleta 

I absolutely loved this little terrace bar right in the heart of the old town. Great service, peaceful location and a great value range of tapas (that also happened to be incredibly photogenic!) this is somewhere I would definitely recommend if you want somewhere traditional and authentic.

Have you visited any of these places?

Ultimate Vegas Outfit

(The lobby in the Bellagio)

(the world famous Bellagio fountains)

Back in 2011, I spent 5 nights in Las Vegas. To say it's one of the most surreal, unique and insane places I've ever visited would be an understatement! Vegas is quite simply, completely unlike anywhere else.

There is just SO much to do. Walking down the Strip is not something that can be done in a day, the hotels are almost unimaginably huge, and the shopping is out of this world. Vegas is somewhere that you come back from needing another holiday - but in a good way.

It's the ultimate in glamour, from the old-school style hotels and casinos in Old Vegas, to the fast-paced, high-fashion bars and restaurants along the Strip. It's the kind of place where anything goes - it doesn't matter how OTT and glitzy your outfit is, in Vegas it's perfectly acceptable.

When I went to Vegas I stayed in the Monte Carlo, and the 5* Cosmopolitan Hotel was brand new. It captured my attention then and I thought how incredible it would be to stay there if I ever returned. It's an ultra modern and high-end hotel, with a chic, sleek and sophisticated design. 

From browsing Vegas.com (which is basically the oracle of anything Vegas related) I lusted over the rooms, picturing myself in a Terrace One Bedroom with a balcony view of the Bellagio Fountains and the whole Strip panorama. Well, a girl can dream!

Being the cocktail addict I am, I've been dreaming about a night spent in The Chandelier Bar. I sneaked a peek at this when I popped in during my trip, and I just remember being dazzled by the enormous glittering chandelier hanging from floor to ceiling. This bar is adorned with 2 million crystals in strands so it makes you feel like you're wrapped in a chandelier yourself!

But what to wear to a place like this? Vegas.com* challenged me to find my #UltimateVegasOutfit but as the bar is on three tiers, I couldn't settle on just one. I headed straight to ASOS and added these beautiful dresses to my fantasy.

ASOS Gold and Navy Sparkle Mesh Skater Dress

How beautiful is this dress?! I'm in love! I'd wear this to visit the second tier of The Chandelier Bar, climbing the glass staircase to watch the cocktail mixologists at work.

ASOS White Banded Stripe Full Skirt Dress

This gorgeous dress certainly isn't cheap, but lets face it - if you were having an no-expense spared, ultimate outfit kind of night in Vegas, that would be the least of your concerns right? I'd wear this beauty to the posh top tier lounge that's full of 'feminine mystique' to look at the birds eye view. This would also be the kind of dress you'd finish off with a fancy dinner, maybe in The Bellagio overlooking the fountains.

I'd keep my accessories simple and the let the dresses do the talking - gold and glitzy would work just fine. All of these shoes and the bag are also from the ASOS website.

How would you spend your fantasy night in Vegas? Time for me to stop daydreaming and get back to reality, but for any potential trip to Las Vegas, I'd recommend checking out Vegas.com as an amazing travel resource.

Palma: What to See and Do

Following on from my my original post about my trip to Palma;  I mentioned that I'd write in more detail about what there is to see and do in the city. These are my recommendations for the things you really should see, particularly if you're only there for a short time:

The Cathedral of Santa Maria (La Seu)
A Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral that Gaudi designed, it's absolutely breathtaking. I don't claim to know much about architecture, but I'm a big fan of Gaudi and absolutely love seeing his work in Barcelona. When I discovered he had worked on this cathedral I knew I wanted to visit; we went last time and it stuck in my head as being incredible.
It's so unique and detailed, it just took my breath away. I don't think any photos can do it justice.

Ferrocarril de Soller

This wooden train has been running between Palma and the village of Soller since 1912, and its definitely one of the main things to do in Palma. The journey takes around an hour, and the views are fabulous - you go through mountains and lemon groves. Soller itself is a really pretty little village, with cobbled streets, local delicatessens, a beautiful cathedral and lots of little cafes. It would be quite easy to while away the hours there, but if you wanted to head to the Port of Soller you can catch a wooden tram from the main station, and spend the day at the beach. For a combined train-tram trip (which we did) it´s around 30 euros. 

Cuevas del Drach
These caves are simply stunning. We went into a Tourist Information Office and booked a bus trip, although we were told you can also make your own way there quite easily. Personally I prefer trips as you get picked up and dropped off at your hotel and there´s a guide with you to answer questions, but it´s a matter of personal preference. The bus journey took around 90 mins, and you can get round the caves in about 45 minutes to an hour. I´d recommend wearing flat shoes as it can be slightly slippery in parts, and it´s also fairly humid in there. There are beautiful formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and the highlight for me was a 10 minute classical music concert played by a string quartet on a boat in the pitch black, only lit up by fairy lights around the boat! It was magical and well worth seeing. Tickets for the caves are around 15 euros, but we paid more because we had our bus journey there and back too.

Finally:

Hop On/Off Sightseeing Bus
We did this on both our trips, as although Palma is a reasonably compact city with everything mostly within walking distance, I think these buses are a great way of getting an overview of everything. I like sitting on the open top deck and feeling the wind in my hair (haha) but its also better for getting clear photos. The tour takes in the cathedral, castle, marina, and old town. We bought our tickets from our hotel reception (can´t remember the exact price but it was pretty reasonable) but there´s an office near the seafront, or as the name suggests you can just hop on and off a red bus when it passes!

Do you fancy doing any of these things?