Where to eat in London: Dinerama, Shoreditch.

I have to admit, I am a self-confessed foodie. There is nothing my boyfriend/family and I love doing more than going for dinner and eating until it gets to the point we're on the brink of a food coma. If I'm honest, this (accompanied by my shopping addiction) is what most of my spare money goes on and when I'm happiest. I just love finding hidden gems and trying new places and reporting back to my friends and family on my favourite finds.

A few months back I was watching Lily Pebbles on snapchat and saw she was in Shoreditch eating, what looked like, the most incredible street food I'd ever seen. Being the food obsessor that I am, I swiftly got my ass on google and looked up food markets in Shoreditch and came across the website for Dinerama. This was just what I was searching for; A place which offers so much choice and is edgy and cool with it. After looking at the different types of food on offer I was hooked and debating when I could visit.

I don't live near Shoreditch, or very near London for that matter so popping to Dinerama for me isn't easy. It just so happened that I mentioned how obsessed I was with the idea of this place, to my parents a month or so ago, and they came up with the idea of going to London for my birthday and stopping by Dinerama whilst there. And that, my friends, is exactly what we did!

This was my first visit to Shoreditch, and I quickly began to realise that this area of London differed from some of the areas I had visited before. This place was more urban and stylish.

When we first walked into Dinerama, this place looked a little underwhelming. Old containers are piled up and it seems a little bit dodgy if I'm totally honest. Now I'm not going to lie, I could have easily turned around and waked away upon first look but I am soo glad I looked past the initial picture and continued to walk in. Once I got to the main area where all the eateries are and the seating area is, this anxiety diminished and I instantly fell in love with this place. Dinerama is hands down one of the coolest places I have ever been to. The design is so effortless and stripped back and as a result everything just felt so laid back here. The area is scattered with booths selling a variety of different foods and then there are just a few long benches in the middle for you to grab a seat and take in the edgy London atmosphere.

When it comes to food, I am not joking when I say this was some of the best food I've ever tasted. My family and I all chose something from a different stand and then brought all we had together to share. This I would definitely recommend because then you get to try a bit of everything! I cannot tell you how amazing the Yum Bun pork belly buns were, OMG I need a lorry full of these! Another favourite were the ribs accompanied by Cajun fries! (If I could insert a heart eyed emoji right now I would). We also tried BBQ chicken wings, hoi-sin duck wraps and duck fat chips. It was all amazing. One thing I didn't try, were the sliders which looked incredible - one for next time!

I cannot recommend this place more! Dinerama is a place I can't wait to visit again and Shoreditch as a whole is a really cool place to go. We also went to Box Park whilst in Shoreditch and that again was a really different and fun experience. I can't help but think how amazing the night life must be here and that Dinerama must come alive in the night time!

I hope you've enjoyed me rambling on about food. Let me know if you'd like more of these sort of posts! Oh and please tell me more amazing places to eat both in London and elsewhere!

Okay now I'm hungry.
Lots of Love,
Jade

I think I've found the one: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation.

Yeah, that's right...I'm making the bold statement and saying I think this may be the best foundation...ever. Not that i've actually tried all the foundations in the world, but i have tried quite a few in my time and none have wowed me like this one has. If your not a foundation lover then this post is definitely not for you. Get ready for a whole lot'a swooning!

So lets talk packaging first of all. I love it (surprisingly). I think it looks so luxe and classy. The bottle is glass and has a bit of weight to it and isn't totally clear; kind of frosty. I just think it is slick and very chanel! Also.. it has a pump! Thank you chanel, thank you! I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to use a foundation such as Nars Sheer Glow which doesn't come with a pump. Mess central!

Moving on to the actual product! So as the name suggests, this is a glowy foundation but not as I've previously known it.  It doesn't look wet when you apply it, if you know what I mean. It isn't shiny but instead offers a 'lit from within' sort of glow. Which i'm all over (who isn't?). The texture of this foundation is actually quite thick but it blends so nicely and flawlessly and leaves your skin feeling hydrated as well as looking god damn amazing! I love the way it wears as well. When I first put this stuff on in the morning I love the flawless finish it offers, but by the end of the day, after a good 7 hours, my skin looks dewy and plump and I love that look also!

Can we also just appreciate the scent! OMG this stuff smells bloody amazing! It has the beautiful Chanel scent; fruity and fresh!

When it comes to the coverage of this product, I would say it offers medium coverage which gives a 'my skin but better' look. But it can be built up really easily into a full coverage.

Lastly I want to talk about the shade. As you may have already noticed, I am a pale gal! Very pale actually! I don't know why because my mum and dad have more olivy skin and tan up like a dream, but hey ho.. what can you do! Anyway this foundation is the best colour match I have ever found! I can't really touch drugstore foundations unless it's the middle of summer time due to the fact they just don't go pale enough for me. But this 'beige' is the perfect colour. Ironically it isn't actually that beige! I hear beige and think yellow (i don't know why) but actually this foundation has the perfect pink tones and yellow tones which balance your skin tone and actually look like skin! I wear N10.

So theres a lot of positives for this bad boy! If i was to touch on negatives, which I don't think there are many, I would say:

- It is quite expensive, costing £36. But I think it is defo worth it!
- I personally love the packaging but some may not see it as travel friendly due to the weight and worry of breakages.
- There are only 9 shades (that I can see) which isn't actually that many and therefore it could be seen as a bit restricted. I would definitely advise going to a Chanel counter and having a good swatch! The ladies are usually lovely and always happy to help! The lady I brought mine from put me a whole face of foundation on and also some lipgloss and blush before I even committed to buying.

So there you have it, my holy grail (ahhh). Let me know if you've tried this foundation or any other products in the Les Beiges range. Or give me some recommendations for other foundations.. I am always up for some enabling!

Lots of love,
Jade

Choosing a career path: It's ok not to know.

As someone who has kind of drifted through life (career-wise) with no real direction and who has struggled with making decisions, deciding upon which career is best for me has been really difficult. Don't get me wrong, I have got more of an idea in recent years of what I want to do but deciding and sticking to one career kind of scares me. When I was at school I was always an Arty, Drama, English sort of girl and maths, well lets just say neither I liked it nor did it like me! So I suppose I always thought I'd end up doing something along those lines, but as I got older I gave less time to my loves and instead spent more time focussing on friends and what they were doing. When it comes to education, I wouldn't say I'm an academic person but then again I'm not stupid.. and I suppose I'm a bit sad that I prioritised other things in my schooling years and only put in the effort I had to, as I think my grades could have been better!

I didn't do bad in my GCSEs and following this, I stayed on at school and did my A levels in English Language, Sociology and Health and Social Care. I think when I was doing my A levels I realised I needed to put a bit more effort in (well in the second year especially, after having multiple break downs over work) and as a result I came out with quite good grades. It was at this point that I gained a real love for sociology and also writing.

University was never on my radar and throughout sixth form I remained adamant that I was not going to go to university and steered away from UCAS at all costs. However the day I received my A level results this all changed. I don't think I, nor my teachers, expected me to get the grades necessary for university so when it turned out that I had actually managed to get them, the head of sixth form kind of gave me the shove I needed and advised I looked into the possibility of uni. Not only that but I was met by the realisation that I had my A levels but had no idea what to do next. People say don't go to uni just to buy you more time.. but if I'm honest that's exactly what I did and I wouldn't say it's such a terrible thing.

When it came to choosing a course I returned back to my love for art and I researched courses in art and fashion but I failed to find a course that was right for me; I wanted to stay at home and therefore go to a uni near me, and all the courses available required A level art, which I didn't have. This highlights an issue which worries me; that the decisions you make when you are 16 can affect your opportunities in later life. Who really knows what they want to do when they are 15/16?

Anyway, after research and visiting UCS (university in Ipswich) I decided to totally switch it up and signed up for a Bsc in Criminology (where did that come from?). I mainly chose this because I found I had a real passion for sociology at sixthform and one of the modules was the sociology of crime.At multiple points in my degree I genuinely questioned whether the course was right for me and whether I should actually quit, but I didn't. I stuck it out, and now have completed my degree!

So now I am met with the same question.. what to do next? And if I'm honest I don't really know the answer but I know there are so many possibilities! I am contemplating a masters, mainly to change my career path (so, not in criminology) as I have decided that crime isn't the career I want. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that it is so easy to feel overwhelmed and to worry about what to do next. Life might seem a little muddled and as you can see from my story so far, some decisions may not be the perfect ones but it is never too late to do what you want to do! I would also say that education is never a bad decision. Yes I may not have chosen a degree which suited me the best, but it is a degree and that surely is never a bad thing! So if like me you are a bit stuck with what career is best for you, my advice would be to try everything and anything out and trust that you will find something which suits you. Don't see it as a negative but instead see it as a positive; life has ALOT to offer and you can be whatever you want to be (how cliché)

Lots of love,
Jade xx

Travel // A relaxing holiday in Menorca.

So today's post is something a little different. I recently visited the beautiful island of Menorca and being a place I have visited many times before, I thought I would write a post about not only my recent stay but also some of my favourite aspects of the island.

So firstly lets talk FOOD! I am a serious lover of Spanish food! Paella, Spanish omelettes and deep fried squid..I love it all! Menorca has the most gorgeous cuisine and an array of quaint cafes and restaurants, all offering home made dishes. I mean.. look at the Tapas!!

I went to Menorca with my Mum, Dad, Brother and Sister and it was so lovely to spend some quality time with my family! We stayed in Calla en Porter which is a beautiful town with stunning views and all the necessities you will need! My family own a villa here so we have visited quite a few times and I still love it! It is such a welcoming and homely town! The beach was about a 15 minute walk from our villa and it was amazing. Soft sand and crystal clear sea! We took a pedalo out one day and snorkeled around the rocks. 

When it comes to what I wore on holiday, if I'm honest I didn't take many outfit photos due to it being so hot! But my sister and I did wear some really pretty metallic temporary tattoos to dinner most nights, which were sold in the cutest boutique in the town! 

I hope you've enjoyed taking a little look at my holiday snaps and maybe I have inspired you to visit Menorca! It really is a stunning island which offers the traditional buildings and villas, along side beautiful new swimming pools and shops and restaurants which make the stay extra special!

Lots of Love,

Jade xxxx