SO PROUD.

I'm all about empowerment and lifting others up, especially when it comes to those closest to me. Take my friend, Diana, for example: She has worked her arse off for the past three years, working seven days a week for months straight, all to achieve one of her biggest dreams: landing a job at Vogue. I could not be more proud of MY ultimate girl boss. Oh, and she also happens to be one of my favourite people in the world, the absolute boss babe that she is. Despite not living as close as we used to, we still make an effort to spend time together, which is why we recently put her new Vogue skills to the test and had a photoshoot and day out in one of our favourite areas of London; Notting Hill. Here are some photos from the day...

You're Taking WHAT?!

It's official: I am all packed up and off to university. Yep, this time next week I will be moving into my halls of residance, ready to start my Forensic Science and Criminology course. Though I do have two weeks of Freshers to look forward to first... Admittedly I should now be entering my third year of university, but have been putting it off to cuddle koalas and find monkeys in tropical rainforests, and it was worth every second. I was going to defer my offer for yet another year, but chose not to for fear of giving my family a heart attack. I spent the last month back at my family home in Spain, packing up suitcase after suitcase, and was amazed at just how much stuff I had packed that wasn't clothes. I want my room to feel homelike, so made sure to pack some special pieces from my room...

A London Adventure.

Despite having visited some amazing places this past year, there is something about London that I just love and can never get out of my head. I think it'll always be the city that I want to come back to. One of my favourite things to do is to just go out with no objective in mind and explore, which is exactly what Diana and I did recently. Brunch was of course on the agenda. We ended up going to Farm Girl in Notting Hill, where we both enjoyed avocado and strawberry on toast with a poached egg. It was amazing - I love brunch. Next we decided to do something that, surprisingly, neither of us had done, and that was hire bikes and cycle around the city. We ended up cycling all through Hyde Park, where we visited the new entrance to a temporary pavilion (a must for architect lovers), and Kensington Gardens, mainly because Diana is slightly in love with Prince Harry and I consider myself to be a Queen. We also took a fair few outfit photos, because who wouldn't take advantage of the coloured houses in Notting Hill and amazing street art in Carnaby Street? Unlike me, Diana has her posing game down. We ended our day out in the only way we know how; prosecco and vodka. 

Liberty London Lovin'...

If there's one thing I love to do in London, it's window shopping. With department stores like Liberty, Selfridges & Harrods on every corner, it's hard not to. No matter where I am or who I'm with, I make it my mission to head into one of these stores to lust after one of the many items that I have my eyes on. During a visit to Liberty on one of my last days in London, the particular item I wanted to try on was a pair of the Valentino Rockstud pumps that everyone other than me seems to have. Unfortuntely for me, a UK size 7 & 8 (my shoe size varies) seem to be the most popular sizes, meaning every colour I wanted to try on was unavailable. The only pair left in my size were white, though thankfully they weren't the kitten heel version. Despite being very high and having such a thin heel, they were pretty easy to walk in, and even with a pointed toe, they were pretty comfy, though I don't know just how long that would last for. Though I wouldn't buy these in white, I'll take one in every other colour, please.

THE Place to Visit in London & Meeting the Cast of Zoolander.

While in London, I think it's safe to say that I did my fair share of exploring. I visited all the local tourist spots, like Buckingham Palace, but also discovered some secret hidden gems, like The Sky Garden. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it hidden, as it's one of the tallest buildings in London, and it's practically fully-booked every hour that it's open, but not many people seem to talk about it. Though there is always a queue (there are also searches and metal detectors), it is 100% worth it. Once you reach the top, you are greeted with a 360º view of London; St Paul's, The London Eye, Tower Bridge, The Shard and more. It's quite ironic that it's located near The Shard, given the fact that both have the exact same views, they just range in price, with The Sky Garden being free and The Shard being, well, ridiculously over-priced. You're free to spend as much time at The Sky Garden as you like. There are mini cafe areas (I'd go just for the carrot cupcakes with vanilla frosting), plenty of seating (both inside and out) and even restaurants, both for food and champagne. I'd imagine them to be a great place for a party, and a great place to take blog photos, as I think I've proven with this post...

Gazelli House Spa.*

Instagram is definitely my favourite form of social media. Not only does it allow me to share photos and my friends to keep up with my travels as I'm off swanning around the place, but it has also allowed me to partner with brands and meet some amazing people, like those from Gazelli House who have just opened a flashship store in Knightsbridge, London. They very kindly invited me over to see the place one cold, wet weekday, just before I left for Australia. It's amazing who you can meet on Instagram just by uploading a photo of your feet (#IHaveThisThingWithFloors).

A Day Out in Hamstead Heath.

Just because I'm now in Australia doesn't mean I can't reminisce about my wonderful time in London, especially my last week, which was spent exploring and visiting the most famous sites, including Hamstead. My friend, Amita, and I headed there one day after a three hour wait in A&E. Admittedly this probably wasn't the best thing to do having popped my knee in and out of place, but my time in England was running out and I was determined to make the most of every moment. 

A Snowy Day at Richmond Park.

You know those people who make you forget to look at your phone and who make time fly? Ariadna is one of them. A prime example of this is how we went out for dinner together a few weeks ago, ready for a good old catch-up after two weeks apart (sob), only to end up spending an entire four days together. Our first day consisted of going out for dinner, Leonard DiCaprio waving at us and us not realising because we were too busy talking (classic us) and then walking straight past Tom Hardy without realising until it was too late. Those last two things made us both very angry. Day 2 was spent getting all dressed up, heading out for a night out and then staying up until 5am before rolling out of bed at 10am for day 3, which was brunch at Granger & Co. and a walk around London. Our final day was spent at Richmond Park, which I thought I'd share some photos of.