Tag: Blogger

Weekend in Wales

by CharlRose, posted in Places, Travel

To celebrate Dan’s birthday, we decided to take a trip to Wales and stay in the area of Ruthin in a geopod. This was something that both Dan and I had never done. The pictures on the website looked lovely and it seemed like the perfect getaway for a weekend. The accommodation was called Ty Famau Geo Lodges. We had our very own fire pit and fire heated hot tub.

The pods had no wifi or television which was a lovely change and allowed us to have a bit of a digital detox. The hot tub took around 7 hours to heat up on a wintery, January evening. However, we managed to get the hot tub to around 22 degrees, which was warm and bearable.

The next morning we went to Bala Lake, it was an hour and a half drive from the lodges. We got wrapped up and went for a stroll along the lakeside it was quiet and peaceful. The only people around the lake were locals, kayaking.

We then drove to beautiful Betws-Y-Coed, the views on the way there were amazing. Huge pillow-like hills and winding roads.

We were hoping to find an old traditional welsh pub for some food but sadly due to COVID the places that were open were very limited. After a lot of searching we found an old family ran pub which was heavenly to look at but sadly the food was disappointing to say the least.

Betws-Y-Coed was quaint little village, the beautiful forest views in the background were giving me Decode by Paramore vibes. I loved the dark, creepy atmosphere and the misty hills made it perfect for some dark aesthetic photography.

Back at the lodge, we had a dip in the hot tub with a red wine and a night of trivia quizzes and music.

The next day we wanted some late breakfast or some lunch locally, but again the search was strenuous. We ended up at a strange little ‘pub’ at the bottom of mount snowdon. I say ‘pub’ but it was actually a mans home. He kindly offered Dan and I a spot in-front of his fire with a delightful cup of coffee. He recommended a pub in Caernarfon called ‘The Black Boy Inn‘. A very questionable name for a pub but nevertheless the food was amazing! It was exactly what we had been looking for.

We had a wonderful weekend and I would highly recommend the lodges and all of the places I have mentioned in this blog post. To follow my new instagram page click the following link earlgrey_aesthetics.

Birthday Trip to Cambridge

by CharlRose, posted in Lifestyle, Places, Travel

This blog post is highly overdue, considering my birthday was in August. However, since our trip to Cambridge, a lot has happened. I went back to work, my partner and I decided to move in together, and then I caught COVID. So a very busy/hectic few months.

I am so happy to finally get the chance to sit down and write about our trip. It was a lovely surprise to find out that we were going to Cambridge because I have always wanted to go. Dan booked a room for us at Fellows House, which is part of the Curio Collection by The Hilton. The building itself was gorgeous and the interiors were very plush with stylish marbled floors and an exquisite bar and lounge area.

Punting

The highlight of the trip for me had to be our romantic punting along the River Cam. Dan used a company called Rutherford’s Punting which he booked in advance. We chose the ‘romantic experience’ which included a little bottle of champagne. It was such a relaxing experience, floating along the calm waters, taking in all of the beautiful architecture and history. It was a great opportunity to take in the cities heritage and monumental university buildings, I felt like a young Sylvia Plath (literacy/poetry nerd reference).

Food

On the first night, we went to a restaurant called The Old Bicycle Shop. It was a quirky little place with a lovely, relaxed dinner vibe. I have included a picture of the menu below for a sneak peek of what delicious food they have to offer.

The next day, we went to The Giggling Squid, which we didn’t realise at the time was part of a chain. The food they served was Asian cuisine but what was even more impressive was the building. I felt entranced by its fabulous glass dome and botanical interior.

On the last evening, after our punting on the river we went to a fantastic restaurant on the water called The River Bar Steakhouse. We had a stunning view of the river from our table and the service and staff were fantastic.

Exploring the city

I loved exploring the beautiful city of Cambridge, it was a little bit like stepping back in time as a student, although I can only wish I went to the University of Cambridge.

It was a wonderful trip, with lots to see and do. Hopefully this blog post encourages you to visit and experience the magic of Cambridge.

The Cosy Cotswolds pt 1

by CharlRose, posted in Travel

I’m back with another UK travel blog post, this time in the Cotswolds. I have wanted to visit the Cotswolds for as long as a can remember. Everyone that I have spoke to have said that it would be my idea of a dream location. The oldie worldie stone brick houses, toy town villages and the sprightly country air , what more could I ask for?

A few months ago, my boyfriend and I decided to book a little weekend away together. We was both feeling a little bit stressed with work and we needed a break, a change of scenery to relax and escape reality. We set off on a Friday afternoon expecting to hit some traffic, but luckily we completely sailed through and made it to Burford in 2 hours.

We arrived at our hotel The Lambs Inn, it was in a lovely quiet area 2 miles from Bourton-on-the-Water. After the journey, we wanted to freshen up and eat, so we booked a table in the hotel’s restaurant. I was ready for a glass of red wine and some hearty, wholesome food. I had a sirloin steak and Dan went for a traditional fish and chips. The food was very tasty but the great quality red wine was even tastier.

The next day, we came up with a rough agenda of the places that we wanted to visit so that we could fit in as much sightseeing as we could. Bibury was the first place on the agenda. Bibury is a quaint little village with gorgeous scenery and lots of sleepy cottages dotted around the outskirts.

We discovered that we could get free parking for the day if we visited The Trout Farm. The Trout farm was a lovely little spot where you can feed, catch and buy fresh fish from the farmers market every Saturday and Sunday. BBQ’s are available to book and you can have a gathering of up to 12 people. I thought this was a great concept, now that restrictions are lifting, I think it would be a perfect social setting for a warm, sunny day.

After having a little look around The Tout Farm, we wandered into Bibury to have a browse around the village. The cottages were so cute and picturesque, I was ready to pack my bags and move to the country.

We hadn’t eaten breakfast and was feeling a little peckish so we decided to find a little coffee shop/post office to pick up a coffee and a homemade sausage roll, it was delicious!

The market town of Stow-on-the-Wold is one of the best places to visit in the Cotswolds. When we arrived it was very busy so we sat and enjoyed a lovely refreshing drink at the The Bell pub. We sat in these adorable little pods with cushions and blankets, it created the perfect cosy atmosphere for an afternoon tipple.

Stow-on-the-Wold is a great place to do a spot of window shopping there are lots of bakeries, butchers, clothing stores, antique shops and little quirky cosmetics stores.

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We followed our walk with an afternoon tea at Lucy’s Tea Room. The tea room can also get very busy so you might have to be prepared to wait for a table, but the warm scones and extensive choice of cakes are to die for!

Cotswolds blog post part 2 coming soon.

Bonjour de Lyon!

by CharlRose, posted in Travel

I have been slightly nervous to make this post, as it has been a good year since logging onto my blog. However, after a nudge from my supportive other half I decided to get behind the keyboard. I wanted to share some pictures from a recent trip to Lyon. I have missed writing about my trips and travels. I managed to capture some lovely shots of the city and views from Chessy,  the area in which we stayed.

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I was a little apprehensive about going back to France, having not had the best experience in Paris. I was reassured the cities were completely different and I was sure to have a pleasant stay. After visiting the city for myself, I can confirm both cities are vastly different. Lyon is a combination of both cosmopolitan and quaintly cultural.

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I am embarrassed but also not at all sorry to say my first protocol of the trip was a visit Sephora to do some shopping. After spending a decent proportion of my euros, we went to find a local place to eat.  I love to try local cuisine whenever I am travelling to get a feel for the city and their culture. We went to a traditional Lyonnaise restaurant and had a three course meal in the middle of the day because that’s what you do on your holidays.  I of course had two glasses of wine with my meal because why on earth would I not make the most of the beautiful french grapes. We had a strange pork dish in a sweet and sour sauce placed on top of a garlic and cheese cream. It was surprisingly delicious despite the unlikely combination.  Restaurant Le Comptoir des Marronniers.

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We visited the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere on a funicular ( a word I could never remember until now). It was all very scenic and the perfect opportunity for a few photographs.

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We wandered around the old town. Sadly on this day the weather wasn’t as picturesque but I still managed capture a couple of nice shots of the cobbled side streets.

On the final night we were kindly treated to a Michilen star meal at L’Embarcadère. It was lovely food and the perfect end to a relaxing trip away.

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So, here’s to many more travels *wine clink* and hopefully a few more blog posts to come.

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Getting it together

by CharlRose, posted in Lifestyle
Inhale and exhale.
Starting a fresh isn’t as easy as it sounds. In my opinion progression is gradual and so is success, diving in head first isn’t always the answer and usually puts more pressure on yourself than needed.
Trying to hold it together all the time is draining and can be stressful. Slip ups are bound to happen. I want this to be the year of “a little goes a long way”. Its the little changes, stepping an inch further out of my comfort zone and aiming just a little bit higher. That way there is no pressure and I can allow myself to do it at my own pace. I’m designing the lifestyle I want to live.
Ive started working out more and it has got me feeling inspired and motivated. I’m not the type to be fretting over a number on the scales to see progression, I think seeing a physical difference is the driving force. Putting a little more time into meal prep and cutting back on saturated fats and sugars has been the game changer. After Christmas, it took me a while to get out of to anti-climatic lull of January. However, I’m happy to say I came out the other end and I’m in a really good place.
Onwards and upwards hunnies!

Flying Solo To Bali

by CharlRose, posted in Travel
I have finally got around to sitting down and writing this overdue blog post. Yes, I travelled to Bali on my own! Well kind of, I went with a tour group called ‘BaliIntro’. It was a group of 18-30 year olds all keen to travel Bali and have a summer adventure. The idea of sitting on a plane for 20+ hours on my own was my worst nightmare. However, the flight wasn’t half bad, I received regular free food and had a decent line up of films to watch. Looking back the travelling seemed minor and the amazing memories make it completely worth it!

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Bali itself is insanely beautiful. I had this preconceived notion that Bali would be exactly like Thailand. I was totally mistaken. They were both as amazing in their own rights. Bali (to me) had hippy/surfer feels. The beaches were insane and the sunsets were even more so. Luckily the group I went with were super lovely and made my trip so special.
I (kind of) learnt the basics of surfing, came face to face with thieving monkeys, visited the most beautiful waterfall I have ever seen and partied the night away on a beach. I would highly recommend travelling with ‘Bali Intro’ they were so accommodating, extremely helpful and our tour guide Kerri was lovely.
Intro Travel

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Cosy Homeware Haul

by CharlRose, posted in Homeware, Lifestyle
The festive season is upon us! I love the winter season for its dark nights lit with candle light, cuddly throws and warm woolies. It is no secret that I love Christmas and all the bells and bows to go with it. I thought I would do a haul of a few homeware bits that I have picked up to get me ready for the wintery months ahead, which will be spent predominantly indoors.
Firstly I picked up this cute wooden star decoration from Paperchase. I love anything that is handcrafted or recycled-up into home decor. This Sparkly star decoration is rustic,  quirky and sprinkled in glitter, perfect piece for the season.

 

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I picked up three beautiful decorative pillows, one from Marks and Spencer and the other from ASDA (yes ASDA!). The first one is a winter wonderland pillow, with a cute reindeer on it and snowflakes falling from the sky. I amazingly later discovered that it also lights up! The second pillow has a  stunning robin red breast on it, simple yet effective. The Last, was a cute little red pillow with a big ‘C’ embossed on the front.

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The next homeware piece is more of a present from me to me. I have wanted one of these for quite a while now and when I saw this particular one on the Urban Outfitters website I had to snatch it up
Its a Record Player!
The moment it arrived in the post, I quickly set it up,  grabbed a bunch of my dads 80s records and got to listening. Undoubtedly the sound isn’t as clear as a CD but I think that a what gives it so much character and makes it an authentic sound.

record-player

The final piece I picked up was this Scandinavian style, rose gold candle holder. I love the simplicity of Scandinavian design and wanted to try and incorporate some of this into my home. This is again a piece homeware that is so minimalistic but so effective. I picked this beauty up from a local coffee house/ gift shop called Nonsense.

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Last Minute Trip to Barcelona

by CharlRose, posted in Travel
First of all I want to start this blog post with an apology. Recently, I have been lacking in motivation and inspiration, hence the lack of blog posts I have been uploading. I am happy to say I have recharged my batteries and now eagar to dive back into blogging. So I should have more content coming a little more regularly.
I’ve wanted to visit Barcelona for a while now, not just for the renowned shopping attractions but to see the cultural sights, so me and my friend Naomi booked a last minute flight for 3 days. Before we travelled to Barcelona I looked up a few tourist attractions that I particularly wanted to visit, we unfortunately didn’t have the time to see all of them but we crammed in as much as we could.
The stayed at the Barcelona Princess Hotel, it had spectacular views of the city and a rooftop pool.

Rooftops

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We went to the main beach in Barcelona where the sand ran all the way down to the marina. The marina was particularly upmarket with expensive bars, restaurants and clubs.

The next day we decided to go into Barcelona centre and visit the ‘Gothic Quarter’ and ‘La Rambla’ to do a little shopping. We saw Barcelona Cathedral which was incredible, yet to be finished but recognised for its architectural beauty.

Of course when we got to La Rambla we did a little shopping! Our first port of call was Sephora, me and Naomi well and truly took advantage of being able to buy Sephora products (seen as we don’t have one at home).
Sephora haul coming soon!

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On our last full day we went to Park Güell, I had seen pictures of this place on Instagram before and thought it looked beautiful. When we arrived we were disappointed to discover you can only enter the main park between 8am-9am and 8pm-9pm. We quickly realised it wasn’t completely necessary to buy a ticket to see the beautiful ornament creations, there was a public park that overlooked the premises with glorious scenery.

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I loved my mini break to Barcelona and would advise anyone to take a trip there, whether it is to see the sights or do some shopping its a beautiful location. If I was to go again I would probably stay for 4 days, I felt there was so much more we could have seen but simply didn’t have the time.
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Pyjama style jacket – Zara
Similar Dress- Boohoo

Dubrovnik | Croatia

by CharlRose, posted in Travel

Overview Croatia

 I’ve needed a little holiday for a while. A trip somewhere that i’d never visited. Croatia seemed to be the place to go this year, so me and my friend Naomi booked a last minute getaway to Dubrovnik for five days. We stayed at the Hilton Imperial Hotel, which seemed, when we arrived to be the only hotel in the old town. Without knowing we managed to book ourselves the best room in the  hotel, with the most amazing view of Dubrovnik old town.

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We strolled around the glorious Old Town of Dubrovnik. It was engulfed with tourists from all around the world, hoping to get a photograph that resembles the very setting of Game of Thrones, which was famously shot in Dubrovnik.

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On out second day, we decided to walk the high walls of the Old Town which was incredibly exhausting in 25 degree heat, but somehow we managed to complete the entire perimeter of the old city before lunch.

Naomi and I both love Watersports, so when we found out there was an opportunity to kayak around the Croatian Island of Locrum and visit it’s caved beaches we jumped at the chance.

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On our last full day sadly the weather wasn’t as pleasant,  however we had an Island Cruise pre-booked which allowed us to explore the different Islands around Dubrovnik. So we packed day bag and boarded the boat for a day of sight seeing.

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My personal favourite island was Koločep. There were cute little coffee shops and bakeries along the coast, locals were sitting along the shore licking ice creams and drinking wine (living the dream).
Whilst exploring we discovered a park that featured an enchanting botanical garden that appeared tropical and untouched.

 

I loved my trip to Croatia, It was everything I had hoped for and more!
Our hotel location and room itself couldn’t have been better and the staff were extremely friendly and polite. We were never stuck with what to do or see, if anything we only scratched the surface on what Dubrovnik had to offer.
I’m itching to go back already!

 

Frizz Control

by CharlRose, posted in Beauty
Unfortunately, I inherited my crazy curly/frizzy hair from my mum. Ever since I was little I have always struggled to keep it under control. I have used sooo many different products on the market to relax the fizz, but none have seemed to do the job. On a shopping trip I decided to pick up a few products recommended by friends and my hairdresser and decided to give them a try.

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The first product I used was Aussie’s ‘Miracle Hair Insurance Lightweight Conditioning Spray’. I was sold on this product as it wass advertised as a detangling and protecting spray. Having frizzy hair it is a painful and annoying experience having to brush wet hair. This spray however softens the hair like a conditioner and allows me to comb through my hair with ease. It also smells amazing!

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I then used  John Frieda’s ‘Fizz Ease, Perfect Finish’ serum. This serum is honestly the dream! Not only does it nourish my hair to give it a gleaming shine, but it also reduces my hairs natural fizz immensely. I simply rubbed the product in my hands for a few seconds then spread evenly through the ends of my hair, avoiding the roots.

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Once I had styled my hair I used the ‘Fix Anti-Frizz, Strong-Hold Spray’ from the ‘L’Oreal Professionnel’ range.  It really does have a Strong hold so spray it at least 35cm away from your hair and use sparingly.

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Last but not least, I sprayed the Mark Hill ‘Taming Anti Humidity’ spray all over my hair. This spray is designed to give your hair an instant shine and it also has anti humidity qualities to keep your pesky fly aways at bay!

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