Afternoon Tea with Fleur de Force

Way back in February, Fleur de Force released her book, The Glam Guide. I bought this in Sainsburys while doing my food shop, and noticed a sticker on the front. This was an exclusive competition for Sainsburys customers only, to win afternoon tea with Fleur herself. I'd been watching her YouTube videos since about 2011, so I entered, not expecting to hear anything back at all. So imagine my surprise when I received an email from Fleur in March, telling me that I had won! 

The invite was for afternoon tea at The Berkeley Hotel in London - I googled it, it's fancy! So on the 29th May, I packed up my book (meaning to get it signed, but obviously being too stupid to remember it was there!), and headed into London for the day! 

I met Fleur at the entrance to the hotel - there was a man in a top-hat outside the revolving doors who told me where to go... Told you it was fancy! I was worried that there would be awkward silences or that we wouldn't have anything to talk about, but I couldn't have been more wrong! She is such a lovely girl, and we chatted about YoutTube culture, being recognised in public etc., but she was also asking loads of questions about myself, about my degree, future plans, my blog, and if I'd ever considered starting a YouTube channel. 

But enough about that. Let's move on to the food! 

The premise of Pret-a-Portea is that all of the cakes are made to look like recent fashion trends, so the menu changes every season. Everything was super colourful, and the china... I just wanted to take them home!

We opted for the champagne afternoon tea, because if you can't drink champagne in a posh hotel, when can you? After the champagne, I chose the pot of Lemongrass and Ginger tea, which was pretty darn tasty. I was also "that girl" who spilt her champagne on more than one occasion... Yep. Stay classy, Kathryne. 

When the savoury plates came out, I was overwhelmed with choice. There was a selection of sandwiches, and some bite-sized options that were quite exotic. I'm quite a picky eater, so a lot of it was definitely out of my comfort zone, but the ones I did like, were really tasty! 

After the savoury food was devoured, then came the cakes...

Three tiers to devour, and I'd say we managed quite well! As mentioned above, each cake was designed based on one of the current fashion trends. Here is the link to the menu so you can find out what's what! 

Everything was so delicious, but for looks, my favourites were the cute Anya Hindmarch's handbag and the Giambattissta Valli cakes. They made my eyes happy as well as my tastebuds.

Once we were finished, they gave us the leftovers in a little bag, which I so kindly let my brother and sister have! I know, top sibling points!

I had such a lovely afternoon, and would highly recommend The Berkeley for afternoon tea if you have the money! And if you ever see Fleur out and about, she confirmed that she truly enjoys meeting viewers, so don't be scared to approach her - she truly is lovely! 

Summer Staples

I was recently contacted by Raise.com and was asked to write a fashion post about my summer wardrobe. I've been meaning to write more fashion posts over the past few months, so this was the perfect opportunity to do so!

Raise.com is an online marketplace, where you can sell unwanted gift cards and buy them back at a discounted rate. I loved the concept of this, as it means you can buy a gift card for yourself or as a gift, for cheaper than the price of the actual gift card! There's a ton of reputable brands included (some of my favourites being Target, Sephora, Bath & Body Works, SO many!), and it makes me wish I lived in the US so I could take full advantage of the site (although I've been told that they're looking to expand into other countries soon!). So without further ado, here are my favourite summer fashion items!

Bikinis

Living in the UK, the weather's always pretty unpredictable. But when summer rolls around, it's holiday time, and I love shopping for the perfect bikinis to wear at the beach. All three of these are from Primark, paired with a pair of sandals. 

Shorts

I love wearing shorts all year round, but it's great to be able to wear them without a pair of tights underneath! I love floral print, and this pair from Forever 21 flatter my body shape perfectly. I like to pair these with a simple plain top so I don't over-do it, and these little heels from New Look.  

The second pair of shorts are from Topshop, and are high-waisted, paired with this half cropped top, half laced top from Primark. I love that this can be dressed up or down with the right pair of shoes!

Dresses

As mentioned before, I love the floral print during summer, and this dress from Forever 21 is perfect!

I love wearing maxi dresses during summer! They're light enough to be worn during the day without working up a sweat, and perfect to wear in the evening!

This one is from Primark. I was drawn to the aztec print, and thought it'd be perfect to wear for my holiday in Greece. 

I bought this from New Look last year for my uni's summer ball, and again, it's versatile enough to be work during the day, or in the evening. 

This last one is from Primark, and I was drawn to its classiness. It would look great if I were to wear it out for cocktails with the girls, or a nice dinner with Mr. T. 

So there you are! My top summer staples! I hope you enjoyed it, and be sure to check out Raise.com! 

Michael Kors Dupe

After years of reading beauty/fashion blogs and watching Youtube videos, it seems like almost every "big" beauty blogger has a Michael Kors watch. I've become a victim of desire and trust me, if I had a spare £250, I would have had me one of these a long time ago!

I was on the search for a more affordable watch for work, stumbled across this beauty in River Island, and was shocked at how similar it is to the Michael Kors Rose Gold watches that everyone and their mother seems to be in love with.

(Left: Michael Kors, Right: River Island)

The River Island images look a little more gold than rose-gold, but in real life, they're a lot rosier! I had to have a few of the links removed by a jeweller (I have chicken arms!), but the actual watch only cost me £28, which considering how similar it is to the Michael Kors ones, is saving me a hell'a lotta dollar! 

I've even been stopped by people I was serving at work, asking me if it was a Michael Kors watch! It's that similar!

You can buy the watch here or in most River Island stores!