thanksgiving in london

My Thanksgiving of 2014 was spent in London, one of my favourite cities. It's changed a lot since I was last there - a lot of trendy new restaurants and bars. While trotting around town, I made a point to visit all the places I didn't have the time to check out whilst I was living for a year there - mostly because I spent more time consuming alcohol when I really should've spent more time exploring the city. Anyway, Borough Market and Neal's Yard Dairy were awesome. I made a point to visit the Harry Potter Studios which literally was a childhood dream come true - it was magical, no joke. Since it was the holiday season, I dragged everyone to stop by Liberty London - they have the most beautiful Christmas ornaments, and Winter Wonderland - another holiday highlight, was even more awesome than I remember. All in all, a super fun few days spent in one of the best cities.

 

 

 

 

 

jo malone

So my Jo Malone story began sometime over the summer, when I thought I'd reward myself with a little gift to myself. Over the last few months, my little collection has slowly grown and as it's pretty much the only brand of perfume I use now, I thought I'd share it with the world.

Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense

I actually found the Cologne Intense collection more appealing to my nose when deciding to invest in a big 100ml bottle of the stuff and this is the most glorious scent ever. It's the perfect mix of fresh yet heavy enough to be sophisticated. When picking a bottle to purchase, I was stuck between a lot of the Cologne Intenses (I believe Oud & Bergamot and Velvet Rose & Oud were my other two close contenders) but ended up going with my first preference which was this one -- my friend Carol, who was with me at the time picked up a bottle of this too. Anyway, I'm not very good at describing scents so definitely give this a whiff if you're in the store.

I found these lovely minis by way of a random gift as my sister happened to not want them. Amber & Lavender is very strong on the lavender side, which is a bit of a love-hate thing with me (not my favourite but not awful enough for me to not use). I absolutely love Blackberry & Bay and I have a 30ml size (not pictured here); it's super light and green-smelling but still with a hint of fruitiness. The last one -- Peony & Blush Suede, is way more floral than anything I own and somehow is the longest lasting and the strongest smelling. Not my favourite but I do carry this around in my purse on nights out and I need something to freshen up. These minis are so cute, and fabulous for stashing in my handbag.

Last but not least -- Vetyver and Nutmeg & Ginger which were actually my first two purchases. Going into Jo Malone for the first time, I remember expecting to walk away with a big bottle of Wild Fig & Cassis. However, when I actually gave everything a whiff and started mixing scents, I realised that I wanted something a little different to validate my pricey gift from self to self. Vetyver is light, earthy and green, which acts as a perfect base for the more spicy Nutmeg & Ginger. Though these two were the polar opposite of what I was expecting to leave with, I do not regret the spontaneous change in mind because I adore this combination.

Long story short, go stop by a Jo Malone counter if you're into perfume because their stuff is divine.