Wakeup Copenhagen at Christmas Review

Hello Sweeties, 

As you probably know I had the pleasure to stay in Denmark recently, and I had the pleasure of staying in the Wakeup Carsten hotel in Copenhagen.

The hotel is centrally located and you can walk to the city centre in about 10 minutes.  I love not having to rely on public transport abroad - especially when I can't speak Danish....and secondly because you get to explore so much of the city.

Here is the exact room I stayed in, though this photo is taken from their stock pictures.  They have neat, compact rooms with a self contained bathroom.  Although they are not the largest of rooms, they are comfortable, warm and extremely tidy.

If you're not looking to break the bank when in Copenhagen, then this is a great hotel as it is so close to the centre and yet clean, tidy and great to relax in.

My view didn't seem exactly like the one in the photo above, it was the one below.... but still beautiful as I could admire the whole city from the 5th floor and at night it was lit up beautifully.  The hotel is just down the road from Tivoli so you can watch the lit up rides at night and makes the view really special.

Just a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel is the central square with the amazing Scandinavian shops and large Christmas tree.  During my stay at Hotel Wakeup I was lucky enough to time it perfectly with the turning on of the Christmas tree lights.  It is such a magical city and aboslute wonderful to get you in the spirit of Christmas.

Do remember to wrap up warm though if you go - as you can see in the picture below I took it a bit to the extreme with fur coat and scarf but in December, it can reach zero!

I hope I've inspired you do take a little jaunt to Copenhagen, if you stay in a hotel like the Wakeup, you can have a lovely enjoyable trip without it costing the earth.

Lots of love
Fiocco Bianco

A super late review of the November Birchbox

Hey my lovely ladies, 

So here's my first ever Birchbox and it's from November.... it's been super busy as I was in Denmark for a lot of November, but I've had a whole month to enjoy these delicious products!

I'm going to go through them one by one by order of preference.  The lifestyle chocolate bar that came with it was lifted out of the box by my sister as soon as I opened it so I would love to tell you how it was or what it was but I didn't get to try it!

The theme of the box was 'cosy at home' so they were a nice selection for pampering yourself and for relaxing at home.  On first impressions I was glad that there two full sized products - the OPI and the DR Jart so I feel I definitely received value for money! 

Ok - so here's my absolute favourite from the box - it's Dr. Jart+ 's V7 Cleansing Foam.  It was full sized and dream to use.

I have fairly delicate oily skin and it suits me perfectly.  A little goes a long way and lathers so much that you don't need much at all.

The smell is delicious, fruity and delicate and really does have a high-end skin care feel to it.  I think it retails at £15.00 and Boots used to stock it, but if you would like to try you can buy it from the Birchbox online store.

Next up are these two min tubs of Beauty protector.  It's a hair mask and at first I thought that there would not be enough for my extra long dry hair.  I was pleasantly suprised and only needed half a tub on each application.  

After washing my hair I ran this product through the ends and left it to dry naturally.  My hair felt much more nourished and genuinely much less dry.  I would give it 9/10 as it did wonders on my hair and smelt great.  It was one point of 10/10 because if you used too much it could feel greasy - especially on more healthy hair!  It has Argan oil and honey in it so these beautiful duo make it into a fabulous mask and one worth buying.

It is available from the Birchbox website here  and I would love to try out some more from their range.

 Next comes the mini Jane Iredale Just Kissed lip plumper in Rio.  This has a tingling sensation which could be quite strange if you weren't used to lip plumpers and a mint and ginger scent to it.

The colour is matt berry - I really quite look it when rocking the Winter Chic look.  If this was full sized I would have enjoyed it more but it is so small I keep loosing it.

It is available from Birchbox or from the Jane Iredale website.

 Oh OPI - how you disappointed me.  I was so looking forward to receiving the Coca Cola red which was available in the November Birchbox and I got the tacky Turn on the Haute Light silver.  I can see where they were going with this with the whole Christmas razzle dazzle, but I tried it on and looked like a 12 year old.

Yes the coverage was good and the consistency up to the OPI standard, but come on, this is a ridiculous colour that maybe, just maybe you can get away with only at a Christmas 'do'.....and even then not be taken seriously.  I will probably end up giving this to one of my young teenage cousins.

Lastly is the Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body oil.  I feel nothing against this product but something has got to come last, and despite the terrible silver tone of the OPI nail varnish....I feel it is a bit against the beauty gospel to put OPI last.

This body oil has a nice scent and moisturises nicely.  However, I don't really use body moisturisers so this wouldn't play an essential part in my skin care routine.

And so that's it.  I was very happy with my first ever Birchbox - I am loving the Dr. Jart and although I finished the Beauty Protector hair mask it was very enjoyable while it lasted.

I am looking forward to my next box and I'm hoping for a few more makeup treats in it next time!

Lots of love

Fiocco

xxxxxx

STAY Copenhagen - luxury appartments

Hello!

I have just spent an amazing long weekend in Denmark.  A beautiful weekend away where I got to enjoy the sites of Copenhagen.

As gorgeous as Copenhagen is - I had to tear myself away from the luxury apartment we were staying in.  Honestly, walking into the room itself, was just breath taking.  I think I'll let the photos speak for themselves for most of this post, as I don't think I can do the STAY apartments justice!

As you can see they provide gorgeous open plan rooms - ours was a whopping 135m squared of open space.  It's designed in modern Scandinavian style - minimalist, fashionable and monochrome. Every detail of the STAY apartment had been thought out and carefully designed - filled with the most beautiful of details.

Here's me chilling on one of the two wool sofas.  I was too excited about the mini tealights they provided - it's such a small touch in the grand scale of things but made the apartment homely.

We had one of the corner apartments with the view on two sides of the apartment making it feel even larger than it already was.  The windows were floor length and overlooking the canal and the twinkling buildings over the road.  The effect was just magical and made the whole stay so beautiful.  This is absolutely no ordinary hotel - being on the fifth floor and the size and scale of the room meant it was more like a penthouse apartment.

The view of the sunset was incredible, as the purple and blue tones of the sky filled the room.  Together with the soft accent lighting in the room meant it was the perfect place to relax at the end of the day after a busy day of shopping.

 The kitchen was filled with pots and pans and everything you need to make a delicious dinner.  It made such a nice change to be in a new exciting country but have all the commodities of home and to enjoy eating your dinner at your own dining room.

I would definitely recommend the STAY apartments to anybody - from a couple who want a luxury modern apartment with an incredible view, or even to a family as you have all the comforts of your own home.  The Organic breakfast was also delicious, with local smoked salmon and a selection of cheeses, meats and fresh fruit.

Overall, out visit to the STAY apartments was probably one of the best of my life.  We were honestly left open mouthed when walking into the apartment and seeing the incredible space and of course the view.  The reception staff were so friendly and helpful too - they also offered us a glass of wine to enjoy at the bar on the ground floor.  If you have the chance to go to Copenhagen, then it is definitely worth staying here in order to make your visit absolutely fabulous.

You can find the link to their hotel here  http://staycopenhagen.dk/

*Subsidised visit to STAY Copenhagen

Addison Lee - Watch out! They will charge you double

I hate being swindled, and I have been well and truly swindled by Addison Lee London taxi company.

I try not to be prejudiced against any company, but I feel like it is my duty to innocent people not to create an account with Addison Lee.

I will not tire you with the minor details, but after calling Addison Lee to book a taxi, I was told I would receive a 20% discount for my journey.  Then we come to the end of the month - and this is where they swindled me.  For 2 journeys which were meant to cost £44.40 (without the mentioned 20% discount) - they charged me a whopping £95.00.  That's DOUBLE what I had been quoted on the phone.

I rang customer services immediately obviously believing there had been a big mistake.  I was told "the price can be more than what was quoted on the phone". That was almost amusing had it not just cost me a load of money.

They refunded me a flimsy £15.00 with no apology and no mention of what the mistake was.  I am therefore still about £35.00 out of pocket.  Apparently, the extra £35.00 they added onto my bill was VAT and admin charges.

So my readers, do not be fooled by saved money when offered 20% discount by creating an account.  For me, they direct debited almost double what I was quoted on the phone.  I have no idea how they can get away with such disgusting behavior, but I sincerely hope that Watchdog get onto them soon and to start investigating.

In the meantime, why not use a smaller local company than this big money grabbing company with ho sense of customer service.

I can assure all of you that I will be closing my account as soon as this is sorted (though by the looks of it, they will continue to insist that I pay for their scandalous behavior) and will make sure that I will tell anyone half interested to stay away.

An amazing London Christmas Party - with incredible canapes!

Last night I went to an incredible Christmas party with my friends.  But it was hard to pinpoint exactly what made the party so good.  Of course the early Christmas carols really got us all in the festive spirit as did the cheap santa hats, but I think the beautiful location and the food and prosecco really made it one of the best.  So a big thank you to www.congustocatering.co.uk for providing us with such a delicious selection of food which made our London Christmas Party really sparkle!

The party was in a beautiful venue, decked out in white with lovely gold crackers on the tables.  And there was an abundant supply of one of the most gorgeous prosecco's I've ever tried - Colle del Principe!  I just love how the london catering company Con Gusto Catering provided such a lovely display!

The fresh smoked salmon canapes topped with fresh salmon caviar was to die for.  I definitely ate far too many of these!  They were served on hand made blinis with soured cream and creme fresh.  Below is one of the more appropriate shots of the evening with us all in our Christmas hats!

Cantaloupe melon balls with San Danielle Prosciutto by www.congustocatering.co.uk

 And wow, just what am amazing Christmas party - I hope I get to attend a few more over the next coming weeks and I hope the food will be just as good.  Looking back at those cantaloupe melon balls with San Danielle Prosciutto is making me salivate, so I better leave it at that!

But if you're holding a Christmas party, I cannot recommend enough www.congustocatering.co.uk - the staff were so helpful and the food was so amazing it made the Christmas party!

OOTD for Sushi Samba - Silk blue floor length dress

Hey lovely ladies, 

Here is my outfit of the day - it's more elegant than I normally wear as it was a special occasion - going to Sushi Samba in London.  It is a bespoke dress made to measure by an Italian little known stylist - I'd been saving it for a special occasion and I thought  Sushi Samba would have been the perfect occasion - however, as you'll see later I was so so disappointed!

The dress 

The dress is delicate floor length and elegant with a simple high neck and jeweled detail.  It is fitted on the waist with a with a ribbon belt with the same jeweled details and with low cut sleeves. I love the petrol blue of this dress as the colour is so strong it matches the dresses simple detail.  I think this sort of design is perfect for Christmas parties with its jazzy jewels and strong colour, to make a change  of the little black dress.

 Sorry for the blurry last image....they all came out like that but I wanted to show you how long it was!

The dress is in a fine silk and I matched it with a simple Zara leather jacket.

And how was Sushi Samba?????

 Sushi Samba was so cold I had to leave my jacket on all evening. They also didn't bring our drinks until 5 minutes after the food had arrived.

 As for the food - I was so disappointed.  I inquired about the Moqueca Mista and asked if it came with sauce or not - and the waitress didn't seem to understand me.  It turns out that this sharing plate is in fact pints of sickly sweet sauce and with just one prawn and some scarce scatterings of mussels There's also overcooked bright green rice in the middle.  I know I'm spoiled having my other half who is a chef, however, I think anybody would have returned this dish.  I complained about it and the waitress didn't understand, smiled and waltzed off.

We ended up spending a fortune there and didn't enjoy unfortunately, despite it being an anniversary celebration....oh well....... maybe I'll have better luck next time

Fiocco xxxxxx

YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau Review

Heyyy pretty ladies!

Sorry it's been so long - I've been travelling around, moving house and been so incredibly busy this last month!

But I'm BACK!

This is a review I've been meaning to do for ages on YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau.  If you read my posts you'll know I'm a firm favourite of YSL's last 'model' of foundation - Le Teint Touche, and use it religiously.

So when they brought out this new foundation called  YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau on August 10th I was one of the first in line. As always, they have brought out a beautifully packaged product with their signature gold top and strong square glass bottle.

 YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau

Wearing  YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau

Shade - 

So there's a pic of me above with YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau in shade b40 on....in the picture you can see it comes out quite  a nice shade. HOWEVER, do remember that the YSL shades are not universally the same shades across the different YSL foundations which is quite frustrating - in Le Teint Touche I wear b50.  But, they do have a large selection of colours and I think do cater to a lot of skin tones.

Texture

 The texture of the foundation itself is something I'm finding hard to get used to.  It's a liquid, but when you apply it it has an almost matte finish and feels like powder. I like how it's not 'tacky' or 'sticky' and you can almost get away with not applying powder after.  This is a far cry from the 'gel' style foundations I'm used to setting with heaps of powder.  Because of the texture, it means the finish won't ever be light or super natural, but I do think it is great for a night out and full makeup look like in my picture above.

Coverage

 YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau also has very heavy coverage, so don't buy a shade too dark otherwise blending into your neck / jaw will be near impossible combined with the fact it has a powder finish.  This is one of the biggest drawbacks for the YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau.  However, if you take your time and choose the right shade it may end up being one of your favourite foundations.

Ok, so I feel like I've been hard on this foundation.  It's because it's forerunner, YSL le teint touche is still my absolute favorite so I think it was always going to be impossible to match up to it.  All that being said, I would still probably buy this foundation  again as it has a really good coverage and is great when you're getting ready quickly as you don't need powder which is a great time saver. 

 YSL Le Teint Encre De Peau retails for £30.50 and is available from all the usual - big Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis and House of Fraser.