Branching Out With Tea

I've never been a big fan of a standard brew. It's not that I dislike normal tea, in fact I quite enjoy a cuppa now and then, it's just that it's never been something I've craved or reached for in general. A few years ago after reading great things about green tea I decided to try it out for myself, and I fell in love. Now a whole section of my cupboard is filled with different green teas or flavoured teas. So when HumbleBee Gift Company asked me if I'd like to review some of their teas I immediately said yes! 

I was sent these adorable little mini cubes that contained one tea bag each as little individual tea tester experiences. These are from the brand Cérémonie an Israeli company offering premium tea. The three flavours I received to try were Sencha Green Tea*, Jasmine Green Tea* and Wild Berry* and can be brought from HumbleBee's Mini Tea Shop.

Overall I thought these teas were lovely, I like the idea of them coming in individual boxes so you can sample different teas without committing to a huge box. The actual tea leaves are quite large with actual bits of leaf and other flavourings in the bag, which is nice and I think definitely adds to the flavours. The tea bags are also netted which allows the water to move through the bag easily helping to enhance the flavour in comparison to other types of tea bags that don't allow as much movement of the leaves.  

The first one I tried was the Jasmine Green Tea which is described as "delightfully reassuring" and is a pine needle green tea with a flowery taste, grassy undertones and fascinating pearlish hues. I can definitely agree on it having a flowery taste, which I can sometimes find a bit over powering, however in this is was quite light and it still tasted like green tea but I think the pine needle flavour comes through and has a different flavour to other green teas I've tried. This tea also had a lovely Jasmine scent which I really liked, and I think this would be a lovely tea to have in the evening to relax. 

Next I tried the Sencha Green Tea, which is a steamed whole leaf green tea "of lush character, delicate and sweet aroma" and is said to be perfect for welcoming the day. In compaison to the Jasmine tea this is definitely a stronger flavour of green tea and I can see why it is suggested to be taken in the morning as it has an uplifting scent and flavour. I'd say it tasted sweeter and slightly more floral than more plain green teas I've tried before. It was probably my favourite out of all three teas. 

The final tea was in the flavour Wild Berry, a tea of Eastern European origin, that is a caffeine free blend of berries and hibiscus that brews to a beautiful ruby colour. This tea was my least favourite of the three but that was just down to my own tastes. I wasn't a huge fan of the smell, I couldn't put my finger on it but I just wasn't as nice as I'd hoped. The flavour was also a bit too strong for me, being very fruity and sweet but with a slightly sour hint to it. This tea could be enjoyed cold as well, which is a great idea because Im always forgetting about my tea and letting it go cold! 

Over all I enjoyed these teas, I loved being able to sample a few different flavours and I definitely want to experiment with other teas. I think giving tea or coffee as a present is a lovely idea, especially if you know the recipient is a coffee or tea lover! HumbleBee also offer a subscription service where you can receive a bag of tea or coffee each month, as well as variety boxes that have lots of these mini cubes in different flavours which would make a perfect gift for someone who likes to try new things or love their tea! I also love this little House Shaped Tea Infuser!

Are you a tea drinker? If so would you ever experiment with different flavours or types of tea? When's your favourite time to have a cup of tea? I love curling up in bed with a nice green tea and a book. 

Cargo Cosmetics Let's Meet In Paris Review

I love a good eyeshadow palette, although I've only recently dipped my toes into the world of high end makeup with the impulse purchase of the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. Previously all of my eyeshadows had been drugstore and there are some really great drugstore options, but I wanted to try something new, I also wanted to move slightly away from my very natural, nude normal eyeshadow and experiment with colour a little bit. 

That's where the Cargo Cosmetics Let's Meet In Paris palette came into play. I stumbled upon it while scrolling through the Fragrance Direct website and couldn't believe it when I saw it was only £13 (It's now up to £19.99). After a quick internet search where I found the palette on Debenhams for £35, I thought at such a good price I had to try it out, however I am a blogger so I did search out a few reviews first, and there wasn't that many, it seems this palette hasn't been talked about that much. The reviews were generally good, so I went ahead and purchased. 

[Top Row L-R : Macaron, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Creme Brûlée, Bonjour, Cafe]

[Bottom Row L-R : Baguette, Croissant, Versailles, Madame, Bastille, Beret]

The palette itself is black plastic with the cover being cardboard covered with fabric, I do love the pattern on the cover and the palette is very light and seems quite durable. There is a magnetic fastening to keep the lid closed and a reasonable sized mirror. I do think the inside packaging does make it seem a little bit cheap, especially as the sale price is £35. As you can see I used the palette before photographing, and it's definitely not the easiest to clean, every time I tried to wipe away the eyeshadow on the edges it spread more and just made a bigger mess. This isn't really a downfall just makes for a slightly less nice photo! 

As you'd probably expect the palette comes with a brush, this one is double ended with an angled brush on one end and a fluffy shadow brush on the other end. The brush isn't terrible but it definitely isn't great, I like the angled end, but i find the fluffy end sheds a bit and isn't amazing for blending or applying shadow, I will still use it occasionally but I'm more likely to use my other makeup brushes. 

I'd say this palette is definitely not an every day palette, it doesn't contain any matte shades which is definitely a down side in my opinion as you'd probably want to use another palette along with this for a blending or transition shade. However I do really like this palette for a more statement eye look, especially in the evening. I do love a glittery or shimmery eyeshadow which this palette is filled with, so if you're into matte shades I wouldn't recommend picking this up. 

[Top Row Swatches - L - R : Macaron, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Creme Brûlée, Bonjour, Cafe]

Now onto the swatches. This is the top row and features some of my favourite shades. The first shade Macaron is a pale gold, champagne shimmery shade that is a nice inner corner highlight. The next three shades are my favourites, they're all really creamy and very pigmented, they apply beautifully and are such bright metallic shade especially if you build up the application a bit, my swatches are just one swipe of the product and they still show true to colour. Eiffel Tower is a metallic gold, Louvre a metallic silver and Creme Brûlée a metallic copper colour. 

The next two shades on this row are Bonjour a dark brown with gold glitter, and Cafe a lighter brown with small gold flecks, both of these shades come out darker than they look in the pan in my opinion, with Bonjour looking like an almost black brown, and cafe being a darker brown. Unfortunately these shades are no where near as nice as the previous ones in the row, they're not as creamy or as pigmented, and they are a lot harder to work with, this especially applied to Bonjour which was crumbly and didn't apply smoothly which you can see in the swatch.

[Bottom Row Swatches - L - R : Beret, Bastille, Madame, Versailles, Croissant, Baguette]

This is a lot darker than the previous row and contains a few more troublesome shades. Baguette is a very pale beige shade with a hint of shimmer, this applies nicely and is creamy. Croissant is the shade that surprised me the most, as in the pan it looks like a browny blue however when applied it looks a lot more or a red copper shade with a teal shift to it. This is one of my favourite shades as I have nothing else like it and it is beautifully creamy and pigmented, like the other shimmer shades it applies really well. 

The next four shades I found to again be slightly problematic. When I first saw the palette I was so excited to try Versailles, a dark forest green with lots of small flecks of silver and gold glitter, however I found this shade to be crumbly and have a lot of fall out when applied to the eyes. It is a gorgeous shade of green though so Im hoping to find a way to make it work better. Madame was another shade that looked gorgeous in the pan, a dark metallic purple with fleck of gold glitter in. In this swatch it has photographed a lot brighter than it looks in real life, where it is less of a bright purple and instead has a very dark almost black undertone. This shade does apply a bit better than some of the other glitter shades but the pigmentation is lost once applied to the eye which is a shame. 

Bastille is a dark shimmery silver shade, that in the pan looks like a steel blue but once swatched looks more of a dark silver colour, this shade applies okay, it isn't as creamy as the metallic shades in the top row, but it isn't powdery or crumbly like Bonjour and Versailles. Finally is Beret a dark charcoal with silver glitter, this shadow was similar to Bonjour in the application, being crumbly and powdery and not applying smoothly or being as pigmented as the other shades. 

Overall I'd say this palette is good. The shimmery metallic shades; Macaroon, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Creme Brûlée, Baguette and Croissant, apply beautifully they're pigmented and great colours for a more statement eye. The other shades aren't as great with Bonjour, Beret, Versailles and Madame being difficult to work with and a bit of a let down with the pigmentation, however I haven't tried these shades wet which I think would help with application and make the shadows more vibrant. 

I do think this palette has a lovely variety of colours and has a lot of potential to create some amazing looks with a little bit of patience and experimenting. I also love all of the names, makes me want to book a trip to Paris! I've enjoyed trying out a new brand as I'd never had anything from Cargo Cosmetics before, and If you're into eyeshadow and want to try a palette that has some slightly different shades then I'd recommend giving Let's Meet In Paris a go, however I do not think it is worth £35 and if you're going to get it make sure you get it cheaper from somewhere like Fragrance Direct. 

Also I would say if you're looking for a palette that will cover all your needs this isn't the one, the lack of matte shades and the problematic shades definitely stopped this palette from being a potential favourite.  

You can buy the Cargo Cosmetics Let's Meet In Paris Eyeshadow Palette at Fragrance Direct for £19.99, and at other retailers, including Debenhams for £35.

I hope this review was helpful, let me know if you've tried any Cargo Cosmetics makeup? And if you've got an all time favourite eye shadow palette, drugstore or high end, let me know in the comments. 

Valentines Date Night Outfit

Hat: New Look 

Jacket: Dorothy Perkins (old) 

Shirt: New Look 

High Waisted Jeans: Primark 

Clutch: New Look (old) 

Boots: New Look

Bracelet: Pandora 

These photos were originally taken to be part of my Valentines Get Ready With Me but it would have made the post far too long so I've separated them out into a Valentines Date Night outfit post. Obviously it isn't yet Valentines day so these photos aren't a true representation of what I'll be wearing on Saturday, in fact I'll probably be wearing leggings and a hoodie because we're spending the evening at home watching a film with some food. However this is something I would normally wear for a date night.

I am in love with these New Look boots which you will have seen in my recent Haul Post, and I think they really dress up a casual outfit, they're also pretty comfy which is definitely a bonus. These jeans are a recent purchase due to my weight gain in the past few months meaning I needed some new jeans that fit my booty into! For £10 these are okay, although they don't fit great, being too big around the waist meaning I'm constantly pulling them up. The New Look clutch is probably about 4 or 5 years old, and it's still going strong! I like that it's just plain black so goes well with everything. 

I hope you've all got lovely weekends planned, whether you're in a relationship or not. If you've got any Valentines related posts send them my way, and let me know what your plans are for the weekend.

Get Ready With Me: Valentines Date Night

This post is something a little bit different for me. I love watching get ready with me style videos, and as I haven't branched out into youtube yet I thought I'd try a Get Ready With Me blog post. This is going to be a very photo heavy post, but I hope you enjoy seeing what products I use and how I would get ready for a valentines date night. I was going to include my outfit in this post, but then it will really be too long, so look out for that coming soon! 

So here is my very bare naked face on the internet for you all to see! Straight out the shower before I start my makeup I like to moisturise with The Body Shop Peach Body Butter which is one of my favourite scents. I then put on deodorant, this one is the Vaseline Double Invisible deodorant, and it does the job. Im not very loyal when it comes to deodorant and I usually just buy whatever is on offer. If I've just washed my hair I like to put in some VO5 Smoothly Does It heat protect serum through my ends, and let it air dry while I put on my makeup. I've really noticed a difference with this product and my hair feels so smooth so I'd definitely recommend it. 

Next up is face products. I currently have three different moisturisors that I use, which is definitely excessive, but they all have their uses. I like to use the Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Moisturiser around my eye area and anywhere I may have dry patches. Then I've been trying out the La Rosche-Posay Effaclar Duo + which is supposed to be good for reducing spots and improving imperfections, I like to use this on the area I've got spots and redness, which is mostly on my T-Zone area. Once this has sunk in I then use the Botanics Mattifying Day Cream all over my face as I find this really helps at keeping my oiliness at bay.

If I've got some bad spots I like to put on a bit of spot cream just to try and get rid of them as soon as possible. At the moment I'm trying out the Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Spot Wand, although to be honest Im not hugely impressed and probably won't buy it again. Next up is primer and once again I've gone for something to help combat my oily spot prone skin, I really like The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser as it sinks in quickly and seems to help mattify and keep my makeup on for longer. 

Normally I do my eyeshadow after my base, however as I'd planned a dark slightly smokey eye I decided to do my eyeshadow first as this means I can tidy everything up with my concealer and foundation if there is any fallout. For this look I used the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. I started with the matte pale cream shade Foxy all across my lid, then I used Chopper on the inner half of my lid and blended this out with Tease, I then added YDK on the outer half and blended this before adding the dark brown Busted in my outer V and blending through my crease. Finally I used a tiny bit of blackout to make it a bit more smokey, and then on my Eco Tools Angled brush I took Blackout along my lash line as an eyeliner. I also used Bootycall as a highlight in my inner corner and under my brow bone. I used a selection of makeup brushes from Eco Tools and Real Techniques. My favourite is the small Eco Tools brush which is a perfect blending brush. 

Next up is face. I like to start with Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer under my eyes and I use my finger tip to blend this in. Next I took my Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in Ivory and buffed this in with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush, which I really love for a flawless application, I also love the Stay Matte Foundation as it really does stay matte for a long time on my oily skin, although I am finding it a bit heavy for day to day wear. I love the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, which I use in shade 15, it's a creamy consistency and covers really well, I like to use this on redness around my nose, chin, and forehead with the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush. 

I've also been trying out the Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer, and I really like the pinky under eye shade which I use on top of my foundation to cover my super dark circles. I then like to set this with the powder that comes with the concealer and the Eco Tools Mineral Powder Brush, I also like to set my foundation with a powder and I like the Natural Collection Loose Powder in Neutral Translucent with the Real Techniques Duo-Fibre Face Brush, which gives a lovely light coverage but sets my foundation well. 

I wanted to go with a bronzed and glowy look for my face makeup, so I dug out my Sleek Face Form palette in Light. I like to use the bronze shade as a contour with the Real Techniques Cheek Brush, then I took my favourite bronzer The Body Shop Honey Bronzer lightly across my cheeks, forehead, nose and chin with this fluffy powder brush that has no name and i'm pretty sure I stole from my mum a very long time ago! For blush I used the pink shimmery shade from the Sleek Palette, and with this Eco Tools Kabuki Brush that is so soft and just lightly applies the blush. To finish I just added a tiny bit of highlight from the Sleek Palette to the tops of my cheeks with the Real Techniques Contour Brush.

I never have a set stage in my makeup when I do my eyebrows, it usually just kind of happens when I notice they're not done! They are a bit of a mess at the moment and need a good wax, but I've been trying out some different high street eyebrow products because I haven't found my holy grail just yet. My main issue with my brows is that they are very light, so I need a product mostly for colouring, I think that's why the Soap & Glory Brow Archery Pencil isn't for me. It's a really great product but I think it would work better for someone who just needs to fill in their brows and doesn't need so much colour, I do like to go in with this to fill them in a bit after I used the other brow product I've been trying. I actually found the Loreal Super Liner Brow Artist in my makeup bag and I think it must have some how found it's way there after a night getting ready with friends cos I certainly hadn't brought it, but i've taken it in and I'm really enjoying it. It gives a great colour, goes on easily and doesn't need sharpening every time! 

Mascara is probably my favourite makeup item, I have quite thick long eyelashes so I love trying different mascaras to see what works best for me. My favourite for a dramatic evening look is Maybelline's The Falsies, however I always find this works a bit better when layered on top of another more separating mascara. I recently picked up Maybelline's Lash Sensational mascara and I've been giving that a go, and so far so good! 

Once I've finally finished my makeup it's on to my hair. I start with giving it a quick blow dry, and then I like to straighten it, because although my hair is pretty much straight I have some slightly kinky bits and it always looks nicer all straightened. The only problem with this is it leaves my hair a bit flat so I've been on the hunt for something to give me a bit of volume and texture. When I saw these Lee Stafford products I decided to give them ago, The Messed Up Spray Wax is really good for giving a bit of oomph to your hair and I like to spray this in the roots and mess it about a bit. Then I've been trying out the Lee Stafford Big Fat Texturised Hair Super Spray which is basically a few things rolled into one, and gives texture and volume and holds like hairspray but isn't tacky or sticky if you're careful with how much you use. I like to give my hair a couple of sprays and then have another play around to give me some volume, Im still in the process of trying these out so I can't give a verdict yet, but so far so good! 

My final step in getting ready is always perfume, and this is my current favourite. Im a huge fan of Marc Jacobs perfumes and I've currently got 3 on the go and I've tried 3 others before! You've probably heard all about Daisy Dream as its a blogger favourite, but I can see why! It's beautiful. Right before I head out the door I apply my lipstick, I wanted to go for something quite natural and not too bright so I opted for the Rimmel Colour Rush Balm in Keep Mauving, with the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Plum Jam on top. These are both purple pink shades and Plum Jam gives a lovely glossy look and tastes like vanilla!

This is my final look. I really like how this turned out, even though I ended up having to rush as the boyfriend didn't have much time to take photos for me! I'd love to know what you think, and what your favourite products are at the moment. I hope you have a lovely Valentines day whatever you're doing!

22nd Birthday Wish List

Blue Charlotte Work Bag - Accessorize £39

Emma by Jane Austen - Amazon £14.99

Green Amethyst Ring - Pandora £100

Zoeva Rose Gold Brush Set - Zoeva £55

Urban Decay Naked On The Run - Debenhams £37

You Look Lovely Today Canvas Pouch - When Caitie Met Soda £18

Grey Low Top Leather Converse - Office £54.99

Colour-Block Pocket Purse - Topshop £16 

Alphabet Spotty Mug - When Caitie Met Soda £9.50 

Laurel Wreath Ring - Pandora £55 

My 22nd birthday is coming up soon so I thought I'd put together a little wish list of some bits and bobs I've been eyeing up recently that I wouldn't mind receiving. I haven't asked for anything specific this year as I don't need anything and I'll be happy with whatever I get, although I have a suspicion I'll be getting car tax and MOT for my birthday as I do most years! Not the most exciting present but it's a necessity that I can't afford myself at the moment. 

I'd love an expensive ring, as most of mine come from Primark, so I thought a Pandora one would be perfect, I couldn't decide which ring I preferred, but I think they're both beautiful and a bit different. As soon as I saw the canvas pouch on When Caitie Met Soda I fell in love, how nice would it be to read this every time you opened your makeup bag. I also love their spotty alphabet mug, I've been eyeing up E mugs for a while and this is the prettiest one I've seen. 

I've never read Emma by Jane Austen but I feel like it's definitely one I need to read because, well, my name is Emma! I love the new covers on the 'classics', I think they're really pretty and would love to own a few, starting with this one. The Zoeva rose gold brush set and the Naked On the Run palette are things I really don't need, but they're just so lovely and pretty so although I can't justify buying them myself if someone else buys it thats totally fine! 

Accessorize has won my heart recently and every time I go in I want to buy more things! I debated between black and blue for this handbag, but I figured that although black was practical I loved the blue and I don't care about being practical! I've had my current purse for 3 years so I think it's about time for an upgrade, and this Topshop one looks like a decent replacement. The converse are also a replacement for my black converse that are literally falling apart! I'm not sure about them being leather, but I really love the colour.

I'd love to know what you think of my wish list, or if there is anything that would be on your birthday wish list at the moment?

#nyLDNmeet

[photo by Rhianna]

Last weekend I made a trip to London to meet some fellow bloggers at the #nyLDNmeet. The event was held at Bittersweet, a small cocktail bar in Soho London, and after meeting up with some amazing girls I've been talking to recently we made our way to the event. I feel very lucky to have met these girls and we all immediately got on so well with lots of laughter and gossiping. Having them with me made the event a lot less scary and I think we all really enjoyed ourselves. 

We arrived at the venue and we were immediately greeted by a selection of foods to try, which me and Laura took full advantage of! There was so much going on at the event and so many bloggers all standing around chatting it was hard to know what to do first. We scoped out Vix's Jewellery stand featuring some beautiful pieces from Stella & Dot, and then we noticed someone doing Henna. I think henna is so beautiful and I love that it is semi-permanent, after seeing some of Henna's beautiful designs on Rhianna & Laura I jumped in and had my hand done too. The design was beautiful and I've loved looking at it all week. 

[Henna by Henna]

The time flew at the event, and I'm gutted I didn't get to take advantage of the beauty technician who was painting nails, but I did jump into the last spot to have my hair done by the hairdressers from Fordham Soho. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the fishtail braid the stylist did for me, but we did have a good giggle and gossip while he was playing with my hair. After realising cocktails were half price Rhianna and myself hit up the bar and ordered a gorgeous pineapple flavoured cocktail which you can see in the photo above (which I stole from Rhianna, shhh!) after a quick explanation to the lady behind the bar about why we were all there and what blogging was we made our way over to one of the main parts of the event, a presentation from a new brand! 

MooGoo are an Australian skincare brand just entering into the UK market. They're environmentally friendly with products so organic you could actually eat them, although they wouldn't taste very nice! The idea originated from a dairy farmer who adapted a cream he was using for his cow's udders to be suitable for human skin, I kind of love this idea, as it means the products are natural and not filled with unnecessary products. The range is really extensive, ranging from deodorant to blemish cream, fake tan to lip balm, they've even got a dry shampoo for dogs! We were told that the range is great for people with sensitive skin or skin conditions such as eczema. 

We were also very lucky as we were the some of the first people in the UK to be introduced to MooGoo's new makeup range Dusty Girls. I must admit I fell in love before I'd even see the products, the packaging is so gorgeous, and in line with it's skincare range all the ingredients are natural and perfect for people with sensitive skin. Even though I don't struggle with sensitive skin this is definitely a brand I'll be looking into when it releases in the UK. The mineral foundation is a product I've wanted to try for ages, and the pink blusher was gorgeous! 

Probably the best part of this event was getting to meet so many other bloggers, especially some I consider to be great friends. One of the highlights was getting to meet the lovely Hannah who I've been talking to for about a year, I literally jumped up and hugged her and was so excited to finally meet her. Hopefully we will meet up again soon maybe for a cheeky shopping trip in London! 

I must mention the charity this event was raising money for. Look Good Feel Better is a worldwide charity supporting women suffering from the side effects of cancer treatment. As bloggers we can often become preoccupied with looking good and the materialistic side of things, so having a raffle to raise money for this great charity was a really nice touch, and although I didn't win any of the amazing prices I know my money went to a good charity. We were also lucky enough to be given goody bags to take away with us, so I didn't come away empty handed, especially after a quick raid of the snacks table! The goody bag featured products from My Protein, some samples to try from MooGoo, Dream Dots and Her Tea from TinyTea amongst other things. 

I really enjoyed this event, and I'd like to thank the organisers Amy, Lauren and Tamsyn for hosting a great event. I'm also going to leave the links to some of the lovely girls I spoke to at this event. If you were at the event please leave me a link I'd love to check out your blog! 

Rhianna - Laura - Kayleigh - Hannah - Mara - Sophie - Gee - Katy - Sophie 

A Short Trip To Berlin: Part 2

At the beginning of January I was very lucky to be treated to a trip to Berlin from my boyfriend Josh, if you haven't already read part one of my trip make sure to check that out to see what we got up to on our first few days. This is going to be a very picture heavy post, so I hope you all enjoy. 

We started off our third day with a trip to Berlin's Film and Television Museum in the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz. This visit was mostly for Josh's benefit as he is currently studying film and works within the art department of films, he really enjoyed the museum, and to be honest it was enjoyable for me too. It focused on the progression of German film makers and actors, and had lots of information and things to look at, including the first ever Academy Award (Oscar). There was also an exhibit on the German production designer Ken Adam who designed some of the earlier bond films. This was Josh's highlight of the trip as this is the career he is working in. 

After spending the morning at the Museum we walked over to the Reichstag Building, where German parliament is held. We had pre-booked tickets to go up to the top of the building where there is a glass dome on the roof with a great view across the city. This is free to do, however you have to register in advance and have a form of ID on you. 

From the top you can see out across Berlin and even though it was quite a grey day we could still see lots of the sights. We even noticed something we hadn't seen before and decided to head over and explore that area later on. Inside the glass dome there was also a timeline of the Reichstag Building which was really interesting to read, especially with it being burnt down and then rebuilt. It was also stated that Hitler never went in the Reichstag during his time in power, which I think is quite interesting. 

After me insisting on taking lots of selfies, we headed out just as the sun was starting to shine, giving us our first, and only, sight of sun since we'd arrived. As the Brandenburg Gate is literally seconds away from the Reichstag we headed back to get some more photos. The sun didn't last long, but it allowed me to take this photo from the back of the gate, which I think looks quite nice. 

My mum and her partner have a little tradition of taking jump shots in front landmarks or in interesting places when they go away, so I thought I'd join in the fun! After a quick photoshoot at the gate we stopped for a coffee and some lunch in a little cafe before heading back out, this time heading towards the Gendarmenmarkt, supposedly one of the prettiest squares in Berlin. I must admit it was very pretty, being bordered by three old buildings, it also seemed the perfect place to take some outfit photos!

When reading up on the different places to explore in Berlin I'd read about a little chocolate shop that was near to the Gendarmenmarkt, being a huge chocolate lover I dragged Josh along to have a look. Its safe to say I was in awe of Fassbender & Rausch, the downstairs was a shop selling little chocolate Brandenburg Gates amongst other chocolate delights, and they even had a huge chocolate replica of a piece of the Wall, which you can see me posing with above. Upstairs they had a restaurant, where we both ordered a hot chocolate that was literally melted chocolate! We also decided on this chocolate pudding/cake which was like heaven. I must admit I did eat most of it as Josh isn't a huge chocolate fan (weirdo).

By the time we'd I'd finished it was getting dark outside. We decided we wanted to have a little wander around before finding somewhere for dinner. It was lovely just to walk around at night together checking out some of the shops and just being in Berlin. After a few hours we decided to find ourselves a restaurant, we'd made the decision to try some 'authentic' German food so we set out on the hunt. Eventually we stumbled upon a row of restaurants that were set up in the arches of a railway bridge, this meant the inside was really interesting with curved ceilings and tiled walls, you can even hear the rumbles of trains going overhead. 

After trying some German beer, including a flavoured one that had been recommended by Josh's mum, and giving German food a go with a Currywurst and a Schnitzel we felt very full and headed back to the hotel feeling tired after another long day. As the next day was our last full day in Berlin we had a few more things we wanted to tick of our list. The first being the Berlin Wall. We'd seen little bits here and there but we headed over to the East Side Gallery where a large section of the wall has been preserved and artists have painted on it, along with some graffiti. 

Seeing the wall at the East Side Gallery is definitely something I'd recommend, even though it was horrible and rainy we really enjoyed walking along taking in all the different art, some of which is pretty famous including the one of the two men kissing. The piece that stood out to me the most was definitely the Curriculum Vitae where a rose was drawn for each person who died trying to cross the wall each year from it's creation in 1961 to its fall in 1989. 

Despite the horrible weather we decided to walk from the East Side Gallery back towards to centre of the city which took some time but was nice to see a bit of the less touristy areas. Something you can see from most areas in Berlin is the Fernsehtrum TV Tower and we found ourselves basically underneath it, you can actually go up to the top but as the weather was pretty grey and cloudy most days we didn't see the point. After taking a few photos next to the river, including my beautiful shot of this pigeon, we deicided to make our way back to the hotel, via the shops of course, where I picked up a few bits and bobs.

After my final bath of the trip we got ready to head out for dinner. As the weather was pretty disgusting we wanted to stay close to the hotel so we figured we'd head back to The Hard Rock Cafe as we'd both loved the food, and I also wanted to check out the cocktail list! Which I can safely say, was awesome! 

Our flight home the next morning was good, other than some slight delays and both of us being incredibly tired. We had a lovely time in Berlin and it's definitely a city I would revisit, theres so much history and things to do. It's also quite a quiet capital city in comparison to London or Paris for example which was really nice and a lot less stressful.  

I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip to Berlin, let me know if you've ever been or if you're heading off to anywhere exciting soon!