● Laura Thornberry ● Lifestyle Blogger ● London Based ●

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With Valentine's Day approaching, I thought it's the perfect excuse to treat myself to something new and sexy. New lingerie makes you feel super confident and boosts your self-love. So let's set hearts racing with a couple of stunning pieces from my latest SHEIN order. If you've never shopped on or heard of SHEIN before, I'll give you a little backstory.

The brand was founded in October 2008, and since then it has upheld the philosophy that "everyone can enjoy the beauty of fashion". SHEIN prides itself on offering on-trend styles that won’t break the bank. So if you're looking to try out a new trend or are unsure if something will suit you, SHEIN is a great place to look as it's such an affordable website.

The first piece that I picked up from the website is this fun and flirty Floral Lace Lingerie Set. It's beautiful dusky dark pink/red colour with the floral patterns in white gives this set a really cute and girly touch. It's simply adorable. Featuring a wireless bralette style top and high waisted bottoms, this set is super flattering and perfect for all body shapes and sizes, it's a winner for me.

If red is more your colour, this ultra sexy Criss Cross Floral Lace Teddy Bodysuit is your perfect lingerie piece that will definitely turn up the heat. This has to be the most bold and daring piece from my whole haul. The bodysuit is made from a gorgeous red lace material, with a criss cross strappy feature across the chest area. It takes sexy to a whole new level.

If you're a little bit more reserved when it comes to lingerie choices, but you still want to wear something that will boost your confidence and still look amazing, I also picked up a Scalloped Trim Floral Lace Bralette. This is hands down one of the comfiest bralettes I have ever worn. The material is super soft, the straps are wide and comfortable, it feels like silk on the body. The gorgeous, deep plum/purple colour is absolutely stunning, and you'll be able to pair any colour bottoms with them, for a cute mix and match look. This bralette is a style steal, and something I would 100% recommend to all.

The final piece that I picked up was the Contrast Lace Lingerie Set. This set was definitely one of my favourites. I love the deep burgundy velvet fabric contrasting with the black floral lace. It's simply stunning. Again, it features a wireless bralette with high waisted bottoms that really enhance your curves.

Overall, I was very happy with the pieces that I purchased from SHEIN. I picked a variety of pieces from the website so I could get a feel for the quality, the designs and the sizing of the items. This time round, SHEIN absolutely smashed it - or maybe I smashed it as I took my time studying the size guide to make sure I picked the correct size. I was pleasantly surprised and was very happy with all the items that I picked up for this Valentines haul. The prices for each piece were so affordable, that this allowed me to try out a few styles that I wouldn't usually go for.

Have you ordered from SHEIN before? What was your favourite piece from my Valentines haul?

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AD - GIFTED | Who says Valentines is just for couples? You know that day that if you’re totally single reminds you that you’re totally single. Fear not, make this Valentine's Day all about you. A day to celebrate your achievements, to pamper yourself and most importantly to love yourself! Rosina's Lotions & Potions have kindly gifted me a selection of their amazing products wrapped up in a beautiful gift box, including the Kale and Pomegranate Face Mask*, the Rose-Scented Signature Rosina's Candle*, the Rose Perfecting Oil* and a Rose Bath Bomb*, to help me create the perfect pamper evening this Valentines.

"Rosina's Lotions & Potions came to life in 2008 as an alternative to chemically laden modern skincare. With an initial dozen products and the brand has quickly grown to be an industry leading skincare and bath accessories company featuring vintage-inspired product design and history. The company was founded by Sophie Cooper who spent most of her youth either helping at one of her mother’s skincare clinics or stirring up pots of beautiful potions in her grandmother’s kitchen. Using Rosina’s unique recipes and her mother’s technical know-how Sophie created what would become one of the UK's leading natural luxury skincare brands."

Kale & Pomegranate Face Mask*

The Kale & Pomegranate Mask is an amazing multi-tasking treatment, that you can use as a cleanser, mask and exfoliator all in one. After using this mask on fresh cleansed skin, even after the first use, my skin appeared much smoother, healthier and more radiant. The pomegranate helps to gently exfoliate the skin to reveal a smoother, brighter complexion while the organic kale will make skin feel more supple and plump.

Signature Candle*

Can we just take a moment to admire the beauty and simplicity of this gorgeous hand-printed glass candle. Whilst burning, the candle fills your entire room with a beautifully perfumed rose essential oil, that helps to build and create that perfectly peaceful atmosphere when you want to relax and de-stress. A candle 100% worthy of featuring in a pamper night as it really helps to set the calming mood.

Rose Perfecting Oil*

Rosina's Rose Perfecting Oil is a delicate, but deeply moisturising, facial oil. Enriched with the healing properties of Helianthus, Argan Oil and precious Rosa Damascena. It is a facial oil rich in nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins. I like to use this Rose Oil as part of my evening skin routine, so it can absorb into my skin overnight, and I wake up with a plump and hydrated complexion. A much needed skin pick-me-up for dull and dry winter skin!

Rose Petal Bath Bomb*

This gorgeous rosy pink handmade luxury bath bomb is packed with moisturising agents, anti-ageing properties and a delicate fragrances for a truly replenishing soak that leaves the skin super soft, moisturised and subtly-scented. As soon as you pop it into the bath, it bubbles and fizzes like crazy, filling the bathroom with a fresh and warming rose aroma. It's so calming yet invigorating, it's the perfect bath bomb scent to use before bed!

What are your plans for Valentines Day? What are your pamper night essentials?

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AD - GIFTED | When it comes to Valentine's Day, finding the perfect git can be really hard, but if your partner has a super sweet tooth, Lir Chocolates could be the perfect place to look. Lir was created in Dublin in 1987 by Connie Doody and Mary White and began on Connie’s kitchen table with a food mixer and a bowl. Those early days instilled a spirit of creativity and attention to detail that are still integral to Lir Chocolates today.

To mark Lir's 30th birthday celebrations, they have created the beautiful Discovery Collection* which I was kindly gifted. Wrapped in rose gold, delicate pink hues, the packaging alone is simply stunning. The Discovery Collection showcases eight exotic and creative flavours that will excite your taste buds. This new range brings together Lir’s delicious chocolate exteriors with mouth-watering exotic centres, such as Persian lime oil, Spanish pistachio and vanilla from Tahiti in the South Pacific.

"We are constantly exploring, constantly experimenting, and constantly pushing back the boundaries of what is possible at the hands of the modern chocolatier."

With 16 decadent chocolates in eight luxurious flavours, this is definitely the perfect selection box to gift this Valentine’s Day.

Persian Lime Truffle - A surprising black and white combination of rich dark chocolate and white chocolate truffle infused with Persian lime oil.

Dark Chocolate Torte - Vanilla from the South Pacific is set within a crisp dark chocolate shell in this rich intense dark chocolate torte.

Chewy Pecan Caramel - Just wait for the generous covering of creamy milk chocolate to dissolve to reveal a chewy caramel centre with crunchy salted pecan nuts.

Hazelnut Gianduja - A creamy white chocolate exterior slowly and teasingly dissolves to reveal the beautifully smooth taste of a hazelnut praline.

Cinnamon & Raisin Cream - Exquisite Belgian white chocolate ganache, infused with aromatic and warm cinnamon, juicy raisins and velvety Irish cream liqueur.

Coffee Crunch - Delve beneath our blonde chocolate to find a deeply creamy white filling with coffee and caramelised cocoa nibs.

Irish Sea Salted Caramel - Two worlds collide delightfully when Irish Atlantic sea-salted caramel combines with Tahitian vanilla in crisp dark chocolate.

Raspberry & Pistachio Duo - An intense explosion of taste from a fusion of fruity raspberry compote with Spanish pistachio paste hidden in creamy milk chocolate.

These chocolates are seriously unreal. A collection of handcrafted gems created to surprise and delight, and they definitely did that. They are like nothing I have ever tasted before. All the flavours were spot on, so fresh and such high quality - I couldn't even pick a favourite as they were all SO good!

Have you heard of Lir Chocolates before? What flavour from their Discovery Collection would be your favourite?

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AD - GIFTED | When it comes to skincare, face masks are one of my favourite products that I love to chop and change based on my skins needs. Whether your skin is dry and needs hydration, your skin is dull and needs brightening or your skin is oily and needs detoxing, there is always a face mask for every occasion. I was recently introduced to PROCOAL London; a company focused on producing high-quality beauty products using traceable and ethically sourced ingredients at revolutionary prices and use business to inspire and foster positive social change.

I was kindly gifted their Marine Moisture Masks* to try and test out for myself, and help combat my winter skin. The box contained 4 x Sheet Masks - each sheet mask contains roughly 25 ml of extract rich serum. These definitely reminded me of the Garnier Moisture Bomb masks.

These masks are packed full of natural, skin loving ingredients and are enriched with:
Nutrient-rich Marine Ferments: Marine ferments deliver powerful antioxidants and help the skin to retain moisture.

Botanical Extracts: Potent blend of botanical extracts help nourish and hydrate the skin.

Pro-Vitamin B5: Helps to keep skin soft, smooth, and healthy. Deeply hydrating, it helps to keep skin quenched by absorbing moisture from the air.

These cutting-edge, easily absorbed moisturising facial sheet masks are suitable for all skin types, especially those who have dry or dehydrated skin and are in need of a serious moisture boost. Upon application these masks feels super cooling and fresh against the skin. You can feel the instant hydration. The mask itself has a very wet texture, due to the large quantity of serum included, that smoothes easily over the skin and moulds to the face very easily.

Once the face mask has worked its magic for around 20 minutes, I was extremely happy with the instant results from the first use of the PROCOAL London Marine Moisture Mask. My skin was left so plump and hydrated. It was the perfect product to use of my dry winter skin and will definitely become an essential in my skincare routine whilst we still have this cold weather. I was left glowing, my complexion was so much more radiant and bright. It was definitely the skincare pick-me-up I needed!

Have you heard of PROCOAL London before? What are your favourite sheet masks?

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"From a Gourmet Chicken takeaway restaurant in 1994 to the Gourmet Express charcoal grill in 2000. Husband and wife team Ali and Amira invite you to their latest food adventure in South Wimbledon."

Last week, I dined out at the extraordinary AYA Lebanese restaurant in South Wimbledon. I had been to this restaurant before once, but this time I wanted to share my experience, my thoughts and photos. I am yet to do restaurant reviews, but they are definitely something that I would love to start doing more as I am always reading reviews to find places to go and new cuisines to try. For me, Lebanese food is one of the freshest, most flavoursome and most delicious cuisines on the planet and AYA definitely ticks all of those.

The restaurant have a BYOB system in place that allows you to bring your own alcohol into the restaurant, so you can bring your favourite drinks that will complement your meal. Otherwise they have a selection of soft drinks and fruit juices available if you prefer.

My recent trip to AYA was on a Friday night with my Dad and 2 of my brothers. From the minute you walked into the restaurant, you are greeted by such warm and welcoming staff. Small things like this make a restaurant experience 10 times better and really gets the evening off to a good start.

Within a couple of minutes of being shown to your table and seated, one of the lovely waiters brings over some delicious and fresh warm Lebanese bread, alongside a duo of delicious dips. The dips consist of a delicious garlic sauce and a spicy tomato based sauce. Both of which are so delicious and addictive. We managed to munch our way through numerous servings of these, as the staff regularly top these up for you when they see them empty. Isn't this great?!!

After we had some time to look through the extensive menu, we all decided on a few starter dishes to begin the meal. AYA has a good range of starter dishes ranging from cold starters or warm starters which gives you the chance to sample many difference dishes and flavours. Between us, we opted to choose four starters to get our taste buds tingling.

Starter number one was the Soujouk. This is a warm dish of spicy pan fried sausages stuffed with lamb, garlic and chilli, served with some tomatoes and a wedge of fresh lemon. The sausages have such a spicy, warming taste, you can really taste the fresh garlic coming through.

Starter number two was the Calamari. Pan fried squid with garlic, chilli, peppers, coriander and lemon. The Calamari is hands down one of my favourite starters I've tried from AYA. The squid is cooked to perfection. No rubbery, chewy texture. It simply melts in the mouth. The accompanying flavours really enhance this dish and bring it to life.

Something new to try on this visit to AYA was the Lamb Sambousek. These are deep fried pastries filled with minced lamb, spices and onion. These were incredible, especially dipped into that delicious garlic sauce! The pastry was so crispy and golden, and the filling was so juicy and soft. It was a match made in heaven. I would definitely have these again!

Finally we opted for the Kraidis. Another of my favourites from AYA. These are pan fried prawns with garlic, chilli, pepper, coriander and lemon - the perfect flavour combination. The prawns were so fresh and meaty and juicy. I could eat a whole plate of these pretty easily!

After the starters had been devoured, we were given some more bread and dips to nibble on whilst we waited for the main courses to be brought out. Three of us opted for the AYA Mix Grill and my brother picked out the Kharouf Mehsheh.

The Kharouf Mehsheh is one of AYA's speciality dishes. You receive a deliciously juicy and soft lamb shank served with carrots and minced lamb rice. The lamb shank is to die for. So tender and juicy, it literally falls off the bone. On a bed of fragrant spiced rice, the flavours just merge effortless together to give you a real taste of Lebanon.

The AYA Mix Grill is not for the faint hearted. You are served up skewers of lamb and chicken shish, minced lamb kebab and slices of lamb and chicken shawarma. It's every meat lovers dream. Cooked to perfection, the meats are so juicy and tender, they just melt in the mouth.

We then chose to order some traditional Baklava. A sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and honey. These were absolutely beautiful. So light yet sweet and crunchy. The perfect way to end out meal!

If you're looking for a new Lebanese restaurant to try in London, you need to visit AYA. AYA offers sophisticated dining with a trendy atmosphere, warming hospitality and a delicious, creative menu. There is a great choice of fantastic dishes, each one fresh and tasty. The hardest part will be going through the amazing menu and deciding what to order next!

Have you tried Lebanese cuisine before? What are your favourite Lebanese restaurants?

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One of my goals I've set myself for 2019 is to become more of a money saver. I want to try and hold back on my spending and see in what ways I am able to save more money each month. Previously, I have just set aside a certain amount of money each month that goes straight into my savings account and watched that account grow and grow. But recently I've thought to myself that I can attempt to save even more and I've thought of a few ways to do this that will help increase my money saving this year.

1. 52-Week Money Challenge

As well as saving regular amounts of money each month from my paycheck, something new I've found this year has been the 52 week money challenge. By far one of the simplest savings technique that I have looked into. You simply follow the plan each week, watch your savings grow and before you know it, you'll have a good amount of money stored away. The challenge is pretty straight forward. The first week you add £1 into your savings, the next week £2, the week after that £3 and so on…. By the 52nd week you will have put away a whopping £1,378. I know it doesn't seem like much but you're few pounds every week really do add up.

2. Withdrawing Money

With the invention of contactless payments through your bank card or mobile phone, it's become so much easier to spend money without even thinking about it. When you're using this payment method numerous times a day, £10 here, £5 there, it can really add up and make a huge dent in your funds without you even realising. Something that can help you stop the splurging is to withdraw a certain amount of money, whether that be daily or weekly limit. This way you know exactly how much money you have and how much you have left to spend. I'm using this method to help me budget better, make better choices and to value the amount of money I have so much more.

3. Cheaper Alternatives

This way of money saving can be used for a variety of things. There are always cheaper alternatives available if you look for them. I'll be using this saving hack in terms of groceries and cosmetics. The idea of buying supermarket/drugstore own branded products can produce significant savings, and 9 times out of 10, the product is pretty similar to the more expensive, well known brands. So if you can knock a few pence off your shopping bill each week/month, it will all add up.

4. Make Coffee At Home

I'm sure we've all been there. Woke up late, got ready in a hurry and rushed out to your local coffee shop before work to get your caffeine fix. I know I'm guilty of this. My local Starbucks is right by the bus stop I use to get to work, and the smell of coffee in the morning is sometimes far too tempting when you're still half asleep. But £3-£4 for just a coffee seems a little steep, especially when you can buy a large jar of coffee for the same price.

5. Save Loose Change
This is a money saving hack that I have recently been doing and it's definitely a way to save a small amount of money. I've rummaged around my old handbags/purses and to my joy I've found myself quite a handful of coins that I now keep in my current backpack. Whenever I'm out and about, having this loose change is great as if you end up going shopping, you can do part payments where you use cash and card. Therefore even if you can take off a few pence or pounds from the balance of your shopping, you still will save yourself some money in the long run.

6. Write a list before you go shopping – and stick to it.
One of the easiest ways to save money is to only shop when you have a list. You will typically end up making impulse buys and unplanned purchases if you don't have a strict list to shop for. Impulse purchases are all things that cost money, so using a list will also help you avoid buying food you might waste and end up throwing away.

How are you saving money this year?

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