I’ve been traveling to London since I was a kid, but each time I have returned over the years has been a new experience with new memories. When Rimmel London invited me to visit their home base I didn’t hesitate to say yes. This trip was one of my favorites as I experienced new parts of the city I had never been to before. It really is one of my favorite places to visit and if you haven’t been yet, here are some places you should check out.
After a long day of flying from Los Angeles to London, I made my way to the far east part of London, to a part of town called Shoreditch where the ACE Hotel is located. I had never been over there before and it was a young area with unique shops and interesting restaurants and bars filled with people my age every evening. The ACE Hotel made for the perfect hub for our stay in town. I met up with Jenny of Neon Blush and we yelped to the best fish and chips in the area (we ended up at Poppies) and had dinner that night before going to bed to try to get adjusted to the time zone.
The next day was full of my favorite things, shopping for shoes and a chance to try out the newest Rimmel London beauty products. We had brunch with the team from Dune London then made our way to their store on Oxford street. (The tan sneakers I’m wearing in a photo below is from their store!) There were endless amounts of shoes and I made it out of there with four new pairs, I’m somewhat addicted to shoes. After our morning of shopping on Oxford street, we passed by Selfridges before heading back to Shoreditch.
Once we were back in town, I had the opportunity to meet with Kirstin Piggott, the global makeup artist for Rimmel London. She brought a ton of products to try, but my absolute favorites were the Wonder’Lash Mascara, Scandaleyes Jumbo Liquid Eyeliner, and Stay Glossy Lip Gloss. (See selfie below for lip gloss picture!) I usually stay away from lip gloss because it tends to be too sticky or I have to reapply too often, but Kirstin explained how Rimmel London’s formula is more creamy, and highly pigmented which really does allow it to stay glossy for so long. Jenny and I spent the afternoon trying out different products with Kirstin’s guidance, and getting some tips and tricks along the way. All of the Rimmel London products were great, but the Stay Glossy Lip Gloss quickly became an essential while in London. I stashed a few of the different shades into my favorite bag and carried them as nearly and dearly as I did my passport.
The next day, we ate at Cereal Killer cafe which sounds like a dream if you haven’t had your favorite sweet cereal since childhood. I got the s’mores mixture with marshmallows and Nutella and a bowl of lucky charms because they are my favorite. After eating, I made my way to the House of CB store at the Westfield Stratford mall for a meet and greet and viewing of my collection I designed with them. I can’t describe the feeling of seeing the clothes in person in a store, but it was so amazing. It has been seen lately on Jennifer Lopez, Gigi Hadid and Kate Hudson! With it’s success in the states, I wasn’t sure how many girls read my blog in the UK and I was so happy with the turn out! I met so many incredible girls that day, one even brought me flowers. I loved being so far from home, but feeling so close to my blog readers and YouTube viewers. (If you are reading this and you came by THANK YOU!!! and I appreciate your support!!!)
After visiting the store, I went back to Shoreditch to get ready for dinner with Jenny and Justin at Novikov, my favorite sushi place in London (also try Zuma!) Then we met up with my girlfriend who lives in London for a night out in Soho. (and had a little too much fun.) The next day was kind of rough from such a long day before but we wanted to end our trip with Rimmel London on a quintessentially British note. We took the afternoon easy and hung out around the ACE, then went to Harrod’s just before it closed. I can’t believe I still get lost in there, but the shoe level is the most insane thing you will ever see. After exploring the landmark department store, we went to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit that I missed in New York. It was amazing to be able to see the exhibit in his home country. I finished the evening having dinner with a friend at Hakkasan (I recommend the duck salad and a hakka to drink)
Although our Rimmel London trip was quick, it was so memorable to be able to spend time in the city with one of London’s most iconic brands. I saw so many new parts of the city that I am already missing and can’t wait to book my next trip. I hope you go and see some of the places I visited and share them with me!
Oh my goodness that cereal cafe looks so amazing!
XO Janina
http://janinafran.blogspot.ca
Great post. Going there in 3 weeks. Thanks for the recommendations.
Fun post, makes me want to visit and buy gloss! Ha!
I love your blog, videos and style Marianna.
-LaRie
Inspired.she@wordpress.com
Gorgeous photos!!
Blonde in Cashmere
I was in England about a month ago and absolutely fell in love with it!
Xx
http://cierramais.blogspot.com/
Really enjoy reading your blog and Shoreditch is such a fantastic area to be in. There’s such a vibe to the place. Hope you do a meet and greet when you’re next here because I missed your CB one.