Wanderlust: Barcelona

Barcelona. Quite possibly my most favourite European City we have visited!

If you're thinking of a last minute summer break in Europe then I would totally recommend Barcelona, its just 2 hours from London, with so much to do and see!

We thought Barcelona would be ideal as it would be our first flight, and for Rich there was the lure of the Nou Camp though we didn't have tickets for a game just visiting there would keep him happy!

We visited in September 2014 thinking we would probably not get great weather but we were so wrong! September is such a good time to go as its off season so prices are much lower but you still get up to 30 degree sunshine! :) I actually cried on our last day in Barca cus I didn't want to come home haha!

I'll try and keep this short and sweet cus we took 600 odd photos and were out and about pretty much everyday from dawn till dusk!

Where we stayed

We stayed for 5 days split between two hotels,  mostly due to that the second hotel was nearest to the football ground and had amazing across of the city which is something I knew Rich would love being a fan of a city break more than something off the beaten track, whilst I loved the first hotel as it was central and close to the centre.

For the first 3 nights we stayed at the Catalonia Portal L'Angel hotel. If you want central, you can't get better than this!

Its just seconds from Las Ramblas, moments from the airport bus yet when your inside, you can't hear the hustle and bustle of the busy streets - this one is a gem!

The second hotel was GranHotel Torre Catalunya which is perfect if your staying to watch a game or to stay a little out of the centre.

This one had such stunning views and the restaurant up on the top floor was the best dinner out me and Rich had ever had!

Things to do

Although Barcelona has a metro train system, I'd definitely recommend walking being the best mode of transport round the city so you can really appreciate everything and see all the beautiful architecture. 

The only things we used the train for was to get to the Nou Camp and to get to Montserrat, a gorgeous monastery up in the mountains.

Las Ramblas

The most touristy part of the city but a must visit none the less for getting souvenirs and people watching. Not to mention just round the corner you also have Zara and Stradivarius if you need to get your shopping fix!

Barceloneta Beach

Although its a man made beach, Barceloneta beach is pretty impressive. Tapas bars are plentiful, volleyball, clubs and of sun! Don't be fooled though, it is not soft sand so do bring flip flops. The sea is pretty deep as well, there are no low tides here so I admit I was a little disappointed to not be able to paddle, you need to be a good swimmer! 

Montjuic

A short cable car ride away is Mountjuic, a definite must see! not only do you get great views of the city but there is also alot of things to do up there including the old Olympic stadium and swimming pool. Its quite trekky so take alot water bottle and refill as you go using the city water fountains.

Camp Nou

Good place to take sport mad partner for the afternoon whilst they check out the museum and the stadium! 

Sagrada Familia

Although we didn't go inside on our visit its definitely worth just going along to have a peek!

Montserrat

This is the monastery I mentioned earlier, if you can, do go and take the train and head out of the city to visit. Its so worth the views and a quiet day away from it all!  Its a good alternative to Sagrada Familia if you want to escape the tourist crowd. 

Parc Guell 

Of course, no trip to Barcelona is complete without checking out Parc Guell!

 Astonishing place, though can be very busy! 

Visit early or head along at sunset to get the most out of your visit and get your photos before the crowds arrive!

Casa Batllo

I want this house!! 

Not only a good way to avoid the sun for an hour of two but a chance to see Gaudi's beautiful pottery house in the city. Like Guell, expect amazing architecture like you have never seen before,  

Magic Fountain 

Lastly, make sure you head along to one of the magic fountain shows on Moutjuic! 

words cannot describe how pretty it is - just go along and see, there is no better way to finish your stay.

Got a favourite summer holiday destination? let me know where you love to go!

x 

The Baby Blue Teddy Coat

     Baby Blue Teddy Coat // Bershka

          Voodoo Girl 666 Crop Sweater // Voodoo Girl Couture

 Black PU Panel Leggings // H&M

This is the last item of my little holiday haul from Barca! Totally weird to go on a sun holiday and come back with a winter coat but hey ho!

I actually read an article the other day about a lady who also recently went to Barcelona for a winter shopping trip and bought from the biggest imported Spanish brands Mango & Bershka to see how much it would cost in the equivalent of buying in the UK, adding in the costs of the flight and accommodation and it was cheaper to fly out and get them straight from Spain rather then buy in the UK! Crazy huh? May have to organise a Euro shopping trip in the new year. It did take my baggage limit over hand luggage but it was totally worth it! :)

I've been wanting a baby blue teddy coat for aaages but just finding the ones in shops were way too long and just swamped my petite frame, as soon as I spotted this one in the Portal de l'Angel store I knew I had to get it or regret it! I'm not really a fan of buying coats as they always seem to be in boring dull colours but this pastel blue shade will keep me going though in to winter and spring :)

Not only is it super snuggly, it has a nylon hood so it its raining it dosent get all soggy and horrible, I also noticed only whilst taking these pics that the whole nylon lining inside the coat attached to the hood is removable by a zipper, so if you prefer not to have the hood and just want to have the coat on its own, you can!

These Teddy coats are now also in Bershka UK stores and online in both baby blue,  baby pink or black

Love, Sarah x

September 2014 Edit - Day 271 - Barcelona

Parc Guell: H&M Neon Leopard Print Embellished Bralet & Hotpants Co-ord , Accessorize Sunglasses

Montserrat Monastery - H&M Red Skater Dress, Primark Coin Necklace &Tribal Print Drawstring Bag

La Ramblas: Topshop Tile print Crop top, H&M Distressed Denim Hotpants & Turquoise PomPom Tassel Necklace

Montjuic: Select Floral Tapestry Print Bardot Dress

The Saturdays: Greatest Hits Tour Brighton!

Being the transeasonal month, I'm sort of in-between changing over my seasonal wardrobe and my A/W make up at the mo, throwing on layers when it gets abit chilly and instead of introducing my plum and berry coloured lipsticks and metallic pallet to my make up bag, I'm using my hot pink lippy to brighten things up whilst teaming up with my ultimate go-to eyeshadow everyday pallet- Natural Eye from Too Faced.
I have been using this set now for years and despite trying cheaper dupes or Benefits' World Famous Most Glamorous Nudes which has some similar shades but they they just don't come close to how nicely these apply and how well all the shades blend - Well worth the £22 worth - My current pallet is a year old and still going strong even after using daily!

So I'll start my A/W makeup buying next month and will have lots of new stuff to show you then :)

Its been a busy September as have been on holiday and out and about abit! Barcelona was just B-E-A-Utiful! am definitely going back there (hopefully to live!!) one day. As I managed to leave some of my holiday wardrobe behind by accident, I did have to re-buy a couple of bits whilst I was out there and H&M came to my rescue as usual as there are loads of them! I did also pop in the some of Spain's bestest clothes shops such as Bershka, Pull & Bear and Stradivarius that are popping up over here in the UK gradually also.

I managed to grab some some cool things from these three shops including a teddy coat (is that weird I went on a sunny holiday and came back with a winter coat??!)  a bomber jacket, a clutch bag and a couple of cute tee-shirts... Keep your eyes on the blog, they will be up in future posts soon! :)

Love, Sarah x

May 2014 Edit - Day 153

Katy Perry Prismatic Tour @ The O2 London

Katy Perry/Claire's Accessories Jewellery Range - Nails - Barry M Aquarium polish in Mediterranean

"The Bible" - Company High Street Edit Summer 2014 is now out! / Katy Perry Pom Pom Hairband

Holiday 2014 planning! expect lots of holiday outfit posts soon! lol! 

New Hair & Beauty Buys 

Rocky Road Birthday Treats! May is def the month of Birthdays!

Wow! what a busy month! New job, birthdays, holiday booked (Barcelona - here we come! :D ) and Katy Perrys Tour...phew! I'm still aching from this weekend, think it must of been the hours trailing up and down Oxford Street before going to the O2!

Whilst in Oxford Street, I popped in to Claire's Accessories to pick up some of the lovely new pieces of Katy Perrys Wildflower collection. This is the second batch of her colab with Claire's after her Prism collection was released earlier in May. Wildflower is a pretty, girlier and more summery range, consisting of chunky flower corsage cuffs, colourful jewel statement necklaces and rings and geometric patterned bracelets. Love!
I bought the Fushia pink flower pom pom hairband and the Jewelled hand chain as I've been lusting after these since seeing these in the Claires/Kary Perry lookbook earlier this year though I may go back for a few of the bracelets as well...! You can see the full range here:  http://www.claires.co.uk/katy-perry-wildflower

This months edit also has alot less beauty stuff then last.. I haven't got a load of wedding make up n stuff to write about, but as we're now in to June we can start shopping for summer hair and make up buys :)

As mentioned a few weeks back, I cut my hair a few days ago as my dip dye as it was looking tired and the condition was way beyond repair. so comes the new challenge of repairing my hair before I start getting obsessed with dying it another color again lol! Summer hair is always a bugger anyway cus my hair is really fine and gets greasy on top but I have dry ends so its really difficult, I probably won't dye it now till sept/oct time.

Conveniently though, there recently has been loooads of new hair products popping up everywhere - all claiming to be totally life changing ect..I'm constantly trying and buying new hair products and find for me that work and thanks to Boots holding a three for two on hair care at the moment (THANK YOU BOOTS!) I can try a few new products out on my difficult and hard to manage fine and damaged hair without feeling too bad about cost!

I've had most successes with Loreal hair products in the past so it made sense to pick up something in the Fibreology thickening range. I've just got the shampoo at the mo but will see if my hair feels any thicker in a couple of weeks a its only had one use so far, but I have heard good things and reviews about it so might get the conditioner as well if I see good results!

I've never really bought anything from Garnier but have heard alot of hype around the Ultimate Blends range so thought I should give a couple of things from the range a whirl. I bought the Silky 7-in-one dry shampoo and the one minute glow replenisher. I wasn't expecting much cus the packaging itself isn't very pretty - I know that sounds bad - but you kind of expect the products in the prettier bottles to work better right?

I was very wrong though!

It smells lovely - it's a really nice vanilla scent that lasts all day and best still - it really works! I've been using Batiste Dry shampoo for bad hair days for the last couple of years but not been a fan of the smell of them - and for me - It dosent work that well and I'm reapplying it throughout the day without much success.
 But the Ultimate Blends dry shampoo has made my hair feel like it has just been re-washed after a couple of sprays and gives it its life back, and at just £3.99 will now be a beauty bathroom shelf staple!. Result!

Another product I'd like to give a quick mention to that I have discovered and fallen n love with this month is Revlons Lip Lacquer. This was inside a Boots/This Morning/Daily Mail goodie bag I received early on in May. I'm not the biggest fan of Revlon's products but I think this is a product I will be buying in the other shades. I love lipstick but find they make your lips quite dry for the summer - these little crayons look dry but they actually are nothing like that! They give you a vivid long lasting lip colour that goes on really smoothly and are really glossy - was really impressed :)

Love, Sarah x