Life of a Jetsetter - London
Darlings,
if you follow our instagram you'll know that we are lucky enough to be jet setting off together a lot of the time. It really is a good job we genuinely get on all the time otherwise how annoying would that be...anyway lucky for us that is definitely not the case.
We often 'twin' our outfits, and most of the time accidentally co-ordinate, must be twin syndrome.
Travelling is always so much fun and we're so lucky we get to go to lots of different cities and countries for work, and we always make the most of it when we're visiting somewhere new and of course document all of it on our insta stories for you. We thought we'd turn our travelling into a blog so you can also check back here for tips on places to go in the cities we visit. We're forever scouring insta for the best places to eat, drink, shop and of course that insta background for a fabulous selfie! It's well publicised that we're proud Welshies, we love our home town of Barry, but lucky for us like we just said that's 'home' so we want to let you know our fave places to travel and also what we choose to pack.
The first place we'd like to give you the Spectrum Sisters tour of is London. We're there very frequently for work and meetings - when you run a business outside of London that is one of the commutes you'll have to get used to, but it's worth it to have our wonderful Welsh HQ.
Office Goals
When we're in London Town we're often in and out of meetings, however we do sometimes get to steal a day for fun.
We've decided to take you on a tour of our favourite places in the Big City in the style of what our dream day out would be, starting with breakfast, of course there's some shopping and champagne in there, and to finish a bit of dancing with one of our fave London DJ's...
Love a colour block look
Wake up, get ready, breakfast!
We're up about 08:30 (don't forget this is our dream day) we've had a quick scroll on insta and a brief check of our e-mails in case anything urgent has come through, but thankfully today it's just the usual... back and forth with suppliers, retail partners, and the team back at home in Wales keeping everything ticking over nicely.
So out of bed and into a comfy but chic outfit, that's our favourite style and always with a splash of colour. Our everyday makeup look is fairly simple, there's not much time to get ready usually so we stick to around 7/8 products and 7/8 make-up brushes. Our set of choice for travelling is of course our Jetsetter collection. London feels like home, so the green malachite one just fits this trip.
The most dreamy green set...
We head over to Granger & Co. in the newly re-furbed area behind Kings Cross train station, Coal Drops Yard. It's really amazing around there and you're spoiled for choice for restaurants and now a few shops too, but Granger & Co. is our fave for breakfast. Firstly, the flat whites are wonderful, we have one with coconut milk. The granola is also absolutely delicious and there's plenty of it, it won't leave you feeling peckish, but if we are, we'll share some of the 'hot cakes' which are syrupy and really filling.
We love it there because the decor is dreamy, and the tables are big enough for us to get our laptops out and do an hour or so of catching up with everyone while enjoying a second coffee, and probably an orange juice which is also fresh and delicious.
*side note* good selfie lighting
If you have chance to visit one we highly recommend it for the beautiful interior, the healthy and delicious food options, plenty of vegetarian and vegan choices too, and also the team have always been friendly and efficient, you're not waiting too long even when there is a queue outside which their often is. We've queued before and it's still worth it!
So Spectrum...
Stylish Sightseeing...
Once we've filled up on breakfast and caught up on e-mails (yes even in our dream day we still e-mail, we love our job) we'll try and find time to do some strolling around, I know it's a section called 'sightseeing' but we like to shop, people watch, and take in some lovely scenery at the same time ideally rather than just heading for attractions. One of our favourite spots to do all 3 is Covent Garden. We usually jump on a tube if we're not carrying too much as it is much quicker to get around, so it's a short trip from Kings Cross and we're there.
pic by
Once we've shopped and people watched then we'd recommend heading down to the river to take in some of the London skyline, perhaps from the terrace at Somerset House. The instagram ops around here are really good and it's worth the short walk from Covent Garden for the grand but neutral architecture which is a perfect backdrop to a bright outfit. In the summer there's an outdoor bar on the terrace overlooking the river but it's beautiful just to wander through Somerset House while you're at that end of London anyway, also they have London Fashion Week there so you can imagine how stylish it is! To top it off there's usually an exhibition going on, and they're usually fashion or beauty oriented so always worth a visit!
But first, Champagne!
After a wander around for a good few hours we're of course thinking about what to do for dinner. We love anywhere that gives you multiple options, and one of our favourite London landmarks to visit has to be Selfridges (does that count as sightseeing!?)
If you're visiting for the day it's a must, there's a contemporary fashion level where you can get your high street shopping fix
You can'y go to Selfridges without a cheeky champagne at The Fount. The newly re-furbed handbag hall has been given a super chic makeover by Tom Dixon who's work we love, including the central Fount which serves champagne, cocktails and picky bits like olives, nuts and pastries. We do often treat ourselves to a little pit stop, service and staff are all really fab as to be expected.
Often it's worth a visit just for the window displays which are world renowned and we love them for the creativity. The beauty hall is also amazing for all you beauty lovers, sadly there's no Spectrum in there yet, but then they don't know what they're missing out on, how beautiful would our travel Jetsetter sets look in there, and for the international customers....justsayin.
Before you leave, head up to the brand new Brasserie of Light restaurant. It's part of Caprice holdings (who also own The Ivy) so you can expect the same style of menu and level of great service.
Casual crystal covered Pegasus just floating there...
Eat, drink and look up at the amazing Damien Hirst Pegasus sculpture which really is a show stopper especially at night. The menu offers something for everyone, and we usually skip dessert but the 'Pegasus Pie' and also 'Orbit' are worth the extra calories tbh. If nothing else, go there to have a cocktail which are really reasonably priced considering the surroundings, and some chips, and take some pics in the rose quartz bathroom...
Who doesn't want a rose quartz bathroom selfie?
Sketch
A firm favourite of the insta crowd (us included) is the grand pink gallery room where you can sit and take afternoon tea. It's a bit pricey but you are essentially paying for the decor as well as a re-fillable afternoon tea, we love the savoury as well as the sweet section, and you can add champagne but their teas are a delicious accompaniment to the food, and the tea set is also V. instagrammable....see below.
Be sure to nip into the Gallery for a pic
Always carrying a brush for those touch ups :)
The Egg Bathroom....
And Finally...have some fun at the W hotel
By this time, say around 11p we're pretty tired...being this fabulous in all these different locations is quite time consuming, but worth it!!
If you're in London you have to end the evening at the W hotel bar. Not only is the interior just beautiful, the atmosphere is very cool but relaxed, not as high brow as a lot of places, we prefer to soak in good vibes whenever possible.
Girl power outside the W
The DJ is always fab at the W and the energy is high with great tunes, so just make an evening of it, enjoy a cocktail, a dance and then roll upstairs to the most comfiest of beds.
Selfie lighting isn't a problem here...
Another thing we love about the W is the amazing spa facilities, if you have time to relax that is. The rooms are gorgeous, but wonderfully comfortable, and the lighting is actually good for makeup, anyone else hate it when your hotel room is gorgeous but you can't do your makeup because of bad lighting? Not a problem here!!
Good vibes only!
Anyway, we can't fit any more into our dream day and we also need our beauty sleep, so hope you enjoyed reading!
Sweet dreams,
Sophie & Hannah xxx