Stockholm Travel Essentials

Stockholm Travel Essentials by whatlaradidnext featuring an ear bud headphone

Morning Everyone!

In just over 2 weeks I am jetting off to Stockholm for a short city break with my boyfriend and I cannot wait! As a way to get me in holiday mode and well to make me even more excited than I already I am - I thought I would put together a little travel essentials list. Now I know there are loads more items you need than just what I have put on the collage but these are my must haves!

1. Handbag - A good sturdy Mary-Poppins-esque bag will do just the trick. On city breaks you're bobbing around the city all day long and there is nothing worse than carrying tonnes of carrier bags about. You need a bag to put in all your essentials remember!

2. BB Cream - My flight is at 7:45am from Heathrow which means I will be travelling in the middle of the night to get to the Airport. Although I will be super excited for my little city break, at that hour of the day, wearing a heavy/fantastic coverage Foundation is not on the top of my list. BB Cream - a light glowing alternative however does seem very appealing. It promises to hide blemishes and imperfections and does the trick of a foundation and concealer but without the cakeyness = perfect for an overnight flight.

3. Trainers - On a city break in a place like Stockholm there are so many places to discover and explore, being on-foot for the majority of the day means you need a good pair of shoes. Heels is not an option for me unless its evening so I'm going to invest in a good old pair of Nikes before my mini break.

4. Scrunchies - Again, you'll be doing a lot of walking, a lot of lugging around suitcases and a lot of rushing around. With the air probably being windy, having pristine slick hair wouldn't be awfully advisable as it will just blow all over the shop. A good old scrunchie has many uses - you can wear it in the day, put it in a bun for bed or even use it as a bracelet - my boyfriend has a habit of pinching mine and doing this!

5 & 6. Headphones & Ipad -  I've combined 5 & 6 because they work together generally. My Ipad mini and a pair of headphones are must have for a flight. It means I can listen to my music, do a bit of blogging and just generally forget about the world for a little while.

7. Sunglasses - Regardless of whether it is hot or not sunnies are always on my list. They shield your eyes from the sun on hot days, they're your best friend on no make up and dress down days and they keep them pesky insects out of your way...what would we do without them ey?

8. Snacks - A supply of snacks is a must have, always. No matter where you are, sometimes you just get that feeling where you need food and you need it now. I chose Reeses mini's because well they're like little bites of heaven. I literally praise the person who founded Reeses, what a clever chap.

9. Camera - Travelling is all about exploring and capturing them once in a lifetime moments and having a camera is always pretty useful. I mean, the camera I will be using wont be as fancy as the one in my collage unfortunately but I will certainly be taking one.

What are your travel essentials and must haves? :) 

My weekend in London

Hola! So its probably safe to say I had the best weekend ever. It mainly consisted of eating, shopping, a little bit more shopping and travelling. I have completely and utterly shopped my self out this weekend - thank you London for the lovely weekend and thank you also for giving my bank card a massive battering.

My city break weekend started by going for a leisurely walk into town and grabbing a quick Costa to warm my heart before catching the train to London. I made sure I was more than prepared for the trip  by arming myself with Company mag and  my trusty head phones. Also due to the fact I bought Kyle reems of Wonka Chocolate and other varieties of American Candy - we had a gift bag full of treats to munch on during our journey heading to the big smoke.

Upon arrival at Kings Cross, we immediately rushed onto to the underground and caught the tube to the ever so classy district of London - St Paul's. Since it was Kyle's birthday I booked us in at the Grange St Paul's Hotel which was located right by the St Paul's Cathedral - what a wonderful view. I don't usually do the whole touristy thing as I find it a bit cliche but whilst dragging our cases to the hotel I stopped and caught a snap of the beautiful building. 

After arguing with Siri/Google Maps & Kyle on numerous occasions we finally managed to find the hotel. One word - wow. What an utterly cosmopolitan and contemporary building! We could hardly believe our luck when we were escorted to our superior suite. The room was amazing. We even got mongrammed robes and a docking station (jazzy eh!). The main highlight for me was the power shower - it had a waterfall shower head and 3 other components shooting out steaming hot water in every direction, absolute luxury. 

As lovely as the hotel room was, unfortunately we spent hardly any time there due to other plans. After freshening up and grabbing a bite at ITSU (awesome sushi, salad and noodle bar) we headed off to Drury Lane to see Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. With this being my first show, initially I didn't really know what to expect, all I'll say is the show more than exceeded my expectations and that you MUST go and see it. It's a real show stopper and made me howl throughout. 

On Saturday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed early doors, put on our robes and strolled down to the pool and sauna which was unreal! I would more than recommend the St Paul's Grange, you really do receive  five star services. After that we shot off to Oxford Street of course. We spent far too much money and far too much time in both Nike Town & Victoria Secrets but the main thing is we enjoyed ourselves. Here's a little peek on some of my purchases:

To finish our delightful weekend off we took selfies and tucked into a yummy pork and apple casserole, served with creamy mash and veg & then proceeded to the sofa for a day filled with Keeping Up With The Kardashians and The Great British Bake Off. What a beyond perfect weekend!

Candy Bracelets

So last weekend I decided to play about with having a photo shoot, it's something I've never done before so I'm aware that it is very much amateur but it was just something I wanted to have fun with. Photo shoots are naturally awkward as it means you're suddenly put in the spot light and every sense of movement you've ever had seems to disappear as soon as a camera is put in front of your face.  

Here is a run down of what I'm wearing: 

• The gorgeous bracelets are from LizzleTrix. LizzleTrix makes bracelets that look good enough to eat. In this shot I'm wearing - Club Tropicana, Dolly Daydream (my favourite!!), Lizzlelove and Ibiza purple (my second favourite). The Dolly Daydream is my favourite bracelet as it really does look like Dolly Mixture sweets and I seriously just wanted to eat it! Ibiza purple was my second favourite as I'm totally into this neon purple look at the moment. I also feel the Ibiza bracelet teamed great with the old school bomber jacket I'm wearing. 
• The golden rustic looking spiked necklace is from New Look. This is a staple item of mine and I tend probably over wear it. 
• The bomber jacket is Vintage.
• The Short-sleeved Clementine shaded shirt dress is my amazing new dress which I purchased from Best Newcastle. Best is my favourite shop as it is full of re-worked vintage clothing. It's right up my street.
•  And last but not least, my shoes are Nike Blazers that were purchased from Foot Asylum. 

You can purchase the LizzleTrix bracelets I was wearing on:  http://www.lizzletrix.com/

Follow them on Twitter:  @LizzleTrix

They're also on Instagram: lizzletrix

& On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizzleTrix

In the shots I'm wearing - 

• MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation
• MAC Lipstick in shade 'Saint Germain'
• The Benefit Smokey Eye Palette
• MAC Bronzer
• Loreal Mascara

Tomboy Chic

Mixing Cara Delevingne’s casual tomboy look with a bit of LA chic. It’s risky but it is hot. Cas’ dungerees, teamed with a beautiful pair of black suede air max and a little OPI polish. You can’t go wrong. 

Sports Luxe

Sports Luxe by whatlaradidnext featuring topshop

Topshop oversized t shirt / The Ragged priest, $99 / Topshop / Topshop / Topshop nail polish,
$7.62 / Supply Semiprecious purple amethyst rondelle bead strand 5mm

We all know Sports Luxe made a massive comeback last year and proved successful.
So if you liked it last year - this ss13 its set to make yet another return but has once
again had a slight reinvention. Expect electrifying colour popping nails teamed with
an oversized baseball tee. Stock up on some mesh and leather insert garments and
make your statement baseball capyour new best friend and most importantly - your
staple item. Think baseball preppy mixed with disco dancing.  Oh and don't forget to
purchase your pair of this seasons hottest sneaks - Nike Skateboarders. I can't wait to
get myhands on the lilac pair featured above. Lovely!