Author: Sarah Kemp

Review: Windows Phone – Nokia 1020 #MSLoop

A couple of weeks ago a friend was over at my house. I received an email and was swiftly notified by not one, not two, but five devices. All around us, the room was either buzzing or singing notification tunes. She wondered why on earth I had so many gadgets and I told her it was because I love them. I could happily fill my room with 100 different gadgets and find a use for every single one of them. My nickname at school wasn’t gadget for nothing! As part of the Microsoft Loop programme, which I was invited to join at the tail end of 2013, I received a bright yellow Nokia 1020, which I have been using as my primary device ever since. I was also given a Nokia 920 last summer (read the review here), but this post is to explore the 1020, which has been affectionately named ‘Big Yellow’. As an advocate of Samsung devices, switching to the Windows phone was a big deal for me. The reason I didn’t stick …

Karpo, King’s Cross

When I first moved to London nearly 9 years ago, the only reason I would go to King’s Cross was to catch the train home. It wasn’t exactly a desirable area, but in the last few years the area has undergone a serious transformation and has become a destination, particularly for food. Caravan and Grain Store sit next to the canal in the beautiful new Central St Martin’s campus and the likes of Honest Burgers has opened just around the corner. Another new addition to the area is Karpo, an independent, modern neighbourhood brassiere, which is part of the 4* Hotel Megaro situated right opposite King’s Cross station. I had heard about Karpo, mainly because of the bright mural on the wall of the hotel and I remembered a range of pictures of the interior that really caught my eye. I am always wary of restaurants that have the brasserie label as I have sampled some truly terrible food at ‘brasseries’, but what I have found over the last few years is that it’s always …

Mother’s Day Treat – Afternoon Tea at Milliennium Hotel, Mayfair

I have eaten my fair share of Afternoon Tea’s over the last few years; some of them incredible and others totally forgettable. It baffles me how some establishments feel that they can serve below average food and charge extortionate amounts for what is essentially just a few slices of bread with minimal filling and unappetising cakes. Not all of them are tarred with that brush though and one that I attended recently has shot to the top of my list. It was Mothering Sunday and me and my mum, who had come down to London to visit from Nottingham, joined me and a number of other bloggers and their mums for a luxurious afternoon tea at The Millennium Hotel in Mayfair. After wrestling with what felt like the whole world on the walk from Oxford Street tube, we turned left and ventured our way down into Mayfair. The streets became wider, less busy, the cars more expensive and the atmosphere far more relaxed. To my knowledge, my mum hadn’t visited Mayfair before so I strolled …

Flesh & Buns, Covent Garden

In association with match.com London is a great city for dating. I can guarantee that no matter how hard you try, you will never be stuck for an idea, particularly when it comes to dining out. Personally I always prefer a casual dining experience when it comes to dating as I find stuffy service awkward at the best of times and I would say the best areas in London for this are Soho and Covent Garden, the Kings of casual dining. My newest date spot is Flesh & Buns, which I visited last week with my mum. Yes, I know that it technically wasn’t a date, but the thought about it being a great date venue was in the back of my mind throughout the meal. Flesh & Buns is the second restaurant by the guys behind Bone Daddies in Soho and is situated just off Covent Garden’s busy Neal Street. The basement restaurant screams cool from the minute you set eyes and ears on it as the unmistakable logo protrudes off the side of …

Headmasters Blow Dry Review – 90’s Style

Hot… And Not Bothered, as it was affectionately known, was a Brit Pop, garage and cheesy pop fun filled extravaganza held at Biddle Bros in Clapton. It was my first 90’s club night, a resounding success and we’re looking forward to planning the next evening. It wouldn’t have been a 90’s night without the fashion to go with it. My friends Lex and Olivia rocked the best 90’s looks and I wore a black mini dress but jazzed it up with a new ‘do’ by James at Headmasters in Mayfair, who refreshed the colour and gave me a 90’s inspired blow dry from the new blow dry menu. Before: I usually go for a polished blow dry with bouncy waves but considering I was hosting a 90’s night, James suggested we go for a crimped look. I agreed and he set to work. How did he do it? He rough dried my hair, separated it and plaited sections. He then got a pair of straighteners and straightened each plait a few times over. Following this, …