A Letter To Your Future Husband

Ladies, I have to say. This does not stand for everyone, but from my experience the majority of females In this generation are very much obliged to require a lot of things from the man, and seek consistent goodness from the man, but rarely every stop and think what they need to seek from a woman. Men can be some of the most fragile creatures, even though they may not seem that way. A man will always need a good woman to allow him to seek within her, what she seeks within him.

I'm only 20 years old, and am very much at an age where I am enjoying being on my own. Of course I can get lonely, but when those moments visit me I simply stop and smile and think "It's okay. You got you". I'm young, and I'm still on many missions within myself. Still learning to love, forgive, be patient, leverage emotionally and financially, learn, control my emotions, learn myself - the opportunities I have for growth are a blessing and also infinite for you all too.

I feel it is important to experience and learn love within yourself, so you are then able to know how to give it to someone else. I often always come across the same term, the famous "how are you going to love somebody else, if you don't love yourself?", and as repeated as it is, I can confirm it is true. If you don't have love for who you are, acceptance for who you are, love for your physical, your mental, your flaws, your positives, how can you love that of someone else? It's not to say you cannot love. It is simply to remind you, you are capable. A romantic relationship you are waiting for or currently without isn't ready for you yet, because you're not ready and the person who has been chosen for you may not be either. Once again, may I reiterate the fact that I am writing from experience, past or current.

Going back to my main subject, I was sat awake thinking how beautiful it would be for me to sit and write a letter to my future husband. I know what you're probably thinking...what in the world is this bitch on? I'll tell you. Part of me wanted to write this letter, to see how capable I am of showing the love I have, the type of love I have and how far I've come to want to express it and give it after being through so much heartache. Other parts of me wanted to write it, to actually keep and maybe one day give. I couldn't help but let my mind wander off into thinking about what a valuable memory it will be one day for me and my other half, to sit and read it one day.

Without further ado, here is my letter.

Dear future husband,

I’ve probably given you this piece of paper at our wedding, or in a moment that I feel it is most important to share, and at a time to create another valuable memory with you. I’m currently 20 years old, sat in my university bedroom thinking about you. Thinking about me, thinking about you. Thinking how beautiful it is to of reached this level of love with you, and within myself. Right now, I’m single. I’m broke. I’m exhausted. I’m listening to you Get You by Daniel Caesar at 11:51pm on Sunday night. I wonder what you’re up too.

It suddenly dawned on me that I wanted to write you a love letter. Within this love letter, is everything I am going to give to you, and everything I am going to give myself by giving to you. I’m dreaming of the day I meet you, and we are at a place where the simplest things make my heart so happy. Sitting on our porch, drinking our coffee on a Sunday morning, watching the sunrise. Leaning on your shoulder, feeling your warmth. Your stubble rubbing against my forehead as you reach down to kiss me.

Through the simple times, the simple things you love that make you happy, and the simple things I love that make me happy, please always remember that I will love you and be happy with you when times are not the simplest. When you need somebody’s shoulder to cry on, I will be here. When you need a woman to caress your soul and love you so deeply, unconditionally, I will be that woman. When you need me to hold your head in my chest, my chest will be here to hold you. When you need somebody to listen to your deepest, darkest thoughts, my ears will be here to listen and my mind will not judge. When you need to laugh, be silly, fool around, my inner child will be ready here to play with you. When you need me to ride for you, work with you, help you, advise you, by wisdom will greet you with a kiss. When you need to know that I will travel every extra mile for you, know that I’ll be ready and waiting to start that journey. When you need a woman to satisfy you, love you, make you feel worthy, beautiful, righteous, the king you are, I will be your Queen waiting next to your throne. When you need someone to understand your pain, remember you do not have to leave nor will I let you, until you feel secure and safe to let me heal with you. When you need someone to just sit comfortably in silence with, I’ll be there to sit with you. I will always be with you. I will always be here to give you exactly what you need. My love will not fail you. I will love you until the end of time, and I will adore you throughout everything. The simple things will be beautiful, but these moments of hardship, happiness, love, living, sadness, heartache, will write our chapter just like I have wrote this letter to you.

From this letter, I hope you can take away from it and feel enlightened about the types of things a woman is capable of offering a man that she loves. I've never been in a relationship, I've never been in love. I've had love for people, but I haven't been in love with somebody. I haven't had anybody in my life, in that way before. If i can be a student of love without experiencing it in this type of form, so can you.

By no means am I expressing the need to have a man. If you know me, you know that, that is the last thing I would advise any woman.

I have written and published this, not for the mere attention of appreciation from others, but for the sake of myself; to feel the freedom of being able to finally express my voice as loud as I like on matters that I feel are beautiful to share and write about. For the sake of myself, to see the growth within myself. Some of these things others may keep private, and of course none of you know what type of written things I keep private, or even things in general I keep private. But I feel it's important for more people to embrace the scary, use your voice, say what you want, express how you want too, however you need too. Don't be afraid of your voice. Love your voice, learn your voice.

Bernard Pertois Champagne...oui s’il vous plaît!

Understood the confusion when wondering what a University student is doing drinking a bottle of Bernard Pertois phenomenal champagne; “Reserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru”. My Aunt and Uncle drink this stuff like it’s water, and I can’t blame them. Omnipotent wine connoisseur, my uncle, Kamal introduced me to fine wines and champagnes from the age of 17. Each visit, I’m utterly seduced by their fantastic wine cellar, with collections from the finest parts of France. Red, White, Rose, Champagne – you name it, they’ve got it.

I’ve tried this champagne more times than I can count on one hand. This champagne is a Blanc de Blanc, which means it’s made from 100% Chardonnay grape. Crafted and created by the family themselves in their Grand Cru Vineyard, Cuvée de Réserve Grand Cru is made in the village of Le Mesnil sur Oger. The village sits in the heart of the Côte des Blancs region, an area and terroir renowned for its Chardonnay grapes. The Pertois family have been growing grapes for more than 10 generations, and own 15 hectares of Vineyard, 7 of which are Grand Cru Chardonnay.

This champagne is an outstanding example of Blanc de Blanc champagne, with its light and smooth body paired with a gorgeous aroma and spectacular flavour. It produces elegant yet fine bubbles, and is fresh and mineral-like to the palette. Suitable for any occasion, which is perfect as I could drink it all day. Santé!

The Other Woman Made Me Do It...Literally

If I were to tell you that I don’t pay attention to set locations in films that I want to visit, I’d be lying. The Other Woman, one of my favourite movies, has some of the best set locations and designs. Extremely modernised to go with certain characters, and to obviously reveal the type of lifestyle they live due to their well-paid jobs and personal preferences.

From the main character’s houses, their cars, even their sky-scraper, modernised and elegant offices. But one location in this film really caught my eye, so much so I’ve had to add it to my bucket list. After hunting around, I’ve found it’s called the Isola Trattoria & Cruda Bar, located near the Nomo Soho Hotel, New York. The hotel is complete with stunning rooms and balcony suites, a beautiful lobby, and an exclusively alluring stylish penthouse with panoramic vistas.

This location is shown in the last final scenes of the film, and as soon as I laid my eyes on the hanging crystal white chandeliers, tropical yet vegetational interior accessories with green house-like open glass foundations. Complimented by the glamorous yet pleasantly beverage stacked shelves, located just behind and around the bar, it was love at first sight. One of the best features of the bar would be the  dark mahogany wooden structure of shelving design, which displays crystal glasses, as well as wine and spirits to advertise what drinks are on offer.

After research, it was now not only the interior that had won me over. With prices varying from $18-$60, their menu of Italian Cuisine - which appears to of taken inspiration from locations such as Sicily and the Italian Rivera, explains their choices of dishes from seafood such as Tuna Tarte, Octopus and Hamachi to more common Italian main course favourites such as Smoked Ricotta Ravioli, Chitarra and Margherita Pizza's.

This is definitely a place I will be visiting when I’m next in New York, and I’m hopeful I’ve inspired someone else to make the journey as much as I want too! Pick you up at 7?

A Review of Your Job? Well, It Is Hotel Chocolat...

“How can you work in here all day?”, “Does temptation ever get the best of you?”, “Are you allowed to try every chocolate because you work here?”, “Is the hotel chocolat water…chocolate?” – these are just some of the questions I face daily when working as a sales assistant at my job, Hotel Chocolat.  Hotel Chocolat is a great company to work for, and a fantastic brand to represent. It’s been such a thrill to learn about the brands history, apply your knowledge to your service, and be taught an excellent level of customer service to apply to our customers, skills that will stick with me for life.

What does a day in the life of a sales assistant at Hotel Chocolat look like, you may ask? Well, weekdays would include a decrease in customers due to work and it being a Tuesday. Online click and collects can appear, as well as shuttle bus collections. Preparing gift bags for customers if specified, replenishing the stock and cupboards, even cleaning up the stock room so it’s ready for delivery.

A Saturday at Hotel Chocolat? Apply your bullet proof vest. I’m just kidding, but really – do consider taking caution when it comes to telling a hotel chocolat customer their favourite product is no longer in stock, the look they give you will allow you to experience a pain that mimics being shot. In the chest. Twice.

At first, the prestige brand was slightly intimidating to represent, as such high-quality products and powerful company status within its sector felt like a daunting aspect to take under my wing. However, with my enthusiastic passionate manager and colleagues who were always happy to answer my 50 questions an hour, I became confident quicker than I thought.

Being somebody who has desires of getting a career within the luxury sector, it’s also great to meet such diverse clientele that the brand cater too. Every day is different, and you never know who is going to pop into the store. You can always recognise the efforts from customers who may be in town who are familiar with the brand, coming in to especially visit us.

Working at Hotel Chocolat throughout the seasonal period of Christmas was especially heart-warming yet humorous – as this was my first retail experience I couldn’t help but pay attention to detail at the way flustered shoppers would take out their crumpled shopping lists from their bags. By shopping list, I mean specifically a Hotel Chocolat shopping list. Ticking and checking off each product their loved ones had asked for, it really made me appreciate and wonder how something as much as chocolate can bring people together.

My favourite day to work? Fridays. Friday afternoon, from around 4pm until close, we get the usual crowd of workers who will visit us, after a long hard week, ready to pick up their favourite treat and indulge throughout their evening. The sighs of relief we receive when customers get to the till, to which they can finally take in that it is Friday, and work is over until Monday (in most cases).

Better yet, we do sell Gin, Vodka, Red Wine, Champagne, and Prosecco – so we’ve already saved you a trip to the supermarket to pick up your weekly alcohol fix. You’re welcome!

So to answer your questions, Yes I can work in here all day – the chocolate here is all for you and out of my reach unless I open my purse. Secondly, Yes temptation can get the best of me and sometimes my breaks may include a purchase of my favourite selectors. Thirdly, If I wasn’t allowed to try the chocolate, how would I be giving you such phenomenal reviews on its taste, texture, consistency, and overall impression? And finally, no, the Hotel Chocolat water is not made of chocolate. However, Angus and the chocolatiers are a smart bunch, it will only be a matter of time before they come up with something.

Cool in Camo: Zara OOTD

Missing a pair of fish net tights or knee high denim boots, a trend I actually enjoy partaking in wearing is the camo trend. The Khaki mix of dark olives, greens, blue toned browns and dusty nudes can go so well with neutral tones and create the perfect outfit.

This particular leather camo jacket I found in the men's section at Zara. I've learnt recently that sometimes Menswear actually have better styles of clothes, not to mention the fact that the majority of men's aftershaves actually smell better than some popular female fragrances. At least they're good for something.

At £80, this is definitely an item I view as an investment piece. The good quality leather and sturdy materials make for a long lasting piece of clothing that is going to compliment many outfits to come.

I felt to be daring and not mix this outfit with a plain T, so instead wore this grey printed top (also from Zara). With it's torn and distressed, Yeezus inspired design, I'm currently digging this trend. Understandable the majority of people don't see the point in paying double, if not triple figures for items of clothing with holes in - however, there's something about distressed clothing that can sometimes really spark style and differentially, that not everyone can pull off.

This season, printed shirts and oversized shirt dresses overflow on every bloggers Instagram or blog - and I think they're a good addition to an outfit, and allows you to express your inner grunge.

Of course, what's a ripped top without ripped jeans? These I picked up from River Island (£42). As a 5'11, larger sized female, I forever face difficulty of finding jeans that fit in width and height - and wouldn't turn anywhere else other than River Island for my jeans. The quality and the price I personally feel go hand in hand, with the comfortable stretchy denim with unique designs, £42 is well worth it. Paired with a pair of simple black heels (New Look, £8), I feel like such a simple shoe can add such a sense of elegance and prestige status to your outfit. Mostly emphasised by Kim Kardashian, jeans and heels have never been hotter.

As for accessories, how could you not be without a fuck off oversized pair of black out sunglasses and some bling? Diamond chokers have become all the range at the moment, gone are the days of black fabric chokers. (River Island £8). The last accessory, one of my most prized possessions would be my watch from Swarovski. As a present from me to me I purchased last summer, It's an item I like to wear to keep the motivation at eye level, and of course look amazing. Is there anything more addicting to be hypnotised by than crystals catching the light?

Street Style on a High-street budget

It's the first day of a chilly February; a month I'm hoping to experience some change in temperature. Lately, oversized coats and jumpers have been the last thing on my mind at night and the first thing on my mind come the morning. Constantly being torn between dressing for warm and comfort but wanting to still look appealing, I'm sure throughout the winter months I haven't been the only one. 

A day scheduled with an early start for University, simplicity is bliss when it comes to the outfit of the day. Lately I've been going back to the leather jacket trend, I guess it's a sign I've started to feel brave enough to wear one out in these wintry conditions. Paired with an oversized T-shirt, another favourite style of mine. If you know me, you know that colour is not my thing. But sometimes, I might just break up the all black persona with a brightly coloured shirt or pair of shoes. Not to mention that one pair of jeans you feel like you spent the last 6 years of your life searching for, with no other way to describe them such as THE jeans.

It's not all casual, adding a pair of glossy black boots I spotted in the New Look sale a day prior to this shoot made for a pretty lovable look. Whether this falls into relation to anybody else, but I personally suffer from what I like to call 'Heel purchase anxiety'. Defintion? The concern that my feet may experience extreme discomfort. Fortunately, these boots discarded that idea of worry and allowed me to last on my feet, running around Southampton all day.

To finish off, an oversized tote bag wasn't on the cards as I feel it warrants carrying more items than necessary. This miniature black bag with it's mix of leather and suede, finished off with gold zip and chain was a decision I'm glad I made. It's also the perfect size for the daily needs of Rosie, what's the issue?

Leather Jacket: Primark
Jeans: Matalan
T-shirt: New Look
Shoes: New Look
Bag: New Look
Make up and Hair by Me
Photography: betweentheseams.blogspot.com

Mettricks Review

Making antic decision's based on how the weather is treating you on a certain day; a day in the life of myself. How did I end up surrounded by the warm walls of Mettricks? Rain, wind and minus temperatures on a Saturday night. Officially gone are the days of me spending my weekends in clubs.

I'm not usually somebody that enjoys doing work in public places, I'm a people person and I can become easily distracted. Not to mention being in a good environment with good friends just warrants nothing but the desire to laugh, intellectual conversation over hot drinks (or in my case, something alcoholic)

It was my first time visiting Mettricks, I had heard so much about the quality of interior, atmosphere and the food and drinks. I could understand why there was so much positive talk regarding all 4 of the factors listed above after devouring one of their salted caramel coffee's.

Surrounded by fairy lights, artwork, sitting comfortably in large beige leather chairs whilst approaching into the double digits in regards to how many hours we had spent doing work their, the want, or should I say necessity for wine and food outweighed the desire to carry on doing work!

Due to the added extra's of interior design, a study positive environment, offerings of books and magazines, polite and friendly staff, the tasty food and drinks; these factors all compliment the prices. Mainstream beverage brands such as Starbucks and Costa are without some of the qualities Mettricks have to offer.

After much glancing at the menu, the decision to order Macaroni Cheese followed by a large bottle of Pinot Grigio was a decision well made. It's always a pleasant experience when the drink is just as good as the food.

Mettricks has definitely become somewhere I'm certain I'll be spending a lot of my time, and money. If you haven't yet, I would recommend a visit. If late night outings aren't your thing, they do a fantastic breakfast menu, and an even better full english breakfast. Let me know your comments if you happen to go! Tell them Rosie sent you.