Style inspiration: Engagement rings

In our household engagement rings have been openly talked about for quite some time. We even discussed dates for the wedding before the official "engagement". I laughed when Grazia mentioned "pre-engagements" in their hot or not radar a few weeks ago because that was me!

In the past year I've started to think about the type of ring I'd like (because of the above), so it was no surprise when I said "here's something I prepared earlier" to Mr Porter. I'm thinking of going for a stacked or wide ring, and I also have a major penchant for pave diamonds. 

I was in a meeting with a stylist from Harper's Bazaar a few weeks back and all I could do was stare at her stacked rings the whole meeting...I have tiny hands (I'm a size H which is one of the smallest standard sizes) so a solitaire just doesn't suit me. Mr Porter also doesn't like them, and even though it's completely up to me, I'd like to get something he actually likes too!

I've recently added my ring inspiration to my pinterest but here is a sneak peak of what I'm thinking...what kind of rings do you like? Are you a traditional girl or do you prefer something modern or non-traditional? I really wish I had the confidence to go for a morganite coloured stone which I've had my eye on, but I just can't do it. NHG x

P.S Although I don't want my blog to turn into a 'wedding blog'. I do tend to write about what I'm into at any given time so I hope you don't mind!

NHG loves Mr Porter

This week I had a very unexpected surprise on a random, ordinary Tuesday night...

My boyfriend of 7 years, Mr Porter, announced that for my 28th birthday next month he was buying me THE RING! He knows I love to plan like a mad woman so he has given me four weeks to design it and get it made before we head to Paris to celebrate (ring on hand) in September. I'm meeting a jewellery designer/goldsmith tomorrow to start designing my ring before heading to Corsica on Sunday for a holiday. It's fair to say, life is pretty good right now...NHG x

NHG loves: The Kooples

Continuing on my love of all things French (and based in Notting Hill), I present to you The Kooples AW11 collection. The Kooples recently opened on Westbourne Grove, a hub of chic French designers in London, and it's another store that I can safely say I could buy the whole collection.

The store is based on a 'his and hers' collection and my boyfriend is also a fan of the brand. My colleagues, both male and female, all bought something from the store when they opened at my work earlier this year, and we all had to ensure that we didn't purchase the same item! The collection is like a capsule collection, with lots of pieces that can be combined together and only changes every autumn/winter and spring/summer. 

You can find The Kooples in The Village at Westfield London or at 198 Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill. NHG x

Style Inspiration: Luggage

As you've probably noticed, I travel a fair bit. I own three suitcases in different sizes that I use for weekend trips, week-long trips in Europe and long haul travel back home to Australia. My medium suitcase was a cheap and nasty purchase that I bought a few years ago when I had a last minute business trip, so I'm really keen to replace it.

High on my list is a Mulberry suitcase in black scotch-grain leather as it's timeless, and doesn't look like the type of suitcase that I would imagine to be stolen at the luggage terminal (it has no flashy logos etc). I would like to think that nothing would ever happen to it, but I have heard so many lost luggage stories over the past few years (I'm looking at you Heathrow).

What type of suitcase do you own? Do you go for an 'investment' suitcase that is made to last or something a little cheaper? NHG x

P.S I love Mango's spring 2011 look book by Terry Richardson featuring Globe-Trotter suitcases. If only I could look that stylish when travelling. My reality is all no make-up, leggings and ballet flats although I've been trying much harder lately.

My Notting Hill: Restaurants & cafes part 1

One of my favourite things about living in Notting Hill is the food. I come from Melbourne, where food (and coffee) is like a religion, so living in an area that has great quality restaurants and cafes in abundance is very important. I will split this blog into two parts as otherwise it will be too long.

Best breakfast: There are many choices when it comes to breakfast/brunch but my vote goes to Tom's Deli on Westbourne Grove for it's modern take on bacon and eggs, including chorizo and eggs and my new favourite, Californian eggs which is scrambled eggs with green tomato, chili, avocado and creme fraiche.

Honorable mention: For it's price and atmosphere, Kitchen & Pantry on Elgin Crescent is a great place to spend a Sunday morning reading the papers. Aim to get there early if you wish to set up camp on one of the comfy couches. Breakfast is the usual suspects (their bacon and egg bap is delicious) and it's great value.

Best deli: Ottolenghi is the best deli to go for chic cakes and desserts and deli meals such as salmon, rare roast beef, lasagna and a range of delicious salads that I wouldn't know how to make at home if I tried. It's kind of expensive, but it's really worth it for the quality. Serve it at a dinner party and your friends will think you're amazing.

Honorable mention: The Grocer on Elgin is my go-to deli for mid-week deli meals and they do a great range of cakes, freshly baked bread and sandwiches too. They also get occasional deliveries of Australian biscuits, chocolates and sweets so you can skip the 'Australia shop' and go here for your Tim Tam fix instead. 

Lunch: If you want to sit amongst a stylish set of Notting Hill folk then head to 202 in Nicole Farhi's boutique on Westbourne Grove. The menu features soups, pastas, salads, burgers, and fancy sandwiches. There is normally a queue but it generally moves quite fast.

British: I often go to The Prince Bonaparte on Chepstow Road with friends as they have a great ever-changing menu, and the pub is always buzzing and lively. My boyfriend and male friends swear by the steak, which is always available.

Honorable mention: If you can get a table, The Westbourne is great for summer drinks outside with a half pint or pint of prawns or a dozen rock oysters. It's very busy and last time I was there I was bitten by a dog with an attitude problem and an owner with 'Amanda Holden' style botox. Don't let that put you off.

My second honorable mention goes to Bumpkin on Westbourne Park Rd who has a free-range/organic/British farm menu. They do a great Sunday roast but again, you'll need to book in advance.

Do you have a favourite place to eat in Notting Hill? Part 2 (Mexican, French, Pizza, Italian, Greek) coming soon...NHG x

Photos below: All are from my food adventures in the past few weeks on Instagram. You can follow me at nottinghillgirl.

NHG loves: Sandro AW11

As I mentioned in this post, Sandro is my favourite French brand at the moment.

I had a little look last weekend and there are a few things already on my wish list including the leopard print coat below (which isn't in store yet). Leopard print is such a tricky trend because it can so easily look cheap and nasty...See by Chloe released a gorgeous one a few years ago but since then, I haven't been able to find the right 'spots' until now.

Oh and it's my birthday next month so I think it would be the perfect gift (Mr Porter, if you're reading this - take note). NHG x

Tattoo removal

Some of you may have spotted my dirty little secret (ok, it's not a secret) but I have a tattoo on my right foot.  My best friend got one first, the Aboriginal symbol for woman, but I ended up with a *ahem* Chinese symbol on my foot instead.

My darling male colleagues who love to stir the pot, remind me of my tattoo whenever I'm not wearing black tights. It's tiresome. In the past few years I've grown to absolutely hate it and often photoshop it out of photos on here just because it doesn't suit my style at all.

I'm having it removed by Skn in Maida Vale as they're reputable, but there are a lot of different clinics who offer removal. I'm paying around £300 for the first four sessions and I'm hoping that it will be gone within 6 - 8 sessions. The sessions will be 6 weeks apart, so it's going to take around 12 months for it to be gone.

Removal could involve a scar, a white version of the tattoo and skin pigmentation problems such as a white patch that never tans. I should also add that this is the most painful thing I've ever experienced. I would describe the test patch without any numbing cream as "excruciating" and even with numbing cream, I cried from the pain and had to keep stopping. It kind of feels like what I imagine being struck by lightening would feel like.

The burn from the laser is so intense that my whole foot throbbed. I'm not sure what's worse - the tattoo or the pain. All I can say is if you're thinking of getting a tattoo, DON'T do it.

Do you have a tattoo that you regret getting? Have you thought about getting it removed? NHG x

NHG loves: Flat shoes

I clearly remember the point in my life when I switched to flat shoes - I was visiting my Chiropractor and he was telling me to give up my heels as it was aggravating my back issues (which were certainly aggravating me!). Since then I've switched to 95% flat shoes and 5% heels. I'm not saying that my Chiropractor necessarily endorse ballet flats - oh no. Most would have you in a pair of school shoe-esque Clarks if they had their way, but at least they don't hurt the way heels do after a long day.

I can't actually remember the last time I wore heels to work (no one in my team wears them either and we are all short), and even though I long to be one of "those girls" who can wear high heels all day long and look fabulous for it, I just can't do it.

Tell me, are you team 'flats' or 'heels' and what are your favourite brands for high heel comfort? NHG x

Pictured below: Miu Miu bejeweled pink flats,  Zara bow flats, Dune pink ballet flats, Bloch silver ballet flats, Nine West studded tan flats, Marc by Marc Jacobs black patent flats, Shoes of Prey leopard print flats, Nine West studded black flats.

Project X Pan

If you love beauty YouTube videos like me, you will probably have come across 'Project X Pan' at some point. Basically, the aim of the project it to use up existing beauty products before purchasing more. I don't know about you, but I'm generally happy when I run out of something as it means I get to try new products such as my French Pharmacy products (this doesn't apply to basics such as foundation etc!).

Step one - Purge old/unwanted products

I can't stand clutter so I started my beauty purge by going through my make-up and throwing out anything that I am never going to use. I accumulate a lot of products through work so often they are colours that I wouldn't normally wear, or I simply don't like the product, and down the sink it went. Before I threw out anything, I tried it one last time to make sure I really couldn't use it.

Step two - Shop your bathroom cupboard

Now that your cupboard is a little less cluttered, go through and pull out products that are half finished because they've been pushed to the back in favour of something else. You will be surprised to rediscover products you forgot you had!

Step three - Replace your products

Replace all the new-ish products that are currently in use with the products that are nearly out of date and/or half finished.

I'm currently working on finishing a facial moisturiser, shampoo and conditioner, a Nars Orgasm blusher and lip glosses (that probably should have been thrown out a long time ago). Instead of having about five lip glosses on my desk, I now only have one so I can focus on finishing it. I've also finished around 12 products (pictured below) simply by swapping them with the newer products I was previously using.

Step four - Sell/donate new products  

While sorting out my cupboard I pulled out a pile of products that I've tried once or twice but aren't right for me. I found four products that I ended up selling on Ebay for £30. Most of these products were given to me so it was a bonus getting some cash for them.

I also donated a bag of products to the fab charity Give and Make Up. The charity provides products to women who are victims of domestic violence and have fled their homes, so they don't even have the basics that you and I take for granted. You can find out where to donate here.

And voila! You should now have an uncluttered cupboard and you will probably save some money too! NHG x

Paris comes to Notting Hill

I just realised that my blog is starting to sound like a shrine to all things French...but living in Notting Hill it's hard to not catch the bug when every second boutique is well, French.

On Westbourne Grove and Ledbury Road (2 minutes from my flat) I now have Maje, Sandro, The Kooples, Zadig & Voitaire, Nicole Farhi, Aime (which stocks Isabel Marant Etoile and APC), Comptoir des Cotonniers, Les Petites plus Diptyque. If you want to indulge in a French meal, you can also walk another 200 metres to Bloody French, one of my favourite restaurants in the area. So it's safe to say that in the past 12 months this part of Notting Hill has turned into a kind of "mini Paris".

My absolute favourite boutique is Sandro - it's so feminine and pretty and I could honestly wear everything in the shop. I recently bought two dresses in their summer sale, the one below with a denim shirt top and broderie anglais lace skirt (people often think it's separates) and the other is a babydoll style dress in a blush pink colour.

Even though my challenge this summer was to wear my Whistles 'Carrie' skirt has much as I could, this dress has proven to be the most versatile, and has been perfect for London's lukewarm summer...because it has a black band around the waist, it makes wearing it with footless tights easy too!* NHG x

Outfit details: Dress, Sandro; necklace, Paris flea market; bow flats, Zara; Bayswater bag, Mulberry; watch, Guess; flower ring, boutique in Porto. 

* I have been known to wear black tights in London's summer as I mainly wear dresses/skirts. I know Grazia listed this as a pet hate this week, but I'm not going to freeze all day at work for no one.