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The River Ganges, Varanasi

Published by Sheree Milli

Varanasi is probably the most spiritual place in the world, I guess you have Lourdes and Vatican City, but trust me this places smacks you in the face with religion. You can’t turn a corner without seeing religious icons, ceremonies or indeed dead bodies being burned. I’m not making it sound very appealing but it is one of the most interesting places I’ve ever been.

I was lucky enough to take a boat on the river Ganges that flows through Varsnasi both at sunrise and sunset. It’s the best way to see the ghats where locals bathe in the supposedly holy water, dispose of cadavers and ashes and even do their laundry.

In the morning it’s a very serene and tranquil affair, seeing the sun rise over the haze (it’s always hazy in India) is such a calming experience. Probably because you miss the worst of the heat too. I even did some souvenir shopping on the river, I bought some Ganesh dolls forms man in a boat. Obviously I haggled but it’s definitely the first time I’ve bartered on water!

At night going on the Ganges is an altogether different scenario. It’s a crazy riot of sound and colour with fire, lights, drums and horns filling up the whole of the river bank. It’s such a different way of seeing worship – in the west it’s all a bit more… subtle. I also lit a candle to float down the river. Aside from getting eaten alive by the many, many mosquitos that congregate on the river at dusk this was a truly wonderful experience.

If you have chance to visit Varanasi then I urge you to do so, there’s no place quite like it.

Palm Vaults Hackney (The Place With The Pink Lattes)

Published by Sheree Milli

I’ve been wanting to pay a visit to London’s most Instagram-friendly cafe for a while now so this week my BFF Ben and I hot-footed it to Hackney’s Palm Vaults to see what all the fuss was about.

Firstly I was blown away/insanely jealous of the plush pink and very 70s-inspired interior. Lots of crushed blush velvet, gold decor and of course green foliage; it really is a great looking place.

I’d been intrigued by the pink velvet latte after seeing it on Instagram but I a/ hate coffee and b/ I’m lactose intolerant, so I didn’t think I’d be able to try one. Luckily for me it was a whole new drink! Almond milk, vanilla and beetroot… And it was delicious. They also serve a variety of teas, coffees, snacks and cakes.

I especially love their new acai bowls, seriously pretty and very healthy. And soooo tasty. If they weren’t so bloody delicious I’d feel bad about eating them.

Oh and do try their juices and smoothies – they do a great refreshing grapefruit and ginger one.

This place is such a gem, with lovely staff and a wicked playlist so be sure to make your next coffee date here.

Palm Vaults 144 Mare St, Hackney

Breakfast with Farfetch

Published by Sheree Milli

I’ve been a fan of Farfetch for many years, the premise is simple – you can shop boutiques and concept stores around the globe all from one online marketplace. So it’s great for sourcing those hard-to-find designer and contemporary clothes.

I was invited to breakfast with the brand on the roof of The Boundary Hotel in Shoreditch to talk about the future of Farfetch. It’s very exciting to say the least, they’ve acquired Brown’s, the iconic London boutique, so expect a concept store soon! Plus as well as fashion they’re branching out into beauty and homewares.

The beautiful Bella Freud candles you see below were ordered from one of Farfetch’s boutiques and will be taking pride of place in my home.

Do check out Farfetch, it’s an essential site for fashionistas. And if you get the chance I can highly recommend breakfast at The Boundary.

SHOP FARFETCH

Thank you to Farfetch for a lovely breakfast. And in the interests of transparency my candles were gifted.

The Ultimate One Month Thailand Itinerary

Published by Sheree Milli

Thailand is high up there on many people’s travel wish lists and it’s popularity is growing year on year. I had a bit of an up and down time there, but one thing is for sure, I felt like I went on a bout 5 different holidays. Each place I visited is so wildly different, and some of them were not at all the sun, sea and unprotected sex stereotype I had in my head. I have some really happy memories from my month here, and I’m not saying I’m a expert at all, but here is a fun month-long itinerary for anyone planning a trip to Thailand.

Bangkok – 3 days

You’ll probably fly into Bangkok so make the most of it. I found it very hot and crazy – it’s definitely not the most relaxing place but if you know where to look you can have lots of fun.

Read my guide to Bangkok here

Chiang Mai – 4 days

After Bangkok Chiang Mai is a welcome bit of calm, it’s such a pretty place full of juice shops, hot backpackers and a ton of beautiful scenery. I swam with elephants and went white water rafting here (as well as lots of partying).

Read my guide to Chaing Mai here

Pai – 7 days

Pai was such an experience, I didn’t want to leave. This is hippie paradise and you must go!

Read my guide to Pai here

Koh Tao – 5 days

Koh Tao is an island paradise, if you like surfing, sun, sand and blank then this is the place for you. I had a blast here!!!

Read my guide to Koh Tao here

Koh Phangan – 5 days

Koh Phangan water park

This it Thailand’s party island where the famous Full Moon party happens, but to get the most out of this place you definitely need my insider tips or it can all end up feeling a bit Magaluf.

Read my guide to Koh Phagnan here

Koh Samui – 3 days

This place, although not my fave Thai destination) is a great island to fly out of and there is a good chance you’ll want to party here too.

Read my guide to Koh Samui here

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6 Of The Best Luxury Candles

Published by Sheree Milli

‘You’re literally burning your cash’ a friend once said to me over my penchant for posh candles, but I can’t slash won’t stop buying them. In the big scheme of things they’re a relatively inexpensive treat, hell I can drop £30 in Nando’s no problem, so a nice luxe candle is way better for my waistline and they do last. I hate cheap scented candles because they just smell rank – they do! A decent scented candle can emit a luscious fragrance even when not lit and when you do spark up it only takes a minute (girl) to fill your entire room with a delicious scent. Also in my defence I do use the empty pots when they’re burnt out for storing makeup and trinkets so really they’re quite a good investment. And everyone needs a little luxury in their lives, a well-placed Diptyque candle can elevate your room decor tenfold, it’s just classy bbz.

Byredo candle | Diptyque Mimosa candle| Bella Freud Loving Candle

Le Labo Candle | Lola James Harper Candle | Byredo Prune Glacée

Brand Spotlight: HOODLAB

Published by Sheree Milli

I’m very impressed with Manchester-based collective Hoodlab‘s range of ghetto-fab tees and sweaters. With a witty spin on well known pop-cultural logos and brands Hoodlab’s collection of t-shirts includes a ‘Lacostco’ number, a take on the famous French label’s croc, a WWF tee featuring The Rock and a rock’n’roll-style slogan and there’s a ghetto fab BMW symbol shirt too. I’d wear these babies with a black leather pencil skirt, or go full street and pick up the matching sweatpants too – your choice.

HOOBLAB Shop the collection here

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All images copyright Hoodlab

What’s Hot? June Edition

Published by Sheree Milli

Each month I share with you all that I declare to be sizzling, caliente, calor or just plain hot. In an ideal world it would merely consist of a list of the fittest Tinder profiles I’d seen that month but that would be weird and might render me single foreverrr. So enjoy some fashion, beauty, culture and all in-between.

LOLA JAMES HARPER CANDLES

As a true candle addict (there is even an incident in my house known as ‘candlegate’ that I can’t go into right now) I make it my business to sniff out the hottest new votives on the block and as of now the honour of most coveted candle goes to Lola James Harper‘s sepia-toned glass jars. Founded by Rami Mekdachi in Paris, as far as I can make out LJH is a lifestyle brand that encompasses photography, music, fragrance and furniture (phew) all imbued with a signature bohemian flavour. Each candle is inspired by a particular happy memory and has a name to commemorate the place it was created such as; The Comics Store of George, The Fun Fair of Les Tuileries or The Movie Theatre in Lancaster. This is a fun approach to some serious science as smell and memory are so closely linked, but regardless of that these candles look good and smell even better.

Available at John Lewis CLICK TO BUY

PALM VAULTS

East London’s newest coffee shop is also its most Instagram-worthy. The stunning Palm Vaults flaunts an eye-catching sign created by artist Alex May Hughes (check her out here) and luscious pink interior with, of course, lots of foliage. Pop in to enjoy a pink coffee, yes you heard me right, and three kinds of hot chocolate. Time to Whatsapp that friend you haven’t seen in a while for an overdue breakfast meet.

Palm Vaults, 411 Mare Street Hackney

HADES JUMPERS

Forget your Bella Freud jumpers (well, don’t actually but) because there’s a new brand in town. Hades was founded last year and the Scottish knitwear brand is certainly one to watch, with every process from initial design to final stitch completed in the UK it’s a company with great sustainability points too. I love their rock’n’roll 100% lambswool sweaters and my inner Morrissey fangirl is lusting after Hades’ The Smiths knit. Grab yours before everyone else knows about them.

Hades ‘Some girls are bigger than others’ collection available now

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Sonic_small_78bc13a6-31a4-44f8-a0af-f3961fa8d9ca_grande

Slits_small_c0e1b92e-c1ea-43f7-9e8c-c1c2afbeff26_grande

THIS WEEK HAD ME LIKE

This podcast is my life!!! No exaggeration, my friends and I are literally obsessed with D-List celebrity pundit (the celebs she talks about at D list, not here) Caroline Goldfarb‘s bi-weekly musings on all things weird, wacky and celebrity. Born from the sensational Instagram feed @officialseanpenn the podcast sheds light on the best/worst celebrity endorsements – Rosie Huntington Whitely hawking gross Ugg boots, Thirst-trapping tween stars like Bella Thorne and there’s also a bit in one podcast where were learn legendary record-producer LA Reid is freakily in love with a 14 year old Justin Beiber. Just download it and laugh, laugh, laugh your ass off.

This Week Had Me Like

TOPSHOP’S CACTUS PRINT SHIRT DRESS

Finally – I love this cute shirt dress. It’s the perfect desk to bar item and it has little cactuses (cacti?) on it. Dream!

BUY HERE

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4 Female Artists to Watch

Published by Sheree Milli

Let’s hear it for the girls…

SAMANTHA FRENCH

Minnesota-born, Brooklyn-based US artist Samantha French’s dazzling works “explore the idea of escape, the tranquility and nostalgia for the lazy summer days of her childhood”. I particularly love her photorealistic, stylized underwater paintings which feature sunny blues that take me back to the outdoor swimming pool I used to go to in the holidays with my granddad – really, they’re that good they transported me right back there!

French says of her art; “I attempt to recreate the quiet tranquility of water and nature; of days spent sinking and floating, still and peaceful. These paintings are a link to my home and continual search for the feeling of the sun on my face and warm summer days at the lake. They are my escape, a subtle reprieve from the day-to-day.”

HATTIE STEWART

Professional doodler and magazine defacer Hattie Stewart has more collaborations under her belt than you can shake a sharpie at – she’s doodled for House of Holland, Marc Jacobs (the now defunct) Luella and tons of magazines. Her bold and bright art features a host of talismanic characters like her doe-eyed signature heart.

I love her work because it takes the everyday to a new level and breathes new life into homogenous glossy covers. Plus it’s accessible – it’s pretty hard not to like her stuff!

HAttie-Stewart-Print-all-over-me-its-nice-that-list

LYNNIE ZULU

British artist Lynnie Zulu’s paintings owe more to traditional African prints than to old English studies but her colourful, Afrocentric style is infectious no matter if she may be residing in the wrong continent. Based in London’s hip East End her work is thoroughly modern and representative of your typical Dalston girl – eclectic and fun.

References are as diverse as The Fresh Price of Bel Air and Carmen Miranda and I love her technicolour mash-ups. Lustworthy stuff.

LAURA CALLAGHAN

Irish illustrator Laura Callaghan has been on my radar for a couple of years since I went into overdraft territory buying a couple of her colourful prints at Pick Me Up London. Her busy watercolours feature the sassiest of girls navigating this f*ckwit modern world and bemoaning, amongst other things, work, dating, the gym and boring parties.

Tongue in cheek and with a razor sharp wit, Callaghan’s illustrations are more Broad City than Girls and I love them. Check out her work at her exhibition at Hoxton’s KK Outlet until the end of the month.

House of Dreams: Why We’re Addicted to Pinning

Published by Sheree Milli

I recently spent a full, sunny (!) afternoon busily decorating my home, picking out gorgeous fabrics, lamps, plants and all that good stuff. Of course this was my imaginary, completely not real home. Which lives, in a way, on my Pinterest account. I’m obsessive about collecting these images and relish looking at their loveliness, weirdly, like an actual home, I believe my choice in virtual decor reflects well upon me.

Of course I have never and maybe will never own a home, I live in London… actually, scratch that, I live nowhere! I’ve just returned to England after travelling for several months, so technically I’m homeless. But when I do move into some place it is 100% going to be incredibly expensive rented accommodation. I’ve lived in house-shares my entire adult life; which are so fun, always a friend to share a bottle of Tempranillo with, parties, hungover breakfasts. However the drawback is that you don’t have a space that’s really yours. The house is literally owned by someone else, you are merely a paying guest, and then you have the conflicting tastes in decor with your housemates.

I’m a bonafide hippie at heart, my taste runs very much to ceramics I’ve picked up at bazaars in Istanbul or Marrakesh, lots of colour and plants… which, let’s face it, isn’t to everyone’s taste. I once lived with a girl who had a literal clay fairy ornament which I thought was the most hideous thing ever (and still do) but the thing with taste is, it’s entirely subjective and personal.

So with the lack of space to make our own, generation rent make do with merely imagining what our dream home will be like, because the odds are, it won’t happen. Bleak yes, but we can dream and there’s no reason you can’t spruce up your rented space in a chi chi way that doesn’t involve painting the walls or making permanent changes. Urban Outfitters do some great homewares and I always say a house without at least a couple of plants is not a home.

Anyway, I’m off to go pin some more kitchens to my board on Pinterest.

5 Cheap, Easy and Healthy Meals To Impress Your Friends

Published by Sheree Milli

I love cooking at home, it’s a lot cheaper than going out to eat all the time (especially in London) and it means you know exactly what’s going into your meal. I’m no Nigella, but there are a few staple dishes that I can make really well and I thought I’d share a few of them with you…

Courgetti with Pesto & Salmon

If you haven’t heard of spiralizing then you’ve probably been living under a rock… either that or you have way more fun things to do than play with vegetables! However, we all gotta eat, right? And if you have to eat you may as well do it the quick and healthy way.

Substituting pasta or noodles for veggies is great for people who are gluten intolerant (or pretending to be), or those of us who bloat after a good spag bol. Courgette noodles or ‘courgetti’ are probably the most popular vegetable to spiralize, you can use carrots or squash, and to do so you need to buy a spiralizer… or do you? Well, the answer is no. Save yourself the £10-£25 it costs to buy a spiralizer and just follow my tips for how to make yourself some courgetti with just your normal kitchen tools.

HOW TO MAKE COURGETTI WITHOUT A SPIRALIZER
Slice your courgette longways with a cheese slice until you have thin sheets or slices, then chop the slices into fine ribbons. Rinse and drain using a colander… how simple is that? Place them in salted boiling water for 2-3mins to cook.

SERVE WITH…Toss your courgetti in green pesto and serve with pan fried or poached salmon – add some sesame seeds and pepper to serve.

50p Homemade Hummus (That Takes 2 Minutes To Make!)

Seriously, stop eating shop-bought hummus, it’s gross! Tasteless and full of added sugar, hidden calories and preservatives. Luckily making your own is ridiculously easy…
Like, piss take easy, and it works out cheaper than buying it too! A tin of chickpeas will set you back no more than 50p (mine were 29p, grab them from the world foods section or an indian supermarket) and the other ingredients are ones that you’ll most likely have lying around anyway.

INGREDIENTS
1 Tin Cooked Chickpeas
Juice of 1 Small Lemon
Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 Clove of Garlic
Glug of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Season

METHOD

To make this simply drain and rinse your chickpeas, chuck everything in a blender or Nutribullet and blitz. Don’t make it too smooth, it’s nice to have a bit f texture. Season to taste, and add extra lemon, garlic or sesame seeds to your liking. You can add cooked beetroot to this recipe, pumpkin seeds, soaked cashews – anything. Just experiment, this is a great base that takes less than 5 minutes to make. Serve with crudités or toasted pittas. YUM.

Superfood Green Smoothie

It’s time… time to start preparing that summer body. This healthy, quick and filling smoothie is the perfect breakfast.
INGREDIENTS
3 Handfuls Washed Spinach
1/2 Avocado
1/4 Cucumber
1 Inch Chopped Ginger Root
1/2 Apple
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
Squeeze of Lemon Juice

Be sure to rinse all your veg thoroughly to get rid of any residual pesticides and nasties, throw it all in a Nutribullet or blender and drink.

Red Cabbage & Lemon Salad

This colourful salad is ideal for a healthy and delicious lunch or as a side dish, plus it’s incredibly easy to make and the cabbage is a nice crunchy alternative to leaves…

INGREDIENTS
Red Cabbage
A Ripe Lemon
Cucumber
Red Onion
Mixed Seeds
Salt & Pepper to Season

METHOD

Thinly chop your cabbage and onions, I like to slice the cucumber into ribbons but you can chop it into cubes or circles, whatever you fancy. Squeeze the juice of the lemon all over your salad, season, add the seeds and evenly toss. Leave to rest for a few minutes to let the lemon penetrate the salad… then eat! This is a great recipe because the dressing is soooooo simple and very low calorie, perfect for those of us that are olive oil addicts.

Quick Chicken Curry

Chances are you’ll be having a Roast at some point in the next week – for my non-UK readers (hiiii) this is a big thing in England – and Chicken is always a firm favourite. When I moved out of my parent’s home and lived alone I was scared of Roasts, they seemed an awful lot of work for not a lot of people, but they’re actually really easy. Now, what to do with the leftover Chicken – and there’s always some left over. Here is my super super simple recipe for a curry that’ll take no more than 30 mins and that includes prepping and cooking. Read on for how to make this tasty dish…

Ingredients
1/2 Roast Chicken (pull everything off the bone)
1 Red Pepper
2 x Tomatoes
1 1/2 Red Onions
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 Tbs Cumin Seeds
1 Tsp Chilli Powder
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1 Tsp Black Pepper
Pinch Salt
Pinch Cinnamon

Method
Dice the tomatoes and onions roughly and sauté in a pan in a bit of oil for 2-4 minutes. Add the tined tomatoes and pepper (diced) and then throw in everything else. Cook for 15-20mins. Serve with rice or cous cous and a squeeze of lemon.

And there you have it, a healthy curry that tastes great and is easy to make!