Agua. In my mother tongue, something I cannot live without and if I had my way, I wouldn’t go without the agua Spa, at the newly renamed Sea Containers London hotel in London.
Beside the fact it’s my favourite hotel – it has a great restaurant, an amazing growing floor bar facing the river, a cracking rooftop bar and a gorgeous cinema, the agua Spa really lives up to the rest of the family.
Delighted does not even describe when I was invite to sample one of their treatments and their delightful spa menu.
I experienced the hot oil manicure which is great to help improve the condition of nail that may have been a bit neglected.
The 55-minute treatment combines nourishing organic oils from Dr. Jackson’s which soften the cuticle and moisturise nails. Then, using Japanese techniques, nails are buffed so the nutrients go deep into the nail bed.
It is great for nails that have been damaged by gel application, polish changes, health conditions or medical treatment, as it helps restore them to health and no polish is needed for up to two weeks.
This picture was taken 5 days after the mani and it still looks perfect – shiny and pink!
The hot oil treatment is available for pedicures too (I am tempted to have one as my toe nails are indeed in need of post-winter hibernation TLC), and is priced from £50 (off peak, £55 peak).
Treatments take place at the fabulous Glamour Room within the spa, an area that can also be hired for pamper parties – birthdays, hen do and other celebrations. They offer a great range of treatments and packages.
Which leads me to the menu. What a fab food and drink menu to help take relaxation to another level!
I tried the delicious Immunity (£10) and Energy (£15) booster bowls and could not have enough of the tasty, fresh goodness in them. However, the star was the scrumptious salmon tartare, avocado mousse and oscietta canape cone (£12). The flavour was off the charts! I could’ve eaten 10.
The also have a range of snacks, fresh juices, sundaes and of course, champagne for celebration or well, just champagne. Definitely check out the impressive menu on offer.
And you can have afternoon tea there (from £38pp).
Last, but not least, the spa itself. What a gorgeous haven or tranquility. I had a terrible day that Tuesday and very quickly it all got wiped away by such a great environment and people – service was professional, attentive, personal, warm and overall lovely; the people are the real assets there!
The lounge is an (insta) dream, the steam room is superb with a great shower, and the showers are amazing. And the toiletries are Malin+Goetz, so… Love.
You can check out all the spa treatments available, including massages, facials and body, including maternity specific ones. The range of products they use is also carefully curated to offer really bespoke, quality treatments. Well worth a visit.
For more info, visit the agua Spa website.
You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: I as invited to the spa, so this post contains some PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.
As Christmas approaches, and the parties are in full swing, why not go for on your mistletoes, a dense oxford blue with a hint of green – looking like a dark, funky teal to the untrained eye.
So it’s Christmas! Yay! For the oh-so-festive fourth week, ring in the bling: a gorgeous metallic ruby red, tinged with a little bit of cobalt making it magically hot, cold and pearly.
My favourite will have to see the new year in. The fifth week begs for social-lights, a fabulous pearl slate grey with a subtle, glistening amber warmth.
There was a time in my life I was all about the nail art. Not elaborate drawings, but details and ombrés were my favourites.
The finish is not glossy, but not totally matte, with a discreet metallic sheen. Some shades even have a slight texture that can barely be seen.
My favourite has to be the super pale grey lilac Push The Envelope. It’s super versatile, so close to white with a silver glimmer but not harsh. And easy to apply. Love.
Then there is the lavender shining mauve Cross-Body Heat, blood red Tote-ally In Love and indigo blue In Hot Purse-uit.
You will all know how much I love essie nail polishes: the formula, the fabulous brush, the great colours, limited edition collections and even the quirky names, so no surprise I have used each polish for a whole week!
There no secret I am a 90s person (late 90s, I’m not that old). I’m secretly unashamed of the terrible fashion sense and even worse – makeup habits I had at the time.
For the more discreet out there, Saved by the Belle is a lovely baby pink, creamy and a slight blue undertone and Mixtaupe is a fabulous warm ivory with a tiny dash of pink.
Of course, I cannot rave enough about the essie brush, which delivers a perfect at home mani so effortlessly. Lately, that is all you see on my nails.
The collection has barely launched but being the lucky bitch I am, I was one of the first to get my talons all over it and I’ve already wore four of the six shades to near exhaustion. Nah, not really, I can’t get enough.
Nails nail nails. I went from a through and through red nail polish gal who could never picture a nude on her nails to a lover of all colours, shades, finishes and art.
The new shades are inside scoop, a pretty sheer tea rose pink with a slight blue undertone, v.i.please, a deep, berry violet hinted with red, style stunner, a super bright orange with an underlying red, sizzling hot, an opaque saturated hibiscus red with a pink undertone and finally, my eye-catch shade, front page-worthy, a dark royal blue with a pearl overcast.
First of all, I feel I have to explain the month long absence: I have moved houses. Bought a flat and been like a maniac between closing the deal, moving and furnishing and now I’m starting to settle. Although I have no wifi yet, tethering to my mobile has been useful. And the means to this post!
Second, I cannot see a better way of going to back to blogging than essie‘s retro revival 2nd edition limited collection nail polishes. The six shades embody the flawless chic vibe from the beginning of the brand in 1981 Las Vegas – in fact the caps have the original Stardust Casino gold star sign.
My favourite has to be the stunning sweet tart (oh how appropriate!) a pearlescent nude with mauve undertones. Just gorgeous.
That doesn’t mean I am not in love with the other shades: pure chiffon is the perfect warm beige which will suit most skin tones; flawless is a delicate pink that feels quite neutral; chastity is a lively cherry blossom pink and bold beauty is a fabulous and seductive mid-century deep red. All sorts of love for this collection.
Apart from the neutrals and a killer red, that never goes out of fashion, pinks were all over the catwalk for the new season.
Imagine a gorgeous place where your favourite beauty brands come together. That would be enough, right?
Then, top it off with a real shop full of friendly and approachable professionals in the counters.
I was about to place my order at 
Now to the order. The site is clean, well categorised, so it is easy to use and find what you’re looking for. You can also look for specific brands, skin concerns, the Marie Claire edit and specific filtering within categories.
At 
Golden nails. I’ve always had a penchant for them. Finding the right shade is a bit tricky, as I don’t like it glittery, but the new Nails Inc Paint Can in Good as Gold comes as close to golden perfection as possible.
Feelings towards the product remain the same as when I did my original review: love the novelty, the colour is great, pigmentation on the gold seem a bit more scatty then the silver (I went over twice) and the durability is good.
*Maybe* I over sprayed onto my fingers on purpose. There’s no denying I wish I could se the pre-tidying up version and sport fingers dipped in gold, but that wouldn’t go well in the office, I am sure. But, oh, it’s so tempting!
Advantages include the fun (seriously!), the act you can quickly apply on top of any nail polish you’re wearing for a quick change, and of course, I made a meal out of it, but you can be much more targeted with the application to make clean up easier.
Nails Inc Paint Can now comes in eight shades with 
As a lover of all colours on my nails, I am not one to say there are summer and winter colours, but let’s agree that some colours for better in certain season.
Six extremely wearable shades (it’s not always that a full collection feels like that to me) will take you through the new season.
They are gorgeous alone or mixed. Follow that up in your season timeline with a shade I fell in love with: Now and Zen, the perfect safe grey.
On the warmer spectrum, a classic berry shade, quite vivacious, Maki Me Happy and the biggest surprise for me, Playing Koi, an almost vibrant bold orange rust colour, which looks amazing on my nails.
So Many Lovely Things 