My Happy List { № 4 } : Finding the Perfect Cup of Tea

A delicate, pretty cup with floral patterns or quirky prints (always with a matching saucer) filled anything from my favourite Ladurée teas; china tea scented with violet and orange blossom or their signature blend scented with vanilla, rose, orange blossom and cinnamon  to the supermarket-available Clipper green, herbal and fruit teas - an afternoon cup of tea at the desk, on the sofa or while catching up with friends is another daily micro-pleasure of mine. Even better when served with macaroons, but that's another post for another day...

Whats your favourite tea? rachelle xo

r a c h e l l e ' s h a p p y l i s t . . .

the first coffee  |  morning cuddles  |  a thick stack of magazines  |  a good manicure 

Happy Weekend: A Very Exciting Week

I've had a very exciting week; alongside shopping trips and two lovely 'date nights', there has been huge workloads & massive new projects, alongside the most exciting of all, the boy & I have just booked two weeks in Kata Beach, Phuket for mid-September. It'll be both of our first trip to Thailand so if any of you have any tips, recommendations or suggestions - please do send this way . . .

Lust List - 6th August 2012

1. Same old story, a new season rolls around, Zara releases some bloody amazing shoes. Got my heart set on these Pointed Court Shoes with Straps (£49.99) & these Ankle-Strap Wedges (£69.99). 2. The highly anticipated new Victoria by Victoria Beckham has finally hit Net a Porter, this satin skater-style dress (£710) has a space in my wardrobe waiting for it... 3. I've been using Nails Inc a&e nail treatment (£12) for around a month as a base coat each time I paint my nails or when I havent the time to do a full manicure, I'll quickly throw this on. As a result, I can honestly say my nails havent been as strong so collectively as long, or moisturised and smooth in years. Amazing. 4. I get a little too excited when the new years Smythson range hits stores. Good job they arrive in August, it'll take until January to save up for this £180 croc-effect beauty. 5. As a rule, I'm not a t-shirt girl, but I'll happily make an exception for this Mary Katrantzou jersey (£255). 6. I love a pretty teddy to lounge around the house in, this Topshop strappy-lovely (£20)  is as comfortable as it is pretty. 7. I fell in love with the black version of this Christian Louboutin Marquise clutch (£875) when I first spied it in Harrods about a year ago, yet the new nude version has just fallen under my radar. The soft colour   takes an edge off the spikes, I love the idea of jumping straight to the front of the Saturday night bar que waving this beauty/weapon around... 8. No high street store does embellishment quite like All Saints. I need these sparkly shorts (£120) in my life, the jet black version are so understated. 9. Parisian patisser Pierre Hermes macaroons are available in cute London landmarks boxes for the duration of the Olympics, £33 for 16. rachel xo

Happy Weekend: A Short City Break

... currently lying in the most gorgeous & comfortable king sized bed in a beautiful city centre hotel in Leeds, tapping away on the boys exciting new purchase, an iPad, before a day full of shopping, wandering hand in hand and drinking champagne in the Saturday sunshine. 

Spotlight on: Ladurée

No rendezvous on the Champs-Elysées is complete without a stop at my favourite "fabricant de douceurs & gourmandies": Ladurée, in all its gilded grandeur.

In the early 1900s, Pierre Desfontaines, cousin of Ladurée's founder, Louis Ernest Ladurée, took two almond meringue cookies and joined them with a divine ganache filling - creating the macaron as we know it. Prior to that, macarons were simply cookies, first brought to France in 1533.