In July...

gym selfie / beach/ smoothie bowl

Perth bloggers event / kettlebell deadlifts / hair extensions

acai bowl & coffee / TSC blogger catch up / hiking

I've been so busy lately I've not really had the chance to do anything 'blog worthy' so instead thought I'd do another life lately post through my instagram pictures ( you can see June's life lately post).

I've been trying my absolute hardest to stick me my training schedule at the gym and am so excited to be launching a fitness competition in August, so watch this space! At the moment I'm trying to cut my fat percentage down as much as possible so I'm working on mid-high reps intertwined with lots of cardio. Alongside this I'm trying to eat as much fruit and veg as possible, including lots of smoothies and juices.

I've been to two Perth blogging meet ups during July, one at Time Square Claremont and then I organised a Perth bloggers meet up with Em from The Illusive Femme. Both were awesome events and I am loving all the positivity and creativity in the Perth blogging scene right now! 

My halo arrived from halo hair extensions* in England, I had to send back the ombre one I'd ordered as the colour change was around my ears so didn't blend well with my hair.  Luckily my new halo matched my hair perfectly and I've been having heaps of fun pretending to be rapunzel (including dip dying the ends purple).

I met up with Andi for brunch and we tried out Hylin in West Leederville. The food, coffee and service was awesome, I'll definitely be going back in the future.

The things I didn't take photos of... 

I got a new job, yippee! I now only have one more week of working away from home and you don't know how happy that makes me. I'm going to miss the FIFO pay but can't wait to be able to have at least one meal at home a day, fall asleep in my own bed each night and go to the gym whenever I want. My new job's pretty similar to what I did back in England and is only a short drive from Perth CBD. 

Which leads me on nicely to.....we're moving house! We are SO over driving up and down the Kwinana Freeway every day so decided to bite the bullet and move closer to the city. The rent's going to be a bit more but I reckon we're going to save it in $$$ on fuel, and sanity from not having to sit in traffic for an hour a day. I can't wait to show you all the new house! 

What have you been up to in July?

If you're not already make sure you follow me on instagram @_hannahbc 

xo

Strange lane

A while back I sent some emails back and forth with the wonderful lady behind STRANGE LANE, an online boutique filled with beautiful clothes, accessories and home wares.  I chose a few pieces from the store to help showcase the home wares and accessories...

I fell in love with this beautiful dream catcher necklace at first sight and I've been religiously wearing it over plain tops to add some interest. I've had so many compliments on it! 

The namaste, bitches candle by Damselfly is a sure fire winner as a gift to yourself or someone else, alongside the sassy catchline and beautiful packaging, it's got different scented layers which I think is awesome. I've been burning this one during my bubble baths (gotta love a bit of me time).

I featured these gorgeous sunglasses in a little bits of love post recently, they're perfect for pairing with any outfit and suit my face shape perfectly, yay! Strange Lane has a great mix of eclectic and day to day sunglasses to suit and taste.

The last thing I sent was a little surprise, a set of violent lips. I remember these becoming pretty big on the blogging scene a few years ago care of the funky patterns (I specifically remember a union jack and leopard print?!) which never really appealed to me, but a long lasting and easy to apply red lip is absolutely fabulous. 

Whats your favourite strange lane item? 

Do you have a favourite online boutique?

xo

This post has been written in collaboration with strange lane store, all views are my own.

Hot chocolatte

Ever wondered what would happen if you crossed alice in wonderland and a coffee shop? Well, this. I'm going to let the pictures do the talking... 

Hot Chocolatte in Dunsborough is something out of a fairy tale, it's crazy in all the right ways. 

This little cafe is renowned for decadent coffees, hot chocolates and iced everything. There's enough sweets, lollies and chocolates to excite any child (big or small) and the decor is absolutely incredible. 

If you're ever anywhere near Dunsborough you need to pay them a visit, I can totally recommend the iced chai...and all the sweets...and lollies....and chocolates. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

You can find them at shop 14/42 Dunn Bay Rd, Dunsborough.

Make sure you follow them on instagram and Facebook too. 

xo

A very British parcel

A few months back I was emailed about the Us and Aus campaign, where I'd be paired with a blogger in the UK and we could send each other a parcel full of gifts. We were given a budget and told we'd be paired with a blogger at random and then would have a few weeks to shop and send the gifts. Now, there's a lot of UK bloggers so imagine my surprise when I was told I was paired with Catherine. I sent her a little list of things I missed from home and a few weeks later (thanks for the speedy service Aus post) my parcel arrived...

I lasted a whole ten seconds from finding the parcel to sprawling the contents across my bed. 

Inside I found a gorgeous piece of wrapping paper (used as a background) which I'm going to frame for our guest room,  some postcards, a key ring, some chocolate and some Cath Kidston goodies.

If you've not tried Oreo dairy milk or Charbonnel & Walker Champagne truffles before you've not lived. I am a major chocoholic but Cadbury's out here just isn't the same, and we can't get galaxy. 

I used to buy myself the truffles when I was celebrating something...you know like passing an exam, getting a new job, a birthday, fridays...

The two lifestyle brands I miss most from the UK are Cath Kidston & Jack Wills so I was really happy to unwrap these gifts. The makeup bag is the perfect size for when I go away to work. Lux also bought this gorgeous little business card holder, which is so much more practical than having them laying in the bottle of my handbag amongst the receipts like they did before.

I'm so happy I was involved in the campaign & it was such a great opportunity to send a friend something awesome in the mail (check out what I sent Catherine). Make sure you check out the Aus Travel Us and Aus map  which compares UK cities with their Australian counterparts.

What would your ideal gift from abroad be?

xo

This post has been written in collaboration with Aus travel, all views are my own.

A winter escape at pullman resort bunker bay

Last weekend we decided to jump in the car and head south for a winter escape at Pullman resort Bunker Bay. Nestled just outside Dunsborough (around 3 hours from Perth) on the edges of Bunker Bay's beach this 5 star resort offers one of the most luxurious stays in the Margaret River region. 

We checked in with the incredibly attentive and friendly staff then went to find our villa, we were allocated 412 which was right by the main resort, but still a stones throw to the beach.  The villas were beautiful and full of useful little extras such as an iPod dock and dishwasher. There's also a small hob and microwave, if you wish to cook.

A huge king size bed, ours was pretty firm, I'm not sure if they all are though- and of course that's a real personal preference.

The bathroom was incredible and featured a bath which I (at 5ft 10) could almost lay out in.

We then decided to take a wonder around the grounds and see just what the resort has to offer...

The large, heated infinity pool was an absolute winner for us and thanks to the rain we had it mainly to ourselves! 

 If you're into surfing, theres a small break to the far right of the bay.

Sadly the weather was against us all weekend, but it was obvious how beautiful the bay is in summer, I can totally imagine spending a long weekend here surfing, paddle boarding and sunbathing in the warmer months. 

That evening we head up to one of the resorts restaurants for dinner..

Which was beautiful, and again the staff were brilliant, so friendly and helpful- especially with my dietary requirements (just a heads up, theres only one vegetarian option in the main restaurant)! I went for a home made pizza, which was amazing, and Dan had the Turkish roll, again amazing. We had a few drinks and watched the fire roar before calling it a night.

After dinner we head back and I promptly took myself to the bathroom, a winter escape wouldn't be right without a long relaxing soak in the bath..

The staff had kindly left me some complimentary wine (and were sweet enough to swap the red for white when I jokingly said I'm more of a white wine girl) and a pamper box filled with body scrubs and masks, I'd also packed my favourite LUSH bath bomb (the comforter), which made for the perfect girls pamper night whilst Dan watched the formula one. I soaked until the water went cold and by the end I felt oh so relaxed. To top it off, I got to squish into a big king size bed and snooze till I woke up the next morning. 

It goes without saying that the first thing I did when I woke up was head straight to the pool, they also have a beautiful little 24 hour gym and had I packed my trainers I'd probably have squeezed in a pre-breakfast workout. After working up an appetite we head up for a buffet breakfast.

I haven't taken photos of the buffet because I'm pretty sure everyone knows what a buffet looks like. The buffet breakfast at Pullman resort bunker bay was great, a huge variety from a cooked breakfast, through to fruit salads, pancakes, muffins and meats and cheese. 

If you're headed to Pullman Resort Bunker Bay I would totally recommend booking a trip to their Vie day spa, there's a huge array of treatments available but don't be silly like me- make sure you book well in advance! 

We had an incredible stay at Bunker Bay and can't wait to head back in summer to laze about on the beach all day. We paid the usual rate for our room, however were given complimentary breakfast and I was gifted my pamper package also. 

xo

This post has been written in collaboration with sets on the Pullman resort, all views are my own.