Faded Spring

    Lunchtime Shennigans at Enoteca Rosso Kensington

    The scent of summer was blissfully on the horizon, honeysuckle and dew intermingling with raucous children laughing. Ice cream trucks saw queues of graceful customers, and adults drank ciders in the open park spaces. For it was a glorious spring day where summer had reared its head oh so unexpectedly, as the girl in the red dress, impractically dressed as always clonked heels on flowered pavements, and the children kept on laughing. It would be filled with eating and joy, a brunch at Enoteca Rosso, bubbles overflowing, a blogger hangout at Chelsea Creperie, a date night brimming with passion. But for now the lady in red strode over to Rosso, with hunger in her belly, ready to make new ... read more

    How To Store Your Wine At Home The Right Way

    For millennia, cultures the world over have enjoyed a wide array of alcoholic beverages. Arguably one of the first beverages to appear throughout the world, wine still captures the love and attention of countless people in a variety of ways. From those who enjoy it in a connoisseur-like setting to those who sample a glass after each meal, there are many methods for tasting and enjoying fine wine. But how did our humble wine friend enter our lives so lovingly, wrapping us in a heated blanket of seduction, debauchery and mystique? Wine as we know it now, was first made by people of the Shulaveri-Shomu culture, which while might be a surprise to those who view wine as originating in Italy or ... read more

    Why Heavy Periods Have Made Me Period Positive

    My Period Story: What It Was Like Growing Up With Heavy Periods Growing up I was always the odd one out, a small slim girl with non-existent breasts, who according to my peers, entered the world of puberty 'freakishly late'. I was surrounded by friends with buxom chests and curvaceous butts, who would brandish their tampons around like it was a lipstick, cementing the fact that aged 14, I had still never had a period. And then it hit me like a tonne of bricks; first came the breasts, small dots on my chest, that I have come to grow to love with age, and a little butt that wiggled when I walked. But it was my little red visitor that surprised me the most, flummoxed by the sharp pain in my ... read more

    A Vegetarian’s Guide To Vivi’s Bar And Restaurant

    She rode into the sunset on a horse made from unicorn dreams, the scent of bubblegum pop wafting through the chilled air. There were sparkles in the sky raining down upon her like confetti streamers, as she shook the droplets out of her hair with gilded ease. The clock was ticking, but she kept on striding forward with purpose, until the neon lights of VIVI's beckoned her into their welcoming home, where pastel pink plush sofas danced on the merry go round of food deliveries, that plied hungry customers mouths oh so greedily. Coat stowed away, she sunk gratefully into the chair beneath her with a wistful sigh, smiling at the people before her who had come to join her at tonight's gastronomic ... read more

    Faded Spring’s Guide To Dating Dos And Dont’s

    Faded Spring's  101 Guide To Dating Dos And Dont's Once upon a time there was a moment when gentlemen existed, where the concept of a F**kboy driving around in his fuckboy mobile, was as alien as the concept of a pig and a cat having babies together, and the world didn't revolve around tube goers with glazed eyes, swiping left and right on what they would be having for 'Friday Dinner'. And by dinner I mean a genitalia all you can eat buffet served with a sprinkling of oral. Once the cat has finished toying with the sausage, they both awkwardly clamber out of bed, avoiding eye contact, as they shake hands before departing the world's most awkward one night stand. And don't even get me ... read more

    10 Fun First Date Ideas To Try This Year

    By their very nature, first dates are fiddly and fractious affairs. Food can be fraught, drinks can be disastrous, and just what on earth do you talk about? Travel? Hobbies? Sports? Current events? Politics? Religion? Probably not those last two topics, but when there’s a lull in the discussion, just where do you go from there? After all, I know from personal experience just how awkward first dates can be, especially when MR 'Boring' comes to mind, which while sounds harsh, is very much indicative of how lackluster our first date was. Or what about 'MR Call Me Daddy' who still has the ability to make me cringe today, as I recall just how A. disturbing the first date was looking back and B. ... read more

    Why I Stopped Posting On Instagram

    It has been a while since I published an Instagram post on Faded Spring, nearly two months in fact,the time has almost passed me by. I could blame it on being busy but the truth is I needed a social media blackout, something which I have turned to many times in recent months for the sake of my emotional and physical wellbeing, in the aftermath of dealing with depression, anxiety and trauma. I struggle with mental health issues on a daily basis and while its true that I have posted Instagram Stories, interacted with people's content and blogged regularly, my decision to not post on Instagram was because I needed time away from something which no longer gave me joy or filled my heart with ... read more

    The Quick And Easy Mothers Day Gift Guide

    As the daffodils bloom and the sun breaks free from its wintery prison, the world awakens to motherhood, as we celebrate both biological and non-biological 'mother figures' who mean the world to us. We shower them in fragrant bouquets and lavish gifts, watching as their faces light up with a tangibly rich smile. We make them breakfast in bed, poached eggs and avocado on toast, just the way they like it, and pour freshly squeezed orange juice into a waiting cup. We decorate their place with balloons and streamers, while the radio softly croons in the background.But most of all we give our special hugs laced with love and affection, as for one day only we make them feel like they are the only ... read more

    5 Toys To Spice Up Your Sex Life In 2019

    When it comes to getting down and dirty, there is nothing more satisfying than a delicious foray into the bedroom with a lover in hand-literally- as you romp the night away, sheets rumpled in sheer lust and ecstasy. You cradle each other in a warm embrace, catching your breath in between sessions as you go again, and again and again. The beauty of sex is that it really is an all you can eat pleasure buffet, as you sample the mezze of sex positions that are guaranteed to have you gasping for more, more, more. And no that was not a Britney reference. But like all good things, each rendezvous must come to an end, and so our lovers slink back into the shadows hanging out with the imaginary ghost ... read more

    Gorgeous Indian Fine Dining At Baluchi Lalit

    London Bridge was coated in vibrancy, unassuming concrete slab buildings juxtaposed with bright street fronts crawling with hungry customers. In the urban jungle lay buildings old and new, co-existing in mutual harmony, the chitter chatter of pedestrians crossing the street. We were one of those people who were weaving in and out of a world conditioned by old meets new, in search of gorgeous fine dining at Baluchi Lalit, where grilled tofu caressed coconut sukha and tandoori roasted cauliflower danced with paneer. Tall cocktails would toy with our tongues in a mating dance, as we drip fed rum into our thirsty mouths, later plied with chilled rose that liquefied our insides. But who could ... read more