Monday 30 May 2016

Travel: Our trip to Portugal

Back in April my boyfriend Graham & I took a trip to Albufeira (not just 'cos it rhymes with my surname Sierra, FYI). If you know me, you'll know I've definitely got travel jetting through my veins and a wanderlust list that's endlessly burning at my brain. Europe has never interested me half as much as America but Spain and Portugal have always been two countries on my hit-list. We flew out to Portugal on Graham's birthday and the holiday felt all the more special for it. We were both a bit nervy about the flight but thankfully it was only about 2 hours 45 mins, so therefore fairly breezy. The trip also signalled our first tropical holiday for a good few years and it came as such a blissful break for us both. 

We stayed at hotel Vila Petra which was more than affordable yet pretty paradisal to say the least. It was also only a short stones throw away from the pretty beaches lining Albufeira and was easily accessible to the local shops with a 'strip' that held bars, clubs, cafes, cocktail bars, restaurants and the best part, a load of boozing Brits. Perhaps the only downfall; the area was obviously a spot for stag nights so when we went out for a meal we often had to elbow our way through crowds of leery lads. It didn't matter that much as we rented an apartment in the hotel so mainly ate from our balcony in the evening. On the odd occasion we ventured out late, we made it through the mob without a fist in the face, always a bonus, let's face it.









We hadn't had much time to research the area so spent our days exploring the beaches; namely Oura. On the hottest day we sat by the sea, accompanied by cocktails and carbs. A few days were spent walking around, navigating the town and strolling past so many villas/houses/apartments that we bookmarked as holiday homes should we ever be lucky enough to dreamily afford one in the future. It's certainly no secret that I've always wanted a home abroad, be it a holiday home or a home, home. Our favourite discovery was a marshmallow pink row of buildings below; how f-ing cute? Literally the most soothing street I ever did see.





Graham's definitely rocking these ASOS shades better than I, they fit so well with his ootd! There weren't many Instagram husband feels to our holiday especially as I made the fatal mistake of losing most of my make-up at the airport. I spent the holiday feeling like a right troll to say the least and avoided posing for pics at all costs! The hotel also disallowed pool inflatables. Serious case of SHOCK and HORROR, so the donut we brought with us stayed safely in the suitcase. Donut and I stayed relegated to no-poser territory with a sassy salti-ness to rival the sea.





Overall we absolutely loved our time in Portugal and would definitely recommend to anyone and everyone. The locals were all friendly as were the hotel staff at Vila Petra and I'd totally be up for a return visit one day. We stayed just under a week which was the perfect amount of time for our get-away and both agreed we'd love to make a return trip in the future (and buy one of those dreamy houses....)

Have you ever been to Portugal?
Have you got wanderlust? If so where for? 

Wednesday 18 May 2016

Summer dress wish-list

Any babe that knows me well enough will tell you how much I live for the summer and all the tropical style sightings it blissfully brings. One of the biggest decisions I made about my blog this year was that I wanted it to firmly focus more-so around summer style than ever before, especially as I feel it really empowers and embodies soinspo. In typical Sierra style, I've gone for hot hues and bright bolds whilst dreaming up my ultimate summer wish-list. JD Williams have got an amazing array of summer dresses to assist me in my search and get me screaming for summer (even more so than usual)... 









Bright, tropical colours are always a must for me when choosing a summer dress, followed by softer pastel accessories as a babe-like backdrop. I'm crushing so hard on this stripe shift dress; perfect for hitting the tropics, jazzing up a BBQ or lounging around in on holiday. The green shades add further elements of gorgeous whilst whimsical watermelon is always a good idea. As always Accessorize are killing it with their paradisiac holiday picks. I can imagine all the pretty pink beads of embellishment dazzling so dreamily by the sea. The fruit feels clash perfectly with summer stripes. These wedge sandals are so stylishly subtle yet totally wearable and make a nice switch up from glads. 




WOWZ, was my first thought upon seeing this sweet sweet fantasy of a maxi dress. Isn't is mesmerising? Embellishment is something I love to showcase in my summer style and I think any guest at any wedding would easily eclipse the most babin' of brides in this snazzy stunner. Perfect also for a hot holiday abroad or to sparkle up a sunshine fuelled blog-shoot. Liquid gold tones will set off the beautiful pink aura of the dress, and this leaf cuff and leather bag are perfect. Pink and gold go perfectly and make a really magical combination, especially during summery nights with the stars glittering down upon you. 



Flower power is nailed with this pretty Joanna Hope print dress. A good slogan is always necessary when it comes to us fashion bloggers and I've seen various versions of these straw hats although this one has to be my fave; ‘I’m busy’ obvs stands for sitting by the sea with a Pina colada in one hand an ice cream in the other. These sole diva ankle boots add an underlying edge to the look, a subtle toughen up to the floral feeling. 


*This is a PR collaboration, as always all views and opinions are my own


Sunday 1 May 2016

Rainbow

Donut pool inflatables for all! Casually taking my Jaded London rainbow crop and skirt set out for a beachy blast, I couldn't resist spreading some strawberry sprinkles around with this dreamy little donut. If you're after an out of this world pool float then I recommend Big Mouth; they seem to cater for everyone's fantasies, just waiting for them to bring out a Coachella butterfly and a blow up PiƱa Colada bottle that actually re-fills itself and then I'll be 100% thrilled. 
soinspo turns 3 on 5 May and to kick start a summer of celebration here on the blog, I thought a bit of inflatable fabulousness would go down a treat. Not only do I have a ton of style vibes in mind for the blog this summertime, I'm also hoping to make it a little more personal, so you can get to know me better. One day I'll have to open up and tell you guys my journey of confidence, it's a hell of a long one, but I'd like to tell it. 



As always, I've been listening to Mariah on repeat. Any of you girls just as crazy in love with her 90s records as I? Daydream, in particular. So many damn tunes. Likewise, I've been watching all of Madonna's music videos, especially the 80s classics. Two women I admire to the highest of heights, mostly because they started with nothing and built incredible empires with sheer determination, talent and fight. Word on the street says Mariah used to be a hat checker and Madonna a dunkin' donuts waitress so there's hope for anyone and everyone with a dream out there. 
Too many people put themselves and their dreams down with a "there's no way I could ever do anything like that" attitude. Whenever I hear wank like that being said it makes me wonder how the world would be if all the successful people in the world had drawn defeat. If Howard Schultz had put his  coffee cup down in desolate after being turned down by 242 banks then Starbucks wouldn't exist. If JK Rowling had let all those negative, narrow minded publishers cloud her vision then, well any HP fan out there can tell you what's up with that. Every star out there has had failures and downfalls and that's what made every single one glitter that bit brighter. Please promise me you'll always believe in your dream. Other people love to put dreams down, but as long as your vision mirrors YOU and not the rear view they're looking through, it'll happen. Your belief in yourself is the critical one that counts, just as much as that dazzling dream amongst the stars in the skies XO 


ASOS rainbow sunglasses (last year)