Skincare, Perfume, Macarons and Cocktails: Seven Dials Press Trip

If you’re not a native Londoner, shopping in the big city can be a bit of a nightmare. There are the depths of hell, and then there’s Oxford Street on a busy Saturday afternoon. If you always find yourself heading for the crowded OS streets and want to check out something a little more chic, then Seven Dials is for you. Located a few minutes walk away from the Covent Garden station, the center of Seven Dials (unsurprisingly) sits at the meeting point of seven different streets, each lined with everything from macaron bakeries to shoe boutiques and swanky cocktail bars. I was invited along last week for a lil’ press trip and introduction to everything that Seven Dials has to offer – of course, I documented it for you guys (and because I had to), so I hope you enjoy this photo diary of the day!

P.S. I literally can’t remember anybody’s name from the day, so if on the off chance you showed me around one of the stores and you’re reading this, I really apologise!

FRESH
17 Monmouth Street

My first appointment was at the skincare specialists, Fresh. I was booked in for a brand introduction and lip ritual, and having had some experience with the brand before, I was already super excited. The shop itself is an Instagram dream – it’s all white surfaces with soft floral elements and oodles of natural light, so if you’re planning a visit, have the Olympus Pen ready.

The lovely Education Officer chatted to me about all of the different products and what would be right for my skin, before talking me through a full lip ritual, from scrub to serum to moisturiser. He tailored the final products to my needs and personal choice – I wanted an uncoloured lip balm, for example, so he selected the original for my goody bag – and then wrapped everything up beautifully whilst explaining that it is Fresh’s policy to always make their takeaway bags look incredible.

I then volunteered myself for the Fresh Love Bar, an adorable wall feature where you can write a personal message on a tag and/or have your photo taken, before having it popped up on the wall for everybody to see and share. And the message doesn’t have to be Fresh related, just anything you’re wanting to share at that moment Such a simple but beautiful touch for cultivating more of a community feeling.

MILLER HARRIS
14 Monmouth Street

Already 15 minutes late, I darted straight across the street to my next appointment at the perfumery, Miller Harris. I’m pretty sure that the guy who served me was called John, but regardless of my terrible memory, HE WAS THE BEST. Looking back I wish I had just missed my next appointment and spent the whole hour in Miller Harris, because he was so funny, so charming and so super duper thorough when it came to finding the right fragrance for me.

Miller Harris hold a fragrance consultancy for anybody wanting to find their perfect scent, and this can range from 15 mins (my express appt) to anything beyond, depending on how quickly you can decide what you like and how much prosecco you drink your way through (I was in a rush so I had none and you guys know how much I love alcohol during work hours). John (if that even is your real name) walked me through a simple questionnaire to try and establish what kind of scent was right for me, before pulling together a hoard of testers and individually explaining the inspiration and blend of notes behind each.

Unsurprisingly, I ended up opting for the Rose option. I love anything and everything rose scented, so Rose en Noir was the perfect pick – if you’re interested in perfumes, then the description is: “Ruby red raspberry fruits, violet leaf and hints of petit grain provide a
tantalising introduction, while rich notes of Turkish rose Damascena
and black pepper dominate the heart. Rose en Noir seductively draws
down into a deeply rich velvet base of ambrette seed, tabac noir,
vetiver and patchouli.” SMELL ME.

PIERRE HERMÉ
38 Monmouth Street

Next up? Macarons of course. What blogger trip would be complete without them? Smelling like a dream thanks to Miller Harris, I raced down the road to make my next appointment at Pierre Hermé, the macaron and chocolate boutique. I listened to a LOT of information about macarons and pastries and chocolates that pretty instantly went in one ear and out of the other, but what I can tell you, is that the flavour combinations were incredible.

When it comes to macarons, I’m a pistachio-and-go kinda gal. Here, however, I tried everything from liquorice and raspberry to milk chocolate and passion fruit. Every single one was bursting with flavour and absolutely delicious, the chocolates of which were no different. It is a little bit pricey in here, but if you’re wanted to treat yourself to a little bit of Insta-worthy luxury, then I can’t think of anywhere better. Definitely one to try!

THE ESCAPOLOGIST

Last but not least we finished up at The Escapologist, a cocktail bar and pizza palace conveniently located a few minutes away on Earlham Street. The interior to this place is so.damn.cool. I don’t really know anything about interiors so I’m not going to try and use accurate technical words to describe it – instead, I’ll just say the vibe was grand Victorian on small and surprising doses of acid. There’s a hidden room behind a painting, for example – how fucking cool is that?

We were offered a few complimentary dranks and pizzas by the lovely staff, but stayed much beyond the freebies to sample the extensive range of cocktails they had on offer. Keiran doesn’t really know/like cocktails, so I was in my element ordering for him and recommending what was best to drink. His fave was the Pornstar Martini (such a basic Insta bitch) (it’s also my favourite drink), but my love of the night went to the Flaming Skull. 1) there was shit loads of alcohol in it, and 2) WHEN THEY CAME THEY WERE ON FIRE.

Pizza was delish, drinks were delish and the atmosphere, despite it only being half 5 in the evening, was super cool. They were playing old hip hop and R’n’B songs during our whole visit (A SCRUB IS  A GUY WHO THINKS HE’S FLY), so I got to a point three cocktails deep where I had to be real and say, I’m either staying all night and getting shit faced, or I’ve got to go now. Being the gracious host that I am, I did let Keiran leave, but then I FaceTimed my mum in the middle of a busy London street because I was slightly typsy and in a fabulous mood. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

And that marked the end of my Seven Dials press trip! I hope you’ve liked this post, and if do enjoy the odd review, do let me know because I have a few more in the pipeline that I would love to share with you. Ciao huns!