Author: evangelinetopaz

Is gooseberry intimates worth the import fees?

Ok so a while ago I purchased some bikinis from www.gooseberryintimates.com, I was so stoked because the full piece I wanted had gone on sale and I was like yes I’ve just been paid, lets do this!

Wearing an XS in the So Chic one piece swimsuit

So I get to the checkout and it says that you will incur import taxes from your country, I was absolutely fine with this as I am always buying from Australia and the most I have ever had to pay is like £25 and that was for a big parcel. Anyway, DHL gets my parcel and texts me saying I owe them £31 in import taxes!!! I was literally gobsmacked, I could not believe it! Anyway after much arguing I ended up having to pay it. It was the tinniest package for £31 which made my heart sink, I wasn’t even sure they were going to fit me which would have bee the saddest part! I left them un packaged for about 4 days before I decided to go ok you just have to see if you’ve wasted £140 or not…. I can say with much relief that the two bikinis did infect fit! The one piece is a little tight, I would have preferred a small instead of extra small, but it will do.

  • XS one piece
  • Xs ribbed two piece

The bikinis are extremely well made, and I am super happy with the colour and material and everything! I got a white ribbed two piece bikini which was and a tropicana coloured one piece, I will admit the white as discoloured on the inside from all the sunscreen I have to use (lol), but the outside hasn’t… and with a bit of vanish they’ll be brand new in no time. I actually don’t think I took my white pair off all holiday haha and I would definitely recommend getting yourself a pair even if they cost a fortune haha! They actually have a physical store in Bali, Seminyak, so next time I go there I will stock up for sure!!!!

Wearing an XS in the whipped cream bandeau bikini

Anyway, I wanted to write this because I googled sooo much before I actually purchased from Gooseberry as I didn’t know what to expect, and there wasn’t that much help out there. So here it is, all the help you could need, size comparison, colours, material etc. If you have any other questions, head over to the “contact me” page and send in your Q’s, alternatively you can message me on my Instagram – @evangelinetopaz

Just in from Marbella!

Hello Everyone,

Soooo I just got back from Marbella on the weekend! I’m currently sitting here writing this with post holiday blues, It is pouring with rain, the sky is grey, I’m back at work and the struggle is seriously real!

We only had a week In Marbella and it obviously wasn’t long enough but we made the most out of the time that we had. We actually stayed in a place called Costa Bella which is just a 15 minute drive from the centre of Marbs, it was so perfect and quiet and not all that touristy which was soooo bliss!

I just wanted to hop on here and give you guys a few tips instead of you have to scroll through my entire Marbella post… I know how generous of me hehe. Ok so first things first, you’ll need to get from Malaga airport to Marbella (or costa Bella in this instance). The taxis usually charge from £65-£85 as does Uber… we actually got really lucky and some random Spanish man whispered “taxi” at us when walking through the airport so away we went with the random Spanish “private taxi” who had settled on £55 to get us to Marbella. I believe you can catch the bus but we didn’t realise this and as there were 4 of us we just decided to go with our private taxi.

Top places to visit would have to be the centre of Marbs, especially if you are lucky enough to time it for the Spanish fiera fiesta like we accidentally did, Also the old town is beautiful, little white lanes with beautiful boutique shops!! Next stop you definitely have to visit Porto Banus, it is super expensive and I wouldn’t recommend stopping for a £10 juice but its a lovely little place to walk around and admire. We did get a Lebanese lunch on the other side of the port which was delicious, cheap and had amazing views. You can get the 222 bus from Costa Bella for £1.18 which can gets you to the centre of Marbs, at that bus stop you then get the L1 to Porto Banus which is another £1.18.

There wasn’t really a lot going on in Marbs for us cheapies, we got pretty smashed drinking jugs of sangria at the beach restaurants and then decided to head into town having no clue of what was happening on a Tuesday night haha! We ended up smoking shisha and drinking sangria all night, then getting a classy kebab by the harbour. The luxe places to go out are Nicky Beach, Opium beach club and anywhere in Porto Banus.

Top restaurant picks would have to be –

  • Copacabana – This was our local right on the beach and the food was super cheap and divine! The Paella was the best in the area!
  • Restaurant Da Sergio (Miguel y Maria) – you can eat on the beach with the sand between your toes and eat the most delicious food ever! The grilled sardines are a must have and the salmon tagliatelle is DELICIOUS!
  • SYLT – A little walk left along the beach from our place, the cocktails are amazing and the live DJ is great! Pretty pricey and the place shuts at 8:30pm which is really strange for Spain.
  • Restaurant Club CostaBella, Cocina International – Don’t let this random name put you off, this place was right next door to our villa and we only ate there on our last day, we wished we had found it sooner. The food is so delicious and the prices are just ridiculously cheap, a lovely family run restaurant with lovely staff.
  • Las Sardinas – Location is to die for, especially if you get a front row table to the ocean like we did. We really enjoyed our starters of croquettes and anchovies with avocado, literally amazing, but the paella and fish mains were super disappointing! The service is also not very good and there are so many stray cats around. We only went here because we were recommend by a local but you can get way better food and views and MUCCCH cheaper food elsewhere.

So, you really just need to get yourselves to Marbella, enjoy the cheap food along the beach and soak up the sun. I wish we were still there instead of waiting for this two weeks of rain to stop so we can finally start summer here in the UK! Adios for now guys!