Christmas is a time for giving (and receiving of course) but nothing feels quite as good as seeing loved ones faces light up when they unwrap a gift you know they are going to love! For some people Christmas isn't all its cracked up to be, partly because you end up in even more debt than you started with as well as running the risk of your gifts being underappreciated. That is an incredibly scrooge attitude to have but we understand that keeping a close eye on those pennies is certainly on most people's minds, so, we've put together a very cute gift set with the help of Hush that won't break the bank account and that every best friend or sister will appreciate! I mean what's not to love about a lovely lacy bra & knickers set and a cute leather card holder that all falls under £60.

Buy the gift set here

Home sweet home, I say as we land at Lisbon airport, bright blue skies and warm temperatures on an unlikely Autumnal day.

Having spent our teenage years here from the ages of 14 to 18 there’s always a sense of nostalgia and excitement to come back to the place that shaped and influenced the critical years of growing up. We spent four years in a place called Cascais (a coastal resort town 30 kilometers west of Lisbon) and it’s always lovely to go back to see old friends, familiar places and how things have changed and progressed from when we lived there.

In the past couple of years Lisbon has been destined as one of Europe’s coolest capital, not only for it’s beautiful architecture and quaint cobbled streets but it’s trendy night life heaving with great roof top bars that boast incredible views of the city. The cuisine has to be one of our favourites and what I constantly crave after too many roast dinners and Haribos!

 The typical Portuguese cuisine of bacalhau (dried cod) and fresh seafood is incredible, and whilst Lisbon has embraced its' traditional roots it has also adopted an experimental, modern and sophisticated cuisine that is affordable in it’s own right.

Our once unknown & humble little Portugal has transformed in recent years to a much sought after and talked about place amongst brits.

Now although Lisbon may be top of your list, we can’t stress how much more there is to see and do in Portugal!  Below I’ve outline some great things to do in and out of Lisbon if you’re over for a very short flying visit!

TO STAY:

PENHA LONGA RESORT

What a beautiful hotel, located in 545-acre national park on the southern Sintra Mountains, we stayed here for a night in the executive suite that had views to die for. The luxurious hotel, sits amongst a nineteenth century palace, 27 golf holes set within historic ruins and a stunning Spa and Wellness centre. This has to be one of the most tranquil and serene spots I have ever been to! It’s perfect for a little rejuvenation and down time. Loanne and I spent the evening on our roof terrace sipping on wine whilst watching a sunset that could only be compared to that of an African safari sunset as the whole sky lit a blood red orange!

We had dinner at a place called Arola one of the 8 restaurants within the hotel, a contemporary twist to Spanish tapas with contrasting flavours and textures! If you go you must order the ‘Copa Catalana’ similar to a crème brulee but with a twist!  It is hands down one of my favourite desserts.

DAY OUT:

SINTRA

This is where we rented an AirBnB this holiday. Forty minutes from Lisbon's main station (Rossio). It’s a time warped village located in lush, wooded hills surrounded by whimsical palaces that emanates an aura of mysticism and romanticism. Be sure to visit the beautiful ‘Palacio De Pena’ and 'Quinta da Regaleira' then afterwards stop off for a sweet Queijada at Casa Piriquita. If you're feeling adventurous get off the beaten track and explore the Sintra hills where witchcraft is rife! If you look hard enough you’ll come across sacrificial tombstones and red ribbon wrapped around trees where practices still occur. (Eerie)

BY NIGHT:

SKY BAR

The Sky bar is one of the best roof top bars in Lisbon and located on the roof of the Tivoli Avenida da Liberdade hotel with incredible cocktails, good vibes, live music and a panoramic view of Lisbon. Come here around 9/10pm for pre-drinks and make sure to ask the waiter to whip you up a pineapple Margarita, it’s not on the menu but they’ll do it if you ask and they are super scrumptious.

JNcQUOI

The latest contemporary restaurant to hit Lisbon, it’s comfort artisan food is modern and sophisticated just like the ambience and interior, the best feature is the dinosaur skeleton perfectly positioned in the middle of the restaurant, and don’t forget to head to the bathroom for a boogie where you’ll find a DJ spinning some tunes from a circular DJ booth! Cool or crazy, call it what you like… We loved it!

 LUX

One of the best Clubs in Lisbon, especially for house music! The venue which is divided into a club space, bar and terrace, is known for its stunning waterside location and regular appearances from international DJ’s. If you love house music make the downstairs area your party place, we didn’t stop dancing for 3 hours straight when we went! Order the luxtinis, a personalised cocktail that is as sweet as can be!  

BY DAY:

GUINCHO BEACH

This has to be my favourite beach in Portugal, not only because we spent most of our teen years on this beach surfing and sunbathing but it’s 800 meters of golden sand and shoreline is absolutely stunning and has the perfect surf and windsurf conditions. Be aware it’s very hit and miss in terms of wind! But when you have a calm day there is nothing more beautiful! It's 5km from Cascais and 33km from Lisbon.

 

 Shop the look:

Outfit 1

Pink silk dress | Bec and Bridge

Outfit 2

Polka dot dress | Zara
Yellow kitten heels | Topshop
Hat | ASOS
Sunnies | Ray Ban

Outfit 3:

Green Jumper | Weekday Stores
Jeans | Weekday Stores
Hat | ASOS
Silk Skirt | New Look
Beret | ASOS
Bags | Kurt Geiger
Boots | Kurt Geiger

Outfit 4:

Black Jumpsuit | Only Child
White Mules | Vagabond shoes
Sunnies | Ray Ban

Outfit 5:

Jeans | Weekday Stores
Green velvet Jacket | Weekday Stores

Outfit 6:

White Kitten Heels | Topshop
Black Skirt | Urban Outfitters
Top | All Things Mochi

Outfit 7:

White floral top |Zara
Denim shorts | Urban Outfitters

Outfit 8:

Blue bikini |Sea Folly Australia
New York Top | Topshop



 

Most of you probably know how much Loanne and I enjoy festivals, so when Visa invited us to experience Boardmasters festival as a VIP in luxury bell tents with surf lessons and a private flight experience over the picturesque Cornwall countryside we were ready to sign up straight away!

This year Visa was a sponsor of Boardmasters working with its partner, Square to bring up to 100% card acceptance to the festival for the first time in its 36-year history.

We arrived on Wednesday evening to our luxury bell tents complete with beds, duvets, electricity and charging facilities and to top that off every morning we pre-ordered breakfast - using contactless no less - from our tent, which was delivered right to us by our dedicated Visa butlers. A faraway cry from what we are used to at festivals, so it was an extremely pleasant surprise!

The festival grounds were spacious and location wise probably the most beautiful location in the UK for a festival. The music was great too and we were able to enjoy the most epic sunsets whilst dancing away to some incredible DJs amongst stretches of beautiful beach as a backdrop which made the experience even better.

During our 4 days we spent time wandering around the festival going on rides, eating the delicious food and drinks from the food trucks and bars. Visa provided us with a pre-paid debit card and a wearable to make simple transactions throughout our time there which made everything so much easier, time- efficient and allowed us to forget about money! Usually at festivals it’s such a pain to have to find the nearest cash machine and then walk around with loose coins and change in our bum bags, so being able to pay with a tap of the wrist or card was ideal.

We also had access to the Deck, Visa’s exclusive viewing platform, which offered the best seats in the house and its Visa Everywhere Lounge where we watched thousands of people dance along to Jamiroquai, what an amazing experience! On Friday, we watched some epic DJs and danced for 6 hours straight to Camelphat and Sonny Fodera which was certainly our highlight.

To top off the ultimate Boardmaster’s experience Visa  organised a private flight experience where Loanne got to fly the plane over the festival, the views were breathtaking as we flew over the picturesque festival and stunning stretches of sandy beaches.

On our final day we had a 2 hour surf lesson which was so much fun, it was great to pick up the board again and surf some beginner-friendly waves.

Overall it was an incredible trip made so much more enjoyable with Visa. Although it was a very young crowd at the festival, the music and surroundings were stunning and definitely a festival we would recommend to music heads and those who love a breathtaking setting.

What an incredible way to celebrate the last ever Secret Garden Party festival than DJ'ing on the epic Lake Stage (which this year resembled an old school 70's American house party) and spending the weekend pimped out in a Mercedes Benz Marco Polo camper van, which was by far the most luxurious and comfortable experience we've endured at a festival. With a fully equipped kitchenette and two built-in beds that we set up in moments, the V-Class Marco Polo offered the comfort of a home amidst a muddy, rainy field which made our last festival experience the best one yet! 

Thank you to everyone who came and partied to our tunes and everyone who made it the best possible send off to one of our favourite festivals.  

Below captures our Friday afternoon at the Festival, thank you to the extremely talented videographer Emilia Reid who spent the afternoon following us around and working her magic and Megan Thorne for the video cut.

Well, this really is a proud moment for us both. If you'd have asked us 10 months ago (having only just quit our full time jobs), if we'd ever imagine having a feature in one of the most prestigious fashion magazines in the world, we probably would have turned our heads and laughed. So we couldn't be more proud to share this with you guys and for each and everyone of you who have supported and believed in us on our journey so far.

For those that haven't yet read the piece,  I've given it a fairly good go at translating it all, so I hope you enjoy!
 
And for those that are German, or would prefer to read it in German ;) Here is the original feature!
 

Jordan and Loanne Collyer – Not without my Sister

June 10, 2017 PERSPECTIVE CHANGE: INFLUENCER IN THE PORTRAIT-

Jordan and Loanne Collyer really share everything: a blog, an Instagram account, an apartment in South East London - and even their DNA. Because the two 26-year-old Brits are identical twins who have built the blog "The Collyer Twins" out of their similar looks and passion for travelling. By moving to Portugal as teens, their style is characterized by playful croptops, summer prints and casual beach waves. And since this does not really fit the weather of the British capital, it seems as if the two are constantly on the road - always searching for the sun and the perfect wave.

VOGUE: You are running your blog together, you're a DJ duo and you live together. Does that not sometimes get too much?

Jordan Collyer:  Yes, it can do. It can get really intense. Living and working with anyone can get hard and it definitely is a work in progress. We do end up bickering quite a bit as you would being sisters, luckily we never hold a grudge and we tend to make up within minutes after the argument! 

It is important that we give each other breathing space so we make sure that we're not always working in the same place or hanging out all the time!

They are identical twins and also your clothing style is very similar ...

Loanne Collyer: That's right! I would say it is quite similar, yes. We tend to wear similar styles and always end up picking the same clothes. However, Jordan is more likely to buy less but spend more on premium, one-off items that you wouldn't see on the High street, whereas I tend to bulk purchase but find better bargains!

How did you start your joint blog?

Loanne Collyer: Jordan started a fashion blog eight years ago whilst she was at university as a means to document her favourite looks, style and clothes but it was merely a fun side project she only updated once in a blue moon. When I left University a year later, we decided to join forces. 

We're extremely similar and have always been passionate about fashion, travel, music and presenting so we thought what better way to document this than having a joint blog? I think the fact that we're identical twins makes it more intriguing for other people too, everyone seems to find twins interesting!

At the beginning of last year, we vowed to be out of our full time social media jobs by the end of that year in order to focus on the blogging and DJing full time. By August, we had quit our jobs and secured a manager and since then everything has been skyrocketing!

      What does a typical workday look like for you?

Jordan Collyer: Every day is so different (which is what’s so exciting about the job.) I’ll give you an example of one of our days this week: Wake up at 6am to DJ at a fitness class at the Mondrian hotel. Head into town for a lunch meeting whilst doing emails on the go. In the afternoon link up with a photographer to shoot content for the blog, come home spend a couple of hours on the decks mixing and preparing for another gig, then finish off a blog post! Bed by 11pm.

     It seems as if your Instagram account is almost always summer. Are you both constant in traveling?

Loanne Collyer: We wish it was always summer!!! But yes, we are doing a lot of travelling at the moment. We've just come back from LA and Mallorca and are heading off to Ibiza next week for a campaign shoot and then off to Paris with Puma and The Kooples. 

 The lighting is always so much better in sunnier countries, so we end up taking double the amount of photos we normally                         would in London.

I think growing up in Portugal really gave us the travel bug, we start to get itchy feet if we're in London for more than a few months at a time and need our next dose of sunshine. We thrive off exploring new places and it's always an added bonus if the sun is shining.

      How was it for you as teenagers to emigrate to Portugal?

Jordan Collyer:  Yes, we moved to Portugal when we were 14, my mum married a Portuguese man so we moved to a place called Cascais right by the beach and went to International school until we were 18. It was such a culture shock moving from a state school in south London where we were naughty kids and never did homework to going to a private school in Portugal where it was ‘Cool’ to be smart and work hard. It certainly put us in good stead for University. We loved it! Growing up by the beach, speaking Portuguese and spending our weekends surfing, it couldn’t get much better!

Let us share your travel experience: How do you look fresh even after a long flight?

Loanne Collyer:

1. Drink a lot of water

2. Moisturise! Our skin gets really dry on flights so moisturising it makes it so much better.

3.Change in to a breezy, light outfit!

Tell us something about you that you would not expect...

Loanne Collyer: Jordan is left handed but eats right handed and surfs with the right foot. And I'm completely the opposite! (Talk about mirror image!)

 

What do you dream of for the future?

Continue to do what we’re doing, travel even more with the DJ’ing and blogging. We’d love to DJ at some awesome festivals like Glastonbury & Coachella! We’re DJing at our first festivals this Summer and hoping to do a lot more in the future! 

Eventually we would like to build the brand up to a point where we can launch our own merchandise, we both love the idea of having a clothing line...maybe starting off with designing headphones to tie in with the music element!

Jordan: On a personal level I want to have visited at least 30 new countries before I’m 30. (That’s a lot of air miles but it’s definitely do-able) I’ve also got an obsession with glass homes and am determined to buy one at some point! I’m not sure where just yet but definitely somewhere with a killer view!
Loanne: I have always dreamed of being able to build my own house in one of the Greek islands, surrounded by vineyards, coves and beautiful beaches. A place where all my friends and family can come all the time.

When we heard that two of our favourite brands The Kooples and Puma were doing a collaboration, excitement and curiosity took over and we couldn't wait to see what the two had dreamed up. They certainly didn't disappoint either, a Puma style sneaker combined with The Kooples' rock'n roll androgynous edge, the classic clyde design, reinterpreted in black & white and stamped with The Kooples' signature silver skull, classic, simple and super comfortable, just how we like it! 

So to celebrate the launch of their new sneaker, we boarded the Eurostar to Paris with a suitcase packed to the brim of The Kooples gear ready to dance around in our new favourite sneaker (which by the way we've been wearing ever since we've received them.)

The Kooples has always been a brand Loanne and I have loved. The brands Parisian charm combined with British heritage cool makes it an iconic brand like no other. Added to which their genius campaigns of using 'pairs' and 'couples' is a sure winner for us! 

We hadn't visited Paris for a year so it was lovely to come back and visit the city of love although the weather was a little hit and miss. We were lucky enough to meet the founders of The Kooples: three brothers - Alexandre, Laurent and Raphaël Elicha, who are all seriously the epitome of cool and all oozing charisma & charm, the perfect Kooples ambassadors! 

We had a bit of time before the party to take a few snaps around the Parisian streets. Loanne and I decided to go for two different looks, I chose the more feminine & flirty look which comprised of a daisy shirt and skirt. (Yes, it looks like a dress but they are actually two separates! )  Whereas Loanne went for the more androgynous, cool look by wearing navy blue trousers with velvet detailing, a simple white Kooples t-shirt and a black blazer with the white clyde trainers. 

We've decided to include a few more snaps of us repping The Kooples. The black and white stills you may recognise from our recent shoot with Vogue Germany and the final photo when we spent last Christmas in Mauritius. Our Kooples items sure have travelled the globe with us,  the pieces are so timeless and chic that you can wear them anywhere and at any time!

We can't wait to discover their next collaboration and to continue filling our wardrobe with more of their dreamy items!