Occasion outfit

I have a wedding to attend in July and I need a new outfit. Anyone who knows me will tell you, I leave these things until the last minute. I get myself in a panic praying that the only dress I have managed to find in my size, that I like, will arrive on time. This is usually the day before an occasion and relies heavily on the promise of the next day delivery option I select, no matter what the extra cost!

Well that is not going to happen this time. I am going to have my entire outfit sorted at least two weeks before hand, at least that's the plan anyway :)

Here are some options I found on In Love With Fashion

Tropical Dress  *  Nudes Shoes *  Aqua Dress  *  Sunglasses  *  Head Piece  *  Yellow Dress  *  Grey Clutch  *  Wedges  *  Peach dress  * Bangle  *  Flower Bag

My favourite are, the aqua dress and the maxi dress with the wedge shoe but then I also love the yellow backless dress too. I am the most indecisive person on this plant which is why I need to buy in advance! If I go for the head piece, I won't wear any earrings as I think it would be too much.

I will post a blog in July, of the final outfit I go for and maybe a sneaky peak of the beautiful bride. Wish me luck! Haha

Beach hair in a bottle

If you want to achieve a beach hair look without the sun, sea and sand then salt sprays are the perfect solution.

My wonderful hair dresser often uses this Bumble & Bumble Styling Surf Spray when styling my hair as it helps to add texture and volume. My hair is naturally curly/wavy but it can look a bit flat sometimes and lack oomph, so I love this for the sexy, tousled, much needed height it gives my hair!

There are lots of other brands out there to choose from. Here are some other salt sprays available at Active Beauty and they are offering up to 20% off salon prices. I love the products you get in the hairdressers but they can be quite expensive so make the most of the offer before it ends.

If you had been thinking of trying out a salt spray then give one of these a try and let me know if it works for you :)

Dress For £20 And Under

The summer sales are in full swing, so make the most of dressing for less. Check out these Top Shop, ASOS, River Island and Miss Selfridge items I found, all £20 or under!

Bangle    *    Jeans    *    T-shirt    *    Bag    *    Ring     *    Necklace    *    Shorts    *    Sandals

Sale items sell out so fast that you don't always get what you are looking for. Have a look on eBay and see if you can find them on there.

Happy shopping! xxx

Pretty Pastels

To make the most of a sunny day, thought I would wear a hint of pastel colours and keep things light and fresh.

Jacket: NEW LOOK

Vest Top (underneath): NEW LOOK

Top: TOP SHOP

Jeans: LEE

It's not obvious from afar but they have baby blue stripes

Sandals: ASOS

I love these heart sunglasses

@ H&M

Earrings: NEW LOOK

Ring: H&M

Bangle: PRIMARK

Nail varnish: GEORGE @ ASDA

in 69  SMARTYPANTS

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I don't usually wear light colours from head to toe but there is something about the summer sun that says to me, it's okay and it puts me in a happier mood too!

I haven't posted pictures of my belt (Viyella) and my necklace (Vintage) as they have been used in other posts (Lazy Days and A Bit Of Yellow To Brighten Up The Day) so if you would like to see them close up then check out those posts.

Retro iPhone Covers

I recently converted to the iPhone and when looking for a phone cover, I decided I wanted something retro. Here are a few that I discovered.

Long before CDs and iTunes, there was the good old cassette tape. When recording a radio programme with your favourite songs on tape was cool. Oh dear

Taking it back to when mobile phones were like bricks. No one cared though, you could make a phone call in public without going to a payphone!

 

The Game Boy was the Nintendo DS of the nineties, only without colour and touch screen. When rechargeable batteries were the in thing.

 

When a camera needed film roll, not a memory card. In the days when you only saw your pictures once they had been developed and half of them were useless :(

For me, these phone covers bring back a sense of nostalgia and are also a reminder of just how far we have come with technology. It will be interesting to see what 'retro' phone covers look like in another ten years time. Until then, I think I'll get one of these and hold onto my childhood a little bit longer.

If you want to buy any of these then click the pics.

Support Your Local Designers

I was approached by one the teachers from the fashion course I did a couple of years ago, and asked to model in the end of year HND fashion show. The event was to showcase the work of students from the Adam Smith College. I was more than happy to help out and thought it would make a great blog entry.

Just before leaving my house it dawned on me that I would have to walk in front of a load of strangers. It wasn't as if there were hundreds of people, as it was a small show, but me walking in heels infront of anyone is a scary thought. It is a running joke amongst my friends that I walk like a man in drag when wearing heels so when not moseying from taxi to destination, I go with the motto 'the lower the heel, the better'. Unfortunately small heels were not an option for me at 5' 4" so off I went with my five inch bad boys.

Here is the outfit I wore to the show.

Shirt:  RIVER ISLAND (mens)

Top: H&M

Trousers: H&M

Shoes: RIVER ISLAND

Sunglasses: GEORGE @ ASDA

Necklace: EBAY

Bracelet: PRIMARK

 When I arrived, I was allocated a dress then had my hair done.

 

Most people went on to have their make-up done but time ran out so I had to do my own, boo!

Then after donning our outfits we were ready to go.

The camera does not do this dress justice but this was one of my favourite.

Dress by Ellen MacGregor

Dress by Jada Murray

Dress by Chloe Parnell

This was my favourite of the night, made from faux leather, suede and fake hair. I would definitely wear this on a night out.

Dress by London Bell

 

Again, the pictures do not show the dress off but in person this form fitting dress ooses sex appeal.

Dress by Nicola Doran

This dress is perfect for a sophisticated evening. The snakeskin and fringing adds a fun element to the dress.

Dress by Susan Briggs

And finally my outfit

The feather detailing is perfect for someone like me who is lacking in the bust department!

And this is where the dress brings sexy back (sorry that was bad but couldn't resist!) although I think if I was packing a little more junk in the trunk it would look even better. Think J-Lo!

Dress by Laura Groves

Overall it was a great night and was nice to see some promising future designers and their fab work. I am sure we will be seeing some of these names in stores a few years from now.

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You don't always have to look a million miles from home to find great designers, sometimes they are right on you doorstep and if you support them from the beginning they'll appreciate and acknowledge your help when the whole world knows about them!

The majority of the pictures are the work of HAZEL TERRY, some were taken from my IPhone :)

George Nail Varnish

Supermarket stores have an ever expanding range of budget friendly cosmetics on offer as they realize the importance of convenience shopping. With their own ranges and well known brands to choose from you are sure to find something to satisfy your needs. 

As a mum, it makes my life easier to buy some of my cosmetics when doing the grocery shopping. Dragging a toddler around a load of different stores really doesn't make for an enjoyable shopping experience so if I can kill two birds with one stone it saves a lot of time, energy and hassle! 

I bought these George @ Asda nail colours and thought I would try them out all together and see what I come up with.

from left to right

 69 SMARTY PANTS   *   64 WITCHCRAFT   *   9 CLOUDLESS SKY

The brushes are not exactly luxury and need a few strokes to go on well but they still did the job.

These are not amazing quality and I did find that I needed at least two coats for the main colour however I think they look decent considering the brand and price. I usually do my nails every couple of days as dealing with my kids means they chip quickly so this varnish suits me perfectly as with painting them so often they will always look fresh. The finish here isn't glossy as I don't have on a top coat, I think if I did then they would look pretty decent.

I will continue to buy this range. I don't use the same colour often and like to experiment with different shades so the price and colours available work for me. I would suggest using George nail varnish if there are colours which are on trend that you are unsure of and want to try out before buying a more expensive brand. At under £2 you can't go wrong!

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The Diamond Jubilee

Jubilee outfit

(t-shirt was a bit obvious but it made my babies happy!)

T-shirt: PRIMARK

Jeans: RIVER ISLAND

Boots: OFFICE

Belt: RIVER ISLAND

Necklace: VINTAGE

Bangles: PRIMARK

Ring: H&M

It pays to hoard handbags

 Look what I found at the back of my wardrobe. Handy for the occasion!

From RIVER ISLAND

I didn't go all out but made paper chain decorations with my little girl to get in the spirit of things

My little Princess

 You can't have a tea party without some cakes, that would just be wrong!

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For me it the Jubilee holiday was spent enjoying barbeque's. I ate good food amongst the company of great people. There was family fun to be had during the day which rolled into fun filled evenings with fab friends, a few drinks and useless but oh so funny conversations!  Hope you all had great time too.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!