Take a spraycation with St Tropez

According to research conducted by St. Tropez, nearly half of the UK plans to stay at home this summer rather than fly abroad for their holiday.  I think I may end up becoming part of that statistic as a new home, new job and so many exciting things happening in the UK this year as well as an extreme lack of funds means a sunny beach holiday may be off the cards.

St.Tropez ambassador Millie Mackintosh of Made in Chelsea fame

Statistics also tells us that over half of Brits feel better and more confident with a tan so thanks to St. Tropez, we can have a 'Spraycation' instead of a vacation!  St. Tropez is going on tour across the UK, tanning the nation and bringing a beach themed pop-up to a city near you, giving luxurious skin finishing treatments regardless how deep or honey a tan you desire.  The tour kicked off last week in London at Westfield but is heading north this week at the following venues:

Bullring Birmingham 22-23 June
Trafford Centre, Manchester 28-29 June
Glasgow Braehead 6-7 July
Dublin Pavillions 13-14 July

There is also an online competition running in tandem with the tour, asking you bronzed lovelies to send a 'virtual postcard' of where your ideal spraycation in the UK would be and why.  You can find out more about the competition at the St. Tropez facebook page www.facebook.com/sttropeztanuk

Will you be taking a spraycation?

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Something lovely ... and Laura Mercier Radiance Foundation Primer

A couple of months ago a lovely and very unexpected package arrived at my door.  I hadn't ordered anything and wasn't expecting to review any products, so I opened the parcel with some anticipation.

A Harvey Nichols bag of goodness was found within, a lovely present from their generous PR team.   This doesn't happen all that often from companies so I was delighted to receive it.  Not only did Harvey Nics send me a gorgeous make up bag in personalised Harvey Nichols graffiti, the bag itself was bulging with samples of various beauty products from Butter London to Clarins to Espa! Lucky me!

So I guess this post is really a (belated) thank you to the PR team for sending such a generous gift but also to let you know about a stand out product from my bundle of samples.

Laura Mercier Radiance Foundation Primer. I already love their oil- free primer and is a staple in my professional kit but I hadn't realised they had a Radiance version on the market.  The purpose of the Radiance foundation primer is the same as the normal primer, hydrating the skin and acting as a base for your make up but it also has light reflective particles that gives the skin a beautiful glow.

The primer has a peachy tint to it with an obvious pearlised finish.  It could certainly be worn on it's own although I worry this would result in sweaty face syndrome so I have stuck to wearing it under my foundation.  I absolutely love the results, it literally gives that 'glow from within' that everyone raves about and lusts after.

I find it every so slightly similar to MAC Strobe cream but with more hydration and warms up the skin better.

After using the sample to death, this has got to be an essential purchase for me from now on.  It leaves me with a healthy, warm glow that makes my skin feel and look alive.  It is a pricey one at £28 but based on my experience with Laura Mercier primers, I know a little of this goes a long way so it should take me a while to get through the tube before another pricey repurchase.

Has anyone else tried this? what are your thoughts, do you love it as much as me?

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Matalan Style Project

Last month I was asked to take part in Matalan's Style Project where I create a look based on their given theme and pitted against 2 other fashion/style bloggers for the public vote.

This made me super nervous, I don't label myself a style/fashion blogger so to join a challenge that included legitimate fashion bloggers filled me with a little bit of dread but still very excited to be asked to take part :)  Matalan is a firm favourite of mine, offering affordable fashion pieces as well as fabulous homeware which I have been purchasing loads of recently.

The theme was 'Girlie' and in Matalan's terms they see this as cute cuts, pastel colours with some 1950's Americana thrown in!  One thing I don't do well is girlie so this was quite the challenge.  I don't wear a lot of frilly or girly colours so it felt a little unusual to try and style myself this way and in the end I went for something very overtly girlie!

I basically channeled Lana Del Ray, Frida Kahlo and Margarita Pracatan for this particular look! I went for a very feminine pastel yellow racer back dress, bow wedges, a floral satchel and I made a floral head dress a la Frida and Lana from a variety of floral accessories.

If you like my outfit, it would be lovely for you to leave a wee comment on the Matalan Style Project page here, where you will see the 2 gorgeous looks from the other style bloggers and a very 'special' looking pic of me in my get up ;)

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Stella & Dot

Since it was my birthday, of course I had to treat myself.  This came in the form of an impulse buy at last months Girls Day Out at Glasgow's SECC.

US brand Stella & Dot had a stall at the event, showcasing their jewellery of which, I am now a massive fan.  I didn't know of Stella & Dot until the show but they sell well designed, beautiful accessories and jewellery at really reasonable prices.  Obviously a little pricier than the likes of Topshop but pricing is consistent with it's quality in my opinion.

My gift to myself was the gold renegade cluster bracelet as seen on Katy Perry ... so there you go ;)  At £45 it was pricey enough to feel like a treat but not too expensive that I couldn't justify the cost.  I adore this bracelet with it's mix of spikes and diamante and it has certainly fuelled my desire for more Stella & Dot creations.  I literally have a massive 'want' list!

Is anyone else a fan of Stella & Dot?  What do you recommend from their range? I think I am going to go for some chunky statement necklaces next :) 

x

New Things!

It's really hard keeping up with blogging these days despite having lots to blog about so thought I would start off what I hope with be a roll of posts by sharing some new bits and bobs .... kind of like a haul post.  A little bit of old school blogging if you will.

Let's start off with some fabulous buys from H&M and New Look.  I spotted this gorgeous neon coral & tan clutch as soon as I walked through the doors of H&M this week and didn't think twice about picking it up and securing the purchase almost instantly.  It reminds me of all those gorgeous clutches that are snapped in the hands of the most stylish of fashion editors at LFW.  It was a real steal though at just £12.99.  The 2 metal collars are just loooove!  I have seen lots of similar ones on other blogs and had been dying to get my hands on some myself, I think they will look brilliant worn with shirts or to add a collar to t-shirts. I think they were around £6 or £7 each.  Finally the shoes are from New Look and have a gorgeous ikat pattern across the shoe and heel.  With a pretty big platform these should probably come with a healthy warning but I can't wait to wear them :)

 It was my birthday last week and lucky old me (old being the appropriate term these days) was spoiled rotten.  An odd request of mine was a Dymo label maker.  Since moving house and creating new spaces in our home like a utility room, I have been desperate to make sure we stay organised ...  so labelling is the way forward! Seriously, who knew label making could be so much fun ... this dymo is really bringing out the geek in me!

I also received lots of beautiful perfumes with the most popular in terms of compliments being Stella McCartney Lily.  This was a gift from my mother in law ... I didn't even realise Stella had a new scent out as she is usually a firm favourite of mine.  Lily is a lovely scent, stronger than the usually McCartney offerings and it really reminds me of something I used to wear years ago but I can't quite place it.  One thing is for sure everyone else seems to love it, I even got a compliment on it in Morrison's car park! :)

Obviously I couldn't exclude new things for the home since it has been my main focus of attention for so long.  I had been eyeing up this print online for a long time, debating whether to buy or not but when I found it already framed and in the bargain section of TK Maxx, I knew it was a sign ;) I have still to decide where it should live in the house though. 

I have been obsessing over Laura Olivia designs recently and I am dying to make some purchases for my new bedroom which we have now started to decorate.  Laura Olivia is quite pricey though so it might be a while before I can invest in her gorgeous, bright, feminine designs so in the meantime, my husband and I set about creating our own piece of art for the new room.  We picked up these mirrored frames for mucho cheapness at B&M bargains .... we then took a trip to B&Q where we took quite lengthy samples of wallpaper to use in the frames .... and voila, a unique and personal piece of art for the home. 

Safe to say I am now positively skint .... a spending ban may be on the cards! eek!

What have you been spending on lately?
x

The H&M Blazer and a new kind of Ombre

I have always felt a little too chunky to carry off the boyfriend blazer trend but a shopping trip to H&M a few weeks ago had me changing my mind.

I guess it's not a boyfriend blazer in the traditional sense but it is far less structured and fitted than my normal choice of blazer.  It hangs quite lose over the body with relaxed rolled up sleeves and loose roomy pockets.  For £19.99 (*i think*) it was too much of a snip to miss out on.  

Because it's a creamy off-white, I do feel I need to be tanned up to carry it off well but it's such a versatile jacket that can be worn with anything - proof of this is the fact I haven't had it off my back since I bought it.  

Case in point ... 

Super casual, t-shirt (Marc Jacobs), Scarf (Warehouse), jeans (unseen), trainers (unseen)

Smart Casual for a spot of shopping.  Vest (H&M), Necklace (Topshop), Wax look trousers (H&M), Snake Print bag (Mango), Studded pumps (unseen) 

Dressed up with a sequin cape for a quick makeover to take me into the evening.  Cape (Topshop), Vest (H&M), dark blue jeans (Primark), stilettos (unseen)

I also decided to bring back the ombre this week but a much more subtle version courtesy of the wonderful Stacie, whose blog you can read here.  It gives a much more sunkissed appearance than my first foray into Ombre but I will probably take it a few shades lighter on my next visit to see Stacie.  

A more natural red/auburn dye with bleached ombre weaved into the ends 

I am absolutely loving the new hair and have been wearing it in a middle parting more often just for a change.  My hair has also grown so long, at last there is so much I can do with it! :) 

What item of clothing are you obsessing over at the moment? 

x

Supermarket Beauty

I notoriously hate supermarkets.  I avoid having to visit them at all costs and on the rare occasion I do have to go I usually strop about, whining like a 3 year old!

However, there are 2 supermarkets that I never turn down a visit to - Aldi and Lidl.  I just love them, I think the smaller layout and potential for finding a bargain attracts me.  Lidl mayonnaise is hands down the best I've tasted and I love finding oddly named products from home and away ... Disco Biscuits, anyone?! ;)

It's no secret that their beauty aisles also hold some hidden gems for bargain prices and on my most recent visits I picked up some bargain nail care that I thought you would all love to know about!

First up, from Lidl ... is the fabulous Cien nail polish remover.  Blue in colour and quite a pungent scent, don't let this put you off.  It comes with the perfect dispenser for pushing your cotton pad on with just the right amount being dispensed. It also removes nail polish quickly and effortlessly even glitter polish! It really is one of the best removers I have used in a long time! From memory I think this product only cost around the £3 - brilliant value.

My second purchase is from Aldi's Lacura Beauty range.  I was in between nail polishes and spotted this easy DIY French Manicure Set.  It comes with a white nail tip pen and clear top coat.  All you do is swipe the pen along the top of your nail, allow to dry and apply topcoat. Voila! (see my shoddy attempt below).

Only problem I had was difficulty getting my right hand to look neat as I am not too nifty with a pen in my lefty!  I'm sure it was £3.59 and so far the pen still hasn't dried out which is always a bonus with this type of product.

I'll definitely be spending more time in the beauty aisles the next time I go to Aldi and Lidl and it may even encourage me to start braving bigger supermarkets.  What fabulous bargain beauty products have you found in the supermarket?

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