Monthly Archives: December 2014

Library of Fragrance- Vanilla Ice Cream Review

05th December 2014
After much anticipation the Library of Fragrance launched in the UK earlier this year. Originally known and loved in the USA under the brand name Demeter I was really excited to hear they would be launching on our shores, dropping exclusive scents in to Boots stores nationwide at the reasonable price of £15 (or two for £25). Covering just about every scent imaginable, from the irresistible smell of Baby Powder to the spicier toned (and seasonable) Gingerbread I was seriously intrigued and delighted when the opportunity arose to review a bottle myself.
Being well known for my sweet tooth I was incredibly open to the idea of a Vanilla Ice Cream scented perfume, described as “sinfully rich” and as “inviting as a Summer’s day” it’s hard not to be a fan of this scent. Vanilla is one of my favourite fragrances anyway, although I do find in beauty products it can be quite artificial and somewhat cloying. Thankfully the Library of Fragrance have eliminated both of these problems and the end result is a light scent that instantly takes me back to Summer days spent eating ice cream on the beach.
The power of scent to bring back memories is so powerful I think it’s a really fantastic idea to be able to buy a gift for someone (or yourself) that will bring back nothing but the happiest of thoughts. I have several other “flavours” on my list to try- pure soap and marshmallow being the first I want to try. As these are super affordable and a little goes a long way I think now, in the run up to Christmas is the perfect time to indulge…buy one for a friend to remind them of times spent together and pick up another for yourself for only a tenner more…genius! See the full range here and let me know which you’d most like to receive, or if you’ve already tried the range, which scent is your favourite?
What would you most like to see turned in to a perfume? I wouldn’t say no to the smell of a freshly baked cake…

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Posted in beauty, review

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Presents for Men- not just for men!

04th December 2014
As you can probably tell, I’ve gone gift crazy of late and have been fortunate enough to work with some wonderful websites in the hopes of sorting out all of your gifting needs. I was recently contacted by Presents for Men who I had (wrongly) assumed would only sell presents for, well, men! I do loved to be proved wrong sometimes and upon further investigation I discovered that as well as having all kinds of unique and useful gifts for the guys in your life they also stock treats for women too meaning you can sort out his stocking whilst picking up a present to you, from you at the same time!
As well as introducing me to their wonderful site and giving me plenty of inspiration for the awkward men-folk in my life I was kindly gifted this “Bad Hare Day” (£16.99) that has been on my wish list for rather a long time! It’s the perfect size for storing my stash of lip products in! I’m thinking I now need the matching note pad for creating wish lists and shopping lists…it’d be rude not to right?
Where do you get gift ideas for men? I find them so much harder to buy for…especially at Christmas!

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Posted in christmas, gifts, inspiration

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Christmas Party Shopping with McArthur Glen (the outfit)

03rd December 2014
Following on from last week’s post on my day spent shopping for the perfect party outfit with McArthur Glen in Swindon as promised here is the outfit reveal a breakdown of the bargain prices!
Dress: French Connection (£80 down from £250) | Bag: Fiorelli (£31 down from £49) | Shoes: Mary Portas for Clarks (£12 down from £79.99)
It was love at first sight when I saw this dress in French Connection. I’m a bit of magpie when it comes to finding party wear and although £80 is still more than I usually would spend on a dress, given it was originally over three times more than that it seemed a total bargain! Because of the combination of neutral colours it’s more versatile than it first appears and dressed up with different accessories I will be rolling this baby out for seasons to come.
On this occasion I had my heart set on metallic accessories. I’m not really a clutch bag kind of girl so finding this one in Fiorelli with it’s chain strap detailing and slightly bigger size was just perfect as it means it will get used outside of the occasional party. I’ve always had a soft spot for Fiorelli bags and with a whole shop full of their gorgeous designs at bargain prices at Swindon it was naturally the first place I headed on my hunt for the perfect partner for my dress.
Shoes were harder to source as there is just so much choice at Swindon and I didn’t know where to start. After a first scout around in shops like Kurt Geiger and L.K. Bennett it was upon a chance happening in Clarks where I found my perfect pair. They were marked up at £39.99 but when I went to pay the lady joyfully informed me they were only £12! I couldn’t believe my luck. It also meant I had the perfect excuse to visit the cosmetic company outlet and treat myself to an Estee Lauder gold eye palette to finish things off perfectly. I was going to go down the jewellery route as well, but in the end realised that such a dazzling dress really doesn’t need any…and I have a tendency to take it off and lose it half way through a party (after a glass of wine or two…)
Thanks to all of these bargains I even had enough left on my gift card to treat Mum to a couple of things, a thank you for being bag carrier and photographer for the day too…I even managed to bag myself an adorable jumper in Marks and Spencers too- perfect for post-party hangovers…
What do you think of my party look? I’ll be wearing this to my work Christmas party this weekend and can’t wait to show it off. It was brilliant to be able to splurge on brands normally out of my reach for the same price as typical highstreet brands- thank you McArthur Glen for having me, rest assured I’ll be back in time to get an outfit for my friend’s wedding in May!

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Posted in christmas, life, outfits, shoes, shopping

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Magic and Sparkle with M&S

02nd December 2014
Have you seen the Marks and Spencer Christmas advert yet? You know, the one with the two fairies named Magic and Sparkle spreading good deeds around the country over the festive season. Last week I was invited to the M&S store at Cribbs Causeway, along with some other Bristol bloggers (plus my Mum and Best Friend) to enjoy a little Magic and Sparkle for ourselves…
We were treated to an evening of delights; some gorgeous Christmas decorations and gift ideas, a table full of delicious foods and beauty treats for all to enjoy as well as getting to feast our eyes on some of the most beautiful clothing collections that are in store now.
For me the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly discovering THE most brilliant hat of all time, in the form of the Christmas tree knit you can see above. At only £12 I think I’m going to have to cave in and buy this as I can roll it out year on year…
M&S have some truly lovely gifts in stock this year, they’ve been going from strength to strength each year with this one being perhaps it’s strongest yet. The clothing collections too are just so on point, walking through the store I saw oh so many pieces I really wanted to add to my wardrobe and the best of the bunch were hanging up on display for us bloggers to ogle.
A big thank you to Marks and Spencer for putting on a such a lovely event- it’s always a pleasure to catch up with some of my favourite blogging ladies and the Grayling PR girls are just the best.
Which fairy are you? I like to think of myself as a bit of Sparkle…

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Posted in bristol, christmas, M&S

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Perfect Party Shoes from Rainbow Club

02nd December 2014
Ever found your perfect party dress and then struggled to find shoes that match? Well, I might have just found your solution….

I was recently introduced to Rainbow Club through a Bristol blogger event, they design, make and colour satin shoes (marketed mostly as wedding shoes, but they are just perfect for any event you can think of) and you have full control over how they look! I was given the chance to customise my own pair of shoes and decided to opt for a decidedly festive look as I’m in the full festive swing of things at the moment, prepare to be blown away!

I might not wear much red but I do have a weak spot for red shoes and teamed with Silver glitter I couldn’t think of anything more perfect for upcoming parties.

I must just gush about how beautifully made these shoes are, there’s not a piece of glitter out of place and the colour is wonderfully rich and even. Wether you’re getting married or getting ready to hit the dance floor I can’t recommend Rainbow Club enough for something truly unique and guaranteed to match your outfit! Stay tuned for these featuring in a not too distant outfit post, I just want to wear them with everything, for everything!

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Posted in shoes

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