Space Cats

The dress is this post was a long time coming. I first saw it on the New Look website a few months ago and fell in love but just couldn’t justify spending £36 on it at the time. It haunted my thoughts for a while and I kept checking up on it and hoping that it might end up on sale. Patience paid off as I managed to snap it up for £17 the other week. It was love at first sight and I’m glad I held out. Shopping karma at it’s finest.

Dress: Cutie at New Look (available here) | Shoes: Adidas Gazelle

The dress is by Cutie who I am not overly familar with but on further browsing appear to do some seriously cool and quirky printed clothing. It could be dangerous territory having discovered them but for now I am quite content with this dress featuring the most perfectly perfect SPACE CAT print. I’m all for standing out from the crowd when it comes to prints and this just fits in with my slightly odd, crazy cat lady persona perfectly.

You’ll have to forgive the slight sunburn, I had not long got back from a glorious weekend in Devon with two of my best girl-friends. I actually debuted the dress there and they both agreed I couldn’t have found anything more me if I had tried. Althought the frilled detail and midi length lend themselves perfectly to a lady-like outfit I decided to branch out and pop on my magenta Adidas Gazelle trainers to keep this outfit casual, I really like how this turned out!

Have you ever found anything so you that you just had to buy it?

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Haphazard Holidays

I’m pretty sure that anyone embarking on a holiday with me dreads it from the second it gets booked. It’s not that I’m accident prone as such, but I do seem to be a magnet for stupidity- namely my own. Thankfully there’s only been one occasion where I’ve come back from a trip abroad injured. I’d like to say I had an amusing, adventurous story but fact is I got tripped down a flight of steps in Zara whilst visiting family in Holland and wound up walking on a semi-healed fracture in my foot for six months…yeah. I didn’t dare tell anyone when I planned a para-sailing excursion when last in Spain!

It looks like I’m not the only one who attracts disaster though, this infographic from the My Voucher Codes team shows that Brit’s abroad quite often ends in trouble.

Ill and ill minded – An infographic by the team at Where Brits get into trouble abroad
I thought given that the holiday season is now drawing to a close (four weeks and counting until it’s my turn!) I’d ask what your worst holiday disaster has ever been. Shame yourselves below…

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Everyday Earrings from Pandora

Having multiple piercings in each ear can cause problems when it comes to shopping for earrings- there’s a fine line between looking cool and looking cluttered and gone are the days where I’m comfortable wearing elaborate chandelier styles like I did before I decided to go and get more holes punched in myself. I used to be known for my love of gaudy earrings, think “Pat Butcher” and you wouldn’t be far off the mark. These days I prefer something a little more subtle and for the longest time I’ve been searching for the perfect pair of every day studs for my first ear lobe piercings, something that won’t overshadow the others but also don’t vanish in to the background completely. It was The Jewel Hut who came to my rescue with the perfect pair from Pandora.

Dragonfly Studs c/o Pandora at The Jewel Hut

I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t get the Pandora hype when it first leapt on to the scene. It wasn’t until a few years later and I picked out my first bracelet- a pink leather one with a single charm that it started to grow on me. Over the last three years my collection has grown a lot, with another bracelet laden with charms, a ring and now these pretty little studs that fit perfectly in to my piercing parade.
I actually think Pandora jewellery is pretty well priced. For me it’s one of the few brands that doesn’t tarnish after continued wear (I appear to destroy silver jewellery) so paying £35 for a pair of earrings that lasts forever seems reasonable. The size of these is just right too, I’ll be popping a pair or two on my Christmas list this year for sure- I’ve got my eye on the little bow studs that match the ring Ben got me last year (could I drop a bigger hint?!)
Tell me about your Pandora collection, or suggest where I should get (ear) pierced next!

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The Changing Look of Music

Another music related post for you this week, I’m obviously having a moment! This week I have a fabulous infographic from the team at Gear4Ddjs who appreciate how hard it can be to keep up with the ever changing fashion choices of some of our favourite artists. Who’s your favourite transformation on the list? For me it’s probably Lady Gaga or Katy Perry, although I can’t profess to be a fan of their music, I do love keeping an eye out on their sometimes questionable sartorial choices.
Is there anyone they’ve missed from the list? Leave your thoughts below…

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Beauty Love: L.A.B 2 MakeUp Brushes

Can a girl ever have too many makeup brushes? I like to think not and I’ve recently added a new set to my collection thanks to L.A.B 2. They kindly sent over their strokes of genius* eye brush set for me to put to the test.
For those who don’t know the brand then L.A.B 2 stands for “live and breathe beauty” and in the UK you can pick up their brushes in Superdrug. They create affordable but high quality brushes with innovative features perfect for everyone from those just starting out in makeup to the experts.
The strokes of genius set contains five must-have brushes for creating everything from a natural to something more dramatic and sultry. I had already tried out the brow and eyeliner brush in July (see here) and was impressed with that so I was pretty excited to see what else the brand could offer.

Both the eyeshadow brush and the crease brush are super soft and make blending colour a breeze. They distribute the shadow evenly- something I’ve had an issue with in the past with some other brushes and soften out any harsh lines.

The pointed liner brush is perfect for using with a gel liner to create a precision finish. I’ve pretty much used this daily since it has arrived and although I don’t profess to be an eyeliner expert my flicks are looking pretty well, flicky! This brush is easier to use for liner than the brow and eyeliner brush which I’ve reserved purely for a defined finish on my brows. The brow and lash groomer (double ended) brush is a handy addition to my collection and I’ve been using it to set my brows with clear mascara on the days I’ve fancied a simpler, quicker makeup look.

At £18.99 this brush is good value in my eyes and with it’s durable fibre technology they are easy to clean and will last for years without shedding or getting out of shape. I’d really like to try some of their face brushes next, I have my eye on the make me blush brush as I really struggle to deposit just the right amount of blusher on my cheeks when I’m rushing around in the mornings!

Have you tried any L.A.B 2 brushes? I’d love to know your thoughts on them too and opinions on which I should try next.

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