Monthly Archives: February 2016

The Little Grey Dress

10th February 2016
I’ve been really good this year when it comes to the sales. In previous years despite the best of intentions I’ve succumbed to “bargains” that I neither want or need. This year due to moving so soon after Christmas I didn’t have any time to browse let alone shop the sales, that was until a few nights ago when I had half an hour to myself and a little bit of spare money on hand for a little treat. I happened upon the Urban Outfitters and managed to pick up almost £150 worth of things for just £47 including a much needed chunky black cardigan and a couple of lovely day dresses.

Dress: Urban Outfitters (£12 here) | Boots: H&M | Necklace: Laura Whitmore for Daisy Jewellery

This dress jumped out at me from the second I started browsing the website. I can’t resist a simple dress with a twist and the drawstring waist and pocket details on this one make it the perfect smart casual addition to my wardrobe. At £12 down from £46 I think this was a really wise buy as it can easily be dressed up and down with the addition of heels vs. flat boots and a change of accessories.

I’m really loving necklaces layered over a high neck, my parents bought me this Laura Whitmore for Daisy Jewellery one for Christmas and it sits perfectly with the fine knit. I’m not usually one for celebrity collaborations but the entire collection by Ms. Whitmore is utter perfection- delicate chains, plectrum shaped charms and inspirational inscriptions. Mine reads “believe to achieve” which is just perfect for where I am at with my life right now.

Have you picked up any real bargains in the sales lately? I’ll be popping up my other dress as soon as we get some decent enough weather to take some more photos.

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Posted in jewellery, outfits, shopping

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New Season Shoes Trends

09th February 2016
A new fashion season is creeping upon us and for once I’m really not on the ball when it comes to what’s hot for Spring/Summer as somehow fashion week passed me by. Of course what I’m most interested is what my feet will be wearing as the weather warms up and thankfully Jakes Shoes have popped together a handy infographic on their blog to help me get it figured out.
I can’t stop browsing loafers in the shops at the moment so I’m pleased to see they’ll be on trend in to the months ahead. It’s only a matter of time before I purchase a pair or two…

What trends are you loving for the Spring?

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Posted in shoes, shopping

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The Home Spa with All Boxed Up

08th February 2016
Winter can be a pretty depressing time, the days are grey, the nights are long and money is tight after the festive season. For many (myself included) indulgent treats are off of the agenda- I can’t justify popping to the salon for a facial or a massage when there are bills to pay and food to buy!

Thankfully it’s not all doom and gloom thanks to the folks at All Boxed Up who have put together a home spa beauty box for the bargain price of £19.99 (if you bought everything individually it’d set you back £113, how’s that for a bargain?). Featuring brands such as Cowshed, Timebomb, Sanctuary and Pecksniffs to name a few I was over the moon when they sent a box my way (c/o) to test out the idea and indulge in a little “me time”.

For me it was a bonus that I’ve not used any of these brands or products before- I love an excuse to try something new especially when it’s something I can’t ordinarily afford. I’m absolutely loving the bath float from Sanctuary (RRP £10) in the evenings after a stressful day. I can literally feel my worries melt away and it has the most soothing scent. Post bath I’ve been waking myself back up again with a hefty dose of Cowshed invigorating body lotion (RRP £20) which has all of my favourite scents combined- ginger and lemongrass is such a winning combination and I find this as soothing as it is invigorating.
For me the real luxury product in the box was the Pecksniffs dry body oil (RRP £25). I’ve learned to love oil type products having once had a bit of a phobia of them (yep, really!) and this dry oil is just gorgeous. I really suffer from dry skin in the winter months and this is working better than anything else on my knees and elbows especially. The smell is incredible too. For my dull and long suffering facial skin I’ve been popping on the Timebomb Derm Warfare Night Serum (RRP £38) religiously as it is designed to unclog pores and leave skin bright and healthy- exactly what I’m in need of! This is something I could never normally afford to buy so if I see it again in one of All Boxed Up’s deals I’m so diving in.

Last but by no means least comes another favourite from the box, the Percy & Reed lovingly light foaming treatment mask (RRP £20). Despite this being an award winning brand that I’ve often seen raved about I was yet to try it out for myself. This novel treatment is light as air and works miracles when it comes to restoring moisture to dried out locks. Again I’ll be keeping an eye out for further deals on this as it’s a must-have in my book.

Obviously I was sent this box for the purpose of review so it would be easy to say I’m a bit biased but I would 100% buy this, or similar from All Boxed Up in the future. It really is the most incredible value at under £20 (and that includes p&p!). You do need to act fast though as there is limited stock of everything, it’s become a new weekly stalking place for me.
Have you ever bought from All Boxed Up? I feel like I’m gushing but they’ve genuinely blown me away.

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Posted in beauty, brands I love, review

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The Alternative Valentines with Death to Flowers

07th February 2016
Want to give a gift for Valentines Day but are sick of the standard red rose or cliche cuddly toy? Look no further than Death to Flowers and their fun filled range of alternative gifts. It doesn’t forking out an arm or a leg either as they have just launched mini boxes of fortune which cost an affordabe £6 each.

Each box contains a fortune cookie which hides a snippet of celebrity wisdom, a heart eye emoji tattoo, a quirky postcard AND the cookie come packaged in adorable mini takeout carton. They kindly sent me over a box so I could see what all of the fuss is about and I have to say, I’m pretty taken.

I received the “what would Leslie Knope do?” box which is just perfect for anyone wanting to show their best gal-pal some love next weekend. You can pick which postcard accompanies your box and the slogans on those are equally cool and quirky.

Need a cookie that gets a different message across? Pick a pearl of wisdom from Jeremy Corbyn, Beyonce or Snoop Dogg to say what’s on your mind…this really is such a fun idea and perfect for all kinds of gifting occasions, not just Valentines Day (check out the Club Tropicana
 box for an injection of Summer love!)

Who would you like to send one of these to this year- I’m not sure Ben would appreciate one but I do wish I’d saved this for my bff!

(and for the record, the cookie is pretty darn tasty too!)

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Preparing for Valentines Day with Rakuten

05th February 2016
Neither Ben or I are massive Valentines Day fanatics but at the same time we do like to mark the day with a card and token gift as well as some time spent with each other. As this is our first year in our own home and the 14th happens to fall on a Sunday we’re planning a very quiet and cosy day enjoying our flat.

Rakuten kindly got in touch asking if they could lend a hand by sending out a box full of treats to help make the day extra special as well as giving us some credit to spend on the site (which obviously went on homeware, but more on that in a later post!). Today’s post touches on the contents of the box and some ideas for a cosy day in.

It was lovely to receive a selection of beauty products in the box for a spot of pre-Valentines pampering (I seem to have become quite the pampering fan of late!).
When it actually rolls around to February 14th I shall be going OTT (for me) and stringing up the foil hearts, scattering the love hearts tea lights and chocolate hearts on our coffee table and preparing myself for an easy day of cosy indulgence.

We’ll be doing things on a budget this year and to be honest I can’t bring myself to pay £30 per person on a themed meal out when we can cook for ourselves at home. I don’t profess to be the worlds greatest cook but I can whip up a mean pasta bake that we both really enjoy and from the comfort of our living/dining room we can pop on a soundtrack of our choosing, open a bottle of wine and sit back and relax our way- no cheesy love songs and satin roses on the table here!

When it comes to gifts we quite often go down the homemade route and this year will be no exception. Last year I whipped up a batch of coconut ice in heart shapes for Ben and this year I’m considering something like these biscuits along with a home made card and the promise of breakfast in bed (I happen to excel at scrambled eggs on toast!).

What are your plans for Valentines Day this year? Do you prefer a quiet night in or a posh night out?

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Posted in life, valentines

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