Welcome back to the only regular blog post I seem to be able to write! The June 2020 Degustabox had a picnic theme to it, and was packed full of products that I couldn’t wait to try. The boxes seem to be getting better by the month at the minute, and this one was great!
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments, it’s always great to get other people’s thoughts.
If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money. On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.
If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim £3.00 off of your first box (making it just £9.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.
Have you ever wondered why some people look just stunning when they wear earnings? Well, it is, in fact, a mix of two things. The first of the quality of the piece of jewellery itself, while the second is that the person that is wearing them knows precisely how to style them properly. The good news is that you can discover how to pick and style earrings to match and enhance the outfit you are wearing. Keep reading for more.
Consider your neckline
First of all, when it comes to choosing jewellery consider the neckline of your clothes. For example, if you are wearing a round neck or turtleneck then longer earrings may not be the best option. Instead, look for button and stud styles that do not extend past the ears.
However, with dresses or tops that have less material around the neck and shoulders, such as halter necks or V neck a longer earring extended down can look very elegant.
In a similar vein the way you style your hair can have a significant impact on how good earring looks too. For example, if you wear your hair down and long studs are the better option. Whereas if you are sporting a more sophisticated updo longer earrings with a drop can work particularly well.
Team simple earrings with patterns and vice versa
If you are a person that adores patterned fabrics in bright colours then it is best to opt for a much more straightforward style of earring. In particular look out for unadorned studs or hoops in silver, or even made from non-traditional material like acrylic. An oversized acrylic earring worn with a patterned dress done right can have kitsch and quirky quality that is quite wonderful.
However if you tend towards more solid colours and structured pieces then you do have the opportunity to embrace a little more excitement with your earning choice. With a simple monochrome outfit, an adornment such as these large diamond hoop earrings can give you just enough additional pizzazz to pop. Yet not so much that they throw your outfit off of kilter.
Tones and colours
Lastly, do not forget that it’s not just the colours and hues we wear that we need to carefully consider when choosing earrings, but also our skin tone as well.
For those of us with cooler undertones aerating in metal such as silver, white gold and platinum will work best. Gems on the other hand should be in anything with a blue hue or undertone, including toned blue reds and purples, pinks and greens.
However, for those of us with warmer undertones yellow gold, rose gold and copper are the better choices. While gem colours need orange undertones including yellow, red, orange and pink.
Of course lucky ones with more neutral undertones have a choice between both types. Also earrings with clear stones such as diamonds will work with most metals and most skin tones too. Just as long as you consider, the other factors discussed above.
It’s been a funny couple of weeks, like a lot of people I haven’t really been feeling like myself and I think that finally the impact of Covid-19, lockdown and finding a work-life balance has taken hold. From disturbed sleep to general anxiety and irritability, it’s been a stressful time trying to pinpoint what’s wrong- after a while I gave up trying to work out why and just focused on getting through. Bob and I took these photos just before the dip in my mood happened, taking a Saturday morning stroll to our new favourite photo spot (and when I say new favourite, I mean our only photo spot right now!) and I thought it would be good to share both the photos and five things that are making me smile right now- because taking stock of what’s important and what makes you happy is one of the biggest boosts you can give yourself.
Wedding! As of today I have been engaged to Bob for an entire year and wedding excitement is building. It’s 475 days until we say “I do” and I’m so impatient. Wedding planning is taking shape- we’ve got the venue, the photographer, a vague idea of colour scheme and I’ve just booked some appointments to try on dresses in September- I have no idea what I want but I’m looking forward to dressing up! I honestly cannot wait to marry Bob, although I may be driving him slightly mad with all the wedding chat.
Sunshine: I always find everything easier to deal with when the sun is shining and thankfully over the last couple of weeks we have had some glorious days. Bob and I have spent a lot of time outside getting our garden in shape and I’m loving having an outside space to relax. We’ve got some runner beans and cucumbers growing and I really hope to get a good haul from both (but I seem to have green thumbs so we’ll see!)
Baking: Baking is my therapy and like many others during lockdown I’ve fully embraced it. Cookies seem to be my current “thing” and I’ve made some absolute winners. It’s got to the point now where people are asking me NOT to bake as they are all trying to lose the lockdown weight gain, but I will not be deterred.
Pablo: Our little furry fiend certainly keeps us on our toes with his talent for falling off of window sills in the early hours and his particular quirks around food (he will only eat out of a certain blue bowl!) He has grown up to be such a mummy’s boy and loves to cuddle especially when I get home from work, it’s the best remedy to a stressful day.
Seeing People: After weeks and weeks of not being able to see family and friends it’s such a relief to now be able to spend time with them, even if it is from a 2 metre distance. Yesterday we spent a glorious hour with my parents in their garden, and I’ve enjoyed some visits to my Grandad too when I have dropped off his shopping. I’m super excited for a socially distanced catch up with my best friend this coming week… there’s nothing like time with loved ones to lift your spirits.
Has anyone else found things a bit tricky over the last few weeks? Feel free to list your own reasons to smile in the comments, it helps, trust me!