Style Files - Oxblood Leather

After a brief snap of sunshine, the weather has taken a turn for the worse again so I am cozying up in my French Connection cashmere poncho and teaming my oxblood faux leather trousers with similar coloured heeled boots to create the illusion of longer legs. Loving these statement earrings from ASOS right now - they add a touch of glamour to any outfit!

Camel Poncho - French Connection (bought on eBay)

Oxblood Faux Leather Trousers - H&M

Ankle Boots (old) - Dorothy Perkins 

Oversized Clutch - Warehouse (old but similar here)

Statement Earrings - ASOS for similar

Lime Beaded Bracelet - LK Bennett

Nails - Barbara Daly for Tesco in shade 'Butterscotch'

Lips - Kate Moss for Rimmel in shade '03'
(N.B. This post is not sponsored)

Happy Weekend!
Bisous xx

Cult Beauty Haul

I only recently discovered Cult Beauty when I was searching for solutions for random skin break outs and, boy, am I glad that I did! When this box of goodies arrived on my doorstep it was all I could do not to squeal before closing the door on the unassuming postman.

I have to admit, this Cult Beauty haul had an alterior motive. When I learned that, for a limited time only, orders over £50 would be eligible for an UM-AZING free beauty booty bag of fun, I knew that now was the perfect time to try out a few products I have been meaning to purchase for a while.

So browsing I went. I picked up the original Beautyblender (the duo of course - I'm a sucker for money saving buy one get one cheaper options), which is much-loved by bloggers and make up artists alike. I also fell for the make up sponge cleanser by the same brand as I am pretty sure my current brush washing routine is less than adequate. My final purchase was the Payot Pate Grise which is a clay based spot treatment to be applied to individual spots and left on overnight. This promises to greatly reduce those stubborn bumps in only one night and the reviews are positive so worth a try in my opinion. Plus the little glass pot is beautiful. And French.

Look out for reviews of all of these products on upcoming blogposts.

But the best bit has to be the freebies! Everyone loves a freebie and believe me I am no different - check out what I got below and how to make sure you don't miss out! The site always offers samples as well - I got to choose 3 for spending more than £30 and got free delivery for spending over £50. Score!

Pate Grise Overnight Spot Treatment

Beautyblender Duo Pack

Make Up Sponge Cleanser

My sample choices for spending over £30

The amazing free gift - a booty bag of treats!

What's inside (left to right):

NCLA & Glamour Limited Edition Nail Wraps

Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax 3ml

Ginvera Marvel Green Tea Gel 10ml

Alpha H 5ml Liquid Gold 

Astalift Make Up Remover Oil 30ml

Tammy Fender Bulgarian Lavender Body Oil 5ml

Elemis Pro Collagen Body Cream 50ml

Dr Lipp Original Balm 3ml

Anastasia Covet Noir Pencil (full size)

If you spend over £50 use the code OhGoody to add the free goody bag to your basket at checkout. This deal will continue for as long as stocks last so get your skates on!

If you are reading this blogpost at a later date and you are disappointed that the above code has now expired then fear not! This website has constant free gift options - check out this page for a list - at the time of writing promotions included a free 30ml Dr Hauschka cleanser with any Dr Hauschka product and a 4-piece Ren sampler kit free when you spend £50 on Ren products. Also great offers are posted regularly on the Cult Beauty Blog.

So there's no excuse not to look your very best for summer! Now I'm off to try out my new finds - I will report back on their worthiness very soon!

Bisous xx

(N.B. This post is not sponsored)

Style Files - Neon & Nude

I have been loving wearing Missguided's Splash polish in MissTaken, a bold shade of tangerine, on my nails. So I decided to team neons with nude tones for a sophisticated take on brights for Spring. At least I feel sunny even if the weather doesn't!





Tweed Jacket - Zara S/S 2012

Zebra Chiffon Blouse - Vero Moda

Stud Nude Trouser - Zara (bought in Feb-13 sales)

Stud Pump - Primark

Turquoise Beads - old (but I love this Accessorize one)

Nails - 'Misstaken' by Missguided (or try Barry M 'Tangerine' which is similar but cheaper)

Lips - No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in 'Gay Geranium'

(N.B. This post is not sponsored)

Just Fab

                                                                                                         My friends will testify that I have a bit of a shoe addiction. I truly believe that a really great shoe can lift an outfit. And who can fail to agree when faced with these beauties!
My April JustFab picks arrived this morning and I am totally obsessed with these 'Grecia' neon pink and tribal print sandals and cannot wait to don them for summer! They look great with my turned up jeans while the temperature is still cool but they will look fantastic with a maxi, shorts or floaty dress for the summer. And they are super comfy so I know I will be wearing them constantly on my June trip to the Big Apple!

I joined JustFab in February and my first months purchase was this amazing mustard 'Resort' shoulder bag below which you will already have seen if you follow me on Instagram. It is so versatile, fits my iPad mini, and gets regular compliments.

I love that you can answer a simple questionnaire to let the stylists at JustFab know what you like and then you receive hand-picked recommendations direct to your inbox every month. If you don't want to buy that month you simply skip (like I did in March). If you do buy, you earn Reward Points which can be traded in for free shoes - score! You can also choose not to sign up but to 'Pay As You Go' for all you commitment phobes out there.

I don't ever need much of an excuse to expand my shoe collection but these styles are Just too Fab to resist!

(N.B. This post is not sponsored)

Lost Treasure

There are benefits of being stuck indoors when the sun burns brightly outside for the first time this year. Boredom sets in and, after watching a whole season of 24 and eating all the Easter eggs, there really is nothing left to do but give in and start Spring cleaning.

Once you get started it actually ain't that bad and there really is a sense of achievement in seeing my lipsticks all nicely stored in Muji perspex drawers (look out for a blogpost on beauty storage very soon) and there is something about colour coordinating jackets and shirts that makes me feel less chaotic and rather smug.

And then there is the other benefit - rediscovering hidden gems of treasure previously lost and forgotten to the back of an over-stuffed wardrobe. One such item that I am super excited about, is my long-lost pair of khaki suede Miu Miu platform pumps with mermaid brooch. Bought from net-a-porter in the sale circa 2008, these amazing shoes have been hiding in my husband's walk in wardrobe (luckily in a dust bag and box which has kept them in perfect condition). It really is sarcrilidge that these haven't seen the light of day in at least 5 years and it is high time to embrace their leg-lengthening and outfit perfecting qualities for 2013.

Spring cleaning is good for something at least!

Bisous xx

(N.B. This post is not sponsored)

Somebody Stop Me

How much do I want this embellished jacket from River Island? So much that my credit card is shaking in my empty purse. Lucky for it, the jacket is currently sold out online. And that only makes me want it even more!

I don't have to remind you of my love of neon accents as well-documented in my blogpost here. A hint of sunny yellow and a bit of well-placed bling are only adding to my irrational 'need' to source this new find!

Made in Chelsea's Rosie Fortescue (see her style blog here ) has beat me to the checkout and has already posted a pic of her sporting this jacket with a leather-look pencil skirt and sunnies on today's blogpost.

I must admit, I am more than a tiny bit jealous. Not that I need another jacket, as my husband kindly reminded me when I huffed and puffed at the 'Item Currently Unavailable' status of my current crush. Yes, I do have 8 tweed jackets in my wardrobe, it's true. And I did just buy a new leather jacket last month which I haven't had a chance to wear outside yet due to my current house bound status (doctors orders - and driving me crazy!) And, yes, we are getting a new kitchen. Thanks dear hubbie of mine, I understand that a new tweed jacket is not on our current priority list. But I bet it's not the kitchen that I dream of tonight!

If any of you are looking to add a new tweed to your collection this summer, make sure you choose one with embellished detailing or a hint of neon to bring your look bang up to date. If, like me, your purse strings are tied this month, try updating last years tweed with a few brooches around the neckline or even try pinning chain bracelets around the sleeves.

Now where did I put that sewing kit?

My recommendations:
Fluro Boucle Blazer - ASOS
Stud Trim Tweed - Missguided
Metallic Trim Jacket - Mango
Bling Trim Jacket - River Island

 (N.B. This post is not sponsored)