042 : ModCloth

Hey lovelies! I hope you've had a super start to the week, today I'm bringing you a lovely Polyvore outfit creation, featuring a gorgeous ModCloth dress. The first time I'd heard of ModCloth was actually a week or so ago, when the ever so lovely Rebecca showed the world her pie print dress (seriously - if anyone can pull off a pie print dress - its Rebecca!) I then got a lovely e-mail from Amy at ModCloth asking if I'd like to participate in their weekly Polyvore outfit challenge. How could I say no?! After much deliberating this was the outfit I've come up with..

The dress featured is the utterly gorgeous Palette on Parade dress I love the retro print and the shape is really flattering, I chose some simple accessories to go with the dress, including the 'Make Persimmon of Yourself' bag, I adore cross-body bags, I'm a total sucker for coral and the detailing is just beautiful, I really love gentle, feminine accessories and I think it would compliment the dress beautifully. I also chose a tan waist belt with a bow to break the dress up a bit, some red pumps (which come in lots of different colours, including pink which are just the cutest!) and a yellow cardigan. If you haven't checked out ModCloth, go and have a peep (especially at the shoes!).

How would you style the Palette on Parade dress?!

Lots of love 
xxx

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041 Review : Bleach White Toner

Hey Lovelies! Hope everyone is well and settling into 2014! I've had a really busy few weeks and am really appreciating a lovely sit down a catch up with my favourite blogs! (leave me links your below!) 

I've been really pining to get my hair done for ages & ages, its naturally quite mousey and having experimented with every colour of the rainbow over the last ten years, I settled on blonde about four years ago. I love being a blonde but had forgotten how hard is it to maintain, having to get your roots done more often, the brassiness and general maintenance, it usually costs me over £100 just to get my hair cut, toned and my roots done, at this time of year it just isn't doable, with Christmas just gone by and all of my pennies spent, it was time to take matters into my own hands. I don't mind roots too much, but I hate the brassiness of blonde, after a few months my hair takes on a light yellowy orange tone and I can't bear it. Bleach was a brand I hadn't actually heard of until they bought out their range of dyes and shampoos in Boots, I decided to pick up some of their White Toner and give it a try.

 (Bleach White Toner - £7)

I really like Bleach's packaging, I love how its a little different and a bit edgy, I love the unusual shape of the box and the fact that it doesn't have a picture of Davina McCall on the front. Having tried various silver shampoo, I figure it was time to up my game. I always find silver shampoo works to an extent, but my hair always needs an extra boost to eliminate all of the brassiness completely.

Inside the box was: 

- 80ml Developer Lotion

- 1 tube of Colourant

- 50ml Reincarnation Mask

- Plastic Gloves

- Instructions

The instructions stated to wash your hair first and towel dry, then to mix up the developer lotion with the colourant and give the bottle a good old shake, then to apply onto your towel dried hair, starting from the roots and sectioning it as you go. The toner was a white colour before you put it onto your hair and it was a really nice consistency, I hate hair dyes that are really runny and just drip absolutely everywhere. It was pretty mess free, although I did have a few qualms with the gloves. They were MASSIVE and they slipped about here, there and everywhere. I'd suggest buying some vinyl gloves from your local supermarket before using this as they'd work far better. My hands aren't tiny but they honestly look like they were made for a giant and I found them quite tricky to use. 

 

The instructions stated not to leave the toner on for more than 20 minutes. I left mine for 20 minutes exactly before washing off, giving it a shampoo at the same time. I then popped the Reincarnation Mask on for 5 minutes, as the instructions said to. I've used the Reincarnation Mask before and its amazing, its definitely one of the best hair masks that I've used. It leaves your hair so super soft, lots of blondes will know that our hair can dry out quite quickly but this really restores moisture and leaves hair feeling beautiful.

I blow dried my hair - I didn't add any additional products as I usually would as I wanted the best results - and was actually really impressed. I'd heard mixed reviews about this toner but it definitely eliminated the majority of my brassiness, I think I'd need another box to eliminate it completely but it did an amazing job at getting my hair back to a more natural shade of blonde, I was a little concerned about the roots as they were quite mousey and I did wonder if it would go a little yellowy, but actually they now blend really nicely with my hair! 

I'd definitely use this toner again and for anyone wanting to eliminate brassiness I think its a must. At £7 aswell you just can't go wrong! Next.. Bleach Rose Hair Dye?

Has anyone tried Bleach products? What do you all think?

Lots of love

xxx

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040 : Review : Ciaté Sequin Manicure

Hey lovelies! I know I'm a little late to the Christmas/New Years Eve nail party but.. better late than never hey! Nails are one of those things that I wish I could take more care of and spend more time on, but I just don't, I paint them and thats about as far as it goes. I love painting my nails but when it comes to doing pretty designs or anything remotely artistic, I suck. I spend a lot of time using my hands.. (minds out of the gutter, girls!) as a mama of two boys, I spend tons of time cleaning, tidying, cuddling, preparing food.. the list goes on and on. My little talons just weren't made to look beautifully manicured! Over the festive period however, I do like to indulge in a little bit of sparkle, my nails were adorned in Nails Inc's 'Bora Bora' - the prettiest pastel gold. But I just felt like it wasn't quite enough. And then I saw this...

 (ciaté sequin manicure set - £7)

I picked this up where I work and it was very much a last minute, bit of a whim buy. But I'm so glad I did! It's the first kind of nail 'kit' I've bought, they always look a little bit too fiddly and a little bit intimidating for me!

The Ciaté sequin manicure set comes with three products; a pot of sequined glitter, some 'glitter grip' and a little brush, along with instructions. It was so easy to use, you just paint your nails with a layer of glitter grip and wait for it to dry. Then, paint a second coat of the glitter grip, one nail at time & whilst the nail is still wet, you roll it into the pot of glitter then use a clean, dry finger to press the sequins gently into your nail (this was the fiddly part for me!) you then use the little nail brush to sweep away any excess sequins & paint again with a third coat of glitter grip.

And voila! ....

Sorry its not the best photo, I was having camera issues & had to use my iPhone, excuse my teeny nails too! I was super happy with the result and it last ages, I didn't need to touch them up for a couple of weeks & I was a little wary of sequins dropping off in the bath or during hand washes but they stayed put which I found pretty impressive.

The set I got was in the shade Harlequin, the sequins are blues, reds, greens, silvers & golds. But after a little research, I found it comes in other colours too, including a gorgeous black & gold and a set which has different shades of pink which is just beautiful! I'd really love to try their other kits, I've got my beady eyes on the chalkboard set!

What do you think of the sequin manicure? Have you tried any of the Ciaté nail kits?

Lots of love
xxx

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039 : 2014 Goals & Resolutions

(image source: weheartit)

Hey Dolls! Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas/New Year! It was a quiet one for me - how incredible were Londons NYE fireworks though?! I was mesmerised! I can't believe we're already into 2014, to be honest I'm kind of glad to see the back of last year as it was pretty tough for me. A new year is always a good excuse for a fresh start too, I don't usually set myself any particular resolutions or goals as I never stick to them! So this year I'm gonna make an extra special effort to see them through & hopefully by the end of the year I'll feel as though I've really achieved something!

- Eat Clean

I know everyone loves to get fit & healthy when the new year arrives & I'm no exception, when it comes to cooking, I can do it, but I don't have much patience. This year I really want to learn to cook properly and eat as much colourful food as I can, clean, organic foods which I hope can give me more energy & a healthier body. I'm really keen on learning new recipes and trying new out new foods.

- Drink More Water

I'll be honest, I never drink water. Literally never. The only time I ever have water is in a cup of tea or coffee, I'm not sure why, but I just don't like it. I drink way, way too many fizzy drinks & juices. I really want to cut down, I know drinking more water will make me feel better inside & give my skin the extra bit of hydration it really needs, especially during the colder months. 

- Start Baking Again

I used to love baking, a few years ago I was running my own cake business, I was putting all of my energy and effort into researching, marketing & boosting it - and then I got really sick, when I got ill I lost all of my energy & all of my passion, which is really sad as I know my love of baking is still there. Its definitely something I want to pick up on again.

- Be the best Mama I can 

My sons are the most important little people in my life, Alfie will be 7 this year and Oliver will be turning 4, he starts 'big school' in September which is a huge step as a mother. I remember Alfie's first day at school and it was so emotional - watching him blossom there over the last two years has been incredible. There's no better feeling than motherhood, I look at my two boys & feel so proud of them & so fortunate to have them. I really want to give them the best start in life & watch them grow into lovely young men. I always try my absolute hardest to give them all the love & nourishment they need & 2014 will be no exception.

- Devote More time to Blogging

I know last year I didn't post as much as I intended to, I started my blog a year ago this month (happy birthday blush & belle!) - this year I'm really going to push myself to post way more & grow my little blog in new & exciting ways. I really hope to meet lots of new lovely bloggers too! 

- Beat Depression

I think this is the toughest goal for me, having been diagnosed with depression at age 14, ten years ago, I have been stable for the last few years but early last year I suffered a major relapse and went as far as trying to take my own life - more than once. Last year was a really tough one, I really want to do all I can to beat this illness & I will exhaust every option. I've spent the last nine months or so seeing various different mental health professionals & I feel as though I'm really getting the help I need now - onwards and upwards!

- Be More Frugal

I'm awful with money, I spend when I really can't afford to and never save. Like most people, I really want to own my own house at some point in the future, so I know I need to start saving some money. Buy less of the things I really don't need (cherry bakewells are always essential in the weekly food shop right..?) and put away some more pennies where I can. I really want to try upcycling some furniture too, to save some money & give my house a more personal twist - thanks for inspo Kirstie Allsop! 

So there you have it, just a few of the things I want to achieve for the coming year, have you got any new years resolutions or goals? Link me to your posts below! 

Lots of love

xxx

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