back to what I know

Dress c/o Peacocks

Shoes by Tamaris

It doesn't seem such a long time ago that I lived in floral dresses- but looking back through the blog archives suggests otherwise with recent times seeing an increase in my confidence to broaden my horizons and experiment both with styles and prints. That being said, the second I saw this floral number on the Peacocks website I knew it'd be mine, deep down some things will never change. I wore this way back when we had a super sunny week, although if  yesterday was anything to go by it could be making a second appearance soon. Is Summer finally here? It was rather lovely to finish work and hop on a sweltering bus (that part wasn't so lovely) to see the boy's new flat and sit in his garden which is a right little sun trap- I can't wait to spend more time there as well as my own garden. I'm on the early start today so fingers crossed the weather is as good when I finish at 1pm so I can make use of it.

I'm STILL feeling stuck in a blogging rut, it's the same old same old and I need to adopt the same sense of fearlessness that I have with how I dress and with other areas of my life. Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can do that, or what gave you the boost to change the way you blog?

xxx

Style in View- best and worst dressed list.

BATTLE OF THE KATES…KATE MIDDLETON RATED NO.1 IN THE FASHION STAKES WHILST KATIE PRICE COMES BOTTOM OF THE LIST

- StyleinView.co.uk finds the Top Ten best and worst fashionable celebritiesJUNE, LONDON: Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, has topped the list of the most fashionable icons in a poll of over 2,000 people by fashion search engine  StyleinView.co.uk. The future Queen  of England beat the Queen of fashion, Victoria Beckham, with pop princess Cheryl Cole following closely behind.

Conversely, glamour model and lover of all things pink, Katie Price, has been voted the least  fashionable celebrity in the UK with arch nemesis, fellow glamour model turned bodybuilder, Jodie  Marsh, coming in at second place.  Meanwhile pop legend and master of reinvention Madonna  seems to have suffered as a result of her recent risqué fashion choices, coming in third place on the list of least fashionable celebrities.

image via. graziadaily.co.uk

1. Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge (best dressed)
1. Katie Price (worst dressed)

2. Victoria Beckham (B)
2. Jodie Marsh (W)

3. Cheryl Cole (B)
3. Madonna (W)

4. Kate Moss (B)
4. Kerry Katona (W)

5. Kelly Brook (B)
5. Nicki Minaj (W)

6. Lady Gaga (B)
6. Kim Kardashian (W)

7. Rihanna (B)
7. Carol Vorderman (W)

8. Zooey Deschanel (B)
8. Britney Spears (W)

9. Amy Childs (B)
9. Katy Perry (W)

10. Cara Delevingne (B)
10. Tulisa  Contostavlos (W)

When it comes to female fashion, the StyleinView.co.uk survey also found that men and women  disagree on what they deem to be attractive.  Over half of the women included in the survey (53%) stated that a pair of heels makes them feel most attractive, whilst almost  3 in 4 men (73%) men prefer a tight dress and a mini skirt. Furthermore, a quarter of men feel that having a good body is the most important factor to being seen as fashionable.

Men don’t appear to be quite so frank however when dishing out the fashion advice to the ladies in  their lives however with nearly half of men (47%) admitting to having lied to their partners about  how she looks to save her feelings.  With  67% of women looking to their partner to give them fashion advice, this is a clear sign that women may be putting their trust in the wrong place when it comes to choosing the perfect outfit.

Co-founder of StyleinView.co.uk, Dexter Grima, says: “We were not surprised to see Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, crowned the most fashionable icon as she has demonstrated a keen eye for
knowing what suits her and dressing for the occasion.  From her wedding day style to more formal royal appointments, and even her maternity choices, she has remained consistent.  Her influence has been reflected in the items our users are searching for on StyleinView.co.uk with a significant increase in searches for Kate Middleton inspired dresses and bikinis.

In fact with the rise of social media and celebrities being photographed at every turn, we’ve see a
significant rise in searches for a wide range of celebrity-inspired looks on a daily basis.  Our expert  fashion editors work hard to select each and every item that appears on the site, to help you find the  perfect items across a range of brands in no time.”

The research marks the launch of  StyleinView.co.uk which offers a brand new online shopping  experience, where you can find and compare fashion at the click of a button helping you find fashion  fast. For inspiration on how to recreate the look of Kate, Victoria and Cheryl visit StyleinView.co.uk/ collections/ for a selection of items picked out by its team of fashion editors.

How do you feel about these findings? 

xxx

flutter those lashes

Dress c/o Lashes of London

I cannot get over how much I love this cut out maxi dress. Being brave enough to choose something with cut outs is a recent thing; I've gone from owning zero items to two in a matter of days (and now I just need to be able to fill them out a bit better). I've always loved a good maxi dress and this one has the perfect holiday "beach to bar" vibe. It's only 50 days until I go back to Spain with Ellie and this dress is going to be the first thing I pack...the chances of weather good enough to wear it in this country seem slim to none. I could happily kit myself out top to toe in Lashes attire, everything is utterly divine.

How was your weekend? It was a pretty laid back one here, usually I'm with the boy but he was away and I had a good old catch up with my girls instead. Saturday saw Trudi and I indulge in a spot of shopping, I had only intended to browse but a pair of denim shorts and two bikinis later and I realised that I had only been fooling myself in thinking I could resist.

Yesterday was Father's day of course and we had my Grandad come round for a roast dinner so it was Mum and her Dad and myself and my Dad. Perfect. I then had a much overdue coffee and gossip with Ellie...the excitement for Spain is building, aah, I seriously cannot wait!

Well, I've been back blogging for a week now and so far not much has changed from my pre-break style. I'm still a bit stumped as to what sorts of posts people would like to see, so once again, please leave suggestions below and I will see what my teeny creative brain can muster up.

Happy Monday folks- I've banned Monday blues, let's see it as a fresh start instead.

xxx

Sarenza Sunday- shop the sale (with extra money off!)

It's probably not escaped your notice that sale time is once again here and so this week for Sarenza Sunday I thought I'd do something a little different and let you tell ME what your shoe of the week is from the vast array they have on offer in their fantastic sale (I've already snapped up the Ted Baker plastic flats I shared just a couple of weeks ago).

The kind folks at Sarenza are also offering a further 10% off for the rest of today when you purchase two or more sale items, so you can justify a bit of a spree I reckon.

Have a browse from fantastic brands such as Irregular Choice, Jeffrey Campbell, Converse, Ted Baker and Miista and grab yourself an on trend Summer bargain- this isn't just dreg end sale stock, oh no. Sarenza are spoling us with some of their new arrivals discounted too.

What are you waiting for? Have a look now and leave me a link to what you buy (or what you wish you were buying) in the comments below.

xxx

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Ask Laura (and win)

For the second month running I'm taking part in AskHerFriends blogger panel.

Myself and five other gorgeous girls basically put together a wishlist of gift ideas each month to be featured on the AskHerFriends blog. That's the simple part. Next we have to compete against each other to win votes and see who's choices have been crowned the best.

Should you decide you want to vote for me (you do, of course) then hop on over and get clicking. In the process you can win yourself £50 to spend on any of the AskHerFriends partners. You can submit your vote 's by hopping on over to this month's post.

This month I went for a girly yet quirky selection of gifts, the details of which are right below should you wish to send a hint to someone or treat yourself:

1. Rainbow Cosmos Friendship Bracelet by Astley Clarke. 2. David Longshaw Maude’s Postcard Silk Scarf by Magpie and Bear. 3. Laura Lee Wish Upon A Star Signet Ring by ASOS. 4. Pink Punctured Nubuck Ballet Flats by French Sole. 5. Pink Lemonade Backpack by Grafea.

What do you think of my selection? Or any of the other girl's for that matter....

being a part of this panel is both heaven (window shopping) and hell (not having enough money to buy it all!)

xxx

in which I try printed trousers

Trousers c/o Peacocks

New Look lace tee

Clarks sandals via Sarenza

When was the last time you shopped at Peacocks? For me it was probably when the one in the local town closed it's doors. For some reason their presence online evaded me despite having picked up some amazing pieces from them in the past, so when Peacocks contacted me and asked if I would like to choose and blog some of their new arrivals for them I was keen to take a look.

One of the items I chose was these printed trousers, something I've eyed as a trend for S/S but have been too scared to invest it. At a mere £14 these are an ideal way to break in to the trend and after my initial hesitations I decided I really liked these even though I'm still not 100% sold on trousers and me just yet.

When the weather improves, again, I can't wait to experiment with these a bit more and they are lightweight enough for me to be planning to pack them for Spain in August...

are you a fan of the printed trouser? How do you wear yours?

Stay tuned for the other two pieces I was sent- I'm impressed. Very impressed.

xxx

P.S. apologies for the shoddy photography (although why I apologise I don't know, words don't fix lack of skills!)

pretty pampering

What's a girl to do when she's been ordered off work to rest her foot and is bored, in pain and just a little bit grumpy?

The answer is to dig out her prettiest products, sent via the lovely Panier des Sens en Provence and get pampering.

I was put in touch with this brand by the lovely Jill after admiring how gorgeous they were on her blog post. The folks at Ashleigh & Burwood, stockist of the brand were generous enough to send me over a couple of bits to try as well, and I can now see why she raved.

Not only are they very, very easy on the eye and worthy of being on display on any dressing table, they smell and feel amazing too. The Soothing Provence hand cream smells of citrus and summer days and makes my hands (and feet) feel silky smooth and loved.

The Energizing Verbena body lotion was the perfect treat for my dry and dull skin, less scented than the hand cream but not lacking in the performance department these products may cost more than I would typically pay (and yet are cheap compared to many a beauty blogger's favourite brands) but I would re-purchase for how pleasing these are, both in aesthetics and pay off.

And with that, my silky soft skin and I are back off to work, hand cream in bag to rescue my hands after an over dose of alcohol gel and industrial strength soap.

What are your little luxuries or pick me ups for days when you feel a bit rubbish?

xxx

I carried a watermelon

Tee c/o QCumber

Jeans: Oasis

Vans via Sarenza

(and it's about time Mae showed her cutie-pie face around here)

So a while back the kind folk at QCumber sent me a jumper featuring bananas....fast forward a few months of watching the new brand grow from strength to strength they got in touch again to see if I'd like to sample a tee from their new summer range of t-shirts.

Slowly but surely I'm coming round to the idea of jeans and a tee, I'll always opt for dresses or skirts first but from time to time dressing down is the order of the day and this tee makes it much more fun! The watermelon print is quirky and perfect for summer and I love the loose but not overly baggy fit. You can pick from a whole host of fruits, currently on sale at £14.95.

Thanks for the well wishes for my foot procedure, it went well (I think) and I wasn't hanging around all day at the hospital as it first seemed I would. Four hours on a day case unit, a hobble down the ward followed by a cup of tea and a biscuit and I was allowed home to rest up. Rest is the order of  the day today as well, then back to work tomorrow and business as usual for the next two months whilst we wait and see if it's done the job. I hope so, I really do...I have so many plans and exciting things on the horizon and my foot has been holding me back; that and I really don't fancy the next option of surgery!

I think today will mainly consist of blog browsing, online window shopping and a lot of curling up with a good book,

how do you like to spend your rest days?

It's also a good excuse to catch up with my parents who are sickeningly brown after a week in Menorca...roll on my holiday in the sun (seeing as our Summer has gone on strike, again)

xxx

ebay fashion s/s13 and a giveaway

eBay.co.uk, the UK’s biggest online marketplace, launches its Spring/Summer ‘13 Collection on 14^th May.  This season, eBay Fashion brings you the ultimate 40 piece collection, showcasing hero essentials that every wardrobe needs.

The collection spans five of this season’s hottest trends, styled by Navaz Batliwalla, A.K.A Disneyrollergirl. Trends include; Surfer Girl, Modern Romance, Scandi Minimalist, 60’s Monochrome and Print Clash. The digital lookbook is fully shoppable, allowing you to click directly through to items on eBay.co.uk.

Navaz curated the collection, representing 11 retailers on the eBay Fashion Gallery, such as: French Connection, Boohoo, Moda in Pelle, Joe Browns, Very Clearance and latest additions to the eBay Fashion Galley, Joules and Boden.

Highlighting the versatility of this collection, hero items have been styled into ‘key looks’ providing head-to-toe outfit inspiration.

I am loving the styling and lookbook for the ebay s/s13 collection I'm not usually drawn to lookbooks, prefering to browse when a collection is on the store's website instead but there was something alluring about this one- the fact it's fully shoppable certainly played a part in that.

To celebrate the launch of the collection, the kind folks at ebay have donated this Paisley backpack from Joe Browns (£21.95 if you want to buy one and weren't lucky enough to win) for one of my blog readers to win. I love this bag, it's one of my favourite bits of the entire collection and I'm wishing I could win it myself!

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this here blog post- no rules as such but taking a look at the collection and letting me know your favourite piece would be wonderful.

The giveaway is open to UK readers and will run for one week, until 8pm on Tuesday 18th June.

Please leave some way for me to contact you in the comment!

Good luck and enjoy browsing.

xxx

where my wages are going- Monster Sweets

I think I'm going to start to regret the day I ever came across supplier of international foodstuffs Monster Sweets

Not only do they sell all my favourites (shown above) the prices and postage are so cheap I can't resist placing yet another order.

I have got the boy addicted to the white/coconut ritter sport and myself well and truly hooked on all things Milka.

This isn't a review post, or something I was asked to write, I just wanted to give a shout out to one of the friendliest small businesses I've found and spread the chocolate love around (so it doesn't all end up in my house).

What are your overseas favourites? It has to be Milka for me!

xxx