Phase Eight; Collection 8

Taking opulence to brilliant new extremes, Phase Eight have just launched Collection 8; a range of limited edition dresses designed to add sparkle and shine this party season.

Costing from £250 and available now the collection includes lashings of lace, luxury fabrics and more than a smattering of sequins.

You can see the collection on Phase Eight’s website (here to be exact)
Pictured above are my favourite dresses (from top-bottom): Paloma, Cinderella, Colette and Grecian Embellished. You may recognise Cindarella from my last Phase Eight blog post.

Which dress has your heart racing? I’d sell my left kidney for any of these!
xxx

Hello Real World

1. A few of my purchases from my trip to Holland

2. Hospital paperwork, also from Holland

3/4. Primark jumper dress (really old now) and Tesco tights. No shoes because wearing them hurts.

5. Tired face.

So I have returned from my travels; I actually got back Wednesday evening but have been in an exhausted stupor since.
It was a whirlwind trip to Holland and mainly fabulous. Best friend and I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle + two cousins and were pretty much waited on hand and foot. We chilled out, watched films, explored Deurne, Eindhoven, Nijmegen (home of the Bridge Too Far) and a town in Germany which is driving distance from where my family live.

I also saw rather more than I wanted to of the Dutch healthcare system after an accident in Zara (careless lady trailing bag strap which I didn’t see) led to the fear of dislocated toes and broken foot/ankle. Thankfully I escaped with sprains and bruises galore but I’m strapped up and limping for the forseeable.

Well,
I’m back to work today…lucky old me. Still, one day until the weekend then a fun/exciting week ahead!

How has your week been?

xxx

Mother Hair Straightener Review (by My Mother!)

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted about reviewing a new hair styling product by Mother, a brand I had admittedly not heard of before.
The press release sounded fabulous though and with a hair-mad Mum, I once again handed over to her to put this product through it’s paces!

Mother Says:

“Introducing the UK’s first ever salon professional interchangeable hair styler – Mother Hair
Styler. With its unique 2-in-1 design, the Mother Hair Styler is the professional hair styling industry’s first significant innovation within the last 10 years.
Presented in a stunning gift box with a set of wide and standard Titanium plates, this styling must-have cuts out the tiresome effort of chopping and changing between various tools to create the look you desire. Also included is a robust, easy-to-wipe silicon heat-proof mat, patented designed heat covers that are virtually indestructible and a pair of sectioning clips – all this for just £140 A bargain compared to the prices of a straightener with only one set of plates!

Tirelessly keeping up with the ever emerging hair trends was once the preserve of celebrity hair chameleons such as Rihanna, Katy Perry and Jessie J. But for the average woman, spending time and money on an array of straighteners and tongs to “keep up with the Kardashian’s” can prove to be an expensive effort – until now.

Click on the wide Titanium plates to smooth, loosely curl, and of course straighten long thick hair or use the slim-line Titanium plates to smooth fringes, short to mid-length hair or to create a mass of ringlets on mid-long length hair. Its premium Titanium plates ensure moisture is locked deep within the hair shaft for a mirror-shine finish; kinks and frizz gone is just one passing through the hair.

Mother Hair Styler is the ultimate styling tool to take on your holidays as its all-in-one styling versatility means no need to lug around extra hot styling tools. And if that wasn’t travel savvy enough, unscrew the plug to reveal a 2 pin point international plug, so no need to bring an adapter!

In a rush? Mother Hair Styler’s smooth as glass Titanium plates heats up to a red hot 230 degrees in 30 seconds flat; with the variable temperature digitally controlled in order to give you the power to go as hot as needs be. And no more straining to reach the mirror to style your hair because of a ridiculously short swivel cord – Mother Hair Styler’s lengthy 3 meter cord goes the distance to ensure your styling experience is quick, easy and effortless as possible”.

And My Mother Says:

I was very excited to receive this straightener to review as I have a love/hate relationship with my hair – curly and frizzy, which I have over the years managed to get under control courtesy of various models of straighteners.  Firstly (not that should sway you in any way) but this was beautifully packaged and presented so was very keen to try to the product out.  I used the wide plates first off knowing I would have to change to the slim plates for my fringe and shorter sections later.  After reading the instructions and changing the plates, which needs to be done with the lock activated, I set to the desired heat setting and within seconds was ready to straighten.  My hair glided through the plates, and being wide it took much less time to do each section, and had very straight and glossy hair by the time I had finished.  Then the slightly tricky bit (first use!) of changing to the slim plate while the wide ones were still very very hot.  I had to lock the straighteners, fit the cover to the large plates then press the release buttons and gently ease the plates out, then simply pop the slim plates in place and touch the heat setting and it automatically heated to the setting I had just used earlier.  Slim plates again glided through my hair and shorter side sections, leaving it shiny and straight. 

Although these are quite expensive if you struggle with your hair getting it poker straight then these may just be the ones for you.  Fab idea having the 2 plate option, relatively easily to use and sure this will get easier after a few goes with them, the heat proof covers for both plates is a nice little bonus, ideal if you have used them and then want to pack away, or perfect for holidays etc meaning no waiting for the plates to cool before packing inside a case (so long as the tool is wrapped in a heat mat or towel – as they are still quite hot, but not burning hot, to touch).  As a final word my hair stayed straight, despite the dismal drizzly rain all week, until my next wash and straighten session. 

For stockist details visit: www.motherhair.com or to stock the Mother Hair Styler System in your salon call: 01274 299 772 

Have you heard of motherhair before? What do you think of the idea? I’m currently loving my hair wavy but will be giving these a try in the near future to see if even the hair handicapped can cope!
 

xxx 

Beautiful Bras

It might seem odd for someone who lacks in the bust department to be writing about lingerie for those more well endowed but I’ve suffered many a shopping trip with friends (and I mean suffered in the nicest possible way) where all I hear about is the lack of availability of cheap bras that are pretty as well as practical (I’ve also suffered the same sort of troubles finding smaller sizes). And it’s something that irks me, that things are still quite backwards in the lingerie department. Clothes now come to cater for all shapes and sizes, mostly at the same price and looking very similar so why can’t undergarmets follow suit? Some shops do it well; the simply change the wiring to suit the sizes, but others…well. Let’s not go there! I swear there is nothing more frustrating than spying a set you really want to buy only to find it stops after size X, or doesn’t start until size Y… I’d like to think I’m not alone in this, perhaps us bloggers should spread the world and cater for bras for all boobs?! I’d be really interested in hearing opinions on this; where do you rate and where do you hate? Got any tales to tell or rants to rave about? I would like to say, having done some shopping in Holland over the weekend that they seem to have it sorted out there; fabulous underwear shops that start at the smallest of sizes and go up to the larger ones without compromising on value or style, next time I go I’m taking a seperate case just for my small! So yeah. Rant and rave ladies. Rant and rave. xxx *sponsored post but something I do care about*

Tasty Treats from Maqaroon

How adorable are these sweet treats from accessories brand Maqaroon?
I’m usually a fan of more simple jewellery but couldn’t resist this cute little range which has newly launched in the UK
With Christmas creeping up on us these would make fantastic little gifts for anyone a little bit girly (or a sweet treat for yourself!)

Prices are reasonable:

French bunny necklace- £8.65
Lolita tea time £11.54
Macaroon necklace £9.89
Macaroon postcards set of 5 £4.86

Sticker pack £8.20

I’m not one to buy in to a “trendy food” but the macaroon necklace is crying out to be bought!

What do you think? Are you a fan or is this too cutesy for you?

xxx

*scheduled post, I’m in Holland*