Monthly Archives: October 2013

smartish

02nd October 2013

Blouse: Very
Skirt: Olivia Rubin at ASOS
Boots: New Look (although I can’t now find them on the website)
Excuse the rubbish photos, any blogger will know the trials of getting good lighting at this time of year especially on a day where you leave for work in the half light and get home to the same.
Anyway,
I quite liked this outfit, not something I’d usually go for but I’ll probably experiment with similar in the future. The skirt is one of my favourite sales purchases ever, reduced to under £20 from near £100. It has a really subtle leopard print pattern so kills two loves of mine in one- black and animal print.
The boots were my second purchase this season from New Look. I didn’t need them, not at all but having seen them with Trudi one Tuesday, I dragged the boy in to see them on the Wednesday having not been able to get them off of my mind and he convinced me to buy them. I had a handy 25% off voucher which helped make the purchase more justifiable and they are the first heels, albeit low that I’ve lasted more than ten minutes in for almost a year!
This week is proving to be a manic one. Monday I wish to erase from memory. Work is utter madness at the moment, flu season does that to people it would seem. I still love my job though, perhaps more so when it’s a bit stressful, I’m just a bit overwhelmed with other areas of my life right now…recovery isn’t always a fun ride and sometimes I feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew quite literally. I’m incredibly lucky that I have a very supportive Mum and boyfriend to cheer me up- can you believe I’ve been with “the boy” six months now? We celebrated with a luxury Wetherspoons meal 😉
Onwards and upwards though, half way to the weekend and all that…
How are your weeks going?
xxx

Posted in life stuff, outfits

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When Flowers meet Fashion

01st October 2013
 For hundreds of years, flowers have inspired the fashions of the day, but now a team of innovative florists and fashion conscious bloggers have created stunning flower designs based on the nations favourite designers.
Inspired by iconic designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Tom Ford, Mulberry, Paul Smith, L’Wren Scott and Stella McCartney, Interflora florists Natalie Stanyer and Morgan Nuth worked with six of the nation’s finest fashion bloggers to create a series of stunning flower 
Each individual floral design was expertly crafted using the finest flower varieties and the latest floristry techniques to capture the very essence of each designer.
The Mulberry influenced arrangement, for example, used English flowers such as Sweet Avalanche roses and hydrangeas to emulate the fashion house’s classic British style. Meanwhile, the L’Wren Scott design included more exotic varieties such as purple Vanda orchids and Black Bacarra roses to create a truly glamorous, red-carpet feel – just like L’Wren’s revered evening dresses.
“It’s well known that the fashion industry draws inspiration from flowers – just look at the number of designs at London Fashion Week that featured floral prints,” said Natalie Stanyer. “Fewer people realise that fashion also has a bearing on floral trends. A good florist will always look to the catwalk for inspiration when developing their creative style.”
“This project was our attempt to give something back to the fashion industry by creating bespoke floral arrangements with a strong nod towards our favourite fashion designers.”
Fashion bloggers Sophie etc. (Sophie Neal), The Girl Who Stole London (Lauren Mahon), Style Trunk (Angharad Jones), Sequin This (Sarah Thain), Lauren Ella (Lauren Pearson) and Isabelle OC (Isabelle O’Carroll), used their own in-depth fashion knowledge to translate the styles of their favourite designers into the unique arrangements. Each worked closely throughout the day with fashion expert Tony Glenville, Creative Director at London College of Fashion, during a specially organised Interflora event which ran alongside London Fashion Week.
“Fashion and flowers is a marriage of creative outcomes made in heaven,” explains Tony. 
“Everyone in the fashion world uses flowers for some kind of signal, be it white orchids on a tea dress or exotic blooms on a floating silk sarong. 
“Interflora cleverly combined the key looks of a series of London Fashion Week designers, ranging from the British eccentricity of Paul Smith to the New York glam of Tom Ford, into a set of exciting proposals. The outcomes created by florists and bloggers working together were simply stunning.” 
Interflora has created a behind the scenes video, gallery of images and infographic explaining the inspiration and making of the flower arrangements. 
To see the arrangements and watch the ‘making of’ video, click here.
Sorry for the lengthy text and copy of a press release but I just couldn’t resist sharing this project. I love flowers almost as much as I love fashion (perhaps even equal) and it’s fascinating to see how the two influence each other.
Below are images of some of my favourites

What are your thoughts on florals in fashion?
xxx

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Monster Snacking- part one.

01st October 2013
I’ve mentioned my friends at Monster Sweets on the blog before now and here I am singing their praises once again.
Since I last posted I’ve been lucky enough to try several more products from the site, including some I was sent for review purposes. This does not however affect what I’m about to write below- Monster Sweets just supply the goods, not make them!
I’ve tried these several times in the past- in fact I am quite obsessed with them so was delighted when a pack turned up at my door. I wish the UK carried more varieties of M&Ms as there are so many more out there, most of which I have tried! These will forever have a special spot in my heart though, traditional M&M chocolate and crispy shell filled with smooth, creamy and slightly salty peanut butter. As long as you’re not allergic to nuts you’re on to a winner with these. Trust me. 

This was a product I’d up until now looked at from afar but was yet to try. Partly because I’m a creature of habit when it comes to chocolate and partly because it contains whole nuts which make my throat itch. However in the name of blogging and curiosity I decided to ignore that minor detail and dive in. I almost wish I hadn’t, this was SO good. Seriously, I could eat another right now for breakfast. A winning combination of caramel, peanut, almond nougat and white fudge this was an absolute party in my mouth. It’s a shame I have a mild intolerance as the discomfort means I can’t eat these as often as I’d like. It was worth every second of itching though. 

A dark chocolate version of a Mars bar, essentially. With the name of a UK childhood favourite. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this but the dark chocolate combined with the white nougat and smooth caramel didn’t leave me dissapointed. The dark chocolate made this less sickly sweet than the version we know and love over here which gives it a winning edge for me. It’s also good for portion control if that’s a concern as the richness and taste sensation of the dark chocolate means you can’t eat as much in one sitting (in theory at least).
This is only part one of my Monster Sweets reviews as there was also a stash of Ritter Sport in the package. That’s been handed over to the boy though, as I thought it about time he made a contribution….that and he’s such a chocaholic that his opinion matters!
Whilst you wait for the next installment take a look at the Monster Sweets website and let me know what you’d like to try or what you’d like to see in up-coming reviews. I place orders regularly so it won’t be a chore, their prices and shipping costs are exceedingly reasonable which just fuels my spending!
You can keep up with all the new arrivals by liking the facebook page or following on twitter,
say hello too. I’ve never know such a friendly shop owner!
xxx
P.S. use discount code MONSWT-5% to claim 5% off your order. 

Posted in food

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