Christmas with Coast

Coast is one of those shops that I’ve never bought from but continuously find myself browsing through just because everything is so damn gorgeous.
Case in point, this little wishlist I’ve put together of their gorgeous partywear, all so far out of my price range but so utterly covetable.
I can’t resist a good sequin dress and this one is perfect. The style is called Brooklyn should you wish to look it up and it costs £95

The Mischa Fringe dress reminds me a bit of the flapper dress and Great Gatsby. I’m a bit obsessed with both at the moment and if I had £150 to spend on a party dress this would probably be the one.

Despite it costing £250 I couldn’t now show off the Savita dress. Such an object of beauty but not one to wear when you’re on the mulled wine!

Velvet is another of my obsessions and I love the flattering flared style of the Tulia dress, it costs £160 so it’s out of my price range but it won’t stop me wishing and wanting. I’m feeling extra concious this year and although I have a stunning party dress to wear I can’t help but want a new one in the hope I’ll feel better about myself.

Swooning big time over the Isadora shoe, £95. Versatile and unique I want these so bad! I can even wear heels now, my foot isn’t as bad and by party time my back should be better. I’m hoping on a small lottery win! They also come in a nude and gold colour way which is equally as stunning.

I’m not usually a clutch bag girl but I do have a lot of love for the Gem Clutch. At £70 I just can’t justify it but I’ll be seeking out a similar alternative at a price I can afford.

For those of you who have shopped in Coast how have you found it? Is it worth me investing in the sale?

Sorry for all the wishlists and non outfit posts lately, the ones that are coming up are from before my back went,
I’m not sure a hunchback style outfit post would work.
Wishlists it is. And with gems like these from Coast around I can’t say I mind!

xxx

Fairy City Lights fragrance from Oriflame

So, it’s pretty clear by now that I’m a massive fan of Oriflame and their latest release had me drooling. Named Fairy City Lights the range includes lipgloss, eye pencils, perfume, deodrant, shower cream and hand cream.
I love the look of the lipgloss and eye pencils and they are on my to purchase list for the festive season. I was lucky enough to be offered a sample of the fragrance and after falling in love with their Red perfume I was only to willing to accept!
Fairy City Lights cost £10.95 for 30ml and is described as fresh green accord and juicy wild strawberries dance with a soft, feminine jasmine and candy apple heart before swirling into a sweet toffee scent that captures the exhilarating thrill of Christmas in the city.
It really does smell good enough to eat and the scent is pleasingly light and perfect for daytime although you could layer it up for a soft night time scent too.
This has swiftly made it’s way to my number one scent for day at the moment and it’ll take a lot of beating to knock it off top spot.
What’s your favourite smells of the festive season?
The smell of the spices during Christmas baking does it for me!
xxx

I don’t mean to Brag

Jumper c/o Brag Vintage
Skirt: Zara (super old)
Tights: Primark
Boots: Sarenza
Women’s Watch from Born Pretty
Could this jumper be any more perfect for me? When Brag Vintage offered me an item from their website I instantly homed in on this and I was incredibly lucky that it was my size! It’s seriously the most awesome vintage piece I own and I will wear it until it falls apart. I had heard of Brag Vintage before but hadn’t browsed their site for ages…I’m pleased  to say it’s even better than I remembered and there are a number of pieces I have my eye on! The jumper made the perfect partner for my trusty Zara skirt which I have owned for years now. It cost me £3.99 at the end of one of their sales and it’s probably past it’s best but I love it too much to get rid. Maybe I’ll find an ethical alternative on Brag Vintage one day! I really rate their website and would recommend it to any vintage lover.
Accessories wise all I wore was my new wrist watch c/o Born Pretty. As I have mentioned before I have a real thing for watches and this one is so different to anything I own. If anything I wish it had a smaller dial as it drowns my dinky wrists a bit but it’s so charming and unique I’ll be wearing it in rotation with my other favourites. I knew of Born Pretty but had associated it with nail art supplies more than anything else. I was amazed to discover they now stock everything from a chic bracelet watch to a fun and funky LED watch.
Born Pretty are kindly offering a 10% discount to readers of this blog when you use the code LAURABC10 at the checkout.



Anyway,
what I really want to know right now is what have been your best vintage finds?

And if  you use the discount code above- what did you buy!

xxx

Snackered

Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a total snack fiend and it would seem that I’m not alone.
Research done by popchips has shown that we are a nation of ‘snackered’ workers (knackered + in need of food = snackered), meaning that the average worker is reaching for the snack cupboard at least twice a day to keep them going. ‘snackered’ workers are tucking into a pick-me-up at 11.30am – and again by 3pm, and over three quarters of brits agree a snack helps to boost energy levels!
some other interesting stats from the study include:
–          one in ten sneaky employees admitted that when previously experiencing an energy slump they have faked an illness so they can go home early.
–          fifty five per cent of brits agreed that eating smelly food is the number one bad habit closely followed by noisy eaters (40 per cent).
–          six per cent choose to hide and snack privately in the bathroom or toilet.

I can’t say I personally relate to any of those little facts, I snack more than twice a day and I have never left work early due to an energy slump. I’m one of life’s grazers. Big meals don’t bother me, I’d rather eat little and often and as a result never get energy slumps. 
Smelly food and Noisy eating is a bug bear of mine but I can live with it.

Writing this post has made me feel quite peckish actually.

Time to get stuck in!
I’d love to know your snacking habits and what you reach for when hunger hits…
My current favourite is cereal. Lots and lots of cereal. Popchips feature when I get a salt craving, which is fairly often and it’s an expensive habit!
xxx

I was compensated in popchips for writing this post.

seriously squidgy

When I was a child I remember think of Soreen’s Malt Loaf as a very grown up food, only ever seeing adults eating it I automatically assumed that’s who it was meant for and a kid wouldn’t enjoy it.
That impression lasted up until I got my first taste aged 8 or 9…now I knew why the adults didn’t want to share…it was too good!
Since then I’ve been faithful to this squidgy snack and enjoyed watching the brand launch new products such as those you see above- Banana loaf, Cinnamon and Raisin loaf, on the go snack packs and the Toastie loaf to name but a few.
I was recently sent a box of my favourites and in the name of blogging I decided to experiment with various toppings to see what complemented the flavours best (as a lover of somewhat odd food combinations at times it seemed like a win-win situation)
Winners:
Salted butter
Banana slices (with or without butter)
Butter and jam
Peanut butter
Cream Cheese
Warmed in the microwave and dipped in custard
With a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Not so Good:
Nutella- normally I’m a fan but it only really worked on the banana loaf
Cheddar cheese (some people rave about this)
Golden syrup
That was about all I managed to try over the course of a few days before running out of inspiration.
Fellow Malt Loaf fans, how do you top yours?
xxx