Category Archives: brands I love

Personalising our Home with Posterlounge

02nd December 2018
Since moving in together in October, Bob and I have been doing our best to put our own stamp on our home within the limits of what is allowed in a rental property. Fortunately for us our landlords are amazing and let us paint a wall in our bedroom (is was bright red, and so not soothing) and the rest of the house is neutral throughout making it easy to make small changes in non-invasive ways through our own furniture and accessories.
We were also contacted by the team at Posterlounge to see if we wanted to pick out a couple of pieces of artwork from their extensive selection, and of course we said yes! There were a lot of screws and hooks in our walls when we moved in that we can’t take out, which also means we have plenty of scope for hanging up some pictures, photos and other accessories (currently out advent calendars to keep them out of Pablo’s way!) so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to further personalise our home. We decided to pick out one piece each (and hope the other person liked it!)

Dreaming of Space* | We Were Together*

You can probably guess who chose what! I instantly fell in love with the quote on the print I chose, and it’s minimalism, whereas Bob who is obsessed with all things space just needed the astronaut in his life. They are now living in harmony on the lounge wall and we couldn’t be happier with the quality and service received.

The greatest thing about Posterlounge in our opinion is that there are so many options for how you want your art. You can buy as a standard poster in various sizes (with or without a frame) or chose from an array of alternative finishes such as canvas, wood, alu-dibond and acrylic glass- again in a variety of sizes and finishes.

We went for acrylic glass for both of our pictures and love the effect it gives. We picked the 50×70 size with no frame which bought the pictures to just under £60 each, and worth every penny. We’ve already said that we’ll be returning to Posterlounge in the new year to purchase some more art for the house as we really found it hard to narrow it down this time! I should also add that the pictures came with everything we needed to hang them, meaning they were up within 5 minutes of coming out of the box.

Have any of their pieces caught your eye? And does anyone have any tips they’d like to share on how else to personalise a rented home?

Products in this post were sent free in exchange for blog consideration, all opinions belong to Bob and myself.

Posted in brands I love, interiors

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Return of the Tights

29th November 2018

Once upon a time I was known for my love of crazy tights; back when my blog was brand new, right up until a couple of years ago my motto was “the bolder the better” and my collection branched in to triple digits territory.

So what happened? I grew up I suppose, got a full time job where neon orange legs weren’t acceptable and I became generally too conscious of what other people might be thinking of me. Just as I’ve finally started to become comfortable with who I am, and have begun to branch out a bit with my style again the folks at UK Tights got in touch and gave me free reign in adding to my collection…determined not to stick to boring 60 denier black I tried to branch out and the results are below.

Dress: Pull and Bear | Tights c/o UK Tights (Jonathan Aston) | Boots: LOTD

Dress: La Redoute (similar) | Tights c/o UK Tights (Cecilia De Rafael) | Boots: LOTD

Jumper: Next | Skirt: New Look | Tights c/o UK Tights (Cecilia De Rafael) | Boots: Very

Whilst I’m not about to jump back in to stockpiling tights in a rainbow of colours it was SO good to be back wearing what is so typically me! I was hesitant at first of drawing too much attention to my legs as I am finding myself increasingly self conscious as my weight creeps up, but with a bit of careful consideration about what to pair them with I had a great time thinking up ways to style the tights and felt brave enough to leave the house in them too (from the girl who has been living in the same pair of jeans at weekends for months on end now).

I’ll be the first to admit that I was hesitant about whether investing in tights was a great idea, I mean, can you really tell your Primark from your Pretty Polly? Well, actually, yes, you can- another addition to my quality over quantity approach- three pairs of tights that I’ll actually wear vs. 100 pairs of cheapies that will never see the light of day? That’s value for money.

Posted in brands I love, fashion, outfits, personal style, tights

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Christmas Treats from Niederegger

15th November 2018

Christmas is approaching at an alarming pace- one minute it was July and I was on a beach in The Algarve, the next my brain is being forced in to thinking about all things festive, and more so than ever this year as Bob and I are going to be hosting Christmas for the first time.

I had a burst of inspiration the other weekend and managed to get most of my shopping done, but I still need to pick up some bits for the harder to buy for folk in my life and I’ve spent rather a lot of my spare time (of which there is not a lot of) browsing for ideas.
Luckily, by nature of being a blogger I also get alerted to great gift ideas, such as this gorgeously festive hamper of products from the masters of marzipan, Niederegger.

Hamper c/o Niederegger via Chocolates Direct

Marzipan is one of those confectionaries that divides opinion; the marmite of the sweet world I suppose. I for one love it, especially when it comes coated in chocolate- I remember one trip to Austria where I survived solely on dark chocolate and marzipan for days!

This festive hamper of treats contains both classic Niederegger products and seasonal treats. £25 gets you:

1 x 110g classic dark chocolate covered marzipan bar (my favourite!)
1 x 100g assorted mini marzipan loaves (espresso, pistachio, pineapple and orange all coated in dark chocolate)
2 x 40g dark chocolate coated sticks- selected from 3 flavours (I got cherry and walnut, both of which I highly recommend)
1 x 125g bar of flavour of the year (which is apple strudel in case you were wondering)
1 x 100g dark chocolate covered santa (which I am not sharing with anyone)

The hamper comes gorgeously packaged making it an instant gift in the making, or ideal for leaving out for guests to pick from over the festive period- this is the intention with what is left of mine, but based on my near-constant raiding of it (little and often is the key with marzipan I find) there won’t be any left!

What festive foods have caught your eye this year, and are you a marzipan lover, or a hater?

Posted in brands I love, christmas, food, gifts, inspiration, review, snacking

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Statement Made

11th November 2018

Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time knows I have a magpie like obsession with jewellery and love to feature brands- especially independents who create gorgeously unique pieces, as much as I possibly can.

Today I bring you a new discovery of mine, Statement Made Jewellery, who very kindly popped a piece from their collection in to the post to me. In fact, it was the first piece of blogger related mail I have received in my new home, and this is also the first set of outfit photos I’ve taken in our new garden.

Anyway, Statement Made Jewellery specialise in handpicked pieces with a personal touch. Wanting their collections to reflect the uniqueness of their customers- helping them tell the world exactly who they are; 100% an ethos I can get behind!

Necklace c/o Statement Made Jewellery

I love this crystal ball style necklace, with it’s cute little “L” charm to boot. It’s already attracted a lot of attention, and has been getting a lot of wear in the few short weeks I’ve had it. It’s such a simple piece, and so perfectly me, below is an example of how I’ve been wearing it, and what my personal style is looking like right now.

Jumper: https://www.newlook.com/uk/womens/clothing/knitwear/orange-and-red-stripe-metallic-button-front-top/p/600267780?comp=Browse | Pink Cords: Primark (similar) | Boots: Miista

I feel surprisingly nervous about posting these photos, I feel like it has been so long since I last shared my personal style, and I’m very conscious of how much my body has changed in recent months, and that it still has some changing left to do. That being said, I’m also trying to ignore the gremlins that reside in my head and get back in to doing what my blog used to primarily be about- and that was documenting my outfits. Our new garden happens to have the perfect platform for taking photos which I am hoping will spur me on, and I’m starting to get back in to dressing how the real Laura always used to dress before self consciousness took over.

Apparently I’m loving a bit of pink right now, I don’t think I’ve every worn so much of one colour in a single outfit before! The jumper I picked up when New Look at 25% off knit wear, and the cords were a ridiculously low price from Primark a couple of months back. Balanced out with my two toned Miista boots which really need to get worn a lot more than they currently do, and of course, my new favourite Statement Made Accessory.

There’s so much I want on the Statement Made Jewellery website, and so many great gift ideas too! I can quite smugly say I am almost done with my Christmas shopping, but there’s always room for one or two more treats for my favourite people and I know exactly where they are coming from.
(There’s also room for one or two treats for me too, and some serious hint dropping).

I’ll leave this post here before I lose my nerve, but a big thank you to Statement Made Jewellery for the necklace- take a look at your site and let me know your favourites in the comments!

Posted in brands I love, fashion, jewellery, life stuff, personal style

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Review: Squid Ink Short Fills from E-Cigarette Direct*

07th November 2018
Another week and another vaping post, I’m not going to lie, I’m turning in to a bit of a vaping geek (and I’m totally ok with that). Following on from my post last week about how I was planning to fully embrace the vaping and finally ditch the cigarettes, today I bring to you a review of the latest short fill juices I’m trialling courtesy of my friends at e-cigarette direct, a curious sounding brand called Squid Inc.
Bob and I have both really taken to short fills, we find them much better value and we can tailor the strength to suit us by adding as much, or as little nicotine as we like.

The Squid Ink short fills are 50ml each and cost £14.99, which seems to be the standard price point- you then need to factor in another couple of quid per bottle of nicotine.

The range comes in four flavours, a brief summary of each one, and our thoughts on them below:

St Clements: A super zesty citrus mix of orange and lemon. It seems odd to describe a product like this as refreshing, but this really is. I don’t typically like citrus flavours in anything (except a gin and tonic) but this grew on me quite rapidly. It wasn’t my favourite in the range, nor Bob’s, but it’s still pretty good and certainly much better than some juices I have tried.

The Pearl Ruby: The name of this certainly piqued my interested, and it was the flavour that appealed the most to me based on description. Milk and Raspberry with a subtle hint of caramelised almonds, this was hands down my favourite of the four. Sweet enough, but not too sweet, with a smooth and subtle flavour that I really enjoyed.

Caribbean Crush: Tropical fruits with menthol doesn’t sound like it should work, but it does. I’ve never been a big fan of menthol cigarettes as I always found them harsh, but mixed with this punchy tropical blend this was a unique experience that certainly wakes you up in the morning. Again, not my favourite in the range, but certainly one I’d get again.

Barb & Cuss: A classic combination of rhubarb and custard, this tasted so realistic it was uncanny. This was Bob’s favourite of the bunch by far, and my second best next to The Pearl Ruby. I’m a big fan of rhubarb flavoured anything so I knew this would be a hit and if it hadn’t been for the slight edge on sweetness from the raspberry milk blend it would have been my top pick.

A few more weeks and I’ll post my next update in the quitting smoking process…it doesn’t really feel like quitting to be honest, vaping doesn’t feel like a nicotine replacement therapy, when actually, it kind of is. But if it’s a step away from the cigarettes and step towards a nicotine free life then that can’t be bad, right?
Any fellow vapers out there? Sometimes I feel incredibly isolated, more so by writing about it, so please do come forth!

Posted in brands I love, lifestyle, vaping

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