Father’s Day Inspiration from Patria

With less than two weeks to go until Father’s Day I thought it was about time I shared some inspiration and ideas to help you find the perfect, unique gift. Every year I seem to put all my focus on the Mother’s Day whilst dear old Dad gets overlooked…this year I managed to completely bypass a gift guide for Mum, but I have managed to find some gems for the Dad’s out there which I’ll be sharing on the blog this week.

First up on the gift guide front we have some luxury menswear from luxury British brand Patria.

“Patria was founded to support the British armed forces community. It gives 10% of its profits to the three leading single charities benefitting veterans: ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, The Royal Marines Royal Navy Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Richard Thackray, founder of Patria, said: “We and our customers think we’ve built the UK’s most durable sweatshirt and t-shirt. A hundred per cent British made, Patria uses the best materials and best construction.
“The result for both our sweatshirt and t-shirt is the softest, most luxurious and best made product available anywhere today. It’s fitting we’ve launched a new range of heirloom pieces for Father’s Day, celebrating the dedication and commitment of dads’ everywhere.” “

The t-shirt costs £40 and the sweatshirt costs £99- a little on the pricey side for some but 10% of profits go to the three leading charities benefitting veterans: ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, The Royal Marines Royal Navy Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Both pieces feature Patria’s logo Jack- an Airedale Terrier famed for crawling two miles through no-man’s land to deliver a message that rescued a battalion during World War One, and his pup, the sweatshirt and t-shirt are designed and manufactured in the UK using only the best fabrics.

Available now from the Patria website.

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Get your Glitter on with Essence!

I do love a bit of glitter, I always have done- it’s so irresistibly messy and attention grabbing and it’s a standing joke that any one who is around me ends up covered in some form of sparkle.

So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about the launch of a range of glitter pigments from Essence. No longer reserved purely for the festive season, these glitters are perfect for holidays, parties and festivals and are a hugely affordable way to update your existing look with minimal effort.

There are 8 glitters in the range, costing just £3 each as well as a glitter primer and applicator brush which also costs £3 per piece- this basically means you can get a whole wardrobe of glitter AND the accessories for £30 which represents amazing value.

I haven’t had a chance to test these out yet, as much as I love to sparkle I think that a full face of the shiny stuff for work would be a step too far, but I will be sharing my look on social media as soon as I get a chance.

These great value pots of joy are just one of several new and exciting products I’ve clocked from what remains my favourite budget brand. I’ve got my eye on the holographic lip colours, holo wow eye and face palette and nail products which I’ll be trying to obtain next time I’m at my local Wilko for some half price pick and mix!

Essence products are available nationwide from Wilko stores or online at wilko.com. Have I convinced you to check them out yet with my numerous rave reviews? If I have let me know which products you’re loving in the comments, as well as how you’ll be rocking your glitter this summer (I’m thinking a subtle sparkly eye would be perfect for holiday evenings.

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A Summer Wish List for Him*

I’m not the kind of girl who insists on accompanying her boyfriend on every shopping trip to police what he wears, but I have been known to pick bits up for Bob when I’m out and about, quite confident that I know his tastes almost as much as I know my own.
Since I did a summer wish list for myself the other week I thought I’d branch out a little bit and do a menswear one as well- it’s been a while since the blokes got any attention on my blog (and I’m mostly certain these are all Bob approved pieces!)

Wallet Set: Typo | Holdall: River Island | Rocket Tee & Trainers: Pull and Bear | Swim Shorts: New Look | Shorts & Polo Shirt: Quiz Man | Short Sleeve Shirt: ASOS

When it comes to shopping for Bob we tend to stick to the same places- Pull & Bear (his favourite after I introduced him), River Island, ASOS and House of Fraser. We’re always up for discovering somewhere new though, and Quiz Clothing’s new menswear collection has some great pieces that suit his tastes perfectly. I’m really liking the navy shorts, although he owns so many pairs of shorts already I daren’t suggest he buys any more! They have some lovely shirts for men too.

With a holiday coming up I thought throwing a few accessories in would be a good idea too- a wallet set like this one for Typo is a reasonably priced back up for when he inevitably misplaces his current one, and the River Island holdall is a classic upgrade on what he already has.

Any gentlemen readers, where are your favourite places on the high street to shop? Ladies, feel free to chip in too!

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A Summer Wish List with Quiz Clothing*

Well, I think this might be some kind of record for absence of blogging for me. To say life has been a bit chaotic lately would be a complete understatement, but things are calming down now (I hope) and I’m finally getting some time and space to think about content again.

I’ve done a bit of shopping lately so I may well have some outfit posts on the horizon, but in the mean time, inspired by the current sunny weather and climbing temperatures, today I bring you a wish list from one of my top high street brands and one that has featured on the blog many times in the past- Quiz Clothing.

This wish list comes with the exciting news that Quiz have just expanded in to the USA following a successful expansion in to Spain- this means that more of you lovely lot will be able to shop their great pieces which currently includes a stunning selection of maxi dresses, jump suits, summer dresses and all of the occasion wear you could ever dream of.

Floral maxi dress: £29.99/$69.00 | Striped jumpsuit: £29.99/$69.00 | Tropical print playsuit: £26.99/$59.00 | Limited edition maxi dress: £34.99/$79.00 | Floral dress: £26.99/$59.00 | Striped jumpsuit 2: £29.99/$69.00

Right now it’s clear I’ve got summer, and holiday dressing on the brain. I’m eagerly counting down the days until I fly out to Portugal with Bob and I’ve finally ditched my winter wardrobe in favour of my summer one. It’s shown a serious lack of warm weather clothing actually, I’ve pretty much grown out of everything I own, which means there are probably plenty more wish list posts coming up as I am spending an obscene proportion of any down time I get scouring my online favourites for new pieces.

USA readers, what other UK brands would like to see make it on to your shores? Every one else, what do you think of my picks?

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Celestial

Happy Monday folks, it’s back to work for me after an incredibly relaxing week off with Bob- for once we timed it just right around the weather and really got to make the best of that glorious sunshine bestowed upon us for a few short days.

Life feels pretty damn good right now- we’ve just booked a holiday for July, I’m happy and fulfilled at work and out of work. I’ve just passed my driving theory test (for the third time, I might add) and I have plans, goals and dreams which actually feel obtainable.

Which is why it frustrates me so much that these outfit photos nearly didn’t happen, and nearly didn’t make it on to the blog. With so much going right at the moment it really gets me down that my body is my enemy and my confidence is at an all time low. Having had an eating disorder since I was 15 I suppose it’s inevitable that these demons will be the last, and the hardest obstacle to overcome, but I feel like I shouldn’t be as fixated as I am right now, nor as governed by stupid rules and rituals. I’ve been dragging my feet at this “almost there” weight for so long. I’m past the half way mark but can’t seem to make myself go that bit further. Oh to have freedom from this brain of mine for just one day.

Rant over,
on to the outfit, and to a dress which has been sat in my wardrobe for the last 6 months since I bought it- it’s taken until now to think up a way to wear it that doesn’t involve dressing up and going out.

Dress: Thunder Egg | Shoes: Converse at ASOS

I’ve featured Thunder Egg on the blog before and they still remain one of my favourite online shopping discoveries. As soon as I saw this velvet, constellation print dress I knew I needed it, and although it’s hung neglected for so long in my wardrobe now I’ve broken the “it’s a going out dress” barrier and started to treat it as the slightly more glamorous older sister of the humble t-shirt dress I think it’s going to get a lot of wear.

I hope everyone has a great start to the week, I’m on the birthday count down now (five days) and my next few weekends are full of fun filled plans and time spent with loved ones- all involving things that a year ago I didn’t think would be possible to do and enjoy.

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