Local Beauty

21st August 2015
I feel very lucky that I live near some truly beautiful places. The other week I went along to an old favourite, Layde Bay in Clevedon which is one of the prettiest beaches in the surrounding area. Initially the plan was just to go for a bit of a walk, but as we found this platform and the weather was being kind Ben and I thought we’d snap some outfit photos too (next time we might actually make it on to the beach!)

Dress: c/o Jarlo London a few summers ago | Sandals c/o George at Asda

This dress is one of my favourites for the summer months and has been worn more times than I can recall since it first fell in to my hands a few years ago. The little sail boat print on it is so sweet, and combined with the mint green shade puts a feminine twist on my beloved nautical vibes.

I admit I let Jarlo London fall off my radar for a year or so, but having just taken a look at their current collection they taken themselves down the occasion-wear route and produced some truly stunning pieces, I’ve never seen so many beautiful maxi dresses in one place!

Usually I’d team this dress with my Converse, but as they are literally falling apart I thought I’d change things up a bit and went for these sandals from George at Asda. I’ve been really lucky with sandals this year as every pair that’s come in to my possession has been really comfortable- there’s nothing worse than owning lots of lovely shoes but not daring wear them for fear of discomfort after only half an hour!
Do you live near any local beauty spots?

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Posted in life, outfits, shoes

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Is New Music Really New?*

20th August 2015
I’ve always had a lot of love for music although my tastes have changed a lot over the years. These days I rarely find myself listening to current releases and I honestly couldn’t name one person/band in the charts- I gravitate towards the classics, the old school originals if you will. It would appear I’m not the only one who feels this way as this interesting infographic shows, here are the five most sampled songs used in the music industry today.
Infographic put together by Lindy.co.uk
Let’s talk music- who do you rate and hate? Do you prefer the old school hits or the current music scene?

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Beauty Love: Vaseline Spray Moisturiser

19th August 2015
There are some brands that I grew up with and still love today, one of them being Vaseline. I remember how we always had a tub of the original petroleum jelly in the bathroom cabinet when I was a child and since then I’ve tried pretty much everything they have made; I remember the insane coveting I went through when the iconic lip therapy tins first came out!
One of the latest products to be released by the brand are the Spray Moisturisers, claiming to be perfect for Summer days, providing a quick, light and effective burst of moisture that absorbs in seconds. I suffer with really quite dry skin, as does my Mum so we were really excited to try out a couple of cans from the range and give our thoughts.
We were sent the cocoa radiant* and essential healing* tins and there is also an aloe vera variety available. Now, my Mum and I are notoriously hard to please when it comes to body products, often ditching a product after only one or two uses so I like to think we were the right people for the job of testing these out!
What we both really loved about these sprays is how easy they are to use, they spray from all angles making it super simple to reach those otherwise hard to get at places. I found the cocoa radiant spray the perfect remedy after stupidly allowing myself to get sunburnt on my upper back when I fell asleep on a beach and although Mum isn’t a fan, I just love the smell of cocoa butter.

The sprays really are fast absorbing too and skin feels instantly soft without any sticky residue or faffing around waiting for the product to sink in. Ideal for taking away with you and for me, it’s made me more inclined to moisturise morning and night as it literally takes seconds- my skin has never felt so good!

All in all these are a really great launch from Vaseline and with an RRP of £5.99 aren’t going to break the bank either. I vaguely remember these being around a few years ago too and I didn’t get on with them as well, either I’ve grown up and become more capable at applying body care of Vaseline have made some tweaks to the system, either way I’ll be re-purchasing these in the future and would recommend them to anyone looking for a quick dry skin solution!

Available from Boots (half price last time I checked!) and Superdrug (again half price). Stock up now!

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Posted in beauty, review

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Riverside

17th August 2015
It actually feels like a lifetime ago since Ben and I took these photos, we’d gone over to a nearby town to sort out some bits before Ben moved there and decided to make the most of the glorious weather at the time and explore the path down by the river that runs along the back of his street. Clevedon is brilliant like that- there’s the town centre with a smattering of shops, then there is the Victorian sea front and eclectic shops of Hill Road. On the other side of town is the river and the whole place is just somewhere I feel instantly peaceful.

Top: Topshop (sale) | Skirt: Urban Outfitters (alternative) | Sandals c/o Shoe Zone

I seem to have all but given up on wearing anything but mini skirts these days! The one in this post cost me £12 in the Urban Outfitters sale back at the end of April. It’s long sold out now but I’ve linked an alternative above (and to be honest, it’s likely I’ll add it to my collection before long!)

The top was part of my Topshop haul and was an impulse buy to make up the amount on a voucher. I was suckered in by the £7 price tag and wasn’t really expecting to love it quite as much as I do. It is more fitted than a lot of my tops which makes it perfect for pairing with skirts and has a touch of the seventies about it.

I remember it being hot enough to go bare legged in this outfit- this is a fairly momentous occasion as it takes a lot to get me away from my sheer tights! Thankfully my Shoe Zone sandals are comfy enough not to need that little bit of protection, I could walk for miles in these, not bad for £14.99!

Do you have any where near you that makes you instantly relaxed? You can expect to see a lot more of Clevedon on the blog now Ben is living there, there’s so many places I want to show on the blog!

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, shoes

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Holiday Hair with Mark Hill

15th August 2015
My hair and I never seem to get along in the summer months. The humidity levels in the UK, the sun and generally being outside more make me what can only be described as a walking ball of frizz and I seem to be in a constant battle to keep my hair tamed. I was lamenting this fact on twitter the other week when the friendly folk at Mark Hill offered to come to my rescue by sending me some of their “Holiday Hair” range of products, desperate to feel a bit more confident with my unruly mane I very hastily accepted their kind offer!
I’ve used a lot of sea salt sprays* in my time and was genuinely impressed with the lasting power of this one as I used it once before a weekend away in Devon and my waves stayed well, wavy until I next washed my hair which is nothing short of a miracle. The dry shampoo* was also lovely and refreshing. It’s a toss up for top spot really between this and my beloved Batiste but I know I’d definitely buy this again as the can is the perfect size for stashing in a weekend bag and I loved the smell and the fact it left behind no residue on my hair. It gets added bonus points for making me forget I was potentially carrying half a beach in my hair for most of the weekend.
The shampoo* and conditioner* come in a handy 50ml tube perfect for travelling light. I’ve used each of these once with impressive results but don’t want to comment too much on their powers until after my week in Spain later in the year which is guaranteed to put them through their paces a lot more than one day of glorious sunshine down in Devon. My hair does feel lovely and soft after using these though and they look lovely and tropical sat in the bathroom (yeah, I’m a sucker for nice packaging!)
The serum* in this range has become my new secret weapon against frizzy hair this summer. I popped some on after washing my hair on a Friday morning before heading down to the sea side and two days later there was still barely a hint of frizz whereas usually I’d be desperately searching for a hair tie and a hat in attempt to exercise damage limitation. For any frizz prone ladies out there I’d definitely recommend this and at £6.49 I think it’s a bargain as it holds it’s own far better than products I’ve used that have cost twice the price. The cover up spray* came with me to the beach and seemed to make my hair feel less straw like than usual on the one really hot day we had, again I think this is another product best tested in sunnier climes but I have high hopes for this one too.
There are still some products in the range I’m itching to try, I’ll be picking up the anti-humidity spray next time I’m in town as I think that this and the serum combined will be an un-stoppable force in the fight against frizz. Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought of them, or if you have any other advice for keeping hair sleek and smooth this summer.

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Posted in beauty, brands I love, hair

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