Neon + Fluffy + Baggy = The Perfect AW13 Jumper

I spotted a flash of neon the other day when I was walking past River Island and I was immediately drawn in.

The flash turned out to be a neon lime, mohair-esque baggy jumper. It was love at first sight! Neon and mohair (or fluffy if you like) are two huge trends for AW13 and this jumper had the perfect amount of high fashion flair and 90's grunge appeal (another trend to look out for).

I picked it up. Put it back. Picked it up again. Checked the price. Then I left the shop thinking, if I still thought about it for 24 hours (a rule I made for myself) then I would go back and get it.

Well 24 hours later I still wanted it, so I made the trip back - there's a River Island on my high street - and picked it up! I got it in a size 14 as I wanted it to be really baggy and at £35 it is the perfect new piece to take into the new fashion season.

Definitely not one for everybody though. In fact when I asked my hubby if he liked it, he just said..."erm...it's a bit bright!" With my new hair though, I feel like rocking some more "out there" pieces!

What do you think of this jumper? Hit or miss? Enjoy x

Primark and Boots Haul

Whoops!

I've been bad...I had a little spree in Primark and Boots. It was much needed and I love everything I got. So much in fact, I decided to do a little video to show you!

By the way, I apologise for the terrible quality of the video...I don't have a decent camera at the moment so am forced to use my crappy laptop camera.

Hope you enjoy x

Mini Haul - Beauty and Jewellery

I fancied picking up a couple of beauty essentials the other day, and before I knew what was happening, I ended up picking up a bit more than I expected to! With the country going through a mega heatwave (I am so not a fan, it's enough already!) the glorious oasis of an air conditioned shopping centre called to me (and hot grumpy baby) and I found these fabulous goodies.

Topshop: £8 and £5 (sale)

I vowed not to buy any clothes in the summer sale, as my baby belly battle is ongoing (9lbs lost so far in 4 weeks) but as I passed Topshop, I couldn't help popping in and to my surprise, they had some amazing jewellery on sale, half price or better. I picked up these two statement necklaces. I'm going to wear the large black and gold number to my friend's wedding on Sunday and the gold collar necklace is perfect for adding a touch of edge to a pretty summer dress.

 I saw Becky do a post about this cleanser recently and I decided to try it out for myself. For a smidgen over £3, Skin Perfection by L'Oreal states to be a 3 in 1 purifying solution - dissolves make up, unclogs pores and removes impurities and tones and smoothes the skin. I've been using it for 4 days now and I do really like it. I find it slightly drying on my eyes and I use my Lush toner and moisteriser after, but it is a quick and easy make up removal solution.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush £9.99 from Boots

After all the blogging love that Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman gets, I thought it was time to try a brush out for myself. I opted for the expert face brush and I really love it! It applies BB cream and foundation so effortlessly and smoothly and for £9.99, I think it's a total bargain. I'll be picking up some more of these for sure!

Topshop Aurora nail polish £6

I spotted this metallic nail polish in Topshop called Aurora when I was choosing my jewellery, and the alluring sheen of the polish made me instantly pick it up and take it to the till. I tried it out last week and I wasn't 100% in love with it. The polish looks like it has more of a greeny tone in the bottle, but when applied to the nails, it's pretty much a bronzy gold. Still very pretty but not what I was expecting.

MAC Mineralize foundation in NW20 £27

So I went to MAC in John Lewis. I know I shouldn't have but I needed, for the first time ever, to buy a foundation, as I want a bit more coverage at the moment (thanks to lack of sleep...cheers Eli!) and MAC never steers me wrong. One of the lovely sale assistants sat me down and we tried a few options. In the end I opted for the Mineralize SPF 15 foundation in shade NW20. It's slightly darker than my natural skin tone and the mineralized effect leaves a lovely glowy sheen while the SPF 15 does it's thing against the sun. I only use a tiny bit over some BB cream so I can imaging this bottle lasting ages...which makes the £27 price tag slightly easier to bear!

Topshop Straight Ace £5 (in sale)

My final Topshop purchase (again, in the sale) is this highly pigmented lipstick. As I mentioned ages ago in this post, I love purple tone lip colours. I find they suit my pale skin and dark features really well and this creamy lipstick was only £5, so I couldn't resist!

MAC Narcissus £17

Yes it's another MAC purchase! This was a total impulse buy, but look at that gorgeous colour! This is a brand new Cremesheen Glass lip gloss called Narcissus and I'm in love with it. It's super creamy, smooth, glossy and stays on for ages, and that colour, a stunning mix of violet, pink and bluey tones looks great for summer or winter.

Finally I decided to try the L'Oreal Sublime Bronze self-tanning spray mists. I have a wedding on Sunday and with the weather as sunny as it is, I wanted to look a bit more sunkissed. I picked up the face mist too (both of which are on special offer at Boots at the moment). I think it cost me £18 for the two together. I haven't tried them yet - waiting for the day before the wedding, so I will give a full review once I have tried them out.

Have you bought anything new recently that you're loving? Enjoy x

Lush Skin Care

I went to one of my favourite shops last week for a little treat! I spend so much of my time and money buying things for Elijah (who can resist tiny little baby clothes?!) that most of the time I never treat myself to anything. Sometimes a new nail polish, lipstick, necklace or bubble bath is all that is needed to feel like you are a proper human being again instead of just a new mama!

So I paid Lush a little visit last week, as I was in desperate need for a new moisturiser and body lotion and Lush is always the place I head to when new skin care is needed. I feel like my skin is more dry than normal at the moment (bye bye amazing pregnancy hormones) and with the sun and heat, I wanted something that would really hydrate and nourish my skin.

First up is Sympathy For The Skin. First off, the smell of this thick creamy lotion is gorgeous. It's made from cocoa butter and bananas and is super nourishing for the skin. It also has the likes of almond oil, lemon oil, sandalwood oil and glycerine. Although it is a thick cream, the gel like consistency of the mashed up organic bananas makes it very good at sinking into the skin. This leaves my whole body feeling silky soft and I love it!

Next is Imperialis, a delightful face moisturiser. With elderflower, lavender, St. John's wort, sweet violet, organic extra virgin olive oil...to name a few mega ingredients, this moisturiser is a dream to apply to a dehydrated face. This is a really light cream (despite being made of cocoa butter) and is great for combination skin. Again, it's super lightweight which makes it melt into the skin.

Finally I picked up a bottle of Eau Roma Water - a fresh smelling toner. This is great to carry around in your bag and spritz onto your face for an instant refresher, or you can spray it onto cotton wool and use it as a toner to remove any last traces of make up. That's mainly how I use it. It's basically made from lavender water and rose water, which makes it wonderfully simple and ideal for any skin type. I find it helps calm my skin if I've suffered from a break out, but it also makes it feel squeaky clean and very toned.

So those are my new fave picks from Lush. Have you tried any of them out before? Enjoy x

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

So I wrote about my new obsession with floral crowns a while ago, and as the summer has continued, my love has only grown!

They are the perfect way to create a unique and fun look and, in my opinion, can be worn with your everyday clothes or used to accessorise a pretty dress for a special occasion - I'm going to be rocking one for two of my best friend's wedding in a couple of weeks.

I thought I would treat myself to a crown or two, as I'm not buying clothes just yet...waiting for pre baby figure to be back on track, and these look great no matter if you've lost the baby weight yet or not ;o)

As the popularity of these decorative headbands grow, more and more shops on the high street are doing their own styles. I've picked up three - two from Primark and one from Topshop.

From left to right: Primark, Topshop, Primark

 The first two I found in Primark. I happened to find them by total fluke while looking for a neon necklace, and these two crowns were hidden way at the back behind some weird hair turbans.

Primark £3.50

Primark £3.50

For £3.50 I don't think you can go to far wrong with these really! They are really comfy to wear and the pink and white one in particular is so sweet and is perfect for the summer months.

The third crown I got this week at Topshop. I saw it a while ago and loved it, but at £20 I wanted to wait and see if I still loved it a couple of weeks later. Well, I couldn't stop thinking about it and knew it would be great to wear with the dress I had in mind for my friend's wedding, so I popped back to Toppers this week and treated myself to it.

Topshop £20

The flowers are so beautifully made and really sturdy, plus the rich colour makes it ideal for taking you through summer into autumn - where I can imaging wearing it with a black biker jacket, boots and chunky knitwear.

So there you go. What do you think of the floral crown craze? Have you bought into it? Enjoy x

A Shopping Haul...Not For Me!

Elijah and I all ready for a shopping trip!

So yesterday, Darren and I took our little man out for the first time...to go shopping! We've been given so many amazing presents for Elijah from friends and family, including a whole load of gift vouchers for places such as John Lewis, Mamas and Papas, Baby Gap and M&S, so we decided it was time to treat Titch to some gorgeous new clothes...and toys...and other fun (yes, yes and essential) things.

I never thought I would have so much fun buying things for someone else, but I am now definitely a baby shopaholic! Baby boy clothes are so amazing...they are like mini man clothes, and those are the kind of things we went for. I don't like clothes that are too babyish...just because he's not big enough to fill a newborn babygrow yet does not mean that my little man shouldn't look super stylish. 

We started at Jojo Maman Bebe in Temple Fortune, which is actually a sale shop...swoon!! We picked him up a couple of cute baby grows and swimming shorts for the summer, plus a breton feeding dress for mama!

Here's what I wore for our trip...this was also my first proper outing after giving birth, and it was quite overwhelming. The C section has really taken it out of me, and I've had a stinking cold all week, so I wasn't feeling my best...that and trying to adjust to a post preggo figure...bring on Zumba in 6 weeks time!

The perfect accessory!

Posing with my boy

The ultimate must-have - a Yummy Mummy bag

I went for a black maxi dress and layered over a grey marl top and checked shirt, plus my essential "Claire Belle" name necklace and peace sign necklace, topped up with the ultimate changing bag - the Yummy Mummy bag by Pink Lining. I'm obsessed with it!

After Jojo, we headed to Brent Cross and all the shops we had vouchers for. I wanted to get him outfits he could wear now, as all we have at the moment is babygrows. We got some absolutely amazing things for him, including a pair of gorgeous denim dungarees and yellow cords from Baby Gap, a fabulous hoodie and trackie bottoms outfit from Mamas and Papas, jeans and jumpers from John Lewis and my favourite - as chosen by Darren, a chambray jumpsuit from Baby Gap! Swoon!

We also picked up some toys and other bits and bobs, but, let's be honest, it's all about the clothes.

I've popped a couple of pics of the haul below, and if you look closely, you'll see Titch in the background lording it over all of his new goodies.

So there you go...a haul post, just not for me! As soon as I am back in the shopping mode for myself, I will do a haul post of my own, but for now, I am loving buying clothes for my gorgeous little man. Enjoy x

Not bad for Eli's first haul

My favourite purchase of the day - a chambray jumpsuit from Baby Gap

Stuff I've Got My Eye On

Yes I know we've only just had Christmas, but with a new year comes a new lust list! After catching up on my favourite blogs since New Years, and checking out the sales online, I've discovered a whole heap of fabulous goodies to add to my "must own in 2013" list.

So with that being said, here is what I have my eye on...

Disney Wonder Linen Spray



How adorable is this pretty bottle and box? I'm actually considering getting this for myself and for Titch, as it really is described as being perfect for a baby's room. It has a fragrance of lemon sugar, apple blossom and marshmallows. It's so sweet and at £8 I think it's the perfect addition to add a little sweetness to your home.

Kindle Fire

I love my Kindle. Darren got it for me 2 Christmas's ago and it is definitely one of my favourite posessions. I am such a bookworm and I do still love my books and I do have the habit of buying a book and downloading it on my Kindle, if it is something that I have been waiting for, for a while. I have tried not to get caught in the hype of tablets, but I am quite leaning towards the Kindle Fire. One thing I don't like about my Kindle is that it doesn't have a backlight, which means reading in bed still means I have to have my bedside lamp on, which keeps the hubby awake. The Fire means all my books, music and movies are in one place and as it has a lit screen, I would be able to read even with the lights off! Bonus!

Neom Home Candle

I am a huge candle fan - have always loved a pretty candle, but now that I am growing up, I've stopped buying cheap scented candles and instead have decided that it is worth it to pay a bit more and get a candle which is made with pure essential oils and will last longer, with a scent which will fill your whole home. My favourite brands being Neom, Diptyque and Anthropologie. I got a gorgeous Neom candle for Christmas, and, being the obsessive kind, I already have my eye on the next scent...and that would be the rose and neroli home candle. Yes, at £39.50 they are expensive, but you get a lot of candle for your money and they really do make your whole house smell amazing!

Diptyque Tubereuse Candle

Another pricey candle! This time a Diptyque one. I love the smell of tuberose and this gorgeous candle is right up my street. At £38 again it is a lot for a candle, but they do burn for 50 - 60 hours, so you do get a lot of pretty smell for your money.

Cath Kidston Antique Rose quilt

My whole house looks a bit like a Cath Kidston showroom. We don't have that much Cath Kidston stuff (kitchenware and towels aside) but I love the whole look of her designs, and that pretty shabby chic look. I've always wanted a Cath Kidston eiderdown, or quilt, to put on the bed and snuggle up under on cold mornings or nights. I think they add a real touch of luxury and a cosy homey feel. I think they are about £120 but totally worth it!

Mulberry Alexa Satchel

Ooh a hefty price tag, but a fabulous bag it is! I'm a bit of a bag snob - I never handbags from the high street, it's the one item which I always invest in. I tend to invest in one designer bag every 18 months - 2 years and my label of choice is the classic British brand, Mulberry. They look fabulous, last forever and really add something special to your everyday look. The next style I want to invest in is the Alexa. I love the preppy look with the iconic Mulberry gold hardware. Colour of choice - Oak and at £895 I better start saving my pennies now!

A Roll in the Hague

Pedal Faster Suzi

I Have A Herring Problem

Just Spotted the Lizard

 

 

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Teal The Cows Come Home



2013 is the year of investing in high quality nail varnishes. I can never decide which brand I love more, Nails Inc or O.P.I but the group of varnishes I've been loving recently all happen to be O.P.I, so I think I'll go with them for now. These are the shades I have my eye on.

Name Necklace featuring classic "Carrie" design - design your own!

I've always wanted a "my name" necklace, and after seeing a gorgeous on on Milkteef, I've decided that the ones at My Name Necklace is perfect. I would definitely go for my whole name - Claire Belle - as it would look so much more unique. The 9 ct solid gold version is currently £88 so not a bad keepsake really!  

 

So that's what has caught my eye recently. Some really fun and yet grown up things I think. What do you think of the above? Has anything special caught your eye recently? Let me know below! x