My Modernist Inspiration: Dining Room

furniture can be found at http://www.wrenliving.com/dining-room

I've been trying to get my head around decorating our house, it's so ruddy hard. I have more Pinterest boards than I care to tell you about. I've started putting together some boards for various ideas I have. Some of them include things I've put on my wedding list. If I told you how many lamps are on that list you'd die. I'm obsessed with Abigail Ahern lamps at the minute so there's about a million on our wedding list.

I thought I'd share my inspiration mood board for our dining room, which features our wedding cutlery, the most radical banana bowl ever and rather fabulous modernist furniture from www.wrenliving.com.

This is my little quick guide to putting together that modernist look pretty simply and effectively, no mess, no fuss.

Give me your thoughts on how you create your own modern design!

Much Love

Dinner, Drinks and Dachshunds: Weekend Hang Outs

Last weekend our friends and my bridesmaid Claire and Ali invited us round for a relaxed dinner. Yum. So with a little host gift in hand we popped round.

As Claire is mistress of cake this absolute beast was our dessert. I had some for breakfast the next day... seriously it just gets better.

I also took some proper sneaky chances to steal some kisses from Lola the sausage, we are buddies. Don't tell Molly though or I will be disowned.

My outfit of the night was a little navy dress, it's shorter than I normally go with but I love it. This is a very rare one for me, I never EVER take my cardigan off. Listen to me I'm like a middle age woman, ooo me cardigan. But I'm very anti arms so here's a rare one of me minus cardie! I hate having to look at pictures of myself, I think physically I have a really long face, horse like? Oh who knows!

                               

So that was my 'what I wore' in an effort to get used to my photos in preparation for the wedding. How do you guys get used to it? Do you pose? Is there a good way?

Much Love

Easy Ways to Boost Your Wardrobe: Inanity's Guest Post

Our guest post today is all about how to boost your wardrobe on a shoestring budget, I have to say there's some great points in here. I've used a lot of these myself, especially the power of a statement necklace. Enjoy and let me know your tips!

Fashion can be extremely damaging to our bank accounts, especially when designers are releasing new trends on an almost daily basis. However, for most fashionistas, buying into the latest ensembles is a must. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to do this on a budget.

Repurpose old favourites

First things first: prior to buying anything new, you should begin by digging through your wardrobe and rediscovering outfits you love. Finding long-forgotten dresses and creating new outfits by incorporating old favourites into newer styles is a great way to mix up your wardrobe on a shoestring. If something really is past its expiration date or you find something you’re unlikely to wear again, sell it to boost your fashion funds.

Get organised

There’s a common saying amongst many women, who often proclaim they have ‘nothing to wear’. This generally has nothing to do with an empty wardrobe and more to do with being unable to see the forest for the trees. A wardrobe brimming with t-shirts, shirts, dresses, shoes, bags, belts and skirts will make creating an outfit ensemble an enormously difficult task. Whether you opt for a colour coding system or invest in an extra wardrobe, organisation is key. Being able to see every outfit you have, without having to sift through a variety of garments, will certainly help you to create various stylish ensembles.

A different look

Instead of revamping your wardrobe, revamp yourself. The New Year is the perfect time to try out new hair styles, which are equally effective at transforming your look as upcycled fashion pieces. New hair styles are proving to be a huge hit on the red carpet this season, with a number of models and A-list celebrities sporting a shorter crop. The two shorter trends to take centre stage include a sophisticated and a punk style. Opting for a shorter hairstyle can work wonders on your wardrobe, giving both tired outfits and locks a new twist.

Accessorise

If you quite simply don’t have the funds to invest in a new outfit, buy a number of accessories instead. Adding a hot hued handbag, an embellished belt, a bright pair of boots or a statement necklace to an otherwise simple outfit is a great way to update your entire ensemble. Bold, brave jewellery is big for 2014 and choosing accessories in brighter shades is a great way to bring a dull outfit back to life.

Pack Up Your Troubles: Inanitys Wedding Loves

You fabulous creatures already know that I'm flying off to Las Vegas to get married, and as such many of you have been wonderful and when you read my post about packing last week, have been giving me great tips. Thank you, thank you, thank you lovelies. Would you believe that I was in House of Fraser oooooohing and ahhhhing over the Biba feather capes, seriously the black crow ones oh my goodness, I just can't even. Anyway there I was and I got to talking to the sales assistant who happened to be an ex flight attendant and who gave me all the gossip about what I can take on the plane with me. So helpful, big thank you to her.

In the spirit of total fortuitousness, the next day I opened my inbox and one of my favourite skincare companies Voya had sent me a lovely press release about their new travel kit. An omen I shrieked and couldn't wait to try it out.

The set comprises a very cute little travel bag, the products are in miniature to make sure even if it's in your hand luggage your liquids will be ok. Organic skincare is always such a treat and Voya's is all made from seaweed, so it always feels so fresh and lovely.

Inside we have:

Ritzy Spritzy-Refreshing Botanical Toner

Me Time-Daily Facial Moisturiser

Cleanse and Mend-Hydrating Cleansing Milk

Maskerade- Hydrating Facial Mask

So you have a whole skincare routine in miniature, packed with hydration to help any airplane tired skin. I am obsessed with the Ritzy Spritzy, best name ever, but also lovely and refreshing little toner which when followed with the Me Time moisturiser gives a lovely cooling sensation to the skin.

Definitely great for all you travelers who want to keep your skin looking fresh, I will be taking mine with me in my hand luggage, 12 hours of flying, that Ritzy Spritzy toner and moistuiser will be getting a serious workout. Lots of seaweed organic goodness on my skin will do wonders for my morale in that airplane with all the recycled air!

If you want to check out their range, I love their balm cleanser, you can find them here.

Thanks Voya, I really appreciate it!

Bow Down And Rise Up: Beyonce Rise Review

I can't be the only person who every so often blurts out 'Thurfboart' or 'Surfboard' maybe if you're going to be correct about it. In fact it became such a bad habit I stopped realising I was doing it, Himself would look at me and shake his head. Recently it's developed into a burst of 'I woke up like dis' , a veritable Beyonce tourettes is happening within me and I'm not entirely sure how to turn it off. I should be grateful in a way because it has put my Cinderella/Rockefeller ear worm to bed but it's driving me a little crazy. 

Anyway, as part of my Beyonce mania I was sent the new fragrance by Queen B herself, Rise. The box has sprays of gold flourishing all over it, rising up, volcanic really. When I whipped out the bottle to get a good sniff, it's a long bottle with almost a crown topper. A liberal spritz on the back of the hand heralded the sniff test.

I always prefer not to read the notes about the fragrance initially, I wanted to get a good smell before they told me what I should be sniffing.

My sniffs deduced this, it's sweet, there's muskiness, and some woodiness. There's floral in there but I can't pick it out, the initial hit of sweet is covering that a little for me.

I grabbed the notes on the fragrance to see how my nose did. Top notes of basil, bergamot and apricot, I thought I would smell the bergamot more, as I normally love it in fragrances. The top notes to me anyway don't seem as crisp or musky as I would have thought. The middle notes explain the sweetness, orchid, freesia and jasmine, a really powerfully floral middle, with the apricot that takes the sweetness up a notch.

On the bottom, vetiver, cashmirwood and musk round out the woodiness of this fragrance. When I smell it the main notes are the apricot, the wood mix followed by the orchid and the musk. It reminded me really strongly of something when I first put it on, as it has settled and developed I worked it out, the apricot, jasmine and orchid blend reminds me hugely of Lady Gaga's Fame. It doesn't have the same honey mix as Fame but a more woody edge, they're very similar though, I think if you like Fame, you'll like Rise.

So that's all from me, just so you can go about your day and I can sing along, enjoy the video.

Much Love

Light Up, Light Up: Lit Compact Mirror Review

I recently was asked if I would like to review one of Pebble Grey's compacts and I have to say, of course! Don't you know they light up? I mean seriously, it's like a mini Broadway dressing room in your bag, awesome.

So I have to say I was really excited about this, they have a full range of various different mirrors, wall hanging and miniature. I'd actually been on their site before as I was looking for a light up mirror for my dressing room, I have these beautiful ideas of a fully lit dressing table of gauzy glowingness as I do my make up in the morning. So in miniature version of course I was going love doing a review on it.

I whipped out my mirror when it arrived, it's pretty heavy and comes very well packaged with a box, and a velvet bag, so it's rather luxe. It has a silver outer with the brand name on the outside, but on the inside is where it gets awesome. One side is a normal mirror and the other has little LED lights placed into the mirror. Six in all all glow around the left hand side of the mirror. It illuminates your face so you can look at it on the other side. I found that it was easier to look at the bare side and let the lit section light up your face. Mainly I think it's great as the bane of my life is when I look in the mirror and there's weird shadows over my face and it gives you odd lines. This way your face is always lit, let me tell you it does wonders for the self esteem!

It's a lovely little thing though, very swish and cute. I've had a couple of people ooooh and ahhh over it when I've used it so that's always a good sign. If I had to be picky I honestly would say that I think they should change their exterior, it's so beautiful and luxe on the inside and the outside lets it down a little. Perhaps a stainless steel or an enamel rather than plastic to really make it covetable, I think it's a fabulous little product and something that could be an amazing range.Would love to see the exterior changed a little, maybe some different colours. Oooooo I love the thought.

Anyway gang, that's all from me!

Much Love

Getting Vegas Ready: Packing, Packing, Packing

My house at the moment is filled with far too many things. There are still boxes from when we moved, things still aren't organised and now I have two giant suitcases occupying my dressing room on the top floor.

It occurred to me about two weeks ago that not only am I planning a wedding round the other side of the world, I also have to pack enough things into my suitcase to make sure I have everything I need to get married and look presentable. Where everyone else has their personalised robes and scented candles, I'm thinking about baggage allowance and if the flight crew will hang my dress up separately or if they will count it as hand luggage.
I'm thinking about whether or not I should siphon off my skincare into tiny bottles, how much I'll really need, if I should bring all three of my favourite toners? I mean what if my skin changes over the course of the holiday and I don't have the right toner? So instead of having my entire bathroom of products I have a rather elaborate wash bag with many compartments.

Stress.

So I've got my cases out and I'm gradually starting to fill them with the essentials, I'm trying to think about what I might need. What will I be doing in Vegas, what do I need to take? I've tried to think my way through the day, from my vitamins in the morning to shampoos and night creams. I'm trying to keep it light on the clothing side of things, a few dresses and a couple of pairs of shoes, I know all the fashion bloggers are horrified at the prospect but I'm trying to keep it scaled back, considering I have a wedding dress, a dress for my evening party, plus skirts and netting and all the rigmarole that goes with it, I do think less is more on the clothing front.

I'm planning on having some fun shopping, hello Sephora, Forever 21 and the M&M store I think we shall have all the fun. I am dreading my bill at Sephora, they just have so many brands I can't get here! Obviously apart from getting married, we'll be seeing Elton John, going to shows, and having a little bit of a gamble on all the slots, blackjack and maybe any online bingo sign up bonus that comes our way.There's so much to do but I don't want to pile loads of outfits in, so I'm thinking versatility and simplicity to some degree, the most important things will go in and after that it's whatever else fits. And by most important, I do of course mean 4 different toners...

Let me know your packing tips, what should I bring what should I ignore!

Much Love

Protect And Serve: SkinCeuticals Sheer Mineral UV Defense

I'm ALL about SPF these days. They are so important to make sure you bounce all those pesky UV rays off your skin and keep ageing at bay!

I was sent the fabulous SkinCeuticals Sheer Mineral UV Defense, factor 50 fabulousness. I use it after moisturising every morning. Paraben free, chemical filter free, non comedeogenic, you can wear it with total ease that your skin is being protected and you are looking after it excellently. It has UVA and UVB filters which doesn't come as standard for a lot of sunscreens so do check. It's also great for all types of skin, including sensitive and post procedure.

It is quite light but you will have to wait for it to sink in a little before foundation as if you're anything like me you'll end up with white streaks. I'm always in a rush though, if you give it 5 minutes and put it on brush your teeth by the time you're done you'll be good to go. It's become a really important part of my routine as most ageing is caused by sun damage, and if you're spending money on anti ageing products but not adding a daily SPF to the mix, you're wasting your money. 

Even computer screens can give off rays, and winter still needs SPF protection.

Get your SPF on!

Much Love

Valentines In A Cup: Last Minute Pretty Present

So you're wondering what to buy yourself or your lady for Valentines, you've ambled around stores until you can no longer face the prospect of any more pink or red. Maybe you haven't even done anything, well you may find this helpful. This lovely little teacup is by Kirsty Allsop at Marks and Spencers and it's quite a treat. 

Originally I got sent it as part of Marks and Spencers secret santa but it managed to get itself lost so it arrived with me in January and I have to say it really has been perking up teatime.

Rather lovely floral and polka dots, with a very delicate cup, it's looking very well in my cupboards at the moment and I like to pull it out when I have guests over. If you're looking for a little Valentines present you can't go too far wrong here. Failing that I say buy it for yourself if you like it and enjoy the little floral side plates.

A very vintage style, mix and match but it does look lovely together. Check it out next time you're in Marks and Spencer.

Much Love and cake

Take It To The Max: Image Skincare The Max Cleanser

I've been using this cleanser by Image Skincare for a few months now, I thought I would wait until I'd used it through until I posted a review.

First impressions, I loved the pump dispenser, it was a lot cleaner and less messy. One pump is enough to do your face, but it you like a bit to work with then two might be for you. It creates a creamy foam. I'm not normally a foam fan as it usually spells awful ingredients but the ingredient list is fine and it's not a ridiculously foamy product.

It will lift your make up off really easily it does sting the eyes though so if you like your cleanser to take off your eye make up this might not be the one for you. It got my skin really clean and lasted for 3 months which I think is really impressive.

It's designed to optimise the skin's PH, minimise redness and slow down aging with its combination of plant extracts, oats and various complimentary ingredients. I had no problem with it at all, sometimes I found it could leave me a little dry if I didn't use a rich moisturiser. 

Well worth a try if you're looking for a new cleanser!

Much Love