July Favourites

, I can´t BELIEVE it is already the  of July! This year is going ridiculously quickly, and I feel like I haven´t done half of the things I wanted to yet!
Anyway, one thing I have, of course, managed to do, is to buy and to use plenty of beauty products, so without further ado, here are my favourites for this month.

Bach´s Rescue Remedy

I haven´t really mentioned this before on my blog, and I´m not going to go on and on about it here, but for the last year or so I have been suffering from anxiety. It´s not the kind of thing where I feel nervous before a stressful event, or when in a difficult situation - of course, I do feel like that, but this is more of a physical thing where I feel permanently on edge and cannot relax, even when I have no reason to be feeling this way. It´s more a case of my body than my mind (although of course it is probably my mind that is causing it, one way or another), and so this Rescue Remedy, sprayed twice on the tongue whenever I am feeling it, really helps me to relax. It´s not a miracle worker, but knowing that I´ve got it to hand is reassuring. It contains Cherry Plum, Clematis, Rock Rose, Star of Bethlehem and Impatiens, which all have calming properties.

Do any of you study from stress of anxiety? If so, how do you deal with it? I´d love to know if you have any tips!

Caudalie Eau de Beaute Beauty Elixir

I don´t think this one needs much of an introduction, given it´s popularity within the blogosphere. I am quite sure that you will have read at least one post about this before, if not many more!

Anyway, I got my hands on this a couple of weeks ago and have been using it daily ever since. I generally have very good skin, but recently I seemed to have started getting some unexplained breakouts. I´ve found that this stuff has worked wonders in clearing them up, and my skin feels soft and looks radiant after using it. I usually use it after cleansing, morning and night, and find the menthol scent really soothing and invigorating. However, I haven´t had as much success using it as a ´refresher´on my makeup throughout the day, as many people have raved about in their reviews - for me, it doesn´t seem to make much of a difference!

Revlon Photoready Foundation

This has become my daily go-to foundarion and has been a real ´grower´, considering I was on the fence about it in the beginning. I reviewed this product a couple of weeks ago, so if you are interested in reading that then you can find it here.

Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask

This is a product I´ve had for a while, and which, despite my general love for Liz Earle skincare, I wasn´t too impressed with. It´s a mask which is designed to be applied to the face in a thick layer and left for around fifteen minutes after cleansing, and to be honest, I never really noticed much of a difference in my skin after using it. However, recently, I was in need of a face mask as my skin was asking for some TLC, so I decided to try applying this at night and leaving it on while I slept. Well, I´ve got to say, using it like this has made all the difference. In the morning, there is no residue to rinse off as my skin drinks all the moisture up, and is left feeling lovely and baby soft.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous

I´m going to be reviewing this one later in the week, so I won´t say too much now. But I must say, I absolutely love this shade and have been wearing it almost every day since I got it.

Benefit The Porefessional Primer

I wouldn´t say that I LOVE this or find it amazing, but I have been finding it quite useful when applied to my forehead, which can tend to get a bit oily, as this does a good job of mattifying it and creating a better base for my foundation. I also like to use it on my nose, to hide the obvious pores I have there. But I wouldn´t use this all over my face, as I much prefer a dewy, glowing finish.

Benefit Coralista and Benefit Dallas

I´m going to review both of these soon, so again, I´ll save my chatter for then. But I will say that hey have fast become favourites and go-to products in my daily routine, and when I use Dallas as a contour, together they are the dream combination for me.

So, that´s it for July. I have really been genuinely loving all of these products, and it hasn´t been like some months where it´s hard to choose anything that has really floated my boat. To be fair, it might be because I have ácquired´more products than usual. Not that I´m meant to be on a spending ban or anything. Ahem.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed having a little peek into my makeup bag and the like. Have you tried any of these products? What are your current favourites?

xx

Experimental Jungle Nails (Rush Job!)

If you read my post on Dior's new Golden Jungle collection over the weekend (if you didn't find it here), you will know that it's probably one of the most exciting new lines due out for A/W 2012,  featuring earthy greens, leopard print and crocodile effect alongside nudes and rich browns. One of my favourite things from the collection is undoubtedly the Golden Jungle Nail Art Duo in Crocodile Leather Effect. The combo features a golden base coat along with a khaki top coat, which, similarly to crackle polishes, dries to create the croc leather effect.

Well, last night, I found myself with chipped nails and no nail varnish remover, so I decided to do a quick patch-up job until I could get my hands on some today.

I slapped on a couple of coats of this Gold Miss Sporty polish, and then I painted on a thin layer of Up Colours Green Chrome Crackle polish, and this is the effect I got. As you can see, due to the layers of polish already underneath and the fact that my nails were badly in need of a shape and a file, the end result is not even a tiny patch on Dior's offering, but the look is not a million miles away and captures the luxurious urban jungle colour scheme that is going to be all over the place next season.

I just did this as a quick experiment really, to see how it would turn out, as I had never actually used my green crackle polish and was excited to try out the colour combo! I think that if I actually started from scratch and shaped my nails nicely, painting them carefully and finishing them off with a clear top coat to even out the surface a bit then this could actually look reasonably good (admittedly, as it is it looks a bit crap!), but I think I am definitely still going to find my debit card 'accidentally' making it's way into the chip and pin device at my nearest Dior counter before long!

If you pop on over to my Golden Jungle post (linked above) then you will see exactly what I mean - there is absolutely no contest!

What's on your nails today? Do you like the idea of the Golden Jungle colour scheme?

xx

Desire of the Day #6: Nails Inc Sweets Way (Sprinkles Collection)

This nail varnish/polish llooks so good that I literally want to bake some cupcakes, throw some of this over the top of them and eat them all up!

But I won't - I don't think that would be very tasty.

I first saw this on the lovely Flutter and Sparkle , which is one of my favourite blogs, and when the photos popped up on screen I nearly did a little dance of delight. I have been loving glittery polishes for months now, but was starting to feel like I had tried every possible colour combo. And then Nails Inc strike gold. This sugary-sweet looking polish is a pretty pale blue, with blue, white and rose gold sparkles, though to my eyes, the rose gold looks more of a pink, so I'm extra excited to see how it appears in real life.

Sweets Way is one of four pectacular new polishes in the 'Sprinkles' range. Topping Lane is very similar but with primarily pink sprinkles, while Sugar House Lane is a nude polish with navy glitter bits. Pudding Lane is a blue polish with navy and gold glitter, and is another one to pop on my wishlist, although to be honest, I'd happily snap up all four! I love the names Nails Inc have chosen for each one - they definitely increase the edibility factor, although I wouldn´t recommend actually ingesting these - go and do some baking instead!

Have you tried any of the Nails Inc Sprinkles polishes?

xx

Week in Pictures

I've had quite a relaxing week this time around, and have mostly been taking it easy after being ill all last week. Thankfully, it's been lovely and sunny, so I spent a lot of time out in the garden, reading and sunbathing. I've just got started on David Nicholls' 'Starter for Ten', and am really enjoying it so far. He's such a good writer, and his books are so funny. For anyone who isn't aware, Nicholls is the one who wrote 'One Day', which in my opinion was absolutely brilliant, and was completely ruined when they made it into a film!

On Wednesday evening, the hubby and I popped out for some pizza, and it was lovely to sit outside afterwards drinking Mojitos. A Mojito is my ultmate summer time drink - they are so delicious and refreshing on a hot, muggy evening.

I made a few cosmetic purchases this week, these unfortunately including the fake Mac Blush I blogged about earlier in the week. If you missed the post, you can find it HERE. I think you'll find it worth having a look if you are worried about whether or not your products are genuine, as I have pointed out all the tell-tale signs for you so that you can keep your eyes peeled.

I also got my hands on the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain in Rendezvous, which I will tell you more about next week, and another new Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie, which I won't be reviewing as I think it's safe to say the blogosphere has been absolutely saturated with posts about them! I will let you know what I think in brief at some point soon though.

Yesterday, I spent the day at work - on a Saturday - as we had to complete some training. It was ok, but to be honest I think they were just going over old ground for the sake of the new teachers, so I didn't find it all that enlightening.

Today I have been mostly watching the Olympics with the hubby. I have been really enjoying seeing the gymnastics, and I even feel a little bit emotional for the girls when they do really well or if they make a mistake. It's just crazy to imagine how both of those things must make them feel. They are at THE OLYMPICS - things don't get much bigger than that for them. I was a bit gutted to have missed the show jumping, as that's my absolute favourite event. It's funny, as in the lead up to the games, I wasn't hugely bothered about any of it, but watching and realising what a huge moment this is in some peoples' lives somehow changes things, a lot.

Hope you've had a nice weekend so far, whether you are at a festival, chilling in the garden or indoors watching the sports. I also hope you enjoyed the first instalment in my new 'Splurge or Save' series, which looks at the best of the new A/W cosmetics collections from big names such as Dior and Chanel, followed up each time with a more affordable collection you can spend your pennies on to get a similar look. The first post, published today, was on Dior's new Golden Jungle Collection (definitely a SPLURGE), and I will be following it up within the next couple of days with the best purse-friendly alternatives. If you missed the post, you can find it here.

Hope to catch up with some of you during the #bbloggers chat on Twitter later this evening!

xx

SPLURGE #1: Dior Golden Jungle Collection (A/W 2012)

With the Autumn months fast approaching, it's time to take a look at some of the most impressive new cosmetic collections hitting stores. This is the first in a new series of posts in which I will show you the best Spend and Splurge options out there, from high-end designer brands for those of you looking to invest, to high-street alternatives for those keeping a tighter hold on those purse strings (since when did purses actually have strings!?)

Hope you enjoy the first instalment!

Leopard print first featured in Christian Dior's debut collection in 1947, and the jungle motif has been going strong ever since, reinterpreted by Dior Couture with each passing decade and runway show. This year, in the A/W 2012 Golden Jungle Collection,  it has been given a touch of luxury, with shimmering gold and earthy tones, featuring khakis, bronzes, nudes and rich chocolate shades which are wearable but glamorous.

The collection will be available in the UK exclusively from Selfridges from 30th July.

Golden Jungle Palette, £52 (also available in browns)

5 Couleurs Designer - Khaki Design

Golden Savannah Palette

I have just found out that this one is not going to be available in the UK, which I must admit I'm rather disappointed about as it's my favourite item from the entire collection! It's so frustrating when things like this happen. But let's be honest, at over £50, I probably wouldn't have ended up buying it anyway. It would have been a nice one for the Christmas list though.

Golden Jungle Nail Art Duo - Le Vernis Crocodile Leather Effect Nails

How amazing does this nail combo look? It consists of a golden base coat, with a khaki top coat which dries to create this stunning crocodile skin effect.

Dior Vernis in Amazonia

Dior Addict in Darling and Wild

While it's a huge shame that the beautifully luxurious Golden Savannah Palette won't be available over here, I am still hugely intrigued by the Golden Jungle palettes. I used to be a huge fan of using green shades on my eyes, but it has been literally years since I last did so, so I am looking forward to rediscovering them now that they have had a bit of new life breathed into them. Greens look amazing with hazel of brown eyes (mine are hazel). One other thing that disappointed me just a tiny bit though, is that the section on the right of the palettes is not, in fact, a blush, but a lip gloss. It's a shame, as I think the peachy shade would have looked perfect on the cheeks, but I'm sure I can find something similar separately. I'm not a huge fan of having lipglosses in palettes, as they tend to attract fall-out particles from the eyeshadows, and no one wants green specks on their lips!

The second thing that I am absolutely desperate to get my hands on, and the one thing that I am actually likely to treat myself to, is the Golden Jungle nail art Duo in Crocodile Leather Effect. I have already raved about this above, so I won't bore you by doing so again, but I think the image speaks for itself - ah-mazing. However, at £24, I suppose you could say that style comes at a price!

I really like the idea of trying out khaki shades in general on my nails, as this is something completely new to me, and I have been running out of new colours to try of late.

As with almost every new makeup collection, I can't say I'm hugely excited by any of the lip colours. It's not that I don't enjoy a good lipstick - quite the opposite - but they do tend to stay within a certain colour range, so it is rare to see anything particularly ground-breaking within a new launch. I would be just as likely to buy something from the main range. It's the lip and cheek products which usually draw me in, and I would have liked to have perhaps seen more in the way of blushes, bronzers and highlighters here,.But I think it's clear that the main focus of the collection is on dramatic, earthy eye makeup, reminiscent of the urban jungle and 40s glamour, all rolled into one.

Here's a full list of what you can expect from the collection:

5 Couleurs Designer Eyeshadow Palette – Limited Edition

Khaki Palette – khaki, gold, brown, beige, champagne

Golden Jungle Palette – Limited Edition

Golden Brown

• Golden Khaki

Dior Three Shadows Palette – Limited Edition

• Ivory Glow
• Nude Glow

Dior Le Vernis – Limited Edition

• Gold
• Khaki
• Brown

Dior Blush – Limited Edition

• Sugar & Spice
• Sunkissed Cinnamon

Dior Addict Lipstick – Limited Edition

• Wild
• Instinct
• Fatale
• Daring
• 
  

So what do you think of the Golden Jungle collection? Will you be splashing out on any of these pieces, or will you be trying out similar shades from more purse-friendly brands?
Do keep an eye out for the alternative 'Save' collection later in the week, where I will be sharing with you some of the best new products for achieving the urban jungle look for a fraction of the price!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend :)

xx

Weekend Wishlist

Catseye Sunglasses, £16, Topshop
Spiked Gilet, £75, Topshop
Head Piece, £7, River Island
Lace and Floral Print Top, £18, River Island
Ikat Print Dress, £36, Topshop
Studded Millicent Boots, £40, Topshop
Rabbit-print Satchel, £45, Accessorize
Lampshade Print Peplum Top, £18, River Island
Print Shirt, £37, Miss Selfridge

Continuing along with the theme of prints and studs, the high street once again has some fabulous key pieces in their 'New in' sections this week. If I had actually bought all of the things I have featured over the past few weeks, then my wardrobe (or closet, for some of you) would be full to bursting with gorgeous printed chiffon shirts and, of course, studded bits and bobs. Miss Selfridge have been doing some great long-sleeved shirts with more sophisticated prints, which will take you right through into A/W, whereas River Island has been awash with pretty summer florals on short-sleeved pieces, which are pretty perfect for wearing now that the sun has been making the odd appearance.
I have got millions of pairs of sunglasses already, but I am horrific at looking after them and the majority of them are scratched or bent! I'm the sort of person who likes to have a choice when it comes to eye-wear, and I enjoy mixing and matching different pairs with whatever I happen to be wearing on any given day. The cat-eye shape is a particular favourite of mine, and I really like Topshop sunglasses - I feel that they are actually doing something to protect my eyes when I wear them, whereas ones I have bought from some other high street shops might just as well be clear, as I still have to squint when I step outside.
I'm still loving the animal print trend (as in, prints featuring actual little animals), and this rabbit print bag from Accessorize looks spacious enough to hold my folders as well as my makeup and other essentials when I go back to work next week. And as for the headpiece, well, isn't it just the perfect boho-style finishing touch to any Summer outfit?

I absolutely loved watching the Olympics opening ceremony on TV last night, and thought that the organisers had done an amazing job. It was really nice to see it all go off without a hitch in spite of the negativity that has been surrounding the event in recent weeks. The amount of uncomplimentary news stories that have been splashed across the papers has been bordering on ridiculous (although some of them were certainly in need of being written), and I am really glad to see that people are finally getting behind the games and entering into the spirit of things. I must admit though, I was surprised to see how bored the royals looked at the ceremony! The Queen, who appeared to have come dressed as a flamingo, bless her, could barely raise a smile, and Wills looked completely disinterested when the British team came out!
I'm going to be honest here - I wasn't all that bothered about the Olympics myself until I watched the event last night, but now I am quite looking forward to it all, and am going to make an effort to watch some of our athletes in action!
Did you watch the ceremony? What did you think? And are you excited about the Olympics?

What's on your wishlist this week?

Friday Finds (#5)

Yay, it's Friday! That means that a) the weekend has landed, and b) it's time for this week's Friday Finds!

I've got a bit of a different one for you this week. Yes, my finds do, once again, hail from the wonderful Etsy, but this time, I've gone all arty and have got these amazing vintage-inspired prints to share with you.

Aren't they fantastic?

The prints are all handmade, and are set upon a backdrop of vintage French dictionary pages! I think this is such a clever and effective idea and would love to get my hands on some of these to brighten up my living room. I'm a huge fan of mixed media artwork, screen prints and anything which draws on vintage influences, so these are definitely my cup of tea. Plus, looking at them makes me think of Paris in the 1920s, which is a time and place in which I would have loved to have experienced life!

You can find these prints and many, many more in a little Etsy store called French Prints, which is run by a lady called Lydia R.J.

What kind of artwork do you have, or would like to have, on your walls?

And what are your plans for this lovely, sunny weekend?

xx

Blant Nail Polish in 'Eye on Glamour'

This is not the summeriest of nail colours, but when I decided to debut it, the sun was being a bit backwards in coming forwards and was yet to show his happy little face. 

By Blant, 'Eye on Glamour' looks a fine, glittery, shimmery purple in the bottle, and the formula does not disappoint, requiring just one coat to get an opaque effect. I did, however, apply an extra layer, as I never feel that it will last as long with just one. The colour, however, looks quite different on the nails to how it does in the bottle, and appears more of a gunmetal grey or dark silver, with a slight blue tinge when in sunlight.

So far, I've had this varnish on for four days, and there are no signs of chipping as yet.

I really like this product and can see it becoming a staple shade over the coming colder months. I'm going to annoy you slightly by telling you that this is yet another nail polish I picked up in Brazil, but I am currently on the lookout for a dupe that is available here in the UK, so I will be sure to inform you whenever I find one!

Hope you're having a lovely day.

xx

Fake Mac Blushes: How to Spot and Avoid

I was foolish enough to buy myself a Mac Mineralize Blush in Dainty from Ebay, and surprise, surprise, what arrived at my house turned out to be a fake. To be honest, I was aware of the risks, but the seller had such a good reputation that I thought I'd give them a go. I suppose you could say that I got lucky on this one, as my purchase initially got lost in the post and so the seller refunded me. However, the little parcel eventually turned up, and when I saw what was inside, despite having assured the seller that were it to appear then I would happily pay for my item, I decided there and then that I would certainly not be doing so! You hear about fakes being difficult to spot, but I have to say that that was certainly not the case here. I knew it was fake the second I laid eyes on it, and I'm fairly sure that any self-respecting Mac lover would have been able to too.
But, just in case, I have photographic evidence here to share with you, just to ensure that none of you fall into the same trap. You might think that a good fake is just as nice as the real product, but be warned - fake branded cosmetic products will not have undergone any of the required tests, and it can be very dangerous to use them on your skin. Some have even been proven to have dangerous levels of lead in them, and we don't want to be using products like that, do we?

Above, you will see pictures of the box my fake blush came in, from every possible side. Unfortunately, I didn't have a real box handy to compare it with, but perhaps if any of you have one to hand then you could have a little look at that to see how it differs, and below I will show you both real and fake products in order for you to see the differences.

Honestly, this is such a bad fake it's ridiculous.

So, the first giveaway is the colour of the pigmentation itself. Dainty does NOT look like this. In fact, it looks like it does in the picture below.

Now let's look at the packaging. First, you will see two pictures of the fake 'Dainty', from the top and the bottom, and then you will see the same pictures of my real Mac Mineralize blush in Gleeful, followed by some comparative shots of the two.

As you can see the packaging is as huge a giveaway as the pigmentation itself.

• Firstly, real Mac blushes do not come in shiny packaging. 
• Secondly, look at the labels on the backs of the two blushes. The real one has the name of the shade written in capital letters, whereas the fake does not. The real label features grey writing (it's not just old!), while the details on the fake label are printed in bright white.
• The Mac writing on the front of the compact is a fair bit thicker and darker on the fake blush than it is on the real one.
• The fake blush has the code 'CB1' printed above the shade name, whereas the real blush has nothing of the sort.

I haven't even bothered trying this out on my skin, and I certainly won't be doing, either. In a way, I think I'm glad that my purchase ended up being so clearly fake, if it has to be fake at all, as I think it's always worse when you are not sure. I know that if that were the case, I would be tempted to use it, as I wouldn't want to have wasted my money, but at least in this instance, I know not to take the risk.

Lesson learned here: Do NOT buy makeup from Ebay - it's too high risk and a waste of time.

Have you ever accidentally found yourself with a fake Mac product? If so, how were you able to tell, and what did you do about it?

Desire of the Day #5: ASOS Spiked Bracelet

Well. I wouldn't mind having me this little spiked delight. We all love a bit of arm candy, and I am all over the spiked jewellery trend at the moment. This beaut is just £8 from ASOS too, so what's not to love? For those of us on a spending ban, this is an affordable (ahem!) treat (clearly I haven't understood the rules very well!).

ASOS are always a gem when it comes to jewels, and I could spend an absolute fortune decking myself out in their gorgeous attire, so I wouldn't be surprised if a rose gold collar necklace or two make it onto my Desire of the Day post in the not too distant future. But who knows. Tomorrow is another day, and I am a fickle shopper.

Just a short one today, but I will be back later on with a post about - gasp! - FAKE Mac products. How to spot them and how to avoid them is key in this day and Ebay-ing age.

Hope everyone is out enjoying the sunshine while it lasts and having a lovely time. I could certainly tell you weren't at home with your heads buried in the blogosphere last night, but then who would be, unless they were ill? Anyway, sob stories aside, I am feeling much better now, thank you very much. Bit of sunbathing for me today, I think.

xx

Desire of the Day #4: Urban Decay Naked Skin

Could it have been anything else today!? Let me answer that - definitely not. 

Urban Decay's Naked Skin launched today, and really excited to give this a go, despite being rather snowed under with all the various foundations I've been buying recently to try out.

Naked Skin is a 'weightless ultra definition makeup', claiming to blur imperfections for a flawless glow.

Oil free, paraben free and fragrance free, it's supposed to feel as though you aren't wearing anything at all on your skin (hence the name!), which instantly makes me think of Estee Lauder's Invisible Makeup, of which I'm a big fan.

The product comes in a whopping eighteen shades, and is divided into two 'sets' - those which end in .0 and are designed for warm skin tones (yellow/olive undertones) and the .5s, catering for cooler (rosy/neutral skin tones). What's more is that it also has anti-aging properties, and is buildable with a demi-matte finish.

I must admit, I'm usually more of a fan of a dewy finish, and I have been getting a little bit bored with foundations, more recently favouring tinted moisturisers and deciding on which BB creams to try, but being a product with such cult potential, it'd be rude not to make room and give this one a little try.

Now available on Urban Decay's website with free shipping - I'd be quick if I were you, as these are sure to sell out like hot cakes.

xx

Tuesday Chit Chat

So, as I said yesterday, I'm catching up on some missed blog posts after being ill. I won't bore you with the details again.

As I was ill, I didn't really do a whole lot last week, which means I also didn't really take many pictures. At all. I've already mentioned my health problems over the weekend, but I also started the week off on Monday with a nasty cold, so it really hasn't been my week. This idea was confounded on Thursday when we found out the almighty sum it would cost to fix our car, pictured above in the car hospital where it is now being seen to and won't be on day release until next week. Not handy.

Other than that, it seems, looking at the pictures, that I was doing mainly superficial things like painting and photographing my own nails, and doing the same with my outfits and shopping (not painting them, obviously).

I spent several days laid up in bed, so was grateful to have a stack of magazines to hand, although to be honest, for the most part I was too weak to even hold one up, and spent the majority of the time sleeping.

I wish there was an interesting story behind the chilli peppers to liven up this dull story of a week, but there really isn't - I just snapped them in a local health food shop as I thought they looked pretty. Wow, I'm really selling myself here as an interesting blogger, aren't I? Well, I promise to try and be a bit more exciting with both my life and my snaps next week, that's all I can say!

This week, I will be mostly without a car, which means plenty of walking everywhere, so I'm grateful for the reasonable weather we've been having so far. I have already indulged in a(nother) spot of retail therapy so far this week, as obviously, I need cheering up after my terrible ordeal ;)   Just to offset the guilt a little bit, I've also ordered a couple of bits for my hubby, also in the hope that they will arrive in between my purchases so as to 'break them up' a bit (ie, so it doesn't seem as though I've got that much! ;)

Anyway, that is all for now, I hope you've all had a pleasant start to the week and are enjoying the lovely weather.

Over and out.

xx

Monday Wishlist

 

1. Floral Print Shirt, £35, Miss Selfridge
2. Tiger Print Square Scarf, £16, River Island
3. Blue Scarf Print Shirt, £28, River Island
4. Scarf Print Dress, £36, Topshop
5. Beaded Shorts, £55, Topshop
6. Blue Maxi Skirt, £37, Miss Selfridge
7. Petite Embroidered Shorts, £35, Topshop
8. Snake Trim Satchel, £34, Topshop

I'm sure it hasn't gone unnoticed thatI'm usually more of a Weekend Wishlist kind of girl, nor that my little blog has been somewhat desserted over the past couple of days, and that is because I have been laid up in bed with a pretty horrific tummy bug. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say that it wasn't pleasant, and has left me feeling rather weak and the worse for wear. Today, I have finally managed to nibble upon a few salad leaves, but I am certainly not back on top form. However, I've been feeling awful about missing the last few days of posting, and though I'm sure that you've all got lots of other lovely blogs to read and didn't really mind (or realise!?), it just didn't feel right, and I found myself missing blogland and all you lovelies, so now that I have gathered up enough strength in my fingers to finally type (so dramatic!), I will be posting all that I didn't over the weekend, as well as, obviously, some of the stuff I had planned for this week.
Just as I had gone a little bit stud crazy in my previous two Wishlists, this time around I seem to have gone a little bit print mad. I have always been a huge fan of prints, particularly the bright summer offerings that are usually available, but scouring this week's 'New in' sections on all my favourite websites, I was a little bit bowled over by all the gorgeous pieces available. If my bank account wasn't so barren, I'd definitely be investing in a few of these, and a few nice basics to mix and match them with. As you may know, I am notoriously bad at stocking up on basics, as I always get blown away by all the more eye-catching pieces and then have nothing to wear them with!
I'm not sure what my favourite is this week. It's between the River Island shirt, the dress and the Topshop shorts, as I think they are all such statement pieces.

Hope everyone had a delightful weekend!

What's on your Wishlist this week?

xx

Friday Finds (on Saturday!)

It's Friday Finds. On Saturday. My internet was refusing to cooperate last night, so here we are.

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Mella Fina and her amazing little Etsy store of delights!

Mella Fina offers an eclectic mix of vintage treasures and handmade and 'up-cycled' treats, with all sorts of one-off goodies for the home. I scoured her selection and came across these absolute beauts, which include a  stunning vintage pewter hand-held mirror, a modern sleather studded bracelet (had to slip that one in there!) and some more vintage goodies such as this gorgeous aftershave bottle which masquerades as a clock, and a pair of Italian leather shoes.

I just love sifting through random stores like these, and I love the fact that they make charity/thrift shopping that bit easier for you and group together all the best finds in one place! The great thing about vintage is that you can often guarantee that no one else is going to have the same thing as you have bought, and stocking up on such lovely little trinkets and other bits and bobs is a great way to add some character to your home or to add a personal touch to your outfit.

You may have noticed a little pattern here in that my Friday Finds posts are often linked to Etsy stores. Well, that's just because I have come across so many wonderful little stores, and I really want to share them with you!

Hope you have all had a wonderful start to the weekend! I will be posting my Weekend Wishlist later on today, so do look out for that, and do also click on the links above to visit Mella Fina's store and have a little browse, if not a sneaky purchase or two!

Have you ever bought anything from Etsy, and if so, do you have a favourite store?

If not, do you know of any other great little sites on which similar bits and bobs can be found?

xx