Some inspo for now and later

Spring

Winter

There's a few sites that are part of my daily reading material and InStyle.co.uk is one of them. I love their 'Pick of the Day' feature. And over the last few days there has been a few looks that I have loved. Two of which are perfect for now (since it is STILL freezing) and two for Spring - something to look forward to.

Although I'm not the biggest fan of Olivia Palermo in The City, the girl has style and possibly the best hair in the business, not to mention probably one of the best wardrobes out there. She can't be all bad.

Bottoms Up!

Save

Splurge

So it seems I'm totally behind (no pun intended) the times. This week has seen Waitrose' Baby Bottom Butter smothered all over the press. However, on a night in with the girls, BC aka 'Queen of Cosmetics' (I've never seen a bathroom so jam-packed with girlie goodies) informed me that this is the second wave of hysteria for this £2.49 supermarket wonder and that following the first hit in 2008 her mother sent her a heap of it.

Having generously used it on my hands that evening, I'm now off to see if there's any left on the shelves - well when there's women saying it competes with Creme de La Mer which retails from £90 who can blame me.

I'm yet to give the Aldi skincare line a try as well, but apparently their Lacura Anti Aging Serum priced £3.49 is pretty great and since I've just inadvertently got myself addicted to Declours Aromaessence Néroli (£39) through a tester sample, I'm keen to find a replacement ASAP.

OPI does Katy P

OPI always does the best nail varnishes with the most inventive names, so I'm not surprised to find out they have collaborated with Miss Katy Perry to produce a limited edition range.

I kinda like Katy Perry - she seems pretty cool and appears to have a good sense of humour (you would need to if your hubby was prone to releasing dodgy pics of you on the web) and the colours really reflect this. Haven't tried them yet but I'm looking forward to getting my mitts on them.

All the colours are inspired by her new album, Teenage Dream. There's two metallics (The One That Got Away and Not Like The Movies) as well as two glittery ones which I'm not so sure about (Last Friday Night and Teenage Dream).

They've also done a 'shatter' black. It's like the Barry M limited edition one. However, I'm unable to comment on this one either as when I opened it, it would appear that the brush was broken and I've been unable to use it or find anymore in the shops - boo hoo. I do know that they both act as a top coat and 'crackle' whichever colour you put it on top off - kinda cool.

Each polish is £10.50. Apparently there's a Justin Bieber range on its way too............. Sounds interesting!

Inspiration

I am always saving images on my desktop or cutting out pics from mags so I thought I would chuck some on here to share what I'm kinda into at the moment.

Caught in the middle

Darn it! I totally meant to take a photo of my outfit yesterday to go with my post but by the time a made it home from work there was barely enough time to get changed for my pilates class.

Am really loving pilates at the moment and now that I have my new swanky-ass mat I'm no longer sliding around the gym! Also got to wear my new Sweaty Betty pilates pants too - they are soooo comfy. LOVE them - must try not to live in them though else my ass will spread to fill them!!

Am totally bored of most of my wardrobe at the moment so am making a special effort to try and make different outfits - it's only another 4months before I can stop saving for the wedding and start buying lots of lovely clothes and shoes again.... Can not wait.

Anyhoo, opted for my Full Circle maxi dress that I purchased in the summer. It's a thick enough cotton to let me get away with it in the colder months so I have teamed it with my Nine West biker boots from years ago, a Jigsaw leather belt and my preppy Karen Millen cardi from back in the day when I used to work there. I'm pretty happy with the outfit - it's cute me thinks.

It's also serving to experiment with the long/medium length straight jersey skirts which I have been pondering for a while. Nearly bought one at the weekend but was unsure what to wear on my feet with it at the mo. Think I need to spend more time considering before I jump in - though Ashley Olsen does make it look pretty cool..... My out fit does not look anything like this!

Such a perfect day

This weekend was a truly glorious affair in light of my new years resolutions to basically start looking after myself in 2011 - especially ahead of the wedding. It kicked off with an early morning threading session! This is truly superior form of hair removal. HOWEVER, my eyebrows are still a little red - two days later. I sported my beret for the rest of the day because, as Mr M put it 'my cheeks were flushed with the cold and joining up with the redness of my eyebrows leaving a whopping big white forehead'! Thanks hon! We then headed to a lovely little shop for Mr M to try on his grooms outfit - he looked soooo smart.

The rest of the day was filled with shopping where I picked up a new pair of Pilate's pants from herewhich I will be trialing tonight in the first Pilate's class of 2011. I love Sweaty Betty. It makes going to the gym so much more enjoyable. Everything they make is so comfortable and stylish - it's just a shame that I don't go to the gym enough to warrant the amount of stuff I would like to buy!

I was also on the hunt for a new pair of skinny black jeans, but to no avail - everything has so much Lycra. This is no good when you spend most of your time getting up and down from your desk - nobody needs to see my ass falling out all the time! Instead I picked up a pair of black jodhpurs from Zara. No photos at the mo but I'll post some later.

I LOVE my new jodhpurs, and to top it off so does Mr M, who mostly finds my fashion decisions confusing!! They are the happy medium between jeans and leggings (when did they become such a wardrobe staple anyhoo!). I have paired them with my Dotty P boots from last year, a slouchy cream sweater, mussed up hair, a tan, leopard print scarf and gold jewellery - I feel like a little snow bunny.

Boomerang!

I kept promising myself that I'll get back into the swing of updating this, but alas I have not....

I suppose it's been harder to find the time since January. Last Christmas my landlord decided to sell my flat (which I LOVED) and, instead of trying to find a new home over Christmas, Mr M and I decided that the most sensible thing would be to move back in with my mum and dad (Mrs F and Big T) for the time being..... and we're still there!

It was most definitely the most sensible thing to do but I think both of us have felt a little weird about the situation. It's probably been worse for Mr M than me. But, apart from having to swallow our pride, it has meant that:
- we no longer eat in front of the TV
- we spend more time out-and-about in the country
- we don't go out and drink too much as much!
- we don't stay in bed all Saturday
- we have started going to the gym again
- we get to walk my mum and dad's dog - Finn
- we have saved a load of money for our wedding
- we have paid off our student loans
- we eat more fruit and veg
- we get to enjoy my mum's home made food - Mmmmmm

That's a lot of positives, but of course there are some negatives too:
- we commute between Wales and Bristol everyday (that's over 300 miles a week and 10hours in the car
- we can't just pop out with friends after work without flipping the coin for who's driving (Mr M has been amazing and almost always drives)
- we don't have too much spare time in the week
- we don't have too much time just us!

Anyhoo - on top of all this, there's been the usual Wedmin and MASSIVE work load. However, I'm going to try to start blogging more often (again). I'll also try to document our time in the country before we had back to the city in the next 4 months (it's likely to be more hunters than stilettos).

Guess we just have to except we're part of the 'boomerang' generation - lucky M&D!

xCx

Hurrah! Zara is now online

One of my favourite highstreet haunts has made it onto the worldwide web at last. I believe that H&M are not going to be long behind them either! This development is going to make it even harder to save my pennies..

Holy Clog!

Despite my many musings about 'to clog or not to clog', I figured that I had made it thus far without them and would therefore not be purchasing a pair this close to the autumn months.

But then I discovered these Sam Edelman clog boots......... Interesting, very interesting

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

I can't believe how bad I've been - things have been so busy I had no idea just how long ago I last blogged. Five whole months - eek!

Sadly it doesn't feel like I have done too much either:
- Work
- Wedmin
- Joined the gym

Yep - Pretty much it!

The biggest thing I have been up to though is definitely the Wedding thing! Deciding on a date for the wedding (30th April 2011), trying on potential wedding dresses (so exciting!!) and trying to decide what colour theme to go for (totally confusing) - I need to get a move on and make some decisions. Time is ticking and if the last five months are anything to go by, I'm in trouble!

I think ideally I would like it to be a bit mix and matchy/country chic/city glamour!!! I am very confused.... Kind of like the above though.

Beauty Spot

Why does everything always finish at the same time?!

All three of my very favourite beauty must-haves are done. Oh no! As I have mentioned before, I live and die by Elemental Herbology's Cell Plumping Facial Hydrator. It is truly the best moisturiser I have ever used.

My cleanser of choice is Eve Lom's - it's like a facial in a jar and leaves my skin totally rejuvenated. In short, IT'S AMAZING.

Last but not least is my secret weapon….. Darphin Purifying Balm. I'm told this isn't meant to be used every night, but I slather it on each night and can feel it zapping any unruly skin and smoothing out those late twenties wrinkles which are trying to set in… Doesn't say any of this on the pack but a really do swear by it.

As you can see, I'm not one of those girls who stick to just one brand - I like to mix it up a bit.

Going back to the original dilemma though - this is bound to set me back… ohhhhh £110. Space NK makes a pretty penny out of me!

My name's Claire and I'm a beauty addict!

Oh My Clog!

Oh My Clog!

As you know, since falling for the Chanel clogs I have been on the search for the perfect pair sans the Chanel price tag - PR just don't pay that well!! Having discovered a few pairs, none of them have quite fit the bill (or should that be foot!). Anyway, I believe the search may be over…

Whilst embarking on a rather swift strut (burning calories so I can wear the BCBG bandage style dresses from SS10 NYFW,) I happened across an independent shoe shop on Park Street - and there they were in the window!!!! Unfortunately, said shop was shut. However, I will be hot footing it down there to try them on very very soon. I'll keep you posted.

Also on the shopping list is a new 'it brag'. You know - the type of bag that makes others weep with joy!! Slightly cheesy I know, but any bag-a-holic knows exactly what I'm talking about!

I'm drawing up a strict shopping list of must-have's which the chosen bag must fulfil - Stay tuned.

Xxx

All that glitters...

The Wedding Board

I know it's the same old story, but I really have been totally manic for the past month.

I can usually find a spare moment during the day to write, but alas this has not been so. To top it off, Talk Talk are incapable of putting internet into my house..... I feel a rant coming on, so I'll move on.

Over the past month I have spent A LOT of time thinking about the wedding and have pulled together a little mood board.

Obviously the big day isn't going to be quite as decadent, but it's a starter for ten.

I'm mostly annoyed about the fact that Macarons are now EVERY WHERE!

By the time I get married I'm pretty sure everyone will have had them…. Never mind. Still plenty of time for decisions to be made.

Next step, THE DRESS!!!!!

Stay tuned…..

Coming Soon...

It's here! It's finally here. Today is the first day of LFW - it comes around so fast.

A review of today's shows will be posted soon - I promise. Xx

A sad day

Alexander McQueen. A huge loss. So very sad.

Strike a pose Vogue

Can you believe it?!? Chung has only got the ruddy Chanels. I am green with envy!! I ♥ them......

To Clog or not to Clog....

Since spying the clog clad Chanel lovelies during the Paris SS10 fashion week (how amazing was their show?) I have been intrigued.

Something about them really excites me... I can picture myself wearing them with my gorgeous neutral KM shorts or harem pants, teamed with my beloved thread bare denim shirt (do they ever go out of fashion?) with aviators, ala D&G, and Alexander Wang plaits - not forgetting the tan!

However, another part of me can't quite forget the pink suede pair I owned when I was 10 (I was way ahead of my time!!), which incurred endless amount of abuse from my good friend BB - still comes up in conversation today!! They were all the trend - I'm sure of it….

That aside I think I'm going to have to purchase a pair - haven't been able to stop pairing my wardrobe with them in my head. Just need to wait for the high street to catch on..... Anyone seen any yet sans the Chanel price tag?!?!

I want the last golden ticket....

Top of the wish list at the moment is one of these YSL arty rings. Since Mr M proposed I haven't wanted to wear any other rings - they just didn't look right.

However, this morning saw me break the habit and I'm back wearing my Melinda Maria pod ring - I'm almost ready to dawn the faithful Casio too....

Have tried to track one of these bad boys down but I think it could be a Willy Wonker golden ticket situation - I think I can definitely write off the aqua option for defo. I'm not that easily dissuaded though so the search must continue...

Hairy Mclairey

I love Heidi Klum's hair. I'm so bored of mine at the moment so I'm considering my options.

Yes, yes - I know that imitating Heidi's hair will not make me look like her. But surely it will take me one step closer!!!

Today I am mostly inspired by........

It's been a while since my last blog and sooooo much has been going on.

Obviously Christmas happened, which was lovely but not as restful as I would have liked; Mr M and I moved from our lovely flat (landlord decided to sell). NYE came and went pretty fast too and before I knew it I was back at work.... not for long though! Snowmageddon completely took over the UK and I was snowed in without mobile reception or internet ArrrrgggggggHHH!

Anyhoo, wasn't all bad. Decided to make lots of soup and scones. MmmmmMmmm.

Alas, now firmly back into the flow of work I simply haven't found the time. However, I decided today to throw together (can you tell) a quick collage of what is inspiring me at the mo.

No surprise to see lots of knitwear, lots of denim, lots of Balmain and a spattering of Chanel!!! If I had all the money in the world that is precisely what my wardrobe would look like..

No new purchases to report either, as I am currently trying to purchase a rather lovely car... more news to follow as I don't want to jinx it! However, I can tell you that over the last two weeks I have:

Mostly lived in my hunter wellies
Carried A LOT of tissues (am into the fifth week of my cold....)
Eaten mostly home made soup & Jakemans cough sweets (cherry menthol - Mmmm)
Rocked my mum's vintage furry headwear
Blow dried my hair massive to complete the snow bunny look
Experimented with wearing different rings with my engagement ring - it's been 2mths!
Changed my nail varnish every other day - why not eh?!
Watched 90210 and Glee
Felt guilty for eating homemade scones and not being as skinny as 90210 girls!