I'm getting married!!

B here... 

Can't believe how bad both Zee and I have been with blogging but really exiting news....I'm engaged! :) Gus propsed on the 4th October and I've already started planning and even ordering little bits and bobs.

The ring is so beautiful! He did very well picking it out. I always catch myself just staring at it.

Love the vintage baby box it came in too! 

The proposal story isn't your typical candle, restaurant story but for me it was perfect. Just sitting on the sofa in my pjs watching Greys Anatomy, in he walks and pops the question! 

We've already booked the venue and our wedding will be October 28th 2015. I've got lots of quirky ideas so will posting them up soon. 

X

Red Wine Floral Dress from Dorothy Perkins

Zee here...

Wedding receptions can be quite tricky to dress for as you don't want to look majorly formal but at the same time you don't want to look like you're off clubbing. When I was invited to my boss's wedding I was really struggling with what to wear. After going through my whole wardrobe I decided I needed something new. And what better timing when Dorothy Perkins email me about their 30% off event!

I stumbled across this lovely maroon floral dress, it was supposed to be £18 which is cheap anyway but due to the promotional event it only cost £15!! 

I loved wearing this dress, I felt very comfortable and I received loads of compliments! I struggle with my weight but the style of this dress is perfect for a curvier figure as it only comes in at the waist and the pattern distracts from the stomach area! Another great thing about this dress is the length - as I'm fairly tall I struggle with finding dresses that are an appropriate length but this was perfect. I didn't have to worry at all about keeping myself covered, it was still above the knee but well below my bum. I accessorised my outfit with nude heels which dressed it up without looking formal. 

I have also been able to wear this dress at work as it looks smart but as it's a jersey material it doesn't look over the top (perfect for my office!). 

This is a lovely dress and it's such great value for money - what's the best thing? That it comes in so many more colours!! I'm already ordering the one black, white and grey floral design! 

X

Sass and Belle Biscuit Cushions

B here...

I am loving these Sass and Belle biscuit cushions!! 

As a biscuit lover, can't really have any other cushions right?!

Sass and Belle have a party ring cushion, custard cream and jam biscuit cushion. 

On their website, they are £17.45 each, but I bought mine off eBay for £32 for the party ring and custard cream ones.

From the images, they look like a decent size and cute as ever. Can't wait till they arrive!

House of Holland Thorn In My Side by Elegant Touch

B here...

After trying House of Holland's Sweet Tooth nails, I went on the hunt for some other patterns. There is so much choice that I really had to control myself and just buy one pack.

I went for Thorn In My Side which has these amazing 3D roses stuck on some of the nails.

Here is what they look like stuck on. I use Elegant Touch nail glue which is really good and they stay stuck on for well over a week for me. 

I love the thorn and rose pattern! 

After a week or so, I carefully removed them so that I could use them again soon.

These were £7.99, which I think is reasonable and even more reasonable if you able to keep the intact when you remove them.

To buy yours, visit Elegant Touch.

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House of Holland Sweet Tooth by Elegant Touch

B here...

I went into Boots the other day to pick up some more foundation and obviously I had a look around too. I saw these super cute House of a Holland ice cream nails and thought I had to try them. I wear false nails as it is but usually just a solid colour. I loved the ice cream pattern and stiletto shape. 

Here's what they look like once they're on and I love them! They were easy to apply and I was able to find a size that fits each nail. 

These were £8.99, which is a little bit more expensive than the other patterns but they are so cute, so it's worth it to me! :)

House of Holland have so many other patterns that I will definitely be trying!

To buy yours, visit Elegant Touch.

Have you tried any stick on nails like this?

x

Body Shop Mango Mini's

Zee here...

Check out my latest purchases, a mango body whip and a mango lip butter. I don't know if it's just me but I find miniature items really cute and have to buy them. I have the normal large body lotion already but in a different scent however when I saw this one I thought it would be perfect for on my desk at work! As I walk to and from work I often find myself needing hand cream or lip balm in the colder months so these will come in handy. I'm prepared for winter already, no dry hands or sore lips for me! 

These weren't too badly priced - the body whip was £3 and the lip butter £4 but they were on a deal where you get one half price so it only cost me £5.50 in total! They both smell lovely and the lip butter tastes okay too, I always worry it will taste chemically! Well worth the buy!

X

Rose Gold Michael Kors Watch

Zee here...

I finally got round to using the money that I got for my 21st birthday last year and bought myself a beautiful Michael Kors watch! From the start I knew I wanted to use the money for a watch as it seemed like a lovely keepsake but I also wanted to make sure it was the right one. It didn't take long for me to set my heart on a Michael Kors watch as all the collection are stunning. 

I loved this watch when I saw it and I can't get enough of the colour rose gold now! At first though I was a little worried as all of my expensive jewellery is silver so I was concerned this wouldn't match. However rose gold seems to go perfectly with both silver and gold! I feel like the colour helps make the watch stand out and look more stylish too. The watch has a bit of weight to it which shows that's it's made from good quality material but because it's a perfect fit you can't feel the weight at all when wearing it, it's actually very comfortable! 

I was lucky enough to purchase my watch while on holiday in Florida. I knew I wanted to buy my watch out there so it became my mission to find a Michael Kors store (turned out to be very easy). We found one in an outlet shopping district in Estero. The photo below shows the outside of the store, the inside was beautiful! Surrounded by stunning bags, purses and jewellery it was hard to focus but I knew what I came for. The staff were so lovely and welcoming, even offering advice on what we should do in the area, I really didn't expect it from such a high end store! I was throroughly impressed and left with a big smile on my face. And the best part? My watch only cost $250 which is the equivalent of around £160 - sooo much cheaper than in the UK! I love my watch and had a great time buying it in the Michael Kors store.

X

August's GlossyBox

B here...

This month's GlossyBox has arrived and it looks like the box has changed to more of a square matte, which is still lovely. The box felt heavy, so I have very curious to what was inside.

Let's take a peak...

[Comfort Zone] Essentials Cleansing Milk - Full size product £20

I don't usually use cleansing milk as part of my beauty regime, but it looks and sounds like a good product, so I'll give it a go.

Lalique L'Amour, £67 for a full size 50ml bottle

I dabbed some on my wrists straight away and it is a lovely scent, very floral. 

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (40ml) £38 for a full size 250ml

This is a pre-shampoo treatment and originally created for Audrey Hepburn. I wouldn't normally buy hair treatments like this, but excited to give it a try to see the results.

Figs & Rouge Mini Hand Cream (20ml) £6.95 for full size 80ml

This was the first product to stand out to me with the amazing colours on the bottle. It;s the perfect size to take around in your bag. It's smooth on the skin and a lovely scent of shea butter. 

Yves Rocher Pink Nail Polish 3ml at £3.60

First thoughts were "its so cute". Petite bottle of nail polish and a really nice pink colour.

Kryolan For GlossyBox Highlighter Cashmere - Full size product at £12.95

This highlighter really does feel like cashmare. It's so soft and a subtle shine when I tried it on my hand. Perfect for cheekbones and lips.

Overall, I'm impressed with this month's Glossybox and can't wait to try these products.

To receive a box of beauty surprises every month, click here.

x

Sunday Roast at CAU Tunbridge Wells

B here...

Today I went for Sunday roast at CAU in Tunbridge Wells. I've been to CAU before for steak but never for Sunday roast.

I told the waitress I needed something refreshing to drink and she suggested a CAU cooler which had grape, elderflower, strawberries and it was so nice! Definitely refreshing and exactly what I wanted.

Not much time went by until our roasts arrived and WOW!! Presented on wooden boards was the sliced up rump of beef, roast potatoes, onion rings, giant carrots, Yorkshire pudding and red wine gravy. I love the presentation and it looked delicious.

An extra side they offer is cauliflower and cheese, which was delicious! Not too cheesy, just perfect.

The rump of beef was perfectly cooked and tasted amazing. The onion rings was a different addition to a roast, but went very well and again tasted delicious.

At £15 pp, I thought the Sunday roast was good value and I would definitely go back again. The staff as always are so friendly and attentive and the food arrived quickly.

If you haven't yet been to a CAU restaurant, then I suggest go, go now!

Is there a CAU restaurant near you?

x

Models Own Artstix Duo Polish - Blibble

B here...

I tried this Models Own Artstix Duo Polish 2 weeks ago now and loved it! When I was picking out Models Own nail polishes to buy I really wanted this neon pink polish but it was out of stock but the sales assistant said that this Artstix was the same neon pink so I bought it.

It was a bit awkward applying the nail polish as it isn't your standard bottle, but I love the colour and added the silver cover it sparkle to one finger on each hand. 

The pink really stands out as it was the first thing most people complimented me on when I saw them!

With all Models Own nail polishes I have tried, they have all been smooth application and quick to dry.

To buy your Models Own Artstix at £5.99, click here.

X

The Kardashian's Dash Store in Miami

Zee here...

As soon as I knew I was visiting Miami it was a given that I'd have to hunt down the Kardashian store called Dash! After asking for some directions I managed to find it, located around Mac, Vidal Sassoon and other higher end stores. I wasn't allowed to take any pictures inside but here is the store front which looked nice and elegant, matching the simplistic style to the other stores on that street.

I regularly watch the show so I was excited to go and potentially buy something from the store. After seeing them work on the launch of their make up line on their show this is what I'd been hoping to buy but sadly it seems the Miami store literally only stocked lip gloss. I was extremely disappointed by the lack of stock in this small store, especially since that was probably my only chance to ever visit the store. On a sign it said there were nail files for $8 which I thought was a perfect souvenir for everyone at home but sadly they didn't actually stock them. 

One thing I did love was their candles - the scents were incredible but they were too heavy for me to buy and carry back in my case and were $40. The clothes in the store were also lovely but the tops tended to start at $200 which is understandable as a designer brand but was out of my price range sadly.

Overall the store was nice and elegant but I was a little disappointed by the range of stock it had.

X 

From London to Miami with Virgin Atlantic

Zee here...

On Saturday the 26th July I travelled to the USA for the first time and it was also my first time flying with Virgin Atlantic. I would definitely recommend this airline to everyone as the service was incredible! I am a very nervous flyer so for me booking a holiday and getting onto a plane is a big deal but using Virgin again would help reassure me that I am in safe hands even if I don't like flying. 

The Virgin Atlantic section in Terminal 3 at London Heathrow looked classy with simple sophisticated branding dotted around. But for me the thing which helped show that area was for Virgin Atlantic flyers was the staff in their red uniforms. I instantly recognised that these people worked for Virgin, especially when the air hostesses came through. You can see how powerful Virgin Atlantic is as a brand and how successful their advertising is as I could tell all of this as a complete newbie to the airline!

I had a slight hiccup when I got to the boarding gate as I was picked for a spot security check and ended up finding  out that I had left my camera battery in my case which meant they had to confiscate my camera as I couldn't prove the device turned on. At the time this was extremely upsetting for me as photography is my passion and it was my lovely huge Nikon camera, it also didn't help that I was already upset about getting on the plane. However I know this was my fault and the staff were lovely as they already knew I was panicking about the flight before this.

When boarding  the plane we made them aware of my fear and they couldn't have been nicer, reassuring me and offering to answer any questions I have about noises etc. I was lucky enough to be on a Boeing 747, the biggest plane I've ever been on, and even better it was called Mustang Sally! I loved that Virgin used fun names for their planes it just adds to the great brand! The take off was smooth and once in the air I relaxed to enjoy the ride!

Once in the air the air hostesses bought round little packs of sour cream & chive pretzels which are my favourite so that went down well with me. I'm quite fussy with meat and when going away I'm always conscious about getting food poisoning while travelling (I get that from my mother ha!) so I opted for the vegetarian option. When I saw the menu with Beef Chilli with Rice and Nachos or Chicken in Mustard Sauce with Potatoes I felt a pang of jealousy as my boyfriend hadn't opted for vegetarian but when my dinner came I wasn't jealous anymore. I had a chickpea curry with spinach and rice - I could have eaten another one it was sooooooooooo yummy!! I've never had plane food like this before, it was as good as restaurant food! For pudding we also got a small passion fruit flavoured Gu pot which was delicious! A few hours later the air stewardesses also bought round mini Fab ice lollies for everyone which was a lovely treat that went down well with everyone on the plane! When we said we were surprised to get ice lollies they replied we like to think of different things that will be a nice surprise for you - which is so nice!!

Another thing that impressed me was the huge selection of movies, tv shows, music and games they had on the plane. I settled down to watch Frozen (one of my favourite films) as soon as we were up and throughout the journey I could see loads and loads of screens with this on! I  also watched The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Anchorman 2 but I did struggle with all the great selection on offer!

All in all this was a great flight which was many enjoyable and comfortable by Virgin Atlanti, even with my fear of flying I'm still looking forward to our return flight on Saturday 9th August!

X

Bill Skinner Drinks Party

B here...

I got a bit snap happy as you will find throughout this post, which is understandable as Bill Skinner jewellery is absolutely divine. My friend Vikki and I went to Bill Skinner's Drinks Party on Friday 25th July at their Tenterden shop. I was so excited to go!

Welcomed with champagne...cheers!

and delicious canapés with vegetables and dip.

Love the bunting!

There's the lovely Vikki deciding which piece to buy.

Too many choices...I love them all!

Here is the lovely Rachel who is the Manageress of the Tenterden store who has been a great help with deciding what jewellery suits me. There is Oliver, the photographer and owner of Legend Photography who took some great photos and Vikki and I had a little photo shoot which was so much fun. Oliver is fun, makes you feel completely relaxed and very friendly.

 These are the 2 gorgeous rings that I decided to buy. The Hedgerow Statement Ring at £75 and the Leopard Ring at £60. I also got 10% off them as a special discount for the event, so I could justify buying 2!

I love the Hedgerow Statement Ring so much! It's so unique and beautifully designed. The colours and detail is amazing and will go with everything.

Love the bird

 Here is the Leopard Ring, I was nearly out the door with my Hedgerow Statement Ring but then I saw the Leopard Ring and had to try it on, which led to me buying it too!

 

It's such a nice ring and looks great on.

Thank you for such a lovely day and looking forward to your future events!

For Bill Skinner jewellery, click here.

For Legend Photography where you will get a fabulous photographer or videographer, click here.

x

Models Own HyperGel Turquoise Gloss

B here...

It's that time again...new nails!

This week I've gone for another Models Own nail polish, the HyperGel in Turquoise Gloss.

I absolutely love this colour! It's so nice and bright and perfect for this glorious weather. I used the HyperGel Topcoat again to make them shiny.

Since I got my Bill Skinner Bee & Honeycomb ring, I literally haven't taken it off. I love it so much and can't wait to buy another amazing ring from their collections.

No doubt, next week's nails will be another Models Own treat!

Models Own HyperGel Turquoise Gloss £5

Models Own HyperGel Top Coat £8

Bill Skinner Bee & Honeycomb Ring £60

x

Giraffe in Oxford

Zee here...

Today I ate at Giraffe for the first time in Oxford City Centre. The service was great with all the servers being very friendly and helpful. I was impressed by the range of choice on their menu with full English breakfasts, burgers, Mexican dishes, grills! 

We had some lovely mint lemonade for £2.55 which came out in these cute jam jars! I love the presentation of these drinks, it's such a simple idea but works so well! This was a lovely and refreshing drink with makes a nice drink from the standard coke, sprite, fanta soft drinks usually on offer at restaurants.

For my main I had BBQ Chicken and Cheddar Cheese Quesadillas with a salsa and salad on the side for £9.25. This dish was so good!! The filling also had some sweetcorn and black beans which emhanced the Mexican theme and added more flavour. These were also presented so nicely on a wooden board. It was also really filling which was surprising for me as I thought it didn't look tht big initially.

I had a great time at Giraffe and will definitely be going back to try out more of their dishes!!

X

My Outfit for an Oxford Wedding

Zee here...

Below is the outfit I wore this weekend to a wedding in Oxford at the lovely Oxford Thames Four Pillars Hotel. I love lace so when I saw a shell pink lace dress in New Look I just had to have it! And want to know what the best bit is? It was in a summer exclusive 25% off deal! That meant this dress went down from £22.99 to £17 - what a bargain!! 

One of the best things about the colour shell pink is that it's very easy to accersorize. I chose to wear nude strappy heels with my dress as I feel they always look nice and classy at a wedding. Also it struggle with shoes as I have narrow feet with a high instep but as these high heels have a strap I'm a lot more comfortable in them and can stay in them longer! The nude high heels were also from New Look and cost £19.99.

I was unsure what jewellery to wear as the dress came with a black and gold belt and all of my gold necklaces are chunky fashion ones which would clash with this dress. I decided to go for some statement earrings instead which can be seen in the image below. The pink and gold flower earrings looked great on and really brightened up my outfit! I decided that as I was wearing big earrings I didn't need a necklace on with the dress and I also decided against bracelets as yet again all my gold ones are fashion bangles and made to make a statement.

I used a black envelope clutch with a gold trim to match the black belt I had one. This bag is a perfect size for me as I could fit my flat beaded sandals (for in case my feet hurt too much in the heels), make up, money, keys and phone in! It also looked great with the outfit so tied it altogether nicely! I have had this clutch bag for a while now but it was also from New Look.

The wedding was lovely and the venue was absolutely beautiful! The weather even held out for us too. It was a great day and I loved my outfit! 

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