OOTD: Misguided

A fun little outfit from last Saturday. This crop and midi pencil skirt were from Nicole for Misguided, but they still stock many similar versions!

 Similar set from Misguided here and here.

For the hair I used Babyliss Curl Secret. I took small sections to create the curls in alternate directions. I then let them set for about half an hour while I did my makeup. After the curls had thoroughly cooled I brushed through them with my hands and a smoothing brush to loosen them and give them a lot more volume and movement.

Magdalene May Ball 2015

Last week the hubby and I attended the Magdalene College White Tie May Ball in Cambridge. If you have been reading my blog for a while you will see these posts pop up every two years. I love sharing these experiences with you all, especially when there is an opportunity to dress up! It’s funny to think that this year will be 10 years since we matriculated and here we are back again still feeling (and behaving) like teenagers.

Rather than going for a traditional ball gown (I wore a pretty big MaxMara number to the last one) I decided to switch it up with something a little more sleek and form fitting.

The India dress from Forever Unique was on sale in two different colours (purple version from ASOS here). However, as I wore a purple one shouldered gown (from Coast) four years ago I decided to try the emerald green. I absolutely loved the heavy embellishment on the sleeve of this dress and its overall shape.

Of course the material of these types of dresses is always quite thin so you can see every contour, making a tactical choice of underwear a must!

For makeup I did a very simple smokey eye using the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay. I made sure that the look lasted all night by using a really long lasting foundation (Mac Studio Fix) and setting it all carefully with powder (I used a combination of MAC MSF natural and ELF Mineral Glow powder). I finished the look off with false lashes from Eyelure (Cheryl Girls Night style).

 

For hair I used the Babyliss wide barrel tong (Glamour Waves) to create large curls. I then clipped the bottom sections while getting ready to ensure they had more texture and gently curled the top section at the end so it looked smooth and sleek.

It was a wonderful night of champagne, street food, music and dancing with the Fratellis performing.

We bumped into so many alumni from our university days and it was really fun catching up with them all!

I made it from sunset to sunrise! Hopefully we will be back in 2017!!

OOTD: Easter

 

 Dress: Whistles (on sale on Asos)

Shoes: Melissa

Bag: Chanel

Hair: curled in small sections using the Babyliss Curling Wand Pro

I hope you are all having a wonderful Easter break!

OOTD: Cobalt and Pearls

Today's post is a little OOTD that I wore to a 30th birthday party a few weeks ago.  

Crop top and skirt: Nicole for Misguided (now on sale!), Pearl 'halo': Zara

I used the Babyliss conical wand to create lots of curls and added a little pearl headpiece that I absolutely adore. It's a little Grecian, a little bling and really unusual.

I know that the crop top trend has been done to infinity, but as long as the sun is shining I will be wearing it to show off the last remnants of my honeymoon tan, which is fading fast.

 I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! xxx

OOTD: Rehearsal Dinner

Today's post is a little outfit of the day from my rehearsal dinner. I had about 15 mins to get ready after our church rehearsal so I quickly tonged my hair with the Babyliss conical wand and refreshed my makeup using the Urban Decay Naked palette and a slick of The Body Shop gloss over MAC's Costa Chic lipstick.

 

I picked up this bright mint gradient/ dip dye maxi dress in the Ted Baker sale and think it works perfectly with my tan by James Harknett.

 The secret is out... I have a twin!

Apologies for the deer in headlights expression... but I was unashamedly nervous/ exhausted/ excited/ apprehensive/ happy!

OOTD: Cropped

As I haven't done an OOTD in quite a while (and quite honestly I haven't had the opportunity to dress up in a while either) I thought I would share a few photos from a friend's bday party a few weeks ago. Please be kind!

Laser Cut Crop (with cut out back): Topshop £36, PVC pencil skirt: Topshop (sold out), but similar on Etsy. Booties: Kurt Geiger. Rose gold monogram necklace: Anna Lou.

 Hair was styled using my favourite Babyliss Big Hair (£44.99).

I always find it hard to wear neutrals without a tan so I used another of my favourites to give myself a bit of colour - SiennaX Q10 Bronzing Mousse £24.95.

It's a Nice Day for a...

This weekend I travelled north to attend a wedding of a school friend. Since the fiancé was hard at work on night shifts at hospital I was flying solo, but it was so much fun to spend some time with the girlies!

Since we stayed in a nearby hotel we were able to indulge in a little beautifying in the morning, which obviously some us enjoyed more than others... I used the Babyliss Pro Curling Wand to create voluminous curls on myself and a side sweep finger curl wave on my friend.

With a long day ahead I decided to keep my makeup mostly neutral, with just a hint of purple to reflect my dress. Over the past few weeks I have also started using Lilash (about 3/4 times per week) and was surprised to see that with a good coat of Max Factor's False Lash mascara I didn't even have to apply falsies as my lashes have really grown.

For my outfit I chose a breezy, 50's style one shouldered dress from the vintage line at Oasis. I love the soft raw silk, the ruched detailing and the built in net slip to give the skirt lots of volume and movement. I paired it with nude strappy Mary Janes and a nude leather jacket from All Saint's as it was quite a chilly (and unfortunately rainy) day.

The wedding was absolutely lovely, just the way an English country wedding should be! I am very much looking forward to the beginning of wedding season and also planning my own special day :).

I hope you all had a great weekend my lovelies! xxx

Work It Out: Lace

On Friday my fiance and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary! Since I had to go straight from work to play (pre-theatre dinner at The Balcon followed by Viva Forever) I did make a little bit of effort to make my outfit less boardroom boring, while still being office appropriate. I decided to pair a a feminine, form fitting lace dress with a more formal structured peplum jacket.

 Lace dress: French Connection, Peplum jacket: LK Bennett.

I also blow dried my hair using the Babyliss Big Hair in a side swoop, giving my hair a little more volume and bounce.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! xxx

How To Hair: 60's and Faux Bob

My two absolute favourite looks for hair are unashamedly decadent volume and a sophisticated, shapely bob! I was therefore super excited when Babyliss asked me to be in a video showing how to create these looks using just heated rollers!

The first look is big 60's volume and soft curls. I love the minimal use of products to create this style. I can't believe all that volume just came from a bit of back combing. Move over Cheryl Cole!

The second look is a fun, faux bob. I have always wondered what I would look like with short hair and was so excited to try out this style. I have to admit that I absolutely love it! It's so different from my usual look, but with none of the commitment of having to cut my hair. 

I am really happy with the looks created and will definitely be trying them out for a special occassion soon. I hope you guys enjoy the video! Let me know what you think! xxx

How To Get The Posh Pony - BaByliss Get The Look

A few months ago I had the pleasure of filming some Get The Look videos with Babyliss and the wonderful stylists from Percy & Reed. The first in the series - How To Get The Posh Pony is now live!


I absolutely love this look! It's so easy and quick to create and lasts well throughout the day as the crimps make sure that your hair stays full and voluminous in the face of wind and humidity!

I think this look very much channels Posh herself, but also the stunning Kate Beckinsale!

Are you a fan of the posh pony? Let me know what you guys think of this video and I would love it if you left a comment on it! xxx

Babyliss Boutique

A hair dryer is hardly the most exciting gadget and definitely comes at the bottom of my hair tools arsenal. I am not a blow dry maestro, usually preferring my Babyliss Big Hair to do all the hard work, so my hair dryer is rarely used for more than blasting my hair dry.

Well that has all changed since I was given the new Babyliss Boutique Italian hair dryer to try! As Will.i.am would say this hair dryer is the bomb.com. It is the most powerful tool I have used, definitely rivaling that of salons. I used to absolutely loathe drying my hair - it's long and there is quite a lot of it (not complaining), so drying it was always a lengthy and pretty boring chore. This hair dryer has actually cut my drying time in half and I couldn't be more grateful.

The Babyliss Boutique dryer has 3 heat and 2 speed settings, ionic technology for smoothness and shine and a super slim concentrator nozzle, which really helps to dry, smooth and control the hair. Over the last few weeks I have noticed that my hair not only dries quicker with this hair dryer, but even during rough drying it is smoother and it stays fuller for longer without going flat or frizzy.

bou

I never thought that I would wax lyrical about a hair dryer, but I highly recommend the new Babyliss Boutique AC Dryer 2400W! Currently it is only stocked in Argos, retailing at £74.99 here.

Have you tried any tools from the Babyliss Boutique range? Do you have a favourite hair dryer? How long do you spend drying your hair? xxx

Babyliss Wave Envy - Giveaway

Whether you are after big party hair, a retro up-do or loose, tousled beachy waves this party season the Babyliss Wave Envy styler makes gorgeous waves so easy and quick to create!



I was surprised by how light this tool is, given it is much larger than your average hair curler. It was also very simple to use and quick to move down the hair. I managed to create this look in just over 10minutes, which is pretty speedy for a first attempt! I chose to create very 'crimped' waves, by using the styler on the highest of its three settings. For a more relaxed, beachy wave I would recommend using a lower heat setting and only holding the hair in place for a few seconds.

For your chance to win a Babyliss Wave Envy please leave a comment below! Good luck my lovelies!! xxx

 *This is a sponsored post*

OOTD: Happy Birthday Mama!

This weekend my beautiful Mama turned 50! To celebrate we took a trip to the glorious Berkshire countryside for an amazing Sunday lunch.

I chose to wear this aqua dress from Reiss (that some of you may have previously noticed in my video for Babyliss here). I love Grecian inspired dresses! The vibrant colour coupled with the elegant pleating details makes this dress modern, yet classic and a great investment piece! I paired it with some chunky aqua and tan wedges from Dorothy Perkins - currently on sale for £30 here. Though I love these shoes (high yet incredibly comfy) these were not my first choice to go with this dress, but the ones I would normally wear are notoriously difficult to hop about in, not at all countryside friendly.

To style my hair I used the KMS California FreeShape Hot Flex Spray (£15.95) that not only maintains your style and protects against heat damage, but also helps you restyle your hair without adding any extra product. I heat styled with the Babyliss Waving Wand - curling from the root to create movement all the way through the hair.

I hope you all had a good weekend my lovelies! xxx