Work It Out: Instalment Vingt-Neuf

I have had a quiet love of Dorothy Perkin's Closet collection for some time. The 40s and 50s are my favourite fashion eras, a time when women's curves were celebrated and exagerated. I think that Closet definitely draws it's ideas from vintage shapes and their fitted, structured dresses are just beautiful.

 This is the pink asymmetric dress from Closet (now on sale for £35!)

I paired the dress with patent nude DP shoes (on sale for £30!). I often find it difficult to find a true 'nude' as I'm quite pale so many nudes look too brown, or even grey, next to my skin tone. These really are a great colour, and the slight platform makes them comfortable enough for the day too.

I have so many Closet dresses on my shopping list! Here are a few of my favourites:

 

Turquoise Double Deplum dress - £42

Purple Cowl Peplum dress - £38

 

Coral V-back Collar dress - £50

 Fuschia Belted Flared dress - On sale for £25

Have you seen Dottie P's Closet range? What are your favourite dresses in the range? This post was not sponsored by DP, although looking through it now you can probably see I'm a little obsessed with it at the moment hehe! Which dresses should I buy? I want them all lol ;). xxx

Braun Silk-épil 7 Dual Epilator Review

Hair removal is not the most glamorous of topics, but for us girlies it is an unfortunate necessity.  I am pretty fickle when it comes to hair removal, if I'm going on holiday I book a waxing appointment, if I'm at home with some free time on my hands I epilate and if I'm in a rush (ie. most of the time) I reach for the razor. I was therefore really excited when I first heard about the new Braun Silk-épil 7 Dual Epilator, which is an epilator and razor in one, giving you the long lasting effects of an epilator with the smoothness of a razor!

I was kindly sent this to review a few weeks ago, and have been using it once or twice a week since. I really like the fact that I can use it wet in the shower in the same way as a razor (with shaving cream). This not only makes the whole process faster, but also saves time cleaning up.  

On first use I was a little apprehensive as the smoothing head is much bigger than a razor, so I was worried that it could be a little awkward to use in areas such as the ankles and knees. Luckily I haven't had any cuts so far as the pivoting head works well to navigate these tricky areas, while the non-slip ridges on the side make it feel pretty secure, even with soapy hands. The automatic light also helps to find any stubborn hairs you may have missed. The dual head glides smoothly while its 40 tweezers claim to remove even the smallest hairs (0.5mm) from the root, while the shorter hairs are shaved with the Gillette Venus blade. It really does work in just one stroke! 

Now I'm not going to lie - I am the biggest wuss and have a very low pain threshold. I have always found epilating painful, and though this epilator is not especially painful it's still not an experience I look forward to. What does help is that unlike traditional epilators you don't have to make multiple passes over the same area. Even if a hair is not picked up on the first swipe by the epilator the blade shaves it off, so there is no need to repeat. 

The Braun Silk-épil 7 also comes with multiple heads so it  can be used dry in the same way as traditional epilators. When used dry, although it does pick up most hairs on the first swipe, there are a few left behind so if you want a smoother finish you will need to repeat.

Overall I'm really impressed with the Braun Silk-épil 7 Dual Epilator and am going to continue using it as my preferred method of hair removal - it works quickly and gives a smooth finish that lasts longer than regular shaving. Although it is pretty pricey (around £100) I do think it's worth investing in a good epilator, which will be more efficient and less painful, ensuring you will get more use out of it. The biggest advantage of the dual dpilator for me is that it can be used in the shower, which saves a lot of time (I usually use it while I'm waiting for my conditioner to do its magic). 

What is your preferred method of hair removal? Do you epilate regularly? Have you tried the new Braun Silk-épil 7 dual epilator? xxx

OOTD - Grecian Inspired

This dress was kindly sent to me by In Love With Fashion a few months ago and I have been waiting for the first rays of sunshine to be able to wear it. Luckily with the amazing weather we have been blessed with I was able to finally showcase it last weekend.

This maxi dress is such a gorgeous deep green that it didn't need too many colourful accessories. I decided to pair it with a metallic bronze waist belt from H&M and nude Dorothy Perkins shoes.

 The jersey material is very comfortable and heavy enough to fall without clinging. There is nothing more I hate than thin jersey that showcases every bump (as well as your undies) and looks almost see-through in the light. Even I have been guilty of wearing leggings that were not quite as opaque on the derrier as one would hope ;). The v-neck on this dress is quite deep, and I did struggle a little to keep myself under wraps, but it can easily be adjusted with the stretchy waistband.

Have you seen Love in Topshop? I am currently lusting after a few of their gorgeous sheer chiffon dresses that are completely on trend.

 Sage sleeveless dress - £38

Peach sleeveless bow dress - £36

I also spotted this cute rust jersey jumpsuit (£36) as worn by Lydia on TOWIE. I likey! xxx

Brighton!

Feeling a little fuzzy after Friday's festivities the bf and I dragged ourselves out of bed at the crack of dawn (well 6am) to embark on our little Brighton adventure.

Having smugly beaten the traffic we arrived in Brighton long before the local residents had awoken, let alone the weekend crowd. This left us plenty of time to indulge in a full English breakfast and explore the seaside resort in the quiet early morning sunshine :).

The Royal Pavilion is one of my absolute favourite places in Brighton - it's exotic, oriental style and beautiful gardens are absolutely breathtaking!

Getting dressed so early in the morning comfort was my utmost priority. I chose an old dress from Topshop, a large 70's inspired hat from United Colours of Benetton and New Look sandals.

We had such a lovely day by the seaside - feasting on rock, candy floss and ice cream, relaxing on the beach with a good book and navigating the winding streets in search of knick knacks. The bf even had a little dip in the sea, though I think he was the only one 'brave' enough to do so. Despite the deceptively warm and sunny day the water was still absolutely freezing!!

What are your favourite places to visit for a day trip? Have you ever been to Brighton? xxx

TRW - OOTD

Since neither my friends nor I were invited to the royal wedding (quelle surprise!) we were very excited to attend a party in honour of the wedding in the heart of Trafalgar Square instead. With plenty of delicious canapes and glasses of champagne that were refilled with the utmost haste it was the perfect way to celebrate such a special occasion. I decided to keep within the 'royal and loyal' theme and wear a bright red dress, inspired by the style of one of the esteemed wedding guests - none other than Mrs Beckham ;).

I purchased this VB inspired dress from ASOS a few weeks ago, initially to wear to work due to its modest hemline. On arrival I decided this dress would be better suited to other occasions - let's just say it looked a little more demure on the athletic build of the model ;). I paired the dress with a patent leather belt from Ted Baker and black heels from Carvela.

Makeup was applied hastily using a hand mirror while watching the wedding footage, so was kept pretty simple using all the usual suspects (NARS sheer glow as foundation, laguna as bronzer and MAC well dressed blush). On the eyes I used Urban Decay's naked palette (sin on the lid and naked in the crease), Dior liquid liner and No7 Exquisite Curl mascara. I then added a little colour to the lips with The Bodyshop's lipgloss in an unfortunately discontinued sheer red colour.

To add some volume into my hair I used Shan Rahimkhan True Colour shampoo and Double Phase Leave in Treatment as a light spray leave -in conditioner. I don't use these every day as my long hair needs a lot of moisture to keep it soft and nourished, but for days when I need more volume and bounce these products are unbeatable! They make my hair feel very light and help the volume created through heat styling last much longer. As I was pressed for time instead of using hot rollers I used the Babyliss Big Hair to add height at the roots and some soft curls at the ends.

I hope you all had a wonderful day off and enjoyed the royal wedding. Did you celebrate at home or join in a street part? If you were in London did you manage to catch a glimpse of the beautiful couple? xxx