The Wedding Outfit Dilemma ... Part 2!

Bonjour!

So ... if you read my original Wedding Outfit post here you'll know I was after something special to wear for my brother's nuptials! We returned from holiday and I went into 'panic dress buying mode' as I had a week to sort everything out before the big day.  That was over two weeks ago and if you follow me on Instagram you'll know which dress I opted for anyway! But ... since I'd photographed the dresses (in haste and on my phone - hey ho!) I thought I'd follow up ... I've not added individual links to each dress as they are all on my Pinterest page here ...

The first three are from the House of  Fraser and were all reduced in the sale ... there seems to be a 'cap sleeve' theme going on ...!

Cap sleeved with lace overlay and gathered skirt ... Mum liked this one ... it has a bit of a 'Prom' look to it and I thought the lace was really pretty but I knew straight away it was too flouncy and full in the skirt for me ... it would have suited my young daughter much better! You can tell I'm uncomfortable if you look at the stiffness of my right arm there!

Described as 'Cascading Floral' - (Mum didn't like this one anyway!) I quite fancied the idea of something floral and fitted.  It did feel lovely and comfortable on but ... a) it was the most expensive - reduced from £159 to £70 or something? I've never spent that amount on a dress so it would have had to have been absolutely perfect and b) the cap sleeves bothered me - they made me feel like an extra aboard the Starship Enterprise in a Star Trek spectacular!

More cap sleeves - this time with lace shoulders and a sweetheart neckline ... I had a real soft spot for this one and my mum liked it (she said it reminded her of the dresses she used to wear during the fifties in India!). It came a close second - felt really pretty and dainty on but due to the rigid waistband I couldn't take a deep breath in the size 8 and the 10 was a little too big, plus the large and very obvious silver zip on the back bothered me - don't ask why it just did!

This red lace 'Anita and Green' number from New Look turned out to be the one! I loved everything about it ... the colour, the lace, the fact that the sleeves were longer, it wasn't too fitted or too flouncy too baggy, long or short - you know when something just 'feels right'?  The pics don't do it justice ... plus it was reduced in the sale and was an absolute bargain , as were the shoes I also 'stumbled' up in the New Look sale!

A close up of the lace detail below ... and an 'outfit selfie' from the wedding day (you can't walk past a large full length hotel mirror without doing so can you?!). I treated myself to a new Benefit Roller Lash mascara for the big day as I knew it would do a good mascara job in a jiffy and be easy to touch up with no clumps and ol' faithful Kate Moss Matte 110 came up trumps (once again) and matched the dress perfectly - love that lippie!

So ... after the initial panic it all ended well ... it was a fantastic day, the bride looked radiant and I was so proud of my bro (head over to my Instagram to catch a pic of the bride and groom!), all the family had a brilliant time ... an all round winner!

We actually have another wedding to attend in September (one of the hubby's friends this time) ... they're like buses ... they all come at once ... so I've decided to wear my dress again - can't wait!   Have you attended any weddings lately - did you have an outfit dilemma?

Jen x

The Wedding Outfit Dilemma ... Part 1!

Bonjour!

It's been a mad few weeks that's for sure (as you may have gathered by the sparse blog posts!) ... overtime, end of term for the kids, then holiday preparations were underway, had a brilliant time with the family in the South of France,  and now my brother and his lovely fiancee are shortly to be married ... so the madness continues! Good madness of course!

So ... wedding outfit ... I'm not a regular 'dress wearer' as you may know ... I tend to try to toughen things up with boots etc to play down the ladylike vibe (looks great on others but not so much on me!) but you can't really do that for your brother's wedding can you? Well ... I could but don't think my mum would be very impressed! And herein lies the dilemma ... an age appropriate dress in the correct colour that doesn't cost the earth ... with the right neckline, not too short, long, clingy, baggy or fussy ... don't want much do I?  Here are a few that have caught my eye from House of  Fraser, Debenhams and New Look - all images and links etc are from Pinterest here ...

Not sure whether to go for something floaty ...

or lace and floaty ... this one may be a bit too short actually ...

Or fitted lace ...

or something in between ...

I think this is probably my favourite, a bit more sophisticated but I love the style and colour ...

... and for some reason, although I'm not a flowery girl, this one from Ted Baker is calling to me ...

So what do you think - opinions please? Would you go floaty, lacy or fitted? I've ordered a few dresses so will showcase once I've had a trying on session!  I'm not even thinking about bag or shoes yet, that's another kettle of fish!

Jen x

Hauling in July ... !

Bonjour!

It feels like forever since I did a haul post so this is a big one ... although all this lot wasn't just bought in one go but rather in dribs and drabs over the last month-ish ...!

Starting off with hair ... yes well ... now that I've had my hair cut into a short bob I've decided I want to grow it into more of a 'lob' (my daughter says this is all I ever do ... cut it off then try to grow it ... grow it then cut it off again and so on and so forth!). Anyway, I've invested in a couple of appliances for starters ...

I needed a new hairdryer after my old one packed in ... ummed and ahhed for ages and in the end decided to go for a professional brand (more on that later) so went for the Diva Professional Veloce 3800 Pro from Amazon. And also the Babyliss Dual Big Hair Rotating Hot Air Styler which, in contrast, was an impulse buy after I saw the demo on QVC and decided it was the styling tool for me - so far so good!

A few clothing buys ...

This lot was bought fairly recently ... the softest off-white top ever from The White Stuff, navy linen blend dress from Gap, long sleeve basic t-shirt and another 'fluffy thing' from Next (have one in grey and how I love it for softness and warmth during the colder months!) all in the sales! The only non sale item was my new leather bag - a bargain from TK Maxx - I'm in love and can't stop gazing at it - I've never had a 'handbag fetish' but this could be the start of a bad habit!

Flowery print gypsy top (not sure it's me as I don't usually do the flower or the gypsy thing but my mum likes it!) and khaki utility skirt from the New Look sale.  Also got hold of a pair of thin khaki trousers from New Look (only £9!) and was unsure whether to keep or not as I'm rarely out of my jeans but the opinion was an outright 'keeper' when I asked for opinions over on Instagram!

Next up a few beauty buys ... some essential and some treats ...!

The essentials ... (in my book anyway!) were the Vichy Ideal Soleil Mattifying Face Dry Touch SPF 30 as I fancied something non-shiny on my kite this holiday and  Bourjois Bronzing Primer - it's meant to be a dupe for the Chanel Bronze Universel, which I have loved in past years so we'll see how it compares!

The treats ... Original Source Coconut and Shea Butter Shower Cream and Mandara Spa Shea & Coconut Body Butter on offer in Sainsburys and Rimmel Wake Me-Up Concealer (although this could be deemed as essential as I should never be without an under-eye concealer!), Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliner in Spice and Natural Collection Eye Liner in grey.

A couple of footwear items ...

Can't stretch to Birkenstocks this year so these will do me nicely from Primark at only £4! And finally  ... my JuJu Reilly sandals - a bargain in the Office sale at a tenner - they are so comfy - I could shop for hours in them (but I won't!) ... I want another pair!

So that's me done for a while, must try to be good now although my brother's wedding is coming up next month so that could be a problem!  What have you bought in July?

Jen x

Birthday Stash!

Bonjour!

I realised I'd not posted about my recent birthday pressies so thought I'd just 'do a quick one'  ...  as you do!

'Something for the Weekend' and 'Greatest Ever 80s Groove' CDs, earrings, Mac Blushbaby and Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue fom the hubby and kids. H&M Gift voucher, Cath Kidson mug and chocolate eggs from a couple of lovely friends (they know me so well!). Bronzo Italia Rose Gold Bracelet from mum and dad. 

And last but not least if a girl can't treat herself to a Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm (whilst on offer with a third off from Escentual) and a Kenwood Mini Chopper (also on offer from Sainsburys - I know how to live don't I?) then when can she?

Oh and nearly forgot ... managed to get hold of the bright green shirt from New Look in the sale ...  see my wishlist here) just need a night out to wear it now ...!

And do you know what, that chopper - it's marvellous ... don't know what I did without it! Every girl needs a mini chopper!

Jen x

A Pathetic Sales Haul and a Treat ...!

Bonjour!

I love a bargain (who doesn't?) and usually manage to bag a few in (what used to be) the January sales!  Didn't really happen this year -  my intention was to go the day after Boxing Day but the large dump of snow put paid to that. We set off but had to turn back.  I was disgruntled to say the least!  Not to be beaten I decided to have a look online and ordered a couple of bits from New Look ...

Brave Soul Chunky Knit - £10 - a change from my usual grey/black and is so warm on ... my resistance to the cold is going from bad to worse so this is a keeper!  My mum likes it apart from the huge 'B' logo - ah well you can't win 'em all!

Lace collar dress - £10 ... couldn't make my mind up - I mean I don't really 'do' dresses that often so would this turn out to be one of those items that ends up living out it's life in the wardrobe and no place else? Anyway - right or wrong I decided to keep it at the last minute ... suppose if push comes to shove I could always wear for work with opaques and boots ...

Leopard fur coat - £25 ... I really liked the idea of this baby but unfortunately it didn't fit properly on the shoulders and the collar stuck up in a funny fashion so it had to go back - gutted  I was!

The only thing I managed to pick up in-store was this V-neck knit from H&M at £10 - it's slightly over sized, warm and not black . Need to find something to layer underneath though as that V is a tad deep on!

How pathetic is this? The single beauty item I managed to bag in the half price sales at Boots this year was a Soap & Glory Righteous Butter ... I don't know whether to feel ashamed or proud ...!





And now for the treat ... I couldn't resist this recent TSV (Today's Special Value of course!) from QVC.  Supersizes of the Liquid Gold and Absolute Eye Complex and full size Balancing Cleanser.   This kit is now priced at £70 on their website but the crazy TSV price was £30ish - it was a no brainer!  The Balancing Cleanser and Absolute Eye Complex I've used before and although I have tried Liquid Gold a couple of years ago, I didn't really get on with it ... but the beauty blogger in me wants/needs to give it another go to help with dull winter skin - I have to say the signs are promising this time round!  I shall report back once I've given it a good going over!

So what do you think? Was I pathetic, sensible or just in the wrong place at the wrong time?!  Did you manage to bag many bargains in the sales?

Jen  x