Weekly WishList - Modern Retro Edition.

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When it comes to decorating a living space there are two things I absolutely love: A modern retro style and calming muted green, grey and blue colours. For me I prefer a very neutral canvas with with I can inject lots beautiful stylish furnishings. I find using muted greens and blues gives a lovely serene and calm quality to a room which is definitely needed amongst the chaos of having two toddlers So here I have found a few items that combine all those things I am looking for in a living space that have now made their way onto my long homeware wishlist! Call it a bit of a living room mood board if you will!

Two things that my house really needs are this retro phone from Next and a Roberts Revival digital radio, both of which are in my favourite colours and would fit perfectly within the look I am trying to create. Practically we do actually need an extra telephone has we are going from living in a one story to a two story dwelling but the radio I think would just look lovely in the kitchen so we could listen to it whilst cooking or eating dinner.

This light shade from John Lewis is just stunning. Its a delicate cut out design which produces the silhouette of trees into the walls when dark, what a great way to create mood lighting in the evening! We currently have the Karlstad Ikea sofa in 'Lindo beige' which I absolutely love and would like to get the matching footstool in a contrasting fabric and this leafy green floral fabric is just lovely! Another piece of furniture which I adore is this Leonhard Pfeifer for John Lewis Abbeywood cabinet again in the most beautiful shades of muted green and blue, I love this retro style but it is so so expensive I will just have to keep wishing on this one! 

Lastly I am loving all the copper accessories in shops right now and think they go really well with my chosen colours. H&M have loads of copper home accents available online right now including this candle stick holder, cake stand and decorative hooks. 

I am loving creating homeware mood boards and wish lists right now and I cant wait to share with you how we decorate our new house once we are eventually in. Thank you for reading!  

LouLou.

   

The MUST HAVE Coat By M&S.

This on trend, minimalist style coat will slip seamlessly into your core wardrobe. Whether you’re pairing it with jeans and a tee or with a polished office outfit, the clean lines and double breasted style of this coat mean it’s extremely flattering and easy to wear. Plus this season we’ve made our sumptuous Italian wool rich fabric, with the added touch of luxurious cashmere, even softer and finer.

Oh My god when I first saw this coat I new I had to have one! What a statement wardrobe staple for this winter, a classic flattering shape, quality material and a choice of 6 stunning shades....who knew all this would come from Marks and Spencer!??!

The hardest decision would be choosing a colour....cant we just have them all? At £120 it is not the cheapest of winter coats but it is by far the classiest which will last you for years to come! I have to say I am pretty drawn to the yellow and pink colours and I cant wait to go in store and try one on, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to fall in love. 

What colour would you choose??

LouLou. 

The BodyShop Vineyard Peach Collection.

I was lucky enough to receive a few items from the Vineyard Peach collection by The BodyShop for my birthday so I thought I'd share my first impressions on this particular sent which I think is a relatively new addition to their collections.

This was the first time I had ever smelt this scent collection and it is totally up my street! It is the juiciest fruity scent and even though it is a very sweet scent its doesn't smell too synthetic and does have a genuine 'peach' smell which is just delicious!

The body mist is so nice and have become my new replacement for my now empty Victoria Secret Body Mist in 'Lemon escape'. Because it is a body mist the fragrance doesn't last very long but that is expected it just means I can enjoy liberally spritzing myself with it all day!

The shower gel does a good job and again shares the beautiful juicy scent which has been a very big hit with the boys at bath time who now request to smell of peaches! The body butter has been a nice surprise I haven't used one for ages and have stayed away because they used to feel a bit too greasy on the skin but this one is just lovely! It sinks into the skin quickly, is very moisturising and the peach scent    seems to linger so much longer then any other moisturisers I have tried which is great as who wouldn't want to smell like a peach!

This is definitely one of my favourite scents from The Body Shop, you can find the range for sale here.

LouLou.

July Favourites!

Is it just me or has this month absolutely flown by! July has been a great month and as it was my birthday I have a lot of new favourites to share with you. 

I will start with my random non beauty favourites and the first thing has got to be Aldi's Strawberry & Lime Fruit Cider! This yummy goodness is just so refreshing, nothing cools you down on a hot day like a fruit cider pored over a glass filled to the brim with ice and Aldi's offering is only £1.50 a bottle!

My lovely mother bought me a beautiful necklace for my birthday which I have been wearing non stop since, it is a silver dog tag style pendant each with all our names engraved on it. I love how dainty and delicate it is and its so personal, a great keepsake to have. 

My last random favourite has got to be boxing, there was a great fight on this month which we were really looking forward to and sadly the main fight was canceled which was a little disappointing but we still enjoyed the rest of the smaller fights. Also in a few weeks we are going to a 'Clash For Cancer' charity boxing event where we know one of the boxers taking part and next month we have tickets to go see a night of championship boxing in London which will also be a great night out.

On to beauty favourites the first has to be Arran Aromatics 'After The Rain' Shea body butter which has to be one of the best body moisturisers I have ever tired....I will be doing a review of the whole gift set very soon! The Body Shop Vineyard Peach body mist was a kind gift from my best friend and I have been using it every day since. The sent is so fruity and very genuine peach scent so it smells delicious. Another birthday gift was The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Oil-In-Serum which has done fantastic things for my skin since I've been using it, even though it was a little hit and miss at first check out my full review for tips on how to use it here. Two products that I received in my Latest In beauty The Glamour Edit box which have quickly become July favourites were the Bourjois Cream Blush in 03 and the Magnifibres lash lengthening mascara. The cream blush is just so subtle and so easy to use it is the most beautiful dusky rose colour that suits my pale skin and its pretty much fool proof! Magnifibres is a great alternative to false lashes, tiny fibres that stick to your lashes and when covered with a sweep of mascara is supposed to lengthen your lashes up to 5mm....its really does work I promise I will do a before and after pictures soon!

I really do hope that next month goes a little slower but hopefully I should be moving by the end of next month finally so its all very exciting! Thank you for reading.

LouLou.

Home Accessories By Next - My Living Room Wish List!

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When it comes to furnishing and decorating my home there are only 3 main shops I turn to, Ikea, H&M home and Next! As you are all aware I am very imminently moving from a 2 bedroom flat in a town to a 3 bedroom house in a lovely small village. I am very lucky that when we move in our new house will be completely newly refurbished but even so it will need a personal touch to make it feel and work for us as a family home. 

Now as we are moving to somewhere bigger and a completely different type of space I have a long list furnishings we need to get. So lets start with the living room, we already have a lovely sofa and a refurbished rocking chair for seating and some bookcases for storage and the only other piece of furniture we need to purchase is a new TV unit and I've spotted the most perfect one from Ikea which will also be able to house the majority of the boys toys. 

What we do need to make our new place nice and homely is some decorative accessories to make it nice and cosy and the new home-ware collection from Next is just amazing it has everything you would need to personalise your living space. Firstly I love this little side table the green and wood works perfectly with the colour scheme of our living room and would be very handy to house our phone and not to mention a regular cup of tea! Lamps make great mood lighting in the evenings creating a cosier ambiance, I love floor lamps and in particular this tripod lamp as it has a lovely rustic look. Every living room needs a clock and for me the bigger the better, giant wall clocks make such a statement and this one is pretty huge. Next do a fantastic range of frames and pictures to brighten up the walls these are just a few that would work well with our decor, the house rules I also think are very appropriate with 2 little boys running around. This house shaped trinket storage box not only again matches our colour scheme perfectly but it would sit nicely on the unit in our porch and would be great for storing our keys, loose change, doggy bags and other tit-bits that we like to leave by the front door. Lastly I'm in love with this lighting pendant of different dangling bulbs which again gives a little bit of a rustic warehouse kind of look. 

I urge you to check out Next's home-ware section if you fancy a little spruce up around the home, you will not be disappointed! Thank you for reading.

LouLou.          

How To Wear Casual Leather - Outfit Of The Day!

Apologies in advance for the really awkward 'crouching tiger' mirror selfies, without a tripod this was the only way taking outfit pictures was possible!

Ok onto the main topic....Leather! A fabric which I have always been a little afraid of for the fear of looking a little too '50 shades of grey'! I've always wanted a leather skirt and I picked this beautiful Oasis bargain up a few months back in the spring sales for only £15. Its such a beautiful and flattering shaped skirt, coming down to the knee but with a modest split to make it easy and comfortable to wear. It also is high waisted giving you the most beautiful hourglass curves....yet still I have been a little afraid to wear it mostly because I had no idea who to style it.

Until now that is!! I wanted a way of making this skirt wearable for everyday to get the most wear out of it, I didn't want it sitting in the back of my wardrobe waiting for an 'occasion' to wear it. So here is my casual leather outfit of the day! I didn't want my outfit to look too 'I'm off to the office' or too 'I'm off to a bar' and I think I found the most perfect combination.

I paired the skirt with a grey slouchy distressed T-shirt from Primark which you can see in my mini haul here. Having a very casual top tucked into a leather skirt really dresses it down and I think these two work perfectly together. Still keeping it causal and if a little chillier I think this peter pan collared cardigan which again you can find in my haul looks great thrown over the top.

Now lets talk foot-ware, you could wear some little pumps or even heels but again verging on the border of office-ware to keep it casual and everyday a pair of black converse are perfect and keep the whole outfit comfortable. Those slip on style trainers would also look great with this outfit and for a bit of a statement to jazz up a very muted outfit why not go for a funky leopard print pair.

With this outfit I like to keep accessories to a minimum, I wear my simple personalised silver dog-tags and carry my Zara Combined Office City bag which the colours match the outfit perfectly.

Thank you for reading.

LouLou.

H&M Autumn/Winter Collection - My Must Haves!

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Oh my I am just going crazy for all the new Autumn/Winter stock filtering into the shops at the moment  and H&M has to be one of my favourites! Look at all these beauties!! These are eight of my favourite Autumnal pieces available online at H&M right now.

I absolutely love all their new jackets, my wardrobe is still without a leather jacket and H&M do such great affordable ones! I also adore this white with black detailing jersey jacket, it is so chic and very channel-esk looking which will smarten up any outfit. 

I am loving the animal prints for Autumn winter and H&M are doing this trend so well. This skirt is very similar to one I already have but is in the most perfect Autumnal colours....I definitely need it! The snake skin print slip ons are also bloody gorgeous, I have never owned a pair of these popular style shoes before but they seemed to be everywhere this summer! Another beautiful animal print statement piece is this double breasted winter coat, I have huge trouble finding coats that suit me so I am looking forward to trying this on. 

Lastly tan, brown and beige will be my go to colours for the season to come and a felt hat, suede fringed boots and tan leather look shorts are wardrobe staples that cannot be missed out on! 

Hopefully you will see some of these crop up in a few hauls in the future! Thank you for reading. 

LouLou.        

Sunday Family Funday.

 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil - A Review.

I was lucky enough to receive this for my birthday a few weeks ago after coveting it since its release a few months back. This is the first facial oil I have tried so I have not anything to compare it to but I will tell you how I feel about it so far. 

Now the serum in oil comes in a 28ml bottle with a pipette to decant the contents and this bottle costs £12 which is a fraction of the price of some high end oils and over night serums like Estee Lauders Advanced Night Repair, Rosehip Oil by Pai and Kiehls Midnight Recovery which are all £20-£45.

I have been using this product once or twice a week as a part of my evening skincare routine mainly on days which I feel my skin could really do with a boost. I apply a very small amount only one or two drops massaging it into my face after cleansing, I do not apply any other moisturisers over the top partly because I find this difficult over an oil based product. It states to be a non-greasy and fast absorbing formula and I have to say that I disagree with both those statements, I find this leaves my skin very greasy once applied and takes a very long time to sink into the skin. Although it does feel like a cross between a serum and an oil because of the greasiness of the finish I tend to only put it on right before I go to sleep. 

Now this product says to replenish and recharge the skin making it feel softer and look more radiant and this I do agree with! Since using this and a combination of other products (which I talk about here) my skin has been so radiant and a lot smoother in texture which is excellent!

Even though I really like this product using it has been a bit trial and error! A few things I have learnt is that using it daily is not a good idea...I found the formula way too greasy and my oil levels seemed to increase during the day which is not good! I also could not get on with using it in conjunction with my usual oil based cleanser.....again way too much oil! But like I said using it once or twice a week just being careful not to apply too much and it has really worked wonders on my skin! 

I hope this review has been useful, this product is available to buy here. 

LouLou

Eli's Birthday Wish List - What To Get A Three Year Old.

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Eli's birthday seems to be coming around fast, I know there is still 3 months but I like to be prepared and budget especially with our impending move! So I have been trying to get some ideas of what to get him.....What to buy a three year old that has already has more possessions then I do!!

Now I always stick to the old saying.....Something he wants, something he needs, something to wear, something to read.....to make sure he has a variety of gifts and that I don't go too overboard!

So this year his main present and want is a bicycle or to be more precise a tricycle, I think 3 is the perfect age for a child's first bike and a great photo opportunity to look back on in the future. When we are in our new house I can picture bike rides round the village and in the park and I have my eyes set on an American retro Radio Flyer tricycle complete with bell and handle tassels! A little extra want is this marble run game, Eli absolutely love building things so he will love building this towering marble run I'm sure.

Next is what he needs...which is a nice new rucksack which he can take to Nursery as he will have started by then! I love this vintage looking red bus rucksack by Cath Kidston It is the perfect size to fit in it his sippy cup and a spare change of clothes!

Something to wear is an easy one as Winter will be approaching so a replacement leather jacket for the one he has outgrown is a must and I absolutely adore this one from Zara! Also another winter essential is a good pair of boots and I have been wanting to get Eli a pair of Doc Martins for a long time!

Lastly something to read.....this list could honestly be endless! He need some new books to go with his Leap Frog Leap Reader and these 'Learn to read phonics books' are perfect for his age. We also need a story book or two or three and right now I think Eli would love this 'Cars Galore' book and also any book by Oliver Jeffers is a winner!

Thank you for reading.

LouLou.

Mini Primark Haul For Autumn/Winter.

I am loving all the Autumn/Winter stock slowly filtering into the highstreet stores right now but the one I get most excited about it Primark! After seeing a few little glimpses of their new season stock online I was so excited to see some thicker knitwear and coats starting to occupy the rails. Of course that meant me starting to stock up on my Autumn/Winter wardrobe pretty early this year so I have a mini Primark haul to show you all. 

Firstly there was one Item that I put back and didn't end up buying but I'm pretty sure I will probably get it on my next visit, and it was a large thick draping poncho style cardigan in grey and beige angled stripes. It was very boho/native American-esk and was so warm and cosy, it would make a great throw on when it starts to get chilly and would look lovely with Winter boots. 

Onto items that I did actually buy the first was a mottled grey distressed T-shirt, it is oversized but hangs beautifully and very thin and comfortable. I had seen the likes of these T-shirts in Topshop and All Saints but for a much higher price then Primarks £4! These are great staples you have in your wardrobe as they look effortlessly chic with jeans or shorts and are also great for layering in the colder months. 

This has got to be one of the comfiest T-shirts I have ever owned and looks adorable with ripped denim shorts for a very casual slouchy look. Because the material is so light it keeps you nice and cool and doesn't cling, it also means that it hangs beautifully and looks so flattering. They also had this T-shirt in a range of colours so I will definitely be going back for more.   

Now it may seem like I've got a bit of a grey theme going on here but I just couldn't resist the adorable neckline of this cardigan! Normally Primark cardigans are that thin stretchy knit kind of fabric but this is different, it is thicker and feels better quality whilst still being a thin knit. This is the perfect for chilly Autumn days and can be thrown on and layered up like i have done over the distressed T-shirt. 

What really makes this cardigan a must have is all the little details, not only does it have a pearl embellished lace peter pan collar (omg heart eyes all around!) it also has little pearl buttons and scalloped edging on the sleeves and hem! I think this is a bit of a gem for only £12 it looks a lot more expensive then it is.

My last buy was this thicker cardigan and again what sold it to me was the lovely detailing a great quality! This is more of a hefty cardigan, a thicker knit but still so so soft and cosy. It has 3/4 length draping arms and crochet detailing and a lovely fringed hem which gives it a definite boho look. 

I think this cardigan looks great thrown on over a T-shirt and looks great with shorts with the fringing dangling around your bare legs. To make this outfit more Autumn appropriate just switch the T-shirt for something with long sleeved and throw on some tights and ankle boots and your good to go! This cardigan was £14 and again i think looks more expensive then it is so well done Primark, it seems that they have really upped their game this season and I cant wait to see more of the collection!

For anyone wondering the shorts that my Primark haul have been styled with are old and from Republic which I think are now no longer around, sorry about that! 

Thank you for reading! 

LouLou.