Matalan Christmas Press Day

It had to be the first sunny and twenty-two degree afternoon we've had for a while on the day that I'm heading to the plush Hospital club in Covent Garden to check out Matalan's new Christmas collection. But don't think that stopped me getting in the festive spirit - it was hard not to when you set your eyes on all the gorgeous decorations and caught a sniff of the real Christmas trees!

I was greeted by Becky who offered to show me round the collection and it was great to get a personal tour and have a chat so I felt completely welcome.

What I noticed immediately about the main women's collection was how nice it was to see such vibrant and varied colours and textures. From chiffon, velvet and sequins combined with prints in the Canyon Child collection to the frosted colour palette wih metallics, embellishment and feminine edge of the Winter Wonderland collection. This dress definitely has the making of a bestseller!

Matalan is also relaunching its plus size range, Rogers and Rogers offering peplum and baroque detail as well as loads of colour and sparkle from sizes 18-30.

Rogers & Rogers Collection



Whilst there were a few pieces that I liked including the blue baroque style trousers, it was the footwear and bags that really got me excited... Gorgeous burgundy, sparkles, wedges, wedged hi-tops for under £30, as well as embellished slippers and oversized clutches both at around the £8 mark - this is the perfect collection as the nights draw in and the party season starts!

If I had to pick a favourite it would be the wedge hi-tops, available in burgundy and a stone/beige for the bargain price of £22. This is such good value and definitely a price tag I would be willing to pay for such a trendy item that may not be around next summer! (you can see how I would style hi-tops in this post).

I've also got my eye on this gorgeous maroon faux fur coat... only problem is its in the kids range! I'm hoping I can squeeze into this one as Matalan stock up to age 16. Again this is a steal at £25...

Aside from the womenswear, menswear and kidswear there were some lovely home collections including bedding, nightwear and Christmas decorations...

Overall I was really impressed with the collection - the designs are completely on trend, I love the colour palettes and they offer such good value for money. The collection will hit stores at the end of August/start of September.

Which are your favourite items from the collection?

Lindsey

Happy Birthday To Me...

I'm not a girl who worries about my age or getting old (there's always botox right?) and back on the 5th July I celebrated my *ahem* 28th birthday. One drawback that people always talk about is that birthdays and Christmas get progressively more disappointing as you get older.

Well, speaking from experience I can happily inform you all that this is a load of old (excuse the pun) baloney... as this year's birthday was the best I've ever had... If you are easily offended by mild bragging of lavish presents I advise you to look away now ;)

Aside from it being a Thursday and having to work, I had a lovely evening with a meal at my favourite restaurant in Leeds, Blackhouse Grill - I had the wild mushroom tart with leek and brie, followed by the sashimi grade tuna loin. Apologies for no pics but I feel a bit awkward about taking photos in nice restaurants - just trust me it was amazing!

In addition to that, I was a very lucky girl this year as thanks to my boyfriend I am now the proud owner of the stunning Mulberry Roxanne!

The handbag is simply perfect. Whilst I get that the Bayswater is a classic, I knew it wasn’t for me – not just because everyone has one, but I’m not a fan of the slouchy leather. The Roxanne has a much more industrial feel – I love the pocket, buckle and rivet detail and the leather is a lot stiffer and I get the feeling will be more hardwearing over the years.

He also bought me a pair of leopard print Converse...

Not just spoiled by my boyfriend (major major brownie points for him btw), I also received some cash and some of my favourite Neal's Yard goodies from my family and the love continued with my best friend Helen buying me the Naked palette by Urban Decay! I'll do a separate post reviewing these soon...

A note to all girls out there - proof its always good to have a publicly documented wish list ;) Those of you that saw my April wishlist will know that I was already lucky enough to be bought the Sugarhill Boutique Cherry Bomb Shift Dress (OOTD here) so I was gobsmacked to virtually complete the set.

Lucky and spoiled doesn't even come close!

When is your birthday and what are you hoping for this year?

Lindsey

ASOS £100 Style Challenge

To celebrate hitting 1000 followers on Twitter, Discount Coder (@DiscountCoder) are running a competition to win a £100 ASOS voucher. All you have to do is style an outfit made up of items from ASOS for a maximum of £100.

I've seen the competition on a couple of blogs so thought I'd give it a try myself... I have to say this was a lot harder than I thought, as despite there being a lot of bargains on ASOS at the moment, £100 doesn't get you very far when you have a full outfit including accessories to style.

Anyway here is my look...

ASOS T-Shirt with Quilted Section £18.00

ASOS Mini Skirt in Leather Look £25.00

ASOS DENY Wedge High Top Trainers With Suede Detail £45.00

ASOS Skull and Floral Scarf £12.00

Total Cost = £100

Here is a full length photo of the scarf so you can see how it would complement the outfit:

I've opted for some key sports luxe features (you can see my post about sports luxe here) - the wedge high top trainers are bang on trend and set to stay for A/W 2012 (I've seen a sneak preview of a gorgeous pair in the New Look collection on Instagram). I've teamed them with a panelled leather look skirt, again this item will be great right through to next season with the gothic trend all over the catwalk.

The scarf will also be perfect into autumn (gothic trend and weather!) and I like the floral twist on the ever popular skull print, also adding some girliness to the sporty look. I've gone for a short hemline and textured layers with the quilting and scarf to help balance out the chunky wedge trainers.

I'm really happy with this outfit and its definitely something I would like to wear... you never know, if I win the competition I might just treat myself to these exact items! I think they come together well but individually are great capsule wardrobe pieces that will carry through to next year.

If you'd like to enter the competition yourself, visit Discount Coder's website here.

What do you think of the outfit? Would you wear wedge trainers?

Lindsey

Track of the Week: Desos

The post-holiday blues have well and truly kicked in, so what better than a tune that immediately transports me back to Ibiza lying on a day bed, drink in hand as the sun is coming down...

Ghetto Love by Desos (Original Mix) is the perfect blend of deep house, a techy vibe with that lush rolling bass and finished with the smoothest saxaphone you can imagine.

Deso Records, based in Denmark,  promotes itself as "Deep and Raw" and they are bang on the money with this track. Unfortunately for the non-DJ's, this one was out on 11th June on vinyl only and I can't see any mention of a digital release at the moment.

Looks like I'll have to enjoy this one on Soundcloud for now...




Hope you like it!

Lindsey

NYR White Tea Facial Mist

I am already a regular user of Neal's Yard Remedies White Tea Face Mask so was delighted to be sent the White Tea Facial Mist to try out.*

Neal's Yard describe this product as "a gentle facial mist to calm refresh and rehydrate the skin. To be used after cleansing to tone the skin, or spritz throughout the day, even over make up, for a refreshing hydrating boost".

I've been trying this out for a month now and it couldn't have come at a better time given the warm weather we had been having (seems like a distant memory now!) and with my recent holidays to Ibiza and Marbella.

If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that I had been working out every day to get beach body ready and after exercise I do suffer with an extremely beetroot-esque face. This is the ideal product to refresh the face and cool you down but it also has calming properties - it helped soothe my red face and return it to normal colour within a few minutes. It left my skin feeling good too, definitely more plumped rather than the tightness I can sometimes feel after showering after an intense work out.

The product is infused with antioxidant white tea, calming organic aloe vera, aromatherapeutic organic essential oils and soothing Bach Flower Remedies. It smells lovely, and whilst I wouln't say it leaves a residue on the face, it definitely feels like a moisturising layer is left on the skin. It is also 92% organic, paraben free and vegan friendly.

I thought this product would probably be quite expensive and therefore it would be nice as a gift but maybe not something I would buy for myself as I haven't previously used a facial mist. However, I was surprised when I checked the price that this was only £10.50 for a 45ml bottle and definitely think its a worthwhile edition to any skincare regime, particularly during the summer months or if you exercise frequently.

You can find the full product details and buy the product here.

 

Do you use a facial mist or would you try one?

Lindsey

*All items marked with a asterisk (*) are gifted items or pr samples.

Weekend Hot Mix: The Other Side

It feels like ages since I've shared a mix I love with you and there could only be one option this week. It has to be the soundtrack to my Ibiza holiday...

Every year, my boyfriend has put together a mix that we listen to when driving round the island - to and from the beach, to and from the clubs, or just for chilling to by the pool.

This one is particularly special as it features loads of my favourite tracks (including a few Tracks of the Week) and its over two hours of the finest deep house out there.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as we have! Have a great weekend!




Lindsey

Nails of the Day: Kiss Me On My Tulips

There's something about choosing the colour nail varnish for my holiday that completely captures the excitement and hopefulness of the pre-getaway build up for me.

This year was no exception, having had no more than a couple of days away, let alone a good stint on a beach since last July, I was completely ready for my latest trip to Ibiza.

Now for the last few years I've always been drawn back to a coral varnish but when I saw this shade from the new OPI Holland Collection Spring/Summer 2012 I knew this was the one for me.

Inspired when I saw my friend Amy jet off to Marbs with a pink manicure, I didn't hesitate to buy Kiss Me On My Tulips. This was the perfect colour I was looking for to take me from bronzed goddess by the pool (ha!) into a glam party look for the evening - this was great as it was striking but without being gaudy or tacky.

Not only am I happy with the colour, but this varnish has lasted brilliantly. It lasted six days without chipping on my fingers - that's with Nailtiques step 1 as a base and top coat, and its been two weeks on my toes and still going strong.

I've given my nails a few days break and I'll definitely be re-doing them ready to jet off to Marbs with the girls tomorrow. Kiss Me On My Tulips - great shade, long lasting - the perfect holiday varnish!

What colour will you be painting your nails for your holiday?

Lindsey

Really Ree Elemis Giveaway

So the first week back to work after a holiday is normally a bit grim to say the least. Particularly this week coming back to a cold, grey, wintery England.

Now I enter loads of stuff but I am the unluckiest person I know - "I never win anything" is a massive cliche, but genuinely, if I'm at the races, people ask me what I'm betting on to make sure they back something else. I'm also banned from watching any important football matches as I'm that much of a jinx (not that Leeds United need any help from me, ahem).

However, the blow of returning from Ibiza was well and truly softened for me, as I learned when I was away that I'd won a competition that I entered ages ago.

You may know that Elemis products and facials make up a major part of my regular skincare routine (previous post here), but what you may not know is that one of the first Beauty Blogs that I stumbled across, and one of the reasons I was inspired to start blogging myself was Really Ree. So it seems even sweeter to me that I should win a competition on her blog!

Here's the lovely package I returned to after my holiday:

It contained full size bottles of the following - meaning the prize was worth a staggering £144!:

• Papaya Enzyme Peel - love this and use already
• Melting Cleansing Gel - new product out this year that I haven't tried yet so can't wait to test this one out
• Sensitive Cleansing Wash - not tried this before
• Maximum Moisture Day Cream
• Maximum Replenish Night Cream - not used either of these before as I currently use the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream and Night Cream so will be very interested to see how they compare as there is a huge difference in price!!

Anyway, this has definitely taught me that despite how unlucky you may be, you are always in with a chance. Many thanks to Ree and I look forward to letting you know how I get on with this huge package of luxury products!

Have you won any great competitions from other blogs?

Lindsey

Track of the Week: French Soul Party

Throwing an indie track in there this week as I'm over the moon to finally find a new band that makes me want to get stuck in down the front of a gig, bouncing up and down and singing at the top of my lungs.

Firm favourites of mine include Arctic Monkeys, Friendly Fires, Pigeon Detectives, Delphic, Fenech Soler... but its been a while since I've managed to find any decent "guitar" music as opposed to my usual house choice. My radio has been filled with whispy, warbling women or boring folky blah blah for far too long so I was as much relieved as excited to hear this track...

Apart from the obvious accent giveaway, the mention of "The Headrow" had me guessing that this was a Leeds band... not far off the mark, French Soul Party are actually from Holmfirth in Huddersfield so its nice to be supporting some local talent.

French Kissing is a perfect summer indie love song and the short 2 minutes 39 seconds forces me to hit repeat several times before I'm done with this one...

Lucky for us, this one is free to download from Soundcloud... just hit the button below.

You can find out more about French Soul Party on their facebook page or follow them on Twitter @FRENCHSOUL. Definitely hoping to catch these guys live soon!

Enjoy!




Lindsey

Wedding #1: The Perfect Jubilee Wedding

Well hello strangers!

Its been a serious while since I've found time to post anything on here between a hen party in Marbella, a wedding, new job, holiday preparation, a serious health and exercise kick, my Ibiza holiday including another hen party and wedding....

Yes May and June have been ridiculously busy but amazingly fun months that have disappeared in the blink of an eye... this sets the tone for the rest of the summer that I have planned! I just hope I can remember everything I wanted to share with you...

First and foremost has to be one of the best weddings I've ever had the pleasure of being invited to - that of my old housemate Anna and her lovely hubby Gav on the Jubilee weekend at the beginning of June at Clumber Park near Mansfield.

Now I firmly believe Anna was born to be a bride and I never expected her day to be anything other than traditional but I was blown away beautiful everything was from the dress, the bridesmaids and the flowers, to the marquee, the table arrangements, the crooked cake and the yummy food - check out the trio of desserts below! It really was the perfect wedding!

So what did I wear for such a special occasion? With it being a summer wedding I wanted something bright and colourful but still in fitting with the traditional feel...

Dress: Next

Shoes: Next

Bag: Zara

Earrings: Accessorize

The dress was exactly what I was looking for and a perfect fit so I was really pleased to find it in Next for the bargain price of £45 with the classic nude heels for just £26! I found this statement grey wire clutch with fringing detail in Zara for £40 which I know will go with so many other things.

This was the first of four weddings I have this summer which has proved fun and stressful in equal measure to get all my outfits sorted... I hope you like this one!

Lindsey

* Photographs by me, Sarah Jackson and Andrew Ward Photography