Friday Feel Good

I've just started following a blog which every Monday posts motivating says which they call Monday Mantras.  They're so lovely that I'm going to start my own, called Friday Feel Good.

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French Connection lovelies

I don't tend to shop in French Connection very often, because it's a little bit out of my price range.  But my friend turned up at the pub wearing an amazing FC dress the other week and it's made me start looking at them again.

These are my favs of their collection at the moment...

What do you think?
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Olivia Rubin for Dorothy Perkins

I've just been having a sneak peek at the upcoming Olivia Rubin collection for Dorothy Perkins.  There's some really interesting, different pieces.  Here are some of my favs...

I also really like this in the sale:

What do you think?
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Bridesmaid dresses

Hi all!! I've just got back from a holiday in Italy with lots of sun, pasta and wine and it seems like an age since I last wrote a post. 

Now that we're back from holiday I've got on full wedding planner mode, on Saturday we've got an appointment with the vicar to finally book the date. I'm so excited! I've also got a date in the diary with my bridesmaids to go and try on the dresses.  We're not planning on having the wedding until summer 2013, so it really is too far in advance to be buying the bridesmaid dresses now but I've seen some in Coast that are so perfect that if they look good when they try them on, I think I'm going to have to snap them up whilst they're available.

Since before I got engaged, I've dreamt of having an olive/ thyme green colour theme which I think will go perfectly with my favourite flowers - pink peonies.  I happened to see last years version of these dresses in some photos of a friend-of-a-friend's wedding and have had them in my mind ever since.  When I discovered Coast had a version out this year I kept a keen eye on them to make sure they don't sell out.  

My Sister-in-law who is one of my bridesmaids is planning on trying for a baby later this year and thinks she could potentially be quite heavily pregnant when she wears hers. So we went to try her one on first so we could see if it was floaty enough for a bump.  With buying the size above, we think it will just about be ok - fingers crossed!! 

Pink peonies 

What do you think?

x

p.s. I'm painting my kitchen this colour next week :) 

A bit of a book review

After taking an age to finish ‘Started early, took my dog’ by Kate Atkinson (I like the Jackson Brodie series, but it doesn't really grip me) I’ve recently read 3 really good, easy read books. 

Firstly, I borrowed ‘From Notting Hill With Love Actually’ from my friend Lizzie, (I’m not sure if Lizzie knows I have this, if not Lizzie – I have your book! J). I really enjoyed it as a throw away romantic comedy novel and would recommend it as a good holiday read.

It’s a bout a girl called Scarlett who is obsessed with the movies and not quite happy with her own life.  She takes a month out to go and house sit in Notting Hill.  She meets a guy called Sean.  You need to read the rest to see what happened J

Then I read ‘Black Heart Blue’ which is totally different! It isn't actually out on the market yet (although you can pre-order on Amazon), but I was lucky enough to receive a proof copy from a friend-of-a-friend who works in the publishing industry. It’s an incredibly dark story about twins, one described as beautiful and the other disfigured by Treacher Collins syndrome.  They live in a vicarage and are abused by their parents. The book is narrated by both girls, giving both sides of the story.

I found myself feeling incredibly frustrated by their plight and that nobody had noticed how they were suffering.  This is not a holiday read like my first recommendation,  but I highly recommend it all the same.  I was hooked from the first few pages.

I haven’t actually finished ‘Mad Women’ yet, but for anyone who’s a fan of Mad Men, this is a must.  It’s written by Jane Maas, who was a copywriter during the mad men era (late 60s – 70s).  I work in this industry so I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to marketing, but I do recommend it if you like the Mad Men series.

I’ve downloaded the Hunger Games trilogy to my Kindle to read on holiday next week – can’t wait!

Has anyone read any good books recently?

x 

Druzy Jewellery

Have you heard of Druzy before? Neither had I.

Apparently Druzy is a coating of crystals found on rock surfaces. It occurs when water is forced to fill a porous area of rock. When it dries, minute crystals are formed.

Anyway, Science lesson over, it looks good in statement jewellery pieces like this from Trisori (£119)

... and this super sparkly pendant (£29.99 Satin Silver)

and this from ebay

None of these pieces are really for me (although I wouldn't say no to the first ring) but I'm going to look out for them in the future. 

What do you think?

x

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

I'd been after purchasing Liz Earle's hot cloth cleanser for a while but I wanted to make sure I'd heard lots of good things about it before investing £14 on, let's face it, something that washes your face.

But after reading lots of good reviews, I purchased it at the weekend and I'm SO glad I did.  After the first use the large pores on my cheeks had reduced in size and my skin felt more plumped.  I almost felt as if i'd had a facial!

The next day after I used it in the morning, every time I looked in the mirror I felt my skin looked a lot more radiant. I purchased the starter kit which came with 2 muslin cloths and I'm glad I did because I reckon they're much better for my skin than the rough flannel I'd been using.

It's only been a few days but I'm very pleased with the results so far.  I just hope it lasts quite a long time.

Have you used any Liz Earle products? I'd really love to hear your experiences.

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