Petite Bateau T-shirts

As the daughter of a sailor, I've always had a love for boats and the sea. I spent most of my childhood sailing every other weekend and even now, every time I'm near a beach I long to be in the middle of the ocean with the wind in my hair singing sea shanties without a care in the world - yes, I'm a bit of a geek like that. As I've got older work and other commitments have often got in the way of our family sailing trips and regrettably I haven't been able to spend any time on the boat this year. However, I plan to make up for this when I go to Ibiza and hopefully catch a few boat parties with my new husband - it's not my Dad's boat, but hey it will probably be more fun.

When I saw this tank top on the French inspired website Petit Bateau, I knew I needed it in my wardrobe. It expresses my love of sailing and would look great with a pair of shorts on the beach for my holiday. 

What do you think of my new tank top?

Read more

Mini-moon Essentials

Time flies so quickly. It felt like two minutes ago since my fiance and I discussed booking our honeymoon and this weekend will be getting married and next week we will be flying out to Ibiza. It's surreal when an event you have been planning for the last two years is just around the corner and everything seems to settle in place. I'm so excited, yet nervous about the big day and I'm incredibly happy that after all the mixture of emotions of my wedding day I will have a few days in Ibiza with my new husband to relax and reflect on our wedding week.

Ibiza is a place close to my fiance and mines heart. We went there on our first holiday abroad together and fell in love with the beautiful scenery, the glistening turquoise waters and the nightlife Ibiza has to offer. Ibiza is known for it's major parties, crazy nightlife and has a bit of a bad reputation for being loud and 'chavy'. However, my experience of Ibiza has been completely opposite. You really need to experience Ibiza at one point in your life and it's sad to see that the island isn't always on holiday hit list for most - especially this hipsters holiday destination guide. I first encountered the dreamy island when I was seven years old on holiday with my parents - we stayed in the family area of Ibiza and had the most wonderful time snorkelling and enjoying the landscapes.As I grew older, I really wanted to go back and experience the island as an adult that can legally drink and see what the Ibiza nightlife is all about. Although James and I did not go to the big clubs, we went on a few boat parties and spend many hours in the local bars enjoying the culture. We loved being five minutes away from San Antonio on the private beach attached to our hotel, then being plummeted into all things Ibiza when we went into the city. We decided to go back there on 'mini-moon' as we don't have much money from planning the wedding and since we experienced so much whilst we was there last time, we can stroll about the area knowing where everything is and relax on the beach with a strawberry daiquiri or two.

To get me in the mood for my mini-moon I've been gathering a few items and I was lucky enough to be sent a few holiday items to review. These Mocks* shoes are great for taking on holiday as they fold away easily in your bag for a day at the beach and take less space in your suitcase. They are stretch fitting meaning that you will not get any blisters whilst sight seeing and they have a sturdy sole meaning that you can walk over bumps in the cobbled streets without having sore feet. Mocks come in a variety of colours, but I chose this coral pair as they are bright, summery and match the loud atmosphere of Ibiza.

This Murad* sun balm has broccoli extract that stimulates the skin's natural defence against UV and has a heavenly citrus smell. The compact size of this sun balm makes it easy to carry around on the beach or in your purse and with an SPF of 35, it will ensure your skin stays protected all day through. This product is to be used mainly on the face, neck and chest - to be fair, most of the parts I get sunburnt anyway, but to be cautious always carry around additional sun protection. Sun burn isn't nice and can be incredibly dangerous - remember prevention is always better than the cure. 

My final item on the mini-moon essentials guide is this gorgeous French Connection swimsuit from Psyche. I often get really self conscious wearing swimsuits as I have quite a saggy stomach from losing so much weight, but this pattern really hides it well and has made me feel so confident. I have worn it to the gym on numerous occasions since it arrived and it really gives me that body confident moment I need for my holiday. The aztec pattern looks bright and bold which fits well with the Ibiza lifestyle and I love the halter neck tie. This is seriously the best swimsuit I have ever worn.

Do you have any late summer holidays planned?

Read more

Back from Ibiza.

Hola! Yesterday I arrived back from my amazing week away in Ibiza and boy, I've had fun. Me and my wonderful fiance have had an amazing experience from snorkelling on the beach to sailing the Mediterranean sea on a 100ft Katamaran on one of Ibizas famous boat parties. Alcohol was drank in copious amounts, frolicking on the beach was a daily occurrence and spending lots of time with my amazing man made the whole week a holiday I'll never forget.

As you can see, I've come back with pretty distinguishable tan-lines and despite being there only five days, I really feel that I've been given a nice healthy glow. The weather was red hot all week - sometimes a little bit unbearable, but for the majority of the time it was like being in a tropical haven.

Throughout all the week, I spend a lot of the evenings sampling many cocktails at the local bars. Right across from the hotel was an Irish bar, which made my irish finance light up like it was Christmas. The cocktails all had tongue in cheek irish names and my favourite had to be the cranberry mix and liqueurs mix named 'Temple bar.' Despite it being the evening time, I very rarely took off my lovely Gucci sunglasses. I've needed an excuse to wear them and this was definitely the time. I'm so glad I've come back to blazing hot English weather so I can continue rocking my favourite accessory.

So now I'm back and reality of being stuck in England has hit. It's time for me to get back to doing something that makes me equally as happy as travelling and that's blogging. Expect many reviews coming this way in the next few days, we have a lot of catching up to do.

What have you been up to lately?

Read more

What's in my suitcase? So far...

Going on holiday is undoubtedly fun and exciting, but if you're anything like me, packing your suitcase can be an absolute nightmare. When you think about it, you have a small luggage allowance and you have to decide exactly what you're going to wear for the next few days. When you're packed, that's it - no turning back. I've decided to a 'What's in my bag' inspired post regarding suitcases to help other travellers get a grasp of what to take on holiday, plus it gives you all a chance to unleash your voyeuristic side and analyse my clothing decisions.

So this in my suitcase with everything thrown into it. I still have a few days to pack and still a few things to add, but I thought I'd show you what I have so far. My baggage allowance is 20kg and currently I'm on 11kg. Obviously it's important to leave space for items you're planning on bringing back home, so I aim to travel light knowing my shoppaholic tendencies.

First into the suitcase are my beautiful Madden Girl sandals I bought in a House of Fraser sale not too long ago. I love the colours and I bet they'll look fantastic on the beach. Following the scandals are my Gucci sunglasses that I wouldn't leave the house without.

Next are a few dresses. I still have more of these to pack, but so far I have two evening style dresses and this gorgeous maxi dress from New Look.  The middle dress will definitely be one of my Ibiza party dresses and that was bought from Lipsy by my fiance as a Christmas present.

As many of my readers will know, this holiday is going to be quite symbolic for many reasons. Firstly, it's my first ever adult holiday abroad due to my laziness in renewing my passport, secondly it's my first holiday abroad with my future husband and third, I've never ever worn a bikini before and after losing all this weight, I think it's about time. I fell in love with both these bikinis as soon as I tried them on. The one in the above image is from Primark and the one below is a high waisted bikini.

Due to the hot weather, it's inevitable that I'll be spending the majority of my time in shorts. I'm taking my new lace shorts from H&M and my stars and stripes shorts from Topshop, along with both crop tops from New Look.

I bought these amazing pink heels from a local boutique a few weeks ago. I think they'll be great for partying and nights out. Teamed up with a white dress, they are the perfect statement wear.

Wedges from Primark! I'm not usually a Primark girl, but these are so comfy. I'm guessing I'll be wearing these quite a lot.

A mask and snorkel and an underwater camera. I love my water sports so I can't wait to take lots of photos!

A few weeks ago I was kindly given these samples of Suntegrity's lastest range to review. It's a natural face moisturiser with a 30 SPF sunscreen protection and can be also used as a primer. Each of the products have a wonderful citrus scent and provides anti ageing properties. When I get back, I'll properly let you know how well they did in the Ibiza heat.

For now, the last things in my suitcase are my Euros, European health card - vital if you're an EU citizen travelling abroad and of course my passport. European health cards are just as important as travel insurance as they allow you to get state health care for free or a reduced rate in emergency situations. Being accident prone myself, I would never even consider travelling without travel insurance or a healthcard. 

So that's my suitcase so far. I still have yet to pack my makeup and a few other essentials. I hope you're enjoyed your sneak peak into my bag and the advice I've given. One last tip, always pack in advance - it makes sure you don't forget anything!

Are you going on holiday soon?

Read more

Summer Delights

Tomorrow I'll be making my way to Wales for a week of sailing and at the moment I'm going through all my beauty items deciding what to take. Boat life is far from glamorous at times. The wind leaves my hair curly and unmanageable, whilst the weather takes its toll on my face leaving me with dry, horrible skin. Sailing has always been a passion of mine and if I have to look a little less glamorous for a few days, oh well, at least I'll be doing what I enjoy, I just need to keep up with my beauty regime so that I can feel the best I can be whilst at sea. The space is tight so I can't pack my entire collection...which in all fairness takes up the majority of my bedroom anyway, so I'll have to choose my favourite little items to put in my cosmetics bag. 

This EOS lip balm is one of my latest favourite products. It combines my love of summer fruits with cool, funky packaging. The EOS lip balm fits into any handbag without any problems, moisturises those lips making them feel baby soft and you're lips are left with a scent that leaves you drooling for hours. The EOS Summer fruits lip balm is only £4.99 and can be bought from biggreensmile.com.

My next favourite products are from the new YVES Rocher tropical collection. All these products make me want to go on holiday and even though it's only Wales I'm going to, I'm glad to be getting away. There's a variety of bronzing, bright, sun kissed products for you to try and so far I've been barely disappointed. The first product I'm really liking is the cheek stain. It gives you a wonderful glow to your face by only using a very small amount. The difficulty comes with the application. I don't like the fact that it doesn't include an applicator and you have to literally pour it out, but the end result is worth it. The cheek stain helps bronze those cheeks to match your perfectly tanned body, adding extra warmth to those who are naturally pale like me. Yves Rocher's cheek stain is only £7.50 and it's rather affordable compared to other cheek stains on the market.

Second product is this beautiful Yves Rocher duo- khol eyeliner. There are two eye popping colours to use and great someone looking for an alternative to black. I've found myself reaching for this pencil quite often lately as I love using the lighter colour under my eye to make them appear brighter. 

The final item from the Yves Rocher tropical collection I own one of the Yves Rocher nail polishes in this turquoise green shade. I love the colour, but unfortunately it chips far too much for my liking. This may be due to my quite damaged nails and the fact that I work with lots of chemicals, but the product isn't that effective for daywear. However, I'll be taking this with me for a night out as the colour is far too lovely to be sitting in my makeup draw at home.

My final favourite product at the moment is this Atelier Paris Waterproof foundation. I was kindly sent this product awhile ago to test out and I found that the colour is far too light for my skin tone. This instantly ruled the product out as a regular foundation, however I came to discover it makes a pretty darn good concealer. 

This Atelier Paris gel foundation is not only easy to apply, but it's waterproof. Great for all those swimmers out there and people getting ready for a night out whilst it's raining outside. If I was to cover my face in this foundation I would literally look like a ghost. Not due to the quality of the product, simply due to the fact that I make a mistake when selecting my colour. I  now use the product regularly as a concealer to cover up blemishes, spots and bags under my eyes when I need something that has long staying power. The product costs £28.00 to buy, which is a little bit pricey for me, but I can see it being a great investment for those who have searched out the market looking for waterproof foundations. 

So now you've all my new products, it's time for me to say goodbye for the next 7 days. The blog unfortunately wont be updated as I haven't had chance to schedule any posts during my exam period, however there will be a treat in store for all you wonderful followers when I get back.  I'm reaching nearly 1000 followers and I think it's almost time a little giveaway is in order. 

Enjoy your bank holiday!

Read more