The Husband-to-be

If you told me four years ago that would be getting married at the age of 23 and I'd be in a fully committed relationship with my soul mate, I would have laughed. Marriage had never really been on my agenda - it was something that I wanted to happen in the future, but I didn't have a set time or goal for when it should be. Part of me thought i'd end up being a spinster like Bridget Jones Diary - alone with my blog and some type of furry animal by my side. But life is full of surprises and unknown to me, three years ago the man of my dreams would walk into my life and change my outlook on everything.

In seven weeks time I will be walking down the alter in a beautiful white lace dress and marrying the man I love. Three years ago he walked into my life and took what was a vulnerable, naive young girl and changed me into a woman. I claimed to be 'in love' before with my other partners and thought I knew what I wanted for my life, but James taught me how real love feels and with his support, I feel like the world is at my finger tips. People ask me 'how do you know he's the one' when we get onto the topic of marriage and I don't know, it's just one of those instinctive feelings. I cannot imagine a day not waking up besides him and not being able to talk to him, not being able to feel close to him. We are a completely open couple and share everything together. He's like my best friend and a partner. I always say being with James is like being permanently with my best friend and being able to have all the benefits. I'm lucky, I struck gold with this one.

When House of Fraser (link*) approached me for a mens clothing review, I accepted the opportunity because I thought it was time I treated my man. I admit  I do get a fair few items out of blogging and my wonderful partner is usually the man behind the camera taking all the photographs and being my occasional proof reader. James is incredibly supportive of my blog. I work 9-5 each day and come home at around 7pm and blog until about 9pm. A lot of the time my blog requires a lot of work, but James understands that. He waits patiently for me to join him once I've done all my editing, taking photos and all the write-ups. Sometimes it is like there are three people in our relationship, James and I and the blog. I choose this pale blue t-shirt because it has a retro vibe, James really suits the colour blue and because nautical wear is always a 'must-have' for men and women during the summer. I like how this t-shirt looks casual, but can also be dressed up rather easily.

Have you found mr/mrs 'right' yet?

Read more

House of Fashion Event

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the House of Fashion event in Leeds. The House of Fashion event was a catwalk show organised by the local House of Fraser that featured makeup artists, a fashion runaway, raffles and the cutest pink goodie bags. House of Fraser have always been one of my favourite department stores. The staff are always lovely, they have a great selection of clothing and cosmetics and I love the history of their own label Biba.

I attended the event with a few of my blogger friends and it was a great start to the weekend, as well as a fabulous finish to my first week of work. The catwalk featured a selection of clothing from House of Fraser stocked brands such as French Connection, Whistles, Biba and many more. 

I loved how the collections went from the simplest outfit formations such as jeans and a t-shirt to elaborate dresses and fun flirty evening wear. This shawl really grabbed my attention with it's exotic prints which clashed elegantly with the tailored trousers. It was two items of clothing that shouldn't really go together, but worked so well.

Unfortunately due to the timings, I was unable to see the second half. The break was longer than anticipated and I had a train to catch. However, what I saw of the event was fabulous and made me fall in love with House of Fraser even more, which I never thought was possible.

Have you been to any fashion events lately?

Read more

House of Fraser A/W 2014 Press Day

Those who have seen my Boohoo press day post will recall that I visited London last week and not only did I get invited to the Boohoo press day, I was also kindly invited to the House of Fraser office to see their autumn and winter collections too. Admittedly I was quite nervous upon my visit to HOF as I had never really gone to a press day in London on my own and I didn't really know what to expect. I felt slightly out of my comfort zone as a I stood next to the stylist from QVC and saw many editors enter the room, nevertheless it was all worth it to see the beautiful clothing and if asked again, I would say yes in a heart. House of Fraser has always been my favourite department store, the reason behind this is that it is probably the most luxurious place to shop in Huddersfield - the rest of the town is an array of Poundshops and Primarks. I have always loved shopping in House of Fraser and have always found the clothing I wanted. If you looked at my bank statement, House of Fraser is the place I spent most of my money.

The HOF press day was full of gorgeous leather pieces like this leather top, grey soft fabrics and pastel colours. During the a/w it is usually expected that clothes will get darker and grungy, but HOF and Boohoo have stuck with pastels throughout the year, giving us a bright light of hope for good weather in the murkier seasons. 

One of the things I fell in love with at the HOF press day was all the lovely handbags. There was so many different styles and quirky prints like this yellow one above. Some of the bags had unique shapes and one of the clutches I saw had a gorgeous faux fur top.

My favourite items of the day were these mint blue/green leather jacket and skirt from Pied a Terre, a brand heavily stocked by House of Fraser. The jacket and skirt duo are perfect for adding a splice of colour into your a/w wardrobe without looking too bright and bold for the weather.

What do you think of the House of Fraser autumn and winter collection?

Read more

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Volume Mascara

For as long as I can remember, I've always had an issue with my eyelashes. They've always been too short and never really stood out unless I wore fakes. A few of my friends have the most perfect, natural dolls eye eyelashes that makes me green with envy. I've experimented with all types of mascaras from volumising big brushes to fine brushes that promise to grab smaller hairs and also lash extensions and lash fibres. Lash fibres are the only thing that has made a real difference, but it's a bit of a hassle to apply on an everyday basis. I wanted an eye mascara that I could pick up, shove in my makeup bag and know that whenever I apply it, my eyelashes will have a fabulous volumised look. A few years ago, I went to a Marie Claire event and we were given Estee Lauder goodie bags. In the goodie bags were samples from the brand and I fell in love with the mascara sample. I've only ever used it on special occasions and unfortunately I ran out a few days ago. Rushing straight to the Estee Lauder counter in my local town, I was then informed that they no longer sell the mascara I wanted and I was advised to try the 'Sumptuous Volume' mascara instead.  I didn't really know what to expect, but I bought it anyway. If the last eye mascara was by the same brand, hopefully this would work just as well. In fact, the mascara worked even better than my previous one and I couldn't wait to show you it.

For the same price as the mascara, I could get the mascara gift set which included a vial of makeup remover and some night cream. This beautiful little set cost me around £22 and I think it's a reasonable price considering you pay so much more for luxury cosmetic brands. 

The brush applicator is rather thick, but not too thick that it makes your eyelashes clumpy. The gold detailing makes the brush look luxurious and overall, I think the brush is probably one of the easiest mascaras to use.

As you can see, my eyelashes look quite pronounced. It may not be as dramatic as some other eye mascaras you can buy, but my eye lashes look natural and long which is the most important to me. It's very rare that I'm ever happy with my eyelashes, but these days I can walk out of the house with a sprint in my step and a twinkle in my eye. Estee Lauder's Sumptuous mascara has made a huge difference to my makeup routine.

Have you tried this mascara before?

Read more