Month: March 2017

The holiday season will soon be upon us and I know I always panic at the last minute about what to take on holiday. I always end up taking too much and wearing the same thing over and over again. I thought I would have a little browse of the internet and see what beach/holiday dresses stood out.

I bought a couple and I’m going to put them away for my summer holiday, as I usually see something I like and then leave it until nearer the time, then I’m too late, they’ve gone. I have posted a couple of the photographs from my insta stories too, just for a change.

The tropical print dress above is from Mango and its a great price of £15.99 this is so good for holiday as its really easy to pull on and could be worn day or night, it also comes in 3 other colours. The link for this dress is below  http://shop.mango.com/GB/p0/woman/clothing/dresses/short/off-shoulder-dress?id=81095581_05&n=1&s=prendas.vestidos

This little spotty number is one of my favourites, its cute and floaty and perfect with flat sandals on an evening, this dress is £17.99 I couldn’t find this dress online I think its just new in, so keep checking.

This little black number was an absolute bargain, it was £7 on the ticket and when I got to the till it was £3.19! I will probably wear this to the beach with a black bikini underneath and flip flops. The link for this dress is here  http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0430201001.html#Black

This maxi dress is an ideal dress for the pool, easy to throw on, light and airy and a great colour. This dress is available from Primark stores swimwear and beachwear section.

This is another Primark beach dress ideal for pool or beach, team this with espadrilles, a straw bag and a big sun hat. Available from Primark stores for £12.00  https://www.primark.com/en/product/white-embroidered-kaftan,R35397151145007

You cant beat M&S for a good holiday dress, especially this one. Its a really silky cotton with lace detail, its a little bit more expensive at £39.50 but you can definitely feel the quality in the material. This dress is available in Marks and Spencer stores.

I just love the colour of this green dress from Mango, I can see this with gold accessories for a night out at the beach bar, its £35.99 and you can shop this from the link here  http://shop.mango.com/GB/p0/woman/clothing/dresses/short/halter-neck-dress?id=81037571_47&n=1&s=prendas.vestidos

This is a beautiful kaftan dress from H&M for £29.99 I would wear this during the day for a nice lunch by the sea with flat gladiator sandals. You can shop this dress below  http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0406252001.html#Natural white/Blue

This is a perfect evening dress for a warm night out, its £49.99 and it has an amazing embroidered peacock on the front of the dress. Shop with the link below  http://shop.mango.com/GB/p0/woman/clothing/dresses/long/embroidery-bead-dress?id=83085598_99&n=1&s=prendas.vestidos

Marks and Spencer tropical print high neck maxi dress £35.00 This would be a really good holiday dress, its long and floaty and has a gorgeous print too. Link below  http://www.marksandspencer.com/tropical-print-high-neck-maxi-dress/p/p22501677?image=SD_02_T52_6434_XT_X_EC_90&color=TEALMIX&prevPage=plp

I could have posted dresses all night, but I have to stop somewhere and there is champagne to be consumed!

Happy shopping 😉

Joanna xx

I love makeup, it has been part of my life since my early teens. I have always worn it, it is part of my morning routine and the only time I leave the house without it is when I’m going to the gym, and even then I usually pop on some mascara, it just opens my eyes and makes me feel better. I always try and make an effort when makeup and hair is concerned, but I do still stick to my old routines, I’m not someone who spends hours contouring with different palettes, I’m pretty old school. I like a good foundation, a good under eye brightener, a good bronzer/blusher, lipstick and mascara they are my every day tools.

Would you be shocked if I told you I do my own hair? I must have been to loads of hairdressers and asked for my hair to be done a certain way and I have yet to walk out of somewhere and be totally happy with the results. This is the colour I’m talking about not the cut, I always have my hair cut professionally, but I do the colour myself and I have always used L’Oréal Hair colorants. I really need to look after my hair with it being blonde so I do use a good shampoo and conditioner and a treatment every week (when I remember) Its definitely worth spending a little bit more money on good products and seeing results.

I have listed below all the products I use on a daily basis, including the hair treatment.

Mac Face and Body foundation £29.50 is so silky and light when applied its a lovely coverage not too heavy, I use colour c2   http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13847/32554/products/makeup/face/foundation/mac-studio-face-and-body-foundation-120-ml#/shade/N1

Benefit Dew The Hoola £24.50 is the bomb, I wear it mixed in with the foundation to give a natural glow its a must item for me  https://www.johnlewis.com/benefit-dew-the-hoola-liquid-bronzer/p2543295

Benefit Ooh La Lift £19.50 under eye brightener is one of my favourites from Benefit as it really does what it says, my eyes look so much better when I have applied this  https://www.johnlewis.com/benefit-ooh-la-lift-under-eye-brightening-boost/p113328

Benefit bronzer £24.50 this is the perfect bronzer for me it just gives the right amount of colour and its not sparkly which I don’t like  https://www.johnlewis.com/benefit-hoola-bronzer/p133185

Mac eyeshadow in Gesso £13.50 I have used this eyeshadow for years it instantly wakes my eyes up and makes them look brighter  http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13840/363/products/makeup/eyes/shadow/eye-shadow#/shade/Gesso

 

Dior Diorshow mascara £25.50 has to be one of the best in my opinion it just makes me look like I’m wearing false eyelashes!  https://www.johnlewis.com/dior-diorshow-mascara/p1913159?colour=Black 090

Mac Makeup Patent Polish Lip Pencil £18.00 is a great lipstick/gloss its really silky and easy to apply, my favourite colour is Hopelessly Devoted  http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13853/29745/products/makeup/lips/lipgloss/patent-polish-lip-pencil#/shade/Hopelessly_Devoted

Rosie for Autograph lipstick £14.00 in Lady Rose this is a good lipstick, it goes on lovely and stays on too, also very pretty packaging if you like that  http://www.marksandspencer.com/i-love-you-so-much-lipstick/p/p22445274?prevPage=srp&pdpredirect

Philip Kingsley Re-Moisturising shampoo and conditioner £18.00-£21.00 great duo together they are really worth it as I have dry hair and these two just do the job  https://www.johnlewis.com/philip-kingsley-re-moisturizing-conditioner-250ml/p84696

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer £30.00 150ml An excellent treatment for dry damaged/colour treated hair  https://www.johnlewis.com/philip-kingsley-elasticizer-150ml/p230430296

Hope you have enjoyed the sun today, wishing you a lovely evening, Joanna xx

 

 

I have been looking for the perfect gingham top for ages now. Ever since it came into fashion I must have tried on ten or more tops but none of them quite right, apart from a gingham shirt that I bought from Zara which had embroidery down the front, I had yet to find the one.

I wanted a plain gingham top that would look good with jeans and trainers, not too dressy. When I had a good look through Instagram there was a couple of nice ones, I really liked the topshop one on other people but wasn’t keen on the shape of the sleeves on me.

So when I walked into Primark and spotted this one, I was thrilled that this was a nice thin material not stiff like the others I have tried on, and because of the frill at the waist and the sleeves, it gives it more of shape that suits my body. The frill on the sleeve isn’t too big, and there is a lovely open back detail to this top too which I will show you in my other photos. I’ve paired this with my H&M jeans and Mango trainers, but this would also work well dressed up with black skinnies, a nice high heel and a red clutch for a night out.

I’ve included some more photos so you can see the detail at the back of the top. I might be wearing this a lot!

 

If you like my outfit you can click on the links below

Gingham top from  https://www.primark.com/en/homepage

Jeans from  http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0443983001.html#Denim blue trashed

Trainers from  http://shop.mango.com/GB/p0/woman/accessories/shoes/sneakers/contrast-applique-sneakers?id=83020163_01&n=1&s=accesorios.zapatos

Have a lovely evening, Joanna xx

 

 

Summer is hopefully just around the corner, so I have started to get the spring/summer shoes out of the cupboards in hope that the sun is going to make an appearance. I mean I love wearing boots but when you’ve been wearing them for months its nice to get the feet out and into some pretty footwear so you can show off that lovely pedicure.

Espadrilles are probably one of the biggest shoe trends of summer with their versatility and easy style. There is a style for everyone, with a choice of flats, backless, heeled, ribbon ties or buckles. Whether they’re flat or wedged heel they just seem to go with everything. The photo above are of some wedge espadrilles I purchased in Dubai two years ago, I fell in love with the leopard print and now its all the fashion again they will definitely be coming out the their box and getting some air time now its a bit milder, and because they aren’t too high they are great for every day. They are probably my favourite holiday shoe as they aren’t too dressy but yet still look smart with dresses and shorts.

I have done a bit of internet browsing for you and found some of my favourite wedge heeled espadrilles and some flatties too, all linked below. Happy Shopping..

Marks and Spencer £19.50 available in red, navy and black  http://www.marksandspencer.com/wide-fit-wedge-closed-toe-espadrilles/p/p60093936?image=SD_01_T02_1124W_Y0_X_EC_90&color=BLACK&prevPage=plp

ASOS Glamourous gold wedge £32.00  http://www.asos.com/glamorous/glamorous-gold-wedge-espadrilles/prd/7254797?iid=7254797&clr=Gold&SearchQuery=gold wedges&pgesize=7&pge=0&totalstyles=7&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=1

ASOS Tie leg espadrille £25.00  http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-juicier-tie-leg-espadrille-wedges/prd/7216640?iid=7216640&clr=Black&SearchQuery=black wedges&pgesize=28&pge=0&totalstyles=28&gridsize=3&gridrow=4&gridcolumn=1

ASOS Miss KG £38.00  http://www.asos.com/miss-kg/miss-kg-leonie-wedge-espadrille/prd/7251808?iid=7251808&clr=Whitepu&SearchQuery=KG Wedges&pgesize=2&pge=0&totalstyles=2&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=1

Castaner washed canvas wedge £68.00  http://www.castaner.com/en-uk/carina-6-325-washed-canvas#92=1970

KG Snake print wedge £120.00  https://www.kurtgeiger.com/women/shoes/sandals/wedges/mimi-beige-other-leather-kg-kurt-geiger

ASOS Studded espadrille £18.00  http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-jinxie-studded-espadrilles/prd/7235648?iid=7235648&clr=Black&SearchQuery=asos espadrilles&pgesize=36&pge=0&totalstyles=141&gridsize=3&gridrow=10&gridcolumn=3

KG Navy suede espadrille £60.00  http://www.kurtgeiger.com/women/shoes/sandals/wedges/lea-navy-suedette-miss-kg

Castaner canvas wedges £68.00  http://www.castaner.com/en-uk/carina-6-600-classic-canvas#92=262

La Redoute £29.00  http://www.laredoute.co.uk/ppdp/prod-350050749.aspx?docid=210017#searchkeyword=espadrille

La Redoute £17.50 (sale)  http://www.laredoute.co.uk/ppdp/prod-350008118.aspx?docid=746616#searchkeyword=espadrille

La Redoute £48.30 (sale)  http://www.laredoute.co.uk/ppdp/prod-350027610.aspx?docid=221816#searchkeyword=espadrille

John Lewis leopard espadrille £75.00  https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-leola-leopard-two-part-espadrilles-multi/p3167104

Mint Velvet riley espadrille £79.00  https://www.johnlewis.com/mint-velvet-riley-espadrilles/p3180037?colour=Natural

Espadrilles pink £40.00  http://espadrille.co.uk/raspberry-pink-wedge-espadrilles-with-platform-444

Espadrilles cognac suede £90.00  http://espadrille.co.uk/low-wedge-espadrilles-with-ties-tan-556

Wishing you a lovely evening

Joanna xx

So I had one of those weeks where you go shopping and find loads of things you like, I mean there will weeks where I just don’t see anything I like, but not this week NO I could have bought an entire wardrobe full of new clothes, shoes, handbags the list goes on..

I’ll start off with trainers shall I, I bought some pretty wild Kurt Geiger trainers last week it was a bit of spur of the moment buy and when I got home I was already in two minds about them. I tried them on with different outfits and decided that they just weren’t me. I took them back and popped into Office to have a look at what new trainers were in, and noticed they had leather Converse in different colours, now I love a pair of Converse and own three scruffy pairs, I tried them on and they came straight home with me, I loved them and because they are leather they look really good and I should be able to keep them cleaner too. (pic below) click to buy   http://www.office.co.uk/view/product/office_catalog/5,21/2452010866

My next buy which was a bargain and looks really cool is this rose gold cross body from  http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0462159003.html#Rose gold its a fab little bag and looks great with jeans, white tee and white pumps for a casual look with a pop of fabulousness. (pic below)

I also popped into primark and they have some great little tops in at the minute and they are such a good price at £4! My favourite one is this cami which has pink flamingos all over it, I mean its the perfect holiday top to wear with white shorts and flat sandles, or on an evening with black trousers and high sandals. (pic below)  https://www.primark.com/en/homepage

Another buy from HM was this white and blue flower print tunic top in a lovely soft material that hangs really nice on the body, I think this is perfect for replacing the tee with jeans look for a more pretty and feminine look, teamed with some converse of course. (pic below)  http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/index.html

Last but not least is this gorgeous tropical print handbag from River Island, I did feature this on my wish list last week and I had to go back and get it, its just too pretty. It has jewels on the front and a lovely gold chain strap, but the tropical print canvas is what I love, I can just see this on holiday with an LBD and strappy sandals and its only £20! (pic below)  http://www.riverisland.com/

I have had a couple of you ask about the bracelets I’m wearing in the above photo, they are also from river island I’ve linked one below but the other one is not online however it was available in store

http://www.riverisland.com/women/jewellery/bracelets/rose-gold-gem-encrusted-bracelet-687867

I hope you like my buys and wishing you all a wonderful weekend

Joanna x

 

 

 

 

I have always loved tights, they are the best thing to put on for comfort and I never buy cheap tights. Quality and fit is very important to me and they need to last. When I was younger I always used to buy cheap tights and I would go through pair after pair. Then I bought a pair of good branded tights and the fit and quality was excellent and they lasted me for a long time. So I’m always interested in new brands that offer quality and comfort and when I was introduced to Heist Studio tights I knew I had come across a good pair of tights.

Heist tights feature four signature design features:

1. A waistband that moves when you move
2. The softest, stretchy, sleekest yarn
3. Seamless design and no gusset
4. Redesigned from top to toe SEAM

They also offer two different size waistbands, a low waist band and a high waist band.

They come in a 80, 50, or 30 denier and also a Nude 18 denier invisible tight which look amazing.

I’ve included a few pictures of my own (below) wearing the 30 and 50 denier.

The above photos are the 30 denier which aren’t too thick and look great for a night out with heels. They feel super soft and really comfortable, and I love the no toe seam.

The above two photos are the 50 denier high waist, and I must admit these are my favourites because the waistband comes up really high and holds everything in and I love that, that is a selling point for me straight away.

Take a look at  https://heist-studios.com/ for your perfect tights and type in ‘HEISTINSTA’ and you will receive 15% off any order of 2 pairs or more.

Happy International Women’s Day to you all

Joanna xx

 

 

 

I thought I would share with you what I have recently purchased and what has caught my eye this week. I will also include some great affordable pieces and accessories that wont brake the bank. I recently placed an order through Mango and I was so excited to find a leather jacket that actually looks good on me, I have found it very difficult to find one that doesn’t make me look like I’m trying to be twenty. The Mango one is a lovely soft leather and isn’t cropped its a standard length so I didn’t feel to conscious about my middle. It has zip details on the sleeves and pockets and comes in at a reasonable price of £119.99 for real soft leather.

I will be wearing this all the time with jeans, classic white t-shirt and boots or trainers when it finally starts to warm up! I wore it with my embroidered Primark dress, tights and boots on my last blog post if you fancy a look. This is the link to the jacket  http://shop.mango.com/GB/p0/woman/clothing/jackets/biker-jackets/leather-biker-jacket?id=83080046_70&n=1&s=destacados_she.leather_collection_she

My favourite buy has got to be this tropical print dress from http://shop.mango.com/GB/woman   at only £15.99 its the perfect ‘throw on’ holiday dress for me, I always look for the easiest things to wear on holiday as you don’t want to spend to much time faffing around with skirts and tops or trousers etc. This dress you can actually step into and just pull up, stick some gold accessories on and you have a great little number. This dress also comes in different prints.

I also bought this gold belt, it is the one I have on with the dress above and it was only £3.99 from  http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/index.html it also looks great with blue jeans as its a nice bright gold.

So I have a love/hate relationship with jeans as I find that I can try on 20 pairs and walk away with nothing, the style, fit and material are all important to me and it can take just one little thing to put me off (if my arse looks huge then that is usually the main factor) however I did find these little gems in  http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0468130004.html#Denim they are £24.99, they fit really well and give you a nice ‘bum’ shape if that makes sense, the waist is high, not too high and they aren’t too stretchy but enough to hug your figure. These are a good pair of jeans and a great price too. I will enjoy wearing these with a slouchy jumper and loafers.

Another summer dress that caught my eye was this Aztec print dress from  http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/swimwear/white-aztec-print-bardot-neck-dress_516275219 this will look great with flat pom pom sandals and a straw bag for the beach and is only £14.99.

This quirky phone case is £5.99 from  http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/view-all-accessories/phone-and-tablet-accessories/_/N-9xhZqtb I love phone cases and if I could change it every day to something different I would, its part of your accessories and outfit.

I really want to see this in the shop as I would like to feel the quality look at the print a bit closer but I do love it and I think it looks great with pale denim like in the photo, also it would look great with an LBD for a pop of colour. This is only £20 so not breaking the bank, I will definitely let you know what its like if I see it in store. The link is below  http://www.riverisland.com/women/bags–purses/cross-body-bags/white-tropical-envelope-cross-body-chain-bag-699924

Last but not least these are on my list of things to try on, they are a pom pom espadrille from  http://www.riverisland.com/women/shoes–boots/sandals/black-floral-pom-pom-espadrilles-698638 and are £38 these would look great on holiday with a little black dress and a bright coloured cross body for a night time outfit.

Wishing you a lovely evening

Joanna x

 

So Primark have done it again, an LBD that’s covered in pretty embroidered flowers. This dress is only £13 and can be worn so many ways and great for spring, summer and autumn styling. Its a lovely cotton with a gathered drop waist and full skirt that’s just so pretty. The colours in the dress are a lovely pinky red, blue and green and it has long fitted sleeves.

 

 

I’ve styled it here with my Mango leather jacket, tights and heeled ankle boots, which gives you that pretty rock chic look,  you could also add a scarf for colder days or pop a jumper over the top for extra warmth and you still get the pretty skirt.

Below is a picture of the full dress, the sleeves are full length but I have pushed them up here as I like a 3/4 sleeve, just my preference. The dress is shorter at the front and longer at the sides and back but it hangs nice with it being gathered so doesn’t show too much leg, however if you are tall then you may only want to wear it on holiday with flats. Its a great dress for holidays as its very lightweight and would look great with some black espadrilles.

I’m going to Paris in April and I know I will definitely be taking it with me, as I think it will be great for during the day with trainers for a more casual look.

So that’s my little gem of the week from  https://www.primark.com/en/homepage

I may be wearing this a lot..

Have a lovely evening,  Joanna xoxo