Formal Dresses at TBDress

When it comes to parties I like to dress up, and what better way to do it than wearing a pretty formal dress? The following options would be a great choice if you got your graduation or prom party coming soon!

        

If you like to tan, a green dress can enhance your golden skin even more, making you stand out and the dress on the left is the perfect shade of green for that! What I like about the emerald green dress is the bodycon shape, which shows off your figure without revealing too much skin: the knee length of the skirt is very appropriate for a school party and showing off your shoulders with the sweetheart neckline adds a sexy touch. Show off your neckline by wearing your hair up and a statement necklace or some nice drop earrings that graze your shoulders. 

The dress on the right shares the strapless neckline and nipped in waist with the dress on the left, but that's where the similarities end. This dress has a beautiful blue-toned green, and since it's a more cool shade, it will look amazing against fair skin tones. The vertical pleats along the dress add volume to the bust and hip area, perfect if you are petite. I love the belt detail under the bust because it shows off the waist and it looks very sophisticated with the sparkly elegant gems. Find more green formal dresses  on http://www.tbdress.com/Green-Formal-Dresses/

     

Who said pregnant women can't dress up and look spectacular? There are lot of options at TBDress, like these beautiful dresses, perfect for spring in trendy pastel colours. The dress on the left is a lovely pastel blue, the colour is so subtle it looks almost like a light gray, excellent if you aren't very comfortable wearing bright colours. I like that it's floor lenght so it will make you look taller even if you are not wearing heels. The sweetheart neckline will show off your shoulders and the cute embroidered mini flowers will direct the sight towards your beautiful baby bump so you can show it off proudly. The extra fabric around the waist will make this dress very comfortable to wear even at the late stages of pregnancy.  

The dress on the right features a full length layered skirt in a gorgeous pastel pink shade, with an embellished waist-enhancing pink satin belt under the bust to give you a nice flattering shape without being uncomfortable or restricting your movement. The bust area has a V-neck type of cleavage, fully embroidered on the front and back with sparkly beads to add some glamour to your evening ensemble, so you don't need to add a lot of accessories because the dress already has lots of shimmer! For more formal maternity clothes look on http://www.tbdress.com/Formal-Maternity-Gowns/

Would you wear any of these dresses?

xo

This is a sponsored post

PS. Last chance to enter for your chance to win a dress of your choice here. 

All Used Up #4

Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Eye Cream: It claims to brighten & smooth the eye area and help reduce signs of fatigue. It has a light consistency and gets absorbed quickly. It's hydrating and softening. I think it does help with de-puffing but it doesn't seem to be of great help with lines or black circles. I normally use it at night because it has no SPF. I don't think I would be rushing to buy it again.

The Body Shop Vanilla Body Mist: it was a gift, not sure if the formula remains the same in the current versions. It has a lovely warm and delicious vanilla scent that lasts almost all day long. Great product and would actually purchase it.

Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Night Cream: Rich but light at the same time. It is absorbed quickly and hydrates really well. I would buy again and it is normally on offer. Full review here.

Olay Essentials Day Fluid for Normal/Oily: It is light in texture but takes a little while to absorb and leaves a shiny finish. It's slightly scented and also smells a bit of sunscreen but it's not overpowering and you can't smell it after a couple of minutes. It has SPF 15 so that's good. I don't love it but I don't hate it either. A bit more about it on this post. 

Sanex Dermo Repair Shower Cream: Contains glycerin and allantoin, claims to be for dry skin but didn't feel super moisturising. It is lightly scented. Would try other Sanex products but probably not this one as it wasn't amazing.

Dove Go Fresh Nourishing Body Wash: Plum & sakura blossom scent. It smells amazing, is very creamy and leaves skin soft. Doesn't produce a lot of lather but still like it. Contains glycerin and plant oils and extracts. Would buy again.

Dove Hair Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo: Contains argan, coconut and almond oil, good for dry hair. Leaves hair soft but I think it dries my scalp so i'll try something else for now. This line is ok, love the conditioner and treatment too. Would buy again in the future.

Schwarzkopf Supersoft Straight & Glossy Conditioner: Claims to give you straight shiny hair. Contains apricot oil and pearl extract. It does leave hair soft and shiny but I only got it because I was in a rush and needed a hair conditioner. If you're looking for a cheap conditioner try this one.

Have you tried/like any of these products?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a dress of your choice here.

Brown boots

Jumper: H&M (similar)

Shirt: H&M (similar)

Jeans: Topshop

Boots: H&M (similar)

I have been thinking about coats & jackets - I can't get enough of them! Since it's an essential for winter I like having a couple of options so I don't look the same every single day. I would really like to get a pink coat, a white fluffy one or a shearling aviator style (or maybe all 3 of them, you can never have too many coats, right?)

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a dress of your choice here.

A non surgical approach to younger skin at www.younger.ie

At the Dublin Vitality Center (www.dublinvitalitycenter.com), skincare clinic nurse therapists can help you get younger skin with their unique non-surgical 3 step skin rejuvenation method:

1. The first step is Microdermabrasion - this helps get rid of dead skin cells to reveal younger, more glowing skin underneath.

2. Diathermy will help remove broken veins and capillaries. This step promises no laser nor damage, but instant results in most cases. (www.redveinremovaldublin.ie)

3. Skin Needling using NEW Dermatude non invasive system is an extra gentle treatment for wrinkles, scars and stubborn areas. The derma rolling device presses gently deep into the upper dermis, which stimulates the skin to start its own healing process creating more collagen and new skin cells, leaving you with younger looking skin. It cannot penetrate more than it needs to so unlike any other skin needling system, it causes limited downtime and no risk of damage (www.younger.ie)

I have personally tried microdermabrasion at home and can agree with the fact that it helps better the look of skin as it smoothes out your complexion, leaving it soft as well. It can cause a bit of redness so I don't think it would be best suited to sensitive skin.

Step 2 Dermatude Skin Needling sounds very interesting and would like to try it as the area under my nose, as well as my chin have a couple of broken capillaries, which you can only see if you look up close, but from a distance it looks a little bit red.

Finally, having suffered from breakouts there's a lot of scarring on my skin that I would like to get rid of, and seeing the improvement on other people's skin after using derma rollers has left me considering this option recently.

I think this method can help you achieve visible and feasible results without the need of subjecting your skin to dangerous invasive procedures that could end horribly wrong and leaving you looking worse than when you started (ie. laser burns or deforming botox jobs). After all who wouldn't want to improve the look of their skin and look younger?

If you would like to know more about the procedures visit www.younger.ie

Have you tried any of these procedures? 

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a dress of your choice here.

This is a sponsored post.

Schwarzkopf Gliss Liquid Silk Express Repair Conditioner

Last year I had some online credits and decided to use them at Superdrug when they were having free delivery. One of the items I chose was the Schwarzkopf Liquid Silk Express Repair Conditioner from their Gliss line.

This product is a leave-in conditioner aimed at repairing your hair and contains liquid keratin as well as liquid elements of silk, it promises to help brittle, dull hair achieve immediate combability, shine and smoothness. It comes with 2 phases, a light pink/almost clear one and a creamy white one on the top (when I saw the product in the shop I noticed the proportions of white to pink product vary, the one I got had not as much white in it). So before using you are supposed to shake the product to mix the 2 parts together and then spray into towel dried or dry hair after washing and leave it in to work its magic.

The first time I used it I wasn't very impressed. I normally go for thicker products like styling creams and other leave-in conditioners that have a slightly heavier texture, so it felt a bit weird using a liquid on my hair, because I didn't see a great difference it felt like I was just wetting my hair again.

After that first experience I put the bottle on the back of a drawer, only to resurface again last summer when I decided to give it another chance. On this occasion I used it regularly: every time after I washed my hair I would spray this on, and started to realise I liked what I saw!

Immediately after spraying it, I brush through my hair to distribute the product and it definitely makes it feel smoother and easier to brush. I wasn't completely sure about the shine promise, but looking back at some of my pictures and videos for the blog I could see my hair was actually quite glossy, so I must admit that this product actually does what it says.

If you would like to try Gliss Liquid Silk Express Repair Conditioner yourself, look in Superdrug. (RRP £3.79)

Have you tried this product before?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a dress of your choice here.

Reading | Taming of the Tights by Louise Rennison

Recently I got sent a book to read and review on my blog: Louise Rennison's The Taming of the Tights: Tallullah Casey is set for wild times...

Louise Rennison is also the author of the famous Georgia Nicolson series for teenage girls (which I had heard of before in Teen Vogue a few years ago), including Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, that was turned into a film in 2008. She has also written another series of books in more recent years about Tallullah Casey and her adventures.

On the third installment of the Tallullah Casey series, The Taming of the Tights, Tallullah travels up north to go back to college at Dother Hall and spend time with her group of friends, the Tree Sisters, all of them a bit boy crazy, which I guess is normal considering they go to an all girl school.
Tallullah can be quite funny, but she also talks about boys and how confusing they can be: there's the bad boy, Cain (who's so evil, she calls him an 'animal in trousers') and the nice boy, Charlie (who has a 'tiny' girlfriend) and she obviously doesn't like either of them that way. Or does she?

Overall, a really amusing book that even managed to remind me a little of my own teenage friends and adventures. Fun, relateable and recommended for teenage girls or young adults looking for a comical-yet-slightly-nostalgic read. I enjoyed it and would love to know what happens next.

You can find Louise Rennison's The Taming of The Tights* on Amazon.

Have you read any of these books?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a dress of your choice here.

Black Fur Coat

Shirt: Primark (similar)

Jumper: H&M (similar)

Jeans: Topshop

Coat: SammyDress.com*

Boots: Topshop

Loving this coat that SammyDress.com kindly sent me. Sammy Dress for Less' mission is to offer the very latest fashion at the lowest prices online. They offer more than 200,000 designer style clothes at 70% - 90% below retail store prices with hundreds of new arrival fashion clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry, accessories for women, men and juniors added daily to their online catalog. 

The coat is so soft and fluffy, it's not heavy or bulky but it still keeps me very warm! (I wore it today and it was about 8°C outside) It is hip-length and I really like that because it covers more of your body, and I certainly need that since I can get really cold in the winter. It is collarless, has no pockets and features 2 closure hooks on the front so you don't have to worry if it's windy. But I think the best part is that it only retails for $12.19 USD !

I would recommend you have a look on SammyDress.com as their products are very affordable, so if you are thinking about changing your look visit their website.

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a dress of your choice here.

Pastel Dresses for Spring at TBDress

I know we are still in the middle of winter but spring is fast approaching, and if you are planning your wedding for spring or summer (or attending any weddings or parties) you might find these dress options helpful.

           

Pastels are going to be big for next season and I am really adoring the trend as pastel colours are feminine and easy to wear. The lovely gown on the left features a miniature flower beading detail on the top half and a plain bottom half. The fact that it is floor length makes it very classy and formal, also making you look taller. I love the band below the bust, which highlights the waist and because the skirt flares out, it accentuates the narrowest part of your body, making it so flattering. 

The dress on the right is perfect for younger girls looking for a party dress as it is very fun and subtly sexy with the bare shoulders and knee length skirt. This dress also features a band around the waist but this time it offers a pop of colour with the red fabric. What I really love about this dress is the beautiful mini rosettes embroidered under the first layer of the skirt, giving it extra texture and a more couture feel to it. For more yellow evening dresses have a look on http://www.tbdress.com/Yellow-Evening-Gowns-Dresses/

 

Another great pastel colour option for the following seasons is pink, which I think is the ultimate feminine colour. The dress on the left might look plain but if you look carefully, it features a beautiful delicate ruched texture on the bust area. I love the sweetheart neckline as it makes this dress sexy without showing too much, even though it is floor length. Also since the dress is quite simple, you can add your personal touch by incorporating accessories like a sparkly necklace or drop earrings to show off the neckline.

The dress on the right will accentuate your waist with its fitted top and A-line shape. Like the dress on the left it features a ruched top but also has a strap on one shoulder which is beautifully decorated with roses on the front. I like how this dress has a sheer longer layer on the top as it will show off your legs in a more modest way.

For more prom and blush pink bridesmaid dresses check out http://www.tbdress.com/Blush-Pink-Bridesmaid-Dresses/

This is a sponsored post.

OPI nail polish in Malaga Wine

I hadn't posted about nails in a while! Having won this polish in a competition, I was quite excited to try it as I had never used OPI nail products before.

I really like the red tone of this nail polish, it looks very sophisticated. The blue undertone makes it a nice classic colour to wear for a special occasion or during the colder months because it looks great paired with the traditional autumn and winter colours (navy, mustard yellow, blacks and grays) as it looks almost burgundy on a dark and cloudy day.

The colour goes on very opaque so I could have gotten away with applying just one coat but I opted for 2. The only thing I didn't like about this nail polish is that even with a base coat it stained my nails and they looked pink for a couple of days after removing it, so you have to be careful and apply a good base coat to prevent any staining. Other than that, I really like this nail polish and would like to try more OPI products.

OPI Malaga Wine nail polish retails for £11.50 and you can find it in Debenhams.

Have you tried OPI nail polishes?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a dress of your choice here.

Hair tutorial: The milkmaid braid

I would like to try new and different things with my hair, maybe lighten the ends but also attempt different hair styles to change my look a little bit.
One hair style that has caught my attention and think it looks really cute are the milkmaid braids, which I thought I would write a tutorial for, so here it is!

1. Brush your hair to make sure it is smooth and divide into 2 sections. You can choose to keep your parting where you normally do it or change it to a middle one.
2. Start braiding one section of your hair all the way to the ends and tie with an elastic.
3. Carefully take the braid and cross it over the top of your head and secure it with some hair pins. Use as many pins you need to make sure the braid is not loose around your head.
4. Braid the other section of your hair repeating step 2.
5. When you get to the ends of your second braid, make sure you carefully tuck them under the other braid to conceal it and make it look more polished. It's ok if your braids overlap or if they sit next to each other. It's up to you how you style them. You are done!

Tips:
- I think this hair style is easier to do on straight or wavy hair. If you have curly hair you could try blow drying or straightening it before starting.
- If you have really fine hair try spritzing some dry shampoo or salt spray to give it more texture before starting to braid.
- If you don't have any small elastics, you can just pin your hair carefully but make sure it is completely secure before starting to braid the second section of hair.
- If you like a polished look, use a bit of hair spray to tame any small hairs that might stick out. If you like a more disheveled look, you can pull out small strands around the hair line to give it a more relaxed appearance to your hair do.
- If your hair is not long enough to achieve this hair style you can try using hair extensions. The ones made out of human natural hair look best, as they blend with your natural hair better and you can also dye them or use your hair products and straighteners/curlers without damaging them. Have a look on BestHairBuy for hair extensions in lots of different colours and textures to make sure you take advantage of their New Year Sale to get yours with a discount of up to 60% on http://www.besthairbuy.com.

This is a sponsored post.

Naturally Radiant Products Review

When it comes to skincare I always like trying new things but can also be a bit picky about what new products to try because of my skin type.

The Naturally Radiant line at Superdrug is the re-launched skincare line previously known as Natural High. I don't know if the formulas remained the same but the packaging looks much more sleek and modern. 

The line claims to be infused with plant extracts and to awaken skin's glow. 

The first products I got were the eye cream and mask back in February last year, but only started using them a couple of months after that. The night cream I got after running out of the Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Night Cream (reviewed here).

The Brightening Eye Cream claims to reduce puffiness and dark circles and contains kiwi fruit and mulberry extracts. The cream has a really light consistency and is fast absorbed and helps moisturise and reduce puffiness around the eye area but doesn't do wonders for dark circles. It is quite affordable at £5.99 but I don't think I would buy again as I didn't love it.

The Renewing Night Cream also contains brightening kiwi fruit and mulberry extracts, as well as renewing fruit acids (lychee, lotus flower, kiwi, mulberry, bilberry, sugarcane, orange, lemon, sugar maple and sugar beet extracts) and claims to nourish and replenish the skin. It has a light natural scent and a nice thick consistency that feels luxurious when applied. The cream is very moisturising and my skin feels soft, smooth and plump when I wake up in the morning, as well as looking more even. I recommend it and would buy again. 

The Brightening Renewal Face Mask mentions that it clarifies and smoothes, containing again kiwi, mulberry and renewing fruit extracts (same as the night cream). It also says that it helps refine skin texture, clarify skin discoloration and smooth the appearance of fine lines for a healthier and more youthful-looking complexion. 

The face mask has a gel consistency and is almost clear in colour; it also has the same slightly fruity, plant-like scent as the night cream. When you apply it on your face it feels a little slippery. You are supposed to leave it on for 10 minutes and wipe off with a damp flannel. After that I rinse my face with my hands to get rid of any left over product and my skin feels so smooth and soft. It doesn't dry my skin out and makes it look a little bit more even. I would also repurchase this product and recommend it if you are looking for an alternative to mechanical scrubs or chemical peels to refine the texture of your skin. 

Have you tried Naturally Radiant products?

xo

PS. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a dress worth up to $200 with DresSale here.

New in: December

Got a new styling cream from the Bee Strong range because my hair product is running out, and I also needed a new MUA eye liner. The extremely necessary thermal top. The Avon shower gel that smells like Christmas! Burt's bees lip balm*, bunny night light from Home Bargains (at a bargain £1.99).

White musk smoky rose perfume from The Body Shop that I won on a competition, and used my Joy card from Glamour magazine to get a discount on the vanilla perfume. Super warm OASAP jumper* and Rings and Tings accessories*

All of the lovely things I got for Christmas from my hubby and family: pjs, slippers, dressing gown. Alexa Chung's book, Elvis CD, Monsters University DVD ( Monsters Inc is one of my favourite movies).

Armani Code perfume, leather chelsea boots, oven glove, socks, a little game, bath and shower stuff, bin, head massager, moisturiser, warmers, chocolate, gift vouchers for H&M, cinema and restaurant, and a card ♥  

Some stuff from the sales: a coat from H&M and a leather bag from Topshop. 

Another picture of the bunny lamp and the John Frieda Full repair line*

A wool cardigan from United Colors of Benetton I got at TK Maxx for £10

A little sewing kit for £1.99 and a cute 2014 cats diary.

Did you find anything good in the sales?

xo

PS. don't forget to enter to win a dress of your choice with DresSale here!