Feeling a bit Floral | Crown & Glory

About a year ago, I discovered a beautiful little shop on the internet. Crown & Glory. I am a sucker for any pretty hair accessory, so when I came across this brand I was super duper happy. From turbans to crowns; each piece is individually handmade by the lovely Sophie, & a lot of the pieces are made to order, so you’re guaranteed an original item, every time. Something about that just makes it extra special doesn’t it? 

Having built up a rather large collection of her pieces over the last year, I thought I would show you my most recent purchase:

don't worry...i'm not naked ;)

I bought the Marina - Fuschia Daisy Bandeau & I am absolutely in love. It’s such a beautifully delicate piece, which makes such a bold statement. I picked this one up in the up to 50% off sale and the little beauty was only £9! Amazing right. The whole range is so reasonably priced; and fills what I believe is a huge gap in the accessories market. Yes, there are heaps of shops that cater for hair accessories, but I am yet to find one that has such intricate detail, at such a fantastic price. There is a vast variety of items available, yet each piece is so wonderfully put together, with such care & attention. Plus, the customer service is incredible; always a speedy and ridiculously friendly response. And even better, Crown & Glory can even make up your own individual piece; so if you had an idea that wasn’t quite like what is available on the website, they’ll more than likely be able to cater for your needs. 

I just love everything about this wonderful little spot on the web.

Have you ever purchased from Crown & Glory before? Or do you think you will now?

Feeling Witchy

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Just because I don't have anywhere to go, doesn't mean that I don't wanna look wicked. I dress up for dinner in my apartment with my boyfriend all the time, just cuz I want to. It's like Alexander Wang said, "Anyone can get dressed up and glamorous, but it's how people dress in their days off that is most intriguing to me." I concur , Alex. I guess I've been listening to way too much Salem and Grimes, cuz lately I just wanna dress like a witch. It's not really seasonally appropriate, but I can't help it. I got this body con halter dress on the sale rack at URBN for $5, although there is a distinct possibly that it's not a dress per se, but actually some sort of undergarment/shapewear thing. Whatever. I found this sheer maxi skirt at Salvation Army a couple of years ago and knew that it would come in handy one day. And finally it has. Always thinking ahead!

Urban OUtfitter Dress under thrift skirt. F21 Bracelet and Necklace.

On My Mind

 

1. Sofia Coppola at the 1995 MTV Music Video Awards.
2. Doucble the cuffs, double the fun.
3. Baby blue. It's the color I love.
4. White is back.
5. Sporty spice up your life.
6. Black, gold, and white.

Image source Fashion Gone Rogue and Suicide Blonde Tumblr.

Burt's Bees Grab Bag

So, you may have seen a few blog posts floating around recently regarding the Burt’s Bees Grab Bag. I heard about it through Estée from Essiebutton & I immediately wanted one; I’m like a beauty product magpie, I wan’t anything that anyone says half a good word about! Basically, you paid £20, & in return got sent a big fat bag, full of Burt’s Bees products! Great concept, non? I think so :)

L-R: Exfoliating Body Washes (4), Radiance Body Lotion (2)

L-R: Eye Cream, Nail File, Lip Balm (2), Hand Cream, Cuticle Cream,Lip Shimmer (3), Cute tin!  : 

I have no doubt that some bags were wonderful, but I wasn’t too thrilled with mine. I mean, I was being a bit ‘me, me, me’ when I purchased it; I wanted to try out Burt’s Bees, & thought this was a great way to test some of their products without spending a fortune. & I know, I know, before I moan, I was aware that Burt’s Bees had added a disclaimer advising that duplicates may occur; but I couldn’t help feeling a little upset that I got 4 of the exfoliating body washes and 2 of the body lotions (I didn’t mind so much about the 3 lip shimmers & 2 balms, you can never have enough lip balms right?). That’s a hell of a lot of the same product, don’t you think? But, I’ve decided to take a positive attitude towards the slight disappointment & use the extras for birthdays coming up etc. Every cloud & all that jazz.

I wont just moan for this entire post, promise. I was really, really happy to receive the little pots of their hand cream & cuticle cream; I’m also super excited to try the eye cream :) I’ve heard great things about all of these products, so fingers crossed! I'll definitely be reviewing these at a later date, once I've had a chance to test them out. On another good note, how cute is the little tin? I am a hoarder, of EVERYTHING in life, so I love collecting pretty little tins to put my bits & bobs in.

Overall, I am a bit miffed about the amount of duplicate items, but I still feel like I’ve got great value for money, apparently the bags are worth £55, wowee! I’m getting to try some products I haven’t before, & I’ve got some extra stock for presents. Not bad, eh?

I had a look on their website this morning, & I can see they’ve now sold out; but did any of you purchase a grab bag? Were you happy with what you got?

Sunny Saturday

I know it's a little delayed, but thought I would do a quick post on what I got up to over the weekend. No need to hold on to your seats guys...it's nothing too exciting! :) 

This weekend, in my eyes, was the first which has felt like a little touch of summer was creeping in. I mean, it wasn’t ‘let’s strip off & run around in our swimsuits squirting each other with water guns’ type of weather; but it was definitely an excuse to whip out a summer dress & feed the ducks. My recent summer post actually reminded me of a little dress I loved last year, so I popped that on & off we trotted.

We drove down to a local spot & fed the duckies. Honestly, I have never seen so much bread in my life, it was crazy. Where did the idea come from that we feed them bread anyway? I’m sure they must get sick of it. Any way, they ate a whole loaf of ours. After that, we headed to the pub for a quick drink before stuffing our faces at nando’s, as you do. Finished off with a few drinkies in front of the TV, oh.my.god. Koppaberg is amazing. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of alcohol. I don’t know, I just don’t really like the taste; which makes it difficult when going out with friends, or if the boy fancies a bottle over dinner. So when I discovered this I was a happy bunny. It just takes like fruit juice, which is perhaps a bit lethal in my case; as I’ll happily chug away, probably resulting in copious trip up’s & saying hello to many a hedge. I also received a rather lovely bouquet from the boy; I’d had a bit of a crappy week, so this made me very happy indeedy.

What did you wonderful lot get up to over the weekend? Hope you all made the most of the minimal sunshine, now the heavens have opened again. Ah, England. I love you & your crappy weather ways.

P.S. instagram makes me want an iPhone even more. Stinking Blackberry, why you hate me?

You See Your Gypsy

 

Sorry that I've been a bad blogger, work has been crazy. No excuses! I feel like I am straight out of a Fleetwood Mac music video...and I kinda like it. This vintage dress is a super saturated shade of corally orange, it's so beautiful. I chopped of the bottom of the lining and hemmed it real quick to make it look less matronly. I love that sheer look on the sleeves and the skirt, makes it feel current. Tying up a head on your scarf like this is perfect for when you're feeling gypsy inspired. (But even more perfect when you don't wanna brush your hair cause you're heading to the pool.) This look doesn't need and bits and baubles; like a true Gypsy you've gotta travel light! Ya I know, Esmerelda called. She wants her outfit back ;)

Vintage dress.F21 headscarf. INC platforms.

GLOSSYBOX April 2012

At the beginning of last week, I received my monthly GLOSSYBOX. Exciting times ladies! If you aren’t too familiar with the beauty box concept, let me give you a brief introduction.

Glossybox offer a monthly subscription to a fabulous little box of beauty goodies. You can pay on a monthly basis (or yearly if you are a diehard fan), for a mere £10 p.m, plus £2.95 postage & packaging. Of which you can cancel at any stage, there’s no catch in this one! & in return for your subscription, each month, you’ll receive 5 high-end products from various beauty brands. The idea is that they are all a smaller size than you’d purchase in the shops, just so you can test the water to see if you like them. Try before you buy etc etc. Glossybox are a little different though, they try to theme their boxes each month, i.e. holidays such as xmas, valentines etc. or Harrods. This month it’s themed around Organic products. & this is what I received:

Figs &  Rouge Balm – Rambling Rose:

I think this has to be my favourite product in this month’s box. It’s a teeny tester pot, but you get such a lot of product for the size. It states on the pot that this can be used for lips, face & body; however I’ve only used it on my lips so far. It’s 100% organic, & smells/tastes uh-mazing. I literally want to eat it. It’s super moisturising & leaves your lips silky smooth with a little glisten after application. I suffer quite badly with chapped lips & this has definitely kept them hydrated, so far, there’s not a crack to be seen, woohoo!! Another fab bonus to GlossyBox is that with some of the items you will receive a discount code to purchase a full size of the product. So, no surprises I got straight on to this & purchased another yummy flavour for a mere £3 with my discount included! What a bargain for such a lovely product.

AYUURI Natural Body Wash - Sandalwood:

This was a full sized product, which is always lovely, seeing as these boxes are just meant to be testers for you to try before you buy. My bottle came in the fragrance Sandalwood. I’d never actually smelt sandalwood before, but I absolutely love it! The thick creamy texture lathers up nicely & leaves my skin feeling really soft and hydrated. I wasn’t jumping for joy over the packaging. The letters were half rubbed off, & well I don’t think it’s that nice to look at. But @ £4.95 a pop, I’m not complaining. Too much anyway.

Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum:

I’m not too sure on this one. It’s quite a nice product, but I hate the word nice, so that’s not saying much. You’re meant to apply this day and night, bore application of moisturiser or foundation; to restore moisture in the skin. As of yet, I haven’t seen any radical changes, perhaps it’s a gradual improvement. & at £39 per bottle (30ml full size), I’m not sure I’m too convinced.

Inika Cosmetics: Certified Organic Eyeliner – shade 05 Black Caviar:

This. I LOVE. It is so soft & doesn’t drag the eyelid on application. The pigmentation is strong & has super staying power. It does smudge a little too easily I feel, & if you wear it on the bottom lid, you may find it smudges out a little after a few hours – although this is perfect if you’re going for a smokey eye. This was another full size product, @ £11.75 – you’ve already beaten the price of your subscription, which is amazing! I’m definitely going to be purchasing more of these.

KAI Perfume Oil:

Product Description: Our intoxicating signature perfume oil fragrance, which is a light and intoxicating blend of a gardenia top note wrapped in white exotics.

I’m afraid this one isn’t for me. It’s a very heavy floral fragrance, which reminds me of an older ladies perfume. It says that this perfume oil will smell differently on each individual, & on me it smells a bit like popery.

Overall I’m really pleased with this month’s box. To be honest, I don't think I've ever been disappointed with one. If there’s ever been a product I really don’t like, it’s gone as an extra in someone’s Christmas stocking, or just to a friend I know will love it. I’m not sure I’ll ever end my subscription!

What did you lot think of your box this month? & if you haven’t signed up for Glossybox do you think you will now? I’m not sure how you can resist!