I'm not a big fan of chunky, spiky, heavy jewellery. There, I said it. Don't care how trendy it is, if it looks like it could cause someone considerable pain then I tend to keep a safe distance, clutching my pearls. Give me kitschy clock pendants or dainty rose gold any day - although for this beauty I have made an exception.
One of the brands I work with, Fiorelli (
@fiorellijewels) recently brought out this sparkly spiky stunner for their AW13 collection and I snapped it up as soon as it was released. Yes, it's spiky, but they're dainty spikes - and I am a sucker for crystals, what can I say?
It just adds a little bit of an edge to an outfit (not that I am in any way edgy!) and works just as well with t-shirts as it does with little dresses. It does mean I've had to rethink some necklines, but utilising a bit of brainpower when planning outfits is sometimes required, I suppose...
I must say it looks especially spiffing when teamed with my faux-leather jacket and a pink pout - I tend to adopt a bit of a messy-hair/snarly-face when wearing this combination, harking back to my angsty teenage days! In these pics however, I added a bit of a Breton stripe-inspired dress (missing my holiday clearly) and a somewhat groomed ponytail - it just adds a bit of bling to an otherwise plain outfit and I adore it! I'm already looking forward to rocking it with some cosy jumpers, peeping out under a cowl neck or under a scarf...let's be honest, those days are soon to be upon us!
What's your go-to accessory this autumn?
Love Dani
xoxo
*Disclaimer - I do get a staff discount but would probably have bought it anyway, I am that besotted!
...Otherwise known as Paradise.
I cannot believe it has been another month since I last blogged and I'm so sorry! Thank you for still sticking by me during my blog silence!
This August has been a funny old month, with a whole lot of work-related stress which means all energy used for blogging, tweeting or anything productive at all has been depleted by the time I get home each night! It's not all been bad however - a couple of weeks ago my dad kindly invited Jon and I to stay with him in Brittany for a week and it was exactly what we both needed to chill out and forget the world for a while.
I'd never visited Brittany before and had formed an image in my mind that it was a bit like the English coast I'm used to - grey, windy, a bit run-down and full of junk shops. How wrong I was! Not a tacky gift shop in sight (well, until we hit the touristy Mont St Michel), a super cute village with a grocer's, three bakeries and a cheese shop (well it is France), and the most stunning beaches I've seen in a long time. We spent most days walking along the coast, visiting various historical places of interest (including the Bayeux tapestry), dreaming of a wedding in a French chateau (well I did, anyway!) and eating. Oh, the eating. The cheese. The moules. The frites. The pancakes (I adore the savoury galettes they do, we've taken to making our own gluten-free versions at home). The wine! I'd go back in a heartbeat (and hopefully will as we're already planning next year's visit) I can definitely see why people fall in love with the region, it's just stunning... But I'll let you see for yourselves!
The tides were incredible - if you wanted to go swimming without having to walk miles over a moon-landscape then you can only go in the mornings or evenings - Jon and I passed the harbour at 3pm and all the boats were beached! Despite the water drawing so far away it was still lovely to sit by the sea and drink in all the air and atmosphere - just heavenly and so good for the soul.
Naturally we also indulged in some soul food...magret de canard, local fish and naturally some sweet treats were on the menu!
It's "cidre", not cider! Also loved the wizard on the bottle!
Suffice to say we arrived home somewhat heavier than when we left, although every bite was worth it! I'm still craving those delicious mussels, and I really miss having a fresh baker's nearby (although my stomach probably isn't missing it!)
How was your August?
Love Dani
xoxo
Hope you're all still enjoying these gorgeous temperatures and regular appearances from the sun - I know I am! I walk around 20 minutes to work each way and it definitely makes it that bit easier when everything is bright and sunny. It does mean that I have to pile on the water- and sweat proof make up like it's going out of fashion (MAC Fix + helps a lot, FYI!) and so it makes the task of cleaning it all off a bit arduous every night. My usual Bioderma and SLS-free soap routine just wasn't cutting it, and my waterproof mascara was leaving all sorts of attractive black marks around my eyes even after sleeping, so it was time to break out the big (oily) guns.
I'd stumbled across the practice of using oils when I applied some coconut oil to my lashes in an attempt to make them feel healthier, and noticed it was effectively cleaning off the remnants of my sturdy mascara. With that in mind I nipped into Boots the other day with a mind to picking up some other oils, and came across this enormous bottle of citrusy loveliness.
The first thing I have to comment on is the smell - it is so orange-y and gorgeous and fresh! If you hate citrus it will probably grate on you a bit but I adore it. It's so easy to use as well - I spend some time massaging it in everywhere and then just add some water, massage a bit more then rub it off. I sometimes do a once-over with Bioderma just to check and there's never any make-up smears left over on the cotton pad, so it certainly does the trick! I'm not too sure if it lives up to the promise of brightening the skin, but it definitely cleanses like a champ.
The only downside is the bottle design - yes it's huge, but it's a bit like a bog-standard olive oil bottle in that you really get a glug when you pour it out so you end up using a load...I've got a mind to transfer some to an old Bioderma bottle if I can, but for the time being I've resorted to pouring a small amount of the cleansing oil into the lid and then into my hands to avoid spillage and waste.
I really enjoy using this though and have definitely become a cleansing oil convert! How about you? Hit me with your favourites!
Love Dani
xoxo
Available for £10.99 at Boots.
Hello my lovelies,
Hope you're all having a good week so far! My Twitter timeline is full of people complaining about the weather, so I'm just going to get out there and say it - I love that it's actually hot in July! Sure, 30 degree heat isn't fun when you're in an office 90% of the time, but I've been able to eat lunch outside and walk to work without a jacket and it's AWESOME. I could definitely get used to this!
It also means that all this year's graduates don't have to plan around unpredictable weather - when I graduated two years ago I had two outfit options depending on whether it rained or not and it made the day so much more stressful in my opinion. Thankfully, the weather held out for my cousin Naomi's big day today and I didn't have to dig out the old black opaques (in hindsight not the best thing as it was super windy down in old Canterbury).
Whilst waiting for the actual graduates to finish taking official photos, we snuck around the back of the cathedral to my favourite photo spot... I loved having my own graduation pics taken here (which you can see in this post) and eventually took some of Naomi as well! Of course, it was the perfect opportunity to snap some outfit pics - well, what else would you expect?
Dress - Dorothy Perkins
Bag - Red Herring
Shoes - Primark
Food baby - ASK Italian...
I am actually obsessed with these Dorothy Perkins dresses, they're so easy to throw on and really comfy too. Am tempted to do a post on them as they seem to be a "thing" now - stay tuned...
I always consider it a successful day when I can get some nice shots of Jon and I - hurrah for couple photos! There are always ridiculous out-takes though (is it just us??) - this was because Jon tried to get me to give him a piggy-back. It didn't work.
I always love going back to Canterbury - I have so many good memories of this place and it really does feel like home to me! It's particularly lovely in the sunshine, and so nice seeing all the graduates in their robes with their proud parents. It genuinely doesn't feel like two years have passed since I was one of them - where does the time go?! If you do visit, take some time out from the High Street (although it is BRILLIANT) and take a wander down some of the back streets - there are some fab independent shops, pubs (there are over 600 in the surrounding area!) and beautiful tranquil views like this around every corner:
Ahh. I can haz more Kent time, please?
I am happy to put my hands up and say it - I'm obsessed with hair products. If it promises to nourish, smoothen, defrizz, enhance growth, well it's probably already in my bathroom somewhere. Anything to help with my ongoing quest for longer locks!
I won't get started on my hair oils just yet (I currently have 3 in rotation...) but these two products are relatively new buys and I like them enough to recommend. Yay!
The first one is by Dove from their Nourishing Oil range - I like Dove a lot but for some reason seem to overlook their products in favour of more expensive flashy ones. Doh! I realised my mistake recently when picking up this leave in conditioner spray. I love the 1 minute conditioning treatment in this range so this partly swayed my decision - it's also cheaper than my usual Aussie spray and as I'm poorer than a church mouse these days I like to save wherever I can.
I quite like this - it's no miracle worker but I use it overnight to cool my head down and to provide some care for my frazzled ends. I also like to spray a little into my hands and rub through the ends after styling as it smooths down flyways and makes them feel a bit softer. Soft is good right?
Speaking of soft, if you want lovely soft touchable hair then the L'Oreal Smooth and Polish serum is a good budget option. I'm not normally a L'Oreal person - their ads are laughable and I'm sick of seeing Cheryl Cole bleating on about whatever shampoo she's promoting at the moment so it does put me off a bit! However this was on 3 for 2 alongside the Dove spray and a shampoo I bought and I figured it couldn't hurt. At first I didn't get on with it at all - I used a blob in damp hair and it was as useful as a chocolate teapot. Same frizz, same big bushy head. Then one day I randomly decided to use it on dry hair... And it was amazing. I had like movie star locks, they were soft and shiny and less puffy than usual! So now I use a blob of this after blow drying and before straightening and I swear my style holds longer too. Very impressed and I'll probably repurchase when it runs out!
Oh, both products smell delish too - in case that's a requirement for you (it is for me, nothing worse than stinky locks!)
What are your favourite hair products at the moment? Any recommendations?
Love Dani
xoxo
Hello my lovelies!
I've always been a bit on the fence about weekly Instagram posts - I like reading other people's but don't like just seeing endless pics rehashed off their feed - I like a bit of text! I've never considered doing one of my own before because my life is pretty uneventful and I post anything vaguely photo-worthy on Instagram anyway. But in my recent bid to post more I wondered if it might not serve some sort of purpose ... I get to ramble on a bit more and go into a bit more detail than I do on Instagram! So... Let's give this a try!
1. These are my in-laws' dogs - yes they're spooning! So cute! Half my camera roll consists of dog photos - in fact my Instagram should probably just be renamed Polkadog.
2. Celebrating my Jon's birthday with some glorious sunshine! I took loads of photos so this is the only one with me in it really.
3. The new Neil Gaiman book! Purchased as a present for Jon, I snapped it up as soon as he turned the last page. Have only just started it but will report back - I'm a bit biased though as I love Neil Gaiman's work!
4. My adopted home country on BBC News! This is such a rarity I took a snapshot. Ahem. Seriously though this is like big news, we usually only have runaway cattle or failed burglaries in our newspapers back home!
5. Have taken to doing my hair in front of the fan in our bedroom...it's the only way to use ghds in this weather I swear!
6. Trying out an Anatomicals chocolate mask. It was an effort not to lick this off my face. I also made Jon giggle by declaring it was my TOWIE tan!
7. Pulling faces with the bestie after devouring a summer picnic. Not just any summer picnic...an M&S summer picnic. I love their cranberry lemonade!
8. Token sunshine through leaves photo. We lay there for hours... Blissful! Why do I have to go back to work again? Can I move my desk outside?
What are your thoughts on these little life updates? Yay or nay? Please let me know your thoughts, they are always welcome!
Love Dani
xoxo
