First Look: Monsoon/Accessorize for SS14

Spring is in the air ladies!! I can almost spot it on the horizon. In January I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Monsoon/Accessorize Spring/Summer Press Day. However, I was UN lucky enough to be struck down with the flu and ended up being unable to attend. Thankfully, being the lovely people that they are, Monsoon/Accessorize were kind enough to send me ALL of the images of the collections showcased at the event to look through so that I wasn't left hanging. I thought I'd do this post to show you all a few my favourite looks and pieces from the collections (but, seriously, this isn't even half of it - so many beautiful things)....

Both brands have gone wild with colour for the upcoming season. Anything from nautical and understated, to pretty pastels to a full on HIT of bright. This really translates throughout the whole collection. Florals, prints and texture feature heavily as well giving everything a slightly ethnic feel, no doubt a big nod to Monsoon's Indian heritage, incorperating delicate embroidery, crochet and cut out detailing. It might be hammering it down with rain outside as I write this but, looking at all these beautiful pieces, I could be transported to a beach in Malibu or soaking up the sun in Marseilles. They've included everything from statement jackets, casual beachwear/kaftans to chic floral day dresses.

 Accessorize have REALLY come up trumps in particular for me this season. Just LOOK at the beautiful bags!!!! (Yes, four exclamation marks there). I must must MUST invest in a pastel satchel for this new University semester. Jewels are generally big, bold and bright, fitting with the floral trend, but also intricate. You can really tell how much attention to detail went into designing the collections. They really have thought of everything, from soft, boho floral crowns to chunky, colourful bangles to eye catching statement necklaces. Thumbs up all round from me!

Find out a bit more about the story behind these collections at monsoon.co.uk and shop for perfect Summer statement accessories at uk.accessorize.com

Are you getting in the mood for Spring yet?? What are your favourite trends once the weather gets warmer?? Which of these Monsoon/Accessorize pieces makes it onto your wishlist??

Beautiful Bespoke by Anna Lou of London

Good afternoon beauties!

Apologies for the little lapse in posting over the last 10 days or so. I have been well and truly tied up in the act of moving house but I'm now happy to report that the ferrets and I are now fully installed in our new home and a much more regular service can now be resumed. I'm planning a little post about the move and perhaps even a new room tour once I've got my storage all figured out so keep an eye out for that!

Today's post is a bit special. I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely ladies from Anna Lou of London recently at the Handpicked Media LFW Suite at One Aldwych, where they were showcasing a huge range of their new styles. In particular, their new bespoke range of personalised pieces. You can now create a completely unique piece of jewellery which has extra special meaning for yourself or for someone you love. 

There were so many styles on display with endless possibilities! They have everything from the iconic Sex and the City 'Carrie' style name necklace to monogrammed items to Zodiac, Arabic and Chinese pieces. They also have a range of engraved bracelets, necklaces and dogtags as well as rings and bridal pieces, all of which are available in Silver, Gold or Rose Gold. 

When given the opportunity to design my very own one of a kind piece emblazoned with whatever I wanted I must admit I got a bit giddy! Really though, I was only going to pick one thing. Regular followers of my blog and Instagam will already know which two little chaps mean more to me than anything else in this world? It's THESE two....

I could have chosen my initials, my blog name or any other wording I could have thought of but, of course, I went with my beloved fur-kids! I chose a cute little dog tag, in rose gold, engraved with the names of Pedro and Jasper either side. I think this piece officially makes me a Crazy Ferret Lady! 

I am in love with this necklace. It's such a simple design and a great conversation starter! It is rose gold-plated sterling silver on a ball chain which can come in any length of your choosing. I love that it's an edgy, military-style design but at the same time elegant and feminine. 

The RRP for this piece is £58 on the Anna Lou of London website (direct link) and you can browse the full collection at

annalouoflondon.com

These items make the perfect gift or keepsake and I'm guessing Anna will be extremely busy in the run up to Christmas this year! A huge thank you to Anna and Kate for showing me the range and for the general chatter and giggles at the event. I adore this piece and will treasure it. 

Do you go potty for personalised jewellery?? What style and engraving would you have?? Will you be putting one of these pieces on your Christmas list this year??

QVC has Spring/Summer '13 SORTED!

Good afternoon beauty seekers!

I attended a thoroughly FABULOUS event last Thursday that really knocked my socks off! The lovely ladies at Mischief PR invited me along to the QVC S/S'13 Press Day to check out all the latest releases from all their top brands! Seriously, i was sooooo excited! I took along the lovely Alice (SuperGorgeous) along with me and we made a night of it! I went a bit giddy with the photos for this one, ladies.....

The event was held in a STUNNING penthouse apartment in central London. I'd move in there tomorrow if they didn't have a massive tank of fish (don't even go there)!! From the moment we walked in we were greeted by an array of beautiful things and there was more to be found around every corner!

Nails Inc were giving manicures to show off their new releases for next year. Alice got a gorgeous leather effect mani! There was also OPI and Ciate nail porn on display for us to ogle. And i can FINALLY say that i own Seche Vite topcoat now so i can't wait to test that out!

What can i say, I made a beeline for the BeneFit goodies the second i walked in! Hayley from MischiefPR was kind enough to show me all the gorgeous gift sets QVC are offering and let me swatch WHATEVER i wanted! I now have a BeneFit wishlist that certainly does not match my student bank balance haha.

It wouldn't be QVC without a bit of Liz Earle would it?? Well they had the full range of makeup products on show to be played with! 

HOW GORGEOUS IS THIS MALLY PALETTE?!?! More to follow on this because i actually have one sitting on my vanity, ready to be blogged! Total Naked dupe! 

Here are just some of the sweet treats on offer on the night! Yes, those rings are made of chocolate!! And just look at the skull cupcakes! 

And speaking of skulls.... I was in total awe of this STUNNING wrist cuff by Dennis & Charles. I think i actually dribbled a little! Unfortunately the dribble was later followed by tears of woe when i learned that it's £98. It's everything i love in ONE jewellery item haha. 

More beautiful pieces on display!

Lulu Guinness bags and Marta Johnson shoes! Love the nautical theme going on here! 

Possibly my favourite of the Lulu Guinness on show on the night was the 'Annabelle' bag. Check out those lips! Gorgeous. 

I'll finish off with this amazing interior design story that was on display. This really appealed to the vintage lover in me and has given me MASSIVE inspiration to create things in these colours. Perhaps i will start crocheting another afghan....

The evening taught me that i MUST pay more attention to QVC in the coming months. There are always great deals to be had and they're always adding new stuff! QVC and the girls from Mischief did an AMAZING job. Congratulations on a fabulous event everyone, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and feel very spoiled! 

Make sure you keep an eye on www.qvcuk.com ladies! You're in for a TREAT next year!

Pretty Gothic by Jewel-Rhi

Evening lovelies.

I'm getting super organised tonight and typing up a whole WEEK'S worth of posts as i have so many assignments to finish this week its not even funny! This first slice of blog tart is dedicated to the talents of a thoroughly LOVELY fellow blogger by the name of Rhi, who you might know better as OtherSideofCool. Rhi has started making some amazing handmade jewellery pieces and we decided that we were going to do a little swap. I sent her one of my own handmade iPhone cases and she sent me some of her jewellery items. 

Her site is better known as Jewel-Rhi  

Rhi describes her creations as being 'Edgy, but with a Girlie Twist". I'm such a fan of anything skulls and crosses but i love how she makes these pieces so dainty, despite the gothic style of the charms she uses. I also love the little Tiffany-esque heart shaped bar clasps she uses. I received 3 items from her collection....

6-Cross Necklace

This was the first piece i saw from the site (i saw Rhi modelling it herself on Instagram) and i instantly went a bit mad about it. She also sent me the matching bracelet (which i conveniently forgot to photograph for this post, but can be seen below modelled by moi).... 

5-Skull Necklace

It has actually transpired that i have worn this item more than the others. I just LOVE how the little skullies are grinning away! I've even been wearing this to work and had loads of compliments about it. I've been wearing this one more for daytime wear and keeping the crosses for evening as it just seems more dressy in my opinion. 

As you can see her designs are so simple but manage to be both pretty AND stylish at the same time! They are super affordable too. The necklaces are £5 a piece and the bracelet is a snip at just £3.50!!

You can view all Rhi's gorgeous items at jewelrhishop.bigcartel.com and make sure you follow Rhi's fabulous Blog. Her outfit posts are AWESOME and she's a hair and makeup junkie to boot!! My kinda gal! 

For any questions about products from Jewel-Rhi you can get in touch via shopjewelrhi@gmail.com

I've really been getting more into jewellery just lately. I'm gasping to get something else pierced soon as well. I really fancy a couple of dermals in my collarbone if i can grow the balls to actually go through with it!

What accessories get you excited?? Are you a skull or a cross kinda gal?? What other handmade sites do you LOVE??

Summer Haul 2011.... So far ;)

I'm VERY impressed that i've managed TWO shopping trips so far this Spring/Summer!! And as usual I've tended to stick to Primark, mainly for budget reasons. You really can't go wrong in there!!

Made a start on my summer wardrobe because i REFUSE to be stuck indoors (or even worse, sweating it out at work) while the sun is shining! The sunshine really does make me feel a little bit better, although i usually end up drowsy if i'm in it for too long and sunglasses are a MUST as bright light HURTS!

I've gone pretty MAXI this year. So far i have accumulated 2 maxi dresses and a maxi skirt (all £9 each from good ol' Primani).  I also have a plain black vest-type maxi that i got from New Look last year that is still good. The Primark ones are sooooo COMFY! I could just live in them.  The ferrets, however, see them as PLAYTIME and are loving running in and out of the dresses every chance they get! I fear for the wellbeing of my ankles! I have a couple of weddings coming up this year and because the dresses are so comfortable i am definitely going to wear them, jazzed up with jewellery and PERFECT make-up, nails etc ;)

Love Primark for summer staples such as vest-tops for £3 (of which i picked up a few colours, but only one is featured here for reasons of space) and I got a lovely pair of comfy grey linens for £9. My white and black ones from last year are still going strong so only needed the one pair this year :) 

I LOVE my white knitted waistcoat/cardi (also from Primani £10)... it goes over almost EVERYTHING. I also picked up this lovely pinkish-beige (there, i invented a new colour haha) floaty top for £8. I've been wearing it over vest tops and leggings with ballet pumps or sandals (sandals only when the ferrets are asleep - my feet would not survive if they were awake)

Last clothing item is the pretty pink dress with navy trim and bird print for ONLY £6. I wore this ONCE so far to college on a sunny day with leggings and pumps and got SO many compliments on it. Weird how smug you feel saying "Oh, this.... it was only 6 quid from Primani" when people are gushing about something you're wearing!

Haven't gone too mad on accessories YET.... Got a GORGEOUS bag in the Primark sale for £5 (I have so many bags that i don't tend to buy many these days). Got a little set of 6 pairs of pretty stud earrings for £1.50. They are so pretty and a BARGAIN at that price. I've been wearing the little roses and butterflies the most but currently wearing the doves. The charm-style bracelet was £2.50 and fits round my wrist OR ankle as it's adjustable. The heart pendant was actually from Claire's Accessories, not Primark but was still only £5 and i LOVE IT!!

Last item is my little guilty purchase... I was not DESPERATE for a new purse, but the one i had was getting a little tatty and the ferrets had started to chew the sequins off it. I saw this in River Island for £12 and just had to get it. I've always wanted a River Island purse but always ended up with a £2 one from Primark haha. But i was out with my mum and we reasoned that i was feeling pretty crap and a little splurge was perfectly justified for the purpose of cheering me right up :D

So so far, no shoes. I feel i need to do a clear out of shoes before i add any more. I've been hanging on to shoes that are absolutely KNACKERED just for sentimental value and because the ferrets enjoyed playing/sleeping in them so much. But they're cluttering now and i can barely close my wardrobe.

My summer haul has also included a Lush order and some make-up purchases but they will feature in another post as a plan to review a few of the items for your benefit :) That post should be appearing in the next couple of days when I've used a couple of the products.

Until then, hope you enjoyed noseying at my purchases... and
 HAPPY SHOPPING EVERYONE!! xoxo