his and hers

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so cue the mad dash for last minute cards and gifts as the day fast approaches. I am not over-awed with the whole occasion. Not that I am single and bitter, but more that I feel suffocated by the whole commercialism and do not believe we should feel compelled to celebrate love, on one specific day. But that's another story.

Despite this, I felt the need to share some lovely gifts from Liz Earle that could be the perfect little present for your other half this V day...


Give the gift of great skin!

The treat for Her kit includes: orange flower botanical body wash & nourishing botanical body cream. I have tried both these products and they are luxuriously rich and heavenly scent. The body wash in particular is gorgeous and sweetly-fragranced, like having a bouquet of flowers in your shower, but better, as this will last a lot longer!


The groomed and gorgeous kit for Him includes: after-shaving moisturiser & face and body wash. I will be passing these to the beau for his expert appraisal, say tuned for that.


Both kits are available now from Liz Earle for £11.75. 
What do you think? Is this something you would treat your love to this Valentine's Day?

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butter fingers

Whilst walking past The Body Shop the other day, I felt compelled to pop in and pick up some more of my trusted body moisturiser. Their body butters are so heavenly rich and sumptuous, orchestrated in an array of delectable scents. 
Well to my delight, it transpires that selected body butters are 2 for £6. They usually retail for a budget-blowing £12.50 so I was more than happy with this little discovery. Sadly my ultimate favourites, the strawberry and the coconut ones were still full price, but I did stock up on the above: the tutti fruity blueberry and the beautifully balmy brazil nut.


Which are you favourite body butters? 

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Challenge Aveda

As I draw to the end of my monthly challenge; trialling Aveda's Smooth Infusion range, so comes the time to reflect on my experiences and summarise my thoughts on these products. The 4-step smoothing system designs to help achieve smooth, straight, frizz-free hair, whilst leaving it chic and manageable for 12 hours.

To recap, the products I have been using are:
Smooth Infusion Shampoo - £14.50
Smooth Infusion Conditioner - £16.50
Style-Prep Smoother - £18
Glossing Straightener - £18.50


Well, I can safely say I have been left thoroughly smoothed, calmed, conditioned and highly enthused about these products. I did have high expectations from this high-end label, and from the visit to the Aveda Institute to my own experience at home, I have reaped much pleasure from this range. 


Their pledge to help hair withstand everyday perils such as tube journeys, workouts and unpredictable climate, I have tested and been impressed with the results. There were some situations, such as my outdoor hockey games, where I did not expect the products to really be able to restrain the frizz. And I was right. Running around outside, in English wintery climate, frizzy, windswept hair is only to be expected. And to be honest, how my hair looks after a workout is my last concern. I was more focussed, when using this products, on how my hair felt after blowdrying and during a day of working and travelling. And I can honestly say I am bowled over how tamed and smooth my hair feels after blowdrying and straightening, and how equally calm and polished it felt at the end of the day, as it did at the start.


So will I be buying these products myself? Most definitely yes. I am going to buy the conditioner and style-prep smoother as soon as my current bottles feel a bit depleted. The shampoo is lovely, but I don't feel this is a must-have as much as the conditioner. And similarly, the glossing straightener is a gorgeous product, but I felt the style-prep smoother worked best on my hair and gave me wonderful results.


If you wished to look at this range, or anything else from Aveda, then you can visit their website.
Let me know if you are intrigued by this range, and if you would give it a whirl?

(this post was sponsored by Aveda as a month long challenge to review their products)

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i'll teach you to jump on the wind's back, and away we go

I am one of those people who, once I get an idea into my head, I just do it. I don't tend to mull things over, assess the risks, speculate the pros and cons or survey the opinions of those around me. I have the confidence in my own convictions and just do things on a whim. 


On thursday lunchtime, as I strolled around my ever increasingly more mundane town centre, I decided I wanted to dye my hair red. Friday afternoon at 3pm, the deed was done. I hadn't even pre-warned my boyfriend. The reason for this decision was thus; I really liked my golden-highlighted locks but the bleach was just killing hair and I could no longer bear the idea of torturing my tresses underneath those foils. Also, I try not to get stuck in a rut with my style, my clothes and my hair, so equally felt it was time for a revamp. My hair has never felt healthier and is beaming with radiance and bounce. I have been warned the colour will fade quite dramatically within a few weeks, so my mane may metamorphose into a gingery-copper-like state, but then I will go back to my hairdressers and have another colour put on. This should also increase the intensity of the red, which is what I am aiming for. 


My outfit is as new and shiny as my hair colour. Both purchases were thanks to a mad sales dash around Topshop, Friday lunchtime. The peter pan collar tunic is a lush, verdant forest green colour, the perfect accompaniment to my new do. The mulberry angora wool cardigan is rather snug and I love the exaggerated bat-wings and intricate back detailing. I was extremely impressed with my sale buys, as invariably, I am left so very disheartened with sales in general, but Topshop came up trumps.


I hope you have all had a fab weekends. I have just returned from my weekend away in Norfolk. It was really relaxing, if not a little wind-swept! So now I really must unpack and have some tea, but please let me know your thoughts on the new do.

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give it some welly

I am going away for the weekend; a jaunt 100 odd miles north to the countryside surroundings of Norfolk. It is an excursion with my boyfriend and his family, plus several easily-excitable canines and small children. The weekend shall mainly consist of dog-walking and pub-lunching. I have purchased some new Wellington boots especially for the occasion. 

It shall be a pleasant and welcome break away from a usual busy, and hockey filled weekend, so I am looking forward to it greatly.

I hope you all have wonderful weekends.

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time flies when you're having fun

365 days ago

192 posts later
countless words

umpteen dreams
1 blog


It is hard for me to fathom that this time last year, Pearls and Poodles was but a seedling of inspiration nestled deep within my imagination, eager to sprout into the blogging world. Yet, watered with words and nurtured with dedication, Pearls and Poodles has flourished into something I am immensely proud of, and has given me more pleasure, and reason for procrastination, than I ever thought imaginable.

I never wished to pigeon-hole my blog into a particular ilk. I used to read acclaimed beauty blogs offering in depth beauty reviews and information, which I knew I couldn't, and never wished to, emulate. Equally, I poured over fashion blogs with utmost esteem, but knew I could never feed my love for writing by fashion alone. Hence why Pearls and Poodles has become what it is today. A whimsical wonderland laced with the beautiful unnecessaries in life. I wanted to take any subject, however trivial and inconsequential, and charm it with words.

I feel so much has happen over the past year, I would find it troublesome to recount it all. I am not ncessarily referring to the events I have attended, but moreover the people I have met (see my “the joys of blogging” page) and the experiences I have had. My trip to New York with Sophie would feature extremely highly on that list.

Many would ask if I expected so much enjoyment and development to come from one little space on the internet. Well quite frankly no. I don’t think you can begin writing a blog with expectations, as they would simply conflict with your true reasons for blogging. You just have to venture onto your journey with a head brimming with ideas and a passion for creating something personal and reflective of you.


So, this is really a little passage to thank you all for following and supporting my blog, and sharing this world with me; a place that would be rather echoey without you.  I shall be holding a giveaway to mark a year gone by and to act as a celebratory gesture and a thank you to you all. So stay tuned for that.

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walk like an Egyptian

Jumper - H&M

Lace top, just seen - H&M

Black skirt - Topshop

Velvet turban headband - Crown & Glory

I just love the clash of colour in this outfit. The rich, burnt umber of the threadbare jumper, juxtaposed alongside the peacock blue hue of the crushed velvet headband. The turban is an amazing new addition to my much amassed hair accessories collection. I love the garish nod to seventies chic. Truly fabulous. The velvet material is so sumptuous and the colour is a wonderful mirage of blues and purples.

The jumper is a pretty new addition also. I was previously very wary of these cropped jumpers, for fear of appearing 'boxy' and even less in stature, but I think because it is off-the-shoulder, it seems to balance out the lines of the outfit a lot more. If you wish to order anything from Crown & Glory, then enter PEARLS at the checkout and you will receive 15% off your order. This is applicable until the end of February 2011.

What are your thoughts?

Shall you be trialling the turban trend this season?

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