run forest run

It is views like this that make me want to run to the clouds and find out where that road leads to...

I snapped these pictures last weekend whilst I was out on a rather balmy run around my village and just thought they were so pretty I had to share them with you. These will forever be my motivation to go out running! I hope you are all well and having good weeks. I thought I would take this brief tryst with the internet as an opportunity to fill you in on a few things that I am looking forward to:

No.1/ Being reunited with the internet tomorrow. Woo! I have managed to scavenge some online time to publish a few posts over the last few weeks but I have pretty much been disconnected from the internet world, which would explain why I have been such a shameful commenter on your blogs recently. I do apologise and normal service shall resume shortly. I thought I would feel a bit like a fish out of water but have enjoyed the break and shift of focus onto other things. Namely Wimbledon!

No.2/ Hockey tour to Nottingham - Yes, on Friday myself and 11 fellow hockey girls will be embarking Northwards to Nottingham for a weekend to play in a mixed hockey tournament. It shall be a few days of funny antics and group bonding, with maybe a little bit of hockey thrown in! Fingers crossed for some sun.

No.3/ The emergence of Cheryl Cole and her blonde hair. Much speculation has surrounded this recent transformation, even leading to 'mock-ups' of the suspected hair colour, and sadly the shallow side of me cannot wait to indulge this.   

No.4/ The Apprentice tonight. I have been a big fan of this show for ages but I am particularly loving this season's offerings, even though I do mourn the absence of Margaret each week. This week's task...biscuit making! Of course I will be watching :) 

What things are you looking forward to this week?

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Bourjois' summer collections

Earlier this week I was invited along to the Bourjois HQ in London to witness the sizzling new summer collections that are being launched this season. Upon arrival we were met with a rather appetising array of delicacies, with a cascading chocolate fountain taking centre stage. Whilst we sipped our bubbles and were taken through the new collections, we were able to get our nails 'wah-ed' by the lovely ladies from WAH Nails that were lying in wait to create some fabulous nail art. It was a great event and a wonderful chance to get a sneak preview of the hot summer collections from Bourjois. Some of these products are out now, and some are being released next month, but I thought I would just share with you the new collections and give you my initial thoughts.

Firstly, 7 new bright, juicy shades have been added to Bourjois So Laque Ultra Shine range. These tropical colours just scream summer and are enriched with vinyl for an intense shine and finish. There is a cocktail of colours in this collection, ranging from hot pinks, juicy oranges and cool lime greens. The colours above are:


Bleu Model (a turquoise blue) Jaune Trendy (a warm yellow) and Lime Catwalk (a cool lime green)
These new polishes are already in Superdrug and will launch in Boots on 13th July, retailing at £5.99. 


As well as the new shades being introduced to the So Laque range, Bourjois have also launched a brand new nail collection - 10 days Nail Enamel - which consists of 12 classic and fashionable colours, from pearly white to petrol blue. With an exclusive fortifying formula and an angled touch-up brush, these nail polishes claim to last up to 7 days, with the handy touch-up brush being used to freshen up any chips and prolong the colour for an extra 3 days wear. You can see how the angled brush varies from the standard Bourjois nail brush, which is perfect for attending to small, minor touch-ups. I am definitely excited to put these nail polishes to the test!

The shades pictured above are:

16. Coral Pink, 12. Pearly White and 15. Fuchsia Pink.

This range is out now and retails at £5.99.

Next up are the new intense eyeshadows from Bourjois which feature 10 new shades which have been designed using mineral pigments and are hypoallergenic, paraben and fragrance-free. These new intense colours are twice the density of a conventional Bourjois eyeshadow, offering a pure, rich colour after one application. The shades range from soft nudes and peaches to vibrant peacock greens and rusty browns.
I love the look of these eyeshadows which really do offer a really intense finish, and can also be used wet as well. The colours featured above are:
02. Honey Beige, 05. Dark Green and 10. Charcoal Black.
The intense eyeshadow range is out now and each pot retails at £6.99.

Now this was the range that really caught my attention at the event and I am really excited about. Let me introduce to you Bourjois' Délice de Soleil Bronzing Collection. The range consists of a bronzer, bronzing foundation, bronzing mist and two effet 3D summer collection lipglosses, all set to give you that golden glow without going abroad! All products are launching in July.

Firstly the Bronzing Powder for face and body. This fine mist, enhanced with cocoa beans for radiance and orange blossom extract for its moisturising properties, lightly coats the skin with a lovely golden powder and apparently doesn't need blending in. I loved this mist as it was so fine and easy to apply, as well as smelling divine, but I did need to blend the colour in slightly to get an even application. It is a perfect solution for a quick tan top-up as the results are instant, but then can be washed off when needed, meaning you aren't left with any patchy 'fake tan' areas. This product comes in two shades; 

12. fair/medium and 14. olive/tanned and will retail at £7.99.

If you are a fan of Bourjois' Délice de Poudre bronzing powder, with its delicious chocolate fragrance, the this new bronzing compact will not disappoint. The ultra-fine texture of the powder makes the application really easy and perfect for either using it for a light flourish of colour on the face, or to build up and contour the cheeks. This powder contains SPF 15 and is enhanced with cocoa beans for radiance and orange blossom extract for moisturising. The 360 degrees swivelling mirror is quite snazzy but I don't know if it is particularly necessary and I didn't get on very well with the brush included, opting for my MAC 116. But all in all, I do really like this product as it gives a lovely natural glow to your face with just a tiny hint of gold shimmer, as well as smelling sweet and chocolatey!

The Délice de Soleil bronzing powder comes in two shades;

12. fair/medium and 14. olive/tanned and will retail at £8.99.

This bronzed lipgloss is simply Summer for your senses with its gorgeous tropical coconut scent and golden shimmer. This isn't a colour I would normally chose but I quite like it and love the moisturising balm formula keeping your lips hydrated and soft.

There are two lipglosses in the Délice de Soleil collection;

49. Rose Pacific and 50. Brun Exotic (as featured above) These will retail at £6.99.

Mineral Bronzing Foundation - Bourjois introduces its very latest made-to measure mineral powder foundation, using a clever two in one package, meaning you can achieve the perfect colour for you.  Either shade can be used separately or blended together, using the movable flap to dispense the exact quantity you require. As the summer heats up and I try to avoid a melting face, this product could be a perfect alternative to a layer of liquid foundation. The coverage is light but still evens out skin tone and gives the face a fresh glowing finish.
The bronzing powder comes in two shades;
fair/medium and olive/tanned and will retail at £9.99.


So that was a little look at the new products from Bourjois for this Summer season.
Which products have got you hot under the collar?

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P&G summer spa - in action

If you cast your minds back, you will remember me telling you all about the P&G Summer Spa event which took place earlier this month on 2nd June. It was a great online event giving us the chance to raise any burning beauty questions and have them answered by a panel of P&G experts.

You can register here to view all the videos from the different brand ambassadors, simply by clicking on the individual logos, but I just thought I would share with you two of my favourites.

First up is Caroline Barnes from Max Factor, offering some makeup tips and tricks.

And here is Nichola Joss, ambassador for Venus, Gilette and Braun, covering all aspects of hair removal and answering the most popular polled question, "how to achieve a smooth bikini line for the summer?"

Thank you to you all who voted on the poll and left your own questions in my comments, all helping to make the event really successful. The 15 wildcard questions were asked and the chosen names have been collated, so if you were chosen, we will be in contact shortly.

(this post has been sponsored by P&G)

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on the riviera

Vest top - H&M

Pleated skirt - H&M
Blazer - New Look
Wedges - Faith
Scarf - vintage
Lipstick - Revlon, 'Love that Red'


Well hello there.
It seems like an age since my last post. This week has been pretty manic for me, and quite frankly I have had bigger fish to fry than worrying about blogging. I am still internet-less and will be for the next week or so, but I am not going to fret and simply embrace this little blogging hiatus. 


I have however manage to seize a brief tryst with the online world to bring you this outfit post. I bought this skirt several weeks ago now but this has been the first opportunity I've had to wear it. It all felt very French chic when teamed with my breton stripe top and white blazer. A fellow blogger, Kelly, also purchased this skirt the same time as me and I am really looking forward to seeing how she styles it as I am a true fan of her blog and outfits. My wedges are possibly one of my most beloved shoes I own - a discounted purchase when I use to work at Faith Shoes back in the day, about 8 years ago! My scarf was another wonderful vintage find from London's Brick Lane, and is serving more than just an aesthetic purpose here - perfectly concealing 7 weeks worth of horrible roots. My hair is really a state at the moment but I have been so consumed recently, I haven't had time to address the mess. My first job tomorrow is to book a hair appointment and pronto! Although I don't think I will be going red again - you can have too much of a good thing and I fancy something a little less high maintenance!


I hope you have all been well. 
A quick hello and thank you to all my new and old readers. Thank for sticking around and I promise I will be back blogging with a flourish as soon as circumstances allow...

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bird song

Bird Blazer - River Island - £39.99
This post comes to you from the comfiness of my sofa as I am currently hibernating away from the dreary weather outside, slight disappointed that rain has stopped play on the Queen's tennis final. I thought I would share with you one of my most recent purchases, this wonderful bird-embellished jacket. It is described as a 'boxy' blazer and at first I wasn't sure on the shape of it, but now quite like the way it hangs, especially when worn over something more fitted. I love the bold colours of the birds (is that a Kingfisher?) and the flowers, and like the little pockets. Sorry about the lack of head in my photos, my face was having a less than agreeable day!


I hope you have all had good, if somewhat wet, weekends.
What have you been buying recently?

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life in plastic

Let me introduce to you my current favourite lip combination.
This perfect pink pout is enough to make Barbie jealous and Ken weak at the knees, and is achievable in these two simple steps...


1. Apply MAC's St Germain lipstick
2. Coat liberally with Bourjois' Effet 3D lipgloss in 04 - Rose Polemic

Et voila!
Hope you all have fabulous weekends dolls!

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eager for espadrilles

1. Topshop 2. River Island 3. New Look 4. Office 5. New Look 6. River Island 7. Office 8. River Island


I am pretty much obsessed with espadrilles at the moment. Granted they are a bit funny looking and will definitely spur a love/hate reaction, but I feel they are the perfect summertime footwear and I can already imagine them completing many an outfit, in particular teamed with a pair of Topshop's seven-eighths coloured jeans. And they are generally cheap as chips. I am already thinking they will be my festival footwear of choice, a time when flip flops just won't cut it.


Now I just have to decide which ones to get. My personal favourites are numbero 3 and 8.
What say you to espadrilles? Love them or loathe them?

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