The finer things in life

Flower dust stud earrings c/o Timothy Roe

Over this past year my taste in jewellery seems to have shifted from over the top gaudy pieces to the more subtle dainty looking jewellery. Don't get me wrong I still like a good statement necklace but I just prefer not to overload in accessories anymore. When Timothy Roe got in touch, I clicked over to their website intrigued to see what kind of earrings they had on offer. As soon as I saw these gorgeous flower earrings I knew they had to be mine. Set in sterling silver, they're so pretty and dainty and at just £20 they're an absolutely bargain. They look fantastic with your hair tied up to show off their beauty. The studs are just the right size without being too in your face. Thanks to the well thought out expensive-looking packaging they came in, I think they'd make a great Christmas present. You'd gain lots of brownies points!

Do you prefer dainty or statement jewellery?

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This is no Bridget Jones

Outfit:
Oversized plaid blazer: c/o Missbehaver
Black stretch vest top: Primark (similar)
Black supersoft skinny jeans: Primark (similar)
Red pointed ankle strap pumps: Dorothy Perkins
Red nail polish: Knockout Liz Earle c/o
Red oval statement ring: Primark
Red plastic boyfriend watch: Toywatch

One trend I'm loving this autumn is checks and this oversized blazer certainly ticks all the boxes. It's the perfect statement piece to tap into the trend. It got many compliments on a night out so it's obviously not me that thinks it's a gem. I love the slouchy fit and the huge pockets to keep your hands toasty warm. With an eye-catching blazer i've toned down the rest of my outfit. I'm sorry but I still can't get my head around clashing prints - my heart just cant accept it. I've tried not to be a boring Boris by adding some red shoes - who said I don't live life on the edge?! A slick of red lippie would finish this outfit off but due to my head cold and dry lips, lipstick is staying firmly in my drawer. My immune system is currently taking a battering.

The lovely people at Missbehaver have offered readers of the blog a very generous 20% if they wish to treat themselves. Aren't you a lucky bunch? All you have to do is simply add story20 at the checkout and voila 20% will be taken off. Go on, treat yourself!

Total blogger problem but this rubbish weather is a complete pain. No photos outside due to the rain and indoor photos have bad lighting. Can we have summer again please?! I'm fed up of having to listen to pouring rain all weekend.

Are you getting on board with the checked trend this season?

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This week i'm loving - Vibrant red nail polish

Knockout - c/o Liz Earle

There's one colour nail polish I come back to time and time again. Red. I like my red polish to be very bright and vibrant - it needs to make a statement. Many nail polishes fall short but I think i've found a keeper in this Liz Earle beauty. With orange undertones, it really is a bright pillarbox red. The best kind of red! I find I need to apply two coats for it to make the maximum impact.

Aptly named Knockout, this polish features avocado and borage oils to help strengthen your nails. I don't know about you but I find when i'm sporting coloured fingernails for a long period of time, my nails are very brittle and flaky by the time it comes off. So i'm very pleased this polish helping my nails in the long run.

It does promise to last chip free for up to 12 days but i'm afraid this doesn't hold true for me. I tend to get around 4 days before it starts to look scruffy. This is still nothing short of a miracle for me though. I work at a computer everyday and find my polishes are lucky if they last a few hours so I was very pleaased with 4 days! At £7.50 a bottle, I really do think they offer great value for money and will be purchasing more in the future.

Have you tried the nail polish range from Liz Earle? They have some very pretty colours!

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I'm not calling you a ghost but stop haunting me

Outfit:

Red sheer long sleeved utility shirt - New Look
Black supersoft skinny jeans - Primark (similar)
Beige belted trench coat - Topshop (similar)
Tartan studded scarf - H! By Henry Holland c/o Debenhams
Dalmation print loafers: Next
Red nail polish: Knockout Liz Earle c/o

When Debenhams got in contact with me and offered me a voucher to try and put my own spin on the a/w trends I knew immediately I had to try and incorporate the punk trend in my wardrobe. After lots of browsing on the website I eventually settled on a tartan scarf. I think an accessory is a great option to try and subtlety introduce a trend without going all out. It's a chance to dip your toe in without having to fully commit. Trends change at such a fast pace that by the time you've invested all your hard earned wages in it, it will be deemed unfashionable in a blink of an eye.

You always need a scarf in the UK thanks to the freezing climate and I think a tartan version will be one you can pull out year after year. This particular one is a brillant option to keep away the chills thank to the supersoft material. I felt very cosy commutuing to work this week!

Have you embraced the punk trend yet?

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Review: The Breakfast Club

This is becoming quite a reoccurring post in the blogging world isn't it? Well i'm going to jump on The Breakfast Club bandwagon and share my thoughts. MAKE SURE YOU GO RIGHT AWAY. Seriously it's a winner.

A good few months ago my boyfriend requested we try it out for his birthday as we both had a weekday off. Being the perfect girlfriend I am,  I of course agreed. Not just because I was just as eager to stuff my face there. I really do hate queuing for my food and was pleased when we walked straight in at 11am on a Monday morning.

I was giddy as I painstakingly scoured the menu to help me decide what I wanted to eat. After opting for the breakfast burrito and an orange juice I waited patiently while peeping at other customers food with envy. The portion was absolutely huge and I struggled to finish it all. Of course I did as I had to take one for the team but keep this in mind when you order. It filled us up so much that we didn't actually eat anything again until about 7pm when we opted for a Shake Shack.

Nothing gets on my goat more than when restaurants are a bit tight on the filling. The Breakfast Club filled their plates to the brim. My burrito had huge chunks of chorizo, gooey cheese, roasted peppers, scrambled eye and mushrooms rounded off with a delicious spicy pepper sauce. The side dishes of sour cream, salsa and guacamole went down a treat as I gobbled it all down. The fillings all went perfectly together with the chorizo being a personal favourite. My boyfriend plumped for the Huevos Rancheros as his breakfast of choice. I can personally vouch for the cheese filled tortillas - very tasty!

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Fill your boots

c/o Geox

There are two things I buy each year winter rolls around. A pair of new boots and a new winter coat. This year I have opted for a gorgeous chocolate brown western-style pair of ankle boots supplied to me very kindly by Geox.

The little stacked heel makes them easy to walk in whilst smartening them up at the same time. This means they are able to multitask and go from day to night in case an impromptu pub trip after work suddenly arises. The boots equally look just as good with a dress or tucked into skinny jeans for the cold autumn/winter months. It really does pay to spend that little extra on a pair of boots - your feet will certainly thank you for the soft buttery leather. There's nothing worse than hobbling to work with a foot full of painful blisters. Plus they will probably last you through multiple seasons if you don't do anything silly with them!

Have you ever tried any footwear from Geox before?

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French skincare haul

While I was in Paris I did what any self-respecting blogger did and hunted down the gem that is City Pharma. Cliche? As Elodie, Olivia, Gemma, Kristabel, Lucy, Lauren, Charlotte and I all headed through the mean back streets of Paris, we were ladies on a mission. My, was it worth the trek! I felt like all my Christmas' had came and once and didn't quite know where to look first. It was very busy and overwhelming.

After making a beeline and picking up enough Bioderma to see me through for at least 6 months I hounded Elodie on what other skincare beauties I should lug back to London. I was on the lookout for a clay mask as working in London seems to be playing havoc with my face. It is not my friend at the minute. After evesdropping and hearing Elodie mention the Nuxe lipbalm was a winner I sneaked it into my bag as I was queuing. I hold Olivia fully responsible for the purchase of the red Sephora lip paint. It's not really something I would ever think to look at in a shop - lipstick is the way to my heart. But I saw it on her and decided I needed to own it right that minute. Baaaa someone say sheep?!

Have you ever tried any of these products?

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La Favorite, Le Marais, Paris

Elodie suggested brunch at Breakfast in America in La Marais to cure our rumbling tummies on the Sunday but when we arrived there was a queue. Not suprisingly when it's been compared to the The Breakfast Club in London. This little place was situated next door and as we were in a rush to meet our bus we decided to chance it.

What a good chance it was! I can't rave about La Favorite enough. I'm still dreaming about the French toast. It was perfectly crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside - there's nothing worse than soggy bread. I opted for maple syrup instead of the custard and it was a very apt choice. The portion size was just right and the banana added a lovely touch. It felt very decadent indeed. We both opted to share the vegetable omelette and my oh my THE CHEESE. They certainly don't scrimp on the filling. It was wonderfully gooey as you cut into the omelette with just the right amount of vegetables to stop it from being too overpowering.

It was such a lovely quaint, traditional-looking restaurant that was the perfect place to end our trip in Paris. This was exactly the sort of place i'd envisioned when I thought of the city. Make sure you add it to your list if you're ever in the French capital. I'd love to go back and sample the lunch/dinner menu!

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Paris, you have stolen my heart

You know when you do something exciting and it passes so quickly in a blur that you're not quite sure if you've actually done it or it was a dream? That's how I feel about Paris. It feels quite surreal to think that I spent the weekend in the French capital.

After departing from Victoria bus station last Friday night, I fell asleep on the IDBUS and woke up in Paris ready to take on the city. After negotiating our way to our hotel - having a French friend was invaluable - we headed out to sample the delights. We jumped on the metro and ended up on Saint Germain Boulevard to hunt down some brunch.  I really can't believe how much we managed to squeeze in considering we had such a short amount of time. I got to marvel at the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc De Triomphe, Le Marais and Sacre Cour. The former was by far my favourite. The views after the steep climb were breathtaking - well worth the huffing and puffing whilst trying to avoid the dodgy men at the bottom selling friendship bracelets.

I had such a amazing weekend and it was so much fun to spend time with new bloggers and ones I already classed as friends. Everyone was so friendly and really made the weekend run smoothly - it was so helpful having Elodie and Lucy speak fluent French. I really don't know how we'd have coped without them! Elodie, Olivia, Gemma, Lauren, Charlotte, Kristabel, Lucy,  Ellie, Amy, Hannah, Lucy and Cinda it was a complete pleasure!

Can we please go this weekend too?

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We found love in a hopeless place

Outfit:
Burgundy heart print shirt - Topshop
Black super soft skinny jeans - Primark (similar)
Black pointed patent flats - Zara (similar)

Not a bad location for an outfit post eh? More on the beautiful city of Paris in another post as I may have gotten a bit snap happy over the weekend. I brought this shirt on a whim on payday. Completely overpriced but completely right up my street too. I'd been lusting over the Burberry heart print and knew as soon as I spotted this I just had to take it home. I'm getting quite partial to a shirt recently as they work so well for work as well as everyday casual use. I try to multi-task when I can! I can't wait to wear it tucked into a black midi skirt (when I buy one) and a pair of black cigarette pants (again when I buy a pair). These super soft black skinnies are the best things invented - I think I have three pairs of the exact black jeans at my last count. At only £11 they are a complete bargain and fit me like a glove. Jean shopping does have a tendency to be quite stressful.

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Burger Afternoon Tea at BRGR.CO

BRGR.CO had been on my list of burger joints to visit for a fair few months so when the word on the grapevine was they were starting to offer burger afternoon tea, the blogger buds and I booked ourselves in. Using the excuse of Sarah's birthday, we arrived last Saturday with high expectations. Unfortunately we (Sarah, Hannah, Elodie, Lily and Aisling) left highly disappointed.

Having arrived at 3pm it took us half an hour to get our much needed glass of prosecco and iced tea - even then we had to flag the waiter down to recieve them. After listening to our bellies grumbling for an hour and 15 minutes we finally had our burger afternoon tea put in front off us. Again after asking twice where our food was. Considering we had already pre-booked, this was appalling. They knew exactly how many people were coming and the fact that it was busy shouldn't have made a difference. After we complained we were given a complimentary bottle of prosecco, while it was a nice touch I would have preferred money off our bill as three of our party didn't actually drink. 

The food itself was good if not a little lukewarm. The dessert was the best part - I could eat a million and one of those mini doughnuts. I did think they could have been a bit more meat in the sliders especially the chicken. The beef burger was a little dry but I really enjoyed the lobster slider as it made a nice change. The avocado was a nice touch. I would have preferred there to be a better ratio of meat to the bun. The chips were a good size portion and were pretty fluffy on the inside which is always a good thing. 

I won't be rushing back to BRGR.CO anytime in the future which is a shame as the regular menu did look tasty. I'd rather spend my money somewhere where I feel a bit more valued as a customer. 

I'm actually guest posting over at Sarah's blog today while she swans off on holiday. Check it out if you're interested in an immense carrot cake recipe. You'll struggle not to eat the whole loaf! 

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Bonjour Paris

 Taken from Pinterest 

One of the best things about blogging is the exciting emails that pop up in your inbox every now an again. I recieved an email invited me to pop along to Paris for the weekend to soak in the city during Paris Fashion Week curtsey of iDBUS. Of course I said yes please! So Elodie and I will be let loose on Paris this weekend for a whirlwind trip. We'll be taking the overnight bus (the words 'free wifi' had me excited) from London late friday night to arrive in the French capital first thing. After arriving back home late Sunday night in Victoria it's safe to say i'll be a zombie come Monday morning but it will be more than worth it. 

I haven't been to Paris since I was about 14 on a school trip so i'm so excited to see it from an adult perspective. It'll be lovely to wander around the city and really take it all in. I'm not going to lie, raiding the french pharmacies will be one of my highlights of the trip! As will the endless supply of bread and cheese. Any products I simply must pick up? Fingers crossed the weather stays dry. More importantly what on earth am I going to wear?! 

We're looking for exciting things to do on a budget and of course tasty places to eat (burgers are always a winner) so please do throw your ideas at me! 

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