I swear she's destined for the screen, closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen

Outfit:
Black roll neck jumper -Primark (similar)
Black midi tulle skirt -- Next (similar)
Silver pointed pumps - Topshop
Statement silver flower necklace - Stolen from the Mother bear (similar)
Rimmel lasting finish colour rush in 600 On Fire - c/o Beauty drawer at work

Once again it's been proven that this tulle skirt is one of the hardest working items in my never ending wardrobe. It goes with absolutely everything. Pat on the back Sophie, pat on the back. I hit up the Topshop sale the day after Boxing Day and managed to walk away with these pumps - totally pretending to be a short Brooklyn Blonde - and two statement necklaces. I do love Topshop jewels but my oh my are they expensive. I can only justify the jewellery in the sale until I become a millionaire. I'm still working on that... These are the first pictures taken using my snazzy new Canon 1100d, a birthday present from my long-suffering boyfriend. Didn't he do well? I'm in love, completely and utterly in love with it.

So 2014 eh? Haven't you crept up on me quickly and who else thinks January is flying past?  New year, new starts and all that jazz. I've been having a think and my first goal of the new year is to try and perfect victory rolls and that elusive beehive. One day I will walk out the door looking like I've stepped back in time. Any tutorials you know to help me on my merry way? I also want to travel more, buy more midi skirts and finally run a 10k. But one step at a time eh?!

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22 grand job in the city it's alright

Outfit:
Quilted faux leather jacket - Zara (similar)
Charcoal grey polo neck jumper - Primark (similar)
Grey taffeta midi skirt - Topshop (similar)
Black Bayswater - Mulberry
Leather heeled ankle boots - Topshop (similar)
Ultra Glazewear lip gloss in Fiery - c/o Avon

This skirt still holds the honour of being my favourite piece in my wardrobe. It's such a statement and can easily be dressed up or down. Perfecto! I wore this outfit out for a birthday burger at Honest with my blogger babes at the weekend. They very kindly surprised me with the gift of a Lulu Guinness lips clutch bag. I suppose after hearing me drone on and on about how I needed one in my life helped them make their decision. I was absolutely blown away by their generosity - I may have let out an excited squeal - and I feel very lucky to have such amazing friends in my life. Who says internet friends aren't real friends eh?

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Fancy winning £100 to spend on Asos?!

Today I'm happy to be co hosting an-amazing 'bloggers give back' give-away hosted 

by myself Sophie and what we are affectionately calling ourselves...

The Brit Pack...

Meet:

 L-R Rachel The Hat, The Story of The Girl Who Lives Above Her Means, A Million Dresses, 

Fat Frocks, Not Dressed As Lamb

L-R Frills And Spills, What Peggy Said, Kimi And Me, Polkadot Pink and Being Erica

10 Fabulous British Bloggers have all rounded up together to give one lucky winner a spending spree at ASOS with a £100 gift voucher. Its our way of starting the 2014 off with a bang, and also as a big THANK YOU to all of you who read and follow and comment on our blogs week after week.

The Brit Pack are some of Britain's finest bloggers. Every single one is worth getting to know! So in good old fashioned Blighty style, grab a cup of tea and take a moment to check out their links, find some new favourites, and enter away!

GOOD LUCK!!!

The competition will run for 10 days and is open internationally. Winner will be emailed an asos gift voucher with an e-code worth £100 (approx $160 at current exchange rate) and announced on the rafflecopter widget.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Hit the road Jack

When I was asked to be a security and safety expert for Tesco compare, the first thought that came into my head was to test it out to discover a new gem to have a hearty punch lunch. Always thinking about my stomach! As much I'm a London lover, I love all the quaint chocolate-box villages Essex has to offer and you can find some cracking little pubs that offer some amazing food. What could be better than chatting nonsense with friends in front of a cozy open fire stuffing your face?

The Old Windmill in South Hanningfield is an amazing find. With generous portions, friendly staff and an amazing dessert offering, you really can't go wrong. It's the sort of place where you can chat for hours and not even realise the time. With a menu of tasty pub classics such as fish finger sandwiches, juicy steak burgers, deep fried haddock and stodgy steak and ale pies it's the perfect comfort food. It's not too far from Chelmsford so you can easily pop into town for a spot of shopping to walk off the food.

The sat nav itself was a godsend. It was very simple to use and it found our location straight away. The directing voice was loud and clear so it couldn't be easier to follow. You didn't have to keep glancing down to check you were going in the right direction. The five inch screen was perfect for us to see the all important details as you don't want to be squinting as you're driving along! My boyfriend was very impressed with how it sticks to the windscreen - no sticky residue left behind! Boys and their cars eh?

Do you have any recommendations of tasty pubs in the West of Essex we can go for our next adventure?

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Liz Earle Radiance Glow Bronzer

Liz Earle Radiance Glow Bronzer c/o

 

I'm a bronzer girl through and through. I think it's the Essex girl in me and I very rarely venture over to blusher. If truth be told, the pink slightly scares me. When I was kindly gifted this Liz Earle bronzer I did a little happy dance.

 

As with the nail polishes, the bronzer is part of the limited edition that drops this Spring. With a subtle shimmer, it can be used to help to highlight the cheekbones for that killer look. The great thing is it can be used on the eyes too so you're getting two products in one.

 

It's such a shame that it's not as noticeable on my face as it really is so pretty in real life. As it does have a shimmer, I didn't want to pile it on and end up looking like a disco ball. It's a bit too much to be popping to the shops! It looks perfect on the apples of your cheeks adding a bit of glamour. I can imagine it'll look even better once I've managed to get a tan. It's quite pigmented so I found using a little at a time to build up the colour worked best. That way it can work for both day and night. It would be easy to go a bit heavy handed and end up looking orange. The lasting power is fab and you can get away for a most of the day without having to apply more.

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If you say the word then I'll say goodbye

Outfit:
Grey polo neck jumper - Primark
Cream woolly midi skirt - River Island (similar)
Black ankle leather boots - Topshop (similar)
White gem statement necklace - c/o New Look (similar)
'Moonlight' grey nail polish - c/o Liz Earle
'Fiery'  Utltra glazewear red lip gloss - c/o Avon

Expect to see lots more appearances of polo neck jumpers in a variety of colours. Prepared to be bored. They're the perfect piece of clothing to battle the cold weather and managed to look pretty chic whilst doing so. I'm in the market for a nice chunky knit one soon. I have a sneaky feeling Zara might come up trumps. This skirt was a sale purchase alongside the burgundy one I posted a week or so ago. It was brought with the intention of wearing it to work without a thought what to pair with it apart from lots of black. I think they grey works pretty well. I'm slightly neurotic with keeping it clean as i'm a bit of a messy pup.

On Thursday I turn 25. Yep I'd now be in the overs in The X Factor and it's my last year for a 18-25 young persons railcard. So there we go I do have a few things to be sad about but one year older means one year more wiser right? I'm not quite where I though I'd be in life at this age but do you know what? I'm having a pretty fab time and I wouldn't change a thing! I'll be spending it eating my weight in cake and stuffing my face with a family meal at Pizza Express in the evening. You can't get a better Thursday!

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December empties

Toni & Guy Glamour Firm Hold Hairspray c/o
I picked this up when I was kindly invited to a Boots pick and mix style press day through work - I can't get over how amazing it was! My mum and I both picked one up and can't stop singing it's praises. It is quite expensive and will work out to be a costly habit if you use hairspray like my mum every day. But it's perfect as a little treat! It keeps every hair in place without being crusty and isn't a pain to brush out at night. Overall it's a pretty good buy! I'd buy this again as it's offers great support for nights out.

Batiste Original Dry Shampoo
Review here

Prada Perfumed Bath Salts
These were a gift from a while ago and only just gotten round to using them all up! They were the ideal remedy for a relaxing weekend bath with the sweet aromas wafting around the bathroom. I don't really know what the deal is with bath salts. They just seem to make the room smell nice! Therefore I'm going to judge these on that basis and they get a thumbs up from me!

Jurlique Hyrda Control Ultra Rich Body Lotion c/o
Admittedly Jurlique was not a brand I was familiar with until I was invited along to a press day but boy am I glad I finally became wiser! I usually prefer body butters to lotions as they're thicker and feel more luxurious. This lotion however proved to be a corker. It was non-greasy - something essential when you apply post shower - and worked wonders for dry skin. It kept my skin supple and soft throughout the day. The pump proved very handy indeed!

Tommy Guns Bergamot and Inula Shampoo and Conditioner to protect and prolong colour treated hair c/o
These were including in a goodie bag and initially I was a bit hesitant about using them as I didn't have coloured hair. The beautiful citrus smell hit me as soon as I squeezed a blob in my hands - the perfect wake up call in a morning shower. It's quite expensive for only 250ml of product and I do think there's better value haircare out there. But it had a good impact on my hair and who can say no to pretty, shiny locks? I noticed it felt visibly softer too.

No7 Protect & Prefect Night Cream
I picked this up when I had a no7 voucher a few moths back. I've found it's a good quality moisturiser for a very reasonable price - well worth picking up. It doesn't make your skin feel greasy and sinks in more or less straight away without leaving any residue behind. It smells like the rest of the No7 skin range which isn't overpowering. Nothing worse than constantly smelling the same smell as you're trying to slip away to the land of nod.

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Recipe - Healthy Spanish style chicken with rice

Serves four
If you're following Weightwatchers this will be 13 propoints. If you get rid of the rice it will take it down to 9 propoints.

Ingredients:
3 peppers in whatever colours you prefer, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 bag of green beans, trimmed
6 large tomatoes, halved
75ml of red wine
125ml of chicken stock
4 cloves of garlic (I use easy garlic so 4 tsps for this!)
1-2 tsps of Paprika or however much you prefer!
Fry Lite oil
1 pack of chicken chunks
160g of brown rice

001: Pop the peppers, onions, garlic, and green beans in a roasting tray. Sprinkle with the paprika and spray with 3-4 squirts of fry lite evenly. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes at gas mark 6/200 degrees/ 180 degrees at a fan oven.

002: Pop the brown rice in a saucepan filled with boiling water and leave to cook for around 30 minutes. Keep stirring it to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom!

003. Spray a frying pan with fry lite and brown the chicken for around 5-6 minutes.

004. Take the roasting dish out of the oven and pop the chicken in along with the red wine and hot chicken stock. Give it a good swoosh around and pop back in the oven for around 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on it as you don't want the chicken to go dry.

005. Once cooked divide evenly between 4 bowls and tuck in!

I'm back on the Weightwatchers/healthy eating wagon now as I've been indugling far too much for about the last 4 months. Enough is enough! If you have any healthy recipes you could share i'd be very appreciative!

I'd love to know if you try this!

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Animal instinct

Outfit:
Leopard print long line blazer - Next (similar)
Black skinny jeans - Primark (similar)
Black sheer shirt - Primark (similar)
Burgundy leather loafers - Zara (similar)
Red gem statement necklace - Topshop (similar)
No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour - Cheeky Chops c/o

I'd seen this coat all over the blogworld - namely it was Jazmine who made me decide it needed to be hanging in my wardrobe- but as you probably know I'm pretty fickle and forgot about it for a while. After having a browse on the Next presale thanks to the mother it caught my eye once again. At just £30 I thought it was a well deserved punt. When it arrived I fell in love and think it's going to be the perfect cover up as the months gradually get a little warner. Nothing puts a spring in your step better than leopard right?

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The last of the summer wine

Outfit:
Black long sleeved tee - Primark (similar)
Quilted faux leather biker jacket - Zara (similar)
Burgundy Aztec print midi full skirt - River Island (similar)
Burgundy patent loafers - Zara (similar)
Black bauble necklace - New Look (similar)
No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour - Cheeky Chops c/o

I do love a full skirt even if they do make me look 10 times heavier than I am. Not most flattering around the bum/hips areas. Lets ignore the fact that I ate far too much over the festive period as well. Just not a good combination! I picked this skirt up in the River Island sale for a mere £20. I don't really shop in River Island full price preferring to hold out for the bargains. They always have such a great selection of midi skirts to choose from. You can trust me when I say I got very excited when I realised I had a pair of loafers that matched. Ah I do love a bit of matchy matchy!

I'm looking forward to eating better this month. Although it would be lovely to shed a good few pounds - boo at you holiday weight! - I just want to feel happier in myself and my skin is crying out for some goodness too. I'm going to try and overhaul my eating habits and stay away from the dreaded junk. I've had far too much of it over Christmas anyway - far far too much! I really do enjoying rustling something up in the kitchen and want to go back to basics this year and eat properly. Food tastes so much nicer when you've lovingly prepared it from scratch eh?

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Limited edition Spring/Summer 2014 Liz Earle Strengthening Nail Colours

Moonlight and Awakening c/o

Said to be inspired by the classic French Manicure, the wonderful people at Liz Earle are introducing two new limited edition shades in April 2014. You best be quick as they're only on sale for 6 months!

As an avid nail polish collector and Liz Earle hoarder I was very excited to try these out. My personal favourite was the gorgeous muted grey. Although marketed as a summer colour, I think it works perfectly for the winter months too. It makes a subtle statement and is certainly a talking point as it looks quite unusual. I can't really rave about Liz Earle polishes enough. They are chip resistant for a good few days like promised, look beautifully glossy even without a topcoat and come in such a good range of colours. I like my nail polish to be very opaque so I apply three coats but you can get away with just two. I'm just a little bit fussy!

Priced at just £7.50, you'll be a fool not to invest in them when Spring arrives!

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2013 in outfits

This year I've been leaning towards lots of trousers - something I'm still learning to feel comfortable in. I don't quite think I've pulled off the effortless look I see on so many American blogs. One day, one day. Maybe I'll wake up and be Blair. Wishful thinking.

I feel most at home in a midi length skirt or dress and love a retro style. I'm hoping 2014 will bring a lot more dresses to my wardrobe and am going to try and embrace a vintage style look everyday. I will master that perfect beehive! I've finally embraced lipstick after running scared for years -as my collection would confirm - and become a lot more adventurous in my make up so you may see that smokey eye making an appearance on the blog soon.

2013 has been a good year but I'm eager to see what the next year will bring. I set myself a New Years resolution of travelling more and think I've done a very good job of implementing it. I can't wait to see even more of the world next year. It's once again been confirmed that blogging is the best thing I've ever done and I really do pinch myself when I think about the amazing opportunities I've been handed. How did I become so lucky?! Being taken to Paris was an amazing highlight and one that I'm forever grateful for. My 'internet friends' have more or less shed that tag and become real life friends who are simply the best. Many a time they have made me seen sense and pushed me along to make that all important materialistic purchase. I can't wait to see more of them in 2014. The next year sees me starting to save for that scary house deposit after the holiday of a lifetime to New York. Eeeeek! I suppose it will have to be the year I become an adult but I couldn't think of a better boy to take that plunge with.

Goodbye 2013, you've been a blast!

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My heart stops when you look at me

Outfit:
Black off the shoulder jersey top - Asos
Silver statement necklace - Mum's bedroom (similar)
Silver taffeta midi full skirt - Topshop
Black leather heeled ankle boots - Topshop (similar)

I decided I needed to treat myself to a little early Christmas present in the form of this beautiful skirt. Yes it was very overpriced and maybe just a little impractical (ironing?!) but something about it just called my name. I thought it was absolutely perfect to wear for all the festivities over Christmas and  can be dressed up or down depending on where I'm heading. But let's face it, you can never be too overdressed eh?

Christmas is now over for yet another year and I've spent it in a haze of too much food and drink as I usually do. I'm starting to resemble a slab of Wensleydale and cranberry cheese but I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't wait to get back on the healthy eating bandwagon though as my bum and double chin are getting far too big for my liking! Got to make the most of it as it only comes round once a year! I've had a wonderful few days and yet again it's reinstated that if Calsberg ever made familes, it would make mine.

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This week i'm loving - Barry M Natural Glow Palette

The Natural Glow Eyeshadow and Face Blusher Palette c/o

Barry M was one of the first make up brands I ever spent my pocket money on. Dazzles Pots anyone? I still think they offer the best value for money nail polishes out of all the drug store brands. The colour range is amazing! They're always trying new formulas too and seem to be at the top of their game. It's safe to say I was pretty excited when I heard they were going to bring out eyeshadow palettes. At only £6.49 too. Bargain!

When I was given the opportunity to try one out for myself I opted for the neutrals. I'm a neutrals girl through and through. I feel it suits my skin tone down to a tee and can work perfect from day to night. You just opt for a slightly darker colour if you're going out on the town! The Natural Glow Palette features 6 different eyeshadows and one blusher alongside two double siders applicators.

My personal favourite combination is the brown shimmer the third in from the right with a dab of the white shadow blended on the corners to brighten it up. It doesn't have the most amazing pigmentation but I actually prefer this as it's a lot easier to build up to get your preferred shade. The first shadow on the left is perfect for everyday use with a slick of eyeliner. The eyeshadows glide on fairly easily but I do find they need to be slightly topped up if you're going from day to night. This may just be because I wear glasses and need to my eyeshadow to be more prominent as it's easily lost! The Glamourpuss Palette would be ideal to create a smokey eye for an evening out on the town.

Have you ever tried the palettes?

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