The Royal Wedding Fashions – My Favourites

I'm not a massive royalist and have managed to ignore most of the Royal Wedding hype over the last 6 months.  However, I gave in last week, and ended up watching the whole thing, screaching at Mr TBBB (who leans toward republicanism) "I NEED to see what the Beckhams are wearing" and "OH MY GOD - it's a MCQUEEN!!!".  

I’m not going to cover ‘the dress’ in this little fashion round up, as I think everyone is agreed that Kate Middleton’s Sarah Burton for McQueen dress was absolutely stunning and she looked like the perfect princess.  However, I thought I’d take a look at some of the hits and misses the other guests were wearing at the wedding of the century.

Let's start off with the misses.  First off is Sally Bercow, wife of the speaker.  I think the dress is an inappropriate colour for a spring wedding, and shows too much leg and boobs.  Furthermore, the hat and heels emphasise the fact she's about a head taller than her husband, which doesn't finish off the look!

Next it's Chelsy Davy.  I'm not keen on the colour of her outfit and her hair and fascinator are just awful - it looks like she didn't get up early enough to make time to do her hair properly!  The outfit also appears to be too 'old' for her, and the fake tan makes it even worse - thumbs down from me.

Although I love the colour of TPT's ensemble, I'm not sure it works with her colouring.  The hat is fantastic, but emphasises her 'Daniella Westbrook' style new nose.

Princess Beatrice is a contender for the craziest hat of the day award.  I love her Valentino outfit, but the Treacy hat is just too weird!  She clearly couldn't sit upright in the car with it on, so she probably did her back in on the journey as well. Princess Eugenie is wearing Vivienne Westwood, but she doesn't carry it off well - she just looks frumpy.  Sorry girls, full marks for trying, but you're not doing it for me!

 

Next is Miriam Gonzales Durántez, Nick Clegg's wife.  This is a bit of a marmite one - I really love her look, but the press have slated it.  For me, it's a quirky twist on a traditional spanish look, and I love her Carmen Miranda turban.  I would've gone for a redder lippy myself, but otherwise, it's great.  For me, she wins maddest hat, but in a good way!

Joss stone looks very elegant in this pink outfit - she doesn't scrub up too badly does she?

I love the Queen's yellow colour blocking dress - bang on trend, and matching the clegy as well. However, I'm sure she's worn a similar outfit before.  I distinctly remember writing a fashion magazine as a kid, writing about the Queen's mimosa yellow coat and hat.  However, she is known as a lady who knows her style and sticks to it.

I thought the Beckhams both looked great.  Despite her stripper shoes and severe hair do, Posh looked beautiful, and how did her hat stay on?!  I heard James Noughtie (he of Jeremy Hunt-gate fame) discussing VB's hat on the Radio 4 coverage whilst I was taking a break from the TV coverage, so it really has got everyone talking about it!  Becks just looked so dapper, with his Don Draper style hair do.  I'm not really into him, but he did look great.  His faux pas with his OBE initally being pinned on the wrong side of his suit was swiftly rectified inside the Abbey.

Finally, Pippa Middleton made a stunning bridesmaid, in McQueen for the wedding, and a gorgeous Alice Temperley emerald gown for the reception.  Without upstaging her sister, she looked absolutely beautiful and so pleased for the happy couple. 

What was your favourite outfit?  I think mine is probably Miriam Gonzalez Durantez's dress, closely followed by Pippa's evening gown.  What was your worst outfit?

Thanks for reading!!

Fake Bake Tan Enhancing Lotion

Oh Katie (that's me by the way), why did you buy this Tan Enhancing Lotion from Fake Bake with Gold Glisteners (let's not forget about the gold glisteners).  You're not exactly a sun-worshipper, preferring to hide in the shade and you’re not much of a fake tanner either.  So why did you spend £14 on what is basically a glorified body lotion?  It’s not even very glorified – you can’t even see the gold glisteners, despite the statement on the front of the bottle. 

How many body lotions do you already have in your beauty storage?  Well at the start of the year, according to your Beauty Diet you had 11 body lotions and 4 body butters, with more on the go.  Some of these have been used up, but you still have loads left – there was no need for you to buy this Tan Enhancing Lotion. 

Bare arm - no Tan Enhancing Lotion

Nice big dollop of lotion

All rubbed in - can you see any glisteners?

Hmmm - close up - still no glisteners

Maybe at this angle?  Perhaps a sheen, but no glisteners

Despite its fresh watermelon smell, and admittedly thick and creamy moisturising action, you can’t see the gold glisteners (whatever they may be) and you have plenty of good body creams that will help to maintain your fading Cuban tan.  I remember Katie, you once splashed out on an aftersun from No. 7 that did contain lots of sparkles.  It was at least half the price of the Fake Bake one, but even then, it was pretty steep.  There was no point in splurging £14 on this pointless cream.   Have you lost your mind!?  There’s no difference to your tan, and you’ve just added a very expensive product to your body lotion mountain.  Don’t do it again!

 

Thanks for reading!  xx

Product Review - Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser

Hi everyone.  I was sent Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser to review a few months ago, but I've delayed reviewing it because I wanted to test it out in the warmer weather as well as how it worked in the depths of winter.  I don't know about you, but I generally tend to change up my moisturisers depending on the time of year, so I wanted to see how this would handle different seasons.

The Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser contains a selection of natural ingredients including borage and avocado oil, echinacea, beta-carotene and natural Vitamin E.

My first impressions of this product were great - it is a thick cream that smells fantastic.  I find it very hard to describe scents, but I will say that it has a light, delicate fragrance that I love!  It is packaged in an attractive and sturdy pot that looks great on my bathroom shelf.  The cream itself is easy to apply, being thick, but also 'slippy'.  A little goes a long way - you really don't need very much for both your face and neck to be fully moisturised.  I found initially that I was using far too much, which meant that it wasn't all being absorbed into my skin.  However, once I had adjusted the amount I was using to a smaller quanitity, it was much more easily absorbed into my skin.

I have found that the Skin Repair Moisturiser is a very good general moisturiser.  It is very mild on my skin and hasn't caused any break-outs.  I found that in the coldest weather it wasn't quite enough for my skin, leaving it feeling slightly tight - I topped it with Clinique Moisture Surge when I was leaving the house.  This isn't a major criticism, as I've only ever found one moisturiser that works well in extreme temperatures.  However, for mild winter conditions, the Skin Repair Moisturiser worked really well, and my skin felt really well moisturised.  I'm also glad that I've tested it in the warmer weather we've been having recently, as I'd usually switch to a slightly lighter moisturiser.  However, I've found that it has been working really well in these conditions, with my makeup staying in place, with no slippage.

One thing that I could criticise the moisturiser for is that it doesn't have any SPF in it.  I'm not usually the greatest fan of SPF in moisturisers, as they can make my skin break-out, so it's not a major issue for me usually.  However, I didn't take it on holiday with me for this reason, as I do wear SPF when the sun is hot.

So all in all, I found this to be a very good general moisturiser, that made my skin feel well-moisturised, and that works for different seasons and temperatures.  OK, so it doesn't have any SPF, or make outlandish claims about anti-ageing, but that's a great product that lasts a long time and I think is good value for money.  I've already purchased a second pot as my first pot is almost finished.  You can purchase a 50ml pot here for £17.60.

Thanks for reading!  xx

DISCLAIMER: This item was provided free of charge for review purposes.  This has not influenced my review in any way - I always express my honest opinion on any product I review.

Vintage Liberty Print Silk Scarf

Hi everyone.  Today I went to a vintage/antique/flea market, as I love to have a good poke around for vintage items, usually for my home.  The market was very quiet, so my friend and I got chatting to a stallholder who had a great selection of vintage and antique designer fabrics and clothes.  She had a great selection of vintage silk scarves - I'm always drawn to scarves of all types - they're a staple of my wardrobe.   I spotted this beautiful silk scarf from Liberty and snapped it up for £15.  The stallholder also had beautiful scarves from Hermes and Oscar De La Renta (as well as a "tasteful" Versace number), but I couldn't stretch to buying those as well, although they were all similarly priced.  The Liberty print scarf has a very distinctive pattern and a beautiful colour combination - I can see myself wearing it lots and lots for years to come.

I have quite a large collection of vintage silk scarves myself, most of which I inherited from my Granny - if anyone is at all interested, I will do a post showing my silk scarf collection.  I think scarves are a great investment for a designer splurge or a pricier vintage item.  You won't grow out of them, they add a distinctive signature to your style, and, if they're a classic design, you can keep them forever (as long as you protect them from moths!)  I know that I wear scarves now that my Granny owned 50 or 60 years ago!  Still, I can't quite justify the £300 Alexander McQueen scarf I have my eye on - I might have to save up for a slightly cheaper A McQ design, but I can still lust after it!

Thanks for reading! xx

Winner of the Mac Wonder Woman Giveaway

Sorry this is a bit late guys...better late than never!  I've finally had a chance to tally up the votes, input them into Random.org, and I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the Mac Wonder Woman giveaway is...(drum roll)...

SWEET LIKE JELLY!!!

Big congrats to you!  I'll send you an email in a second, and post your items this week, as soon as I've got your address.

Well done, and thanks to all who entered!

xxx

Reminder - my MAC Wonder Woman Giveaway Ending Tomorrow

Just a reminder that if you enter haven't entered my Mac Wonder Woman Giveaway, you've got until midnight tomorrow - hurry up, quick, get in there!
You can enter it here.