LOTD 3: Book

Link to Louise's LOTD post and blog.

Today's 'Love of the Day' topic is books and there are so many I could have picked but for those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you will probably not be surprised by the book that I have chosen to feature today.

Yet again, I am going to rave about 'Beautiful', by Katie Piper. Click here for the Amazon link and reviews.

This book is autobiographical and tells of Katie's journey after she was raped and attacked with acid. This book is not only about how Katie came to terms with her change in appearence. She had to deal with so much more then that including great health problems, a number of operations, a fight for justice and the psychological consquences of the horrific attacks. She had to deal with so much while overcoming obstacle after obstacle. Her life was changed forever.

Yep, on a day to day basis, I'm still one of the first to grumble about the rain and such trivia but I DO completely believe that since reading Katie's story, my sense of perspective has changed on a deeper level so that I also appreciate the fact that I'm able to jump from puddle to puddle if I so want.

Honestly, I've said it before here but I wholeheartedly can not recommend this book enough. Pick it up and it'll stay with you forever.

Hope you're all doing ok, we're all well on our way to the weekend now. Yay, what books have touched you?

X



LOTD 2. Blog Post 1

Here is Louise's original post.

Today the topic for 'Love of the Day' (#LOTD) is blog post. There are so many choose from but the one I would like to share with you today is from Selin, The Tuesday Girl.

In this post, she gives us a few sneak peeks at the diary she kept as a teenager. I know I wrote very similar things as a teenager (and probably still do now on the two or three occasions a year I bother to journal) but this post made me laugh so hard. I promise you, you all want to read this one and incidentally, I also highly recommend indulging in every other post Selin has written. She has an amazing way with words and some mystic ability to express the simple truth of things. Her blog as a whole is one that I'm completely in awe of. Check it out here.

Is there a blog post or blog that has made a home in your mind? Anyone else doing #LOTD?

X



LOTD 1: Sass and Bide Clothes

So, I'm sure that I have mentioned the lovely Louise from 'Sprinkle of Glitter' once or twice before, I LOVE her blog and You Tube videos.

Louise has just created a feature on her blog called 'Love of the Day'. For ten weeks, she is going to blog daily about one thing that she loves and she has invited us to join her. What a fab idea! I think, I'm going to give this a shot!!!

So, today is the first official day of #LOTD and the topic of the day is Clothes.

Click here to find out more about 'Love of the Day'!

Yay, thank you, Louise!

I now have the perfect excuse to share with you a pretty, pretty top (when it comes to clothes and me, it ALWAYS comes back to pretty tops, usually vest style!) that I have been lusting over this last week or so. Honestly, I have been logging on every day, sometimes two or three times, to swoon over this little number.

Image from the Ebay listing here.

Sigh, isn't she gorgeous?! If it wasn't for the fact that yet again my car has 'broke' then I swear, this beauty would have been winging her way over to me by now.

She is a sample piece from Sass and Bide currently for sale on Ebay, find the listing here (and let me know if you're sassy enough to get her).

Let me list a few of the things I love about her:
- She is asymmetrical and one shouldered, a combination which always shows just enough flesh to be alluring and flattering.
- She is so versatile. I'd imagine, you could wear her with jeans, leggings, skirts or hot pants (if you so desire) and look equally stylish.
- All those sequins, who can resist a bit of sparkle? I love the fact that again the 'twinkle' factor is balanced. The black jersey base works the sequins well and keeps the top on the right side of OTT.
Also as the Ebayer states, much of Sass and Bides' current collection features sequins so she is 'on trend'.

While we're talking Sass and Bide, I also adore this simple but very cute 'Pause for Thought Tank Top' that I spy on the Harvey Nichols website (listed with a sale price of £42).

Image from the Harvey Nichols site here.

I love the way it appears to hang and the way, the circle of sequined embellishment will be just enough to catch eyes!

What clothes item are you lusting over or cherishing deep?

X

PS If you would like to join in with the LOTD (go on!:) ) then hop over to Louise's blog to find out more.

Jewel Candy!

So these are a few of my recent new purchases.

Yep, it seems that I'm going through a bit of a jewellery phase at the moment.

I've been here before and quite often what I impulsively buy, is worn once or twice before inevitably breaking or been relegated to the bottom of my jewellery box, forgotten and unloved. Awh :(

It takes a lot for me to fall for a piece of jewellery, the Sideways Cross and the Blue ring I've talked of before are the only jewels I reach for regularly. Still, I long to create a jewellery collection of my own that I love, especially after watching the recent Elizabeth Taylor documentary and it may just be that I finally came up trumps during my recent jewellery frenzy as I think, though cheap as chips. I will be wearing at least four out of five of my new pieces again and again over the coming months.

My favourite has to be this Interlocking Hearts necklace from Top Shop. It is so simple and cute (Oh and I think, this one would be quite difficult to break, not really many bits to fall off. Phew) .  The pendant is just wire yet there is no denying how feminine this piece is. I love the way the two hearts are joined together and the fact that although both so alike, as hearts, their individual wire work differs a little. One is twisted. I want to say it reminds of the whole Yin Yang vibe but maybe I'm just a bit of a romantic. This is the first necklace that I have reached for instead of the Sideways Cross (shock horror!). I really rate it and although it only cost four pounds (!), I think that I would pay double for this beauty if I had to.

Like the Sideways Cross, the next couple of purchases I'm going to talk about were influenced by recent blog trends, an Evil Eye bracelet and a Hamsa one. Again, both of these pieces are very pretty and they sparkle . . . a lot!

I expect that the Evil Eye from River Island is actually a very simple manifestation of the whole Evil Eye trend and the foreign originals but it is enough for me. It is so tiny and all silver apart from the 'eye' (the blue diamante in the middle) and it is amazing how often my eye is drawn to it and in fact, just how many people have noticed this small addition to my wrist. See, I'm sure somebody told me once that size isn't everything!!!

As for the Hamsa, this was a purchase from Ebay. The Hamsa is another mythical pendant that is supposed to protect the wearer and bring them certain good fortunes (Yes, please!) The fact that this is gold with silver stones makes it an excellent piece to pull silver and gold pieces together. It works the wrist well in line with my Evil Eye.

I was very impressed with how quickly my economy delivery arrived from this seller and the cute little red organza bag it came in. However, you may notice that there are a few stones missing on my bracelet. Now I can not be sure that they were not there when my bracelet arrived. I was too excited to inspect it properly when it first arrived! It may well just be my excited state and careless treatment dislodged the stones.

Whatever!

I'm not too bothered by the missing stones as this pretty little bracelet was less then eight pounds and the missing stones add some originality and an asymmetrical dimension to the piece. Interestingly, a true Hamsa is not meant to be symmetrical as that does not reflect true hands and you know what, there is no doubt that as my Hamsa is now not 'perfect', it is in fact that little more bespoke and more mine!

Finally, we have the Top Shop Peace necklace, the one that has not quite won my heart yet. For some reason the mix of silver (dirty grey) and gold (towards bronze) this time grates with me and I think, the pendant almost looks like it needs a good scrub. I'm also not as fond of the longer chain length but who knows, given time or the right look to work with, this little piece could find a place in my heart too.

What jewellery are you currently wearing? I may need to keep stocking up if this awful hay fever continues, my eyes look awful (Let me say it again, thank goodness, for the Valentinos!) and I need as many distractions from them as possible. Oh and remember I said that I had five new purchases?! Well, the last one I'm saving for a post of its own!!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!:)

X

(2) A few things lately . . .

* Yay, Volume Million is back in my life and I feel like me again. Yes, it can be a bit of a diva to apply and wear but during the recent heat wave, it seemed to fare much better then it did in the depths of winter. We're talking ZERO smudges and seriously lengthened and curled lashes. Yay!
* Woah, I've worked this H&M top hard over the last couple of weeks. Cool; loose fitting and eye catching, it was just absolutely perfect for the gorgeous weather we had.
* Although the gold of the top looked a little better when I had something of a tan about me. Colour-wise, this tanning combo has possibly (Make Believe is up there too) given me the best 'nautral' fake tan I've ever had. Thank you, Garnier and Clarins! One problem though, something is breaking me out a little and I can only think it is the Clarins tanner or one of the darker foundations I'm now using to match my tan. I'm going to see how it goes but maybe I'm getting a bit wise in my old age as I think, I'd prefer to ditch the tanner and have good skin if it is a choice between the two. Hopefully, it won't come to that! Will keep you updated.
* Yes, as I mentioned several times, there really was a bit of a heat wave recently. The hair has been scrapped back. Normally, that would only happen for work.
*Blue skies and sunshine, please come back again!!!!!
* Then, I can wear my new sunglasses. Y'all know I'm chomping at the bit to flaunt these. See this post if you haven't already.
* Still trying to find my long lost reading thing mojo. Hoping these two might just do it.
* I'm also feeling the need to get in shape again. It's not about getting thin but just about making more of the shape I have. Lately, I've started feeling a bit blah. I'm considering giving 'Tone It Up' a shot after hearing Gemma's positive feedback. Anyone tried it?
Until then, I'm trying to stick to the Paul McKenna rules. When you think about it, they do kind of make sense. When you are hungry, eat. Eat what you want. Eat consciously and enjoy every mouthful. When you think you are full, stop eating.
* Finally, I'm loving all the little Queens that are popping up all over the place to celebrate the Jubilee. Something a bit different to look at. This has to be one of my faves, I'm a sucker for a Corgi or two!!! Hope you're enjoying the Bank Holiday.

Oh and for me, there has only been one tune this week. . . Kanye West feat Jay-Z, No Church In The Wild.

  I just love this. Boam, boam, boam . . !

X

Loving my new Valentino Sunglasses!

The recent sunshine in the UK (woo, long time coming!) gave me an excuse to update my wardrobe a little, ie. to go shopping!

Cue sheepish grin, what can I say?!

It had to be done, everything I possessed suddenly seemed so drab, dated, grey and autumnal. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford a complete wardrobe overhaul. No, I had to find some kind of compromise.

Eye catching nail polish (Didn't I already mention Barry M, Flamingo Pink?); a  decent tan (Tick again. Thank you, Clarins and Garnier!); a cute pair of shorts (Fail, it seems shorts might be another thing I can't do! Suggestions welcome.) and summery accessories were sought to instantly add some sunny pizazz and style to what already hangs in my seemingly wilting and seriously lacking wardrobe.

And obviously, there is one accessory which shouts sunshine more then any other . . !

Yes indeed, it seemed what I needed the most, was a decent pair of sunglasses!!!

So the search began but cor, it took me days to find some I liked.

You see, I love how sunglasses look on others. They seem to lend instant glamour and sophistication to all . . , except me! On me, they tend to just look not quite right. The sunglasses tend to wear me and with my eyes all covered up, there is little to distract from the rest of my face, eurgh! I don't think I've ever found a pair of sunglasses that I can honestly say were destined for me. Previous relationships with the ole sunnies have always felt a bit contrived and false.

However with the thousands of sunnies currently on the market, I decided that this year, I would not be defeated and I WOULD find my perfect match, sunglasses style.

Well, a day before the sun disappeared (typical!), I finally did and here they are.

Awh, it is my delight to introduce you to the Valentino 5756/s model.

I friggin' love these! x

Not only are they very comfortable to wear but they also feel substantial and I'm not too worried about sitting on them (although, I will *try* to avoid doing this) or an arm falling off.

And um, yes, you may well have noticed, these sunnies are oh so goorgeousssss!

Yep, as is the fashion, they are oversized and in your face celebrity style but I find the whole design softened a little by the rounded shape of the frames and the smooth curves.

I'm also loving the double colour design. This pair borders with black and then a silver line runs through the middle of the framework adding that little more interest and breaking up the black.

I also tried on a brown and gold version in the same model which was almost as captivating and yes, it took me a while to make my choice but I guess, by now, we all know when in doubt, style wise, I will always opt for the black.

The lenses are like a bluey-grey and they very cleverly sit in the frames with little gaps in the arch and to the side of the arms almost as if they have been slotted in and are mechanical. Some play on a robotic/futuristic trend or something maybe but  certainly, these clever little details  just illustrate exactly how well this model has been designed with a real personality (or should that be 'sunality'?) and sass of their own.

I really like these sunglasses more then any I've ever encountered before and for that reason, I'm begging the sun to come back so I can make the most of my new love. Pretty please!!!

Oh and in case you do like the look of these, check out your local TKMaxx. That is where I found these and apparently I saved myself a small fortune. Kerching!

What sunglasses are you hoping to work this weekend? Any more sunglasses I should be swooning over, link me. Sunnies seem to be my new love fad!

I hope you all have a great weekend, enjoy the Bank Holiday if you are in the UK!

X