Frills 'n' Spills

With a print this bold, I didn't want my make-up vying for attention so I went for a more subtle glowy look. I paired Sleek's Rose Gold blusher (the best dupe for Nars Orgasm that I have found) with the 'Seductive Pink' Max Factor Creme Puff blush to give me a summery glow. This Bourjois lipstick in Fuschia Libre is my favourite pink at the moment and layered with the C-3PO Max Factor lipstick, it was the perfect level of shimmer. I love Nars products but even though their Hungry Heart duo is supposed to be a blush/highlighter product, I tend to use it as eyeshadow because it is very light, even on my pasty pale skin!

I love the detail on the back too, even if it could lead to some awkward tan lines!

I never thought I would buy a pair of platform shoes but these sandals were such a bargain that I couldn't resist. For a mere £8, I can feel both ridiculously cool and tall too!

After our trip to the Harry Potter studio tour, we decided to make the most of it and stay down in Amersham rather than driving back. We picked The Crown as it was both reasonably priced and convenient and I was really happy with our stay and can't recommend it enough!

The Harry Potter tour at the Warner Brothers Studio in Leavesden doesn't need much introduction but I can safely say that it was one of the best days out that we have ever had. Even if you aren't fanatical Potterheads, it is super fun and so so interesting, especially if you are a film fan. We arrived for 9.30am and got the digital guides which is definitely worth doing as there is so much to take in! All in all, we were in there for about 5 and a half hours (including a pitstop for lunch) and we could have definitely spent more time there. I would recommend having the films ready to watch after you go as you appreciate them so much more once you see how much work went into them. Plus you can annoy everyone by spouting off useless interesting factoids that you learnt on your tour... ;) We took about a million photos, but these are my favourites, enjoy!

As I have got older, I have been less inclined to spend time fussing over my outfits at the weekend, Basing an outfit around my comfiest jeans mean I have more time for fun things like lie-ins or brunch instead! ;) I had never really been one for double denim but this chambray top is so comfortable, that paired with black jeans it managed to convince me. I picked it up in the sale at M&S a while back and although it's not flattering, that's OK. I felt really comfortable here, even if I'm not going to win any fashion awards!

The sleeves in this top are my favourite thing about it. I love a fluted sleeve and these certainly add a bit of interest to a plain top. This necklace is one of my recent favourites, I love the simple deco shape of it, even if it is wonky in all of these photos... I have been going make-up free as often as possible recently and not wearing anything other than mascara and lipstick has been doing my skin the world of good. I am more self-conscious about my rosy cheeks (and my embarrassing tendency to blush) but so far no one has run away screaming so I'm counting it as a success! ;)

These dalmatian print shoes have been in my wardrobe for over 4 years and they were the perfect finishing touch for this muted outfit. I will be so sad when they finally give up the ghost, they may have only cost me £12 but they are so comfortable!

Are you a fan of double denim?

I got this amazing Nars gift set for Christmas and I absolutely love the different red shades in it. It includes the (limited edition) velvet lipliner in Misdemeanor, a lipstick in Flamenco and the velvet matte lip pencil in Mysterious Red and I couldn't be happier with the selection. I am a big fan of red lipstick and these Nars shades apply like a dream. I was looking particularly pasty pale here so the lipstick looks particularly bold. My hair has grown a lot since we took these pictures but I can't decide how long to let it go as I like how it looks here!

A better look at that awesome floral print... I know florals are hardly groundbreaking but these botanical ones are at least more interesting than your usual.

Help a gal out, how long should I keep my hair?!

I am one of those people that has a lot of clothes but I have been pretty brutal recently when it comes to sorting and clearing stuff out. Fun prints will always have a place in my wardrobe and this H&M top was destined to come home with me when I spotted it in the window of my local store. I absolutely fell in love with the sleeves, they are so swooshy and dramatic. This is definitely not a top for the shy and retiring! ;)

The pattern is so detailed and reminds me of china print. There are so many colours that you could match it with but coral is so nice with navy and super summery too... I am obsessed with Bumble and Bumble Styling Creme recently. I don't tend to wear a lot of product in my hair but this has been perfect for adding definition without weighing it down. I bought the travel size from Boots to try it out but I will definitely be buying the full size bottle when this runs out!

These coral shoes always put a smile on my face and they make even gloomy days feel more cheerful. I just wish Clarks would release them in more colours, just imagine how cute they would be in a lemon yellow?!

How do you keep your wardrobe under control?

I was recently offered a copy of Eric Lanlard's Afternoon Tea to review and I jumped at the chance. I own a lot of recipe books but very few that are baking focused. This one is beautiful and full of delicious recipes. It's not necessarily a book for complete beginners (I wouldn't know where to start with making tuna and pumpernickel mille feuille for instance!) but there are some interesting twists on classic recipes- I can't wait to try the savoury macarons! I did find it difficult to choose which recipe to try first but I decided to be nice and bake something for Mark for a change! I'm not normally a fan of banana in bakes but these cookies were absolutely divine. I ate 2 when they were fresh out of the oven and spent the next few days working my way through the rest. 

You can't really go wrong with a natty printed dress and this cute teal number is a firm favourite in my wardrobe. I bought it from Yumi when I was in St Ives for new year and it was a complete bargain. I don't often go for dresses with sleeves (the perils of always being warm!) or many shirt dresses but I think the shape is pretty flattering on me and the sleeves make ideal for work too! I love jewel colours and teal is definitely one of those colours that works on everyone, especially if it is covered in teeny gold polkadots!

I had been searching for a replacement pair of nude shoes with a block heel for what seemed like years and had almost given up hope when I spotted this pair in good old M&S. They aren't anywhere near as comfy as my other pair but I'm hoping that they will wear in soon as they are a perfect heel height!

I have been sharing a lot of dressy outfits recently but I promise that I do go to work sometimes! ;) Getting dressed for work in the morning can sometimes be a bit of a challenge (I will always choose an extra 5 minutes of sleep!) but a brightly coloured dress is always an easy option. Sadly since I wore this gorgeous red dress our washing machine took offence and it has shrunk :( I did try and hunt down another one as I loved it so much but as it was a sale piece I wasn't able to replace it so this post will have to serve as a kind of eulogy! This dress reminds me of something Joan Holloway would wear, doesn't this outfit look like this Mad Men cartoon version of me I made way back when?!

Which TV characters inspire your wardrobe?

I can't resist a boutique hotel when we go away and as this anniversary was a pretty special one (10 years!) we headed to The Fish in Broadway to celebrate. The Fish couldn't have been more different to Malmaison in Oxford where we went last year but we had such a nice time and it was so relaxing. We both let out a huge sigh of relief when we arrived and all of our worries just fell away. Apologies for the picture spam, but everything was just so beautiful that we couldn't help but take pictures!