Marrakech ~ travel outift

I find choosing outfits to travel in so difficult when you're going from the cold to the (hopefully!) heat.  I'm getting picked up by my friend at 7.15am & judging by the current temperatures, it's going to be baltic again so I've got to be warm this end but not so much that I'm going to swelter within 3 minutes of getting off the plane because let's face it, with 25°c plus temperatures & menopausal hot flushes, this is very possible!

So I had a trial run & this is what I decided on in the end.  The jeans are the relaxed skinny by Next which I love the look of but I'm having a wee problem with them.  When I tried them on instore, they fitted perfectly so I bought them & put them on the next day.  By the end of the day though they had really stretched & I mean really - I could pull them down without having to undo the zip or button, surely not right after one wear?!!  So I'll have to pop back to town & either get a smaller size or swap for a different style.

The navy longline tee shirt was bought in Gap last year but this is similar & let's face it, anything that covers the arse is a good thing in my book!  The open jacket I bought in Next a few weeks back but I can't find it online so it must be last season stock - this is a great alternative.

You may have seen my coral Freckle Ice shoes from Clarks on Instagram the other day.  This is my fourth pair of these now, they're so comfortable - please don't ever discontinue them Clarks!!  And the saddle bag is also from Clarks but is now sold out - this one is similar.

Accessories wise, there's no point wearing loads of things that'll have to be removed at security so I'm just sticking to my gorgeous burnt orange leopard scarf from Alice's Wonders, handy for chilly mornings & planes, and my turquoise stretchy bead bracelets from Accessorize.  I can't find these online but layer up a few of these & you get the idea!

This is a close-up of the jacket, which I'm really pleased with.  I can wear it over any of my holiday outfits, it's especially handy for night time & I'll also be taking it to New York next month.

So there we have it, nothing exceptional or fancy but it's comfortable & practical - oh god, I sound like my mum.....!!! ;)

What's your favourite thing to wear when travelling?

Eternal Collection ~ Athena necklace

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Eternal Collection, an exclusive costume jewellery company based locally in Pitlochry, to see if I would like to choose a piece from their collection.  The company were already on my radar having seen some of their items being worn by some of my favourite bloggers, Jane at My Midlife Fashion, Nikki at Midlife Chic & Lizzy at What Lizzy Loves so I was very excited to have been asked!

Eternal Collection has been established since 2007 & is owned & run by a husband & wife team, Paul & Pauline Buttress.  I love that the majority of their collection is handmade, and that pieces not handmade by themselves are carefully sourced from around the world. 

I spent a couple of happy hours browsing their website & to be honest, it was really difficult to choose just one item because there were several pieces that caught my eye!  However, turquoise & silver is my favourite jewellery combination so I finally decided on the Athena disc necklace.

A couple of days later my parcel arrived, beautifully & securely packaged along with a hand written note from Heather..  (I wish more companies would take as much care with their packaging - it really does matter!)

I absolutely love this necklace, it's totally 'me'!!  Although the size & style of this would suggest that it's quite weighty, it's surprisingly lightweight making it very comfortable to wear.  I had wanted to save it until my holiday (after all, what's more Moroccan than silver & turquoise?!) but I couldn't resist wearing it the other day & it received many compliments at the school gates!

This is such a versatile necklace, I have so many ideas what to wear it with, I can't wait to show you! The Athena disc necklace is currently on offer for only £25.00.

What do you think?  Have you shopped with Eternal Collection before?  I think this one will be my next purchase!

Marrakech packing ~ toiletries

The days are finally into single figures before we leave for Marrakech & today, as I look outside my window at the snow falling, I could not be more excited to be heading for the sun & warmth!!

My many, many lists are now coming into their own as I know exactly what to pack, what to wear & what's left to buy & the case is out of the cupboard waiting to be filled!

I picked up the last of my toiletries last week so I though I'd share what I'll be taking.  Warning - there may be a few of these 'packing' posts coming up in the next few days - sorry!! ;) 

I'm not overly fond of sun creams as I always find them a bit too gunky, I prefer sprays & have used the Ambre Solaire spray for a few years now.  I picked this up in Asda at the start of the year for about £3 when they were having a clearance, it's currently £12.99 in Superdrug but there's a BOGOF deal.

I bought an SPF30 Solait face cream (£3.99) which I haven't used before but it says it's non-greasy so here's hoping it'll be fine & doesn't break me out!  As it was BOGOF, I also picked up the Solait aftersun (£4.99) with tan prolonger, which sounds like it works in the same way as a gradual tanning cream.  I'll take the whole bottle as the 4 of us can all share this.

My other toiletries are mini versions, which I don't usually buy as I have empty bottles which I decant products into but a lot of these were bought at Christmas when they were on clearance shelves!  The only product I'll decant into a pot is my Curl Cream by Trevor Sorbie but the mini bottle of Frizz Ease I picked up for 99p is ideal! 

In the end I decided to get new contact lenses rather than take prescription sunglasses so I don't have to carry my normal glasses around with me all day to use when we're inside.  I can just stick on a pair of sunnies & be done with it!  These lenses (in the black box, top right) are the new Vitrea range by Specsavers & offer a slow-release moisturiser so are very comfortable to wear & I'd imagine will be much better in the heat.  I'll just need to take 4 or 5 pairs with me rather than the whole box.

So these are my toiletries sorted, I now have to whittle down my makeup & choose my nail colours!

NOTD Barry M Speedy ~ Stop the clock

I recently bought two of the new Barry M Speedy Quick Dry polishes, the first of which I blogged about here so next up is this one, Stop the Clock, a gorgeous cross between lemon mousse & vanilla ice cream!

I was fully expecting to have to apply 3 coats of this one, as with In A Heart Beat, but funnily enough, this covered much better in only 2 coats.

I really, really love this colour for spring, it's just like I've dipped my nails into a bowl of melted vanilla ice cream.  Again, it would look slightly better without the pasty skin colour going on here but still! Please excuse the dry cuticles, I should've oiled up before the photo!

This has lasted much longer than the other colour surprisingly enough, so in my opinion, the formula of this particular shade seems a bit better.  I'm not sure why, it just is!

The one thing I forgot to talk about with the other review though was the brush which is flat & curved on the tip so fits the base of my nail perfectly.  It covers in just two swipes & as I only had to use two coats of this, it really did dry rapidly.  I did apply Seche Vite on top though for added shine & strength!

The Barry M Speedy Quick Dry nail paints are currently £3.99 each or 2 for £7.00 at Boots.

What do you think, does this shade float your boat?!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet ~ Peach Club

*Warning, perfect spring/summer lip colour alert!!!*

I love these liquid lipsticks & this is the fourth shade I've bought but I've only reviewed one, how weird???  Here's my review on Frambourjoise for those who haven't seen it & I'll get on to the other two asap.  But for now, here's Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Peach Club.

As you can see, it's a classic sponge doe-foot wand & it just takes a couple of swipes for perfect, precise application.  This shade is a fabulous corally orange, bright enough yet not too in-your-face & really is a great addition to any spring/summer makeup bag!

Although it's a matte formula, this feels so silky & comfortable on the lips, it's hard to believe that it lasts as long as it does.  I can eat lunch, drink several coffees & maybe sneak in a wee biscwit (sorry, I can't say the word normally now after the Fox's advert!!) & the colour will still be pretty much intact.

This shows how opaque the colour is as this was just the lightest of swipes on my thumb.

Ooooh, I really love it & it'll look even better with a hint of a tan, it's time to hunt out the facial gradual tanner methinks!!  Apologies for the dragged through a hedge backwards look!! ;)

Are you a fan of these lip colours?

NOTD Barry M ~ In A Heart Beat

It's no secret that Barry M are my go-to polishes, they're cheap (and nearly always on offer somewhere!), the colours are great & the formulas are superb - the Gellys are my absolute favourites - so whenever they release new polishes, I'm all over them!

Their newest releases are easily identifiable by the black & white chequered lids, a nod to the new Speedy Quick Dry formulas & there are 9 new shades, all pastel hues.  Two colours in particular caught my eye, this one, In A Heart Beat, a soft coral pink & Stop the Clock, a rich vanilla ice cream shade, which I'll review in a day or two.

Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about this polish.  I adore the shade & I think it's perfect for spring (although it feels a bit odd wearing it now!) & yes, it really is very fast drying.  But......it's very streaky & took 3 coats to get an even-ish coverage but to be honest, it could've done with an extra coat for the perfect finish.

I started, as always with my China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat & then applied the 3 coats of colour.  Although there was a sheen, I prefer the high gloss finish of the Gelly polishes so I left them for 10 minutes to see how they dried & then applied a coat of Seche Vite top coat (not how you're supposed to apply this btw!)  In the 10 minutes before I applied the top coat, they felt totally dry to the touch although I'm not sure they would've passed the handbag or toilet test at this point!! (You know, delving in your bag or doing up your jeans after the loo without damage!!)

10 minutes after the top coat though they were well & truly hardened & dry so it still only took around 30 minutes to dry totally.  Although the manicure itself took longer with the extra coats.....  Having said all of that, pale shades are notoriously bad for coverage so next time I might try it with a base of opaque white, which usually helps.

Longevity wise, I'm only 2 days in to the manicure & am already getting tip wear & a couple of tiny chips, which is a tad disappointing.  So while I love the shade & will use the polish, I much prefer the gelly polishes so will stick to those - I hope Barry intends to release more of those shades very soon!!  It'll be interesting to compare this with the other shade I've bought.

What do you think, is this your sort of shade?

Marrakech clothes

So with only 3 weeks to go until our trip to Marrakech, I decided I had to go through my wardrobe & choose my final picks to take with me.

We're only there for 4 days but as you may have seen on my Instagram yesterday, the predicted forecast is (fingers crossed!!) due to be around the 20-25°c mark, in which case we'll need cooler - but still conservative - clothes for the day with something warmer for the evenings.  Everything I've chosen can be mixed & matched with each other so although there's not a great deal, I can make quite a few different outfits in total!  I'll run through the list quickly but you can get all the details from my Polyvore if you click on the picture.

For the bottoms, I've chosen a pair of relaxed skinny jeans (I'll wear these to travel in), black jersey wide leg trousers, a navy maxi skirt & a plain black maxi dress, ideal to wear with one of the lightweight kimonos thrown on top of it.

The tops I've chosen are 2 longline vests in burnt orange & navy (I may take a white one too), a navy v-neck t-shirt (for travelling in), a mustard top & my new striped boat neck top.

I bought 2 kimonos at the end of last summer to wear as lightweight jackets, ideal for covering my shoulders should be enter somewhere where bare shoulders are frowned upon.  Either can be folded up small & put in my bag.  I will also pack my denim jacket & new navy jacket I bought in Next last week (again, I'll travel in this), but it isn't online so it must be one of last season's.

Shoe-wise, I decided to forego any sort of heels & take only 2 pairs of flats.  I wanted a closed-in pair as it'll still be cold here when we leave so the Freckle Ice from Clarks are perfect.  I have 3 pairs of these now & they are honestly the best ballet pumps for me as they support my arches & are ridiculously padded!  Then I'll take my pewter sandals from M&S, which granted, look minging on the photo but look great on, honestly!!  Again, they're really padded & comfortable for walking in.

I'll only take a couple of pieces of jewellery as I'd like to buy some whilst we're there but I do need a scarf or two, & these from Alice's Wonders are lovely.  I'll take my Clarks tan saddle bag for the day & a beaded clutch for evening.

And not forgetting a swimsuit, sarong & sunglasses!  I'm just taking a plain, boring black swimsuit because I like to wear my leopard print sarong & I don't want to clash!!  I also need to get to the opticians to have new prescription lenses put in my sunglasses but I'll not be going back to Vision Express after the chronically slow service I'm experiencing at the moment with my new glasses, grrrr........

As a lot of things I'm taking I bought at the end of last year & they're no longer in the shops, I've had to choose similar pieces on my Polyvore set but you get the jist!!  I will do another post with photos of the actual clothes I'm taking....I might just do a wee packing video too, we'll see!! ;)

Totally going off track here but does anyone have difficulties with their posts when they add a Polyvore set?  It either totally changes my font & I can't adjust it or like today, my type width will only go to the width of the photo, not across the full page????  It drives me bonkers, does anyone know how to remedy this?

Anyhoo, that was a very rambly post, sorry but I'm getting a tad excited now, hee hee!!!

Is there anything I'm missing?

NOTD Seche ~ Mischievous

Hmmm, my daughter has pointed out that I have 5 or 6 near identical polishes, all variants on the infamous Rouge Noir by Chanel, my favourite shade ever - I disagreed....but yes, actually I do!!  Well, here's another one but I promise I'll show you some other colours next!!

Although I've used Seche Vite top coat for years, I'd never tried any of their polishes until I picked up this one, Michievous.  Although I'm very impressed by the application of this, I've found it hasn't worn as well as other polishes, the Barry M gelly polishes for instance.  Having said that, I'm still 5 days in & it's just starting to chip so still not bad!!

After wearing dark colours since around October, I'm ready to see something brighter on my nails now.  I'm looking forward to the new spring releases from Barry M & Essie - watch this space!!

You can currently buy Mischievous for only £3.79 here at Look Fantastic.

What colour is on your nails at the moment?

Favourite gowns of the BAFTAS 2015

Following on from my Golden Globes post, I thought I'd show you my picks from the BAFTAs.  I'd love to get really dressed up like this, even for just one night!!

Amy Adams in Lanvin

Edith Bowman in Luisa Beccaria

Julianne Moore in Tom Ford

Julie Walters in Adrianna Papell

Kristin Scott Thomas in William Vintage

Laura Bailey in Emilia Wickstead

Rosamund Pike in Roland Mouret

Although I adore these gowns, there were quite a few 'meh' outfits on show at the BAFTAs this year, in my humble opinion of course!!  And don't get me started on some of the Grammys outfits.....!!

I can't wait for the Oscars red carpet now!

40th Birthday Lust List

40th Birthday Lust List by fortytherapy 

With my 40th birthday rapidly approaching & family constantly asking what I'd like for a present, I sat down with my ipad & starting trawling the net to see if I could give them any suggestions.  There's quite a bit on my Polyvore set so I am in no way expecting to receive everything on it, it's more for my reference in case I ask folks to club together for one special gift!!

I'd love a classic black evening bag & although I adore the Marc by Marc Jacobs one & may have to hunt it down whilst in New York, the one from Zara is gorgeous too & would leave more pennies for other things!

After winning my box of goodies from Elemis last year, I've been in love with these products & would love to replace them.  The night cream is not cheap though at £95 a pot, eeek!

I really would love a new watch more than anything.  I've never been bothered about watches in the past (as displayed by my 21 year old Accurist divers watch currently on my wrist!) but recently, I've really fancied a lovely watch.  I took a peek on The Watch Hut & found these watches by Tissot & Citizen, both of which I love.  I have tried on the Tissot watch but not the Citizen so I need to try & hunt one down as I love the pop of teal on the face.

Next up are these fabulous rings from Thomas Sabo.  I love big, bold & quirky rings - hence the skull ring! - & there are some beautiful ones on the website, I could've chosen so many more.

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt cologne, need I say more?  This scent is delicious & I can wear it without it giving me a pounding headache within an hour, a problem I have with a lot of other perfumes so I might have to get some from Duty Free!

Now the camera is a bit of a cheat as my hubby very kindly bought it for me last year but it had been on my list for a while so I kept it in!!  It's such a fab wee camera that offers just as much as a DSLR but without the changeable lenses.  I wanted something more compact that would fit in a smaller cross-body bag on my holidays as I would otherwise have to take a whole other camera bag if I hauled my DSLR around with me!  I love the funky retro styling of it & the red is fab.

And to finish, no birthday is complete without a lipstick or two from MAC.  I'll be in NYC just 2 days after my birthday so I will hold off & get some whilst I'm there as they are a lot cheaper in the States, even with the sales tax added on!

Sorry there's not links to everything but my PC is about to crash & burn I think - it's taken me two %&*("@+ hours to just get this far, it's soooooo slow :(

What did everyone else get on their birthdays (not specifically 40th birthdays!!)