Swanage 2014

It's September 1st and having just come back from 5 days at the beach in the South of England, now's the time where post holiday blues hits and I trawl through the photos (yet inwardly knowing I should be doing something more productive since the Summer holidays is officially over.) Guess the organisation is just going to have to wait till tomorrow . . . Or the day after . . .

I love Swanage; I've grown up going there every year and it's the perfect setting for the traditional British family holiday. As you can see from the photos there's old style deck chairs, beach huts over looking the sea and the forever addictive 2p slot machines. In keeping with this, we did all the appropriate activities such as building sandcastles, putting and I even braved a swim in the notoriously cold English sea. Over the course of the holiday we went to all our favourite local eating places including the fish and chip shop (twice!), a pub in a nearby village and a traditional homely cafe/restaurant, however the highlight definitely was the Italian where I had a delicious chicken, pesto, tomato and mozzarella pizza and a brandy bread and butter pudding for dessert. We stayed in the same, most welcoming B&B as last year called A Great Escape having enjoyed it there so much. The room I shared with my siblings looked straight out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and I really did look forward to those waffles every morning!

As you can tell, I've been Instagramming like mad trying to capture the fun and if you want you can find me on there at  laram_w. Whilst I'm shamelessly plugging, I'd also love it if you followed me on Bloglovin here.

Whilst I'm sad Summer's over and I still feel just as pale as before, with the start of university approaching there's definitely no time to just lie around and mope!

What have you enjoyed most this Summer?

Lara xo

OOTD | Floppy and Floral

Beach Day

Today we travelled down to the South of England for our annual family beach holiday in Swanage. Given the 5am wake up and long journey, I wanted clothes that would be equally comfy for the journey and then beach/summer appropriate. I chose this baggy t-shirt from Republic which is so old the store in fact no longer exists, however it was perfect for spending the day relaxing whilst also protecting my pale pale shoulders from the sun. My jeans are from River Island (who do perfect leg lengths for shorter girls) and are wonderfully summery but with a subtle enough print that they go nicely with most things. Accessories wise the only things I have on are cheap and cheerful sunglasses from Dorothy Perkins and everyday stud earrings. Whilst many bloggers are moving towards more autumnal pieces, I'm definitely still definitely trying to hold onto the Summer!

Sunglasses: Dorothy Perkins similar on sale for £3 here

Top: Republic

Jeans: River Island

What's been your Summer holiday read?

Lara xo

Summer Fashion Inspiration

Little Miss Bradshaw

All photos from www.littlemissbradshaw.com

I love finding places that offer something a little more unique than standard high street retailers, therefore when I found Little Miss Bradshaw on Instagram, straightaway I went to the website to see what was available. In the 'About Us' section of the site she describes how she always hunted for clothes to represent a unique personality or could never quite find perfect statement pieces, so that was what she setup her online boutique with the intention of fulfilling, and I really think she's done just that. There's such a wide and great selection of pieces which all have a little added interest to them and are different then what you'd find in the typical stores without being overly outrageous. Her are some of my favourite items which are definitely tempting me at the moment!

All Dressed in White ($63 = £37.47)

I surprisingly don't actually own a maxi dress; I find they can look overdone and over complicated, plus I'd had to take the length up a fair bit anyway. However, this is so pretty and elegant making it perfect for a variety of occasions and the crotchet detailing gives it a real summer vibe.

Rio Grande Crop Top ($49.99 = £29.75)

Although the Aztec print is quite common and on trend at the moment, I think the shape of this crop top and the positioning of the pattern makes it look more unique. The colouring also makes it very versatile when trying to pair with a bottom half.

A Daisy Girl ($49.99 = £29.75)

Obviously the print is just adorable on these shorts and completely ideal for summer, but what I like most is that they look so much comfier than what you'd find on the high street; they're not quite as tight and therefore a bit more flattering if you're not blessed with modelesque pins.

A White Affair ($62.00 = £36.88) and Bold and Beautiful Dress ($68.99 = £41.05)

I think the white dress has such an interesting hemline yet the pattern is subtle enough to still make it quite understated. Similarly the red dress may be bold but it's design makes it casual enough for everyday wear. It would be perfect either as a beach cover up or a Summer daytime date.

A Dainty Ruffle Crop Top ($46.00 = £27.36)

This is definitely dainty as the name says and a staple kind of piece that will go with anything. Unlike lots of other similar crop tops, whilst it is flowy at the front it's tight and elasticated at the back giving it a bit more shape. It avoids the issue I sometimes find that when a crop top's generally baggy it can hang off me unflatteringly.

There were so many other items I could've picked out so be sure to have a good browse of the website as I think there's something for everyone. 

Follow Little Miss Bradshaw on Instagram here.

Follow me on Instagram here.

Which of these pieces is your favourite?

Lara xo

'Seaweed' Summer Nail Art

NOTD

Oh dear. I may have recently been gnawing at my nails again leaving me with bitten stubs of varying lengths. Here goes attempt number 2 at painting them nicely so hopefully it's easier to resist the odd nibble. 

Last week I purchased 3 Barry M Gelly Nail Paints (£3.99 and currently buy 1 get 2nd half price at Boots) in Lychee, Blueberry and Sugar Apple so I also used this as an opportunity to try them all out. I used Lychee as the base colour and was so impressed that despite its nude shade it was entirely opaque after 2 coats and maybe even could have got away with just 1! Ontop of this, I used a stripper brush dipped into Blueberry, Sugar Apple and a Christmas glitter Essie polish to make a 'whoosh' shape from the tip towards the nail bed. The end result: something that kind of resembles glamorous seaweed. 

This was super easy to do as I didn't apply much precision and although it would work better on longer nails in terms of being able to vary the shapes more, I still think it's effective on my stumps. I also think it turned out looking very Summer appropriate and would be ideal if you have a beach holiday planned.

Lara xo

Center Parcs 2014 | Part 2

Sherwood Forest

Following yesterday's exciting adventures, here's the second half of photos from my long weekend at Center Parcs.

The freedom having a bike (with the tempatation of using the car removed) is great for exploring and connecting with your surroundings a little more - here we took on the challenge of finding lodge number 1 and then cycling to find lodge number 983

Photogenic squirrel posing perfectly for the camera

Riding a pedalo - a surprisingly hard task for those with legs lacking a little length

Not the best photo but definitely the best brownie

Always being reluctant to return home, after leaving Center Parcs itself, we headed into Nottingham's city centre for dinner. Following a quick view of the castle and a drink in the supposed oldest inn, we ate in Jamie Oliver's Italian branch which was both reasonably priced and more importantly absolutely delicious! I opted for a small portion of penne carbonara to ensure I had room for a desert and it was definitely a good choice - I devoured a warm, perfectly gooey chocolate brownie with salted caramel icecream and pieces of caramel popcorn - I need to learn how to make this beauty! That concludes a short yet extremely action packed holiday; bring on the post holiday blues in 3 . . 2 . . 1 . . 

Lara xo

Center Parcs 2014 | Part 1

Sherwood Forest

Having just spent the most amazing long weekend away at Center Parcs, I think it's an automatic response to now share some of the highlights - and yes food is a definite feature!

So disappointing that this isn't a lunch option for today!

I didn't particularly expect to enjoy archery but I loved it (especially when competitiveness kicked in)

What makes Center Parcs so great is the sheer variety of activities - pictured here is field archery and rowing boat hire but the entire first day I spent on a his and hers spa day where too much relaxing was going on to pull out the camera. We were treated to full access of facilities from 9-6 with breakfast, lunch and a cheeky glass of champagne after our massage/facial treatment. I've never seen so many different spa rooms with every level of heat and humidity and it really was the perfect pamper day to kick off summer. Some other unphotographed ventures include badminton, tennis, squash and of course crazy golf (a personal favourite which may have something to do with the fact I won) and this is just the first half so be sure to check back for part 2 tomorrow.
Lara xo

Travel Make Up Bag

Preparing for the Hols!

This Friday I'm off to Center Parcs which is somewhere I've been to pretty much yearly for quite a while. I just love the variety of activities there and, even better, now I'm 18 I'm set to enjoy a full spa day on the Friday with my boyfriend with a massage, a facial and everything. Although I'm only going away for a long weekend, my family are actually off to France for nearly 3 weeks, so I'm going to be moving between several places, none of which will be home. This left the very daunting task of packing for that long. Make up bag wise, here's the selection I've finally decided on.

The bag is from Smashbox - ones of those free gift with any purchase deals which I think always makes it worthwhile signing up for company emails so you get to hear about them. It's compact enough for travel but also quite easy to keep organised because of the compartments. In one side I have tubey shaped products like mascarara, concealer and lip balm and in the other is flatter products such as powder and my go to Naked Basics palette. Brush wise, I'm keeping them in their own travel bags but will bring the Real Techniques Core Collection, a Mac travel set and my favourite bargain 4 eye brushes from eBay (only £3.38 for the set here)

Are you going anywhere this Summer?

Lara xo

The Glamour Beauty Edit 2014

Latest in Beauty Summer Collection

My LIB Box arrived and gosh was I excited! It's in a beautiful neat and crisp white box with hot pink accents and the way it was packaged inside really did appease my organised mind.

As always it came with an information card describing all the products as well as a list of offers from some of the included brands. Then we we're into the goodies!

Toni & Guy Volume Plumping Whip
A good sized pot of mousse with the standard instruction of scrunching into towel dried hair and then blow drying. Having long straight hair I'm sure I'll get use out of this as I'm constantly looking for ways to stop it looking so weighed down. However, I am always disappointed with the smell of Toni & Guy products; I find they all have the same not particularly great but inoffensive scent  especially compared to other hair-styling brands.

Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection Ultra Radiance Sun Lotion SPF 30
For once, a sun cream without that obvious scent! This subtly smells of coconut and doesn't feel greasy on the skin as some sun lotions can. It is very easily absorbed, however be aware that a little really does go a long way. I also found it quite moisturising which is good if you're on holiday and spending a lot of time either in the sea or a chlorine filled pool.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
I'm always a bit wary of oils as sometimes it can feel like I'm prepping my skin for frying, however, this product I surprisingly really liked. I found it actually sunk nicely into the skin rather than sitting in a greasy film so was quite softening and moisturising for my face. More impressively it removed make up, especially around the eyes, so gently and with such ease that my eyelashes are definitely going to thank me as when removing heavy or dark shadow and liner I can be prone to losing a few. I'm not sure I would use this all the time, as I do still prefer the texture of other cleansers, however when I'm wearing a lot of make up I will definitely turn to this.

Velvotan Tanning Mitt
This has a very soft surface which feels gentle on the skin and I look forward to using it pre-holiday. On my teeny-tiny hands it does feel quite large, but I'm sure this will come in handy when trying to reach my back.

Magnifibres Brush-On False Lashes

I've seen a lot of products like this floating around on YouTube and blogs recently so I was excited to have one to try myself. I had a little play this morning and whilst it feels a bit alien to be putting little white flecks of what looks like cotton near my eyes, I did notice I then used a lot less mascara helping my lashes look less crunchy and more fluttery and separated. I also didn't have any issue with the white making the mascara look any less black which is something I had worried about. I plan on doing a full review on this with side by side comparisons soon.

Bourjois Cream Blush

Each box contains one of three shades and I was very pleased with my option of 01 Nude Velvet which offers the perfect subtle flush. I'm always conscious of blushes because I find with my fair skin and freckles they can sometimes go a bit funny looking. However, this was super easy to apply (I used my fingers) and just made me look healthy. Consistency wise, whilst it feels creamy in the pan, it very quickly turns to a powder texture when applied to the skin. The packaging also makes a very staisfying magnetic click when closed. Only down side is, as you can see, my mirror came with a bit chipped off which is surprising considering how well this box was packaged.

 Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick
You can see swatched above both the shade I received in the lipstick (Starkers) and the cream blush previously mentioned. Oh my, I think I've found my perfect nude. It's dark enough not to wash out my face and erase my lip line but light enough to still not look too brown and muddy. I also love that its not overly peachy as some nudes can be as I find they can then make me skin and teeth look very yellow. The formula is moisturising and leaves a natural looking finish which is neither shiny or super matte. Illamasqua's website is great for looking at more swatches and I definitely recommend taking a look. By far my favorite product of the box and great that this is worth £18.50 on its own therefore more than the whole box itself.

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector

Oh dear, this is a product I really can't see myself using. As you can see my fair skin tone definitely doesn't need a medium shade tan. It is way to dark and I had to show it on my hand because on my face it really does look comical. Overlooking this, as you can see it does blend out evenly without any streaks and isn't too orange in tone. The finish is matte as it claims to be and thankfully it does also wash off very easily just by using soap and water. The scent I don't like as I find it lingers and smells a little elderly, however in terms of tanning, I'm sure this does an excellent job as long as you're a darker shade to start.

Crabtree & Evelyn Nail Laquer
The box comes with either the red or pink variation (called 'petal pink') of this polish and I was thrilled when I spotted the pink. It  looks the perfect subtle baby shade that for some reason I seem to be missing from my collection. However, like many paler colours, when applying it is so annoyingly sheer and thin that on some nails it took 5 coats to reach the pictured level of opacity. Having, said that, the thin consistency does mean it dries quickly between layers. I know will persevere with this as I'm in love with both the flattering shade and the glossy finish, but I really do wish light shades would be made to be more opaque as no-one wants to be able to half see white tips poking through.

Overview
Best Products - Illamasqua Lipstick, Bourjois Cream Blush
Worst Product - Rimmel Instant Tan

This is definitely a box worth purchasing because of the range of good quality products, many suitable for everyday use. Unlike subscription boxes containing a majority of mini or samples sizes, I find LIB boxes really are a good deal. You can buy it on the website here for £16.95 including p&p.

Lara xo