Outfit: Bank Holiday Monday

I started out in scruffy clothes this morning to do some washing and clean the bathroom. Then I got properly dressed. The weather has been typical bank holiday style – overcast and not overly warm. There was a bit of sunshine earlier on though and it was lovely.

We cycled up to see the young man’s parents this afternoon and then continued on through the woods to a pub before returning home the long way round. I wore my Merrell Waterpro Pandi trainer-sandal things for the bike riding and they proved very comfy and let my feet get plenty of air.

Grey cashmere cardi (as shrug) – Marks and Spencer (eBay)
White cami – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Red cami – New Look
Jeans – River Island
Zebra print shoes – George at ASDA (eBay)
Red beads – eBay
Red glitter bangles – Primark
Red & cream bangles – gifted
Silver glitter belt – local boutique
Silver hoops – gifted
Merrell trainers – Fitness Footwear (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £87

Review: John Frieda Frizz-Ease Emergency Treatment Leave in Conditioner Spray

I was looking for a new leave in conditioner in Boots the other week and as they had an offer on John Frieda products I decided to give this one a try. I like to use a leave in conditioner at least once a week to try to combat some of the abuse I give my hair with my daily heat styling.

This one is pretty similar to most others I’ve used – you spray it on to damp hair and then blow dry or leave to dry naturally. I blow dried after using it and it left my hair soft, manageable and surprisingly free of frizz. In fact you can see the results from the next morning here – all I did was loop it up into a doubled up ponytail overnight.

I will definitely buy this again and if you want to try it, it is £4.99 in Boots.

Weekend Recap

This weekend we visited with one of my old housemates from university and her fiancé in Bristol. Yesterday we went into the city centre as we were booked in for lunch at The Living Room. The weather in the morning was not great, so we headed straight for the restaurant. After lunch the sun came out so we wandered around the city centre and stopped for coffee and cake in the new Cabot Circus development (we had agreed to do this rather than have dessert at lunch). In the evening we watched Avatar on Blu-Ray using our friends’ projector and screen and I think the picture was better than it would have been at the cinema.

This morning we had a leisurely stroll around the new housing developments at Portishead, enjoying the sunshine. We stopped for more coffee and cake before heading back, and then the young man and I had to drive home.

Saturday’s outfit:
Black wrap shrug – Long Tall Sally
Black & silver cami – New Look Tall
Jeans – Gap
Silver flats – Priceless Shoes
Silver necklace – gifted
Silver bangles – Scope
Silver earrings – gifted

Total Est. Cost £43

Sunday’s outfit:
Navy cardi – Next Tall
Navy & cream stripe tank – River Island
Navy tank – River Island
Jeans – Gap
Silver flats – Priceless Shoes
Blue beads – gifted
Blue bead bracelet – gifted
White gold cross – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £47

How To Stop Shoes Rubbing

Ah, summer. The time of warm weather and a chance to wear shoes without socks or tights. But what do you do if the lack of socks means that suddenly your shoes start to rub?


I have mentioned Compeed Anti-Blister stick many times before and it still remains a summer must-have for me. I carry it around in my bag at all times so I have it when I need it.


You may know Scholl for their Party Feet, but did you know that they also have a wide range of gel pads that you can stick to your feet or shoes to prevent rubbing? The Sore Spots are little pieces of gel designed to protect your feet from those parts of the inside of your shoes that rubs your toes.

Flip Flop Strips are designed to protect your feet from the straps of your flip flops, whilst toe post cushions will stop flip flops rubbing between your toes.


There is also the Profoot Soft Gel I reviewed last week which can be cut to whatever shape or size you require for custom made comfort.

The Scholl products and Compeed Anti-Blister stick are available at Boots, and the Profoot Soft Gel can be found at Sainsbury’s.

Review: Vita Liberata tan

The bottle says that 99% of people found this product odourless. 99% of people are wrong. There is a scent to the lotion when you first apply it and although I could not detect the ‘biscuity’ fake tan smell on application, when I got into bed a few hours later the smell was definitely there, albeit faintly.

This is a body lotion with a built in gradual tanner, so the colour after the first application is not great. The bottle says it takes 3-5 days to build up a light tan and by day 2 the colour is noticeable but still natural. I applied the tanner around 4.30pm on day 2, took a shower around 10.15pm and this didn’t seem to affect the development of the colour. It did however get rid of the smell to avoid complaints from the young man when I got into bed.

By day 3 the colour was as can be seen in these pictures. Not overly tanned but definitely enough to take the edge of my whiteness and mean that people don’t need to wear sunglasses just because I have my legs out!

Since then I have been using the lotion every 2 or 3 days to keep the colour topped up but not too dark.

The lotion is easy to apply and although I found it didn’t completely rub in, when I left it for a few minutes it did sink in to my skin leaving my legs silky smooth. The smell is only really noticeable at night if you apply it straight before bed, so if you are a person that tans in the morning, you should be OK and find the smell minimal.

I think I would buy this again and it is available from ASOS for £11.50.

Shoegal Flashback

What I was wearing this time last year.

Outfit: Blue Monday Friday

I am so excited that it’s Friday. It’s the start of a bank holiday weekend and also a week off for me! The sun is shining (thought that is not set to last into tomorrow) and we are visiting with friends this weekend.

I have been trying to replicate Monday’s hair since, well, Monday, but have failed miserably, until today.

As I am off work next week I may or may not have chance to do outfit posts, but I have plenty of posts scheduled to keep you going. I will try to keep up with taking pictures so I can catch up when I have chance.

Blue cardi – Dorothy Perkins
Blue and white stripe tank – River Island
Jeans – Topshop Tall
Blue metallic shoes – Office
Blue beads – gifted
Blue bead bracelet – gifted
White gold cross – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £57

FitFlop Weather Is Here!

With all the lovely weather we’ve been having recently, now is the perfect time to get out your fitflops. Or treat yourself to a pair if you don’t have any or a new pair if yours are looking a little worn.
I have the navy blue Walkstar version which I wear all the time around the house and garden in the summer. They are so comfy and have the added benefit of toning my legs a little as I walk around in them.


For something funkier than the style I have, try the sequined FitFlop Electra in bronze, gold or black.

Whatever your style, there are so many versions of the FitFlop available now that you are sure to find one to suit you.

Get FitFlop Sandals here with FREE DELIVERY!

Outfit: The Black and White Thursday Show

I had no inspiration last night as to what to wear today so decided to keep it simple with an all black and white ensemble. I added silver jewellery and called it Thursday.

Black dress – George at ASDA
Black and cream stripe cardi – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Black leggings – Long Tall Sally
Zebra print flats – George at ASDA (eBay)
Black patent belt – Primark
Whitby Jet cross – gifted
Silver bangles – Scope
Silver bling ring – River Island
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £54

Outfit: Wednesday Brights

I love the combination of two bright colours, and I think this pink and blue work well together. The jacket and heels smarten up the jeans a little, whilst layering is always good when you don’t know how warm/cold it is going to be outside and in the office.

The weather doesn’t really seem to be able to make up its mind today – it started out sunny but is now overcast. I hope the sun comes back!

Pink jacket – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Blue cardi – Ethel Austin
Pink tank – Dorothy Perkins (gifted)
Blue tank – Topshop
Jeans – Topshop
Blue patent shoes – New Look
Blue necklace – Dorothy Perkins
Blue bead bracelet – gifted
Pink bracelet – gifted
Silver hoop earrings – gifted
Pink leather belt – H&M
Pink flower - Claire's

Total Est. Cost £41

Review: Tigi Bed Head After-Party

I have never used Bed Head After-Party myself, but my hairdresser always smoothes some on before she blow dries my hair. It leaves my hair looking shiny, smooth and controls the frizz which is the bane of my life! If I ever learn to blow dry as well as my hairdresser does it, I will definitely invest in some of this. If you have better blow-dry skills than I do and you want to try this product, it is stocked at HQhair and you can buy it here

Outfit: Ruby Shoesday

The forecast was for it to cool off a bit today and it has, but not as much as I expected it would. It is dull and overcast though and threatening to rain so closed toe shoes were probably a sensible option. The black though? Not so much. We are cat sitting this week and black trousers and cats do not mix well.

This outfit is something of a tribute to Geri Halliwell in the Look At Me video (only her shrug was pink).

Red shrug – New Look Tall
Black vest – 3 Suisses
Black trousers – Long Tall Sally
Red shoes – NOW Discount Shoes (gifted)
Silver & diamante necklace – gifted
Silver hoop earrings – gifted

Total Est. Cost £38

Outfit: Chinese Buffet

We headed over to meet my sister and her hubby for a Chinese buffet yesterday at a restaurant near their house. It was nice to go out on a Monday night, but has left me slightly confused as to what day it is today!

Sequin shrug – Red Herring (charity shop)
Leopard print tank – River Island
Crop jeans – New Look
Brown shoes – Roberto Vianni (Debenhams)
Silver bangle – gifted
Brown & silver bangles – Dorothy Perkins & Scope
Brown necklace – Scope
Silver hoop earrings – gifted
Silver bling ring – River Island

Total Est. Cost £59

This Week I Will Be Mostly...

...wearing open shoes for as long as the good weather lasts
...reading the June issue of UK Cosmopolitan
...watching nothing – no time for TV, I have a busy week
...listening to David Bowie – I’ve had Space Oddity and Ashes To Ashes in my head since the finale of the A2A TV show on Friday night
...eating tomatoes
...shopping for nothing

Outfit: Monday

Guess what? It’s hot and sunny again today! I love the weather when it’s like this. Sadly it’s meant to cool off tomorrow but I have enjoyed it while it lasted.

I bought these sandals on my birthday and only wore them for the first time one evening last week as it was so cold previously.

Today’s hair was a happy accident. I washed it last night, applied leave-in conditioner and blow dried it on the lowest heat setting as it was still so hot in the house. It probably wasn’t completely dry when I twisted it up in a hair elastic to get it off my neck whilst I slept. This morning I combed heat protective styling spray through it, ready to straighten it, looked in the mirror and saw the flicks, and decided to leave it as it was. Seriously, this never happens to me, usually I wake up with my hair totally frizzy and in need of urgent help from my GHDs. I will have to try tying my hair up for bed more often.

Navy cardi – Next Tall
Navy tank – River Island
Skirt – Long Tall Sally
Pewter jewelled sandals – New Look
Blue bead necklace – Ethel Austin
Blue bead bracelet – gifted
Blue bangle – Diamonds & Pearls
White gold & diamond cross – gifted
Silver hoop earrings – gifted
Silver diamante hair clip - Babyliss (Boots)

Total Est. Cost £74