Review: Parcelgenie

I've seen a few reviews of Parcelgenie on various blogs over the past few weeks and was intrigued by the idea, so when I saw a shout. Out on Twitter that they were looking for more bloggers to review the service, I leapt at the chance. I was given a code to receive a free parcel and all I had to do was install the free app on my phone ( they have apps for iPhone and Android), choose my gift and confirm my delivery details.

Now ordinarily you would send the gift to a friend but I needed to be able to take photos so on this occasion I treated myself... and there's nothing to say you can't do the same. How it works is thus: you select a gift (prices range from £2.75 to £14.99 and include postage), enter your friend's mobile number, they receive a text asking them to confirm their delivery address and the gift is sent out. I placed my order on Friday morning and my parcel arrived in the post on Monday morning.

Here's what came out of the box that arrived:

Want to know what I got? Yeah, so did I! One of the few upsides to having a memory as terrible as mine is that I had completely forgotten what I had ordered so got a real surprise when I opened the parcel.

Inside was a cute box and in the cute box were six cake balls. I'd never tried cake balls before and that's why I chose them. They were delicious (and had me Googling cake ball recipes after eating the first one). If they had been a gift from someone I would have been delighted to receive them.

Gifts range from jewellery to edible treats to bath salts so there's something for everyone and you can send the gifts for any reason: birthday, new baby, random Tuesday. To find out more, download the app from the iPhone App Store or the Google Play store.  You can get 30% off until late June with the code 3BBCB4.

Outfit: Mixing Black and Navy

I really like today’s outfit. The top and trousers I like separately but together they really work well. And don’t worry about mixing black and navy. That old taboo is long gone. Heck, even pink and red are acceptable together these days!

Last night I put some bread in the machine when I got home. By 8.30pm we had a lovely loaf of Sundried Tomato and Parmesan bread (courtesy of a mix I bought from Tesco). Of course we had to try some and I can confirm it is lovely.

I also went to the gym, had a brief chat with my friend S, enjoyed a cup of tea in the sunshine in the conservatory and watched an episode of Lost. And it’s definitely me who is lost with it now. I’ve no idea what’s going on much of the time, but as we’re about halfway through season 6 I feel I should stick with it to the end now.

Navy cardi – Next Tall (similar)
Navy top – John Rocha (Debenhams) (similar)
Black trousers – Next Tall (similar)
Burgundy shoes – LK Bennett (c/o Sarenza) (in paler red), (similar)
Cream beads – local boutique
Cream bead bracelets – Diamonds and Pearls
Silver hoops – Claire’s
Blue/black ring – charity shop
Black faux leather jacket – Topshop Tall (similar)

Total Est. Cost £124

Outfit: Wrap Dress, Denim Jacket, Ballet Pumps

One of the great things about charity shops is finding the unexpected. I used to own this jacket in two sizes larger a few years ago. I gave it away when it became too big for me and that left me without a denim jacket. I always liked the fit of this one, as it has a lovely shape even when unbuttoned. When I saw this one hanging in a charity shop near work a couple of months back I couldn’t leave it there and snapped it up for all of about £3.

Last night we had a lovely time at the Chinese. My niece is not yet one but she is very well behaved when she is taken out. She will sit in her high chair quite happily and watch everything that is going on around her. Sometimes she’s so busy being nosy she forgets she’s supposed to be eating.

Black jersey wrap dress – Luxuriously Tall (similar)
Black and turquoise stripe top – Primark (charity shop)
Silver leather flats – Georgia Rose (c/o Sarenza) (similar)
Black leather belt – local boutique (similar)
Turquoise scarf – H&M
Denim jacket – Warehouse (charity shop) (similar)
Turquoise beads – Scope
Silver square hoops – Claire’s
Whitby Jet cross – gifted

Total Est. Cost £68

Outfit: Polka Dots, Denim Jacket and More Polka Dots

Sunday morning I was on Sunday school teaching duties so I headed off to church. On the way home I stopped off at the outlet mall to look for a new purse as the clasp on mine broke on Saturday evening. I looked at the lovely leather Radley ones but even at the discounted prices they were still a bit much for a purse.

After lunch I walked up to the retail park to look for a purse, and I got one in River Island. When I got home I hung out the towels that I’d washed and we chilled out in the conservatory for a while, drinking tea.

In the evening we headed across the city to meet my sister, brother in law, niece and a friend for a Chinese buffet.

Navy and white polka dot dress – Topshop Tall (similar)
Navy leggings – Tall Girls (similar)
Tan leather belt – River Island
Navy and white polka dot flats – Long Tall Sally (gifted) (similar)
Navy and white star print scarf – Dorothy Perkins
Navy heart necklace – Scope
Silver hoops – gifted
Denim jacket – Ted Baker (charity shop) (similar)

Total Est. Cost £88

Outfit: Jeans, Jacket, Heels

Saturday evening we were going out for tea to celebrate the young man’s mum’s birthday, along with various members of his family. We all met at the local fish and chip restaurant and had a lovely meal, then went back to his parents’ house for a game of bingo and a few drinks.

Navy jacket – Long Tall Sally (eBay) (similar)
Navy top – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Jeans – New Look (similar)
Navy patent shoes – Magrit (outlet mall) (similar)
White gold cross – gifted
Silver square hoops – Claire’s

Total Est. Cost £56

Outfit: Distressed Jeans with Navy and Cream Stripes

Saturday morning we headed out early to get some flowers for the young man’s mum for her birthday. The young man got his hair cut whilst we were in the town, and I had a wander around the charity shops. We went to visit the young man’s parents with the flowers, a card and a gift. We had a cup of tea there and then we went to B&Q and Halfords.

After dinner I made some bread, hung out the washing and planned my Sunday school lesson. We had a cup of tea and I read some magazines and then it was time to get ready to out for the evening.

Navy jacket – Long Tall Sally (eBay) (similar)
Navy and cream stripe top – Forever 21 (similar)
Jeans – Long Tall Sally (similar)
Turquoise leather flats – New Look (similar)
Navy and cream stripe scarf – Primark
Silver square hoops – Claire’s

Total Est. Cost £125

Note To Self...

Do not wear dark blue jeans when carrying your turquoise handbag or the bag will get stained. Wear a pale wash or black instead.

Outfit: Knitted Biker, Stripy Sweater, Neon(ish) Wedges

My original plan for today was a ¾ sleeve striped top layered over a black long sleeve t, but when I checked the weather forecast and saw that the high was to be just 10°C, I opted for a sweater over my long sleeve t instead. Oh April, you were doing so well: what happened? But we had sunshine today so I guess I can’t really complain too much. One out of two, right?

Last night I was super busy. I got home and baked some pumpkin brownies, then put another ciabatta loaf in the bread maker. The last one turned out really well and I still had half the packet of mix left so figured, why not? Then I made tea.

After tea I went to Aldi to do the supermarket shopping and then unpacked it all at home. I finished making the lunches for today and finally sat down at about 8.15pm. I watched a few videos on You Tube (check this out: the whole of 1999 in 10 minutes!) then at 9pm there was the first in a series about conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel on BBC3. I saw a couple of documentaries about them when they were younger and sometimes wonder how they are getting on so it’s nice to get an update on them.

Grey knit biker jacket – Warehouse
Cream and grey stripe sweater – H&M (similar)
Jeans – MiH (TK Maxx)
(Neon-ish) Orange wedges – LK Bennett (c/o Sarenza) (similar), (actual shoe in nude)
Cream and silver beads – New Look
Turquoise scarf - H&M
Silver square hoops – Claire’s
Snakeskin belt - local boutique

Total Est. Cost £162

Outfit: Polka Dot Blazer, Red Jeans, Wedge Heels

I love this blazer but I’m not really sure what else to wear it with. Obviously I could go the all black route but that seems a bit dull to me. Would stripes underneath it be too much? I like it with the red jeans today though.

Last night I watched the final episode of Gossip Girl, plus the series retrospective that was also included on the DVD. I’m sad that it’s over and am looking for something else to watch now that is set in New York. Anyone got any suggestions?

After tea I did some ironing and we watched Mythbusters and an episode of Lost.

Black and white spot blazer – Primark (eBay) (similar)
Black top – Long Tall Sally
Red jeans – New Look Tall (eBay) (similar)
Black leather belt – Pieces (c/o Spartoo)
Black patent leather wedges – LK Bennett (c/o Sarenza)
Silver beads – Scope
Silver square hoops – Claire’s
Black and silver bracelets – gifted

Total Est. Cost £35

Review: French Sole Flats from Surfdome

When the kind people at Surfdome.com invited me to take a look at their website and choose an item to review, I wasn’t sure what to pick. There are so many top brands available on the site! Calvin Klein, Ted Baker and Bench, to name but a few of the 800 or so in stock. Going on the name alone I expected Surfdome to have a sporty feel but this is not the case at all. Yes, you will find sportswear there if that is what you are looking for, but as you can see from the shoes I chose there are many fashion items available too.

I picked the French Sole ballet pumps as I’d heard a lot about the brand but never been fortunate enough to try it out for myself. I can tell you that the quality of the shoes certainly lives up to the hype surrounding the brand. The Classic Ballet shoes are well made, from the softest leather and feature a cute little bow on the toe. They are a classic, basic wardrobe piece that will serve you well for years to come.

Surfdome shipped the shoes out to me next day, and I received an email the following morning telling me to expect them within an hour’s timeslot. The shoes arrived right on time. Standard delivery is free or you can choose to pay up to £3.95 for next working day delivery (1st class is just £1.95). It is nice to see a site offering a range of delivery options and a cheap next day service. Shipping on orders over £75 is free whatever option you choose (excluding Saturday delivery). The site accepts Paypal and ships internationally.

Outfit: Navy and White, Spots and Stripes

I managed to spill tea on this skirt this morning. And of course it only went on the white part. Of course it did. It’s times like that I’m thankful I take my tea so weak so it doesn’t really stain. And that I carry a Tide to Go pen with me at all times.

Last night I went home and watched an episode of Gossip Girl. I put some bread on in the bread maker (a ciabatta loaf this time, made with a pre-bought mix which is possibly cheating but they were on 3 for 2 at Tesco the other week). I went to step class at the gym then when I got home I took a shower. I managed to fit in another two episodes of Gossip Girl (seriously, season 6 is gripping!) and now I just have the series finale left to see. We watched an episode of Lost (season 6 of that is just confusing with all its different timelines – if I didn’t keep reading episode guides on the internet I wouldn’t have a clue what was going on!) and I did some French knitting (perhaps Lost would be less confusing if I didn’t try to multitask whilst watching it?).

Navy cardigan – Next Tall (similar)
Navy and white spot dress – Topshop Tall (similar)
Navy and white stripe skirt – Maine at Debenhams (charity shop) (similar)
Navy patent leather shoes – Magrit (outlet mall) (similar)
Blue glitter belt – H&M
Blue beads – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted
Silver cuff – M&S (free on 3 for 2)
Blue/black ring – charity shop

Total Est. Cost £79