Saturday.

I have been out of the shop for the last two Saturdays, so this morning I thought I would make like "Carrie" and go all girlie chic! These dresses arrived into the shop on Monday, I was very disappointed a few weeks ago when I found out that I would not be getting them in time for "Sex and the City" movie opening! But, now that they are here I feel they are worth the wait.
The style also comes in Pink and best of all, they are only £29.99!

Today's outfit is:

Floral print cotton summer dress - Vila
Tan wedges - Dune
Beige suede bomber jacket - River Island
Charm Bracelet - Thomas Sabo



I would usually have gone for a simple white cardigan over this dress, but I decided to be a bit funkier and try out a Lily Allen/Kate Moss inspired look!

I do wear this bracelet most days, but very rarely list it for some reason!

Tomorrow my boyfriend and I are having a BBQ for some family and friends. I have been checking the weather and so far it does not look like I will be wearing my strapless sundress!
So, this evening I will be very busy, giving the house a clean and preparing some side dishes!!

Friday.

I am very tired today, my busy social calendar has officially caught up with me. I am sitting between customers dreaming of getting home, having a nice warm bubble bath and getting into bed with my book!

Today's look is:

Green patterned dress - Soo-lee
Black shrug cardigan - Primark
Black tights - Tesco
Black wedges - Faith

Thursday.

It has been a funny old day today! Sunny one minute, raining the next, shop full of people, very quiet the next. I have to say that I am very much looking forward to heading home tonight, another night out for dinner for us, so no cooking but best of all no washing up!!!!

Today's outfit consists of:

Skinny jeans - Vila
White blouse - Vila
Tan belt - Next
Tan sling-back shoes - River Island
Wooden bead jewellery - Plume

Doh!!!!

I have just realised that I have not packed my book into my bag! I am aware that this is not a huge disaster, but I am having a very quiet day. I hate when you go to get something and are looking forward to eating, reading, watching etc, etc, only to find that you do not have it with you!!

At the moment I am reading "Lipstick Jungle" by Candace Bushnell. I began reading it on Sunday (I was having a lazy afternoon of the sofa with the duvet) and I am gripped already. This is the reason that me forgetting my book has prompted a post! I was very much looking forward to finding out where this book goes!



I maybe should just get on with what I am here for....... selling fabulous clothes! There is only the one problem with this, the lack of customers!
So, in that case, I feel further scrutiny of "Colleen and Wayne's" wedding picture in the last to copies of OK, is in order!

Wednesday.

Today my sister graduates university (Nursing Degree). My parents have been to ceremony which is in the town hall. There were limited tickets and I was unable to get the time off, so it was just my parents and her partner that went along.
The rest of us are heading out for a family meal, to a local Italian restaurant, this evening to celebrate.

We are going out at 7pm which does give me plenty of time to go home and change my outfit, but I feel that what I have on today is smart enough. So, fingers crossed that between now and 7pm I do not spill anything!!!! The chances of me pulling this off are on the slim side!

We have had such a busy time lately with functions etc. We have had weddings, multiple birthdays and graduations. It always works out this way when we are trying to cut back on our spending, especially eating and drinking out!

Today's outfit consists of:

Black & white knitted dress - S'nob
Black patent t-bar wedges - Barratts
Black & silver chains - H&M

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

I am starting the shops Summer Sale on Friday 4th July, this will be my second ever sale, but I am classing it as my first as the sale in January was just a little started sale.
This one is mammoth in comparison, so I have started the preparation work this morning. The sale price tags and posters for the windows arrived, but when I opened the package I noticed that all 200 of the tags do not have holes for hooking them over the coat-hangers!
So, for the last hour I have been punching holes in them myself.



As well as this I have a stock room that looks like a bomb has gone off, I have started to sort out items to take 50% off, but I can not really do much else with them until next Thursday!! I have very limited space for hanging (and pretty limited hangers too).
So, my plan for next week is to close the shop at lunchtime on Thursday and get the shop and all of the clothes ready for the sale.

I am very much looking forward to the buzz that comes with a sale, but really, really dreading the mess that comes with it!!

Tuesday.

My outfit today consists of:

Skinny jeans - Vila
White vest with ruffle straps - Blendshe
Gladiator sandals - Vila

Soap and Glory - Clean on Me.

I was given this product as a gift last week for my birthday. I have been using it everyday since.
It is fantastic!!

First of all, it is a huge bottle (well for shower gel it is) 500ml, it also has a pump dispenser which makes for very easy use in the shower. I feel that the pump dispenser will also make this huge bottle last even longer, as there will not be loads of product pouring through the fingers and down the drain.
As well as the great size bottle "Clean on Me" has a fabulous price tag too. It is £4.99!! I know that it is available from Boots and some other outlets in the UK.

I use "Clean on Me" with my trusty shower puff (an exfoliating net) and it gives a great amount of thick and creamy lather. Two pumps onto my shower puff gives enough lather for my entire body.
As soon as the lather starts the most amazing smell hits you. I would describe the scent as clean and zingy (vague, I know) excellent for a morning wake me up.

The Boots website says:

Already a wildly a popular pick this super-sized shower gel has a bonus - built in body lotion - so you can get clean, smooth, sexy skin simultaneously.Fragranced with Soap & Glory's addictive signature scent and rich & creamy texture, we're classifying Clean On Me with 'must-have' status.

Clean Day: Apply a handful of Clean On Me to damp skin, rub it into a thick, luxurious lather, and then rinse. Follow with The Righteous Butter or Easy Glistening Body Softening Spray.

Smells like: Laundry-fresh bergamot, strawberries and mandarin with floral and fruity mid tones, and musk, amber and warm vanilla.

Monday.

Do you ever get the feeling that you would be better of not getting time off? No, I do not either. I think I am just taking it so hard because I have had so much time off in the last week and it will be quite a while before I get a break like it again!

Today has been nice and busy, so that has taken my mind off of this! I also do have to keep reminding myself that I am heading to Florida for a week in November!!!!!

Today's outfit consists of:

Black jersey cropped trousers - Papaya
Black v-neck t-shirt - H&M
Black, white & red cardigan - Primark
Red ballet flats - Tod's
Necklace - Primark

Just To Answer!

I have had a few comments from readers recently asking how I went about setting up my business, so I thought I would take a few moments to try my best and explain just how I went about it.

I am a bit unsure where to start, so here goes!
I have been working in retail (in one form or another) since I was 14 years old (13 years!!). I got my first job in a local mini-market, I worked one evening after school and at the weekends. A few years later I moved jobs to a local pharmacy were I helped out with the selling of cosmetics and medicines. I stayed in this particular field until 1 year ago! I did change positions and companies a few times, but stayed within retail pharmacy!

I have no fashion degree, I have never worked in a fashion outlet other than my own!
But, I love fashion, I am perfectly happy with my personal style and I am not afraid to give my customers my honest opinion.
As well as this, I am a people person I am upbeat and bubbly (well most of the time) I love the styles that I stock and this does come across to my customers.

Last year I started to have a bit of a rough time at work and I was starting to get very down about it. every other aspect of my life was fantastic which was making work even harder to deal with. We moved into our first home together and I quickly noticed that the town we had moved to was lacking a shop for the 20 - 40 year old woman. My boyfriend and I then headed to Cuba for a 2 week holiday where we put a plan together!

We returned home and started looking for premises, the shop that I rent we managed to secure very quickly which meant that I had to work fast.
I spent all of my spare time checking out brands that I like on the Internet. Once I had a list of labels that I wanted to stock I began to call and email them. Eventually I had a small list of supplier that would see me, and most importantly sell me stock for the current season. Fashion buyers buy their stock 6 months in advance, so I did have some very frustrating moments!

So, I placed my orders, bought my shop fittings and then set about turning the space into the shop that I now love! I finished up at my job in the pharmacy 2 weeks before I had my grand opening. Those were the most stressful 2 weeks of my life so far. I have never done so much physical labour or worried so much about what I was doing!

So basically I saw a gap in the market and jumped straight in and followed what had always been a dream. I do not regret my decision or the way that I went about setting up as I may never have done this at all had I sat down and thought too much about what was ahead! If I was to do it all again the only thing that I would change, would be the amount of money that I had behind me. I did not have a back up account for any unexpected expenses and I have had one or two sticky situations. Also, I would have had at least 2 labels secured before I secured premises, as this would have eased the pressure a little.

My advice is, if you are passionate about fashion, have support for the months (years ahead) and can see a space for you and your business then GO FOR IT!!!

Friday.

I felt a little bit silly walking into work in the rain this morning!! I mean I am wearing a sun-dress! But, not to worry, the sun now has his hat on and all is good.
I need to be smart but quite effortless today. I am being picked up at 5pm to go to a rehearsal dinner for the wedding that my boyfriend is best man at tomorrow. I wanted to look stylish but not too dressed up! I think this look does just that! However, I do think that my accessories really do help make this look like a complete outfit.

Today's outfit consists of:

White cotton dress - Vila
White cami (not seen) - H&M
Tan wedges - Dune
Tan belt - Next
Wooden bead necklace and bracelet - Plume

A close up of my belt.

My Chloe Paddington bag! I do not usually bring this to work, but as I am heading straight out it was a must.

Thursday.

While I was off I did not one bit of laundry! That is why I have the casual look going on today (I think the distressed jeans may be a bit too casual).

Having a few days off has made me realise that I can not go as long without a break, so we are already planning another little break to have some time together.
But, the time off has also made me very, very excited about where the shop is headed and how I can push it all on! Lots of work ahead for me, but I know that it will be worth it!

Today's outfit consists of:

Distressed jeans - Armani Exchange
Grey merino wool jumper - S'nob
White vest - Matalan
Silver sandals - Birkenstock
Star necklace - Plume

Time Off, Saturday to Wednesday.

I'm back!!!

I have had a lovely few days off, I feel very refreshed and very positive about all of the up-coming projects. I have thought a lot about what I would like to achieve from the shop in the next 12 months!

Anyway, I have said that I was off from Saturday through to today (Thursday) this was the case, but I did have to put in a very quick 2 hour shift on Monday morning. So, here is my recap of my little break.

Saturday - Wedding.

Our very good friends were getting married in their home town (Fort William- 3hrs 30mins away) and we were very lucky to be invited to join them on their special day. Our original plan was to leave from work on the Friday night and travel through and stay an extra night. However, there was a rather large Hill Walking Challenge taking place and we could not get a room anywhere.

So, on Saturday morning at 8am we set off, we planned to stop in the West end of Glasgow to get our button holes (to try and keep them as fresh as possible - silk flowers are a no-no with me) and to get a bit of breakfast. After the quick stop we headed onwards and upwards. It was a beautiful day for the drive, not too bright but nice and dry. It is a very, very winding road up the West Coast of Scotland to Fort William, but a very beautiful drive. We were both enjoying the views of Loch Lomond, Glen Coe etc when we realised that we were losing time.

In a panic, I scrambled into the back of the car to fetch my make-up, one less job to do when we reached the hotel. Eventually we arrived at the hotel........ 15 minutes before the ceremony started. We ran to our room and had the quickest change of our lives. We then asked for directions to the church. More panic when we were informed the church was 12 miles away!!

Picture of me in my dress (pale green chiffon) and heels (pewter Christian Louboutin), and my lovely boyfriend in his kilt!

We hot footed it to the car and took off at great speed. We were making really good progress when the brakes were slammed on..........
Up ahead were the wedding cars!!!!! We were following the bride!
At the church the car was abandoned, the bride was exiting on the right of her car, so we ran down the left had side and made it to the church just on time (we were not even the last guests to arrive!!).

The ceremony was beautiful, the church was beautiful, the views from the church and the location were outstanding, but the bride was stunning!
The rest of the day and night was fantastic, lots of good food, wine, company and dancing.

Beautiful view from inside the Church!
View once we got outside the church.

Sunday.

After a late night we forced ourselves to get up early have breakfast and get on the road home. We were home by lunch-time, so we went to meet my boyfriend's mum and her husband for some lunch. I then headed to see my dad and my boyfriend to see his (get the Fathers Day duties out of the way).

It was a beautiful day, so when visiting was done my boyfriend came to get me at my parents house and we stayed and ate dinner out on the patio.

Monday.
Outfit: linen crop trousers, striped vest, white cotton cardigan.

My birthday!!
As I said I went into work briefly, then I walked home in time for the lunch plans that had been made for me. I was not told what they were in advance, but I was very pleased to find out that we were going on a picnic!!

We stopped in at Tesco to get our lunch (Sushi for me, pasta salad for my boyfriend) and headed to a local park. The weather was fantastic and we spent nearly 3 hours lying in the sun chatting, eating and enjoying an extra together.
My yummy sushi.

My birthday cake!

In the evening we went to dinner at a local restaurant, where I gorged on amazing local Seafood!! Yum, yum! We had some wine with dinner and then walked home where a bottle of champagne had been chilling while we were out. We enjoyed this while watching a bit of T.V.
No outfit picture, but this is the top and necklace I wore, I got them for my birthday from my sister.

Tuesday.

The weather was awful, so we had a lazy breakfast while we decided what to do. In the end we settled with doing some errands that we had been putting of for ages. It was a great feeling when they were all done!

In the evening we had some friends round for a casual dinner (Chilli) and we then all headed out to the pub quiz. My parents came and met us for a few hours and helped us to win the quiz!!

Wednesday.

Last day off, but it was a good one. I had an appointment in the morning with one of my suppliers. So, we decided to structure our day around this. The appointment was in Glasgow, so we got an early train, had the meeting and then started our day out.

After the work stuff was out of the way we headed back to the city centre grabbing lunch to eat in the sun. After lunch we had a wander around the shops (not clothes shopping though) I bought some thank you cards to send for my gifts.

We then headed to the cinema to catch Indiana Jones. It was not starting for about an hour, so we went round the corner to a nice little bar got a drink and I wrote my thank you notes and got them mailed off.

The movie was great (I had never seen any of the other Indiana Jones movies) and it was so nice to do something a bit different in the afternoon.
Afterwards, we again, wandered about the shops and then headed for some dinner. We ended up in lovely pizza place and shared a bottle of nice wine.

We caught an early train home and on the walk home we stopped and bought some Cheesecake to have for dessert!

No outfit picture again, but I wore another new top (birthday gift from my parents) with my black skinny jeans and my red ballet flats.

A Quick Note!

Today is my birthday (I am another year older) I am in the shop getting some bits and bobs done before I have a few days off. I badly need a break I am very tired and very much looking forward to a few days of nothing!

I have no picture so far of today, but I will post from the weekend through to Thursday when I return.

Friday.

It has been one of those slow days here, but I have still managed to avoid all of the things that I need to get done before 5pm!

I have tomorrow off, my boyfriend and I are going to our friends wedding in the Scottish Highlands. I have never been to this area of Scotland (terrible I know) and I can not wait. They are a fabulous couple, that we spend a lot of time with socially. Our original plan was to drive through this evening, but we could not get anywhere to stay, so it is an early start for us in the morning.

So, my sister is very kindly working for me and I have to leave the shop all ready for Saturday trading before I leave today. I was going to get everything done this morning, but I could not motivate myself! As well as this I have to pack our bag for our night away, I was planning to get this task out of the way last night, but my other sister managed to fit me in for a spray tan, so I opted for that instead!!! I personally find that there is always something else I would rather do! Last night it was a spray tan and this morning it was read the July issue of Marie Claire!!

However, I did make sure that my boyfriends things were all in order. So we checked his kilt (thankfully it did not need to be pressed or steamed) and that all of the bits and bobs that he needs for his outfit were where they should be. And they were.

Today's outfit consists of (this is what I had planned for yesterday):

Brown Leggings - Oasis
Beige "Chloe style" baby doll dress - George
Tan wedges - Dune
I will post a picture as soon as Blogger allows.

Thursday.

This is not what I was planning on wearing today, but I could not, for the life of me, find my brown leggings! If I an locate them this evening I will be wearing the outfit that I had planned for today - tomorrow.

Today's outfit consists of:

Black skinny jeans - Primark
Cream corsage detail top - Blendshe
Cream and black ballet flats - New Look

I Loved It!!

.....Sex and the City, it was, in my opinion, fabulous! It was better than I thought it was going to be. I had been trying very hard not to read reviews, look at spoilers or look at too many outfit photos in magazines. I feel that this paid off for me. I honestly had little idea of what to expect. I mean, I know all of the characters and where they were when the show ended and what they were each like etc, etc. Thankfully, that was it and it was a great night. There were points where I was crying and then laughing so hard that I was crying again.

The outfits - wow!! Even the outrageous were amazing!
The shoes - Oh my goodness!! I was in heaven, they were out of this world. I have decided that I am going to try and make do with the shoes that I have now and concentrate on saving for more Christian Louboutins! A girl can dream!

Before I get back to work (I must keep those Christian Louboutin shoes in the forefront of my mind) this was my favourite outfit of the movie. I love it all, especially the bag!!!

I Can Not Wait!!

I have just spoken to my lovely boyfriend on the phone and...........
He is taking me to see "Sex and the City" tonight. I can not wait, I put off going to see it as I did not want to get there and be turned away due to tickets selling out (if this happens this evening I may just die).

I know by now most die hard fans have seen the movie and either loved it or hated it. I have managed to stay away from spoilers and all other information on the plot twists and turns etc. I just know that I will all but run home from work now!

Wednesday.

What a busy morning I have had!! I was updating the window display (this for me always involves making very much of a mess). The town gala is this week and the shops are all entered into a window display competition - the theme is "Summer". So, I was in the midst of this when I got a delivery of new styles. Now, I am never one to moan about getting new styles in to sell, but why do they always come on days where I have a list of things to do?


To top this off I have had 3 different friends pop in to see me this morning - again lovely and not something to complain about, but, one a day would be a better spread, and I feel, would keep me far more entertained!

Today's outfit consists of:

Black ribbed leggings - Vila
Cream tunic top - Vila
Cream cami - Primark
Black and Silver beads - H&M
Black and cream bangle - H&M
Cream and black ballet flats - New Look

Tuesday.

I have a few new pieces from the delivery that I got on Friday, the top that I have on today is one and I have another top that I can not wait to wear. So far I have sold 2 of the blouse that I am wearing today - so I can head home today without any guilt!

My boyfriend and I have decided to get our heads down for a few months and economise. We have a very nice standard of living and we would like to keep this up (to an extent) but we have no savings to speak of, and our cost of living is creeping up and up. We also discovered that we are unaware of where a chunk of our money goes every month.......

So, we have moved some money on credit cards to better options, we have a new home phone and broadband provider, we have changed every light-bulb to an energy saver, we have applied for a free water butt, we have down graded to supermarket own brand products where possible the list goes on and so far we set to save ourselves a nice bit of cash every month.

Last night as my boyfriend was neck deep in spread sheets detailing our finances, I took a trip to our box room (aka general dumping ground for all kinds of crap). I filled a bag of things that we have not used in the last year and I am going to stick them on Ebay. While I was in there I found a handbag that I had forgotten about (shame on me, I know). I did not want to have to Ebay it, so it is my bag of choice today! I do feel an entire wardrobe clear out coming on though....


Today's outfit consists of:

Straight leg dark denim jeans - Vila
Cheese cloth with floral detail blouse - Vila
White cami - Primark
Blue patent ballet flats - Primark
Chunky silver necklace - Tiffany

Monday.

It is not so bright and sunny today, but it is still warm and humid (not at all typical Scottish weather) I do not think the rain is too far away (fingers crossed I may not have to lug the watering can around the garden this evening - hang on I take that back, I do not want the rain to come!!).

I decided that today was the day to be brave and get my pale legs out, no more hiding in jeans etc.

Today's outfit consists of:

Cotton tie-dye dress - Vila
Silver sandals - Vila
Chunky silver necklace - Tiffany

The Weekend.

My weekend officially got hectic as of 2pm on Friday, a courier arrived with 4 boxes of new styles for me. This was fantastic as it meant I had loads of new stock for the weekend shoppers, but the timing of the delivery was just the worst. Friday lunch time is busy time for me, Friday is payday for a lot of people so with money in their pockets they tend to pop out to the shops on their lunch hour. There are also those that finish early or half day, who again, use the time to head to the shops before the push and pull of a Saturday afternoon.

Basically the shop well and truly looked like a bomb had gone off, I had things everywhere!!

It must have been a good omen though, as the weather, for the remainder of the weekend, was fabulous, the shop was busy and I had a lovely afternoon in the garden on Sunday.

Saturday was a great trading day and topped off by being taken out for dinner by my boyfriend. We went to a cafe bar across from my shop and met his sister and her one year old son.
On Sunday I was up and about early to get the most of the good weather, I got the food shopping out of the way and then headed into town as I had to get a pashmina to wear over my dress for the wedding that we are going to on Saturday. Thankfully I got it and my outfit is now complete.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent pottering about in the garden. I finally got all of my pots and hanging baskets finished.

We then had a nice summer dinner and ate outside on the deck before going a nice long stroll along the beach to walk it all off.

Work Outfit - Friday & Saturday.

Things got a bit mad yesterday afternoon and I did not manage to post.
Today has brought I beautiful warm and sunny day (my walking to and from work everyday, honestly is a joy - well in dry weather it is) which will, hopefully, lead to the perfect evening to sit in a terrace restaurant!
With our plans for this evening in mind I decided on a fine knit jumper instead of a strappy style.

Today's outfit consists of:

Skinny Jeans - Vila
Beige over-sized jumper - Vila
Tan Wedge sling-backs - Dune
Turquoise beads - H&M
Charm Bracelet - Thomas Sabo

Friday's outfit was:

Printed cotton dress - Vila
Black patterned tights - Tesco
Black wedge shoes - Faith


I had to use an old pic for Friday - silly me deleted yesterday's actual pic.

On a final note, I do truly love my Tan Wedge Sling back shoes, but I must remember that they are just not good shoes to walk to work in! I have two blisters!!!

For The Love Of Fashion......

9 months now I have been a very proud boutique owner. I have settled into my routine nicely, I work 6 days a week and everything else now slots as well as possible in around this. I love the buzz of a sale, I love to meet new people and there is no feeling like knowing I have helped a customer get just what they were looking for.

I work very, very hard I take great pride in what I do - this means that on quiet days or before or after work I do get out and wash the windows and wash down all of the shop front (there are draw backs to being so close to the beach).
I have a slight obsession with my window display (it is my main source of advertising after all) I like to change it at least once a week. I also love to theme it to the season that we are in. At the moment it has a cute (almost tacky I have to say) summer theme. I bought a bunch of brightly coloured props including bunting that would be used at a village fete, kites, and parasols. The look is very eye-catching, just what I wanted it to be!

So, lately I have not been feeling so well, nothing major just very tired and run down. I took a cold a few weeks ago which led to a cough and I can not shift it. My body is telling me to slow down a little and take more care of myself. I like to tell my boyfriend that my body is telling me that I need a week in the sun somewhere!!!
I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that this is not going to happen - not until we head out to Florida in November. It is a long way off still, but I am very, very excited.

Until then, I am hopeful that the weather is summer like, I have a busy summer trading and I can make up for not getting away on holiday with spending lots of time in my garden. We moved into our house last year and we have the most fantastic garden, and this year I plan to make it even more so. I find being outside potting, pruning and generally pottering about very therapeutic.

I had better get back to it - I have to call my old friends at Business Post and pester them to find out where exactly my stock is?! But that one is a story for me to fill you in on another time.

Work Outfit - Thursday.

This picture is a little blurry, I am sorry! I have been looking forward to wearing this dress, but now that I see it in the pictures I am not very happy with it. It definitely will look better without the tights and with a pair of black flip flops for a nice summery look. Unfortunately this was not possible due to the fact that my legs have still not been waxed and they are also very, very pale at the moment!

Today's outfit consists of:

Black & white stripe dress - S'nob
Black footless tights - H&M
Black and cream ballet flats - New Look

Work Outfit - Wednesday.

I am not all that sure if I really like Wednesday's?! I do not feel that they mark half way through the week, as some do. I also know now for a fact that Wednesday is always the day that I record lowest sales amounts.
At first I put that down to just one of those little things. However, I have looked into this further and this is what I have come up with.......

1. For the lucky people of the world who get paid weekly (yes they do still exist) Wednesday is too far from and not close enough to pay-day.
2. In the past banks and post offices closed at lunch-time on a Wednesday.
3. The sleepy little town that my shop is situated in has a very large elderly population (not exactly my target market) who still think that work grinds to a halt on a Wednesday afternoon.

So, I have spent this afternoon taking pictures of some styles to list on Ebay, cleaning mirrors and having a look through stock and updating records (I feel good about getting these little tasks done, and finally scored off the "to do list").

Today's outfit consists of:

Skinny Jeans - Vila

Brown linen top - Skunkfunk

Brown gladiator sandals - Vila

Brown wooden bead jewellery - Plume

Work Outfit - Tuesday.

The walking to and from work continues due to the lack of a car, because of this today my shoe of choice is the......... Birkenstock!!!
So far I have to say that walking to work is absolutely not a problem, I live less than a mile from the shop, and the last few days the weather has been dry. I could actually go as far as to say that I am enjoying it. I am even making more of an effort with my healthy eating and healthy snacking.

Today's outfit consists of:

Wide leg jeans - American Eagle
Pale blue and white smock style top - Vila
White cami (not seen) - H&M
Silver flip flops - Birkenstock

MAC Blushcreme.

I have been using the MAC Blushcreme for about one year now, but I have only been using the product daily for 9 months. I originally started using the shade named "Cherry", this was, and still is, great for giving a lovely pink colour to the cheek for when the skin is paler.
However, we have been having better weather lately (and I have been making the most of it when I can) and my skin tone has changed and I feel that the pink colour of "Cherry" is no longer right for me.

I took myself along to my nearest MAC counter and had a look at the other shades available. After trying one or two on my cheek I decided that "Pleasureful" is the best shade for me during the summer months.

"Cherry" is a deep pink, heading towards pale red, whereas "Pleasureful" is a peach tone.
The product being a creme blush, I feel, is the easiest to use and get the desired effect. I always feel that powder products just add to my dry skin.

I apply Blushcreme after my foundation using my finger. I massage it into the cheekbone area in an upwards circular motion. The product blends so well that I always feel that I am able to wear bronze powder or highlighter over the top.

Blushcreme is available online and from MAC outlets (usually found in the bigger department stores). The product is on sale for £14.00 for 6g and is available in 12 shades.

The MAC website says:

Luxuriously soft and creamy, this new cream blush tenderly flushes the cheeks or brings them into full-blown rosy bloom. Blends well; layers exquisitely. Gives a vibrant, dewy fresh, slightly shiny look to the cheeks. Apply with a brush or fingers.

Work Outfit - Monday (Half day).

I am dressed for comfort today for various reasons.

1. I have no car this month. Therefore, I am going to have to be very organised and walk to work everyday (flat shoes may feature a lot).
2. I have my half day today and I have a few errands to do (not unusual, but no hopping in and out of the car).
3. I had a busy weekend, with two late nights and just a bit too much wine, so this was an easy choice this morning.

Today's outfit consists of:

Khaki knitted tunic - Blendshe
Khaki cami (not seen) - Topshop
Brown Leggings - Primark
Leopard print Ballet flats - Primark