Wishlist wonders!

It's that time of the month where I start feeling the need to shop (it's payday after all), and so I thought I'd put together my latest wishlist to share with you all. If i'm completely honest, my first stop for most online clothes shopping has always been ASOS, but since I started blogging (all those 3 weeks' ago), I've come across so many new brands and new places to shop online that my wishlist has grown as long as, erm, something uber long. 

Little Mistress is one of those new places I've heard about. I'm a fan of the fact that there aren't hundreds of pages to trawl through; they seem to focus on stocking going-out items and nicer daytime stuff, cutting out the blander basics we can get elsewhere, which certainly makes it easier on the tired eye when browsing. I know, I know, I'm probably the only person who's not heard much about Little Mistress, but hey ho, I'm no real fashion guru...or maybe I am with these bad boys on my wishlist... 

I heart this first top mainly because it has a gorgeous snakeskin effect (which you can see better here), and I absolutely love details like this to add a little bit of a cherry-on-the-top effect to an outfit. It's understated and feminine but so chic. The collar is super cute too.

The floral skirt is on my list simply because spring is a perfect excuse to brighten up our wardrobes, and this beaut is a treat. In fact, I think it would go quite nicely with the peplum top for a sophisticated date-night look. 

The tunic dress is simple and cute, and I just love the pop of yellow! This one is in the Outlet section too, making it that little bit more bank-balance friendly.

This print dress on the left is pretty bold; I'm often wary I'll end up looking a bit tacky in prints like this, but I'm lusting after this one because it's a bit different from the norm yet still sophisticated. I like the high neck and the monochrome style. 

I am love, love, loving the dress in the centre; who doesn't love polka dots? Eeee! And the PVC panel down the centre...just yes! My only minor reservation is that I'm not sure it would suit my hourglass figure, where I often find I need to accentuate my waist to prove I'm not wide all the way down! But, it's still there on my list, if only to stare at longingly...all day...and night.

The third dress doesn't need too much explanation...sequins, cream, cap sleeves and even a pretty scoop back (see that here). Say no more...except bootiful.

These next two goodies I'm loving, not only from the front, but the back too. I especially like the straps on the back of the dress. The little details like this really make the difference for me! The cute orange cami is even in the Outlet section *thumb ---> up*.

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Pixi Icy Lip Luster Set

With a birthday and a delivery from Santa in the same month, December is a good one for me. This set was one I was more than happy to receive, so I though it would be nice to share an honest review of them. 

The set includes two tinted glosses and two shimmery glosses, featuring Vitamin E for added moisture. As far as I can tell, the glosses aren't available individually, which adds some exclusivity, but not so good if you're keen on one over the others.

The glosses glide on very smoothly and last a good hour or two before you feel a need to reapply, but I don't think they offer a super high-shine finish; this isn't necessarily a disadvantage for me personally though. One of the big plusses is that they aren't sticky in that icky kinda way; they don't make you feel like you've got toffee apple remains stuck to your lips (it happens girls!)...not cool. Anyway, I'd say my favourite is this first one below, which surprised me as I thought it might look a bit garish on! 

Forgive me for the pictures of them on my lips by the way; I realised after I should have lathered another layer on to get a better impression...but hey ho, you get the idea I hope.

This (below) is the first of the two shimmery glosses. To be frank, I was wary at first,  as I tend to opt for more matte, natural glosses (now I'm all 27 years young and that!), and the term 'shimmer' takes me back to my 14-year-old self. However, don't be put off; while they are slightly shimmery, they're under-stated and not as OTT as you might think. 

Here comes the second one (below), which is pretty, but I don't think it is overly distinguishable from its counterpart shimmery gloss (above) once applied, so I'd say this set may have benefitted from more varied colours.

The fourth gloss (below) is my second favourite as it's a creamy rosy colour and the sort of gloss I'd wear on a 'natural' day.

Overall, I think the set is good for daily wear; the two shimmer glosses didn't particularly do much for me, but I think they make a super cute gift and a 'nice-to-have' addition to my make-up bag. 

Feel Unique indicate it's a limited edition holiday set (though the Pixi site doesn't!); either way, if you like this, save some pennies and grab it on sale from ASOS.

What do you think of these glosses? Have you used Pixi products before? Are there any other good Pixi products you'd recommend?

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Say it with a tee! Part 3

This is the last of my slogan tee posts (for now!). Did you like the New York yin-yang tee, or was the risque 'groupie' one your fave? This feminine, French-inspired one might be a contender! Featuring a mouse with ears on the large side (still cute!) and a j'adore le fromage slogan (because it's, errr, nice to look cultured on occasion), this ASOS tee is super cute...and absolutely appropriate for me - Wensleydale with cranberries is just out.of.this.world!

You get my drift with the whole slogan tee thing. While simplistic, a good one can be pretty great!

Alas, this one is unfortunately sold out, but Glamour magazine have compiled a gallery of some great ones here if you'd like more inspiration. Have you seen any stand-out ones lately? And which slogan tee from my set of posts was your fave? You can see the first here and second here.

PS. Second guest appearance comes from my sister's other dog, Alan. And, yup, he was named after that Funny Talking Animals clip.

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Say it with a tee! Part 2

Following on from Part 1 of my slogan tee posts, this is another of my favourites. I bought this 'groupie' semi-crop Topshop tee to pair with some denim shorts and wellies for V festival. Don't think Plan B got my hint though *teehee*. Although it's a couple of years old (shock horror), I still *love* it and am determined to get a few more wears out of it in the right setting.

I think the 'groupie' term can be a bit risque but I like to think people wouldn't take it too literally (unlucky if they do...unless they're in my free-pass list obvs!). What do you think? By the way, special guest appearance comes from my sister's dog Brutus, who doesn't look too bothered about it!

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Say it with a tee! Part 1

Slogan tees have been pretty big for a while now. They're eye-catching, great ice-breakers and a pretty good way to get your point across - if you have one! I don't think you have to necessarily relate to the slogan either; sometimes they're just cool for cool's sake!

This is my latest slogan tee (an absolute bargain from H&M); I fell in love with the colours. So striking! And the little yin-yang symbol sitting unassumingly as the 'o' just tops it off a treat *soz for the pun*.

How would you wear this?

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The 7-minute workout!

After chomping on chocs and supping the vino on Valentines with my sister (yup, you heard right...if you want to know why I wasn't getting my romance on with the boy, I mention why here!), I wanted to do something to make me feel a bit better about myself.

Now, I'm the kind of girl that doesn't particularly enjoy the thought of exercise; you know those occasions where people talk about how good they feel after exercising and maybe even invite you along to a gym session, and you pull that face, trying not to show how much you're really not interested. Yup that's me too...

Oh right, yeah, sounds good, tell me more...

I'm just generally pretty bad at managing the whole 'releasing those happy endorphins' thing...so that's why I thought I'd start 2014 off with baby steps. 

Enter, the 7-minute workout app; 7 whole minutes, just 420 seconds, and that includes your mini rests in between each exercise, so this really doesn't sound a lot at all does it? *feeling convinced-ish*

Yeahhh feeling excited-ish.

Well, well, well, trust me, it sounds easy as pie, but while it's manageable, it's still a bloomin' good workout in my opinion. Because you are working your body at a higher intensity than normal, this really does a super duper job of getting your heart rate up. And, of course, when your heart rate's up, the calories are burning...and you're hopefully toning too, with planks, crunches and press-ups to help showcase those abs lurking in the depths. 

Post-workout huffing.

Each exercise lasts 30 seconds, with a 10-second break between each, and there's a handy timer counting down each workout, so it can be nice to see how much time left you have to suffer! The other big bonus is that you can play your music while the app's running, so I like to put on something high energy to keep me motivated...not that you get through many songs!

Only a couple of down sides with this: you need to use a mat or something comfortable to lie on for the floor exercises (but you can get hold of these pretty cheaply); secondly, I find the step-up excercise difficult to do because I don't really have anything at the right height (I've been using a chair, but it's too high to get into any rhythm!), so you may want to skip that in favour of repeating one of the other exercises if you're in the same position!

The idea is that you do it everyday for 3 months, which then triggers an 'unlocking' of more exercises focusing on different body areas, giving you a bit of variety. I can't say I've managed to stick with it every day, but I'm willing to give it a try...I did feel better for it, and I'd definitely recommend it if you're not keen on doing too much all at once. 

Wish me luck with my beach-bod mission!

I WILL do this! will try to do this.

Have you tried the 7-minute workout? Rate it or hate it? I'd love to hear what you think and if you have any other recommendations in my quest for toned-ness!

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Kandersteg, Switzerland

As you may have gathered from my about page, I am currently living on the border of France, Germany and Switzerland, so I thought it would be nice to do a series of travel-related posts about my time here and places I've visited. And what better time to start this little bundle of travel joy than the day of lurrrrve. Writing this post has managed to distract me from the fact my boyfriend is on a stag do in Brussels this weekend...absolutely not bothered at all though...couldn't care less, nooope, not me, not that kinda gal, no really *pursing lips*.

Switzerland is a beautiful country, brimming full of things to do throughout the year, whether you're addicted to the powder (snow variety of course!) or partial to a bit of hiking, this place can be paradise if you want it to be!

So, last September, my boyfriend and I headed to a place called Kandersteg in the canton of Bern. It's a well-known spot for hikers and tourists craving snow-tipped mountain views, but we went at a between-season time so it was quite peaceful - ideal for huffing and puffing up a hill like a warthog without the worry of too many passers by (who - if you happen to see - are generally all pretty much athletes; Switzerland is a country of cyclists, skiiers and super duper active residents, damn them!).

Anyway, I won't waffle too much because I think the pictures speak for themselves...I've whittled down my snap-happy album to 20 corkers so I'd love to hear what you think. Will you add this to your bucket list for 2014?

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Healthy hump-day boost!

Tonight, I made myself a healthy carb-free dinner Popeye would be proud of, so I thought I'd share it with you! It's an ideal dinner if you're trying to stick to your New Year's health binge resolution (let's not lie, most of us struggle!), plus my sister is big on eating healthy these days, so she's kinda inspired me too...my body is a temple and all that jazz... 

So, I started off by chopping some onion, courgette, chorizo and pork minute steaks. I am absolutely loving chorizo at the minute; it's such a unique taste and you don't need much to really make a taste sensation (did I actually just say that?!). 

Frying the onion off a little bit first (I'm a sucker for the smell of onions frying), I then added the pork, chorizo and courgettes once I'd had my scent fix!

In the meantime, I took a couple of handfuls of raw spinach leaves - a great alternative to salad leaves and uber healthy - and crumbled some feta on top, along with some dried onion bits for a bit of added crunch!

You might have noticed that cheeky little gherkin sticking out the back...I thought it might add a bit of culinary class to the look, but it looks about as comfortable as me in a pair of skis (more on that in future posts...maybe).

Stirring my masterpiece in the frying pan, I decided to add some sweet chilli sauce for some moisture. I wasn't sure about  mixing this with the chorizo at first but we only live once eh? And it was worth it...in my humble opinion.

Once it was simmering nicely and the pork was clearly cooked through, I spooned a healthy portion atop of the spinach salad...and voilà! In the words of good ol' Gordon: pork, courgettes, onion, chorizo, spinach, feta, onion bits, sweet chilli sauce - DONE. Wellll, ok, doesn't quite work with a lengthy list does it?

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