Christmas Party ready with Femme Luxe Finery GIFTED

Hi chickies,

Merry Christmas! It's officially December so I'm allowed to say that. I'm a 'Christmas tree up the second it turns December' kinda girl so I'm extremely excited around this time of year. 

I love all the merriment of Christmas and how it brings people together. Speaking of get-togethers, I have two big Christmas parties I'm planning for this year. 

Savannah Beige Femme Luxe One Shoulder Dress

The first is my NCT group. All the girls are going out for dinner and drinks, followed by copious cocktails and hopefully some merry dancing. As I am usually covered in baby food and baby snot I'm desperate to glam up and Femme Lux Finery had just the dress!

I've never been a huge fan of shopping online for dresses. I like to see them up close, try them on then and there without worrying about returns and feel the quality so I wasn't a little out of my comfort zone when Femme Luxe Finery kindly allowed me to choose some Christmas party dresses as a gift. 

I'm a new mum of an 8 month old and my figure DEFINITELY doesn't look anything like the gorgeous skinny model showing off the dresses on their website. 'She could make a bin bag look hot' I thought to myself. 

However, I finally decided on something a little longer and hopefully well fitting.

I must say I was a little skeptical, so I was totally shocked by the incredible quality of the two dresses I received. They were lined, thick and luxurious to the touch. 

I'm so so pleased with this beautiful caramel silky one shouldered dress. I felt a million dollars in it!

Paired with an on trend leopard print head band and matching killer heels I danced the night away at the NCT mum's Christmas dinner.

Emerald Green Femme Luxe Bardot Dress

My second big Christmas party is my husband's work Christmas do. I go every year and it's always a great event. It's usually black tie so again, I need to dress to impress and Femme Lux delivered. 

Usually I opt for a red dress and Christmas but I LOVE this emerald green. It's a gorgeous festive colour but not so generic as as my usual choice of red. I'd be surprised if anyone else rocked up in emerald green but they'll always be a few other ladies wearing red at a Christmas party. 

The bardot style adds extra glamour with my hair in curls and I love the sleeve detail too. The length is demure, perfect for looking respectable in front of your husband's boss! But the gathered detail accross the silky stretch fabric is still sexy as well as flattering. 

Any post-baby lumps and bumps were hidden nicely. That had to do with the thickness of the material and the lining. As I said, I was very impressed with the quality! This dress was my favourite of the two and I would definitely buy some more dresses from Femme Luxe now. 

And the best bit? They were both stretchy, so totally comfortable, even after a three course meal and drinks. Glamour and comfort - what more could a new mum ask for!

Not got your Christmas party dress yet? You can shop Femme Luxe Finery Christmas Party dresses now. 

Love 
LauraClaire

5 Super Easy Maternity Halloween Costumes

The Lazy Mum-to-be's Guide to 

Pregnancy Halloween Costumes

1. 8 Ball
A super cute and insanely easy idea. 1 paper plate, 1 black marker, a couple of pins and you're sorted!

2. Avocado
So you can go all out with the cardboard and paints like the first snap here but the second snap is just as cute and a lot quicker to make. A bit of card, some markers and paints and some string. Bingo! 

3. Fried Egg 
Love this idea! All you need is a yellow tshirt, some white card, string and scissors... looks great right?

Or, you can do what this lady did.. Scrap the card and cut a hole in a white tee. Easy peasy! 

4. Skeleton Maternity Tee
A quick and easy Amazon purchase... now who doesn't like that one eh?

5. Pumpkin
One orange shirt, black markers or cut out black felt and you've got yourself a cute little pregnancy bump pumpkin!

Love 

LC

Ombre Style for A/W16 with Dylon

Hi beauts,

I've been challenged by Dylon to create my own take on winter fashion using their easy-peasy kits. 

Dylon – ‘Dyes of London’ – was founded by two young entrepreneurs who began selling colourful dyes from a garage in central London. True British entrepreneurial spirit at it's best! 

My mum's used Dylon a fair few times but, although I knew the brand I'd never actually used them myself. Yet, I'm always up for a good challenge and so rose to the occasion.

Revamping Ombre for A/W16

I always think of Summer when I think tie dye, and ombre. Bright colours, sunnies and a festival vibe. However, Mint Velvet gave me the perfect inspo for this challenge with their gorgeous A/W16 range. Their ombre jersey and batwing knit use the soft muted autumnal colours that are synonymous with Mint Velvet. But retailing at £59.00 & £69.00 their also lavish on the Christmas credit card.

This was where Dylon came in for me. I wanted to create my own Mint Velvet dupe but without the price tag.

You'll need: 

1 Dylon hand wash fabric dye in Pewter Grey

Salt (you'll need 10 table spoons) 

A stainless steel sink or a bucket

A £4.00 white cotton Primark polo neck (bargain!) 

Rubber gloves

Gorgeous muted tones

I filled my sink with warm water (roughly 6 litres) and poured in the salt. Then I submerged the polo neck fully before scrunching it out and leaving it damp on the side. Damp clothing takes more evenly and salt helps the colour take better.

Next I added the pebble grey dye. Making sure the dye had dissolved evenly in the water I then took the top and submerged it again in the water letting the dye wash over all of it. Totally satisfying thing to do for some odd reason! 

Once the colour had taken to the entire top I then pulled it out 3/4 of the way and left the rest to soak for a full 45 minutes. Once time was up I drained the sink, washed out the top and sealed it with cold water before allowing it to dry. 

Dylon Ombre Dye Outcome

Before         After

I'm really impressed with the result of my first attempt at dying clothes - especially ombre dying. I think the top looks brilliant with my winter outfit and is a real steal at £4.00 for the top and Dylon Pewter Grey dye retailing at £3.39. The dye could have easily be used to dye at least 4 more top too.

The actual dying process wasn't hard at all - it did get a little messy at times but was easily wiped clean. One thing I would learn for the future though is that the dye on the fabric looks a great deal darker when wet and, as you'll see from my top, creates a much lighter colour when dry. I think perhaps leaving the colour to take for longer may have created a deeper ombre contrast. 

Win with Dylon!

For the chance to test out your own ombre hand dye and machine wash dyes to revamp your winter look enter the below rafflecopter giveaway now. Just follow and tweet to @LauraClaireUK on Twitter and follow @laura_claire88 on Instagram for an extra bonus entry. 

What you'll win: 

• Dylon Toffee Brown Fabric Dye Machine Wash 
• Dylon Terracotta Brown Fabric Dye Machine Wash 
• Dylon Pewter Grey Fabric Dye Hand Wash

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Note: Competition open to UK residents only. 

Love 

LauraClaire

Summer Holiday Haul

Hi Lovelies, 

Hope you're all well. I've been a busy bee and time has been ticking away on me. So much so that in only a few days time I jet off to beautiful Bali for two weeks... excited doesn't cover it!

Excited though I may be I am still obsessively organised with it. My packing list was written out, then my check list of what I had started to pack was ticked off. Outfits were planned and shopping lists prepared. Are you the same?

As I stared down at my long list I thought it high time I write a little post about all my planning and purchases!

Malibu & Piz Buin Sun Protection

So firstly and most importantly I stocked up on sun protection. Bali is going to be incredible but also roasting and looking after your skin is so important. I've used Malibu sun creams before and like their smell (mmmm sun lotion smells amazing in general!).

However, I'm intrigued to test out the Miracle Tan element to the Factor 30 Malibu lotion. It's water resistant and as well as protecting skin and promoting tanning it also claims to enhance it. Finally, I bought a Piz Buin Factor 30 lip balm. I don't know about you but my lips get so very dry in the sun and it's an item I often forget to carry in my beach bag.. prepared this time!

Zara Haul 

I have a ridiculous amount of clothes so I wanted to try to tone down my pre-holiday spending but also treat myself to a few new items I could mix and match into my current wardrobe. Making sure new items complement those in your current wardrobe is so important and something I only recently started to take into consideration.

Zara is my absolute favourite store at the moment! So my haul is pretty much just from there. I bought two super cute shorts: high waisted khaki and floaty tropical florals. Keeping to the block colour and tropical print theme I also bought two crop tops: a floaty pink floral off the shoulder and a tight fitting white crop. They're the perfect colour tones to mix and match with and either combination will suit the Primark faux ostrich leather clutch & M&S brown suede heels.

I wanted some fun accessories too and so popped to Accessorize to pick up some beaded flip flops and transfer tattoos. Can't wait to try those out!



Love 
Laura Claire

Guest post: thelifestylebloggeruk.com

Watch out this Summer?

I have been a lover of analogue watches for as long as I can remember and have an ever growing collection of various styles, sizes and branded watches. To me, watches are part of an outfit, not just a fashion accessory really. I think my love for watches began when I was little, those Fick and Flack watches were so adorable and it’s what I learnt to tell the time on so they really take me back…many, many years! Anyway, my point here being, it was back then with these old and simple watches that started my passion for analogue watches.

I have never really used a digital wrist watch, they just look so ugly, I much prefer the ‘proper’ ones! Over the years my collection has grown pretty big but watches to me are part of an outfit or at least an accessory to an outfit so I have all kinds - chunky watches, men’s watches, beautifully simple and elegant style watches…if it’s been made, I probably have that style somewhere in my collection!

In my search for beautiful watches I have come across so really great places to buy branded watches at really low prices or places that offer huge discounts, one of which is the DiscountWatchStore based in the US (they do ship to the UK too for very cheap). The reason I like this company so much is partly down to the huge discounts they offer but also the vast range they have on offer; from really well known brands like - Michael Kors, DKNY & Kate Spade to the not so famous brands, but still gorgeous in their own way - Bulova, Casio and Invicta. I don’t think you can be a true watch collector without having a Casio somewhere in your collection!

In case you are based in the UK and would rather buy from the UK (makes sense), another really great watch shop that I use often is the House of Watches website. OK so they aren’t as discounted as the American company but they do still offer a fab range of watches; from Daniel Wellington (who seems to have taken over Instagram photos with bloggers lately) to super brands such as Gucci. The House of Watches brand range from below £30 to a staggering £1,000! One of these days I will be able to get myself a £1,000 watch without crying or totally breaking the bank!

Because I have so many watches, I thought I would show you one of my favourites and how I would wear it as an outfit. This watch is actually from the DiscountWatchStore and is one of their Invicta watches. Yes, as Rose Gold is ‘in’ at the moment, it only seemed right that I showed you one their gorgeous rose gold watches. It is quite big and chunky watch but it’s soo pretty and worn with an outfit like the below image would look just stunning! I also have quite a few men’s watches in my collection. I love how fashion accessories can totally change the look and feel to an outfit so easily and yes, even something as small as a watch can change the look and feel too.

Also, this kind of watch is great if, like me, you have tiny wrists and need to remove a lot of the links to make it fit! My local jeweller knows me really well after the millions of watches I have had to take to them to get fixed over the years!

I hope this has given you some inspiration for new looks and thinking outside the box when it comes to accessories. I also really hope that with more bloggers and vloggers seemly talking about and posting photos of gorgeous new analogue watches on their social media accounts, the digital age, when it comes to watches anyway, will be stopped and analogue will come back again!

Vote Analogue!!

Becky.

About the blogger... 

Becky is the owner of lifestyle blog thelifestylebloggeruk.com. She's a busy lady, posting daily about things that make her smile as well as running her on online store!

Review & Interview with Nikki Stark Jewellery

Hi Lovelies, 

So, I've been sent some gorgeous rings I've been dying to talk to you about. They're from a fantastic UK jewellery designer Nikki Stark Jewellery. If you read my blog you know how much I love to support amazing British talent and business so I had to bag an interview with the lovely lady herself too! Check it out below...

I was eager to wear my 9ct gold rocking wishbone midi and sterling silver full rings when they arrived as a treat from London-based Nikki Stark Jewellery and I haven't taken them off since! They've been with me to Cobham's boutiques, round to a friends, snuggled on the sofa and even on a post-Christmas guilt-induced run. 

They appear gorgeously fragile on my fingers yet are impressively solid. Nikki uses high quality metals, 100% recycled where possible. These, along with her flare for beautiful design has created jewellery that deceives. 

Simple, understated and precious, her delicate pieces are anything but flimsy. Each ring has a beautiful textured effect over its surface from the care that's been used in its creation. Each ring is hand-shaped and worked upon using a very small round-ended hammer creating an effect that glimmers. 

I just love the fact that each piece of jewellery is totally unique! If you're after something beautifully unique and hand-crafted that will soon turn into your 2016 signature piece I would highly recommend Nikki Stark. Simply to die for designs and 20% off online for the whole of January.. get in quick!

You're currently based in London, is this where you grew up? Where's home to you? 

I grew up in Surrey just outside London so I haven’t travelled far, we live on the South West edge of London.

Why did you make the conscious choice to use eco metals in your work? (100% recycled) 

Precious metals are a finite natural material so recycling is a necessary part of keeping them available. As with a lot of people I think the environment is important and I try to do my little bit.  

What's your most memorable experience since you began designing?

I’ve been at a couple of weddings where I made the rings. Making wedding rings is always lovely as they are so personal to people. Helping someone through the process of working out what they really want to live with for the rest of their life over a cup of coffee is one of the nicest parts of my job.

What type of women do you have in mind when you're designing your collection?

My work is very understated and can be worn in different ways to suit lots of personal styles. They are more everyday than statement pieces. The collection grew out of what I like to wear myself, and what my customers have asked me for over time.

I would imagine my customer is someone who doesn’t necessarily follow the crowd, but doesn’t shout about it either. They also care about quality and where they things they own come from.

Who would you most like to see wearing a piece from your collection? 

That is a tough one, I often get to know people quite well when I make them a piece so I normally think of people I know when I am designing. Someone chic like Emma Watson maybe, or Marion Cotillard.

What is your most treasured item in your personal jewellery collection & why?

I have a necklace which belonged to my grandmother, it’s got a piece of glass shaped like a cabochon stone with some pieces of what look like foil underneath. I think it’s probably meant to look like a piece of green amber but it doesn’t quite. It’s a lovely delicate piece, and I quite like the conceit. I also have a silver bracelet my grandfather bought me that I wear every day. Apart from that I always wear my own pieces, but I have a constant stream of new favourites, at the moment I am in love with tiny labradorites.

What's next? What beautifully crafted treats can we expect from you in the future?

I’ve been making more and more wedding rings so I’m working on a dedicated section of my website and a range of simple pieces. I’m also adding more options into my Orbit rings range including labradorite and moonstone which are so pretty.

I'm totally in love with my delicate rocking wishbone midi & full rings. <3 Check out Nikki Stark Jewellery for her full collection. 

Love 

LC 

Christmas Party LookBook

Make them Green with Envy at the Christmas Party

Motel Rocks Gabby Sequin Plunge Back Dress in Iridescent Green - £48.00

                                       Top Shop Pearl Spinner Ring £7.50 
                                        Top Shop Glass Stone Ring £6.50 
            CARVELA KURT GEIGER JESSIE Black High Heel Sandals - SALE £59.00
                                            ALDO Black Clutch - £22.00

                Soap And Glory Glow Getter Instant Sunkissed Bronzing Spray - £9.99

           Mac Mineralize Eyeshadow Smutty Green - £15.99

Marc by Marc Jacobs Logo Charm Earrings - £45.00

Very Oversized Faux Fur Collar - £11.00

Wholesome Bling

"Wholesome Bling's quirky watches are romantic, funky, classy and sassy.
They are for rudies, and their nans, but especially for rudies who love their nans."

Heya Chicks,

So last week I got a treat in my inbox. The lovely people from watch company Wholesome Bling got in contact. They've just launched their brand new website www.wholesomebling.com and to celebrate wanted to let me know that my gorgeous readers (yep that means you hottie lol) can grab 10% off their watches by using the code New10%off at the check out.

Because I'm extra spoilt they also sent me over one of their watches to review. I chose the the Jungle Small Fabric Watch which retails at £22.00. I love love love the cute fabric! You know I can't say away from anything kitsch and cute. First off I adore the packaging. Each watch comes neatley ribbon-bow packaged in it's own little twist top Jar. Each watch fabric and face is sewn and added by hand making each unique. The fabric, tied around the wrist in a sweet bow gives the watch a twist of boho festival cool but with the functionality of a watch. I was also impressed by the quality of the timepiece itself. 

I'm in love and wore my cute Jungle fabric watch all weekend. What do you think? I was a little worried about the watch falling off when wearing it as it was just tied but it didn't atall. I actually loved that it was loose and comfy. Please check out this brilliant London-based watch brand and grab your self a bargin with 10% and free UK delivery.

 I admit I'm a shameless #selfie lover :P

Love

LC

Trend Watch: TARTAN

Coat: Miss Selfridge Black and Red Biker Jacket 

Leggings: TopShop Blackwatch Check Leggings

Dress: Oh My Love Green Tartan Pinafore Dress

Cardigan: Warehouse Dogtooth Lumberjack

Oasis: Marley Check Skirt

Hair Bow: River Island

Cami: River Island Red Check Ombre

Satchel: Paperchase

Purse: Paperchase

Shirt: Marks and Spencers Limited Edition Tartan Blouse

Love

LauraClaire

HAUL: River Island, Primani, Debenhams, Warehouse

Shopping, shopping, shopping

and a sneaky doughnut.. oops!

River Island heels SALE

Warehouse dress and skirt

Primark bits and pieces

Love the studs

One pound each accessories are too cute

Love the detail on this dress

Hi lovelies,

Above are my latest Haul buys. My favourite purchase is the Warehouse Spotlight dress with jewel detail on each shoulder. Simply my fav because it was a stunning £12.00 in the sale... incredible price don't you think?

There seems to be a running theme with this Haul though. It's all about embellishment. From the jewels on my dress to the studs on heels and hair grips. I'm also loving rose-gold as a colour at the moment and haven't taken off the pretty rose-gold charm hair ties off my wrists since I bought them.

Everything that seemed to catch my eye on this trip was black, grey or rose-gold. I'm loving muted smokey colours at the moment... we just haven't had enough British sun to move into pastels just yet I think. However, the Elmo trainer socks were just too cute not to buy! They are the pop of colour my bleak haul needed hehe.

What have you been buying lately?

Love

LauraClaire

Ear cuff and ring bling and a fun night out!

 

Ear Cuff: Miss Selfridge

Double ring: Accessorize

Nails: BarryM

 My boys

 Grins all round

 Thumbs up

 Few too many shots!

Hi Chickies,

Few snaps of a much needed night out with my bests. Matching bling? Check!

Love

LauraClaire