Wedding OOTD

Two weeks ago, I went to my cousin's wedding. Stacey and Darren have been together for 7 years and are such an amazing couple and they have a beautiful daughter, Florence, who is nearly 2. I love spending time with Stacey, she is a big crafter and I love learning new crafting techniques, and I was also excited to see they lovely things she had made for the wedding day.

I had bought my dress for the wedding in July, and I was so excited to finally wear it! I got it from Yours at Bluewater when it first opened, and loved how bright and colourful it was. I teamed it with an orange bolero top, nude wedges and an ivory box clutch bag.

 

 

Dress - Yours

Bolero - TU @ Sainsburys

Wedges - Yours

Clutch - Simply Be

 

Stacey looked soooo beautiful! We were sitting parallel to the entrance to the church, and I saw her in the car as it pulled up outside. I saw her face and my eyes just filled with tears. She looked to stunning, and I know how much she was looking forward to the day and how much effort she had put into it all. And she should have been so proud! It all looked fabulous and so pretty. From the decorated glass jars on the tables, to the suitcases decorated to put wedding cards into. It just all looked lovely! Here are a few snaps from the day.

 

A few highlights..... bottom left, my nan having a great time ringing one of the church bells! Next to her was the quartet who were amazing and gave the place a great atmosphere. Also on the bottom is my lovely parents.

 

 

Stacey's made her own bouquet from brooches and it looked amazing, but it was so heavy! She did well carrying it down the aisle and not dropping it. The marquee was so beautiful and had been decorated so nicely with jars on the tables, bunting and a cute vintage suitcase that we could put gifts and cards in. We had such an amazing day, and hope that the happy couple did too.

Pink Clove Picks

I noticed an email from Pink Clove today with an offer for 25% off all new arrivals (use code SHOP25). It feels like I haven't had a look at their range in a while, so I popped over to see what they had to offer. I found some lovely pieces at some great prices!

 

Azul Rose Mesh Insert Skater Dress - Normally £30, with offer £22.50

 

I really loved the colour of this dress. I don't own many blue items, and mixed with the floral print, I think this is so pretty. The mesh top of this dress also looks so good, perfect for the autumn weather now.

 

 

Laura Check Print A-Line Bow Dress - Normally £22, with offer £16.50

 

This dress caught my eye as I seem to be drawn to check prints at the moment, and I especially think that this would be great for Christmas. The neckline stands out really nicely with the bow detail.

 

 

Bardot Skater Dress - Normally £20, with offer £15

 

I love me a skater dress, and this would be very much welcome in my wardrobe. Not only would it be a great staple as it is black, but the off the shoulder sleeves give it a little something extra.

 

Wedding Reception OOTN

On Friday evening, Mike, the kids and I attended a wedding reception in Essex for one of his friends and his new wife. I had chosen an outfit to wear a few weeks ago, but on the Friday when I was at home, I decided that I wasn't completely happy with my decision. So I trawled through my wardrobe to see what else I could find.
I love a good delve through my clothes as I nearly always find something I had forgotten about. And this time was no different!

I found a dress that I had got nearly a year ago. At Plus North 2013, I entered a competition with Bon Prix to style a plain black dress with accessories, and won £50 to spend with them. I ordered this dress, but had never got round to wear it. So, I teamed it with a thin black belt and my black pumps and was ready to go!

DIY Gel Nails

I used to get gel manicures a few years ago before my wedding so that my nails would grow for the day itself, and I used to love how they would last for at least two weeks without chipping or getting smudged like normal polish. I stopped getting them done a few months after my wedding as, although it wasn't crazy expensive, I just couldn't justify the cost every 3-4 weeks.
So, for my birthday, my friend Caroline arranged for me to get my nails done with her and the mobile technician she uses. I was really pleased with how my nails looked. I went for a bright pink as they would match my dress for my night out (see post here).

After a couple of weeks, I realised that my nails had grown so well with the gel manicure on, and I wanted to keep it up. But again, I couldn't justify the cost every few weeks. I had been lucky to get some money for my birthday from my family, so I decided to look into how much it would cost to get my own gel kit. My cousin Stacey had got one a while ago and was happy with it, so I did a bit of research and ended up on Ebay at what deals I could find. I ended up coming across this shop which seemed to have some good deals.

I had looked at getting a set that was the UV light box, remover solution and prepare and wipe solution. This was around £30. I then looked at polishes. The listed the BlueSky brand at £5 each, but if you bought 10 of the polishes, you would get the UV light box for free! So I went through and chose the colours I wanted - which was really hard as there were soooo many that I wanted! Then I found a listing for the two solutions I needed, and a bottle of each base and top coats for £21. So I went for it!

I couldn't wait to give it a go! I followed the instructions and had so much fun :) I have used it three times so far, twice on my hands and once on my feet. I am loving the colour I have on at the moment, Rubble.

 

 

I chose a variety of colours, from black and dark red, to bright pink and a lovely glittery green. The gel remover solution worked really well, I just soaked my nails in it for about 10 minutes and the gel polish came off well with a nail file. Then I buffed and oiled my cuticles and gave them a rest for 24 hours before applying the next colour. I have always loved painting my nails, and found it so frustrating that after around 24 hours, I would have a chip somewhere! This way, I can have the perfect nail look at home for longer. Now I need to resist looking at the other colours they do. Oh and they do colour changing gel polishes!!!