Sunday 30 March 2014

Give Away! 3 x John Frieda Frizz-Ease Nourishing Oil Elixirs Up For Grabs!


I've trialed a few John Frieda products recently, including their excellent volume shampoo, and I've always been a fan of their frizz-ease products.

I'm very pleased therefore to be able to offer 3 of John Frieda's Nourishing Oil Elixirs, which retail at about £9.99 each!


I find that creating vintage hairstyles, such as soft waves using hot sticks or similar, that I invariably get a little 'frizz'.  The pic below demonstrates the fluffiness that generally occurs before applying products!  I've used a few oil products recently from John Frieda (not exactly the same as the one I'm giving away, I've been using the Repairing Oil Elixir and the Perfect Ends Sheet Mist) and they've really helped tame those flyaways and give lovely defined, luscious curls without the fluff!

 
To be one of the 3 winners, all you have to do is follow this blog, and then use the Rafflecopter widget below to gain entries to the prizedraw!


Terms and conditions: This prize draw is open to UK residents only.  Open from Sunday 30th March 12AM to Sunday 6th April 12 AM

Good luck everyone!

Friday 28 March 2014

Spring Knickers: Rosie for Autograph Summer 2014 Collection

I've blogged a few times about the collaboration between good old British high street staple Marks and Spencer, and model Rosie Huntington Whiteley.  The lingerie collection resulting from this teaming has resulted in some absolutely gorgeous vintage styles, that are not only wearable but affordable.  This time, for Spring/Summer 2014, in addition to the new collection, there's the re-release of the top-selling pieces, so there's another chance to buy the lovely teddy, for example, if you missed out last year.

The collection always has a classic vibe, as well as being that little bit luxurious with the choice of fabrics.  This time around there's peach (surely my favourite colour for lingerie, but one that has been out of style in mainstream fashion for some time) and some lovely bralets that are reminiscent of lingerie from the 1920s, with their unstructured, loose fit (unfortunately some of these are already sold out, let's hope they restock!).

Here are my top picks from the collection, all surely must appeal to the vintage loving lady with the delicate colour palette and beautiful detailing.  As of this week, many of the items seem to be on sale, so they'll appeal to the wallet also!

Silk teddy, £34-£59 in Oyster, Mushroom, Winter White & Antique Rose (pictured)

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Langland Bay: Now and Then

For a friend's birthday lunch recently we headed to a brasserie at Langland Bay, a little cove in Swansea on Wales' south coast, with quaint beach huts, surrounded by homes set into the hillside with extortionate price tags.

The beach itself took quite a battering in the storms we had - most of the sand has been washed out to sea, leaving steep shelves of pebbles, exposed pipes and debris.

Friday 21 March 2014

Breton & Cambridge Satchel

Ah, the off-duty staple of many a Hollywood starlet's wardrobe from vintage decades until now, the striped Breton top and jeans!  There's a reason this look has stood the test of time - it's dressed down, but stripes always sharpen a look.  It's chic and incredibly wearable.

In the slighter warmer months, it's my at-home uniform.  If I'm doing housework I wear an old pair of Levi's with a turn up, and if I'm relaxing (and not doing anything to get dirty, like scrubbing or gardening!) I might wear my Bernie Dexter jeans.  The other day I styled mine with a nod to the 1950s, with cat eye sunglasses, red lippy and turn ups.  You might also notice I'm sporting a lovely red 'batchel' from the Cambridge Satchel Company - I won it!  Pago, the fruit juice company, held a competition to style an outfit to represent one of their flavours.  I dressed to represent their tomato juice, and I was absolutely delighted to be one of five winners.  You can see the other winners and the entries on the Pago Facebook page.


Wednesday 19 March 2014

Nature Snaps

We were lucky to have a few glorious days of Spring sunshine!  I was a bit snap-happy, here are some of the photos that I took in my garden and in the countryside nearby where I live.


 Isn't this tree a bit Sleepy Hollow?!

 I can see my house in this pic!




 View sitting on my front step, I have to pinch myself sometimes!




Are there signs of Spring where you live?  What kind of countryside do you like most - forests, mountains, seaside, or flat farmland??

Also, if you can identify any of the plants in the bottom few pictures I'd be ever so grateful!  I have a lot to learn about gardening!!

Monday 17 March 2014

Save Bees and Look Pretty With Chantecaille's SS14 Palette

Have you heard of upmarket make-up brand Chantecaille?  Based in New York, the brand has a reputation for using natural botanical ingredients and supporting environmental causes.  The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is the latest recipient of the brand's support, and you can do your bit by purchasing this gorgeous Spring palette with a lovely set of wearable colours and absolutely divine little bees imprinted into the powders.

Here are the details:
-A refreshing eye and cheek palette that artfully fuses the natural beauty of the Bees’ habitat with the Spring 2014 runway trends
-5% of proceeds from the Save the Bees Palette will be donated to The Xerces Society to help protect bees and our environment
-Palette features Honey, a glistening golden highlighter for both eyes and cheek, and Nectar Blush, a flattering warm coral-pink
-Includes two new eye shades: Sky, an eye-opening sheer blue, and Beehive, a versatile grey beige
-Paraben-free; Refillable 



"The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was established because of serious concerns about the 'plight of the bumblebee'. In the last 80 years our bumblebee populations have crashed. Two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically."

I like the look of the palette for a lot of reasons - I switched to using mainly organic skincare products without petrochemicals a year or two ago, and haven't always been able to do this for the make-up I purchase.  While this isn't certified organic, they do promise that all Chantecaille products 'are free of synthetic colors and fragrances, and do not contain any sulfate detergents, phthalates, nor petrochemicals'.  Also, I can get a guilty feeling about buying such decadent things, and the environmental link here sits a bit better with my conscience.  Finally, it's a family business headed by French matriach Sylvie Chantecaille.  I feel more assured by French products in general (they tend to really know what they're doing!) and it's good to have a woman at the helm.

Now the downside - I'm really sorry, it's £74!!!  I could never justify that.  I think I'm not the intended market!  Ah well, if you are poorer of pocket like me, you could always head over to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website and make a small donation, or help out by joining their bee-watch programme!

Here in the UK, the palette is available at Harrods, Space NK, Liberty and Fenwick.

Do you try and help environmental issues when you buy products?  What do you think of palettes in general, do you buy them?

Friday 14 March 2014

Clarks: Sensible and Chic Vintage Inspired Shoes

I recently had a splurge and bought two pairs of Clarks' shoes.  I ordered them for home delivery, as they didn't have much stock in the store I popped into, so it was with baited breath that I waited for them, because online shopping can be such a gamble sometimes in terms of sizing issues.



Wednesday 12 March 2014

Q Fine Fragrance Body Sprays

Chances are, when I say 'body spray', you might think of Impulse or Charlie - those are certainly the brands from my teenage years that come to my mind.

A few brands, such as Ted Baker, have tried to come up with a more glamorous version, but they've not quite hit the mark - at £5.50 for 100ml, perhaps it's more money than people are willing to part with for a body spray, perhaps they'd rather just spend a bit more and get a proper perfume, or just get a bit of Impulse for 99p.

Allow me to introduce 'Q', a range of fine fragrance (read 'grown up') body sprays at an affordable price (£2.29 in Boots and Sainsbury's).  There are three fragrances to choose from - Awe, Radiance and Balance - and they use scents such as rose, bergamot and peony, which appeal to the vintage loving side of my nature.  The packaging is simpler than other body sprays, which adds to the grown up feel of them.

Monday 10 March 2014

Glimpse Inside Historic Edwardian Mansion

We all love a nosey in others' homes, and for vintage-lovers, nothing beats looking at historic properties from bygone eras, especially when original features have been preserved.

In Cardiff, South Wales, a Grade-II listed historic mansion has gone on the market for the first time in 50 years, and so we can all get to see the pictures of the interior!  Formerly the home of Welsh philanthropist Sir Julian Hodge, the property was built in 1906 and has eight bedrooms.  The estate includes two buildings separate from the main house, and 5 acres of land.  If you'd like to guess how much this property is going for, have a look at the pictures, take a guess, and then you'll find the answer at the bottom of the page!

Edwardian mansion
 









What do you think of it?  I love the grounds, they're wonderful gardens - did you see the size of the glasshouse?  I also think the little lodge is very cute.  I am not sure about the interior of the main house though, the wood panelling they used back then is quite dark and I think you could probably spend a lot of money on this house giving it a bit of tlc whilst trying to retain the original character.  It's certainly not my dream house.

Price tag: £3 million!  On the market with Cooke and Arkwright here.

What do you think of the Edwardian style of property?  What's your favourite historic era for homes?

Friday 7 March 2014

Hitchcock Heroine

1950s suit Hitchcock
 Suit: The Pumping Station Antiques Centre, Shoes: Clarks, Brooch: Art Deco, Bag: Car boot sale, Corset: Corset Story, Blouse: Peacock's, Hat: Llandaff Antique's Fair, Gloves: inherited from my Grandmother.

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Vintage Film Watchlist: Bachelor Knight

If you're based in the UK, you might have noticed that BBC2 is screening old films early on Sunday mornings.  Now, I'm never up at 6am on a Sunday, but thanks to the magic of technology I was able to catch up recently with a Cary Grant film from 1947 that I had never heard of, let alone seen before, despite Sydney Sheldon winning an Oscar for its screenplay.
All images IMDB.com

Known in the US as 'The Batchelor and the Bobby-Soxer', it was screened in the UK as 'Bachelor Knight'. The plot is a little silly, as you could expect from this genre - Myrna Loy is a judge, Margaret Turner (that's not the silly bit) who comes across Cary Grant's character Richard Nugent in her courtroom as he appears to have been at the centre of a disturbance in a nightclub.  An artist, 'Dick' later gives a talk at the school that Margaret's 17 year old sister, Susan attends, and it's there that Susan develops a schoolgirl crush on him.  Convinced by her psychiatrist brother that the quickest way for Susan to get over the crush is to naturally get tired of Dick, Margaret asks Dick to take Susan out for picnics and basketball games (all very wholesome).  Obviously the real romance is between Margaret and Dick, but there are a few capers and some witty dialogue to get through before that emerges.

Also, there are gowns!  Myrna Loy has some great outfits, including a wonderful suit that her sister Susan 'borrows'.




Watching this film certainly gave me a renewed appreciation of Myrna Loy - she is really fantastic, and I'd love to see more films with her in.  I think to date I've only seen her in a couple of other films, and can't even remember what those were!

Pop over to TCM to watch a trailer here - unfortunately it's not on BBC iplayer anymore, but it's out on DVD so you could probably pick up a copy on Amazon.

Have you seen this film?  Have you watched many others starring Myrna Loy?

Monday 3 March 2014

Book Review: Poirot and Me

It's my absolute pleasure today to give you my review of the charming book 'Poirot and Me', by David Suchet (from Headline Publishing).  You may have already guessed if you're a regular reader of this blog that I am a huge fan of the Poirot television series, and it's probably no surprise then to hear that I adored this book.  It promised so much, and delivered!

The book starts at the end - the final episode of Poirot that is, and the experience of filming the demise of the Belgian detective - and the sentimental tone established in that first chapter had me gripped straight away.  The book is more than nostalgia though, and more than a 'companion' to the series.  Filled with humorous anecdotes about filming, and always showing Suchet's natural worries about doing justice to what Christie wrote, Suchet takes us from the very beginnings of the series on a journey through the precarious world of acting, the ups and downs of his personal life, and ultimately to the great success of a Poirot series that created 70 episodes and was broadcast to 83 countries.



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...