My Lust List

 Whenever pay day draws near, I seem to spend quite a large amount of my time planning exactly how I can spend my money. Yes, before the pennies are even in my poor abused bank account, I am already thinking of ways to steal them away. So I thought what better way to justify my unhealthy habit than to tell you exactly what it is that I desperately “need” in my life right now.

First up is something I have had an online love affair with for a good couple of months now. These gorgeous ombre hair extensions are from Ninas Creative Couture Etsy shop and I am besotted with them. In fact, I have picked this gorgeous ocean blue because it is simply stunning but the truth is I would probably buy half the shop if I had the means. They are all hand dyed and there is a huge range of colours that all look so gorgeous. From bright pink to sunset orange to fashionable grey, everything is covered. I talk the big talk about wanting to try out crazy bold colours but in reality I am terrified one pink dye gone wrong episode could mean staining my blonde hair for a very long time so these extensions just seem like the perfect option! Colour without fear, hello.

Next up is a relatively new addition after coming across With Love Lilly at Bloggers Fashion Week. They make gorgeous, delicate lingerie that is just so darn pretty. Everything is handmade, they can make custom sizes and ahem…did I mention it was REALLY pretty? This is currently my top favourite out of their selection. I want.

Be still my beating heart. Have you ever seen a lipstick that looks so beautiful? The king of shoes, Christian Louboutin, has turned his hand to lipstick and oh my does he know how to make a showstopper. I’ll be honest and say, I don’t even care if the lipstick isn’t the most amazing thing ever, it can just sit and look pretty for all I care. My mum has always said that I’m a sucker for advertising and yes I agree, but I’m sorry mum, this time I just don’t care!

So makeup brushes are very handy. They are a great tool to go from morning troll to glowing beauty

(ahem...ish) but generally they are pretty boring in the looks department. Well step aside standard brown fibered brush, hello mermaid gloriousness. These beauties from Spectrum Brushes seem to be popping up everywhere at the moment and I really want to give them a try. I know, I'm doing that thing again, getting drawn in, but honestly the reviews of these brushes are also incredibly good so this is definitely an all rounder!

Changing it up, I desperately want something like this for my wedding. I love the vintage feel which would be perfect for the look we are creating but I just can't find the space in our budget. The vast amount of places hire these beauties at about £300 for three letters and I just can't get on board with that at all. Think how much Jack Daniels and Gin we could get for that!? So...I am attempting to make my own...it could go horribly wrong...watch this space.

If you read my blog often you will already know of my perfume obsession. Suffice to say I'm usually always lusting after a couple of fragrances at any given time. My latest love is Ghost Girl. It's an interesting fruity, flowery mix with an undercurrent of smokeyness from cedarwood and amber. Though I'll be honest and say in this case, the packaging really doesn't do it for me. It looks like a teenage girl threw up on it but luckily the scent more than makes up for it. See mum, be proud, this time I have overcome the advertising.

Since we're heading in to Autumn at full throttle, it's definitely time to crack out some cool boots for the season. My shoe of choice are these crocodile, zip detailed beauties from Boohoo and at only £28 they are a bit of a bargain too. Unlike some of the scarier priced items (Louboutin I'm looking at you..) on this list, these will certainly be mine very soon.

Lastly, I want to get on this oscillating, exfoliating brush bandwagon.  There seem to be quite a lot of brands bringing out these types of products at the moment and the prices vary hugely but at £50-£80, Magnitone seem to be the more budget friendly option. My curiosity is piqued and I'm genuinely interested to see whether they actually make a big difference to keeping my problem skin under control. It requires a tight leash to keep it in line so I'm a little nervous it might run wild at the mere thought of these things but nothing ventured, nothing gained right?

So what are you all feeling like splurging on at the moment? Has anything on this list caught your attention? Let me know in the comments!

My first event - Bloggers Fashion Week

On Monday I was lucky enough to get a chance to go along to Bloggers Fashion Week which is ran by The Bloggers Hangout. Since I have only been blogging for a little while I was incredibly excited to have the chance to go to my first event!

It took place in the OXO Tower in London which was such a stunning venue. I'm based in Bristol so it was a little bit of a trek but it was most definitely worth it. I was pretty nervous so was really glad that my lovely friend Flora came along to keep me company and to see what all this blogging business was about!

There was a dress code of all black chic which worked so well. Everyone looked absolutely amazing and I definitely got some serious outfit envy as I was walking around. It took us a little while to work out exactly where we needed to go but the group of people dressed all in black was a good clue to follow. I think the event would definitely benefit from a little more signage though in the future to prevent any lost bloggers!

Upon entering I was immediately drawn to the Great Lengths stand as I have been eyeing up getting extensions from them for my wedding. If you haven't heard of them before they are literally one of the best in the business for bonded extensions. They use a keratin bonding system which is far better for your hair than traditional bonding and they are simply the most exceptional quality. They were showcasing their new GL Apps which are smaller sections of hair that use a tape application and come in a huge variety of colours, both natural and a little more crazy. I practically jumped at the chance to have one put in my hair and opted for a bright pink! I have always wanted to try bright colours in my hair but have never quite had the courage so I thought the GL Apps were the perfect option. It took around 10 minutes to apply and should usually last for up to 12 weeks! They are definitely a great option if you want to try out a new style or if you want to change things up often.

Once I was all kitted out with my new look, we headed off to discover the other brands! The first area was mainly brands who were actually allowing you to try their products there and then which was really fun. I had my nails painted by Kate, the amazing owner of nail varnish brand True Brit London in a gorgeous vivid pink to match my hair. She was so interesting to talk to and I really admired how much she has achieved. She is just about to open a new restaurant in Sheffield which has been a lifelong dream so I hope it all goes perfectly!

I also had my makeup done with Pixi makeup. I was quite excited to try it as after the crazy success of their Glow Tonic recently, their makeup line is becoming more and more popular. Unfortunately I didn't really feel like it suited my skin. It oddly seemed to accentuate problem areas such as pores and under eye circles rather than hide them which was a shame. However I did see a girl before me have their makeup done with the same products though and frankly she looked utterly stunning so it's obviously just not for me!

Next we headed on to the Gifting Lounge and I practically ran to the Halo Hair stand. I usually use clip in hair extensions for big occasions and I love them but my god they are a pain in the arse to put in. Not to mention the crushing embarrassment when you've been jumping around a little too excitably and a clip is suddenly there for all to see....Plus god forbid someone tries to touch your head and starts wondering why you feel like you have lumps all over the place...yeah...they have their problems. So anyway... Imagine my excitement to discover hair extensions that are all in one long strip in a head band style, not a clip in sight. There is just a very fine wire that you simply arrange your hair to cover. I've popped an official photo below to show how it works in case my description is rubbish! But essentially, there is just one thing to put in, no lumpy bumps, nothing to see, just long glorious hair in an instant....yes, it is the answer to all of your hair extension problems. I even watched the lovely Aimee demo them as I was curious as to how easy it would actually be to put in and honestly, it took about two minutes!! I am really hoping to be part of Project Halo in the future as I am so incredibly impressed with this product!

Another brand that particularly stood out for me were Miglio, a stunning South African jewellery brand. Not only were they gorgeous, but they were really versatile. There was one particular necklace that could be worn as a long chain or in two different short styles which I thought would be fantastic for travelling! 

The stall for True Brit London Nail Varnish was predictably stunning. As a brand they have such a great look and it's easy to see that each aspect of the product has been thought about. They have a gorgeous range of colours from pastels to brights to glimmering golds and each one oozed luxury. I've never come across a nail varnish bottle that I would actually want to display but True Brit managed it!

Another lovely discovery was the lingerie brand With Love Lilly. They specialise in luxury, handmade products and I honestly can't wait to get my hands on them. The detail in every single item is simply stunning and the fact that they will produce items for sizes up to a G is really refreshing. I often find the really detailed lingerie brands specialise in much smaller sizes so it's nice to find a brand that realises girls with bigger boobs like to have really pretty items too, not just a support structure! I particularly loved the Alexis Harness Bralette and will certainly be splurging on payday! Ladies if you'd like some really luxury items, this is certainly the place to go.

I also really enjoyed talking to Tiziano about the Perphone. Perphone is essentially a phone case that has a perfume compact attached to it on the back which does sound a little crazy but trust me, it's brilliant. It comes with a number of different perfumes and is so sleek. The excitement from Tiziano was so visible and very infectious! I walked over thinking I was mildly curious and walked away thinking it was the best concept ever. Being a huge lover of perfumes who always carries a selection with me, the idea of literally having the ability to carry it in your phone is simply fabulous to me. It was another item where you could really see the craftsmanship that had gone in to the product and I really hope it takes off!

There were so many other brands that were lovely and all the people at the stands were a pleasure to talk to. Maison Ves had the very cool idea of putting personalised hashtags on candles, Pudology created the yummiest gluten free desserts I've ever tasted, Crush Cocktails made some unique and very yummy refreshments, Fleur of England were another beautiful lingerie brand, Kleem Organics had the most delicious smelling serum I've ever come across....I could literally go on and on! All of the brands were incredibly generous as well so I will be reviewing some of the products I received over the next couple of weeks.

Needless to say it was a fantastic day and I was so glad we got the chance to experience it. I will definitely want to take part in the next one!

Do I really need to lose weight for my wedding day?

Would you ever just randomly ask your friend if they were planning to lose weight? Or, to make things even more awkward, would you ask someone who is practically a stranger? Unless you are one of the more socially forward types, I'm guessing the answer is no.

So why is it, that the second you have an engagement ring on your finger, this suddenly becomes the question that you get asked constantly? Literally...by everyone. From your closest friend to passing strangers, they all seem to want to know what your goal weight is for the big day. Perhaps it comes from a caring standpoint of wanting to help you feel your best on your wedding day and an assumption that shedding a few pounds will get you there. One would certainly like to think so. But I can't help but wonder why? Last time I checked, my fiance was aware that he was not asking a tall, willowy beauty to marry him but instead a chunky, short girl was his choice and he was okay with that. Well I certainly hope so otherwise the ring giving was probably slightly inappropriate! I also imagine that this is generally the case for all couples at this pinnacle moment. From this assumption we can guess that said other half does not hold the expectation or the want for their future bride to be panicking about losing weight before the big day. They love how they look at that moment. They are perfect, just the way they are...in full on Bridget Jones style.

Yet there seems to be such a huge expectation that all brides must be below a certain size for their wedding day. Personally I think the wedding industry itself plays a huge part in this. The fact that the average size of British women these days is a 16 yet the vast majority of bridal shops only carry sample wedding dresses in sizes 8-12 kind of says something. Now to make myself clear, I am not saying that it's wrong to want to lose weight for your wedding day or that bridal shops should only carry larger sizes instead. I simply think that at a time when you should be able to bask in the glow of being loved for exactly who you are, the absolute last thing you should feel is pressure to change how you look.

Now I wasn't one of those girls who always dreamed of her wedding dress. To be honest until my partner proposed I hadn't really even thought of what type of wedding I wanted. But I did at least have a picture in my mind of what the wedding dress search would be like. It would be all smiles and laughs, glasses of champagne and prancing around in an array of gorgeous dresses. Sadly my wedding dress search was a far more stressful experience. Dress after dress that I put on would barely fit over my ample arse, let alone do up. I was encouraged to "imagine" what it would look like but who wants to buy what is probably the most expensive dress you will ever wear based on imagining what it would look like? Not to mention how horribly soul destroying it is to not find a single thing in the shop that will actually fit you. As I have said, I am not the smallest of people but I am certainly not wildly outside of standard sizes. I buy my clothes in high street stores and I don't even need to go to plus size shops so I was utterly bewildered by the fact that I couldn't find a dress that would fit me.

I started to get incredibly worried that I would look awful on my wedding day if I didn't lose weight. I sat and planned what exercise regime I needed to follow, what I would eat for the next two years, how much I could theoretically lose in that time. I joined Weightwatchers and the lady who ran it pronounced that she could have me five dress sizes down before my wedding date. I was then left thinking...oh god, do I need to lose five dress sizes!? Needless to say it wasn't exactly the glowing feeling I was hoping for.

Fast forward a year and a half later and being the rather rubbish dieter that I am I haven't exactly made any huge difference to my weight. Certainly not the five dress sizes I supposedly needed. I had been putting off going for another wedding dress search for such a long time, thinking eventually I would be the size I needed to be before choosing. But then it dawned on me. I have 6 months till my wedding. It's pretty safe to say my body is not going to radically change in that time. Plus the rather obvious need to get a wedding dress on order...thinking of that initially made me panic but slowly I realised actually, screw this! I'm going to find my perfect dress and I'm going to look darn good on my wedding day, dress size be damned.

So in I strolled to a bridal shop. Once again the dresses didn't really fit but this time, smiles and laughter were most definitely present. My mum and my sister were the perfect cheerleaders and the presence of champagne was certainly a pleasant addition...and what happened? I found my perfect dress. Yes I had a momentary wobble that I might still be too big when I looked at the photos of me wearing it. But the more and more I look at these photos the more I think actually, I look pretty good. I think one of the main reasons for that is because I was enjoying myself. I was happy and not standing there thinking about how fat my arms are or how my waist should be smaller or the fact that I'm not the "perfect" size.

So yes, I will be a fat bride but you know what? Who the hell cares. That feeling of acceptance is so freeing. I suddenly feel so much more comfortable about how I will look on my wedding day and I think I will actually look even better for it. After all, what is more attractive than a person brimming with confidence and feeling their best? It doesn't matter what size you are, if you have that glow of happiness you will be a beautiful bride. So if you are reading this right now and have been agonizing over changes you "need" to make before the big day, stop. Just give yourself a second to remember that you do not need to be a certain number on the scale to be beautiful. And for me? The man who's opinion truly matters loves me for who I am and how I look right now and that means more to me than any sample size dress horror ever could.