Jean Jacket Joy

A little while ago I purchased this denim jacket from my high street favourite Gap and I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I wear it. It works brilliantly for day with skirts and dresses and equally well slung over my shoulders to dress down an evening look. I especially like this Gap jacket as the arms are fitted, the denim is a little distressed plus it's now in the sale so go forth and buy, you won't regret it.

Jacket Gap, Tshirt COS, Skirt H&M, Sandals Birkenstocks

Here are some other denim jackets catching my eye.

Topshop £45

My love affair with white continues with this oversized denim jacket from Topshop.

J. Crew £128

A very flattering cropped jacket from J. Crew.

Acne Studios £220 from Net-A-Porter

A light denim style from Acne Studios, perfect for summer.

Marques'Almeida £275 from Matches Fashion

I adore this offering from Marques'Almeida in dark denim with concealed buttons and frayed edges.

Images: J. Crew, Topshop, Net-A-Porter, Matches

Cushion Craft

I work in the fashion industry but I can't work a sewing machine. Shameful I know. After buying some gorgeous fabric from John Lewis I sought online help from You Tube and attempted to make some cushions. Surprisingly I now have cushions made by my fair hands scattered on my sofa. It's not that hard so if you are a sewing novice like me give it a go! 

You will need:

Fabric

Cushion Filler

Pencil

Cotton

Tape Measure

Pins

Scissors

Sewing Machine

First up buy a pre-made cushion filler. I got mine for a few pounds from H&M. Then measure the cushion before measuring out 2 pieces of fabric adding 4cms to the entire circumference of one and 8cm to the circumference of the other. Mark the measurements on the inside with a pencil then cut out each piece, then cut the larger piece in half.

I didn't want to freak myself out by trying to add a zip so I opted for an envelope opening. This is a little fiddly to do, but easier than a zip! Fold over one edge on the 2 smaller pieces of fabric twice  (still working on the inside) and iron into place then pin. This will prevent fraying and provide a neat edge to your opening.

Then sew the edges so they are tidy and secure.

Try not so do as I did and bust your sewing machine on more than one occasion!

Once the edges are sewn, lay the 2 pieces of fabric over the top of the third piece of fabric so that they overlap. The nice sides of the fabric should be facing each other.

Then pin into place and sew together!

Turn the cushion the right side out using a chopstick to push out the little corners before adding the filling.

And Ta Da! you have home made cushions, a very satisfying endeavor indeed! I even got carried away and made some for my bed.

In My Bag

I did a little sale shopping recently but not much as I'm about to start a kitchen renovation and granite work surfaces ain't cheap!

First up the J. Crew sale is flipping brilliant! I got the loveliest, softest, goes with everything in my wardrobe grey sweater.

Sweater £35 J.Crew, Jeans Topshop, Trainers Adidas, Bag Louis Vuitton

I also got these trousers. I'd tried them on when they were ludicrously full priced so was super happy when they'd been reduced by two thirds!

Toothpick jeans £39 J.Crew

Whistles also have a good sale at the moment. The sizes in store are limited but I managed to find another navy sweater to add to my collection and these flattering shorts that I've already worn to work with a breton stripe and out for dinner with a white shirt and heeled sandals.

Navy shorts £45 Whistles

At the Kurt Geiger press day a while back I was kindly gifted a voucher and so spent it on these tassled sandals. Super comfy and I had so many positive comments when I wore them to a photo shoot last week.

Tasseled sandals £55 Kurt Geiger

And while this & Other Stories dress wasn't in the sale, I think it's the perfect summer dress. Spaghetti straps, flippy skirt detail, sitting just above the knee and in a light crepe fabric. Plus in winter I'll layer it with a navy sweater and some biker boots, making this a versatile buy.

Perfect summer dress £55 & Other Stories

Has anyone else scored any bargains in the sales?

Weekend Scenes

Another busy week at work with lots of prepping and a shoot in the countryside meant I was so looking forward to the weekend.

We managed to get some triathlon training in at the Olympic Velopark. I tested out my new Orca triathlon suit which was kindly provided by Simply Swim UK  for the forthcoming London Triathlon and also my bike clip ins and only managed to fall over once! 

Looking happy in my new tri-suit!

Looking not so happy with the grease marks after I fell off my bike!

I'm clearly developing a love for old school Adidas trainers as I snapped up these Stan Smiths, navy and the palest of grey, so gooooood!

Adidas Stan Smiths £69.99 from Office

We've been wanting to do an American road trip for a few years now but being freelance, work has always got in the way. However we have to do it this year so have started researching. If anyone has any tips for a West Coast road trip I would love to hear from you!

USA travel guide from Amazon

And on Sunday my weekend was cut short as I travelled to Wales for a photo shoot.

Zooming on the train to Wales

I hope everyone has a happy Monday!

Tips From The Pros

I recently met Claire Ray on a magazine photo shoot and she kindly agreed to share her beauty secrets.

Image from Claire Ray

Claire has over 15 years experience as a make up artist and has worked with celebs including Mischa Barton and Sienna Miller as well as touring with Westlife and Take That. Sadly I couldn't prize any showbiz secrets from Claire but below are the beauty products she's never without.

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, £34.50

Armani does the best selection of foundations in a huge range of shades. I like to apply them with a foundation brush for long lasting, even coverage.

Clinique Blended Face Powder, £23

 Some face powders can dry and look 'cakey' after a few hours, but I've found Clinique's powder looks fresh all day long.

Benefit Sun Beam, £19.50

When you want a healthy sun-kissed glow without the UV damage use Benefit Sunbeam.

Clinique Blushwear Cream Stick, £21

Clinique's cream blush applies easily and adds an uplifting pop of colour to the skin.

Rimmel London 60 Second Nail Polish, £3.69

Forget pricey nail polishes, Rimmel's 60 second polish, dries faster than any other I've tried and the small brush ensures a precise application.

Kerastase Nutritive Masque Nutri-Thermique, £22

If your hair resembles a scarecrow, especially after a summer holiday, apply Kerastase's Nutritive Masque Nutri-Thermique and it'll feel like silk after only one treatment.

Scott Barnes Body Bling, £22

To give limbs a healthy shimmer use Scott Barnes' Body Bling. I always use this on shoots as it gives skin a healthy glow and evens out skin tone, especially on legs.

Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips, £2.18

Another inexpensive must have is Vaseline's Rosy Lips. It moisturises really well and adds a natural glow to the lips.

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara, £7.99

I find Max Factor's Masterpiece Max mascara to have the best wand for easy and thorough application, plus it doesn't smudge.

Thank you Claire! You can see more of Claire's work here.

Images: Armani, Clinique, ASOS, Rimmel, Lookfantastic.com, Feelunique.com, Boots, Max Factor.

Weekend Scenes

Last week was incredibly busy, filled with meetings, prepping for shoots, working with new clients and even doing a photo shoot on a private jet, so I was more than ready for the weekend.

We only have one more room to decorate, the kitchen, which has required many hours of perusing Pinterest and on Saturday we extended our research to the shops to physically touch granite, play with ovens and open and close cupboards.

Sticking to a kitchen palette of white and grey

Marble worktops...

Or concrete ones?

Massive chopping board of dreams from West Elm

A sink that's being considered from Habitat

As we were in London it was rude not to visit the sales where the boyfriend scored some bargains from Liberty and I got lucky in J. Crew where the sale is fantastic (more to come on what I purchased later this week.)

You MUST visit the J. Crew sale!

The London Triathlon I am taking part in with Simply Swim isn't far away now so it was up early on Sunday for some swimming at London Fields Lido.

Blue skies and blue water at London Fields Lido

Obviously after such a strenuous work out I felt I'd earned these home baked sweet potato brownies!

Delicious and semi healthy brownies

And I introduced the boyfriend to Star Wars. Even if he doesn't fall in love with it he'll understand why I want an ewok and the noise I make when trying to imitate Chewbacca.

I love Star Wars

Have a lovely week everyone!

Images: Pinterest

Weekend Scenes

Another weekend, another drive into the countryside for a marathon. This time the boyfriend was running The Picnic, deemed the hardest marathon in Britain. It was scorching hot so I packed up a beach towel and Vogue and lounged in the grass waiting for him to complete the race, which he did in a fantastic time. Very proud...

Sunning my toes and enjoying the view

My super marathon runner post race

Sunday was spent mooching around the East End visiting Columbia Road, wandering around Spitalfields Market and people watching in Brick Lane.

Beautiful colourful flowers at Columbia Road

I purchased some succulents (the only plant besides a fig tree and some ferns that I've not managed to kill) and repotted them for my outdoor dining table.

Pretty little succulents please don't die!

Then it was an afternoon of unpacking and prepping for an exciting shoot I have next week. My office is full of Louboutins and Asprey bags, such a shame they have to be returned!

Shoes glorious shoes!

Have a great week and let's hope the sun keeps its hat on!