In My Bag

My shopping bag has been filled with summery delights recently. Lots of white, some boho print and pretty embroidery are all welcome additions to my wardrobe.

Dress £27.50 ( in the sale!), Mango

First up this Aztec print dress from Mango. The print makes it a perfect holiday cover up, but the monochrome colourway ensures it's easy to wear when schleping around town with some simple black flat sandals.

Jeans £45, Topshop

Remember my deliberations over the Topshop Mom jeans? Well I'm pleased I didn't commit to them as I tried on the Hayden style and they are so much better. The fit is boyfriend, the rips are slightly higher and I love them. My perfect white jean for summer.

Dress £95, Coast

I was kindly given a voucher to spend in Coast when I attended their press day recently. Venturing into store I found this gorgeous dress with flirty cut-out shoulders. It's too dressy for wearing on a day to day basis, but I will be wearing it with a metallic sandal for evenings out.

Sequin Top £135, Whistles

This has got to be the perfect sequin top, I adore it. It has side vents, a boxy shape and a double layer detail. I'll be dressing mine down for day with a ripped boyfriend jean or pairing with black skinny trousers for evening.

Denim Jacket £54.95, Gap 

The last time I wore a denim jacket was in the very late nineties and I'm ashamed to say it was customised with badges from Portabello Road and I cut the cuffs off (what was I thinking?) I won't be doing anything to this summer cover up from Gap. It's already proven very handy on my recent trip to South Africa keeping me warm in the evenings which were far chillier than I thought they were going to be. I went down a size and wear it with the cuffs rolled up not chopped off.

Embroidered Skirt £14.99, New Look

And saving the best until last this skirt from New Look has got to be the bargain of the summer. In a heavy cotton with simple embroidery, it isn't too short, isn't sheer and isn't too skater style. I've worn mine already with a navy sweater and tan sandals and can't wait to wear it again.

Weekend Scenes

This isn't strictly a Weekend Scenes post as I spent the majority of my weekend on a plane flying home, trying to force myself to sleep. Instead it is a round up of last week which I was lucky enough to spend in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on a photo shoot.

We stayed at the incredible Boardwalk Hotel situated on the Indian ocean front.

My room was wonderful and I spent as much time as I could in the relaxing roll top bath!

The view from my bedroom was worth waking up for and I could hear the waves from my bed.

Every night we ate at a delicious restaurant called Ginger which served the most incredible vegetarian food, so yummy and such good value.

I managed to fit in some triathlon training by running along the ocean front as the sun came up.

The scenery around Port Elizabeth was stunning and we were lucky to have beautiful blue skies. It wasn't very warm but I couldn't resist taking my shoes off and dipping my toes in the freezing ocean when we were working on the beach.

Jacket Gap, T-shirt J. Crew, Trousers Zara, Sandals Gap

Vest Alexander Wang, Jeans Topshop, Sandals Birkenstock

Shirt Zara, Jeans Topshop, Sandals Birkenstock

I was hoping for warmer weather when I packed shorts and summery dresses (damn you incorrect BBC weather report!) but thankfully I'd over packed and ended up living in jeans, trousers and layers.

Thank you Port Elizabeth for a great trip!

Weekend Scenes

This weekend was filled with the most glorious weather which lent itself to stunning views from my window.

Blue skies call for blue nails (and veiny hands!) so I went for light by Topshop and dark by Essie.

Sunday morning was spent with a lovely friend catching up over tea and juices at Riding House Cafe.

I managed to fit in some training for the London Triathlon I am taking part in with Simply swim, a great gym session then a much needed realigning yoga class.

I also added to my make up collection with these treats from Topshop. I have a few of the lip bullets now and they really are great value, with a lasting, non-drying formula. I can't wait to try out this pea-soup coloured nail polish either, it's a happy summer shade.

Nail polish in Clique and Exposed, Lip bullet in Joyride

Have a lovely week!

Tan Up

The tan sandal is something every woman should have in her wardrobe. It is a great neutral colour for summer and looks lovely when paired with a bright toe nail. These sandals will work perfectly with lace, denim, whites, brights, summer patterns; pretty much everything, which is why you should go forth and purchase some! 

Tan sandals £29.95 Gap

I recently bought these from Gap. I like the simple straps and the fact they are super comfortable. 

Here is round up of some other tan sandals that I'd quite like to add to my shoe collection.

Marni Sandal £257

These beautiful creatures from Marni have blobs of crystal at the toe making them perfect for holiday evenings.

Sol Sana Sandal £71

I adore the sporty white stripe on these sandals by Australian brand Sol Sana. They'd be the perfect accompaniment to summer tailoring.

Russell & Bromley Sandal £89.50

The Lauren sandal by Russell & Bromley is a pair you will love for years. They are simple enough to wear for daytime, but the golden buttons mean you could easily take them out in the evening. 

Ancient Greek Sandals £95

These have to be the perfect holiday sandal. So simple, chic and easy to wear.

Zara Sandal £39.99

Now I know these aren't strictly a tan sandal, but the back strap is tan so I think they just about qualify! In small doses snakeskin can be treated as a neutral so these will work with your outfits as well as a tan sandal. Plus they are just such a great price point and a good looking sandal that I feel it would be an injustice not to share them!

Images: Zara, ASOS, Russell & Bromley, Matches Fashion

Weekend Scenes

The weekend started a day early for me as I enjoyed a freelance Friday afternoon (which turned into an evening) catching up with university friends at Shoreditch House. Cocktails were consumed and some very competitive games of ping pong were played, but my phone died so there's no photographic evidence of the revelry sadly.

I love Park Run!

On Saturday morning I ran a PB (personal best) at Mile End Park Run which helps towards the training for the London Triathlon I am taking part in with Simply Swim.

Brownie recipe from Peyton & Bryne

I figured I could indulge in a little chocolate action after my successful run so made these deliciously stodgy walnut brownies from Peyton & Bryne. I'm about half way through this massive batch, I'm such a chocolate fiend!

Charity shop here I come!

I finally got around to clearing out my wardrobe (making way for new purchases!) and this massive pile is off to my local charity shop to find a new home.

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray

My hair can't decide if it's curly or straight and is usually a fuzzy mess if I don't straighten it, which I do every day. However I've decided to give it a rest as my split ends are getting split ends, so I started using Bumble & Bumble's infamous Surf Spray this weekend to help define the frizz. So far so good, let's see how my hair behaves when the rain returns.

Dress Topshop (similar here), Sandals Stella McCartney, Bag Prada

It was so nice to have warmer weather this weekend and I couldn't resist getting my legs out and slipping on some sandals.

Let's hope the sunshine continues and have a lovely week!

Interiors: The Washroom

We've been in our home for almost 2 years now and finally it is all coming together. We love DIY and have spent many evenings and weekends ripping out then installing bathrooms (which led to a trip to the hospital for stitches!) painting, hanging wallpaper, laying carpet and floorboards, the list goes on. We only have the kitchen left to do this summer and then we'll probably get bored and start again!

While most rooms are grey and simple, my tiny loo was the only space I felt I could go a little mad. I liked the idea of a patterned wallpaper in a small space as seen in these washrooms.

I'd seen this wallpaper from House of Hackney ages ago and instantly fell in love. So much so that I purchased it as soon as we'd exchanged contracts!

We installed a new sink, light fittings, re-tiled everything then finally hung the beautifully bonkers wallpaper. As soon as the first drop went up I knew we'd made the right decision, I mean how good is it to be sitting on the loo looking at a pina colada drinking badger wearing an eye patch! The effect is quite intense especially as we decided to cover the ceiling too.

I found a quirky soap dispenser from Rockett St George that looks pretty but isn't so speedy when it comes to dispensing the hand wash!

My beloved flamingo (also from Rockett St George) hangs out in the loo with all his wallpaper animal buddies.

I also added some vintage apothecary jars I picked up from Wimbledon car boot sale.

And the finished room that makes me smile!

Images: camillestyles.com, Pinterest, cupcakesandcashmere.com, the-frugality.com, House of Hackney