Mom Stripes

Put aside the skinnies - I'm a 'Mom' jean lover now!

I've always been a skinny jean lover. My wardrobes packed with skinny Joni Topshop jeans and every time Saturday rolls around I pull out a pair, it's just so easy! But, I decided it was time to try something new...

I'd been admiring Topshops Mom jeans for a while and I always think they just look so great - but I was worried that the style just wouldn't suit me. Basically I was distressed that I wasn't 'cool' enough to pull them off! But I went for it aaaaaaaand I love them woo!

I actually think the cut is really flattering! They pull you in at the waist and give you such a lovely shape. Plus I think they make my non-existent bum look alright, if I do say so myself! I was worried about them being kind of too 'baggy' and not sit right, but they just fit perfectly. Plus a lovely lady in a shop one day stopped me to compliment them - I mean, winning!

My favourite thing to wear with them is a striped breton top - obviously. I love the red stripes and the classic top with the denim. It just works. I also always wear a big buckled belt just to pull in the waist and break it up. It's just the perfect look.

Another thing I love just though is my new trench coat. I mean just look at it, it's a thing of beauty! I'd wanted to get a trench coat for aaaaaages. I mean it's just a chic classic that everyone needs. They'll never go out of style and this is definitely something that I'll wear forever and ever and ever.... or until it literally falls apart.

I've seen cute little scarves all over instagram lately, so decided to give it a go. This one is probably a bit too long than the ones I liked. But, I actually quite like it a bit bigger! It gives it a bit of a different look that I think works in a really nice way. Plus the vintage silk vibe looks perfect with a classic breton top.

Red lips and voila - ready for brunch!

Basically I love my new Mom jeans and I think they're going to be my new favourite weekend staple!

Trench coat - Zara
Jeans - Topshop
Top - New Look
Scarf - Primark 
Shoes - Primark 

Glasgow Style Mile Shopping Festival

I don't really need an excuse to go shopping, but if I did, this would be the perfect one!

A Shopping Festival!! Those words just fill me with so much excitement, doesn't it sounds pretty amazing?! Well I've got good news for you, Glasgow is hosting its very own Style Mile Shopping Festival from today right through until the Bank Holiday Monday (May 30th) - whoop whoop!

Buchanan Street is one of the best places to shop, it's a true shopping destination, with every shop you could need all beside each other. I've spent many weekends wandering up and down and picking up some goodies! And now, over the festival some of the biggest shops on the street are getting involved to create a truly fabulous shopping trip...

I spied the 'Festival Hub' going up this week and it just looks fabulous! Throughout the festival you can pop along for presentations and some personal advice from top stylists and make-up artists. With the hair and beauty bar, as well as the terrace with lifestyle, fashion and beauty spaces it all looks so exciting!

And what else is going on....

Well where do I start!

• There's pampering and relaxation treatments from top places
• Fayre inspired fun at Princes Square
• A Shakespeare themed night at Vivienne Westwood
• All kinds of demonstrations from John Lewis
• Frasers are offering brand masterclasses and special collection previews
• Buchanan Galleries are running their own 'Style Lab'
• St Enoch Centre are running fashion and beauty fixes with top stylists and make-up artists
• Also keep an eye out for special offers and promos from delicious restaurants

Oh my goodness how amazing does it all sound! I'm so excited for a Make-Up Masterclass with Glasgow's most famous make-up artists Jamie Genevieve - teach me the perfect smoky eye please?

There's been such a buzz about Buchanan Street getting everything set up and the weekends set to be a big one. You can find out more about it HERE

It all sounds so exciting doesn't it! I know what I'll be doing this bank holiday that's for sure....

Insta-Happenings

Back when it was sunnier and I wore my new favourite dress!

Timehop took me back to a year ago when I went to the wonderful Crabtree and Evelyn Garden Celebrations event. Ooooh and it was just lovely! I learnt so much more about Crabtree as a brand and was so surprised by the amount of amazing things they offer. As well as beautiful beauty products there was also some tasty treats on offer - oh my goodness I'm remembering the Wild Blueberry and Lavender Preserve - and stunning perfumes in the prettiest bottles (seen here!)I'm going to be popping back to Crabtree soon that's for sure!

I love fresh flowers dotted about the flat and tulips have been blooming everywhere lately. I adore the colours of the yellow and orange/red together, they just make me smile when I come in. But boo, they started to fade - I'll just have to buy myself another bunch I guess...

Oooooh my goodness how amazing was the weather a wee while ago! Oh it was just so warm and sunny and summery! When the sun comes out it just puts everyone in a better mood and spreads smiles over everyone's faces! And what's better than sunning yourself in the garden with a chilled bottle of fizz - cheers to the summer! More of this please Glasgow!

I haven't done a little fashion post in a while and had this one sitting waiting patiently. I absolutely adore this New Look dress aaaaand I found it for an absolute bargain. It's so comfy, but also amazingly flattering and it's just made perfect for me with stripes all other it. Looks great for no-so-warm-weather, but I also can't wait to wear it in sunnier climes.

Ok, so the sun disappeared, waaaah, and the rain came back. But doesn't mean I can't dream of the sunny days coming back and emptying bottles on the lawn....

I did my summer shopping this weekend! It just makes you so excited doesn't it! I've always loved a floppy beach hat - they just always look so glam and amazing, but I've never actually got one for myself. However, after seeing the slogan-stitched sun hats all ver instagram lately I decided I really needed one to pose by the pool in and I found this absolute gem in Primark in all places! I love it! Can't wait to be stretched out under the sun in it by the pool....

I Love My Striped Dress

I think I've got a new favourite item in my wardrobe.

I actually found this dress in white first and totally fell in love with the lovely relaxed fit of it. It's perfect for summer, works for the office and is ideal for a relaxed weekend brunch. So, when I spotted it in the New Look sale in stripe for an absolute bargain I couldn't resist!

The blue-grey striped midi dress is just a dream! I really love the shirt design of the dress that makes it lovely and casual, but with the midi length you can dress it up and make it look smarter with heels. It's buttoned all the way down which makes it really versatile.

Now, I must confess that I took these photos when the weather was a little chiller and not as perfect and wonderfully sunny as it has been just now - hence the tights! But, I think it shows how well the dress can work! I also popped on a polo neck underneath, which I thinks works wonderfully for not so summery days!

What makes this dress fit perfectly is the D-ring belt, you just pull it right in at the waist and it gives you a lovely shape. It makes it a really flattering shirt dress rather than just hanging there - beaut.

It also buttons the whole way down, but to give it a bit more of a 'chic' look you can un-button them to create a little slit in the front. It just makes it more fun to wear and means it hangs better and moves better with you when you walk!

I paired it with my favourite metallic brogues and popped a polo underneath for now. Buuuuuut, I'm looking forward to wearing it on summery holidays with a bright, bright lip and sandals or even for beer garden days here with peep-toe, chunky-heeled boots.

I mean I'm just a little bit in love with it!

Dress - New Look
Polo-Neck - H&M
Shoes - Next 

Insta-Happenings

Eating loads of food and treating myself to new clothes!

I got an absolute bargain of a dress in the New Look sale and I love it so much! It's quite different from what I'd maybe normally choose, but it's perfection! It looked lovely like this, but it'll also be amazing for the Summer. Keep your eyes peeled for the whole outfit. I'm sure you'll fall just as head over heels as I did.

We took a little trip up to Killin one weekend. It was lovely to get out of Glasgow for a bit. Weekend wanders in the country are so lovely. We walked around the loch and enjoyed fresh country air - just perfection.

On the way back through to Glasgow we stopped off at Beefeater Grill in Stirling. I'd been invited along to try out some new additions to the menu and I couldn't wait for a tasty feast. Beefeater specialises in steaks so the surf n' turf was an obvious choice. And there's so much more on the menu! There was such a huge selection I don't know how we managed to pick!

Oh my goodness I've found the best new beauty treatment! I gave LVL Lashes a go recently and I loved them so much. In my post you can see the before and after effects and find out more about what actually happens during the treatment. I never usually go for treatments like this, but I was over the moon with the results and think it's the ideal pre-holiday treat!

And another bargain! I love a wee wander round Primark, you always pick up a little something pretty. I found this amazing patterned blazer for £5!! Yes, that was £5!!! What an absolute treat! I love the different colours and the fringing detail just finished it off perfectly. Primark, you are definitely where I love to spend my pocket money!

And after a long day gym-ing and work I love nothing more than climbing into bed and flicking through Elle - bliss.

And here's my Beefeater post! There's even a special discount code in there for you if you fancy trying out the mouth-watering menu. I tried out a couple of the new additions and I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious they were. A really friendly restaurant that's ideal for a weekend treat meal!

I've found my new summer lipstick, this is not a drill, it's the best summer lipstick. My friend gave me it at Christmas time and I have to confess I'd waited until now to take it for a test run as the colour was definitely a bright, bold summer one! So as the sun shone at the weekend I decided to try the bright orange shade out - and I love it! I can't wait to wear it on summery holidays!

Finding bright, pretty flowers on country walks just makes me smile!

New Menu Treats at Beefeater

We popped into Beefeater Stirling for an absolutely delicious feast!

Beefeater first fired up their grills back in 1974 and now have over 140 restaurants nationwide, cooking an enormous amount of steaks in that time I'm sure! The pub-style chain of restaurants prides itself on offering a friendly and relaxed atmosphere with an affordable menu that's got a great selection. And really the menu has everything! There's starters - from duck wings to salt beef boards - filling mains - including burgers and steaks - and if you've got room mouth-watering puds!

We stopped off at the Stirling Beefeater on our way back to Glasgow from a weekend up North. It's just in the perfect pit-stop place, nestled right between Glasgow and Edinburgh and really easy to get to. As soon as you walk in the big double doors the atmosphere is really light and welcoming. There's a really comfortable bar area, as well as booth seating for groups, with a lovely friendly atmosphere throughout. As soon as we walked in we were greeted by smiles that never stopped.

And the menu! Well you could take hours pouring over the menu trying to decide what to get! Beefeater have recently added some new dishes so I was looking forward to giving them a go.

To kick things off there's big Sharers to start or single starters if  like Joey "you don't share food!" I went for the new 'Kofta' which was delicious with just the right hint of spice and across from me the wings certainly got devoured.

For Mains Steak is really a Beefeater speciality. They source their cuts of meat from trusted farms to deliver really great quality. The butcher will then hand-cut them expertly age the steaks for 21 days. Beefeater even have a Steak Academy to train all their chefs. This meant that the Surf N' Turf was an obvious choice!

Or you could opt for something from the grill, as well as choose from all the favourites including Fish n' Chips or Gammon Steaks. Or, if like me, you love a burger there's an excellent selection! I went for another new addition to the menu - The Chicken Burger with Avocado, Bacon and Cheese. It was delicious. Everything you want a big burger to be.

Then onto the desserts! And oh my goodness how do you choose!

There's a pretty fabulous collection, from chocolate brownies and black forest gateau to sundaes, where I would love to have one of each! Too stuffed to get one each we shared a scrumptious apple and caramel pudding. But as we scrapped the plate clean we were wishing we'd had one each!

Basically the menu offers something for everyone! If the fussiest of eaters wouldn't be disappointed by what's on offer. There's something for every mood and every person - so much so that I kept changing my mind right up until we ordered!

The service was just lovely too. With the wonderful Claire looking after us we had everything we needed and felt really cared for. It was so friendly and the whole place just had a lovely buzz about it.

Aaaaaaaaand I've got a special treat for you all! I can offer you an exclusive 25% off at Stirling Beefeater! All you need to do is show the code - 588113001 when you go to settle the bill. It's valid until the 18th of May. Let me know what you decide to eat!

REVIEW: LVL Lashes

I was lucky enough to be treated to some amazing LVL Lashes - and oh my goodness they're pretty fantastic!

The lovely Karen from The Beauty Spot at Kevin O'Neill Hair invited me along to get some LVL Lashes done, I was immediately intrigued! I never usually get much done to my eyelashes. They're quite long naturally and all I usually do is curl and pop on mascara, but after reading a little more into LVL I was really excited to give them a go!

LVL stands for Length, Volume and Lift, everything you want in eyelashes. The finishing effect is amazing longer and lifted lashes. The beauty of them is that there's no extensions, adhesive and you don't even really need to wear mascara afterwards if you don't want to, sounds like a bit of a miracle doesn't it!

Here's my eyelashes before....

So what exactly does it involve....

Well essentially a setting serum is used to straighten the natural lashes, giving them the effect of being curled and lifted up and then they're tinted to look like they've got a coat of mascara.

You have to do a patch test 48 hours prior to the treatment just to double check that your eyes won't be irritated by anything that's used. Once your ready to go your eyelashes are first cleaned and a shield is applied to protect your eyes, then your eyes are closed for the full 45 minute treatment. To begin your eyelashes will be combed out and pulled backwards onto the shield with a perming lotion then being applied in order to set the lashes. Once this has dried, a neutraliser and then a tint is put on to darken your eyelashes. Finally a bit of moisturiser is used to keep them in good condition.

And straight away you see amazing results au natural!

And here they are after! 

The results are instant and looked fantastic straight away, lifted and definitely longer! Now in the mornings I'm not finding myself needing to curl them and I just need a quick coat of mascara and I'm ready to go. But even without mascara, first thing in the morning I find that they look 'done' and almost as though they've been curled and then had a thin coat of clear mascara.

It's all about enhancing your natural lashes. They're not curled, but straightened and lifted, with the tint adding some definition and depth. It's the perfect pre-holiday treatment if you're jetting away for a pool or beach holiday. Your eyelashes just look pretty fantastic and it makes everything so easy!

These are them with a coat of mascara - amazing! 

The Beauty Spot was a great place to go for the LVL Lashes. The lovely relaxing room made it feel like such a treat and Karen was just fabulous. She was amazing at putting my mind at ease and talked me through each step. It's so lovely to have a beauty treatment by some one who is excited to transform you and really cares that you love the look. She's an absolute gem!

Coming in at £45 the LVL lashes last for around 6-8 weeks, so a really good long time!

Thanks so much to Karen I absolutely love my lashes and wouldn't hesitate in recommending them!