Glossybox October

I know everyone has been talking about these, at least if you live in the UK, but when the GlossyBox team asked me if I'd like to try out the October GlossyBox, I did say yes. I'm not a beauty blogger, nor do I really have that much idea about cosmetics or skincare products, but I actually think that makes this box all the more useful. I got the chance to try out some new products, whereas normally I stick to my basics & don't branch out. Every month is different, so at £12.95 per box (incl p&p), it is a fairly affordable way to sample products.

This month, there were 2 full sized products, a Stila liner, & Leighton Denny nail polish, making the box well worth investing in, as the nail polish alone retails for £11! There were also some Dermalogia skincare samples, and some tiny vials of perfume. Honestly I would prefer if the box was solely cosmetic based, because I honestly don't care about trying out anti ageing creams etc, or other skin products. Trying out new makeup is much more appealing!

I probably won't start up a subscription myself, because a.) I don't always have money to spare each month, & b.) I don't really care enough about trying out skin care things. If the box was just makeup & nail polish, I would definitely be very very tempted, but as it is at the moment, it's just too risky as to whether I would actually bother with the products. I'm definitely going to get some use out of the nail polish & liner, but the rest is a bit "meh" for me!

Are you signed up to any beauty boxes? What do you think?

OOTD - Black Birds

Top - Very // Skirt - ASOS Curve // Bow - New Look // Boots - ASOS // Ring - Welsh Gift Shop

The Cosmo Blog Awards

Some of you might remember that I told you about being shortlisted for a Cosmopolitan Blog Award in the "Established Fashion Blog" section a little while back. Well yesterday was the big day, with an awards ceremony where the winners were announced. Unfortunately I couldn't make the event, but I managed to find out all the winners through the live twitter feed (#cosmoblogawards) last night. Imagine my shock, and I mean serious shock, shaky hands, a few tears, etc, when I found out that this little old blog actually managed to win my category! Honestly, it's probably a good thing I wasn't there in person, as I would have probably burst into tears/done something stupid in front of everyone there, haha!

Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone who voted for me, I honestly never expected this, so thank you so much for your support! I still can't quite believe it.

You can find the whole list of all winning & highly commended blogs here. (Scroll down to the "Established Fashion Blog" to find me, & yes, they still got my blog name wrong - eek!).

Anyway, until next time,

Georgina xxx

Crown and Glory Review

Recently the lovely Sophie, who runs Crown & Glory, kindly offered to send me one of her handmade hair accessories to feature & review. You should all know by now how much I love hair accessories, & am rarely seen without a headbow, so I happily said yes. Crown & Glory sells all sorts of accessories, from garlands to fascinators, from combs to hair clips & more!

"Crown & Glory was born in 2011 from Photographic Art graduate Sophie King's absolute obsession with hair accessories. From whimsical floral garlands to rockabilly pin up sets and everything in between, Crown and Glory Hair Accessories will add that finishing touch to every outfit. Clients are fully encouraged to take part in the design process - if you have a specific colour-way or attachment in mind Crown and Glory will be delighted to customise your order to your every whim. Each piece is lovingly handmade by Sophie herself, and carefully packaged and giftwrapped"

I couldn't make a decision on which item I liked best, they were all so lovely, so Sophie offered to make me a one of a kind garland in deep pinks & purples. Sophie's Etsy shop houses all her one of a kind items. Do also check out the Crown & Glory blog, Facebook, & Twitter, to keep up to date on all the latest news and/or competitions!

As you can see, the garland she made me is very pretty! I love hair garlands anyway, but this is definitely the most well made of all of the ones I own. The other ones I have are from Primark, or handmade by myself, haha! I love the ribbon tie detail at the back too, so this will fit any size head. It even has little crystal accents dotted on the flowers, which is a lovely finishing touch.

Rating - 10/10

I love supporting indie/handmade, so I will definitely be returning to Crown & Glory in the future, as their prices are very reasonable, & quality amazing!

If you want to get your own one of a kind garland, do visit the Crown & Glory Etsy shop, and enter the code CUPCAKE15 for 15% off all orders until the end of November!

OOTD - Bunnies & Dalmatians

Skirt - Handmade // Jumper - Next // Shoes - Next // Necklace - Handmade // Bag - Suzy Smith @ ASOS // Ring - Gift Shop in North Wales

Bad pic of my nails, but they are baby pink with metallic pink tips.

It was cold today so I broke out the wool skirt, jumpers & velvet, & added my usual crazy clashing prints to my outfit. I love mixing colours & prints that you aren't supposed to, haha. And aren't my dalmatian shoes divine!? I love the little dolly heel, very me!

OOTD - Autumn Cute

Dress - ASOS Curve// Shoes - Next // Socks - Primark // Cardigan - H&M //Bag - ASOS // Headband - Handmade // Rings - Evans // Necklace - Accessorize

A few outfit photos from today. We took the doggies round to my grandparents house for the day as our house is undergoing a little diy at the moment. Their garden backs out onto some lovely woods & playing fields, so Mum& I took Button, Tallie & Dillon for a walk almost as soon as we got there. I also took the opportunity to snap some outfit photos as we went :)

When Charlotte & I were little, we used to stay around our Grandparent's house all the time. We'd play with all my mum's & her sisters old toys, have have sauteed potatoes & homemade treacle duff(obviously not served together:P) for tea, & a roll of Munchies as we settled down to watch Midsomer Murders in the evening. Aww I feel all nostalgic now, haha! Anyway, I took the chance whilst we were over there to have a look back through one of the old toy cupboards & take a few pics.

Vintage jewellery that we used to look at & play with.

Did anyone else play mousie mousie as kids? Or Downfall? Or a weird marble drop game which I can never remember the name of, where the aim was to pull out the floor beneath your opponents marbles, & stay alive yourself! Haha, that's what it's called, Stay Alive! My sister & I spent many hours playing all of these whilst staying over. They also have an upright piano, which Charlotte used to thrash upon, as well as bagatelle & chinese checkers, which always used to be played at Christmas.

I love this pic of my Mum & her sisters. Mum is at the top of the tree, being the eldest like me. We (well I was) were commenting today how neither of us actually look much like we did when we were kids. My face kinda changed from the age of 7, so you wouldn't really recognise me before that. Charlotte on the other hand, looks exactly the same as she did from a very young age. Weird! Do you look like you did as a kid, or have you changed too?

Callooh & Callay Review

Lillian runs one of my favourite blogs (Funny Face's Place), so when I heard she was opening a shop (with her partner Claire), I couldn't wait. It's called Callooh & Callay, & opened whilst I was in Wales, so once I got back, I immediately went to the store to check everything out. Everything was lovely & right up my street, so I placed an order for the Cameo Brooch, wishing I had enough money to get a few more pieces.

After I'd placed my order, the lovely Lillian emailed me & asked me if I'd like to be sent a piece to review as well, so obviously I jumped at the chance! I knew I wanted one of the Balloon Dog necklaces, but had a very hard time deciding what type, let alone colour. Anyway, eventually I managed to decide on the normal Balloon Dog necklace, in Sky Blue. My review is below, so do read on!

Firstly, the packaging is lovely & fits in very well with the circus theme of the shop. The description of the shop reads as such:

"We are Callooh and Callay, purveyors of fine acrylic jewellery. Our designs are influenced by our own obsessions from circuses to heraldy, animals to pop culture."

The shop itself is easy to navigate & has all possible info you could want, such as size, details on materials, & varied product images. There are 3 main collections at the moment, Balloonacy, Punch & Judy, & Jewels for Ghouls Halloween Collection, along with a few other pieces such as my cameo brooch, a Labyrinth(!!!) themed necklace, & more! Callooh & Callay also have their own blog, where you can find up to date info & discounts etc, here.

Both items came in their own individual box, in their own individual paper bag, with Callooh & Callay sticker. Also included was a free lollipop, always a nice touch!

Inside the box, was of course the necklace & also a very cute business card. The necklace itself is made really well, the design is adorable & very unique. I've honestly never seen another balloon dog anything, anywhere! I love it! The colour choice is also really good, there are 10 colour options for this necklace alone. I had a hard time picking, but in the end opted for blue rather than pink, as I thought it would pop against my hair more :P I was a bit worried about the hole for the chain being a bit fragile, but after inspecting it in real life it seems pretty sturdy, as the acrylic is nice & thick.

Together with the cameo brooch I bought.

I am really pleased with both items, they definitely met my expectations & I am definitely going back to shop there again. I hear they are also planning a super awesome Spring collection, so I really cannot wait for that! I know often people are distrustful if a review is 100% positive, but I honestly cannot find any faults. I have & will continue to spend my own money on Lillian & Claire's wonderful creations!

Lillian has also very kindly given me a code to share with you, my readers! It lasts a week from today & gives you 15% off any order. The code is CUPCAKE. Happy shopping!

Wanted - Autumn Edition

Collar Cardigan - ASOS Curve // Bird Print Top - Littlewoods // Fur Trim Coat - ASOS Curve // Dalmation Dolly Shoes - Next // Petal Collar - Romwe // Velvet Wedges - ASOS

Just a few of my favourite Autumn pieces to hit the shops recently. Of course I own the bird print top, which I think is gorgeous! Outfit post to come soon, I promise! I've just placed an order for the petal collar & the dalmation shoes today, so pics to come! I normally hate animal print, but this dalmation print a la Cruella I actually do love! Of course the rest of the items are on my wishlist, fur trim, velvet & knitwear are all autumn/winter staples for me. I love the fact that pretty peter pan collars are getting much easier to find, I have loved them forever, but they've only really come in over the last year or so. And talk about hard to find in plus sizes. There still aren't that many options out there, which is whyI think detachable collars are probably the way to go, you can add them to virtually anything then.

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me!
Georgina xx

Wales Part III

Jumper - Dorothy Perkins // Skirt - Evans (I haven't seen an above the knee skirt in Evans since, & this is 2 years old!!!) // Bag - Gift // Necklace - Gift // Shoes -TUKs // Socks - New Look // Bow - New Look

My mum bought me this chunky cut glass necklace whilst we were away, you can't see the detail on it well, sucky pic, but it's heart shaped & has a silver bow on it.

& another cute pic of Dillon, just because.

Sandcastles & Sea

I know, I know, I'm starting to bore you with all these photos of my dogs, but I don't care! They are such a huge part of my life, I love featuring them. So for those you that don't care, you might want to click away now :P The next few blogs posts after this shall be outfit posts, so I can stop boring you then :P

Yes, I am 21 & I built a sandcastle at the beach. I am obviously the epitamy of cool-ness /sarcasm :P

Dillon looking adorable in his fundle, which he is now starting to resent, hehe. Only a few days left to go though before he can run around with the rest of them.

Until next time,

Georgina xxx

Holidays & Sunshine Part I

Dress - New Look // Boots - ASOS // Jumper - ASOS // Hat - River Island // Cloud & Rain Necklace - Dollymixx.com

Here are the first of my Wales photos. I actually didn't take very many outfit photos at all, the weather was a bit iffy the first week, & the second week I was kinda worn out & couldn't be bothered, haha! This is an outfit from the first few days though, nice & cosy & snug for autumn!

Of course we took little Dillon up with us, as well as our other 2. Dillon still hasn't had his 2nd injections yet (he's getting them tomorrow), so he was in a fundle most of the time we were out. We let him out in the garden though, which he loved! I wish we had a garden back here for him, Button is a peculiar dog & hates going out on walks, & Tallie doesn't mind not having a garden, even though she enjoys walks, but Dillon really seemed to love being out in it. Maybe once he is allowed down & on walks, he won't care!

Arghh, wish I could live in the country! I wouldn't miss much about living in a town at all, as long as I still had the internet (there's no phone line in my grandparent's cottage, so this is why I don't have net access when I'm away!). I do all of my shopping online anyway, so I wouldn't even miss the shops. Haha! Everyone we've spoken to in North Wales says they do their shopping online too, or they have a whole day dedicated to going into Manchester(!!!) to do a yearly stock up or something :P It is nice not seeing high street after high street of the same chain stores though, there are quite a few boutique-y type stores instead, the only downside is they are pretty pricey.

Ah well, maybe one day!