Mediamarmalade

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  • THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE

    THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE

    . BOWERS & WILKINS .
    Since the new year Jase and I have finally spent a bit more time in our home in London, the weekends travelling around the west country have slowed a little and we’re spending more of our weekends enjoying London life and our house. I’m really enjoying it and it’s lovely making our flat feel like a proper home. Todays post is a bit of a lifestyle bits & bobs post, sharing some of the little things I’m loving at the moment & some snippets of my house.
    I’m loving candles lately and every night come home to relax in the lounge with my candles lit & the fire on. It’s so cosy & is one of my favourite things about winter time. My Marmalade candle & huge 3 wick Highgrove candle are new favourites & two I got for Christmas. For Christmas my family bought Jase the ‘London Villages’ book which is an amazing guide to all the beautiful villages in London, whilst we live in the cute village of Kew Gardens, we’re now taking a day each weekend to explore all the other villages the city has to offer. This weekend we spent the day in Hampstead which I have to say has become a new favourite place in London, if I didn’t live West, i’d absolutely want to live North in Hampstead. I took some pictures whilst we explored the village which I’ll share on my blog soon.
    The other thing i’ve been loving lately is my blog & music … i’m feeling quite happy with my blog since I finally amended my design & upgraded my camera / photography. It’s finally looking how i’d lie it to & I’m feeling excited about what 2014 has to bring – I already have some amazing brand collaborations in the pipeline. Music has also come back into my life more over the last few weeks, both at work & home. My team at work are music guru’s and so on a daily basis we’re calming the stress with some great playlists & I’ve decided to start listening to music on my commute to work to make it a little more enjoyable … my new Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones will be making this happen in ultimate style.
    The final thing to add to todays post is that I’m extremely excited to announce the winner of the UGG ‘Feels Like Nothing Else’ competition which myself and Thankfifi have been hosting, to let one lucky winner win a trip to Copenhagen & their very own pair of Ugg boots. A pretty incredible prize which has gone to the best entry we had – a fab look styled up by Charlotte. She created a brilliant post & created a really chic look featuring the classic UGG. A fab runners up prize will go to Amy who also submitted a brilliant entry. Congrats to you both (i’ll be in touch to organise your prize) & thanks to all those who entered.
    How’s your weekend been, have you been up to anything good? What do you think of lifestyle posts like this, do you enjoy them?
  • THE CITY BLOCK

    THE CITY BLOCK

    . CLINIQUE CITY BLOCK .

    I’ve never really been a primer user, I don’t have pores per se, and I don’t wear foundation, so I never really thought i’d need to use a primer (as that’s what I previously understood it to be for). However when my skin got bad a few months back, I really started to feel like I needed a ‘protection’ layer on my skin. Something to protect it from the commuter pollution and city air. I’ve always been a big fan and user of Clinique and had heard quite a bit about ‘City Block’ but sadly had not been able to find it due to being totally sold out everywhere (I mean, literally, EVERYWHERE – they had a stocking / distribution issue). But when in the summer I finally found it, I instantly decided to buy it and give it a go (ironically, at the same time Jase was on holiday in Cyprus & found it in duty free and also bought me it too, so I was lucky enough to then have 2 lots).

    After using this product for a few months, I have to say i’ve noticed quite a significant difference in my makeup & skin appearance. Amazingly my skin has returned to normal (thank god) which I think is largely due to some special cream the Dr gave me, but also down to City Block & my Dermilogica microfoliant routine which I use daily. Dermilogica microfoliant is my favourite face wash & it truly works wonders for cleaning my skin and leaving it feeling heathy and fresh (you can see my review on it here), but that teamed with using my City Block as a base layer prior to any tinted moisturiser / cover up has really helped improve my skin.
    City block is great for using as a base (on top of moisturiser) if you live or work in a city, it helps keep your skin moisturised and protected throughout the day. It also creates a perfect surface for any foundation or tinted moisturiser helping it last throughout the day & also giving a much smoother appearance. City block is now part of my daily beauty regime, applied post moisturiser but before my Laura Mercier tinted moisturised (review here) & You’re Flawless powder (review here).
    Clinique also launched their special ‘super primer’ range a few months or so ago, these are great if you need to colour correct, hide redness or give your a skin a healthy glow. I haven’t given these a try yet as city block seems to work perfectly for me, but if you’re looking for something a little more heavy duty its worth checking them out.
    Do you wear primer? What’s your favourite Primer to use? I’d love to hear your tips & tricks.
  • CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN’ WEEKEND

    CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN’ WEEKEND


    . SWING DRESS .

    Well thank god it’s Friday right? I have to say January isn’t taking it easy on me, what happened to easing yourself back into work. A heavy work week means one thing, a serious count down for Friday. This week it’s fair to say i’ve been longing for the weekend since Monday 930am. In honour of everyones favourite day / night of the week I thought i’d share a bit of a weekend evening look, a little bit of inspiration for those of us going out this weekend.

    . Boohoo Swing Dress . AX Paris Ankle Boots . 
    A little LBD is always a winner on a Friday, power dressing helps you get through the final day of the week (a hangover tip from me to you – always dress your best when you feel your worst) and a cheeky LBD is always a great outfit to see you through from office to cocktail bar. Which after all is what Fridays are all about. This little LBD swing dress is perfect for this time of year, nothing too tight after the additional Christmas Lbs and still a little sparkly to keep a drop of festive spirit by your side. I love to style this with simple black ankle boots & fur accessories. Add a glass of red wine and a glam fur coat and it’s the perfect afterwork pub look.
    What’s your Friday night plans – do you prefer a cosy night in or a cheeky cocktail with your girls?
  • PATENT LEATHER MOCCASIN

    PATENT LEATHER MOCCASIN

    . ZARA PATENT MOCCASIN .

    . Zara Patent Moccasin’s £79.99 .
    Despite my post Christmas shopping ban (inflicted as a result of my extreme frivolity when buying my new 5D camera & Reiss coat) i’ve gone all rebel on my own ass, and broken said ban, with the purchase of these beautiful leather moccasins. After browsing daily on WeWoreWhat and becoming incredibly jealous of Danielle’s shoe collections, I decided that if I can’t have a pair of Prada loafers or Miu Miu pumps then I needed to find myself the next best thing, that’s when I came across these £80 Zara patent moccasin’s (Thanks to Sara for Collage Vintage) … the answer to my patent loafer sartorial dreams. After minimal debate I snapped them up this weekend …
  • INNER INDIANA

    INNER INDIANA

    . STUDDED DENIM .
    At the weekend Jase and I spent our Saturday pottering around our local village, making ourselves a tasty brunch (which you can check out here) & generally just taking the time to chill, which we actually don’t do that often. With the ‘dangling carrot’ of getting to try out my new camera, I also managed to persuade Jase to take some pictures of my outfit.
    . Topshop Denim Dress, Patent Shoes & Fur Clutch Bag . Zara Gilet . Tartan Scarf .
    Saturday was a pretty perfect day in London, the rain finally buggered off and we were left with a really crisp sunny day, nippy but clear skies. My favourite sort of winter day. The sun creeping round the houses meant we got some cool little light bursts in the pictures – can you spot the little blue sun dots?
    I actually wore an old school dress which I bought last summer, it’s still a real favourite of mine and such an easy dress to wear for work or weekend (i’m actually wearing this same outfit today). I finished the outfit with my new shearling and suede gilet & tartan scarf which I got for christmas, my patent Topshop shoes & my animal print fur clutch bag. I kind of threw this outfit on in the morning, but actually created a look that’s become a bit of a Winter favourite of mine now.
     
    What do you think of the styling of my denim dress? I also hope you’re all liking the new layout of my blog, i’ve been thinking about making the changes for a seriously long time now, and finally did it yesterday (i’m so glad I did, I much prefer it).
  • ROUGE . ROUGE . ROUGE

    ROUGE . ROUGE . ROUGE

    . CALVIN KLIEN POLISH .

    Without deliberately doing so, I’ve actually grown my nails of late. I had shellacs on over the Christmas period & having my nails protected means i’ve not been tempted to pick them or cut them shorter. They’ve now got to such a length that I want to keep them looking good & I have been painting them weekly. I’ve got a couple of new colours i’ve been testing out, a new Essie number which my sister bought me for Christmas (a gorgeous burgundy shade) and I also got this CK polish just before Christmas which is a fab pinky rouge . I popped this colour on at the weekend and it looks fab, very feminine & it looks great with my winter wardrobe colour palette (inc my new tartan scarf).What’s your favourite polish?

    What do you think of my new blog layout? I’ve been debating amending it to a ‘read more’ structure for a while now and finally decided to make the leap yesterday (and spend 8 hours editing all 820 posts i’ve posted). I REALLY hope you like it :)

  • THE PINK COAT

    THE PINK COAT

    . NEW COAT .
    The meaning behind this blog post is two fold, in this post i’m not only trying my new Reiss coat out for size, i’m also trying out my new Camera too. Last weekend before heading back to London and reality my sister, Jase and I headed into Winchester for a little stroll and a late lunch. The rain had seized and it was a lovely crisp day, so I took the opportunity to rope my sister into taking a few outfit pictures for me on the new camera.

    . Reiss 1971 Soul Coat . Warehouse Leather Skirt . Office Ankle Boots . ASOS Grey Marl Tee . Topshop Fur Bag. 
     
    This Reiss coat is one of the only items i’ve ever wanted, but resisted for a period of time. If you’ve read my blog for a while you’ll know very well how spontaneous and frivolous I can be when it comes to shopping and whipping up things I want. But this coat is something I took a long while to decide on (mainly because of the price tag). After finding it back in September / October, I blogged about it here and since then have been on a long term love affair with it. Finally before Christmas Jase found it for me in the sale with £100 off the original price tag & quickly purchased it for me  as he new I’d wanted it for so long (I paid him back obviously). I was so so happy to finally have my dream coat & have been wearing it at every non raining opportunity since.
    The coat is uber chic and instantly smartens up any look, it’s my favourite companion for winter (teamed with my new animal print fur bag) & the pink colour is just perfection. For this little weekend trip I wore my Warehouse leather skirt, ASOS grey marl tee & my suede warehouse boots. It’s definitely a favourite winter outfit of mine.
    What do you think of the pink coat trend, do you think I made a good decision giving in and buying my dream coat? 
  • A ‘HEALTHY’ BRUNCH

    A ‘HEALTHY’ BRUNCH

    . SALT N’ PEPPER EGGS WITH SMASHED AVOCADO, DILL & GRILLED TOMATOES .

    Brunch is my favourite thing, and every weekend Jase and I make a thing of it. Whether that be going out and trying a new hotspot, or cooking up our own brunch feast at home. Yesterday we dined at home and Jase was in charge in the kitchen, he whipped up a January inspired ‘His N Hers’ brunch with all my favourite ingredients (minus the smoked salmon, sob).We opted for poached eggs & tried a new technique for this breakfast. Gone was the standard poaching mechanic, this time we tried clingfilm salt and pepper poaching – effectively you crack the eggs into a small bowl (or egg cup) covered in cling film, season while raw and then poach in the cling film which has been tied tightly to make the perfect ‘egg’ shape. delicious.

    . Jase had his with a tasty Cinnamon Bagel . 
     
    . I had mine w / gluten free bread (I can’t eaten gluten) .
    . BON APPETITE .
  • DOWN TIME

    DOWN TIME

    . SAINT GERMAIN.
    I usually savour weekend blog posts for more lifestyle features opposed to outfits, but i’m mixing things up in 2014 and breaking down those boundaries (HA). I also have a lot of draft posts I want to get live before officially stepping up my game with my new camera posts. Anyway, Saturday is a day for chilling and pottering around the village, the weather looks somewhat on our side today here in West London, chilly but no rain which is just what I like at this time of year.
    . Topshop Leather Trousers . Office Ankle Boots . Warehouse Jumper . Boden St Germain Coat .
    When the weather is like this, perfect winter, I like to pop on some skinny jeans (in todays case, leather) a comfy oversized jumper (tick) and a statement coat to finish the look.  This Boden coat has seen me through Autumn & Winter well, & this season i’ve really fallen for striking, semi oversized, structured coats like this (and my new Reiss one too).
    This weekend is going to be a really under planned and relaxed one, Jase and I are both craving a weekend of ‘normalness’ and have only planned one thing for the whole weekend which is a trip to the Covent Garden hotel for a dinner tonight, followed by a screening of Saving Mr Banks in their luxe cinema room. I can’t wait, we did this a year or so ago for our anniversary and it was such a fab night that we can’t wait to go again (plus I really want to see that movie too).
    Whats your weekend plans, are you laying low after the festive period? Whats your typical weekend style?