Milla Grace Style Me Competition

Hey Peaches,

I've had my eye on a lovely little boutique in the South Laines of Brighton for a while now so I was super excited when they recently contacted me. To celebrate the launch of their new website they have asked bloggers to share their style tips, and put together their favourite outfits from their gorgeous range. I have been perusing their website for hours cooing over literally everything and have now put together my selections. I love their pieces so much I have ended up with five choices, however to break it down a little, here are my first three. Look out for my next post in the next few days with a couple more beauties.

Outfit One - The Casual Day out: I love this outfit, it combines my very favourite colours, lilac, turquoise and white. You might have noticed from my blog layout, these shades are very 'me'. 

My favourite piece in this outfit are the gorgeous jeans in my ultimate favourite colour, and unique 3 stone ring. Perfect for a day out in Brighton, a spot of shopping and a Chai Tea Latte or two.

Outfit 2 - Summer Seafront Cocktails: Summer is here (kind of!) so I've put together something bright and funky as one of my favourite things to do here in the summer is drinks on Brighton seafront. Those bars get so busy so teamed with a pair of heels, this outfit is bold and will stand out from the crowd. I love the bright coral colour and awesome patterned jeans. 

Outfit 3 - Date night: V-man and I always make sure we have a 'date night' every now and again. Even though we have been together nearly 3 years I always like to dress up and make an effort, like it's our first date all over again. This sophisticated outfit would be perfect for my next date with my gorgeous man. I love the jacket in mint, the rose gold leaf necklace, and to set the romantic tone I've chosen a scented Parkminster candle in Fig.

There are so many lovely items on the Milla Grace website. If you are in Brighton please do pop and see them, or check out their range online here. 

Which is your favourite of my outfits? 

p.s - check out my sunshine beauty bundle giveaway HERE!

Motivational Monday #1

Hey Peaches,

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Today I am starting a new feature, Motivational Mondays. We all hate Mondays so here is a bit of inspiration to get you through your day. 

Today I'm bringing you one of my favourite quotes, by Marc Jacobs. This is something I've only come to realise only in the last couple of years, and that is to be completely myself and stop trying to fit in all the time. Who wants to be the same as everyone else?  It's exhausting. The person who taught me this was my awesome boyfriend, V-man, who told me he loves me for all my quirks, like being a geek and  wearing what I like, not what is in fashion. He also accepts I will sing and dance if I hear any music at any time, and will squeal with excitement over the smallest things. I'm 27 and will never grow out of eating Pick'n'Mix at the cinema or buying hats with ears. 

 

Embrace your quirks, just be you. It's so much more fun! 

p.s - check out my sunshine beauty bundle giveaway HERE!

June Payday Wishlist

Hey lovelies,

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend! June has been an expensive month for me. Starting with my car costing over £500, we then had trips to Longleat and saw Muse. Lots of fun times but days out get so expensive. I have barely bought myself anything this month, so I have put together a little list of things I would love to own next month. Not that I can afford all of this, but a girl can dream :) 

I have been working out lots, so a new gym tee is essential, love this design! I also loved the look of Bodhi Mint Thé Temple Balm - £15.00 to ease muscular aches and pains. Skincare wise, this month my Dr. changed my hormones which has sent it a little haywire, I suffered a big breakout and think it's time to invest in a Skin Brush. I can't afford a Clarasonic, however the No.7 Skin Cleansing Brush at £24.95 seems a great alternative, I've read some awesome reviews on blogs recently about it. Whilst on the topic of skincare, products I would love to try in July would be the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask, another product buzzing around on the blogger scene. At £30, this one will be a bit of a treat. One of my favourite organic companies is the awesome Green People. Their  Rejuvenating Eye Cream (night)  (£9.50) looks perfect for me as I've had super tired eyes this month and lastly, thinking about skincare I received a sample of Weleda Skin Food  at the Brighton Blogger Meet and I am now addicted to this little beauty! Such a rich moisturiser, perfect for dry, rough patches. I use it on my hands as they get so dry after the gym. Smells lush too. The full size product is £8.95, and definitely on my list.

Make-up treats for July would be some awesome Benefit Coralista (£23.50). I've had my eye on this beauty for quite a while now. I love Benefit and would buy the whole range if I could! Been hearing some amazing reviews of their new Stay Flawless Primer, however lets not get carried away! ;) For the lips, I am in love with this gorgeous peachy colour from the Colour Quench range at Clarins (£16.00). Perfect for the beach as it provides hydration and shine. I don't currently own any Essie polishes, so this  Naughty Nautical range really caught my eye!

The last few random bits I will mention is I'm dying for some good salon quality haircare products. I currently just use high street ranges, and I think it's time to step it up a notch. I pay a lot for my cut and colour and abuse my hair a lot, so I need a product to keep it looking fresh and shiny. After all my lovely blogger friends raved about Trevor Sorbie Brighton, I have picked their Beautiful Blonde range to buy this month and treat my hair to something good for a change.

Body Shop products are a staple of mine, this Brazil Nut beautifying oil (£9.00) looks just gorgeous, such a versatile product with a sweet, nutty scent.

The necklace I found on a lovely Etsy shop, I love looking at the pretty handmade items on there. I have recently been thinking about opening my own Etsy store and making some cute crochet/knitted items, so looking through Etsy stores, Pinterest and Mollie Makes gives me lots of inspiration.

What products would you like to get your hands on in July? 

p.s - check out my sunshine beauty bundle giveaway HERE!

Crochet Tutorial #1: Cute Watermelon Coasters Pattern!

Hey my lovelies! The weather might not feel like summer, but I've been creating some bright and summery crochet creations to get us all in the mood when the weather does finally catch up. I've always loved watermelon designs so just had to make these little cuties! I have only been crocheting around a month, and this is my first tutorial, so please be kind! I hope you enjoy this pattern.

You will need: 

Red Yarn

Cream Yarn

Green Yarn

Black Yarn

Crochet Hook 

Scissors

Yarn Needle

My coasters were made using DK wool and a 4mm crochet hook. 

Stitches:

I would love to post a tutorial on stitches, however I can assure you no amount of words is going to help compared to watching a YouTube video, and there are hundreds of amazing tutorials on there. That is how I taught myself by looking at a similar pattern and watching videos on each stitch until I had mastered it, I still look up any stitches I am not sure of, a really great way to learn. :)  

chain stitch (ch), 

double crochet (dc), 

half double crochet (hdc), 

single crochet (sc), 

slip stitch (sl)

*please note I have used US stitch terminology, yes I know I am British but most YouTubers and patterns are using US terms so this is how I have learned. It's easier to be honest as most things are in US. 

The Pattern: 

1. With the red yarn, make a slip knot and chain 4 stitches. 

2. Slip stitch into the first stitch to make a little circle. 

3. Chain stitch 3, this will act as your first double crochet. 

4. Double crochet a further 11 stitches into the circle you have created. 

5. Slip stitch into the first double crochet stitch to form your first complete circle. 

6. Continue with the red yarn, chain stitch 3, this will act as your first double crochet in this round.

7. Double crochet into the same stitch, so there are now 2 stitches in the same space.

8. Continue this pattern, two double crochet stitches (dc) into each of the spaces from the previous round to form 24 stitches in total.

9. Slip stitch into the first stitch in the round to create a full circle. Tie off your yarn and cut.

10. Add the cream yarn in any space from the previous round. Chain stitch 2. This will act as your first half double crochet (hdc).

11. Continue with this stitch, forming 2 half double crochets (hdc) in each space, until you have 48 stitches in total.

12. Slip stitch into first cream stitch, creating a full circle. Tie off your yarn and cut leaving a small tail.

13. Add green yarn through any of the spaces from the previous round. Chain stitch 1, this will become your first single crochet in this round.

14. Continue to single crochet stitch in each space, creating 48 in total.

15. Slip stitch into the first green stitch to create a full circle. Tie yarn off and cut.

Final stage! Take a black yarn and stitch in some little 'seeds'. 

Finishing touches: Use your yarn needle to tidy up and loose ends and tails. 

There we have it! Lovely summer Watermelon Coasters. 

Enjoy! Let me know if you try this pattern.
What is your current crochet project? 

p.s - check out my sunshine beauty bundle giveaway HERE!