The holiday season is fast approaching and although I haven’t yet booked a holiday there is a high chance that I will be. The one thing that I have always found difficult when it comes to holiday shopping is swimwear but luckily, with the help of Matalan, it didn’t turn out all that bad. I can imagine if you are similar to me and lack body confidence then you may dread the bikini season but hopefully some of the styles shared may help to guide you in a more confident direction. And just remember it’s not about what you look like, it is about how you feel and making lovely Summer memories.
Matalan have an excellent choice of swimwear for all different body shapes and sizes. I find it such a challenge finding bikini sets that fit both the top and bottom but thankfully you can buy them separately from Matalan so you can get the sizes that actually fit you rather than multiple sets. The quality of their swimwear range is fantastic as well with really good quality fabric.
The first style I went for was the spot skirted swimsuit. As soon as I clicked on the swimsuit I just knew I would fall in love with it. I love the unique skirt style because it hides my thighs which is not one of my favourite areas. The swimsuit has been constructed with shape enhancing technology designed to slim your waist and flatten your tummy which I feel as though it does. When looking in the mirror, I felt confident and happy with my body which doesn’t usually happen when it comes to swimsuits.
The second style is one that I am a lot more confident with and that’s a tankini bikini. As I have mentioned earlier, I like how you can buy the shorts and the top separately so you can buy the sizes that suit you the best. I really like the bright coloured and fun pattern of the tankini and think it would be brilliant for a summer holiday. It’s the style that I feel a lot more comfortable in out of the three that I chose and that I usually opt for if I am buying swimwear.
I tend to avoid the usual bikini style as I feel really self conscious when it comes to my stomach and my thighs but I just couldn’t resist this tassel pom pom bikini.I think this kind of bikini is great for lazying around the beach or pool. I was a little bit nervous how I would feel in it but after sizing up in the the top half I felt really confident in bikini style. I love the unique tassel pom pom detailing from both the top and the shorts which I believe draws your attention away from my body problem areas. Similarly to the rest of the bikinis that Matalan offer, you can buy the shorts separate from the bikini top which I really like.
What have you got planned for the Summer? Have you ever tried the Matalan swimwear? What’s your thoughts? I have already started looking at a few holiday deals but nothing is organised as of yet.
♥
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Can you actually believe that we are in the middle of May already? I honestly can’t get over how fast this year is going! Everything just seems to be moving so fast lately and I may be the only one but I’ve started thinking about Father’s Day already. After all it is just around the corner but luckily I have the most perfect treat for your Dad, or yourself…
The uniquely designed Inside Out Personalised Wrist Watch* is a perfect gift to give your Father. It has a stylish modern design with raised watch glass and very well made.
The watch can be personalised on the back to suit whoever you are buying for with up to 68 characters across four lines. I decided to personalise the back with: “Happy Baba’s Day, I love you to the moon and back, love Yasmina X“. I was so happy to find out about the personalised service as it’s very rare to find anything that links back to my family heritage in the UK. I’ve always been told to call my Dad ‘Baba’ as that’s the Arabic word for Father.
It was extremely east to order from the Gifts Online 4U website which makes the whole experience stress-free and quick. You simply choose your product, add your personal message and preview your item before confirming. You have the option of six different font options and can add a greetings card to your order as well.
After placing the order, the watch took 3-4 days to arrive which I was really impressed with. I’ve ordered personalised gifts before and they have never arrived that quickly so it’s brilliant if your shopping last minute. The watch came wrapped in a stylish presentation box which is a lovely touch.
The Inside Out Wrist Watch is just one of many options that you can personalise from the Gifts Online 4U. There is a range of other products including: hip flasks, pint glasses, photo frames and other personalised watches all perfectly suited for any occasions including graduations, birthdays, Father’s Day or other special events. They also have a great selection of Engraved Gifts for Men if watches aren’t your dads thing.
Overall, I am pleasantly happy with the whole experience. It was very straight forward to order the product. The customer service is fantastic and delivery was super quick. The quality of the item was brilliant for the money too. I definitely want to order from Gifts Online 4U again as it was one of the best experiences I’ve had with an online retailer.
This isn’t the only watch they do for Father’s Day either, they have a classic black dial watch that you can personalise with a photo of your choice which I thought was a lovely idea. Another personal favourite was this Wooden design which I think is also rather unique compared to what other retailers offer. You can purchase the Inside Out Wrist Watch here.
Have you ever ordered from Gifts Online 4U before? What’s your thoughts on getting a personalised gift for Father’s Day?
♥
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*The watch was gifted to me as part of a paid collaboration with Gifts Online 4U however this does not affect my opinion about the product or the service of the company.
If you’re the kind of person to deal with dry, frizzy but curly locks on a daily basis then you will probably understand that any haircare that contains coconut or shea is intriguing. You can obviously imagine my excitement when I heard about the Organic Shop haircare range exclusively available in Tesco and at www.organicshop.co.uk. I was kindly sent their Tropical Coconut & Shea Shampoo, Conditioner and Hair Mask to review. The range was made for dry and damaged hair as the coconut and shea are blended together to nourish the hair from root to tip.
As described by Organic Shop: “Organic coconut nourishes strands to leave hair lustrous and shiny, restoring damaged hair. Organic shea provides a boost of hydration to repair split ends and smooth frizz, leaving hair rejuvenated and revived.” I couldn’t wait to put them to the test.
The shampoo and conditioner come in 280ml bottles with a pushdown dispenser. This is definitely a personal preference but I definitely find this a lot easier to use than a normal bottle of shampoo and conditioner that you find on the shelves. They are mildly scented with the lovely, tropical coconut scent more recognisable than the shea. It leaves my hair smelling amazing as well as feeling nourished and soft. After drying, my hair looks super shiny and healthy.
I’ve been on the look out for a good intensive conditioner that was cruelty free for some time now so out of the three the Hair Mask is what I was excited to try the most. The pot is a decent size and you definitely don’t need to use a lot as the product goes a long way. The Organic Shop recommends applying the Hair Mask to damp hair and massage in before leaving for at least 2 mintues or longer depending on how intense you want the treatment. When I’ve rinsed the product out, my hair feels amazing! I’ve been using the products for a solid month and a half now and I can’t remember what my life was like without this haircare range in it.
The Organic Shop range is packed full of natural and organic ingredients in all of their ranges. There are no harmful microbeads, parabens, SLS, mineral oils or GMOs. They are against animal testing and have made all their packaging recyclable. It’s surprising to know that each of the products only cost £2.50 so the range is perfect for those on a budget too.
As well as the Tropical Coconut & Shea, they also have 4 other fun and fruity options: Argan & Alma to restore lifeless hair, Honey & Avocado for an intense moisture boost, Raspberry & Acai for a volumising boost and Pomergranate & Patchouli for extra strength and vitality. The Organic Shop also offer a range of body care including bath salts, shower gels, hand cream and various other skincare.
Have you ever tried the Organic Shop haircare range? I’m super intrigued to try the Body Soufflés next!
♥
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If there is one place that I’ve always dreamt of going it would be London Fashion Week and at some point it will happen but for now I was jumping for joy when I was kindly invited to the Spring/Summer 2018 Fashion Live event at intu Metrocentre. It’s an annual event that takes place in the Town Square hosted by BBC Newcastle’s Anna Foster where my favourite retailers including New Look, River Island, Topshop, Lipsy and many others showcase their new season fashion to give us regular Joe’s some fashion inspiration for the warmer months.
Before working at New Look myself I always had such a boring style that mostly consisted of jeans and slogan tees however this year I have been experimenting with my style and it was refreshing to see a range of styles on the catwalk too – I have fell head over heels in love with the co-ord sets, bright colours and pastel florals!
As soon as I arrived at intu Metrocentre, I found the catwalk was decorated as if you were walking into Alice in Wonderland’s tea party with flowers, lovely decorated chairs and a pastel pink telephone box that was perfect for a little Instagram moment.
Before the fashion show started, there was a chance to get a hand massage from Molton Brown and take a look at some new makeup releases from Kat Von D as well as mingle and chat to other bloggers that was there. I attended the event with Alice, Amy and Rebecca. There were little canapés and chocolates from Thortans as well as an assortment of refreshments for us to dig into. There are so many places to eat and drink at the Metrocentre nowadays that I still haven’t worked my way round the food court yet. Just a little something to bare in mind if you decide to come for a shopping trip or a little date night with your partner.
The evening consisted of some amazing fashion pieces however my highlights included the gorgeous Ladies’ Day outfits from Lipsy, the animal-esque trend from River Island and all the stunning, pastel themed accessories from Accessorize. As well as seeing the new trends from a handful of brands at intu Metrocentre; Winston, Churchill and Sam were our four legged friends for the evening. The three cute dogs were from Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter and was also given the chance to strut their stuff across the catwalk too. It was unbelievably cute!
If your anything like me and fancy a bit of a spending spree this weekend, don’t forget to grab yourselves a Fashion Live leaflet from Customer Services where you can find all the details of the stores that will be offering discounts across the next couple of days.
You can catch Fashion Live at intu Metrocentre Town Square (outside House Of Fraser):
Friday 11th May: 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm
Saturday 12th May: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm
Sunday 13th May: 12pm, 2pm, 3.30pm
Make sure to follow #intuFashion for all the gossip from the weekend too.
Are you going to have a look at what’s trending this Spring/Summer? Let me know if you head to the intu Metrocentre to see one of the shows.
♥
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Back in the day I used to do a lot of weekend trips and whilst some things haven’t changed, such as my Mermaid Suitcase from Matalan’s holiday shop, quite a lot of my other travel essentials have. I thought it is about time I shared my new essentials with you as I’ve just returned from spending a couple of days with my sister.
I used to talk a lot about how my headphones was one of the most important things but that was when I used to travel anywhere between three hours on a train to eight hours on a coach. Nowadays, they are still a must have but they aren’t as important as before. I sometimes listen to music with them to help me fall asleep but more times than not they just stay in my bag. The iPod has waved goodbye and I rely on my phone for music as it can connect to my car. There’s nothing I love more than a good old car journey blasting all your favourite songs.
As far as beauty and skincare is concerned, I do keep a couple of things with me at all times. Hand sanitiser – I don’t think I really need to talk about the why so let’s move on. Next up is some form of hand cream. It’s perfect for keeping my hands soft and nourished and the Balade En Provence Hand Cream in particular keeps my dry skin and eczema away too. I always have some form of lip balm stored in my bag as well. I’ve been loving the Crazy Rumours again and they are brilliant to use in the Winter if you tend to deal with cracked lips. Lastly, is a bottle of the Snow Fairy Body Spray. This stuff is AMAZING! Every time I am out and about someone asks me what perfume I have put on and it is always this. Definitely one of my travel essentials!
My travel anxiety has definitely improved, however, it is still there. Any fidget toys that I have got to hand really helps. I think just having something to fiddle with takes my mind off everything around me and it makes me feel less anxious. I always carry a fidget cube with me and then I usually attach a pop it keyring to my car keys.
If I am travelling solo then I usually take a couple of extra bits with me including something to read whether it is a magazine or a good book, a bath bomb or bubble bar but this depends on whether I am staying in accommodation that has a bath, my thoughts journal so I can write anything that is keeping me awake down and my camera if it is somewhere I want to blog about or to capture the special moments.
The only thing left to do now is grab my sunglasses and decide where to travel to next. What are your travel essentials for a weekend away? Are any of them the same as mine?
♥
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I tend to avoid the usual bikini style as I feel really self conscious when it comes to my stomach and my thighs but I just couldn’t resist this tassel pom pom bikini. I think this kind of bikini is great for lazying around the beach or pool. I was a little bit nervous how I would feel in it but after sizing up in the the top half I felt really confident in bikini style. I love the unique tassel pom pom detailing from both the top and the shorts which I believe draws your attention away from my body problem areas. Similarly to the rest of the bikinis that Matalan offer, you can buy the shorts separate from the bikini top which I really like.
The uniquely designed Inside Out Personalised Wrist Watch* is a perfect gift to give your Father. It has a stylish modern design with raised watch glass and very well made.
As described by Organic Shop: “Organic coconut nourishes strands to leave hair lustrous and shiny, restoring damaged hair. Organic shea provides a boost of hydration to repair split ends and smooth frizz, leaving hair rejuvenated and revived.” I couldn’t wait to put them to the test.
The evening consisted of some amazing fashion pieces however my highlights included the gorgeous Ladies’ Day outfits from Lipsy, the animal-esque trend from River Island and all the stunning, pastel themed accessories from Accessorize. As well as seeing the new trends from a handful of brands at intu Metrocentre; Winston, Churchill and Sam were our four legged friends for the evening. The three cute dogs were from Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter and was also given the chance to strut their stuff across the catwalk too. It was unbelievably cute!
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