Something for the weekend - Louboutin Manicure, free letter from Santa and more discount codes than a serious shopaholic could make use of!

This week I'm loving these Louboutin nails!  I need to grow mine a little bit to achieve this but wouldn't this make the perfect Christmas manicure?

This picture of my Pugs has to be the cutest! Its so hard to get Poppy's features on the iphone camera being all black, but my daughter captured her perfectly with a decent camera!

Discount codes and special offers are mental this week, seriously so many, you would be fool not to sit indoors with your pyjamas on and finish off all your Christmas Shopping this weekend!  I have put the brand names in bold to make it easy for you to find your favourites!


House of Fraser - two day brand event ends midnight tonight. Snooze you lose, I should think this will be the last one before Christmas. Shop online here.

Baukjen - 15% off the autumn winter collection plus 25% off selected coats. Shop here.

Donna Ida - the designated high end denim destination has 20% off using code XMAS20 until midnight 2nd December. Shop here.

Bastyan - 30% off using code XMASPARTY at checkout until 5th December. Shop here.

Mary Portas at Clarks - 30% off full price styles until 2nd December. Shop here.

Reiss - 20% off plus free delivery and free returns until midnight Monday 3rd December, discount applied at checkout. Shop here.

LK Bennett - 20% off until midnight Sunday 2nd December. Shop here.

Love this sparkly LK Bennett dress shop here.

Cath Kidston - 15% off for one day only and ends at midnight tonight Friday 29th November. Shop here.

Monsoon launch Reward Card to gain points when you spend either online or instore. Sign up to get 20% off orders here.

Agent Provocateur - free delivery on orders over £150. Shop here, or leave this open on husbands laptop!

Uniqlo - Free delivery on all orders no minimum spend until midnight Sunday 3rd December shop here. Up to £20 off cashmere for him and her, again till Sunday 3rd December. Shop here.



Buy this weeks More magazine to get £10 off a £40 spend at New Look valid online until 28th Dec and instore until 4th December.

I don't think I know anybody who doesn't love Molton Brown and I dream of the day when I can afford to have both their hand wash and lotion in my downstairs toilet instead of Sainsburys own brand, buy 2 for £1.20! But if you buy the Telegraph this Saturday 1st December you will find a voucher to get a £10 off £20 spend either instore or online at Molton Brown.

If you have young children who like to do a letter to Santa don't be fooled into paying out for a response when you can get one for free.  Get your child to write their letter by 14th December and send to Royal Mail's address

Santa/Father Christmas, 
Santa's Grotto, 
Reindeerland, 

SAN TA1

 and include anything your child wants to tell Santa and ensure their name, gender and a reply address along with anything they would like to get for Christmas and they receive a card and picture to colour in return. 

Have a great weekend and don't forget to click on the M&S link below to get 20% off knitwear including cashmere!

Are you shopping for yourself or gifts this weekend?  Don't forget to check out my Gift Guide Page with inspiration for her and teen/early 20's boys and girls! i might get round to doing a mens one this weekend!

Joe Browns Snuggly Cardigan and Leggings Review.

When I was approached by Joe Browns and asked to review some products from their website, I have to admit it wasn't a brand that I was overly familiar with, I felt sure I had seen a catalogue at some point but that was about it, so I was more than a little intrigued to see what the brand had to offer.

Joe Browns is a lifestyle company with a customer base of over 900,000 and was started with a view to offering something different and far more individual to the other clothing catalogues in the UK and offers a range of mens and womens clothing, along with a selection of gifts and accessories. I also love the nightwear and onesie's which will make great Christmas presents.

I had £50 to spend and went straight to the knitwear section as knew my wardrobe was lacking a nice piece of chunky knitwear and I was immediately drawn to a cardigan that would keep me warm during the central heating wars that continue in my house!  I had to drag myself away from the Dealer and Shearling buckle boots to make this choice, you know what I am like for footwear!

The Snuggle Bunny Knit £39.95

A real thick snuggly cardigan with cable detail and a cosy collar which you can wear like a funnel neck for when you don't want to wear a scarf.

Excuse the crazy picture, my daughter made laugh, which you don't see often on the Blog!

One thing I love about having short arms is the fact that the sleeves are plenty long enough to channel your inner "Granny Chic" ....

I also chose a pair of black leggings as I was in dire need of a new pair for lounging around the house, and although sometimes they can be a bit hit and miss on the quality and thickness issue, the Joe Browns leggings are of really good quality and passed the "fist test" (where you stretch the fabric of the leggings over your first, and if you can see the colour of your skin through the material, then don't buy them) with ease.

Leggings £9.95.

You can check out everything the brand have to offer at www.joebrowns.co.uk

Have you ever bought from Joe Browns?

Candles for the festive season.

As much as I love them and still burn them, scented candles don't have the same kind of appeal in spring and summer as they do in autumn and winter.  Once the evenings begin to draw in and the heating goes on, nothing feels more indulgent than lighting a beautiful scented candle, although I often think I could buy myself a top with the money they cost, they really are a luxury for me and one I really have to justify spending my money on, except at Christmas.

The mere sniff of a discount code and an impending Christmas present order from the brand in question seemed like enough of an excuse to indulge my sense of smell by purchasing a White Company winter signature candle with its combined aroma of cinnamon, clove and orange to relax and rejuvenate me before Charlie gets home from school and the madness of dinner time ensues. I blame my mum's Frankincense candle from Avon when I was a child for my love of Christmas aroma's.

I often re-light them during the evening, and take them up to my bedroom before I bath and go to bed and although I love the fragrance of many candles on the market at other times of year, you can't beat a Christmassy aroma floating around the house in the run up to the festive season.

They also act as my fall back gift for girlfriends and female relatives when I don't have a clue what to buy, as they are always well received. You can view the full range of White Company candles here.

Christmas Scented Candles to covet ............

 

Frankincense Limited Edition Diptique Candle £45 from Space NK. Space NK Shimmering Spice Candle £30. Warm Roasted Chestnut Signature Candle £29 Laura Mercier at Harrods. Annick Goutal Noel Scented Candle £41 from Harrods. Ralph Lauren Holiday Candle £35 at Harrods. John Lewis Winter Spice Box Candle £12.50.

I'm loving the description of the Annick Goutal Noel Candle.....

"Fresh and full-bodied, spicy and fruity, a mixture of citrus fruits and majestic Siberian pine. A scent with the clarity of snow and the warmth of a house filled with impatient, excited children on Christmas Eve." Sounds divine doesn't it? Or how about the Roast Chestnut one from Laura Mercier, my mouth is watering already!

What is your favourite scented candle and do you buy one especially for the festive season?

Need some Christmas gift inspiration? Check out my new gift guide page with ideas for the older teenage girl and boy with more to follow over the next week. Click here.

Gifts for girls - Silk Pyjamas.

My eldest daughter came up on Wednesday night.  She bought Ben and Jerry's, Pringles and Galaxy chocolate so all was good with the world when she pronouced "I want a pair of silk pyjamas".  When I asked "why" she said "Kourtney Kardashian wears them". Oh that's OK then.

We then spent a while browsing online at the various options and price points available and I told her I had already bought all of her Christmas presents, should I speak to the boyfriend? but she said no not to worry, he would never understand why anybody would pay £50 upwards for a pair of p.j's (typical bloke).

She went home, I had a bath, put my pyjamas on and then had my own life changing pj moment, where I decided that actually I want a pair too!  I was thinking all sorts of maudlin thoughts about being in my late 40's and the fact I might only be here for another 20 years if I'm lucky (forgetting about the high blood pressure and cholesterol because they are going to disappear on their own right?) and suddenly I couldn't bear the thought of living a lifetime without having the pleasure of sleeping in the most luxurious of fabrics, a bit like how I can't imagine living my life without ever owning a Chanel handbag.

I love pyjamas, I really do. Especially in winter when I bathe early and spend the evening snuggled on the sofa in something usually, plaid, thick or thermal (such a glamour puss) but now I am thinking slinky silky nightwear thoughts to bring out the Hollywood Starlet in me.  After all, they will be fab should I end up in hospital after having had a heart attack due to previously mentioned ailments no?  Knowing my luck I shall end up on a ward not to dissimilar to the one on "Getting On" (one of my fav programmes by the way) but it wouldn't be right to have a fashion blogger in hospital without the best nightwear surely?

Rosie for Autograph at Marks and Spencer £59.50 buy here.

John Lewis silk pyjamas £89 buy here.

Harrods Silk Pyjamas £99.95 buy here.

The White Company in silver, rose or alabaster £110.

Julianne silk pyjamas from House of Fraser £185 buy here.

Pucci Silk Pyjamas from net-a-porter £1,380.

Are you a silk pyjama kind of girl?

A week in iphone pictures.

Wowsa! Photo problems solved! So for anybody else have google storage and photo upload difficulties, upload your photo's to flickr, click on share above your photo and grab the html code and paste directly into your blog in the html mode not the compose mode, voila! Its a bit of mucking about but saves you having to pay google for more space! So thanks to Rebecca and Marlene for your help.

Bargain Blooms - £1 a bunch from my village co-op store.

November Glossy Box contents. Love the dermalogica, Burberry scent and can't wait to try out the body butter although going to give the Neon nail polish to my youngest daughter who already has this exact shade.

Giving my dry winter skin an indulgent and fragrant treat with Diptyque. I love how the bedding smells of this when you wake up in the morning.

 

The midweek mani. Darker days call for dark nail polish. I can't be doing with either pastels or brights at this time of year.

Homemade Peanut Butter Truffles from my dear friend Emily.  If you love healthy and nutritious food then do please check out her blog My Deliciously Healthy Kitchen.

Something for the weekend - blogger problems, tree's, new websites, Upper Street sample sale and this weeks discounts.

Thank god its Friday my darlings and we have lots to make us smile this weekend including a round-up of discount codes, sample sales and things I am loving this week.  I can't believe there are so many discount codes around at the moment, not that I am complaining as I have taken advantage of many when online shopping for Christmas presents these last few weeks as every little saving, even if it is just free delivery, certainly adds up so lets enjoy some bargains on Black Friday!

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After seeing that all artificial Christmas Tree's are half price at Homebase, OH and I have been thinking about taking the plunge and buying one.  I have always sworn I would never have a faux tree but the prices are tempting beyond belief and when I think of how much I have spent on tree's for the last 20 odd years, it is actually a little frightening, I think we paid about £50 last year and had to travel miles to get a decent one as none of the ones locally were good enough! So you never know, Santa may not get covered in pine needles this year when he deposits the pressies under the tree and all the nectar points will add up!



After all our recent talk of duck and down filled coats and jackets, Olivia Palermo shows us how to do winter chic in style with a daytime look that would suit all ages. Olivia first popped up on my fashion radar when my daughters used to watch "The City" ("The Hills" New York spin off) and has since gone on to become one of the worlds hottest fashionista's whether walking her dog Mr Butler or sitting front row at fashion week. I just adore the sleeve detail on her jacket!

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An email from Russell and Bromley confirming that their website will finally be launched first week of December was met with much excitement on my part, it really is about time don't you think?

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This week has been dogged by blogging problems as google will no longer allow me to upload my own photo's to the blog saying I have used all my quota and that I need to buy more space, which I am reluctant to do. All I can think of, is trying to delete pictures from old posts in an effort to free up some space in the first instance to see if that works, if anyone has any advice on this or how I can tell what size my images are, I would appreciate it as I am about as tech savvy as a frog!  Copy and pasting images from websites isn't an issue just uploading my own.

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So for all shopaholic's out there, lets get started with the discounts and codes!

Lovers of bespoke designer shoes will be interested to know that Upper Street have an online sample sale with prices starting from as little as £49!  So if you are looking for a pair of shoes that nobody else will have, then check out their website here

Two seperate discount codes from The White Company - 1. 20% off the Seychelles range using code AB459 until midnight Wednesday 28th November shop here. 2. 20% off selected items from The Little White Company sleepwear and bedroom accessories using code AB462 shop here. Free delivery when you spend over £30 applies to both offers.

Boots - discount codes are running up until 23rd December on premium beauty products. Use code PREMIUM5 to get £5 off a £50 spend, PREMIUM10 to get £10 off a £75 spend and PREMIUM20 to get £20 off a £100 spend here.

Selfridges - until midnight Sunday 25th November if you are buying fashion, homewares or accessories then enter the code SELF20 to get 20% off and if buying beauty, fragrance or wine then use code SELF10 to get 10% off here.

Kurt Geiger - 20% off everything until midnight Sunday using code KGXMZS20 at checkout here.

Office Shoes - 20% off everything online and instore shop here.

Liberty - £30 off plus free standard delivery when you spend £150 or more using code CHRISTMAS2012 at checkout here.

My Wardrobe - 30% off the party edit until midnight Sunday using the code PARTYEDIT30 here plus get 25% off the perfect present using code PERFECTPRESENT25 

Don't forget to let me know if you have grabbed any bargains with these codes and what are your thoughts on the real v fake Christmas Tree debate?

Up to 50% off coats at Wallis - today only!

If you are lusting after a new winter coat, don't miss out, as Wallis are offering up to 50% off coats for today only!

From Military to Classic, Cocoon to padded and more fashion forward styles, there are a superb range on offer, so I just want to share with you some of the biggest and best discounted items featured in the promotion:-

Was £120 now £60.

Black Faux Sheepskin was £89 now £44.50

Padded Coat was £90 now £55.

Grey Fur Collar was £120 now £60.

Fur Collar padded coat was £80 now £40.

Shop all coats here.

Which one would you choose?

Love from Australia sheepskin Boots for just £54.99!

Cold weather always leads Bloggers to indulge in some talk of boots of the sheepskin variety and just like marmite, they are certainly an item of footwear you either love or hate, but for me they form an invaluable part of my winter attire, nothing beats a sheepskin boot if you are looking to keep your feet toasty warm and last winter I got my first pair of Love from Australia sheepskin boots and developed a love for the brand which is as strong as that for my trusty Uggs.

Of a similar quality and price bracket to Uggs and with many styles on offer, I just had to share with you the fantastic Love from Australia sale at Daniel Footwear.  With normal prices usually up to £239, with this fantastic deal you can buy a pair for just £54.99 here.

Here are just a selection of styles available:




So if you have always lusted after some sheepskin lined footwear but haven't wanted to spend a fortune or you fancy sticking a pair on your Christmas list, then now is the time!

Six Leopard print scarves to love.

Ever since I first received my Louis Vuitton leopard print lovely for my combined Birthday and Christmas present back in 2009, she has become an invaluable item in my accessories collection.  One in fact, that I find it very hard to be parted from and who usually only stays at home when I am wearing my leopard print coat! Clash of the leopard prints is a serious no go, although I do sometimes wear her with leopard print flats, that seems to work ok!



Animal print, especially leopard, has become as much a part of our wardrobes, both in summer and winter, as black or white, as every season for the last few years we have seen the print make an appearance on a selection of clothing and accessories and is in constant use by designers such as Dolce and Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli.  I know lots of readers feel a little bit scared to actually wear it for fear of channelling their inner Bet Lynch, but adding a scarf to your winter outfits is a great way to incorporate print into a very often dull and boring winter wardrobe colour palette, and with styles to suit every budget, scarves are a great way to complete your look.

Leopard Scarf £20 Oasis.

Warehouse Leopard print Snood £26.

French Connection Leopard Scarf £25 from Asos.

Hoss Intropia was £70 now £35 at Stanwells.

Diane Von Furstenberg £132 at Matches.

Yves Saint Laurent silk muslin scarf £405 at Net-A-Porter.

Will you be adding a touch of leopard print to glam up your winter outfits this season?