Lady Bug Says ... Comfort All The Way From Australia

Evening Lovelies

Hope you are all enjoying the run up to Christmas!

A little while ago I was contacted by the marketing people at the Nature Shop asking whether I would like to review a pair of shoes from their website. The Nature Shop specialise in nature inspired products and brands, they also donate 10% of their profits to charitable causes.

I picked these amazingly warm and comfortable Love From Australia Cozi Caramel Boots which retail for £98.97. They are certainly not 'cheap' but they are really good quality. I have lost count of the amount of bargain pairs I have purchased and in hindsight it probably would of been wise to of bought a decent pair in the first place!

Now, Ugg style boots are certainly not everyones thing. I think they are the perfect boot for this time of year for cold wintery days. The lining is so very soft and a love the knitted detailing. The sole is thick and pretty durable, I can't imagine these having the attractive 'side collapsing in' look that you are pretty much guaranteed to get with the cheaper boots.

Boots, courtesy of Nature Shop, Jeans, Primark £10, Mustard knit jumper, Clothing at Tesco £10

Another pair of boots that definitely need the suede protection spray treatment!

Lady Bug Says ... The Clothes Show 2011 Outfit

Evening lovelies!

Back at the beginning of December I was lucky enough to be able to take a trip to The Clothes Show in Birmingham. My lovely little Sister had very generously bought me a ticket and train tickets to get there for my Birthday. So despite, to put it politely, feeling like a bag of crap, I decided to go. I would of felt so bad if she had of wasted her money! Luckily I was going with my Mum so she was more than happy to spend a lot of time sitting in the fresh air when I got to hot and overwhelmed by the crowds! Thank you Mum!

I will do a separate post on what I bought on the day, I was pretty restrained this year! It was crazy seeing the crowds of teens who had obviously gone to a)be 'spotted' by the scouts and b) to spend all of their money on any offer going!

This is what I wore, I was so glad I opted for comfy flat boots and short sleeves, it was beyond hot in the halls!

Tights, Primark £1, Shorts, Forever 21 £15, Metallic knit jumper, Primark £5

Ring, Primark £2

Suede flat boots, Primark £12

Outfit total £35

These boots are the comfiest boots I have EVER owned! Now I just need to get some suede protection spray so I can wear them in the ever lovely British rain!

Lady Bug Says ... I'm Back!

Well hello lovely ladies! Remember me?

It has been an absolute age since I last posted :( I have been pretty ill and therefore have not been taking any outfit photos or feeling up to spending time constructing decent posts! But the good news is I am finally starting to feel myself again :)

Right, lets start with some lovely festive sparklyness!

Recently I was contacted by the lovely people from George at Asda, asking whether I would like to be sent a beautiful evening dress to style up for the Christmas party season. Of course I agreed, every girl always needs a new party dress!

I picked this gorgeous navy blue jersey skater dress with sequined collar.

Evening Dress, Courtesy of George at Asda £16, Patent heels, Matalan £5

Necklace, Accessorize £1

I decided to add even more sparkle to the collar with this gold necklace, if you can't go a little over the top at Christmas then when can you?!

Ring, Accessorize £4

A Christmas party season outfit wouldn't be complete without a cocktail ring :)

Outfit total - £26

Now I just need a party to be swept off to!

Lady Bug Says ... The Birthday Post

Afternoon lovelies, hope everyone has had a good weekend!

I asked in my last post if people would be interested in a post about my birthday and the response was positive so here is a slightly belated birthday post!

My birthday was on Tuesday the 25th and the Mr and I took the day off work to have a day of fun. Unfortunately the horrible weather meant our plans were abit restricted but we still had a great day.

The day started off with flowers and breakfast in bed, I was certainly spoilt!

Then the Mr whisked me off to Dartmoor to escape the rain and have a yummy lunch in a gorgeous pub in front of the log fire.

Birthday steak lunch, those chips were the most amazing chips I have ever eaten! Could of eaten a whole mountain of them!

When then went off into Plymouth and did some shopping and headed home for a curry. Perfect lazy day spent with my favourite person!

I was lucky enough to receive some amazing gifts :) Definitely a very spoilt girl!

Cath Kidston shower gel & body cream, Dirty Works gift set & Lush goodies. As soon as the Mr's mum handed me my present I could smell that amazing Lush shop smell!

Obligatory Hello Kitty gifts :)

Pretty jewellery organiser & some cute decorative hearts

Kindle (yay have wanted one of these for so long!), Kindle cover & Sophie Kinsella book

A ticket to the Clothes Show Live & train tickets to get there! My little sister is the best and knows me so well!

Camera tripod (no more balancing my camera on books!), Alexa style bag and cosiest knitted snood

Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

Finally just a little reminder, you can still vote for me in the Sarenza blogging competition and also be in with a chance of winning £800 worth of shoes too! All you need to do is tweet:

'My vote for the @SarenzaUK comp goes to @ladybugsays #SarenzaUKstyle'

Lady Bug Says ... Chocolate Overload!

Evening lovelies.

Now I am abit of a chocoholic. Desserts, chocolate bars, hot chocolate, ice cream, cake I'll take it all please! So when the lovely people at Montagne Jeunesse contacted me to see if I would like to review their new hot chocolate self heating face mask I jumped at the chance!

As soon as I opened the sachet I really had to resist the urge to taste it! It looks and smells EXACTLY like melted chocolate orange! Once applied it immediately starts to heat up, I was a little concerned as it got really hot really quickly but after about a minute the mask was just nicely warming!

I left the mask on for about 15 minutes and jumped into a Lush Ma Bar bubble bath, ultimate chocolate overload!

Once removed my skin felt all soft and warm :) The Mr commented that I smelt like a giant chocolate for hours afterwards! Plus I didn't break out the next day which I was slightly concerned might happen with such a sugary sweet mask.

I personally love these Montagne Jeunesse sachet face masks, you get to try lots of different scents/mask properties without committing to a whole bottle of the stuff! Their products are suitable for vegetarians, they always try to use natural ingredients where possible oh and a sachet is only £1.09 perfect for a girly treat!

Finally just a little reminder, you can still vote for me in the Sarenza blogging competition and also be in with a chance of winning £800 worth of shoes too (it really would be all of my Christmas's coming at once!). All you need to do is tweet:

'My vote for the @SarenzaUK comp goes to @ladybugsays #SarenzaUKstyle'

Lady Bug Says ... Wear It Pink!

Evening lovelies!

As most of you know today is Breast Cancer Campaign's 'Wear It Pink' day, so I of course had to don a pink frock and take part! I picked up this pink beauty in the Dorothy Perkins sale and thought today was the perfect time for it's first outing.

Dress, Dorothy Perkins £15, Blazer, H&M Kids £8, Tights, Primark £1, Shoes, Primark £10

Outfit total - £34

Barry M 'Mushroom' with Models Own 'Champagne' sponged tips. Rings, Matalan £3

Also a little reminder that the lovely Essbeevee is hosting a bloggers breast cancer awareness raffle which closes tonight! A chance to donate money to a very worthy cause and be in with a chance of winning some fab prizes!

Lady Bug Says ... Leather & Grey

Evening Lovelies!

Hope you have all had a fab week. It was my birthday on Tuesday so I have had a few days off work and spent time with friends, family and the Mr :) Was lovely to just have a break from work/the internet/housework and spend quality time with loved ones! The Mr even treated me to flowers and breakfast in bed! Spoilt girl :) I don't know if anyone is interested in seeing what I got for my birthday? I personally like reading those kind of posts but I don't want to come across as though I'm showing off or anything!

Anyway, onto the outfit! I bought this leather skirt at the end of last winter but it has taken until now to a) get the musty smell out of it and b) actually wear it! So glad its finally getting an airing as it is the perfect a-line shape, fits like a glove and has quirky detailing like the hand cut hem. Oh and did I mention it's vintage and only cost £4.50!

Tights, Primark £1, Leather skirt, Vintage via charity shop £4.50, Knitted jumper with elbow detailing, H&M £15

Models Own 'Jade Green' with 'Juicy Jules' on the ring fingers :)

Suede buckle detail boots, Primark £12

Outfit total - £ 32.50

I found out today that I have been shortlisted in the Sarenza blogging competition :) I would really appreciate it if you could possibly take a few minutes to read my review entry and if you like it tweet the following:

'My vote for the @SarenzaUK comp goes to Lady Bug Says #SarenzaUKstyle'

The winner gets £800 worth of shoes (Eeeeeee!) and 1 of their voters also receives £800 worth of shoes!

I'm off to iron my pink dress in preparation for Breast Cancer Campaign's 'Wear It Pink' day tomorrow!

Lady Bug Says ... A Little More About Me

Evening lovelies.

Sorry I have been rather absent, various ailments seem to have struck me down all at the same time! But I'm soldiering on, don't you worry!

I thought tonight I would show you a little more of my life outside of the blog. As much as I love fashion, beauty & baking my job means the world to me. I can talk kitchens for hours and tend to bore people with my incessant chatter of traditional vs contemporary and granite vs solid surface!

I work for a bespoke joinery and shopfitting company as a kitchen planner, though as we are a small family company I also cover various other roles such as reception and payroll.

My favourite part of my job is receiving a 'list of dreams' from a client and being able to create their dream room :) Plus I get my vicariously spend a fortune of gorgeous joinery through my customers!

Traditional in-frame painted kitchen with granite and timber worktops.

Oak & cream shaker kitchen with granite worktops

Traditional sage in-frame kitchen with oak block worktops

Cream framed doors with solid surface worktops

Oak shaker doors with solid surface worktops

Cream in-frame kitchen with slate worktops

So what's your dream kitchen? Every time I design a new one my personal dream seems to change!

Lady Bug Says ... Camel, Grey & Burgundy

Sorry for the completely unimaginative post title! It was all my brain could conjure up!

I'm kind of liking the more autumnal weather, means I finally get a chance to wear some of the knits and tights I have been buying. Though with the nights getting darker I am going to have to work out some indoor lightish space to take outfit photos soon!

Also really need to figure out the self timer on my camera so I don't have to keep hassling the Mr to take photos of me! Always end up pulling slightly odd faces when he is behind the camera!

Burgundy snood, Primark £4, Grey jumper, Primark £4, Camel dress, c/o Select, Tights, Primark £1, Steve Madden Boots, TK Maxx £35

Outfit total - £44

Barry M Racing Green & Models Own Champagne

Leather feather earrings, giveaway prize from A Daisy Chain Dream

Lady Bug Says ... A Bit Of A Ramble

Evening Lovelies!

Going to be a little bit of a rambley post this evening and basically some reasons(excuses) why I have been a bit absent recently!

I did have every intention of photographing some outfits from the last week when I got home tonight, but by the time I had done the food shop(such a glam life!) it was already dark! Really not liking the dark nights arriving so suddenly! Certainly not looking forward to the day I go to and come home from work in the dark!

I thought I would share a pretty photo from the summer, bring back sunshine and bright flowers please!

Over the past few months I have been ill on and off which is increasingly frustrating! I have been diagnosed as wheat intolerant(big thanks to Alex for making me realise that being wheat free isn't actually the end of the world!) and having Costochondritis, which is inflammation of the chest cartilage which is bloody painful. So painful I ended up at A&E on Thursday night as I was slightly concerned that there might be something wrong with my heart :S One ECG and a few hours in hospital later I was reassured that my heart wasn't giving up on me but I do need a course of strong anti-inflammitories! I don't want to sound all 'poor old me' but feeling generally rubbish each day is getting me down!

Recently the lovely girls over at Select contacted me and offered to send me something to review. I picked this pretty skater style dress and so far have worn it to the Look Show. I have honestly never received anything from a company so prettily packaged! I will be doing a proper review once its had a few more outings.

(I have no idea whats going on with the spacing of these photos! Though with the way blogger is being at the moment I am just thankful that they are the right way up!)

Very.co.uk also very kindly offered to send me something from one of their Autumn/Winter collections. I originally picked this pretty yellow dress from Fearne Cottons range but unfortunately the sizes seemed to come up really big :( Luckily they let me send it back and pick something else so I went for these Love Label suede shorts. Highly impractical, I have only worn them once and was fearful of eating anything whilst wearing them, I can't afford dry cleaning bills!! I do love these shorts though, can't wait to wear them with thick tights and boots :)

Finally, like most bloggers I have attempted galaxy inspired nails! I think they might look slightly more like sparkly bird crap but hey!

I think that is about it for my rambling! This post has taken bloody hours to write after my laptop decided to blue screen of death and restart no less than 10 times in 30 mins! I am now on the Mr's computer after much swearing and giving up on mine! I have lots of posts lined up so hopefully Lady Bug Says will be updated a little more frequently! How you ladies manage to post daily I will never know!!

Lady Bug Says ... Getting My Culottes On!

Evening Lovelies!

Hope you have been enjoying the unexpected sunshine! I certainly wasn't expecting to wear shorts without a nice thick pair of tights in late September/October! If this Indian summer weather wants to stick around I am not going to complain!

Whilst doing one of my 'pop in to Tesco for a pint of milk, come out with clothes trips' I was browsing around the sale section and picked up what I thought was a lovely rust coloured a-line skirt. When I saw the price was £2 I had to pick up the cream version too! It wasn't until I tried it on when I got home I realised they were actually culottes. Wearing them I feel a little like I should be in the Brownies (something I was deprived of as a child!) but I can definitely see them becoming a wardrobe staple!

Red heels, Primark £12, Rust culottes with plaited belt, Clothing at Tesco £2, Red vest top, Primark £3

Necklace, Forever 21 £3.50

Swallow ring, Matalan £3 & Anchor ring, ASOS £6

Outfit total - £29.50

Lady Bug Says - Sarenza Picks

Recently the lovely people at Sarenza contacted me and asked if I would like to write a review of some of my favourite Autumn/Winter picks from their website based around the theme of Pure British! They will be selecting their favourite reviews with the winner receiving £800 in vouchers! Couldn't turn down the chance to win pretty shoes!

I decided to base my review on some of the big British trends for Autumn Winter!

Androgynous

Sapia by Latinas Tattoo £30.60 & Elegant Studs by Jeffrey Campbell £94.90

I am a big fan of stylish flats, as I will more often than not go for being comfortably short than painfully tall! I am easily won over by a stunning loafer (love the unusually dark reddy brown colour) and now feel like my wardrobe is majorly missing out by not having star studded shoes in it!

I would pair either of these gorgeous flats with tailored shorts and a detailed blouse for the perfect masculine/feminine look!

Blouse Shorts

Heritage

Donna Keira C by Geox £119 & Pastora by Latinas Tattoo £35.70

I am possibly in love with both of these pairs of boots and may NEED to get the in my wardrobe somehow! The platform detailing on the first pair make them stand out more than your average tan boot and who doesn't need some warm lined boots in their lives!

In my mind these boots lend themselves to being worn with rich autumn colours and a hint or heritage check!

Jumper Shirt Trousers

Sixties Mod

Joan by I Love Shoes £58.65 & Jago by I Love Shoes £50.15

I am a sucker for the quite impractical suede shoe! But when they look this pretty how can anyone say no to them! I would like to think I can walk in 'Joan' height heels, but truth be told 'Jago' sized heels are definitely more in my comfort zone! I love the colours in both of these pairs!

I would wear this with a cute colour block shift dress and chunky statement ring :)

Dress Ring

Tailored

Secretary by Shellys £82.44 & Moracee by San Marina £76.42

I love a good loafer and an even better brogue so a heeled version is perfect for a tailored work look. These autumn toned shoes are a nice change from black or tan and I love the little punch out and buckle detailing. Plus a chunky heel means they are so much easier to walk in, yay!

For a work appropriate tailored look I would pair them with a cute detailed shirt and a leather effect skirt.

Blouse Skirt

Trench/Mac

Verona 8563 by Pikolinos £144.50 & Tol by Ara £78.20

A British winter would not be complete without the return of the beloved trench coat and I think these boots will compliment a beautiful jacket perfectly! I love the contrasting buckle detailing on the Verona's and just need the classic black ankle boots!

I would wear them, with a fun bright winter trench!

Trench Coat

Sarenza have got some amazing products in for the new season and I am really pleased to see that there is a wide range of price points to suit everyone's budget without compromising on the quality.