Laura Ashley Room Refresh!

 

Today is a little bit of a different post (and a quite intrusive/embarrassing post if I'm honest!). Annie over at The Quarter-Life Tales of Annie Bean is hosting a little competition. Actually, its not at all little, its the chance to win £1000 to spend on the gorgeous Laura Ashley range to refresh a room in your house that needs a little TLC!

 

You all know I love a bit of home interior. Ever since I moved into my own home 2 years ago (wow, that's gone so quick!), I'm always on the look out for something pretty and unique for my home. I always swoon over Laura Ashley items but just never have the money to spend on such things.

 

For this competition I have chosen our main bedroom. You've probably all glanced at the photos thinking 'well that doesn't look like it needs a lot of refreshing!' - Don't let the ruffled cushions and bed runner fool you! Hear me out!

 

Re-wind 2 years. We'd been in our house a matter of weeks, and I was working so hard to try and get it the way I wanted it. My boyfriend had just started a new job the week we moved in (bad timing!) so I was left to do most of the painting and wallpapering myself. Each room in my house has a different colour scheme (I like colour in my life!). So for our main bedroom I decided to go for golds and browns, simply because I'd never dabbled in those colours before! Within a matter of weeks of moving in, we organized a house warming party. I'm not going beat around the bush here - I wanted my house to look the bee's knee's ready for everyone coming round. A few days before the party, we still didn't have any bedroom furniture, and I was panicking.. so, in true Kate style, I did an impulse buy (as much as my boyfriend told me not to) and settled on some pretty basic furniture from Argos.

 

Oh. Dear. (Yeah, that's what I thought too!)

 

Now carefully look at the pictures...

 

Due to rushing, I didn't measure up properly when purchasing the furniture, and needless to say, it's miniscule! (I'm sure its children's furniture!) The chest of drawers stand at knee height (and I'm only 5ft 1"!). The bedside cabinet was that low that my boyfriend has to do without one because I thought it looked ridiculous, plus I seemed to use mine more than he did his, so I have 2 bedside cabinets stacked on top of each other! (see bottom right). Although this obviously creates an unsymmetrical dimension to the bed, as I know beds are the main focal point of a room, so this drives me nuts! The wardrobes.. well.. where do I start? They look fairly big in the photo but it is actually a single wardrobe with a few shelves to the side - I have the majority of the wardrobe and my boyfriend has the shelves. But as you can imagine, being female, I have clothes everywhere because they just don't all fit in. I have a basket full in my bedroom (see photo). I have another chest of drawers in another room, full of clothes, then I have boxes full in the spare bedroom. To top all that off, after approximately 1 month of having this furniture, like true Argos style (sorry Argos!) they began falling apart. One of the drawers is now out of bounds. If you look close enough one of the drawers doesn't actually close. The MDF at the back of the wardrobe began to collapse so we tried to fix that. It's safe to say, I just long for some solid, big bedroom furniture so all my clothes are in one place, and my poor boyfriend isn't left with some measly shelves to store his clothes. Fast forward 2 years and unfortunately, we still haven't been able to afford to replace this furniture yet.

Oh, and did I mention I've decided I really don't like the colour scheme?! I've decided it looks dark and dreary. I just feel like this room lets our whole house down. I'd absolutely love some white furniture with mirrored accessories against a light grey/silver colour scheme to create a fresh Parisian theme and to also give the illusion that the room is bigger. I've added a few ruffles on the bed for a feminine yet sophisticated touch. The items I've chosen from Laura Ashley would help make my bedroom the sophisticated and tidy room I'm longing for!

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As you can see I've gone for solid white wood with lots of storage! All this would help to keep all mine and my boyfriends clothes in one place instead of making other rooms in the house look untidy with clothes that should belong in the bedroom!

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I would stand the venetian mirror on top of the chest of drawers to create a dressing table. The heart shaped trinket boxes I would place on the dressing table and store jewellery in. The large mirrored rose (4) is a wall decoration that I would place on the wall along with a few mirrored picture frames. I would do 1 feature wall with the damask style wallpaper (5). The lamps I absolutely adore! I would place 1 on either side of the bed on top of the bedside cabinets (so my boyfriend can have his back!). I would have a ruffled duvet set to complete the look of sophistication. If there's still a few oddments that don't quite fit in the furniture (although I hope not!) I would place these gorgeous grey storage boxes in the corner of the room as an extra 'storage back-up'. The curtains I think match perfectly with the colour scheme to finish everything off. I might even add jeweled tie backs!

Honestly, if my bedroom was to look like this, I don't think I'd ever want to come out!

If you'd like to enter this competition, show us your room that you think needs a refresh, and what Laura Ashley items you'd use to brighten up your room. Then head over to Annie's blog and leave a comment/link telling her you've entered. Also tweet the link to your blog using the hastag #LARoomRefresh. Hurry though, you've only got till June7th 00:00 GMT.

Good Luck!

GlossyBox Turns 2!

It is Glossybox's 2nd birthday this month, and I am proud to say I've been with them since day 1.

This months birthday box I was super impressed with. I felt like I received some good quality, decent sized products, all of which I will get a lot of use out of.

Contents

Givenchy Noir Couture Mascara. Oh my god, the wand on this beauty looks amazeballs. Not only does it claim to add nstant volume, lenth and curl but it also nourishes your lashes at the same time. Could you ask any more in a mascara? This is a tiny sample but I'm hoping its enough to last me a 2 week holiday in Florida next month, cos I'm definitely gonna be taking this beauty away with me. If that fails, then CVS here I come!

Harmony moisturising creme balm. This claims it is a skin protector and primer, and its ingredients aims to help reduce excess oil and break outs. Its a little more creamier than I like in a primer, but because of its other functions I'm going to work with this and see what I think. A nice 10ml pot too.

Caudalie Divine Oil. I was super excited when I saw this because all of the Caudalie products that Ive had previously I've absolutely loved (esp the SOS thirst quenching serum!). This is in a glass bottle too so it felt super luxurious! This is an oil for the face, body and hair. It can even be used on dry cuticles, added to a bath or used as a massage oil.. you get the drift. I was going to take my Body Shop lemon oil away with me but I think this might well replace it to give me a sexy sheen on my legs after shaving!
 
Beautiful Movements Cosmetics - Prime & Create Mixing Medium (wow, what a mouthful!). When I took a glance at this, my first impressions were utter disappointment. I immediately recognised the packaging from BM beauty and thought it was yet another mineral based eyeshadow or finishing powder. I was right on the brand - it was BM beauty, however they've changed their name. I was wrong on the product though - This gel like formula is a dream to wear - its exactly what I look for in a primer - a velvet smooth finish, that soft that I often can't stop touching my skin. It states that it can be turned into a cream foundation for an airbrushed effect, as well as mixing with powder blushes to create a cream tint, or an eye shadow pigment to create liquid eyeliners. I'm not sure I'll go to the hassle of doing all that - I might try it if I have a bit of time on my hands and I'm feeling adventurous, but the consistency of this is perfect for a primer alone.

Nails Inc - 'Portobello' - This is the prettiest coral peachy colour one could ask for this summer (er yes, I said summer..). I think this is going on my toes for my holidays! It instantly reminds me of sunny days everytime I look at it.

GlossyBox nail files - This has got to be the cutest set of nail files I have ever seen. Talk about handbag size! They come in Glossybox's cardboad slip (with their 2nd birthday design on). The nail files are neon pink and there's 20 in the pack. Yep, you're probably thinking 'how on earth can they fit 20 in there?' but they have - they're very small mind - less than 1cm wide. You snap them off and away you go. These would slide neatly into any purse and would take no room at all up. I hate getting a snag in my nail, I end up forever scratching myself or catching it on my clothes if I haven't got a file on me so these are pretty perfect!

Green & Blacks Organic Dark Chocolate - I've heard quite a few people rave about this but I've never got round to picking it up. For a self confessed chocoholic, thats pretty shocking, so when I received this I was a little excited. I'm not a huge fan of dark chocolate (who is?!) but I can usually hack it, but wouldn't choose it if I had the choice. I've had a little nibble of this, and I can honestly say, its probably the only chocolate I couldn't wait to get out of my mouth. It states it contains 70% cocoa solids, so as you can imagine, its really rich and.. bleurgh...  I cannot explain the taste but I definitely wouldnt repurchase this. I'm glad to say I've tried it though :-)

On my little booklet it did state that if you had been subscribed to GB for 1yr+ you would receive a little extra, so I'm not too sure which of the above was the 'free' one - either the nail files or chocolate.. either way, thank you!

All in all, I'm very impressed, once again! Most of these products are perfect for my upcoming holiday - I'm on a mission to pack as lightly as possible so I can take more goodies back home with me!

Happy 2nd Birthday GB!



30 ways to save £1 with Moneysupermarket.com

This is a little different to my usual posts but hopefully you'll find this interesting, 'cos lets face it, we all like to save money where possible.
Moneysupermarket are kindly offering bloggers the chance to get involved and spread their secret ways of saving money. For each money saving tip you provide, moneysupermarket will kindly give you £1! You can reveal up to 30 money saving tips, which if we do the maths, equates to £30. If thats not enough, then everyone that enters will then gain entry into a £1000 prize draw too! Sound good to you?!

So without further ado, here are my 30 money saving tips on how to save £1 (or more!)

1. When you have finished a product that is in a flexible squeezy tube, don't throw it away. Get those scissors out and cut the packaging in half, its amazing just how much product is still left! I have done this many times with foundation and toothpaste!

2. If the sun is shining or the wind is blowing and you have wet laundry ready to be aired, don't be lazy and transfer it to the tumble drier - stick it on the washing line outside! Remember, electricity = money!

3. Have you been cooking and used food from a glass jar? Don't throw it out! Wash it and get some acrylic paint to pretty them up and use as storage jars or mini vases! Or if you have no acrylic paint, get a small piece of ribbon and tie around the top to bring the jar to life!

4. Don't spend loads of money on table centre pieces, use your imagination and scourer eBay or a craft shop for cheap bags of beads and gems. Add some water and bingo! (I've had loads of positive comments on these decorations that sit on my dining table!)

5. If, like me, you and your friend are subscribed to beauty boxes, don't throw away or pass on products you dislike. Make an agreement that you will keep them to one side and twice a year when you and your friend have gathered enough products together, meet up and play swapsy! That way, you are getting rid of things that you don't like and getting something back in return!

6. If you are going to make a purchase, whether it be an expensive technology item or a cheaper cosmetics product, do your research. There are some really good review websites on the internet with honest opinions. Everyone has their own opinion but when 95% of opinions are negative, that usually is a good enough sign! They will save you money in the long run if you make a purchase that you are not happy with.

7. Use compare websites! If you are a car or home owner, these should be your best friend! You could literally save £££'s using them!

8. Use points cards in shops and cafes where possible. Tesco offer a clubcard points system which in time, can turn into whatever you would like; hotels, days out, even holidays! Boots also offer something similar so always make sure you carry these cards on you, and take advantage of their double points days! Certain cafes offer a system where if you buy so many drinks, you get one free. If you know you will be a regular user or this cafe, its worth picking up a card.. they're free!

9. If you begin the feel the chill at home, take a look at what you are wearing before reaching for the 'on' button on the boiler. Could you layer up to make yourself warmer? Always have a throw handy in your living room (I have one that matches my colour scheme that I hang over the arm of our couch so it doesnt look out of place). All these are methods to help to refrain from putting the heating on!

10. Be versatile with your clothes and cosmetics. Can that neck scarf double up as a head band? Can those jeans you no longer like be cut into a pair of distressed shorts? Can that old lipstick double up as a cream blush? Can that eyeshadow also be used as an eyebrow filler? You may well have just found yourself a new outfit or accessory!

11. Any old clothes that you definitely know you are no longer going to wear, that you also know wont make money on eBay, cut up and use as cleaning cloths for around the house (material dependent!). Will save you £1 or 2 on dusters!

12. Instead of running over to the nearest shop on your lunch hour at work, why not take the time to prepare a lunch the night before? It will save you at least a few pounds every day! And if you think you're going to give into temptation, leave your purse at home!

13. Car share to work where suitable. If a colleague is on your route to work, have a word, I'm sure they'd be happy to team up!

14. If you come across BOGOF deals on items you regularly buy, it might be wise to stock up, it will save you in the long run!

15. If you cook something that can serve more people than you anticipated, don't give everyone extra portions... bag it up and freeze it for another meal.

16. Barter with your phone provider when it comes to renewing your mobile phone contract. They don't like to lose your custom so 9 times out of 10 will come down to a price that suits you.

17. If you are a designer fan, always look for dupes, whether it be on eBay for that replica chanel bag, or in Boots for that YSL dupe lipstick! Research before you buy and you'll save £££!

18. Before travelling, research restaurants around the area that you will be staying in for a rough price guide. Sometimes you don't realise prices of food before you get sat down and it's too late!

19. If you drive, plan your journey before you leave the house. Many of us can be driving around from A to B and back to A again, simply because we haven't planned our route accurately, which always results in wasting petrol.

20. Don't waste ££'s on beauty products that you could create at home with ingredients that you may have lurking in your cupboards. Some sugar + a drop of almond oil = an exfoliating DIY lipscrub!

21. Recycle gift bags that you may have received for birthdays and christmas' and send them on their merry way again! Just remember to be careful not to send it to the person that gave it to you!

22. Don't spend a fortune stocking up on snacks at the cinema, their prices are ridiculous! Sneak your own in!

23. If you need to make a call to your bank or another company, don't ring from your phone and get charged, go into the branch and use their phone to save money.

24. Don't go out and buy the latest exercise craze DVD. Youtube it, it's more than likely to be on there! It maybe in 3 different parts, but if its saved ou £10, does it matter?!

25. Young children love sensory toys, so instead of spending lots on toys that claim to enhance their senses, make your own! Its amazing what sensory toys you'll be able to create from things laying round the house. Rice grains in water, flour and water, anything gooey and the kids will love it! (All supervised play!)

26. Have you ever noticed that in supermarkets, cheaper brands are towards the bottom of the shelves? Thats because they deliberately put the more expensive brands at eye level so customers are more likely to grab it. So in future, instead of grabbing the first item in view, take a few seconds to look beyond that area and see if you can find a similar product at a cheaper price!

27. Visit carboot sales! Its amazing what you might find! If you're after a piece of rustic shabby chic furniture, you may well discover it here. All will be required is a piece of sandpaper, a lick of paint and you're well on the way to saving £££'s for your desired look!

28. If you know you are going to be jumping on and off buses all day, purchase a day rider, you will save yourself at least £1.

29. If you have a bit of spare cash in the January sales, its worth taking advantage and stocking up on a few birthday presents for that coming year. I have done this on several occasions and find that I save a lot. Christmas wrapping paper is also drastically reduced, and although its the last thing on your mind in January, come December, you will be impressed that you have luxurious wrapping paper at a very discounted price!

30. If your car needs washing, don't be lazy and do it yourself! Or if not, get your kids to do it and give them a couple of quid, you'll still be saving a lot!

They are my 30 money saving tips! I have done the majority of these at some point in my life, if I'm not still doing them now!

I hope you found some of them useful. Have you got any more interesting ones?

The Chronicles of a Nail Girl: Glitter World

I think every collection needs at least one glitter polish. It just adds something to the nails, even if just on the signature finger. Its gorgeous when it catches the sunlight, and glams up every outfit around the festive period. I'm like a magpie when it comes to glitter polishes. Its unfortunate that they are a pain to remove or I think I'd wear them a lot more often than I do now!

I have a picked a few of the W7 ones up over the last year - they are good enough quality and don't break the bank. I don't want to spend a lot on something that I don't wear that often (due to the frustration of removing them!).

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LA Colors 'Jewel Tone' - This is so pretty, a concoction of purple, pink and teal glitter particles. Scrummy!
LA Colors 'Sparkling Diamonds' - A pure silver one that often gets used on the signature finger a lot.
Technic 'Carnival' -I remember when this was a really popular dupe for one of OPIs (possibly from the muppet collection, correct me if I'm wrong).
W7 'Green Dazzle' - Such a gorgeous vibrant green.
W7 'Gold Dazzle' - Great for around Christmas time

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Miss Sporty (From their Sparkle Touch range)
Barry M 'Pink Sapphire Glitter' - These are more shreds of glitter than flecks, but nonetheless still pretty.
Barry M 'Amethyst Glitter'
Barry M Limited Edition Christmas 2012.
La Femme Beauty - Another cheap and cheerful electric blue. Quite opaque but would need to be used over a polish.
Nail Polish - Again - v.original - this was purchased as part of a set years ago from New Look, but this is surprisingly thick and loaded with glitter, so creates a really good effect.

My Fave by far has to be Barry M Amethyst Glitter - The colours in this are amazing. Gorgeous when it catches the light too. It does need several coats if you are to wear it alone but I can deal with that because of how pretty it is!

The Chronicles of a Nail Girl: Paint the Town Red

Red should be in every girls nail collection in my eyes. Especially a nice paintbox red. I think its such a classic colour and looks gorgeous with a black number on a night out. Its also a very versitile colour so tends to go with a lot of outfits.

Now, this photo, I know you're probably thinking 'well that looks like a random concoction of reds Kate!' But hear me out - The bright yellow on the end... is the only yellow I own, as is the orange next to it, so I didn't feel like it deserved a post on its own, so I gathered the nearest colour to this is red.. so there you have it! Also, the colours at the other end, I can promise you they are all forms of red, even though they look a little.... funky.

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Maybelline 'Canary Yellow'
No 7 'Tangy'
Barry M 'Bright Red'
Nails Inc 'St James'
Collection 2000 'Starlet' This is so pretty and has a gorgeous irredescent shimmer to it
Deborah Lippmann - Love this, especially round Christmas time. Although again, being a glitter, its a pain to remove
OPI 'You only live twice' - Very similar to the previous but with finer flecks of glitter.
Avon 'Cherry Jubilee' - I've had this for a long time now, although it doesn't look it, its quite similar to Barry Ms 'Raspberry'
ELF 'Burgundy' - This looks horrible in the photo, and its not much better in reality. It has a gold shimmer to it but is quite a disappointing product.

I think my red category is quite poor, I need to spice it up a little!

The Chronicles of a Nail Girl: Pretty Purple

Purple is another colour that I love.. I really am not fussy when it comes to colours, as you can probably tell by now! It used to be my favourite colour for a long time. I remember having a lilac bedroom when I was younger. I actually have a purple 'themed' conservatory now in my house (which you can take a tour of here).

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Barry M 'Berry Icecream'
Barry M Gelly 'Prickly Pear'
Accessorize shade 26
Barry M 'Bright Purple'
Nina Ultra Pro Salon Forumla 'Punki Purple' - This is a relatively new purchase. It looks fairly pink on camera, but its more of a neon purple, if that even exists?!
ELF 'Purple Dream' - I first discovered this on Fleur's Youtube channel a few years ago now, and although I don't like ELF polishes, this seems to go on pretty well as opposed to other ELF polishes I have tried, maybe because of the brightness of the colour.
Barry M 'Indigo' -  I wear this a lot in the autumn/winter. Such a pretty blue.
2True shade 4 - I remember watching one of ***missbudgetbeauty*** videos way back regarding this brand, and not long after, I popped into Superdrug to see what they had to offer. Although these are fairly cheap, I absolutely love this on my nails. Its another one of those that I can't stop staring at if I have it on. A gorgeous glitter polish that removes like a dream, thank god!

So there you have it, all my purples! This was yet another colour category that I thought I had a lot more of than I actually do...

The Chronicles of a Nail Girl: Something borrowed, something Blue

Blue is one of those colours that I am instantly attracted to, especially electric blue. Last year when I went to Vegas to be a bridesmaid for my brothers wedding, I had a royal blue dress from Missguided which I got to keep. I love it, but still waiting for an event to wear it to again (for footage of my dress please see here).

However on the nails, blue isn't always easy to wear.. I'm one of those that has to my nails matching with my clothes..I either go for a versitile colour, like red or pink, or a colour that matches with a top that I have on, for example.

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Essie 'Bikini so Teeny' - This is the most recent purchase to my collection - It is so pretty in the bottle and has very subtle flecks of glitter in, unfortunately you can't notice it on the nail. But I like it nonetheless
Barry M Gelly 'Blueberry'
Barry M 'Pure Turquoise'
Barry M 'Cyan Blue'
Miss Sporty 8 (from the 'Clubbing colours') - I first remember seeing this on Louise's (SprinkleofGlitter) blog and I fell in love then. I still swoon over it now every time I see it. Its one of those colours I could eat! (If you read my spring polish collection you'll know what I mean!)
Barry M 'Cobalt Blue'
Barry M 'Magnetic Blue'
Collection 2000 I have no idea of the colour because he writing has worn off (its pretty old!). This bottle is very misleading and is actually a very pretty navy colour with a subtle silver undertone. I do tend to keep this for Autumn/winter though because of how dark it is.
Nail Polish - Ha, how orginal! This was in a cheap kit that I got from New Look years ago, and surprisingly this is a very good quality polish. Its very similar to the Collection 2000 one in colour, although in the photo they look black. I promise they're not!

My favourite by far has to be Miss Sporty '8'. Whilst Im on that note, don't you think its so dismal how polishes are just named by numbers?! I love a good polish name.. I think some of them are so cute and quirky and helps me to remember them when referring to friends, as opposed to 'errrr... it's number...errrm?!'. A close second I'm torn between is the Barry M Gelly or Essie. Hmmmm.. so similar.

What's your favourite?