A year away.....

They say time flies and in my case in the world of blogging it certainly has! I have been away from my Mac now for just over a year since I last published a blog post, and although at times I have missed the scheduling of posts, its also been great to have a break and not be so stressed with trying to get posts out at certain times to attract a good number of readers.

    However, I've decided now is the time to come back and share with you guys what I have been up to. So if you follow my instagram you will already know we have two new, very cute, additions added to our family. One being a beautiful bouncy baby boy and a fluffy, cuddly, yet hyper girl cockapoo which fill quite a lot of my picture space up! Now as you can imagine life is rather quite busy and full with two boys, my husband and a dog, none the less I've still missed this part of my life.

   So make sure you follow all my links below to stay in contact as I'm now backkkkk!!!


Have a great week!

Vicki xoxo

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Topshop Sale Haul

This time of year is great for hidden sale gems! Most highstreet retailers are getting rid of their last season stock to make way for their spring collections! But this is where you can take full advantage and get some key pieces to take you through to the rest of the year without breaking the bank account!
    This week I popped in Topshop to return some pieces, to then come away with spending £80 on top of what I was already exchanging! My biggest bargain of the day had to be my purchase of jewellery! Im quite a big fan of Topshops costume jewellery but some of their pieces can cost as much as an actual top, so its always a case of weighing up the pros and cons of how much you will actually wear it! Some of the pieces of jewellery were already heavily reduced in the sale, but another promotion was added on top of five pieces of jewellery for £7!

Heres what I got......

A beautiful necklace which originally retailed at £25, then was reduced down to 1/2 price, then £8.50 and finally to £5 before being placed in the offer. I actually purchased two of these necklaces, one for me and one for my friend as she had spotted it before christmas and fell in love. What I really like about the piece is that the stones shine a grey/ blue colour depending on light and what you actually wear it with. I also like that its on a ribbon necklace which doesn't make it a heavy necklace to wear.

This next necklace was originally £14, reduced down to half price and then further down to £3. I love wearing rose gold jewellery and the woven thread at the front of the necklace is exactly that colour. The stones once again sparkle different colours in the light so will look perfect in the summer against a maxi dress.

I always seem to be drawn towards a black necklace, I think its because I do wear a lot of black and sometimes just the sparkle of a necklace can change the appearance of a top to make it seem the necklace is a part of it. This necklace was originally sold at £22.50, so was a really bargain to be part of this offer!

This next necklace is slightly different to all the bolder pieces I got, but sometimes a smaller necklace is all that is required. I like the fact this necklace has two layers so it gives a little more definition to the piece with the diamantes just adding enough sparkle.

I have never had a lace necklace before, so this one is my very first! It has really small black diamantes  on each of the petals to give it a real shine when worn. Originally £16.50 then reduced down to £3 I think this will look perfect with some of my cami tops in the warmer months!

Here are a few other pieces I got!

Hope you enjoyed my pieces! Did you get any from this amazing Topshop sale?

Head over to topshop.com for more sale pieces!

Vicki xoxo

Next January Sale Haul....

Once Christmas day is over with the next biggest excitement is the January sales. I love how retailers compete with one another for who will have the best reductions on the best products, all giving extra discount to try and entice you to buy the products you probably don't need but will always think you do purely due to the price! Working at Next allows me to have a sneak peak of whats going on sale before it actually goes live on boxing day!
     Come boxing day my bags are filled to the brim with goodies! This year we moved to a new home so I got more home buys than clothes! Heres what I got......

This hurricane ombre vase was only £3 reduced down from £8.  I love how dark the bottom of the vase is, to how it goes clear at the top. 

 In keeping with my red theme in my living room I picked up these love heart tea light holders for £1 each, originally being £4 each! These will look really cute with little candles in at night time to light up around my fire place.

These two mini vases cost £3 each reduced down from £6 each! I will place these in my bookcase to add some feminine touches to what is my husbands book filled domain at the moment.

As you can see I do love a faux flower, and this bunch was a real bargain! Its original price of £18 was in store for the last current season, and I just couldn't decided where I would actually place it, however when I saw it reduced down to only £7 I made sure to find a place!

Not only do I love floral things around the house, but I also love smells everywhere, so this bronze bowl will hold some lovely pot pourri, and at £3 how could I resist?

This year I want to do a new colour scheme in my room, I have had pinks and greens for so long now, Im just getting bored of it. So to start off the new look of my room, I have chosen this cushion which will take centre place on my bed, once I have decided on what new bedding to get.

I got two pictures from the sale, this first one was reduced down to £12 from £35. I especially love the colours and the texture here, and this will fit perfectly into my already green kitchen.

This picture will go nicely in my new bedroom. Ive looked at grey and lilac for so long so this picture will fit nicely in with the theme. The picture originally was £25 and I got it in the sale for £9!

 Did you get any bargains in the Next sale?

Let me know in the comments!

Vicki xoxo

A Mac Purchase....

                                                             Happy New Year!!!!!

A new year can only mean one thing, a new brand to try! Well for me Mac is a new brand, as I have always steered clear of their counters due to their ever growing queues at till points! But on a rather early thursday morning there was no one shopping on the department so I headed over to see what the fuss was all about! Many of my friends use Mac makeup and I have read reviews after reviews of the brand with bloggers expressing their love for it, so it was time I got a piece of the action as they say! I decided to opt for a new lipstick and lip liner. Having used the same Maxfactor "Angel Pink" for what feels like years I wanted a new bold lip, something completely different and completely not me. After browsing the rows after rows of lipsticks I was approached by a very helpful Mac artist who picked out several different colours to try on!

Heres what I chose......

The lipstick is Dark Side Amplified, and the liner is called Nightmoth, and I absolutely love the look they create when wearing them!

Its true what they say, a bold lip is a game changer!

Whats your favourite Mac lipstick and liner?

Follow my Instagram for more pictures on my latest looks!!!


Vicki xoxo

Winter Hair With Vivid!

I have been rather m.i.a recently, due to a crazy year of getting married, moving home and my four year old starting school, so the blog has taken a little back seat with every day life being rather busy. To get back into the swing of things, I thought I would share with you my recent visit to the hair extensions specialists Vivid, which are based in Northampton. If you are a follower of my blog then you will know I have used Vivid before and absolutely loved my results every time.
     With the weather not being very kind to my fine locks I felt it was time to add some volume and get rid of the static that the winter wind seems to create. And who doesn't love to have "big" hair for the party season!

To see how much of a difference extensions can make, Vivid took a before and after picture of my hair!

As you can see I have gone from very fine, limp hair, to big bouncy curls, all down to the fabulous Jason at Vivid! The lighter blonde was growing out of my hair, so Hannah coloured matched the extensions to my natural colour of dark blonde with some lighter blonde going through to match the ends! I really couldn't be happier with my new hair!!!

For more info about Vivid and the different treatments they offer, visit their webiste at
www.vividhairandbeauty.com

Check out their Instagram at www.instagram.com/vividhairextensions/ .

And keep up to date via twitter at twitter.com/vividxhair

As well as their Facebook page Facebook.com/Vividhair1

Hope you enjoyed this mini post!

Vicki xoxo

The Monsoon Collection

Tanya Coelho, the designer of Zefyr Eco Jewels, has just recently launched her much anticipated new Monsoon Collection. After great success from her first line I was particularly interested to see where Tanya's travels would take her and where the collection would go to next. For me it isn't just about the pieces itself its also about the whole packaging, even the name. The definition of the word Monsoon, "a seasonal prevailing wind in the region of South and South East Asia, blowing from the south-west between May and September and bringing rain, (the wet monsoon), or from the north east between October and April, (the dry monsoon). Having learnt how much of an impact a "monsoon" can have I had great expectations as to what the line would look like, especially as it was called one.

Tanya took inspiration from her time in Northern Laos, where she spent time with the Hmong Hill-tribe people. This inspiration led to the Monsoon Collection which even features the Lao symbol for "mountain" in every piece.

Here are some of the marketing pictures from the press release which I wanted to share with you to show that this collection lives up to its name "Monsoon" as it definitely doesn't disappoint.

I absolutely love the simplicity of the pieces, with the intricate pattern details so they just stand out enough for you to appreciate their beauty . 

  As I have recently got married, I'm now wearing gold jewellery to match my bridal set and my favourite pieces from the collection has to be the Bokeo bangle in gold with matching Bokeo necklace.

Head over to www.zefyrjewels.com.au/monsoon to see the full collection!

Or follow Zefyr on instragram at instagram.com/zefyr_jewels

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Have a great day!

Vicki xoxo

Some bunny to love....

Todays post is a little different to what I usually blog about but I love the idea so much I just had to share.  I have teamed up with Connected Generation to introduce to you their fantastic way of combining shopping and giving back to the community at the same time! Ok so this may sound a little unusual the two coming together in such a way that I feel you need to get excited about this, but trust me you do. If you head over to the Connected Generation website you will see an abundance of funky style tshirts to suit everyone! Whether your taste be anything from cute girly pics, to boys toys or retro prints there is something you will love! So I know by now you will probably be wondering what makes this website more special than your typical t-shirt selling company. Well here it is, THEY GIVE BACK. Yep, thats right! They give back! For every t-shirt you buy five whole pounds will be donated to your chosen story!

Whats a "Story" ?

"Connected Generation is all about the stories. Stories connect the buyer, the designer and the projects they are supporting. Stories enable us to keep you updated on your chosen project so you can see the impact of your gift."

Connected Generation currently work with two main charities Coco and Kids Company (click on company names for direct links to their websites), as they feel passionate about working with them to support underprivileged younger people.

Here comes the hard part.... choosing a design!!! Connected Generation offer hundreds of different designs on t-shirts from various different artists. You can choose from either an artist you know, or a theme or just be crazy and pick a lucky dip with who knows what cool design you will get! If you love designing yourself or have a picture that you can never find on a tee then you also get the opportunity to upload it and create your very own!You will then choose you style and fit to make it custom to your own body type!
Once all these details have been selected and added to your basket, you will then select the story you want to help support on its journey to helping its future. Each story has its own brief description to help you choose the perfect one for you! When the order is complete you get your own unique Story ID so that you can keep up to date and to let others know you have donated too!


My Way

Introducing the Hoxton Rabbit!

Cute, stylish and fun, this bunny reminds me of the rabbit from Alice In Wonderland. A quirky style sure to look great teamed with a skirt or skinnies!

I choose the story "Provide A Smile" from Kids Company, whose aim is "to try to build happy memories of childhood." They work with children whose parents are unable to care for them and often the role of child and parent can often be reversed. For me this particular story stood out as I have a little boy and I feel that every child deserves happiness in his or her life!

Have you checked out or purchased a tee from Connected Generation?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Website   www.connectedgeneration.org

Twitter    www.twitter.com/_ConnectedGen

Facebook www.facebook.com/connectedgen

Thanks for reading!

Vicki xoxo