The perfect summer picnic with Tesco

For someone who regularly shops with Tesco, I can't fault them. The other day I received the cutest little box from them. Designed in the style of a picnic basket, I opened it to reveal a red gingham print interior and very me treats.

I'm curious if Tesco looked at my purchase history and that dictated what they chose. Because my online shop does mostly consist of juice, squash, olives and cheese! (plus I love falafel). So these selections were spot on. It's been so manic lately, so it was really nice to take some time out, sit in the sun, and do nothing. And what a lovely day it was to go for a picnic. It was the sort of heat where you don't want a huge meal and all you want to do is snack. So these tapas style treats from Tesco were a good shout.

Tesco mixed olives & cheddar cheese*
I'd never had a tapas style olive pack with cheddar before. Usually I find shops tend to package olives with feta or mozzarella as these are all very salty foods that complement each other well. Cheddar is a slighter harder cheese which has a strong flavour if you go for an extra mature, but doesn't quite have the same saltiness as say a feta or mozzarella. However I was surprised to find that it did go well with olives. Green olives aren't my favourites as I find them too salty. I usually prefer them cooked into a meal or bread rather than standalone. However the cheddar here helped to tone these down which is why I think these were the first green olives that I have actually liked snacking on as is.

Tesco chickpea, onion and broad bean falafel*
Falafel I only discovered about a year ago (massively late to the game!). If faced with a shelf of different falafel varieties, I wouldn't usually pick a broad bean one - but I am so happy I got to try these as I adored these. These were by far my favourite thing in the box that Tesco sent and I will definitely be ordering these again!

Robinsons Raspberry and Apple flavoured water*
I have never really been into flavoured waters. I would usually buy squash and do it myself, or have water as is. Because at least with squash you can dictate how strong it is (I prefer super strong over weak!). This Robinsons flavoured water was a bit of surprise to me. It was the first flavoured water that I didn't dislike. On the initial sip I found it quite artificial tasting and super sweet, but as I drank more of it, I become accustomed to the taste. I couldn't taste raspberries or apples as such, but it was fruity, pleasant and refreshing on such a balmy, hot day. Thumbs up from me!

Thank you to the lovely people at Tesco for the picnic treats and for a making a bright, sunny day even sunnier!

How to have a spa night for £50 or less

Lately my mind has been - for lack of a better word - busy. I find myself having to work later and later meaning that I don't get much of a social life, let alone any chance to relax. When Ocean Finance offered me a chance to relax in line with their company ethos of making people's lives as easy and as stress-free as possible, it sounded ideal. I contemplated going to a spa but realised that I barely have any time to relax after work as it is - so having a night in would be treat enough. I lit candles in the bathroom to create a relaxing atmosphere, poured out a glass of wine, put on a nourishing face mask and ran a bath, introducing both my new Lush bath bombs into the water gradually. Their pumpkin bath bar left the water all sparkly whereas the Dragon's Egg was more volcanic and erupted mesmerising swirls of orange into my bath.

I used Body Shop's passion fruit shower gel, foaming it into massive suds onto a bath puff that I picked up for just £1 in Primark. It was so nice laying there, taking my time, not worrying about what I had to do next (I'm notoriously bad for never being able to switch off). I finished my glass of wine and lay there until the Dragon's Egg finished spinning around like a spinning top, and all the bubbles had started melting away. Afterwards I moisturised my skin using Body Shop's passion fruit body butter. I luckily managed to get the shower gel and body butter in an in-store offer for only £9.50.

I also swear by Body Shop's Peppermint foot care range which I used lots at uni to help sooth my legs when I'd been on the go all day. Taking a trip down memory lane, I picked up a bottle of their Peppermint Reviving Leg Gel which is quite honestly a miracle in a bottle. One of the things that makes me feel the most relaxed - and this may sound weird - is having clean and moisturised feet. I picked out a pair of festive socks from Primark - because it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas! - with the softest, cosiest fleece lining.

I went downstairs with M. and the rest of the bottle of wine (Malbec, a personal favourite!) and watched a film with pizza and a bar of Galaxy. There is something so soothing about Galaxy chocolate. If you just hold it in your mouth and let it melt, there's nothing quite like it. I'd ordered Jurassic World using Amazon Prime's next day delivery. Not exactly a typical chick flick for a relaxing night in.... but I find watching any sort of film relaxing!

Thank you so much to Ocean Finance for giving me an excuse to treat myself for once! The beauty of having a night in as opposed to a spa day, means that I have plenty of products left to enjoy multiple bath nights with - and lots of burn time left in those candles!

SHOP THE POST

Lush Dragon's Egg bath bomb - £3.50

Lush Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar (no longer online) - £3.65

Body Shop passion fruit shower gel & body butter (not currently online) - £9.50
Body Shop Reviving Leg Gel - £7

Primark star candle tea lights - £1 each

Primark pineapple & ginger candle - £2

Primark bath puff - £1

Primark face mask - 90p

Primark festive socks - £2.50

Galaxy - £1 from Tesco

Tesco Finest Malbec - £6

Jurassic World - £9.99 from Amazon

Grand total = £50.04

What's your idea of a relaxing night in?

*although Ocean Finance very kindly provided me with budget for my relaxing night in, as ever, all words and opinions are my own!

Autumn/Winter #PassionForFashion

Autumn / Winter is my favourite time of the year for fashion, so when I was contacted by Money Supermarket inviting me to take part in their Passion For Fashion campaign, it was a no brainer! I was asked to create five different Autumn / Winter looks – party, casual, office, outdoor and first date – with a budget of £200 per look using UK online fashion retailers. The aim being to locate good value products and make savings where possible. 

My outfits took me absolutely ages to create but it was really fun!
Please read on to see my take on all five looks....

Playsuit - Urban Outfitters - £38

Jacket - Republic - £30

Necklace - H&M - £34.99

Wedges - Republic - £20

Bag - Zara - £19.99

Lashes - Matalan - £3

Lipstick - Topshop - £8

Nail polish - Topshop - £6

Lace socks - River Island - £4.50

TOTAL: £164.48

I felt like this playsuit was excellent value for money because of its potential versatility in the autumn / winter months. Not only can it be dressed up, but it could also be used as shorts for a more casual look when teamed with an oversized knit. I have chosen to keep the colour palette fairly simple for this look with a black and white theme. Rather than just wearing the wedges as they are, I would pair them with these lace socks. I really like the socks and heels trend at the moment and feel these lace ones completely change up the look – simple wedges suddenly look like lacy shoe boots. All for a mere £24.50 in total for both the wedges and socks (I found this to be cheaper than most pairs of shoes when scouring the web). The wedges were a bargain sale find from Republic where I also found this lovely jacket for a mere £30. I was really shocked by this price as I feel that it looks a lot more expensive. Every party outfit needs a statement piece of jewellery. I saw this H&M necklace – which is a little pricier than I’d usually pay for H&M jewellery – but it is well worth the investment as it would be perfect for December party season and New Years (it would really transform a simple little black dress). The Zara bag was just £19.99 and is another versatile product for this season – I would have plenty of use for it day time too and it wouldn’t look out of place in the office either. And being a party look, fake lashes, lippy and a splash of nail polish add to the look subtly without outshining the main talking points of the outfit: the playsuit and necklace. 

Dress - H&M - £34.99

Bag - Accessorize - £35

Jacket - Boohoo - £35

Heels - H&M - £29.99

Nail polish - Topshop - £6

Underwear set - Topshop - £26

Necklace - ASOS - now reduced to £16!

Stockings - Tesco - £9

TOTAL: £191.98

For a first date, you want to make an effort (after all, it would be nice to score a second date) but not go too overboard. I feel that this outfit encompasses the smart casual look well. The dress could be worn everywhere – meaning that you will get your money’s worth in no time at all – and it is a great transitional piece as not only does it look wintery, but it also wouldn’t look out of place in the spring / summer months. I feel a bit naked without jewellery and loved the simplicity of this ASOS necklace which has been reduced down in the sale since the first time that I saw it. In this country we can’t really survive autumn / winter with bare legs, so I chose out these lacy stockings to give my make-believe date a nice surprise. I always feel so much more confident when wearing a nice underwear set – plus it’s fun knowing what’s underneath when he doesn’t! ;) For a splash of colour, I added a floral handbag, H&M heels and some nail polish in a closely matching shade. I love the berry red kind of colour – especially around Christmas time. So that the outfit didn’t appear too girly – or too formal for a first date – I toughed up the look with a leather jacket. I couldn’t believe that this jacket was only £30 from Boohoo! It looks so much more expensive and would get so much wear across all months – not just the autumn / winter ones.

Blouse - Zara - £29.99

Mary Janes - Tesco - £15

Skirt - Urban Outfitters - £30

Satchel - Bershka - £25.99

Blazer - Yayer - £50

Tights - Topshop - £4

TOTAL: £154.98

Office wear is a difficult one. You want to dress smartly for work but at the same time, buying suits can only get you so far. A good suit will set you back quite a bit of money plus it’s kind of restricted to work and interviews. When adding to my work wardrobe, I always keep my eye out for pieces that I can wear outside of work too (this way the items get a lot more wear out of them). I chose out this skirt as it’s such a versatile piece. I feel like it can be worn across the year and dressed up or down accordingly. In this instance I would wear with simple black tights and these Mary Jane shoes that are a mere £15 from Tesco (I kid you not!). Normally my outfit of choice involves either a) a very long necklace or b) a shorter but very sparkly necklace. However when I found this Zara blouse with the amazing high neck detail, I knew that jewellery had no place here. To keep the Victorian neckline the focus of outfit, I would tuck the loose tunic fit of the top into the skirt. For those chilly autumn / winter months, bare arms are a big no no. I fell in love with this Yayer jacket which has a military aspect to it with the buttons, as well as a preppy “school” kind of feel. Keeping with the school theme, I added this satchel which is so much cheaper than other satchels out there (Cambridge Satchel Company, I’m looking at you!) and is a lot more unique with the floral detail. 

 Cardigan - Boohoo - £25

Boots - Boohoo - £40

Dress - Republic - £30

Fleece - Boohoo - £25

Backpack - Republic - £20

Umbrella - Matalan - £5

Mittens - Tesco - £5

Socks - Urban Outfitters - £8

TOTAL: £158

The outdoors is quite a tricky one in Britain because our weather is so varied. One minute it’ll be bitterly cold and pouring with rain, the other it will be quite mild. My outdoor look makes use of layering so you are prepared for all possible types of weather! Seeing as we can’t guarantee dry, warm weather I chose out these insanely cute cat mittens and lacy umbrella. At just £5 each, these items don’t break the bank and can be stowed away in the Aztec backpack when not needed. To keep my feet warm, I would wear these toasty looking socks with these long boots which are a mere £40 from Boohoo. I choose out this dress in particular as although it is used in a casual context here, it can also be easily dressed up with some of the items from my other looks. For the layering part of my look, I would wear this very soft and warm looking fleece on top of the dress and then on top of that, use this Aztec cardigan as a coat. Together, the fleece and cardigan come to £50 and are probably much warmer than a standard coat (which will most certainly be more expensive). 

Cape - Asda - £10

Top - Lipsy - £40

Shorts - Miss Selfridge - £39

Knee highs - River Island - £8

Nail wraps - Missguided - £6.65

Slippers - Republic - £10

TOTAL: £113.65

I took “casual” to mean the sort of autumn / winter look I’d wear when chilling indoors watching movies with friends. Normally around the house I’ll wear denim cut offs with long socks and a cape - so I tried to stay true to that within this look. When being casual at home, I always like to experiment with my nails – whether it be trying new colours or nail art. In this instance I’ve chosen out these very cute nail wraps from Missguided. The Asda cape is an absolute bargain for £10 as since it’s reversable, it’s like having two different capes! To play on the cape’s monochrome look, I would wear with black knee highs (perfect for layering under trousers in the colder months) and this loose fitting, comfy looking white Lipsy top. Normally I would wear a necklace with the top and a belt with the shorts, but I feel like the embellishment on both items already give the desired effect. And if you and your mates decide to go out after all, the glitzy top and shorts will see you through as they are a little more dressy. To go the whole hog with the casual look, I would probably wear some ballet pump style slippers. I was sold when I found these owl slippers online. Lots of slippers online at the moment seem to be wintery themed - what with reindeer print and snowflake print - which does limit you a little bit. These cuties won’t break the bank at only £10 and the best thing? They aren’t autumn / winter specific so can be used all year round. RESULT!

So there you have it. Those are my five looks.

Would you wear any of these? 

Which is your favourite look?

Roses are red, violets are blue...

... I don’t want to give into commercialism

And neither should you.

The above sums up my thoughts about Valentine’s Day quite well. It’s a day where the card companies and the alike try to manipulate you into spending a fortune in the name of love. And make you feel damn guilty and a terrible boyfriend / girlfriend if you don’t. But let’s face it, you don’t need to spend a lot to show someone that you love them. Handmade cards are much cheaper than the soppy, heart infested ones you get in the shops. And they show a lot more time, effort and care - it wasn’t purely an impulse buy at the till whilst you were out food shopping.

I found some mugs on Cafe Press which I feel are a true representation of Valentine’s Day:

("Express your love when you want to, not when you're told to.

Down with Valentine's Day!")

("Chocolate makes me fat. Roses make me sneeze. I hate Valentine's Day")

 ("Happy commercialized holiday!")

Brilliant. But also slightly ironic. Many of us moan about the commercialism of Valentine’s Day but now there is a new market (the anti-Valentine’s Day squad and the singletons) which the companies can then make money from too. Terrible, huh?

I am loved up and have been for the last 5 years. We never make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day because if you love someone, you should love them all 365 days of the year – you don’t need one day a year to say / show it. We never go out or have a master plan. Firstly because restaurants are a total rip off at this time and secondly because the one year we did make a plan, I was insanely ill which ruined everything. And we don’t do gifts. But there have been exceptions to this rule. Last year, my boyfriend surprised me a gift and this weekend, we’re going away.

And the question lots of us face: what should I wear on a date? 
I feel like Valentine’s Day adds extra pressure on us to look good (another reason why I semi dislike the day). I have come up with some ideas for looks based on the sorts of things I would wear for each occasion. I hope these are useful / inspiring:

Staying in

If it’s just you and boyfriend home alone, dress comfortably but also add a little sexy twist if you can (he’ll thank you for it!). Try wearing matching lingerie or nightwear with a floaty cover up:

Tesco - babydoll

Topshop - teddy in "Berry"

Topshop - dip dye water colour kimono

Cinema / day time

Because of this seemingly “special” day of the year, you can get away with being a little bit smarter than usual. If you’re making a day of it, wear what’s comfortable - avoid tight fitting garments and high heels. Wedges are a good alternative as they give you a little bit more support and won’t kill your feet after an hour. Floaty sheer shirts, lace detailing and flowing skirts can all look very romantic.

New Look - beaded mesh top

New Look - chiffon gypsy top

River Island - 3D petal tunic

River Island - cream lace skirt

River Island - Peter pan shift dress

River Island - peep toe wedge boots

Topshop - abeline boots

Topshop - crochet lace vest

Topshop - silk shorts

Nice restaurant / night out

It’s up to the individual, but I would choose a dress for an occasion like this. If you are going for a many course meal avoid tight body con dresses and waist belts. Been there, got the t-shirt. You will feel mighty uncomfortable afterwards and in a body con number, your food baby will be quite clear. Try flowing dresses that skim over your stomach and team with a nice pair of heels:

Miss Selfridge - black lace V dress

Miss Selfridge - tan canvas heel

H&M - dress 

… and finally, a clichéd look

If you really love Valentine’s Day, you may want to wear your heart on your sleeve (literally). The High Street has so many options right now so you can wear head to toe hearts if you wish. Show The Love with this cute ASOS hearts cardigan which would look lovely slung over a black dress. Or alternatively team a sweatshirt like this with these gorgeous Topshop scallop shorts and patent shoes. You can even include your legs in the heart fest with these ASOS tights.

ASOS - heart cardigan

ASOS - heart sweatshirt

Topshop - scallop shorts

Topshop - "Kitty" black patent shoes

ASOS - heart tights

  

Hope all you have a lovely Valentine’s regardless of whether you’re single or loved up!