The Oxted and Edenbridge Agricultural Show!

Happy bank holiday everyone!  I hope you are all tucked up in bed reading, catching up on the latest TV series, or just simply relaxing... You deserve it so enjoy!  I on the other hand have to work today (sad face), but I did however manage to have a wonderful day yesterday with the whole family and my fiancé Perry, as we all went to the Oxted and Edenbridge Agricultural Show! 

This show happens every year over the August bank holiday, and is fantastic for the whole family, as there is something for everyone!  For the children there are funfair rides and playgrounds, animal marquees and for the adults there are flowers and vegetable marquees, a food hall, shooting, archery, vintage cars and blacksmiths showing off their iron skills!  Also, there are different arenas that hold various shows from learning about foxhounds to watching equestrian competitions... There's so much going on! 

First of all, I checked out the flowers and vegetable marquee... There were so many beautiful creations I was in awe!  It was truly amazing to see all the hard work that had gone into each entry from gorgeous flower arrangements, to the gigantic home grown veg... The leeks and the onions were huge!  What really impressed me was right at the end of the hall, was a table of fruit and veg that had been pinned together to look like cartoon characters... My favourite was the tweety pie made out of watermelon... Incredible! 

My next stop was of course the food hall, because... well... I'm just mad about food!  There were so many colourful stands that sold everything from pies, to fine cheeses, chocolate fondue, cakes, meat, fish you name it!  I instantly craved something sweet and ended up buying a giant white chocolate cookie... It seriously was as big as my head!  After the cookie, I needed something that would quench my thirst, and so I purchased fresh lemonade, which was made on the spot.  It was so refreshing and really made me want to make it at home! 

We moved onto the next marquee which was all animal related, from pigs, to cows, to sheep, and even alpacas!  It was really touching to see all of the animals up close and to realise just how big some of them really are.  My favourite animal that I saw was the Highland cow, as they are long haired and have such great character to them... They're gorgeous! 

I then was given the chance to see the foxhounds in the arena, showing off their skills.  Farmers always count their foxhounds in pairs and so there were fifteen and a half couples, which meant that there were 31 dogs in total... I had never known this fact and thought it was very interesting!  After the presentation we then got the opportunity to see the dogs, which ranged from different ages.  I loved it when a puppy went right up to Perry and looked into his eyes lovingly... It was so cute! 

Sticking to the hunting theme, I then went gun shooting at a little stall that had 7 shots for £2.50!  I have never shot a gun before and so I was preparing for the worst!  I was given a card target that was placed 4 metres away from me, and I had to get as many metal bullets onto it as possible.  Now, with me and my long sighted vision, I thought that I was going to be hopeless, but it turns out that I'm not a bad shot!  I ended up having all seven of my bullets on the target and not only that, but two of them were centimetres away from the bullseye!  Get in! 

I then visited the local blacksmiths stall, which demonstrated how they create exquisite pieces of art out of iron.  It is rather amazing to still see blacksmiths around today, as it was heavily relied on in the old English times! 

Lastly, we spotted a whole section dedicated to vintage cars... Which were so chic!  I absolute love vintage cars, as not only do they show history compared with cars today, but they are so beautiful and one of a kind!  Also, I spotted lots of old Rolls Royce cars, which got me so excited for our wedding next year, as we have secured a vintage Rolls.... Eeeee!

Overall, we had such an amazing day, and weren't we lucky with the weather?  It could have utterly poured it down, but thankfully it decided not to!  So, tell me, what have you been doing this bank holiday weekend? 

M x

The bold and brilliant Biker Wellie!

With the amount of rain that we have been experiencing these last few days, I thought that it was time to update my wellie boot collection! 

Jigsaw have invented the most iconic Wellington boot, I have ever seen!  I present to you, the biker wellie!   

It's the combination of a Wellington boot and a biker boot all in one... Such an ingenious creation that is so stylish and easy to wear!   

You can style them with denim shorts, and crop top for a festival look, or you can simply style them with jeans/leggings and a leather jacket for an off duty look... (which I can't wait to try out!) 

Tomorrow I will be attending an agricultural show near to where I live, which I cannot wait to go to and don't you worry, I will be strutting my stuff in these cute little booties!  

Stay tuned for my next post which will go live on Monday, and will consist of my time at the Agricultural show! 

Have a great bank holiday weekend! 

M x

Colourful creations!

It's official, I haven't grown up!  The other day, I scrolled through my Amazon account and browsed all of the recommended products that would suit me and do you know what kept popping up?  Adult colouring books!

I didn't even know that these kind of things existed?  Apparently they are really good for de-stressing and clearing the mind, which after a long day at work, is really what I need!  I was so interested by them and started to search for the most popular books to start off with.  I came across two authors, Johanna Basford and Millie Marotta, whose books were mentioned profusely, which was a great indication that I should purchase theirs first to see how I get on! 

Firstly, I bought Johanna Basford's 'Secret Garden', which is a colouring book that includes an inky treasure hunt.  

Each page is so unique and the patterns are stunning!  There are pictures to colour in, patterns to complete, mazes to solve and plenty of space for you to add your own inky drawings.  

The second book I purchased was Millie Marotta's 'Animal Kingdom', which consists of exquisitely detailed pictures of animals to colour in. 

This book is much more detailed, as the pictures are much smaller and intricately made.  For this book, I would use colouring pencils rather than my stabilo fine tip pens, so as to not spoil the detail of the patterns. 

I can't wait to start colouring in... My fingers are poised and my pens are at the ready... Let the fun begin! 

Have you got into colouring?  If not, then what are you hobbies at the moment? 

M x

Original Source: Watermelon and Jojoba!

Original Source have done it again!  Not only do they create the most unique and colourful shower gels, (my favourite being the coconut and Shea butter), but they have just released the most incredible beauty product for our skin!

I present to you the newest member to my bathroom beauty family!  It is none other than Original Source's 'Quick drying moisturising oil spray' from their 'Skin Quench' range! 

This product does exactly what it says on the bottle.... It is a quick drying moisturiser that leaves your skin feeling silky smooth in a matter of seconds... Without any fuss!  How good is that?  You simply get out of the shower, spray onto dry skin and then go... For someone like me who is constantly on the move, this is perfect! 

With 'Original Source's' impeccable talent for creating incredible scents and flavours for their shower products, I wasn't surprised that this would smell heavenly!  The combination of Watermelon and Jojoba Oil is not just bursting with fruity goodness, but also leaves your skin, nourished, quenched and revitalised! 

I shall definitely be using this product during busy weeks and for when time just isn't on my side, which feels like everyday!  Have a great evening and check out their new range when you're next in your local Boots store! 

M x

Embracing the nudes..... Only at Maybelline!

Yesterday, I walked into my local Boots store on the off chance that I could stock up on my favourite Maybelline 'Lash Sensational' mascara that has been my trusty companion for many months!  

Upon gazing at the Maybelline counter, I came across an eyeshadow palette that was called 'The Nudes' and it was the new palette for the season!  After having just painted my nails a gorgeous nude/pink colour (go and check out my Monday manicure post from two days ago), I just had to give it a go! 

The palette was £7.99, but because there was a promotion on, all Maybelline cosmetics went down by £2, which resulted in it only costing me £5.99... Result!  

The palette consists of twelve different shades, that can be mixed, or work together.  On the back of the packaging, it shows you that you can create duo, triple or quad shadow styles, which I think is so clever.  If you want to be quite quick with your makeup, then you can simply use two colours and if you want to spend a little longer then you can use four shades!  

All of the shadows are of a powder form but are very creamy and easy to apply.  My favourite colours to use are the first quad on the left side, with the light brown tones as it's super natural and ideal for work. 

I also bought Maybelline's 'Colorsensational' lipstick in colour 630 'Velvet Beige', which is a new shade for me.  

Usually I tend to go for pink/nude lipsticks, however this is more of a brown/caramel nude, which is a colour that works really well on my dark lip colour.  I thought that it was going to be rather dark on my skin tone, but once applied it really is quite subtle and works perfectly with the nude eyeshadow palette! 

Have you been embracing nude makeup/beauty products?  Let me know what your favourite nude makeup is? 

M x

What's in my bag?

I have always wanted to do a 'What's in my Bag post', but somehow never got round to it.... That is, however until today!  After endless days of carrying my tote with me everywhere, with far too many things in it, I thought that I would share with you all on the contents that become a huge part of me and my day to day life!   So peruse at your leisure! 

1.  Jigsaw 'Alex' sunglasses

These are my staple sunglasses, and I always take them with me, come rain or shine, because one must stay stylish at all times! 

2.  Mini hairbrush with mirror 

This is very handy in my bag as with having long hair, comes a great amount of tangles, especially in windy weather!  This cute mini hairbrush, folds down to nothing and comes with a mirror too, so you can always do last minute touch ups. 

3.  Tissues

These are obvious, but I also think they are great for when your makeup decides to explode in your makeup bag.... Without tissues I am utterly helpless! 

4.  Zara 'Pear and white flowers' 

perfume 

This perfume has been a life saver for when I desperately need a little spritz here and there!  The pear and floral tones from the fragrance are really elegant and are the perfect blend for an everyday scent! 

5.  iPod mini 

My biggest passion after fashion is music, as I sing all day and relax to music all night!  This is my baby as it has been with me for nearly six years and I bring it with me everywhere!  You never know when you're going to be stuck in traffic, or have delays or just simply want to blast out some tunes!  An iPod this size is perfect for pockets and also for clipping onto leather jackets which is what I do constantly! 

6.  Cath Kidston travel card holder

For my work and leisure I have to buy a monthly travelcard to be able to travel to London.  With that said, it is very easy to lose a thin piece of paper that is incredibly important, so I tend to buy a travelcard holder that will keep it safe.  Recently my new holder has been from the new collection by Cath Kidston and I am totally in love with it.  I have a west highland terrier and the moment I gazed upon this multicoloured dog design, I had to snap it up! 

7.  Michael Kors wallet 

This wallet was given to me by my big sister for my 21st birthday and I take it everywhere!  It's a huge size, meaning that it fits my cards, money and endless supply of receipts that j seem to be accumulating on a daily basis! 

8.  My keys 

Every day I need to have my keys on me, whether I'm visiting friends, going to work or simply walking the dog... I always travel with my keys.  That's why this jigsaw keyring is ideal for making sure that I don't forget them and I just fell in love with the mint green shade!

So that concludes what's in my bag currently!  But tell me, what are your bag essentials? 

M x