JUNE Favourites......Beauty, Fashion & Life

FAVOURITE RESTAURANT OF THE MONTH

The Oceana Restaurant at the Hilton Malta

I really enjoyed having my birthday dinner there. It has always been one of my favourite restaurants and it was a long time since we last went there.

FAVOURITE SHOP OF THE MONTH

New Look

This month I purchased 2 dresses, a clutch and few accessories from this shop. I really enjoyed looking around and loved many pieces which I will try and get during the July Sales.

FAVOURITE WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

Daily Look

I subscribed this month and have been enjoying checking my looks every single day. It gives me an extra source of inspiration.

FAVOURITE PURCHASE OF THE MONTH

My New Messenger Bag from Pull & Bear

It was love at first sight. If you want to know more about this bag read here.

FAVOURITE CLOTHING OF THE MONTH

Stradivarius light wash skinny jeans

These not only look good both casual and dressed up (see my look here) but are also super comfortable and pretty light, thus great for summer. Plus they were only 16 euros on Sale.

FAVOURITE EARRINGS OF THE MONTH

My new yellow stud earrings from Tenda

I wore them 2 times: once for my birthday (you can see the outfit here) and another time with my favourite jeans, a white top and my comfty flat trainers.

FAVOURITE SHOES OF THE MONTH

My flat ballerina sneakers from Sicily market

I bought them last Summer but only wore them this month for the first time. They are super comfortable and although casual they still look cute. Plus they were a steal for under 10 euros. My other favourite shoes of the month are these.

FAVOURITE  NAIL POLISH OF THE MONTH

French Pink by Professional Nail Care

This has been my go to nail polish for all June. It's easy to apply, it goes with everything and I love the colour because it is pink but not too pink. Plus it goes nicely with fair skin like mine.

FAVOURITE LIP PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

The Style Light Lipgloss in Red 01 by Missha

This is the perfect lip gloss colour because is so versatile. You can wear it in the morning and in the evening, dressed casual or elegant. You can wear it on its own or on top of a lipstick. It warms the complexion, gives some colour to the lips (it also leaves a stain on the lips even after the gloss is gone) but is very wearable.

FAVOURITE FOOD OF THE MONTH

Maypole Cherry Ripple Ice cream

I have never really liked cherry ripple until this Spring. I am loving this flavour at the moment and I have a great semifreddo recipe you can check here if you like. The cherry ripple ice cream from Maypole is by far the best I have had. I have tasted it at my mum's and I am really looking forward to purchase it myself although it's a little bit expensive since it is locally hand made.

FAVOURITE WORKOUT OF THE MONTH

10 min Booty shaking Waist Workout by Tiffany Rothe

This workout really works your waist and lower back. It also helps you keep you abs toned. Although it is not super heavy you can really feel each move. You can see it here

FAVOURITE BLOG POST OF THE MONTH

Healthy Eating....Summer 2012 Update!

This is my favourite blog post simply because it has been so helpful so far too me. I really hope it can be helpful for my readers as well. I am enjoying my new balanced meals and I am also getting to try new things. I have incorporated healthy bread again in my weekly meals and my bloating is almost gone since I stopped eating beans.

FAVOURITE SERIES OF THE MONTH

The Secret Circle Season 1

I started watching this after I finished all episodes of the Vampire Diaries. I watched the first few episodes while cross training on my elliptical machine. I really started enjoying it from the 5th Episode.

The Ringer

I am loving this right now. You should check it out. The main character is Sarah Michelle Gellar who was my favourite actress at the time of Buffy.

FAVOURITE BLOGS OF THE MONTH

Nany's Klozet

I have discovered this blog this month and I am enjoying the relaxed comfortable outfits. They are easy to recreate and take ideas from.

Atlantic Pacific

Although a little bit more difficult to recreate, her looks are amazing. They are classy, chich, modern and edgy but also girly.

Which are your favourites of the month? Tell me in the comments below...

STAY FAB

Summer Omelette with healthy toppings.....for Today's Lunch

Eggs are one of those food with which I have always had a love hate relationship. There were periods in which I would feel sick thinking about them and other periods like this year when I would want to eat them all the time. Eggs are also one of those foods which people, especially the healthy eaters, fear because of the high cholesterol levels it contains. However, as with anything else in life, moderation is the key. So if you like eggs you can definitely enjoy them every now and then. Moreover eggs are packed with important nutrients like proteins, antioxidants, iron and many vitamins. Ideally you should limit egg consumption to not more than one a day since one egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol and we are only allowed a maximum of 300mg of cholesterol per day. However, eating 2 at once (like in this recipe) is not going to kill you especially if eggs are the main source of cholesterol in your diet. In my case, I like to eat not more than 4 eggs per week. At times I might eat 2 eggs at once in the form of an omelette (like in this recipe) while others I might have one egg boiled with my salads. Apart from baking and breading, I rarely use eggs in cooking. I also eat almost no cheese and meat so eggs are definitely my main source of cholesterol. Now that you know how you should be eating your eggs you can also use the following recipe the next time you are craving eggs. Make yourself a Summer Omelette with lots of veggies!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs seasoned with salt and pepper
• shredded carrots
• 1 slice cheese
• 3 Chinese rice wrappers
• few tomato halves (I used 3)
• 2 cups frozen green beans 
• salt and pepper
• light soy sauce (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook your basic omelette by beating the seasoned eggs and pouring them in a non stick skillet.
2. Boil the green beans and when ready season with salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
3. Top your omelette with the cheese, the carrots and tomatoes.
4. Serve the omelette with the green beans and the rice wrappers.
5. I cut my  rice wrappers into halves (to get 6 pieces in all) and wet them in hot water until very soft. I dipped them into some soy sauce.

ENJOY & STAY FAB

Tone your arms.....a 10 minutes workout

Now that Summer has officially started, it's time to work hard our arms, along with the abs, legs and derriere. This is especially necessary if you have neglected your arms throughout Winter and Spring with the excuse that no one could see your not so toned triceps under the many layers of clothes....

Hiding our arms is definitely no longer an option in the warm season. Where I live (Malta) temperatures have reached the 35 degrees Celsius and will keep on raising. So the best way to stay cool is to wear sleeveless tops. If however you have extra fat or loose skin around your arms, in particular on your triceps, wearing sleeveless clothes might make you uncomfortable and too self conscious. You have two options then: either wear half sleeves and feel terribly warm in order to cover your arms or start working your arms now and do it consistently. Although it would have been better to start earlier in Spring, and even better to keep working out your entire body including the arms throughout the year, it's never too late and you are still in time to get more toned arms before the Summer ends. After all it has just started!

While you decide what is the best option for you (it shouldn't take you that long though) I am going to go on and give you a 10 minutes workout which if done consistently at least 3 times a week will help you tone your arms. Of course, in order for the workout to actually give you the results you are looking for, you must also eat healthy and exercise regularly your entire body. Below are the two videos which together make up the 10 minutes workout to tone your arms.....

1. Sexy arms 5 minutes workout by Envy Girls 
2. Tone up your arms for Summer by Tone it up (6 minutes) 

If you like the above workout combination and repeat it three times a week for about 2 weeks, you might then want to switch the workout and make it a little bit harder and longer. You can try the one below...

1. Spring bikini arms workout with Envy Girls

So what are you waiting for? It's time to tone your arms!

STAY FAB 

You might want to check out:

Get in shape for Summer....1 week workout plan

Tone your abs.....a 10 minute workout

Shape your waist & and lose your love handles

A good fitness routine

Spring Fitness....A new workout routine

Birthday Hair.....Easy Half Updo

Even though I have already posted my birthday outfit, makeup and nails, I also want to share with you my birthday hair. So here is how I wore my hair on the night of my 26th birthday.

I opted for something simple and easy. The main reason for choosing a simple hair look was the fact that the dress was already bright and bold in terms of colours and the tropical floral print. Also because the dress had an A-line silhouette with a flared skirt I wanted to minimize volume on top and thus avoided wearing my hair curly. Although I would have loved to wear my hair straight either down or half up and half down, I wanted want to show the back details of the dress. So when considering all these factors I limited my option to a sleek hair bun. But after some trials I came up with this sleek simple yet different hair look (at least for me).

HOW TO RECREATE THIS HAIR LOOK

1. Simply brush your hair backwards (with no ) and take it up in a low ponytail.
2. With your fingers make a hole in the middle of the ponytail just above the hair bend.
3. Now flip the ponytail up and pass it through the hole.
4. Fasten the ponytail and make sure it is balanced at the centre of your head.
5. Finally use some bobby pins to secure any loose parts and spray your favourite hair spray to make sure this hairstyle holds for as much as you want it to.

If you are wearing a simple dress but want to look more dressed up, you can add a flower or some other hair accessory  either above or below the flip but even at one of the sides. This is a great way to wear your hair when you want it up but not completely. You can wear it for a special occasion, at work but also at school. Because of its simplicity it can look great in different situations when you want to look put together and classy but without looking like you have tried too much. Finally, I am not sure why my hair turned out to be slanted on the left side but I actually liked that particular detail!

STAY FAB

Fruity Soy Milk ICE LOLLIES.....under 150 cals.

With the beginning of Summer 2012, which is supposed to be warmer than ever in Europe, there is nothing better than an ice lolly or popsicle as a mid afternoon snack. Considering the fact we are having a real heatwave especially in South Europe, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees celcius in Malta, we should be eating fresh and cooling smaller and lighter meals with more snacks to keep our energy up (a must to endure this heat).  

Now, eating popsicles is definitely not a sacrifice for anyone. But for those of us who want to limit sugar intake, watch calories and eat healthy while still enjoying life and food, having a cool refreshing snack might be slightly more difficult than just grabbing a pack of ice lollies at our local food store. Well with this easy, quick and healthy recipe you will get your cool mid afternoon snack sorted in less than 150 calories. So keep reading....

Now don't mind the shape of these popsicles. I had to do some DIY and make use of the tools I had at home since I don't have any popsicles molds yet. I will be buying some cute ones this week. The taste is great though, and with some cute popsicles molds you will get cute and tasty ice lollies.

INGREDIENTS (Makes 2 small cups popsicles size that is about 4 popsicle molds iI guess)

• 1 small banana slightly soft
• 1 small apple
• 2 canned peach halves washed from syrup (use 4 medium fresh peaches if you have them at home)
• 40 ml soy milk

PEPARATION

1. Mash the banana with a fork.
2. Wash, peel and dice the apple.
3. Cut the peaches into small chunks.
4. Mix the fruit with the milk and mash and stir using a fork until you get a thick consistency with some bubbles resembling a milkshake.
5. Pour the mixture into your molds.
6. Place your sticks which should be able to hold thanks to the fruit pieces.
7. Freeze for at least 5 hours.

If you want them extra sweet you can add either cinnamon, a healthy honey or vanilla essence. For more healthy recipes check my food blog.

STAY FAB & ENJOY

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser Review.

After using my La Roche Toleriane Dermo Cleanser for various months both as a makeup remover and as a cleanser, I felt the need to try a different product which would act more as a cleanser than a makeup remover. I wanted to try the Purity Made Simple Cleanser by Philosophy but since I could not find it where I live I decided to give Cetaphil a try. If you want to know my opinions on this product keep reading....

As you can see in the above picture this cleanser comes in a standard packaging more similar to pharmaceutical products than to fine skincare. However, the packaging is not really that important when the product in it works great. But this is not the case, at least for me.

"Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is recommended as a gentle, non irritating daily cleanser for sensitive and dry skin. It is a high tolerance product, which with its soap free formula removes dirt, makeup and other impurities without drying the skin." This is what is written on the back of the product. Although I agree on the fact that this product is gentle on the skin, I do not consider it as a good cleanser for most skin types.

When squeezed out of the bottle, this cleanser feels quiet oily thus more ideal to remove makeup than cleanse the face. It might be a great cleanser for people with dry skin who want to infuse a sort of suppleness into their facial skin through a very greasy product. But it is definitely not the right product for the rest of us who want to wash their face in order to remove any left over makeup and also sebum and other impurities which tend to form on the face and inside our pores. If you, like me, like to get a squeaky clean feeling when washing your face without of course drying it out, the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is not the right product for you. It is definitely not a good cleanser for people with oily skin (since it already makes my normal sensitive combination to dry skin feel very oily) and I think there are definitely better products for combination skin which is also sensitive. For what concerns the high tolerance feature, I can say that it is gentle on the skin and it has no fragrance apart from a medicinal scent which can only be smelled out of the bottle but not when using a small amount on your face. It did not break me out or cause me any allergic reactions.

PROS

1. Soap free, fragrance free and non-comedogenic
2. High tolerance and gentle formula thus good for sensitive skin
3. Its oily consistency makes it a good cleanser for very dry skin

CONS

1. It makes normal combination skin feel oily
2. It doesn't seem to be doing anything to cleanse my face and remove impurities
3. It was relatively expensive when compared to other similar products

To conclude this review I would like to say that I will definitely not be repurchasing this product because I felt it made my skin feel greasy while washing my face, which means that rather than removing impurities it actually adds more oil to the skin. I am looking forward to purchasing a new cleanser which is gentle on the skin while still giving me that squeaky clean feeling I like.

What about you? Have you ever used this Cetaphil cleanser? If yes, what is your opinion about it?

STAY FAB

Chickpea flour Pizza Margherita......for Today's Lunch

For Today's Lunch I decided to make socca or farinata or more simply a pizza margherita made of chickpea flour. If you follow my food blog, you will know I love pizza especially on Fridays and Saturdays. This past winter I made so many pizza and focaccie, experimenting with different ingredients and shapes. However, homemade pizza can be quiet heavy and filling especially if the crust turns thick. Now that it's Summer I want to still enjoy eating pizza at home every now and then but I am looking for lighter and healthier versions. My  piadina pizza recipe is great if you want the delicious pizza taste with a thin, light and crispy base. If however you are looking for something super healthy and lower in calories you should try today's pizza recipe made with chickpea flour. Chickpea flour is higher in both fibre and proteins as well as lower in carbohydrates than regular all purpose white flour. It also has a higher percentage of vitamin a, calcium and iron. 

CHICKPEA PIZZA MARGHERITA

Ingredients for the crust

• 90g to 100g chickpea flour
• 70 ml warm water
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients for the topping

• bottled tomato sauce (about 4 tablespoons) seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil
• 2 slices cheese
• grated parmesan

Preparation

1. Place the flour in a bowl with the salt, pepper and olive oil. Slowly add the warm water stirring well to get a smooth consistency which resembles cake batter.
2. Let the butter rest for as much time as you can. I left it for about 3 hours.
3. Heat your oven and spread olive oil over your pizza pan. Place the pan in the oven for few minutes.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and let it cook for 15 minute in the middle level of your oven.
5. After 15 minutes transfer the pan to the lower part of your oven so that the pizza bottom gets crispy.
6. After 5 to 8 minutes flip the pizza and return the pan to the bottom of your oven for 5 more minutes.
7. Now take the pan out, flip the pizza and start topping it. Spread the tomato sauce and then sprinkle the parmesan and add the cheese.
8. Bake for around 8 minutes. Take out of the oven and serve.

Serve with

1. Lettuce salad and
2. Tomatoes and black olives salad

ENJOY & STAY FAB

Healthy Tuna Egg Sandwich....for Today's Lunch

Happy first day of Summer to all of you. I am sure you are either enjoying this day at the beach or planning to do so this weekend. And in order to look great in your bikini you must work out and also eat healthy. Because eating healthy doesn't mean eating tasteless food below is a quick and easy meal great both for lunches and light dinners which will satisfy your appetite without making you feel full and heavy. Plus it's also a cool recipe thus great for the hot weather.

TUNA EGG SANDWICH

Ingredients

• 1 slice fitness bread
• 250 or 300g mixed frozen veggies
• 1 medium egg
• 1 can tuna in brine
• some green olives
• salt, pepper and olive oil
• 2 tablespoons salad cream light
• some lettuce
• soy butter
• 1 slice cheese

Preparation

1. Boil the egg.
2. In the meantime bake the mixed vegetable in the oven with some salt and pepper.
3. Open the canned tuna and mix it in a bowl with the olives, egg and salad cream. Season with salt and pepper.
4. When the veggies are cooked add some olive oil to them and transfer them to your plate.
5. Toast the slice of fitness bread divided into 2 parts. Spread with some soy butter.
6. Top with the cheese, the tuna egg olives salad and the lettuce. 
7. Place your sandwich on top of your veggies and you are ready to eat.

For more healthy and tasty recipes check my food blog.

ENJOY & STAY FAB

Buckwheat Noodles Chinese Style......for Today's Healthy Lunch

After yesterday's healthy eating guidelines post, I think a post featuring a healthy lunch recipe is what should follow. This recipe will shop any one interested in following these new guidelines how you can do so without getting bored and without giving up tasteful meals.

As you can see in the image above, this meal is definitely smaller in portion than my latest daily healthy meals (thus it follows my first guideline). It has no beans since I would not classify green beans with other beans (like black beans, garbanzo beans, cannellini which contain far more calories -34 calories for a cup of green beans vs above 227 calories for a cup of black beans). This means this meal also follows my second guideline. By eating this meal I also adhered to the fourth guideline in which I said I would replace beans with a high fibre food which in this case is the 75g buckwheat noodles. 

This meal contains the following ingredients:

1. carrots (4 medium carrots)
2. green beans (200g green beans)
3. 75g buckwheat noodles
4. salt, pepper, ground coriander and Chinese 5 spices
5. light soy sauce and some sweet chilli sauce

You can use the above ingredients and follow my recipe found here to recreate this meal. And if you give it a try, let me know in the comments below whether you like it or not.

STAY FAB

Healthy Eating.....Summer 2012 Update!

If you follow my food blog, you might have noticed that for the past month I haven't been posting as many recipes as I used to. The reason is simple, I felt the need to go on a 1 month diet. Throughout last Fall and Winter I have been eating healthy 5 days a week from Monday to Friday and then allowed myself my favourite meals including pasta, bread, pizza and desserts on Saturdays and Sundays. I was very surprised that not being on a serious diet would still allow me to eat my favourite foods without gaining weight. All my life I have seen food as pure joy but also as an enemy because  I would easily gain weight. Thanks to my dedication to getting fit during the past 3 years I have not only lost weight and toned myself, but I have also been able to maintain my current weight while still enjoying eating. 

Last Summer I was eating super healthy, even too healthy, mainly salads as well as fruits and salads. Even during my three weeks holiday in Sicily I kept eating healthy most of the time with the exception of may be once a week when I would allow myself one single not so healthy meal. That allowed me to reach a very low  weight and although last Summer I was may be slightly thinner than this Summer, I wasn't healthy because I wasn't eating all the good stuff which one needs to eat to have a healthy body. Moreover, the 6 days a week workout routine I followed the previous Fall and Winter made me gain muscle especially on my legs. So overall when considering the extra body weight due to the increased muscle percentage I have not gained any fat which is the most important thing. And to be sincere I have never felt so great in my body. I definitely do not have the most perfect legs, but I have never had legs this toned and lean. 

The one month diet I decided to go on during the past month was simply a way of giving my body a break from the not so healthy foods I was eating during the weekend including pasta, bread and deserts. This allowed me to tone even more and feel more fit and healthy just in time for my birthday (on which I went for a delicious buffet). The most important thing I have actually achieved through this one month of complete healthy diet (except for my wedding anniversary dinner and my husband's birthday dinner) was understanding that I can actually keep on doing what I was doing. I feel I can go back to eating healthy 5 days a week and then enjoying some of my favourite foods during the weekend BUT with a few added changes. Below are MY NEWLY ADDED CHANGES TO MY DIET which will allow me to stay healthy and continue toning without getting bored:

1. Eat a smaller portion of food at lunch.
2. Reduce the amount of beans taken (which was causing me bloating).
3. Introduce a fourth meal into the day which will consist of a fruit snack in the afternoon which will make up for the smaller lunch.
4. Replace beans (which were my main source of fibre at lunch) with some high fibre healthy bread, noodles and new foods like quinoa.
5. Enjoy your favourite meals in the weekend BUT IN MODERATION, that is in smaller portions.
6. Limit the intake of foods high in sugar even during the weekend including biscuits (which are my weakness) and reduce the amount of baking (which is actually super easy in Summer since I do not plan on baking in this super hot weather).

I have already started following the above guidelines I set for myself from this past Sunday and I can definitely say that I am feeling much better. Last Saturday it was my birthday and I got to enjoy a delicious buffet for dinner. Although, I definitely ate very little when compared to most other people dining there, I still felt super full for what I am used to eating. So even though I loved every single minute of my birthday dinner including all the delicious food, eating this much is something I would only limit to special occasions. I also noticed that for the next 2 days apart from feeling still full from the buffet I started experiencing again a feeling of nausea which is the same sensation I used to get during the weekends after eating what I baked. Although, I only took 2 small pieces of 2 different desserts containing fruit and pastry for me it was still too much, especially after a one month diet during which I had no desserts except for few biscuits brought to me from Sicily and some healthy ice cream (either vanilla or cherry ripple). This shows me that my body can still enjoy deserts but only healthier ones which are based on fruit and contain less sugar than the average ones. I have also noticed that when I am craving something sweet lately is simply a healthy ice cream which I enjoy eating with some fruit and cereal. Last Sunday I had the option of having a cherry ripple and coconut semifreddo but I chose to have some cherry ripple ice cream with a banana and cornflakes. I felt great because my sweet crave was satisfied without leaving me nauseated.

I want to conclude with a simple tip: enjoy what you like eating. Then stop for a moment and reflect on whether what you are eating is actually giving you more joy than trouble. The answer to this question will help you find a balance between eating healthy and still enjoying food!

STAY FAB

Birthday Makeup......Audrey Hepburn Inspired

This is the makeup I wore for my 26th birthday dinner with my husband. I was looking for something simple and sophisticated, yet different than my usual daily makeup. I normally do not line my lash line with liquid eye liner because it can take a long time to do it precisely plus my magnifying mirror broke few months ago and I only bought it the other day. 

As you can see in the above picture, my dress was already bright and had a busy tropical print going on. You can see more pictures of my entire outfit here. Because of the dress, I wanted to keep my makeup as natural as possible but still with a little colour and warmth since it's Summer after all. I also didn't want any smokey eye or coloured shadow on my eyes. So I was very inspired by this Audrey Hepburn makeup tutorial by Tanya Blurr on pixi2woo channel on you tube. As you can see if you watch her tutorial here, I only followed her in the way she applied the makeup but I used completely different products both in terms of colours and brands. While she used more browns and light pink shades, I opted for pale golden yellows, beige browns and light reds to keep the same colours of my dress and make the final look more Summery and fun. 

This is exactly what I did:

1. I started with a cleansed and moisturized face, including the eyes. I also made sure to use some SPF because the sun where I live is still bright in the late afternoon and I don't want any more pigmentation on my nose.
2. First thing I did was to apply my concealer under my eyes and on my lids (since I do not have an eyeshadow primer at the moment; let me know if you have any recommendations).
3. Then I also used a little foundation to even out my lids.
4. For the eye makeup, I started by applying the white eye shadow all over the lid as well as in the inner eye corner and brow bone to make the eyes pop and the makeup appear brighter. 
5. I then applied the golden pale yellow shade on my palette on the entire lid and then contoured my crease line with the ash brown shade. I also used the first shadow on the inner lower lash line and the second shadow on the outer lower lash line.
6. I finished my eyes with this Audrey Hepburn inspired winked eye line and my black mascara.
7. For the face, I applied my foundation with a makeup sponge. I slightly contoured my cheecks with my favourite blush/bronzer at the moment. And used a slightly red blush on my cheecks. I also applied some highlighter on my cheeck bones.
8. And for the lips, I simply applied 2 coats of my red lipgloss.

Products I used:

        I used the 2 shades in the centre and the white one on the left in the second image.

• Maybelline Affinitone Concealer in shade 01
• Vichy Aera Teint Liquid foundation in shade opal 12
• White, golden pale yellow and ash brown from BC palette
• Body Shop liquid eye liner in shade 01 black
• Deborah Milano Definitive Volume mascara
• Essence silky blush (used as bronzer) in shade 40 natural
• Body Shop blush cheek colour in shade 07
• Missha The Style light lip gloss in shade RD001

I was very happy about how my makeup turned out, especially the winked line which is something I rarely do. I think this makeup complemented my 60's inspired outfit so well while still keeping the look contemporary. If you would like to see what I wore on my nails click here.

STAY FAB

Birthday Manicure....in less than 15 minutes

For my birthday dinner, which was yesterday, I decided to go with a classic nail look...the french manicure. Although, I normally love bright colours in the warmer season I thought that wearing a coloured nail polish would clash with my outfit which you can see here. That's why I gave myself this super easy but very nice and lady like french manicure. And this only took me about 15 minutes, after which I still had time to enjoy some time on you tube, rest, do my hair and makeup and get dressed for my night.

I used the manicure strips as well as the french white and pink polishes which came in my manicure set I did a review on here. This is a gift I received a year and a half ago and it still is going great. As a top coat I used my Rimmel London Pro Super Wear Ultra Shine Top Coat. I loved this nail look especially since I have not worn it in a very long time. Plus the thin white tips made the look more modern.

STAY FAB

Birthday Outfit.....Floral dress SS12

Yesterday was my 26th birthday. I had a lovely evening out with my husband. The place was great, the table reserved for us was perfect (cosy and private, with a great view of the pool and just above a nice balcony overlooking the buffet area), the food was amazing (so much to choose from and everything delicious), the staff was very friendly and attentive and the price was definitely worth for all we got (including a short romantic walk by the pool and free parking).

None of the above would have really been as special if I had not been feeling great. And that's exactly how I felt in the outfit I wore. I also loved my hair and makeup. But one piece of my outfit made me feel like a star. Click here to know which. 

I am wearing:

Tropical print floral dress from New Look

Nude pee toe pumps from Tip Toes

Yellow stud earrings from Tenda

Dark gold bangle from Sicily

White and gold purse from Pull & Bear

 The entire look was put together around the focal piece of the outfit, that is the floral dress. Because the dress was already pretty bold, bright and busy in terms of its print I opted for only 2 pieces of jewellery. When choosing the accessories I made sure I was not adding any new colour but I was choosing from the colours which were already on the dress. For earrings I went with these yellow studs. They were small but bright and because the yellow was the main one of the main colours in the dress they complemented it so well. I then added a bangle in a dark beige gold colour with gold details and crystal studs. Again the colour of the bangle was one of the colours on the dress, but not a main colour. For shoes I chose nude pumps and I kept my pedicure colour a nude burnt pink. You can see my manicure here. And to top it all off I added this white and golf purse which I had just bought. 

Floral dresses are a must have this Spring Summer 2012. You can see many of them within the collections of Erdem, Blumarine, Cacharel and Blugirl. This look is also something I have seen a lot on Blair Waldorf during the last season of Gossip Girl. It's that classic 1960 lady like look which is of course modernized to make it appropriate for the year we are in.

                                  Blumarine SS12                                                  Bluegirl SS12

Blair wearing Blumarine SS12

What about you? Do you like floral dresses inspired by the 60's? Will you be wearing one this Summer 2012? Let me know in the comments below and if you have a similar OOTD post leave your link.

STAY FAB