CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
22ND DECEMBER

WILLIAMS BRITISH HANDMADE  - BEAUTIFUL LEATHER CLUTCH

This Christmas unwrap a beautiful leather bag or purse from Sarah Williams. Her classic leather pieces handmade in Britain are the sort of beautiful high quality products that could become a wardrobe staple for decades and are high quality enough to become a future family heirloom, the type of piece any little girl would love their mother to hand down to them . The range is extraordinary from cases to satchels purses to picnic boxes.We love this Risbury clutch from the 1985 Collection, £80 - it could also double up as a travel wallet or bag tidy and is fully lined in suede and comes in a large range of gorgeous colours . View the whole Williams British Handmade collections or order something bespoke from  http://www.williamshandmade.com/shop-2/

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
21ST DECEMBER

RUBY RED SOLID FRAGRANCE

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a beautiful new scent to try and this one looks as good as it smells! Ruby Red's Limited Edition White Flowers Solid Perfume, £32 for 15g, is a beautiful blend of aroma's of Linden Blossom and Mimosa on a natural wax base, making it easy to apply and compact enough to apply anywhere you go - the perfect handbag must-have over the festive season.We love that it comes in a gorgeous festive red gift box with an organza bow, so if someone lucky is getting this as a gift no wrapping needed! Visit www.rubyredcosmetics.co.uk. or find them stocked in Planet Organic and Fortnum & Mason

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
20TH DECEMBER

STYLISH DOG COMPANY MEMO BOARD

Kick start the new year with an organised mind - bag one of these gorgeous Memo boards from www.thestylishdogcompany.com  - a great gift or a lovely stylish addition to your own kitchen or office wall. The beautiful fabric memo boards at 30cm x 40cm start from £28.95 with a huge choice of fabrics and co-ordinated home accessories and also dog beds for your canine friend as  - hey pets like presents too! Check out these UK made hand crafted products today for that perfect last minute gift idea.

CHRISTMAS  ADVENT COUNTDOWN
19TH DECEMBER

INFASHION ONLINE STUDDED ANKLE BOOTS


Stomp into a new year with these gorgeous 3.5 inch heel studded ankle boots a perfect christmas gift for a friend or relative or even a gift to yourself for being on Santa's good list! www.InFashionOnline.com have a huge range of fantastic shoes and boots, these are named Giselle and at £39 they are a bargain too so we can strutt our stuff like their name sake our favourite supermodel. Take a glance today and grab yourself some attention grabbing heels for the festive period!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
18TH DECEMBER

LOVELY'S VINTAGE CUFF LINKS

Don't forget the men in your life this Christmas. Jewellery is a classic gift for both sexes and cufflinks are so special as they surface for all the important life occassions. These gorgeous cufflinks in festive colours are from Lovely's Vintage the green and gold pair originate from the 1960's and are just £9.99 whereas the more ornate red vintage cufflinks with diamante's are from the glamourous 1970's, £15.00 - why not visit http://lovelys-vintage-emporium.myshopify.com/collections/jewellery to check out there gorgeous selection of vintage gifts for everyone.

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN

17TH DECEMBER

CHARLOTTE AND CO ALL IN ONE

When you go to sleep on Christmas Eve make sure you are in perfect comfort for a good nights sleep with this gorgeous pink cotton and in one with a gorgeous butterfly print, £49 from www.charlotteandco.co.uk . Whilst your browsing the site have a look for gift ideas too as there are some sleeping mask and PJ sets that would make fantastic gifts

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN

16TH DECEMBER

NAIL ROCKITS

Make sure the focus is on your beautiful nails when giving and unwrapping gifts this Christmas.These gorgeous Nail Rockits kits come in two colour ways Vintage Silver or Vintage Gold, £9.99 each the special glitter dust adds a festive 3D glitter look to your talons. Find the kits in Topshop stores or online at ASOS or from www.rockbeautylondon.com

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN

 15TH DECEMBER

ROSIE FOR AUTOGRAPH MARKS AND SPENCER DRESSING GOWN

This beautiful full length red silk dressing gown is £79 from the Rosie for Autograph range at Marks and Spencer ( www.marksandspencer.com). If anyone knows anything about style its the beautiful Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as her gorgeous collection for M &S shows, we would love to wake up with this to wrap round us on Christmas morning, effortless timeless style - cant go wrong!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN

14TH DECEMBER

I've completely fell in love with these kids trucker caps, from £15 by Superbeast
( https://www.facebook.com/superbeasts) lovingly made with Vintage patches each one individual - a perfect stocking gift for your little beast!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
13TH DECEMBER

CHRISTMAS SNOWFLAKE SOAP

A perfect gift for Christmas is this gorgeous Christmas Snowflake Fig Extract soap with matching cotton bag, £5.95 visit www.bakewellsoap.co.uk the ospa is made iwth goats milk and is sweet as fresh winters snow - no chemicals just a beautiful natural soap in a gorgeous cotton bag. Perfect gift idea!

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CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
12TH DECEMBER

FISHTAIL PLAIT HEANDBAND'S

Rock one of these beautty's at your Christmas party without the nifty finger work! Take your look from day to night with a gorgeous fishtail plait hairband, £9.99 they are available from www.hairrehablondon.com and come in 7 shades so there's is bound to be one to match your haircolour. Enjoy the party!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
11TH DECEMBER

CATHERINE COLEBROOK PERSONALISE PRESENT SACK


We love this M for Meadow present sack and I'm sure my daughter will be thrilled to find it on Christmas Day ! Make the special people people in your life extra happy on Christmas morning with their very own Catherine Colebrook Peasonalised Present Sack, £20 www.catherinecolebrook.com .

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN

10TH DECEMBER

PETALINA DOLLS

Christmas is all about children and finding unique gifts they can keep and treasure.This beautiful doll is Madame Constance, £49.99 from the Petalina Doll collection http://www.petalinadolls.co.uk/ . From her beautiful face to her pretty floral dress and delicate shoes she is a classic gift with that special twist who can be loved and cherished for generations.Have a word with Father Christmas...

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
9TH DECEMBER

W7 IN THE BUFF EYE SHADOW TIN

Perfect your party makeup with this gorgeous tin of eyeshadows fromW7 - there is something for everyone in this box set named In The Buff , £6.95 from www.exquisitecosmetics.co.uk - I love the smokey charcoal mixed with a shimmering white powder in the socket but the bronze hues would look fantastic on tanned skin - a perfect gift for yourself or best friend!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
8TH DECEMBER

ZATCHEL RED SATCHEL

Every lady would like santa to bring them a gorgeous handbag - this Zatchels bag £99 from www.Next.co.uk. The beautiful red shade will stand out from the crows and the practical long shoulder strap leaves your hands free to carry the rest of your Christmas goodies! So I hope you hva ebeen good ladies we can only hope the big man is listening

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
7TH DECEMBER

FAITH IN NATURE GIFT BAG'S

Everyone loves new cosmetics at Christmas and there is nothing better than enjoying a bath on Boxing Day and trying out some of your new products. These fantastic Faith in Nature Shampoo and Conditioner( 2x 250ml) gift bags in Grapefruit and Orange, £5.99 are pocket friendly and are sure to be recieved with squeals of delight. Made with sweet orange oil , vitamin E and herbal extracts the natural smells with leave you and your bathroom smelling divine.Visit www.faithinnature.co.uk or your local health food stores.

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
6TH DECEMBER

CROWN LOVE CLUTCH BAG

This little gem will make you sparkle at any Christmas party, just £35 from www.crown-love.com and just big enough to fit in all the party essentials to ensure you have a fantastic party season this December - I think it's a must have for any New Year's Eve party too so unleash your inner glamourpuss and add some bling too your life!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
5TH DECEMBER

BARE ESCENTUALS MARVELOUS MOXIE LIPSTICK IN RAISE THE BAR

Lipstick is every girl's best friend in the Winter months to brighten up your look when your skin just wants to hide from the cold Winter air. Mineral make up really is the future of cosmetics and Bare Minerals are one of the best brands on the high street with fantastic products that are good for your skin as well as making it look good. I adore the Marvelous Moxie long lasting lipstick and he Raise The Bar, £16  the gorgeous pearl plum shade is right on trend for spreading christmas kisses - now where is that miseltoe? Visit www.bareminerals.co.uk to browse the whole collection

 

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
4TH DECEMBER

TRULY CHOCOLATES AMAZING 3D CHRISTMAS TREE'S


Christmas is the ideal time to indulge and treat yourselves and one of my favourite websites for ordering gifts and sweet treats is www.trulychocolates.co.uk. These gorgeous 3D chocolate christmas trees, £5 are great as gifts, table decorations or even as a tree decoration. Truly's also have fantastic chocolate Snowmen and Father Christmases and can do diabetic chocolate and scrumptious chocolate orange as well as the regular milk, dark and white varieties. Check out their chocolate spoons too - ideal for making a hot chocolate after a hard days christmas shopping!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
3RD DECEMBER

LINZI SHOES

Treat your feet to a beautiful pair of shoes to dance the night away this Christmas . We love this goreous studded peep toe named Camala  a snip at just £30 visit www.linzi.com to see the fantastic range of gorgeous shoes and boots - Take note Santa!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN
2ND DECEMBER

Get ready for the party season with this glamourous full length midnight blue sequin dress. Perfect for an Xmas party £89.99 from www.justblue.com - just add copious amounts of Christmas cheer!

CHRISTMAS ADVENT COUNTDOWN


1ST DECEMBER

A PRESTAT LUXURY ADVENT CALANDER



On the first day of Decemeber be first in line for a treat with this beautiful luxury advent calander from Prestat. At £30 it certainly is a treat but you have 24 days of pure chocolate  pleasure with a beautiful tray of chocolates imaginatively flavoured with Earl Grey, Sicilian Key Lime, Sea Salt Caramel and Orange and Frankincense to name but a few. This will make waking to the cold winter a pleasure and add a little luxury to the countdown to Christmas. Visit www.prestat.co.uk and they also have some fantasic gift ideas.

90 SECOND INTERVIEW WITH AMANDA ELIAS

We caught up with Amanda Elias, founder of the revolutionary pharmaceutical skincare brand Bravura  London to find out her fashion and beauty secrets...

  Luanne McLean

What are you doing right now?

 I’m actually meant to be on holiday but I’m working with our web designing because our new website is launching today and I’m being annoying and making last minute changes.

 What are you wearing? 

Some Gap ¾ trousers and an off the shoulder black t-shirt. My hair needed some intense conditioning so I have my favourite Ojon hair masque in. When I wash it out I’ll be wearing a forever unique maxi dress which is very flattering on my post pregnancy figure.

 What’s your make up bag essential?

 Black Turbo Lash mascara by Estee Lauder, if I ever decide to try another mascara, I always end up coming back to this one.

 How do you pamper yourself?

 I have an infrared sauna which I like to use a few times a week, I go in with my nook, put on some classical music and loose myself for about 30 minutes. I also love going to my best friend’s beauty salon, Transition in Ammanford and getting my nails done.

Favourite high street store?

 TK Maxx is amazing, when I was in labour my partner Ryan promised me a Lulu Guinness clutch, TK Maxx had some on their website for much less than the RRP so he got me 2. It’s also a great place to discover different brands.

 Last thing you bought?

 A gorgeous, pink sleigh cot bed for my 15 week old daughter.

 Favourite designer?

 I’m going to say a jewellery designer and go with Shaun Leane, my engagement ring is from his entwined collection and I had it especially made in rose gold, I’m so in love with everything he makes, I definitely want to expand my collection.

 Biggest fashion faux pas?

 Everything I wore in my teenage years. Everyone wore jeans and baggy jumpers which I hated because I wanted to wear pretty,  girly clothes. It wasn’t until I was about 17 that I felt I could be a bit more unique and wear what I liked rather than what everyone else is wearing.

 Favourite hair salon?

 I always go to a local hair salon called Blown Away, they’re fab there and always do my hair exactly how I want it.

Dermaflannel, £11.99

www.bravuralondon.com

 Bravura London has re-launched their beauty breakthrough product the Dermaflannel, so you can say farewell to acne, scars, fine lines, liver spots, sun damage, enlarged pores  and blackheads with the easy to use, reusable and chemical-free flannel for healthy glowing skin.

BOOK REVIEW


Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
Panmacmillan £7.99

As the nights draw in there really is nothing better than snuggling up with a good book. This one by blogger Jenny Lawson is a confession of all those funny stories that make you cringe at the time but turns into excellent ante dotes that entertain brilliantly. The book is witty and is great to pick up and down at leisure. The only niggle I had is as it's written in first person I tended to have the author's voice in my head the whole time I was reading. The book is filled with the author's outrageous American humour as is guaranteed to raise a smile, but be warned it may turn you into one of those people who laughs out loud to themselves whilst reading on the train!


3/5

LETT'S START A NEW TERM...

If your at University or just need new satianory for the office you must take a look at www.letts.co.uk. I have fell in love with this gorgeous  retro inspired notepad perfect to pop in my handbag for work notes with a bit of style. I love how each page is dated - perfect for deadlines of for students lecture notes and at just £5.99 it's a great gift idea for Birthdays or Christmas and with gorgeous diaries starting at just £6.49 its' very pocket friendly as well as super stylish!

GORGEOUS CHILDRENS WEAR - ESCAPE FROM THE NORM

Childrenswear is a huge market and day to day clothes are fun to buy and need to be hard wearing but cute. If for occasion wear you really want your little one to stand out and make a splash - we have found the right companies for you!


Miki House is a new and fresh Japanese childrenswear brand, it is stocked in Harrods, here's a few gorgeous images from their new AW13 collection.

MIKI SHOKO CO., LTD. is Japan’s leading premium manufacturer and retailer of clothing, shoes and accessories for children. Founded in 1971 in Osaka, Japan, the company opened the first store in Kyoto, Japan, in 1978.

In 1987, MIKI HOUSE started its global expansion and opened the stores in world premium shopping locations such as St. Honore in Paris, via Montenapoleone in Milan. Currently, it operates more than 300 stores in Japan and 50 stores in France, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine, China, Hong Kong, Korea, and United States. In 2013, it will continue the global expansion and will open the stores in London, Singapore, Russia and Canada.

The range includes clothing and accessories for ages six months to four years, the line features playful wearable designs and includes: shoes, coats, hats, gloves, knits, denim and much more. With a focus on uncompromising quality and Japanese craftsmanship, many items are made from supima cotton, so they are super soft. There is also attention to detail with exterior stitching for extra comfort. The colourful styles are easy to mix and match and are created for children to play and relax in.

Clothing and accessories for a gorgeous little girl to make her stand out with feminine details and a grown up essence?  

DAVID CHARLES have it covered.

British childrenswear designer David Charles specialises in children's occasional wear. As you can see in these images from his AW13 range he creates beautiful dresses for little princesses. 

Founded in 1970 award winning David Charles was the first British brand to translate women’s high fashion trends into irresistible designs for girls aged six months to sixteen years. TODAY, David Charles is one of the UK’s most coveted party and occasion wear brands and its signature style of sophisticated design, beautiful fabrics and perfect cuts are a hit with children and parents around the world. 

Created by husband and wife entrepreneurial team, David and Susan Graff, David Charles has acclaimed international appeal and is one of the most important British children’s brands to stock top stores including Harrods and Selfridges in London, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and a standalone boutique in Shanghai. Rapidly expanding a David Charles store will be opening in St Petersburg, Russia in June. 

 

Visit  http://www.davidcharleschildrenswear.com/ to shop the Autumn Winter collection, also stocked in Harrods.

DAVID CHARLES AND MIKI HOUSE  BOTH STOCKED IN HARRODS