Fondant Fancy

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Feeling a bit like a Fondant Fancy in my lasting pink obsession, but I don’t really mind! It’s keeping me going at the moment as the dark mornings are continuing. I would say I’m pretty ready for spring now…!

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IMG_3410Topshop Knit .:. Lavish Alice Leather Look Pencil Skirt (similar here) .:. Office Boots .:. Topshop Necklace .:. Mulberry Effie Satchel .:. Topshop Floppy Hat

Saturday saw the boyfriend and I take a stroll along Hammersmith river with only a few runners and a bit of a chilly wind to keep us company… so much so, that I had to keep hold of my hat pretty tight!

After our morning around Hammersmith, we drove up to see my parents for the afternoon before meeting up with two of my lovely friends and their boys for a Chinese meal. I haven’t been out for a meal back home for a good year or two so it was nice to catch up in our home town!

I wanted to wear something that could transition from day to night… so a knit with a leather look pencil skirt was the best option. The necklace is pretty big and sparkly, but who doesn’t like a bit of sparkle? ;-)

How do you transition from day to night?

.:M:.

Sunshine

Bring Your Own Sunshine 10x15-01This past week I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog as work has been pretty busy (we’re moving desks soon) and mainly, one of the loveliest ladies I know is leaving the UK to go back home to Australia (not after an amazing 4 month trip around Asia) where she is embarking on an exciting new project with her hubby. So this past week has seen me on secret squirrel missions making her a scrapbook with a few of my other friends from work, plus dinners and drinks throughout the week, finally ending with a tearful farewell yesterday, but it is definitely not a goodbye, but a see you soon! :)

I decided to design a little inspiration quote in honour of Sunny and to the amazing adventure she’s embarking on and to remind myself and maybe you guys, that you can make anything happen!

Happy Monday!

.:M:.

Dior Addiction

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I’m a little bit of a Dior Addict… (see what I did there?!), I think it’s come from my mum getting me into Dior when I was quite young and I haven’t really veered off since! For my birthday a couple of months ago (bit late I know…), I received quite a few Dior products, some that I use all of the time and some I hadn’t tried before.

Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Velvet Creme – I’ve been using this face cream for quite a few years now. It’s for dry to dehydrated skin, which is perfect for my skin as it always feels quite tight when I get out of the shower. This cream rehydrates my skin instantly and leaves it feeling soft and nourished. I use it daily, morning and night to keep my skin hydrated and to keep those dreaded wrinkles at bay for as long as possible! ;)

Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Sorbet Eye Creme – I haven’t been using this eye cream for as long as the face cream as I was still quite young at the time, but as the years roll on, I have had to think about those impending wrinkles, so to prevent any signs of them, this eye sorbet is perfect. It reduces puffiness and lightens those bags under your eyes to keep you looking fresh. As your eye area is so soft and fragile, you have to be careful about what you use, but I find this sorbet really light. It’s also suitable for all types of skin.

Dior Hydra Life Rehydrating Mask – This mask is not like a typical mask where it hardens on your face or sits on your face making you look like a scarecrow… it’s basically just like a cream that you leave on for 5-10 minutes while your skin absorbs it and then you just massage any excess into your face. It’s perfect if your face is really dry or you just need a hydrating boost. You can use it when you need or one to two times a week to keep your skin nourished. When I first got it, I used it up to two times a week, but I use it when I feel like my skin needs rehydrating (like after snowboarding, from the cold mountain air whipping at my face!).

Dior Instant Eye Makeup Remover – Do you also have that problem that even if you use a makeup remover wipe as well as washing your face with a cleanser, you still have black all around your eyes? Welcome to my world…! So I have to use another makeup remover. Before I tried this one, I was using the Lancome Bifacil, which is based on the same principle as this one. Two liquids – an emollient crystalline oil and blue-tinted water, rich in moisturising agents – when shaken together, create a cleanser that removes even waterproof mascara with surprising ease. Definitely an everyday must!

Diorskin Forever Pressed Powder in 002 – I usually use Diorskin Forever but I got mixed up and picked the wrong powder! But after using this pressed powder for a few months, I’ve been happy with it. The description of this product says that it’s a retouching powder for a fresh and matte complextion. I’ve just been using it as a normal powder, applying it in the morning on top of my foundation and have found that it keeps my foundation pretty flawless for the whole day. I don’t really re-apply unless I’m going out after work, which is pretty amazing!

Dior Addict Lip Glow – This product was a newbie in my collection and since I’ve started using it, I’m loving it! There’s a colour reviving technology that reacts with your own lips, enhancing your own natural colour. My lips go a soft pink and it’s a subtle but radiant colour. It also moisturises and protects your lips, which for me is a must as my lips get quite dry so a lip balm is always at hand!

I may need to branch out soon and try other products, but for now, I’m happy with how my skin feels and how these products work with my complexion.

Do you have any Dior addictions?

.:M:.

Stripes

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My first outfit post of 2014 was actually taken a few weeks ago but due to a busy Christmas and a week in the snow, I’m only getting round to sharing it now!

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IMG_3128Topshop Striped Tunic (similar here) .:. Topshop Leggings .:. Topshop Necklace .:. Primark Fedora .:. Topshop Cardigan (similar here) .:. Topshop Cut Out Boots

I like a simple tunic over leggings, it’s an easy outfit for the lazy! I wore this outfit a few weeks back on a chilled out weekend with the boy. We went for a walk around Chiswick, checked out some shops and grabbed a coffee.

I find stripes quite classic and they don’t seem to go out of fashion. This tunic is a simple tshirt dress shape, easy to style with minimal accessories (but of course a signature necklace!).

I’ve worn this tunic quite a lot since I bought it and I think this is an all year round sort of outfit (minus the boots and cardi…).

What do you think?

Hope you’re all having a good (first) week back!

.:M:.

A Week Of Snow

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I mentioned in my last post that I was boarding with my parents and boyfriend in the French alps over New Years. We left the day after Boxing Day, stayed on an overnight ferry and drove to Courchevel… (long day in the car I tell thee! Especially since the weather was so bad on our way up the mountain to our chalet, it took over an hour to do 3km!).

The rest of the week was mostly sunny, with good snow, with only one day with pretty bad weather! No injuries, a few films, countless baguettes, 3 flans, a Nutella crepe and a whole series of Frozen Planet later, we’re back home and getting ready to go back to work tomorrow! So here are some photos from our trip!

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IMG_8636( .: our chalet :.)IMG_8622( .: the boy and I on New Years Eve enjoying a meat fondue! :. )

Now here’s the one day where visibility was really poor! Helpful when you’re trying to get down from over 2500m!

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Snow

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The week in the snow was an amazing holiday and tradition ever since I can remember! Sometimes you need another holiday to recover from a week of snowboarding but I’m feeling pretty chilled out and ready for 2014! ;)

What did you guys get up to over New Years? Have you ever been on a snow holiday?

.:M:.

 

See ya later 2013!

Apologies for the quiet week! Christmas was hectic between mine and the boyfriend’s families and then we had to pack for our winter holiday in the snow! You may have already seen from my instagram that we are snowboarding in Courchevel, the French Alps, along with my lovely mum and dad! Looking forward to spending New Years here too, makes a bit of a change! ;)

This brings me nicely into this post, which is a quick round up of my year in pictures. 2013 has been a good year and I’m hoping 2014 will be even better!

Travel wise, 2013 saw me taking the boyfriend to Prague, going on an amazing road trip around Florida in the summer, a work trip to Cologne that took about 9 months of blood, sweat and tears to plan and currently snowboarding in Courchevel! Not bad really!

This year marked a year of the boyfriend and I living together in our flat and we signed up for another year. It really has been amazing  (soppy alert) and I wouldn’t change a thing!

There’s been a lot of food, baking, coffee and prosecco along the way and good times with friends!

2013 also saw the start of Almost Apricot into what it is now, starting with a rebrand and name change. I’m looking forward to seeing where 2014 is going to take it!

So, my goals for 2014:

  • Definitely try to be healthier – maybe actually do some exercise rather than just talk about it!
  • Make time for projects I’ve wanted to do for a while.
  • Keep growing Almost Apricot, hopefully keeping you guys entertained and/or inspired!

It really does mean a lot that my tiny little corner of the internet is being read and I hope to bring you lots more throughout 2014!

Have a lovely New Years and see you in 2014!

.:M:.

Snowflake

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I’m still all over festive nails and my bff knows me too well as her Christmas present to me (yes we opened our presents early when we exchanged gifts last week!) was this Nails Inc Snowflake Collection.

The Silver Foil Effect nail varnish surprised me the most as it really does look like foil and it’s so shiny! I used that as a base for the Snowflake glitter topcoat and my nails really do look like it’s snowed all over them! Perfect for my snowboarding trip next week! ;-)

The other colour in the collection is a sort of mauve-beige, which I think will look lovely with a coat of Snowflake on top too, I’ll probably try that next!

Only 2 more sleeps! Anyone else as excited!?

Have a lovely Christmas!

.:M:.

Festive Nails

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To get into the Christmas spirit (not that I really need to…), I decided to do a festive manicure. As I’m not the best at doing nail art, I got these little Christmas pudding and gingerbread man transfers, a little kitsch, but it’s Christmas and I think they look cute!

I went for the Christmas puds to tie in with my pudding jumper! These were really easy to apply, I just had to cut around each pud, peel it off and with the help of tweezers, apply it to my nails. Then just apply a topcoat and voila!

What do you think, are you a fan of festive nails?

.:M:.

John Frieda Everlasting Blonde

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I have been battling damaged hair for a while, hence one of the reasons for cutting off my hair earlier this year, so when this set of John Frieda products landed on my doorstep, I thought it was the perfect chance to give them a go.

Firstly, the reason for my damaged hair was mainly heat and bleaching. Every time I went to the hairdressers, it seemed to get lighter and lighter and I didn’t help matters by using the hairdryer and straighteners practically every day and in the end, it started to snap off.

So I decided to cut my hair short and get it dyed a more natural blonde. I was also looking for products and treatments to strengthen my hair and give it some well needed TLC.

So this brings me to the John Frieda Sheer Blonde range. The Sheer Blonde Everlasting Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner are colour preserving products to ensure your newly coloured locks stay looking fresh. This is definitely a bonus considering how much us girls spend on getting our hair cut and coloured! Plus it means I can leave it a little longer between salon visits. Perfect for when I’m trying to care for my hair to make it stronger and healthier. Even the boyfriend tried it, not before asking if it was going to make his hair ginger! (It doesn’t by the way) ;-)

The Sheer Blonde Conditioning Treatment does exactly what it says on the tin…  I’m using it daily, leaving it on for 3-5 minutes before rinsing out. I’m spending a little more time in the shower (much to my boyfriend’s annoyance) but it makes my hair feel smoother, stronger and more conditioned already, which is what I need especially with winter kicking in!

With the Christmas party season upon us, you may be looking for new ways to style your hair… if so, you can find some new styling tips here. My faves are the 25 minute retro beehive and the hair bow, but I’m going to have to wait till my hair grows a bit longer for that one!!

Have you tried the Sheer Blonde range? What treatments do you use on your hair?

.:M:.

Christmas Jumper Day

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You may have seen the campaign for Save The Children’s Christmas Jumper Day (#xmasjumperday) on Friday. Quite a few of us took part at work, showcasing an array of Christmas jumpers, which was pretty fun, with even a customised Miley jumper swinging on a bauble! If you follow my twitter or instagram, you may have noticed that I was a big Christmas pudding (jumper from Primark). If you would like to know how you can do your bit, click here.

Hope you’re all rocking your Christmas jumpers! Only a week and a half to go! ;-)

.:M:.