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New hush autumn collection

Weekend wishlist: the new hush autumn collection

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Ooh I get so excited about autumn clothes - I’m all about the jumpers and boots and snuggly stuff. hush is always my go to for autumn loveliness so I get an extra little fizz of pleasure when the email announcing the new season drops into my inbox. This new hush autumn collection has got my name all over it: muted colours, a bit of leopard, a bit of leather, some chunky boots… And yes, I know I said that I’ve decided not to buy anything new in September, but that doesn’t mean I can’t create a little wishlist, right?

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Lockdown lingerie

Weekend wishlist: lockdown lingerie

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Hey! I hope you’re all surviving - what is this - lockdown week four, or maybe five (just googled, it’s day 33 today). I got all ready for a meeting on Thursday and sat puzzled when nobody logged in because I thought it was Friday. Duh. Last time I was talking about lockdown leisurewear so this time I thought I’d address the issue of what’s underneath. I’m assuming that - like me - you’ve mostly abandoned the push me up, suck me in kind of underwear that matters when you actually care what it looks like underneath proper clothes? So what should we wear instead? I’ve been looking at some gorgeous lockdown lingerie that I thought I’d share that will still make you feel lovely, whilst being super comfy as well. Read more

Weekend wishlist: savvy sales shopping rules

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If you’re anything like me, your inbox right now is probably full of sales offers and new year bargains (and I thought I’d unsubscribed from most of them!). We all know this is the way that the brands move their old stock and clear out room for new season pieces, but is it worth taking the time to hunt through, or are all the sales just best avoided? I have a few rules that I keep in the notes on my phone (I keep everything: motivational quotes, lovely sentences I’ve read, nice messages people have sent me…) and it really does help keep me on track. I thought it might help to share my savvy sales shopping rules with you - you never now, the perfect item might be out there just waiting to be discovered!

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Weekend wishlist: gorgeous Christmas stuff for your home

Weekend wishlist: gorgeous Christmas stuff for your home

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There are just 11 sleeps until the big day and realistically, if you’re shopping online - especially at some of the independent shops - you’ll need to be thinking about getting your orders in pretty shortly. Seeing as this is one of my last weekend wishlists of the year - the decade! - I thought I’d share some of my favourite online shops with you, and pick out some lovely bits and pieces: decorations, wreaths, tableware, heavenly scented candles and more. So here, then, *tiny fanfare* is my roundup of the most gorgeous Christmas stuff for your home.

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Weekend wishlist gorgeous everyday jewellery

Weekend wishlist: gorgeous everyday jewellery

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I’m not a huge fan of expensive jewellery. I don’t wear a wedding ring, just a few stacking rings, mostly bought from Etsy, and I don’t own any diamonds (apart from my engagement ring, which now looks so dated). I think that the modern approach to jewellery is that is doesn’t really matter if you mix costume jewellery with real, or gold with silver, and I love this. I’m all for originality and using your jewellery to show your personality. My current obsession is delicate layering: ears glittering with multiple fine hoop piercings and layers of necklaces all at slightly different lengths. I thought for this weekend’s wishlist, I’d have a look at some of the gorgeous everyday jewellery that’s about, and show you the latest addition to my collection too!

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Oxfam's #secondhandseptember challenge

My top tips for nailing Oxfam’s #secondhandseptember challenge

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Did you know that the UK sends 11 million items of clothing to landfill every week? There are loads of reasons why this is happening, the biggest of these being our disposable, fast fashion culture. Fast fashion means production needs to be fast and cheap and that often means corners are cut, resulting in excess waste, the use of toxic chemicals and - inevitably - water pollution. And when we buy fast fashion, we perpetuate the cycle: it’s cheap, but not well made, so it doesn’t last, so we throw it out and buy even more. Wait though, I hear you ask, isn’t clothing recyclable? Yep, but studies show that we throw things in the bin because we don’t think clothes that are worn out or dirty can be recycled (our local tip has a textiles recycling bin), or even just because we couldn’t be bothered to sort our clothes and/or take them to a charity shop. Oxfam are asking us all to take a pledge to say no to new clothes for 30 days, so I thought I’d give you some top tips for nailing Oxfam’s #secondhandseptember challenge.

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new hush autumn collection 2019

Weekend wishlist: the new hush autumn collection is here (and it’s divine)

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Well, I guess we’ve just got to be realistic and accept that the small glimpse of sunny days and blue skies we had was our summer and now it’s only a matter of time before we’re grabbing our favourite woolies, lighting a candle and turning up the heating. Joking, but seriously, what happened to summer? I’m feeling a bit sorry for the families who have kids off school and who’ve booked holidays to the seaside (or - eek! - camping). Let’s hope they’re good with crafting, or can find a castle or two to visit. You know that autumn is my absolute favourite season: it’s that back to school, fresh notebook, new uniform, clean start feeling that makes me so happy, and oh.. knitwear, and then pumpkin spice and Halloween! Happily (for me, sorry if you’re a summer person) a few of the brands are already launching their lovely autumn pieces, and I popped to John Lewis in Milton Keynes to take a sneaky peek at the new hush autumn collection which had literally just hit the shelves.

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Five realistic tips for managing your money

Five realistic tips for managing your money

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You all know I’m terrible with money. I blame Instagram, and Pret for having yummy rice and coconut milk lattes that taste like heaven, and Waitrose for having delicious ingredients that just call out to me when I’m shopping. I’m honestly getting better though (mid forties - it’s about time), and I thought I’d share my top five realistic tips for managing your money. The ones that work for me in a way that those stern ‘cut up your credit card’ kind of money management tips never will (yeah, not going to happen, sorry). Read more

new hush early autumn 2019

Weekend wishlist: new hush early autumn 2019

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I know it’s really British to obsess about the weather, but isn’t it weird at the moment? We’ve gone from 39 degrees back to 15, with rain, thunder - oh wait, a bit more sunshine - then back to rain, hideous mugginess and everything in between. You never know quite what to wear from one day to the next. I do love a nice autumn launch in the summer though. It’s always been my favourite season - it’s that back to school freshness/new pencil case thing - and I’m always happy to dream away a rubbish summer day planning new autumn looks. Happily, the new hush early autumn collection doesn’t disappoint. It’s a cute little capsule to give us a taste of autumn loveliness to come. There’s leather and dark denim, plus a couple of gorgeous dresses in case the sun does show up. Here are a few of my favourite pieces.

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Shopping the new hush spring 2019 collection

Shopping the new hush spring 2019 collection

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So a couple of weeks ago, I showed you the new hush early spring collection, and with the second half now online, I thought it would be quite nice to go and have a look and a bit of a trying on sesh. I’ve been looking for an outfit to wear for the gala dinner on MSC’s new ship Bellissima, so I grabbed Grandma English and we headed to John Lewis in Milton Keynes. Here’s how we got on shopping the new hush spring 2019 collection.

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hush early spring 19

Weekend wishlist: go west with new hush early spring 19

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I’m trying so hard not to spend any money at the moment, and then those little devils at hush go and bring out the nicest collection of clothes in a long time! It’s funny, because usually when I actually need to buy something, I can’t find anything I like, but this spring, I’ve seen tons of nice stuff (see also, Mint Velvet, where I very rarely shop, but this season I could probably spend about £500 with all the things I’ve fallen in love with (might have to do a weekend wishlist post about this soon - this animal print dress with the handkerchief hem is definitely on my ‘yes please’ list). Anyway, back to hush, and as usual, the photography accompanying the new collection is absolutely to die for. Shot on location on a road trip through Southern California, there’s a definite cowboy/prairie theme to the collection which I’m loving: bohemian tops, loose dresses with ditsy, folky prints and some brilliantly retro cowboy tees too. hush are releasing their collection in two parts season (the other half follows towards the end of the month), but here are my faves from, let’s call it hush early spring 19…

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A beauty pie skincare regime for 40 something skin

Updated: a beauty pie skincare regime for 40 something skin

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I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to Beauty Pie. If you haven’t heard of Beauty Pie, it’s a ‘luxury beauty buyer’s club’, founded by industry expert Marcia Kilgore (follow her on Instagram - she gives great skincare advice). The premise is that you pay a membership fee every month and that gives you access to state of the art, high end skincare and makeup at a fraction of the cost, by taking advantage of Kilgore’s skincare knowledge and her ability to source the products but cut out all the middle men in the process. You don’t have to be a member, but you’ll pay full price for all the products. For example, I currently pay £10 a month, which gives me £100 budget, meaning that if I want to buy Beauty Pie’s high performance Super Retinol Serum, it will cost me £9.81 instead of £80 (typical high end beauty brand mark ups can be up to 1000%). It’s a no brainer, right? Once you’re completely in love with the products (and I know you will be) and are certain you’re going to repurchase, some are sold in sets which are slightly better value. I thought I’d give you an insight into the products I love - I’m absolutely no expert, this is just what works for me. So here’s my Beauty Pie skincare regime for 40 something skin.

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new hush pre-spring collection

My top capsule wardrobe picks from the new hush pre-spring collection

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At the start of the year, I told you all about how this year was going to be a simpler one for me, embracing the little things in life and putting the emphasis on a lifestyle that’s less rush rush hurry hurry, and more about embracing our down time and railing against the pressure of being constantly busy. I firmly believe that this life philosophy can spill over into all aspects of our lifestyle, including our wardrobe. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of the capsule wardrobe. There’s something about discovering your signature style and curating a collection of great quality items that work well together that’s really satisfying. Of course, it also helps cut down the unnecessary waste, pollution and misery that are caused by fast fashion - something I’m really passionate about.

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Shopping the sales with a capsule wardrobe in mind

Shopping the sales with a capsule wardrobe in mind

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What is it about the sales that send us all a bit bonkers? I’m usually perfectly happy with my wardrobe, then a sale email drops into my inbox with those Grenson boots that Holly wore on I’m a Celeb, and I suddenly really want them. What’s up with that? I have trainers, and my leopard boots, and wellies for walking the dog - I really don’t need them. A while ago I wrote about the questions I’ll be asking myself before my next purchase, and I feel like I really need to revisit these before I even think about shopping: do I need it? Do I love it, or am I buying it because I liked it on someone else? Does it go with the other things in my wardrobe? Will it last? Is it a brand I trust? Of course, if you’ve got something that needs replacing, or a gap that needs filling, shopping the sales with a capsule wardrobe in mind should be 100% possible. So what will I be looking for?

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new high street homeware from River Island

Weekend wishlist: new high street homeware from River Island

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If you’ve been on Instagram recently, you’re bound to have seen all the home bloggers talking about River Island’s new homeware range. I’ll be honest, a lot of it is a bit, well, loud for me. In particular, some of the Baby Doll and Electric Opulence collections are a bit bright, although, as with all things for the home, I guess it’s about mixing them in with the things you already have rather than buying the entire Baby Doll range, which would probably be a bit pink, fluffy and headache-inducing. It’s a small collection, mainly featuring home accessories like candles, rugs, decorative items and cushions, but it seems really great quality. I was reading an article recently (I think it was Alex at The Frugality) discussing the lack of decent, affordable, stylish furniture, so this new homeware from River Island is a brilliant start. Let’s hope the range expands into bigger items before too long. Read more

Weekend wishlist: hush October collection

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Well hello there! It’s me again, the terrible temptress of the wardrobe. I know, I can’t help it. You see, I think the trouble is that because I’m not a multi-millionaire, and therefore can’t buy all the hush clothes, I feel this urge to pick out the best bits so that you can buy them instead. I suppose I’m kind of like a feeder, but with clothes instead of food (actually, the boys always say I’m a feeder, so I’m clearly both!). Anyhoo, I hope you’re well and have some lovely chilled out plans for the weekend. I thought I might tootle over to intu at Milton Keynes who have an Etsy Artisan pop up market, which sounds like a lovely place to have a wander, and then I can see a takeaway, a big glass of velvety red and some Strictly in my future. The biggest news of the weekend, however, is the brand new hush October collection.

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