The City Break Wardrobe - The Products

As this is post goes live, I'm en-route to Vienna - most likely with a large gin and tonic in hand as I try to get comfortable with limited leg room! 

The trip is for work but I do plan on seeing some of the sights in my lunch breaks and evenings so thought I'd share with you my travel suitcase and some essential packing tips that I swear by!

#BEAUTYKNOWSNOSIZE

I'm not a beauty blogger ... I stick to a few, faithful, tried and tested products that I love and have loved for a very long time.  

But the beautiful and wonderful Leah Shafik of Leah XL recently challenged bloggers to answer a few questions with the idea that beauty is one of the most inclusive areas there is, after all, you don't need to be a certain size of shape to fit a lipstick, I could help but dive straight in.

The idea is to film myself answering the questions, but I'm not tech savvy and don't have the means to do this (I'm terrible, I know) ... so instead my answers are below so enjoy and don't forget to head over to Leah XL to find other peoples responses!

A curvy girl's Christmas wish list ...

Are you starting to feel festive yet?

I was late to the festive game this year, something to do with a busy work schedule interrupted by a fortnight in a tropical location has meant that I've found it difficult to over indulge in mince pies without any feelings of guilt!

However, on Sunday, the husband and I hit Winchester for the farmers market and Christmas fayre.  We bought a slab of venison ready for christmas day and I drank the most delicious mulled cider - the husband was driving so had to settle with watching me get squiggly.   I swooned over handcrafted wooden boxes (The Hobbit box now sits proudly on my mantle piece), ate the most delicious Water Buffalo steak roll, and bought vintage jewellery for much loved friends and family.

 

Honeymoon!

In a few short hours I'm heading off on my honeymoon for lots of sun, sea, sand, and masses of wine with seafood pasta!

I think my husband would no longer be my husband if I tried to bring my laptop and blog from the side of the pool so I'll be taking a break for a fortnight.    Don't worry, I'll be back with a fashion-tips-a-plenty (and maybe some sickening beach photos) come the first week in December.

In the meantime, satisfy yourself with shots of the beautiful clothes I packed yesterday ...  do you notice a colour theme?

Nude heels and gaggle of gold jewellery

 A flirty and playful bikini

My favourite party dresses for al fresco dining

Maxi dresses for easy day-to-night wearing

A multitude of camisole tops to pair with vibrant, full skirts 

50's style skirts

The wear-every-where gladiator sandals

Clarins Skin Care

Hair, face and nail care

Summer worthy make-up colours

Kaftans and a red bikini

See you in a fortnight!

C x x x

A love affair with pleather

A few days ago I shared my love lust list for the coming autumn/winter season.  Top on my wish was a leather-look skirt and yesterday it arrived!

I cannot get enough of this skirt!  It sits a little lower than I had expected but the length is perfect.  The material flows without being light enough to blow away in the wind - no-one wants one of those Marilyn moments when walking out of the office.   

I paired the skirt with a simple, tight fitted t-shirt in grey with a slight boat neck.  I wore my favourite Carvela patent sling backs for a real 50's feel and a chunky pearl cuff for a bit of sparkle.  I wore simple gold studs and kept my hair sleek and simply to let the skirt do the talking. 

Clockwise from top left:  Peggy Pearl Bracelet by Coast; South Three-Quarter Sleeve Crew Neck Top from Very; 2 x Square Stud Pack by Accessorize; Black Peeptoe Heels by New Look;  Love Label Midi PU Length Skater Skirt from Very.

The leather-look of the skirt let me embrace my inner vamp so I teamed it with dark red nail polish and flash of vampiric red on the lips. 

This look is one of my favourites and will suit all heights and waistlines.  Just remember to keep the top sleek and simple, heels high - the addition of a peep toe gives it an added va-va-voom - and don't be scared to move across to the dark side!

C x