Laura Loves

UK Lifestyle, Fasion and Beauty blogger. I showcase and write honest reviews on the delights which catch my eye through life. I'm a lover of fashion, beauty, health, photography and a glass of wine being at least half full!

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WOW! Such a great evening was had last night at the Blogger Programme Summer Party.

All the nerves before heading in to the Bird Cage were not needed as I met some amazing ladies and new blogger friends, some of which live just around the corner! 

There were some great brands there last night including Lush, Flamingo Amy, Love Label, U and your skin and Sylvie Quentin.

Flamingo Amy was there styling some incredible looks on some of the gorgeous ladies. I was lucky enough to have my hair styled in a 1960’s bouffant with a messy fishtail plait bun, Amy managed to find volume in my hair I never knew existed! You can find Amy here, I’ll certainly be calling her to style my hair for my little sisters wedding! 

Sylvie Quentin had a gorgeous rail of clothes to drool over. Currently based in London with 2 clothing stores and one full of bow ties and ties, there are 5 more opening in the autumn. Open a shop in norwich please! 

Lush Norwich had a pop up shop with the lovely Lauren giving out hand massages and making our skin feel so soft. Lauren has such a passion for the brand and products, it’s really refreshing to see, certainly looking forward to popping into the shop now! I MAY have come away with a little pot of H’Suan Wen Hua hair moisturiser which is full of free range eggs and banana oil - Fingers crossed the hunt for healthy shiny hair ends here! :)

Delicious cupcakes from Pandoras Kitchen and Grosvenors Fish Bar pipping hot chips kept our bellies full before we all skipped home with our goodie bags on our shoulders. Mine, amongst other things, included:

Earthnicity Minerals - Samples of their Alabaster foundation / Sweet pink blush / Sunkissed bronzer and silk glow light Power

Gnaw Chocolate - Crystallised ginger chocolate (You won’t be hanging around long!)

Love Label - Eye shadow pallet

U. and your skin -  ’wake up’ facial and mini 3D skin health assessment, looking forward to learning more about my skin with these ladies soon.

Lisa Angel - Silver star bracelet (My fav piece) Buy yours here!

I can’t wait to see all of the photos and catch up on everyones blogs. If you fancy running your peepers over something new, why not see what these ladies have to say…

Diana Thompson - https://twitter.com/grungekitty

Carly Rowena - https://www.youtube.com/user/Carlyrowena

Helen Melonlady - https://twitter.com/Melonladybaby

Leanne Lim-Wlker - https://twitter.com/leannelimwalker

Katie Louise - https://twitter.com/katielouise__s

Charlotte Louise - http://www.charrlottelouise.blogspot.co.uk

Amii Steward - https://www.youtube.com/user/amiisteward

Laura_Loves x

(Apologies, having issues with Tumblr. It's loading my writing up without spaces)

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OBSESSION: CHANEL

This years belated birthday celebrations for Mrs P and I came in the form of an afternoon in Chanel  - Covent Garden. Ah Bliss! 

We were both booked in for the 'Complete Makeup' service with the equally gorgeous ladies, Jennifer and Alex.

Lynne was pampered by Alex whilst I was preened by Jen, who was very patient with my constant wedding makeup questions and need for hints and tips!

We had our faces cleansed with Eau Douceur  and heavenly moisturised with the new Hydra Beauty Gel Creme (A new personal favourite of mine!) 

Jen then applied the Le Blanc base which felt surprisingly light on my skin and the Eclat Lumiere concealer in shade 20. 

I usually wear the Vitalumier foundation by Chanel and this time around have given Jens recommendation of Vitalumier Aqua  in shade 30 a try. The Aqua is a water based product (So give it a good shake before use to mix it up) It has surprising coverage and softness given it's so light in texture. Extremely hydrating with a very natural finish.

Poudre Universelle Compacte - A translucent powered to set your make up and keep it looking fresh all day (this will be my next purchase) was then applied. 

"They're sisters - Not twins" A very true eyebrow related statement from Alex! Mine are more like long lost cousins, yet with a little help from Crayon Sourcils in shade 30, Jen managed to make mine look much closer related!

I don't usually wear any eyeshadow and used this as my chance to get some tips on what works best with my colourings for the wedding. Making it look like the easiest thing in the world, Jen soon gave me the perfect smokey eyes using - Illusion D'ombre shade Emerveille, Ombre Essentielle in Safari, Ecrtiure De Chanel and Inimatable Intense Mascara. 

Cheeks and Lips were up next! Move over Hoola, I have discovered Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzer, SO simple to apply and effective when contouring (A new skill I may have happened to have picked up from Jen and Alex!) topped off with a sweep of Le Blush Creme De Chanel in revelation and my cheeks are blushing perfectly!

Finishing off the look with a Le Crayon Levres enhanced pout - Perfection. 

Armed with my new purchases and a bag full of testers to try, I'll of course be recreating the exact same flawless look at home... won't I? ;)

Ladies, next time you are in Covent Garden, make sure to pop in and visit Jen and Alex for some fantastic guidance and advice, they are both fantastic at what they do and achieve - Highly recommended! 

Happy Beautifying

Laura_Loves x

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Fancy trying out a new fake tan? Take a peep at my new YouTube review before you do  - Fake Bake 60 minutes tan may just be the one for you!

Happy Bronzing!

Laura_Loves x

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THB Reserva Del Higueron - Such an amazing hotel! Sat just off of the beaten track the ultra modern hotel is adult only and extremely relaxing!

Our room over looked the sea which was perfect however the best views came from the hotels roof top infinity pool. 

Here is where we lazed around sipping on cocktails and cooling off in the water. Music pumped out over the pool area and suited us perfectly, what more could you want!

The staff were very attentive, polite and helped you out with everything you needed. 

Although slightly out of the way, there was a free train which dropped you off at the beach or the local train station, here you could hop on and head into Malaga or Fuengirola. 

I would certainly recommend and return to this hotel - What's not to like!

Laura_Loves x

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Day 2 was cloudy so hired a "Renault Twizy" from the hotel and zipped our way up the mountain to a more traditional village called Mijas. Sitting on the side of the mountain Mijas is full of gorgeous white brick buildings winding their way around. Little homes are brought to life with beautiful vibrant flowers and vases and the locals are relaxed adding to the calm atmosphere up there. The views over Fuengirola and Marbella are breathtaking and I can highly recommend a visit if in the area.

… I wonder what S+A are up to now…

Laura_Loves x

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The 9th of June saw the birthday of Mr S and what better way to celebrate than a surprise flight to Malaga! I managed to get him all the way to Stansted airport without him realising, such an accomplishment!

We stayed in a little place called Fuengirola which sits just outside of Marbella keeping a lot of Spanish tradition and charm which suited us and our cameras perfectly! Day one saw a LOT of walking and a random trip to the local Bioparc, followed by an evening of amazing tapas in our ultra modern hotel THB Reserva Del Higueron (which I’ll come on to in a bit)

Laura_Loves x

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My 10 Favourite Vanilla Pieces

Listening to "Vanilla Stylist" Louise giving her morning trend talk, I feel myself wanting to pop by every day to make sure my outfit is worthy of appearing in a magazine

Glam Vanilla owner Anita invited me in to pick out my most favourite 10 pieces in store  - An offer which I could not refuse! 

Before the store opens, the ladies of the floor are huddled around stylist Louise and are brought up to speed on the current trends of the season. Sport Luxe and monochrome (Thank goodness - she says stood there in black and white!) are still high in the stakes of fashion right now. 

The clock strikes 10 there are already customers at the door eager to take a peek at any new delights which is a very healthy sign for an independent boutique.

The store then transforms into a bustle of customers being cared for with plenty of styling advice thrown in. There are outfits being carefully put together and snapped for their Vanilla Facebook debuts and amongst it all -   I am stood wondering how on earth I’m going to choose just 10 pieces from a store full of such gorgeous fabrics and colours.

Getting Down to Business :

In at number 10 - A white jumper which can be worn straight or off the shoulder and would look crisp against a pair of skinny jeans with heels and a colour pop bag. This item is great because it comes on one size. Priced at £35.00 

Number 9 - A yellow colour pop clutch bag with a tan strip around the bottom. This little gem has lovely gold detailing on the zip and a floral interior with pockets. Priced at £25.00

Number 8 - A flattering jade green Diva Catwalk dress with ribbed detailing and zip to the back. Perfect for a day at the races! Priced at £114.00

Number 7- Summer sandals! Great colouring to go with so many outfits, on trend and comfortable to keep you dancing all night! Priced at £83.00

Number 6 - LBD and a stylish one at that! Also happens to be modelled by Anita herself. A walG shift dress with gold zip detailing (And we all know how much I love black and gold) priced at £48.00

Number 5 - Saint Tropez Colbolt blue tee with a flattering sheer 'V' to the back, amazing with black skinnies jeans or a faux leather skirt for the braver. Priced at £26.00

Number 4 - WalG have it nailed with this wide legged white and navy jumpsuit, a great modern twist for a wedding outfit. Detailed with a draped frontage and sheer legs. Priced at £50.00

Number 3 - A colourful neon necklace entwined with jewels will look amazing with a simple tee or finish off an evening dress perfectly. Priced at £18.00

Number 2 - Cream slacks by Vera & Lucy with deep pockets and gold zip detailing, tailoring is coming around again in a big way so grab your key pieces now! Priced at £50.00

Number 1 - My favourite piece by far is this amazing Rinascimento black jacket. Tailored with sheer arms and back. Panelling and gold zip detailing finish off this piece perfectly. Priced at £120.00

Feeling inspired? - I'd love to hear which one is your favourite piece!

Laura_Loves x

Where you can enjoy Vanilla:

www.vanillanorwich.co.uk

Facebook 

Twitter

E-Mail - [email protected]

117a Ipswich Road

Norwich

Norfolk

NR4 6LD

01603 452305

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@sniperscott #colour5k done 👊! Incredible experience #charityrun #keepingabreast #charity #paint #rainbow

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Team Tovellights Charity Run

Laura Tovell is raising money for Keeping Abreast. Sponsor them with Virgin Money Giving.

Scott Wright and I are running the Norwich colour5k next Saturday in aid of "Keeping Abreast" If you can spare just £1 to support this great charity and our challenge please just click on the link below! Thank you x www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Tovellights

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NUA Fashion Show 2014

I have a new buzz for fashion shows! Last night I was lucky enough to attend the Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) Fashion Show with my ever so stylish friend Claire and couldn't resist sharing some of our favourite hot new designers with you.

24 graduates showcased their inspirational work on the catwalk as part of Gala Fashion Week with six designs a piece.

There were definitely trends of tailoring, cut outs, side boob, pastels, deep reds and grey. Here are a few key pieces and designers I'll be keeping an eye on...

Bethany Adamson

Bejal Bakrania

Sophia Hastings

Ellie Pitelen

Holly Bilversone - (My Favourite)

Dani Mason

Chloe Kent

Emma Silburn (Claires Favourite)

Chloe Fuller

Nicolas Marcs and Chloe Fuller receiving their awards 

And of course the obligatory post show cocktails!

Laura_Loves x

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Fathers Day Treats

I can hardly believe where this year has gone already, I know they say time goes quicker as you get older but it truly feels like someone has hit the fast forward button on 2014! 

Fathers day is already fast approaching - Sunday June 15th to be exact so time to get thinking!

www.zazzle.co.uk is a great website for gifts which I have used a lot over the years and is exactly where I headed for 2014s fathers day gifts.

Poppa T has just finished a terrific 12 year build on his kit car and I wanted to show him exactly how proud I am with some bespoke personalised gifts. 

Delivered in speedy, record time my packages arrived safe and sound and “bubble wrapped” up to the max.

Zazzles one stop shop was great - Card and presents all brought in one go! They have a great selection of fathers day cards, so plenty to choose from.

I chose to personalise a cap, mug and keyring and all three were made with great quality and exactly as I requested. There are so many options when it comes to personalising your gifts, you can choose colours, text styles and upload images (as I did)

Within each package I also received 15% off of my next purchase - Deal! 

A few links to some ideas for your fathers day gifts this year:

Customised Mugs

T-Shirts

Customised iPhone Cases

Cards

Tweet me your fathers day gifts at @laura_lovesblog!

Laura_Loves x

*In collaboration with www.zazzle.co.uk @zazzle*

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Sunny Sundays outfit courtesy of #hm and #primark! 👗☀️ #ootd #wiwt #fashion #summerfashion #fblogger #whiteskirt #greenshoes

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All things "WHITE" and beautiful!

A few gorgeous finds in Primark this week I have to share with you...

I'm looking forward to styling this white kaftan / sheer jacket with gorgeous lace detailing - £15.00 with Jeans, denim and coloured. Now to find something neon for that "Colour Pop"

  Ivory crochet top with tassel detailing - £6.00 Bargain! This is going to look great over a bikini and denim shorts (Ah holidays *sigh*) Amazing for any festival ensemble too!

  For a while I have had my eye on this white midi skirt with pocket detailing and it went through the till *reduced* to - £10.00! Heatwave over the weekend you say? This baby will be making its debut then!  

Happy Shopping!

Laura_Loves x

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The beautiful #emmawatson looking incredible in head to toe #ralphlauren at Windsor Castle, nailing the white shirt perfectly! #fashion #fblogger #celebrity #laura_loves

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Celebrating with @sniperscott - Stateside flights have been booked for our wedding next year woohoo! SO excited!!! 💏👰🎩💍🎉🗽 #newyorkwedding #nycwedding #manhattanbride #newyork #engaged #wedding #bridetobe #lblogger #weddingblogger

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No Need For Foundation!

For me a good measure of a quality BB cream is whether you can wear it alone and without a foundation over the top. Taking advantage of Revlons 3 for 2 offer in Boots I decided to give their 'Photo Ready' BB Cream a go along with their 'Photo Ready' eye primer.

I chose 'Photo Ready' BB Cream in Light Medium and the 'Photo Ready' eye primer is a 'one colour' for all product so that was easy! 

'Photo Ready' BB Cream A little goes a long way with this one, especially if you are applying to a recently moisturised face:

Its appears fairly thick in texture but that's a little misleading, it looks almost 'mousey' and feels like a lightweight balm when applied. Boasting the hydration of a moisturiser / smoothness of a primer / coverage of a foundation / the perfection of a concealer and the protection of a SPF 30 sunscreen this little baby has a lot going on!

'Photo Ready' eye primer - Great to cover up dark circles under those peepers! 

I like Revlon primers so i knew this one wasn't going to disappoint. Only one shade available in this product and can be used anywhere on the face despite it being called an eye primer. Its extremely lightweight and claims to smooth and perfect the appearance of fine lines, pores and smooth out skins texture and tone. Lets see...

The pictures below show just a thin layer of product, I wanted to see how much coverage you get without having to 'build up' However I have also tried mixing a little of the BB cream in with my normal foundation for a slightly heavier coverage and it worked really well!

The Results:

As you look at the photo, the left side of my face is completely bare, all I have on here is a splash of moisturiser post shower. The right side of my face has a smothering of 'Photo Ready' BB Cream (applied with a small sponge) and a light application of 'Photo Ready' eye primer underneath my eye.

It's surprising how much make up can lift and highlight certian parts of your face! Below I've fully made up the right hand side of my face using no foundation or concealer at all, just Revlons BB cream and Eye Primer. In short - I am VERY impressed with the results! Nice and light for a daytime look with great coverage.

Look below for a full list of all the products I used for this look:

Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream - £9.99 and on 3 for 2 in boots here!

Revlon Photo Ready Eye Primer - £9.99 and on 3 for 2 in boots here!

Benefit Hoola bronzer (THE best in my eyes) - £23.50 here!

Benefit Gimme Brow in light/medium - £17.50 here!

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara - £10.99 and on 3 for 2 in boots here!

The Balm Instain in Swiss Dot - £21.50 available via BirchBox here!

MeMeMe Lip stain in Cherubs Blush - £5.50 available here!

Eyeko Skinny liquid eyeliner - £12.00 available here!

Vasaline Lip therapy with Cocoa Butter - £2.18 available here!

*Boots 3 for 2 on cosmetics offer is currently available and for a limited time only

Laura_Loves x

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The Parfumerie Collection

20 minutes - 20 MINUTES!!! - I stood at the Revlon stand in Boots sniffing nail varnishes and eyeing up colours - Another minute and I think I'd have been thrown out for looking weird! However I finally got around to grabbing the new Revlon Parfumerie collection nail varnish! Woo Hoo!

There are so many shades to choose between from Ginger Melon to Italian Leather / Lime Basil to Espresso and all the colours are just Devine.

My advice is don't judge each scent on sniffing straight from the bottle, a lot of them have an over powering 'varnish' whiff. Apricot Nectar was by far my favourite and will be my next purchase for sure!  

This time around though I was in need of a nice fresh red for the collection so chose 'China Flower' amongst some other Revlon goodies - well there was an offer on after all!...

I'm a massive fan of Revlon make up but have only ever owned one nail varnish of theirs so was a little unsure of what the quality would be like. 

It glided on really well and wasn't too thick at all. It still had a strong varnish smell during application though but had a really nice shine to it.

Two coats later I discovered what a 'China Flower' smells like and it's delish! The scents don't show their full potential until the varnish is dry but it's well worth the wait! It's hard to tell at the stand what the final smell of some of them is going to be due to the strong varnish taint however I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

I'm looking forward to seeing how long the scent will last, currently 4 hours in and my fingers and toes are smelling sweeter than ever! :)

Find out more information on Revlons "The Parfumerie Collection" here!

Currently on offer 3 for 2 (£6.49 each) in Boots - buy directly here!

Laura_Loves x