Lounging in Lockdown with Femme Luxe

As you can imagine, I'm forever living in loungewear at the minute, how can I not? With not being able to go anywhere and no reason to get dressed up, I am living for lounging around in my comfies. Femme Luxe Finery got in touch with me and very kindly gifted me a few loungewear pieces which I picked out myself.

The first set I picked is this Cailleigh stone cropped loungewear set*. This set comes in five other colours and I'm not going to lie, I was torn between stone, khaki, and black. The colour of this set actually looks a lot lighter on the Femme Luxe site. In person it's more on the yellowy side but I really don't mind because it still looks amazing and I'd probably say this is my absolute favourite out of the three I've picked. The inside of the hoodie and joggers has a thick, soft lining which is super cosy and comfy. I love that the hoodie is cropped too, you can use the drawstring at the side to keep it loose or bring it in tighter. The cropped look just gives the set that something extra.

The next set that caught my eye was the Zuri black cropped cargo loungewear set*. I was drawn to it because it's different, I'd never seen a set like it before and I just really liked the style of it. The colour choice is slightly more limited with only three other colours to choose from. The style of the layered, cropped hoodie was what attracted me at first and with the zip and the collar, I personally think it's a cool and chic style. Like the first set, it has a drawstring to pull it tighter or keep it loose, you can also tuck the drawstring in or leave it out.

Lastly, is the Blake grey off the shoulder loungewear set*. This set has a really great colour range with six other colours to choose from. I was a little wary when I pulled this out of the packaging because I noticed the material was thinner and tighter than the other two sets. I was worried that my massive thunder thighs wouldn't squeeze into the joggers, honestly I was surprised when I pulled myself into them. Even though the material is thin, they're not see-through at all and as they're more on the fitted side than baggy, they have a really good stretch to them and I actually found them extremely comfy.

All three sets are just perfect and easy for lounging about the house, running errands on your days off, dressing them up or wearing them as a cute, comfy airport outfit. Currently, all of their loungewear collection is on sale, so definitely go and check it out.


*Products marked with (*) have been gifted. As always, my reviews and opinions are completely honest and my own. 

We've Postponed Our September Wedding.

Yes, you read that correct. We've postponed our wedding and here is the reason why...

Well, you can probably guess why we've postponed it. The awful C word? Exactly that.

I don't want to speak too negatively about what's going on in this crazy world right now, but this is life and unfortunately we've had to make a big decision and I feel like I should share what has been going on. It also helps me feel better getting things off my mind.

The past month has been one massive whirlwind, that's for sure. Liam and I have been through so many different emotions, we've received lots of different opinions and advice from friends and family too. There has also been lots of stress and many tears with it.

If you would've told me at the start of 2020 that in a few months time I'd be making a decision to cancel my wedding, I would've laughed, maybe even cried. Even though it feels like September is ages away, it is only 4 months away and things could go one way or another from now. I truly believe everything will have blown over by September but I also believe there will still be some restrictions in place. We had sat down multiple times and seriously thought about what was best for us to do. We were originally going to risk leaving our big day as it was and carry on as normal. But then we went into lockdown and our appointment to give notice of our marriage was cancelled and that's when it all felt a lot more real.

I hadn't even been for my first dress fitting or alteration, along with needing to get the bridesmaid dresses altered. Liam was still suit hunting and hadn't found any he liked for him and the groomsmen. Liam's stag do for the end of April was cancelled and mine at the end of May is still highly likely to also be cancelled. We agreed that everything was going to be one big rush by the time lockdown was going to be lifted.
We wanted to get married and celebrate our marriage as normal as possible. The main reason we made our decision is that Liam and I are very close to our families, so having them all around us and celebrating with us on our special day is so important to us both as well as their health. So we decided, if there's a possibility of large gatherings and/or vulnerable people not being allowed at weddings, we're not going ahead with ours.

When we first looked into moving our wedding with our venue, they were more than happy to help us, but they had limited dates for next year. After collecting around five possible new dates from our venue, we had to contact the suppliers that we already had booked for September to see what they could do. Most of them were very limited on dates and a few of them were already booked up for 2021, so this really made our final decision.
We were going to lose our photographer, cake maker and my hairstylist along with the deposits we had paid. We thought, if we leave it any longer, we're going to lose more suppliers and more money as well as finding it harder to get a new date and re-book new suppliers.

Even though we were extremely upset about the big decision we had made, all the excitement had suddenly come back knowing that we will definitely get our day, even if it is nine months later. So we looked at the positives; we can re-organise and plan our hen and stags again, everyone will be able to attend our wedding, we can definitely go away for our honeymoon and we can save up even more money to buy a house this year. Well, hopefully.

Of course we didn't have to postpone our wedding, but we truly made the decision that we thought was best for us. I haven't written this to scare any other brides/grooms of 2020 away. I wrote this to purely get everything off my mind and of course, to let all of you know because you've been following my wedding planning journey. Also, I think it will be interesting to look back on in years to come. Everyone has their own opinions and every couple is different and I think that needs to be respected.

The lead up to your wedding is meant to be a really exciting time and we just weren't feeling excited about it anymore. Since postponing, it's like a huge weight has been lifted off of our shoulders. I'm so glad to say that we are both really excited again and enjoying even more planning.
We're so lucky to have the most supportive friends and family too.
Here's to the 3rd of June 2021.

The Eye Cream Worth Every Penny

I have been a lover of the Extra Eye Repair Cream from Bobbi Brown for years and in all honesty, I think I will love it forever more. Every time I finish a pot of this cream, I repurchase it and repeat.

I used to be awful with skincare in the past. All the way through my teens, I used makeup wipes every day to rub off my makeup and never used any type of moisturiser, serums or creams. Looking back now, it honestly makes me cringe how I used to drag my skin with a wipe to get my makeup off, especially under my eyes as the skin is thinner and more sensitive.

A few years ago, after trying a sample of this eye cream, it changed my skin for the better and I massively improved in caring for my skin altogether. I still remember being stunned when I first used the sample pot because I literally noticed a difference within days. The fine lines in the inner corners of my eyes had reduced massively within only a week, and that's how my obsession with this eye cream started.

"This rich, concentrated cream visibly revives eyes - so you look extra well rested. A Bobbi Brown best-seller, this formula with peptides, natural plant oils, and humectants targets fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness and dryness."

The cream itself is quite thick, although it sits very lightly on the skin - which is great for during the day, especially if you'll be wearing it under makeup, you don't want anything too heavy. I actually find that my concealer applies a lot better and looks smoother with this eye cream underneath as well.

A little really goes a long way with this product, a pot of this seems to last me absolutely ages and I use it every morning and night without fail. Currently, it's retailing at £48.50 and I strongly believe you get your moneys worth without a doubt. You only need a tiny amount of product, warm it up between your two ring fingers and gently pat it in under the eyes. On top of that, it absorbs fairly quickly too, so there's no waiting around to put your makeup on in the mornings.
It has really helped brighten up my eyes and reduced the appearance of dark circles as well as make my under eyes look more hydrated and firmer overall. It definitely does what it says, that's for sure.


Have you ever tried the extra eye repair cream or a good alternative?

20 Things To Do Whilst Staying at Home

 I'm not much of a social person, I never have been. To be honest, I've always preferred spending Saturday evenings in my pyjamas scoffing a takeaway and watching crap TV than going 'out out'. However, I'm now at the point where I feel like all of my days are merged into one. I got into too much of a routine and now I'm bored. So as the UK lockdown is set for another three weeks, here are 20 things to do whilst staying at home...

1. Bake

2. Learn a new language - I love Duolingo for learning Spanish!

3. Play a videogame - The Sims 3, Club Penguin, Habbo Hotel, Mario Kart on the Wii are just some I've been playing. I've even dug out my old Nintendo DS!

4. Follow a workout online

5. Give your phone a clear out 

6. Spend time improving your cooking skills or learning a new recipe

7. Start a scrapbook

8. Clear out and re-organise drawers and cupboards around the house

9. Read a book

10. Watch YouTube

11. Videocall friends and family

12. Get involved and experience TikTok - it's honestly so much fun and great for passing time!

13. Find a new series to watch on Netflix

14. Have a pamper day - paint your nails, toes, slap on a face & hair mask and have a chill in the bath.

15. Sort through your Pinterest boards

16. Spend some time colouring or painting

17. Clean your makeup brushes

18. Find an old series to watch - I've found all of my old box sets of Waterloo Road and I am so happy about it! I may also watch Charmed from the beginning too.

19. Learn a new skill - I want to learn how to do the splits, a handstand and French plait my own hair.

20. Listen to a podcast