"She's A One-Piece Wonder!" **

Hello everyone, 

Whenever I think of summer the image of a glamorous woman laying by a sparkling pool, Tiffany sunglasses on and sumptuous drink in hand, springs immediately to mind. I have always wanted to be that woman! Adore Me inspired me recently to take part in their latest project and create a post all about one piece bathing suits and how to wear them in every day styles. Adore Me has a huge online presence trying to promote women's bodies and appreciation of this, they provide a ginormous range of different styles of lingerie and inspiration on how to wear them confidently. I love how their site is easy to navigate and truly has something for everyone :-) 

I feel like in recent years one pieces became a bit of a "boring" form of swimwear, which is really wrong! I have always loved them, they are key in the whole "Less is more" philosophy and can be infinitely sexier and more alluring than bikinis. Thinking along those lines I have some of my top tips on how to integrate one pieces into your wardrobe and ways to feel confident and stylish whilst wearing them. 

1. Accessorise 

The body is from Topshop and the hat is from a vintage store

The key to styling up any outfit is picking the right accessories! I have always been more of a minimalist when it comes to this aspect of my outfit. Now, when I'm on holiday chilling out poolside all I need is a ridiculously oversized hat and some sunnies. For this outfit, I have a grey one piece which isn't actually for swimming, sorry guys I had to throw in a body somewhere, I just love them so much! But they count as a one piece right? However, I do love the plain swimsuit style anyway, I actually have two black ones. One fringed across the neck with lace and another with many interlocking straps across the lower back. These look super pretty with a big red hat and my purple sunglasses. To match the redness of the hat I love to put brick red nail varnish on my toes just to spice them up a bit. Of course a good book to read is one of my go to accessories, but you guys could have guessed that already :-) 

2. Mix it up 

 Jeans are from Abercrombie and Fitch, hat from Topshop, shirt from Whip and Bang and shoes from Miss Selfridge 

Having a signature scent for summer is so important, I love how fresh this Fierce Icon scent is from A&F! :-) Yes I know it's a man's scent, but I love it

Who ever said a one piece has to be a beach outfit? I love wearing this outfit for a night out in the summer or for going out to dinner. One pieces are slimming, so great for covering that food baby after a big meal! Wearing a one piece under jeans makes you look taller with longer legs, which is fab if you are a shortie like me. For this outfit, I like to pair my strappy black heels with blue skinny jeans and this Malibu one piece. The cutout on the sides give it a very sexy edge without showing off too much. If it is looking a little chilly out I throw on one of Whip and Bang's oversized block pattern shirts. These are wonderfully floaty and the sheer chiffon gives you a lovely shapely look. It's classy, but still very sexy. 

You can still wear this kind of outfit in the winter, I often wear my black one piece with the crossed straps with high waisted black skinny jeans, high heeled suede books and another Whip and Bang shirt. For looks like this I would recommend throwing your hair up in a messy bun and letting little tendrils curl out around your face. It instantly makes the look appear effortless, which is what we all want to achieve. 

3. Layering 

 Shoes are Converse, shorts are from Pull and Bear and the shirt is Abercrombie and Fitch 

Being the fair skinned creature that I am, I need to cover up. I love using a square neck one piece like this one to help me feel stylish and summery, but still cool in the summer months. Pairing a block colour like this with shorts and a sleeveless plaid shirt is such an under-rated style. I love how easy it is to just throw this on with a fringed shoulder bag and dinky converses. It really is the "ready to go in 5" outfit. I love to layer over one pieces as it keeps away the harshness of the sun, but gives you the option to take layers off if you get too hot. Another advantage is that you can whip of your shorts and shirt for an impromptu dip in the ocean! Layering makes you feel floaty and dainty in a way that tight clothes can never do. 

4. Be confident

Some people feel the need to hide from bikinis by wearing a one piece and I think this is so unnecessary. No matter what size you are, wear what you feel good in. Feeling good in a one piece is so easy, there are thousands of styles to suit any shape out there. Love your curves and edges, and enhance them with cuts to suit you individually. Learning what suits me has been a life lesson and I'm sure I will carry on learning as I get older and change. If you are confident and feel as gorgeous as I'm sure you are, then any outfit will look beautiful. 

5. Make a statement 

If you want to really rock the one piece then you have to pick something that makes a statement. It has to be the main feature of your outfit, not just a side accessory. I particularly love styles with a cut out for these. I always see women wearing these and looking fantastic. Bikinis make a statement by showing all you have, whereas, a one piece should hint at hidden delights and make you feel classic and Audrey Hepburn-like. A bold print or an original cut or style is all you need as a foundation to build a cracking outfit. Smarten it up with some tassled sandals, big sunglasses and a red lip, then you're ready to go! 

What are you one piece style tips and go to's? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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July Reading Wrap Up

Hello everyone,

Last month wasn't too busy on the reading front really, I didn't have much time to read a lot! I think I read more books at the beginning of the month than anything else. Some of the books I have already done a full review for, so I'll link those in as I go along :-) 

Sorry about the poor lighting and photo quality, a grey day makes photo taking tricky! 

City of Bones and City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare: 4 Stars 

These are the first two books in the Mortal Instruments series. I watched the movie, then I watched the TV show "Shadowhunters" and I was completely hooked. I could not get enough of these characters, so naturally I dived straight into the books. They follow Clary Fray as she very dramatically follows her destiny. She starts out like any other girl really, she's arty, close to her Mom and loves nothing more than listening to music with her best friend Simon. Sounds like any other teen romance right? Wrong! All of sudden she's in a club called Pandemonium trying to fight off a demon nobody else can see. She is plunged into a world of shadows, magic, demons and darkness. Her angel blood can't be suppressed and her need to learn more about it is impossible to resist. Her new friend Jace is equally difficult to resist, strong with sparking blue eyes and white blond hair, his strength is what draws her in, but something darker lies underneath. I loved these books and am currently waiting to read the next ones! Although if I'm honest I'm now reading them only for Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane...

Jingo by Terry Pratchett: 4.5 Stars 

Terry Pratchett is actually my favourite author, so I have read many of his books. This was one of the few that I hadn't yet got around to. It's part of the City Watch mini-series within the Discworld series and is so funny I was laughing loudly on the train. Laughing alone in a public place is quite embarrassing, but is worth it for a truly good book. I love all the characters in this book, they feel like old friends at this point. Carrot is frustratingly chivalrous, but lovable for his overwhelming sense of right and wrong. Sam Vimes is overworked and stressed, but such a true to his roots policeman. The job, his personal mania, comes before all else and this makes him such a relatable personality. I love the easy humour of Nobby Nobbs and Fred Colon, their double act never fails to make me laugh. Then there is Angua the werewolf and Cheery the very feminine dwarf. The puns are endless in this book! As usual they are fighting crimes and magic in the most unusual ways, crossing continents and even cross-dressing in their quest for justice. This is a must read for any fantasy fan! 

Alice by Christina Henry: 5 Stars 

I think this is my favourite read of July. This dark re-telling of Alice in Wonderland sees Alice locked away in a mental institution, with only a mad axe-murderer named Hatcher for company. She has just about accepted her life as a prisoner when a mysterious fire allows herself and Hatcher to escape. Thus beginning their bloody journey across the Old City, searching for a way to imprison the dangerous dark magician known as the Jabberwocky. Their journey will take them deep into the heart of the Old City, where an old "friend" of Alice eagerly awaits her. The Rabbit...

This book made me shiver with fear and dark delight, it was such a wonderfully novel take on a timeless story. If you are into thrillers or dark fantasy then this must be read! I'll be putting up a full review of this one and the sequel Red Queen next week so keep your eyes peeled :-) 

South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami: 3.5 Stars 

I won't batter on about this one too much as I already did a full review which you can check out here. This story is a journey through Hajime's life as he pines for his first love. When he finds her again more than 20 years later he needs to decide what he wants out of life. His wife is loving, pretty and kind. His first love is mysterious, beautiful and has a darkness about her which sucks at his soul. I love books like this with a moral dilemma, it's the age old tale of following your heart and learning about what you want versus what you really need. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling: 5 Stars 

This is another one that I have already reviewed. I feel like there was such a huge hype around this book that it made me worry that I would overestimate it. Thankfully, I was wrong to be worried. This story was just as fantastic as any other J.K. book. The fact that it was a script made it different, but in a really good way. It flowed beautifully and spun the wizarding world into being in exactly the way I had hoped. Anybody who hasn't read this yet needs to get on and read it! Click the little link to have a read of my first impressions and a little spoiler free review :-) 

What have you guys read this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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July Favourites

Hello everyone! 

I hope you guys are all enjoying the sun as much as me! I don't think I can count the sun as a July favourite, but if I could then I definitely would. This post was hard to write as I have had so many good things this month, but I had to narrow it down so you wouldn't end up being here all day. 

To kick things off I have been loving Alice in Wonderland retellings this month. I don't know what it is about that story that never fails to fascinate the world. Of course I love the original tales and they are unparalleled in the children's classics genre. However, I also love a good, dark retelling, the kind which the author could never have imagined. In July I read Alice by Christina Henry and loved it so much that I pretty much started Red Queen immediately afterwards. I will soon be putting up a full review of the series (when I finish it) so check that out :-) 

I have also been really enjoying the colour pink... not to wear as I am not a pinky girl, but I have been loving pinks in my makeup routine. All the rose gold eyeshadows, dusky pink lips and peachy blushers have been making an appearance! They are super pretty and feminine for summer. They also provide quite a fresh, barely there makeup look so you can feel a lot more natural without having totally naked skin. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I love a no makeup day as much as any girl! 

My final favourite is a scent, everyone needs a good summer scent. I have been reaching for this Ted Baker body spray a lot recently. It came as part of a set with bath foam and body lotion. The scent is lovely and fresh with hints of rose and raspberry, with an overtone of sandalwood to balance it. The floral notes mixed with the more woody scent is perfect to throw on in the summer. I just love it! I feel pretty when I wear it and almost like I could be in a surfing advert, that's how fresh it is :-) 

What have you guys been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Harry Potter Midnight Release

Hello everyone! 

This is a very exciting post to write and I have been looking forward to it for quite some time now. As many of you will know, today is Harry Potter's birthday! In honour of this, the eighth book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was released at midnight last night :-) To say I was excited was an understatement, I mean we've only been waiting nine years for it! 

My local bookstore was persuaded to host a midnight release party for the people who had pre-ordered the books. Being a proud Potterhead I pre-ordered mine some time ago and nothing could make me miss this event. The shop was absolutely packed with people, the majority of whom were in costume. We were all greeted at the door and given tokens to exchange for the book after the midnight count down. 

Playing with this was so much fun! 

 Of course as a proud Slytherin, like J.K. Rowling herself, I needed to represent my house colours! 

For an hour there was merrymaking with cake, butterbeer and nibbles while fellow potter fans could chat and browse the book store. The decorations were funny and aimed at all ages, there was even a colouring station to fill in your house logo. I loved how wide the age range was, there were children as young as 5 and grownups of all ages. People were jolly and the atmosphere was so very warm and inviting. 

I swear the stack of pre-ordered books was nearly as tall as me! 

As the countdown started the children (and adults) with wands were invited to join together to utter the spell "wingardium leviosa" when 1 was reached and the cloth over the books was whisked away for the big reveal. Naturally I was pleased to see it is a hefty tome and could not wait to sink my teeth into it. Although I deemed it best to wait until this morning so I would be rested and ready. 

Reading it this morning took me back to my childhood when the most anticipated moment of the year was reading the first page of the new Harry Potter book with my best friend. We always waited for each other and read them together! Being a play script it is a bit different and some fans could be daunted by the stage directions and lack of narrative. However, I found that all of that melted away as I became immersed in the story. It drew me in and flowed like any other Rowling book. Now, I won't spoil it for you, but can I say it is simply a masterpiece. J.K. has never and never will disappoint her adoring fans and this book will soon be as well loved as all the others. I've put in a cheeky synopsis of my own devising below for anybody who is curious! 

The golden inside is even more intriguing than the outside! 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set 19 years later when Harry has become a tired ministry official struggling with the demons from his past. Under his very nose his youngest son is also struggling. Sorted into Slytherin, he is becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of Hogwarts, his only friend Scorpius Malfoy. To rebel against the curse of his famous father he attempts to right an old wrong and resurrect a young victim using a forbidden time turner. This endangers the entire wizarding community and risks bringing back the old darkness...

I ploughed through this book and can't wait to pick it up again and again, it has definitely been one of the major highlights of this summer and yes I did cry! All that is left for me to say is Happy Birthday Harry and happy reading to all you Potterheads!

Let me know your thoughts on this marvellous book in the comments below :-)

xoxo

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New Forest Show 2016

Hello everyone! 

I hope you are all looking forward to another sunny summer weekend. Although my holiday technically finished on Wednesday, we still had the New Forest Show on Thursday to be excited about. Every year people flock from all over to come to the New Forest Show. It's a 3 day livestock and agricultural show in the last week of July :-) It's always loads of fun, with hundreds of stands selling local produce, clothes, food and of course the livestock exhibitions. This was my third year going and we always have a great time there. 

These are some of the bits we got to nibble! Read on for more details...

A lot of people think it's all about the animals and farming, but it's actually just a really fun day out. Of course, with Mr.Gingersnap being an agricultural contractor we go for business as well as pleasure...but let's be honest I'm there for the food. I love the ambience there and seeing all our friends from Young Farmers Club.

 We spend a lot of time looking at machinery, Mr.Gingersnap loves it :-) 

This year we decided to go on the last day so we could make the most of the good deals and final day celebrations. We bought so much food! Sadly I was a bad blogger and didn't wait to take photos before we ate our treats. We had some delicious bourbon and chocolate orange cupcakes followed by some gorgeous macarons! They were from La Patisserie Macaron by Steven Lopez, we had some quite interesting flavours too: lemon and poppyseed, mint chocolate, raspberry and white chocolate and strawberries and cream. They were super yummy! What I can show you are the cheeses we bought from Black's. They did us a deal of three wheels for £10, which is great for how good they are. Last year we had some truly great flavours from them so we had to try their new ones. Little Winker, ale and mustard and Irish whisky and stem ginger tempted us the most along with a traditional mature cheddar. 

When we weren't buying food, we were sampling it. We had fudge, cheese, jam, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and various meats. We ended up coming home with some port and cherry jam, roasted tomato and cumin salsa, two more cheeses and some fudge. Yep, we are super greedy, but we need things for work packed lunches! Well, that's my justification anyway. 

 Sadly, it started raining so we headed into the tents! 

Other than the food, there are a great many crafts and art stalls, with amazing work. Mr.Gingersnap ended up getting a stool for our nephew with a really cute monkey hand-carved onto it and one with a zebra as a cheeky treat for me. Zebras are my favourite animal, so now I can keep my reading list books close at hand on a fabulous stool. The stools are from Made By Lo, who creates beautiful tailor made gifts. 

 The show also has a number of horse events for all you equine fans out there :-) 

When it comes to the animals, I promise you it is very safe and welfare friendly. There are vets on hand constantly in case they are necessary and to ensure all welfare requirements are met. It's a great way to discover new breeds and learn more about these very important creatures. Mr.Gingersnap's dad actually shows their sheep and stewards on the last day, which is why we have exhibitor tickets! 

All in all, whether you are into farming and agriculture or not it is a great summer day out with friends or family. I'd recommend anybody checking out local shows, they really are loads of fun! 

Have any of you been to shows or fairs? Let me know what you thought in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Surprisingly Summery Scents

Hello everyone! 

Sadly my holiday is almost over! I don't want to leave and get back to the real world, but we all have to at some point. While I have been away I ran out of my current Sephora body scrub, it's so invigorating with its green tea essence. It's a hard act to follow, but as it was a weekend I couldn't just nip out and buy another. Instead I had a little rummage in my Mam's beauty stock, she keeps a few of her favourites stashed at the house for when she gets time off work and can come for a bit of rest and relaxation :-) 

Anyway, in her stash is her favourite festive exclusive from the Body Shop. The Frosted Cranberry collection is only available around Christmas so every year I get her some as a little treat and she manages to make them last for months! Now I can hear you all groaning at the mention of cranberries so out of season, but I swear it is such a summery scent. 

The scrub in this collection is divine, the scent is musky and warm and the sugar beads melt into your skin really well as you scrub. It left my skin feeling soft and lightly scented. As far as those pesky little red bumps on my arms go, it wasn't amazing and I still prefer my Soap and Glory scrub. However, for skin invigoration and freshness it is wonderful. It would make a nice all over scrub, not being too harsh for sensitive skin. 

The moisturiser is actually my favourite in this, it has a slight shimmer to it which is perfect for enhancing that tan for an evening out! I would suggest using this sparingly as it can make you a bit glittery... I mean, there's nothing wrong with glitter, but it would have looked a bit odd in the nice restaurant I went to! 

Finally, the Body Polish :-) This product is slightly misleading as you could think it is another scrub, but it is actually a simple body wash for in the shower. Although it makes a lovely bubble bath too! The scent is slightly lighter in this, so you don't feel too overwhelmed by it. 

Overall, I think cranberry works really well for the summer. It's fruity and fresh toned, without being too floral. I enjoyed the lingering scent on my skin much more than I was expecting to given the season. I know these products are currently unavailable, but I wouldn't rule out other cranberry scented products this summer :-) 

What do you guys think of this scent for summer? Have you been surprised by any other products? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Mad for Murakami

Hello everyone! 

I am back again with another Haruki Murakami review! I know I only recently wrote a post about Norwegian Wood, but I enjoyed that so much that I decided to read another of his books. Today I'll be talking about South of the Border and West of the Sun. 

This book is another stunning read, I actually enjoyed it a lot more than Norwegian Wood as it wasn't tinged with the same sadness. It follows the narrator Hajime as he journeys from twelve years old to his late thirties. Hajime is definitely a character who lacks direction, always searching for that special indefinable quality in life. As a twelve year old he found this in his close friend Shimamoto, but after he moved away they lost touch and life got in the way. In his early thirties he bumps into his future wife, settles down with her, has two daughters and grows two successful businesses. However, he still can't shake that longing for the girl he used to love. 

One plain, rainy day she walks back into his life sending him into a spiral of desire, confusion, guilt and elation. His feelings for her remain, but is she worth walking away from the life he built? The concept of this was really interesting, I think a lot of people are questing for something unknown, that "missing" factor that would make their life perfect and their souls complete. This book addresses this is a very clever way, taking us through each emotion as Hajime feels it. 

At first I thought he should walk away and be with the love of his life, but as I read further I changed my mind. I don't believe she was right for him, she might have been at one stage, but not now. She is mysterious, beautiful, funny and clever, but also dark and full of pain. She is a woman who needs saving, but might not want to be saved. I'm not going to spoil this by telling you what he chose or how the book ended, but I will say that I was uplifted by the ending and filled with hope. Hajime comes through his spiral, becoming a better man and knowing more about himself than he could ever have hoped. 

Murakami's narrative is utterly spellbinding, whenever I read his books I feel as though I am really there. I can see it, smell it, hear it and above all feel it. His descriptive prose and deeply relatable characters leave an imprint on your mind long after you put the book down. I would say that anyone starting university or facing a tumultuous time of life should read this book. 

Have you read this? Let me know what you thought in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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