If you follow my Instagram you have probably seen me mentioning various shopping trips to get 'the' prom dress.  Exams are done, school uniform is now behind us forever and no more school until sixth form starts in September.  And the new trend is to have a School Prom (very American I know but hey it is fun to dress up)!

Prom is all about pretty dresses and being sweet sixteen and we had a lot of fun choosing the perfect dress.  Now normally I would advise hiring a dress (£80 to £120 ish) but sadly that wasn't possible for my daughter as she is so petite and the hire shops would not do the alterations.  I wouldn't recommend buying online, there are a lot of cheap dresses and you really don't know what you are getting, although I am sure for many it has been successful, I wouldn't risk it (in part due to how small my daughter is).

So for us it was all about going out together and choosing the perfect dress.  These shopping trips were almost as much fun as the actual prom.  We love to spend time together and I shall remember choosing the dress, planning the make-up, finding the perfect accessories etc as much as I will remember how beautiful she looked on the night.

We had a pre-prom get-together where Emily and her three friends did their make-up, giggled and planned and generally had fun.  My son kindly took some professional photos and he did a great job.

The dress was from a small boutique in Oxford called The Ballroom Emporium and they were extremely helpful and had a fabulous choice of pretty dresses.  Her shoes and handbag were from New Look.  And her lovely hairdresser Becki at House of Klamer in Beaconsfield did her hair.  She had Shellac Gel Nails on her hands and feet done by Tip Top Nails in Lane End.

And we hired a white vintage London taxi for their 'prom transport'.

I couldn't have been more proud.  Now to see what results day brings!

Love
Michelle xx
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I've been really busy this last week or so and I have lots to share on my blog but for now I am going to tell you about my new statement trousers from Hobbs!

I wore them for the first time on Friday evening as it was my daughter's prom and I wanted to look presentable to greet her at the venue and see everyone arriving.  I was then driving up to the Cotswolds for my annual girls weekend - which I will tell you more about on another post.  I will also share photos of my daughter in her beautiful prom dress, I am so very very proud of her.  My son took all the photos for me so I have to be patient as I'd much rather share the professional photos rather than my quick iPhone snaps.

I bought this outfit when I went to Westfield a few weeks ago.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular but spotted the blouse and love this shape so I was about to try it on when I saw the sales assistant wearing the blouse with these lovely statement trousers, well I had to try the whole outfit on and of course I loved it!

The trousers have a side fastening so sit very flat on your tummy., I am a size 8 and as they are very stretchy they fit perfectly, I would suggest going down a size if you are in-between sizes.

I am wearing the outfit with a pair of wedge sandals from Next, I also have a pair of red sandals from M&S but these were more comfortable for my busy evening but I think a statement show will really show this outfit off.

Hobbs Penny Top in Navy £89
​Hobbs Mallory Capri Trouser £85
Next Navy Espadrille Wedge £38

Hobbs have started their sale but this outfit is not in it!  

Love
Michelle xx
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Tropic first came to my attention when their founder Susan Ma was on The Apprentice then I saw her at the Ideal Home Show.  But I have always been a bit wary of direct selling and tended to avoid it if I can.  But I did a post a while back about my skincare routine mostly using Liz Earle products and a friend commented to say how much she loved Tropic and it was the best thing to happen to her very sensitive skin.  It was back on my radar but it wasn't until a friend started posting on Facebook that she was now selling the products that I paid any real attention.  Eventually I decided to give the 'Pamper Hamper' a go.

Lindsey dropped off a fabulous selection of products and myself and my daughter had two nights to give them all a try.  We were very impressed.  They smell divine and they are all natural and feel really good on the skin.

I still had some Liz Earle to use up but decided to place an order and give a few products a proper try out.

Despite my avoidance of direct selling, I found that Lindsey wasn't pushy at all, just really helpful  To be honest the products sell themselves and there is no need for any pressure. She was very happy to answer any questions and willing to offer bits of advice as needed.

First of all make-up.  I chose the Soft Focus Perfecting Powder at £18, the Mineral Eyeshadow Palette at £18 and the Correcting Cream Concealer at £22.  I also tried the Silk Gel Lip Liner £14 and my daughter ordered the Colour Click Lipstick at £14.

I have tried mineral make-up before but have never stuck with it.  But this time I am converted.  I really love all the products, I can see them lasting for ages as the sizes are very generous thus making them very good value.  I don't think I can pick a favourite, they are all excellent!

I purchased the ABC Skincare as a Travel Essentials Collection £28 so travel sized editions of the skincare range.  I loved the bag and thought the set would be an ideal way to try it out and take it on holiday.  When it arrived my daughter loved it too and wanted her own one, so I placed another order!  I have yet to try it of course so I will report back after my holiday.  The Tamanu Balm is an all-in-one skin saviour to help with scarred and damaged skin and I added this to my holiday kit as I am hoping it will be good for those pesky insect bites.

Then Lindsey kindly added some free bits for us to try.  I have the Body Wash £10 and love this.  I also have the Cleansing Body Pebble £5 which I really am very impressed with, it has oats added for exfoliation and I have been using it in the shower, it is very soothing and smells lovely.

To be honest there are so many lovely products in the catalogue that I could go on and on placing orders!  And I probably will - slowly though.  I have my eye on the Sun Care range for my holiday and if I am successful with the basic skincare items then I will try out their Skin Perfecting Treatments.

"... a perfect example of what a beauty brand should be today - ethical, effective, exciting, feel-good and good for you."  Fiona Klondarides Beauty Shortlist Awards.

Tropic only uses fresh, premium and natural ingrdients and everything is freshly made in their beauty kitchen.  It is particularly good for sensitive skin.

I'm very impressed!

Lindsey can be contacted via her Facebook page and on there you can find lots of advice about the products and details of all the awards they have won.  Or if you would like to shop online and explore more about the products then take a look here.

Love
Michelle xx
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My blog is entirely personal - I am not sponsored by any brands at all, so everything I buy I have paid for myself because I love them.  My aim is not to get you to spend loads of money but to share with you what I am doing, maybe something will inspire you!  And if it does and you love a product I have featured, do post a comment and let me know xx
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Last week I published a post about my new dresses from Hush, which ones I loved and which ones I sent back.  Well I wore two of them at the weekend so this post is just a quick one to show you how they look and how pleased I am with them ...plus I have put links below.

Cerys Shirred Dress £120 from Hush
​Vita Clutch now £68 from Boden
Roxas wedge sandal now £59.95 from Moda in Pelle

Laurel off the shoulder dress £85 from Hush
Sandals and bag as above

I really enjoyed wearing both dresses and can thoroughly recommend them.  The shirred dress needs a strapless bra due to the cutaway shoulders but the Laurel dress has a bra shelf built into it which as long as you are not too big (I most definitely am not) then this works really well with no bra.  The sandals are so comfy and I was pleased to find a bag from Boden that worked so well with them. 

Oh and just a little mention for 'petticoats' who remembers them?!  As a child I was always made to wear a petticoat under my skirts and dresses and even my school uniform.  It was just the thing you did!  Nowadays they are hardly ever heard of (and are called slips when I did a little search online) .  I still have a selection of different lengths and colours in my undie drawer though and for both these dresses I felt they needed that little extra layer much to the amusement of my daughter who has never worn one!  I wouldn't say it was essential and if I wear these dresses on holiday I may not bother but the whole petticoat memory amused me!

Love
Michelle xx
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