Look Ma no hands!!!!

Ok this is something that I have been raving about, basically to anyone that will listen!! And that is the new Ultimate Strapless Wonderbra.


It was released by wonderbra in June this year which just happened to coincide with a little black tie event I was going to. So I set out on a mission to find the perfect strapless bra to keep my rather large (34E) boobs in place during this dignified event. Usually I wouldn't go near Wonderbra's as I have never felt as if I required their assitance in that department, but I was in John Lewis, as I said on a mission, and I thought why not, lets give it a go.

So how is this bra different from normal bras well firstly most strapless bras I have owned in no way have supported my boobs, in fact I would go as far to say that they flattened them and pushed them to the sides. If I truely wanted that affect I would just lie down! But this bra is different, it lifts them and holds them together resulting in eye catching cleavage and a slimer looking figure. I think it is because of their new technology using polycarbonate hand shaped inserts rather than underwires to lift and hold you in place, see......


When trying on bra's I always tend to dance around the changing room seeing if I can shake them free, too many times in the past I have bought underwear on a whim only to discover that I fall out of it the minute I start moving. This time was no exception I bounced around like a loon trying to shake them out whilst giggling like a loon, much to the amusement of the changing room assistant!

So it has been nearly a month since that purchase and I feel that I can now fully review this bra for you, it is amazing!!! If you have shyed away from strapless dresses just because you thought your boobs where too big then this is the solution for you!

As with all things there are a couple of tiny gripes firstly I have the nude coloured version of the above black bra and the material is a polyester which is quite slippery and I have found that some of my cotton type strapless dresses will just slide off, but this is nothing that can't be fixed with a couple of safety pins attaching the dress to the bra and maybe the lace versions are not so slippy! The other really very minor gripe is that it is extremely tight around the chest and makes me sit and stand very straight, this isn't really a bad thing as I know it is what is holding it up but you should just be aware that after 8 hours in this bra it can start to ache a little.

But without a doubt this is the single greatest underwear purchase I have ever made and I certainly recommend it to all large breasted women. I picked mine up for £30 at John Lewis, but it is also available at House of Fraser, Debenhams or online at Figleaves or here: http://www.ultimatestrapless.co.uk/

Kate
xo

Such pretty stuff...

I keep starting blogs and then saving them as drafts and not finsihing them, on different things such as food, fashion and wish lists but this one I am going to make myself finish!!! I have just returned from an afternoon out at Grillstock, which is the UKs first BBQ festival so I am a little stuffed with meat please excuse any random mumblings in this.

I thought while I was processing these pictures for my younger sister that I would actually write a little blog on it. A few years ago my sister set up a studio in our parents garage and started making glass beads, teaching herself using books and the internet. Now she has got past the stage of making gifts just for friends and family and is thoroughly on her way into turning the hobby into a money spinner. She has stockpiled some lovely little pieces and has sorted out packaging and a company name, Serendipity Beads and at the moment is sorting out her website.

As her sister I got a sneak peak of the jewellry when I went to visit her and took my nice camera along to help take some pictures for her new website. At the moment I am just processing some of the pictures so I thought I would put a couple up on my blog as a little introduction to others.


This bracelet (above) and earings (below) come as a set, duck egg blue and choclate brown hand made glass beads so each one is ever so slightly different, which goes perfectly with the coloured packaging/ branding my sister has picked


I have my own pair of these earings (below), they come in various colours and are made from heart shaped Swarovski crystals.


This bracelet below is one of my favourite pieces, I love the sunshine colours and the eclectic feel each different handmade bead has when put together. I have one similar but mine is simply elasticate where as this one is on a sterling silver chain.


As and when my sister sorts out her website I shall update my blog with more details. I might even have to get her to write some how toos on making beads!

Fighting the frizz!!!!

Today for the first time in ages I got caught out in the rain and my hair got a little bit damp and it reminded me how much I love my L'Oreal tec Hot Style, Iron Finish. I have been using it for longer than I can really remember, maybe over 5 years now. It has become part of my staple christmas present from my mum every single year to the point that I now have 3 half used bottles in various places around my flat. Anyway the bottle looks like this:The guidelines on the back of the bottle say:

"Spread a dab of product through washed and dried hair. Smooth section by section with straightening irons."

Now i have rather thick, long, fine hair that has a tendancy to go wavy or frizzy when humid or wet. So everytime I am styling my hair with straighteners (GHDs) I reach for this stuff, but it only takes a pea sized amount to run through my hair. This leaves it straight and shiny all day long! I loves it so much!

Infact it is such a beloved product that all my family use it (except my dad, he has nothing to straighten :-) ) But both my sisters have thicker, wavier hair than me and this keeps it under control, my mum even has relatively short, curly hair and this product helps straighten her out as well.

I don't know if you can get this product in boots or superdrug, as I say I usually get a bottle at christmas. But it is £12.60 for a 150ml bottle and you can buy it online at HQhair.com.

Kate
xoxo

The 2 minute Shower Master Plan!!!!

Ok this is a little bit random, even for me! But I was trawlling through other beauty and fashion blogs over the weekend and came across a blog on the 2 minute shower trial, I am sorry if this was your blog but I can't for the life of me remember where it was! The Basic just of the 2 minute shower is that the worlds resources are not infinite and at some point we are going to start running out of things, like oil, coal and water. There is very little that the beauty industry can do about the oil and coal, I guess maybe reduce the carbon footprint out of each product!?! But they can come up with new and innovating ways for us to reduce our water consumption... such as reducing showering times and encouraging us to take showers rather than baths.

There was a particular brand that was advocating the 2 minute shower... maybe lush or Soap & Glory???? (I should really check my facts but my intentions are good, honest!!!) So the idea is that you rinse for 40 seconds then turn the shower off, shave legs, wash body and finally wash hair. Then you turn the shower back on and rinse for 1 minute, if you use conditioner then you turn the shower off apply conditioner and then turn the shower back on and rinse for a further 20 seconds.

SO.... yesterday I gave this ago and completely suceeded, but then yesterday I didn't wash my hair! Today I gave it another go and it was a FAIL, in the sense that it didn't take me 2 minutes because i have long hair and it takes a while to rinse. However I did reduce my 20 minute shower in the morning to just under 10 minutes, which in my opinion is a RESULT. Not only was I reducing the amount of water I use and helping the planet but I had an extra 10 minutes to do my hair and makeup, meaning for once I got into work on time!!!

So I now challenge everyone to give the 2 minute shower a go! Even if you are not sucessful at hitting the 2 minute mark, I am willing to bet you will shave some time off your usual shower time!!!

Good Luck!

xo