Thursday 27 October 2011

Coffee and Cake

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  Top: Primark, Jumper: Primark, Trousers: Next, Shoes: Primark, Jacket: Next, Scarf: Forever 21, 
Necklace: Claire's Accessories, Ring: VIPXO
 
Wore this outfit to go for coffee and cake (or a mango smoothie and a sandwich in my case) on Saturday with my best friend from school, which was lovely. I didn't have a clue how hot/cold it was so I went for layers! I think it is now altogether to rainy and icky to wear these loafers - how else do I style these trousers?! What shoes go with chinos in winter? So confusing. 
 
I'm off to London tomorrow to see my mum, dad and my nana, along with a lot of dogs, and will be revising loads for my theory test on the train. Annoyingly my train is about 3 and a half hours home to Leeds so I might be crying by the end of it. Wish I could travel first class because my back always kills after long train journeys. Anyway, must finish packing, but I promise I will be back to blogging properly soon, long days at work and endless revision just isn't a good combination when you're like me and fall asleep at about 10pm on the sofa every night.

Friday 21 October 2011

Kittens & Prints

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Top: HMV, Jeans: New Look, Cardigan: River Island, Shoes: Converse

I wore a very similar outfit to this today, and felt a bit stupid, mainly because I wore fake Uggs because my feet were cold and it looked pretty ridiculous. Anyway. This outfit is from last Saturday when me and Ryan went to the supermarket. I also wore the t-shirt and jeans for my driving lesson in the morning.

This week I have mainly be worrying about my driving theory test and being busy at work. On Tuesday we hosted a bloggers event at La Tasca in Leeds and it was lovely to meet some lifestyle and food bloggers, I definitely want to try and include more food and lifestyle posts on Coyne-Operated Girl, as I think winter will definitely mean less outfit posts, the time has come when I'm not at home when it's light out anymore. I hate this time of year more than anything, I hate going to work and coming home in the dark and even though I don't suffer from SAD, I think all the darkness gets me down a bit. Anyway, my evenings will be infinitely better this winter due to our little kitten friends, I think as soon as I get in the door every night they are all over me! It's awesome.

How do you get through these long winter months? I feel like I should do more with my lunch hour - any nice places to go in Leeds for walk/sit down/general relax on a lunchtime?

Wednesday 19 October 2011

My first graze box

I've seen a few posts on the graze box craze recently, and it's a brand which I've been wanting to try for a while now. So, I decided to take the plunge and order my first box for free using a code from Lizzy Lips (thanks!). I ordered the box on Monday and it was delivered today, which I think is really great, and I've been given the option of having the box delivered any day of the week. Each box costs £3.49 (including delivery) so it's a little bit pricey, but I think I can afford to get one box a week as a bit of a treat!

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I chose the nibble box as I really want to try different things and get a good variety, but there are a variety of nutrition boxes you can choose too, which I would definitely consider if I could afford more boxes and wanted to use it as part of a "diet".

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My box arrived with the post at work this morning and I was really excited to open it! You get four snacks in each box, with a leaflet to tell you which snacks you have and nutritional information about each one. I really enjoyed that this leaflet was personalised, it was a nice touch!

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First up, was the Apple and Cinnamon Flapjack which replaced my normal morning snack of go ahead fruit slices. I wasn't sure if I'd like it as I'm not a big fan of cinnamon but the flavours were nice and subtle and not overpowering which was really nice as at 11am.

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Next I tried the Rustic Marble Bread which was baked with tomato, herb and provolone cheese. This was really nice and the label even recommended that it should be eaten quickly as the bread is baked fresh. This was really nice and tasty, but did feel slightly strange as a snack (not sure why) and the flavours could have done with being a bit stronger, especially the cheese. I ate this at lunchtime, but it didn't replace anything, so I think in the future I would eat this instead of one part of my lunch.
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Mid-afternoon I tucked into Yin & Yang, which was definitely my favourite of the day, the punnet contained cherries, dark chocolate buttons, jumbo raisins and almonds and it was delicious. I'm a big fan of fruit and nut, and this had the sour and sweet in perfect balance. I ate this instead of my afternoon box of raisins, so guessing it was more calorific than that, but I enjoyed it a lot more.

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Finally, I had The Firecracker, which is a mix of Korean chilli rice crackers, spicy peanuts and salsa corn stick. This was a bit on the hot side for me, and I shared it with my colleagues because I just couldn't manage the whole thing! It was really tasty but the tingle afterwards was a bit too much to bare.

Apparently, I'll get my fifth box free, so I'll get five boxes for the price of three, which I think is pretty good and after five I'll decide if I want to carry on!

If you'd like to try your first graze box for free please use my code: 9NW327J

Sunday 16 October 2011

Style on a Sunday: I Feel Pretty

So, do you remember last week when I went on and on about this dress from LOVE? Well, I found a similar dress from Rare and it arrived this week and I wore it last night and it's amazing.
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Dress: Rare, Skirt (worn underneath): H&M, Belt: Mark & Spencer, Shoes: New Look, 
Necklace: Claire's Accessories, Bag: Matalan, Ring: VIPXO

I wore this for the wedding reception of one of Ryan's relatives and I just felt so pretty in this outfit, you know when something just makes you feel good? The only problem with the dress is that it's super short so I had to wear a stretchy black skirt underneath, but I really don't think you can tell, and this one was only about £3 (you can get it for £1.99 online). Apart from that the dress is exactly what I wanted, and I found this belt in the M&S Outlet and the necklace in Claire's (I know, but it's nice right?), then teamed it with one of my favourite bags, which you can't fit anything in. Perfect.

What do you think of the 'mullet hem' trend? Would you have styled this dress differently?

Wednesday 5 October 2011

Beauty: Club Cleo Probiotic Skin Sheer & Radiance Polish

I work for the PR agency that handles Club Cleo's PR activity, however, I bought this product with my own money and was not asked to buy the product or write a review. 

I've been looking for an exfoliator for a while, one which isn't too harsh but would help the flaky skin I suffer from on my forehead and nose. I was after something natural, as my skin tends to dislike perfume and chemicals, and that wouldn't aggravate my eczema.
When I first started working at my agency I was introduced to the healthy and beauty brand Club Cleo and was quickly intrigued by its Probiotic range of skincare essentials. Although the whole range looked interesting, I particularly liked the look of the exfoliator and decided to treat myself to some come payday.

I've been using the product for about a month now, twice a week (usually a Thursday and Sunday night), specifically focusing on my problem areas. The polish looks a bit like hair gel, it's a very smooth consistency and unlike many exfoliators it doesn't feel bitty or rough. As you rub it into damp skin it does start to feel bitty, and you can actually see bits of skin on your fingertips during the process - it's a bit horrible looking but guarantees that it's doing it's job!

I've found that my skin has felt smoother since I started using this polish, and it helps even out my flaky skin (although hasn't banished it completely). I would definitely recommend the product to anyone looking for a gentle exfoliator, which doesn't dry out the skin.

You can buy the Probiotic Skin Sheer & Radiance Polish on the Club Cleo website here for £19.99


Monday 3 October 2011

Lust-have #9: LOVE Dress

Oh my. This dress. It has stolen my heart. Made by LOVE, the asymmetrical maxi dress is, in my opinion, the perfect maxi dress. I have issues with the typical floor length stunner because of my height. I don't want to be flashing my ankles to the world, unless it's on purpose in this beauty. The cut means it can be a bit shorter than your typical maxi dress and still look good, while also adding a bit of flirtiness to an otherwise quite conservative piece of clothing.

I am now on the hunt for a similar dress as the LOVE dress only fits up to a size 12, but so far have had no such luck - can you help me on my mission? Please let me know if you've seen a similar dress on the high street!

As always, here are some lovely examples of how to style this beautiful piece:

Simple. Stunning.
The leather waistcoat and boots give the dress an edgy look, while the scarf used as a belt is in keeping with its floaty nature. Perfect.
...and the look that started it all, from one of my favourite bloggers, here the dress looks sophisticated, yet edgy.
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