Outfit | Bardot & Suede

Hey guys! So I'm finally posting again after 8 days with no posts. What can I say, I've been very very very busy at the moment and life has just got completely on top of me. I'm actually so glad its the bank holiday weekend as it's such a good opportunity for me to get my sh*t together and get some posts typed up. I really love writing my blog and it frustrates me other things get in the way sometimes but I hope you still enjoy reading my posts when I finally get round to writing them. Don't forget to come follow my Instagram too (@kayleighjcouture) as I'm always posting over there!! If only blogging was as quick as putting a picture on Instagram *siiggghh*.

Anyway, back to the point of this post - I do have a bad habit of going off on a tangent. I wore this when I went to visit Em in Leeds recently and I love it. I've got a complete obsession with button front skirts and off the shoulder clothing at the moment so it was a must that I combined both of these things into an outfit. The top is from Fashion Pills and I love the off the shoulder bardot style and the pretty print. It's right up my street and I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it. I'm a big fan of the whole 'Boho' look in both Summer and Winter and this falls into that category nicely.

As for the skirt, it's from In The Style and I've been wearing it NONE STOP. The camel colour and simple style means it goes with virtually any top in my wardrobe and the A-line shape is really flattering too. I've been wearing it with bare legs at the moment but it's definitely something I'll be carrying through to my A/W wardrobe. I just love transitional clothing! I actually have four of these button front skirts now so the obsession is definitely real - I've also got my eye on a cute little black one. I need to go to button front skirt rehab! Ps - you can get 10% off anything from In The Style using my code 'KAYLEIGH10' at the checkout.

To finish off the look I wore my new Love Shoeaholics Carvela ankle boots. I love the wooden heel on them and think they work well worn with a skirt to give it a slightly edgier look. If you're on the hunt for some designer boots at cheap prices, I can't recommend their site enough.

Are you a fan of this look?!

The Body Shop Italian Summer Fig Range

I've always been a huge fan of The Body Shop and it was one of the first brands I ever tried when I first started getting into beauty products. I feel their products are a little more luxurious than drugstore brands but they're still very reasonably priced. The body butters have always been a favourite of mine as they're so hydrating on the skin and smell amazing too!

I was very kindly sent the new Italian Summer Fig range* from Shopcade, an amazing one-stop shop for all the best beauty and fashion discounted items, including The Body Shop. The new range includes a shower gel, body cream, body lotion, body mist and Eau De Toilette. I was lucky enough to receive all of the products minus the body lotion and as I'm a huge fan of figs and fig scents in general, I was excited to try them out. I have to say that fig is usually a scent I'd associate with candles / reed diffusers and not body products but I like that it's something a little bit different to the usual super fruity scents I wear. 

I'm utterly useless at describing scents but I really love this one - it's really fresh without being overpowering. It's not like any other fragrance I own and I'd say it sits somewhere between fruity and floral. The main scent is obviously figs so if you don't like figs then this one might not be for you.

Scent aside, these are all high quality products and I always feel a little luxurious when using them. The body cream would have to be my favourite from the range as it's really light on the skin whilst still being super hydrating and it doesn't leave any sticky residue. I actually prefer this formula to The Body Shop's body butters as it's a lot easier to apply after a shower in the morning than a thick body butter that takes a while to sink in.

The shower gel is great to use before the other products as the scent lingers on the skin but I can't really say much more than that as most shower gels do the same job. As long as they keep me clean and smell good, I'm happy. The body mist and perfume both smell amazing as I mentioned earlier and they make a great combo when worn together. The body mist is something I'll get a lot of use out of as it's great to freshen up with throughout the day and allows me to save my more expensive perfumes for evenings out or special occasions. However, because The Body Shop is so reasonably priced, I'd be happy to use the Eau De Toilette layered over the body mist on a daily basis too.

Overall I'd say this is a lovely range of products and one I'd highly recommend trying out. I also think they'd make a lovely gift as they all compliment each other really well.

Do you like the look of these products?

Outfit | Lace Ups & Love Shoeaholics Carvela Boots

I want to start this post with a little apology. I haven't posted for almost a week which isn't like me at all but since I've started my new job, life has been a little bit hectic and blogging has unfortunately had to go down my list of priorities. Boo! However, I've been updating my Instagram every day (@kayleighjcouture) so make sure you come and follow me over there to see what I'm up to!

A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my good friend Em from Em Talks in Leeds and we had a little photoshoot so I thought I'd share one of the outfits I wore and my amazing new Carvela booties!

I'm pretty much obsessed with anything lace up at the moment so this bodysuit from Milk & Diamonds is up there with my favourite pieces of the moment. It's so flattering and can be worn with jeans / trousers or skirts. I paired it with one of Em's skirts here (Missguided I believe) and I think the black and white combo works well.

I teamed the top and skirt with my trusty Miss Selfridge leather jacket which I've had for a few years now - as much as I love it, I think I'm due an upgrade this year. If any of you know where I can get a nice leather jacket for a reasonable price, let me know in the comments below. I kept my accessories simple with my Rayban Aviators and Michael Kors Zip Top Tote bag. I've got so much wear out of both of these items this Summer - definitely essentials for me!

To finish the outfit off, I wore my beautiful new ankle boots from Love Shoeaholics. If you've not heard of this website before, you're seriously missing out as its fast becoming my go-to online store for shoe shopping. The website offers an amazing range of discounted designer shoes from well known brands including Carvela, Miss KG, Marc Jacobs, DKNY and Alexander Wang. Some of the shoes have up to 75% off RRP and if that wasn't good enough they often have fun Flash Sales, Payday Sales and Secret Sales too! 

For example, the Carvela 'Simone' boots I'm wearing here (also available here in tan) retail at £160 but you can get them from Love Shoeaholics for £79.99. How amazing?! Also, you may have seen me featuring these shoes a few times on my blog and Instagram and they're also by Carvela from Love Shoeaholics. They're honestly the comfiest shoes I've ever owned, they go with everything and I've worn them most days this Summer. They retail at £120 but only cost £49.00 from Love Shoeaholics. Make sure you're following them on Instagram too (@loveshoeaholics) to see what they have on offer and be up to date with their latest deals.

I just know I'll get loads of wear out of these boots in A/W - because they're black they'll go with virtually anything in my wardrobe and they'll look great paired with skinny jeans or skirts / shorts and playsuits. They're real leather too which is always a big bonus for me when it comes to footwear as I just know they'll last a lot longer than a cheaper pair and hold up in the UK's awful Winter weather conditions. As you can see, I'm a big fan! I'm also lusting after lots of the other shoes on the site - there's just so many to choose from!

Will you be checking out the Love Shoeaholics site?!!

How Bout' Them Apples? The Balm Cheek & Lip Palette

When this gorgeous new lip and cheek palette from The Balm landed at my doorstep, I was really excited to give it a try. I've not tried many products from the brand before but I always hear people raving about how great their products are - especially their cheek products like the 'Mary Lou Manizer'.

I'm not usually a big blush wearer as I feel it doesn't really suit me but if I am going to wear blush, I'd much rather wear a cream one that will help give my skin a dewy glow as well as a pop of colour. Also, who could resist this amazing packaging? As with all The Balm products, the packaging is super quirky and I must admit it did make me laugh when I opened the palette to find six half naked men besides each of the blushes. I mean come on, who can resist that?

There's six colours in the palette all of which are named very fittingly for the apple theme of the palette. There's 'Cider' and 'Cobbler' on the top row, 'Pie' and 'Crisp' in the middle and 'Candy' and 'Caramel' at the bottom. They're all very wearable shades and they mostly fall into the peach / pink category with one slightly deeper red shade being the boldest shade of the palette. My favourite shade would have to be 'Crisp' which is a beautiful coral with gold particles running through it. It's like the shades NARS 'Orgasm' or Sleek 'Rose Gold' in cream form.

The pigmentation and formula of these blush/lip creams is incredible. As you can see from my swatches, the pigmentation is amazing but they look very natural when applied to the cheeks and blend out beautifully. However, if you want a more bold lip look, the colour can be built up. The formula is so easy to work with too as it's super creamy. I hate those cream blushes that you have to rub and rub at the get any product but these are so creamy that you only need the slightest dab with a finger or brush to pick up the colour.

L-R: Cider, Cobbler, Pie, Crisp, Candy and Caramel

To round things up, I'd say this palette is definitely one worth trying! I'd be more inclined to use it as a blush palette purely because I already have a lot of lip products but I guess it's handy that it can be used for both and because the palette is so lightweight, it's a great multi-purpose product to travel with. It costs £28.00 and is available here from Feel Unique.

Do you like the look of this palette?

In The Style Stripes + Discount Code

As I mentioned in my last post, I want to add a bit more variety to my blog in the form of outfit and lifestyle posts so here I am sharing an outfit I wore recently. I'm a big fan of clothing that can be dressed up or down and this stripey dress from In The Style is absolutely perfect for both day or night. It's made of a lovely chiffon type material which hangs nicely and because it's a loose fit, it's very flattering too.

I'm a big fan of striped prints so that was another big selling point for me with this dress and because the stripes are vertical, it looks a little more interesting that a standard stripey dress with vertical stripes. I also love the colour combo of navy and white - it's great for Summer but can also be worn in A/W too with a bit more layering. However, if Navy isn't your thing - In The Style also have a Burgundy version which is also great for the lead up to the A/W season. I may just have to grab that one too.

Another thing I love about this dress is the neck and back detailing and it makes it a bit more interesting that a standard cami dress. The neck has double straps with one strap sitting on the shoulders and the other tying around the back of the neck. The back of the dress is quite low cut which I love as it makes it slightly more dressy meaning it can easily be dressed up for a night out.

As you can see from the photos, I decided to pair it with my fave white heels from Public Desire which match it perfectly. I guess this is more of an evening look but it would also look great with some tan or white sandals for a day to day look too. I'm also wearing my LVNDR cat eye sunglasses which I love - the shape is so flattering!

If you like this dress, you can get it here and also get 10% off at In The Style using my code 'KAYLEIGH10' at the checkout. It only costs £19.99 before discount so it's a bit of a bargain really and something I know I'll get lots of wear out of.

I hope you enjoyed seeing something a bit different from me guys! Let me know if you'd like to see more outfit posts here on my blog. Do you like this look?!

Big thanks to Em for taking these photos! 

Amazing Italian Tapas at San Carlo Fumo

I've decided I want to start mixing up the posts here on Couture Girl and because lifestyle posts are some of my favourites to read, I decided they'd be a good place to start. I'm often going out for lovely meals with family, friends or my boyfriend, so I thought it'd make sense to start sharing the yummy restaurants I visit here on my blog. I'm currently living in Manchester so if you live here or visit often, you might find this interesting. If not, I hope you still find seeing where I've been and the delicious food I've been eating somewhat interesting.

I recently went to San Carlo Fumo which is a relatively new restaurant in Manchester for a yummy meal with my boyfriend and his parents. Matt and I have actually been before but we didn't really understand the concept the first time around as its not your standard italian restaurant. Fumo is different in the respect they offer italian tapas - smaller dishes that are perfect for sharing. I love this concept as I'm one of those people who always wants to have a selection of things to try rather than one meal. Whenever I go out for food I always end up getting various starters and sides just so I have a few things to pick at but this can be pricey which isn't ideal. However, because the portions are slightly smaller than average at Fumo, the price also reflects this meaning you can have more without breaking the bank.

Before I talk about the food I just have to mention how gorgeous the restaurant itself is. As you can see from my photos, the interior design is beautiful. The ceiling and bar is covered with stunning lights and the tables all have marble surfaces and comfy leather chairs. There's a great atmosphere too - music playing, waiters that can't do enough to help out topped off by the amazing food and drink.

As I'm sure you can see from my photos, the food looked amazing but also tasted amazing too. I wish technology allowed you to taste through a computer screen - can you imagine! To start we decided to get some bread and olives and a sharing platter of calamari and king prawns with dips. The portions were huge and it was more than enough to share between the four of us and it tasted delicious. I only recently started eating calamari as I know how awful it can be when it's overcooked and chewy but this was cooked perfectly - beaut!

For our main, we all decided to pick two dishes we liked the sound of from the menu and then share so there would be something everyone liked but also the opportunity to try new things we wouldn't normally choose ourselves. I chose king prawns in a tomato and chilli sauce and a vegetarian asparagus pasta which were both delicious. We also had sliced fillet steak with garlic, lamb with a herb crust, a pork dish, spaghetti bolognase, scallops and some honey glazed sweet potato chunks. It may sound like a bit of a random mixture but I loved being able to try so many different kinds of food. I don't normally eat lamb or pork but they were both lovely so it was great to step out of my 'chicken and prawns' comfort zone haha!

 

We washed the meal down with some lovely white wine and amazing cocktails and for dessert we had a sharing plate with lots of mini cakes, strawberries and ice cream. It looked so beautiful! We had a really great night and it was something a bit different to a standard meal which was fun. I'd definitely recommend paying Fumo a visit next time you're in Manchester or if you live here and I'll definitely be going back very soon!

Have you ever visited this restaurant? Do you like the idea of Italian tapas? 

Amazing Advertisers | July

My name is Becky, I'm 27 and live in the exact centre of England (well I'm pretty close.) I have an amazing supportive Husband, a mischievous toddler, 2 Dalmatians, 3 rabbits, 5 guinea pigs, 3 chickens and a countless number of tropical fish. Can you tell I like animals?

I have always been fascinated by online social networking but have only recently branched out further into blogging and vlogging, something I've wanted to try for a number of years. So here I am!

I like to describe myself as 'eclectic' and I guess this is what you'll find with my posts. I write about pretty much anything I have a passion and interest in (which is probably too much but never mind) and hope I can share my thoughts, opinions and general nonsense with you too.

Hello my lovelies, my name is Anne-Marie and i'm a early twenty something law grad. and actress. I started the the Twenty Sumtin' Sumtin as an outlet to talk about my other passion - Fashion & Beauty. I'm a sucker for all things make up and fashion related and working for an online Fashion brand made me even more determined to start the Twenty Something.

On my blog I talk about all things beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle related. From finding the perfect Foundation to fab OOTD's and Healthy Recipes, you'll find everything on my blog. 

The Twenty Sumtin' is a place for everyone and I'd love for you to stop by :) x 

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