BURKATRON

I have a new addition to my fingers this week; a neon purple courtesy of qvc's 20th birthday collab with nails inc!  the polish itself is a perfect autumn shade, rich but vivid. I love nails inc polishes so I was expecting a good colour and I wasn't disappointed when it arrived.  it takes roughly 3 coats for full coverage, if you paint thick coats you may get away with 2 but my manicurist friend told me to paint thinner coats as your mani will last longer and chip less.. top tip!  as it's a neon I knew the finish wouldn't be super glossy (which is pretty much always my preference!) but the shade is a winner so I can overlook the lack of glossiness this time!  nails inc chiswick park polish and caviar top coat*  the kensington caviar top coat is lovely, it gave the perfect wet look finish to the neon purple. I like my nails to have this high gloss finish and it dried quickly so I'll be using this top coat again. there are some other lovely sets on offer at the mi...

blogging can be a time consuming business.  I'm slightly in love with my little baby so being immersed in writing, editing and planning on a daily basis is quite normal for me. the only time I find it all a little stressful is when my schedule is busy or I'm away from home. I always find the best way to keep blogging fun is simply to stay organised so I avoid having little meltdowns! I went away twice last month and the thought of not posting for a while terrified me at first.. it can be a struggle to keep a healthy balance between work, personal life and blogging (I'm often up late replying to emails, editing photos and juggling freelance work.) I've never wanted to get to the point where blogging became a chore and thankfully it hasn't. I think it's because I always try to stay inspired for whats ahead; whether it's a DIY I'm excited to try or a nail art tutorial that I think someone will love.  my kindle fire table arrived from argos just before I le...

gosh I've been so distracted moving house this week I only realised it was halloween today.. fail! I had planned a spooky nail art for you guys but I think I've missed the boat! I do have this winter floral pattern that I'd though I'd show you; it was inspired by the dress I wore to the cosmo blog awards but I''ve switched up the colours slightly! I was recently sent these two butter london polishes to review cotton buds and pimms; I'm new to butter polishes so I was excited to try them!  my verdict.. I love them both! rich and creamy to apply the colours are beautiful and the finish is lovely. I'm a huge fan of white nails in particular this year and these both have a good formula.  white is a great all rounder to have in your collection; even if you don't want to wear white nails it's the perfect undercoat to pale shades. I find a lick of white under bright polishes makes them 'pop' (top tip: neon's in particular really benefit fro...

I don't often share swatches of singular nail polishes but this one swayed me! it's from the new illamasqua creators collection that I was lucky enough to sample; a collaboration with some of the uk's most loved bloggers (including the lovely milly who's created a very wearable copper toned lipgloss which you can see here !) back to this little beauty though, a galactic inspired glitter polish from style suzi called perseid.  perseid glitter polish* glitter rich it has a gorgeous pearlescent finish with undertones of purple, blue and green. it's a tricky one to photograph as you can't catch the full iridescence on camera! you'll need just two coats for full coverage; it's described as a black polish I find it more purple toned until the second coat is applied. definitely one I'll be wearing this A/W and a good alternative to the standard black polish, well done suzi for creating this little rascal! what do you think.. one for you maybe? caroline x

hat: primark vintage levis jacket* brag vintage eagle sweater: urban outfitters leigh jeans: topshop backpack: topshop boots: office reykjavik is charming... and pretty chilly. every morning I'd layer up like the michelin man and head out to explore. it's quite a small place; the streets are full of little shops brimming with vintage clothes and hidden gems. it's so relaxed you find yourself wandering from street to street with no agenda other than to peek into doorways and hunt out the next quaint coffee shop to stock up on cake and caffeine. I found myself going for comfort every day.. skinny jeans, jumpers and hats (winter dressing at its easiest) I only opted to bring hand luggage so I was forced to plan what I was going to wear in advance (this meant I didn't spend every morning pulling out clothes debating wardrobe options much to the delight of the boy!) we spent our first day wandering around the city soaking up the atmosphere of the icelandic way of life: we st...

after what feels like forever we're finally coming to the end of the renovations.. the boy and I are finally making progress.. yippee! I just had to finish one little area to give me an incentive for the final push and I was excited to show you my new lamp and reclaimed cabinet (I'm such an eager beaver!) our first proper purchase was this vintage cabinet, we stumbled across it at a local dealers and I absolutely love it. we manged to knock the price down to £25- quite good considering I'm terrible at haggling normally! I need to give it a little TLC and a wax but it'll be great for storing (some) of my endless clutter..  I picked up the small paisley trays at zara home who have the most gorgeous textiles and the novelty night lights are from iceland  (I've just started reading the casual vacancy by jk rowling.. has anyone else read this?) my other new addition is this ever so slightly AMAZING table lamp*  I was sent from out there interiors. I've wanted to comb...

dungarees/overalls: primark bretton stripe tee: h&m bag: la moda watch: river island chains: h&m ring: urban outfitters the suitcase is unpacked and I'm an icelandic tourist no longer *sobs* since I'm returning to the task of finishing the house renovations it only seems right to don the painter and decorator attire of denim overalls (no builders bum though I have to draw the line somewhere...) these were a steal from primark and perfect longing attire! once I've caught up I'll pop up some pictures of my time away as I hugely recommend reykjavik as a city break- it's quaint, quirky and I've left a little piece of my heart there!  back soon caroline x shop the look:

well there's one place I never thought I'd visit and it was marbella.. I'm not the grey goose drinking, champagne spraying kinda gal but I did have a jolly good time! if you're a bit of a culture vulture I wouldn't advise it for you but if you wish to idle next to a pool for a week (with a few fun nights out thrown in) then it may well be an option... here's some of my snaps from my trip: our beautiful villa for the week | feet fun | the golf course | the doughnut lilo.. best thing I've ever purchased | the glorious mac counter | palm trees | puerto banus town | watermelons | zara home.. too much textile temptation!! turtle feeding time at the golf club, we all found this far too exciting! | opi polish rainbow | pool time | shopping ootd | street art | the airport | ocean club | me and the boy | cocktail time! our pool | our room had a huge balcony perfect for watching the sunsets | my yachts... well a girl can dream! | american apparel airport shopping | me...

cocoon check print dress : c/o front row shop pork pie hat: topshop double cuff: topshop pyramid ring: urban outfitters gold double chain ring: laura gravestock vintage cocktail ring : c/o rock 'n' rose perspex bag: klear klutch obsessed. yep that pretty much sums up my feeling towards my new dress. it's quite unlike anything else I own and is my favourite a/w piece so far. it also has the addition of pockets (always dear to my heart) and I love how understated it feels. the dress is from front row shop who have quite the selection of quirky clothing, I'm already building up quite a hefty wishlist! I'm really loving unusual cuts and details and their clothing has a wonderful scandinavian feel to it, big fan.  I've been rummaging through my accessories and one thing I will be investing in this month is a few more vintage style rings, I really don't have enough choice in my current stash so if you have any jewellery shop recommendations please let me know! to...

velvet world dress : c/o mee mee fedora: topshop backpack: topshop studded boots: old eeeeeep I finally have some velvet in my wardrobe! every season tartan and velvet seem to be a staple in autumn/winter trends and I massively regretted not investing in a velvet dress last season! this little number is from the new arrivals at meemee and it was velvet & sheer winner at first sight.. it had a hint of gothic fairytale but still looked wearable. I'm not a huge fan of big sheer panels but subtle ones get the thumbs up for me; I'll mostly wear this dress layered up with jumpers, tights and chunky boots so it'll be quite versatile this winter (no doubt It'll pop up on here again soon!)  I'm already looking forward to layering up again (and probably eating my way into hibernation) is that wrong? anyone else excited to whip out the knits? caroline x shop the look:

I thought I'd show you a really easy little DIY for those cami tops we've all been buying this summer! it's a simple update for strappy tops and perfect wear for nights out (it's so basic even the most sew-phobic can get involved!) here's how I made mine: the most important items are a simple cami top and a length of chain, the pliers are just used to open the chain links! cut the straps off your cami and lay them out flat; use your pliers to open the links on chain and cut into two equal lengths (use the original straps as a guide to the length) take a needle and thread and simply sew the chain lengths onto the cami where the original straps were; you're just replacing the fabric straps with chain ones! there you have it; a simple twist on a basic cami top!  what do you think? would you try this yourself? caroline x