Dressing the kids for Christmas with M&S | Life Lately

For my regular collaboration with Marks & Spencer, I'm featuring kids clothes - for a change. Though as you know, it won't feature my actual kids...just flat lays. I know you understand this - I've pretty strong views on kids on blogs and most brands are not interested in working with me for this reason. But M&S don't have an issue with it and I greatly appreciate that they respect my views.

Starting with the almost 15 year old and any of you who have kids this age will appreciate the difficulty dressing them. So I was amazed that he found an outfit that he loved (and has worn twice already).

Pure Cotton Chinos - Autograph

Knitted Jumper

The chinos are a good slim leg fit and he's wearing Age 14-15. He's teaming them with a navy moss stitch knit which he got an age 12-13 in as it was quite oversized in the bigger size. There's lovely detail on both - particularly like the navy trim on the turn ups of the chinos.

Shoes wise, he had to go to the men's section...frustrating as men's shoes are generally more expensive but these suede boots are just £35. He also put some of his own money towards this yellow puffa style jacket as he loved it. It's an age 14-15.

Lightweight Padded Coat

Lace up Chukka Boots (Mens)

It's mind boggling to see him order a coat in age 14 and men's shoes in a size 10!!!

Next up the twins did what twins do so well - pick something COMPLETELY different to each other! The older girl chose this black floral playsuit. She will usually only wear black leggings for me so this was a welcome departure. She added 60D opaque tights and some black ankle boots with a zip and croc effect detail.

Ditsy Print Playsuit

Ankle Boots

Opaque Tights

Size wise, the playsuit comes up small so definitely size up - I got her the 10-11. She's tall but slight and needs every bit of it and she's one just turned 10.

My other daughter is a real texture girl - she loves fur, sequins and velvet and this outfit combines all three!

Faux Fur Gilet 

Sequin Shorts

Velvet Boots

The boots are particularly lovely with their glitter heel...so perfect for Christmas! I bought her sequin shorts last year too and she wore them endlessly - daytime or springtime, she's always happy to have a bit of sparkle.

Not wanting to be left out and I should say, at my own cost, I added this dress to the order - which I've already worn to a Christmas lunch with my Field Day friends. It's a perfect buffet dress (see Susie's post here for an explanation of that!) and the lovely mix of colours make it so wearable. I also love that it's not leopard but it's got that animal vibe going on. 

Dress - M&S (wearing a 10 - it comes up big)

Boots & Jacket - both preloved

Life Lately....

I've not been on here much over the past month - a combination of Christmas approaching and work means I've had less time to blog. But I'll be back in the swing of it again in the New Year as I've got more regular hours in work and fewer parties/events to go to. The job is still going well though my project is likely to come to an end in January. I'm not sure if I'll be kept on but hopefully they will find another project to keep me busy! 

I'm hosting Christmas this year and I can't lie - I'm a bit anxious. I know I have no need to be but I can't help it. I've a tendency to forget things and I'm making lists galore to ensure I've everything here for the 12 people I'm feeding on Tuesday. If you're also cooking for many this Christmas Day, I will gladly take all the hints and tips you have!

I guess all that's left for me to say is a massive THANK YOU for reading, watching, following and commenting. I know not as many people read the actual blog anymore but I won't ever let it go - there are still many thousands of you here every week and I appreciate you dropping by. I've always struggled with Instagram and the competition that you face on there, both from the millions of other accounts vying for your attention and the feeling that you might not be quite achieving & succeeding as well as others. So this space will remain - no pressure and hopefully a place where you find inspiration and an escape from day to day.

Have a wonderful Christmas and every good wish for 2019 my blogging friends,

Avril x

Disclaimer - I was not paid to write this post but was supplied with vouchers to purchase some (but not all) of what I've featured. My links are affiliate links which means M&S know you came to their website from my blog and they may pay me a tiny commission if you purchase and keep anything after you click the links. This doesn't change the price of the item for you and the modest income I make from these links helps to cover some of the costs of this website - so thank you!

Daily Moisturisers for Older Skin | Beauty

This beauty post was supposed to be about foundations...I was so close to clicking on publish but when I mentioned foundations on Instagram the other week, one brand kept coming up that lots of you were urging me to try. So I felt I should try it and hold off on the foundation blog until I had. I’ll report back soon so for now, I am tackling another beauty must have that I get asked about all the time - a really good daily moisturiser

I’m very loyal to Epionce. I've used the products for more than 3 years and have blogged about them before on this link. Nothing has changed there - I still love the brand but I’m lucky to be given the opportunity to try other brands and that’s good. Because not every brand/price point/texture is going to suit everyone. Skincare is so subjective-you have to try lots before you find the one you love. So as a blogger, it’s important I keep scouring the market and testing different brands. Even if I do always go back to Epionce.

And when I say test, I really do test them. At least for a few weeks but mostly for months, under make up/at nighttime/alongside other brands & products. So the two I’m featuring here have been ones I’ve tested over the past year. Beauty PR’s don’t like me for that reason-I take too long to review. But I don’t blog for PR’s and I won’t rush beauty posts!

Starting with Clarins and their Extra Firming Day Cream - SPF 15 - pictured above.
Now I’m the biggest advocate for the Clarins Double Serum:

I’ve been using it for about 2 and a half years and I’m only on my 3rd bottle. It’s pricey but worth every penny because it has definitely improved my skin since I started using it. I’m also never without my Clarins Instant Eye Make Up Remover. Amazing product...constant repurchase for me. 

But this day cream wasn’t for me - for a premium product retailing at £58, it didn’t wow me. I didn't like the smell or the texture and I found that my skin was wanting more. Also my make up didn’t sit well on top of it - I even bought a primer thinking that would help but it was the cream that was the problem. So I’ll not be repurchasing-all my Clarins dollah will go on the serum instead.

It's interesting that when I got the link above from the Clarins site (after I wrote my review), I saw it's having awful reviews on there too. Looks like it might be another discontinue for them soon (they're lethal for discontinuing stuff in Clarins!!).

Next up, it’s Esthederm. A brand I’d not heard of but when I researched more, I liked what I read. French, established for almost 40 years and it seemed like one of those brands that those gorgeous youthful looking French women were keeping to themselves.

So for the past few months, I’ve been using Institut Esthederm Cellular Water Cream - and it was like night and day going from the Clarins to it. It’s beautiful to use - really light but deeply moisturising and it leaves my skin so soft. And my makeup sits perfectly on it - an absolute pleasure to use and I look forward to applying it every morning! Works well with the Clarins serum too, which is important.

All told, it’s a lot of lovely face cream for £39 in a world full of £60 and £70 products. It’s not cheap cheap but I say it over and over, you get what you pay for when it comes to your face in your forties. Invest as much as you can in your day cream and it will pay dividends for you in the future.

I should say that throughout all of the tests above, I continued to use Epionce Lytic TX.

Forget your retinols, this is the gentle & effective way to treat skin imperfections. I don't know enough about the science behind it but I know it's clinically proven and has so many 5 star reviews online. I can't be without it.

It should be used with the Epionce Renewal Cream and that's what I do when I'm not testing others. It's truly amazing stuff.

But you know what, it's great to break the routine now and again. It's almost like your skin gets used to the same products constantly.  Or maybe Epionce just feels amazing after a break because my skin has deteriorated in the interim? Who knows - but if you have a Woodford Clinic near you  (they're not just in Belfast!) or a beauty salon that uses Epionce, go and explore. I buy mine in the Woodford Clinic on the Lisburn Road and Kerry there is an amazing woman. Well worth a visit if you're local.

And there you go - three of the day creams I've been using over the past 6-12 months and hopefully this answers the frequent questions I get about this part of my beauty regime. Next up - foundations!

Ax

#FridayRetailTherapy | Dunnes Stores

Back with a Friday Retail Therapy after a little break. My phone is full of pictures to share every week but I don't always get the time to write up a post. But this week I was determined to get a post up about Dunnes because I was blown away by their current offering when I popped in for a quick visit earlier this week.

When I was growing up, Dunnes was where we went for groceries and basics - underwear, school uniforms etc. It was known for being good value and a bit better quality than Penneys/Primark - it definitely wasn't recognised as being a particularly fashion forward store. It's fair to say that in recent years, it's struggled to find its place in a busy supermarket fashion space with the likes of Tesco and Lidl extending their clothing range so a couple of years ago, there was a massive investment put into some of their flagship stores turning them into something more akin to a department store, with dedicated brand areas and designer collaborations, including Paul Costello and Lennon Courtney.

My local Dunnes in Forestside was one of those flagships and every time I visit I'm always so impressed with the merchandising and the quirky and beautiful pieces. Look at the beautiful display that currently greets you at the door:

What I love is that none of this top notch merchandising has come at the expense of the staples they do so well like tights and underwear.  It's still my shop of choice for basics. But I'll not bore you with big knickers and flesh coloured tights...instead here are some pieces that you'll want to show off starting with these on trend pumps from designer collaboration Carolyn Donnelly, of Quin & Donnelly fame - remember Q&D? I LOVED them!

Carolyn Donnelly:The Edit - Red Leather Pumps

Red leopard is all over the high street this season - a Christmassy version of traditional animal print. This dress is from Savida but it's not showing online:

Also Savida, this is THEE Christmas jumper for discerning fashionistas:

Pink Savida Fluffy Stripe Jumper

This Chanel inspired boucle bag caught my eye:

Perfect stocking fillers - a leopard purse and red cashmere gloves:

Paul Costello Leopard Envelope Wallet

Also loved this red collarless coat:

This orange dress is one you'd have to try on - it's the most gorgeous colour and look at that sleeve detail. There's a great model photo on the website - link below:

Orange Lennon Courtney Knit Dress

Also Lennon Courtney, this black based print dress has the most gorgeous print - beautifully made too with lovely detail:

Lennon Courtney Retro Square Dress 

Moving to the Gallery range and I was tipped off about this next snakeskin dress - it's not unlike the M&S one with a black stripe down the side and an elasticated waist:

Gallery Printed Dress

My eye was drawn to accessories all over the shop - just look at this embellished clutch:

Sequin Envelope Clutch

Staying on a blue theme, this blue shirt dress is stunning:

Gallery Shirt Dress

Here's the snakeskin dress in a different colour way:

These boots caught my eye - knee length is making a come back again and the elastic in these means they will fit all sizes of calves - the biggest headache for longer boot wearers:

Gallery Leather Knee High Boots

I'm always asked about where to get great leopard heels and scarves and right now, Dunnes have both. These shoes are great because the leopard print is black based, making them more wearable. I avoid brown based ones as I find you'll wear them less often. Great heel height here too - sadly not online:

This scarf is an amazing buy - a great size, cosy and leopard. What's not to love....only the fact that it's not showing online:(

And if you can't decide between leopard and snakeskin, how about a dress with a bit of both?

Animal Midi Dress

Back to Savida and on a similar colour palate, this cream jumper has the most gorgeous embellishment - another classy Christmas jumper option:

Savida Jewelled Shoulder Jumper

A curveball here with a bright yellow dress which would take you right through to spring summer too. But for winter, add some opaque tights and a blazer and make a statement on your Christmas night out!

Yellow Savida Button Detail Collar Dress

The embellishment theme continues in Savida with this mermaid inspired top to bling up your blue jeans:

Savida Tulle Sequin T-Shirt

but if sequins are not your thing, how about ruffles and pearls in a stunning shade of pink:

Savida Frill Pearl Collar Top

And finishing with a fab throw it on dress for this time of year. It's a boucle shift style dress with a waist cinching tie and a subtle sparkle. Add some body blur and blingy heels for a night out, add a black roll neck and ankle boots for a cosy Christmas Day outfit or add tights, court shoes and a white shirt for work:

Silver Savida Tweed Dress

And there you go - that's just a tiny proportion of the gorgeous womenswear section...I only wished I'd had time to try on. As for the homewares and kids....two separate blog posts required there! Hope you enjoyed the round up. I've linked where I can - the entire range is not online and I should say at this stage that I've no relationship with Dunnes, I wasn't invited in store and none of my links are affiliate links.

Have a great weekend! 

Ax