Isabella Oliver Classic Wrap Dress

Until very recently, 'Isabella Oliver' was a name that I associated with maternity clothing. However after reading a post on the fantastic Liberty London Girl blog about some of her favourite items of clothing, which included a gorgeous 'Isabella Oliver' sequin cocktail dress, I decided to check out the brand's womenswear offering, 'Isabella Oliver 365' . Here is what the label has to say about itself:

"Isabella Oliver 365 is for the modern woman who wants easy style and comfort from well-cut clothes in fabulous fabrics. Our passion is to offer great design and fantastic quality through enduring classics that have a modern twist. Clothes that you know you'll always look and feel great in because they were designed with an acute eye for detail and fit. 

Each season we launch a new collection of must-have pieces in amazing fabrics, while continuing to provide easy style solutions and effortless basics in our signature Isabella Oliver jersey. Whether you're searching for a statement piece or updating your wardrobe essentials, these are the clothes that offer style, quality and luxury, day after day, season after season."

The label recently ran a special three day promotion, where first time customers could get 50% off their first order. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to try what the label has to offer. After a lot of deliberation, I decided to go for one of the label's signature pieces, the classic wrap dress. Whenever I see a wrap dress on other people, it always looks great. However I have struggled to find one that felt right on me. Either it was too revealing, or the fabric felt too flimsy.

I do quite a bit of my clothes shopping online, and am always interested to see how companies approach their packaging. Some companies simply put the item in a plastic bag, pop it in an envelope and that's it. However, some brands have cottoned on to the fact that for many, unwrapping your order is part of the experience of making a new purchase. 'Isabella Oliver' certainly didn't disappoint in this respect. My order came wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with orange ribbon. This had been placed inside an 'Isabella Oliver' bag.

As soon as I tried this dress on, I felt fantastic. The cut is great and it feels fabulous on. The fabric is of a really high quality. The dress was figure hugging, but not too clingy, and the drape of the fabric was great for disguising any lumps and bumps, of which I have a few! I can see me getting a lot of wear out of this piece. It will be great for work, or I can dress it up with some statement accessories to liven it up a bit. On a cost-per-wear basis, I think this is going to be a winner! 

Free gift card to spend in Oasis

Just a quick post to let you know about how you can get a free £3 giftcard to spend at Oasis. If you go to the Oasis Fashion Facebook page, the store is currently offering 1,000 £3 giftcards. All you have to do is to click on the link, and then download the Wrapp app, which lets you receive and send virtual giftcards. Once you have the app on your smartphone, all you have to do is to show the 'giftcard' on your phone to the sales assistant in store. I know that it is not a massive amount, but last time Oasis had this offer I used mine to get some lovely earrings in the Sale. Free jewellery - what's not to love! I will be popping into my local store later today to spend mine. Get in quick before they all go!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Special Offer

Liz Earle 'Cleanse & Polish' is considered to be a 'Holy Grail' product for a lot of beauty bloggers. It is perhaps one of the most well known 'hot cloth' cleansers on the market and has been so since its launch 17 years ago. I have recently started using it and really like it. Therefore, I was really pleased when I heard about the company's latest offer. For two days only (from 23 May), you will be able to purchase 'Cleanse & Polish' at the launch price of £9.50. Given that the current RRP is £14.75, it is a great offer, saving you £5.25.

If you want to take advantage of this offer, then you will have to either purchase online at www.lizearle.com or call the Customer Centre on 01983 813 913.

Have you tried this? What do you think of it?

Worn by you, loved by us

'Tenovus', a Welsh cancer charity has just launched its new donation campaign, "Worn by you, loved by us". The campaign - which is running from this week until June 1 - is encouraging people to donate their unwanted clothing to the charity. You might no longer be feeling the love for some of the items in your closet, but 'Tenovus' would love to give them a good home in one of their shops.

 

Money raised from people's clothing donations helps to fund the charity's fantastic work, such as treating people closer to home on its Mobile Cancer Support Unit; bereavement counselling, and keeping the freephone cancer support line open 7 days a week. Every bag of clothing donated, makes an average of £20 for the charity (with an extra 25% from Gift Aid), so what more excuse do you need to have a closet clear out? The charity doesn't waste any of the clothing donated to its stores, so even if your item isn't sold instore, it won't go to waste as it will be recycled.

You can find 'Tenovus' charity shops on Albany Road, Whitchurch Road and Clifton Street in Cardiff; Holton Road,Barry; High Street, Cowbridge, and Windsor Road, Penarth.

If you haven't got an overflowing closet to clear out, then why not consider popping into your local 'Tenovus' shop to see if you can pick up a bargain for yourself. The charity recently organised a photoshoot with some of its staff modelling clothes that are on sale in the local charity shops right now. Here are some of my favourite outifts from the shoot:

Pink Skirt - £3.00 Tenovus Penarth
Bag - £3.00 Tenovus Cowbridge
Cream Leather Belt - £2.00 Tenovus Barry

Floral Playsuit - £7.50 Tenovus Albany Road
Red sunglasses - £2.00 Tenovus Albany Road
Cream Leather Belt - £2.00 Tenovus Barry

Dress - £9.00 Tenovus Albany Road
Cream Leather Belt - £2.00 Tenovus Barry

Free Nails Inc polish with the June issue of InStyle

 

I haven't done a nail polish post in a while, so I thought I would do one to share a great offer that is out at the moment. If you buy the current issue of 'InStyle' (June issue), which costs £3.80, you can choose from one of three shades of 'Nails Inc' polish (worth £11). The three shades available are 'Power Pink'; 'Bluebell', and 'Peach Sorbet'. I opted for the 'Power Pink', which has an orchid tone to it. Although I have far too many nail polishes, I couldn't resist this, as it seemed a great way to tap into the Summer's tropical brights trend, without going for the orange and hot pink shades I would usually go for.

Have you tried any of these shades? Which one was your favourite?

Bottega : 'The Birdcage' cafe, homeware and gifts

I hope that you enjoyed my last post showcasing all the fashion loveliness within the four walls of 'Bottega'. As promised, here is the follow-up post featuring the store's 'The Birdcage' cafe, and some of the gorgeous homeware and gifts that you can buy in the store. Sorry it has taken so long. Not having a laptop at the moment means it is taking me a bit longer to get posts sorted!

Hidden away at the back of the store is 'The Birdcage' cafe. If you can tear yourself away from all of the gorgeous clothes, then I highly recommend that you take some time out from your shopping and pay the cafe a visit. I love how Sam has furnished the place. It is bright and modern, but with quirky vintage touches.

I love these birdcage lampshades

Anywhere with copies of 'Vogue' magazines to read whilst drinking my coffee, is definitely my kind of place!

The cafe has a fantastic selection of cakes and treats. I had the best carrot cake ever, but was too busy chatting about fashion with Sam, her Mum, and Alicia to take a photo!

 

One of the great things about 'Bottega' is that in addition to all of the fabulous clothing, it also has a fabulous selection of homeware and gifts, so there is something for everyone. Here are just some of my favourite things:

If only I had some Choos to remove....

This seemed very apt!

I love this 'Love' print by 'Dandy Star'

Bottega: The Clothes

 

After having such a fantastic time at 'Take Me to Funky Town' the previous evening, I could have been at risk of a fashion comedown the next day. However, I needn't have worried, as there was plenty of style inspiration to be had within the four walls of 'Bottega'. I was very excited about paying a visit to the store ,as although I regularly chat to Sam (the owner) on Twitter, I had never visited the store before. Indeed, I hadn't actually met Sam in person before she invited me to 'Take Me to Funky Town'! . I have bought a few pieces over the phone from there, and I always get really positive comments about them ('Maison Scotch' blazer; 'One Teaspoon' velvet 'cardigan' and 'One Teaspoon' leopard print jumper). I had had a brief glimpse of the store when I arrived the previous day - before rushing off to Bolesworth Castle - but I couldn't wait to be able to have a proper look at all the style and homeware loveliness inside.

'Bottega' is on the high street in Tarporley, Cheshire (number 67 to be precise!). The store is like an Aladdin's Cave of style inspiration. Everywhere I looked there were fantastic pieces.  One of the great things about the store is that it has a real mix of both familiar and unknown (to me at least) brands. It is an eclectic mix, but it all works together perfectly. Sam and Alicia (the store's buyer) go out of their way to make sure that they offer something new for their customers every season, in order to keep the store's edit fresh., e.g. this season they have introduced 'Elizabeth and James'. In addition to the clothing, 'Bottega' also sells homeware and gifts. And if that was't enough, it also has a fantastic cafe at the back of the store, 'The Birdcage'- the perfect place to have a catchup and discuss your all important purchases. I took a lot of photos of the store, so to avoid this post being too picture-heavy, I will write about the homeware and cafe in my next post.

I love how Sam frames the clothing. I would love to do this with my wardrobe - if only I had the space and such fabulous clothing!

This outfit (Dress - Elizabeth and James; Blazer - Elizabeth and James; Wedges - Terry De Havilland) caused a real stir at the salon presentation the night before.

In addition to meeting Sam for the first time, my trip to Cheshire also meant that I got to meet the lovely Selina, who I had only 'spoken' to on Twitter. We met at 'Take Me to Funky Town' the previous evening, and we both chatted about how we couldn't wait to see the store the next day. After a catchup in the cafe we decide to explore all the temptation that 'Bottega' had to offer.

Love this top from Belgian brand ' Essentiel' - great combination of colours. I hadn't come across the brand before.

'Bottega' also stock a carefully selected edit of vintage pieces. How beautiful is this shawl? I love everything about it - the mix of colours; the pattern; the dip dyed fringing.

 

Unusually for me, I was quite restrained, and I only bought an American Retro shirt and a friendship bracelet. Although 'Bottega' hasn't got an online store, they do accept telephone orders (01829 733355. I am still thinking about a number of the pieces I saw, so I think I might have to put an order in soon. If you are ever in the Cheshire area, then you must visit 'Bottega'. You won't regret it!