Competition: Win £30 to spend at Clothing at Tesco

I've written before about how surprisingly good the clothes from Clothing at Tesco are, so I was chuffed when they got in touch and asked if i'd like to run a competition for you guys! If you haven't tried them out you really should: the quality is good, the styles are very on trend, and i'm always impressed with the fit. So here's your chance to try them for free: It's easy to enter, and you can win £30 to spend on the site.

With wedding season in full swing, and weddings constantly on my mind at the minute, I decided to give the competition a wedding theme: all you have to do is choose an outfit from the Clothing at Tesco site that you think would be perfect for a summer wedding. The only catch is, you're outfit has to cost less than £30 (So that you can go straight out and buy it when you win the prize!) Here's my example to give you some ideas:

The challenge will be made easier because I just noticed that all of the sale stuff on the site has been reduced and is buy 2 items, get one free!

To enter the competition, follow the blog (using the box to the right) and then put together your perfect wedding outfit from clothing at Tesco for under £30: you can either leave this in the comments or drop me an email. I'll announce the winner next Wednesday (4th August) to give you plenty of time to come up with your star entry: good luck!!

Love, Tor xx

PS- The Head of Design and Buying for Lingerie at Debenhams is taking over the @debenhamsretail Twitter feed tomorrow (Thursday 29th July) between 1 and 2pm to answer any lingerie-related questions you might have. I'll be there, asking a million and one questions about bridal lingerie, so I thought I would give you guys the heads up!

Christmas in July with Debenhams

As bizarre as they are, I love Christmas in July press days (the Mothercare one had toys, candy canes and sweets: way to my heart!) Last week I went to the Debenhams one to see what we would all be lusting after when the real festivities are upon us! The fashion area was very small, and I wasn't really taken with any of the very standard, traditional party-type dresses. But the accessories? I was in shoe and bag heaven!

This pony-skin satchel was my favourite piece: really chic and cool, it would go with just about anything, and as an added bonus, I think i'd just about fit my laptop in it. In fact, I would be happy if any of the bags appeared under the tree from Santa: lots of oversized, structure, and nudes and browns. All things I like in a bag! After the bags I enjoyed the shoes. The pair I liked most is the one pair I didn't actually photograph: a pair of blush pink satin stillettos (Red Herring Limited Edition) with a black high gloss stiletto heel and a black corsage on each foot.

However it's summer shoes that i'm thinking about right now. I spent my gift voucher from the event on new underwear (you can never have enough and the debenhams sale is now 70% off their underwear department. I got a Fantasie set, and they had lots of brands and a range of sizes, especially bigger cups) and on new shoes. I opted for these gorgeous snakeskin lace up gladiators:

I've now worn them twice, and they are surprisingly comfortable, given the laces which I don't usually get on with. They're also as versatile as a pair of black gladiators but considerably less boring: they go with everything in my wardrobe, but still make a great focal point. And at £17.50 in the sale, they were a bargain too! It's hard for me to plan seasons in advance, and although the Christmas press day should've inspired me to buy some new winter boots, I just couldn't resist the lure of new sandals!

Love, Tor x

Turning Japanese, I really think so!

Lovely fiancé has just returned from a two week business trip to Hong Kong and Tokyo, and I just can't resist sharing the lovely Hello Kitty gifts he brought for me: as i've mentioned more than once before, my love of Hello Kitty knows no bounds, and if it was up to me that adorable little kitty would adorn my whole house. We're all allowed our own moments of dubious taste, and this is mine!!

First up is this big slouchy leather handbag - I was shocked when I saw it because it's actually pretty subtle and usually these Hello Kitty accessories are made of pleather whereas this one feels as soft as butter!


I LOVE the big Hello Kitty hair turban; perfect for wearing post bath with my Hello Kitty PJ's. There are also Hello Kitty socks, the cutest ice cube tray, a mug and spoon, and if you're wondering about the Hello Kitty figurine sat on the toilet, I think this picture probably explains what made him choose that:

Rather than have Hello Kitty stuff all over the house I try to concentrate the collection in one room - in this case the bathroom! The toilet mat is also new.

All of these presents were lovely surprises, but sadly, despite hunting every Sanrio shop he passed, Mike couldn't find the one present I asked him for: the Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel bride and groom plush dolls. So whilst I know this is an off piste request (normal fashion service resuming tomorrow!) if anyone knows where I can buy them in London, i'll be forever in your debt!

Love, Tor xx

Fabfrocks reviews: the fish pedicure

Thursday's deal from Wahanda was a half price fish pedicure (just £9) and having read so much about them via twitter, I decided I had to give it a go! A fish pedicure is a pedicure with a difference: you dip your feet into a tank full of garra rufa (or doctor) fish, who suck away all your dead hard skin. For those of you worrying about losing more than you expected (a toe perhaps!) they only consume the affected and dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow.

My experience was disappointing: I went to Wanda Fish in Camden, which was a very basic establishment, rather than the salon I was expecting. I was very cautious when I dipped my feet into the big tub of fish, but aside from about a minute of weirdness, it didn't feel uncomfortable at all: in fact it just felt like having your feet in a bubble spa. The sensation was really gentle and soothing. The water was tepid, which was great as I expected it to be cold, but apparently garra rufa are warm water fish.

The problem with fish is that unlike a therapist, you can't tell them to concentrate on your problem areas: the fish seemed to enjoy the tops of my feet, which didn't need any work, and left the soles of my feet alone. I also didn't think there were enough fish in each tank, and that may have affected the performance: other salons say they have between 150-200 fish per tank, but I would estimate that there were only around 50 in mine. So although this had no real affect on my feet, it could be that the experience is better in other locations. I think this kind of treatment would work best in conjunction with a therapist as well, which this salon didn't offer: after my half an hour with the fish I would've liked the rest of the hard skin removed from my feet and my nails painted, which you get with a normal pedi, but don't get with a fish one.

I'm glad I tried it, and it was definitely worth giving it a go, for the experience if nothing else. But sadly it hasn't made any real difference to my feet, and i'm still going to have to go for a proper pedicure to remove the hard skin on my heels, and for a shape and polish.

Love, Tor xx

Etsy obsession of the week: Follow the white rabbit

Etsy is proving to be a valuable wedding tool, both for sourcing suppliers and finding inspiration for my own DIYs. Because we are having an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding, I often type "Alice in Wonderland" into the search box on Etsy and wonder at the lovely stuff that pops up. In celebration of my new favourite theme, it will be the focus of today's obsession of the week: Here are some of my favourite Alice in Wonderland Etsy fashion finds:-

Rabbit in a rush necklace, Shoogi, $29.50

I love how dignified the rabbit on this necklace looks, and I love a locket that you can personalise on the inside with pictures of your family and loved ones. The tiny key charm is a lovely detail to the necklace too, and I think the pricepoint is really reasonable. The designer is based in Isreal, and even if you're not an Alice fan, well worth checking out for some of her other incredible designs.

Alice in Wonderland vintage book handbag, Alanamalia, $75

Of all the pieces i've found this is my absolute favourite, as it combines my two favourite things: books and fashion! These book bags are constructed around real books, and each bag is custom designed and handmade; the inside and the lining etc are 100% cotton. Other books are available including Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe, Brothers Grimm, HG Wells and many more; there is something for every book lover. I fell head over heels in love with this etsy shop!

Queen of hearts dress, loliposh, $125

These dresses are an absolute bargain, especially when you think of the amount of work that must go into custom making them! Not quite costumes, but too elaborate for a stroll around Asda, I don't know how or where I could make this work, but I know I want to give it a go! This dress would look so flattering on a pear shape or hour glass figure: if the queen of hearts inspiration is too much for you, then loliposh also make similar shaped dresses in vintage pastel or floral fabrics perfect for garden parties, picnics, or hot summer days!

Love, Tor