Aussie's lusciously light summer soiree!

Hi guys,
On Saturday Aussie hosted their lusciously light summer soiree for all of the lovely Aussie Angels: this was quite an event, as for the first time, all the angels from the North and all the angels from the South were brought together.

It was lovely to see so many bloggers all together in one room: it's very weird to recognise someone who's blog you've read but never met. You feel like you know them, and have to remind yourself that you don't!

We had our hair's done, ate a 'lusciously light' salad, and indulged in plenty of gossiping! My hair looked a little touseled but Amie (my sister and VIP guest!)? Her hair looked incredible:

It was a nice day, made better because we got to hang out with the always hilarious Jenny from The Style PA. I am still a massive fan of Aussie products (I wouldn't write about them if I wasn't!) although their new lusciously light products are a little too light for my hair. I think because my hair is unmanageably thick I need something more: if you have finer hair and find your shampoo and conditioner sit too heavy on your scalp though, this is the product for you!

The Three minute miracle will always be my go-to product when me hair is feeling coarse and in need of a little TLC: It's my favourite Aussie product by far, and the one I find myself recommending over and over again!

Thanks, of course, to Aussie for a nice day out.

Love, Tor

Sarenza shoes: All that's gold and studded!

Hi guys,

The more I shop on Sarenza the more I enjoy the experience: it's so easy and hassle free! My deliveries always arrive on time, and there are so many options to choose from: it takes me literally hours to pick between all the lovely shoes on the site!

This time I opted for two pairs of shoes: an entirely impractical pair of studded wedges, and a more wearable (wear-to-deathable probably!) pair of gold pumps. I love anything gold and shiny: can you sense a theme!?

The studded wedges:


It was love at first sight when I saw these Carvela wedges. I actually got them to go with the French Connection dress i'm wearing to my hen do this weekend. However the extreme heat has caused my feet to swell (as you can see from the picture below) meaning I can't give a decent report on how these shoes fit: it hurts to get them on right now! They look sooo pretty though! Swelling feet is a curse I suffer every summer, sadly. So I think I will be putting these beauties to one side, and bringing them out when Autumn comes....

The shiny gold pumps:


I opted for these Valensi pumps because last month Jen from A little bird told me got the red pair, and they looked fantastic on her: she also documented their comfort. I have only worn them once so far, but I have to agree! These are great looking, vibrant, and very comfortable pumps! I went with gold because I always wear gold jewellery, so no matter what dress i'm weairng these shoes will always match: making them perfect for throwing on in a rush!

The Sarenza sale is in full swing, with up to 50% off hundreds of pairs of shoes: my beloved Moheda clogs. have 40% off. Could it be time to pick up a black pair?! Even better, returns and delivery are still free, even if you've only bought a pair of sale shoes for a tenner! No hidden charges + bargain priced shoes = ultimate win!!

Love, Tor xx

Daily wear: Well fitting dresses and glittery cats!

Hi guys,
This is an outfit I wore at the end of last week: today I am wearing as little as possible, and trying not to look too repulsive whilst keeping as cool as I can!

Pepperberry got in touch, and asked to style me in one of their dresses for a special occasion; the special occasion I opted for was my honeymoon, and this is the dress I choose. You can see this all styled up for my honeymoon in August when I get back, but in the meantime, I just had to try the dress out and see what I thought. I love Pepperberry dresses: its so nice to wear a dress that nips in at the waist and still has room for my boobs!

I'm wearing the dress with my favourite Siren cardigan. I've had this since I was at uni, but I still break it out occasionally: what's not to love about glittery cats?! Accessories-wise, I went for my beloved tan leather (it matches everything, you can't go wrong!) Moheda clogs, topshop leather belt, and a very old hobo bag which is from Dorothy Perkins.

I really like this dress, although mayge not how i've hurredly worn it. But with a lovely big sunhat, beach bag and gold flip flops, I think this is perfect for strolling around the markets in between trips to the pool! I'll show you how I styled it for the beach as soon as i'm back from my break.

Love, Tor x

Discover Cocosa - And get £10 off!

Hi guys,

I'm probably behind the times with these great new sites as usual (Net a porter had been running for months before I checked it out!) but I have just discovered and registered for Cocosa: The newest fashion destination from Bauer Media

Cocosa is an invitation-only online-only discount fashion store, offering its members exclusive access to an array of private sales on brands like Vivienne Westwood,Tom Ford Sunglasses, Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, and many many more. It's like designer heaven for anyone on a tight budget! Each sale event runs for a limited time only so you have to be quick!



There are currently eight sales on the site, including one for Manoush, which i'm particularly excited about as I have an obsession with their knitwear (yes, i'm talking about knitwear when the weather is like this!) I've got my eye on a wide collared knitted jumper, and an ethnic-looking beaded tunic.

If you like the sound of this then click this link to register on Cocosa for a Cocosa account. If you do, you can get an exclusive £10 off your first order over £50 when you enter the code 'luxurystyle' at check out.

This week has been a deal fest, hasn't it?! Between this and the amazing sales on the high street at the minute, i'd be surprised if any of you had any money left!

Love, Tor xx

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Daily Wear: Dressed like a Brownie!

Hi guys,

Once i'd left the house this morning I realised that i'm dressed like a Brownie: all that's missing are the brown cap and the badge sash! I loved being a Brownie though, so I definitely don't think this is a bad thing! (What is a bad thing is how desperately my fringe needs trimming!) The boxy blazer is much shorter than the longer boyfriend shape I usually wear. I really like it, but it's taking some getting used to! Here's how I look in my unofficial uniform:



The yellow blouse and brogues are New Look, the brown jacket is Topshop (As are the vest and leggings). The necklace is Juicy Couture: a gift from my Nan.

When I was at university I used to be famously scruffy (my mum once called me to remind me not to wear jeans to a wedding!) but i've noticed that my style has really changed, and i'm much smarter than ever before. Even at weekends I opt to wear a blazer and proper shoes over anything else: I only own one pair of jeans (which I rarely wear) and I can't remember the last time I put my Converse on. This must be what happens when you grow up....

Love, Tor xx

Love, Tor xx

Making a rented home your own

Hi guys,
When I was a little girl dreaming about getting married, and living in my own house with purple walls (I wasn't much of a feminist was I) I didn't really think that practically. It didn't occur to my that my 'own house' would be rented, rather than owned by me, and the purple walls wouldn't be an option (With hindsight; Thank God).

With less than a month to go until my wedding, I am already thinking about my next project, which will be sorting out our rented house. And that got me thinking about all the ways you can make a rented home feel like your own, without painting the walls, changing the fittings, or doing anything else that might damage the structure of the place. For what they're worth, here are my tips:

Hello Kitty bathrooms might not be for everyone but at least it's unique!

- Shop around for your furniture. Having everything from Ikea (or any one store) gives a really identikit feel, and emphasises that a home is rented. Instead mix up furniture from different stores, and if you're that way inclined, throw in some vintage or second hand furniture too, to give a nice lived in feel. My living room furniture is 70% Ikea (a hangover from everything we brought from there when we first moved in together) and 30% vintage/second hand. The room really didn't start to feel like home until we added in the older pieces.

My living room: yup, it's an Ikea fest!

- Change the curtains and light fittings. Almost all rented homes come with horrible cheap white ones: it costs very little to change them, but makes a massive difference to a room, and really brightens it up!

I wanted an American diner style kitchen: i'm working on it!

- Finally, make some stuff yourself! The bunting that hangs above our bed and half of our living room cushions were made by me. My next projects are to paint the dark wood chair and foot stool I got as extra tv viewing space. It feels so good to know that noone else will have those individual pieces I made myself, and its loads cheaper than buying stuff new, if you've got the patience.

Love,
Tor

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It's summer time in Primark!

Hi guys,
Well it may be rainy and miserable outside, but in Primark it's high summer! The majority of the high summer stock has now landed instore, and it is a riot of colour. I popped down on Thursday of last week (to find the Oxford street store surprisingly empty and with no queues) where I picked up a couple more vests (Yes - I know i'm obsessed!) and I couple of shirts for Mike. And whilst I was there, I checked out the windows:


I love the stripey dresses (which everyone is wearing - I would guesstimate I pass one every 2 minutes whilst walking down Oxford street!) I am also a big fan of their wide chiffon palazzo pants, which come in ditzy floral patterns and eye wateringly bright block colours.

Ahh I be a global traveller! It's a phrase that always makes me think of naff photoshoots and simultaneously long to be on holiday: I guess that's what they're going for!

I am no longer buying shoes from Primark (I made a personal promise that I would stop wearing cheap, non-leather shoes, and i've stuck with it!) but window displays like this definitely weaken my resolve. I love the lace up wedges, which come in blue red and green: they're perfect summer going out shoes, and would look great teamed with flirty skirts or cut offs: lust! (Sigh!) I just wish summer would arrive already!

Love, Tor x

Red hot reader discount from Sarenza.co.uk!

Hi guys,
Just a quick post from me to tell you about an amazing offer the lovely folks over at Sarenza have given me for you guys: a massive 30% discount!! You know how I love the shoes from Sarenza, so I think this is a great opportunity for a little (almost) guilt-free shoe shopping!

All you have to do is head over to the Sarenza website, and once you've chosen the shoes of your dreams, enter the discount code FABFROCKS30 when you check out on Sarenza.co.uk, and you'll get 30% off on everything with no minimum spend, which I think is a pretty hot offer!

If you want to use the offer though you'll have to be quick as it's only available this weekend: from tomorrow 7am until midnight on Sunday. And of course, the code can be used once by each reader!

I am really rating the sandals I got from Sarenza last month: and the Moheda clogs have barely left my feet since I got them (in fact, I'm wearing them again today!) so if you're looking for a recommendation from me on how to best use your 30% discount, they would definitely be it

Are Sarenza good to us or what!?

Love, Tor xx

It's sale time!

Hi guys,
The mid-season sales have officially started, which means if you have a holiday, wedding, trip to Ascot or any other special event coming up this summer, then it's time to hit the shops! (Of course, you're welcome to hit them shops if you're a shopaholic with no event too!)

-The Selfridges sale started on Monday (poster above) and I will be checking it out this evening.

- If you're London-based, the Harrods summer sale officially opens on Saturday 18th June (that's this Saturday!) Prepare for a scrum, because it's always chaos, but there will definitely be bargains to be had.

-On the highstreet, the Debenhams sale is in full swing, with half off almost everything: definitely worth checking out!

-For summer parties, the French Connection sale has started: up to 60% off skirts, tops, and dresses with an amazing selection that would be perfect for summer events, but at great prices.

-Finally, if you haven't been on your summer holiday yet, check out Warehouse. They have up to 50% off on their summer sale, with discounts on bikinis, sarongs, sun dresses, and everything else you'd need for a red hot beach break.

Basically, the whole high street has a sale on. And if it doesn't now it will in a couple of days, because sale season has officially begun! I can't wait to hit the shops and get bargain hunting: let me know of any really great sales you stumble across on your money-saving travels!

Love, Tor xx

Just one month today....

Hi guys,
Apologies for the gushy post in advance, but in exactly one month today I will be marrying one of the best men i've ever known. I can't wait. To celebrate the milestone (am I allowed to start counting down the hours yet??) here are some sneaky peaks of what I will be wearing on the big day:





Can you guess which details are from which part of the outfit?! Of course I won't be revealing the full dress until the big day: i'm not really superstitious, but who wants to take the risk of jinxing anything?!

I know i've shown you the shoes before, but they're still as gorgeous as ever! And the bundle of brooches? That's my bouquet! I've written about my love of brooches before, but what you might not know is that I also suffer very severe hayfever (both tree, grass, and flower pollen) meaning I really didn't want to carry a bouquet. So when I saw pictures of brooch bouquets on a series of wedding blogs I was inspired, and set about making my own: this is it, and i'm completely in love with it!

Anyway, enough wedding chat! Normal blog service will resume tomorrow, I promise!
Love, Tor xx

What can you buy with £250?

Hi guys,

In New Look £250 will buy you: 3 dresses, 2 blouses, 2 vests, 1 jacket, 1 pair of jeans, a pair of leather brogues, and a pair of super high heels. How do I know this? Because at the Face of Fabulous launch a fortnight ago I won a £250 trolley dash in New Look. And yesterday, I went on that dash! Here are some sneaky detail shots of my haul.

First thing's first, here are the shoes:


I love my leather brogues and I live in them at the weekend, but they've started to look a little beaten up. What better time to replace them! And the yellow heels? Well I liked them, and is it was free shopping, why the hell not!!

I'm slightly obsessed with the ruffle detail on the shoulder of this blue dress, which i'm planning to wear to my hen 'do. I'm not showing you all of it though: i'm saving that for an outfit post when I wear it!


I was very impressed with myself because I didn't buy anything black (very unlike me!) The tops and blouse I selected were vibrant colours perfect for summer: normally I only wear dresses, but i'm really loving wearing blouses with skirts this summer too. The blue vest (which I also got in pink) will be teamed with my camel coloured shorts for my honeymoon.

And the jacket and dress you haven't seen yet? Well they'll be making their debut in tomorrow's outfit post! Overall I was really pleased with everything I chose, and massively excited to have won such a great prize!

Love, Tor xx

Daily Wear: Club Tropicana!

Hi guys,

I'm really finding solace in writing this blog at the moment; it feels like it's the only break I get from thinking about weddings and wedding planning, whilst still feeling productive (I just don't have it in me to sit and veg out in front of the TV when there's work to do: it makes me feel lazy).

I wonder if Mike is feeling the same way, because he's stopped complaining about my constant requests for outfit photos, which of course I am taking full advantage of! Here's what I wore today:



The dress is from River Island from last summer and I love the shape of it, but because of its bright Hawaian pattern (hence the club Tropicana reference), I only wear it when it's really sunny. I'm wearing it with my new favourite shoes (my Moheda clogs from Sarenza) and a lightweight jacket with sheer sleeves which I picked up from Primark. A bargain for £13, and perfect for when I need to look smart (for work, meetings etc) in the summer, but it's too warm to wear a proper, heavy jacket.

I love summer dresses, but only when I can layer them up with other things! I'm just not a 'one piece at a time' kind of girl!

Love, Tor xx

Slightly obsessed with heels (No surprise!)

Hi guys,

Well so much for my talk of lovely weather on Saturday: it looks like the rain in back with avengance, and set to stay, which might well make today's post obselite. I've been looking for a pair of shoes for summer that are fancy enough to wear with dresses for evening events, but comfy enough that I can wear them to work all day first, without having aching feet! (my sarenza clogs are perfect, and so comfy, but a bit too chunky to wear for evening events)

I decided what I needed was a low heel with a peep toe (for comfort) with some embellishment and detailing (for style). A harder shoe to find than you'd think! My search led me to Zalando. Here are my shortlisted shoes:

Gianni di Firenze red shoes: £114.95, Paco Gil tan shoes: £179.95, Vagabond wedges: £59.95, BF leopard peep toes: £110.

And why am I so keen to find these magical glamourous-looking low but comfortable heels, I hear you ask? Because my hen 'do is less than a month away (We're going to see Pricilla Queen of the desert, then food, then a night of dancing and drinking in my favourite cocktail bar) and because it is a day to evening affair (culminating in dancing the night away) I want to shun my usual killer stilettos in favour of cute summer shoes that won't leave my crying half way through the event (and ruin my night/feet). It all sounds perfect, and idealistic. And I really hope I find the low heels of my dreams. But knowing me, i'll end up throwing on those killer heels that look so good and dancing around my hand bag in them anyway: using the well-known anaesthetic of cocktails to ease the pain!

Love, Tor x

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Daily Wear: Red, red, and....erm, more red!

Hi guys,
A sunny weekend- hurrah! Let's all make a beeline to our gardens/the park and make the most of it! Because I'm desperate to be outside, today's post is just a short one to show the outfit I wore to the Fabulous event on Thursday night:

I don't know why I look so stern: I wasn't sure when lil sis was taking the picture!

I love this red dress (although it is a little short!) It's from H! by Henry Holland at Debenhams. The clogs are Moheda ones from Sarenza, the belt is Topshop, necklace is River Island, and the satchel bag was a bargain £2 car boot sale find! To match the dress and the bag I painted my toes and fingers red, and wore my brightest red lipstick. I love wearing red: if possible, it makes my hair look blonder than it is already, which is a massive plus point for me!

Anyway, enough of my fashion chat: get outside and enjoy the sunshine quick, before it disappears again!

Love, Tor xxx

Are you the face of Fabulous magazine?

Hi guys,
Last night I went to the launch of the 'Face of Fabulous magazine' competition. (You know Fabulous magazine: the one that comes free with the News of the World on a Sunday?) It looks like this:

The event was the usual bloggers fun: champagne, cupcakes, hair and make up, and a professional photographer (plus a very yummy male model to show us girls how to strike a pose!) All of the clothes for playing dress up were provided by New Look, although my hayfever attack and the heat meant I definitely didn't feel like dressing up, hence the lack of pics! I fell slightly in love with these amazing New Look heels though, as modelled by Jenny (of The Style PA):


Can you believe these crazy shoes cost just £49.99? Apparently they are inspired by the circus. Anyway, enough of my shoe and cupcake chat (they were delicious cupcakes) and on to the competition: its open to any female over the age of 16 who is a resident of the UK.

Obviously, I do not possess a model figure: or model good looks, so I won't be entering. If you do, you can vist the Fabulous facebook page to enter the competition. The prize includes being on the cover of Fabulous magazine, having a photo shoot in New York and being guarenteed a year’s modelling contract with Next Models: definitely worth giving it a go if you think you've got what it takes! Let me know if you enter - then I can say I found you here first!

Love, Tor xx

PS - Goly gosh! Me (who never wins anything) won the star prize at the raffle at the end of the evening: a £250 trolley dash around New Look. Obviously I will be posting all about it as soon as it happens!

Debenhams A/W press day

Hi guys,
Yesterday was the Debenhams press day, and the biggest press day I have been to so far. It was a literal maze of new season fashions, just waiting to be explored! It took me far longer than I expected to walk around, because I wanted to look at (and touch!) just about everything. Here are some of the pieces I loved most:

Evening frocks



I never get invited anywhere that requires wearing an evening dress, but if I did then Debenhams would be my first stop for buying one! I loved the retro, seventies-style mustard satin, and the beautiful silver ruffled gown. My favourite though was the leopard print wrap maxi from Star by Julian MacDonald. This dress would look so flattering, and is just screaming to be paired with killer red shoes! Speaking of shoes...

Sparkly Shoes


I know it's far to early to mention the 'C' word, but these sparkly super-high heels would be perfect for teaming with your favourite little black dress and dancing the festive night away! I love the comfort of wedges, but don't think they're smart enough for a more formal evening occasion...that is, until I saw the second pair! I am now lusting after sparkly shoes like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

H! by Henry Holland


Finally, I could've worn every single piece from the H! range. It was my massive win of the press day. When the H! range was first launched I found it too young but now I really love it: the retro shapes of the dresses are really flattering, and the prints are distinctively lovely! My most wanted piece is the red jacket in the first picture: in fact, it would go really well with the red H! dress i'm wearing today! See, I told you I was an addict...

Love, Tor xx

My hot summer trends from Sarenza!

Hi guys,
I love my new role as a Sarenza brand ambassador! Who wouldn't love a job where they got to pick out new shoes every month!? And the more I experiment with the Sarenza website, the more I like it: you can sort the shoes by type, price, material, heel height, and even season. That makes it really easy to quickly and efficiently find exactly what you're looking for, instead of spending hours scrolling through pictures of shoes that aren't quite right. Have a max dress that needs a 5.5 inch heel in leather for less than £50? No worries! The Sarenza search function can find exactly what your looking for.

Anyway, enough of my geeking out about website functionality and back to shoes! This month instead of choosing one pair of shoes I decided to choose two, so that I could experiment with two of the hottest trends of the summer (I couldn't choose between them):

Colour block


I know, I know, everyone is talking about colour blocking! But this is colour blocking at a micro level: i've colour blocked my feet! I love these pink and purple Georgia Rose sandals, and to take the trend even further, I adding clashing red coloured toe nails too: my feet are crazy! I want to team this with a vibrant Tshirt dress for a look that is perfectly on trend, but also casual and cool.

Seventies nude


The seventies trend is the one i'm wearing most this summer. It's laid back and casual and easy to wear: all the things I like! I really love the look of swedish hasbeens, but having tried a pair on, I found them hellishly uncomfortable! These, however, I love! They're also from a Swedish brand (called Moheda) but they have a soft squishy insole that means walking on them feels like a dream! I can see these quickly becoming my wear every day shoes: they look great with jeans, sundresses and anything else I feel like wearing!

What do you think? Which pair do you prefer? Luckily I don't have to choose, because if I did I think i'd find it impossible!

Love, Tor xx