Wednesday 31 July 2013

Competition: Charles Fish Finders Keepers!


Hey girls!

I just wanted to let you know about an exciting competition that is going on over at luxury jewellery retailer Charles Fish today. They are being really lovely and are holding two Finders Keepers competitions a month until the end of November, giving lots of lucky people the chance to win some beautiful jewellery and watches.

 Today marks their fourth competition and to enter all you have to do is go to their website and decipher some cryptic clues that will hopefully lead you to the winning piece which is marked with a special Finders Keepers hallmark. If you think you've found it, click the "Keep It" button and you might just get to keep it! I think it sounds like so much fun and I will definitely be checking out the competition myself- I know previous winners have bagged some pretty Missoma bracelets and a Michael Kors watch! 



Today's competition will run from 10AM-midnight, but if you don't get the chance to enter, or if you don't win, there will be other chances to take part every two weeks up until the end of November! If you would like to check out the competition, you can do so here.

Good luck and let me know if you enter! :)

*DISCLOSURE: Compensated post.
Tuesday 30 July 2013

Outfit: Swinging Sixties.

Dress: C/O Little Mistress* | Boots: Glamorous | Bracelet: Rock N Rose | Watch: Michael Kors

I feel like I have stepped back in time to the sixties wearing this boxy monochrome number by Little Mistress! I tried to channel my inner Twiggy whilst styling it as I could imagine her looking oh-so-quirky and stunning in it. I was going to pair the dress with a pair of nude wedges but I thought these chunky black heeled boots from Glamorous added to the quirkiness and really finished off the 60s-inspired monochrome trend. Of course, with any black-and-white outfit, I felt I had to add a pop of colour to even it all out, so I opted for my favourite bright orange lip. You can't really see it here but this has quickly become my favourite orange lipstick- It's called "Power" from Lush's Emotional Brilliance range. I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you ever pass by a store because it's stunning- It's a lovely deep red-orange with a fine gold shimmer and I just can't get enough of it!

I hope you like my outfit! :) Do you love the 60s/monochrome trends?
*DISCLOSURE: Starred items are PR samples.

My Budget Bucket List.

Hi girlies!

So I have a bit of a different post for you today. I have tons of stuff to photograph for upcoming blog posts but I haven't really felt like it/ had time to properly sit down and do it over the past few days, but I really wanted to try and get another blog post up so I thought it would be the perfect time to enter this amazing competition that MoneySupermarket are holding. They are offering one lucky blogger the chance to win £1,000 to put towards crossing off something on their bucket list, and four more runners up will win £50! If that wasn't already generous enough, if they get over 50 entries, the grand prize will be doubled to £2,000!

To enter, you just have to write a blog post describing one budget bucket list item, and one extravagant one; so here we go!

My budget bucket list item

If somebody were to hand me £50 right now, I would probably put it straight towards getting my first tattoo. To most, this might seem like a silly bucket list item because who doesn't get tattoos these days? But this is something that I have been 'umm'-ing and 'ahh'-ing about for the past three years, and I haven't had the chance to just go out and do it; being an unemployed student, every time I got my hands on a little bit of money there was always something more important that I needed to save it for. Besides, I hate any sort of pain and I'm also the most indecisive person ever and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to regret it. However, the past year or so has been one of the messiest times in my life and I actually see getting this tattoo as taking a huge step forward, as I will be facing one of my fears and the idea that I have is one that holds a lot of meaning for me. I won't go in to too much detail about it as I could write a whole blog post dedicated to it when I finally get it done :P but it's a little quote that I live by, and I would like it permanently drawn on the inside of my arm to remind me that life isn't always as bad as it seems.

My extravagant bucket list item

I can't say that I am not very well travelled, because considering I am only 21 I have been lucky enough to see a lot of beautiful places- I have been to the Philippines 8 times, the USA twice, Italy once and also the South of France. However, having family in the Philippines means that holidays have always been pretty restricted, hence why I have been there a whopping eight times(!), and we were always confined to one area. My other trips were school/college trips so obviously there wasn't much room to explore then either. Getting the opportunity to travel to Calvi, France last year for Calvi on the Rocks (you can read my posts about this amazing experience here) was a huge step in my life as it was the first time I had travelled out of the country alone, and it sparked a sense of wanderlust in me. To have the opportunity to explore the world further, especially now that I am a free bird (until I have to knuckle down in to the world of work for the rest of my life, eek!) would be incredible and I think it would help me grow as a person and find the much needed inner peace and independence that I am thriving for right now. Places I really want to see are more of the USA, more of Europe, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia, just to name a few. Of course, even the main prize for this competition isn't going to fund a trip around the globe, but it would sure give me a base to start from. I have been following Victoria (In The Frow) on Instagram and I am super jealous of her 64 day trip around 33 States with TrekAmerica, and to be able do something similar would be an absolute dream come true for me.


So there are the two things on my bucket list, from one end of the spectrum to the other! I have to tag three other bloggers to do this, so I'd love to see what is on Isabella's (Bellaetc), Natasha's (Wild Little Rose) and Alex's (Odd Socks and Pretty Socks) bucket lists. Of course I would love to see what is on your bucket list too, so do let me know in the comments or link me to your post if you have entered this fabulous competition! If you would like to find out more about the contest, which ends on August 2, you can read more here.

What's on your bucket list?


Thursday 25 July 2013

Outfit: White Lace.

Dress: Lipsy via Get The Label (C/O)* | Shoes: In Fashion Online* | Ring: C/O Timothy Roe* | Shamballa Bracelet: C/O Cutey* | Watch: Michael Kors

I was sorting through my wardrobe the other day and I realised I hadn't shown you this beautiful dress from Get The Label yet! I fell in love with it at the event they hosted back in May and was lucky enough to receive it to review. I never tire from browsing the Get The Label website as they sell lots of lovely branded pieces for a fraction of their original price- This dress is still up there, it's by Lipsy and you can snap it up from Get The Label for just £29.99 (RRP £54.99)! My shoes are from another retailer that I have absolutely been loving lately- In Fashion Online stock so many gorgeous pairs of shoes for very decent prices. I absolutely love these ones; they're so comfy, they fit me perfectly and the quality of them is fantastic considering they retail at only £25! And if that wasn't already a good price, In Fashion Online have kindly provided me with a discount code to share with my readers for 20% off your order! Just enter FRANBLOG20 at the checkout (valid until August 1, 2013)! :) Budget-friendly outfits for the win! I think the dress and the shoes go hand-in-hand perfectly and I think this outfit is ideal for special Summer occasions- I plan on wearing it to a friend's wedding next month! :)

Have you found any fashion bargains lately?
*DISCLOSURE: Starred items are PR samples.

Thursday 18 July 2013

Review: Bass Buds Bass Boomz Portable Loudspeaker.


With the weather being so glorious for the past week or so, I think it is safe to say that everybody has been trying to make the most of it- I know I have been taking every possible opportunity to be outside! It has been perfect for long walks in the park and picnics, and I think that this is a great little gadget to take on these sunny days out!

Bass Buds Bass Boomz are little portable speakers which connect to your phone, tablet or laptop via bluetooth or 3.5mm AUX input lead, meaning you can play your music out loud wherever you are. It is absolutey tiny; fits in one hand, so it is the perfect size for just throwing in your bag. You just need to charge it up for a little while before you go out, and then you are set for up to six hours of play back.

These little things sure do pack a punch for such a small device; they are definitely called Bass Boomz for a reason. However, if you're a little harder to please and you like MEGA volume and bass, you can also purchase multiple Bass Boomz speakers and connect them all together with a splitter cable.

The Bass Boomz speakers come in eight different colours so they're perfect for everybody. I got the girly pink one but I love the purple, red and white too! You can check them out and find out more at the Bass Buds website.

Have you tried Bass Buds portable loudspeakers? How have you been enjoying the sunshine?
*DISCLOSURE: PR sample. My opinions are still 100% honest and my own.




Saturday 13 July 2013

Campaign: Ask Simon Cowell a question and have a chance to win a trip to LA!

Hi my lovelies!

I hope you are all enjoying the sunny weather as much as I am! :)

Today I wanted to share with you a campaign for Skype which could win you a trip to L.A. for a $1,000 shopping spree! Not bad, eh?

Skype have organised an exclusive interview with Simon Cowell, and they are leaving it down to the public to put him on the spot. They want you to send in your questions via a Skype video message and yours could be chosen to be featured on their show. What's more, if your question is chosen as one of their top three, you will be whisked off to L.A. with $1,000 spending cash, and if you are in their top ten, you could still win a Smart TV, an XBox or Microsoft Surface.

I'm letting you know with very short notice, I know (completely my fault!), as the deadline for entries is tomorrow- But it's super easy to enter and will only take a few minutes. All you have to do is open Skype, search for the username "asksimoncowell" and send over a 15 second video message with your scorcher of a question, using the following format: "Hi, my name is... and my question is...".

You must be aged 13 years or over to enter and the competition is open to both UK and US residents! You can check out the competition page for yourself here :)

Let me know if you enter and check out this entertaining teaser video featuring a few X-Factor personalities- It definitely made me giggle! :)

*Sponsored post.
Thursday 4 July 2013

Review: Bellast Jewellery.

Blue Titanic Heart Ocean Crystal Pendant: £10.89* | Blue Titanic Heart Ocean Crystal Bracelet: (The blue appears to be sold out :( so I've linked to the purple version!) £22.85*

I have some more jewellery to show you today, girls! Bellast is an online jewellery retailer that sells a wide range of fashion and fine jewellery, and they kindly got in touch with me to write a review on couple of their pieces. There were so many pretty pieces to choose from but in the end I selected these blue, heart-shaped numbers which are loosely inspired by the necklace in the Titanic movie. The deep blue colour of the rhinestone crystals is stunning and they catch the light beautifully- I think they look rather luxurious considering that they are just fashion pieces, even though I do think the price of the bracelet is a little steep- This seems to be a hit-or-miss thing with Bellast though; some of the jewellery on their website is very affordable. I also didn't realise until I received it that the pendant came without a chain, which is a little disappointing- I haven't found a chain to go with it yet- but it is still a pretty piece of jewellery none-the-less. These pieces also come in different colours, such as purple and white/clear (which I love!), and Bellast stocks so much more, from necklaces and bracelets to brooches and even bridal pieces. Check out their website here if you would like to have a nosy :) They offer free worldwide shipping and currently have a 20% off discount code (SUMMER2013) to use this month! :)

*DISCLOSURE: PR samples. My opinions are still 100% honest and my own.
Tuesday 2 July 2013

Outfit: Somebody take me on holiday so that I can wear this dress!

Dress: C/O Swimwear 365* | Shoes: C/O Shoe Zone* | Necklace: C/O Names4Ever* | Bobby Pins: C/O Crown and Glory*

*Sigh*. What is even with this weather? It's making me so depressed, especially when I have been receiving pretty Summer dresses like this one in the post! This is the gorgeous dress I picked to review at the Swimwear365 event I attended last month- How pretty are the colours? This bright pink dipped-hem number would definitely turn heads and would look amazing with a tan. The elasticated bandeau style makes it perfect for slipping over a bikini before heading out for a meal whilst you're on holiday, or, if you're unlucky enough to be spending the Summer in bipolar England like I am, it would still look nice paired with heels for a night out or a barbeque/garden party :)

Are you jetting off anywhere nice this Summer? Go on- make me jealous!
*DISCLOSURE: Starred items are PR samples.