From Choo to Goo: Choo

Showing posts with label Choo. Show all posts

Friday, 24 February 2017

Hush Little Baby...

...don't say a word, mama's gonna buy you a whole new spring wardrobe! I think the sleepless nights with a baby may be going to my head. However, whilst I am struggling with the broken sleep and general lack of sleep due to the night feeds, there is one bonus - I get to do some phone shopping to keep me awake whilst I feed. As a psychologist, I can always find a positive re-frame for any scenario and so I bring you the wonderful world of Hush clothing.

Hush is a brand I had seen online, all over Instagram etc, I had even gone so far as getting a catalogue in the post but I had never actually made a purchase. I think as I hadn't seen the clothing in real life, I wasn't sure as to the quality and so had not wanted to commit. More fool me, I should've ordered so as I could see for myself, as I have been seriously missing out. As luck or fate might have it, one of my very lovely and super generous friends actually sent me a parcel at the beginning of this year, which contained my very own item of hush clothing - a star shirt - and I loved it, so much so, I have worn it loads already. So when an email popped up in my inbox alerting me to the new spring collection, I didn't hesitate to click on the link and look what treasures I have found for you...

Starting off where it all began with the stars collection. I love this classic white t-shirt with a metallic twist and I love how it's been styled with the khaki. So not only do Hush offer fabulous clothing they also give you inspiration as to how you might wear it. This is ideal, as who doesn't have a pair of khaki trousers in their wardrobe just waiting for spring to arrive. I would probably go for a khaki chino (I may have picked up a distressed pair for £5 in the H&M sale) rather than a harem though, but that's just my preference.

Star Slub V Tee £35

They also have an olive green version of my gorgeous star print shirt here, but seeing as I already have the shirt I have been eyeing up the dress version. This will be perfect for spring/summer and with it's button down front, also perfect for breastfeeding. I love how they've styled it too, and I would also pair this with a pair of leather ankle boots. If I was lucky enough to own a pair of Chloe Susanna boots, it would be them, but sadly at present I can only stretch to the Office Lucky boots (although I have to say they are a fab more affordable alternative).

Azalea Dress £65

A bit of a classic buy this one, and whilst I am so over jumpers (come on sunshine, where are you?, this thin knit would be perfect for spring and summer evenings. It also comes in grey, but I much prefer the black version personally.

Star Jumper £85

I haven't just been drawn to clothing either, but they also have some fabulous accessories, like this crossbody/shoulder leather bag, which not only has a beautiful perforated star detail, but also a leather star charm attached.

Margaux Bag £89

So moving on, I think that's enough of the stars and now onto dungarees. I still haven't had the guts to wear dungarees yet and I wasn't sure if it was a bit of a fleeting trend, but no it appears the dungarees are still here to stay and these ones are extremely tempting. I love that they are a little unique in their design.

Dungarees £95

They also have some fabulous jumpsuits. If I wasn't such a munchkin, I love the Amalfi jumpsuit, but I fear that it might swap me, and so I think the Riviera is probably a better fit for me, but both gorgeous, don't you think?

Amalfi Jumpsuit £85 Riviera Jumpsuit £85

Bored of stars, bored of stripes (no, let's be realistic, this is never going to happen, I will never tire of breton) then Hush bring you the lightening bolt. They have a whole range of lightening inspired items (do have a look), but my personal favourite is another take on the classic white t-shirt.

Mini Lightening Bolt Tee £30

Just to prove that I am not bored of stripes, my final pick from the Hush Spring range is a beautiful striped skirt. I am not normally a skirt person, I don't have a huge amount in my wardrobe and I tend to prefer trousers, but this might just change things. The fact that I share a name with it is surely a sign to purchase? No? I also love the pairing of this with a splash of yellow, perfect to get you in the mood for spring

Sofia Striped Skirt £55

This is just the tip of the iceberg, they have some seriously good stuff on their website, so do have a look.

Thank you for reading.
Sophie x

Monday, 20 February 2017

Spot the Difference

Following on from my F Word post, I'm bringing you some more frills. For those of you with a larger budget this beautiful Co Tiered Sleeve Sweater. Co is a luxury womenswear brand based in Los Angeles and stocked by specialty stores.

This is currently sold out on the UK sites Farfetch, and Net a Porter but I've managed to track it down on one of the US sites. It's not cheap at upwards of £300, but it is beautiful as demonstrated by my favourite girl crush witblog on Instagram.

But do not fear, for those of you like me who do not have a few hundred quid to spare (I love maternity leave but it is not good for my shopping addiction) I have found a couple of more affordable alternatives. As I suspect frills are going to be a more of a fleeting trend, you also might not want to break the bank with this one, so here are some options that might be a little more within reach.

This one from Boohoo. Granted the quality does not look that great online, but for a passing trend and twenty quid it might be worth a try.

Boohoo Ruffle Sleeve Jumper £20

This one which comes in both black and grey (which I prefer) from Bow's Boutiques. Sadly the grey appears to be out of stock at the moment, but the black is still in stock. This looks like a more wearable thinner knit version that would work really well for spring.

Haisley Ruffle Sleeve Jumper £25.99

Finally this offering from Topshop, whilst not identical being a cardigan rather than a jumper. I think styled with a black top could have a similar effect, and it may be a little more versatile than the jumper. The quality also looks pretty good. A nice chunky knit, which is unlikely to fit under a coat, but would be a great coatigan for when the weather warms up.

Topshop Ruffle Sleeve Cardigan £45

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your comments.

Sophie x

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

Post Maternity Beauty Essentials

When I'm pregnant aside from a little skin break out in the first and sometimes second trimester, I really do seem to experience a little of that pregnancy glow. My hair is really thick, shiny and soft and very little if any falls out, and my finger nails are so strong and grow really fast - it's great. However as soon as that baby arrives this is where it stops, and my free natural beauty treatments disappear and it completely goes the other way. My hands are so dry, I look like I've aged one hundred years, my finger nails break just by looking at them and my hair well I just seem to lose clumps of it in the shower and every time I brush it. This combined with very little sleep and a small person demanding most of your time leaves you with very little time to rectify this. Having been pregnant a few times now, I have learnt a few sneaky tricks and mastered my list of products so I thought I would share this with you. So here is my list of post maternity beauty essentials...

1. For those tired eyes nothing beats YSL Touche Eclat £25

aside from maybe some Rayban Wayfarers £135.

2. For dull skin I used to favour Clarins Beauy Flash Balm, but having since tried a magazine freebie of Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm £37 I am now hooked. This stuff is amazing and smells absolutely gorgeous. It's a little more expensive than the Clarins, but I think it's worth it. I love this stuff and quite frankly could bathe in it!

3. For dry hands, when hand cream just isn't doing the job or I keep forgetting to put it on I actually resort to using a face mask. Sounds odd but I'm sure I read about it somewhere, I just can't remember where (surely I can blame the baby brain?). I've been using Clarins Hydra Quench Cream Mask £34 and it really does do an amazing job. I also recently made use of a gift voucher for my local beauty salon and treated myself to a deluxe manicure with those heated gloves a-maz-ing, loved it and felt like a million dollars afterwards.

4. For cracked or sore nipples (oh the joys of breastfeeding) I would strongly recommend Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream aka "The Purple Cream". This stuff is an actual lifesaver in those early weeks, trust me if you are planning to breastfeed you need to purchase this before the baby arrives and use the stuff religiously unless you want to unleash a whole new world of pain to add to the many other pains that may or may not have been inflicted on you during and after childbirth.

5. A good lip balm, this is a bit of a personal preference so I would suggest you go with what you know and like. I always have many on the go, stashed away in various places so they are always to hand. I have recently discovered the French brands and would recommend the offerings from Caudalie, La Roche-Posay and Avene.

6. For frizz free hair I have recently discovered (thanks Santa) the Living Proof range. The Living Proof No Frizz Humidity Shield £12 is an absolute lifesaver in a world where there is little time to wash your hair let alone dry and straighten a frizzy barnet like mine (those of you who have seen the "It's the humidity" Monica moment on Friends will know what I mean - this is me on a good day). This stuff is absolutely brilliant, love it. You still need to wash and dry your hair (I have never been a fan of dry shampoo), but a quick spray of this keeps it smooth and shiny for days.

7. Finally for quick on the go make up, I have two new favourite products which are so easy to use and can make a world of difference.

Firstly the Nars Velvet Shadow Stick £21. This is so so easy and quick to apply. I previously shied away from cream eyeshadow as it tended to crease and look a mess in a very short space of time (and I have never been someone who has the time or inclination to reapply make up all day long), but this is a revelation. It lasts all day and without creasing, love this stuff. I started off with this in Oaxaca (although I was also tempted by Hollywoodland), both of which are fail safe colours for most people. But I am pleased to say I have extended my collection and Santa may have also brought me this set, which I also love (Santa was very good to me this year it appears - I must have been good!).

Secondly the Nars Velvet Matt Lip Pencil £20 in Red Square, this is such a classic and my go to red lip, again so easy to apply (as long as those lips are mositurised - see above), it goes on like a dream and looks fabulous.

So that's it my round up of post maternity beauty essentials, after all it is extremely important to look gorgeous for the (little) man in your life!

Thank you for reading, I would love to hear your comments x

Thursday, 26 January 2017

Maternity Wardrobe Essentials: Part Three

Shirts
Many would suggest a white shirt as maternity wardrobe essential, but I'm not really a white shirt kind of a person. I do have one hanging in my wardrobe, but when did I last wear it? Who knows?? So I am not going to include a white shirt here, but if the white shirt works for you, then of course there are many maternity options out there for you. Me; I prefer a denim shirt and the beauty is these don't even have to be maternity and you will probably already have one or two in your wardrobe.

Here's me with my oldest, both of us rocking the denim shirt (the youngest is only 10 weeks so he has yet to try his first denim shirt! This is my favourite one, which was all over Instagram a while back. It's from H&M with little jewelled bugs all over the front, which sadly you can't really see from this picture. I wore this loads during my last pregnancy, I wore it early on as the fit is quite loose, and then as my bump got bigger I wore it open with a camisole underneath. Perfect amount of sparkle for a night out, not that there were many of those during pregnancy, and hence why I didn't want to spend/waste money on unnecessary items when I have a wardrobe full of things I could just style a little differently than usual.

As I am quite a munchkin, I find that maternity shirts just swamp me and I end up looking much bigger than I actually am and somewhat like a weeble, which as lovely as weebles are, in all honesty it's not a good look. So I tend to style the maternity shirt by simply throwing it on over whatever I have on underneath, vest, t-shirt, dress - anything goes. If you don't happen to have a denim shirt in your wardrobe, here's a few you could try...

The classic blue denim

Gap Denim Shirt £34.95

Or this one reduced in the sale

Gap Denim Shirt £19.99

Leather Leggings

You might think I am going crazy suggesting this, but they honestly work. In my case as I may have gained a little weight on the bum and hips (who doesn't), I have styled them slightly differently than pre-pregnancy, but with a slouchy jumper, top and blazer or an open shirt (see above) these can look great during pregnancy. I would suggest faux leather as it's cheaper and can look pretty near the real thing if you choose right, and you don't really want to be spending hundreds of pounds on something you may only wear for a short while. It's tricky to recommend a particular brand as I think you need to try these on, but I have always liked H&M as for what you are spending the quality and finish is pretty good.

H&M actually do a maternity version, with an over the bump band.

H&M Mama Leggings £24.99

But I actually wore a non-maternity pair that I had bought prior to pregnancy which had a stretchy top band (find similar here). I would just suggest trying them on and seeing which are the most comfortable (whilst I am a lover of fashion, when pregnant comfort is super important).

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your comments.

Wednesday, 25 January 2017

Spot the Difference

I am loving the Missoma jewellery, such beautiful pieces in silver, yellow gold and rose gold. One of those pieces which I have had my eye on and that is constantly popping up on Instagram is the gold horn necklace.

Missoma Gold Horn Necklace £139

Which also comes in silver if you prefer, which was £129, but is reduced to £90 in the sale

Missoma Silver Horn Necklace £90.30

But for those of you looking for a bargain, I spied the following dupe on the H&M website for less than a fiver, which comes in both gold and silver.

H&M Necklace £3.99

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your comments.

Tuesday, 24 January 2017

Maternity Wardrobe Essentials: Part Two

Vests

As your bump gets bigger its worth in'vest'ing (sorry!!) in some maternity vests as you will get loads of wear out of these, and I have always worn mine post baby too as they are handy while you till have your mum tum and also great for breastfeeding. Whatever season you are pregnant in, these are essential, and you can wear them in a number of ways, either layering up under jumpers to keep you warm in the winter, under a shirt in the spring and on their own in the summer. There are loads out there and they really aren't expensive, but my favourite ones are from Gap (plain) and Topshop (ribbed). They come in a range of colours, are really soft, wash well and are pretty cheap - so what's not to like. I would invest in three or four different colours which fit with your wardrobe colour palette. In my case I went for black, white, grey and navy.

Gap Pure Body Tank £9.95

These are proper maternity ones, with the ruching (?spelling but hopefully you know what I mean) at the sides, so they grow to fit around your bump. However, I am still currently wearing these post baby and you would never know the difference. Gap are also doing free delivery with any maternity purchase, so grab them while the offer is still on. They also sometimes come up with a three for two deal so it's worth getting them when they are on offer if you've missed the free postage deal.

Topshop Maternity Ribbed Vest £6

These are great really soft and stretchy and there is also a two for £10 offer on these. They come in a range of colours so you have plenty to chose from. These don't look like maternity wear, as they don't have the ruching at the sides, so perfect for wearing post baby.

Breton

Now on to my favourite subject, the stripe or the breton. I have lost count of the number of these I have in my wardrobe, but I wear them all the time so I can justify it. Pregnancy is no different, you might think avoid stripes they will make me look wider but you couldn't be more wrong, in fact a tight fitting breton over your bump I think actually has the opposite effect.

So the holy grail of the maternity breton is the Isabella Oliver one, great quality and an amazing fit. If you are someone who lives in breton then it's probably worth the investment. You can always sell it on ebay afterwards, to recycle and make some money back to buy some post baby clothes.

Isabella Oliver Striped Maternity Top £59

If you are looking for a more budget friendly option, I would suggest Topshop or H&M. Topshop currently have this beauty for a third of the price of the Isabella Oliver one. It's more of a slouchy fit, and a slightly different stripe (so you could always get both!).

Topshop Maternity Stripe Top £20

H&M have quite a few online at the moment and I am really loving the basic breton short sleeve t-shirt for less than a tenner. The long sleeve version is slightly more expensive, but I'm not so keen on the wide stripes personally (although they do have different colours in the stripe and also a leopard print).