Summer Shopping Collective Haul

I've been doing a spot of shopping over the last month or so, adding to my summer wardrobe which was in dire need of a revamp. Sadly, some of the things I've bought I haven't yet had chance to wear due to the awful and unpredictable weather here in the UK, but at least I'll get some wear from them on our honeymoon next month!

Topshop Zip Back Vests - £28

Vests are something of a wardrobe essential. They go with everything and can be styled for a smart or casual outfit. I did think £28 was a lot for a vest, but with the glowing reviews on the Topshop website and the zip detail at the back, I couldn't resist. I was impressed when they were delivered - the fabric feels luxurious and they drape so beautifully I felt the cost was justified. I love the shade of this one - neutral with a tiny hint of pink.

I am guilty of having a neutral wardrobe - my justification is that neutrals will go with everything. I wanted to inject some colour into my clothing so the coral version of the vest was prefect. The only problem was when it arrived I found I'd ordered a petite vest instead so that will need exchanging - no good for someone who is 5'9!

River Island Asymmetric Vest - £25

Another bright addition to my wardrobe, this asymmetric vest called out to me when I was browsing the store. It'll look good with little denim shorts (or jeans) and sandals and the colour is perfect to offset a tan.

Topshop Asymmetric Blouse - £38

 I love this blouse, the draping of the fabric makes it look elegant and the mushroom colour has a hint of mauve. I'll be pairing this with skinny jeans, wedges, a long gold necklace and big sunnies. 

H&M Jumper
I spotted this jumper on a mannequin in the window and it had to be mine. Slouchy and snuggly yet stylish too, this will be paired with some skinnies and high heels for a comfortable and casual look.

Topshop Cotton Tier Tee - £32

I bought this after reading a review on Topshop which said it looked perfect with chinos. It's light and airy and the tiers along with the tiny sleeves add a little interest to a basic top.

ASOS Shorts

 These navy shorts are a classic item which will look perfect with a vest or sheer blouse tucked in. I'm sure I'll be wearing these a lot on our honeymoon, either with sandals or wedges. I love the belt that came with them too.

New Look Shorts
 I spotted these on a shop mannequin and instantly loved them. The colour is vibrant and summery and the little bow adds a touch of cuteness.

ASOS Cream Belted Dress - £40

I adore this dress, it's so feminine and the shape is very flattering for my figure. The slight flare glides over my hips whilst the belt nips in my waist and the rounded neckline shows just the right amount of chest.

Motel Gina Dress - £42
I love long sleeved mini dresses so I had to add this to my collection. I like how navy looks on brunettes and with the embroidered detail on the sleeves and neck, it's a simple design with a dash of added detail. 

River Island Playsuit
I picture wearing this for strolls down the beach whilst the sun sets on our honeymoon. It's whimsical and soft with splashes of colour which gives off a beachy feel.

Miss Selfridge Playsuit - £40
 I picture wearing this with wedges (again!) and big, wavy hair.

Topshop Ecru Pippa Pleat Belted Trousers - £42

 I wanted to get out of the skinny jean rut I'm in so I thought chinos were the way to go. They look chic and stylish and I thought they would look more flattering on me than skinnies which make my legs look endlessly long. (Not always a good thing!)

Topshop Tall Cally High Waist Chino - £38

 As a safety option, I also bought these darker chinos from the tall section. I actually think they are a better colour than the ones above as I can wear them with lighter coloured tops.

Any advice on what tops and shoes to wear with chinos?

The Winner Is..

Thank you to all those who entered my recent Cutie Pie giveaway. It was lovely to see which pieces were your favourites. I have now selected the winner and I am pleased to announce that the lucky girl is...

Hannah

She chose to receive this cute Rainy Days necklace.

Congratulations!

Lip Service

Lip balm is one of life's little beauty essentials. Whether it's winter or summer, there always seems to be a reason for dry or chapped lips in need of some moisture and a bit of TLC. Blistex is one of my favourite brands for lip care, their products are affordable and most importantly they do what they claim to. They have a variety of products suited to different to purposes, so there really is no excuse not to have perfectly soft lips!

Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner

The Daily Lip Conditioner replenishes moisture so I apply it each night before bed so I wake up with soft lips. It contains aloe vera, vitamin E and collagen so it's the ultimate overnight treat. It's also great for giving a smooth base before applying lipstick and as it has an SPF 15, your lips are protected too. It has a delicious scent too - my fiancé always asks what smells nice after I've applied it!

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser

If you have dry, chapped, irritated or sore lips, this one is for you. I listed this as one of my holiday essentials as it contains SPF and it's ideal for sorting out troublesome lips after a day in the sun and sea. The lip cream penetrates lips with the Shea butter and olive oil formula, leaving lips refreshed, tingling and noticeably hydrated.

Blistex Lip Massage

This is my go-to lip balm for use throughout the day as my lips can become quite dry and flaky. This softening lip treatment has a unique applicator with pliable ridges which gently massage away rough spots without irritation. With Shea butter, aloe vera and SPF 10 this balm gives smooth, soft lips.

Blistex Relief Cream

The most intensive of the four, Blistex Relief Cream is the medicated option for those with seriously cracked, chapped or sore lips. The healing formula of soft paraffin and lanolin relieve and soften the lips whilst giving a cooling, analgesic effect.

Which Blistex products have you tried?

Guest Bloggers Wanted!

As you may know, I'm getting married soon and then we'll be heading off to Mauritius for a couple of weeks. Rather than letting the blog go unloved for quite a bit of time, I thought it would be a good opportunity to let some other bloggers take the reigns!

If you fancy having a beauty or fashion related article featured on here, just pop me an email at dollyboo101@gmail.com with your post and any accompanying photos by midnight on Monday 1st August and I'll pick the best ones to be featured from the week commencing Monday 15th August. Please only use original content which hasn't been featured elsewhere before.

Happy blogging girls!

17 Miami Pop Collection

Summer is the perfect time to introduce bright and adventurous items to your makeup bag. The new limited edition range from 17 features this season's brights and bold neons, with packaging inspired by the 1920s and 40s resort architecture found in Miami's art deco district.

A love the bright, fun packaging. It's good to have something a bit more summery and fun to liven up our makeup bags and it reminds me of my teenage years. 

Falsifeye False Lash Effect Mascara - £6.49

 I love the hot pink, retro packaging of this mascara, it really stands out from the hundreds of other mascaras in the makeup aisles. The brush is big and chunky and once applied it gives lashes a full, fluttery look - exactly how I like them!

Miami Pop Bronzer -  £4.99

A marble baked bronzer of two golden shades which gives a subtle shimmer of bronze and gold. A dusting of this on the cheekbones or décolletage will give a gorgeous honey glow - perfect for beach holidays.

Left: Heavily swatched & Right: blended

 Miami Pop Lipgloss - £3.99

Miami Pop Nail Colour - £2.99

I usually stick to pinks and neutrals for my nails so I enjoyed the novelty of applying a brighter pop of colour. The Miami Pop nail colour dries really quickly, only needs two coats and has a high gloss vinyl finish. This shade would look perfect with a tan on the beach. As for the lipgloss, again I tend to stick to pinks and neutral for my lips but this bright pink livens up the rest of my makeup with a juicy high shine formulation.

The Miami Pop collection is available from 15th June 2011 for 4 weeks only

Beauty Blog Link Love

Read a thorough and honest review of Sigma's new eyeshadow palettes in Dare, Bare, and Flare at Handmade Reviews!

At Musing on Beauty, Mariella has been trying the new Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation and reviews it in depth.

Musicalhouses shows you summer's hottest offering - Benefit Cha Cha Tint!

The jury’s still out on whether a certain new lash curler looks incredibly intriguing or… incredibly gynaecological, but the real question is: are you ready to start a Revolution with Urban Decay?

Looking for a new blush? Check out my Swatches and Review on Chanel Joues Contraste Blush!

Beauty's Bad Habit shares her technique for using Fyrinnae's infamous Pixie Epoxy eyeshadow base.

You can achieve the perfect summer glow with just one product... shimmer! Steal My Heart Lovee.com shares her thoughts on Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks.

Want the scoop on Urban Decay's new Fall Collection? Well, Krasey Beauty has it all, from information to product pics!

Kelly from Gouldylox has a very bad day. Luckily some MacGyvering with beauty products saves the day!

Miss Beauty Nerd goes to the Big Apple and gets her eyebrows threaded at Blink Brow Bar inside Henri Bendel.

Madame B Fatale introduces her boyfriend to Gillette's new razor and skincare products.

Tired of the regular crackle nail look? Jenn over at Spiced Beauty spices it up with a tri-color mani!

If you like bright colours you'll want to check out the latest find from Lisamarie at Beauty Crazed - SleekMakeUP Caribbean collection - and you'll be relieved to know that the swatches are not on her arm!

Makeup, Beauty and More shows some love for the Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in I'm Getting Sunburned.

Lauren from Lovelaughlauren shows us some fab makeup brushes for less than £20!

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The Pretty Exclusive shows you beautiful swatches of Geek Chic Cosmetic's N7 Collection & Geek Love Duo, AND has a giveaway to win them all!

Pammy Blogs Beauty is giving away Clinical Organics "Try Me" Packs to two lucky winners! Visit Pammy Blogs Beauty for more details and to enter.

Cutie Pie Jewellery Giveaway

The lovely team at Cutie Pie are offering the chance for one of my readers to win a piece of their jewellery. Featuring vintage inspired jewellery and cute, kitsch treasures, Cutie Pie is home to an array of beautiful rings, necklaces and bracelets.

The Rules:

Please be a follower of Amy Antoinette if you wish to enter

One entry person

Open internationally

The winner will be chosen using Random.org

This giveaway will close on Sunday 24th July 2011 at midnight GMT

To Enter: 

Simply visit the Cutie Pie website and chose your favourite piece of jewellery. 

Pop the description or link to the item as a comment below and don't forget to include your email address so I can contact the winner.

The winner will receive their chosen piece from Cutie Pie.

Good luck girls!

Holiday Essentials

Clinique City Block Sheer SPF 25

I don't wear makeup during the day on holiday so this is the perfect product to even out skin tone and protect my skin. It has the same amount of coverage and colour as a tinted moisturiser so I don't feel completely barefaced.

Clinique SPF 35 Protection Stick

This is a great little product to carry around on holiday for quick applications to the ears, nose and lips. I love the happy yellow packaging which is perfect for a summer holiday.

Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion

I moisturise daily on holiday to prolong my tan and keep my skin soft and supple. Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion has a really light, easily absorbed formula which gives my skin the hydration I need. It smells as good as it sounds too!

Liz Earle Botanical Aftersun Gel

This is my absolute favourite holiday product. We went to Turkey last year, where temperatures reached over 40'C. However thorough I thought I was being with my factor 50, I still turned a little pink and this Aftersun Gel was an absolute saviour. With lavender, cucumber, aloe vera and vitamin E the gel rehydrates and nourishes skin by replacing lost moisture. We kept it in the fridge and it was so soothing and cooling on hot skin after sun exposure - it really refreshes and calms sore skin. I love the gel formulation, it's not at all greasy, absorbs quickly and it smells good. I can't fault it. Don't go on holiday without this gem!

Bare Minerals Foundation

When it's hot and humid I want to avoid putting anything heavy on my face so this foundation is perfect for holiday. It's so lightweight it feels as though I'm not wearing anything, it looks natural and evens out skin tone for a beautiful finish.

Arbonne FC5 Cooling Foot Creme

I fight a constant battle with my dry feet. I can't sleep if I have dry feet and after a day of sun, sea and sand they are much worse than usual so I always apply foot cream before bed. Arbonne Cooling Foot Creme contains kiwi cells, avocado oil and Shea butter so instantly hydrates and cools my feet. The peppermint scent is suitably summery and my feet stay soft and supple all night.

VO5 Miracle Concentrate

My hair gets a bit frazzled in the sun and sea. I'm a big fan of Moroccanoil (dramatic results can be seen in my Moroccanoil review) but the bottle is not at all travel friendly so instead I'll be taking the VO5 Miracle Concentrate which is essentially the same product. The Argan Oil tames frizz and leaves hair nourished, smooth and shiny.

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser

The sun, sea and sand also result in chapped, dry lips so I like to carry a lip balm with me. Blistex Intensive Moisturiser gives an instant boost of long lasting, soothing moisture to lips and the tube style packaging means there won't be any melt downs or sand finding it's way in the product. 

Mosquito Repellant

My fiancé and I's first holiday together four years ago was tainted by the fact my legs and feet were bitten to death by mosquitoes. The itching and swelling was so painful and unbearable I barely got any sleep. Nights involved me crying from the pain and Matt hurrying to wrap ice in soaked towels to soothe my hugely swollen feet. What a way to start a relationship! Now I never travel without super strength insect repellant. A quick spray on my legs and feet before we go out in the evening and not a bite in sight!

What are your holiday essentials?