MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To ALL of our readers

We truly wish you all a wonderful Christmas, full of fun and laughter with your loved ones and we raise our glasses (mugs of coffee) and wish you a magical New Year.  

The blogposts will be sparse during the festive period, because like yourselves we are taking some time away too.

We want to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us over this last year and we cannot wait to take things to another level in 2013.

Here's a few pics of Samantha's little baby boy Zayn who has worked quite a few festive numbers during the last few weeks.

Best wishes

Teresa and Sam xx

Not Into This at Christmas Time

For this NOT Into This post it was only right we discuss the little things which we don't like about Christmas or certain gifts we hope are not under our Christmas trees - did you read our feature on the Worst Christmas Presents?? Lets hope none of us get a repeat performances of those mishaps.

Anyway, here's our Top Ten festive moans:


1.    Women who dress as sexy Mrs Santa Claus. You ruin the magic for all the little children when
       they see you dressed up in such a tarty costume.

2.    There had better not be a onesie under my tree on Christmas morning. I would be most unhappy if
       someone had bought me one. I can't stand the ruddy things.

3.    Miserable sods on Christmas Day. If you can't smile for one day of the year and feel you have to
       impose your miserableness on others then you won't be welcome in our homes. No one wants a
       Victor Meldrew type person moaning all day.

4.    People who post status updates on Christmas Day. If you cannot go without sharing your life with
       social media just for one day then you really have got problems.

5.    That moment when you are so full to the brim after eating your Christmas dinner and someone will
       keep trying to force-feed you by bringing in plates of mince pies, nuts and more chocolate!

6.    When you know you have got to return some of your presents to the shops because they are the
       wrong size. Yep, you'll be there along with thousands of others trying to get an exchange or a
       refund at the same time as another umpteen thousand people who are frantically trying to buy
       something in the sales.

7.    The constant regurgitation of DFS Boxing Day sale adverts on television. Thank goodness for
       Sky+.

8.    The less than charitable people who do not think of those who are alone on Christmas Day. If you
       do have a neighbour who will most likely be on their own then please pop round with a mince pie
       and spend a little time having a chat. Or even invite them around for a few drinks. They will really
       appreciate it.

9.    The aftermath of brussel sprouts. Why do men have an inability to digest this revolting green
       vegetable and then proceed to pass the most vilest wind hours later? *quickly checks I have some
       air freshener in the cupboard*

10.   My biggest grievance is that it nevers snows. I WANT IT TO SNOW ON CHRISTMAS DAY
        PLEASE!!!!

Source

FRIDAY'S HIGH STREET HITLIST

It's not only Friday today but also (for some of us) the day we break up for the Christmas holidays. No more work for at least six days whilst we enjoy spending time with our loved ones. I hope you have got all of your Christmas shopping finished so you can sit back and relax with a mince pie.

If you're anything like me you have spent every single penny on other people's Christmas presents and not got much in the pot left for yourself. Fingers crossed we receive some gift vouchers for our favourite high street shops (mine is Topshop, hint hint).

Here's our top picks from what's new on the high street this week.

Have a great weekend!!

Teresa xx

TOPSHOP

Long Sleeve Heart Flippy Dress, £40

Winged Press Lock Tote Bag, £45

Lace Applique Shirt, £38

Fur Collar Coat by Oh My Love, £59

Tweed Collar dress by Sister Jane, £68

Lace Panel Shift Dress, £48

Leather T-Shirt Dress, £120

Herringbone Lightweight Duster Coat, £79

Premium Silk Contrast Shirt, £45

Shortsleeve Panel Shirt, £35

MOTO Indigo Pini Dress, £38

ASOS

River Island Floral Print Column Dress, £25

Paper Bag Elastic Shorts, £22

DKNY Long Sleeve Romper Suit, £46

Minkpink Sweatshirt in Desert Rider Print, £58

Selected Sweatshirt in Mulberry With Zip Detail, £50

Mono Checked Sweater, £35

Pencil Skirt With Zip Detail, £20

Dogtooth Dress With Floral Sleeves, £45

ASOS Curve Rabbit Print Shirt, £35

Smock Dress With Embellished Collar and Pockets, £45

Warehouse Lace Gathered Tunic, £35

Jacket in Stripe Boucle, £35

Hearty Pink Ring, £5

ZARA

Trousers with zips, £29.99

Overdyed Cargo Jeans, £29.99

OASIS

Faux Leather Collar Top, £45

Ribbed Bomber Jacket, £58

WAREHOUSE

Black Pleat Front Dress, £36

MANGO

Textured Evase Dress, £44.99

Chain Embellished Dress, £59.99

URBAN OUTFITTERS

Vintage Renewal Velvet Maxi Dress, £48

Pins & Needles Polka Dot Dress, £52

DOROTHY PERKINS

Black Beaded Peter Pan Dress, £29.99

Khaki Stud Ankle Sock, £3

Our Skincare Heroes During Winter

We all know winter gives our skin a battering what with the harsh winds, freezing temperatures, central heating and in-car heating. It's all enough to give us a bit of a leather face which is so parched it is screaming out loud for rich moisturising creams, repair masks and a ruddy good facial.

Then there's your sore lips all cracked and chapped that if you apply a lipstick your lips will have crispy flakes of skin which look like you haven't wiped your mouth after eating a sausage roll.

And what about your hair and the rest of your skin? It's all zapped and drained from the intense changes of temperatures merely from walking in and out of your home everyday. Your hair is either a big frizzy mess or hangs lifeless off your head and your hands are as dry as the pound notes you did have in your purse when you went Christmas shopping.

So, with bearing all of our winter woes in mind I have put together all of our rescue remedies and top hero products. Here's the beauty items which we have tried and tested over the years through many purchases of trying to find what really works. No, we're not beauty experts but we know what works for us.

GOODBYE LEATHER FACE

To guarantee the gorgeous glow we all yearn for and not forgetting the necessary protection from the harsh weather we endure everyday, these are your guardian (face) angels. My personal favourite - Dr Hauschka's Rose Day Cream.

Simple Kind to Skin Moisture Boost, £4 / Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream, £24.95 /
Origins VitaZing SPF 15 Energy–Boosting Moisturiser, £27 /
Pai Avocado & Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream, £19 / Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser, £3.79

RESCUE REMEDIES

It only adds a few more minutes to your nightime skincare routine and it is so worth it. All ladies should have a little indulgence, right? These will rehydrate any parched forehead and cheeks.

Origins Drink Up Mask, £20 / Suqqu Repair Essence, £85 /
Eve Lom Rescue Mask, £35 / Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate, £36

PUT THE SPARKLE BACK

Something we can lack is a bit of radiance during the winter months, faced with a sallow reflection in the mirror every morning we need something to make us look like we have eaten our Ready Brek. These items will have you looking like you've had a full night's worth of beauty sleep. 

Elemis eye treatment, £39 / Pai Rosehip biogenerate oil, £20 / Clarins Beauty flash balm, £27 / Superdrug Vitamin E oil, £2.99 / Jurlique radiance serum, £48 / Caudalie divine oil, £25

LIP SERVICE

Yay, we can pucker up under the mistletoe once we have slapped some of these onto our lips. I am a HUGE fan of Nivea's lip butter and it's an absolute bargain. 

Rodial Glam Balm, £19 / Nivea lip butter, £1.25 / Neal's Yard Busy Bee Balm, £6.50 / Carmex lip balm, £3.36

HEALTHY HAIR & NIFTY NAILS

Is your hair looking frazzled every morning when you arrive at work? Ours is. Slap one of these haircare products on and you can shake your long locks around like the woman of a shampoo advert. 

And don't forget to keep a handcream in your bag, we are big fans of Nurture Replenish. Your hands will be super moisturised for hours!

Organic Pharmacy hair scalp oil, £25 / Kiehls Olive Fruit oil masque, £25 / Dr Hauschka Neem hair oil, £22.95 / Garnier repair hand cream, £4.45 / Nurture replenish hand cream, £7.45

BODY BEAUTIFUL

Are your shins shedding skin every time you pull up your 80 denier tights? They won't when you slap some of this on your pins. You will smell heavenly after a shower/bath when you have smothered yourself in any of these. Abahna has got to be our No.1 favourite.

Abahna White Grapefruit & May Chang body lotion, £20 / Jo Malone body creme, £48 / Diptyque rich butter, £48

That's all of the winter essentials for our skin which we trust with our …..erm…..lives skin. Do you have a hero product? Let us know, we love to try something new which comes highly recommended.

Teresa x

What Really Makes A Woman Ugly?

What do you find ugly in a woman?

We hear the many taunts of Susan Boyle in the media and don't even bat an eyelid. Why? Because she really is ugly? Just because she isn't the 'ideal' look for a woman it would seem we find it acceptable to ridicule Susan Boyle for her appearance.

Surely the taunting of Susan Boyle is ugly in itself! And what did this innocent well-natured woman do to deserve this lack of respect? She's not nasty, she doesn't love herself and she certainly has never done anything wrong.

Think about it, what really is ugly? A person's physical appearance or a person's behaviour? Does a less-than-perfect woman deserve to be ostracised because she is not attractive?

Now lets think of this a different way - when you think of what will make you beautiful, I am sure you may wish for the following:

1.  Flawless skin
2.  A million dollar smile
3.  Long, luscious locks
4.  A fantastic body.

Women will go to great lengths to achieve these much strived for physical perfections. Only the other week we witnessed Helen Flanagan on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here sitting in the Australian jungle incessantly tapping her lips and smothering herself with fake tan whilst other campmates mocked her.

Then look at women who are on a completely different level and are obsessed with plastic surgery. Does anyone think Joan Rivers is beautiful? Probably not. Yet she is compelled to try and perfect herself no matter what the cost.

Do you think a woman only needs the four factors I listed above to be beautiful? Because I think even if you had all of these ideal features you can still be ugly. Simply because I find pretentious people ugly, I find selfish people ugly and I find deceitful people very ugly.

From a child we are taught that the baddies and the monsters are ugly. Physically they will not be pleasant to the eye but more importantly their nastiness is what frightens us the most. Whether we watched Scooby Doo or read Snow White and The Seven Dwarves we were frightened of the witches, the monsters and the wicked stepmothers.

There are only a few things which are truly ugly: people's hatred, people's ignorance and people's prejudice. So the next time you are striving to look beautiful and crying over the horrendous spot on your chin please remember what ugly really is because it aint that spot on your chin.

Teresa x

Favourite Picks from The High Street - Our Hitlist!

Hurrah, Friday is finally here. Yes it may be ruddy freezing but grab yourselves a hot cuppa and get yourselves sat down ready to take in this week's High Street Hitlist.

Topshop have bowled me over this week! Again I had to restrain myself from this becoming a Topshop Hitlist only. Get yourselves over to their website because there's way more stunning items which I have not included, notably the Sister Jane collection.

Let me know what you are coveting right now.

Teresa xx

TOPSHOP

My favourite drop from Topshop has to be this bomber jacket. I have got bit of a thing for bomber jackets at the moment, I'm probably trying to relive my 90s again. Oh and I am loving the glitter socks too, they look fab with a dress and a cute pair of heels.

Mesh Sleeve Jacquard Bomber, £50

Aztec Bead Military Shirt, £38

Spike Hard Phone Purse, £16

Green Fine Glitter Ankle Socks, £3.50

Contrast panel shirt, £36

Boucle Sweater Dress, £38

Plain Fedora, £25

Popper Front Boyfriend Coat, £89

Maisy Tbar Pointed Shoes, £32

Knitted Embellished Ray Jumper, £50

Rave Boucle Cut Out Shift, £75

Boucle Lace Collar Shift Dress, £120

Star Glitter Velvet Bodycon Dress, £38

Knitted Fairisle Yoke Jumper, £48

Geek Tee, £18

Rose Gold Geo Triangle Pendant, £12.50

ASOS

If you haven't succumbed to the dogtooth trend then take a look at this more subtle dogtooth patterned parka from ASOS. You would have to buy the hat too, it looks so good with this coat.

Premium Dogtooth Parka With Borg Lining, £95

ASOS Curve Midi Dress in Wallpaper Print, £48

Africa Coat with Detachable Gilet, £150

Teal Matte 13 inch Cambridge Satchel, £110

Pack of Two Torque Necklaces, £18

Ardent Jodhpur Ankle Boots, £30

ZARA

I really NEED to have the tartan blazer, however, I don't think I will be wearing the matching trousers at the same time. I could get mistaken for a Bay City Roller. (If you don't know who the Bay City Rollers are then ask your Mum).

Ethnic Jacquard Pattern Cardigan, £29.99

Tartan Blazer, £69.99

Plush Dress, £22.99

MISS SELFRIDGE

Lots of monochrome at this high street store, this trend is not going away any time soon. This deco sleeveless top is an absolute belter!

Monochrome Deco Vest Top, £37

Black Leather Look Coated Jean, £40

Embroidered Western Yoke Shirt, £37

OASIS

We are loving this sweet bicycle print dress, team it with an oversized cardigan, thick tights and a pair of ankle boots for an effortless and very cool casual look. 

Bicycle Print Dress, £40 reduced to £36

WAREHOUSE

Three great pieces for your wardrobes which you will definitely get your wear out of. We are massive fans of a jumper with a dainty skirt, must go and buy this!!!

Red Chiffon Hem Mini Skirt, £18

Neutal Lattice Detail Tunic, £40

Baroque Stripe Jumper, £40

MANGO

Kate Moss can make any item of clothing look sensational, fact. But anyone can rock these two items at a party especially at these prices. Absolute bargains!

Metallic Brocade Jacket, £29.99

Sequinned dress, £29.99

DOROTHY PERKINS

We are going crazy for rose gold jewellery at the moment and we are chuffed to bits that Dotty Ps have got lots of it in. Cannot wait to go and buy the stacked rings.

Black and Gold Sparkle Dress, £15

Jagged Neckwear In Rose Gold, £14

Hexagonal Stack Rings, £7.50

Rose Gold Look Spike Necklace, £10

URBAN OUTFITTERS

Apparently christmas jumpers and cardigans are selling out fast, they are this season's must-have. Thankfully there are still a few left at Urban Outfitters which is a godsend for anyone who hasn't bought theirs yet - check out this reindeer number!

Cooperative Reindeer Cardigan, £55

WHISTLES

We cannot contain ourselves when Whistles bring out a new Carrie pleated skirt, how ruddy lovely is this black one teamed with the red cheetah print top? And of course, we are drooling over the cheetah print dress with pockets below too.

Adele Colour Block Sweater, £75

Carrie Pleated Skirt, £110

Dotty Cheetah Print Dress, £95

NEW LOOK

Not a store which features very often on our High Street Hitlist nevertheless we always take a look every week to see what they have to offer. And this week they have got these rather cute earrings….

Red Crystal Embellished Earrings, £3.99
(These are part of a Buy One Get One Free Offer)

Madam Rage Black and Gold Sequin Sleeve Dress, £28

Gold Spike Chain Collar Tips, £3.99 (BOGOF)

ANTHROPOLOGIE

We are massive fans of this shop's homeware collection and this week I thought I'd have another look at their women's clothing and accessories, and I found these two little gems. How ace is the iPad case?

Bagatelle Buttondown, £58

Mayura Beaded iPad Case, £88