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Flirty Florals and Beige Linen Dresses for Spring!!

midlifeandbeyond / March 23, 2019 / 10 Comments

“Mint Velvet” Celeste Print Midi Dress – which was £119.00 is now £79.00. Check availability

Time works differently in the fashion world. While most of us are thinking of packing away our cosy woollen sweaters and suede ankle boots, designers are planning for the year ahead.

Checking out the major brands online for Spring/Summer, the dominant colours seem to be yellow, neon brights and neutrals (which I love). I’ve also noticed a lot of florals, plus, a touch of tie-die.

Style wise, there are Spring jackets plus repeated themes such as puffy sleeves – very popular in the 80’s. I remember them well!

Maybe, I’m being a little over zealous, planning which dresses I may like from the Spring outfits currently on display, while leaving the house in warm tights, woollens and big cosy coats.

But, there’s nothing wrong with having a wish list. While doing my research, I did notice some dresses I’d be excited to wear when the weather warms up. There are also some options out there that I can wear from now through till Summer.

All it takes to transform an item into a wintertime-approved piece is a little layering action with the help of turtlenecks, cardigans or tights.

“Mango” Beige Linen dress with a pop of leopard!! Click here to check availability

Now, with Springtime just around the corner, it’s time to check our wardrobes.

“Mango” beige linen dress. Styled with a “Mango” leather short jacket and ankle boots

I try to be organised in my wardrobe (not always succeeding), separating my Spring/Summer from my Autumn/Winter. I will then go through my current items and decide which clothes I am keeping, or not, as the case may be.

“Mango” beige linen dress styled with my “French Connection” tassled bag.

While perusing the internet and having a wander around the shops, I found two dresses that caught my eye, which I have recently purchased. I thought you may like to see how I have styled them.

“Mango” beige linen dress. Styled with my brown “Zara” Jacket – which was a bargain at £29.99 in the sale!!.

The first dress is the “Celeste Print Midi” from “Mint Velvet”. This is a “fit and flare” style. The print is floral. The colours are ink blue and blush pink. The dress has buttoned three-quarter sleeve cuffs, which I find so flattering. The hem has asymmetric ruffles, which, again, I find flattering and which. I must add, attracted me to it.

The second dress is from “Mango”. It’s a beige linen mix material, with a flared design and a midi length. Because of the colour, this dress is very versatile, and I know I will get a lot of wear from it – either with heels or by adding various jackets.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments.

Alison

xxx

This is not a sponsered post. All items are my own. There are however a few affiliate links. This means that I can potentially earn a small comission (At no additional cost to you). Thank you.

Revamping the kitchen and updating the lighting

midlifeandbeyond / March 13, 2019 / 6 Comments

We replaced our lighting with the Steampunk Style ‘Corinthia’ 3 Way Over Table Light in Aged Brass Finish.

We have recently been updating/improving our kitchen, so I thought you may be interested in the lighting we have replaced.

Our kitchen has seen many changes over the years. Not only in our family life, but cosmetically, too.

This is the lighting we replaced.

We had a major “refurb”, 12 years ago. This comprised: extending the side of our home (making the kitchen much bigger); installing a new kitchen suite and workbench; building a wet room; and upgrading the kitchen/adjacent patio area – enabling us to enjoy more outdoor living, in the summertime.

All of this major work could have been a seamless exercise. Instead, it nearly caused a “nervous breakdown” due to the builders we unwittingly chose. Following months of stress – plus a bout of shingles thrown in (husband!!!), for good measure – it finally got finished.

I will, in future posts, show you “before and after” shots as we made progress. For years, afterwards, I wanted to forget the journey!

Once we were free of the builders, I asked an old trusted school friend, Gary, who makes a living installing kitchens, to come and install ours. He is so talented and did a fantastic job.

The kitchen has a lot of natural daylight, due to it being South facing. We had large patio doors and a large kitchen window installed to enhance this.

The kitchen has three light sources, one being the uplighters under the kitchen units which light up half of the kitchen. Then, at the other end of the kitchen (we call it the “snug end”), we have two wall lights, controlled by a dimmer switch. This is where we eat or entertain, as it’s nice to have a relaxed low light atmosphere. Then the third source is the pair of three overhead lights at either side of the whole kitchen area.

These overhead lights are an essential feature, but do need to look just as good switched off, as switched on. Hence choosing the right ceiling light is so important when you are planning the style of your kitchen.

The main lighting that we installed when we did the refurb was looking very tired and worn. We were looking for a more on-trend, funky, mood booster of a design enhancing the look of the kitchen.

Home lighting is one of the most important factors in the decision-making process. The way that you light up your home can make or break a room and can be one of the most common mistakes that people make when planning their spaces.   The right glow can create just the right atmosphere to the all-important finishing touches.

I love low level lighting. It changes the look of a room at the flick of a switch. Subtle lighting, is generally the way forward when it comes to areas made for relaxation.

I trawled the internet and eventually found these vintage/industrial black metal pipe suspended ceiling pendants. I bought them from the “Long Life Lamp Company” and cost £42.99 per set. The picture looked amazing and just what I was looking for. I was a little apprehensive when they arrived in case they weren’t the appropriate “fit” for the kitchen – but they look great!!

The large bulbs, a main feature of the lights, can be expensive. I bought them on-line at a reasonable price (approx. £3.00 per bulb). I am very impressed with the lights – they have definitely improved the look of the kitchen. The perfect ending to my kitchen revamp – for the moment anyway.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments.

Alison

When your Hairdresser isn’t going to be around for awhile!

midlifeandbeyond / February 28, 2019 / 2 Comments

My hair is quite naturally straight. I don’t like to faff about with endless hair tools and styling sprays. So, my usual request from the hairdresser is a half head of highlights, a few long layers, and a trim. Over the years, there has been the odd variation of a bob, or more layers added – but, no major changes.

This is the powder bleach and developer that i used to lift my highlights.

My natural colour is mousy brown with some lighter shades, here and there. The texture of my hair is quite fine – but I take after my mum in that I have a lot of it. Over the years, I’ve made colour, rather than cut, my priority. This is because I have a lot of red in my hair and it can be tricky to colour. I have, on a few occasions, left the hairdressers with a strange hue, which I haven’t noticed until I’ve arrived home. Why is it your hair always looks so different in the hairdresser’s chair?

My current hairdresser is very experienced and makes her job look easy. I know a lot of training and expertise is needed and she demonstrates all of the qualities of a great hairdresser.

These are the two toners plus the developer I used to tone my highlights.

Last year, my hairdresser wasn’t available due to maternity leave – so, my hair routine altered slightly. My choices were to either find another hairdresser, or do something myself, in the interim, until she returned to work.

So, I decided to do the bare minimum with my hair to see where it would take me. I thought, to get me over the next six months, I would learn how to put several highlights on the top layer of my hair to brighten it up, hence, extending my time to need a hairdresser. I don’t have a lot of grey, so I decided I would see how I got on, with regard to touching up my roots.

To begin my research, I watched a lot of “YouTube” tutorials. I also read up on how to apply highlights using bleach and developers, and then how to tone my hair, if the result was too bright. I only wanted three highlights on either side of my parting – which I thought would be enough.

I didn’t touch my hair until November of that year (four months after my last visit)! My hairdresser had given my hair a good trim in late July, so the length was fine. I found a few helpful tutorials. I had also picked up quite a lot, over the years, watching my various hairdressers at work. I can’t say I wasn’t a little bit nervous, from the outset.

I sent away for the solutions needed, then set to work. I tested with only a few strands of hair and it looked fine. So, this spurred me on to do all six highlights.

I have used this product in the past on my temples to hide the grey. I found it to be very good.

Preparation was key. So, I separated the few highlights, securing them with small clips. Then, I applied the bleach, covering each one with tin foil. When the highlights had lifted to the honey blonde I was after, I whipped the foil off and washed my hair – not applying conditioner, as per the instructions. Then, I brushed my hair out and applied the toner to my new highlights, which left them a nice wheat shade.

As previously mentioned, I don’t tend to get too many greys. So, in December, I did buy a Clairol root touch up (hair dye) – and, with a small paint brush, I applied it on a few greys around my temples. But, I could have just left them as there weren’t too many and they honestly looked OK.

It did cross my mind to stop fighting the natural ageing process in favour of letting my silver strands shine through. And, seeing as there’s not a lot of grey showing, I may just leave them, in the future. The general reaction to going grey is very positive and natural. I admire women who have decided to let their coloured hair grow out and go “au naturel”. I’ve heard the growing out phase can be a little tricky. But, once the natural highlights of silver are through, as I have seen on some women, it can look so stunning!!

Of course, we are almost into March 2019, and I have had my usual half head of highlights done, as well as a much-needed trim.

I still may do my own hair, now and again, as it means I can stall the return to the hairdressing salon by at least four weeks – saving myself a little money. And, it feels quite liberating, too.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as I can. If you would like to check my hair out, you can take a look at some images on my Instagram page. I started Instagram in August 2018 – so you will be able to see some “before and after” images. Please follow the link for Instagram on my homepage.

Alison

Styling a Classic Checked Midi Skirt.

midlifeandbeyond / February 4, 2019 / 10 Comments

When you’re browsing on the internet or looking through a magazine for fashion inspiration, and you see an item of clothing that really catches your eye, you either go to the website and buy it, or look for something similar and within budget. Especially, if the item is too expensive – which sometimes can be the case.

Winter White woollen coat from "French Connection".

I saw a picture, online, of a Midi skirt and loved the rich colours and check design. So, after doing some detective work, I spotted this Mango skirt and immediately sent for it. It’s a lovely light wool and the colours are khaki and brown tones with buttons down the front.

There are, of course, so many different ways you can style this skirt. These versatile colours allow me to wear the skirt with a neutral colour palette or bolder, contrasting tones. This skirt, for me, is a classic piece that I can wear, for many years to come.

The Midi is my favourite length – I find it very flattering for me. This skirt is a timeless classic. During this season, there couldn’t be a more perfect fabric. To me, it oozes femininity and style. It’s great, either dressed up with heels or knee-high boots, or simply dressed down and casual, with ankle boots.

Winter White woollen coat from “French Connection”.

Here, I have matched my skirt with a – winter white – “French Connection” coat, a pop of red cashmere, completing the look with long black leather boots..I really love neutral tones as they add a timeless and sophisticated look, particularly when worn together.

I have also added a faux fur “French Connection” gilet (below), along with a timeless cashmere sweater from Marks and Spencer to complete the look.

“French Connection” Faux fur Gilet

“Mango” Leather Bomber Jacket……..Here, I’m wearing long black leather boots with a short leather biker jacket, also from Mango

“Mango” Leather Bomber Jacket

“Zara” Double Breasted Brown Jacket

I bought this brown jacket, recently, in the “Zara” sale. It was reduced from £119.00 to £29.99 – I couldn’t believe my luck!! I know I will get a lot of wear out of it.

Thank you for your time and I hope you found the post helpful and informative!

Please leave a message if you have any questions.

Please note that this blog post contains no gifted items, but may contain some affiliate links. All of the items are my own.

Alison xx

Brown Leather Knee High Boots from “Marks & Spencer”

Cashmere Oatmeal Jumper from “Marks & Spencer”

Cashmere Oatmeal Jumper from “Marks & Spencer”

A few styles you might like for Autumn/Winter.

midlifeandbeyond / January 19, 2019 / 5 Comments

Apologies – a belated “Happy New Year” to everyone.

A few styles you might like for Autumn/Winter

I have never made New Year resolutions. But, I always like to begin the year with a positive mindset.

I like to keep busy and plan and prioritise my activities. Because having a few things to look forward to keeps us all ticking along and is good for our mental wellbeing – it can’t be all work and no play.

2018 wasn’t a bad year for my family – thank goodness!! For me, health is the most important thing, so as far as that is concerned, it wasn’t an “annus horribilis”.

I have only been doing this blog for a short while, and while loving it, I’m still finding my feet. I will continue for as long as it makes me happy and gives me some fun, which is the main reason I started it. I may not be doing it as habitually as others, but I am just taking small steps at a time.

In a year or two, I may be blogging a lot more – who knows what is around the corner? But, this has to fit in with my family and work. I am also only posting when I believe I have something worthwhile to show, or talk about.

I do love fashion – so here are a few items that I have enjoyed wearing over the last couple of months. And, I know I will go on wearing them. Some items are from the back of my wardrobe that, thank goodness, I haven’t thrown out! And, I still love them! For example, the “Monsoon” skirt. I have taken a few photos for Instagram, and quite a few people have remarked on it.

Thank you for your time and I hope you found the post helpful and informative!

Alison xx