Ring a Ring a Rose Gold (and diamonds!)

Here it is, my beautiful engagement ring! It's rose gold, diamond paved with a round brilliant cut centre diamond. I'm in love, I can't stop staring at it!

My fiancé proposed in December but wisely used a stand in ring, still beautiful just not a diamond (they're the real deal sealers!). We'd actually had the odd hypothetical, very roundabout conversation, about rings and getting engaged. In amongst those he'd asked something along the lines of 'if you were ever one day maybe going to get married what kind of ring would you sort of want?' 

To say I was undecided is an understatement! I'm the girl who has trouble picking what I'm going to eat in a restaurant and tells the waiter 'two more minutes' three times!! So, you can imagine the difficulty I have selecting the most meaningful thing I'll ever wear. Given how many times I've changed my mind since we got engaged it's a good job he let me choose!

At first I couldn't even settle on a shape let alone the 'four Cs' (cut, colour, clarity, carat). A family friend is a jeweller and told me round brilliants reflect the highest percentage of light back and thus sparkle more.

Now...if there's one thing I did know, it was that I wanted my ring to sparkle!

Since sparkle was highest on my priorities I opted for the best cut, colour and clarity possible rather than a very large size (carats) diamond. After selecting the diamond, we then ordered a platinum setting but I realised I hardly ever wear silver and I wasn't really sure why I was getting a silver toned ring...?! I think I'd chosen platinum because that's the 'in' colour these days.

I finally decided I wanted a slightly more individual style ring so we had the halo setting custom made in rose gold. I love the softer more neutral tone of it as opposed to yellow gold of silver/platinum. As you've probably noticed, my taste is quite feminine, so this delicate style is perfect for me. The band is paved with diamonds and the centre stone is circled with them too so whilst it isn't chunky it's still very eye-catching. 

As soon as the diamond was set this weekend, I fell in love, I can't explain how pure and white the centre diamonds look! I wish I could do my ring justice through photos but no matter how hard I try I can't capture just how sparkly it is.

My rose gold diamond engagement ring - New best friend, there's truth in the saying!

I tried to get a few shots of the ring on my hand today but in the end the photos I took using my iPhone on Saturday, right after I got it are much better. You'd be surprised how hard diamonds are to photograph! You'll be seeing it plenty of times in outfit posts from now on though!

Choosing my ring was definitely one of my most difficult decisions to date. Every detail comes down to personal preference and although it would have been a darn sight easier if my fiancé had chosen one for me, now that I have my ring I'm so glad he didn't!

So, what do you think, would you ever choose rose gold? Would you like to pick your own ring or do you prefer the idea that your husband to be selects it?

xxx

Distractions & Blog Awards

Yesterday evening was so nice here that my fiancé and I decided to head out for a coffee and yummy gelato followed by a lovely walk in the park again. So, since I'd not been able to blog yesterday, I came home today with the strict intention to write a great blog post. Now, sitting here at 11.30pm I'm wondering what happened? Where did my time go and why is it that I get so dang distracted sometimes?!

I often imagine how much more could I accomplish in life if I didn't allow myself to become distracted but rather focused on the task in hand.

Continuing the procrastination (because it's what I do), I've come up with a list of common hinderances to my productivity levels:

A Beary Good Friday Night

How great are weekends?! The only complaint I have about them is how quickly they always pass. On Friday nights, even though half the time we'd love nothing more than to just crash out on the couch with a bottle of wine, my fiancé and I always try to go out and do something. It really helps to make the weekend feel a little longer. Last night, since it was a really nice evening here, we went for a stroll to the park and then for a few glasses of wine and dinner al fresco! 

I really struggle to dress appropriately when it comes to doing something like that though. Dinner and drinks calls for smarter attire than the walking around the park part, don't you agree?! Anyway, after a lot of uming and ahing about it, I opted for my new floral skirt from F21 with my beige linen blazer from Zara. A white vest, some gold flat sandals and one of my favourite vintage clutch bags to pull the look together. 

The quality of some photos isn't fantastic, sorry...but that's because they were all snapped on my brand new iPhone!! Yeeeeeaaaah! :)

Floral skirt - F21.  White watch - DKNY.  Nails - OPI 'Shorts Story'.

Gold Sandals - F21 : Only place currently stocking my size in Korea :'( Steve's trainers - Salvatore Ferragamo.

Hello Sunshine!

After weeks of waiting for it to warm up here Spring finally came and in the blink of an eye, summer has too. The seasons in Korea always seem to change very suddenly, no more than two weeks ago I was wrapping up with jackets and scarves, now I'm peeling off layers and exposing some seriously pasty legs to the world. 

Apart from feeling like I'm almost glowing white, I couldn't be happier about the arrival of summer!

I'm excited about dressing for the warmer weather. Winter is layers, dark colours, wrapping up against the weather and feeling constricted. I'm ready for summer now, the florals, the bright color combinations and easy feminine styles. Summer dressing is somehow more effortless and relaxed. I can't wait to delve into my wardrobe and start wearing my floaty blouses, long and flowing maxi dresses, cute camis and wedges with frilly skirts. 

I welcomed in the first of the hazy summer days by going for a picnic in the park wearing the easiest, most timeless summer classic, the blue denim skirt. 

No, it's not cutting edge fashion. No, it's not a 'wow' piece. Actually, it's nothing special but that's where the beauty of it is, in it's simplicity!

It's relaxed, dependable, comfortable and versatile. You can wear a denim skirt almost any way you want. Since we were only heading to the park I paired mine with a white embroidered blouse, some bright accessories and picked up the handbag that happened to currently have all my junk in it. 

Casual and easy.

Bring on the warm summer evening strolls, fun weekends spent at the beach, dining al fresco, lazing around in the park with a picnic and a bottle of wine... Oh, and a tan....please!

Spring Haul: Wardrobe Re-style

Cherry blossoms below my apartment. 

Spring has finally sprung here and I've been turning my wardrobe upside down trying to put together outfits suitable for the suddenly warm weather. Of course, even though I have more than enough clothing, somehow I feel like I have nothing to wear, it's all old! I'm sure you've all stood and looked at your wardrobe and thought that at least once or twice right?!

If you saw the room that has become my walk-in closet you'd know I really don't need to go out and start buying a whole new spring wardrobe though. I decided to go out and pick up just a couple of new items to try and shake the idea of doing just that. The aim being to re-invigorate what I already have instead. Sometimes I find that just by getting a few new things I suddenly have so many more options incorporating older clothes.

Since Zara always has a habit of sucking my bank balance dry and is 20-30% more expensive here in Korea (talk about adding insult to injury!), I made a pact with myself not to go near it. Instead I headed to H&M and Forever 21, both much more wallet friendly. Turns out there's a fair amount of stuff I liked in there too...surprise, surprise!! I managed to exercise a little restraint though, a pretty amazing feat for me!

Here's the items I decided could re-invigorate my wardrobe for spring:

Cream Dipped High Low Hem Dress - F21. This is my favourite buy, I'm sure it'll become my 'go to' summer dress.
It'll work for evening or dressed down with sandals and tan accessories for a summer day.

Black Short Flared Skirt - H&M. A basic staple that'll work with so many tops and jackets, again day or night.
Big floppy hat - Forever 21. These babies add glamour and style to just about any outfit.

Purple and Blue Floral Skirt - H&M. Bright, summery and a very cute option for day with sandals or dressed up with some wedges for a summer evening out.

Accessories can absolutely make or break any outfit so of course I had to pick up a few new options.
Turquoise Headband, spiked bracelet and gold bangles - F21. Long tassled necklace - H&M.

These few additions have really helped to refresh my wardrobe and the way I'm looking at it. I feel like I can combine the new items with older pieces to make lots of brand new outfits now!

The Ugly Duckling

I'm camera-less currently (it's in the service centre) and I found out yesterday that I'll be staying this way until Monday, unless anyone has a spare one laying around?!

As a result I haven't been able to take any new photos this week and it's put a bit of a dampener on my blogging. Nothing too fun about a picture-less post is there?!

Well, this evening I decided to have a little dig through some of my old pics and see what I had. Boy oh boy that was a treat!! I found a couple of real gems, many of which aren't fit for the blogsphere to be honest. The pic above was a bit of fun Steve and I had with Photo Booth when I first got my Mac. It has to be done once! I'm going to put together a little selection of some of my favourite old snaps and post that tomorrow.

In the meantime, I have a one time photo treat for you lovelies! I actually don't want it polluting my main screen. To be honest, I'm not even sure why I'm going to show you! But here I am doing it anyway... if you're curious, click below to see the photo in question.

I Wore: Sporty Sundays

Since we moved to Songdo, a city with a lot of outdoor space and some beautiful parks, located just an hour away from Seoul, I find myself having to dress casually more often than before. Of all the days I have to get dressed for, the ones I struggle with the most are the casual ones. Dressing to go out for a long walk with the possibility of an impromptu bike ride, or (god forbid!) a jog, is more of a challenge to me than dressing for just about any other occasion. 

Lilac hooded sweater - GAP. White canvas pumps - Vans. And a giant teacup, yep.

Loose fit 'love' tee - F21. Glasses & scarf - Korean stores. 

And The Winner Is... Deborah Lippmann Giveaway

The Deborah Lippmann Giveaway is closed now and there is a winner! It took me a while to get one because for the sake of being fair I had to write everyones names down to give you all the entries you'd made. That's because, once again (you'd really think I'd learn!) I forgot to go about my giveaway in an organised fashion. Somebody pleeeease remind me to use Rafflecopter for my next giveaway!

I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who follows me and to those who have entered! Even though there can only be one winner I'm still so grateful for each and every one of you who make blogging fun and worthwhile for me with your comments and opinions on my posts! Thanks for taking the time to stop  by my little piece of internet! I wish there could be lots of winners but there'll be more giveaways in the not too distant future!

Without any further ado, I am so pleased to announce the winner of this giveaway is Jasmine from  La Bella Vita! Congratulations sweetie!!

If you don't already know who Jasmine is make sure you take a look at her blog. She's such a beautiful, friendly girly who writes lots of cute posts and also very inspiring and motivational ones too! Go check her blog out!

Jasmine - please drop me an e-mail with your postal address and your favourite two polishes then I can get them sent to you. I understand that it could be a hard choice to make (so many pretty colours to choose from!!) so if you need to, take your time ;)

xxx

PS: I think Candy Shop (above) could be perfect for you, it's very pink and sparkly... it's still my personal fave! :)

Sort Of Blond Ombré -ish Hair. Maybe. Or Not.

Here is is...my new hair! What do you think?

I'm still not sure about it, as I mentioned just after I'd had it done, I don't think the ombre is as defined as I would have liked it to be. To me it looks a bit like a slightly more blended version of my regular hair with a few too many weeks of root!! Whilst I was after a very subtle ombre, and not the kind that looks like your hair is half and half, I do think it could have done with going a little further down my head. I suppose the beauty of this style is that the colour can grow in rather than growing out though so it'll look better with a bit of time I think.

For some reason on photos it doesn't look quite as blended as it does in person but here's a few more awkward shots taken at dinner this evening to give you an idea of what my 'sort-of-ombre' hair looks like!

Sort of a blond ombre style.... then again...maybe I just paid for roots.

When I was at the salon I stocked up on my usual hair products (Kerastase Nutritive shampoo and conditioner and their deep conditioning treatment, Masquintense). I also made a new purchase, Kerastase Elixir Ultime. It's a 'beautifying oil' which is supposed to nourish, strengthen and protect hair along with smoothing it and adding shine. Lots of work for this little gold bottle!

Because of colouring and styling I really struggle to keep my hair in even half decent condition so I'm all for anything that can help. I believe investing in high quality hair care products is really important, after all, you wear your hair every day! I'm hoping the Elixir is going to do what it says on the tin. So far I can report it smells amazing and seems to add some shine but I'll write a post about whether it does the rest after I've used it for a little while.

What do you use to keep your hair in good condition, do you have any great recommendations?

Bunnies, Chicks and Eggs - Easter's here!

Hello Lovelies! I thought I'd say a very quick hello and wish you all a happy Easter!

I had a bit of spare time yesterday afternoon so I thought a little Easter themed nail art would be fun. A few little chicks and the easter bunny sprang to mind as a cute idea, what else could be better for Easter?!!

I used the regular nail polish brush to do the main shape of the bunny (the white part) and chicks (the yellow). I added details like the beaks and bunny's nose using toothpicks dipped in polish. The eyes were just a dot of black with a smaller dot of white on top.

One of the best things about living in Korea is that nail art like this is quite normal, whereas in England some people might think it was a bit too cutesy or childish, here I can wear it with total pride! Today at the hairdresser a few people complimented me on them and one woman asked which nail place I'd had them done. I'm not sure they look that good but I can't deny I was pretty chuffed when she said that, I gave myself a little pat on the back! Clearly it was an afternoon well spent!

As for how my hair went...

I took the plunge and had a slight ombre look done but I'm not sure about it just yet! I feel like it's not actually defined enough, which funnily, is the exact opposite problem to what I was worrying about. Typical, huh?!

I'm going to wash it and style it myself tomorrow to try and make my mind up on it. Does anyone else find that your hair can look so different once you've done it yourself?

Happy Easter everyone, I hope you have a lovely weekend!

xxx

Behind The Times - Ombre Yey or Nay?

I need your help! I am about a year late on this one but....with what feels like the constant annoyance of my roots, I've been thinking of a change - possibly a slight ombre?! This softer ombre is technically Balayage, a technique where they paint the colour on to your hair. Ombre and balayage hair is a trend that's been everywhere for quite some time now but it doesn't seem to have gone away just yet either. 

Whilst I'm not really a fan of the very strong ombre effect I have started to consider maybe a slight blond ombre hair-do is the answer to my root woes?! I seriously feel I barely get two weeks out of my solid blonde look before I'm back to having a dark line down the middle of my head. We've all spotted it in my photos I'm sure (No, I don't already have ombre hair, at least not the intentional kind!). I hate it.

Part of my brain thinks getting my hair ombred (is that the term? not sure...) is the lazy way out and the other part totally accepts that it is and in-fact loves the idea for that very reason. I'm envisaging that 'I just spent a month on the beach' kind of look. Here's a few inspiration shots of the kind of ombre I'm considering...

Whitney Port & Kaley Cuoco - Beautiful Blond Ombre

Slightly darker ombre - AnnaLynn McCord & Bar Rafaeli

...and some mere mortals rocking the look. Nice to know you don't have to be a celeb for it to look good!

So, here's the thing, I have an appointment for a cut and colour tomorrow morning!

Now...if I was a normal person I could just go there, ask the colourist to give it a shot, see what I thought for a few weeks and then get it changed back if I didn't like it. 

Saaaaaadly, that plan just DOES NOT fly with me!

You see, I have a slight phobia of having my hair done. I wrote a post a while back, 'Getting To The Root Of The Problem' about my anxiety over having my hair done and where it stems from. So considering a new colour/style is a massive decision for me! I'm quite concerned that it could end up too dark and a bit grungy for my style or I might feel it looks unkempt? Or...am I simply just way too late to get on this bandwagon??

So, I'm turning to you ladies and hoping you'll help me decided by giving me some advice....

What do you think of the Ombre/Balayage look?

Have you tried it and if so, what are your thoughts, do you like it? Any tips?

Most importantly, do you think I should try it or not?

xxx

Rockin' My Nightie & Khaki On A Grey Sunday

Yesterday was the first day since arriving back in Korea that my fiancee and I got time to just relax. No jobs, no unpacking (that's all done, finally!) and no work. The weather was grey and blustery, so nursing a little bit of a hangover, we decided to go for a casual late brunch and a drive around our new neighbourhood to get to know it a little better.

I wore a new t-shirt and jacket that I got a few days ago in Forever 21. I was supposed to be shopping for apartment stuff but I couldn't help having a browse, I missed F21 whilst I was in England!

The jacket is very lightweight and is made of 100% cotton - rather surprisingly for F21 - who are usually purveyors of polyester!! I know it's going to be something I'll be slinging on over lots of different things as the weather continues to get warmer.

The t-shirt is long, loose and slinky which is probably because it's actually supposed to be nightwear (sshhhhhh!) but I decided I like it too much to confine it to my bedroom! Don't tell anyone and I'll just keep hoping I don't get seen by anyone who knows it's a nightie!

Turquoise Ring & Bracelets - Accessorize

Khaki Jacket - Forever 21. Black Oversized Tote Handbag - Bally

Diamante Encrusted Ballerina Pumps - Zara

Mini Coconut Meringue - Little bites of heaven to me :)

Good day wear, no?! 'In Love' nightdress t-shirt - Forever 21. Sunglasses (not for sun but to hide tired eyes) - Gucci.

Since the apartment is just about finished now I've got much more time for blogging again so I'll show you a few photos of things I've been up to and my new place later this week.

In the meantime....how did you spend your weekend?  Leave a link if you wrote a post about it, I love seeing what everyone did. Also, please click to follow me on Bloglovin and 'like' my Facebook page, I only have a few Facebook Friends :(

xxx

EDIT: I'm told my GFC box isn't working again. If you would like to follow me
...click HERE!

Alive and Kicking - Although It's Been A While...

It's been what feels like an eternity in the blog world; a whole week has passed since I was last here and although a blog post didn't happen in that time a lot of other things have.... I moved back to Korea, I've found a new apartment, almost finished unpacking all my clothes (my goodness I knew I shopped a lot but bloody hell I have a lot of clothes!!) and after spending seven days feeling like an addict without my crack, I finally got my drug back. Yes that's right people, I have Internet in my apartment! I have re-joined the modern world!!

So, I'm hoping to get back to more of the usual in the coming days. I haven't really had time for snapping over the last week but I did take a few pics just before I left England when I ventured out for my last brunch with one of my friends.

Blazer - Topshop. Purple Floral Tea Dress - New Look.

Bracelet - F21. Sunglasses - Chloe.

Bag - Miu Miu. Boots - New Look.

There's that scarf again, bet you're getting sick of the sight of it!

I'm already missing my friends and the English food but I'm really enjoying catching up with everyone back in Korea and I really love our new apartment! I'm going to try and get some pictures to show you it soon.

Sorry this is only a quick post, I have so much to sort out here (if you've ever moved house before you'll know the chaos!) but I wanted to say hello to all you lovelies and let you know I'm still alive. That's assuming you actually noticed I was gone!! 

xxx