Dressed to Impress with Samuel Windsor

When it comes to men's clothing, it is usually me that purchases the majority of clothing for my hubby, mainly because he absolutely hates shopping in all its forms and because he happens to be colourblind to the point where the answer is usually "You are not wearing those together".  Having been challenged to pick an outfit from Samuel Windsor, where there is currently a sale, I found it much harder than I had anticipated.  If you haven't come across them before, Samuel Windsor specialises in quality formal menswear, available both online and from their mail order catalogues.  

Samuel Windsor isn't a brand I am too familiar with, in fact, I have never ever purchased an item from the website ever.  What I like is how easy it is to navigate your way around, each category is clearly labelled, so should you be looking for shirts, jumpers or jeans, you will be able to find them without spending hours looking through hundreds of pages.

I had £75 to spend which had to include postage and packaging, so I set about looking at the items I thought the mister would wear and of course, I sent him the link to the site to have a look at some items too.  

Always complaining he cannot find his scarf, the first page I went too was the accessories page to look at the scarves on offer.

I quickly opted for the Grey Pure Lambswool Scarf (£15) which is incredibly soft to the touch and large enough to be wrapped around the neck and tucked into your coat to keep warm.

Next comes trousers and I couldn't decide whether or not to get some smart chino type trousers or opt for something less formal which would get more wear such as Jeans, so I chose the Stretch Jeans in Indigo (£20) as the black was out of stock in the size I needed.

What I liked about being able to choose jeans was the option to choose leg size as well as that for the waist - when you have a hubby who is just over 6ft tall, finding jeans on the high street which fit his leg size, as well as his skinny waist, is exhausting at times. Featuring a 98% cotton and 2% elastane construction, so they have a slight stretch to the fabric when worn.  They have a zip and button fastening and feature two pockets on the front and back of the jeans.

At this time of the year, with the weather still being really chilly, you can never have too many jumpers and pieces of knitwear, but for work, they need to be smart.  So between the two of us, we chose two jumpers.  The first jumper is the one I chose and it is a classic black button neck jumper (£19) and I was drawn to it for its waffle knit pattern because it looks warm and cosy.  

Made from 50% cotton and 50% wool-mix, I opted for the large size using the guide given by Samuel Windsor and it is the perfect fit in both the body and the sleeve, with enough room to wear a T-shirt underneath for added warmth.  The buttons can be worn open or fastened depending on preference.

The second jumper is the one the mister chose for himself and it features the Argyle Pattern and is in the colours Wine and Grey (£17.50). 

Again made from a 50% cotton and 50% wool-mix, this jumper has a v-neck finish and opting for the size large, it again gives enough room to wear a T-shirt underneath.

What we have found since ordering from Samuel Windsor is that the clothing is really good quality, the jumpers are soft on the skin, the jeans fit snuggly without being too tight and the scarf is definitely a winner, especially with the cold weather spell we are currently experiencing.  I am also impressed with the price of clothing and despite the postage and packaging being £5.95, if you order before 3pm on any given day (excluding Sunday) your package is ready to be sent the same day.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

My Bathroom Renovation

The one room of my home I have always hated the most, yet spend a lot of my time in, was the bathroom. I never liked the tiles, the colour scheme or the bulky, poorly made vanity unit around the sink. It was a nightmare to keep clean, one of those tiles was wonky and the grouting was uneven. Yet spending an hour or more in there every weekend in the bath relaxing is something I absolutely loved doing. 

I wrote a post (here) about beginning a bathroom renovation, they don’t come cheap, so it was something we started saving up for. Watching a lot of home renovation shows is a guilty secret especially the American Home shows - they often advise you to have home warranty plans in place such as those offered by First American Home Warranty whereas here, our home insurance is vital particularly when it comes down to keeping our appliances and systems updated.

As always when you start to save, something more pressing pops up and needs replacing - the hoover, the washing machine and the bed collapsing didn’t really help - the latter is still on the list to be replaced, but one day it will happen. However, the issue of a bathroom renovation became much more of a priority than a new bed and it has now been completed but it wasn’t without a whole lot of stress.

The flat above mine helped move the process of a bathroom renovation along a little because of a leak coming from their bathroom down in to mine. Have you ever had that feeling of knowing you can hear dripping water, but can never find the source of that leak? Well, this had been happening for some time to me, laying back in the bath to relax and all you can hear is 'drip, drip drip', the kind of noise that really annoys me.  Anyway, I checked every possible source within the flat to see if I had a dripping tap or pipe and found nothing.  Then one day whilst washing my face, I felt a drop of water fall on to my head, looked up and it was coming from my ceiling. 

That leak quickly became 12litres of water into a bucket, which over the course of a weekend I emptied twice.  To add to that stress, a hole in my bathroom ceiling appeared, it started around the size of a 50p and then parts of the plaster started to fall off, as well as that we had more water running down the hallway walls, across the top of my front door and eventually the door, which was wooden, became so warped we couldn't shut it properly. Water creates a lot of issues and quickly paints starts bubbling, wood begins to rot and mould appears on all surfaces, especially if it is left.  So finally, due to one reason and another, we had no option but to claim on the insurance and get quotes for the damage to be fixed. At this point, it is worth checking any home insurance policy you have for the amount of excess you are liable for and what is and what is not covered. The insurance claim in itself is incredibly stressful as we had a loss adjuster come round to ask questions and see the damage for themselves and it was quite a relief for someone who is neutral to see the damage and see what a mess we had had to live in for 6 weeks. Once we heard back about our claim, we made the decision to renovate the entire bathroom using the funds we had saved so far, it made more sense and we had the budget to do it, rather than just replace the ceiling, replaster the walls, get a new sink and then paint, when eventually we would have to re-tile, put in a new bath and toilet anyway.

Choosing a bathroom suite is much harder than I first thought and anyone who follows me on Instagram might remember my outbursts at why when you want to buy a bathroom suite half the time it doesn’t include a bath or a shower, the suite is now a toilet and a sink - frustrating beyond measure plus most bathroom suites don't come with fixture and fittings, so they are an extra too. I spent hour upon hour looking, measuring and searching for something that would fit into our bathroom and eventually found something I loved the style of and that would fit right - Victoria Plumbing saving the day and being able to deliver on a Saturday without charging me an extortionate amount of money. A few days later the bathroom suite arrived with the most helpful of delivery man and it was packaged incredibly well and not a single item was damaged, cracked or smashed.

I mentioned how much I hated the previous tiles, so this time I was determined to get ones I really liked. We had decided that the tiles would be grey, not too fancy or too plain. So off we went to B&Q who happened to have a sale on and we picked up floor and wall tiles for less than half price and instead of going for your more traditional white grouting, we went for dark grey. The walls we decided would be plain white, they had been light blue before, a shade we went for to cover up the luminous yellow it had been before. 

If you have never renovated a bathroom before but are thinking of doing your own then I have some tips to share with you. 

1. The budget, the most obvious of all. Have a look around online and in-store to see what prices you might be expected to pay, they differ a lot but it gives you an idea as to what is out there.  After that, whoever installs your new bathroom, even if it isn't a full renovation, it comes with a cost.  The same goes for dispensing with your old bathroom furniture, how much does that cost and where is it going?
2. Measuring - ensure that you measure your space properly. Baths come in all different shapes and sizes and the length and the width will matter. So with your bathroom, you need to measure the base of your toilet, it’s height and this goes for your sink as well. All those extra centimetres and millimetres matter.
3. Toilet - Now this might sound very odd, but where your toilet resides is important because that is where it will stay unless you are literally removing absolutely everything and starting over because that waste pipe which connects to your toilet is important and it costs a lot of money to move it.
4. Tiles - if you are tiling the wall or the floor - how much are you tiling and what is the per metre square measurement? Tiles are usually sold in boxes of 8-12 tiles which will give you a per M2 allowing you to work out how many boxes you need. Important to ensure you buy an extra box in case of damages. 
5. Finally your extras. I mentioned I wanted somewhere to house my lotions and potions and whilst you can buy an abundance of shelving for the bathroom, I wanted to limit it.  We opted for a mirror on the wall which isn't too fancy and fits nicely above the sink.  Then we decided to opt for one glass shelf and a rail to hang towels on underneath that shelf.  Sadly, we had no room for a towel heater, but in its place, we have a single white tallboy cupboard which hides all the lotions, potions, cleaning products, toilet rolls and other toiletries.  Again, all of this comes under number one with budgeting.

However, the most important part of any renovation is to ensure you have a trustworthy to fit your new bathroom. We are lucky enough to have a family friend who did ours, but you need someone reputable and qualified because it could end up costing you a whole lot more.

In total from start to finish, our bathroom took around 5 and a half weeks to be completed and considering this involved some re-wiring, a new ceiling, re-plastering of all the walls, painting, glossing, installation of a new floor, new bathroom suite, new lights and a new extractor fan in the middle of Autumn, it is quite something. As you can see we kept it simple with a grey and white theme and whilst it is a small space, it looks so much bigger than it did before.  All we have left to fit is a shower screen if I can ever find one that works!

As you can imagine, I am just so happy with how it looks, I love the colour scheme and it is now my happy place.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

theBalm What's Your Type Black Mascara

There is one item of makeup that I never leave the house without, it would mascara and I am always on the hunt for the next best thing.  Over the last year, I have really enjoyed getting to know theBalm as a brand has featured the Mad Lash Black Mascara which I am a huge fan of.  Today I am sharing 'What's Your Type' which is another black mascara. 

I am quite picky when it comes to the formula of a mascara which is possibly why I have only found so few that I actually like to use. 

Give lashes the ultimate lift! Formulated with vitamin E, Panthenol and bamboo, our volumizing mascara strengthens and conditions. Layer an extra coat (or two) and push lashes to the max!

I have fairly long eyelashes, so any mascara which has an overly wet formula is not going to work for me as I always feel as though my lashes are being dragged down, so that is always my first issue with mascara. I also don't want a wand that is too thick, I just cannot work with them and find they aid clumping.  The one mascara wand I have always loved is by Benefit from Rollerlash, but I wasn't too big a fan of the formula towards the end of the tube, so I kept the wand.

With theBalm this mascara is a really dark black shade, one of the deepest black mascaras I have ever tried and oddly, I really like it.  The formula is a little on the watery side, to begin with, but after a few uses, it does change and it does get a whole lot better to use. On the lashes, because it is slightly on the watery side, it makes it really easy to use and with no clumping.

The wand, as you can see is long but quite thin and it has fairly short bristles, though not the shortest I have ever used. The bristles are packed quite close together and what you find is that the brush holds just enough product without the need to add more or remove any excess.  

The best part of this mascara is its staying power, once I have applied the mascara in a morning, usually, about 8am before leaving for work, I find that come mid-afternoon it is still in place, it hasn't budged, smudged or flaked off my lashes and considering it isn't a waterproof mascara, I find it is impressive.  Also, because it isn't a waterproof mascara, it is really easy to remove with Micellar water or your usual eye makeup remover.  

As you can probably tell, this mascara has been a huge hit with me and it is one I would definitely purchase. Priced around £15 you can get it from Amazon* and the rest of theBalm products can be found on Lookfantastic.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Brushworks Precision Eye & Brow Brush Set

I featured several products from the Brushworks brand here on my blog a few times in recent years with the HD Oval Brush Set and HD Miracle Silicone Shaped Sponge and today I have the Brushworks Precision Eye & Brow Brush Set, a special Unicorn version with this amazing pink and turquoise design, which you can't help but love.

Brushworks, if you have never come across them before are an award-winning beauty brand who has an extensive range of makeup brushes, beauty tools and accessories, all of which are available from Tesco with prices starting around £5.49. The Brushworks Precision Eye & Brow Brush Set and pink case which retails for £19 and it has five brushes which are you definitely need within your stash.

“Our HD eye & brow set contains a selection of 5 essential brushes. Created to blend, highlight, contour & define your eyes and brows.”

What I love about these brushes, aside from their colour, is how easy they are to hold and use owing to the indents on the ferrules, the five brushes within this set are:

• Eye Shading Brush – Designed for the entire eyelid, the wide semi-circle brush head complements the shape of your eyelid. Perfect for applying your base shadow powder or cream.
• Eyeshadow Blending Brush – A fluffy dome-shaped brush head that offers precision and control. Disperse and blend harsh lines for a smooth transition of colour.
• Angled Liner Brush – Create sharp lines with powder gel liners or shadows. Achieve defined lines with the hand-cut short firm bristles, use the angled flat edge to pack colour close to the lash line.
• Pencil Brush – Densely packed bristles target small hard to reach areas, placing shadow exactly where you need it. The perfect brush for brightening the inner corners of the eye, adding finishing touches or precise blending.
• Smudge Brush – Short tapered bristles densely packed to hold plenty of shadow. Designed to fit alongside the lash line, the tapered end simply smudges shadow and liner to achieve a smokey eye look.

The accompanying pink metallic brush case is a nice addition to this brush collection, I found it hidden at the back of the box and it is really handy for keeping the brushes together and for protecting them as you travel.

For just £19, these brushes are a bargain especially if you like pretty brushes, but ones which are easy to use.  Do you have a favourite brand of makeup brush?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.