Packing for my Central American holiday!

This evening consisted of me running around in the house, trying to remember everything I needed to pack for my holiday. Passport, money, tickets, adapters... and some nice clothes of course! Very important ;)
Here are a few of the things I'm taking with me to Mexico...

1 A simple but cute, strapless red dress.
2 Comfy walking saldals - very important for when going out to explore the area. These were my best friends in Rome last year.
3 Travel adapters. I don't know what sort of plugs they have in Central America, so I'm bringing them all!
4 Book; "Stolen" by Lesley Pearse - something to entertain myself with when lying in the sunchair
5 My favourite perfume - Ralph Lauren (the blue one). Smells just lovely! :)
6 Bikini. Essential!!! I was given this cute bikini by fellow blogger Top Style Advice. Thank you!
7 My trusty ghd straighteners. My hair has a tendency to turn into a birds nest when on holiday, with the salty water and sand and all, so my ghd is my savior.
8 Comfy linen shorts - I went a bit crazy and bought these shorts in 3 different colours!
9 Strappy going out sandals with a wedge heel.
10 Another (hopefully) great book. I absolutely love reading when I'm on holiday :) This one is "The other hand" by Chris Cleave

Things I WISH I could pack in my suitcase for this holiday...
A girl is never happy when it comes to holiday clothes, is that not right? You can never have enough, and even if you've bought everything essential for your trip, you always find more things you want.
I recently discovered the online/airport shop Holiday Wardrobe, and they've got some lovely items in store. Why, why, why did I not know about this shop a month or so ago?! I've spotted a few items I would love to have had packed in my suitcase...

Beaded Aztek kaftan - £14.99 (Sale! Was £24.99)

 I've never been much for kaftans before, but this beaded Aztek kaftan is just gorgeous! It would have been very suitable for this trip as well, since I'm going to the country of lots of indian tribes. I would have fitted right in ;)

Golden bikini with animal tooth detail - £21.99

When I was on the hunt for bikinis a couple of weeks ago, there weren't many shops that actually had the swimwear collections in store yet. If I had gotten the chance I would so have bought this golden bikini with an animal tooth detail in the front.

Cowboy inspired straw hat - £11.99

I've been looking for a beach hat! One that I can wear while lying in my sunchair, and that would stop me from being blinded by the sun while reading. This cowboy inspired straw hat would have been perfect! I love a bit of a western style. Hopefully they'll have a Holiday Wardrobe store in Gatwick :)

The Hunger Games film premiere

I just went to see The Hunger Games on Saturday. Such a good film! I didn't really know what to expect of the film since I hadn't watched the trailer before, but I was pleasantly surprised! It was a very long film - almost 2,5 hours - but it sure didn't feel like it. The film was extremely exciting all the way through, and I highly recommend you all to go and see it.
Check out these fabulous photos from the Hunger Games premiere.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence, known as "The girl on fire" in the film, matched her character with a stunning golden gown by Prabal Gurung. She matched it with black diamond earrings from Jacob & Co, and Jimmy Choo shoes.

Here she is again together with fellow actor Josh Hutcherson, who looked very handsome in his sleek suit.

The Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth looked pretty damn hot in his suit - here together with girlfriend Miley Cyrus, who wore an outfit from Pucci's spring 2012 collection. 

Elizabeth Banks, who also stars in the film, wore a hot-off-the-runway look from the spring 2012 Versace couture collection. Nude pumps and a simple metallic clutch kept the attention on the dress.

The new face for Swedish clothing giant Lindex

Have you ever heard about the clothing store Lindex? I didn't think so...
Lindex is a Swedish clothing store chain which has been around for as long as I can remember. My mum used to drag me there when I was little to buy clothes, and the store focuses very much on children's clothes and clothes for "mature" women. I'm not saying old! Just women who doesn't really care about all the latest fashion trends, but who would rather go for a quite casual, comfortable style. Women who are over the highstreet craze, and who are happy to dress their age instead of pretending they're younger than they really are.

For their Spring/Summer campaign, Lindex has chosen to use a Hollywood star as the face of the brand. Clever move! Last season they did a collaboration with Reese Witherspoon, but this season it's Gwyneth Paltrow's turn to shine. I would say that the 39 year old American actress is an excellent choice for this campaign, which by the way is called "modern preppy".

The Spring/Summer collection includes all this season's wardrobe essentials; the coloured jeans/chinos, stripy tops and dresses (stripy is the big thing this season!) and colourful blazers.

Too warm for boots - not hot enough for flip flops!

Hurrah! The daffodils are out, the smell of fresh-cut grass is no longer a distant memory, and it’s finally time to start thinking about ditching the boots and woolly socks.

There’s something really exciting about slipping into your spring/summer shoes for the first time in six months or more – especially when the weather has been wet and cold for a long time. It lifts the spirits and reminds you that the first picnic in the park with a few cold beers is only a matter of months away. However, this time of year can be a funny one. One day the temperature is well above average and you could almost be tempted into flip flops; the next, it dips right back down again and you’re back into your winter shoes. To cope with the seasonal changes, you need a couple of pairs of transition shoes in your life – footwear that will do the job nicely, no matter what the weather’s playing at.

On the more casual end of the fashionable footwear spectrum are the ever-reliable Converse – ideal for this time of year. They’re lightweight enough to be comfortable if the weather is warm, but can still be worn with socks if you’re not quite ready for shorts and T-shirts. And although the very first Converse were manufactured back in 1908 (no, seriously), both the hi-tops and pumps have enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years. Converse look great with pretty floral dresses and a funky denim jacket for a festival, or with jeans and your favourite T-shirt for a chilled out Saturday. If you’re sold on the idea, why not think about buying Converse from very.co.uk? With easy browsing, and even easier shopping, what’s not to love?

Singer Miley Cyrus has been rocking the Converse trend for years

Another good option for spring are ballet pumps, which, like Converse, can be worn with anything. Team with funky pop socks while it’s still a bit nippy, then go sockless as we move into summer. And remember, despite what the fashionistas might tell you, you don’t have to have legs like a race horse to be able to wear flats. Yes, they might look a bit better on someone like Giselle, but then again, what doesn’t? At the end of the day, as long as you feel good and your feet are happy, then who really cares? Just don’t forget to give them a bit of an airing if you’ve worn them without socks on a hot sunny day!

It's a real bikini jungle out there...

  

So, who agrees with me that it's difficult to choose a bikini?
I'm going on holiday next week, and I'm having a really hard time choosing what bikini to get.
The problem is that the spring collections only just came out in the shops, and I need this very essential summer item right now, which means there are not that many different bikinis to choose from! Only a few shops have a very tiny collection of bikinis in store at the moment...
I don't really want to order online since you are not allowed to return a bikini, so what do I do?!?
I've had a browse online, and there are so many pretty bikinis out there...

I know I only just bought a new bikini last summer that I only wore for a week, but I've just got a thing for buying new bikinis every year.
I want a bikini that is easy to put on, that sits where it should sit without falling off when I'm swimming, but that doesn't cover too much (I don't want any big ugly tan marks). Oh, what a pickle! On top of colour and pattern you also have to consider bandeau, padded or non padded, halterneck, normal bra-shape...? I might be better off just sunbathing topless...!

Spring Fling

A couple of weeks ago I had a crush on Wildfox's cowgirl fashion. Today I've completely fallen for the spring collection from H&M, and their inspiration that they call "Field of dreams".  At the H&M blog they describe this particular style to have a denim, crochet and a rural feel. Denim and crochet is like leather and lace - two complete opposites, one rough and one fine, that absolutely attract each other. You can't go wrong with these combinations!
The result of this look is a precious, romantic and relaxed feeling. You just dream away to slow days on the farm...
What do you think? Do you have a spring fling with this collection from H&M as well after having seen this?

 Image credit: H&M Life blog

Digging for Aztek gold

In exactly 19 days I'm off on a trip halfway round the world to dig for Aztek gold...
Naah, not really. Actually, I'm just off to Mexico to see the sun, since we never get to see it here in England.
The funny thing though is that everywhere I look this season I seem to see Aztek prints. It's absolutely everywhere, and it's super hot this season!
I went to the White Rose centre in Leeds earlier today, and I had a brief look in Republic. Seriously, everywhere I looked there were Aztek prints. Just look at the collage above that I've put together with fashion worth calling "Aztek gold". All from this season's Republic collection.

 A favourite of mine was this simple orangey-red bodycon dress for £16.99

 And another one of my favourites was this dipped hep dress in red and black for £25