Event: Swimwear 365 S/S Collections.

Sorry for such a picture-heavy post! But lots of pictures is always a sign of a good event, right? ;) A few weeks ago (yes- it has taken me a while to get this post up, more on that later) I was lucky enough to have been invited to an event organised by Swimwear 365 to promote their Spring/Summer range. The event took place in Revolucion De Cuba in Manchester City Centre, and boy, were we in for a treat. At the door we were greeted and given a colourful Lei to wear to get in to the summery holiday mood, as well as a wristband which allowed us to get three free cocktails of our choice! Revolucion De Cuba makes the most amazing cocktails and they were presented so well with fresh fruit to finish them off- I had the Spiced Strawberry Punch and the Raspberry Colada which were both incredible. They also had staff members walking around throughout the whole evening offering us tapas such as quesadillas and chicken skewers which were also lovely- I definitely need to go back there some time soon!

Anyway, more about the Swimwear365 event. They had a rail of their Spring/Summer collection on show, which ranged from bikinis to swimsuits to pretty summer dresses. All us lucky bloggers were allowed to leave name tags on our favourite piece to be sent for review- I actually received mine yesterday and I can't wait to style it up and show you- I chose this dress; I did really want to go for one of the lovely swimwear pieces but I'm not going on holiday this year so I wouldn't have had the chance to wear it :( but hopefully I can find an occasion to wear the dress as it's stunning! There was also a station where they had placed a huge map so that everybody could pick a holiday destination to style up an outfit for to guest post on the Swimwear 365 blog. I placed my marker on the Philippines, so I'll keep you posted when it's my turn to style up a holiday outfit :) Last but not least, we were all offered a summery manicure based on the bright colours of the new collection. I didn't have mine done as I had just painted my nails with chunky glitter that day and it wasn't going to budge, but the lovely Alex (Odd Socks Alex) had hers painted in a lovely teal shade with white polka dots- Very cute!

Thank you to Revolucion De Cuba and of course Swimwear 365 for putting on such a fun event and for the lovely goody bag that we were given at the end, which contained a Swimwear 365 beach towel, a chunky wooden necklace and a sarong (god, I wish I was going on holiday!). Go and check out their website if you're looking for some new swimwear or clothing pieces to take on holiday with you- They have loads of styles to choose from! :)

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I also just want to apologise for my lack of posts recently- I know it seems like I drop off the face of the blogosphere quite regularly, but I keep going through unmotivated phases due to stress and personal issues. I still love blogging and it's my favourite thing to do and it makes me sad when I don't have the concentration to write good quality blog posts for you all :( Please bear with me, I have lots of blog posts lined up that I will churn out as and when I can, and hopefully I will be sorted and back to my old daily-blogging self soon! :)

Review: Lush Spa Treatment- The Spell (Lush Spa Liverpool).

A few weeks ago the lovely Melissa from Lush Spa Liverpool got in touch with me and invited me along to try out one of their spa treatments; The Spell*. I have always been a sceptic to the concept of reflexology on the feet, but I'm not one to turn down an hour or so of relaxation, plus I adore the Lush Spa in Liverpool (it is huge and the staff are always so friendly!), so I graciously accepted the offer and was booked in for the following week.

Upon arrival I was greeted at the front of the store by a welcoming staff member who offered me a cup of tea, a hand massage and a seat whilst she went and let my therapist know I was there. I spent fifteen minutes or so browsing around the store with my cuppa before the lovely therapist Louise came and met me and took me up to the spa area for my treatment.

I have already written a first impressions review of the spa from when I got to opportunity to preview it before it opened, so feel free to read it here and see more pictures- It is decorated to resemble a quaint English countryside and it really does feel like you have stepped in to a Wonderland. The sounds of nature and birds tweeting can be heard and your relaxing experience starts right here. Louise sat me down to tell me a little more about the treatment she was going to be giving me. The Spell was put together with the idea of clearing your mind and getting rid of any troubles and worries you may have, which was right up my street as I am a born worrier and I always struggle with bouts of anxiety. She talked me through all the products that she was going to use and let me have a smell of them all; one of the main products in this treatment is Volcano, which is a cleansing, exfoliating and cooling clay mask for your feet.

After filling out a consultation form, Louise handed me a piece of paper and asked me to write one of my worries down on it. I folded it up and placed it in a little brass teapot where it was then set on fire with the idea of abolishing my worry and sending it up in smoke! I was then taken in to the dimly candle-lit treatment room and left alone for five minutes to make myself comfortable. There was a little bell placed on the bed for me to ring when I was ready for Louise to come back in and begin the treatment, which started off with a foot bath containing the Waving Not Drowning Bath Bomb. After this I was allowed to lay down, close my eyes and let my mind wander off to another place for a good 30-40 minutes, with the enchanting sounds of The Spell soundtrack by Simon Emmerson filling the room whilst Louise used hot stones, a foot and scalp massage and reflexology with a variety of different products to relax me and sooth my mind.

Needless to say, I felt very drowsy when the treatment finished, but definitely very relaxed (with very soft, smooth and pretty-smelling feet). There was no rush for me to get up and leave, either- Louise brought me a hot cup of water containing lemon, lemon grass and ginger to sip on whilst I pulled myself back to reality. She also gave me a cute little tag that read the words "With my feet I stand in truth. I move forward with joy, understanding and courage", to keep in my purse for times when I need a little pick-me-up.

Despite not knowing what to expect from a foot treatment beforehand, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would love to go back and try a full body treatment in the future; The Good Hour and Tailor Made sound amazing! If you would like to find out more about The Spell or book in for your own hour of relaxation, you can check it out at the Lush website :)

Have you ever tried out a Lush Spa treatment?

*DISCLOSURE: This was a PR opportunity. My opinions are still 100% honest and my own.

Outfit: Chi Chi.

Dress: C/O Chi Chi* | Shoes: New Look | Watch: Michael Kors | Hair Clip: C/O Crown and Glory*

Somebody invite me to a special occasion so that I can wear this beauty out in all its glory! I honestly fell in love with this dress as soon as I took it out of its packaging- I knew that it was a beautiful dress just from looking at it on the Chi Chi website, but my, no photographs can do it justice. I own another Chi Chi dress and I am always impressed with the quality of them for the price you pay- I remember my high school prom dress costing *gulp* a few hundred pounds, but I think this is definitely a prom-worthy dress, and it is only £59.99! It is a gorgeous off-white champagne colour and the gem-detailing on the bodice looks stunning when it is caught in the sunlight- like I said, the photographs don't do it justice! It's one of those dresses that does all the talking whilst still looking classy- I kept it simple here with some nude heels and a pretty flower clip in my hair. I can't stop swooning at it; I'm hoping I will find an occasion to wear it to over the summer!

Do you own anything from Chi Chi? Make out their huge collection of stunning occasion dresses! :)

Event: Sheffield Bloggers Meetup

We have DEFINITELY seen an increase in Northern blogger events over the past month and it has definitely kept me busy! I have been jumping on trains all over the place to attend some fabulous blogger meetups and parties and as a result this (plus trying to sort out some of the more boring post-uni life stuff), I'm a little behind on blogging! Things are calming down a little now however, so bare with me over the next couple of weeks as I try to blast out the posts from these lovely events as well as my usual outfit posts and reviews!

So- Just under two weeks ago made the journey out to Meadowhall for the Sheffield Blogger's Meetup which was organised by the lovely Rachel (Life of a Sweetaholic), Charlotte (Confessions of a Small Town Girl) and Caroline (Caroline's Catwalk). I had really been looking forward to this meetup as Rachel, Charlotte and Claire (Claire Louise) are bloggers who I have been following and talking to from the very beginning and it was great to finally have the opportunity to meet them as well as lots of new faces! The meetup was held at The Handmade Burger Co., who were ever so patient and accommodating for our party of 30 bloggers, and even offered us all a free lunch, which included a burger, a side and unlimited drinks refills! Despite being a healthy-eater, I wasn't going to ruin the opportunity to take advantage of a free meal and just order a salad, but I did try to be as good as possible by just ordering a classic grilled chicken burger with a side of chargrilled vegetables which still tasted amazing. I was a little jealous of everybody else's chips though- they looked so yummy and the portions were huge!

After our meal, we were free for an hour or so to mingle with the other bloggers- The girls who were sat on my table I had never met before, so it was lovely to have a chat with them :) Make sure you check out their blogs which are listed at the end of this post! The girls who organised the meetup also put together a brilliant goodiebag for all of us containing lots of exciting products including a full-sized Benefit Porefessional, A Lush bubble bar and some Paul Mitchell goodies. We were definitely spoilt- Thank you to all the brands who contributed!

There was also a second part to the meetup that was made possible by the lovely staff at Lush Meadowhall- We were split in to small groups to take part in a little workshop where we were able to make our own miniature models out of their playdough-like FUN. I made a little rosebud out of mine, and our models were put on a little display at the front of the store. We were then given a tour of the shop and introduced to the Emotional Brilliance makeup range, of which I have completely fallen in love with the collection of vibrant colours. We were lucky enough to be given another Lush goodie bag which contained a few makeup products that I am currently loving- I got the Dark Yellow Colour Supplement and the Charisma Skin Tint, which is a gorgeous golden-bronze colour, perfect for giving my face a summer glow.

That pretty much sums up a lovely day, and I send out a huge thank you to Rachel, Charlotte and Caroline for all the hard work they put in to organising the event! Don't forget to check out their blogs and also the lovely ladies below :)

Rachel from Lost in Lipstick

Jen from Bows, Bangles and Bakes

Abby from un-observed

Have you attended any meet-ups/events recently? There seems to be loads now that Summer (ahem-"Summer") is kicking in!

Event: South Beach Swim.

Megan (whats new pussy catt), Charlotte (Lurch Hound Loves), Danielle (A Blog from Blackpool) and Me :)

May seems to be the month of Northern Blogger events and I am loving it! I have been all over the place the past couple of weeks and I still have a few events lined up! On Wednesday I made the short train journey over to Manchester to attend the South Beach Swim event which was organised by the lovely Katie (The Quick Red Fox)! We were greeted by her and handed a tag with our blog names on them so that we could hang them on our favourite swimwear piece later on, and also an amazingly refreshing Strawberry Prosecco Bellini. We were then set free to mingle with all the other bloggers and munch on mini cupcakes and chocolate cornflake cakes (which took me back to my childhood and were incredibly more-ish; very dangerous for my healthy eating!). Of course, with the event being held at Frurt Frozen Yogurt, we were treated to a portion of their tasty froyo. They had lots of toppings and different flavoured yogurts to choose from such as luxury chocolate, mango and strawberry lemonade, but I decided to just go for the natural plain yogurt with a naughty topping of chocolate brownie bites and strawberries- a match made in heaven and not too guilt-inducing as the yogurt itself is fat-free and a tiny 60 kcal per 100g portion [that's my excuse, anyway! ;)]. There were also some yummy-looking alcohol-free cocktails available that were made with froyo and Vita Coco which I didn't get to try, although I wish I did now as I love coconut water!

We all got to have a nosy through a rail of South Beach Swim's Spring/Summer range where there were a LOT of gorgeous, colourful bikinis on display, but in the end I fell in love with this black fringed swimsuit (in my 7th photo) and left my name tag on the hanger. There are competitions going on for us to win our chosen piece, so fingers crossed! ;)

There was also a lovely goodie bag for each of us as we left, which included a South Beach snapback cap- Not my usual style but I'm having a lot of fun thinking of ways to style it- I wish I was going on holiday so I could wear it on the beach! Thank you Katie and South Beach Swim for putting on a lovely event and to Frurt Frozen Yogurt and Vita Coco for providing us with some yummy treats! :)

Do you love Vita Coco or Frozen Yogurt? Have you checked out South Beach Swim's Spring/Summer collection?