Arthur's Antics - Happy Easter 2014!!!

My gorgeous boy!

Who knew they did Easter Eggs for dogs?

 After eggs a good walk is what's needed!

Arthur loves a stick but I think he may have bitten off more than he can chew here!

After a run around a swim is needed to cool off.

Arthur's favourite Border Collie Willow was down for Easter weekend so she came for a walk too. Willow also experienced her first proper swim when she chased a ball into the water, the look of sheer panic as she doggy paddled back to solid ground was so funny we were all laughing too much to take a photo.

SAFE!!!

After a good walk we had achieved the impossible, a sleeping Willow!

She wasn't the only one!

We also took advantage of the good weather to do some gardening, of course Arthur and Rupert were only too happy to help out.

Who put the cat in the bag?

A camouflaged Arthur, Rupert will never see me coming!!! 

Arthur had a great Easter weekend, doggy eggs, cat hide'n'seek and of course fun and games with Willow. Both dogs spent the next couple of days recovering but it was so worth it, we can't wait for Willow's next visit.

What did your furry friends get up to this Easter weekend?

Deborah, Arthur, Willow & Rupert

xxx

Nails Inc Gardens Floral's - Summer in bloom!

Nails Inc Chelsea Embankment Gardens Floral (white), Queensgate Gardens Floral (blue)

and Richmond Gardens Floral (green) - £12

I was so excited when I first received an email from Nails Inc about these pretty new Floral Gardens inspired polishes and couldn't wait to try them out so I pre-ordered early in March in the hope of reviewing them for you when they were first released at the beginning of April. Unfortunately, due to a problem with delivery of one of the shades, they have only just arrived so finally here's my review, better late than never!!!

Delay aside, I have to say that I was a little disappointed when I finally got to try them out. Firstly, as recommended by Nails Inc, I applied two coats of a similar colour as a base for the floral polish. Here I used a pink, blue and green from my Nails Inc Spring/Summer Collection (previously reviewed here), next came the tricky application of the floral polish itself. As with a normal glitter, two coats were needed to get a good spread of the pretty particles, however, it was really really difficult to get a larger flower on the brush and apply it to the nail. It took me several attempts to get hold of a flower from the green Richmond Gardens floral, so frustrating when you can see them so clearly in the bottle but can't get one on the brush.

The blue Queensgate Gardens was the most disappointing of the three I tried, it only contained pink flowers and tiny particles, unlike the other two that were far more colourful. The Chelsea Embankment Gardens was probably my favourite, I really liked the pretty pastel pink. blue and yellow flowers and I would probably give this another go, maybe practice will improve the application!

As a positive, the polish was surprisingly durable although I did find myself picking at the flowers, but that's just me, I've never been able to wear acrylics as I'm continually picking them off. They do look pretty when worn over a lovely pastel shade, very in keeping with this summers flowery trends so certainly worth giving a go if you have the patience.

Have you tried these pretty florals yet?

Deborah

xxx

Yankee Candles *Online Exclusive* - April Showers!

Yankee Candle 'April Showers' swirl candle,

Tulips & Meadow Showers - £16.99 online exclusive!

I know, I know, not another candle post BUT how gorgeous is this beautifully scented NEW candle jar from Yankee Candles springtime range? I couldn't resist ordering this from their website when I received an email the other day, it's soooo pretty. I haven't seen the swirl effect jars before, a great way of combining two fresh scents in one. Here you have the combination of spring flowers with the Tulip added to the refreshing scent of Meadow Showers, who doesn't love the smell of grass after a bit of rain. The result is a subtly fresh scent which fills the house with an aroma similar to fresh cut flowers, lovely!

The colours do tend to blend as the wax melts but this also serves to combine the tulips and the meadow showers fragrance. This is such a pretty looking candle, it would look great just about anywhere in your home, it would also make an ideal gift for a candle loving addict like myself, I know I'm not the only one out there am I??? These medium sized jars are only available online, you can check them out here from the Yankee Candle website, so hurry up before April is over. Hopefully this will be the only April Showers we will be experiencing this spring, bring on the sun!

Have you tried any of the Yankee Candle swirl candles yet and what would be your favourite Springtime scent?

Deborah

xxx

CLARINS Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector - A touch of luxury on the lips!

CLARINS Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, Rose Shimmer - £18

The hype - 'A soft, gel formula that nourishes, repairs and protects Day after day, lips are visibly more beautiful.'

As I've probably told you many times, I have a real problem with dry cracked lips, so I am always on the lookout for a product that will help minimse the effects of weathering, central heating and daily wear and tear! I've tried many products but I usually come back to my faithful Nivea Lip Care Essential which I carry with me at all times. However, I have recently discovered this little beauty from the Clarins and I have to say, after a couple of weeks of use, I've been impressed!

I've been applying the Lip Perfector before my daily dog walk and last thing at night to fully test the benefits and it's certainly performed well. My lips have retained the moisture more efficiently than previous products that I've tried and they even feel a little firmer and plumped. When I wake up in the morning it feels almost as if I have just applied the balm and my lips do feel in better condition. 

The packaging is really simple and stylish, I certainly won't mind carrying it in my handbag. It is also very easy to apply, just a gentle squeeze dispenses some of the balm on the spongy tip, reducing wastage and even eliminating the need for a mirror. I chose the Rose Shimmer colour to try as you can just add a touch of pretty pink shimmer to your lips as a glossy balm or as a topcoat to a more vibrant lip colour, it also has a subtle hint of vanilla flavouring which I had to stop myself from licking and removing. The product comes in 6 beautiful shades designed to give a subtle hint of colour, you can check them out here on the Clarins website, I may well be investing in Candy Shimmer next as one of my holiday make up essentials. At £18 it is a little expensive until you take into account the benefits of having both a protecting balm and gloss in a single product.

Overall, I guess you could say that I would definitely recommend this product, my lips certainly feel in far better condition and my faithful Nivea has now been consigned to the bottom of my bag!

What lip care products would you recommend?

Deborah

xxx

Dont forget!!! My *GIVEAWAY* finishes on Sunday so not long to win Yankee Candles, Revlon and Accessorize goodies, to enter click on the link here, good luck!!! xxx

Nails Inc Spring/Summer Collection - Happy Mother's Day!!!

Nails Inc Spring Summer Collection

I had a really lovely Mother's Day this year, after being thoroughly spoilt in London the day before (see post here) we returned home for a family meal at our favourite local. Before going to the pub I had some really beautiful presents and cards to open from my babies, these included some gorgeous smelling candles and a scarf from my boys, they know me so well! Lisa gave me this amazing set of nail varnishes from Nails Inc containing six beautiful Spring/Summer inspired colours, I am such a lucky mummy!!!

The bottles themselves are smaller than the full size ones which makes them great for travelling, I think I want to take them all on holiday with me. They are easy to apply, two good coats should do it and they last really well, the photo above was taken after 3 days and there was little if no signs of chipping, even without a topcoat. I can't really provide a link or pricing for these beauties as they were a gift and I don't like to look but I'm pretty sure you can find them online fairly easily, Amazon is always a good place to start. I would suggest though that you look soon if interested as Lisa reckons they are selling out fast.

Lisa and I sharing some Prosecco, Happy Mother's Day!

A reluctant Will posing with his mum and sister, soooo embarassing!!!

What did you do to celebrate Mother's Day?

Don't forget there's only a few more days left to enter my 300 bloglovin followers *GIVEAWAY* Yankee Candles, Revlon and Accessorize goodies to be won, to enter click here, best of luck!!!

Deborah

xxx

Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

I was recently lucky enough to be nominated by the lovely Katie from Blonde Ambition for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award, thanks Katie! This award means a lot to me as one of the things I love most about blogging is the social interaction between bloggers, it's such a friendly community to belong to.

Anyway, here's how it works:

1. Thank and link the person who nominated you.

2. List the rules and display the award.

3. Share 7 facts about yourself.

4. Nominate 10 other amazing blogs and comment on their blogs to let them know you have nominated them     and provide a link to your post.

Seven facts about myself:

1. I am a real History geek, especially the Tudors, and last year passed my A-Level History exam as a   mature student.

2. I have a real passion for musicals.

3. I love accessories and recently took a City and Guilds course in silver jewellery making in order to indulge said passion.

4. Although I love girly fashion, accessories and make up, I'm not a typical girly girl, I love watching sport, action films and historical crime novels.

5. My favourite city in the world is New York, especially after a brilliant trip with my daughter Lisa.

6. My feet are a size 3 so I find it really frustrating trying to find shoes to fit, especially Jimmy Choos!!!

7. Although I appear to come across as confident I suffer from Panic and Anxiety and work daily to control this.

Nominations:

1. Topaz & May
2. G is for Gingers
3. Rachel Coco
4. Leah Paige
5. Moonlight Mouse
6. Face Up Beauty
7. Bright & Shiny
8. Amy Elizabeth
9. Sincerely, Hollie
10. Cliona Hill

This is the first time I've done one of these tags so I hope you don't mind too much if I've nominated you!

Deborah
xxx

'Blythe Spirit' by Noel Coward - A wonderful weekend in the city!

Last weekend Mr Moonstone and I set off for the capitol, theatre tickets in hand, to see Angela Lansbury (a living legend!!!!) in the latest production of Noel Coward's 'Blythe Spirit'. This has always been one of my favourite plays, I was introduced to this play while doing Drama at school way to many years ago to mention. It was a perfect day in the city, London really comes into it's own when the sun is shining, ideal for a bite of lunch before the matinee began.

Cheers!!!

We took a side street off Shaftesbury Avenue towards Soho and stumbled across this charming little tapas bar, result! You could help yourself to whatever took your fancy from the vast array of tapas on show and if that wasn't enough the choices were continually replenished tempting us to eat even more. After a tasty lunch and a couple of glasses of something chilled, it would have been rude not to, we set off to the theatre.

A photo opportunity not to be missed.

Dress Circle in the Gielgud Theatre, amazing seats!!!

We all settled in our seats ready for the performance to begin. I had to convince Mr Moonstone that there would be NO bedknobs, broomsticks or football playing jungle animals in this particular performance and despite this he still seemed happy to be there, theatre isn't normally his kind of thing but I really appreciate him coming with me. I will be more than happy to accompany him to a Moto GP race in return if he wants to take me, preferably somewhere hot!!!

What can I say about the performance except that it was AMAZING! The comic timing of Mr Coward's witty one liners was spot on, all the actors gave a great performance. A special mention to Patsy Ferran who played the part of Edith the maid, this was her professional stage debut and there was certainly no sign of any nerves. As for Angela Lansbury, what can I say, she was outstanding as Madame Arcati, an eccentic medium, a role she was born to play. The audience were completely mesmerised whenever she was on stage, her mystic trances a sight to behold, totally enthralling. I think it would be fair to say that I was not disappointed in any way. The play bought back happy memories and will remain a favourite of mine always. 

When the curtain finally came down after a very well deserved standing ovation we set off to find a taxi back to our hotel, the Plaza on the River. Mr Moonstone spoilt us by upgrading our room to a suite overlooking the Thames with a balcony, a great place to enjoy a cuppa while enjoying the amazing view!!!

Time to do my nails before dinner

We had a table booked at the Skylon restaurant in the Royal Festival Hall where they do the most amazing cocktails. I had my usual Margarita while Mr Moonstone, having been inspired by Noel Coward, decided to try the Dry Martini, this turned out to be a lethal choice but he seemed to enjoy it. The food was amazing, I had possibly one of the best fillet steaks I've ever tasted while Mr Moonstone went for the fish. All this was helped along with a lovely bottle of Sancerre then back to the hotel for a nightcap. Sorry there's no photos to show you but this was private romantic time just for Mr Moonstone and myself!

We headed back to our suite feeling tired, well fed and a little tipsy, hence the attempt at the 'selfie' on the balcony. We couldn't work out why the phone wouldn't flash but Lisa (Topaz & May) explained to us the next day when we got home, the perfect example of why some people (especially us oldies) shouldn't be allowed near any technology after a few drinks. The trip to London was great, it was so lovely to spend some time with Mr Moonstone away from the hectic surroundings at home, the perfect day!

What would you love to do for your perfect day?

Deborah

xxx

DON'T FORGET!!!! I have a 'giveaway' running at the moment to celebrate reaching 300 bloglovin followers, you can enter here to win Yankee Candles, Revlon and Accessorize goodies, good luck!!!

XXX