The Summer Mama

Thanks to the fabulous Grazia magazine, you can get 20% off everything full price at River Island right now until Monday 22nd Jan. As you know I love high street fashion and of course a good discount code so off I went.

River Island has so upped it’s game the last couple of years, I’ve bought lots from them and I especially love their footwear and sunglasses.

I’ve put together this collection of my absolute favourites right now. All are current stock and available from https://www.riverisland.com/women

There is so much to choose from, I’m definitely finding it hard to pick a couple from the selection attached. I popped into my local store to choose a few key pieces. And if you’re reading @riverisland the team in there are fabulous! So these are my favourites right now:

This stunning pastel pink floaty top & wide leg trousers ooze style & sophistication.

Trousers £42. Top £28.

This top looks designer and Is a great fit & quality. Trousers as before. Top £38

Cant beat a cute boho Top £35

Adore this gorgeous green Dress £42

Hope you’ve found something you like in this selection. I’d love to know if you buy anything and what you choose?

Thanks for reading

The SummerMama xx

Firstly, happy new year to you all!! And Yes yes you read that right, JOLLY JANUARY. January is the month that gets the hardest time, it’s called depressing by nearly everyone!,..and the days are wished away. So this year, 2018, I decided to embrace the new year on a positive note. I’m going to make January jolly! Ok so we are all a bit empty of pocket after Xmas but that doesn’t mean you can’t make & look forward to future plans.

Starting with TRAVEL

Any type of travel is a major excitement for me, anything from day trips (we do this lots and they can be super cheap – days out in London, free museums, & lots of national trust park visits, for this we have NT membership gifted to us every year from the in laws and we use LOTS) to fabulous overseas trips. We are going to South Africa this spring, pictures above are from our last trip 2 years ago. It’s a big trip, long flight with a little one but such a beautiful country and as my husband is South African is always a wonderful reunion with family. and I’m already planning outfits! It’s going to be super hot when we are there so I’m already looking at beach fashion & dreaming of the amazing food & wine.

We are also really hoping to try a couple of new city breaks this year. We are lucky enough to have done lots in the past (pre baby) so thinking maybe Lisbon and Berlin this year.

I love the start of something new. A new year is a chance to motivate yourself to do something new. Who cares if it doesn’t last? It might do so isn’t it worth a try? I regularly gym but always fall off the wagon in December so love getting back into it in January. This year I’ve tried Pilates for the first time & loved it! I’ll be back next week. Again you do not need to take out expensive gym membership, start by running. It’s free and ANYONE can do it. It doesn’t matter how fast or far. Just move. The feeling afterwards is so uplifting it’s all worth it! Chase those endorphins. Also the time to yourself can feel wonderful. I find running a great way to relax and focus my mind. When I had my daughter my father passed away shortly after. Once I found the physical strength to go to the gym months later I can honestly say it helped my mental strength more than anything. I can’t recommend it enough. Just do it!

And of course, fashion! You know I love my fashion but winter fashion is not my favourite. I’m a summer mamma! Spring is just around the corner, bringing colour and print in abundance. We’ve already had some sunshine this week putting a spring in my step!

New Year goals! I love making new year resolutions. I just love making a list full stop. This year brings changes in our house, – my little girl will start primary school in sept. I may need counselling to deal with this, it’s a huge change. She’s essentially been my life for the last 3 years and I’ll have to let go a little…somehow. So I’m preparing myself by planning my own goals to achieve this year. I’ve already got a couple of projects on the go and plan to blog a lot more! I absolutely love it & I’ve got lots more to share with you all.

We are also getting a dog this year. Finally at 45 I am getting my dog. I’m such an animal lover and whilst I’ve always wanted a dog didn’t feel it was fair to have one when we both worked full time leaving it alone all day and lived in a flat. So now I work from home and we finally moved into our house last year, it’s time to find the 4th member of our family.

So 2018 I am so excited to see what you bring, and January is the welcome to this year. I would love to hear what your hopes, dreams and plans are? . Are you making any big changes or planning a move/trip away? Share the excitement and make January Jolly!

Thanks for reading

The SummerMama x x

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know I’m a big fan of the slogan sweatshirt. In fact it’s my go to item of clothing. I can dress them up & down and find they last for years & don’t date! Just don’t pick a cheesy ‘current phrase’ as the slogan and you can’t go wrong. I tend to go for slogans that mean something to me, or just generally lift my mood and make me feel fabulous! Which brings me to my first pick! If you don’t follow @kemitelford on Instagram, just do it! Not only are her ‘slogans with meaning’ clothing and accessories fabulous – she is too. Her daily Insta stories & text with posts are so full of positivity & wisdom, she’s an inspiration.

I’ve bought a few things from @kemitelford, my ‘Queen’ sweatshirt & necklace that I often wear in my daily outfit posts and the ‘Always Fabulous’ sweatshirt is my absolute favourite piece of clothing!

Kemitelford.com

Ahhh Olivia Rubin, @oliviarubin – she of the exquisite dresses and skirts has just launched this little beauty in her new collection and I’m definitely missing a rainbow in my wardrobe. Hoping Santa might bring me one this year…

My rockstar sweatshirt is about 4 years old & im always asked where I got it. It’s by a brand called Adolescent clothing & it’s still in perfect condition after all this time. Great quality and also stocked by @asos.

My current fave from their collection below is in the sale at ASOS right now..,

Adolescent clothing

Here are a selection of my favourite choice of sweatshirts available online now …ok so some are jumpers and a couple don’t have slogans, but they’re all fabulous!

Asos

Kenzo

Sundry

Muthahoodgoods.com

Whistles

Maje

Sundry

Hush

Boy

Chocoolate

H&M

Topshop

Joanie clothing

Joanie clothing

Pretty little thing

Lucydodwell.com

Bella freud

Thanks for reading! And may I wish you all a very happy Christmas & a FABULOUS NEW YEAR xxx

A really special kind of date day & night date was had by my husband and I last week. Firstly time alone, babyfree, 24 hours babyfree! Even tho I missed her as soon as I said goodbye the thought of even a train ride with no ‘mummy I need a wee’ was major! So off we went!

Our day involved a night away at a hotel, dinner & drinks at The Royal Albert Hall ( in a box!! Seats in a BOX!! This was a first for me) and what a ball we had! We wanted to make the most of the time so headed into town early to check into The Kensington hotel and head off to see the Christmas windows at Harrods and Harvey Nichols & grab a cheeky macaron at the beautiful Laudree.

I wore my green floral H&M dress with my red sock boots from ASOS. It was cold but really bright, the perfect winter day so I wrapped up with my classic style long coat from Topshop (3 years old and going strong) and added a faux fur scarf I bought in Zara last year. All the clashing colours but I loved the combination.

The Kensington Hotel is located near to South Kensington tube station, and we stepped in from the cold to the most cosy warm welcome. At check in we were presented with fresh pomegranate juice and a hot towel for our hands. All good so far. The lounge area decorated for Xmas complete with a gorgeous tree and log fires burning made me feel at home straight away. Also loved the elephant in the room at reception ❤️

< img src=”https://thesummermama.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/img_0419-1.jpg&#8221; height=”1239″ class=”wp-image-439″ width=”1242″><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
d headed straight off out to Knightsbridge for some literal window shopping. Harrods displays have been taken over by Dolce & Gabanna and we're so beautiful & colourful. They've even designed a hand painted smeg fridge that I fell in love with. We also popped to Harvey Nichols & just enjoyed strolling around London in the beautiful sunshine. Here are a few pics from our day.

=”<

After a fab afternoon we just had time for a warming pre dinner cocktail, & quick change before heading back out again ..,

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

.Dinner at Coda at The Royal Albert Hall was early due to the performance start time, so having planned my outfit saved so much time. Quick change and make up touch up I was ready in record time. I wore a pink suit from H&M with a dotty cami from Topshop & my white v cut shoes from Next. I threw on my faux fur scarf for extra warmth which shouldn’t have worked but it did!

<<<<<<

The dinner at Coda was delicious & the restaurant was so elegant. Service was fabulous. We were born ravenous after our day of walking and went for the steak, which was cooked to perfection,

The music was performed by the artists ‘2 Cellos’ and blew me away. So it’s not the sort of music I would ordinarily go for, but it was so incredible. They are what they say, 2 guys on 2 cellos, but so talented and backed by the royal philarmonic orchestra it was so powerful. They did a selection of songs from movies, everything from gladiator to titanic and next thing were doing Nirvana!

<

All in all such a perfect 24 hours in London. Totally different to our usual dates but totally brilliant! Here’s hoping we can make it a pre Christmas tradition.

Thanks for reading

The SummerMama x

The shoe of dreams.  I thought it was a myth, after all there is so much dreamy footwear out there.  I thought I’d found it before with my black patent pigalle Christian Louboutins, – alas they now belong to someone else, sold off after literally crippling my feet badly enough I hobbled for a few days after.  So these days I mainly run around in trainers, vans or boots. My lifestyle does not fare well with high heel shoes, & I rarely look at them.  But every now & then I see a shoe of such beauty I long to wear and remember just how good a pair of heels can make you look & feel.

Ladies I bring you the blue shoes of joy!  These cobalt blue satin shoes are adorned with a bejewelled badge, a high heel, pointy toe with just the right cut to be super flattering- & the most important part…(when you’re my age anyway) they are COMFORTABLE! Oh sweet shoes of joy.

These beauties are obvious copies of the blue satin Manolo Blahnik pair used by Big to propose to Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the city movie. Carrie was thrilled with the shoes, more so than perhaps a ring. I feel you Carrie!

Now I’m fully aware these shoes have been copied before many times over the years, and for some reason I was never tempted by them before until now. This stunning Marks and Spencer version is available in a navy, nude, black and fushia pink colour too. A kitten heel and a flat shoe version. So much choice.

The day I bought mine in Kingston Marks and Spencer every woman in the shoe department made a comment, all positive, and 2 more ladies went to buy them. They really are so pretty, your only tough decision is which colour to go for. Although it was a resounding yes for the cobalt blue that day.

Buy them here Marks & Spencer

Now the shoes themselves are perfect for all those Christmas festivities, adding a touch of bling to to any outfit, Whatever I wear I know they will instantly make me feel uber glamorous…

but here’s the best bit, the price, just £35 ENGLISH POUNDS YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT!

which leads me to this,…the reason I held out buying them until last week is because I was waiting for Marks and Spencer to launch their 2017 beauty advent calendar. If you spend £35 in store or online you can purchase this fabulous beauty box worth over £200 for £35!!! Yes yes it’s a Christmas miracle. I bought one last year and absolutely loved trying a different product every day that I wouldn’t ordinarily use, it’s how I first tried the Formula Absolute moisture cream that you know I am a massive fan of and have been using ever since.

I’m looking forward to trying lots of new products starting on Dec 1st and hopefully discovering some new skincare gems. So my plan is to have skin as sparkly as my shoes this Christmas! After all another famous shoe lover knew that the right pair of shoes can change your life. 😘😘

So the colder weather is definitely upon us. This past week while my daughter has been on half term I’ve really enjoyed the beautiful Autumn colours on our daily park visits, but also really felt the chill. However I’m not prepared to step into full on winter wear yet, so I’m loving jumpers over dresses and skirts right now.  This also means shopping your wardrobe-  as is so popular this month with so many people doing no spend October. Using your favourite summer maxi dresses or last winters pleated maxi skirts which are still current,-  and look fabulous paired with sweatshirts or chunky knits & oversized coats. 

So I’ve made a couple of purchases this month which I know I will get lots of wear from. This  gorgeous oversized ‘Blonde’ slogan jumper from Zara I’ve already worn it so much!!  The jumper also comes with the slogan ‘brunette’ & ‘ginger’. 

Zara

As well as being super cosy it looks fab with this beautiful polka dot swishy skirt from H&M. Beware the skirt comes up quite small, but is really so pretty one of my favourite buys in a while. 

H&M

Back to my wardrobe I wore this floral midi skirt so much over the summer & will continue to do so with a sweatshirt this autumn. I love the contrasting colours with this navy sweatshirt from last year or with a black polo neck knit. 

Top – Whistles, skirt – ASOS, both old 

Top- zara, skirt H&M – both old 

Jumper -H&M, skirt – Zara – both old 

Dress H&M old, Top-Kemi Telford

There are so many beautiful knits and skirts out there right now to work this look. Hopefully this post may inspire you to dig out last years knits to pair with your favourite summer maxi or skirt & work with what you’ve got. I have to budget my clothes spend so often try to update older outfits and this trend works perfectly for this. 

Here are some other stunning combinations I love.  All images for inspiration only. 

So why not pick and mix your wardrobe & create your own Autumn combinations. 

Thanks for reading 

The SummerMama. Xxx

I was thrilled to be invited along to the Atrium in Camberley to check out the Autumn fashion offerings. As much as I love to shop in central London, I love shopping locally far more. I had plenty of time to shop and lunch while still making it back to pick up little L from school. Mumlife! So back to the fashion. Autumn is my favourite season. The colours of nature are reflected in the fashion. Rich vibrant patterns and florals to brighten up those colder days.
Red alert- Red being the colour of the season is just so fabulous when used as a colour block full outfit or for adding a pop of colour to neutrals just does it for me. I spotted this adorable dress in H&M that looks fabulous on its own but would work just as well paired with wide leg trousers! The cut is so flattering, skimming not clinging and a beautiful shade of red. I even got a cute little bag to match in the sale for £5! Winning!

Another gem was this frilled polka dot blouse in bottle green. I’ve seen this is available in other colours too but I’m loving bottle green right now. This is a perfect day to night piece, dress up or down it looks fabulous. It’s quite sheer but I think not too indecent!

Blouse: H&M

Cosy knits are essential for autumn, I like them to look stylish, be warm but not so bulky that I can’t wear under a coat. I love a crisp white jumper with jeans or chinos and Chelsea boots for cosy autumn walks.  Now I also love a touch of Tina Sparkle! Like a magpie I zoomed in on this beautiful white sequin appliqué number in H&M and it didn’t disappoint.

I also found a gorgeous knit in Next along with a sassy maroon fur collared biker jacket which I didn’t want to take off.

Jacket, jumper & chinos: Next

Autumn prints are everywhere, rich shades of burnt orange, red and mustard. Floral prints on dresses and blouses on grey autumn days bring a burst of colour to brighten your mood. I never shy away from colour, it flatters the skin and the choices are in abundance right now.
This Floral blouse Is an absolutely bargain and literally pops with colour, the puff sleeve effect gives great shoulder definition and worn with a faux leather mini or midi skirt this outfit would carry me through from day to night.

    Blouse:H&M

The colours in this dress instantly warmed my skin, so pretty and loved the floaty bell sleeves, I’ll be wearing this with ankle boots and a biker jacket.

Dress: H&M

If you haven’t seen this Instagram famous polka dot midi dress its in store at H&M the Atrium! It’s already sold out online and is the most flattering cut, nipped in at the waist and skimming not clinging on the hips. A perfect day to night dress. I’ll be getting great use out of this worn with with white kicks & a biker jacket.

For evening appeal this beautiful shimmering dress caught my eye in Next that has a designer feel, an almost identical dress by YSL was shown in the autumn collections, it’s perfect for those soon to be here Christmas parties.

Dress: Next

I also think you can’t go wrong with a well cut jumpsuit

Jumpsuits both H&M
or this simple, but beautifully ornate mini dress

Dress: Next

With the current trend for all things British Heritage, Laura Ashley is spot on with its mix of cord, tweed and checks. There’s currently great reductions in the Atrium Camberley branch too. This fantastic wool biker jacket and grey wool trousers are great transitional pieces that work for both day & night.

Jacket & trousers: Laura Ashley

Adore this Victoriana blouse styled with a checked wool skirt, capturing the heritage check trend perfectly.
Blouse & skirt: Laura Ashley

For those cold winter days is there anything more snuggly than a duvet coat. Adore the vibrant blue of this one and it really felt so wonderful on.

Coat: H&M

And yes my favourite buy from the day was the red dress pictured here with my bargain bag!  Im now on the hunt for the perfect red trousers to wear with it … But for now & before it gets too cold I’m styling it out with my red sock boots. 

Hope you’ve had a bit of inspiration from my picks, and if you live locally do check out the Atrium for a relaxed days shopping &  with a huge choice of restaurants too – it’s my kinda place! Everything I’ve posted was available In store.
Thanks for reading
The SummerMama

X

The colder weather is creeping back in, and the one and only thing I like about that – is a Coat!!  If I buy one thing each winter it’s a new coat, its the most essential fashion piece, taking an outfit from plain to popping and yes they also keep you warm. Now of course there are so many different trends & styles to choose from each year, but my heart has been set on the British heritage check trend for some time now. I adore this look and always have, I still absolutely love the Zara checked jacket I bought last year and will be wearing that lots again this season. So with a set budget in mind, I’ve been trying various versions of this trend over the last few weeks and was not disappointed by the high street offerings.  Fitted smart & feminine, or oversized & masculine, paired with a studded buckle boot or the slender sock boots that are everywhere right now.

A coat is my biggest winter fashion investment so when I finally fell in love with one in H&M last week I did the usual put it back- go away & think about, but it never faded away.  You may have seen my instagram post on it, a great way to record your fashion picks. After checking online I noticed it was no longer available. The fear of ‘nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy’ . So I popped back to Kingston yesterday and there it was. I sized down to an 8, and it’s still oversized so bear this in mind. But I do love it and feel this is a classic that will not date.

This coat will look great with both denim and smart coordination. I’ll mostly be wearing with my bright red colour pop sock boots from asos which are the perfect heel height, practical for my lifestyle and comfortable (yes I sound like a granny but my reality of keeping up with a 3 year old does need comfort & speed) equally it will look just as good with white kicks.

H&M in store

These are a selection of some of the others I tried and loved. All available now and all fabulous.

Excuse the mix match of clothing below, but I really liked this one I spotted in Marks & Spencer yesterday…

Marks & Spencer (In store)

The rest are all available online ..

River Island

H&M 
Zara

Zara

Topshop

George at Asda

Debenhams 

La Redoute
Are you a fan of this look? Which style coat are you going for this season? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for reading

The SummerMama

I’m a skincare product junkie and obsessed with reading and trying new remedies.  Having worked in the beauty industry for over 15 years I’ve been lucky enough to get to try out many different lotions & potions During that time. I struggled with my skin when I was younger, but now I struggle with trying to repair the mistakes of those younger years!!…too much partying, not enough sleep, chuck in a lack of sunscreen, a 2 year old ( is there anything more ageing than motherhood?)  exhaustion & a love of red wine and you can see the foundations I’m working with here. However it is never too late to start and happily I’ve always maintained some form of skincare routine, but never have I seen such good results as with the basic combination of products I currently use.

Cleanse: The fabulous Liz Earle hot polish cleanser. I have tried many other cleansing balm/hot cloth cleansers including Eve Lom and still found this to be the best!! The cleanser itself removes the fiercest of eye make up as well as all dirt & impurities and leaves my skin feeling baby soft, super clean & never tight. If I’ve had a late night and do nothing else to my skin I always still use this. I buy this in John Lewis & you can also buy from lizearle.com

Tone: So I never knew Toner was good for dry skin until a beautiful facial I had a couple of years ago involved the Elemis rehydrating ginseng toner (again available at John Lewis) this is my wonder product. I use it far too much as a few spritzes during the day before, or over make up completely rehydrate & refresh my skin. My husband even has a cheeky spritz now & then!

Moisturise: & treatment – I give you ………..The Ordinary….

Everyone is talking about it, & there’s good reason for this!  This range is anything but ordinary. I first read about the ordinary some time ago in a post by Lee Pycroft & then Nadine Baggott (both make up, skincare & wellness gurus)  slightly overwhelmed with the huge choice of products and some quite frankly strange scientific sounding names, I started with the hyaluronic acid (hydration), the vitamin c suspension (mixed opinions on this but I love it) & The buffet (multi peptide serum).

The difference in my skin was noticeable within days.  Clearer & definitely more hydrated.  I’m a total convert.

My range has now expanded to quite a collection of these cute laboratory looking bottles. The fantastic thing is the price point is so affordable you can afford to try out new combinations for your skin until you find the perfect solution. It’s well worth taking the time to read up on the products as I truly believe there is something in there for everyone.

The ordinary range is available to buy from asos.com,  victoriahealth.com & many other outlets. These outlets are just my choices to buy from ( next day delivery with asos).

Eye cream:  Good old philosophy. Now I have definitely tried most of this range having worked on the brand in the past, & I love so much of it, but this eye cream works for me like no other. The ‘miracle worker’ is an anti ageing retinoid eye repair.  You can actually feel it tingle when you apply it.  I like this lots, like I can feel it working on those crinkles (of which there are many…. I obviously laugh A LOT) Order online at philosophyskincare.co.uk, qvcuk.com, John Lewis & bigger Boots.

Lip: So many lip balms, creams and potions out there and I’ve found a super cheap remedy that beats anything I’ve ever used. Only issue is it’s made in South Africa. It’s called Zam Buk and is a wonder product used for lips, elbows, knees and any other dry skin. My husband introduced me to this and I’m a convert. The South Africans call it ‘The hospital in your pocket’.

Lastly, it’s been said a million times before but the best things you can do for your skin are free, – drink plenty of water. Hydrating and flushing away impurities what could be more simple. Try and drink a glass of water as soon as you wake, (I then follow with coffee believe me) but first…. water! Dehydration causes tiredness, a glass of water in the morning has the same effect as a cup of coffee!  And sleep. Ahh I miss sleep! Easier said than done, so failing that try a big smile, it lifts your whole face and mood x

I do use a large number of other products but these really are the basics so will post again on skincare extras & my tricks to fake it!  Im in my 40’s with a 2 year old child. I by no means have perfect skin but I believe in making the best of what you’ve got! Love the skin you’re in & it will show.

Do you have a wonder product you’d like to share?

Thanks for reading

The Summermama x