OOTD | Denim & Pastels

Denim Shirt Dress* - Apricot

Coat - Primark

Handbag - Kate Spade

Brogues - Dune

The last week of weather has been such a welcome relief from the months of rain that we have had in Plymouth, the weather last weekend couldn't have been more beautiful, and I was one of those foolish people that braved the bare legs look and actually believed it would be warm enough. It's fair to say that the sunshine was very deceptive, as it was freezing!! It was a perfect excuse to wear some new spring clothing from Apricot though, I have been dying to wear this for a couple of weeks. I am such a sucker for shirt dresses, they make the most comfiest outfits and they look so good without having to dress them up much. Despite already having a denim shirt dress, I fell in love with this light distressed denim that is the perfect spring colour, as always I picked something that would go well with the rest of my pastel wardrobe. They also do this dress in a slightly darker colour, and if you can't decide which one you prefer, why not buy both?! I paired it with my all time favourite pastel accessories that you're all probably fed up of seeing now! But we all definitely have our own style and types of clothing that we always go back to, I've found my comfort zone in pastel clothing and I'm not leaving it any time soon...

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend! What do you think of this outfit? Have you braved the bare leg look yet? Do you like shirt dresses?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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Kuxxin Healthy Snack Box Subscription | Review

There is no doubt that the last year has seen a huge rise in subscription boxes which offer a whole host of different themes and products. There really isn't anything better than having a box of goodies delivered to your door every month, whether that's makeup, food or games. Whilst there are a number of food subscription boxes on the market, I still feel like there is a gap in the market for healthy snack subscription boxes, with busy working people convenience is key, and it's not easy when you want to find healthy snack alternatives, so let me introduce you to the new healthy snack subscription box on the market called Kuxxin which is finally filling that gap within the market. Offering 5 full sized organic snacks in each monthly box, all of the snacks are 100% organic and free from preservatives, artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners, refined sugars and GMOS. You don't need to worry about putting any of these snacks into your body, all of it really is complete goodness. We all deserve better than these so called healthy snack bars that are sugar laden, so lets see what was inside the March box...

The Kuxxin snack subscription box* means that you can get a box of goodies delivered to your home or office every month. There are a few different payment plans available to suit your needs which you can find on their website, but the monthly cost of this is £24.95 in which you will receive 5 full sized products. This is definitely one of the more expensive boxes that I have trialled for what you receive, but you do have to remember that all of the products in the box are completely natural and organic and they really are of such a high quality.

I absolutely love the packaging of Kuxxin, and the green and blue theme that they have running across the branding. The box is the perfect size which can also be reused for crafts afterwards or recycled.

The bags of products that are included in the box are incredibly well labelled which really is a necessity. You'll find the name of the product on the back of the packaging, as well as a breakdown of the nutritional information and a long list of what these organic products don't include! All of the nasty stuff which really is best kept out of your diet.

The box included 2 bags of flaxseed and hemp granola, whilst I would never eat a whole bowl of granola for breakfast (far too sweet), it makes for a good topping on Greek yoghurt or porridge for a bit of natural sweetness. Unlike ordinary granola, this contains flaxseed and hemp which are renown for their high protein and fibrous content which can fight a whole host of different infections and illnesses. 

Dried fruit is one of my favourite things to snack on, as it's healthy and easy - as long as it doesn't contain too much sugar. This dried mango is perfect  for a snack, or adding to the top of your yoghurts and cereals.

The bag that I was most excited about was the coconut cranberries & chocolate trail mix, i promise it's not because it contains a form of chocolate...I've never tried anything like this before, and hence the name it has a mix of everything really, with seeds, chocolate, coconut and cranberries. This will be sooo good for topping greek yoghurt and for a little snack when I need a bit of a boost at work. The packet contains 120g so it will definitely keep me going for a while too!

The last packet contained dried pineapple, again probably one of my favourites - I am such a huge fan of both fresh and tinned pineapple but have never seen anything like this before. With perfectly formed pineapple rings, this stuff is fairly chewy to eat, but it looks as if it has literally been dried from its original form so it still has all of the goodness that fresh pineapple has. 

It's the simple things that please us the most, and I was so happy to see that each bag can easily be resealed at the top. Perfect for taking them out on the go or storing them in your cupboards at home without having to use additional boxes.

I was really impressed with trying out my first Kuxxin snack box, and I'm so pleased to have some new healthy foods to incorporate into daily diet. Healthy eating definitely gets boring when you're not constantly introducing new foods to it so this has definitely helped my meals and snacks become more interesting. The convenience of this is the biggest factor for me as working full time and having other work commitments I just don't often have the time to go out and look for healthy alternatives, so that alone is a huge advantage of the box for me. If you also struggle to find healthy snacks, I would definitely recommend giving this a go. The box also doesn't have to be for yourself, it can be given as a gift to a friend or a loved one who is a health conscious individual too! 

Have you heard of Kuxxin before? Would you like to give it a try? What do you think of healthy snack subscription boxes?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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Work Wear Series: Florals

Dress* - Vesper Dresses

Court Shoes - Next

Handbag - Kate Spade

Glasses - Karen Millen

Leading on from the first post in my new Work Wear Series, I'm bringing you another gorgeous dress from Vesper Dresses. My first post went down really well, and work wear inspiration isn't something that I think is shown much in the blogging world so it's definitely something I want to keep sharing with you. This outfit is for one of my days when I have client meetings, it's such a gorgeous formal dress and I just love the cream panel at the top and monochrome floral pattern on the skirt of it. It's beautifully fitting, and the perfect modest length for the office. Like all Vesper dresses, they  are perfect for all formal occasions - I can imagine this being a great dress for a summer wedding too. This is also only the second post that you will have ever seen me wearing glasses. I wear glasses every day when I'm in work so it's a true reflection of what I will look like during the working week, however I usually do tie my hair up in a bun or a ponytail as it can be such a pain! 

Wearing flats would make any legs look a bit dumpy in the dress due to the cut, so I paired it with some court shoes to finish off the look. Oh, and let me introduce you to my first Kate Spade handbag!! I still feel a bit sick about the price I paid for 'a bag', and I still feel a bit scared about taking it out with me, but life is for living, and shopping definitely makes work worth it all the more! Expect to see this bag in more outfit posts as I need to get my moneys worth hahah, but more than anything the baby pink colour of it is simply perfect, it's definitely going to be the crux in my wardrobe! 

What do you think of this dress? Do you like my Kate Spade handbag? Would you like to see more workwear posts?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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New York Makeup Haul | Sephora, Mac, Bath & Body Works & Ricky's

It's the post I have been so excited to share with you since I arrived back from New York. It was inevitable that a lot of money was going to be spent on my trip to the big apple, and armed with a list of items that were on my wishlist, the shopping experience in New York was just heaven!! With Sephora's dotted on every corner, and with every single makeup brand that you can imagine, the only problem was that there was far too much to choose from, so I was definitely glad I wrote a list of some products that I had heard were really good as I really wouldn't have known where to start else! Naturally I did a couple of shopping trips to Sephora and also headed to Mac, Ricky's and Bath & Body Works - not makeup related but I thought I would include the bits in the mix too. I photographed these products as soon as I got home as I wanted to start using them immediately!! It's fair to say that I picked up some amazing bits both high end and drugstore value which have instantly become some of my favourites and have seamlessly been added into my daily makeup routine. First stop Sephora...

It had been 4 years since the last time I went into a Sephora in New York and it was 100 times better than I had remembered, I've also grown to love makeup so much more over the last year so the experience was just amazing. From youtube videos, recommendations and things I wanted to try I managed to pick up everything that I wanted. I definitely made a gulp when only a few products added up to $200, but that's all part of it right? It also definitely doesn't feel as bad as it would handing over £150 for makeup in the UK, dollars are essentially monopoly money after all!

SO much prettiness!

I've just run out of Porefessional from Benefit which has lasted me about 2 years so it was about time that I tried out something new. I am always attracted to Too Faced for their beautiful packaging, and simply no other reason. The consistency feels smooth and silky just like porefessional, but I'm yet to try Primed & Poreless so I will let you know how I get on with this in due course...

I fell hook, line and sinker for this Laura Mercier smooth finish flawless fluide last year and included it in my November beauty favourites. This was a repurchase, and as I have mentioned before it provides the most beautiful finish and matches my skin tone perfectly. It didnt actually work out any cheaper in the US but I don't have a Laura Mercier counter close by to where I live so it was the perfect opportunity to pick it up.

I've heard so much about Nudestix in the past which can be purchased on Lookfantastic. I am a nude lip girl through and through as I find browns and pinks suit my skin tone so well. The Nudestix I bought is in shade Whisper and it comes complete in its own cute tin with mirror and a pencil sharpener. This is soo easy to apply and gives the most beautiful creamy and pigmented colour on your lips. The ease of the application alone makes me want to purchase these in every colour, it also has an added feature that it can be used on your cheeks too.

My Sephora contouring brush that I picked up 4 years ago had seen better days so I picked up a brand new one to add to my brush collection. It goes to show how long lasting they are and they are great value for money. I would have liked to have bought more from the Sephora own brand of makeup but I was so crazy other the other makeup brands to take too much notice.

I still can't believe I am paying £17 for essentially a piece of foam, but oh boy, my makeup applies like a dream since using the original makeup beauty blender, they blend your foundation and concealer seamlessly so I had to pick up another one whilst I had the opportunity. The only downside of these is that they are a pig to wash and I don't think they are very long lasting.

I definitely jumped on the Brow Wiz bandwagon after hearing so many bloggers raving about this from Anastasia Beverley Hills. I picked this up in medium which is the ideal colour for my brows, it has a brush on one end and a pencil on the other. I was most excited about trying this product and it has not dissapointed! My brows are SO easy to do now in the morning and they look so natural yet well done. This will definitely be featuring in my next beauty favourites.

I will always love Collection 2000 long lasting concealer and I will continue to use it religiously, however as I have started to incorporate contouring into my routine more I wanted to invest in good concealer that I can use on weekends, nights out and any other special occasions. So far so good with this concealer, the coverage is amazing - it doesn't crease and it's incredibly illuminating, it's perfect for adding further highlight to the face too.

The last thing from my Sephora haul is the Nars illuminating setting powder. Again, I had heard this product talked about in the beauty world a fair bit and wanted to invest in a good setting powder. This translucent powder doesn't change the colour of your foundation like other powders can which is my favourite bit about it. It's too early to say whether I've noticed a massive difference in using it, but my face definitely looks a lot less greasy during the day. Next stop Mac...

Eye primers are something I didn't even know existed since last year. I wanted to try something that was less of a cream and something that would help the staying power of my eye makeup. I was recommended the Mac pro longwear paint pot in soft ochre and whilst it is harder to blend in I would describe it as being a waxy type of formula. I apply this with a brush to my eyelid area and I have noticed such a big difference in the staying power of my eyeshadow since using it. It remains practically crease free throughout the day and my makeup lasted ALL day when I was at a wedding last weekend, I can't recommend this enough!

 My obsession with makeup is limitless right now after discovering the amazing benefits of using a lip liner last year and I was after Oh Honey lipliner from Mac which they unfortunately didn't have, but the closest match to this was cultured and it's such a lovely soft pink shade which is not harsh in the slightest. The beauty of this colour is that it can be used with pink and brown lipstick shades.

If you follow me on Snapchat (nicolelsage) I did a few snaps on what I picked up from Ricky's when I was in New York. Ricky's is really similar to Sally's which we have in the UK, but much better! It has drugstore beauty brands, hair care, skin care - literally everything, and at such cheap prices. The Ardell lashes were the best bargain at only $4, as these are around £5-£7 in the UK so there is definitely a saving. I am still a newbie when it comes to applying lashes and I only do it on the occasional night out, but I got some Duo eye lash glue to go with it as I have heard that it has excellent staying power, there's nothing worse than fearing your eyelashes are going to fall off on a night out! After watching That Pommie Girls YouTube videos on contouring I picked up some LA Girl pro conceal which is amazing, it's not the easiest to use and you really need to blend with it if you want to avoid the orange look! I'm definitely getting better at using it and it makes such a massive difference to my overall makeup look. I also got a new brush which I am using for applying highlighter under my eyebrows, and THE cutest Vaseline pot you will possibly ever see!! Ricky's was SO good and anyone visiting New York needs to pay it a visit!

The last stop on my makeup and beauty haul was Bath & Body Works! I was soo excited about going to this place, and let me tell you it was so hard to find. Unlike London, all of the shops in New York are scattered all over the place so with a list of places I wanted to get to it wasn't always practical to try and do it all in the one day! I wasn't actually that mad about Bath & Body Works after hearing people rave about it for the last few years. I also wasn't that fond of a lot of the fragrances so I stuck with purchasing some minis so I can still give some bits a try. I got a selection of shower gels, hand cream and the cutest hand sanitizer complete with a flamingo holder!! I'm not sure I will use it yet, but I had to get it due to the novelty and cute factor!

That was an incredibly long post to write, but one that I really enjoyed putting together. I think I spent every evening in New York also looking through every bag of products that I bought like a  million times as I just love new makeup! I had such an amazing time in New York and I'm so glad I could spend money on such amazing beauty bits, it's far to say I now have a penchant for high priced beauty items, they are just so damn good! As well as makeup, I also bought a whole host of other non beauty related bits, including the most amazing Kate Spade handbag eek!! Next up will be my New York travel post so stay tuned for LOTS of pictures!!

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend and enjoyed seeing what I picked up! What do you think of my makeup haul? Have you been to Sephora before? Have you got any of these beauty products?

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