Things in the latest Space NK gift-with-purchase that made me squeal with delight: a sample of the new REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial; a little tube of Becca’s cult makeup product, the Shimmering Skin Perfector; a teeny lipstick from Hourglass and – the piece de resistance (sorry, that needs accents but I can’t summon the energy to try every key on the Mac keyboard) – a miniature, perfectly formed Baume de Rose. I swear that my heart almost left the building when I saw that; I get excited over miniature products anyway, but a Baume de Rose? How cute! Let’s take a closer look:

What an absolute cutie, with its little glass jar and pretty pink box! In fact the whole gift is pretty gorgeous; twenty-eight of Space NK’s most coveted products, most of them in quite generous sizes and all of them – without fail – things that I already love or can’t wait to try. Look at these:

A Luxurious Hand Balm from Diptyque (bring back the candle! We will never tire of a mini candle!), an Eye Renewal Balm from Regenerist and the Hair Repair from swish/cool brand Sachajuan. I’m going to get cracking with those tonight! And there’s a great selection of skincare – everything from cleansers to day creams – as well as a primer from Laura Mercier, a whopping great bottle of Phyto treatment spray and a gorgeous Jurlique face mist in a dainty bottle.

Some firm favourites, too, including Sisley’s Black Rose Mask, the Good Genes Treatment from Sunday Riley and my bedtime must-have, the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray from This Works. I have yet to try the Inner Strength bath oil, but I have the candle and it’s sublime, so I imagine that the oil will be just as effective. And nice to try a different blend – I’m stuck on Deep Relax / Support at the moment and can barely pull myself out of the bath, half the time.

The new Beauty Anthology is free to Space NK customers spending £150 or more – the offer runs for the whole day on the 17th and 18th and you can also claim the gift online – here’s the page, Beauty Anthology; the gift is automatically added to any order over £150. It’s kind of early to be thinking of the Christmas shopping, but if you were going to be stocking up, then now would be the time!

Space NK: The Beauty Anthology

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Oh I am all over these lacy dresses and skirts that seem to be flooding the clothes shops at the moment. I’m talking about the beautifully feminine, Chloe-style lace garments, not the fitted type in garish colours that look flammable and scratchy. Floaty, romantic lace that makes you think of soft-focus seventies films; white, cream and nude shades that flatter the skin and look sexy and innocent all at the same time.

Here are the lacy things I’m lusting after. Luckily, two of them are at H&M so I won’t feel too guilty about snapping those up – I’ll try them on this week when I get near a store. I’m not making the mistake of ordering online from them again! (It took ages. It was difficult to get help from someone human. Loads of things didn’t arrive because they were out of stock. Shame, because I’d order from them a lot if it was easier…)

The first is this white jersey-lined skirt – it looks luxurious and drapes beautifully and I like the geometric hemline. It’s £39.99 here.

You need to see this bodysuit on, rather than as a still-life – look at the model pics here. I have absolutely no idea what I’d wear this with (perhaps a tailored pencil skirt, or beneath a structured dinner jacket on a night out?) but I love it. It’s £24.99 here.

This stretch-lace dress from Maje was the thing that set this whole lace-obsession off; I think I’m going to take the plunge and buy it, even if it is totally impractical! It’ll be stained with something permanent, like marker pen or shoe polish, within about ten minutes. But I love the comfortable stretch in the fabric and the way it can be worn casually with flats on a hot summer’s day or dressed up with tan sandals for an evening out. It’s £290 here.

When I’ve finished breastfeeding and I don’t have boobs the size of planets, I want to wear this. The delicate, unbelievably pretty Millie bra from Stella McCartney. It’s half-price on The Outnet (£27.50 here) and there’s an amazing matching bodysuit, if you’re into having matching sets of things…

I know that I would never, ever wear this ballerina dress from Alice + Olivia (£465 here) but that doesn’t stop me from wanting it. Badly. It’s like a childhood dream come true. I’d hang it on the back of my bedroom door and stare at it constantly. I can’t even imagine what kind of occasion would call for a ballerina dress (I want to say prom, but price-wise it’s rather steep for a teen!) but if I think of one, and manage to miraculously tone up my arms and legs before the summer, I will be wearing this. On a sidenote, I’ve only recently discovered Alice + Olivia and they do such amazing dresses – I’ve added them to my list of designers to check when I need something snazzy to wear.

The post Weekly Window Shop: Floaty and Feminine Lace appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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And here it is; the Fluffy Coat and Faux Fur lookbook. Do not buy a winter coat until you’ve seen these beauties; they’re warm, comfortable and totally on-trend (if you bother with that kind of thing!) and work equally well worn casually as they do thrown over something smart. I’ve already told you about the Unreal Fur coats (see Monday’s post); the pink (above) one reminds me so much of the Gucci campaign coat that has been in all of the magazines. Except at a saving of approximately 96%. You can find it (the one that doesn’t require a bank loan) here.

And the faux fur from Miss Selfridge is a total cracker; I had a total of seven high-street versions in my spare room, but this one was by far the most beautiful in terms of quality, cut and colour. It has a lovely creamy, plush finish that looks and feels expensive and the length is perhaps a little chic-er than the cropped ones – keeps your kidneys warm, as my Mum likes to say. Considering that this is under £100, I think that Miss Selfridge have done magnificently; it made me feel a million dollars. Proper Hollywood-style dressing and I put it on with jeans to demonstrate just how versatile it is. You can find it online here.

Watch the video to have a good look at the rest of the coats; there’s a rather striking purple number from Baum und Pferdgarten, a soft, cheerful teddy-bear coat from ASOS and some more monochrome options for those who feel safer in black. All of the video details are below the screen, just click the links for prices and information.

OUTFIT 1:
Coat: Unreal Fur De-Fur. Find it at ASOS here: http://tidd.ly/bbd97542
Unicorn Silk Dress: Silken Favours. https://twitter.com/silkenfavours
Glitter Pumps: Jimmy Choo

OUTFIT 2:
Purple Coat: Baum und Pferdgarten http://shop.baumundpferdgarten.com
Palm Print Dress: Baum und Pferdgarten http://shop.baumundpferdgarten.com
Flat Biker Boots: Karen Millen. http://bit.ly/1sL6fZR

Outfit 3:
Teddy Coat: ASOS. Find it here: http://tidd.ly/6870cf7c
Skirt: Hush. Find it here: http://tidd.ly/942d9879
Shoes by Jimmy Choo as before

Outfit 4:
Faux-Fur coat by Miss Selfridge. (OMG it is amazing! One of the best fake fur coats I have seen this season.) Find it here: http://rstyle.me/n/qym6ut6a6
T-Shirt: Milly NY.
Jeans: Ralph Lauren from ASOS, past season.
Shoes: LK Bennett. Past season.

Outfit 5:
Faux-Fur coat: Fire& Ice by Unreal Fur. Find it at Hush: http://tidd.ly/2a294ef0
Black cords by Paige
Boots: Leona pull-on leather boots from LK Bennett. Buy them here: http://tidd.ly/84a78d9a

Outfit 6:
Panda Sweater: Wildfox http://www.wildfoxcouture.co.uk/store/
Black Furry Coat: Supertrash. At ASOS here: http://tidd.ly/c73a08ee
Black cords, Paige as before.
Black flat boots, Karen Millen as before. http://bit.ly/1sL6fZR

The post Buying a Winter Coat? Read this First… appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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