Royal Wedding 2011 Kate & William Balcony Kiss

William and Kate share their first kiss on the balcony

Check my royal wedding post with my verdict on Kate's dress and best dressed post for more pictures and news about the Royal Wedding!

Best Dressed at Kate & William Royal Wedding

 Kate & William leaving Westminster Abbey as husband and wife

Of course the best dress people were the royal couple. Will and Kate both looked like they had stepped out of a page from fairy-tale storybook.

Kate's dress is reminiscent of the late Grace Kelly's wedding gown she wore when she married Prince Rainer of Monaco in 1956.

 Kate's wedding dress, 2011 ✓

Grace's wedding dress, 1956 ✓ 

But who looked hot and who looked a hot mess at the Royal Wedding this morning? You be the judge!

 Pippa, Kate's sister and Maid of Honour, wears slinky white cowl-neck dress with cap sleeves  ✓

 Victoria wore a dress from her own collection and David Ralph Lauren ✓

Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry's girlfriend, wore bright aqua Alberta Ferretti skirt and jacket with grey lace hat by Victoria Grant 

(l-r) Princesses Eugenie in bright blue suit and hat and Princess Beatrice in Valentino Haute Couture 

Zara Phillips in grey suit and dramatic hat ✓

 Joss Stone in tight red dress and peep toe heels ✓

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson in fitted blue dress, heels and Philip Treacy hat ✓

 Prime Minister David Cameron's wife, Samantha, wore Burberry dress delicate pleats, orange scarf, necklace by Erdem and nude shoes ✓

 Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's wife, Miriam, wore fitted lace-embellished suit and dramatic red feathered fascinator ✓

Kate's Wedding Dress Alexander McQueen Royal Wedding

Alexander McQueen gown designed by Sarah Burton

Kate, her father and sister Pippa the bridesmaid of honour

 Kate leaves for Westminister Abbey

First glimpse of Kate's dress by Alexander McQueen, designed by Sarah Burton, is a beautiful sight! The bride looks radiant in the stunning ivory and satin V-neck lace sleeve gown with full skirt with a long train measuring 9ft! 

It has been the most well kept secret in fashion with rumours circulating on the internet and in the press about who the lucky designer would be.

It is said that Kate was heavily involved in the design of the dress and worked closely with Sarah Burton to ensure the gown would be a fusion of  both tradition and modern - the perfect combination for a princess wedding dress!

I think the dress is fabulous, perfectly suits the occasion of a royal wedding. It is traditional without looking boring but still modern with the long sleeve lace. The added touches of the veil, tiara and of course the 9ft train perfectly finish the look of a princess. Kate looked absolutely stunning, Alexander McQueen would be proud. 

♥

 Kate walked down the aisle by her father

  (l-r) Prince Harry, Prince William, Princess Catherine and her father at the alter

Countdown to the Royal Wedding

 William & Kate's engagement photo

Only two days to go until the most talked about wedding of the 21st century takes place. 

The wedding, which will take place at Westminster Abbey on Friday 29 April, will see  Prince William marry Kate Middleton. Those folks at Buckingham Palace, kindly granted Friday 29 April a bank holiday so I will be celebrating the wedding along with the rest of the nation!

Apart from the wedding, what do we actually know about the big day? Here are some key facts you should know about the royal wedding:-

• The prince popped the question to Kate during a trip to Kenya in October 2010. He is reported to have romantically whisked his girlfriend off in a borrowed helicopter to a remote lake on the slopes of Mount Kenya where he popped the question (Awwwwwww!)

• The engagement ring is the same ring that William's father the Prince of Wales, gave to Princess Diana back in 1981. It is made of 18-carat white gold, (see previous post) featuring an oval sapphire and surrounded by 14 diamonds.

• William and Kate released their official engagement photos on December 11 2010. Taken by the famous photographer, Mario Testino, who famously took the iconic photos of William's mother Diana.  Kate wore a white Reiss dress and pearl earrings (see above)

• The Royal ceremony alone will reportedly cost around £12 million alone, and is being paid for by both the Royal family and Kate Middleton's parents, who are reportedly contributing a "five-figure sum" towards the total costs. Policing and security for the wedding will add another £20 million

• So what will be Kate's official title after the wedding? She will be known as Princess Catherine, though at this moment her official title is still unknown. However, when William eventually accedes to the throne, she will become Queen Catherine - the sixth in the history of the British monarchy.

• What will Kate be wearing on the day? Unfortunately, Kate's wedding dress remains a mystery! Though there have been hints that the dress is likely to be a mix of "something traditional, but with a modern twist," as revealed by fashion director Peta Hunt. Hunt also predicts the gown will feature hand-embroidery and lace.  Other potential designer names already thrown into the hat include Bruce Oldfield, Phillipa Lepley, Oscar de la Renta, and Vera Wang. 

All eyes will be on the dress. I suspect that the Queen Kate will chose an English designer opting for a classic , timeless

quintessential gown as opposed to a daring little number - this is royalty after all! 

Whatever dress the future queen of England chooses for the big day, it is sure to inspire an entire creation of copycat designs. Be sure to check out my blog for the latest news and pics of Kate's dress!

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Outfit of the Day

The start of the bank holiday weekend I joined my mum and sister for lunch in the new swanky restaurant, Cosmos in Croydon - worth visiting!

Smock - Miss Selfridge

Jeggings - H&M

Satchel bag - Primark

Sandals - Primark

Deliciously prepared food, stunning restaurant and great company - what more could a girl ask for? :-)

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♥ Love ♥ Want ♥ Need ♥ Alexander McQueen Skull Clutch Bag

 

If there was ever an investment-worthy accessory then this is it, the Alexander McQueen clutch bag.

It has a studded Union Jack-shaped design and fully lined in nude leather. But best of all?  Swarovski crystal-encrusted skull clasp!

 The skull clasp!

Team the clutch bag with an evening dress, the perfect accessory to add tough-luxe glamor to your outfit. 

 I spotted Leann Rimes with the clutch!

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Outfit of the day

I've selected some of my favourite Spring looks I will be wearing over the next few days when the sun is beaming on London town!

 

 Jumpsuit - Primark

Court shoes - Primark

Shades - M&S

Top - Bullfrogs

Hareem trousers - River Island

Court shoes - Primark

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Celeb Spotting at Coachella 2011

Want to find out who wore what to Coachella 2011? Me too!

Coachella is the biggest American music festival of the year but it's more known for its fashion rather than its music.

So what were the trends spotted this year? Seems like the 70s trends were popular with hippy chic being the favourite amongst the celebs. Here are a few of my favourite outfits... 

 Paris Hilton

Vanessa Hudgens

Rihanna

Alexa Chung

Dita Von Tesse

Juicy Couture Sample Sale!

 My new Juicy Couture Day Dreamer leopard print bag ♥

As a bargainista fashionista, I am always on the look-out for quality products at discount prices so was pleased when I got an invite to the Juicy Couture sample sale today. 

 Juicy Couture sample sale - bags galore! ♥

There were many amazing pieces on offer from Juicy Couture including tracksuits, bags, purses, shoes and t-shirts and jeans however, I was on the look out for a new Juicy bag for A/W. 

I bought a gorgeous cashmere Juicy Couture hoody with unique shoulder detail.  I will team with skinny jeans and  cute pumps - a perfect Autumn look.

 100% cashmere hoody

I was instantly drawn to the leopard print day dreamer bag. I am such a big fan of leopard print so it was an obvious choice!

Harrods sell the Juicy Couture Daydreamer bag in lots of different styles and colours.  I love the large fabric bow and the Juicy Logo dangling heart shaped charms. 

 
But the best part?  The mirror on the reverse side of the hanging J charm. 

 I ♥ the bow & Juicy charm mirror!

Just in case you have forgotten your makeup mirror, Juicy Couture have cleverly added this handy mirror. Cute AND useful!

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Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara Review

 Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara

I am always on the lookout for new mascara so was happy to do a review of the Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes mascara.

Unfortunately for me, I have the shortest stubbiest little lashes ever, so I tend to go for mascara that lengthen rather than "flutter and flap" as stated on the packaging. 

 Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes packaging 

The packaging itself comes in a cute baby blue thin box but I am not sure if it is to everyone's taste. I quite liked the feathers at the top and the way the box opened to reveal the mascara, a purple compact tube, though it might put some people off as being slightly too fluffy and "girly".

 Very impressed with the packaging!

This mascara claims to makes eyelashes thicker & curvier while allowing them to be soft & light and is also water-resistant so did it work?

 Mascara available in 4 colours, black, brown, purple and blue

Although this mascara doesn't fully lengthen lashes, it makes up in volume, giving my lashes a soft fluttery effect which I really liked. 

 Fairy lashes??

I wore the mascara for one full day and it is definitely water resilient as it took a few attempts to remove which was a pain but at least I know I won't get raccoon eyes! I particularly liked how it separates the lashes, no smudges and no clumps just fairy like lashes - couldn't be happier!

Click here to buy Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes mascara!

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Solange Knowles Rocking 70s Style

 Solange Knowles..too cool for school

70s trends were all over the catwalks this season but I always find it a tricky trend to carry off.

So I found some good examples of wearing the key trends this season without looking like you've just stepped out of a timewarp for the wrong decade!

I love Solange's outfit, here she is at the ELLE Magazine Women in Music party last night in Hollywood, looking effortlessly chic in flares, a floppy hat and a cute Afro.  Now that's the way to rock a 70s outfit!

 ♥ this vintage outfit - my mum's a fan too!

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