Jo Malone Scent Surround Diffuser by Miss Lucy

Hello readers of Dutchess Roz! My name is Lucy and I write over at misslucyloves.com about all things lifestyle, beauty, fashion and interiors. A big thank you to Roz for having me guest post on her lovely blog. It really is one of my favourites! I hope you enjoy this little review of one of my favourite brands, I'm a girl possessed. I'd considered buying a Jo Malone Scent Surround Diffuser for some time as though they're a little pricier than the candles (£7 more) I knew they'd last me longer. I have no concept of 'saving' nice candles and just burn them right down as quickly as possible by burning the same one every single night until it's gone. I realise that this is very foolish but I can't be helped.

Having now tried the diffuser, I'd 100% recommend this to anybody who is as guilty of burning candles too quickly as I am. It's supposed to last 4-5 months depending on how many diffuser sticks you put in at once. I, of course, have put them all in in one go but the scent is so gorgeous and persistent that I don't care. This is a much better investment of your money if you want to buy a Jo Malone scent and I will definitely be repurchasing one of these. On the website they're only available in Lime Basil & Mandarin, Red Roses and one of my other favourites, Pomegranate Noir.

I'll be trying the Pomegranate Noir next time though I do really like the fresh scent of the Lime Basil & Mandarin. It's currently residing in my bathroom but I think it's a scent that will also work well in the kitchen so I might move it around a bit. I'm a huge, huge fan!

Thanks to the gorgeous Miss Lucy for this guest post!
I am a loyal follower of her blog so make sure you check it out.
www.misslucyloves.com  

My new bikini purchases #

Because of my impending sailing holiday to Croatia I was looking at my bikinis a while back and concluded that my collection was definitely due for a refresh this summer! So for the last few weeks I’ve been searching the web and tried on many in stores but I just couldn’t seem to find any that I absolutely loved. That is until I came across this gorgeous bikini at Reiss!

ALBI - bandeau style petrol blue and gold stripe bikini from Reiss - now on sale for £34! (link)

The bikini comes with removable halter neck trap and has lovely gold d-ring detailing to the front and cube-finished tie-side bottoms. This is me soaking up the sun in them while I was in Como, Italy :)

Then the other day while reading some celeb goss online I spotted these photo's of Ashley Tisdale in a bright fringe bikini and it was love at first sight! I just knew I HAD to get my hands on them.

How cute do they look right?

So I googled and googled away and found that the bikini she's wearing is the Audrey Bikini by L'Space. The funky bikini comes with a citrus halter neck fringed top that is supposed to enlongate the torso to give you better bikini cleavage and the bottoms are a fun colour patterned design. 

L'Space Audrey Bikini with Foxy Tab bikini bottoms (link)

I got all excited about ordering one for my holiday but then found that they were pretty much sold out on every webshop! I emailed online beachwear company Beach Elements and they replied saying they’d just had some come in stock and could get one shipped to me within 3 days. What great service and tada  three days later my new bikini arrived in London - I am one happy girl :)

Do you like my new bikini purchases?

As you are reading this I will be wearing one of these new bikinis whilst sailing the crystal blue waters of Croatia on my holiday!! Next week, while I am away I have lined up a couple of guest posts from some of my favourite bloggers. I hope you enjoy them. See you when I get back :) xoxo

The ultimate long lasting manicure: Shellac Nails!

For ages now I have been meaning to try out the hype that is 'Shellac nails' and last night I finally went for my first CND Shellac manicure and I have to say I love it. Shellac offers a more nail-friendly solution by taking gels to the next level and it is the ultimate long lasting manicure! The special formulated polishes brush on just like regular nail polish. Nails are prepped in the same manner as a basic manicure but your polish will stay on, chip-free, for at least 14 days!

I got my nails done at Nails in London in EC4 London and the whole process only took about 30 minutes. The application process is simple. A clear base coat is applied, which is then ‘cured’ for 20 seconds in an ultraviolet light box. Two coats of coloured polish follow (I chose the CND shade Tropix), each of which needs two minutes under the UV lamp, then a high-gloss top-coat followed by a final 20-second blast of the UV light and, voila, your nails are all done!

And the amazing thing is they are dry – like ROCK HARD dry, no risk of smudging or scratching. It’s the weirdest feeling walking out and not having to be careful touching things; I kept thinking I was going to damage my manicure! But it didn’t :) I am super happy with the finished result and will be curious to see how long I can remain chip-free for!

Do you like the shade Tropix I got? I love Coral and thought it would be perfect for my holiday :)

My shellac manicure cost £35 which I think is pretty good value for money when you think how long lasting it is compared to a standard manicure! When the time comes to take the Shellac polish off your nail, you can easily get this done at the salon when you go for your next treatment and the best part is that it doesn’t actually damage the nail itself. Even though salons don’t recommend it I have seen a few tutorials on how you can remove shellac nails at home; read a good tutorial here (link).

Btw like my new iPhone cover? I picked it up yesterday for only £3.99 at H&M. It was one of those items that's in the baskets by the counter and I just couldn't resist taking it home!

So the verdict on Shellac Nails? I am hooked and will definitely get it done again. I think next time I will try a shellac french manicure. Have you ever had Shellac nails or are now intrigued to give this new revolution in manicures a go? Let me know your thoughts. xoxo

I'm setting my sails for Yacht Week!

In only THREE sleeps I will be going on a holiday which is bound to become one of the best summer experiences of my life!! Think sunshine, sailing on a yacht with my friends and partying with people from all over the world. Sounds amazing right; well let me introduce you to ‘The Yacht Week’!

The concept of The Yacht Week is that you gather your best friends, go online, pick the country you want to spend the week sailing, choose the date and book your boat! Then just show up for the best week of your life to soak up the sun and party the nights away. Think this video sums it up quite nicely ;)

The locations you can choose from are The British Virgin Islands for winter/spring or Croatia, Greece and Italy in the summer. I’d heard so many amazing stories from friends last year about TYW so when the opportunity came around to book a boat for the Croatia – South Route 2012 with friends, it didn’t take me long to scream a wholehearted YES!!  

 So on Saturday, me and five friends (+skipper, phew someone that can actually sail our boat!) will be taking off from Split, Croatia for an epic voyage with great people from all over the world. Apparently ‘Every day is exceptional. Every night is magical. Crystal clear water, fresh winds, regattas and yacht parties will make the experience the journey of your life.’ BRING IT ON :)

Counting down the days - can you tell I am EXCITED???? :)

  For more information on The Yacht Week check out their website www.theyachtweek.com.

 

Happy Hump Day everyone! xoxo