Wedding Eve

Oscar de la Renta Bridal 2012

It's wedding eve, so I thought I would bring a little bridal fever to The Daydreamer ahead of the "big day". If you could choose only one of these wedding gowns, which would it be? They're all beautiful in their own right, but every bride is different and every bride is equally as beautiful on what is the most special day of her life.

A wedding dress (and the wedding itself) reflects a woman's personality. My friend Nicki had the traditional church wedding and a princess-style dress with a sparkling tiara; my other friend Candice had the grand castle wedding and a va-va-voom dress with a long veil; I'm having a small, informal "garden" style wedding with a vintage-esque dress. It certainly says something about each of us - I suppose it's up to interpretation! 

What did/does/will your wedding (dress and all) say about you?

Vera Wang Bridal 2012

Vera Wang Bridal 2012

 

Vera Wang Bridal 2012

Vera Wang Bridal 2012

Oscar de la Renta Bridal 2012

Oscar de la Renta Bridal 2012

Oscar de la Renta Bridal 2012

Oscar de la Renta Bridal 2012

And for 2013 brides....

Carolina Herrera Bridal 2013

Carolina Herrera Bridal 2013

(If I were getting married next year....)

Carolina Herrera Bridal 2013

Carolina Herrera Bridal 2013

Images courtesy of You and Your Wedding, with thanks.



City Chic

Mr Man and I are trying to arrange a little trip to Paris to follow on from our beach honeymoon. If we manage to get another bargain, I totally need this outfit for sight seeing, don't you think?

Necklace, Boticca

Top, Mint Velvet

Trousers, M&S

Wedges, New Look

Woven bag, Accessorize

Images with thanks to PR Shots.

A Special Something: Janine Barraclough

My mum recently discovered a fantastic jewellery designer, Janine Barraclough, when she was flipping through a magazine a few months ago. It was one of the Aztec teeth necklaces (in green) that caught Mum's eye, and she fell in love immediately. It was one of those rare pieces that you just can't live without, so Mum contacted Janine and the commission was agreed! Less than two weeks later, Mum received her amazing necklace and has worn it at every opportunity since.

So.... I needed a thank you gift for Mum because she has been so generous in organising (read as paying for!) our wedding. Of course, I thought of Janine Barraclough straight away and contacted her to see if see could make another necklace for Mum, in a similar design but with something with a slightly more feminine feel so she could wear it to Mr Man's and my wedding. I sent Janine an image of Mum's dress and explained that she was a customer already, and Janine responded quickly to say that she would do something along the same lines, but with a more feminine edge. She created another amazing piece of jewellery - again, with Aztec teeth and metal chains, but this time in a very pale blue-grey enamel and with the addition of a pendant. It arrived within two weeks and when Mr Man and I presented it to Mum, she was absolutely delighted! She was beyond thrilled, and finally understood why I had "hated" every other necklace she had suggested for her Mother of the Bride outfit.

If you are looking for a statement piece of jewellery that will stand the test of time then you need some Janine Barraclough in your life. Her jewellery is special because it is all handcrafted and she has created a very personal and attentive service, which results in some seriously cool, but seriously special jewellery.

Visit her website here. Then treat yourself.

Barraclough also designs jewellery for Jean Pierre Braganza; below are her creations for his runway shows.

I will do another post in a little while to show you the necklaces that Janine made for my Mum. I think I am going to HAVE to get myself one of these. In the meantime, I'll borrow Mum's.

Forgotten Paradise

A side effect of arranging a wedding in three months is that you tend to forget you have a honeymoon to go on.....Mr Man and I leave for Skiathos a week tomorrow, and I haven't even considered honeymoon outfit options!

Luckily, we're having a beach honeymoon so my suitcase will be stuffed with bikinis, Havaianas, maxi dresses and a lot of jewel colours and gold accents - fairly simple. Here are some of my favourite pieces from the great British high street this summer.

What staple pieces do you take on holiday?

Next

Primark

ASOS

Monsoon

ASOS

Star by Julian Macdonald for Debenhams

Images courtesy of PR Shots, with thanks.



Beauty Busters: Benefit Hervana Face Powder

A few weeks ago I asked the very beautiful Shea to review Benefit's Hervana Face Powder for The Daydreamer and she kindly agreed. She also took the photographs - a girl of many talents!

"Firstly, the product was packaged nicely in a cute little box. It came with a small brush and a mirror hidden under the lid, which is handy for those emergency make-up moments. The brush is quite good as it gives you an even application of blusher. The bristles are angled slightly to achieve better coverage on the check bones. As well as a clever brush and compacted mirror the powder inside the box is presented in a very simple yet nice design.

The powder has four different colours arranged in a swirl pattern (pink, purple, peach and cream) to add a mix of colour and depth. However, I found that the colour was too faint to notice which left me applying about four coats to make it stand out. I decided to wear it on Sunday to see if it would last all day and despite the lack of colour when applying, Hervana did last all day. If you wanted a more dramatic colour then I doubt this is for you, however this is great if you wanted to achieve a natural look.

I would say this product is probably best for everyday wear as it gives a natural and subtle look. I also think that it would be good for bridal make up as it adds a natural soft glow to your checks. I did like this product and would definitely buy it in the future."

 

As usual, Benefit come up trumps in the beauty department!

 
 

 

Thank you, Shea!