Scarves & Hats

Happy last weekend in October! In order to start preparing for winter, we're showing off some of our new scarves and hats!

Whether you want a colorful, striped, patterned, or polka dot scarf, Meadow has it all for you!

Here are some of our latest New Arrivals...

A sweet and sassy animal print dress:

 Check out the great detailing:

A black and white patterned dress with a bow and pockets:

 Cute little blue flowy top:

 Adorable blue dress with a great shape:

Hope to see you soon! Have a Spooktacular Halloween weekend and stay safe! :)

xoxo

Lauren's Way- Lauren Goodger and Frankie Essex

Hello sweets,

Yesterday out of easily a couple of hundred stalls the best part of my day all focused around the Lauren's Way stand. I was so excited when I found out there was going to be a Lauren's Way stand because as you know- I'm already a huge fan of the tanning products.

I have completely finished both the mousse and the lotion and quite literally have nothing bad to say against them- I really enjoy using them and they have fast become my most reached for tanning product.

They dry so quickly, give a really nice colour and can be worn immediately as an instant- love!

Being such a fan of the products and wanting to get some good photos to share with you, I kept returning to the stand eager to meet Lauren Goodger and when she arrived it was so worth the wait. She was so lovely and looked absolutely beautiful. Frankie Essex joined her for support which I think was so lovely, I managed to get a few minutes talking with them and honestly they are such nice girls.

After grabbing a photo with the girls, Lauren came out so I could get a couple of shots of her for this post and thats when I managed to talk to them for a couple of minutes.

Lauren was wearing Lauren's Way Glam Tan and although I don't have a picture- Patent Nude Shoes from New Look.

Frankie was wearing a dress from Love Fashion, Hair Extensions from Cinderella curled with heated rollers, MAC Studio Fix Fluid (a girl after my own heart) and Eylure Double Lashes. 

She said her favourite make up brands were MAC and Sleek. I'll add a little video clip that I managed to record at the end of this post.

Now, if I had to have a criticism of Lauren's Way then it would have to have been the previous packaging. I mentioned this in my review before but I am happy to tell you all that with a whole new range of fantastic products comes new packaging. Whilst speaking to the team at the stand, we all agreed that the new bottles are so much more classy looking and a lot more appealing.

The new range consists of

-Body Polish

-Glam Tan

-Gradual Tan

-Instant Wash Off Glow

-Bronzing Lotion

-Tanning Mousse

-Tan Enhancing Moisturiser

-Fake tan Mitt

Also in the Lauren's Way range is Hair Extensions in six different shades and False Eyelashes- I'm absolutely gutted as these launched today so I missed out!

I managed to get my hands on the Lauren's Way Glam Tan which I cannot wait to use, I wanted to put it on last night but I was so tired so I'm saving it for today. I will get a review up as soon as I can!

Once I've tried that and probably after my holiday now, I will definitely be repurchasing some more lotion.

Look how good the Lauren's Way Spray Tan looks on Anna from Shipwrecked! She is gorgeous right?

She was such a lovely girl. She told me all about her Shipwrecked experience, asked about my blog and very kindly let me take a photo of her spray-tan lines to share with you all.

The new Lauren's Way packaging

Lauren's Way products can all be found on her online store here.

I hope you're well and having a great weekend

xx

Quick bit of footage I got of Frankie Essex talking about trends and her favourite stores..

The Amy Childs Collection

In Amy Childs style.. "Hiya huns.."


Today at Britain and Irelands Next Top Model Live, Amy Childs seemed to be very much a centre part of the show. With the launch of her clothing range and a few appearances throughout the day, it was as if she was everywhere- being both a fan of The Only Way is Essex and Amy this was not a bad thing.


The collection is definitely not to everyones taste but with it being such a huge part of the day I thought I would share it with you. 

The Kiss 100 Open Catwalk was where the Amy Child's clothing collection was exclusively unveiled and it was incredibly busy with fans and onlookers interested to see what she had created.

As I said it's not to everyones taste however there were certainly a few pieces that I thought were very pretty including this first look. 

Amy described it in a later question and answer session as pretty and sophisticated and things she will be wearing in the coming season- especially to christmas parties.

I do love a bit of sparkle, but don't tend to really wear it. Some of the items in this collection are very dressy and are slightly over the top for me, but the Cream blouse, Red embellished top and Gold dress are all very pretty. 

There are 20 pieces to the collection and it is all priced around the £30-£45 mark.

With Amy Childs being known for being a Beautician and her love for fake tan and eyelashes- it was inevitable that she would also create a fake tan line.

Unfortunately I didn't get any- which I do kind of regret now, but the queues were far too long!

The fake tan range consists of Slow Glow, Scrub it off, Slap it on, Up tan girl, Must be mist and a mitt. She also has a range of eyelashes.

In the question and answers session, Amy added that she couldn't wait to get back to work- meaning her pre-towie job as a beautician, but rather than returning to her little at-home salon she is in the process of opening a salon in Brentwood which will offer a bunch of beauty treatments for you to "get reem" and of course, get a Vajazzle.


As far as I'm aware it will all be available on www.amychildsoffical.co.uk very shortly.


What do you think of the collection?


xx

My day at Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model Live

Hi dolls,

Today I was invited down to Britain and Irelands next top model at the Excel, London.

I went to this event last year but this year little old me went along with a press pass. Yes- press. 

It's days like this when being a blogger really is very surreal. I walked around in a little bit of a daydream I think.

I didn't really know where to start with posting about this event so I have decided to just do one super mix match of photos from the day and then I will do a couple of separate posts with the pictures I'm sure some of you will be interested to see- including Amy Childs collection and Lauren Goodgers Lauren's Way!

As well as seeing a bunch of fabulous bloggers throughout the day- Sophie and I met some amazing people. 

-Adee Phelan who had a pop up salon. He was the kindest man, I used to love him on the salon and more recently on Secret Millionaire so I was thrilled.

-Charlotte from Dirty Sexy Things

-TOWIE Lauren Goodger and Frankie Essex who couldn't have been more lovely (huge post to follow)

-TOWIE Amy Childs and Harry Derbridge

-Charley Speed and Grace Woodward and of course, what the whole day was about- the beautiful models from BINTM. They was stunning, especially Jade!

After watching Amy Childs unveil her collection on the Kiss 100 Catwalk we was treated to some Cupcakes and Cocktails in the VIP Lounge- delicious! We was very spoilt. 

The catwalk show is never a let down and in full BINTM Live style, it was full of a seriously amazing array of performers, dancers and models. The finalists to BINTM strutted there stuff and put on a really good show for us.

The whole exhibition room was full of different brands showcasing there products and selling all sorts of different things. From new collections to beautiful vintage stalls, jewellery to salons and teeth whitening to cupcake stands- they had it all. It was all fantastic, but what obviously caught my attention the most was the make up and the fake tan. There was tons of the stuff! Fashionista, Lauren's Way, St Moriz to name just a few.

I had a really fabulous day and really recommend you to pop to the event over the weekend if you have the chance. 

I hope you're all well and that I haven't bored you with this photo heavy post. I'm absolutely knackered and am probably just rambling now so I'm going to apply my new Lauren's Way Glam Tan and head off to bed.

xx


-A few lovely bloggers took pictures of both myself and Sophie for there blogs and I seem to have lost a few cards so if you happen to be reading this please send me a little message-

Elegant Touch- Non-chip Classic French

These are the first of the nails that I have tried since being ever so spoilt at the Elegant Touch event and they're going down a little treat. 

I have used Elegant Touch before but usually go for X Short American Bare Classic French, these are Short UV Gel Coated Infinity Simply Bare Classic French and I must say these are so much better than the ones I tried previously. The last ones felt a little flimsy and didn't last as long as they usually do for me- with these, they feel much thicker, they're currently on day five and going strong and chip-free. 

I do prefer the X Short length, but thats just down personal preference and has no impact on the nail itself. I'm going to have a little explore on the "fake" aisle in Boots/Superdrug next time I'm shopping to see if they have these in X Short and I'll be sure to let you know.

Each set of nails comes with a 2ml Pink Nail Glue which you can see pictured above, a nail file/buffer and 24 nails in 10 different sizes (all numbered).

I rushed these a little bit and as you can see the glue work isn't my finest- but the excess Glue just flakes away as the day goes on. 

But for a quick 10 minute nail I am pretty impressed.

They are so easy to use- 

-Select a nail thats closest to the size of your natural nail

-Spread a thin layer of Glue onto your natural nail

-Place false nail onto your natural nail and hold for a few seconds (the box says 5, I hold for a little longer just to be sure)

Voila! Fabulous nails for up to 10 days..

My nails just don't grow so I always wear false nails especially for work and think these ones in particular look really natural. 

A colleague of mine complimented them and really couldn't believe they were "stick on's"- I think she had that perception that so many people seem to have that they're not going to look nice or last- THEY DO! 

They're perfect if you're off on a night out, a weekend away or just want to glam up a little without spending either 1. A fortune or 2. Forever growing your natural ones.

These beauts cost about £6.75 and you can view the ranges and the full stocklist over on the Elegant Touch website here 

xx

Vaseline Lip Therapy- Crème Brûlée

Hi dolls,

So pretty much every beauty obsessed girl owns a Vaseline Lip Therapy tin..right?

I do and have done since I was about 13 years old.

Already available in Original, Rosy, SPF15, Cocoa Butter and Aloe Vera- Vaseline have launched the latest to the collection- Crème Brûlée. 

This is available now in retailers such as Selfridges and can be found online here.

 

For deliciously kissable lips- will you be adding this into your basket?

xx

Eylure Upper and Lower Lash Duo

Hey sweets,

Today I decided to go for a slightly bigger lash than normal, so I rummaged through my stash of Eylure and picked out the Upper and Lower Lash Duo. Now, I was planning on showing you the "full effect" but to be honest I looked like a clown with the lower lashes on. My eyes are far too small for any lashes that are bigger than average and anything more out there than normal can make me look a little crazy.

When we was given these at the Eylure event, Lily from llymlrs.com was at the height of the conversation. She looks amazing in them and I would really recommend you go to her fab blog to have a look at them looking there best.

The upper lashes are by far the easiest lashes I have ever applied. I have no reason why, as the adhesive strip is the same as any other but I literally applied within seconds and there was no fiddling about.

The lower lashes on the other hand were a small nightmare for me to apply. Firstly, they was originally too big for me and when I did cut them to size I just couldn't get the technique right. I do have a set of more natural Upper and Lower lashes, so I will work on my technique when trying them out.

I'm really pleased with my HD Brows now, at the beginning I was a little indecisive with the whole thing. They are quite heavily penciled in here, bur you can see the shape. I'll get a shot of them looking natural for you put up as soon as possible. 

   

In these photos I am wearing

-MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC35

-MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer NC30

-Fashionista Blush in Rose Shine

-LOOK Lipstick in Baby Doll

-No7 Eyebrow Pencil Brown/Black

-L'oreal Architect 4D

I hope you're all really well. Not long until I go away to Thailand now so I'll try my best to get a few posts up in the meantime. 

Have you tried the Upper and Lower Lash Duo?

xx

Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model Live 24 Hour Bloggers Bargain!

Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model Live 24 Hour Bloggers Bargain! 

The ESSENTIAL weekend of fashion, hair, beauty, style, shopping and music, Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model Live will be taking place in London this coming weekend (28^th – 30^th October 2011) at the ExCeL Centre.  

To celebrate, readers of Belles Boutique have the opportunity to snap up 2-4-1 Standard Tickets (£20 normal price) for the closing day of the show! These tickets are available for 24hours only with the offer starting at 00.00 on Thursday 27^th October, and ending at23.59 Thursday so get in there quick!Go to www.bintmlive.com, click book tickets and enter BLOG24 when prompted.

You will get the chance to join the show’s infamous judges Charley Speed and Grace Woodward and the 13 gorgeous contestants from series 7 for the ultimate three day live event which will be London’s biggest fashion and beauty fix, and the ultimate girl’s day out!

I attended this event last year and it was fantastic and I will also be attending this weekend.

I can't wait, I hope I bump into lots of you!

I hope that if you was thinking of going to BINTM, this deal helps you out.

xx

Australian Gold

As you all know, I'm a rather huge fan of the sun and getting a tan. Naughty, yes I know- but I am careful.

Earlier this year when I was on the hunt for a good Sun Bed lotion, I was recommended Australian Gold. I had heard countless raves of there Sun Protection Lotions from a lot of my colleagues that spend a lot of time in Florida so I thought why not and started my search.

It's not a brand thats very easily available in the UK and always a little weary of buying beauty products on eBay I purchased it on Salon Skincare website. There is such a huge range but I decided on Bearly Legal for £19.50.

It's such a good Sun Bed lotion, it is really important that you use a lotion on a sun bed- it isn't just a pointless cream they try to sell you in the salons, it provides basic skincare for you whilst tanning. Most importantly, they keep your skin moisturised and help to prevent burning and promote tanning. 

This lotion in particular is an accelerator and includes Hemp and a Bronzer. I can't even describe how amazing this smells. It's so holiday-coconut-pineapple-orange-delicious and whenever I have it on my skin everyones like "mmmmmm whats that smell?"

I've said many a time, I'm naturally nearly see-through and I'm not sure I would have ever tanned without this little wonder. I'm so pleased with my tan at the moment that I haven't fake tanned in a couple of weeks- OMG!

I was a little unsure whether to really post about this, because Sun Beds are naughty and I don't recommend them. But a few people on Twitter have asked me what lotion I use and I was going to post about the SPF lotion so I thought why not. 

I don't use them all year round, I just wanted to get a base tan so that I don't burn when I go away with work and on my holiday and they also keep my skin looking nice- for now anyway.  

So after absolutely falling in love with Australian Gold I decided to invest in the SPF for my holiday. 

One of my friends was doing a flight to somewhere glam in America and stocked up for herself and very  kindly picked me up one.

I got the SPF15 Spray Gel with Instant Bronzer- Instant bronzer yay!

This product also smells like a DREAM. It was about $11, you can buy it online but again, it's a little tricky to find.

I usually use Piz Buin, Hawaiian Tropic or Banana Boat on holiday and will probably take some to Thailand as back up just incase but I do think I will be purchasing another one of these as I love it already. 

If you're in need of an SPF lotion and can get hold of some of this I really would recommend that you do. I doubt very much that you'll dislike it, even if it's just the scent that steals your heart.


I'm off to Egypt for a couple of days tomorrow and this is well and truly packed. I can't wait to spray it on!

.

You can view the whole Australian Gold range on there website here 

I hope you're all fabulous and if you are tanning you're doing it safely.

xx

Pretty Pumpkins.

Hey there...extra long time no see. Once again, I've let a couple months pass without a single blog post. With the changing of the season, we have kept ourselves extremely busy here at Butter Toast. Autumn is treating us very well...but spare time has seemed to all but disappear. With that said, I want to apologize for the absence. I would normally now promise to post more regularly, but as we've come to find out, I can't always keep my blogging promises. So let's just get onto the pretty pumpkins!!

 (source: my pintrest)

I say forget traditional pumpkin carving...I'm adopting pumpkin flowers and pumpkin painting! I love all these cute ideas I've come across on Pintrest. We have a load of pumpkins outside of Butter Toast right now...I really hope I can find the time to paint at least a couple of them this season. The upside of not carving?...They'll look cute well past Halloween!

Hope this weekend is treating you well.

xo. Traci

John Frieda Facebook Tutorials

Love John Frieda? ✓

Love Hair tutorials? ✓

Well 'Like' John Frieda on Facebook and get involved with there new Autumn/Winter tutorials!

As of today on the Facebook page, John Frieda would love for you to submit any of your hair questions for the ultimate hair experts to answer and whether it's Velcro Rollers, Root Lift or Backcombing vote for the style technique that you want to see the experts to run a tutorial on how to perfect- I know which one I'm going to go for! 

As well as being able to ask your questions directly to John Frieda they are also looking for three models to be the stars of the tutorials- so if you want to be the star of a video or just want to be styled by the experts get your entries in!

They will be taking note of your entries, votes and questions until the Monday 24th so be sure to 'like John Frieda UK' and get them in, while you're there maybe 'Like' Belles Boutique too ;)

You can access John Frieda UK on Facebook here

I hope you're all well and looking forward to the weekend

xx

Dishes, Soap, & Pretty Dresses!

Well, it's the 3rd week of October, but you wouldn't know it in Seattle with the weather we had last week- all sun! This week, though, the clouds and rain are back. So, we invite you to come take a look around Meadow for some cozy things!

Here are some of our new things...

These cute little dishes just arrived today!

Perfect for jewelry, a candle, soap and more!

Speaking of soap, we've got lots of it. Check out our delicious smelling bars:

I'm loving these new arrivals, also...

A sweet new navy blue dress:

Orange for fall:

Black and white knit top:

Jazzed up with some buttons:

Last, but not least, a simple black and white striped sweater:

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ahead!

xoxo