Poolside Chic

Gone are the days when a girly holiday meant a week on a package trip to the Canaries or a road trip to a seaside town somewhere in the west! Thanks to tv shows such as Made in Chelsea and The Only Way Is Essex girls like ourselves are expecting more from our week in the sun.

 Locations such as Marbella, Ibiza, Las Vegas and Dubai have become choice destinations and pool parties and yacht trips have replaced a dip in the sea as holiday activities! With our holiday choices becoming more upmarket our suitcase contents will therefore also have to follow suit. That faded bikini you've had for the last couple of years just won't cut it (yes we know you may have only had the chance to wear it on 2 or 3 occasions!). This post will bring you the Do's and Don'ts of pool party dressing, whether you're a Chelsea lady or an Essex babe.

Despite what you may think the key is less is more! Keep any pattern and colour to one item only. If you choose a bright, busy swimsuit then pair it with a plain kimono and accessories. In this first look we have chosen a standout swimsuit in a bright neon, this one is by AQAQ. A one piece is flattering on all shapes and bright colours look gorgeous with a rich tan. We have styled our suit with a plain black Missguided kimono, which is great to ease you gently into the bikini experience!  You can keep yourself under wraps until you're ready to show off! Tan accessories will compliment virtually any swimsuit and these Office wedges are leather so will be super comfy even if your feet swell in the heat. This ZARA bag trumps your average beach bag and can also add some stylish flair to your airport outfit.

The next rule for poolside cool is to flatter your figure. Wear something you feel comfortable in! A one piece is great if you're tummy conscious, bigger busted ladies should choose a bikini with added support and a bikini bottom with side ties will add length to shorter legs. Cover ups are so in right now and are great if you are a little modest. Drape a kimono over your shoulders if you're not mad about your arms and everybody will think you are making a fashion statement, not trying to conceal something! A sarong is also brilliant if you have a bit of pesky cellulite on your bum and will also finish off your glam look perfectly. The TOWIE girls are all fans of a good cover up!

Don't be tempted to over do it on the hair and makeup. Trust me you'll end up really disappointed when humidity hits and half of your face ends up on your beach towel! Take a leaf out of Lucy Mecklenburgh's book and keep hair neat and chic and makeup natural. I would always make sure that a new haircut coincides with my vacation. If you have long or unmanageable locks try tie it back in a chic ponytail or a big bun. Prior to jetting off why not invest in an eyebrow tint and semi permanent lashes which will mean you won't need any eyemakeup for your trip. Use a good quality tinted moisturiser or bb cream with added SPF to do two jobs at once. Make sure you pop some face powder in your beach bag to keep shine at bay and finish your look with a dusting of bronzer and a bright lip tint.

However tempting it may be don't do the magpie on it! Keep the bling to a minimum. Once you start adding sequins and Swarovski it is very hard to stop! Avoid blinged out bikinis as they will be very difficult to restyle and you therefore will get a lot less wear out of them. It is much easier to dress up a plain suit and make it look completely new! Use accessories to add glitter and glam to your ensemble. Accessories are actually the most important part of your outfit. It's all in the detail! It's not uncommon to see designer totes being used as beach bags  at these resorts and designer sunnies are an essential. You can however fake it! 

In this picture we have styled this asos swimsuit with the same chic shopper as before from ZARA. The wedges from lolashoetique.com look fabulous with the bag and add just a touch of bling with the chain detail. The Missguided kimono freshens up the outfit. 

Our final rule of thumb for poolside chic is  do not under any circumstances go topless! You're in a different country and nobody may know you but if you keep hash tagging #marbs2014 in your pictures all those lads around the pool in Ocean Club soon will! Also, under no circumstances should you go topless in Dubai, ever! We can't bail you out of prison!

We hope you have found this piece informative and if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @beauheauxblog

Pictures: Reveal Magazine, Daily Mail, Metro.co.uk, Missguided.eu, Zara.com, asos.com, lolashoetique.com, office.co.uk, aqaq.com

Fashion Mood Boards: Zara AW14

Producing little mood boards has become a habit of mine recently! I find it great for determining whether items from different sites will look good together, aside from trying them on of course! Now, my mood boards are nowhere near as sophisticated as some other bloggers who use photoshop and other such tools. I make them up in a few minutes and find them to be simple yet effective! Here is one I compiled recently with some of my top pics from Zara's latest collection.

This clutch bag is to die! I've seen a few bloggers photographed wearing it already. It's a dinky little size and available in black and white. It sort of fits into that whole novelty accessories trend around at the moment too. Pair it with jeans and a blazer for day time chic or with a midi and crop top for a cute evening look.

Oooooh these shoooooes! At the moment I'm sort of obsessed with Margot Robbie's character in The Wolf of Wall Street. Her wardrobe on the movie is so fun and I love that whole eighties sexy power dressing look. All of her heels in the film are super high pointy toe stilettos and lots of ankle strap and Mary Jane action too! This pair totally have that vibe about them! Available I'm black and nude and for only €30 how could you not?!

This skirt is so beautiful and very Carrie Bradshaw-esque! Metallic midi skirts seem to be having a bit of a moment! I've seen similar versions on asos and in River Island and Alice & Olivia also have one this season which I will be posting in an upcoming mood board post! Unfortunately, at the time I wrote this the skirt had sold out in my size but in hope to get my hands on it when it is restocked. 

This item is actually more wearable than you may think. The key is contrast! Match it with a simple white shirt and barely there sandals or a cute cropped fluffy jumper.

Everyone needs several good structured jackets at their disposal! Winter white is just divine. This piece will add bags of sophistication to a simple pair of denims.

And that concludes my first ever mood board post! 

Beauty Review: Coco Mademoiselle

I cannot recall if I have previously mentioned this to you all but up until this time last year I worked selling fragrance for a number of years. Such a lovely job! As you can imagine I soon became addicted and I now like to think of myself as a connoisseur of fine fragrance! I found myself running low recently and my lovely boyfriend agreed to buy me a little surprise! Boy did good! He presented me with a generous 50ml bottle of Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle eau de parfum. It was love at first spray!

I will admit that when I sold fragrance I wasn't a fan of this scent. Mainly as it was so popular and was perhaps the most sprayed scent in the store. I had become very sick of it! Smelling it outside  of such a fragrance saturated environment was a beautiful experience however! 

Upon spraying this eau de parfum the first notes that hit your nose are citrusy and mouth watering. Oranges and grapefruits, yum! As it dries down it is clear that this is really a strong floral fragrance with rose and jasmine extract right at the heart of this fragrance. Vanilla and white musk form the base notes adding a certain warmth and sensuality to this fragrance.

In my opinion this is one of those scents which make you smell good enough to eat. Wear it if you want to be complimented! It is such a good quality fragrance, it lasts hours and you need to use very little. I love being able to smell my perfume on my skin hours later and so many of the newer fragrances on the market just don't satisfy me. It is easy to see why this scent has been a top seller since it's launch in 2001.

I would recommend this fragrance for those of you who like to invest in a good quality, long lasting scent. If you fancy a good, strong, floral fragrance with sweet undertones then this is for you. It is a step up for the girl who loves Victor and Rolf's Flowerbomb or Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle. This is the scent for the working woman who enjoys style and luxury and who wants to stand out from the crowd.