Onjenu at QVC £95

Style Theory: Where did you get that? A question I have been asked many times over the last few months and quite often I have said QVC, surprise reaction ensues..'really?' They have such an amazing assortment of the best products from jewellery, homeware, clothing and skincare. From top end (at affordable prices) to some really great bargains..I am officially hooked..

Here are a few things that I have been wearing and loving over the last few months since I started working with QVC..

Onjenu at QVC £95

This shimmery jumpsuit is fabulous on, super comfy (I am wearing size 10) It makes you stand out in a good way, glittering in the sunlight. I love it dressed down with flat sandals, it makes it more wearable and the length  flattering.

Bow Slydes £22

Love these cute sliders, perfect for wearing to the beach or pool. They are like walking on clouds, incredibly comfortable and look great with denim shorts and a tee.

Pia Rossini at QVC £32

This is the perfect beach bag, it is lined with a zip top (really useful to keep all your belongings safe) super big so can happily hold beach towel, suncream, book etc with a bit of sequin sparkle! I have this and have been using it for the schoolrun every day (it holds a lot!) and will be taking it away with me on holiday in July.

Leather Holdall Bag - Amanda Lamb QVC  £110

Leather Holdall Bag - Amanda Lamb QVC  £110

I have used this bag sooo much, I recently took it to Barcelona for my three night/four day break and it fits the most incredible amount in. It is lovely dark red, super soft leather and looks expensive (it is darker in real life than the image above) It is just one of those really useful overnight/mini break bags that makes me look like you are kind of organised and pull together!

Lisa Snowdon at QVC £30

I am slightly obsessed with semi precious stones at the moment and love this moonstone ring, at £30 it is such a fab ring to stack on top of the diamond star ring below..

Lisa Snowdon at QVC £60

The most stunning ring full of tiny round diamond cut diamonds for £60, the perfect gift for a super special friends or sister/daughter. It hangs beautifully on the hand and looks great stacked with the ring above.

Lisa Snowdon at QVC £86

Again some beautiful, diamond cut diamond earrings, they look amazing with a dressed down look of jeans and tee or dressed up with a bright summer dress.. 

Ophia Ring at QVC £30

Possibly my most asked about item I have been wearing from QVC, this gorgeous ring - made of simulated opal and cubic zirconia stones on sterling silver plated with yellow gold - is beautiful. I love the design, the moon, the colour of the simulated opal, it is so unusual and would make such a fabulous gift.

Julep Whipped Matt Lip Duo at QVC £24

If you have been following me on Instagram and Instastories you will know I love this light whipped lipstick with seriously intense colour. It is creamy when applied and is the most flattering pink colours, it is silky snd stays on for so long and when it does start to wear off it does so evenly becoming a lighter shade of pink but still with the pink pigment meaning it is flattering all day. I wore it to the beach in the summer as it gives my lips the most fab pop of colour but I know it will look good at the end of a long day too. Love love this lipstick!!

So a few ideas from QVC, it is so worth checking it out, I love the videos online explaining each product and how to use. Are you a fan of QVC? Have you made any sneaky purchases? 

As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Fran xx 

*This blog post was written in collaboration with QVC, all thoughts, comments and product selections are my own.

The Perfect Strappy Summer Dresses

Images via Pinterest

Style Theory: Strappy, cotton sundresses are my summer go-to. They are cool, look great and mean you can waft around without overheating. Perfect to fling over swimwear and wear out in the evening with flat sandals, the one dress you need to pack on holiday..here are some of my favourites...

Free People £140

I love the boho fabric of this dress, it has a low strappy back so can be worn with a bandeau bra or over swimwear.

Free People £88

I am seriously into smocking at the moment, it is so comfortable on, looks great and if you are small chested (like me!) it means to can go without a bra. I have ordered this dress..

Topshop £85

This black silk dress is incredibly chic and timeless, I would pair with black wedge espadrilles for a beautiful evening holiday look.

Topshop £30

The thin multi coloured stripes make this dress the ideal beach to bar dress, dress down with flat, tan sandals, dress up in the evening with colour pop espadrilles,

&Other Stories £59

A linen dress is a must on a really hot day, this mustard colour looks stunning against sunkissed skin.

Sezane £125

The double layer of this dress makes it really flattering.

Zara £25.99

Wear this Zara dress with flat tan sandals for a super chic, casual but dressed up holiday look.

Zara £29.99

So not particularly 'strappy' but a cream dress is such a useful thing to pack for holidays (if you are good at keeping things clean - I am not) This one is understated, I would team with pale tan espadrilles.

Mango £49.99

Khaki looks great on holiday paired with the usual tan sandals and a basket bag.

Free People £120

This dress has the most beautiful straps with bows at the back, made of lightweight cotton it will be so cool on warm nights.

Monsoon now £39

This dress caught my eye in store, such a fab beach dress, super easy to wear..

These are all pretty perfect dresses to pack for your holiday, I am a huge fan of a day to evening dress, it appeals to my 'can't be bothered to dress up' nature on beach holidays! 

As always I love to hear all your thoughts and comments, thanks for reading Fran xxx

The Perfect Silk Dress....

Dress - Marks and Spencer £119
Sandals - Marks and Spencer  £39.50
Bag - Marks and Spencer £39.50

Style Theory: In the summer I always reach for black dresses, they look great against sunkissed skin, are super easy to style and look chic. I love a plain black dress on holiday, it looks cool and understated and can match with every accessory you pack with you, team with flats or heels anything goes..

Dress - Marks and Spencer £119
Sandals - Marks and Spencer  £39.50
Bag - Marks and Spencer £39.50

This Marks and Spencer pure silk dress is one of those great summer dresses, it hangs beautifully on, is wonderfully cool and can be worn for both day and evening. I sized down one size, it is a little neat on the upper arms but fine, I think it looks better a neater fit than too big. The shirt dress design means you can undo the buttons, go a little more risqué on holiday or wear over leather leggings or jeans in the Autumn. The brilliant thing is that it is machine washable (at 30degrees) which is so much better than the normal dry clean only on silk!

Sandals - Marks and Spencer £39.50

For a daytime look I paired it with these incredibly comfy sandals, they are leather, really flattering on ankles and look great with both dresses and jeans. I took my normal size in them, think I may have to get the tan version too!

Bag - Marks and Spencer £39.50
Sandals - Marks and Spencer £39.50

This cute straw bag caught my eye, love the word 'Happy' embroidered on the front (because I love a holiday so it would be true!) It has fabric with a pull tie at the top to keep all my things inside safe and with the additions of pink and yellow handles and tassels it brightens the all black outfit up..

For evenings just add a pair of heels and clutch..

Dress - Marks and Spencer £119
Shoes - Marks and Spencer £45
Clutch Bag - Marks and Spencer £89

Such a chic dress for evening, it just kind of drifts from daytime to evening wear in one easy move.. The dress is heavy enough silk that it hangs beautifully and floats as you walk.

The shoes are amazing on, I am completely smitten with them, super sparkly, surprisingly comfortable for such high heels and the ankle strap flatters legs and keeps the shoes on..

Shoes - Marks and Spencer £45

Photography by MorrenInteriorDesign

There is nothing better than sparkly shoes to add some glamour to an outfit. This dress will be coming with me on my holiday to Spain in July (so so looking forward to it)

Are you a fan of black dresses and outfits in the summer, I guess I just think as the sun is out and there is loads of colour around I don't need to wear so much colour, nature does it for me! In the winter however give me all the colour!

Thanks so much for reading, until next time Fran xxx

*This blogpost was written in collaboration with M&S, all outfit choices, styling, photography and words are my own. 

Half Term Relaxing Bliss with Mark Warner

Style Theory: An admission, I am quite unadventurous when it comes to holidays with the family, I like going back to places I know, every summer we go to Javea, Spain and have done since I was tiny, therefore being asked to be a Mark Warner Ambassador and going on a Mark Warner holiday was a big, exciting change to our normal yearly break. We chose the Mark Warner Lakitira Beach Resort in Kos which had come highly recommended to us, it was an amazing treat to be going away in May half term when the weather is pretty much the perfect heat in Greece (28 degrees) and things are not super busy. 

We opted for half board, we have always, in the past, booked self catering apartments (meaning I have to cook/fix up quite a lot of food for consistently hungry kids) so it was a treat to not have to cook, the kids club was brilliant, the kids were welcome to dip in and out of as they pleased. More importantly there were two beautiful beaches, lots of empty sunloungers, all the sailing activities a super keen husband (I am looking at you Russ) could ever need and lots of incredibly warm, friendly staff on hand to help with everything..you can have the best of both worlds, choose to do nothing or sail, play tennis, scuba dive, windsurf or paddleboard until your heart's content..

Mark Warner Lakitira Beach Resort in Kos, is a sprawling hotel with a mix of hotel rooms positioned around the pool and two floor apartments creating a village vibe. We stayed in one of the apartments, it was super clean, spacious and airy with a little veranda terrace. It was basic inside, not a super glamorous interior but great for a family.

Our Duplex Apartment

The areas that Mark Warner resorts excels in are the sports and childcare, which were second to none..

Jess mastering the art of windsurfing!

Jack taking the plunge after a morning sailing

Russ going out sailing with Jack 

Starting with the sports, the kids got to windsurf, sail, play tennis, kayak alongside the normal crazy amount of time spent playing in the beautiful, huge (fairly quiet) pool and sea. All the instructors were well qualified, friendly, fun, and I felt the kids (and Russ) were in safe hands all the time. The kids club was great Jess and Jack were able to dip in and out as and when they wanted - they adored all the sports with the kids club but in the downtime chose to sign out and go sailing with Russ or play tennis the four of us...it is so relaxed, you can tailor the holiday to you and your family.  If your child/children are kids club fans they will adore it, there are constant brilliant activities from 9.30am, time off at lunch and fab movie nights for the younger kids/sporty games for older ones until 10.30pm.

The boys heading out

Tennis...showing them how it is done..not!

The beach bar.. source of many an afternoon Latte...

For the grown ups, quite frankly I didn't see Russ, by the end of it he was hanging out with the Mark Warner crew that ran the sailing, he was in his element (until I reminded him that he was not 19 and at university and he is now in fact 40..ha,ha!). The equipment is amazing, so many types of (new) sailing boats to choose from, Russ took me out on a Quest a few times..which was a bonding experience (there are no photos of this..) What I loved about it was that there were constantly Mark Warner staff circling in dinghy speed boats to make sure everyone is safe, Russ capsized once and they were there in a couple of seconds, a really well monitored set up that lets you enjoy the sports knowing that you are in safe hands. He also met and played social tennis at 5pm every evening. What did I do?! well, I did sail a little, play tennis a little, but I also sat down and read three books..I genuinely relaxed which is unusual for me, and had my nails done with Jess at the hotels Elemis spa - a super treat.

We also hired a car for a day, you can hire it from the hotel and explore Kos and on our anniversary we jumped in a cab with the kids to the nearest town Kardamena and had dinner in a highly recommended restaurant Avli - it was delicious and such a cool, buzzy vibe.

Dress - Ganni £240
Espadrilles - My Fashion Tribu £100
Bag - Piel de Mar €45

The holiday was different in a good, fun way, we all learnt new sporting skills, got to relax, hang out with each other, all make new friends (grown ups included) and just felt like everything had been thought of (including a doctor at the hotel!). The hotel was good, the Resort Manager Jono and Operations Manager Justine, were utterly fabulous, incredibly professional, friendly and went out of their way to make us feel at home and ensure everything was working like clockwork.

Smiling kids...always a good sign!

The food at the hotel was simple, breakfast and lunch were served in the main buffet, with lunch either available to buy there or at the beach buffet (which we preferred) if you are after a gastronomic delight this is probably not the holiday for you, but it had a wide variety salads, pasta, fish etc and lots of it, so we certainly didn't go hungry.

It was fairly dressed down at the resort but being me I love a bit of a dress up on holiday so this is what I packed, during the day I lived in my denim shorts and bikinis.

Top - Isabel Marant Etoile £204 - love this Hush one for £59
Shorts - H&M (old season)
Bag - Piel de Mar €45
Sandals - Dune £80

Dress - Free People £88
Shoes - My Fashion Tribu £100
Bag - M&S (in store) 

Vest - Topshop (old season)
Trousers - Topshop (old season)
Sandals - Dune £80
Bag - Piel de Mar €45

Top - Isabel Marant Etoile £204
Trousers - Me & Em £149 *I got them taken up a lot and sized down one size
Shoes - My Fashion Tribu £100
Bag - M&S (in store)

Dress - Neve and Noor £152
Bag - Piel de Mar €45

T Shirt - Wyse London £55
Skirt - Zara £69.99
Sandals - Espadrille.co.uk £78
Jacket - Levis at House of Fraser

Pink Dress - Ghost at QVC £74
Orange Dress - Ghost at QVC £89
Sandals - H&M (old season)
Jacket - Levis at House of Fraser 

Top - Hush £65
Shorts - H&M (old season)

What I loved about the holiday was the atmosphere, the vibe of Lakitira was almost like a super sunny, university campus with amazing water sports and no exams. We got chatting to quite a few other families who had been back year after year (Hi Sammy @TurquoiseFlamingo and your gorgeous fam) It was a cool place where grown ups can relax or be big kids and where kids can have fun leaning new sports, making great friends and learning the ropes of buffet eating!!

A big thank you to Mark Warner for asking me to be an ambassador this year, it is a huge privilege (I had to pinch myself a lot!) and I am so grateful for the fabulous, sunshiny,  fun holiday I was able to enjoy with my family, thank you so so much, Russ is already looking at MW skiing holidays so like Arnie once said..I'll Be Back! xxxxx

Lakitira Nights

*This post was written in collaboration with Mark Warner, I was invited to Lakitira as part of the Mark Warner Ambassador programme in exchange for a honest blog post and instagram coverage. All thoughts, opinions, photography are my own (with input from Russ, Jess and Jack).