Monday, 30 March 2015

MARCH MADNESS

As March comes to a close, we look back at the first glimpse of Spring though our Instagram's eyes.

The month began with a big University deadline which we celebrated with a launch party at Buffalo bar in Cardiff. We created a Mothers Day Gift Guide to help each other with ideas for the perfect Mothers Day gift.  S also showed us around Paris with her 48 Hours in Paris post. Mid-March saw the changing of the seasons: Spring had sprung which made us think about our beauty regimes with K talking about her Hair Essentials to us receiving a Tweet from Liz Earle herself (you can imagine the excitement)!
The end of March at Eleven Oh Seven was all about Easter with two Easter-themed posts: a style guide and a favourites post. Here are some images to help sum up this busy yet exiting month:


We also welcomed in Spring with dreaming about fresh flowers, celebrating International Women's Day with this gorgeous type-quote from Harley Quinn & Co and treating ourselves to some amazing waffles at Kaspa's Desserts in Cardiff.


Have a peek at more of our Instagram photos here to see more of what we got up to this month.
We're also now up and running on Bloglovin' so go check us out on there too!
We hope you had a lovely March and be sure to check back here on Friday for a post all about our plans for April!

S & K  xo

Friday, 27 March 2015

EASTER FAVOURITES

Happy Friday!
Today is another Easter inspired post. In appreciation of our Easter break beginning today we decided to share with some of our Easter favourites. From chocolate to décor, we hope you enjoy!

Nails: Recently we have been loving these pastel nail polishes from Ciaté. Nothing says spring to us more than pastel polished nails. These soft colours are a great way to start introducing colour back into your style after the darker winter months.

Spring Ciaté nails!

Chocolate: It wouldn't be Easter without an Easter themed chocolate treat (or two) now, would it?! Lindt bunnies are our personal favourite indulgence over the Easter period: they're (almost) too cute to eat!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/65231894572708299/
Source: Pinterest


Treat: As you may have already guessed from previous posts, we love to bake! And Easter gives us a great opportunity to do so, whether it being a more traditional Simnel Cake or taking advantage of Mini Eggs and Creme Eggs in the shops this season.

Source: Pinterest
Source: Pinterest

DIY: A cute and easy idea to brighten up your home or add some Easter decoration to the house is to decorate eggs. Easily created by painting, drawing on, dyeing or embellishing eggs, it's a small decoration but looks super effective! Have a look at our Pinterest board for more examples; we're obsessed with this idea this season!

Source: Pinterest

Décor: We thought that floral wreaths were only used for Christmas, but after seeing this Easter wreath we couldn't help but fall in love! The use of decorated eggs in the wreath adds that Easter feel to the spring florals. This wreath would be the perfect Easter touch to your home over the holiday. (even our Mothers are thinking of getting one!)

Source: Pinterest

Animals: For our final Easter favourite we going to leave you with some photos of cute Spring animals, because who doesn't love chicks and lambs?!
Source: Pinterest

Source: Pinterest
Source: Pinterest

We'd love to know what your favourites are this Easter; let us know on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #SpringAtElevenOhSeven. Also be sure to check out our Easter & Spring Pinterest board here.

S & K  xo

Monday, 23 March 2015

EASTER STYLE GUIDE

With Easter just around the corner, today at Eleven Oh Seven we share with you some of our favourite style ideas for the Easter weekend. Whether like us you celebrate Easter with a family Easter dinner or are planning a Good Friday brunch with your friends, here are some outfit and beauty ideas for you to try out!

T-shirt: ASOS, Skirt: ASOS, Bag: Paul's Boutique, Shoes: Zara
When we think of this season, pastels instantly spring to mind, so we couldn't not include an outfit based on these gorgeous hues. We opted for pink as the staple colour for this outfit as it's a subtle pop of colour and is super-girly. This pink pencil skirt is sophisticated and paired with a tucked-in slouchy tee, it makes an effortless look worn in the day or out for a meal and drinks in the evening. This reversible clutch is perfect for this look, as you can opt for either grey or metallic pink to take the outfit from day to night.


Source: Pinterest
These gorgeous beachy waves compliment the outfit perfectly as we wanted to keep the look quite casual. This hairstyle is also really easy to achieve and is a good transitional look from Winter into Spring and Summer.


Source: Pinterest
We think this effortless and glowing make up look is perfect to compliment the beachy waves and the pastel outfit, with the nude-pink lip and use of highlighter on the cheekbones brightens the look to make it fresh for Spring.


Top: Topshop, Trousers: ASOS, Bag: Topshop, Shoes: New Look

This outfit gives an edgy twist to the classic 'florals for spring' with a slight Gothic-esque floral print. If you are looking for a different option rather than a feminine classic spring outfit, this sleek and tailored style is for you. The printed trousers are the staple piece of the outfit, and we feel that these trousers would look best paired with a classic black crop top and court heel. To complete the look we added a small grey satchel bag which pulls out the grey detail in the trousers.


Source: Pinterest
We feel this hair is perfect with the above outfit! The braided detail in the hair adds a strong statement to the hair. You can lighten the style up by adding beachy waves to the hair or create a sleek style by straightening the hair or adding a ponytail. 


Source: Pinterest
This make up is fresh and light which is perfect for spring. The lip colour perfectly matches the trousers without being too dark and Wintry. 


We hope you found some inspiration from these looks, and we'd love to see what looks you're loving this Easter season! Let us know on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #SpringAtElevenOhSeven.

See you on Friday for another Easter-inspired post!

S & K  xo

Friday, 20 March 2015

SAY GOODBYE TO THE FRIZZ!

Being a long-time sufferer of frizzy hair (especially after rain, during humid weather, or just the elements in general), K wanted to share her top three frizz-reducing haircare products that she's tried and tested. And guess what? They actually work! Read on and say goodbye to that frizz.

K likes to use more natural products on her hair, especially after colouring and all the above are SLS-free

1. Aveda brilliant Spray-On Shine (100ml): £18
Having previously used the Emollient Finishing Gloss from Aveda's 'brilliant' range, I knew that this product would be of the same great quality and do wonders for my hair (and last forever too, with the gloss lasting at least a year using it a few times a week). Using Vitamin E, this product advertises to give an instant shine boost to the hair, as well as taming flyaways and keeping frizz on the D.L.
After using the product for the first time, I realised I'd gone a little crazy and sprayed too much, resulting in the ends of my hair looking greasy. You only need around two sprays for the product to do the job, and now I've started to spray the product onto my hands and then run through hair which works a lot better. Using it after blow-drying my hair really tames the frizz that often occurs and I find that it makes my hair feel super smooth, give that little extra shine and smell amazing!


2. Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil - Heat/UV Protective Primer (250ml): £19
I purchased this product after hearing glowing reviews from bloggers, including Lo Bosworth, and with S being an advocate for the brand's Surf Spray (she loves the stuff), I thought I'd give it a go. Not only does this product smell gorgeous, it makes my hair feel so soft and look it, too, which is a problem I've had in the past with frizz-taming products, especially with coloured hair.
Being a heat protective product, I've found this primer works better on wet hair, and even with leaving my hair dry naturally, it kills the frizz completely and allows me to easily brush my hair after washing it, leaving it ready to style. Again, I use a few sprays on my hands to run through my hair, and with an extra spritz on the ends of my locks, I'm good to go! Bumble and Bumble may be seen as an expensive brand, but I assure you this product is definitely worth the money, and I'll be trying out other products from the Invisible Oil range, especially with them being sulfate-free.


3. Liz Earle Botanical Shine Treatment for Frizzy, Coarse or Very Dry Hair (150ml): £14
Sadly, Liz Earle have recently stopped selling this product (to my disappointment, I seriously love this stuff), but just in case your local Liz stockists may have a few left, I thought I'd include this in my top three products. I use this treatment as exactly that, a treat for my hair once a week or so, as otherwise I'd be using it up so quickly! Boasting the natural ingredients of algae, apple, orange and cotton extracts, the product is advertised to be used on frizzy, dry or coarse hair - perfect for us frizzy-haired girls! I use the treatment after shampoo in the shower instead of a conditioner, and leave the citrus-smelling product in for around 20-30 minutes and let it do its work! After washing the product out, you can already feel the difference, leaving hair easy to brush through and when combined with the B&B primer, super smooth even during hair-drying. I'd highly recommend this product to anyone who has hair similar to mine, being frizzy and rather thick too, it works wonders on it. I can't wait to try out the new and improved Nourishing Hair Oil too, with the old one being discontinued a few months ago.


Let us know in the comments below if you use these products or have any recommendations for frizzy hair!

We hope you have a lovely weekend; ours is going to be exciting with us having early birthday celebrations for K! Make sure to check out our Instagram for photos!

K  xo

Monday, 16 March 2015

KASPA'S DESSERTS

Last week, some house mates and us decided to try out the new(ish) dessert parlour in Cardiff's City Road: Kaspa's Desserts.  Serving everything you could imagine from huge, sugary waffles to ice cream sundaes, we'd heard great things about this place so decided to visit on an empty stomach!

Kaspa's interior has that old-school American diner vibe

 Being tempted by the extensive menu (we were torn between waffles and the Ferrero Rocher sundae!) we finally chose and waited in line. This was the hardest part with the wait being a little long as it's clearly a popular destination, and we were stood in front of the ice-cream counter! 

S chose the 'White Chocolate Indulgence Waffle' - banana and strawberry slices on top of a freshly baked waffle and drizzled with a white chocolate syrup and white chocolate flakes:



While K went for the 'Strawberry n Butterscotch' - a fresh waffle coated in butterscotch syrup, strawberry slices and white chocolate flakes.


All waffles come with a choice of ice cream or whipped cream, which makes it the ultimate indulgence! You can also create your own with a large range of toppings to choose from. Coming in at £5.50 each, we think it's a fair price in our eyes as it served as a meal for the evening!



 K wore Topshop Jamie jeans with a grey River Island top, long blazer from New Look and a dainty necklace from Urban Outfitters.



S wore black, ripped Jamie jeans and high neck top both from Topshop, Primark jacket and necklace and a Mulberry small Del Rey bag. 

With Kaspas' popping up all over the place, make sure to treat yourself to a dessert - you won't be disappointed!

See you Friday for a beauty-based post!

S & K  xo

Monday, 9 March 2015

MOTHERS DAY GIFT GUIDE

With Mothers Day approaching at the end of this week, we decided to accumulate some last-minute gift ideas perfect for any mother: ranging from gifts to suit green-fingered goddesses to beauty fanatics, we hope these few items will inspire you to get shopping and treat your mothers!


Nails Inc, The Nude Collection: £25
Image: Nails Inc @ Johnlewis.com

S strongly believes that her love affair with nail polishes has stemmed from her mother, between them both, they must own close to a hundred nail polishes. Mothers Day is always a good idea to gift S’ mother some new nail polishes, and with her all time favourite brand being Nails Inc. the selection above is perfect for spring.


Liz Earle, Cleanse & Polish Beauty Trio: £50
Image: Liz Earle

Since both of our mums introduced us to Liz Earle skincare and continue to treat us with Cleanse & Polish every now and again, we thought that Mothers Day would be the perfect opportunity to treat our mothers back with this limited edition gift set. Being a little pricey, this gift is definitely for a special occasion!


Image: Emma Bridgewater

With both of us being huge Emma Bridgewater fans, we couldn’t not include something from her collection in this list! This cute mustard vase is the perfect accompaniment for a few spring blooms to treat your mum this Mothers Day.


Image: Buddug

Living in Wales (and with S speaking fluent Welsh) we wanted to include something a little more original and unique. These handmade enamel plates from Buddug are a perfect addition to any Welsh (or non-Welsh!) home.


NotOnTheHighStreet.com, Personalised Embossing Rolling Pin: £26
Image: Boon Homeware at Notonthehighstreet.com

This rolling pin is a more personalised gift that any baking enthusiast would appreciate. Being able to design your own wording makes this gift the most thoughtful out of the gifts in this guide. Notonthehighstreet.com is generally a great inspirational source for gifts of any occasion!


John Lewis, Sophie Allport Green Fingers Seed Box: £11
Image: Sophie Allport at John Lewis

For our final gift idea, we dedicate this cute Seed Box to all the green-fingered mothers out there, like K’s! Loving gardening and all things organised for the outdoors, this gift would be perfect! Why not add some of your mothers’ favourite flower seeds in the box too, so she can grow some gorgeous blooms and be reminded of you when they grow? 

Happy Mothers Day to both our amazing mothers, and we hope you readers spoil the lucky ladies in your life rotten! 

S & K xo