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My Hotter Moment – Hotter Shoes Review

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I recently attended a blogger night at Hotter Shoes in Cardiff. Not only was it wonderful for once to not have to travel to London for an event but it was a truly lovely evening meeting up with my fellow Welsh bloggers.

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First up we listened to Melanie Killilea give a talk about how Hotter began and how they have grown over the past 15 years. I’ll be honest and tell you I had it in my mind that Hotter was a bit of an older woman’s brand and that I wouldn’t be too keen on the shoes but I was wrong. And happy to admit to it.

Yes some of the shoes are all about comfort rather than cool but their range is so popular year after year that why would they end that? They have shoes which are just comfy shoes and then they have shoes which are comfy shoes but also ( in my eyes) really lovely and pretty funky shoes.

We were invited to choose a pair for ourselves and I really struggled between the skater type shoes, the gorgeous brown pumps ..and the blue/brown deck shoes. The only reason I opted for the pumps in the end is because I have so many types of deck and skater shoes that I wanted something different. I’m glad I did as they go with everything, they look pretty and feel so much comfier than any shoe of this type that I own.

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Have you been into a Hotter shop? Have you had a Hotter moment? I definitely did. Why not check out their website? You may be pleasantly surprised.

For all of you lucky readers you can claim 10% off some fabulous shoes or bags:
Please use the code: PKCTEN
10% off plus FREE delivery is for first orders only. You are entitled to 10% off the total order value of any full priced items in the Hotter range (excluding shoe care products) plus FREE delivery. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offer or on Sale or Factory Clearance items and gift vouchers.

And finally how about winning a gorgeous new handbag?

Yes you can win this pretty Juliet handbag:

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It’s super simple just fill in the rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Keep your cool by the pool

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You know when you are on holiday and you see those mums who are totally put together even when they are trying to control 3 young children by the pool. It’s just looks effortless..stylish. I normally see this perfect woman in her huge designer shades.. wide brimmed hat, gorgeous swimsuit and heels ( by the pool!) whilst I am rummaging at the bottom of the baby changing bag which is acting as my handbag to find my £5 sunglasses with sticky fingerprints across the lenses amongst the squished up cheese puffs, dry wet wipes and a million nappy sacks – it makes me feel so good about myself. NOT.

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My holiday style (if you am call it that) is definitely comfort over high fashion..

I can probably narrow my poolside/beach essentials down to 5 things:

* Sunglasses – to hide my sunken..forgot to remove last nights mascara badger eyes
* huge bag – I seem to need so much stuff these days
* kaftan/sarong – they hide a multitude of sins
* comfy outdoor footwear – these Zuuk’s by Hi-Tec are great for getting you to and from the pool. They’re lightweight and comfortable too, so easy to throw in your flight bag.
They have to be flat and they have to be super comfortable or I just don’t see the point
* a big floppy hat – stops me getting headaches in the sunshine, saves me having to do much with my hair and stops my hair getting fried.

So those are my super glamorous must haves..what are yours?

Maybe next year will see a new improved stylish me on my hols but I think probably not.

*this is a featured post

Super Seraphine – a review

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I was very lucky recently to be sent a pair of very lovely black bootcut maternity jeans from Seraphine. They are a pretty cool company specialising in maternity wear and they make some really pretty clothes. Yes maternity wear can look good don’t ya know?

The jeans ..on a model obviously:

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On my last pregnancy I wasn’t a fan of maternity wear at all. I wore my normal clothes until I literally couldn’t handle it anymore and then went more along the buy a larger size route than much actual maternity clothing. The things I do buy were cheap and not especially comfortable.

This time around my belly popped pretty much the day after conception (slight exaggeration perhaps but close) and I just couldn’t bear the feeling of any horrid waistbands digging into me. I also thought it would be nice to try and look pretty and emphasise my bump rather than hide in tent like clothing.

These uber comfy jeans from Seraphine arrived just in the nick of time and I have worn them so much over the past few weeks.. I promised to share very honest reviews of all my maternity goodies so here is what I thought:

The jeans look and feel like they are good quality. The stretchy over the bump band is very soft and a little like a hug for your skin. The sizing is generous which I think is great as I have a little comfort room now and know that when my legs (inevitably) start to swell later on that they will still fit. Yay. I chose a size 12 as that’s what I wore in normal jeans prior to getting pregnant and they are just ever so slightly loose. They are long on me and only come in 1 length but I am pretty short (5ft4)so would probably be fine on you normal size people. I had no problem adjusting the hem. The colour hasn’t faded at all in 5/6 washes – I have a toddler who loves to come at me with sticky hands so they are washed more than normal probably.

They look good on, in fact my (non pregnant) sister liked them a lot and wanted to buy some until she realised it was maternity wear. Ha. I’ve worn them with heels and smart tops and also with Vans & a vest so easy to dress up or down.

The jeans on me:

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I will try and take a better pic soon!

Overall I’m pretty impressed. Only 1 thing with which I could pick a fault and I have to mention it so that if you buy them then you know what to do. Until I washed these jeans twice they picked up EVERY bit of fluff imaginable so in my opinion wash before wearing. Not really a fault but good to know yes?

If you are pregnant of planning to be its definitely worth checking out the Seraphine website

Ooh on another exciting note (for me anyway) the lovely people at Seraphine are also sending me a dress to review for festival season! Woohoo. So far I’m leaning towards this one:

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What do you think?

* I was sent these jeans for free in exchange for an honest review.