Picture Perfect Self-Portrait...

Listen up fashion bunnies! A gorgeous new dressy label has recently come into my life and I need to shout from the rooftop of Mouse Towers about it ... It's called Self-Portrait. I stumbled upon it back in August when I was searching high and low for a suitably snazzy dress for our pals, V & Kerrie's 30th affair in Portugal. The only criteria I had was it must be party-tastic, not too spenny and no one else must have it - sounds easy enough right?! Hours later I was still scrolling through pages and pages of good-for-nothing styles that just wouldn't do ... and then Self-Portrait shimmied into my life!

So, it's a London based brand founded by the the same guy behind Three Floor, Han Chong - another label I have a lot of love for. Initially I didn't know it was UK-based and thought it was only possible to buy from the States via super awesome fashion site Revolve Clothing. As if my magic, I typed 'Self Portrait ASOS' into Google and there is was, bingo ... and of the dress that I wanted, there was just one left and in my size - fate ... into the basket it went! So anyway, more on THE dress - black and nude with an intricate lace and mesh overlay, ultra girly yet edgy ... so painstakingly beautiful I just had to have it one way or another.  

The anticipation surrounding its arrival was too much to handle AND I'm happy to share, when it did finally arrive it was perfect in every way! I think you've waited long enough now to see it - a mixture of 'me' shots and snaps taken from Self-Portrait online... 

The Phantom Dress, £229

Once on, the boned structure to the top section of the dress pulls me in gorgeously, the lace is even more beautiful in real life and has a luxuriously heavy weight. A matt black exposed zip fastens the dress at the back and the hem of the skirt is raw-finished exposing the detail against my skin. You know when you know you've found THE one!

Here's me rocking the little number in Portugal with Mini and Birthday V...

I now however am slightly obsessed with ever single piece in the collection and want it all. My top lustworthy-favs include:

Harmony Lace Dress - £219...

Guipure Lace Skirt, £139...

One Shoulder Wrap Dress - £189...

Race you to the checkout...

It Is All About Eve...

With only 30 days and counting until our much anticipated holiday to Barbados, we're in turbo-planning mode from here on out! We've got a lot to get sorted don't you know... from carefully selecting our restaurants of choice for the two week food fest, to the rigorous pre-beach body conditioning prep to planning our all-important day and night time holiday-fabulous attire!

We've pretty much got our foodie itinerary locked down with seaview and open-air terrace tables bagsied and our fitness and body buffing routine is in full swing! So that just leaves two weeks' worth of outfits to plan, purchase and pack - the 3 P's! 

So first thing's first - lets get our killer swimwear sorted! I struggle every year when it comes to finding flattering bikinis that fit like a glove and don't dig in accentuating the sorely lacking perfect beach bods we'd rather forget we didn't have. Past favourites include Seafolly, Insight and then cheap, cheerful and trusty triangle separates from Topshop and H&M. My major dislike when it comes to swimwear is forking out serious dosh for a scrap of fabric that then fades and stretches after a few beach visits - we've all experienced the baggy beach bum effect right?! Not cool! So this year I intend to seek out bikinis that look good AND last longer that a holiday fling... I have a good feeling about a brand I've recently found which goes by the name of All About Eve - an Aussie label that sells swimwear and clothing all boasting a boho, festival fun feel. Lots of bright colour, fierce fabrics and unusual styles that will be sure to get you noticed...

The fab PR at All About Eve was kind enough to send me through a few styles to rock on the white sands whilst we're away next month - a tropicana-tastic triangle design and a monochrome set with a lime green flash of cheekiness! I was also treated to a cuter than cute black & white sundress with a gorgeous low strappy back - the perfect daytime bikini cover-up... And, cinch in with a belt and add a slick of lipgloss and bam you've got a cocktails at sunset look... Here's a sneak preview of the bikini sets now but stay tuned for on-beach style snaps when I return hopefully a bronzed Barbados beach beauty, minus the baggy bum!