A Trip to Mexico

Hola!  If you follow me on Instagram then you'll know that I've just returned from a dreamy trip to Riviera Maya in Mexico.  My friends are probably sick of the sight of all my holiday snaps now but hey, what's a girl to do?!

I spent 10 days at the Catalonia Riviera Maya Resort & Spa in Puerto Aventuras where I FINALLY managed to unwind and switch my brain to downtime mode.  It's been a bit of a crazy year so it has, so some time away from it all was long overdue and in fact, it reminded me of the importance of taking some time out to escape everyday life and recharge the good ol' batteries.

The Catalonia was a great choice with clean, modern rooms, a good selection of different themed  buffet and a la carte restaurants and eateries (there was a crepe van people!!), and of course a couple of lovely big pools and private access to a gorgeous white sand beach.

Although we were unlucky with the weather a couple of days (it is hurricane season in October afterall), I would highly recommend visiting Riviera Maya if you're after a quiet, all inclusive resort holiday.  The food was fab, beaches amazing with stunning crystal clear waters and most importantly, I could have as many mojitos as I wanted... Like, what else do you need?!

As our last few holidays have been pretty busy, I was a little worried that we'd be bored lounging around by the pool/beach all day (a ridiculous thought, in hind sight), but actually after buying a flat this year, switching jobs and so on, a wee break was exactly what the doctor ordered.  It turns out that some sunshine and snoozing on hammocks all day really is the best kinda medicine... Who knew!

We did one day trip whilst we were away which was to Tulum to see the Mayan ruins.  Despite the fact I was nearly eaten alive by mosquitos (nasty little buggers), it was really interesting to learn about the history there and I would definitely recommend a visit if you're into that kind of thing.  The site is quite small, but set aside at least two hours so you can wander around at your own pace and take it all in.  And please, if you do go, TAKE YOUR MOZZY SPRAY.

Anyway, a holiday is of course a perfect excuse for a blog post so instead of rambling on about how perfect the sea and cocktails were, I thought I'd share some photos with you.

I would definitely love to go back to Mexico one day and perhaps try a different area, so if you've been and you have any recommendations then holla!

Rachel

Bikini Top - ASOS

Bikini Bottoms - ASOS

IRIS! (By Vera Wang, not the Goo Goo Dolls...)

Greetings, stranger!  And by stranger, I mean me because y'know, I've gone AWOL and abandoned my blog for what feels like forever.  I only ever intended for theforbesfile to be a hobby but even at that, it can be difficult to set some meaningful time aside to write "proper" posts, especially between moving cities, buying a flat (the most stressful and emotionally draining time of my life, EVER) and lazing on the sofa stuffing my face whilst binge watching Line of Duty.

Nonetheless, if you follow me over on insta then you may have noticed a picture recently of a lovely little blue Vera Wang bottle. That, my amigos, is my new favourite perfume.  And it smells bloody delicious.

"Periwinkle and Iris" is part of the Vera Wang Embrace range and there are four flirty floral scents to choose from.  After sampling them all and smelling like some sort of tropical garden, I quickly knew this one was my fave and whapped out a pleasantly surprising £21 for my 30ml bottle.

The perfume is light but noticeable and boats a pretty sweet, even musky scent.  It's also soft, classy and I'd even go as far to say intriguing, and I think it's perfect for everyday use, especially during the summer months.  I've already had loads of compliments on it at work and every so often I catch a whiff of myself and I'm like oh yeah, I smell gooood!  Totally modestly, of course.

Come to think of it, my first thought when I smelt it for the first time was "parma violets" and what do you know, it's made from violet petals!  It's very subtle, but it occasionally brings me back to my retro-sweetie eating childhood days.

If you're looking for something fresh, feminine and just generally "ooo, what's that you're wearing?!" then I highly recommend giving this beauty a try... If you do, let me know what you think!

Rachel

LET YOUR HAIR DOWN

Hey guys... So I'm quite possibly the worst "blogger" in the entire world and it's been MONTHS since my last official blog post. Pathetic attempt, I know. Must try harder.

So I have a few posts on my radar that I want to share with you soon, but until then, I thought I'd share my new do with you! Now I don't know about you, but I'm typically "that" annoying friend that never seems to be happy with their hairstyle - I go blonde: "Oh my god I wish I was brunette again", goes brunette: "Oh no I want to go lighter again for the summer because it will totally go with a tan!", cuts my hair short: "Holy crap what the hell have I done". Yep, that's me. Can anyone relate?

But anyway, new year and a new start and all, so I decided to take the plunge and go back to the dark side and I have to say, I LOVE IT! One of my upcoming posts is going to be all about taking care of you and making yourself feel good, so I'm not going to blabber on about it too much right now, but what I will say is that sometimes all you need as a wee "pick me up" is a good hair cut or a style change and Lordy, you feel like a new woman. Sometimes the smallest of changes is all we need to freshen things up a little and give yourself a good ol' confidence boost. And I'm all for that.

My little January perk me up is following a visit to the lovely Junction Hair Salon in Aberdeen where Lauren worked her magic. Better yet, the salon had a January offer on for a complete cut, colour and blow dry for £50, so extra points for that one!

If you're in the area then I would definitely recommend a visit. In fact, my mum has since booked herself in! All of the girls were lovely and provided me with endless cups of tea and biscuits (extra bonus points, of course), so if you're in need of a change and live in or around the old Granite City, then get yourself booked in.

I'll try not to leave it as long next time...

Rachel

WEDDING BELLS

Hey everyone, and happy hump-day!  Now that July is over and we're into August (I know, what the actual muff), we're well and truly into wedding season... Hooray for pretty dresses, copious amounts of alcohol and fascinators bigger than my head.

 

I love a good ol' wedding as much as the next person, but when you have several in the space of a year, it can definitely come at an expense with all the outfits, wedding gifts and potential travel and accommodation involved.  As someone who is currently saving her butt off in attempt to get on the ever price-increasing property ladder, I decided to reel the spending in a little bit this summer and set myself a target of buying an entire outfit for under £50.  Was £50 realistic?  Maybe, but at the time it didn't seem that way, and I can't tell you how many times I saw a gorgeous dress in excess of £100 and managed to refrain from sticking it on my credit card.  Good restraint, Rach.

 

After weeks, maybe even months, of drooling over dresses online I finally managed to find this lacey little number when snooping through the rails at TK Maxx.  I thought "oh, that's nice, and I have shoes already that would match so I would only need to buy a bag and a fascinator..."  With that in mind, I turned over the label to be very, VERY pleasantly surprised that it cost £19.99!!!  An absolute steal if you ask me.

 

My next hunt was for a matching bag and fascinator and with a mahoooosive sale on, it seemed Accessorize was the only place to go.  I managed to pick up a pretty snazzy looking fascinator for £10.50 (reduced from £35!) and a cute, ivory satin bag to match for £6.00.  Now maths wasn't my strongest subject in school, but that my friends, takes my grand outfit total to a nice little £36.49.  Mission accomplished.

 

I know that shopping through sale rails can be a task in itself at times, but if you're on a budget then I can't recommend enough taking a little extra time to look for a good bargain.  This time of year is especailly good for them as many shops have their summer sale going on.

 

Do you struggle with finding the right outfit for a special occasion?  Where are your "go to" shops when in need?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

 

Unfortunatly these pictures were taken on the day of the wedding with an iPhone, and with my prosecco cap on, I didn't think to take more detailed pictures of my accessories but I hope you enjoy having a peek anyway!

 

Rachel

Fascinator - Accessorize

 

Clutch bag - Accessorize

 

Dress - TK Maxx

 

 

WELCOME TO THE WARDROBE

Well hey there!  So I've been pretty shocking at blogging recently and you might notice that my last post was a few weeks ago.  If you follow me over on Instagram you'll have seen that I've been pretty busy, but still, that's a poor excuse I know!  I've been partying it up at a friends' hen-do in Newcastle, ruining my liver at weddings and work related awards ceremonies, and the real time consumer has been organising a new flat because my friends, I'm moving to Edinburgh!  (Excited is an understatement!)  The big move is on the 4th July so things will continue to be a bit hectic until then, but I promise I'll make more time for writing and I can't wait to get snappin' in the beautiful cobbled streets of the Capital.

Moving on and before I get totally side-tracked and waffle on about how much I love Edinburgh, I thought I would share a few of my recent purchases with you.  I don't know about you, but I often struggle to find an outfit that's suitable for lunch with friends and any "smart but casual" occasion, so I think these pieces work great together if that's what your after.  Of course, I love a bit of versatile clothing and these lovelies are great to be mixed and matched with, well, anything!

The blouse is from River Island and was a real bargain at £20 in the sale.  I'm a sucker for a pretty blouse, especially one with a collar, so this was right up my street and I knew it would look great with pretty much anything.

The jeans were another bargain (£15 from TKMaxx!) that I have to say I'm pretty chuffed with.  For some reason, TK is never a shop that I'm normally in but after hearing some great things, I thought I would venture in and take a look for myself.  I managed to pick up a few things that I didn't need (but loved) and I will definitely be paying them another visit the next time I'm shopping.

And finally, the heels!  These Hailey heels are from Public Desire and I LOVE them!  They look bloomin' amazing with everything - Jeans, smart trousers, jumpsuits - You name it.  The straps on them are also pretty long so you have a few options of how to wear them, depending on what you fancy, ie. Around your ankle or further up your leg if you, like me, love the strappy look.  As if that wasn't enough, these beauties are also incredibly comfortable so they're perfect for dancing the night away and pretending you're Beyonce (surely I'm not the only one who thinks this after a few vinos?)

I hope you like my recent buys but I'd love to hear form you... What is your go-to smart/casual wardrobe essentials?  Do you have a particular piece that you love for mix-matching dependent on the occasion?  Let me know!

Rachel

Top - River Island

Jeans - (Shop similar) TK Maxx

Shoes - Public Desire