Buckley London Jewellery Revamped & Restyled

 

Buckley London Jewellery was established in 1989 by Adrian Buckley.  I remember this brand being stocked in a now defunct local department store. It always seemed overly blingy rather than sparkly, the presentation boxes were always stacked up/ flung on a table and the packaging was rather dark and 1980s (this was the late 1990s/early 2000s.

Wandering through Debenhams, Market Street, Manchester, a few weeks ago my eye was caught by a sparkling ring display.  Buckley have had a makeover. The packaging is crisp and eyecatching, the ring display features sparkling faux diamonds anchoring each ring and the jewellery is well made and wearable, no longer a throwback to Dynasty or Dallas.

The jewellery is designed in th UK and made out of various metals including 18k gold plate, rhodium and silver.  The stones are swarovski and cubic zirconia. The prices are comparable to other costume jewellery designs - the ring I put at the top is £29.99.  There is currently a 70% off sale  on their website.

Available from:

H Samuels

Buckley London

Disney: Beauty and the Beast Jewellery

I purchased my official Disney Beauty and the Beast jewellery pieces from EMP, an online "Geek" store established in 1986 that stocks a wide variety of alternative clothing and merchandise including: Disney, Marvel, Gaming and band merchandise.  The items I bought ranged from £7.99 - £16.99 and arrived within  3 days of me ordering them.  As with the other jewellery collections brought out to celebrate the release of the live action film, the red rose features heavily in the collection.  They are not gimmicky or twee  and would suit eiher a child or adult Disney enthusiast.

These are the most reasonably priced official Beauty and the Beast pieces of jewellery.  All pieces are silver or gold toned and nickel free.  The length of the mirror necklace is between 61cm-71cm and the mirror pendant is 2 x 4cm.

 

The rose jar earrings are made of nickel free metal and plastic, have fish hook fasteners and are gold toned. They measure 8.9x6.4x1.4 cm.  The rose wrap bracelet is a little enamel rose, polyurethane and metal, measuring 85cm

The tree necklace is very similar to being sold at the Disney Store for £19.99, the only difference is the packaging.  It is made out of gold tone metal and is nickel free.  The necklace measures 46com and the pendant has 9 glass stones, measuring 12.7x7.9cm.

I have not shown pictures of the watches, choker and ring.  These can be viewed at EMP.  There are two watches, one is chunky with a stained glass image of Beauty and the Beast (in Prince form), £32.99 and a charm bracelet watch with several charms: rose. rose in the dome, Mrs Potts and watch itself (£32.99).  There is a scarf watch for £29.99.  There is a ring which fits all sizes (£7.99) with a secrest message "true beauty is found within" , a bead charm bracelet (£12.99) which consists of two bead bracelets.  The black one has a  rose charm, the red has the mirror. The choker is made out of the same material as the wrap bracelet and has a rose charm hanging from it (£7.99).

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Available from:
www.emp.co,uk

Rose Wrap Bracelet (£16.99)
Mirror Necklace (£12.99)
Roses and Teacups (£12.99)
Tree (£11.99)
Rose Jar (£11.99)

Blue Badge Company: Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr Fox Permit Holder

                                                 

The Blue Badge Company parking permits are compact, stylish and easy to use, have a Hologram Safe feature, are in compliance with Department of Transport guidelines. The sleeves are easy to get into, wipe able, protect the permit and the free timer clock is diallable without being removed.  I have written about them in a previous blog post but as I have bought this one for my mum for Mother Day, I thought I would feature them again.I purchased this one for £9.49 plus £2.49 postage.  Normally the permit holders are £18 from the Company itself, but some are actually cheaper on Amazon. You collect loyalty points when purchasing from the Blue Badge Company.

I do like it, the graphics are cute, but my mr fox appears to have done a runner as I only have his legs on this permit, maybe he saw the traffic enforcement attendant coming!


I purchased this item myself and all views are my own.
Available from:
Amazon
Blue Badge Company

March Birthstones: Aquamarine & Bloodstone

Aquamarine is one of the birthstones for March.  Mainly mined in Brazil, it is also found in Pakistan, Zambia and Madagascar. Its is the symbol for and represents youth, health and hope.  The stone is supposed to bring happiness and self expression to the wearer.  The colour of the stone varies from pale to deep blue and it is often compared to the colour of the sea (don't think they mean the North Sea though!).  The name comes from the Latin "aqua" meaning water and "marine" meaning sea.  

                                                          

Bloodstone is the second birthstone for March.  It is a dark green stone with flecks of dark red   iron oxide.  It is found primarily in Brazil, Australia and India.  Today it is regarded as lucky charm     or amulet for athletes and it is associated with boosting mental clarity or overall energy and  increasing creativity.

Swarovski: Disney's Belle and the Enchanted Rose

 This week Swarovski unveiled their sparkling interpretation of Beauty and the Beast - Belle and the Enchanted Rose. Released to coincide/ celebrate the release of the live action film Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson, this collection is the sparkliest (as one would expect as it is Swarovski) and includes a hair pin, ball point pens, jewellery and ornaments.

The jewellery is Atelier Swarovski so is the higher end, more expensive range. All the jewellery is hand set with Swarovski crystals. The hair pin is the most affordable at £45 and is the shape of a rose set with red and green crystals. More expensive items include a Victorian style choker with a hand set crystal rose (£349), pendant, clip on earrings and a ring. They are all premised around a rose rather than Belle and the Beast so aimed more at the adult market as they don't scream Disney when you see them. They are understated and elegant whilst staying true to the rose in the film.

The Crystalline Lady Ball Point Pens (£25 each or £46 for the pair) would make a great gift for any Disney/Belle fan.  The yellow pen has a picture of Belle embossed on it and has 540 yellow (to match her dress) crystals in it. The other has a picture of the Rose and is filled with red crystals.

The most affordable ornament is the Enchanted Rose (£109).  Measuring 9 x 6.2 x 6.2 cm, the rose is made out of 230 red and green crystals and housed in a glass bell jar.  Belle Limited Edition 2017 is made out of clear and yellow crystal and 450 clear and yellow crystals (£349).  Measuring 13 x 11.3 x 9.5 cm she is the perfect princess.  The Beauty and the Beast - Enchanted Rose Limited Edition 2017  (£1,595,00) is a rose made out 400 crystals and the bell jar is  replica of the one featuring in he 2017 movie.  There are only 350 pieces, individually numbered, worldwide and it comes in a premium blue box with letter of authenticity.
The most glittering and eye-catching item out of all the pieces is the limited edition Beauty and the Beast 2017.  Made out of 57,355 hand set crystals it features the main two characters - Beauty and the Beast.  There are only 250 pieces, individually numbered, worldwide and it comes in a blue suitcase with  letter of authenticity. The dimensions are 22 x 24 x  17 cm.






Available from: http://www.swarovski.com/Mob_GB/en/search?search_query_keyword=BATB

Mallzee: Under £100 Wish List

  

Fashion Week February 2017 snuck under the fashion and beauty radar this year, so being fashionably late (as usual) this is a post about what I would have worn if I had been invited.  Maybe next year there will be a seat in the FROW just for me!  This post is in association with Mallzee, putting together an outfit that could be worn at Fashion Week for under £100,  but first, a bit about the App itself.

Established in 2012 by Cally Russell,  Mallzee is an online shopping experience that is a portal to a variety of fashion and accessory stores which include Boohoo, Zara, Monsoon, All Saints and French Connection.  Available as a free App for both Apple and Android devices you shop directly from the App, swiping left or right or click on the cross or heart to make your selection. . 

The app is easy to navigate allowing you to search by colour, item, price, size, brand or item name. You can track purchases, adjust your sizing profile so you see only the sizes you want to see when selecting categories and compete only one check out even if you have made purchases from lots of shops.  You can sign up to be notified if an item you like has been reduced in price, 

You earn credit with every referral that that makes a purchase - you get £5 credit and they get £5 off their first purchase over £5.   My code is JOANG139.

Shopping Apps like Mallzee are great for people who do not like going out, have a disability that prevents them going out or just if you have not got time to trawl around shops.  There is a whole virtual online shopping centre at your finger tips and you can browse with a drink in your hand whilst sitting comfortably on your settee in your pjs.

 

I enjoyed the Mallzee shopping experience whilst selecting my wishlist, it really is the Tinder of the online fashion world and just as with the dating App I really should be more choosy when making my selection as I had to whittle down a huge list.  I went for a lavender, grey and black palette as I thought the lavender would warm up the grey and black.  All the items I chose could be taken into Spring/ Summer and I especially like the Victoriana style jumper from River Island as it can be worn with so many different outfits.

 

Happy Shopping!!

The Blue Badge Company: Cat Print Permit Holder

 

When I first got my blue badge I kept it in this blue leather embossed case. It is functional, practical and easy to keep clean but as someone who is relatively young and likes fun, quirky and sparkly prints and clothes it is boring. I was given this cat print holder for Christnas. Made by the Blue Badge Company, the material is cloth and there are two compartments, one for the badge which you put in sideways so it doesn't fall out and another compartment for the timer. The timer slides in from the top so you can spin it round to the correct time without having to faff around taking it in and out. 

The Blue Badge Company products are handmade in the UK and do not only include blue badge permit holders but also hot water bottle covers, walking stick bags, wheat warmers and cosmetic bags. There are are range of collections and prints which include William Morris, Emma Bridgewater and the best of all Roald Dahl. There is very rarely any disability related items that can be aimed at children, even though my mum now wants the Fantastic Mr Fox permit cover for Mothers Day!

There are lots of prints which include cat, elephant, Scottie and spotty. There are also more grown upish plain leather and material permit holders as well. The great unique selling point about the Blue Badge Company is that they have turned something that is boring, and looking at my original holder which was the only style you could get for years made you different with the disabled sign on the front and made the product fun, quirky and normalised.  Several people have stopped to look/ admire the print when I have been putting my permit out and wanted to know where to get one - never happened with my original holder. 

The Blue Badge Company has made a functional, disability oriented item into a fashionable accessory and I can't wait to see what designs they bring out in the future! 

I was given my blue badge holder for Christmas by a family friend.

Available from:
bluebadge company.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk