I had the honour of being invited along to the launch of the new Aurora range, designed especially for QVC. The collection, designed in close collaboration with Swarovski showcases a range of jewellery fit for a princess.

What was most surprising was that whilst the jewellery definitely has an upmarket feel to it, the pricing is particularly reasonable. The chunky ring in the image above for example is only £69.99. Great for that special night out.

I’d like to say a massive thanks to Remy and the team for an awesome event. Don’t forget to check out the range for yourself at QVCUK.com

Stay awesome.

Big love, M xox

I have to be honest, I’d never heard of Invitation Only before and so I had no idea of what to expect. As we entered BECCA, we knew that it was going to be something special as we were greeted by huge smiles and ushered into the downstairs area of the boutique where we were greeted with a lovely glass of champagne. Granted it was only noon, but somewhere in the world it was dusk, right?

Initial impressions were that I’d walked into a treasure trove. A treasure trove of expensive goodies. I was in heaven. The first thing to grab my attention were these Gretchen suede clutch bags by Miller & Jeeves (surprisingly reasonably priced!).

Before I’d had time to check whether any of my tech necessities could fit into the clutch, I was off, there were sparkly things to check out (I’m pretty sure that I was a magpie in a past life). Whilst there was a whole range of individual designer pieces, my favourite was the hand-crafted jewelry by Alona.

The ring that I loved (featured above) is the Megan Ring in gold at £188.

The great thing about Invitation Only is that it’s an event held every other month, showcasing different up and coming designers. Some of the bags being featured are currently being stocked in Harvey Nicholls and Harrods whilst there are other pieces that I’ve never seen before and are all reasonably priced. The lovely girls at Invitation Only have an awesome eye for styling and are happy spending as much time chatting away to you, if that’s your thing or are happy to let you do your own thing whilst you take a peek. You know if you buy something there, you won’t bump into somebody wearing the same thing.

As if that wasn’t enough, they often offer discounts on the day, so it’s definitely worth taking a look. The next event is due to take place on 30th June in the same location. Be sure to follow them on Twitter to stay informed of up and coming events.

Of course we took ourselves off for a cheeky glass of bubbles afterwards at Jaks to celebrate… Celebrate what you ask? Finding one of London’s best kept secrets of course!

p.s. These scarves are by I Love Kate. They’re silk and stunning and I need them in my life. Immediately. They’re big in Dubai, you heard it here first.

I’m totally overwhelmed by all of the support that I’ve received from everyone to help Saskia save her kitty, Taffy. Together we raised over £750 in just a few days, more than I ever could have imagined.

The vets have agreed to do the surgery for a reduced price and Saskia’s family have managed to raise the rest of the funds, so Taffy will be having the surgery tomorrow to save her poorly leg.

Words can’t tell you how grateful myself, Saskia and Taffy are to everybody for your generous support. You guys just proved how much you rawk.

Big love,

M xox

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dudes and dudettes, I present to you the reasons that Pinterest is better than sex.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I know, I really need to get out some more, but pinning is so god damn good!

Stay awesome.

M xox

p.s. thank you so much for all of your support in raising funds for Saskia’s kitty. We’ve been totally overwhelmed!

However, you will also know how much I love cats. Yes, I have been called “Cat Lady” once or twice. Sadly my friend Saskia’s cat, Taffy, fell from the third floor of an apartment building last week. Having rushed him to the vets, he has a temporary cast but needs surgery. Poor tyke.

Then came the news that the surgery is going to cost £2,500 (expensive kitty, tsk!) and Taffy isn’t insured. Having contacted the RSPCA and PDSA, Saskia’s been told that as she isn’t on benefits, there’s nothing that they can do to help poor Taffy. Saskia is now forced with the awful realisation that she may have give him up to the RSPCA as she simply can’t afford the surgery.

This is where Cat Lady Mel comes in. I’m on a one woman mission to help save Taffy. I know how I’d be feeling if heaven forbid it was Hugo or Smudgie. Heartbroken. If you can find it in your hearts and can afford to donate just a couple of pounds, please let’s pull together and help save Taffy. I’d be eternally grateful. You can use the donate button on the righthand side of my blog. Oh and if you want to help spread the word, I guess we’d better start a hashtag too… #SaveTaffy.

Much love and keep your kitties safe.

M xox

UPDATE: The vets have contacted Saskia to say that they’ll now do the surgery for £1,000 so we’re almost there. Thank you so much for all of your support, it’s been completely overwhelming.

Today I’m letting you into the biggest kept secret… welcome to the club. Just don’t tell anyone you heard it from me!

Click here to view the embedded video.

You’re very welcome. Of course, if you want to show your appreciation, flowers, wine, chocolate or Hob Nobs are always appreciated.

Much love and stay amazing.

M xox

Tomorrow I have an important meeting and whenever I have something important, it’s always an excuse to buy a new outfit and/or beauty product. I’m planning on wearing a navy dress and wanted to make my eyes pop with some colour.

I treated myself to this lovely No7 Metallic Eye Pencil in 03 (otherwise known as blue) which is gorgeous and goes on smoothly without dragging the eyes I should add. The issue that I’m having is that I still have my mum’s voice in my head from growing up telling me that you shouldn’t wear blue with blue eyes. I’m kinda in love with it and so I need you votes. Go or no. Simple as that. Please help by leaving what you think in the comments…

Any help would be muchly appreciated, you do after all determine my major life decisions

Much love and happy Wednesday!

M xox

p.s. yes that’s Hugo totes chilling in the background!

Click here to view the embedded video.

In case you want to check it out, my Happiness Project can be found here and you can find more details about Metta here. Oh and of course, then there’s the lovely ThisLittleLadyWentToLondon.com!

I don’t want you guys to think that this is an advertorial. Neither the lovely chaps at Wahanda or Metta had asked me to write a review, but having experienced it for myself, I really wanted to share the recommendation with you. If you’re after a bit of pampering, you know where to go! Enjoy.

Big love,

M xox

p.s. An update on my Happiness Project is imminent.

p.p.s Apologies for looking so awful and tired, it’s been a long day at the office and I’ve just got home. What’s that I see? Tiny violins?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Of course, you could always be charming, but that’s just a suggestion. I’d love you to share your experiences too, don’t be shy, leave a comment, I don’t bite.

BTW – the track is by the awesome Jay Norton… you need to download his mixtape if you haven’t already done so. He rawks!

Much love as always.

M xox

Almost a year ago I moved to London. I hated it. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the drinks after work on a Friday evening and I got a real sense of pride walking into my office every morning, knowing we were making great stuff happen. But there were all of the other bits, like not walking down the street and bumping into people you know. Like having grown men try and tug you from trains so that they don’t have to wait 3 minutes for the next. Like the fact that nobody looks at one another on the tube for at least 4 stops. I was lonely. In a city of millions, I was incredibly lonely.

But somewhere in that hazy period, something very strange happened and I fell in love with London. I’ve never felt more blessed with friends. I genuinely don’t know when it happened or how it came about but I know precisely when I realised. I had this realisation last Thursday evening as I returned to the hospital ward after emergency surgery to find my roomie (who is petrified of hospitals) sat next to my bed after waiting a torturous 4 hours for me to return from surgery whilst constantly updating my family with news.

What’s more my phone had died (thanks iPhone 4S). As soon as I was able to charge it again, I could see the kerfuffle that had taken place on Twitter as my friends tried to establish which hospital I was in. Friends that had never met one another were now chatting from all over the country to keep up to date with my progress.

The evening that I returned home, two of my best friends came around stock piled with goodies, cuddled me as I cried and didn’t even mention that I should probably wash my hair and apply some foundation. When I told them not to visit, they visited anyway. True friends.

I’ve had countless tweets, texts and emails from amazing people, for each of which I’m incredibly grateful. I wanted to write this post to say a huge thank you. It’s the people that make the place and I now can’t think of anywhere that I’d rather be. For whatever challenges my health may throw at me, I know that it’s offset with amazing acts of kindness from friends near and far.

As soon as I’m better, I’m planning to host a get together in London, where I can hopefully get lots of those special people all in one room together. What an amazing evening that’ll be.

M xox

A special thank you…

Tarry – for waiting by my hospital bed with sweaty palms
Fran – for force feeding me and for amazing cuddles
Gem – for being my little rock any time of the day
Bex – for being there in spirit and even threatening to get on a train even with baby bump!
JJ – for listening to my rants when she has woes of your own
Mills - for feeling like a lifelong friend after only a short while
Ant – for making me laugh
Martin – for always being lovely
My Jammers – for being so supportive and for making me proud every day
Mum – for listening to my teary calls & putting up with me