Maribelle by Donna Jane

Pants! Pants in various prints, cuts, style and fabrics!

We all need them, we all buy them, but with so many varieties and styles whatever happened to comfort and practicality?

What if you can have those two things but still buy pants that are not only cute, quirky, and quite charming, but supports an independent company ran by one woman?

Maribelle by Donna Jane features the cutest and quirkiest fabric choices I have ever seen transformed into pant form, featuring fabric prints from Liberty in the softest cotton and various cleverly chosen prints that encapsulate the brand and it's wearers perfectly.

These designs and prints caught my eye on my Facebook feed one day, from a picture of the making of process of these very fox knickers.

Handmade by Donna herself, you can tell when someone gives each item the care and attention we should expect from all of our clothing and accessories, but sadly not often receive.

Luckily however with these prints and designs, you can expect a good quality item as well as buying knickers to suit your personality and loves.

With winter making itself known, high waisted pants give you that extra layer to keep your buns toasty all winter long, and with 100% organic cotton they won't pinch or annoy you like some pants do.

These knickers are really cosy and comfortable, and are perfect under a high waisted pencil skirt or midi skirt, especially to protect you from those up skirt winter breezes!

This pretty peacock knicker features a Liberty Print, but also has a matching camisole too for the cutest little night set or undergarments ever.

The print of the peacock feathers is stunning, and the contrasting pale pink trim set off those shades beautifully captured in the print.

These sit on the hips and stay put, and luckily for us right now, these are 20% off on the online Etsy store!

Although I loved all the prints, this bike print knicker really caught my eye when I saw it in the online store, the perfect mix of classic, interesting, and quirky parisian style I knew I needed these in my life, and on my butt.

These were the first of the three that I wore, and was surprised at how light weight they were. 

I only wish more people could see the print, as I can't really flash my pants just cos the print is so cute, so I hope this is transformed into a cami set too as I would wear the vest as outer wear if it was!

There is a vast array of prints available too, with floral 60's style patterns, more charming critters, and  some almost psychedelic prints, there is something for everyone.

For handmade underwear this should be your first stop for every day and practical while still being fun and adorable.

Thank you so much to Donna Jane for being kind enough to send me these gorgeous knickers to review, I want even more of the designs now and am eyeing up many a cosy high waisted pair to see me through the next few months.

Which print is your favourite?

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The Mad Girl Shop....

As you all well know, I'm a huge fan of Etsy and regularly champion small indie companies as often as I possibly can.

The only problem with companies like this is that they aren't generally shops you may come across or hear about, which is exactly why I choose to write about them every chance I get.

Luckily for me my friends are also fans of handmade, indie and pop culture items and this is a company I was actually shown the products of after my friend received some, I fell in love with the products on that tiny whatsapp photo and placed an order straight away.

These are all from The Mad Girl Shop, a one woman ran etsy account with handmade pop culture brooches and the other odd piece of knitted garments.

They are amazing hand illustrated brooches that are eye-catching enough that anyone who gets the reference may double take to check they really saw what they think they did!

At the moment there aren't a huge array of designs but I'm sure these will be getting added to over time, and as I know she is also studying, these are a fun little side project that I hope only grows from here.

They are extremely reasonable in price, costing only £3.37 each meaning it only makes sense to buy three in one go, especially for the combined shipping that is super fast. 

These turned up from Missouri in less than a week!

I decided to treat myself to three pop culture cult classic pins, one of which is of course a Mean Girls inspired pin, featuring Damian and his most famous line "She doesn't even go here!".

I never wear pink on wednesdays tho.

When I first moved to London my friend Fred made me watch Arrested Development for the very first time, and I was hooked.

So when I saw this Tobias Fünke pin I just had to have it, I just wish there was a blue Tobias option too!

As I was ill all last week I binge watched the whole of Parks and Recreation, so seeing these came at the perfect time for me to add a little Ron Swanson in my life, and out of the three I think this one has to be my favourite.

I am eagerly awaiting seeing what will be next from The Mad Girl Shop, and may have added a few suggestions of my own for pins I long to have.

My favourite thing about these pins however is that they are like a little secret code to fellow cult film and programme watchers who may ask in disbelief "Is that Tobias Fünke on your cardigan?!" and start up many a conversation that would confuse those who may overhear it about segways and chicken dances!

But for now I have a sudden urge to watch Mean Girls.....again.

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Gifts for a Lush Addict....

Everyone knows at least one friend or relative who is obsessed with Lush and, if they're lucky enough to have visited one, the Lush Spa. 

So what do you get them when it's gift giving time? With it now being nine months since Valentines day there may be some birthdays coming soon (bet you didn't think about that, huh?!) plus christmas coming soon and fast I'm going to tell you now the gift to top all gifts, an exclusive and beautiful box that ever Lush fanatic will covet, and one I bought instantly for myself as soon as I saw it.

This Lush Spa box had me sold without even knowing the contents, a William Morris style with a pop art twist, adorned with huge poppy like flowers and an intriguing way of slotting together that made me want it all the more.

I love boxes, and I seem to be an avid collector of them so this had to belong to me some way or another, even if that way meant treating myself. 

I'm so good to me.

Once I opened it up I fell more and more in love with it, folding out sections like a jewellery box, each section revealing yet another hidden treasure inside.

This gift box is different to the others in that this is a Lush Spa themed box, with only six current Lush Spas in the UK they can be tricky if you don't live locally to one, but this box gives you a little preview of the spa and some of its exclusive products used in treatments that are not available on the shop floor.

Inside this box are three products that are usually never seen outside the Lush Spas, making them a perfect addition to any Lush addict's wish list for products they may have never tried or even heard of before, can you say exclusive?!

There are also some regular favourites and this box has you covered from head down to your toes.

This is the perfect little box for partners too if they want to have a sensual evening together practising their massage skills, perfect after using one of the box exclusives together, with a Comforter? body scrub, usually only used in the Lush Spa treatment also called The Comforter.

This is a chocolate body scrub used warm, melt this bar in a heatproof bowl over a pan before rubbing onto your partners skin for an exfoliating, warm, and intimate experience recommending a 20 minute long massage before rinsing.

Once this has been rinsed off consider dipping into a hot bath with the Golden Slumbers bath bomb, another exclusive to this box and filled with calming lavender and soothing camomile, again the bath could always be shared?

Slightly less sexy but necessary however is the Stepping Stone foot scrub, a foot shaped scrub filled with sea salt, cocoa butter, and lime oils to scrub dead skin off your feet, soften and deodorise them.

Maybe that one is an activity best left solo, unless of course you are into that....some people are, don't judge! 

I will find this quite useful tho, it sounds perfect for my tired out feet.

A store favourite, the Therapy¿ massage bar has been designed to soothe the skin and the mind, a popular product amongst pregnant women for it's amazing stretch mark fading abilities so this is super kind to skin.

If you're sharing this box maybe skip the Stepping Stone and go straight for a couples massage using this Therapy¿ bar, which melts with the heat of skin and works even better after a warm bath.

The final product (in my box anyway....we'll get to that) is perfect for sending you off to sleep after all of these lovely treatments is the final box exclusive, the Dreamtime Temple balm. 

Again this contains lavender and chamomile to help you relax and send you off, perfect after a long hot bath but if you have been sharing this for a couples night in, you may want to er....skip this step too.....!

On their website I noticed the box does also come with Full of Grace, an over night face serum made up of mushrooms and rose oils, I believe my box may have been an earlier incarnation and this was added later, but I have tried Full of Grace before and sadly had an adverse reaction to it as I am actually allergic to mushrooms!

Check the labels instore to see if yours contains all six products, or order online to make sure you get all of the intended items.

This box was an all round winner for me, and I'm planning to use these items for a romantic night in, but as Edd hates everything lavender it may be somewhat tricky.

But I loved how my skin felt after having The Comforter treatment at the spa so I am excited to use this scrub again, and to share that experience with Edd too.

So this would be the perfect gift for that loved one who loves a Lush experience, and an exclusive one to boot, even if that loved one is yourself!

There's nothing wrong with showing yourself some Lush Love.

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