Ragdale Hall – health, hydro and thermal spa

I went to Ragdale for a weekend about a month ago and I absolutely loved my stay it was super relaxing and revitalising. Radale hall is a beautiful and historic building that has actually been around since the 1700’s in the countryside of Leicestershire. It has been known to be one of the best spa’s in the country and I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. When we arrived there was a valet to park our car and staff to assign us to our rooms and to take up our luggage. First we went to the conservatory to fill out some forms and we got a complimentary fruit punch. Then we went to our rooms and got ready to go to the spa. The spa area has been designed for Ragdale Hall and can’t be found anywhere else in the world. There are 12 luxurious and unique heat and water experiences including the candle pool which you have to walk down to, it is a warm and cosy little cave like area which is a great area to have a silent retreat to and it has beautiful twinkly lights. There is an outdoor heated pool which has a waterfall and massage jets which really help to soothe your shoulders and back, it was raining when my friend and I went out there and it was a very unique experience as the rain was cold and pouring down on your head and yet the rest of your body is warm from the pool. There is the thought zone which wasn’t working when we went, as they were experiencing some problems but it wasn’t really of much interest to me anyway; it is supposed to project calming images designed to help you to reflect. There is a colourflow cave which is a steam room and has a lovely scent of jasmine and camomile and a ‘river of colour flows to a central crystal mountain’. There is a scented room which was one of my favourites and as the name suggests there was a lovely scent of lavender which was so relaxing. There is a rose sauna and also a cave shower which was really fun as it had sound effects of thunder and lightning and different water settings such as mist and rainfall. After this we got changed and went for lunch which was a buffet and there was a lovely selection of food and yummy chocolate mousse desserts! We signed up to go to the sunset stretch class before dinner which was a mix of yoga and Pilates and was thoroughly relaxing that I could just fall asleep right there and then. Dinner was wonderful I had pea soup for starter, the duck for main and marmalade on toast ice cream for dessert which tasted amazing. We went for a stroll in the gardens after dinner and went on one of the seat swings while watching others play golf. Then we borrowed some dvd’s from the reception and they had a list of some of the best rom-com movies. We watched Chalet girl which is one of my favourites so I was pleased, and then went to bed. The next morning we had breakfast in bed which was great as we don’t usually have that luxury at home and it was like a little breakfast feast, there was a variety of breakfast items to choose from and it was really fun picking them out, I ended up having Weetabix, a delicious muffin, a banana, orange and mango smoothie and a cup of tea. I ended up saving the banana for later as I was absolutely full. That afternoon we had our treatments. They have a wide range of new, holistic, and traditional spa treatments. I had a facial which I loved, it consisted of Spa Find products which are a top spa brand and is really good quality. You could also purchase them in the beauty shop which also stocks brands such as: Clarins, Decleor, Elemis, OPI Nailcare, Susan Posnick, Dior, Bline, Nougat, Neom and Fake Bake. There is also a lovely boutique and my mum purchased some ‘fitflops’ which she was very happy about, other ranges available include: Fransa, Oui, Steillman, Redfoot shoes, Bugatti Jewellery. They also have an adorable gift shop which is where I bought a little sign saying ‘if the shoe fits buy it in every colour’ I thought this was really cute. We had tea in the veranda bar and I had also had a chocolate orange cupcake. I love seeing all the healthy options in Spa’s but Ragdale prides itself on not only being a relaxing retreat but a healthy one too, they have gluten-free, dairy free and vegan options and they also have an impressive gym and exercise pool. Their dinner menu also has little windows to represent how many calories were in each dish, I thought this was a very informative yet innovative touch to the menu. We had a last swim in one of the 5 swimming pools! Packed our belongings and went home. I had an absolutely amazing time and cant wait to visit once again!

Bridal beauty – collaboration with Loverly

I have collaborated with the inspirational site Loverly this week to create some beauty looks to go with some stunning bridal dresses from their website, to create some inspiration for your wedding day whether it is near or far and to help you with such an incredible step in this journey of your life. Loverly was launched in 2012 to help simplify the wedding planning process and is a ‘one-stop-shop’ that helps you find ideas, people to hire and things to buy for your big day.

I have always been fascinated with bridal wear and I have designed some bridal dresses myself in my free time so collaborating with Loverly was a perfect fit. I have always felt that weddings are like a fairy tale and that it is the one day you are allowed to dress like a princess, so that is why I chose these dresses as to me they create a sense of elegance and luxury.

The Bridal Princess:

Look one:

One word for this gown- J’adore! I chose this gown as it is such a glamorous gown that is crystal encrusted and has that staple sweetheart neckline and delicate organza skirt. It is absolutely stunning and very princess inspired!

I decided that the beauty choices for this lovely gown would be soft and more natural as the dress is glamorous yet delicate (because of the organza) so these beauty choices compliment the fabric and style of the dress very well. Choose lashes that are layered and soft, they will help make the eyelashes appear longer and fluttery. A pink blusher will make the cheeks appear rosy and subtly glowing while soft neutral eye shadows will help add a beautiful shimmer and sparkle to the eyes and to top it off a sheer pink gloss.

Look two:

Next I chose this dress as I think it is also very stunning and not too busy by having that silk white Chantilly lace as to distract from yourself. You should be the one wearing the dress the dress shouldn’t be wearing you!

As this gown is luxurious and elegant a subtle luminous makeup look would be lovely. Again I chose some false eyelashes to accentuate the lashes and some lovely luminous and bronzy products, such as Guerlain eye shadows which are also very luxurious just like the silk white gown and a light dusting of bronzer which will enhance the skin and make the skin look fabulous for the big day.

Look 3:

This last dress is one of my favourites, it is that ultimate princess gown all that is left is a shiny tiara! I chose this dress as it is a silk white and gold embroidered tulle gown with natural waist and soft A-line skirt, it is to die for and is very glam yet elegant!

For this beauty look makeup that compliments the champagne colour of the dress will work well. A champagne eye shadow that is the same colour as the champagne details on the dress will tie the whole look together while making the eyes appear brighter. The Bobbi brown shimmer brick is a fantastic product and makes the skin look illuminated and radiant, lastly a soft pink lipstick will add a natural colour to the lips.

Take a look at the beautiful collages I made on Polyvore (Member name – cashmereofcourse) for each beauty look!

Credit: photos from loverly

Millie Mackintosh for Dorothy Perkins

I recently went to Dorothy Perkins and discovered Millie Mackintosh’s jewellery collection, you may have seen her on the hit show ‘Made in Chelsea’. Her costume jewellery has a good price range and is great quality. The price ranges from £10 to £35. I love the quality of the jewellery and its so pretty and feminine with an edge. There are statement necklaces, vintage style rings, beautiful wrist-wear and large diamanté earrings which I must say are very beautiful and would look lovely to wear for special occasions such as a black tie event with your hair in an updo or when going out for a nice evening meal.

Millie was ‘inspired by family heirlooms and vintage pieces’ and that is definitely reflected in the jewellery such as the rings, which come in a pack of 4 and one ring has a pearl and another has a beautiful diamond cluster matching with the earrings that I love. The whole collection looks very expensive and classy and I wish I could own it all!

I bought the beautiful leather wrist wear with the diamanté cluster stones (£14). I think it is a great piece to toughen up a girly outfit as its edgy but still very feminine. I absolutely love the way the stones sparkle and glisten in the sunlight. It’s also a lovely piece to wear from day-to-night and to dress up a simple outfit such as a blouse and jeans.

So overall I absolutely love the collection and would recommend it to everyone as it really is worth it, it’s such good quality and the pieces are all unique in their own way while still looking luxurious.