As much as I love to browse online, nothing beats the experience of being able to go instore to check everything in person, as well as seeking the advice of helpful store assistants or better still personal shoppers! Well CastleCourt are taking this one step further by hosting a very special event this Saturday!!

This Saturday between 1pm and 3pm model Tiffany Brien will be hosting CastleCourt's super stylish Summer Style Wardrobe Event, showcasing the hottest summer trends from the shopping centre!

Join Tiffany at CastleCourt's upper mall on Saturday 2nd August from 1pm - 3pm! For more information visit: www.facebook.com/CastleCourtBelfast.

Massive thanks to Lisa Rice at LK Communications for Press Release & all relevant imagery!

Truth is when it comes to getting ready to bare our skin for Summer, we all need to do a little prep work, from moisturising to exfoliating it takes a lot to get our pins bikini ready!! But most important of all is hair removal for those enviable silky smooth legs! From waxing to hair removal cream, to epilating and shaving, there are a multitude of options out there, but which option is the best??

Well in my case I'll be honest I don't have time to mess around, I want something that provides maximum results with minimum effort and hassle! I suffer with dry skin so I need something that will exfoliate as well as moisturise, whilst giving me a close smooth shave without any hassle!

That is my holy grail of hair removal!! Question is does it exist............??

Well those lovely people at Gillette sent me one of their Venus & Olay Sugarberry razors and with all the hype surrounding them I couldn't wait to try it to see how it faired against my normal hair removal regime!!!

The packaging was vibrant and summery, and the first thing that struck me upon opening it was the fragrance, the Sugarberry-scented, Olay Moisture-Boost shave gel bars at the top and bottom of the blades smelt beyond delicious!! (I only wish Olay made a fragranced candle of the same scent!) hehe!!

The Venus razor head boasts five razors to both exfoliate and give an über close shave, the head is also quite large meaning that with each stroke you cover quite a large surface area, cutting down on the amount of razor strokes needed and cutting down on the time required to shave your entire leg!

I also loved it's pivoting razor head as it meant the head tilted perfectly to closely follow the curves of your legs, allowing for a closer shave and minimising the chance of any accidental nicks/cuts occurring!

Normally I use an epilator on dry skin but in all honesty it didn't take me any longer to use the Venus razor, and if used in the shower would barely take up any extra time in the morning! Definitely ticking the minimum fuss box!

Afterwards my skin didn't feel dry and tight (as it usually does after a wet shave) and I was really impressed that there were no annoying razor nicks/cuts either! (Another of my concerns when doing a wet shave)! I'm not always the most careful so the fact that I hadn't cut myself just goes to show how easy I found it to use!

In conclusion I would say for anyone who loves a wet shave the Venus razor with Olay Sugarberry is a fantastic way of achieving fab results with minimum fuss! It gave me a very close and smooth shave, was easy to use and best of all was really quick! With Olay's Moisture-Boost shave gel bars there's none of the mess usually associated with shaving gels, and no need to use a moisturiser afterwards to eliminate the tight feeling you can sometimes get from a wet shave!

I can honestly say that the Gillette Venus has given me super silky "Goddess Legs"!!!

Which is a good thing it's just in time for me to enter their new Venus #GoddessLegs selfie competition in association with fashion-megabrand ASOS!! So ladies what do you think, have I captured the perfect #GoddessLegs Selfie??

I must admit I'm no expert at doing "Selfies" so here are a few top tips on how to capture the perfect leg selfie from the #GoddessLegs expert panel and competition judges!

Which is why I'm really looking forward to the Publicity Association of Northern Ireland (PANI) Awards as it's wonderful to see those individuals behind these campaigns getting the recognition they richly deserve! Just as The Real Elle Woods likes to support our local creative's from the world of fashion, beauty and hair here in NI, The PANI Awards was established to recognise the achievements of the advertising and publicity industry. In advance of its glittering advertising and publicity industry awards ceremony in October this year, PANI Chair Cathy Martin and PANI Awards Chair Lynne Doherty are encouraging agencies and corporates seeking to enter to meet the entry deadline of 10th August!

Thanks to Sarah Jayne Cassells at CMPR for press release and all relevant imagery.

Whether you're a bikini or swimsuit kinda girl, finding THE perfect swimwear can feel like searching for the holy grail of clothing! The key is in choosing a style which best flatters your natural shape. Swimwear is not about following trends but about finding something that will show off your figure, flattering your assets and detracting from those parts we all feel self conscious about! Also the colour and pattern can be important too, as a pattern can for instance detract from a smaller bust, or clever use of panelling can slim down a figure, or even create curves on a boyish figure depending on the design!

As someone who loves pinks, purples and blues, I instantly fell in love with this cut out swimsuit as soon as I laid eyes on it! The cut outs perfectly flatter my slim petite figure and with it's abstract snake print pattern, clever use of use of colour and silver feathers dangling seductively from the bust I knew I had found my perfect swimsuit!

Of course we all need the perfect beach bag too and thanks to those lovely people at CastleCourt I now have it! A few months ago I attended a special bloggers evening hosted by CastleCourt and part of my quite frankly AMAZING goodie bag was this oversized white tote from Dolce & Gabbana! It's the perfect size to hold everything you could ever need on the beach and I really loved it's grey leather detailing, from it's handles (which can be thrown over the shoulder or carried in the crook of your arm) and it's oversized "Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue" tag to it's leather corners all these details come together give the tote an effortlessly chic & stylish look!

To match it, CastleCourt also very kindly gave us a matching Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue fluffy white towel!! Sooo soft and thick you just want to wrap yourself up in it, it's THE perfect beach towel to lay back on and soak up the sun's rays! But the best part is in the design of this towel as it has a cleverly placed zip at the top creating a pocket where you can store your mobile phone, etc! Seriously how clever is that!

I hope you've enjoyed today's mini "Getting Ready For Summer" Post and watch out for more Summer posts in the coming days!

If there is one thing I love it's eating out, and as all my followers on Instagram will know, I try to eat out whenever possible! Of course one of the most indulgent treats for us girls has to be Afternoon Tea, and I was really pleased when I received an invite to attend the launch of the Marine Court Hotel's new Afternoon Teas!

Having been to the hotel previously for lunch I was looking forward to seeing how the hotel would stage their afternoon teas, and as it turned out we were treated to a somewhat vintage, "quirky and different" afternoon tea experience in their grand ballroom!

These days we are all well used to the concept of the standard "Afternoon Tea" experience, however the Marine Court Hotel strived to do something a little different, focusing on good old fashioned customer service and creating a homely and vintage style afternoon tea, with tasty delights one would remember fondly from their childhood!

Served on vintage china with traditional linen table clothes and freshly cut flowers you felt transported back to a bygone era, whilst being entertained by local musican's playing the kind of music I remember from my Granny's record collection! The focus was in creating a welcoming and warm feel, serving instantly recognisable tasty treats we all remember from our childhoods! I especially loved the miniature lemon meringue pies and blueberry muffins! So dainty and cute, and extremely delicious!

I loved their eclectic vintage china (in fact I even recognised one of the floral plates as a design that currently resides in my Mother's china collection), and the cute and quirky hand knitted tea cosies, which kept our teapots filled with the Marine Court's own "house tea" blend cosy warm! While refreshing glasses of Pimm's served on arrival made for a nice change from the usual bubbly served at afternoon teas!

However the highlight of the afternoon had to be our delicious Crepe Suzette's!! Deliciously sweet and somewhat "alcohol laden" we were able to watch our attentive waiting staff actually make them right by our table which added a lovely theatrical element! The Marine Court Hotel now prides itself in being one of the only, if not only, hotels in the whole of Northern Ireland offering this experience as part of their Afternoon Tea service!

This famous dessert really does hark back to the good old days, when good customer service and attention to detail was the hallmark of every fashionable and high class restaurant!

The event was hosted by model and presenter Katie Larmour, and it was lovely to get the opportunity to catch up once again with Katie over the hotel's delicious treats! Star guest of the day was musical legend Peter Corry, who sang throughout the afternoon!

It was lovely to be amongst the first in NI to attend the Marine Court's Afternoon Teas, and it marks the first of many exciting new customer experiences that newly appointed General Manager Adrian McAleese will bring to the hotel over the coming months! Adrian will bring all of his experience of serving Presidents, Prime Ministers, The Rich and Famous and Royalty such as the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew to the Marine Court, ensuring that all the hotel's guests are treated with the same high level of service!

Speaking at the launch of their Afternoon Tea Adrian McAleese said: ‘We were absolutely delighted by the turnout, it was a great success and we hope the first of many more Afternoon Teas to come.’  

The Marine Court Hotel is also committed to supporting and playing an active role within the local community. In future weeks they will be working closely with local performers giving them ‘a stage’ on which to showcase their musical talent by hosting special ‘Charity Afternoon Teas’ to help local charities raise their profile as well as much needed funds.

As for what I chose to wear for the occasion, well at the moment I'm obsessed with zingy neon hues and girly summer chic, so my neon floral skater dress perfectly encapsulated both trends! I love the cute and feminine look a skater dress creates, and with it's vibrant neon floral print, this dress is a modern take on a classic style! Accessorise wise I opted for my new multi link leather cuff from French Connection, and one of my favourite summer handbags, my white double tassel handbag from Karen Millen! Shoe wise I do love my exotic leather and my metallic green snakeskin platform sandals were the perfect finishing touch to my ensemble!

So if you are looking for something a little different, harking back to a bygone era where first class customer service is paramount then why not visit the Marine Court Hotel to experience their Afternoon Tea for yourself? The teas will run every Sunday in the hotel’s fabulous grand ballroom between 1-4pm.

A very big thank you to Adrian NcAleese and the Marine Court Hotel for their kind invitation to attend the launch of their Afternoon Teas! (If only I could enjoy one of your delicious crepe suzette's every day!!!).