Father’s day is fast approaching and it’s time to show the Dads out there how appreciated they are, so I have put together a little gift guide to help you out:

1. For the "well-groomed" Dad

Us mums have to admit that today’s generation of dads are way more hands on with their kids, juggling work as well as parental duties, so its only right that they also want to take care of their skin to avoid looking tired and haggard. Boots have a great range of men’s skincare products Two of our favourites are the L’oreal Men expert Hydra energetic daily skincare kit for £12 and the Clinique for men essentials kit for £30.

2. For the "Hipster" Dad
Many men are currently sporting the hipster beard so help Dad keep his tamed and styled beautifully with some Mo Bro’s beard grooming products; from a moustache wax and comb set for £8 to this gift set with the option of a personalised box for £47:

     3. For the "sporty" Dad
For those dad’s who love to keep fit or the one’s who have had the intention to try a new sport for a while now, why not encourage them by buying some items like a yoga mat or a new football to give them that kick start they need. JD Sports have an array of products to suit any sport/hobby the main man in your life is into.  

       4. For the “on-trend” Dad
Twinning is a huge trend right now. There seems to be lots of mother-daughter mini-me style brands out at the moment and pictures of celeb mums like Beyonce and Kim Kardashian twinning with their daughters but what about the Dads? What sets Mini-me London apart from these other brands is that we also cater for dads wanting to hone in on the trend with their kids as well. So whether it’s a t-shirt, polo shirt, hoodie, casual outfit, evening outfit, outerwear or sneakers we have a wide selection to cater for dads of sons and daughters.

For those in a panic not realising that Father's day was coming soon, don't worry we have your back, it's on Sunday 18th June, so get ready to spoil that special man in yours and your child's life.

Last Saturday I attended my first Lucky Things meet up, organised by the fabulous Sunita from the www.luckythings.co.uk blog. Sunita often organises these events which bloggers, stylists, entrepreneurs, mums and career women attend, touching on a variety of topics and this one was all about Feeling confident in your own style. Guest speakers included fashion stylist Susan Alcindor and Alison Perry from Not Another mummy blog

It was a lovely day meeting and mingling with like minded women and I even managed to pick up some style tips from the guest speakers and the other ladies who attended, so I would like to take this opportunity to share those tips with you:
 
1. Where to get style inspiration
Alison Perry openly admitted that she insta-stalks, to which we all giggled knowingly. In the past we only had celebrities and models like Kate Moss to look to for inspiration and when buying an outfit like something you’d seen Miss Moss in you’d realise it didn’t suit you because quite frankly most of us don’t have her figure so it’s refreshing to see stylish people on instagram of all shapes and sizes. You simply find people with a similar style and shape as you and use their outfit posts as inspiration.
 
2. What every wardrobe needs.
Denim is a key wardrobe staple, weather its jeans, a shirt, jacket, skirt or a dress. Another item both guest speakers mentioned was a breton striped top and Alison also said that if you team up a stripe with a leopard print you instantly look stylish (*note to self must try that out with some pieces from Mini-me London’s “Wild Things” and “Striped studs & starlets” collections as well as grabbing some keys items from the "Denim dudes and divas" collection).
  The thing with wardrobe essentials is that you can jazz them up or dress them down to suit your own individual style. For example: a statement necklace can really jazz up a simple breton style top.

 3. Get it tailored
A little tip blogger Emma_says shared with us was that if something doesn’t fit quite right get it tailored. Getting jeans to fit perfectly can be the bane of many women’s lives. Like Emma, I also have a smaller waist compared to my hips, hence jeans tend to gape, so personal stylist thefashioncraver passed on the tip to Emma about getting items tailored otherwise you will buy them and they will just sit in the wardrobe.
 
4. What to do with items that have been sitting in the wardrobe
We all have items in our wardrobe that we haven’t worn for ages, so a great style tip Susan gave was to hang it up outside of your wardrobe for a week or so. If it is constantly in front of you it may inspire you to wear it or you can work out whether you really love it or not.   
 
5. Find your style
Don’t follow trends literally if it isn’t you. Alison spoke about recently getting sucked into the “velvet trend” and purchased a velvet blazer. However, that velvet blazer has done nothing but sit in her wardrobe for months and she really can’t see herself wearing it so is getting rid of it. Quite simply know your style and take inspiration from current trends that suit and go with your style, only then will you feel truly confident with what you are buying and wearing
 
6. What if you are struggling to find your style
As we get older or our body shape changes (I’m sure many of you who have had children can relate to body shape changes even if you have dropped to pre-pregnancy weight) and of course with lifestyle changes (not everyone can run around children wearing 5 inch heels), many people struggle to find what their style is and what suits them. Many women also get shoved into an age bracket box of how they “should” dress even if they are not particularly comfortable with that box. On top of that trying to find the time to shop and work out what you style is with a ratty mini-me in tow can be too much hard work so why not hire a stylist. Many department stores and retailers these days have their own personal shopping service but what I think would work more is hiring an independent stylist/personal shopper who doesn’t have any ties or loyalty to any one brand and can really hone in on what you are after. You might think “Stylists are only for celebrities”, but I think “what makes you any less than a star?” and if you think all the top stylists/ personal shoppers are in London think again, there are some fantastic ones all over the country. Here’s a list of some independent stylists I have had the pleasure to meet and some I totally admit I have been Insta-stalking:  Karen at thestylenurse in London/ Hertfordshire, Lucy Eastment at styled_by_Lucy in Bristol & the South West, Gemma Lomas-Jones at gemmalomasjonesstyle in Derbyshire, Emma Carr at thefashioncraver in Manchester and Donna from sulkydollstyling.