Dress // ASOS
Cut-out Boots (Again!) // Office
Necklace // Zara
Bracelet // 2nd Hand
Jacket // Zara
Bag // Vintage (From Snoopers Paradise)

A friend of mine and Dan, Andy, left town the other day for a 3 months jaunt in America. So far I’ve seen a picture of him with his soft top burgundy Mustang (he passed his driving test around 2 weeks ago) and another photo of him toting an M43 automatic rifle. Living the American dream, then.

Whilst hiding my jealousy of a 3 month America road trip proves hard, fortunately it isn’t all bad as Andy organised a great meal out the night before he left. Unfortunately, he chose my not so favourite restaurant on Preston Street: Sushi Garden. But, when it comes to food, what Andy says, goes, so off we trotted through Brighton’s famous Pavilion Gardens post foreign-student-6pm.

Outfit wise, I went for my uniform of faux-leather, green dress and Office boots. I really love the colour of this ASOS midi dress and at £25 it’s a steal. Unfortunately I think it’s a tiny bit too long for me, I think a couple of inches off the hem and it could look really nice. As I’m fairly tall (5’8) I don’t know how anybody shorter would find it to be ‘midi’!

 
I got this bag from Snoopers Paradise, the random market-type vintage junk shop in the North Laines. While it was pretty expensive at £20 (these shops now tend to chuck ‘vintage’ on the price tag and mark it up by a tenner) I loved the clasp, shape and colour and thought it was in very good condition. I can’t fit my mega purse in it, but that’s a bonus anyway as it just means Dan has to pay ;)

 
Stupid picture of bangs.

Make-up however, is pretty much the same as normal. This is my Nars ‘Dragon Girl’ Matte lip pencil. I’m totally going to get another one of these in maybe a rouge red when I get paid.

Finally – Sushi Garden. I don’t know what they have done in the last ~12 months since the last time we visited, but I thought the food was amazing. Especially the stuff everyone else ordered! Me being me decided to play it safe after our last experience and ended up with food envy all night. If you’re ever in the Hove area, craving Japanese, head to Preston Street and don’t order something safe, go crazy with a few of the veggie tapas dishes.

Until next time good friends, good night.

Well, I’ve been super quiet.

And there’s a (or 2) good reasons for this. Number one: I’ve been snowed under with work. Working late nights for a pitch I did yesterday, for a brand i’d love to work with. God knows how it went, but I can definitely say I am enjoying my very lazy weekend!

Number two: see below.

Isn’t she just adorable?

I’ve been in love with Mini Dachshunds ever since I was 14. My love at first sight story goes something along these lines: I took my ‘then’ dog Winston to our local park, as I used to most evenings. Whilst sitting watching him getting jiggy with the other dogs, a flash of white ran past – a jack russell puppy chasing a ball. Behind that, a mini dachshund puppy. It was doing it’s very best to get to the ball too, legs circling at the speed of light but really not covering very much distance at all. Probably the cutest thing I’d ever seen until I laid eyes on this tiny little thing last Saturday at a very smelly doggy breeder house near Gosport. And thus the story of lust ends, and the story of being responsible and owning my tiny lil dog begins. Watch this space!

Glasses // Booth & Bruce

First off, I just want to say that I do need to wear these glasses. They’re the real deal, I can even see better in them and stuff. They are certainly not the lense free hipster-issue perspex ones which were floating about for a while last year. No sir, definitely not. I just don’t wear them very often!

..And now that’s out the way, here’s my outfit of the day.

Khaki Pea Coat // French Connection
Breton Striped Dress // French Connection
Croc Bayswater Bag // Mulberry
Cut-out Boots // Office
Scarf // Warehouse

I didn’t really think about the fact I was pretty much wearing all French Connection until I started writing this post. My love of French Connection has certainly increased in the past year – I don’t think you can get better quality for the money. I was reading somewhere that fashion in the UK is seeing a shift from trends to investment pieces and perhaps I have been mosying along in the same direction.

If I could choose a high-street brand to get a ‘most improved’ award then French Connection would definitely be the recipient. Gone are the FCUK days (yes, I totally had one of those tshirts when I was 13) and now we see grown up collections with beautiful palettes and great accessories. Although I do feel like they should give the Herve Leger bandage dress copy a rest now)!

Still in love with my bag, by the way. And the fact I have to moisturise it every couple of weeks!

So there you have it, a dreary tuesday shoot in the car park up the road.

I was working all night last night, so tonight I am going to sit my ass down on the sofa, watch Game of Thrones and Mad Men, and definitely not think about my computer.

Good night!

High-waist skinny Jeans // ASOS
Square T shirt // ASOS
Necklace // Warehouse
Khaki High Heeled Shoes // NewLook

Sunny Sunday! That hasn’t been said in a while. Not quite warm enough to get out the legs but I did brave bare arms (in my flat)!

As you can see when I was taking pictures of todays outfits inside, my 2 furry friends decided they were going to get in the mix. Of course, they never sit still, so I apologise that the pictures aren’t quite in focus!

Today’s look is brought to you courtesy of ASOS. The same can be said for most of the clothes in my wardrobe – in fact this week I’ve gone so far as considering applying to a job role there, just so I can get a bloody discount! I did some Maths and worked out that moving to central London would only work out slightly more expensive on a yearly basis then money saved by a 10% discount…

I’ve found it really hard, but at the same time, really enjoyable to start wearing slightly more casual clothes than my uniform of tights & dress.

White Eyeliner // Rimmel
Lip Pencil // Nars

Also went a bit random with my make up. White eyeliner was all over the ss13 catwalk shows – sort of riffing on Pat McGrath for Prada (Without the slight milkstache).
I also visited Liberty’s this weekend and bought this great matte Nars lip pencil. I really can’t stand sticky shiny lipsticks, especially as I wear it most often during the day, so I think I might be investing in more than just this pinky red ‘Dragon Girl’ shade.

Well, that’s all for Sunday, hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Hey Y’all

I finally went to Zara to spend my voucher. Pre-5pm when there is still larger than an XS in stock.

So here’s what I got! This dress is a great colour, pretty much my favourite and is a nice silky material. I’ve also loved the idea of these collar necklaces for a while and this is by far the best one I’ve seen. Although I think I’m bordering on looking like a bad fancy-dress Cleopatra with hair, eye makeup and necklace combined :S

The bag is vintage (found within hundreds that Dan’s mum had been hoarding – she does so much charity shopping there’s no point me even bothering as she has it covered!), Boots are Office (and are super comfy incase you were cared!), Blazer is Gap and Nail Varnish is Chubby Cheeks by Essie.

Green Gathered Dress // ZARA
Blue Blazer // GAP
Plait Necklace // ZARA
Lace-Up Shoe Boots // Office
Bag // Vintage

Getting used to my new hair now!

So Zara eh. I love wandering around in there but they barely ever have my size! So, dear Zara, please please PLEASE go easy on the XS and stock more L & XL please!

Evening everyone!…Anyone?!

Here’s a round up of my favourite purchases so far this month. I say so far like I’ve got any money left to buy anything else.

Currently most of my money is sat somewhere at ASOS and has been for the last 2 weeks, they’re really pushing the limit on their returns this month!

Mostly this month I’ve been buying nail varnishes. I’ve not really had any nails for years, so after 6 months of wearing fake ones in an attempt to grow them, I’ve finally got some little tiny nails which haven’t seen the sun for months and keep breaking. But I’m not going to let that deter me. One day I will have beautifully manicured nails that are real. One day.

So on that note, first purchase. Essie nail varnishes. Good enough branding and ‘fashionable’ enough, but not overly expensive.

Nail Polishes by Essie

The one in the middle is a pretty nude, which is very ‘in’ this season (Not just a pretty face). The green (Stylenomics) which looks amazing in the bottle is a bit too dark for me – ends up looking just a bit like grubby black spinach colour which is a shame. The reddy-brown (Angora Cardi) goes a bit browner than it looks but is still pretty nice. All in all though, I’m still mainly wearing my favourite orangey pinkey red: Chubby Cheeks.

Kiehl’s Herbal-Extract Toner, Liz Earle Moisturiser & Serum

I thought I’d grab some new skin-care stuff when I got a voucher for John Lewis for Christmas. Took me forever to order something – and eventually I went for this Liz Earle Moisturiser and Wrinkle Serum as it isn’t super expensive but had great reviews on JL.

I’ve been really impressed with the moisturiser – I was previously using Kiehl’s Ultra-Facial but at £50 wasn’t 100% sold. This is a lot cheaper, feels really buttery on application and most importantly doesn’t give me spots!

I’m not really sure about the wrinkle stuff yet. Maybe because I don’t have *that* many wrinkles and I’m just being neurotic ;)

Warehouse Brown Leather Bow Belt

Finally, I got a new belt from Warehouse. I’ve been on the lookout for something like this for ages – a belt that’s actually meant to be worn round your waist with a dress so you don’t have to hide any garish belt buckles round the back of your cardi!

This is nice, neutral and girly. Now I just need to watch how much cake I eat so it continues to fit. As ever, high street sizing continues to have the same continuity as the British summer.

Yes that’s right, I’ve got the same haircut that I had when I was 13! And I actually like it this time!

I had a lovely week of pampering last week. I had my first ever facial at the Treatment Rooms in Brighton, and then decided to book myself in for a long needed haircut at Mooch. Don’t let their website put you off.. It’s a great, friendly salon and their prices aren’t extortionate like the Trevor Sorbies and Headmasters of the Brighton world! My only gripe would be the £6 they charge for a 2 minute fringe trim. A lot of other places do it for free – and because of this I do it to myself for free too, albeit taking 5 attempts and an hour to get it straight.

My facial was not really what I was expecting. I figured I would get the aromatherapy oils and the weird music, but what I was not prepared for was the insanely painful skin squeezing known as ‘extraction’ half way through. Serves me bloody right not to even read up on what was going to happen to me! I left feeling a little ‘meh’ as I was really tense the entire time, but then I noticed how smooth my skin is. And now I’m in love.

But I did do some further reading, and apparently extraction is really bad long-term for the collagen around your pores. So maybe it’s something best saved for when my skin really does feel like sandpaper.

I don’t think I can remember when there last was this many jackets I wanted, all at one time. Sure – I am looking at some more expensive shops, and my style is perhaps a little more grown up, but there’s so many styles, fabrics, prints and looks that I really, really want. My bank balance doesn’t though. Sad.

Here’s five of my favourites:

Jaeger // £299

Rag & Bone // £670

Paul & Joe // £120

French Connection // £125

Zara // £69.99

I’ve always been a signature scent type of person. I think I’ve only owned 5 perfumes my entire life (bar the Charlie Red body sprays when I was in my tweens!). First came Dior Addict – which is probably still my all time favourite. Then, I went through the Britney Spears stage; I’m pretty sure I just liked the turquoise bottle with the pink squirter, and I wasn’t suprised when the actual liquid turned green and mouldy after a few months.

Recently, I decided to branch out and bought, wait for it, Dior Addict 2. I felt ever so adventurous!

So this spring, I have decided I am going to try out a few different scents. My newest purchase is pictured above. While it’s not the coveted Dot Eau de Toilette, the Sunsheer edition of ‘Oh, Lola!’ by Marc Jacobs appealed to me both via it’s gloriously fresh scent and fun, quirky bottle.

It’s not the cheapest bottle of perfume, with 50ml coming in at £47 from Boots, but then that’s not the most expensive either. The scent, as described by Marc:

“The fragrance opens with a sheer refreshing top of effervescent raspberry that blossoms into a feminine pink heart of lush peonies. Addictive vanilla imparts a sensual dry down with a flirty, light-hearted touch.”

Whatever that means. I like the smell. It’s not obnoxious, not too flowery and has a little zesty kick to it. And it has a super cool pink flower top, so that’s extra points in my book!

Now – what perfume should I buy next?!

I saw this competition advertised on one of my favourite UK fashion blogs: Littlebirdfashion.com and thought it looked really good fun. It’s my first one of these, so be gentle. One added bonus too – I think it might have cured me of my need to spend all my wages on clothes on payday! I am now well and truly shopped out. I think in total it probably took about 2 hours.

The premise is, to enter you need to choose an outfit (on trend) for 3 scenarios: casual, holiday and party. It has to be under £200 and showcased.

Casual

Cobalt Flats // Blush Inc
Jumper // Dorothy Perkins
Shirt // Zara
Jeans // Jigsaw
Necklace // ASOS
Pinky Ring // ASOS
Nail Varnish // Essie
Bowler Bag // H&M

This one is a play on the ever popular ‘cobalt’ colour. The pointed flats are American so I added a bit to the price to account for shipping – I love the colour and I don’t think it’s too much blue; sometimes when I see the jeans or pencil skirts in cobalt I think it edges towards looking tacky. I found the £20 jumper on DP and for the price it looks amazing – I’m totally gonna go into the shop tomorrow and check it out. I’m also really into these little pinky rings at the moment and slightly edgy necklaces.

I was going to pair the jumper with a Celia Birtwell x Uniqlo shirt but by the time I went to the site they had sold out! No rest for the (print) wicked eh!

Party

Dress // French Connection
Clutch // Coast
Shoes // New Look

This one I decided to keep simple. As the items themselves are quite colourful and busy, I decided against jewellery – nude make up would also be a must, perhaps with a fuchsia lippy! There’s nothing like a really nicely made, well cut French Connection dress, and I’m loving the slightly unique take on monochrome. I decided to do 2 trends in one and found this cute floral clutch at Coast. It’s quite loud but I decided to have a go at print clashing – what do you think? I don’t go to that many posh parties, so I don’t have much necessity for bags like this as I tend to take the kitchen sink with me wherever I go, but this bright and colourful handheld would definitely be top of my wish-list. I also like how it pulls out the jewel-fuschia tones of the New Look shoes. New Look still never disappoint when looking for cheap mega-heels!

Holiday

Bandeau Bikini // Urban Outfitters
Maxi Skirt // New Look
Sheer Black T-shirt // Mango
Statement Necklace // Accessorize
Sunglasses // M&S
Sandals // Steve Madden
Nail Varnish // Essie

This is a take on the aztec & khaki trends which still seem to be floating about. It’s all fairly straight forward – I’m still loving the retro high-waisted bikinis and these sunglasses from M&S look almost identical to my trustworthy pair of torty Raybans. These type of sandal I am seeing everywhere, but I particularly like the little bit of molten metallic strap work which makes them a little more interesting.

I also saw this great bandeau swimsuit on Pinterest several times over the last month, but could I find it today when I wanted it? No way.

So what do you think? Any bits you particularly like or hate?

For more information on the competition you can see here