OOTD | TOPSHOP CROP TOP & RIVER ISLAND SUNGLASSES

top:Topshop, jeans: Next, sunglasses: River Island, trainers: Dunlop

I now realise the struggle of taking outfit photos outdoors.  I thought that our day off would be the perfect time to go out in the neighbourhood and get the boyfriend to take a few photos for me: while everyone was at work so I didn't need to worry about people wondering what on earth I was doing.  But no.  Apparently everyone in the village decided to have a day off today, and they all decided to come out into the street and generally be everywhere that I wanted to be!  So after a bit of huffing and wandering around trying to look casual but probably looking pretty suspicious, we finally got a couple of photos that are hopefully just about blog worthy.  I've no idea how fashion bloggers do the whole photos in the street thing, I found it far more stressful than I should have done! 

Anyway, the outfit is one of my new favourites, I especially love the Topshop crop top, which has a higher neck and some classic stripes.  Paired with some jeans from Next, which I love because their petite range is the best fit that I have found, if you're vertically challenged like I am then definitely check them out.  My new sunglasses from River Island are my new favourite thing ever,  they were only £10 and in my opinion look a lot more expensive that they were.  I love the cat eye shape and the gold detailing on the corners, and they're perfect with red lips.  The trainers are just some bargain Dunlops I picked up for £12 online, they are super comfy and the bright turquoise colour is summery and goes with all kinds of outfits.

What have you been wearing lately?  Have you found any bargains? xx

OOTD | PRIMARK DENIM SHIRT & DKNY CHAIN BAG

Top: Primark, Shirt: Primark, Jeggings: H&M (old), Trainers: Carvela, Bag: DKNY @ VeryExclusive

I hardly ever post OOTDs, since this isn't a fashion blog and I definitely don't consider myself to be a leader in any kind of cash pack haha!  But now and again I get some extra free time and my boyfriend gets dragged from whatever he was doing to take some outfit photos for me, and here are the results.  

Clearly I haven't mastered the whole blogger pose thing yet, I'm too scared to have my photos taken outside and thus you get me looking like a badly chosen catalogue model instead.  Maybe one day I will venture out..who knows! 

This outfit is mostly showcasing my new spring/summer bits, the top and shirt were good old Primark bargains, the trainers got a post dedicated to them yesterday, and the leggings are my oldest and comfiest!  The bag was a naughty present to myself (like everything else I've bought this month, but whatevs!), from veryexclusive.co.uk - the new sister site of Very which sells some lovely designer bits and pieces.  

The outfit is also pretty blue, which was an accident but I have noticed that blue is everywhere this year; I love the colour though and think it looks fresh and a nice change from the really bright colours that were in the shops last year.  

What do you think of this outfit?  Have you picked up any new clothes lately for summer? xx

OOTD | THE TOPSHOP SKIRT

top:Topshop, cardigan:H&M, skirt: Topshop, boots:Dorothy Perkins

An outdoor outfit post?  Whatever next on this blog?!  I decided to make use of my boyfriend being around today, so I gave him a quick lesson with my DSLR and here are the results.  A little grainy unfortunately but I'm still grateful that he was there and I didn't have to rely on my tripod for once!  

I've bought a few new bits and pieces lately, and grey seems to be a recurring theme.  The long cardigan was an H&M bargain, £7.99 I think, and it will be good to chuck on over pretty much anything - especially in this freezing cold weather.  

I'm in love with this Topshop skirt too, I'm really loving skirts and dresses more lately and this one caught my eye because of the tapestry style texture and the grey paisley pattern.  It's different to any that I've seen before and is best worn high waisted with a tee tucked into it. 

Also, I can't forget my new boots!  These ankle boots were from Dorothy Perkins, in their sale at £20 so I snapped them straight up.  I love black and gold together, and the buckle details on these are really smart and dress up an outfit that little bit more.  

What have you been buying lately?  What do you think of this outfit? xx

OOTD | THE TARTAN TROUSERS

Top: River Island, Trousers: New Look

A single photo in an OOTD post?  There's only one explanation -  the other photos were shockingly bad and made me look like Simon Cowell.  

Embarrassing photo bloopers aside, these are my new favourite trousers - they're straight leg style purple tartan and they were £19.99 from New Look ,which is fast becoming my favourite high street store lately!  I love the fit of these, being so short it can be hard to find good fitting trousers but these are just the right length and the straight leg style lengthens my legs and look good with tops tucked into them.  I think the purple tartan pattern is really wearable could work well dressed up or down.  I love wearing them with my black crop top, although I'm holding off that particular outfit for a while until it gets a tad warmer!  

What do you think of this outfit?  What clothes have you been loving lately? xx

OOTD | THE TOPSHOP SHIFT DRESS

Aaaand here I am again wearing the same style dress that I always gravitate towards to - the shift.  I picked up this paisley print one from the Topshop sale, £29 down from £60 I think?  I don't own anything else in this print at the moment, I really like it and have been wearing it during the day with this simple black tights and high neck top combo.  The decorative pocket details are a bit annoying as close up they don't really fit in with the rest of the dress, but from a distance they don't seem to look so bad.. if that makes any sense?! 

This has been one of the only sale purchases I've made this January, I'm making more of an effort to only buy a few key pieces this year that can be mixed and matched to create a good staple wardrobe.  It's going to take a while; after looking in my wardrobe I realised that I have quite a mixture of different styles and outfits - what that says about my style/me in general I dread to think!

Have you made any good sales purchases lately? xx

OOTD | THE CASUAL DRESS & TARTAN SCARF COMBO.

dress: New Look, Scarf: New Look, Jacket: River Island

It has been a while since I wore a dress, especially during autumn and winter, but this one caught my eye as soon as I walked into New Look a couple of weeks ago.  It is the most simple grey design with black faux leather around the collar and sleeves which I think really completes it nicely.  I was a bit worried about it being a bit short for casual day wear, but I think when worn with black tights it works pretty well.  I saw this when I went looking through the January sales - except this was new season and not in the sale, oops!  

I also treated myself to this tartan scarf when in there too, I never thought that this would be a print that I could love but this has definitely won me over.  It is such a bright, bold red that it is probably best worn with simple colours such as black and grey, so there is no awful clashing!  

I've paired them both with my River Island jacket, which I bought back in the summer because I loved the panels and flattering shape.  

I have to say that New Look is not one of my usual favourite high street shops, but they have got some really lovely pieces in there at the moment, and as soon as pay day comes back around I will be heading back to see what else I can pick up!  

Have you bought anything from New Look lately that you love?  What do you think of these bits? xx

OOTD | LEOPARD PRINT & TOPSHOP PARKA

jumper: H&M, jeans: Primark, coat: Topshop (last year)

I thought today I would share an OOTD of another of my favourite coats, this huge one from Topshop which I bought this time last year.  At the time, I bought it when it wasn't actually cold enough to wear it very much so I've been getting much more wear out of it this year instead.  

The jumper is a recent buy from H&M and it has reignited my love for leopard print.  I'm not sure what happened, but I seemed to forget about my favourite print for quite a while; however, I now feel whole again and have made a mental note not to forget about my signature print again.  

Sadly this will probably be one of the last outfits I wear this year that's not my work clothes or pyjamas, as my next day off is Christmas day - sob!  It seems to have come around so quickly this year, so I made the most of my last day off by playing the Sims 4 (which is good but I'm forever loyal to Sims 2).  That's how every 25 year old spends their spare time right?!  xx

OOTD | PATTERNS, QUILTS & GREY

jacket:River Island, Jumper: Primark, Leggings: Topshop

I can't be the only person loving grey lately can I?  I never really took much notice of grey clothes in the shops before this autumn for some reason, but I cannot get enough of it lately - it just goes with anything and everything!  My pride and joy this season is my grey River Island jacket, it fits me really well and has a lovely fitted shape; something that I have trouble finding a lot of the time because of my height.  It has a belt too, which accentuates my waist and is fine as long as I don't plan on taking it off for quite a while - then it can be a bit of a pain to undo.  

The jumper was a random find in Primark, and I was really pleased with myself for discovering it as I thought it looked much more like a Topshop piece!  The sleeves are a tad short on me but that's ok.  The leggings are rather loud but I think that I can just about get away with them as long as I keep my top half pretty basic and simple!  

I'm off shopping (what's new) today, and plan on fully taking advantage of my last Saturday off of the year!  

Link me to any outfit posts you have done recently!  What clothes are you loving lately? xx

OOTD | THE TOPSHOP TEDDY COAT

It's been a while since I posted an OOTD on here, so I thought what better outfit to share than my new Topshop Teddy Fur coat?!  I have owned it for around a month now and have been looking forward to the colder days when it's actually more acceptable to put it on!  I fell in love with it at Topshop, where I snapped it up for £55 - £30 less than it's original price.  Obviously I took this hugely discounted price as a sign that it was meant to be, and I have been lovingly keeping it ready in my wardrobe for colder times.  

It is the most snug, warm coat I have ever owned!  The short, tufty fur (hence the name Teddy coat) is soft and slightly more wearable than your standard full on faux fur - nothing stops me from wearing my faux fur coats anyway, but this one is ideal for day wear and looks beautiful when dressed up over evening wear too.  I generally wear it over the top of a basic, dark outfit like I am in the photos, as this compliments the coat and allows it to stand out.  The high neck top and mini skirt are both from River Island within the last month.  

I cannot wait to wear this coat throughout winter!  Do you like it?  Have you found your perfect winter coat yet? xx

OOTD | STATEMENT NECKLACE & DAMASK PRINT

Top: M&Co, Necklace: Topshop (sale), Jeggings: H&M

Don't judge me for shopping in M&Co!  This top was in the shop window which is across the road from my work and I had to go in and buy it, I love this kind of damask print!  I wouldn't bother with their website too much, I had a look on there to try and find this again but it doesn't do the shop justice.  The clothing in there is obviously aimed at a slightly more mature customer, but this top stood out and it is amazingly soft and good quality.  The jeggings were bought early this year and an every day staple of mine; they are super comfy and go with just about anything for day to day wear.  The necklace is a clear statement piece!  I love it and snapped it up in a Topshop sale recently, the style is opulent Tudor monarch-meets-egyptian-pharoh which is fine by me!  

I thought I would throw in an outfit post today as my blog is predominantly beauty these days, which is how I like it but I do still pick up a heck of a lot of clothes, so I must remember to share them now and again!  

OOTD | POLKA DOT PLAYSUIT

Can you believe it's July already?!  I feel like I'm saying this at the start of every month, but this year is absolutely flying by - scary!  Happy 4th July to any of you who celebrate it!  Today's outfit post is almost a bit pointless because my playsuit is a year old now and I can't remember the name of the shop where I got it from.  It was a small boutique type shop that I came across when on holiday last year, and I loved the colour and 50s style polka dots straight away.  Obviously the one set back of wearing a nice playsuit is that going to the toilet because one hell of a mission!  Other than that I love the bright pattern and it looks great when worn with some colourful accessories, which leads me nicely on to the necklace I'm wearing.  I got it from Ebay for £1.99!  The seller had a whole bunch of beautiful designs, I chose this one because of the variety of colours and I thought that it would go well when worn underneath a collar etc.  If you search statement necklace on Ebay, a whole load of bargains like this one come up, you are literally spoilt for choice - it makes so much more sense than paying £20 + for something similar on the high street, and the quality is fine too.  I had had this necklace around three months already and have worn it a LOT, and it's still good as new; not bad for £1.99! 

Have you found any Ebay bargains lately?  What do you think of playsuits - pretty or just pretty hard to get out of?! xx

p.s Don't forget to check out my blog sale!  It can be found here and features Benefit, NARS, St Tropez & lots more! 

OOTD | BARGAIN PRIMARK SUMMER DRESS

Dress:Primark

Lips:MAC Impassioned

It feels quite strange doing outfit posts again all of a sudden, after not doing any in what feels like a veeeery long time.  I'm always really self conscious when posing in front of my camera, which explains my deadpan/bitchface expression in nearly all my photos.  I promise I smile more in real life!  I just had to share this outfit, as I love it so so much.  I came across this dress about two months ago now in Primark (I would think that it's still in stock - Primark in my experience isn't the quickest at updating it's range), and I immediately added it too my basket with no hesitation.  At only £13 as well, it really was a no brainer for me.  I think it's probably the kind of dress that would divide people and you'll either love it or hate it because of the bold print and explosion of bright colours.  Obviously I loved it, and bought it without even stopping to consider when or where I will actually wear it.  I just think it is a beautiful dress; the shape is shift style, but because Im so short it kind of swamps me and is a little long, so I had to pull it in a bit with a belt.  I plan to wear it on my holiday in August, although as I love it so much I'm sure it will have many outings before then!  

What do you think of this dress?  Is it something you would wear or do you prefer more muted colours? xx

OOTD | DAISY PRINT SUMMER SHIFT DRESS

Hey!  I am away this week in Edinburgh (assuming I boarded the dreaded plane - I hope so), so I planned a few posts in advance including a couple of outfit ones of summer dresses that I have been loving recently.  This Daisy print one was an Ebay find, bought for £14.99 and originally from Topshop according to the description.  I really love it, the material is very light so ideal for warmer days and the print is bold and cute.  When it arrived it was a little long on me so I had to adjust it and take the hem up, on a tall person it would come just above the knee, but being so short longer styles don't suit me at all so I had to sort it out quick!  I have always loved shift style dresses, there is just something very feminine and timeless about them and they are perfect for both dressing up at night and wearing during the day with some sandals.  I wore my new favourite Lord & Berry lipstick with this, it is dark enough to match the dress yet the pink/purple shade keeps it summery.  

What do you think of this dress?  Have you found any Ebay gems lately? xx

OOTD | topshop parka & stripes

coat:Topshop, top:H&M, jeggings:H&M

Hello!  It feels like I haven’t posted an OOTD for a very long time, I guess I have been focusing a little more on make up lately (read: spending more money on).  This is just a simple thrown together outfit that I wore today when my boyfriend and I took the dog for a walk.  The weather was actually really lovely and warm so we made the most of it and strolled through the woods and countryside near where we live, we both finished work early today and long walks are one of the best ways to forget about the stress of the day.  And oh boy was it a stressful day!  I’m a pretty quiet person so if there is any drama going on at work, (most days there is something, and being in HR you literally can’t get away from it) I try to let it go over my head and stay out of it, but it still gets you down.  Walking is perfect for winding down again, and things such as chasing my dog away from rolling in a big pile of horse poo really puts things in perspective..!

Anyway, the coat is really old but I love a good parka and I’ve never found a nicer one, so I will be wearing it for a while yet.  The jeggings from H&M are THE comfiest trousers ever, the are really really soft and apart from the fact they have no zips, you cannot tell that they aren’t denim skinny jeans.  They cost £14.99 which is a bargain, so I’ve since gone back and bought a black pair too.  I would recommend sizing up though, I tried on my usual size 10 and they wouldn’t go over my bum, so after little meltdown, much swearing and a vow to never go near Dominoes Pizza again (as if), I reluctantly sized up and they fit perfectly.  I have found that H&M sizes do come up smaller than most other shops, but then again I may be kidding myself here.. who knows!

That was almost a lifestyle kind of post – posting about my day and then my work?!  I never thought I could write anything even remotely personal on here but there we go! xx

 

OOTD | Statement Cross Necklace & Mustard Topshop Jumper

 jumper:Topshop, trousers:George@Asda, Necklace:Topshop sale, lips: Revlon Lip Butter ‘Tutti Frutti’

Hey!  So this is my new favourite jumper.  Is it mustard colour?  I reckon it’s probably not to everyone else but to me that is what I keep thinking of when I look at it!  I feel that we were meant to be together, since I only came to own it as I had to return some trousers that didn’t fit (Topshop sizing clearly doesn’t account for the fact that I eat more and more as the Christmas season approaches).  I was ready to get a simple refund but then this beaut caught my eye and the rest is history.  It is actually a tad greener than the photo shows, but in general it looks pretty much as bright and loud as you can see there!  There are only certain bright colours I like, and I can’t say that they are always a certain type because sometimes I will see something different and I just have to have it.  A bright jumper like this is ideal to put on to add (a lot of) colour to a black, wintery outfit.  Along with the jumper just had to come this statement necklace, which was a bargain at £5 in the jewellery sale.  I really love big necklaces, and I think that the red on the crosses on this one clash perfectly with the jumper and overall it completes the look nicely.  The trousers are my trusty patterned ones that I found online at George@Asda of all places, I love them and still look at them thinking that they could easily have come from River Island or somewhere. 

I really really hate how my hair looks here, the frizz is unreal considering my hair isn’t even curly or anything.  Hopefully though I am on the way to sorting it out and leading it down the path to smoothness, starting with the addition of a paddle brush.  I had heard a lot of bloggers raving recently about the Michael Mercier brush, which is a rounded paddle kind, but at £12.99 I just thought of 7348932091432 other things that I would rather spend that amount of money on, so I opted for a similar kind from Tres Semme for £6.99.  I have to say that it is hands down the best thing that has happened to my hair since..ever!  I cannot believe the difference that one different kind of brush has immediately made to my hair, especially after spending far too much money lately on various ‘anti-frizz’  products that just don’t live up to their claims.  But anyway, I think that’s a post for another day..!

What do you think of my loud jumper?! Have you made any winter purchases recently? xx

OOTD | H&M Coat & Disco Pants

Coat: H&M

Top: Primark

Disco Pants: American Apparel

Hey!  I’m back after another break..!  Not really a deliberate blogging break as such, but life keeps getting in the way of my posting in both good ways and bad!  I’m back now though and one good thing about not posting for a while is that I come back with some fresh ideas that I can’t wait to blog about. 

This is one of my two new coats, the other being from Primark.  I really love this one as it is pretty smart with clean lines and a simple shape.  The leather-look collar bits are what made me give in and buy this, I just think that they break up the design and make the coat look extra nice, if it was one material all over then it most likely would have something that I would take no notice of.  It dresses up the most boring of outfits, and is a bit of a change for me because my general rule is if a coat has no fur then it isn’t worth a second glance!  I have a backup fur jacket anyway, so it’s good to have something completely different for me.  The top is from Primark, and is one of many of things in there right now that looks far more expensive than it actually was.  If I saw this top on someone else, I would guess that it was from Topshop or even Zara, so I’m really happy to have found it for only £10.  The collar is leather-look, as are the sleeves and the main part is a really sheer, feminine style that again makes an outfit look that bit smarter.  I’m also wearing my beloved disco pants, I really have got my money’s worth out of these babes I really couldn’t love them any more; and the fact that they slim my thighs down is fine by me too! 

The only thing getting my majorly down right now is my hair…it’s is so frizzy and nothing I use on it works for more than half a day!  It’s frustrating because I don’t even have naturally curly/wavy hair which naturally has a bit more frizz, so any help or tips would be really really appreciated! xx

OOTD | Primark Fur Trimmed Jacket with Pleather Sleeves

 Coat: Primark

Jeans: Topshop

Soooo, meet one of my two new coats.  I went into Primark about a week ago and I couldn’t believe the amount of great autumn/winter clothes they had, usually my local (ish) one is a little late when it comes to refreshing its rails… Oxford Street it isn’t!  But I saw loads of lovely things in there this time, and this coat was the first to catch my eye.  At £27 it was a fraction of the price of its other high street counterparts, and I just think that it looks like it is worth a lot more than that!  The fur collar is detachable (as if I would ever remove fur from an outfit), and the pleather sleeves make it stand out more than if it was all over khaki, parka style.  I have been wearing it every day since I got it, even on the days when it wasn’t even cold enough for a coat!  I definitely think that this is a keeper which I’ll be wearing for a good couple of years. 

In other news, my week has taken a rather embarrassing turn in the form of having to call out a personal dog trainer.  Yep.  My small dog that looks like a cute and innocent little teddy bear LUNGED at a man a few days ago.  I would love to say that it was a one off incident, but the naughty little git is a bit of a neighbourhood menace!  He has been lucky in the way that people tend to chuckle fondly at his barking/growling because he looks so cute, but it’s actually not ok so the time has come for a professional to step in! 

What have you been buying lately?  Have you got a problem pet?! xx

OOTD | Leather Look Tee & Topshop Trousers

    

Top: Ebay

Leggings: Topshop

Hey :)  I thought that I would do an outfit post today to show you my new favourite thing – this leather look top that I bought from Ebay for a bargain £5.49.  I have seen some similar tops doing the rounds in most high street shops lately, and even though I really wanted one, I didn’t quite see the point in paying much money for something that isn’t even real leather..!  I came across this one and it is perfect, I love the slightly baggy fit (I went up one size) and the fact that it looks more expensive than it was.  I think it will be very versatile, when I bought it I imagined wearing it with these leggings (which were bought earlier this year) and I’m so pleased with how they look together!  I have hardly worn these leggings, I feel pretty limited in what I can wear them with but I really like them, so I’m glad that this top goes with them nicely.  The black and white outfit was completed with some lipstick, specifically Topshop’s Rio Rio.  I generally stick to natural lip colours for daytime so it was nice to wear this lovely bright orange/red shade again! 

Just a quick post today, I am really bad at managing my time lately – working more hours has really thrown me off course!  I love blogging, but I’ve lately been coming home and just reading other blogs rather than working on my own!  xx

OOTD | Primark damask top + Topshop fur gilet

hey :)  First things first, I feel like I must defend my hair, as I have just noticed that it looks mighty uneven in this photo!  I can confirm that I have just double checked it in the mirror and that it is in fact all one length, rather than the wonky mess it looks here.  I can only think that it was the clip in my hair that caused one side to look shorter than the other.  You may not of even noticed, but now me mentioning it has drawn attention to it so I’m stuffed either way now.  Ho hum. 

I haven’t done an outfit post in a long time now, so I thought I would mark the occasion by showcasing my first outfit of autumn.  I love the summer months and the warmer weather (when we get it) but I just love dressing in the autumn, from the darker clothes to the warm layers!  This top is probably one of my best bargains ever, it was £4 from Primark and I love love love the damask pattern on it, I think it looks a lot more expensive than it actually was!  The fur gilet was a Topshop sale find, I pretty much live in this when the weather is cold.  The trousers were another bargain from George at Asda, but again I don’t think that you can tell and that they could pass for something like Topshop or even Zara.. at a push ;).  I’m definitely all for finding a bargain, and even more so when it is pieces like these that look a lot more expensive than they actually are!

What have you been wearing this week?  Have you found any bargains? xx

OOTD | I Just Wanna Live While I’m Alive

Hey :)  Being really good at timing my blog photos etc., I happened to take these pictures during one of the recent storms, when the sky was a funny colour and it was dull and wet.  You would think that being a qualified photographer I should know all about ideal lighting, but sadly my schedule dictates most of the time and this is another unfortunate example of me having to make the best of a bad situation!  My face is pretty much in shadow, but that’s no bad thing really because all the focus is on my favourite dress.  I bought this from a now non-existent shop where I live that used to sell one off pieces that I would expect to find at Camden Market.  I have had this dress for a few years now, and luckily I can still just about get into it.  I’m not mad on floral patterns as a rule but I have always loved this dress, from the shape to the bright colours and general girly feel it has.    I’m really enjoying dressing more femininely this summer, usually I put less effort into my outfits in the summer because I love winter clothes so much but I realised that this is silly and I must have been looking a bit of a state!  I do however stand by what I said a while ago, which was that I have been pretty unimpressed with this year’s spring/summer offerings! 

I have actually become pretty obsessed with my nails lately, and have been buying more polish than usual in all shades.  In these photos I am wearing one of my trusty Barry M Gelly polishes in Grapefruit I think. It is almost a neon pink and goes nicely with my fake tan!  On my lips I am wearing a Revlon Lip Butter, something else that has easily made its way into my everyday make up bag.

What’s your favourite outfit for the summer?  Are there any trends you’ve loved or hated this season? xx