Work OOTD

Hi guys, just a quickie office OOTD from this week. The dress code at work is supposed to be smart but not suited and booted smart, think more advertising office smart, so at least we stamp our personality and individuality into our look. I have to be honest the following look doesn't really showcase this though - oops!



Apologies for the grainy iphone pics

Top - Miss Selfridge

Jacket - Warehouse

Trousers - Miss Selfridge

Shoes - River Island

This outfit does feature two of my wardrobe hero pieces. The first is the jacket, which i got in the sale recently and is perfect for slipping on over little camis and summer tops for the office and instantly smartens up your look and equally works well with jeans for day and night. The perfect cover-up for all seasons. The second hero piece are the trousers, it's not really these in particular trousers but the style, i am loving cropped, peg-leg and harem trousers. In summer i can't live without my skinnies and these are the work/office equivalent. They're great with flats and heels, for work or play, not to mention leg-lengthening effects!

The look was completed with my new statement ring from Dorothy Perkins which i mentioned previously but didn't have a photo ready so here it is:

I was playing around with my fringe that day and managed to find a good look - not managed to recreate it again though damn!

I must sort out my foundation! Face and chest two totally different colour MAC here i come...

I'm torn between growing out the blunt fringe or keeping it, so at the moment it looks a mess but nothing a bit of hairspray and kirby grips can't sort out.

And as promised yesterday's NOTD featuring Nail's Inc/ Diet Coke's Denim.

This colour looks better in the bottle than on and i was a bit disappointed as it doesn't seem as bright. You can get full cover with just one coat so plus points for that, but i can't really comment on durability as i accidentally painted basecoat instead of topcoat on one hand so had to take it off after one day! Matte one hand and gloss on other hand is not a good look. 

Anyway over at Saskia the Style Fairy you can find a great leopard print NOTD using Caramel and Heather Grey from the Diet Coke collection, as i already have the Caramel i going to try my hand and get a bit creative - fingers crossed!

Check out the link to Saskia's blog: http://saskiathesalsafairy.blogspot.com/2011/01/nails-incdiet-coke-leopard-notd.html

Have a great weekend!!

Baby it's cold outside....

Well I thought the cold weather might have subsided by now but the frost is back and so is the morning duty of de-icing my car - brrrrrr!

Dressing for the cold weather is a dilemma as it doesn't really matter what you wear underneath, it's really all about the coat or jacket and accessorising with winter warmers - mine include novelty Christmas slipper socks, perfect for keeping the tootsies warm indoors and out.

Dress: Topshop

Jacket: Topshop

Leggings: Primark

Boots: Aldo

Bag: Warehouse

Snood: Warehouse

As a new addition to the blog for 2011 I thought I'd give you a weekly update on what I'm obsessing about, who I'm listening to, what I'm reading and of course most importantly current nail polish I'm sporting. So enjoy!

Obsession: Kit Kat's - orange and mint are my fav's but as I'm economising I'm making do with Morrison's own, not quite as crispy but they curb my chocolate cravings.

Listening to: Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy - Best workout track is Miami 2 Ibiza

Reading: Just finished Jill Mansel's Making Your Mind Up which is great chick-lit. Started Dorothy Koomsom's Marsmallows For Breakfast.

Nail Polish: Nail's Inc Caramel

Enjoy your weekend!! xxx

If Carlsberg did clothes....

Regular readers will already know about my love for the great high-street store Warehouse. If Carlsberg did clothes made especially for me.....then it would be Warehouse.  I just want to point out that I am no way affiliated with the brand and this is just me gushing uncontrollably about their brilliance in creating perfect clothes (and accessories) i L-O-V-E!! Too much?

Unfortunately for me but great news for my bank account, I can't seem to access their website from home - damn you Three mobile broadband!!! So I've been missing out on all the great sale bargains they have to offer and I know they're loads thanks to their iphone app. At least I have avoided seeing my full-priced purchased items reduced - that's enough to make a grown woman reduced to tears. FYI: I know my purple floaty sheer top with built in vest is on there - arrrgh!

Anyway a trip to the city at the weekend is never complete without a peek inside Warehouse. Luckily I was only sporting one item purchased from Warehouse so I didn't look too much like a SA. Don't you hate going into a shop when you're wearing their clothes or is that just me? Once i went to Topshop wearing their pleather shorts with the price tag still on, didn't even realise until I went to changing rooms in another shop. So there's me trying on jackets mid-store lucking like I had just robbed a pair of shorts. Good job a security guard or SA didn't question me otherwise I would've got into an argument about checking CCTV and store card statements! Lesson learnt: always remove price tags before leaving the house.

Back to Warehouse, they still had loads of stuff in the sale including some great dresses originally priced at £50 down to £10. The SA said they were shipped over from Germany, she thinks they were closing the stores. So Germany's loss is my gain - yay!

I picked up two of the Ruffle Sleeved dresses - one did have the fastening button loop broken but nothing a quick stitch couldn't rectify. I did think about asking for a discount because of this but thought it was a little cheeky as they were only £10.

The dress on the left is actually a lilac colour, think parma violets but looks quite blue here. The peachy/nude dress I tried on in the summer and looked great worn casually with jeggings. I bought the exact same dress in black in June for £50 - check out the profile pic! My mum also picked up the same dress in teal.

Cheaper than Primark!

My mum and I both had a wardrobe malfunction with the doily (as i call them) dresses (sorry can't find image), could get them on easy enough but getting off should have been an Olympic sport. We were both determined not to have to ask for help so instead broke into a sweat and eventually we were free - without having to ruin or breaking the zip i hasten to add. Once in M&S trying on their all-in-one control slip things I got that stuck over my head - imagine me in my knickers, boobs out, sweating, trying to remove an item that is designed to suck you in and stick like glue. Never had I been so close to asking for a SA's help but I would never have lived the shame down. Have M&S never heard of zips or hook and eye?


Other weekend purchases included a faux fur scarf from H+M. I fell in love with it after seeing this pic from Phoebe Does.

http://phoebedoes.blogspot.com/2010/10/fake.html

She's got a great sense of style and takes editorial style photos so check her blog out.

I wanted the scarf to update my Topshop Aviator Jacket.

Before....

 After...


H+M Faux Fur scarf £9.99

Hopefully it'll mean I'll get more wear out of the jacket and it won't just become a one season wonder.

Finally check out my great shoes I got in Next's Boxing Day Sale:

Yes they are on the windowsill, please ignore the framed photo it's my mum's - not my taste promise!

I admired these gladiator heels when they were full price but £45 was a bit much for Next so when I found them at £15 in the sale I was a little shocked they hadn't been snapped up by some other fashionista, especially as I went about 3pm and the sale opened at 6am. I can't wait to wear them in the summer.

And as promised a close-up shot of the Mango skirt from Sunday's post.

Do you like?

What are your great sale buys from January so far?

P.S. I'm after this Warehouse Leopard Print Shift dress that Alexandra Burke is wearing.

So if anyone can help me out it would be much appreciated. It's a/w10 stock and I'd need a size 10 or 12. I'm off to scour eBay for now though...

...Or maybe I could tweet Alexandra and see if she wants to sell - I reckon we could be similar size?

Nails Inc and Diet Coke

Nails Inc have introduced a few Limited Edition polishes my highlights are Foubert's Place and Porchester Square. Very on-trend for spring/summer.

Porchester Square

Porchester Square is a muted mushroom described as an "ultra delicate putty shade".

Foubert's Place

Foubert's Place is described as a cook khaki influenced by the collections from John Galliano and Yves Saint Laurent.

Now these are priced at £11 as usual.

Just to mention Diet Coke and Nails Inc have teamed up again. Boots have brought back the "Buy 2 bottles of Diet Coke and receive a free Nails Inc polish" offer back - hurrah!! Diet Coke is also on offer in Boots - buy 2 bottles for about £1.80 so for less than a fiver you can get two full sized Nails Inc polishes worth £11 each - bargain.

Now last time i left it late and the decent colours had all gone. But a trip to Boots in Leicester's Highcross revealed the choice of four colours were still available.
Tip: More polishes are at the till!

I picked up Denim (denim blue funny enough!) and Caramel (soft beige/nude).

I was keen to do a NOTD with Caramel as it's a perfect office-appropriate colour. Can't really comment on wear/chipping yet but you know i'm a huge fan of Nails Inc anyway. It's very similar in tone to my skin colour so it may wash me out a little but do i care? Hell no! I'll be awaiting some admiring glances from work!!!

Keep an eye out for a Denim NOTD but for now here's some images of the Catwalk Collection  taken from I heart Cosmetics.

You'll notice the Caramel would compliment Foubert's Place and Porchester Square perfectly and if you're buying all three you've got a great muted/nude collection.



I need to freeze my bank cards!!!

Everyone knows we're all skint come January so why do retailers insist on slashing prices, teasing me with there so cheap it's almost free bargains??

Aarghhh!!

I've been needing to go back to John Lewis to take links out of my new Michael Kors watch - i know, i know but i couldn't resist and purple is my favourite colour.

Just look how pretty it is?

I'm planning on making this my day wear watch and keeping the gold MK for nights out etc. Plus the gold MK was seriously weighing me down!!

Also picked a gorgeous Mango skirt in the sale, not usually my shop of choice and i think this is my first ever purchase but pattern is so beautiful.

Ahh - i see it's hard to tell here but it has a slight leopard print with grey and purple tones. I'll have to do a close-up another day but as you can see i was taking advantage of the changing rooms and full length mirror. Luckily my Faith shoes complemented the skirt perfectly.

The jumper was what i was already wearing and is from Next's Signature range £20 reduced from £40 in the sale, they didn't have my size left so i got a size 12 hence why i am holding it tight at the back! I wouldn't really wear the skirt and jumper together but was doing a improv OOTD. If anyone watches Live from Studio Five, you might have seen Jenny Frost last week wearing the jumper as well!

This was my actual OOTD from Saturday's shopping trip.

Jumper - Next
Jeggings - Dorothy Perkins
Scarf - H&M (it's actually a sarong but who cares - reminds me of Louis Vuitton's)
Shoes - Faith

Make-wise i all over lipstick at the moment especially red's as they're so long-lasting and believe it or not, not too high-maintenance. Recently I've been wearing my hair up as I'm trying to grow out the blunt fringe hence the quiff. I'm wanting long bangs that i can flick out a bit like Charlie's Angels Farrah Fawcett.

This is what I'm aiming for:

I have serious girl-envy - Emanuela de Paula manages to pull of being seductive, mysterious, sexy so easily Her hair always looks A-MAZ-ING!!!

I'm also coveting Cheryl Cole's effortless waves here as well:

Oh-la-la bit of a cheeky pic here!






OOTD

Hi guys,

Just a quick OOTD's from the weekend, again apologies for the quality until i invest in a new camera, the photos are going to look a bit shabby. But i hear Topshop have the best lighting in their changing rooms so that is an option for the future.

• Jacket - Topshop £58
• Cable knit jumper - Warehouse £30 (reduced)
• Trousers - Dorothy Perkins £25approx
• Shoes - Grey suede(ette) Primark £5 (sale)
• Bag - Warehouse (old)
• Belt - Accessorize £3 (sale - old)

I also nipped into Dotty P's to look at their sale jewellery, they've got a great selection of vintage looking rings at the moment which I'm loving. I bought 2 but only got a photo of one to show you.

It's hard to see here but the stone is a deep purple colour, looks similar to those mood rings we had years ago! I was torn between the purple and the blue stone but purple is my fav colour but kinda wish i went with the blue as it shines perfectly in the light - oh well I'll just have to get it as well. Price £4 reduced from £10.

I'm quite picky when it comes to costume jewellery, a lot of stuff looks cheap and tacky but you can find a few hidden gems if you stay away from the silver plated and go for gold ornate looking jewellery. It's got to look like it's a family heirloom or something you picked up from a thrift fair!


The second OOTD features my new fur gilet - a perfect winter warmer!

This faux fur gilet is also from Dorothy Perkins £35. It's a short style gilet so wasn't too sure at first if it would go with jeans, but teamed with high waisted trousers or this maxi dress looks ok. It doesn't have a fastening detail but it keeps you sooooo warm i love it!

• Gilet - Dorothy Perkins £35
• Knitted Maxi Dress - Warehouse £50
• Belt - Dorothy Perkins £5
• Bag - As before (Warehouse)
• Boots - (just seen) New Look £24.99 (i think)

You'll notice i was struggling to find the right footwear to go with this dress before but my New Look shearling hiking boots seem to work nicely. There's not much give in this dress so walking takes me twice as long as usual - must remember small steps, small steps!

I've bought quite a few items recently that i can't wait to share with you, including my second Michael Kors watch - couldn't resist!!

No 1. OOTD of 2011

Hello 2011!!!

I want to try and do some more fashion posts and OOTD's and now i have an iphone hopefully this will be easier to try and keep up with - fingers crossed. I just want to say first I'm not a photographer by any means and my camera is a 6 year old crappy Olympus or the iphone so don't expect the best quality but I'll do my best for you guys!

Top - Next £12 (sale) - recent sale purchase
Trousers - Miss Selfridge
Shoes - Primark only £4 in the sale!
Watch - Michael Kors

This is one of my favourite office outfits at the moment thanks to the leopard print sheer top which i got from the Next sale at the weekend. It would look great for a night out with just a black bra underneath but i reckon that would be frown upon for work so a cami underneath makes it office appropriate. I'm also in love with peg-leg, harem and cigarette pants - basically anything that's cropped at the ankle and is not a boot-cut.

I've also been experimenting more with my hair now I've finally grown out that Pob from about 3 years ago and I'm liking the hair swooped to one side look. Hard to nail without looking a little chavvy or worse Cher Lloyd!

Hard to see in these photos the side sweep, but this is how i did it: curled hair all over, pinned to one side (left) with a large hair grip/bobby pin and then took a curled section from the left side and pinned across to the right to secure the curls. As i've got a blunt fringe it was looking a bit greasy so pinned it back into a quiff and voila!

Make-up wise i wanted to keep it simple and let the leopard print stand out, so black eyeliner, mascara, blush and No 7.'s Plum Rebellion - a rich dark raspberry. It's all about the lipstick for me at the moment - statement lips is my make-up staple.