Oh yes wait a minute Mr Postman!

I indulged in some very naughty pre-payday purchases last week and look what arrived yesterday?

Hmmm, i bet you recognise that polka-dot packaging!

And take a look at what's inside parcel No.1 from Topshop (of course!)



Camel Hareems £20

 

Ah yes, you may notice i already have these in navy but i have a bad habit of buying the same item in different colours!

Rust Tapered Leg Trousers - £20

 Another peg-leg trouser to add to my massive collection! I really should wean myself off this shape and embrace the old-school boot cut - or maybe not.

Mink Shirt - £20

The hanger really doesn't do this shirt justice, it kind of looks like those cheap polyester shirts bank cashier's wear but on it feels likes silk! I'm not overly keen on the 3/4 sleeve or the shape but the colour is delicious, as it doesn't fit properly i will be returning this.

Brown Leather Jacket - £60

This was what i was most excited about receiving! A real leather jacket from the limited edition collection reduced from £120 - ah i'm so happy!!! I didn't realise that it's from the tall range but i prefer my jackets longer so luckily those extra few cm's really help on my 5'5" body. I predict my Topshop PU aviator jacket may get sidelined from now on. Hopefully this will be one of those pieces that gets better with age, showing signs of wear for that vintage-looking feeling.

Topshop clutch - £30

I had my eye on this at Christmas as the perfect clutch to compliment my work party dress but at £50 full price it was a little steep for my budget. I've had it in my favourites ever since waiting for it to be reduced and the other was my lucky day. I used to be obsessed with embellished clutches and have a few from Accessorize but they have seen better days now. This jewelled clutch is the perfect accessory for any night out, i just can't wait to show it off!

Parcel No2 from Miss Selfridge....

After debating over whether i could afford my Topshop order i discovered Miss Selfridge sale had just started. I was only going to have a quick look not intending to buy anything just adding items to my basket just in case.



Blouse £17.50

This does look a bit maternity to be honest and i think i could get away with a smaller size but it can be one of those tops i can wear to dinner and have a good meal without fear of a muffin top appearing! I'm a little bit hit and miss about this because of the volume, but decided combined with skinny jeans it would balance it out. This season we are seeing a lot of sheer blouses and shirts and in a really wearable blush-pink it ticks all the boxes.




Grey lace oversize shirt - £17.50



 This is one of my favourite pieces from today's haul, although it's described as grey, it's more of a spearmint colour in real-life not quite shown in this pic though. I love how it's oversized for a masculine feel but the lace detail on the arms adds a touch of feminity. Ideally i would wear this with wet-look leggings or leather trousers, i love the soft against the hard-ege feel. Both tops seem to have a 80's inspired shape to them with the bat-wing sleeves, but on the shirt this really works.



Black heeled loafers - £20



These are going to be my work shoes from now on, recently i've been wearing my Office pantent square-courts but i want to save them for evening. I have a few Primark black suedette heels but they don't really mix with driving - pedal marks and scuffs! I like the reto feel these have with the tassels and have seen some v.similar in Marks & Spencers (Limited Collection - you know the "fashion-forward" range!) 



Nude patent high heeled loafer/brogue - £25



I've seen shoes like these on River Island, Topshop and French Connection selling for around £70+ so  £25 seemed a good price to me. I was worried the patent might make them look cheap but actually they don't, again they don't look as good here but believe me they do look nicer on! I don't own that many nude shoes and these certainly fill that gap in my collection. The block heel does remind me of Abba but worn casually with my new Topshop trousers will hopefully remove that image! Suprisingly they're actually comfy, they look v.high but the platform heel makes tthem easy to walk in and unlike some patent shoes they're not too hard so don't cut into your feet. I say that from walking around the house, the real test will be a day's shopping.

In all honesty i didn't think i would like half the items i ordered but sod's law there's only one thing going back! Ah well, thats my monthly shopping done before April is already here. I'm determined not to visit any shops online to avoid temptation and the Outfit card may have to be cut up too. I still have the Groupon voucher for Asos to use but that's already paid for. Wish me luck for the rest of the month...

Revlon Blue Lagoon NOTD

It seems Revlon have introduced a few new products recently including lip stains to rival Maxfactor and scented nail polishes to rival Rimmel.  I did pick up one of the Just Bitten Lip Stains and the nail polishes were on offer, 2 for £8. I chose a pale blue called Blue Lagoon and a bright coral/red called Pretty in Papaya from the limited edition scented range - reviews to come later.

As with all Revlon pastel shades you need time to get an opaque even application. You would probably need 3 coats over a base coat but my top tip is to paint a thin layer of white first and then 2 coats of the pastel shade - magic! This blue has a hint of silver glitter which you can pick up in the light. I've tried to show in the next picture the shimmer.


Can you see the shimmer?

Overall, i don't think it's one of my favourite colours and i'll only wear it during spring, but i did say that about Minted and now i love that so be prepared for a change of heart!

Blue Lagoon was one of two new spring colours, the other is called Sunshine Sparkle. Check out The Style Of Neighbourhood for Yi's review of Sunshine Sparkle.

Asos delivery

A few weeks ago i posted about the Groupon Asos offer which i took advantage of, so i scoured the website after they sent an email saying they had 20% off their collection, placed some items in the basket only to realise i couldn't use the Groupon voucher with another discount/offer! As the items were on offer i decided to buy them anyway.

Here's what i chose...


Villa Bed Jacket £21

When i say bed jackets forget Florence Nightingale think more Florence + The Machine! This jacket is so lightweight it makes a perfect cover-up piece for now. The tie-dye print look great teamed with nudes, black, grey and lilacs.




Asos Armour Ring £8

I've got a thing for armour jewellery at the moment, i've been looking for the right ring for ages and this is perfect, i like the burnished look which makes it more authentic, the rings in Topshop and co. look to shiny and cheap. I can imagine Queen of Shops/Rings Mary Portas would be seen wearing this.

Being an eager beaver i decided to wear both items today.



Wakey, wakey

 Top - Warehouse
Jeggings - Dorothy Perkins
Bed Jacket - Villa at Asos
Wedges - Oasis
Bag - Warehouse
Watch - Next
Bracelet - Pandora
Ring - Asos

And in hair news, i'm still rocking the curly hair!

Going Au Naturale

I've been having a bit of a problem with my hair, ever since i decided to grow out my blunt fringe it seems it's lost all it's style and just looks a right mess. I've been aiming to grow my fringe so it flicks out like this. I've not been having much look as the fringe seems to have lost it's bounce and just ends up hanging by the side of my face - you may have noticed!

This is what i am aiming for.

Jessica Alba

Jennifer Lopez

Alexa Chung

 Heidi Klum 

Ultimately this image of Tess Daly shows what sort of length and body i want to achieve.

The overall theme here is soft effortless waves that just tumble over the shoulders with a wispy centre-parted fringe. I can sometime achieve this by blow-drying, straightening and then curling but all those heated appliances are doing my hair no favours so for the summer i going to aim for an au naturale look. Some may say I'm blessed with naturally curly hair but i think it's a curse! Ok maybe curse is a strong word but my thick Afro-Caribbean hair is a nightmare to style straight - literally taking hours from wash to finish. So to prevent any further heat damage and split ends i'm wearing my hair as nature intended, this means my morning routine is shampoo, condition every other day, apply serum and go!

My barnet hanging loose:

And all tied up:

Not that bad i reckon!

Psst...! Topshop Flash Sale

Just to let you Topshop is currently having a flash sale!

Items are selling quick so check it out now just click on the image above! I must admit i did buy before blogging but alls fair in fashion!

Weekend working outfits

Our dress code at work is pretty much smart casual and at the weekend i like to embrace more of a relaxed look. Luckily we've had a little bit of sun recently making it feel like Spring has finally arrived so i've been digging out my stripes and floral printed tops and sunglasses - although is it just me or does anyone else feel a bit pretentious wearing sunnies outside of the car even if it is sunny? That's the British in us! 

Saturday's Look
Top - Zara
Trousers - Topshop
Shoes - River Island
Blazer - Primark
Watch - Michael Kors
Ring - Dorothy Perkins

Sunday's Look

Top - H&M
Cardie - Dorothy Perkins
Trousers - Miss Selfridge
Heels - River Island

A v. springtime affair, perfect for a few drinks after work or quick trip to the shops. I have just realised these outfits are very similar, navy trousers - check! Grey cover-up - check! Brown heels - check! (well they are the same actually). I don't wear wide-leg or boot-cut trousers very often and Sundays outfit was a welcome change, i do look a bit sailor-ish with the trousers and striped top but it wasn't intentional - good job i didn't add the anchor necklace as well or I'd look a right jolly old roger - boom-boom!

Lipsticks et al.

My quick nip into town the other day just to use my free No7 voucher resulted in me coming back with this little lot...

This post is a little late as you may notice the Grazia magazine is last weeks issue. I used to buy Grazia and Look magazine both religiously but due to a lack of funds recently i've been sticking to the monthly's instead, but Grazia was only £1 exclusive to Tesco so couldn't resist and i have missed it!

Lauren Conrad's Style book has been out a while and when it was first released i was going to buy but after reading a review by Lollipop26 and then having a quick flick in WHSmiths i decided the £14.99 price tag was not worth it. However i spotted it at £4.99 - a bargain if i say so, even if the text is rubbish the pictures are enough to keep me happy and reminds me why i miss The Hills.

The cuff is a sale purchase from Dorothy Perkins, my first cuff in fact and thought it would like great teamed with piles of bracelets including my Pandora, i like the armour feel it has and have been scouring Asos for some armour rings to go with.

The No7 Gel Eyeliner i picked up using the free £5 voucher so it only cost £5, i've not used it yet so look out for a review soon. I did struggle to pick something to be honest, i've heard good comments about the Hot Cloth Cleanser a rival to Liz Earle's but i didn't need another cleanser and there wasn't much from their make-up line i needed either. I decided the Limited Edition collection was the best option as it's the only new make-up they've had in ages. I did want one of the lipsticks but they were sold out so settled for the eyeliner, i never used a gel one before so any tips would be good, hopefully it will be as good at the Bobbi Brown ones.

Now onto the lipsticks, i didn't intentionally go in to buy any other make-up but was having a play with the Rimmel colours and found one i liked and then saw it was 3 for 2! The 3 lipsticks are from the New Colour Show Off collection that Georgia May Jagger advertises and cost £6.49 each. 




L-R: Stare At Me, Shake Up Pink, Tell No One






Swatches:

Stare At Me 250

Shake Up Pink 020


Tell No One 030

My favourite has to be Tell No One, it's a lovely bright coral colour that's very on-trend, sometimes i combine it with Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef which is a perfect match. I am a little disappointed with Shake Up Pink only because it swatches differently to application, it goes on a bit sheer but a few layers later it look ok.  The only other negative if i had to say is the price, they are the most expensive lipsticks of all Rimmel's ranges but like i said Boots has 3 for 2. I'll definitely be going back to buy some more colours as they're really moisturising which doesn't always happen with pigmented lipsticks, hopefully a watermelon pink if they have one.

I'm a failure!

Remember what i was giving up for Lent? Well i caved in and couldn't resist some sale bargains at the weekend and today I've just nipped into town and splurged a little - eek! I admit it - I'm a failure! I did hold out for 3 days but at the weekend i found the most gorgeous black blazer and it was from a limited collection so i couldn't rely on waiting 37 more days and it being sold out - come on guys understandable i reckon? That was planning on being my only little off-rail buy but i spotted some great sale purchases as well and you know they don't hang around! More on those purchases another time...

Now today's agenda was to return the Topshop coat ordered online before Lent and then use my free £5 No7 voucher in Boots.  Now the coat was a Mohair Mixed Boyfriend Coat in Oatmeal that was reduced from £95 to £30 - i know bargain! The camel version has been really popular with bloggers and was featured in Topshop's winter campaign. I didn't take any pictures before returning but this is what it looks like taken from their website.

To be honest i was a bit dubious about buying it because of the colour but the price alone was enough to sell it to me. Unfortunately because of the style it comes quite big so it didn't really fit, i did try the old belt but it still didn't look right, i think my figure is more suited to fitted jackets. I have ummed and aaahed over whether to keep it and resorted to google for some inspiration.

I love how these two girls have styled the coat to make it their own and every time i look at them i kinda regret returning it a little but if i can find it at that price for £30 in camel I'll definitely be keeping it. So if anyone is looking for a bargain keep an eye out online for its reappearance!

Now i was going to show you my purchases from today but it includes lipsticks and they're really a blog post in itself so I'll leave that to next time but i will show you what i wore today instead.

Top - Zara
Trousers - Dorothy Perkins
Cardie - Warehouse
Shoes - Office

Well strictly speaking this is actually what i wore for work and then i changed the shoes for open-toe brown River Island heels and the cardie for my Primark grey blazer to make it less formal. When i wore this to work people actually thought it was a jumpsuit and i really like how it does look like an all-in-one. I'm actually on the hunt for the perfect jumpsuit so if anyone has any recommendations? I don't know if I've mentioned before but we're not allowed to have bare arms on show so jackets and cardies are my best friend. It's OK if your in the office but if we're dealing with guests or walking through the spa you have to be covered up - not really sure why! I love these DP trousers as the high-waist is so flattering, the only problem was they've split up the backside! Not because of my big-bum mind you but the stitching on the seams is coming apart when it gets stretched. I was in two minds to complain as I've only worn and washed them a handful of times but I've lost the receipt so not sure where i would stand. I have tried to stitch them myself but my needlework is not the best and you can see it so i have to wear long cardies and jackets to keep it hidden.

Now onto the FOTD. I seem to get into a make-up rut and vary between black or brown eyeliner combined with a strong lip. I do change my look for work quite often but once I've found something i like that can be applied quickly, i try to recreate the look every day until i mess it up one day and then i move onto another look.

Base: Clarins Complexion Perfector, No7 Mineral Perfection Foundation - Almond 30, Garnier Anti-Dark Circles Roll-On - Dark (bought when they only did 2 shades), No7 Trio Concealer
Cheeks: Revlon Powder Blush - Blushed 030, The Body Shop Roseflower Blush - Pink 01
Brows: Clarins Pro Palette Eyebrow Kit
Eyes: Avon Kajalstick - Brown, L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes - Black
Lips: Vaseline Lip Therapy - Cocoa Butter, M&S Lipstick - Dark Pink, Revlon Lipgloss - Pink Pop 180
Nails: Revlon - Minted

My skin is going through a bad time at the moment and i keep breaking out hence the bright lippie to draw attention to the lips! I have tried the Revlon mint green nail polish again and applied a white underneath and it seems to look better but waiting for 5 layers of polish is a bitch but people seem to like the colour so maybe i am warming to it.

Get Shorty

Ever since i bought those blush-coloured Topshop shorts i keep finding any excuse to wear them and the weekend was no exception. Although they could be styled demurely for the office  i want to try avoid wearing them for work otherwise I'd never have anything different to wear on days/weekends off.

Top - Topshop
Shorts - Topshop
Tights - Primark
Boots - Office
Blazer - Primark
Bag - Ebay
Watch - Michael Kors

This is my perfect spring look when it's too warm to wear a coat but not quite hot enough to bare the legs.

FOTD was kept quite natural, brown eyeliner, mascara, touch of blusher and the Clinique lippie i got free from Glamour. Hair-wise i curled from mid-length and then brushed through to create waves, the fringe seems to have got lost here though!

I'm also rocking the shorts today so a quick look at what i teamed them with today...

Thunder thighs!

It's not really that inspiring as the only thing i changed was the top - plain black long-sleeved from Dorothy Perkins and the winter coat as it was a little chilly early on from Warehouse, all other items as before.

I used to think shorts were only for the Whitney Port-types, you know long-legged and slim but Rihanna's appearance on the X-Factor confirmed for me that us curvy girls that have a booty can look pretty damn good too.

Shake ya ass, but watch yourself, shake your ass, show me what your working with...

I definitely have a girl crush on Ri-Ri!

My weekend catch-up:

On the ipod: Plan B - Defamation of Strickland Banks

Watching: Death Race 2 - no Jason Statham so not as good as the first but plenty of action. You catch the first Death Race on Channel 5 this Sunday 9pm - check it out!

Reading: Just finished A Touch of Frost by R.D. Wingfield! Not my usual choice but was a book club read and surprisingly good.