Winter Wardrobe Updates

Morning pals!

Another Friday is here and we're another week closer to Christmas! It only gets more exciting from here and it's my favourite type of year. Winter clothes are also my favourite kind, layering is the best thing and I love all of the patterns and colours associated with autumn/winter clothing.

Here's what I've been buying to update my wardrobe this year:

First up I picked up this belt from Dorothy Perkins. I've had a belt for dresses very similar to this before and I wore it until it fell apart so I knew it was a good buy. It's definitely good for wearing at any time of year but as has been happening for the last few years the trend for wearing a belt to cinch in your coat is back and this one is going to be making it back into my wardrobe.

Secondly I snapped up this BEAUTIFUL scarf from Zara. I touched it in store and couldn't leave it behind. I love the patterns in tartan and the red is gorgeous and goes with all of my coats, it's a winner and was something I had no idea I needed and now cannot live without. It doesn't leave my neck during the week now!

My latest shoe purchase is from New Look and I had to order them from in store as they didn't have any left. The heel height is perfect for most occasions and the gold buckle detailing is enough to give it a bit more pizazz. These can be worn with leggings and jeans and I look forward to wearing them to the pub over the next few months.

Capes are big news and this blanket cape cardigan type garment is absolutely fabulous. It's super comfy, warm and goes with everything, literally EVERYTHING. The colours mean it complements many outfits but there are also many tartan type patters and colours available too and if I was rolling in the spare cash I'd probably get another.
This one is from New Look and I'm so glad that fashion has produced and comfortable, wearable and warm item of clothing for the winter months. I've always wanted to look chic in a cape, jeans and boots!

Lastly is my new bag also from New Look (they've clearly got a lot out of money out of me recently!) This beautiful bottle green bag has replaced my tired looking black bag for work purposes.
It's awesome, the colour is lush and it holds it's shape really well too which is perfect as I seem to be lugging a lot of paper back and forth to work at the moment!

What have you been buying to update your wardrobe? Do you have anything else on your wishlist?

I'm looking to add another coat, a lovely thick wool one would be lovely but I may have to wait until the sales for the type of quality I would be looking for. I'm fed up of buying important items like coats and finding out they are cheaply made! If you have any suggestions for some hardwearing well made coats leave them in the comments section below!

L xxx

WIMH - What's In My (New) Handbag

Happy Sunday morning!

Hope you're feeling as fresh as I am this morning :)

Today's  post is something I've always loved reading but never ever done my own version of. I recently picked up this absolutely gorgeous bottle green bag from New Look for the grand total price of £24.95 - which as you can see from looking at it below is an absolute bargain. With my excitement I decided to do a WIMH post as I've never done one before and as my bag is super clean and free of 1000s of receipts it was the perfect opportunity.

I always love little details on bags and this one doesn't disappoint. Gold is my favourite metallic and its all over this bag!
Buckles, zips and nifty edges along the bottom corners so it doesn't get worn, this bag is just me.







It's actually quite a large bag and fortunately I haven't yet managed to fill it with crap though I'm sure the time will come. It does unnerve me somewhat that it doesn't close entirely and only has a magnetic fix to hold it shut, albeit a very strong one. I will just have to take a different bag when travelling in busy areas as this one will mostly move from my car to my work desk which let me tell you, is not far at all!



So what's in it? What are the essentials for my every day life?



It is surprisingly a tidy amount of things most of which are functional and useful, and so far not a receipt or empty packet of food in sight!

I try not to ever travel without an umbrella, I do obviously live in Wales where it does very frequently rain so it would be rather brave to go out without one. Case closed.

My Jane Shilton purse was given to me by my mum, I thought it was huge initially but actually its a perfect fit for everything and the leather is really good quality.

Never go anywhere without my headphones and my charger. You never know when you will get stuck somewhere and need either so they are a must to keep me occupied!

My glasses are also pretty obvious; though normally it is just the case that's in my bag as I wear my glasses 90% of the time and change to contacts for the gym and special occasions. I'd love designer ones in future!



Next up is the product section; essentials only!

EOS lip balms, Mac lipstick in Coral Bliss, OPI hand cream, Sure deodorant and Soap and Glory hand gel.
I'm extremely shocked that there is only one lipstick in here; last time I emptied a bag I found 12! But it's probably as I've had so many weddings etc recently that I've taken them all back out again.

I'm hoping to get some drawers for my desk at work soon as mine were stolen the week before I started (grrr) so I can leave all of these essentials in there when they arrive.

You can never go wrong with a packet of tissues, they have saved my life many a time. Nude eyeliner from Rimmel is a great way to wake up tired eyes of which I am always a sufferer of! Blink eye drops single use bottles are amazing and have really helped me be able to wear lenses for longer when necessary. My eyes seem to hate wearing lenses now which is a shame and in future I'd love to have eye surgery but again; savings will need to occur pretty rapidly for that to happen!

I also never go anywhere without a mini notebook and a pen, for when inspiration for posts or a list needs to be made. I rather like lists and sometimes they need to be written not typed.

Lastly food. Now it's the weekend so I've clearly not restocked my handbag after a week at work but normally there would be about 5 different bars, apples, bananas and god knows what else lurking around at the bottom. 9 bars are my current favourite but I am also quite keen on Sesame Snaps before the gym and Bounce balls and Naked bars. I'm one of those people who gets 'hangry' easily so snacks are a must for keeping my mood up!

I normally also carry around a box of peppermint tea bags which has just run out. I'm quite partial to tea as it is but with my IBS this tea can work wonders on stopping any cramps so I drink it quite regularly. 

The only downside I've seen to my new bag is a few threads like above; I've cut them off with scissors but I suppose it's just something that hight street bags come with sometimes as otherwise this one was immaculate in the shop.

What do you think of my new bag? Do you have similar contents in your bag?

Send me your WIMH posts for a nose!

L xxx

Michael Kors Handbag

Morning!

We all have those lusts in life that just seem so unattainable. The Christian Louboutins, the diamonds, the big house, the unlimited Chanel make up....the list goes on.

Handbags feature on my list quite considerably. You can never be without one as not only as they functional but they're an essential part of bringing your entire look together. Some bags are iconic and their tags and labels are exactly what makes them so addictively beautiful. Cue my love for Michael Kors.

I've wanted one of his clean and simple looking bags for a long time, every time I walk past them in department stores there's always a 'mum look at THESE' before we ooh and aah and coo over them and their beautiful bold colours.

I was so surprised when my mum bought me one of his bags for my birthday in March!
She'd hidden it inside a pair of black leggings that I'd asked for, as soon as I opened it and I picked the leggings out the bag fell out the bottom! I was so shocked I couldn't stop smiling. Cheeeeeeesy grin all over my face for that day!

This black leather bag has become a 100% style staple in my life. Its beautifully made and the leather feels such high quality. I'm glad my mum chose me a black one as I know it will go with so much and I can wear it any time. I'm also glad she chose one with gold accents as I definitely wear more gold than silver, though I'm sure that I would still have worn it anyway!

I love the logo as it's so simple but you instantly know who it belongs too. I've seen many different styles of bags and some even have it attached as a key ring rather than on the bag itself. Regardless its so simple to put anywhere on it and it just looks GOOD!

One of my favourite things about the bag is the thick and sturdy strap. It is one of the first bags that I genuinely trust NOT to break. The material is thick, the stitching is impeccable and the rings are thick and don't seem to have a seam which is great for reliability! You do NOT want that link to give up when you're in the middle of a shopping trip, dancing in a bar or in the middle of a date!

One of my top tips? Always check the inside of a bag to check the quality and attention to detail:

Look at that lining, beautifully covered in Michael Kors print. 

I cant explain how amazing the quality of this bag is. I've never had a designer bag before so this was a lovely surprise from my mum and definitely a treat! It's my pride and joy and gets stored inside it's own dust bag when I'm not using it, another way you just know its a good un.

Do you have any designer bag lusts? Do you have a favourite MK bag?

L xxx

Dune Handbag

Morning lovelies!

I've got a beautiful bag to show you today. Me and my mum are bargain hunters, and on a shopping trip a few weeks ago I found this beautiful bag that my mum bought for me for my birthday.

Let's just take a look at it first:

Rosey blush coloured, a good medium sized bag with some beautiful golden studs. It's like the absolute perfect bag for summer. I love bags this size, big enough to fit enough items in without breaking your back like other larger bags that let's face it, you are just guaranteed to fill.

There are even studs on the base of the bag which is a nice touch and makes the bag look so much more expensive and help to stop the bottom getting scratched and covered in crap from the floor.

I also love the zip, its nice and chunky and matches the gold studs. The zip goes all the way down the sides of the bag and their are two handles also made with the same rose gold. 

This bag is absolutely perfect and replaces my other older black bag from Warehouse with gold studs for the next summer months. The only problem i have found so far is that it is susceptible to stains from darker clothing. Wearing this with my new Levi's has resulted in a few dark blue stains on the rose pink material but luckily this can be cleaned off.

Even the inside is lined! I do love the inside material of a bag, you can always tell if you've got a good quality bag when you've seen the lining.

So what's my secret? Obviously its from TK maxx! There's nothing like a bargain when you're casually wandering around the shops and find a beauty like this. I don't remember the price of this but I do remember it was discounted quite a bit and was worth every penny!

Do you like rummaging in TK Maxx? Are bags your thing or are you a shoe girl?

Trips to TK Maxx are always a danger for me, especially in the bag section!

L xxx

August Wishlist

Hey all

Seriously where is this year going. I think it's speeding by. I can't believe it's already August today. Under 8 weeks till my holiday so I'm starting to think of holiday accessories I want.

I ended up with a different eBay dress for my birthday night out. Me and L were so busy catching up we didn't take photos, but I'm back selling the dress on eBay. I tend to wear them once and re sell. It's a great way to wear lots of new things. Here's the dress I went for. I also picked up some more St Tropez lotion in Debenhams and by using my beauty points and picking it up during their VAT sale I got it for £6 bargain.

I finally got the foundation mentioned back in my March Wishlist. It's amazing, I love it. Review coming soon. And my boyfriend got me a purse. I mentioned I wanted these in April so they didn't have the ones I liked any more. Instead I now have a lovely Red quilted one. Found here, photo doesn't do it justice.

So this months

Accessories

I was lucky enough to get a River Island voucher for my birthday so I'm going to put it towards a new bag after I ripped mine the other day :(

These are my top four picks. All currently found on  riverisland.com

Clothes

Coloured skinny jeans are still on the list. Ideally coral and in a 34 inch leg if anyone can suggest any. I'm also after another Maxi dress. I love them and they are so comfy for holiday.

I love how plain and simple this eBay one is and it's only £9.89

image from seller seller found here. I got a lovely maxi skirt from this seller for £3.49

Make Up

I'm loving my Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains so much I want more. I'm currently eyeing up Darling and Honey and will definitely pick these up when I go to America

Hair

I really need a new hair oil as I'm starting to run low and have heard some really good things about the Tresemme Liquid Gold Argan Oil Infused Perfecting Hair Treatment. Tresemme is a brand I tried when it was first released but it didn't agree with my hair then so I can't wait to see how this oil works and I'm hoping it'll be a cheaper alternative to my Lee Stafford Moroccan oil one. Plus it's only £6.99 in Boots.

Image from google images

Shoes

I really want some new flip flops ready for holiday. I got some very comfy French Connection ones in the Kurt Geiger sale last year. After browsing the sale the other day there our now a lot of shoes in my mental wishlist.

They have a great sale. All of these are under £20

So that's all I'd love this month. I'm sure most will stay a wishlist item. What's on yours? Any recommendations for me?

Love M

xxx