10 Forever Wardrobe Pieces

Hi there!

I've been browsing websites and magazines for the last 2 weeks whilst off and have been loving catching up with celeb gossip and changing fashions. It's got to the point when I read them and think 'who on earth is this?!' My celeb radar has clearly been off for a while!

Whilst browsing though i have come across an interesting article on Cosmopolitan called '10 Forever Pieces you need in your Wardrobe' It's pretty self explanatory but I wasn't sure about some of their choices.....so decided to make my own list.

1) Leather Jacket

There really is nothing better than a leather jacket. I would absolutely die and go crazy if I got my hands on a 100% soft buttery leather jacket in a timeless style from somewhere like All Saints. I'd love one, although I'd be wary that my long body would not allow one from there to fit me....sigh.
If I could pick though, it would be something like this:

Unfortunately I don't have £358 lying around tho. Sob.

2) Jeans

You absolutely cannot go wrong with some well fitting dark indigo jeans. I've found a perfect pair for me recently, having started my gym life a few years ago my glutes have suitably increased in size (Kardashian level not quite reached yet though). My current faves are therefore Levi's curve ID jeans in Demi curve which fit my derriere quite nicely.
I think in future a few more colours will be necessary but currently the dark indigo colour is perfect.

3) LBD
A Little Black Dress is a staple that no one would deny. Whatever your shape there's one to suit you, in fact there's probably 10 to suit you and that's the best part. I have a few faithful ones but it's going to be time for me to get a new one soon. A lot of dresses recently have been quite high neck so I think it's time to show a bit more cleavage, though I do really like a shift dress for simplicity and comfort!

4) LCD

Sometimes you just get fed up of wearing black. I've worn black dresses for about 10 years and I'm trying to add a bit more colour to my wardrobe, not least because it's boring to wear the same thing all the time but also because coloured dresses look awesome! not only that but as well as colour blocking which was what got me into wearing colour again, there are some amazing patterns to get your hands on.

The three above are all from Warehouse, would suit most shapes and are all under £50. Might have already picked up the bottom one....

5) Blazer

I'm in love with my blazer; a beautiful black Ralph Lauren military style blazer with emblem and gold buttons on the sleeves and the front. I couldn't be without it and it goes with so many things and gets me so many compliments - because it's so beautiful not because I'm wearing it. If it's good enough for Kate Middleton....

6) Handbag

The handbag is a tough choice for me. Having been a black leather lover all my life I've recently found myself branching out and had a dusky pink one for my birthday that has shown me the lighter side. Regardless, you need a fairly sizeable bag for daily life and here's a few on my wishlist:

 

You cannot beat simplicity.

7) Heels/Wedges
I could gaze at heels for hours, but as a lady of 5'9 and a very short patience span they just don't work for me. I found wedges about 2 years ago and haven't looked back. They allow me to gain some good looking leg muscles plus some extra chic points without crippling my feet (once they've been broken in obviously). They're like magic shoes!

 

Oh come on, who on earth wouldn't go for Louboutins by choice??

8) Flats
Following on from above it means I also clearly wear a lot of flats. I have an amazing pair of black brogues from Clarks that are so perfect for work and after a year still look new without any polishing whatsoever and I could cry with happiness at finding them. That aside, I love trainers too and am very much lusting over some new 'kicks' with some bright colours, or something that comes up with a high top like these:

I just need another spare £100 to snap them up!

9) Shirt/Blouse
Cosmo have a white shirt on their list. Whilst I love them....they don't love me. My boobs tend to get in the way of that and I can never find ones to fit, not that they're even that big which is why it's so frustrating. I've been wearing my black sheer loose fitting blouse for years and its so perfect for work, interviews and the pub with jeans. Sheer shirts like this are my haven, they skim over everything and flatter and hide in all the right places. Winning.

This ones from Zara for £30.


10) The coat.
I'm quite a fan of a coat. There are so many styles that part of me thought maybe this also included blazers and leather jackets but lets not include it for now.... I always think that nobody of any age or body shape can go wrong with a trench coat style or any style where the coat is above knee length and belted at the waist.This year I'm on the hunt for an emerald green coat so hopefully one will appear in the next few weeks. I've spied this one from Nina Ricci:

Stunning green and a leather belt at the waist.
But let's face it; if I can't afford the £100 for some trainers the £1880 price tag for this beauty certainly isn't happening. But if I win the lottery......? First on my list!!!


So what do you think? Are your top 10 classics similar to mine?
The only category I'm doubtful on is the trainers.....but even those will come back around again in the vintage category!

If you make your own lists let me know, I love reading them!

L xxx

Wedding Fever!

Hi all!

I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Today I will be off to my friends wedding and I'm so excited!

It's the first wedding out of all of my friends and I think all of us are really looking forward to it.

I've been getting ready pretty much all week, as you can imagine! I've been scrubbing and scrubbing so my skin is buffed to perfection before my tan was applied last night so fingers crossed it won't turn out to be patchy or streaky!

I had a pedicure the other week that I am hoping will still be in tact by Saturday. I went for gold glitter for lots of sparkle as choosing an actual colour was so hard!

For my fingers I have been playing all week with different nudes and effects. I am sure I will be tweeting a picture of my nails if you'd like to see the end result...

I previously wrote about my dress choices in my post here i you'd like to see them, but I eventually picked this pink shift dress from LK Bennett:

It's such a classic cut in a bright colour and I think it will be perfect!

I'm teaming it with nude heels and bag and this jacket for when it goes colder in the evenings:

What do you think of my wedding outfit choices?

I've also got a diamante comb for my hair, I always curl it but never do anything else with it so am planning on pinning it half up with the comb so it's a bit more special.

Any tips for weddings?? Do you have any friend's weddings to go to coming up?

I have another in a month or two after so I'll be planning my outfit for that one soon enough!!

L xxx

Tea Time!

Both me and M have been so busy the last few weeks and lots of things have happened, so I decided to do a catch up post instead of a product review today. So get yourself a brew and settle down.....

I am absolutely loving my new job and it's everything I've been hoping for....but helllllllllllllllllllll is it hard work!

There's so much to learn my brain feels like its about to explode every evening I come home, I've even got into bed at 7pm and completely crashed out til the next day.

I'm still training but now that I've got the basics I'm getting to do a lot more fun things (if you can call analysing drugs a fun thing?!) so fingers crossed my brain won't be so bombarded soon.

They've even offered for me to a PhD next year...eeeeek!

The biggest event this week was of course M's birthday! We had a lush day at the spa on Thursday, we started off in the gym knowing that we had a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge afternoon tea to follow:



Look at those sandwiches, warm scones and welsh cakes, pastries and even jelly and strawberries!

There must have been 1000s of calories on this tray so I was pretty glad I'd been to the gym before it.

 

Afterwards we got glammed up and went for a few cocktails before M met her family for food.

I wore out an animal print jump suit with nude court shoes, and M had on a dress she got for her birthday which was a gorgeous burgundy lace dress from Lydia Rose Brights collection.

 

We have the same plan of attack whenever we go for cocktails, first drink is a Cosmo followed by a Long Island Iced Tea. After that we tend to grab whatever else is on the deal (ha!) but we thought we'd try a different one called a Kentucky Jewel which we would 100% recommend ;)

We also went shopping last weekend and I picked up a few naughty pieces!
First up was an unplanned dress purchase....a beautiful red dress from Oasis in the sale for £35. I couldn't resist it as it was so beautiful on, a classic shape and colour......and in the sale!

The blazer was a cheeky Zara purchase. I did need a blazer for the weddings I have coming up, and although this beauty was £50 I know it will be worn a lot and will go with every dress that I have to wear to weddings and other summer events. Hopefully this will be worth the cash!

I've been working hard at the gym recently so I decided to pick myself up some new trainers. I know everyone loves the super bright coral Nikes and I would love to get some for myself but at £90 with crazy delivery I will have to wait for now!
I picked these up from the Nike Factory store for a bargainous £38 and cannot wait to rock up to the gym today with them on.

What have you been up to recently? What have you been spending on and looking forward to?

Me and M have a night out planned for next week.....I'm thinking of wearing the red dress! Do you like it?

Hope you're all having a gorgeous weekend in the sun!

L xxx

Style Staple: Blazers

Happy Thursday!

I'm not normally one to put a lot of photos of myself onto the blog as I like to keep to myself and find taking them more complicated than others seem to. However I'm getting better at it so thought I'd branch out and write about my Style Staples.
As well as beauty I am also a massive fan of clothes, as you would expect. I find blazers the perfect accompaniment to most outfits and they seem to finish them off without being too overly smart.

My collection has been growing recently so I decided to share it with you and which styles I find go better with which outfits.

First up is the old favourite. This is a black/grey blazer from Dorothy Perkins which I bought quite a few years ago now. This is what I call my 'Slouchy Blazer'.
It was black and it still is mostly, but from wear it has turned into a more grey black, as you'd expect a more vintage like blazer to look, which makes me love it more.

It has a waterfall front with two large pockets on either side which I suppose don't serve much purpose as they're too big and slouchy but they're so comfortable to rest your hands in!
It's easily thrown on with any outfit as it doesn't do up so I mostly wear this with jeans for every day wear and layer it with scarves and leather jackets when it's colder.

Next up is the newest in my collection; the orange Jogging Blazer from Zara.
This is my 'Bright (and BEAUTIFUL) Blazer'.

This jacket is absolutely amazing and I'm so pleased I bought it. I've worn it out to many things since I bought it at the end of March; lunch meals with family, pub meet ups with the girls and on my birthday night out with my Lipsy Dress.

It just seems to go with EVERYTHING! It brightens up every outfit and can be worn done up or left undone  and the slightly shorter sleeves make it great to wear in any weather.

It's definitely going to be a firm favourite for the summer!


This next one is one of my most prized possessions.
The timeless classic that is the Ralph Lauren military blazer. (i.e. my 'Military Blazer' - duh!)



I absolutely LOVE it.
The shape is beautiful and its made with such thick and good quality material I am hoping it will last a long time. The sleeves are lovely and long, the shoulders and waist tapered and fitted, and the length of the blazer sits perfectly on my hip.



The pocket is of course a primary feature of the blazer, and the crest is beautifully stitched and looks very regal with the feathers and crown. It's one of my favourite parts of the blazer along with the buttons which are gold coloured and feature the same sort of detailing.



I love it pulls together any outfit and makes it look smart but it's so comfortable it doesn't feel like you're all dressed up over the top.
I've worn it out with family for my birthday meal with jeans and with a dress and leggings and it looks great with all of them.
It was a birthday present so is fairly new to my wardrobe so I expect I will be wearing it a lot in future, especially as I feel like Kate Middleton knowing she's a bit of a fan of Ralph! (I wish!)

This one is another Dorothy Perkins buy as I loved the black one so much that I went back last summer and picked up the cream version with black collar detailing.
This would be my 'Summer Blazer' I suppose.

It's a little harder to wear as although its pretty much the same as the black one the material is thinner and I don't feel it has quite the same look as the black one.
This one should get more wear than it does as I always seem to steer towards black (as you may notice considering this post contains three....) but I need to start varying my wardrobe as it does seem a little bit boring sometimes.

You can see in the photo above that this blazer has the same waterfall front and large pockets, but the front is a little more waterfall than the black and maybe why it gets worn less.

Finally we have the Warehouse blazer, which is one I picked up after Christmas when they had 20% off and I have quite honestly never looked back. I'd term this one the 'Classic Blazer'.

I have been looking for a black fitted blazer ever since I bought the Dorothy Perkins one. The other got so much wear I knew I needed a fitted one for smarter occasions and snapped this one up when I got the chance!

It has super long sleeves which is lush when you're tall as it doesn't always happen, sits perfectly on the hip and tapers in all the right places.
The longer collar seems to elongate the body making you look slimmer and I love wearing it out with dresses.
I do love my Ralph one but I think that will be for smarter day wear occasions as this one has a similar effect but I wouldn't mind taking this one out on the town with me as they sell very similar ones still and i know the style that will fit me to replace it.

The only downside to this one is that it doesn't do up which would have made it even better. A hook and eye would have finished it perfectly and I'd be tempted to add one if i had any idea how to!

So what are your style staples? I think I will be doing more of these posts as I'm getting more confident in taking the pictures and I absolutely love blazers.

Which one of these is your favourite? Do you favour colour or classic? Military or slouchy?

L xxx

Birthday Love!

If you've seen any tweets from me or M you will have seen that it was my birthday on Tuesday.

I was lucky enough to book the week off work and it was the first week off I've had without uni work or lectures to go to in years. So after my friends hen weekend I dragged M to Harry Potter Studios on Monday for a pre birthday trip.

I don't know if you have been there or want to go there but I fully recommend it whether you are a fan or not. The 'secrets' of the filming is fascinating, the sets and props are so intricately designed that anyone would appreciate them and there is of course many photo opportunities, shops and the chance to try real butter beer!



As you can see.....I was VERY excited!

I can write a post on it if anyone is interested in seeing a few snaps and my thoughts on the tour in general, just let me know.

As it was my birthday the next day I decided to buy a present to myself, from myself....as you do.

I'm a huge fan and couldn't resist the gold plated official replica of Hermione's time turner necklace:

I know I'm obsessed with HP but along with my penchant for gold jewellery this was a purchase made in heaven for me! I'm in love with it's uniqueness and it's my new pride and joy.

M also gave me my presents from her and I was so excited to see all of these individually wrapped, I'm sure you can tell I was so pleased with them all :)

I was a bit spoilt for my birthday considering it wasn't a milestone one.

Here's a few snaps of my presents:

My brother got me Breaking Bad seasons 1-4, I've always wanted to watch it so I'm glad I've finally got my hands on it and can watch them all whenever I like.

The Ralph Lauren carrier bags were quite exciting when I saw them in the morning...

 

I'd been shopping with my mum and picked up some of the jeggings and the iconic black military style blazer a few months ago, so this wasn't a surprise but I'd forgotten quite how lovely they were!
I wore them out with a white chiffon top from Warehouse for my meal in the evening. We went out for steak at Miller and Carter and it was so amazing we couldn't believe it. 100% recommend the steaks and ribs!

A blazer and skinny jeans/jeggings are a staple in my wardrobe and I thought it was about time I got some better quality pieces in my wardrobe.

Between my aunty and nan I was given 2 cardigans and 2 polo shirts from Ralph Lauren also.

I felt so spoilt and just like Kate Middleton with all my Ralph gear, if only I was the same size eh?!

(Though maybe not pregnant...)

My cousin has been working for Ralph Lauren so I imagine that there has been some serious discount passing around. I always think this is a great idea, why pay more for something??

I'd also sent my mum a not-so-subtle email a few months back requesting either of the Oz palettes from Urban Decay. I received the Theodora palette which is gorgeous and I couldn't wait to test it out.

I had no idea it had eye liner and a lipstick with it so this was a nice surprise and I would expect a post on it sometime soon!

I received some underwear from my favourite underwear shop Boux Avenue and a kit from Ojon which I can only assume will leave my hair glossy, conditioned and the envy of all of South Wales.

This would be lush as my hair is feeling a little dry of late due to the weather and air con at work.

My mum always gets me a caterpillar cake from M&S every year, but this year she went one step further and also got me the Colin the Caterpillar chocolate shape!

I absolutely love these and the chocolate tastes great, such happy memories from when i was a kid.

So there's my birthday presents in a nut shell.
I did go shopping yesterday and spent the money that I received (and a lot more on my credit card...) so I'll be putting some photos of that up soon too!

Me, M and a few of my friends are going out on the weekend to celebrate my birthday with a few cocktails. We've booked to have our make up done in Mac as we know well end up buying a lipstick soon we might as well get it done!
We cannot wait and I'm sure a post on our night out, make up, dresses and cocktails will be up next week.

This is the last week that I will be spending......I plan on getting back on the spending ban wagon and banning all purchases of cosmetics and clothes for as long as I possibly can.

But enough on that for now, I'm still smiling from my presents and shopping trip so I'll get back to my depression next week ha.

What do you think of my presents? Do you have the Oz palettes from Urban Decay? Are blazers a staple part of your wardrobe? Are you as Harry Potter obsessed as me?

L xxx