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

OOTD Dogtooth Work Dress

Hey all it's hump day!! I have an exam tomorrow so I'm not all that happy to be half way through the week!!

Here is my second OOTD post. This is a work outfit. I'm very lucky in the fact I can wear what I like to work within reason. 

I'm trying not to overly wash my hair still. It seems in much better condition if I let it go three days. This does mean if I haven't gone swimming by the third day I tend to put it up. For that you can't beat a bun ring (I've done a tutorial on that here) I like to accessorise mine with Dainty Rose Glitter Bows (you can pick them up here) I've mentioned Dainty Roses lots on this blog. I have bought a lot from Lisa. 

On my lips I decided to wear Mac Angel. (review here). I've forgot about it a lot lately and want to start wearing it more again.

I love loading up bangles. L is much better at arranging them than me. They are so easy to wear and I like to load up on jewellery if I have a simple dress.

Rings are definitely my thing when it comes to jewellery. I have loads. I rarely leave the house without them. I love this one. It does tend to hurt my finger a bit after a while though. It looks go so it's worth it. A quick search on eBay found these which are similar. Two stacked up would give the effect.

I love these. I've wanted leopard print pumps for a while. I picked them up from Tesco last summer. They could do with replacing so I'm eyeing up these. I'm loving the bow on these.

I love to add a pop of colour to plain outfits and this two toned green double wrap belt is perfect for that. It adds shape too. I picked this up from ASOS a while a go. You can get a green skinny belt here for £5. It looks a similar colour.

The dress is form next and a favourite work dress of mine. I love the cowl neckline which makes it suitable for work. It's a great length too and I can ware it bare legged in summer. I also go to Next the day after the sale starts and stock up on work dresses. They tend to have a few I like and have great prints. 

They also fit great. I've mentioned a few times my curvy bottom half. It can make dress shopping hard, my waist is an 8 and my hips can be upto a 12. I find next dresses generally fit in an 8 and are more roomy on the bottom half.

Where do you go for work wear? Can you wear what you like?

Love M

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

Boxing Day Sales Shopping

With the spending ban looming I quickly made some purchases in the sale after Christmas and used my work discount to good effect...

Here's a quick preview of what I picked up and will in all likelihood be posting about soon!

This is photo heavy but I don't waffle on too much :)

I hadn't seen this in the Christmas section but someone brought it to the till, and at £15 before discount I needed it!

Also couldn't resist this set. I got the gradual tan one for Christmas and with discount this set was down to £10.........epic!

I did not plan on buying this but as soon as I saw these fragrance gift sets on offer for 1/3 off I went sniffing away at them until I found this lovely Ralph Lauren one.

It is part of their new ish fragrance range that I first smelt in America and I loved the pink one, number 2. Unfortunately it would seem so does every one else so that had sold out everywhere (even online!) so I picked up number 4 for £20.

I've had my eye on these beauties for a long time, and eventually made the purchase!

I bought them off ASOS in the sale which was crazzzzzy and I really shouldn't have bought them or at least not as many but I did and I love them allllllllllll.

Expect lots of gushy posts from me about these beauties, I love nail varnish, love OPI and am a complete Bond freak (I love the drama, action and glamour!)

Here are two new pairs of shoes I also picked up from the Dorothy Perkins sale, they cost £35 altogether, which was before student discount so I did reaaaaaaaaally well with these!

I also picked up some new jeans. Nothing special, just a black skinny pair and a normal dark denim pair to replace two that are now too big for me.

Lastly I had a splurge on Urban Outfitters where I picked up the following three for around £25, which was amazing considering the top was originally £28!

I love the galaxy feel of the top, with the space and zodiac vibes! It has low cut arm holes too so will be great for comfort.

The studded item is my new phone case to stop it getting bashed in my bag and keep it looking chic and the bangle was a random buy that I absolutely love already!

It goes with so many things and considering its so long is quite comfy and I'm sure will feature in my life quite a lot!

So there's my splurge before the ban and the reason for me being ok with the ban.....11 days in ;)

Do you like my purchases? What do you think of the shoes and cosmetic goodies?!

L xxx

Reunion Night Out!

Me and M both went out together on Saturday for a reunion...

Needless to say we spent the entire week getting ready (scrubbing, moisturising, tanning....) and possibly spent longer getting ready than we did actually out ha!

Here's what we ended up looking like:

For the first time ever I put rollers in my hair to see if I could get a better bounce to my roots that lasts longer than curling with a wand.

It did give more root lift but unfortunately the curls dropped out pretty quick so had to get my trusty Remington curling wand out for some emergency curling before we left!

Maybe I just need to practice, does anyone have any tips for using heated rollers?

M did the same with her hair and it seems to have stayed a lot better than mine!

I had an orangey red dress from Miss Selfridge on and M had her lush new dress from the Julien MacDonald range in Debenhams 

The photo is a little blurry unfortunately (drunken friends taking pictures!) 

I wore my trusty tan wedges for height and comfort and M had her new heels from Dorothy Perkins which I absolutely love and am so jealous!

Perfect mid heel and a gorgeous leopard print. (and in the sale too if you're quick!)

For our make up we both had on Mac ProLongwear with a bit of Rimmel Wake Me Up for the glowy look.

We both had on heaps of eyeliner (Maybellines Eye Studio Gel Liner) and Mac's MSF in Soft and Gentle which is the first time I've used it and cannot believe how amazing it is!

I will definitely be purchasing that as soon as I get myself a job!

I wore a Kate Moss for Rimmel lipstick in shade 12, an orange red, and M wore my Mac Russian Red.

I always seem to do similar make up on a night out so I'm thinking next time I need to go back to being a bit more adventurous with my eyeshadows and blushers/bronzers.

We had a lush night drinking and dancing and spent the day afterwards catching up on X factor and painting our nails! Perfect weekend :)

How do you like doing your make up for a Saturday night out? Do you enjoy spending time getting ready?

What's your favourite products to use for a night out?

L xxx

Clothes Haul!

A different kind of post for you today!

I had a bit of money for my birthday a few weeks ago...so of course I went on a shopping spree!

It was so much fun, I haven't shopped for clothes since before Christmas as I quit my job so this was LUSH.

Here's what I bought...

This dress is amazing! Was so pleased with this find.

It's a gorgeous t-shirt material dress from Miss Selfridge, it has a drape style front and the back has a section cut out.

I love the bright colour (my wardrobe is very black and grey...) and it can be dressed up or down for most occasions.

I'd seen a few of these shirts around and wanted to try them out, ended up buying a black and a cream shirt as they're so comfy, will go with anything for any occasion and were pretty reasonable from New Look!

Also bought an Aztec print vest to wear too, my friend has a few of these and always looks lush so I thought I'd nab myself one too :)

We've just had a Gilly Hicks open up by us, and admittedly I had no idea what it was aside from a spin off of Hollister.

However I was pleasantly surprised with what they had, I love underwear shopping and the bright colours dazzled me!

This style is my favourite kind for knickers, and at the moment they've got 3 pairs for £15, they're originally £8 each so this is an amazing bargain!

The colour and style in the range is amazing and I will be sure to be sneaking back for some more when my mum isn't keeping an eye on me ha!

These shorts are from Dorothy Perkins, they're a summer staple I think!

There's lots of colours of these too, and as they're a touch longer they can be worn in the day time too without flashing too much leg.

This was a splurge...I'd been planning on buying a bag for ages but couldn't find one that I liked.

I knew I wanted either dove grey or a nude colour so it would go with a lot of things, but nothing took my fancy.

Cue a dash to H&M for some vests and this beauty was right there!

It's the perfect size for holding my daily essentials in and has some room for some extra items in case I go shopping, saving me from the elusive lost shopper bag problem that frequently happens now you have to pay for bags in Wales!

Lastly I found these two bold beauties in H&M also. 

The red shirt is the same style as the black and cream ones from New Look above, I was looking for a coral/orange one but am yet to find anything bright enough for my tastes! The red one looks lush though.

The blue dress was also a last minute buy, but with the elasticated waist and longer skirt it can be worn throughout the summer with leggings or without and can be dressed up or down.

I am SUPER happy with my purchases, think they're all so wearable and all were affordable too.

What do you think? Do you like the bright colours? Do you like the shirt style tops for summer?

L xxx