The AF Bloggers Budget Challenge

This is the first OOTD post on your blog. When Sera from The Agoraphobic Fashionista asked on twitter if bloggers were interested in a budget challenge I was excited to take part. 

I tend to shy away from OOTD due to not having anyone to take photos for me as I know not everyone likes mirror photos! They aren't the best, but this was too good an opportunity to miss. I thought it would be fun.

So what is The AF Bloggers Budget Challenge. Each month Sera picks out four people, they agree on a store and you have to try and get a complete outfit for under £20. Exciting right. It really makes you think about what you are buying and I think it's a great way to showcase how affordable fashion can be.

This months store was boohoo. As delivery was rather expensice £3.95 it was decided we'd put together an outfit under £20 if it included the postage that was a bonus. The challenge is simple. Get a complete outfit for under £20. But you can use one staple item from your wardrobe if you need it. I've never shopped in boohoo before so was excited to place my first order.

Here are the bloggers involved in this month and the outfits we all put together.

I'm excited to read all the posts to see what the other ladies picked up.

You can find the posts here

Sera at www.theagoraphobicfashionista.com

Me www.cosmeticsshoppingandintoxication.blogspot.co.uk

Emma at www.outmumbered.com

Christine at www.fashionfloozy.co.uk

So onto my outfit. I got a pencil skirt, top and ring.

The skirt I was instantly drawn to. It's not something I'd immediately pick but I love animal print and I love the faux leather trim on it. Even better than that it's a bargain £6. Online it does look a lot bluer than in person but I think this actually makes it more wearable. Definitely cocktails with the girls type of skirt.

I absolutely love rings. I think they always add something subtle to an outfit which isn't immediately noticed. I've recently got a few double rings so when it was only £4 I couldn't resist. How cute is it.

As the skirt is such a feature item I decided to keep everything else simple. I plain black boob tube to show curves and not take anything away from the detailing in the skirt and the simple ring. The boob tube is £6 which in all honestly is quite pricey considering you can get them cheaper else wear. I tried a few other tops with it but the baggier ones just didn't suit me the way I'd hoped.

I'm really pleased with the way the outfit turned out. I really love the skirt and think it will be perfect for cocktails with L. My shoes are from stylist pick and I got them for £12 they aren't available anymore I'm afraid. I love stylist pick but I went till sales or I'm offered discount codes. I think this outfit would look great with most heels. It also looked good with wedges for a summery feel and black heels give it a clean sleek look.

But I had issues with boohoo and delivery. I live in an apartment block which means due to working 9-5 getting my delivery was a pain as the driver can't get into it and I don't know whether they have been to arrange a re delivery. When I then arranged for it to be delivered to my work the parcel was delivered to a random part of the hospital signed for by someone who doesn't know me even though the couriers site stated they person signing on your behalf needed your ID. Also it wasn't delivered until 19.08!! For me sites that don't offer royal mail as an option are a pain.

I did also feel restricted on what to order. As although they offer free returns you are charged £2 per item you send back as a restocking fee. I understand people ordering lots then sending back is a pain but I then felt other stuff I liked on the site I didn't order incase I didn't like it on.

Overall I loved my outfit and shopping for it was definitely fun and a challenge I'll set myself more when shopping but I don't think I'll be placing another boohoo order unfortunately.

Thanks to Sera for arranging it all and I can't wait to see what next months ladies put together.

What do you think of my outfit? Have you tried something like this?

Love M

xxx 

Don't forget to check out the other lovely ladies bargains 

NOTD China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise

Day 12!

Here's my other latest China Glaze purchase and a beautiful colour for brightening up your gloomy summer days!

This is one of their neon colours and although I normally stick to pinks and reds by choice, this colour is a very welcome addition to my collection

Turned Up Turquoise has been hard to photograph but I think that the above photo is the closest to the true colour

It is quite frankly a perfect bright neon turquoise that covers pretty well in 2 coats.

The photo below shows a single coat:

It does cover quite well with one and you can already see the neon effect but a second coat is definitely required.

This is much more like it!

It dries with a semi-matte effect which I'm not normally a fan of but it does increase the neon effect of the polish and it's easy to put a top coat on top anyway!

Here's another photo showing the many shades of Turned Up Turquoise:

It's almost blue in comparison!

You can definitely see what I mean with the colour changes!

Such a beautiful colour though, and it's really brightening up the rainy weather for me!

What do you think of this colour? Are you a fan of neons?

How much do we loooooooooooooooove China Glaze!

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

NOTD: Chanel Couture Fall 2012

Day 10!

I originally saw this design courtesy of Polish you Pretty found here, they have a great website with nail tutorials and ideas and I browse through them endlessly wishing I had the time, patience and skill to try them out!

What intrigued me about this design was its simplicity and the ability to change the colours to suit ANY occasion and still have your manicure looking the business.

Interestingly, this is Chanel's first every nail art and I'm so glad they stuck to what they know with a simple design!

I used Model's Own Champagne for the base coat.

Normally I use 2 coats of this but as it was underneath I felt that one coat was enough, though ideally I would still use two to get the full effect of the metallic shine!

Then I used the orange Nails Inc colour that came with In Style a few months ago (maybe last year?!)

It was my first ever orange nail colour and I haven't looked back, in fact I may even use this one up one day I love it that much!

It's a really easy simple design to do that you can easily swap and change colours, effects etc for whatever occasion.

I'm looking forward to trying this with a neon pink underneath a super shiny black top coat, and also you can experiment using a matte top coat for sneaky bit of shine at the base!

It's currently my favourite nail design!

What do you think about Chanel's new foray into the nail art world? What colours would you pick?

L xxx