Shoe find of the week #12 - THE Christmas shoe!

The perfect pair of Christmas heels: 

Sparkle - they wouldn't be Christmassy without having some form of embellishment.

Silk - A luxurious fabric in a gorgeous cobalt blue. 

Strappy - I think an ankle strap is essential to avoid embarrassing falls Christmas eve after a few drinks! 

What's more is these stunning heels are now reduced from £179 to £89 in the Reiss sale here!

Has everyone got their present shopping finished? I nearly have... 

My week in photos #15

Nero, Christmas in my new flat, Santa being sick on Oxford St, Snowman doughnut, Southbank, West India Quay, and my 'shit' attempt at a Yule log!

I got it... the Soap & Glory 'Best of All' kit!

Bought to my attention by the pink haired princess, I got the super duper Soap & Glory gift set of the year. 'Best of All' normally retails at a whopping £60 but from today, (Friday 14th), it becomes £27! What's more is Soap & Glory products are so huge that this set is bound to last for ages! My local boots had tons but I'm sure they will sell out very quickly.

And inside the bag we have....

1. Hand Food - £5
2. Peaches & Clean Cleansing milk - £7
3. Clean on me shower gel - £5.50
4. Thick & fast mascara - £10
5. Smoothie star body lotion - £10
6. The Righteous butter - £10.50
7. Sexy mother pucker lip gloss in punchbowl - £9
8. Sugar Crush body scrub - £8
9. Heel Genius - £5.50

Altogether that's a saving of £43.50, so it really is worth snagging one up as a Christmas present to yourself :P

My Christmas wish list!

1. Just a dream wish, but the luxurious Agent Provocateur pink silk dressing gown £275
2. Much to my boyfriend's disappointment, I dreamed about this film for days after seeing it! £10
3. Soft, soft, soft hot water bottle from boots! £12.99
4. The zip has broken on my studded H&M bag I got earlier this year. This quilted Zara bag is an option for £49.99, but it's not leather which it really should be at that price...
5. Lancome Hypnose Doll eyes mascara £21
6. The best collar I've come across after my recent post, £15 at Asos.
7. Loved this cushion for ages - Debenhams £22.40
8. Topshop razzmatazz nail varnish £6
9. Need this jumper in my life. I love beagles. Joules, £69.99 (C'mon Jan sales!!)

This was quite tricky as there is nothing I have really asked for this Christmas, this is probably just a list of things I will get round to buying!

Pop your collar

Bit late on the bandwagon but wanted to proclaim my love for collar-necklaces! Above is a sneaky shot I took in H&M recently as I wanted to share with you the gorgeous collar choices that are currently in the shop. 

Paired over a simple t-shirt or jumper, it's a great way to jazz up an outfit with no effort.

And below are my favourite picks from online... 

1. Spike collar necklace - Asos £9
2. Sequin collar - H&M £7.99
3. Lace collar - New Look £9.99
4. Jewelled collar - Asos £18
5. Rhinestone collar - Zara £19.99
6. Neon collar necklace - Topshop £22.50

There are so many different styles and options currently available on the high street right now, what one would you pick?

In Love with Fashion Event

A week ago I was very lucky to win a pair of tickets to the in love with fashion event held at Mad PR's base. The giveaway was running on the gorgeous Arabella's blog, who is just as lovely in real life! 
As the event wasn't far from my new work, I hopped in a taxi down there with a friend to see what the evening held...

We were greeted by the very friendly Sophie from Mad PR, a goodie bag and an abundance of champagne! The event was to mark the final of their 'next top designer' competition, with the evening culminating in a catwalk to decide the winner out of the 5 finalists.

Highlight was definitely the home-made cupcakes! (I have such a sweet tooth!) 

I was wearing a dress from the Lana Del Rey collection at H&M - a perfect office to evening dress, and emerald earrings from Primark. 

The goodie bag was very exciting; including one of their dresses (post to come), Barry M items I was after anyway and lots of other goodies. 

I want to spread the love so some items will be part of a big giveaway soon!

Velvet Lustings...

1. Mango velvet trousers - £34.99
2. Topshop burgundy velvet midi dress - £28
3. River Island velvet midi pencil skirt - £20
4. Faith @ Debenhams blue velvet chelsea boots - now £35
5. New Look blue velvet dress - now £11.99
6. Zara velvet box clutch - £19.99
7. Bertie @ TKMaxx red velvet ankle boots - now £36
8. Misguided plum velvet dress - £15.99

Velvet has that luxurious winter feel about it, and I'm so glad it's big this year. I've fallen for the trousers after seeing them on Poppy's blog here, velour leggings are a no no but these tailored trousers are gorgeous and I love the back pockets. 

All 3 dresses are ace but my favourite is the New Look one - reminds me of Lana Del Rey's song! 

Also those faith boots are an absolute steal! I may have to get them...

Are you a velvet fan?

How to update last year's winter coat

We all have that boring winter coat that comes out every year, and we all lust after Topshop/River Island's latest embellished offering! But your money nor wardrobe has the space to accommodate any more winter coats...
This post is to inspire you to jazz up your old coat before handing over that credit card.

Step 1.

Dry Clean it. 
I know this sounds pretty obvious but it is so easy to think you don't have to bother and would rather save money on the dry cleaning bill. However, dry cleaning your old winter coat will shake off that musty smell as it's been hidden away for a year, and helps to make the coat look brand new.
Tip - Johnsons cleaners sometimes have voucher codes floating about!

Step 2.

Change the belt! Again simple and works so well. This belt is a forgotten beauty from Warehouse. Would like to try it with this spiked belt from asos also.

Step 2.

Add some fur cuffs or collar. I purchased these berry fur cuffs for just £3 from asos to make my plain old Zara coat more interesting. I loved the colour, price, and when they arrived, I was so impressed at how soft they were. Unfortunately I don't think they really work, one of those occasions when it looked better on the model in the picture. Worth a try for £3 but I think I look a bit like a gorilla - let me know your opinion.

     

So there we have some fun ideas to spruce up your old coats! It is so easy to forget last year's purchases and leave them unloved at the back of your wardrobe, but I'm going to try to circulate items more often.

By the way, I got the idea of the cuffs from a stunning Burberry coat Millie Mackintosh was wearing on Made in Chelsea. Thought £3 was a cheaper option than £1,395! Shame it didn't work as well...

My week in photos #14

Holographic clutch - H&M, my new H&M Lana Del Rey dress, Oxford Street, Bow shoe-clips in H&M, Smiles, Topshop booties, Topshop scarf, St Pauls.

Apologies for my lack of updating; I have finally moved flat and am absolutely loving it, (let's hope living with the boyfriend doesn't drive me mad!) I have also started a new job this week in ad sales at IPC magazines, which so far is really good!

So all change, but now I'm getting settled hopefully there will be more regular posts soon :)

It's here - Superdrug 3 for 2 wishlist

Following suit from Boots 3 for 2 across all beauty aisles last month, comes the mega deal at Superdrug this November.
For some reason I wasn't that excited about the event at Boots... Sure they stock the amazing Models Own Mirrorball and Wonderland collections, but they miss out on brands like Sleek and MUA. Also lets face it, Boots come across much more expensive than Superdrug, right?
So this is my Superdrug wishlist this month, included are items which I think would also make great little Christmas presents.

This is probably subject to change and/or growth...

1. Barry M new nail paint in Pink Sapphire - £2.99
2. Sleek lipstick in Mystic - £4.99
3. Bourjois nail polish remover - £4.99
4. MUA Nail Constellation in Gemini - £3
5. Maybelline new tattoo eyeshadow in Pink Gold - £4.99
6. MUA The Artiste Collection - £6

So that's a saving of £6! Other products I'd pick up instead would be; Collection's long lasting perfection concealer, as mine is getting to the end and it really is fantastic, or rainbow apparition by Bourjois - a holographic pink nail varnish. 

Stay tuned for reviews after the November haul!

Happy Halloween! - New jumper

Halloween is one of my favourite holidays because I love a good horror film and dressing up! Unfortunately no exciting plans this year unlike the great house parties I used to go to when I was at uni. My highlight tonight is watching TOWIE's Halloween episode... oh dear....

However my boyfriend did surprise me with this fun jumper he picked up from Spitafields Market, which has put me in the Halloween mood.

I went for a simple Halloween manicure - Nails Inc orange with No7's gold glitter topcoat.

Do you have any plans this year? If you are thinking of going to the cinema I'd highly recommend Sinister which I checked out last week. Ethan Hawke is incredible in it; playing a true-crime writer who moves his family (unbeknown to them), into the murder scene of his latest novel. 

Watch the trailer... if you dare!

Shoe find of the week #11

If you haven't seen these Primark beauties yet it's worth the hunt. I was shocked at how expensive looking they are, when they are only £18! I've worn them a few times and they are really comfortable - even for trudging around London. I know Zara do a similar pair with gold studs for around £60, (which are gorgeous) but I prefer silver to gold at the moment.

Hopefully see these in an outfit post soon!

My week in photos #13

Primark rhinestone shoes, Primark jumper, Primark cute tea towels, fun Urban Outfitters shorts, H&M's fluffy jumper,  Urban Outfitters 'Eastenders' dress, Brick Lane curry, H&M trend saucy dress.

Finds this week include quite a few desires but sadly as I've mentioned before, I am saving up for moving flats in London.

Love the pink fluffy jumper from H&M's amazing Lana Del Rey collection, but the fluff got everywhere! It is only £19.99 though... and I have a fiver off voucher to use!

Really recommend checking out Primark's new flagship, it's not as crazy as the Marble Arch store as there's enough space for everyone to fit! The home section was great and I loved these cute tea towels potentially for my new flat. 

Studded Gloves - Gold or Silver?

So now the weather is getting chillier my mind is turning towards gloves. Anyone else struggle with those knitted ones that you always end up getting holes in the fingertips? May be useful for your touch screen phone but not exactly trend setting! This year I'm thinking about investing in a leather pair that will last a bit longer and will be darn comfortable!

Considering I've been loving everything studded this year, I love these two pairs. The question is, gold studs or silver studs?

The ASOS pair have gold studs and are £35 available here, whilst the River Island pair with silver studs are £30 available here.

Small OOTD - Primark Galaxy / Sunset print skirt

Skirt - Primark, Shoes - Topshop, Top - Dorothy Perkins, Jacket - Topshop, Necklace - Hobbs, Bag - H&M, Ring - Primark, Nails - OPI ds original.

Apologies for the poor camera quality, was taken late at night on a phone but wanted to show you guys my new skirt! I went to Primark's new flagship on Tottenham Court Road this week and was really impressed with it's size and vast collection. This skirt was from their 'limited edition' range which you can only get in the large stores. I'm obsessed with galaxy prints and was drawn to this skirt like a magpie. It has a gorgeous photographic print, sheer material, pleats and slits! All for £18, what more can you want? 

Shoe find of the week #10

Channel your inner Rihanna with these tartan strappy heels adorned with spikes. Amaazing... What's even more amazing is that River Island have crazily reduced them to £30 even though it's band on trend for Autumn/Winter! Grab them here.

Big thanks to followers helping me reach over 50! I promised I'd do a 50 follower giveaway and I will, unfortunately flat hunting has come bang in the middle so it may be a little delayed! Look forward to collecting some goodies for you guys though.

New Look Denim Competition with Sparkle Fashion Blog

I want to tell you guys about a fantastic competition New Look are running alongside the blog Sparkle Fashion blog. The prize is £200 and a pair of jeans plus 9 runner ups grabbing a pair of jeans.

I have been hunting down the perfect pair of black jeans as crazily I don't own any and wear my blue pair practically everyday, so thought it was a perfect competition for me to enter.

 

This is my entry, a sexy rock chick look perfect for drinks with the girls. This is completely my kind of style, figure flattering yet comfortable and I love wearing black and red.

These black jeans are a bargain at £14.99 and would go with so many different tops, perfect for day or night. I have paired them with one of the new items from Kelly Brook's range - a red peplum top with lace sleeves. I love the range as it is so flattering for curvy girls like me and I have a bit of a girl crush on Kelly Brook! Grab the top here for £29.99.
Toughen it up with a black biker jacket, can't believe this is a real leather one for only £59.99! Adding these gorgeous leather ankle boots with a triple buckle for £79.99 - you may notice I've matched up the silver detailing as I hate it when gold and silver accesories clash!
Lastly I didn't add any jewellery as too much would look fussy competing with the lace panelling on the top, but I did pick out this matching red studded clutch for only £15.99 and some glamorous eyelashes from the Gold by Giles collection.

So if you want to enter as well you've got until 5th October - check out details on the Sparkle Fashion blog here.

Spotlight on: my lipgloss collection

Enjoyed reading different posts from bloggers on how they store their make-up. The clear muji boxes are great and seem to be pretty popular choices! See Sam's post on muji storage here and Victoria's post on ebay versions here. 

I personally have always favoured mirrored storage and love this set of drawers I got ages ago from M&S. However it does take more cleaning and you have to be ultra careful not to chip the mirrors! If you like the idea of mirrored storage see some alternatives here and here.

As you can see I collected all the Models Own lipglosses that were free with diet coke last year, love them! A couple of Gosh 'light n shine' glosses, a Stila lip glaze in 'kitten', a gorgeous 'golden gloss' by YSL, Loreal's stunning new Glam Shine 'pink treat' and some others by M&S, Barry M and Clinique! None of these get half us much wear as they deserve... must wear them all more!

Do you have any favourite lip glosses?

Shoe find of the week #9

Couldn't think what to post for 'shoe of the week' as I hadn't come across any exciting finds whilst browsing the internet this week... But then I remembered I actually purchased some great heels this week! They are £15 from Marks and Spencer, which I was really impressed at as M&S are known for the quality and longevity of their items. Check them out here!

I pictured these paired with cropped cigarette trousers but will also be great for work, basically a classic patent style that you need in your shoe collection. The heel is tiny - only 70mm and they come in wide fit and half sizes. So they fit perfectly and will not slide off, brilliant shoes!

My week in photos #12

Forever 21 jewellery, posh train, cute printed overnight bag in Monsoon, lace heels in New Look, blurred notd with Max Factor fantasy fire, view from SE.

Recent beauty buys...

Just a quick post on some little purchases I made in Superdrug recently! I picked up this glass nail file for £4.99 and this hand cream for £1.98 as I'm trying everything I can to improve my poorly nails! The Vaseline cream feels lovely and is just the right size for a handbag, really recommend picking it up whilst it is still on offer. This MUA lipstick (at £1 - amazing!) I picked up after reading Sandra's review here on The Black Pearl blog, check it out, great lippy.

I also scored lucky again for the third time in Superdrug's reduced section! This Maybelline eyeshadow duo was only £1.99 and I was drawn to the shimmering colours. It is called 410 - Azur Silver and is likely to be discontinued as it is reduced. The colour payout is pretty gentle... it rubs off quite easily to be honest, but still pretty! I also got reduced a GOSH 'extreme art eye liner', in 26 - which is basically a grey toned rainbow glitter! Again reduced at £1.99 and not a very dense colour payout but hopefully buildable.

My star buy of the week is this amazing contour kit by Sleek. It's not cheap at £9.99 but such a worthwhile buy. It comes in three shades and I picked up the 'light' which contains a dark shade without glitter for contouring under your cheek bones, a perfect shimmer highlighter for the top of your cheeks, and a gorgeous golden peach hue for the apples of your cheeks.

And here it is on me! (Base is Loreal True Match). I love the dimensional effect you can create with this kit. Currently I don't own any professional brushes - maybe for Christmas, so I hope I have demonstrated that it is an easy look that everyone can create with this palette. I picked it up in Superdrug's Marble Arch store as 'Face Form' only seems to be in the larger stores.

The Baroque Trend

This post was inspired by a feature on 'This Morning' yesterday. Stylist Grace Woodward showed us affordable ways to re-create the baroque style that is popular this A/W. Catch up on the segment here - http://www.itv.com/thismorning/styleandbeauty/grace-woodwards-baroque-looks/

I love everything about baroque - the luxurious fabrics and textures, golden accents, layered jewellery and opulence. More is more!

Baroque body £38 Asos, Jacquard shorts £35 Asos, Bug earrings £20 Asos, Baroque cardigan £40 River Island, Beaded clutch £19.99 New Look, Velvet heels £65 Topshop.

As you can see the detailing that goes into these gorgeous pieces are all about the texture or design. Flocked patterns, beaded embellishment and the velvet fabric on the heels, all add to the opulence. My picks are just a glimpse at what is out there, the high street has way more gorgeous baroque items to tempt you.

How do you stop the excess becoming tacky? I think the key is sticking to similarity. For example this body and shorts look stunning together as they are both centered around the same deep gold. If you want to work the trend in the day just pair an item with something simple. For example jacquard trousers with a white shirt or this flocked cardigan from River Island with blue jeans.

Check out where the high street's inspiration stemmed from, I could stare at this D&G fall 2012 catwalk shot for hours...

Source

What do you think of this trend? I'll definitely be pairing my fall baroque look with a deep burgundy lipstick as shown on the Asos model!

Surprise Lipstick - Barry M 152

I found this Barry M lipstick in Superdrug's bargain bin and was tempted by the 99p price tag. I don't own any Barry M lipsticks but have always wanted to try them so jumped at the opportunity. The problem was I had no idea what the colour was! It is numbered '152' but must be discontinued as it was not on the Barry M stand and was the only one there. But I thought, hey, lucky dip lipstick what's the harm for 99p?

I was thrilled to find it was a gorgeous, rich, autumnal shade. Not too harsh and perfectly natural looking against my fair skin. I am happy to say that this is a shade that I will get a lot of wear out of.

And here it is swatched on my lips. I love the creamy texture - matte yet not cakey or drying.  I would definitely try different shades from Barry M's lipstick range in the future. Really like the matte packaging as well.

It's always worth double checking Superdrug's reduced section guys! Sure it's often crushed bronzers or opened sanitary pads but I've been lucky a few times now!

OOTD - at Vogue's Fashion Night Out

Thursday night was a huge night for London in the fashion calendar. Vogue's Fashion Night Out was only 4 years old this year and is basically a night to celebrate shopping. Pretty cool, hey? It centred around the designer shops in Bond Street but being a big fan of the high street that I am, I just stayed on the old faithful Oxford Street. I wore this cut out shoulder dress from Topshop that I grabbed in the sale for £20. The chandelier print bag is Ted Baker which I managed to win last week on ebay for only £8! The spike shoes are also ebay and the spike earrings are H&M.

Miss Selfridge hosted a whole load of free events including this manicure (which you got to book so no queuing yay!), which was supported by Bourjois. This gorgeous holographic polish is called 'rainbow apparition' and I'm definitely going to pick it up! 

I spent most of the night dotting around the stores aiming for the free drinks rather than shopping and so only ended up buying a belt for £4! House of Fraser were definitely giving away the best drinks courtesy of Mahiki - cocktail in a coconut, amazing.

Mahiki coconut rum bar, champagne in Zara, customizing workshop in Miss Selfridge, Delilah performing in Topshop.

Even though it was busy the streets were humming with a positive fashion vibe (probably all the free alcohol.) DJ's were playing in most stores including fellow blogger Zozo from the London Lipgloss in Forever 21, and the gorgeous Laura Whitmore in River Island. I thought it was fantastic the lengths every store went to to engage their customers, I even heard one confused shopper say, "is every Thursday like this?" - I wish! Bring on next year!

Shoe find of the week #8

Ooh how gorgeous are these wee ballet pumps? Everyone loves a bit of sequins... And such a steal at £15 from Aldo! Also available in gold and black. I think these would be perfect to slip into your bag for when your heels are too much at the end of the night. 

Anyone off to 'Fashion Night Out' tomorrow in London? Tons of events on and free cocktails in most shops on Oxford Street, very excited about it! Read about it here.

My week in photos #11

Carnaby street, Irregular Choice, Primark bargains - space print top and spike boots, Tower Bridge, sneak peek at my nail polishes, H&M velvet heels, Pudding!

What is H&M Trend?

Current campaigns in store now. Love the blue brocade outfit in the left photo.

H&M Trend is something I had never heard of before I moved to London this year. When I was a country bumpkin I thought of H&M as a store great for basics and maybe some cool jewellery finds. But working on Oxford Street I came across this particular section in the larger H&M stores and have since become addicted to checking out the new arrivals in H&M's Trend section.

The quality in fabrics is slightly better and more varied than the rest of H&M's range and is more 'out there', copying trends off the catwalks and creating a unique range. You can recognize them due to the white labels on the clothes. The prices are slightly higher than normal but to be honest, worth it and still cheaper than Topshop can be!

Love the fall scenic print and the jewelled collar necklace.

This is my collection of H&M Trend items! The embellished t-shirt I got last week for only £19.99, the pleated blue dress was reduced to £7 and the other two are my beloved peplum tops.

So next time you are passing one of H&M's larger stores I strongly recommend checking out this section of the store, it is constantly changing and does fun accessories as well. Some of these items are available on the website also and sell out quite quickly.

Anyone else a fan of this range?

Shoe find of the week #7

Walking past Dorothy Perkins I stopped to a halt to take a second glance at these beautiful wedge boots. Dalmatian (or Dalmation), print was everywhere last winter but it seems to have been recycled again for this autumn/winter, for example H&M are rocking some cute dalmatian prints at the moment. I think these boots would look gorgeous with black skinny jeans and are priced at £55.

I've never heard of the brand Timeless before but they are a concession in Dorothy Perkins, Barratts and Debenhams. Gives you a choice for a voucher discount!