Jeans - Oasis Sale "Amber" £20

Last few days of the Easter holidays and so I was running about doing all the odd jobs that need doing before I start back to work on Monday. Banking, new car tyres, food shop… all terribly glamorous.

I wanted to be comfortable and warm but I am SICK of winter jumpers atm and so I paired a thin vest top with a faux leather jacket. Real or faux, leather jackets are guaranteed warmth. The jeans are also the ones with stretch in, extremely easy to wear for someone who finds jeans problematic.

I’ve been wearing my hair up this week which has the tendency to make me look a bit drawn but it’s laziness. I’m trying to get away with washing it every three days instead of daily.

Vest Top - Exhibit £6

All I can see in the above picture is armpit, apologies for that. Plus how pale am I? Answer: VERY. I just can’t be assed with fake tan at all this weather.

The vest tee was purchased months ago from Exhibit which are super cheap clothing shops in Northern Ireland. They actually carry a lot of the  Missguided line , so that gives you an idea of the price point and quality. It’s good for passing trends/ basics.

Faux Leather Jacket - Exhibit

I picked up this jacket in the same shop just before Christmas and today was the first time I’ve worn it. Kinda forgot I had it tbh (shameful). I can’t remember how much I paid at the time but I’m thinking around £30 which is pretty pricey for that store but I like the classic shape and it really is a beautiful fit whether left open or zipped. Hugs in all the right places!

Arm Cuff worn as bracelet - Topshop Sale £1

Moshi Monsters Jumper - George @ Asda £10

While I was taking pictures Noah asked me to take one of his outfit too Little fashion blogger in the making?

Hope you’re all well xx

P.S Still missing the doo dah to connect my camera to its tripod. Hence lack of posts. I refuse to buy another one as I just know it’ll turn up the moment I do! Grrr x

I enjoy watching these kind of videos on YouTube and thought I’d have a go myself
Watch it in HD if you can xo

Playsuit – Peacocks £22

Aviators – Topshop (Past Season)

Jumper – New Look Sale £12 (can only find it in red here)

Shoes – Charity Shop £3

I made an online order with Peacocks just last week as I really like a lot of their Spring/ Summer collection, so I’m saddened (but not shocked) to hear that they seem to be facing near inevitable administration.

For now though it’s business as usual and so I urge you to get down to your local branch and buy this playsuit. It’s just soooo comfortable, flattering and easy to dress up or down. I can’t wait to wear it bare legged in Summer

Of course as it’s not really the weather for it right now I paired it with opaques and threw a mustard (currently addicted to this colour) wooly over the top when I got chilly. I think it handles it well and ends up looking like cute culottes ♥

My shoes which are in the mud out of shot are another comfortable addition to my wardrobe. Not everyone’s taste I’m sure but I just loved the grain and rich tan leather. Plus someone has done all the hard work of breaking them in. A bargain at £3

xo

Hands up who has a faux fur addiction? *raises both hands*

This gilet was reduced to just £30 in River Island a few weeks back. It’s sold out online but check out your local branch as mine still had a few even up until yesterday. It’s extremely cosy as you would expect and I just love the sixties vibe it has going on. I’d classify most fur as sexy but this one is definitely cute!

The hair has been scraped back into one of those ridiculous 2″ ponytails that I always ridicule others for. Frankly it’s this or the chop right now as I am totally fed up with my unruly barnet.

My boots are from Next and cost £78. More than I would have liked to pay but I think this design is a forever classic and I wanted to invest in a comfortable, quality leather pair. I tried SO many on, including most notably the Topshop Dashing ones, which are around the same price but imo really uncomfortable and badly sized.

Next isn’t somewhere I would normally shop but they’re definitely on my shoe-radar now. If you likey too then check them out asap as these appear to be selling out fast!

xo

Let’s just get stuck right in shall we?

I am up to my eyeballs in life stuff at the minute and my current daily uniform consists of paint splattered jeggings and an equally decorative jumper. Wouldn’t make for the most dynamic outfit shots….

So I’m a little stressy (but in the productive way) and free time is sparse. This hasn’t stopped me indulging in some retail therapy tho, helps relive the tension dontcha know

Oxblood Pleather Shorts from Topshop £30. Gorgeous colour, really Xmassy and easy to wear with thick opaque tights and ankle boots. What’s not to love? Well, if you buy online the sizing. It’s atrocious. I would suggest the Size 14 if you are normally a UK Size 10-12. Anything smaller would imo be indecent (think arse cheeks hanging out to say hello).

New Look Mittens £5 ish pounds. Everyone comments on these. Pure 70′s and ultra cosy. On the downside they (along with any mitten) are of course deeply impractical. It’s like having a pair of flippers and I struggle to lift anything when wearing them. Cute tho

Versace for H&M Leggings £24.99. I couldn’t resist. In fact if money was no option I’d have bought lots from this collection. Not everyone’s cup of tea, granted, but isn’t that the beauty of fashion and life. We all like different things? Quality wise these are not your average Primarni style leggings. Very heavy glossy material and ridiculous flattering. WIN

Charity Shop Purchase and I could not have been more delighted when I clocked this. I have been after a decent vanity case for an age. The modern equivalents just don’t cut it size or quality wise. My ultimate aim is to reduce my (still frankly embarrassingly large) make-up collection to the point where it all fits in this. Rome wasn’t built in a day tho…

One of the rare days where I did actually wear real clobber and a visit to the hairdressers. Namely Hedonist Hair on Botanic (apologies if you do decide to click the link. Their website hurts the head and eyes. Trust me).

You clicked didn’t you? Matt had bought me 2 cuts and a 50% off colour deal through Living Social and I must admit that because of the price my expectations were low. However I was pleasantly surprised, the salon is quirky but cool and the stylist I had (I believe her name was Cathy) was bubbly and friendly. She also listened to me (massive thumbs up). I told her I was growing it out and simply wanted a tidy and a bit of shape to the back while the layers grow down. Now at this point what normally happens is the stylist nods and proceeds to “thin out” my hair and generally undo all my hard growing out work. She didn’t. Refreshingly she did EXACTLY as I asked. SUCCESS!!

Now on to what has been taking up almost all my days and nights. Decorating. Yes painting, papering and sanding shit. I’m doing it all and YES, I too wish it were more exciting. We are moving house this time next week and I still have an absolute mountain of work to do BUT I really feel like I’ve broke the back of it today. So YAY!!

This afternoon I completed our bedroom (carpet is coming on Thursday). I kept it pretty neutral. Cream walls and a simple floral paper behind the bed. That way I can put any duvet/ curtains with it.

In natural light (on a dismally dull day) it gives off an almost silvery hue

Under lamplight it takes on a lovely warm buttermilk colour ♥

Finally… if you’ve made it this far give yourself a little round of applause and feast your eyes on my sneak peek….. what’s in the box???

Find out this weekend

xo

Basic Black Bodycon Skirt – H&M £2.99
Scalloped T-Shirt – River Island £16
Faux Fur Cardigan – Topshop Sale £25
Dotty Tights – Primark
Boots – ASOS £75
Mixed Metals Ring – An Ex-Lover
Necklace – Topshop Sale £3
Bag – Miu Miu

I have my hair up today, well when I say up I mean half up and then the stragglies are pinned with kirby grips. My hair could really do with a wash but I’m having some ear woes and currently treating it with this liquid stuff that you have to dropper in and then it kinda leaks back out again…. is this an over-share?

Anyways I didn’t want to waste a hair wash (I’m all eco-friendly me) so that’s why it’s greasy like this today. It’s odd tho, I’m reminded of how much I like my hair off my face (part of the reason I favour pixie crops so much). I might persevere and grow my hair out to like ponytail length or something. Maybe…

Make-up wise I’m wearing Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. I REALLY can’t recommend this enough. My skin is dry as hell atm and this is the only foundation looking half decent on me. I’m not a fan of the original Healthy Mix tho, it was a blending nightmare for me, but the serum is super. Blush is NARS Crazed ♥ and I have MAC Sumptious Olive and Club on my eyes. Lips are a new purchase, Boots No 17 Supreme Shine in Barely Blush. It negates the use of a gloss which is nice and I thought the pink was pretty without being too Barbie.

The star of today’s outfit is my cardy tho. Off the back of my recent H&M Gilet I am now powerless to resist all things faux fur. This was in Toppers recent markdowns. Originally £50 (no way would I have paid that) to a more reasonable £25 (but still quite pricey I thought). It’s not ground-breaking in terms of design, from the back it just looks like a plain Fisherman jumper but it’s very warm and practical.

xo

]]> http://dressjunkie.com/2011/11/20/dotty/feed/ 13 http://dressjunkie.com/2011/11/19/black-magic/ http://dressjunkie.com/2011/11/19/black-magic/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:22:49 +0000 dressjunkie http://dressjunkie.com/?p=4222

I feel like I should be pulling a rabbit out a hat in this jacket.

Leopard Blouse – Primark £10
Pleather Trousers – H&M £14.99
Red Blazer – River Island Sale £25
Bag – H&M £14.99
Boots – Topshop Ambush £75
Necklace – Topshop £16
Earring/ Cuff – Topshop
Necklace – Topshop
Lipstick – MAC Russian Red

I actually drafted this outfit post late last night and planned to write up some text/ waffle today. But I’ve just had to have my Dad’s cat put to sleep (he’s currently in Arizona but aware) and I totally under-estimated how upset I would be about an animal that wasn’t my own. So please forgive me for the lack of craic in this post.

I’ll be back on form in the next one. Pinky swear xo

Black Jeans – Topshop Jamie £40
Black Cardigan – H&M Basic £9.99
Navy Faux Fur Gilet – H&M £29.99
Boots – M&S (Past Season)
Brooch – Topshop Sale
XO Necklace – Farah Designs £8.00

Safe to say that I’m not looking my freshest at the minute. Could be something to do with the fact I am constantly in pain after my recent car accident. I don’t mean ouch sharp pain either. I mean constant ache, hurts to hold the weight of my own head pain. And sleeping? Well that’s been intermittent. When I can get comfy it’s fabulous but I’m afraid those times are few and far between *grumble*

I’ve also had one of those gurny weeks. For anyone that isn’t familiar with a good gurn it’s basically where you cry your eyes out. A lot. My poor little Mini was wrote off by the insurance company as the suspension damage was too great to warrant repair. I loved my car. I’m aware many can’t relate to that (most people I know for instance). But I did, I loved that car like a pet and saying goodbye to it was really hard. I know… I know, there are people with REAL problems but I feel how I feel and that’s allowed.

It’s all the more sore as I had 3 days to find a new car before the courtesy car had to be returned. I didn’t feel ready really but needs must and a new car I now have. I’m sure in time I’ll grow to appreciate it just as much.

Definitely time for a little positive, right?

I totally heart this H&M Gilet. £29.99 normally but I had a code (sorry now expired) and picked it up for £14.99. It is thee cosiest happy-making piece of clothing ever. It even has pockets and we all know how much I love a good pocket! I love the colour too, tones of black, brown and navy. Refreshingly different to faux furs that do the rounds every Winter. You need this one in your life! xo

Leather Jacket – Michael Kors via TK Maxx
Lace Trim Vest (Just seen) – Only Hearts
Camel Stripe Cardy (Just seen) – Zara Basic (Past Season)
Bodycon Skirt – H&M £3.99
Footless Tights – Primark Super Cosy
Boots – Topshop Ambush £75
Scarf – Tesco £8

Today’s outfit is ALL about the scarf. The OH-SO-AMAZEBALLS scarf. Can you tell I love it?

I first spotted it in the promo pics dotted around my local Tesco branch. However every rummage in their accessories section proved fruitless. They never seemed to stock the scarf. Major suckage.

Thankfully it was in stock online (although the internet pictures are awful) and I avoided my pet peeve of postage charges by having it sent to my local branch. A very painless process which I can highly recommend! The scarf itself is soooo super cosy and extremely well timed as the temperature has taken a major nose dive here. It’s also only £8 and nowadays I feel that really is a bargain for something so cute.

So….. how was your weekend? Mine was good until about 10pm on Saturday night when a motorist FAILED TO SEE ME (SAY WAT?!) and ploughed into the side of my gorgeous Brum. Not a good experience. On the up side though, nobody was seriously hurt and they were properly insured.

I dropped Brum off to the garage this morning for repair. It’s going to take 6 days! Eek! Very glad I’m not on the receiving end of that bill!

xo

Jeans – Topshop Jamie £40
Polka Dot Tee – H&M £7.99
Red Blazer – New Look £29.99
Shoe Boots – Jeffrey Campbell @ Sarenza (Sale) £38.10
Watch – Michael Kors
Suede Bag – Next Sale (Past Season £20)

These shoes are ugly. There is no denying it. When I bought them I thought they were ugly but edgy, when I received I thought they were even uglier and wearing them today I realise they are so damn ugly they deserve to be loved. I’m just not sure I’m up to it…. eBay?

No smiling in my pics today, basically because in every shot my face matched my feet. Ugly

My jacket is however very very pretty *YAY*. I already own this particular blazer in black but I love the fit so much I’ve invested in another. The red is a really sumptious warm shade. Wearing it makes me feel all Christmassy!…..in October…..

Also loving my jeans. Jean shopping was always the most stressy kind of shopping for me. Nothing ever fit nice

Nowadays it’s a joy. I’m wearing more fitted styles that I wouldn’t have even dreamt of trying on before. I highly recommend this Jamie style from Toppers if like me you have slim pins but a bit of a J-Lo rump. They are quite high-waisted and a little more stretchy round the butt. WIN

Have a nice weekend folks xo

]]> http://dressjunkie.com/2011/10/14/hooves-for-shoes/feed/ 20 http://dressjunkie.com/2011/10/06/a-dark-day/ http://dressjunkie.com/2011/10/06/a-dark-day/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:34:42 +0000 dressjunkie http://dressjunkie.com/?p=3994

Dress – H&M £14.99
Leather Jacket – Michael Kors via TK Maxx £99
Shoes – Topshop Vectra…. again
Bag – Miu Miu Vitello Lux Bow Bag
Scarf – H&M £7.99
Watch – Casio £8.99

Chilly, dull and windswept here today. The temperature yesterday was 16˚c but just 24 hours later it’s 7.5˚c!! Brrrrr!

I wrapped up warm in my newish leather jacket. It’s that soft subtle leather that keeps you super toasty. Bought to replace my All Saints Owain Jacket which I sold a month ago. Although pretty I found it absolutely rubbish at providing heat. Something to do with the type of leather? Who knows, either way it just didn’t cut it for me and so to eBay it went.

Matthew and I spent the morning together in Belfast city and he bought me this very special gift

An iPod Classic ♥

RIP Steve xo

Pale Pink Lace Trimmed Tank – H&M £7.99

Black Basic Cardigan – H&M £9.99

Skinny Jeans – Topshop “Leigh” £38

Shoes – Topshop “Vectra” £28

Necklace – H&M £3.99

Pose – “Looking for dropped car keys” (very popular in the blogosphere right now…)

Will it EVER stop raining? Ugh.
I’m struggling. The weather has turned and the dark mornings and nights are creeping in. My gut instinct is to hibernate. Wake me up when global warming comes (j/k …don’t get your reusable bag in a twist)
The heavy rained soaked skies mean bad lighting in the house, I’ve been in brighter caves. My only option outside is this length of sheltered porch which just happens to face our neighbours. I’m sure they think I’m a loon but no I’m just one of those kerazy bloggers from the internets….

Bad weather also equals bad hair. Flat as a pancake…. Have I moaned enough yet? I think so, time for some positivity!

Dolly has arrived! If we’re Twitter buds (@dressjunkie) you’ll probably already know this.  She actually arrived just over a week ago. Was a bit of a surprise but a very welcome one

Teddy was wary at the start (see the video below, apologies in advance for my “babytalk”. It’s an illness where dogs and I are concerned) but the past few days he’s been sleeping beside her and generally loving her play and company. It’s very heartwarming to watch the friendship develop

Zzzz

WTF is that?!

I’m wearing slippers all the time and Vogue said it’s ok! Yup this was one trend I couldn’t WAIT to get on board with. If you’ve been thinking about buying a pair of these oh so trendy Topshop Vectra ones I can highly recommend. First pair of flats in an absolute age that haven’t given me blisters and were 100% comfy from the off. I’m a UK size 6.5-7 and went for the 7. Perfect fit, in fact “snug” so I would definitely size up if you’re a halfer

I’m unemployed again! Now on the face of it this probably seems like it should be a negative but trust me it’s not, I was covering a permanent employee’s maternity. I had my going away lunch yesterday (why does free food taste so damn good?) and it’s been a long time since I actually felt sad leaving a job. However I really did. I’ve made some excellent friends and I’m pretty sure they’ll remain friends for a long time to come. I also left on great terms with the boss. So much so that he offered me part time hours to stay on. Sadly they were all afternoons tho and it wouldn’t pay me to do them due to after-school childcare costs. C’est la vie! I won’t be looking for anything else this side of Christmas, I’ve a bit put away in the bank and I intend to do some of that hibernation I was talking about earlier, along with sewing projects, house decoration and AQE cheerleading. Oh and long rambling blog posts like this… It’s very exciting really!!

My brother is a lot better. He’s fighting an addiction and so I’m not naive, this might just be a passing ray of sunshine. But I believe in him, I love him and I have hope

Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend xo

I went to Carphonewarehouse last night to pick up my HP Touchpad. I was lucky enough to secure a 32GB one for £115!! in the recent fire sale.

I might do a wee vid on it within the next week. My expectations were pretty low but I am seriously (read gobsmackingly) impressed with how fab it is. Matt has always had iPads and while I appreciate they’re great, the £400 pricetag (do you know how many pairs of shoes and bags that is??) means I’m never going to seriously consider purchasing one for myself.
Likewise the £99 Android tablets never piqued my interest as for that price I assume it’s gonna be pretty blah.

BUT knock a £479.99 piece of HP branded tech down to just over a ton and I am in there like swimwear.

It really is super pretty to hold and operate and since I’ve updated the software it runs 1080p vids just as smoothly as my laptop. Honestly, should you by some chance come across one at the heavily discounted price I urge you to snap it up. You won’t regret it for a second.

Onto my other lucky purchase. On the WANT list for the past month, I had all but given up hope of securing these babies, well unless I wanted to pay 200 quid on eBay…. (I’ll admit I was tempted)

What am I on about I hear you say?

The elusive Topshop Ambush Boots (£75) in black *swoon*

The fashion bloggers have went mental for these, and rightly so. They are an uncanny dupe for the much MUCH more expensive Acne Pistol Boots and in my opinion NICER looking.

There is nothing faddy about these boots, they’ll be as fashionable in 5 years as they are today, simply because they’re that classic cut of ankle boot.

The leather is distressed but not overdone and the heel is perfection. High enough to slenderise the leg but low enough to avoid sore feet and shoppers regret.

So thank you Topshop Belfast, for being the branch that gets allocated everything last. It has its perks

A hug in a cardigan

Get yours here

Saturday in Belfast was monumentally shit weather wise. It literally rained ALL day.

So I fought back with bright lips and mega glam falsies. Foolproof

I love these huge Ardell false eyelashes, they make the best reusable imo.

The eyes were simple and all shadows were from the Urban Decay Naked Palette (a true MUST BUY). Half Baked on the inner part of the lid, Smog on the outer and a smidgen of Dark House in the crease. No crazy blending. Old Skool eyeshadow

Eyeliner is MAC’s Fluidline in Blacktrack. I honestly hadn’t used this in 6 months easy, and you know what I kinda love it again. So cool when that happens!

My base was Dior Forever (full coverage) set with MAC Prep & Prime Transparent Powder. No blush, just a touch of Topshop Bronzer under the back of the cheekbones. Fresh but glamorous with a real pin up influence.

OOTD consisted of G12 @Asda Leggings, a Primark smock top (practical long sleeves) and my black Tall Uggs (I offer no apologies for my footwear choice).

Jewellery was my gold fill sideways cross which I’d resigned myself to having lost, but it had actually fallen into the Misters knicker drawer! I paired it with the latest addition to my collection, a cute pearl & silver chain from Accessorize which can be doubled up. £8. Bargain.

Finally I added a pop of colour with a River Island scarf £14.99.

xox

I went into town today to buy a bra. I came out with….. a Winter coat   
Sometimes I surprise even myself…

It’s from the Top of the Shops (Topshop for the slow ones…) and cost 80 smackaroonies. I’d rather have spent less… about 80 pounds less.. but since it wasn’t in the sale and I’m not keen on shoplifting I had to suck it up!

Excuse the crap in store photo, washes the colour out a bit and I appear to be sucking on a lemon… but you get the general gist of what it looks like on. It’s a Wool Duffel and it’s AMAZING!!

You can see the caramel colour better here.

The deep pockets, cuffs and hood have a classic tartan detailing.

Check out the wooden toggle buttons with quirky red and green stitching. The quality and finish is superb.

One of my favourite features is the deep hood. My head ain’t small and a hood normally pulls up to my hairline at most. This can be pulled right down over my eyes if needs be and two top buttons allow the coat to be fastened up over the chin. A perfect hidey hole on a bitter cold morning.

Size wise it’s an odd one. I’d normally be a UK size 14 in a coat, especially a winter one where I’ll be layering jumpers underneath. In this even the size 10 was ok on me, room to spare. I think it’s the intended fit. It’s meant to be a roomy coat. I ended up going for the size 12. Happy medium

I really don’t want to take it off yet! However I don’t think it’ll be too long until I’m pulling this coat on out of necessity.
Especially once the NI Brrrrr! sets in.

The only other thing I bought today was this sweet little necklace from River Island for £6.99.

xo

Just a few little bargains I picked up in Bangor this weekend.

First up, jewellery. I LOVE when Topshop have a jewellery sale as the reductions are nearly always 50% – 75%
That said, just because its a bargain doesn’t mean I should buy all the shit of the day. So initially I do tend to go a bit crazy grabbing everything in sight.

Then I take my haul to a mirror and try everything on (necklaces/ bangles/ rings) and hold earrings up to get an idea. Just by doing this I normally manage to whittle it down from about 12 pieces to 4 or 5…… ish

First up are two pair of heart earrings. Hearts are very “me”. I am very in touch with my feelings and a massive romantic. I’ve had my heart broken many times but I’d rather that than never having known what it’s like to fall in love…. So hearts make me smile

The stud silver pair were £5 down to £2, and the woven gold danglies were £7 down to £2

Then I got a bunch of silver bangles. I’ve been wearing a lot of gold over the summer, but my preference from young has always been silver. I thought these would come in useful over the festive season. £12 down to £2. Bargaintastic!!

And finally a sweet little owl, star and moon necklace. This wasn’t reduced but inexpensive anyway at £6. I bought this to wear with my Winter Coat from New Look as the owl has lovely emerald coloured eyes. Too cute!

Clothes wise the ultimate bargain was unearthed in my local British Heart Foundation Charity Shop. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I practically squealed when I found this dress nestling in the rails. It is a velvet & lace vintage “Kays Catalogue” Bodycon dress. I’m too embarrassed to say what they were asking for it, but needless to say I rounded it up to a more acceptable amount to donate to charity.

To be fair, lying flat/ on the hanger it doesn’t “really” look anything special but…

when it’s on, I feel super sexy. I adore any kind of open or low back. This dips down in a very deep lace covered V. LOVE IT!!!

Last but not least I caved in and bought a pair of super tight sequin leggings.

I’ve hmmed and haaed over these a couple of times. Do I really need them? Am I not a bit old to be wearing sequins on my legs at 30? But at the end of the day, I just thought fuck it. Life’s too short.

Now… when I’ll actually get to wear them is another matter. When I do though I’m thinking I’ll pair them under a nice long jumper dress/ tee. Keep it all quite simple and let the sequins do the talking? Any suggestions would be great!

So thats it from me for now, I’m off to stick a white wash on….. oh the glamourous life I lead

xox

Friday nights Tweetup was a massive success, everyone was truly lovely and looked amazing! If you fancy a nosey check out some of the pictures on my facebook here

Outfit of the Night

Black Vest (under lace top) – Primark

Black Lace Top – ASOS

Bodycon Skirt – Topshop

Jewellery – Primark Bangles/ Peacocks Necklace

Nails – OPI for Sephora Metro Chic

Shoes – Barratts!!

I am totally and utterly in love with these shoes, I’m such a pointy stiletto gal, I only wear round as it’s in fashion. With pointed courts I instantly feel like my legs are elongated and look sexy rather than cute

I also tried the new Scholl Party Feet Ultra Slim Gel Cushions out, and had zero “ball burn” …… Happy Days!

For eye make-up I went with purples, a nod to the shoes, and also to make the most of the green in my eyes.

Base – MAC Paint Pot in Blackground

Main lid colour – Stars ‘N’ Rockets

Crease – Dark Purple from Coastal Scents 88 palette

Outer V – Beauty Marked

Liner – Collection 2000 in Shake it up!

Mascara – L’Oreal Voluminous

xoxo

I absolutely REFUSE to admit our Summer could be over already, therefore I am perhaps somewhat inappropriately dressed for what is a dull rainy day. However my logic is, I own a car, and an umbrella, I’ll survive & at least I’m optimistic

I look very moody in this pic, actually I’m just concerned…I was using the self timer and the camera was perched precariously on the radiator……but lets just pretend I meant to channel some rock chick attitude!

I adore this new top which I picked up in the Topshop sale reduced from £25 to £12!

It combines a lot of my favourite style details; bold animal print, long line, batwing sleeve, ruching, one-shoulder! I particularly love one shoulder dresses & tops tho, they make me feel sexy but not exposed.

Leggings from George @ Asda £6

Sandals from Peacocks

xoxo

I know I do, and thankfully they were everywhere when I went into Belfast yesterday. Recession or no damn recession people were out in their droves and spending seemed to be the order of the day! It would have been rude not to join in…..

Heres a few of the highlights of my shopping trip

A gorgeous floral pashmina from M&S £14.99 A spring/ summer staple. I have several scarves but was holding out for a pretty blue toned one. This was love at first sight.

Staple summer sandals. I can’t be doing with completely flat sandals, they just aren’t comfortable on my arches, so this mini wedge talks my kind of language. M&S £15

A few accessories, actually truth be told this was all I was shopping for initially… oops

The long necklace on the left is from H&M £3.99, middle and right are both from Miss Selfridge and were bargains reduced to £3 & £2 a piece. The floral one looks quite over the top and gaudy but its actually very pretty on. I think it’ll be gorgeous on a warm summers evening with a plain white skinny vest.

A cute biker jacket from Dorothy Perkins which had an additional 20% off sale stock. I’ve been after one of these for a while to throw on over casual dresses when out for a night, but I didn’t want to pay big money. The wait paid off….DP’s £12

Bargains reached fever pitch in Victoria Square, the House of Fraser shoe sale was AMAZING! I spent a whole hour just trying on fabulous shoes. In the end I opted for these classic Carvela black patent killer stilettos. Original price was £95 but after two reductions I got them for a stellar £29

Last stop on Sunday was Topshop. Now I love Topshop but I do think that their clothing is mostly over-priced. I tend to get the bulk of my Topshop bits n bobs during their sale and yesterday was no exception.

This jersey long line vest is very me. It clings in all the right places and skims and flatters in all the wrong ones I’ll be wearing this over leggings now and as a dress with sandals as it gets warmer. I love multi-functional pieces like this and I’m stocking up on my navy tops which replace black for me in the brighter days £10

This next item makes me smile big style. I am totally in love with it. I’m calling it my “Kirstie Allsopp” number! It’s my new spring/ summer coat and I imagine she would share my love of it.
I like fitted coats but truth be told these full circle style numbers suit me best. I feel like Audrey Hepburn in it, it nips me in at the waist (Size 12 Yay!!!!) and yet sits out like a flirty dress over my hips. I adore it. It was £75 (I’d have bought it at that price) but as luck would have it, reduced to £35

Final topshop purchase and definitely not in keeping or to be worn with the above coat is a soft grey hobo sac.
This is a gorgeous casual slouchy bag that will see me from now well into Autumn. I’ll wear it with jeans and flip flops and keys will go missing for days in the bottom of it, but I won’t care!

So thats it for yesterdays shopping spree. I think I did well and have some great new season staples now for my wardrobe. I’m sure Gok would approve!

A little additional purchase today was a Max C dress from Tempest, I’m intending to wear this out tomorrow night when I go to see Girls Aloud in concert. Can’t wait!!! It was reduced from £45 to £22.50. My husband has pointed out that it is a little “red, white & blue” which is quite funny in Northern Ireland (perhaps not elsewhere), I’m thinking it’ll be grand, and sure at least I have my outfit sorted for the 12th

What bargains has everyone else been getting in the sales?? xox