Statement Tee

I've never really been a Tee kinda gal (tea yes, t-shirt, no!)

I get why people like them, they are comfy and easy to chuck on with a pair of jeans etc...but they've never really been...well...me. That has changed a bit recently. As I've lost a little bit of weight and have a new very short pixie crop, I decided to break out of my comfort zone of tights and dresses and invest in some jeans. Skinny jeans to be precise. After a bit of research on the old blogosphere, I decided to try the Topshop Leigh jeans, as there are a lot of rave reviews about how flattering yet soft and comfy they are...a must for me!

I picked up a pair in dark blue and quickly fell in love. I then went back and repurchased a pair in black and grey and am trying very hard not to get any other colours just yet, as I still want to shift a few more lbs!

Anyway, now that I have some suitable jeans, the t-shirt seemed a necessity. Just as well really as they are everywhere, and I mean everywhere this season! The humble Tee has exploded onto the high street for SS14 and everything from subtle prints to vibrant slogans goes. Primark have an amazing, huuuuuuge selection but I had spotted a couple in River Island, which I wanted to get my hands on.

The first is a simple white slogan Tee, featuring the slogan "Tres Vogue Madam." Yes it's a bit of a naff slogan, but I really like it...fashiony without being too in your face. I've already worn this with faux leather joggers and my Leigh skinnies, and a blazer and it looks fab.

The second is a nice black tee with the slogan "Little Black T shirt." Again, so simple yet so effective. I've been wearing this with my grey skinnies and cut-out boots and in the summer, I'm planning on pairing it with a super girly skirt.

I picked up both tops in a size 14, as I wanted them to be baggy. However, the style is already quite oversized, so a 12 would have been plenty baggy enough! They both have little rolled-up sleeves, which gives them a cool James Dean kind of vibe.

What do you think of this season's must have statement T? Are they your cup of tea?! (sorry, couldn't resist!) Enjoy x

Sparkle Sparkle

I have always been a necklace kinda gal. When I ask for jewellery, it's always necklaces, when someone hints they want to buy me jewellery, I hint back, better make it a necklace. Besides my wedding and engagement ring, I rarely wear any other jewellery that isn't a necklace.

So you get it...I like necklaces :)

For a long time now, the type of necklaces I have always gone for have been long simple chains with a funky pendant or charm hanging from it. From a Mulberry fox head to a Star of David, a teddy bear hanging from a balloon to a peace sign, I have a pretty vast selection.

Recently however, my taste has been changing and I have been drawn to statement necklaces, bib necklaces, collar necklaces, whatever you want to call them. The kind that sit neatly below your collar bone and make any simple top seem fashionable and stylish. These types of neck candy are what is more in style at the moment, and I am really glad they came along to break me out of my long chain and pendant funk.

I have put below a selection of my favourites of the moment, those which I have been wearing non stop it seems. All high street purchases, mainly from Topshop, Primark and River Island. Hope you like them!

I know technically not a collar necklace, but it's such a statement I had to share it! £8 from Topshop (sale)

£5 from Primark (sale)

£8 from River Island

£5 from Topshop (sale)

£8 from Primark (last year)

Mini Haul - Beauty and Jewellery

I fancied picking up a couple of beauty essentials the other day, and before I knew what was happening, I ended up picking up a bit more than I expected to! With the country going through a mega heatwave (I am so not a fan, it's enough already!) the glorious oasis of an air conditioned shopping centre called to me (and hot grumpy baby) and I found these fabulous goodies.

Topshop: £8 and £5 (sale)

I vowed not to buy any clothes in the summer sale, as my baby belly battle is ongoing (9lbs lost so far in 4 weeks) but as I passed Topshop, I couldn't help popping in and to my surprise, they had some amazing jewellery on sale, half price or better. I picked up these two statement necklaces. I'm going to wear the large black and gold number to my friend's wedding on Sunday and the gold collar necklace is perfect for adding a touch of edge to a pretty summer dress.

 I saw Becky do a post about this cleanser recently and I decided to try it out for myself. For a smidgen over £3, Skin Perfection by L'Oreal states to be a 3 in 1 purifying solution - dissolves make up, unclogs pores and removes impurities and tones and smoothes the skin. I've been using it for 4 days now and I do really like it. I find it slightly drying on my eyes and I use my Lush toner and moisteriser after, but it is a quick and easy make up removal solution.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush £9.99 from Boots

After all the blogging love that Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman gets, I thought it was time to try a brush out for myself. I opted for the expert face brush and I really love it! It applies BB cream and foundation so effortlessly and smoothly and for £9.99, I think it's a total bargain. I'll be picking up some more of these for sure!

Topshop Aurora nail polish £6

I spotted this metallic nail polish in Topshop called Aurora when I was choosing my jewellery, and the alluring sheen of the polish made me instantly pick it up and take it to the till. I tried it out last week and I wasn't 100% in love with it. The polish looks like it has more of a greeny tone in the bottle, but when applied to the nails, it's pretty much a bronzy gold. Still very pretty but not what I was expecting.

MAC Mineralize foundation in NW20 £27

So I went to MAC in John Lewis. I know I shouldn't have but I needed, for the first time ever, to buy a foundation, as I want a bit more coverage at the moment (thanks to lack of sleep...cheers Eli!) and MAC never steers me wrong. One of the lovely sale assistants sat me down and we tried a few options. In the end I opted for the Mineralize SPF 15 foundation in shade NW20. It's slightly darker than my natural skin tone and the mineralized effect leaves a lovely glowy sheen while the SPF 15 does it's thing against the sun. I only use a tiny bit over some BB cream so I can imaging this bottle lasting ages...which makes the £27 price tag slightly easier to bear!

Topshop Straight Ace £5 (in sale)

My final Topshop purchase (again, in the sale) is this highly pigmented lipstick. As I mentioned ages ago in this post, I love purple tone lip colours. I find they suit my pale skin and dark features really well and this creamy lipstick was only £5, so I couldn't resist!

MAC Narcissus £17

Yes it's another MAC purchase! This was a total impulse buy, but look at that gorgeous colour! This is a brand new Cremesheen Glass lip gloss called Narcissus and I'm in love with it. It's super creamy, smooth, glossy and stays on for ages, and that colour, a stunning mix of violet, pink and bluey tones looks great for summer or winter.

Finally I decided to try the L'Oreal Sublime Bronze self-tanning spray mists. I have a wedding on Sunday and with the weather as sunny as it is, I wanted to look a bit more sunkissed. I picked up the face mist too (both of which are on special offer at Boots at the moment). I think it cost me £18 for the two together. I haven't tried them yet - waiting for the day before the wedding, so I will give a full review once I have tried them out.

Have you bought anything new recently that you're loving? Enjoy x

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

So I wrote about my new obsession with floral crowns a while ago, and as the summer has continued, my love has only grown!

They are the perfect way to create a unique and fun look and, in my opinion, can be worn with your everyday clothes or used to accessorise a pretty dress for a special occasion - I'm going to be rocking one for two of my best friend's wedding in a couple of weeks.

I thought I would treat myself to a crown or two, as I'm not buying clothes just yet...waiting for pre baby figure to be back on track, and these look great no matter if you've lost the baby weight yet or not ;o)

As the popularity of these decorative headbands grow, more and more shops on the high street are doing their own styles. I've picked up three - two from Primark and one from Topshop.

From left to right: Primark, Topshop, Primark

 The first two I found in Primark. I happened to find them by total fluke while looking for a neon necklace, and these two crowns were hidden way at the back behind some weird hair turbans.

Primark £3.50

Primark £3.50

For £3.50 I don't think you can go to far wrong with these really! They are really comfy to wear and the pink and white one in particular is so sweet and is perfect for the summer months.

The third crown I got this week at Topshop. I saw it a while ago and loved it, but at £20 I wanted to wait and see if I still loved it a couple of weeks later. Well, I couldn't stop thinking about it and knew it would be great to wear with the dress I had in mind for my friend's wedding, so I popped back to Toppers this week and treated myself to it.

Topshop £20

The flowers are so beautifully made and really sturdy, plus the rich colour makes it ideal for taking you through summer into autumn - where I can imaging wearing it with a black biker jacket, boots and chunky knitwear.

So there you go. What do you think of the floral crown craze? Have you bought into it? Enjoy x

Christmas Jumper Love

I don't know what it is this year, but Christmas jumpers have suddenly become the hottest piece of fashion around!

From the high street to designer, Christmas jumpers have invaded the nation and what was once thought to be geek, is now oh so chic.

I love that you can get matching ones, his and hers and that they come in a variety of styles, fits and designs. You can go quite minimal and go for a simple snowflake or fair isle design, or go all out and opt for a full on Santa or snowman design.

I've decided to do a little round up of my favourite Christmas jumper styles, as well as the one which I bought myself...and the hubby...to wear on the big day itself.

Have you got yourself a Christmas jumper this year? Which style did you go for? Enjoy x

My Christmas jumper of choice from Primark - £12

Close up of the Primark Christmas jumper - £12
 

Boohoo.com Reindeer jumper £18

New Look Candy Cane Jumper £19.99

Boohoo.com Santa Jumper £15

Matalan Falmer Heritage Fairisle Cardigan £25 

Topshop Robin jumper £50

Topshop Christmas jumper £39

Ted Baker Fairisle knit jumper £99

Miss Selfridge Owl jumper £39

ASOS Christmas scene jumper £38


 

Marks and Spencer Reindeer Jumper £35


 

Halloween Fashion Must Haves

It's that time of year again - the nights are drawing in, the days are getting colder, the clocks go back, leaves are falling from the trees and Halloween is almost upon us (which mean's it's also almost Christmas! yay!)

I love a bit of Halloween fun - we always stock the house with sweet treats for kiddies Trick or Treating, some years we dress up and go to costume parties and this year I am seriously thinking about creating my own pumpkin Jack O Lantern.

Just because it's a time of year to dress up in spooky costumes, does not mean you have to look like a scary old witch! This season, the glamorous gothic trend is all the rage, and looking dark and decadent is "So hot right now."

With that in mind, I've done a little round up of some of my favourite Halloween inspired pieces on the high street, to get you in that spooky frame of mind - I know we still have 5 days to go, but start planning now if you have a big Halloween party to go to - or if you just want to get into the spirit.

Do you think this little lot are tricks or treats? Are you planning anything fun for Halloween this year? Enjoy x

Lace maxi skirt Topshop £48

Lace panel dress Miss Selfridge £52

Jewelled leather gloves Boohoo.com £18

Platform boots Boohoo.com £30

Snake ring Boohoo.com £10

Feather capelet Topshop £85

Ghost tee Tea & Cake £20

Mesh trim slip Topshop £35

Skull nail wraps Nail Rock £6

Cat headband Miss Selfridge £4

Tassel jacket River Island £40

Cat tank River Island £20

Extreme Cardigan Miss Selfridge £52