Weekend Wear: Maxi a la Marion

I was going to call this post 'Baby's first Maxi', because this weekend was my first go at wearing a maxi-skirt. I never thought I'd ever wear a maxi skirt, it just isn't my usual style and I thought I would look like I was wearing a tent. In fact the only time I've worn a floor-length skirt was when I played Maid Marion in a (very improvised) short production of Robin Hood! However, over the last few months I've seen many a babe (be it friends, fellow bloggers or even celebrities I admire) rocking a floor-length skirt, which made me re-consider my stance.

When  experimenting with a new look, I don't like to break the bank (unless I'm positively certain I'm going to love it) and I'm sure many of you are the same! Cue one trip to Primark and a rummage on the racks and I came away with this fuchsia number. The range of colours was brilliant - cobalt blue, emerald green and even jewel-toned purple. In the end (as ever!), bright pink was the obvious choice and I could see myself teaming it with some of my Sonia Rykiel for H&M pieces to create a swoon-worthy pink and black ensemble.

This weekend, it was still too warm to crack out the Sonia knits so I wore my new pink maxi with a slouchy grey marl tee by Disney Couture. The top is decorated with symbols from Alice in Wonderland, which I found appropriate seeing as I had just fallen down the rabbit hole into maxiland! This top is an old favourite from one of my jaunts to Downtown Disney, I really could go wild in the shops there (So. Much. Cuteness). 

I accessorised this outfit with a Topshop flower crown and gold glittery Vans. I think everyone needs a sparkly pair of sneakers at some point in their life!

Wearing this style of skirt was definitely a kick out of my comfort zone, but any uncertainties were soon soothed when The Boy smiled and informed me that I looked "like a princess". Aww! Maid Marion, eat your heart out! I took the skirt out for a spin on Saturday afternoon and I must say I quite enjoyed it. I'm not leaving my skater dresses and circle skirts behind for it, but I could definitely be persuaded to wear it again sometime soon.

What did you wear this weekend? Are you rocking maxi skirts this Summer? Who is your favourite character from Robin Hood?

Thanks for reading!

Weekend Wear: Saturday Girl

This week has been so warm with the heatwave and all, even a total tights addict like me has had to cut the stockings loose and brave bare legs! When I was younger I couldn't stand the warm weather at all, I burn very easily and always felt too hot and uncomfortable TO DO ANYTHING! IT FEELS LIKE I'M STANDING IN THE CENTRE OF THE SUN! HELP! OK, enough with the dramatics, it really isn't that bad. I can deal with the warm weather (and hey, even enjoy it) as long as I wear sensible clothes and slap on that sunscreen.

I chose to wear this Primark dress this weekend because it's very light and floaty, perfect for keeping cool in the warm weather. It's a bit different from my usual 1950's and skater style dresses which I normally gravitate towards, although it still nips in at the waist and has a full skirt. When I first seen it in Primark the unusual shape reminded me of Vivienne Westwood's Sunday Girl dress - with it's draped style top and hem sitting just below the knee - so I have nicknamed it the Saturday Girl dress.  It's very bright too,  I really like the blue and pink colour combination and it makes me feel very summery! So this weekend I wore it for a day at the park, embraced the bare legs and enjoyed being out in the sun (protected by an impenetrable shield of SPF110).

On my feet I wore my JuJu jelly shoes (again) - they are so good in this weather and very comfy for the big long walks I enjoy going on in the Summer. I used my new Betseyville pink glitter satchel. More pink! As if I wasn't wearing enough pink already. I got the satchel in JCP on my last Florida trip and it was marked down to $8! It would have been rude to NOT buy it, dontcha think?

Summertime always makes me think of bright colours (in case you hadn't noticed), so I did a multi-coloured manicure using OPI, Model's Own and Barry M nail polishes. To me it's like really lazy nail art - minimum effort but maximum payoff! Plus, I feel like I have rainbows shooting out of my fingertips.

I tied my hair up and wore a small flower crown from Topshop (in - you guessed it - pink) and wore some blue wayfarer style shades. I kept jewellery simple and wore a couple of rings in pink and blue. The blue ring is by Tatty Devine and the other was a gift so I have no idea where it's from (I like the ice lolly design though).


I've packed my tights away for the rest of the weekend. I sort of feel like I've thrown away a comfort blanket this week! It was worth it, and I really enjoyed our day at the park.

What did YOU wear this weekend? Did you go to the park or maybe even have a picnic? Do you have an item of clothing that's like a comfort blanket?

Thanks for reading!

Weekend Wear: Garden Party Getup

The sun came out this weekend (and he's still here!) and The Boy and I were invited to our first barbecue/ garden party of the summer. Never one to shy away from a theme I decided to dress in what I am now calling my Garden Party Getup - featuring lots of florals, GIANT sunglasses and a straw hat!

The dress is actually the Only White Dress I Own - and even at that, it isn't completely white. It's adorned with big yellow flowers and has a heart-shaped cutout on the chest. Sound familiar? I was in love with this dress from the Luella (RIP!) Spring/ Summer 2010 collection, but when I was unable to get one I discovered this shameless ripoff 'inspired by' frock from good old Florence + Fred at Tesco (DING!) at a fraction of the price. I'm not sure which one was responsible for creating such a good knockoff, but my money's on Fred.

A couple of years ago I bought these sunglasses from TK Maxx. They're Vivienne Westwood and a really pretty pink/ purple colour. They were £14 and even came with a proper Westwood case to store them in - I love how treasure hunting at TK Maxx can totally pay off! Even though I had just bought another pair of VW sunglasses about a week previous (AT FULL RRP, who's idea was that?! Probably mine, whoops) I still couldn't resist adding these to my ever-growing collection of sunnies and wear them the most.

OK, so the straw hat. I know, it all looks a bit like the part in Mary Poppins when they all jump into the picture - but I think it looks really Summer-y and I never get the opportunity to wear it since I appear to be in a wind tunnel at all times. And the hat was an even bigger bargain than the sunglasses - it was a mere 50p from Primark! When I had the hat and dress on together I wanted to carry a croquet mallet around as an accessory and find some penguins to dance with a la Bert from Mary Poppins. That didn't happen, but I did listen to old pop songs in the back garden with family and friends and eat lots of yummy food so it was still an awesome day (despite the lack of dancing penguins).

Finally, with sunny skies and little chance of rain, I wore my little Marc Jacobs-esque mouse flats from Primark. I know that these shoes will surrender at the first sign of water so I'm trying to wear them on dry days only. They are so adorable though, and an affordable alternative to the Marc Jacobs/ Charlotte Olympia animal flats that I covet so much.

What did you wear this weekend? Did you get out and enjoy the sunshine? Have you ever felt the urge to dance with some penguins?

Thanks for reading! 

PS: I've linked this post up to the lovely Melaina's blog -  you can check out her What I Wore Wednesday feature here and maybe even get involved yourself!

Weekend Wear: Green & Black

Sadly this post is not about Green and Blacks chocolate (sorry if I got your hopes up),  instead it is about my colour combo of choice for what I wore this weekend. The Boy and I headed out to Bar Gumbo on Byres Road (full review to come) and I had a new green Topshop dress (£25 down to £12 in the sale) that was dying to be trotted out.

I have this dress in black as well and it is one of my most-worn, 'goes-with-everything' dresses. I wear the black dress on its own, layered under t-shirts and cardigans and with printed tights. It's a good wardrobe 'basic' of mine. The dress is a simple skater cut, with three-quarter length sleeves and a nice textured material which makes it that little bit more interesting. The material also has a little stretch to it which makes it ideal for going out for food too!  So when I seen the same one in green (a shade that I have decided should be called 'Christmas Green') and less than half price I snapped it up. The only thing about this dress is that it is a bit short, I definitely wouldn't go bare legged while wearing it but then again I don't really go bare legged anyway!

It was really nice and sunny this weekend so I let my Lanvin x H&M sunglasses see the light of day and wore my lightweight Betsey Johnson jacket (basically a fancy sweatshirt because it's made from soft jersey material) and Mickey Mouse printed tights from Primark. I bought these tights ages ago but hadn't worn them yet. Being a huge Disney fan (and patterned tights fan too), I love the subtle nod to Mickey Mouse and how wearable the print is.

I also wore jewellery by Bonnie Bling, Tatty Devine, Fossil and Thomas Sabo. After realising I had so many dark colours on (not intentional!) I added a splash of colour with my comic-book romance hair bow by Something Different - a fantastic local brand whose hair accessories are always cute and well-made.  Never one to shy away from bows (as if!) I also wore a black bow belt from River Island.

What did you wear this weekend? Did you rock some sunglasses? Do you ever make up names for colours?
 

Thanks for reading!

Weekend Wear: Flower Child

Spring must have finally sprung because today I embraced my inner flower child and decided to wear not one, but two floral items in my outfit! I do wear flowers in my hair quite often but don't have many floral items of clothing in my wardrobe - in fact I think you could easily count them on one hand and still have a couple of fingers left over.

I bought this dress from Primark a couple of days ago because I really liked the Betsey Johnson-esque flowers n' stripes printed on the skirt. I think it manages to combine two different prints and somehow get away with it. The top half of the dress (hidden under my jacket) is a simple black scoop necked t-shirt so it balances out the skirt quite well I think! The print on the skirt is pretty, I really like the contrast between the colourful flowers and the edgier, monochrome stripes.

The jacket is from Topshop and is my first ever venture into stonewashed denim. I've always been an indigo/ black denim lover but this little number manager to convert me to the light side. Also from Topshop is today's flower crown, picked up in a sale last Autumn. I can never have too many hair accessories and this one reminded me of something a character from The Wicker Man might wear since it's so Summer-y looking. You won't see me leaping over a fire with no clothes on anytime soon though!

I wore my flowery pieces with some Vivienne Westwood x Melissa 'Ultragirl' flats with leopard print bows and my studded Urban Outfitters satchel (still glued to my side on non-work days) - it can't be all sweetness and light, I had to do something to toughen it up a bit! Today was also the first day that I wore my new, much anticipated Lime Crime Velvetine lipstick in Red Velvet. I had read many reviews of the product and wanted to try it for myself. Overall, I found it really long-lasting and highly pigmented. The 'velvet' matte effect makes it a little different from my usual MAC reds and the crimson colour is really striking. I like the 'liquid lipsticks' that seem to be a popular formula just now - this Lime Crime one is good but Lush's Passionate is still my absolute favourite. Obsessed!

What did you wear this weekend? Will you be wearing flowers this Spring/ Summer? Have you ever jumped over a fire?

Thanks for reading!

Weekend Wear: Parklife

This morning I woke up and the sun was shining. Like, REALLY shining! It was the perfect weather to go for a walk in the park so to my (and The Boy's) surprise, we managed to leave the house while it was still in the AM and headed over to Kelvingrove Park for a stroll in the sun.

What I wore today: I'm basically living in skater skirts at the moment (or as I like to call them, 'cheerleader skirts') and this black one from Topshop is my current favourite. I wore it with a bright  pink knitted popcorn sweater from Primark with the pink spiked denim shirt I bought recently underneath (can never have too much pink...) and purple Docs.

Even though it was bright and sunny, don't be fooled - it was still a bit chilly today so a jacket was still a must-have. I was happy to hang up my Westwood peacoat for a day (no offence Viv, but I'm sure it was getting sick of the sight of me too) and wear my trusty Topshop biker. There's something about wearing Doc Martens and a biker jacket that makes me feel like a tough chick from a B-movie girl gang, I'm sure I even walked with a little more sass! I wore my hair in a little half-beehive at the back, so happy that my hair is growing longer and I can start to do more interesting things with it now!

Accessories-wise, I took full advantage of the sun and wore turquoise sunglasses (bought for only 3 Euros in Barcelona, nothing fancy but remind me of Alabama Worley every time I wear them). I also wore my new satchel that I got in the Urban Outfitters sale this week (£34 down to £18 if you're wondering), it's small but perfectly formed and is great for being out and about.

Finally, I wore some jewellery by some of my favourite design mavens, Tatty Devine and Bonnie Bling. I got my beloved Peely Wally necklace by Bonnie Bling repaired this week so it looks good as new, and my Party Ring brooch is classic Tatty Devine awesomeness.

All that frolicking in the park worked up an appetite so we headed over to Smoak's new pop-up residency at The Sanctuary, Dumbarton Road, yum!

Have you been out and about today? What did you wear? Do you ever feel like a film character?

Thanks for reading!
 

This Week's Mini Haul

After getting some good news on Thursday I was in the mood to celebrate so I decided a few little treats were in order.

Like a lot of other people, when I feel like buying a few little things/ need a new outfit/ want a specific item/ any other wardrobe situation  and don't really fancy breaking the bank there is really one place to go that will tick all of the boxes. The clouds parted, a beam of sunshine shone down through the rain and illuminated the doors of Primark! Hallelujah! Maybe not as dramatic as that but it is in my memory.

The shops are in the awkward 'getting rid of the last of the winter woolies and having to hang them on racks next to Summer dresses and straw hats' stage in the season right now (although I reckon Primark kind of always have that going on, it's part of their charm) so I went in with an open mind and a limit of only a couple of things (one would obviously need to be a dress, but that goes without saying since Primark are the kingdom of the £5 magic dress).

The first thing I found was a pink denim shirt with studded spike detailing on the collar. Phew! Now, this shirt clearly has a lot going on and is not for the faint of hearts (or wardrobes) but I couldn't stop looking at it and decided to pick up one to run it past The Boy for his opinion. The Boy is going through a 'customising everything that isn't nailed down with spikes' phase right now (and this isn't a criticism - he really is rather good at it) so it was no surprise really that the shirt got the thumbs up and an enthusiastic nod (the highest of praise). For £12 I decided to give it a go and plan to wear it tucked into a black skirt or over a dress.

Next up was this most excellent McQueen-esque bag for a mere tenner! Ever since my faithful Lulu Guinness bag bit the dust (*sob*) last Autumn, breaking after two years of loyal service I have been on the lookout for a new everyday/ work bag that it big enough to tote all my rubbish essentials around in. I have other bags but they are brightly coloured and printed and sometimes all a gal really needs is a big black bag - a more stylish version of a bin bag if you will! This guy fit the criteria and was immediately hired. No more interviews, the position has been filled!

I really like the embossed black-on-black skulls - you can never have too many - and the size was just perfect. I had to giggle at the fact Primark were marketing it as a 'Weekender' bag - I consider it an everyday bag, but I'd love to show the head dudes at Primark what size of bag I'd consider to be a weekend bag!

It will never fully replace the Lulu Guinness-shaped void but it will certainly do for now.

I also bought a grey and black striped dress that I'd had my eye on when it was full price (£13) and now it was marked down to £7 so I snapped it up. Unfortunately it has to go back due to sizing issues but hey, you win some you lose some!

After hitting the 'Mark I headed over to Boots and ended my little purse-friendly splurge with a new blusher. I had been keen to try Nicola Roberts' Dainty Doll range for some time now but never got round to it. Boots currently have 1/3 off of the range and so I decided this would be a good time to try it. I opted for shade number 2, called My Girl. It's a sweet, cotton candy pink colour and I will be writing a separate post about how I have found it to be after testing it out!

 
All in all, a happy little haul that didn't cost much!

Have you treated yourself this week? Got your eye on anything nice? Feel free to comment below! 

Thanks for reading!

Pay Day Treats

I can't believe it's April already! March seemed to disappear in a heartbeat and before I knew it, it was chocolate egg time. Crazy. March was a very busy month so apologies for the lack of activity. A lot has been happening - most notably a change of job/ career to get used to (a good choice - touch wood - as I'm really enjoying it so far) and new hair which also takes getting used to (again quite a jump from what I had before...somewhere between Fabienne from Pulp Fiction and a 'lego man' bob, love it).

At the end of the month I treated myself to a few new goodies as a reward for taking the plunge. Since the "show off your haul" style of blog posts is becoming increasingly popular I thought I would have a go as well*, so here are the highlights of my end of the month goodies...

 

Blue lace dress, £15, Primark

Having seen coloured lace dresses on everyone from Daisy Lowe to Kelly Osbourne for the last few months, I wanted to try this look out for myself. The great thing about coloured lace is it really suits every skin tone as there is a colour and cut of dress for everyone. I opted for this royal blue skater-style dress from Primark. At only £15 it certainly didn't break the bank and the nipped-in waist and full skirt makes for a good silhouette. I wore mine with a red lip and nail combo for a bit of 1950s chic. Even though the dress was inexpensive the lace is really intricate and really the only thing I didn't like about the dress was the cheap PVC belt it came with (I replaced it with my own studded skinny belt). It also comes in mint green which would go great with darker skin tones.

 

Pink heart print dress, £13, Primark

Dress number 2! At this point I was on a roll and couldn't resist this cute little number. A few weeks ago the Boy and I spotted this dress in white, at which I huffed "that would be great if it didn't come in white". Et voila! It now comes in pink! Black and pink is my favourite colour combo, I don't mind looking like a liquorice allsort, especially when it involves kitsch prints like hearts. Again, despite the low price there is real attention to detail - like the bows on the pockets and button-up top. Who says 13 is an unlucky number?

Pink car print skirt, £15 (reduced from £30), River Island

Months ago, I had seen Prada's new prints for SS12 and fallen in love. The colours! The Grease-inspired retro prints! The co-ordinating guys n' gals pieces (including a very well-shot campaign featuring Michael Pitt)! It was all too much. At the moment I can't really justify spending what Prada are asking for, but one thing was for sure - I wanted some of that print! I was convinced that it wouldn't be too long before copycat pieces would start to appear on the high street, and I wasn't wrong. River Island have knocked the ball out of the park with this race car print skirt, a short yet full (perfect for twirling) 1950s inspired piece. I snapped it up faster than you could say vroom vroom.  The skirt comes with a great detachable oversized bow belt too!

Prada's print - a gal can dream

River Island's take (at a fraction of the price)

This month I also managed to get a pair of Topshop's sell-out Vectra 3 studded slipper flats. I made the silly mistake of seeing them when they first came out and thought "they're nice...I'll come back for them later". Bad move. They quickly became one of Topshop's best selling styles of the year (so far) and even had people on eBay flogging them for twice the price. Gutted. Luckily, the lovely girls working in Topshop let me know that they were expecting a small delivery of them last week and put aside a pair for me. Score!

My studded Vectra 3 beauties, £28, Topshop

It could be the influence of the many beauty blogs that I follow (although I have always been a sucker for make-up) but I also treated myself to some new products recently. I had been hotly anticipating the UK release of Revlon Colourburst Lip butters - a product that had caused a frenzy in the states - and couldn't wait to try them for myself. Believe the hype - these bad boys not only offer a range of gorgeous and well-pigmented colours, but they also condition and hydrate your lips. Much better than a tinted lip balm if you are looking for a lipstick look that does the job of a high-end lip conditioner. When I purchased my two shades (Cupcake & Sweet Tart - all the colours are named after sweet treats, very cute!), they were in a 2 for £10 offer at Boots - this offer isn't on at the moment but the Lip Butters are currently in a 3 for 2 deal if you are looking to stock up or try a few different shades for yourself.

Finally got my hands on them - Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters, £7.99 each at Boots

Another new product that I have been looking forward to the release of is Benefit's new Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation. There are a few things about this product that get my attention. Firstly, it's an SPF 25 foundation - not too common in a lot of foundations and when it comes to SPF my motto is "the higher, the better". I won't even entertain a foundation with no SPF. I also really like the range of shades available as I previously haven't been able to wear most Benefit foundations as they are too dark for my skin. The foundation comes in 9 shades (including 2 shades of ivory - one with pinker undertones and one with more yellow undertones - brilliant attention to skin tone that I usually only get on a visit to MAC) and the Benefit assistant was very helpful finding one to match me (and also gave me  some samples of other products to take home). The foundation also offers built-in skincare with vitamins C&E and a unique oil-free hydrating complex which can't be a bad thing!  The foundation is £24.50 and available at all the usual Benefit concessions.

Some of the other products I've been trying out this month are: Nail Rock nail wraps (the Marmite of the nail world, I personally love rocking the nail wraps), Models Own Beetlejuice nail polishes (so it's not just a clever name), Katy Perry for Eylure false eyelashes in Oh, My! (these are hands down the best false lashes I've ever used), and No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Dry/ Very Dry skin (I have been a bit slow to jump on the BB cream bandwagon, but what I like about these No7 ones is that they have different ones depending on your skin type).

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation (£24.50), Models Own Beetlejuice nail polishes (£5 each), and sample of Benefit's Total Moisture face cream -  all from Boots

Meadham Kirchhoff nail wraps (£7) at Topshop

So it has been a busy month for me and my bank card! What have you been treating yourself to this month?

* - sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, my Blackberry camera is pretty poor and doesn't have a flash!

Tights, Camera, Action!

As someone that lives in skirts and dresses, tights are a daily wardrobe staple. Usually at this time of year there are a few updates to my (and fellow tight-tastic people's) rotation of tights. There are two reasons behind this:

1. Thicker tights are required to combat the cold, and 

2. Fancier tights are desirable in anticipation of the Christmas parties

Point 1 is a no-brainer, last winter it was freezing and if it wasn't for Primark's Super Cosy microfibre tights with fleecy lining (a godsend and only £3 - bonus) I am sure my legs would have snapped in half like a pair of ice poles (the blue ones, obviously). Normally I am firmly in the 'cheap tights are a false economy' camp, but these ones do last pretty well and are cheap as chips so I am more than willing to make an exception.  With loads of other affordable thick tights on the high street, there's no excuse for cold legs!

Recently I treated myself to some new 'dressy' tights for the party season. A while back I blogged about La La Land, a local boutique in De Courcy's Arcade which has quickly become one of my very favourite West End shops. At the time I had spied a very awesome pair of pink tights by Les Queues de Sardines, but at £35 I didn't get them. But! Good things come to those who wait - I got them at the weekend for £20, result! And I love them, they make me feel like a superhero:

Disco Zeus tights, £20 (was £35) by Les Queues de Sardines at La La Land

They will add a pop of colour to my LBD and I can't wait to show them off. Speaking of Les Queues de Sardines, Tatty Devine now have a selection of their cult tights available on their online store. My favourites are the Bouba Bear ones (£40), bringing a whole new meaning to 'bare legs'. In a similar vein, Scotland's own Tights for Sore Eyes have a brilliant range of quirky designs.

Gold by Giles at New Look have a range of pretty tights just in time for the party season. I really like the leopard mock knee high ones - they remind me a bit of the excellent House of Holland for Pretty Polly ones - and at £7.99 they won't break the bank:

Leopard Mock Knee High tights, £7.99, Gold by Giles at New Look

Will you be dressing up your legs for Winter?