Eastern inspired...

Getting hold of this dress was darn near impossible,I first saw it at the New Look press day almost a year ago and fell in love but despite stalking the New Look website fr months I couldn't find it. I knew they had put it into production because it was featured in nearly every magazine I read and I WANTED IT. Luckily, Mark managed to get hold of it and I very happily unwrapped it on Christmas Day! 

Dress:New Look, shoes: Hobbs

 One detail I really loved about it was the fact it was backless but I hadn't really thought about how practical this would be for 'real life' and as stick on bras DID NOT WORK (I'm looking at you Primark!) I had to do the next best thing and wear a pretty bra instead...

 The high neckline and satiny fabric reminded me of traditional oriental clothing, especially with the bird print and the little details really reinforced this...

Gorgeous covered buttons...

The fitted shape ensure that this is extremely flattering, especially on a curvier figure...

 I went for peachy make-up to match the gorgeous bird print [Do you see what I mean about the photos looking much softer with this camera?]

I really loved this dress but I don't know if I have made it look too formal, would it look better a bit more scruffed up? If I was less precious about it?

How would you style this? How do you solve the problem of  making backless dresses wearable?

 

P.S. I received a comment which informed me that Oriental is in fact a racist term which I was TOTALLY unaware of when I wrote this so I have changed the title of the post. I am utterly mortified that I could have offended anyone and I apologise if I did.

Monki navy lace dress...

I bought this gorgeous navy lace dress when I was in London at #LDNLUNCH. Hannah took me and Lily to the Monki store on Carnaby Street and I fell in love. I have been desperate to try Monki clothing ever since Selina raved about them and I was not disappointed. I loved the layout of the store [I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures :( ] and could have easily bought bags full of stuff...I thought it was beautifully merchandised and I thought the prices were very reasonable too, I will definitely be going back!

Dress: Monki, belt: New Look, bag: c/o Accessories Direct, shoes: Office

I have been looking for a navy lace dress for a while now but all the ones I found were too blue and not dark enough... until I found this beauty! 

I bought this in a Large which I thought was usually equivalent to a 14 (my usual size) but I think the medium would have easily fitted so maybe size down if you buy it! I quite liked the looser fit though, it made it a bit more daytime appropriate as well as being very comfy, there's nothing like an elasticated waist! ;)

VERY windy weather made for some funny outtakes! 

I love the inky colour of the dress and  think it will look equally fab paired with some hot pink accessories! I just realised though that I paired navy blue with black... a fashion faux pas?!

Mark had chicken and bacon club sandwich with French fries

My bacon, brie and cranberry crusty granary roll...delicious!

Mark and I went for lunch at The Arthouse Cafe in Worcester which is linked with Huntingdon Hall and I would thoroughly recommend it, my food was lovely! Another unusual place to have lunch and a drink!

Do you like Monki? Would you wear navy and black together?

P.S. Apologies for the harshness in some of these photos, we were using a different camera and although it is very nice, I much prefer the softness of our DSLR!

Aussie virtual styling class... (PICTURE HEAVY)

On Wednesday night, myself and other Aussie Angels had a virtual styling class with the wonderful stylist Eugene with the opportunity to ask questions as the session progressed. I was unsure how well this would work but I actually really enjoyed it and it was good to see how the hairstyle could be adapted to suit different hair types. The style I was attempting to follow was a textured side plait and I took pictures as the class progressed . Please excuse blurry pictures/gormless expressions... 

MAJOR hair envy. Picture c/o Aussie. 

Au naturel hair after a day at work...

I decided to brush out my curls (a very rare occurrence!) in order to make my hair a bit easier to work with.

Newly smooth waves!

Aussie curl defining and shine mousse. I have always been a bit wary of using mousse, memories of crispy haired girls at school always put me off but this smells amazing (like all Aussie products) and actually sank into my hair nicely...

WHAT.A.GORM.

The amount I used for my hair. 

Softly defined curls...

A quick spritz with the Hi-Hold, Hi-Shine hairspray to keep the curls in place... I HATE the smell of hairspray so the smell of this (kind of fruity?)  is a welcome change from the usual synthertic smell and it manages to tame my unruly mane...win win!

Sweep your curls over to one side...

Plait your hair into a chunky side braid...

Secure with a bobby pin...

Despair at the amount of hair that has fallen out on the one side...

There was plenty of texture in this bad boy!

Twist it up and pin it underneath for an interesting textured bun. 

TA-DA!

I loved the idea of the styling session and I found it very easy to follow even if the finished product didn't look half as good. Thank you Aussie for another fab event for us Angels to try!

Would you wear a chunky braid? How do you style your hair? 

Ochre shoes...

You all know how much I love the colour red, especially when it's paired with mustard. I think it's an interesting combination that just adds something different to an outfit and one that I keep returning to...

Dress: Zara, belt: Miss Selfridge, shoes: c/o Zalando

I was very kindly offered a voucher to spend on Zalando and I seized the opportunity to get some comfy heels for work. I would never normally choose mustard coloured anything but I thought a voucher was the perfect time to try something out of my comfort zone. I picked these gorgeous Mary Janes from Zign and I am really pleased with them!

I wore this outfit to work and despite wearing the heels all day I was perfectly comfortable... definitely a big positive for me, I hate the hassle of breaking shoes in so that they are comfy!

I still haven't worn this belt with the playsuit it came with but I am sure it will get much more wear now it has a pair of shoes to match!

Pale legs: model's own.

I haven't edited these photos at all so you can see what a rich colour these shoes are. I was worried how the colour would look with my pale skin but I actually love it!

The heels give me just enough height...

Lipstain: Max Factor in Passion Red.

Would you wear mustard shoes? What colour combinations do you always go back to?

Garnier miracle skin perfector/ B.B. cream...

I should say first of all, I am not a beauty blogger and I rarely experiment with my make-up but I am constantly on the search for the perfect foundation. When there was all the hype around the BB creams I was dubious about how effective they actually were but I have actually been really impressed with this Garnier one. 

  

I have quite pale skin so I chose the light colour, as you can see, it goes on fairly orangey but when blended it matches my skin tone perfectly...

I bought it back at the end of  November and I wear it most days as the fluorescent lights at work completely wash me out if I don't have any make-up on and this is perfect for just evening out my skin tone without looking too heavy. Apparently the coverage is similar to a tinted moisturiser but I much prefer the finish of this.

Without any other make-up...

With blusher, mascara and a lipstain...

The coverage is sheer but it evens out my skin-tone and it gives me enough of a glow to not need a lot of other make-up. The dewy finish will be perfect for the lighter days and I can't wait to try it with some brighter colours. I only ever need a pea sized blob to cover my whole face [and that is a whole lotta face! ;)] so this  bottle should last me a while yet...

Have you tried BB creams? What is your favourite foundation?

Fairisle print...

Since I bought this blazer I have barely taken it off, the classic shape and the fun colour are an irresistible combination, especially as it works well with a lot of layers!

Blazer: H&M, jumper: Topshop via charity shop, pinafore dress: George at ASDA, owl top: [not seen] Zara,  belt: Primark, boots: Carvela

Rather than merely layering clothes under this dress like last time, I decided to go all out and add an extra couple of layers on the top for a slightly different silhouette. The blazer helped to lift the brown and the colours on the jumper tied it all together...

 I know Fairisle prints became a bit ubiquitous through winter but I can't resist a cute print, especially when it's in 'my colours' and from my favourite charity shop at a mere £2.50! The addition of a cute bow belt? Just because...

Once again, I turned to my favourite owl top to add a bit of interest and I actually love the way this outfit turned out. This is a much more relaxed version of how I wore the dress last time and I think I prefer it with nude tights although it does make the dress look much shorter!

Outtake of the day: ripping your tights to leave a massive hole in them is never a good idea! 

Sad face.

Luckily all the layers came in handy later in the evening when we went to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (a very stylish and tense film)...why do they always make cinemas so cold?!

Do you like layers? Which version did you prefer?

Buttoned up...

I have never been one for buttoning my shirt/blouse up to the collar, I think if you have any semblance of a chest, it can make you look quite chunky so I convinced myself that this was a trend that I would never participate in....One raspberry pink dress later and my favourite vintage shirt succumbed to this blogger cliché! 

Dress: Primark, shirt: vintage, bag: c/o Accessories Direct, shoes:Primark

Once again I have paired polka dots with my wonderful sparkly Primark dresses! I love the raspberry colour of this and I think it is a worthy addition to my overflowing wardrobe.

I just love the fuller skirt with this, uber flattering if you have massive childbearing hips like me!

I embraced the fluffy hair with this look, despite the fact it makes me look about 5 with this outfit! 

  
Collar detail provided by my dad. He came outside after thinking that there was a dog running around on our driveway and found me trying to take outfit pictures with the tripod and a remote. When he stopped laughing he offered to take some photos for me, so thanks Dad! 

I styled these dresses in 3 different ways (see here and here) but which did you like the best?! 


Do you like the buttoned up look? Which version of the dress did you like the best?

Oxblood and faux fur...

The title of this blog post sounds much more violent than the reality! It's amazing how much your style changes in a year or two and looking back to the last time I wore this fake fur on the blog was really quite a shock. I originally bought this coat off Ebay as I wanted a fake fur but was loath to pay too much money, especially as I knew I wouldn't wear it that often. When this one arrived, although I loved it, it wasn't the most flattering so it got pushed to the back of the wardrobe, languishing, unloved on a hanger. Luckily, when I was considering buying a fur gilet to layer up this year, I remembered that I had this coat and figured that as I rarely wore it, chopping off the sleeves couldn't do much harm! 

Fur gilet:  DIY from Dorothy Perkins fake fur, blouse: New Look, cardigan: Marks & Spencer, jeans: Miss Selfridge,  glittery brogues: Marks & Spencer 

It's still not very flattering but I don't know what to change to make it more wearable, maybe trim the shoulders down? 

I wanted an outfit that was cosy but still looked like I had made an effort and although I look really miserable in these photos, I loved the metallic tones with the berry jeans...

I bought this cardigan in the sale at good old M&S at the same time I bought this skirt and these shoes and this is the first time it has debuted on the blog! I loved the gold leaf effect that is sprayed (?) all over and considering that it it is cropped and full of holes, it is surprisingly warm! 

Plus it matched my glittery brogues perfectly, what more could you ask for? This combination will definitely be making a reappearance at a sequin Monday at some point! 

SWOOOOOSH!

Outtake of the day: me perfecting my hair model pose, am I really worth it?! 

What would you do to make the jacket more wearable? Do you like things to match?