Frills 'n' Spills

Although I may complain about my hair, I have been lucky enough to have hair which I can straighten if I want to (unlike my younger sister for example!) even though I don't do it that often.  The other morning I woke up with completely mad hair- one side looked like I had been electrocuted and the other was completely flat. I knew that nothing would work except straightening it so out came my trusty straighteners, which I have had for years, and my rather snazzy hair styling kit from GHD. (post to come on this lovely set soon!)

I always end up pulling this shirt out for when I am feeling particularly uninspired with my work outfits and it was the perfect match for this purple suede-y mini skirt (seen here with my alphabetights). It was loose enough to contrast with the skirt but still look smart with the blazer (I hope!)

When I straighten my hair, I don't like it to look too pristine, so I liked how this turned out with the different lengths of my layers. I haven't had them cut back in now for at least 6 months but until I chop it a lot shorter my hair will still have all these different lengths in. Any tips on making my hair grow faster?

Do you have any tips on making your hair grow faster? What do you wear when you mean business? 

Another year older, but not much wiser! I will  be spending the next couple of days drinking far too much and dancing till my feet hurt with some of my favourite people so I will see you once I have recovered! ;)

Since buying the new Kate Moss lipstick, I having been loving richer berry shades and this Revlon Matte is that perfect shade of 'just finished a bottle a glass of red wine'.

This top is the last of my pieces from the Uniqlo x Orla Kiely collection (I promise I will stop banging on about it soon!) I initially ordered this one but that was in the parcel that went walkabouts and they only had XS left when I went to reorder it :( Apologies for the annoying strand of hair in this first photograph, I didn't realise that it had fallen out of my plait until I looked at the photographs! I loved the printed top and the camel coat but I did feel like I was dressed like a mum from the 1970s... 

I have seen quite a few bloggers wearing those amazing checked Uniqlo trousers and when I saw how awesome Jen, Hannah and Claire looked, I wanted in on the checked action. I picked up this pair of trousers after a lunchtime trip to New Look and I love the slim cut mixed with the check pattern. 

After all of my gushing about this collaboration, it's hardly surprising that I bought a few pieces, although I love my dress and my top (post still to come!) I think this scarf may be my favourite. I love the mix of colours and of course, the classic Orla Kiely print- definitely a wardrobe classic. As with all my new purchases, I wanted to wear it STRAIGHT AWAY and so it was duly worn the next day to work with my favourite rusty orange top...

How would you define your style? Any tips to stop it tipping into fancy dress territory? 

Sometimes I wish I was a 1980s teenager. I have a real penchant for 80s pop music and the garish fashion and I finally watched The Breakfast Club this weekend, which really sealed it for me. I have written before about 80s style work wear and this was another outfit that looked like I had pulled it out of my mum's wardrobe 20 years too late...

I have never bought any collaboration pieces before now  as there has never been one which I felt justified the cost of the items in question but when I saw the Uniqlo x Orla Kiely collaboration, I fell head over heels. I loved the colourful prints and the fact that it wasn't massively over-priced (take note H&M!) 

Apologies for the awkward face in these photos, I have had the most horrific cold/flu the past week or so and this was the red raw nose stage- not pretty. It was a bit of a faff getting hold of my lovely clothes as the courier seemed to mislay the parcel but luckily I was able to re-order all but one thing. I think I actually prefer this dress in the green/grey than the original red I had picked...

I love the fact that this dress has cute cropped sleeves, I prefer 3/4 length sleeves merely because I can still show off my snazzy watch ;)

Recently I have been trying to be a bit more healthy and eat food that is tasty without being full of rubbish. The problem is, in the week when I am at work, I just want something quick and easy which is where the problems can creep in... I picked up these mushrooms when I went to my first car boot from a local grower and they tasted amazing. I simply blobbed a bit of basil pesto (technical term there!) onto the top of the mushrooms and sprinkled a bit of cheese on the top (hey I said I was trying!) and put them under the grill for ten minutes with some chopped up mushrooms and cherry tomatoes until the cheese started to bubble. 

When Simply Be first got in contact, I wasn't sure what to think. Although I have put some weight on recently (hello sedentary job!) I am still a size 14 and I wouldn't consider myself plus sized. Potentially controversial topic aside, I was pleasantly surprised by the choice of clothes on offer and actually found it very difficult to narrow down my choices. In the end I went for this coat as anyone who knows me, knows that I have quite the soft spot for coats and I thought it would be nice to try a slightly different style. 

Even my usual trick of belting it didn't seem to work :( I am determined not to give up on it though as it is so well made and I really love the colour, I just need some styling tips...

Unfortunately my hair styling skills leave a lot to be desired but Eugene has inspired me to be a bit more adventurous with my hair, definitely something to try when I go out for my birthday!