Thigh high...

I always love the Topshop sale and the reduced prices give me a chance to try things` that are more trend-led without breaking the bank. Ever since the 'Angelina leg incident' of 2012, splits in dresses and skirts have been a bit of a 'thing' and although this dress is so out of character for me, I can't help but love it. I would never normally go for a midi length but the flash of thigh (ooer) definitely helps to make it more wearable and I quite like how cool it makes me feel when paired with my boots. I feel like my style has been in flux recently (I never thought I would be buying such jazzy leggings for example!) and since clearing out my wardrobe, I have definitely been more experimental with my clothes. Who knows what I will be wearing next week?!

Dress: Topshop, jacket: New Look, belt: Miss Selfridge, shoes: ankle boots c/o Spartoo
 The shape of the dress itself is quite classic and reminds me of a 1940s tea dress (I think it's the sleeves that do it) although I doubt there would have been quite as much cleavage on show 70 odd years ago, I couldn't believe just how boobalicious this dress was! ;)


 The print and bright colours were what originally drew me to the dress and they helped to make an unfamiliar shape and style more comfortable for me. I just noticed that my belt is wonky in this photo and it is driving me mad, I only wish I realised before Mark took these photos!


Flashing a bit of leg and showing off my favourite ankle boots in the world, I am seriously worried that these will wear out soon and so far Betty London shoes haven't been added back onto the Spartoo website (although they do have them on their Belgian site) Is it too excessive to ship them from overseas?! 

Goofy face: model's own
Have you bought any out-of-character clothes recently?
P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Spartoo

"It's my birthday!"

As you may have guessed from my overexcited tweets and Instagrams over this weekend, it was my birthday yesterday. I turned the grand old age of 24 and celebrated by spending 3 days eating and drinking with my nearest and dearest, what better way can you think of to celebrate?!

Some of my lovely presents - can you sense a theme here?!

My birthday cake was bigger (and even tastier!) this year. No-one can beat my Grandma when it comes to baking cakes :D
Making a wish...
This French Connection dress was perfect for the massive meal we had the other night, you can't go wrong with stretchy jersey ;)

Even Google wished me happy birthday!
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Flaming shots at the Jekyll and Hyde bar in Birmingham, I will definitely be heading back here next time I am in Brum, the cocktails were amazing

Thank you for all your lovely messages, I had a really awesome time!

Orange, leopard print and faux fur...

For me, Autumn is all about cosy textures and warm colours and I am always really pleased when I can dig out all of my darker coloured accessories- I love wearing the colour brown but it just doesn't look right in the summer! This beautiful orange/red dress is from Tesco (where else could it be from?!) and I bought it at the same time as my lovely tweed skirt. Unlike the skirt, it is still available on the website although it looks much shorter on me than it does on the model, I was planning on wearing the dress with nude tights and some ankle boots but I think it would have looked a bit indecent!

Dress: Tesco, tights: Tesco, faux fur gilet: charity shop (unbranded), belt: New Look, shoes: New Look
I picked up this gilet in the charity shop at the beginning of the year despite having my own D.I.Y. gilet this one is a lot more streamlined and is much less of a 'statement', it definitely raises less eyebrows when I wear it out! I have been wearing a lot of vampy nail colours recently and recently had to repurchase my favourite dark nail varnish, Max Factor's Ruby Fruit is my Rouge Noir dupe of choice!


I have been a lot more confident with wearing darker lipsticks this year and I really love the pared back look with the really dramatic lips. Unfortunately my skin has now gone completely mental so it will be a while before I wear this little foundation/concealer!


How are you easing yourself into Autumn?

Maisie the mannequin...

You know I can't resist fun accessories and when Out There Interiors offered to send me something from their website, I couldn't resist. I have worked with them before and as I was so impressed last time I knew I was onto a good thing! I had a pretty hard time choosing what I wanted to review until I saw this wonderful mannequin. I have always wanted one but never had the space until now so when I saw it, I couldn't order it quickly enough! I was super excited when she arrived and Maisie (as I have christened her) is happily ensconced in the corner of my living room. 

Click here to see all of the lovely things on Out There Interior's website

She arrived in a big box in pieces which Mark and I put together on Friday night (who says I don't know how to party?!) Thank goodness my Grandad takes in my parcels for me as the 2 ft tall box this came in would never have fitted in our letterbox!


I have to say though, I was nowhere near as impressed with this mannequin as I was with my 'M' lamp. You can see here how sloppy some of the glue is and where the fabric has worn through after rubbing on the side of the box. If I had paid full price for this I would have been really disappointed, it doesn't look like a lot of care has been taken with it :( 


There's nothing better than playing dress up and luckily I have been able to disguise most of these things with a few well placed accessories ;) 



P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Out There Interiors

Blue bows...

As you may have seen on Instagram, I recently went through my wardrobe and cleared out 5 bags of stuff to go to the charity shop, along with a sack full of things that I want to sell (would any of you be interested in a blog sale?) Originally, I put this jumper in the to sell pile but I fished it out on Monday as I wanted to wear it and couldn't bear the thought of giving it away. I have been wearing a lot of jumpers to work recently as our heating is a bit temperamental and although I managed to shrink this one in the wash (I don’t know how I managed it as I washed it at 30 degrees!) I quite like the more cropped length as it is way more flattering when I wear it with skirts and dresses. This is a pretty typical work outfit for me at the moment; a jumper worn with lots of thin layers and my go-to ankle boots make getting dressing in the morning much easier...

Jumper: River Island, shirt: New Look, skirt: Tesco, tights: Tesco, boots: Betty London c/o Spartoo
I have been buying a lot of jumpers recently (see here and here for proof!) and this one has been the most popular one I have worn at work so far, it seems other people are suckers for a pastel colour and pretty bows too! 


When I had my hair cut a little while ago, I decided to grill my hairdresser on styling tips. I am really low maintenance with my hair but have been wanting to learn how to blow-dry it for a while as I love that swoosh you get when you have been to the hairdressers. Rather than trying to grapple with a hairdryer, a brush and my lack of coordination she suggested a hot brush and so I decided to try one out. I bought this one from John Frieda at Boots and it is no exaggeration to say that it has changed my life. I tend to still let my hair dry naturally most of the time and then just use this to add some definition and volume to my hair in the morning but I can confirm it works equally well drying my hair from wet. Would you guys be interested in a full review of the hot brush/my hair routine? 


Ever since the first Autumn editorials started to appear, I have been on the lookout for a checked, kilt like skirt but they have all been either too expensive, too short or both so you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across this little beauty on Tesco’s website. (I have just tried to find the link and they have taken it down which is a bit odd!) As you can see from the photos it is a relatively modest length (for reference it is being worn on my waist in these photos) and I can make it even longer by wearing it on my hips if I want/need to, for just £16 Tesco have come up trumps again!  I have been wearing it non-stop ever since it arrived and will hopefully have another outfit post to share with you soon!


Which products have changed your life recently? Would you be interested in a blog sale?

The perfect striped dress...

I will always have a special place in my heart for striped dresses and this beautiful Boutique by Jaeger dress is my current favourite. I bought it back in July in the sale and have been willing the weather to cool down since then so that I can wear it. You can tell from my beaming face here how much I love it and thanks to its sturdy jersey fabric that manages to smooth over any lumps and bumps without feeling too restrictive, I officially have found 'the one'...

Dress: Boutique by Jaeger, necklace: Dorothy Perkins, tights: Tesco, shoes: c/o Matalan 
The fit of this just demonstrates why it is worth spending that little bit extra on quality clothes; even after wearing this dress doesn't lose its shape! I paid £35 for this, about the same price as the average Topshop dress and this is way more flattering on me! 


 I really wasn't sure how to style this at first, the red necklace seemed to be too obvious a choice but actually it made the outfit a little more fun and more ‘me', red is definitely my favourite colour to wear. I really like Revlon's lipstick and this is their Super Lustrous™ Lipstick' in Cherry Blossom - the perfect red lipstick for daytime...



The best part of this outfit though? The slight V-neck back is lovely (the back is the new erogenous zone dontcha know!) and it is all topped off with a lovely grosgrain ribbon! My ribbon unfortunately needs a few stitches to repair (I think I was a little too eager to unwrap it) but a safety pin is doing the trick until I dig out my sewing kit ;) On the ASOS website, they had the ribbon tied at the front but I much prefer it at the back. It may seem like a sensible dress but still has a little pizazz!


Keep your eyes peeled for my beautiful red lace 'Rosie' dress too (another Jaeger bargain!) I plan to wear it for my birthday celebrations in a couple of weeks and I am very excited!

Seasalt RAIN...

One of the best (and weirdest) things about being a blogger is working with your favourite brands on posts. I was so excited last week when Sarah, the lovely PR lady for Seasalt got in touch with me. Seasalt is one of my favourite brands and there is nothing better than working with a brand you really really love, especially when they send such a sweet card with the package! They very kindly offered to send me a coat from their new 'Rain' range which is both wind and rainproof; I accepted faster than you could say 'snug as a bug'. I have always hated having to choose between being warm and staying dry and with this beautiful coat I don't have to (hooray!). I wanted to talk about the rest of my outfit (like how much I love my new jeans) but let's face it, it was all about the coat! 

Coat: c/o Seasalt, top: H&M, jeans: Topshop, shoes: New Look, necklace: New Look
For some reason it looks ridiculously crinkled here but it looks less scruffy IRL. Despite my face here, I love the coat, especially the fishtail hem (no more mud splattered legs for me!)


How could you not love a cosy fur-lined hood?! Honestly, wearing this coat is like being wrapped in the world's most stylish sleeping bag, perfect for my early morning starts! 


Here you can see the lovely blue-y grey colour and the beautiful anchor buttons on this, the details really do make it and it really does feel luxe (which let's face it, it should for the money you are paying!) I have been wearing this nail varnish for the past week or so as the colour is amazing. I had been looking for a true orange for a while (everything I already have is too pink or coral coloured) and this Nars x Pierre Hardy nail varnish set is perfect - such a punchy colour! 


Waterproof, windproof and totally cosy, what more could you ask for in a coat?!


Have you found your winter coat yet?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Seasalt

Tweed and lace...

Tweed is one of those fabrics that I really love. Whether it is the country girl in me or just because I can't resist these most Autumnal of fabrics, if I see something even vaguely tweedy, you can guarantee that it will end up coming home with me! This dress was an impulse buy from Tesco early one weekday morning but despite that, I really love it! I have worn it quite a few times when I need to feel more pulled together at work and it always gets complimented (which is always nice!) I have just realised that everything but the tights in this outfit is from Tesco, clearly I can't resist their clothing ;)

Dress: Tesco, cardigan: Tesco, tights: John Lewis, shoes: Tesco
As it has still been pretty warm recently, I didn't need anything more than my cardigan to keep warm but I plan to layer this dress up with sheer shirts and blouses when the temperatures do drop, I have a green top that would go perfectly with the checked pattern. 


My favourite part of this dress though has to be the delicate lace overlay that covers the top (although I wish I went either a little higher or lower on the bodice rather than stopping halfway down my chest, I just think it looks a bit odd!) I wanted to show off the lace but wearing my hair up looked too harsh so I went for soft side swept curls instead. Paired with my new Revlon lipstain in Berry Crush it felt properly Autumnal!  


Originally I was going to pair this with either brown or black tights but neither looked quite right and these burgundy ones are way more fun and definitely one of my hardest working sales buys, I have literally had these for years and without fail, they get pulled out every Autumn! I was going to wear them with my burgundy heels but instead I went for these wedges which are much easier to walk in! 



90s inspired...

As you may have seen from my increasingly grumpy tweets this week, I have been off work due to being ill- always fun when you have lots of work to do (!) Unfortunately, despite being poorly, I have still had to leave the house (usually to top up on painkillers and Coke!) and unfortunately pyjamas are still out of the question in polite society, so what do you wear when you would rather be curled up on the sofa? This tomato red dress from Monki (yes I know, I am a Monki-aholic at the moment) is perfect for slobbing around the house in but is still suitable for leaving the house in. The shape of this felt really 90s to me and although I would never normally go for this style, it was definitely nice to try something different. I will be layering this dress up with one of my striped tops or slouchy jumpers this winter which places it more in my comfort zone, I have never been very good at casual wear but hopefully this dress will ease me into it!

Dress: Monki, belt: Miss Selfridge, shoes: Clarks c/o Spartoo
To make me feel less like a sack of potatoes, I added a belt but as soon as I got home, I got rid of it. When you are ill, nobody got time for that ;) 


In keeping with the 90s vibe, I pulled out my leopard print loafers. I haven't worn them for a while but they are really comfy and are perfect for jazzing up an otherwise plain outfit. I really like how they look with rich jewel tones so hopefully they will be getting a lot more wear over the next couple of months... 

I'm becoming kinda obsessed with printed shoes at the moment, I have my eye on this gorgeous pair next! 
Do you have any tips on how to deal with stress when you are poorly? (I think I need some!)

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Spartoo

Cosy Autumn checks...

Welcome to October everyone! Just like every other person on the planet, I can't believe that we are so far through the year but I have to say, October is my favourite month (and not just because it is my birthday!) This outfit sums up Autumn for me; cosy checks, chunky cable knit tights and brogues, you really can't go wrong with comfort at this time of year! I have wanted this dress for a long time and I managed to pick it up when French Connection had it in the sale. It is a gorgeous soft, brushed cotton and although I bought it a size bigger than I needed to, I think the slouchy fit actually helps to give it that cozy weekend vibe which I love. I wore this for a day of running errands and it has to be one of the comfiest outfits that I own, short dresses are great for just throwing on but I never know where to find them, any ideas?


I'm not really a fan of collarless shirts/shirt dresses as they just don't look right on me but I decided to try folding the lapels down and actually this made it a lot more wearable for me. I don't know what it is about round collars but I am much happier without one...


This gives you a slightly closer look at that gorgeous print and an idea of just how soft that cotton is. I swear, this outfit is as close to pyjamas as I am able to get away with when I have to leave the house! Please ignore the fact that I completely missed the belt loop here, clearly I don't kick my brain into gear at the weekend ;)


I was planning on wearing this with nude tights and some of my brown ankle boots until I realised that the sides are cut really quite high- no-one needs to see that much of my thighs! Instead I decided to go for my chunky cable knit tights and my beloved sparkly brogues, definitely the most fun pair of 'practical' shoes that I own and a staple at this time of year - I can't wait to crunch through the leaves in these! Brogues are one of those styles of shoes that I love on other people but struggle to wear myself, any styling tips for me? 

How could you resist their sparkly goodness?!

How do you wear brogues? Any recommendations for where to get a good shirt dress?