#GeniusJeans from George at ASDA...

This post contains items that were sent for review

You all know that I am a massive fan of ASDA's clothes and when they asked if I was up for a challenge, I readily agreed. Picking out what to wear is a total nightmare for me at the best of times so as you can imagine, I'm absolutely awful at packing for a weekend away. George at ASDA challenged me to pick out some of my favourite pieces from their website for a 'capsule weekend wardrobe' and although it was pretty tough trying to find pieces that would all work together, it was also a lot of fun!  Mark and I have been spending a lot of weekends away recently and I wanted to inject some summer into my wardrobe and I will be sharing how I style up my picks when we visit Oxford and Portishead over the next few weeks :) Seriously, I cannot wait to show you how gorgeous this seaside print dress is!




I have been pretty ill over the last few days so this outfit was the perfect way to ease myself out of pyjamas and back into society. Apologies for the squinting in these photos, it was surprisingly bright and I couldn't find my sunglasses, haha! I felt really good in this outfit, who would have thought that jeans would end up being my outfit of choice?! This zipped pair really impressed me, they fit really nicely, even accounting for the ridiculous size difference between my hips and waist- not bad for a mere £14!

 All items c/o George at ASDA: top, jeans and shoes
This top could have been made for me: stripes, lace and embellishment- what more could you ask for? The fact that it is ridiculously comfy is just the icing on the cake! I picked this Korres lip butter stick up recently and it has been soothing my chapped lips a treat. It is supposed to be tinted but I haven't really noticed it. I imagine it would be a bit more obvious over a lip tint?


Yes, I have committed the ultimate fashion faux pas: the shametuck but it was for a good reason, I promise ;) I really love the zip detail on these jeans and wanted to show it off. You can also see the gorgeous lacy detail on this top in this picture too- it could be overkill for some but I have never been a fan of minimalism!


It was really difficult to photograph these shoes (#firstworldproblems) but they are a pearlescent off-white/cream and have a slightly metallic sheen. The material is super soft meaning they are absolutely lovely to wear and I know I will get lots of use out of them with my summer dresses and skirts this summer.


Would you wear supermarket jeans? Are you a fan of George at ASDA?

P.S. I was sent these items to review but if I didn't love them, I wouldn't feature them!

Tulle-tastic...

I am a firm believer in not saving things for best, I love getting all dressed up and the thought of only wearing certain items of clothing on special occasions makes me feel really quite sad. Who knows what may happen to you in the future? Preachy as it sounds, my motto is to try and live each day to its fullest and any excuse to wear this skirt is alright with me! ;) What I love about this skirt is that you can wear it all dressed up or dressed down for a more casual look like this one. The weather has been so weird around here, it has been absolutely boiling (can you believe it has been warm enough for bare legs in April?!) but I'm glad we get occasional bursts of rain too, I know it's controversial but I'm really not a fan of summer!

Jacket:  c/o George at ASDA, top: NW3 by Hobbs, skirt: Monki, shoes: Marks & Spencer
This gorgeous owl top is a long-term resident of my wardrobe and I absolutely love it, it is just so darned comfy. I do like wearing it with bright colours too but it just works so well with black! I have been trying to use less heat on my hair and embrace a more natural look hence the slightly unruly curls here!


I really need to work out how to iron this skirt, it looks so awful all creased up like this! (oops!) I should probably wear this with slightly higher heels but I just can't be dealing with that for a busy day at work and I love how much more relaxed it is with these divine shoes. I have recently ordered a very similar coral pair of shoes from Clarks and I cannot wait to try them with this skirt!


How would you style a tulle skirt?

#AmyandGarrygetmarried... (PICTURE HEAVY)

As you may have seen from the many messages on Twitter and Instagram, the lovely Amy and Garry got married at the weekend and it was just the most wonderful day. The reception was held at Lamb's Tavern in Leadenhall Market and you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful location. I was so thrilled to be invited to the wedding and we had the best time- blogger friends really are the best! I never had many girl friends growing up but blogging has given me some amazing, smart and beautiful women that I am proud to call my friends and being part of their lives is an amazing thing. 


I mean, just look at that beautiful ceiling! 


You can't beat a cobbled street either...


Sadly all of our photos from the evening came out pretty blurry but you can definitely feel the love here- the lovely couple during their first dance. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried, Amy just looked so beautiful and I can't resist a couple in love!


There was lots of dancing... 

Image from the lovely Sarah
...especially with this beautiful lady! Sarah is one of my favourite ever blogger friends and it is so nice to spend the evening with someone you just click so well with. 


Unfortunately none of these photos were in focus but I think you can see how much Mark and I were enjoying ourselves!


The books hanging from the ceiling were amazing too- I just wish you could pull them down to read!


I really loved this starry ceiling, I just need to persuade Mark that we can paint ours like this! 


As the evening went on, we went down into the depths of Old Tom's bar, named after a gander who escaped slaughter in the early 1880s and lived to the grand old age of 37- not bad for a goose!


This rather cute 'Shanghai Shaun' the sheep provided much hilarity throughout the evening, as well as plenty of photo opportunities! 


You may recognise the wonderful work of  the very talented Sarah here too. We all added our fingerprints to this beautiful illustration rather than signing a guest book- isn't this such a lovely idea?!


This garden was tucked in by the New Court and was so beautiful. We did try and get some pictures in front of it but as it was a bank, a security guard told us that taking photos was forbidden and we had to scarper!


I have to say, the City is not an area of London that I know very well but it is absolutely beautiful, even if everything is shut at the weekend!

Dress: Coast, shoes: New Look, bag: ASOS
I wore this beautiful Coast Kampia dress (which is now on sale for £19!) along with my bargain New Look shoes and ASOS bag. Coast make the most beautiful dresses and are my 'go to' for occasion wear although I realised that I had committed a bit of a faux pas when I got to the wedding as they dress was a similar colour to the bridesmaids' ones- oops!


I fell in love with the inky blue/violet of this dress and these gorgeous embroidered flowers. As the dress was so elaborate, I kept my hair and make-up pretty simple and went for Essie 'Spin the Bottle' on my nails which may be my perfect nude shade!


We stayed at London Central Bank Travelodge which was gorgeous- way prettier than your average and super convenient too! The City may not be your first choice of places to stay but it was beautiful and it is pretty darned fun to wander around and pretend you are rich enough to live there!

Camel and Clarks...

I have been feeling pretty ropy recently but it was Mark's birthday on April fool's day and rather than wallowing at home, we decided to go out to Gloucester Quays for a little bit of shopping and a lot of food at Portivo Lounge. We are massive fans of the chain and Impero Lounge is one of our favourite places to go when we visit our friends in Portishead so we had high hopes! The food was delicious and although the atmosphere was a little lacking, it was early on a Wednesday night so we can forgive them for that! I didn't want to get all dressed up but as we were celebrating Mark's birthday, I wanted to make some effort so went for my favourite skinny jeans and a jazzy top instead. It seemed fitting that I wore my birthday present from him on his birthday so I pulled this gorgeous camel coat out of the wardrobe and it was the perfect finishing touch to this outfit. Outlet shopping can be a bit hit and miss but I am a massive fan and I even managed to pick up a few bargains (including this gorgeous Gap dress) which I will be sharing soon :)

Coat: H&M via Mark, top: Warehouse, jeans: ASOS, shoes: Clarks
Since buying my GHDs I have been wearing my hair straight more and more often as it is just so easy and helps me feel more pulled together (even if the truth is a different story!) My fringe had got far too long by this point so I pinned it back and I quite like how severe it looks, especially paired with this darker lipstick (Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Crush FYI)


The sleeves are the best part about this top-  they are much more interesting than regular sleeves and are super cosy too- no cardigan is needed with these bad boys! The print on this top is really unusual too, it reminds me of ink stains and is much more interesting than your bog standard florals...


These gorgeous suede shoes were another Clarks sales bargain a while ago and I really love them. I find suede shoes so easy to wear and these are ridiculously comfy, even after wandering around outlet shops all evening ;) 


Are you a fan of outlet shopping?

How to dress for the temperamental Spring weather...

I thought I would give you all a break from being all dressed up by sharing one of my favourite casual outfits that I have worn recently.  This oversized jumper is one of my favourites and although it has only ever made it to the blog once before, I wear it a lot. I find this time of year really difficult to dress for as it is cold when I leave in the morning but I am boiling by the time I get home- I don't know how anyone manages! Luckily this outfit comprises of lots of thin layers which are surprisingly versatile as well as being ridiculously comfy. I mean, you're only about one step away from pyjamas which can only be a good thing, amirite?!

Jumper: Laura Ashley c/o Matilda, top: Mango, jeans: Warehouse, shoes: George at ASDA
As you can see, this photo shows my hair in all its wavy glory. Although I love a sleek bob, I do like my hair 'au naturel' too. It has taken me many years to learn to love them but I wouldn't trade in my thick curls for anything! I also went for a more natural look with my make-up too. I recently re-found my Revlon lipbutter in 'Peach Parfait' which is the perfect nude-y peach shade which makes a nice change from all the bright lipsticks that I wear!


Skinny jeans are the perfect accompaniment to a jumper this boxy and these Warehouse ones fit like a glove due to being worn so much, You can almost see the beautiful L K Bennett charm bracelet I got from my parents at Christmas here too, I don't wear it every day because I am worried about damaging it but it was a good way to dress this outfit up slightly and to highlight the silver buttons in the jumper! This Max Factor Angel Nails varnish is one of my favourites and although it is a shimmery pale gold, it picks up whatever colour it is next to and has ended up looking silver here. It's a lovely neutral shade and definitely worth picking up if you see it instore or online!


How do you dress for the temperamental Spring weather?

Yes, another red lace dress...

I'm Maria and I can't stop buying  little red dresses. In fairness it has been a while since I last bought a little lace dress but my #simplybereal moment was right on! I found this M&S beauty on Amazon and it was the last one left, and in my size- it had to be fate! The colour s a bright scarlet and it is very bright, so much so that I had to turn the brightness down on these photos... I wore this for the Easter meal that I had with Mark's family and it was perfect for stuffing myself with plenty of banoffee pie as it skims over all my lumps and bumps nicely. Luckily the lace dresses it up enough that you don't need any other embellishment so it is super easy to wear too- who would guess that such a fancy looking dress would be so easy to wear? I couldn't believe how pale I looked in these pictures but I actually really love the contrast as it is so dramatic! 

Dress: Marks & Spencer via Amazon, shoes: Marks & Spencer, belt: Primark
I was worried that the neckline was a little bit frumpy as it looked quite matronly in some photos but it definitely grew on me throughout the day. I really love the sheer lace on the sleeves, I just wish the top of the bodice was the same- maybe that would help with the frump factor? I paired it with my favourite red lipstick (Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in Ruby Tuesday FYI) and a different red nail varnish (for once!) This is the rather lovely Victoria & Albert by Nails Inc and it is another classic red that wears really well. I have had it on all week and it is only just starting to chip 4 or so days later.


I really  need to find a replacement pair of these shoes, I wear them nearly every day and they are starting to look a bit scruffy now. If anyone sees them in a size 7, please let me know! 


Which type of clothes do you keep buying?

An elegant Easter outfit...

This gorgeous white dress was another one from the wardrobe of the lovely Alice and it is absolutely beautiful. I have been waiting to wear it as it is definitely an 'occasion' dress and although I imagine it would be lovely for a christening, no-one I know has had a baby so the big Easter meal with my family was the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl. I will take any excuse to get all dressed up and I know that this dress will become a staple for family occasions where I need to look sophisticated. I felt really elegant in this outfit and had a massive grin on my face all day- it's amazing what a gorgeous dress can do for your confidence and mood! I was originally going to curl my hair but I actually think that the straighter hair helps it look a little more modern, especially paired with a pinned back fringe. I went for my favourite red lipstick, Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in Ruby Tuesday to jazz it up and it did the job nicely!

Dress: Marks & Spencer c/o Alice, shoes: Marks & Spencer
You can see just how gorgeous the heavy crochet lace is here and the black grosgrain ribbon too. I was a little bit nervous about how fitted this dress was but I think it looks OK, what do you think? I know I keep raving about Essie 'Aperitif' but it is just such a good classic red! I need to get some more Essie polishes- which shades should I try next?


This skirt is a little bit longer than I would usually feel comfortable in but I think that is what makes it look pulled together- maybe I just need to rethink what hemlines I can actually pull off? Paired with the comfiest mid heeled shoes I own, I think this almost-midi-length looks pretty darned good!


Which Essie shade should I try next? Do you get all dressed up for Easter?

Bluebells...

There are some dresses that just put a smile on your face and this gorgeous Uttam Boutique dress is certainly one of them. I have been feeling pretty poorly recently so I needed something to put a spring back into my step. The woodland print on this dress is stunning and paired with its deliciously swooshy skirt, it was the perfect thing to wear to cheer up a rainy bank holiday. I have never seen a more enthusiastic reaction to an outfit on Instagram, you all loved it as much as I do! The dress is available here and it is on sale so go and bag yourself a bargain ;) It was absolutely pouring with rain when we took these photos so my hair has gone a little bit flat in some of these pictures which is very annoying, haha! As you may know, I have been trying to lose a little bit of weight and I was really pleased as this dress was a size smaller than I would usually wear, Ideally I could lose another half a stone or so but I have been really pleased with my progress so far!

Dress: Uttam Boutique. belt: Tesco, tights: Marks & Spencer, shoes: c/o George at ASDA
I have definitely decided to grow out my fringe and I am hopeful that it won't take too long as it has already grown a huge amount already. I have a hair appointment later this week so hopefully we can wrangle it into something resembling a style! This Bourjois lipstick is one of my favourites and I am seriously tempted to buy it in all the colours as it is just so easy to wear!


Originally I was going to wear this without the belt like the lovely Sarah but actually it looked like it was missing something so I dug out one of my million black skinny belts to go with it which helped to break up the pattern a little bit. I love dresses that hit just above the knee and paired with my beloved block heeled shoes, I felt super tall which is quite an unusual feeling for me! ;)


Which dresses put a spring in your step? How do you stay motivated?

Electric blue leopard print...

I have only had this leopard print tea dress for a couple of months but it has already crept to the top of my 'must wear' pile as it is just so easy to wear! It reminds me a lot of this blue leopard print dress (what do you mean you don't own several variations of brightly coloured leopard print?!) but this is definitely the more wearable version. I have worn this dress to work, dinner and drinks and birthday parties- it's very versatile thanks to its jersey material and has become one of the hardest working pieces in my wardrobe as a result! Paired with my faux leather jacket, I felt very cool here, I love an outfit that fills you with confidence and this made me feel super sassy, never a bad thing in my opinion! ;) Who knew that I would become such a leopard print fan?! Certainly not me all those years ago! Apologies for the slight blurriness in some of these photos, it was so windy when we took these photos that they have ended up looking like I am moving at great speed, haha!

Jacket: c/o George at ASDA, dress:French Connection, shoes: c/o George at ASDA
This cardigan is another one of the hardest working pieces in my wardrobe, it was originally hip length but I managed to shrink the body of it in the wash although the sleeves stayed the same length (how bizarre!) It is made of wool so is lovely and warm but luckily it is a slim enough layer that it can even be worn under jackets and it bundles down to nothing in my bag when I overheat- brilliant!

Cardigan: BHS via Mark's mum
You can see how long my fringe has got again here! I am definitely going to grow it out next time I get my hair cut, I just hope my hairdresser can work her usual miracles with it! You can see how bright this print is too- you can't beat electric blue for cheering you up! I have been wearing liquid eyeliner more and more recently as it helps to define my oh so tired eyes and make me look more awake- I have been super busy recently so I need all the help I can get make-up wise!


I was originally going to wear this dress with my trusty black opaques but I actually prefer it with nude tights- it feels much easier and breezier and paired with these leg lengthening shoes I was skipping through the day. Seriously if you can, buy yourself a pair, they are so comfy and go with everything in my wardrobe!


Are you a leopard print fan? Any tips for growing out my fringe?