Frills 'n' Spills

This post contains a bra that was sent for review

I have been wanting to try the Triumph Magic Wire bra ever since the lovely Poppy raved about it back in September last year. The metal underwiring has been replaced by a piece of silicone which offers the same support without any of the digging in. House of Fraser very kindly offered to send me some underwear and this was the only possible choice for me. A nude bra is hardly the most exciting piece but under certain tops or dresses it is essential and is certainly a staple of my wardrobe. After wearing this all day to run various errands, I can confirm that this is the comfiest bra I have ever tried on and I will be buying it in all its different variations, it really is that good!

Recently, I have found that I have been dressing up less and less, especially at the weekend. This is partly practical- it is difficult to hoover the car in a mini skirt but partly because the clothes I am choosing aren't (necessarily) as unique. When I was a student, I spent a lot of time hunting down bargains in charity shops whereas now I order most of my clothes online, or pick them up in supermarkets. That isn't to say I don't love those clothes, just that I suppose my wardrobe is more generic than it used to be! This blouse is one such item, I picked it up in the sale at Sainsbury's after spilling some food down my front (I am an adult, I promise!) and have been wearing it nonstop ever since. I don't usually get on with sleeves but these are really floaty and the loose shape means that I am not boiling to death in it which is always a risk in the summer. The embroidery on this also makes it much more interesting and I really love the contrast of the bright blue with the white, it feels very fresh and summery!

My beloved Warehouse skinnies have been looking a bit worse for wear recently but they are just so comfy that I am reluctant to give them up just yet, here's hoping a similar pair come up in the sale! Usually when the weather hots up I go for bright nail varnishes but recently I have been loving more autumnal shades, maybe because they contrast so well with my summery clothes? There is an exception to every rule though and I have been wearing Nails Inc Gel Effect Kensington Passage nail varnish on my toenails ever since I got it in my Glamour beauty box. It is the perfect coral shade and even makes pasty pale old me look like I have a tan!

Have you tried the Triumph Magic Wire bra yet? Are you as big a fan as me?

Whatever I did, I couldn't get my hair to work with this outfit so I opted for a mini quiff to keep it off my face and paired it with this gorgeous pink lipstick: Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick in Pink Pong 06 . I love the transformative power of bright lippie, the rest of my make-up was pretty minimal but thanks to this hot pink shade, I still felt pulled together.

I had been looked for a swing-y tunic top for a while and I'm really pleased with this one from Daisy Street,it has a nice high neckline, making it ideal for work but the split sides and looser fit make it nice and light too, especially with more fitted trousers like these. The jeans are actually a dark navy, but look almost black here which I really like, dark jeans always look dressier to me! I don't tend to wear much black but I'm really impressed with this top and am seriously tempted to order the other colours too

 A closer look at the coating on the jeans and the zip detail at the ankles. We joked that actually waterproof trousers would be great for wearing out, at least if someone spilt their drink down you, it would just wipe off! ;) I was lucky enough that my parents bought me these beautiful cerise Mary Janes when I graduated and although I don't wear them as much as I would like, they were the perfect way to add a bit of interest to a very plain (for me!) outfit.

How would you style these jeans? 

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

 When I went to the opticians last year, I was terrified slightly apprehensive. I knew that I needed to wear glasses, having worn them throughout my teen years (hilarious MySpace photo proof here!)  but I had never managed to find a pair that I liked enough to wear consistently so when I was told that I needed to wear them all the time, I panicked. Luckily there is a lot more choice available now (especially for the right price!) and over the past year I have had some rather lovely pairs making full use of the various deals at Specsavers to give myself a bit of choice. Mark is always horrified that I am willing to pay so much for some frames but I figure that I am wearing them everyday and a good fashion blogger needs choice, amirite?! ;)

These glasses on the other hand were a statement pair, worn when I was feeling either particularly confident or particularly timid. It is difficult to be shy and retiring when you have such a humongous pair of frames on your face! I actually preferred the colour of these to the other Gok Wan pair but they can seem a bit harsh and definitely need to be paired with strong lipstick to work!   

These burgundy beauties are a new addition to my glasses collection and are actually from Karen Millen- not a brand I was particularly familiar with, until I saw these beauties. I love the burgundy frame and they are an easy way to introduce a splash of colour to an outfit without looking too gimmicky. The tone of the  purple seems to change depending on what colours I wear them with which I also like, you can't beat versatility! 

 As you can see, I tend to go for an oversized cat-eye shape and this pair are absolutely gorgeous. I think the  shape of the frame suits my face better than my last oversized pair and the gold detail across the top adds some subtle glamour. (The fact that they reminded me of a more wearable version of these also helped with my choice!) It was really difficult to photograph them properly but this photo gives more of an idea of the blinginess...

 A snazzy orange leather lined case doesn't hurt either! 8)

Do you wear glasses? How do you choose your frames?

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

This book would be the perfect gift for someone heading off to uni or just moving into their own house- it is fun but still comprehensive enough to ensure that your party goes with a bang! 

What is your signature cocktail?

P.S. This book was sent to me for review 

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 ;) 

Despite that though, once you get the dress on I do really like it. The colour is great and I love shift dresses, especially for work. I have reordered the dress in the next size up and I know that it will get a lot of wear at work when I have important meetings (you can't go wrong with fitted dresses!) Hopefully sizing up will give me a bit more wriggle room ;) 

A better look at the colour- I really love forest green, especially in the Autumn! Whilst the fit of this dress was completely bizarre and I'm not entirely convinced by the 'magic' layer, I really like the colour and I can't wait for my replacement frock to arrive! 

I never thought that there would be more than one post of me dressed in exercise gear on this blog but strangely enough I have been enjoying exercising (when I can motivate my sorry self to go for a run or head into the gym!) Since this first post I have expanded my collection of exercise gear and this purple and orange top is a suitably jazzy addition to my wardrobe. It is a pretty weird shape but is really comfortable and most importantly it doesn't ride up when I'm exercising - there's nothing worse than constantly having to hoick stuff up or down!

I really love the colours but the best part of this top has to be the pocket. I always struggle with where to put my insulin pump when I am exercising (I could take it off but I don't like to be without it completely as it makes me a bit nervous; yet so little exercise gear has pockets.) Nike, Adidas, Reebok, whoever, if you are listening, please make more clothes with pockets, diabetics everywhere would be thrilled!

What do you look for in exercise gear? Have you got any ideas on how I could tone my tummy?

I am always looking for more dresses like this for work, the shape and sleeves are perfect for a temperature variable office. I love the one that Ellie wore here, does anyone have any recommendations as to where I can something similar up? 

I desperately need to get my hair cut again but I cannot be bothered to make an appointment. This twisted knot/bun has been keeping out of my (cat) eyes and is a nice way of keeping the curls off my face...

What do you think of leopard print?