Frills 'n' Spills

It's weird. I never realised how immersed I was in the world of books and publishing until I moved jobs. It was very strange to go from being surrounded by stacks of books to only having them at home. I have always loved books but I didn't realised how much I missed them until recently. Unfortunately time constraints and a rising level of stress has meant that my reading has suffered massively over the last few years but I have been making a conscious effort to switch off the TV and my laptop in the evening and curl up with a good book instead. My new job also allows me a slightly longer lunch so I'm able to whiz through a chapter (or ten!) during the day too. The best thing though was when my friend Tash decided to start a book group last year, it is super fun when we get together and although I have missed the last couple of sessions, I still manged to read the books. I really enjoy it and it has forced me out of my comfort zone to find new books and authors to love. I'm always on the lookout for new books (don't tell Mark and my poor buckling bookshelf) so please do share your recommendations!

These are some of the books I have read recently and although I wasn't a massive fan of Never Let Me Go (It fell flat for me as I just couldn't connect with the characters) I have really enjoyed the rest, especially The Talented Mr Ripley. Nicky, you will be pleased that I really loved your latest pick for book group, no moths in this one! ;)

Whilst I tend to read fiction, I have a lot of non-fiction on my TBR pile too, including the lovely Farfetch Curates Design book which was sent to me c/o the publishers Assouline. Whilst it is much smaller than you would expect for a coffee table book, I really enjoyed reading it and it is a really pretty package. It's the second book in the 'Farfetch Curates...' series and I am going to have to order the food one too as it looks great! Whilst £16 isn't cheap, the book feels like a lot of care and attention has gone into it (bonus: it smells amazing too!) and it would make a lovely gift for anyone interested in design, especially as it doesn't take up tons of room when you have a tiny flat!

It should come as no surprise that the Orla Kiely x Clarks range is a massive hit with bloggers, I mean who could resist the cute patent heels and dreamy leather boots? My love for Orla Kiely is well documented on this blog and although the shoes are still expensive, the shoes are much more affordable than the catwalk collection and I know I will get a lot of wear out of them. I ummed and aahed over which pair to get but practicality won out and this patent black Dorothy pair were soon winging their way towards me.  I had to size up half a size, as did Sarah so just something to bear in mind if you are investing in a pair. As soon as they arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to wear with them- this H! by Henry Holland dress is one of my favourites and the polkadots are suitably fun. I didn't realise just how short it was though, I think I will be sticking to black tights with it in the future! We decided to take these photos by the river again as I wanted somewhere prettier than my usual spot and I think they really worked- thank goodness Mark is such a patient photographer!

This is the face of unmistakable glee- there's nothing better than when your outfit, hair and make-up conspire to work with you, rather than against you! I recently bought Max Factor's new Skin Luminizer foundation and I absolutely love it, it makes my face all bright and glowy, perfect for when I have had less sleep than normal!

And just look how pretty the soles are! I have worn the shoes a couple of times and the pattern is already starting to wear off so I can't imagine it will be long before it all goes :( I can attest to how comfy the heel height is too, I am awful at wearing heels all day but these are as comfy as flats so I couldn't be happier. Pretty and practical, what's not to like?!

Despite the fact I wear this top fairly often, I never seem to get a decent picture of it. I love the fun print and it is always a conversation starter, no wonder it is one of my favourite tops! Although I'm (more than a ) little grumpy that the weather has stopped being so nice, it is always good to get more wear out of my winter basics, I'm not quite ready to give up long sleeves just yet! Another smug face from me here, I think you can tell that I really love this outfit :)

Throughout my final couple of years at school, I was obsessed with wearing bright green Rimmel eyeshadow. Luckily I have outgrown my neon green days but I do still have a soft spot for green eyeshadow and this Bourjois Little Round Pot Eyeshadow in Anis fulfils all my bright eyeshadow needs. It can be difficult to know what to pair with such a bright colour but this Revlon lipbutter  in 'Peach Parfait' is the perfect subtle peach shade.

I probably should have ironed these shorts before wearing them but never mind! These shorts weren't the cheapest thing I have ever bought but you definitely get what you pay for, the quality is ace and the frilled hem just adds a little something to every outfit. I love the fact that these shorts are a little longer too.  I may be wearing them with black opaques here but I can't wait till I can switch back to my 15 deniers!

Do you have any beauty faux pas from when you were younger?

Shorts at work can be a tricky thing to pull off, patterned shorts even more so. This Uniqlo x Celia Birtwell pair are probably the comfiest pair that I own and this was a really fun outfit to wear. Perhaps a bit of a cliche look for someone who works in the creative industry but hey! I kept to a fairly neutral color scheme with this outfit and I loved how bright the red looked against the navy, I love a dramatic colour and the jacket helps to make it more work like too.

Straightening my hair is SO much easier now it is shorter (plus it doesn't take me an hour anymore!) and I love how dramatic it looks too. A sassy bob and red lipstick gets you ready for anything! I'm getting my hair cut again tomorrow (can you believe it has been 7 weeks already?!) and I am hoping to get some weight taken out of the bottom of it. Triangular hair just ain't cool...

This boxy white textured top is my favourite at the moment, the shape feels fresh and the texture makes it way more exciting to wear than my other white tops. I wear it so much I wish I had bought a back up. I'm not sure what was happening with my face here but I promise I was happier than I look here!

How do you style shorts for work? What clothes do you wish you had bought back ups for?

Which pattern would you have chosen?

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

You already know how much I love the Uniqlo x Celia Birtwell collaboration and this top may be my favourite out of all of the pieces that I bought. As with all tees from Uniqlo, it is really soft cotton and long enough that it covers the waistband of my jeans and skirts. I hate it when you have to keep pulling t-shirts down. Paired with my pastel cashmere jumper and a slick of peachy lipstick, it felt very spring-like (even if the weather wasn't playing ball!)  

Do you own a pair of shoes that you keep coming back to? Any ideas where I can get a new pair?

When I heard that Uniqlo were doing a collaboration with Celia Birtwell, I was very excited, I love Uniqlo's collaborations and I was pleased to add some of Celia's signature prints to my wardrobe. I originally planned to wear these shorts on holiday this summer but I thought that they would also work layered up with some chunky tights too. I'm never sure whether I pull off pattern mixing successfully but I figure you can't go wrong with a striped tee, right?! 

As it is still pretty cold, I pulled out my oversized grey blazer  and my thick grey tights, to add some warmth and also to tone down the patterns. I don't think Tewkesbury is ready for this just yet...

A close up of the shoes, I actually managed to elegantly glide totter along in these for a whole morning, result! 

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... 

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? 

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 ;)