Frills 'n' Spills

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!

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!

From sleek to super casual, I can't seem to make up my mind about what I want to wear to work! We have all had those days when we feel rubbish and this was the perfect comfy outfit. This jumper was another gift from Matilda and has become my go-to for when I want something easy and breezy to wear. Although I wouldn't normally wear something so oversized, I love the short sleeves and bright colour. Coral is my favourite colour to wear in the spring and summer and it is perfect for adding a splash of colour to a grey day (just look how miserable this weather is!) The one thing I'm not so keen on is how short in the body it is as I have to find another top to layer underneath it but maybe I just have a weirdly long torso?! 

Anyone who has ever met me knows how easily I am persuaded to do something. My willpower is non-existent and as soon as I see sale signs, it is inevitable that I will end up purchasing something. This Warehouse dress was an absolute steal in their sale last month and I have been wearing it whenever I want to feel a little smarter at work. It is made of a lovely textured jacquard material and as the material is fairly heavy, it hangs beautifully. Warehouse is definitely one of those brands that I only seem to look at when there is a sale on as it is just that little bit too expensive. I mean the original price of this was £40 which I think is steep, but the £15 I bought it for is much more reasonable (at least that's what I am telling myself!) I am trying to cut down on the amount of rubbish-y clothes that I buy but I have still manged to add new items to my summer wardrobe. I just hope we get the sunshine I have been promised now so I can wear these dresses and shorts! 

I never used to like dresses with sleeves but I think this looks much better with the higher neckline and makes the dress much more elegant- hooray for fun, work-appropriate dresses! You can also see the texture of the dress better here, monochrome can sometimes feel a bit dull to me but the pattern makes it feel more 'me'. That and the swipe of red lipstick... ;) I have been really pleased with the improvement in my skin recently, I have been wearing Dr Jart+ Platinum BB Beauty Balm rather than foundation recently and it has really cleared my skin up. I loved writing a post on my make-up staples way back in 2011 (!) would you guys be interested in an updated version? 

I love how full the skirt of this dress is, it is deliciously swooshy and the sheer amount of material means that it skims over my ever-growing food baby. I really need to stop going out for meals, my figure is not thanking me for it, however delicious the food may be! I told you I was obsessed with these shoes, I should stop wearing them but they seem to be the perfect match to every outfit in my wardrobe...

Would you like an update on my beauty regime? How much is too much to pay for a dress? 

Every week when it gets to Friday, I thank my lucky stars that I don't work in an office with a dress code. When you can wear nearly anything you like (within reason!) casual Fridays are a thing of the past. This outfit is ridiculously comfy but I know denim shorts (however fancy they are) just wouldn't fly in the majority of workplaces so I do feel very lucky! These photos were taken before the clocks went back and I cannot wait to start taking photos outside again in the morning before I go to work. These ones required some (minimal) editing but brightening them is a small price to pay for being outside again, lighter mornings are just so hopeful feeling! I really love this H&M top, they really make the best Breton tops on the high street. I am seriously tempted to get this blue version too...

I told you that I have been experimenting with my hair recently and I really love it straight. I never used to straighten (or even style) it much but since chopping all of my hair off, it has been so quick and easy to do, 15 minutes tops, rather than the hour and a half it took previously! I still prefer sleeping on my hair once I have straightened it though, I prefer a less polished and more lived in look!  This lipstick is one of my favourites and is perfect for brightening up my grumpy morning face. I'm not quite sure why I look so unsure here, I guess it still felt too early to be up and about... 

What do you wear on casual Friday? Any tips for getting that perfectly undone look with my hair?

As you may have seen from my over-excited tweets and Instagram posts, I had 4/5 inches chopped off my hair last weekend and it was one of the best things I have ever done.  I asked for this style and I am so pleased with the result. Everyone told me that having short hair would be more high maintenance but so far it has been just as easy, if not easier to cope with than my old hair, I love how quick it is to wash and style. This was the first time I had styled it myself and I actually like the more dishevelled finish to it. You know how much I love stripes and this outfit felt really French, especially paired with this tweed miniskirt... 

This blazer is a long term resident of my wardrobe and always gets pulled out when I am looking for something comfy to smarten up my outfit. I was pretty nervous about debuting my new hair so I went back to my old favourites of a blazer and a striped tee so I felt less freaked out about the whole thing. I needn't have worried about it though as everyone was really complimentary which eased my nerves slightly! The true test of a haircut is how good it looks after you style it yourself and luckily this was super easy to do- this hair styler is my secret weapon at the moment! I feel so much cooler with shorter hair and it has me experimenting more with my make up too, I have never worn so much eyeliner or lipstick!

This skirt was a real bargain in M&S a week or so ago, I love their sale and normally manage to pick up a few bits and pieces for work. I love tweed and red is my favourite colour so this was a no-brainer.This also felt quite French, especially paired with this stripy top, there's nothing like trying to inject some European cool into your wardrobe!

Any tips on styling shirt hair?

This is possibly my favourite outfit from all the years I have been blogging. It felt really fun and still 'me' but it felt a bit more grown up too, something I often struggle with! It also feels very spring like which is a plus although I actually wore this back in January when the weather was anything but. You know me, always being contrary! ;) I also just realised that all of these things were sales buys, there's nothing like some money off to push you out of your comfort zone!

More and more I have found that there aren't many clothes that I can wear from Topshop but occasionally they come out with a corker, this shirt being a case in point. They have taken a plain white shirt and instantly made it way more interesting with a sheer panel and a mullet hem. (I told you more and more would sneak into my wardrobe!) This necklace is my go-to whenever I need to add a bit of interest to an outfit, it's the perfect length and looks way more expensive than the £3 I paid for it!

This skirt was such a bargain from Oasis when I bought it in the sales after Christmas, the print really reminded me of this Boutique by Jaeger one but actually I think it is much nicer. I have been wearing a lot of jazzy skirts recently and this is the perfect print for Spring, I love the geometric florals! 

A couple of weekends ago my grandparents threw a mini party (read cake and ice-cream) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their engagement. You know I take any excuse to dress up and this burgundy dress was ideal for the chilly weather. Burgundy is one of my favourite colours to wear and it feels really decadent (especially when paired with faux fur and gold accessories) It was massively windy when Mark was taking this pictures so they look pretty silly but they were also quite fun, it's impossible to take yourself too seriously when the wind is threatening to blow you over! 

How do you pick a party frock? What did you wear for Christmas?

I have been slightly AWOL over the past week as I have been catching up on some sleep and spending Christmas with my family and friends. As usual, Mark and I had 3 (!) Christmases; one for us and our friends, one with Mark's family and one with mine. As you can imagine, it was very busy and filled with lots of amazing food, drink and fun and we had the most amazing time. I will be sharing my festive outfits (sneak peek here!) but here are a few of my Christmas highlights in the meantime...

Our Christmas tree went up very late this year (only 5 days ago in fact!) thanks to the leak in our ceiling but it did shake me out of my Grinch-like slump when I saw it twinkling away in the corner!

A sparkly jumper dress, leggings and my lovely new slippers from Mark were my outfit of choice on Christmas Eve, cosiness and stretchiness is key to a good Christmas outfit in my opinion...

Especially when you have to eat a roast dinner three days in a row! ;)

We weren't sure what to get people this year for Christmas so we decided that Kilner jars filled with the ingredients for yummy oaty cookies are always a winning combination and  it was really fun choosing what extra ingredients to add to the jars- don't the layers look lovely! 

Of course we had to make a few for ourselves to do a quality test on the recipe and I can report that the cookies are lovely! 

We went out for a few drinks with our friends on Christmas Eve and so I swapped one sparkly dress for another! This gorgeous tinsel dress was from ASOS and I was so excited to wear it although I wish I had worn a slip underneath it, it was pretty itchy by the end of the evening! I just realised that this is an extremely 80s looking outfit with the leggings and pointy shoes (I'm pretty sure there's a photo of my Mum wearing something similar 25 years ago!) but I really loved it and itchiness excluded, it was a really comfy outfit and perfect for hiding my food baby ;)

Where did you spend Christmas? 

Selina is a blogger who I have followed for a long time and it was so nice to see her again and catch up, I haven't seen her since we were big winners at the SWBloggers Xmas Quiz last year! 

I need to get me a bright pink vase!

Sassy posing on the stools on the stage. We definitely got some inquisitive looks when we were perched up there, you could tell people were trying to work out who we were! ;)