Frills 'n' Spills

No, I'm not sure in the title either! ;) One of the main reasons why Mark and I moved to Cheltenham was in order for us to have some semblance of a social life. Our old flat was lovely and the views were stunning (I still miss those cows!) but convenient, it wasn't. Luckily where we live now is only about 10 minutes away from town and after-work-activities are now a very real possibility which is very exciting news! I wore this out for food and drinks at the pub and although I usually find that impossible to dress for, I was really pleased with this outfit. Living across the road from Tesco is lethal in many ways (hello reduced food!) but mainly due to the fact that I can now get hold of their awesome clothes without having to order them online- hooray! This purple top also comes in a gorgeous grey and pink but I really love the autumnal feel of this colour. I really love purple but despite that I don't seem to own a lot of it, although I'm sure that will change soon. Especially as long as I am living opposite Tesco!

I have been experimenting with my make-up recently and by the looks of these photos I went a little overboard on the blusher but hey ho, low lighting is very forgiving! I have been using my Primpcess palette a lot recently, the eyeshadows are all gorgeous neutrals and even I can muster up a smoky eye with them! This necklace is an old favourite of mine (here it is back in 2010 and 2011!) and jazzes up this plain top nicely.

The length of this top is awesome and skims over a food baby nicely which is ideal when you are indulging in yet another portion of sweet potato fries ;) Apologies for the less than picturesque backdrop but needs must when it is rush hour! Now we are all unpacked, is anyone interested in a mini house tour? I am super nosy so I love looking round people's houses so just let me know :)

Are you interested in a tour of our flat? Let me know!

As you know, I am a massive Warehouse fan and I was very excited when an Outfit opened up near us recently as it means I have access to many of my favourite brands, all under one roof. Mark and I both managed to find something we like (an unheard of event!) and this gorgeous top was soon making its way home with me. These pictures are not great (I get the feeling that I'm going to spend the whole winter apologising!) but I keep wearing this outfit so I figured I should document it properly! I haven't been blogging much recently as I have been ill with a chesty cough/cold thanks to too much partying last weekend so have been trying to rest up. That's the problem with too much eating, drinking and partying! ;)

My Topshop Jamie jeans have been looking a bit worse for wear recently so I have been on the search for a new pair. I think I may have found the perfect pair on offer in Gap so keep an eye out for them on the blog soon! I have also had to buy a new pair of loafers as I have well and truly worn this pair out- now I just have the pain of breaking them in...

Stereotypical title I know! Recently Joules got in touch to see if I was interested in reviewing a piece from their new Autumn range and I jumped at the chance as they are a brand I really love. I chose this beautiful navy Portia wool peacoat and couldn't have been more excited to try it. It was delivered to my office and when I unwrapped it, all of my colleagues were cooing over it and stroking it. What more can you ask for in a coat?! I wore this outfit for my birthday and the coat was the perfect finishing touch for crunching through the leaves in the park. I look slightly like a flasher in this picture but there really is no good way to show off the lining of your coat! This is the perfect Autumn outfit in my eyes, there's nothing better than cosy coats and woolly knits for when the temperatures drop...

Just look at the gorgeous gold buttons too! When I unwrapped the coat, each of these buttons was individually wrapped to prevent them from being scratched- now that's attention to detail...

I found this cute checked wool mini skirt in Sainsbury's a few weeks ago but had forgotten about it until Jen was asking about yellow wool suits on Twitter, whoops! I love wool mini skirts and this will look equally good with thick cable knit tights as it does with nude ones although I'm not ready to give up (nearly) bare legs just yet! This bag is one of my favourites and I always seem to pull it out at this time of year, the red is perfect for jazzing up duller colours... 

Are you a Joules fan?

Last weekend, Mark and I hopped into the car to head up to Chester to see one of my closest friends get married. I first met Ian on my internship four years ago and we have been friends ever since. I had never been to Chester before, despite my Grandad being a huge fan (it is where he went to college) and although we didn't get to see much time in the city itself, we will definitely be making a return visit. We stayed at a Travelodge the night before so we had plenty of time to get ready and these photos were taken in the car park- just be glad we managed to keep the Little Chef out of shot! The wedding itself was lovely and the reception was at Highfield Hall, a beautiful manor house in North Wales. Weddings can be tricky things to dress for and I wanted something a little different to the dresses that I wore to my cousin's and my best friend's wedding so I dug out my trusty 'prom dress' instead. I felt really comfortable in this dress and I think that shows in the pictures. There's nothing better than an outfit that make you feel like you can take on the world and this is certainly mine!

I bought this clutch bag in a moment of minor panic last week but I couldn't have been more thrilled when it arrived. The colour is ace, it matches my shoes perfectly and best of all, it is absolutely massive! It also makes me feel pretty cool so it definitely gets bonus points for that! Orange is one of my favourite colours and it made this dress seem more Autumn appropriate...

I couldn't write this post without giving a shoutout to these wonderful shoes. They are so comfy and the colour makes them super fun to wear. I just wish Clarks did them in ever colour!

It should come as no surprise that I am obsessed with this Seasalt dress, it is super cosy, comfy and fun too, what more could you ask for in a dress?! I bought it back in their summer sale but it is a cotton knit so it was far too warm. I have been willing the weather to get cooler ever since then so I could wear it so I was jumping for joy when we finally hit Autumn. We have been so busy recently and have barely had any free time at the weekends so my outfits have been completely lazy more pared back recently and I have a new-found appreciation for cosy knits and leggings. It is my birthday in just over a week and I cannot wait, I have a full four days of fun planned but I have the feeling that I will be needing something cosy to curl up in next week!

These photos were taken just before I had my haircut and I couldn't believe how long it had got. My hairdresser is convinced that I am completely abnormal as she has never known anyone to have hair like it! I have been loving fresh, barely-there make-up recently and Benefit's Thrrrob blush and Max Factor's Xperience Sheer Gloss Balm in Pink Opal are my go to products for that fresh-faced glow.

I love the neon accents on this dress, they are so fun and make it much more unusual. I just wish these shoes were in stock in my size, wouldn't they be the perfect match?

If you are a long-time reader, you may remember this coppery midi skirt which I bought back in 2011 (!) as it has popped up a few times on the blog over the years. I just can't believe how different I look here and here, it's amazing what a difference a few years can make to your style!

Pulled meat has been having a bit of a moment recently but it has taken till now for me to jump onto the bandwagon. I have been trying to use our slow cooker more recently and when I saw this beef brisket joint reduced in Tesco, I was super keen to try Sarah's slow cooker pulled pork recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Apologies to any vegetarians, this is a meat filled post!

It's inevitable when you have been blogging for as long as I have, that certain pieces pop up time and time again and I have loved this bright pink blazer and zebra printed scarf combination ever since I first picked it up in 2012. Bright colours are definitely my favourite thing to wear and despite pink being a bit of a divisive colour, I can't resist it! I decided to wear my new favourite jeans and the faded grey was the perfect colour to tone down the Barbie connotations, good job past Maria! These photos were taken a few weeks ago when we still had light in the mornings and I am already missing the early sunrises. Autumn is my favourite time of year (I don't even mind when it rains!) but I definitely don't enjoy the dark mornings... Won't someone think of the fashion bloggers?! ;) Mark reminded me that I had missed my 5 year blogging anniversary last week and although I am (clearly) rubbish at remembering dates, I just wanted to thank everyone who reads this little blog- you're all awesome! 

What would you like to see on Frills 'n' Spills? Any recommendations for pink lipstick?

It's been a while since I have worn this Whistles broderie anglaise dress on the blog but I actually wear it fairly often 'offline'. It's funny which outfits actually make it into photos and online. I guess if you are having fun, taking a picture of yourself is the last thing on your mind! This dress is easy to jazz up (just add heels and a snazzy blazer) but I actually prefer the dressed down look - I can't be dealing with dresses where I have to wear heels all the time! I actually think this outfit would be perfect for a summer wedding, if it wasn't white... maybe a summer party instead?! I have been utterly in love with Whistles recently, keep an eye out for some more of my sale bargains appearing soon (including a very special birthday dress...)

I usually wear this dress with some fun coloured shoes (my pink flats and yellow sandals look particularly ace) so these blue flats were ideal. I just need to get some similar pairs in every other colour under the rainbow, they are just so darned comfy!