Frills 'n' Spills

This Max Factor lipstick (Bewitching Coral) is a lovely bright pinky-coral that is one of my favourites. I can't resist a bright lipstick and this one matches perfectly. Lipstick is definitely my weapon of choice for feeling pulled together- I knew I was feeling better this week when I reached for my bright lippie again!

I wish this skirt was a tad longer but beggars can't be choosers and everything else about this is pretty much perfect. I was going to wear my new coral shoes but it was too matchy matchy, even for me! ;)

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!

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?

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... 

...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! 

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!

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!

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 :)

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...

Are you a fan of outlet shopping?

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?!

Which type of clothes do you keep buying?

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?