Seasonal Style #8

Words: sports luxe, sexy, powerful, feminine.

Total Price: £65.98

Price Breakdown: Trousers £14.00, Top £4.99, Heels £22.00, Blazer £24.99

Availability: Trousers & Heels from Select, Top & Blazer from New Look

Sunday Spotlight #4

So, this week...I've seen Office's buyers picks, Uniqlo's new spring collection (lots and LOTS of pastels!) and both River Island and New Look have been playing the denim game with offers and styles galore. However, here's my pick of this weeks best collections... 

Uniqlo- Checked/ Printed Shirts- February 2013

Prices: (L-R) £19.90, £19.90, £19.90, £29.90

Availability: online here

New Look- Blazer Squad- February 2013

Prices: £24.99 each
Availability: online here or in store

Urban Outfitters- Fifty Picks Under £50- February 2013

Prices: (L-R)£22.00, £30.00, £16.00, £25.00, £32.00, £42.00

Availability: online here or in store

Vera Moda- Night at the Movies-February 2013

Prices: check on the website for price guidelines from the euro- GBP

Availability: online here or in store

Fridays Fashion Find #5

On Trend Hi-Tops.

Prices: 1. £45.00, 2. £45.00, 3. £35.00, 4. £14.99, 5. £29.00

Availability: 1. River Island, 2. Topshop, 3. River Island, 4. H&M, 5. Dorothy Perkins

Perfume Dupes #2

1. BCBG Max Azria "BCBG Max Azria">> Beyonce "Pulse NYC"

 50ml EDP £33.99>> 50ml EDP £19.99  

2. Christian Dior "Miss Dior Cherie">> JLS "Kiss"

30ml EDP £44.99>> 30ml EDT £13.50

3. Armani "Code" >> Bench "Urban Original"

30ml EDP £39.50>>50ml EDT £7.99

4. Paco Rabanne "Lady Million" >> TOWIE "Dazzle"

30ml EDP £34.50>> 100ml EDT £17.99

[All prices were correct when this post was published; all prices are from The Fragrance Shop]

Sunday Spotlight #3

Collections of the Week.

Zara- TRF: Blazers- February 2013

Prices: (L-R) £39.99, £39.99, £69.99, £59.99

Availability: Zara in stores or online here

Uniqlo- Greengate Collection- February 2013

Prices: (L-R) £12.90, £12.90, £12.90, £9.90

Availability: online here

Jack Wills- Spring Collection- February 2013

Prices: (L-R)£34.50, £129.00, £59.50, £49.50

Availability: in stores or online here

Mango- S/S 13- Upcoming

Availability: soon to be in stores and online here

Images courtesy of www.candyliquor.co.uk

Friday's Fashion Find #4

Crop Tops.

Prices: 1. £17.99, 2. £28.00, 3. £20.00, 4. £14.99, 5. £15.00, 6. £16.00

Availability: 1. New Look, 2. Topshop, 3. River Island, 4. New Look, 5. Topshop, 6. Miss Selfridge

Ebay Edit #1

Chunky, Knitted, Oversized Jumper.

Price: £7.95

Postage and Packaging: £1.99

Sizes: All

Colours: Variety

Availability: oops-outlet (click here)

Grunge Studded Jumper (Handmade).

Price: £22.00

Postage and Packaging: Free

Sizes: 8/10/12/14

Colours: Black

Availability: headgirlneat (click here)

Low Heel, Gold Zip-up, Ankle Boots.

Price: £9.99-£19.99

Postage and Packaging: £3.99

Sizes: 3-8

Colours: Variety

Availability: ajvani_shoes (click here)

Fruit of the Loom Tees.

Price: £1.79

Postage and Packaging: £1.00

Sizes: XS-XL

Colours: Variety

Availability: cozzy1950 (click here)

Bohemian Pashmina's.

Price: £2.08

Postage and Packaging: Free

Sizes: -

Colours: Variety of patterns

Availability: bg4acf (click here)

[To clarify: I am in no way affiliated with any of the above sellers. These are my personal recommendations as a user of Ebay...thus, I obviously cannot be responsible for any dealings with these sellers or any others on Ebay]

Seasonal Style #7

Words: city, effortless, comfort, chic, modern.

Total Price: £63.00

Price Breakdown: Jumper £34.00, Acid Wash jeans £15.00, Black crocodile skin bag £14.00.

Availability:  Topshop, Internacionale, Select.

Sunday Spotlight #2

Collections.

ASOS- Smock Dress-February 2013 'Hot Pieces'

Prices: £38.00, £45.00, £30.00, £25.00

Availability: direct link to the collection

Miss Selfridge- Denim Update- February 2013

Prices: £32.00, £40.00, £30.00, £18.00

Availability: direct link to the collection

Office- Buckle Up- February 2013

Prices: (L-R) £85.00, £60.00, £130.00, £55.00, £62.00

Availability: direct link to the collection

American Apparel- Enamel Collection- February 2013

Prices: Rings £16.00, Necklaces £22.00, Long drop Earrings £16.00, Large Studs £14.00

Availability: direct link to the collection

Friday's Fashion Find #3

Triangle- Shaped Jewellery.
Think geometric, think neon, think statement pieces.

Prices: 1. £12.50, 2. £6.50, 3. £6.00, 4. £10.00, 5. £7.50, 6. £2.99, 7. £16.00 each pair.

Availability: 1. Topshop, 2. Dorothy Perkins, 3. Republic, 4. Topshop, 5. Dorothy Perkins, 6. New Look, 7. American Apparel

"Dupes" #1: Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood

 Spring/ Summer 2013

Paris Fashion Week

Catwalk- Crossover straps: 

High street- Crossover straps: 

Oatmeal leather- look cross over wedges- New Look- £27.99
Platform ankle- strap sandals- Zara- £39.99
RIGHT wood shoe sandals- Topshop- £50.00


Catwalk-Buckles: 

High street- Buckles:

Limited khaki suede buckle wedge ankle boots- New Look- £49.99
Fran heavy sole sandals- Topshop- £60.00
White chunky buckle wedges- River Island- £60.00


Catwalk- Prints: 

High street- Open Toe Prints:

Printed platform sandal- Zara- £59.99
3D Floral court shoes- Next- £45.00
Shoe- H&M- £24.99

Into the Closet: January

CLOSET.

 i. Neon dip hem skirt- Topshop- Sale £7.00- similar here

ii. "H" initial necklace- Primark- £1.50

iii. Side split nautical maxi skirt- Primark- £12.00

iii. Petite purple flecked roll sleeve dress- Topshop- £18.00- similar here

iiii. Blue crinkle style maxi skirt- Primark- £8.00

BEAUTY BOX.

i. ELF hoard: Powder brush- £3.75/ Studio mineral powder brush- £3.75/ Fan brush £1.50/ Eyeshadow brush £1.50/ Nail polish in "Nude" £1.00/ Studio eyebrow kit in "Dark" £3.75- ELF website 

ii. ELF nail polishes £1.00 each "Dark navy" "Nude" "Smokin' hot" "Matte finisher" "Metal madness" -ELF website 

iii. Botanics Super Balm- £3.99- Boots / Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment- £7.99- Boots/ Origins super spot serum- £9.00- Outlet store/ Ponds Hydronourishing Cream- £4.49- Superdrug

iiii. MAC eyeshadow in "Short Shorts" (Frost)- £7.00- outlet store/ ELF eyelid primer in "Sheer"- £1.50- ELF website 

LIFE.

i. Taking too many photo's of my kitten whilst enjoying my home comforts!

ii. Indulging in many a Krispy Kreme after sneaking home from University to see my parents for a weekend.

iii. Books I'm currently reading for the English side of my degree: Trumpet, Oroonoko, The Restoration Comedies, Roxana, Gullivers Travels, Empire Writing. If you're interested in true life reads then check out Trumpet for a great fictional account based on the life of Billy Tipton (a male Jazz musician who was discovered to be a woman at death). If you're in for some bawdy comedy however, the restoration comedies are hilarious- who knew 17th century ladies and gents were doing so much bed- hopping?!

iiii. The ELF nude nail colour that I got ALOT of compliments on this month. 

Although hit and miss, when the ELF nail polishes are true to form they are great for me as they don't budge even when I'm at work and spraying perfume continously; other brands including Chanel and Dior rub off at the first spray due to the condensed alcohol in the fragrances.

v. Alongside the stack from Uni, I'm loving reading Peter Pan by J. M Barrie. 

Peter Pan is my favourite Disney film, and reading the real story is like rediscovering my Childhood imagination. I know Cath Kidston does a copy of this story also, so if you're looking for any gift ideas for Valentines I completely recommend this book!

vi. As part of my ploy to put on weight I've stocked up on the ever so nutritious complan; it not only tastes amazing when added to hot milk but it has loads of vitamins and minerals in so I'm going to be one healthy lady.

Sunday Spotlight #1

Blog Entries.

Beauty Crush- The Pleather Peplum Skirt

Visit here

This Fashion Is Mine- What I Wear to Uni Lookbook

Visit here

The London Lipgloss- Sometimes, I Get A Lil Over Emotional

The London Lipgloss- John Lennon

Visit here

Collections.

Internacionale- All You Need Is Love (And Clothes)- Valentines Collection.

Prices: Jumper £16.99, Jeans £18.99, Socks £1.99, Skirt £9.99
Availability: in store or online here

River Island- RI Limited Edition- February 2013.

Prices: Top £15.00, Skirts £22.00 each, Bags £25.00 each

Availability: in store or online here

Friday's Fashion Find #2

Acid Wash.
An edgy staple for any wardrobe.

Prices: 1. £16.00, 2. £16.00, 3. £35.00, 4. £24.99, 5. £14.00, 6. £12.00
Availability: 1. River Island, 2. Matalan, 3. River Island, 4. H&M, 5. Select, 6. Republic

Seasonal Style #6

Words: mid-season, neon, staples, transitional style, statement.

Total Price: £82.98

Price breakdown: Cherry jersey skater skirt £9.99, Light acid wash army jacket £50.00,  Zigzag snood £16.00, Top £6.99.

Availability: Skirt @ Internacionale, Jacket @ River Island, Snood @ Topshop, Top @ H&M.

My Closet: Neon, Florals & Jogger Pants

Prices: Dress £4.00, Jogger pants £26.00, Jumper £12.99

Availability: Dress @H&M, Jogger pants @Next, Jumper @New Look.

The most recent additions to my closet are...

 I must admit I wasn't exactly taken with the dress until I saw the price tag and then my sales head took over and now it's in my closet! I think it'll go great with my leather jacket for a harsh florals look- which is reminiscent of the H&M Spring look book. 

Although the quality isn't great- it's that awful stretchy material so I fear the colours may fade after a few washes- for £4 from £24.99 I can't really moan!

One of the big trends of Spring, as seen in the Hot List, is neon but no matter how fashionable it is I always seem to steer clear due to the intense fear of looking washed out and ill.  However, when I saw this jumper in New Look I thought "What the hell- I'll try it on" and surprisingly it looked great. I think it's because the white pigments ensure it's not too bright- not sickly bright.

The winning factor for me though was the back detail (which you can't see, sorry!) it has super cute white buttons falling vertically, and I feel like this adds a touch of uniqueness which distinguishes it from the cheaper designs available from Primark (for example). 

Finally, I've seen jogger pants/ jersey pants/ harem pants (whatever you want to call them!) in Warehouse, Topshop, Oasis and Next over the past couple of weeks so I thought I'd give them a try as they look really comfortable. 

As a petite girl I rarely find bottoms that fit so these were a nice surprise, they didn't swamp me and because of the elasticated waist they give me more of a shape too. Definite win, although I feel £26 may be a bit steep- I justified them by promising myself that they'll be my statement bottoms throughout spring/ summer! (blatent lie)

Have you treated yourself to anything nice recently? 

Friday's Fashion Find #1

The Snood.

A fashionable friend during the transition between yucky snow and warmer temperatures.

Prices: 1. £16.50, 2. £14.00, 3. £15.00, 4. £16.00, 5. £18.00, 6. £16.50

Availability: 1. Vera Moda, 2. Topshop, 3. River Island, 4. River Island, 5. Topshop, 6. Vera Moda

Perfume Dupes #1

Working in Fragrance definitely has a few perks, one of which I am eager to share with you all- the dupes. 

The myths that celebrity perfumes are a complete waste of time, and that cheaper options always equal to nothing on your skin, are exactly that- myths.

To ensure the quality of a perfume buy it from a good store- simple. To ensure the fragrance is long lasting and smells beautiful on the skin, try it on and walk away. 

(EDP in theory lasts longer than EDT but again it is a matter of personal matching)

In this series I'll advise you on cheaper options for some top end favourites as this is the question I'm always being asked. 

Although I've worked in fragrance for years and completed many an exam on the topic (yawn!) it still is a matter of opinion, so if you are interested in any of the below recommendations remember to try before you buy just to be sure!

Let me know what your thoughts are on this series and if it's helped any of you save some hard-earned pennies!

So...

1. Gucci "Rush">> Tulisa "The Female Boss"

30ml EDT £36.50>> 50ml EDP £11.99

2. Armani "Diamonds">> Steps "Guilty Pleasure"

30ml EDP £36.50>> 100ml EDT £9.99

3. Diesel "Loverdose">> TOWIE "Love Addict"

30ml EDP £28.99>> 100ml EDT £9.99


4. Narciso Rodriguez "For Her">> Sarah Jessica Parker "Lovely"

50ml EDP £55.99>> 30ml EDP £24.50

& One for the boys...

1. Paco Rabanne "One Million">> Voi "Voi Jeans"

50ml EDT £37.99>> 100ml EDT £9.99

[All prices are correct when this post is published; they can fluctuate. All prices are from The Fragrance Shop except Narcisco Rodriguez which is from The Perfume Shop]