Missing in Action!

I’m so sorry to have neglected this blog so badly!  A lot has happened since I last posted.  I went to India, I got engaged, I started a new job and now I’m planning two weddings!  The good news is I have found THE dress.  It’s not traditional and I absolutely love it.  At only £180 it was an absolute steal.  It’s one of Topshop’s limited edition dresses and I happened to get #1 of only 300!  I am going to add a belt, a simple gold bracelet from my Mom and some simple gold heels.  Who says you can’t be a bridal goddess on a budget?!

Celebspiration: Emeli Sande

If you happened to watch the Brit Awards 2013 you will know that the woman of the hour was Emeli Sande.  I do like her music and think she is very talented.  It’s also nice to see a woman in music who doesn’t just rely on her body to sell albums.  That being said, I don’t think many would say Emeli is a style icon.  She dresses pretty average, nothing that would get a fashionista too excited – until she performed at the Brit Awards this year!

I really love the sporty bomber jacket with the girly floral dress, and the simple black heels finish the look without being too polished.  I also love that she changed to trainers for the after party and it still looks cute!  As I watched her perform I started thinking how I could re-create the look with the pieces I already had.  I recently bought this bright pink blazer at GAP on sale for £29.99 and I have some nude shoes similar to these which I bought from Topshop last summer (I prefer the nude to black), so that meant I just needed to find a cute floral dress.  I scored big time with this little beauty for only £16.50!  Which means for less than £75, you too can look like a popstar.

I am off to the Isle of Wight for a long weekend with my love, so hope you all have a fab weekend too and see you next week!

Winter Wrap-up

Here in jolly ol’ England we seem to be reverting back to winter temperatures and snow flurries, despite the fact that spring is getting closer and closer.

Coat: Topshop, Scarf: Monsoon, Hat: Marks & Spencer, Jumper/Sweater: H&M

A few weeks ago we had beautiful, sunny weather and now it’s absolutely freezing which means it’s time to get out the winter coat and all the accessories… AGAIN!

Bundle up, it’s cold outside!!

Green with Envy

So, after last week’s Topshop fail I was in dire need of a successful shopping pick-me-up.  Thank the fashion gods for H&M.  They never let me down.  I really think for budget fashion they are hard to beat in price and quality.  Unfortunately the H&M at my local mall is not very big, but I don’t think I ever walk out of there without at least one thing.  This time, I found more than a few things and I’m sure I will share all of them at some point with you, my lovely readers.  In the meantime, I am in love with this gorgeous green blazer.

I am obsessed with this blazer.  The colour, the fit – it’s perfect!  You can put it with jeans and a tee, a pencil skirt and a flirty top, or even over a dress.  For only £29.99, you definitely get bang for your buck!  I can’t wait to wear it to work with a pencil skirt and my black & white striped top.  It looked great in the dressing room with my leggings and a simple white tank.  If you don’t like green, it also comes in pink, yellow (next colour on my list!), and black.  Go get yours and then come back and tell me how much you love it!!

Topshop: Epic Fail

I was so excited about my recent online shopping spree at Topshop and then I got my order and hated everything.  What did I order?

Silk Colour Block Dress

The arms were way too tight, the body was way too loose, and the colour block line runs right across the widest part of your body.  Not flattering at all.  A belt made it even worse.  What a disappointment!

Watercolour Racer Midi Dress

Completely see through, frayed edges at the bottom of the dress made it look like it was falling apart and cheap.  Next!

Neon Multiband Ring

Too big for my ring finger, too small for every other finger.

Letter Print Shirtdress

Too baggy on the top, too big on the bottom… sensing a theme here?!

Tiger Lattice Flippy Sundress

Gorgeous print… again, too tight on the top and too loose on the bottom.  Not flattering to pear shapes at all!

Fairisle Band Back Flippy Dress

It went though with my online order, then I got an email saying it was sold out.

Pastel Leopard Nail Wraps

I only managed to do one hand with these nail wraps.  The package says they last 10 days, but mine are already coming loose and peeling after less than two days.  I don’t know how one could possibly shower every day and do household tasks and have these last 10 days.  Also, at Boots you can get a different brand of these in a pack of 24 for about 5 quid.  These only have 16 nail wraps for 7 quid.  For some reason half of them wouldn’t even stick to my nails, which is why I only did one hand.  Waste of money!

Everything else is going back tomorrow.  Dear Topshop, can you please sort out your sizing?!  Thanks.

 

Eyeliner for the Cosmetically Challenged

I never grew up wearing much makeup and I certainly never bothered to learn how to apply eyeliner properly.  It’s really only been in the last few years that I will occasionally put in the effort because my boyfriend loves the kohl eyeliner look.  I am constantly on the search for an easy to use product that a complete novice like myself can handle. Cue my lifesaver, Rimmel Exaggerate Auto Waterproof Eye Definer.  I’m sure a five year old could work with this product.  It’s easy swivel top and soft, creamy texture means it glides right on and the waterproof formula means it doesn’t budge throughout the night.

There’s a nice range of colors, I am wearing Aqua Sparkle in the photos [excuse my creepy bloodshot eyes] and I also own the black shade, Noir.  On one end there is a smudge tip to make a smokey eye if you prefer.  Overall I love this product and it’s the only eyeliner I will use.  At less than £4 a pop you can easily afford two or three, go get some today!

Nick Lowe Super Charged

I have really sensitive skin when it comes to using new products and experiencing a breakout. Once I find something that works really well, i.e. Clinique, I know not to switch products.  Something I am struggling to find at the moment is a good face cream.  Now that I have left my *ahem* 20’s behind, I know age prevention should be high on my list.  I use an anti-blemish foam wash to cleanse my face, an undereye cream, and an illuminator/skin serum as part of my daily routine.  I need a good moisturizer and my skin doesn’t seem to like anything I’ve tried.  It’s either too greasy and makes my face break out, or it’s not moisturizing enough and I get dry skin.  I have oiliness in the t-zone so I tend to go for oil free products.  One cream I recently tried is Nick Lowe’s Super Charged SPF15 Day Cream.

At less than £12 for 50ml it’s not super pricey, but I don’t think it lives up to its hype.  This product states, Dr Nick Lowe Super Charged SPF15 Day Cream an intensive age-fighting day cream to deliver ultimate protection and help prevent the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and hyper pigmentation. Unfortunately all it did was give me greasy skin and multiple breakouts.  My mother who is 60 years old with dry skin also tried it and it made her skin break out, so I do think it is a problem with the product’s formula, rather than my skin.  It’s a pretty thick cream and very moisturizing.  I would say unless you have extremely dry skin that is not prone to breakouts you should give this one a miss.  My search for the perfect face cream continues.  In the end I just used the remaining cream as a body lotion.

What face cream do you use? 

It’s a Wrap

I love wrap dresses.

They are so quick and easy to throw on and make a great outfit.

This is an old one I bought about a year ago from the GAP, but I always get compliments when I wear it.

Necklace from Dorothy Perkins (old)

With a cute necklace and some new ankle boots I bought from Clarks (on sale!), I had a perfect outfit for work.

Clark’s ankle boots

My favorite little person

Nine months ago my beautiful nephew, Nicholas, was born.

Being away from people like him is the hardest part of being an expat.

I think about him and miss him everyday.

I love you, Nicholas James.

Neck-a-licious

I have a confession to make.  I am an addict.  I am addicted to necklaces.

Some of my personal collection

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just don’t know which one should go with what neckline and it’s all too much to bear (sarcasm!)  Lucky for me (and you too!), I found this handy dandy guide to solve all of your necklace and neckline problems.  I saved this so long ago I can’t remember where I found it.  If you happen to know, please let me know so I can give credit where it is due!  In the meantime enjoy and go forth knowing you have chosen the right necklace!