I seem to be wearing these jeans a lot lately, I’m not sure whether it’s the ripped knee (which I confessed my love for here), the simple blue denim style or the super comfortable fit, but regardless they’ve become a go to garment for me over the last few weeks. Sorry if you’re bored of them already.
. ASOS DUSTER COAT . ZARA PATENT PUMPS . WHISTLES RIPPED JEANS . TOPSHOP REPTILE SWEATER .
Whilst I often sport jeans for a casual weekend look, like I shared here and here, I also love a good denim look for an evening out or a casual party. Adding a pair of heels or a chic top to a good fitting, long leg, skinny jean can create the most effortlessly chic look, often out passing any considered & well thought out dress look.
I teamed my skinnies with my Topshop reptile sweater, new Zara pumps & my ASOS duster coat a couple of weekends ago for a dinner out in Bristol. I didn’t want to get super dressed up for the occasion, but wanted to give my denim a dressier feel. I think the duster & heel combo did just that, simple but effective.
Do you ever style denim up for a more dressy look? What do you think of this combination?
Whilst I was in Norway a couple of weekends ago, the girls and I naturally indulged in a drop of Nordic shopping as we do on all our trips. Monki & Gina Tricot being two of our regular hot spots, even though we now have our very own Monki now over here in the UK. I naturally found a few pieces I couldn’t wait to add to my summer wardrobe, but somehow managed to wait until I was back in the UK.
These shorts are part of Monki’s new collection designed by Ida Sjostedt, I actually received the press release for the collection a few months back but after seeing the range for real I fell even more in love and couldn’t help but treat myself to these silk shorts. They are at the heavier price range for Monki at £50 but I think they’re worth it as they’re so cute and comfy and I’ve got no doubt i’ll end up living in them all summer. My second Monki purchase was this cute horizontal knit cropped jumper which was another item I loved on first sight. It’s really different to other knit jumpers I own and looked too good not to buy teamed with these shorts. The finishing touch was my DKNY tribeca bag which I first introduced here … the vibrant cobalt blue worked with the cute, subtle pastel tones like a dream. This outfit is something I know i’ll be sporting a hell of a lot this summer.
What do you think of my summer time look? How else might you style these shorts?
I’m not a total beauty addict or lipstick hoarder, but I have over the last few years developed a rather large collection which i’ve been avoiding admitting, because lets face it, I only use 5 or 6 of them regularly. Rather than showcase a whole load of lippy, I thought i’d share my favourites, these are the lippies I carry around daily & wear on those special occasions.
MAC SPEED DIAL: The first of my favourite’s was actually one of the first lipsticks I actually actively went and purchased (rather than got as a present, or for a party or within a set). MAC Speed Dial was a firm summer favourite of mine a few years back, the perfect girly pink & a great shade for a summer party.
RIMMEL 107: The second lipstick featured above is a new lipstick I got recently from Rimmel’s range, it’s a very dark vampy colour which I actually apply in the mornings very lightly and rub in to create a ‘snow white’ style natural rouge lip. It’s the colour i’d go to if I ever decided to fully embrace a dark vampy lip too.
DIORIFIC DIVA: This is probably my favourite lipstick, a present from Jase at Christmas, he picked this colour for me after asking the Dior beauty artist for advice on what would suit my skin tone and colour. I can’t believe how perfect it is for me, absolutely the right tone, the most beautiful shade of pinky red. This lipstick is also the one I find easiest to apply & the one i’d opt for for the majority of special occasions.
CHANEL LA FASCINANTE: I bought this lipstick a few years ago duty free after falling in love with the sexy rouge lip. It’s a colour a friend of mine had sported and it just looked so fab on her for and created a chic evening lip that I seriously wanted to embrace it myself. My lipstick is from Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet range, and along with my Dior lipstick is an absolute firm favourite. This Chanel lipstick is the one I carry in my purse on a daily basis, ready for those moments when I want to transform my look from day to night. This lipstick reaffirmed my love for the more matt lip
NARS HEATWAVE: This is the newest to my favourite’s range and probably my least used, this orange tinted red lipstick is one I’ll be turning to for festive fun & summer garden parties. It’s probably the coldest shade of red I have, with orange undertones I think it would actually suit darker skin tones more, but regardless it creates a powerful, bold lip shade which I think is fab for fun events & summer months.
MAYBELLINE BABY LIPS: Not necessarily a lipstick, but as you can tell from the lack of product left, it’s my absolute go to lip cover on a daily basis, so It’s only fair I included it on my list. This product, at about £3 is fab, it’s an easy way to add colour to your lip in a more low key day time way. It’s understated, hydrating & the perfect product to carry around on an ‘every day’ basis, I use the cherry pink shade as it creates a healthy, pretty, cherry tone to your lips. I carry around about 4 lip seals in my bag (addicted a little) and this one along side my lip butter, Berts Bee’s, Carmex, & Nivea vanilla lip butter is one of my favourite products for hydration & healthy looking lips.
As I mentioned, this is by no means an extensive list of products I have & use, but these are by far my most used and favourite. Although I should give credit to another little favourite of mine, not a red lip, but a product I use when i’m looking for a very subtle, matt, natural rose lip … my Benefit Benetint. This product is incredible at giving you a Kristen Stewart worthy rose lip, great for every day wear.
Have you tried out any of these lipsticks? What are your favourite products for creating the absolute perfect red lip?
Firstly, apologies for an uncharacteristically late blog post, i’ve actually been out in the garden since 10am (yes a whole 10 hours) attempting to tackle our urban jungle. On that note, this weeks been a total whirlwind, time seems to have absolutely flown by. Jase and I have been super busy tackling our garden (with a lot of help from his family) this weekend and also last weekend too when we spent a good 6 hours de-weeding and taming our seriously overgrown yard. We’ve got some gorgeous flowers blossoming and we’re determined to get the garden spruced ready for summer fun and a ton of BBQs. Our anniversary present to each other this year is going to be a gas barbecue (and a new shed, rock n’ roll)… i’m a BBQ addict and want a nice one so we can have all our friends over for garden parties (if the Sun decides to ever come back). I’ve also created my own mini vegetable patch with tomatoes, cucumber and chilli’s growing. It’s actually super rewarding creating your own little mini vegetable garden and I can’t wait until they start developing the fruits. It appears that I’m actually 45 years old.
I also got my hair coloured on Saturday, it was a seriously well needed colour and finally my hair is getting back to the vibrant blonde colour I love it. I haven’t got any pics of my new do yet (due to cameradropgate) but you can get a sneak peak here. I’m hoping to get a few outfit pics this weekend so I can show you all my hair soon. If you follow me on twitter or read my post a few days ago, you’ll know I broke my camera lens whilst I was in Brighton, I was seriously upset about it but thankfully i’ve managed to get it fixed at a Canon repair store this week. It cost £130 to fix the lens & replace some of the broken parts but luckily it was fixable and I’m now back with my beloved camera which is such a relief.
The other thing i’ve been doing this week is drinking (as well as the usual daily work too, I should add), we had a fab BBQ at my dads last Sunday which naturally included some fizz and plenty of Hendricks and tonic, and Wednesday was spent at Hutong in the Shard with work celebrating the pitches we’d been working on (celebrating the crazy busy period being over). It was a gorgeous lunch and the cocktails flowed well into the night (so much so that I only realised on Friday, 48 hours later, that I still had a bar tab open & my card behind the bar). But I had a good excuse for my cocktail drinking as it was also one of Chryslers challenges as part of their Vice or Virtue campaign. If you read this post last week you’ll know I challenged myself to be brave and take on some Vice challenges this week, and I’ve been doing just that … hitting London with my work friends Wednesday evening to enjoy one too many gin cocktails as well as taking the step of getting my hair totally re done. It’s fab to have an excuse to do the things you love, plus get the opportunity to win a prize too. Chryslers campaign still has a few more days left so make sure you check out the daily challenges (you can get all the details here) and take part to win some incredible prizes.
I think Sunday is going to be spent with my feet up and enjoying some serious TLC. Coffee, magazines & comfy clothes are the order of the day … I think this sums it up quite well.
I was debating whether or not to share an outfit today, I always like to post as many as possible, but with my camera being out of action for a full week I was running low on looks to share. The good news is the lens is fixed and back in action, so this weekend, i’ve managed to persuade Jase to snap some outfits for me. So in celebration of sunshine & a fixed lens, I thought what the heck … let’s throw in another outfit.
. ZARA JACKET, SKIRT & CAMI BLOUSE . TOPSHOP SANDALS .
This look is one i’ve been wanting and waiting to share for a while now, you’ve been introduced to both the jacket and skirt on multiple occasions now (here, here and here), but i’ve been saving the co-ord ‘piece de resistance’ for a special day.
Co-Ords aren’t something I really wear or have within my wardrobe, but as soon as I saw this set from Zara I couldn’t resist it for a second. Firstly it’s pink, which we all know i’m a secret lover of, secondly it’s a skirt and suit style jacket which has to be my favourite form of duo out there (batting for the number one spot with the pencil skirt & cropped top duo) and thirdly they work perfectly as separates too.
The outfit is an absolute favourite of mine, and since buying it, I can’t help but want to extend my co-ord collection further. i’ve already been spying up this incredible top & skirt set from Topshop which I’m pretty sure I’m going to treat myself to when the sun comes back out.
Are you a fan of the co-ord two piece trend? What do you think of my ‘Legally Blonde’ style look?
There’s nothing like sporting a simple denim look, but transforming it by adding a standout accessory, like my new little Nano. On a daily basis I find myself leaning on a chic bag or a glam pair of shoes, or even a cute coat to give my outfit a little oomph and transform it into something more than a simple ‘thrown on’ outfit.
This looks is uber simple, a go to outfit for me on the weekend, but a look that is transformed by a little accessorising. My Topshop leather peep toe booties styled together with my infamous Nano give the basic look a slightly more chic vibe, taking this look from day time casual, to a more versatile and dressy outfit. Although that’s not to say the blouse and jeans can’t hold their own, these ‘basics’ are far from plain, my Whistles skinnies offering an edgy ripped knee twist on the standard jean, and my new blouse a cute & more summery styling. This kind of outfit is an easy win in my eyes.
Are you a fan of accessorising? What are your ‘go to’ outfit condiments?
Ripped knees are definitely becoming a ‘thang’ right now, whether it’s the international style bloggers sporting the boyfriend skinny with a grungy ripped knee or the effortlessly cool girls on the high street sporting Topshop’s latest ‘it’ jean, ripped knees are infiltrating society, and I for one, am on board.
I picked up these Whistles ripped knee jeans back in Feb or March, prior to really catching on to the current ripped jean hype, simply because I loved them and they fitted like a dream. Little was I to know I was embracing and starting my journey on the ripped denim trend … now I can’t stop dreaming up outfits and adding even more ripped jeans to my wish list. But I have to say, I can’t blame us all for coveting the look, there’s something seriously cool about a ripped knee, suitably edgy but contradict-ably chic at the exact same time. The likes of Victoria Beckham & other chic fashionistas have been owning this look for years now, styling up their partners oversized, over worn denim with a gorgeous pair of studded Valentino pumps, creating the perfect denim juxtaposition.
It’s a look i’ve admired from afar for many years, but thanks to the high street and these little Whistles dreamboats, i’m not jumping on board and sporting the look myself. In fact, it’s actually become a denim number I can stop living in (have you noticed?)
Are you a fan of the ripped knee jean? How are you wearing the trend?
Whilst I spend much of my time admiring the chic, minimalistic style of many international fashion bloggers, coveting their effortless get ups & plotting how to embrace the laid back androgynous, often monochrome, looks myself, I can’t help but keep buying bold and bright garments, which i’m drawn to no matter how much I admire a more noir au blanche look.
. ASOS CIGARETTE TROUSERS . ZARA MOCCASINS & PINK JACKET . TOPSHOP SWEATER .
Pink, it’s fair to say, is a colour I am constantly drawn too. Even when i’m styling up a potentially simplistic look, I can’t help but finish the look off with a pop of colour. My wardrobe is full of colour, pink, green and blue being stand out colours I tend to go for. I admire the more androgynous style of dressing, but I can’t help but channel it in a more girly and feminine way, something I’ve come to learnt is clearly true to my personal style.
This look is a prime example, case in hand, of my attempt to channel a simple look with an androgynous vibe (cue cigarette trousers) but finish the outfit with an over whelming burst of femininity with my bright pink Zara jacket. There’s no escaping it, and from here on in, i’ll be embracing my girly roots. It’s what distinguishes my style, no matter how hard I try to channel it otherwise.
What’s your personal style, do you end up giving a look your own personal style touch?
On Friday Jase and I took the day off work to celebrate our 6 year anniversary, we decided to make the most of the day (and the impromptu summer sunshine) and head to Brighton for the day. We picked ourselves up a little bubbly and popped ourselves on the train to the coast ready for a little day of exploration …
. WHISTLES JEANS . ZARA JACKET . CELINE BAG . ZARA BOX TOP . TOPSHOP BOOTS .
We had a fab day, although it came with a couple of downers … firstly I dropped my Canon 5D Mark III camera with F1.4 lens on and smashed my lens up, I can’t even describe how gutted and upset I am about this. The camera broke shortly after we arrived so sadly these are the only pictures I managed to capture from the day, I need to get it to a Canon repair store this week and I really hope it can be fixed, but will no doubt come with a huge bill. I’m currently stressing about how i’ll manage to blog without my camera lens for a while (not to mention the cost). Secondly a gang of seagulls attached us on the beach, they were hustlin’ for our fish and chips, the little bastards (it was actually hilarious, but for about 30 seconds felt like a real life version of the film Birds). The final hiccup was our journey home … we hit the train station just as every train between London and Brighton got struck by hour long delays. We got home eventually, but just explored (major detoured through) a bit of the East country on route. It’s the high’s and low’s that make the journey more meaningful though right?
Aside from our misfortune, we did have a fab day in Brighton. We loved the quirky Laines & felt significantly better after soaking up some serious vitamin D on the beach, let’s not forget the arcade and 2p machines which brought back all my childhood memories. We finished the day off with a seafood dinner on the beach front at Riddle & Finn, we had an incredible view watching the sun set (check it out).
What are your favourite things to do on a day out? Have you got any tips or recommendations for Camera repairs?
