Portraits

I have now returned from visiting various family members in the south of the country, and a wonderful time I have had too. Nothing particularly exciting happened, which is good; I enjoyed simply catching up with people.

While in Wiltshire, my cousin and I collaborated to create some pretty photos. She is a fantastic photographer (though I will freely admit I am quite biased!), and I offered myself for her to practice shooting with her new lens and other equipment. You can visit her blog here for more technical specs that I don't totally understand, as well as more awesome photographs that don't have me in them.

This was actually a pretty big deal for me. I spent years of my life disliking being in front of a camera - literally running away from it most of the time. The only time I could bear having a photograph taken of me was if I was sat on a horse at the time. I think it just took me a terribly long time to get over the feeling-awkward-about-my-body stage of puberty. I've got over this for the most part (as evidenced by my outfit pictures), but I still feel pretty awkward in front of a camera operated by someone else. However, this being my year of reinvention, saying yes more often and all sorts of other ultra-positive manifestations of self-love (sorry, been reading too many self-help blogs...) I decided to bite the bullet, step out of my comfort zone and make the suggestion. 

Apart from anything else, it's just really nice to have such great-looking photos of my pretty dress. :) I may look to work with other photography people I know to get some more photos, so stay tuned!

No more words, here are some pictures

Dress: Primark (originally - bought second-hand) // Jacket: New Look

an ode to Primark (yes really)

I'm not ashamed to admit I like Primark. It actually is awesome, you just have to see past the mess and the crowds and not go for the obvious choices that 95% of Britain's teenagers will be wearing. 

I like it because it gives me a chance to play around with trends without having to commit to a more expensive purchase. In fact, I think it's safe to say that my style would not have evolved as much as it has over the last four or five years, had I not lived or worked near a Primark. They have such fast-changing stock, virtually every trend of the season will feature in their stores at some point. This has led to my personal motto, 'if you want something, eventually it will be in Primark for half the price' - this has come true on most occasions. 

Okay, the quality isn't always that great (I wouldn't touch their bras with a bargepole), but it's not bad; I treat their items with the same care I would a more expensive garment, and I'm not afraid of getting my sewing machine out to mend something if it needs it. I certainly don't subscribe to the fast-fashion, wear-it-once-then-throw-it brigade.

I hadn't been near a Primark for well over a month, which is quite a long time for me; not just because I work only 5 minutes' away from one, but also because they can have things in that sell out after a day or so. I ventured out to one today, though, seeing as I've been feeling a bit stronger. I came out with quite a haul, and there were quite a few more bits and bobs that I wanted but I had to budget.

I love this dress. It fits perfectly, and has a nice kicky, swingy skirt. I'm planning a night out for when I get my bandage/shoe off, and this might be one of the contenders...

...Or this might be. It has a kind of threadbare effect to it so I will need to wear a vest underneath it, but it's so colourful (more so than in the above photo) and pretty I might wear this on my night out, with a bodycon skirt.

This navy crop top is so cute. It actually looked pretty good layed over the red dress above; I've yet to figure out how to wear it with other things I own. Having an evening of just trying on clothes is no fun when I have to hobble everywhere!

Another cute top. As much as I like it, I can see me not wearing this until spring/summer because of its vest-yness. Still, I will do my best, because the reason for buying this was because I want to wear more skirts and tops - it's so easy just to throw a dress on, that's pretty much my uniform.

Three AWESOME scarves. I couldn't resist any of them, Primark do so many pretty scarves I had to restrain myself at three. The spotty one and the anchor one are a satiny material, and the right size to wear as headbands. The starry one is larger, and made of a lovely snuggly fabric.

This kewl horse belt. Did I *really* need another belt with a horse on it? Well, I did need a black elastic-waist belt, the fact that it had a horse on it was just a bonus. And it was £1.

A few plain vest tops to layer under things, and a pretty ring with a rose on it.

The Return of Topshop

I do try to be hip, trendy and down with the kids. I really do. But over the last couple of years, I have been getting worried. Topshop, that superstar hip and happening compass of cool, has held no appeal for me. Honestly, sometimes I’ve looked at the things they’ve had in the last couple of years and genuinely wondered about the sanity of the people who bought certain items. Am I getting too old for it? What hope is there for me, if I can’t find anything I like in Topshop? I was considering switching its space in my bookmarks folder for Marks & Spencer instead (just going with the stereotype here).

But relief, sweet relief! I’ve been browsing the new season stock, and I’m quite impressed. For the first time in what seems like years, there are several wearable pieces, with realistic skirt lengths and not-too-out-there prints and designs. There is a definite feminine streak running through the collection, and I’m seriously thinking about buying a few pieces from there over the next few months. The prices can still be ridiculous (thirty-something quid for a simple blouse? I know I’m a cheapskate, but personally I don’t think the quality matches that price), but overall I’m quite impressed. I have compiled a little pictorial of my favourite pieces below; I’m now trying to whittle it down even further, as I don’t think my budget can stretch to everything somehow!  

Left-right from top:

Short Sleeve Sailor Blouse, £32

Button Detail Dress, £65 

Knitted Lace Front Jumper, £38

Pleated Skater Skirt, £30 

Stripe Full Circle Skirt, £38

Lady Bow Bag, £25 

Red Rose Flippy Tunic, £26 

Contrast Collar Playsuit, £46 

50's Full Spot Skirt, £32 (I only want this because Zooey Deschanel wore a similar one in an episode of New Girl...)

Lace Racer Skirted Dress, £48

Mustard Belted Lace Dress, £45

Hatty 2 Bow Sandal, £24

New Purchases + Outfit Post

So, the Boxing Day sales started yesterday, and I ventured into town with my mother for my first Boxing Day sale shop in years. I've not had the money to go shopping for sale bargains for quite a while, normally I'd still be skint from Christmas by this point. I didn't go mad, as I've bought a few other bits and pieces before Christmas... My plans to restrain my spending isn't going *quite* as well as I'd planned...

This dress was part of my first ever order from Boohoo.com, I received it about a week or so before Christmas. It was only £20 so I was prepared for the quality to be lacking and was expecting to be sending it back straightaway. However, it's actually not too bad. The fabric is cheap synthetic, but it's thick and nicely-fitted so it's a keeper. The belt is horrifically tacky up close, supposed to be patent but it's obviously plastic and the buckle just makes it look cheap. However,  have been wearing the belt with other outfits anyway, as it's made me realise I have a black patent belt-shaped hole in my life.

 

This skirt also came from Boohoo, along with another in the exact same style only in black which I haven't pictured because, well, black's a bit boring. I ordered both colours because I couldn't decide between the two; this has unfortunately backfired as I like them both so much I'm keeping the pair of them. They're made from a lovely thick material that's sort of ribbed, and the skirts are lovely and full so very flattering. The length is decent as well; in fact, the only thing I'm not keen on is the elastic waistband, which is a little narrow - if it was a bit deeper the skirts would be perfect. I've already worn both of them, they're perfect for all the pretty blouses I seem to have acquired recently.

Teerrrrible quality pictures of the above sparkly items, that's the last time I borrow my mum's camera! Both the shoes and the bag were bought from Barratts, for my mum's birthday party next week. I have a lovely sea-green dress to wear for the party and I had wanted silver sparkly shoes and some sort of clutch to wear with it. The shoes are more of a dark pewter than silver, but they were the closest to silver I could find - everything seems to be gold at the moment. I absolutely love the bag, it's covered in glitter with a light pink-ish tint to it. I'm not sure whether I'll wear the shoes that often, but I'll definitely use that clutch at every opportunity.

I bought this from the pre-Christmas sale in Dorothy Perkins; £29 reduced to £7, bargain! It doesn't look great on the hanger, but it actually fits a lot better in real life. It's like a thin jersey material, with gold metallic thread running through it. This was my Christmas Day dress :)

This dress is so cute, I was supposed to be buying a few last-minute bits and pieces for Christmas in Asda but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it - and the fact that it was only £16 only served to encourage me. It's a lovely fit, and the bird print is so sweet. 

 The only two things in this post that were actually in the Boxing Day sales, haha. The polka dot one is from Topshop and the pink one is from one of the concessions sold in Dorothy Perkins. I'd had my eye on both of them a month or so ago, especially the pink one which is just so adorable, but I'd already bought plenty of things at the tim so I decided to restrain myself. Being in the sale, though, meant they were fair game!

I think the Topshop dress feels more summery to me, though I may end up wearing it this winter anyway. The pink one I just love - I had to risk it as I'd not tried it on before and the fitting rooms were closed due to the sales, so I wasn't sure whether it would fit, as you can see in the picture it doesn't look very fitted and it's also quite short. Fortunately, it does fit well and though it's a little short for my tastes, I'm just going to wear it anyway and be brave - I think I'm just a wuss when it comes to skirt lengths.

 

So, I went a bit mad in Boots recently. I mentioned in a previous post about being disappointed with one of the sparkly Model's Own polishes I'd bought, so I decided to get the Mystic Mauve (above middle) which is a more interesting colour than the Champagne. It's a bit more vivid than in the picture, but still quite subtle. 

I've been umm-ing and ahh-ing over buying a red lipstick for a while. I'm not the bravest girl when it comes to makeup, but I do love the way red lipstick looks and I wanted to give it a go even though I wasn't sure it would suit me. I bought a lipstick from Boots' 17 Supreme Shine range, in

Red Devil. I'm happy to say it does suit me (I think!) and I'm going to make myself wear it as often as I can just to get used to it. While I was in Boots I saw they had an offer for a free makeup case + three polishes if you bought two items from the 17 range. So of course I had to go for that, and bought the shimmery blue polish to get the other three.

Then I sat the jewellery stand by the checkout, which was all half price. I went a bit mad buying rings, I loved them all and couldn't decide between them so just bought all four; I think they were only a couple of quid each in the end. Only problem is, they don't all fit that great; it was difficult to tell in the shop because of the rubber band in the ring holding them onto the packaging, and the ring was a lot looser than I anticipated once I removed the packaging. They still fit, though, so I should get plenty of wear out of them.

And now, my first ever outfit post! I finally managed to figure out the self-timer on the camera, find a place to shoot from and somewhere to balance the camera precariously. Clearly, I didn't have time to move my fringe out of my eyes. My beautiful-sexy post-op shoe can also be seen, unfortunately that's the only shoe I'll be wearing on my left foot for the next 6 or 7 weeks,

cardigan: Primark, dress: New Look, belt: Tesco, right shoe: Peacocks, left shoe: NHS

nice things

♥ my new favourite t-shirt. The reasons it's so awesome: it's got a panda on it, it's got sequins on it, it's super-soft and really light, and it flatters me lots. I am aware I've already mentioned this in my previous post, but I just can't get over how much win it is.

♥ my cat, Basil. As much as I love cats, I have always found his character too dog-like and sycophantic to really warm to. He was never my favourite cat, and I was never his favourite person.
Now, though, with all the upheaval in my life recently, I love his constancy, his sweet affectionate nature and devotion, and his little meows whenever he thinks I'm near. What I thought of as clingy neediness previously,  I now think of as sweet and endearing. It's been nice to have someone who has gone through all of this with me, even though he can't speak English (he makes up for it by speaking lots of Cat, though - extremely loudly and whenever he thinks I should be awake).

♥ my journal. Again, with so much in my life changing, I've written more in my journal in the last month than I have all year. At the start of this month, in part to mark this as a significant occasion and the start of something new, I bought myself a new journal and made sure to buy the prettiest I could find. It pleases me greatly just to look at it, it's such a lovely shade of pink (slightly deeper than in the above photo). The pages are gorgeous, too, different flowers and blooms and leaves all around the edges.
I feel like a teenager again, tucked away in my bedroom, on my bed listening to music and writing in my journal; but, right now, I don't think it's a bad thing, and I feel like I need it.



♥ my fluffy, sparkly, leopard-print dressing gown. It's not quite as tacky as it sounds, but it's not far off. The sparkles are quite subtle, and it's soft and snuggly and so so comfortable. I never wore dressing gowns in my old house, but I realised I needed something to cover up with when I moved back home because my usual night attire is pretty skimpy to say the least. And it's nice to have something snuggly to wear on lazy winter mornings, especially around Christmastime.



♥ being off work for the next two months. Although I have been finding my job less of a struggle lately, I would never say no to some time off! I think this operation has come at a most ideal time, giving me plenty of time for reflection on my goals and my future, as well as for educating myself. I can focus on me and the things I enjoy, without being stressed about targets targets targets.



♥ glittery nail polish. I have some sparkly gold polish from Models Own which I like so much and looks lovely and festive right now. I want some more sparkles for my nails, and I bought another Models Own polish (in Champagne); I liked it at first as it had a nice pinky sheen to it, but I've completely gone off it. It looks a bit too grown-up for me, a bit dull and boring. I'm now lusting after a more vivid shade of pink, and may have to buy it next time I'm in Boots.
A few months ago, sparkly nail polish would have been far too outré for me, but I'm increasingly starting to warm to slightly more outlandish styles. I've also just ordered online a bright pink polka-dot dress, for much the same reason.

Recent acquisitions

This month was the first salary in many years where I have had a large amount of disposable income.. No rent or bills any more, woo! So I decided to treat myself and buy quite a few new clothes. There are some more winging their way to me via courier too. I will be reining my spending in the New Year though!

This shirt is part of my Primark haul. I'm not ashamed to admit I love Primark, and they do have some really nice stuff in at the moment. I've worn this shirt already, tucked into my high-waisted flared jeans with my hair loose, 70's style.

Another Primark purchase. I haven't worn this yet, and although I like it a lot, I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I feel a bit too androgynous in it for my liking, even though it's pink; I think because of the high collar. It doesn't look quite right with my high-waisted jeans because they're a light shade of blue, and this needs something darker. Possibly a black pencil skirt, I'm thinking a bowler hat to finish it off?

My first ever purchase from Forever21, from when I was in London. I was determined to buy something in that shop, even though my budget was limited! I did see a few things I liked but surprisingly nothing really stood out. I took this dress to the fitting room on a whim but it fits really nicely, and looks quite retro on me. It feels almost a little bit too long (which is something I don't normally say about dresses and skirts!) but that's okay because I won't be scared to wear it in the summer!

I've loved this dress from H&M from afar for quite a while, and the day I got paid I went and bought it straightaway. I'm loving all the lace that's around at the moment, and it's such a pretty shade of purple. I think it will be quite easy to wear, I can picture plenty of outfit combinations it would look nice with.

Another H&M purchase, a bit of an impulse buy. You can't see so well in the above picture but the black specks are tiny black stars. Although it's a little short, it looks really cute on and is nice and fitted. I will just be careful to wear it with nice thick black tights!

I bought this from New Look, along with a t-shirt which I haven't posted here because I'm wearing it right now! (I don't have a way of taking outfit pictures at the moment, plus they'd look rubbish as I can't stand up straight because of an operation I had on my foot last week)
Another lace dress to add to the growing collection, I can't get enough of them! It looks pretty drab on the hanger and not very fitted, but it looks a lot better on, more shaped although the top is supposed to be quite loose . It came with a cheap-looking belt in a similar shade of blue which I most likely won't wear; I've got a thin white patent belt which I think would look much nicer with this.

I love this top so hard, it's definitely my favourite recent purchase. I would wear this every day if I could, it just looks and feels so awesome. What's not to like about sequins and a panda face? This is from Jane Norman, which I very rarely buy from because the majority of their clothes I feel are a bit... tacky? Generic cheap-feeling acrylic jumpers, too-tight skirts and dresses and rather low-cut tops tend to be the standard. However, every now and again I see something in there that is so unlike their usual fare, I actually wonder if they have a junior buyer or something who only occasionally gets their picks chosen and has my taste in awesome clothes (I really have no idea how fashion buying works). This is a kind of stretchy material but it's really light; again, I wore it with my high-waisted jeans and I felt all kinds of awesome in it :D

Another surprisingly good item from Jane Norman. I've had my eye on this dress as soon as it came out in the middle of summer, it's got a lovely vintage look to it and the fit is really flattering. It's been in the sale for quite a while and I was praying it would still be in stock when I got paid; thankfully it was, and not only that but it had another £2 knocked of it - bargain! I wore this last week for my (first ever) blind date and, while sadly the dress didn't make me have any romantic feelings that evening, I did feel lovely in it and at least made up for the crushing disappointment.

I had a 25% discount voucher to use at Oasis, so I wandered in last week to use it before it expired. I had wanted to buy their Look Magazine party dress, a gorgeous hot pink lace number with a ribbon/belt sash thing round the waist. Unfortunately, they only had a size 12 left and that was just a bit too big for me round the shoulders, so I had to hand it back with much regret. After much hobbling round the rails on my crutches I decided on this dress; I like its mod-ish look, although it feels quite a lot smarter than the things I would normally wear - or maybe that's just because it's black? I don't wear a lot of black clothes, they're normally too serious for me. Due to this, I'm not sure if I'll get a lot of wear out of it, but I like it all the same.

I bought these from Tesco on a whim; my reasoning is that my only other pair of leopard-print shoes feel a bit too summery as they're made of a sort of canvas material - plus they will undoubtedly fall apart pretty soon, being a Primark purchase, so my justification for the above pair is that I'm pre-empting the demise of my older shoes. That's ok, right? And anyway, a girl can never have too many leopard-print items.. or maybe not....

The below are not purchases, but birthday presents from my dear family last week. They were both on my wish list posted a while ago, and I had nudged my parents in the right direction of their locations ;)

I love these shoes so much, they're just fantastic. I love all the horse-related pieces that have been around lately, I've wanted to buy them all and build up a little collection but that might be weird. I was lucky to get them as they were on sale at Debenhams and sold out pretty quickly. I haven't dared to wear them yet as they're suede and it's been absolutely pouring it down with rain the last few weeks, but I aim to rectify that as soon as possible.

 Another horse-related gift, I'm on a roll. It's quite a thin belt, thinner than I'd normally wear but I just love the horse on it. I'm actually not quite sure what to wear it with; I think a plain-ish dress would be best so the horse can stand out, but I don't have many of those! I will have to have a rummage through my rails to see what I can find.

Other recent purchases include; Soap & Glory EDT (love love love), sparkly Models Own nail polish (was in love with the shade at first but the crush is now over), underwear from Primark and Topshop, sparkly star-shaped hair grips, a leopard-print sparkly fluffy dressing gown from Primark, lots of goodies from Lush (Snow Fairy, yay!) and posh chocolates from Hotel Chocolat - yumyumyum.

Wish list of the week

 

This dress from Zara (it's a much deeper/more vivid navy in real life)

 

Pretty fan pattern on this dress

Loving all the horse-related pieces at the moment

 

More horse goodies :D