HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Ears - Fancy dress store, Neck tie - Primark, Top - River Island, Trousers - H&M

Bit of a quiet halloween this year compared to previous standards. My halloweens are usually less about the spook factor & more about the crazy nights out! I'm meant to be getting ready for a night out in Cardiff as I type but feeling a little under the weather & have decided not to go): Wish I was feeling up to it but don't want to get all dressed up & spend a fortune to not enjoy myself. Have to make up for it by having twice as many nights out next year!

I did go to a fancy dress gig at a local pub on Saturday which was a really good night. The band were amazing! A local band who covered songs by a wide range of bands along the lines of The Stereophonics, Beach Boys, Feeder, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, etc. I am a serious lover of live music & a secret rocker at heart! I used my simple idea & dressed as a cat which was super easy and I spent a grand total of £5 which I'm more than happy with! Yet again I didn't take hardly any photo's let alone any decent ones so only the one phone standard pic' to share with you guys! Must take more photo's! Hope you guys have had a fun halloween!

MAKE UP: KATE MOSS LIPSTICK

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick Shade 12

I'm usually a nude lippy girl but after seeing this in Superdrug the other day I couldn't resist the temptation. I bought this gorgeous shade which is a coral red. I have bought red lipsticks in the past but have never really been impressed as the colour seems to look too dark against my skin. With the coral tint, this colour is perfect! 

The packaging is sleek, matt black & has Kate's signature on the lid. It feels quite moisturising & creamy and not at all drying on my lips. For the £5.49 price tag the colour is quite pigmented & contains "exclusive black diamond pigment complex" which claims to "reflex light like never before". It has a slight fruity taste but nothing too over powering. 

As my lips are quite dry I prepped them a few days before by exfoliating them with my Lush Lip Scrub & layering on the Vaseline. Nothing worse than dry, cracked lips! Before applying the lipstick I used a Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner to outline & emphasise the shape of my lips. Then finally applied! Definitely will be rouging up my lips this weekend again, I think I have been converted!

HALLOWEEN FANCY DRESS

I manage to leave my Halloween costume until last minute every year resulting in something thrown together on the night! I don't see the appeal of buying a costume costing £30+ when you can make something half decent yourself with a couple of quid! My two idea's this year for my two planned nights out are pretty simple & unoriginal but will do...

001. The Devil - Pretty simple & easy! The horns & pitchfork can be picked up in any fancy dress stores or maybe even supermarkets for £3-£5 a set. I bought this dress from eBay for just £6.99, total bargain! Worn together with a bit of red lipstick, big hair & killer heels would complete the sexy devil look! 

002. Witches Cat - Again another female costume stereotype but we are on a deadline & budget here! I dressed as a cat/leopard last year for my staff night out, I may wear this again or I could go for the version above which would also work out pretty cost effective! A pair of high-waisted leather look leggings, which can be bought dirt cheap at stores such as H&M, paired with a black top & some feline accessories, done!

WANT: MODELS OWN BOX SETS...

Beetlejuice Models Own Box Set

Models Own currently have an offer on their box sets making them £20 for six polishes! MO is my favourite brand for nail varnish; amazing quality for drug store prices, what more could you want?! The offer makes them £3 odd a bottle which just has to be taken advantage of! Now to decide, Beetle Juice or Glitter Collection?

WANT: FOIL PRINT KNITS...

All Newlook

I am loving the metallic trend this season! It's super glamorous & feminine which is a welcomed twist to knitwear in my eyes! Newlook & Dorothy Perkins have quite a few styles available on-line and Primark have some amazing one's in-store, if you can grab them in your size that is (I couldn't *sob*). I'm trying to decide which colour I like the most & I think I am swaying towards the gold flecked ones. Either way I'll be wearing it with the sleeves pushed up & maybe in a size too big so it's a little slouchy. I think they'll look amazing with leather leggings or black skinnies with big, black chunky heels. Love! So what do you reckon girls; do the metallic knits get your nod of approval to be the first instalment of my new AW look?

WINTER WARDROBE PLEDGE...

I feel a little uninspired by my clothes lately. I seem to be shopping & spending money all the time but my wardrobe is seriously not up to standard! Due to my recent holiday I haven't really bought many wintery clothes (which I'm now regretting as it's got really cold really, really quick!) & my plain summer threads are still taking up the majority of the room in my cupboards. I'm also a major impulse shopper which does my bank balance no favours! I spend money on clothes that I'll wear once or twice then decide that I don't like that look anymore, not financially friendly at all! So this is my pledge to sort out my act, albeit a few months late..

Image from weheartit

I Charlotte, will start by ruthlessly sorting out my wardrobe in to various piles, recycle/attic/bin/keep/eBay, which will make room for my new organised, stylish clothes which I will put a lot of thought into before buying; do I really need it? will it go with my current style? etc etc etc. I pinky promise not to lose my bargain hunting ways but some more expensive investment pieces may have to be purchased to maintain the look. I will break down my new dream look into blog posts so that you can help me decide what is good & not so good, virtual shopping buddies! I will share my new purchases with you hopefully in outfit post style. Finally I will try not to get into a style rut again, it sucks):

Wish me luck ladies...

THE RAGGED PRIEST CLOTHING...

Images via The Ragged Priest Lookbook

When browsing around the Cardiff Topshop the other day I was like a kid in a candy store when I saw The Ragged Priest concession & just had to share them with you guys. Rails of vintage & reworked clothing ranging from your basic Levi shorts to bright patterned mohair jumpers. It was vintage shopping made easy! I love this brand & it's quirky image; I especially like that the price of the garments were displayed on old postcards instead of the usual price tags, so easy yet amazing! 

The vintage stock in store was amazingly different & their re-worked on-line section is full of clothes embellished with studs & feathers. I'm tempted to treat myself to the Studded Shoulder T-Shirt & love the Cable Knit Feather Collar Cardigan. Have you come across this label before, what do you think?...

BLIND LEMON VINTAGE FAIR...

The Blind Lemon Vintage autumn fashion fair was hosted today at Cardiff's Town Hall & I popped along to see if I could find some vintage gems. I had never been to a vintage fair before & enjoyed looking through the stalls filled with fur coats, lace collars & sequin dresses. I very nearly came home with a pair of Levi cut offs but sadly left empty handed): 

Although a lot of gorgeous items caught my eye, I'm trying to stick to one style for my wardrobe as I feel it's a little random at the moment! This is easier said than done as I am prone to the odd impulse purchase (aren't we all?) but determined to try & curb my random buys. I bought a tri-pod in the week so hoping this will make it easier to share my new, styled wardrobe with you guys. 

I feel I've been struggling with blogging over the past couple of weeks; I have loads of ideas for posts but can't seem to find the words to write them. After this little break I feel a little better & would like to thank my followers for sticking with me, n'awww(: Posting will hopefully resume as normal this week, yayay...

BOUGHT: PATENT TASSEL LOAFERS...

Newlook Black Patent Loafers - £15.00, £11.99 (20% student discount at the moment!)

After an embarrassing episode where my flip flops broke whilst walking through Newport town after uni' yesterday, I decided that it's time to pack away my beloved summer footwear! I couldn't believe that these were just £15 full priced so with my student discount on top they were a total bargain. I don't normally go for black flats as they just remind me of fugly school shoes but it seems that I'll just have to get over it!

Although they look good for the price, I think I may have found out why they are so cheap. I wore these to university today & my feet are in bits! Maybe breaking them in on a day where I'd be on my feet for 9 hours wasn't the best of ideas! I'm hoping they soften up pretty quickly as they look amazing with leggings, sheer shirts & my leather jacket. These are my first instalment to my winter footwear collection. I'm hoping to take advantage of Topshop's 20% student discount this weekend & treat myself to some Allegra's, yay! What are your winter footwear essentials?...

PS Sorry for the inconsistent blogging this week! With it being my first week back at uni' & straight after my holidays, I'm a bit up in the air. I have loads of posts in mind but by the time I get home from university it's too dark to take photographs & I'm, for lack of a better word, pooped!

WANT: RIVER WINTER MONOCHROME...

As it's student shopping night tonight at River Island across the country this week, I thought I'd dedicate a post to the monochrome goodies that I'd buy with 20% student discount, if only...

001. Black Bow Shirt £25 - Would love to be able to get away with wearing this as a dress with sheer black tights but have a feeling it'll be a little short on my 5"7 frame. I'll need to try this on but totally smitten with the bow!

002. Dalmatian Print Scarf £22 - Dalmatian print has stormed the high street this season & I think it's quite eye catching in smaller proportions. Dalmatian print nails are next on my nail art list!
003. Pyramid Studs £5.99 - I love jewellery that's a little different & think these would look amazing especially with contrasting platinum blonde hair.
004. Black Chelsea Boots £40 - Not quite as feminine as the much sought after Allegra's as they have no platform but have the same easy to wear style for almost half the price, bargain!
005. Polka Dot Tights - I don't need to tell you that polka dots are huge this season & not only in size! These tights are perfect to inject this trend into your wardrobe with out splashing out too much, me like!
006. PU Skater Skirt £15 - Love that winter brings along lots of leather & think this skater style skirt is a feminine, edgy twist on the trend.
007. Flower Studs (pack of 3) £7 - These studs come as a pack of black, white & gold. Perfect to wear in pairs or one of each to add a quirky, personal style.
008. Velvet & Crochet Headband £6 - These hair ties have been every where the past couple of months so nice to see a new twist with contrasting colours & fabrics.
009.Circle Crochet Dress £25 - I tried this on recently in work & I love it! Maybe a little summery with the crochet material but could easily be warmed up with a big cwtchy cardigan & some thick tights.
010. Black Stripe Jumper £35 - Gorgeous thick stripes & a chunky knit, what more could you want? 
011. Black Print Scarf £15 - This scarf is top of my want list. Love everything about it especially the print, will certainly be buying this piece!

Bit of a long post today & could of been much longer! Love so many black, white & monochrome pieces at the moment, my student loan is in real danger! What do you guys make of the take on the monochrome trend this year?...

BYE GREECE, BYE SEPTEMBER...

I'm back! Been MIA this past week as I've been on holiday in Greece! A farewell post was supposed to go up last week but somehow it didn't post, typical! Anyway I thought I'd share a few photo's with you of my past week spent in the gorgeous sunshine (although my bad luck struck again & looks as if you've had just as nice weather back here in the UK, again TYPICAL!)..

001. Our private pool, so close to the sea! - 002. Fierce cocktails & bingo - 003. My boyfriend & I - 004. The pool at night - 005. Wine in the hut - 006. Making waves on the way to Turkey

The week was perfect. Sunbathing & relaxing by day and making the most of the all-inclusive alcohol & entertainment by night. My boyfriend & I enjoyed massages at the spa, a shopping trip to Turkey & trips into Kos town by the pretty harbour. It's nice sometimes to just get away from it all; I was surprised how easily I left my iPhone in the hotel safe all week without withdrawal symptoms for twitter or facebook, need to kick my social network addiction! Most importantly I'm so proud of my natural tan which looks even darker now I'm home, sign of a successful holiday! Shame it'll probably disappear by next week, wah!

Of course my black cloud of bad luck followed me all the way to Greece as our flight home was delayed by 19 hours, total nightmare!! This is the first time I've ever had a flight delayed & to be fair it was handled by the company well but resulted in a sleep deprived night spent in a less than luxurious hotel & arriving home a day later than expected. All fun & games ha! 

On the day trip to Turkey I bought some gorgeous jewellery which I'll share with you as soon as but for now it's back to reality. I have university tomorrow & after missing the first week of work I expect to have a bit of catching up to do. Someone please take me back to Greece?...