high street sale picks

The fact I received 7623810 emails saying 'SALE, SALE, SALE' the same time that my bank balance isn't looking too healthy has been absolute torture!! I've been compiling these shopping baskets + have been so tempted to click 'proceed to checkout' but I just can't let myself. Save my sale filtering going to waste I've decided to share my top picks with you guys, you're welcome!aha..

metallic cobweb tank top £26 £15; metallic rara skirt by unique £75 £35; triangle beaded drop earrings £16.50 £8.25;  wowza metallic wood heel wedges £65 £30; denim cupped bandeau dress £40 £25.

palm print playsuit £37 £20; hawaiian print bra top £20 £10; pastel bow belt £12 £5; floral body £20 £10.

bird/chain print peplum top £27 £15; coral cut out back peplum top £26 £15; green bunting pearl necklace £8.50 £4.25; cream festival bun garland £7.50 £3.75;  

cupcake print bandeau top £14 £9.50; spot print summer dress £22 £11; keyhole strappy aztec print playsuit £38 £11; flamingo print bodycon dress £22 £11; daisy print shirt dress £30 £15; scarf print shorts £20 £14; vera moda techno tribal bandeau dress £35 £21; palm print pink skinny jeans £35 £24.50.

mint vintage oval frame £9 £5; cream rose garland £15 £8; omg mug £7 £4; cream large romantic rectangle frame £18 £9; cut paper pillow case set £30 £15; cut paper duvet set £70 £35.

sunday post #015

 

earls court; gfw show ticket; corona extra; vino time; nando's; butterfly chicken, spicy rice + coleslaw; pub grub; ipad instagramming; candle lit bubble bath; addicted to müller corners; arm candy; pink crash out attire; off to the puppy parlour; ombré nails; work uniform.

Going to keep tonight's post short + sweet as my wifi is on the blink + want to post while I can, technology hates me!ha.. I've had a pretty quiet weekend especially seeing as it's payday weekend. Times are hard + I've got saving to do, boo! I'm surely allowed to treat myself a little with my hard earned dollar so have booked a brow shape + hopefully a hair cut for in the week. I've been thinking about getting my hair cut up a little. I really dislike how my layers + feathering are growing out so thinking of opting for a long, blunt bob to give my hair a bit of shape + thickness. Maybe something between Fearne Cotton + Olivia Palermo, hair crushes forever! Not liking the thought of cutting away many, many months of patient growing though, oh so indecisive! Any advice ladies?

ombré nails; blue

nicki minaj for opi in fly; models own in top turquoise; look beauty nail pop in vintage; models own in blooboo; rimmel lasting finish in sweet as sugar; nicki minaj for opi in save me.

I've been wanting to attempt ombré or gradient nails since seeing the purple version on a few blogs a fair while ago, however I never seemed to have quite enough colours for it to work properly. When my sister came home with the Rimmel pale blue this idea immediately shot to mind! I've worn the plain colours all week + I must say, I love it! Last night I added a bit of sparkle just in time for the weekend. The OPI Save Me works perfectly as the holographic blue strips seem to emphasise the the blue nails. I'm looking forward to trying this in pink + purple tones. This style is perfect for statement nails that are so simple + don't require a steady hand, new favourite last minute night out manicure!

i can feel the love, can you feel it too?

crop t-shirt; newlook

high waisted jeans; river island

necklace; river island

watch; asos

shoes; river island

lips; mac créme cup

 

Hola! Finally found a corner of my room that works okay for outfit photo's yay! The quality isn't quite perfect but I can work on that! This is just a throw together, casual outfit that I wore to Nando's the other night. I like getting a little dolled up so the boyfriend warned me to tone it down a bit!ha, I wore this with my trusty black leather biker + zara messenger bag.

I bought this t-shirt the other week when the weather was nice, it was on promo', 2 for £6, so picked up a couple just to throw on. It's kinda thin (hello black bra!) but for that price what can you expect! I'm still obsessing with this colour, can't help but purchase anything if it's mint! This may cause a problem on payday Friday! It's been one of those month's where payday has taken agesss to come around; I'm trying my hardest to save but have already booked in for a brow shape, hair cut + have several online baskets ready for checkout! Must maintain will power!!

 

want; pretty pink

floral print bralet H&M £19.99; cookie long locked purse MULBERRY £210; hamsa cord bracelets DOROTHY PERKINS £4; all that glitters eye shadow MAC £10;  blush by 3 in lace SLEEK MAKE UP £10

001. I've been avoiding the high street lately due to a grim looking bank balance + the need to book a holiday, but being pay day Friday I think my efforts might go to waste! Love the colours in this bralet. Would look perfect worn with anything high waisted from skinny jeans to peplum skirts!

002. Aah Mulberry sale, the time where the tempting becomes very, very tempting! If anyone is feeling generous holla at a sister, I'll take the matching bag too!

003. I'm loving the religious/ethnic influence on high street jewellery at the moment, the hamsa symbol is definitely one of my favourites, need this cute little set!

004. I've never really been one for daytime eye shadow but lately I have made an effort to try and master the neutral look. I've been tempted to start my own MAC pro palette for a while, I think 'All That Glitters' may be the first pan of my collection!

005. Heard so much about this sleek palette! My current go to blush is the Topshop Blush in Powdered, although I'm still loving this Barbie pink blush I need a toned down shade to add to my make up bag + think this trio may be the answer! Any of you tried it?

mac créme cup lipstick

mac créme cup lipstick - £13.50

Lately I've been a little naughty + have started to branch out into the world of high-end make up. Feeling a bit overwhelmed in Debenhams, MAC was the obvious place to start my more expensive collection! My first MAC purchase was at the start of the year + it's only taken me this long to become totally addicted! Okay, so confession time... This is my second Créme Cup lipstick bought this year, pretty bad I know but I absolutely adore it!! My favourite lipstick ever by far!

I know this is pretty much a cult shade + one of MAC's best sellers but if you don't own it already, you need to! It is the perfect natural pinky/nude that would probably suit nearly anyone. I am in love with the cremesheen finish; long lasting, pigmented + doesn't dry out your lips, perfect! It feels so creamy + moisturising I find myself re-applying it quite often, probably why I'm on my second in five months!ha..

I have quite pigmented lips so to find a nude shade which gives enough coverage has made me a rather happy bunny! The 'light blue pink' tone is the perfect natural shade; not too much colour but enough not to look too ghostly! I wear this lipstick every day without fail. Being a self confessed tanaholic, I think this lipstick suits whether I'm having a pale day or rather tanned as above, so versitile! I'm pretty sure I'll repurchase this again + again, although I am interested in trying other natural MAC shades like Shy Girl, Créme d'Nude + Angel, to name a few! Addicted, I think so! Have you tried Créme Cup?

want; mint collars + crosses

mint lace collar blouse LAVISH ALICE £25; cross skull charm necklace TOPSHOP £12.50; green bubbleroon LUSH £3.25;  essie nail colour in mint candy apple BOOTS £7.99; origins drink up mask BOOTS/JOHN LEWIS £19

001. I'm a total sucker for anything in this gorgeous mint colour! I've seen this Lavish Alice blouse pop up a few times now + I am totally smitten by the vintage style lace collar. I think it'll look amazing tucked into anything high waisted + for £25 it is a total bargain!

002. Everytime I go into topshop I pick up this necklace, I think it's about time I treated myself! I seem to be wearing more silver than gold jewellery lately but who can resist skulls + crosses?!ha

003. It's been far too long since my last Lush bath, bubbleroon please! 

004. I don't really need this polish as I already own around 10 shades of blue/mint but look how pretty it is!! Plus I don't own any Essie polishes yet so would be rude not to try them surely?

005. I've heard nothing but good things about the whole Origins skincare range + am dying to try something out! Maybe a bit pricey for a mask but who can resist the hype!

sunday post #014

  

train ride to london; beverages for the train; where we stayed the night, radisson on bloomsbury street; hangover breakfast; jubilee decorations; squashed krispy kreme aww; covent gardens; topshop; tube hopping; london eye; the shard; best thing about mornings; wardrobe issues; shoe collection; again; birthday cupcakes; macbook lives again; movie night; glamour x benefit; last nights face pre alcohol; addicted to false lashes

This week has gone super fast! Might have something to do with the crazy, long bank holiday weekend but hey, I'm certainly not complaining! I had a lovely time in London last weekend with David. When I booked it back in March I didn't click that it would be the Jubilee weekend, busy was not the word! We was stupidly tired from my sister's birthday celebrations but still made sure we made the most of our time there! I absolutely love being in London so pretty excited to be going back up on Tuesday to check out Graduate Fashion Week. We travelled by train last weekend so the thought of spending 8 hours on a bus Tuesday is making me die a little inside! Forever being a part timer, my uni' friends + I are planning on checking out the Christian Louboutin exhibition at the Design Museum in the afternoon, #shoegasm! Should be a pretty good day + after all it'll be me showcasing at GFW next year! Arghhh, scary thought!!

I'm feeling a little fragile today after one too many glasses of wine in town last night (or it might of been the shots.. or the cider blurgh). After a lot of holiday talk + making summer plans it's official that I need to get myself another job or more shifts! I was sure I was going to win the euro millions Friday too, daaamn!ha..

Now that my new laptop charger has arrived I can finally start posting regularly again, missed being part of the blogging community these past couple of weeks! I'm feeling slightly out of the loop so please link me your blogs or your favourites so I have something to read on my long bus journey ha(:

 

fancy dress; diy mermaid

I must admit, I do love a bit of fancy dress! Making an outfit gives me an opportunity to make the most of my crafty skills and to make something a little different! When I was younger I would skip along to the local costume store + easily spend £40+ on an outfit which would be worn only once + probably by a few people at the party, well not any more!! For my sister's 18th fancy dress party last weekend I chose to go as a mermaid (a little random I know!). By being a little creative + making use of my free time, this is what I came up with *drum roll*...

Tah-dah! What do you think? I loved making this costume + being a mermaid for the night!ha.. The whole thing cost me around £20 + a few hours of my time, totally worth it to have a completely unique outfit! The night was pretty much a whirl wind so I've only got these few with my sister (alice in wonderland) + her friend Bethan (mad hatter). I got inspiration from a variety of online images but in particular this makeup tutorial by Traci Hines, amazing! So this is how I set about transforming into a mermaid...

You will need;

Sequin Skirt

Two-tone Organza

White Bandeau Top

French Lavender + Tropical Green Dylon Fabric Dye

Mixed Bag of Pearl + Iridescent Sequins 

Various Sized Flat Back Pearls

Small Starfish

Handful of Shells
Pearl Necklace 
Glue (I used a UHU adhesive)

These little starfish slides were inspired by those in Traci's video. I did feel a bit off-ish about using real starfish but hey-ho! I bought the bag of mixed pearl + iridescent sequins from The Range for £1 and placed them into a Chinese take-away carton for easy storage. I also bought flat back pearls from eBay to decorate them with. I then used glue to stick the embellishment in place! I later used nail glue to attach bobby pins to the back et voila pearl encrusted starfish ready to wear in your mermaid hair!

I bought the bandeau top from eBay but really wouldn't recommend the seller I used. I ordered a cream bralet hoping to just stick on a shell + some pearls + be done, but when it arrived it was a tacky white colour + as I was so busy with uni' work I missed the time to exchange, GRR! Instead of wasting the awful thing I used fabric dyed which I had left over from past projects to rework it. I firstly dyed it all over lilac (to get rid of the white) then used basic tie dying techniques with a more saturated lilac mixture + the green. My idea was that it would look like anemone or sea urchins to keep in with the aquatic theme! I finally decorated it with pearls + iridescent sequins and added a few shells + starfish to the centre.

I followed Traci's tutorial for the make up + loved the way it turned out! Super easy + really effective!

I used my mad eBaying skills to hunt down this skirt; I did the super obvious of typing 'sequin skirt' into the search bar + watching every skirt that caught my eye! I didn't worry about what size they were as I knew I'd be able to adjust it to fit me when it arrived! The one I ended using I won for 99p, bargain! I then bought 2 lots two toned organza from my local fabric store + made the fin by cutting two rectangles with curved edges + sewing it to the bottom of the skirt! I made a make-shift belt out of a pearl necklace that I got from the Topshop sale to add a final mermaidy touch!


So what do you think? I hope I've not made it sound horribly difficult to do (I do ramble a bit!) but it really was super easy! My laptop charger arrived today so expect lots of posts from now on, yay!

PS Do you like my sister's 'Alice in Wonderland' costume, I made this for her too! *bragbragbrag* ahaha