Dear Santa part 2 - if money was no object...

So when I asked Crimson what she would have for Christmas if money wasn't a problem, she told me a holiday to Bora Bora. Yes, a winter glow would be lovely but in terms of material items, we had to have a long, hard think. From the picture, let's go left to right!

While out shopping the other day I saw this Lipsy VIP Strapless Diamante Detailed Maxi Dress for £160.00 in Lipsy and immediatley fell in love. The fabric is as soft as butter and if I was going anywhere luxurious, or indeed had the spare cash, I'd have bought it in an instant. But unfortunatley as I'm not a socialite and not going to be accepting an Oscar any time soon, this dress would be wasted on me!


Next, some Bailey Button UGG Boots. I swear by my current traditional tan colour ones, however as I've had them just over two years, the signs of wear and tear are starting to show so I'm due some new ones!


To put all my presents in I'd also love a Ted Baker Gliscon glitter bow ikon bag for £39.00 from, you guessed it, Ted Baker... and a little birdy told me that ones currently on order for me!

Fragrance-wise, Crimson would love some Gucci Premier, £77.00 for 75ml from Boots, she's been saying this for months so I hope Santa's been listening! She also wants a Garbardine leather detail trench coat by Burberry.. for £1,195.. dream o n Crimson darling.

Then again saying that, I'd like to be wearing a Tiffany Soleste Ring for £6,575 on my hand, purely because I'm in love with Kate Middleton's engagement ring! And to go with my ring, a Vivienne Westwood small Neo Bass Pearl Choker for £85.00, and I'd like to smell like Marc Jacobs Daisy, 100ml for £55.00.

Oh and the extra stocking fillers? Clinique and MAC, please.

Thanks Santa! Love Crimson and Clover x

Dear Santa

           We hope you don’t mind, but since we have been very, very good this year, we saved you some trouble and bought ourselves some wonderful, winter treats.

First up, on the upper left hand corner, is a little outfit bought by Clover. The top was £19.99 and leggings £9.99, both from New Look. You can’t see in the picture, but the subtle sparkle of the top adds a dressed up feel to otherwise comfy, casual, ski print leggings. This outfit will look perfect for smart, casual festive drinks with those adorable shoe boots on the bottom left. Surprise, surprise, they are also from New Look and reduced to £12.50.

So while Clover has been having a bit of a New Look love in, I’ve been on a  budget and loving Primark and the supermarket clothes ranges. The two jumpers centre left were a steal at £6 each from Primark. The striped one belongs to me and blue one to Clover. They look fantastic with a black vest under and with skinny jeans or very casual with leggings, boots and a nice scarf. With jeans, they would look pretty with those mini heels I posted about last week and with leggings, the sparkly loafers. I’m in love with these jumpers, but my only complaint is how easily the knit pulls. It’s easy enough to pull back in though and for £6, why am I complaining?

The red dress was for an interview last week, and will be worn for another one tomorrow. One of the things I’m uncertain about is the studded belt with such a lady like dress, so I replaced it with a skinny, black patent belt for my interview. The fit is also really strange. It’s very tight on the boobs and I’m normally a size 10 or 12 with rather modest boobs, so having to buy a size 14 to accommodate them was a little annoying.

Finally, my favourite outfit so far this festive season comes in at a grand total of £26. The Christmas jumper in the top corner and leggings will definitely be keeping me warm and in the festive spirit this month! I was inspired by a street style entry on Look magazine’s website where a girl was wearing a men’s jumper and said she loved the prints and slouchy fit. So I took heed and picked up this reindeer patterned beauty in a men’s medium from George at Asda. I can’t wait to girl it up with statement jewellery or a sparkly scarf and red lips.

The leggings are a basic but necessary piece, and I find it really difficult to find any thick enough to not look cheap and nasty after a few washes. I swear by Topshop leggings and after a year in my old ones, it was finally time for the replacement pair. I’ve been buying Topshop’s winter leggings for the past three years and wearing them year round. They last forever and I’m yet to find better. They do everything a pair of leggings should – the panelling on the side holds my thighs in and slims them down and they’re high waisted enough to hold in that Christmas food baby.

So Santa, that’s what we have been buying. I hope you will appreciate that we haven’t been throwing money at one night only dresses that would make us look like baubles and have been spending our money wisely on warm, sensible and I’m sure you’ll agree, necessary items.

Now we’ve done the hard part, perhaps you could treat us to a Mulberry bag, some Clinique make up and a naked Ryan Gosling. If you can’t find Ryan Gosling, Hugh Jackman would do - dressed as Wolverine preferably.

Thanks!

Much Love, Crimson and Clover xoxo

New Shoes

I keep making empty promises about writing more often, but with my new job, planning interviews, revising Maths (yes I have to prove I can count… again,) Christmas shopping, seeing my horse, boyfriend, friends and family, I just simply haven’t had time. Truly, I would love to write more often, but I can’t do everything. Sad Face. 

I finally graduated on Friday and I happened to get paid on the same day, so in the midst of an existential crisis – uni finally ending for good and my job only being temporary, and feeling like I looked fat in my robes, I bought stuff.

No matter how fat you feel, there are two things that always look good -bags and shoes. So in Tesco with the boyfriend, I spotted some shoes and dragged him to look at the rest. It just so happened, that they were on sale so I bought two pairs.

Can you believe that both pairs of shoes only came to £12? They look so much more expensive than that and Florence and Fred  shoes are always good value for money.

Here they are up close, I finally got myself a pair of little block heels which were £7 and look fantastic with skinny jeans. The sparkly ones were even cheaper at £5 and both pairs are so comfortable! I love the slipper shape of the sparkly ones and they’re so festive. They also come in gold, but they didn’t have my size and for £5, I thought I might as well settle for black – They’ll go with more and be wearable for longer than the festive season anyway.

Left: Chunky mini heels, £7. Right, Sparkly slippers, £5

Striped top £14 -Primark, Jeans £19.99 New Look, Shoes on left £7 - Florence and Fred at Tesco, Shoes on right £5 - Florence and Fred at Tesco. Ignore my little belly - I need to go for a run!

I went to for an Indian with Clover tonight and decided on a striped jumper and dark blue skinnies so tried both pairs of shoes before I went. On the left are the block heels and I got a bit of a chic, French vibe from this outfit. Oui Oui! On the right are the sparkly slippers and just to go for an Indian and to share the festive sparkles with Clover, I wore these. They add quirky, attention grabbing detail to an otherwise simple outfit.

So there it is, two pairs of shoes, infinite new outfit and shoe combinations and only £12 of my precious wages gone on shoes. I even managed to pay my parents some of the money I owe for car repairs and order Clover’s Xmas present! Job well done.

Crimson xoxo

A Brutally Honest Barry M Review

First Impressions

Clover told me about Barry M’s Jelly range a while back and I did a bit of a happy squeal when I followed the link she sent me. The colours look fantastic and I have the thinnest, most average nails in the world, so anything that can make them look like a shiny new salon job is worth a go. I saw them in Boots and bought it in Blackberry for £2.99. My first impression was great. Stunning, on trend, dark berry shade, gorgeous looking bottle and of course the fact that it was Barry M. I have a massive collection of Barry M polishes because they’re so affordable and generally have great results.

Application

On application, this was great. It was as glossy on my nails as it is in the bottle, the colour wonderfully deep and application smooth and fuss free. It took two coats to achieve an even colour, but I always go with two coats regardless of colour or brand. Ten minutes later, I was still waiting for them to dry and getting impatient, I started wandering about, fanning my hands and hoping they would hurry. After twenty minutes it was still tacky and I was beginning to doubt it would stay put, so took it off and went for attempt two.

I made sure I wasn't so generous with the application this time and sure enough, it still took quite a while to dry, but when it did, felt luxurious and had a wonderful shine. I may be being picky, but it just looked like a nice coloured varnish – not like a gel at all. After having great success with crackle, sparkle, croc and foil effects by Mr M, I was a bit disappointed by the gel. (I've since had a frustrating experience with his magnetic polishes, but that is all to do with my lack of patience and co-ordination.) For £2.99, this was something I was willing to live with and was still quite pleased.

All shiny and pretty

Day 1

As a teaching assistant by day and financial necessity, my nails get a fair bashing in catering, woodwork and chewing them in frustration, but this is nothing a good varnish can’t handle. By lunch time, the edges were already a bit ragged and I really don’t think it could handle a job where typing takes its toll. So much for long-lasting gel. It also seemed to be picking up grease, dirt and finger prints – as if it never dried at all. However, it won a point when one of the 15 year olds I work with asked where I get my nails done. Still, if that’s her idea of a professional looking job, she must have seen some seriously shocking manicures.

After 1 day. Patchy, lumpy and not so shiny. 

Day 2

I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m sorry Barry, I love your polishes and hate to do such a bad review, but it’s a thumbs down from me. I love your new glitter range though and am hoping Santa puts some in my stocking ;).

So, there it is. My review of Barry M Jelly – What do you lot think?

Crimson xoxo

My love for winter

Sunday 4th November 2012

Hello all!

It's literally been ages since I last blogged, life seemed to have taken over so I'm using my spare few minutes to show you what I'm loving lately. 

However before we start, we need to have words.. We've got thousands of page views, yet 12 followers - how does that work?! If you like our blog and read it frequently, then follow us, we're rather popular on twitter (excuse our big heads) but lately it's just like what's the point in us even posting on here? Without the followers, we're nothing.

Anyway moving on. The day before I went away was so hectic as I was going to a wedding, and I had a shoe/hair/nail related disaster, which I won't go into but it amused Crimson to no end. Anyway to cut a long story short I had three hours to replace my hair extensions, get a full set of acrylic nails, and replace a gorgeous pair of tan cork wedges I bought last year, baring in mind it was nearly the end of September and most winter stock was out in the shops I certainly set myself a challenge!  So I got up extra early and drove to the hair supplier, then went and had my nails done. I was wearing a beautiful white and pink maxi dress this day so I had white acrylic french tips done with a little pink and silver glitter design done. The guff I gave about the gel nails in my last post being wonderful, well, they where so wonderful that they all fell off days after I'd had them put on! Needless to say I was very annoyed, so I've learnt my lesson and gone back to my usual nail salon where I'm always happy with the results. So nails done it was time to find shoes, and trust me, I looked everywhere. I had just about given up hope when I came across this suede pair in New Look, £25 down to £8! They fitted the bill as they seemed to be a sort of brown colour and they had a peep-toe, so I bought them and went on my merry way. They did make me feel like I'd teeter over any minute but they did the job and I have to say that although they don't look it, they really are so comfortable.

A bargain at £8!

My beautiful wedding/holiday nails.

 So anyway yes I went on holiday and it was fabulous! Feels like ages since I came back though. Since then I've been busy with work and such but however I did get some lovely gifts off my boyfriend, family and friends for my birthday...

Nina by Nina Ricci off my better half - smells crisp, fresh and fruity

Beautiful bracelet off Crimson laid on top of the gorgeous scarf she got me

...along with these fabulous Soap and Glory products! Highly recommend the Hot Thermal Scrub, ideal for scrubbing away rough patches

Whyaye man!

Lovely smelling CKIN2U - smells remotely like aftershave, but I love it

And an owl study charm off my boyfriend :)

...I also made time to get my nails done again.. I know, how very naughty of me! My holiday nails lasted me about three weeks and as soon as they came off I wanted them back on again. This time I opted for clear tips with the intention of painting them. Since having them put on they've been various colours and I'm having fun painting them every other day! They're due to be in-filled but I think I'll just let them fall off and make an appointment to get them done before Christmas.

My clear tipped acrylics - a lot more natural looking than the french white tips.

One coat of Barry M Aqua Glitter 340

...matches my bracelet!

Two coats of Barry M Aqua Glitter 340

Barry M Vivid Purple 161

Barry M Blue Moon 317 and Barry M Berry Ice Cream 308

Barry M Raspberry 273 and Barry M Red Glitter 150

Barry M Mushroom 310

As well as wearing Barry M nail products a lot lately, I'm also in love with my MUA palette from Superdrug for a mere £4! Yes I'm well aware that every other blogger is ranting and raving about theirs too but hey, it's fantastic! The shades aren't given any names themselves, it's just really the palette that's been named - the one I have being called "Undressed", and comes with 12 lovely, velvety earth tones, nude shimmers and mattes that are easily blended to create lovely effects. I usually use the lighter tones when I'm at work, then blend the darker tones for a a more intense look come evening. They also do a 24 colour palette for £8, which is still a bargain!

"Undressed" has been compared to Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette, and it's easy to see why. Compared to expensive counterparts this is a high street brand so wear time isn't as long, but it is long enough, for myself certainly. The pigmentation of the shimmers is wonderful, the metallics do fall a little easy so careful application is advised. This is a palette that's taking the high street cosmetic counter by storm, and it's no wonder why.

MUA's "Undressed" palette

Some of the things I picked up to take on my holiday - individual eyelashes from Matalan easily rival Eylure's, and at £3, they're £2.25 cheaper than those from Eylure

And finally... my latest love has to be knitwear! The minute we stepped off the plane we realised that we certainly weren't abroad anymore, so later that day during a trip to ASDA I found this little beauty for £10...

It's really soft wool and doesn't itch which is what suprised me most, for the cost it's ideal in this weather. I wore it with a waist belt as I feel it's a little baggy without one, the belt bought by crimson as part of my birthday last year. I also wore it with my thigh-high black suede boots with studs round the top, £35 in New Look.

Another of my favourite outfits lately has been this, a cream slouch jumper I got in the River Island sale, £35 down to £10. The only bug-bear I have with it is that the pearls and rhinestones are forever falling off to the point where I sat and hand stitched them to reinforce them and they still continue to fall off. As I only paid £10 I'm not so bothered, but if I'd had bought this at full price I would certainly be taking it back.

And fnally, my last of my favourite outfits has to be this jumper dress. I absolutely love the colours and wear it with tights, a waist belt and flat, black boots. It was my birthday not long ago and my Mam surprised me with it, I'm not sure of the price but I know it came from ASDA so I'm guessing it was around the £10 mark. The materials really thin and lightweight and it's so comfortable to wear.

So now I must return to my Christmas wrapping paper crisis, yes, you heard right, I've nearly finished all my shopping, too!
Until next time..

Clover x

Long time no blog!

Okay, sorry for the huge absence! Clover has been on holiday and I've suddenly ended up quitting one job and beginning another within the space of a fortnight and unfortunately, I'm making the switch from weekly to monthly pay, so haven't bought anything. Well, I bought a nail varnish, but I'm yet to road test it so a full review will come later in the week when I've actually seen Clover and we've caught up! 

So it's cold and I'm poor, so although I've already done knitwear, here's some bargain and some colourful knit wear for the old wish list. Winter is coming you know... *nerdy Game of Thrones moment*

Mustard Cable Knit - £8 George at Asda, Striped Cardigan - £10 Florence and Fred at Tesco, Star Print - £22.75 Forever 21, Grey Crew Neck - £19.99 New Look, Baroque Design - £14 George at Asda. 

Also, just a side note, but Glamour showed my M&S owl knit this month on a page about dog and owl motifs on knitwear. I love that it justifies my blog about animal motifs and prints not going anywhere this season, but they advertised my jumper as £45 - Good news readers, it's actually £35. Sorry Glamour, you're right about everything else! 

Almost a month on, I can also confirm this washes well and looks excellent with skinny jeans. Money well spent.

So, who's feeling the love for bargain knits? Anyone found any others we should mention? 

 Crimson xoxo