Coffee turned into clothes

I know I said I wouldn’t rush into anything regarding a new going out outfit (the big event is only 22 days away you know!) but Clover made me do it.

£30 River Island

A Starbucks and wander round Boots turned into ‘looking’ in River Island. At first, I fell in love with this. Metallic and dipped hem, this t-shirt dress works two trends into one. If thought of in terms of cost per wear, it would be very cost efficient come festive season. But then this skirt caught my eye, and I knew it was what I had been looking for.

My night out is to an indie night and the last thing I want is to be stupidly overdressed. This mini skirt is perfect! It has the indie girl, retro edge with the A- line shape and polka dot pattern, and the deep red/burgundy colour is every bit as on trend as metallics but so much more wearable. Plus the A-line is perfect for a pear shape like me!

River Island - £18

Not only can I wear this as a going out outfit, it will also look cute casual with knitwear or wool tights and boots. I’m currently looking for a work experience placement, and I could even spin it into work wear with petite heels, a black top and thick tights. Put a leather jacket with it and the possibilities are endless. It would have been rude not to buy it.

So now I wanted a top, and again, Clover had to practically force me into New Look. You know how much self-restraint I have…

 I picked up this sheer black blouse and it was the lace detailing on the shoulders that did it for me. It gives it enough of a gothic edge to appeal to my fascination with the gothic trend and I thought it would look perfect with the new, oh so beautiful skirt.

£16.99 New Look

Although, with the skirt, it balloons out and makes me look much bigger than I am. It looked like I had a big tummy, and my tummy and waist are actually body parts I’m very proud of. I truly believe that if you've got it, flaunt it, hence the tight black vest in the picture with the skirt. Thankfully, the blouse looks amazing with skinny jeans and again, could be smartened up for work placements (if I’m lucky enough to find one!) so it’s here to stay. I love it with my spikey Primark necklace.

So, that’s this week’s pay as good as gone. What have you lot been buying?

Crimson. XOXO

"I had an accident..."

Friday 31st August 2012

 Today, Crimson and I decided to go and do a little bit of shopping as we're super organised and have already started getting bits in for Christmas (no, the word isn't 'sad'... it's only 13 weeks to go!). We started the day by heading to Starbucks and having a Hazelnut Latte each. I had a croissant and she had a raspberry and white chocolate muffin, and they were delicious!

After, we began our little mooch in some of the shops. After a jaunt to River Island, we went into Primark as someone I know recently purchased a Guns 'n' Roses top in charcoal for £8 that I was desperate to try on myself, something I'd never normally choose to wear, but once I saw it I had loads of ideas running through my head as to what I could wear it with. Once I'd tried it on, it looked okay but I couldn't make my mind up, so we left Primark and went into New Look. Crimson had a field day, I won't tell you what she bought because she'll probably tell you herself in her next post! But while waiting for her to try things on, all I could think about was the beautiful top, so I made a split-second decision and went back to Primark to buy it. It has small golden sequins and studs surrounding the Guns 'n' Roses logo, is a slim fit round the waist and neck but quite baggy round the shoulders. As I went to pay, the queue was horrendous and seemed to take a lifetime to get through, but while queueing, I had an accident. A pair of black super-soft skinny jeans sort of accident.. but to be fair I have jeans in every other colour but black and for £11, it would be rude not too!

As soon as I got home I tried my outfit on and to be honest, I was expecting to have to take either the top, the jeans, or both, back, but to my surprise they both looked so good together! The jeans are a really good fit, and I love the soft material - I'm a leggings girl myself but I'm slowly being converted. The top has long drop arm holes, so I'll be wearing a black bandeau top under mine to hide my bra, you can get one here from New Look for just £2.99. I really can't wait to wear this new little outfit, it'd look great for a smart/casual night out with black shoe boots, or dressed down with flats and a cardigan for winter. 

What do you think?!

Clover x

We Need to Talk...

What we want from going out dresses is quite similar to what we want from men. We want it to be good looking, interesting and make us feel fabulous and like our flaws don’t count. When we fall in love with a dress, much like a man, it could be a brief, one night fling. A fling with something fashionable at the time that can be looked back on with admiration of bravery or regret, or a sophisticated LBD that you will love forever and have many cherished moments with.

Unfortunately, ladies, I have fallen out of love. Not with my boyfriend, thankfully, but with the dress I raved about on my Going Goth post.

I think I always had my doubts, as I have never removed the tags and have the receipt still. It should be perfect, but it’s the little things that niggle at me. The first is that I know it is meant to be a sundress, I bought it knowing that, but I can’t help but wonder if I got the idea that I could spin it into autumn wrong? I just keep imagining it on a beach with a wide brimmed straw hat and nude wedges and giant retro sunnies instead.

Secondly, it feels too long for a night out dress. It skims my knees and I feel that there is too much black material floating about. Maybe because I’m a short arse! I also have very dark hair and quite pale skin, and when I do it up according to my previous gothic imaginings, I feel like I look like a corpse. Fake tan might solve that, but then it might not.

I’ve also dropped 10lbs pretty quickly due to starting work, running about constantly and occasionally not eating as much or as healthily as I should. Now the mesh bit looks too big and wrinkles, and it just exacerbates the aforementioned extra material issue.

And finally, it just doesn’t look as expensive as I would want it to for £36. I mean, I know it’s not exactly designer, but I just feel like I can do better and I didn’t really look around or explore my options!

So, I and the dress are going to part ways. It was a difficult decision, but I deserve better and don’t want to put up with an ill-fitting dress and doubts about timing. I mean, is it a bar dress or a beach dress?!

Dress, I just don’t know who you are anymore and think we want different things. You deserve someone who will appreciate you for what you are, and I deserve something that will make me feel fabulous and that I didn’t rush into buying!

P.S, I consoled myself with shoe boots that I wrote about yesterday, they've been on my mind for a while and I think we will be very happy together.

From my Wish List! See! I did buy something I said I would!

Much Love, I hope we can still be friends…

Crimson. x 

This week's must haves

It’s that time again where I list a few things I want, but will either buy at a later date, or forget about when distracted by something else.

Shoe Boots

I’m definitely due a pair of new night out shoes, but it’s hard to find that balance between height and comfort. However, these are gorgeous, versatile and with a round toe, platform and no straps, they may well be as comfortable as heels get! At £24.99, they’re a steal and I’ll definitely be trying on next time I’m in New Look.

Bargain Earrings

I already own the owl pair, pictured in a previous post, but for £1.50 and such cute designs like horses and these swallows, I can afford to collect them all and wish I had more than one hole in each ear! Pick up a pair in River Island.

Black Super Soft Skinnies

Do I even need an excuse? I have pairs in indigo, acid wash and light blue, so why not want a comfy black pair instead of my current too big at the waist and too tight on the thighs regular denim ones? And £19.99 is pretty affordable!

Topshop Jumper

Much more brightly coloured than my usual thing for grungy knitwear, but how much fun is this?! It reminds me of something I’d wear as a child. I’d wear this with acid wash or black skinnies, tan brogues or black winter boots. £36 from Topshop. 

Lip Butter 

I've heard great things about these lip butters and really fancy a subtle alternative to all out lipstick, especially as lipstick can be quite drying and my lips are easily chapped and sensitive. I especially love the Peach Parfait that Emma Stone is pictured wearing, but I'm not sure if it would match my skin tone. £7.99 isn't a bad price, but I will be shopping around and reading reviews of similar products. 

Hopefully, I’ll get to actually buy something off this list this week, and if I do, you will hear about it first! So which of these items (if any) would make it to your wish list?

Much Love, Crimson xoxo

Lingerie: Floral just got sexy

Monday 27th August 2012

And here ends the long bank holiday weekend, back to work tomorrow.

Romantic ruffles and pretty floral patterns are all the rage this season when it comes to underwear, by many pieces being inspired by the Calvin Klein underwear brand, who's brand has been inspired by nature. Whether it's a small floral pattern, or a big, bold, statement pattern, floral is in when it comes to our undies, and I've taken a selection of the best, varioused priced items to share with you today.

If like me you love to feel fabulous in matching underwear, then these floral pieces could just be for you. 

1. Floral embroidered overlay bra, £8, and floral embroidered overlay shorts, £3.50, George at ASDA

Lately ASDA seems to be the place to go for decent, attractive underwear. They have a fabulous range varying in cup sizes, styles and materials to suit everyones needs. In sophisticated black, the panel shorts are great at hiding any unwanted lumps and bumps in the bottom area. The bra has a natural uplift with soft padding sewn into the metal underwired cups. With it's bow and diamante trim on both the bra and shorts, I personally think this set is absolutely beautiful!

2. Red Two Tone Lace Balconette Bra, £11, and Red Two Tone Lace Brazillian Briefs, £4.99, New Look

I have this set in purple and it's gorgeous, the only problem I've had is that the underwire poked out of the fabric and I had to have it exchanged, and it feels as though it's on the way to doing it again so I'm very careful when wearing it. Now, red, lacey underwear, as much as you can deny it, is mostly always worn for one reason and one reason only, and trust me, this little number is certainly an eye opener. This balconette bra has a red base with a floral lace overlay over lightly moulded cups complete with underwired design, easy fastening obtained with a double hook and eye. The briefs come with a satin bow detail. I always buy my underwear from New Look and apart from the earlier mentioned problem, they always do the job. 

3. Ann Summers Kate Cream/Black Plunge Bra, £30, Kate Black/Cream Brief, £16, Ann Summers

This lovely little set is from the new Kate lingerie collection, which combines rich satin and elegant embroidery, making it feel like your own little piece of luxuary. The Kate collection is based around underwear "fit for a princess" inspired by one of my own fashion icons, Catherine Middleton. This set is in a champagne colourered satin complete with waxed lace to give the look of leather. The straps at the back come with triangular straps and a semi-halter shape to give support, offering comfort, support and lift. The briefs are comfortable and light, and come in sizes 8-10. This has to be one of Ann Summers more seductive yet sophisticated set, yes a little pricey, but I find their underwear is strong and lasts a long time. If you're looking for something a little special, this could be the piece for you.

4. Gathered Satin Lace Balconette Bra, £11.99, Lace Briefs with Bow Detail and Satin Trim, £5.99, New Look

This bra comes with balconette cups and pretty lace detail, with ajustable back straps. The briefs come in a mesh material with a peep-hole panel in the back. The detailing on the outer bust give the illusion of larger breasts and a larger cleavage. 

5. Katie's Boutique Raspberry Floral Balcony Bra, £5.99, and Raspberry Floral Suspender Briefs, £3.99, storetwentyone

I love the Katie's Boutique range by Katie Price and have many of her sets. They're a mixture of girly frills, statement and fun designs and are really reasonably priced! The baby pink floral bra comes with an oversized hot pink bow, and the briefs come with removable suspenders. The set comes with Katie's signature crown charm. Katie's range is exclusive to storetwentyone where you will also find her own range of beachwear.

6. Limited Collection Floral Print and Lace Padded Bra, £16.00, and Low Rise Floral Thong, £7.50, Marks and Spencer 

Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection highlights contemporary lingerie in the latest designs. The bra consists of a multiple bow feature, adjustable straps, floral print with lace detailing, a scallop trim and padded, underwired cups. The thong is low rise with a centre bow feature, a floral print and embroidered design, lace detailing and a scallop trim.

And to make the best of looking fabulous in your florals, make sure to exfoliate, moisturise, and apply either a shimmering body lotion, or a fake tanning product to make your figure appear more toned. And remember, love those curves!

Clover x

  

Petite Heels

A decade ago, heels were on average, an inch and a half shorter than they are now. I've had my share of nights out up north in a place called Newcastle, and a night out in Newcastle means MASSIVE heels – maybe because the girls here are glutton for punishment, they also shun coats in the depths of winter. 

Heels are without a doubt glamorous, feminine and sexy, but they’re just not practical. How many of us have limped our way to the end of the 9-5 day, desperate to keep our dignity, or after trying to numb the pain with vodka, realised your feet were bleeding and walked barefoot in the snow to the taxi rank in tears? (The latter memory of THAT Boxing Day still makes me cringe.) 

So many people shun little heels, particularly kitten heels, and I can even remember someone telling me that they think they look like when your heels sink in grass. But statistics don’t lie, and with our heel fetish and desperate toleration of pain, A&E departments are seeing a huge increase in heel related injuries and some heel lovers are also resorting to having fillers injected into their feet to prevent that burning feeling caused by heels. 

This madness ends here. I only really wear heels for a night out and if I am wearing heels as casual wear, they will be around 3 inches or of the wedge variety for comfort. But for autumn, there is a whole host of gorgeous alternatives to heels for every occasion, and none of them look tacky or like they’re sinking in the grass. 

 

1 .       These are hit with the fashion magazines as I first spotted them in this week’s Look magazine, and have since discovered that they have been featured in Grazia as well. At £59.99, they are pricey, but stunning! The studs give them a fierce edge that will work well with gothic or grunge elements of your outfit, but the colour, sparkle and dainty shape mean they will work well with pretty dresses, skinny jeans or even office wear. Now those are what I call multi-taskers! 

  2.      £45 – Office.  Again, these are expensive, but versatile. The nude goes with just about everything, as well as making your legs look longer. The gold toes would give an edge to office wear and remind me of the western and cowboy styles we’re going to see in boots this autumn/winter and boyish, two tone brogues.

3.   £29.99 – H&M. Rich, on trend jewel tone with metallic toes. Perfect for a night on the town or for adding a hit of colour to an otherwise dark outfit. Mix and match with more gothic pieces for extra rock n roll.

4.       £59.99 Online Exclusive – New Look. These animal print pumps are cool and casual. I would personally wear them with everything from skinny jeans and a band t-shirt to a dark coloured dress. The block heel  and rounded toe means extra comfort, making them ideal for those marathon shopping trips.

5.    £14.99 - H&M.  Also available in dark blue and zebra print, I can vouch for these shoes as a friend of mine recently bought them for a job interview, but ended up wearing them with a vintage lace dress to the pub. I also tried them on and they are much more comfortable than I expected and a true wardrobe staple. Like mini stilettos really!

6.       £40 on sale – New Look. Personally, not my cup of tea. But I picked them out for a bit of variety and because I quite liked the nude and pink tones together, as well as the quirky, vintage look shape.

7.       £34.99 – Schuh. It doesn’t get much more indie cool than sparkly brogues. Style them with slouchy flannel shirts and Levi cut offs, vintage look tea dresses or skinny jeans and leathers, and always with a rock star attitude for that ‘I’m with the band’ look.

So, have I converted any heel fanatics? If so, which are you favourite and how would you style them?

Much love, 

Crimson xx

Grunge goes girly

Friday 24th August 2012

Evening everybody, let the long weekend begin!

It's no secret that the latest trend to hit the catwalk and the high street this Autumn is a wild mix of goth vs. grunge, yes you heard right, designers are turning to the dark side. Fashion has turned fierce and everywhere you look is a mix of spikes, studs, leathers and lace, and you know what? I like it! The contrast between solid black, cool metals and rich, deep colours is a real eye opener and at least one piece of the seasons hottest trend is bound to end up in your hands.

Now all of you turning your noses up thinking you're too girly for grunge guess again! Back in the day I myself used to favour the darker way of dressing (yes, black lipstick included!) but now I'm probably one of the girliest people you will ever come across. So my misson with this post? Show you how grunge/gothic pieces can be turned girly!

The following two outfits I've put together come from New Look, which is probably my favourite clothes store as I feel that personally, they have a lot in terms of style, sizes and trends to offer me. With the first outfit, I've taken a pair of girly denim floral shorts as my key piece and accessorised around them, choosing other pieces and accessories which I feel helps to bring out the colours in the pattern. I'd probably slip a white vest top on under the crochet top to hide any underwear. This is an outfit verging on the grunge side as opposed to the gothic side of style, and would be ideal for Autumn days out when the weather starts to cool off and mornings are crisp.

 

The next outfit would be more for a night out, I'm going to say an outfit for going to the pub (this is because we seem to do a lot of visiting the pub when the weather turns and the dark nights set in!). This outfit is definitely more gothic, with my key theme focusing on the gold foil cross print on the leggings. I've accessorised it with bold, statement red shoes and a matching red clutch. Red is probably one of my favourite colours in terms of brightening things up. The safest bet with this outfit would be to keep the shoes and bag black, but why be safe when you can be daring?! The studs on the shoes and bag match those on the leather jacket, and the top is in a very classy, feminine peplum style, another one of this seasons biggest trends. Add some gothic-looking accessories and you're good to go. Be even more daring by teaming this outfit with red lipstick and red nails for a vamped-up look.

So what have we learned from this post? Grunge and goth can be girly as long as it's done right! Choose your key colour, accessories around it, add feminine touches such as sleek hair and make up.

And right now, selected jewellery at New Look is buy one get one free... what are you waiting for?!

Clover x

Tan in a can, anyone?

Wednesday 22nd August 2012

So the other day I popped into my local town centre for something, and called into Poundland for a drink (two bottles for £1, can't go wrong!). I will admit that I've always been a bit of a Poundland snob when it comes to beauty products as I always use brand names, but on my way to the checkout I was just browsing the aisles when something spotted my eye, and that something was 'Tan in a Can'.

 

I picked the can up and had a little read of the back, I was a bit dubious about what this product could actually do as, like I've mentioned in previous posts, the only 'tan in a can' I use is Sally Hansen, but due to the fact that I'm saving up for various things, expensive beauty products have to go on the back burner for now.

'Tan in a Can' is by the brand Outdoor Girl Cosmetics London, and comes in two shades - light/medium and medium/deep. I chose to get medium/deep as I like to look really dark when I'm out and about. It states to give you "all-over beautiful legs instantly" and the instructions are printed on the back of the can clear enough. My curiosity got the better of me and I bought a can. Once home I carried out my little experiment to see exactly how this would leave my skin looking. So to achieve maximum result, as I've told you all before, I pulled on my latex glove, shook the can and sprayed it directly onto the glove as I like to use my product all over my body and not just my legs, and then applied it to my arm (just my arm as this was only a tester!) and after I rubbed it in my arm instantly went a gorgeous glowing brown colour, and I was literally gobsmacked! That's right, a product costing just £1 from Poundland did exactly the same job as a product costing £10.29 from Boots! 

One small application, top arm with no tanning product and bottom arm with Tan in a Can applied.

Overall, there appears to be a very light chalky smell which vanishes after a few minutes, and this formula does take around fifteen minutes to completely dry, but it really is worth buying in my opinion. I know when I come to use it I will be applying probably two coats so the colour sinks in and maximises. As far as I can tell after careful examination the only real difference between the two products is that Sally Hansen leaves a glittery after-glow on your body whereas Tan in a Can leaves more of a matte finish. For years I've been spending in excess of £10 on cans of Sally Hansen but after trying this I can honestly say that I'm now going to be buying Poundland's Tan in a Can more often. Am I still a Poundland no-brand name beauty product snob? Yes, but don't take it personally, but this little gem has slipped through my net and landed in my make up box.

So there you have it, and £1 for 75ml is an absolute bargain!

Will any of you be trying this out?

Clover x