ClaireAugust 15, 2013

Autumn/Winter Trends: Wishlist.

Claire and I are definitely being those girls at the moment. We have decided that summer is officially on it’s way out (even though I tried to wear I chunky knit to work today and may have somewhat melted) and it is now time to get properly excited about autumn/winter. Even though we live together, work together and generally see far too much of each other, we’ve somehow not run out of things to say to each other. This has been especially true this week, where we have spent approximately 100000000* hours discussing how we’re going to work the autumn/winter trends and what things we’re going to look at buying.

I must admit, I have been quite worried about the autumn/winter trends. So worried in fact, that I had a nightmare I dressed head to toe in tartan last night and Kate Moss told me I looked like a genuine fool (which is probably something that would actually happen if I ever met K Mossy). After some hyperventilating, a few cups of tea and some soothing head patting by Claire, I’m feeling a bit more positive NAY EVEN EXCITED about things to come. So excited that I’ve put together my wishlists for each trend, even though most high street stores haven’t revealed their autumn/winter collections yet. WHOOPS, I’m keen. Call this a autumn/winter trend sneak peak if you will (you probably wont), but here’s what I’m thinking of investing in this autumn/winter.

Does anyone else have that problem of not really loving a trend but then coming round to it as soon as it’s going out of fashion? SNORE. This happens to me constantly. For example, I have finally decided that I like creepers approximately 2 years late. With this in mind, I have started convincing myself that I like the tartan trend months in advance so I’m prepared for the new season. I think I might have become as obsessed with it as I am with neon at the moment, so I’m going to be seriously investing in some key tartan pieces when the time comes! Oh to own that Cambridge satchel…anyone want to lend a homegirl £140?

I’m a bit dubious of the autumn/winter PVC trend but I’m willing to embrace it with rubbery arms, provided things don’t get too prostitutey.

My theory is that winter pastels are going to be more on the ‘dusty’ side – with more grey tones in them that the bright summery pastels. This is definitely an autumn/winter trend that I’m looking forward to! Apparently I’m really excited to wear lilac.

WELL. These are just the top three autumn/winter trends that I’m looking forward to! I’m also really keen for oversized coats, metallics (sorry Claire) and wearing dark plum lipstick again.

What do you all think? Have you got any trends you’re excited about?

ClaireJuly 20, 2013

Missguided:‘Sweet Deal’ Value Range

Working in an office on a business park, where the only place to venture out at lunch to is a manky bench round the corner, I have become quite the regular online shopper. Online browsing can become repetitive and boring, but every now and then you find something that, in my case, literally makes you slam your hands on the table and shout ‘WHAT THE EFF?!’ The last time I experienced this kind of shock was when ASOS started stocking Primark – this time it’s another exclusively-online retailer that’s made me want to throw a stapler at the wall in excitement (what, that isn’t a normal way to express yourself?) View Full Post

ClaireJuly 19, 2013

Rihanna Style: Swooning at the Diamonds Tour.

Claire and I have come to the conclusion that we must have been genuinely the best people in a past life because karma has been very good to us this week. After Claire won some nail wraps in a Twitter giveaway and we were given bottles of Argan oil, we had concluded that it had been a successful week of excitement. THAT WAS UNTIL YESTERDAY AT APPROXIMATELY 15.45. While we were working extremely hard and wondering whether the 10th cup of tea would be the one that would send us over the edge, a phone call came through.

Claire took it and managed to stay very calm saying things like “ah, brilliant. yes. thank you” so I automatically assumed it would be something boring to do with KPI or ROI (or whatever it is these marketing types enjoy nattering on about). Little did I know. It turned out that our boss couldn’t make the Birmingham Rihanna concert last night so kindly donated his tickets to us. Needless to say, we were massively excited and I spent a good 15 minutes shouting “HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WORK IN THESE CONDITIONS.” We immediately started panicking about the state of our work faces and that we looked vaguely like idiots, so we had to do what every beauty blogger would do in times of crisis. We legged it to Boots after getting the train and hurriedly applied makeup using our iPhone cameras as mirrors on the way to the NEC.

It turned out the tickets our boss gave us were in the hospitality suite that included dinner before the show. As we were discussing whether or not there would be cocktail sausages and a buffet, we were shown up to the restaurant and presented with two glasses of champagne. There were no cocktail sausages. We were forced to choke down a five course meal (sigh, isn’t life hard) before heading up to the show deck to watch RiRi. Erm. Has anyone actually BEEN in/on a show deck before? Can I just say that a private bar, lounge and swanky leather seats were something I was not expecting…obviously having a healthy mixture of vodka, gin and archers was obligatory.

Rihanna was amazing, brilliant and we have big lesbian crushes on her now. If we had been more prepared for the concert (or gig? is it acceptable to say gig for an event where you don’t get beer in your hair?), we might have treated you all to an OOTD post, but neither of us looked that interesting. SO INSTEAD, we’re going to do Rihanna’s OOTT (outfits of the tour…). She is genuinely the most beautiful woman on the planet and can pull of anything…even things that seem like terrible ideas. Claire has already expressed an interest in purchasing a shiny dress patterned with dollar bills and I’m thinking of investing in a pair of neon chaps.

Act 1:

I believe this little number was designed by Givenchy’s creative director and Rihanna looked AMAZING in it. Homegirl can rock thigh high boots, that’s for sure! Fans of Rihanna might have seen on Twitter that she’s dyed her hair a sort of grey colour. We couldn’t hugely tell the difference, but it looked very shiny and nice anyway.

Act 2:

I think Rihanna might actually be the queen of the varsity/sports luxe trend. I love love love this outfit, even the thigh high white leather boots (which Claire and I thought were trousers for a while, until we saw a flash of bottom). The ‘Sea of Desire’ top was designed by Raf Simmons and she wore a bra and shorts by Wolford. Her EPIC over the knee boots were custom made by Christian Louboutin. Oh, to have custom made Loubs.

Act 3:

Rihanna’s second look was designed by Adam Selman and Manolo Blahnik for her snakeskin boots. I love her little crop top, it is brilliant in a I-drive-a-ferrari-so-I-got-a-crop-top-to-match kind of way.

Act 4:

Oh. My. Goodness. RiRi looked absolutely stunning in this dress/top/skirt combo. Even though me and Claire are not the biggest fans of red, Rihanna has made me reconsider my stance on red clothing. This two piece top and skirt was also designed by Adam Selman and her shoes were Manolos again.

Act 5:

This hologram dollar bill dress is FIERCE. She came out with a matching jacket but I wanted to give y’all a full picture of how brilliant she looked in this. She had matching hologram trainers on, which were designed by Pierre Hardy. Her dress was designed by Adam Selman again. I want one.

Act 5:

Rihanna’s jumpsuit was absolutely beautiful, onstage it was SO shimmery and excellent. It was designed by Lanvin and the heels/belt were Manolo Blahnik again.

These pictures were borrowed from Rihanna Overdose because we only had our iPhones on us and our pictures weren’t great! I thought I’d give you a little collage of our evening as well (lots of photos of our dinner paha!)

What do you think of Rihanna’s style? Have any of you guys been to the Diamonds tour? What did you think about her outfits? I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t anything TOO slutty (if by pleasantly surprised I mean horribly disappointed) and my personal fave was her sheer varsity-style top. There were similar tops that apparently were available online but are now totally sold out, which is is definitely not surprising.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and RiRi is definitely our new gymspiration (I say that while I munch on a bag of cheese and onion crisps…).

ClaireJuly 15, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Neon Skater Skirt at Wireless Festival

Good afternoon one and all. After suffering from a terrible case of bloggers’ block, dithering about what to write about today and Claire threatening to throw her pen at me (SEE WHAT I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH?!), I have finally settled on filling you in on my weekend.

If you follow our Twitter account, you may have noticed a slight lack of activity on my part (I can tell you’re thinking, ‘Ah, this is why I felt a horrible sense of loss over the weekend’). This was because I took the plunge and decided to leave the comforting streets of Coventry to hit the big city with my pal for Wireless Festival. After agonising for MONTHS about what to wear, I ended up spending Thursday night cleaning the house, lying on my bed reading ‘Dancing in my Nuddy Pants’ and generally not choosing what to wear. I’m half on a spending ban at the moment (tell that to WH Smith’s and their half price note pads), so I decided to be frugal and not buy anything new (which was probably sensible as port-a-loos and new outfits don’t mix brilliantly). However, it did mean getting up at 7am on Friday and charging around my room in my pantaloons with a horrible sense of panic. We’re having beautiful scorching weather (WOO), so being too hot was a no-no. Unfortunately, I also burn like Guy Fawkes and Joan of Arc on a hot (paha) date, so I need to be covered too. PROBLEMATIC? Horribly.

I ended up settling for a neon yellow skirt I bought a month or two ago, a black body, a pair of casual sandals and a chunky gold necklace (obviously channeling my inner Waka Flocka Flame). I teamed it with a denim jacket while we were still in Coventry because at that point it was cloudy and I didn’t want to look like a raving lunatic at 9am. Surprisingly, I wasn’t too boiling at Wireless. Which was most likely because of the lovely hydrating pints of cider I was drinking, mmm appley.

I thought I’d give you a little picture tour of my day on Friday; I didn’t take many snaps as I was too busy realising how much I love Ke$ha.

If you’re interested in recreating this little outfit, here is where you can get the same or similar items (I have to admit, it’s quite a good one for the hot weather when you want to protect your shoulders!).

I only went for the day on Friday, so me and my lovely friend stayed at a hotel in Shoreditch, did a bit of shopping in the Spitalfields Market on Saturday and then headed back to our respective homes. Claire and I headed out in Birmingham on Saturday night, which we should hopefully have some outfit of the night posts up soon (I wore Claire’s trousers, so no new exciting clothes there either. Sniff.).

My highlights of Wireless were definitely Frank Ocean (still swooning) and of course, Justin Timberlake. Did anyone else head to Olympic Park this weekend?

ClaireJuly 8, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Neon Crop & Motel Rocks Skirt

Crop top – Primark / Maxi Skirt – Motel Rocks / Wedges – Primark

It’s so boring when all English people do is go on about the weather. With that in mind, COR HOW NICE IS THIS WEATHER? I hope you all had a lovely weekend basking in the sun. It was absolutely gorgeous here in Costa Del Coventry, so what did I do? I spent my Saturday asleep on the sofa for three hours, then went shopping and to the gym. No, I don’t know why either.

This outfit isn’t even from this weekend, I’m such a fraud. This is actually what I wore last weekend for my sister’s friend’s birthday party. As you can see, it’s a pretty out-there choice for me. A crop top and maxi skirt!? Move over Lady Gaga, there’s a new creative genius in town.

ClaireJuly 1, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Primark Patterned Trousers & Crop

SHOCK BLOODY HORROR, CLAIRE’S ONLY WEARING A CROP TOP AGAIN. Seriously, what will I do when these go out of fashion? My midriff will feel so unloved.

On Friday we had the ever-daunting task of going out for drinks straight after work. This is the sort of thing that Cosmo pretend is really easy when they write things like ‘this dress is the perfect office-to-drinks piece’ – in real life it is very difficult and means lugging a pair of heels, extra clothes and your entire makeup bag to work with you (we don’t have ‘office-to-drinks’ faces, unfortunately).

I opted for my new patterned trousers from Primark, with a plain long sleeved black top during the day. Just before leaving work, I released my stomach and got changed into the crop top for a more evening-appropriate look. I’ve just realised that this entire outfit, including necklace, is actually from Primark. I’m going to awkwardly side-step away from life now. Bye.

ClaireJune 29, 2013

June Haul: Primark, Topshop, Motel & eBay

ALOHA, SLUTS. This week, two big events coincided – one, payday; two, A Terrible Week. When these two things meet, a lot of shopping ends up happening, and that is why all of these new clothes are currently sitting in my room. I won’t depress you all with the details of A Terrible Week, but it goes without saying that cocktails and friends have made things significantly better.These new little purchases have helped too….

Printed trousers and midi dress – both Primark

Of course, I had to venture to Primark in my time of need. I’ve been after these trousers for a couple of months now, and finally got round to buying them. I do think that a pair of ridiculous trousers can really brighten not only your day, but the days of everyone around you. These are really comfy and the elasticated waist came in SUPER handy yesterday when I accidentally had a pie and chips for lunch instead of a salad (how does that sort of thing always happen? It’s a mystery).

I also finally picked up one of the Primark midi dresses. As I’ve no doubt whinged about before, being petite means that finding a midi is a challenge and most of the ones I’ve tried on in places like Primark have looked awful. To be honest, this one didn’t look great on in the changing room – despite getting a size 6, the slouchy fit still just looked TOO slouchy and shapeless, and I’m just not sure if they suit little people. So why did I buy it still? That’s a really good question, and I wish I knew the answer. I think I want to try it on with some wedges and a belt and see if it can be salvaged – if not, it is farewell, midi.

I picked up a few other bits from Primark, including a new purse, a belt, some socks and a makeup bag – unfortunately at the time we went to press (ie now) all of these items were strewn around various parts of my house and not available for photographing.

Jeggings – Topshop £22

This might be a really odd thing to say but these are actually my first pair of jeggings. Ever. I’ve never found any before that suited me or that I liked and, to be honest, I thought they were kind of gone now. But I saw these in Topshop and decided to try them on because I liked the pale denim. And IT WAS LOVE. They fit beautifully and are perfect for the summer. So please can nobody ruin my joy by telling me how sooo 2010 they are (even if they are).

Cropped blazer – eBay

I actually already have this blazer in black and in white. I’m usually not a fan of stocking up in this way, but I actually can’t resist with this item. I love blazers but really struggle to find ones that don’t swamp my small frame and make me look about seven feet wide due to unnecessary shoulder pads. These cropped waterfall blazers from a run-of-the-mill eBay shop are actually the perfect length, and come in at around a tenner including p&p – so of course I couldn’t resist adding this minty one to my collection.

Tube skirt: Motel £10

When I spied this bad boy in the sale, I couldn’t say no. It’s described on the website as being ‘a maxi or a midi depending on your height’; on me it is definitely a maxi, but quite an ankle-grazing one, which is quite nice. It’s actually a thick, knitted material which I wasn’t really expecting (because I don’t read descriptions, mainly), but I’m happy with it as I’ll get loads of wear out of it into the winter too.

Dip-dye dress – Topshop via eBay

This shouldn’t really be included in the haul seeing as it’s not a ‘new’ item as such – I actually swooped in and won this on eBay for a victorious £3. It was brand new without tags so quite the bargain.

What do you all think of this haul? Have you bought any of these items lately?

ClaireJune 28, 2013

How to Dress Like… Iggy Azalea

I don’t think I can accurately describe how thoroughly in love I am with Iggy Azalea. Ever since first seeing the ‘Work’ video, I’ve dedicated good portions of my day to stalking her Twitter and Instagram accounts, lusting over her hair, clothes, figure… okay, her everything. It borders on a creepy crush, and I’m perfectly fine admitting that to you all.

I figured that I may as well put my obsessive perusing to some good use and run through some of Iggy’s key looks, how you can replicate them and general tips on how to embrace your inner Iggy.

Look 1: The Body

Miss Azalea is regularly spotted wearing leotards that perfectly show off her teeny tiny top half. One of the reasons I absolutely adore her style, and I’m sure I’ll waffle more about this in a bit, is because she’s proud of her ‘runway tits’ and doesn’t go in for trying to make them look bigger like other small-boobed celebs do (Rihanna, I’m looking at you, ya B-cup faker).

Motel body / Miss Selfridge Black Mesh Body / New Look Print Body

Look Two: Urban

I’ve read numerous bits about how Iggy moved from Australia to America (which is not something I’d necessarily do – waving ‘laters’ to fit Aussie surfer boys just seems like the actions of a lunatic) because she considered it to be the home of hip hop. Her love of this culture is obviously something that passes into her style, so she’s regularly repping the urban look. Generally, I wouldn’t encourage you to start going out in full tracksuits unless you’re a big name in rap, but luckily the current trend for sport luxe means that you can incorporate this in a wearable way.

River Island Mesh Crop / Topshop Grey Quilted Joggers / River Island Studded High Tops

Look Three: Bright Bodycons

One word will suffice here: CURVES. She’s always emphasising hers in bright prints and colours. I’m personally really intrigued to know whether she ever wears fat pants to suck it all in – I mean, I know her abs are amazing, but what if she has a really big pie before an event? Unfortunately, I don’t think I’d get a response if I tweeted her about her underwear. Sad face.

Boohoo Ombre Dress / Motel Jolene Dress / Motel Zoe Dress in Aztec

Look Four: The Crop Top

A girl after my own heart, Iggy has a selection of amazing crop tops. If you had a stomach like this, wouldn’t you constantly be flashing it?

Topshop Leater Look Bralet / New Look Aztec Crop / Urban Outfitters Halterneck Crop

What do you all think of Iggy Azalea’s style? Who are you admiring at the moment?

ClaireJune 27, 2013

ASOS Sale: The 6 Best Bargain Dresses For This Saturday Night

Mini Polo Neck Dress / Petite ‘Cold Shoulder’ Aztec Print Dress / Glamorous Number Print Midi Dress

Square-Back Mini Dress / Motel Midi Dress /River Island Diamond Print Bodycon Dress

I always get overly-excited when Asos launch a big sale – it’s one of my favourite retailers, and I never fail to find something on there. There are always great bargains to be found in the sale section, but at the moment they seem to particularly have a frankly SUPERB selection of going-out dresses. As I’m a kind-hearted girl, I thought I’d pick out six of the best dresses that you can pick up for under £15 – and if you order today or tomorrow, it can still arrive in time for that big night out at the weekend. You are very welcome.

ClaireJune 26, 2013

Mini Haul: Primark, Simple and Collection!

Hey chicks!

As a lot of you will aware from our incessant celebrating, yesterday was pay day. I feel like you have never truly experienced happiness until you get that heady ‘I’M SO RICH, KANYE HAS NOTHING ON ME RIGHT NOW’ joy from getting paid. Getting paid means splashing out on those things that you lusted over last month but couldn’t afford because you spent all of your money on pay day (LOGICAL?). As soon as lunch time hit yesterday, Claire was all over eBay and investing in her current list of must-haves. I, on the other hand, was attempting to be sensible and not buy anything unnecessary. This went pretty well until I got into Birmingham after work and had half an hour to kill before going for dinner. I went to Boots, which is ALWAYS dangerous, and then couldn’t stop myself from strolling around everywhere looking for things to satisfy my deep, deep need for material possessions (nail varnish = happiness. It has been proved. By science).

This is just a mini haul post on what I bought yesterday – I’d say none of it is HUGELY exciting, but still, a haul is a haul. You have to excuse the awful photos, I had to resort to my iphone after I’d had a couple of glasses of wine and apparently this is what happens. WHAT KIND OF BLOGGER DO I THINK I AM?!

I have a little bit of explaining to do with regards to each item actually and they all come with wonderful stories that I know you are all dying to hear, so feel free to make yourself a cup of tea and snuggle down. I’m justifying this little shopping trip because most of the items were entirely necessary and I did vaguely try and be thrifty NO JUDGEMENT PLEASE, MONEY GOD.

This little bad boy I have been lusting over since I spotted it in Boots a few weeks ago. I was actually having a lovely chat with @StonesGotStyle on Twitter about it and we both were thinking it’d be a BRILLIANT product if it delivered on the makeup fixing front. For the price, I think it really could be a winner, particularly when compared to more expensive brands. I’ve got it on today and so far so good – although I would say it’s not really a fair trial as I manage to smear all of my makeup over my face when I’m at work no matter what I’ve got on. I’m going to try it out on Friday when I head out with Claire and the gals – expect a full review very soon. It also smells lovely, as a side note!

Why have you put a lip balm on a haul post, you ask? Well, it does seem a bit pointless BUT I think it’s good to know what lip balms work and smell good. There have been so many times I’ve just gone with Vaseline because I couldn’t make up my mind about other brands and to be honest, Vaseline is a pile of greasy nothing. For anyone else who struggles with chapped lips in the summer, this lip balm is perfect. It smells and tastes yummy and actually works – I’ve been using it for a while now and I can safely say I’ve not used a better everyday balm.

I CAN’T RAVE ABOUT THIS CONCEALER ENOUGH. Honestly, it is full on amazing. I’ve tried similar illuminating concealers and they have all been WUBBISH. I’ve also heard this is the best dupe for Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat and for £5, it’s definitely worth giving it a go. I bought it in the ‘Glow’ shade as it’s the darkest one they do and use it under my eyes and down my nose for contouring purposes. Occasionally I’ll use it on spots too, although I try not to as it is a mixture of a highlighter and concealer (and who wants to highlight their spots?!). Saying that, it does work well as a simple concealer too. I could go on about this product for YEARS but will save you all the torture and just recommend you purchase and give it a whirl!

Claire and I had a moment the other day when we realised that big earrings were no longer cool. It was quite a heart wrenching moment; our standard jewellery ventures used to be a giant pair of chandelier earrings. But this just simply can’t be done anymore, sob. We’ve come to the conclusion that necklaces and rings are the big players in the jewellery world now, which is fantastic apart from the fact I have sausage fingers. ANYWAY, it turns out I haven’t been quite able to let go of my love of earrings and decided to buy a load of hoops from Primark. At £1, it was pretty rude not to. My theory is, because the 90’s are well and truly back, I can get away with a bit of Jennifer Anniston hoop. I’m planning a big topknot and hoops for Friday, so I will take a picture and see if this is achieved! I also got this set of rings because I love a bit of neon and they’re a great way of adding a bit of the trend into a boring outfit (note – Primark have some LOVELY neon jewellery in at the moment).

If you follow us on Twitter, you might have seen my #bbloggers beg the other day for some eye makeup remover recommendations. I have a new mascara, which I love, but it refuses to come off. It’s not actually waterproof but has a terrible habit of sticking to anything and everything. I had a lot of response and I really wanted to invest in a No7 oil based remover that one of you lovely people recommended. However, I left my voucher at home and in a bid to be sensible, decided to go with something a bit cheaper. I also looked for the Neutrogena wipes that were recommended but unfortunately the Boots I was in didn’t stock them, so I went for the next make up remover suggestion! So far, I’ve been really happy with this Simple one and it takes all of the naughty mascara off in a few wipes. I’m actually very happy with it and for the price, I think I will buy it again. So big thanks to all of you who gave me some suggestions!

Finally, this was my last purchase yesterday! There’s not much to say apart from the fact that my shoe situation is terrible and I needed some black pumps for work. They’re quite cute, so I’m happy! I have my eye on a pair of nude t-bar studded ones in Primark actually, and will probably buy them in the next few weeks.

WELL, that was my slightly mad pay day haul yesterday. I’ve told myself I’m on a spending ban now, but lets see how long that realistically lasts….