Primark | Vanity Claire

ClaireNovember 5, 2013

Outfit of the Day | Fluffy Jumper & Acid Wash Jeans

Good afternoon huns,

We had a very exciting morning: Claire bought a car last night and we drove to work (if by we, I mean she did) for the first time. WHOA WHOA WHOA. Her car is a beautiful Fiat 500 in pale pale blue and I think I may have become one of those strange humans that fancies automobiles.

In my role as supportive housemate, I chose my outfit very carefully this morning. It had to be something that said “hey, I’m here for you. If you need a mid-journey hug, I am a viable option”. Obviously, the only thing that would say this successfully was my new fluffy jumper from Forever 21. Which I did not just wear because it’s new and I love it. I wore it purely because my pal might need some fluffy delight during horrifying rush hour in Cov. Wink wink, nudgey nudge.

I paired my beautiful new fluffy jumper with my Topshop acid wash jeans (big surprise there), a Primark peach blouse, a Primark gold necklace and my tan brouges from New Look. My lipstick is Collection Mango Tango, which I reviewed here. This was the result:

Needless to say, I’m cosier than a cosy thing at work today. I’m not usually a big fan of Forever 21, but there are SO many nice things in the Birmingham store at the moment. If you’re based in the West Midlands, I thoroughly recommend popping in and checking out what they have in. I feel like a wooly mammoth, in a good way.

What do you think of my Tuesday outfit? I really want to start planning my day outfits a bit better and this is the start of looking a bit more put together (I hope…)

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Instagram, Bloglovin’ and Twitter! ||

ClaireOctober 17, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Winter Pastels & Leather Leggings

Jumper: c/o New Look | Leather-Look Leggings: River Island (old) | Shoes: Converse | Beanie: H&M | Jewellery: Primark

I face many, many challenges as we head into winter, including how to avoid slipping over on the ice when wearing heels and how to go about sneaking my slanket into work with me. The biggest one of all though, is trying to battle my natural instincts to wear nothing but chunky knitwear, leggings and Uggs. My penchant for dark colours also comes out most strongly during the colder months, so if left to my own devices I would most likely be constantly seen solely in big, dark jumpers, as if in mourning for, I dunno, my fashion sense?

I therefore decided that this mint jumper from New Look HAD to be mine if I wanted a fighting chance of keeping some sort of colour in my winter wardrobe. How nice is the colour?! It’s perfect for the winter pastel trend, which I decided to make the most of by also wearing my lilac Converse. The jumper’s an Angora blend, so feels very luxurious, if a tad itchy (it’s the itch of rich people though, so you have to love it). It’s actually quite a slim fitting jumper, so I bought this in a size 16 for a slouchy, oversized feel.

The beanie’s also a new addition to my wardrobe. I can never really decide if I suit hats; I have a weirdly massive head and I think sometimes they emphasize that while making my face look even smaller, like a pea. However, beanies are just too comfy to ignore this winter, and this one cost just £3.99 from H&M so is an absolute bargain. They’re also superb for hiding roots – er, not that that’s why I’m wearing mine… ahem.

I like the mixture of prettiness and grunge in this outfit. Did I just say grunge? Yes, I unfortunately did, let’s just move on with our lives. It’s also ludicrously comfortable and so could perhaps be the sort of outfit to pull me out of my boring routine this autumn/winter.

What do you all think of this outfit? What are your tips for staying stylish in the winter months?

ClaireOctober 8, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Baroque Missguided Tshirt Dress

Hello ragamuffins,

As you may have discovered if you read our blog a lot, it was Claire’s birthday over the weekend and we had a whale of a time drinking Lambrini and lurking about like the lunatics we are. Thankfully, she received lots of lovely presents to keep the blog going while I have been in a pit of sadness over my lack of stuff (sob sob).

We went out on Saturday night for a jolly old knees up and I can safely say, making hash browns at silly o’clock in the morning is a sign of a great night – no jokes. I would like to stress that these were potato-based hash browns and not made from wacky baccy, before you all start thinking I am some kind of hoodlum. Whilst stressing about what to wear (it’s been so long since my last night out that I had forgotten what on earth you wear to bars. I almost went for the middle-aged option of a nice pair of black work trousers and kitten heels. Thankfully Claire slapped me out of it before things got out of hand), I ended up buying what can only be described as a cathedral.

Maddie Missguided Baroque Dress | Garage Nude Wedges | Primark Gold Necklace | Black Primark Bag

Some might say that a bright gold dress with what I think are cherubs printed on it would be enough bling to be going on with. I say NAY. I piled on a statement gold necklace, curled my newly weaved locks and glued on a pair of double eyelashes. Subtle? No. Magnificently dope? Probably not either. But anyway, I was happy with the general look and popped on my favourite nude wedges (after Claire instructed us to wear our comfiest shoes because we would be drinking £4 Lambrini with a straw) as well as a new Primark box bag/satchel. HUZZAH AND THANK YOU TO THE QUEEN, it is the only recent new purchase that I have made but I love it – a useful little number to stash my vast array of things in.

Keep your eyes peeled for Claire’s outfit of the night, which will be on its way soon! What do you all think about this Missguided tshirt dress? It’s very loud but I can’t help but have huge amounts of love for it. My descent into garish madness begins!

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Instagram, Bloglovin’ and Twitter! ||

ClaireOctober 7, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Winter Floral Swing Dress & Primark Brogues

Hola amigos and amigettes. We had a SUPER busy weekend here at Stylingo HQ; what with it being my birthday on Friday this of course meant that the celebrations had to carry on into the weekend. That’s what birthdays are basically about after all, isn’t it? Just stretching out for as long as possible the amount of time that people have to be nice to you and buy you food? Here is my OOTD from Saturday afternoon, when I went out for lunch with a friend. Nothing says ‘happy birthday Claire’ quite like free bubble tea and chicken fajitas. I was a happy egg.

Floral Swing Dress: Cameo Rose c/o New Look | Tights: Primark | Brogues: Primark | Bag: Marc B

Not to toot my own wardrobe’s horn too much, but I’m quite in love with this outfit (dishevelled left shoelace aside). I wasn’t sure whether swing dresses would be flattering on me or not due to their swampy nature, but I actually think it sits really nicely – and allows for chicken fajita bloat, which is an added bonus. I had to wear a bandeau underneath because it falls quite low at the back and I didn’t feel like flashing the world the back of my bra, but I think that’s mainly down to my lack of boobs making it fit a bit baggier on me.

My favourite part of the dress is the print; it can be hard for florals to look winter-appropriate but I think the colours in this dress work perfectly. The orange in the dress also help the brogues (which appeared in my birthday haul post) to work with this outfit – I used to be a passionate hater of wearing brown with black, but I think when there are other colours thrown into the mix like with this outfit then all is fair in love and fashion.

I’m waffling now, I literally have no idea what I’m even talking about. But let me know what you think of this outfit!

ClaireOctober 6, 2013

October Birthday Haul: Marc B, Juicy Couture, Primark, Sleek & More!

Hi there errybody! I’ve got a few minutes free on the retirement home’s desktop before a rousing mid-afternoon game of backgammon accompanied by a fine glass of sherry awaits me, so thought I’d quickly do a post for all of you young’uns. In case you’re wondering what in the name of all that is holy I’m waffling on about, I am of course referring to the fact that I turned 23 on Friday and am now probably the World’s Oldest Blogger.

I actually had a really nice birthday, despite my mammoth reservations in the run-up to the occasion. The actual day was quite a nice chilled one; I took the day off work to see various family members and friends, shop and eat cake. Then last night I went out for dinner with some of my besty friends, which was inevitably followed by cocktails, spiking our own fishbowls and crap dancing. Superb.

As it was my birthday I received some absolutely amazing presents, which I thought I would share with you all now in the form of a birthday haul post! Some of these were given to me, others were bought with birthday money – all have equal amounts of love attached to them.

Marc B ‘Giselle’ Bag in Maroon: Be still my beating heart! I’ve been after a Marc B bag for ages; they’re so sophisticated and classic, yet also retain a fun element with the leopard print lining and gold plaque detailing. I desperately needed a new everyday bag as my Topshop one was literally going bald (damn you, leopard print panel!), so when my dad asked what I wanted for my birthday, this was top of my list. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It’s also bloody massive – you can see it in its full glory in this OOTD post where you will see that it has basically made me look like ~~even more of~~ a Borrower.

Leopard print throw, ear muffs and thermos: my dad sent my sister on a shopping mission to pick up a few more presents for me (I know, how lovely of him! I think he takes pity on me not having a boyfriend so spoils me more as a result) and she oh so wisely picked up an array of leopard print treats. The thermos is a particular fave; tea AND animal print, TOGETHER?! No finer combination of things has ever existed.

Clothes: knowing how dear Primark is to my heart, my sister also picked me out a few bits from there.

Viva La Juicy Noir: I’ve loved this since I got the sample version in one of my Glossyboxes and now a full size bottle is mine!

Game of Thrones figurine: ’nuff said

Makeup: with some birthday money from my momma, I couldn’t resist buying some new makeup. I ordered the Sleek stuff about a week ago, and decided to get the BB Cream in the ‘Fair’ shade to actually match my skin tone (shudder) and a new lipstick in the shade ‘Cherry’. I picked up the Barry M bits in town – I opted for the new matte nail polish in black, the new Natural Glow eyeshadow and blush palette and then because of an offer I got the Lash Vegas mascara for free for spending over £10! I am always a bargain hunter, even when it’s someone else’s money. I also bought this eyebrow pencil from Maybelline.

Brogues and rings: couldn’t resist popping into Primark and picking up these beauties. I’ve been after some brogues for ages but have just never really got round to buying some – these were only £12 I think, so it was finally time to actually get some. The stacker rings are a mixture of silver, gold and rose gold so will come in vair handy.

I have to stop writing now because I’m very hungover and need a vat of squash in my system RIGHT NOW. But let me know what you think of this haul!

ClaireOctober 5, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Birthday Marc B Bag!

Hey loves! As you may know from Lauren’s very kind Twitter proclamations, yesterday was my 23rd birthday. I’ll have a full birthday post including all the lovely goodies I’ve received coming soon, but for now I thought I would quickly share my OOTD, including one new very special piece of arm candy… MY NEW MARC B BABY.

Cardigan – Primark / Cami – Primark / Jeggings – Topshop / Frilly Socks – Primark / Ankle Boots – New Look / Necklace – Tiffanys / Bag – Marc B

I just had a very casual day for my birthday yesterday, which involved popping into town for some lunch and – of course – a bit of shopping, hence my very casual outfit. I don’t know about all of y’all, but making an effort to dress nice-ish for work each day (which we don’t have to, but ever since I accidentally ended up getting VIP tickets to Rihanna and had to go dressed like a tramp, I like to make more of an effort in case anything else is sprung on me) means that when I get a day off I just enjoy slouching around.

A huge thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday on Twitter! I’ve had a brilliant one so far, and the fun is continuing over into the weekend – HUZZAH. Maybe being 23 won’t be so boring after all.

ClaireSeptember 19, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Primark Printed Trousers & Fur Coat

Good day scoundrels,

I’ve been woefully absent on the blog over the last week as I have been suffering from the stupid flu, which like a stalker will not leave me alone. I finally allowed myself to have a proper day off work today (after having an emotional/physical breakdown yesterday and one of my lovely colleagues having to drive me home) and it’s doing me miles of good! So much so that I actually feel like eating AND leaving the house (pardon?!), so I decided to slather my troll face in makeup to make the short journey to the corner shop. For biccies.

I’ve been dressing in attractive array of big tshirts and leggings for the past 4 days, so today felt like the day I should look like a normal human being and wear real clothes. This was my outfit!

Primark Printed Trousers : Topshop Peacock Print Baggy Tshirt : Dorothy Perkins Boots : Primark Gold Chain Necklace : Topshop Ring

I bought these delightful trousers a few weeks ago in Birmingham and I genuinely love them. They’re really comfortable and easy to wear, meaning if you get the urge to do some street lunges – YOU CAN. I think they have the capacity to be dressed up or down and they are a fabulous addition to my wardrobe. I can’t exactly remember the price, but they were around the £10 mark.

The tshirt is an old one, I bought it from Topshop a couple of years ago but it’s still a firm favourite. The picture doesn’t pick it up, but there are actually velvet peacock feather prints on the shoulders (I’m a gal that likes alliteration but that sentence was a bit much pahaha).

I don’t know about you guys, but it is fereeeeezing here in Cov and because I’m still in the throes of illness, I figured my adventure to the shop needed to be super warm and cosy. CUE GIANT BEAR COAT. This Topshop fur coat is my child, I love it so dearly. It’s also quite old now but it’s still in amazing condition (even after I couldn’t be bothered to take it to the dry cleaners and did it in the washing machine…). I hope it will stay with me for many years to come and if any of you lovely lot are thinking of investing in a fur coat from Toppers…I recommend it. I can’t believe how well this has lasted!

Topshop Fur Coat : New Look Bag

What do you all think? I for one am proud that my hair doesn’t resemble Hagrid’s beard.

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Bloglovin’ and Twitter! ||

ClaireSeptember 16, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Quilted Leather Skirt

Top: Topshop Petite (old) / Quilted Leather-Look Skirt – Primark / Tights – Primark / Boots – New Look / Necklace – Tiffanys / Bag – Topshop

You know when you buy something and then don’t wear it for weeks and weeks because you just can’t work out whether you like it or not? That is the situation I’ve found myself in lately with this skirt, which I featured in my August haul post last month. I knew it was a good Autumn piece, I knew it should theoretically go with a lot, but could I just put it on and be happy? No, I could not.

Eventually though, I manned the eff up and wore it to work one day last week. It wasn’t until I actually arrived in the office that it occurred to me that wearing a leather mini skirt to work might not be a toooootally normal thing to do, but hey ho. I decided to keep it simple and monochrome by teaming it with this lace-ish scoop-back Topshop top that I’ve had for yonks, thick black tights (winter is coming, as the Starks would say) and of course my cut-out boots, which might have to be surgically removed from my feet soon.

After months of wearing thick gold chains and heavy spikes, I’ve started to prefer more delicate pieces of jewellery again. In steps my Tiffanys necklace that my sister got me for my 21st. It’s basically the only nice piece of jewellery I own and I love it very very dearly – potentially as much as I love flapjacks, and that’s mega loads.

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Bloglovin’ and Twitter! ||

ClaireSeptember 8, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Leather Sleeved T-Shirt Dress

T-shirt – Primark / Necklace – Primark / Boots – New Look / Socks – eBay

Merry Sunday everybody! So even though it was bloody FWEEZING last night and I actually debated putting the heating on, today has remained quite warm and it seems that summer’s determined to cling on for a while yet. However, we’ve already stated that here at Stylingo we’re feeling pretty over summer now (something which makes our friend Jade very angry, bahaha) and so I’m just not feeling very drawn to any of my summery dresses or denim bits at the moment. This outfit then, is my attempt at dressing weather-appropriate while still refusing to step back into the summery past.

I featured this t-shirt in my August haul post where I stated that I’d bought it a few sizes too big to wear it as a dress. I’m pleased to say that I think this kind of works, which means I’m wearing a dress that cost just £4. The boots are my beloved New Look babies (which keep getting lots of lovely compliments when I wear them, huzzah) paired with the cheapy little lace socks I included in my eBay haul.

This is also the first time that my new white(ish) locks have been featured in an OOTD – what do you all think?

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Bloglovin’ and Twitter! ||

ClaireAugust 31, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Acid Wash Jeans and H&M Pork Pie Hat

GOOD DAY TO YOU DEAR FRIENDS,

This is an outfit I wore to work a couple of days ago and you may have seen Claire’s shocked tweet about my hat wearing adventures. Thankfully we work in an office where we don’t have to dress particularly smart, so outfit choices in the morning can either be tragic (like the day I wore double denim and didn’t straighten my hair) or a bit more fun. I’m putting this into the a bit more fun category and its one that I’m quite pleased with casual-wise. While, I got a few ‘…you’re wearing a hat’ comments throughout the day and one of the guys put it on and looked like a Victorian mill owner, on the whole I AM SOLD ON THE HAT THING. I can’t wait to invest in a few more when Autumn/Winter arrives. View Full Post