Wears of the week #3

Apologies for the dodgy pic - the lighting in my uni room is a bit rubbish :/

It's been forever since I did one of these posts, but to be honest there's not been much clothing excitement up in these parts!  However, since the sun decided to show it's face (somewhat intermittently) my outfit choices have become a little less jeansandajumper-y...


Asos Leather Shopper Bag (similar)
I purchased this a couple of months ago, and have used it on a daily basis since.  Even though it was only £30, the leather is beautifully soft and the bag itself is super roomy and lightweight.  My only bug-bear would be that the little Asos leather tag fell off within the first week, but the bag itself is nicely made, and only strains at the handles when you really overload it.  An excellent buy - am even getting my Mum one for her birthday!


New Look Pointed Flats
These, I've actually only had for a week - and I've worn them constantly!  They do rub a bit at the heels and where the laces meet but having gone for the size up they're super comfortable on my toes, and look gorgeous on.  They're a pretty good dupe for the Aquazurra pumps, which are waaay out of my price range but I love the style of these so much I may have to look on the high-street for a leather version that'll last longer...I think Dune do a pair?


H&M Striped Tops (here and here)
H&M have so many gorgeous things at the moment, that when I went in store armed with a 20 percent off voucher I had no idea what to get!  In the end I just picked up some more basics (their £4 t-shirts are ace) and a couple of striped tops.  The first is more of a fine knit jumper but is viscose so feels like a supersoft cotton, and the other is just a loose fit tee - the only problem is that my uni town lacks a store so I can't pick up any more till the summer vacation starts, boo.


Aubergine coloured Levis!
These shorts came off eBay, nearly a year ago now.  I adore the colour, and they're the most comfy things ever.  With a pair of black tights and ankle boots they look great - not too dressy but the colour adds a bit of interest.

xxx

Asos wishlist...

If I ordered everything that caught my fancy on Asos, my student loan would be gone in a heartbeat.  There are a few things though, that I've let myself add to my 'saved items' for when the next 20 percent off student sale comes along...



Becksondergaard Oversized Perrine Scarf
Throughout the winter, I've used my star-patterned scarf but now that it's getting warmer I fancied something more lightweight.  This one is still pretty pricey for just cotton, so I may wait until its in a  proper sale before picking it up - but the tiny red detailing round the edges is lovely and I can see this going with practically every outfit.  We shall see...

Vero Moda Lace Insert Blouse

I always find that viscose tops, although they crease like a b****, are the comfiest things around besides cotton.  This one is so pretty and summery looking, and I can see it being dressed up with a pair of heeled sandals, or dressed down with some trainers.  

Asos Oval Classic Retro Sunglasses
I actually only have a couple of pairs of sunglasses that halfway suit my face shape - and both are wayfarers.  One is a pair of ahem Ray-ban homages, purchased on holiday in Santorini and the others are Emporio Armani ones that I got for a great deal a few years back.  My Armani ones however rub a lot of my foundation/concealer off as they basically rest across the middle of my face - so I fancied a pair with nose pads that might do this slightly less!  Fingers crossed these fit my massive head...



Asos Triple Triangle Swing Earrings and Asos Tiny Triangle Earrings
I adore rose gold jewellary, but there hardly ever seems to be a middle-price bracket.  It's either the sort where the plating wears off in a week or the uber-expensive vermeil.  These fall into the first category I suppose, but as they're earrings only the post comes into contact with the skin so the plate should last much longer than say, on a ring.
The first ones look a little edgy, which is exactly what I've been looking for - I love the chandelier-type earrings but find they weigh down on my ears far too much nowadays and these look to be the perfect inbetween.  The others are much daintier, but since my very similar pair of Pia hammered studs have been worn on a daily basis I thought these would be nice for a change!  Also, I might have made a cheeky purchase in the shape of a rose-gold faced watch (Topshop have the 20 percent off for students promotion on right now) so these would go beautifully with it!






Vila Classic Trench Coat
Recently, I've been hunting up and down for the perfect trench coat.  I thought I'd found it in this one from New Look, but it just didn't look quite right as it fell a little too far past my knees.  This looks quite a bit shorter, but I love how it looks a bit like a pea coat but in much more lightweight material.



xxx

Collective haulin' :Clothing and accessories

Despite the fact that I know I shouldn't be shopping for clothes etc just before Christmas, I just can't help it when I see an amazing deal on something!  I wanted to share with you a few bits and pieces I picked up over the past few weeks, some of which are from my trip to Manchester last weekend, others from Ebay and also a few items from the Black Friday sales :)

I'd been eyeing up the Whistles sweatshirts for months now, but even with student discount they're ridiculously overpriced for just printed cotton.  I spotted this one on Ebay though, for less than half price, and even better the cute French lettering is not only red and festive - it's also stitched on so should survive the crazy uni laundrette tumble driers much better!  (Just don't tell my mother how much it cost *whoops*)

Another brand on Asos that I recently discovered whilst Xmas shopping was Becksondergaard - a Danish company that makes gorgeous printed scarves.  Full price, they're super duper expensive but I spotted a couple of absoulte bargains that I just couldn't turn down - the starry scarf shown is a wool-silk mix one that I got for myself but I also got a gorgeous snowfall print one for my mum and a super cute peace sign print one for my best friend.  That one in particular was a complete steal - £4 reduced from £30 - so much nicer than the Primark ones and it'll make an awesome stocking filler!

The adorable Christmas pudding leggings shown are from Primark, and are honesttogod the most comfortable things I have ever worn on my legs.  Soft, cosy but not fluff-depositing.  These are gonna be here to stay well after the holidays are over *sod the weird looks I'll get at breakfast* :P

Finally, I spotted these boots in the Topshop sale.  With student discount they were only £18, and arrived the following day with free delivery!  They are the 'Billy Buckle Boot' style, and although I had to loosen the bottom buckle they fit perfectly straight out of the box.  They're also real suede, so a real bargain that I know I'll get masses of use out of!

xxx

Leather jacket lovin'

I've never really seen myself as a leather jacket kinda gal.  My style has always tended to swing backwards and forwards from the preppy, country side of things towards the more monochrome, chic look.  I just didn't think I could pull off the whole rock 'n 'roll vibe a studded black piece gives off - but a couple of weeks ago whilst I was browsing Ebay I spotted this white jacket.  It was an absolute bargain, and I thought it'd be a great way to see whether I'd get the use out of one...

Topshop don't currently stock an identical style, but this one looks to be fairly similar.
  I believe this was around £160 new in the spring, but I managed to get it for £30 on Ebay
(and I had a £10 Nectar coupon so it was technically only £20)!

Turns out, I'm absolutely in love.  If my student loan allowed me, I'd be placing a Topshop order for a black one tonight - it's the most comfortable, lightweight yet windproof piece of outerwear I own!  I did use up almost an entire can of leather protect spray on it (because it drizzles constantly where I live now!)  The leather is seriously soft, and the colour itself is more of a bone/off white shade.  My uni wardrobe mainly consists of dark, monochrome shades with the odd cute blouse thrown in and I've found that it goes with practically anything.  My Mum even tried it on when she came up to visit this weekend, and tried to make off with it!  The one downside is that although it hasn't picked up any real dirt stains, colour transfer from darker coloured jeans and tops has happened - but this is easily fixed with a leather conditioning wipe (I've filched a pack from home which we'd normally use on the sofa/car seats).  All in all, I'm chuffed to bits!

xxx

September favourites!

All through the month, I usually compile a list of the things I've been loving so far in preparation for the end of month favourite post.   But for some reason, as the end of September approached I completely forgot to write up that list  *oops*!  Anyway, here it is now and hopefully I won't be typing up next months halfway through October...


Makeup...

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in 'Ethereal Light' £38, Space.nk

This powder was the result of one of those £10 off Space.nk coupons, and although I winced at the dent it made in my student loan it has been amazing.  'Ethereal Light' is an almost pure-white powder, with microfine shimmer - and it's just perfect at the moment along with a little concealer.  It's also an excellent setting powder, and controls the oil on my skin enough that I rarely need to use blotting powder.

Benefit Gimme Brow in 'Light/Medium' £17.50, LookFantastic (but there's almost always a 15% off coupon available)

My brows are practically blonde, so the concept of a tinted brow gel with a little more oomph intrigued me.  Even though you still have to be careful applying the product (it's not just "brush-and-go") I haven't picked up a shadow to fill in my brows once this month, this is just so much more convenient.






Max Factor Colour Corrector Stick 'Green' £8.99, Boots

For the last couple of years, I have been a faithful user of the Natural Collection Corrector Stick as the green is brilliant at cancelling out any redness from blemishes (or just the naturally overly rosy areas of my face!)  Time after time though the packaging and product crumbled, and when I spotted Max Factor's equivalent I popped it in my Boots basket.   It is several pounds more expensive, but the product is a lot more long wearing (doesn't make the concealer over the top wander around) and then packaging is much sturdier.  A great product, that's an everyday staple in my makeup bag.





Clothing...


Marks and Spencer Jaquard Striped Top £9.99 (reduced from £19.50)


This is the most comfortable, lazy-day-but-smart top ever.  Even though it's got a zip up the back, it's not one that you have to contort yourself to get in and out of (to be honest, the material is stretchy enough that I never use it!) and it is so soft and breathable.  I spotted it whilst jean-hunting with my mother and hunted it down online in the right size - I actually got it a size up because I prefer a slightly baggier look on more cropped tops, and it also washes beautifully.  It's currently on sale, but hopefully they bring out this style again in more colours!




Topshop Viscose Slubby Tee £16

When I started sifting through my wardrobe for winter basics, I realised that there was not one single black shirt to be found.  After a toddle around my local Topshop, I found this shirt and fell in love.  It is very lightweight, but not at all see through and the batwings combined with cropped fitted sleeves are super flattering.  I love pairing it with ripped light wash jeans and ballet pumps, and now that it's getting colder - a huge fluffy Zara scarf!




Food...

I've loved Victoria Plums for years, and my memories of summer are filled with stuffing our faces with the ones from my Grandad's trees.  Unfortunately, they only appear once in a blue moon nowadays so we have to go elsewhere for our fix!  In place of home picked ones, I've found that the best ones come from Asda at a couple of pounds a tray (but make sure you let them ripen at home for a little while or they're a little crunchy!)






xxx