OOTD: Lace and Lime

While scrolling through the Topshop website recently I noticed a very familiar looking lace skirt, which is very similar to one I absolutely loved wearing on my honeymoon last Summer!

It's such a gorgeous, versatile piece that can easily take you from day to night. In the photo above I paired it with a simple green camisole, similar to this one from Oasis.

Topshop's latest offering is a lovely cream lace number that's perfect for Spring! You can find it on their website here for £75.

It's a Nice Day for a...

This weekend I travelled north to attend a wedding of a school friend. Since the fiancé was hard at work on night shifts at hospital I was flying solo, but it was so much fun to spend some time with the girlies!

Since we stayed in a nearby hotel we were able to indulge in a little beautifying in the morning, which obviously some us enjoyed more than others... I used the Babyliss Pro Curling Wand to create voluminous curls on myself and a side sweep finger curl wave on my friend.

With a long day ahead I decided to keep my makeup mostly neutral, with just a hint of purple to reflect my dress. Over the past few weeks I have also started using Lilash (about 3/4 times per week) and was surprised to see that with a good coat of Max Factor's False Lash mascara I didn't even have to apply falsies as my lashes have really grown.

For my outfit I chose a breezy, 50's style one shouldered dress from the vintage line at Oasis. I love the soft raw silk, the ruched detailing and the built in net slip to give the skirt lots of volume and movement. I paired it with nude strappy Mary Janes and a nude leather jacket from All Saint's as it was quite a chilly (and unfortunately rainy) day.

The wedding was absolutely lovely, just the way an English country wedding should be! I am very much looking forward to the beginning of wedding season and also planning my own special day :).

I hope you all had a great weekend my lovelies! xxx

OOTD: Marylin

With sunny spells being few and far between I try to make the most of them. Though after visiting the St Tropez Spraycation on Friday night I didn't need any excuses to show off my tan!

 Top: H&M, Skirt: Oasis (on sale for £22 here), Belt: Zara (£17.99 here), Shoes: All Saints, Sunglasses: Prada.

I love wearing white for the summer. Not quite at the level of Kimberly from MIC (if you watch it you will probably have noticed that she wears white/ cream for 90% of the show). White can be a little tricky to wear. Most of the white pieces I own usually require tactical underwear or a slip. What I love about this skirt is the thick fabric, which not only holds the shape well, but also stops it from being see through and makes it gust proof!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Will you be wearing white this summer? xxx

OOTD: Azure

This gorgeous dress from Oasis combines a ridiculous number of trends, while being so easy to wear.

It's gorgeous bright blue colour, sheer, pleated maxi skirt with two thigh high splits and draped back make it an absolute Summer must have!

Dress: Oasis (£70 here), Belt: Reiss, Bag: Mulberry, Bracelets: Oasis, Glasses: Fiorelli,            Sandals: Primark.

There are so many gorgeous dresses in Oasis this season I am constantly tempted! Have you purchased any new summer dresses recently? xxx

OOTD: Jump into a jumpsuit

For a fun lunch date this weekend I decided to go all 70s in a jumpsuit and super chunky heels.

 Jumpsuit: H&M, Square Ring: Oasis, Wedges: New Look

Makeup wise I kept the eyes and cheeks neutral and chose a statement red lippie (mix of Beaute Fever stain, Bourjois and MAC Russian Red lipsticks) to accent the green of the jumpsuit. The stain lasted so well throughout the day that I only needed to reapply once.

 Maxie was trying to get in on the photo action... but mummy was having none of it ;).

Are you embracing the 70s look? I can't say I am a huge fan, but it's fun to have a little play(suit)! xxx

Liverpool

This weekend I took the first of what is to be many trips to Liverpool. Being a London girl through and through I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the city. Even though the trip was just a taster it gave me lots of ideas of things to do the next time I visit! Everyone was so friendly and helpful, I guess it is true what they say about the North ;)!

On Friday we stayed at the Base2Stay boutique hotel, which was in a great location, minutes from Lime Street Station, the city centre and most importantly for me the Liverpool One shopping centre, which reminded me of an open air Westfield.

After a quick change we headed to the Albert Docks for dinner at the Blue Bar and Grill. I chose a midi dress from Oasis (on sale in store, online here) with Primark turquoise stone and leather sandals.

The bf wore a checked shirt from Ted Baker that I picked out a few weeks ago. I really like the thicker, classic blue check mixed with a thin 'zingy' lime stripe. The cool colour palette really sets off a tan and with it's rolled up sleeves works perfectly for the Summer!

The next day we were up early to explore the town in the beautiful sunshine. The perfect excuse to wear my new tortoiseshell sunglasses from Fiorelli that I picked up in a recent BrandAlley sale.

  Cool kids!

Star jumpsuit - Zara. Shoes - Primarni (as before).

I hope you all had a lovely weekend in the sunshine! xxx

Work It Out - Office Safari

As we are now on the cusp of Summer I thought it was about time to bring some sunshine into the office! This dress has been waiting patiently in my wardrobe for a few weeks as the nude colour doesn't really suit my natural palour, but after a touch of Sun I felt brave enough to reveal a little skin.

 Belted Dress - Oasis, Leopard print flats - Primark

I was seduced by the hourglass shape of this shirt dress as soon as I saw it. Even on the website it looks perfectly form fitting - giving structure, but with movement and flow.

The only problem I had with this dress is that it is 100% cotton so creases terribly. One quick perch on the tube and it looked far from polished!

I paired this dress with a Juicy Couture brown jacket.

For jewellery I chose gold rings from Jewelmint and a pearly coin necklace (worn as bracelet) from Banana Republic.

To add some colour to an otherwise neutral look I used MAC peachykeen blush and vegas volt lipstick. Apologies for the blurry photo - early mornings are not my forte.

Are you braving neutrals this Summer? What are your must have pieces for the season? xxx

Work It Out: Instalment Trente

As far as wardrobe staples go a white jacket is high on my list. I have a couple in my wardrobe, a structured Zara blazer for work, a light cotton for throwing effortlessly over summer dresses and a stripy one perfect for spicing up a simple look. I spotted this pseudo jacket in River Island this weekend and knew it had to be mine. This jacket makes a perfect piece for layering and a great transition piece into Spring. I love the structure of the top half, with shoulder pads and sleek lapels, paired with the light material, longer length and 3/4 sleeves giving it the casual feel of a cardigan.

 Jacket - River Island, Midnight blue dress - French Connection, Brown leather belt - Oasis.

I think it will also look great over a longline t-shirt with jeans/leggings or a classic A-line dress.

What are your wardrobe staples for Spring? xxx

OOTD - Newly Minted

The first ray of Sun this weekend made me giddie with excitement. Spring has finally decided to spring! Putting aside my coat I decided to ditch the layers in favour of something lighter and brighter.

This asymmetric bell sleeve tunic from Topshop makes a perfect transition piece into Spring. I love the delicate mint green and kimono inspired sleeves.

Since the top has so much volume and movement I paired it with leather(esque) trousers from Oasis. The Sun didn't do these any favours, they thankfully didn't look nearly as shiny in person!

Thigh high boots (ZARA) aren't something I would ever wear in the day, but I thought they would be quite fun for picture purposes.. and to scare the passers by.

My necklace is from Talullah Tu, purchased about a year ago it's unfortunately no longer on the site, but here are plenty more that I am eyeing up! ;).

I have previously also paired this top with a Reiss mint belt to cinch in the waist and add a little more shape.

Are you as excited as I am for Spring? What are your key fashion pieces for the new season? xxx

P.S. If you ever wanted to see what my hair is like left naturally to its own wild ways.. tah dah! Curly Wurly!

L'Heure du Cocktail

Last week I attended a cocktail party in Paris. As much as I would have loved to be swanning around the streets dreaming of fashion week, after a 4am wake up call and back to back meetings I was feeling far from glamorous, so getting ready was a rather rushed affair.

 Dress: Hobbs (limited edition). Suede Shoes with pink detailing: Manolo Blanhik.                  Pashmina/ Wrap: H&M

 Cream belted wrap coat: Oasis.

Sorry for the rubbish iPhone photos, but even when running out the door this dress had to be documented. I just adore the corset style, fold over detailing at the waist, which creates a lovely shape and balances the full skirt. The only downside is since the stiff tulle sown into the skirt is very stiff and weighs a tonne. Not quite 'Gypsie Weddings' dress, but as full as I would ever dare to go ;).

Snow Stories - OOTD

T'was the week before Christmas,

And all through the land 

Snow was falling, 

And everything came to a stand(still).

I have had a little bit of a love/hate relationship with the snow recently - as pretty as it is I feel it has been somewhat out to get me recently. Not only did I slip and fall flat on my derriere in the middle of a busy street with 15 bags of dry cleaning in tow (ouch!), but yesterday it nullified all our weekend plans. The only thing left to do was surrender...

Belted Wrap Coat - Oasis (also in black, new this week!), Black Leggings - Topshop, Shearling Buckle Booties - New Look, White Faux Fur Hat - Topshop.

For me a coat is always the most important purchase of the winter season. Since most of your clothes will be hidden underneath it has to be a piece that you love and enjoy wearing. When I spotted this beauty in Oasis I had to have it straight away. Warm, comfortable and stylish with its soft folds and a belt to cinch in the waist it fits perfectly with my dark winter wardrobe.

Purple Gina Dress courtesy of Motel, also available in Red, Black with Cream Lace and Blue with Gold Lace.

I love the deep purple colour of this dress and it's delicate lace detailing on the shoulders and sleeves. Perfect with black leggings or tights :).

 Make-up wise I decided to glam it up a little and create a very classic look. For the skin I used NARS sheer glow foundation and Bobbi Brown creamy corrector. To add a little colour to the cheeks Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronze Universel with a little MAC cream blush in Ladyblush. I skipped the powder as I wanted the skin to look clear, but dewy and instead added a little E.L.F. All Over Colour Stick in Persimmon to the tops of the cheekbones. For the eyes I swept MAC's vanilla eyeshadow all over the lid to create a blank canvas and used L'Oreal's Carbon gloss eyeliner and L'ancome Hypnose mascara. For the lips I used MAC's pencil lipliner in Redd. As I loved the colour so much I decided to dab on a little balm at the centre and leave it at that. I was very impressed as it lasted all day, top marks!

How did you spend your snow day my lovelies? We have wimped out and are getting a takeaway... again ;). xxx