July Obsession: Skulls and Crosses

I know what you must be thinking, that i've slipped into some dark depression and become obsessed with death and other equally morbid subjects! However, contrary to it being 'summer' in Britain, it seem's that everyone has gone all dark, gloomy and skull & cross mad! I don't really agree with using a religious symbol as a fashion statement, so I am quite cautious with what I wear. I've always been a massive fan of grey and black (Even though my mother say's that grey is the most unflattering colour on girls, which I completely disagree on!) and have had my eye on a pair of biker boots and a leather jacket, so these accessories are perfect. Here are my favourites:

Silver/Crystal Twin Skull Bangle - £160, Alexander McQueen

(Image - alexandermcqueen.co.uk)

*Yes, I am aware that i'm featuring a designer, but i've become quite obsessed with designer recently,  and there is a Topshop duplicate that comes at a fraction of the price! Approx £10*

3 Skull Knuckle Duster - £7.50, Freedom at Topshop

(Image - topshop.com)

This is a personal favourite of mine, purely because it's one of my newest purchases. Strangly, the skulls actually look quite cute, and although i'm not a fan of the mixed metal it's a great accessory!

Truly Madly Deeply Animal Cross Tee - £28, Urban Outfitters

(Image - fashionlista.com)

I managed to get my hands on this t-shirt after many months of dabbling whether or not I could justify the splurge. It's been featured on celebs such as Jessie J, Lourdes and X Factor's Amelia Lily, and comes in both white and black - And it's leopard print, amazing.



Minister Tan Suede Cross Boots - £36, Topshop

(Image - Topshop.com) 

At last, some colour! (Although they do also come in black) These are effortlessly casual and the gold detail spruses up an otherwise plain pair of shoes.

Black Skull Print Dress - £25, Yumi

(Image - yumidirect.co.uk)

This is the perfect summer dress, with an edge - a great compromise if you don't want to go too girly this season! It also comes in white, but black is definitely my favourite.

So here you are! Just a few bits that have caught my eye recently, and it seems that more and more designers and high-street brands seem to be channeling their inner goth- and I love it! Have you bought any skull or cross detailed items recently?

June Obsession: JWLRY by LLYMLRS

Ever since purchasing an amazing lucky dip bag of goodies from Temporary Secretary (Full review here!) a few months back, i've found random jewellery mixes a really fun way to expand your collection and include bits and pieces that you wouldn't usually pick yourself.

I've always been a fan of style and beauty blogger Lily Melrose, and find tons of style inspiration from her outfit posts, and I was really exciting when I saw that there was a link to her online shop from her blog.

When I originally purchased my jewellery there were a lot more options for different types of rings and ring mixes, however right now there is only an option for the ring mix that I purchased (I'm unsure as to whether other options will be available!).

The 'Five Stone Rings Mix' is priced at £10 and includes a mix of silver tone metal rings all varying in size, colour and stone. They are all claimed to be the most popular rings of the collection, and are chosen  completely at random. Ever since I started taking care of my nails and experimenting with gel and acrylic nails i've loved piling on different rings, so this was perfect!

Here's what I received:

How gorgeous are they?! My favourite is by far the red, closely followed by the black. I love the two turquoise rings, however I do already own one similar that I wear almost daily, but that is my fault as it does state that turquoise rings are included. There's such a great mix of colours, as black and white go with everything! Each ring is adjustable as well, which is always handy! The only negative I have is that because the rings aren't real silver sometimes there's a slight green tinge to your finger after taking it off, but again, that was expected as it does clearly state that they only silver toned - and they're so pretty it's totally worth it!

I cannot remember exactly how much P+P I paid, however it does say on the delivery section of the site that prices are between £1.50 - £2.50 which is reasonable. What I do remember is the prompt delivery though, as I ordered them to accessorise some new outfits that I pulled for my work experience at Mizz mag in Kent, and they came in plenty of time.

If you're a ring fanatic like me, or just want to nab some of the accessories that Lily wears in her posts, you need to get in there quick and order! Such great value (It works out at £2 a ring!) and they look simply gorgeous with whatever you wear - You'd be surprised how much a great cocktail ring can add to an outfit.

Click here to visit JWLRY, or here to visit Lily's blog LLYMLRS - Do it, now!

April Obsession - Studs and Spikes!

Hello all!
If you've been following my blog you would know that I recently went on holiday to Turkey (pictures will be uploaded soon!), and was completely taken back by the over-eagerness and desperation of the sales assistants in their shops, so much so that I couldn't bring myself to go into any shops and have a good browse. Therefore, practically as soon as I touched down on British soil I was out undergoing some much anticipated retail therapy, and I noticed there was only one thing that was catching my eye.

This season, studs are everywhere. On rings, collars of shirts, shoulders of jackets, dotted on ballet slippers. Directly contrasting to the ever-popular pastel trend, a few studs are essential in adding an edgy twist to any outfit. Here are my purchases:

VECTRA3 Studded Slippers - £28, Topshop. Image courtesy of topshop.com

 These could not be more perfect if they tried. Slippers are in right now, and the studs toughen up the soft material (polyurathene, apparently?). They also come in a nude with gold studs, which goes back to a new take on feminine pastels. So comfortable and versatile, these will be my go-to shoes from now on.

Printed shirt with studded collar - £29.99, Zara. Image courtesy of zara.com

This shirt is part of Zara's newest collection, and I have to say it's the cutest shirt i've ever purchased. The owl print keeps the shirt feminine whilst the high collar and gold studs add a straight-edge, making it a perfect accompaniment to a blazer or pair of high-waisted shorts. I wore it today with a pair of black skinny jeans and a blazer, and it reminded me of the style of Caroline Flack. Absolutely gorgeous and such a bargain price! 

But it's not just the clothing that's had the studded treatment: 

1. Black studded bra top - £28, Miss Selfridge

2. Spike end slides - £7.99, Topshop

3. Studded Peter Pan collar - £30, Topshop

Images courtesy of Miss Selfridge and Topshop

I love the embellishments, they really liven up something as simple as a black bra-top. I especially love the hair slides in the gorgeous candy colours. However, when you wear studs just be careful about how far you go with it, keep it simple and avoid studded black collars - you'll look like you're either wearing a dog collar or part of a bondage outfit! 

If you want the studded look without the price-tag, DIY studding is easy. You can buy packets of studs from most textile and sewing shops, and use them to line denim jackets or jean pockets - get creative with it!

 

March Obsession: Candy Coloured Nails!

 

It's no surprise that candy colours have become the go-to trend this year, with the Queen's trademark pastel two pieces making regular appearances in our magazines and on our television sets due to her Jubilee Tour. So here's my contribution, candy nails! 

I used these colours: 

1. Misty Jade - Rimmel London   2. Pure Turquoise - Barry M   3. Strawberry Ice Cream - Barry M   4. Berry Ice Cream - Barry M

I used mint for my middle finger as it's by far the best of the pastel colours this season, and it's always great to go back to your inner-child and paint each nail a different colour like I know I used to when I thought that wearing as many different colours as possible was the key to good style!

Barry M is by far the best place for pastel nail paint, and you could even go one step further by painting your nails white and then applying some pastel nail crackle on top?

Happy painting!

February Obsession: Skater dresses!

Hi all :)

Hope your Monday wasn't too depressing, but it's now Tuesday which means ..... three days until the weekend begins!

I've wanted to do this post for a long time, but wanted enough images to be able to balance out what i'm writing. I don't know about you, but trying to squeeze my body into a tight bodycon or mini-skirt is near enough impossible and it is frustrating when it seems that everywhere you look you're faced with people wearing lacy leotards over the top of what looks like a bra and pants. I cannot do that. I was born with big hips and I am a natural hourglass shape, so i'm so thrilled that i've found a style of dress that's so flattering for my type of figure.

Skater dresses are gorgeously simple, structured up top teamed with (usually) pleated a-line style bottom, divided by a chic skinny belt that cinches in at the waist. One of the perks of being an hourglass shape I have found, is that we do actually have skinny waists but they are just unseen due to the more shapely parts of our bodies.

So here are my selection of skater dresses:

I bought this at a concession in New Look for £19.99, and it is by far my favourite dress. I love the contrasting colours and the mesh on the top is on-trend for this season. The black waistband is quite tight meaning that the pleated bottom kicks right out, skimming just over my hips.

First of all, I want to apologise for how horrible I look in this picture. This was taken at my older sisters graduation and I kept laughing when people were asking me to pose (I'm not the most comfortable person infront of the camera!). This gorgeous skater dress is amazing purely because it's leopard print. It was purchased from boohoo.com for approx £20 (This exact design isn't on the site anymore, but there are similar ones at the same price!) This print proved popular at LFW earlier this month, and having the print on a skater dress is great if you're not confident enough to sport something a bit more quirky like leopard print leggings. I teamed it with a black blazer and flats so it wasn't too dressy. The thick material of skater dresses are great for the winter months, and it also prevents the chance of your dress flying up in high winds!

Photograph taken from boohoo.com

This is the latest addition to my skater dress collection. I wanted to purchase this after seeing a number of people around my university wearing dresses similar to these, along with leather jackets and flats. I love the mocha colour, it's a simple garment that is so versitile. It can be worn both during the day, in the evening or whether you're going out at night! And at a bargain price of £15 at boohoo.com, i'm definitely going to be purchasing more (This particular dress comes in 15 different colours!).

I'm really happy that i've found a style of dress that is both flattering and slimming. It hides my unwanted curves and really draws attention to the waist, distracting attention away from areas of your body you aren't as comfortable with.

Boohoo.com is definitely the best site to use, however New Look have a few pretty designs. Happy shopping! 

February Obsession: Temporary Secretary!

Oh, how I needed this today!
Nothing can cheer me up more than walking into my flat and seeing a package for me on the kitchen table. Especially knowing that it won't be my external hard-drive (Imagine my disappoint when I ripped open the packaging only to reveal an instruction booklet and a bright red portable drive, and not my gorgeous jewellery!).

Last week, after about a month of scrolling through the cutest collection of jewellery I have possibly ever seen on Temporary Secretary, I caved and went a bit crazy on products.

Temporary Secretary is a website selling kitsch and handmade jewellery. I heard about it through other random blogs and never realised that I had actually been following the Temporary Secretary blog for a while and silly me didn't piece the two together. It's becoming increasingly popular in the press, appearing in magazines such as Look and Fabulous and they have even collaborated with Hero & Cape to create a t-shirt for their newest collection.

The thing is about this site, is that there is just too much I want. So when I saw that they offered either a £10 for 5 item lucky dip (Worth £25!) or a £20 for 12 item lucky dip (Worth £50+), realistically I had to get the £20 one - Who can resist a saving of £30?
The items are a mixture of all the jewellery they offer, but you have the option of choosing not to include earrings in your lucky dip if you do not have pierced ears.

So here's my lucky dip package:

 Because it came in a cardboard box covered in 'Fragile' tape, I expected the contents to just fall out onto my bed. However, in typical Temporary Secretary fashion the package was as neat and pretty as the website itself. I had tweeted about how much I wanted a typewriter ring in my package, as it had been my favourite item on the site, and Temporary Secretary herself quickly tweeted me back saying she'd ensure that the ring was included :) I let her choose the number on the ring (You have to have some surprises!), so I thought it was a really great touch to add a handwritten card in with the package.
Here's what I had inside:

 It's almost as if they know me personally! I love wearing rings and if you've looked at my October Obsession post you'd know that I love animal rings. I also really like leopard print (I'm wearing a leopard print jumper as we speak!) and the pink cocktail ring matches my new nails perfectly! She also delivered on the typewriter ring, and the choice of the number 3 was perfect! I need a bit of luck these days :)

This bracelet is so sweet! It features a diamante studded donut and iced bun, and comes with a safety chain which is always a bonus. The earrings are a good choice as well, they're subtle and elegant. Now I just need to shrink my flesh tunnel down so I can actually fit them in my ears!

The items I am most surprised about are the necklaces. On the site they retail at up to £10 each, so I can't believe how much of a saving I made! My personal favourite has to be the Alice in Wonderland necklace, it reminds me a lot of Gwen Stefani's harajuku dolls.

They're all generally well made (One of the necklace chains came apart due to a loose clasp that I need to clamp together tighter) and excellent value.

It's no wonder that Temporary Secretary is so popular, the entire process made me feel my business was extremely important and that all my needs were met. I'll definitely be purchasing some birthday presents and goodies for myself from there again, without a doubt!

Oh yeah, here's a picture of the ring i'm wearing today:

 Perfect!

February Obsession: Chiffon Shirts!

I noticed I haven't done a fashion post in a while, as well as an 'obsession' post, so I thought today would be appropriate after I spent far too much money buying chiffon shirts! 

A question often asked to people that are interested in fashion is "Where do you find your inspiration?", and I came to realise that my inspiration is found by people watching. This may come across creepy to some people, and I do admit that sometimes I get odd looks as it looks like i'm simply staring at someone, but i'm actually just admiring and trying to work out how their style could apply to mine. 

On the bus to university last week I saw a girl who wore a smart tailored blazer with a beige chiffon pussybow blouse, and since then i've noticed nothing but chiffon shirts and dresses in practically every shop I go in. I finally caved and bought these: 

(1) Black safari shirt - £14.99

(2) Village print sleeveless chiffon shirt - £16.99

Both New Look

*Images from newlook.com* 

I also bought a long sleeved cream shirt for £11.99 from H&M, but haven't managed to find a picture on the website. I love the double breast pockets on the safari shirt but it's the village print shirt that I can't get enough of! Not only does it feature a cute kitsch print, it also ties in well with this seasons pretty pastel trend. I wore it this evening with a contrasting black blazer, leggings and brown boots. They're definitely worth the money, and currently New Look are running a 20% off sale for students!

Here are some others that will shortly be making their way into my wardrobe:

(1) Bird Wire Top - £19.99, Miso for Republic

(2) Chiffon Shirt Dress - £24.99, New Look

(3) Motel Laurel Tarten Chiffon Shirt - £28.50, Motel Rocks

(4) Slit Back Chiffon Shirt - £36, Topshop 

Either worn bravely unbuttoned with a bandeau top underneath, or layered on top of a strap-top or vest if you're like me and don't like showing too much skin. If it features a drop hem it can be worn dressed down with leggings and boots, or dressed up with a high-waisted skirt or shorts and heels. I especially love the tarten print - I certainly haven't seen that before! 

These are perfect wardrobe staples for the spring time, just make sure you layer up in this cold weather, the floaty material will not keep the heat in!

November Obsession: Christmas Jumpers!

(1) Fairisle Knit Jumper, £24.99, New Look (2) Hedgehog Jumper, £35, Chelsea Girl for River Island (2) Navy all-over Pattern Jumper, £40, Topman

Nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit more than festive Christmas jumpers! That is why I had to go and have a little look around for the best jumpers on offer :) Here's my latest jumper:

Reindeer Jumper, £12, Primark Men's

What i've discovered is that the best christmas jumpers seem to be in the men's sections of popular shops. I found this one in the men's section in Primark, and even though the smallest size is a tiny bit baggy, if you like jumpers that keep you all cosy and warm then it's perfect!
I absolutely love the other jumpers from Topman, RI and New Look, especially the hedgehog print one! They're perfect because if you don't feel like dressing up you can throw one of these on with a pair of a leggings, and the festive print will cheer you right up! I'll definately be expanding my collection, Primark is definitely going to be raided first .. £12 is such a bargain!

Anyone know of any other shops that sell gorgeous Christmas jumpers?

November Obsession: Accessorize Christmas Decorations!

Ever since I can remember, everyone has always been envious of my family's christmas tree. My mum has been collecting one-off christmas decorations every year since she was about 16, so nothing on our tree is the same. So over the past few years i've started doing the same. And i've found that one of the best places to get uniquely gorgeous christmas decs is none other than Accessorize!

Every year they do different designs that look homemade, with different fabrics, buttons, ribbons and colours. I cannot get enough of the two I got today:

Heart - £4, 'S' Initial - £3.50

What I love about these, is that I can actually hang them all year round. Of course i'll put them on my christmas tree, but at the moment they're hanging on my pinboard and don't look out of place. I think the beading on the heart is stunning and looks like I could have made it. There were so many more in there, but i'd thought i'd take it easy on my spending today! But I will definately adding more to my collection. When I get home i'll upload photos of my other unique decs.

So if you want a unique christmas tree this year, look around for one-off decorations. They don't have to match, and can be any colour. I believe the more colourful the decs the better, so why limit yourself to the traditional red and green?

If anyone knows of any websites or shops that sell unique/handmade christmas decorations, leave me a comment :)

October Obsession: Animal Rings

(Left to right, clockwise) 1. Snake wrap-around ring - £9, jijikiki.com 2. Owl ring - £3.99, H&M 3. Rabbit diamante ring - £15, Yumi 4. Stag, bunny and owl ring set - £14, Urban Outfitters

I don't know what it is, but this month i've been obsessing over finding as many different animal rings as possible. What I love about this must-have accessory is that there are both under-stated and elaborate versions, such as the bunny cocktail ring from yumidirect.com, or the sleek snake wrap-around ring.


1. Rabbit dyamante ring - £3.75, Miss Selfridge 2. Owl ring - £6.95, Bijou Brigette 3. Reindeer ring - £2, Primark

This is the beginning of my collection of animal rings. As you can see, they're all big cocktail rings which draw attention to themselves. I quite like the idea of a smaller under-stated ring that could be worn as part of a daytime outfit, as just a bit of decoration to the hand. I'm loving the trio of rings from Urban Outfitters, as they work out at £4.60 each which is within my price range. I can't wait to keep adding to my collection, I really want a snake next!

What animal rings do you own?