Sugar Sugar

Halloween/Dia de los Muertos might have been a few weeks ago, but that hasn't stopped me from rocking the scary look since. I'd been ogling ASOS' Halloween collection for a while, all fashion led items with a twist this year (I still want to get my hands on the Pumpkin beanie and gloves, and a pair of skeleton gloves) and absolutely love that it's all year-round wearable, providing you're a bit of an oddball I guess...

Anyway, I wore this outfit to a Roller Derby birthday dinner on Friday night and got quite a few compliments on my prized jumper too! I wore my H&M leather-look jacket over the top.

Skeleton knit jumper - ASOS. This is super-fine thin knit, so it's all silky-feeling to wear. Not really warm enough to wear out on it's own but great for layering. I bought it in a size too big in retrospect, maybe if there's a sale I'll be able to grab a smaller one.

Scalloped collar shirt - ASOS. This was a sale steal a few months ago, it's really sheer material so I really only wear it layered with jumpers, but I like the contrast of the girly with the bones.

Jeans - ASOS. Black acid-wash high waisted.

Clutch bag - ASOS. Quilted black faux leather with bat wings. Yep, you heard me, bat wings! I am in love with this, it's freakin adorable. From a distance it's a nice plain clutch (with a surprising amount of space in it actually) and a gold zipper, up close the little quilted bat wings are a touch of something fun and I have had so many people ask where it's from already.

Boots - H&M. These have a giant chunky heel and tread, a ribbed section on the front/tongue and double silver zips. They're quite high, but ridiculously comfy to wear, and they really give me a confidence boost when I've got them on. I don't know why, maybe they're a bit vampy, a bit naughty. 

Accessories:

Spike collar necklace - Primark.

Snowflake pendant necklace - Links of London (a gift from my father last Christmas)

Nail polish - Barry M

We're contagious.

Monochrome. It's everywhere. It's going to continue to trend through A/W. I love it. It's classic, it's sleek and it's pretty difficult to get wrong.

This outfit was worn to my big Sisters' 40th Birthday dinner, so I wanted something nice but not crazy formal. I'm totally channeling Wednesday Addams here, if only I had black hair and a sickly pallor...

Shirt/blouse - Primark. I got this in a size smaller than normal, I think the next one up was a bit baggy. Black light material (not chiffon-y or see-through, but light almost silky) with white cuffs and collar. It's kind of ruched a little bit in the chest area, which gives it some shape instead of being flat - nice.

Jeans - ASOS. Black acid wash high-waisted skinny jeans, I love these. So comfy and I always feel more confident with the high-waist under shirts.

Shoes - Primark. Black cut-out flats with buckle. Love that Primark have got on the cut-out trend as for some maddening reason, everywhere else that's jumped on the bandwagon seems to have priced theirs at double the cost of normal shoes! Anyway, I actually had to size down to a 5 in these as the 6 was ginormous, even with socks on. They're comfy and halfway between a sandal and a shoe, so kind of formal but cheeky. So pleased with them!

Accessories:

Hat - Ebay. Roll brim felt bowler, black. Ebay sellers are totally winning the war for me with hats, priced at anything between £15 and £50 in the highstreet shops, I'll be continuing to purchase mine for around the £3 mark from Hong Kong.

Chain necklace - H&M. Chunky rose/brassy chain. This comes up almost like a choker so it's perfect for sitting right under collars. I love the colour, I shy away from the big gold chains I've seen other bloggers rocking - I just feel a bit too Mr. T. in them... I might give silver a go at some point, but for now I'm wearing this with EVERYTHING. Should still be in H&M if you want to grab your own!

Key necklace - Primark. Just an ornate brassy key on a long necklace. It's heavy not flimsy, and well, you know how I love keys.

Rings - ASOS. Not a very good picture but they're fine gold bands with tiny symbols on them, one is a cloud with raindrops, one is a lightning bolt and one is an umbrella, so adorable! Had lots of comments on these, but I think they may be sold out on the site now.

Here's a close-up of the shoes for you shoeaholics like me...

Winter is coming...

Brrr-freakin-rrrrr! Autumn has definitely arrived with a bitter edge, even sunny days have me reaching for a scarf now, I love it! So, I was ridiculously excited to receive this awesome package from Hi-Tec... it's a pair of their St. Anton 200 Snow Boots in a lovely grey (black/graphite) colour! Woohoo! They also come in a really nice chocolate/taupe colour, so maybe one to think about if you wear a lot of brown or autumnal colours. I have a heap of grey accessories in my wardrobe so it was an easy choice for me.

On top of being super-cute and easy to style, these boots have a ton of amazing features to get you through the Winter months, like strong but soft leather uppers (instant comfort, no 'wearing in' needed with these) and the all important waterproof element of course! I can't wait to test these out in the snow, but I can tell you from a bit of a splash in some puddles these certainly did keep my tootsies dry.

They also come padded with crazy-warm 200g Thinsulate (saviour of hikers/campers/festival goers everywhere) so I did actually stay warm with just a pair of regular socks on. Now, I'm a cold-footed sort and usually pop on a couple of pairs of socks or some thick walking ones with boots, but they always give me sweaty (but not warmer) feet. So pleased I can wear normal socks in these AND they're moisture wicking, so that solves that problem too!

 

The adorable fuzzy-furry bit is really soft/pliable too, so you can wear the boots loose like I have them, or ruch them and tie them tight with the laces for a snug fit. I've got fairly narrow feet and these fit like a glove, so if you have wide feet they may take a bit of moulding, but there's so much lovely padding inside it'll be easy peasy. 

My number one favourite bit of all? The grip. Seriously, these are built like tank-treads - proper chunky grippy wonderfulness, I know these will be great for tramping about on snow, ice, mud, whatever! So often have I got a pair of boots I really love for A/W (cute... waterproof... cosy.... etc.) but they have rubbish traction on slippy surfaces, these Hi-Tec St. Anton's are the full package and I will be rocking them with EVERYTHING, as they're quick to put on too. Swap out your Uggs people, these are properly Winter friendly!
 
You can snap up your own pair here, let me know which ones you like better, grey or chocolate??

Rest of my outfit:

Hat - Grey pom pom, ASOS

Tshirt - Snowbombing

Skirt - Grey cable-knit, Primark

Leggings - Jack Wills

Mini bag - Fair Isle with grey fur, Primark kids section 

Snood - Grey rib knit, ASOS

Sunglasses - Wayfarer style, Primark

 
This sample product was gifted from HI-TEC. Opinions expressed here are my own.

A-Team

Firstly I'd like to apologise, as this post is now a couple of weeks old :/ Been having a manic old time lately and haven't uploaded (but have been taking photos!), I'm sure I'll get a few in this week to make up for it.

This outfit is from our Anniversary dinner (6 years for Al and I, that's pretty good innings, haha!) and we went over to Birmingham Arcadian to Miyako Teppanyaki for lovely sushi and a night out to celebrate, it was great! I'm channeling 80's music videos with this look...

Dress - Black thin knit with a crochet collar, H&M. I think I've worn this in a previous post, it was bought last A/W

Jacket - M&S Outlet at McArthur Glen. I bought this 5 minutes before the store was closing on a whim, but totally love it! It has 3/4 ruched sleeves and black piping on beige, and a single clip at the end of the lapels. It's comfy, and has retro shoulder-pads for added oomph. 

Leggings - Jack Wills

Boots - ASOS. These black leather biker style boots have a small heel and are just awesome with everything (skinny jeans, dresses, you name it). They were bought with vouchers that the Outlaws got me for my Birthday, hooray!

Accessories:

Quilted purse - ebay. This is a faux leather clip frame box purse and it was under a fiver! Thank you ebay HK!

Mint bracelet - H&M, it has flat silver studs, cute!

All that sparkles

The last couple of months have been crazy busy, but I wanted to do a quick collection post of the things I've been magpie-ing, little bits here and there. Mostly jewellery really, but I thought some closeups would be nice to look at when I use them in outfit posts, as I'll probably forget to include them there. So, here we go...

Silver block collar necklace - Primark. I have this in brushed gold/bronze colour already and it looks amazing under shirt collars and over tshirts. It's got hollowed out backs so it's not too heavy, but feels nice and chunky.

Two-tone chain necklace - Primark. This is almost a choker collar as it sits really high up, and the two colours mean it can be worn with pretty much any other type/colour jewellery. It's pretty heavy, but I usually wear a heap of chains and necklaces so it probably weighs less over all!

Mint green bracelet - H&M. Love the mint green, love the studs. Nuff said.

Long key necklace - Primark. Yes yes, I know I have a million keys, but I do like to layer and this is a nice substantial one. I like when they feel like real keys, not orrible tinny ones that are just for show.

 Now, I've been having a bit of an affair with midi-rings and stack packs recently and have come across quite a variety. Here's a quick peek at my favourites above. 

Silver midi rings (top left) - ASOS. These are rounded so they're comfy, but I find they do slip off a bit, I've already lost one!

Brushed/Mottled silver (top right) - H&M. This stack pack has different width rings in it, and I love the sparkle of the brushed flat ones.

Mixed colour midi rings (bottom left) - Primark. These have featured in a lot of other blogs recently and have been a big hit, so I was surprised to find them (although they were behind some other stuff and only a few packs left). They come in 4 colours, Pewter, Gold, Silver and Rose Gold and there's one sleek band and one turned or 'braided' type band of each. They're lightweight and fit nicely.

Fine gold rings (middle) - Ebay seller. These are super-fine and look quite nice stacked together as well as apart as midi's.

Mixed colour midi rings (bottom right) - Ebay seller. These are another mix of braid style rings, but unfortunately these do turn your fingers a bit green after a while... oh well, they were 99p!

Stegosaurus two-finger ring - H&M. I bloody love dinosaurs. This ring is totally weird and I love it. I had to open out the ring section a bit because it was a bit snug, but it's fun to wear. I'll probably end up savaging someone with it by accident though, he's quite spiny!

Silver cage ring - Primark. These cage rings have been seen all over bloggerville in the last few months, but I never found one I really liked. This one fits nicely (and doesn't stop me using my hand, crucially) and is good and chunky. I'm really impressed with the Primark jewellery of late - it all feels decent!

Hair bows - H&M. Faux leather with tiny skulls, adorable! I think I'll use these for pigtails under my skate helmet.

Quilted travel purse - Primark. This was £1 in the sale, I just liked the style of it for use as a purse, but it is meant to be a kind of travel document wallet really.

Raccoon hat - Primark. Soooooo soft and cosy. I love it's fluffy pompom ears! It's knitted and has button eyes.

Trio sock pack - Primark. Unicorns, stars and more unicorns! Yeah yeah I know *everyone* loves unicorns. I just thought these socks were cute.

Jewel socks - Primark. Oh my gosh I do just think these are brilliant. Photographic jewel print, they remind me of Nanna's jewellery box, or my Mum's Christmas grotto, all shiny and treasure-y. I think they'll be really fun to wear with my see-through converse!

Hearts pillowcases - Primark. Just two pillowcases covered in teeny pink and red hearts.

Moustache Tote - Primark. They have loads of these now in different prints, and they're decent quality. I always carry foldable bags around with me and my last Primark one was a moustache one too!

Rings as before. So that's a little sneak peek at some of the stuff I'll be wearing in upcoming posts, keep an eye out for them! Have you had any good jewellery finds lately? Let me know in comments below! I'm crushing on a few more things from H&M at the moment, their A/W collection is lovely...

HAnna Solo

Alllrighty then! Here's an interesting little ensemble I wore a few weeks ago (yes I know I've been rubbish with posting, but I've been preparing for/at Bestival! woop!) to go to the Vintage Fair in Whitby.

Kimono jacket - I am in love with this jacket. It's from the H&M A/W collection and was selling like hotcakes in my local store. They only had two left, neither were in my size but I tried one two sizes down from my norm and lo and behold it fit perfectly! I later tried on my actual size in another store and it was waaaay too big, so if you're looking at ordering it online, they are seriously huge - I'd size down unless you want to look like you're wearing a bin bag. It's sheer and has a lovely maroon and white pattern on a black background, a tapered back and batwing sleeves.

Star Wars tee - Primark men's section last year, I just cut the sleeves to cap and cut out the neckline to make it bigger. Great print, distressed and cut right from the movie poster. I think it was about £4 as well, bargain. Star Wars gear will never get less cool. Quote me on it.

Lace slip skirt - River Island, it has an elasticated waist and a 'visable zip' on the back. It's sort of silky with a lace trim. Really comfy but needs something over the top I think, because it's really long otherwise.

Black leggings - Jack Wills

Trainers - Burgundy Vans

Accessories:

Bandana - Black, ebay
Hair clips - Bought at festivals
Light leather wristband (left hand) - Timberland
Dark leather wrapped wristband (left hand) - H&M
Heraldic shield bracelet (left hand) - ASOS
Rose gold coloured key necklace - Pieces at ASOS
Key bunch necklace - Present from Mum
Owl 'books' necklace - Present from Sister
Stag watch (right hand) - ASOS
Bug ring (right hand) - Topshop
Fake rose pearls - Primark

I'm channeling rock and roll now Autumn is well and truly on it's way, as I said in my last post - dark colours, punky looks and leather are making a big impact on A/W trends and it's right up my street. I think I need to experiment with some more colours though, maybe a bit more dark green in the palette? I love burgundy but I feel I might overdose on some outfits, I must curb my enthusiasm!
 

Atomic Blonde

Mega excited to show you this post as it's a little toe-dip into A/W styling, based around a fabulous tshirt from Atomic Threads! Atomic Threads do loads of printed tshirts that you wouldn't find anywhere else, slogans and stuff too but my real favourite is the B-Movie collection - how freakin awesome are these? There are some proper classics in there too, like Godzilla, Revenge of the Dead, Eraserhead and Creature from the Black Lagoon.

I chose this amazing Zombie Rave tshirt, in oversized men's so that it would come up like a dress (I'm going to take the sleeves off or make it into a cold-shoulder cut out, just have to put my thinking cap on so I can do it justice! It's really good quality so I want to make a decent job of it). I love the print on the front, it's kinda distressed/faded so isn't too bold a statement if you're looking for a casual style outfit. 

It's going to fit in so well to my A/W wardrobe as upcoming trends are all sort of grungy/punky/hard edged (I love Moschino's punk catwalk looks) lots of leather, studs, tartan and boots - my heaven. I think I might be picking up a few more of these B-Movie tees, as I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of use out of this one!

So here's the lowdown on what I've styled it with...

Jacket - Faux leather biker style, H&M - this is part of their new season collection and I've been looking for a leather-look jacket for ages. I've tried on hundreds, I kid you not. They always seem to fit weird or if they're proper leather, they're suuuuper heavy to wear. This is nice and light, fits well and seems to be a decent sort of material.

Leggings - Grey crop with little hearts on, White Stuff. Got these at their outlet store, they're a little big (they only had a couple of sizes) but it doesn't matter too much, especially if I'm wearing them with shorts at festivals.

Trainers - Clear and black Converse. I just LOVE these shoes, they're so unusual. I've got black and white check socks on underneath but they look awesome with a pop of colour too. I think I got them from Footlocker online a few years ago.

Bag - Clear and black satchel, ebay. So pleased to have gotten hold of this, it's a Cambridge Satchel Co. dupe which was a considerably cheaper option. It matches the trainers so perfectly and I love being able to show off some of my cute purses inside.

Accessories:

Sunglasses - clear-rimmed, mirrored from ebay - again to match the clear theme
Moustache mini purse - Black and white, Primark
Moustache big purse - Brown, Loungefly (I use this as a sunglasses case)
Totoro mini purse - ebay
Mixed bracelets - stud and chain, Primark
Rings - Skulls from Alchemy Gothic, Chain from H&M, Mid-finger bands from ASOS, Claw from ebay
Big spike bib necklace - silver colour, Primark
Mini spike necklace - silver colour, Primark
Keys chain necklace - present from Mum

I'd like to thank Atomic Threads for giving me a head-start on A/W right on trend, if you want to grab yourself a tee or three, head over to www.atomicthreads.co.uk and take a look!
 

This sample product was gifted from Atomic Threads. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Have hat, will travel.

Dinner with Alex and Dave at Coast 2 Coast in Leicester - hot wings, hot topics! Needed something casual and comfy, the restaurant is always super-busy but it's a laid-back kinda place and we managed to snag a big round booth all to ourselves.

Cardigan - Navy cable-knit classic from Ralph Lauren. If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know I've been coveting one of these for yonks. I have a grey one which I wear ALL the time, so thought a navy would be a good addition as it will go with lots of things. This one seems to be a longer-length version than the grey, which is really nice. Really soft knit with buttons down the front.

Shirt - Blue ombre collared shirt, Primark. This has a loose-fit sort of boxy shape with rolled sleeves (but rolled to a cap, not to the top of the shoulder) and it's quite see-through. It's comfy though, and a good pop of colour when the rest of the outfit is fairly safe.

Jeans - Super-skinny high waisted, ASOS Ridley. Again, if you've seen some of my previous posts you'll have come across the grey acid wash pair. These are a blue acid wash that I got when they had some massive promotion on, and I just love them. Every time they're on offer I'm going to get a different coloured pair, they are just really comfy and a nice shape. The high waist is good for tucking in shirts or, in this case showing up a little under a sheer shirt.

Trainers - Converse, brought back from America by the Outlaws a few years ago. Shoes are a brilliant present for me, Cons even more so. I'm a dead UK6 and they fit perfectly as I have skinny rabbit-feet. These have a sort of cross-stitch skulls and hearts print onto a white shoe, with pink lining and stitching.

Accessories:

Hat - Burgundy roll brim hat from ebay seller in HK

Vest - Cheap skin coloured stretchy vest from Primark. I wish I didn't have the round-neck silhouette underneath the shirt, but I can't think of an alternative?!

I am actually wearing a spike-necklace from Primark, but stupidly forgot to pull it out over the collar before having photos taken, doh!

Nail polish - MUA from Superdrug, I can't remember the number but it's like a dark mint or a light teal kind of colour. If I find out I'll pop it in the comments below, but it was only £1 in Superdrug - total bargain as it goes on nicely and lasts a long time! Ooh and one final thing, my lips are red due to a foray into Lip-Stain (this one is by NYC but I'll attempt a beauty-product post soon), I am loving that stuff!

Humbugs

It's been a couple of weeks since Bloodstock I know, but apart from this one, I didn't have any interesting outfits to show off - I had a stinking cold/cough, so stayed wrapped up in fleeces and scarves the whole time (and didn't really fancy having my photo taken obviously). Oh well, here's day one's outfit - playing on the monochrome theme (humbug!), which works really well with band tshirts!

Black and white stripe pinafore - ASOS, this was in the super summer sale so I was really pleased to get hold of it. Bought a size bigger than I really needed so that it would be baggy, but it is a bit long isn't it? I might re-hem it shorter. I also totally forgot to take a photo of the back, oops.

Band tshirt - a chopped up Black Stone Cherry tshirt that I bought one year at Download Festival.

Belt - black pyramid studded from Lowlife (bought at Download festival this year)

Black legggings - Jack Wills

Chequered wellies - Vans. Alex found these for me at TKMaxx, they're shaped like standard vans trainers on the bottom but are actually soft moulded rubber wellies! I really like them and they're pretty comfy, so I think these will be making the trip to Bestival too!

  

Accessories:

Burgundy bandana - ebay

Hair clips - skulls and rockets, both bought at festivals

Spike multicolour ring - on left thumb, H&M

Flat ring - on right thumb, Superdry

Spike ring - right middle, Primark

Chain ring - right ring, H&M

Skull ring - left middle, Alchemy Gothic

Vampire teeth ring - left ring, Me & Zena (used as a spacer to keep my engagement ring safe!)

Black strap watch - Umbrella Corp (from Resident Evil series) ebay

Leather 2 colour wristband - H&M

White leather wristband - H&M

Short spike necklace - Primark

Monochrome bear necklace - bought at Download festival a few years ago

Keys necklace - Present from Mum

Nail colour - MUA 'Koala' from Superdrug

Sneaky ninjas

Okay so I know it's been a while since I've done an outfit post, and I do have a couple ready to go but I simply must show you this amazing set of bookends which were sent to me by the lovely crew at iwoot last week. They are actually amazingly perfect for our house, as Alex (and I briefly) did Ninpo-Budo, have an actual katana in our house AND a library full of books! I'd never seen these before, but if I had - they'd have definitely gone on Al's Birthday list.

So inside the box, there are two metal plates which you slide inside the front/back cover of two paperbacks and the handle and sword ends of the katana, which have magnets in. Now, these magnets aren't super-strong, so I found you really could only use the outer cover of the book in order for them to stick - but they do work perfectly well in any case.

The katana itself is plastic (which was a bit of a surprise as from the box and photos it looked like it might be metal) personally I think it would be much cooler in metal with some weight behind it, but then you probably run into problems with strong enough magnets and weight bearing books, it might even make it an actual weapon... who knows! Anyway, the plasticness is only really mildly irritating when you're brandishing it like a real sword (yes this is the kind of thing we do), when it's actually 'in use' as bookends, it looks AWESOME. 

 

 Here are the metal plates which go inside the books...

 

Here's the bookends in use, with a collection of relevant titles...

 

 Yes, yes you can fit the two parts together to make a small sword...

These are going to take pride of place in our library with the martial arts books, and have been delighting our Ninja friends on facebook already! You can get a set of your own from the iwoot homeware department here: KATANA BOOKENDS and don't forget to turn a black tshirt into a mask, creep silently and look before you leap... sneaky ninjas...

This sample product was gifted from iwoot. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Luck bee Lady Muck

  

What an enticingly wrapped parcel! With a squirrel sticker on the envelope I knew I was in for a treat before I even opened it, but nothing prepared me for what lay inside... Lady Muck of Whitstable (click the link!) makes exciting and unusual jewellery and accessories, and she sent me a stunning bracelet and some beautiful earrings!

Now, I hear you say "But you don't have pierced ears?", correct. I mentioned this to Lady M, and she personally made me some clippies instead, how nice is that?! The last time I wore clip earrings was when my Nanna used to let us play with the costume jewellery box as kids, brings back fun memories, and for that I am truly loving these earrings...

Now, I spent a long time perusing the website and liked every single thing on there, so it was a bit difficult to make a decision, but in the end I opted for the 'Bees and Honeycomb' range - it's just so summery and I'm really into hints of gold at the moment (which is actually really unusual for me as I'm generally a silver lover). Bees are always busy so I like to think of them as a good emblem for me, maybe I was a bee in a former life? Anyway, I've popped these amazing earrings onto a flower so you can get a good look - I'll have to wait until Al comes home to take pictures of them on me, I did try but I just couldn't get the angle right!

Also from that collection, is this stunning statement bracelet made from acrylic gold hexagons. The honeycomb geometric effect is really easy to work into chic looks as it's quite striking. I think I'll be wearing this with monochrome, blocks or stripe patterns so that it really catches the eye. It also has a matching (to the earrings) little bee perched on one of the hexagons, which is just a really special touch, and I must just say even the chain is pretty - it has a heart lock-loop in a brassy colour. I really do appreciate it when all the details are wonderful, as well as the piece itself, it means care and pride have been taken in making it.

I'll be styling these in an outfit post really soon, but just couldn't wait to show everyone! I'm also now really coveting the Boiled Egg ring and the big matching Honeycomb & Bee necklace, click the links to check them out. Lady Muck has also very kindly offered my readers a discount code to use on her site, which will be popped in the comments below this post, isn't that jolly lovely of her!

These sample products were gifted from Lady Muck of Whitstable. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Cotton-tails

Have you ever encountered such adorable fairy lights? These lovely 'Marshmallow' coloured string lights were sent to me by the nice people at Cable & Cotton and they are currently warming up a little corner of my living room on this grey drizzly evening! 

Cable & Cotton make a whole load of different coloured baubles that are made of a kind of, wrapped and set string, which can be put together in custom combinations, plain or set selections (which all have rather nice names like 'Sea Salt' and 'Caramel Swirl'). They come separate from the string white fairy lights in the box, so you can pop them on yourself in any way you like, and they are actually really easy to put together. Even unlit they're super cute, but when you plug in they come alive. They're soft and comforting as they diffuse the light, like tiny setting suns or the hazy heads of seeding dandelions and they honestly would pretty-up just about anything you put them on!

I decided to give them a go along my mantlepiece at first, which did look great, but then I remembered we bought a giant glass vase for the corner of the room, which was filled with white silk rose petals. After tipping these all over the floor and some careful stuffing of the lights into the vase, I came up with their new home, and they look AMAZING. They'll be getting an outing at our wedding next year too, but for now I'm just going to gaze at them and dream of warm summer sunsets and festival nights, whilst the rain continues to pour...




Head over to www.cableandcotton.co.uk to check them out for yourself! Huge thanks to C&C for bringing a little light into my life :)

This sample product was gifted from Cable & Cotton. Opinions expressed here are my own.

HYPER JAPAN 2013!

Ok so this is going to be a bit of a disappointing post because like the berks we are... we didn't actually take any bloody photos! DOH! We were basically having too much fun, had our hands full, and there was a lot to look at.

Hyper Japan at Earl's Court is a big J-culture event with everything from Cosplay to Sushi Awards, anime to J-pop and the queue to get in was ENORMOUS. Once inside, we headed straight for the Nintendo area to play in the Animal Crossing garden and pick-a-pikmin (didn't win, boooo) as well as getting in the photobooth and playing some of the new wiiU and 3DS games. We moved on to the kawaii and anime stalls which were overflowing with CUTENESS (I pretty much wanted everything) but Alex placated me with a little Totoro keyring :)

After winning some free chicken skewers on a tombola thing, we headed over to the food area to do some sampling, and managed to catch a quick Maki-Sushi demo before chowing down on some exceptionally tasty stuff. The chicken skewers were crispy and smothered in 'Japanese sauce' whatever that is, but we also ate Chicken Katsu Curry, panko prawns and sushi - all fantastic. After a look at some fancy cars, a J-Goth (?!) performance and being sorely tempted into honeymoon plans by all the travel agents, we tried our hand at retro arcade machines (I'm not very good at the aircraft-shooting one, zombies are more my style) and drooled over cosplay cat-mittens and ears before heading home. HJ was actually smaller than I imagined, hope it continues to grow though as it was a fun day out!

My outfit wasn't a stunner (but does have some fun bits!), but cosplay wasn't on the cards with bringing all our stuff around London/the heat. Maybe next time!

Shirt dress: Primark

Leggings: Heart print from Jack Wills (same setup as my other ones, but have tiny pink and cream hearts all over, how adorable?)

Trainers: FRIES PRINT VANS! This is the other fash thing Alex got for my Birthday, they are absolutely AWESOME! Keith Lemon has them too, that's how you know they're good ;)

Accessories:

Cherry necklace - ebay
Totoro handbag - ebay
Green handbag - Fiorelli
Cat ears headband - ebay
Frilly white socks - ebay
Jammy dodger ring - present
Pocketwatch necklace - ASOS

Urban Outfitters Camden Launch Party

Woosh! That's the sound of July going by... this year is spinning out of control! I've a few cracking posts lined up with a couple of awesome products, but today is the round up from the Urban Outfitters Camden store launch party to which we were very generously guest-listed (thanks UO!).

So we decided to spend the day hanging out in Camden, mooching around the shops and wishing we could buy everything (especially the Studio Ghibli tshirts from the lady near the stables) and eating amazing catfish stew at The Blues Kitchen. My favourite shop in Camden is the daytime-club, Cyberdog - it was as ever, like walking right into a warehouse rave. Neon everwhere, podium dancers in tiny booths on the wall, mirrored surfaces, lasers and eardrum-bursting music. I just bloody love it. Alex bought a 3D/UV alien tshirt to wear at Bestival in the dance tents and I got an amazing long vest top with a mesh 'spine' detail, which I'm planning to wear at Roller Derby to keep cool. Oh yeah, I joined a Roller Derby newbie trial... Aaaanyway, I'll try and get those up in another post soon. We almost bought UV nail polish, until the chick behind the counter backlit it and we realised what a shoddy job I'd done :/

So here's my day outfit, it was so hot we both decided to take a change of top with us for the evening - sly.

Shirt: Birdcages with black piping - ASOS. This shirt is kinda sheer but you know what? I just damn well didn't care, it was too hot to wear a vest! I had a nude bra on and high waisted jeans so it's not all bad. The sleeves are a little large on this, but it is easy to throw on.

Jeans: High waisted, super skinny jeans in black acid wash - ASOS. I know I've blogged these before but I must just say again, I LOVE THESE JEANS. They are just ever so comfy.

Trainers: Burgundy Vans (actually, the insole is kinda dead so they ripped my feet to shreds after a day of running around, time to seek a replacement inner methinks)

Bag: Green mini - Fiorelli, see previous posts! Bought by Al :)

Scarf: Camera print, bought in Whitby

Accessories: 

Key necklaces - Pieces from ASOS and crafty one from my Mum
Sunglasses - Pieces from ASOS
Rings - H&M, Superdry, Alchemy Gothic
Bracelets - Primark, ASOS
Watch - ASOS
Nail Polish - Minty green from Stargazer (included because I'm obsessed with this colour and Stargazer products are just amazing) 

So, onto my second outfit of the evening - not vastly different, but at least I wasn't an 'orrible sweaty mess going into the UO launch party...

Shirt: Rolled sleeve chiffony cream button up - Primark. Loving these at the moment, very comfortable and cover the shoulder enough to be summer-evening as well as summer-day wear. I wore it top buttoned with a navy bow I got from an ebay seller.

Cover-up: Tree photographic print sheer top with tie detail - George at ASDA

Jeans: As before

Trainers: As before

Accessories: As before

The party was a lot of fun, there was a photobooth, piñatas with prizes inside, art installations, temporary tattoos, a free bar (with the most enormous bottles of beer ever) and DJ Bradley Zero mixing away providing the entertainment. All this alongside a first-look at the brand new store and all the exciting STUFF! 

Oh I forgot the very best thing: we picked up stripy bags and weaved in and out of the stands full of jeans and tshirts, hunting down the giant glass jars full of sweeties hidden around the shop, amongst the merchandise! We gorged ourselves on bonbons, jelly-eggs and giant beers whilst umming and ahhing over what we liked most, but eventually decided on the following:

Unicorn items (there were a lot)
Casio retro watches
Acid wash denim dresses
Random baseball jerseys

Top launch UO, thanks for the invite!

Style up, Style down

Wowzers, my Birthday has been going on a bit hasn't it?! Went out for dinner last night with some fabulous friends, scallops, cake, pimms, presents, champagne sorbet and most importantly, laughs! Had a great night, really relaxed and got some fashion inspiration from the ladies - such a beautiful collection of summery dresses and outfits, I now have to make a trip to town... haha

So I know I've blogged this dress before, but that was styled up for a wedding - it's so versatile, this is it gone casual for sunny days!

Dress - ASOS. It's lightweight, has capped sleeves and a tucked waist with tiny belt loops, and a flowery white on blue pattern. I really do love this dress, it's so comfy. ASOS dresses always seem to fit well and true to size for the most part, it's not in stock any more as I got it last year, but I bet there is something similar around on the site (plus it's sale time, they have THE BEST sales ever).

Leggings - Cropped navy blue. I haven't a clue where these are from, I was looking through my drawers and they were just there, hurrah!

Sandals - Primark (see previous post for a close-up)

Bag - French Connection, wicker/straw and leather mini bag. This was featured in a previous post too, it's really tiny but does actually hold a decent amount of stuff in it!

Belt - ASOS, it's a super-long boyfriend style belt which is designed for jeans I think, but I like to use it as a looped waist belt to cinch casual dresses instead. It's pretty heavy duty leather, but not too wide so doesn't look it.

Scarf - Deer! Cute little deer! This navy scarf was bought by my Sister & Bro-in-Law for my Birthday, I have been coveting it for ever so long... isn't it adorable? It reminds me of the Babycham logo, and was bought in Whitby I believe.

Purse - Also from Sis and B-Law, this is from one of my favourite companies Disaster Designs. They make the most exciting array of bags/wallets/purses etc. and this one is a kind of Victorian lock and key design, it is just so so coooool!

Accessories:

Sunglasses - Pieces at ASOS

Necklace - White daisy flowers from Claire's Accessories

Rings - Silver knuckle rings, a variety of sizes from ASOS

Watch - ASOS

Bracelets - can't remember, maybe Primark?

 

Summer Lovin'

  

Hot damn, is this Britain?! We've spent today basking like seals on the balcony and paddling in the sea, and gorging ourselves on salad, fruit and copious amounts of cold drinks. Fairly busy in the Bay today, lots of families and dogs out swimming/sailing/canoeing/having a jolly good time - so nice to see everyone having a proper British seaside holiday! This is what I wore when I wasn't sunning myself...

Vest - Cry Baby (Johnny Depp) from H&M. I found this last week for a stunning £3 when I needed to kill five minutes waiting for Al, absolutely joyous about it as I've been wanting a Cry Baby tshirt for yonks and everywhere I've seen them they've been selling at over twenty quid (ouch). If you haven't seen this movie, you're missing out! Anyway the vest is soft jersey with oversized arm-holes and a cut-out neckline (as if you'd chopped a men's tee basically), and it's still in stock in the sale section if you want one!

Skirt - Tie-dye layer maxi skirt from Primark. Got this a few months ago when it was unexpectedly hot and we'd gone away for the weekend, and all I'd taken with me was jeans and hoodies! It has a soft lycra type mini-skirt on the inside to protect one's dignity... haha... and a sheer tie-dye style long overlay. It's floaty and cool without being revealing. I feel a bit hippy-ish in it, kinda reminds me of my Mum!

Sandals - I'll stick a collage close-up of these and the brown sandals from one of my previous posts in. They're from Primark! (See previous posts for more details)

Accessories:

Spike chain necklace, Stud and chain bracelets, Tortoiseshell Clubmaster style sunglasses - all Primark

Beach Birthday

So, it's my Birthday and I've been whisked away (sort of... the car did break down once... we forgot the keys and had to go back... forgot to get dinner... oh and I stubbed my toe on the steps, it's a comedy of errors really) to the beautiful seaside for the weekend! Hooray! The weather is absolutely STUNNING and HOT - I think the Earth is celebrating the joyous occasion of my Birth too. We've been out to Whitby today to eat fish and chips at The Magpie (delicious) and now we're back at the cottage drinking champagne and eating cherries. Al bought me a handbag and a pair of trainers - one of which is featured today and the other is coming soon. He knows me so well! Here's my outfit...

Dress - Sleeveless ditsy floral dress from ASOS. It's jersey material but quite lightweight, and it buttons all the way down, with a thin elasticated waist. It has the cutest crochet collar on it too, which is a nice touch, and it's definitely long enough to go without leggings - no bum-baring!

Grey leggings - Jack Wills. Jersey too, but again lightweight so not too hot.

Grey cardigan - Cable knit from Ralph Lauren. I wear this an awful lot, check my other posts! Needed a cover up in the shade and it matches my leggings, haha

Sandals - Black with studs and spikes from Primark. So pleased with these, £6 is a marvellous price for a pair of gladiators that are modelled on all the current styles, which is even better for me as I wasn't sure whether I liked/suited the style at all. Well I definitely like them! Again, bought a size 5 as the 6 was redonk huge.

Bag - Present from Al! It's a Fiorelli grab bag with a long strap in dark forest green. It's a mini version of my tan handbag, and is utterly adorable! It also fits a surprising amount of stuff inside it because it's a structured dome shape. It even has the same little inside pockets as the big one, so cuuute! Amazing Birthday present!

Sunglasses - Purple and green wayfarer style, rubberised plastic from Primark. Cheapo £2 sunnies, I love Primark for these cause I'm rubbish and lose/break glasses easily. The kind of rubber-feel means they're really comfortable to wear and I find they fit really well (often glasses are too wide for my face and fall off when I do quite important things like... looking down or, turning my head quickly...)

So anyway, I've had a splendid Birthday and we get to stay two more days! Paddling in the sea tomorrow and poking about in the rock pools for crabs. Doubt I'll be wearing anything noteworthy but I might dress up in the evening, you never know ;)

Vendula-la-la

I have no idea how it can be this cold in JULY, but it is! So I've been laughing in the face of it, and wearing what I like regardless. So yesterday we went out after Al got back from work to finalise our Wedding invitation prints (yes we decided to get them printed, it would have cost the same in ink and paper to do it at home - we worked it out...) and decided to go out to eat and see a movie after. We saw World War Z which was actually pretty decent, considering how critical we are of zombpocalypse films ;) and this is what I wore...

Last week I received a smashing parcel from Vendula London, who make an exciting array of unusual bags - including this beautiful Funky Birds backpack! I am truly in love with it, it's just so sweet - take a look at the close-ups. It is kind of a minty blue green (but also comes in rosy-pink and moss-green) which I am loving right now - check out my matching toes, and it's about netbook sized too which is super-handy.

It has a clip on the inside so that the edges draw in once all your stuff is in it and the lining is the most adorable 'London' print. The polka dot fabric strip round the bottom is a nice touch but it's the super-cute birdies and buttons design on the front that I really enjoy. I've got the straps at full length and it's really comfortable to wear, you can get hold of your own here, but do have a scout round the rest of the range because I had real trouble choosing a favourite (I particularly like the brand new Deep Sea Story collection). I'll be using this a LOT!

Jacket - Denim biker style with 3/4 sleeves from New Look a few years ago

Dress - Cream with lace inserts, from the River Island sale (bargain and very versatile) it has a tie up round the back, so that you can fit it well. It's a nice length too, would be fine without leggings for a day out.

Leggings - Grey from Jack Wills

Hat - I don't know where this was from, my Nanna gave it to me!

Belt - Mint with a white bow, from Primark. It tapers to skinny at the back, which means it's pretty comfy to wear.

Sandals - brown/dark tan gladiator style with gold clips and buckles from Primark. Primark have some really nice sandals in at the moment, I was impressed! I bought a size down though as the 6's were crazy massive.

Accessories:
Blue and silver bracelet - Primark
Pastel Hot Air Balloon necklace - a present!

 This sample product was gifted from Vendula London. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Ickle Pickles

  

Well, festival season is in full swing now and for the most part this year we're experiencing less than brilliant weather. This weekend sees Glastonbury and Hard Rock Calling getting a little sunshine but I need it to heat up a lot more before I head off to the next on - hate carrying waterproofs around!

Anyway, when the lovely people at Ickle Bockles sent me this compact goodiebag you can imagine my glee - a fully functional festival survival kit just for me! Ickle Bockles do a range of kits and items for travel (first aid, toiletries etc.) but this festival kit is just the perfect collection of items for a week in a field with unavoidable mishaps and getting into pickles (what a weird saying)...

Bag - this clear washbag is great for seeing all your stuff in a hurry (or a bleary-eyed hangover!) The information is on a cardboard insert.

2 x travel bottles - I'll be popping a little shampoo and conditioner in here for a quick hairwash (using a waterbottle) which is just HEAVENLY after a few days of matted, straw hair.

1 x travel pot - I'll put a bit of moisturiser in here ready for hands rubbed raw with hand-san

Toothbrush & Toothpaste pot - how cute is this?? It's a little clip together brush and the tiniest toothpaste I've ever seen all in one handy case! It means your toothbrush stays clean and doesn't get mixed up in sleeping bags/rucksacks/pants etc. in your tent. Hurrah!

A tiny pot with earplugs in - FESTIVAL ESSENTIAL. Now, here's a serious bit: if you're the stand-by-the-speakers type, please please please wear earplugs. I know it's not 'trendy' but if you love your music and value your hearing - they're a must. If you're the laid-back watch-from-the-hill type, these are pretty useful for that 4-am-and-everyone-is-snoring/raving/singing thing.

A tiny pot with lipbalm in - This lipbalm is really nice and minty fresh, pretty useful if it's a hot one (of you've been avoiding all liquids so that you don't have to go to the portaloos...)

Hand sanitiser pen - Totally brilliant product. Inevitably the loos will be out of hand-san within the first couple of hours of any festival, so this will make you feel marginally safer as you tuck into your giant burrito on the third night! It's totally pocketable too, a nice size.

Pack of plasters - Hopefully you won't have any accidents whilst raving, but these are great to keep in your pocket if blisters set in with all that walking.

Tissues - In a sealed bag so they can be your emergency tissues if everything else gets soaked!

Folded poncho pouch - Oh so very handy. Regardless of what the weather 'looks like', you're in Britian. Stick this in your back pocket and you will be eternally grateful when it starts raining cats and dogs. Nothing worse than being soggy at a festival!

Black eye mask - Part two in getting a good night's/morning's sleep. Canvas isn't great at keeping out the light of a morning, so waking up usually happens around the time the sun comes up... which in the summer, and after a night of dancing your booty off, SUCKS. With your eye mask and ear plugs you can ensure a healthy dose of shut-eye before the next bout of fun!

Last but not least - a mini flip mirror. It's an easy item to forget when you're packing, but think application of neon or glitter makeup, checking you've not had a moustache/willy drawn on you whilst you slept etc. Very important as you won't find them onsite in many places! Portaloos do have tiny ones on the inside of their doors but - do you really want to spend any more time than is absolutely necessary in there?!

So that's the roundup, I can safely say my favourite products are the earplugs/eyemask combo, do not underestimate the power of a good sleep at a festival, and the hand-san as it's such a good size/shape for carrying around. You can get hold of your own kit here, along with their other kits, and be safe in the knowledge that you're set up for a great time - no matter what happens!

P.S. Open the photo up to zoom in!

These sample products were gifted from Ickle Bockles. Opinions expressed here are my own.