Oops I did something naughty

I blogged a while ago about my ridiculous scarf obsession- just to recap, they add to an outfit, they update for new trends, they hide a big turkey neck (my main reason for the love).

Anyhoo, I was giving some speil about skull scarves and how I couldn't afford an Alexander McQueen one and so on....DON'T hold your breath, I'm not about to tell you I've managed to get my perfectly manicured sausage fingers on one.
What I am going to tell you is that I was thinking how to pull this look off for spring (and also guiltily stalking Rochelle from the Saturdays again) so I had a gander on t'internet.
I found this nudey coloured chiffony number on ebay and thought....why not.

Not the greatest of pics, sorry.

I think this will look nice with a plain white top of a nude blazer or something? Not that I have a nude blazer. Something else to be buying then....oops.

Boyfriend wearing scarf. He looks lovely.



Nice n' Simple

As you know, I've been commuting up hill and down dale recently and the atmosphere on trains, the early mornings and late nights have caused havoc to my skin.
So I was in need of a really good moisturise. And *sob* unfortunately, Neal's Yard doesn't last forever and atm I can't afford to re purchase. Where on earth, I hear you say, am I going to get a moisturiser not made of cats piss for like....the money i have left in my pocket....£2?
Hello, Simple.
Again, this was on one of my moseys to ASDA, I think it's a special offer, but the Rich Moisturiser was only £2.
I've used some of the Simple range before, like their face wipes and foaming facial wash (I think that's what it's called) and generally, for the price, it's just the ticket.

VERDICT: I'm pretty impressed with this moisturiser. As it had the word 'Rich' in the title, I knew it would be moisturising but thought it might be a little bit gloopy- you know, make your make up slide off. Or, as I've shamefully experienced before, I've put too much on and ended up resembling a sticky Casper.
Luckily, there was none of this with the Simple moisturiser. A bargain buy.

NB- Sorry the pic above isn't completely clear on the label- it was a choice between a clear label pic and a nice pic of my nail polish. I chose the nails :).....for more info on this delightful colour, see the 'Trend on the Cheap' post.

Trend on the cheap

I'm hoping to make this 'Trend on the cheap' a bit of a regular feature, as you can get some really good buys for little money (being poor I would know this, will I let this get in the way of fabulousness?! Hell, gals, no!)

So, I'm going to start with the 'Colour blocking' trend. Being a woman of a certain size, I am slightly apprehensive of wearing a clash of bright colours (hello banana). Sure I like to stare at the pictures of beautiful women in magazines wearing them- I am only human.
On a recent trip to ASDA- it was lunchtime whilst working at a newspaper, I was stressed and wanted a treat that wasn't going to add blubber to the hips yet would keep my bank balance out of the red- I found these nail polishes. And- here's the best bit, they're only a pound a pop (think this is a special offer, so hurry). They're the George 'Quick dry' range and the price plus the brilliant colour range make them a great way to incorporate new trends.
I'm really impressed by the colour intensity and the shine. They chip quite easily but to be honest, they hold up better than some of the other, more expensive polishes I've currently got stashed in my room (please don't tell my mum).
The three colours I have are- No 55 Superhero, a really nice bright red, No 56 Swoosh, a bright, spring perfect pink and No 16 Buttercup Shine, a bright yellow. Yes, I know, yellow. But nails, as I said, are a great way of incorporating trends without actually looking like a disaster. I can picture myself lying on a beach in a massive hat, sipping a cocktail in this nail colour. With a tan, of course. And also, in my dreams.

These are my nails, painted in Superhero. Kerpowww!

These are the three colours. I also bought a top coat and strengthener, which for £1 I'm pretty impressed with.

My bad- I mean bag- addiction

My obsession has been growing for a long time now.

I admit it, it's time to confess.

I'm a bag-a-holic.

 Look, when you look like a box, no clothes are going to flatter your shape, the one option you have is a good accessory! I hope that nowadays, thanks to the wonders of make up and *fingers crossed* (slightly) less blubber, I have put those dark and awkward teeneage years behind me and can actually use bags as a way to jazz up my wardrobe....and not to hide behind.

This is all a bit of a joke, obviously, I'm not going to start on a life lesson here, but I think it's important to accept yourself. Believe it or not, nobody's perfect. My blog, I hope, is more about making the most of your self rather than changing who you are.

Heart to heart aside, I thought that today I would give you a sneak peak in to my bag collection. I literally have so many (and so many more that my mum doesn't know about) and the main reason behind doing this is because, well, I think that often we gals buy things and we're like 'oh I'll wear this one day when I'm a size 8/ going out to a fancy restaurant/ riding through the desert on a camel'. And I am maje guilty of doing this. So looking through my bag collection was a bit theraputic. I have a staple amount of accessories that I wear on rotation  and it's a shame because I have so many more things that I don't feel I'm making the most of. And I should.
Although everything I have bought is a bargain, I'm still lucky to have so much. No more I say! It's time to whip the style out and it's time to whip it out good!

 

I got this bag last year from Dorothy Perkins and it's making me excited for Spring (I know- the joys of my interesting life)

I love this bag. It was a steal from New Look- £5 and makes a real statement....hopefully a good one!

Okay, so.....techically I am not supposed to have this bag yet. I saw it in the half price sale at Tesco F & F for £7.50 with my sister and she bought it for me as a birthday present. So I reluctantly had to give it back after taking this photo and have to wait just over a month to get my hands on it again. Which is fine because, again, this will be great for Spring. It's really roomy so would work well in the day with a white shirt and a 70's floppy hat. 

This is another Tesco find and I bought it last year to take on the airoplane for a beautiful holiday with my bffs. It was £15 I think, but, if you ask me (you haven't , but I will continue) looks a lot more expensive. I like.

This is a bit of a weird one- so really I'm looking for views here- I picked it up in a charity shop quite a while ago because it's pretty unique. Definitely a summer bag, but I'm not sure what to pair it with? Obviously it's a bit of a statement on it's own.

You can find some wonderful things in charity shops, so never rule them out. Plus you're helping a good cause (and no, I don't mean the cause of style, which you are also helping)

This is another charity shop find- my 'old lady bag'! It's pretty retro. Oh how I like to pretend I am a character from Mad Men!

Primark price tag people

No, it's not a sideways bag, I just don't have the technical mind to rotate it. A bit of a quirky one, it was a gift from my mum a year or so ago and it reminds me of Sex and the City a bit.....or I could just be having ideas waaaaay above my station here.

This baby was a gift from the infamous Walton. What can I say? The girl has good bag taste. I'd like to think I was partly responsible for this *queue abuse from Walton*

I really like this little bag. Plus I really like the fact I picked it up from New Look for £6.

I like to think that one day, I will be a qualified journalist (okay this day is only a month away)- but that one day I will be a qualified journalist with a brilliant job. And as such, I shall need a bag like this one. So instead of waiting, as I am the most impatient person in the world, I got it from River Island (oh how I do dream of living in their bag department)

This is a bit of a nod to the 60's- found courtesy of TK Maxx a while ago now. Now, unfortunately, this bag's style is a decade arlier than what is currently 'in.' But it's glorious time in the sun will come

Bright-on trend

I've been doing some work experience in Brighton and thank God for eye cream because the 2 and a half hour commute coupled with the atmosphere on trains is sucking the life out of my skin.
The paper is out on an industrial estate away from the city centre, but the journey through the heart of Brighton is worth it, if not for the brilliant atmosphere (It's kind of like a mini London on sea), then for the style. I doth my on trend 70's floppy hat (bring on Summer '11) to the women of Brighton. Lots of effort goes in to their style, but in an effortless, individual way. Maybe it's because they always have cool places to go to. In Fareham the choice is quite limited to Nandos!
(....I actually love Nandos so this isn't really a complaint. Unfortunately I don't love exercise quite so much...)

Quick Note....

Just a quick note to say I have quite a lot of updates to do this weekend, so bare with me! I've got a couple of make up things and then some other general musings so I'll crack on with it now...

Wrapping it up

I'm going to say it- I'm ubes jealous of Rochelle Wiseman's scarf collection. Okay, so I'm also jealous of her body, her wage, her job, the rest of her wardrobe.

But it's the scarves that get me.

This is probably un-called for as I literally have *hangs head in retail shame* a whole drawer of scarves. A collection I have built up over the years.
Scarves are great for keeping warm, looking cool, updating to a new style trend, hiding spots and a sausage neck (okay so maybe it's just me for the last two). And whilst I may not be proud of my premature wrinkles, lack of money and fear of snakes, my scarf collection is, what some might call, a work of art. Okay, this is taking it a little too far. *laughs nervously, waits until your back is turned, frantically opens scarf drawer and whispers 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean it my darlings.'*

But, slow clap for my secretly fave Saturday (you're not really supposed to choose between them are you?), from the pap pictures I have seen- a damn lot, on account of my addiction to the daily mail website- this lady knows how to work a neck piece.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1354037/Una-Healy-Rochelle-Wiseman-tour-break-boy-blues.html


I just think you can throw a scarf over anything. Hides a multitude of sins. Though it is probably just me who has a whole load of coffee stains to be hiding on clothes I can't afford to replace......

Let's get down to business

Of course, the most coveted of all scarves is the Alexander McQueen skull print. *sniff* one day. I am currently, in the meantime, rocking a £5 version from Peacocks which does the trick for now. Wear with a bit of eyeliner and a casual tee for a rock chick look. I've just been having a sneaky look on ebay and there seem to be quite a few for sale at the moment. I'm pondering whether a nude coloured one might be a good option for spring? There is a small space in the scarf drawer........

You can't go wrong with a leopard print creation either. Pair with a red lip (or two) for a statement look.You can get them everywhere on the high street for next to nothing. Mine is years old but still works a treat.

Florals are a hot tip for the new spring season and a scarf is always a good way to channel that in to your look.
Colour blocking is also a popular trend so I'm thinking a scarf might be a good way to inject some colour in to the everyday wardrobe? As my ridiculous shopping habit would have it, I happen to have a pink scarf I purchased a year ago which might be ideal. Or it might just make my skin look more irritated. Meh, we'll see!

Walton's word of advice

Word on the street, or from Walton's perfectly lipglossed mouth anyway, is that 'silk loud patterns (re river island) are in now. To be worn around your head, bag, or round your neck.'

And for all you true wrap lovers

If you really are a scarf junkie you should check out this website.
http://www.whosdatedwho.com/celebrity-fashion/accessories/scarf_15

I know what I'll be doing with the rest of my Saturday night!