FURNITURE SHOPPING, BOOTS HAUL & NANDOS - MY WEEKEND

I know I go on about it maybe a little too much but I, like most others (unless you're an unfortunate soul who has to work), LOVE weekends. Now I have your typical Monday - Friday hours, I find myself constantly counting down until the weekend - granted, one day I plan to have a job that I don't count down the days quite so much, but for now it's a  regular hobby of mine. If you're a regular reader and you've read about me moaning about my previous job, you'll understandably think that I can't be pleased, which isn't the case, I just know  what job I want and need to work to get to it and go back to that horrid education even after completing my degree, so until then I mostly live for the weekends! 

My weekends are mainly spent with family; seeing my sister and visiting my grand parents. It's so nice to be able to spend lots of time with the ones that are most special to you. The other weekend, My boyfriend, Jamie and I went to my mums house, so that I could spend the day with my sister and he could go and see his family (luckily they live very close). My mum and her boyfriend made us breakfast when we got there, I'm fussy when it comes to eggs and only like the white part and can't stand the yolk, which is why the photo may seem a little odd. I wanted to start writing more lifestyle type posts, as my sister told me she doesn't bother reading my normal posts as she finds lifestyle ones more interesting (thanks sister), so I wanted to branch out.  It's surprising how hard it is to remember to take photos  in your normal day to day life, but I will get better at it! Everyone else was tucking into their breakfast and there I was standing on the chair, trying to get a decent angel and light for my breakfast shot... how do people make that look so easy?! 

I thought it was cute that my sister and I were wearing alternating colours, with our tops and jeans.I had been needing a pair of black jeans for ages as mine had officially come to the end of their life. I finally bought a pair from River Island a few weeks before and I think this was their first outing. Of course the first time I wore them I managed to get lily pollen on them which is notorious for staining. Luckily it all came off, with a helping hand from my mum hoovering my leg - if it worked I didn't care how it came off. Little tip there! 

My sister Hannah, is moving house soon so wanted to go and look at some furniture, which interests me for a little bit and then I easily get bored. Luckily for me there was also a Boots where we went and obviously I couldn't not go in. I had been wanting to get the Garnier Micellar cleansing water, the original pink version was out of stock so I just picked up the green version which is supposed to be good for combination skin. I doubt that there is much difference between the two but so far I'm liking it. Rimmel had a 3 for 2 offer on and I had been lusting after some of their highly raved about lip liners. Hannah and I got the same colours, Spice and Tiramisu. I wanted East End Snob but it wasn't there *cried a little inside* But all is restored as it may have just found its way into my superdrug online order (the only time I'm going to say damn you bank holiday, as it's just going to take even longer to come)! To satisfy the 3 for 2 I also bought one of the Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in the shade 08, which is a natural pinky mauve. 

After forcing Hannah and Jamie to take photos with me and the cats getting in on the action, we deliberated over what to have for dinner. I wanted pizza and Hannah wanted Chinese, some how we ended up going to Nandos and getting take away, which always seems a good idea when it's a Saturday night and hugely busy. I told Hannah and Jamie that I would stay at my mums house while they went to get it, as it was their idea and I didn't want to go to a busy place and just make it even more crowded. They didn't like this plan, so I ended up going. I sat in the back and they left me out of their conversations the whole way, as they both get on very well and have similar taste in tv programmes so often chat a lot about Family Guy and stuff I don't like and take the mick out of me. Luckily for me I had the food in the back so it wasn't all bad! Mwahahaa! 

I hope you're all having a great weekend and make the most of the extra day! 

A SUMMERS EVENING WALK | OOTD

One of the benefits of living in the countryside is definitely having a lot more space to walk around, where it's quiet, peaceful and very picturesque. There's something about the way the sun looks in the evenings, as it's just getting ready to set, when it's still bright enough but a lot lower in the sky, that makes me want to get outside and go for a nice evening stroll. In case you forgot I am 21, not 61, but I wouldn't blame you for mistaking the two after that declaration. 

Top: River Island

Shorts: River Island

Shoes: Converse 

Nail Varnish: Barry M Coconut

I really like these River Island shorts as they're not too short that they reveal way too much of certain parts of the body that should never be shown in public, but they're still fitted and pretty flattering. I like the buttons on the back of the top and the colours, it's also very easy to wear and pretty different to anything else I own. I've had my converse for probably around 7 or 8 years and they're still in pretty good condition as I'm not really a trainer kinda gal, but for walking around in fields and playing in the park... which obviously I'm far too grown up to do... they are perfect. 

In case you haven't already met him on this blog, this is my boyfriend, Jamie. I like to drag him along on these walks quite often, luckily he doesn't seem to mind. Although I hate to say it, I already feel like summer is over; The shops got rid of all of their summer clothes before the kids even broke up for their summer holidays and now seem to be denying they ever stocked anything other than dark prints and boots. I'm still trying to hold on to summer as I haven't even been away on my holiday yet and lets face it, it's only August 11th! 

I hope you're all enjoying our on and off summer, in between the torrential rainfalls and hurricane winds. Do you like summer evening walks as much as I do or is it just me? I'm going to have to stop typing now because my boyfriend is currently sitting next to me going through my camera and laughing at my selfies... :( 

SUMMER NIGHTS STYLE

I was going out with friends for the evening and decided that since I was all dressed up I might as well do a quick OOTD. I have since realised that only one or two posts down I'm wearing the same top. In the words of Kate Sanders, "Lizzie you are an outfit repeater!" (Lizzie Mcguire - you know)! I don't think it completely counts as It's only the top I'm repeating but still! 

Top : H&M

Skirt: River Island

Shoes: New Look

Watch: Fossil

 I recently bought this pretty flower skirt from River Island. I absolutely love everything in River Island at the moment. The skirt is so pretty and feminine, it is short but not too bad unless you're planning on bending over a lot, then perhaps go for something different. I had to resort to my mum taking these photos and she's probably the worst of the poor innocent souls that I force to take these kind of photos of me. It's hard enough just getting her to take a normal picture, let alone a shoe shot, so I'll just link the photo of the shoes 'here.' I think those are the right ones, but I'm pretty sure mine aren't the 'wide fit.' They're really easy to walk in and comfortable but you've still got a decent size heel when you want to dress up summer outfits a little. 

My watch is from Fossil and my nail varnish is Tanya Burr's Bright and Early, although it's looking a lot more coral in the photos. I love summer clothes but find it's always hard to dress well but still suitable and comfortable with the hot weather, so you don't look like you're just hanging at the beach. This outfit was very cool to wear, yet still looked a little dressed up. 

I kept my make up pretty simple as it was sooo hot - have I said that yet?! I went for a kind of summer appropriate smokey eye and used mostly the Make up Geek shade in Country girl, which is a warm red/brown, so not as harsh as black but still pretty and smokey. Everywhere else I packed on a lot of bronzer for that summer bronzed glow. 

 What are your favourite outfits to wear with this lovely summer weather?

SISTER DAY OUT | OOTD

The other day, we both had the day off work so decided to go on a kind of road trip, I say kind of as it was only an hour or so drive away. After not really knowing if we were heading in the right direction, we finally arrived at our location that can only be described as somewhere where most 18 and 21 year olds would probably avoid. It's a lovely place in the countryside so it has beautiful fields all around, with a few farm shop and antique type shops. My sister is pretty obsessed with home stuff and has bought the majority of our kitchen equipment, which does come in handy but sometime she's a little extreme, like once we've got plates etc we don't really need more and I'm not sure how many other people have 'milk glasses' specifically for milk. Anyway, she enjoys looking around those type of places at the food and home stuff so I just went along for the ride and the good photo scenery! 

After spending way too long waiting, while Hannah pondered over which draw handles to buy - yes, draw handles, the decorated ones that you replace the original perfectly usable and a lot cheaper handles with. Hannah picked up some crazy looking pasta, that had a black coloured band around each pasta bow piece. At first I thought it was pretty funky and monochrome but then I read it was from Squid ink dye, which definitely put me off but she still bought it and we used it for dinner that night and it just tasted like normal pasta luckily! 

My Outfit Details:

Top: H&M

Jeans: H&M

Shoes: New Look (old)

Bag: Jasper Conran (old, but the new style is identical)

Necklace: H&M

Lipstick: MAC Lady Danger

Hannah's Outfit Details:

Top: River Island

Shorts: Hollister

Shoes: New Look

Bag: Matthew Williamson (old)

Glasses: Karen Millen

Necklace: Accessorize (old) 

We then headed to the coast, there isn't too much there, especially for our age range but it's still nice to walk around in the sun. The famous fish and chip shops were closed by the time we got there as they're only open over lunch, which was pretty sad but good as we're both trying to eat better and shift a few pounds. We walked around the few shops that were there; there's a Jack Wills and Fat Face and a few more quaint little shops. We then sat on the beach for a while, which was nice as it was very quiet and lovely and sunny. 

Once we got home, we cooked the Squid ink pasta, with smoked salmon, tomatoes, garlic, white wine, onion and dill, which was pretty darn tasty, as long as you forget the whole squid aspect - unless you're a seafood lover, then just embrace the squid!  

I hope you've all had a good week and have a great weekend!

 where are your favourite places to go out to? 

AUTUMN CLOTHING WISHLIST

It was Only about an hour ago that I was telling my mum how I was actually looking forward to pay day and transferring money into my savings account... I realise how uncool that sounds, but it's always nice to have some savings for the bigger and better things in life; I'm trying to save for next years holiday and also just saving in general. Anyway, I made the mistake of browsing online, on River Island's and Zara's website and now I feel like I need all of these beautiful clothes & shoes as they'll be perfect for the autumn months! 

Top Row, Left-Right: River Island Red Chelsea Girl Printed Pussy Bow Blouse £25.00 / Zara Leather Ankle Boot £59.99 / River Island Black Oriental Cami Top £15.00 /

Middle Row, Left-Right: River Island Black Square Print Zip Through Vest £25.00 / River Island Black Cut Out Buckle Side Chelsea Boot £35.00 / River Island Black Square Print Blouse £28.00 / 

Bottom Row, Left-Right: River Island Cream Textured Peplum Top £28.00 / River Island Dark Red Chelsea Girl Sliced Lace Top

I'm normally way more obsessed with buying make-up than I am with buying clothes, however lately I've been lusting after so many clothes and feeling like my wardrobe would be too empty without them. I think Autumn must be my favourite season fashion wise; although Summer is my favourite weather season, I love being able to wear more clothes in the Autumn as I feel that I can style each piece a lot better than I can with Summer clothes. I love ankle boots, knee high boots, lace and blouses. I love the dark colours that Autumn brings and of course the beautiful berry shades that make their appearance every Autumn. 

As you can see all but one of the items on my wishlist are from River Island, I've really been liking River Island lately, especially their Chelsea Girl Collection which is so unique and a great mix of vintage inspired pieces. I already own quite a few items from this collection and I always head straight to the stand whenever I go into River Island. I don't think I've ever seen anyone else wearing anything from this collection so it still seems pretty unique. 

I've been obsessed with the tie up heels ever since I saw Kourtney Kardashian wearing nude Louboutins in this style, numerous times. I absolutely love the style as it's so different and I definitely don't have anything like these, so it's safe to say I need these. I'm trying to get Hannah to buy them for my birthday, so I'm praying they don't sell out before her pay day! If any of you want to order these, I hope you're not a size 5! 

So, that is my wishlist for the Autumn months, I'm not sure how much of this I'll let myself buy as I really do want to save as much as possible, but I do need these too.... 

HANNAH'S SEPTEMBER WISHLIST

Hey everyone,

so, after extensive browsing through numerous websites and 'oooo'ing' with admiration over all of the pretty clothes and accessories  I have managed to create a rather big wish list that I need to buy! Here are some of the key items that need to be in my life. 

 1. River Island £40. This pattern was originally used for a skirt which Georgia bought, so when I saw it in blazer form it caught my eye, it would look great for day or night.  

2. Miss Selfridge £26. I like this dress as it's so casual but yet still feminine. It would be great to just chuck on, with some added jewellery for either day or night. 

3. Miss Selfridge £39. This playsuit is a real epitome of the style I'm into right now; edgy but girly. The faux leather makes a great contrast to the pattern. I also like how high the neck line comes with the layered top as this keeps to the rules of breasts or legs, of the two I always go for the latter although not so much by choice! 

4. Topshop  £42. I've wanted boyfriend jeans for a while, possibly because I struggle to hold on to a real boyfriend! I think these would look great with a prettier top so they are more feminine and maybe a statement necklace. 

5. Matthew Williamson Butterfly £55-88. At the age of 13 I was facing the prospect of moving to Upper School to the terror of 18 year olds, all of who I was completely intimidated by! And so the summer preparation shopping commenced and I fell in love with a, rather pricey,  Matthew Williamson bag that my mum bought for me. However, she only did this with the promise I would use the bag for the entire year. Then in year 9, and now in year 13 I still use the bag everyday, and since then my admiration for Matthew Williamson's designs have grown. This bedding would be the fourth I have from the butterfly collection, each being very different in pattern and extremely unique. Although the only thing in the way of me owning this is the price; they are extremely expensive for bedding which means I wait for Debenhams 25% off which always gives you an extra 10% when checking out. 

6. New Look  £24.99. I found these when I was making my Blake Lively outfit post, as they were the cover photo for the boots, and loved them immediately. I have found similar designs on many other websites however these had the best price and I have always brought and been happy with new look shoes for the price.  

7. Topshop £8.50. These tights are super cute and would look great with a plainer outfit to add some fun and interest to it! 

8.Miss Selfridge £39. Once again the display photos on clothes websites have forced me to want to spend more money. I'm fast approaching the age that I will attempt to start going out and socializing which means I will need a 'going out' wardrobe and this would look great in it I think! The different colours and textures of the dress really caught my eye and I love it. 

9. Miss Selfridge £25. I love this style of shoe and have bought a few colour variations from New Look however, the size was always an issue for me there, seeing as I'm a very small 5 I bought 4's which are more pain than gain right now so I'm hoping that these will be a better fit! 

10. Fossil £55. When I go out,normally shopping, I love seeing what other people decide to wear and how they style their outfits. This is how I came upon wanting to buy this purse; I saw someone with a plain purse similar to this however in brown, and so I set about trying to find one I liked. When shopping I came upon this, which is also sold in brown, however this season I'm becoming obsessed with variations of this colour and so hopefully will get this soon! 

11. Never Fully Dressed £44. After finding this website through instagram, you may have seen the post, I began to make a shopping basket like I normally do, and after deleting half of the items convincing myself they would look horrible (a.k.a I can't afford them) I was left with this dress that is so unique, that it is top of the list!

12.Lola & Grace £19.90. I love New York Ink and I love the piercings and tattoos look, however I'm far too indecisive right now to commit to anything other than the occasional ear piercing. When I saw these at Westfield they seemed perfect; they're pretty as well as almost looking like ear stretchers, you may all be thinking I have weird vision but I can't wait to buy these although I may wait to hold back until Christmas as last year there was a sale, (bargain tip right there)!

CELEB STYLE | BLAKE LIVELY

Now, who didn't love The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants in their youth? A classic chick flick that doesn't just show the fun lives of 4 best friends but also actually opens your eyes to all types of real life issues that unfortunately effect all of us, be that family drama or death, which is rare to see in your typical chick flick. 

Anyway I'm getting distracted! That was the first interaction I had with Black Lively, and ever since she has been on my admiration list! Although she became a household name in Gossip Girl I was more drawn to the books, so wasn't an avid watcher, however she still looked amazing throughout the series. 

Once again I've been stalking looking at photos on Celebrity Style Guide and have found an outfit that I need to buy, but obviously, I have found alternatives that are slightly more in a realistic price range ! 

I can see this being the perfect outfit to take you from summer into Autumn. If it's a warmer day the tights and jacket could be removed. In my opinion Blake always rocks the causal look when not on a red carpet, obviously, and this is part of why I love her style; it's easily transferable to our lifestyle, for example I cant see myself sharing Miley Cyrus' recent wardrobe choices! 

Here are some similar items that I've found, so we can all steal Blake's look!

1. I've always had a crush on River Island shoes however at £40 I'm far too indecisive to be spending so much on each pair of shoes, so I've generally been able to find alternatives in New Look however, for the sake of Blake I've chosen these as an alternative to the high heel. 

2. After looking at numerous websites I had almost given up on a suitable bag, but then this came up as a suggested item on New Look and is £27.99 but equally beautiful. I shouldn't admit this, but I am yet to perfect walking in heels, and generally feel too conspicuous in them, so have always been a little more into bags than shoes the result being more bags than I can go out to use! 

3. For those who prefer more figure hugging clothes, this River Island Jacket is £50 and very versatile for any Autumn look. 

4. This bracelet is from Miss Selfridge and although I wouldn't intentionally look in there for jewellery I think it would look great with the outfit, adding a touch of glamour to the slightly tribal feel of the skirt, the bracelet is £7.50. 

5. This skirt first attracted my eye while on a shopping trip and ever since I've been trying to find an excuse to purchase it, I think one has presented itself! It can definitely be styled for the day time or evening so at £34 and rated 5 stars on the website I can't see how it doesn't pay for itself! It's also available in both tall and petite - no excuse not to buy it!

6. Forever 21 has created these boots at £32.75, and although I am yet to own any ankle boots from here I did buy some Knee high brown flat boots last year and they have been perfect. 

7. This Topshop Cashmere vest is £20 which seems a little expensive however after purchasing similar items I can't fault them,  they're super soft and as boring and bland, as it seems I love grey as it goes with any colours or patterns which I normally prefer to wear in blazers or skirts. 

8. These boots are the closest match that I could find to Blake's. I personally couldn't ever wear them, which is why I've found some lower heel alternatives!

9. From Topshop, no surprise this is £85, however, I did buy a blazer very similar to this from River Island last year and wore it for weeks as it's warm without that 'preparing for a cold winter look'. 

10. This jewellery piece isn't partially close to what Blake was wearing however when I saw it I had to incorporate it somehow, there seems to be a pattern with Topshop items here! It's £15.50 so I would for sure advice being patient and waiting for the sales seeing as most of the jewellery becomes half price, I seem like a bit of a cheapskate but when there's so many beautiful clothes to buy I need to be! 

11. Finally this Topshop bag is £36 and beautiful... It almost brings back a fashionable nostalgia to the days when backpacks were the only bags to my name! 

12. This bracelet is also from Miss Selfridge and costs £8.50. I think it would be a great addition to an otherwise fairly plain outfit. 

I hope you've enjoyed my choices, this has been a very risky post considering now I have so many more clothes that I 'need' to purchase after looking at so many websites. Please tell me there's other people out there who constantly look up celebrity styles just so I don't feel quite as stalkerish! 

OOTD/N | RACHEL BILSON STYLE

To give a little insight into how much we love all things Rachel Bilson, we're currently scouting Ebay for a new full season box set of The OC because we have watched the four seasons so many times the DVD's are on their last legs and barely even work. (I'm now starting to think that that's not something to admit to so openly). My love for The OC was created through a slight girl crush I harbour for Rachel Bilson. I have always kept close tabs on any of her latest projects, for example her Shoe collection at Shoe Mint that tragically can't be ordered to the UK, however owning a pair is on my bucket list so I will find a way! 

When the TV programme, The Hart of Dixie came on I was extremely excited to see more of Rachel, however, when watching it, unlike The OC, I didn't really go past looking at her style and outfits and trying to replicate, or take inspiration from them into my own outfits. Therefore, I became a regular on google, searching for her style and even found Celebrity Style Guide, a website that collects photos of, you guessed it, Celebrity styles. Although you can't see much of the outfit in the photo below, its from Season 2 Episode 4 if you're intrigued. (I couldn't find a full length photo anywhere)!

Rachel's outfit on The Hart of Dixie

I found the top in River Island and instantly thought of the episode I had watched the previous morning.  Although I completely understand this is not Rachel's personal style it can't be denied she looks amazing in most things and so I have became a fan of the Shows style that can also be found on celebrity style. The leggings that I'm wearing come from Miss Selfridge and in my opinion take away the office look of the white collar shirt and add a more stylish feel to the outfit. The necklace is from Accessorize, around this time last year, finally the shoes are from Primark and give me the added height that I am always in need of. Which brings me to another reason why I love (bit too intense, I did say girl crush!) Rachel; which is for her lack of height, google says 5 foot 1 inch, and at 5 foot 4 inches we are close enough for me, I think its refreshing to not style yourself on someone that is 6 foot and will clearly wear clothes in a completely different way to yourself. 

Overall this is a fairly simple and easy outfit that would be suitable for the day time; you could wear some flats with it to make it look more casual and maybe tie your hair up like Rachel's in the Episode. It would also be great for a night out; you could add higher heels, more jewellery and other accessories and obviously intensify the make-up, with maybe a bold red/pink lipstick. 

Here's a close up of the print, which I think is a really great pattern as I haven't seen much of this pattern elsewhere or many other tops that are of this shape or style either, therefore, it's quite a unique buy. 

The leggings are really in style right now, especially as we're not far off of the autumn/winter months again.They're great to wear as they're super comfy, but look stylish and the PU, leather look panels really are a great feature and turn normal plain black leggings into something way more dressy and interesting.

These shoes are so great for only £12 from Primark, we've never really tried Primark's shoes before, but recently we've picked up a few pairs and really like them, especially as the prices are so low too!

 The nail varnish that I'm wearing is a Shellac colour, which our opinions of, may be being featured in a future post, so keep an eye out! 

Does anyone else love Rachel's style?