Frock around the Clock

The Name's Bond.

2011-02-08T17:37:00.003Z

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm actually in Switzerland this week! My family and I are creatures of habit and we come back to the same place (resort, hotel, room, table in the restaurant etc) every year.. we've actually spent nearly six months in this place in total.

This year as the weather is so beautiful, we ventured over to a neighbouring valley where the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed in 1968. To get into the spirit of things, we decided on something slightly more extreme than usual and skiied off the mountain side with a parachute at 7,500 feet or there abouts and it was INCREDIBLE. It's something I've always wanted to do and we made a bit of a snap decision to go and do it yesterday.

No one ever believes that I am the action adventure type when I tell them!

Wearing my new favourite T from M by MJ in the sunshine...

My sister stood on the edge just before the jump:

Mid flight!

Ahh it is SO BEAUTIFUL. There is no where in the world I would rather be!

Lots of love from Switzerland!

QK

2011-02-04T23:41:00.003Z

One day, I promise I'm going to do a post that doesn't involve me apologising for my lack of blogging. Why I bothered spending nearly a thousand pounds on a new computer is beyond me because I never get time to bloody use it. Not to mention that I literally haven't stopped eating (not even whilst sleeping by the looks of it) since before Christmas and my face should NOT be published on the internet in this state. Thankfully I'm going skiing next week which should reverse the ballooning. Not to mention the fact that work is hectic at the moment I end up staying late every single evening, am on the verge of a nervous breakdown and am getting paid about four pence a day. Well not quite.

Anyway! I got an e mail a couple of weeks ago from Quality Knitwear (QK), a new online vintage knitwear boutique. Now I do enjoy an oversized jumper and have a couple of good ones myself but the ones featured in the lookbook are just gorgeous and I fell in love straight away. Here are my three favourites:

Yummmm.

Founder, 24 year old PR exec Lucy Grimble said "I've always had a passion for knitwear, but found that I was often disappointed by the quality of some of the pieces on the market. With Quality Knitwear I hope that I've been able to not only create a collection filled with personality, charm and individuality, but one which is also affordable and of the highest possible quality."

www.qualityknitwear.co.uk

The wind is ridiculous outside at the moment and I would actually quite like to be wearing all three of these at once.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend - I think I'm going to take my laptop to Switzerland so I'll probably do a bit of posting out there whilst i actually have time!

OH! And I've finally jumped on the twitter bandwagon - follow me @charlotteapes (my middle name is April and charlotteapril was taken so I went for apes which is what my lovely friend Caitlin usually calls me... I don't have a passion for primates or anything... promise).

If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will.

2011-01-15T19:48:00.002Z

So this is clearly my best attempt at being a real life Cruella - leopard print shirt and fur coat? Probably should have thought a bit more about that one.. but I quite enjoyed it all the same.

Did a spot of shopping today and bought a couple of things that are actually suitable for me to wear to work and vaguely interesting so I'll probably showcase them in the next week or so. I also got this cute little phone pouch from H&M that makes me feel rather tourist like.

I bought these AA Disco Pants AGES ago but don't wear them so much because they do make my legs look like tree trunks wrapped in tin foil, and even worse on photos, but never mind. The fur coat belonged to my Great Grandma - I've posted it on here before and recently I have been living in it because it's so bloody cold. I do love a bit of fur - I know it's bound to cause some controversy but there is nothing warmer and this coat has been around for about 70 years so they are completely made to last!

2011-01-05T00:43:00.002Z

Happy New Yearrrr!!! Hope it is a wonderful one for everyone!

This New Years was spent at my lovely friend Nicola's who has one of my favourite Christmas trees of all time with loads of fun family decorations like the one below. We had a make your own pizza party followed by copious amounts of booze (obviously) coupled with ring of fire and a near impossible tongue twister drinking game... some of the phrases were difficult to say when sober, never mind after a couple of bottles of wine!

I went back to work last Wednesday too which is completely unfair because I work in an office and ALL OTHER offices were shut meaning little to no work was done anyway so I may as well have gone into hibernation for a couple of days. I keep getting so jealous of the dog who just gets to look like a mole and sleep all day.

Snazzy Gold Party Frock - Whistles, Shoes - Miss Selfridge, Bag - UO

I realise I am a little late in posting this but what's new? Perhaps it should have been a New Years resolution to post more frequently? Although is it counted as a resolution if there is no punishment involved? I'm not sure.

Tomorrow I am DEFINITELY going to the gym because it's only Tuesday and I have already eaten out twice (three courses each time) this week.. oops!

Hope you all had fabulous New Year weekends - Best Wishes for 2011!

'Tis The Season to be Jolly

2010-12-25T20:50:00.002Z

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I know I promised that this post would be a proper one and not just phone pictures - I had proper camera photos all lined up and then went out to Liverpool for a works do... Lawyers drink A LOT and like to drag you down with them so I ended up leaving my camera in a bar. I have been assured that one of my colleagues has it but he isn't returning any of my messages so god knows where it is.

Anyway hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas!

I know I was complaining about the snow before and have had to abandon my car twice this week, but it does make an ordinary ice bucket look very festive.

Unless it's mild and overcast, we can't cope. Normal service will resume in the spring.

2010-12-20T22:14:00.002Z

As a country we are completely hopeless. It drives me insane. In the summer, we had highs of about 12 degrees - there was a hose pipe ban. Now it is winter and we've had just over a foot of snow and we've basically been told to stay indoors, curl up and hibernate. A ridiculous amount of roads are closed and even all of the trains are off now!

A colleague of mine went to the Trafford Centre on Friday night and whilst he was shopping the snow began to fall. When he left at 10.30pm he dug his car out, waited for 45 minutes in a queue in the car park and then drove home - a journey that ordinarily would take about half an hour lasted until 6am.

My car is completely buried and thanks to the lack of grit in my town it is likely to stay there meaning that I've missed the birthday celebrations of two of my best friends this weekend.

Anyway on a less miserable note despite it's inconvenience I do love the snow... and I also love this delightfully tacky Brussel Sprouts wrapping paper that cost around a quarter of a million pounds per sheet from UO and also defies my Mother's all gold theme.

I promise to use my actual camera next time and stop being massively lazy by just using phone pictures!

Distraction.

2010-12-15T23:44:00.002Z

Aside from leaving my MacBook at my friend's house in Manchester (the same house that my last computer got stolen from.. oopsie) I've also been running round after this little pooch. My new BFF Henry.

FINALLY after twenty one years of begging my Dad to get a dog, he gave in! And now he actually pays more attention to the dog than anyone else in the household.

The man who once saw a dog poo by the side of the road, and because he was so disgusted couldn't concentrate and crashed his car into a lamp post is actually a changed man. My mum and I are convinced he's some sort of imposter. Today a package arrived addressed to Henry which contained a name tag from my dad... firstly we all live in the same house together so why posting it was necessary I'm not entirely sure and secondly it's quite depressing when the dog gets more mail than you do.

Pictures From My Telephone No. 2

2010-12-01T23:59:00.003Z

Things to get me through the day at work in my depressing office pod:

1) Hilarious colleagues - because the work we are doing is pretty dull we end up in fits of giggles at the silliest of things, like today someone was speaking to a client on the phone and she thought he said his occupation was 'pirate' when in fact it was pilot...

2) Palmers Cocoa Butter hand cream for my frost bitten skin.

3) Clipper teas which beat the gross machine stuff hands down.

I'm actually planning on starting Christmas shopping properly tomorrow evening seen as it is only 23 sleeps away. Wish me luck!

Pictures From My Telephone No. 1

2010-11-30T22:13:00.005Z

So, after having turned my bedroom upside-down to find my camera charger, it turns out I've left it in London. Fortunately my friend is coming back up north next weekend so she'll be able to bring it up.

Until then, I thought I'd just fill the void with random pictures from my iPhone, which, like every other person who got sweet talked by Apple into buying one, I am completely obsessed with and now unsure how life works without one.

1) It is getting cold and I've just come back from the pool. Swimming is just not as fun at this time of year. Especially when you forget to take underwear with you - putting your swimming costume on under clothes doesn't feel that clever after all... and yes that is a minus in front of the three.

2) This is Alice - this dogster belonged to my friend's flatmate, Christie, who I met at the weekend. She is such a cute pooch and Christie rescued her from a skip where she had been abandoned when she was a puppy - her eyes weren't even open yet and she had to be sat with all night and nursed back to health. Years down the line she is a fit and healthy ball of fluff.

3) My mum in the middle of a wardrobe clear out swapping her usual brunette bob for my old Lady Gaga wig from last hallowe'en - she looks so young and like a different person! I'd like to think that I'm going to age that well, but she doesn't drink and I definitely do which means I'm going to be looking like an old hag in no time at all.

4) Prime example of why I love my phone - one slightly bad picture of my sister and it says she is a dead ringer for Susan Boyle. Brilliant.

Old Habits...

2010-11-29T17:59:00.002Z

I was doing so well with my posting and then another week or so just slipped right through my fingers. Life just goes too fast. I was in London at the moment and as soon as I find my camera charger I'll be able to put the pictures up.

For some reason I really enjoy taking pictures of flags.

Clip Clop Clog.

2010-11-16T23:57:00.004Z

To celebrate getting through an entire week at my new job, I snook into town on Saturday and picked up these French Connection clog boots. I do like the summer versions of the clog, but because I don't have matchstick legs, they don't do an awful lot for me and these ankle boots are slightly less severe.

I am in love. They look much nicer in real life, I promise. Comfortable enough for stomping round in the day time in, and allow me to crash right through that 6ft barrier.. I think i'm 6ft2 or 3 in these... Perfect! Combined with glittery socks they meet all my winter footwear needs.

I barely have this scarf off my neck these days - it's strange that this is the first time I've posted it because it has basically become a part of my neck.

Vintage blazer and belt - pinched from my mum. Scarf - Moschino Cheap and Chic, Top/Dress - H&M, Glitter socks - Made from an old pair of tights that had a hole in, Clog Boots - French Connection.

I am really not enjoying these dark mornings... honestly I had forgotten what it was like! For three years, I never had to be up before about ten 'o' clock for lectures. Thank god I've got another year at uni to do at some point before I qualify so I can experience semi-hibernation once more.

On the upside, the Manchester Christmas market starts this week so I'll certainly be paying it a visit asap to stuff my face with all the goodies it has to offer.

Am I Correct...

2010-11-10T22:37:00.003Z

In thinking that it's perfectly acceptable to get really fat during the winter?

That's what animals do isn't it to get them through the cold so it must be the natural thing to do.

Taken with the mediocre hipstamatic app on my iPhone.

Hot chocolate and cream with a nice big slosh of Baileys - guilt free because I had to scrape ice off my car before work this morning so this is my reward.

p.s. Two of my nerdy friends started a biology blog - I am in no way science minded but I actually loved the firstnpost they did all the same. Show them some love over at Readers Dissect.

New Spectacles

2010-11-04T22:39:00.003Z

I got these Marc Jacobs glasses a couple of weeks ago and hadn't got round to posting a picture yet. They are much bigger than my old frames and are quite heavy on my face but I loooveee them. I think they are my favourite pair so far.

Wore this Alice by Temperley dress to the office today - it's a bit bright against everyone else's grey suits, but it's smart-ish so I can just about get away with it.

I've had such a crappy week in work. I can't go into the details but trust me, if you'd seen what I've seen this week, you'd never take anything for granted ever again.

On a less depressing note, has anyone noticed how fast I've been getting these posts out since getting a speedy new MacBook? I'm on fire!

I need a bit of Lanvin in my life.

2010-11-04T20:09:00.002Z

LANVIN FOR H&M. SEE THE FULL COLLECTION AT HM.COM

Am I going to have to have a 'dentist appointment' on Tuesday 23rd November?

I really don't like this whole working full time thing. Sadly I'm never going to find a rich husband to enable me to be a lady of leisure either because I've already decided I'm going to be a spinster with lots of cats. I don't even like cats.

Hallowe'en at Satans Hollow

2010-11-01T13:34:00.002Z

So for actual Hallowe'en I decided to go as Little Dead Riding Hood and spent Saturday at the sewing machine DIY'ing my costume. I was pretty pleased with how the cape turned out! There are so many pictures of me showing off the spiders web patterned lining.

We went to a bar in Manchester called Satan's Hollow which was well suited to the evening and everyone had made loads of effort with their costumes. Just as we arrived there was a competition being judged for the best one and the winner, dressed as iron man received £250!

Hope everyone had Happy Hallowe'ens - I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's costume efforts.

The fake blood is refusing to budge though - I'm in court tomorrow so it better be gone by then because it's not going to look good with my boring suit.

Costume Numero Uno

2010-10-31T10:36:00.002Z

I bloody love fancy dress.

I went round to one of my friend's houses where everyone had decided not to go out at all and stay in and watch the X Factor and also not dress up... But I turned up as Cruella D'evil.

One of his housemates opened the door and didn't even recognise me!

I already had the wig because I've done this costume before and everything else was taken from my wardrobe except the coat which is my mums. It's always worrying when you can make costumes from your own clothes.

Apologies for the miserable looking face - too much expression would have cracked the face paint! My skin is going to be RUINED on on Monday.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Mac Magic

2010-10-29T23:03:00.002+01:00

Why can't someone from Mac just come round and sort my hallowe'en costume out for me?

I LOVE hallowe'en but I've only had one day off in the past three weeks so I've hardly had any time to sort anything out... Stressss!!

I did actually try out this Roy Lichtenstein masterpiece just before and it went pretty wrong. I mixed some fake blood with foundation to get the colour for the dots so now my face is stained a bit pink. Super!

What is everyone going as this year?

Back in Business...

2010-10-26T20:29:00.002+01:00

The insurance company finally got round to paying out for poor Geoffrey so I invested in this beautiful device which is yet to be named. Any ideas? Answers on a postcard.

Yaaay! It's good to be back. Obviously I'll be returning to my mega frequent posting.. i.e. every ten days or so haha :)

My mum and I are dead attractive.

Hope everyone is good and I'm looking forward to having a good catch up with all you lovely bloggers.

Ladies Night

2010-10-03T22:57:00.003+01:00

Sheer heart print dress - H&M

Still don't have a laptop. I have however managed to resurrect the computer that has been abandoned for years which I didn't even know still worked. It is making some very unhappy noises at me though.

On Friday night I had a man free night for the first time in absolutely ages and went out with just girlies instead which was funnn. I put on my dancing shoes and swapped the usual cider with the boys (classy girl) for cocktails that contained edible flowers with the ladies and danced the night away in Liverpool and at the end of the night haggled in a take away for a garlic bread with the 37p I had left in my purse.

The bar that we were in I've mentioned before - it used to be a Turkish Church and has the coolest decor.. I want antler chandeliers in my life. At the weekend they throw petals over the balcony over all the drinkers. Sadly we missed the event but the floor had a nice sprinkling of the stuff anyway.

It's a sad day...

2010-09-20T18:36:00.003+01:00

My poor laptop was the victim of a burglary this weekend at my friend's house in Manchester. I had pretty much everything backed up which is good, but there will always be a lappy shaped hole in my heart for my beloved Geoffrey. We've been through a lot together - I couldn't have got through uni without him... *sob*.

Just upgraded him and everything...

Ha... To be honest, although I was very much attached it was a terrible piece of equipment. I'm hoping to replace him with something that has an apple on the back for real but need to find out whether I am actually covered by my Dad's insurance policy to begin with. Dirty thieving scum!

Where d'ya get those peepers?

2010-09-12T23:56:00.004+01:00

I'm going glasses shopping with my Aunt this week who is even more visually impaired than I am. For the past couple of years I've played it safe and gone with a pair of black Chanel specs, but this time I fancy something different and there are so many fun styles out there at the moment.

Tom Ford, Massada, Oliver Peoples.

In other news, something really heart warming happened at work today - my Auntie owns a hotel/restaurant and I work there at the weekend. There is this really lovely eccentric couple who come in quite regularly - he has a mad comb over, drives a Rolls Royce and wears VERY colourful tropical shirts and she is literally a crazy cat lady - today she was wearing a cat necklace, a pair of socks that said I ♥ My Cats, and they always bring a cat bottle stopper for their bottle of Lanson. Anyway today they were sat on a table next to a little old lady who is a widow so comes in on her own and they had a little chat. When the man came to pay his bill he also asked if he could pay the lone diner's bill too! How sweet is that?! And what a treat for the old lady... She was so shocked and touched when she came to pay her bill and found out it had been secretly paid. It has made my weekend just seeing how nice someone can be, so imagine how she feels!

Hope you've all had lovely weekends!

Thunderbolts & Lightning

2010-09-08T11:36:00.003+01:00

Yesterday started out beautifully, hence the summer dress and sandals... then not long after I left the house there was a massive down pour, which my fake tan didn't appreciate, and thunder and lightning. We ended up going for coffee/hot chocolate and cake (as usual - no wonder I can't lose any weight) and then played scrabble until the sun came out again.

I need to start looking for proper jobs because I am clearly wasting my days away.

The dress is from a vintage shop in Liverpool and I love the bright bold tropical flowers against the grey background. The belt is from my mum's 80s accessories collection and the sandals were an absolute bargain from Office - I think they were about £40 originally and then a sale plus student discount made them £9. Score!

Apologies for the darkness of this photo and the awkward pose - it always happens when I'm trying to explain to people how to use my camera and then they just take one picture and I have to pose quickly!

Leeds Festival 2010

2010-09-02T09:55:00.002+01:00

I spent last weekend (well.. Wednesday to Monday) camping in a field that rapidly became a landfill site and paid £200 for the privilege. Not to mention £4 at the bar every time a drink was required which can only mean one thing - Leeds Festival. The sun even came out to play and we only had one or two light showers over the weekend which was incredible - I was almost in danger of getting a tan!

This is the third time I've been now and sadly there was a bit of a dampener on the weekend because we were camped next to some of the most undesirable people at the whole of the festival who were constantly starting fires and causing trouble and one of them head butted one of my friends and then Nicola had £150 stolen from her tent whilst she was asleep inside it! Let's not dwell on that though because on the other side we were camped next to some lovely people so on with the photos....

The ladies from our group - Sarah, Me and Nic

Two of the boys Joe and Sam - Joe has been desperate to have his face on here for ages for some reason - he is the owner of the dogs from a couple of posts ago..

And also the most clumbsy person in the world which resulted in this amusingly shaped stain on his crotch... it was funny at the time.

Me outside one of my friend's tents - the biggest one for miles that everyone nick named the Taj Mahal. I always thought I was a bit OTT with a four man just for me but apparently not.

The best thing going on at night was the silent disco - theres nothing more fun than doing the silent conga.. trust me.

Some of the boys doing the Limp Bizkit Rollin' dance!

And finally these were our favourite band of the weekend who had an unbelievable amount of stage presence and were incredible to watch - after having a snoop around on the internet it seems that they have a bit of a marmite effect on people but either way they are well worth a watch.

When I eventually got home on Monday afternoon I got straight into bed and woke up about twenty hours later on Tuesday morning.

Also to the annonymous commenter on my last post - yes obviously I was at Leeds, do you still think it was me you saw? You should have come and said hi! :)

JGLLLL

2010-08-23T18:10:00.002+01:00

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone since I last did a post... I wouldn't mind but in that gap, absolutley nothing has been acheived whatsoever, nor have we had any sunshine.

On Friday night we had a bit of a girls night in with lots of wine, food and 10 Things I Hate About You which is one of my all time favourites and I can almost speak along with it I've seen it that many times... which makes me a really annoying person to watch it with. It is actually very sad watching it now Heath (yes, we were on first name terms) is no longer with us, but I was also directed towards some pictures of Cameron, or Joseph Gordon-Levitt now that he's all grown up and have decided that he is going to be my new future husband.

Here are said pictures for your enjoyment, but don't be getting any ideas because he's already mine so BACK OFF.

All the Animals

2010-08-12T11:05:00.003+01:00

Bit of a picture heavy post but I just couldn't narrow down all the animal pictures any further because they are all so cute.

I decided to swap work for wellingtons yesterday and went to a local farm with some friends in the afternoon for a coffee. There is a gorgeous little coffee shop and all the animals are super friendly and like to come over and say hello.

The mirror pictured below is from my old flat - it's slightly warped so it makes you look about six feet tall and skinny and its just sitting in my garage along with the rest of the junk that I'm still yet to sort. If I'm pottering around in the garage I do like to have a good look in it and pretend I'm slim!

Denim Parka - Primark, Scarf - Topshop, Leggings - AA, Wellies M by MJ

After the farm I popped round to my friend's house to play with his dogs - Maggie the ridiculously miserable basset hound and Nell the very playful Great Dane pup.

And finally here's what I wore last night when I went out for a couple of drinks. It did start off as a dress but it's just too bloody cold and even though ordinarily I'm a total trouser-phobe and hate them with a passion, it was the only option to keep me warm!

Blazer - 'Vintage' (Stolen from my Nan), Top - Topshop, Jeans & Shoes - New Look, Bag - M by MJ, Necklace - 'Vintage' gold sovreign that belonged to my Grandad.

Having a convertible car means you can kiss good bye to perfect hair... That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Why oh Why...

2010-08-05T22:38:00.004+01:00

Must you make me want to spend all my hard earned cash Acne?

Does anyone else have that (terribly shallow) feeling that their life won't be complete without certain items? Of course as soon as they are in your life, the completeness never really appears and something else becomes the object of your desires.

Acne vest and Acne pose shoes @ matches.

Bloody hell, less than a week between posts... what's going on?!

Also is anyone from the UK enjoying Big Brother this year? I hate to admit it but I find it highly amusing, although not quite as good now that Ben has left because he was hysterical. It definately hasn't taken over my life in any way... promise...

Cause' You Can Look Right Through Me

2010-08-02T00:24:00.002+01:00

I've got to admit... there are few things in life that bring me more joy than going out in something see-through. This weekend a little uni reunion took place in Liverpool at my friend's flat which was great fun but did result in the worst hangover ever.

We went to a bar that has recently opened on Slater Street- The Shipping Forecast which was fun and then ended up in our old favourite The Krazyhouse, which is exactly what it says on the tin. It is the most sweaty disgusting club and is the type of place you should definately stop going to once you've got ID and can actually get into the good places... but despite the fact that it is grubby and unhygenic, we all love it and the drinks are dirt cheap. I did however make the mistake of wearing my current favourite shoes which are suede KG's and they are now ruined and seemingly covered in UV paint and general unpleasantness along with the rest of my outfit. Joy.

The infamous Krazyhouse

Please excuse my nails - they are painted matte black and look good in real life, not so good on camera...

Above: Top - Topshop, Shorts - New Look, Belt - Stolen from my dad, Necklace - Swarovski, Shoes - Carvela @ KG, Bag Mango
Below: Some uni buddies, another Charlotte and Caitlin

This really random piece of graffiti has appeared on a street not far away from my friend's flat - I love it! Particularly the bears peeking out of the windows at the top. You can read more about the project and the artist on this fun website.

Sun, Sun, Sun

2010-07-23T15:56:00.004+01:00

My family and I managed to escape the beautiful British summer (which is particularly grey and miserable up north) and fled for Mallorca to remind ourselves what sunshine looks like.

Whilst it was a pleasant trip I have decided to resign from beachy holidays - I can't deal with sitting around doing nothing in the sun for long periods of time so most of my time was spent swimming a couple of miles a day and going to the hottest gym in history. Aside from that I have really bad reactions to mosquito bites that even make doctors and pharmacists grimace... so unless its a holiday in the Alps or a city break, I'm opting out in future.

This...

To this!

Me and the fam... awkward pose necessary to hide the mess the mosquitos made of my left leg:

Good old maxi to cover up nasty mosquito bites, but sadly showcases the strap marks...

Waterside hotel restaurant... I don't care if it's not cool to wear sunglasses on your head.

Across the sea in the evening...

Blue tiger print dress - Alice by Temperly, Blue Maxi - H&M, Black and White Dress - Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, Gold Tote - Marc by Marc Jacobs

My dad treated me to a pair of Rayban Clubmasters in the airport after having wanted some for aaages and they were stuck on my face the entire time. He bought himself a pair too so whilst at one stage we both had the wayfarers, now we've got matchy matchy clubmasters... how sad.

Class of 2010

2010-07-14T10:11:00.002+01:00

It was my graduation yesterday and I had such a good day! It was super stressful to begin with because we were really late which is nothing unusal for my family and I forgot to bring all of the e mail confirmations for the gown, tickets, photos everything... then I was running through Liverpool Central station and managed to fall on my face and scrape all the fake tan off one side of my leg at the same time. Fortunately I had some foundation and bronzer to hand so was able to touch it up in the taxi.

The ceremony lasted for nearly two hours and thankfully I managed not to fall over or lose my hat on stage so it was all good. Definately worth all the sleepless nights, hard work and 4am starts before exams to get here.

I always wanted to wear a Viv Westwood suit for my graduation but thought near the end that I was going to fail completely so didn't bother saving up. I ended up finding this dress at the last minute on Monday and actually preferred this to the suit because it was boiling in the cathedral!

Outside Liverpool Crown Courts

Me and one of my course mates Lara

One of my best friends Nikita - we lived together in first year and have been pretty much inseperable ever since

Graduation Lunch -Delicious prawn and crab fishcake starter which was followed by lobster raviolli - YUM.

I didn't want to give my cap and gown back!

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

Dress - Vivienne Westwood Red Label, Shoes - Carvela @ KG, Watch - Omega

Want Want Want

2010-07-05T19:51:00.002+01:00

We are staying at a little hotel in the Lake District this evening as a treat for my sister's birthday and it is absolutley gorgeous so I thought a quick blog post before dinner was necessary. I want my house to look like this! More pictures to come tomorrow because every room is decorated differently - a real treat for the eyes!

WAH

2010-06-28T22:45:00.003+01:00

I've never had a manicure and the thought of having one has rarely crossed my mind up until recently when I stumbled across Wah Nails who have their own stand alone store and also operate from the Topshop in London. It's possibly because I've been 9 to 5ing it for the past month (as well as still doing my weekend job!) and have had to type away with the shabbiest looking digits which doesn't make the job any more exciting. I can't help but think that if I had a fabulous manicure the day would just go so much faster.

If anyone has visited this salon let me know - I'm going down to London the weekend after next and may pay it a visit!

Leopardy

Keith Haring inspired nails!

Images from here.

Charlotte Lepre-Slater

2010-06-21T23:18:00.004+01:00

I can't find my camera adaptor which is pretty rubbish - it's been stashed away somewhere in the heaps of junk I accumulated after three years at uni that has been pushed out of sight for the time being now that I have moved back home but I shall endeavour to find it tomorrow.

One of my friends graduated from doing fashion last year and she has come up with some incredible things since she left. The top picture is the first pic released of her next collection which will go on her website soon and the bottom picture is a dress she designed for one of the Miss England contestants which I just think is gorgeous - a true timeless classic. She is a very talented girl and I hope she goes far!

Both pictures from Charlotte Lepre-Slater's facebook page.

Congratulations to Emma for winning the giveaway from my previous post - you should receive an e mail soon with your voucher! I wish those random number generator things were more exciting.

Also I passed my law degree with a 2:1 - I am so happy with it although it does mean that I've actually got to go into the real world sometime soon. I guess I'll just enjoy the excitement for the time being though!

Competition Time!

2010-06-14T21:15:00.004+01:00

The lovely people at CSN stores got in touch with me about a competition allowing one winner to get their hands on a £50 gift voucher to use in one of their online shops which sell everything for the home from lights to kitchen gadgets and furniture!

I'm a fan of baking lovely cakes and afternoon tea so if it was my choice I'd pick this cute little elephant teapot (it's fine to have five teapots right?) and cake tree!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favourite cake is and be sure to leave your e mail address. I will pick the winner on Sunday!

Good Luck!

Photos from www.cookwarebycsn.co.uk

Treat Time

2010-06-05T11:41:00.003+01:00

I'm back home - minus the city centre flat, but with internet...

So, the lovely ladies at Stolen Thunder have just revamped their website and to celebrate want to offer you 15% off all of their gorgeous accessories. I have a bracelet from them and I wear it constantly so check them out here! Perfect for treating yourself for finishing uni or school, or getting in that festival vibe, and also great for a birthday present because their gift wrapping is wonderful!

The offer ends on the 12th June and the code to use at the checkout is FROCK.
www.stolenthunderboutique.com
Enjoy!

If I had...

2010-04-29T21:40:00.002+01:00

£220, I would certainly be giving it to ASOS in return for this Fannie Schivoni chainmail shoulder piece.

I haven't had the internet in a good few weeks, hence my absence and a lot has been going on including my finals for uni - stressful, breaking up with my boyfriend which is sad, and thinking that I can pop somewhere that is the other end of the country, i.e. London, for dinner - exciting and also very stressful and expensive... so I've had an up and down couple of weeks.

In other news, the Acne dress that I bought has been completely ripped off by Primark - I swear if one person asks me if it is from there I will have to punch them in the face seen as I paid ten times the amount for basically the same thing. Rubbish!

Post-Holiday Blues

2010-04-06T16:15:00.002+01:00

So, I've had possibly the booziest fortnight of my life due to drinking 90p a litre wine and carrying a hip flask of Brandy to spice up hot chocolates and obviously keep warm. I've been skiing in France with some of my best friends from school and have not enjoyed being thrown back into reality, particularly because that reality contains a 4000 word essay for next week. It was someone's bright idea to get the coach to France - it was fine on the way out because we just had a fair bit to drink to help us sleep, but got told off on the way back because apparently we made too much mess and so had to endure the 19 hour journey stone cold sober.

Outfit wise, I picked up this Zara shirt dress before I went away and can't stop wearing it. It is so easy just to throw on. The belt was a complete steal in the Urban Outfitters sale but is sadly hanging on by a thread at the moment. The ring is 'vintage' - it belonged to my Great-Grandma - I love the detail in it and how gothic it looks!

I was hoping to come back from the trip skinny because of all the fresh air and exercise that comes with a ski trip, but overlooked the fact that as well as the fresh air, there would be mountains of carbs, cheese and alcohol. Oh well!

Hope everyone has had a Happy Easter!

Giles at PFW

2010-03-11T17:31:00.002Z

I was sent some pictures of Giles Deacon in Paris from Jo at Dare Digital, and although I'm not usually a fan of furry handbags, when a pair of googly eyes has been attached I feel like my life is a bit incomplete without one.

The colours are just gorgeous in this collection - the combination of the coral and the grey is beautiful and all of the pieces seem pretty laid-back, but with a very feminine and quirky twist.

The cloud runway is so cute!

And to commemorate Giles' tenth collection for New Look, they got a sneak peak behind the scenes and an interview with the man himself:

Looking forward to his new collection hitting the shops!

Point and Shoot

2010-03-06T16:06:00.003Z

Finally dug out the remote for my camera to do an outfit post after what seems like forever. Excuse the confused expression of the first picture, it didn't seem to be working at first!

This is a dress I got in New York back in September, and I've had so much wear out of because it's so versatile, heels for night, ankle boots for the day time. I've been eating far too much this week, because last week when I was away we ate five courses for dinner each night but it was fine because we skiied all day... this week however I've been piling on the pounds!

This is my Nan's pool - it looks a bit sad during the winter!

Dress - Anna Sui, Boots - Urban Outfitters, Leather Jacket - Zara, Scarf - 5th Avenue @ Topshop, Bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs, Watch - Cartier

I ended up buying an Acne dress yesterday by accident, so photos of that will follow soon AND doesn't it just ruin your day when you put on a pair of tights that the elastic has gone in? Arrghh so annoying when they fall down every five seconds!

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend!

Jolly Holiday

2010-03-02T14:33:00.003Z

Last week my family and I went on our annual ski trip to Wengen, Switzerland and it was most enjoyable. I managed to come home all in one piece and just had one fall which wasn't even on skis - I managed to fall flat on my back in a cable car station, where of course there were plenty of spectators.

Me and my dad waiting for one of many hot chocolates:

View of the neigbouring valley, Grindelwald:

Action shot!:

A really fun bar that is on top of a mountain in a Ti - Pi :

And finally a bit of the train that gets us up and down and some scenery!:

Five go on an Adventure

2010-02-18T22:17:00.005Z

I have had a very busy couple of days! I got that internship type placement I went for an interview for - that started on Monday. It was pretty exciting, especially as I got to go into the cells beneath the court room! On Tuesday I got to be an extra on Hollyoaks (UK soap opera) too haha...

Last week on the monday I hosted a little come dine with me type event and then on Wednesday one of my best friends who is from Minnesota but came to school over here for a year came back here for a visit, during which we went to watch an amazing band in what used to be a Turkish Church in Liverpool but is now a bar, got stranded in Manchester and went back to the school we used to go to.

I enjoyed 'translating' things from English to American in a really phony accent which she kept telling me off for - i.e. icing sugar = frosting, waistcoat = vest and so on!

What to wear has taken a complete back seat for me at the moment, because mostly I only think about what would be appropriate to take the dog out for a walk and don't seem to have any time to do my make up.

My Strawberry Dessert - picture stolen from Nicola:

Stood outside the main entrance of school:

Schooooooool:

Pretty bridge in the school grounds:

L-R, My friend Tony, Me and my friend from the United States Amy:

Fun monster costume in Tesco - my friend Tony is such a poor driver we got pulled over by the police on the way there because they wanted to check he wasn't intoxicated:

Church come bar - Alma de Cuba:

I'm off skiing tomorrow so there'll be another massive hiatus sadly. TTFN!

New Look SS '10

2010-02-04T22:32:00.003Z

I looked out of my window the other morning to see two gigantic posters of the new season's collection covering two floors of windows in the New Look across the road. Later on that day I received an email from the lovely Jo from Dare regarding the collection and fell in love with the beauties that the lookbook contained (after I'd waited patiently for about two hours for it to download!).

This embellished sweater is my favourite item - perfect for throwing on over everything and anything and the amazing detail means that you wouldn't even need to accessorize. Perfection!

Next is a gorgeous maxi for the summer months and an evening dress with a twist...

And finally an amazing jacket that would make any outfit and Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen (I don't actually watch it but she is hot) who is the new face of New Look with a super cute dress on. The little details really make this collection.

The flagship store is opening on Oxford Street, London tomorrow - I was invited to the opening and it would have been amazing to go but sadly I have an interview with a law firm. Wish me luck and let me know if you go and check out the new store!

p.s. If my pictures are really poor quality, it is because I am using a dongle at the moment and it is terrible. I'm working on getting it sorted!

DIY

2010-02-01T14:30:00.002Z

Finally got my internet sorted so I can return to regular posting (which, lets be honest, is only about once every ten days anyway). I've actually quite enjoyed my time without the internet suprisingly - it has been frustrating at times, but I've actually done things with my evenings, like getting in touch with my creative side and painting these canvases for my new room (please ignore all the junk stuffed under the bed) as opposed to slobbing around drooling over net-a-porter.

And, just as a warning BE CAREFUL when you are trying clothes on - I tried a dress on the other day and get the price tag stuck in my eye!! I had my glasses on too so it was completely unfair. Anyway it really hurt and blinded me for twenty-four hours, so don't say I didn't warn you! A sign that I should stop shopping? Perhaps...

Say Hello to My Little Friend

2010-01-15T11:09:00.003Z

This is my new flat mate's puppy Zeb - he's a cross between a Chihuahua and a Shih Tzu, making him probably one of the most gay dogs you can buy and won't stay still enough for a half decent photo. We've been bonding this week and we are pretty much best buddies now.

fakesareneverinfashion

2010-01-13T17:16:00.003Z

Still don't have the Internet. It's getting very frustrating now. I'm at the library drowning in coursework at the moment and thought I'd share a bit of the research I've been doing. One of my essays is about Intellectual Property which concerns copyright law and patents etc. The whole idea of Intellectual Property is that it is supposed to encourage innovation because it provides an incentive/reward for the innovator - i.e. if you create something new, it should make you plenty of money and no one else should be able to benefit from this. One of the bigger areas concerning copyright is the downloading of music and piracy of films or p2p file sharing, however I don't know much about that so decided to write about the fashion industry and the role of copyright.

Whilst doing my research, I came across the Harper's Bazaar campaign, aiming to tackle the counterfeit trade. Whilst it is not a legal article, it definitely makes for an interesting read. I have never bought a counterfeit bag, just because mostly the quality of them is pretty poor, but would certainly never consider buying one after reading these articles. I'm not trying to preach, just wanting to provide an interesting read!

On the other hand, even though styles are inevitably copied from the runway to the highstreet, fashion houses show that there is no particular need for huge intellectual property rights as an incentive for innovation because they continue to turn out beautiful pieces for us all to lust over season after season.

Find out more at fakesareneverinfashion.com, where there are articles dating back to 2005 when the campaign was launched.

Snow Day

2010-01-06T13:53:00.002Z

Brrrrrrrrr! It's cold! There has been a rather long hiatus since my last post due to my continuing lack of internet - I have tried but apparently need a credit card so they can check my credit rating. Ridiculous. I feel like I've lost a limb living without the world wide web.

The snow is coming down thick and fast here in the North West and I haven't been able to go back to the flat. I'm supposed to be doing uni work, but it's much more fun to go and have a wander round the block and snap some photos of the white streets.

Leather Jacket - Zara, Jumper Dress - Topshop, Snow Boots - Animal, Scarf - Vintage (Donated by my Grandma), Leggings - AA, Glasses - Chanel.

It is very difficult to 'pose' when being pelted with snow thats frozen into clumps in the trees. As soon as the wind got up, the ice blocks came down, hence the disgruntled expression.

P.S. Happy New Year everyone! I hosted an 80s themed party at the flat - I might try and post some pictures later in the week!

Festive Frock

2009-12-27T23:32:00.002Z

Boxing day outfit for christmas dinner take two at my Nan's house. I swear I've put on about three stone this weekend. This dress is a festive favourite and always gets dragged out around christmas time. I've been wearing my hair in a side bun quite a lot recently - I think this is only the second picture on this blog where my hair is actually almost in a style... really the reason behind it is that it's at my waist now and getting difficult to brush, so tying it back is just easier. Must get it cut off this week.

I think the dress is from H&M a couple of years ago and the watch is a gold vintage Omega that my Nan gave me a couple of years ago. I stopped wearing it every day so it didn't get damaged, plus it makes it more special keeping it for occasions like this.

I'm supposed to be braving the sales with Nic tomorrow and I bet it will be crazy. Elbows at the ready!

P.S. I think we need a bigger tree because I look like a giant next to this 6ft one.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

2009-12-25T23:18:00.003Z

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you've all had wonderful days and eaten far too much turkey. My family and I spent about two hours singing our hearts out on a device that turns your laptop into a karaoke machine. My nan got it for me and its just brilliant. Everyone needs one of these in their life. I always chicken out with public singing, so doing it in the comfort/safety/less humiliating setting of my own home is great!

I've semi moved into a shiny new flat and haven't had the internet sorted out yet, hence the lack of blogging so I'm looking forward to a lazy boxing day catching up with all of your posts. Have a great day/evening!

Image from here.

Stolen Thunder Competition

2009-12-15T12:34:00.003Z

The lovely Alice from stolen thunder jewellery got in touch with me a couple of days ago about a competition they are running to win £75 worth of goodies from them just in time for Christmas! All you have to do is go over to their competition page here, and sign up for their newsletter! Their accessories are all handmade in the UK and are just so lovely, plus the packaging is just so cute - confetti hears and sweets should be included with all internet purchases! They did a feature about the blog a couple of months ago and I got one of their peace bracelets which rarely comes off my wrist.

The closing date is 21st December at 3pm so hurry up and enter! This competition is also open those outside of the UK but the prize won't be received until after Christmas. Good Luck!

I'm in the process of moving back into Liverpool at the moment and haven't got my internet sorted out so I'm currently posting from Pret a Manger and receiving plenty of dirty looks for taking up too many tables at lunch time with my laptop.

Dear Santa,

2009-12-11T17:43:00.004Z

I definately should be on the 'nice' list for this year, so please may I have the winning lottery numbers for any draw over the festive period? I would be very greatful.

Dress - Acne, Ankle boots - Roberto Cavalli, Bracelet - Alexander McQueen, Necklace - Marni, Clutch - Mulberry, Sequined top - Ashish, Umbrella - Can Can Parasol by Guy de Jean

PandaPandaPanda

2009-12-10T19:01:00.002Z

There simply is nothing better than really silly headwear, and this hat fits the bill perfectly. Is there a better way to chase away those winter blues than wearing a wooly panda on your head? Didn't think so.

Katy Perry knows I'm right. Sort of wish I'd bought the cream instead of the grey now.

It was only £12.99 from River Island, so the downside is I have seen quite a few people wearing it. The upside however is that whenever you move your head, you can feel the little pom poms moving so it's like you've got an extra set of panda ears.. and who doesn't want them?!

I'm off out for dinner now, perhaps followed by a pub quiz. Hope everyone's christmas shopping is going well!

MishMash

2009-12-04T18:46:00.002Z

Another week off from blogging sadly. Life has been rather hectic - two visits to the Manchester Christmas Market, a couple of nights out and having to part with silly amounts of cash for textbooks to enable me to reach the 9000 word limit of the essays that are due in for January. Joy. Here are a random selection of photos from the past week - if the first one doesn't give you that warm, christmassy feeling then you obviously don't have a soul.

Christmas Market

Delicious mulled wine in one of the market's bars - christmas decorations galore!

Cherry strudels are to die for!

In the evening, I went out in Manchester with some old school buddies - all of us are pretty hopeless with directions so we thought a map was a good - if not massively nerdy - idea. We still got lost.

Then a couple of photos from last night's outing. I love how casually you can get dressed to go out in my nextdoor town if you want to, however the streets and bars were completely dead and the green paint in this Irish pub is so sickly... just because it's irish doesn't mean it has to be green!

Camera necklace from Camden a couple of weeks back:

And finally me and just boys... again.

Hope you've all had delightful weeks and have wonderful plans for the weekend. I'm going to my former secondary school's open day - I received an invite and information about all the changes they've made including a 'magical story telling tower'. No school would be complete without one obviously. Also might go and check out the Sonia Rykiel for H&M underwear - it looks gorgeous!

It's that time again!

2009-11-25T21:54:00.002Z

I know it isn't December just yet, but they only last until the middle of that month so it's not too early to discuss them. THE GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS ARE BAAACKK! Hurrah for gluhwien, frankfurters and over-priced gingerbread! I saw a bit of the one in Liverpool today and they better be putting in more stalls because at the moment it consists of one man roasting chesnuts, one gingerbread stall (definately needs to be about fifteen for it to be a proper christmas market) and one frankfurter stall that isn't even one of the fun round ones with hot dogs being served from every angle. With any luck I'll be venturing into Manchester on Friday - the one there is always much better, and their oversized christmas decorations are so pretty!

Anyone else taking a trip to the Christmas Markets? AND what has everyone asked Father Christmas for?!

Oh also thanks to everyone for the foundation recommendations - I'll write a little list and take it shopping with me on Friday!

Short 'n' Shoulders

2009-11-24T16:53:00.004Z

The sky doesn't want to be any other colour than grey at the moment. Perhaps it influenced today's outfit choice. I bought this dress from ASOS sometime last year in the sale (I rarely buy clothes online because I like to have a good feel of the fabric and try it on. Plus parting with the postage money to return it would be soul destroying) and it's one of those old faithful dresses that gets whipped out when there is nothing else to wear. The big shoulders make it pretty flattering as it gives a hip slimming effect. Apologies for wearing the same boots over and over - I'm in need of some new ones and debating whether to buy the Ashish for topshop ones that would make me about 6ft3. Hmmm...

Bit of a random post photograph wise.

The tights are from Primark and seem to be the most durable tights ever - every other pair of tights I have ever posessed just get laddered instantly and it makes me slightly suicidal - so for £2, it's totally worth stocking up on these.

I'm going to a charity fashion show tonight with my mother, hopefully a drink won't be spilled all over me like last nights charity do!

Frocky Horror

2009-11-15T20:54:00.003Z

I went to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show theatre production at the Liverpool Empire on Friday night and LOVED IT! I hadn't even seen the film before I went, so wasn't sure what I'd be in for but it was a real treat. Obviously, I'll use any excuse to get dressed up but rather than going for anything see-through or involving lingerie, I crimped my hair (hello volume) and wore an underskirt with this dress. I also got to wear my fascinator which comes out for occasions such as this (I also wore it on hallowe'en and when I went to see Elton John). Dancing in the theatre was fun and I must get round to seeing the movie this week. Definately go and see it if it comes to a theatre near you.

Blazer - Vintage (Mum's), Dress - Sara Berman @ UO, Fascinator - River Island, Boots - Topshop

P.s. Has anyone got any reccomendations for a nice foundation? Or even ones to avoid? This one is shiny and orange and I can't justify paying £30 for my usual Chanel one any more.

Harness

2009-11-12T12:24:00.003Z

I bought this t-shirt from Urban Outfitters in New York along with the cute notebook in the final picture - I love the way it uses a couple of different clashing animal prints on the harness design - kind of tacky (in a good way of course) but it seems to work. The boots I have been wearing every day this week - I bought them last year and have just rediscovered them mostly because they always seem to be near the door so just get thrown on. They are pretty comfy but the laces and heels will need replacing soon because they are from Topshop and their clothing and shoes just never seem to be made to last.

Stationary is another obsession of mine - I get it from my Mother. It took about fifteen minutes for the person on the till to find a price for this. You could tell he just wanted me to give up and say that I stood and waited patiently!

Off to uni now and then later on apparently we are having a girly night with cocktails - hurrah!

What a Girl Needs

2009-11-10T18:31:00.003Z

Hermes have got this wonderful way of illustrating all the products on their website with beautiful little drawings. They have completely managed to convince me that I need Hermes soap ($40) and scented drawer liners ($45) amongst other things. Here are a couple of my favourite items that are obviously completely essential:

(1) Gardening set - nice sunny day, tending to the flower beds with Hermes tools...

(2) Once the gardening is done, how about a spot of tea on the lawn from a Hermes teapot?

(3) Then, polish off the hermes stirrups for a quick gallop on my (sadly imaginary) horse...

Ah what a wonderful afternoon. Don't forget, if you've got any money left after that, make sure you buy a Hermes money clip to keep your cash safe ready for your next Hermes splurge.

If only!

All images www.hermes.com

Hallowe'en

2009-11-04T12:42:00.002Z

So we had a bit of a hallowe'en party over the weekend. We called it a party, but in reality, it was the same group of people who go round to my friend Tom's each week to get drunk, but we made lots of effort with decorations and drank punch which was completely lethal - there were lots of variations of it when the cartons of fruit juice ran out. I believe that at one stage, wine was being used as a mixer for vodka - so not a good idea.

After loading my tiny boot up with pumpkins, we headed back to carve them which took us a lot longer than expected - fortunately the boyf and his friend came down for the weekend so they were able to help.

Here's my attempt at a pumpkin Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas...

I chose to dress as Lady Gaga - I felt like I'd stolen the idea from Style Porn because I'd thought of the costume a couple of weeks ago and then she did a post saying who she was going to be and it looked like I was copying. I over think things way too much. Anyway check hers version out - her thighs are far less offensive than mine and she was able to get away with a thong leotard - jealous!

The boyfriend dressed as a general murderer type - I'm surprised at any effort he makes because last year I had to buy him a very last minute vampire costume from a supermarket so he wouldn't feel left out - and looked pretty comical sipping his punch through a straw fed through the gaps in his mask.

Star of the show! We dressed Tom's dog Alfie up as a burglar - swag bag and all! He hated it.

We were all instructed to do an "action shot"...

Tom dressed as a "Zombie Hunter". He went to the garden and covered his face in dirt, then realised he'd actually bought some brown and khaki makeup and should have used that instead.

We also hired a smoke machine - for future hallowe'en parties I would definately recommend getting one and a red light bulb. The two combined completely change the atmosphere. We did however go a bit crazy with the smoke effects and set the fire alarm off...

Which we 'had' to rip off the ceiling because it couldn't be silenced. Now there is just a hole in the paintwork where it should be. Ooops!

So that's it! The day after we had to battle with hangovers and tidy up all the decorations - they didn't seem like such a good idea then!

Gold

2009-11-02T21:42:00.005Z

I received an email earlier from Helen at Dare Digital regarding the new Giles for New Look collection which is due to hit the stores next Monday. I've purchased a couple of items from this line in the past - the fabrics are lovely and the quality of the clothes is great unlike some collaborations with high street stores (I'm looking at you K-Mo) so be sure to check it out!

The collection is described as "modern British glamour at it's finest" -
My personal fave is the leopard print skirt - the strong, bold colours are delicious.

Hope everyone had a wonderful hallowe'en! Let me know what you got up to - mine involved some rather lethal punch, setting off the fire alarm with a smoke machine (and 'needing' to rip it off the ceiling), and dressing the dog up as a burglar.

Just a Quickie...

2009-10-29T14:14:00.002Z

Currently slaving away in the library, trying to read cases about wills that just seem neverending. Whats making it better is that I'm wearing this matte black nail varnish from Knock Out Cosmetics I got from Henri Bendel's in NYC. I love the lack of shine when it first goes on, however after a couple of days it goes shiny again - possibly due to the natural oils found in your nails? I'm not sure. Anyway it's great. They had it in other colours like baby pinks and pale greens, but sadly the matte effect just didn't work with anything other than black.

I bumped into a lovely lady called Polly whilst out and about last night who reads my blog - I felt a bit like a celebrity being 'spotted' haha :). She was wearing an amazing DIY Chanel style t-shirt and told me that she was thinking of starting up a Liverpool street style blog, which I am looking forward to seeing!

How annoying is it typing on a computer keyboard when you are used to a laptop? Grrrr!

Help

2009-10-24T17:53:00.002+01:00

I got pressured into spending £95 on these UO boots by my mum and grandma today. I am completely undecided about them so I might be taking them back. What do you think? Keep or return?

Definately been spending way too much money in that place recently. From where I am sitting now I can see three of their paper bags scattered across my room. Ooops!

Country Bumpkin Day Out

2009-10-20T17:58:00.002+01:00

I'm down south in Hertfordshire visiting the boyf at the moment. It's a very pretty part of the world - lots of nice fields and woodland to roam through. That can only mean a big sweater, the trusty umbrella rain coat and some walking boots.

Today we went on a bit of a hike and then for a pub lunch. The club sandwiches were delicious. Tomorrow we're going into London for a bit of shopping and sightseeing so expect pictures from that later in the week!

Raincoat - H&M, Sweater - Knitted by my Grandma years ago, Leggings - AA, Scarf - TK Maxx, Walking boots - Hitech?

True Love

2009-10-16T23:43:00.002+01:00

Yet another week where posting has been neglected. I'll blame it on two things - firstly I haven't been able to find the lead for my camera, and secondly because most of my time seems to be spent on the train. I hate commuting.

Anyway - just a quick one - I got this Marc by Marc Jacobs bag whilst in New York and it's been on my arm ever since. I often find myself stroking it absent-mindedly in lectures like a pet. It's so soft and the perfect size for all my uni junk.

The edges are blurred on the first picture to try and disguise the fact that my grandma's hall is possibly one of the most unco-ordinated, busy looking rooms in history (I hope she never reads this), but it hasn't really hidden it so well.

Bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs, Dress - H&M, Duffle Coat - Urban Outfitters, Scarf - American Eagle Outfitters

Thank god it's the weekend. Hope everyone has a good one!

Nerdy Necklace

2009-10-08T12:12:00.002+01:00

A necklace that is also a memory stick - What's not to love? Swarovski are just geniuses. I had my eye on one of these for ages (being the big geek that I am) and then my lovely Nanna brought me one back from her holiday.

My boyfriend came back up this week as a bit of a surprise - I hadn't seen him in six weeks and his hair is now longer than I've ever seen it before - I didn't even properly recognise him at first - so this week has been pleasant, if not a little hectic too trying to fit in seeing him between uni and my new gym regime.

Hopefully Nicola will have recovered from her cold this evening so we can go out for a dance!

Boys Night Out

2009-10-03T17:27:00.002+01:00

Tip: Don't leave outfit photos until you are too drunk, giggly and can't stand up properly.

I seem to have more male friends than female so consequently I frequently find myself being the only girl on nights out. It's quite fun really. We played a lot of Beatles Rockband before going out (I seem to recall we didn't actually make it out until 12.40am), I had a bit of a snooze in the bar we ended up in and went to bed at around 5.30am.

The skirt is one of my NY purchases from F21 - I seriously can't believe how inexpensive it is in there - for that price in the UK you'd probably get something that feels like its been made from an old newspaper. I'm still a bit wary about wearing heels because my ankle is still a bit funny from the sprain so I opted for the trusty Chanel flats.

Hopefully we're going to see Toy Story in 3D tonight - I'm excited!

So Good They Named It Twice

2009-09-25T19:49:00.004+01:00

So, last week we flew to NYC to celebrate my grandma's 70th birthday (on the right). I fell in love with the city - I don't think I could live there because it's pretty crazy, but I will definately go again. Here are some of the 507 photos I took over the course of the trip.

Times square...

Fashion week - we only caught the last day of it really and got invited to a show but ended up completely in the wrong part of town so missed that sadly.

Times square by night...

We went to the natural history museum (my sister 'doesn't do' museums and needed plenty of coaxing to get her in but really enjoyed it) where they had a frog exhibition which was fun. I do love frogs, and their colours are amazing. This one looks pretty chilled.

Central Park: It is strange that something so beautiful and peaceful exists in the middle of such a hectic city.

This is the view from the top of the Empire State building. We caught it at dusk and watching the city come alive with lights was wonderful.

We also went for dinner at the Marriot in the revolving restaurant. These are some of the desserts - the campbells soup was like a chocolate mousse in an icing 'tin'. Yum!

And finally I would definately reccommend the bus tours to anyone who is short on time, but wants to see as much as possible. We did the downtown and uptown tours, got the ferry across to Ellis Island and did a night tour which went across to Brooklyn. The tour guides were hilarious too.

We had perfect weather and spent a ridiculous amount of time shopping. I'll be sure to show you what I've bought in future posts!

Big Apple Street Style

2009-09-24T01:17:00.002+01:00

This was my favourite outfit from the trip to NY.
I love how the dog looks as happy as Larry wearing this ensemble.

I've still got to sift through the 507 pictures that I took to see if there are any decent ones to post. Hopefully I'll get to do that tomorrow because I've got the morning off uni.

Bed time for me - I don't think my body clock is quite right just yet. TTFN!

I should be packing...

2009-09-14T17:44:00.004+01:00

This is the dress I wore to the party that crippled me on Saturday evening. I picked it up in TK Maxx that day because I couldn't decide what to wear from my existing wardrobe - any excuse to buy a new dress and I will. It's got loads of lovely detailing - ruffles on the front and back, a cut-out bit and buttons too but they are under the jacket - I'll take a picture of them at some point. The blazer I stole from my Nan and was from Marks and Spencer about a million years ago when everything was St Michaels.

I haven't been able to part with my Leeds Festival band just yet, so I've been teaming it with these two bracelets - the faux pearls with lock and key charms was a present and the peace sign one from Stolen Thunder - to jazz it up slightly.

I still need to pack for New York but I'm racking my brains to see what will go with a support bandage - not a lot so far. I'm just going to have to wear flats all holiday too. Worst timing ever!

Edit: It's 06:18AM so I've run out of time to do a new post - I have to leave in about ten minutes. I'm trying to shove some bran flakes down my throat and book All American Rejects tickets. See you next week!

Last of the Summer Sun

2009-09-13T16:56:00.002+01:00

Feeling a lot happier today - apologies for my complaining below. These were taken yesterday at my Nan's pool - the water fight between my cousin and I was completely unfair because my water pistol didn't actually work at all.

Is there a way to make pool hair look half acceptable at all? If there is I'm not even close to discovering it. The rather retro looking bikini is from good old Primark - they actually do really good swimwear and usually swimming costumes I've spent more money on get left in the wardrobe in favour of one of these £7 delights!

I went to a party last night and after a few too many managed to sprain my ankle. I'm going to New York on Wednesday as well so hopefully I'll be able to walk on it then otherwise I'm in trouble.

Also if anyone has been to, or lives in New York, if you've got the time, tell me a couple of good places to go/see please - sights, shops, restaurants whatever!

Ruff Woods

2009-09-11T17:00:00.003+01:00

Since the boy moved back home, I've been struggling to get anyone to take outfit posts for me, plus I've been feeling rather miserable all week so instead here are some snaps of the woods round the corner from my house. I usually just use it as a short cut, but I had a proper wander round yesterday and it is very pretty indeed. Reminds me of Jurassic Park.

Enjoy the weekend, and if you are in the UK the suprisingly good weather!

Off Again...

2009-09-04T22:20:00.002+01:00

This weekend my family and I are (for some unknown reason) off to Norfolk to go on a boat. I will return on Tuesday. Nothing eventful at all has happened since my last post, so I'll just leave you with these cute boots from Clarks - they are limited edition and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the desert boot.

For some reason, because they are limited edition, it appears that a UK8 can't be made. All of the normal ones come in an eight, but not these, and they are supposed to be tiny sizes, so sadly they will never be mine. Sigh!

Back to Reality

2009-09-02T19:25:00.003+01:00

Apologies for this being my third post in a row about Leeds festival, but here are some pictures that were actually from this year. We loaded the car full of junk, and drove off to a dirty, smelly, muddy campsite, got terrorized by wasps, laughed at people who fell asleep before they made it in to their tents, spent an obscene amount of money on booze and food and had a jolly good time indeed.

I lived in my trusty rain mac and a rather fetchcing sweater donated by my Nan - She knitted it about twenty years ago. I've also got rid of my background and such because I got sick of looking at it. I'll find a replacement header soon, or maybe just put the old layout back - I'm not sure yet. Hope everyone enjoyed their bank holiday weekends!

Edit: Just put a temporary header up for now because it was annoying me not having one. I'll endeavour to make a better one soon.

TTFN

2009-08-25T23:36:00.002+01:00

I've had the most hectic week of my entire life. I've been working loads, trying to sort my stuff out to take to Leeds and my boyfriend is moving back home too (which is a good five hours away from my house at least)... sad times! I'll be leaving tomorrow morning.. I haven't even properly packed yet.. and will return on Monday. Apologies for this post being the same as the last but I haven't had two seconds to myself in days. It's forecast pretty miserable weather over the weekend, so wellies and waterproofs all round! Hope you all enjoy the rest of your week!

From Leeds Festival 2007: Lost in a sea of tents and dancing until sunrise...

Leeds Legends

2009-08-17T11:34:00.002+01:00

Last weekend we just decided that a trip to the Leeds festival taking place on August's bank holiday weekend was completely necessary. My sister bought three tickets and sold them (at a profit) to us. I went for the first time in 2007 and missed it last year so I am super excited for this year. There aren't even that many bands I'm interested in seeing. I'm just hoping for some good weather, lots of drinking, trips to the silent disco at night and campfires.

This is one of my favourite pictures ever. It's of me and Nicola after I'd proved (drunkenly) that I could beat her in some sort of wrestling match I think.

What I'm not looking forward to is tent-warmed wine that has to be put in a plastic bottle in the car park. It's disgusting. Sticking to spirits is probably best.

If anyone is going let me know!

Role Model

2009-08-14T23:04:00.002+01:00

My mother (who has been featured on this blog a couple of times before) and I were having a look through a tin of old photos a few days ago when we came across this magazine clipping. Andrew Collinge is one of the hair dressers with his own line of products out here in the UK (I've got one of his hair dryers and it's rather good), and back in the day my mum trained as a hair dresser at his salon. I'm not sure what magazine this came from but she was used in the feature which is pretty exciting! No prizes for guessing that this was some time in the 80's.

Below on the right is my mummy!

I wish I was that hot.

P.S. Has anyone else heard of the plans for Coronation Street: The Musical? How utterly ridiculous.

Heroes in a half-shell

2009-08-06T19:04:00.002+01:00

The sun is shining(ish), Francisco (my car) is clean and Merry Old England seems like a nice place to be at the moment. I had a lovely day off to drive around with the roof down and go swimming at my Nan's house.

I've had a dreadful cold all week and today has been the first day it has started to ease off a bit. I don't think it was the dreaded swine flu because my constant sneezing hasn't been followed by any oinks as of yet. It meant that I couldn't continue with my five miles a week of swimming though, which is a shame.

I'm wearing the Primark rip-off of the AA shorts (I don't think I'd be able to fit in a pair of theirs, it would be too depressing to try) and a New Look mens Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-Shirt. The top was in the mens section and with good old student discount ended up being about five pounds. The same thing appeared a couple of weeks later in the ladies section for twelve pounds! Ridiculous.

I'm off to go and watch a some friends at an open mic type evening and have a bit of a dance so I'll leave you with these lillies - possibly the most colourful things that have ever grown in our shady garden - my mother was thrilled.

Stolen

2009-07-29T17:01:00.004+01:00

My mum was having a bit of a clear out and this was one of the things I managed to save from the Charity Shop bag. If I hadn't stepped in it would have only been snapped up by someone from a vintage shop who would have stuck a massive price tag on it anyway. It also works really well with a skirt because the bottom sticks out like a peplum. I'm also completely in love with these AA tricot leggings at the moment. I hope the two-tone ones hit the Liverpool store soon.

I have been watching A LOT of absolutley fabulous this week. It's just brilliant. And only £5.49 with free delivery from HMV! It has made me do a lot of searching on ebay for my own little bit of Lacroix though. I'm seriously debating whether or not to buy a table and chair set that I love (Lacroix for La Redoute) but have no use/space for.

Ten Things

2009-07-23T22:57:00.004+01:00

I prepared for the cold weather we've been having recently today and it was actually really hot and sunny like July is supposed to be. I never get it right.

Nautical Cardigan - Charity Shop, Top - Gap, Jeans - Primark?, Shoes - Ran, Necklace - Gift

I was tagged by the wonderful Style Porn, who's blog I adore, to post ten facts about myself:

1. When I was a child, I used to have a bit of a phobia about second hand things. School fetes were a nightmare. I remember buying a book from a stall at one and then taking it back because I realised it was pre-owned. From then on I only bought things at fetes when there more than one of them so I knew they were new.

2. I've never dyed my hair because I'm too scared of wrecking it/doing something that won't suit me. In fact I've never even had a dramatic cut - it's pretty much been the same forever and is very straight and boring unless there's a bit of chlorine left in it like the picture above which gives it a bit of a wave.

3. In fact there are loads of things I've never done - I'm a bit of a nerd. I've never smoked, taken drugs, had a tattoo or even had my ears pierced. I'm not completely dull though - I promise!

4. I used to have a massive obsession with Good Charlotte when I was about 13.

5. I drive a blue VW Beetle Convertible called Francisco - it's quite a camp car, so I figured it needed a camp name. I make terrible mix cd's with awfully cheesey songs on them for car trips.

6. I am one of those people who is constantly trying to lose weight. I must have the worst metabolism ever - if I eat something, I can literally see where it has settled on my thighs.

7. I really really really want a horse - I used to go from when I was about four until I was fifteen and had to stop because of my GCSE's. I also really hate meeting people who have a horse and promise you can come and see it/ride it and then never actually invite you round. And if I can't have a horse, I want a pug called captain pugface.

8. This one is really strange - If I see someone using some sort of stationary, like a library book being stamped or something on a receipt being circled in biro, it has this really calming effect on me. I feel really lethargic for about thirty seconds afterwards.

9. I love having big feet - you get all the good sale shoes.

10. I really hate wearing jeans. I know I'm wearing them in the picture above but I was getting sick of having cold, wet legs so I dug a pair out from the depths of my wardrobe. I think they are so uncomfortable and I can never find a pair that fit right due to my chunky thighs.

Thats about it really! I'm not the most interesting of people.

The ten people I tag are:
Lauren McBride
On Dressing Up
Look Ugly in a Photograph
Strut it like your wearing Monolo's
Ripped at the crotch
Leopard Print & Lace
Sweety P Style Files
Diamondcanopy
Rosie Unknown
CiaoBella

Back in the Day

2009-07-13T23:29:00.002+01:00

It was my sister's 18th this weekend, which meant lots of looking through photo albums trying to find embarrassing pictures. I picked out a couple I loved to stick on here.

This was on holiday in Portugal I think. I loved being a tiger and this was my favourite dress as a child. We had two ducklings at one point though and I remember one of them pooed on it.

The good old Barbie jeep - this made loads of noise when it was being driven around, much to the delight of the neighbours. When we got to heavy for it, my dad put a HUGE battery in it to make it go faster and my sister and I used to sit with our legs over the bonnet, one hand steering and the other pressing the accelerator because our legs would no longer fit into it.

My nan has got a pool and all of the kids from next door used to come round to play every weekend. I'm second from the right and my sister is second from the left. In between swimming, we used to raid my nan's makeup drawer and do "egyptian style" makeup. I wish there was a picture of that.

A pretty funky party dress. This is me and my sister as a chunky baby.

My mum and dad back in the day - check out her jumper - so eighties. I wish she still had it.

And finally my dad in what I think are Ray Ban Clubmasters first time round. I wish he'd kept all of his sunglasses - he would have had a massive collection of Ray Bans by now!

I think summer time in the UK is officially over because it just has not stopped raining. Hope everyone else is experiencing better weather!

Spider Attack

2009-07-07T00:56:00.002+01:00

This weekend has been pretty good! I caught up with a couple of people I haven't seen in far too long, which was lovely. On Saturday night I went out with some friends and wore this dress I picked up in TK Maxx on Thursday. I think the print has sort of a hippyish vibe and I haven't worn lilac since I was about ten so it was fun to wear. I was designated driver (this always happens because basically I'm the only one who can actually drive), yet still managed to get up and dance on a table with everyone else - how embarrassing.

On the way home, something terrible happened. I was driving along at about 3am when I saw something move on the dash board - it was a spider roughly the size of a small dog (Exaggerate? Moi?). I pulled over before I started properly freaking out and was stood at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with all the doors open begging the spider to leave. Someone even stopped to see what the problem was - I felt pretty stupid telling him it was just a spider that was stopping me from driving. Anyway, I couldn't find it so I just had to get back in and speed the rest of the way home. Since then I've been driving with the windows open or the roof down hoping that it will blow out. *Shudders*.

I also saw Miss Lauren McBride the other day in Liverpool and we stopped for a quick chat. She has the cutest bike ever and is very smiley! Why is it though that you always bump into people when you look a state? I was melting in the heat which is never a good look. Over here warnings have been issued about the 'heat' with one woman saying we should help people who are slower than us to get into the shade. My mum and I cracked up laughing at her. Other countries can cope with extreme weather, but here in the UK, a snowflake, a few too many raindrops or rays of sun cause absolute chaos. It's ridiculous.

I am just rambling on now because I am seriously tired so I should just quit whilst I'm ahead and go to sleep. Good night!

Back at Last

2009-06-30T18:37:00.004+01:00

Oh, I have missed blogging! I've been feeling rather guilty about neglecting it but I have been working literally seven days a weeks for the past fortnight and also moving out of my uni flat, so as you can imagine, life has been a little chaotic. I had to do four car trips home with all the junk I had stashed in my room, and carrying it all out made me hate myself for all of the impulse buys from the past year.

These pictures were taken on Saturday night, it is what I wore to a friends 21st, held at a suite in the grounds of Liverpool Football Club. We thought it was a buffet sort of thing so arrived about an hour after the invite stated, but it turned out to be a sit down meal and everyone had already finished their starters by the time we got there.. oops!

This is my Nanna Marj and I at the party - She's completely insane but makes a wonderful cup of tea and always has a massive supply of cakes to accompany it.

The dress actually belonged to my other Nanna who wore it for her 40th birthday I think and then gave it to me because she never wears it any more. I love wearing it because it's very elegant. I also managed to wear the Viv Westwood shoes without them crippling me! For events when it's mostly just sitting, they are fine.

Stolen Thunder

2009-06-14T23:49:00.002+01:00

About a month ago the lovely people at Stolen Thunder got in touch with me and asked me if I wanted to be on their fanspace - of course I said yes because I've admired their creations many a time in a shop in Liverpool, plus they are offering 10% off should you wish to purchase anything in the next two weeks - just use the code above!

They did give me some little buttons to direct you to the fanspace and their online boutique but for some reason my computer doesn't want them to work, so if you want to see the interview I did click here, and if you fancy a spot of shopping, then click here! Their jewellery is so cute and really makes me wish I was going to a festival this year.

Winging it's way to me very shortly will be this little lovely. How cute is the packaging?

Love it!

Heartbroken

2009-06-11T18:39:00.003+01:00

I've been way too sad to blog this week. I finally got my hands on a pair of Viv Westwood Lady Dragon Heart shoes, and it turns out they are a form of torture for the feet. To be fair I did try to trek into town in them and any fool can look at them and see that they are strictly for sitting down. I'll have to reserve them for meals and drinks rather than dancing the night away or shopping, which is a shame.

On the brighter side of things, I rediscovered a pair of Kurt Geiger sandals I haven't worn since I went to the South of France back in September and I love them so much. I also bought a pair of teal deck shoes today. I'm looking forward to wearing them, but also slightly concerned because my Dad is a big fan of deck shoes and always has been, and we also have the same pair of Ray Bans. Matching clothes for father and daughter? Not a good look.

This is my 40th post - it's taken me a while! But I'd just like to thank everyone who looks and comments on here because I do enjoy reading them all and appreciate you stopping by!

BBQ Time!

2009-06-04T12:36:00.002+01:00

The weather has been delightful this week and like thousands of other Brits across the country, at the first glimpse of sunshine we ran off to buy burgers, buns and disposable BBQs (I wanted to buy a real one for the bargain price of £16.99 but wasn't allowed for ridiculous reasons). We actually had to go to three different places to hunt for them in the end because they had sold out everywhere - it would have been much easier to buy the one from Argos that I wanted. I'm always right. It was also a bit of a celebration because the grass finally got cut at my boyfriend's and one of his housemates decorated the garden with balloons which looked lovely!

I chose to wear this dress because of the masses of material around the stomach area which meant that I would be able to stuff my face without being restricted at all.

Dress and Necklace - H&M, Shoes - New Look, Sunglasses - Ray Ban

When I bought this dress last week, they actually left the security tag on it so I had to take it back to get it removed. For one terrible moment I thought I'd lost the receipt - What on earth would I have done then? Fortunately I found it so the crisis was averted.

Watering Cans

2009-05-29T12:22:00.004+01:00

I've been such a slacker again this week post wise. It's due to a combination of things - I got a new job with a promotions company so that has taken up all of my days (It's to do with this weight loss campaign that's happening around Liverpool and I have to wear a hot pink rain mac whilst I'm doing it) and the weather has been very changeable which means I've just been throwing any old thing on just so I won't get caught out by the rain... Plus I haven't found anyone patient enough to take photos for me.

This is one of my favourite dresses because I love the cute watering cans design on it. The sleeves are really cute as well so when it warms up a bit I'll wear it sans jacket and leggings and show off more of the detail.

Dress - Joy, Denim Jacket - D&G, Belt and Leggings - Topshop

The next two things are from a game we were playing at my friends the other night - "You're in the Movies". If you have an Xbox I would highly reccommend it because it is such a fun party game. You have to play a couple of rounds doing silly things to get all of the actions and then at the end it gets put into a film - all very clever! The first one we did was better but this was the only one I remembered to record. At the end there is a little awards ceremony - I came last in both films as my 'acting' is atrocious!

My computer is not playing ball with regards to uploading the video so here is the link:

Me, Me and Me

Now I'm off to the beach to make the most of the sunshine!

Back from the beach - I forgot to mention that I was given this award from both Syd Vicious Lives and Through the Wilderness so thank you so much to them and I promise I will pass them on in a post next week but for now I am VERY sunburnt (in England? As if!) and need sleep!

Wet Weekend

2009-05-21T00:06:00.004+01:00

It has been so wet and miserable this week that for the most part I've been snoozing and watching Come Dine With Me, so dressing half decently hasn't been top of my list of priorities. I just want summer to be here - sunshine and a bit of warmth isn't too much to ask for surely?!

I went out for dinner avec mes parents ce soir and wore this jumpsuit. I had to wear it with the blazer (price per wear must be about 0.0003 pence now I reckon) because it is too chilly to go without.

My Dad was also desperate to be featured on my blog (I think he got a bit jealous that my mum has been on it and he's been overlooked - theres a good reason for that, sorry daddy!) so he got me to take a picture of him in his new jacket. My sister says it looks like something Elton John would wear - probably not something he wanted to hear after spending four hundred pounds on it.

Jumpsuit - H&M, Shoes and Necklace - New Look, Blazer - Charity Shop, Bag - Gioseppo

I also thought I'd share a couple of pictures from my camping trip which took place at the weekend. It was really fun but incredibly wet. We ended up in Llangollen in Wales and were able to cheat a bit at the whole camping idea because one of my friend's sister lives in the town in a gorgeous (warm and dry) cottage and was happy to provide us with cups of tea and shelter.

Our Campsite:

Me looking really butch - check out the socks and walking boots combo:

Two of my friends bought a kids tent - Charlotte is about 5ft10 and Tom is about 6ft4 - they encountered a few problems trying to put it up:

Lovely warm and dry cottage:

All the merry campers:

From these pictures the weather looks lovely - in reality it was really strange. We had sunny intervals and then torrential rain in between (more rain than sun) and it was pretty windy as well. I wouldn't mind going back if and when it gets a bit warmer though - 5-10 Degrees is just not tent temperature.

Chavtastic

2009-05-16T09:14:00.004+01:00

Sorry for any really late replies to comments - hopefully I'll be able to do that more promptly now because my exams are over... which means I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE until late September - a ridiculous amount of time off.

Just a quick post because I am going camping today (I really hope the weather stays OK because it was forecast torrential rain I think - my dad said rather than buying a tent I should invest in an aqua lung - always full of bright ideas).

This is my outfit from yesterday - I don't know why the picture is all bright and wierd but I didn't have time to sort it out. The demin jacket is a D&G one I've had since I was about 12. I think I wore it about three times back then, but I've rescued it from the depths of my warderobe and I think I've worn it about three times this week which is good! Finally getting my moneys worth.

Last night I went to a chav fancy dress party - it was the most comfortable evening ever - just sat around in a tracksuit - maybe I'll do it more often! Chav is a difficult one because in my opinion, unless you go really OTT, people might think that is just how you dress. I didn't get a full length shot unfortunately, but I think the beautiful hair and makeup is enough!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Good old K-Mo.

P.S. For those of you across the pond who are unfamiliar with the term 'chav', wikipedia describes it as 'an aggressive teenager or young adult, of working class background, who wears branded sports and casual clothing, who often engages in anti-social behaviour, and is often assumed to be unemployed or in a low paid job.' Hope that clears that up!

Glads & Tags

2009-05-11T17:52:00.002+01:00

Firstly, I bought this ice cream today - if you haven't had one before you have to push it up and then when you've finished there are Smarties in the little stick bit. I was trying to get the stick out to enable me to consume the rainbow goodness, got a little too enthusiastic and dropped them all on the floor. They were gobbled up by pigeons almost instantly.

Secondly, the boyfriend got me these Gladiator sandals for part of my birthday present (only a month and a day late) from River Island. I'm not usually a massive fan of theirs because they stamp their name on EVERYTHING, but these lovelies have avoided the branding which means that they can come home with me.

My feet aren't really a strange colour like this.

And finally, I was tagged by Ruta from Look Ugly in Photograph last week and have only just got round to doing it:

what is your current obsession? Fruit Punch Vitamin Water.
what are you wearing now? Katherine E Hamnett T Shirt, Pale blue button down skirt, Charity shop blazer, Harry the Parrot and my new gladiator sandals.
do you nap a lot? Not so much but I'd love to have one now instead of doing revision!
what is on your desk? Loads of revision notes, text books, a couple of boxes of accessories and a vase with a bunch of flowers in.
what would you like to learn to do? Learn how to fly a helicopter.
what’s for dinner? Tuna salad.
what was the last thing you bought? Employment Law textbook.
what is your favorite weather? Sunshine and snow!
do you believe in love at first sight? No, but it would save a lot of time!
what is your most challenging goal right now? To pass these next two exams and then find a suitable Hillbilly costume for the party I am going to (hillbilly themed) on Friday!
if you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where do you want it to be? In the mountains in Wengen, Switzerland.
what would you like to have in your hands right now? The winning lottery ticket or a blueberry muffin - either one.
what would you like to get rid of? Employment and Medical Law exams!
what languages can you speak? English, Bit of French and German, tiny bit of Latin and can ask for another glass of wine in Italian. Always handy.
what language(s) do you want to be able to speak? Fluent French and German
what do you want to be when you grow up? A solicitor
what's one thing you're looking forward to? New York in September!
what websites you visit constantly during the day? Facebook, Uni Website, Various Blogs, ASOS and net-a-porter.
if you were to pick up a pen right now, what would be the first thing you'd write? Something about Employment Law
if you you could be anywhere in the world at any point in time, where would you be? I'd be quite happy sat outside with a nice Pinot Grigio instead of in here amongst the text books.
what was the last movie you watched? Be Kind Rewind when I was looking after my cousin at the weekend.

+ what is one of your biggest pet peeves?
I hate it when people leave rubbish in my car!!

I don't really know who to tag so if you fancy doing it.. consider yourself tagged!

New York Red

2009-05-06T22:56:00.002+01:00

Not a very interesting outfit because once again I've just been revising (eight days to go!). I did however wear a spot of red lipstick - Chanel's 'New York Red' (I would recommend their lipsticks because they have got serious staying power), so I thought I may as well feature it on here because I do really like it, but at the same time don't really suit it (hence the reason why it doesn't get worn very often).

I do however love how lipstick looks on black and white photographs - nice and dark!

Blazer - Charity Shop, Dress - Urban Outfitters, Head Scarf - My Mum's, Shoes - Office, Ring - Manchester Airport, Belt - Independent Shop

I seem to have got myself addicted to Vitamin water - that was the second one of the day and it's an expensive habit. It's lovely! I did start off taking the outfit pics in my boyfriend's overgrown back garden but for some reason I just looked really lost and confused in all of them and he was getting impatient so in the end a quick snap in H&M changing rooms had to suffice (plus a cropped garden pic so I could feature the shoes).

Bed time for me - getting an early night for once. Hope everyone is having a lovely week!

Drip Drip Drop

2009-05-03T00:09:00.002+01:00

Exams, Exams, Exams.

It has been raining all week. And pretty cold too! I have had to welcome back my tights a couple of days this week - it's a good job I didn't move them all out of my room and back home like I planned to - cast ne'er a clout til may be out and all that jazz.

Apologies for the lack of posts, I've had my head (which is going to explode soon) stuck in a text book for what feels like seventy-two years. In actual fact it's only been about two weeks, but we'll over look that. Anyway I haven't done anything of particular interest - the highlight was probably looking after my cousin and his rabbits yesterday (even though this one scratched me right after the photo was taken), and the sun came out for a couple of seconds this afternoon so I dragged the boyfriend to the park to take a picture of my outfit.

Yesterday:

Today:

Yesterday's outfit: Rainmac - H&M, Dress - Zara, Necklace - Dorothy Perkins, Gold pumps - George at Asda
Today's outfit: Dress - Vintage, Green T-Bar sandals - Kurt Geiger, Watch - Cartier, Glasses - Chanel

I'm glad that other people also suffer with the shiny hand thing!

Another thing that I have learnt is that the ice cream van comes round at exactly twenty past four in the afternoon - which is a useful piece of information. I obviously have gone mad though because I keep thinking that I have his number and I can call him, rather like a taxi when I want my fix, and then get really disappointed when I remember that I just made that up.

This was a rather boring post - Next time I'll stop moaning about my work and try to find something interesting to say... Promise!

Flower Power

2009-04-27T23:13:00.003+01:00

These are a couple of pics from Friday evening when I went to a flat party to celebrate my friend's 21st birthday (she is the one in the gorgeous blue dress in the last pic - I forgot to get a proper picture of it). I bought this dress on the Friday from H&M and I love it. I don't usually like things with lace-up bits for fear of looking too tarty, but I think this works because of the girly floral print and longer length. I do look a bit like I'm going to an afternoon tea party rather than out on a Friday night, but I needed to wear this. I curled my hair too but it only stayed curly for around seven seconds, even after using a nearly a whole can of hair spray. Nice to have a slight change though! I think I'm in desperate need of some fake tan on my ghostly limbs.

Dress - H&M, Shoes - New Look, Bracelet - Small boutique in my home town, Bag - Vintage

I've got my first exam on Wednesday - Land Law - so I've just been knee deep in joint tenancies and tenancies in common, mortgages and easements for the past couple of weeks... Joy.

Does anyone else's hand go shiny when they write too much - Like the side of your little finger that touches the page? Or is it just me?

Special K

2009-04-24T11:54:00.004+01:00

This week has consisted of revision, more revision, and also revision. I've got my first exam next Wednesday, then two the week after, then two the week after that and then I am FREE AS A BIRD. I actually can't wait. The most excitement I've had all week was driving my boyfriend around to take some pictures for his uni project yesterday afternoon. I wore this red dress which makes me feel like I've just stepped out of a Special K advert.

I need to train Adam be more patient with the camera because he takes one when I am mid sentence and then bursts out laughing and doesn't want to take any more after that. I also messed around with the exposure/colour on the shoes pic to try and disguise my chipped nail polish. Pretty boring outfit really but I haven't had anything to make an effort for really.

Dress - H&M, Belt and Cardigan - Topshop, Straw Basket - Peacocks, Shoes - Kurt Geiger

We encountered a bit of rough terrain on our travels so these shoes probably weren't the best idea. They are pretty though.

This little cutie was looking at me from behind a charity shop window so I had to have him. Hopefully it will encourage me to save my money instead of spend it on pointless objects... but it probably won't.

Shoppingggg!

2009-04-20T22:07:00.010+01:00

On Saturday my wonderful friend Nicolaaa and I had a wander round Liverpool town centre. As usual we had Wagamama's for lunch, bought things we do not need at all and had a lovely time. We also stopped briefly for a little cake and a bit of people watching!

I do enjoy our shopping trips because together we find a way to 'justify' our ridiculous purchases. I look like a giant on this picture.

Dress - French Connection, Belt and Necklace - Mother's, Straw bag - Peacocks, Wedges - New Look, Gold Flats - Asda, Sunglasses - Rayban

I was dressed in something far too summery. I wasn't actually cold at any point, but it is only April and this sort of thing isn't quite acceptable. There were lots of scene kids around wearing hotpants so I didn't look too out of place. My cake was the mad chick one. Most of my life seems to involve some sort of cake. I'm glad I took a change of shoes because the wedges aren't very comfortable.

This is Harry - my completely unnecessary purchase of the day. I knew I didn't need him, but I carried him around H&M for a bit, named him and then couldn't just leave him and so had to buy him. I'm glad I did now - I wore him today and it was lots of fun.

I hope we have days out like this when we are old and grey and own tartan sholleys so we can get in the way of all the young folk.

Revision or Gingerbread?

2009-04-16T12:19:00.003+01:00

It's not a tough one is it? Gingerbread is always going to beat law revision.
It was fun making these - but I did have to go to Asda and then Tesco twice because I forgot a couple of ingredients.

This massive cardigan earned me a couple of funny looks from other shoppers.

I went and picked my new glasses up as well. I love them but I asked one of the members of staff at the opticians if she could make them a bit tighter and she seems to have just bent them out of shape a bit and not tightened them at all, so I’ll have to take them back at some point which is most annoying.

In other news I got some birthday pressies from Nikita – she got me some really cute floral hair bands that I can’t wait to wear with a sundress and this AMAZING glitter eye shadow palette. I want to put every shade on and dance the night away at Popworld.

Croquet anyone?

2009-04-12T11:58:00.008+01:00

For some reason, in the boot of my car I always have a miniature croquet set and a rounders bat and ball. I should take them out because my boot is only tiny but I know there would be times when I'd think "I'd love to play croquet now" and the equipment would stuck at home and I'd be very annoyed.

At my Nan's house yesterday afternoon was one of those times where we fancied a game so out it came! Afterwards we had a nice pot of tea in the garden.
The croquet game did get a bit agressive though, and we all fell out.

Leggings - Topshop, Dress - Urban Outfitters, Bag - "Guess"

I wore these rather colourful Topshop leggings which don't do an awful lot for my thighs, but we'll overlook that (they are also very Mr Motivator) . My nan bought me this bag from somewhere she stopped on a cruise a couple of months ago. It's rather garish and it's also a fake, and I do hate wearing fakes, so it was going to be abandoned at the back of the wardrobe but now that the sun has come out, I quite like it - it's a good size and nice and bright so it might be allowed out once in a while.

I was having a look through my mum's wardrobe last week and came across this little number - a blazerdress! Or so I thought.. it turns out that it's actually shorts underneath, but it is miles too small for me so I was thinking of turning the shorts into a skirt and letting it out some how (depressing haha) because I love it. I just about squeezed into it for a pic.

Dress - "Vintage" Joseph Ribcoff, Watch - Cartier, Hair - Needs Brushing

I'm also desperate to try out the crop-top trend - even though I've got big child bearing hips and thunder thighs, my tummy is quite flat so I think something high waisted with a crop top would look just about acceptable. Perhaps it can be my challenge for the week! Also thanks for all the Happy Birthdays :)

Happy Easter everyone!

Lamb Chop

2009-04-10T16:19:00.005+01:00

Today is my birthday and I'm definately still a teenager. Twenteen.

But because I'm still mumpy, any proper celebrations have been postponed. We used to have a friend called Alun who got mumps and then my friend and I used to refer to him as "Mumpy Alun" (got a nice ring to it don't you think?) forever more.. not to his face.. but it was in a cute sort of way. I now know that mumps are no where near cute.

Anyway for a bit of excitement, my mum and I put our country bumpkin type outfits on and went for a wander to see some St Bernards/all the lambs that live round the corner. They were SO cute and one of them sat by the wall so I could stroke it. I want one so much. The new part of the building behind them looked like it was a whole extension that had been put on just for the dogs!

My mum can't resist adding a bit of leopard print to any outfit - even when it's one for wandering through fields. No faces due to lack of makeup and puffiness.

Backpack - Urban Outfitters, Jumper - Charity Shop, Trousers - New Look

I'm actually wearing trousers! This never happens - I hate them, and they hate me. I actually left all of my clothes in uni and have just lived in pyjamas all week so my outfit choices are somewhat limited. The computer has taking a dislike to the picture of me too so it might appear too big, too small or all pixelated. I don't know why. Did anyone used to watch Lamb Chop? It was amazing.

Thank you for all of the get well soon messages on my last post! :)!

Mumpy mump mump.

2009-04-08T15:51:00.005+01:00

I've got mumps. It's not fun. And it's my birthday on friday! Rubbish.

I've been trying to put my finger on what I look like - a hamster or gerbil? One of the mutants from The Hills have Eyes? I wasn't sure. Then I looked in the mirror this morning and it hit me: The receptionist from monsters inc.

That is actually what I look like... but only on one side which apparently means (lucky me) I can get it again on the other side in years to come.

My camera has run out of battery as well and I left the charger in uni, so no actual pictures. There are however two plus points to this illness (always look on the briiiight side of life.. di dum di dum di dum and all that jazz), firstly it has saved me money - I've been at home so haven't had to buy any food and I haven't been able to go to the shops and secondly it really hurts to eat so that extra half a stone I've been trying to shift is slipping away quite nicely (I know it will go back on really quickly but lets ignore that). I went to the doctors yesterday even though theres nothing they can do because I think you just have to notify them and I had to wait in the car rather than in reception so I didn't pass it on. Felt like a leper!

I was having a little look on urbanoutfitters.com and getting very jealous that everything is so much cheaper than the co.uk version and all the 'Apartment' stuff is so fun! Not fair.

Two things that would make my life complete are:

I love snails.

One Tequila, Two Tequila...

2009-04-05T00:14:00.013+01:00

Yesterday was my boyfriend's 21st birthday so we all went for a spot of lunch in the day time and then went out in the evening and danced our socks off. I bought him some snazzy new footwear, and of course made a cake.

It was the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse this weekend and yesterday was 'Ladies Day' so town was PACKED with very orange 'ladies' (one of them tried to attack one of my friends with her shoe) staggering around in mostly terrible dresses and hats.
My favourite pictures from the night where these pre and post tequila ones! Podium fun!

To escape the ladies day crowds, we headed to a big more 'alternative' if you like, club called the Krazyhouse (I think it's the type of place you should stop going after first year of uni but it's a good laugh anyway). They sell Sex on the Beach flavoured slush puppie type drinks which are AMAZING. The £3 blazer took another trip out because the Miss Selfridge dress I have on has no sleeves. You can't really see it from these pics but it has really cute ruffles down the front of it. I can't wait to get my new camera so you can actually see detail on photos. The shoes are a pair from Primark which are now completely ruined and the dotty hair bow is from a charity shop.

More exciting than all of this, I got my first award from the super stylish Style Porn which excited me so much so thank youuuu!! I shall do as I'm told and treasure it! :D

Some lovely blogs which take up a lot of my time and deserve this are She's Dressing up, Niviarsiaq, Leopard Print & Lace, and Stitched - thank you to them for providing me with something lovely to read!

I also had a little flutter on the Grand National today and won a tenner on 'Comply or Die' I also bet on 'Rambling Minster' who was one of the favourites but didn't do very well. The odds for the winner were 100-1 - imagine chancing a quid on it! One hundred pounds, thankyou very much! We went to the book makers with my nan - I pointed out that it was lovely of her to take her grand daughters for a day out gambling. And I've decided I'm actually quite good at picking horses.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends as much as I am!

P.S. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts on glasses! I did enjoy reading all of them! :)

New Glasses Time!

2009-04-01T23:55:00.001+01:00

I've been bad again this week post wise! I went to get some new glasses today because my current ones (even though they are only about a year old) are looking a bit worse for wear. I seem to have got a bit 'stuck in a rut' glasses wise, but it's a good rut so I don't really mind. The past three pairs of glasses that I've had have been Chanel, and two of them have been nice black plastic ones. My mum gets so mad with them - she doesn't like me hiding behind them and would prefer me to wear ones with much lighter frames, which just aren't as fun. I feel very safe behind my chunky frames (I can almost get away with having bags under my eyes and smudged makeup), and I also have them to thank for my interest in fashion - when I got my first black pair, some confidence stirred inside me and allowed me to play around a bit more with my clothes. I used to live in t-shirts and jeans, feeling constantly awkward and unattractive... but now I feel that I know what works for me - what I like and what I don't, and I put this down to wearing something quite bold on my face every day.

This probably doesn't make a lot of sense because I can't really explain it properly, but basically in contact lenses, I feel vulnerable, in glasses... invincible!

Black Plastic Pair Number One:

Black Plastic Pair Number Two:

Black Plastic Pair Number Three:

I am really interested to know how other glasses wearers feel about their specs, so if you are visually challenged, let me know if you love them or loathe them!

Also, I went to see "The Boat that Rocked" tonight and absolutley loved it. I would like to encourage you to rush out to your local cinema and view it A.S.A.P.

Pret Addict

2009-03-26T21:56:00.007Z

I've been to Pret a Manger a grand total of three times this week. It has become my new obsession.

I read in one of their little booklets, that if you write in and say something nice about a member of staff... they get sent a little silver star from Tiffanys! Amazing! I've also been to the gym three times though so I think I deserve it.
Just looking at this makes me salivate... Chicken with some kind of herby dressing and rocket and a pot of tea.

Whilst in town, I popped into Mac to see if they still had the pale pink Hello Kitty lipstick that I saw yesterday. It had sold out! But I got this "Tinted Lip Conditioner" which is rather lovely. It's a nice subtle colour, makes my lips soft and has added sun protection too which is nice because my lips seem to burn very easily. A good one for the handbag! Apparently it's also good for applying to the cheeks for a bit of extra colour but I haven't tried that yet.
Probably the most subtle lipwear I have.. except for yesterday's one of course...

Apologies for the consistently poor quality of my photos.. I need I new camera/face. One of them I will be getting in about two weeks (hopefully)!

This coat got taken out today because it was raining. Nikita says it looks like a Quality Street wrapper. Personally I quite like it! It was from a little boutique in Cannes from my trip in September. I might also buy the shorts in the pic next week (it was too cold today to spend money on shorts)... they are a Primark rip off of the American Apparel ones. I would rather have the AA ones, but I don't think I'll wear them that much (unless my thunder thighs just vanish over night) so I may as well get the cheaper ones.
I really need to tidy up... My room is a state. I'm working all weekend - RUBBISH. Hope you all have lovely weekends!

Dancing, Sparkles and Noodles

2009-03-25T19:36:00.009Z

Last night involved another trip into town (Popworld was visited as usual), and I didn't do Karaoke because the DJ decided it was too late to do it.. I put my name down and everything! So close! I did however get a Ben and Jerry's ice cream sandwich on the way home which was unexpected but lovely all the same. Today I had a wander round town with my friend Roger and got a gold glitter lipstick (which I'll never wear) and Wagamama's take out for my tea (Duck Gyoza and Chilli Chicken Ramen.. yum yum yum!).

I wore this too-short lacy dress from a random shop in my Nan's village.. It's actually backless but it was far too cold to brave it without a coverup. I'm not entirely sure what is going on with the hair but it wasn't really behaving last night.. probably because it was crimped to within an inch of it's life the day before. My good friend Mr Tom Donnelly got to pop world in time to do karaoke and actually won a "Pop World Idol" certificate which promoted him to a god in my eyes.. hence the worshipping.

This is my beautiful friend Nikita - I loved this dress on her it was such a good colour, shape and length and looks wonderful with her amazingly curly hair! And below is Roger after stealing my hair flower, a daisy ring and my Magners.
And finally the glitter lipstick from today:How fun is that?! Also I got paid today and I was thinking about buying one of the Mac Hello Kitty lipsticks.. has anyone tried them? Are they any good or is it just the packaging that is worth having?