Quite a heartbeat

Follow my blog with Bloglovin I like to pretend shop when I'm bored and Polyvore only feeds this addiction. After the snow decided to ruin my running plans this weekend, I decided it was only fair to have two duvet days and serious amounts of tv and ice cream instead. I am incapable of doing one thing at a time so you can usually expect me to be online shopping, watching tv and doing work all at the same time. Here's what I made this weekend:

Evening style by soffiek featuring floral handbags

Summer casual by soffiek featuring denim tops

Workwear by soffiek featuring colorblock heels

Take a walk

I've managed to survive the week... just. After three days of feeling like death I have come out of the other side just in time for the weekend! Plenty of cleaning and marking awaits but I'm going to mix it with a fair amount of window shopping, film watching and spending time with the lovely Tait. By window shopping, I mean trying on all of the most expensive dresses and pretending that I will one day by able to buy one! It can't hurt can it?

Thought I'd share some recent bits and pieces that I've been after. I think the pastel sandals will HAVE to form part of my summer wardrobe. They look almost identical to pair on ASOS. You will find me rummaging in the local Primark soon. True story.

Sweetest downfall

Still not back to full blogging mode but trying my best to keep it up. It seems that I've been feeling particularly dark recently judging by my book and film choices so it only makes sense for my fashion choices to go the same way. I feel like I want to dress in black and studs everyday. Maybe I should become a goth?

Anyway, the shoes below are all from Missguided - my new favourite online shoe shop. I am SO in love with the pair on the bottom right that I am seriously considering buying them in a few months. Possibly a bad idea considering I am the clumsiest person in the world! Devil on my shoulder says 'buy theeeem, you only live once' and the angel says 'no, you must eat and not spend your pennies on shoes which you will wear a few times a year!' - fair point.

Maybe I'll just look then.

End of time

I'm off to V festival in August with the lovely Lauren and I'm already looking forward to it. I can't afford a holiday this year so the festival is my summer treat. It turns out that being an adult is pretty expensive and I can't just go and do whatever I want. Who knew? I'm keeping an eye out for festival attire and a few things caught my eye in Topshop this weekend when I went for a little browse. I don't normally go into Topshop as I think it's mostly overpriced and you can normally find the same thing somewhere else but something drew me in this time. Aztec style clothes were everywhere and I flitted about like an excited little bird as I picked things up to try on. Of all the patterns and colours, I find Aztec things the most flattering and easy to wear. Mostly monochrome, patterned but not 'loud' and it still looks quite different.

Below are a few things I'm going to be looking for similar versions of. There is no way I am paying £25 for some denim shorts when I could just make them myself! I'm trying to think about practical festival wear this year. Note: maxi dresses and festival toilets are not a good combination. I think the best plan is to layer EVERYTHING and that way I'm prepared for rain or shine. All of the items below are from Topshop - I was being lazy when putting this post together!

I'm not sure if I can still get away with wearing hi-tops but I think they look good on everyone at the moment so they had to go on my wishlist. Then I just thought lots of different tops, some plain shorts and accessories to keep me going. I love the belt although I don't know how bothered I would be to sort a belt out when I'm stuck in a tent feeling gross.

The rain outside is suggesting that my festival shopping might be a little bit early. Think I'll stick to films and ice cream for a while!

Spring in your step

What a long week! It's been frosty and horrible the whole time and I'm pretty sure I've forgotton what it feels like to be warm. No one should have to sleep with two duvets on their bed. Ridiculous.

Anyway, I'm pretending to myself (while sat here fully clothed under two duvets) that spring isn't far away and I must immediately begin planning my wardrobe. I'm also pretending that I have the money to do this. ASOS has a new feature which allows you to save items and so here are mine. I prefer looking at accessories on ASOS because the sizes of their clothes seem a bit funny on me. Here's my accessory love so far:

The bright nail varnish is perfect for summer and it really reminds me of the Mulberry Spring Summer Campaign and those gorgeous flashes of yellow. I'm not a yellow wearer really, but I can definitely work it in there with nail varnish or the yellow flats I've also chosen above. The Mulberry campaign also has some really pretty pastel colours which have already influenced me and made me crave mint green and baby blue. The baby blue clutch (above) is so cute and would look really good with a cream or white dress. I've also added the pink belt with birds on because a) the pastel pink isn't too girlie and b) I love belts with a bit of detailing on. The other items on my saved list are brilliant basics - black and gold sandals which can be worn with anything, a big chunky watch and the beautiful Whistles black purse which would fit nicely inside the bright red satchel! The red lipstick is there because it's my default colour and I'd wear it with a black dress and the pink/creamy coloured purse. I was surprised that I liked the floral belt (in the centre) because it's not normally my kind of thing but I could imagine wearing it with a white tunic and giant wavy hair.

I can almost feel the sunshine now.

 

FASHION FIX #17

Christmas boredom has meant that I've been looking at lots of blogs and fashion images. I've picked a few of my favourites to share. I had never really thought about the type of clothes I was attracted to before but there seems to be a trend here. Most of the clothes I'm drawn to are simple with a twist. I like quirky, but not too quirky. I like expensive looking, but not overdone. Oh, and the bottom photo? That's going to be my life one day.

Images taken from Studded Hearts (all sources on her blog)

Stylistpick

I love shopping but even I hate the January sales. Frantic shopping is the worst kind. I don't like the idea of battling someone for that last dress or deciding that if I buy a size 6 it will be fine if I just diet into it. Neither of those things are acceptable! I woke up this morning to an email from Stylistpick informing me that all of their products are currently £15 with a discount code. I've been signed up to them for a while and not bought anything yet. They work on the idea that each item is priced at £39.95 and that each month you have a new 'showroom' which has been picked for you. You might have heard of them because Cheryl Cole has just created a new, more expensive line for them. Anyway, I logged onto the site wondering if I could find myself a bargain and ended up finding three things I desperately wanted!

Here are the three:

The bright red shoes are so beautiful that I really had to talk myself out of it. The £15 bargain was only valid on one item so I had to choose. I do need a new clutch bag but I have been looking for some black boots like these for months and so they won. The boots are on their way to me and I'm hoping that they'll last right through the end of winter and spring. I feel boring for ordering those over the gorgeous high heels but I was being practical for once!

Stylistpick works with a variety of stylists who create your profile and then select items according to that. My favourite stylist is Louise Roe. She never gets it wrong. Here are her December favourites.

My new 2012 girl crush. 

Just something to note if you sign up to Stylistpick: Once you have ordered your first item, you then become a VIP member. This means that each month they take £39.95 out of your account as a membership fee and you are then free to choose an item to be sent to you each month. If you don't choose something then that will count as a credit and you can use it the next month. However, if you don't want to pay the fee then just skip each month before the 5th and you don't have to pay. I'll definitely be doing that as I don't think I can justify spending £40 on shoes a month!

x

FASHION FIX #16

This year has been an expensive one for me and so Christmas will be tight. Normally I buy all of the presents for others and then have enough to get myself a few treats too but I'll have to hope that someone else treats me this time. I guess I did buy myself a car and decide to live on my own so I've not been completely irresponsible. I've also been super organised this year and have got all of the presents already and written all of my cards. Call me sad, but I say I'm just well prepared! Maybe I'm getting boring and growing up?

Anyway, none of that stops me dreaming about glittery outfits. I tend to trawl online sites on the weekend just to see what's around so here are some of my favourite picks. I thought I'd share and it might save one person the hassle of taking hours to find that perfect dress.

Just incase Santa is listening... I'm a size ten and shoe size 7. Thanks Mr Claus! I'll leave a mince pie out.

First up is Dressrail. It's a really cheap website which I've only just discovered. There are some lovely dresses but also some I would steer clear of. It's just a case of finding the good ones I think! The two dresses below are particularly Christmassy and I just like the boots for winter wear (not with the dresses, obviously!) I get scared walking about in heels when it's rainy and cold so I rely on wedges and skinny jeans if I can!

Boohoo.com started off as a really small business but it's grown and grown in the last few years. So much for my undiscovered secret! They are also guilty of throwing a few dodgy items in but mostly they have some nice, quirky dresses and chunky shoes. I really like the mustard top because it has black down the sides which creates a bit of a slimming effect!

Fashion Union is relatively new and pretty cheap. I love both of these dresses and I could buy these shoes in endless colours!

I find it really hard to pick things from Miss Selfridge just because I tend to love it all. Some of their party dresses can be really short but that might just be because I'm 5'9 and they don't design them for people that tall. Those red wedges look gorgeous!

I generally save Topshop shopping for sale time and treats for other people. The lipstick here is my favourite colour; I seem to wear it on every night out and I'm starting to feel lost without my bright red lips.

It's got to be acceptable to get excited about Christmas now. There's less than a month left and my advent calendar is waiting to be opened. The Coca Cola advert has been on TV and Tess Daly is draped in glitter every week on Strictly. My favourite Christmas type advert at the moment is the lovely Michael Buble Christmas album. Ah Buble. I don't even want the album but I love the man and the advert!

Pieces form the whole.

 I think most people would agree that Stephen Fry is an absolute legend. Not only is he ridiculously intelligent, charming, self-deprecating and witty but he is also humble and speaks openly about his bipolar disorder. There should be more people like him in this world! His current tv series The Word is brilliant - particularly the episode 'Uses and Abuses' which looks at the way taboo and swearing feature in our lives. I've been watching back on iPlayer and laughing along with him but also feeling the need to ask more questions about society and language itself. I know I'm an English and Media teacher and I'm bound to be interested in this kind of thing but it genuinely is very interesting and the series covers so many issues and ideas that people need to think about. The Uses and Abuses episode  also looks at racism and homosexuality and how certain words can offend different groups. This is something I feel really strongly about and wish more people knew what is acceptable and what clearly isn't. Plus, hearing him try and speak 'hip hop' language is worth it just for that! Go and watch the wisdom of Fry as he swears his way through an hour of television. Follow him on twitter @stephenfry for some of his fantastic tweets. His latest one says: 'Apology and embarrassment are the twin pillars of British culture. We even apologise for apologising. Sorry about that.'
 

Talking of abuses, half term, halloween, bonfire night and Christmas are fast approaching. This can only mean lots of social events and the need to buy new clothes, hence heavily abusing my bank account. Tenuous?

I realise that my shopping could be seen as excessive by some but as I'm not addicted to anything else, I think it's acceptable. The only problem is that I hate shopping in busy places when people will basically wrestle clothes out of your hands and barge you out of the way. Internet shopping is my friend. I don't actually order from the internet all that often but I look online at shops first and then know what I'm looking for when I am brave enough to head into town. It stops me spending hours in there and also makes me less likely to buy random things I didn't have on my list. However, there are a few online shops that could definitely convince me to stay in and order clothes to my door...

Pretaportobello.com - This is one of my favourite online sites. I can always see something on there that I like and feel the need to save up for. I'm yet to actually buy something from there but it won't be long before I'm pulled in. I need that bag in my life.

 

Urban Outfitters- I know this is a high street shop but as far as I'm aware, there isn't one in Nottingham yet. I love their accessories and handbags but the shoes aren't really my thing! They're a bit big and clompy for my taste.

Another of my favourites (Yayer.co.uk) has some beautiful outfits at the moment. Stripy maxi dress and arrow necklace. LOVE.

The shopping has to take a backseat at the moment as I'm concentrating on a self improvement mission. This involves a variety of things that I've decided to do such as read more books (three new ones have just arrived in the post), watch more films (hello free lovefilm subscription), cook more (new cake tin avec mini santa and chocolate stars bought in preparation for a Christmas cake) and also just to do more things in general. I get bored if I have nothing new to accomplish so these are my mini missions for a while! I also rearranged my blog homepage when I was bored so if you've managed to navigate yourself here then hopefully it isn't too confusing...

I have been singing this song all week so I thought it was only fair that I inflict it on others.

FASHION FIX #15

I've been so busy this weekend seeing people and working that I haven't had much time to update. I use the blog as a place to store all of the things I like so that when shopping time comes around I can have a look back and see what I want. Saves me putting hundreds of bookmarks on the computer! Thought I'd share a few fashion favourites. Not long until payday now...

Forever 21. I've got a bit of a thing about gold and leopard print at the moment. I think when it gets near Christmas (yes, I said it) I become more and more attracted to shiny things. I love Forever 21 but the nearest one is in Birmingham and internet shopping is hassle when you have a dodgy postman, so I only go to the actual shop a few times a year and end up buying everything in sight.

Shoes I need in my life. Ankle boots are better when it gets cold and they also have a bit more grip. As I'm the clumsiest person in the world, I always need grip. I don't actually see myself buying the barbie pink ones but I thought they would look fun worn with an all black outfit (which I often wear!)

Top row: River Island

Second row: Aldo

Bottom row: Missguided.com

Topshop accessories. I only really buy stuff from Topshop when it's in the sale because I think it can sometimes be overpriced and you can usually find a similar, cheaper version somewhere else but the accessories always tempt me in! More gold and over the top decoration for Autumn.


Things I'm enjoying:

• London Fashion Week tumblr - a good way to see what I missed
• Ebay - It's super addictive and my competitive streak means I need to keep winning bids!
• Gyming it with the girlies after a hard week at work
• Gluten and wheat free food... it means I don't need an immediate sleep after eating.
• Love film membership = getting to see films I've been meaning to watch for ages.
• Rain outside when you're all toasty in bed
• The Big Bang Theory

and this...