Winter-Spring

At the moment, it's the awkward transition phase between Winter and Spring. Well, not really it's January-but I like to tell myself that Spring will be soon! The weather seems to alternate between cold and warm just after this time of year, so I  wanted to create a look that will be suitable for both Winter and Spring. Every component in this outfit is from the high street, and although they vary In price, many of the items are staple pieces that you can use year-round.

Let's start off with the jeans. These high-waisted 'mom jeans' from Topshop are perfect for this time of year because of the cropped leg. This means that they can be worn with flats when it is warmer, or you can cover your legs with boots on chillier days. This style of jean is similar to the 'boyfriend' and has a straight cut and is slightly baggy, yet still flattering for any figure. These jeans come to £40 which on the surface may seem a bit much; however they are a year-round staple and are bound to be of a good quality. I'm sure that this style of jean is available across the high-street; I think investing in a good quality pair of jeans is often a wise move.

I decided to pair these jeans with a pair of tanned suede-style moccasins. Firstly, may I say that these shoes look so comfortable? They add a summery vibe to the jeans, but also an earth-toned edge to the colour scheme to ensure the outfit isn't too light and insipid. These shoes are perfect for Spring and Summer and can be worn with pretty much anything. Be aware that this pair of shoes, which are £22.99, are from the wide fit section of New Look, however they stock similar and cheaper styles.

I wanted to pair the brown pumps with a similarly coloured bag to balance out the light colours in this outfit, so when I saw this satchel on the Asos website, I knew it would be perfect. I love the scalloped detail on the top edge of the bag and the gold accents, which make it slightly differ to the stereotypical satchel. This bag is £30. Personally, I wouldn't pay this much for a bag that isn't real leather as there is no guarantee that it could withstand everyday wear and tear, but it is really a really unique twist on a classic accessory.

The cream, knitted jumper is £15 from H&M, which I think is a good price. Although, if you are a pastel fan, check out the jumper range in Primark as it features mint green and baby pink styles similar to the cream one featured. I think this jumper is a brilliant piece to have as it will go with virtually anything. Tucked into a skirt, worn over a dress or with shorts and also with jeans. Depending on the temperature outside, you can layer different tops with this jumper to ensure it is suitable for the weather outside.

I think I have a thing for animal and insect watches. The £85 price tag deters me, but I am in love with this watch. It blends beautifully with the gold accents in the satchel and the earthy colours featured. There's nothing more to say apart from: I love this watch.

I felt like this outfit was missing something. A pop of colour. I chose this Barry M Nail Paint in Red Wine. This deep shade of red blends well with the neutral tones in the look yet stands out simultaneously. I love Barry M polishes because they are amazing shiny, even in the absence of a top coat and at £2.99, what's not to love?! My only criticism is that the polish does have a tendency to chip very quickly.

Thanks for reading this week; I hoped you enjoyed the post!
What is your favourite item in this outfit?

 

woodland

It's still Winter, I know, but whilst 'online window shopping' I found a few bits and pieces that made me really excited about Spring. Woodland creatures feature on everything from clothes, to home ware and accessories.

1) This bracelet is absolutely beautiful. I love the earthy look, contrasted with the gold colour. I normally like to stack bracelets, but I feel that this piece would look gorgeously delicate on its own. It is from maxandchloe.com and is $14. I don't know if this company ship internationally but I'm sure you can find similar bracelets online.

 

2) This rabbit night light is the cutest thing. I actually bought this for my sister at Christmas from my favourite online shop, dotcomgiftshop. For £4.95, this light is so affordable and comes with batteries. As my sister has this, I know first-hand that this product is of a good quality. This light doesn't illuminate a room, but it creates a glow similar to a candle, yet safer.

 

3) I love this watch. Similar to the twig bracelet, this watch is gold coloured, simplistic and delicate. It can be found at John Lewis for £65. Although this is quite a lot for a watch, it is an everyday piece that would blend well with a range of different outfits. I love the intricate 'mesh' detailing on the strap and the beautiful burst of earth-tone colours emanating from the hummingbird central to the watch face.

 

4) This perfume is a personal favourite of mine. I love the crisp, floral scent which smells just like Spring. From Boots, the price of this scent ranges from £29.50-£63.50. The smaller, £29.50, bottle is amazing value for money if you are new to this perfume. You receive a little bottle with an extra tube of perfume to refill it. This version lasted me a year, although I used it sparingly!

 

5) I adore Paperchase because of their cutesy, themed, ranges. This woodland range is one of my favourites as it features adorable phone cases, scrapbooks and notepads. I love this notebook because of the busy, floral, design and the mix of bright and earthy colours. It was so difficult to pick one product from this range so I recommend that you check out the other woodland themed products! This book is £8 but you are most definitely paying for quality in Paperchase

 

6) Sorry, this lunchbox is also from dotcomgiftshop! I adore this shop as they are so reasonable but they stock amazing products. This box is the perfect size to fit in your handbag and the design is so vintage and pretty. Like the rabbit night light, this product is also £4.95. I own one of these boxes myself and I can tell you that the quality is great and the design on the top has lasted since summertime. 

 

 

 

Q and A a Day: 5-year Journal

This post isn't fashion, but it's a little 'project' that really excites me and I want to share it with you. Q and A a Day: 5-Year Journal. The title is pretty self-explanatory but, basically, this book asks you a question every day of the year. Then, for the next four years, you repeat the process, answering the same questions. By doing this, you can see how your answers and how you, as a person, change over the years. My Auntie, Uncle and cousins gave me this for Christmas after I was really intrigued about the book. What I love about it is that some days the questions are really deep and thought-provoking and other days they are very simplistic, for example "what was the last book you read?"

The idea of writing an extensive daily journal or diary doesn't quite appeal to me. You have those days when you have no idea what to write. But with this book, you write in a different way. You can reflect on the day through a different perspective, whilst only writing a bite-sized chunk. 

The book itself is small and compact which fits perfectly in your handbag when you have a spare minute to fill it out. 

I am excited to read my personal time capsule in five years so I can laugh at my responses from 2014! I really recommend that you get one of these books; I look forward to writing in it each day! 

 

Bows

As a fan of hair bows, I thought that it would be necessary to make a visit to (probably) the best bow retailer of all time. American Apparel. Although I had never been to the shop before, I have heard such good things about it online. I love wearing big bows as a way to jazz up the everyday "half up, half down" style or to put in front of a messy bun.

To my surprise, the prices in the shop were pretty high; however every product was of an impeccable quality. The small bows in the store were around £7 and the bigger ones were £12. I couldn't really justify spending £12 on just a bow but, to my surprise, my favourite was half price! It is a gorgeous green plaid with white, black and red-perfect for Winter. The material is a high quality flannel which is soft and of such an amazing quality. I like to wear it with a black dress to add a subtle amount of colour in the winter. I was lucky with my sale item, but I won't be making a habit of splurging on bows!