Aug 29, 2011

A Bank Holiday Bargain

The Bank Holiday Monday car boot in Swillington, Leeds is one of my favourites, so at 7am I jumped (crawled) out of bed, slipped on my wellies and made my way over to the muddy fields. Halfway round, with nothing in my canvas bag and a purse full of pounds, I began to write the morning off and was already dreaming of my bacon sandwich back home. And then, in the corner of my eye, I spotted something…

The bearded man on the stall said £20, I haggled him down to £15, handed over my money and lugged this beauty back to the car. Thanks to advice from Fashionista Barbie, I used the serial number to look up the year this model was made – 1896! A real piece of history.

She’s missing her box and the wooden handle that turns the wheel, but she still looks the part. I’m not much of a seamstress (although she does work perfectly!), so for now she’ll sit on my desk. Definitely one of my best boot sale buys!

Did you pick up any bargains this weekend?

Little Bird Loves… Topshop Makeup

Posted in Fashion.

Lipsticks in Rio Rio and Brighton Rock, lipgloss in Bubblegum

Liner in black and liner brush

Cream blushers in Head Over Heels and Neon Rose

Liner brush and tweezers

I’m very fickle when it comes to makeup – apart from my beloved Rimmel Hide The Blemish concealer which I’ve been buying for 11 years, I’m easily swayed by discounts and freebies and love to try new products. I’m rarely loyal to one brand and have flirted with everyone from Benefit to Estée Lauder.

When Topshop launched their makeup collection I bought a cream blush just to give it a try. I was so impressed I went back for a different shade, then decided to try a few of the lipsticks, a lipgloss, the tweezers…

And now I’m officially in love. The cream blushers are rich and long lasting (Neon Rose is the shade I wear in my outfit shots), the lipsticks glide on smoothly and stay put for hours. After a decade of avoiding lipgloss, this pouty pink shade has won me over and the liner is blackest black – perfect for creating a flicky cats eye. I’m a sucker for pretty packaging too, so the art student scribbling satisfies my shallow side.

Topshop makeup is really reasonably priced – lipsticks are £8, blushers £6 – and lasts well too. These products have become permanent fixtures in my makeup bag and I’ll keep adding to my collection. My flirting days are over!

Pretty Pants

Posted in Fashion.

Pants, all £1-3, Topshop

I love fancy underwear but I refuse to pay £12 for a pair of pants, so usually end up buying a pack of 6 in black from M&S. Thrifty yes, but also rather dull.

While browsing the Topshop sale I discovered a rack dedicated to pretty pants, and when I spied their £1-3 price tags I started rummaging.

I came away with (whisper it) 15 pairs in various shades of girly. And they’re all size 16, because underwear sizing is ridiculous. I’m not complaining though – I’ve revamped my knicker drawer for less than £30.

Project Take 10 Challenge 14 – Lomography

Posted in Daily Outfits, Fashion.

Take 10 isn’t all about shoes, clothes and accessories, y’know. This styling decagon is branching out into consumer goods, and our first non-wearable challenge item is a… camera?

When I first heard we’d be styling up a Lomography camera, I was confused. Every camera I’ve owned has been an ugly lump of black or silver plastic – definitely not something worthy of an entire blog post. But then I discovered the Diana. She’s small, cute and comes in a range of colours and patterns for the fashion-conscious photographer. The perfect candidate for a blogger styling challenge!

Diana Mini ‘Love is in the Air’

Charity shop dress, Georgia Rose sandals c/o Sarenza, belt c/o Next, Topshop ring

I chose the adorable ‘Love is in the Air’ style and matched the bright blue of my camera with this sunshine yellow chiffon dress, picked up from a charity shop for £4.49. I love how the clouds on the camera work with the dreamy florals on the dress.

I removed the flash for styling purposes but I’m genuinely excited to get out there and take some snaps. The Diana gives photos a soft-focus, over-exposed effect – perfect for an Instagram/Photoshop Actions addict like me.

Here’s how the other girls styled their cameras…

L-R: Harriet, MJ, Vicki, Sabine, Ellie, Susie, Sarah, Sherin, Paula and me.

What do you think – can a cute camera be part of an outfit? Or do I look like an overdressed tourist?

Inspiration for Life – Bertie AW11 Collection

Posted in Fashion.

It’s very rare that I post about brand campaigns or collections. Lots and lots of blogs do that, and when press images do the rounds it’s hard to find an original way to present them. But when these images landed in my inbox I was bowled over by them – I love the styling, the composition of the shots, the clothes, the shoes, the home furnishings… just take a look!

The images are part of Bertie’s new AW campaign and have given me so much wardrobe inspiration – this season I’ll definitely be pairing my plum-coloured pencil skirt with my leather biker jacket, wearing frilly ankle socks with chunky wedges and digging out silk scarves to tie around my head. I love the ‘country pub’ setting too – the last image sent me straight to eBay to search for stag heads, vintage pianos and tasselled lampshades.

Much fashion editorial leaves me cold, but this vintage-inspired, county chic shoot has me pining for crisp brown leaves and a cool autumn breeze. And because I’m a little bit shoe-obsessed at the moment (I blame the Melissas), here are my favourites from Bertie’s AW collection…

Julietta (also in khaki)
My love for heeled ankle boots knows no bounds… these would look great with a cute floral tea dress and bright tights.