FLYING SAUCER

Creepers Take 2

OK slight change in my creepers! My leopard ones were just that bit too big so I formulated a plan and sold them on eBay and got a new pair with the Paypal money! If you're worried about buying creepers, mine sold for £60 on eBay in less than 24hrs so you can always resell if your size isn't right. I realised I'd got a UK men's 6 which turns out to be a UK women's 7, and I'm a 5.5! Definitely make sure you're ordering ladies. It's really hard to find small sizes but I ordered mine on Sunday here in a UK 6 and they came today on Tuesday with free delivery, amazing! They are a bit big too but that's because they're so stiff and my ankles aren't very big, so I'll just wear some socks. Also the 101s are reeeeally heavy; I was worn out after 20 mins of walking! Can't wait to wear them with Riding Pants! Check out this great video for outfit ideas too x

River Island Wish List

Pink Leopard Top // Pink Rose Jeans // Dark High Waist Jeans // Printed Pencil Skirt // Black Floral Sweater // Black Tropical Pencil Skirt // Neon Lazer Cut Clutch // Black Stripy Blazer // Aztec Flourescent Leggings // Black Floral Leggings

Right now... right now... resisting temptation and stepping away from the website... argh! So I'm trying to save money like crazy in order to go on some holidays and generally get out of here and away this year but it's rather hard at the start of the season with all this lovely newness. There are loads of things I'm loving right now and I'm like a magpie to prints. How good would the floral sweater and leggings be together in a nod to the pyjamas-in-the-daytime and head-to-toe-prints trends? Very! Absolutely perfect for maybe a Thursday at the office. However I'm mentally visualising if all these things were suddenly sitting in my wardrobe right now and how I could always wake up and wear something else in there. I've got a couple new things that still feel jazzy (internet shopping ftw) so I'm moving on. Tough stuff! Miss my River Island discount!

Hi to my bathroom

My Blackberry is practically left in a ditch now I have a work phone and recently I've been obsessed with the What I Wore Today app, where you basically upload outfit photos. It's a no frills site so you don't have to have a tip top edgy outfit, but you end up stumbling across some really cool people and find great new blogs. I love finding really new blogs that don't have perfect camera photos with a boyfriend/tripod yet and just show a normal girl's great style, just like the old days. Lots of blogs seem quite similar nowadays! I've been logging my outfits here for a few weeks as I am eternally awkward infront of a tripod, but I might take a leaf out of Laura of A Daisy Chain Dream's book and not try to scrutinise my photos (I met Laura recently with lovely Hayley of Ceriselle and she's a babe!). Treat yourself how you would treat a best friend right! For now, WIWT is my go to obsession though.

So maybe next week I'll set up my tripod permanently and maybe make some videos again but right now here's a few snaps of my general outfits recently. Above is the debut of my Riding Pants woo! It's like wearing a Spanx/legging hybrid and they're so truly high waisted, it's great. Favourite purchase in a long time! I wore them with my Topshop Allegras, a metallic H&M jumper and a gold H&M collar necklace and rip-off arty ring.

 

Outfit 1: Wildfox Tee, River Island Leopard Skirt // Outfit 2: Topshop Floral Dress (you can still get the skirt)// Outfit 3: Forever 21 Fluffy Jumper over H&M pleather skater dress // Outfit 4: River Island fur coat, New Look kids snood, new glasses (!!!), Jack Wills floral leggings (Christmas present), Topshop leather rucksack (This was a Saturday, I was going to the supermarket!) // Outfit 5: H&M metallic jumper over H&M pleather skater dress// Outfit 6: New Look studded peach body, Oasis silver skater skirt, Topshop studded headband x

Extravagant Purchases

Hi Dolls! So I received some exciting thing in the post this week, veeery exciting! First was some American Apparel Riding Pants! I had my eye on the suddenly-super-popular Disco Pants but when trying them on at the Bristol store, they sort of flattened my bum and gave me a big bum-to-ass hybrid which looked the size of Brazil! I'd grabbed a pair of Riding Pants to try out of curiosity and they were much better, and it's so great to find something truly high waisted! I was going to borrow the discount of a Motel girl who is also a stylist but American Apparel randomly emailed out some 30% off codes so it was fate! I know they have a reputation for taking ages to deliver things and mine came in 6 working days, which is OK but I don't see why they can't have faster delivery options. While working in e-commerce now, it's quite interesting to monitor other brands, as I probably got that discount email because that week I had been checking out this expensive item on the AA website - websites are veryyyy clever that way!

Also I bit the bullet with an Amazon voucher that I had for Christmas and got some creepers! I don't think I've ever seen creepers in the flesh before even but they appealed to me for a couple of reasons...

1. Tumblr pics like these.

2. They are flat shoes that won't fall apart like ballet flats, and as I travel further to work nowadays, I want to wear something that support your feet in some way! We'll be a generation of crippled feet with all the cardboard flats around today.

3. They are a 'special' shoe that aren't heels, which is hard to find.

4. They wouldn't wear as quickly as normal ballet flats/loafers.

5. They are so big and ugly so they would be perfect with my extra girly wardrobe. I'm kinda feeling unattractive, clumpy things right now, maybe because I'm so over worrying and maybe want to appear a bit tougher.

Even clomping to the supermarket to break them in tonight made me feel like I could stomp anywhere! I wouldn't recommend getting anything off Amazon as it's so confusing to buy from and you don't know exactly how the shipping will be (mine came from Germany?!), and I was worried about sizing as many places advised to go a size up and I was ordering in men's sizes. I'm usually a 5.5/6 and I got a 6, and they're definitely too long so I'll have to get heel grips and wear thick socks! They fit fine but because they are heavy, they slip off a bit. And they are SO heavy! I assume the ones with thinner soles are lighter but mine are the real Demonia deal and super thick. Love! Cannot wait to get some super frilly, girly socks and wear them with skater skirts and crop tops when the weather cheers up a bit. I would have ideally gone for plain black but they didn't have any in my size and I didn't know when they would, and I do have a huge leopard collection so I went for these! 

 

NAILS OF THE WEEK 17

 

Alright my lovers! I haven't done a Nails of the Week in forEVAH, and I haven't dipped into my box of nail bits either. I was favouring just plain gorgeous colours for a while but the problem is that I can't do a perfect manicure myself and only get salon nails about once a month. I'm really considering  having my gels off for good and just sticking on false nails as my nails underneath are the worst! Will it come to a day where they can't get any thinner?!  

I did clear pink with glitter tips, Cynful Nails style, with a matching assortment of bows, lollipops, roses and pearls. Nice to have big crazy nails again! My gels are fairly grown out so I don't mind putting on a load of glue and jewels on nearer the end of their run.

Also the new owners of Cinderella sweaters are Emily and another Emily, congrats!xx

Forever 21 Cinderella Sweater Sale!!!

Hi dolls! Thank you for being such babes about my last post, I'm really glad it didn't seem like I just hadn't been bothered with blogging any more! It's a working progress and I won't address it again. However of the 5% of my free time that I'm not thinking about it, I am developing 'blogger brain' syndrome again, where a shopping trip turns into a haul and everything is a photo opportunity! I have even realised my new house has some absolutely amazing walls to take photos against. I have an iPhone for work now so you can follow me on Instagram at @motel_selina and don't forget to follow Motel too at @motelrocks! Remember I help run it and also run the Facebook page and Twitter so it really means a lot if you follow there too.

Now I have a little treat for you! I know the Forever21 Disney jumpers were really popular and I spotted a whole rack of them in F21 when I went home to Birmingham for a Katy Perry gig last October. I got the navy Little Mermaid of course and I've worn it constantly! To work, as pyjamas, you name it. It washes extremely well and the transfer print stays perfectly intact. I also got my sister Chloe the grey Aladdin version for Christmas and she loves it; my sister is so easy to buy for that I love spoiling her! Lots of people have tweeted to say they love the jumpers but as F21 stores are so sparse and the jumpers are so popular, so not many people have them.

So I was shopping in the Bullring Christmas sales (and I can never resist going into Topshop and tidying up the Motel concession and placing random pieces all around the shop lol!) and in Forever21 I spotted three lone Cinderella sweaters! I don't know why these weren't snapped up already as they're meant to be sold out but I bought all three! 

Maybe it seemed greedy as even the sales assistants were cooing over the jumpers, but I bought them for you guys! I kept one and I want to offer the other two to anyone who loved them but weren't able to get one. I would love to give them away but I did just get this letter in the post and I absolutely am not in the position to be giving things away sadly! So I have 2 Cinderella jumpers that I'll sell for the original price of £16.75 over Paypal with the following postage:

UK: +£2 (= £18.75)

Europe: +£4 (=£20.75)

Worldwide: +£6 (= £22.75)

Just comment on this post and make sure you fill in the email address box, and I'll pick two names out of a hat this time next week, where you have a week to pay before a new name is picked. I though that was the fairest way! They are both size small and I'm an 8/10 and they fit perfectly. The sweaters are a comfortable, loose fit but the sleeves and length make them suited to an 8/10 and maybe a petite 12. They have lots of boob room too if that's a concern of yours (certainly not mine!). It's so worth it and I'm really pleased to start off hopefully a great year of blogging by offering something some of you might like! Have a wonderful week xx

 

A HELLO!

Hello! Hi everyone :) Hi! Sort of want to stop right here and retreat and delete as I really don't want to make this post but I want to apologise for my absence for so long! Things haven't really been great recently and things have changed a bit with where I'm staying but I'm OK! Some days it's tempting to to throw myself into one of Bristol's many rivers or drown myself in my own baths of tears but I've so far resisted (I kid, sort of). Some rubbish things happened and I'm usually an eternally positive, independent person but I've got just about no self esteem, faith and worth right now, and any trickle of hope is leaking into the cracks of a completely shattered spirit. I don't really remember what I felt like before all this and that's the worst thing as I just feel like nothing! Work is still great though so I live for the 9-5 and I've seen some home friends recently which is fab, but generally the rest of the time I don't quite know what to do with myself anymore. I had to stay with my sister for a while in Cardiff and she and her very lovely, accommodating housemates are amazing, but going to Bristol and back each day and with all my belongings under her stairs in boxes, it wasn't really a dream blogging situation! I've got a really cute room now but I don't go to Bristol town anymore so I haven't been browsing or shopping, just staying inside really! Hence why putting yourself right out there on the internet just didn't happen even though I've missed blogging.

Amist all this was the highlight of maybe the year and my mini career so far was the bloggers evening I organised at Motel! Hopefully you did see it across many blogs as I tried to invite as many as possible and I think people had fun! I had lots of help from the lovely Motel ladies and some marvelous interns and student ambassadors, and of course it was full of girly treats and the current collection that I lovelovelove and don't want to stop promoting. The event was quite bitter sweet as it fell at such bad timing but hopefully there will be another that will be purely wonderful. I'm going home for Christmas at the end of the week which I'm thinking will make it a bit gruelling to then come back down to Bristol in the new year but who knows what will happen in 2012! Half hoping that it will be nothing as I want to walk round in a coat covered in spikes.

Well there you go, nothing more will be mentioned again! I don't put too much personal stuff on my dear old blog anyway but I'll start posting again as of course with work, I am still fashion and beauty obsessed. So again I'm sorry for disappearing and thank you for sticking around, I'll just go back now to sorting my socks or dusting or whatever I seem to spend my time doing nowadays! Much love xx

Hello November

Where the heck did October go?! This has been the quickest month ever and November is set to go even faster! Going from being a student to working full time is drastically different, and blogging and shopping has a totally different purpose. When I was a student I bought things that I only could end up wearing to a few lectures a week and now at work I can get wear out of 5 cool outfits a week - but then again, only the people at the office see! As a student, the weekends dragged out and every evening was free unless it was party time, but now I'm living for the weekend! Every week night flies by. It's different! However, now I'm living as 'myself' rather than being a 'student' so I've started to wear exactly whatever I fancy again and have a bit more freedom to do nice things on days off!

Anyway, here's how my October goals went... it ain't good!

October's Goals Revisited:

1. Cook a large variety of things - Hmmm I didn't end up cooking much in October but I ate at home more and took my lunch to work most days!

2. Blog more! - I hardly had chance to blog at all!

3. Make more effort with outfits and buy key things - I'm well into the swing of autumn and am really happy with the things I bought this month! Ankle boots, jumpers and leather skirts.

4. Sort my hair out - I didn't get my keratin treatment done yet as I've got the Charles Worthington 40 Day Straight treatment on right now! I'll keep you posted how it goes.

5. Use my days off! - I had some looovely days off and Katy Perry was AMAZING! And I took part in the Bristol Zombie Walk haha! Thousands of people took to the city centre chanting 'braaaains' much to the confusion of shoppers! I was embarrassed but went for the laugh; I love dressing up!

November Goals:

1. Actually cook! - Today I did the first marginally big food shop since I've moved to Bristol! Seriously! I've just been getting bits and bobs since I moved as I didn't want to buy loads and waste it, but it always left me short and eating out. I'll definitely cook more this month, promise! I got these goodies from Holland and Barrett yesterday too.

2. Blog more - definitely!

3. De-stress - How do you de-stress and wind down? I spend all day on a computer  so spending alllll night on the laptop isn't what it used to be! I'm going to Zumba at the gym every week and might start reading again. I still like young fiction about teenage girls - do you have any recommendations maybe? I haven't found an adult chic lit book that I like! Going out to eat and the cinema is also a nice night away from home but it's a bit on the expensive side.

4. Buy no clothes/makeup - On a bit of a spending ban at the moment to try and shift some student debt - no clothes! No makeup! Maybe a few little H&M things here and there but nooo big purchases! Also I just got tickets to see The Saturdays in Cardiff for a night out with my sister woop! That will be my big purchase of this month.

5. Eat breakfast! Every day.

Snapshots of the Week(s)

Right, it's time! Face mask - check. Internet TV - check. Munchies - check. Finally a night off, woop! Not that I work at night, but my brain does work at night and I live with a million people, so there's not many chances to relaaax in peace and quiet. I've had some holiday from work this week so I've been home to Birmingham again, but I fully booked up my time so haven't stopped! I haven't been snapping photos for blog posts very much but I have been logging things with my Blackberry camera so here are a few buys, outfits and outings, including what I came home for - a Katy Perry concert!!! I have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to go on a Zombie Walk back in Bristol.... how do I get talked into these things?!

So starting from two weekends ago when I came home for a friend's birthday, it was of course tan o'clock! I am a rubbish tanner and it all may seem OK in a dark club, but I am streaks galore the next day. My sister just came home too and had a quick outfit change that desired a tan, and she was quite alarmed when she started putting on this DARK lotion! On my pale skin it makes me a nice warm colour though.

This is a sort of 'Nails of the Week' post as I had these flouro green nails for a while! I was fed up of about 4 months of coral so I went for the craziest colour and sort of hated it but sort of loved it.

My Mom gets my sister and I very random little presents sometimes as we both live away now and she found these tweezers that look like me! Seriously, haha!

I live by quite a cheap and cheerful highstreet so I raided the shops and found these mini drawers in Poundland which can house my every-day makeup, and stocked up on cheapie lashes. I forgot to add a disclaimer to my last post on how I store my makeup as I do know I have loooooads of it! However, watching loads of beauty videos showing people with huge collections made me loose touch a bit, even though most of those people are actually makeup artists and if I went near anyone else's face, it would be a disaster!

I have a slight Forever 21 addiction (see below) as they make amazing tops as far as I'm concerned! I got this Disney top with Minnie Mouse bows on a few months ago from the London Oxford Street store and it is sooo cute.

And from cute to erm, glam? Haha my green nails really were a sight! Here I am about to go out for my friend's birthday, wearing double lashes and the Motel Elsa Dress, which is my current 'wear to every occasion with every group of friends until it is all over Facebook' dress as I love it x a million! But I am of course biased :)

Last Friday at work we were discussing top secret and confidential Christmas plans (ooo it's only round the corner!!) and I ended up wearing 3 different types of animal, so to speak. I got a fur coat off eBay that was in River Island last year, and wore a huge River Island Dalmatian print sweatshirt with velvet leggings and New Look leopard print loafers. Usually I dress a lot smarter for work but there are very few of us in our office on Fridays so I take it down a notch.

Also in that animal photo was my GlossyBox under my arm! I can't really review mine as I always share it with everyone in the office, and I don't review things here exactly, but sometimes I just feel like I need to top up my makeup collection, you know? I do sometimes feel mine has space to grow (LOL).

I came home on Tuesday night after work so I could spend Wednesday preparing for Kaaaty Perryyy ahhh! I went to the nail salon as I had desperately outgrown gels by then and couldn't decide on bright coral (again) or neon yellow/green.

I had a little peek in New Look and spotted these gorgeous heels in the blue that I am obsessed with at the moment, I am very tempted!!

Also did a little shop of the cheapie stores and got my favourite hairspray and tan at discount prices and some blood for this zombie walk. Not sure I'll be walking the streets saying 'bbbrrraaaiiinnssss' but I intend to at least have good makeup!

 

First though, omgeee Katy Perryyyyy!!! I went with my FAB uni friends Ellie and Natalie and wowowow it was SO GOOD! The whole thing was a story with your expected crazy sets and antics and it was amazing! Standing in an arena is great as there was loads of room and we could basically stand where ever we wanted! I didn't actually take my camera as I knew I'd spend lots of time taking photos rather than watching but I'll try and nick some of my friend's for you!

 

Haha Natalie got us all blue wigs!! We wore ours for a few comedy photos and during one song but they were quite wild and made us look mental haha! There were loads of great Katy Perry costumes at the gig though. I really want to see The Saturdays and Rihanna now!

Today I shopped round the Bullring and got a few payday purchases! However I'm curbing it now as it's all Christmas present shopping from here on!

I saw these F21 sweatshirts on a few American Tumblrs but I'm so glad they came over here, OF COURSE I got the Little Mermaid one! They also had Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Cinderella there.

Oh Lordy, here are my nails for this week! Like I said, I couldn't decide which colours to go for so I went for both! Very Katy Perry in the Last Friday Night video I thought! I was also talked into getting a tacky flower gem on my ring finger, I have problems saying no!

After Katy Perry, we went to an infamous Birmingham club called Snobs and I just discovered this in my bag that I stole off the wall, haha I'm sure you Midland people will have a chuckle! Snobs is the least calm place. EVER.

And so we come to tonight, where I was chatting to my sister while she got ready to go out and she showed me her new MAC lipstick collection addition- Ruby Woo (on the right). It's really funny how every MAC lipstick she has is an insane colour! (Impassioned/Morange/Cyber/Ruby Woo) I suppose if you are spending that much, it might as well be worth it! I should remember that thought :)

Recent OOTD Videos

Hey everyone! I'm in Birmingham for the weekend, woo! I just hit the cheapie high street near me for lashes and impulse beauty products, and I'm out later! Here are a few videos I haven't shared before if you're spending the weekend chilling; a night with X Factor would sound good to me too!xx

My New Makeup Storage!

Hi everyone! You know every Sunday I sort my life out a bit, and my makeup and beauty product storage has been bugging me for months! Every week I sterilise, wipe and clean all my makeup and brushes, so finally this weekend I bought some new draws and gave it a huge overhaul. I have been lusting over clear drawers like Kim Kardashian but at Muji or on eBay a full set are around £40. Even going to a bog standard stationary storage company ends up costing loads, however I ended up getting a bargain! 

 

So my previous storage was in some little draws from WHSmith over a year ago, which had cute cupcakes all over but couldn't be easily wiped, so by now they were a bit grubby. My products were just in plastic boxes but they were a big mish mash and things would always fall over. Above is my desk/dressing table at the messiest previously!

My daily makeup items were kept in this geisha girl box from Wilkinsons so I could grab them easily.

The contents of my draws were way too busy! Some draws were overloaded like the middle lip drawer on the left and some were almost empty like the top middle brush drawer. It was time for a change! If you are going to spend a lot on makeup, you have to keep it clean and neat too. It would be like buying a lovely dress but leaving it screwed up and dirty!

I was browsing Wilkinsons for sandwich boxes (oh the glamour!) and I spotted the pink tower of drawers below for only £7! They called to me and I snapped them up, and sorting out all my makeup was a few very fun hours. Cleaning is totally destressing!

The draws are just lilac tinted plastic and can be pulled apart, so essentially I could buy more and stack them up even higher. I'd love to but this storage is to house the makeup I don't use every single day. In an ideal world I would peruse my whole collection each morning but I don't really have time, so I will pick out a few new picks of lipsticks and blushers at the start of the week and usually choose between those mid week.

I just about fitted everything in the drawers!

The top drawer is eyeliners, eye shadows and mascara of all different varieties. I only really wear eyeshadow at night as it comes off during the day at work, but shadows are always something you seem to have a huge collection of - they last so long! My Barry M dazzle dusts that I now never use cover the whole base of the draw.

The next draw is a hidden base of lipglosses and then lots of blushers. I love blushers! If I were to grow a part of my collection right now, it would be blushers. I've been buying clothes lately though, not makeup!

The third draw is face makeup so foundation, concealers, powders and highlighters. I use old/not-quite- right foundations to mix with each other to find the right colour or on my legs for nights out.

 

The bottom drawer is my favourite - lipsticks! I have about five in my bag every day anyway as I like to chop and change.

I also got rid of the white boxes and laid out my products in sections on the left so I can see them at a glance. I have a box specifically of face stuff near the centre, makeup bags with hair curlers inside in the middle, my new drawers, palettes, a box jam packed with nail art goodies at the end, and on the very front right is still my daily makeup box. The apple print table cover is actually a few wipe-clean place mats from a DIY shop! My wooden table was getting marked so I picked up these for super cheap and they are perfect as they can be cleaned at the end of the week too.

Maybe I'll show how I clean my makeup another day! For now it is very nice to have an autumn shake-up of everything and really appreciate the things you have invested in. How do you store your makeup? Can you give me any tips?

A bad life day!

Today was one of those days! I got blue pen on my white Wildfox tshirt as soon as I got to work and it was another hot, sticky day with fine drizzle so my hair frizzed right up! I felt too gross for even the gym but went into town to get my eyebrows done as I've been meaning to for ages, but I don't know any cheap-but-cheerful salons in central Bristol! I'll look online next time but the only last minute place open was a brow bar in House of Fraser, which consisted of a slooow threading so it was a major painfest and a sales pitch on random eye brow products, and when I got to the till it cost £17!!! Considering it was around £4 where I usually went in Manchester or Birmingham, I nearly cried when I handed over my debit card!

However I popped into Topshop to have a look for the rabbit print skirt (with no joy - should I order it?!) and a denim skirt that I've been eyeing for a few weeks. When I asked if it might have sold out as I couldn't see it, the changing room SA was like 'I don't know, I haven't worked here for long' with no other suggestion and another SA said 'If it was here it should be out' without looking with me, so I was a bit disheartened! And then there was no one on the ground floor at all to help with the shoes I bought (OMG will show you tomorrow!!!). But I'm in a weird shopping mood at the moment where I want to buy new things with the aim of wearing them all autumn but I don't know quite what! I don't want to just copy trends so I have a super fashionable wardrobe as where's your own personality? And I'm wary of buying anything too new in case I don't end up wearing/liking it, but I don't want to buy things similar to anything I already have! 

I just took the first steps and ruthlessly ejected all the summery things from my wardrobe. I made sections of tops, jumpers, skirts, leggings, jeans/trousers and maxi skirts, and will soon pick out a few items that could be key, lots of things that will go with them, and find any gaps where I could buy an on trend item! I'm awaiting an ASOS discount code to pop up as there's loads I'd love to order on there, and I have a Motel wishlist as long as my arm as we have the clothing samples for future seasons at the HQ that won't come out for at least a month so it is very painful to see them every day! P.S. If you haven't liked us on Facebook, I'd really appreciate it if you took a second to do so please as I'm the one writing the statuses :):)

Hello October

Hi everyone! Gosh it's October already, and today it dawned on my that I made some goals for the past month and nearly forgot! It's been a really hectic month with a burst of travelling to London loads and visiting home, and I'll do the same this month too. The photo above is from a Motel company-wide team bonding day where we had to do loads of tasks in teams that ended in building rafts and sailing them across this river! (P.S. It is 20% off everything tonight only!) I was soaking by the end after going into the river to swim our raft across rather than paddle as it fell apart (!!) but I did loads of things like climb over a huuuge wooden wall on two guys shoulders and it was fab meeting everyone! Thankfully it was a gorgeous day as it might have been a bit miserable if it was raining!

Here is the progress I made with my goals and my new October ideas...

September

1. Make Lunch and Dinner - Since it was a five week month, I definitely cut back on eating out and invested a little bit more in 'nicer' foods for lunch and potentially dinner, as I'd spend more buying lunch anyway! I got in lots of nice cheese and sun dried tomatoes and great bread for sandwiches, which made me wince at the time of buying when it's £3 for a jar of tomatoes but it's cheaper in the long run. I still need to make larger dinners though as my quick fixes could involve a larger variety of ingredients.

2. Go to the Gym! - Hmm OK so I went to the gym ONCE! How awful! I went to a level 1 spinning class and was quite shocked when the instructor turned the lights off so it was pitch black, but it was good! I'll try to go every week as the Zumba class is always full, and maybe brave it alone on a weekend. I hear the gym is much busier now the students are back though!

3. Hit Fashion Week! - Fashion Week was great! I still need to hunt down all the photos but I've spotted myself on loads of great sites which feels amazing, and I met loads of fabulous people.

4. Sort my room - I have barely spent any time in my room sice the mouse fiasco! They blocked up one set of holes but there has been more mouse sightings and I am super paranoid so I've been staying in the spare bed of another housemate and popping in and out when I'm getting ready for work or bed! However I have kept up with sorting out my wardrobe each week and sterilising and cleaning all my makeup, which is very stress-relieving! I'm still after a clear plastic/perspex storage set for my makeup but they're so expensive on eBay and beyond!

5. Get back into nail art - I didn't even have time to think about nails this month! However I went to the salon today finally and on my housemate's request, I got a BRIGHT green polish like the Hulk! They match my new River Island jumper and it will be nice to have an interesting flash of colour again, even if it is very garish. I kind of love it but hate it at the same time!

So I subconsciously touched on my September goals but didn't make great progress. Here are the aims for October...

1. Cook a large variety of things - I'm hoping to stock up on vegetables like I used to and pre-prepare loads so I can whack things into a stir fry or soup or pasta for dinner. I've had loads of fruit recently as you don't need to cook it, which is ironic as I never used to eat fruit but used to eat a million vegetables! I also have a little confession: I ate some fish! For over five years I've been totally vegetarian but I've been wanting to coax myself into eating a little fish for the great health benefits and while in Yo! Sushi, a prawn roll was calling to me! It's small steps but I'd love to eat sustainable fish more often and will hopefully see the difference. Still feel a bit nervous about it though!

2. Blog more! - I'm full of ideas and wishlists at the moment but I'm lacking on taking actual photos of myself. I never have time in the morning but maybe setting my alarm 10 minutes earlier will help!

3. Make more effort with outfits and buy key things - I'm shifting my wardrobe to autumn and I'm automatically starting to hate my summer things, but I need to invest in some key things to bring everything together for autumn again.

4. Sort my hair out - I got a keratin treatment on GroupOn so I have that booked; hello frizz free locks! I also need to keep an eye on my roots and keep my dyed hair in good condition.

5. Use my days off! - I have three days off near the end of October for a Katy Perry concert! And my two friends and I all have purple wigs for it!! I'm hoping to make some lovely plans during the days off but take time to totally relax too.

Do you have any October goals? I'd love to hear!

Monki for the UK!

With shipping at  €6, I am SO EXCITED that Monki now has an online store that ships to the UK! They're part of the H&M group so I shopped at Monki loads when I lived in Sweden as it's the most amazing shop. Everything is sweet but edgy, great quality but oversized and comfortable, and totally unique but not too 'out there'. Here is my current wishlist, clockwise from the top left:

Johanna Blouse: I'm looking for a lovely printed blouse and this merged geometric pattern it almost right! It has a gorgeous batwing fit too which would look great with more fitted bottoms and block ankle boots.

Patricia Top: This lace crop top is the sort of thing I know I will WEAR, it would go with everything!

Siliva Blouse: The peter pan collar shirt would be fab with a colour pop skirt and black tights for a bit of a '60s look.

Mona Boots: These are the ultimate '90s boots! So clumpy and chunky, they would make any outfit 100 times cooler.

Cara Top: Ah how cute is this top!!! I'm not sure how it would look with your actual hair over it but I love the idea.

Katy Top: I love the Monki family so this tee would be an ode to those cute critters!

Oki: If you are placing an order, you have to get one of the giant Monki teddies! I made sure I brought Oki home even though I had £80 over baggage fees when I left Sweden, but it was worth it as he's so cute and velvety soft!

Fran Top: I love a cropped top with long sleeves! A super flattering fit and perfect with high waisted skirts.

None of these things are quite amazing enough to place an order although they are damn good prices. However I can't think of Monki without thinking of it's edgier twin shop Weekday, and when I had a browse of their site, I spotted these amazing boots! I'm obsessed with navy/grey at the moment but nude looks so great with black, and they are only 50 euros each! I have the sudden need to order them through Filippa's shopping service from Sweden but I can't decide! I love the slanted heel of the grey middle pair but the higher pairs go that extra fabulous mile. Decisions decisions!

The Show: Redefinition, Bullring

Last weekend I was in Birmingham for the Bullring fashion show! A collection of events across the city made up Style Birmingham and Bullring hosted The Show: Redefinition to showcase the high street AW11 collections. I'd just been the The Look Show the weekend before so I was already geared up for the new season, but The Show managed to feature a load more trends and items I want to invest in!

 

I went to the show last season and this year had a huge black catwalk with a backdrop projection so each model looked like they were posing as a magazine cover before strutting out. I loved the long, waved hair as I'm all about hairstyles at the moment, and I'm seriously considering some knee high boots. Not to wear in a '60s costume way but looking hot and sturdy with pencil skirts and capes. The boots above are from New Look and I  just bought some ankle boots from there today; love their shoes. I also loved the softly waved hair, something you could try with ghd straighteners.

Here are a few of my favourite trends: one being piled on knitwear, especially pom poms! I'm going to get some cute gloves and a loooong scarf soon to wear with a knitted headband and wool cape! I got some knee high wool socks today with big bows on from New Look again so I'm looking forward to some chilly weather (currently sweltering in the heatwave here!). I also love the idea of a chic suit, or at least a sharply cut blazer and slim trousers, but I know the quest for the perfect fit of both of those items would be a very long one. I'm also hunting a bright pencil skirt to wear with a fur scarf or coat and a bright blouse, but the ones I've tried on didn't quite fit perfectly. Topshop have some for only £25 in amazing colours but the fabrics were a bit too cheap. I also love all the white blazers around! Fritha and I were discussing them at the Look show so I can't wait to see how she wears hers.

The collection Feathers and Fur was my favourite as I am obsessed with finding the perfect fur coat. I own loads that I've bought in sales or on eBay but none are exactly what I'm looking for. The furs above are from Zara, Lipsy and River Island so the next time I go shopping, I'll look in allll shops to spot something great.

It's been fashion show crazy recently! I can't wait to start off autumn and I'll make a post with my shopping list soon. Here's a little snap of the male models at the show too haha, the girls next to me did not stop swooning! Thank you Bullring!

The Look Show Westfield Stratford 2011!

Afternoon all! I started writing this from my Birmingham home town as I was up here for yet another fashion show on the weekend! But last weekend I was the luckiest girl alive as Look Magazine blogging competition winner Fritha of The Fish Tank invited me as her plus one to The Look Show at the new Westfield! I haven't been to any Westfields before so I was extatic to be attending the show and seeing the brand new shopping mall.

I headed to London on Saturday morning and was not prepared for the HEAVING shopping centre; it look me about half an hour to get from the tube and across the mall to meet Fritha! I'd love to go back there on maybe a Tuesday morning as it is an absolute shopping heaven. Every shop is a brand spanking new flagship store with things like Twitter mirrors and staff iPads! I met Fritha at the Look Lounge which was a pop up shop with handy computers, and we went off to leave our things at the hotel! Yes as part of Fritha's prize, we had a hotel stay at the Premiere Inn inside Westfield; it was lush! Westfield was still manic though so we stopped off for a sandwich, had to convince a security guy that we did actually have show seats, and then hit the catwalk!

 

We had the most amazing seats on the front row! I'm not sure how it was a few rows back but being so close to actually see the makeup and the details made a huge difference and it was just like shopping - it was so inspiring! I have tried to best share my favourite looks with you which has resulted in a huuuge AW11 shopping list for me but sorry if the photos are a mish mash, I don't have the best camera! They seem to get better as they go along but I'll link to the proper Look catwalk show image for each outfit too, where you can buy the items featured and see them a bit better...

So the first exciting thing that I found out the day before the show was that Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud was walking in it! Fritha and I were oohing and ahhing as Sarah strutted out looking super tall and fierceee. Her walk matched all the other models and she was wearing a gorgeous dress - for the latest Occasion Dresses visit Kaleidoscope!

Each shop featured in the show had a section and some we had to guess if we didn't notice the teaser video on the catwalk screen. My first lusting was after this boxy Warehouse coat as it's so not my style but it just looks great with ankle boots and bare legs. I find Urban Outfitters hideously over priced and not great quality but I love the chunky scarf with this red shirt and midi skirt. Also love the fluffy scarf, and the one over the dress from Dorothy Perkins.

The entire show made me absolutely crave brights as the colours looked so fresh! Love this bright red coat from Oasis even though again it's not my style, but the cute orange skirt is! I'm after a really cute little shift skirt this season. Also all the long tops under dresses caught my eye as a great way to wear dresses in autumn, but thinking about it, I don't have many dresses now! I'm planning on sorting out my wardrobe tomorrow to unearth some forgotten treasures hopefully. I had a delve through my wardrobe this weekend and spotted a faux fur gillet, which was worn over a leather dress at Mango.

Now we're onto the fun things! Holey moley just look at these brights! The acid yellow colour with the pink was from New Look, which is definitely a random pairing to have in your wardrobe, but somehow it works! Again I love the cute shirts worn under dresses, and definitely want a bright blouse like this yellow Forever 21 one. Top of my shopping list is a shirt like this one from Next to pair with cute skirts and ankle boots - I must have a shirt somewhere in my wardrobe! I really want to pair one with a cute black bow, my hair bow cravings are returning guys...!!!

There were a couple of absolute stand out looks for me at the show, the first being this Forever 21 wonder outfit of a colour pop blouse, furry sweater (which Fritha and I both bought a version of!), faux leather skirt and nude mary janes. I want all of these things in my wardrobe right now!!

Also half way through the show I saw Alesha Dixon was in the front row opposite! I'm not an Alesha fan but I am a celebrity spot fan! Lolll at the lady filming with her iPad, that just looked weird! 

As the show went on, my lust factor hit the roof! I could imagine wearing this abstract pencil skirt from Monsoon to work with maybe a cropped jumper. I really do need some autumn colours in my wardrobe like the coral and mustard look here from H&M because it's full of pink and nude summery things! I'm lusting after anything in this mauve blue and green, they're lovely together! Also we were discussing our dislike for polo necks but I can feel a few more midi skirt investments coming along for autumn after my summer maxi dress craze!

Dionne Bromfield stole the show with her singing performance in the middle of the show; she was wearing such high heels and singing!

This H&M swing coat looked amazing on the catwalk and I actually own that floppy hat! It was interesting to see the Limited M&S collection as they're trying that big push towards younger people- this bodycon dress is definitely hot stuff. I love this turquoise skirt too from Miss Selfridge, one of my favourite shops!

Funny how my second favourite look of all is also made up of a leather skirt and colourful top! Love the clashing heels too from Miss Selfridge. Wearing clashing clothes/pattern mixing is something I'm trying to master at the moment! Also try womens clothes by ellos.

Finally, I also loved this zesty Miss Selfridge skirt paired with a textured lace crop top, and the navy skirt paired with pink. Now that my hair is darker and redder, I LOVE blue! The bright pink cardigan over the blinged up dress looked amazing (and we have a sparkly sequin dress coming into Motel for Christmas that has my name alllll over it!). I haven't worn trousers for months but this M&S look with the hat has made me think I should look into trousers again.

 

Here's a little snap of Fritha and I, although she has much better versions on her blog! Isn't she hot stuff! We met up with Lily of LLYMLRS and Gem of Gem Fatale who said they were looking out for red hair haha! Finally meeting Gem was like seeing a friend I haven't seen for ages, even though we've never met, she's so sweet! We HAVE to meet again! Fritha and I were also joined by Emma of Milkteef and Hannah of Away with the Fairies for some cheeky cocktails! Then later all the Look winners and their plus ones had dinner at Bumpkin in Westfield and we all happened to order the £40 bottles of wine hehehe! Here's a video of my outfit and some show clips!

So a huuuuge thank you to Fritha for inviting me to the show and congratulations to the other winners, it was so, so lovely to meet you Sarah, Sarah, Jade and Cassie!

London Fashion Week SS12

Hi guys! Gosh I don't know if I'm coming or going as the past week has been so busy! I went back and forth to London on Thursday and Friday and again on Saturday as Fritha invited me as her +1 to the Look Show at the new Westfield! I'll talk about that tomorrow but for now I'll bypass my Thursday in London where I had Motel meetings and I accidentally spent loads in Forever 21, and talk about fashion week! I've only been to fashion week once where I traipsed round loads of shows in my killer heels and there was a LOT of queueing. This time however I was there for Motel as we were taking street style snaps and I went one show, and it was great!

It may have been because I got there on the first day but I'm sure this season's fashion week was much calmer than normal. I was really excited for my one show as it was in the main tent at Somerset House, so I got to London nice and early and hopped on the tube. I changed into my Miu Miu shoes in a random fake Apple shop nearby and walked about a centimetre a minute to the main venue as those shoes are damn high! The day was really sunny and warm but the place almost had a beachy vibe where everyone was laid back and soaking up the atmosphere rather than creating it. Sure I spotted a few crazy outfits, but everyone seemed to take a step backwards and be wearing something more subtle. As I was navigating the cobbles with my heels, I heard a call from Kristabel and met a group of friendly bloggers! It always feels quite nice to stick together and we had a little chat before I dashed into the Caroline Charles show.

 

I've been to a few shows before but I only applied to a few morning ones this year on the off chance I'd get a ticket. I presumed I was standing so I walked all the way around the edge to near the catwalk entrance, but there I found about 5 rows of benches free! I still stood near the top though so I could see and lets just say I will definitely buy a straw boater hat in Spring! I looked along the front row and love to wonder just who everyone is - probably writers of the magazine articles I read every month and I'd never know!

 

After the show I simply hung around on my Blackberry before the fantastic Motel photographer came, and people keep coming up to you for photos! I wore all Motel of course, which was the Talia Lace Top and Mandy Rockies Skirt, which the photographers loved! I knew they always look for interesting prints, and loads and loads took photos of just my Miu Miu teacup shoes too. My bag is 
Aldo! 

We shot some SERIOUSLY amazing looks for the Motel Blog so do keep checking the coverage there over the next few days, I'm so excited to publish it all! These photos are all by the Motel photographer and all round amazingly lady Lora English, whose snaps are so lovely. She also got some of Nicola Robers entering a show!!

 

It's quite hard to locate any photos taken but I met The Style Scout and Mr Newton, who nearly got ran over when he took a photo of me near the entrance and then said 'They photos are great but the wind is blowing the skirt between your legs' hahaha! I am certainly not chic but I recommend heading to fashion week to everyone! Just put on your favourite outfit and soak up the atmosphere with a friend!

OOTN Video: Lace Elsa Dress, Amy Childs Hair and Blue Eyes

I was out on the town by 9pm on Saturday night, so very wrong! I went out in Bristol with some housemates but as they are all boys, they start early and finish early in the morning, so I had to get ready super early to go to bars first. I had a really great Saturday though because I got my hair done! I've been using non-permanent red tints but the bright red flashes wash out straight away and I already have red hair so there's no point! So I bit the bullet and requested an Amy Childs colour at Regis in the Bristol Galleries and it was fantastic! My stylist was called Anna and I actually talked to her all the way through and I never seem to get past the 'are you going on holiday?' at hairdressers usually. I've found my local salon!

The dye used was a mixture of a few and I know Amy Childs uses a colour called Goldwell 6RB but she is naturally blonde so this mix was perfect for me. The fade will be OK though as it will just be a version of my natural colour. Really exciting just before fashion week!

Also it means I can have a revamp of my makeup and wardrobe and try some new colours. No way would I wear blues with my old sandier colour but on Saturday I buffed a little of this AMAZING Nars shadow in Outremer that I got from HQhair at the edge of my usual black shadow.

 

It is so intense! The colours in the video are a little off as it was night (barely) but I wore my new Motel Elsa Dress! It is GORGEOUS! I am so biased as remember I work for Motel but then again I'm so not as this dress is perfect in so many ways! The lace is so detailed and lovely and for Motel, this dress isn't super short! It's definitely going to be one that I wear to every immediate social occasion until I run out and can rotate it again. Do you do that and end up with the same outfit in loads of recent Facebook pictures?

Are any of you going to fashion week? I'll be there on the Friday style spotting for Motel so say hi if you see us! I'm freaking out a bit as my mouse woes have turned a nasty corner as I met one face to face tonight! I'm thinking I'll have to move out as this is such an old house so they are inevitable, but I don't have time to move house aaaargh!

Fashion Work Experience Opportunity!

Hi Dolls! Now you know I am an absolute advocate of fashion work experience (and proof it gets you a job!) as I wrote an extensive internship guide; well I have just launched a project at Motel Rocks to seek Student Fashion Ambassadors! You will gain key fashion experience to make your CV dazzle and it's amazing if you don't live in London so do not have as many internship opportunities. We are looking for ambassadors studying at UK and International universities to represent Motel on campus. See the Motel Blog here for more! You cannot pass up this opportunity if you want to work in the fashion industry. Good luck!