FLYING SAUCER

AA Riding Pants (and more off-shoulder?!)

Another outfit post, I'm on a roll again! These photos were taken by Sophie at Motel (thank you!) - we are really getting into the swing of taking snaps now and should be bringing them to you regularly woo. I get such tripod and self-portrait troubles that I find it so hard to take a photo of myself in my room!

These were taken this week when I wore my American Apparel Riding Pants, which I wear probably at least once a week in blue or black. After feeling like skinny jeans would be a bit too casual for the office and for my daily outfits, these are almost like the most perfectly fitting jeggings. They're pricey at a high £64, but the wear you get is huge and I got both of mine when they had a 30% or 20% discount. A tip for shopping is to look for discounts around payday - retailers will always have something to offer at the end of the month!

I'm standing a bit twisted here but the Riding Pants are super comfy - I wear a Small and they fit perfectly. American Apparel sizing can vary so I would try on a few of the same size to get the perfect pair - they may all be ever so slightly different!

I wore my off shoulder lace top from webshop Tobi too, which is no suprise as the only tops I seem to be wearing ever right now are off shoulder ones!! I think I signed up to Tobi emails randomly, and almost every day they will send out their New Arrivals with 30% off for one week. It's quite strange to discount your newest stock but I guess that is how they test the market, and I always scan their emails. I'm pretty sure they had a 50% off day so I ordered this top and a dress, but the dress was a polyester monster. Sites like Tobi will buy wholesale stock from the east and sell it all together under their website roof, so it's always hit and miss when ordering. I don't really like buying from places like that as they are so unpredictable, and that was definitely confirmed by the mixed order. The bright side is that I love this top though and have worn it loads since I got it in August. They don't have it online now but they do have other pastel off-shoulder things.

And that is generally often what I wear to work! I must admit though, I do undo the top button of the pants when I'm sitting at my desk all day - those things are like spanx!

I Want It Now: River Island Skater Skirts

Hey guys! Now then, I have a rather slightly large addiction to skater skirts and I'm not afraid to say it! In my eyes, you can never have too many, but I definitely have almost too many. I think bottoms are a good purchase as they go with everything and can be worn many times a week, whereas a top can only be worn once before washing and wearing again. I have no hesitation in buying well priced bottoms I like so right now I have a heap that I love wearing. This means a)  I don't have lots of tops and b) I don't need any more bottoms!

However I love these skater skirts at River Island and they are all just £18 and under! They look the the comfiest things ever and I just spotted the tapestry one in the Just Arrived section - gorgeous! I'm really into berry and burgundy right now but I'll try to stay away from the skirt and invest in a burgundy knit instead, but another weakness is leopard print! The dark black version is a great alternative to an actual black skirt, and the right skirt is just the perfect tone and size! Alas, I do have a leopard skater skirt that actually is from River Island, so I can admire from afar but try to focus my shopping attention on other things. Now I just need to find a decent jumper without a cross or skull on it!

A rather fancy weekend

Motel Rocks Deborah Dress, River Island flatforms, New Look leopard socks

Hi guys! It now seems like years ago but I visited home on the weekend and always have a lovely time. I don't go very often as it's so expensive so I try to fit in seeing as many people as possible! On the Friday night I visited my Mom's newish house in a small, pretty town and my sister over came that night too when I dyed her hair. I had two rather exciting things to try/wear on the Saturday as it was my oldest/longest friend's birthday and I was taking her for dinner and then getting a limo for a pub crawl with everyone! The limo was a surprise and it took all my willpower not to mention it while we were eating and shopping!

  

I got up at about 8am because I was really excited to get ready for a night/day out as the day before I was ecstatic to receive the Cherry Blossom GHD styler! The cherry pink makeover supports Breakthough Breast Cancer so I donated the £10 too as these were given to me as a gift to show you guys. The styler is set to create any hair for any occasion but of course my favourite is the party hair as I am all for big, bouncy curls with height!

Whenever I go to the hair dressers, they blow dry my hair straight and then curl it with straighteners, so the curls simply drop out after an hour. On Saturday I styled my hair normally where I dry sections around a round brush so they have waves, like in the left picture. I was dubious as to whether the styler would add weight to my hair or cause curls to drop out, but it set and smoothed the curls, removing any frizz! There are lots of YouTube videos of how to curl your hair using straighteners, basically twisting them around and then pulling through at an even pace. I can safely say the curls lasted all day too and have a much sleeker, more shiny finish than using my usual conical wand. I'm a convert, I've never had expensive hair tools!

The styler itself is of course divine, with hot pink plates and polka dots, and instead of the mini red light, the 'on' button is a lit up pink ghd logo! They make you feel glamorous just holding them; my first 'grown up' straighteners. They have a handy bag too with a heat protecting department so you can throw them in while the straighteners are still hot - great when I then have to throw on my dress and dash off!

As for my outfit, I didn't want to share this over the weekend as the dress sold out straight away! It's the Deborah Dress from Motel Rocks and the black and red flew off the website so they were restocked quickly - get yours now before they sell out again! I think it's the perfecttt dress to be subtle and 'covered' but flash an understated bit of shoulder and leg for a sexy hint. I was meeting my friend in the afternoon so I teamed the dress with River Island flatforms and leopard socks! I would have worn creepers but I ordered a new River Island pair and they hadn't arrived yet, sob! The dress is so flattering as long sleeved, bodycon fits always are, and now Motel dresses are a little longer too, woo! I also wore the new Kate Moss red lipstick in 111 - loving red lips right now with red hair! x

Off Shoulder Florals

Evening all! So last week I had a brainwave at work as Motel girl Sophie had started a fashion blog! Sophie works with me talking to all bloggers out there about the current Motel gossip so it was fitting that she joined the blogging world, and you can find her super cute blog Across The Universe here! I've been struggling with ways to take outfit photos as the set up and lighting is just not working in my current room, so I thought maybe we could take snaps of each other when Sophie is in the office! These photos were taken by fellow Motel web team babe Lora, who also takes photos for Motel, and I'm so excited to finally share my current wardrobe with you again! This should make my blog much more accurate with what I'm wearing day to day.

Motel Debbie Dress, American Apparel Circle Skirt, Topshop studded flats

So my off shoulder obsession continues with this Motel Debbie Dress worn as a top - one of the few bodycon dresses that I have just worn in the day time! I would have thought off shoulder things would be slightly uncomfortable but you pretty much forget about the neckline as they don't ride up or fall down. I'm still wearing my peach American Apparel Circle Skirt into autumn and want to team it with berry red and dark blue too, and I just wore my studded Topshop flats which are now only £15 in the Topshop sale?! For me I feel totally made together if my shoes and hair are both looking good! Wearing old, tattered ballet flats makes me sad.

And how amazing is this inspiration wall?! The Motel design team have an office below ours but they are usually based in Bali, Indonesia, so we can pop in and admire all the upcoming pieces.

 

L'Oreal Wild Ombré Dip Hair Dye No 3

Hi guys! I am in the mist of a very stretched week as I move out of my house into a new one and tackle a very serious drama involving an exploding smoothie. Yes, somehow my bedroom walls and ceiling are covered in strawberry smoothie, rather similar to a bloodbath shooting, and I am trying to scrub if off to get my deposit back, eeek!

Drama aside (if I don't laugh, I'll cry), I had a lovely weekend visiting home, dashing around friends and family in order to see everyone. The train home itself is £33 so I can't go as often as I would like sadly! My Mom lives outside of central Birmingham now so my sister visited her on the same night as me and I helped dye her hair. This is almost like a self-narrated guest post and it was her hair, but I thought some of you might be interested in the new L'Oreal Ombré hair dye kits! My sister Chloe works in Superdrug so she bought this before it hit the shelves, probably within the next week or so.

The kit is essentially bleach with a comb, coming in three shades to achieve blonde if you have dark blonde - dark brown hair. Chloe already had blonde ends but wanted to take it up a few inches as her hair has grown. I know nothing of bleaching or hair dying but it was a doddle! You simply squeeze the creme onto the brush and comb it onto the very ends; then comb it lightly on the bits you want to fade. To get an even line, I would get someone else to do it so you aren't reaching around the back of your head, and make sure you lightly brush the underneath too. Chloe's went fine apart from a more obvious brown - blonde line at the back underneath which I must not have brushed properly! I would also tie up the top section of your hair if you have layers so you can spend some dedicated time making them perfect, as that layer will be shown the most!