Ibiza Holiday Haul

 

 

 

 

 

 

1// Primark  2// ASOS  3// New Look  4// H&M  5 - 8// River Island  

9// H&M & Topshop  10// H&M & ASOS  11// Primark  12// eBay

Hello Lovelies. It has been a while since I blogged but I am on holiday now for six wonderful weeks so I'll hopefully be able to churn out a few more posts than usual - I may even attempt one a week! Sadly, there are no three week jaunts to Thailand this summer, not on my budget, but I am off to Ibiza for a week - whoop, whoop! I had a little spree at the weekend but there are still a few things I need to purchase such as wedges, sandals and a new bikini so feel free to share your holiday post links below. I was quite excited with my new purchases for two reasons; one because I have not bought clothes on this scale for a long time (I have been operating on a serious cash conservation level) and two because in an attempt to be beach ready for Ibiza I have been following the Fast Diet and am now officially a size 10. This is monumental as I have not been a size 10 since high school and without sounding too boastful I am extremely pleased with myself! It felt so nice to be buying bright colours and prints and even nicer knowing that in less than two weeks I'll be rocking them with the sun upon my skin and can finally leave the tights in my sock drawer.

P.s. excited to try out the hair chalk for both Ibiza and T in the Park!

Easter Holidays: Week One

My Easter Holidays Week One:

Friday:
Made lunch for my Mum then went shopping. Bought new boots from Topshop and had a mini Primark splurge (including the above black and white sandals).

Saturday:
Went to Glasgow with my fellow Claire's on Saturday. Managed a quick look in the new Forever 21 but it's so big it will require a whole day visit!

Sunday:
It was a bank holiday Monday so we went to see a local tribute band. I wore a new dress from River Island and taupe spiked Litas (finally treated myself to the real deal).

Monday:
Had Easter lunch with my parents and grandparents. My evening was spent on the couch having an American TV marathon eating chocolate. Plus the sun finally came out (so of course I took a picture of my door - as you do!).

Tuesday:
Went to a restaurant in Culross called the Red Lion with my sister Lauren. The steak was to die for and you had to wear an apron as it was brought out on a sizzling plate. Lauren stayed over and we had a Girls marathon.

Wednesday:
DIY!! I began the mammoth task of painting the hall.

Thursday:
Attended the Zen Lifestyle blogger event with Cat. See previous post.

Friday:
Finally finished painting the hall and bathroom. My parents came round for tea and mum stayed as we had an early start in the morning because...

Saturday:
We went to the infamous Scout Sale in Morningside, Edinburgh. I spent a grand total of £3.50 and got a set of coasters, two cushion covers, a shirt from West Germany(?), some new books and a letter holder (not pictured). It was absolute granny shoving chaos! We then went to Ikea for lunch and I bought the obligatory scented candles, some lovely new teal towels and the main reason for the trip a massive rug for my living room. We drove past my granny's childhood home and got lost in the countryside. I had a banging Saturday night and finished painting my kitchen roof.

Sunday:
Today I finished painting the kitchen and bought colours for the kitchen and bedroom feature walls. At night I had a meal with the girls at our favourite restaurant to hear about my friend Leigh's trip to Thailand.

Being a teacher I get 12 weeks off a year (don't hate me!) Sometimes it feels like I have done nothing with my holidays so it helps to write it all down. I hope you've enjoyed a wee sneak peak at my life.

Tickled Pink

Jacket - Warehouse // Jumper - H&M // Dress - Primark //
Necklace - Primark // Boots - Topshop

I have a rather smug look on my face in these photos and it's probably because I'm on holiday for a whole two wonderful weeks! I wore this outfit to Glasgow on Saturday for a day/ night out with the girls. I bought the boots with my birthday money. They are really similar to a pair of chelsea boots I have from ASOS which I have worn to death over the autumn/ winter period and thought it was probably a good idea to invest in a leather version. They are fail safe, go with anything boots and based on the fact that it's April... and we STILL have snow, I'll probably be wearing them all Summer too.

P.s. This print is everywhere... Crop tops in New Look and dresses in our local boutique shop as well. However, this little beaut was only £10!

Lover You Should Come Over

Scarf - Charity // Skirt - Topshop / Socks - Primark // Converse - Spartoo

It's officially half term - hurrah! Although for me that only means a long weekend off. However, it has been spent wonderfully so far. A trip to Ikea with the mother followed by lunch and then a very romantic evening with the boyfriend. He truly excelled himself by turning up at the door with flowers, steak and a bag full of surprises... including Valentines coupons, a stunning thrifted photo album (he's learning), a handmade bracelet and a mix-tape of significant songs. Never has anyone put so much thought or effort into presents for me. (My good karma last Valentines paid off obviously!)

The above outfit is a mish-mash of very old and very new. I bought the jacket aged fifteen with my first wage from the chippy. It's from Bay Trading! The t-shirt is topshop circa 2008 and I still love it. The socks and the shoes are new. I managed to get Converse in a size 5.5 and they are the perfect fit! Even better, they only cost £33 from spartoo.co.uk, however, that deal seems to have vamoosed! On another note I'm really enjoying seeing the southern bloggers coverage of London Fashion Week on Instagram and am hoping the rest of my long weekend is as lovely as it has been and affords me a little more blogging time.

Chain of Fools

Coat - Charity Shop £10 // Shirt - George // Shorts - Market £5 // Belt - Primark //
Loafers - River Island // Gold Necklace - Gift

It's been a lovely Sunday. My sister, my mother and I went to a local vintage fair called Gin in Teacups (I got some lovely items but will post about them separately) and took a trip to Matalan. It started off a miserable and "driech" day but turned out rather nice by the afternoon resulting in lots of squinty-eye pics being taken. Despite the sun, it's still very cold in Scotland which means I can crack out my winter jackets including my old Barnardo's favourite.

Where the Wild Things Are

Shirt - Charity Shop // Skirt - River Island // Boots - ASOS // Necklace - Primark // Lipstick - MAC Russian Red  

I was lucky enough for the rain to stay off on Friday and for the temperature to creep up to a positively balmy 15 degrees so it was a no tights evening and a chance to wear my relatively new suede boots! These are the tan version of the purple ASOS Aggie boots that feature in the post "Purple Rain". The ASOS Aggie boots are currently in the sale for £31 but have unfortunately sold out in this colour - I am tempted to get them in grey or black leather too but three pairs of the same style boot is a bit excessive... no?!

The skirt is from River Island and cost £16 - bargain! The necklace is actually a purchase from last year but it was the first time I've worn it as it was really itchy but it felt fine under a shirt collar. I was a bit apprehensive about matching a silk tiger print shirt with a cream floral skirt but all in all I think the clash of textures and patterns works really well.

T in the Park 2012

Jacket - Vintage // Dress - H&M // Wellies - Hunters // Socks - Primark
(Please excuse the sun squint!)

Well my first T in the Park since 2006 was a wet one... a very, very wet one. In fact no words can describe how wet it was. The above picture was Friday's outfit which was a lovely warm evening - oh how misleading that evening was! The rain began very early Saturday morning and did not stop 'til Saturday evening turning the fields of Balado into a quagmire. I dragged myself through mudlike swamps and free-form mini lochs and sported a rather fetching plastic jacket all day but had THE most amazing weekend. If the weather chose to punish me the company, the music and the atmosphere certainly didn't. However, I am glad I chose not to camp. Post with several embarrassing and wet photos to follow :)

(The camouflage jacket was stolen from my father after seeing a post by the lovely Amy Bell at The Little Magpie . I was just about to purchase a jacket on eBay when I asked my dad if he owned a camo jacket. He popped off to the shed and voila - success! After discussing this with Amy we both decided that all men happen to have one of these bad boys kicking about somewhere... that and a drawer of adapters and screws!)

Jungle Is Massive... American Apparel Disco Pants

Disco Pants - American Apparel // M&S Shirt - Charity // Faux Litas - eBay // Jewellery - Primark

I have swithered over the buy button for a while. Would I pay more for, in all honesty, a pair of leggings than I have for any single item of clothing I have bought in quite a while? Then I looked at my wardrobe full of shirts and thought "I need these in my life". I got them from ASOS with 10% off and free delivery which worked out at £63 in total. I ordered on the Monday and they arrived on the Friday. I'd been panicking all week over whether they would fit. I opted for a M which equates to a size 10-12. (I am generally a size 12 jeans in Topshop if this helps with sizing.) They are much stretchier than I expected. You will have to do the "wriggle" dance to get into them but once you are, believe me, the benefits are bountiful. Belly flattened. Bum lifted... Hello new pulling pants! They look as equally good with a a crop top and heels and they do with a vest and hi-tops. And yes, I couldn't resist a Sandy impression when I put them on.

(Update: I would say since buying that they have lost a little of their initial tightness and would be interested in seeing how a S would fit.)

Black and white images edited using http://www.picmonkey.com/

Pearls Before Swine

Shirt - Charity Shop // Jacket - Topshop // Leggings - Topshop // Belt - Primark // Earrings - Charity Shop // Shoes - Faith

I have had a lot of success in charity shops this Easter. This little beauty was £2! I was on a family day out to Falkland last Thursday and we stopped in the Leslie Christian Charity Shop on the way back which is a treasure trove of clothes, shoes and curios. I got a few other pieces but I want to save them for a "charity-shop-only" post. I am suffering from last day of the holiday blues. Ah well... back to work and reality tomorrow.

Feed the Birds Tuppence a Bag

Leather Jacket & Vest - Topshop // Skirt - River Island // Converse - Office // Sunglasses - Primark

Happy Birthday To Me... Today I turned 26 so I am officially over the quarter-life hump. Hurray! I'm quite excited that these pictures seeing me venturing out of the boxroom. It was a beautiful day so I went to feed the ducks. The sunshine has made me so happy this weekend. I can't wait for bank holiday fun and my long awaited return to T in the Park come July.

The skirt is the only new purchase in the above photographs and was a bargain at £12. I love all the bright colours on the high-street at the moment and shall be purchasing Company's Spring/ Summer edit this week in preparation for spending my birthday cash!

Because the Lady Loves Pink... MAC Impassioned

Shirt - Primark £10 // Leggings - Missguided £13.99 // Lipstick - MAC // Nails - Deborah Lippmann

An OOTN from last weekend. I attended an Ibiza club night but obviously didn't get the memo that said racer vest and micro shorts... and unfortunately that's the boys I'm talking about. Never seen so many nipples on a night out in my life. I've not quite got the 'posing for camera' part quite right yet. I will attempt to choose a better location than the corner of the living room for future shots. The shirt is from Primark and I bought it in a size 16 which is two sizes larger than I would normally purchase. However, I wanted a loose fit for wearing with leggings and the 12 was fitted and looked too formal. I have came to the conclusion that size is an illusion when it comes to shopping in Primark and usually take in a selection of sizes from 8 - 16. The lipstick in the picture is MAC Impassioned. This was my first ever MAC purchase - brave huh?! It could not go better with this shirt. The lipstick is from their Amplfied creme range and has a nice thick texture. It doesn't dry out the lips like their Matte lipsticks and has pretty good staying power as it stains the lips. I applied with a brush to get a strong overall colour.

Channeling Lana

Shirt - George £10 // Shirt - Primark £10 // Blazer - Primark £23 // Bra - Primark £7

Lana Del Rey's hotly anticipated debut album Born to Die does not disappoint... It has been on repeat since it arrived on Monday. The album is making me crave warm hazy summertime evenings and passionate, all-consuming love affairs. My purchases this weekend are in homage to Lana's retro style... On a budget.

I spotted the Versace inspired printed shirt on a shopping trip to Asdas with my mum. I was over the moon with this find as I have been "watching" similar shirts on eBay which have been selling upwards of £30. It is also available in black.I was equally pleased with the Primark shirt which was the last one in the store. I nearly bought a similar shirt in Topshop last year but it was really ill-fitting. The Primark shirt is a size 16 but fits perfectly (I tend to ignore sizes in Primark nowadays and take in a selection of different sizes to see what fits best). The sleeves are a little too long but I will just adjust the buttons on the cuff. I love the western detailing at the neck and it looks great with the blazer, which is excellent quality for the price.

Primark have also got some gorgeous Valentines inspired underwear in store. The print on the bra is so feminine and there are matching pants available. It is also a great fit. As I mentioned in a previous post, Primark have started selling bras in DD+ cup sizes. I was recently fitted for a bra and was told I was not a 34D (even though I had  been wearing this size for years) but a 32DD. This felt really tight and uncomfortable at first but I soon came to realise I was better supported and looked slimmer because my posture was improved. So I urge you ladies to get measured!

I'm hoping to feature the above shirts in an OOTD post and to take some "proper" pictures with a camera instead of relying on my iPhone and the trickery of my favourite photography apps. That said I do love the dreamy vintage look it gives the pictures and I am channeling my inner Lana...

Sale Haul

I was on a mission today to find a strapless bra to wear with a low back dress I've got for New Year (actually I've had it since last new year but the underwear predicament has stopped me from wearing it!) I have tried on backless, low backed and converter bras and felt totally unsupported in everything. I was about to give up when I spotted a bandeau bra in Primark... Success! Sucky inny pants purchased now just to try on with the dress.

Picked up a few other things in Primark.  A lounge top £2, cute ankle socks £1 and waist control tights if the pants fail and a bra and pants set in Primark £4. They've started doing DD cups so I was overjoyed to find my size. Also bought nude leather pumps from Faith reduced to £14. I really struggle to find a slip on shoe that fits but these are really narrow and are much better quality than a similar pair I saw in Topshop.

I also picked up a black tube skirt in Topshop sale at £12 and some half price jewellery. Bangle £7, ring £4.25. And finally the shoes... River Island £70 down to £35. Not entirely sure if I'll keep them. Bought them to go with new years outfit... We'll see.

I'm off out to a nightclub in town that's just recently reopened. Last time I was there I was 20... Eek! If I wear said shoes I'll need to make sure any prospective male friends are 6ft +!