I Like You In Glasses

They very lovely people over at Direct Sight emailed me a little bit ago asking if I'd be interesting in a shiny new pair of glasses from them. Of course, being a dedicated glasses wearer (and one who is blind without them) I jumped at the chance! I picked the A162 frames priced at a reasonable £59 (compared to vision express a steal!) and they even threw in my lenses for free. You do get prescription lenses with the price but mine is so bottle-bottom strong they thinned them for me so I wouldn't look like a mole lady. I received them really promptly and they are residing on my face right now in place of my now heavily scratched superdry jobbies. A success all around, then, I think!

(If I look tired it's because I am! Giant pumps outside pumping up all the floodwater = not much sleep)

Shoe Picnic: Iron Fist Night A Light Platform

Iron Fist as a brand is one of my guilty pleasures. I own multiple versions of their tee shirts and a couple pairs of their flats, but I'm sad to say I'll probably never own a pair of their court shoes unless they make them sturdier/shave a couple inches off of them! I'm just not made for height I don't think, give me a pair of sweet flats or low heels any day. But if I were able to wear them, I think these would be the ones I'd have to snap up straight away.

These heels, the 'Night A Light's, caught my eye because they vary a little from the standard Iron Fist formula; there is no peep toe in sight (something I'm not a fan of!) and the shoe itself features a nice cross-foot bar which would prevent you from falling out of the shoe, something I've been known to do on multiple occassions. Nothing like walking off and leaving your shoes behind. The adorable pink bow is a great feature too against the monochrome print.

So, the burning question; How would I wear these shoes? If I was suddenly granted the ability of perfect poise/the ability to walk without turning my ankle in heels this high they would be my go-to piece with pretty dresses. Maybe for more formal occasions than just a shopping trip but equally, if you owned these pretties would you ever let them off your feet? ;) 

Weekly Nails #9

Model's Own Pink Lady £6 in 3-pack from TK Maxx / photo #1 most true-to-colour

Excel with Business

Recently the lovely people over at Groupon offered me the chance to review one of their deals. Of course, I snapped up this offer and after taking my time over a few days and trawling the site constantly, I came up with this; a (very) reduced deal on an online Excel-based course. Now, that may sound dull but to me I think this course, which I have a year to complete, could be invaluable. It will look great on a CV when I'm looking for work next year, and not only that but it will definitely be a great help with monitoring my blogging income, something I'm not so hot on right now. So, what do you think? If this deal popped up for you, would you give it a try? I'm definitely glad I did. There's always some kind of computer-y courses going on, so be sure to check them out and keep checking back for something you're interested in.

Sparkly Wallpaper

This post could be considered a little bit of 'filler'; my blogging hasn't been very consistent for the last while and there is a reason behind that. My (now ex) boyfriend of nearly five years just broke up with me so right now I'm trying to get myself together and, I suppose, re-adjust and decide what to do next in terms of living, education and other bits when I finish University which isn't all that far off now. And of course, when I'm feeling down about it all pretty dresses always help! I was sent this one to review from the lovely people at Simply Be and when the weather is better (e.g. I'm not knee-deep in floodwater) I'll take some nice outdoor photos to do it justice. Not 100% sure it suits me but it's still a lovely dress in it's own right.

Weekly Wishlist #020

I'm loving comfort clothes at the moment, there's something that's just really christmassy about throwing a jumper or a thick cardi on top of... well, anything really! I love a muted palette for winter too. It suits the grey skies and the subtleness allows for much more print and texture without being too overwhelming. And in the spirit of christmas overindulgence this wishlist is far more of a wish than previous weeks with a couple pretty designer pieces from Jules B.

marc by marc jacobs geraldine sweat / melissa x vivienne westwood shoes

dark red super skinnies / grey marl skater dress w/ sleeves

Shoe Picnic: Dr Martens Cassidy

If you know me at all by now, you will know of my love for all chunky, clumpy shoes and Dr Martens always head the top of that list. What's not to love? If you can't afford the real thing you can even get dupes in loads of stores like H&M or New Look but personally I'm a big fan of the originals, particularly the limited edition designs that get brought out every now and then.

These boots are named 'Cassidy' and come in both this more subtle black and a burgundy red, making them a great choice for the autumn/winter seasons. Whilst they do have the classic docs shape and style there's the noticably eye-catching difference of the rococo-grunge style floral skull print featured over the boot in a shiny fabric over the matt leather of the shoe itself. There's something about this pattern that gives these boots that little bit more of an edge and with a price tag of £137.99 it did need something that little bit extra to justify the price.

You can guarantee with these shoes, as with most Docs, that even though the initial buying cost is quite high these boots will last an absolute lifetime with a little care and in a couple years time it will be nice to know that your feet are so fashionable that what they are wearing is no longer made! There's a big trade in old limited edition Dr Martens (e.g. the guitar/skeleton prints) so it's always worth getting them whilst the price is low-ish.

Weekly Nails #8

Model's Own Lime Green, £6 in 3-pack from TK Maxx

photo #2 more true-to-colour

Bones

The lovely Jess of Pretty Edgy gifted me this pretty silver bone bracelet, isn't it the sweetest? I love the contrast of daintiness and darkness in the design, I can see myself wearing this loads as it's right up my alley in terms of my current style; a little less obnoxious than skulls but still a touch goth-y.

Pretty Purchases; Star Wars Xbox 360!

Ok, so this baby was purchased a few weeks ago but I can't resist showing it off! I thought I'd never spy one in the shops again as they were very limited edition at the time and it seemed unlikely that they would come back into store. However, I happened to enquire in my local Gamestation and they just so happened to have one in stock, second hand, minus the kinect which I didn't really want (the living room is too small) so win, win. I'm a big Star Wars fan so I had to have it along with one or two (...or six) games and it really was so worth the money. I love the little C3PO design on the controller too. Did I mention it makes R2 noises when it's turned on or the disc drive opens? I've put proof in a little video at the end, too cute~!

Shoe Picnic: Irregular Choice Silly Tilly

I love, love, love Irregular Choice as a brand. When it comes to heels, they are absolutely my favourite and first-pick for most occasions. Which makes it a little heartbreaking when it comes to actually buying them and finding that they are generally too small for me. However, this isn't always the case and a couple of their styles do fit me fine; and maybe this style could be one of them?

These heels are called 'Silly Tilly' and they come in both this lovely black and a rich jewel-tone purple. It seems when it comes to IC's autumn/winter seasons there's a lot more of an inspiration from cute critters and animals as opposed to their spring/summer collections that are more print and pattern based. I've got to say I love all the cute kitten-inspired designs this winter has brought, and the embroidered cat cameo on these is just the right side of kitsch.

These booties are great for the cooller weather, with the high sides you could stick on some cosy thick socks over some woolly tights, slip on these shoes and be ready to go in no time, or alternatively these would look just as good over skinnies or leggings, with a nice warm coat and cute knitted hat. Not to mention on a night out these would still look amazing with a little dress but keep your feet that bit warmer. What would you wear with these boots?

Mystic Triangles

It's miserable and rainy outside so I decided to try and do my old trick of photos against a blank wall in my room. Unfortunately even with a camera that's fairly wide angle in terms of lens there isn't much room to manouvre so these photos are below my normal standards, not to mention the lack of natural light didn't really help. Bah. Either way I liked the outfit (still in love with this tank from New Look!) so decided to document it. It's one of those trends I like at the moment, geometric shapes and cosmic prints. I'm keen on all the skulls out there at the moment too but something about the crosses that are common theme at the moment I'm not a fan of, it just makes me a little uneasy; not sure why.

top: new look / cardi: select / bodycon tank: h&m / jeans: new look inspire

shoes: tuk c/o spartoo / nails: see post here

Photogenic Christmas

I love gift-giving at christmas time; it's really fun thinking up inventive presents to give people that will actually mean something, and one creative but easy way to that is sites like Jessops, Photoline and Photobox that allow you to create gifts using photographic prints; anything from poster printing services to canvases and even cute little ideas like snowglobes. If you're really artsy you could even use it as a method of turning digital drawings and illustrations into something meaningful or someone you love. So, what do you think? will you be getting photo-based gifts this christmas, do you like being creative and crafty when it comes to presents? This is one of my favourite photos I've taken and in my opinion it would look great as part of a gift, as a poster or perhaps a canvas;

Weekly Wishlist #019

A bit of a hodge-podge of things that just caught my fancy this week that happen to make a pretty cute outfit; not that there's anything wrong with that! The lace dress has the most adorable daisy print (my favourite flower!) up close, and in combination with these nude heels and some black tights it would be just the right side of cutesy. What do you think? hit or miss?

topshop nails in stardust / river island leopard fascinator

dorothy perkins nude heels / new look green lace daisy dress

Spotted and Dotted

These jeans are firm favourites in my wardrobe at the moment; they are just the right level of skinny (i.e. they don't cut off circulation or flap) and they are a good length, too, the combination of which is very rare. Not to mention the pretty pattern. These shoes are firm favourites too, though white dogs and black velvet don't mix so currently I'm mostly admiring them sitting on a shelf in my room. The tunic is something I haven't worn in a long time; in fact I think the last time was at the Bristol blogger's xmas meet last year (or the year before?) either way, a lifetime ago!

tunic: dorothy perkins / cardi: george at asda / jeans: dorothy perkins sale

boots: rocket dog c/o spartoo / nails: barry m silver foil and models own pink crackle

Weekly Nails #7

It's been a fair while since I've been some actual nail art, lately I've been favouring the single colours or perhaps some polka dots/crackle if I'm feeling inventive. I really enjoyed doing this design, however. It was really simple to do on both hands and I like the colours together, so all around fairly happy with these even though they could always be neater. Photo one is more true to shade.

polishes used: barry m mushroom / essie lilacism / models own nail art pen

Fireworks

I'm loving my current camera! If you stand still enough (or use a tripod I suppose, my arms were killing by the end!) it takes some brilliant fireworks photos, though you do have to get it just at the right moment to get the full effect as it has such a slow shutter speed. I also tried out the HD video on the camera too, and that came out brilliantly even if half the time it was difficult to focus due to how dark it was, so I decided to add a little clip to the end, let me know what you think of it. Here's my favourites from the night;

Shoe Picnic: Betty London Zardik

I've been on a little bit of a menswear-as-womenswear androgynous kick as the moment, and these shoes are no exception to that current trend of thought. Brogues have fallen a little out of style since the last few years in favour of slipper shoes or flatforms but they're still a love of mine, not to mention a good pair can make your ankles and legs look great.

These brogues are from Betty London, and whilst they are menswear inspired there is still something very feminine about the design as a whole; something about the soft, brushed greys in combination with the rounded toe gives a little bit of a girly vibe that means they would look great with tights and dresses as well as skinnies or leggings; anything tight on the leg to make them stand out.

There's something very luxe about the design of these as a whole too; these shoes might be considered flats but their little stacked heel and the preciseness of the perforated edges are those little details that make the Zardik brogue feel more than worth it's money, not to mention that they are made of real leather.

Remember, Remember

Bonfire night! My evening was spent going to a fireworks display at the local rugby club (hence the warm clothing) and then settling down with some V for Vendetta, as with every other year. I'm loving my Animal coat for winter, it brightens up a grey winter's day nicely as well as being really warm and comfortable. And I've broken out my winter docs as well for the occasion, these ones are shearling lined so super cosy and the ribbon laces are adorable. There should be some photos of the fireworks soon, too, I always find them such fun to take pictures of. What did you do for bonfire night?

jeans: new look inspire / top: iron fist / jumper: new look / bodycon vest dress: h&m

coat: animal / boots: doc martens / nails: models own peach sherbert

Swapping Buttons

Hello lovely readers/followers! I've decided to sign up with Passionfruit in order to get some ads up here on the blog. At the moment I'm also offering the option of the small advertising spot as a 'swap spot'; meaning if you let me stick a button on your blog you can have it for free here with the code BFSWAP; just put the size of button you want me to send you and your email in the little description box. If you're a super lovely person you can always sponsor the blog from just $2 for small, $4 for medium or the low price of $10 for a massive XL ad. And for this month I also have a promo code for 25% off that price - BFNOV. Thanks for reading~!

Weekly Nails #6

Another polish from 17's newest collection, the 'Potion' shade is one of my absolute go-to colours at the moment. In some lights it comes off as a tarnished, high-shine gold but then you turn it a little and it becomes a deep green-gold sheen that really does make me think of brewing and potions and all those witchcrafty things; replace the gold with a silver and this would be an excellent Slytherin colour! Aside from the way it looks, this polish applies easily, dries very quickly and stays for at the very least 3-4 days. 10/10!