Outfit of the Day (#OOTD)

Ciao ♥ Dang! It's been a hella long time since I last published a post but - BOOM - I'm back, and better than ever. Seeing as it's long time no speak, how are you guys? I hope you're all doing fabulously well and having a great summer, even if the weather is slightly poo-ish (damn you British weather).. or not if you're somewhere warm (lucky sod).

I can't really complain though as I've just come back from a relaxing girls holiday to Marbella, Spain. So prepare yourself as I've literally got a gazillion and one outfit posts to share with y'all. Apart from the obvious holiday outfits, I've also got some festival and evening wear ones.. all which will be coming at you left, right and centre over the next few weeks.

In today's post I will be sharing the outfit I wore on my first evening out in Marbella. This beautiful two piece is from Zara, as are my block sandal heels. Besides the gorgeous and elegant detailing, this outfit is airy and lightweight - perfect for a warm summer's evening. I paired it with my favourite red lipstick: MAC's Lady Danger, to add a pop of colour to the look. What do you guys think? Are you a fan of two-pieces? If so, where's your go-to place to buy them?

 

Top: Zara || Trousers: Zara || Sandal Heels: Zara || Bag: Primark

Ciao ♥ Xx

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Topshop Sale Picks

Blush Leather Wrap Skirt - £85/£40 (click here to view)

JUNO Soft Glove Mid Shoes - £59/£35 (click here to view)

Quilted Bomber Jacket - £60/£30 (click here to view)

Draycott Jeans By Unique - £95/£60 (click here to view)

Ixworth Crew Jumper By Unique - £95/£60 (click here to view)

Tailored Paperbag Shorts - £35/£22 (click here to view)

Oval Links Necklace £16.50/£8 (click here to view)

Cold Shoulder Bardot Jumpsuit - £60/£30 (click here to view)

LUXE High Sandal By Unique - £125/£55 (click here to view)

Underwired Harness Bra - £22/£12 (click here to view)

Harness Tanga Pants - £10/£4 (click here to view)

Woven Leather Belt - £28/£15 (click here to view)

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Happy New Year

Happy New Year ♥ Wow! Another year done, and dusted. I pray 2016 is a prosperous and happy one for us all, filled with love, happiness, good health and success (*sending you lots of positive energy and vibes*).

Like every year 2015 was filled with a healthy mixture of ups and downs, all of which I am extremely grateful for. These experiences enabled me to learn a great deal more about myself and strengthened my desire for certain things. All in all it was a rather chilled and relaxing year :)

Although I don't believe you should wait for the arrival of a new year to change something (why wait? Don't use that foolishness of an excuse to prolong the desired change), I've written down some of the things I hope to achieve, experience and put into practice in 2016:

- Pass my driving test
- Make full use of my 2016 diary
- Join the gym and keep at it
- Cook more often
- Go strawberry picking
- Wake up earlier
- Drink more water
- Continue to de-clutter my room
- Volunteer at a homeless shelter over the Christmas period
- Be more proactive towards my career path
- Take vitamins daily
- Go on holiday with friends
- Curse less
- Read more books
- Spend less; save more
- Discover an array of new restaurants to eat out at
- Be more consistent with my blog and YouTube channel
- Take my dad out for dinner
- Spend time with my family and friends
- Sleep earlier
- Make myself packed lunch for work

What are you hoping to achieve or experience this year?

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Secret Santa Gifts - For Her

Ciao ♥ I know it can be quite tedious hearing the same thing being repeated over and over again. I for one find this to be quite annoying so allow me to apologise in advance for once again expressing my surprise at how quickly this year has gone by. December has certainly come around a lot faster than I had anticipated. This is a thought shared by several of my work colleagues and friends who are overcome with festivity and a pinch of stress. The latter being caused by the fact that Christmas is in exactly 20 days and they're nowhere near to being done with their present buying.

Sensing that some of you are also stressed by this, I've decided to dedicate this month to helping y'all out, so fret your festive seasoned socks not. Over the next three weeks I'll be providing you guys with lots of ideas for stocking fillers, his and hers and Secret Santa gifts. In today's post I've put together a selection of goodies that I think will make fabulous Secret Santa gifts for her. All are £10 and under and can currently be found on the high-street or on online. Happy shopping!

Bramley Sprig Make-Up Case - £10 from Cath Kidston (click here to view)

Apron - £7.99 from H&M (click here to view)

Mice Spots A6 Day To View 2016 Diary - £8 from Paperchase (click here to view)

Chalk Mug - £6 from Accessorize (click here to view)

Twinings Tea Selection - £10 from Boots (click here to view)

Lippy Star Wand - £10 from The Body Shop (click here to view)

Burt's Bees Burts Originals Gift Set - £6.79 from John Lewis (click here to view)

Starbucks eGift - £10 from Starbucks (click here to view)

Yankee Candle Simply Home Christmas 6 Votives Gift Set - £6 from ASDA (click here to view)

Fanci Nesting Star Cookie Cutters - £8 from Debenhams (click here to view)

Real Techniques Mini Mus-Haves - £7.99 from Superdrug (click here to view)

Christmas Lip Duo Bullet - £10 from Topshop (click here to view) 

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Wish List | November

Suede Heel Ankle Boots - £79.99 from Zara (click here to view)

Charlotte Tilbury The Complete Brush Set - £240 from John Lewis (click here to view)

Limited Edition Green Sequin Dress -  £399 from Karen Millen (click here to view)

Monochrome Checked Skinny Scarf - £45 from Ted Baker (click here to view)

Elie Saab Le Parfum 90ml - £78 from Selfridges (click here to view)

Wooden Bar Multi-Row Necklace - £25 from Topshop (click here to view)

Pure Wool Lace Fedora Hat - £35 from M&S (click here to view)

Green Draycott Satchel - £99 from Hobbs (click here to view)

Stripe Texture Pencil - £45 from Oasis (click here to view)

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Farfetch Competition

Ciao ♥ How are you? I was recently invited to take part in a fashion challenge by the international fashion website Farfetch. The aim of the competition is to create an outfit that is stylish and suitable for the upcoming festive holiday season. This was lots of fun to create as I usually put together outfits featuring high-street brands opposed to luxury ones. Featured below is my entry for this competition. I opted for quite an elegant outfit that has a subtle hint of mysteriousness and grunge. I tried not to choose anything that was too cliché (i.e. a red dress or gold jewellery) as I didn't want my outfit to be a predictable choice for the festive season. I wanted it to stand out from the crowd opposed to blending in. After all, these are the outfits that people tend to remember the most.

Please note that all items featured below are currently available to view or purchase on the Farfetch website. What do you guys think? Is this something you'd wear? :)

Long Kimono Pleated Dress by Iris Van Herpen (click here to view)

Geometric Sandals by Charlotte Olypmia (click here to view)

Tassel Detail Belt by Lanvin (click here to view)

Poppy Cage Knuckle Box Clutch by Alexander McQueen (click here to view)

Tear Drop Earrings by Givenchy (click here to view)

Are you guys following me on Instagram and Twitter? Get following if you’d like to be updated with my day-to-day thoughts and adventures.

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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AW15 Fashion Trend #2

Ciao ♥ Brr! Autumn has unwelcoming-ly blown into our lives bringing coming months of cold days, and even colder nights. Although there's little nothing we can do about this, other than dress in accordance to the weather (hello layering), we can certainly take charge as to how fashionably well we do this.

To assist you ladies in doing so, I've put together an 'AW15 Fashion Trends' blog post series which illustrates some of the hottest fashion trends around. The first instalment of this series focused on the 70s which you can have a read about here. In today's instalment I will be briefly discussing this season's obsession with velvet. Oh and when I say briefly, I mean briefly. Hmm! I just don't feel as if there's much for me to elaborate on when it comes to this particular trend. Now that's a first as I usually always have so much to say. Nonetheless, I'm going to try to be as informative as I possibly can in the shortest but sweetest type of way. Here I go...

If you're someone who follows fashion quite closely you'd have noticed that velvet has slowly been creeping up on us, season by season. Despite all of this effort it's never quite made it is as a key seasonal trend, until now that is. Evidently, AW15 has seen the likes of Alexander Wang, Burberry, Christopher Kane, House of Holland and Mary Katrantzou incorporate this super soft fabric into their AW15 RTW collections. Featured below are some of my favourite looks from their catwalk shows.

The majority of trends are usually centred around styles (i.e. monochrome, the 70s and sports luxe) opposed to fabrics. However, this is quite the opposite for AW15 as the high-street stores are flowing with an array of fabrics including corduroy, fur, leather, suede and velvet. Yes! This season it's ALL about fabrics. After all, how many of you sought high and low, in one shop and out another, to find the perfect denim button A-Line skirt or a pair of fitted leather trousers? Ah! Quite a few of you I see. Not at all surprising as both of these statement pieces were made desirable simply because of the composition of them. For instance, this season ladies are opting for a suede or corduroy version instead as it's on trend.

What's your favourite fabric? Do you like velvet? Personally, I once considered it to be a fabric that was best suited to either a child or someone a lot more mature in age. I'm not entirely sure why, I guess I just didn't think of it as being very fashionable. Has anyone else had that thought? Although I'm not completely head over heels in love with it, I'm slowly growing fond of it having recently picked up a black velvet embroidered cardigan from Rokit. It's gorgeous and was only £7. Bargain!

• #FashionTrendFact: Just like faux fur, velvet is better suited to this time of year. The texture, softness and warm essence of the fabric compliments the chilly autumnal days perfectly.
• #FashionTrendTip: Textures are a great way of adding some character and dimension to an outfit. It's also quite fun to stroke (LOL).

Below is a selection of my favourite velvet finds from the high-street and online stores, all of which are currently available to purchase. What are you favourite pieces? Mine has to be the bib front dress and love heel courts ♥

Velvet Jacket - £79.99 from Zara (click here to view)

Faith Navy Asymmetric Textured Velvet Clutch - £29/£23.20 from Debenhams (click here to view)

Velvet Love Heel Courts By Unique - £125 from Topshop (click here to view)

Velvet Scrunchie - £4 from Topshop (click here to view)

Faith Dark Red Velvet High Heeled Sandals - £45/£36 from Debenhams (click here to vew)

Velvet Floral Applique Dress - £210 from Karen Millen (click here to view)

Velvet Print Wrap - £39.50 from M&S (click here to view)

Velvet Ditsy Print Wide Leg Trousers - £45 from Topshop (click here to view)

Velvet Bib Front Dress - £50 from Oasis (click here to view)

Black Velvet Embellished Bow - £3.99 from New Look (click here to view)

White Stuff  Lindy Velvet Skirt - £45 from John Lewis (click here to view)

Velvet & Crystal Choker Necklace - £6 from Accessorize (click here to view)

Eastpak x House of Hackney Limited Edition Velvet Backpack in Carpet Print - £175 from ASOS (click here to view)

Onari Velvet Tank Top - £70 from Reiss (click here to view)

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Wish List | October

Longline Double-Breasted Wool Blend Coat - £110 from Topshop (click here to view)

High Heeled Combined Leather Ankle Boots - £79.99 from Zara (click here to view)

Komono KOM-W1241 Women's Moneypenny Bracelet Strap Watch - £70 from John Lewis (click here to view)

Circular Skirt - £39.99 from H&M (click here to view)

Felt Fedora - £25 from Oasis (click here to view)

NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita - £24 from Selfridges (click here to view)

Mock Crocodile Saddle Satchel Bag - £35 from M&S (click here to view)

Hendrix Check Reversible Scarf - £25 from Oasis (click here to view)

Heart Applique Underwired Bra - £22 from Topshop (click here to view)

Heart Applique Mini Knickers - £10 from Topshop (click here to view)

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Outfit of the Day (#OOTD)

Ciao ♥ Happy Sunday! I hope you're all having a relaxing afternoon and being nothing but lazy. I certainly am as it's nearly 16:00 and I'm still in my pjs, sipping on countless cups of tea. What are you guys up to? :)

Considering I've been trying to write ths post for the past two hours (I keep getting distracted, mainly by Anthropolgie's homeware section. Look at how beautiful this plate is), I'm going to keep this post short and sweet. Short as in this is it, this is the end of the post. Lol! Should I really end it like this? Gah! What the heck. It's a Sunday, I'm tired and I know y'all understand. Peace. X

 

(Jacket: Primark // Top: H&M // Jeans: Topshop // Shoes: Superga // Bag: Zara // Necklace: Greenwich Market)

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Outfit of the Day (#OOTD)

Ciao ♥ I’ve never quite understood why people look forward to the arrival of autumn. It baffles me. I just don't get it (*looks around confused*). Don't get me wrong, I love sipping on hot cups of pumpkin spice latte, burning autumnal scented candles and rockin' chunky knitwear, just as much as the next person BUT please spare me the colder and darker days/nights. Brrr! I can most certainly do without those.

That's not to say I haven't prepared myself. Call me crazy but I've already bought not one, not two but three seven new coats. Yes! Seven. As in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Gah! Now I've written that down it sounds a little, erm... excessive, especially as they were all bought before autumn had even arrived. Three of those coats are from Hunter Boots who recently pulled off a spectacular show at London Fashion Week. The one I'm wearing in today's outfit post is metallic and puffy. Not something that sounds like it should work but thankfully it does. At least I think so anyway :P

I rocked this outfit last weekend when the girls and I headed to Shoreditch for a spot of chill time and a bite to eat at the French restaurant, Haché. I ordered the Steak Milano which is a Scotch steak burger topped with buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan shavings on sun-dried tomato tapende and a side order of frites. Mmm! It really is as delicious as it looks (*salivating like a dog*).

Nearly all of my jeans, and almost all of those that have been featured on my blog, are the Topshop Joni jeans. If you haven’t yet strutted your stuff in a pair of these badboys, what are you waiting for? They’re super high-waisted, have a spray-on effect and really help to emphasise your body shape (#FYI: I buy mine in a W26L30). I'm utterly obsessed with them so picture my happiness when I saw that the 'New In This Week' section on the Topshop website featured a khaki and burgundy pair. Obviously, this caused me to have a I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE type of moment in which my eager little fingertips typed away my bank details before I could stop myself. Do I feel bad? Hell to the no.

I also bought three ribbed crop tops in a size 8 but found them to be quite an awkward fit; the arms too long, the shoulders too big. I then reordered four more in a size 6 hoping they would be a better fit. They weren't so I've now returned all of them but the camel coloured one I'm wearing below. Finally, knowing there would be lots of walking around involved I slid my feet into my dusty pink Superga flatforms which are super comfortable. What do you guys think?

       

(Jacket: Hunter Boots // Top: Topshop // Jeans: Topshop // Trainers: Superga // Necklace: Greenwich Market)

Are you guys following me on Instagram and Twitter? Get following if you’d like to be updated with my day-to-day thoughts and adventures.

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Wish List | September

MOTO Ripped Cain Premium Jeans - £45 from Topshop (click here to view)

Atlettis Clutch Bag In Suede - £190 from Coccinelle (click here to view)

Stripe Ribbed Lurex - £40 from Warehouse (click here to view)

Taylor Morris Vredefort Round-Frame Sunglasses - £150 from Harvey Nichols (click here to view)

Leather Studded Hem Mini Skirt - £90 from Topshop (click here to view)

Wool Hat - £24.99 from H&M (click here to view)

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Eye Palette - £38 from Feelunique (click here to view)

Agent Provocateur Saskia Non Padded Plunge Navy Bra - £60 from John Lewis (click here to view)

Agent Provocateur Saskia Mini Navy Briefs - £30 from John Lewis (click here to view)

Boucle Check Scarf - £49 from Hobbs (click here to view)

Winter Birch Faux Fur Coat - £185 from French Connection (click here to view)

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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My holiday to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Ciao ♥ At the beginning of this month I managed to escape the constant hustle and bustle of London life to the serenity of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. I went away for just under two weeks with one of my closest childhood friends. As it was her first girls' holiday we really wanted to make the most of our time away together by exploring and taking on as many excursions as possible.

All of ours were booked via Sharm Excursions prior to flying out. This site offers a range of excursions at affordable prices which work out to be a lot cheaper than those prices offered in Egypt. Better yet, at checkout you’re only required to pay a 10% deposit as the remainder of the cost will be collected upon your arrival. This is a great benefit for those who are slightly weary about making a payment with a site they’re not familiar with.

Our first excursion took place in the desert on the outskirts of Sharm and consisted of camel riding, dinner with a Bedouin tribe and star gazing. Despite doing this excursion the last time I was in Egypt, I just had to do it again as it's such a fun experience.

Our next excursion was a trip to Cairo which, as you can imagine, is bustling with character and has a history so rich it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. Our first visit was to The Egyptian Museum which was absolutely phenomenal and my favourite part of my trip to Cairo. Yes! Even more than the pyramids. I was in awe of the many different artifacts which are more than a thousand years old. You wouldn't dare think it as they're in immaculate condition and preserved exceptionally well. My favourite part of the museum has to be the section displaying an array of mummified animals, including a crocodile the length of a double-decker bus, if not longer. Amazing, right? Unfortunately, I'm unable to show you guys any of this as you're not allowed to take photos inside of the museum (wah!). Here I am in the museum's garden...

After visiting the museum we then had a boat ride along the River Nile before stopping off for some lunch.

After filling up our bellies it was finally time to pay the magnificent pyramids a visit.

For our final excursion we went quad biking in the desert.

On two separate occasions we managed to drag ourselves away from the hotel's pool and head into town to visit the old market. The old market is flowing with merchants sitting on stools as they smoke tobacco and sip on glasses of hot chai, infused with mint. Handmade jewellery of a wooden and mother of pearl composition can be found dangling from metal fixtures affixed to shop windows and doors. Stray, lounging cats take refuge during the hottest hours of the day as the sun beams down, unforgiveable to those who dare get in its way.

I put my haggling skills to good use as I bought a ton of souvenirs for a fraction of the original asking price. This was helped massively by the fact that I can speak some Arabic and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Trust me, haggling is my thang. One shop owner even called me ‘big mafia’ as I refused to back down. LOL! I rest my case.

Some funny-ish things to expect when in Egypt:

• Taxi drivers transporting you to your chosen destination at a speed of 80-100mph.
• The constant honking of car horns for no apparent reason. 
• Camels parked up at the side of the road. 
• Merchants mimicking English expressions (i.e. lovely jubbly, cheap as chips and etc.).
• Being offered herds of animals as a dowry for marriage (I was offered 50 cows LOL)

If you want to see some more of my photos from Egypt then make sure you follow me on Instagram. Also, do let me know if any of you guys went away this summer? If so, where to? :)

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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Dolly Rockin' It's Pop-Up Store

Ciao ♥ Long time no see. How are you? It’s been just over two weeks since I last published a post but I have a valid excuse, I swear. I was away in Egypt sunning it up and had very limited access to WiFi. I told you it was valid :P Despite experiencing social media withdrawal symptoms I had an amazing time and cannot wait to share it all with you. Keep your eyes peeled as I’ll be showing you guys what I got up to and what I wore on a day-to-day basis in the next few posts. For those who’d like to have a sneak peek make sure you check out my Instagram as I’ve already uploaded some photos and videos.

Upon returning back to the UK on Friday morning I thought I'd have a quiet-ish type of weekend before returning to work on Monday morning. Ha! Oh how wrong I was. On Saturday afternoon I went to Portobello and in the evening I went to Shaka Zulu. On Sunday I was kindly invited along to Dolly Rockin’It’s pop-up store where I got to meet the founder of the brand and have an exclusive look at her collection. Oh, but the fun didn’t end there as I shamelessly put my pouting skills to good use in the photo-booth, gulped down three cups full of slush and had my nails done by the lovely Erika. There was also a tanning bar for those ladies who wanted to radiate a sun-kissed glow.

Everything in the store was beautifully presented and organised using an elegant range of shabby chic furniture. People walking by were clearly intrigued by what was on show as they couldn’t help but pop in even though the store wasn’t officially open at the time to the public. If you guys are around the North London area (more specifically North Finchley) then make sure you pay Dolly Rockin’It a visit.

All garments sold come in an array of sizes as well as a range of colours so there's something for everyone. They also stock accessories such as clutches, jewellery and keyrings. The only thing that you might need to take into consideration is that some sizes tend to sell out fairly quickly. Thankfully, I managed to get my hands on a white tee which I cannot wait to style.

What do you guys think?

Ciao ♥ Xx 

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