Sunday 30 September 2012

Wants if the Week #27

1. Trousers - ASOS Curve £90
Look at these perfect trousers. I saw the great blogger Franceta of Frantic Dreams wearing some in a recent blog post from Forever 21 I think. And I haven't stopped thinking about them. I don't know whether I could pull them off, but they're pretty great, don't you think?

2. Hat - Topshop £25
I can't really pull off hats very well either. I have a big head and they just annoy me as they never really sit right. But these cute simple roll hats sit really nicely on the back of my head, paired with big wavy hair they look really cute on an autumn day. Just watch that the wind doesn't carry it away!

3. Jumper - H&M £14.99
These jumpers are back. I think I saw everyone wearing one last year and I still have a few that don't look massively plucked. H&M have brought a few different styles out this year, all with a great shape and they will all look great over button down shirts. My two favourites are this blue one that will brighten up any outfit, and the black and white stripy one which will look great on its own with chunky black boots and skinnies.

4. Nail Varnish in Feeling Blue - Models Own £5
This pail blue is a lovely colour. It'd compliment the blue jumper really nicely if worn together. I'm still loving pail colours on nails. But recently I've seen alot of white nails so I think I'll head to superdrug (other drug stores are available) to pick up this pretty shade and a white one too!

5. Ring - Etsy £21
As you know I'm a big fan of rings. This one is very very cute. I love the simple design and it would look lovely with a tea dress and tights for winter. Its also a lovely, thoughtful present for any friends who have fallen in love with Paris.

6. Under Eye Concealer - Lumi Magique L'oreal £14
With all these early mornings I'm starting to show little baggies under my eyes. Nothing serious but I've just realised I may need to start wearing something a bit more illuminating than I have been. I have tried Touche Eclat but I've heard great reviews about this saying it does the same job, and you save a bit of money!

Back to work tomorrow!

Gem xo

Saturday 29 September 2012

There Ain't No Way To Say I Love You More

I'm having a bit of a moment with lace this season. I've already bought two different dresses in the material and I am showing no sign of slowing down. Luckily, I managed to grab this one in a charity shop for £2, so I wasn't out of pocket at all. There are similar ones though every, just check ASOS and Dorothy Perkins. I think it's so pretty, in either of my two favourite colours, black or cream/white, easy to wear and instantly makes a dress appear that bit dressier. Like this dress, my chosen style is skater as I'm not a massive fan of showing my belly, and this floats and skims over that part. I like the long floaty sleeves on this, as well they make it seem even more romantic than it is. I paired it with thick black tights and rose colour nails to keep the romance theme going on. This dress is perfect for dinner  or drinks with friends or dates. I'm having a lazy weekend as I have a terrible cough that won't go away and I just want it to, so I've been advised by doctors to rest up. Hope you are having a better time than I am!

Dress - Charity Shop (original labels cut out)
Tights - M&S
Shoes - ASDA
Rings - Vintage/Pia/Markets

Gem xo


Thursday 27 September 2012

Blood Red NOTD

These may be my favourite nails I'v ever done. Autumn is here and the classic autumn nail colour is red. Here I did a twist on the old favourite and did them gradient. I love the two shades of red and they look great on a night out with red lips for a twist on old school glam. I did this in summer with green and pink and the effect looks so much better on the longer nails I've been wearing recently. Here is the link to how I did them, they're really easy and great for people who can't do fiddly patterns like me!

Gem xo






Tuesday 25 September 2012

Heart of Glass

Just another white top and black jeans combination. I'm just throwing this on all the time at the moment and really need to inject some bright colours into my wardrobe. I do love monochrome though, and it really is matching the horrible, horrible weather at the moment. I am a big fan of autumn and autumn weather, but not all of this rain that we've had the past few days! Anyway, onto the outfit. I picked this Blondie t-shirt up from ASOS Curve. I've seen quite a few band t-shirt mini trends going on in certain magazines and this was my little take on it. I kept the outfit really simple with black skinnies from Marks and Spencer. These were a bargain I picked up for under fifteen quid. Great to just throw on an go. I also wore the black ASOS chelsea boots. I have another pair of ASOS boots on their way to me that I picked up in the sale, so I'll show you them as soon as I can. I'm loving this spiky necklace at the moment too, it adds a bit of originality to an otherwise bordering on boring outfit. Anyway I'm off to paint my nails a new colour/ pattern if it goes well I'll show you the tomorrow!
Jeans - M&S
Necklace - Primark 
Boots - ASOS
T-Shirt - ASOS
Rings - Pia, Vintage and Markets

Gem xo






Sunday 23 September 2012

Wants of the Week #26

1. Dress - ASOS £45
I am so in love with this dress. I've been after a simple black wrap dress for Winter season nights out. This one definitely needs buying soon! I think the gold cuff details are a great alternative to jewellery as well and add a subtle bit of sparkle for the cold months ahead.

2. Necklace - Dorothy Perkins £8.50
Still a big fan of gold pendant necklaces. Recently my mum picked up a wall hanging for me that I can hang all my necklaces on without them getting tangled. I definitely wasn't lacking in necklaces but this simple pretty one would be a great addition to any collection.

3. Pumps - New Look £15.99
I have lots of black slip on pumps. But I'm a big fan of the slipper type pumps, I think they're really cute and feminine. Probably not the best shoe for Manchester, with all it's rain, but I'd definitely wear these to work to brighten up a black outfit...

4. Peplum Top - Dorothy Perkins £14
Like this top. I wish I'd bought this when I first saw it, now there are no big sizes left. This would look great with some printed skinnies, or a colourful pencil skirt. I'll have to keep checking on the website now to see if it comes back, or ebay!

5. Mascara - Yves Saint Laurent from £18
I'm a bit funny with mascara. I don't think I ever look after it properly and it dries out quickly. So I don't mind spending a bit more on mascara, if it will last me a bit longer. The next one I'm looking to try out is this one. I've looked at it in store, and it looks like a lovely brush and a nice consistency. 

Gem xo

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Graze Box



This is a bit of a spontaneous post really. I had something else planned for today, but I really wanted to blog about this. I was reading Company magazine this month, and a leaflet fell out onto my bedroom floor. When I picked it up I saw it was for the much loved, and much blogged about weekly food box, the Graze Box. I used the code to sign up on the Graze website. I'm really impressed, as is Marley, as you can see in the photo above. The four food bits I got were Born in the USA, a mixture of pecans, almonds and cranberries, surprisingly this is my favourite one, it's so moreish and fulfils any snack craving. Then there was My Thai, baked soy bites with a sweet chilli sauce. This is again, very tasty. Marvellous Macaroon is up next, this mixture of amaretti drops, white chocolate and coconut flakes taste exactly like a coconut macaroon when you taste them all together. The last is the Summer Berry Flapjack. This is very sweet and is a lovely alternative to chocolate. Overall, I am very impressed and would suggest that if anyone wants to have a try head to Company magazine to get the code!

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Pencil Me In

Good evening ladies. I'm just settling down to watch The Great British Bake Off. I've met Mary Berry and tried some of a cake she made when I worked in London, and since then I've developed a bit of a crush on the show. Anyway, just ignore that name I dropped there, I just wanted to show you this comfy office wear that I've been slipping on recently. I picked up this skirt in the primark haul I talked about last week. I'm fast becoming a fan of their jersey/ stretchy pencil skirts that they are creating. They fit lovely, they're a bit clingy over the tummy area, but a longer top or on trend peplum top look lovely over the simple pencil silhouette. I have my eye on a navy spotty one next. I wore this sheer shirt from New Look Inspire that I showed you a couple weeks ago. I sized up as I sometimes have trouble over my boobs, but this is massive so definitely stick to your normal size if you're thinking of buying it. I just buttoned it all the way up and wore this triangle choker necklace underneath to smarten the whole look up. I got tagged in another Leibster blog award, which always warms me a little bit and I appreciate it very much, from the lovely Mel at Gladrags and Handbags. I will do this one, I never usually get round to doing them as I get distracted way to easy but I'd quite like to do one again. I hope everyone has a lovely evening anyway.
Shirt - New Look Inspire
Skirt - Primark
Necklace - Dorothy Perkins
Shoes - Peacocks (old)
Rings - Pia

Gem xo






Sunday 16 September 2012

Wants of the Week #25

1. Dress - H&M £19.99 
After popping to the craft fair yesterday near the Trafford Centre me and my mother went into Manchester city centre. It was so busy, but I needed to return a dress to Primark. Anyway, I went into H&M and this dress was on the rail, me and my mum both agreed it was a lovely dress but unfortunately they had no larger sizes in store. But I'm definitely having a look online!

2. Ring - ASOS £6
Another piece of cross jewellery to add to my little collection. As with my outfit post from Friday, gothic is very much 'in' this season and this little ring will look cute with any outfit.

3. Boots - Topshop £80
Topshop do it every year, they make a boot that hits the blogger world by storm. This year it's definitely  the Alvin studded boot. I'm looking for tan boots, but these ones caught my eye. I love the leather and suede. And the heel is a perfect height for walking around all day in. I'm definitely struggling to choose just one paid to pick from the Topshop selection.

4. Bracelet - Dorothy Perkins £6.50
This is a really pretty bracelet. It'll look lovely on its own. There is a range of different symbols. All would be great little presents for friends and a different take on the original friendship bracelet.

5. Blush - L'oreal £7.69
I bought this blush  yesterday and its so lovely. I bought one called true rose and it looks lovely on. It's for fair skin tones so it's easy for me to wear. I liked the colour called 'Vintage rose as well. The powder is quite thick so only a little bit is needed to give you a nice even coverage.

6. Flora Perfume - Gucci £49 (50ml)
This is a lovely light smell. It's very light and easy to wear. It matches with name Flora, definitely and its very feminine. There are three different scents, the pink one is my favourite as the other too are a bit too sweet for me now. But they'd be great for a younger girl. This is great for spring really so I will look at it for next years summer scent. 

Gem xo

Friday 14 September 2012

Cross My Heart

Just a quick outfit post this evening. It was dress down in work today so I wore this outfit. At the moment I'm currently grabbing for jeans and t-shirt on the weekend or for days off. I think as I dress up everyday in work I just want to wear the comfiest, slouchiest thing possible. But I haven't reached for the jogging bottoms just yet. I picked this oversized tee up from New Look Inspire and I really like it. Grunge and gothic look like big trends for Autumn/ Winter, as they probably are every year. But I seem to have incorporated it into my wardrobe a little easier than previous years, with black sheer shirts and leather peplum tops being all over the high street. I'd love to wear this t-shirt on a night out though and dress it up by tucking it into my pleather Primark skirt. I wore this oversized cream sheer shirt I bought a couple years ago as the office is quite chilly at the moment, and black skinnies for a simple look. I threw on some gold simple chains to complete the look.

I'm off to a craft fair with my mother tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to that relaxing day. I hope you enjoy your weekends.

Top - New Look Inspire
Shirt - Peacocks
Jeans - ASOS
Shoes - Primark
Necklaces - ASOS & Topshop

Gem xo

Thursday 13 September 2012

Bag Lady

Look at this amazing dupe for the Zara Bucket bag that everyone and their mother were blogging about a couple months ago. I'm almost reluctant to shout where it's from as I've had so many compliments on it already, but I will do this. It's from Primark and it really is a great bag. I chose the black one as I have quite a few tan/ brown bags. But the Tan one is lovely too. It was an amazing £12, and it seems to be holding out well, I've had it for a week and I have been bashing it about a bit but there are no scratches or wear and tear on it. I really like the simplicity of it, but I still think it makes a statement with an outfit. The only bad thing is it doesn't have a zip, but for a bucket bag I should have expected this. 

Bag - Primark

Gem xo

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Hide No More

I picked up this cute dress up in a Primark haul this weekend, which I will tell you about about later on this week. This sixties style dress is great for work, it's quite short but but a long sleeved top underneath and thick tights, it looks smart. I really like the houndstooth pattern as well at the moment and it's lovely for Autumn wear. I'm looking forward to wearing it with a button down shirt underneath, for a full sixties office look. I paired it with this vintage necklace I bought in the ASOS sale. The peace sign adds to the sixties look. Its really unique as it's a mood necklace, I was asking everyone to try it on in work yesterday to see what colour it went on them. On me it kept turning this royal blue you can see, I'm not really sure what this means but it went lovely with my pale blue nails that I've been wearing all week.
With all these new clothes I'm off to clean my room, it's terrible at the moment. Hope everyone is having a lovely week.

Dress - Primark
T-Shirt - Marks and Spencers
Necklace - ASOS
Tights - Tesco
Shoes - Primark

Gem xo

Thursday 6 September 2012

Falsies



Sorry about the terrible paint job on my nails. I just wanted to show these nails to you. I bought them two weeks ago from Superdrug. They're a brand called Kiss and I love them. They look so natural and are shaped so easily. The glue that you get with them is really strong too and I'm always tapping away on a keyboard and they stick fast. They're really cheap too, and you get 100 in a pack for £6.50, which will last you at least two weeks. They look most natural painted and everyone recently has been asking are these my natural nails. So if you're looking for a longer, natural, almond shape nail then buy them here

Gem xo

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Another Week, Another Leopard Print Dress

I don't know why I purchase another animal print dress when I already had this one but I did, and there are no regrets!! I picked it up in the ASOS sale and it really is a lovely dress. The colour is a little bit more bright pink in real life though, but I like the dusky pink that's going on in these photos. I wore it going out for dinner to a little, posh Italian a couple weeks ago with friends in the evening. But it could be dressed down as well with a little denim jacket and converse. It has a gathered waist and creates curves with the drawn in waist which I like about the dress, but I covered it with a thick leather belt. I just threw my leather jacket on over the top when the evening go a bit cooler.
Of course I wore these boots as well. I wear these mostly in the evenings now as they are really easy to walk in and I can keep up with my friends when they wear really high heels. I'm looking forward to wearing this more in autumn/ winter with thick wooly jumpers and boots. 

Dress - ASOS Curve
Tights - M&S
Boots - ASOS
Belt - Charity Shop

Gem xo

Sunday 2 September 2012

Wants of the Week #24


1. Black Shirt - New Look £17.99
I've been looking for an oversized black sheer shirt for a while. And New Look Inspire came up trumps. This shirt is in three colours but I ordered the black. It looks smart but casual and will look great under a big cream jumper in winter.

2. Fox Ring - Dorothy Perkins £5
I'm a big fan of quirky jewellery and this fox ring is very cute. It's a lovely gold colour as well and is a great pick from autumn.

3. Camera Bag - Etsy £12.93
One of my favourite things to do is to browse etsy and look at all of the pretty things. I mainly look at the jewellery but this bag caught my eye. I'm not sure what I'd use it for but it sure is really pretty.

4. Broken Hearted Tee - Dorothy Perkins £16
Another week, another monochrome t-shirt. I can't come away from simplistic designs either, and this cross design with the slogan is perfect.

5. Brogues - Debenhams £28
I've been looking for some cute but masculine brogues at a reasonable price for a while. I really like the ones from boohoo that have a pink sole, but I think these with the white sole will be a bit better for work.

6.1000 Kisses Lip Tint - Rimmel £5.99
I picked up one of these so will do a review. But I love subtle colour on lips and this neautral shade warms lip tones up really nicely.

Hope everyones having a lovely weekend! 
Gem xo