Wants of the Week #35

I still thoroughly enjoy making these wishlists. It does stop me buying the products as once I've stared at them for long enough I feel thoroughly satisfied. Cheapest therapy ever! I'm currently waiting to go to the doctors again because of my ear. It's leaky and I can't hear out of it. Yum. So I thought why not spend an hour or two creating this and create a feast for my eyes!

1. Skater Dress - New Look £12.99

Look at this cheap as chips dress. These perfect t-shirt dresses are great for spring. I had a few from Primark last year but these New Look ones seem just as cheap and come in an array of beautiful pastel colours. Perfect for holidays or in cooler weather with a pretty cardigan for a casual look.

2. Ring - Topshop £4

This pretty little ring is a great cheap present to yourself. I love the initial G. It's the most perfect letter, don't you think? Each ring comes with a little note about the letter which is a cute touch.

3. Jacket - Dorothy Perkins £30

I'm still looking for a Spring black jacket. I have a few boucle jackets but as a lover of black, I think this is a great jacket. It can be worn with a black pencil skirt and blouse for work, or with jeans and a t-shirt on a weekend, whilst still looking put together.

4. Clutch - Dorothy Perkins £10.50

Perfect clutch is perfect! I love the floral patterns and colours and the scallop edges. I'm really tempted to buy this still. I've picked it up and put it down multiple times in the DP but I really want to order it now it's cheaper. I don't know what I'd wear it with to be honest. I'm sure I could find something, any suggestions!?

5. Fake Up Concealer - Benefit £18.50

You know I'm a massive fan of benefit concealer. I've had Bo-ing and Erase Paste and always feels it gives me the best coverage. But can be a bit drying or cakey. So when I saw this I thought, what a great idea? It moisturises and conceals for a non-cakey or flakey look. This is really good for my dry skin.

6. Feathers Nail Polish - Nails Inc £10 

As seen on my instagram I already have one of these, but it's blue and peach. I love it and I've been wearing it loads. So I want the rest of the range now. This blue toned one is very lovely indeed.

Gem xo

Spring Into Action

Oh jaysus, I look so tired in that first photo. Terrible! But I've got an ear infection and it's stopping me from sleeping. I have a funny story about me walking out the doctor's telling my mum about my discharge, someone hearing and looking at me horrified and me running after them screaming 'IN MY EAR, THE DISCHARGE IS IN MY EAR. NOWHERE ELSE' Yeah so that's what's keeping me up at night! Please don't unfollow me. Onto this outfit! I wore this little beauty on a night out on Saturday for drinks and chinese food in Warrington. I love these easy shift dresses, I think they're so easy to wear and dress up, but always look amazing and chic. This one has a bit of a twist with the floral pattern which is perfect for Spring. I love the dip hem too, which makes it a bit more wearable as it's very short. I picked this up in the Simply Be sale in the Bury store a couple weeks ago. Note to plus size retailers, more cool patterned shift dresses please! ASOS curve has a couple cute ones that would be perfect for the office. Of course I wore the new boots. They rubbed my feet but I still love them. Forever and ever.

Dress - Simply Be

Boots - Topshop

Tights - Tesco

Necklace - Primark

Gem xo

Buckles and Everything!

So, I know these boots have been around for a while now. And they've graced the feet of many of the UK's finest bloggers. But when my old buckle chunky heeled black boots fell apart after constantly wearing them since last August/September. I knew which shoes I had to have. I waited to see if they would go into the sale but it was just not happening. Topshop you don't let me fit into your wonderful clothes, and then when I want your boots you rip me off! Except I don't feel ripped off, I feel like I've finally found something that is warranted of all my love and affection. I love the black leather, the cut out sides and the low chunky heel. They're perfect for summer dresses and pencil skirts or jeans and t-shirts. I've already scuffed them a little bit whilst walking around Manchester last Friday night when I went to see the Lion King. I think they look even better worn and a bit scruffed up. I just need to wear them in a little bit with thick socks to stop the rubbing...

Boots - Topshop

Gem xo

Can't Deny

Another monochrome outfit! I do have to confess, this was born out of pure laziness rather than the style pages of Vogue. No, I've ruined the illusion, it's all styled on purpose I swear. I wore this dress to Brighton a couple weeks ago with a leather jacket and boots, but I fancied dressing it up for work today and wore it more as a midi length skater dress. The simple pattern works really well with statement jewellery and a black belt. I threw a blazer over the dress and wore smart leather chelsea boots to make it office smart. I can't wait to wear this with bare legs and cute heels for when it get's warmer in the office. Although where I work in Manchester creates wind tunnels and I'm forever holding my dress down in vein so maybe tights are a better idea for the time being! Hope everyone has a lovely week ahead of them.

Dress - Yours

Necklace - Primark

Blazer - ASOS

Tights - Tesco

Boots - Office

Gem xo

Catch My Midriff?

Worst blog title ever? Trying to create a clever way of saying 'you can see my belly' didn't really work out. But this will do! I've seen this top on a few bloggers now including Sian and Callie, and they styled it brilliantly. So I was inspired to style this top out! My belly is what people would say, my major 'problem area' so I don't get it out at all. And whilst this is not all out I think it's a step in the right direction, with a cheeky glimpse. So, this peplum sheer top is lovely and I'm really tempted to see if the white one is still online to buy for summer. I love to wear this top with jeans and my tweed jacket but I thought a tube skirt would be a bit smarter for evening drinks. I love the combination of the black and maroon skirt. I'll be looking forward to wearing this with bright floral pencil skirts in summer, where you can see the pattern peeking through the fabric. I then popped on a statement necklace and heeled chelsea boots to finish. Hope everyone is enjoying the sun this weekend!

Top - ASOS Curve

Skirt - Primark

Shoes - Office

Tights - Tesco

Necklace - Primark

Gem xo

What's in My Make Up Bag?

After watching amazing vloggers I'm getting more and more in beauty products and make up. It's getting a bit of a bad habit. So when I recently changed my make up bag, and I'd bought all the products that I was really really needing, or wanting, I thought it would be a fun little post to show my key make up bits. So I'll run through them with a little review and why I love it:

Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Eyeliner.

This is my all time favourite liquid eyeliner. I love the really thin, precise brush and the eyeliner lasts all day and is a really black black. I know how to use this and it gives me the perfect winged liner. But it takes practice!

Benefit Brow Zings Eyebrow Kit.

I used an eyebrow pencil for a long time to fill in my eyebrows. But when I was recently browsing the Benefit counter in Debenhams I came across this little beauty. The lady said it would give me a softer look and filled in my eyebrows to try it out. I instantly loved it, the wax is great to keep stray hairs in place and the powder lasts a while whilst still looking natural.

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Pallet 

This little pallet is really easy to use. It gives me a natural look as I love Matt shades. But it's really easy to incorperate for a night look as it has a shimmery pale shade and a black matt shade to make a smoky eye.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Pencil

Another easy to use eyeliner from Rimmel. It's very black and I usually use it on the outer corners of my eyes and my upper lash water line to make my eye lashes look thicker at the base. I also have the nude version which is great to put on the lower waterline to make eyes look bigger.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick

I didn't realise I had this many Rimmel products. I must be a closet fan really! This is the perfect nude lipstick. I wear it most days really and people are always commenting on it. It's got a great shimmer. But with nude lipsticks I think they need to be tested on your lips to see if they work. This one is my perfect nude shade.

Cocoa Vaseline

Most girls have to have a tin of vaseline. It's great on lips but I occasionally pop a tiny but elsewhere if I'm noticing dry patches and it always works a treat.

Origins Prescriptions Concealer

I only bought this after seeing so many bloggers rave about it. So yes I bought into the hype but it's taken over Erase Paste as my favourite concealer. It's light and reflects the light and conceals amazingly without looking cakey.

Nars Doucer Blush

This is a perfect natural blush. The brown tone makes it really wearable and it works so much better than a Bronzer for me, so I use this to contour my face usually and it adds a subtle flush of colour.

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moituriser

This is the best base everrrr. I hate foundations as they look too much on me and tend to make me look powdery. But this is amazing. It has great coverage and really gives me the dewy look I'm always after. It also has SPF so it cares for your skin as well. Thats reason enough to buy it!

L'Oreal Telescopic False Lash Mascara
I lost my Benefit They're Real Mascara, which I later found! But I'm kind of glad I lost it as I bought this and it's amazing. It really coats my lashes without looking clumpy. And of course it's black as I like most of my eye products to be.

So hope you liked that little delve into my make up bag!

Gem xo

Monochrome

Time to try out the monochrome trend. Well, I've been trying it on and off for a while now as I mainly wear black and white or cream and black. Or all black for fun. 'What an adventurer!' I hear you cry! When I saw this top on a solo shopping trip (terrible for the purse, good for the soul) to the Trafford Centre a while back, I knew I had to have it, and that I'd wear it a lot. Which I have done, so I know this was a good buy. It's really easy to throw on over black skinnies and boots, as shown, or tucked into a black skater skirt with ballet pumps for a prettier look. I'm not a massive fan of the sleeves as they do nothing for my arms, but the slouchy fit and great aztec mirrored pattern won me over and I occasionally get my arms out now! I'm also in love with this necklace from Primark, I have the gold version too. And they're very similar to one I saw in Topshop a while ago but at a fraction of the price. Winner. Have you tried the monochrome trend? Have you done it a bit edgy or stayed safe like me? 

Jeans - Primark

Top - Dorothy Perkins

Necklace - Primark

Boots - ASOS

Gem xo

Wants of the Week #34

No I could honestly have put about fifty things on this list. I can't help it though theres a hole inside of me that can only be filled with material goods (not THAT hole, a metaphorical one). I went shopping with my mum yesterday and bought an amazing floral shift dress in the Simply Be sale but still... no satisfied. Window shopping does help, it's like a therapy. So in the name of therapy!

1. Top - ASOS Curve £22

I'm not sure if I've already featured this on my blog as it's the best top ever. I have the black one and I've worn it quite a lot already. But for summer I think this one would look amazing with a cream and lilac floral pencil skirt with a bit of midriff on show? It also looks equally as awesome with skinny jeans and tan boots.

2. Necklace - Dorothy Perkins £8.50

And nothing looks better over a simple top like this simple gold V necklace from Dorothy Perkins. I love a good t-shirt and statement necklace. I think it's a really easy look to do but looks put together. 

3. Bag - ASOS £38

This cute tan bowler bag is lovely for summer. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for larger bags and this looks like a great size for me to cart all my crap around in. I currently have the Zara city office bag, but with the different compartments I'm forever losing things in it, and for someone who is a bit rubbish with keeping things organised, it's not the best bag. So one that I can throw everything into, perfect.

4. Boots - Topshop £70

I featured these last week, and I really am struggling not to buy them. I've been looking on ebay, Boohoo, Amazon, ASOS for a cheaper alternative as my other boots have just literally fallen apart. I may just have to cave and buy these. They're perfect for toughening up summer dresses and floral pencil skirts.

5. The Multiple in 'Undress Me' - Nars £26.90

Nars are fast becoming my favourite make up brand. If I want something reliable that I love I'll go here. My recent highlight Highbeam from Benefit has run out and I'm scraping the sides. I do like a liquid highlighted but this cream looks very nice indeed. I chose a pale pink, similar to Highbeam, but they offer lots of different shades. The best thing is it can be used on lips, cheeks, eyes and the body too. So a few shades may need to be bought!

Gem xo

Rabbit Heart

Ooh a scheduled post, aren't I getting all fancy pants sophisticated. I felt like I was on a blogging roll last night and just continued with the good feels that I was getting. I caved, and ordered one of the animal print shirts from ASOS Curve. I order a size up as I wanted it to look like a big slouchy casual shirt that'd look great with skater skirts and body con skirts alike. But what I didn't intend, was that when I opened this photo to edit it I'd think, 'when did Alan Davies slip into my room and take outfit photos?' and I'd start to channel that guy off of QI with my unruly hair and a massive collared, printed shirt. Just google him and you'll be wowed by the resemblance. But in all serious, this shirt is lovely and I hope I can hold onto it for next autumn as it's a great quirky addition into anyones work wardrobe. And if solving spooky mysteries on the Easter Weekend isn't your day job a la Jonathan Creek, it's still going to look very cute on everyone. I think I managed glammed it up with the matte red lipstick, and a cute choker necklace. And it's always going to look on trend and classic with black skinnies in my eyes.

Shirt - ASOS Curve

Jeans - Dorothy Perkins

Boots - Dorothy Perkins

Necklace - New Look

Red Lipstick - Revlon

Gem xo

Cream of the Crop

I'm pretty sure I've already used this blog title once. But I couldn't think of another apt title that would show my love of cream blushers. Don't tell my mum this, because she thinks women only need 1 blusher (Oh the horror of having 1 blusher!) but I have 10 cream blushers. Who needs that many? Noone, is the correct answer. So I've managed to whittle my 10 to a top 4. I've not thrown any away as there maybe a day when I wear that bright orange one I picked up on a whim in Boots, when I thought I could channel Lady Gaga. Maybe not, but I would like to share my favourite wearable blushers with you now! Just to note, I like to use the Real Techniques Stippling blush to apply cream blushers, or fingers if I'm in a rush and just want to add a flush of colour to the apple of my cheeks.

1. Stila Convertible Colour in Poppy £16

So this was my first Stila Convertible colour, and I love these cream blushers. The colour range is great and the colour pay off is amazing. You need the tiniest bit to rouge your cheeks like the olden days and for this reason I can see it lasting the longest time. As you all know I have the rosiest cheeks ever, and this colour, whilst looking like it'd just exacerbate that crazy redness, is really natural on me. 

2. Collection 2000 Cream Duo in Peaches and Cream £4.19

This is the cheapest in my collection, and you can tell in it's consistency, and I mainly chose it because of the little highlighter product that comes with the blush. The peachy blush is a lovely pretty colour and looks perfect with the highlighter for a fresh dewy glow. It also looks lovely with a nude lip as well, for when I'm attempting the 'can you guess if I'm wearing make up?' game.

3. Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Pinched £7.99

This is another pretty peachy colour. I wanted to include this as, even though it's the same colour as the Cream Duo, it's a much easier consistency to work with. The colour easily blends into a bronzer if I ever wear one and it feels soft on the cheeks. The Cream Duo one is harder to blend and can look a little bit patchy if I'm not careful. To be honest it's the easiest to use in terms of consistency and I think I'll be reaching for this a lot more when the warmer weather comes.

4. Nars Cream Blush in Penny Lane £19.98

This was my first ever cream blush. And now I love them, all thanks to this little baby. I saw it on Lipsofacto and immediately fell in love with the natural colour. It's very much a highlighter and blusher in one, but can look lovely just as a highlighter on the cheekbones if I want a redder cheek. I think this works best on pale skin, as because it's a very light colour, it warms a pale skin tone. I definitely want to buy more Nars cheek products as they're very easy to use and last for ages.

So I hope that's been enjoyable to read, as I had quite a fair bit of fun writing it, and applying cream blushers! It's nearly time for the weekend too which is always a plus. 

Gem xo

Another week, another skater skirt. This time carrying on with the tweed trend. I picked this up a week ago in the New Look Inspire sale in Chester. As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to buy it. I love the tweed look and it looks really cute with this white shirt and a bold spiky necklace. I also like to throw a black blazer over the top and it's more work appropriate. In other news, I've not really been up to much recently, mainly getting over this horrible cold and trying some new restaurants out in Manchester. I keep trying to get cool foodie pics like all the great bloggers do, but I feel too self conscious taking a photo of my food. My most recent find is a place called Southern Eleven in Spinningfields which does amazing american food like pulled pork. If I go again, I'll definitely pluck up the courage to take a picture and share it with you all! 

Skirt - New Look 

Shirt - M&S

Necklace - Primark 

Tights - Tesco

Shoes - ASOS

Gem xo

Looks For Spring

So it's been warming up a bit (a tiny teeny bit) and I've been doing a bit of window shopping lately and here are my outfits for spring. I'd probably accessorise most of these outfits with tights or a warm jacket at the moment, but you will get the idea!

Boots | Bag | Blush | Dress | Necklace

I love this floral patterned smock dress from ASOS Curve. It's so pretty and casual to wear during the day. It'd be a lovely sunny holiday dress too and it'll look pretty with sandals, this perfectly pink cream blush and a tan. But I wanted to toughen it up a bit with black chunky accessories. These boots are so simple but look great with jeans or dresses. I've sneakily tried these on in Topshop, and they were so hard to part with. But I just couldn't bring myself to let go of 70 quid to buy them just yet. I do think they'd look amazing with this dress though. Then to finish the look I think this rolled up bag from Zara. I think this might be my next bag purchase from them!

Jeans | Top | Converse | Necklace | Bag

This is a much more casual look, perfect for a shopping trip or a nice walk and pub lunch. I can't really get enough of peplum tops either at the moment. I've been wearing them with skinny jeans and statement necklaces like this spiky one from River Island. There's a pop of colour from the pastel bag, which is the perfect shade for spring, and converse trainers are always a winner!

Nail Varnish | Necklace | Boots | Skirt | Top

This is a nice look for an evening drink with friends. The skater skirt is on trend right now. I've seen so many fantastic bloggers wearing them, and I've tried it myself. But paired with this beautiful floral t-shirt and pastel collar necklace it keeps the look on trend for S/S. I love the nail varnish as well, and I really think the pale colour will bring out the pastel colours in the top. The back for the top is sheer too which makes it a really pretty addition to the wardrobe. Add some black safe chunky boots, and voila!

Till I Find Something New

Hello, it's nearly Friday! And I must say this four day week has dragged. It's felt like it has lasted forever. But it's nearly the weekend again, and time to relax. As I've been feeling a little uninspired lately I've been loving this black dress. It's a black midi length and it's one of the easiest things to wear in my wardrobe. I've been throwing skirts over it, and belting it with different belts. Or as you can see in this outfit, wearing cute jackets over the top. I love the tweed, preppy trend for Spring. And this multi coloured boucle jacket is lovely over the top, as well as brightening up the dress. I also have a pale blue biker boucle jacket which is one of my favourite items. I can't wait until it warms up so I can wear it with shirts and skinny jeans! I also feel like I'm channelling Coco Chanel whenever I slip on a boucle jacket, and style my hair in a mini beehive like I'm trying in this outfit! Just crop my hair and buy me a breton stripe top and I think I'll be set to walk to streets of Paris with the best of them. (N.B. Not as a street walker!)

Dress- M&S

Jacket - ASOS Curve (Old)

Tights - Tesco

Necklace - Dorothy Perkins

Boots - Dorothy Perkins

Gem xo

Age with Grace

I'm sorry for the break in posting. I've been struggling to pull my finger out, haven't I? But last week I managed to make some time and plan and organise some blog posts. So woohoo! I've had a massive urge to write and blog for the past week so I'm going to take myself up on that offer of motivation and here we go! I'm trying something a bit different with my photos, trying to give them a bit of editorial edge I think, but maybe failing miserably probably ha. We'll see anyway! I've had a busy few weeks, with my brother's 21st, Easter and seeing friends more frequently now the sun has come out a little bit. I hope you all had a great four day Easter weekend seeing friends and family. And didn't let the cold get to your bones too much! It's still been fairly chilly as you can see by my outfit. I decided to go simple for this look with black boots and a jumper. All brightened up with this pink leopard print dress, which I've styled as a skirt for this outfit. I love the look of a cropped jumper hanging loose or tucked into belts for a casual feel, as well as showing off the skirt a bit more. I wanted to show this little finger ring I bought from Chester on Saturday. I bought it with my Mum and she has always been a big fan of amber, but we both fell in love with the strange but pretty design of it. I think it's a stand out piece definitely. You can see below how I tucked the jumper into the woven belt. 

Dress - ASOS Curve

Jumper - H&M

Tights - Tesco

Boots - ASOS

Belt - Primark

Necklace - Primark

Ring - Silver Shop in Chester

Gem xo