Unlikely Style Icon: Cyndi Lauper

Ok, I'm willing to admit that as far as unlikely style icons go, Cyndi Lauper is pretty mainstream. Still, she has a very distinctive 80s-tastic style that is pretty unlikely where I come from. So she is my pick for this week.

Fun fact: Way back in 1994, my Brownie group was having a party. Every girl was asked what music they wanted to be played. Every girl said Take That. Every girl, that is, except me, who begged for Cyndi Lauper. Needless to say, I was overruled. Sad times.

Red dress. £30. Asos.
Bomber jacket. £48. Topshop.
Bangles. £4. Accessorize.

I kind of love this bomber jacket. I think it would look ridiculous on me which is a shame as I really like it. I never thought I would say that about a bomber jacket, of all things!

So, I'll admit, Cyndi Lauper was a bit of a lazy choice this week. Don't panic though- I have a corker for next week. And when I say a corker, I really mean it!

Inspiration: Sunsets

Now that the evenings are getting lighter, I'm lucky enough to be whizzing through the British countryside on the train on the way home from work just as the sun sets.

I've seen some seriously beautiful sunsets over the past couple of weeks. The colours are so inspirational and gave me the idea for this post.

Flamingo print top. £20. Lavish Alice.
Pink satchel. £25. Boohoo.
Tropical print platforms. £75. Urban Outfitters.
Metallic skirt. £90. Topshop.

27th March 2012

Cardigan. Primark.
Dress. Primark.
Tights. Primark.
Shoes. Primark.

Head to toe in Primark today. I'm a classy bird like that!

I'm feeling pretty bright and summery right now. I love this dress!

Wishlist: Asos Cat Eye Sunglasses

I would pretty much sell my soul in an instant to own a pair of Prada's pink winged sunglasses. I would give up Diet Pepsi for a year for them... and that's a big deal!

Unfortunately, I don't have £200, give or take, to spare at the moment (actually, that's a lie. I could totally afford that seeing as I spent half of that in Primark alone last month. It's just that having left uni less than a year ago, I can't quite shake that student attitude to spending!).

However, there is hope! Check out these Asos babies!

You know, I think I actually prefer these to the Prada ones! The best bit? They're £15. Get in!

Oh, and whilst we're talking about Prada, have you seen their spring/summer 12 video campaign? It is absolutely beautiful!

26th March 2012

Ok, I know I posted exactly the same outfit the other week but this is a much better photo and I have nothing else to post today so it will have to do. Alright?

Blouse. Primark.
Skirt. Primark.
Shoes. Irregular Choice.

25th March 2012

I'm on a bit of an Erdem kick today. Today was a gloriously sunny day again so I cracked out my Erdem for Topshop top for the first time. Exciting stuff!

Cardigan: Primark.
Top: Erdem for Topshop.
Bag: Primark
Skirt: Primark
Shoes: Primark

Ok, so I'm wearing the entirety of Primark today.

Catwalk Copycat: Erdem

I love Erdem. The florals, the delicate shades, the girly silhouettes... Just the sheer femininity of it. It is just so pretty in every way. Every item is perfect for spring so, on this beautiful spring day, who better to emulate for this week's Catwalk Copycat?

Clear sunglasses. £16. Topshop.
Floral shirt. £38. Urban Outfitters.
Lace skirt. £19. Forever 21.
Floral slingbacks. £40. River Island.

24th March 2012

Today is so beautiful! I really think this is the nicest day of the year so far. It's glorious and I have a real spring feeling right now- Only one more week until the Easter holidays!

This is my new favourite outfit. I feel like a 1970s spring genie.

Ok, this photo is mega posed and contrived but it shows off my nail varnish nicely. This is Barry M Nail Paint in Berry Ice Cream.

I love this photo. I can't remember what I was laughing about but I look super happy!

Dress: Topshop.
Blouse: Primark.
Sunglasses: Vogue.
Bag: Primark.
Shoes: Primark.

Well, this was a mighty cheap outfit! My sunglasses were more expensive than every other item put together!

Beauty Friday: Benefit Hervana Blusher

For about three years now, I have used Benefit Thrrrob blusher every day. Every. Single. Day. I love it. I nearly didn't buy it because of the horrible tacky box design. I'm so glad I did though. It suits me perfectly, it is the most adorable girly pink and it has this lovely subtle shimmer to it. I worship it.

Then the day came when I logged onto Benefit to have a browse. I noticed a glaring omission. There was no Thrrrob. Panic stations!

I rushed over to their Facebook page and asked if this terrible news was true. Was Thrrrob discontinued? Unfortunately, another fan confirmed it was true but recommended I try their new Hervana.

I had seen the hype and was tempted to give it a whirl anyway, so I figured this appraisal was a good opportunity to get it.

Well, the box is mega cute. It flips open and secures with a little hidden magnet. It also has a tiny mirror on the inside which is cute although entirely impractical as it's so small. I appreciate details like that though.

The blush is made up of four shades in a swirly pattern: A pink, a peach, a plum and a... kind of beige? I swirl them all up with my MAC blusher brush and sweep it on. (Every brush included with a Benefit blusher is rubbish. I store mine up. I haven't done anything with them yet but I'm sure they'll come in handy one day).

It's ever so slightly plummier than Thrrrob. It also doesn't have the same shimmer. However, it is virtually identical. Take a look at this photo. Notice anything strange?

Nope, didn't think you would. In fact, I am wearing both blushers here. The left (my right) cheek is modelling Hervana whilst the other is rocking Thrrrob. See what I mean? Hardly a difference. I'm pretty chuffed about this. (Yes, this is the Prabal Gurung petal pout day. I'm still delighted with how great it looked).

The colour lasts all day. It's really easy to build up. I like to wear a lot of blusher but it starts off really subtle, allowing me to build it up gradually. The consistency is really lovely- matte but not flat. I really like it. I still prefer Thrrrob because of that little shimmer and the slightly pinker colour but I am happy nonetheless!

Unlikely Style Icon: Noel Edmonds

Floral shirt. £36. Topshop.
Blue jeans. £20. River Island.
Tan Oxfords. £25. Topshop.

If you're anything like me, you'll have spent your whole childhood watching Noel's House Party and running around your gran's cul-de-sac blasting out Mr Blobby loudly and out of tune on a knackered recorder. Oh... just me then?

Well, perhaps you, like me, spend your sick days (or, for you lucky students out there, every day) getting far too emotionally involved in the fate of pensioners on Deal or No Deal, willing them to win big money so that they can finally do up their bathroom.

Either way, if you're British, Noel Edmonds has probably been a part of your television history. Look past the dodgy beard and strangely tucked-in shirts and you actually have quite a rich source of style inspiration.

I've emulated Noel's look with a bold, feminine twist on his favourite floral shirts. Teamed with sky blue skinny jeans and tan Oxfords, we have quite the cute casual outfit. Fake beard optional.

Wishlist: River Island Floral Jeans

When I was 3, my nursery put on a production of Sleeping Beauty. I was originally cast as a fairy but I was naughty and demoted to a tree. Yeah, a flipping tree.

However, we were in luck! I had this awesome pair of floral print jeans. This was 1991 so they were straight cut, quite boyish in style and had this massive green and red print. I chucked them on (or, more likely, my mum spent forever trying to cajoule me into them) et voila, I was a tree!

This weekend, I popped into River Island and found these mamas:

I have pretty much died inside. They are the spitting image of these jeans I had 20 years ago, only with a much more flattering and modern style. I need these jeans.

Though I suspect I should try them on first. I worry that the print might be a bit too bold for my thighs. I don't want to look like the biggest hibiscus in Hawaii.

Treasures: Cath Kidston

I don't like Cath Kidston, as a rule. For the same reason that I don't like Jack Wills, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch and Superdry. It's unoriginal, overpriced tat for the middle classes to pretend they are creative and stylish.

However, I saw this skirt in a magazine last week and I had to have it. It was beautiful! Whilst there, I had a look around and picked up a couple of cute things that I just couldn't resist.


I saw this little piggy medal and I squealed like one of those cute little trottered ones! I adore pigs, they've been my favourite animal for as long as I can remember. I have no idea how I'm going to wear this but I will find a way!

I needed a ticket holder desperately after my standard South West Trains ones split and this little Royal Stan one was too cute to resist. Look at that cute little doggy! It taps into my patriotic spirit with the Union Jack motif and, of course, it's in red!

Then I picked up this little keyring as I was a couple of quid off free delivery. I really like the vintage Olympics motif going on.

For now though, there will be no more treasures until pay day. As tempting as it is to choose clothes over food and travel to work, I really don't think that's practical.

Catwalk Copycat: Dolce & Gabbana

Domenico and Stefan are pretty much dominating this summer (along with Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton) with the themes from both of their labels. Last Sunday, I copied D&G's scarf print and this week, I'm turning my attention to Dolce & Gabbana's fruity prints.

I absolutely love these. They're so fun, so quirky and bold, yet so pretty at the same time. Perfect for sipping cocktails on the beach (or mocktails, in my case, since I don't drink).

I've been quite loose with my interpretation this week, mostly because I love this Lavish Alice two-piece so much that I just had to use it. Who cares if this is lemon and my starting point is tomato (FYI, I pronounce that tom-ar-toe)? It's summer cuteness in a pencil skirt!

Crop top. £24. Lavish Alice.
Pencil skirt. £21. Lavish Alice.
Blue shoes. £210. Kurt Geiger.
Earrings. £10. Topshop.
Necklace. £15. River Island.
Charm bracelet. £12. Accessorize.
Sequin clutch. £15. Boohoo.

18th March 2012

It's Mother's Day! I'm mostly stuck inside working today but I will see my mum on Tuesday to give her her gift.

Glasses: Vogue
Blouse: Primark
Skirt: Cath Kidston
Shoes: Primark

This outfit turned out even better than I expected. It reminds me of a late 1940s beach outfit. I'm heading to Brighton in two weeks so I will definitely pack this look.

The skirt reminds me a little of this Marc by Marc Jacobs one that I really, really want.

This month's Company magazine had a great little article about the two-tone Prabal Gurung petal pout. I gave it a go with Boots Natural Collection Moisture Shine Pink Mallow on the inside and MAC Lustre Lady Bug on the outside. I like the way it came out. What do you think?

17th March 2012

It's St Patrick's Day!

I have absolutely no links to the event but it's still nice to have a theme to work with. I'm working green-on-green (on-green-on-green) today.

Bow: Accessorize
Blouse: Primark
Jumper: New Look
Jeans: New Look
Bag: Primark
Shoes: Primark

I even matched my nails to my blouse and shoes! It's Barry M and I think the shade is called mint.

Do you have any St Patrick's plans? Or are you just rocking the shamrock green?

Beauty Review: Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream

Until January last year, I was using Benefit's Dear John moisturiser. I mainly bought this because it said there was marshmallow extract in there and I'm a sucker for sales pitches. (Marshmallows in a moisturiser? Are you insane! That's the cutest thing ever. I must have marshmallows on my face!).

When it ran out I just bought a cheap moisturiser from Superdrug and never got around to getting a replacement. Then I discovered it had been discontinued, along with my favourite ever blusher which I am stocking up on for the years to come.

However, Benefit had released a new moisturiser as part of their newly launched B.right range: Total Moisture Facial Cream.

I did what every girl worth her bath salt does and Googled it first. Uh-oh. The reviews were not good. "So thick and oily". "This made me break out like I never have before". "The smell is overwhelming". Hmmm... It was not looking good.

Nevertheless, I headed over to Debenhams and dived into the tester pot. I'm very glad I did because I found this to be amazing!

It is thick, yes. It's quite difficult to apply because of this consistency but the upside of this is that you only need a tiny, tiny amount. The smell is floral and it is pretty strong, admittedly. I think it smells lovely though. It's such a summery smell. It makes me happy!

Then there is the moisturising level. It's perfect! It sinks in well and it doesn't make my skin oily or greasy at all. As of yet, my skin has not reacted badly to it. It just makes my face feel soft and smooth for hours.

Ooh and you want to know the best bit? The glass pot (yeah, very heavy. Buy a little plastic pot to decant into if you plan on travelling) is the cutest thing ever. When I finish it, I plan on rinsing it out and using it to store kirby grips and the like. It will look adorable sat on my dressing table.

Yep, I'm pretty happy with this one.

Unlikely Style Icon: Bagpuss

Yeah, this is an odd one. What can I say? I like a challenge!

Ok, so the old saggy cloth cat is all about two things: His trademark pink stripes and texture. The texture thing was pretty tricky, I tell you. I tried to settle on one of those faux fur gilets but I just can't look at them without thinking about how ridiculous they are. Whenever I see them on somebody, they look fabulous but somehow I can't bring myself to ever believe they could look good.

So I mainly concentrated on the colour palette of pink and cream. Here we go:

Look at his little face! Isn't he just the cutest little thing ever to yawn out of the 70s?

Striped jeans. £45. Topshop.
Beaded collar blouse. River Island (typically this went out of stock just hours after making this collage).
Blue ring. £4. Boohoo.
Fuschia slipper shoes. £18. Boohoo.

Ok, so what have we got here then? I've gone for the quite obvious striped pink jeans. I figure that it's safe to go this literal when the jeans are so amazing. The pearl collar top, now annoyingly out of stock, adds a little hint of sophistication. I bet Bagpuss dreams of donning a top hat and monocle. I can just see it now! I've added a shock of fuscia with the slippers. Of course, only slippers will do for Bagpuss-inspired footwear. They look so soft and cosy, a little bit lord of the manor. Plus they add that little tactile element with the strokable texture. Finally, I've hinted at our cat's blue eyes with this azure diamante ring.

Add some whiskers, crack out the Marvellous Mechanical Mouse-organ and we are good to go!

Wishlist: Dolly Bow Bow Bouncing Bunny Bracelet

I'm not very good at jewellery. I try but I always forget to wear it. So I don't often buy any.

But look at this little cutie:

Seriously, this is the most adorable little thing ever. I want it, I want it, I want it!

Treasures: Lots of Benefit make up!

I went on a bit of a Benefit spree thanks to Diet Coke with their £5 off vouchers. I actually got some mega bargains here because I only bought 4 items and I ended up with all this.

Benefit currently send out 2 samples with every order. They big this up- a lot- but it's not as great as they make out. For one thing, there are only 4 samples to actually choose from. As I ordered this in 2 batches, I ended up with all 4.

There was also a spend-£40-and-get-a-free-eyebrow-gel so I got that free too. Woohoo! Who doesn't love a freebie? Especially when said freebie is this pretty!

Sample of Triple Performing Facial Emulsion (I'm not sure what this is, truth be told!)
Total Moisture Facial Cream
They're Real! mascara
Speed Brow eyebrow gel
That Gal primer
Hervana blusher
It's Potent! eye cream

These are self-explanatory

I have tried these all out already and I'm planning on doing a little review of each for the next few Beauty Fridays. First up: Total Moisture Facial Cream.

Catwalk Copycat: D&G

Have you noticed that scarf print is, well, everywhere at the moment? You can thank the guys at D&G for this. The final D&G collection had scarf print everywhere you looked in bright, cheerful colours of orange, yellow and blue. It's certainly eyecatching!

I think this is my favourite look from the collection. It has this 1970s meets Californian beach girl meets Esmerelda thing going on about it.

Playsuit. £20. River Island.
Gold coin necklace. £12. Accessorize.
Gold coin earrings. £4. Accessorize.
Peach sunglasses. £15. Icon Eyewear.
Print shoes. £30. Boohoo.
Orange jumper. £20. Asos.

Crack out the straighteners and bronzer, I'm heading to the beach!

11th March 2012

I'm rocking the double chiffon today. The sun is out, the door is flung open and my itunes is banging out... The Beautiful South. Hmmm, maybe not the most summery of soundtracks.

Nevertheless, I'm celebrating the sunny weather with pastels and lots of Primark. Living the high life!

Blouse. Primark.
Skirt. Primark.
Shoes. Irregular Choice.

10th March 2012

Today has been a pretty uneventful day. Though I did receive a billion things in the post (I'll show you on Monday) and got to wear some of my purchases from last week.

I'm feeling pretty nautical today. That red earring is a cute little anchor.

These boots were £35 from Boohoo. They had about 6 different styles but they were so popular (for obvious reasons!) that they would sell out within minutes everytime they were restocked. This black suede (well, suedette) pair were my favourite and I managed to just about get hold of a pair in a size 5. A size smaller than usual but they fit perfectly.

They are, however, potentially the most painful shoes I've ever worn. Sad times.

Top: Primark
Skirt: Peacocks
Boots: Boohoo
Bag: Primark
Hair band: Accessorize
Earring: Beyond Retro

Unlikely Style Icon: Austin Powers

Oh, yes. Austin Powers. The sleazy 60s hipster, all blue velvet and Chelsea boots, is ripe for the picking of fashion inspiration. Let's just leave the dodgy teeth well alone. And the stupid glasses. And the Anne Robinson hair.

Cream blouse. £25. River Island.
Navy velvet skirt.£33. American Apparel.
Black suede Chelsea boots. £55. Asos.

Although it might sound scary to begin with, this look is remarkably simple to modernise. Here I stay true to Austin's tactile preferences with the blue velvet skirt and add a slightly more 70s look with a peasant blouse. I did find a white ruffled shirt at Boohoo but I thought it might be a little too fancy dress. The River Island blouse here adds a more boho touch.

Suede Chelsea boots are a true to form representation but the heel adds some feminine height. Of course, you could add a male symbol pendant- they're widely available on ebay and the like- but I forego that in order to stay out of costume territory.

Inspiration: 1960s magazines

A couple of years ago, I visited a local vintage and craft market and stumbled upon a massive stash of 1960s women's magazines. The women at the stall were pretty taken aback when I bought the lot (and then a woman behind me got really angry because I'd got there first!).

They are gorgeous and such wonderful inspiration. These are just three of my favourite pages.

Wishlist: Motel Stripe Jordan Jeans

I am so torn when it comes to these jeans. I love skinny jeans. I love stripes. I love monochrome. These are screaming Tim Burton at me in a way that would make Beetlejuice turn in his...grave? Does Beetlejuice have a grave? I have to admit, I've never been the biggest fan of that film.

Regardless of whether he has a grave or not, you can't deny Beetlejuice has style. Plus, I adore anything else by Tim Burton. Anything and everything. Anything and everything, that is, except for Edward Scissorhands. We won't go into that though, it's very nearly my bedtime and I'll only give myself nightmares.

No, my problem with these jeans isn't the style. I love them. I covet them. I want them in my wardrobe so I can sit and stroke them all day.

My problem is that Motel seems to forget that in, you know, life, most people are not sample sizes. Therefore they completely forgo anybody above a size 12/ 14 or so. I happen to be around about a 14 although, as mentioned before, my legs are pretty disproportionately chunky. This means I frequently have to buy size 18 skinny jeans.

So is it even worth buying these? I really, really want them. There is a very slim possibility that I may be able to wriggle into them- with some sort of loose top to disguise the resulting muffin tops, of course- but is it worth the heartache if I can't? Because, believe me, I won't return them. I really will just sit in my room and stroke them. They can join my Miu Miu jeans. I could start a collection of unworn, too-small jeans. Guinness Book of Records, here I come!

Treasure Monday!

So I popped out to Primark over the weekend and loaded up on goodies. I figure that because I didn't buy anything from Topshop or River Island, I was a good girl... no matter how much I bought in Primark!

You'll notice a very strong pastel chiffon trend going on here. I can't get enough of it!

During LFW, I had a dream that I was wearing my purple Topshop skater dress over a blousson-sleeved chiffon top. Then I saw these beauties for around £8 each. I had an itchingly impatient wait until payday but now they are mine! Rich said they look "very Persian". I think they're going to make me feel like Princess Jasmine. There was a white one too but I think I'll wait until next month and see if they're still around.
I also spotted these lovely sleeveless blouses. I'm not entirely sure why the polkadot one has such a long back. It's really irritating me, especially as my measurements really require a longer front! Never mind, I figure I'll always wear it under/ tucked into another piece.
The navy striped one I just couldn't resist. I have a great red full skirt that will look so very nautical with this.
I spotted this coral pleated skirt when I went out with my little brother a couple of weeks ago. I knew it was perfect when I asked for his opinion and he said "Old granny-like". Ideal!
The floral dress was just too pretty to resist although I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen bra-wise!
Oh, shoes. Primark shoes are my downfall. I know that their size 6s fit me perfectly and they're always comfy. I only ever wear flat shoes really and since they are around £5 a pop in Primark, it makes it so easy to just throw a pair in the basket. If Rich hadn't dragged me away, I would have walked out with another 3 pairs. At least.
Finally, I got this cute little bag that I don't need but I just love the clasp. It swivels around and unhooks.
The Alice band bows were 3 for 2 in Accessorize. I have heaps of these but I never wear them so I really should start throwing them on. Maybe I'll stick one on tomorrow. Ooh, the leopard print one. Match it with my new shoes. Yeah!
Now, I know I bought a lot and it's naughty, but apart from this (and the boots I bought this morning and those Vogue sunglasses I bought and all the Benefit make up I bought the other day) I haven't bought anything else. I don't intend to for the rest of the month either.

Except maybe this adorable dress I have seen online. It's only £18...

Catwalk Copycat: Ashish

Ashish's spring summer show was a little bit more urban hipster than my usual taste but I adored the floral details. They added such a cute juxtaposition against the sweatshirts and utility boots that I couldn't resist creating this week's Catwalk Copycat around the show. Imagine that a 1969 hippy, whilst at Woodstock, travels forward in time to early 90s grunge era and tries their hardest to blend in but fails miserably. That's the look we have going on here.

Floral sweatshirt. £35. Asos.
Floral shorts. £25. River Island.
Straw trilby. £18. Accessorize.
Dr Marten's. £95. Schuh.
Barry M Lip Paint in Royal Raspberry. £4.49. Barry M.

3rd March 2012

I can't believe it is March already! Unfortunately, the weather isn't particularly spring-like yet. I can hear the rain pouring on my skylight as I type.

This is what I wore yesterday for my payday weekend splurge:

Striped top. H&M.
Velvet dress. Topshop.
Black boots. Lavish Alice.
Bag. Topshop.

I am chuffed with my boots. I've been looking for a pair of flat black suede boots for about 2 years now but I could never find a pair to fit my chunky calves. These were only available in a size above my own but I took the risk, thinking maybe the calves would be a little larger. They fit perfectly so I am extremely happy!

My bag is from Topshop and has a lovely little Mary Katrantzou print on it. I got it free when I bought my Erdem top as it was the same day as the Mary Katrantzou for Topshop launch. Happy days!