What I Wore | 23.09.13

So I thought for a change I'd try taking a couple of outfit photos outside in an attempt for clearer images; whether the images actually are better or not I'm undecided, so I'd love it if you could let me know which you prefer in the comments! 

Jumper - H&M | Disco pants - Daisy Street | Bag - Matalan | Glasses* - Firmoo | Necklace - ASOS | Converse All Star* - Amazon

Shamballa bracelet - Tresor Paris via Peter Jackson | Bangle - gift | Chain ring - H&M | Stone ring - Vintage | Star and eye rings - Primark | Nails - W7 10

This jumper is a current favourite of mine; you may recognise it from my 21st birthday present haul as my mum bought it for me after I picked it out in store. I've worn it a ridiculous amount of times already, it's so easy to just shove on and go, although it's not really for the faint hearted!

These Daisy Street disco pants are fab as well - I actually sized down in the hope they would suck me in more and they definitely do, although I may have been tempted to reach for them more often if I'd have bought them in my size. They are a little uncomfortable to wear for a full day just because they're that darned tight, so I only wear these when I know I won't be out and about for hours on end. I'm such an idiot.

The Tresor Paris bracelet is a new favourite of mine; I don't own another expensive bracelet and so this is a lovely treat for me which again I received as a birthday gift from a family friend. 

The lilac colour is just so perfect. 

What do you think of this outfit?

Don't forget to let me know whether or not you prefer the outdoor photos! 

Love, 

Jo xx

Collective Haul | ASOS, Primark, Steals and Charity Shops

So after throwing my 21st birthday party, I was left with a lot of money which has been burning a hole in my pocket. This means I've been doing quite a bit of shopping recently, but the majority of stuff I've bought have been absolute bargains which means I've not actually spent much of it at all... 

...so I went mad and booked a last minute holiday to Alicante with the bestie.

We're going on Monday and I am too excited for words. We've been talking about going on holiday for a good while now, but just never had the time to look or could never find a good enough deal. 

But we finally did it! 

Cue last minute panics about...well, everything. 

Anyhow, onto the haul!

Chain necklace | asos | £8 £4

T-shirt | Mango via asos | £19.99 £11

Jeggings | Pieces via asos | £22 £8

The asos sale is always worth a look as soon as any new items are added, as all the goodies disappear far too quickly. The necklace is sadly now sold out but I absolutely adore it; it was a bargain at just £4. 

The t-shirt is also really cute. It's boxy in shape, which I've never really taken a second glance at before as I never thought it would suit me, but it does! I didn't actually notice the little diamante anchor in the middle but it's not too obvious so I don't mind it. 

The jeggings just look like jeans, but are ridiculously comfy because they're so stretchy. I bought them in a size S/M, which is the perfect fit for a size 8/10. 

I actually tweeted @ASOS_HeretoHelp to ask which size I should order, as the whole S/M thing in something like jeans really puts me off buying them; if they weren't so cheap I wouldn't have bothered risking it.

It is such a fantastic Twitter account; any issues or queries regarding an ASOS order and they're on it within minutes. Customer service at it's absolute best!

Bag | Steals | £6

Cami top | Steals | £2

Shirt | Steals | £8

Steals is a store that stocks items from brands such as Topshop, Miss Selfridge and BooHoo which have been either returned or worn on the catwalk and cannot be resold. This means that you can get current season, high street stuff for ridiculously low prices. 

The shop labels are always cut out so if you recognise where any of these three items are from originally, I'd love to know! I have a feeling the bag and camisole might originally be Topshop pieces (it's not actually a great picture of the cami; it looks so much better on). 

The bag is huge and it feels so soft! Bargain.

Dress | Charity Shop | £5.99

Shorts | F&F via Charity Shop | £1.50

Jumper | H&M via Charity Shop | £3.50

As always, I couldn't resist a cheeky trip to the charity shops.

This dress, although I'm unsure as to where it was originally from, is the perfect fit and I love the cut out side detail. 

I've been looking for some cute shorts to wear to bed and for £1.50, I couldn't resist these cute floral ones. I was totally drawn to the jumper purely because of the colour. It's such a gorgeous bright blue, and I don't actually own a jumper with a v-neck; it makes quite a nice change to my standard round-neck jumpers.

 Monochrome cami | Primark | £5

As you can probably tell, I love these camisole tops just because they are so darned easy to wear. I couldn't resist this one; the Primark one's are just as good as the Topshop version, at less than a third of the price too!

 Travel bottle set | Primark | £1

Bikini bottoms | Primark | £3 £1

Seeing as I'm only taking hand luggage to Alicante, I needed to buy some travel bottles. I am ridiculously worked up about what I'm going to prioritise to take with me (sad I know). I'm actually thinking I might have to leave my foundation behind.

The thought of that makes me feel physically sick.

As expected, when we went bikini shopping yesterday we discovered that nowhere is stocking swimwear any more, and it's too late to risk ordering anything online. So i ended up just buying some bikini bottoms in the Primark sale which I can match with the black bikini top I already have.

So that's everything I've been buying recently! 

With the rest of my birthday money I'm seriously contemplating buying a tablet, but I'm a bit of a technological Dumbo and already having a laptop, I'm so unsure as to whether or not it would be worth the money.

What are people's opinions on tablets? Are they worth it?

What do you think of my haul?

Love,

Jo xx

What I Wore | 21st Birthday Edition!

Yes I'm behind on my posts; bite me. I'll get there in the end!

Today I'm getting round to doing probably my last 21st-birthday-related blog post; my outfit of the day!

Dress - Primark | Necklace - Primark | Sandals - Next

Blue ring - Vintage | Scrabble ring - eBay | Above knuckle rings - eBay | Nail varnish - Kiko Apple Blossom

I actually received the majority of this outfit for my birthday. I knew I was getting the dress as I had picked it out whilst shopping with my mum. It's probably one of the most flattering dresses I own, it is just the perfect fit, has a really nicely structured top and is a thin, silky kind of material which just falls beautifully. I love the retro style print as well; it's not like anything else I have in my wardrobe. 

I've bought some gems in Primark recently so if you haven't been in for a while, I'd definitely recommend you pop in!

The rings all featured in my birthday present haul post (here), and the vintage one is now probably my absolute favourite. My mum bought it for me at a small market when we went on holiday down south, from a lovely lady who was telling us the story that it once belonged to her great grandma. 

I decided just to shove my hair back in a rough ponytail to make the outfit look a bit more casual as I didn't want to look too dressy, particularly as we weren't doing anything much until our evening meal. 

What do you think of the dress?

Love, 

Jo xx

What I Wore | 11.08.13

Well, I have been a busy little bee lately!

 

Following on from my own graduation a few weeks back, we spent a week down south for my sister's graduation, during which I discovered that I got a job as a radiographer at one of the hospitals near home (which I am very excited to be starting come September!)! I am so thrilled to not have to hunt for work any more, but also seriously scared of the responsibility!

 Shortly after my sister's graduation, we took another little week long break in Cotswold! It's an absolutely beautiful place and we were so lucky with the weather, which I was convinced was finally going to take a turn for the worse!

 

This coming week, I also have my 21st birthday celebrations along with all my pre-employment checks for my new job so it looks like I have another busy week ahead, so exciting!!

 

 

Anyhow, I have an OOTD for you today. It's just an everyday outfit, which I'm wearing to run a few errands so it's nothing too exciting! I went shopping yesterday with my mum to choose a few nice bits and bats for my 21st, so I might pop up a birthday haul to show you those goodies if you're interested!

 

Cardigan - M&S via Charity Shop | Top - Primark | Sunglasses - eBay | Shorts - vintage Levi via eBay | Converse* - Amazon

 

Necklace - gift | Lilac hamsa hand bracelet - Matalan | Blue bracelet - gift | Brown bracelet - H&M

 

As soon as I saw this cardigan I knew I had to get it; it's unfortunately a little too big for me but I think I can get away with it with the sleeves rolled up! I found it in a charity shop for about a fiver.

 

I've had these vintage Levi's for a little while now and I wear them to absolute death. I think they cost me about £25 but they were totally worth it because you can wear them with just about anything. The sunglasses were another bargain eBay purchase at just £3.99!

 

I received the necklace as a gift a good few years ago now; I wear it on a day-to-day basis when I'm not sporting a more statement necklace. It's so gorgeous, really delicate and just the perfect length. Definitely still my favourite piece of jewellery, even after such a long time.

 

Love,

Jo xx

Collective Haul | Including Primark, Zara, Boots and Charity Shops

First up; my apologies for being a bit absent of late! I had my graduation on Tuesday which was absolutely amazing (if you want I can do an OOTD? Let me know in the comments), the weather was beautiful as it has been recently and we had a lovely meal out afterwards.

Anyhow, today I'm going to do a little collective haul for you. Admittedly, although I tried to take pictures of things as and when I bought them, I forgot to take a lot of things and now can't remember what I bought (bad blogger), but here are just a few of the things I have been buying recently.

Blazer | £15 £11 | Primark

 Chain and fabric necklace | £3 | Primark
T-shirt*| £19.99  £12.99  £9.99 | Zara

I have been to Primark twice within the last week and have tried my best to be seriously restrained. My friends and I are going to be booking a holiday soon, which obviously means I will need to go holiday shopping beforehand so I am trying not to buy too much stuff until I know where we'll be jetting off to!

My old navy blazer is getting a bit tatty so for £11 I couldn't really resist this one, which actually feels a lot better quality than my old Primark one too. They had a few other colours available too; I'll be keeping my eye out for the nude one next time I pop in store.

I had £10 left on a Zara voucher I won a while back so I thought I'd get this simple t-shirt.
Admittedly I'm not actually sure what 'Nouvelle Belle' means, but it was oversized and perfect for wearing with my disco pants for a laid-back look.

Denim skater skirt | £8 | Primark

Dusky pink batwing shirt | £25 £7 | Republic

This gorgeous weather has made me realise how few skirts and dresses I have for wearing in such hot weather, so after seeing one of my bestests wearing this one I decided to get it too.

We all know that sadly Republic will be bidding us a fond farewell soon, so I decided to pop in for a peek at the sales and found this simple, staple shirt for a mere 7 quid. Bargain.

Shoes | £5 | Primark

I needed some blue flat shoes to go with my interview dress (note emphasis on the word 'flat', as heels would almost definitely end in disaster), so I grabbed these for a fiver

Stripy skirt | £2.50 | Charity Shop
High waist denim shorts | around £2 | Next via Charity Shop

Both bargains which I unfortunately failed to resist. My vintage levis are slightly on the small side for me, so I thought these denim shorts could act as my comfier version and I've worn them to death already. The skirt needs taking in a little and although I can't wait to wear it, it's a really thick, woolly material so I'm definitely not going to be risking it in this heat.

Loreal Elnett Satin Extra Strength Hairspray | £4 | Boots

Seventeen Sculpting Brow Pencil in Natural Brown | £2.89 | Boots

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium | £4.19 | Boots

Collection Hot Look Nails in Bongo Beat | £1.99 free! | Boots

These are mostly essentials; my old eyebrow pencil wasn't the right shade and whilst my Maybelline Dream Touch Lumi Concealer is good for under my eyes, it's not so great at concealing my spots so it was time to try out the much loved Lasting Perfection Concealer. To my delight, I discovered that spending £4 or more on Collection products would qualify me for a free Hot Looks nail varnish, so I chose the shade Bongo Beat; a lot greener in colour than the image suggests.

 Derma V10 Rejuvenating Night Cream | £0.99 | Bodycare
Derma V10 Coconut Body Butter | £0.99 | Bodycare
Lacura Lip Balms in (clockwise from top left) Classic, Summer and Sensitive | £1.50 for 3 | Aldi

The Night Cream was a bit of an unnecessary purchase but I was interested to see what the quality would be like for the price. I also wanted to try out the Derma V10 Body Butter to see if I can get away with using it in place of my trusty Body Shop Body Butter, as that could save me a hefty sum of money in the long run!
I've heard a lot of good things about the Aldi cosmetics brand Lacura, and so my mum and I decided to give these lip balms a whirl. They are so cheap, selling at just £1.50 for 3 so we decided to get three different packets and split them between my mum, my sister and I.

So there we have it, my most recent purchases!

Have you done any haul posts lately? I'd love you to link me in the comments!

Love,
Jo xx

What I Wore | 22.06.13

Hope you're all well! I've had quite a hectic week myself, there hasn't been a day with nothing going on! On top of job hunting I've been busy catching up with amazing friends I haven't seen in months, my mum's birthday was yesterday and I have also been with the family celebrating both me and my sister graduating with a first in about a months time! WHAT?!

Not once during my course have I even considered that I might get a first, so when I found out at my friends house on Tuesday, I literally must have been leaping around the kitchen for ten minutes straight.

 

Definitely my greatest achievement to date and I am so proud of what my sister and I have achieved, let's just hope we both get jobs soon enough, eh!

 

Anyway, onto the post! I thought I would show you what I wore to a family meal out to celebrate my sister's first (she found out about a week before me, so of course another meal out is essential to celebrate mine).

 

 

Vest top: Be Beau at Matalan | Trousers: George at ASDA (via Charity Shop) | Blazer: Primark | Necklace: Primark | Shoes: Primark | Bag: Boohoo

 

 

I didn't actually realise how much of a bargain this outfit was!

I have been doing a lot of charity shop shopping recently and I think these trousers are probably my favourite purchase. They are only from George at ASDA originally, but they remind me a little of the trousers I have been eyeing up in H&M recently so I thought for £3.50 I'd brave my first ever pair of patterned trousers. They are a seriously light, soft material that fall really nicely; it just feels like you're wearing pyjamas so they're perfect for a heavy meal out.

I didn't think I'd wear them all that much but I think I've already proved myself wrong!

 

I teamed them with a Primark blazer which I must have had for at least 3 years now, and some lightly studded nude Primark pumps. The blazer is well loved and getting a bit old and battered bless it, so I'm planning on buying a couple more replacement ones soon.

 

Are you a fan of statement trousers?

 

Love,

Jo xx

What I wore | 23.05.13

As promised, here is an OOTD featuring the bargain aztec midi dress I recently bought off eBay.

Last weekend I went to a badminton awards do, and I am delighted to say we came home with a bundle of trophies; we won the league and are moving up to the first division next year, yippee!

 

Anyway, I'm sure when I get brave enough I will be showing you my FOTN's as well as outfits, however for now I am going to wimp out and just show you what I wore. I also must apologise for the terrible lighting and lack of arm candy: typically I was on the last minute.

Unfortunately for me, I can't say that's a rarity but when is any girl ever on time?

 

 

Dress: eBay | Necklace: Primark | Bag: Vintage | Shoes: Miss Selfridge | Hair: styled with Enrapture Encode Totem Styler* (review here)

 

 

This red aztec midi dress is my new favourite, hands down. I bought it from this eBay seller for around £10 including delivery. Unfortunately they no longer stock this exact dress but I have found the same dress here from a different seller for £15 plus p&p. 

I find midi dresses an absolute dream to wear; just pop a statement necklace over the top, grab a clutch and voila. Perfect for those all too familiar last minute 'Oh-My-God-I-have-nothing-to-wear' dramas!

 

In hindsight I wish I'd have chosen black accessories, but to be honest I was totally going for comfort with the shoes. I've had these Miss Selfridge heels for a while now; they were a gift from a friend and are literally the comfiest heels I have ever worn.

 

Plus they happen to be a perfect colour match with this bag, which I usually tuck the strap into and use as a clutch bag. God only knows how old the bag is; it was my late Grandma's and is the softest leather you have ever come across. I've really gotten good use out of this little gem.

 

What do you think of this outfit?
Are you a fan of midi dresses?

 

Jo xx

Collective Haul | Primark and eBay

My word, has it really been 3 weeks since my last post?! *slaps wrists*

Boy have I missed you guys!

Life has been pretty darn hectic lately, leaving me with little energy for anything else other than work. I have my last day in placement coming up this Wednesday which I am genuinely going to be so sad about; the radiographers I have been lucky enough to work with over the past 3 years are amazing people and I'll miss them so much!

But the end of placement also brings essay and dissertation deadlines, plus a cheeky VIVA exam so my luck is in this month, I tell thee!

Anyway, during the Easter break (gosh, doesn't that just seem like yesterday?) I managed to fit in a spot of shopping...standard. My friend Laura and I popped down to Newcastle to visit our friend there at uni for a couple of days, and we spent our time having lots of giggles, food, cocktails and doing lots shopping of course! It was a lovely (and seriously needed) break. So here are the few bits I picked up from Primark whilst I was there.

Grey cardigan | £8

Grey and cream contrast dipped hem top | £8

I love the colour of this cardigan and admittedly, I only bought the shirt because I liked the contrast of colours and materials. My original plan was to remove the chain as I couldn't decide whether or not it looks a bit cheap. However now I'm unsure whether or not to take it off!

What are your thoughts, do you think the chains look cheap?

 Bronze spike statement necklace | £4

Stack of 6 rings | £2

I've been lusting after a statement necklace for a while now and this spiked one fits the bill perfectly. At that price I couldn't really leave it behind. I only bought this stack of rings as I instantly fell in love with the gold triangle one...I'm not even a size small in rings, but they didn't have a medium stack left and I loved it so much I bought it planning to wear it on my pinky instead.

Finally, I have also recently bought a couple of bargains off eBay.

Bright blue H&M dress/top (definitely a better top length, trust me on that one!) | £5.51 incl p&p

Red bodycon Aztec midi dress | £9.99 including p&p | this eBay store

I loved the colour of the H&M dress (it was sold as a dress but unless I want to spend my time with my bum fully on show, I think I'd better stick to wearing it as a top), and the lace detail down the side is really lovely. Great bargain if I say so myself!

I found the Aztec midi dress and it reminded me of one I'd seen either in Topshop or Miss Selfridge, I can't remember which one! I will probably be doing an OOTD to give you a better look at it, let me know if this is something you'd like to see?

So there we have it, my recent purchases. Hope you are all well, I'll try my best not to be absent for so long next time!

What do you think of my purchases?

Should I remove the chains from the Primark shirt?

Jo xx

What I wore | 29.01.13

So I am going to share with you my first ever outfit post today! Oh how I spoil you.

 

After reading Victoria's blog post on her new bargain camera tripod (which can be purchased here) I was sold, and quickly snapped one up (highly recommended if you just need something to prop your camera up; absolute bargain), hence today's outfit post!

 

So on Saturday I went for a very belated Christmas meal with one of the badminton teams I play for.

As there was still a lot of snow, the shoes were soon proven to be a stupid choice, however my friends dad very kindly lent me his walking boots to walk into the restaurant and I did a quick change of shoes in the restaurant porch...how classy!
Much rather that than break my ankle though.

 

Anyway, here's what I decided to wear.

 

 

Jacket: Primark | Shirt: New Look | Bandeau top (underneath shirt): Primark | Skirt: Excite Clothing* | Bag: Accessorize | Shoes: Amazon* | Necklace: eBay | Hair: styled with Enrapture Encode Totem Styler (full review coming soon)

 

 

This faux leather jacket is one I bought years ago for the bank-breaking sum of £8.
Bit of a bargain, right? And seeing as I'm still wearing it 5+ years down the line, I think that has to officially be one of my best purchases yet.

This gorgeous studded collar shirt is the one I got in the New Look Boxing Day sales (the post can be found here) for a mere £8, and I thought the bargain 99p necklace really brought out the studs!

The skirt is one I purchased after winning two items of my choice from the Excite Clothing website.
I had been after a skater skirt for so long, but just never got round to buying one so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity! It was a little too big to begin with, so my lovely mum worked her magic and fixed it up for me.

The bag was another bargain: £8 in the sales a couple of years back, and the Amazon shoes I bought using a voucher generously sent to me by Daxon (post here).

I have also very kindly been sent an Enrapture Totem Styler to try out. This product is definitely one to watch, so make sure you pop back for a full review and proper photos of the result of these later on in the week!

 

Phew, waffling over!

 

All in all this was a pretty darn cheap outfit, don't you think?

 

Have you bought any bargains lately?

Do you have that one item of clothing that you  just wear time and time again?

 

Jo xx

 

Christmas Works Do | My Bargain Outfit!

Hello strangers!

I thought seeing as I am having a couple of days off doing uni work (okay maybe not 'off', but definitely less seeing as it is Christmas and I am trying to have a bit of a break), I would write a couple of posts before the big day!

So a couple of weeks ago I got a last minute ticket for the Radiology department's Christmas do. I'm so glad I went, it was a lovely evening and it was great to see the radiographers in a completely different light.

However, getting the ticket just a week in advance, as you can imagine I did have that dreaded panic of ''what the hell am I going to wear!?"

Luckily, within just quarter of an hour of wandering aimlessly around town, I stumbled across this beauty...

Apologies for the awful quality photos. I think I need to invest in a tripod!

...I figured as I would quite like a job at the end of my three year stint of placement at the hospital, I'd better get something that was long enough to avoid any drunken mishaps; so this one just about cut it!

It is a really simple yet gorgeous dress. The top part is sheer material with a beautiful velvet-y floral-ish pattern layered over a beige top, and the skirt is also completely sheer with a black bodycon skirt to keep you covered.

I know its very black but 1) I actually thought it looked quite sophisticated and 2) what the hell else was I gonna get at such short notice!?

I teamed the dress with my bargain fiver heels (reviewed here), and a plain black envelope clutch (not pictured). I really didn't think it needed much accessorising as it's one of those dresses that kind of speaks for itself!

Now I don't think you'd ever guess the price of this dress unless you've already seen it in store...

...it was a mere £15 from Primark.

I know, my jaw dropped too.

So my dress and shoes altogether came to a pretty impressive £20. My purse loves me!

What do you think of this dress?

Have you bought any of your Christmas party dresses from Primark?

Thanks for reading, I've missed you lovely lot!!

Jo xx