Z is for Zara...

 Finally day 26!! It’s been a long 26 days but fun coming up with all the different blog posts! I have now written a total of 7040 words! OMG and I thought I was bad at essays! Lol

So today’s alphabet post is about Zara. I’ve always liked looking in Zara, I think the clothes are really feminine and classy! I know loads of other people that love Zara too plus I like the menswear collections too!

The women’s summer collection is gorgeous! Loads of white with shocks of colour running through the collection. The menswear collection is quite similar with bold prints shooting up, matched with soft beiges and smooth greys. Take a look for yourself, I have picked out some of my favourites below!

As always, follow the links under the picks to have a nosey! Peace and Love…Over and Out! xx

From top left in rows: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7 ,8 

From Top Left in rows: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

OOTD / Shopping Haul!

I had a long week and was feeling a bit down so as always I took to the shops!!

So let’s start with my OOTD, I hit the Trafford Centre last night with my cousin Jade, we shopped for around 2 hours and I totalled up a bill of about £100, but it felt so good to do a bit of retail therapy and I got a few new outfits! Below shows my outfit for today, I got my jewellery from forever 21, my top and jacket are from the fantastic Primark, I love the jacket, it’s really summery and the pattern really stands out, it’s nice and thin as well!

Jeans are my worst enemy, I generally stay away from them because I can never fit in them, but I have been dieting for around a month now so I thought I would be brave. Low and behold I found the perfect pair!! I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 1 Stone so I’m a very happy bunny!!! I love the acid washed look for jeans at the moment, this pair I found in new look. My sunnies I came across accidentally, I nipped in Next to pick up some perfume because I love the Gold perfume, and as I was stood in the queue I spied these gold aviators they were sparkling singing ‘buy me, buy me’ So I did!! Lol.  Finally my sandals, these I picked up in Wynsors a couple of weeks ago but they match my outfit perfectly!

Photography by chillphoto©

I hit Tesco to get all my beauty products because I had run out of literally everything! I always get the same make-up as you can see from the picture below, I love my simple wipes because they don’t dry my skin out, I also picked up a simple day cream and a night cream which I used last night and this morning, I will write a little review about them next weekend when I have had a good week of use of them and can tell how good to my skin they are!! 

My hair products are John Frieda Go Blonder shampoo and conditioner, I use these all the time and would recommend these to anyone who bleaches their hair as it really conditions my ends and keeps my hair in good nick! I have used the conditioning treatment today and my hair is so soft, I will also do a full review of this in a couple of weeks as it’s only the first day I have used it I can’t really judge, but Tesco have them at 3 for 2 so it’s a great bargain!! My body products are Vaseline Cocoa oil, this is amazing, I discovered this about a year ago, I use it after shaving my legs and it leaves them so silky smooth it’s amazing!! The Garnier lotion is a hint of tan one, I've never used it before so I will also review this when I've had a good few goes out of it and see how the tan looks!

Have a great weekend everyone! Peace & Love xx

Y is for Yoshio Kubo...

Y was also a difficult letter to choose so I hit to the web to look for a designer to write about. I came across Yoshio Kubo who is a Japanese menswear designer. I love his summer collection! I have picked 8 of my favourite pieces which are shown below but you can see the rest of his collection on the site linked below the images.

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The company started in 2008 when he returned to Japan with his spring summer collection when the company was originally labelled yoshio KUBO. He had previously worked for the New York couture designer Robert Danes as an assistant designer after he had graduated from Philadelphia University school of Textile and Science in 2000.

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I just love just quirky design style and interesting patterns!

Happy Friday Guys & Enjoy your weekend!

Peace & Love x

X is for Xanthene...

Okay so I struggled with this one, I’m near the end of my 26 posts and I mean X is hardly an easy one!! My choices were basically x-ray, xylophone or a Xiaosaurus which hardly relate to fashion, beauty and lifestyle. So instead of trawling the internet for a random brand that may not be of much interest I decided to learn a new word. So here it is, Xanthene!!

Before I go into the techy bit about what this word is, for those who just want to scan and be shortly impressed by my discovery of this word, it is a chemical compound that is put into dyes which is then used to dye fabric! Cool hey! And there was me thinking I was going to have to make up what an extinct dinosaur or a xylophone had to do with fashion!! Haha…feel free to read on and swat upon your science!! J My little brother who is studying chemistry tried to go into further detail about it as I asked him a few questions about it, but it kind of flew over my head! Lol

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I chose this particular word as the derivatives of xanthene are commonly referred to collectively as Xanthines, and among other uses the basis of a class of dyes which includes fluorescein, eosins and rhodamines. Xanthene dyes tend to be fluorescent, yellow to pink and bluish red, brilliant dyes. Many xanthene dyes can be prepared by condensation of derivatives of phthalic anhydride with derivatives of resorcinol or 3-aminophenol, so the new word really does relate to the fashion industry, just the technical production of fabrics!

The meaning of what it is and the technical’s:

It is a yellow organic heterocyclic compound. It is organic because it contains carbon. The heterocyclic compound basically means that it is a series of atoms connected to form a loop or a ring. Its chemical formula is C13H10O. It is soluble in diethyl ether. Its melting point is 101-102 ◦C and its boiling point is 310-312 ◦C. Xanthene is used as a fungicide and it is also useful in intermediate organic synthesis. I have taken some of this information from the source like below and added some from research I had done myself!

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Happy Thursday!

Peace & Love xx

W is for Washing Symbols...

This one is more of a helpful tip than a blog post about fashion etc, but I am very sure it will be of use to you! How many of you look blankly at some of the little symbols that are sewn into some of your garments!? I certainly do, and i'm in the part of the industry that comes up with the reasoning behind this with being a garment technician! 

Yes, some of the signs are obvious, like the iron…but what do all the others mean? I spent a bit of time researching them to make life a little bit easier for when you do your washing! I have also created an image of the symbols so be sure to pin and share this post and follow the blog to make sure you always have access to it! 

The only recommendation I would add to this is if you want to wash anything vintage/antique or a very delicate fabric like an old silk, always hand wash and hang dry as machine wash and tumble dry more than likely wasn't used back then and it may damage your garments! Always double check that your seams etc on your favourite clothes are always intact too when you put them in, wouldn't want any nasty surprises when you open that door! ;)

Hope it helps!! xx

Liebster Award!!

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Ann from Madam Ann. This award is given to bloggers with under 200 followers and it helps us to discover new blogs! Thankyou for the nomination!!

The Rules:

• Display the award
• Thank and link the person who nominated you
• Write 11 facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions asked to you
• Nominate 11 people
• Ask 11 questions to your nominees 
• Inform the bloggers you have nominated them!

My 11 facts:

• I work in Preston which is about an hours drive from where I live, I hate commuting, especially in rush hour!
• I will graduate from University in 2015 (hopefully)
• I want my own company and will hopefully start setting this up ready for next year!
• I have a mini project on at the moment which will be released to the public at the end of May so watch this space ;)
• I am really creative, I love making something from nothing. It's great when someone gives me a bag of old bits, it like Christmas, seriously! Buttons, bobbly things, threads, scraps of fabrics!
• I am completely and utterly addicted to online shopping, and I really don't care that I spend all my money doing this, because I love having parcels delivered all time like little presents... from me, to me!!
• I prefer cuddling up and watching a film more than anything else!
• It takes me about 4 minutes to shower, I get bored easily so it's in and out! 
• I drink around 4 litres of water a day!
• I have two tattoo's and a 3rd in the design process ready for the summer!
• I love to design clothes and buy them, but secretly if nudism was accepted everywhere I would seriously consider it! Nothing better than feeling free haha

Answers for the questions from the lovely Ann:

• What is your favourite animal? Elephants
• Who is your favourite actor? Morgan Freeman (I want him to read me a bedtime story, I love his voice) lol
• Any beauty must haves you cannot live without? Simple Wipes
• Flats or Heels? Depends, flats for casual wear and heels to dress up!
• What is your absolutely favourite food? Seafood Sticks (weird but I love them!!)
• Were you ever in love? I am now
• What do you love to blog about the most? Fashion and style, and where to get the best bargain!
• Favourite perfume or body mist? Angel by Thierry Mugler 
• Where do you love shopping the most? Topshop
• What was the last song you heard and enjoyed? Clean Bandit-Rather Be
• Which country do you want to travel to? Loads!! Jamaica, Thailand, China, Australia, Madagascar...All of them really, I love seeing new places!

Now for the fun part...The blogs that I nominate:

• Modern Lady Jane
• In my Fashion Pocket
• The Tales of Y?our Typical Average Girl
• A Retro Bombshell Loves
• Fashionista On A Budget
• Vanilami
• Alessandralily 
• In the Land of Jen
• Beauty Couture xox
• All Dolled Up
• Sail away to Neverland

And of course my 11 Questions for you:

• What made you want to start blogging?
• Where is your favourite place to shop?
• What is your favourite item of clothing?
• What is your favourite beauty product?
• What is your favourite colour?
• What do you like reading about on blogs?
• Do you have a claim to fame?
• What do you like to do in your spare time?
• What is your dream job?
• Where do you want to be in 5 years?
• If you were stranded on a desert island, what 5 items couldn't you live without?

Now it's your turn! I have nominated 11 great blogs who I think deserve this award!!

Peace and Love xx

V is for Vintage...

Okay, so what is vintage? Everyone classes terms like this differently dependant on personal preference! I would say that ‘antique’ is anything like 80 years+ old. What I describe as ‘Vintage’ I would say is anything 20 years older than the current date. I would then describe ‘Retro’ as 10 years old from the current date, or something that is imitating a previous era but in a new way, through design and style.

I haven’t been a massive fan of vintage and antique clothing simply because of the smell. I know the clothes are old but I couldn’t get over wearing something that smelt like the raver from the 70’s or the old lady from the Titanic in 1912!! However with the fantastic invention of febreze and a more grown up perspective on old clothing I have begun to collect some items! My most recent vintage item is an oversized coat from Etam, I found it on eBay, it was orange so that obviously drew me to it, and it looked so big and comfy, which it is! It’s perfect for a lazy Sunday morning to keep me warm and especially when I have a naughty hangover as it makes you feel almost as comfortable as being in bed! Lol

When I was looking for a bit of inspiration on this post I came across a great site! It’s called Rokit it does women’s, men’s and kids clothing and accessories etc. as well! So below the first image shows some items I found and loved for you gents, and then below that are some items I found for us girls! As always the links to the site and the product can be found below the image!

Top Row: 1, 2, 3, 4

Middle Row: 5, 6, 7

Bottom Row: 8, 9, 10

Top Row: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Middle Row: 6, 7, 8

Bottom Row: 9, 10, 11

If you like it…Wear it!

Peace and love xx

U is for Underwear...

So we all know I'm not shy when it comes to underwear, it is my favourite item of ‘clothing’!! If I had loads of money I would spend it all in Agent Provocateur! I came across this company when my best friend showed it to me after Beyoncé had worn the bridal corset in the video for The Best Thing I Never Had, and wow, I could spend thousands on here, if I ever get married a little treat for me and the husband obviously will be my wedding lingerie from here! They always do a sale after Christmas and some of the items get discounted so much it is affordable for those without a hefty income!! You all need to click the link and go and have a little drool over the sexy, naughty, delicate designs… this year I may treat myself to a posh pair of knickers!! ;)

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For my everyday underwear I grab it from the high street, I love Primark for the price but I just cannot ever be bothered to dig through the mountains of scrambled up knickers to find the right size and style. But I've had a few bras from here that have been fab! I tend to get my good bras from either Littlewoods or Next, I like the push up bra’s that they stock from outside companies. My current everyday t-shirt bra is below!

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I love to have matching underwear on, I don’t understand why people don’t match their underwear, having a great set on underneath all my clothes just makes me feel so much more confident, especially if there really sexy, as you are the only one that knows how good you look underneath! I have put together a little pic of some of my top picks!!

Top left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Middle left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4

Bottom left to right:1,2,3, 4, 5

Guys, I struggle with you, my bf only wears boxer briefs from Next so I don't know a great deal about shopping around for the perfect pair! I have spent the past month at work doing in-depth research at work designing and technically drawing all different types and styles of briefs, from the lovely white Y fronts, to the cotton boxers and the kiddie budgie smugglers. What do you prefer? I would really love to know!! I love the comic ones that you can get with slogans and prints on them!

T is for Trends...

T is for Trends…Okay so we are in the spring over here in the UK but summer is fast approaching and so are the new trends! A large focus for this summer is the world cup, its being held in Brazil and I was praying for a strong fashion influence from this as the colours are so bold and bright and fashion in Brazil is just amazing to follow! So personally I will be shopping some Brights that I think will lead on from spring’s pastel colours as a base.

Another trend I will be following will be the ‘word up’ trend. This is a focus of making a statement with a phrase or image on your clothes, I think you need to be careful with this trend to not overdo it, the catwalks sent out pieces that most wouldn't dream about wearing so calm it down and make a subtle statement for off the catwalk. A trend I think fits in quite well with the ‘word up’ trend is one I started wearing at the start of the year, ‘the sporting life’ this took storm on the runways and has been a popular sight in stores, it has also taken over my wardrobe. It’s a comfy style with trainers and pumps or plain simple heels, with jerseys, crops, and sports tops, paired with pleated skirts, shorts and that material that makes a funny noise when it rubs together!! ;) I love this style; I'm now a sneaker obsessed girl with too many baggy jerseys!

Word up Source

The sporting life Source

And finally get your tan on because white is hitting your wardrobes! I love this colour as it has got so much potential, as long as you don’t spill your dinner down you… I favoured it that much last year I had a ‘White Party’ for my 21^st Birthday, and as painful as it was for everyone to find a white outfit it looked amazing! The room was glowing, and I love how much everyone stood out when the UV lights came on. I had a change mid-way through the night and put on an orange and yellow UV dress, obviously then I stood out the most!

White Source

White is such a clean, stand out colour that can be paired with anything you like; you can throw in a bright bag to jump out the contrast or how about some more white?! White on white, with white shoes…fresh airy linen trousers and a white top with white sandals, too much? I'm not going to lie I like it, looking like something out of an East 17 music video from the 90’s! Bring it on!!!

S is for Skinny Jeans...

I wonder if skinny jeans will ever go out of fashion!!

They have always kind of had a presence throughout the years, but more so recently with the new retro trend appearing and everyone wanting that grungy nineties look with acid washed or black skinnies. I personally prefer skinny jeans just because I generally wear leggings and jeggings they are a similar alternative. I have been on the hunt for both guys and girls skinny jeans as I want to please you both ;) below show my findings, my favourite are the acid wash light blue ones from New look for £22.99 for you ladies who want to rock retro. Guy’s I've got to say this was a hard pick for me to select some for you; I love the turn ups on the current skinny jeans and the grey acid wash stretch skinny jeans from Burton for £20 reduced from £40.

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Where’s your favourite place to buy your skinnies from and what’s your best style?!

R is for Rings...

So this post is a tad late but its bank holiday and I’ve been enjoying myself relaxing, making some jewellery, catching up with my mum and dad after they arrived home from two weeks in Thailand and then seeing my little sister and going to the cinema! So as you can see it’s been a busy one! I have only just got home so I’m going to keep this one short and sweet as I’m running out of steam today!!

Rings are something I have grown to love, I’ve had many over the years but never seem to keep hold of them, I struggle with finding rings as I have quite big hands for a girl, average for my size/height but compared to small girl hands mine are obviously bigger. I have no idea what ring size I am, I just try them on until I find one that fits!! I have put together an image as always for you guys to see what my favourite five rings are!

The top left set of rings is one I got from Primark a few years ago, I have been lucky with the as they don’t turn my finger green and I haven’t had an allergic reaction to the metal!! Bonus! The one to the right of that is a present I got from my aunty Michelle for my 21^st birthday from John Lewis by Dyrberg and Kern and this is like my go to ring as its simple but sparkly and it goes with everything and anything!! The middle skull ring is my newest addition to my rings; it was one of my eBay £1 bargains! The bottom left orange oval ring was a gift from my mum and dad from the V&A in London, obviously with orange being my favourite colour I try and match this ring with as much as I can!! And finally my blue glass ring, this is probably my favourite as it is so unusual, this was also a gift from my parents from Malta.

These beauties are ones I have spotted on the Boodles site, I am in love with these and hope that one day if I'm extremely lucky I will one day get to wear one like these... A girl can dream hey! ;)

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Anyway, that is me done for the night, I need my beauty sleep, stay tuned this weekend and I will try and fulfil your blog reading needs… ;)

Happy Good Friday and enjoy your Easter bank holiday!

Peace and Love xx

Q is for Quid...

...Or pound, or dollar or euro, basically really cheap! You all know by now that I love a good bargain, and I was struggling with what to do for the letter Q and as a kid I always call £1 a quid, I still do now sometimes because I think it’s a funny word. (Especially when I’m getting one off my mum for the trolley for food shopping/or the ticket machine in car parks!!) Then I got thinking about the pound shop, everything for a quid, I wondered if I could find some fashion items for a quid! I set off on my hunt on eBay; I always dig out a good bargain out on here. I didn't want to leave the boys out so I’ve also done a hunt for some items for you guys two!! I must apologise however because number 7 is actually £1.11 but hey, what's 11p?! Below both the images are the numbers, they will take you to the eBay page if you're interested in the bargain or just want to check your disbelief that I found them for £1 or less!

Can you beat my bargain?? Comment me some links you find on your hunt!!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

P is for Photographer...

A photographer I have been interested in for a long time is Bill Cunningham, born in 1929. He has chosen an unusual life to some, as he has spent most, if not all of his time focussing on his work. He is a street style photographer working also with fashion shows, VIP events and his close friends/celebrities. He has become a very well know photographer all over the world being invited to the top fashion events and having his work featured in The New York Times capturing some of the world’s top socialites. He is spotted by his blue coat which is featured in the image below.

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Around a year ago I watched a documentary on him and his work, being interested in street style myself I find him such an inspiration. The image below shows a piece of his work where he montaged various of his photographs together and a short description about what he had found the trends and styles to be on the streets.

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I went to Paris Fashion Week in 2013 and the image below shows a piece I created from my own street style shots mimicking Bill’s style. I didn’t look at a particular trend, but instead at formal men’s street wear in general, I was using this piece as my research for my second year University studies so it had to link to that. It wasn't hard to find as it was fashion week everyone had come dressed to impress!! From my research in Paris and online I created two garments from it which are also shown below, a long men’s winter coat and fitted suit pants for AW13. I passed my second year so I guess it worked out well!!

O is for Orange...

The best colour ever!! No arguments ;p I just love the colour orange, and all the different shades of it, but my favourite has got to be bright hot orange. Some hate it as it can be a pain to style but I find I can match it with anything!

My favourite orange item has got to be my Michael Kors handbag that my three best friends bought me for my 21^st! It’s huge, and I fill it all the time I carry so much unnecessary stuff around with me! It goes great with my usual leggings, also jeans and skirts, and really well with cobalt, bright blue! I'm not going to lie, I wear it with everything, I couldn't care less whether it matched or not, I just like it too much! Ha, joking aside here are other items I have which sport the great colour!

Below in the image is what I use as my walking jacket which was featured in my ‘G’ post, I get too hot when I go walking up in the hills so I don't like big coats, this is really thin so it’s good, plus it’s waterproof…and I figure if I ever need saving by the mountain rescue people they will spot me a mile off glowing on the green hill face!!

I’ve even matched the colour with some accessories, I bought a watch off eBay for the bargain price of £1.76 it did take like 3 weeks to come from China, but I have no qualm waiting for that price!

And with summer nearly here it’s close to time to get my favourite orange bikini out, with an orange sarong and I can’t forget the orange beach towel and beach bag!! I also have orange heels and a gorgeous little orange dress that I got for a bargain in Asda! I mean I am that obsessed with orange I even have an orange IPhone wire! I recently read a blog post on Viva Epernay that featured an orange lippy that I think I may have to invest in because it looks fab on her.

N is for Nails...

I regularly get my nails done, usually every 4 weeks! I have never been able to get them done due to working as a waitress, so when I got my placement last year in fashion the first place I celebrated was the nail salon!! I’m not looking forward to when I go back to university and more than likely go back to being a waitress and not being able to get them done any more! The first image below shows some of my styles that I have had done previously, I like plain French white tips because they look so clean but now and again I like to be adventurous with colours and patterns.

The other images are ones I have found whilst doing some research on Pinterest, there are more on my board if you want to have a look, and I will pin new ones on a regular basis. I think some are so creative like the Starbucks ones, I also found a Disney Princess nail art that is on my Instagram which I just LOVE! What’s your inspiration for your nails?