you'll find me chasing the sun...

Hello,

I’m currently writing today’s post from my lovely (tidy) desk, feeling like a proper journalist, in my work placement, where I've been hiding the last few days! 

Most students my age, will be spending every second of their summer, eating, watching TV and sleeping. With the exception to watching the White Queen (because I love it) and my usual 8 hours dosage of sleep, my summer is somewhat hectic! At my work placement I've had the opportunity to write articles (make of that what you will) visit clients and answer the dreaded telephone! While picking up on the daily running’s of a magazine, I've managed to get lots of tips for working in the industry, which I found really helpful! And I only have my little blog to thank for it.

But before I bore you, lets get to today's post!

As you know, I'm a proud member of the OASAP blogger program (check their awesome website out here). Each month I get the opportunity to review a product, and this month I've chosen to review a b-e-autiful boho skirt, that's perfect for summer holidays and festivals!

Today's outfit was a little combination I put together, after happily receiving a parcel from OASAP this morning. The skirt, is currently $29.93 in the sale - You can find it here. It's a beautiful boho style chiffon skirt, which is perfect for holidays and days in the sun. It's a really diverse dress, and you can style it in many ways. It would look beautiful with some high wedgies, or stay casual with some converse (why not?). I love the pattern - it's fab, but  OASAP also have the same skirt in a few different patterns. 

I combined the skirt, with a crop top from New Look (which is on offer at 2 for £8) and a wardrobe classic denim shirt from Primark - that's great for covering up on a chilly evening! The Sandals were from Clarks and are amazingly comfy, and the necklace was also from New Look - and just adds a finishing touch to the outfit. My leather bag was a thrifty market purchase (and a kind present) from my Auntie, and is the perfect size to carry a few necessities in. 

What I'm Wearing: Skirt - OASAP, Top - New Look, Shoes - Clarks, Jacket & Sun Glasses - Primark, Necklace - New Look, Bag - Market Purchase. 

My sister's improving on her photography skills, so if anyone needs a photographer - I'm training her up well! So thank you Lydia for today's photos!

I've also been a little bit brave (for me) with my choice of makeup for summer. I'm touching up my eyes up with a bit of blue eye shadow, to prove I'm not always painting my face in the same way. However, I can't promise this will last...

Before I bore you with my rant's, I'll sign off for today,

Lots of Love,

A helping hand to charity...

Hello! 

As the very busy summer holiday begins, I've got so much to share with you all already! I'm hoping to make lots of free time to write some fun posts for you all - so keep an eye out.
Today's post is a little more 'close to heart' sort of post, that may not be directly linked to everything I usually blab on about, but thought I'd share it anyhow.

Recently I saw Money Supermarket were looking to help contribute to local charities in the UK, through normal people like myself, who had worthy causes to contribute to! I was given £30, to invest in items that would be greatly accepted in a local charity - so here's how I used the donation...

'The Well' is a local food bank, which distributes food and everyday essentials to families in the local area, that may have fallen into a number of difficulties which prevents them from purchasing the items for themselves. The charity runs off kind donations from surrounding areas, which can accumulate to aiding around 200 adults and children a week. In the past donations from myself and my local community have really helped people close to home, and I found out the charity were looking for more donations of baby items - as no child born into difficult situations should be without the essentials!

So as a result, my £30, investment was spent on buying as many babies nappies as physically possible!
I spent £22.50 on Babies Nappies, and £1.99 on Baby Wipes and with P&P, it came to just over £30!
Charity is always important, and it made me feel great to pass on Money Supermarket's kind donation to a cause which was local to myself - so thank you!

Lots of Love,

pretty in pink...

Hello!

As I've got so much to catch up on, so I thought I'd do a double post today! If you read my earlier post, you'll know I've been jetting off across Europe over the last few weeks, so my blogging patterns have been very slow! But that's enough of my rambling..

Recently, I was kindly invited to join the OASAP bloggers community. After finding out about OASAP - which sells quality high street fashion - from a fellow blogger, I fell in love with the stores style. In today's outfit post, I'll be talking you through the gorgeous denim jacket, that was sent from the lovely people at OASAP and hopefully convincing you to head over to check out the website for yourself! 

Because it was such a lovely day, I chose to wear this pink pinafore from New Look, that was only £8.00 in the sale. Pinafores are really popular at the moment, especially denim ones, but this cotton one is great, as it doesn't restrict you. It's a great wardrobe piece for summer, as you can dress it up/down easily. 

I've worn it with a white over sized tee from H&M, which is also a great item to have tucked in your wardrobe. My sandals were a steal from the Clarks sale (my recent weakness for top quality shoes) and I'm sure you'll see LOTS more of them in the future..

The denim jacket from OASAP was $43 and I was so excited to be buying something from overseas! I felt very American wearing my jacket (weird I know..). Its a great quality jacket, which fastens with buttons up the front, and rolled sleeves - making it more suitable for summer nights! You can wear it with pretty much everything, so it's a great cover up in evenings, if you're trying to squeeze everything into your suitcase!

The colour is washed and has a slightly worn style, and it fits lovely. I was really impressed with the OASAP website service, as I don't usually buy items from abroad, but it was worthwhile, as P&P was free and it took less than 10 days to arrive! You can get the jacket here: at OASAP.com.

What I'm wearing: Top - H&M, Pinafore Dress - New Look, Sandals - Clarks, Jacket - OASAP, Head Band - Primark. 

Well that's all from me! I hope you're all soaking up lots of sun (and not getting burnt.). As you can see, I'm always an 'bilk bottle' as my dad puts it, so I'll be reviewing lots of fake tan in the next few weeks!

Lots of Love,

on my travels...

Hello!
It's hot hot hot in the UK - which is fabulous, as I've just returned from (even hotter) Germany! It's been hectic the last few weeks, with work experience and jetting off on collage trips, so I apologize for the lack of blogging. I've got plenty of posts lined up, so watch this space...

So I visited Berlin for the first time last week - AND LOVED IT! Although I was on a very educational trip, I was more than envious when I found out it was Berlin freaking Fashion Week, and events were taking place a few 100 yards from where we were standing (gutted, doesn't cover it). Then again, equipped with my functional Converse and Rucksack - I wasn't exactly dressed for the catwalk.

I've selected a few photos from the trip to show you, as proof I'm not just being lazy and sitting in the sun all day - although that is a tempting offer...

It was such a lovely place, and although my only German language knowledge is 'please and thank you,' the city was so welcoming! It was actually a history trip, so we spent a lot of time discussing the War and it's impact. (hence the lack of photos - as most were just landscape and museums.) 

I also thought the traffic lights were too cool - and it seems to be a symbol of East Berlin, as every memorabilia shop sold green men on key rings, etc. It really is a cool city, that mixes old with new - in a contemporary way.

We also followed our trip to Poland to a visit of Krakoff and Auschwitz memorial site. It was very emotional, but I learned so much in the few days I was there! The photos above are in a little Jewish restaurant we visited - we had traditional foods, a table lit by candlelight and a string quartet played for us! 

We also took the opportunity to other Berlin snacks.. from Curry-wurst... to more recognized DOUGHNUTS!

 It was a fabulous trip, and if you're considering traveling, I would definitely recommend Berlin - there's so much to see and do, and it's a city filled with culture and history! 

I'll be posting later, once I've unpacked all my suitcase (a.k.a emptying the contents onto my bedroom floor).
Enjoy the sun, and don't forget the sun cream ;)

Lots of Love,

So long Google Reader...

Yes, I'm still shocked!

I thought I'd just remind you that Google Reader will be closing from the 1st of July sadly :( and for those of you are already following me there, I would kindly ask you to follow me through Bloglovin', so we don't loose touch.
We're all hoping that Bloglovin will be the next Google Reader, so if you like my blog and would like to stay in touch with me, please do follow me there. ( please click the icon down below, which will redirect you to my Bloglovin page).

For the bloggers who will join me through Bloglovin, leave your link below,  so I won't miss out on anyone, as I'll make sure I return the favour!

I hope we all keep in touch! :)

Lots of Love,

DIY Sunglasses...

Hello!
The sun has failed to make an appearance over the last few days. However, by trying to stay positive, I've resorted to a DIY sunglasses post for today. Instead of persuading you to go and get yourself a worthy rain mac (though this might be more sensible) I thought I'd show you how to spice up your sunnies, in a fun way! + it's DEAD easy!

To style up your glasses, all you need is:
1. Cheap pair of classes. Mine were £1.49 from Ebay - get them here...
2. Customise, with anything you fancy. I used Flowers, also from Ebay - get them here...
3. A way off attaching decoration. I used a glue gun, but PVA will also work.

 How to attach your decoration:

1. Staring from the outside, working your way in, put a blob of glue on the base of the flower decoration.
2. Hold the decoration gently in place on the glasses.
3. Repeat this, by adding one onto each side of the glasses, until you reach the centre.
4.  while the glue is drying, remove any glue which may have spread onto the glasses.

You can style up your glasses however you want to, and put more/less decoration on than I have. This is a great idea, if your going to any festivals (*cough* v-festival) this summer, as they look too cute and help you personalise the whole 'shorts, shorts and more shorts' festival style.

I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more of these glasses - sun, or no sun - and for a total of £3.00, it's easy to have a go and make your own!

Lots of Love,

Did I mention I love Shopping? Meet Shopcade...

Hello!
Today's post is a little rant from me, about an awesome new site called SHOPCADE. To put it simply, Shopcade is a website, which makes shopping a WHOLE lot easier. You can select items you like from a range of websites (including Urban Outfitters, American Apparel and Asos) and create shopping lists, based on what you love and what you actually need...

It's easy to set up, and there's a great reward scheme, where you are rewarded with points for you shopping habits, which you can then use in future purchases (yes please)! You can sign up for free, and personalize your account so you only see your favorite brands - and if you anything like me... create very long wish lists!

Also, there is a competition with Etail Pr, in which you can enter to try and win £200 of Asos vouchers + £200 of  Shopcade vouchers! So make sure you entry here.

Lots of Love,

the festival countdown has begun...

Hello!

I've got a little Saturday post for you!
Festival season is fast approaching and as my excitement brims for V festival, I thought I'd put together a few festival outfit ideas and make a little 'wishlist' - to inspire you for your own festival outfit's - where ever you may be!

I wore this outfit, a few days ago when I was feeling summery, and it reminded me of festivals! The Shorts were a little bargain last year, £3.50 from Matalan (click here to see similar). I love the pattern on them and they're really colourful. They are also seriously light weight - so are great if its a warm day - or you need to carry them around for day 2! They're high waisted, which means you can get away with wearing a crop top, without having the whole of your belly on show (though, it kinda defeats the point of them.. but hey).

The jacket was also another 'last years purchase' I've pulled out of my wardrobe - mainly as a way of proving to my mom, I DON'T need a spring clean out (even though I most probably do..).
It was around £10 from Primark, and is great to dress up an outfit. I love the edgy sleeves and the light blue colour which matches up with pretty much everything.

I love crop top's at the moment. This purple crop top, was part of a two for £8 offer at Newlook. I love it's simplicity, which means you can pair it up with pretty much anything!
My headband was another recent purchase. I fell in love with Lana Del Ray's flower crowns and have been looking for one similar to the beauties from Crown and Glory. However, until I can save up some pennies, I found this thrifty crown, which was £3 from Primark. It's so cute, so I'm sure you'll be seeing alot more of it in future posts!

What Blondie's Wearing: Top - New Look, Shorts - Matalan, Shoes - Clarks, Jacket & Floral Crown - Primark.

I've also selected a few (of many) items, also perfect for Festival Season: 

Summer Festival by blondiesstylefix

So that's all from me, I'm off to finish watching The Voice..
Enjoy your weekend!

Lots of Love,

style up the 'office dress'...

Hello! 

Today's post was based on my recent sixth form style 'office dress' habits. I always find it a struggle to put together outfits that are 1. comfortable (because your in them all day) 2. Suitable (only so many ways you can wear a blazer) and 3. fitting the outfit to my own personal style.

As an example of my day to day torture (school would be a lot more comfortable in joggers) I grabbed my sister to take a few 'post-school' shots of toady's outfit!

Comfort is always my number one goal! They say 'no pain, no gain,' but this isn't always the case. 10 hours of  wearing uncomfortable heels? no thanks.. I always advise buying top branded shoes for work/school - and heals with a strong base! Top Shop, Clark's, Barratt's and Next offer a great range of office suitable heels/shoes.
My favourites are these Tan brogues, from Clark's - I also have a similar pair from Top Shop, which I also love!

Finding suitable clothing for work is another aggravation. What you think is knee length, is not always KNEE LENGTH. Most high street shops try and persuade the customer that 'our office wear, really is office wear,' but in fact, a body-con skirt is not really suitable! I've found Dorothy Perkins, H&M, Primark and M&S offer the best range of work clothing! 

My skirt was £20* from Dorothy Perkins, and I love the colour and fit of the skirt. Make sure you sign up for a newsletter, because Dotty P do some fab discounts (up to 20% off!).

Finally, cramming your own style into an outfit, that consists of a blazer and knee length skirt, can be tricky! I wasn't comfortable with my uniform at the start of the year, but it's worth playing around with a clash of colours or different styled jackets to change your outfit to suit you! I've never been a fan of 'matching' colours, so I love 'mix-n-matching' different colours! 

To add my own twist, I also rolled up my blazer by rolling the sleves up, and added a cute bunting necklace from Little Birdie London.

What I'm wearing: Shirt - Primark, Blazer - H&M, Skirt - Dorothy Perkins, Brogues - Clarks, Bag - Market, Necklace - Little Birdie

I hope you're all enjoying the UK sunny weather (while it lasts at least...). 

It's definitely my motivation to getting through collage at the moment!
Lots of Love,