Forest

jumper - oasis, cami - oasis, jacket - topshop, culottes - warehouse, shoes - office, bag - primark

Happy Monday!

Today I'm sharing this outfit that I wore for lunch with my mum and grandmum a couple of weeks ago. My thought process began with the green fake nails that I put on the previous weekend (to match these amazing trousers), which you can see in the last photo. They're Elegant Touch Express, and I always get compliments when I wear them. You can get them in Boots and Superdrug, and they're so easy to apply. Literally just peel off the backing and stick. I've applied them in taxis, at dinner, in the bathroom at the club. Foolproof.

Anyway. I needed to layer cos it's February. I put this gorgeous green cami over a black turtleneck and threw on my sleeveless leather jacker. I'm crushing hard on these culottes at the moment, so they were a no brainer, and then I chose my grey heels to add a hint of femininity to an otherwise grungy look. This adorable mint green micro-bag pulls all the shades together.

New Year, Same Me

jumper - bhs, trousers - forever 21, coat - charity shop, boots - tk maxx, bag - vintage, turban - christmas gift

Well, hello there stranger, it’s been a while. Apologies for my hiatus. I took a few months at the end of 2016 to focus on me and my mental health. I’ve got to know myself really well and I’m finally in a place where I can appreciate myself and plan for my future. So that’s nice.

Anyway, I took these photos just a couple of days into the new year. It was a beautifully sunny yet frosty day and I had to make the most of it. I wore a white turtleneck and high waisted trousers with my nude sock boots. Recently I’ve taken to wearing a small cross body bag under my coat so I can throw my coat over my shoulders blogger-style.

The turban was a Christmas present from the ever-fashionable Mama Rose. It’s so great for keeping my hair out of my face (and hiding less than fresh roots). I had seen a similar one with jewels on the front in Topshop Oxford Street back in February, and fell in love. Unfortunately, the thing was £40. But I looked damn good in it, being a hat person and all. So after a year or so of searching for a suitable alternative, I open my Christmas present to find this beauty. Apparently, mum found it in one of the wig shops in the city centre. And it was £1.99.

Thank you for your patience and I'll see you again soon. x

Two Days in Budapest

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, but I'm finally sharing some snaps from my trip to Budapest. We managed to pack a lot into just 2 full days in the city, including an amazing vintage store, some great restaurants and a couple of walking tours around the city.

We found this vintage store on our first day in the city, and it was like stumbling upon buried treasure. I have a real talent for finding vintage shops, so I managed to spot this one a mile off! The store was really cool inside - beautiful pieces displayed really well. We scoured the rails and swore we'd be back on our last day to spend our left over forints. However, our last day was All Saints Day and the store, like most others, was closed. Guess it wasn't meant to be.

This restaurant was just down the arcade from our apartment building, so we stopped by on our second day for some lunch. Over the weekend this area played host to a craft market and a vinyl fayre, and we were later told by a tour guide that it was "one of the coolest places in the city", so we felt very proud to be staying in the middle of it all!

The walking tour took us to many of the city's landmarks and taught us a lot about the history of Hungary. Our guide was really entertaining and clearly passionate about his city. We walked for two and a half hours around Budapest, but luckily I was wearing comfy ankle boots so I was able to enjoy the sights!

Hungarian National Museum

St Stephens Basilica

The Chain Bridge

The River Danube

Castle Hill

Matthias Church

The Hungarian Parliament Building

It's My Party...

dress - h&m, top - new look, shoes - h&m

On Friday night, I was truly lucky to be joined by all my favourite guys and gals to celebrate the beginning of my 23rd year on this Earth. Fun and drinks and good times were had by all.

Despite searching both Budapest and Birmingham for an outfit, I still had nothing on the morning of my party. However, after a quick trip to the local shopping center I had this gorgeous satin slip dress and metallic roll neck top. I even treated myself to NYX Liquid Suede in Vintage to match!

Thank you to every who came to help me celebrate. I had an absolute ball!

Halloween in Budapest

dress - warehouse, shoes - office

So this year, I spent Halloween in Budapest. Which was interesting. After a day of exploring the city, the girls and I went back to our gorgeous apartment and painted our faces for the gods. We then headed out to an amazing karaoke bar just outside our apartment building. Yes, we drank a lot and may have participated in messy renditions of Bohemian Rhapsody, Highway to Hell and Sex on Fire.

I actually wore this dress for Halloween last year too, but there's only one photo and I was in a different country so I figured I could get away with it. Maybe I'll wear it next year too.

Thank you for having us Budapest. We love you.

Fur and Fancy

coat - warehouse, shirt - new look, skirt - charity shop, boots - tk maxx, LISA choker - shop now

Yesterday I went out shopping with Mama Rose. There was a definite chill in the air, so I took the opportunity to take my gorgeous fur coat out of hiding. I also wore this midi skirt that hasn't had nearly enough wear over the summer, and paired it with a simple white shirt. I then added my nude boots with the metallic gold block heel, and the beautiful gold LISA choker, which you can buy right now from my Shop page :)

My Top Ten Charity Shop Buys

Regular readers (and anyone who knows me at all) will know that I have a strong relationship with charity shopping. Somehow, I always manage to find something I can work with. Today I'm sharing my ten favourite charity shop buys. It was hard to pick just ten, and my thrifted collection is always growing, so expect part 2 before long. Click through to see the original posts.

The Ombre Wrap Skirt

Brand: Principles Petite

Location: Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent

Price: £3

I fell in love with the colour palette of this skirt. I wear a lot of grey and neutral shades as a base colour, so I knew this would go with lots of pieces in my wardrobe. It's so easy to wear and works for both day and night.

The Printed Pleated Midi Skirt 

Brand: St Michael

Location: Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent

Price: £5

I'm kind of a sucker for a good vintage midi skirt, so this one caught my eye straight away. The heirloom style print comes back into fashion every now and then, but I won't let a little thing like being off-trend stop me from wearing this pleated perfection.

The Green Dress and Jacket Set

Brand: Precis Petite

Location: Sutton Coldfield (Oxfam)

Price: £7.99

Imagine my excitement when I found this amazing suit in Oxfam. The colour drew me in immediately and the fit is perfect. I've worn it for several job interviews and a couple of nights out, including St Patrick's day, of course. I always get compliments on this outfit, even from interviewers!

The Red Side Split Midi Skirt

Brand: Directions

Location: Birmingham City Centre (British Heart Foundation)

Price: £4

I bought this skirt about six years ago and it's still with me. My best memory in this skirt is when we visited Paris with uni. We were standing right next to the Eiffel Tower when they turned on the lights and so I crouched down to take a photo, lost my balance and ended up ripping the slit even higher. I had to walk back to the hotel in a sorry state, with my jacket pulled around to cover my thigh. Luckily, Mama Rose put a few stitches in it and it's as good as new (or second hand, as the case may be).

The Plunge Midi Dress

Brand: ASOS

Location: Birmingham City Centre (Cancer Research)

Price: £8

This is the perfect dress for looking put together on a night out without putting in too much effort. I knew it'd be good quality as it's ASOS, and for a stretch jersey dress it's really flattering. The gold beading on the chest means I don't need to add any jewellery, and even without a bra (it's also backless) I feel safe and secure. The choker effect is very big right now too.

The Black Midi Skirt

Brand: Pomodoro

Location: Sutton Coldfield (Cancer Research)

Price: £4

When I first saw this skirt, the first thing I loved was the length. How often do you find a mid-calf length pencil skirt? It was so unique and I had to have it. The texture of the fabric is gorgeous; it almost looks like wool. This skirt is so flattering and I never would have found anything like it on the high street.

The Vintage Floral Midi Dress

Brand: The Other Side

Location: Wylde Green, Birmingham

Price: £5.99

This dress never fails to make me feel amazing. It has this gorgeous subtle sweetheart neckline, loose cap sleeves and pulls in at the waist. Then the skirt just cascades and makes me feel like a film star! The soft blue colour is gorgeous and the fabric is of such high quality. I wore this the first time I met my course-mates at uni because I knew it would make me stand out and give me the confidence to come out of my shell.

The Burgundy Shoulder Bag/Clutch

Brand: Unknown

Location: Erdington, Birmingham

Price: £4.95

AKA: the usual, because I use it for pretty much every night out. The dark red colour is gorgeous and goes with most of my wardrobe. It fits my make-up bag and everything else I need to look perfect until 3am. With the strap tucked in it's a fancy clutch bag, and when I get lazy and tired the strap comes out and it becomes a shoulder bag.

The Long Black Coat

Brand: Unknown

Location: Sutton Coldfield (The Settlement Shop)

Price: £8

(There's that skirt again) Just to clarify, I paid EIGHT POUNDS for this almost floor length coat. And this was just a few weeks before maxi coats became an actual high street trend. So I was pretty chuffed with myself. Before this, I didn't actually own a black coat, mostly because I consider black boring, but this beauty brought the drama. Obviously, it goes with everything, and it keeps me toasty and warm all winter.

The Little Black (Versace) Dress

Brand: Versace Jeans Couture

Location: Droitwich Spa

Price: £8.99

Yeah, you read that right. £9 for a real Versace Dress. It has the Versace Jeans Couture label and the Medusa gold buttons. At first glance I thought I would never be able to get into it, but I threw caution to the wind and headed to the fitting room. And it fit like a freaking glove. I mean, look at it! I don't wear it very often, as it's dry clean only, but whenever I do I always feel like a million dollars!

What's the best thing you've ever found in a charity shop? Let me know in the comments.