Primark & Suede

After a Saturday of exploring Canary Wharf for work and building my own Birchbox in Selfridges London (more on that later), I'm sort of knackered and full of amazing goat tacos so I'll keep it short. I was trying to decide what to wear today and realised an alarming amount of my wardrobe is from Primark - so that's the theme for todays post! Primark (i.e. cheap)  e e e v e r y t h i n g.

Although I love Primark, it's no secret that the quality is usually pretty terrible and it can often look reaaaally cheap. Plastic buttons painted gold, jagged hems, loose stitching. However, there's always a few gems hiding away in there. Even better, now Selfridges has opened a small Primark pop up in the Women's High Street Fashion section - and they've actually picked out all the best key pieces for this season and don't bother with stocking the rest! It's actually styled like a real shop with some design and class, and I sort of love it. No more rifling through rails, climbing over piles of discarded jumpers and elbowing people out the way to get that one last dress in your size. The good people of Selfridges have done it all. for. us. 

 

I recently bought this suede feel skirt and was actually amazed at how soft it felt, it seems like surprisingly great quality for what I'm used to from Primark. Just because something didn't cost much, doesn't mean it needs to look cheap - I've even had a few people comment on it and have been knocked back when I explain where I found this cheeky secret. Similarly, I picked up the black tassel rucksack a while ago for the same reason. Although the quality doesn't feel quite as nice as the skirt, it's definitely a statement piece but still not overly obnoxious and has the potential to be from anywhere really; which I definitely like.

The jacket, well - I guess I don't have much to say about that. I mean, it's a denim jacket. It does the job and I like it. Besides, it only cost £6 and for a struggling artist that is the find of the century.

Jacket - Primark, £6

Skirt - Primark, £10

Sunglasses - Primark, £1.50

Bag - Primark, £10

Top - Primark, £6

On another note... I have a brief restaurant review to share with you. If you know me, you know how much I LOVE food but am struggling after developing allergies to cheese and tomato, as well as being intolerant to wheat and large quantities of dairy. Did you realise how many things tomato is in!? I didn't! Chilli and spag bol, burgers, pastas, meat sauces, all BBQ glazes, salads (not that I eat those let's be real), anything seasoned or in sauce basically. That's why I was SO EXCITED to be able to try the modern brisket roll and the goat taco's (which normally come in BBQ glazes or smothered in tomato salsa) at a new restaurant in Chiswick; Smokehouse.

The brisket roll was a modern take on the classic - pulled brisket seasoned with Korean spices, marinated and tender and then breaded and fried - like a croquette. Alongside this the goat tacos were covered in chipotle sauce and the chef's special green salsa - I still don't know what was in it but I am in love. I'll admit at first I wasn't sure about trying goat but who am I kidding, it was meat and it was awesome. Charlie's burger was also amazing and had a Korean flair too; medium rare beef with Korean pulled pork and a kimchee style mayo dressing. Un-bel-iev-able. The quality was excellent as was the originality of the dishes; although my stomach was a little too sensitive to finish the spicy brisket roll, I am definitely glad I tried it. And oh boy, I will be back for those tacos. Actually, I'll be back even before then because it's a gorgeous pub too and just seems like a great place to spend a lazy afternoon.

 

So...I guess I didn't keep that as short as I expected. I'll post about the 'build your own Birchbox' pop up soon - it was DEFINITELY worth the visit. And also I'll be complaining about how Cosmo's Fashion Fest seems great but really un-graduate friendly and expensive. Till then! x

Colourblock & Lace

For todays blogpost I wanted to try something a little different in terms of artistic direction and styling, so I think I'll let the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. Rather than straightforward outfit photos with a pretty leafy background as always, I was feeling a bit more creative and playful - I think I'm missing art school..

This lookbook is focused on an Autumnal beach outfit because SURPRISE I am going on holiday next month and want to look sassy and fiiiiiine while attempting not to burn on the beach. I always struggle to find swimwear that fits and suits me because it normally seems to be designed for tanned boobless stick insects, but for once the block colours of the swimsuit actually seem to look okay against my Caspar skin and it holds in all the squishy bits too. Like everyone I can get a bit self-conscious baring all, but wanted to cover up stylishly so threw on this sheer lace kimono from Forever 21. 

 

I still feel a bit cringey putting these up but WHO CARES.

Clothing:

Kimono - Forever 21

Swimsuit - Topshop

Rings - Topshop

Seventies Summer

Of course, when it was time to do the first outfit photos I've taken in FOREVER my camera breaks after three pictures, so excuse the quality of some of these...

As you can see from the photos, I'm clearly still in denial that Winter is rearing its ugly head, but I've been looking for this Topshop skirt for SO long and have only just found it in my size - which means Summer lives on! (in my wardrobe anyway...) Although my wardrobe tends to be full of colour I'm not normally brave enough to pull off such loud, vibrant prints so I wanted to keep the outfit nice and simple while still channelling some of this Summer's 70s vibes. The best way to do this was by pairing the skirt with a floaty bell sleeved chiffon top with delicate mesh patterns that I grabbed in the Urban Outfitters sale. I know, I wish I could afford that shop under normal circumstances too. 

I've also recently gained a new found love for trainers. For the past few years I've been stuck in nothing but chelsea boots and vintage lace ups but I think suddenly my age is catching up with me... I'm choosing comfort over style, people. Well, to an extent. Although these trainers aren't the coolest things in the world they do go with just about everything and pulled all the white in the outfit together nicely.

To be honest, I hadn't actually been so keen on the 70s style coming back initially. Off the shoulder tops and puffy gypsy sleeves just weren't working for me, but after a very reliable source informed me that the 70s were still on the cards through AW15, I decided to start embracing it. And I think I can get on board with it! I try not to let the current trends influence my style too too much normally - I never want to be one of those people who just wears something because it's being seen everywhere. It's difficult to keep up with your own style and keep track of what you actually like these days with high street shops and advertising shoving fashion down your throat on a daily basis - but if you like it, buy it. Unless your overdraft is in the same state that mine's in right now...

Excuse this ratty close up of my face, but I wanted to show off my make up a bit...

Clothing

Top - Urban Outfitters, £10 (sale)

Necklace - Urban Outfitters, £6 (sale

Skirt - Topshop £20 (ebay)

Trainers - Topshop £10 (sale)

Make-up

Skin - Dior Hydra Life BB Creme, NARS blush

Eyes - Soap and Glory Cat Eye liquid eyeliner pen

Eyebrows - Maybelline Brow Satin pencil

Lips - Kate Moss x Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick in 107

Beauty Junkie Birchbox

I LOVE getting my Birchbox in the post each month. It's so nice coming home and having a little box of beauty treats and tips sitting waiting for me to experiment with. I've previously thought about trying out other subscription boxes like the Glossybox (which sends out an amazing selection of make up samples each month) but I get so much more use out of a box that has a selection of all sorts of beauty samples like skin and body treatments, shampoos, cleansers, make up, fashion accessories, and health tools and snacks rather than just focusing on one element of beauty. The box even comes with a little leaflet telling you how to use and get the most out of your samples which is super helpful for people like me who reaaallly don't know much about beauty to begin with...

I'm normally terrible at trying new products; I stick to what I know, and never really actively try and learn more about what will suit my beauty needs more in the future. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right!? Although there are still plenty of my samples I haven't used yet, Birchbox has actually made me really interested in the different types of products out there and subsequently I've been a lot more proactive about taking care of my beauty regime and have been really enjoying experimenting. I've normally never even heard of half of the brands in my box, but it's led me to discover some amazing products that I would never have known of otherwise. I've found myself stopping by Boots regularly to try out tons of new make up and skincare, all by mahseeeelf. It's an expensive hobby, but I'm definitely enjoying it...

The August Birchbox wasn't the best one I've received so far if I'm honest, but there were three (out of seven) products in this box that really stood out to me and I thought were worth paying the £12.95 a month for alone. Here are my August favourites:

1. Rituals Rice Scrub RRP £10

This is my absolute FAVOURITE product in the box this month - and the hefty sample size is definitely worth more than the £12.95 that I pay for the whole box. Worth it for that alone really. I have quite sensitive skin so don't usually use body exfoliators or scrubs very often, but this body scrub is made with organic rice milk and cherry blossom which makes it suuuuper calming and delicate on sensitive skin, while still gently buffing away any dryness and dead skin with small beads. I've found myself using it every time I have a bath or shower and it's still not even a third of the way empty after three weeks of use! Amazing value for money. The best thing is that when you rinse it off, the scrub reacts with the water and turns into a smoothy, milky lotion which really hydrates and moisturisers the skin and makes you feel just sooooo gooooood. It's like a two in one scrub and moisturiser really! Oh, and it smells incredible.

2. Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo RRP £13.95

HAIR DETOX. Seriously. Another very large sample size this one, and the fact that it recommends you use it only once or twice a month means it will last FOREVER. Again, I have a very sensitive scalp so am quite tentative about trying new shampoos - I just can't be dealing with scratching and scraping at a sore itchy scalp all day. Although I get the feeling that this clarifying shampoo is pretty strong (it really does feel like it's stripping the dirt and grease out of your hair), it was fine on my sensitive little head so I was glad I tried it. The shampoo doesn't lather up much which I know can put some people off because you don't FEEL like it's doing its job, but it leaves your hair with such a squeaky clean feeling afterwards that you can definitely tell it's working. Aaaaahhh you just feel so clean and lovely even just one use. If Kebelo made a gentler version that could be used more regularly I reckon it would definitely be worth investing it.

3. theBalm Balm Desert Bronzer

Another brand I hadn't heard of, but this bronzer just deserves points on how cute and tiny it is. Look at it! Although I'm guessing it wouldn't last very long on those of you who regularly want that A-List glow look, but for me it was perfect. I'm more of a blush person (English rose, my mum calls it...) but for the occasions that I want to look all fresh and tanned, this tiny little treat fits the bill. The slightly shimmery bronzer not only tans your skin ever so slightly but gives you the most beautiful, radiating glow! Dust it over your cheekbones and temples to get a really natural but effective luminous look.

If any of those have grabbed your interest you've still got a few days left to order the August Birchbox, but I'm sure next months will have some lovely Autumnal goodies too. They never fail to disappoint! Best of all, the more boxes you get, the more discounts you get in the online shop. Restrain me!!!

 Till next time :) x

Outfit of the day - interview 'chic' apparently... Thermals were a necessary evil...