Monday Blues

Another Monday!  Plus the last day of January, no less.  I am glad, January is a bleak month.  However I keep hearing that there is going to be more snow here in February, which I am not looking forward to...

Thanks for the comments on Saturday's post; thankfully my boyfriend had recovered by Saturday and decided not to go in to hospital.  It is a recurring issue though, and has been advised by his doctor to go to A&E if it happens again. Fingers crossed he won't have to!

Here is what I wore yesterday (Sunday) I wasn't doing much, just a trip to the supermarket, baking and doing stuff around the house, so I went for comfort over style!



Skinny jeans - D2 £12.50, Shirt - F&F Tesco



Lara Suedette Gilet - boohoo.com £5



Zera Shearling Boots - missguided.co.uk £34.99

I was given the shirt by my boyfriend's mum, it didn't fit her so she offered it to me.  It's quite floaty and loose, so very comfy.  I thought I looked a bit like I belonged on my boyfriend's dad's farm, but in a good way!  Baling hay or something similar.  Perhaps with a stick of corn hanging from my mouth.  When I was going to the shop with mum, I put on my gilet, as it is really cosy.  However when looked in the mirror I asked, "Errr mum, do I look like I've just skinned an animal and am wearing it's fur??" - I feared that I maybe looked a bit hilbilly, and she got what I meant completely, but reassured me I looked fine - I hope she wasn't bluffing!!

Today's nails are China Glaze "Little Drummer Boy" plus silver star nail stickers and a blob of GOSH "Magic Star" on top - very hard to photograph though!

Here's a few photos of my room, basically just my line-up of favourite shoes and my favourite DVDs :)



I adore Frasier!!

 And here is my second ever chocolate and orange cake - it looks slightly better than last weeks!  When I suggested to mum that I make a different cake this week, her face was filled with horror.  So I kept the peace and made this again :) This time, mum cut it in two, so it wasn't as wonky haha!

Have a good day, everyone!  More tomorrow, hopefully! x

Saturday

Usually, I am full of enthusiasm for the weekend; I suppose I still kind of am today, but my boyfriend is quite sick at the minute and might be going in to hospital today, which is really worrying me.  You know when your stomch feels all heavy and begins to churn if you think about it too much? Yea, I'm not feeling so good.  I really hope everything is ok.

Just a few photos today.  I was in Boots yesterday and got a few things.  Firstly, after reading about the toner on Brittany Love's Blog I decided to get some, as my usual Clean&Clear one had run out and I fancied a change.  I also picked up the face mask as I have quite sensitive skin and facemasks usually make me flare up like a tomato, so I rarely use them.

I've only used these products once, but so far so good, and no red face!  The face mask left my skin feeling really clean and firm, so I think I'll use it once a week.  The toner seems gentle but really good at removing the last of my makeup.  These were also really cheap, less than £2 each, which is always reassuring - I hate forking out lots of money for prodcuts that do the same as the store's own-brand equivalent.

I also saw that The Natural Collection stuff was "3 items for £5" so I decided to get some.  After choosing a black eyeliner and a lipliner in "Almond", I swear, I couldn't choose a final item. I stood there like a complete eejit, looking at all the products wondering which I should pick - a sure sign I now have too many cosmetics?! I finally settled on a lipstick in "Rose Petal" - slightly more pink than I usually go for, but I like it.

Last night I attempted to do leopard print nails with my new China Glaze in "Classic Camel", plus a Collection 2000 brown and a liquid eyeliner... not very successful :(



And finally, I bought 2 items in a charity shop the other day, for £3 each.  A white satin-like blouse (no label on it) and a River Island cardigan in a camel colour, with a leopard print trim!



Dunno what happened with the lighting here, but I assure you, it's a creamy white colour, not yellow!



Not bad finds for £6, especially as one is from River Island!

Sorry I don't have much else to say, too preoccupied :( I hope everyone has a great weekend xx

OOTD - It's Friday!

Finally Friday! I don't even care about being in work today! Just can't wait til 5pm :D

 

A skirt day again, today teamed with my sheer leopard print blouse from Peacocks January sale (£4 I think?) and a skinny belt that I got attached to a top from River Island last January sales. I am now bloody freezing as, needless to say, the blouse doesn't hold much heat!!

As you can see, there is an "orb" on my skirt in the right hand photo.  So, either there's a ghost in the office that wanted to make an appearance, or else it was a speck of dust drifting through the air that I've managed to capture.  I do apologise for the bad quality of the pictures today - my camera batteries were low so I couldn't attempt another shot!

After work yesterday I nipped in to Sallys for a browse before my lift arrived.  I wish I'd called in sooner now, as they had China Glaze nail varnishes on sale, but the selection left was woeful! I got "Classic Camel" for £1.20 and "Little Drummer Boy" for £2.40 - you can't be bad to that!  I have Little Drummer Boy on today, jazzed up with GOSH Magic Star again.  I can't wait to try out the camel shade!

I have a rather uneventful weekend ahead - a 2 hour driving lesson tomorrow, and no other plans.  Next weekend however, is gonna be busy, so I will be making the most of a quiet one this week :)

Make the most of Friday, everyone! x

Bad Times

*squints with one eye open* Eh? Only Thursday? Noooo!....

I am in no fit state to be doing an OOTD today... or much else for that matter.  Those who follow me on Twitter may have noticed that I went out "for a few drinks" last night with friends, as a good friend of ours is moving to Australia on Friday and this was the only chance we'd have to meet up before she goes.

Now, I should have known better; "a few drinks" where I live never results in 2 drinks being consumed then heading home. No no.  People get over excited; we do that Irish thing where we all fight over who's buying the next drinks:

"I'm getting these - same again?"
"Awh nawh you're not, it's my round!"
"Wise up! I'm on my way to the bar, stay in your seat! Another glass of rosé?"

The consequences of this shameless display of generosity are that everyone keeps buying drinks until we've all spent too much money and everyone is drunk. On a work night.  And we are the last customers in the bar and the owner is putting chairs on tables and cleaning floors while we're still arguing over the next round and not getting the hint.  Four hours later we emerge, wondering how on earth we will survive the following 24 hours.  I feel that a sausage bap might be my saviour - Lucozade and Ibuprofen have proved useless thus far.

Basically, to summarise:

= the devil









Now, please excuse me while I crawl under my desk for a nap. Hopefully tomorrow I will have made it through the eye of the storm and survived....

OOTD & NOTD

Hi!

Quick post today as I'm short on time. But a busy day makes work go quicker which is always nice!

 

Jacket & Belt - Dunnes, Blouse - Charity Shop, Skirt - Matalan
 
Slightly dressier for work today in this skirt.  I got it in Matalan ages ago on sale when I was still a student (*sob*) and thought it might someday do me for the world of work... well, it did.  This is my favourite charity shop blouse again ;) it says "Principles Ben de Lisi" on the label, which apparently means it's from Debenhams if my research is correct?  It's actually a size 16 so too big for me, and really long too, but I love it regardless.  It's a gorgeous colour and so versatile.

Last night I painted my nails a golden colour to match my blouse (tragic or organised?) - a wee cheapie, Collection 2000 in "Buried Treasure".  I am wearing the new flower ring I got in Primark at the weeked, plus a flower ring on my other hand that I got in New Look, shown below.  Flower overload, perhaps!

I got two new items in a Charity Shop today, so they will feature tomorrow hopefully! x

OOTD & Obsessions

Hello again!  I do like Tuesday, a much nicer day all round than Monday, I feel.

Quite  lengthy post today!  I thought I'd do some OOTD posts about my work wear.  It's not very exciting; I work in a solicitor's office so I can't exactly be quirky and stylish everyday, it's mainly boring old suits! However here are some examples, and I'll try to do a few regularly, as I love seeing other people's OOTD posts too :)

Yesterday:



Trousers - Next, Blouse - New Look, Cardigan - Present from mum from Poland

Yesterday's outfit was a very subdued affair - lots of black! Livened up by a lovely new grey cardigan mum got me in Poland.  She loved it; says she's gonna go back next time with an empty suitcase for shopping!  She has also returned a vodka drinker - my mum never drank it before.  Poland has had a strange affect on her...

I went to Superdrug at lunchtime (honestly I should have shares in the place by now, I wish they did an Advantage card!!) and browsed the BarryM Nail Paints.  I settled on 313 "Dusky Mauve". In the bottle it looked grey with a gorgeous purple shimmer, subtle but noticable. However on the nail the purple doesn't really come through much at all, it really just looks grey!  But the flash in the photos below highlights the purple more than natural light.  So not what I was expecting, but I still like it anyway.  It's subtle and sophisticated...

... then I went and blinged it up a little with Gosh 562 "Magic Star" ;)  A lovely clear varnish with flecks of blue, green and yellow glitter.

Today:

Suit - Next, Blouse - Charity Shop, Mary Janes - Shoe Zone

 

My "good" work suits are all Next; they tend to be decent quality, however I have to get 'extra long' trousers for my big long legs, and I find that the hems come undone quite easily, which is a nuisance.  I love this blouse - I got it in Save The Children for £3, it's St. Michael by Marks & Spencer; does this make it vintage?! Heehee!  It's actually 'petite' (which I certainly am not), but it fits fine, the sleeves are just a bit short but I actually like the effect it has; I feel very 80s in it.  These are the shoes I wear to work everyday.  They are nothing speical and a bit battered now, but they are the only heels I have that are suitable for work!  They're quite comfy, which I need as I am often running errands to the bank or walking to the local Court so comfort is a must.

I discovered last night that me new mini-tripod for my camera has extendable legs! Duh! I didn't even realise when I got it!  So the legs extend from 9.5cm to 15.5cm.

 And here is my lovely, bling, tacky BlackBerry cover!  I have a boring leather flip cover one that I use all the time but I got this one off eBay for when I fancy a change :)

 

 Thanks for reading! :) x

OOTD, New Purchases, + Cake :)

Back to Monday - how did that happen?! :(

Well, I survived my 4 days of babysitting duties - just about! It was a challenge at times, but I managed, plus just about managed to clean the house and make a cake before mum got back! :)  I also had my Driving Theory Test on Saturday morning (following the drama last time I was meant to do it) and I passed! :D So I am almost on the road!

Here is what I wore last night when I went out for dinner with my boyfriend:

Blouse - £2 Charity shop, Body Top - £5 ebay, Velvet skirt - £1 Primark, Tights - £2 Primark

A very 'purse friendly' combination there! I also wore my beautiful New Look wedges (I took them home finally... mum was horrified) and a new 'Paris' necklace and flower ring from Primark, which were £1.50 and £2 respectively.  I reckon that makes my entire outfit worth £23.50....

I did my theory on Saturday morning, and the test centre is right beside a shopping centre, so afterwards I sneaked into Primark, much to my boyfriend's chagrin.  He was in a rush to get home though, so I didn't really bother looking at clothes, just accessories.  I bought these bits:




Rings - £2 each, Necklaces - £1.50 each





Headband - £1.50, Tights - £2 each

 



Velvet skirt - £1, Underwear set - £6 (slightly Kayla Collins in the jungle, no?)

 

I also found this cool little mini-tripod in Poundland for my digital camera! It's adorable and makes timed photos way easier!

I was quite pleased with what I managed to pick up anyway :) I also treated myself to a new book in a shop that was having a clearance sale - "Stiletto" by Caroline Cox.  It's all about how stilettos came to be and how their design has progressed, full of great pictures and is interesting so far.  Did you know that the word "stiletto" actually comes from a type of knife?  That's why they're called 'killer heels' ;)

 

Sooo glad we have thus far avoided the "winklepicker" trend. Oh. My. God.

I then baked a cake on Sunday, for mum's return.  I got it off the fantastic blog happylovestrawberry which is full of lovely recipes.  Click the HERE for the recipe.  As you can see from my photos, my presentation was not quite as successful, for several reasons:

1.  I didn't have a 20cm cake tin, so I used my 23cm one, resulting in a thinner cake and only 2 layers;
2.  The outside of the cake cooked too quickly, so the oven was too hot (always happens to me :( )
3.  I had never sliced a cake into layers before - they were a bit wonky
4.  I (stupidly) thought it was a great idea to melt the butter for the icing - mistake. Don't do it!! Soften, yes, but no no to melting.  I had to stick it in the fridge to firm it up
5.  I would definitely make double the amount of icing next time, to cover the entire cake.

In batter form

Just out of the oven, I was dispairing about the overcooked edge.

Errr, not even Terry's Chocolate Orange shavings could spruce up the ramshackle appearance.

But despite my various cock-ups, it still tasted divine!! Bake it! Now!

Well that's all for today!  Here's hoping this week goes as quickly as last! xx