6 of the best: LBDs

How amazing does Nicola Roberts look?  With the party season approaching, she's reminded me how classic and chic an LBD can look.  And yes, you'll notice that I do like my little black dresses to be...well, little! 

 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Reason to Smile 33

 Image taken from weheartit

Nothing makes me feel warmer inside than a hug.  Whether it's from a loved one, a friend or even a pet, I don't think there's any better Reason to Smile.  So go on, make someone's day and give them a hug right now.  I guarantee it'll make you feel better as well.  Even if you didn't think you needed a pick me up.

TK Maxx Bargains

Bloggers, I have an addiction.  I cannot get enough of TK Maxx.  Until recently I've always been slightly wary, only choosing to browse the handbag section and leaving clothing well alone.  And then it hit me; if you know the brands on offer, TK Maxx becomes a goldmine.  So here are just a few of the bargains I've managed to nab lately....

Muu:Baa leather jacket

The leather on this is buttery soft (and yes, the term "buttery" is warranted here) and details such as the wire running along the hem of the sleeves to help mould it into shape make this jacket a real investment piece.  And rather than paying the original £200(ish), I managed to get this for just £70.

All Saints trenchcoat

This is my most recent purchase, with a hefty reduction of £155!  I picked this up yesterday for just £24.99 and it's my new favourite wardrobe addition.  I always struggle when I'm wearing (p)leather on my bottom half...I can't bring myself to wear a leather jacket as well, but this is perfect for putting on over the top.  I love the detailing of the extra button holes down the side.

Roberto Cavalli scarf

You may have all seen this before, but no "designer bargain" style post would be complete without this being included.  A statement silk scarf is a must in anybody's wardrobe, and the bright patterning really adds a splash of colour to an otherwise dull outfit.  Oh, and a price tag of £25 can't be bad either!

So there we have it.  As long as you're happy with the fact that your purchases might not be the brand's current season's stock there are some definite bargains to be had.  Are you a TK Maxx fan?

Tattooed Bloggers 14

"One of my friends asked me once 'Why did you choose a tattoo of starfish?'

... My swallows were my first tattoo.  I love them to bits and wouldn't ever change them, even if people do think they look like five legged sea creatures!"

- Heather

Burt's Bees Beeswax and Banana Hand Creme

If you love the smell of bananas, this product is a must for you.  Initially the fragrance was the only reason that I purchased, but it's fast become my wonder product for protecting my hands from being chapped in the colder weather.  I suffer from eczema on my hands, and having to put tables up and down at work aggravates a small patch of it on the palm of my hand.  Nothing was helping to get rid of this, and before I started using Burt's Bees I was debating having to go back to the doctors to get some more smelly prescription cream.  A week or so of using this and there's no sign of dry skin in sight.

It's got a solid, creamy consistency and my one bug-bear is the fact that you have to gouge product out with your fingers.  Not a problem when you've got short nails, but I can imagine this being a nightmare for anyone who likes their nails longer.  It also says you should apply whenever you wash your hands, but I've found this to be impractical and I still get great results from just applying a few times a day.

It's a good size for in your handbag (click here to get an idea of how big the jar is) and has kitsch packaging which looks great.  You can pick this up for £9.99 in Boots, or you can get the same 55g jar for a couple of pounds cheaper here.

A week in lipstick

Lipstick has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, but after going to MAC and having to admit I owned every single one of the shades picked out for me by the sales assistant I realised that perhaps it had become a bit of an obsession.  In fact, based on my MAC lipstick collection alone, I could wear a different lipstick for each day in February without having to duplicate.  So with that in mind, I thought I make the challenge easier and try it for a week.  So behold, here is my week in MAC lipsticks...

Monday - Viva Glam Gaga II

Tuesday - Speed Dial

Wednesday - Shy Girl

Thursday - Snob

Friday - Up The Amp

Saturday - Viva Glam Gaga

Sunday - Fabby

Reason to Smile 32

I don't think there's any better start to a Monday morning than downloading a new album and cranking it up on the way to work.  You can never go wrong with Rihanna, you're pretty much guaranteed that all her albums will be awesome.

What I bought in Primark: 19/11/11

~ Shopping in Primark can be frantic for even the most seasoned of shoppers. I'll be bringing these posts to you as a friendly guide, showing you what's in stores and when, to help you next time you shop ~

Leopard print jumper - £14 (...ish...I bought this and the next item two weeks ago and can't remember the exact prices!)

This oversized jumper is comfy, cosy and unexpectedly soft.  The sleeves are elasticated at the wrists, which I love because it stops my arms feeling drafty and helps keep them up if I decide to roll up the sleeves.  It's also rather "inspired" by this jumper from Topshop, but at around £14 it's a much cheaper alternative.

Leopard print shirt - £10

The animal print continues with this sheer, oversized shirt.  I love the dipped hem at the back, making it suitable to wear with leggings and it comes with buttons on the elbows so you can roll up and button back the sleeves.  I had plans to wear this tucked in with skirts or shorts, but unfortunately it looks a bit bulky underneath.  I'll keep trying though!

Pleather skirt - £14

I finally got it!  Ok, ok so this technically isn't what I bought in Primark; after weeks of fruitless searching, the lovely Daisy Kate offered to check her local Primark for me and kindly sent this to me.  Thanks you!  It's sturdier than I expected, and the elasticated waist band is surprisingly comfy and doesn't cut me in half like I thought it would.  I love this skirt, if you spot it in your local you should definitely buy it!

Besides these goodies I've also stocked up on some basics this weekend.....40 denier black tights (£3), plain black gloves £1), undies (£3.50) and another hair tie like the one in my last post for a friend's stocking filler.

What have you been buying?

Tattooed Bloggers 13

"The Comedy & Tragedy masks are to symbolise that life goes both ways but you need always try to have “peace, hope and freedom” which is what the Latin on my other foot translates to..."
- Lauren

New hair

I was recently contacted and asked if I'd like to review the Tie Towel; a new product which promised "mess and stress free hair dying at home".  When the product arrived, I realised that the promotional information enclosed was also tailored for professional hair colouring, so off I trotted to see my sister at her salon to have my tresses transformed to a lighter shade of brown.

To my untrained eyes, the Tie Towel didn't seem that revolutionary - but when my sister showed it to the other girls in the salon they were all having a look and asking where she got it from.  The toggle on the front (which makes it look like a snazzy cape) was described as "a great idea" which would save them the hassle of trying to secure towels around shoulders with hair clips that always fall off.  The towel is totally bleach and colour resistant, which saves you from staining towels at home, and is customised to sit and fall perfectly around your neck and shoulders.  It was soft and comfy to wear; there's nothing worse than feeling strangled by the uncomfortably tight towel around your neck.

As I said, I'm not one for home dying, but this towel is definitely something that you should invest in if you do like to dye your hair yourself.  The Tie Towel costs £9.99 and is available from Boots, Superdrug or Asda.

FYI I was inspired by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley....as always.  My hair was stripped and then recoloured to get it to a lighter shade.  Ignore the slightly ginger-tone in the photos, I'll be posting proper pictures soon!

An evening out at Motel Rocks

I'm 99% sure your subscription feeds are clogged up with posts about the Motel Rocks event last week, so I'll keep this (relatively) short and sweet, and share with you the one decent photo I took.  It was a crazy busy event, with so many bloggers and YouTubers in attendance.  It was great to speak to some familiar faces (Lil, Lily, Kristabel, Lily (again), Sherin, Kate and Harriet) to chat to some new (Rosie, Jess, Ling and Lucy) and spot other bloggers/YouTubers from across the room (Lily, Sammi, Grace, Kate, Milly, Michelle, Kim, Eloise, Kirsty and Ellie).  The event was so much fun, with candyfloss, popcorn, Glossybox games, cupcakes and drinks. 

Motel Rocks were so generous, giving us all the opportunity to receive an item of our choice.  I don't own anything from the brand, and I have to admit I found it hard to choose just seeing the clothes on the hanger, but all of the ladies running the event were decked out in Motel Rocks and looked fabulous.  In the end I opted for a pair of leopard print shorts.

So what can you expect from the Winter collection by Motel Rocks?  Not much knitwear strangely enough!  They've catered for the Christmas party market, so expect glitter, sequins, colour blocking, patterns, playsuits, skirts and party dresses galore.  One thing I love about Motel Rocks is that they make each style of item in a variety of different colours and prints, so if you find a shape that suits you you can invest in the whole colour scheme.

To have a look at the new collection click here.  Thanks again to Selina and all the others at Motel Rocks for such a fun event!

Reason to Smile 31

I defy anyone not to smile at this photo.  I see a bright future ahead for Coco as my Photographer Cat!

Retail Therapy

Excuse the hastily taken photo on my phone, is hard to explain to non-blogging pals why I'm taking a photo of shopping bags in my car boot!  I'm sure we were sat next to a blogger at lunch; we're the only community I know who would sit down with a tray of food in front of us, prop our shopping bag up behind it and begin snapping away.  Had to have a giggle to myself as my friends speculated about what the hell she was doing!

My little car has never had such an expensively filled boot!  A friend, her daughters and I headed to Bicester Village today for a mammoth shopping trip; I'm not generally a fan of retail outlets but Bicester is amazeballs.  It's super cute, with a German Christmas Market feel to it, and there are bargains galore to be had.  Last trip I left with two Michael Kors bags, this time we left with an insane amount of stuff.  I controlled myself and managed to spend under £100 on presents for my sister, friends as well as treat myself to a necklace and ring from Links of London.  My friend wasn't so restrained.  She managed to leave with goodies from Michael Kors, Chloe, Burberry and Karen Millen to name a few....

Are you a fan of outlet shopping? Have you ever been to Bicester?

Tattooed Bloggers 12

" 'Think of a wonderful thought'; the stars represent loved ones, past and present, to help remind me that they remain my most wonderful thoughts."

- Tabitha

October Favourites: Beauty

Better late than never to start one of these, hey?

• Urban Decay Naked palette - nothing new, you've all seen this before.  At the moment I'm loving using Toasted with Hustle smudged in the crease or Half Baked with MAC's Amber Lights.
• Revlon ColourStay Foundation for Normal/Dry Skin in Sand Beige - Holy Grail foundation for me.  Perfect for my dry skin, I'd even go as far as saying it's better than my Chanel Mat Lumiere.
• MAC Viva Glam Gaga II - this lipstick is the perfect beige nude for me.  Everything I wished Creme d'Nude would be.
• Vivo Ultimate Eye and Brow kit - love love love this!  Forget the brush included with it, I use it with my Body Shop angled brush instead.
• H&M Eyeshadow Brush - this brush is supersoft and at £1.99 is a much cheaper alternative to a MAC 263.
• Sleek blush in Pomegranate - as the Autumn weather sets in I look for deeper, plum colours in my make up collection.  This vibrant purple with gold sparkle is perfect for this time of year.
• e.l.f Golden Bronzer - this is a little too light for me to use as an everday bronzer, instead I've been using it as a lovely gold-toned highlighter across the tops of my cheeks.
• Boots Oily Hair Expert Shampoo & Treatment - not the most glamorous of products, but these have worker wonders for my hair.  At the Aussie Spring-Summer Soiree my hairstylist was shocked when I told him I'd washed my hair just that morning, and lately I've struggled to get it dry only to find that it feels greasy.  This shampoo and treatment have changed all that, and even made it so that I can go an extra day before washing my hair.  A definite must for anyone else suffering from oily hair.
• MAC Supreme Sheen lipstick in Supreme Style - part of the recent Supreme Sheen range, this lipstick is a lovely glossy peach, leaning to the frost side.
• Burt's Bees Beeswax & Banana Hand Creme - this stuff smells divine and has been a wonder product for my dry hands....review to come!
• Vitamin E Night & Day Moisture Cream - just like the Oil these smell lovely and coconutty and moisturise the skin well.  They're very creamy and a little goes a long way with these products.

What's been your favourite product this month?

Tattooed Bloggers 11

"My siblings and i all got tattoos this year....all different, but essentially based on love and us as a family.  I'm a total romantic in every aspect of life and love will always mean everything to me!"

- Skye

I'm running low on bloggers to feature....so unless you want the next few posts to just be me, get in touch with your tattoos!

6 of the best: Nude dresses

Style inspiration definitely goes to Rosie Huntington Whiteley this week.  Her hair, her make up, her dress...everything looked perfect.  I've scoured the internet to bring you 6 of the best nude dresses, with a budget to suit everyone.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Which is your favourite?