marimekko converse

Hands up if you love a good designer/high street collaboration! *waves frantically*

Well, now we've got that down, i thought i'd share with you my most recent footwear purchase, and i must admit, i am infatuated. In all honesty, I lived in my chucks all summer of 2012, and they are hands down, the best casual shoe going. Period. 

I had no idea that Converse / Chuck Taylor had collaborated with marimekko, and i had no idea that marimekko was even in existence. Clearly, that has all changed!

When on a marathon Oxford Street Topshop trawl, i saw that there was a sale in one of the concessions on the lower ground floor (it's a pretty cool place, it's got a Blink brow bar, a nail bar and an EAT (my Spicy Chicken Noodles were delicious) ), and i squeaked. I squeaked with excitement and rushed over to the sales stand, where i could see beautiful pairs of converse, vans and lacoste high tops sitting pretty. 

Normally, my size (size 7 UK sizing) of shoe is never there. It's larger than normal, so i guess less are produced etc, and regardless of the nitty gritty, finding shoes, on sale, in my size is always a bit of an omen. 

These beautiful print converse were the last pair, in my size and on sale. I just about collapsed with excitement. And so, for £20, down from their original, eye watering price of £65, they became mine. It's love. 

You can find the UK Converse website here

What do you think? A bit out there, or just the right amount of KAPOW print?

Monki sale haul

  How adorable is this packaging?!

I. Love. Monki.
If you haven't heard of this european online shopping phenomenon, I would summarise it as a European primark and Zara hybrid- carrying affordable but stylish and wearable pieces. I ordered my items on Christmas day (no rest for the sales-crazy!), and postage cost £6.

Marianne Dress

Gorgeous turquoise and lighter mint green lacy overlay A-line dress (aaaaand breathe). I got in a size Small, and this cost £18. 

Skye Top

Such an effortless top to wear, I can see myself wearing this with skinny jeans or jodhpur style trousers. Super baggy (in a good way), and a really nice cotton material. This cost £5. 

Pearl Tee

When i ordered this, i thought the print on the front could look either really awful, or really good, and I'm glad to report that it is stunning! Again, easy-to-wear and super low maintenance- I'll definitely get tonnes of wear out of this. This was also £5.

*insert name, because i can't remember it*

I love the peplum trend, as a straight-up straight-down bodied gal', and this was my first venture into the world of peplum. Its basically a gorgeous hot pink t shirt, thats then cinched and lightly pleated just right. Not as dressy as the peplums in other high street shops, I'm itching to wear this with my disco pants! This was a gobsmacking £3!

Ella Skirt

I'm not a skirt person, I shall begin by saying. I only 2 skirts, that is it, and this is my 3rd. I love the jersey material, with silver thread woven into it, and the pleats take me back to early primary school. It's an elasticated waist, therefore really comfortable and a bargain at £12.

Katy Tee

I'm torn with this. I love the print, it's so kitschy, and will look divine paired with dark skinny jeans (and it's a bargain at £5), BUUUUT (and it's a big but...and i cannot lie.... (sorry :L ) ) the cut is weird. I got in a  M, purely because the S was sold out. However, this t shirt is meant to sit quite comfortably and baggy, so it's bewildered me. So what do you think? Keep or return? 

*I bought all of these with my own money during the sale, I do not know if any of these items are still available, I'm just sharing what I purchased from this website.*

quick review: lip balms

 

Happy New Year!

I'm currently filling the first day of this year eating chocolate coated pretzels and watching Man Vs Food- ah bliss!
Anyway, I am one of *those* girls who carries enough lip balm in her bag to moisturise the pouts of a small army, and the ones shown in the pictures above are the ones currently gracing my bag-stash.


Vaseline Pink Champagne - £3.49 (limited edition- avaliable here):
I love the smell of this Vaseline. Having used last year's limited edition vaseline for a long while, I thought no variety of this classic lip balm could beat the Creme Brulee tin. Pulling this tin out of my bag makes me feel uber sophisticated, and a smells little like pink lemonade crossed with the normal / natural smell of Vaseline. This also imparts a pretty, pale rosy pink sheen onto the lips, which works well over natural / nude colours. Really moisturising, and even bought back-up tins, and gifted some to friends in need of some added lip-balm related glamour.


Nivea Milk & Honey -  £1.99 (avaliable here):
There are few things in the world that I truly detest (this lip balm is not one of them- hear me out), and one of those things is honey. I hate the smell, the taste, the unnecessary stickiness, pretty much everything! So, keeping that in mind, I was on bad footing with this lip balm from the second I bought it. Ingrid (MissGlamurazzi) raves about this, so I thought I'd give it a try. The honey scent is tolerable, because the milky vanilla scent kind of intervenes. This has the same moisturising properties as the Nivea Essential Care, but seems a little thinner / harder. Overall, I like it, but don't reach for it much.


*Garnier Ambre Solaire SPF 20 lip care - £2.89 (avaliable here):
I. Love. This. Lipbalm. It's stiffer than typical lip balm with a scent that is difficult to place, but nice nonetheless. It's moisturising, and lightens dark lips significantly, because of the SPF. This may seem a wierd thing to say, but on mornings I don't want to wear lipstick, this is what I grab. On my natural lip colour, it looks a lot like Mac's Snob (a pale, milky blue-toned pink), only in a satin finish. One thing I would definitely keep in mind, is that you need to have smooth lips to begin with, as it shows most notable imperfections on the lips. It seems to completely undermine the point of a lip balm, to have to prep your lips to wear it- but for me, at least, it's so worth it.


Bourjois Dr Glamour Lipstick in Blouse Blanche - £2.75 (avaliable here):
This is packaged and sold as a lip stick, but this shade in particular is more of a lip balm. It's moisturising and adds no colour to the lips, just gives an insane frosty shimmer. If you have a matte lipstick that you find super drying, I'd try adding this on top, to add some shimmer and moisture back into your lips. Frosty is quite a dated lipstick finish, but I can feel a comeback in my boneeeeees *queue weird spiritual dance*. This smells quite like the Garnier SPF lip care, but smells a little more fake, and the scent doesn't really completely disappear whilst on the lips.


Nivea Essential Care - £1.50 (avaliable here):
I like to slick this on my lips before I go to bed, or when my lips need some serious TLC. Lasts for ages, has a light vanilla/coca-esque scent, and glides on without feeling oily or leaving unpleasant residue on the lips. One thing I would mention is that it doesn't really soak into the lips, as much as sits on top of them and forms a barrier of moisture.


Korres Guava Lip Butter - typically £7.00 (avaliable here - currently for £4.80):
This is one of the priciest lip balms that I own, and is admittedly my favourite. It smells light and fruity (completely natural, and not at all synthetic- which is a huge plus), and literally melts onto the lips. It also has a super buttery texture, so in Summer, you'd need to store it somewhere cool, to avoid it melting. Potential problem aside, I love this! I'd rather have a stick version of this, because it's way less messy / more hygeinic, but doing so would probably cost the gorgeous buttery texture- a girl can dream eh?

 *Since I bought mine years ago, the packaging has changed (it's now navy blue and rather swish)

I purchased all of these with my own money or was bought them as presents by friends or family members.

you promised forever and a day, then you take it all away

Lunch at Blanche Eatery - grilled Moroccan chicken, followed by a naughty green tea & chocolate cookie! Expensive, but really tasty and healthy- one off treat

Welcome to my first and last blog post of the year 2012! 

This evening I'm going with some friends to watch the fireworks from Trafalgar square, to experience the beginning of 2013! I did the same thing last year, only from Vauxhall Bridge, and the atmosphere was electric! 

2012 has been, overall, a good year for me, but I'm so ready for 2013 and all that it may bring! 

Happy New Year!