Ionian Blue

I'm on holiday, so I am! In Greece: Zakynthos AKA Zante to be precise. On landing, I emerged from the plane like a particularly pale underground-dwelling mole, bewildered and blinking into the sun, because.. get this... it's warm here. Nay, it's positively hot! I'd forgotten what it was like to gain vitamin D from its most natural of sources. All hail the glorious Sun!

So I thought I'd share with you an outfit I wore last night when I consumed a huge amount of Greek food and an even larger volume of garishly-coloured and sometimes set-alight cocktails, chased by random shots we hadn't ordered, whilst checking out the biggest party town on the island. It was fun. Of sorts.

Yes I really am this pale. And what?

This fit and flare cut of this dress is my most favourite style as it is so flattering. I bought it back in April when I went on a holiday clothes shopping frenzy and managed to buy three blue dresses all in the same day. I swiftly came to my senses and returned one of them, as I figured purchasing so many new blue dresses was a little excessive, even by my standards. I haven't been able to find this one on the website but saw it was still in the stores last week, in white too. Clearly I like blue, though. Lots.

My Outfit:

Dress: Forever 21

Wedges: Topshop

Bag: Primark

Bracelets: River Island & Bekl

Pastel Polka Dot Nails

I do love a bit of nail art and if it's something that I can tackle myself, then all the better. Just about the easiest nail art to accomplish is that of the polka dot - honestly, it is! It helps if you get yourself a nail art tool, like this dotter below, which I bought as part of a pack for the princely sum of a couple of British pounds from Amazon.

I had some time on my hands over the weekend so I decided to paint each of my nails a different pastel colour (SO last year, right!) and then dot them up. Here are the colours I chose and the results of my labour:

My Nails:

Barry M: Peach Melba

Rimmel Lycra Pro: Aqua Cool

OPI: I Think In Pink

Barry M: Mint Green

Barry M: Berry Ice Cream

My Polka Dots:

Barry M: Matt White

Nail Art Tools: Amazon

And Again

Did everyone see Keira Knightley's wedding photos this week? I for one am so impressed with the whole look that she went for and the apparently low-key approach to her nuptials. Bravo, Keira. And how beautiful was her Chanel? Rodarte? wedding dress? Very. It really was. But get this: it may or may not have been the first time she wore it because... there's a photo from 2010 where she's wearing what very much appears to be THE EXACT SAME DRESS *gasps*. If this is in fact true, then Keira, I salute you even more for your down to earth nature. I'm sure she'll rest easy tonight knowing that she has my seal of approval.

The Evidence:

2013 photo: matrixpictures.co.uk / 2010 photo: Rex

So in the spirit of recycling outfits, I'm showing you a dress that has been on my blog before, because this is real life and I most definitely wear items again and again. Last time you saw it styled up in a more wintry fashion (here), this time it's for a UK Spring. No doubt I'll show it again for Summer, 'cos I just can't get enough of this amazing dress. So there.

My poor old boots

You'll notice that my boots have also been worn again and again - so much so that they are nearing the end of their life. This saddens me, especially as I can't imagine finding another pair that I will love as much as these. I've been eyeing up this pair in River Island recently but can't decide if they are a worthy replacement. Or affordable to me right now, harumph.

My Oufit:

Dress, Necklace, Cuff (£18 not £81!): Urban Outfitters

Jacket: Topshop Petite (old, similar here)

Boots: Topshop (very old, similar here)

Rings: Primark & Topshop (all old)

Sunglasses: H&M

Simple As

I've been a little slack on the blogging front recently. I won't bore you with the details, but it involves my trusty netbook having given up the ghost and therefore me having to rely on my work laptop for blogging purposes. It's heavy, so I don't often bring it home. Ooh look, I did bore you with the details after all!

Back to more interesting matters: clothes, clothes and more clothes. Today's weather in London has been warm enough for me to unleash my toes on the world and I busted out some previously unworn sandals. Woohoo! I'm wearing them with an otherwise simple outfit of nearly monochrome. I should also mention that these photos were taken today and I'm actually blogging them the same day (a rarity for me).. this is fashion as it happens! How's that for a live update.

Cute bag alert

I'd actually forgotten I'd bought this bag ages ago. Found it today. Hurrah!

I've had a really chilled weekend so far, involving a trip to my shopping mecca of Westfield Stratford yesterday, where I picked up this very T-shirt. On a totally unrelated note, do excuse the state of my hair in these photos. My fringe is experiencing that awkward period where it absolutely needs a trim. Fear not, that's happening later this week. In the meantime, I threw on my bowler hat when I went out earlier, as a distraction to what was going on underneath its brim.

Hair saviour

What are you getting up to this long weekend, anything good? I hear that the weather is actually meant to be warm AND sunny tomorrow so I might even get my legs out! *Squeals*. I'll need to apply a liberal coating of fake tan first, obvs.

My Outfit:

T-shirt, Hat & Sandals: Topshop

Leggings: American Apparel

Necklace: H&M

Cross Bracelet: Claire's

Smile Bracelet: c/o Bekl
Bag: Primark

My First Glossybox

Earlier this month I heard the girls at work discussing what they had received in their latest Glossybox deliveries. My ears immediately started flapping and I was compelled to sign myself up for the monthly beauty bonanza, not least because it sounded like a mini-Christmas morning would take place regularly from thereon in, involving unwrapping, uncertainty and (hopefully) delight at the contents of said Glossybox. What's not to love about that!

For those of you who are not familiar with what I'm talking about, signing up to Glossybox involves paying a monthly subscription of about £12 for a box of beauty products sent directly to your home / workplace / wherever. And you never know what wonders will arrive.

First of all let's take a moment to appreciate the box itself. Ooh, pretty. This was designed by Pearl Lowe, mother of Daisy (and also former singer of the 90s indie band Powder. Yes, I'm a music geek).

There were five items inside. I have diligently tested each and every one of these and am now able to give my full review of each one. Boom.

A-DERMA Intense Repair Lip Balm

A thick gel of a lip balm, like a cross between Vaseline and Estee Lauder Eight Hour Cream (but without the colour or scent).  I've been leaving it on overnight and my lips have been lovely and soft in the morning. I especially like the applicator nib. Marvellous.

Nip + Fab Dry Skin Fix Body Butter in Coconut Latte

I love a good body butter, I do. Whilst I'm not a huge fan of anything coffee-scented, this body butter is combined with coconut too, which immediately makes me long for beach holidays. I decided to test this on my elbows to see just how effective it is on dry skin. It's pretty darn good! I would prefer a fruitier scent, however.

Sleek Make Up Blush in Flamingo

This 80s fluoro pink looks SCARY! However, I gamely decided to give it a go. Nothing ventured nothing gained and all that. I was keen to NOT go for the full retro stripey blusher look, so applied this lightly with a nice fat blusher brush. I was shocked to discover that I actually really like it! So much so that I've been wearing it every day since. Result!

So Elixir Purple Yves Rocher Eau de Parfum

I'm rubbish at describing smells, so here's what it says in the leaflet, fragrance fans: "an infusion of tuberose, vetiver and patchouli, culminating in a floral-woody elixir". So there you go. It smells good. I like it. The bottle is a nice shape. Purple is my favourite colour. What more can I say?

Essie Nail Lacquer in Sugar Daddy

I was super keen to try this as I've been looking for a good natural pink polish for a while. Unfortunately this isn't quite what I had in mind. It's very sheer and even after three coats my nail tips were still showing through. If I were in the habit of doing a French manicure on my nails, this would be perfect. But I'm not. Still, I'll keep it in my nail polish arsenal, probably to use as a base coat.

So there we go. Whilst not all of the products are completely to my taste, overall I was really happy with my first ever Glossybox. I can't wait to see what arrives next month!

Sleek Make Up Blush. In case you missed it the first time.

Lazy Sunny Afternoon

I absolutely blooming LOVE Spring! It's my favourite season, bar none, especially in the UK when there is still the (foolish?) hope of summer on the horizon. Let's all cross our fingers in unison and will the sun to keep his hat on for the next few months. Stranger things have happened, surely...

Here's a Spring Sunday outfit for you to feast your eyes on. Admittedly not the most inspiring of ensembles, but I like it all the same and it was perfect for one of the first sunny and warm weekends all year. I celebrated by having a cup of tea in the garden. I'm so rock 'n' roll.

I actually bought the jacket a few months ago and it had some ugly cheap-looking embellishment on one of the pocket flaps. I swiftly removed this as it hurt my eyes. Did I just initiate reverse customisation?

The offending pocket flap. Un-jazzled.

My Outfit:

Camo Jacket, Necklace & Rings: Primark

T-shirt, Leigh Jeans & Hat: Topshop

Converse: bought in Japan

Bracelets (old): H&M and Claire's

Casio Watch: Urban Outfitters

Miscellaneous Monday: 90's Backpack

Yes, we all know the 90's are back with a vengeance in style terms and the shops are overflowing with grunge-inspired oversized shirts, baggy jeans and tie dyed everything. I'm certainly not complaining, I love 90's style.. heck, I was there, I remember it! So during a recent trip to Primark I was delighted to come across a brown pleather backpack almost identical to one I used to own back in those halcyon days.

I've been using this bag loads recently. I love how it offers some respite to my poor achy shoulders which have definitely suffered from carting around the sheer amount of stuff I can't seem to leave the house without on a daily basis. If I were in the habit of using my bike, it would also be perfect for cycling. I shan't pretend I ever do that though.

My Backpack:

Primark (similar here)

Outfit: see this post