Riding Pants OOTD

First post showing one of my new favourite items to wear... my American Apparel Riding Pants! Strangely I forgot to include these in my 'What I got for Christmas' post but I did actually get these for Christmas. I have an American Apparel near me at Uni so I've wanted these for a while and I've worn them practically everyday since! They are high-waisted and I think they are flattering. They are also a lot thicker than regular leggings so I feel more comfortable wearing these instead. I chose Riding Pants rather than the classic Disco Pants as I thought they would be more wearable during the day- and I don't particularly like wearing shiny clothing either. They are expensive, but I really believe they're worth the money. I have bought thick high waisted leggings before and they just go baggy at the knees with a few wears, which these show no signs of doing!

The jumper is in my favourite colour of the season, a gorgeous burgundy/ oxblood shade. I had wanted a loose knit jumper for some time so I had to get this when I saw it in Topshop! You have to wear a cami underneath but I think that adds to the look. I love this and it goes with so many things, I find myself wearing it a lot. I would have liked the black one but I think it went into the sale and I missed it!

Hope everyone is having a lovely week! Less than one week until my exams start but I have some posts lined up so I should be able to get those uploaded soon :)

xxx

Jumper- Topshop

Riding Pants- American Apparel (link!)

Heels- Miss Selfridge

Bag- Zara

Necklace- Topshop

Watch- River Island

Spike Bracelet- Topshop

What I got for Christmas..

Benefit 'Confessions of a Concealaholic' | Sephora Instant Moisture Masks | Philosophy 'Have a Cherry Christmas' Bubble Bath | Naked Basics Pallette | Sephora Smoky Lash Mascara | Topshop 'Bowl Me Over' Glitter Polish

Vogue Subscription | 'Fashion and Textiles An Overview'  by Colin Gale and Jasbir Kaur | Vogue on Christian Dior | Vogue on Coco Chanel | Kindle Fire

Fiorelli Bag | Dachshund Ring Holder

Fur Gilet- Topshop

Cardigan- Jack Wills

I thought I'd write a quick 'What I got for Christmas' post as I love seeing what other people got for Christmas and this year I was particularly lucky with my presents. I did get a few other things but these were the ones I could locate and were my favourites.

Things to note: 

1) I bought myself the Naked Basics palette and the Jack Wills cardigan

The Naked Basics palette was a sort of Christmas present to myself after I bought my mum one for Christmas and couldn't resist getting my own. I got the Jack Wills cardigan in the Christmas sale after wanting it for ages. It had sold out online but I knew the Jack Wills near me still had them so I had a little look on Boxing Day and had to have it- it even had £50 off!

2) My boyfriend got me the Topshop Gilet (probably my favourite present, I feel like Millie Mackintosh every time I wear it! Is that strange?), the Makeup Forever Mascara and the Sephora face masks

The mascara is the best I've ever used, it's a shame it's quite expensive and not readily available, but as my boyfriend is often in Italy, I'm sure he will be able to bring me another back when I run out! The masks are a really cool concept, you make them up yourself by adding water! It looks like you are making up a protein shake and the consistency is a gel afterwards. I've only used these once and I like the results, but I will carry on using them and post a review up when I have tried them a bit more!

3) The Kindle was the main present from my Parents

Since going to University I often watch a lot of trashy TV shows in my free time and I wanted to get into reading but couldn't find the motivation. Although I love the smell and feel of a new book, I adore the Kindle. It's so easy to read on (you can hold it in one hand) and pleasant to read. As I have the Kindle Fire I can also use it as a tablet to surf the internet and play games- Cut the Rope is my favourite, and so addictive! It's fairly cheap for a tablet so if you're looking to get a Kindle or you're unsure, I really recommend the Kindle Fire! I also like the fact you can sample books before you buy them and there are often deals to get books really cheaply. 

My Parents also bought me the fashion books. Being a fashion student I can't resist a good fashion read! The Vogue Books are beautiful and so interesting, and the Fashion and Textiles book is great if you're seriously considering a degree in Fashion business/ buying. It's more like a textbook than a relaxing read but as I study Fashion and Textiles I find it very interesting!

Sorry if this post seemed like a bit of a ramble, I hope you liked it anyway! 

I'm going to upload an Outfit post soon this week too so look out for that. Hope everyone is settling back into their daily routines again, it's sad that Christmas is over but I'm looking forward to seeing what the New Year brings!

xxx

Winter Wonderland

This is the dress I wore on Christmas Day this year. I don't normally dress up too much but I thought it would be nice to this Christmas. 

It's from Topshop and I bought it a few weeks ago so you might not be able to get this exact one anymore but there are lots of similar style dresses in Topshop at the moment. I love velvet in the winter and the deep aubergine colour of this dress is perfect for this season. I could wear it on nights out, but also, with flat ankle boots and a jacket for daytime so it's a really useful piece.

I'm in love with this lipstick at the moment, it's from Topshop and called Beguiled. It's a deep, vampy colour which I wouldn't normally go for but I couldn't resist it! 

I hope you all had lovely Christmases and amazing New Years. I have a lot of revision for my exams that start in a couple of weeks so that's been taking up my time at the moment- although I  have so much still to do! I have some more outfit posts lined up so you shouldn't have to wait long for my next one. I'm also planning to show you a few things I've bought recently/ received for Christmas so look out for that!

xxx

Dress- Topshop

Heels- New Look

Watch- River Island

Bracelet- ASOS

Lipstick- Topshop (Beguiled)

Nails- Essie (Leading Lady)

OOTD Oxblood and Fur

This season, I can't get enough of the colour 'Oxblood'. It's so rich and festive, and a lovely change from all the dark and dreary colours of Autumn/ Winter. I bought these shorts in Topshop in Manchester and I love them. I wanted some shorts I could wear with jumpers and tights during the day but that would also be nice dressed up for evenings and these fit the bill perfectly. Every Winter I seem to rediscover my obsession for Velvet and fur and this look encapsulates these two favourite things of mine.

The fur stole is also from Topshop and it looks great over thick knitwear and jumpers. You could also wear it with blazers and coats to give them a fresh look. Although I love it, it was £25 and I'm sure you could get one for less money in another high-street shop. That being said, I love wearing it and will look forward to layering it with different outfits as the months progress.

Also, if you can get hold of this nail colour (Essie- Leading Lady) then I highly recommend it! It's a gorgeous deep oxblood colour containing shimmer and glitter, I'll be including it in a beauty post shortly.

I think this is a perfect formal, yet casual outfit and I'll be wearing it a lot over the festive season! 

Do you have anything in the colour 'oxblood'? I've bought a couple more oxblood pieces recently so look out for them on my blog soon!

xxx

Jumper- Topshop (last year)

Fur Stole- Topshop (link!)

Velvet Shorts- Topshop (link!)

Heels- New Look

Watch- River Island

Cross Ring- Topshop

Metal Band Rings- ASOS

Spike Bracelet- Topshop

Nails- Essie Leading Lady

Review : Impress Nails

I thought I'd post a quick review of these Impress Nails before I go into town today. I received these nails in a goodie bag from a Little Black Dress event a few weeks ago and I waited until my acrylic nails needed to be taken off before trying them out.

I'm very 'impressed' with these (no pun intended!). As the packaging suggests, they are very quick and easy to use, with the total application taking about 5 minutes. They feel secure and are thick enough to hide my weak, thin nails underneath. Considering you don't need glue, these nails don't feel like they are going anywhere. I applied them Monday and other than a couple of mishaps where I have lost a nail, they were all still on by Friday. I just glued the two nails that fell off back on with a tiny bit of nail glue and I was good to go. 

A few people have asked me what nail varnish I used to do this effect, or even whether they were another set of acrylics, which shows how professional and realistic they look.

You can buy these nails from Boots for about £8-9 but I do think they are a little on the pricey side so I would wait for them to be on special offer before repurchasing. Overall I think they are great false nails, very quick and easy, and would be perfect for a special occasion like a wedding, prom or Christmas. I now have my acrylic nails back since I am home from university for Christmas but if I ever have a break from them and need my nails to look nice I would definitely buy these again.

Have you ever tried Impress nails? What do you think?

xxx

Soft and Cosy

I just wanted to share with you all the cutest knitted bunny jumper I bought from Topshop a couple of weeks ago. It's so cosy and warm, perfect for the winter season and I'll definately be getting a lot of wear out of it! I really wanted a Christmas jumper but I think I might have missed the boat a bit so this will have to do for now. I love how cute it is and I always get a lot of compliments on it. It's a bit pricey but really worth it!

Aren't the little tails on the back adorable?

You can buy the jumper in the petite version like mine here (link!), or in the regular version here (link!). 

As a little update from me, I'm getting on fine at university, I'm getting more into it each week! I still love the course and have been looking into getting an internship over the Summer break next year to give me more experience in the Fashion industry, has anyone else done that kind of thing? I'm also heading up the social media aspect for an exciting new Fashion magazine that my University is starting up, it seems like a really exciting project so I'll let you all know when the blog and twitter for it are up and running! 

Hope you all had good weeks :) I can't wait for Christmas, expect lots more outfit posts when I'm home for the holidays! 

xxx

Jumper- Topshop