Mint Green Quilted Bag

Whilst in Portugal recently, it would have been rude not to do a little shopping wouldn't it?! 

On one particular trip (and there were a few!), I was spoilt for choice with bags, purses and clutches and found it really hard to pick just one; which I amazingly did.

I went for this gorgeous Mint Green Quilted Bag.

Yes, admittedly it isn't leather (what handbags are these days) but I just thought it was too cute to leave behind. The colour is something I didn't have before either, so it really caught my eye.

I really love the gold buckle fastening detail on the front and the quilted look stitching, which is very fashionable at the moment. The handles are a really nice thickness to hold too, not like some bowler bags, which are round and sometimes a little tricky to keep a hold of.

Another cute thing about this bag is there are three ways to use it. The first is as shown above, by using the short handles.

The second is by attaching the supplied straps to the front and back gold loops to create slightly longer straps.

The third way is by removing each of the shorter straps, attaching them to each other and to the little loops on each end of the bag, creating a long enough strap to put over your shoulder, or cross body.

The only slight down side with this option is that the hooks would sit directly on the top of your shoulder, which could be a pain if you're not wearing a lot on your shoulders. Still a really cute idea though.

To be honest, I'll probably hold it mainly, but it's really nice to have options. And when the straps are completely off the bag, the hoops front and back just look like design details and not purely for function, so it works well.

The inside of the bag is really spacious with lots of pockets, zipped compartments and spaces for your phone and lippy.

The lining inside is really light as well, which is great for finding things. I do hate it when a bag has a dark lining and it's like a Tardis; hiding the one item you want each time!

I really love this bag and for just 15 Euros, I think it's exceptional value.

Have you recently purchased a bargain bag? Let me know!

Festival Outfit from New Look

It's festival season and with the weather showing some hope for summer, I thought I'd put together a summer festival look, all for under £105, from New Look. 

Tousled Hair

The perfect festival hairstyle is one that doesn't need much maintenance and this look is perfect. The tousled waves are easy to maintain with a 'scrunch and go'. They look relaxed and effortless, letting you enjoy yourself without worrying about where to plug in your straighteners!

Light Blue Dress

This Light Blue Floral Crochet Neck Sleeveless Dress, for just £19.99, comes in brown and navy as well as blue and is really girlie and flirting. The high neck is really cute and I love the crochet detail.

Suede Fringe Bag

You always need somewhere to put you phone, purse, sunglasses, sun cream and rechargeable torch (!) and this cute Tan Suede Fringe Back Pack, £29.99, is perfect for holding all your necessaries.

With this bag being a back pack too, your hands are free! Perfect! The fringe detail is really lovely and adds a sense of festival chic!

Ethnic Necklace

This White and Gold Ethnic Bead Statement Necklace, £14.99,  would look gorgeous layered over the crochet neckline of the light blue dress. Statement necklaces are so on trend right now and with this piece, a statement would definitely be made. 

Leather Boots

These are adorable! Sensible footwear is a must on a festival field and these Tan Leather Glitter Back Ankle Boots, just £25 (reduced from £54.99!), are perfectly girlie, to team up with the light blue dress. 

I love the fact that these boots are plain to the first glance and incredibly sparkly and a feminine on the back. Love these! You'll be the envy of your friends when you have dry, comfortable feet with added sparkle!

Sunglasses

These Nude Diamanté Square Frame Sunglasses, £7.99, are a must for the festival season, especially if the sun stays out! You want to be able to see you favourite bands without squinting and looking pretty cool at the same time. So, what better way than with these cute sunnies!

Cuff Bracelet

I love cuffs and stack bracelets and this Gold and Orange Zig Zag Stretch Cuff, £6.99, is perfect for this festival look. The colour beads tie in with the back pack and boots and finishes off the outfit, with a touch of glam. Perfect!

Let me know if you've bought any of these and whether you're wearing them to a festival this year!

Primark Summer Haul

Popping into the Tottenham Court Road Primark (which is by far my favourite of the Primark  stores in London), I picked up a load of really cute summer bargains, to boost my wardrobe. 

I'm going on holiday soon, so I thought it was about time I started thinking about my holiday wardrobe and thought I'd share some of the bits I bought with you.

The first is this really cute cross body bag, in grey, which was just £7. I like to carry lots of bits and pieces when I'm out and about on holiday, so this bag is perfect, as it has lots of pockets and is cross body, so my hands are free. Always a plus. 

The strap is a good length and is adjustable and I especially like the plait and buckle detail on the front pocket. Very cute. 

I don't seem to be able to go into any store without being drawn to the makeup isle but I have to admit, Primark was not a place I thought I was likely to see any makeup that I would like. However, I did! 

This lovely Eye Shadow & Shades Palette, with eight gorgeous summery shades, mirror and applicator brush, attracted my eye straight away and for just £2.50, I had to buy it!

The colours are gorgeous, ranging through the dusky pinks and greys, to the green, purple and browns. I'm really excited about trialling and reviewing this palette, to see if the shadows are as pigmented as they look!

I also love the fact that some thought has gone into the packaging of this palette, with the cute Japanese inspired pink bird and flower lid. Love this.

The next cute item I picked up and thought I'd share with you is this White & Navy Striped Tube Dress, £8.

The reason I thought I would share this with you is because  if you're like me and under 5'5", you will probably have tried on about a gazillion maxi dresses and skirts and found them all way too long!! 

So when I tried this dress on and found that even when wearing flats, this dress skims my ankles, I leapt into the air and let out a small squeal of excitement! I've finally found a maxi dress that doesn't swamp me! It was a very exciting moment.

What I also love about this dress is the slightly elasticated waist, which creates a lovely shape around the waist and across the bust. I can see how this would look really lovely with a tan coloured belt too, if I want to dress it up a little.

The next item I'm sharing is this really cute Nevada Sunshine Highway Racer Back Vest, which was just £3. 

I bought this item in a much larger size than usual (I'm usually a 10 and I bought a 14), as I wanted this vest to look oversized and relaxed, when wearing it with denim shorts.

I really love printed t-shirts and jumpers at the moment and this vest is the perfect combination of print and gorgeous pastel colours (which are also my favourite as we're coming into warmer months). I'm really looking forward to wearing this with denim shorts, an oversized handbag, flip flops and sunnies at the airport!

The final bargain I'm sharing with you from my Primark Summer Haul are these really cute Paisley Denim Shorts. 

These shorts were just £7, have a really cute draw string waist and turn-ups. They're a twist on the standard denim shorts and I absolutely love the paisley print. 

They're a really light weight denim too, so perfect for hot, sticky holiday days or could be dressed up in the evening with a cute white peplum top or swing vest and white pumps.

I hope you like these bits I've shared with you today. Let me know if you've got any of these or whether there are any maxi dresses or skirts out there, suitable for my height, that I may have missed!

Current Wardrobe Favourties

I go through phases every now and then of having a few pieces in my wardrobe that I wear again and again. At the moment I have three items in particular that are by far my favourites and  I thought I'd share them with you.

My first wardrobe favourite at the moment is my Leather Jacket from Dorothy Perkins. I love this jacket because it's light weight and is perfect for the in between stage of wearing big wool coats or nothing at all. 

I love wearing it with skinny jeans or pencil skirts and blouses but I can also see how it will look gorgeous with flirty summer dresses and boots come the warmer months.

My second favourite at the moment are my coloured jeans and in particular my Pink Love Label Jeans from Very, £25. They are so bright and cheerful and never fail to put a smile on my face. 

They look stunning with a black top and heels, for those days when it's dreary outside and you want to wear a little slice of sunshine and I'm really looking forward to wearing them with white swing vests and sandals in the summer.

My third 'can't live without' item at the moment is my Dorothy Perkins Satchel bag. I really wanted a satchel bag as I've always liked the style but I also wanted something that would fit my IPad and note book, plus all my other gazillion standard handbag items. 

This bag is really gorgeous and with the cross body strap, I can still pick up my daughter without losing my bag. Perfect!

What are your wardrobe favourites at the moment?

Jelly cage bags are back!

I was quite possibly the most excited today than I've been in ages, about something that's plastic and ever so slightly Granny chic. Oh yes, the 80/90's jelly cage bag is back! When I caught a glimpse of the pink and blue versions of the throw back classic on New Looks website this morning, I let out a small 'yip' of excitement!

May I introduce to you the Coolway Blue & Pink Layca Cage Bags..... 

I never thought that having other people see what was in your handbag could be fashionable but I'm really loving these slightly kitsch bags of beauty; especially as they remind me of the two, yes two, I had as a child! 

I am proud to say I had one very similar to the Coolway cage bags, in white and I also had a mint green cross body bag, with a twisting close lock. I remember it clearly. Nearly all my friends growing up in the 80's and 90's had jelly shoes but I was the only one with a jelly bag. I was so cool!

So, I think I'll be hot footing it to down New Look this Spring/Summer for one of these; the only tough decision I'll have is which colour to pick! Oh and worrying about what I carry in my handbag!

Spring white jeans chic

It feels as though Spring might actually finally be here and if you're anything like me, you're sick and tired of wearing dark colours and want to bring some life and colour into your wardrobe.

One of the great ways to brighten up your wardrobe at this strange transitional time, is by adding a good pair of white jeans. You can still wear these jeans with some of your darker tops and jumpers, but the white jeans will help to lighten the overall feel of your outfit.

I've put together this white jeans look, from high street stores, as an example on how white jeans can be worn.

The White Jeans

I really like these Slim White Jeans from Mango, £22.99. They're mid rise, with five pockets and a slim leg. Mango also do Flared and Super Slim Fit white jeans.

                                                     Slim                                                 Flared                                              Super Slim

You really don't need to spend a fortune on jeans. Yes, with money comes quality, most of the time, but there are some great pairs at ASOS, Next and New Look, all in different lengths and fit. There's bound to be a pair out there that suits your style and budget.

Coral Blouse

This Coral Frilly Sleeveless Blouse from River Island, £22.00, is really lovely and girlie and goes perfectly with these jeans. It's chic in style and ultra feminine, with it's nipped in waist and frills down the front. 

If it's still a little chilly to wear just the blouse on it's own, you can add a little cardigan over your shoulders, like this cute Ivory Border Hem Cardigan from Dorothy Perkins. 

Or maybe wear a wrap around cardigan, like this one from ZARA. A blazer could also be a great way to add some warmth to this look.

Handbag

This Bowler Colour Block Handbag from Oasis, £35.00, is absolutely gorgeous. It's got the matching coral colour blocks to go with this look and has metal trimmings on the front pocket, which makes it look ultra chic and designer. It has a twist lock fastening on the front with a small pocket and the main compartment is zipped. This could be a great addition to your wardrobe and would be a real statement piece.

Shoes

These Spike Studded Platform Court Shoes from Matalan, £20.00 are really cute. I've seen spike studded heels and wedges in various places (including Dorothy Perkins, who have some cute spiked peep toe shoes) and these work with this outfit fantastically. At a snip at just £20, they would be a great addition to your Spring/Summer wardrobe and could be worn with almost anything, due to their neutral shade. 

Alternatively, as supposed to heels, some cute pumps would work equally well, like these Stone Stud Embellished Ballet Pumps from New Look, £15.99

The stud embellishments would look really lovely with the white and coral combination and lets face it, would be a lot comfier if worn for a long time! I really like these.

Bracelets

This Crackle Bead Chunky Wrist wear collection of bracelets from Dorothy Perkins is the perfect final touch to this look. Because the blouse neckline is high and frilly, you don't want to be adding a necklace and I'd be hesitant to wear any earrings too, but these bracelets would be just perfect.

I really love bracelet stacks at the moment and the versatility of them; shall I wear one or two, or shall I wear them all? This stack comes with 6 bracelets, including a crackle effect bead bracelet, a cone spike stretch bracelet (to match the shoes!) and square bangles. 

I think this look is truly Spring chic and I look forward to hearing if anyone adds some white jeans to their collection this season!