Category Archives: shopping

Wish list- Swatch at House of Watches

20th January 2017
How many watches does a girl need? This is a question I have to ask myself every time I catch myself browsing one of the several sites I frequent to get my fix of wrist wear. I already have a rather large collection but upon a recent peruse of House of Watches I’ve found myself coveting a whole new aesthetic in the form of some new designs from Swatch.

Swatch is probably the first watch brand I remember showing an interest in (even pre-dating the “had to have it” Baby G). I’ve always loved their fun and funky designs and cool plastic straps. I recall being very envious when Mum was given a lovely pink Swatch watch for Christmas one year, one that has since come in to my posession- which reminds me I really need to get a new battery for it…

I love a brand that keeps consistent with their designs- they are instantly recognisable yet manage to evolve to fit in with current trends. I’m really taken with the hot pink glitter watch with sparkly dial for a fun and sporty vibe whereas the printed floral ones are great for jazzing up an otherwise dull outfit. It also looks like Swatch are going down a slightly sleeker line with their metallic pink and rose gold offerings- a grown up twist for those who can’t wear, or don’t like to wear a metal watch I suppose.

The watches are also affordable which is good news for me- I’m thinking perhaps my back to work treat to myself will be one of the designs I’ve featured above…I mean, I already own more than a dozen watches but who’s keeping count?

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Posted in accessories, brands I love, shopping, wish list

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When Jeans met Dress

16th January 2017
It’s a long time since I last wore jeans and a dress together. The combination reminds me a bit of when trouser skirts were a thing (hello year 9 school uniform) anything similar since. I was browsing on the Monki website the other day- as I frequently do and happened across my last Christmas money purchase styled over a pair of skinny jeans and loved how it looked so I decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a go myself.

Dress: Monki (some sizes still in stock) | Jeans: New Look ((this style)) | Boots: Sarenza | Necklace: Hello Harriet

It’s not often I remember to take a photo of my jewellery, or actually remember to put any on for that matter but this necklace from Hello Harriet is totally worth sharing. I featured Harriet’s shop on the blog in the run up to Christmas and santa must have been reading because on Christmas day I found this necklace hiding in my stocking. It pretty much sums up how I feel about certain things right now but mostly I just love jewellery/clothing/anything with a touch of sarcasm and attitude. I so badly want to get Mae a matching collar tag, but her track record at keeping hold of a collar and it’s tags is poor to say the least and I can’t bear the idea of getting her one of these only for it to turn up squished out of all recognition in a nearby road like the last one did!

Oh, and this dress was a complete bargain by the way- £8! The Monki sale remains my favourite as I picked up so much for so little. New season stock is arriving fast and my wish list is at least as tall as I am…I just loved their oversized pieces and minimal aesthetic. I think it’s probably the one shop that completely sums up my current style and as soon as I’m back at work I’m planning a “well done” spree for getting to my goal.

Which shops sum up your style right now? Did anyone else fall victim to the trouser skirt? (Or am I completely showing my age here?!)

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, jewellery, outfits, shopping

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What’s New Pussycat?

13th January 2017

The sales have been pretty kind to me this year- not only did I score some complete bargains but I also managed to snap up a couple of items I’d had on my wish list full price and resigned myself to not being able to afford.

The cat print dress in this post is one of those finds. First bought to my attention by the wonderful (and ever so stylish) Laura a couple of months ago I knew straight away that I wanted this but at £45.99(ish) it was way out of my price range. After a quick online browse of the Zara sale I was excited to see the dress had gone down to £26.99 but still assumed I wouldn’t get it but left it in the hands of the shopping gods and decided that if the Bristol store had it in stock in my size I would buy it- but because I didn’t technically NEED another dress I wouldn’t order online.

Someone was smiling down on me the day I ventured in to the sales (and the Zara sale is one I tend to avoid because it gets so chaotic and often vicious in store!) as there was one cat printed dress left hanging there all alone. A size up from my usual but I tried it on and decided I didn’t care, I like the sloppy look and so I happily trotted off to pay.

Dress: Zara | Boots: Office (similar)

These ankle boots are the third pair that have recently come in to my possession, but as my most worn flat black pair as starting to give up the ghost and I had a gift card from work I figured they were a worthy investment especially as they were reduced from £72 to £32. I’ve been after a pair of lace up ankle boots for a while and whilst the exact pair I got aren’t on the Office Shoes website any more I have linked to a very similar alternative for anyone else on the hunt.

This is probably one of my current favourite outfits. I’m a massive fan of longer length over-sized dresses at the moment and anything with a cat print on it is always going to be a winner in my eyes. I’ve already worn this dress several times so on a cost-per-wear basis it’s probably in the minus figures by now.

Thank you for all of the well wishes for my occupational health appointment, they were very much appreciated. It didn’t go exactly as I’d hoped- I suppose I thought that if I could get myself mentally a lot better I could somewhat overlook the physical side of things (and my first experience with occupational health seemed to confirm this). Alas this wasn’t the case so now I must face my biggest fear and hurdle in recovery and put on some weight before I can resume the job I love so much. I suppose I’m writing this down so I can’t back away from it. It’s so easy to get swept up in the disordered thinking of “well I already look healthy” but using my blog as a perspective I can see that I’m a way off looking like I did when I was last at a healthy weight (in this post for an example) and I’ve just got to man up and get on with it. I always struggle through the process of weight gain and seeing my body change but I know that when I get there I feel so much happier and more confident in myself- and the rest of my life becomes a lot more fun and fulfilling as a result. That has got to be worth toughing it out for. Hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m at a level where I can return to work, it’s so hard to know that the only thing holding you back from the one thing you really want to be able to do is yourself and yet you’re trapped by an illness that does it’s best to stop you achieving anything resembling a happy and healthy life.

Anyway, enough of that… tell me about your top sales purchases this year- or I suppose end of last year really!

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, recovery, shoes, shopping

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Rose(gold) Tinted

09th January 2017

Over the last couple of months three new pairs of ankle boots have somehow made it in to my posession. I say somehow, I do actually know how- of course I do but I am pretending to plead ignorance because I really had no need of even one pair, let alone three!

The rose gold pair in this post were a Christmas present and I just couldn’t resist them when I first saw them in River Island. Much like with my pewter pair I was attracted to how shiny they were. That and being a typical blogger and loving all things rose gold of course! I gave them their first outing paired with a floral dress I picked up in the M&S sale. It was so nice to mainly have money for Christmas and then to be able to indulge in some guilt free sales shopping for once, especially as my income is severely lacking whilst I am still signed off from work.

Dress: Marks and Spencer (similar) | Boots: River Island (available on ASOS)

I’ve been trying to make a bit more of an effort with how I dress lately. I spent a large part of last year living in the same pinafore dresses and black ankle boots and generally not feeling like myself. Thanks to some saving up and some sales shopping I’ve managed to make some modest additions to my wardrobe that are much more “me” and as shallow as it might sound I am feeling better for it.

This is probably the first January in a long time where I haven’t felt resigned to “January blues”. Things might not currently be how I want them- I’m not yet back at work, I’m fighting a huge mental battle with myself each and every day and it’s sometimes overwhelming just how many changes I need to make in my life. But I have hope, for the first time in a long time I have hope that things are going to change for the positive. I have goals and direction, tangible goals at that- not huge big dreams that would be near impossible to achieve.

The first step will be a second occupational health appointment this week after the first one turned out to be well, a disaster for various reasons. I’m hoping this will set the wheels in motion for getting back to work and from that the rest is bound to follow, slowly but surely. I know what I need to do and it’s just a case of working out how best to get it done now.

It’s not all sweetness and light. A year ago today I was in the midst of moving to my flat and starting what I thought would be my new forever and of course that does get me down at times but I’ve found now that I can brush it off, remind myself of the bigger picture and muddle through the days with a smile on my face for the most part.

How are you finding January so far? And on a sartorial note how would you style up the rose gold boots?

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, shoes, shopping

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Shut Up Now!

05th January 2017
I might come across as quite a mild-mannered, perhaps even polite person online but get to know me in person and you will soon discover that I have an intolerant side too- a highly sarcastic one at that. On paper that looks pretty bad but I promise it isn’t! Everything is said with a touch of humour and it’s saved only for those who properly know and understand how I work. What I’m trying to say here is that it was little wonder that I was attracted to this “shut up now” slogan jumper in the Monki sale (and it’s a pretty epic sale- I got the jumper, a dress and a cardigan for the grand sum of £32 out of my Christmas money!) as my nearest and dearest will hear this phrase fall from my mouth pretty often…meant in the nicest possible way of course!

Jumper: Monki | Denim Dress: Primark (similar) | Boots: New Look (now only £13!) | Backpack: River Island (alternative)

You could (and I choose to) take the slogan as a bit of a positive affirmation too. A reminder to myself that I am no longer willing to listen to the gremlin that resides inside my head telling me I am not worthy of a happy and healthy life and that I am determined to silence it once and for all. January is the month where a huge number of people are embarking on weight loss plans and renewed promises to hit the gym and give up sugar/fat/alcohol. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty hard to be around when you have an eating disorder and are essentially trying to do the exact opposite. I do sometimes feel like shouting “shut up now” at the masses. But we are all on different journeys in life so I am trying my best just to block it all out.

Which shops have impressed you most with their sales this season? Obviously for me it’s Monki for the most part but I also snapped up some brilliant bits in Zara, M&S and Office too.

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, life, life stuff, shopping

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