Christmas Party Shopping with McArthur Glen (the outfit)

03rd December 2014
Following on from last week’s post on my day spent shopping for the perfect party outfit with McArthur Glen in Swindon as promised here is the outfit reveal a breakdown of the bargain prices!
Dress: French Connection (£80 down from £250) | Bag: Fiorelli (£31 down from £49) | Shoes: Mary Portas for Clarks (£12 down from £79.99)
It was love at first sight when I saw this dress in French Connection. I’m a bit of magpie when it comes to finding party wear and although £80 is still more than I usually would spend on a dress, given it was originally over three times more than that it seemed a total bargain! Because of the combination of neutral colours it’s more versatile than it first appears and dressed up with different accessories I will be rolling this baby out for seasons to come.
On this occasion I had my heart set on metallic accessories. I’m not really a clutch bag kind of girl so finding this one in Fiorelli with it’s chain strap detailing and slightly bigger size was just perfect as it means it will get used outside of the occasional party. I’ve always had a soft spot for Fiorelli bags and with a whole shop full of their gorgeous designs at bargain prices at Swindon it was naturally the first place I headed on my hunt for the perfect partner for my dress.
Shoes were harder to source as there is just so much choice at Swindon and I didn’t know where to start. After a first scout around in shops like Kurt Geiger and L.K. Bennett it was upon a chance happening in Clarks where I found my perfect pair. They were marked up at £39.99 but when I went to pay the lady joyfully informed me they were only £12! I couldn’t believe my luck. It also meant I had the perfect excuse to visit the cosmetic company outlet and treat myself to an Estee Lauder gold eye palette to finish things off perfectly. I was going to go down the jewellery route as well, but in the end realised that such a dazzling dress really doesn’t need any…and I have a tendency to take it off and lose it half way through a party (after a glass of wine or two…)
Thanks to all of these bargains I even had enough left on my gift card to treat Mum to a couple of things, a thank you for being bag carrier and photographer for the day too…I even managed to bag myself an adorable jumper in Marks and Spencers too- perfect for post-party hangovers…
What do you think of my party look? I’ll be wearing this to my work Christmas party this weekend and can’t wait to show it off. It was brilliant to be able to splurge on brands normally out of my reach for the same price as typical highstreet brands- thank you McArthur Glen for having me, rest assured I’ll be back in time to get an outfit for my friend’s wedding in May!

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Magic and Sparkle with M&S

02nd December 2014
Have you seen the Marks and Spencer Christmas advert yet? You know, the one with the two fairies named Magic and Sparkle spreading good deeds around the country over the festive season. Last week I was invited to the M&S store at Cribbs Causeway, along with some other Bristol bloggers (plus my Mum and Best Friend) to enjoy a little Magic and Sparkle for ourselves…
We were treated to an evening of delights; some gorgeous Christmas decorations and gift ideas, a table full of delicious foods and beauty treats for all to enjoy as well as getting to feast our eyes on some of the most beautiful clothing collections that are in store now.
For me the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly discovering THE most brilliant hat of all time, in the form of the Christmas tree knit you can see above. At only £12 I think I’m going to have to cave in and buy this as I can roll it out year on year…
M&S have some truly lovely gifts in stock this year, they’ve been going from strength to strength each year with this one being perhaps it’s strongest yet. The clothing collections too are just so on point, walking through the store I saw oh so many pieces I really wanted to add to my wardrobe and the best of the bunch were hanging up on display for us bloggers to ogle.
A big thank you to Marks and Spencer for putting on a such a lovely event- it’s always a pleasure to catch up with some of my favourite blogging ladies and the Grayling PR girls are just the best.
Which fairy are you? I like to think of myself as a bit of Sparkle…

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Perfect Party Shoes from Rainbow Club

02nd December 2014
Ever found your perfect party dress and then struggled to find shoes that match? Well, I might have just found your solution….

I was recently introduced to Rainbow Club through a Bristol blogger event, they design, make and colour satin shoes (marketed mostly as wedding shoes, but they are just perfect for any event you can think of) and you have full control over how they look! I was given the chance to customise my own pair of shoes and decided to opt for a decidedly festive look as I’m in the full festive swing of things at the moment, prepare to be blown away!

I might not wear much red but I do have a weak spot for red shoes and teamed with Silver glitter I couldn’t think of anything more perfect for upcoming parties.

I must just gush about how beautifully made these shoes are, there’s not a piece of glitter out of place and the colour is wonderfully rich and even. Wether you’re getting married or getting ready to hit the dance floor I can’t recommend Rainbow Club enough for something truly unique and guaranteed to match your outfit! Stay tuned for these featuring in a not too distant outfit post, I just want to wear them with everything, for everything!

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A big old dress wish list from Joy!

01st December 2014
Just in case it had escaped your notice I am obsessed with Joy and their fabulous dresses so I was delighted when Riddle were able to team up with them to create some content. Here are my top ten dresses to see you through the festive season…which one is your favourite?

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Kick Start with IKRUSH

01st December 2014
Ah December, undoubtedly my favourite month of year despite the dodgy weather and darker days. I just love that the whole month is full of (mostly) good moods, festive spirit and bundles of fun. It’s become a tradition now that Mum and I book the first week of December off of work to finish up our shopping and get things organised before the madness of working the run up to Christmas in a Doctor’s Surgery really steps up a notch.

Jumper: Marks and Spencer | Skirt: New Look (tall) | Tights: Primark | Boots c/o Ikrush

My boots collection might be vast but I was lacking a black ankle pair that is suitable for every day wear. I really love this buckle detail boots from IKRUSH, they remind me a bit of the shoes I used to have for school as a child (the perils of having big, wide feet- no pretty dolly shoes for me!) and the way they sort of wrap over themselves gives a really unique touch. At under £20 these are an absolute bargain, true to size and so ridiculously comfortable, in short these are the boots my shoedrobe has been lacking for some time, ever since the unfortunate demise of my old faithful Chelsea boots from Yull. If these aren’t your cup of tea then IKRUSH have a really extensive collection of boots and shoes all at bargain prices. Go on, take a look…
Another thing I’m loving right now is this bunny jumper that I grabbed when I was at the Marks and Spencer outlet in Swindon the weekend before last. Needless to say it was a bargain price (£21 instead of £35) and no matter how much I should be saving money right now I couldn’t leave this behind. I’m a big old fan of the novelty knit and this is easing me in to Christmas jumper season perfectly. Sorry the images are so small, give them a click to open up the gallery and see them full sized.
Well, for the first day of my week off I actually have no plans- I might get myself really organised and get some cards written and presents wrapped…I think that’s organised- hands up who has already got all those bits done already?!

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Posted in life, outfits, shoes

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