Little Blue Dress- Chung Style

I like to think that having a few 'Little Dresses' that never fail to make you feel a million bucks will set you up for most occasions that life will throw at you....Little Black Dresses are perfect for any occasion, particularly for a special evening.... A Little White Dress for elegant summer days...And finally I have found a new addition to my reliable collection, The Little Blue Dress. After seeing the Alexa Chung for AG Jeans collection I absolutely loved the blue denim dresses that are featured. However, for my tight purse strings an ACxAG dress was always set to remain a dream. 

(Images from www.net-a-porter.com)

I then found this blue chambray oversized dress for £6 in a charity shop. I always think of chambray as a lighter alternative to denim, it's a lighter material and better suited to the Spring (yes, I'm already counting down the days 'til Spring!) I altered this dress to suit my shape a little more as when I originally bought it was near ankle length and very oversized which I personally find to be a bit swamping. I did the alterations by taking it in a few inches at the sides on the sewing machine and then hemming it to a mini length. I think this item mirrors 'The Julie' by Chung with the sweet pintucked detailing to the front and back which adds a bit more interest to a simple button down. 

(Sorry for the poor quality images here, dark rainy days and no laptop at the moment! The iPhone has had to suffice here) 

The Best Of... Suede Skirts

I’ve been absolutely loving the 70s accents in collections for the upcoming season and at the moment a gorgeous suede skirt is at the top of my list.

ASOS has the best selection in loads of colours- I want them all! They have versions in an A-line style or a mini style- the only problem is deciding on which one you want! A-line zip up is £65, Mini is £50.

MINKPINK has a dark brown patchwork option, £45.

TOPSHOP is vibing the 70s with this button down number; it’s toned down a little by the colour making it very versatile, £75.

H&M has this faux suede, faux leather combination skirt if you would rather not go all out; it’s the most affordable out of these options at just £14.99.

How are you styling the 70s this Spring?

Winter Skincare

I’ve never been huge on skincare but now that I’ve turned 22 I’ve decided that you can never be too soon in beginning to care for your skin and preventing wrinkles, particularly during the winter months.

I’ve been using a Nivea moisturiser for a while now and it really makes a difference to dryness, I tend to have fairly oily skin with a few dry patches and this solves everything without making my face extra shiny. I’ve combined this with a Vitamin E oil from Superdrug which I put over particularly dry areas which really does work miracles and brighten the skin. This year I've also decided to banish the face wipes in favour of this Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water which was everywhere last year. It's really light on the skin and you don't need to scrub at your skin to get rid of stubborn eyeliner. 

I’m also thinking of investing in a good eye cream or serum to add to my skincare routine- so if you have any suggestions please let me know!

Hand cream is also a big one and I’ve been trying to make a habit of putting it on, especially during the winter. This Palmer's cocoa butter hand and foot cream is great for elbows and knees too. It’s really thick and so is long lasting on the skin and relieves any dryness.

I also suffer from chapped lips in the cold and love to wear lipstick so this can be a real problem. I got given this Santa lip scrub from Lush for Christmas and aside from tasting amazing it helps buff away chapped skin. I also got this Queen Bee honey flavoured Vaseline which smells great and I LOVE the gold stripey tin. 

Top Sales Picks

As we near the end of January the sales are for the most part over and so I thought a top sales picks round up was in order. Although, there are further reductions in most stores so you might be able to snap up even more bargains in the coming weeks.

My best advice for bargain hunting is to go out with an idea in mind of what you want to find, this avoids impulse buys when you are faced with hundreds of items on the rails (or webpage). Try and think about things that you have loved in store that were a little too pricey at the time, or things that you genuinely need in your wardrobe or basics that could do with replacing.

My favourite items that I picked in the sales are as follows:

TOPSHOP

Topshop ended up being the best store for sales this year. I had my eye on this black velvet jumpsuit before it went into the sale so at just £20 it went straight into my basket!

This berry coloured teddy nightie was something that I hadn’t spotted before. It’s got some gorgeous lace detailing and a lovely low back in a woven material that’s perfect for sleeping in. It’s a great replacement for constantly sleeping in my boyfriend’s PJ bottoms and old uni tshirts.

I also ordered a simple black bikini which I need for my holiday next month which I can mix and match with other items. (I’m still trying to build up a new collection of bikinis after leaving them in a hotel room a couple of years ago! Always check your drawers before leaving the hotel, guys).

ASOS

I ordered these Ridley skinny jeans with a ripped knee as I’d been looking for some ripped knee jeans for a while and these went down to £16. The only problem with these was that after I wore them a few times, they were a bit baggier and I should have sized down which is what I would recommend with these jeans.

KURT GEIGER

These were some of my pricier buys but they are great quality and I needed both black boots and black flats after mine had started falling apart.

I got these Slice boots that I had been admiring for a while which were down to £69.99 from £150. They are gorgeously soft leather and are worth every penny for the quality.

These flats were down to £25 from £50, they’re a great shape and the patent finish adds a little more interest to the shoes.

Those are my main sale picks- have you found any gems in the sales? 

Tartan for Christmas

I'm back home for the holidays and whilst here had my usual snoop round the charity shops to see if I could pick anything up for the party season (all my sparkles and winter clothing is still in storage since leaving uni, boo). When I was browsing I saw this gorgeous cream and red tartan peeking out at me on a rail, I pulled on the skirt and realised it was ankle length and a fair few sizes too large. However because of the amazing quality of the wool and the shape it was easy to take in the sides and make into a shorter length on the sewing machine, this was just £3 and I'm going to use the extra material to make a cushion cover for when Becky and I move into our new home in a few months time.

I was particularly thrilled with this tartan pattern because I've always loved F.R.I.E.N.D.S and particularly some of the looks Rachel is seen wearing in the first couple of seasons (first aired in the early 90s). I've always wanted to recreate this tartan skirt look with a cream and red patterned skirt and this skirt is just the ticket! 

I also paired the skirt with this cream velvety top with a flattering sweetheart neckline (also a vintage find- St. Michel) which I also found on my trip to the charity shop for just £1. What did you wear this Christmas? 

On Point

Despite my many posts on charity shopping, I will happily splash the cash on high quality and long lasting footwear (after the sole of a boot fell off whilst I was scaling a wire fence in Berlin last year and I had to hobble back to the train station in the rain). I always gravitate towards black shoes and so I will always make sure I have a nice pair of leather low heel boots, leather heeled boots and leather flats in black. It's come to a time where I need to spend some dollar on a nice pair of new flats.

This season I am in love with the pointy loafers that have graced many a catwalk. Reminiscent of mens winkle picker style shoes, the pointed loafer offers a durable winter shoe and adds a bit of edge to any outfit. My favourites are as follows...

Phillip Lim 

Proenza Schouler

Ivanka Trump

Acne

H&M

River Island

That's my round up of my favourites, (I tried to add a smattering of non-black shoes to the equation), I personally adore the Acne suede loafers- with just a hint of a heel and almost completely enclosed upper these are perfect for the winter, the $500 price tag is a bit of a down side though... 

Proenza Schouler was my absolute favourite label when I was about seventeen or eighteen and I used to borrow inspiration from their clothes all the time. A few years later and I am still enamoured with their collections. Their ponyskin cross over shoes are gorgeous, and, although highly impractical for the puddle-ridden streets of England, would add some gorgeous texture to any outfit. 

Luckily there are some other less pricey options such as these River Island and H&M beauties. Although these shoes are likely to only last a season quality wise, they'll put you at the front of the fashion forward and are a great alternative to the classic pump. 

Charity Shop Finds IV

Yes, you guessed it; it’s another Charity Shop Finds post from me! The urge for bargain hunting remains strong as I try to seek out all of the bargains to be found on this island before heading back to the mainland (England) next week. This post features a few things I've found over the past few weeks…

This cute vintage button down dress was £4. It was originally a size 16, unflattering, above-ankle length dress so I whipped the sewing machine out and took in the sides and shortened it to a more flattering length. I absolutely love the print and the style of this dress (reminiscent of some of Motel’s recent cuts) - it will look great with some low denier tights and black boots. (Excuse the poor ironing). 

This silver engraved collar necklace was only £2 and has absolutely beautiful detailing which makes me think it’s probably vintage costume jewellery- perfect for minimal accessorising.

As we all know, winter is now fully on the way and making its presence loud and clear. Never one to shy away from knitwear (more like run round a shop with armfuls) I bought two quite similar high necked wool jumpers in a deep red and cream for £4 and £2. The red one will be great for December and cream really does go with anything so will come in handy for layering. I also got this grey silvery cropped eyelash jumper for £4 (originally from Miss Selfridge) which is on trend for some 90s glam and will be something a little different to my usual leather jacket cover up for evening drinks.

Other recent finds include a See by Chloe blouse £3, boucle pencil skirt £4, black work trousers £2, boxed Pretty Polly stockings £2 (so expensive normally and they ladder so easily!), gold plunge top £3, blue sparkly backless dress £3.