HAUL | ASOS, TOPSHOP, PRIMARK & H&M

Autumn/Winter is on the horizon [thank tha lawd] and if that's not an excuse to go out and buy new clothes, I don't know what is. I will confess this splurge did happen over the course of 2 days, which is a little excessive but hey, shit happens. 

TOPSHOP Faux Fur Gilet - £65 - buy here

I'm gunna buck the trend and start with the piece de resistance.
I can swoon over faux fur gilets all I want for A/W but realistically when British winters mainly consist of rain they aren't the most practical of pieces to have in your closet [unless you can rock the drowned cat look]. However...there was no damn way I was walking away without this gilet. You guys know I am a black, maybe white, khaki at a push colour pallet kind of gal but I am literally obsessed with the colours of this piece. It breaks up an all black outfit which we all know is my second skin, it's warm and a statement element. What more could you ask for?

TOPSHOP wide leg cropped trousers - £30 - buy here

I've wanted a pair of culottes for ages now. All the coolest kids have been rockin' them forever but considering I have a fat ass/hips for days/let's not get started on my thighs I've been a little hesitant. However, these wide leg-high waist-cropped numbers from Tops are the answer. They're the perfect cinch in at the waist, flattering pants. I'm kind of sick of jeans [yup, we never thought we'd hear the day] and I want to implement for a tailored/clean vibe to my wardrobe, so these are kind of a staple piece in my wardrobe right now.

ASOS RELISH cut out boots - £45 - buy here

Let's be real, shoe-gasms' are a thing and these are the main reason for them. I've recently rekindled my love for ASOS and these bad boys seem to be the main reason. I've been after the perfect pair of pointed toe boots that don't make my legs look huge [girls, we all know it's a real problem] and it seemed ACNE was the only answer. Enter ASOS. They're my obsession and I didn't take them off for the first three days after they arrived. Soz not soz.

 TOPSHOP denim shorts - £10.00 [sale] - *found in store* 
I saw Kylie Jenner in these [here] and when I saw these in Tops Ox Street I decided despite lacking KJ's insane bod I'd try them. Honestly, long denim shorts are the way forward. I have real bad cellulite at the top of my thighs and I'm not a booty-hanging-out-shorts kind of girl, so denim shorts rarely ever feature in my wardrobe. These are literally a life changer. They cover all the areas I don't want on show, they're high waisted and just so damn practical for real life. Also, I took them to the till thinking they were £30 and they'd gone down to £10, bonus. 

ASOS longline split front cami - £8.00 [sale] - buy here

I saw Sammi [BeautyCrush] feature this split front cami, either in a haul or a look book and couldn't resist. Luckily by the time I went to buy it, it'd gone down in the sale and has now gone down even further if you lucky people wanna get your paws on it. It's a great piece to add different lengths into a look, as well as detail with the split front. It's also an ace piece to have to transition from day to night [my next post will feature it styled].

NIKE JUVENATE - £72 - buy here

I won't lie, these are my first pair of NIKES and there's a reason behind it. I'm a big admirer or kicks, in-fact I spent most of my sixteenth year of life stressing out because I couldn't afford a pair of Jordans. I think girls in sports clothing [of any kind] is the coolest and let's be real, it's comfortable. I'm forever shoving my feet into uncomfortable shoes in the name of fashion but now I've got these babies to run and leap while I shop and also for when I haul my fat ass to the gym.

TOPSHOP ribbed cut out crop top - £18 - buy here

Not gunna write an essay for this one. Simple black crop-top, great to pair with high waist stuff during the day, transitional for night outs and a lil bit different with the cut out detail.

TOPSHOP crop striped green tee - £20 - *can't find it online, sorry!*
Least flattering pic evz and sorry my boobs are right there in your face. Again, there's not much to say about this top. I'm loving all shades of green at the mo and I saw this on Lou Teasdale and she just looked really cool so I was sold. 

TOPSHOP knitted tank - £14 - buy here

Another basic to throw on and go!

ASOS Alice Ankle Boot - £14.00 [sale] - buy here

Yassssss another pair of shoes. The justification for these is that I work in fashion so I'm always on my feet, running around doing stuff and I needed something cool but comfy. Enter these shoes, the platform gives me a lil bit of heigh, the buckles add that grunge vibe we know I love but at the heart these are just comfy and for £14 you can't argue really.

 H&M Selfridges - £39.99 - buy here

I'm not an enormous H&M ambassador considering you have to size up at least 4 times to even get your arm into one of their pieces but as soon as I saw this suede shirt I let it all go. It looks great buttoned up, unbuttoned, with a skirt, as a shirt-dress, it's not black and it's the softest shirt ever...that pretty much covers it!

PRIMARK - £10.00 - *instore*
You guys lit have no idea how long I've wanted this bag and now it's finally mine. I am the worst human for shoving things in my pocket, I'm talking bank card, phone, money shoved in various pockets on my body. I hate carrying big bags and small bags annoy me because I can't fit all my snacks in there [I didn't even write that for humorous purposes, I need room for my snacks]. This bag is the perfect size, I can sling it over my shoulder and continue on my way.

I hope you enjoyed this haul guys, I wanted to make it more chatty as my OOTD posts have become less conversational and more minimalistic. I'm super glad to be back, I've got some really exciting posts coming your way. Thanks for sticking around.
See ya on Friday.
G 

The #SLBloggerBash

I'd like to start this post with a little thank-you to Scarlett London herself. I've honestly been reading her blog for years, I remember when I first started up my blog I DM'd her for some advice and she was so helpful and encouraging. Fast-forward to 2015 and I finally got to meet her in the flesh. Just as I expected, she was so damn lovely, beautiful and welcoming. Huge shoutout to Scarlett for inviting me! 

Onto some snaps of the day. 

Alex and I having a whirl at the ModernRugs grass-bowling, winning some gorgeous floral headbands, which are perfect for festival season!

Blogging is a really strange world. A lot of people outside of it, don't really understand it and it's exhausting to explain, but those inside are all a tight knit community. It's crazy how many bloggers there are and how many blogs I personally read, but sometimes it can feel like a really lonely thing, especially if you're not surrounded by people in that world. 

Blogger Events are such an amazing idea. It's so cool to be surrounded by people that are in a similar mind set to you. It never fails to surprise me how kind complete strangers can be. It's also pretty weird when you meet someone who you've been staring at through a computer screen for ages. I've come away from the event so inspired and motivated - I think sometimes you need to be around other bloggers to bounce ideas off of or get some inspiration, it's brilliant seeing the diversity and creativity all under one roof.

ALSO I took a disposable camera, so I'm waiting to get that developed because I have some lovely snaps of myself, Scarlett and Alex. 

I want to say a huge thank-you to Alex, my wing girl [follow her INSTA]. Equally as fashion obsessed and crazy as me, we had such a laugh - even if we were hobbling down Oxford Street with extremely painful feet...all in the name of fashion right? I really needed a day full of laughs and craziness and Alex definitely brought that.

Ere's us [post-event] in the Topshop photobooth

 [very confused in the first set when the flash went off with no warning, totally ready in the second set, kinda]

Thank-you to Scarlett, SearchLaboratory and everyone else involved. 

T H E - C L O S E T - C O N F I D E N T I A L - T A G

Before we get into this, let's take a moment to talk about my gal Lola [who tagged me to do this]. Not only is she the loveliest girl you'll ever speak to, she's got THE coolest style. Kanye you've got serious competition from this lil honey. If you haven't seen her blog, go...run...now
>  IXMLOLA.com 

Today, we're doing a clothing Q & A, so if you're nosy to have a little peek into my closet, hang around! 

THE OLDEST ITEM IN YOUR WARDROBE 

BY far the oldest and most expensive item in my wardrobe, a vintage Versus Versace dress. I've not actually worn this, unless you count prancing round to 90s music pretending I'm Kate Moss, but I'm saving it for when I'm the girlfriend to a famous rockstar and so I can wear it with Doc Marten's at their headline gig at Glastonbury. Yeah, I've thought about it don't worry.

THE NEWEST ITEM[S] IN YOUR WARDROBE? 

I actually brought these two pieces quite a while ago but they've not seen the light of day on my blog, so let's chat about them. I really want to incorporate a little 70s into my look but it's proving harder than expected. I love my denim pinafore from Topshop that I got in the sale last year and this summer, I think it's going to be a love affair with this tan number. I also nabbed this turtle neck horizonal striped crop-top to either wear underneath the pinafore until it gets a little warmer or with MOM jeans, of course. 

pinafore - BUY HERE | crop top - BUY HERE

THE BIGGEST BARGAIN

NOTTING Hill is to thank for this next item. [note to self, you'll always find the best bits in charity shops in the richer areas of London]. The Cancer Research shop just off of Portobello had so many Urban Outfitters/Urban Renewal pieces for under £10 and I would've gone crazy if I had a little more $$ in the bank. I managed to snap up this crop-top for just £6 and I can't stop wearing it [OOTD coming soon]. I feel like you guys are gunna see this piece a lot this summer. 

 THE CHEAPEST/MOST AFFORDABLE ITEM THAT I WEAR/USE A LOT 

I didn't quite realise just how much TOPSHOP there was going to be in this tag & it's purely coincidental but honestly, I've found their basics to be the best. Yeah you can go to Primark and pick up basics for a couple of ££ but they just don't last, to be fair I'm not saying these will go on for years and years, but they do last a heck of a lot better than other basics I've tried. 

v-neck vest BUY HERE | ribbed crop cami BUY HERE | strappy cami BUY HERE | 

cold shoulder ribbed top BUY HERE

THE BIGGEST WASTE OF MONEY? 

HONESTLY *impulse buy* doesn't even sum this up, because I love this dress so damn much and I'm hoping what with current trends - summer 2015 will be the season for this Kate Moss collection dress [even if we are a year late]. I just haven't had the right opportunity to wear this, I want to either wear it on a night out somewhere cool [not my local dodgy bars] or at a festival with Doc's and a sh*t tone of tribal jewellery. Was it worth the money, probably not, but I'm such a snob I'm glad I managed to nab something from the collection. 

- 3 FAVOURITE ITEMS? - 

 BUY HERE
NO explanation needed really, this bomber jacket is like a second skin to me. Probably the best item of clothing I brought all of 2014 I will wear this until the sleeves fall off, even then, I'll wear it.

*SALE* SOLD OUT

I pretty much wear these shoes 24/7 regardless of whether I'm at work or heading on a night out - they're the best. I'm kinda annoyed I didn't pick up a second pair cause they were only £20 in the sale and I'll be gutted when these babies die. They're just the perfect boot to toughen up an outfit without enduring the pain my Doc's cause on every outing. 

BUY HERE
I'VE been after a pair proper blue vintage looking MOM jeans and I managed to nab this pair in my local Topshop, they were the last pair so it must've been fate. Similarly to the bomber jacket, it's rare you'll see me in anything but these bad boys. 

I really enjoyed doing this post, so much so I think I'll do this every now and then as my wardrobe changes and evolves. Like a monthly favourites but a less-regular-monthly-favourites-for-clothes-not-beauty-cause-I-suck-at-make-up.

Thanks to Lola for tagging me. There's no doubt you'll see us in another collab soon!

the smoke is in your eyes, you look so alive

I'll tell you this, I nearly shaved my head after these photos...MY HAIR IS DRIVING ME INSANE. Not long till payday and bu-bye messy mop, 'ello boy hair. 

Anyway, if there's one thing I've mastered in my 18 [nearly 19, eek] years of life, it's how to get away with wearing jeans to everything and anything. BUT for some mad reason, England is on a mad one with the sunny weather at the mo' and I've had to put down the mom jeans and opt for something that won't leave me a sweaty mess, mmm cute. 

Let's be honest, you're never going to see me in a frilly, floral summer dress; so in my opinion this is the next best thing. I'm a massive lover of guys wearing black skinny jeans, a white tee and leather jacket; Matty Healy I'm looking at you and as we all know, I base a lot of my looks on guys; so here's my adaptation of that. 

I've been eyeing this Topman oversized T for quite a while now, obviously, on guys its meant to have that street style look paired with jeans [think Proudlock off MIC] but on me it doubles up as the perfect t-shirt dress. I love the slouchy vibe, it looks ace with a plaid shirt tied around the waist, or teamed with Vans - it's just one of those pieces that looks really laid back on its own, or can be layered with lots of other pieces. 

A leather jacket obviously had to be teamed with this white number. 

Oh baby, baby, lets just look at these Zara boots shall we? They're just so cool. 

For a night-time outfit, I think this is quite laid back but the boots just bring a funky little vibe to it. Yes, I did just say funky...I am 18, I promise. They're perfect for a night out, not a far stray away from my heeled Chelsea boots [aka the boots that I've worn into the ground on every night out, house party etc you get my drift] but the cut outs just give 'em the 'double take' factor. Although these babies were insanely pricey and are real leather, I can't wait to get them all tatty 'cause at the mo, they just look too new. 

Oh & lets not forget the electric blue Zara bag shall we? Monochrome throughout, in my opinion this outfit needed a little pop of colour, it is summer after all and there's no better way to do it than with this bag. Plus, if you're heading to a house party it fits a heck of a lot in it, I'm talking alcohol, plasters for the inevitable injuries and snacks as my friend always reminds me is an important factor that shouldn't be forgotten.

All in all, this is the kind of outfit I'd wear on nights out at bars, it's laid back and my style to a tea but still a little edgier than what I'd wear during the day. 

LEATHER JACKET // H&M 

OVERSIZED WHITE T // TOPMAN

LEATHER BOOTS // ZARA 

ELECTRIC BLUE BAG // ZARA