Monday 29 July 2013

WORK DRINKS

 
 VEST - ZARA, NECKLACE - TOPSHOP, JEGGINGS - RIVER ISLAND,
SHOES - TOPSHOP, BAG - PRIMARK

On Sunday night my work colleagues and I had a lock-in/staff drinks in the bar we work in, and it's a fair statement to say that it got kinda weird (in the best way). I was expecting a chilled out couple of drinks and a fun night getting to know everyone. While it was SO much fun, there was nothing chilled out about it. There were WKD strawpedo's (yeah, I know), which I couldn't bare to finish because the taste alone gave me nightmarish flashbacks to getting drunk when I was 13. There was Avicii's 'Wake me up' played literally about 30 times, a song which I will now probably forever associate with last night. There was tea towel penis origami. I told you it got weird. I even attempted to teach my bosses wife how to twerk Miley Cyrus-style. If you are sitting there thinking 'Oh dear Lord', well - me too.
 
If it's not coming across, I want to make clear that last night was hilarious and the most fun I've had in a while. I already thought that everyone was so incredibly lovely and welcoming and kind before last night, but now I also know that they are all really fun, interesting and hilarious too. I still feel a bit like the newbie or the baby of the group but after last night's antics, I don't feel like so much of an outsider. As it happens, getting drunk as a skunk with your work colleagues is quite an effective bonding exercise.
 

Sunday 28 July 2013

JULY: I'M FEELING INSPIRED

Summer has well and truly arrived in the UK this month. To be honest I think the whole country had already come to terms with the idea that it might never come, and we all seemed pretty shocked at the sudden temperature rise. It's been pretty glorious weather, meaning that we can now finally fully embrace some summer style. This is a bit of a tricky task for me, because I'm rarely seen without my leather biker jacket or chunky black boots. However, because it's been SOooo hot, I've had no choice but to ditch the leather and embrace some more summery attire. I'm wearing plenty of maxi and midi skirts and dresses (I'm not brave enough to get my bare legs out), swapping the leather jacket for denim, and boots for sandals. 
 
 
 

Sunday 21 July 2013

#CANDIDLYNICOLE


 
 
Nicole Richie is one of my many style muses. If, like me, you are a fan of both her effortlessly cool style and her witty and outspoken personality, then perhaps getting into Nicole's new(ish) mini reality series may be for you. I picked the two episodes above in particular because of my love for both Nicole's and younger sister Sofia's outfits. Each week shows some of the weird and wild things that Nicole gets up to while always being hilarious and looking amazing. XOXO

Monday 15 July 2013

FABULOUS MAGAZINE!

The past week has been a bit of an exciting adventure for me, as I've spent the last week doing work experience at Fabulous magazine! I still can't really believe it.
 
OUTFIT 1/.
TEE - ZARA, JEANS - RIVER ISLAND, SANDALS - NEW LOOK, BAG - MARC B @ TOPSHOP
 
I was pretty nervous on Monday morning, but that quickly went away after being introduced to Mira, the stylist for the magazine, and the other two work experience girls, including the super lovely Elizabeth of The Little Box of Style (check it out!). It was really nice to share the experience and the work load with these two really nice people. 
 
 
OUTFIT 2/.
DRESS, BELT, SHOES, BAG, NECKLACE - ALL TOPSHOP

We quickly got stuck into the immense and never-ending task of somehow organising the fashion cupboard, something that became increasingly more challenging and stressful as the week went on. It was a mission which eventually we had to admit defeat to, what with the endless bags of clothes being sent into the magazine, being edited and then being sent back.

OUTFIT 3/.
TOP - FRENCH CONNECTION, SKIRT - ASOS, SHOES - TOPSHOP, BELT - ASOS
 
The whole fashion team were so wonderful and kind and made me feel so much more relaxed and welcomed. There were no Wilhelmina Slaters or Miranda Priestlys to be seen, thank God! The wonderful and warm Tracey (Fashion Director) gave me some advice, saying that it's tough on busy weeks like last week, but it's the stressful and sometimes boring work like clearing the fashion cupboard that really tests whether you want to be in this industry or not. At times it was hard and tiring work, but I was just so happy to be there and was happy to do any work at all. Plus, one of the fun parts of sorting through all these piles of clothes, was getting a good look at some of the gorgeous A/W 2013 clothes. I've got a couple of items saved in my memory.
 
 OUTFIT 4/.
JACKET - ASOS, TEE - TOPSHOP, NECKLACE - RIVER ISLAND, JEANS - AMERICAN APPAREL, SHOES - TOPSHOP
 
Thursday was probably the most exciting and fun day from the week. Myself and Elizabeth were asked to assist at a photoshoot for the Shopping Issue, showing a look at some of the big A/W trends. Having no expectations of the week, I was so unbelievably thankful that I was going to get to be involved in a photoshoot! The day involved unpacking the suitcases of outfits and hanging everything up, steaming the clothes (thankfully I have some prior experience of this) and dressing and undressing the models between each shoot. A particularly distinctive memory from the week was during Thursday's shoot, when everyone sat around a table just eating pizza like 'sure, this is normal'. It was one of the those surreal moments when I was able to stop for a second and realise how lucky I was to be there. Everyone, from the hairstylist to the models, was SO nice. I cannot say enough how nice everyone was.
  
OUTFIT 5/.
JACKET - ASOS, TOP - TOPSHOP, JEANS - RIVER ISLAND, SHOES - TOPSHOP
 
Come Friday, I was so incredibly tired and my body ached all over, but still I was so sad that my week was over. I gained so much experience, from sending returns to PR companies and typing credits from Thursday's photoshoot, to dressing models. I met some lovely people, gained so much experience and I am so grateful and appreciative of my time there. Now I'm just super eager to apply for more magazines and more experience! XOXO

Sunday 7 July 2013

BLACKOUT


Here is just some pretty simple and understated nail art that I've been sporting recently. Since starting my new job I've had to keep my nails shorter and keep clear from the nail art for a bit. The fact is that working in a pub means being in a very masculine and male dominated place and as sometimes the only female there, I wanted to be taken seriously. But I couldn't keep away forever. I felt this simple design was subtle enough that I wasn't going to get picked up on it or stand out. I think they are a good way to do nail art for work or school without drawing too much attention.
 
To create these nails, I first applied two coats of nude nail varnish to the nails. Then I used the brush part of a black nail art pen to draw a large 'X' on each nail and then filled each nail in with both black nail varnish and the nail art pen leaving the nude triangle at the bottom. And that's it! Not many steps and super easy. XOXO