A Piin - teresting post!

I know I haven't posted in a very, very long time... But what better reason to post again than my very first ever product that has been sent to me to review! One of my blogger friend's alex (at http://www.champagneandlemonadeox.co.uk) put me in touch with the lovely Clare of Piin London.

Piin is a new product designed primarily to hold blouses or shirts together at the front where they usually gape, but in a creative and cute way. However, they are also great for using in other ways too as I discovered! 

There are a few different designs currently available including roses, pearls, daisies, stars and many others. I chose to review the clear crystal Piin as I thought it would be a great accessory to any outfit and as it is clear it will go with anything! You can use the Piin's to customise your outfits really easily and It's a fun way to change up clothes you're bored of as well as being used in a practical way to hold things together. 

The packaging they arrived in was super cute! It had ideas of how to use the Piin and also a little safety warning that has to be included (by law I assume) but was presented in a fun way! Over the last week I've found a few different ways to use the Piin as shown above in my pictures. 

My favourite way to use my clear crystal Piin is to use it instead of the top button of my shirt. As you may know from looking at my previous blog posts, I am a shirt fanatic and most of my wardrobe consists of shirts and knitwear, so the Piin gives me a way to keep my shirt addiction fresh! 

SO girls... Head over to http://piin.london to check Clare and her fantastic products out! There's a fab offer on at the moment where you get 15% off by simply following her social media accounts.. definitely worth a go! 

My favourite is the twitter for Piin (found at https://twitter.com/clareinvents). 

Christmas Time

Manchester Christmas Markets // 2014

First Christmas post of the year! Here is a collection of the first Christmassy things I've done. Being a student in Manchester is AMAZING at Christmas because the markets every year are fab and such a nice thing to do to get you in the spirit. I haven't actually been on the wheel but doesn't it look cute on a photo! I had some mulled wine to warm up and sat watching the world go by. 

I made the little gingerbread decorations for my new flat. They came in a pack from Tesco for £1.50 - bargain! They would make a cute little present as well I think! The other decorations aren't home made but my mum bought them for me when I went home this week. She put them in a little Christmas box with some lindt chocolate (my fave!) as well. So my flat now has some little touches of Christmas :) 

My New Girlfriend, Zara

Wool Coat // Zara //£79.99

Slouchy Tee // Zara // £12.99

Tube Neck Sweatshirt // Zara // £19.99

I have re discovered my love for Zara. I go through phases and I generally think they are better at winter than Summer. I've been in loads recently and found things I like/want/need every time. I am really loving the way they are making their garments more catwalk - alike, a bit more daring than most retailers like New Look, H&M etc. 

A great example of this in my opinion especially is both the coat and jumper above. The coat is a really heavy wool blend with deep hidden pockets and the large, full hood that sits on the shoulder almost like a roll neck. I've not had it a week yet and I've already worn it a few times. It goes over pretty much any outfit and is not only warm but looks amazing! The jumper - although fairly plain and simple - is set off by the neckline, dropped shoulder and seams on the body. The neck is almost a polo neck but has been cut off so there is no hem. The sweatshirt fabric is cosy and solo soft inside (until I wash it no doubt) and for £19.99 I thought this was very reasonable of Zara! I have a few other similar sweatshirts from Zara and they were both £26.99. 

I added in the slouchy tee just because I bought it at the same time and it seems to be a staple item for the winter. I bought a Large and I'm only a size 8 but it fits like an oversized tee which I'm really into. It's a soft cotton and you can easily jazz it up with some jewellery and an eye catching bag. 

Ball and Chain

Black Cut Out Boots // Ark // £17 Sale

Ball and Chain. Sometimes this is how i see fashion and shopping. DO NOT get me wrong fashion is probably the biggest part of my life and yes, i love it and could not live without it. However, when you're living on a limited budget and every spare moment I have I'm either popping to the shops or searching the internet for my next purchase it becomes an issue. I think I am definitely verging on an addiction (yes this is possible). I'm not stupid enough to get myself in a load of debt or buy things that are completely out of my league (no matter how tempting a Burberry trench or Prada handbag are) but every spare bit of cash I have I always spend on clothes, beauty or accessories. 

Anyway back on track to what I am posting about. The link between the whole 'ball and chain' reference is obviously the chain on my new shiny pair of boots! These super comfy chunky heels with cut outs and a chain are from Ark and were reduced to £17 from £30 in the sale! What a bargain! I'm not usually keen on chunky chains but because of the dull silver colour I actually like these. The chain adds to the boot and makes them slightly more eye catching but isn't too in your face. 

Head over to the Ark website to grab yourself a cheeky pair of new boots. Can't wait to wear them tomorrow!

New Home

A not so fashion related post but here we go...

Over the last few weeks i've been moving into my very own (rented but still I like to think it's mine) new flat!! Exciting times! It's in Manchester where I'm studying and it's a quirky little basement flat with one HUGE bedroom, a nice bathroom and kitchen and a really big lounge/dining room. I'm still working on it and it was already part furnished and being a student means I don't have an overload of cash to buy pretty vintage furniture, but I think i've made it my own with what I do have! 

I like to think I'm the greatest bargain hunter ever. I can usually find home furnishings that look good for a cheap price. A lot of the things in the pictures are IKEA and I'm not even ashamed to admit that because if you pick and choose from there and put it with other (nicer) things I think you can get away with the flat packed delights! 

I'm going mainly for a black/white/grey theme to keep it simple and chic, obviously with hints of colour in things like fairy lights, bunting, candles etc. So far I've even sorted it all out myself. Hung all my own pictures and mirrors, set up the internet and TV and other the other bits and bobs which I'm very proud of! Not so much of a daddy's girl any more.. more of an independent young woman haha. 

Anyway I'll probably post more about my flat as I gradually get it looking perfect! 

Coat Updates

Mint Boyfriend Coat // £50 // Bank

Fur Lined Biker Jacket // £80 // River Island 

One of my very first posts was about coats and here we are again at that time of year! For some reason this winter I have a bit of an addiction to coats and every time I go shopping I see one I want! I must admit Primark have stepped up their coat game and have had loads in recently that are spot on, however they have always sold out of small sizes so I haven't managed to grab myself a bargain unfortunately but I will keep looking every time I go in! 

These are my first two coat purchases this year. The pictures of the boyfriend coat don't really do it justice. Its a really lovely fresh colour and it's made from wool so has a nice texture to it. It fits over anything and makes any outfit a bit more jazzy! It was a brave purchase for me because I usually play safe with black or grey but I'm so glad I bought it now and I've worn it loads already! 

I've wanted a waxed Barbour for the last few years but never justified the money or found one I really want. Spotted this biker jacket in River Island and thought it was kind of similar to a waxed style jacket with the pockets and belt. It's made from a matte finish leather and the sleeves are fabric so it look really smart. I love the cream fur as well as it gives it a bit of a shearling type look. It covers my bum and is really warm and snug and I'm sure will be an amazing winter purchase! 

Both of these are still available on the websites so get yours before they go. 

best beauty buys

YSL Touche Eclat // £25 // Boots

Clinique Even Better Foundation // £24.50 // Boots

Collection 2000 Extreme Eyeliner // £2.99 // Boots

Heading away from fashion a bit recently and going towards a beauty / lifestyle blog as well as the fashion stuff. Makes it a bit more varied and gives me more to post about! So here is just a few of my best beauty buys...

 I recently invested in the YSL Touche Eclat highlighter pen and it was one of the best beauty investments I have made in a while. Although it is VERY expensive for a small tube of what would seem like a skin coloured liquid it is worth every penny. (I have quoted boots but shop around as I found mine much cheaper!) I use it as both a concealer and a highlighter for under my eyes as it works both ways!

I have been using Clinique Even Better foundation for a while now. I must admit (slightly shamefully) that I haven't really shopped around or tried any other brands for foundation. I used to just use cheap ones like Maybelline but I have always had skin problems with acne and lots of imperfections so I think investing in a decent foundation is pretty key for a great complexion. I've been happy with Clinique so haven't felt the need to try any others although one day I might go and get some advice from different beauty counters and see if there's any I might prefer. £24.50 is a mid-range price which also draws me to stay with Clinique as I know that a lot of the other recommended good brands such as Chanel or YSL the prices shoots up a fair amount which stings a bit!

Finally, the Collection 2000 Extreme Black Felt Tip Liner. This is something I am over the moon about finding! I have ALWAYS struggled with finding an eyeliner that suits me. I tried lots of pencil eyeliners but they always seem to smudge during the day and don't stay true black. I moved on to liquid liner which I find hard to put on and also found most of them cracked and flaked off throughout the day which looks worse than pencil! After a while I only used eyeliner when I was going out somewhere nice or into town and just left my daytime look more natural with just mascara... however... when i found this felt tip liner it was like eyeliner heaven! It is solo easy to apply and it stays on all day with no fading or smudging! It is really easy to get a natural line or the day time and can be thickened up for a heavier evening look. It rubs off easy with a makeup wipe so no sore eyes at the end of the night as well. My ONLY draw back on it is that it runs out moderately quickly and I have to replace it probably every few weeks. I don't really mind though because it's pretty cheap as well!