'Trend' Thrift: Caviar Nails

I'm always on the hunt for the next nail trend, and went through a huge nail art phase last year where I couldn't stop adding patterns, designs and various embellishments to my fingertips! Lately, I have been sticking to good old colour blocking nail-wise (mainly due to a lack of time) with my favourite colours du jour, but the other day I spotted these in Primark and couldn't resist! I've heard a lot about nail caviar already as I'm sure you have, and I'm pretty sure it was beauty brand Ciaté that introduced it to the manicure world. It always seemed quite costly (Ciaté's caviar nail varnish and sets are retailing at between £14-£18 on ASOS currently), and I know other brands have interpreted it but it was still similarly priced all the same. That was until I stumbled across a bargain version in good old Primark - with a £2.50 price tag! There was no excuse not to give it a go with that price sticker on it, and I ended up buying two sets as I couldn't decide on one! There was one more colour that I didn't buy which was a silver polish with pink and silver metallic beads, but I ended up with a pearlised white varnish with white beads, and a hot pink varnish with turquoise, pink and various multi-coloured beads! 

They come fully equipped with varnish, beads, funnel and plastic tray in order to get the look, and the idea is to choose which nail(s) you would like your caviar on and paint them with a couple of coats, but before the second one is dry pour the beads on when hovering over the tray so they simply stick to the wet polish. This is kind of messy so I'd advise doing it on a flat surface! I kind of felt like a kid in a primary school art lesson, but it's quite fun! You then simply put the funnel back in the bead pot, and pour your excess beads back in so you don't waste any.

The nail varnish itself won't be winning any awards any time soon, but it could've been worse. It was quite gloopy and I often find it's hard to make metallics look attractive anyway, so that didn't help! It also took way too long to dry in my opinion - give me Barry M anyday! Of course you can match the beads with whatever colours you would like, and I was thinking a nice on-trend pastel pink (or any pastel) would look really good with these pearly beads. It came out better than I thought it would to be honest, but having had them on for a short while, they're falling off when I do anything remotely vigorous which isn't great, but it was expected! 1; because it's Primark, and 2; I'm atrocious at keeping even the hardest-wearing nail polish chip-free! I'd recommend Primark's efforts to anyone wanting to give the trend a go, but if you're really into it and want a lasting look then I'd say fork out the £14 and get Ciaté's version for the quality!

What do you think of nail caviar? Have you tried it out for yourself before?

xo.

Love Their Style: Mary-Kate & Ashley

I have always loved Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for as long as I can remember; right from when they did that 'It Takes Two' film (anyone else remember that?!), up until the current Elizabeth and James years! Essentially I have grown up with them, even though they're a few years older (making them way more cool when I was thirteen, obviously). I really wanted to do a style post on an Olsen, but picking a twin was way too hard as I love both their styles in different ways! Ashley was always the girlier twin (even when they were ten years old she was always the one dressed in pink, whereas Mary-Kate was dressed more in blues and greens - stalker alert!). I love her more feminine approach to dressing, and she always looks that little bit sleeker than MK. On the other hand though, Mary-Kate's grungier-at-times, slightly more relaxed approach is effortlessly enviable, and makes you wish you could throw on double denim and stacked wrist wear and look just as cool (so far I've just achieved looking a bit homeless). I love how well they complement each other though, and how they've developed such different yet equally desirable fashion sense after being styled identically for most of their lives! 

What do you think of the Olsens?! Who are your style icons?

xo.

Fashion Reads

I love books as much as I love fashion, so when they combine it's a winning combination in my eyes! Obviously there are thousands of fashion-related books on the market, but I just wanted to post about the ones I own and love, of all varieties. I love reading and collecting books of all kinds, and as I did a degree in English Literature my collection is pretty huge now as you can imagine! Books have gained huge popularity in the fashion world in the past few years, and I did a blog post in 2006 about books starting to emerge within the fashion genre at the time. 

The first few are non-fiction and 'The Fashion Book' is like an encyclopedia of all important and talented people/designers/brands/photographers/models within the fashion world and is great for covering the basics of their career and how they have made an impact on fashion. 'Style' is an incredibly well-known book from Lauren Conrad and covers the how-to genre. It covers basic style, beauty regime, how to shop tactics all inspired by Lauren's take on things. It is more geared towards teens I feel, but definitely has useful information in there, and as I love Lauren's classic California look, I couldn't pass up on tips on how to look like her! 'Dogs in Vogue' was a Christmas present from my Dad a few years ago. We have a collie/retriever cross, and I love all dogs, and I have been an extremely loyal subscriber to Vogue since 2005 so it couldn't be a more perfect combo! The title is self-explanatory, and this book features all the high end photography that has been in Vogue over the years featuring dogs.

Fash Non-Fiction

The next section I created is less about high end fashion, and is more about the fiction created or inspired as a result of the high fashion world. It's incredibly chick-lit heavy, but great reads all the same. 'Sex and the City' is an obvious classic and is about four women's experiences with men written in a unique style with plenty of fashion talk in between. In the TV series, fashion practically is its own character and features a lot more heavily. 'Gossip Girl' is a book series I loved reading in my late teens and follows the scandalous lives of upper class private-schooled teens in New York City. 'Shopaholic' is also a classic and follows a serial spender and her clothing best friends. 'The Carrie Diaries' is a prequel series to 'Sex and the City' and follows Carrie growing up and moving to New York as she enters the world of fashion.

Fash-Inspired Fiction

This last section is my favourite and features three books I love that all came about from blogging! 'The Sartorialist' you will undoubtedly have heard of and features all of Scott Schuman's most amazing street-style pictures he has posted on his blog. 'Style Diaries' is an encyclopedia of serious fashion bloggers around the globe and features pictures and descriptions of why you should go and check out their blogs. 'Facehunter', again, is another of the blogging elite and Yvan Rodic's book features all of his best photos from his favourite street style haunts, done in the most creative ways sometimes! More of a fashion-addict's picture book than a real book, but just as great in some ways!

Blogger books!

Have you ever given fashion books a go? What are your favourite fashion reads if so?

xo.

Spring Fashion Haul!

The high street is bursting with new season clothes and accessories now, and it's definitely a welcome change to my wardrobe! Even though the weather is staying resiliently below 5°C, I think there's no need to stay stuck in winter fashion-wise. Sometimes, when you're having a down day or feeling low, I think a new piece of clothing can really brighten up your mood and make you feel so much better (even if it is a fleeting feeling) and I love the transformation clothes and accessories can have on someone. So in the past few weeks I've been shopping around when I've had a few minutes on lunch breaks and days off, and these are some of the things I've bought! 

As mentioned in the last post, I went into H&M to see which bright jumper I liked best and ended up buying the first one I picked up! I fell in love with it instantly and it's an amazing neon peachy-type colour in an over-sized loose knit. 

H&M, £14.99

Next, I went to Primark and also saw these shorts as soon as I walked in the door! I'm not sure exactly when I was thinking I could wear them at the moment (haha) but possibly on a night out, or with tights!? If not, they'll just have to stay stashed away until the sun comes out! They're an acid wash ripped/frayed denim with some (really big!) silver studs on the left-hand side and I just thought they were too cool to resist!

Primark, £12

I also wanted a turquoise/mint-coloured jumper, and I found this thin one for a really good price also in Primark that I thought was perfect! I bought it in a size up so it would also be slouchy.

Primark, £6

I saw these boots ages ago but just didn't want to commit at the time! When I realised how much I needed some nice black ankle boots, I finally went ahead and bought them online, as the ones in-store only had a beige heel but I wanted the all-black version. They're perfect for going for a nice meal or drinks, and they're also so comfy which is worth a mention!

New Look, £24.99

I saw this black wet-look skater skirt online and thought it was such a bargain, I didn't hesitate adding it to the basket. I thought it would be so versatile and easy to wear for nights out.

Missguided, £9.99

I was going into H&M quite a few weeks ago now to return something, and spotted this really cute blazer on sale for only £10 - bargain! I ended up swapping my return for this which I was really pleased with. I loved the colour blocking on it as I thought it was still smart, but fashionably different.

H&M, £10 (Sale)

I love the stretchy tops that Jack Wills do, and they usually bring out a few different ones every year and they always come in useful. I thought this season's was really cute, and I loved the colours and floral design.

Jack Wills, £34.50

Jack Wills also have really nice fashionable tops throughout the year, and I loved this one and thought the navy was something different and the lace was really pretty for wearing to nice occasions! 

Jack Wills, £59.50

I know everyone has this bag, and I'm obviously no different, but I really love it and it's so versatile. Nude and gold will go with nearly everything I have for a night out, and it's also a bargain! As you can tell, I love items that I can use over and over again with loads of looks, and I usually stay away from the more risky fashion trends/items as I hate buying things I know I won't wear! 

Primark, £6

I bought this belt with my Missguided order as I thought it would be useful, and I've wanted a nice but inexpensive studded belt for a while now so I committed to this one!

Missguided, £4.99

This necklace is another Primark buy, and I've seen this style of necklace on a couple of people and wanted my own. Primark is perfect for having cheap items that let you try out a trend and see what you like! I'm a sucker for a bargain, too!

Primark, £2 (ish!)

So there are a few of the things I've bought so far as we transition into spring! What have you been buying so far, and what're your favourite items!?

xo.