[SS14] I Predict A Sell Out

We are totally predicting that these Marks and Spencer LIMITED EDITION High Block Heel Platform Shoes will sell out very quickly. At the amazingly affordable price of £35 these will see you through summer weddings, parties and nights out! What are you waiting for? Grab a pair now!

[OUTFIT] The Details

I have outfit photos from yesterday but I thought that I’d show you the details of my outfit today and then my whole outfit another day. As regular readers will know, I’m all about cheap updates to classic looks with statement accessories – and shoes! Yesterday I teamed a simple smock dress with two new bracelets, friendship bracelet from my sister and a silver bracelet the boyfriend bought me in Morocco. The silver bracelet carries the hamsa symbol. The hamsa is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and commonly used in jewelry and wall hangings. It depicts the open right hand, an image recognised and used as a sign of protection in many societies throughout history, the hamsa is believed to provide defense against the evil eye. Used to protect against the evil eye, a malicious stare believed to be able to cause illness, death, or just general unluckiness, hamsas often contain an eye symbol, like mine:

I have also begun to wear, again, my Made ring. I love the size and almost unfinished feel of the ring – it definitely helps to get it noticed! My Swatch wrap-around watch is my everyday accessory – I can’t live without it. I love the colour and double strap detail – best of all, I don’t have to dig around for my phone every time I want to know if I’m late!

[INTRODUCING] Marks and Spencer's NEW Beauty Department

High street stalwart, M&S have launched a new online beauty department to showcase their own brand beauty lines and newly added specially selected brands. The new beauty department even includes the cult French beauty brand, Nuxe. French beauty brands, including Nuxe, became popular in the blogging world after Gwyneth Paltrow wrote her must-have list for GOOP and now you can get your Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Usage Dry Oil on the good old British high street!

Gwyneth Paltrow says, “This is an all-around oil that you can apply to your entire body, face and hair for a quick moisturizing, glossy refresh. It’s great right after the bath as it really takes right then. It also has a very lovely, very subtle smell.”

Sounds good to me! And while you’re there, why not pick up one of these to try? All £15, or less! Like the Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm, the Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water with Roses & Green Tea, or the Nuxe Melting Cleansing Face & Eyes Gel with Rose Petals.

What will you be buying from M&S’s new beauty department?

[MANI OF THE WEEK] Marks & Spencer Nail Polish in Lilac

After spotting Amanda, aka The Online Stylist, wearing this shade, I rushed straight out and picked up Marks and Spencer’s Nail Polish in Lilac! For just £3, I couldn’t miss out!! This is my current favourite colour – to the extent that I’ve just painted two alcoves in our new spare bedroom and a wall in our new bedroom almost the exact same shade!

With all of the DIY we’ve been doing in our new house I’ve had no time recently to look after my hands at all, much less to actually paint my nails! So when we finally had the carpet laid in our new living room, I took five minutes to give myself a little pamper time!

I promise to show you some of the new house very soon!

What do you think of the nail colour?

[OUTFIT] office attire

Yesterday seemed the perfect opportunity to wear my new Zara dress. As I stood in front of my wardrobe in the morning I was filled with indecision but then I spotted the Zara bag in the corner of my room and knew instantly what I’d be wearing today:

I was wearing: Zara dress (similar here), Kurt Geiger necklace, Marks and Spencer red belt (similar here), Urban Outfitters watch and Esprit wedges.

Back to the “boring” corridor shots again, what do you think? I do promise to try to follow these excellent words of advice from the blogger behind Pretty Shiny Sparkly who today posted Part 2 to her Secrets to Successful Fashion Blogging all about photography.

What do you think of the dress and the way I’ve styled it?

[SALE] Marks & Spencer leather iPad case

Ever since I treated myself to my iPad I have been on the lookout for a stylish, yet bargainous, case in which to keep it safe. The boyf had promised that he’d buy me one, when I found the one I wanted. So, as we were looking through the leftovers of the Marks and Spencer sale at the weekend, I wasn’t expecting to find a stylish steal of a case… but i did!

This red (yes, it really is red in real life!) leather case is perfect for keeping my iPad safe in my handbag of horrors – and it was only £9!

Not a bad find?! What have you found in the sales this January?

What Was I Wearing: Brilliant Basics from American Apparel

Remember how Grazia offered 25% off American Apparel recently? Well, I picked up a few things with the discount, including this t-shirt. A plain tee is always a great addition to any wardrobe that can be dressed up or down and this time, rather than my usual black or grey, I chose this heather forest shade.

I was wearing: American Apparel Poly-Cotton T-shirt in Heather Forest; American Apparel Jersey Pocket Skirt; Marks and Spencer necklace; and Urban Outfitters watch.

You might have noticed that since I had my hair cut at London Fashion Week, it has grown a fair amount and is now looking a little unruly. I am planning to book a hair appointment soon. Any thoughts on what I should go for this time would be most appreciated!

Where do you buy your basics?

Visual FBFF: The Quintessential Fall Outfit

This week’s Friend Friday is hosted by Iris of 260 Days No Repeats and I think is pretty self explanatory. But just in case, this is how I like to dress in this season of colourful leaves and rain showers!

I am wearing: Topshop dress, M&S knitted gilet, Matalan arm warmers and M&S beanie hat.

I’ve had this Topshop dress for years, I’m never sure why but it always seems to survive every wardrobe cull I have, even though I often am not too keen on it – I think it’s the bottom I don’t particularly like. However, having worn it mainly in the summer, I decided to try it as an autumn floral and I think I actually prefer it with knits and tights. In case you fancy rocking the autumnal floral too, I have picked out a few of my favourite florals currently available on the high street:

How do you dress for the shortening days? Have you been wearing florals this autumn?

Remember to check out all of today’s other submissions for this visual Friend Friday over at 260 Days No Repeats. And to find out more about the Friend Friday project, or to get involved, visit Modly Chic.

Happy Friday!

High Street Fav: Marks and Spencer ad campaign

Marks and Spencer is the stalwart of the British high street. A high street without the store would feel very odd indeed. Much has been made of the new additions to the M&S ad campaign, in the shape of the handsome Ryan Reynolds and the beautiful Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for the Autograph and Collezione collections. But what of the beautifully shot Limited Collection print campaign. Photographed by the highly acclaimed fashion photographer, Rankin, and introduing three Sophie Byron, Suki Waterhouse and Louise De Chevigny:

Personally, the Marks and Spencer Limited Collection is my favourite. It has always been the most fashion forward of the high street store’s collections and this season looks to be no different, with faux fur jackets, colour block dresses and monocrome palettes.

What do you think of the new ad campaigns? there has beena suggestion that M&S have alienated their core group of shoppers by trying to aim at a much younger demographic, what are your thoughts?

If you have any old M&S clothes you no longer wear and fancy some reward for your troubles, head over to your nearest participating store to get a £5 voucher off any spend over £35. Click here to find out everything you need to about Marks and Spencer’s One Day Wardrobe Clear-Out.

*Image source: Stylist magazine

How to… shop successfully online – to avoid disappointment

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Buy from Asos. Seriously, my number one tip for shopping online is to buy from Asos as often as possible. Why? Free delivery. Free returns. Fast service. Fast response time. Friendly twitter account. Accept ALL major credit cards (including my American Express that many don’t seem to) AND Paypal (great for when you’ve been selling on eBay and want to use your spoils to treat yourself!).

In the interests of transparency, I’ll confirm now – at no point have I been paid to write a glowing review of Asos or offered anything in return for this post – this is seriously just how I feel.*

Many great high street brands are now stocked on Asos – like Mango, River Island, Warehouse and Oasis – who do not offer free shipping on their sites, so it pays to check out Asos’s availability before purchasing as you can save yourself up to £5. Plus, if it doesn’t fit properly, you haven’t lost that delivery charge.

Now, onto the serious points of this post.



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1. Order a couple of sizes in the piece you want – do you really only ever go into the changing room with only one size? If so, why bother? You might as well just buy that one size and be done with it.
2. Of course, if you’re doing this – check the store offers free returns. Most do, but it’s worth checking.
3. If you’re buying in the sales, check in the store too. Gap in particular seems to reduce things far more in store than they do online.
4. If they offer free delivery – why not try that piece you’ve been eyeing up? You’ve got nothing to lose!
5. Check their delivery options. Some stores offer free delivery in store but charge for delivery to your home. In this case, if you can pick it up, you can save yourself a few pounds and always try on and return in store if it turns out you don’t like it/it doesn’t fit – which will save a heap of time too. (I always do this for Marks and Spencer sales – great way to avoid the queues and get what I want!)
6. Make sure you get the return receipt from the Post Office. With free returns these days, you can go into the post office and they give you a receipt as proof of postage so that if it gets lost, you can still get your refund. Why wouldn’t you?

What are your tips for shopping online?

*I did write a sponsored post earlier this year for Asos – in conjunction with Handpicked Media and Nivea – which you can read here.

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