Bloglovin'

So this isn't a very interesting post (there is one on it's way, I promise!) but it's definitely pretty important!

As I'm sure you know, Google Reader and Google Friend Connect are being shut down in the near future. For this reason I'm setting my blog up in conjunction with Bloglovin' so if you'd like to follow me (and I'd really love it if you did!) then please click the link below and it will direct you! I also have a button you can use on the right hand side.

>>>Follow my blog with Bloglovin<<<<

Chem x

Nail Rock Nail Caviar Manicure

Since Ciaté released their innovative caviar manicure sets at the beginning of last year, I've heard quite a lot about these curiously beady creations. To be honest, I was never that taken with the trend. I thought it would be a bit tedious to do and I wasn't sure if I liked the effect; think hundreds and thousands clinging to your nails - was that a good look?

Despite this, when I opened up the birthday presents which my lovely housemates had spoilt me with, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the 'Nail Rock Nail Caviar Manicure' was one of them. I was suddenly very excited to try out the craze which I'd seen and heard so much about; the set they'd chosen (bright green nail varnish, with green and purple beads) was right up my street and there was definitely something strangely alluring about the tiny little beads.

Instead of doing all of my nails, I decided to use the 'caviar' on my ring fingers to create an accent nail. I figured having them all done would probably make doing all the usual things a little more tricky and the effect would be a bit much. It was so easy to do; I gave all the nails two coats of the nail varnish so it was opaque, then straight after I'd done the second coat for my ring fingers I put that finger into the pot of beads. They immediately all stick to the wet nail varnish and you press them on to ensure that they stick and the surface is covered.

I was really pleased with how they turned out and it was fun having nails a little different to the usual 'one colour'. One thing that was disappointing, however, was that the desired look only really lasted for about a day. By that time so many of the beads had fallen off, leaving a trail of them wherever I went (just call me Gretel), and it was looking pretty shabby. Although it was nice while it lasted, I'd say the caviar manicure is definitely something to do for a special occasion or a one off because the longevity is poor. I did try putting a clear top coat over them to make them stay for longer but a word of advice: don't. The varnish ended up stripping and smudging the colours off of the beads although the nail I tried it on definitely lasted a lot longer so...every cloud?! If only there was a way of doing it without spoiling the colours... hmm.

I've seen that Ciaté are doing a version with glitter/sequins instead which look really cool, although at £14 a pop it seems a bit steep for something that I think would be relatively easy to recreate for yourself. Perhaps I'll give that a go..!

What do you think of the caviar manicure? Have you ever tried it?

Chem x

Clothing Crush: Graphic Tees

As I mentioned in my previous OOTN post, I've been having a slight love affair with t-shirts recently, particulary graphic t-shirts. I think they're such a simple piece to use in an outfit. They look cool and relaxed with jeans and a leather jacket or can be dressed up a little bit with high-waisted trousers and heels. 

As you can see from the collage, I do generally prefer monochrome colours because they're so simple and stylish. My Mum has always had a slight obsession with white t-shirts so she must be proud! Having said that, it's definitely a case of back to basics with t-shirts so I think it's good to have fun with different colours and graphics if you're making it the focal point of your outfit.

Below are a range of t-shirts that I've stumbled across during my internet browsing (guilty) which I took a shine to and thought I'd share with you. There were so many I could have included but I kept it to a modest six so as not to overwhelm with choice. I hope you like them!

1. Mirrored Flower Print

2. Heart American Flag

3. Star Print

4. Beastie Boys

5. Wild Print

6. NYC

What do you think? Are you a fan of t-shirts?!

Chem x

OOTD: Joni Jeans & Denim Shirt

Another outfit post for you all! This is just a simple outfit I put together to pop into town.

The trousers are the newest addition to my jean family. They're the Topshop 'Joni' which I'm sure you've heard all about. I've been looking for a pair of high-waisted jeans for a while and I'd recently been trying on the American Apparel 'easy jeans' but was really disappointed with their fit, so when I saw these I was thrilled. Although I absolutely love them, I've found the side seam goes white when I wear them which is a bit annoying - has anyone else found this?! I think I may have to take a black marker to them and ignore it! I sized down in these because, as a religious wearer of the 'Leigh' jeans, I knew they'd go a bit baggy. I'm trying to break them in at the moment, and, after sacrificing the odd breath here and there, they're slowly loosening up. Breathing is overrated anyway...

The parka I've had for over two years now and it's really starting to show! It's my go-to coat when it's cold so it's been perfect for the recent snowy days. The denim shirt I don't wear nearly enough, but whenever I do I really like how it looks so I'm definitely going to incorporate it into my outfits more. I've also really been liking frilly socks with boots/converse so I chucked them on to add a little something to the outfit.

I don't wear my hair up very often but hair left to dry over night and rainy days are certainly not my friends so I decided to do a quick and messy ponytail. 

I know the background isn't the most interesting (please excuse the mess) but my housemate kindly took them quickly before popping out. There will be more picturesque photographs in the next outfit posts, I promise! On the upside, I finally worked out how to format my pictures in the way I wanted to; baby steps...!

Parka: Newlook (old - similar here)

Denim Shirt: ASOS (similar in New Look)

Necklace: Dorothy Perkins sale (similar here)

Black Joni Jeans: Topshop

Frilly Socks: ASOS

Boots: Newlook Sale (similar on ASOS)

Bag: River Island (old - couldn't find anything similar!)

Have you tried the 'Joni' jeans? What do you think of denim shirts?

Chem x

OOTN: Monochrome

It was my birthday last week, and I'm not at the ripe old age of 22, I can't believe it. Somehow 22 seems so much older than 21 but there we go. My boyfriend and I went out for dinner as part of the celebrations, so I thought I'd show you my 'outfit of the night'.

The outfit became entirely monochrome, not intentionally, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I really like contrasting a blazer with a more casual and slouchy t-shirt (which I also can't get enough of at the moment) As you can see, it wasn't a particularly dressy outfit, although I think the disco pants and platform boots really dressed it up. I can see myself emulating this outfit in the day time when (if?!) the weather gets a bit warmer; swapping the disco pants and boots for jeans and converse.

I think a blazer is such as staple piece which looks great dressed up or down. I was looking for a reasonably priced white one for ages and finally found this one in Primark during the summer and I absolutely love it. I promptly bought it when I found it in black as well because I think it's a really flattering fit!

I got my boots for Christmas and I adore them; they're so comfy and I think are suitable for day or night. They're basically my answer to the Jeffrey Campbell Lita's which I really like but felt I couldn't quite pull off. Maybe one day!

The trousers are my trusty AA disco pants which, much to my dismay, have turned out to not be quite so reliable because I've noticed some laddering around the back pockets. I'm pretty dissapointed considering I haven't even had them for a year yet! Alas, they remain a firm favourite and I will probably still, albeit grudgingly, pay the extortionate price when the time comes to replace them.

Apologies for the lack of pictures and the poor quality. I was in such a rush so had to get my housemate to quickly snap some before I legged it out of the door to stuff myself with Italian food!

White Blazer: Primark (similar in Topshop)
T shirt: Zara Sale (similar here)
Disco Pants: American Apparel
Boots: Bertie Prosper (sold out - similar in Topshop)
Bag: Topshop via ebay (similar in Oasis)
Earrings: Topshop
Watch: Micheal Kors 5137 (sold out - similar here)

What do you think of the monochrome trend? Are you a fan of blazers? If you know of any good alternatives to the AA disco pants I'd love to hear about them!

Chem x

Street Style Steal #1: Midis & Hats

You may remember that back in December I decided to start a 'Favourites' series, which I kicked off with a post on my miscellaneous favourite of the month: 'The Garrison' (post here, if you're interested).

My next 'favourites' category is 'Street Style'. I love people watching and taking in all the different sights around me, and I particularly take an interest in how people style their outfits in day to day life. I think it's a great source of inspiration because some trends and outfit choices can seem out of reach in magazines or on catwalks, whilst street style is real and obtainable.

I will be posting a up picture of an outfit I have seen someone wearing out and about that I have particularly liked and I will show how you can 'steal' their look. I hope you like it!

1. ASOS Midi Dress In Spot Print - I never thought I'd be a fan of the midi length dress or skirt but I actually really like it. I think it makes a nice change to a shorter style of skirt, without looking as dramatic as a maxi length. I couldn't find a midi length dress or skirt in a leopard print pattern but I chose a burgundy colour with black polka dots instead. I think any pattern would look nice in this look, but I'm especially into berry colours at the moment.
2. New Look Black Textured Knit Crop Jumper - I think putting a plain cropped jumper over the midi dress makes the look even more wearable for day time whilst adding some extra warmth. I like to layer jumpers over any style of dress to give an outfit a more relaxed feel.
3. Topshop Stone Mesh Bead Collar - A statement necklace can really set off an outfit, as Lucy demonstrates so well in the picture. I love the burnished gold colour of the metal alongside the crystal's - I think it's stunning and really unique.
4. River Island Block Heel Boots - Due to the small heel, these boots dress the outfit up slightly and make a nice change from a flat ankle boot or pumps without being impractical.
5. Black Western Fringe Across Body Bag - I'm a big fan of across the body bags especially for a day in uni or a long day out because they're a bit comfier and more practical than handbags. I think the fringe and the metal detailing are a really nice touch.
6. Urban Outfitters Rolled Bowler Hat - I've really got into hats recently and I'm dying to get my hands on a bowler hat just like this one. In my opinion, hats aren't worn enough and they can really pull an outfit together! They also do this hat in a burgundy colour but I thought it would be a bit 'matchy-matchy' with the dress colour. (Other websites such as boohoo do cheaper versions but I particularly liked the shape of the UO one). 

So there we go, that's how you can 'steal' that street style. I think, with a leather jacket chucked over it, this is the perfect outfit for this time of year. 

What do you think of it? Have any of the pieces caught your eye?

Chem x

p.s. Please excuse the 'shabby-chic' nature of my outfit collage - I'm just starting to get to grips with Photoshop so it's all a learning curve! Also, there seem to be some feint stripes in the background when you look at it a certain way which I just could not get rid of - any tips or ideas?!

SORRY!

The title of this post is pretty self-explanatory, but regardless, I must apologise for my absence and the lack of posts on my blog in general as well as the poor continuity in my 'Favourites' sequence.

December end of term passed by in a flurry of deadlines, nights out and hasty house cleaning before we all made our journeys home to recuperate, ready to face our upcoming final terms ever. Alas, January has passed in much the same manner, February looms and I've realised that my neglect must be rectified. For that reason, I can promise that many more blog posts will follow, and my 'Favourites' will be up and running again very soon!

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year! As a way to kick-start by blogging again (and taking inspiration from some of my favourite blogs; milkteef, Vivianna Does Makeup and Lily Pebbles) I thought I'd share some Instagram pictures with you all. I was fortunate enough to receive an iPhone for Christmas, and to put it simply...it's changed my life. That may be a little over the top but after all those blissfully ignorant years of owning a Blackberry, I can now confirm that I will be sticking with the iPhone for the forseeable future  forever.

My gorgeous Nephew//Animal hats//London for NYE//My creation//Tense game//Ma & her new guitar//God-send in this weather//New Ninja blender & fruit smoothie//Revision time!//Smoked salmon salad//Protein smoothie//Getting fed by my housemate//Freshly made bed//Mojitos//Start malteser-bunny love affair//My first Yankee candle.

I hope you all enjoyed a little insight into what I've been up to...or rather more what I've been eating/drinking by the looks of it! I always like looking at these kind of posts so I hope you have too. You can follow me on Instagram @chemsquier - I'm obsessed!

Until very soon (I promise), 

Chem x