OOTD: The Graduate

When I say finding my graduation outfit took months, I'm not exaggerating. I've been searching since April for 'The One' (read: perfect outfit) and my searches had remained unfruitful until the end of June.

I was holding out for that love-at-first sight, fitting-eachother-like-a-glove moment, and I wasn't prepared to settle for anything less. Yes, I am still talking about clothes, not finding my life partner although it felt just as important!

Eventually I found the dress that you see before you today; a bright yellow pleated midi dress from Topshop. I didn't have a particular colour in mind and yellow would never have been my first choice but I love it. It fits brilliantly and is a modest but chic length. It was also such a nice contrast against the black gown. On a side note: yes, wearing the hat and gown is just as exciting as you think it would be, although I could never have predicted how much it would make me sweat!

Next were the shoes. Oh, the shoes! They were by far my greatest worry. I was plagued by nightmares of toppling in front of hundreds of people as I collected my certificate (I didn't, phew. ) Anyway, usually I'm a platform wedge-wearer but I realised that they couldn't be anything like that. Not only did I think they'd look clumpy, but I knew that the heel height coupled with a wedge would leave me open to going over on my ankle, especially without the usual help of vodka induced confidence that one gets on a night-out (I know you know what I'm talking about)! After much Cinderella-style shoe trying, I decided on these blue strappy shoes. Comfy, secure, a good height and damn right sexy - Office , you nailed it. I also know I'll definitely get more use out of them than just on this one occasion.

Finally, I stumbled across this really cool floral clutch bag in the Dorothy Perkins sale. It tied in the colours perfectly and was a steal at £10.

So there you have it, my complete graduation outfit. To all you future graduates, my advice would be... start early! If you thought your dissertation was difficult, you ain't seen nothing yet.

What do you think of the outfit? What did you/will you wear to your graduation?

Chem x

Beauty Favourite #1: Topshop 'Hazard' Lipstick

So, I'm back. After a shameful and extended break in blog posts, I have finally crawled out of my dissertation and revision cave (yay!) and have entered the real world once again. This time it's forever too, as I've completed university and I am a actual graduate. I won't lie, it's terrifying, very sad, and a little exciting all at the same time. Needless to say I just don't know how to feel, so until I figure that out, I have my first 'favourite' for you, and this time it's personal beauty related.

I bought the Topshop lipstick in the shade 'Hazard' probably around a year and a half ago, after hearing The Persian Babe talking about it in one of her videos. Before this, I'd never really been into lipsticks and I had certainly never owned a red lipstick so I bit the bullet (geddit?) and purchased it. Since then it has become my go-to lipstick; if I fancy adding a pop of colour to a muted outfit, or if I want to lay off the smoky eye for a night, this is always my number one choice. 

I have to say, I've never worn this lipstick during the day as it is a very red red and I don't know if I'd quite pull it off. On a night out though, I love it. It's extremely long lasting; it has stood the test of multiple drinks (ahem) and a hell of a lot of dancing. It really doesn't budge which is brilliant because I can forget about it instead of wandering all night about whether my lipstick is on my forehead. On top of that, although it is matte, it isn't drying (and that's coming from someone who is prone to dry lips) and it doesn't cling to flakiness although a slick of vaseline before applying it never goes amiss.

The colour is beautiful - it's a dark, cool toned red which I think would suit any skin tone. It's so difficult to show the actual colour so the above pictures reflect how it looked away from a window (Left) and in front of a window (Right).

It's definitely my favourite lipstick that I own, and I plan on trying out some other Topshop lipsticks because I think they're such good quality as well as being affordable.

What do you think of red lipstick? Are there any Topshop lipstick shades which you'd recommend?

Chem x 

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