OOTN: Leather & Lime

I wore this ensemble for a long awaited night out with my friends. I snapped up the leather ('pleather') skirt in the H&M sale for a jaw-dropping £5 which I was chuffed with. Leather is still on trend for AW13 so this versatile piece will see me right through the seasons.

I paired it with a lime green Topshop cami which I picked up on a whim thinking that together they'd make a perfect outfit. I love the contrast of the black and the neon, and the top brightens up what would otherwise be quite a plain outfit. I think I'll definitely be picking up this top in some more colours!

I wore my Bertie platform ankle boots which you cant see that well in the picture but I have featured them before in this post. I really like the contrasting 'toughness' of the boots and the leather skirt with delicate top. 

I finished it off with an old Topshop leather clutch bag with metal detailing, and a pair of statement earrings. I ended up wearing a white blazer too (which you can be seen here) which really finished off the outfit.

It's definitely an outfit I'll be coming backing to time and again!

Cami: Topshop

Leather Skirt: H&M sale (similar here)

Boots: Bertie, John Lewis sale (similar here)

Chem x

p.s. As you can see, the cat decided to get in on the action again!
p.p.s. I'll be working making my stance a little more ladylike! 

OOTD: Urban Outfitters' Shift Dress

Can I just start off by saying that I bloody love this dress. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it, I took it home and we've lived happily ever since. There were second dates with this little number.

It's your classic shift dress, simple and chic. It falls really nicely, skimming over most of the lumps and bumps, and the pattern is gorgeous. It's super comfy and soft, and although it wasn't cheap (£42) I've worn it to death already and I've only had it for a couple of months. Teamed with tights and a white collared shirt underneath, it'll even see me through winter.

This dress also comes in a navy colour with a daisy design on it, which I stupidly didn't buy when I saw it, but I'm desperately trying to get my hands on as we speak. I literally want this dress in every colour!

I teamed it with a pair of black leather boots with gold detailing. They're basically a rip-off of the Chloé ankle boots that everyone wanted to get their hands on last year! I nabbed these in New Look sale earlier this year for...wait for it... £5. Yes, you read that right AND they're real leather. They're actually a size 3 (I'm usually a 4) but I made them fit and they're actually not too bad.

The jacket is also a New Look sale find. It's a parka style jacket, but really light-weight and thin. A perfect summer jacket.

I did my hair in a half-up/half-down style in a classic 90's tribute. I'm actually really enjoying wearing my hair like this at the moment; it keeps it out of my face but it's more exciting that a ponytail.

You can find this dress on the Urban Outfitters website.

What do you think of the dress? Are you a fan of shift dresses?

Chem x

p.s. Next door's cat wanted in on the photoshoot so naturally I obliged - isn't he cute?!

Clothing Crush: Flatform Sandals

So you could say that I'm a bit late to the party re. flatforms, but you'll have to forgive me. Albeit not being to everyone's taste, flatforms showed their practical-yet-stylish face about 2 years ago, and have continued to loiter in our shops ever since.  

I've only recently ventured into the sphere of flatforms in the form of your classic white plimsoll (a bargain from eBay which you can find here) but after seeing a colleague rocking a particularly delectable pair of flatform sandals (the Topshop 'Woohoo') my head has been filled with images of these little beauties.

With that in mind I thought I'd show you my favourite pairs which are out there at the moment...

1. 'Pink Ties' from & Other Stories £23 - These are actually in the sale and have sadly sold out of my size but they have most other sizes. I just thought they were too pretty not too include - the fabric ankle ties are such a nice touch and so different to anything else I've come across.

2. 'Red' from & Other Stories £45 - Perhaps not strictly 'flatforms' but as good as. I really like the bright colour and the plastic strap across the toes give them a slight twist.

3. 'Monochrome' from Zara £19.99 - I love the chunky-ness (?!) of these shoes and the monochrome colour scheme. The white stripe really makes them stand out and I think they'd be perfect for day wear or a night out. What's even better is that they are such a bargain and they'd look so good in my wardrobe...

4. 'Sparkle' from Zara £59.99 - These are the priciest of the lot but I think the glitter is so pretty! I love the nude tones and they'd look great on the end of some bronzed limbs. Gorgeous.

5. 'Raffia' from Topshop £45.00 - These are really versatile and I really like the contrast of the raffia and leather.

6. 'All Black' from Topshop £40.00 - Your classic black flatform, perfect for any outfit and any occassion. Out of all of them, you'd probably get the most wear out of these. I love their simplicity.

In a nutshell, flatforms can be worn with, well... anything! They will give a cute summer dress a slight edge, dress-up a pair of skinny jeans and a slouchy top, or even look great on a night out. With the weather taking a slight U-turn at the moment (read: wind and rain), I'm reluctant to purchase any of these beauties but if a pair happens to fall into my hands I'll be sure to show you some outfits with them.

What are you thoughts on flatforms? Which pair is your favourite?

Chem x

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