7 DAYS IN 7 INCHES

wearing:   ikrush rhianon heels*

The clue is in the title of this post. When the lovely folks at iKrush contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I'd be willing to take part in their '7 days in 7 inches' challenge, I can't deny I panicked a little. Myself and shoes have a love-hate relationship: I love them deeply, but this is an unrequited love, for sure. Also, imagine Bambi on ice; this is exactly how I look wearing shoes higher than 4 inch (I know, 4 inches. What am I?!).

But, I took the pillow away from my eyes for long enough to man up. When my lovely Rhianon heels arrived, the challenge was well and truly on (mainly with myself to prove that I can wear high shoes for longer than 2 hours without crying). For 7 WHOLE DAYS, these shoes were mine to love and care for...

wearing:   topshop fluffy sweat (here)   |   primark super skinny jeans   |   h&m leather belt   |   primark jewel necklace   |     marc jacobs watch   | ikrush heels*

 wearing:   vero moda vest   |   h&m floral trousers   |   ikrush heels*   |   vintage clutch   |   h&m rings   |   jakarta necklace

When I first put on the shoes, I immediately felt like I was about to topple over (probably because I'm such a high shoe rookie!) but when I got used to wearing them, they were actually surprisingly comfortable AND easy to walk in, believe it or not!

wearing:   topshop shift dress   |   topshop studded hat   |   ikrush heels*   |   h&m bangles

wearing:   primark fluffy crop jumper   |   primark super skinny jeans   |   topshop hoop earrings   |   ikrush heels*

wearing:   topshop embroidered lace t-shirt   |   new look denim shorts   |   h&m leather belt   |   

ikrush heels*   |   mulberry bayswater bag

Okay, so I'll hold my hands up and admit I didn't manage 7 days (shock) but 5/7 is a pretty good effort for me, no? These shoes are so versatile and can easily be dressed up with a nice dress and clutch or down with a pair of skinnies for daytime and you can take it from me, they aren't half as painful as you'd think a pair of 7 inch heels would be. And a bargain for just £29.99! 

Check out the iKrush website here for lots of other lovely treats (ah-maaazing for mini dresses, too!)

x

*gifted by ikrush

All photos courtesy of the lovely Hannah Colligan (Facebook)

PVC VS. PASTELS

wearing:   topshop pink pvc skirts   |   topshop blue fluffy jumper   |   h&m leather belt   |
 converse shoes   |   ebay and vintage rings 

PVC.  A strange topic area. Sugar-coated mini trend of the season or something you now associate with the once so innocent Miley Cyrus? (Panic not, no twerking will be going down in this number. I hope). Love it or loathe it, Topshop seem to be having a 'vinyl moment' - and a mighty fine moment at that, may I add. From coats to skirts to satchels, Topshop have got it covered this season and I had to grab myself some of the action. With colours this sweet, how could I resist?

On first sightings, I was a little bit dubious about this skirt. Baby pink and PVC? Neither are usually my thing and when I asked for the opinion of my all-knowing family, one's response of 'thats a nice vase' didn't exactly raise my confidence levels, but nearly out of stock? I'll run the risk of looking like an ornament. Paired with a fluffy baby blue jumper, I'll admit the outfit is a bit of an ice cream-dream, but I seem to be going through a 'winter' pastels phase. Don't judge.


x

Photos courtesy of the lovely Hannah Colligan. Visit her Facebook here too, yar.

LEATHER AND SKULLS

trialing:   nails inc. bling it on in soho mews*

I'm a sucker for nails. As you can probably tell from the pictures below, I like keeping my nails prim and proper (probably because when I grow my nails out natural, they break like its nobody's business - hence I'm an acrylic addict *shakes head in disgust*) and I always enjoy experimenting with new polishes. The amount of money I spend on nail polish is ridiculous and I'm pretty sure I'm the sole reason why Boots are still in business...I just have no self control.

So, when I was asked if i wanted to try out the Nails Inc. 'Bling It On' Leather and Skulls set I was more than happy to oblige and see what all the fuss was about. I was a little bit panicky about how I'd get the skulls off without ripping my entire nail off (note: SUPER strong glue included), but, meh! I'd risk it. The polish shade I got was in 'soho mews' - a yummy, caramel-y nude shade which looked amaze with my holiday tan when I put it on (sadly, my tan is swiftly fading - I love England). 

The polish dries insanely quickly and the first coat took a mere 2 minutes to dry - easily impressed. And the second coat dried just as fast to reveal a strange bumpy, concrete-esque texture (hold your horses, this wasn't a bad thing). With a clear top coat, the leather effect was just as glorious as promised and with the included skulls applied with the nail glue - HEY PRESTO, leather and skulls! Rock n' Roll (cringe).

Staying power? 10/10. Besides from the skulls getting a little tangled in my locks whilst I slept (pah!), they still managed to stay put for a good few days! And minimal chipping. Bravo, Nails Inc. you've outdone yourself.

All round fabbbb product, especially if you're going away for a few days and need a special nail set with great staying power. 

Check out the other luuurvely polish shades here, I'll definitely be purchasing a few more!

x

*gifted - RRP £19.00

POST HOLIDAY BLUES AND STAN

lusting:  cath kidston fluffy stan jumper

WOAH! Hello, major lack of posting. Apologies, I've been away in sunny, sunny Turkey for the past week and now have a severe case of post-holiday blues after stuffing my face with pancakes and over-exploiting a free bar for 7 consecutive days (and returning with some terrible pictures to prove it...uh oh!). 

Besides my luggage being given to another transfer passenger in a different hotel on the way (of course it'd happen to me - you can probably imagine I was NOT happy in the slightest. How do you manage to just take someone else's case??) I had the most perfect week ever with my besest, Mia and some craaaazy memoirs (I'm getting emosh ha!).

So, back to rainy, rainy England...I'm not enjoying this colder weather in the slightest and so I figured that if you can't beat it, just buy a chunky knit jumper to join it, right?! Right. And this perfect jumper has caught my eye and now my mind. Welcome, Cath Kidston fluffy Stan jumper (CUTE). This is definitely my next purchase. 

Chunky knit and a fluffy patch to comfort me now I'm back in this grey country and heading back to uni? Yes, yes, yes. And perfect for Christmas (oh dear, I mentioned the C word).


www.cathkidston.com

x

MONKI AROUND

lusting:   1. jonna dress £18   |   2. elisabet dress £30   |   3. precious knitted dress £25      

4. klara bra £12   |   5. hanna hipster £6   |   6. jane hat £15   |   7. lilly sunglasses £8   

   8. miracle purse £6   |   9. nelly corduroy shirt £25

Meet Monki, my new fave brand ever for affordable/ lovely basics. I'm such a sucker for anything under £30 (In my eyes, it IS a bargain and therefore MUST be purchased) so I was absolutely deee-lighted when I stumbled across this amazing Swedish brand who offer clean designs with the odd print thrown in, for an affordable price (pretty much everything is under £30 = winner).

Asos have also recently jumped on the Monki bandwagon (hello, 10% student discount and free delivery!) but have a gander of their wonderful website for a full range and some lust-worthy products. Obviously, I couldn't control myself and made myself a lust list of my favourite pieces from the collection (today is payday, no one can judge me if I go a little crazy) and £18 for a beautiful underwear set?! I can't resist...

www.monki.com

x

BOTANICALS

wearing:   zara knot blouse   |   zara multicolour shorts   |   primark leather sandals

Bank holidays are renowned for being a little dull in my eyes. Bad weather? Check. Horrific television? Check. But wait, good weather on a bank holiday monday? Unheard of. So yesterday was a day to exploit the lovely sunshine we'd been given, throw on some shorts and grab an ice cream. Perfect. 

Myself and the famalam headed to the Botanical Gardens in Sheffield for a wander, so it was the perfect opportunity to go a little snap happy in the sunshine and get posey in some plants (cue strangers looking at you like you've grown another head...)

And here's a photo of my dog eating an ice cream thrown in for good measure! Cute.

x

THE LEATHER JACKET

lusting:   karen millen electric blue leather jacket

Okay, so another obsession to add to my already ridiculously long lust-list for winter? The Karen Millen luxury leather jacket in electric blue. Words cannot describe how utterly IN LOVE I am with this jacket (not materialistic at all, ha!). It's the one. Karen Millen always have amazing leathers each season and its a gaurentee I'll always have my eye on one and never end up purchasing, but with such beautiful material and immaculate tailoring, I really don't think I'll be able to leave this one in the store. Time to get some self control, I think.

Only one thing that's holding me back (holds breath and covers eyes)...the price tag. This piece of beautiful, lust-worthy, mouth-watering craftsmanship comes in at a whopping £495. I know, that's what I thought. BUT, for a leather jacket that will probably look better after 5 years than it does when first bought, is there really a limit as to what's too much to pay for such an amazing all-season essential? I think not. 

This is definitely straight to the top of my lust-list! I better start saving...ha! 

But for the time being, here's a pretty perfect dupe. Welcome, River Island cobalt belted biker jacket (£120)...

x

(*all images courtesy of Karen Millen online and River Island online)