Primark summer '12 haul: Work blouses

Hey loves!

I hope you've had a fab weekend :-) how lucky were we with the weather! I even got my legs out for the first time in ages today! 

Recently I nipped into Primark and bought a couple of new tops to wear to work. I wanted something that would be smart, stylish & comfortable, and found these goodies...

Cream collar blouse - £8.00

First up is this gorgeous cream blouse. I have a really similar long-sleeved version actually that I picked up in my Primark winter '11 haul so figured I'd pick up the sleeveless version, too. I love the scalloped collar especially! I like to wear this with either black leather trousers or skinny jeans, teamed with a pair of chic pumps.

Cream floral edge waterfall blouse - £14.00

Next up is this beautiful floral-edged blouse. It looks lovely from the front, but looks even nicer from the back, where it's slightly longer. It goes out a little at the sides which annoys me, but I love the design and the gold buttons. I like to wear this with a pair of bleach-wash skinny jeans and nude accessories.

 Teal embellished collar blouse - £12.00

I also bought this gorgeous teal aztec-style blouse. The intricate beading was what swayed me, it reminds me of Morocco/Sex and the City 2! I just think the colour is so striking as well, and really suits a tanned complexion. I tone down the detail with a pair of simple black skinnies - but sport a pair of neon orange nails to accentuate the orange in the collar.

Cream floral stripe blouse - £12.00

Lastly, I bought this horizontal floral print blouse, which is the only top I bought with sleeves! Usually, I wouldn't opt for horizontal stripes but this is actually quite deceiving as the way the top fits means it's still quite flattering. It's really loose and comfy and I can wear it with either the buttons done all the way up for a smarter look, or undone for a more casual look. I just team it with jeans but it can definitely be worn dressed up or down!

Have you hauled Primark recently? Where do you get your work clothes from?

Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo

NOTD: Gosh Nail Lacquer - Peachy

Hi peeps!

Just a quick post this time - here's what I've been wearing on my nails lately :)

(Gosh Nail Lacquer in Peachy)

You may recognise it from a certain GOSH haul :) I was definitely expecting it to be more 'peachy' (as the name would suggest) but it's actually more of a bright tangerine orange! I can't fault GOSH nail polishes in general, though, they really are fantastic! So thick, they're one of the few polishes I've encountered that truly only require only coat. They're also so cheap as well, they're definitely worth more than a fiver! :)

Have you tried GOSH nail lacquer? Tempted?

Love,

Sophia

ps. I've also added this pic to my NOTD Archive on my blog - check it out :)

xo

OOTD: Spring sun :)

Hi ladies!

How lush is the weather?! I started doing my work on the trampoline yesterday but it was too hot! Can you believe it! Just a quick post on what I wore in this sunny weather :) It was the first day all year I got my legs out which is quite an achievement!

• Vest - Dorothy Perkins
• Skirt - Topshop
• Belt - Vintage Moschino

I find this combo of a simple vest, waisted belt and A-line skirt works well for my hourglass figure so I tend to just switch it up a bit :) Maybe adding a cropped cardi if it gets a bit nippy :)

What do you like to wear in the sun?

Lots of love,

Sophia

xo

Summer Holiday Style

This year, I holidayed with 7 girlfriends to the sunny resort of Gumbet in Turkey. I had a lovely week lazing by the pool each day, reading The Twilight Saga: New Moon, eating out at delicious Turkish restaurants in the evening and hitting a few bars at night. But what did I wear?

OUTFITS

Day 1

Out to dinner, I wore...

Purple maxi dress - Dorothy Perkins

Straw sequin clutch - Primark

Gold pendant - Next

Gold chandelier earrings - a gift

Gold bangles - Primark

At night, I wore...

Yellow vest - Topshop

Denim cut-offs - Topshop

Day 2

For dinner, and drinks in the apartment, I wore...

Floral playsuit - Next

White sandals - Primark

Cream studded clutch - Accessorize

Cream waist belt - ASOS

Disc earrings - New Look

Day 3

Out to dinner, I wore...

Shirred bust maxi dress - George at Asda

Gold disc earrings - Freedom at Topshop

To the bars, I wore...

White vest - Topshop

Khaki shorts - New Look

Gold disc earrings - Topshop

Day 4

For dinner, I wore...

White broderie anglaise maxi skirt - Topshop

Black vest - H&M

Tan plaited belt - H&M

Tan gladiator sandals (just seen) - George at Asda

Gold leaf earrings (just seen) - Freedom at Topshop

Gold bangle - Primark

For dancing and drinks in Gumbet, I wore...

Burnt orange tunic - Primark

Tan plaited belt - H&M

Straw sequin clutch - Primark

Tan gladiator sandals - George at Asda

Gold leaf earrings - Freedom at Topshop

Bangles - Primark

Day 5

For cocktails at a beach front bar, I wore...

Black maxi dress - Dorothy Perkins

Gold necklace - Next

God wicker clutch - H&M

Gold bangle - Primark

Gold chandelier earrings - a gift

Day 6

For our final meal in Gumbet, I wore...

Maxi dress - George at Asda

Gold wicker clutch - H&M

Earrings - a gift

Gold bangles - Primark

For our final night out in Gumbet, I wore...

Khaki military skirt - Topshop

White vest - H&M

Gold wicker clutch - H&M

Gold chandelier earrings - a gift

Tan gladiator sandals - George at Asda

Gold bangles - Primark (obviously!)

HAIR & MAKE-UP

Hair

I kept my hair quite simple and tended to straighten or curl it with my GHDs, as below. I would add a french plait or a quiff to keep my fringe out of my face or pin it back to form a bun.

I used...

Tigi Rockaholic sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner

L'oreal Nutri-Gloss intensive conditioning masque

Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner (see previous blog post)

Avon Advanced Techniques Lotus Shield

L'oreal Elnett Satin Very Volume Supreme Hold Hairspray to finish

Make-up

I like to keep my make-up light on holiday as it just melts off otherwise, and besides, the sun did wonders for my skin so I didn't require that much coverage! Also, we had minimal baggage allowance so I couldn't bring my entire make-up stash and just used the same products daily.

I used...

Benefit That Gal brightening face primer

Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous foundation faker (original)

Benefit Boi-ing concealer (o2 medium)

Benefit Dallas bronzer

Clinique Up-Lighting Liquid Illuminator (02 Peach)

Shu Uemura eyelash curler

Avon Color Trend double-ended kajal stick (brown & black) (eyebrows as well)

Maxfactor Masterpiece MAX mascara (black) (1st coat)

Benefit Bad Gal mascara (black) (2nd coat)

Sleek Eyeshadow Palette (Storm)

Avon Plump Pout Lip Gloss (Pink nectar)

Except when I added...

Rimmel 1000 Kisses lipliner in 021 Red Dynamite + Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick in Be Bold

and also...

Eyelure Naturalites Eyelashes (Volume Plus 101)

Nails

I started with Rimmel 60 Seconds nail polish in 825 Sky High on my fingers and toes - You can't quite tell in the picture but it's a bright, pure turquoise. But, by mid-week it had faded to a horrid murky blue so I painted them all white to compliment my new tan!

I used White from Avon's Nail Experts French Manicure Kit and whilst it did require 2 coats, it dried opaque eventually.

IN THE DAY

Make-Up

I didn't wear make-up in the day except for some Vaseline with SPF. I did wear waterproof mascara once (Avon's Superfull mascara) but it was such a mission trying to get it off that I opted for sunnies instead!

Accessories

I tied my hair up into a top bun most days and kept it in place with a chic hairband, like the pink rose one below from New Look.

Sunglasses wise, I swapped between my Mango Tortoiseshell Plastic Aviators...

and my Topshop Mirrored Aviators...

though I preferred the plastic pair as I found they were more sturdy for playing in the pool!

Bikinis

(Clockwise from L-R)

Black ruffles bikini top - La Senza; Black bottoms - F&F at Tesco

Coral halter bikini top & bottoms - La Senza

Black bandeau bikini top - Next; Black bottoms - Warehouse

Green bandeau bikini top & bottoms - George at Asda (£2 each - bargain!)

Red halter bikini top - La Senza; Red bottoms - Topshop

I think that concludes this little, or should I say rather large, blog post. I hope I've shown you that you can look stylish on holiday on a budget :) and that there are bikinis out there for bigger busted girls!

Love,

Style by Sophia

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