Saturday Night Outfits: Primark, Forever 21 and New Look #OOTN

Hi lovelies!

I hope you're all well and enjoyed Halloween :)

I haven't done a blog post in a while so I thought I'd do a quick outfit round-up from recent nights out, so here are my latest OOTNs...

Outfit One:

Dress - Primark

Heels - Next

Belt - ASOS

I typically reach for bodycon dresses on a night out but I loved the style of this fit and flare dress from Primark - I think they're really flattering. I kept the styling really simple by adding nude heels and a nude waist belt, adding a pop of colour via coral nails.

Outfit Two:

Dress - Forever 21

Heels - New Look

Necklace - H&M

I was instantly drawn to the colour of this dress because I am a little bit obsessed with cobalt blue. In fact I just spotted an amazing cobalt bag in Primark and I had to claw myself away from it. Anyway, back to business. This dress was an absolute bargain from Forever 21 and I'm developing a real fondness for the brand - it's like a trendier Primark but with a website! AMAZING.

Outfit Three:

Dress (worn as top) - Primark

Skirt - New Look

Heels - Next

I was inspired by Victoria Beckham's NYFW collection with this outfit as she featured a lot of sporty, skater-style dresses on the runway. The pastel turquoise top is actually a knee-length, bodycon dress but I wore the white skater skirt over the top to add some interest to the look. 

What have you been wearing on nights out recently? Are you into skater dresses like me?! Send me links to your OOTNs in the comments below or on Twitter.

Love,

Sophia

xo

Posted with Blogsy

Summer Holiday Style On A Budget: Primark And Dorothy Perkins!

Happy Sunday!

I hope you're having a lovely, relaxing day wherever you are. Shame about the weather here in England but it's actually quite nice being inside for once with a cup of tea to keep me warm :)

I recently went on holiday to Tenerife in the Canary Islands for a week which was just complete bliss - It was lovely and sunny and I only moved from the sun bed for food and drink!

However I encountered a bit of a problem in that I was (and still am) totally skint since moving to London so my holiday wardrobe budget was extremely... limited, shall we say.

I pretty much raided the rails of Primark for cheap summer stuff and found a few pieces in Dorothy Perkins the day before flying out - DPs had a 20% off that day too which was pretty handy.

It meant that I didn't spend more than £15 on a single holiday piece! The rest of it was pretty much completed with stuff I already had in my wardrobe. Here's what I wore...

Outfit one:

Playsuit - Primark, £5 (new season)

Necklace - Primark (old)

Belt - ASOS (old)

Sandals - New Look (old)

Bag - Primark (old)

I found this playsuit in the swimwear section of my local Primark and couldn't believe the price when I saw it. I think it's meant to be more of a beach cover-up than an actual playsuit to wear out in the evening but the material was pretty thick and I didn't feel uncomfortable wearing it out at night. To complement the tribal print on the playsuit, I teamed it with a chunky gold necklace and a slick of MAC Lady Danger lipstick brightened up the look.

Outfit two:

Cami top - Dorothy Perkins, £10.80 (new season)

Necklace - Primark, £4 (new season)

Skirt - New Look (old)

Sandals - as before

I bought this yellow cami top on a whim because I just needed something to wear and cami tops tend to flatter my bust. I didn't know what I was going to wear it with, but I've seen a lot of yellow and white in magazines recently so I thought I'd pair it with this white skater skirt that I've had in my wardrobe for ages. I love how both the pieces are loose and floaty as it makes the outfit feel very bohemian - it was also just super comfy! I think the statement flower necklace injects some colour into the outfit (you might not be able to see but it's cobalt blue and turquoise flowers) and I plaited my hair which I thought went with the 'feel' of the outfit quite well.

Outfit three:

Maxi dress - Primark, £10 (new season)

Necklace - Primark (old)

Denim jacket - New Look (old)

Bag - as before

You can't beat a maxi dress on holiday (in fact, it's probably the only time I would wear a maxi dress!). They're just so comfortable and forgiving - especially when you're going all-inclusive like I was (bloat central). I really liked the pattern on this Primark dress and I was surprised that it wasn't too long as most maxi dresses in there are. I added a tribal-esque necklace to add some interest to the outfit which I think it needed it as the neckline was pretty bare.

Outfit four:

Cami top - Topshop (old)

Shorts - Primark, £4 (new season)

Shoes - Primark (old)

Necklace - New Look (old)

I wouldn't have immediately put these two pieces together but I liked how the cobalt blue cami matched the colour of the trim on the shorts. I decided to team it with a pair of white espadrilles as it gave it more of a chilled-out vibe - while a pink lip pulled the outfit together nicely.

Outfit five:

Floral cami - Dorothy Perkins, £14.40 (new season)

Shorts - H&M (old)

Sandals - Primark (new season)

Necklace - Avon (old)

I started the night with my hair like this but I changed my mind halfway through the evening and took the plaits out by my forehead - they were doing my head in and didn't feel very 'me'! This floral cami top was very voluminous and wouldn't have looked very flattering on its own but I think tucking it into the shorts balanced out the shape nicely. I wasn't sure whether to wear a necklace or not but this cream one is one of my favourites and brought out the cream in the floral cami top.

Outfit six:

Dress - Primark, £13 (new season)

Belt - as before

I absolutely love wearing yellow (especially on holiday!) and fell in love with this dress as soon as I spotted it on the rail in Primark. I wasn't completely sold on it when I tried it on in the changing rooms and I don't think it particularly photographed well, but it's a lovely dress and really fitted in with our beautiful, Spanish surroundings. It was just nice to dress up for a bit on holiday!

What are your budget holiday styling tips? Do you buy a whole new wardrobe or wear things you already have? Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Posted with Blogsy

Summer fashion: Birthday outfits from Topshop, Primark, River Island, New Look and Warehouse

Hey ladies!

I hope you're all well and looking forward to autumn. Just a little flashback this morning to some of the summer outfits I wore for my birthday :-)

These are three main outfits I wore for my 23rd birthday. The first I wore out for lunch with friends, the second I wore for a girly meal out and the third I wore for my family party.

Outfit one:

Crop top - Topshop

Maxi skirt - Primark

On the day before my birthday, I went to a lovely pub called The Hornbrook with three of my friends. I wore this loose, casual outfit as I didn't want anything too tight when we were going out to eat! You can probably tell I had to roll up the skirt as I'm a short ass and it was too long... *sigh*

Outfit two:

Red cami top - Topshop

Skirt - River Island

Heels - New Look

Nude bag - River Island

On the night of my birthday, I went out for a dinner at a restaurant called The Comodor with some of my best friends. I went absolutely mental for Aztec / tribal print during the summer, as seen here! I also wore these little Topshop cami tops religiously as they were super flattering. I love those New Look strappy heels too, they're so versatile.

Outfit three:

Dress - Warehouse

Belt - H&M

My final outfit was a floral summer dress that I wore for my family birthday party. I picked this up on a whim from ASOS as it was half price - I wouldn't normally fork out for Warehouse otherwise. But I just fell in love with it, it was so flattering! I'm also a sucker for ditsy florals so that definitely helped. I cinched it in at the waist with a skinny white belt and added a tomato red lip to complement the red flowers in the dress.

Do you make an extra special effort with your birthday?

Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Summer fashion: Weekend outfits from New Look, River Island, H&M, Topshop and Next

Hey ladies!

Hope you're well and having a great August :-) Here are some of the OOTN's I've been rocking this month...

Outfit one:

Dress - River Island

White heels - New Look

White belt - H&M

I instantly fell in love with this dress as soon as I saw it online. I am obsessed with graphic/symmetrical prints this season and this bodycon frock ticked all the boxes. It's almost identical to a Peter Pilotto one that I saw Fergie wear to her baby shower recently. River Island are just on the money with their mini skirts and dresses at the moment! I debated adding a splash of colour to this outfit with coral heels but opted for these bright white New Look ones as they were easier to walk in - ha!

Outfit two:

Blue top - New Look

Neon skirt - River Island

Necklace - New Look

White heels - as before

Another trend I can't get enough of this season is neon. As seen on the Asish runway at London Fashion Week, it instantly brightens up a summer outfit. I've seen a lot of celebrities wearing lime green with cobalt blue so I thought I'd team these pieces together. The neck on the crop top was quite high so I added a statement necklace to balance it out. I wore my white heels again to match the white accent in the necklace but, looking back, they look a bit clunky for this outfit and a daintier shoe might have been more suited.

Outfit three:

Dress - H&M

Cream belt - ASOS

Heels - Next

There's a certain style of dress that suits my body shape and I think this is it. Bodycon, printed, just-above-the-knee... I just can't get enough of it! I know florals come back in year after year but I personally just love them, and I always look forward to the Erdem shows as he loves his floral prints too. In fact, I'm wearing florals right now as I write this blog post! I styled it with classic nude heels to elongate my legs and a matching-coloured belt to cinch in my waist. You might not be able to see in the picture but I added a pop of colour in the form of Revlon's Just Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick to match the pink flowers on the dress.

Outfit four:

Dress - Topshop

White belt - as before

White heels - as before

I picked this up last minute in the Topshop sale because, again, it's just one of those dress styles that you can't go wrong with. Looking back, I wonder if I got it a size too small as it is a bit clingy but I think with theses dresses they need to be tight to suck everything in! I know they're not particularly 'on-trend' as the Herve Leger by Max Azria bandage dresses were a good few years ago now, but the place I was going to, nobody cared what you were wearing so it didn't matter!

Outfit five:

White cami - Topshop

Black shorts - Topshop

White heels - as before

Jewellery - Primark

This was an outfit thrown together at the last minute because the weather was a bit so-so, it had been sunny but it was raining and I didn't know what to wear! I wore one of these Topshop cami topsbecause they go with everything and are super-flattering - I must have like five of these now. I wore it with shorts because it looked a little 'billowy' with a skirt if you know what I mean. I wore my white heels but again I think looking back, a strappy stiletto might have worked better as they look a bit clunky.

What outfits have you been rocking this month?

Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Topshop makeup haul: Highlighter in Sunbeam, Cream Blush in Flush, Kohl in Saddle

Hey ladies!

I hope you're having a great day :-)

Recently, I paid a visit to Topshop and picked up a couple of make up items. I've reviewed their make up before and always held it in quite high regard - especially after finding out it's made in the same factory as MAC! - so I was eager to try out some more makeup from Topshop.

I bought Topshop's Highlighter in Saddle, Cream Blush in Flush and Kohl in Saddle. Here's what I thought of them...

Highlighter in Sunbeam - £10

The first thing I noticed about this was how HUGE it was! It's a massive 6.5g which will go a long way.

It's a stunning yellow-gold shade that I don't own anything like in my collection.

I compared it to two similar products I own - GOSH Giant Sun Bronzing Powder and the highlight in 17 Blush & Go - and unsurprisingly they were so different.

As you can see in the pan, GOSH (left) looks tan/gold, 17 (centre) looks white and Topshop (right) looks yellow.

Highlighter in Sunbeam comparison swatches:

(left without flash, right with flash)

Top - 17 Blush & Glow in Peaches & Cream

Middle - Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam

Bottom - GOSH Giant Sun Powder

The swatches pretty much matched what they looked like in the pan. 17 (top) looks most white, GOSH (bottom) looks tan/gold and the new Topshop one looks like a shimmery yellow-gold. It's love!

[TOPSHOP make-up reviews inc. swatches & FOTD!]

I also picked up one of their acclaimed cream blushes in the bloggers' favourite shade, Flush.

Cream Blush in Flush - £6

I wanted to get my hands on Flush after Holly (Yummy Mummy Beauty Blog) raved about it ages ago. Thanks, Holly!

Again you get a lot of bang for your buck and the packaging is decorated in a quirky spot print.

In the pan, it looks like a VERY bright coral-pink but it's a lot more toned down on the skin.

I compared it to some similar cream blushes in my collection and I did actually find some very similar.

Cream Blush in Flush comparison swatches:

(left without flash, right with flash)

Top - Benefit Posie Tint

Middle - Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

Bottom - No7 Cheek Tint in Rose Silk

Flush was most similar to Benefit Posie Tint (top) but they're very different consistencies and Topshop is MUCH cheaper! No7 Cream Blush wasn't very close as it was more of a rose pink shade.

[Summer nail varnish haul!]

The final item I bought in my haul was this bargain eye pencil!

Kohl in Saddle - £4

It's called Saddle and I thought it would be a standard matte brown shade.

It's actually more of a golden bronze shade which isn't what I was expecting. Here's a couple of comparison swatches...

Kohl in Saddle comparison swatches:

(left without flash, right with flash)

Top - Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick in Brown

Middle - Topshop Kohl in Saddle

Bottom - No7 Exceptional Eyes in Brown

As you can see, Saddle is definitely the darkest but it's also the most shimmery! I don't know about you but I am NOT a shimmer person. It's been sat in my drawer for a while...

[Guildford shopping haul: Primark, Topshop, Lush, Boots and Liz Earle]

I used all of the products above on my face so you can see what they look like in real life.

FOTD:

FACE: MAC Fix+ to prime, MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW15, Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02 Medium, MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC15 (applied with MAC 190 Brush and Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light (applied with ELF Studio Complexion Brush), MAC Blush in Harmony (applied with MAC 129 Brush), Topshop Cream Blush in Flush, Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam, MAC Fix+ to finish.

EYES: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original, Sleek Storm Palette in taupe and mid brown shades, Topshop Kohl in Saddle, Benefit They're Real Mascara.

EYEBROWS: Topshop Kohl in Saddle.

LIPS: MAC Cremesheen Lipglass in Meteoric.

What are your favourite Topshop make-up products? Let me know I'm the comments or over on Twitter now!

Love,

Sophia

xo

SS13 Sales Shopping: Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, River Island, Next

Hey loves!

Hope you're all well :-)

Recently, I've been doing a spot of sales shopping - I say a spot, I mean a lot - and have picked up some mega bargains!

Some of it I picked up in store, others I picked up online but ALL of it with take into SS13 in style :-) most of it was half price or less so I'm chuffed with what I picked up! Check out what I bought here...

Next:

Can you believe I brought a load of stuff back?! Here's what made the cut...

Black lace blouse - WAS £26 NOW £12

The first item I picked up was this gorgeous lace top blouse - apologies for the creases! It's perfect for work as it's stylish and practical and I've been wearing it with plain black skinny jeans.

Cream lace blouse - WAS £26 NOW £12

I also bought the cream version of the blouse as I figured it would be perfect for taking me into spring, with a pair of lilac skinny jeans or floral skater skirt.

Nude pointed heels - WAS £30 NOW £12

THIS is where my patent pointed heels obsession started! I'd seen all the celebs wearing them - namely Kim K! - and I knew I needed a pair! They're perfect for dressing up a look or taking it from day to night.

Nude platform courts - WAS £30 NOW £14

I actually already have this exact pair of heels - Next, no less - but I wear them all the time and they're pretty worn down so thought I'd invest in another pair!

Cream lace pashmina - WAS £16 NOW £8

I'm a big fan of pashminas in the spring / summer as I get cold easily so this is ideal for adding a touch of warmth and style at the same time.

Floral slipper boots - WAS £16 NOW £8

A girl can never have too many slippers, right? These floral print slipper boots are perfect for taking me into spring.

Tan leather iPad case - WAS £30 NOW £14

Tan leather Kindle case - WAS £18 NOW £8

Both absolute bargains, these real leather iPad / Kindle cases are stylish, durable and practical. I'm a bit obsessed with tan leather as well so they match my Filofax in my handbag... Geek :-)

Tan leather clutch bag - WAS £28 NOW £14

This is actually an iPad case but I use it as a clutch bag. It's really versatile and can be added to any look.

Black statement necklace - WAS £14 NOW £6

I have recently adopted a new motto - you can never have too many statement necklaces! This is more one for autumn / winter but it's great for adding a touch of glam to a nighttime look.

Marilyn Monroe make-up bag - WAS £5 NOW £2

OK, so I don't technically *need* another make-up bag, but it's cute, has Marilyn Monroe on the front and it was only two quid...

Earmuff headphones - WAS £12 NOW £6

These were so handy in the winter! It saved me carrying around a pair of headphones AND a pair of earmuffs in my already bursting bag. They were a little quiet, though.

River Island:

Like with Next, I bought a *load* of stuff from River Island, but only decided to keep these two. That's good for me!

Sleeveless neon shirt - WAS £20 NOW £10

I already have this shirt in the black shade and it fits really well. I like to wear sleeveless shirts like these and adding a cardigan/blazer on top that can be taken off it it gets too hot. This coral version will add a pop of colour to a sunny springtime look.

Floral t-shirt dress - WAS £35 NOW £10

This dress is a little deceiving as it's longer at the back than it is at the front. I've seen a lot of celebs wearing dresses like these on the red carpet - Marion Cotillard springs to mind - and I think it looks really chic. I wore this frock to a friend's 21st birthday meal and I think it suited the occasion pretty well, but it would look equally good on a packed dancefloor with a pair of neon heels.

Dorothy Perkins:

Tuxedo blazer - WAS £40 NOW £22

Demi Lovato inspired me to get a tuxedo jacket like this as she always looks so good in them when she wears them with her Topshop Leigh skinnies. I'll be styling it the same way - although I think it would dress up a simple LBD as well.

Leather sleeve biker jacket - WAS £49 NOW £25

I've seen loads of celebs - Jennifer Lawrence, Amanda Seyfried etc - wearing these jackets with leather sleeves and I just love them. I'm a massive fan of the leather trend and I don't need an excuse to wear it! This simple jacket with leather sleeves will go with everything in my wardrobe.

Kardashian Kollection dress - WAS £40 NOW £20

Another Kardashian inspired purchase! I saw Kim wearing the black version at Westfield Shepherds Bush when they launched their Kardashian Kollection range at Dorothy Perkins and it looked amazing on her. I already have a black bandage dress in a similar style so I opted for the emerald green version instead. With the shade being Pantone's Colour of 2013, I knew it would take me into spring in style. I'll be wearing it with nude patent court shoes, Kim style.

Topshop:

I was a couple of days late with the Topshop sale so I didn't quite get as much as I'd liked. A blessing in disguise I expect, otherwise I'd have bought A LOT more!

Khaki Baxter jeans - WAS £40 NOW £20

I've been wearing these religiously since I bought them - in fact, I'm wearing them right now! Topshop jeans - especially the Baxter jeans in Petite - just fit me really well and last ages. This khaki version are great if, like me, you live in black jeans! They add a bit of colour and interest to an outfit.

Floral peplum skirt - WAS £25 NOW £12

I literally cannot wait to wear this! Peplum shapes tend to flatter my hourglass figure and I'm a big fan of winter florals at the moment. I'll be wearing it with an off-the-shoulder black top and a fuchsia pink lip.

Statement necklace - WAS £12.50 NOW £8.25

Another statement necklace to add a touch of glam to a look. Also, it can be worn with gold OR silver accessories - win!

Floral blazer - WAS £68 NOW £30

Possibly my favourite sale purchase of them all! I've wanted a floral blazer for ages and this one is just perfect. I love the neon detail in it as well as it can be worn with neon accessories or clothing like the River Island blouse (above). I actually bought this blazer in FOUR different sizes just to ensure the fit was perfect. A bit obsessive I know...

Did you pick up anything nice in the sales? Let me know in the comments or over on Twitter :-)

Love,

Sophia

xo