What I got For Christmas
31 December 2014
Hollywood Costume here | Ayoade on Ayoade by Richard Ayoade here | Not That Kind of Girl Lena Dunham here | Marc Jacobs Daisy here | Jelly Belly set here | Next Eu de Toilette (not online) Dog Ring Holder here | Deer Head here | Socks (not available online) | Roberts Radio here | New Look Nail Varnishes here | Primark Necklace | Primark Gift Card (not available online) | No 7 Gift Set (free with any purchase) | Nivea Lip Treats here
I'd seen a lot of these posts and Youtube videos circling around and got really into seeing what other bloggers had received for Christmas, so I thought I'd treat you all to a snippet of what I got from my lovely family and friends. My main present actually isn't pictured here as I had to use it to take my photo's...that's right I finally got a DSLR camera so hopefully my images will just keep getting better for you guys, once I've fully worked out how to use it that is. I've linked everything that's available online for you guys above so hope you enjoy it!
Books
As an avid reader and fashion lover it was pretty clear I was going to get a coffee table book wasn't it? This is quite an older one, the exhibition isn't on anymore, nevertheless the images are amazing and even just flipping through it briefly Christmas morning I know I'm going to enjoy it. The other two books I'd received are by a couple of my favourite actors: Richard Ayoade (actor turn director) from IT Crowd and Lena Dunham (actor, producer extraordinaire) from Girls. I've heard good things about both so am super excited to cosy up at night with them.
Fragrance
My brother surprised my this Christmas with a new bottle of Daisy by Marc Jacobs, I'm pretty picky when it comes to perfume so I'm so glad he stuck to something he knew I liked, great timing too as my other bottle had just run out! The Jelly Belly gift set and Next Eau de Toilette were both given to me from friends and are something I probably would have never bought for myself, I used the Jelly Belly coconut body wash this morning and it smelt UH-MAZING!
Bits & Bobs
I'd wanted a Roberts DAB digital radio for I don't know how long and my brother got me one this year, it comes in a range of colours but I opted for the cream so it'll go with any colour I paint my room. The deer head was a bit of an impulse, as in I told my Mum a week or so before that I wanted one and voila! Once I make this little fella I'm going to cover it in different patterned paper (there will be a blog post don't worry) to make it a little less ordinary. The dog ring holder and socks were just little quirky things that I get every year. The dog ring holder was from my Daisy dog, of course.
Fashion & Beauty
Ooooooh I love getting some fashion and beauty bits at Christmas time. Mum had bought me a couple of No 7 things before Christmas and they came with this free gift filled with mascara, eye shadow, eye serum and lip gloss. The nail varnishes and Primark gift card were from my auntie...I don't think it's going to take me too long to head to Primark is it really? And the nail varnish set has a tonne (well 15) of different colours so I can't wait to do some experimenting! The necklace is something my mum knew I would love, it's quite similar to other necklaces I buy from Primark, as you may have seen before and I love it. With winter being so so cold this year this Nivea set was a perfect little stocking filler from mum and dad, my dried up lips thoroughly appreciate them!
Hope you liked this little post, I'm off to London to celebrate New Years today so there won't be a post on Friday, but look out for some outfit posts next week!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! See you on the flip side.
Keep up to date with me via:
Primark Haul Winter 2014
29 December 2014
Everything from Primark (all recent purchases)
My name's Samantha and I have a Primark addiction.
But seriously when the clothes are THAT cheap and actually of THAT good a quality then what's not to love from this high street store? My favourite staples from Primark at the moment are the roll necks they have on offer. I bought mine in black and grey but they had a whole array of colours in store so it was really hard to choose. These bad boys aren't even in the double digits at only £6, so of course I got two…and I may go back for more but shhhh. I'm a sucker for some bling and Primark is the best place for me to find a piece that's completely up my street, these two pieces are both so different yet completely what I go for.
The mac-like coat was something I had my eye on for a while, it's double breasted and has this amazing print contrasting with the bright pink lining. And at only £15 it was a little 'before Christmas' sale bargain. The shawl cardigan was something I'd never thought of buying before but with Burberry and Topshop making them so popular I'm so glad I picked it up, it's an incredibly versatile piece and a winter staple forever. Oooohh a stripy top never goes amiss does it? I picked up two without actually realising. The first was this neoprene jumper style in grey and white stripes but, as usual, they had a lot of colours to choose from. The next is a bit thinner and something I'll be able to wear in summer and winter. And last but not least…this bag! It's velvet and embellished and can be a clutch or has a longer strap for a cross body look. I'm in love with it, especially as it was only £10.
Hope you enjoyed this little haul…look out for outfit posts soon on how I style these key wardrobe pieces up. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas, back to work time now!
But seriously when the clothes are THAT cheap and actually of THAT good a quality then what's not to love from this high street store? My favourite staples from Primark at the moment are the roll necks they have on offer. I bought mine in black and grey but they had a whole array of colours in store so it was really hard to choose. These bad boys aren't even in the double digits at only £6, so of course I got two…and I may go back for more but shhhh. I'm a sucker for some bling and Primark is the best place for me to find a piece that's completely up my street, these two pieces are both so different yet completely what I go for.
The mac-like coat was something I had my eye on for a while, it's double breasted and has this amazing print contrasting with the bright pink lining. And at only £15 it was a little 'before Christmas' sale bargain. The shawl cardigan was something I'd never thought of buying before but with Burberry and Topshop making them so popular I'm so glad I picked it up, it's an incredibly versatile piece and a winter staple forever. Oooohh a stripy top never goes amiss does it? I picked up two without actually realising. The first was this neoprene jumper style in grey and white stripes but, as usual, they had a lot of colours to choose from. The next is a bit thinner and something I'll be able to wear in summer and winter. And last but not least…this bag! It's velvet and embellished and can be a clutch or has a longer strap for a cross body look. I'm in love with it, especially as it was only £10.
Hope you enjoyed this little haul…look out for outfit posts soon on how I style these key wardrobe pieces up. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas, back to work time now!
Keep up to date with me via:
Christmas Cookies
24 December 2014
What you'll need:
- 200g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 200g caster sugar
- 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 550g plain flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- To decorate:
- Icing sugar
- 3-4 tbsp water
- Silver Balls
First things first, let's preheat that oven at 190C/375F/Gas 5 and line your baking tray with greaseproof paper, unless it's already greased like mine. Cream together the butter and sugar until it comes to a light and fluffy texture. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, a little bit at a time until it's all combined.
Sift in the flour until the mixture comes together as a dough. This is probably the part where you're going to have to get your hands a little bit dirty - get stuck in and your dough will look fab...
…like that.
I double my mixture as I have two christmas cutters I wanted to use, so once my dough is ready I divide it into two halves and start rolling out the first half on a lightly floured counter. You want the dough to be rolled out to about 1cm thick.
First the stars…and then moving onto Christmas trees! Man oh man am I feeling festive. But if you don't have any cutters to hand and/ or it's no longer Christmas when you're reading this then just find out a glass and use that as template.
Trees and stars ready to go in the oven.
Baked and golden brown, now just leave to cool for about 15 minutes to half an hour and you can move onto the fun part!
ICING AND SILVER BALLS TIME! Decorate as you wish this is just what we had lying around the house but they still look pretty darn fab.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
These biscuits have gone down a storm with my family, if you have a go making them yourself send me a pic or comment below! Hope you all have a lovely day tomorrow.
Keep up to date with me via:
Grayscale
22 December 2014
Jacket Primark (old) | Dress Primark (old) | Necklace Topshop (old) | Bag Primark (recent) | Lipstick Rimmel | Boots ASOS
HAPPY MONDAY!
If ever there were a season when wearing absolutely no colour was okay it would be winter. For me, the simplicity of an Autumn/ Winter look is everything and it suits my style and aesthetic down to the ground. I'm not wearing anything new in this particular post, it was just something I whipped up after looking through my wardrobe and thinking I love this, I haven't tried it with this before, will it work? I think it does. And that's what fashion is all about really, trying different things and taking what you already have in your (ever expanding) wardrobe and creating new looks.
This dress and grey mac, both from Primark, have been my go-to's this winter. The dress is really flattering, even after my fifth mince pie and also really thick so layering it with this thinner jacket means I'm still actually warm. Normally I go bare legged with this dress but hey it is December now I'm not that brave…so I went for super thick tights (also Primark) and my lovely lovely lovely ASOS chelsea boots. The necklace and lipstick are the two things that add a pop of colour to break up the grayscale and I think the effortlessness of this whole thing works perfectly.
3 more sleeps til Christmas…look out for a particularly festive post on Wednesday.
Keep up to date with me via:
White Embellishment
18 December 2014
Skirt Primark (old) | Embellished Top Primark (recent) | Boots c/o ShoeZone | Coat ASOS (unavailable similar here)
I love a top that has a little something extra going on, and this little bargain I picked up from Primark recently certainly has a little extra and more! It's such a pretty colour, I'm really loving the mint tone this season - it's not a colour you would normally associate with the winter months but I'm so happy it seems to be around stores, mixing up the colour palette a bit is a good thing. I wanted to make this look a bit more party friendly so decided to add my full midi skirt I purchased in the summer from Primark but add my killer ShoeZone boots into the mix too.
I think the coat just adds to the luxe feel of this look, it would be perfect for a Christmas party or even New Years if you were heading off to somewhere a little classier than your local. It's the top that makes this outfit pop, I love the pattern, the texture and as I've already said the colour - my top tip when wearing this top? Always wear a vest top underneath! My oh my is it see through.
Have a lovely weekend guys and I'll see you back here for some festive cheer on Monday!
Keep up to date with me via:
Raai Jewellery
17 December 2014
Necklace and Bracelet c/o Raai Jewellery
Christmas is all about the festivities, family coming together, merriment and picking the perfect outfit for the occasion, obviously. With that perfect outfit comes the difficult task of buying some new jewellery to go with it - something that has, thankfully been done for me this year by Raai jewellery. A fairly new brand, founder Alexandra began working with origami which soon led to her creating "wearable sculpture jewellery" full of individuality and creativity.
The pieces I was kindly given completely embody the festive season for me - gold and silver will forever be the colour palette of choice when it comes to this wearable art. The necklace and bracelet feature delicate glittered spheres, eye catching chain links and feminine beauty - so simple in their design but so absorbing and mesmerising up close. I particularly love the necklace as it's absolutely something I would wear all the time 24/7, so well made and bursting with intricate design. The bracelet's so easy to wear, I often find having something there on my wrist quite an annoyance but as I type this with my bracelet on there's not a single hindrance to note. I can't wait to wear them both this party season!
Also, how lovely of owner Alexandra to send me a Christmas card with my gifts?
Find out more about Raai jewellery by clicking here.
Keep up to date with me via:
Fuschia White #2
15 December 2014
Dress c/o Fuchsia White | Shirt Primark (recent) | Bag ASOS | Shoes Primark (recent)
I don't know about you but a good bit of layering can complete change up an outfit for me, I feel the cold more than most people so I layer as much as possible - you can't see it in the photos but I'm wearing a vest top underneath this shirt to stay extra warm. The shirt is such a lovely fit and the colour, in particular is what drew me in when I saw it in my local Primark store, a more unusual colour for me to choose but I absolutely love it against my skin colour.
The dress (you may have seen my post last week about the pink version) was kindly gifted to me from Fuchsia White and as I said last week the fit is amazing and the quality second to none. I decided against boots and opted for my Primark shiny brogues instead, but don't worry about my little footsies I'm wearing super thick tights so they're snug as a bug. The bag is a current favourite of mine, a quilted black crossover bag with gold chain detailing is never going to go out of style and it's also giving the Chanel vibe without the price tag...I'd still like a Chanel though - mum, if you're reading.
I think this look could be great for the working day and easily transferable to a night time drink - the colours give a little bit of spring/ summer to this dreary winter too. I'm loving it.
Keep up to date with me via:
Christmas Jumper Day!
12 December 2014
My jumper ASOS | Dog jumper Pets at Home | Chelsea Boots ASOS | Skirt George | Necklace c/o Raai Jewellery
When I found out 12th December was Christmas Jumper Day for Save The Children I knew I had to do a little blog post for it. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! And, of course I love a good Christmas jumper so much so that I wanted Daisy dog to get involved. I wasn't overly impressed with the Christmas jumpers available on the high street so I headed to my favourite online store ASOS and wasn't disappointed! This dark blue number was only £30 and it's such great quality - adorned with these gorgeous Father and Mrs Christmas figures it completely epitomises christmas without being too in your face.
I decided to team my jumper with my gorgeous new corduroy skirt from George at ASDA and at only £12 it was hard to resist buying it in blue too...I may pop back in and see if it's still there. The necklace I'm wearing feels really Christmassy to me - gold and silver spheres on a simple chain from the lovelies at Raai Jewellery - there will be more about what I received from this company coming next week...keep your eyes peeled. Daisy got her lovely snowman jumper from Pets at Home as an early Christmas present from my brother. She loves it, and as she's just had a hair cut it's necessary for her to wear something to keep her cosy and warm.
Are you wearing your Christmas jumper today for Save The Children? Adults are invited to donate £2 and children £1 - get involved, join the merriment and make a change!
Find out more and donate here
Keep up to date with me via:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
