Holiday

Last week I went with a friend to Spain for a week, staying in Guadalmar (near Malaga). It was really lovely to have a break and the weather was great too so I managed to get a good tan. 

Here are some of the outfits I wore while away. 

 Top - Topshop

Necklace - Topshop

Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters

Belt - Topshop

Skirt - Urban Outfitters

 Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters

Bikini - Topshop

 Sunglasses - Topshop

Necklace - Topshop

Top - Topshop

Skirt - Zara

Clutch - Topshop

 Sunglasses - Topshop

Clutch - Topshop

Top - Topshop

Necklace - Topshop

Skirt - Urban Outfitters

Belt - Topshop

Sandals - Topshop

 Necklace - Topshop

Top - Boohoo

Belt - Topshop

Shorts - American Apparel

Hope you're all having a lovely summer. x

11/06/15

As I write this I'm lying in the garden eating raspberries, attempting to tan and trying to work out how it is this hot in England in early June? However I'm not complaining - I love the heat and also love dressing for it so here is what I wore for today's adventures (a walk round a very pretty and very busy local park).

Playsuit - H&M

Jacket - Topshop

Necklace - Topshop

Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters

Shoes - Nike (bought through Selfridges)

Lipstick - Charlotte Tilbury (Sexy Sienna)

Francine x

June/Birthday Wishlist

So as it's my birthday coming up (June 6th - put it in your calendars) I've obviously been putting together a wishlist and thought I'd share a few of the clothes from it. 

 

 Urban Outfitters Skirt, £38
No, I don't know when I would wear this skirt yet either but I am completely in love with it and now I've seen it I feel like I just need it (not at all exaggerating). I'm already a massive fan of the whole longer skirt thing - in fact instead of a prom dress I've gone for a long prom skirt (post coming soon) - but never braved it for day-to-day outfits myself because it feels quite dressy; however this skirt would get a lot of wear out of it with plain crop tops, cropped jumpers, bodysuits etc. and converse for a more casual look or my chunky cut-out boots for a more dressed up outfit. 

 Urban Outfitters Sunglasses, £16
These sunglasses are SO. COOL. I can't get over them or stop thinking about them. I love the sturdy-ness and thick frame as well as the pattern because it's so different to regular black/brown sunglasses. They'd also make plain outfits a bit more exciting - almost a 'feature item' if you like.

 Topshop Dress, £48
At the moment I love pastel colours - maybe it's a spring thing - and this pale pink dress is very pretty and girly which I love. Also I can imagine this being easy to dress up/down and as it's quite simple it will go with a variety of accessories. The only thing I'm concerned about is that to make sure it actually covers my bum I'd need a size that could compromise on being tight around the waist - tall girl problems?













River Island Trousers, £38
When it comes to trousers I always play it a bit safe and stick to black/grey jeans so I thought I should branch out and try something completely different in the form of coloured, patterned, jogging-style trousers. Maybe throwing myself in at the deep end a bit? Either way, I think I can make these trousers work and look casual with black converse and a plain black vest crop top for every day or a bit more exciting with a long sleeve black top (much like in the photo) and some more dressy shoes. 

American Apparel Dress, £44 
My mum isn't a fan of this dress and thinks it would 'look like you're walking around in a leotard', but I still love it. The colour is something a bit different and very summery and the shape looks really flattering. I'm very much into skirts and dresses and this one looks like the kind of dress that's easy to wear and look good in. I've seen girls on Instagram in this style a lot too and it always makes me want one so here it is.

Urban Outfitters Running Shorts, £32
So although I don't run (I've decided I'm allergic) I do do other exercise and, particularly in the summer, shorts are really useful for that. Also I'm always on the lookout for sportswear that's a bit more exciting than my usual black/grey so these shorts tick all the boxes. 

 American Apparel Skirt, £56
It's taken me a while to decide whether or not I like denim skirts and I've finally come to the conclusion that I do, and this one in particular is good because it's a-line which suits my body shape and the lighter colour makes it perfect for spring/summer.

 Urban Outfitters Necklace, £16
This necklace will layer well with a semi-precious stone necklace duo I already have from Topshop and be good over plain tops/dresses. I don't have many long necklaces so this one would be a welcome addition to my jewellery drawer especially as I wear a lot of monochrome tops. 

Urban Outfitters Sports Bra/Crop Top, £26
Another one of the many sports clothes I have on my full wishlist, this top is super cool and will look good with just plain black leggings or a black vest over the top. The marble print is a bit different and the colouring is simple and nothing too neon-y which I hate and see a lot on sportswear. 

Skin Care Routine

I often get complimented on my skin which is one part luck,  one part a healthy(ish) lifestyle and one part my skincare routine so I thought I'd share the products I use with you all.

Everyday Basics

I use L'oreal's Skin Perfection Miracle Cleansing Oil everyday to take off my makeup and it's definitely the best product of it's kind I have tried so far, beating both Bobbi Brown's cleansing oil and The Body Shop's. It leaves my skin really soft and removes all my makeup - including super stubborn gel liner - really well and even friends who have used it while staying the night have commented on the good quality.

To cleanse before moisturiser and I either use Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which is absolutely amazing, leaves my skin moisturised and has definitely made my skin brighter and clearer since a friend recommended it to me as a product that changed skincare for her. This does also take makeup off really well which I have done before but as I've started to expand my skincare routine I just use it to clean my skin up.

If I'm feeling lazy/not in need of a moisturiser after my cleanser (as I almost always follow my routine with one) I'll use Lush's Ultrabland Cleanser. This cleanser is a thick paste/cream that melts into the skin really easily and leaves a layer on my skin overnight that I use as a replacement to moisturiser if I don't need something heavy.

Exfoliators

The Pobling Pure Sonic Cleaner is like a Clearosonic but cheaper and not quite so fancy but definitely does the job. I use it in combination with my cleanser (unless my skin is feeling raw/sensitive) on days when I don't do a full exfoliation.

Twice a week I use No7's Beautiful Skin Purifying Exfoliator which is really good because it leaves my skin ridiculously soft without being too harsh on it. My one criticism is that the tiny beads are SO difficult to get off and even when I think I got rid of them all I find more on my face and it's never ending... maybe that sounds worse than it really is but my point is it can be a bit of a hassle - it is worth it though.

Moisturisers 

Overnight I use The Body Shop Vitamine E Moisture Cream as it's really silky and easy to blend but is quite a deep-moisturising moisturiser (clearly not the technical term) so I don't use it in the day.

The Garnier Moisture Match Moisturiser (for dry - very dry skin) is what I use everyday under my makeup as it is light but keeps my skin moisturised all day and also makes blending my foundation in a lot easier.

If my skin really needs a pick-me-up I use Temple Spa's Quench Rejuvenating Mask overnight as it's a really deep moisturising cream that works really well on my dry skin - particularly in winter when it needs a bit more help.

Masks

Once a week (while I'm washing my hair) I use Temple Spa's Purification Deep Cleansing Mask which does just that - deep cleansing. It completely clears out my skin and I like to think of it as a weekly skin detox. 

Special Mention 
I don't think I can emphasise how much I love this absolute saviour of a product enough - Witch Stick. Made with witch hazel, I put it on spots/general irritations overnight and it helps to heal them so noticeably - I'm endlessly impressed with it! I won't go on... 

I hope this was helpful for any of you with skin troubles and trying these products make a difference.  

✽

London Fashion Weekend

Hiya! 

As you may/may not know, last week was London Fashion week - followed by London Fashion Weekend. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful friend who bought tickets for her, my sister and I to go to London Fashion Weekend on Sunday and see two catwalk shows so obviously I decided to write a post on my amazing experience there. (Also apologies for the rather terrible photos - I tried but didn't want to miss the show by fiddling with my phone etc.)

 Outnet.com Trend Show

The Trends- 
Hyper-florals
70s
Monochrome
Sparkle & Shine

Sibling Show

A bold, interesting, artistic set of outfits that I really enjoyed watching because - obviously - it isn't regular street style and was a beautifully arranged variety of colours, textures and shapes different to anything I'd really seen in designer fashion before.

My Outfit:

Coat - Topshop

Dress - Topshop

Bag - Zara

Shoes - Dune

Sunglasses - Topshop

The day was also a great opportunity to see outfits of other people interested in fashion and I found it particularly interesting to see how 'all-out' people went - I saw a lot of bold outfits as well as some very lovely ones, midi skirts were in abundance and as I'm not quite confident to wear them myself I love to see how other people style them.

Overall it was a really interesting day and I completely recommend it to anyone with an interest for fashion because it really opened my eyes the less serious of style - something I have been mulling over since reading The Little Black Book of Style (a book I loved, recommend to everyone and will be writing more about soon...)

❀Have a lovely day❀

Recent Purchases

Hiya!

Recently I've got quite a few new beauty/style bits that I've been wanting (so you may recognise some from my recent wishlist) so I thought I'd share them with you. I've found that since Christmas my style has really been evolving - particularly on reading books such as The Little Black Book of Style and the first few sections of How to be Parisian Wherever You Are - and that's probably quite evident from the things I've been buying... a lot of greys here, possibly inspired by the current British weather?

Zara Reversible Contrast Shopper, £29.99- 
I wrote about why I wanted this bag in my last post so I won't repeat it all, but on receiving it I'm not at all disappointed and am really looking forward to wearing it with neutral outfits or in the spring for something a bit brighter than my usual black bag/clutch.

SheLikes.com Long Sleeve Grey Bodysuit, £6.99-

If this isn't the first time on my blog you'll have seen that I wanted the American Apparel Grey Bodysuit but as it was quite expensive I went on the hunt for a cheaper version and voila - under £7 for something similar and just as lovely! It's so useful and such good quality for the price, I'm so impressed and couldn't rave about bodysuits/this particular one enough!

Kevyn Aucoin Expert Lip Colour Lipstick in Blood Roses, £28-

The perfect red!!!!!!! As you can probably tell this has really excited me because I have been looking for this exact colour for ages and it is exactly how I wanted it. I have an abundance of red lipsticks but they are either a vampy burgundy, a bright pink red or  an orange red so what I really wanted was a sophisticated deep red - nothing to bold and bright or too dark. In person it's a lot more red than it looks in the photo but the overall tones are clear.

Mango Dark Grey High-Waisted Jeans, £39.99- 

Again, those of you who have read my last post will recognise these as I had wanted the American Apparel Easy Jeans in grey but at £66 they were a little unjustifiable so I went searching for an alternative cheaper pair. After days of online browsing I finally found these Mango jeans that have the solid colour that I wanted (I'm not a fan of the worn grey personally) were a dark enough grey (all other pairs had been pale grey) and were high waisted. Also Mango has the added bonus of free delivery so I saved over £20 by getting these. 

Loreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Taffeta (no. 233), £6.99-

For this kind of 'your lips but better' shade I thought I'd stay on the cheaper end, particularly after getting the very expensive Kevyn Aucoin red. This colour is a pale rose with shimmer so it's very natural but has the perfect glowing, lifting look that I was looking for in a nude like this. I already have a very skin toned nude which can be flattering and I love with really dark eyes, but I really wanted something with a bit more life and colour to wear with more minimal glowy makeup everyday.

Essie Nail Varnish in Master Plan, £7.99- 

In person this nail varnish has more grey in it than the photo shows, but it's the perfect beigey-grey that's classy and will go with anything. The nail varnish itself is wonderful quality with a good wide brush that makes for easy application. Overall a really pretty, simple shade.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer, £17.50-

Technically a repurchase, but so good I'll keep talking about it forever. It's just a really good concealer - the colour matches me perfectly, it conceals everything perfectly without looking cakey and stays on all day. That's all I really have to say but all I really need to, it does everything a good concealer should.

❀Have a lovely day❀

February Wishlist

Hiya! 

So it's been a while... 

With Christmas, New Year, trying to get healthy and getting back into school I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to post in over a month now (sorry!) so I'm going to get back into regular posts now, starting with this wishlist for next month. 

Zara Reversible Contrast Shopper, £29.99- 

There isn't really that much to explain in terms of why I want this bag - it's simple, big and practical (unlike many of my bags). The colour is the only thing that might confuse you as the black version probably seems more versatile, but I do already have a big black Zara bag so I think it would be nice to mix things up a bit. Also I think this taupe has quite a classy look about it which is something I'm very much into. 









Urban Outfitters Free People Seamless Shredded Crop Top, £24- 

I'll admit I'm not quite sure how I feel about this top... I do really like it... I think? It's the kind of top I'd need to have a few weeks think about before buying it, but if I did I like how it's casual but also detailed so I could wear it with black jeans without looking super plain or I could dress it up a little more with an a-line skirt. It's a good transitional top because although there isn't much to it it it can be layered for a/w or worn casually with shorts or a skirt in the summer.












Urban Outfitters UNIF Ritual Pentagram Dress, £110- 

This is where the 'wish' in 'wishlist' really becomes essential - this dress is completely out of my budget but also completely gorgeous. I love the straps across the back and the detailing at the bottom. This dress would be so beautiful in the summer particularly, but as it's black it can be worn with tights in winter. I really love pretty dresses with open backs like this so I may try to find a cheaper version. 












American Apparel Easy Jean in Slate, £66-

I've been wanting some grey skinny jeans for a while now since the only trousers I wear are black jeans and sometimes I want something a bit lighter with the added bonus of grey being very flatting on your legs/bum. I'm a big fan of the Topshop Joni jeans but they don't have any grey ones that aren't ripped online and I have read so many good things about these American Apparel jeans that they must be worth the £20 or so more than the Topshop ones. Also this grey is particularly nice - usually grey jeans aren't one solid colour and that's what I've been hunting for. 











American Apparel Cotton Spandex Jersey Double U-Neck Long Sleeve Bodysuit in Slate, £30 (£15 in current sale)-

Recently bodysuits have really appealed to me because they look phenomenal on and they are so versatile. As I already have a black long sleeved tight crop top I thought this slate grey colour would be nice as it's still wearable and simple but not similar. Also I can imagine this looking really nice with a simple white skirt in the summer without the harsh contrast of black and white or another bold colour. If - like me - you don't feel comfortable going without a bra you'd have to find a good backless bra for this as it has a low back (which I completely love!).










Ponte Mini Skirt in Heather Grey, £32- 
Can you tell I'm really loving grey at the moment? This skirt is really nice and simple and as the colour isn't too bold I can wear it casually, but also dress it up. I love wearing bodycon skirts as they work well with my figure so one that I can wear frequently like this is my dream skirt! I was also particularly drawn to this as all pale grey outfits have been something I've wanted to try and I have a grey Bardot top and also a grey jumper that would both work really well with this.












Motel Meadow Slip Dress in Museum Floral Midnight, £35- 

This isn't the type of item I would usually go to because of the bold colours and pattern but this somehow drew me in. Sometimes it's nice to wear something a bit brighter, especially for parties or events to stand out a bit more and that's the wonderful thing about this dress - it can be worn casually or dressy. For an everyday look converse and simple dainty jewellery would look very chilled but I think this dress would also look so beautiful with a bigger gold necklace and heels like the ones the model is wearing. 
















Thanks for sticking with me here! I will be back within the next two weeks with another post... stay tuned.

❀Have a lovely day❀