A short history of MIDI | Rings, Topshop/H&M; Nails, Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips in Side Swiped
I’ve not been one for jewellery for a long time. In fact, I was 16 the last time I wore anything with regularity: a pair of large silver hoops that travelled down the trend funnel from J-Lo to me. Since then, metal hasn’t seemed to get on with my skin, and rings in particular I have never worn. Until I bought a pair of gold/diamante midi rings from H&M for a wedding party: £2.99 wouldn’t be bad for a one-off, but actually they came with none of the usual strange rashes or urge to pull them off my fingers that I’m used to. My birthday arrived the next week, and with it a bit of money to spend up town. To Topshop it was for their ridiculous gold-toned jewels, and then back to H&M for turquoise and thin silver.
The ones that started it all | Rings, H&M; Nails, China Glaze
I don’t know how much anyone really notices my hands, but I am very excited that I can get a bit of metal on there now to compliment nailz. I’m also working up to necklaces and earrings, so keep your eye out for sparkle a-comin’…
The great ball in the sky! For some reason everyone’s bitching about ‘this summer so far’, but let’s not forget that a) it’s only June and b) there have been some very decent days of sunshine. This is what I wore for one of them, doing nothing more than going to Boots, tutting at crowds on Brick Lane and coming back home again.
I’m looking down because in the rest I was all crazy eyes, not because I was contemplating anything in particular. In fact the crazy eyes may have been down to a small (ish) hangover, which seems to inspire me to dress up to work through the pain. I figured out this super ~styling trick~ for my jackets by seeing them piled on top of each other, which just goes to show you shouldn’t always be tidy.
Give me life
On my lips I was wearing Maybelline Color Elixir in ‘Signature Scarlet’ (part of an overexcited Target spree), which goes on nice and doesn’t stick to the dry bits on my lips. Here’s a big photo of me being super happy with that (it also lasted pretty well through that can of Rubicon Suncrest, if you were wondering).
CHEEZ WIZ | Sunglasses, Topshop
If you were paying attention in my last post you might recognise that I accessorize/ruin all my ‘summery’ outfits with the same denim jacket. It is my barometer for what I consider a good level of heat, and I like that it comes from Paris whilst being the least Parisian item of clothing ever. Long may it reign, and not rain. SUMMER!
I read Marie Kondo’s ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying’ pretty much on one bus journey, and while my house will probably always be messy, there’s some interesting approaches to wardrobe clutter there. Number one being that you have to respect all your clothes, treat them well, and even thank them for their job – which is pretty hard when you’re just wearing stuff you feel obliged to. Coupled with spending a lot less downtime looking at ASOS et al, I really want to narrow shit down by the time I’m 30. Which is less than a year btw (yep, I also had a birthday).
Reptile-style | Trainers, Reebox x Crooked Tongues; Trousers, H&M
When I say ‘narrowing shit down’, I do not mean that I’m gonna exclude things like snakeskin Reebok Classics. In fact, the amount of botanical-print stuff in the shops right now is tiring out even an avowed tropical devotee like me, so I gotta go elsewhere for my decoration. I wore these with grey trousers, black jumper, blacker jacket, and purple lipstick – as far as I’m concerned, that’s minimalism.
LONG! | Jacket, Free’P’Star; T-shirt, British Heart Foundation; Skirt, Beyond Retro; Shoes, JujuSHORT! | Pea coat, Uniqlo; Skirt, vintage; Shoes, Topshop; Hat, Beechfield via Amazon
In probably the most seismic change, I had a proper hair cut for the first time in ages. Partly because reasons and partly for the hell of it, but I like life in jaw-length land (I realise I’m wearing a hat in the ‘after’ photo, but you’ll see more of it soon enough). These photos were taken in a fairly warm spell in March, but let’s just pretend I’m not that late.
Peace out | Sunglasses, vintage; Bikini top, ASOS
I also went to Florida and Copenhagen, although my ‘proper’ camera didn’t, so you can enjoy this fairly obnoxious poolside snap. Promise I won’t leave you behind next time…
Today I’m happy. I found this little beauty of a necklace via means unknown, then didn’t buy it (in some pre-Christmas virtue), was heartbroken when it went out of stock (rightly so), and snapped it straight up when it came back in (as was always meant to be). For the grand total of just over a tenner including postage, I have a super necklace with a sentiment very close to my heart.
Acres of jumper
I don’t wear jewellery that often, so I’m more convinced of its talismanic properties than I should be – anyway, I’m hoping this will rid my days of all annoyances. There’s also something to be said for the marriage of gold (cough) jewellery and apparent vandalism, right? Such juxtaposition.
After declaring all winter this far that I was too grown up for earmuffs, I saw these in American Apparel and couldn’t resist. They are £17, and I hate myself a little for envisioning a “hey, I’m an adult with disposable income that I chose to spend on earmuffs!” situation. SUCKER. Still, they’re go-big-or-go-home and I’m in love. I haven’t got a picture of the earmuffs in their natural habitat (…of outside the house) so here’s me givin’ good spam in my living room.
Big earmuffs, bigger forehead
Seriously though, these things are warm. Beanies are great but they got nothin’ on these for when the cold really sets in (although a few unscientific surveys suggest that I have particularly sensitive/big/elephant ears). Also file under: things you can wear with your hair up. Plus, most people smile at you when you’re wearing them, which is nice in the depressing post-Christmas wasteland of January. Earmuffs, I’ll never deny you again.
I’ve been on a bit of a trouser odyssey these past couple of months: I got no love for Super Cosy Tights when all of a sudden my collection of slacks has exploded. The standout discovery has been these ASOS Peg Trousers though. Cheap and most definitely cheerful, I’ve got two wintery prints and they’re helping a lot with my apparent New Year ambition to get everything as pyjama-like as possible.
Trousers, now £13 ASOS | Faux-suede boots, £10 Primark
My two prints of choice so far are “William Morris” and “carpet” (not official product names), and despite the thin material they’ve held up well to a wet ‘n’ wintery season. I’ve also managed to convince both my mum and some girls in the pub that they’re a godsend, so they must be doing something right.
Trousers, £22 ASOS | Faux-suede boots, £10 Primark
Of course, there’s the usual mega-bargain pitfalls of erratic sizing: for two pairs in the same cut and size, the fit varies noticeably. That’s the only downside I can note though, and I really hope they stay around for summer because some of these in palm print worn with sandals would be my dream. Until then, velvet…?
Hi guys! Remember me? Back to complain about tricksy December stealing my days away in a fog of present shopping, present wrapping and 24-hour night. No apology for absence – it’s not the Aries way.
Nope, it doesn’t say ‘Arles’ | Necklace, Urban Outfitters; Sweatshirt, Holly Fulton for Topshop
I’ve been spending more time than ever in shops on a one-for-me, one-for-you Xmas shopping basis, but I bought this necklace from Urban Outfitters a couple of months back and it’s reminding me to Stay Tru. Which means a whole load of new (and needed) basics, but also velvet tartan trousers. Trying to shop on headlong instinct rather than thought-out themes, and attempting to make winter dressing a little less predictable in the process.
Now it’s time to brake the spending and look at what I actually want to wear right now, so I’ll get posting. In the meantime, anyone got a spare £124 for this Goodhood beaut?
I’ve been writing this for a while, but today someone linked to an apocalyptic weather piece illustrated with pictures from Scandinavia/Russia/Photoshop of people drowning in snow, so no time like the present. How to survive winter the HT way!
Lush Popcorn Scrub and Nuxe Reve de Miel For winter mouf | Popcorn Scrub, £5.25 Lush; Reve de Miel stick, £6 Marks and Spencer
Dry lips don’t just look bad, they feel bad. As someone who will bleed for the cause if I don’t use lip balm in the winter, I feel like I can confidently recommend these two. Scrub yr lips with sugar, then eat it. Eat it up, dead skin and all – or just wipe it off if you prefer non-cannibalistic beauty routines. Then put on this lovely stick, which isn’t shiny so you don’t look like cd:uk era Cat Deeley. That’s it! And don’t get me started on Vaseline.
Body Shop Camomile Cleanser For winter cheeks | Cleanser, £12 The Body Shop
This stuff will clean your face real good. And if for whatever reason you don’t want to clean your face, use it with cotton wool to take off your makeup. It’s the consistency of coconut oil, which you could use to much the same effect – just don’t try and fry your eggs in this stuff.
Touchscreen Gloves For winter texts | Gloves, Tiger
For obvious reasons. These actually work (apart from the occasional thumb-swipe) and you can get pointlessly expensive ones (Muji, Urban Outfitters), mid-priced (H&M, Tiger) or dirt cheap (Primark). Just be careful with the latter, as their definition of ‘glove season’ is dangerously narrow – try and buy a pair in April when it’s still freezing and you’ll be confronted with a wall of novelty sunglasses instead. And if you don’t have a touchscreen phone, I salute you.
Beanie ‘n’ Scarf For winter head ‘n’ shoulders | Hat, £2-ish, Amazon; Scarf, Primark
Where all else fails, the beanie ‘n’ scarf combo rings true. Anyone who’s a fan of American Apparel beanies needs to STOP RIGHT NOW and get acquainted with Beechfield via Amazon or eBay, where nothing is over £3.50. Thank me later. The scarf is from Primark last year, and the latest in a long line of tartan scarves I inevitably lose. Only because I love them.
I’ve probably got the internet’s smallest Primark ‘hauls’, but that’s just how it goes. No drag-along trolleys for me – I approach Primark like I do any other clothes shop. If they’ve got what I want, great – and if it’s dirt cheap, even better.
Any longer-term readers will know I’ve got a soft spot for the men’s section, and I went full-on XL with this sailorish beauty. Thus, a mini-haul – showcased against my derelicte mid-decoration walls.
For when you’re in Primark and you want to be in Cos | Top, £6 Primark
I’m all about the fluffy jumpers but even though my Topshop version is fairly perfect, I’ve got an aversion to buying the same product in different colours. This little number comes in black as well, but I went for white to maximise the cuteness. Handkerchief up sleeve: optional.
For when you’re in Primark and you want to be 75 | Cropped jumper, £7 Primark
So that’s a grand total of two items, and thirteen pounds, but moreover two useful wardrobe additions. Cheap trick.
There’s a naked lady on the other side | Lipstick Queen in Medieval, £22 Cult Beauty
I’m a simple yet contradictory being. I own one MAC lipstick ’cause they’re “expensive”, but give me a £5 Cult Beauty voucher that’s only valid for an evening and I’m all about the fancy-pants stuff. ‘Medieval’ is my first Lipstick Queen purchase, and though it was listed with a rather whimsical blurb of fair maids ‘n’ rosebud lips that would get a side-eye from George R R Martin, the idea of a sheer red won me over. The photo below has some mad colours, but basically it’s like blusher for yr mouth: the shade you wished you went, but never do without some gunky makeup help.
Big forehead: authentically medieval. Duckface: maybe not
For whatever reason I wasn’t getting my hopes up – but my word, it’s worth yr pennies. Looks imperceptibly ‘nice’, doesn’t clash with the rest of my pink face, doesn’t emphasise my wonky lipline… Next stop: Hello Sailor. It’s BLUE goddamnit.
HellionYell 