Bloggers Christmas Cocktail Party

I'm proud to be part of the first ever Christmas Cocktail Party as organised by Sarah from City Girls Fashion Box. We were asked to create two outfits, one designer and one high street, fit for a cocktail party.

I am one of three at my workplace so we don't have a Christmas party and I'm so jealous of all of you who get to doll up every year and party all night. This is therefore my only chance to plan Christmas outfits.

Designer



Anya Hindmarch Valorie evening clutch £350 | Charlotte Olympia Dolly heels £625 | Dolce & Gabbana lace and silk dress £1170 | Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick in Famous.

Even though we could let our imaginations run wild (and budgets since they are imaginary outfits), I found it difficult to stray from a little black dress but this Dolce & Gabbana isn't "strictly" black with the gorgeous lace and silk detailing. These Charlotte Olympia heels are ludicrously high but the gold accent goes well with my clutch and being a beauty blogger, I had to include a swanky Chanel lippie! I think the only party I could rock up to in this ensemble would be on the arm of a footballer but hopefully this isn't too WAGtastic?

High Street



Oasis Lexi metallic dress £70 | Zara ankle boot with zip £59.99 | Topshop fluffy leather cape £55 | Mango stud leather gloves £29.90 | MAC lipstick in Impassioned

Once again I haven't strayed too far from black and gold but I looooove this Oasis dress, it looks even better on the model. With a feather fluffy cape, ankle boots and studded gloves to complement, I know it's more rock chick than cocktail but I think it would look great! Lastly a swipe of my favourite pink lippie for an injection of much needed colour.

Make sure you check out the other outfits from my fellow bloggers :)

Becky
Michelle
Sarah F
Lucy
Hannah
Sophie
Jo
Lucy
Amy
Hannah

(CLOSED) Giveaway: Win a Barefoot skincare set

The Barefoot SOS range is perfect for winter, especially for those with dry, sensitive and irritable skin. This range is also free from petrochemicals including paraffin, parabens & SLS, artificial colours and fragrances, and animal ingredients.



I've got one skincare set to give away to a lucky reader :)

Daily Rich Body Lotion - 200ml £22
A silky smooth lotion containing Chickweed and Mallow extracts to cool and soothe, Shea Butter for protection against the elements, Argan and Macadamia oils to nourish and Orange Blossom and Lavender essential oils for a calming aroma

Soothing Face and Body Wash – 200ml £16
A gentle non-drying wash with Panthenol (Vitamin B5) and Allantoin to maintain skins moisture level, Evening Primrose and Jojoba oil to condition, Chickweed and Burdock extracts to cool and soothe and Geranium and Lemon Tea Tree essential oils to create an enlivening aroma.

To enter, please leave a comment below and don't forget to leave me your email address if you haven't got one on your profile. Closing date is the 29 December at 23.59 when I'll pick someone at random (UK only, sorry guys). Good luck xx

Winter warmers

I swear I buy a new hat and gloves every winter but whenever the next year comes around they're nowhere to be seen. My massive bobble hat is last season Topshop via eBay and I paid £10 instead of the RRP of £16 but even that is a rip off. It keeps my head and ears warm but the quality is similar to Primark which I wouldn't mind if it wasn't 4x the price. Not cool Topshop, sort it out.



Primark have some great winter things at the moment. These fleece lined mittens were £4 and are soooo soft and warm I never want to take them off. They render your hands completely useless because you can't do anything with them on but they're worth it. Also bought this furry water bottle for a fiver to warm up my bed. My flat is so cold that my nose runs if I don't put the heating on, especially in the ice box bedroom :(:( I've been googling heat saving tips and am really tempted to get window quilts and bubble wrap my windows, sounds crazy but I'm fed up of being cold and miserable.

ugh, only 5 months until Summer!!

Give as you Live

Just a little post for those of you who haven't yet finished your Christmas shopping.



I recently attended an event about Give as you Live, whereby shopping online through the website via click through links, a percentage of what you buy is donated to a charity of your choosing and at no extra cost to you. Connected to all 220,000 UK charities, Give as you Live can be used with over 1,3000 retailers including the big ones like Amazon, Topshop, John Lewis, Boots, Debenhams, iTunes, House of Fraser and so on.

I now do the majority of my shopping online and I tend to buy almost everything from Amazon because they really do sell EVERYTHING! My chosen charity is PDSA and I've downloaded the app for my browser so I won't forget. I've raised about 30p from buying some kitchen items so far :)

Westfield buys

Easing myself back into regular blogging and showing what I bought today during my after work trip to Westfield Stratford. I love that it's only 10 minutes away from me but equally loathe the way it's always rammed. Why are the walkways so narrow? Shepherd's Bush is so much better!

Anyway I digress, here are my buys:


Lush Snow Fairy: I always read on other blogs about how great this shower gel is and I couldn't fathom why something so lurid pink had everyones attention every Christmas, especially since whenever I sniffed the bottle it didn't seem anything special. I decided to buy a small bottle and try it out for myself and wow I'm converted!! It smells deliciously sweet, kind of like those raspberry panda pop drinks but even better the scent stays on your skin after you've showered. I really like it but not sure if I would buy another bottle seeing as it's £5.95 for 250ml. Expensive for someone who usually buys their shower gels for a quid!

Topshop Nail Art Pen: I saw these online the other day when Topshop were doing free delivery but I disregarded them as I thought they would be crap. I wasn't impressed by the WAH nails/Models Own one and assumed this would be along the same lines. Then I saw this post by Gem Fatale and decided that I had to have them. I went in wanting pink but walked out with "Nightrider" black which I'm sort of regretting now. Haven't used it yet as I haven't had time to paint my nails today but I have high hopes for this.

Kiko Creamy Lipstick: Never heard of this brand until recently but I went in to have a nosey and really liked the look of their lippies. I bought #399 which is a sort of rose petal pink? It swatched beautifully in store but after trying it on my lips at home I'm uncertain. I like the matte rubber case which makes it looks more expensive than £5.90 but the actual lipstick is a bit of a let down. It's thin and very "slippy", like cheapo lipsticks and I just feel a bit short changed. I certainly won't be buying any again but their eyeshadows looked really good, there were loads of metallic glittery which ones caught my eye.

Have you tried any of these? Let me know if you're a Snow Fairy fan!

I love my...

Converses oh yes I do! No matter how many pairs of heels I lust over I always return to my faithful Chucks (my second favourite is the Bass kind *swoon*). I wear these almost everyday and in every season. They're so versatile and go with everything. I love wearing them with black tights and dresses so I don't feel so dolled up. But my favourite way to wear them is with a pair of skinnies. Simple!

I have about three pairs, these green hi tops, a pair of white low ones and a navy/white low pair but next on my wish list are some grey ones. How many pairs do you have and what colours?