craving: christmas treats

 

Pinterest is a huge christmas inspiration and i've found so many things that I want to try and make/bake but realistically they can't all be done, especially because some of the bizarre american ingredients cannot be found over here in the UK. I thought that i'd create another one of my wish list collages but this time as a kind of to do/to try list.

review of Degustabox - a box of foods

Yes, foods. :)  I've had a number of beauty boxes now and although I've enjoyed experiencing new products and the idea of it all, I can only use so many beauty products at a time so currently don't have a subscription.. Food however, now that is something that I always need.

what to get me for christmas: the stocking addition

I've compiled this rather large collage of things that I would love to receive in my stocking and are great stocking gifts for girls. Including some tips that I don't think everyone considers when thinking about stocking shopping. I've loved shopping for Shaun's stocking this year and getting odds and ends for my brother and sisters too so thought it would be nice to share a little post like this for you last minute shoppers out there! Consider it a guide for the main man in your life to 'do good' if you like :)

craving: white noise

It may be a spring and summer trend but I still absolutely love to wear white. It's such a pure shade that is so easy to wear and not to forget, snow-like!

#UNIQLOXmas

bought some boots. yo

maxfactor clump defy

mistletoe and wine

I made this little word collage last year listing all of the things that I love about christmas and it still stands so I thought i'd actually show you guys this year :)

I've also added a modified version of it to my blog design along with a number of festive modifications :) I'd love to know what you think.

Are you excited for christmas?? I've nearly finished my christmas shopping and am loving cinnamon lattes a lot already, bring on the egg nog and everything above!

♥ abby

craving: knitted wear

what to get me for christmas : festive jumpers

what to get me for christmas : ugg boots

milk chocolate nails from jacava

places to eat: le bistrot pierre

Last saturday called for a girly day with the bestie, I'd planned to pop to town for a few things anyway, a trip to boots for an emergency skincare change was needed! My friend decided to tag along which meant the usual store hopping, chatting, people watching and discussing trends we hate(!) as well as love. After a bit of a wander and a few too many purchases considering Christmas is pretty much around the corner, we decided to pop out if town for lunch.

I live in Plymouth, I'm not sure that I've mentioned that before so there you go .. I do. There are a couple of great parts with some lovely restaurants and scenery, one of them being the Royal William Yard which actually used to be royal navy victualling buildings. It's a beautiful place with impressive big stone grade 1 listed buildings and views of the waterfront. So we went along to pick out one of the restaurants for our lunch. Yes we could have chosen Wagamamas or Las Iguanas but frankly I just wanted a chunk of meat, sorry to any vegetarians reading but it's true. We decided to try Le Bistrot Pierre as it had been recommended to me a week earlier and wowza it was good! The prices were amazing considering the quality of food, we were so impressed. I can't say what I loved the most because it was all so delicious! So in true blogger style I took photos of everything to share with you all, enjoy :)

what to get me for christmas : designer pieces i love

Christmas is coming, whether you like it or not. It's the middle of October, the weather is shoddy and getting colder by the day, the gloves are out and chunky snoods on, it must be the most wonderful time of the year soon. I'm getting it from all angles at the moment, everyone wants to know what I want for Christmas .. All I want to say is a hot bath and a bigger wardrobe/room for my clothes, alas these aren't realistic requests so I have decided to take to the interwebs! I'm going to create a few Christmas wishlists to send to my family (yes you, read this and take note!) so that they stop whinging and can get on with their crumbs shopping. Consider this a 'What to get a 23 year old girl/woman for Christmas' series, if you like :)

My first Christmas list is mostly based around style and fashion and all from one place. I can't help but drool over this store so it seemed the best place to start :) As you can tell, I really love rose gold, burgundy, grey and spikes at the moment. It's all about the clean lines and simple finishes for me. And quite appropriately so, this could all be worn as an outfit! Damn that would be good.

♥ abby
  

craving: oxblood

So it’s not the most appealing name for a colour, but we're all going mad for a bit of oxblood again this autumn - not that i’m complaining! This shade is quite like the trend colour wine from 2011 and 2012 but more of a deep and rich dark red / burgundy shade which I love even more than ever. Growing up I wasn’t much of a fan of red but my Nan always used to tell me that I looked great in it and the many shades of red suited my complexion, back then I thought she was just saying it to wean me off of wearing blue but now that I think about it she was totally right. And you know what, she’d be proud to see how much red I now have in my wardrobe, especially deep rich reds like wine and oxblood shades. Saying that though, I have decided that in order to wear more colour (see my colour-blind wardrobe post) I need to own even more colour and that’s where this blog post comes into play. Oxblood is a great colour for me and for this season, not only is it a flattering shade it’s gothic undertones suit the style I love perfectly. I love it in chunky beanies, oversized tees, contrast sleeves, soft bikers, nail polish, wax coated jeans and basically everything else that you can think of. I have huge love for this trend and need a number of new pieces to get me through the autumn / winter months and so I have created another New Look wishlist! ..... That also counts as yet another collection of ideas for my family because i'm being quite useless with my 'christmas list' this year.

New Look are another one of my go to brands at the moment, every time i’m in a store or on their website I find myself filling my basket with all sorts. They seem to be on it with the trends, offering affordable fashion and upping their game generally really - they even covered street style looks at London Fashion Week this year (check it out here). I love it when brands get involved like this and we already know that I love their midi dresses :D Bring it on New Look, I want more!

♥ abby
  

look again and again

One of the best things about being a blogger is being introduced to so many new brands, shops, products and more - Okay so it's not great for the ol' bank balance at the moment but at least I can share these finds with all of you and create big wishlists for my friends and family to look at as my christmas list/s (hint hint). I actually read and watch all press release related emails, it's how I find so many great stores/products etc, along with some truly terrible things too but those are just fun to find. This was one of those emails where I ended up with a behind the scenes video in my hands and a good one at that.

In this Look Again advert there are so so many outfits and the model, Erin, looks fantastic in every look! It also goes to show how much work goes into these adverts we watch. I've had a good look through the site and find quite a few things that I would love to add to my wardrobe. Especially the knit pattern biker, floral vest dress, orange parka and sock knit boots .. i'm creating outfits in my head already (take note family!) There are also a number of super comfy looking chunky knits that I really like the look of. Who wants to go shopping for me first?

floral vest dress | boucle biker coat | orange parka | zip heeled boots
turquoise jeans | sock ankle boots | patterned jersey dress | aztec vest dress
ankle boots | knitted front biker jacket | shirt combo dress | ethnic print skirt & cardigan

I just watched this again and think i'm going to have to get hold of the metallic biker jacket seen 1:50 in.

♥ abby
  

craving: new boots

Ash Titan Stud Boots | Hudson Mirar Boots | Hudson Horrigan Boots | Dr Martens 

Since my relatively new biker boots decided to break on me last week I have been browsing the net for yet another new pair :) But this time I think that i'd rather spend out on a couple of good quality pairs so i've been looking at sturdy and trustworthy brands like Dr Martens.

I live in boots and I really do wear them with anything so it's only right that I have a lot of different pairs, from heeled ankle boots and fringe decorated pairs to comfy winter boots, chunky biker boots and some great knee highs. I could totally be the old lady who lived in the shoe .. I think that one half of a pair of studded biker boots would be a sufficient home.

I really do need a great new pair of shoes so if you have any brand suggestions that you know are well made then i'd love to hear about them. Otherwise i'm absolutely going for Ash, Hudson or Dr Martens .. and some Hunters of course. I 100% need some really good wellies this year! What with Milo being a year old we can take him on much longer walks and that's just no fun with your ruined Steve Maddens (Rest in peace boys) so i'm excited to get a pair of Hunters that will not only hold together but protect me from the awfully muddy walks that we go on.

Which of these four pairs of boots should I go for?? Or which two pairs.. :)

♥ abby

 

do you have a colour-blind wardrobe?

When I consider my every day, go-to outfits I really am surprised at how colourful my wardrobe is because you wouldn't know it looking at me on a day to day basis. I tend to reach for a mixture of neutral shades including black, white, beige, grey, browns and nude and so I find myself wearing these 'colourless colours' almost all of the time. Yet on opening my dresses and skirts wardrobe I have found that I own a fairly good variety of colours .. so why don't I wear them?! Even looking back at some of my instagram photos and outfit posts on here my lack of experimentation with colour is obvious .. something must be done!

I got to thinking about the colours in my wardrobe after reading this infographic by Kaleidoscope fashion catalogue, they recently did a colour survey on our attitudes towards colour and these were the results. It's not often that I finish reading an inforgraphic but this one is really quite interesting. Let me know what you think and if you need to embrace colours a little more like me! :)

♥ abby

an autumn wishlist

I love when the autumn shades hit the high street stores, rich teals deep red and a whole tonne of black and cream cover ups, knitwear, layering .. ah it gets me so excited! So much so that i've done a little wishing on the Bon Prix website - I especially after the leather peplum skirt and stone lace up boots .. dreamy. I want to jump on the fur collars trend as I seemed to miss it last year, the same goes for peplums .. I have two peplum vest tops but the designs aren't structured enough, not like these leather pieces.

A trend that i'd like to brave this upcoming aw13 season is tartan, be is a vibrant red dress like this one or a deep blue plaid shirt.I really like the idea of wearing something red and striking but tough and with a punk element to it. Maybe I should consider getting on the bandwagon of tying an oversized check shirt around my waist .. Dani Song wears it so well, it’s got to be worth a shot :)

The main trends for this autumn winter season include boyish tailoring and oversized outerwear which I’m not very excited about if I’m honest .. What I do like the sound of are the punk, grunge and tartan themes that hit the catwalk with leather, zips harsh edges and all the rest of it hitting the stores again I’m going to be pretty happy on the highstreet. Oddly the colour pink is to be a bit of a trend too, but we’re talking a dusky rose or the usualy rich berry shades with a touch more pink to them which doesn’t sound too spring-like really. I quite like the idea of dusky rose knitwear and bright berry nails and gloves so this is one that ill keep my eye out for.

Why trends are you excited for as the dark evenings and cooler weather creep in?

faux fur collar cardigan | monochrome peplum dress | berry knit dress | cable knit polo neck dress

western heels | wedge trainers | faux suede boots

jersey biker jacket | leather peplum dress | peplum skirt | tartan skater dress

♥ abby
  

craving: fall for essie nail polish

Now that we are creeping into autumn it's more acceptable for me to move away from the pastel nails and go back to the shades that are running through my veins right up to my fingertips. Be it oxblood, khaki, navy, dark green, teal or even browns. These are the nail polish colours that I absolutely love on my nails!

My essie nail varnish collection is slowly growing and i'm looking at getting a few more this season, I especially love the Cashmere Bathrobe and Snake Rattle and Roll.

Stylenomics | Vest Interest | Armed Ready | Snake It Up | Sssssexy

Skirting the Issue | Cashmere Bathrobe | After School Boy Blazer | Crocadily | Snake Rattle and Roll

♥ abby

my must haves: covergirl lash blast

This is so so similar to my favourite mascara; maxfactor false lash effect in waterproof black. At least it was my favourite .. I have fallen lashes over heels for the Covergirl Lash Blast in waterproof brown - yes, waterproof brown! :D I have always preferred to use a rich brown mascara as opposed to black because my nan once told me how less harsh it would be against my blue eyes and she was completely right. I do still like to use black from time to time, especially with a dark smokey eye but brown is usually better :)

The brush and formula mimic each other, in fact the only difference as far as I can tell are the waterproof shade availability that I mentioned and the price - $6.59 vs. £11 a time .. I know which I would prefer to buy if I had the choice .. but I don't :( Come to the uk please Covergirl!

♥ abby
  

sleek molten metal eyeshadow duo

This was a real 'on a whim' purchase that I made just because I thought that they looked kinda cool. Usually when I go to Superdrug or Boots I have a list of things that I need and I do my best not to stray from it as I have so much unloved and unused makeup already, it seems silly to just keep buying more and more. This metallic eyeshadow duo is very unlike anything that I already own which is why it made it's way into my basket but now I understand why I have never bought such a thing. Okay so I have mac paint pots but they are a very difference kinda of metallic. For me cream shadows such as the paint pots are great to use as a base but these sleek shadows are thicker and stronger shadesand so don't really fit that purpose. The silver looks good as an inner corner highlight if used sparingly, especially complimenting deep purple and cranberry colours, maybe even rich dark greens but I haven't tried it yet. As for the gold, I have used this as a base with rich copper-y browns and it looks good but not great.

I just don't love them .. The formula is good and doesn't crease much (but i've never worn it alone) and the colour pay off is good, almost too good. Good isn't a great is it ....

♥ abby
  

my must haves: barry m dazzledusts

Barry M dazzledusts are versatile buggers which is why I seem to have ended up with so many of them! I'll be honest though, I don't use them all that often since I gained a bit of an aversion to colour and a passion for neutral palettes. I must stamp that out otherwise this is such a waste of money and of beautiful colours. The thing that I seem to use dazzledusts for most is dipping my nail tips in - when I actually have long enough nails anyway. I simply paint my nails a base colour and dip the tips in a similar or contrasting powder when a little tacky then slap on a clear white top coat. My favourite combination has to be Essie's smokin' hot with either 18 or 51.

♥ abby

benefit bad gal eyeliner

Just like the They're Real mascara, I really wanted this to wow me! But it didn't. It's such a shame as Benefit is my favourite brand on so many levels but a pattern is emerging and I just can't seem to get along with their eye products. Feel free to convince me otherwise as I haven't tried everything, if there is a wonderous Benefit eyeshadow or other product then I absolutely want to know about it so please shout!

This Bad Gal Eyeliner though .. Well it didn't stay on. It slipped from my waterline within the hour of applying then wouldn't budge from my skin which I can only assume is due to it's waterproof properties.

♥ abby

benefit they're real mascara

I wanted to like this, I really really did. Mostly because I love Benefit and the brush is great, a little longer than what i'm used to but I like quite dense plastic brushes. Alas it wasn't meant to be. It could be the fact that it isn't waterproof or that it's black and I prefer a dark brown mascara or there really is something with the formula that I don't get along with. In any case .. I can't really put my finger on it so let's roll with the fact it's a smudgy black and I like super water resistant mascara. Yup.

What are your thoughts on Benefit They're Real??

♥ abby
  

my must haves: sleek natural palette

with and without flash

This palette is so under used since I received my Naked 2 which is such a shame as I do really love it - only not as much as my addiction to snakebite.. :) The colour pay off is just what you'd expect from Sleek eyeshadows and with a good base they really do stay all day. It's a great and affordable palette of natural matte and shimmer shades.

When I do use this now it's for the white-ish highlighters, the dark purple grey and for the darker than dark black. Mostly the basics but that's why I bought it in the first place really. I'm a bit of a basics and staples girl both in makeup and fashion so it's only natural for me to be drawn to neutral palettes like this, it just means that I need to fill my mac palette with more exciting and experimental shades. Speaking of which .. I only have 3 eyeshadows in it at the moment .. any must have mac eyeshadow recommendations for me? My birthday is coming up and a trip to the local concession is definitely in order.

♥ abby

  

wishlist wannabe

I'm having another moment, a moment where I have spent too much time reading magazines and browsing lookbook and instagram. There are some fab trend pieces out and I have style envy so here's a little list of the few things I have my eye on : )

grey blazer | rebecca minkoff mac bag | celine tee | monochrome aztec dress | neon & white aztec dress | thick black belt | black leather ankle boots | firetrap mint green skinny jeans | baroque bodycon skirt | white denim shorts |  strap heeled sandals

♥ abby

craving: wedge trainers

Ash Cool Suede Wedge Trainers | Zign Red High Top Wedge Trainers | Zign Grey and White Wedge Boots

Ash Black Wedge Trainers | Nike Dunk Wedge Trainers | Serafini Manhattan High Top Wedge Trainers

Since the wedge heeled trainers were launched into the high street shops I have seen them as something of a garish shoe that I would never love or even want, but it's been a kind of love hate relationship really. The pvc and metallics to me are quite grotesque - i'm not going to lie, you will not see me sporting those. However, Ash do some lovely simple pairs and I really like the neon trim wedge trainers from zalando. So it's time to face a fear I think .. help me pick a pair?

♥ abby
  

my must haves: benefit big beautiful eyes

During my first Benefit makeover the artist used this big beautiful eyes palette and I bought it there and then. I'm not really sure why I haven't shouted about it on here yet because we're talking a good few years ago that I first purchased this palette and i've repurchased it twice since. The big beautiful eyes palette has a light pink eyeshadow for highlight, light brown eyeshadow base and darker brown eyeshadow for liner or outer corners, some boing concealer, a mini double end eyeshadow / liner brush and a mini concealer brush. I keep this compact little travel palette in my handbag most of the time and use it to refresh my eye makeup through out the day. Even when I haven't used these eye shadows in my original look they all blend well with my favourite shades from urban decay naked 2 and sleek natural palette - but much easier to carry around than those two.

♥ abby

  

summer wedges

Time for some more summer eye candy on the ol'blog, starting with bright and beautiful summery wedges. Yup I've been online shopping again and have lots of amazing pairs to share with you, perfect for the sun that's peeping through the clouds!

cream snakeskin wood wedges | patent nude wood wedges | mayan print wedges | vibrant aztec wedges

monochrome cage wedges | denim and zig zag wedges | floral cage wedges | fringe and cork wedges

coral suedette wedges | black gladiator wedges | crochet strap wedges | nautical stripe scarf wedges

Which pair are your favourite? I can't decide!

♥ abby