GRWM Christmas Party or Dinner / Elegant and Feminine

Hey guys! Today is another GRWM and I love writing and photographing these posts. There also some of my most viewed posts.

Every year my friends and I do Secret Santa and have a meal where we give out our presents. Not only that, but we see it as an opportunity to dress up nice and seeing as it's Christmas we can go full out! I thought one of these looks would be useful given the time period, if you're going to a Christmas party or meal then hopefully you get some idea's from this post.

Now traditionally on Christmas a lot of people wear Christmas colours like greens, red and golds teamed with sparkle for a Christmas party, but I wanted to do something a little different and slightly more girly. I don't often dress up girly, but I do love trying new looks and styles out so I thought I'd team an elegant girly look with a bit of Christmas spirit!

Firstly, lets start with my hair. I aimed to go for a glam curly look. Before I started with the heated products I sprayed a bit of heat protectant on my hair after I showered. I don't often mention this but I think it's really important to protect your hair and especially with mine being blonde it can become brittle quite easily. So now for the fun part. Going for a different method, I used my Babyliss hair rollers in medium and large to get a smooth loose look. I curled them towards my face, and although that's not my usual technique, it's creates a classy style. I left these in for 20 minutes.

While the rollers were in I moved onto makeup. Because of the girly glam theme, I went for a shimmery pink look with golden and warm undertones. As well as contour, I concentrated on blush and highlighter to make sure my face didn't appear too sharp and defined. I added a lot of mascara to make my eyes pop and used a nude/pink lipstick to go with the eyeshadows.

Onto the outfit! You won't be surprised that my outfit is from Missguided because they literally have everything at an affordable price. Going for classy but cute I wore a pink high neck crop top and the sweetheart neck line made the look more feminine. The grey scuba skirt is a very flattering shape which I find really helps my body. For shoes I went with a different colour completely of a dark burgandy purple. I think this helped break up the colours and made the look more seasonal. These were from New Look.

I chose to accessorise with some gorgeous gold earrings (a gift from my sister for my birthday) from Topshop and a gold watch from River Island(a gift from my Dad also). The gold really helped bring out the warmer tones in my makeup.

Finally I sprayed a little bit of perfume. I chose LeeLee from Benefit as it's feminine but sweet!

Here are a few photos including makeup, outfit and hair:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year. I should be doing another post before them but I'm not the most reliable and organised person, so we will see.

Gina x

Clothes Show Live 2014

A few weeks ago on the 7th of December I visited Clothes Show Live, which has become an annual event for me. For those of you who aren't sure what the clothes show is, it is basically an event held in Birmingham at the NEC arena including a fashion show along with many stalls and boutiques where you can buy vintage and high street clothing. In addition they have a beauty area where there are a range of stalls including brands from the drugstore like Rimmell, BarryM and Models Own. They often have discounts or goodie bags that you can buy for an extremely good price!

 When my friend and I arrived, I decided to buy a clothes show goodie bag, which had a wristband and clothes show magazine. Apparently, this helped get discount off at certain stalls. It also included a map. Unfortunately, it didn't help me with discounts, but it was useful in that I had a guide of my way around, because with the NEC being so huge I didn't really know where I could find certain shops. It was expensive at £8 but I wouldn't say it was a waste of money as it did help me with my way around.

The show itself was phenomenal as always. Our seats this year were better than previous years and I had a great view of the show. To my surprise Jim Chapman (one of my favourite youtubers) was presenting along with a very good looking Rick Edwards. There was also a performance by Stereokicks to get everyone in the mood.

The show began with a scene in New York with very colourful, flamboyant outfits worn by the models, this then changed into a formal work outfit where the women wore faux leather white midi skirts which I adored! The screen at the back of the stage helped with setting the scene and the images were very vivid. There were a variety of colourful scenes, including a jungle theme, a theme park and a disco tech theme. I was pleasantly surprised with the music choices which were very lively and fitted all the themes perfectly. There were too slower scenes, one being a snowy wedding with "Empire" by Shakira being played and a contemporary dance scene with one male and female model. Not only that but all the models were beautiful with extremely chiselled features and my friend and I definitely appreciated the amount of topless models and the array of six packs.

One thing that was different about this year for me, personally, was that I saw a lot more celebrities. I managed to be face to face and inches away from Andy Jordan (from Made In Chelsea) and was next in line for a photo until he ended up dashing off. I also saw Dan Osborne, Lucy Mecklenburgh (both from TOWIE) and Jaimie Laing again from Made in Cheslea.

Sorry for the snapchat usage throughout this post

Onto purchases, I did find some amazing deals and bargains and contemplated buying almost everything, but I walked away at the last minute. Strangely, I was being strict with myself on buying things and I usually would have spent twice the amount I did. One thing I regret not buying was a pair of eyelashes from The Vintage Cosmetics Company. The packaging was so beautiful and I ended up convincing myself I only wanted to buy them because of the packaging, but infact the eyelashes were gorgeous and I didn't quite realise until I got home!

I have to say I spent up in Barry M. I ended up with 8 nail varnishes!! I did get a few other things from Barry M but unfortunately I can't post these because they're Christmas presents and I want them to be surprises.

From a stall named "Pepper Tree London" I bought a purple oversized jumper for £15 and I can tell already this will become a holy grail item, especially in the winter.

This has to be the item I am most content with and it was a skirt made from a shirt which sounds slightly odd. I'd never seen anything similar and it just appealed to me. It was £18 so not cheap or expensive.

After quite a bit of shopping, my friend and I found a photobooth which was inside a cute little car including props that cost £2.50 for a print out. So for a bit of fun we tried it out! Wow, these photo's are attractive.

Oh and if any of you are interested, I wore a high neck burgandy sleeveless top from Topshop, along with a check shirt from Tesco, my Topshop black quilted skirt and my black Dr Marten boots. I also did a classic red lip and curled my hair. Here's a rather moody selfie.

That was all for the clothes show this year. I did manage to see another catwalk on the Olympus Pen which was fun and worth the watch.

Thank you for reading! I would recommend the clothes show to anyone who hasn't been, just be sure to talk some money with you as you won't be able to resist the bargains!

Gina x

Dark Colours and Purple Checks

One of my favourite colours to wear is black because it's flattering and goes with almost anything. Today, I've decided to do another outfit post like my last one. However this is slightly more grunge with mostly dark colours. I'd wear this on many occasions and I actually wore it to see Mockingjay part 1 and for my friends birthday meal. It's nothing too fancy so could be worn casually as an everyday outfit, but on the other hand the black dress can make it appear classy and even then it could be worn as a dressy or party outfit.

I own way too many check shirts for my liking. I don't know what it is about them but I always seem to buy them even though I'm aware I don't need anymore. This one is from Topman which might seem strange that I buy mens clothing, but I prefer the baggy look when it comes to shirts and women's shirts are often fitted. I love the colours too and surprisingly I think purple is becoming one of my most worn colours.

I didn't accessorise too heavily, regardless of my love for jewellery. I think thats due to the fact that I was seeing a movie so I wanted to be more comfortable and casual. If I were making more effort I'd definitely include some rings, maybe a watch and earrings.

I wore my Dr Martens which are up there with my favourite pairs of shoes. These are the 1460 W Boot which I will leave a link for at the bottom of the page. I know Dr Martens aren't for everyone, you either love them or hate them. If you are considering buying some I'd say go for it, they're extremely good quality and are worth the cost. They do take a while to break in, I don't know if that's just something I've found personally or not, but once broken in they mould to the shape of your foot and are as comfy as ever.

I know I'm not the most adventurous with hair styles as it seems I always have it curled on my blog, but I am thinking of doing a post on 5 of my daily hairstyles, so look out for that!

As for my makeup, I went with a subtle black, smokey eye and a dark burgundy lip which is my favourite colour to wear in autumn and winter.

Here are the photo's, I look slightly moody on the last one but trust me I'm not miserable. I also couldn't help but include a traditional bathroom mirror selfie. 

Black Dress: Boohoo
Check Shirt: Topman
Choker Set: Topshop
Tights: M&S
Shoes: Dr Martens
Lipstick: Mix between MAC Diva and Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Smoulder 
Eyeshadow: Urban Decay NAKED basics palette

Thankyou for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post or got some ideas from it. 

Gina x

Leopard Print and Khaki Green

I've been loving fur coats this season, especially with the cold weather. I think they are a must have and can be thrown on over any outfit to keep you warm and cosy. I have particularly been loving this leopard print one because it adds a subtle bit of detail. I also like how it's mostly brown and so is different from your usual yellow leopard print. It's so comfortable and fits me perfectly! 

Khaki green is really popular this season and I find that it is a very flattering colour, especially if you have green eyes like myself. I've recently been loving jumpers with cuffs on, I'm not sure why I just think they look nicer and are more snug around the wrists. 

Usually I'm a silver jewellery kind of person and I've restricted myself from buying gold jewellery as I assumed it wouldn't suit me, but I wanted to try it regardless and with this outfit gold blends better with the colours than silver. The necklace has coin like circles hanging from it, which makes it quite detailed and a statement piece, so I guess it's not really for everyone. 

Leather skirts are a must have in my autumn/winter wardrobe, and this skirt has a particular quilted effect which I thought spiced the outfit up. The A line shape is very flattering as it tucks in tightly at the waist and goes outwards when it gets to your thighs. If you don't really like the look of your thighs then this style skirt is perfect, as it doesn't stick or draw attention to them. If you have long legs, I would definitely consider buying one of these! 

These boots have been featured before on my blog and it's no surprise that I'm mentioning them again because they're so versatile as you can wear them whenever with whatever. Even with a heel on them, in my opinion they're not too difficult to walk in seeing as they're quite chunky.

These are a few photos of the outfit put together. I did use a camera rather than my phone but even still the quality isn't amazing, but at least there is some improvement.  

Coat: Asos (unfortunately not in stock) Similar here
Jumper: Missguided
Skirt: Topshop
Tights: M&S
Shoes: Boohoo Similar here
Necklace: Missguided
Lipstick: MAC Angel

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe it even inspired you to get a leopard print coat. I'd love to keep on posting outfits as well as other fashion and beauty related posts.

Gina x

Yellow Tartan OOTD

This is my first OOTD, so heres hoping you all like it!

I decided to go for a versatile look, something that could be worn throughout the day and night for a variety of occasions. It could be worn on just a normal day out shopping, or on a more casual day substituting the boots for a flat shoe. Furthermore, it could be worn on a night out as it can appear as dressy, and could even be worn to a meal. I also attempted to use colours that fitted to the Autumn season. 

Hat: Primark
Yellow cami: New Look
Tartan skirt: New Look
Leather Jacket: TXMax
Boots: TXMax
Necklace: Primark 

This yellow cami is actually really comfy with plenty of flow in it which is good as I didn't want it to be tight and I love the combination of the cami and the skirt, because the colours work well together. The most common tartan colours are those of red and greens, so I wanted to mix it up a little and try something different with yellow and navy. The skirt itself has proved popular in my wardrobe as its easy to throw in a bit of pattern and colour into an outfit without being too much. I also love the warm toned yellow in the cami, as it's easier to wear than a more vibrant cool toned yellow. 

I'm loving these hats at the moment as it adds class to an outfit and they're great on a bad hair day (which I was having on this day). I find that these hats are flattering on most people and give the appearance of longer hair, you can also get them really cheap depending on where you shop! 

These shoes are a holy grail of mine! I always turn to them if I'm wearing black tights and they can be worn in the evening and daytime, so they come in handy a lot. I love the chunky boot look, as it adds a bit of grunge to an outfit without being too over the top. Cut out boots are more interesting and make your foot look slimmer, which I suppose is a positive! Unfortunately mine are a bit scuffed and aren't in great condition. 

I decided on red nails as it went with my red lip, which I thought added more vibrant colour to this outfit. I also accessorised with a silver statement necklace and a few silver rings. I thought this was the right amount of jewellery as its easy to over do it. 

Rings on index and middle finger: Primark
Other ring: Bottlekiln

I also love the scaly, snake skin texture of the leather jacket because it gives an outfit more edge, in particular in this outfit I wanted a few different textures running through it, otherwise it can come off a little plain. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my OOTD, and I can't wait to do more of these in the future! I also hope to get a better camera, so I apologise for the quality of some of these photo's. 

Gina x

Autumn Haul

Progressing on from my previous post, I have decided to include an Autumn haul. So, over the past few weeks/months I have been browsing the shops and have purchased a few things for the colder months, and although this is an Autumn haul most of these clothes will last me through winter. I have used a bit of inspiration from my mood boards, however some of these are just random buys.

Firstly there are these two high neck crop tops. I don't usually wear high neck tops as I find them uncomfortable, but the fabric on these two was so soft and stretchy that they didn't clench too tight at my neck. Both of these colours too are perfect for Autumn and can be paired with pretty much anything as they're simple and plain.

Burgandy high neck crop top - Topshop £10
Green high neck crop top - Topshop £10

Here we have another high neck crop top. I found that these colours although are quite bright and summery are good transition colours from summer to autumn as it includes orange and warmer tones. I also find that these tops are flattering around the shoulder area. The other tops and cami's are basics, as I never know when I'm going to need plain colours in an outfit. I also find that they're good for comfort. As i've mentioned before stripes are a must have all year round.

Blue and orange crop top - River Island £12
White cami top - Topshop £6
Stripy cami top - Primark £2

Grey t-shirt - Primark £3
White long sleeved t-shirt - Primark £3

This yellow cami really stood out for me as yellow is one of my favourite colours and this yellow in particular was more of a warmer yellow that I thought would fit right into A/W. The blouse was a much needed piece that can go with almost anything to be dressed up or down as mentioned in my last post. This navy skirt was a random buy but I know I will get a lot of wear out of it as I find navy is a colour that suits me and midi skirts are also really flattering. The green shift dress was possibly one of my favourite purchases. The bottle green colour is definitely my favourite this autumn (and you've probably heard that enough times already), again because its plain it can just be thrown on on a lazy day or decorated with a scarf, belt and some jewellery when going out. Not only that, but it was such a bargain at £5!

Yellow cami - New look £9.99
White Blouse - Primark £9

Navy Skirt - Primark £8
Green shift dress - Primark £5

I decided to get myself a pair of ripped jeans as it gives me a bit more variety rather than wearing my black skinny jeans all the time. They also give off a more casual look. The tartan skirt really stood out for me and I think it will go great with the yellow cami. The scarf looked really 'autumny' to me and I thought it would be nice to add to a boring, plain outfit. The wool cardigan was really warm and cosy and so I thought it would be perfect in the colder months!

Aztec print scarf- Primark £4
Black wool cardigan- Primark £12

MOTO ripped stone wash jamie jeans- Topshop £42
Yellow tartan skirt - New look £14.99

       



























Onto accessories! I got myself a floppy hat which I'm so glad about! I was debating getting it for about half an hour until a woman came over to me and told me it suited me and that I should go for it seeing as I'm young. I thought that was really cute and was what tipped me over to buying it. These scrunchies were too cheap and cute for me to resist and I tried to go with an autumn colour theme. I'm so happy with my bag and purse and they were such a great offer! As I've said before I love black bags and although the purse isn't matching its close enough!

Floppy hat- Primark £7
Arrangement of scrunchies- Luvyababes £1 each

Bag- TXMax £32.99
Purse- TXMax £7.99

So, this is some of the jewellery that I've bought over the past few months. The pandora ring was actually a present in April, so I've kind of cheated it into this autumn haul, but I wear it so often it managed to sneak it's way in! In autumn I find that I wear a lot of black so this triangle earring set appealed to me. The 5 rings came as a set and were so cheap I couldn't resist. I love ring sets too, I think it's really pretty to wear an assortment of rings on your fingers. The last set of earrings are abit more glamorous, but I really liked the combination of navy and gold.

Pandora December ring- Pandora £40
Black triangle earrings- Primark £3
Silver ring set- Primark £2.50
Navy and gold earrings- Primark £3

I've been needing a statement necklace that goes with everything and is quite simple and plain for a while now! I wanted something that was really variable so it would work on a glamorous night out but would also look good with a plain t-shirt and jeans. I decided that silver was the best colour for this and it suits my complexion better. I thought this did the job at a cheap price as well!

Silver necklace- Primark £4

Finally, these are the two coats that I bought for A/W this year. The first is either a love or hate piece, but I fell in love with it! Lilac is one of my favourite colours and quilts are really coming into trend this season. The only issue with this coat is that it makes a lot of noise whenever I move and it sounds like I'm wearing paper! But nonetheless, its waterproof as well as a great fit. This next coat is amazing and such a bargain! It's exactly what I've been looking for a while now and its so warm but can become itchy if you have it on against skin, so I make sure I'm wearing something long sleeved underneath.

Lilac quilted mac- Topshop £55

Grey A-line coat- TXMax £45

And that's all for my Autumn haul! I hope that this gave you a few idea's or if not then I hope you find some nice buys for A/W. Thank you for reading!

Gina x