Outfit: New Year’s Eve Party

So I’m all ready to party and bid farewell to 2008! All I need now is a young man (he’s at the pub with his mate) and some guests (they’ll be arriving in just over an hour).

This outfit is pretty much a repeat of Saturday night, but since we are staying at home I changed up the shoes and belt to add some more colour and make it a bit more interesting. And this is a different pair of jeans.

Black shrug – New Look
Purple/black/white/silver plaid shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Black & silver cami – New Look Tall
Jeans – River Island
Yellow flats – Tesco
Yellow belt – charity shop

Total Est. Cost £88.50

Review: Urban Retreat UR Rushed

Why did no one alert me to this product before? Why isn’t it top of every beauty must have list in every magazine? This stuff is amazing! I just painted my nails and the spritzed them with this stuff as directed. And my nails were dry. Almost instantaneously! I only bought it because if you bought 2 products from selected ranges in Boots you got 500 extra points and that then gave me enough to get my Dior Midnight Poison set. But I will definitely be buying it again.

Outfit: New Cardi!

It’s New Year’s Eve and we’re having a small gathering at our house this evening. I have about a million things to do before that though because some of our guests are staying over so I need to sort out the spare room (which doubles as my shoe room most of the time. You think I’m kidding? I’m not!). I’ve been to Tesco and have found a tiny cobbler’s shop in the local town who will fix my boots from yesterday. And my sister says it’s snowing on her side of the city so fingers crossed we will get some too.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
White long sleeve t – Tall Girls
Jeans – River Island
Brown cowboy boots – New Look

Total Est. Cost £86

Shopping in New Look

The only place I bought anything today was in New Look. Topshop had helpfully mixed all of the Tall sale stuff in with the regular sale items – so no chance of finding anything in there. Dorothy Perkins just had the same things that my local store had so there was nothing to get excited over in there. It’s not often that I venture into the city these days so the New Look branch there is something of a treat as it stocks the Tall range. I found an oversize grey cardi (which I had been looking for) for £10.

But then the curse of being tall struck and I ended up buying a couple of regular price items too. The trouble with being tall is that you have to buy things when you see them or they will not be there again.

And that is why I ended up with this check shirt (totally loving those at the moment) – the sleeves are super long once they are unrolled.

And this black cardi which will be fab for work over my new stripe shirt I got in Next on Saturday.

Outfit: Braving the City Centre

I went to meet my friend in the city today. She couldn’t make it in the end so I had a wander round the shops. It was still pretty busy with all the sales. And it was cold – very cold. I had my hat on the whole time and so did many other people, not something you see too often. I mean, I will always wear a hat, I love them, but it’s unusual to see so many other people wearing them.

Oh, and there’s now a split in the soles of BOTH of these boots. I’ll have to find a cobbler around here. I had a fantastic guy where I used to live but he’s too far away now. I’ll have to scour the yellow pages and see whether there is one in my new town.

Teal tank top – Next
Teal long sleeve t – H&M
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede boots – Matalan
Yellow belt – charity shop

Total Est. Cost £40

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing jeans or other casual clothes as I’m off work all week
…reading the January issues of my US magazines. They are all promising new outfits already in my closet so let’s hope they follow through on that.
…watching X Files DVDs – the young man has agreed we should watch the whole lot together (we did this with the Friends boxset 2 years ago) as something to do when we are staying in to save money
…listening to the new Take That CD that my sister brought over for me last week. I was never really into Take That in the 90s but I’m loving them this time around
…eating party food on New Year’s Eve
…shopping with my Tall Girls voucher

Outfit: Black & Grey & White

Another quiet day today. I’ve done the Tesco shopping and been to the village to run a few errands. I had my new coat on when I went out and it was lovely and cosy. Also, I promise I will wear something else on my feet tomorrow!

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
White shirt – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Grey skinny jeans – Primark
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £42

eBay Bargain – Topshop White Shirt

I got this shirt on eBay just before Christmas and it has been languishing in my washing bin until this week. It’s fab – it is very long (the previous owner says she wore it as a dress and the sleeves come right down over my hands, something I am always looking for in a white shirt. And it was only £4.20. Love it!

Outfit: Lazy Sunday

We were back late last night (or early this morning) so we slept in today. It’s just a lazy day around the house so I currently have my fluffy pink slipper boots on, but if I do venture out I will put on my grey boots.

Blue cardi – Ethel Austin
Grey long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £15

What I Bought in the Sales

As promised, a little peek at what I got in the sales yesterday. I had a little Christmas money to spend and my choice of shops was limited as I only went to the local retail park. Next had been open since 5am so the sale had been picked over already. I was contemplating some jeans and trousers in River Island but the changing rooms were shut and the queue was huge so I might go back this week and try on if the items are still there.

Anyway, I went to Dorothy Perkins and got this fab coat. I don’t have any shorter length, casual coats so I think this one will be very useful. It was reduced to £35 from £65.

These two tops were not in the sale but at £7 each, you can’t go wrong. Especially when you are tall and your choice of basics is limited.

In Next the choice was limited as they don’t stock the Tall stuff in the stores. This shirt had folded back cuffs (something I always look for – extra length) and looked long in the body. It was half price at £15 so I took a chance (again, the changing rooms were shut) and bought it. I am pleased to report that it fits perfectly. And I also got a striped hat, scarf & glove set in Next, half price at £10. The gloves are fingerless, with a mitten attachment that folds over the top. Useful for texting etc when you don’t want to take your gloves off.

Finally I went to Boots and because I had so many points accumulated on my Advantage Card, I got a Dior Midnight Poison Gift Set for free! It had been reduced so it was now cheaper than just buying a bottle of perfume.

I am not quite done with the sales yet – I still have a Tall Girls voucher to spend.

Outfit: Party!

My friend had a party at her house last night – just a small gathering with music, food and drinks. And a shooting game on the Wii.

I almost threw out this shrug. I’m glad I didn’t now I have a new way to wear it.

Black shrug – New Look
Purple & black check shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Black & silver cami – New Look Tall
Jeans – River Island
Black faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes

Purple necklace - Scope

Teal bangles - Accessorize

Silver bangles - Scope

Total Est. Cost £90

Outfit: Sale Shopping

We didn’t make it to the shops yesterday so I took a wander up to the local retail park today. I was very glad I had walked as the car park was crazy busy. I got a few bits – details to follow.

Brown polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Skinny jeans – Gap
Chestnut suede boots – EMU Australia (On Shoes) (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £40

Outfit: Boxing Day

We are having a lazy-ish day today. The young man is playing outside in the garage, making Perspex doors for the TV cabinet (I’m not sure why, I’ve managed 4 years without doors. I asked him why and he said why not, so there you go). I think we will have a walk up to the local retail park later on and see whether there are any sale bargains to be had, before heading to the young man’s parents’ house for tea and a card game.

Purple tank top – Long Tall Sally
Purple long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – River Island
Brown cowboy boots – New Look

Total Est. Cost £103

Outfit: Christmas Day

I hope you all had a good one. The young man and I got up around 9, had breakfast and opened our presents. We headed to his parents’ around 12 for Christmas dinner, which was delicious. Around 4.30 we all headed off to the young man’s sister’s house. Her in laws were over so it was a bit of a house full. The young man’s niece is 3 & ½ so was having a whale of a time. She was given an keyboard for Christmas so I entertained everyone playing Christmas carols and leading a singalong. The niece also had a Little Miss Sunshine suitcase on wheels. She packed up some of her toys into and when asked where she was going to with it, she said Bethlehem.

Teal shrug – Ann Taylor Loft (charity shop)
Black & silver cami – New Look Tall
Skinny jeans – Gap
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)
Teal necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £24

Merry Christmas Y’All!

I will definitely be blogging over the holidays, but not tomorrow and possibly not Boxing Day. So, merry Christmas to all my lovely readers and I’ll be back soon.

Christmas Sap

So I’m sitting here listening to Band Aid 20 (which I hate by the way, it wasn’t broke, you didn’t need to ‘fix’ it, thanks for ruining a perfectly good Christmas song – sorry, who are you all again?) and feeling all Christmassy and I got to thinking about all the fantastic people I have ‘met’ online this year. There’s Kate and Aimee and Carrie, Kimberly, Dana, Antonia and Jane. I feel like I have got to know Amber better this year, and Gemma and Allie and Caroline. My life is enriched daily because of this wonderful thing called the internet and all the fabulous bloggers out there. Yes this is a sappy, off topic post, born of reading too many Christmas stories and watching too much Christmas music TV, but I just wanted to say Merry Christmas girls, you rock!

Outfit: Christmas Eve!

I am working until 2pm today, then it’s the officially the holidays! Not much is going on in my office – we’ve just had hot sandwiches and there’s a couple of box of chocolates going around.

Once leave the office I have plenty to do – two friends to visit to deliver Christmas gifts, then church, then I’ll phone the young man to find out where he is and perhaps go and join him and his friends for a Christmas drink.

Black shrug – Long Tall Sally
Teal long sleeve t – H&M
Jeans – River Island
Red patent flats – Dorothy Perkins
Red beads – eBay
Red belt (on jeans) – Next

Total Est. Cost £68

Outfit: New Boots!

This is my interpretation of this outfit that the lovely Kate wore last week. Ordinarily I would have worn my grey over the knee boots with it, but I wasn’t sure about such a short skirt and heels for work, plus I might have some last minute running around to do later on so flat boots are the best choice.
We have my parents and my sister and her husband coming over tonight. My parents are going away for Christmas (setting off tomorrow) so it is my family Christmas this evening.

Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Denim skirt – Gap
Black rib tights – Morrison’s?
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)
Red belt – Next

Total Est. Cost £48

A Christmas Present

I was contacted last week by a lady at Priceless Shoes offering to send me a Christmas present, a pair of shoes/boots of my choice from their website. Needless to say, I was delighted, and chose these grey boots. They fit perfectly and so far are very comfortable. I was going to keep them for Christmas day, but you know me and new things! I already had today’s outfit planned and flat boots work well with it.

Dancing Shoes

A couple of weeks ago at drama group rehearsal we were told that we would need white shoes for the show this year, with as heel. The group secretary pointed out that Priceless Shoes had some suitable ones for just £10. I went to the store near my office but they only had green, red and black (unsurprisingly, given the time of year!). I was able to order the white online and they arrived today. I am looking forward to seeing how they shape up when dancing rehearsals start in February.

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing jeans to work, we’re allowed since it’s Christmas week
…reading ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas’ by Clement Moore
…watching out for Santa Claus on the NORAD Track Santa website
…listening to ‘All Alone On Christmas’ by Darlene Love. Such a good song, why isn’t it included on any of the Christmas compilation albums?
…eating Christmas dinner
…shopping for nothing

Outfit: Working the Purple

Sadly I am working right up to and including Christmas Eve. It’s far milder out than it has been recently so I figured I would be OK in a tank top today.

Purple tank – Long Tall Sally
Plaid shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – River Island
Grey boots – Ethel Austin
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £88

Outfit: Sunday Lunch

The young man’s Godmother came up today and we went out for lunch with her and the young man’s family. In the evening the young man and I met some friends at the local pub to do the quiz. We won so the free beer prize ensured it ended up being a later night than planned.
I felt very festive in this outfit and was ready to go off and spread some holiday cheer.

Black waistcoat – Next Tall
White long sleeve t – Tall Girls
Jeans – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Black faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes
Red scarf – made with dress in 2006

Total Est. Cost £51

Outfit: True Blue

It’s the Christmas concert with my choir today. I slept late and then got ready to go to the rehearsal this afternoon. I’m back home on my tea break now and will have to get changed into my choir uniform in a minute.

Blue sweater – Florence + Fred at Tesco
Plaid shirt – Primark
Skinny jeans – Gap
Blue boots – Priceless Shoes

Total Est Cost £41

The Other New Jeans

I mentioned this morning that I found a picture of my other new River Island jeans, then I completely forgot to post it. So here they are, the slouchy boyfit style.