Review: Barry M Grey Nail Varnish

I have seen grey nail polish on the fingers of several bloggers in the past couple of weeks, and also on my friend at work, and it was something I fancied trying. After searching the make up counters in Boots, the only one I could find was a Barry M one. For £2.89 it was cheap enough to buy to try it out. It’s quite a thick consistency so I’ve only used one coat on each nail which seems to be enough. I’m happy with the colour, so let’s just hope it doesn’t chip too quickly!

Dorothy Perkins Stripe Top

I bought this today in DP. I had a promotional gift card with £1 on it so the top only cost me £9. I have found that the sizes in DP have gone a bit awry recently – is it just me? I got this top in a size 16 yet my size 12 tops from last year still fit me fine and the size 14 top I am wearing today is bigger than this new one. Not the way to make your customers feel good about themselves DP!

Outfit: Saturday Shopping

I walked up to the local retail park this morning to meet my sister for a spot of shopping. She wanted to spend her Next gift cars she had received for Christmas and I was after a few things in Boots (I had another No7/Ruby & Millie voucher to spend). I bought a top in Dorothy Perkins too. We return to my house for lunch (stuffed crust pizza from ASDA – it’s delicious!) and then watch Mamma Mia The Movie and sang along.

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

Total Est. Cost £25

Outfit: Denim Jacket

It’s Friday at last and boy am I glad about that! I had a whim last night that it might be fun to wear my denim jacket today so I cooked up an outfit around it. I’ve had this jacket years, since around 2001 or 2002 I think.
I caved yesterday and ordered those t shirts from Café Press so not I’m loving slogan t shirts, hence the repeat of the ‘shoe slave’ one from last night.

Denim jacket – Warehouse
White ‘shoe slave’ t shirt – Marks & Spencer
Grey jeans – Gap
Red shoes – Next
Red belt – Next
Red beads – eBay

Total Est. Cost £87

Outfit: Unsure Which Trousers!

I started out in the skinny jeans and looking at this picture now I think it looks OK, but I wasn’t happy with it in the mirror. So I switched out for my favourite River Island jeans and ended up like the second & third pictures, complete with hat! I headed off to church for choir practice.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
White ‘shoe slave’ t – Marks & Spencer (black sleeves and bottom added by me)
Skinny jeans – Gap
Flare jeans – River Island
Chestnut suede boots – EMU Australia (On Shoes, gifted)
Tan Obi belt – ASOS

Grey hat - Long Tall Sally

Total Est Cost £47/£91

Girl Meets Dress – Designer Frock Rental

We’ve all heard of Bag, Borrow or Steal – “Netflix for purses” as Jennifer Hudson’s character famously described it in the Sex and the City Movie. Well this is a similar concept for renting a posh frock. Girl Meets Dress is the perfect way to wear your favourite designer dress to that all important party, at a fraction of the cost. Prices start from around £30 and increase depending upon the dress and how long you want to keep it for. For example, the bronze frill sleeve dress by See by Chloe would cost you £53 for 2 nights and £76 for 7 nights. Loans are available for 2, 5 or 7 nights and are renewable for a further payment.

Sadly the service is only available in limited sizes – 8 to 14 – and some styles are only available in selected sizes, but in these credit crunching – sorry, recession – times, it could be the perfect way to enable you to wear a designer frock for that special occasion. They promise new to the site arrivals every Tuesday.

Shipping is steep at £9.95 but this covers delivery (within a specified two hour timeslot) and return, and all packages must be signed for due to the high value of the goods.

Wanted: Café Press T Shirts

This one:


And this one:

Insolia – Now Shipping From The UK

I have written about the wonder that is Insolia insoles before, but they are now available to purchase direct from a UK supplier, Simply Feet. They cost £5.95 for one pair, or £14.95 for a pack of three. The site helpfully does not tell you how much shipping costs, to find out you have to create an account and add items to your basket (so presumably the cost increases the more items you purchase, but who knows?). Simply Feet also stock the magical Compeed Anti Blister stick, a necessity for anyone wearing shoes with bare feet in the summer, for the bargain price of £3.51.

EDIT: Thanks to Simon W for supplying this information in the comments:
Simply Feet charge £3.00 (inc VAT) for delivery regardless of the number (or size) of items you purchase. Deliveries are sent via either Royal Mail first class post or ParcelForce 24hr depending on the physical size and value of the order.

Outfit: Red & Black

I have taken my inspiration from Jane today – both the red and black, and the idea of wearing a dress as a skirt by covering up the top part. I am trying out a new underskirt today too – the last time I wore this dress it clung to my tights with static so I bought a longer underskirt (for the bargain price of £3 from Ethel Austin). The only trouble now is that it’s a bit too long so I will have to keep checking that I am not displaying black lace around my skirt hem all day!

Red dress – Luxuriously Tall
Black wrap sweater – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Black tights – Silkies
Black faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes

Total Est. Cost £50

Outfit: Drama Rehearsal

We only have half a rehearsal this evening as the first half is for the gentlemen only. My outfit is a remix of Monday night’s – it is equally cold in this church hall as it is in the church where choir practice is held.

Blue sweater – Tall Girls
Grey polo neck – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £48

Review: Clinique Online

I love Clinique’s Pore Minimiser Oil Absorbing sheets. They are not cheap, but they are the only viable alternative I have found since Clean & Clear stopped doing there little blue version. At the weekend I discovered that my local Boots store had stopped stocking the Clinique sheets. So I turned to the website and placed an order. It was late on Saturday evening by the time I ordered and in internet shopping terms, that might as well be Monday morning. So I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email last night telling me my order had shipped. I clicked on the handy ‘track your package online’ link (I LOVE this service, all online stores should provide it) this morning and was pleased to see that my parcel had reached Leeds and was out for delivery. The parcel arrived at my office this afternoon (bear in mind it will need signing for so have it delivered to an address where there is someone available). My items were well packaged and the free samples were included too.

Wanted: Leather Jacket From Tall Girls

The only problem? It’s £150! I shall save up, beg for birthday money, and maybe see whether I can get it come April. (And hopefully it will be on sale by then.)

Outfit: Pink & Grey

Keeping up the theme of bright colours, I don’t think I can go any brighter with the tights than this pair. I love this dress but it’s a little on the short side for work so I thought I’d try it out as a top for a change.

Pink/white/black/grey dress – eBay
Grey polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Grey wool skirt – Gap

Black Obi belt - ASOS
Pink tights – Jonathan Aston (MyTights.com)
Grey boots – ASOS

Total Est. Cost £105

Outfit: Brown & Teal

I don’t think I’ve worn brown for a while. I’m trying to wear a few of my skirts this week so today was the turn of this charity shop bargain. I don’t know why but I always feel cosier in cord than in denim. Both fabrics are cotton so there shouldn’t be any difference in warmth, but the softness of the cord just makes it feel warmer.

Teal tank – Next
Brown polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Beige cord skirt – Dorothy Perkins (charity shop)
Teal tights – Accessorize
Brown boots – Faith

Total Est. Cost £105

Outfit: Two Sweaters

I have decided that wearing two sweaters (and a long sleeve t underneath) is the way to go for choir practice. For the first time in ages, I wasn’t cold last night. I’ve not worn this blue top for a while but it goes well over polo necks so I will definitely have to get more use out of it this winter.

Blue sweater – Tall Girls
Black polo neck – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £61.50

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing skirts, and bright colours
…reading the February issue of US In Style magazine
…watching random comic episodes of the X-Files from seasons 5 & 7
…listening to ‘There’s No One More Irish Than Barack O’Bama’ by the Corrigan Brothers. My friend told me about it at the weekend and it's ace. Watch the video here – it’s fab!
…eating chocolate wafer biscuits with chocolate chips on the top
…shopping for nothing

Outfit: Colourful Monday

We are still in the depths of winter but the end of January is now in sight and that is something to be thankful for. I decided to eschew black & grey today in favour of something more colourful to try to brighten up a dull winter day.

Purple tank – Long Tall Sally
Purple long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Teal skirt – H&M
Purple tights – New Look
Teal boots – Faith
Teal necklace – Scope
Teal & silver bangles – Accessorize

Total Est. Cost £91

Outfit: Church On Sunday

There was sunshine for once when I was taking my picture this morning. We headed out to church which was lovely as I‘ve not been for a while and we’ve not been together in ages. I talked to someone about moving my membership there and I now know what I need to do to make it happen.
If I can drag the young man away from the Wii, we are going to take a walk this afternoon to look at the new housing development being built at the top of our village.

Blue cardi – Ethel Austin
Check shirt – Primark
Blue rib tank (under shirt) – Topshop
Jeans – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Blue suede booties – New Look
Blue & silver bangles – Oxfam

Total Est. Cost £62

Review: Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

Once again, Clinique’s marketing strategy has worked a treat. I got a free sample of this product in the Bonus Time box that was available just before Christmas, and trying it out has convinced me to purchase a full size bottle. It leaves my face smooth and silky soft and removes all makeup easily. Available at Boots or Clinique online for £12.72.

Outfit: Saturday Errands

We were given some home-grown leeks last night by the young man’s dad so I made leek & potato soup for dinner today. It was delicious and there is enough left to have it again tomorrow. This afternoon I decided to brave the cold and take a walk up to the local Boots store. I got a few bits I needed and spent the £5 No7/Ruby & Millie voucher I had. I spent enough to be entitled to another voucher which no doubt I will feel the need to spend this week. Good marketing Boots. I also popped into Borders and got a couple of magazines to satisfy my US glossies addiction.

Grey sweater – Ethel Austin
Teal long sleeve t – H&M
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £29.50

Outfit: Casual Friday

In the depths of winter it is lovely to be able to wear something really comfy and cosy, even though you are going to work. It is still pretty dark out and was chucking it down with rain when I was driving in.

I am so glad it’s Friday because I really did not want to get up this morning. I am looking forward to a lie in tomorrow. We are going to the young man’s parents’ for tea so that means I don’t have to think about what to cook tonight which is great. And I don’t think we have anything else planned this weekend so it will no doubt be spent playing Links Crossbow (which I just bought for the young man) on the Wii. Talking of the Wii, I did some more boxing on it last night and my arms are less achy than they were on Wednesday morning so does that mean it’s doing some good?

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
Grey polo neck – Long Tall Sally
Grey long sleeve t (layered under my sweater for warmth) – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Chestnut suede boots – EMU Australia (On Shoes, gifted)

Total Est. Cost £50

Outfit: More Purple

I think I should have put that I would mostly be wearing purple in my list at the start of the week! I am working my way through my wardrobe in an effort to wear everything before Easter, and this purple top still had its hanger the right way round, as did the waistcoat.

Black waistcoat – Next Tall
Grey rib tank – Cherokee at Tesco
Purple top – Mitch & Co (charity shop)
Black cords – Topshop Tall
Purple faux suede booties – Priceless Shoes

Purple necklace - Scope

Total Est. Cost £64

17 Make Up on BOGOF!

I went into Boots yesterday for various bits and pieces and discovered that the 17 make up range is currently on offer – buy one, get one free. I needed some cover up anyway and I use a 17 one. I wanted to try out a new blusher as the one I have is too red. I had been using bronzer as a substitute and that worked fine for evenings, but was a bit too shimmery for daytime wear. Amber had recommended Nars Orgasm which I know many people swear by, but it’s £18.50 and I am trying to economise a bit here! So I took advantage of the BOGOF offer and got the 17 blush powder in Brickie (with the cover up thrown in for free) for just £3.42.

Outfit: Drama Rehearsal

I knew it was going to be cold at rehearsal last night (because it always is, and also? It was snowing), so I switched my shirt for a sweater and put on the long boots for warmth.

Purple tank – Long Tall Sally
Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £66.50

Outfit: Purple & Black

I don’t think I was really awake when I took the picture this morning, hence the blur! I was trying to tone my arms a bit by doing boxing on the Wii yesterday, and they are achy this morning so I must have done some good I hope.

Purple tank – Long Tall Sally
Grey/black/white check shirt – New Look Tall
Black skirt – Long Tall Sally
Purple tights – Accessorize
Purple belt – Ethel Austin
Black patent shoes – Matalan
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £81

Outfit: Pop Of Red

It’s cold again and snow was forecast so trousers were the way to go this morning. The snow missed us (as usual) but I was still glad of my warm trousers. A pop of red helps to brighten up an outfit of neutral colours.

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
White shirt – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Grey wool mix pinstripe trousers – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Grey socks – New Look
Red patent shoes – Dorothy Perkins
Red beads – eBay

Total Est. Cost £76

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing shirts
…reading the February issue Company magazine
…watching random comic episodes of the X-Files from seasons 5 & 7
…listening to ‘Making Love Out Of Nothing At All’ by Air Supply. Still. It’s my new favourite song
…eating mini jaffa cakes
…shopping for nothing

Outfit: Black & Purple Again

I am totally loving purple at the moment. I am trying not to shop at the moment but when I saw this mock crock patent belt for £2 in Ethel Austin on Saturday I decided to treat myself.

Black cardi – New Look Tall
Black/white/purple check shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Black cords – Topshop Tall
Purple faux suede booties – Priceless Shoes
Purple necklace – Scope
Purple patent belt – Ethel Austin

Total Est. Cost £81

Outfit: Saturday Night

We are heading out shortly to a 60th birthday party for the lady I used to teach Sunday school with. I have known her my entire life and she taught my sister in Sunday school when my sister was 5. She has been very good to me over the years.

Black wrap cardi/shrug – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Blue & black top – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Metallic blue shoes – Office
Blue & silver bangles – Oxfam
Blue heart necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £58

Damn You Lycos!

Lycos have just announced that they will be ceasing their email accounts from mid-February. Consequently, my contact details have changed. Please see the side bar for my new email address.

Outfit: Casual Friday

I bought this tunic back before Christmas in a charity shop for around £2.99. I have not got around to wearing it until today. I am so pleased it is Friday; I am looking forward to a lie in tomorrow morning.

Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Blue/green/black/white tunic – Dorothy Perkins (charity shop)
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £49.50

Outfit: Church Choir

I had forgotten I had choir practice at church tonight until I said something at teatime about a quiet evening in and the young man said ‘haven’t you got choir practice?’. So I changed my jeans (I’d put on my comfy ones that are falling apart and no longer respectable to wear out when I got home from work) and put on some boots and headed out.

Black wrap cardi – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Black & white stripe shirt – Next
Jeans – River Island
Blue suede boots – New Look

Total Est. Cost £86

Outfit: Red Dress Thursday

Each time I put on this dress, the lyrics of the Dixie Chicks’ “Sin Wagon” always spring to mind – “I’ve found my red dress and I’m gonna put it on”. Of course, this red dress has nothing to do with the connotations of the one in the song – it’s a decent length and totally work appropriate when you put something underneath it.

Red dress – Luxuriously Tall
Black & white stripe shirt – Next
Black Obi belt – ASOS
Black tights – Silkies
Black faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes

Total Est. Cost £72

Outfit: Cinema

There was no drama group rehearsal lasat night for the chorus, so the young man dragged me to see ‘Quantum of Solace’ at the cinema to take advantage of the Orange Wednesdays two for one offer. It’s a cheap night out for us as the cinema is just up the road. The film was OK – I wasn’t expecting much and I think it was better than I thought it would be. Bond is not really my kind of thing though – I like films where nothing gets broken in the first five minutes, people are happy rather than shooting each other an the gadgets are not so far fetched that you are sitting there with one eyebrow raised going ‘yeah, right’. However, I am a big fan of Dame Judi Dench and she did not disappoint as the unflappable M.

I always get cold in the cinema so I added a big silk scarf to keep off the chill of the air conditioning.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
Grey rib tank – Cherokee at Tesco
Jeans – River Island
Grey boots – Ethel Austin
Blue silk scarf – Accessorize

Total Est. Cost £64

Outfit: Casual Dress Wednesday

I’ve seen a few pictures now of a slouchy cardi being worn over a little dress so I thought I’d give it a go. I saw these tights and thought they would match this dress perfectly and they do. I don’t think I’ve worn them before even though I bought them a while back, probably around November time.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
Teal dress (shortened) – Florence + Fred at Tesco (charity shop)
Teal tights – New Look
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)
Silver glitter belt – Local boutique

Total Est. Cost £22

Outfit: Purple Tights

I am trying to get back into wearing coloured tights this year. I used to wear them a lot but haven’t done recently for no particular reason.

Black/purple/grey Argyle sweater – Next Tall
White shirt – Long Tall Sally
Black pencil skirt – Long Tall Sally
Purple tights – New Look
Black shoes – Ethel Austin

Total Est. Cost £76.50

Outfit: Choir Practice

It wasn’t nearly so cold this evening as it has been recently so it wasn’t necessary to bundle up quite so much. I think this shirt needs a slightly longer sweater over it next time to balance out the super long tails at the back and front.

Navy blue rib sweater – Gap
White shirt – Topshop Tall
Jeans – River Island
Navy shoes – New Look (charity shop)

Total Est. Cost £79

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing dresses
…reading the February issue of Marie Claire
…watching the SATC movie – my friend has had my DVD for ages and I just got it back today so that’s the perfect excuse for another viewing
…listening to the tracks I downloaded from Amazon at the weekend. Loving ‘Making Love Out Of Nothing At All’ by Air Supply right now
…eating chocolate biscuits – we have too much bad (good) stuff to eat up from Christmas
…shopping for nothing

Outfit: Black & Tan Monday

I have been inspired to wear this black dress by Jane over at Work That Wardrobe. She is currently playing a game of ‘Pimp My Dress’ where her readers are suggesting different ways of wearing a black dress that she received as a Christmas gift. It has reminded me just how versatile a plain black dress can be, and that I don’t wear mine enough! So I plan on stealing/adapting some of her ideas in the coming weeks.

Black jersey wrap dress – Luxuriously Tall
White shirt – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Black rib tights – Morrison’s
Black & tan boots – ASOS
Brown Obi belt – ASOS
Black heart necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £59

Outfit: Equally Lazy Sunday

This grey cardi is my favourite casual item at the moment. I’m definitely getting the cost per wear down to a very small amount, given that it only cost £10 in the first place. But that means a similar outfit to yesterday, for which I apologise and promise to be more creative this week.

I have messed around with some MP3s today and successfully transferred them from my laptop to my MP3 player. The only time I’ve ventured out is just now to get petrol. It’s much less cold than is has been of late, but it is very windy now.

The young man is building a shoe rack/seat for the porch/entrance hall part of out house, and is installing some coat hooks on the wall to replace the freestanding hat stand/coat stand we have at present. Consequently, all the coats we own are dumped on the sofa at the moment whilst he finishes measuring up and drilling holes in the wall.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
Teal long sleeve t – H&M
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £21

Outfit: Lazy Saturday

I am enjoying a quiet day at home. I’ve done some chores, walked to the village and back, and now I am waiting for the soup to be cooked that I’m making for dinner.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
Red long sleeve t – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £28

Outfit: Grey Friday

I am totally loving grey as a neutral at the moment. I think it may have something to do with my new boots though. The pop of colour today comes from turquoise – belt, earrings and eyeliner!

We are heading to the young man's parents' for tea so I will be able to walk up there this evening without getting changed.

Grey sweater – Long Tall Sally
Denim skirt – Gap
Grey rib tights – Next
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)
Turquoise leather belt – H&M
Turquoise earrings – Accessorize (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £50

Outfit: Black & Teal

It’s marginally less cold today. However, I have been cold all week so I’m still not taking any chances and am wrapped up warm. The white t wasn’t supposed to show but its neckline didn’t match as well as I hoped with the sweater. I wasn’t going to lose a layer so I thought I might as well incorporate it into the outfit.

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
White long sleeve t – Tall Girls
Teal skirt – H&M
Teal tights – Accessorize
Black patent shoes – Matalan
Teal scarf – Marks & Spencer

Total Est. Cost £77

Outfit: Drama Rehearsal

So I reluctantly dragged myself out in the cold last night to the drama group rehearsal. As expected the church hall was freezing. I had pre-empted this by putting a cashmere sweater under my polo neck. This is almost a repeat of New Year’s Day, I am wearing the fab earrings again with a basic outfit, but I decided to change up the boots and give my feet a rest from heels.

Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – River Island
Brown cowboy boots – New Look
Earrings – Ethel Austin

Total Est. Cost £99

Outfit: Comfy Wednesday

I love this dress. It’s comfy to wear yet suitable for work. Still layering up – it was trying to snow this morning as I was driving in. Part of me really does not want to go to drama group rehearsal tonight because I know the hall will be freezing.

Green & purple smock dress – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Black leggings – New Look Tall
Black faux suede OTK boots – Priceless Shoes

Total Est. Cost £58

How To Make Going Back To Work Easier

I believe there are two ways to make going back to work after the holidays less painful. First, have something new to wear on your first day back. For me it was the stripey shirt yesterday (which would totally go under the teal dress I had on today, don’t you think?). So, check. And secondly, have something delivered to work that you ordered previously so you have something to look forward on your return. In my boredom stupor on Christmas Eve I ordered a couple of items from Priceless Shoes. The first one showed up today. It is the purple version of the blue bow flats I already have. They were £5 in the sale.

The second item I have a feeling I may not see but have emailed the customer services to find out where it is.

Outfit: Chilling at Home

Having a quiet evening in tonight. I will definitely repeat this outfit when I have somewhere more exciting to go than the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate.

Blue cardi – Ethel Austin
Grey polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – River Island
Blue satin flats – Priceless Shoes
Blue glitter belt (on jeans) – H&M

Total Est. Cost £79

Outfit: Still Cold

It’s still freezing outside. There is still snow on the ground in some places and the building thermometer I passed on the way in said -3˚C. Layering is the way to go on a day like this to try to keep warm.

Teal dress – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Grey polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Grey rib tights – Next
Grey faux suede OTK boots – Priceless Shoes
Black patent belt – New Look (free with shirt)

Total Est. Cost £71

Outfit: Choir Practice

This is definitely my new favourite shirt. It goes great with jeans and a sweater as well as work wear. I can’t wait to wear it again and pair it with a trouser suit, cardi, teal tank, the list is endless!

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
Black & white striped shirt – Next
Jeans – River Island
Black faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes

Total Est. Cost £89

‘January’ Sales

What has happened to the grand tradition of January sales in this country? Once upon a time the shops were closed on Boxing Day the markdowns did not begin until 1st January. These days most shops were open Boxing Day and many stores began their sales well in advance of Christmas. I have just received an email from ASOS warning me that this is the last week of the sale (hang on, it’s only the first full week of January), and Next had their Spring/Summer collection loaded on to the website around 2nd January. Time was when there were only two big sales a year – January and the end of the summer, around mid-August. But no longer. Now the January sales are pre-Christmas, there are ‘mid-season’ sales every couple of months, and some stores have a permanent sale rack all year round. I’m not complaining (really, I’m not!), I like a bargain as much as the next person, but I always thought there was something special about the January sales – as a child you had your Christmas money and were allowed to go out and treat yourself to whatever it was that you wanted. It just doesn’t seem the same somehow when you can buy discounted items for yourself alongside your Christmas shopping.

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing heels again. I seem to have lived in flats over the holidays.
…reading the Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style
…watching X Files DVDs
…listening to Sarah Kennedy on Radio 2 – it’s not good to be up so early!
…eating more healthily than of late, hopefully
…shopping for nothing

Outfit: Back To Work

I am back at work and not exactly thrilled to be here. There is snow on the ground this morning so I had to ditch the heels in favour of my EMU boots to get to work. I have changed now I’m in the dry office.

Purple tank top – Long Tall Sally
Black & white striped shirt – Next
Black pencil skirt – Long Tall Sally
Black rib tights – Morrison’s
Purple booties – Priceless Shoes
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £64

Outfit: Sunday Night Cosy

We headed over to a friend’s house for Chinese take out and games on the Wii. I know I am usually cold at this house so I was sure to wrap up warm and cosy.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
Grey polo neck – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Gap
Chestnut suede boots – EMU Australia (On Shoes) (gifted)

Total Est. Cost £50

Outfit: Grey & Teal

A quiet day around the house. I have taken down the Christmas tree: the holidays are officially over. The young man is building a shoe rack/seat for the porch and needs a cushion for it so we took a walk up to the retail park to look for a suitable one. It’s still very cold out.

Grey sweater – Ethel Austin
Grey long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan
Teal necklace – Scope
Teal & silver bangles – Accessorize

Total Est. Cost £34.50

Outfit: Saturday Evening

We headed over to have tea at my parents’ and then on the way home, stopped off at the pub to meet a friend.

Black belted cardi – New Look Tall
Purple long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Gap
Teal boots – Faith
Teal scarf – Marks & Spencer
Teal necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £77

Outfit: Saturday Errands

New shirt! I was going to put a red belt with this but the young man said it looked wrong. I don’t believe him but stuck with the original black to shut him up. That meant I could add a purple necklace though and my nails are still purple so that worked out OK.

I went to pick up my boots from the cobbler, and to buy leeks to make soup for dinner. It’s cooking at the moment.

Black shrug – New Look
Black & white check shirt – New Look Tall
Black patent belt – New Look (came with shirt)
Jeans – Gap
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)
Black beret – George at ASDA
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £47

Working With What I’ve Got

I have just been going through the January issues of various fashion magazines and most of them contain articles on using what you already have in your closet. I am feeling inspired. I would say I was going to give up shopping for the New Year but we all know that that would only last until the new Next Directory is delivered. However, I will try very hard to cut down. What I will also do is pinch an idea I saw on Jessica’s What I Wore blog. The idea is that you turn all of your hangers the wrong way round in your closet and then as you wear each item you replace the hanger the right way round so you can see what you are wearing and what you are not wearing. Being too lazy to do take all my hangers out and turn them around, I will just replace each item the other way around once it’s been worn. Anything that has not been worn by Easter I will seriously think about eBaying or donating to the charity shop.

Outfit: Friday

We had some more friends over for lunch today. I feel like all we’ve done lately is entertain and eat. But it was lovely to see them.

Grey jeans – Primark
Grey cardi – New Look Tall
White ‘shoe slave’ t – Marks & Spencer
Red belt (on jeans) – Next
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)

Red heart necklace - Claire's

Total Est. Cost £43

Outfit: New Year’s Day

We had friends sleeping over after the New Year party so we had a leisurely breakfast & morning with them. They went home and some other friends arrived, and then we headed out to have tea with the young man’s uncle. I decided to keep it simple and the earrings were the main feature of today’s outfit. I bought them on a 3 for 2 offer in Ethel Austin a while back.

Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – River Island
Black faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes
Earrings – Ethel Austin

Total Est. Cost £75