The flu bug has left the house! Hooray! All have returned to school which means I have to drag my sorry arse back to the office! Wasn’t sure what to wear today and in the end I opted for what I am calling ‘polished comfort’! Stretchy crepe flares which have an elastic waistband – so they are basically tailored sweats, sneakers and a shirt and jacket. Trying to channel Emmanuel Alt again with my tie waisted jacket which was a complete bargain in the sale at H&M.
Tag Archives: ASOS
A new children’s tv presenter?
I only ask this question as those of you who remember Floella Benjamin and Brian Cant may see why my jumpsuit and fringed sneakers made me think of them today! I’m ready to step in a present Play Away anytime!
I am head over heels in love with these new premium leather fringe Converse. SO comfortable – I always seem to take half a size down in Converse – these are a US 8 instead of my usual US 8.5.
My jumpsuit is similar to the navy version that Alex shared a photo of on Instagram. Both are sold out but stalk the navy one – it keeps coming back into stock.
Jumpsuit – ASOS (similar here) // Jacket – Maje (TheOutnet.com) // Sneakers – Converse // Bag – Stella McCartney // Scarf – Boden (old – 20% off pants, skirts, shoes and accessories today!)
It’s been a pretty cold week again here so I’ve mainly been donning variations of a theme – coats and scarfs! This coat was an absolute bargain in the Zara sale.
Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – Diesel Fayza // Jumper – Uniqlo cotton cashmere // Coat – Zara // Bag – Proenza Schouler // Scarf – Zara (old)
A weekend packed with cheer competitions is coming up so it’s going to be fun and busy! I can’t wait for all those sequins and sparkles! So much rehearsal goes into a 2 1/2 minute performance!
Get the glow in January!
I’m sitting here looking out of my office window and it is GREY! In fact almost dark. There is a Nor’easter heading towards us. Fortunately, I think, we are only going to get pummeled by rain as our temperatures are rising. In weather like this I always love wearing my darker greys and blacks, but when it comes to makeup I want my skin to glow with health! I am drinking a lot of water which helps – but you can’t beat some good moisturizer and makeup products at this time of year! I love treating myself to some little ‘feel good’ cosmetics to beat the January blues.
Here are my favorites which I am using constantly at the moment!
Hourglass have become one of my go to cosmetic brands. Not cheap, but their products last forever and do what they say on the tin. So many people have mentioned recently how good my skin looks and I attribute it to this palette. You can use the powder to highlight and apply it intensely on the cheek bones, or apply it more liberally to give an overall glow.
Buxom lip cream is a favorite of mine. It has an amazing tingly sensation when you apply it which apparently helps to plump your lips. I adore White Russian – it’s a lovely nude gloss that brightens your face.
Recently I’ve gone what I consider to be ‘old skool’ with my skin care. I’ve tried more expensive options but believe me they ain’t worth it. The good old Body Shop comes out tops in my book time and time again. Especially with their Drops of Youth and Oils of Life skincare ranges. I apply this essence every morning after washing and before I put any serum or moisturizer on. It kind of prepares your skin to absorb the moisture.
This serum is lush. I apply it in the morning and before bed. Super hydrating and it smells divine.
I also love the gel cream from the same range. I love the texture – it’s not greasy at all and absorbs in an instant ready for you to apply foundation.
The body shop Vitamin C range has always been a go to line for me – especially when traveling. Nothing gives you a better boost than applying some of this in flight (I often decant into smaller pots for travel). This one really does make me giggle because it is perfect for ‘grumpy skin’!
I’ve just reordered this (if you join the Body Shop rewards program it gives you a 10% discount off each purchase.) I love this and use it each day, with or without makeup.
I don’t wear a lot of foundation – sometimes I just apply a little concealer on after the above glow enhancer. When I do wear it Hourglass is my brand of choice – I love their Illusion skin tint – it is a little heavier in consistency than the name suggests and you only need a tiny amount for a flawless finish.
Most important to me at this time of year is a fab, fab lip color! I am wearing Mac Pink Pigeon today, and my favorite nude color from them MAC at the moment is Kinda Sexy.
I doubt I will ever wear another blusher than this – NARS orgasm – it’s just the perfect hue for a glow winter or summer.
A new discovery this season, for me at least, is the NARS multiple stick. I’ve always been a tad scared about application. I run Copacabana gently along my cheek bone and then Portofino in a line slightly below it, BEFORE applying my blush on the apples of my cheeks. I use a firm angled brush to gently blend the multiple and it leaves a gorgeous dewy sheen.
And that folks is how I get my glow on this winter! Along with buckets of water!

What are your favorite products this winter? A great hand cream is always a necessity and I am still searching for the perfect hydrating, non greasy formula!
Finally here are a couple of outfits from the past couple of days. It’s been pretty chilly here!
Coat – ASOS on sale // Jumper – H&M on sale // Jeans – Zara (old) // Boots – Isabel Marant by H&M (old) // Bag – Mulberry Bayswater
Coat – Mango on sale // Boots – Stuart Weitzman 5050s // Jeans – Zara (old) // Jumper – Everlane // Scarf – Asos (similar here) // Bag – Mulberry Bayswater
RIP David Bowie
We hear about celebrity deaths all the time in the media. My normal reaction, such as when Lemmy died, is ‘Oh that’s sad, such a shame’, and we move on. We didn’t know them but we may have admired their art, and we take a second to acknowledge the world without them. Something was different this morning though when I learned of David Bowie’s death. It was so, so shocking, tragic and it knocked me sideways. Maybe it’s because he was always reinventing himself we were just waiting for his next guise? Maybe because we’d just celebrated his 69th birthday by listening to his new album? Maybe because as I grew up there had ALWAYS been David Bowie. David Bowie can’t die!? The last time I cried over someone’s death who isn’t a friend or relative was when Diana died. This morning as I read my Facebook newsfeed I was overwhelmed by a sense of loss. I watched his Live Aid appearance and burst into tears. Poppy and Hugh wondered what was wrong – I smiled and told them I was sad about an amazing singer dying. We all know he was much more than a singer. ‘Let’s Dance’ was the first album I bought and I wore it out. When I listen to it on Spotify it evokes so many emotions of love, fun, drama and teenage angst. I’ll be playing it all day today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJxOL_eFGEk


There wasn’t much debate over what to wear today – my Bowie t-shirt was out.
Boots – Acne Pistol (on sale here)// Jeans – Zara // T-shirt – ASOS (old) // Jacket – AllSaints // Bag – PS1 // Scarf H&M (old)
Back on Thursday it was a day for leggings – I’m all about comfort right now!
Sneakers – Nike // Leggings – ASOS // Jumper – H&M // Jacket – AllSaints (similar here on sale) // Bag – Alexander Wang Diego (TheOutnet.com)
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MOT month
Every January I get my MOT done (for the US readers an MOT is a reference to cars that get their road worthiness checked every year – it’s called the MOT test!). This includes my dermatology skin checks, ob/gyn visit, and my annual eye test! I encourage everyone to get into the habit of it – it’s a pain to make all these appointments, but I would never have had my melanoma identified this time last year if I hadn’t had my annual skin check.
I was thrilled this morning that my blood pressure reading was just 111/69. I’m convinced this is due to my change in diet. I normally have blood pressure at the higher end of normal and it can shoot up at the doctors due to white coat hypertension. Skin check was all clear too thankfully. Now I can look forward to new glasses on Monday!

Ok enough with the health lecture. On to some shopping. It’s brass monkeys here at them moment and I’ve been cruising the coat sections. This coat from ASOS is gorgeous, and even better it’s reduced! I’m torn between the khaki (keeps popping back into stock) or the grey.
Also I must tell you about these fabulous harem joggers from H&M – new in, and I am wearing mine today. Super comfortable, great quality and just $29.99 in a variety of colors. I’m wearing a medium.
Perfect for on and off at the doctors!
Joggers – H&M // Jumper – Zara (sale – can’t see online) // Coat – Zara (old) // Shoes – Isabel Marant Bobby (old) // Bag – Alexander Wang Diego (off TheOutnet.com)
Finally – yes I got out there again – it was freakin’ freezing but the sleeve says it all…
Shoes – New Balance Vazee (best running shoes I’ve ever worn!) // Tights – Nike (on sale) // Top – Nike
Happy New Year!
Here’s to a fabulous 2016 to all of you. Thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout 2015. I hope to try and keep you amused and entertained with my fashion highs and lows, travel, and musings throughout 2016.
Incredible to think I’m entering my 5th year of blogging and I couldn’t say that without you guys who continue to read my posts. Thanks!
Jacket – ASOS (on sale here) // Jeans – ASOS (on sale here) // Shirt – AllSaints (old but extra 20% off sale here) // Boots – Sam Edelman (on sale here) // Bag – Gucci
OOTD catch up!
Yes it’s chaos here! Last week of school done – with the odd day off sick for Poppy – uuurgh. All healthy now thankfully so we are ready to throw ourselves into the festivities! So far we have tickets for Star Wars, and an intimate gig with Lloyd Cole lined up – I’m not sure which I am more excited about. Lloyd possibly – especially after singing his greatest hits full blast in the car yesterday! So before we all sink further into the festive mayhem here is a quick outfit round up from the last few days!
Jacket – H&M // Jumper – Everlane // Jeans – Zara // Sneakers – Golden Goose (40% off here) // Bag – Proenza Schouler (some colors on sale here)
Jumper – H&M // Faux leather trousers – Zara (similar here) // Boots – Isabel Marant x H&M (old) // Bag – Proenza Schouler (some colors on sale here)
Jeans – ASOS // Blouse – Zara // Cardigan – Zara // Boots – Acne Jensen (some colors in sale) // Bag – Proenza Schouler (some colors on sale here)
Bells are ringing
Bell bottoms that is…Every so often I tire of my skinnies and boyfriend jeans and crave the leg lengthening, slimming bell bottom.

Here are my picks of the season to help you emulate these amazing Pinterest images.
These were the first to catch my eye from Zara
For not much more you can have a pair in leather.
I settled with these from ASOS as they all have elastic waists – not much to complain about there!
These are Blank NYC pull on cotton mix and come in waist sizes so you can be more accurate with fit.
Sods law the ones I am wearing today are now reduced – Blank NYC faux leather pull ons. I’m in a 29″ and they are perfect.
These crepe flares are fabulous – super comfortable and swishy!
I also ordered the jersey ones to try – I found these slightly looser in the thigh with less of the extreme bell bottom cut. Also now reduced! I tried a US 8 in both of these and again they were spot on.
I nearly got sucked into the sequin legging crew again this Christmas, but I have to say I far prefer these H&M glitter flares on me. I bought a medium and they are amazing. Lovely and fitted through the thigh and that elastic waist will be a life saver over the festive period!
These are similar but gold rather than silver sparkle – also more of a wide leg trousers than a true bell bottom. Again fabulous in a medium on me and the elastic waist makes them like pajama bottoms for Christmas day! I think both would look super with sneakers or a dressier shoe.
And finally here’s how I’m wearing the Blank NYC faux leather pair today. I certainly need a heel with these – my Newburys are high enough but my Sam Edelman Bradleys will be perfect.
Flares – Blank NYC from ASOS // Jumper – H&M // Boots – Newbury from Rag & Bone
You may have seen this on Facebook and Twitter but I want to thank Deborah from Fabulous after 40 for my lovely feature. I am truly honored and flattered! You can read my interview here.
Finally some outfits from the past week – it’s too bloody warm here!
Boots – Sam Edelman Bradley (on sale) // Culottes – Faux leather River Island from ASOS // Top – AllSaints (old)
Jacket – AllSaints // Shoes – Isabel Marant (TheOutnet.com) // Jeans – J.Crew // Shirt – J.Crew (old)
Shoes – Stella McCartney (NAP Sale) // Knit suit – Zara (old) // Bag – Stella McCartney (NAP Sale now further reduced)
What to wear now the cold is here!
I’m so excited! Atlanta is COLD! Yay!! At last I get to wear some of my winter clothes – of which I have far too many for our climate! I’ll be in flip flops by March again…but I won’t rub it in!
So what am I wearing now the cold is here? Well I have my eye on several of these beautiful faux fur stoles. Even though it is cold here, with our car culture, I can pretty much get away with a leather jacket and scarf. So why not dress up a great biker jacket with one of these beauties?
Sue first noticed this one in TopShop and I have it in my closet – it looks far more expensive than it’s price tag of $60.
This green stole is beautiful – much more subtle, but again it looks more than it’s price tag of $52.
I love mongolian furs – this takes me back 20 years when I had a black mongolian fur jacket that I bought on Portobello Road with my measly student funds.
This New Look stole is gorgeous – it keeps going in and out of stock on Asos – but be persistent their website updates real time. At just $36 it’s hardly surprising it’s selling out!
This is another option from New Look – super fun and perfect with a black leather jacket.
Talking of leather jackets, I’m so, so excited to be able to wear my AllSaints jackets at last!
Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – Earnest Sewn // Jacket – AllSaints // Tee – AllSaints
Then yesterday I wore this to head to the Georgia Dome to watch the Falcons!
Sneakers – Adidas Top Tens // Jeans – Zara // Tee – Falcons // Jacket – AllSaints (similar here) // Scarf – ASOS
On Friday I popped into Target for one thing. I left having blown the budget on the kids’ clothes. They have some amazing items in right now – especially for tween girls, plus save 40% on girls’ sweaters online!
Sneakers – Nike Air Max // Jeans – Zara // T-shirt – Splendid // Cardigan – H&M
On arriving back home laden with goodies for Poppy and Hugh, I was thrilled to find my Carine Roitfeld coat from Uniqlo had finally arrived. Their customer service has been atrocious – no one picking up in their call center, orders being cancelled with no explanation, and delivery taking an obscene length of time. Not good, not good at all for a global retailer. Thank goodness I love it!
Finally today has been blissful – just stunning weather for our first day on holiday and we headed to the local park deer spotting. Our boxers loved it!
Sweater – Everlane // Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – Zara (old) // Coat – Uniqlo
One last thing – we all know it’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday this week, and the offers have already started pouring in! One to take note of that has 18 hours left to run, is at TheOutnet.com – use Twenty15 at checkout to get an extra 20% off their already discounted stock – some amazing bargains to be had!!
I bloody love TheOutnet.com
I’ve recently purged a tonne of stuff from my closet – selling some and giving other stuff to charity. It’s been fun – my closet is clearer and my purse is fuller. I’ve come to realize that, maybe with age, my tastes are changing. I am no longer tempted by a ‘quick fix’ on the Zara website. Instead I am happier buying less, less often, but maybe at a slightly higher price point. Instead of writing a specific list of items on my wish list, I have created more generic themes, such as a long winter coat, dressy-going-out boots etc. I am then browsing TheOutnet.com periodically hoping to find the bargains of a lifetime, and do you know what? – It’s paying off!
Now a word of warning you do need to be picky and quite narrow in your searches. There is a lot of random stuff on TheOutnet.com. However, if you know which brands you love that makes it far easier to target a potential bargain.
In the past month I have struck gold twice! Recently I found one Helmut Lang coat just waiting for me at 60% off. This is a real classic coat with leather trims, and I am thrilled with it – far more so than I’d be with a couple of Zara coats!
As for the boots – again just one pair were left at 60% off – but how about these brown/khaki Isabel Marant Andrew boots. It had to be – one pair of FR 39 left with my name on them!
They are not on TheOutnet.com anymore but you can also find some sizes left on sale here.
Of course you will remember I always find fabulous sunglasses on sale too on TheOutnet.com, and this calf hair Alexander Wang Rockie is beautiful with 55% off!
So there we are – my new approach to shopping. I’m finding it thoroughly rewarding. Nothing like a bargain – if you stick to a budget of course! Now if I can just find the Chloé Susannas discounted 😉
As for recent outfits I’ve omitted a few rushing here and there, but here are a few recent ones I’ve enjoyed wearing!
Shoes – Adidas Superstar slip-on // Jeans – ASOS Thea (on sale) // Sweater – Everlane cashmere
Shoes – Golden Goose // Trousers – Zara // Sweater – ASOS
Shoes – Golden Goose // Jeans – R13 (25% off at ShopBop.com) // Top – AllSaints (previous season sale) // Jacket – Regent Linen blazer J.Crew (now on sale)

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