I'm back!!! + Comme des garçons

Ok, firstly I would like to apologise for my extended absence - I'm not really sure what happened! The past couple of weeks have been pretty hectic with schoolwork, this year seems like it's going to be insanely tough... I'll be lucky to make it out alive! Anyway, I hope everybody had a great Summer.....

On that note: As you may have gathered from the fire in the background of the first picture – it’s beginning to feel a lot like Autumn here in Scotland. Slightly reluctantly, I dug out a big thick jumper to wear today because it was cooold!

The reason I called this post 'comme des garçons' was sadly not because anything I am wearing is from the brand 'Comme des Garçons', but because of it's meaning - 'like the boys'. This outfit is a lot more androgynous than my usual outfits, but I am quite enjoying the 'mannish' look...although I paired it with heels which kind of ruins the effect!

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but the jumper is actually a v-neck school jumper worn back to front…haha! It probably looks a bit silly from behind, but at least I have long hair to sort of cover it up. I have never worn my treasured mint shirt with a jumper over it, but the idea came to me during a daydream in school today (a bit of an epiphany really) and I knew I had to try it out when I got home.

Because the jumper is quite thick and baggy though, I paired it with some treggings…is that even a word?! If not, it is now. They’re basically a cross between trousers and leggings; treggings are a wardrobe staple for me, they're just so comfortable and easy to wear.

 

I hate having to admit this...but these aren't my real nails *gasp* ...they are false nails that were black with white polka dots... until I got bored of the design and painted over them in mint (then topped them off with a pearly white). It's fair to say that I am becoming addicted to false nails...I feel rather bad for my real nails :( I bet they're in a terrible state right now. Sorry guys.

I hope that everybody has a great weekend, see you soon! Iona xo

8.7.12 - neon flatforms

Heeey, I've not really had anything to post the past few days because I've become so lazy and have basically been living in my pyjamas haha! But today (shock horror) I actually left the house and went shopping.
 I was only meant to be buying people birthday presents but there was a sale in Topshop and I couldn't resist the neon flatforms. I am so sorry purse, I have been abusing you quite a lot lately.

I have plain black flatforms already which I love, but I've had my eye on a fluorescent pair for months. I didn't want to pay full price for them because I'm guessing they're something I won't wear all too often, so I was well happy when I found out they were in the sale! They don't match anything I own - apart from a nail varnish - but I kind of like that. It will be easy to pick me out in a crowd at least!

Denim shirt, shorts & shoes - Topshop; T-shirt - New Look; Tights - Accessorize

Wheeee

Here's a better quality picture of them... they do slightly resemble bowling shoes haha!

I hope that everybody is enjoying their Summer so far :) Bye! xo

Days 2 & 3 of Work Experience

Sorry this has taken so long for me to post this! I've been pretty busy this week and haven't had a chance to blog. I also apologize because I was too unorganized to get pictures of my outfits on days four and five of work experience, woops. 

I'd just quickly like to say that I had such a good week at New Look though, the staff were all amazing and I got to try different things every day, it was a really great experience overall!

Ok, so on day two I carried on my mint theme (no surprises there) with the dotty top I got for my birthday which was great because it is made from quite a thin, floaty material meaning I didn't get too warm in the shop. I wore it with my high-waisted Topshop jeans and the same shoes as the day before. The handbag is possibly my favourite bag ever... I brought it to work every day! I like how it's so sturdy, and is the perfect size to carry everything I need without being too bulky. I also love the coral detailing which makes it a lot more interesting and appealing to the eye than any of my other bags. 

On my third day, I wore an outfit completely from New Look (apart from the shoes). I bought the top last weekend with work experience in mind - and I really like it, seeing as it is a bit more grunge-y than anything else I own, particularly as I'm going through a pretty pastel phase. I teamed it with my coral skirt and a pleated belt to counteract the gothic vibe though. I was going to wear a black skirt, but thought it made the whole look a bit too dark.
I may have lied a little in the next pictures... I actually didn't wear the Doc Martens to New Look, I just wore plain black plimsolls. They looked ok, but I wanted something that would make more of a statement for taking these pictures!

Top, Belt & Skirt - New Look; Boots- Doc Martens

 As you can see, I got a wee bit carried away taking pictures! My legs look super short here, haha.

Tippy tooooes

I tried to match my nails with the skirt but they looked a bit too plain... so I added black dots to my ring fingers to miror the black in the top. It looked a bit messy and strange, but it was just a last minute addition before I left the house! I seem to be incapable of leaving my nails all painted one colour...I just think it looks a bit boring because I'm so used to having patterns or contrasting colours!

Thank you so much for reading, sorry for such a picture heavy post. I hope you're all having a great Monday! xo

Day 1 of Work Experience - Mint Jeans & Collar

Hey, so today was my first day of work experience at New Look - and I'm really enjoying it so far. All the staff are so lovely and it's really interesting to get an insight into how this branch of the fashion industry works. Plus, I'm a bit of a compulsive tidier which seems to be very useful in shopfloor work! I can't wait to see what I'll be doing tomorrow. 

Today I wore my mint jeans which I am stilllll in love with, although I'm always paranoid that they are going to get dirty. I paired them with my new white top which has a (yes, you guessed it) pretty little mint collar on it. My love of the colour mint is bordering on obsessional, I can't help it though - it just makes me so happy! 

Jeans - Topshop; Top - Tesco; Shoes - Accessorize; Watch & Earrings - New Look

The top is actually from Tesco...normally I would only buy items such as plain cardigans from there but when I saw this I couldn't resist. I was fairly surprised to find such an on-trend piece there, but I'm not complaining at all! The only thing I would say about this top is that it is very see-through, so I have to wear a white vest underneath it. 

I don't really understand why some people are so opposed to buying clothes from supermarkets...I mean, I know the image attached to them is not something that is exactly fashionable or sought after, but at the end of the day if you like something then why does it matter where it's from? Also, they are a fraction of the price of clothes in the stores that I normally shop in. I have no problem mixing Tesco and Topshop, haha!

I hope everyone had a lovely day, and I will be posting about tomorrows outfit soon! As always, thank you for reading xo

DIY customized sunglasses

Hey! I was feeling quite creative on Friday, so decided I would customize a pair of sunglasses that I got free with my copy of Cosmopolitan magazine. They are just a simple pair of black Ray-Ban style glasses that you could buy pretty cheaply in any high street shop if you wanted to customize them yourself. 

I was in the middle of painting my nails when the idea came to me that I could paint a design onto the glasses with nail varnish - I decided to stick with a pretty simple design though as I didn't want to ruin them!

 The dots are a bit messy, but hopefully that won't be hugely obvious when I'm wearing them. I might even add some more colours at some point if I get bored.

 I must admit that I got a bit carried away with it...you probably won't even be able to see the dots along the top of the glasses, but oh well - it was fun to do!

 Here are the three nail varnishes that I used...You could use any colours and do any patterns you feel like though.

Baby Blue - Next; Mint - BarryM; Electric Blue - Topshop

Thanks for reading! xo

Fake Tattoos...

I'm sorry this has taken so long - but my 'Fake Tattoos' review and tutorial is finally here!
First of all, the delivery was really fast as promised - it only took a couple of days which was great because I'm so impatient when it comes to deliveries! The samples were really well-presented in a pretty pink pouch too which was lovely.

I was sent six samples, two of each design shown below. I love the four leaf clover one because it symbolises luck, and I've always wanted a tattoo on my wrist that represented this, so it was perfect for me. I really like the other two designs also, and they'll be good for Summertime (if we even get a Summer here in Scotland...sorry I always complain about the weather on my blog!)

The first one I tried was the clover, which I applied to my wrist. The instructions were really clear and the application was remarkably quick and easy (there's a tutorial further down). Personally I think it looks very realistic, and so many people asked me if it was real! The tattoos are meant to last between 3-10 days,and I had mine on for five days without any noticeable fading or rubbing off which was really impressive. 

Here's how to apply them...It's just like the ones you used to get at birthday parties when you were little!

Step 1: Make sure the place you are applying the tattoo is clean and make-up free, then remove the protective top sheet.

Step 2: Press the tattoo down firmly onto skin with the design facing down.

Step 3: Hold a wet cloth against the paper backing of the tattoo, pressing down to make sure the entire design is wet - and wait for 30 seconds.

Step 4: Peel off the paper backing to reveal the tattoo - et voila! (For best results, rinse it gently with water after this).

As you can see the application is really simple, they look fantastic and last longer than most temporary tattoos do - what more could you ask for? 

I would definitely recommend these to anybody interested in temporary body art or who isn't brave enough for a real tattoo...I've already been raving about them to people the past few days! I will definitely be buying some more designs at some point over the Summer because there are so many beautiful ones to choose from on the website: http://www.faketattoos.se/en/ ... they're not expensive either.

As always, thank you for reading! Iona xo

Spring

Hey, sorry I've not been posting much recently. Life has been pretty hectic the last month or so and I've now started fifth year at school which is both exciting and very, very daunting. It's quite scary to think how quickly my time at high school has gone by.

A couple of weeks ago - believe it or not - it was really sunny here in Edinburgh. In true Scottish fashion though, the good weather didn't last and it's now gone back to the dull weather we are used to, so in an attempt to cheer myself up I thought I'd post some pictures from the little glimpse of sunshine we got! 

I bought this cupcake from Waitrose partly because lime and white chocolate sounded like an interesting combination, and partly because the icing is such an appealing colour! (For the record it was very tasty too, haha!) My nails were done using a technique my cousin showed me where you apply the polish with a sponge, and I actually really like how it turned out - although it was a bit fiddly to do!

Bag - Topshop(£36); Jeans - Topshop (£40); Watch - New Look(£10)

I haven't gotten around to doing an outfit post with my new clothes and accessories yet, but for the time being here's a bad quality picture. I love the handbag so much, I just want to take it everywhere with me! Just about every bag I own is either black or brown, so it's a nice change to have something paler and more feminine - particularly because I'm going through a pastel phase.

Here's a better picture of the jeans since the last one doesn't really do them justice...aren't they lovely? I mean, they would look far better on a model's legs, but I just love the colour so much, and they are the same style as my trusty coral pink Topshop jeans so I knew I'd like the fit. I think they will be my summer wardrobe staple!

I hope everybody has a great weekend, Iona xo