Leopard print is a neutral

I'm currently still one the first of the books from my book challenge which is 'How to be a Woman' by Caitlin Moran. I'm really loving it and I'll do a proper review on it when I'm done but she has a chapter on fashion. In this, she lists things she's learnt about fashion, one of which is that leopard print is a neutral.. Now I know that the tone of this list is jokey but I've recently come to the realisation that she is 100% correct.

This has come as a bit of a shock because two years ago, the only thing leopard print I owned lived in my fancy dress box. Now, however, my wardrobe is home to a pair of leopard print flats and I love them, they are so versatile. There is very little they do not go with and so I agree with Caitlin that leopard print is indeed a neutral!

So, although I'm not likely to regard Kat Slater as my fashion icon any time soon (remember her?), I do think leopard print accessories in small doses glam up my outfits while staying true to my style. Here are some pieces that I could see myself wearing!

My pick of leopard print accessories

What do you think of leopard print? Are you a fan?

Picks of the week/ Weekly roundup

Fashion
My fashion pick of the week is this wonderful cardigan that we found when sorting through my mum's wardrobe. It was knitted for her by her aunt ages ago and she's given it to me! It's really cosy and great just to throw on!

Beauty
I've been striving for a dewy/  iridescent skin look lately- I think it looks very youthful. I want to buy a powder that gives me this finish (any recommendations?) but for now I've been using my clinique colour rub and the highlighter that comes in the sleek contour kit. You can see both these items in this post.

Books
Before I started my reading challenge I actually finished two books this week. One was a chick lit book called RSVP. It was okay, classic chick lit. The other was a Poroit 'Peril at End House'. I really enjoy Agatha Christie books. They're so easy to read and very entertaining!

Read more about it here

Music
I've added this section this week. Mostly because I've become obsessed by this song by Emili Sande. I think it's kinda a through back to big 90s tunes by Whitney Houston and people like that. I love it!

Film
My film this week is One Day. I'm a huge fan of the book and I wasn't keen on seeing the film because I thought it might spoil it! I saw it last night however and I enjoyed it! I thought Anne Hathaway's accent was truly awful but it didn't take all of the enjoyment away. Jim Sturgess is sweet!

From Pinterest

Money
I've been fairly good. I bought some cosmetics but nothing extravagant. I need to keep it up though!

Food
I made another banana loaf. Because I've given up chocolate I made this one with hazelnuts and rum soaked raisins! It looks crumbly in this photo but that's only because we we impatient and wanted to taste it before it cooled!

Health and Fitness
I've been swimming and cycling this week. I'm still not 100% (come on immune system, start working!) so I'm happy with what I've done. I've also given up chocolate for lent although I had an ice cream today (with chocolate in and didn't realise until about an hour later!).

So... aims for the week ahead.. pretty much the same as always, spend and eat less and exercise more!!

Hope everyone's had a good week :-)

Spring wish list

I cycled into town today to pay a cheque into the bank and had a sneaky look around the shops while I was there! Let me just tell you, it took every ounce of will power I had not to buy anything! I did by some beauty supplies but nothing too extravagant! I'm loving the spring/ summer trends. I thought I'd do some virtual shopping instead, sharing my favourite looks for the coming season.

Yellow

£40 from Warehouse but they have 25% off at the moment!

£17.99 from New Look

I love yellow! It's one of my happy colours (you know a colour you look at and can't help but smile!) so I'm really happy it's in fashion wise. I really want the warehouse knit!!! I like the simple top from New Look but I wouldn't pay that for what it is!

Crochet / Lace

£29.99 from Zara

59.99 from Zara

I really like the boho, hippy vibe of crochet and lace. There's loads in Zara at the moment and these are just a few I'm lusting after. I'd quite like to find a little waistcoat in crochet material. I know there's lots about but I need to find one for a good price!

Luxe

49.99 from Zara

49.99 from Zara

I saw these shoes on buy now, blog later and really liked them! I think the shape is really flattering! Also the height is good for me because I'm not great with heels. I know kitten heels are controversial but I like these! Also, I would like a semi relaxed black blazer and this one is perfect!

Jewellry

£8 from Urban Outfitters

£16 from Urban Outfitters

£12 from Accessorize

Skulls aren't normally my thing but I think these earrings are really cute! This necklace is a much more vibrant turquoise colour in real life, I love it! I think the accessorize necklace is really simple and really pretty!

So.. roll on my first payday! Or does anyone fancy buying any of these for me? Ha ha!

Cheerio!

HRH collection

One of my recent (but before the spending diet- don't worry!) purchases was a chain necklace from HRH collection. Before I share the chain, I want to talk about the girl that makes them. Her name is Alex and I've followed her blog and youtube channel for a while now and have always admired her classic yet modern style. Her chains are so much a part of her look and for a while I've wanted to try one to see if I could emulate it.

I decided that I'd start with one single chain as this isn't my usual style (and also the price!) and so I went with the 'Sheba' necklace.

As you can see it's a fairly heavy duty chain comprising of two types, one smooth and one textured. I'm struggling to style this so I don't look like a wannabe rapper...  I don't think I'm cool enough to pull it on its own. I think actually paired with the sheba necklace that she designed it with, it would look more of a statement piece and suit me more. So.. until I have money to spend on another necklace, I have come up with a solution...

The sheba.. restyled!

I folded it in half, doubling up the chains, separating them by texture. I prefer the necklace on me this way. I did it with ribbon, so nothing permanent so I can undo it when I want to. I also think the ribbon gives the hard chain a slightly girly-er  edge.. This necklace doubled up is actually just like her 'original cuff' necklace so maybe I should have just got that one lol!

I need to neaten up the ribbon..

What do you think? I'm looking to expand my collection now! Her stuff is really popular and when I saw on facebook that she'd restocked recently I was so tempted to get another piece. I want the ombre bracelet but I resisted because of my spending diet! Aren't you proud?! Also if anyone has any tips to make it work just how it is, I'd love to hear them!

Coincidentally, you can see my mini mannequin that displays some of my necklaces in my bedroom. It's from Hobby Craft and I just painted it black. I decorated one more elaborately and gave it as a gift to my mum a while back. 

Cheerio!

Picks of the week/ weekly roundup

Fashion
This week I'm going to pick a combination of clothes. It's my H and M top (see below) paired with pale pink jeans. The weather has warmed up a bit and so paired with a cardigan and coat, this combination reminds me that spring is just around the corner!

Beauty
I dyed my hair this week. I have dark blonde/ light brown hair naturally that lightens in the summer. The past few years, I've had occasional highlights that have built and built and following a trip to South East Asia a few months ago became very light and golden. I decided to go back to my roots (literally!) and I used Clairol nice n' easy non permanent in 91, dark blonde. I left the tips untouched to give a slight ombre effect and I really like how it turned out! It was very easy (as the name suggests), my hair feels in great condition so I am one happy customer :-).

Films
I saw Crazy, Stupid Love on Valentines Day. I really enjoyed it! It was  different to standard chick flicks and it had Ryan Gosling in!!It's centered around a couple who decide to get divorced and the people around them. Definitely recommended!

From pinterest

Books
I still haven't read any books- dammit! Need to change this!

Food
I made this chicken with a red thai and peanut sauce  on Friday. It was very tasty but I forgot to put the corriander (cilantro) in! Ooops! Never mind, it was still nice, but I guess it could have been better! We had it with brown rice, broccoli and carrots.

Image from Kalyn's kitchen. I forgot to take photos.

Money
Not too bad. Bits and bobs here. I've decided however that I'm going on a spending diet. More on this to come later in the week!

Health and Fitness
I'm feeling a bit better now and I've been swimming a few times and am planning on running in a few hours. I really need to step my fitness up a bit if I'm going to do a triathalon (which is on my 30 by 30 list) in the next few months, even if it is a beginners one!


Now for some weekly goals:
- Be on a spending diet.
- Focus on triathalon training at least 5 days next week.
- Continue trying not to snack between meals (haven't been doing very well on this one!).

Picks of the week/ weekly roundup

I'd like to get into more of a routine with my blog and thought that I'd start doing a weekly roundup of sorts, picking my favourite items of the week and so on..

Fashion
I'm going to cheat on this and pick two items. One for comfort and one for style. I bought this shirt from crew clothing in the sale and love it! It's very me- Floral, girly and comfortable.

Second is my new Rab generator jacket. It's super warm which has been a godsend in the frozen climes that has been the UK recently but isn't bulky at all. I've barely taken it off. It's not a fashion statement and I think I look a bit like I'm wearing a bin bag but there a plenty of times when I just don't mind looking like a bin bag!

Beauty
I haven't bought anything new this this week which is good. I've had a nasty cold and so I've been trying to moisturise lots. I've been using Johnsons baby lotion as I'm trying to use my way through my lotions and potions. This is frugal too as I think you can buy these for about £1. It's not the most luxurious of products but it does the job!

Films
Muppets Treasure Island!! I'm excited to see the new Muppets movie and they were selling all the old ones in Tesco for £5. This is one of the standout films of my childhood and it just gets better with age! Amazing!

TV
I'm still really enjoying call the midwife (see more about it here) although I was sad last night when she rejected Jimmy. He's so sweet! I also watched the Baftas last night, I'm so pleased The Artist cleaned up!I loved it when Colin Firth helped Meryl Streep with her shoe when it fell off- what a gentleman!

Books
I haven't read any books this week..

Food
The only thing I've really made this week are these. They're super tasty though, passion fruit cupcakes.. yum! It was a good food recipe, I can't find the recipe online but I can type it out if anyone fancies it!

Passion fruit cupcakes on my new cake stand mentioned here

Money
It hasn't been a great week. I had a filling at the dentist, bought a few unnecessary bits and bobs.. Must try harder!

Health and Fitness
I've had a bad cold so I haven't exercised much at all. I haven't been feeling great about my body recently, I need to start eating less!

Considering the above I thought that I'd set some challenges for the week ahead..

- No snacking between meals apart from fruit

- Don't buy anything unnecessary (ie. clothes, make up, DVDs etc)

- Promote my blog a bit more and try and get a few more readers :-)

2 alternative interview outfits

2 alternative interview outfits by bm25 featuring shirts & blouses

 I saw this competition on the lovely undergrad's fabulous blog and fancied having a go. I know I can't win as I don't live in the US but I thought, I've just got that hang of this polyvore malarky so why not!?


The first outfit is something that I would wear to an interview (although not to a really formal interview- I'd stick with a dark suit for that, but that's boring!). It's preppy, girly yet very comfortable and functional. I's wear my hair down in lose waves or maybe half up.


The second is what I'd wear to an interview if I worked in a creative environment (which I don't). How cool are those trousers though!!? I kept the rest of the outfit quite plain except for a statement ring to smarten them up.

My 30 piece capsule wardrobe

From polyvore

My 30 piece capsule wardrobe by bm25 featuring skinny fit jeans


I thought more about this 30 item capsule wardrobe mentioned in jest here and I thought it'd be fun to create a fantasy capsule wardrobe inspired from my own clothes using polyvore.

Not all of my recent buys make the cut (oops!). I felt sad when I had to replace my uncomfortable but pretty leopard print mocascins with a waterproof jacket. Boo! The reality is that I lead an active life and the waterproof makes more sense but still..boo! These clothes would allow me to do my hobbies (save extra equipment, which I included things like thermals, proper waterproofs etc..)

So here we go..

Coats and Jackets:

1. Black blazer- Will make up a suit or can smarten up jeans or a dress.

2. Leather jacket- mentioned here. Can be smart or casual and was too expensive not to include!

3. Grey Funnel neck coat- Need a warm, smart coat for UK weather. Mine is darker than this one and from Zara.

4. Black waterproof jacket- UK weather.. need I say more? I am also fairly active!

Trousers:

5. Black smart trousers- For work. Had mine for years.

6. Brown smart trousers- Just bought these from M+S. Were a bargain in the sales.

7. Dark jeans- I would have liked to include more than 1 pair of jeans but 30 things fill up quite quickly!

8. Jogging bottoms- For exercising/ lounging

9. Zip-off walking trousers- For travelling/ sailing/ walking. Would rather something prettier but nevermind!

Jumpers:

10. Beige cardigan- This goes with everything! Mine is from Zara.

11. Navy cashmere V neck- A bit of luxury! Last years Christmas present.

12. Red cashmere jumper- A bit more luxury! This years Christmas present.

13. Purple fleece hoody- Warmth/comfort.

Shorts:

14. Board shorts- For active things in the summer.

15. Denim shorts- I really do live in shorts in the summer!

T-shirts/ tops:

16. White- I'm definitely too messy for only 1 white t shirt though!

17. Black tank top

18. Yellow tank top- one of my fave colours <3

19. Stripey long sleeve t shirt. Mine is from topshop. Could be smart if needed.

20. Pink/ white collared shirt. Mine is from Crew

21. Cream long sleeved lace top. I love this, mine is french connection! It's very classy!
22. Short sleeve flowery blouse. Recent purchase from H&M.

Dresses:

23. Flowery sun dress- For girly days and summer tea parties.

24. American Apparel purple multiway dress- This is made for a capsule wardrobe. It can be worn so many ways. You can watch a video explaining some of the ways here.

25. Black smart dress- I got mine tailored in Vietnam so I couldn't not include this!

Shoes:

26. Black flats

27. Birkenstocks- I did orgionally have cheap flip flops as well but these are comfy too which is a bonus!

28. Trainers

29. Ankle boots

30. Black heels- Nude ones would also be good!

 If I had another 5 items I think I'd include more casual tops, a pair of pretty flat sandals and a skirt.

My next mission is to work out what accessories I'd need lol! I think I'd need a lot to add variety to some outfits! This has actually been a really fun exercise and has made me think what I really need the clothes for! There are a lot of things that I'm sad I couldn't include but many that I think I could do without!  Also another good thing is that rather than look at things that you want to buy to make a capsule wardrobe, it makes you look at what you already have! If anyone else has a go, i'd love to see yours!

Edit* It's pretty funny, I've actually been back and edited this a few times because I've been thinking and suddenly thought 'oh I can't live without this' and swap something in! I swapped some knee length boots for a blouse! Also, I was thinking this wardrobe covers all seasons so maybe I'd be allowed a few extra pieces to cover the seasons ;) What makes me think I'd be no good at actually implementing this lol! hmmmm..

Recent fashion purchases/ the last for a while?

By urbancode at ASOS. This was a major purchase for me.. I've wanted a leather jacket for ages but have struggled to find one that I like for under £100. This one was £77 (which is a lot for me!) and I'm so glad that I took the plunge. I love it! The fur collar is detachable which I think will be good for summer/ when fur collars aren't in any more. I hope I'll be wearing this jacket for many years to come!

Here starts my obsession with playsuits... These were both from ASOS and were £12 each. I didn't mean to keep both, I meant to send one back but I liked them both... doh! Oh well! I've worn both already and while I really like them, one downside of them is that they were a pain to get out of when I wanted to go to the loo!

That's my recent 'haul' as people like to say. I'm not sure I like the word haul, I'm not sure I'll use it again.. Anyway, something I've been thinking about for the new year is to try and impose a ban on spending any money on clothes... Dun dun dun.. will I be able to do it? Who knows? It may end up being just a January ban, but we'll see.

Fashion inspiration

About me.. fashion inspiration.

I'm not a dedicated follower of fashion as in a slave to the latest trends and I certainly often am just found wearing jeans and a T shirt but I do enjoy following fashion blogs. I thought I'd include a post showing my style and fashionable people that inspire me.

Audrey Hepburn