A Discovery

When taking a walk around the shops the other day I suddenly felt compelled to go into Huttons, a lovely little gift shop.   For some reason I don’t usually frequent Huttons, however once inside I took a look at their jewellery and discovered Hultquist Copenhagen.  The brand claims to be ‘influenced by the classical Scandinavian look expressing individualism and fashion awareness’. 

What immediately attracted my attention was this chunky silver ring, which also comes in gold. 

The sizing can be difficult, because I think there are only 2 sizes, so it’s best to try them on. 

I also chose these gold heart studs:

 I’d been looking for some gold studs for a while and thought these looked really pretty.  I managed to control myself at this point, however I did spy some other potential future purchases, including some earrings with ‘H’s’ on which stands for Heather, right? :)

You can check where Hultquist is available on their website and browse through their online catalogue. 

Scarves, Scarves, Scarves

I don’t tend to wear scarves a lot, other than out of necessity in the winter months.  However after watching Gemsmaquillage’s latest outfit of the day video, I’ve changed my mind.   Gemma had a lovely vintage scarf that she got from Lush, courtesy of their new gift wrapping service.  Lush now offers knot-wraps, using vintage scarves for their products.  However you can also buy the scarves separately and of course they smell like Lush!  There was lots to choose from and I decided upon this nautical print:

Vintage Scarf - Lush - £3.95

I haven’t decided exactly how I will wear it yet, although it seems as though  Parisian-looking will be the order of the day!

Also on the scarf front, I’m lusting after this chunky forest green scarf from Topshop which I think will go perfectly with my famous Camel duffle. 

Knot Tassle Scarf - Topshop - £16

In other news, Forever 21 has launched in the UK!!  After watching many Forever 21 hauls from American beauty gurus on youtube, I’m excited to see what they have to offer and am already considering my first online order :)

Topshop Sale

I’ve never been very good at sale shopping.  Some people have an amazing magpie quality when it comes to finding gems at a sale, but I tend to get overwhelmed at the sight of the mish mash that is the sale rail.  However I managed to hold my nerve in the Topshop sale recently and picked up this dress:

Rose Dress - Love - £10 originally £38

This dress is by the brand ‘Love’ and only available in larger Topshops.  I love the classic fit and vintage looking rose print. This dress was only £10, originally £38.

I also found this lovely purple metallic purse, although I’m not entirely sure what I’ll put in it, it was shiny!  :)

Purple Purse - Marc B - £5 originally £25

This is by ‘Marc B’, again only available in larger Topshop stores.  'Marc B' makes some great handbags, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for when they’re in the sale.  This purse was originally £25 and was in the sale for just £5.  

Unleash your inner magpie!

Zara and Glamour

After a brief hiatus, I’m back in love with Zara.  Zara is full of great knitwear at the moment and I found this lovely knitted cream jumper with pearl buttons:

Cream Jumper - Zara - £25.99

It also comes in black:

Although I liked both, I decided to go for the cream which felt much more cosy and log cabinish, yes that is an adjective :)

Away from the knits, I chose this stripey top, which will look great layered and with leggings.  It comes in a few colours and I chose navy. 

Striped Top - Zara - £7.99

A little less interestingly, I also picked up two grey tops, a long sleeve and a vest, for layering purposes you understand:

Grey Top - Zara - £9.99

Grey Vest - River Island - £5.99

Also look out for this month’s Glamour magazine with a free Nails Inc. polish.  As I've subscribed to Glamour I received Jermyn Street, so keep a look out at what colours are available! 

Jermyn Street - 'Greige' - Soft Taupe

OPI

Ok ok I’m over the natural nails.  I know that was short lived, but that’s because I’ve discovered OPI’s new collection, ‘Burlesque’!  The discovery was courtesy of Lorraine Stanick’s (thecurrentcustom) ‘Rising Star’ and ‘Bring on the Bling’ mix she was wearing in her latest video.  I went for the ‘Little Teasers’ set which comes with....

Rising Star:

Lustrous glimmering gold

Take the Stage:

A warm orange spotlight shimmer

The Show Must Go On!

Deep pink shimmer

Ali's Big Break:

Glowing red shimmer

I love the little OPI collections, mainly cause I’m just a sucker for miniature versions but also because I can never seem to choose between colours.  So yes not only is ‘Burlesque’ shaping up to be the perfect re-introduction to Autumn/Winter colours, they’re sparkly! I mean what more could you want?

In other news, I got my camel duffle coat!  I admit I did have to concede on the petite, but managed to track down a smaller size and am now officially content :)

What I'm Loving

Plaid shirts:
When it comes to Autumn/Winter, I’m always loving plaid shirts, they’re just so versatile.

Grey Skinny Check Shirt - Topshop - £28

They can be worn casually with jeans and boots, or oversize with a belt and leggings, with the sleeves long, sleeves rolled up, with a big cardigan, tucked in, loose, layered...the list goes on.

Hair accessories:

I don’t often wear anything in my hair, usually opting for just straight or curly.  However I’ve recently been loving two hairbands I picked up in Accessorize.  This headband I found is quite quirky and for some reason came through the till at £3 which has made me love it all the more! 

Woodland Feather Statement Alice Band - Accessorize - £3

It looks lovely on light brown hair and reminds me of Autumn and the countryside.

The other is this black beaded bando:

20's Beaded Bando - Accessorize - £8

This can look both formal and casual and adds sparkle to an outfit.

Revlon Colorstay foundation:
This foundation provides great coverage and really does stay.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation - Boots - £11.99

Currently I’m mixing two shades, Ivory and Buff, which has been working very well with my skintone.  However as many others have mentioned, the lack of a pump can be quite a pain and this is only made worse when attempting to mix shades!

Natural nails:

Sally Hansen nailgrowth miracle - Boots - £9.45

I usually love painting my nails, but having left the summer brights behind, I don’t feel quite ready to embrace the darker shades of Autumn/Winter, so am currently staying natural.  I’ve been using one coat of Sally Hansen ‘nailgrowth miracle’ every other day, and although not sure I have encountered miracles there certainly hasn’t been any breakages.

So that’s it, my little round up of what I’m loving at the moment, how about you?

Winter Coats

I’m disappointed.  I thought I had found my perfect winter coat after discovering the duffle coats currently lining the Topshop shelves.  I’ve always loved duffle coats, yet never owned one and these looked ideal and came in a number of colours:

Black

Camel

Navy

Petrol

Red

However what really caught my eye was the camel.  As camel is definitely in this season I thought it would be perfect to combine the simple style with an on trend colour.  Now my local Topshop only had one size left, but I did not fear as I knew I could simply order online.  However when trying on the different colours I soon discovered I needed a petite.  I quickly rushed up to the counter and enquired after my beautiful coat, but no, the camel duffle doesn’t come in petite!  Not only this but the camel in the normal range has now sold out completely online!


So I’m now left with two choices, a red that makes me look just a little bit too much like little red riding hood, or black, and I already own a black coat.  At the moment I still can’t seem to break away from my desired camel duffle, so I’m just holding out a little while longer in the hope of a miracle.  Come on Topshop don’t let me down!