Sparkle like a Star

Today was the first day of our three day 'Sparkle' weekend at Miss Selfridge. Us girls needed to dress to impress in our local store and help customers know what is hot this party season. I don't really own many 'party' dresses from Miss Selfridge, so I decided to wear this dress that my boyfriend kindly bought me for my birthday.

I don't normally wear things that show off my top half, since there is a lack of it! But I quite like the style and cut of the dress. I love the lace detail, and flowy bottom skirt. Since it was purchased I have worn it twice both for meals out. It would make a lovely Christmas dress as it isn't too over the top or showy.

Since it was a sparkle weekend, and my dress lacked a bit of dazzle, I quickly picked this collar up before the start of my shift. I have wanted this for ages but could never justify paying £18.50 for a necklace, but today I finally gave in. It's so pretty and will go with many of my high neck dresses and will add a bit of umph to a plain top and outfit. Collars are everywhere this season and they really make an outfit pop. There are so many on the high street both necklace and material versions, so I would recommend picking one up before Christmas to add a bit of detail to your outfit.

I am in love with Topshop frilly socks at the moment and I spotted these sparkly, black versions yesterday to add to my collection. They look awesome with my Topshop Alexy boots and were perfect for the sparkle day. So yeah, I bought them and I love them!

Cannot wait to be heading back to Leeds for the weekend tomorrow, we are staying in some beautiful apartments called Residence Six that I shall be taking a few snaps to show off. It is nice to get away for the weekend especially after you have just been paid. Some major Christmas shopping is to be done tomorrow before I spend it all.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

D.x

Mistletoe and Wine

For those of you who are like me and love this time of year, when the Christmas lights light up the streets, when shops open later for last minute buys, when songs of joys and festivity sound out loud then you like me will be feeling the Christmas spirit right about now.

 

It is official Christmas is nearly here! My decorations are up, the fairy lights are lit, present lists are being made and the shopping has begun! This time of year is amazing! I love the run up to Christmas, always have and probably always will. There is something special about this time of year that I can't quite describe. It just feels nice and warm on the inside. One of my best bits is decorating the tree while old Christmas music is playing in the background. I think this has been a little tradition of ours since I was young. Even when I was at uni, I always came home to put up the tree.

With payday fast approaching I have started making my lists on what to buy people close to me. I don't have lots of people to buy for so I can spend more time thinking on what to buy who. i have a few ideas up my sleeve and over the next few weeks I will be sharing my ideas and plans with you, (and I hope to hear yours to!)

How are you planning on spending this Christmas?

D.x

Topshop Nevada Lipstick

I have been lusting after a nude lipstick for a while now that would avoid the washed out- corpse look that most nude lip colours leave me with. I have been wanting to try a Topshop lipstick for a while now so picked up Nevada and here is my verdict...

The texture of this lipstick is very creamy, and the key is to blend the colour into your lips to get that even, flawless finish. I found using a lip brush to apply the colour made it the application process a lot easier and I could line my lips perfectly. The lipstick lasts throughout the day and I think looks better once it has worn away a tad as it gives more matte finish rather than the initial gloss effect when first applied.

I would recommend keeping your lips in tip top condition when using this product as light lip shades have a tendency to reveal chapped skins and imperfections.

The colour itself is a warm nude and once blended, is a very subtle shade. When wearing this lipstick I added smokey eyes, as the lip colour is subdued and allows the lips to take a back seat when other areas can then take centre stage. This lipstick has a very 60s vibe allowing for a understated lip. I added a dusting of powder to my lips to mattify and maximise the staying power of the colour.

The packaging of Topshop products is cute and simple. Although due to the white casing, it can become a little grubby if it is left to roll around in the bottom of your make-up bag!

After trying this product I am very keen to test out a few other shades from the range, especially Whimsicle and the lip crayon in Arcade. I think Topshop make-up would make lovely little stocking fillers, and hope I will be waking up on Christmas morning to a few little goodies from this range.

Have you tried any of the Topshop beauty range, what did you think?

D.x

A Day to Celebrate

Here are a few quick snaps of graduation week. Still cannot believe it is all over! I had an amazing three years and I met some amazing people and will hold the memories close to me for years to come. First year was all about the late nights and missing lectures, second year was about becoming close to those few people who I will always stay in contact with and third year when I met that special someone. Three amazing years rolled into one celebratory day.

We all laughed, we cried, we reminisced and remembered the good times (and the bad!) and then we said goodbye to go our separate ways. Now its time to move on with the next thing and put my degree to good use! Roll on the next three years!

 

 

D.x

Christmas Is Coming...almost

Back at work today after a lovely few days off for graduation (pics coming soon!) I woke up today in quite a festive mood as the family and I spent a good few hours last night putting up the Christmas decorations. It is a bit on the early side I must admit however I do not see anything wrong with a bit of Christmas cheer at the end of November!

After looking outside at the drab wet weather I decided to put something on that would cheer me up
a little. This sparkly little number may be familiar to some of you. This Topshop dress was like the number one blogger dress last year. Literally everyone had it in either the black, cream or berry. believe me if i could go back in time a year I would be buying this dress in berry! I love the cut and style if this dressing and I think it is very flattering to the shape of women! This is a size ten and still fits me although sometimes I do need to venture into the size 12 area. I think this dress is perfect for the festive season, it is black, velvet and sparkly and suits me to the letter. I am hoping to be buying this dress on Friday when I get paid (finally after the longest month ever!).

These are the tights I mention it yesterday's post, please excuse the lopsided effect! They are a bit
different and a little quirky and I love them.I picked up the Topshop lipstick in Nevada today to try out as i have never really owned a nude lipstick. I thought nude would mix quite well when I use my Topshop smokey eye palette.

How are you girls at home getting into the festive spirit lately?

D.x

Lovely Newness

Well the last few days have been so much fun hence my posting absence. I finally graduated yesterday and it was a bit of an emotional day. Being surrounded by friends, family and of course Michael, I sad goodbye to my university life for the very last time. I donned a silly hat, shed a few tears and drank a few cocktails all whilst resembling an extra from Harry Potter. It was an amazing day and I am sure the memories will stick with me for ever. Hoping to share a few photos from the day on here, more for my own keepsake than anything else!Anyway on with the post!

Here is just a quick run through of what i have been spending my pennies on lately. If you find yourself popping into Topshop to have a little browse in the next few weeks, I would recommend finding one of these dresses. For £26 they are perfect. The cinch you in at the waist and flare out into a skater style skirt. The texture of the fabric is lovely and makes the dress look a lot more expensive than what you actually pay for it. I wore it for my boyfriends graduation on Thursday and I had a few lovely comments on the dress. I have seen them in black (another girl from my course also wore it to a graduation ceremony), a strong cobalt blue and this khaki. If you love the fit, then the version in black would be a good go to when you find you have nothing else to wear!

Dress Topshop £26

 



Tight are a must have in my wardrobe and you can get them in all kinds of styles and colours now, you don't have to settle for black opaques. I picked these babies up in Topshop for £8.50. They look like normal plain black tights from the front but have a sheer cross panel at the back that reaches the top of the leg. They add a little bit of detail to an outfit without being OTT or screaming look at me. A little quirky interest adds a lot to a plain dress. I teamed these up with my new dress and a pair of black shoe boots and I was ready to go!

 

Tights Topshop £8.50

 

On the way back from Manchester we stopped off at a service station to stretch our legs. And what did we find...A Krispy Kreme stand. Lets keep it to the point and say I just couldn't resist.



 

I have never been a huge eyeshadow fan and always tend to shy away from them. But after seeing so many different looks in magazines for the festive season I decided to cave in and buy a palette of my very own. After watching a few online beauty tutorials on the Topshop website, I purchased this Topshop smokey eye palette in Tawny. I will be testing it out soon and will be sure to share a few thoughts with you girlies.

 

Eye Palette Topshop £12

 

Have you been buying anything nice recently that is set to be the blogging world's version of the next big thing??

 

D.x

 

 

Oh Manchester

I've been away from blogging for a few days now and it is all go go go this week! For those who don't know I am finally graduating on Friday, I am a mixed bag of nerves at the moment and don't really know what to expect! Gown is all hire, nails have been re-polished and filed, hair is being dyed today and I have decided on a dress for the occasion. Preparation is key for these kind of events and I hope I have remembered everything! The boy is also graduating on Thursday and I chosen to wear the dress pictured below the Topshop Khaki dress I purchased in Manchester.

I really enjoyed Manchester even if the day seemed rushed. The Crowne Plaza was lovely and very swanky inside. We took a walk into the city centre and had a mooch around the shops. Me being me, dragged Michael into Topshop. Using all the willpower I had to fight my urge to spend, I decided on one dress and one dress only! I think I did quite well!

 




 

 We arrived the day before the German Christmas market was due to start much to my dismay. I love browsing around Christmas markets even though I never seem to buy anything! You know Christmas is fast approaching when little stalls gather together selling all kinds of treats and stocking fillers! I am hoping to catch a Christmas market on the run up to the big day. I am heading to Leeds on the first so fingers crossed there will be one there.

  

 

 

There is a lovely square in Manchester city centre and I think it could be Piccadilly, I'm not too sure. There were a few stalls selling all kinds of yummy foods and when I saw some cute cupcake stands I had to snap one up. They were only £1 which has to be the cheapest cupcake I have ever bought! This one was bannofee pie flavour and wasn't too sickly at all. It was nice chilling by the fountain while some big headed teenagers ran through the fountain. Was quite funny watching them get soaked through!

 

The day seemed to fly over and before I knew it, I was back at the hotel getting ready to go see Gotye! A drink or two later we were on our way to the Apollo. He was amazing and so much better live. His voice was absolutely flawless and the way he compiles his music is so unique. So many obscure and wonderful instruments on stage. He has such an eye or ear for detail with his music and I can not wait to see him again!

 

Last day at work tomorrow for me before my three days off for graduation festivities! Does anyone have any tips or tricks for surviving graduation nerves? They would be greatly appreciated!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway, just follow my blog and leave a comment with your name and email!

D.x

 

Somebody That You Used to Know

Just a quickie today! Its been a mad rush getting things sorted last minute for Manchester in the morning! Had a quick dash around town and picked up a few bits and pieces such as face wipes, shampoo that sort of thing. Note to self: Must buy sweets for the car journey!

I think I'm going to wear my new Pyjama shirt from Topshop that I featured here. It is so comfy it will be perfect for the journey and having a mooch around the city centre. I'm not too sure what to wear for the gig but I am bound to do an outfit post of what I wore on the actual night.

So this is what I wore today. The photos are terrible quality today and were taken in haste before I left the house this morning. Ah well not to dwell.

This jumper is from Miss S. It's so comfortable and loose. I love the swing style it has to it and is long enough to cover my bum so I can team it up with a pair of leggings. The kint is detailed with little cross embellishment which can sometimes get caught up in the fabric which is very annoying! I threw on my trusty wet look leggings and a pair of flatties today, well prepared for my rushing about! I have seen some green/khaki wet look legging in Topshop recently and I am thinking about giving them a go as an alternative to these black ones. What you think yey or ney?

 

 

 

Cannot wait to update you all on my little trip away, I'm hoping to take lots of pics to do a little post on my return!

 

Starting to sound like a broken record now, but if you  haven't already don't forget to enter my giveaway here just become a follower of Beautiful Things and leave a comment with your name and email!

 

D.x

Leather Leopard

Hope everyone has had a lovely start to the week. Back to work for me this week, three shifts down already and now I have another three days off to look forward to!

 This is what I wore to work today. My lovely leopard dress is in fact from Miss Selfridge. I purchased this on my uniform (a cheeky 60 percent off)  last month. Wore it to work and have now found out it has gone into sale! So if you like check it out in a store near you, now its only £20! I love the wrap around effect of this dress and it really cinches you in at the waist. The material is nice and floaty and I would definitely wear this dress out.


The faux leather jacket is also from Miss Selfridge that I bought months ago but they still stock them! I think just about everyone has a faux leather now. I'm eyeing up a new one from Topshop that has a removable fur collar.


The big jewelled necklace is from Accessorize and it is so cute and adds a little sparkle to any outfit!

This ring is an oldie from Topshop that I have just fixed. I remember smacking my hand off something at work whilst doing a delivery and the stone fell out! It occurred to me last night I could stick it back in with nail glue...so I did and it is now fixed! Hurray for nail glue, fixes all not just nails!

I can not wait for the next few days! Heading over to the boyfriends tomorrow night to make sure we can set off bright and early on Thursday for the long drive to Manchester to see Gotye! We are planning on making the most of it. We are staying in the Crowne Plaza, the pictures look really nice but really have no idea what the hotel is like hopefully we will be lucky and it will be stunning!

So if anyone knows of any nice places to eat and drink in Manchester then please comment below! The last time I was in Manchester I think I was a pre-teen so I need all the help I can get!

Remember girls to enter my giveaway here.

D.x