Spring Wishlist 2017!

It's that time of the year when the shops start to fill up with things other than wool knits, black tights and bobble hats. This is good news for a couple of reasons. 

For one, it means that I can hopefully put away my Icelandic hyper insulated coat and for two, Spring is springing!!

I, of course have my eye on lots of pretty things but this lot are the main bits and pieces on the revolving carousel that is my mental wish list. 

Links are in pink and don't buy everything before I get the chance to!

I'm a bit Flamingo obsessed and this tee from Oasis has the benefit of being casual (comfy grey marl is the best) but it's also pink and sparkly, so win-win all around. 

The second I saw the limited edition Crayola box from Clinique, I had to have it. Unfortunately for me, a reliable little birdy (thanks Andreea!) has told me that they've been out of stock in Ireland and the UK since the start of February (weeps). I'll be keeping an eye out for a last minute restock but I may just end up buying an individual one, although it obviously won't be the same…

I love this vintage-feel black top, also from Oasis. The bird-embroidered collar is adorable and just the right side of kitsch and will look as well paired with jeans as it would tucked into a skirt.

This spot and floral tea dress from Topshop is very pretty- I'm already picturing it with a (fake) tan and a pair of sandals on my holidays..

*goes into daydream mode*

I'm in the market for a new primer and this one from Too Faced has been on my mind for a while. A product to sort out your hungover face? Ah, yes please!

And lastly, the shoe of dreams from Asos. These are marketed as a bridal shoe but they'd look great with absolutely everything in my opinion (see how I'm already justifying the purchase?) It's a moot point anyway as they are currently sold out in every size but 3. 

Again, I have serious plans to stalk their "back in stock" section. 

Any of these on your Wishlist?

XX

A Pre Christmas Fashion Haul With SheIn!

I was very lucky last month and won a giveaway from fellow blogger Martina, of Martina's Mark. I love this lady's style- she's seriously glamorous and always puts the perfect outfit together so I was delighted to try some pieces from one of Martina's favourite online stores, SheIn. I had $120 to work with and by God, did I work with it. 

I'm just going to show you these via photos from the site itself because I am not a fashion blogger and if I tried to pose wearing any of these then this would be a comedy piece.

I love this white mohair and lace jumper, $21.97. 

It's wonderfully festive but oh so pretty at the same time. It's a snug fit and has a bit of a 50's-style-Christmas feel to it, especially when tucked into a big circle skirt.

I had seen these shoes on Martina's blog and swooned a little bit so I was delighted to find they were still in stock. The Red Bow Slingbacks were only $31.93 and are as beautiful in real life as they are here. Unfortunately, my feet are slightly on the wide side and these are definitely made with a slimmer foot in mind- something to bear in mind if you were considering making a purchase yourself. 

This year my love for midi length/knee length flared skirts took on a life of its own. I've worn a floral version from Oasis to death and was very happy to see the big range of skirts SheIn have. I went for this very cool Monochrome stripe that again, is great with a top tucked into it. This was $14.76.

Next up is this Red Cable Knit Cowl Neck Sweater, $21.97. 

I've already worn this to death since it arrived; it's ridiculously cosy but not too warm and it's not scratchy like a lot of jumpers. It's a neat little fit so it look as cute worn with jeans as it does over a dress or short skirt. LOVE IT. It may be less wearable in the months of the year that don't involve Christmas but I can see myself still throwing it on in March, considering I can't stop wearing it now.

I had to get this black lace collar top, $12.88 because look how elegant it is! I've been wearing it exactly as shown; underneath a skirt with my hair up so that you get the full affect of that lace. It's so pretty and is making me wish I'd bought it in every possible colour!

Lastly is this Black Flare Pleated Midi Skirt, $20.00. This style of skirt is very versatile and the fact that this is black means that it goes with pretty much everything. When people talk about "wardrobe staples", it's things like this that I think of.

There were also a pair of earrings in my order but they're part of a Christmas present for someone so I can't show them to you!
Delivery was quite good and there were no taxes to pay on arrival, which I was worried about as they were coming from outside of the EU.

Have you tried anything from SheIn?

Anything here you're tempted by?

XX

Winter Brights With O' Donnells Boutique, Limerick.

One of the things I really miss about living in Limerick is the City's selection of unique little fashion boutiques, so I'm always glad of the opportunity to peruse these treasure troves and one I love in particular is O'Donnells Boutique on Catherine Street, Limerick.
Recently I was lucky enough to be invited to check out what they have in store for us for the chillier months ahead and the good news is, we can expect plenty of bright woollen coats, stylish hats, leather accents, stunning accessories and perfect wedding guest attire.

First up; coats. Zesty citrus shades such as these stunning lemon and orange wool coats are the perfect pops of colour to help banish the Winter blues. As you can see, the girls paired them with simple silhouettes in white and black, the idea being to keep your outfit as classic as possible so when you introduce a bright colour like this, it still looks chic. I actually can't make up my mind which one I prefer although I think the orange would go nicely with my own brown leather knee high boots.

That lemon is surprisingly wearable in a skirt too- worn here with a leather accent black jacket and in the middle photo with a 70's style hat and opaque tights. I'm also loving that grey pleated skirt in the photo on the right- it looks perfect with a buttoned up shirt and another fab leather accent jacket. In the middle photo again you can see a print puffa jacket- the 90's look is still very popular and although it's not really my thing, I was taken aback by how well it looked on the model. 

There's that puffa jacket close up. In the middle is possibly the worlds most beautiful coat. Oh the swooning that was done over that floral beauty. Sigh. Imagine it over a plain dress with a pair of killer heels. That's the perfect wedding outfit right there. 

Although that photo on the right is a close second. I REALLY love that dress. The designer apparently picks a different completely unique print each season to adorn her dresses with so you really are getting one of a kind. The fuchsia is perfect with the grey and I love that cut.

Hats are big news this season, which is excellent for me as I have more bad hair days than you could shake a large stick at. I dare anyone to try wearing that 70's style on the left and not look like a lady- it'll make any outfit instantly stylish. I actually really love that purple cardigan it's paired with (it also comes in a bright pink..again I was torn about which one I preferred but I thought the purple had a nice Wintery vibe). The pink cloche hat on the right is again going to be perfect for any event in the upcoming months but would be ideal for a wedding in particular. 

They also have a great range of jewelry to complete your outfit. The rose gold bracelets on the left are delicate and look stunning layered together while you can also find cuffs like the one on the right to balance out your look. Below are just some of the collar necklaces available- perfect for adding oomph to a plain black dress.

You'll also find a good selection of Mad Men style hand-held bags like this powder blue beauty on the left and that gorgeous grey and blue on the right. 

While I was there I couldn't help but admire the choice of shoes that the models were wearing, which are all available from Serendipity (shops on Roches St, Limerick and in Adare), also a great Limerick shop! So I popped in there too to have a look. They've a huge selection, in particular they

 have lots of booties like these two- those fur trimmed ones are great for Winter- you'll be warm and well dressed, which lets face it is difficult at the best of times.

Sorry, was just wiping the drool away there. Would you just look at these. Pointy toed, stilletoed with a bow detail to the heel and available in three different colours. My kinda shoe.

Had to put up a second photo there just to show off the shoes a bit more. Sweet lamb of God, they're just perfect. If anyone's looking to buy me a new pair of shoes, I'll take those red ones in a seven. 

Ta very much. 

And that's just some of what's on offer from these fabulous stores. You can see more from the range in O' Donnells on their website HERE and more from Serendipity HERE.

What's the stand out piece for you? Are you liking the current Autumn/Winter trends?

XX

*This post was not sponsored, I just really like my Autumn/Winter fashion!

Current Wishlist, Otherwise Known As I Want ALL The Things.

This isn't specific to the month or changing seasons, it's just a random list of things I want that have been on my mind lately going around in a kind of continuous loop of "buy us Chloe, go on, you know you want to. You may not be able to afford us but having us will somehow keep you warm at night" etc. 

I should probably get that seen to actually. 

I still can't decide whether this yellow coat from Warehouse (HERE) is a bit too fisherman's friend. I mean, it's actually called "fisherman's parka" and there is a worry it could be too costumey. Would I run the risk of looking like a Cabot Cove extra from Murder She Wrote? That said, I love yellow and feel like this would be nice and cheery for wearing out for walks on the gloomier Winter days ahead. No? Have I lost my mind? I don't even know anymore!

No. 2 there is also from Warehouse (HERE) and is a rather fab pair of pink leather brogues. They come in a more neutral shade also but something about the colour and style of these are drawing me to them. I've always liked brogues but they tend to look a bit clown-like on you unless you have tiny feet so these may be a bit hit or miss. Cute though.

3 & 4 are really the same bag so I wouldn't be getting both but I can't decide which I love more. You can find them both HERE in the bag section on Accessorize. I've actually seen the camera bag in real life and almost bought it until himself told me flat out that a) I would never wear it and b) it would go with nothing. Like a damn fool I listened to him and now I have non-buyers remorse. It's actually ridiculously cute in real life but in fairness to him there is the fear that you could look like you're a small child who really wants a camera but is being placated by being given a fake one instead, lest she'd break a real one. So there's that. The cassette bag is also beyond adorable. Look at it there- first of all, I come from a generation that actually had to use tapes so this would be more nicely nostalgic for me rather than ironic, as I'm sure it is for the youth of today *shakes cane*. 

Secondly, if there's anything I love it's 80's hits and thirdly, I can't resist anything vaguely kitsch and that has it in spades. 

I'll probably carry on ruminating over it but do let me know which one you prefer!

You may have spotted that the entire Charlotte Tilbury (make up artist extraordinaire) collection has landed in Brown Thomas Dublin and I'm feverish with the need to get my grubby paws on EVERYTHING. Yes, I said everything. The eyeshadow palettes, blushers, contour set, lipsticks, foundation, my god they just all look incredible. I've been trying out a sample of the magic cream (review HERE) and based on that I have high expectations for everything else. Plus, look at that packaging. Swoon.

What's that? "Be cool honey bunny"? No, I think decidedly not. In fact I think I'll get overly excited instead because that there on the right is the latest collection from Urban Decay based on one of the coolest films ever, Pulp Fiction. Obviously the focus is on Mrs Mia Wallace (who I love so much I dressed up as her earlier this year for a 90's themed party) so I'm going to be all over that eyeshadow palette and red lipstick. I already own and love Chanel's Rouge Noir so the nail polish holds no lure for me and I'm not one for a glittery eyeliner so I actually have already justified the purchase of just the two pieces I want. I mean, they're just too cool not to get them. 

Lastly, on to books because god knows, there's always a book wish list on the go with me. I'm a big fan of Irish author Tana French, I've read all of her books to date and can't wait to get my hands on her latest, which has yet to be released. The Secret Place is her fifth novel focusing on the fictional Dublin murder squad (they're all stand alone books though so you don't have to have read the other four to read this one) and this time the detectives are investigating a cold case of a murdered teenager after a photo of him with the caption "I know who killed him" mysteriously shows up on a notice board in a boarding school for girls. Intrigued? Me too! It's out September the 2nd.

Not that kind of girl is a collection of personal essays from creator/producer, writer, actress and all round cool feminist Lena Dunham about what she's learnt so far from life. It's received some great pre-release reviews and as a big fan of Girls and Dunham in general, I really can't wait for this to come out; in fact it feels like I've been waiting all year for it so let's hope I haven't built it up too much for myself! It's out September 30th.

I also really like Colm Toibin and his new novel, Nora Webster looks like it may well be in-keeping with his previous excellent form. The book is about Nora, widowed at only forty with four children. On her own in a stiflingly small community in Wexford, she struggles not to drown in her own sorrow but being strong willed begins to find solace in an old love; singing. Toibin tends to write really beautiful prose and I love the old Ireland settings of his books and engaging female characters. This one is out on October the 7th.

And that's the lot…for the moment at least.

Any of these making your own wish list? What have you currently got your eye on? Come, share in the comments and we can all commiserate with each other/enable to purchase!

XX 

Zara Cutout Leather Sandals

I've wanted these beauties for a while so when I finally got them I felt they warranted a bit of cherry blossom action. The cherry blossoms had other ideas and stuck to the shoes plenty but you get the idea. Anyways, these are super comfortable, not too high and perfect for Summer. 

I've mostly been wearing these with knee length 50's style skirts because they make the whole look a bit less twee housewife and a bit more modern while still focusing on the shape and style of skirt, which I love. Equally, they'd be great with a pair of floral shorts and a white t-shirt.

You can get these now from Zara for €79.95, HERE and they also come in black.

XX

Bee Flats From Aldo..My Perfect Summer Shoe.

Yup, you read that correctly. BEES. On my shoes. I love bee prints and bee jewellery etc (as you can see here) and so when I saw these gorgeous nude suede flats in Aldo last week, I had to have them. 

They're super comfortable, go with pretty much everything and should wear well as long as we get the same insanely beautiful weather again this year. I try and get a new pair of classic flat nudes every Summer and end up wearing them to death but I feel like I'll have to actually take care of these and not batter them about the streets of Dublin as I normally would. Which I'm ok with!

Look at how goddamn cute those bees are. Pretty sure I'll smile like an idiot every time I'll look down at my feet from now on, so..that's a bonus.

They also come in coral and black and are available in stores now. Are you as uber prepared for the good weather as I am or do you still need to find the perfect pair of Summer flats?

XX

Shoes So Bright They'll Knock Your Socks Off...

When I read the suggested title for today's #SBBC (ways to incorporate colour into your look), I immediately thought of accessories and from there, shoes. Although I tend to add colour to my outfits in a variety of ways- lipstick, jewellery, bags etc, I felt colourful shoes were something I hadn't previously explored that much on the blog. This in itself is odd because I am a life long lover of shoes. A total cliche, I know. My mother can regularly be heard saying "Imelda Marcus has nothing on you"...which may be a slight exaggeration, given that she is reported to own over 3,000 pairs. I'm not quite that bad..yet. I have almost a rainbows worth of shoes by now too, red, pink, orange, mint, turquoise (my wedding shoes!), teal, silver, gold, blue...I could go on. Today though I've whittled it down to four of my favourite brightly hued shoes, otherwise we'd be here all day!

These fuchsia toned beauties have a lovely retro vibe to them and are surprisingly comfy in spite of their high heel, thanks to the added platform. I generally save these for weddings or special occasions, as they're satin and I don't want to destroy them in a pub somewhere.

I showed you these before in my Topshop coral post (HERE) and my love for them has only grown since then. I've worn these loads this Summer but may unfortunately have to pop them into hibernation for Winter.

In fact, I loved those coral lovelies so much I also got them in this beautiful bright blue. I'm very fond of a pointy toed shoe and when they're this comfortable, it seems wise to get more than one pair. Again, I've worn these a lot over the last few months and will be looking forward to breaking them out again once the sun returns!

Lastly, these baby pink suede heels from Irregular Choice. There's probably not a whole lot I can say about these- the pictures do them justice, I think. That pink! The oddly rounded toe! The bejewelled turtle!

That's right, I said bejewelled turtle.

Swoon. 

XX

A Very Late April Favourites

Finally, my April favourites post. It's almost a month late but that's cool..right? If anything it means I've loved all of this stuff for that little bit longer, so you know it's good!

Sleek Contour Palette in Light.

I love this. In my attempts to refashion myself some cheekbones I recently picked up this handy little kit on Cloud 10 Beauty and have been loving it. A richly pigmented matte bronzer (a little goes a long way) with an accompanying pretty highlighter and all for the bargainous price of 9.95. Love it.

Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang

The blogging world has been alight with the love for these lipstick/gloss/stain hybrids although I originally avoided getting one as I generally like to wait and see whether these sort of hyped-up products are still as loved once they've been out for a while. Anyways, reviews were good and I have to say, I love this stuff. The colour is just immense. Possibly my favourite red of all time, and that's saying something for me, given my love of red shades. I will say that lasting power isn't great with this, I completely destroyed a china tea cup after applying it but a bit of reapplication is worth it for the gorgeous colour! And I got it for 5 euro something, so cheap as chips too!

Fancy glittery Shoes, Penneys

Yes, I'm aware I didn't need another pair of green hued shoes, but I had originally wanted these when they were full price, but held myself back (I'm a shopping ninja in some ways) and good job I did too because these were then reduced to 7 euro! Huzzah!

Knitting Kit!

This was a rather lovely gift, complete with everything I need to start knitting and there's lots of handy sewing stuff in there too. Plus- look at the cuteness of the outer material!! 

The Sartorialist and The Sartorialist Closer, Scott Schuman

Ooh, I love these books. Another fantastic present, these have taken up permanent residence on my bedside table so I've been flicking through them on a regular basis to get inspiration for my own wardrobe (although clearly I'm fooling myself, because I'll never be as cool as any of these people). Schuman is a photographer and runs thesartorialist.com, where he showcases the outfits and style of random people on the street and celebrities all around the world. The photographs are absolutely stunning and both books have me lusting after the wardrobes of complete strangers, which is fairly impressive. A must for fashion lovers. (Also, Kanye West has his own chapter. Good times).

Lastly..

White Chocolate Coated Raspberries

Enough Said.

XX

May Wishlist

Will there ever come a time when I don't have some sort of a wishlist on the go? The answer is of course, no.

1) Marc Jacobs mouse flats. Sigh. I've had my eye on these for a few years but I'm particularly in love with the gold sparkly ones you can see above. Unfortunately they don't seem to be on sale anymore and eBay being a cruel mistress only has them in EVERY other size other than my own. Gah. This season there's a cute pink slingback version of these, which you can see HERE, I just think they're better in the super sparkly version.

2) Stila Colour Balm Lipstick in Valentina (orange poppy), HERE. OK, so this is very orange, clearly but it just looks like such a beautiful shade, Summery and glossy but still highly pigmented. Stila make up is so lovely, I've always loved their glosses and lipsticks so am really interested in trying these new products from the brand, including..

3) THIS Convertible Colour Trio in Cool. These cream blush/lip colours have kind of reached legendary status in the old blogosphere and for good reason- long lasting, beautiful, multi-tasking shades that are easy to use and suit most skin tones. Lovely. 

4) I've actually been on the dreaded hunt for a new bikini (wishful thinking), but as I have to do it on line, it hasn't proved hugely fruitful so far. Having said that, I have quite the love for all things stripey and all things pink so THIS swimsuit from Ted Baker ticks those boxes as well as having a nice 50's style to it. It is crazy prices for swim wear though so I may just make a trip to Penney's at some stage instead..

Let me know in the comments if any of these would make your wishlist too!

XX

Mint-y Goodness!

I recently extolled the virtues of coral in THIS POST and mentioned that I've also really been loving mint for Spring/Summer. In fairness, coral and mint are pretty popular every S/S- like the nautical and neon trends, they always seem to come back in fashion as they are perfect colours for the nicer, sunnier (I'm nothing if not eternally optimistic) weather. Apart from actual clothing, I'm loving mint shades for accessories and nails, so here's my mini rundown on what I'll be wearing to channel the look this season:

 1) Mint and grey strappy heels, Asos.
These are pretty much taxi-to-bar shoes, undoubtedly they will cripple me and will be my (literal) downfall but somehow I think they may be worth it. These are available online now.

2) Mint Candy Apple polish, Essie.
I love this polish, for a matte creme it's surprisingly lovely to apply- no streaking and fully opaque after two coats. I get a good three days wear out of it before I see any obvious signs of wear and tear, it dries fast and generally just looks all Summery and pretty. Hurrah! (as a side note, I mostly got this cause it reminds me of my wedding manicure, which I was informed by the nail technician is an OPI shade called "Tease", however according to the Internet that polish apparently does not exist, so this is a happy alternative).

3) Mint Doctors bag, Topshop.
It's slightly cruel of me to include this as I actually got it last year but I really had to pop it in as it's so perfect. It's surprisingly roomy so fits all my random goods and has a detachable long strap so it can be worn across the body although I prefer to carry it in the crook of my arm, whilst I pretend to be a lady.

So those are my current favourite mint items. Anyone else enjoying this trend?

xx

Three Coral Picks from Topshop

Coral and mint (there shall be an upcoming post re the latter) are everywhere this Spring /Summer and while i've been loving coral shades for lips (post on that HERE) I've also been recently looking into the colour for clothes, blush and accessories. I think it's one of those ideal colours for pale and tanned skin alike, hence why I got these little lovelies from Topshop. Bizarrely, all of these look like variations of pink/peach/orange in these photos but I can assure you they are in fact coral in real life!
I am in love with this playsuit- I'm not sure I've ever owned a playsuit that sits this well on, it's just very flattering to my shape and a bit perfect really. The back is absolutely stunning- check out that lace detail!

Secondly, I picked up these fabulous coral heels. I love Topshop heels-I've always found them to be well made and that little bit funky in design so they tend to look a lot more expensive than they actually are. Bonus! I already have plans to wear them with a bird print dress I have that these match exactly and also just to dress up a pair of skinny blue jeans and a floral top.

Lastly, I finally bit the bullet and got one of the Topshop cream blushes:

This is head over heels, a cream to powder blush in, you guessed it- a pure coral, no shimmer in this and once applied it gives a lovely fresh faced glow.

I apply this using my Real Techniques stippling brush and I can imagine it lasting a long time as only a small amount is needed on the brush- it's super pigmented and blends easily.

with and without flash

I love this and will definitely be trying out more shades.

So what do ye think? Anyone else loving the coral this season?

XX

Christmas Wedding Outfit and Face Of The Day

I tend not to do Outfit Of The Day posts very often, purely because no one needs to see my pjs, as exciting as they are (and they really are- bespectacled cupcakes, yummy happy sushi, ice-skating monkeys and tough cookies, just a small example), however I thought the outfit I wore for my sister's wedding this week was worthy of a blog post.

The dress is by Eliza J and is available from House of Fraser. It's navy with a ruched waist and 3/4 sleeves with diamante buttons, below the knee with a v-neck collar. It's kind of hard to tell from the photos but it's really swishy in real life- very 50's, is super comfortable on and would be very flattering on most figures- I would definitely recommend! I styled it with pearls, my Ted Baker coat (thank God for that as it was super cold), my sister's Anya Hindmarch sparkly pink clutch (she's never getting it back) and bright pink scarily high Kurt Geiger heels.

Beauty wise, I went with a 50's style up-do, the Urban Decay Naked palette, false lashes (the Eyelure Girls Aloud Nicola ones are my favourite), Kate Moss for Rimmel pink lipstick in 16, Laura Mercier silk creme foundation and Nars Orgasm blush. Nails were courtesy of Sally Hansen's Frutie Petutie (it looked closer to the colour of the shoes in real life):

I was particularly happy with my tan for the day- recently I was given a can of Cocoa Brown tan to try but had waited 'til now to use it. Basically Cocoa Brown is an Irish brand recently launched onto the market and available in most pharmacies nationwide for around the 8 euro mark. It's a mousse that you apply with a tanning mitt, leave for up to 3 hours to develop, then wash off only to be delighted with your lovely bronzed self! There's no orange tones here so you're left with a really natural all over tan. I only left mine on for one and a half hours, giving me a light tan which suited me perfectly as I'm so pale naturally and rarely use fake tans- mostly because I find they always turn out too dark and then don't think they suit me. No such problems here, however- I have to say that I'm now completely converted to using tan after trying Cocoa Brown, I felt like it gave me a really healthy glow and prevented me from looking washed out in my navy dress. Other plus points include the lack of that "fake tan smell" once the original application is washed off, the even and streak-free result and its longevity once applied. I've been searching for a non wash-off only, flattering tan for the longest time and I'm thrilled I've finally found it. In your face, pasty legs and bright blue arm-veins!