Now that H&M have an online store, I decided to have a looky at what was currently on sale...I love me a bargain! I love H&M for my casual wear because they do alot of nice t-shirts, cardigans, leggings and shirts that have on-trend details whilst being extremely affordable. In my eyes, there's no point spending a fortune on a piece of current trend clothing if it's going to go out of fashion within a couple of months. So, I spend more money on classical basics like well fitting jeans, blazers, winter coats etc. These items will last you for years so they are more of an investment.
I already have a longline white cotton shirt from H&M that I picked up for £14.99 in the summer and I wear it all the time so I wanted to get another variation to wear with dark blue jeggings. I spotted this blue fine stripe empire line shirt with rolled up sleeves for only £7.99! Into my basket it went...you can't beat these shirts for a bit of smart casual wear!
Then this light batwing beige top with 3 quarter length sleeves and shoulder detail caught my attention. I always look for tops that have a bit of interest about them whether it's embellishment or appliques. It prevents them from looking too plain. This one was £14.99. I got size small because the top is made to be very loose but I prefer it to be a bit more fitted or it would end up looking like a tent on me and that's never flattering on the figure! This soft cotton top will be perfect with some of the skirts I have, thick tights and my New Look sheep skin trim boots.
I already owned the pale apricot shade of the above t-shirt but it somehow got a small hole in the front of it that just grew bigger in size with each wash. That always happens to your favourite tops doesn't it! I was delighted to see that not only was my top on sale, but they had added more colours to the line. Hurrah! And what do you do if you find a top you like??? Why buy it in three colours of course!
I got the soft cotton top with shoulder embellishments in Turquoise, Apricot and Black. They were bargainous at only £5.99 each! I love wearing them either tucked into a skirt with a thick belt to cinch me in at the waist OR loose over my jeggings, leggings or skinny jeans.
Now that it's winter, I have found myself increasingly requiring extra layers to my outfits to keep me toasty and you can never go wrong with a cardigan. This black one is longline with tiny pearl embellishments all over it (sorry about the bleached out colour in the pic!). The little pearls are a really pretty detail and prevent this from just being a boring black cardigan. It was only £17.99 and will be teamed with a dark grey silk dress I have from Warehouse, black tights and black shoes boots from Dune .
So, as you know, I only just started wearing jeggings last month...I know! Where have I been?! It took me a while to get into them but I soon discovered that they are a gift from the gods. They give the look of skinny jeans with none of the discomfort i.e. you can wear them to a meal and not have to worry about busting out of them before you even hit the dessert! I picked up these dark navy blue jeggings for only £9.99. They have a side zip at the waist and a twisted seam that runs slightly down the front of the leg from the knee down. That detail gives them a kind of utility edge which is very 'now'.
I was in my local H&M store recently on the search for the gorgeous aviator jacket shown below for just £24.99! I asked a sales assistant but she told me that it sold out within the first week they got it in stock...darn it! My face visibly dropped. These jackets are everywhere at the moment in various stores and I have convinced myself that I NEED it in my life. I remember seeing it online though so I may get it next week...watch this space!
Sleek have undoubtedly become one of the best bets for affordable, great quality makeup. I love their i-Divine palettes and their Contour Kit is a daily essential for me. I had yet to try their new Blush shades and Rose Gold seemed like a good place to start.
I had seen the shades available in the Sleek line of blushes but none had ever appealed to me in the past. I tend to go for peachy toned blush as this seems to be the most flattering on my skin tone. Any vivid bright blushes are a big no-no for me. As Sleek's powder products are always buttery smooth and really well pigmented, I had high hopes for their blush.
The Rose Gold shade is an intense peachy coral with glorious shimmer and it definitely looks extremely appealing in the pan...
Alot of people have compared Rose Gold to Benefit's Coralista in the past but the Sleek blush is definitely a couple of shades darker and with more concentrated shimmer. This is not a product that will appeal to you if you like matte blush. However, I like a bit of luminous shimmer in my blush so it's all good with me! Here's a pic of Benefit Coralista so you can directly compare the two. As you can see, Coralista's shimmer is extremely fine...
I am not a fan of clarting on the blush because I have naturally rosy cheeks so all I want is a bit of a glow. Because the Sleek blush comes with high pigmentation, I really have to be light handed with a very soft brush. You only need to dab the pan once to get enough colour because it would be easy to overdo it. This obviously means that you are getting great value for money since you're getting alot of product for only £4.99!
Although there is more shimmer in the Sleek Rose Gold Blush, it transfers to the skin smoothly and without any gritty, glittery particles. With light application, it gives my cheeks a lovely glow. I love the golden sheen you get from this product so it can double up as a highlighter as well. The powder itself is extremely smooth, easily to blend and lasts all day without having to be re-applied.
So there you have it, you CAN absolutely get fantastic quality products that are readily accessible and purse friendly.
This morning on ABC's "The View" (I'm sick with a BAD head cold so I was at home watching!), I tuned in and guess who appeared before my eyes: La Diva Donatella!
It was "Fashion Friday" (the show is actually taped on Wednesdays, I hear), a segment where every Fridays The View's fabulous ladies "introduce" a Fashion Designer to America, and for today's segment it was none other than Miss Donatella Versace. She looked bellisima in a conservative (for her!) black sheath dress and sky-high nude stiletto pumps.
This royal blue and black wool coat with leather accents, leather skinny pants and patent leather purse...
This orange wool and fur mini A-line coat-dress...
This turquoise silk georgette and mirror-leather detailed gown...
Donatella and the House of Versace PR Office pulled out all the stops for this brief 5 minute segment: She did not just get four models from a local NYC agency, she had four of the TOP TOP Models of the moment, all done perfectly in runway-ready make-up and perfectly center-parted straightened hair. You KNOW that all cost a pretty penny! And Donatella paid for all of it for sure. One of the models at "The View" was in fact 16 year old Wichita Kansas-native Lindsey Wixson, who is Donatella's current fave and a MAJAH model of the Moment. Lindsey wore this:
Silver chain-and-leather strapless mini-dress
