A Guide to Winter Layering

In winter staying warm is the ultimate goal. But if you can look good whilst doing so then that’s even better. A sure fire way of keeping the chill out this season is to layer up, as many smaller layers hold more warmth than one or two thick layers. Mixing and matching to create a layered effect is also very in fashion this autumn and winter, so you can look bang on trend without catching cold.

Texture

Combining all different textures creates a really feminine and interesting look. Try a cotton floaty skirt with a pair of ribbed tights, a silky shirt and a cable knit jumper to finish off the look. The result is a very bohemian style outfit that wouldn’t look out of place at an art school, or in one of North London’s trendy record stores. Knitwear is a big must for winter 2013, and it is both very stylish and fantastically practical. You don’t need to look far, as knitwear is one of the top looks for the season - even ASDA has a great selection of George knitwear. For extra edge, team girly skirts and knitwear with chunky boots like classic Dr Martens.

Colours

There were very few bright or bold colours on the catwalk for this season, and most designers stuck with classic, understated and earthy tones. Colours from nature are always a good call at this time of year, and you can rarely go wrong with deep autumnal hues or basics like cream, white and black. The best thing about sticking to a neutral colour palate is that everything you are layering will go together well. There is no fear of clashing with deep colours and basics, so you can mix and match as much as you want.

Patterns

Girly patterns like ditsy prints and florals are in again this season after already featuring heavily in the spring and summer of this year. Mix things up a little when layering by teaming very girly prints and fabrics with more masculine plain items in a heavy fabric like wool or cord, as the androgynous look is back for winter. Mixing up feminine and masculine in one outfit nods at both these trends and creates a unique and interesting style. Another big pattern this season is tartan, with the punk era seeing a bit of a revival by the high-end designers. For a real punk rocker take on layering, pop a leather jacket or some denim over a tartan print dress.

Accessorise

A great way to add further depth to a layeredoutfit is to add some accessories with more fabrics. Why not experiment with a differentcolour wool scarf to compliment a wool jumper, or add a silk headscarf to an otherwise boyish combo? Pieces of jewellery can get a little lost in a winter outfit that already has several layers, but if they stand out then they are a worthy addition. Try pearls or statement pieces to finish off your creation.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to layering, and the high fashion look this season only demonstrates this principle even more. Anything goes; so mix up your prints, textures, styles and colours to create the weirdest and wonderful layered creations – the quirkier the better for an outfit that’s right on trend.

*sponsored post

my make up storage

 

i just thought i'd do a little post about my current makeup situation. when i moved to london i left A LOT at my parents house (much to my mothers delight) and since then i've tried my best not to be lured in by fancy limited edition collections or the latest lipstick everyone's raving about. so far so good... ish.

i think i still probably have too much makeup for my one face so i'm trying to use up a bottle of foundation before i buy another and the only thing i buy regularly now is mascara. i've thrown a lot of stuff in the bin after realising how long it'd been in my collection.. quite a surprise to find out how fast make up goes out of date really! it makes me wonder how people with huge collections manage to use everything they own before it expires. i guess they probably don't! what a waste.

i have a system with the acrylic drawers (blogger cliche i know) where i have foundation/base products at the bottom then working up i have contours and highlighters, blushers, mascaras, eye products (exuding pallets which are in the cath kidston bag). on a sunday evening i tend to pick out what i want to use for the week and put everything in the little pink makeup bag, i find that's the easiest way to make sure i'm making the most of what i have!

that's pretty much it for makeup. in the cath kidston bag i also have hair stuff which topples over into the basket behind too. in the cath kidston tin is my weakness. nail polishes. as you can see it's overflowing and it's not big and it's not clever ok. i don't know how i've ended up with so much nail polish because again i left majority of it in newcastle!! my dressing area is moving soon so i'll probably use that as a chance to sort everything out... again.

 
 

new bag! zara mini office city bag.

i oohed and ahhed over the zara city bag but it just felt SO big and heavy to me before even putting all my junk in it! i decided against it but it was still in my dreams.. and then i stumbled across the mini office city bag in burgundy with gold hardware. i don't carry my laptop or any huge cameras around with me so this is a lovely size for me. it has three compartments - the middle is padded for gadgets and thats where my ipad mini lives. this is AMAZING because i've really struggled to find an ipad mini case i like, has anyone seen any?!

my favourite thing is the strap on this - it's adjustable and has a wider section that goes on your shoulder to stop it sliding off, which is one of my major life problems with bags. (or something.. but honestly it's great.)

this bag will do me perfectly when i'm saving for a mulbz!



and this is the aforementioned junk i carry around. not pictured are all the receipts, odd bits of chewing gum and half empty packets of chewits. i've just realised i carry an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses, how very british of me. my purse is pretty big with gold spikes from topshop - i've had it for ages but i still love it. it's leather and lasted me quite well! i also have my ipad mini, iphone and keys. in the hello kitty ticket holder is my oyster and other bits and bobs. makeup wise i don't carry a lot with me just some mac studio fix powder, a lip balm and my new favourite lipstick! i don't always carry perfume around with me but i must have wanted to smell nice today. it's viktor and rolf's flowerbomb which is my all time favourite perfume, i think!

3,2,1 I'M BACK!

it's been a really long time since i blogged properly, or even at all but HELLO. i've had so many ideas for posts and things i've wanted to blog about for the past few months and just.. haven't. not sure why i haven't wanted to but hopefully i'll be able to pick up where i left off!

so much has happened since i last blogged so i think i'll just ignore all of that and start fresh! i think i'll do a catch up post next.(for my benefit really, i'm sure no one cares!)

anyway the point of this post is pugs. if you've read my blog, followed me on twitter or met me you'll know i love pugs.i'm sorry if i've ever made you stalk pugs with me. anyway, so i'm sure you've all seen the three mobile advert with the pug in (!!!), i obviously fell in love with it right away. three very kindly sent me a box full of pug things which is quite possibly the best bit of post i've ever received. they also asked me to share 3 things with you...



3. favourite songs.

this is difficult. does anyone else find this difficult? WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT? okay..
tina turner; proud mary. this is my happy song. it's also my favourite song to sing on karaoke.
bruce springsteen; i'm on fire. this is one of the first songs i ever remember hearing/knowing the words to. my dad used to sing it to me when i was a baby.
q lazzarus; goodbye horses. it makes me an emotional wreck but it's beautiful and holds a lot of sentimental value.

2. favourite places in london

this is also quite difficult! i've been living in london since last christmas and i love ALL OF IT. well most of it.
angel; i love love love angel. it's definitely one of my favourite places in london in general. it has really cute bars and shops and it's just lovely. luckily i work right by so i'm there a lot!
broadway market; this is my favourite place to be at the weekend. lots of cute and interesting foodie things and bloody lovely in the summer!

1. picture of loulou.




i love this picture because i think you can tell how much i love him and how fat and grumpy he is about it all.

what's in my makeup bag

forever 21 makeup bag

mac sculpt and shape duo, fashionista blush palette, mac quad, nivea express hydration primer, mac strobe cream, mac studio sculpt foundation, mac studio finish concealer, dr jart bb cream, shu uemura eyelash curlers, bourjois rouge edition lipstick, lancome mascara, l'oreal superliner

i didn't realise how much my little snorter dog love would show in this post! frenchie makeup bag and pug sheets.. it's the little things. i picked up the makeup bag whilst in new york but saw it in london quite recently too. and the pug sheets are from primark, obviously! 

the contents of my makeup bag hasn't changed for ages which is annoying because i have a lot of makeup which isn't being used. i seem to be in a happy place with my routine right now though so i guess i should just have a big clear out be happy with a little collection. i was late to the party with the fashionista palette but i'm so happy i got one in the end, mine's full of shimmery peaches and rose pinks! they last really well on my skin and they have some beautiful colours. i'm rotating studio sculpt and the bb cream at the moment too - they both work really well over the strobe cream which has been a firm favourite of mine for years now! 

i would (and have) purchase every single one of these items again and again so i'm not sure why i still continue to buy so much more makeup. i only have one face last time i checked..! 

movers and shakers

asos dress

primark necklace
h&m bracelets

hi! so i'm rubbish and just forgot about everything but here's my new favourite dress! lots have changed since my last post - mainly my lack of hair and i now live with a smelly BOY. everything's good and everyone's happy so that's good. a couple of weeks ago i had a glass or two of wine and my boyfriend and i booked flights to new york and arrived at jfk12 hours later. i had the best week ever even though i was really ill - may do a separate post on the trip because it was incredible.

a few days after getting back from new york i went back to newcastle for a few days to visit my parents and loupug. i was all set to bring loulou back to london with me but a few different things happened and it would have been very selfish for me to move him right now. luckily he's more than settled and happy to be sat on my dads knee cuddling every day so he's happy.

whilst i was gone i heard some stuff about GFC disappearing so feel free to follow me on bloglovin instead! i've just imported all the blogs i'm following over there which was really easy and i think i prefer it to GFC already!

when's pay day?

river island dress

topshop bobble hat
monki pink knitted jumper
 urban decay naked basics
 leon frenchie jumper
daisy teacup lamp
juicy couture perfume
 brantano boots

i haven't posted in a while so thought i'd share some of the things i want to buy come pay day! oh, i haven't even mentioned my new job on my blog.. yeah, i have a new job. i think i got really lucky. i left my job in newcastle, packed up and moved to london and found a really great job (that i'm excited about!) within 3 weeks. i'm still working in an education setting but in events and marketing now. i have more responsibility and i'm working on some cool social media stuff too! if anyone's thinking of doing something similar and just upping and leaving somewhere i totally recommend just doing it. especially if you have no other commitments, i'm so happy here and all it took was just being brave and doing it!

i'm going to get back on the blogging wagon i think! i made an asos order a few days ago so i should have some outfit posts coming up soon and some other stuff. potentially planning an exciting trip soon too which i'm looking forward to.

nothing else to say other than i saw a man with a belt on his head eating a bagel at brick lane last weekend. 

:)

laura mercier silk creme foundation (soft ivory)

topshop cream blush (flush)

l'oreal telescopic mascara

l'oreal carbon gloss liner

mac brule and espresso eye shadows

revlon cherries in the snow lipstick

hello! thought i'd start the new year with a new face of the day. i've been pretty boring with my makeup lately and don't think i've changed anything in a really long time! makes my life easier though. the foundation has had a load of blogger hype so clearly i had to join in. really glad i did though because it is lovely. it sinks into the skin which sounds a bit disgusting but it lasts all day on me without highlighting the horrible dry patches i sometimes have. definitely recommend trying a sample if you haven't already.

christmas seems like a million years ago but i haven't updated since before then! i had a jolly old festive time with family and seeing friends. my boyfriend came to stay too which was lots of fun! after christmas we both came back to london.. and.. i haven't left! spent NYE watching fireworks on southbank which was all kinds of special but i probably won't want to do it again.

since then i've just been getting used to london life whilst trying to find a job. fingers crossed it won't take too long and if anyone wants to hire me or be my london friend please do!

AND FINALLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY i have a new blog layout lovingly made by forwardcreate it's pink has bunting and the font is my handwriting, i love it!

born to run

 

tunic c/o love struck 

primark jacket 

 how sick are you of seeing a million versions of this jacket? it's not usually something i'd pick up but i think the blogger influence finally got to me! i do love it though, and it's so easy to throw on over anything. i was cheap and stayed with the cheap primark version but i do love this asos version, mainly for the studs i think!

i can't believe it's only 5 days until christmas! it's crazy. i was supposed to do all of my christmas shopping when i was in london but err, i didn't. i had great intentions of doing it when i got back but ended up watching skyfall and elf with my dad instead! FAIL.

so i'm going to have to be that idiot who does all their shopping the weekend before christmas. i'm always that idiot though!

PARTY!

dress c/o simply be

 

it's my works christmas party tomorrow and thanks to the lovely people at simply be i have a dress to wear! i hate shopping for events or special occasions. i just never find anything suitable so i'm SO glad i found this dress! it seems to be quite popular with other bloggers from what i've seen so i think this means i'm fashionable now. (well maybe. okay i'm not.)

i'm so excited/scared about the next few weeks! i'm off to london at the weekend, then it's christmas and then it's the start of the rest of my life! i handed my notice in at work a few weeks ago and on friday the 28th december i'm off to london again with a one way ticket. i'm very lucky that i have lovely people there to support me whilst i figure my life out - and it's now or never. people keep saying it's a massive risk but i don't think it is really? i have somewhere to stay before i need to pay rent, i have savings and the only thing i'm losing is my permanent job in newcastle.. which whilst i love where i work and everyone i work with, the job isn't what i want to do forever. 

ANYWAY life rant over i basically wanted to post this to say thanks for finding my perfect christmas party dress, simplybe!