Five of the Best...

About two weeks ago the whole of the UK basked in the glow and warmth of something we don't see very often: the sun. The sunshine may have (temporarily) gone back in, but the High Street is awash with pretty summer sandals for you to buy and wear! Yes, shoe departments in department and high street stores have packed away their 'cover everything' boots in favour of something that shows not one toe, but them all!

So, why not put your best foot forward (literally) and accessorise your outfit with some sandals today?

Notes on sandals...

- Before you decide to wear pair of sandals, a pedicure is essential not desirable! Moisturise those feet after a winter of being covered up in order to get rid of any hard skin. Also a pretty coral/pink colour always makes toes stand out from the usual 'frosted' pedicure choices.

- Sandals can be worn with any outfit. They look nice with jeans, shorts, skirts, and not to mention maxi dresses! Experiment, and see what looks yours go with!

- Sandals that have detailing, embellishment or patterns on them can actually finish off an outfit, and be an extra accessory.

- They are also the perfect footwear of choice for a summer holiday, as the light weight design of them means they tend to take up less space and weight in a suitcase than heels do!

Here are my top 5 picks from the High Street...

Nude and Gold Embellished Zip Back Sandals

New Look

£21.99

Green beaded flower flip flops

Faith

Now £26.25

Idyllic bow nude leather Shoes

Office

£38.00

Multi Jewel Cuff Sandals

Next

£30.00

Sandals

H&M

£14.99

Have fun shopping! Until next time lovelies x

Five of the Best...

I think secretly, deep down everyone has a rock chick side just waiting to jump out (air guitar is totally optional). I'm not a huge lover of being massively girly with my style so I do tend to stay away from things that are too twee, and the whole avenue of 'Granny chic' style. Indie/Rock inspired style is never really off the trend radar, so don't be afraid to experiment.

The best way to achieve an instant rock chick look is lots of eyeliner, paired with a band t-shirt. I love band t-shirts. I currently own 3 (and counting). If anyone is particularly interested, they are The Rolling Stones, Guns N' Roses and Goldfrapp. The only rule I have for band t-shirts is that I only buy t-shirts of bands I actually do like. Otherwise you just run the risk of looking like a desperate fashsionista. I can recall a conversation I had with a random girl on a night out who couldn't name a single Stones track, yet she had those famous lips splashed across her chest. I just found it a bit weird.

Once again, I've done the shopping so you don't have to ;-) So, here are my 5 favourite tee's straight from the internet:

Run DMC Tee - truffleshufffle.com - £24.99

Run DMC, the legendary hip hop outfit of the 80's. Consisting of Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell. The logo is the bands original, so wear with some high top trainers to pay homage to the original pioneers of hip hop, ghetto style.

Pink Floyd Tee - Amplified clothing - £24.99

'The Dark Side of the Moon' is Pink Floyd's 8th studio album, and the iconic image you see on the tee is the albums artwork. Wear with a flowery headband and a long floaty skirt, reminiscent of 60's and 70's hippy trippy style.  

Rolling Stones Tee - truffleshuffle.com - £29.99

This 1978 US tour Stones tee is slightly different to the standard 'lips' ones. This one details dates of their 1978 tour, a definite fan favourite. Wear with red lipstick, and a cheeky smile. 

Blondie Tee - truffleshuffle.com - £34.99

‘Call Me’ is obviously one of Blondie's most popular songs. The fact that this is a pink shirt and not the usual black backgrounds we see on most band tee's means it's a little more girly. Perfect for those who aren't ready to be too edgy. Wear with a bouncy blow dry to emulate Debbie Harry herself.

Guns N' Roses Tee - truffleshuffle.com - £19.99

The classic Guns N' Roses logo has been given a summery twist with this strappy tee. Perfect for summer rock gigs/festivals/Saturday afternoon in the pub. Just don't wear with massively curly hair, or you may look more like Slash than you think ;-)

Until next time lovelies x

January Sales...

The January Sales. The best sales in the sale calendar. Massive savings on a whole range of items (not just clothing, but things for the home, holidays and even cars too) means that people go slightly mad when the shops open on Boxing Day. Now, I do love shopping but I could never handle a busy shopping centre on Boxing Day. And don't get me started on the people that queue from 3am just to grab the best bargains! I'm not quite that hardcore.  

I always seem to do pretty well in the January Sales, well, and any Sale for that matter. I nearly always come away with some quality items! Friends have asked how the hell I get so lucky so, I decided to share my tips for successful Sale shopping...

- I never go shopping on Boxing Day. Boxing Day to me is having a nice lie in, eating turkey sandwiches, watching telly, and later on a night out with my girls! Going a couple of days later means that there are still bargains to be had! And the shops aren't as busy. 

- Always have an idea in mind of what you want. That way you don't spend all day aimlessly walking round shops in the hope you may find something. I'm not saying have an exact idea of what you want, just a general one. This forward thinking gives your trip some direction. 

- A lot of shops do discount things up to a whopping 75% off. When buying things with that much off always take a good look and think "is it worth it?" and most importantly, "will I wear it?". Items discounted that much are only often discounted to such an extent because shops can't sell the clothing.

- Sales are perfect opportunities to invest in good quality 'basics'. Basic items are things that will see you through season to season, and never date. I'm talking about jeans, jumpers, LBD’s, heels, coats, classic tailoring etc. Snap things like this up from the more expensive end of the High Street. Shops at the 'higher' end include places like Reiss, French Connection, Ted Baker and All Saints. You may only get a maximum of 25% - 50% at a push at these places but it's still better than paying full price!

- Always take someone with you. More importantly, make it someone you trust to tell you what looks good and what doesn't. Similarly, don't be persuaded by shop assistants who may try to tell you anything just to get you out of the changing rooms and parting with you hard earned cash! 99% of sales assistants are great and will advise, but trust me there are some that really aren't so honest. 

- Take a large brolly with you. Not so much as a rain guard but as a weapon to keep other savvy bargain hunters away from you’re soon to be purchases! ;-)

So, as I went Sale shopping today, what did I buy?

Jack Wills 'Fairdown' Gilet - £98 down to £79. 

Warehouse Cable style knitted jumper. £35 down to £25.

A close up of the jumpers detailing.

Until next time lovelies. In the meantime, happy shopping! x

Five of the Best...

Like most women/girls I love shoes. Pretty much all shoes, but my particular faves are heels. I always feel good when I've got a nice pair of heels on, and I think they finish off just about any outfit. Whether you are dressed up or dressed down you can always find the perfect pair of heels to go with your outfit. I can't resist online shopping, especially browsing from the comfort of my own bed for what my next purchase of heels are going to be! I've hunted high and low to find you my five best picks from the High Street (no blisters or walking required!).

 Zara - Platform Sandals with Piping 

 £29.99 now £15.99

Electric blue is such a hot colour! Whack a contrasting colour on your toes and get ready to have some fun! Plus the ankle straps mean that you'll still be steady even if you've had one too many! ;) 

  

Next - Glitter Peep Toe Court Shoes 

£32

Get ready for a sparkling version of 'Dorothy' shoes! Cute & classy these heels will go with just about any outfit. A good buy ready for winter, hello Christmas parties!

Office - Kind Bow Court Fushia Nubuck 

£70 now £32

OMG I LOVE THESE! I can't tell you all how much I'm love! The bow detailing is the cutest thing I've seen in a while and the colour is amazing; fushia pink looks great with a tan. Pair down your outfit to show these off to the maximum!

Dorothy Perkins - Coral T-Bar Platforms 

£40

I've blogged about coral before (subject matter being nails) and as I've said it before I'll say it again, coral is the shade of the moment! If you want to invest more in the trend invest in these babies. These shoes will bring any LBD or skinny jeans bang on trend.

River Island - White Point Slingback Shoes 

£50 

Black and white. Monochrome. A sexy colour combination that oozes style. I also love pointy shoes, no matter how much they may mash my poor toes up! These shoes remind me very much of a 'French Riviera' look, think white linen trousers and red lipstick.

Until next time lovelies x