Out with the old, so long 2012!

Before you can read me, you got to learn how to see me 
'Free your mind' En Vogue

In an effort to start a-fresh and return to the blogosphere with some sort of focus and regular timetabling of posts I thought I'd clear out all the posts that didn't make it, the outfits that didn't appear and the bits of usefulness that didn't seem post-worthy.

What you didn't see me wearing:

Cast your mind's back to when the weather was sunny and it felt like summer for all of 5 minutes...

New Look vest, charity shop belt, Miss Selfridge skirt and Topshop sandals via ebay, Matalan necklace

Topshop Maxi and sandals via ebay, Dorothy Perkins belt, Miss Selfridge, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, H&M and New Look jewellery

Back in September I posted this on tackling the trends, with a focus on military, here is the outfit exactly as I had planned to style it:

YMCA charity shop knit, Levi's cut-offs, Mark and Spencer ankle boots via ebay and H&M necklace

I posted this about the amazing tea party my friends all threw for me on my news of my departure to London. the sophisticated antics of afternoon tea were followed swiftly by drinks and dancing, with this being my outfit of choice:

Topshop chain detail vest, River Island skirt, Office shoes all via ebay, River Island necklace and Matalan earrings

My love in with trousers continues:

Left: New Look vest and shoes, AA Disco Pants via ebay, charity shop belt, Topshop earrings
Right: AA bodysuit, Twentyeighttwelve by S.Miller jeans, Miss Selfridge Necklace and New Look earrings

A little bit of nail art:

Nail art using confetti (lots of topcoat needed to stop the corners catching on the stars! Needless to say it looked prettier than it was practical)

What I've been eating:

 My favourite sushi place at home, Woktastic

Tempura squid and the best 'peanut butter chocolate stack' ever. (Tastes just like a Snickers)

  

Baking in the new flat a slightly odd looking  (but damn tasty) Victoria sponge and a banana and walnut cake

Afternoon tea

   What I've been seeing:

Beautiful flowers from my flatmates rents for our new home

Anthropologie London

 Bizarre memo in Costa in London... actual 'LOL' moment

Although I have been living in London for a month, my foray into real London life starts tomorrow when I start my new job in Central London. I will officially feel like an adult.

KDx

Answers we guess

Rustie "After Light" Ft. Aluna George

Fashion should never take itself too seriously, I mean it's just clothes after all. And even then, the sole reason for wearing them is to cover one's modesty. 

But lately it seems that fashion is having a bit of fun with itself, and for once I don't think that the jokes on us. (Over exaggerated shoulders anywhere outside of the 1980s should not be 're-invented' in my opinion.)

Cartoon motifs are cropping up everywhere:

3.1 Philip Lim 'Ka-Pow' Print T-shirt at Matches

Truly Madly Deeply 'Bat-Ass' Tee at Urban Outfitters 

Lazy Oaf x Batman Exclusive Bodycon Dress in Logo Print at Asos

If we delve into the archives, it would seem as though Batman has always been a bit of a fave with the fash pack, just take a look at Alexa for Madewell in 2010 and before that, gone but not forgotten Luella Bartley and her Spring 2008 Ready-to-wear collection:

Alexa Chung x Madewell Sketch Book Tee via Cool Spotters

Luella Bartley 2008 Ready-to-wear via Style.com

Inspired and short of a spare £160 to get my hands on some genuine Philip Lim, I have invested in some t-shirt pens and will be scribbling my own designs-something I have put off doing for a while. In the mean time I created a little homage to superhero fashion on my toes, those that follow me on twitter will have seen this picture pop up earlier

Nails Inc Silver 'Montpelier Square,' Barry M 'Cyan Blue' 294 and 'Bright Red' 262, Rimmel Nail Tip Whitener and Sharpie Black Permanent Marker

The design was really easy to create, as the nail tip whitener has a thinner brush I could get the general 'pow' shape, I used a nail brush to sharpen the points and fill in the fiddly bits close to the white with the red or the blue. Once this was completely dry I used the Sharpie to outline the white and write my chosen Pow! and Zap! before letting that dry to add a layer of topcoat.

What do you think of cartoon clothing? (And that has nothing to do with Nicki Minaj's wardrobe) Cool? Or better left at school?

KDx

P.s I hope everyone is enjoying their Bank Holiday weekends, especially those (like myself) who are fortunate to have a 3-day weekend as standard. This time last year I was in a field at Creamfields, to date my only experience to which I base all camping trips on: muddy, boggy, damp, dank, cold, and grotty. But the music was amazing! Anyone fortunate enough to go I hope you've got a mega stash of babywipes!

KDx

I try to run but see I'm not that fast

Kid Cudi "Day 'n' Night'

A couple of outfit posts that contrast like night and day.
Last night drinks and dancing:

Topshop dress via ebay, Miss Selfridge earrings, various jewellery from H&M, Matalan, Disney and Topshop and New Look shoes

Today I went to a christening, my first, which is another sign that I am actually growing up. It feels a bit like a domino effect is taking place... 

Topshop dress and wedges via ebay, vintage leather satchel, various jewellery from H&M, New Look, Topshop and Matalan

My nails for the weekend:

Nails Inc 'Caramel', Nails Inc 'Lanesborough Place' (gold ring finger), Barry M 'Bright Red' tips, Rimmel London 'Beige Babe' leopard spots, and Sharpie marker to finish the leopard off

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. First weekend post Ibiza and I think I have finally come to accept that This Is England.

KDx

We could be the worst of all

Jessie Ware "Wildest Moments" (Zed Bias remix)

Holiday is only 2 days away. My earlier holiday packing fail has been completely rectified. I even have a few spare kilos knocking about, extra shoes, another dress... the possibilities are endless! This of course will go completely against my meticulous holiday planning that saw me try on all my outfits complete with jewellery and shoes so in the absence of a full length mirror I would be able to get dressed without a second thought-the ultimate in efficiency and prolonging my time in the sun. (Clearly I get-off on organisation. Meh! There are worser things I could be into to get my kicks.)

So besides packing, the other P's I have completed include preening, pruning, plucking and painting:

Holiday toes!

I used Barry M Ice Cream and No.17 Mint Choc Chip, and loosely followed the tutorial on 'Ombre Nails' from Sammy at The Nailsaurus here. If anyone knows how to artistically capture feet on a camera phone then I would like to meet them, so please excuse my prehistoric looking finger toes.

For fellow jewellery lovers, my holiday packing tip would be money bags. Bag your jewellery individually in money bags that you get from the bank for loose coins and this should hopefully stop it getting all tangled during travelling. It will also make it easier to see what  you taken with you when you arrive.

As I fly on Tuesday my intentions are to do a holiday post ( or 3) when I land in what I hope by then will be sunny ol' England. So a scheduled blogging break.

KDx

The music went and led me astray

Friction "Led Astray"

As I'd wrote about in an earlier post here, I was taken by the idea of a Spring suit,or co-ord and here's my interpretation as worn out on Friday night when we dined at La Tasca for my good friend Laura's birthday. It turned out to be a bit of a double celebration as she only went and bagged herself a new job after unfortunately having to endure an interview on her birthday, but it was all worth it in the end! 

American Apparel black u-back body, Asos floral shorts via ebay, Oasis blazer and Topshop boots

Despite the undesirable weather conditions, I perked up my hands with a summer nail look

I brought this Rimmel Lasting Finish nail varnish in 'Hot and Spicy' for a bargainous £1.24 in Morrison's whilst on my lunch break, admittedly my main reason for painting my nails was that I had brought the colour that day; how can you fail to transport yourself to hotter climes with zingy nails like this? The colour also looks a dead ringer for Models Own 'Hedonist' that has been spotted on numerous bloggers fingers. For my ring finger I used one of my favourite Nails Inc's, 'Lanseborough Place'. I have also discovered an amazing nail art/inspiration blog that actually comes courtesy of the Guardian-so I thank them for bringing it to my attention. The blog is called 'The Nail Saurus' and is written by 21 year-old Sammy from South Wales, you can find her amazing nail creations here. After reading through post after post I have to say my once creative self isn't feeling so advanced right about now, but she has filled me with some ideas and reignited my love for diy nails, so hopefully there will be some to feature shortly!

Right, back to the food. As much as I enjoy La Tasca I felt that being a party they neglected us a little, as they were so keen to serve us our food, which seems like a bonus, we were denied the 'tapas' experience and ended up with a table of soon-to-be cold food as we just couldn't eat it quick enough. In previous visits they had brought a selection of plates out in succession, so you had chance to enjoy them, before they were cleared away and the next lot brought out, hence our decision for choosing La Tasca; you get 13 girls together and they are going to want to talk! So sadly it felt like a lot of food went to waste. The food was as good as I remembered, albeit it in huge quantities, so I can't say I'll be rushing to recommend the party menu to anyone in the near future, just stick to small groups and I'm sure you'll get a more authentic Spanish tapas experience; the La Tasca I know.

Saturday was just spent wandering around town before a girly night in with our very expectant mother-to-be. Truth be known, a little part of me hoped we might be front line for a piece of the action, but the baby's not quite ready to meet us yet, so the wait continues...

Warehouse black and white cardigan, Zara leopard pumps and Topshop taupe leather shorts via ebay, H&M sleeveless shirt and New Look necklace

I'd been after some leather shorts for an age, but the real ones were always too expensive for me to justify for what in reality is so little material, and the fake ones always seemed to air on the side of bondage, anyone for shiny fake leather?! *shudders* The search inevitably continued. As with most things I tend to buy there is no time frame, which I find is the best way to shop; so as I rarely need anything for a specific outing, I can hold out until I get things at the right price, which in this case was 99p, and £3 delivery. Can't argue with that. In my opinion they were more than worth the wait, especially as it's May and I am still able to get away with wearing them with tights and not look like I am planning to lose my body weight in sweat alone.

As with every alcohol free weekend, food comes to the fore. Being hungover doesn't allow yourself to truly enjoy nice food, so a Sunday afternoon spent baking when I would normally contend with the suppressed fat girl isn't an option, so today Momma Bear and I donned our finest aprons and baked. We opted for scones (my tea habit needs some substance so as not to completely drown my insides) We followed James Martin's recipe from the BBC Food website, the only change we made was the addition of chopped glacé cherries because I love them and sultanas are a product of the devil  quite frankly.

Trust me when I say that it was absolute torture taking a picture of my lovingly jammed scone opposed to just scoffing it down asap. A bake I recommend to all. We only managed to get 7 scones out of the '8-10' mixture though, so I would ignore that bit, as if we rolled the mixture out any thinner I think we would have had cherry biscuits.

According to those that deliver the weather, this week we are supposed to see marked improvements. I'm going to do as every British person does at the hint of sunshine and harass all those around me into having a bbq, and at the risk of looking stupid spend a day without tights (I've been gradual tanning in preparation for this day to come so as not to be taken by surprise!)

Willie Nelson has been singing it for years... Bring me sunshine god dammit!

KDx

Fools. Know. Bright. Eyes.

SBTRKT ft. Roses Gabor "Pharaohs"


I've got a lot of time on my hands... no really...

Blues and Greens l-r: Barry M 209 'Spring Green', Boots No.17 'Mint Choc Chip', Topshop 104 'Green Room',  Barry M 304 'Mint Green', and 294 'Cyan Blue'.

Pinks and Reds l-r: Collection 2000 Hot Rocks Collection 34 'Hoola Hoop', and 43 'Fruit Salad', Nails Inc 'Tate', and Barry M 309 'Strawberry Ice Cream'. 

When I find myself at a loose end, and in need of a little pick me up, I paint my nails. I am literally wearing my spare time on my hands. I can happily spend a few hours getting them to look perfect, it also means I am reluctant to let anyone else paint them as I am so particular. In this instance I couldn't decide what colour to go for, namely because I didn't know what outfit I would be wearing tonight; my nails have to coordinate just enough or clash but never match, so when in doubt go for 10! Excessive?

I was inspired by this picture I saw over on Geneva's 'A Pair And A Spare', but I cannot remember where I saw it previously, I guess that's the problem when you indulge your eyes with endless pics of Fashion Week. 

Picture Grazia IT via A pair and a spare

It's needless to say that painting my nails on a Thursday night has become a bit of a weekly ritual, I am incessant on painting my nails and letting them set properly over night. I don't know when else I would be able to sit still for long enough not doing anything, I think myself out of watching films for gods sake as I can't commit to that long a silence! So this makes perfect sense.

Other recent nail looks have also included:

The almost  perfect green, but not quite right shades from Topshop, 'Gone Fishing' and 'Green Room' as above.

The lilac love in extends from clothes to my nails. A Purple manicure, Barry M 308 'Berry Ice Cream' and Nails Inc 'Belgrave Place' tips.

It's not just my fingers that get the nail treatment, I always paint my toe nails. I don't care if no one else will see them, I will, and that's one person too many that would be seeing my otherwise naked nail.

My look of the moment is:

Base colour and leopard spots Barry M 308 Berry 'Ice Cream', as above and Boots No. 17 'Sherbet Lemon'. The glitter on my third toes comes courtesy of Y.C.C Nail Enamel's 103.

I had been really impressed by Gem Fatale's leopard nail tutorial, which you can find here, but the idea of using liquid eyeliner seemed a bit defunct to me, as I couldn't get a top coat on quick enough afterwards without smudging my eyeliner handiwork. Step in the 'Sharpie Fine Point Marker' 

Ta Dah! 

My leoparding kit!

Super Sharpie saved the day! You have more control over the 'leoparding' so if you follow Gem's tutorial, just switch the eyeliner for a marker. I'm yet to try any other colour of marker, but can't see why it wouldn't work... when I test it out I will be sure to let you all know. Don't restrict yourself to just leopard though, zebra stripes would be easy to create with this pen, and it dries in double quick time.

What coloured nails are you all rocking this season? Are you influenced by nail 'trends'?

KDx