Topshop dresses

I recently went to look at the Topshop website for the sale but couldn't resist a peak at their new in section.  Dresses are always my favourite kind of fashion porn and they had some gorgeous new ones.

These really caught my eye


This Faye Dress by Jones and Jones is really unique with it's black lace on white and it's dirndl style skirt with volume from a net trimmed petticoat.  I think the nipped in waist would be really figure flattering.

This lace cut out dress by Rare is also really pretty and delicate with a nipped in waist and floaty skirt.  The cut out back makes its really different.

There was one other dress which has disappeared from the site since I last saw it!  It was this pale blue off shoulder dress.  Hopefully it's just sold out and will be back soon.  I love the 50's vintage print fabric and silhouette!  

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Pink nails - Sally Hansen Fuchsia Power

I got annoyed with my kiwi nail varnish that I put on badly last week that it wrinkled up (!) so as soon as I got the chance I changed my nails to this pretty pink colour by Sally Hansen.  It's number 320 in Fuchsia Power (great name!).  I like that the pigment is so rich and it does seem easier to apply than cheaper brands I've worn.  I put on two coats and then a quick dry top coat.  I thought about adding some pretty crystals but decided that such a bright colour can speak for itself.

New cushion cover

Hello!  For ages I've been wanting to make a cover for an uncovered cushion I bought ages ago.  I fight with my boyfriend over the two cushions on our couch so I decided it was time to get out the sewing machine and make my cushion cute and usable.

I had some blue fabric left over from a dress I made a couple of years ago which was just enough to make the cushion cover with.  I decided I wanted to decorate it with something cute.  I found some left over ribbons in my sewing box so I decided to make some bows in different colours to attach to the front of it.

My cushion was 16 x 16 inches so I made my front piece 17" x 17" to allow for 1/2" seam allowance around all the edges.  I decided to make an envelope design so I made the back piece 24" x 17" so that there would be an overlap when I cut the back piece in half.

Front piece

Back piece cut in half

After cutting the back piece in half so that each back piece now measured 12 x 17 inches, I folded over the cut edge of each back piece twice by 1/2 an inch to make a neat seam. I ironed, pinned and machine stitched the edge closed.

Pinned edge

Stitched edge

Then I made some bows and sewed them by hand to the front  piece of fabric through the centre of the bows.

Bows

Bows stitched to front piece of fabric

Then I put the back and the front pieces right sides together so the two back pieces were overlapping.  Then I stitched it together around the outside edges.

I turned the cover inside out and put the cushion inside it through the opening.

I think it's fun and pretty.  Now I want to make more cushion covers for the cushions that are already on our sofa using maybe buttons or more bows for decoration!

Hope you're having a great day :)

Mango clothing day

Hi there!  Well I said I would post a picture of the new jumper I bought from Mango in better light but it's been a grey couple of days so a not so bright indoor one will have to do.  It's a dark blue with black jewels which sparkle in the light and look really pretty.  I wore them with my lilac Topshop jeans.

I also wore my Mum's ring.  It's a pearl ring from a pearl she got out of an oyster she picked at an oyster farm she went to with my Dad.  It's sterling silver dipped in gold with two red gems on either side.  She got it when she was 21 so it's very precious to me.  I teamed it with some bronze and pearl bird earrings I made myself.

There you have it!  I would probably have worn the jumper with my khaki leggings but as it was -10 degrees outside I thought jeans would be a more sensible choice.

I love my Mum's ring.  It's so lovely to have something nice passed down to you to wear.  I love that it has it's own story about her going to the oyster farm to pick out the pearl.

If you like the earrings you can find some similar jewellery in my Twirlybirdie shop.  Check it out here! .

I hope you had a lovely day!

Sunday Things

I had an early start today for a Sunday.  Well, I was up at 9.30 am.  After a phone call to my Mum I decided to paint my nails.  I fancied a shiny mossy green colour.  It's called Kiwi and it's by Misslyn.  I haven't painted my nails in ages as I've been performing a lot recently and I was definitely out of practise.  Urgh!  Not the perfectly painted nails I'd been imagining.  I like this unusual earthy colour though.

When I got dressed I decided I was in a dotty mood.  I wore this grey and yellow dotty top by H&M and some old Gap 1969 jeans that I've worn to death over a year or more and definitely need replacing!

I also wore some grey pearl earrings to match my top.  They are so simple and yet slightly unusual because of the grey colour.  I'd really like to make some of these using freshwater pearls and sterling silver.  These ones are from Accessorize.  They came in a set of three colours and have been so useful as I can wear them with almost anything.

After that I went off to the shops where I ended up going in to the sale at Mango.  Big Mistake!  Two new pairs of shoes and a jumper later I was back at home.

Both these shoes were really good deals.  The khaki ankle boots have a good tread so will hopefully last me a while.  The black high heels should go with pretty much anything and were so elegant and classy looking when I tried them on in the shop!  Any excuse for a new pair of shoes.  You can still buy them on-line here for the suede ankle boots, and here for the suede slip on pumps.

It gets dark here so early it's hard to take pictures in natural lighting.  I'll try and take a picture of my new jumper during the day sometime soon.  If it wasn't Winter I'd love to try taking some outfit photos outside with my new camera.

I hope you had a lovely Sunday.  Until next time!

Bourjois Beauty Full Volume Mascara

I have two mascara's on the go at the moment.  One I already wrote a post about, the Balm's Cheater mascara.  The other one is this Bourjois Full Volume mascara.  It's definitely a thicker mascara.  I like it for evening and for performances but found it a bit heavy for day when I prefer to wear a more natural looking mascara.  I found the thicker fluid to be a bit clumpy.  You have to practise applying it so that the lashes don't clump together.  I find it best to pull the brush sideways through the lashes right and then left with different strokes as you apply to help keep them separate.

Below you can see a picture of the finished result.

There you go another mascara review.  Hope you're having a great weekend!

(Update:  I've gotten better at applying this mascara now and wearing it in the day time I've even been asked if my lashes are real or if I have individual falsies in!)

Burt's Bees Miracle Salve

I've been trying out this miracle salve that I got for Christmas.  It's proved to be very useful here in the cold winter weather.  I find that it's good to keep in my handbag as it can be used on anything; hands, hair, face and lips.  It's great for me as I need to use something on my dry skin quite frequently when it's so cold.  I also love that the ingredients sound so natural.  It's main ingredients are olive seed oil, beeswax and pumpkin seed oil.  Although I never find waxy moisturisers as absorbing as moisturising creams I prefer to use this as a sort of barrier against the cold.  It stops my skin becoming more dry if I apply it before I go out.  I've yet to try it out on my hair though although it sounds fun!