OUTFIT | #100

coat, blouse, jeans: Topshop; boots: Clarks; bag: Zara

This post is less about the outfit and more about the fact that I'm standing in front of the freaking Louvre (It's way in the back there, trust me). I just got back from a few days in Paris with my family and it was seriously the best. As in, securing a place in my heart as one of my favourite cities ever, kind of thing. Can I go back? Like, right now? When I've recovered from New Year's festivities and have some time, I'll sort through the pictures I took and share them with you all. 

While I was swept up in wandering around Paris and constantly going 'wow, holy shit, this is beautiful, oh my god, wow', I totally forgot to take any outfit pictures apart from this one. (Plus a few of me with my hair in my face, looking pissed off, because it was super windy that day, but I decided not to include those. Soz.) It is, admittedly, not the most exciting outfit I've ever worn. I unearthed that coat from a pile of abandoned things in my mum's house. It was a January sale find from the start of the year that I forgot about but I brought it on this trip and now I love it. It's wool, so still very warm, but more lightweight than my big ass winter duffel coat. A winning find.

LIPSTICK | Favourite Vampy Lipsticks

l-r: Revlon Colorburst 'Plum', Topshop Lipstick 'Inhibition', Kate Moss for Rimmel '#04', MAC 'Rebel'

Tonight, Matthew...I'm masquerading as a beauty blogger. Look at me, taking swatch pictures and posting my weird-looking fist all over the internet. Who am I? I had wanted to do more outfit posts while I was home for winter break but I keep accidentally waking up at 1pm and my room is super dark by the time 2pm rolls around so it just hasn't worked too well. (Apart from when I can rope family members into taking pictures of me in the back garden. ~Life of a blogger.) So let's have a lipstick post instead. I've bought so much of it lately, it seems appropriate.

This winter I have officially become the owner of more vampy lipsticks than any one person can ever need. They are my weakness. You know I love a bold lip. Phrases like 'wearable colour' or 'my-lips-but-better nude' do not enter my lipstick buying vocabulary. Recently I've been all about the dark, scary ass purple vampy shades. Bring 'em on. I want them all. My sister thinks I have a problem but look, they're all different! As long as I'm not buying identical shades, I'm good.

Yes, Revlon Colorburst in 'Plum' and Topshop's 'Inhibition' may look somewhat similar. They're probably the closest match to each other that I own. But they are different. The Revlon is probably more red than purple, and definitely has a sheerer finish. I prefer to blot it on a bit since it can look a bit glossy for my taste straight out of the tube. They're all beautiful colours though. I've basically worn no other shades all month.

OUTFIT | #99

jacket, jeans, boots: Topshop; sweater: Next Menswear; lipstick: Revlon Colorburst 'Plum'

We don't go and see extended family over Christmas. Hence I never really 'dress up' (By my standards, at least. I get 'You're dressed fancy, going somewhere?' comments most days so I don't know, this may be dressy for some people. To each their own, and all that.) Instead I opted for my new holiday sweater on Christmas day this year. It's my answer to those obnoxious knitted monstrosities with kittens and holly wreaths all over them. Don't get me wrong, I'd love one of those. I just haven't been able to find any for a reasonable price yet. In the mean time, I have this blue patterned number that I found when I stumbled into the Next Menswear section. I'd been looking for home wares and new bed sheets but ended up leaving with a sweater. 

I finally got my Topshop 'Alexy' boots on Christmas day. After missing out on the 'Allegra' the other year, I promised myself I'd get my hands on the 'Alexy' instead. They're going to be my pride and joy. This year has definitely been a good year for ankle boots. I've bought a couple of wonderful pairs. They're all I live in during the colder months. Now if Topshop would only restock the oxblood 'Phelvin' boot on their website, I'd be set. Come to me, my pretties. I really don't want to pay the inflated eBay prices but I'm getting so, so tempted. Be still, my credit card.

OUTFIT | #98

sweater, skirt: H&M; blouse: Uniqlo; boots: River Island; lipstick: MAC 'Rebel'

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate how red my hair looks here? This colour is like the gift that keeps on giving. I've been using the same box dye since I first went red in May and it's gone from a barely perceptible reddish tinge to this. I guess it's the build-up of colour over time? I don't even know but whatever it is, I'm liking it. Dyeing my hair is definitely up there among my top 5 decisions of 2012. I'm sure I'll go back to my natural colour at some point but it certainly won't be any time soon. 

Onto the outfit. I guess I went for some kind of super-preppy-with-chelsea-boots vibe here? I do that sometimes. Gotta love those chelsea boots. They're reaching the end of their days, I fear. The scuffs on the toes got so bad I had to fill them in with black Sharpie, a la Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Poor babies, I've worn them so much. I'm also wearing MAC 'Rebel', a.k.a my new favourite lipstick, here but you can't really tell how incredible it is. Maybe I need to try and do one of those 'Face of the Day' style posts to show you its true beauty? I'm not the best at those but for 'Rebel', I'll give it a go.

Since I've been back at my mum's house I've done a massive wardrobe clear out. Think 5 bin bags full of old clothes to be donated to charity. I got sick of 1) having so many damn clothes and 2) knowing I didn't wear half of them but keeping them anyway. My clothes rail is no longer groaning under the weight of millions of dresses I'll never wear again. It felt pretty good to throw out that much stuff (if not a little bit sickening that I owned so much clothing in the first place, eek) plus it makes finding something I do want to wear so much easier. 

RECENT PURCHASES | Christmas Bonus Style

cardigans: H&M; Topshop Leigh jeans; MAC 'Rebel' lipstick

Now, I tend to abide by that old blogger pro-tip of never doing the annoying 'Sorry I've been away so long, guys! Shit got real and I had no time to blog, soz' thing that people do after an absence. I won't bang on about it too much but I did take a little hiatus this month because shit did get kind of real in my non-internet based life. Now it's winter break though and I have 2 weeks to chill out, sleep all the time, and enjoy doing sweet nothing all day. It's going to be beautiful.

As soon as all my assignments for the end of semester were submitted, I went shopping. I literally sent off all my essays, pulled on something that wasn't my pajamas, and went into the city with my Christmas bonus burning a hole in my pocket. I had a list, so I wouldn't go too wild, but the H&M sale did get me and I ended up buying two cardigans in there. I've had my eye on that leopard print one for months but kept telling myself I couldn't possibly justify owning any more leopard print since I had already surpassed the quota for any normal person. But it was reduced to £7 in the sale and I have no self-control. It's so wonderfully tacky; I couldn't help myself.

The Topshop Leigh jeans and MAC 'Rebel' lipstick have been on my wishlist for a long time. I've been needing new jeans for a few months now and I had to restrain myself from buying a million colours of these. They're such a good fit. None of that annoying low-rise, hip-grazing style here; these sit at your natural waist which is so much more comfortable. I am a convert. Why didn't I buy these sooner? (Probably because I didn't have a job and was really poor, but anyway, moving on) 

MAC 'Rebel' lipstick joins my growing family of awesome vampy lipsticks. It really deserves a post all of its own since it isn't as dark as it appears in the tube (which I know some people will prefer, but I don't really mind - I'll wear any colour. Gimme all of those dark shades) but it's still gorgeous. Look out for this in an upcoming outfit post or something like that. Who knows. I'm feeling a little rusty with this whole blogging business. The majority of the pictures I took for this post were just a blurry mess, it wasn't pretty.

OUTFIT | #97

cardigan: Motel; shorts, top: Topshop; boots: River Island

Sticking to my guns about this crop top thing. I'm not really sure why. I like to finish tasks I start though, so why not? Two days in, it's proving kind of fun. Decided to branch out a tad today and wear these shorts. They're my go-to on a night out but I've never worn them during the day for some reason. I liked them with this Topshop high-neck crop though so I figured I'd give it a go. 

I wore this to start, and finish (because I'm just that efficient), my Christmas shopping. As well as a whole bunch of other errands and stuff. It was one of those rare day where I wake up at 7 am and don't immediately roll over because it's way too early to contemplate getting up. I was out the door just after 9! I don't know what got into me. After a couple of sluggish weeks and a rough bout of cold, I'm feeling surprisingly energetic and motivated this week. Hopefully I don't burn out before the end of semester. It's so close. I can do this!

OUTFIT | #96

cardigan: Motel; crop top: ASOS; skirt: H&M; necklace; boots: River Island

I've been on a weird crop top kick lately. The other week I bought 4. In one week. I don't even know where this sudden love came from. I think it was when I realised that I really like how they look with high-waisted anything and I have a whole bunch of high-waisted stuff. Match made in heaven, clearly. I don't even get cold because the inch or so of skin that's peeking out barely makes a difference and I wear a big ass cardigan over the top of everything anyway. I even branched out and ordered a red one online last night. Colour, guys. This is getting serious.

I'm even thinking about making this 'crop top week'. Since I have so many of these things now, I might as well. Mixing it up with a little bit of theme dressing is always fun. I don't know if I'll have time (or can be bothered to make the effort) to take a picture of my outfit every day this week. Who knows though. Hopefully after this week I'm not all crop-topped out. I doubt it though. Confession: I'm one of those really irritating people who play songs over and over forever when they really like them and never get sick of them, even though everyone else does and keeps yelling at me. Oops.

OUTFIT | #95

sweater: Zara; dress: Topshop; necklace, boots: River Island

It feels good to wear something that isn't my work uniform or my pajamas. This week I've mostly been lying in bed sleeping off this demon cold I somehow contracted. It wasn't even a sniffly nose, sore throat kind of cold. That I can handle. This was a lightheaded, sleepy, can't stop shivering kind of cold. Definitely not fun. I am the grumpiest ill person too. I become incredibly needy and whiney but no one was around to look after me so I just sat in bed for 2 days getting sick of my own complaining. Clearly I need some echinacea and manuka honey and all that jazz, to ward off future illness. 

This outfit is super slouchy and comfy but still 'me' enough that I like it. Sadly I only wore it to stay inside my house and worl on a presentation all by myself. But sometimes it's nice to dress up and resist the temptation to put my jogging bottoms on, even though I'm going to be home alone all day. I'm much less likely to climb into bed and fall asleep if I'm fully dressed too.

DAYS OUT | Dinner at Wahaca

On Tuesday I was in London for the day with a friend. We'd gone to see the Shakespeare: Staging the World exhibition at the British Museum (which was fantastic, and I'd make an effort to recommend it to you all but it's closing on November 25th so that would be a bit pointless) but, of course, when in London you have to eat all the food. Which we did.

The place I was most excited to go to was Wahaca. I'd first heard about it on Tania Tell's blog a while ago and since then it seems to have gained a lot of buzz. I love Mexican food so I was desperate to try it out, despite hearing it was nigh on impossible to get a table without queueing for ages. Apparently half five on a Monday night is the time to go though because we waltzed right in and were seated straight away. Amazing. Now, I'm not claiming to be some kind of food blogger, by any means, but I do really bloody love to eat so I couldn't not share how great this place was with you guys.

We decided to try out the whole 'Mexican tapas' concept and ordered a few dishes, as well as a cheeky drink each. You're allowed to drink tequila after 5pm, right? I got a Hibiscus Margarita (delish, by the by) and my friend ordered a Paloma, which was something with lime juice in. It seemed pretty good. The food came super quick. As in, we ordered and less than 5 minutes later, the first plate was brought out. I can't remember exactly what we ordered and I tucked in too quickly to take pictures of most dishes (see, told you I'm no food blogger) but it was all really, really delicious. I remember that much. It's incredibly messy though, especially the tostadas. I think I got more sour cream on my skirt than anywhere else.. 

We polished off every last bit and I'm already dying to go back. Just looking at these pictures is making me salivate a little bit. It was definitely the best Mexican food I've ever eaten in the UK. Top notch stuff, would eat again, and hopefully 'again' is soon.

WISHLIST | #5

Dorothy Perkins pajama set; Tarte Amazion Clay Blush in 'Exposed'; Penguin Classic mug; Q&A 5-year journal; Wagamama cookbook and DVD; Alphabet Bags washbag

It's that time of year again. The holidays are approaching and everyone's asking you 'For god's sake, what do you want this year?' I'm not one of those people who umms and ahhs and eventually says 'Oh, I don't mind. Get me whatever' because I'm too picky and receiving a terrible gift is never fun, for either party involved. So I've been mulling over what kind of things I'd like and come up with a few options. I might just start referring people to this post whenever they ask me what gift I want off them this year. 

First of all, I'd like to state that no, I don't generally wear really cutesy matching nightwear. I am, admittedly, much more likely to be found in some novelty print pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt. However I'm in my 20s now so maybe that's the time to start thinking about more sophisticated sleeping garments? (Probably not, but these pajamas from Dorothy Perkins are adorable anyway.) 

Speaking more practically, I could do with some new mugs. The hazards of student life and moving about a lot in the past year have left me with a lot of chinaware casualties. Any of the Penguin Classic range would be much appreciated, especially since I'm down to my very last mug. Despite being a student, I am actually a reasonably good cook. Yes, I do resort to microwave meals and takeaways occasionally but, most nights, I manage to whip up something passably edible for myself. Lately I've been on a massive stir fry kick and I've been craving Wagamama like no other, so their cookbook might be handy. Or any cookbook really. It's like real life Tumblr food porn at your fingertips. What could be better?

OUTFIT | #94

cardigan, top, skirt: H&M; boots: Clarks

It's been a long week of very little sleep and, while I had a lot of fun, I'm really glad it's over. Today I stayed in bed and watched about a zillion episodes of Friends and didn't do a whole lot else. It was great. I think I finally got dressed at around 3pm, as you do. I pulled my usual trick of wearing everything from H&M. It's one of my better skills. I don't know that this is my most ~inspiring outfit or anything like that but it's comfy and warm which is what counts. 

These Primark Super Cosy tights are actually the best. I've heard other people sing their praises in past winters but either forgot about them or couldn't find them when I went to look. If you, like me, refuse to ditch the skirt despite it being freezing cold outside then I really recommend them. They're fleece lined and super thick; these babies are going to last me forever.

OUTFIT | #93

cardigan: H&M; t-shirt: Primark; skirt: Topshop; boots: Clarks

Maybe I should rename my blog 'A Million Ways to Wear a Skater Skirt' because I'm never taking this thing off. I'm considering buying another couple so I can wear it every day, cartoon character style. Or maybe I'll buy it in burgundy instead (Are we calling it oxblood now? I don't even know), that sounds more like something a normal person would do. Either way, this skirt and I are in it for the long haul. It's my fave, like ever. 

This is a bit of an out-of-character outfit for me. My Breakfast Club t-shirt is literally the only graphic shirt I own. I'm kind of afraid of t-shirts, they just don't do it for me. I'll make an exception for the Brat Pack though, plus today was laundry day so it's not like I had much choice. The cardigan wouldn't be my first choice but I'm having a love-hate phase with all the cardigans I own. In fact, I'm feeling that way about a lot of my wardrobe. You know when you have those off weeks where you want to throw out everything you own and start fresh? Yeah, I'm having that feeling lately. Luckily I'm too poor to act on those rash thoughts though so there won't be any awful moments of regret in a few weeks time when I realise I gave away perfectly good clothes. 

OUTFIT | #92

blouse, jeans, necklace: Topshop; sweater: H&M; boots: River Island; nails: No7 'Temptress'

I had big plans for my reading week but somehow it's Sunday already and I don't really know what I did? All the days started to run into one and now I'm looking forward to going back to normalcy next week. I need routine, without it I just lose track of time and feel weird and lost. I don't even remember what day I wore this outfit on. It might have been Wednesday? That rings a bell. Don't ask me what I did on Wednesday though. I have no idea. I probably spent too much money. That seemed to be a thing I did a lot of on reading week.

I've been noticing I don't wear jeans a heck of a lot these days. Denim has been overlooked in favour of skirts and tights every day lately. Which is cool, I'm not complaining. It's mostly because I need new jeans, I think. Most of mine are starting to look a little tired and they're doing that awkward sagging-at-the-knee-after-one-wear thing, which sucks. People seem to rave about those Topshop Leigh jeans so maybe, when I've conquered Christmas shopping (help me...), I'll look into those. 

OUTFIT | #91

top: Zara; skirt: Topshop; tights: Primark; shoes: Tory Burch; watch: Swatch; lipstick: Revlon 'Really Red'; nail polish: No7 'Temptress'

I looked a bit miserable/confused in all the pictures I took of this outfit. Sometimes that's just the way it works out. I was actually just really tired and promptly changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed with a book after I took these (I'm reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick currently and I love it). My face is naturally a bit grumpy, or so I've been told. Usually by one of those annoying people who always tell women to 'cheer up, love'. Because being told what to do by a perfect stranger really perks me up...

My face aside, I actually really liked what I'm wearing here. Mostly because of the tights. Are they not amazing? I didn't get a picture but they also have a thick black seam up the back too. Not bad for £2.50 from Primark. I want to buy a few more pairs of them because I know I'll snag them sooner or later. I love dressing for winter because it means I can pull out all my fancy tights (or, if I'm feeling super fancy/pretentious, I might even refer to it as 'hosiery'). I feel like my personal 'style' is mostly defined by bright lipsticks, my glasses, wearing black a lot, and my penchant for short skirts. Cold weather just has the added opportunity to incorporate some fun leg-wear too.

OUTFIT | #90

cardigan: H&M; scarf: Edinburgh Wool Mill; top, skirt: Topshop; boots: Clarks

I've forever despised roll necks, particularly on myself. My neck's too short or something because they look horrendous. Yet somehow I found myself drawn to all the high-neck crop tops that are appearing everywhere. They're not quite a roll neck but they're erring on that side of things. Last week I bought one and I love it. I want another one in black (of course) too. What's happening to me? Who have I become?

Sadly it's too cold to wear this top without a cardigan over it at the moment. I guess I'll just have to wait (a really bloody long time) for it to warm up again so I can wear it by itself. In the mean time I wore this to crack out my final piece of coursework for a while. Hallelujah. Now I can get my life back in order. I've been surviving off toast, satsumas and copious amounts of coffee while I stressed over deadlines. I think I'll be spending my money on finally restocking my cupboards this weekend, not on new clothes alas. 

OUTFIT | #89

blouse: Forever 21; skirt: Topshop; boots: River Island; lipstick: Revlon 'Cherries in the Snow'

Coursework deadlines have arrived and I'm panicking. As usual. So I'm doing my personal variation of 'power dressing'. There's something about wearing all black and a bright lip that makes me feel like I could conquer anything. In this case, 'anything' is Middle English and it's kicking my ass. I'm basically not going leaving the library until these deadlines have passed but I find I'm more motivated if I'm dressed well. I can't work in a hoody, it just makes me sleepy. If I'm going to be pulling my hair out with (totally self-inflicted; I should manage my time better) stress then I may as well look good. 

This is also the first outing for my new skater skirt. I bought the Topshop one I talked about a while ago. It hadn't looked right when I first tried it on but I went back and tried it again with some other tops and it looked much better. Sold! I can already tell I'm going to live in it for the foreseeable future. It's some kind of Lycra material so it's ridiculously comfy.

LIPSTICK | Favourite Winter Lipsticks

I know all that 'seasonally appropriate' colour talk is annoying and boring. If it's snowing outside and I want to wear a coral lip, then I damn well will. However, I have found myself leaning towards certain colours now we're into the colder months. Basically, I'm in love with anything vampy. While I still haven't found my perfect dark red shade, these are a few colours I've been especially enjoying lately (a few may also be in my all-time favourite lipsticks too, but oh well). They're not even all red! The only place I really enjoy colour variety is on my lips, apparently. (Although not brand variety, it would seem, as all but one of these are from Revlon. What can I say? They offer a good colour range.)

REVLON MATTE LIPSTICK IN 'WINE NOT'

I think this colour is discontinued? Or just incredibly hard to find. Either way, I got mine on eBay from a seller overseas and the day it finally arrived was awesome. The wear on this isn't the greatest. I think it was one of the first shades launched in the Matte line so it's a little unforgiving if your lips are really exfoliated and reapplication can be a pain (I guess this is why it was discontinued...). It's a great colour though so I put up with all the palava anyway.

MAC LIPSTICK IN 'TAUPE'

This is my Twin Peaks lipstick. If I'm feeling like channeling a little Sherilyn Fenn, I put this on. It's more brown than it appears in the picture, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. A bit 90s/odd, maybe? That's why I like it though, being a bit drawn to ugly things. It's dark enough that it's not nude but still a bit pink, so I don't feel ridiculous.

REVLON LIPSTICK IN 'CHERRIES IN THE SNOW'

Cool toned raspberry-red that lasts for ages and seems to go with almost anything? That about sums it up. This colour and I go way back; I've loved it for years now. It goes well with any season and looks good whether I'm a bit tanned or my usual ghostly pale self, but I do tend to reach for it more during the winter. 

REVLON LIP BUTTER IN 'RED VELVET'

So good I bought it twice. I'm nearly through two tubes of this lipstick. I keep one at university and one at my mum's house, so wherever I am I'm never without it. I don't particularly care for any other colour in the Lip Butter range and I'm not usually a fan of glossy lips (I have a drawer full of lipgloss that I never even wear. Hate the stuff. I don't even know why I have so much) but this is my love. Deep red that can be sheer or nice and bold, the latter being my personal preference.

OUTFIT | #88

dress (worn as a skirt), sweater: H&M; boots: Clarks; watch: Swatch; necklace: Primark; hair cuff: Topshop

Yes, these are my favourite boots of the season so far. No, I'm not going to stop wearing them any time soon. (Although this love is somewhat necessitated by the fact that I desperately need my beloved River Island chelsea boots reheeled before I ruin them, poor babies. I've worn them to destruction) I did finally get my hands on a pair of Topshop Alexys this weekend, but they're a Christmas present from the mother so I will have to pine over them a while yet. 

Enough melodramatics over boots, let's talk about this dress (though I'm wearing it as a skirt here). I don't wear it nearly enough, despite owning it in black too. It never fails to make me feel pretty fantastic about myself. I know I talk about clothes a lot and tend to be a bit self-depricating but I think (without trying to get too preachy here) it's really important to acknowledge when you think you look good and, for want of a better phrase, own it. If you don't agree with me and you hate what I'm wearing, that's cool too. You can call me arrogant, it's no matter. If I can leave the house in the morning thinking 'Yep, I look great today' then that's enough for me. 

INSTAGRAM | #1

my face, casual; lunch at The Waffle House, Norwich; hazelnut latte perfection

wining and dining for a friend's 21st; even No7 Stay Perfect nail polish chips on my nails; Rocky Road sundae time
mumsy bought me Alexys for Christmas; trademark lipstick marks everywhere; chuffed with my new initial necklace from Primark

I mentioned a few posts back that I'd finally traded in my Blackberry for an iPhone, so of course I've been being an obnoxious asshole and Instagramming everything. I'm not sure if I'll do the whole 'Week in Instagram' thing that a lot of people do, maybe occasionally. My life isn't that exciting guys, soz. 

Plus, if you follow me on Twitter, you'll see all these pictures anyway and that could get repetitive. 

If you do want to follow me on Instagram, my username is @ginenthusiast

OUTFIT | #87

jumper, skirt: H&M; boots: Clarks; lipstick: Revlon 'Really Red'; necklace: River Island

This is the yellow jumper I talked about in a recent post. Isn't she a beaut? It felt kind of good to wear something bright and obnoxious for a change. Plus it stands out nicely against my regular uniform of blacks and greys. I read somewhere once that yellow is a colour that you like less as you get older. I'm picky about what shades of it I like, leaning toward to the mustard over the canary, but I'm still a fan of the odd yellow garment from time to time. 

I had all kinds of potential titles lined up for this post. I know some bloggers like to use song lyrics and calling it 'Black and Yellow' did cross my mind but I figured that would be seriously uncool. My music taste definitely isn't hip enough to go around posting lines from songs I like on here (I'm still loving the Biebs new album, what can I say). There's also the obvious comparison to bumblebees but there are only two things I really hate in this world and that's people who walk too slowly and bumblebees (or wasps, I hate them equally) so that was quickly vetoed. 

OUTFIT | #86

jacket: Forever 21; jumper: Zara; jeans: Topshop; shoes: Converse

It's always a good day when it's cold enough to break out your favourite jumper. I love this Zara knit to death. I'll always regret not buying it in every colour. Boo hoo. If I could wear it every day, I would. It goes with basically everything. I'm not usually a fan of brown but I guess it's autumnal and all of that. Reminds me of falling leaves, who knows. In this instance, I like the brown anyway.

I wore this on Sunday to run some errands. Admittedly, I prefer wearing sweatpants on my weekends, especially when I worked 'til 3am the night before (life of a bartender, eh?) but I had to brave the cold and rain. The number on my new iPhone hadn't been transferred from my old phone properly and drama with useless phone shop staff ensued. I did a bit of retail therapy after that and bought another knitted jumper in H&M, because you can never have too many.

WISHLIST | #4

River Island coat; Out of Print Clothing iPhone 4 case; Topshop skater skirt; Monki Millie shirt; Revlon Matte 'Wine Not' lipstick; Clarks Aintree Ticket shoes; Topshop jacket

There are so many nice jackets in the shops currently and I want them all. I tried on both of the jackets in this wish list recently and they were both lovely. The Topshop one in particular is tugging at my heart (or purse, perhaps?) strings. The River Island jacket was amazing on but the buttons felt a bit cheap despite them asking a (ludicrous, in my humble opinion) £80 for it. Not going to happen. 

I've been looking for the perfect skater skirt for a while now. I keep thinking of outfits I want to wear but they all revolve around a black skater skirt and I haven't found one I love yet. This Topshop one nearly hits the mark, but I found it a bit long for my taste when I tried it on. It's the closest I've found though so I might just buy it and pull that age-old trick of rebellious schoolgirls everywhere and roll up the waist. 

All these things might have to wait for a while though as I bought myself an iPhone 4 this week. Now I'm a bit skint. While I'm waiting for my next paycheque, I'm eyeing up nice cases for my new baby (Ditching the Blackberry and finally getting an iPhone was the world's greatest feeling). This Edgar Allen Poe pop-art case from Out of Print Clothing has been saved in my bookmarks for ages. One day it will be mine.

OUTFIT | #85

jumper, skirt: H&M; tights, necklace: Topshop; scarf: Edinburgh Wool Mill; boots: Clarks

Today was the first day off I've had in what feels like forever. I'm so busy at the moment and I absolutely love it. Waking up every day knowing I have places to go and people to see has been really motivating. Especially after working 9-5 during August and September left me feeling like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Same shit, different day, rinse repeat, etcetera. It was pretty nice to have the time to properly think about what I was going to wear though, instead of throwing on something clean and running out the door. Maybe I should start waking up earlier so my mornings aren't as panicked. Who knows.

Still loving the cropped jumpers. I saw this H&M jumper in a yellow shade and I think I might get it. They're only £7.99 which leaves me doing that whole convincing myself thing where I keep thinking 'but it's so cheap!' I've had this one about two years now and I wear it to death. Plus I love mustard-y yellows, especially in the winter. (I'll stop justifying this potential purchase to myself now, I swear.)

Speaking of things I've owned a while, these tights are donkeys years old. I bought them when I was just 17 with money from my first Saturday job. I remember really vividly going out on my lunch break and buying them, even though they were quite expensive for a pair of tights. They've lasted so well though, so I guess I got my money's worth!

OUTFIT | #84

jumper, blouse: Forever 21; skirt: H&M; boots: Clarks; necklace: Topshop

Apparently I'm really into this whole 'letting my shirt tails hang out' thing lately. I've got all these cropped jumpers lying around so it just seems like the best way to use them. There's no way I'm letting any flesh peep out around the midriff at winter time. I'm no prude, just too bloody cold. The winter's all about wrapping myself in as many layers at possible since I'm constantly shivering, no matter what I wear.

This blouse is one I showed you in white a few weeks ago. It's still going strong as one of my favourites. I may prefer the black just a touch more, but that's no surprise, I'm sure. The burnt orange of this jumper is lovely though. As a general rule I hate orange (unless it's on my lips, then anything goes) but I'm hoping I spot more things in this shade over the winter. It seems to go well with all the black I wear.

NAILS | Fireworks

Rimmel Lasting Finish polish in 'Black Cab' & Zoya polish in 'Maisie'

Pretend I have really nice nails and don't immediately chip them as soon they're polished, can we? Because I've been waiting for the weather to get colder so I could wear this nail polish combination constantly. Like many of us, I was a fan of black nails when I was younger. I still am. There's something comforting about them. I especially like black nail polish with some kind of glitter over the top. This is something a bit different though.

Zoya 'Maisie' is one of those 'flaky' (if I'm using the nail polish blogger lingo correctly, who knows?) polishes. It's not quite glitter, more big sparkly chunks of... stuff that you layer over other colours. That sounds unappealing, I know. It looks a treat though. Like fireworks or something. All I want to do when I'm wearing it is look at my hands. It's a bit special.