The Sequin Sleeve Jacket

As soon as I landed in Glasgow I saw this jacket on someone. She had blonde hair and with the jacket, literally sparkled in the grey light.

Then, whilst waiting for a train at Clapham Junction a few days later I saw another girl in the same item, glimmering on the opposite platform.

It was a sign I thought. I need a sequin sleeve jacket. So I tweeted and many of you came to my rescue with links to retailers. I then found out that basically any online store you can think of sells this jacket. Prices vary slightly by the odd pound but it has definitely been doing the rounds.

I ordered from missguided in the end because they had it in my size. I haven't ordered from them before and have heard some mixed feedback so I was a bit tentative. It arrived on time and was just as I expected/hoped it would be.

Bling it on!

I love the mix of murky khaki with gold and it does definitely sparkle. I think for that reason it's best to tone down with simple basics. So that's what I did.

I wore this to work and then travelled back to Dubai in it. If there is one place in the world that can handle sequins, it's Dubai :)

 

 

 

Jacket: Missguided - Link!
Silk shirt: Zara
Jeans: Topshop - Link! (and now half price in the sale...of course they are!!!)
Boots: Isabel Marant
Bag: Alexander Wang

Photos by the lovely Susan who has since christened me Twinkle T*ts.

I think the name fits - especially judging by my early Xmas present below... :)



See them featured in an OOTD very soon! :)

Best of luck with any last minute Christmas shopping by the way. I got all mine done today but there was some stress involved. Thank goodness for the Internet. Now I just hope that it all arrives in time. Come on you Next Day Delivery - don't let me down!

A day in London with Farfetch

Well, I am now back in Dubai and just reminiscing about my day in London on Monday. It was my day off before I had to fly back to Edinburgh for work and I had a few hours to pack in a visit to my favourite places. Luckily Farfetch basically lent me a black cab for the day. Result!

I love black cabs and even better when they are a) free and b) decked out in a pretty Meadham Kirchhoff print like the one below.















This was all part of their Christmas promotion and designer collaboration with four creatives - illustrator Gary Card, photographer Melinda Gibson, artist Margot Bowman and of course Meadham Kirchhoff - to create limited edition gift wrap in an "Unwrap Christmas" concept. A nice marketing idea I think - particularly when I heard they were also giving out free cakes from blogger RhubarbandRose :)

I took the taxi to the Charlotte Street Hotel (one of my all time favourite places in London) and then, after lunch, headed over to the King's Road and specifically to the Brandy Melville store that I had heard about via Rose/AKA The Londoner. It didn't disappoint and I stocked up on skirts, dresses and tops - and all for a good price. Definitely recommend you have a look if you haven't already.

For the occasion I dressed in my "urban" gear. That means oversized jackets, murky coloured jeans and flat boots. This is my cold weather comfort zone and I love it.

I did try and spruce it up a bit with my fur collar from Topshop (which by the way I didn't realise would be green when I ordered online but I really like in real life)  and by borrowing a handbag from mother dearest. Come on....how gorgeous is this Resort 2012 Balenciaga Velo? Very jealous!

Jacket: Topshop - Link!
T-shirt - Zoe Karssen - majorly discounted on The Outnet. Thank you very much! Link!
Fur collar: Topshop - Link!
Jeans: Topshop - Link!
Boots: Office - Link!
Bag: Balenciaga - link provided in case you really want to treat yourself :) Link!
Sunglasses: House of Harlow - Link!

Nice Sulky Susan face at the end for you there :)

I have one more cold weather outfit of the day to post and then it's back to normal. I do miss the UK but I have to admit that arriving back in Dubai was a lovely feeling. It's a bit of a cocooned reality - life is much safer here - but with Roger eagerly wagging his tail at my arrival, I can't say I am sad to call it "home" :)

Good luck with last minute Christmas shopping everyone!

The Office Nighthawk Boots

Welcome to the gloomy, cobbled streets of Edinburgh!

The best part of coming back to the UK - other than the family reunion of course - is the prospect/reality of dressing cosy. Out come jeans, thick tights, jumpers and scarves. I am definitely a Winter wardrobe kind of person - I just look better with lots of clothes on :)

A highlight on Thursday was finally wearing my Office Nighthawk boots. You might remember me talking about them as I stalked the Office website for the re-release version of these Chloe knock-offs and was so excited to get them. For whatever reason I have been saving them for the right occasion - namely cold weather - so here they are. I know they are not everyone's cup of tea but I love the detail, the clump factor and the fact that I feel like a Bros-ette wearing them :)

They are now in the Office sale and £55 rather than the £80 I paid....of course they are....how annoying!

 

 

Leather jacket: Whistles (old)
Jumper: Brandy Melville
Jeans: Topshop - Link!
Boots: Office - Link!
Bag: Alexander Wang
Faux Fur collar: Topshop - Link!

PS. My face has been deliberately cropped out of the pictures. It was the day after an overnight flight and an office Christmas party...'nuff said.

Stud overload

There is no doubt that I went overboard with the stud and spike detailing in this one. It started with the jeans and spread from there to all accessories. My only saving grace is that, if I am completely honest, the shoes were not worn all day and were replaced with simple satin flats from Primark, a look I actually sort of preferred.

So anyway, as you may know, I have a big thing for dark grey/soft black denim. I just think they work so well and are easy to smarten up - all jeans are I suppose but soft black works particularly fantastically. I am always on the hunt for this perfect charcoal shade and came across these in Topshop at Dubai Mall. The colour alone would have sent me to the checkout but the stud detail on the pockets sealed the deal.

They are the high waisted Jamie style. They feel like they are made of "proper" tough denim but still feel comfortable and give good stretch.

Here they are in action...

Jeans: Topshop - Link!

Shirt: Zara
Blazer: Topshop - Link!
Bag: Alexander Wang - Link!
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Sunglasses: House of Harlow

Other than these jeans some other bits of news to share include:

* I found the PERFECT Christmas day dress. Well I say perfect but I ordered it on Topshop online and when I go back to the UK I will get to try it on. It's a gorgeous satin maxi and looks simple and chic in a bright cobalt blue - Link! And yes, I am one of those people that thinks about what she is going to wear on Christmas Day.

* My latest read has been Boo Hoo: A Dot Com Story - Link! I have wanted to read this for a long time because everyone in my industry either knows of/remembers/knew people who were part of boo.com. I finished it in 2 days because it was so fast-paced. You know what happens - boo.com crashes spectacularly due to foolish dot com spending - but it's fascinating to see how the disaster unfolds. If you are at all interested in digital marketing then it's a must....I realise that makes it sound really boring but honestly, it's a good read.

* My mind is blown by the Selfridges advent calendar. I really enjoy opening this every day and have discovered some nice little products as a result. Currently experiencing a love affair with Lancome Hypnose Star mascara. Lancome is a brand that never really excites me but with this product sample the opposite is true.

* Back to the UK tomorrow for a few days. I have ordered a fur collar in anticipation of the cold weather. I realise I will need more than that to keep me warm but I am so excited about being cold! :) The way I look at it, the colder it is the more mulled wine you can drink! :)

See you soon!

Hair/brows

Maybe it was because I had booked the 9am appointment and therefore arrived under-caffeinated and bleary eyed, but the trip to the hairdressers resulted in a "play safe".

All I could think was "chop the ends" and add "ombre". And that's what happened. In the process I read 5 trashy magazines, drank 2 cappuccinos, bought a Kerastase deep treatment and enjoyed an amazing head massage. All in all a good time and I am happy with the result.

The only tricky thing is that I find it impossible to take an accurate photo of the colour. When taking a pic in natural light it comes off all red toned and when sitting in front of my dresser, it comes out a little too light.

So here's a "not quite true" reflection. Nothing like a mirror self-portrait is there :)

With that exciting news delivered, it's time to share a recommendation.

The Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow is PHENOMENAL.



Now before I get going raving about it I know that my brows are....mmm....far from perfect? That's the nice way of saying it.

For years eyebrow experts have told me to grow them in and so I really, really try to make that happen. I can happily put the tweezers down and leave them for a few months whilst religiously applying some over-priced sucker serum. But all that happens is the hairs that are there get longer and the lone hair that acts as my "unibrow" marker appears and begs to be plucked.

It's just not going to happen.

So the squared off edge, thicker base and longer tail that I would like to have naturally has to be drawn in.

On the whole I have preferred powder to create this. My cheap KATE palette, purchased in Japan, has a holy grail brown shade that is the perfect match...but it doesn't seem to last all day. Enter the Aqua Brow.

This is a cream/gel consistency and completely waterproof. Once this dries its not going to fade or come off - you will need to throw an oil cleanser in your face to even tempt it to budge. This is a major plus and one less thing to worry about during the day - because obviously eyebrows are a major priority when at work.

Application is easy - use a tiny dot of product and an angled brush and let it set for 2-3 minutes. That is it. It's then stuck on your face until you opt to remove.

I love this so much that several real life friends have also gone out and purchased - and then loved it as much as I do. It's about £16 for the tube - which seems expensive for the size - but as I said, a dot is required for one application and I honestly think the tube would last for at least one year.

But despite the raves, here's what you need to know:

1) They sell this in a kit and as an individual product - the kit consists of a little teeny mesh material zipped bag containing a couple of naff, ickle brushes and one full-size Aqua Brow. If you have an angled brush (think a MAC 266) you shouldn't even look at this. It's double the price of the actual product - all for some mesh and el cheapo brushes.

Obviously I bought the kit. *Fool*.

2) Think a shade or two lighter - eyebrow colour is CRUCIAL to get right (and according to your tastes). This is very tricky if buying online. I initially got a dark brown colour but it was total Scouse brow and looked too harsh. Pictured both on me in the photos and in the product shot is number 15. This is supposed to be blonde - it comes out as medium brown. If in doubt, go for the lighter shade.

3) This is creamy - don't apply too much at once because you won't be able to work fast enough to remove it and it will dry leaving you with Sharpie brows. Start with a dot and work up from that if you need to

4) You can use a shadow afterwards - sometimes I still put a little KATE powder on top, just to soften the off edge and the plus point of using the Aqua Brow as a base is that is lasts longer and doesn't fade as quickly.

So yes, this is absolutely something I would recommend if you want to define your eyebrows with a product that really lasts.

Those lucky enough to live near a Sephora can pick it up there - Link!

UK peeps can get it from PAM in London - Link!

Over and out for today :)

As cold as it gets

Happy 1st December all!

I marked the date by opening the first window on my Selfridges advent calendar. This was an early Xmas gift from my parents and I literally leapt out of bed early and prised open door number 1. Behind it was a mini Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb, a late friends very favourite perfume on me so it holds a special place in my heart and was a comforting start to the day.

Dubai is currently experiencing its Winter. This means thunderstorms, torrential rain and grey gloom. You know you have lived here too long when this absolutely fills you with joy. I really went overboard with the wrapping up but I could not help myself. Plus I can never say no to a collared shirt/chunky knit combo.

The Wang bag was worn cross-body and further cemented itself as a favourite in my mind. It's so, so handy. It fits a lot, can be worn multiple ways and still remains fairly light. <3

 

Jeans: Topshop - Link!
Jumper: Brandy Melville (bought in West LA in Dubai but I think it could be this one - Link!)
Shirt: Zara (old)
Boots: Isabel Marant Dickers
Bag: Alexander Wang - Link!
Sunglasses: House of Harlow Chelsea (LOVE these....I paid a fortune for my Celine cat eye shades but these babies are the ones I would recommend to friends, at under £90. They have an extreme curve but despite the drama they are still wearable) - Link!

I am off to the hairdressers tomorrow - no work because it is National Day in the UAE (yay!)

I am not prepared mentally - as usual. All I know is that I need to cover some greys (sadly, yes this is my reality particularly on one side of my head) and chop some dead ends off but whether I go chocolate all over again or ombre it up is currently undecided. Right this very moment I am thinking dark brown and glossy. Then again a big part of me is itching for a dramatic change so I could just as easily return with some Olivia Palermo-esque mid length wavy action! :)

Let's see what happens.