OOTD: spot of leopard

 It isn't very often that I truly want to write an outfit post. Why? Well, I don't think any blogger will be ashamed to say how much bloody effort goes into one. Firstly, you have to reaaalllllyyy plan what you're going to wear because, I don't know about you, but I love nothing better than to just shove on my comfies and be done with it.

Secondly, once you've selected your outfit you then have to find a place to shoot it. There is literally no blank walls in my house to photograph against so I have to improvise by taking off all of my coats and scarfs off the back of my door (I have tons, it takes forever) and then balance my camera on makeshift podiums to get the right height. There is also no good source of natural light, it's like living in a cave.

Thirdly, my face always looks a mess, which is why I'm always cutting it out. It is the outfit that counts though, right? 

However, it's sunny and quite warm out and i'm in a good mood so I don't mind going through all of the above to show off my outfit for today/ this evening where i'll be going out for a bite to eat with my parents. 

(But, i'm not taking the rubbish off my door. Sorry!)

What I love most about this outfit is that it all cost under £30, yay!

Cream collar blouse- Primark 

Black peplum sweater- Primark 

Light wash skinny jeggings- Urban Outfitters

Leopard print shoes- Primark 

Leather bag- Charity 

Green leopard earrings & ring- Unknown, gift

I love my knitted peplum so much because it's so easy and versatile to wear and I really think it's an item of clothing that everyone should have in their wardrobe as it gives curves whilst at the same time hiding anything you don't want the world to see. It's also a bonus that I only paid £3 for it in the Primark sale but I know that they also do cotton/ t shirt versions and also a more fancy formal version in lace cream and black. 

So, I am hoping you all have a lovely day and rest of the week :) 

Enjoy the sun whilst it lasts!

XXX

Something for the weekend

Hey guys, here’s a look I put together to meet some friends I hadn’t seen in far too long for Bella Italia and drinks.

Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV

I did a goldy browny smokey eye using my Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV, this was originally around £40 from Urban Decay at Debenhams - as far as I know they don’t carry it anymore but you might be able to find one knocking around Ebay or somewhere! 

I used Baked, Bust, Sin and Midnight rodeo:

Swatches of Urban Decay eyeshadows in Baked, Bust, Sin and Midnight Rodeo (Left to right)

Baked is a gorgeous shimmery, brassy gold with orangey undertones, ‘Bust’ is a really soft, satin medium brown with pinky-purpley undertones, ‘Sin’ is a beautiful soft shimmery rose pink, and ‘Midnight rodeo’ is a shimmery medium brown with glitter particles.

Here’s what I did:

• Smoothed some Urban Decay Primer Potion (in Original - £14.50) over my eyelid with my finger, as I find that UD shadows work best and last longer with their primer underneath.
• Packed Baked onto my lid with a packing brush, and really layered it up to get a strong colour, all the way from my lash line to my socket line.

• Blended Bust into the outer corners and about half way across my socket line with my trusty Mac 239, winging it out slightly.
•  Took some Bust underneath the eye to add some definition.
• Tight-lined my upper waterline in a black eyeliner (Smolder by Mac - £14.00) and a really thin line of a dark brown kohl (Black Brown by Elizabeth Arden) on the top lash line, which I really smudged out and blended up into the shadow.
• If I could find my nude kohl pencil I would have used this on my lower waterline!
• Finished off with plenty of black mascara (Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama - £7.99)
• and just a touch of Urban Decay Sin as a highlight on my brow bone, blended down into the shadow underneath with a clean 239.

And here’s my face!

I went for my current favourite pinky nude lipstick – Hue by Mac (£14.00) and topped off with a super thick, light-reflecting gloss:  Angel Food Cake by Bare Minerals, as it’s so wet looking and glossy (if a little sticky!).

I wore one of my new black shift dresses (as discussed here) with lacy shoulder panels and ¾ sleeves.

I let my hair fall loose in my usual messy natural curls and finished off the look with my trusty black heeled shoe boots (New Look).

Thanks for reading guys I hope you liked the look! What are your plans for the weekend??

Sophie xxx

slept-on hair, sepia shadow & oversized everything

Hey guys! It's Sophie.

Here I am.

I think one of my favourite types of days is when it's really bright and sunny, but still all crisp and Wintery. Today was one of those days, so I thought I'd share my outfit with you! It's not quite as cold in Plymouth as it is in the West Midlands where I think they've had snow, I love snow but we've stayed around 6 - 8 degress down here. My outfit today kept me warm, but was a bit lighter than the massive parka and ugg boots uniform I've been in for the past few days due to the constant rain!

My trusty black leggings were around £8 from Matalan a while ago, they are stirrup leggings and this is why I love them, nothing is worse than leggings riding up my leg! My plain black suede boots are from Primark and I'm pretty sure they were £8 too, they go with everything and are really easy to throw on, except when it's been raining because they literally absorb all moisture within a ten mile radius and I end up with soaking feet :( 

I liberated this jumper from my mom's wardrobe a while ago, she's had it for a long time and doesn't remember where from. I love nothing more than being swallowed by huge chunky knit jumpers in the colder months so this oversized fit is perfect. 

 I usually wear my hair up during the day, and I don't think you can ever go wrong with a messy bun. I washed my hair last night and put it straight into a bun, slept on it, and this is pretty much how I woke up, I just bobby pinned a few stray bits into place. I find the best way to achieve the effortless look is to not make any effort :p

I recently watched a brilliant video by Pixiwoo on YouTube, talking about how the makeup trends forecast for Spring and Summer features a lot of sepia. It may be a tad optimistic to think that there's the faintest hint of Spring in the air just yet, but I love sepia and it was sunny so I gave it a try. I don't have a true sepia eyeshadow, but really liked the effect I got from an orangey, yellowey, goldy, slightly shimmery shadow in my MUA Heaven & Earth palette. Remember camel? I think I'd describe it as camel. 

Heres my face:

 I also wore a really thin line of dark brown eyeliner on the top, just to define my lash line (Black Brown by Elizabeth Arden) and a dark brown, almost black but not quite mascara (Astonishing Long & Rich Mascara from Avon, in Brown Black). My lipstick is Hue by Mac - the perfect light, pinky, nudey shade that's not too light, too pink or too nude, if you know what I mean!

 

 I wore my beloved £10 New Look boyfriend coat, as discussed here.

 

 And a thick woolly loop scarf to snug it up a bit! My bag was £16 from Peacock's and my mansized rose gold watch is Michael Kors. 

Thank you for reading! Love love loves xxx

Outfit of the night - little black dress x

Happy New Year everyone!!

I'm back at my home in Plymouth now after one of the best Christmases ever in the West Midlands with my friends and family! I spent far too much time and money in Costa, at the pub, shopping, eating and drinking but I'm certainly not complaining - hope you all loved it as much as I did. 

 

 

 I'm also back at uni as of today, although I'm yet to get back into the swing of things as I think I spent more time asleep during my lectures than I did awake. Never a good start when you're sat directly infront of the lecturer and keep snorting yourself awake as your elbow slips off the desk... I also have deadlines this week and next (boo) but I thought I'd slip a cheeky outfit post in for you x

The flash caught my eyes in a really interesting way here(!) and no amount of editing will get rid of it, sorry! I also had my eyes closed in pretty much every single other picture I had taken, if you can ignore my face I think this one shows the shape of the dress quite well. I wore this outfit on New Year's Eve, not too in your face but you can't go wrong with a little black dress. Mine was £15 from Topshop a while ago, it has a vest style top, really tight on the waist and then flares out skater-style at the bottom, loved it so much I also have it in red.  I found this  one from Boohoo, pretty much exactly the same (although mine doesn't have a belt), even cheaper (£12!), and available in way too many colours to choose from. 

Maya Scoop Neck Skater Dress, £12, Boohoo.com

My shoes were a recent investment from New Look (£49.99), as discussed here. 

 These ones on the website are almost identical, though the heel is a bit different to mine and they've crept up to £64.99 :(

Blink Black Platform Lace Up Shoeboots, £64.99, New Look.

I was only off to my local pub so I didn't want to be over-dressed, I threw on a leather jacket similar to this one to relax it all a bit:

Kept my accessories simple with a rose gold watch from Michael Kors (21st birthday gift) and my lacy black clutch was also a gift.

Welllll thank you for reading, back to essay writing for me! Or maybe I should bake some cupcakes first, priorities.

 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

outfit of the night (casual)

I've been going out quite a bit recently, making the most of my time at home in Sedgley before heading back to Plymouth for the next term of uni! Me and Jenn have been shopping like lunatics this week, so check back for reviews on what we got! Here I am last night ready to go for a few casual drinks at my local pub:

Coat: £10, New Look sale, shoes: £49.99, New Look, Jeans: £20, Miss Selfridge sale

I am in love with this beautiful boyfriend style coat that I spotted (okay Jenn spotted) in the New Look sale! It's a size 12 but I think the fit on me is just right as I like things like coats to be a little baggy. 

It was originally £49.99 but on sale for £10! Runnnn to your nearest New Look because this was the last one left in the store I was in, but look at these beautiful alternatives I have found you... Click the pictures!

Burgundy Melton coat, £20, down from £49.99, New Look website.

Black notch collar Melton coat, £22 down from £49.99, New Look website.

Because the coat has such a masculine fit, I put it with the skinniest high waist jeans from Miss Selfridge, £20 in their sale a while ago but there are some similar ones in darker colours on sale here.

 My shoes are also new, from New Look again but sadly not on sale. They were £49.99 which is more than I would usually spend on shoes, but they are real suede and so gorgeous. They remind me a lot of Jeffery Campbell Litas, they have a similar shape and style but without the huge platform (or price tag!!). 

Jeffrey Campbell Lita black platform ankle boot in suede, £120 from Office.

My New Look alternatives, £49.99

I wore a sheer chiffon top with cutout back for a bit of a feminine touch, with a black New Look bralet underneath. 

And my lacy black clutch bag was a gift :)

Happy shopping!

Sophie x    

Just a Quickie x

Hello sweethearts, just a real quick one.

I didn't like this photo at first but I got such a positive response on Instagram (@homezx) that I thought I'd share it with you guys too, here I am about to go out for Christmas Eve drinks! I think the red gives this look a nice festive feel for the holiday period, and I stick to black so often that seeing me in a bright colour is a rarity! 

My red skater dress has a vest top and was £15 from Topshop a while ago. I'm afraid it's no longer available :( BUT I have found you this incredible bargain to make up for it. This is the Asos skater dress in 'Bengaline', this one's less muted and a bit brighter than mine but it's such a pretty shade, I love the sweetheart neckline and the detail on the back gives it an extra something special! An absolute steal at just £10, and also available in black or light blue - go go go!

My faux leather jacket was £15 from a New Look sale a while ago, however it's very similar to this one here for £21:

 

And my shoe boots were also from New Look a while ago, I think between £20 and £30. They're suede effect and this picture doesn't show too well but they have gunmetal studs around the top, they're really similar to these for £19.99!

 

My lipstick is Russian Red by Mac (£14 from most department stores) used over Brick lip pencil, also from Mac (£11.50 from most department stores).

  

My tights are 80 denier black ones, cheap as chips from Primark or try a quick Ebay search for something like these.

I part blow-dried my hair so it was still a little damp, and pinned it up in a twisted bun for a few hours to dry. Before going out I took it down and sprayed with plenty of Elnett Flexible Hold Hairpray ( the white one). Letting my hair dry like this always gives me quite a natural looking curl and plenty of volume without using too many products! The curl usually lasts for a good few days as well, let me know if you'd like to see a step by step post?

Hope you liked the outfit! Thanks a bunch for reading.

Loves xxx

Sophie x