Bargain Blues

Yes, Yes, I haven't blogged for aaaaages. But as we all know life can catch up with us and it gets real busy and you haven't really got time for the Internet malarkey. All I seem to have been focusing on recently is work and the gym. And there are a few exciting things happening relating to both of those things  but lets just say I've learnt a few good lessons from the past few months too, chiefly that people can be fickle and can drop you like a hot potato as soon as something (one) new comes along. But like I say, lesson learnt.

I've been loving my gym routine lately, especially the PT sessions with Sarah at The Peak. She gives me a different and very tough session each time I see her. The last one with a 1000m row finisher. Ouch, but 4m33s beat my last attempt so that was fantastic!

With the gym in mind it was with great delight that I managed to find a bargain pair of Nike Free trainers at the local Nike Outlet. And because I can buy kids sizes, these really were a bargain. I know they're supposed to be for running but I like them for my training. I love the dark electric blue colour contrasting with the bright pink and since I've been (strangely) buying lots of blue gym gear then these will co-ordinate nicely. Because we all know you gotta have matching gym gear, right?! (You don't really, in fact there's nothing I like more than clashing colours).

Anyhow, I browsed the shop for ages and put back the pair of Nike Legend capri pants i had in my grasp. I just don't need another pair at the moment and at £45 they still weren't enough of a bargain. But ladies, I've tried a few pairs of the Nike training trousers and the Legend ones are a great fit and the material is quite thick so hugs you in all the right places. Having put those trousers back I did pick up another Dri-Fit top and you can't grumble at £14. Luckily it's almost a direct match for the trainers so I will be all matchy matchy, haha.

I tell you what I need ideas about though... Sports bras. I've got a few of the Nike ones in my collection but being small chested I don't really need anything with all sorts of support but I do need something to combat the 'see-through' nature of a wet sports top - if you know what I mean! I hadn't noticed it until I was in a body pump class with a light t-shirt on and there it was... so embarrassing! So I suppose what i need is something with support but also something that has enough padding to hide your assets. Thoughts?

Backpacking with Whistles

Behold my new backpack! Isn't it a monochrome beauty.

This is the Whistles Verity leather backpack and it's the newest addition to my ever growing grown up handbag collection.

I say grown up because until about 3 years ago you would most likely have seen me with a proper sports backpack thrown over my shoulder carry my worldly possessions. Well, not quite all of my possessions but most daily things would've been carried in a backpack (or a rucksack as I called it).

But now, since i'm a grown up(!), I've taken a liking to designer handbags and when this one came up I knew I had to have it. I'd been eyeing it from afar for months. Secretly hoping for a discount code or to buy it with my discount on ASOS. But I couldn't quite stretch to the cost. Then it went on sale, for HALF PRICE, and I added it to my little internet basket and it was here within a few days.

It's big but not so big that's it unmanageable. It has the obligatory backpack carrying straps as well as a loop handle on the top large enough so that you can carry it on one arm. The colour is great and will go along with most outfits. There's a large zipped flap at the top (main) compartment and a large pocket on the front which not only had a flap but a zip too for added security. The leather is soft and good quality but i fear getting that crisp white section dirty! My beloved Alexander Wang Rocco bag in grey leather is all jean stained and I don't know how to get it clean. Do you have any tips? I've tried leather sofa wipes - didn't work.

Anyway, back to this lush backpack. I'm so pleased with it and will certainly get it out when the spring has properly sprung.

Angela x

New Year, New Hair

Happy New Year!

With a new year comes many different things, one of them being new hair! Or rather, a new hairdo. I gone done it. I had my hair chopped. It's so bouncy and really curl now and although it's quite a bit shorter than i had originally thought, I actually quite like it now. It's taken no time to get used to although i really should try to style it better, perhaps with the tongs to get more beachy waves. That's if I can be bothered.

the self: glasses by Celine

I'd been wanting to have my hair cut for ages and with each passing day Pinterest and Instagram were throwing at me so much fodder in the 'hair' sections I just had to book the appointment and go for it. I really wish I could get the hairdresser to cut my hair when it's dry though. Can anyone tell me why they won't cut curly hair dry? It's so much better to see the way it sits naturally than when wet. Hence the reason i now have corkscrew curls at the nape of my neck! Also, why do they suggest that curly haired girls style their hair by applying a cream then twisting sections and either blow drying or leaving to dry naturally. When I've had that done (twice) it looked a mess and left me feeling like I'd just walked out of a bush. It isn't nice at all. No, I just apply product and leave to dry naturally.

I finally got the last few bits of that out of date ombre colour cut off the back but it's left me my colour a bit flat so I'll be looking to get a few bits added back in in the near future.

side view: curls my own, glasses by Ray-Ban and yes I was deciding between two pairs

Now, if any fellow curly girls know of good styling products that don't give you that crunchy wet look do let me know. I'm using a curl cream and some Oribe Surfcomber mousse at the moment which is good but really expensive.

Angela

Rag and Bone Fedora

I do love a good hat and had been after one of these babies for a long time. Then, when I went to New York I decided to take the plunge and buy one as the exchange rate was so good. So I popped into Rag and Bone on East Houston Street and after trying several styles and various sizes I opted for the safe black version. I figured it would go with anything.

Here we have my accessory of the year. The Rag and Bone floppy brimmed fedora hat. It's the perfect hat as far as I'm concerned. Excellent quality, 100% wool. Just the right hat height. Nice leather trim, and whenever I wear it I never feel like it's going to blow off my head. I haven't been out in gale-force winds wearing it though!

I even managed to successfully get it all the way home from New York in it's bag without it being squashed and misshaped. Result! There was one scary moment on the LHR - EDI flight when a late comer to the plane almost flung their rucksack on top of it in the overhead baggage but i managed to intervene, haha.

Angela x

Alexander Wang for H&M - my wishlist

I quite like this look, minus that beanie hat!

Tonight sees the launch of the much anticipated Alexander Wang for H&M collection in New York City. If there's one thing I love more than NYC, it's Alexander Wang clothes. It's a pity they're so expensive and I'm probably on the wrong side of height to weight ratio to be able to carry them off stylishly.

What I love about AW clothes are that they are sporty as well as being smart, and that's just my kind of style. Not to mention the bags. I love my dreamy grey leather Rocco bag.

When the newest H&M collaboration was announced back in April I marked the sate in my diary and booked a day off work so that I could 1) stake out the H&M store in Glasgow in the hope that i'm first in the queue and 2) so that whilst standing in that queue I can be on the world wide web ordering items that may not be in store. That is all assuming that the Glasgow store will be carrying the collection since my tiny local H&M in Stirling most likely won't be! (Boo).

The look book has been released this morning and I've already made my draft shopping list. It seems like women could make the crossover into the men's collection (if you like baggy clothes). I only hope H&M's website can cope better than it did last year when the Isabel Marant collection launched.

Here are my picks!

mesh jumper - £79.99

mesh top - (could be worn as dress) - £79.99

cropped sweatshirt - £34.99

crop top - £27.99

vest - £24.99

Images above courtesy of Vogue.co.uk, full gallery here

The accessories look great - those little keyrings, the duffel bag, a sports towel, and a backpack! I predict the backpacks will be the first to go. Image below courtesy of HM.com.

New gym bag?! Love this jumper too. I cannot get on board with that beanie hat though.

And... how good does Andy Carroll look in this picture!

What are your picks?

Angela x

Balenciaga Ceinture Boots

When your favourite perfume* matches your favourite new boots, you know that you're onto a winner.

I did it. I finally bought these Balenciaga Ceinture cut out boots. I'd saved for a few months for some other stuff but when I saw these were in stock on the Balenciaga website, they were added to my basket in a few short clicks. One thing I don't scrimp on is shoes. I've always preferred to buy quality shoes over some that will wear out within a few short months, or worse, fall apart. I figured these would be a huge investment piece, in my increasingly grown up wardrobe, that I'll most likely wear over and over, season upon season.

I've longed to have these boots upon my feet since seeing them all over some fashion blogs I read. I guess you could call me a sheep, but I like these boots so why not. At least they aren't those red Valentino Rockstud sandals or a Triangl bikini that everyone blogger and their granny seem to have...

These days my wardrobe has become much more refined. Refined in such a way that I'm buying pieces that aren't fast fashion (and jeezo, I'm calling them pieces!). I'm buying much less but what I am buying are items that I think are timeless therefore can be worn over and over. Gone are the days of the same Topshop chino trouser in an array of colours. Nowadays it's the Topshop black cigarette pant that can be worn with my Adidas shell toes or a pair of neon yellow Saint Laurent pumps (I blame Harvey Nichols summer sale for that cheeky purchase).

Back to the boots. These gorgeous heavy black cut out boots. I love them. From the shiny black leather and study soles to the heavy gold buckles and hardware. What I don't love is that my heels/ankles were full of Compeed and plasters because when I wore them for the first time a few weekends ago, I ended up with lots of blisters. I knew there would be a breaking in period though so once that's past I can't way to clip clop my way down the street again in my new black boots.

*that's Balenciaga Rosabotanica perfume, in case you're wondering.

Angela x

The Good Stuff of... July

Backstory.

I read a lot of blogs, a fair few of them are fashion or beauty blogs, and each month some of them post their monthly beauty favourites. I tried that a few times. I sucked at it. Well I didn't but I found that some of those products that came with good recommendations just didn't do anything for me. Maybe because I actually paid for those products and I expected more. So I haven't really done much more monthly favourites that i use in my beauty routine. Rest assured, If I find a product that I love you will hear about it.

Then I did a few Friday Favourite posts. Posts that were made up of good things I found, used, watched or read during a week. Phew, that was a lot of pressure to come up with five things regularly. So I stopped that too. But now I feel like I want to share good stuff I find, use, watch, listen to, read, see. And so here is the first The Good Stuff post. Most likely a monthly event, on the last day of the month, or the first few days of the next month depending upon my posting schedule. Okay, okay, I realise we're over a week into the new month!

Let's kick it off.

The Good Stuff of July.

The Balenciaga AW14 campaign 

Yes, that campaign with a short haired Gisele. The first since one of my favourite designers, Alexander Wang, took over the reigns.

Images from Balenciaga.com

As soon as I saw these adverts I thought WOW, Gisele has cut her famous locks. But on further reading I realised this was some sort of computer and photographic wizardry. Now, I'm not a fan of photo shopping and the like but let's face it, her body is probably just as amazing in real life and seeing her with short hair is something else. I once had short hair. However, I don't have her bone structure! Good photos in a great campaign.


Jim Lambie Exhibition at the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh

Oh my god, I love colourful things. I especially love when those colourful things are multi-coloured so when I saw photos of this exhibition popping up all over the place I knew I had to go. I did just that last week and it was just brilliant. On the ground floor of the gallery are those colourful and mirrored ladders. The hang from the ceiling at all angles and sometimes you catch yourself, at other times you can't see your reflection. Great. Next you walk upstairs to the main space. Although small it has lots packed into it. The amazing colourful taped stairs lead to an area totally covered in the same coloured tape. On the walls and floors you have various art hanging, dripping or nailed to the wall. You must go see it. It runs until some time in October.


#GIRLBOSS

Yes, I caved in and bought the book #Girlboss by Sofia Amoruso. I didn't really know what to expect from it but wow, it's truly motivating. In a week I've read almost 82% of the book (according to my Kindle app!). I've been reading it mostly on the train whilst travelling to Glasgow and Edinburgh for various outings over my holidays. It's the story of how Sofia started her multi-million pound business, Nasty Gal, and gives handy hints and tips as well as a bucket load of motivation and kick-ass advice for every potential #girlboss out there. She literally went from not a lot to this fabulous business in a just a few short years with a lot of hard work and determination and a knack for harnessing the power of social media to help her business grow, and grow, and grow...

I'm not a huge book worm but that one is a must read for anyone who wants a little bit of motivation. In fact, I might buy the paper version of the book, just so I can highlight and bookmark all of those little nuggets of wonder.

And remember "..before you start to think you just got lucky, remember it's magic, and you made it yourself."


The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

Of course I couldn't let July go by without mentioning the commonwealth games. I absolutely loved it. I loved that it was in Scotland. I loved watching the sport and the spectacle of the opening/closing ceremonies. I even loved standing in the soaking wet downpours on Sunday afternoon as those cyclists rode by. I'm glad I got to experience this in my lifetime. I probably wouldn't go to another one. Most of all I loved the way our country (mostly) got behind these games and showed the world what we can do.


And that dear readers was my Good Stuff of July. Sure there was more, but these are the stand-outs.

Angela x

The Grenson Rose Brogue

 

Let's talk about shoes, and how I love them. And then let's talk about these amazing Grenson Rose brogues. Aren't they just lovely?

I have been craving a decent pair of brogue shoes for years. A couple of years back I bought a black pair from Office and wore them to work pretty much every day. They weren't a patch on these white calf leather lovelies though.

No, for these are by Grenson. They fit me great, although admittedly doing the first wear not the mean streets of New York city was a slightly bad move. There I was. I'd walked all the way from West 38th Street in Midtown, all the way to the Highline. Then right all the way down the Highline from Midtown to the West Village where I eventually stopped for lunch in a fancy restaurant. did you get that? All the way. From there I walked to the 9/11 memorial and on to Wall Street. By the time I got there I knew there was blood. In my feet, that is. Luckily I always have some plasters in my bag and once they were applied my feet were fine. That was my mistake though. I should've broke them in gently. They are proper quality leather after all and so there was bound to be some blister action.

They started off with a smooth leather "Goodyear welted" sole but after all that walking about the soles have worn a little bit. You can always send them back to Grenson to be repaired with a new sole and welting. I'll be doing that if they wear down too much, although I'm not that hard wearing on shoes so hopefully won't be needing that service for a year or so. 

The thing I love about these shoes are that they can be dressed up or down. I wear them with jeans, skirts and smart trousers. The white are just so versatile and summery!

They aren't cheap by any means but shoes are something I've always invested money in.  Ever since i bought my first pair of Adidas Kick trainers for my tenth birthday, shoes have been my thang! Plus I know they'll stand the test of time and the class brogue design is always timeless.

Angela  

Birkenstock Love

Birkenstocks really are a polariser. You either love them or you hate them. For me, it's a love thang! I got my first pair of white Madrid Birkentsocks a few years ago and they are a summer staple. Very comfy and that go to pair or white flip flop type shoe.

Until I got a pair of Red toe-post type Birks. The Gizeh. Also really comfortable and they stay on your feet without you having to grip on with your toes. I can even run a little in those.

This year the two strap Arizona made a splash in the fashion world and i'm so glad because i'd been wanting a pair of these for a while and it seems like it'll be the perfect opportunity to wear them this summer (let's ignore the completely grey and rainy day going on outside just now). I got these from ASOS when there was 15% off a few months back but i've never actually worn them outside yet.

I got these in black because I wanted to be able to wear them with anything and black goes with anything. Here I paired them with my Gap ripped boyfriend jeans for an easy summer (grey) Sunday.

Angela

New Glasses by Celine

Celine CL 41335 glasses

Buying new glasses is always a stressful time I find. You can never properly try them on in the opticians because they have those giant security tags on them making the glasses sit wonky on your face. Well, they sit wonky on me!

It's been over 2 years since I got a new pair of glasses. My current ones are the Ray-Ban 5228's. Comfy, but starting to get loose and slip down my nose. I decided it was time to get a new pair. I wanted to go for a different colour but being so expensive I didn't want to risk it. And plus, buying online, you cant't try them on. Yes, I always buy my glasses online now, for the simple reason that they are cheaper online than from an optician and you get a better choice.

I typed a few names into Google that I'd seen and liked the look of and decided to get these Celine pair (above). They're bolder and larger frames so I wasn't sure how they'd suit me but I figured, go big or go home. Ha.

I ordered them on Friday night from Eyewearbrands.com and they arrived on Wednesday. I love them. They are bigger than normal so will take a bit of getting used to but i'm sure i'll be fine. Btw, there's still a 15% off offer on their website just now. I think it may run out soon!

How do you choose your new glasses? Do you find online a better option?

Angela x

Dry Clean Only

Tee - Sincerely Jules, print - Ben The Illustrator

New in is this washed out red t-shirt I ordered a few weeks ago from Sincerely Jules' shop. I love her blog, her style and her pictures are always so colourful and amok me happy. When I saw the new lookbook she posted with new t-shirt designs of the summer I knew I had to order another one. My last one was the Dream Believe Achieve slogan white tee.

Red is one of my favourite colours and so I was drawn to this Dry Clean Only slogan tee. It's a slouchy fit and perfect for the summer. I wore it with some jeans, trainers and a new little wristlet purse. Casual.

Fumo large wristlet purse - Alexander Wang
The Dre Bradford Jeans - Rag and Bone
Tee - Sincerely Jules
Trainers - Nike x Riccardo Tisci (sold out)

In the summer I'll wear it with shorts, boyfriend jeans and heels or perhaps a skirt with some trainers. Can't wait.

Angela x

Nike Air Force 1 X Riccardo Tisci

I'm a sucker for a limited edition. We all know that. These are the Nike Air Force One X Riccardo Tisci edition. Not my usual trainer style but lovely nonetheless.

Elmo jammie action

Wore them out last weekend for the first time and they are so comfortable.

Dungarees - Topshop; white boys tee - H&M; Nike x Riccardo Tisci trainers

Now hurry up summer. I wanna get these babies on my feet with a little skirt, or something.

Angela x