Monochrome is a trend that always seems to be around in the S/S months. Often though it can be a little tricky to pull off without looking too stark or like you've tried too hard. I've come up with an easy way to wear monochrome that looks stylish and is comfortable!

Adding the monochrome look to an outfit in a subtle way such as wearing a black and white striped top or black trousers with white shoes is an easy way to pull off this trend. I've paired mine with this beautiful two-tone, grey and black Jacket from H&M. It has gorgeous detailing which makes it look very expensive and good quality. I have to admit I don't think I have ever found such a bargain as this jacket in my life. I'm aware that I wrote a post about finding the bargain of my life (linked here), but now I think I've trumped that. I walked into H&M the other day and saw a rail that was labelled '£1'. This jacket that originally cost £29.99 and had been reduced to a mind blowing £1! I picked it up immediately and did a little dance in my head at the fact I had found such a bargain. The striped top was also on that rail too. I worked out that day that I had bought £70 worth of clothing for £4!

You can also take monochrome into the summer by adding a dark coloured pleated midi/maxi skirt. This makes it feel all floaty which is a lovely alternative to jeans!

Okay, so I want to start this post of with an apology. I am so sorry I haven't blogged in over a week, I have just been SUPER busy and just haven't had the time. Also I'm sorry that I haven't posted a proper fashion post in what seems like forever, the weather has been truly pants and taking pictures in poopy lighting and rain just hasn't been my idea of fun and I would rather bring you quality than quantity.

Anyhow, I have seen quite a few of these posts flying around the bloggersphere at the moment and thought I would do my own. Many of my followers probably don't know all that much about me so I hope to give you an insight into this crazy little world of mine.

Me!

1. I live in England and have only been as far as Italy- I dream of travelling to many places in my life but I don't particularly enjoy the actual act of travelling on planes etc.
2. I ADORE France. I love the language, the food, the people, the country. I just love it all and want to be French!
3. My biggest inspiration in life is my Mum, I love her to pieces and she is one of my best friends.
4. My first job was as a baby-sitter and then on top if that I became a waitress.
5. I am the world biggest worrier. I worry about anything and everything and that would be one thing I would like to change about myself.
6. I would say I'm a glass half full kinda-gal, but I would say I can be a bit negative sometimes so I like to try and think positive. I wrote a blog post on being happy here.
7. I love Salad Cream and will literally eat it with everything. I particularly like it with boiled potatoes- yum!
8. I was born on the same day and same year as my cousin- (I'm 8hrs older must I add!)
9. I have always loved fashion and was lucky enough to go to my first ever London Fashion Weekend at the tender age of 12! I didn't particularly understand everything that was going on but I absolutely loved it and have done ever since.
10. Family is very important to me and I always like to see them regularly otherwise I tend to feel a little distanced from them which is something I don't like.
11. I only have my ear lobes pierced as I am too afraid to get any more piercings done!
12. I have a fear of spending money. I know this might sound strange for a beauty and fashion fanatic, but when I spend large amounts of money I feel panicky and uncomfortable so I tend to buy things in short burst so it doesn't feel as bad! ( I know- I don't even understand the logic of that!)
13. I'm quite superstitious- see what I've done with number 13 there eh?
14. I LOVED the Spice Girls when I was younger- they were my idols. My favourite was Sporty Spice!
15. I also adored S Club 7 and Girls Aloud- I still pretty much know every word to all their songs.
16. I have always had long brown hair- the only time I have ever been adventurous was when I was four a decided to get a rather 90's looking blunt fringe and in the summer when I dip-dyed it!
17. I am an avid list maker and carry a notebook around with me in my handbag for on-the go jottings down. I feel like I'm a bit more organised when I have a list!
18. My style changes but at the moment I would say it is very simple and classic with lot's of black, grey white and leather jackets- anyone noticed!
19. My favourite place to visit in the UK are Cornwall and Brighton- for me they are filled with happy memories that I will cherish forever.
20. I love decorating my home/room etc. as I like to add my personal touch to wherever I am in life.


I hope you enjoyed those pretty pointless facts about my life and I tag any of you reading to do this!

Recently, I have discovered a few amazing pieces of skincare, which when used together have really improved my skin. I am now happy with my skincare routine and actually enjoy doing it rather than just seeing it as a chore. I think it is really important to keep healthy skin as if you don't start with a good base, you're not going to end up with a good result however much make-up you use.

                                               Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
I have now discovered cleansing balms and oh boy' do I love them now. There aren't really many 'drugstore' cleansing balms out there so I had never really tried one before, but when I discovered that I had a travel sized Clinique Take The Day Off Balm in my collection and hadn't even bothered to use it, I thought now was the time to start. I absolutely love the way this feels as it turns from a balm into oily loveliness  It takes my base make-up ff really well, but I prefer not to use it for eye make-up as I find because it's an oil it leaves a slight momentary haze over my eyes which I don't enjoy. Overall though I absolutely love it!

                                                          Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish
Everybody and their Nan's cat owns this cleaner. It is a massively hyped up product in the bloggersphere and I can see why. It really deep cleans and makes your skin feel beautifully soft and pure. I use this after the Clinique Balm as a sort of 'second cleanse'. I prefer to take my make-up off before I use this just to give my skin a thorough cleaning, but it is perfectly good at breaking down make-up if you want to use it for that though. I have to say, my skin is thanking me for using it!

                                                           Clinique Clarifying Lotion 1
Before trying this I had never really been a fan on Clinique toners. I always found them too harsh. This however, is the most gentle of them all and works really well without feeling like it's stripping my skin of it's natural oils. I would like to try some other toners, but seeing as I have around 400ml of this stuff to use up, I don't think I'll be buying a new toner in a while!

                                                 Boots Botanics All Bright Hydrating Day Cream
                             I LOVE this moisturiser so much that I have written a review on it here!

                                                  Clinique Anti-Gravity Firming Lift Eye Cream
I really like this eye cream not for it's 'anti-gravity' purposes, but more for it's thickness and the nourishment it gives. I always feel like I'm pampering myself when I use it, and that can't be a bad thing from an eye-cream!



                                                                Ahava Mud Masque
I love this mask as it is so purifying and feels like it is going deep into the skin and taking out all the impurities. It is not very nourishing though so I only use it on my T-Zone for a more concentrated treatment. They have since changed the packaging since I bought it, so I'm not sure if any of the ingredients have changed either.



                                                         What are your winter skincare miracles?

I know it's only the beginning of the week, but I'm already lusting over a few items of luxury. I aim to start a new series of things that I'm looking out for in the shops to let you guys see a round up of the things I like. There isn't too much but I think each piece is something special! Enjoy!

Skirt-Primark, Vest-Primark, Belt-Primark, Leather Jacket- New Look, Bag-Charity Shop and Shoes- TKmaxx.

Okay, I am no shoe expert. In fact, they say a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes, but I just seem to buy one pair, wear them to death and then move on. I thought it was about time I added a new pair into my almost non- existent collection and I am thrilled with the little newbies! Converse. Everyone and their cat's mum owns a pair, but I just couldn't resist them. They are so comfortable and go with soo many things! Being the skinny jeans and every shade of grey tops kinda gal, I thought that a white pair would be brilliant. I almost felt like I was rebelling slightly as when I was younger I would have to buy 'practical shoes' and white certainly isn't practical. (you can tell how exiting my life gets!) Just to let you know I did wear them out once before taking the photos and stupidly walked down a muddy path, flicking dirt on my brand new white trainers in the process, so please excuse the stains on what are supposed to be 'fresh out the box' shoes.

I bought mine in Office as I just love the shop. You can pretty much buy them anywhere though. I got mine in a 5.5, I didn't even know they made half sizes in Converse, so it was a pleasant surprise to know that a company had made shoes for people who's feet stopped growing at an awkward size in the middle of no-where!

They fit really well and the extra ankle support makes them so easy to walk in. They feel like the are cushioning your feet from the floor due to the nice thik sole they have, and the laces don't actually make them a nightmare to take on and off.

I juts love the sleek, American high-school design of them, and they are totally worth the money. They have a pretty similar price wherever you go of around £45 which I think is alright, although you are paying a lot for the brand.







 I like to style them with skinnies and a leather jacket (surprise, surprise) as I just think it looks effortlessly cool.  Jeans - Black Topshop Leigh (Charity Shop), Old Grey Top, Necklace- Topshop, Checker Shirt Jacket- Charity Shop and Leather Jacket- New Look.

                                  Do you own a pair of converse? What do you think of them?

Okay, so I know the 'What's In My Bag' tag is a little bit blogger typical, but just like many other people, I am nosey and what to see what other people lug around with them all day! I have been loving these sorts of posts at the moment, so I'm glad I have finally got round to doing my own.

So a couple of weeks ago I visited the Zara sale and bought a beautiful new bag. It's made of a really soft leathery material that just feels so luxurious to carry around. I think it's very Chanel-esque due to the colours and the way that they contrast with each other. This bag came in two colours, black and cream, but I thought I would be a bit different and get the cream one as so many of my bags are either black or brown, that I wanted something a bit more special.

I used to just be a hoarder and carry around everything in my handbag. I used to say that it was only because I wanted to be 'prepared for every situation'. I have now taken the attitude that 1. It is not good for the bag and 2. It is not good from my arm! I now try to keep things a bit more minimal so that my bag survives for more than a couple of months!




 So the first thing I pulled out of my bag was my beanie which is from Primark and I just love it. I like to carry it in-case it gets a bit nippy and my head is crying out for a bit of warmth. Next is my notebook which is from TKmaxx. I am a list maker. In fact, I like to make so many lists about the smallest of things, people might think its a bit strange! Finally I have just a plain black umbrella, as living in Britain means it rains a lot!
 Next I have my glasses and glasses case. The case is from a little independent boutique and my glasses are from Urban Outfitters. I have my purse which is also from Urban Outfitters and I just love it! I've had it for over a year now and it is still going strong. I got it for such a bargainous price. £20 down to £5! Finally I have my phone which is a Samsung Galaxy S2. I am no phone expert but all I can say is I prefer it to the Iphone 4!


                                                  Notice where most of my receipts are from?...
 Finally I have my Make-Up Bag which is by Anya Hindmarch, and it was probably one of the best bargains ever. Bearing in mind an Anya Hindmarch make-up bag would set you back around £100, I found this in a Charity Shop for 30p! It is the perfect size and for a price like that, I just couldn't resist. In it is just some everyday essentials like some make-up (I have relegated the make-up I don't like into my make-up bag so I can use it up!), some headphones, my Ipod, a comb, some perfume etc. The make-up items I do recommend in there though, are the Kate Moss Lipstick in Shade 101 and the Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil.


                                                                       Bag £16.99 Zara.

                                                      What do you like to carry around in your bag?