Over-the-knee

Coat: Topshop 

Polo neck: c/o pop couture (old) 

Skirt: Zara (old)

Boots: Asos 

Clutch: Topshop

This outfit pretty much combines all my A/W14 loves: camel coats, faux fur accessories, polo necks and my beloved over-the-knee boots. At £50 these Asos babies were a total steal- the other pairs I had been looking at from the likes of Topshop were well over £100. I love how versatile they are too; you can wear them with skirts and dresses or pair them with jeans, a tee and blazer for casual office chic like I did today in the Style office. 
And how about this BAG?!!! It really is like carrying a teddy bear around with me everywhere- he is so cute and fluffy and delicious. Faux fur is huge this season, and investing in a cute scarf or clutch such as this one makes the trend easy and accessible. 
Last and certainly not least, there's my Topshop oversized camel coat. 4 years ago I bought a camel coat in the Topshop sale when I worked in the Reading store, and a few months ago I threw it out- it was battered and I didn't see the camel trend coming back. But to my sheer delight and utter glee it did, so it was time for an upgrade. The camel coat is so on trend and yet classic and timeless; I really believe if you buy one now it will last you years to come regardless of what is showcased on the catwalk. 
In more general news, this weekend I went to see The Phantom of the Opera with my Mumma and had a posh dinner at The Criterion. I then spent my Sunday browsing Spitalfields market and eating huge American sandwiches; it was all good. I also had my hair cut much shorter last week by the lovely Harriet at Ena Salon in Holborn. She made it look awesome and I'm really pleased with the length and shape even though having quite a bit chopped off put the fear of bejesus into me initially. Last but not least, my time at The Sunday Times Style is coming to an end which makes me really sad, but I'm definitely looking forward to working at The Times on the fashion desk in a few weeks :) 

Bambi

Roll neck: Gap  Skirt: Topshop Socks: Topshop Shoes: Topshop (old)
Last weekend my boyfriend and I spent some time in Brighton and he kindly took these shots for me. We rented an apartment on air bnb which was really cute, and partook in lots of seaside visiting, food eating and movie watching. I really really love Brighton and sometimes question whether London would be the right place for me to live when I am there...we shall see ;) 
I love my cute bambi-esque skirt from Topshop, but it is VERY short, so I have paired it with a modest grey roll-neck and socks-and-sandels combo. Am I cool enough to pull off ruffled socks with a pair of mammoth platforms? Probably not. Am I going to try and pull it off anyway? Sure. On a 'slightly-easier-to-pull-off' note, I'm really into polo necks atm and am enjoying layering them under dresses and my pretty new oversized camel coat. 
This month I am interning at The Sunday Times Style magazine so am living out of a suitcase in London. So far it has been challenging but fun, and I look forward to what the next couple of weeks bring! 

The 'When did it get so cold?' Winter Wishlist

Is it just me or has it got exceptionally cold in, like, an exceptionally short amount of time? Just a week or two ago I was revelling in the fact that I could still get my legs out and not catch a chill...fast forward to now and my thought process has evolved into 'just how many layers can I fit under this lightweight trench before I have to invest in an actual seasonal coat?!'  The winter chill has crept up so fast that I feel a little taken off guard and unprepared clothing wise. However, in all honesty, when you're job hunting and on intern-rates, money for shopping splurges can run a little dry. For this reason, I have promised myself not to go crazy this winter and to pick out some key pieces I aim to hunt down (however, true to form, the pieces I've pulled are not the thriftiest of choices so it's not exactly win-win). 

On to the pieces:
1. An oversized long line camel coat like this Topshop one, as well as this gorgeous Asos Cocoon version. 

2. A new leather jacket (my current one was bought about 6 years ago and is well and truly battered beyond repair). I like this Zara real leather jacket, or this cheaper faux Topshop option. 

3. Lots of faux fur accessories- scarves to keep me warm and clutches just because...Black scarf here, cream scarf here (this bag sold out I think- lots of options on Asos or Topshop though!). 

4. A pair of over-the-knee heeled booties, I love this Topshop pair in black and grey. 

5. Roll necks, roll necks, roll necks: wear alone, layer underneath things; the choices are endless. Roll necks are a great way to turn your summer dresses into early winter transitional pieces. I love these Gap Merino wool jumpers. 

6. A colourful suited co-ord like these Asos beauties (green here & here and grey here & here). 


What's on your wishlist for this season? 

The Huge American Beauty Haul

Makeup Forever HD foundation (Sephora), Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso (any drugstore), Mac limited edition extra dimension blush in 'At Dusk', Tarte 'the sculptor' (Sephora). 

Organix moroccan argan oil treatment (drugstores- can also buy in UK but I never seem to find it!), Pantene Rehab Creme (drugstores), Redken Anti-snap leave-in treatment (drugstores). 

Wet n Wild 8 palette in 'Comfort zone' (drugstores), Mac limited edition in 'a passionate quest' (also picked up 'an amorous adventure which is beautiful, Physicians Formula Nude palette (drugstores), Wet n Wild 3 palette in 'walking on eggshells' (drugstores). 

Maybelline lip elixir in 'Hibiscus Haven' (drugstores), EOS balm in raspberry (drugstores), Loreal infallible eyeshadow in 'Amber Rush' (drugstores), Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara (drugstores). 

Formula X nail polish in 'Dramatic' (sephora), Marc Jacobs nail polish in 'Le Charm' (Sephora), Elizabeth and James Nirvana roll on perfume (Sephora). 

Mini Cetaphil cleansers (also got lotions-how cute are they! from drugstores) & Neutrogena UltraSheer Dry-touch sunscreen (drugstores). 

Sephora brand 'The weekender' wash bag (Sephora). 

So as many of you will know, this summer I trekked across Northern America and Canada. This (along with endless job applications and cover letter writing since) is the reason why I have been so absent on my blog as of late! I had the absolute time of my life out there, and plan to share some pictures and talk about my experiences in a post later this week. 

So onto this post...

When I found out I was going to America for 5 weeks one of the first things I did was write a list of all the beauty bits I wanted to pick up from across the pond (sad, I know). There are so many amazing brands and cult products that the top dog beauty bloggers chat about which are only available stateside, so I was super excited to finally get to pick some of them up. Naturally, I went a little mad (let's not even talk about that shopping day in San Francisco...) but I thought you might be interested in checking out what I had bought and that I could maybe provide some inspiration for your own USA shopping lists! Everything I picked up came from the usual American places which we Brits find completely fascinating (which I'm sure Americans find pretty entertaining as to them they are standard pharmacies & shops)...your Sephora's, Duane Reade's...you know, the usual suspects. 

I hope you enjoy having a peek at what I bought, don't scold me too much in the comments for the overspend!!!