Wishing I Could Fly To Fantasy Island

It's been a while since my last style post and I'm completely blaming the Irish weather. Every time I had a free day to do it, the weather was rainy, windy or horribly cold. Which is why I wanted my first outfit post of Spring to be a colourful one.

I bought these earrings in H&M last week and I immediately pictured myself wearing them with clashing bright pink. You may remember I have the white ones too which I wore in this post last Summer. This is the fourth time I've styled tassel earrings in outfit photos over the past year (seen in this post and this one) all of which happen to be from H&M. I just love how much of a statement they make, I can see myself wearing these with dresses in the Summer too like I did with my white ones when I was in France last year. 

Coat- Dunnes Savida (the red version is still available in stores but there are some similar styles here and here)
Shirt- Penneys/ Primark (similar here)
Jeans- Next (similar here)
Boots- ASOS (similar here and here)
Sunglasses- ASOS (similar here)
Earrings- H&M (black version, similar here)
Bag- Penneys/ Primark (similar here)
Lipstick- Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Rose Lancôme

The clashing colours trend, particularly with pink and red is one of my favourites this year and I was excited to try it myself. Between the earrings, coat and lipstick there is a lot going on here which I love, but it meant I wanted to keep the rest of my outfit very pared back with a white shirt and jeans. These sunglasses are my favourite purchase of last Summer, if they were still available on ASOS I'd probably have bought a back up pair. I saw them on Erica from The Edited last year and ordered them straight away. My friend saw them on me and bought them too. I just think they're so unusual with the colourblock acetate frames and such a flattering shape on my face. I have my eye on these amazing colourblock ones from & Other Stories for this Summer.

I've featured the bag and boots here already, I love finding new ways to wear the items in my wardrobe. For me, it's not possible to wear completely new outfits all the time. The average person doesn't have the means to keep up with that kind of lifestyle either and it promotes fast fashion which I'm trying to steer away from (new H&M earrings aside). I've been cutting down my wardrobe significantly over the past few months, donating A LOT to charity and it doesn't mean the I have less to wear. I love seeing the creative outfits of people who have a capsule wardrobe, I'm not quite there yet but I'd love to have something along those lines myself.

I'm so happy Spring is finally here and the sun is out again! At the moment I'm gearing up for my trip to New York which is is just over three weeks time. If you have any suggestions of things to do or places to eat please let me know, I still have so much planning to do!

I hope you're all having a lovely Sunday and enjoying the nice weather.

Emma x

I Fall Asleep To Dream My Dreams Of You

I had been looking for a velvet blazer for a while coming up to Christmas. It's such a classic seasonal item that you can bring out year after year and style so many different ways. I'd seen a few in the likes of Zara and Topshop but nothing that was perfect for me. After attending the Primark Spring/Summer 2017 press day I was given a voucher with which I bought this entire outfit (apart from the shoes). I actually rarely browse in the women's clothing in Penneys, I usually head straight for socks, pyjamas and the home department. I had a really good look around the shop late one evening about a half hour before closing when it was quiet enough for me to be able to properly see everything without crowds of people. 

The blazer was one of the first things that caught my eye, I tried it on and was sold straight away. I wasn't too sure about the trousers at the time, I didn't want to buy something for the sake of it even though the prices are so reasonable so I went home with the blazer and blouse (among other things) and a few days later I came back for the trousers. I actually ended up getting a bigger size as I wanted the suit to look more casual and less form fitting. It's probably not the most flattering outfit ever, but I don't mind that. 

I knew I wanted to wear it around Christmas time but I didn't want to look too dressed up so I paired it with my white Topshop runners and the peter pan collar blouse. This is definitely something I wasn't sure if I could pull off, I've never worn a suit before but I'm so happy I tried it out because I really liked it in the end, especially dressed down with the runners. I'm not a heels girl, but I'm sure it would look amazing with heels too. I think a suit like this is so versatile, you could wear it so many ways, each piece separately or with something different under the blazer like a t-shirt, a jumper or polo neck, a cami top etc. I saw a similar blazer styled with a white shirt, gold pleated midi skirt and heeled boots and it looked amazing. 

That's what I like about shops like Penneys, it allows you to try out trends without forking out a fortune on a designer piece, having said that I'll definitely be wearing the suit until Spring comes and keeping it in my wardrobe for next year. I really dislike the concept of fast-fashion which is why I'm always just as scrupulous buying something at a lower price as I would be if it was more expensive. I hate buying something with the mindset of only wearing it once and then getting rid of it because it was cheap. If I buy something I intend for it to be in my wardrobe (and worn) for years to come.  

I wore this on both Christmas Eve and Stephen's Day (Boxing Day) and the trousers are so comfortable it's like wearing pyjamas, perfect for the festive season when you might be overindulging a little bit. 

Jacket, trousers and shirt- Penneys/Primark (similar here, here, here, here and here)
Shoes and Earrings- Topshop (similar here and here)
Lipstick- Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge in Rose Lancôme
Nails- Essie Eternal Optimist and Shine of the Times

What are your thoughts on "fast-fashion" and shops with lower price points? Are there any trends you loved this Winter?

Emma x

It's Still That Same Old Movie That's Haunting Me

This is what I wore on a day off recently when we went to meet friends for lunch and a movie (we saw About Time, I cried like a baby). 

Outfit Details:

Jacket- Penneys/Primark

Top- Monsoon

Skirt- ASOS

Belt- Pieces via ASOS

Sunglasses- eBay

Boots- Marks and Spencers

Bag- Zara

Ring and Scarf- Accessorize

Lips- Revlon Adorned

Nails- No7 Jammy

Autumn came on quite suddenly, one minute it was sweltering, the next I was digging out my heavy scarves and gloves. Autumn is my favourite season, I love that it's chilly enough to wear light layers but not freezing. I also love the Autumn colours in nature as well as fashion and make up. For now I'm wearing a transitional wardrobe keeping some bits from my Summer wardrobe like this bag and scarf. I bought the scarf at the start of the summer and wore it non-stop over the past few months. You may already know scarves are my style weakness. I got these boots as a birthday present last month, they are very similar to the ones I got last year and are so comfortable, they're great for wearing when I'm on my feet in work. I wanted this Michael Kors Buckle ring for ages and then I saw this one in work and figured I'd get that instead as it was much less expensive and a bit too much of a trend to spend so much money on. 

For make up I'm still going with just mascara on my eyes, full brows and bright lips. It's so quick to do in the mornings and makes me look put together for work without spending too much time on the application. I do love the whole matching nails and lips thing and I couldn't resist pairing my new Revlon lip gloss with one of my favourite No7 nail polishes. I am excited to start wearing darker colours coming into October and I already have some ideas for make up looks I want to try out. 

What's your favourite thing about Autumn?

Hope you all are having a lovely week so far!

Emma x


*Roxy Music- Same Old Scene