The Perks of being a Fashion Fanatic: Recent Purchases...

Hello Lovelies,

I realised this morning that I haven't done a beauty/fashion post for a while so you guys are in for a treat!

This blog post is going to be dedicated to my most recent purchases that I have made since Christmas - so a whole months worth of shopping! How exciting! I hope you guys like some of the stuff I have accumulated over the last few weeks - I certainly do!

Here goes!

The first purchase I wanted to show you was this stunning black midi dress from MissGuided. I absolutely adore MissGuided! I think I must own at least 5 of their bodycon, midi dresses. The fit is perfect and suits my body shape down to the ground. So, when I was searching for a new black number I came across this one and knew I had to have it. The dress is called Ebrel Mesh Waist Midi Dress and retails at an amazing £14.99 - bargain! The waist is completely made of mesh and at first I thought it would look a bit daring but in actual fact it is super flattering. I get size S/M because even though I have a slightly larger bum/thighs, I also have a tiny waist/tummy and with the fabric being stretchy the dress fits like a glove! I would recommend any dresses by MissGuided! They are super affordable, look great on and their service is impeccable. If you're not already, make sure you follow them on Twitter and like their page on Facebook because they are fantastic with customer service and put up a lot of competitions and interactive posts for everyone to get involved in. Can't speak highly enough of this brand.

Ebrel Mesh Midi Dress - £14.99

My next purch I would like to show you is my gorgeous Kimono from the one and only Matalan! I know right? Matalan! I spotted this in the store a while back and was hinting to my mum forever about getting it me for Christmas. Alas, she didn't which meant I had the fun of going out and getting it myself. Just a spur of the moment thing I went onto their online website just for a quick look on Boxing Day and low and behold, it was in the SALE! I was ecstatic! So ecstatic that I had to order it there and then. The original retail price was around £16 and I think I got it for around £10/12 - Again, BARGAIN! It is the comfiest thing I have ever worn and its perfect to throw on over a dress on a night out rather than carrying a coat around with you. The best thing about it as well is that it is perfect for your holidays - I can't wait to wear mine over a bikni to the beach or with a dress at an evening time to keep the chill off. The Kimono has a lovely, vintage feel to it and has elements of vevet throughout the patterns. The only criticism of this is that the fringing gets caught very easily because they are looped - nightmare when driving!

Matalan Kimono - Sale - £12/10

I think this is my favourite purchase out of everything! I have wore it pretty much everyday since I got it. Again, this was something I spotted a while ago and just had to have! So, as soon as Christmas came around and I got a bit of money I went out and got this bad boy! Every time I wear it I always get compliments about how fab it looks on and everyone is always shocked when I say its from Primark... Oh sorry, did I forget to mention that part? Yep, you heard me correct! It's from the one and only Primark at a reasonable price of £25. It's literally my fashion must have and I think everyone should have one. Its super stylish, again has a lovely, vintage feel to it but with a funky edge with the style and gold zips. It really brightens up a plain outfit and can be transferred from a winter essential to a spring essential very easily. The only problem with this is the sizing. I'm usually a size 10 but I had to get a 12 as the arms are very short & tight. My friend who has it too also had to go up a size or two.

Primark Jacket - £25

Who doesn't like a bit of sparkle in their life? I certainly do! This cardigan was a must have when I seen it. It is perfect to perk up any dull winters outfit with its touch of glitz! I believe this cardigan was around £8-£12 (sorry, I am terrible with keeping track of my spending) again from the wonderful Primark. It's so lovely and warm on and doesn't itch at all which is a huge bonus for me! It comes with gorgeous grey, sheer fabric lining on the neckline and pockets as well as the beautiful woven silver thread. This is a favourite of mine, again, the only problem is that the arms are too long for me :( I have to roll the sleeves up!

Primark Cardigan - Between £8-12

Another one of those pieces of clothing you see in a shop and you just have to have! Just me? I hope not! This gorgeous cardigan is from Miss Selfridge and is called Black Chiffon Extreme Cardigan and retails at £36! A little bit more pricey compared to the other purchases of mine but like I said, I had to have it! Simple! It also comes in a gorgeous grey which is the next purchase I plan to make. I have been after a plain, black cardigan for a while just to throw on under my coat to make sure I'm too cold in the winter months so when I seen this, it was right up my street but with a unique twist - which is what I love! The entire back and rest of the length of cardigan is chiffon so it covers you up to keep the cold off but still allows everyone to see what fabulous outfit you have on that day! Again, the sizes are a bit small on the arms so I had to get the size 12 and just roll the sleeves up - just feels much comfier and that I can actually move freely.

Black Chiffon Extreme cardigan - £36

This next purchase was a rather spur of the moment, impulse kind of purchase! It was literally a see, grab, pay, out of the door kind of moment. I've seen a lot of fringing emerging at the moment so I think it's going to be quite a big trend for Spring/Summer 2013 especially for festival season! This top just caught my eye as it's rather simple and would pretty awesome with disco pants/shiny leggings and heels on a night out or with denim shorts on holiday. This top was a steal at £7 from Primark! I haven't had chance to wear it yet as it has been too cold to go out in a teeny vest top. I'm quite flat chested (gutting, I know!) so it kind of hangs off me at the moment but once I have my boob job I reckon I'll be wearing it a lot more!

Primark Fringe Vest Top - £7

I adore this peplum top! I wear it with everything! Jeans, pencil skirts, trousers you name it! It's such a classic piece and like I said goes with pretty much everything. I like the lace detailing of this top as it makes it a little different from the peplum tops I have seen around. Peplum has been a huge trend over the last few months & I can't imagine the trend dying down in Spring/Summer. The peplum detailing is super fun and flirty and will fit perfectly in the spring/summer months that are up and coming. As well as being super stylish and can be dressed up or down. This top was another steal at £6 from Primark. It is rather see-through so I always wear a black boob-tube underneath to bring the outfit altogether.

Primark Peplum Lace Top - £6

I seriously couldn't live without pencil skirts! They are my ultimate fashion must have and my wardrobe would not be complete without them. I already had this skirt in black to begin with so when I discovered they did them in other colours I was straight in there making my purchases. I got a couple of Topshop gift cards for Christmas so was able to purchase the two without spending a penny of my actual money - result! These skirts are from Topshop and retail at £20 - A pretty decent price for Topshop and the fabric they are made out of. They are called Double Layer because that's what they literally are. They're lovely & thick so perfect for the colder weather! I love these skirts as they are extremely flattering and are super stretchy so they would suit anyone!

Topshop Double Layer Pencil Skirts - £20

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!

My Jeffery Campbells! Low and behold their extreme beauty! Please excuse the fact that they are a bit messy as since I've got them I have wore them every time I've been out. I got them from the Office Sale! The Mary High Heel should have been £100 but I got them for an amazing £50. They are easily the comfiest pair of high heels I have owned and I absolutely adore them. I'm not kidding when I say I have an emotional attachment to all my shoes! I just love them!

Mary High Heel - Was £100 reduced to £50

The beautiful Special Bow Wedge from Office retail at £70 but the lucky girl that I am only got them for £21! I know right? I was so pleased! I work at Office as a sales assistant and over Christmas as a reward for all our hard work we got a double discount which meant I got 70% off these lovelies! Bargain of the century! These are also extremely comfy and would recommend them to everyone :)

Special Bow Wedge - £70

Of course, more shoes! Another pair from the wonderful Office! These gorgeous things are called Extravaganza Loafer and retail at £65 but again of course because I work there I got some lovely discount. I was desperate for new work shoes and these are perfect! They are quite a narrow fitting but once you stretch them out they are super comfy and I can't wait to rock them to work with some buttoned up blouses and eyeliner flicks!

Extravaganza Loafer - £65

A women essential - Underwear! I have this unwritten rule that no matter where I go I always have to wear nice underwear. Weird I know but it's something I've always done. So, when I seen this absolutely gorgeous underwear set I just had to make a purchase. I am a huge sucker for buying underwear. The amount of bras & knickers I buy over a period of time is ridiculous. I'm obsessed! This set is from H&M and fits perfectly. The price range varies depending on what style you want. But the bra was £12.99 and the underwear was £6.99 which in my eyes is rather reasonable for a matching set and a perfect fit. Plus, they've got plenty of padding so there is hope for us smaller busted ladies yet!

H&M- Varying prices

Oh look at that! More underwear! I have bought a lot more than this but I didn't want my blog to be mistaken for some sort of pornography site ha! The pastel, lace yellow bra was again from H&M but was at a much more reasonable price of £9.99. Again, the fit is perfect and really gives you a good boost! The polka dot one was in the sale from ASDA for £3 - Bargain! I also got a black and peach lace bra from the same place for the same price. At that price how could I possibly say no!

Yellow H&M - £9.99

Polka Dot ASDA - £3

My final fashion purchase is my gorgeous black, studded handbag from, yes you guessed it, Primark! This bag is part of the Primark Limited Edition collection so only so many of each product has been put into the stores and once it's gone its gone! I think this bag cost we £15-18? Still, a pretty decent bargain! From the outside it looks like it isn't very big in size but it fits everything I need everyday in. Including my notepad for University, make-up and other women essentials - Perfect!