Curlformers Blogger Competition

I know my last post was a blogger challenge, and I really did mean to get another couple of posts up before doing another one, but I just came across this fun competition and as it closes tonight I hope you'll excuse me putting it up now! Curlfomers are hosting a competition to win a whopping £100 of ASOS vouchers, to be judged by Lillia Loves.

Curlformers are a 'hair curling revolution', a product designed to to give perfect neat and lasting curls without damaging the hair by using heat on it. As well as curling naturally straight hair, they also say that 'hair that is naturally curly can be tamed into defined smooth curls' - great news for me as my natually curly and slightly crazy hair could definately do with some taming!

They are a number of ways to enter this challenge (and details of all can be found here if anyone can get an entry done before closing time!), but I decided to take the option of putting together an outfit including a curly hair style.

Henry Holland Tights - China Glaze Nail Polish in Ruby Slippers - Asos Gothic Prom Dress - Iron Fist Shoes - Topshop Beaded Clutch Bag - Alice in Wonderland Charm Bracelet

Helena Bonham Carter is one of my curly-haired idols. No matter how wild her curls are, she rocks them. I think she may have subconsciously inspired the gothic tones of my outfit a little, and had to include the Alice in Wonderland bracelet in her honour.

To achieve this look, I would use the long and narrow curlformers, but because we don't want the curls to look 'too' neat, I'd use my fingers to pull some of them apart a little, and scrunch in some volumising product at the roots to give them a bit of 'lift'. The best thing is no need to worry about your hair looking a little worse for wear after a night out as this look is meant to be a touch on the dishevelled side!

What do you think? Anybody planning on rocking curls over the festive season?

Glamorous Blogger Challenge

I do love a good blogger challenge! It's not that I enter them expecting I have any chance of winning, I think it's just fun window shopping and the challenges usually give you a bit of focus for that - which I need!

So when I heard about the Glamorous/EtailPR blogger challenge, obviously I wanted to have a go. The idea was to create a collage of your Glamorous Wish List, to the budget of £200 - and look how much you can get for £200!

1 = Blue and Red Tartan Check Belted Dress = £28.99

2 = Anne Dress in Cream with Pink Pineapple Print = £29.99
3 = Black Organza Sheer Dotty Dress = £32.99

4 = Blue Mixed Wool Jumper = £22.00

5 = Leather Look Heeled Ankel Boots in Tan = £29.99

6 = Owl with Glasses White Tea = £13.99

7 = Navy with Square Gold Studs Knit Jumper = £25.00

8 = Navy Heart Print Scarf = £5.99

9 = Skull Detail Ballet Shoes = £10.00

Total = £198.94

Dresses are my favourite, no matter the time of year, and had to find a space for these three in my budget. The cream one might not scream 'A/W', but I'm a sucker for a cute print, which this has. As it's getting cold, a couple of jumpers and a scarf needed to be on there, and the cute owl t-shirt to wear under the jumpers - layers for warmth! And of course you need shoes, two pairs along with everything else for less than £200 - amazing! 

If you would like to enter, you can find all the details here, (or on the facebook page here) but be quick, you've only got til the 12th to get your entries in! 

I know i'm cutting it a bit fine but if you've entered too please feel free to leave you links so I can check out your entry! thanks x 

Gifts Vouchers Blogger Challenge

Recently I found about a blogger challenge run by giftsvouchers.co.uk (unfortunately I can't remember where so I can't give full credit, sorry!), asking bloggers to create a post with ideas for Christmas gifts priced under £35.
I do love a challenge, and I love Christmas presents! So thought I'd give this a go!
Instead of finding five things that came in at just under £35, I though I'd try to cover a a few different price ranges up to that limit - There are plenty of people I'll be buying for that I will be spending significantly less than £35 on and wanted to show you can get really nice things for any price. As such, I looked for presents that would fit into the price categories £0-£5, £5-£10, £10-£15, £15-£25, and £25-£35, and this is what I came up with:

1 - Jelly Baby Necklace @ Jelly Button Jewellery £4.00 2 - Beauty Salve Collection @ Rose and Co £10 3 - Elaine Cat Slippers @ Topshop £14 4 - Bonjour Moustache Watch @ ASOS £22 5 - Sugar Coated Owl Handbag @ Little Moose £30

The Jelly Baby necklaces by Jelly Button Jewellery are not only competely adorable and extremely well priced, you also get the added feel-good factor of buying from a really lovely independant British company. Also, they come in a range of colours so can pick one up in the receivers favourite!

The Rose & Co salves collections includes three of their most popular salves and balms -  Rose Petal Salve, Cherry Kiss Lip Balm, and Sweet Vanilla Salve, for moisturing lips and dry skin on other areas. They come in the most gorgeous vintage inspired tins and would make a great gift.

I always used to get slippers every year for Christmas so im my mind they are one of the quintessential Christmas gifts. I love these incredibly cute and cosy looking kitty slippers from Topshop.

Moustaches are everywhere I look at the minute, and this watch from ASOS seems like a perfect on-trend choice for a gift. I love how simple and classic looking it is, with a bit of a frech twist for added sophistication - ooh la la!

Finally, the most expensive item here, is the lovely Sugar Coated bag. You can never have or give too many bags, and this one is gorgeous as well as practical and incorporates another one of my favourite recent trends with the lovely little owls.

I'd love to hear what you think of my entry! Would you be happy to find any of these in your stocking?

If you have already entered this contest then please leave your link in the comments, I'd love to see what you came up with! And if you haven't entered yet and would like to all the deatails can be found here.

Halloween!

It's Halloween today, and though it's a bit late now for last minute shopping, I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite spooky clothing options.

Asos - Skater Dress with Cobweb Lace - £40.00 Sugarhill Boutique Flight of the Bat Dress - £55.00

Both of these lovely dresses have a distinctively Halloweeney feel, between the delicate cobweb lace panels of one and the creepy bat print of the other, but both designs are subtle enough to wear the rest of the year round without looking like you are in costume. 

Smarmy Clothing - Nightmare Before Christmas Sally Ragdoll Dress - $175 Black Milk Blood Spatter Dress - £63.85

If you did want something to make more of a Halloween statement, either of these would be perfect. The Sally dress by Smarmy Clothing is a very special piece, hand made and made to measure for a perfectly fitting dress, and the Black Milk dress is such a delightfully bold and bloody design. 

1 - Boo! Ghost Tee by Tee and Cake - £22.00 2 - Cats Eyes Tee by Tee and Cake - £20.00 3 - Cobmesh Embellished Leggings - £38.00 

Topshop have really got into the spirit, so to speak, this year, and the three above pieces can be found there. The ghost T-shirt in particular is adorable! 

Iron Fist Bone Breaker Handbag - £42.99 Daisy Does 'This is Halloween' bracelet - £15.00 

And of course accessories are needed to complete any outfit! I think I've mentioned before my love of Iron Fist shoes, and my love for this bag is no less, and the Daisy Does charm bracelet is a hand made original, which is always special, as well as being a gorgeous Halloween piece. 

What are you wearing for Halloween this year?

A-Z of fashion trends: D

Glamour Magazine's A-S Winter 2012 Fashion Trends Worth Noting tells us that D is for 'Downton Country Club' - "Think Downton shooting weekend! Reach for your retro corduroy trousers, long fairisle socks and jodhpurs! It's not an easy look to pull off but we believe in you!"

Socks are not only an important item of clothing for comfort and warmth, but can be used as part of a fashionable look. For anyone trying to replicate the Downton Country Club style, I recommend the Bulington Riding Socks from Sock Shop (£15) or the Toast Organic Fair isle Socks (£25.00).

Trousers are a potentially trickier area to get right, but how about these for a gentlemanly style with a fashionably feminine twist, how about these checked trousers by NW3 by Hobbs (available from ASOS - £119), or the contrast dogtooth trousers by Unique at Topshop (£120)?

Nothing says country chic like a classic tweed jacket, and these gorgeous examples are by Barbour (£229); one of the ultimate names in British Heritage clothing, and Joules (£169).

I like that the Tweed Buckle Cape from Newlook (£44.99) leaves your arms free for riding, shooting and any other leisure activities available tat Downton Country Club. The Waistcoat is by Libery Freedom (£175), a brand whose basis is 'the idea of English tailoring with a punk edge.

Finally, for a more feminine take on the traditional fairisle knit is this YMC dress, available from ASOS (£185), and the classic fluted bow cloche from Accessorize (£28) is the perfect finishing touch to many a Downton inspired outfit.

Christmas Gift Guide - Winter Accessories

One of the best things about the British winter weather is the cute accessories, hats, scarfs etc we get to wrap up in. These also make great Christmas presents as you can get varieties to fit to almost any budget and can be practical as well as fun and fashionable!

Hats: In the winter I'm definitely a beanie kind of girl when it comes to hats - there are just so many styles and colours available that there must be something for everyone. I've included the Topshop owl one because I've posted before about how much I'm loving the current owl trend, and I'm sure I'm not the only one! And the Matalan rose print knit is such a classic winter look. I love berets though I don't think I can actually pull them off as well as I would hope, and this one from New Look is so pretty. And then for those less keen on the knitted hat, two great hats from Accessorize (my go-to hat shop!): a great simple bakerboy cap, perfect for latching on the the current military trend, and a gorgeous wool bowler for a classic but cool look.

1 - Topshop - Owl pom-pom hat by Miss Pom - £20.00 2 - Matalan - Retro Rose Beanie - £5.00 3 - New Look - Alice Hannah Grey and Red Bow Beret - £21.99 4 - Accessorize - Military Buckle Cap - £18.00 5 - Accessorize - Blocked Wool Bowler - £22.00

Scarves: I lost my favourite scarf last year on (a wintery) holiday, so have been looking for the perfect replacement since - here are some great contenders: The Yumi scarf is so very pretty and though may not be the warmest option will definitely help keep the chill off while looking delightful. The Topshop scarf is the most adorable alternative to a fox fur - and nocturnal animals are so on trend right now! The pop-pom scarf from Accessorize is so different and fun, and I love the pretty bow details on this otherwise simple New Look design. One of my favourite approaches to scarves though is just a straightforward chunky knit in nice colours, like this Matalan one.

1 - Yumi Bird Print Scarf - £14.99 2 - Topshop Mrs Foxy Knitted Scarf - £20.00 3 - Accessorize Pom Pom Scarf - £22.00 4 - New Look Alice Hannah Bow Scarf - £16.99 5 - Matalan Space Dye Scarf - £8.00 

Gloves: I love the cute pompom details and the splash of pink on the otherwise muted-tones of the Atticus gloves, just giving them a subtle girly edge. Same goes for the New Look mittens - I don't think i've worn mittens as an adult, especially not ones held together with string, but these are oh so cute and look very toasty! Capped gloves, like these from Accessorize, are one of my winter favourites as you have the option of keeping your fingers warm but have easy access to them for using a camera, phone or anything else that needs a more precise touch than woolly gloves can provide, and I;ve already mentioned my love for cute owls! Also in line with the cute animal trend are these longer cut offs, also from Accessorize, that will keep your arms as well as your hands warm! Finally, for a more sophisticated look that animal knits can provide, are these lovely long suede gloves from Tesco!

1 - Atticus Pearl Stripe Pom Pom Gloves - £7.99 2 - New Look Miss Pom Pom Black Spotty Pink Bobble Mittens - £24.99 3 - Accessorize Twit Twoo Capped Glove - £12.00 4 - Accessorize Foxy Long Cut Off - £15.00 5 - F&F Long Button Suede Gloves - £15.00

Earmuffs: I love earmuffs, they can be a fun way of keeping your ears warm without messing up your hair like hats can. The pink flowery ones are the most feminine of my choices here, very classic and pretty and in lovely warm colours for the winter. The River Island ones, as well as looking lovely and warm, have extra decoration in the form of the adorable bear ears - so cute! Unfortunately it's a little too late to get the awesome skeleton hands in time for Halloween, but will still keep your ears warm for the rest of the year, and finally the little monsters from the Etsy shop Snaarlz are completely adorable and unique. I love Etsy for gifts - I love the idea that you are buying someone a gift they can't just pick up in town, it's just a bit more special.

1 - Monsoon Crochet Flower Stripe Earmuffs - £10.00 2 - River Island Black Fluffy Bear Earmuffs - £13.00 3 -  Grindstore Skeleton Hand Earmuffs - £9.99 4 - Snaarlz Red Earmuff Monster - £12.00 

Special Mention - Spirit Hoods:

Grey Wolf Peruvian Sprit Hood - £126.00

These get their own category as they pretty much cover hats, scarves and gloves in one. There is however another very important reason they get a special mention. If you buy any of the Spirit Hoods with a ProBlue label, 10% of the net profit of that sale goes towards the conservation of that animal. So for instance, if you bought the Grey Wolf Spirit Hood pictured here, 10% of the profits would go towards helping prevent 'kill orders' on wolves. More information can be found on the work of ProBlue and the animals they support here.

Qcumber

I'm currently a bit in love with Qcumber clothing - if you haven't seen these yet they make amazing bright fruity jumpers - warm and cheery to balance out the miserable cold weather (which isn't actually looking too bad today but I can't imagine that lasting).

The creators behind QCumber, a pair of Oxford graduates, explain their brands inspirations: "We believe that Fruit and Vegetables are beautifully designed by nature and underrepresented in the world of fashion. We created QCumber when a food fight with some strawberries resulted in a delicious and perfect imprint on a white jumper". They've since been working hard to create some brand buzz and a combination of their fun products and obvious humour have proved so far successful, with their jumpers being featured so far in publications such as Cosmopolitan and Grazia.

But I have a very exciting reason for covering this exciting British company today - A shiny new product! Lauching next week are the new addition to the QCumber range - Frubies! A Frubie is a fruity twist on the beanie, and these take the classic winter staple woolly hat and add the QCumber splash of colour and fun - aren't these cute?

I'm not sure yet on the price of these but as the jumpers go for an extremely reasonable £29.95 (with free shipping!) I can only imagine the Frubies to come in at an equally bargainous price.

You can keep up to date with this and any other Qcumber developments by following them on twitter or liking them on facebook.