New Look Lust List

Happy sunday everyone! I've had ever such a busy weekend - yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited down to The Guardian offices for a masterclass day on how to break into the fashion industries (more on that in a new post soon!) so today I've mainly been catching up with Homemaker work and doing some online window shopping. My eye has been particularly focused on New Look - my brother bought me a £20 giftcard for christmas that I've not spent yet, so I think a trip to town is in order. 

Whilst perusing their site, I came up with this little selection of beauties under £20 (or a cheeky bit over, but a couple of pounds to make up the difference never hurt) and it seems my love of pastel isn't going away any time soon. I love making this moodboard but it didn't half make me pine for summer! I particularly love the crochet top, brown sandals and the longline floral blouse, perfect for adventures. 

What do you think I should buy? I've also got a £10 Boots voucher to spend, so if anyone has some beauty advice, let me know...

NME Office Attire: a week in outfits

Happy Sunday Everyone! I'm very excited to share this post with you all because it comes a day before I'm due to start a week's work experience in London at NME Magazine. Having been an NME reader since I was 14, this magazine was my gateway into all the music I love now and a big influencing factor on my decision to study Music Journalism, so needless to say I'm pretty excited (and a little nervous!)

Not really knowing what to expect, I've tried my best to be prepared; making sure my dictaphone has batteries, lots of working pens, notepad and lots of ideas for content etc etc. I've also gained some control over the situation the only way a fashion blogger knows how: my pre-planning my office outfits. Even though NME appears to have a pretty casual dress code, I figured there's no harm in making a good smart first impression, and I know an outfit I'm comfortable in will put me in the right mindset for the long days of work and commuting. So, assuming it doesn't snow (fingers crossed!) and ruin my plans, here are my outfits for the week, featuring as per, lots and lots of Primark!

MONDAY 
Polka Dot Denim Blouse - £5, Primark

Black Skater Skirt - £3.99, Topshop via eBay

Burgundy Loafers - £13.50, New Look For ASOS

TUESDAY
Green Aztec Print Skater Dress - £8, Primark
Burgundy Cardian with Military Buttons - £5, Primark
T Bar Patent Shoes - Office (gift!)

WEDNESDAY
Cream Floral Dress and Matching Bow - custom vintage, £5
Mustard Jumper - Primark via eBay

THURSDAY
Fluffy Beige Jumper - Hand Me Down
White Blouse - 99p, eBay
Check Pleated Skirt - 99p, Bon Marche via eBay
Red Mary Janes - £30, Topshop

FRIDAY
70s Print Blouse, £5, Primark
Black Corduroy Dress - £5, Primark
Black Glitter Socks - £1, Primark
Red Mary Janes - as above

What do you think of my outfits? Wish me luck! 

New Look Nearly Buy - Pinafore

Hello friends! Thought I'd update you on my latest purchase, or nearly purchase. A favourite past time of mine is trawling the online sales of  High Street brands, and I nearly keeled over in shock when I spotted this coral number on New Look's website for a lowly £6.00.

As we all know Pinafore's are well and truly in vogue, and considering that my wardrobe is in desperate need of some summer colour injection, I was tapping my card details in before you could say overdraft. I've never bought from New Look online before, but I can report that the transaction was pleasantly simple and postage was only £3.95, which is quite decent next to it's competitors.

My item took a week to arrive, firmly within their guidelines. So far so good. I unwrapped it eagerly, but to my dismay, the item was simply not my description of coral. In fact, it was a full on red! Considering my love of pastels and subtle shades this was a little disappointing because it really did look more like a pinky orange online. Secondly, the dress was massive! I'm normally a size 12 but went with a 14 because it was the nearest size in stock, and I find that New Look clothes sometimes come up a little small. But the waistband turned out to be hugely gappy on me, giving the pinafore more of a dinner ladies apron feel rather than an on-trend summer winner. Simply not cool, it had to go.

This however, is where New Look came into their own, Despite purchasing the item online, I was able to claim a full refund in store, and was treated really politely without any of the suspicion or accusation you sometimes get when trying to return clothes in a shop. Though this item might not have been quite right for me, the actual quality of the fabric was faultless and I certainly wouldn't be put off buying things from them in the future. I guess the moral of the story is just to try before you buy- maybe if I had verified my perception of 'coral' in the store things might have been a little different...

Have you bought anything online recently?