H&M Lust List

Happy Saturday! Whilst I was thoroughly spoiled by all manner of lovely gifts for my 21st birthday, you can't beat a good gift voucher. Kev's mum was kind enough to send me a £10 card for H&M and as a shop where I have picked up some great bargains in the past, I'm looking forward to getting down to my nearest branch and having a good old rummage. H&M's basics are always really good quality which is important to me at the moment as I'm really trying to introduce some more plain staples and sedate colours into my wardrobe to break up all the mad patterns! Here are some of my top picks that I'm contemplating at the moment, all currently under £15...

What have you got your eye on at the moment?

Lust List: American Apparel

With my 21st birthday looming (eek!) I thought it'd be fun to do a round up of some of the lovely things I definitely don't need (far too many clothes!) but have always liked the look of. The expense of it and lack of one nearby has always stopped me from shopping in American Apparel, but I've always admired how they many to make basics look desirable and how they aren't afraid to subvert boring items with bright colours or patterns. Some of their things are a little on the short side which is a shame, but with the right pair of tights or leggings I'm sure the dresses and skirts would be fine. Here is a round up of a few of my spring favourites.

New online discovery - Oasap High Street Fashion

Evening! Just a quick post to update you all on my latest favourite online store, Oasap. I'm not even sure myself how I stumbled upon this one, I think I spotted it on a different blog. But that's not important! The important thing is how cute and affordable some of these dresses are. Taking inspiration from High Street fashion around the world, they are a Hong Kong-come-American based brand and offer all sorts of trends. They're also incredibly blogger friendly, offering free shipping around the world and an affiliation service which earns bloggers comission for click through links from their site through to oasap's. Sadly, I am definitely not a big enough deal in bloggerland for that to work for me, but that didn't stop me putting together a lust montage of some of my favourite pieces anyway.

I LOVE the bunny dress and pastel heels - I think they're look great for a summer BBQ or garden party. Looks like I best get saving that student loan!

Have you visited Oasap yet? You can find them at http://www.oasap.com/. Enjoy!

Overcome with Joy

Hi everyone, how are we all? I've been a bit stressed of late moving house (and realising I own far too much crap) but everything has settled down now and I am becoming accustomed to the new place.

Unfortunately, the swap-over between old and new house meant that Kev and I were essentially homeless for the weekend, but luckily my delightful friend Charlotte put us up at hers! However, with all our possessions in storage, we were at a bit of a loose end in terms of entertainment all weekend, so decided to treat ourselves to a bit of window shopping in Leeds.

Anyone from the West Yorkshire area will know that Leeds town centre has been undergoing a bit of a rejuvenation the past few months, with Leeds Trinity Shopping centre a new fixture boasting a massive food court, huge Urban Outfitters and in the coming months, a Primark of a size that will rival even Manchesters. Not bad for bargain lovers like me!

But what really excited me about my trip to Leeds was the discovery of an even newer shop, called Joy. According to their website bio, they are a London brand, but I had never heard of them before, which I realised was a crying shame the second I stepped inside. Imagine Urban Outfitters having an older, more demure sister, and you can pretty much imagine what Joy stock. Gorgeous, sophisticated patterns without any annoying cut outs (a massive pet hate of mine) or booby bits, all of joys dresses, blouses and knitwear were quirky and fun, but still of a high enough quality and subtlety that you wouldn't feel weird wearing them in lectures or the workplace.

With principal label Louche providing most of the stock, in which women can 'indulge sartorial fantasies with exclusive style and vintage flair.', there is certainly an upmarket high street feel about Joy, the same sense of timelessness you get from Next, Monsoon or Debenhams. Luckily, the price tags are more than reasonable, with a fantastic sale on this month.

Alas, my self-imposed 'clothes spending ban unless absolutely necessary or from ebay' (jenessa trademark) stopped me from purchasing anything myself, so I thought I would live vicariously by assembling some outfit posts. Enjoy, and check out Joy's stock for yourself at joythestore.com!