DITSY PRINT DRESS

Just a quick post this evening to show you what I've been wearing today! The weather's still at that horrible in between stage (rainy but muggy - eurgh) so I've been finding it difficult to put outfits together that are weather appropriate lately. I found the River Island dress hidden amongst all of my clothes and realised I'd never actually worn it since buying it back at the beginning of April! (Still in stores and online here.) I got it purely because I love the print, but the shape, in particular the neckline, is something I don't usually go for. Having short hair, I tend to go for higher necklines as I'm conscious of showing my pastey white chest! It's definitely more suited for summer, but teamed with tights and toughened up with my studded black biker jacket, I think it works nicely.

Dress - River Island
Biker Jacket - Topshop
Tights - TU
Boots - Primark
Rings (left to right) - Dixi, Timothy Roe*, New Look, River Island, New Look
Nails - Sensual by Jessica

I wore this outfit to head off into the town centre today for a spot of retail therapy. I had quite a few things to return so got lots of new things in exchange, meaning I didn't have to spend any more money - result! I got a few of the rings pictured, as well as a couple of new tops and a gorgeous bag. I think I'm going to have to put myself on a shopping ban for the next few weeks as car tax and MOT are looming (mega sad face), so these were my last treats for a while now. It's going to be tough as I've seen so many nice pieces on the high street lately. Wish me luck!

Which High Street store are you loving at the moment?

GIVEAWAY: WIN A PAIR OF HUNTER WELLIES!

So lucky for you lovely people, I've teamed up with Hunter to give you the chance to win a pair of their classic tall boots, perfect for the coming festival season! As you all know, Hunter is the wellie of choice for all the big names when it comes to festivals such as Glastonbury, so if you'd like to get your hands on a pair then look no further. Before I head into the competition rules and details on how to enter, I thought I'd show you some of my favourite footwear currently available from Hunter. They don't just do wellies you know, there's also a range of summer sandals and lovely slip on shoes, so come rain or shine there is something fit for any weather. My favourites are the bright glossy finish wellies, and the gorgeous black quilted beauties. I'm loving all the summery colours available, bringing the boots bang up to date and giving a big splash of colour and fun to any outfit.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

So, to be in with the chance of winning a pair of Hunter Original Tall Wellies, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (either via GFC or Bloglovin) and go over and 'like' the Hunter Facebook page. These are mandatory entry requirements, but there are lots of other ways to gain more entries, making your chances of winning even higher! Just fill out all the relevant details in the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Simple as that! The competition will run until Sunday 26th May, and the winner will be announced within the following 48 hours. All the Ts & Cs are stated in the widget below if you wish to see them.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and a huge thank you to Hunter for supplying such an amazing prize!

 

WEEKLY SNAPSHOT #54

Healthy breakfast of granola, yoghurt, strawberries and honey | Face of the day | Wearing my latest Vintage purchase | Spent the day in the sun with my little nephew | Healthy tea | Went out to buy Alien, came back with Mont Blanc's new perfume too! | Ready to see Queen Bey | Beyonce - absolutely amazing!!! | Lift snap in the hotel ready to hit the shops | Best sweet shop I've ever seen! | Off out for a lovely meal with the boy (wearing my new Topshop kimono) | Charity shop purchases | Finally caffeine free pepsi! | Rustled up some yummy asian style salmon for tea | Off camping in the rain | Back a couple of days later with a Starbucks treat to warm me up after two days of rain.

Follow me on Instagram: @c_sittingpretty

SUITED + BOOTED

Hello you lovely lot! At the minute I'm in the Lake District camping with family, so if you are reading this and it's raining then please feel sorry for me, ha! I've scheduled this post as I wanted to show you another outfit I wore in Manchester whilst I was there the past few days. It's a look that I'm loving at the moment, which is teaming relaxed boyfriend jeans with a smart blazer jacket for a great alternative work outfit. As many of you know I work in a menswear head office, so this kind of ensemble is ideal as its comfy enough for a day at the desk, yet smart enough for work wear. I'm lucky to work somewhere thats quite relaxed when it comes to how you dress, so this is the kind of thing I tend to go for. 

Blazer - F&F*

TShirt - H&M

Jeans - River Island

Boots - F&F*

Necklace - Miss Selfridge via Debenhams*

I picked up the jeans a few weeks back on an impromptu shopping trip and loved them as soon as I tried them on. I really like the fit of these as they are tapered so are more flattering for my shape and the rips make them even better! These paired with the printed blazer makes for a perfect combo, pulled together with a simple white tee and nude boots. 

What do you think of the boyfriend jean trend? Do you like to mix smart with casual?

 

BEADED BLOUSE

If you're wondering why it's been a little quiet round here, that's because I've been in Manchester for the last few days with Dan, staying in a lovely hotel for a little getaway. The main reason for the trip was to go and see Beyonce on Wednesday night and oh my goodness she was absolutely amazing! I was devastated to miss her last two shows (when she came to Manchester not once, but twice in the space of a few months) due to my lack of money, so to finally see her live was so good. She is an absolute star and hands down the best performer and entertainer in my opinion. Mega girl crush! Then yesterday we hit the shops of Manchester for a spot of retail therapy, and this is what I wore! Cue some snaps taken in bad hotel room lighting...

Blouse - F&F*

Skirt - Ark*

Tights - TU

Boots - Topshop

I love the blouse so much. The pictures really don't do it justice, but it's covered in gorgeous delicate beading detail that is so pretty. I really like the contrast between that and the grungy acid wash denim skater skirt for an edgy twist. I'm really liking the skater shape at the minute as I feel it's flattering for my shape and really nips you in at the waist to create subtle curves. Note that the rights are back too since the rain returned! I'm off on a little camping trip in the Lake District tomorrow so I'm praying the weather gets better because I don't fancy resembling a drowned rat all weekend! 

What have you all been up to this week? Did any of you see Beyonce?

SPECS APPEAL

Where has the sun gone?! Not impressed with the weather today at all. I've gone from wearing skirts and camisoles back to full length trousers and chunky knits! I guess Summer's over already in the North West. Anyway, even though I'm having to dress like it's Winter again, I've tried to brighten today's outfit up with my favourite floral trousers and some gladiator style heels I picked up from River Island back in the January sales and can finally wear (May seems an acceptable time of year to show some toe, right?). I'm also sporting some lovely tortoise shell glasses I recently got from online glasses store, Firmoo. I was very kindly gifted two pairs, this one and a pair of sunglasses, which I'm really impressed with. I've been after a good pair of 'geek' glasses for a while now and these seem to suit my face shape a lot more than others I've tried.

Jumper - Topshop

Trousers - Topshop

Shoes - River Island

Glasses - Style SD 2300 via Firmoo*

The frames I got just have clear fashion lenses (non-prescription) although I am supposed to wear proper glasses for reading etc I haven't had my eyes tested recently (naughty naughty) so didn't know the correct numbers to enter. I absolutely adore the tortoise shell frames, however I'm not too keen on the sunglasses as the shape is a little more rectangular than I was expecting. I thought they would be more like the others but unfortunately I feel they don't suit my face shape as nicely. They are great quality though and I really like the grey shade of the lenses. I'm sure I'll get some use out of them and will no doubt keep them in my car as a back up when the sun surprises us!

Glasses - Style SD 2300 and SD 2383 both via Firmoo*

Firmoo have very kindly sent over a link for you guys to get your first pair of glasses for free so you can try out the service yourself and get your own pair. Just click here to be taken to the page where you can choose your frames and preferences. I've already got my eye on another couple of pairs after trying these, including some gorgeous round frames.

Let me know if you get a pair, and also thanks so much to Firmoo for sending over my two pairs!

LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR SKINCARE REVIEW

As some of you may remember, a few weeks back I decided to try out a couple of items from the highly acclaimed La Roche-Posay skincare line. My beloved Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser had run out, and I'd become lazy in my skincare regime, often resorting to make up wipes as a pose to a proper cleanser (slaps wrist) . I'd decided to purchase some new skincare goodies after experiencing a few bad breakouts, particularly around the forehead area, and with a quick fix needed but no Liz Earle stockists near by, I headed to my local Boots store.  After perused the aisles for a few minutes feeling deflated as I'd tried a number of the products but had no luck, until I spotted La Roche-Posay. First off, I didn't even realise Boots stocked the brand. With such an exotic (well, French) professional sounding name I 'd always thought this was an item only to be found in High End pharmacies and department stores, and the pharmacies on the streets of France. I'd heard so many good things about this brand, mainly from the beauty blogging/vlogging world so I decided to give a couple of the 'Effaclar' products a whirl:  The Purifying Foaming Gel cleanser and the Mat moisturiser.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar: Purifying Foaming Gel For Oily Sensitive Skin - 200ml £10.21 - Boots
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat: Anti Shine Anti Enlarged Pores Moisturiser - 40ml rrp £15 but can't find on Boots site!

I'm going to get straight to the point and tell you honestly that neither of these have worked for me in the slightest, which I'm really disappointed with because the products themselves are really lovely to use. I'm unsure whether it's one item in particular or the pair together that isn't agreeing with me, as I haven't tried them alone, but after around 3-4 weeks of using them I've given up and gone back to Liz Earle. It's not that they were making my skin worse, but more the fact that they weren't making it any better. My breakout didn't even start to budge until I switched back to my old routine, meaning my teenage skin was sticking around. The uneven, bumpy state of my skin was almost 'maintained' throughout my use of the products, but I know many people who use this and HAVE seen huge improvements with their skin, so I would still recommend trying it if you are unsure.

My skin is combination: Pretty normal but sometimes dry around the cheeks, but can get very oily throughout the T Zone (forehead, nose and sometimes chin), hence my choice of the two La Roche-Posay Effaclar products. Both are designed for oily sensitive skin, which I seem to have, and I know of people with very similar skin to mine who swear by these products (making it even more annoying that they seemed to have no effect on me). However, like I said, the use and feel of the two items is really nice. I really like the gel cleanser, how it foams up easily and the skin feels clean and fresh afterwards, and the moisturiser come makeup primer has a lovely satin feel to it which is light and delicate. The only problem I had with the moisturiser itself was that it did leave a couple of dry patches every now and then on my cheeks and even hands after using for a few days, so definitely not one for those with dry skin!

It's such a shame that these didn't work out for me, but I'm determined to give them another shot separately somewhere down the line to pinpoint which was the problem product. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the La Roche-Posay Effaclar line and if you had any similar issues! I've learnt a valuable lesson from this - don't always believe the hype!