I will wait, I will wait for you.

Byellah Textured Coat with Quilted Sleeves - Missguided (£49.99)

I rather haphazardly stumbled across this rather delightful jacket by Missguided a few weeks back and quite simply, haven't been able to forget about it. With a tailored collarless body accompanied by faux leather quilted sleeves, It's truly singing to me to me in a fashion I can't ignore. Having hunted high and low for a collarless coat all past season, I never came across one that took my fancy. Add some pleather sleeves to the mix, toughen it up a bit, I'm smitten. With a simple blouse/tee, skirt or skinnies, it could be taken from day to night. The only question is cream or black? Either way, I just need a little push (and payday) to buy this beauty.

I am admittedly a Missguided virgin, but alas that could change all too soon. Have you ever shopped with them? 

All That Glitters

Marc Jacobs Watch / Swag Ring / Large Tiffany Bead / Pearl Tiffany Bead / Silver Tiffany Bead

With my penchant for statement necklaces truly growing strong over the last month (seen here), I thought I would share the true treasures of my jewellery collection, pieces I more or less wear every day. Each piece tells a sentimental tale, a gift from somebody dear. Something which I think is rather lovely.

I fell in love with the Tiffany beaded bracelets many years back, being classic and timeless; they work well alongside any outfit. Apart from these treasured pieces, I rarely wear any other bracelets. The bigger bead bracelet was a gift for my eighteenth from my friends, the pearl from my parents and the silver from Matthew. I like to switch them up and wear them in different combinations for different occasions. 

My Marc by Marc Jacobs watch was a complete indulgence for my twenty first birthday, a gift from my parents - I was in awe! It instantly adds glamour to an otherwise casual outfit, creates a masculine edge to a romantic look and of course, more importantly, it tells the time! One my prized processions and still going truly strong two years on, there's never a day I do not reach for this.

Saving best till last, my absolute favourite piece of jewellery is my rather large cocktail ring. Right up in your face sits a sparkling blue topaz cushioned between a shoulder of amethysts. Completely out of tune with my personal style of classic-romantic-neutrals, it's unique and rather brash manor has my heart stolen! Another gift from my parents, I will definitely wear this forever more. Whilst I'll admit its quite a love or hate piece, I'm quite the magpie and adore any cocktail ring. I think there's something very beautiful in inheriting/passing on fine jewellery on to others. My Grandmother has some amazing pieces, that I love to swoon over!

What are your most treasured pieces?

Fancy a cake do we?

Overly pretty and rather whimsical are the cake-stands that have adorned our high-streets over the past few months, becoming a must-have in the world of baking and such. Marvellous as they might be for holding dainty scrumptious treats, I decided that I really did need one.. but truth be told I had no actual need for one. For starters, the thought of myself baking is strictly off the agenda (though I can make a mean white chocolate crispy cake I'll have you know) and secondly, if there was cake to be had, I can certainly assure you it wouldn't stand around long enough in my presence to warrant a pretty place for it to stand. So whipping out my thinking cap, I made this awfully pretty Cath Kidston cake stand a home for all my knick-knacks. 

Spray Flowers Cake-Stand - Cath Kidston (£30.00)

Perching neatly on my dressing room table, all my essentials sit rather perfectly at arms reach. On the first stand we have my every day jewellery pieces (post to follow soon!) as well as providing a safe haven for my pesky glasses. Any one else own a pair of troublesome glasses that have a habit of hiding as soon as you take them off? It's bad enough being blind as bat, let alone being blind and not being able to find your glasses, living in fear you may hear that crunching sound. Just me? Alrighty then. 

Moving swiftly on to the next shelf, It has been adorned with my night-time skin care must-haves, most notably Avene eye cream, Liz Earle Multi-use Balm, Aesop Serum and a deliciously smelling Laura Mercier hand cream. Accompanied by a few necklaces that have been thrown off before bed, Jimmy Choo fragrance and a Nars lipstick I am determined to finish. 

And last but not least, we have the official dumping ground for nail varnish. Steadily trying to work myself through my extensive nail varnish collection (whoops) using a different polish every week, the used varnishes then transfer over to the third shelf. In regards to the abundance of red polish, you can certainly tell it was Christmas not long back. 

So there we have it, another random but rather useful (and pretty) way to use a cake-stand. With so much 'stuff' I love finding different bits and bobs for storage, keeping everything organised but accessible. You certainly know you've spent too much time on Pinterest when you come to the end of your glass Nutella jar and have a million ideas of how to recycle it - a little home for my cotton buds if you were wondering - rather genius if I do say so. Do you have any tips or tricks to share?  

Beauty Maintenance

Deep in the dull throws of January, all that remains to be felt is the gloomy 'Monday morning' feeling constantly, coupled with the standard penniless purse and topped off with the awfully shitty weather. With Spring gently peaking around the corner, it's the perfect time to spruce up the beauty maintenance. Who doesn't love a good pamper eh?

No7 Pamper Oil (£9.50) / Jergens Hand Cream (£2.99)* / Heel Genius (£5.50) / Sugar Crush (£8.00) / Naked Body Butter (£5.45)

Stepping up my game in the body beautifying department, several products have are in strong rotation and dutifully being used religiously every night. Starting with a good scrub, Soap and Glory's latest offering Sugar Crush is a delightfully citrus scented exfoliator which does a fabulous job of bringing dull skin back to life and clearing off old dead skin cells. Not the nittiest and grittiest of scrubs, it's gentle enough to be used daily basis whilst leaving skin feeling squeaky clean. Next up is No7 Dry Oil, a complete life-saver, it's beautifully fragrant oil is the super easy cheats guide to locking in the moisture. As soon as you step of of the shower, simply spritz all over and rub in - ta dah! Neither sticky nor leaving an oily residue, it works wonderfully in combination with Naked's Coco De Mer Body Butter on top. The body cream seals the moisture speedily and leaves skin silky soft come morning, a serious treat for cold days. To finish off before bed, a quick dollop of Jergen's Hand Cream to keep hands soft and gentle. And not forgetting Soap and Glory's Heel Genius, as it's never to early to primp those toes for summer!
(Ok slight exaggeration with summer - as we are still waiting for last years to materialise, but still - no one should have gross feet, it's a sin.)

What are your beauty must-haves of the moment?

YSL Une

Nude Beige - YSL (£23.50)

I finally jumped ship, broke my allegiance with the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines and started a love affair with the notoriously glamorous YSL Rouge Volupte in shade Nude Beige. Love upon first sight, YSL offers the silky glossy nude I seem to have been searching for in years. The perfect balance between nude and baby pink, Nude Beige lightly dabbed on to the lips creates the ultimate 'my lips but better' shade. Whether it's applied for a natural dewy look or paired with a dramatic eye, it's soft but still creates a polished look. It's creamy formulation on the lips, it has a more lipstick-y texture than the Chanel Rogue Shines, but still light, without becoming too heavy. With a light floral modern fragrance and encased in a beautiful gold tube, with intricate YSL artwork, it's stolen my heart.

Have you tried the YSL Rouge Volupte range? 

Polished to Go

Seche Vite - Amazon (£5.79)

If you told me this time last year I would would waste a good nine quid on a top coat, I would have told ya to get right back on your bike and cycle on forever more. Then, like what happened, I would then go on to have a bloody good manicure by Sophie at The Illustrated Nail and coincidentally fall head over heels for that over-priced, yes, but marvellous topcoat named Seche Vite she insisted on using.

If there were one nail varnish topcoat to rule them all, it would be this bad boy. Super, super glossy, with a thick gel like coating that makes chipping no more and polish dry in under a speedy 30 seconds. Serious face and all. Oh sure we've all heard this marketing guff before, but you tell me this, pillow nails.. been there? You know the drill, you go to sleep perfectly well with nicely dry primped nails to wake up to horrific pillow crumpled nails.. the HORROR. Say goodbye to that little sweet nightmare. Seche Vite is worth every penny and I will no longer be without a bottle of this in my stash, I went a month and it was pure torture.

I dare you to go buy a bottle and not to sing your praises to me.

*you can always find it cheaper online, if you look hard enough.

Lover of the Light

Pearl Bib Necklace - Forever 21 (£7.40)

Falling head over heels for the statement necklace trend I have found absolute delight in styling my new bejewelled addictions to my very much loved and worn classic pieces. Perfect for completely rehauling or styling different looks, a very plain tee-shirt or jumper can instantly ooze sophistication. Taking inspiration from the very chic Olivia Palermo and Vicky at Bikinis and Passports, I have found myself drawn like a magpie to seriously sparkly embellishing jewels. My latest piece from Forever 21 is a pearl  plated bib collar, wearable with any clothing item it sits neatly adding a different spin on any garment. From my boyish check shirt below to jazzing up a simple little black dress, the opportunities are endless. I'm really starting to enjoy mixing pieces together, for a completely different look.

My favourite haunt for picking up statement pieces is Forever 21, it's super affordable and they have some fabulous glam offerings, Topshop on the other hand is slightly more tribal and gothic which isn't really my scene. But keep your eyes peeled for another blog post containing a few more statement pieces from a retailer a little more closer to home, if you aren't that near to F21. 

Have you tried this trend?

Burberry's Perfected Smokey Day Look

Pale Barley - Burberry (£22.50)

It remains to be said that like most beauty junkies, spending out a ridiculous amount of money on just an eye-shadow is fair play. In that case, let me introduce to you my new eyeshadow offering in the form of Pale Barley by seriously brit cool Burberry. Following my last post before Christmas, I was lucky to receive this as gift from my somewhat bewildered boyfriend. Over the last few weeks I have been able to have a good play, creating the perfect soft day-time smokey eye. A feat I didn't know was possible, without looking like I've been in ten rounds with Mike Tyson or panda-esq. Pale Barley provides a subtle sheer wash of colour on the lid without being too fussy.

The cool tone brown shadow has an ever so slight cool gold undertone, that works wonders with blue eyes as well as bringing the colour to life, not looking too heavy or flat. It's texture is buttery and the application is very easy to apply, Burberry really came out on tops with this shadow. Normally reaching for more warm bronze tone brown shades, the flirt with Pale Barley definitely paid off and I look forward to wearing this eye during the day, then smoking out more for evening. Brownie points for seriously glam packaging, not only the sleek gun-metal grey case but the iconic check print emblazoned in the shadow.

If you haven't treated yourself to Burberry cosmetic line yet, why not!

Bable

Hannah - Carvela (£49.00)

Allow me to formerly introduce you to my must have S/S accessory: the classic nude Hannah flats from Carvela. If there was ever a shoe to make you feel glamorous it would be without a doubt a nude heel, sleek and classic. For everyday wear though it has to be the Hannah, clean and simple with a classic (not overly done so) point, they are the perfect accomplice to any outfit. Whilst they may not be emblazoned in this season's trend of studs or shaped like a smoking slipper, they will however last you a lifetime and add a primped touch to any outfit. It's the shoe I always seem to need, but never have. Paired with your worn-in jeans they instantly bring polished touch, paired with an cocktail dress they are a comfortable alternative to a heel and for the most part, they look a hell of a lot more pricey than they are. Until I can afford the red-licked sole version, the Carvela Hannah's are sure to play a massive part in my spring/summer wardrobe that's for sure.

Do you own a simple fail-safe pair of pumps?

Tip top.

After purchasing a few bits and pieces from Liz Earle in the past I was automatically listed on their mailing list for their brilliant seasonal magazine 'Beauty Insider.' Stepping away from the usual marketing blurb, it uncovers a surprising range of editorial content. A fab little read it includes a number of great articles on ingredients, production and all-round great beauty advice, complied by the experts who work for the brand - from scientists in product development to make-up artist Jane Bradley. 

Before Christmas I spotted on the Liz Earle Facebook page that they were looking for customers to send in their top-tips, with a few up my sleeve I decided to send mine on in! We are always on the search for beauty tips and tricks we haven't heard of and I love hearing what other people swear by. Fast track to the New Year  I was delighted to see one of my very own was included in their latest issue: 

I was also very grateful to receive a complimentary Cleanse and Polish as a thank-you, which is rather good timing, as I've just finished my tube. If you fancy sending in a tip, then be sure to email at [email protected] - why not! If you fancy having a good ponder at Beauty Insider, you can also view the online version here.

What's your top beauty tips?