September mini Primark Haul & other Purchases

Every September I can't resist adding a few new season items to my wardrobe to update my look for Autumn which is my favourite season. Primark is a good place to start if you're on a tight budget like me as you can pick up both key, trend-led pieces and capsule basics for under £15

One of my favourite looks is Victorian Gothic and this lace shirt (£12) with a velvet ribbon tied at the neck fits the bill perfectly. This can be glammed up with a black patent pencil skirt or dressed down with jeans and ankle boots

This cosy cardi (£14) will be perfect for chilly days and is in one of the most popular colours at the moment; Burgundy. I'm looking forward to snuggling up in this!

I love a comfortable dress that you can just throw on with a pair of tights and boots on a cold or rainy day so this pink knitted roll neck dress (£10) should do the trick

I've always been a fan of red and this PU pencil skirt with split (£10) will be perfect for nights out, especially during the party season. Lets just hope I'm well enough to go out this December after being so ill last year and missing out on the festivities.

I'm not really a jewellery person but I do find that it can complete a look so I try my best to wear it when I remember! This gorgeous set of rings was a bargain £4 and are a good way to update your look with a touch of boho

For Casual, everyday wear I often slip into a pair of jeggings from Uniqlo as they are so soft and comfortable like leggings but pretty much look like jeans. At £14.90 you can't go wrong so I picked up two pairs for Autumn and Winter

Bloggers Love Fashion Week September 2015

I've been to a few Bloggers Love events before so was keen to attend their Fashion Week event on Monday evening. My boyfriend came along to experience a blogger event and take the photos for which I'm very grateful! We arrived early at about 5.50 so it wasn't too busy when we first got there. There were some great brands and the ones that I spoke to were very friendly and engaging. I didn't get the chance to chat to everyone but I did have a detailed look and chat with representatives from the following brands:

Kleem Organics; I'm looking forward to trying their vitamin C serum which will hopefully reduce the appearance of the pigmentation marks on my skin (see picture 2)

Boadica The Victorious; This range of unique luxury unisex scents is available in high end department stores such as Selfridges and the two fragrances that I sampled were sensual, musky florals that lasted all night. One for the Christmas list I think! (see picture 1)

Little Odine; The concept of peel-off nail polish takes me back to my childhood in the 90s but what a great idea! I definitely plan to try them soon as they dry quickly, use natural ingredients so are much less damaging to your nails than normal nail varnish and as they peel off, theres no need to faff around with remover (see picture 4)

Type the Hype: This platform brings bloggers and brands together by giving them opportunities to work together on assignments. I will definitely be signing up very soon

Linzy-Lou's: This purse friendly accessories brand had a few on trend handbags that I have my eye on! I'm very tempted by the red one in picture 3 below

Halo; A hair extension brand with a difference as rather than traditional clip ins, the hair piece is worn around your head like a hat and once you pull through your own hair it blends pretty seamlessly, providing the shade matches your own hair. It also feels incredibly soft and shiny (see picture 6)

I also had a quick chat with the lovely Georgina Dee (below) who has recently produced her first collection, including this gorgeous blue cocktail dress 

There was also a fashion show which showcased gorgeous pieces by Amigdala Wearable Art jewellery, Quiz clothing and Zaeem Jamal

I enjoyed the event but did struggle with the all black dress code as it's not a colour that I usually wear head to toe unless I'm at work! However, it did make the front row look very professional, like the show was being watched by fashion editors and it also pushed me out of my comfort zone style wise. I went for a playsuit from Motel with tights, a fedora from River Island and fringed faux suede jacket from Zara which I ended up tying around my waist. Ankle boots from Linzi and a fringed Primark bag completed the look. The OXO Tower location also provided the perfect backdrop for outfit photos

That 70's Show

The 70's is one of my favourite fashion eras. From the glamour of Studio 54 to floaty dresses with groovy prints, the looks of the decade are right up my street. Designer brands such as Gucci and Miu Miu set the trend on the catwalk which, thankfully for us mere mortals has translated well onto the high street. I'm in love with 70s inspired pieces in Zara and Mango but it's worth browsing all of the high street giants as I found this little gem in H&M for £19.99. I love the fluted sleeves, tasselled tie neck and autumnal toned print which will look fab with burgundy tights. (once I find the perfect pair)

As it wore it for a party that was in a garden I layered a white polo top from Topshop underneath, which also added to the 70's feel. My ankle boots are old ones from New Look. Expect many more 70's inspired looks in the near future!

Learning how to Dress to Flatter your Body Shape

There is an art to dressing to suit your body shape and what to avoid. Most of the time I like to think that I get it right but there are occasions when I don't as you can see from the pictures below! Health problems have caused my weight to fluctuate over the past two years and I'm currently at my heaviest. Most of the weight tends to go to my stomach area which means bodycon is out of the question and anything that is tight around this area looks very unflattering as you can see from the dungaree dress below! (I was even trying to hold my stomach in for this picture) It's difficult for me to flatter my current shape with some dresses as I still have small shoulders so it can gape in this area but be tight everywhere else. 

Although I'm still considered to have quite a slim body, last year I was over a stone lighter and I'm at the point where most of my clothes don't fit properly, if at all. This was quite a rushed outfit as I was running late and didn't have time to iron anything but it has taught me a valuable lesson about outfit planning. I felt so uncomfortable all day and couldn't wait to get home to get changed!

I currently have a thyroid problem which I will be discussing with a doctor in a weeks time so hopefully I can find a way to manage it and lose some weight around my stomach but in the meantime I'm sticking to loose dresses, high waisted bottoms with floaty blouses and for anything tighter I think it may be time to invest in a pair of Spanx!

My August Beauty Favourites

I think it's about time I did some more beauty posts to mix things up a bit so I plan to make a regular feature of posting about my favourite products. So, here are the items that I have been mostly using this month

2015 feels like the year of the highlighter. So much so that it has become a key part of my make up routine to give my face a glow and make my cheekbones stand out. Most of the time I just use it on my cheek and brow bones but a tiny bit on both the cupids bow and tip of the nose also helps create a flawless look which translate well in photos. I like to use both cream and powder formulations so thought I would try Topshop Glow in 'Polished' which has a pink iridescent sheen to it. It also looks good on the eyelids for days when you just want to go for a very subtle look. My go to highlighter is High Beam by Benefit but this is a warmer, more subtle alternative.

As I wear quite a bit of make up some days a good cleanser is really important to make sure all traces are removed. I often use Simple Micellar cleansing wipes followed by Garnier micellar water to remove as much make up as possible then before bed I use a cream cleanser such as Bee Good Honey and Propolis cream cleanser with a muslin cloth for a deep clean. The Bee Good range is made by British Bees and uses natural ingredients. The cleanser makes your skin feel very clean and soft and I love the smell

I have always had dark circles under my eyes so any concealer that hides them is a winner in my book. Mac's Studio Finish concealer didn't disappoint and it also lasts all day when set with powder. It has become my favourite concealer which I use most days but not all the time as I don't want to use it all up quickly!

SASS specialise in PH balanced intimate skincare and I've been using the Intimate Soothe & Smooth shave gel on my bikini area. It made shaving a much more pleasant experience and my skin doesn't feel irritated like it usually does after shaving. A day after using it for the first time it even got rid of a long term ingrown hair on my bikini line! It's available in Boots so I'll definitely be stocking up

I will leave you with my current favourite Lush product which is the Frozen bath bomb. It is probably my favourite bath bomb of all time as I love the fresh, uplifting smell, silver glitter and how it turns your bath into a blue, sparkly winter wonderland! 

My Autumn/Winter 2015 Wishlist

I'm so excited to pick up some new season pieces over the next few months, although I probably shouldn't as my wardrobe is currently bursting at the seams but I just can't help myself! I make sure that I hunt around for the best bargains and often give items I no longer wear to charity. I don't believe in throwing clothes away as there is always someone out there that will need them and make use of them.

Here are some of the items on my wish list from asos, Zara, River Island, Topshop, New Look and Dorothy Perkins but I'll probably only end up buying a couple of them as I need to be sensible. I'm still into the boho look, along with camel tones and high necked blouses. Please follow me on Pinterest if you don't already and I'll make sure I follow back. Has anyone else compiled their new season wish list yet?


Follow Chelsey's board AW15 Wishlist on Pinterest.

The Big Blogger Conference 2015

I'm signed up to the LDN Meet Up mailing list and when the email about The Big Blogger Conference came through I knew I had to go! I've been blogging for nearly 5 years now but over that time the digital and blogging world have changed considerably so I welcome any advice to improve my blog and keep up with the times. I also love meeting brands and fellow bloggers so this was the perfect opportunity to combine the two. The event was organised by Lauren (@Blonde_vision), Jenny (@_dreaminpink) and Abi (Abigail__Brown) and it took place in the Russell hotel on Saturday which was pretty easy to get to from where I live in east London. It was one of the hottest days of the year so I stuck to short sleeves but I wanted to get in on the autumnal colours early so I wore a camel skirt from Primark (£8) with a burgundy crop top from H&M (£5.99) and Camel sleeveless blazer from New Look (£19.99)

The day consisted of 3 talks from 10am to 12pm which felt like going back to uni and being in the lecture hall but was much more interesting and useful as the speakers were also bloggers. First on the agenda was a Pinterest seminar with Elizabeth Sellers which was definitely made me think about reviving my slightly abandoned Pinterest account and linking it to and from my blog. Next up Jasmin Charlotte educated me about the world of tech and SEO and I will certainly be taking her advice on board. I found the 'link juice' discussion particularly useful. Last but not least, Sarah Moody gave invaluable advice for contacting PRs, getting invited to events and reviewing products which I'll definitely put into practice in the near future

After the talks we had a break for lunch then went back to the hotel to walk around the different stalls and chat to the brands. There were some great brands there whose products I can't wait to try including Beaubronz, Bee Good, Heaven Skincare, House of Fraser, Made by Jade, Comb, Sass, Jewellerybox.co.uk, My Protein and Shoeaholics so keep your eyes peeled for some reviews over the next few weeks. 

Shoes, glorious shoes on the Shoeaholics stall

Made by Jade

Beau Bronz

SASS Intimate skincare

Bee Good skincare with a conscience

Heaven Skincare

I also got my hair done by one of the lovely ladies from The Parlour London. It was so intricate and something I could never do myself so I felt so glamorous and didn't want to take it all down at bedtime! 

There was also a raffle to raise money for Scoliosis Association (UK) which is a great cause to help the sufferers of Scoliosis and other spinal conditions. I had a fantastic day and thought that the event was very well organised. I connected with a few bloggers and brands and picked up lots of tips on how to improve my blog so I would definitely attend something similar in the future