Here I am again with another post entirely dedicated to my love of a Zara dress. What can I say? They do them so well! Just like the white button down dress I was raving about earlier in the summer, this beautiful new season emerald green number is priced at an incredibly reasonable £29.99, and so wearable that you are sure to get your money's worth out of it in no time at all. If you're anything like me, that alone is reason enough to add to basket, but this dress has so much more going for it than that. So, just in case you are in the mood to be enabled, here are 5 more reasons to buy this gorgeous Zara halter neck dress.
1. It's An "All Year Rounder"
2. It Looks (And Feels) More Expensive Than It Is
At the risk of sounding like an old person, haven't man made fabrics come a long way?! This dress is 100% polyester, which doubtless accounts for its affordability, yet it really does look and feel as though it's been made from silk. Add to that the chic, effortless cut and flattering tie waist and side splits and you have a dress that totally belies its under £30 price tag.
3. It Can Be Worn In A Multitude Of Ways
In addition to working equally well as a summer or autumn piece, this has so much versatility when it comes to styling, too. I find it suits me best with the neck worn open, but you could also button it all the way to the top and wear your hair up for a completely different look. A sleek pair of heels would definitely add some glam, and you could swap the tie belt for something that makes more of a statement. To take it down another route entirely, if you are cool enough (I'm not!), you could add a slouchy sweater over the top and team with trainers, or wear it unbuttoned over jeans.
4. It Has Pockets
I don't know what it is about pockets, but I know I'm not the only one who feels like the cat that got the cream when I discover them on a dress or pair of trousers I love. Pockets are like the icing on the cake! I've omitted to demonstrate them here, but rest assured this dress comes with pockets so that you can
5. There's A Version For Everyone
I fell in love with the emerald green dress, but if it's not your thing, it's also available in two lovely animal prints. The printed versions are a little more expensive but still a very reasonable £39.99. I am sure that they will both prove to be very popular, given the current demand for all things animal print!
Have you been buying anything for the new season yet?
Kate x
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There is so much I love about this dress. The feminine, floral print, the floaty chiffon fabric, the high neck with the subtle ruffle. And I think we all know by now that I can't resist a bit of statement sleeve action. In fact, this is pretty much my dream dress, apart from one thing.
It's too bloody short.
Now, I don't necessarily have a problem getting my legs out. But when you're clumsy like me, it's a bit of a pain trying to be extra careful not to drop anything. Because, naturally, if you drop something, you're going to have to bend down to pick it up, and you absolutely cannot bend down in this dress. Not unless you want to expose your entire butt to innocent passers-by, that is.
And I'm only 5'3! Goodness knows how it would work on anybody taller.
Luckily, the high neck and dark background mean that you can team this little number with tights and boots as well as bare legs and sandals, which is a lot safer for all concerned. And, given that the weather here has been distinctly un-spring like of late (apparently snow is forecast for later in the week!) I have been able to get some wear out of it. Every cloud has a silver lining, as they say.
One thing that really is perfect is this sweet little beaded bracelet that I was very kindly sent by Lola Rose. It's the Greenwich bracelet in pearl quartzite and rose gold, and it compliments the dress beautifully. The quality of this bracelet has really impressed me. It's very delicate, and the beads have a lovely lustre to them. Best of all, it's adjustable, so those with tiny wrists like me don't need to worry about whether it will fit. There's hundreds of variations on this bracelet, so I'd definitely recommend browsing the Lola Rose website if you like the look of this one.
Have you ever owned an almost perfect dress?
Kate x
*Gifted item. All opinions, as always, are my own.
I mentioned a while ago that I received a few different items of clothing from Shein recently, and at last I've got around to blogging about the final piece - this wraparound, paisley print maxi dress.
I'll be really honest - when I first received this, I wasn't sure it was actually going to function as an item of clothing. There is so little to it, and other than the single wraparound string at the waist, it has no fastening at all. As you can imagine, weightless fabric plus flimsy fastening isn't the greatest combination, especially if there's a bit of a breeze blowing, as there was when I was taking these photos!
That said, I do think there is a place in my wardrobe for this. It is so pretty, and so light, that I think it would make a great beach dress. It would be the easiest thing in the world to roll this into nothing and pack it into a beach bag, then slip it over a bikini for lunch or whatever. I'd definitely wear it like that, but as a regular dress to go strolling through the city in - not so much.
I do love the cut and print of this dress. Styled with tan shoes and red lips, it is really pretty, so I'm happy that I've thought of an alternative use for it.
Have you ever bought something, or tried something on in store, that didn't quite work the way it was supposed to? And have you ever had to re-imagine an item of clothing because it was too pretty to abandon altogether?
Let me know!
Kate x
*Gifted item. All opinions, as always, are my own.
Happy 2017 everyone! Did you have a good Christmas? Mine was lovely, apart from the fact that the entire family seemed to take turns getting sick. All plans for New Year's Eve celebrations quickly disappeared by the wayside, and I ended up watching the London fireworks on TV in my pyjamas, drinking lemsip. But in the interests of starting the new year on a positive note, I won't go on about it!
The start of a new year always gets me excited. It's the perfect time to take stock and reflect on the achievements of the past twelve months and to set new goals for the year to come. I don't tend to make the typical health or fitness related resolutions - I've been around long enough by now to know that I just won't stick to them, and that "everything in moderation" is the approach that works best for me when it comes to diet and exercise, throughout the year.
I do, however, love setting goals in other areas, not least this blog. One thing I'm determined to do this year is make sure those goals are attainable. I've always been ambitious, and I see that as a good thing, but in the past I've had a tendency to challenge myself with wildly unrealistic targets. This is counter productive, as all it does is set me up for failure and disappointment. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to start five new hobbies, excel at work, be a domestic goddess and spend more time pampering myself. As for turning into Rosie Huntington-Whitely, it's time to accept that's never going to happen.
It was my husband who first introduced me to the concept of SMART goals. Just in case you haven't heard of it, it's usually used in business but can be applied to anything. The meaning behind the acronym can vary slightly, but in essence it stands for Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic and Time-bound. Apply those criteria to any goal you wish to achieve, and you've set yourself nicely on the path to success.
Let's say, for example, that I wanted to set myself a target with my Instagram account this year. When it comes to Instagram, we all dream of having a large following, so it's tempting to set a goal along the lines of getting a certain number of followers by the end of the year. However, ultimately, that's not something I have any control over. No matter what I do, or how hard I work on my Instagram account, I can't force people to follow me (unless, of course, I buy those followers, but that's cheating, and we don't condone cheating, now do we?!) This is a good example of a non-action-oriented goal - There is no action I can take that will directly result in more followers, although of course this is what we all hope for if we create a pretty enough feed.
Instead, it's better to set a goal that's more focused on building my profile and improving the quality of my images, such as getting into a regular weekly posting schedule. To apply the SMART principle to this goal, I would first need to make it Specific - that is, decide exactly what I want to post and when. It then becomes Measurable, because each week I will know whether I have met my target or not. Crucially, unlike the follower-based goal, it's Action-oriented, meaning that my own action (of posting photos) determines my success or failure. Keeping things Realistic is important - for example, one to two pictures per day is probably doable for me, but if I try for much more I risk setting myself up to fail. Finally, I need to make it a Time-bound goal, so I know exactly when I'm going to post each picture, and can make sure I have set aside the time I need.
Dress* - Shein, Blazer - Zara (similar), Bag - Zara (Similar), Shoes - Topshop (Similar), Tights - H&M
By doing this, I set myself a target that I'm actually capable of meeting, which leads to feelings of positivity and, as a result, should spur me on to achieve even more. By contrast, feeling that you've failed to achieve something often leads to negativity and a slump in energy, so what on earth is the point of setting unrealistic targets? Hopefully, by approaching my Instagram goals in this new way, I should end up with a feed I can be proud of and the followers will... well, follow!
You can apply the SMART principle to any goal you want to achieve, whether that's something personal, blog related, career related - anything. I'm definitely going to use it to set new goals for my blog this year.
Have you set any goals for 2017?
Kate x
P.S. If you're based in the UK and fancy winning a Wonderbra, you can still enter my giveaway here.
*Gifted item
In reality, there might be time for a quick shower before I throw my dress on and go straight into the hair and makeup. Everything else needs to be done the night before, or else it probably isn't happening!
I was really excited when Boohoo invited me to their Christmas party at the W Hotel in Leicester Square this year. It sounded like a fantastic venue, I'd get to say hi to a few bloggers I'd met before, and best of all, plus ones were allowed, so I was able to bring my sister with me. Boohoo also very kindly offered to gift me a dress for the occasion. What more could any girl want?
Preparation began a week or so before with my favourite tanning routine. The dress I was going to wear was quite demure, but there was still going to be a bit of flesh on show, so I wanted a bit of a glow. Often, instead of a regular fake tan, I'll use Dove Summer Revived for a few days leading up to an event. It's much less hassle to apply and gives a similar effect if you let the colour build up over a few applications.
Next, nails. I always find that manicures take me the longest time to do, and there's nothing worse than rushing it and going out with a smudged nail (first world problems!) Often, I'll give myself a mani pedi the night before an event, so I have time to do it properly. This time, I went for the shade I'm Not Really A Waitress by OPI - a gorgeous ruby red with a pearlescent finish that's just perfect for this time of year.
As my dress was black, I decided to go for a red lip, and in fact the makeup I ended up wearing for the occasion was very similar to the look I posted here. The biggest difference was that I used Mary Lou Manizer by theBalm as a highlight instead of Mac Soft and Gentle, as it packs a bit more of a punch. I didn't do anything different with my hair - just curled it like I always do and applied half a can of hairspray to protect it from any weather related mishaps on the journey there.
With my dress being quite simple and understated, I allowed myself a little bit of sparkle when it came to accessories. The gold clutch bag and ring are years old, but I did treat myself to some new shoes from Topshop. How gorgeous are these? The shape of them is just perfect, and I'm completely in love with the beautiful embroidery and ballerina style ribbon ties. I honestly think the detail on these makes them look so much more expensive than they really are, and thanks to the block heel I can actually walk in them too! They're also available in plain black velvet and a sort of mermaid-esque shimmer finish. The embroidered ones are definitely my favourites, but given how amazing the shape is I'm seriously tempted to buy the plain black as well.
Of course, in the middle of getting ready, you need to take a quick break to check social media. It's compulsory.
Then put your shoes on...
And when you're finally ready, you need to take a blurry as hell mirror selfie. Because otherwise, you're missing the point.
And when you're finally ready, you need to take a blurry as hell mirror selfie. Because otherwise, you're missing the point.
Haven't Boohoo done an amazing job with this dress? It's so pretty and easy to wear. I felt like a princess in it, but also super comfortable. I actually don't think the pictures on the website do it justice. Because Boohoo clothes in general are really affordable, it does leave you wondering about the quality, but I was pleasantly surprised when I received this. The dress feels weighty and soft to the touch, and I love the sheer striped overlay on the skirt. At just £25 I think it's a brilliant buy, and I'm tempted to snap it up in another colour, possibly the white.
The party itself was so much fun. Held in the glamorous and very cool nightclub on the first floor of the W hotel, the atmosphere was buzzing. There was champagne aplenty, and all sorts of delicious food to snap up as it whizzed by on trays, including adorable mini cones of fish and chips. There was a photobooth, fabulous glittering face paint, great music and more. The following set of photos was taken by Boohoo, so thanks to them for allowing me to share them here, not to mention inviting me to such a great party!
Have you got any Christmas parties planned in the coming weeks? And if so, what are you going to wear?
Kate x
*Gifted item. All opinions, as always, are my own.
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