Nail of the Day | Black and Gold

Wow it’s been a while since I’ve done a NOTD post! After a month of interviews and an inability to wear nail polish for them, I can firmly say that I was more than excited when I opened my bag of varnishes when I got home, and it took me quite some time (longer than I probably should admit..) to choose what colour I wanted to go for.

I’ve been loving metal colours at the moment- after going for a copper coloured nail a little while ago, I decided to continue this metal theme and go with a gold nail. In reality, this varnish has turned out to be more of a bronzy gold, but I can’t say this has put me off it at all. The nail polish is a Seventeen varnish in the colour ‘Fury’, and I really love it. I got a set of Seventeen varnishes from my sister for Christmas (definitely didn’t get her the same present too… awkward!) and have been dying to try them all. I’ve found the lighter colours to be a bit thin and chip very easily, but let’s save that story for another day… and post!

  

In a true Lauren fashion I haven’t been able to stick to a plain nail so have gone for a little dotty pattern on my ring finger in black. I wanted to keep it more on the simple side whilst adding something a bit different and I think this has done the job nicely!

Rest assured, I’m sure I will be changing my nail colour again in a matter of time, so keep your eyes peeled for more of my NOTD posts coming your way!

xoxo

Nail of the Day | Deep Raspberry

So once again I found myself stood in my local Boots this week. I literally cannot seem to keep myself away from that place, and I’m pretty sure the staff must recognise me by now. But when I spotted a 3 for 2 offer across ALL MAKE- UP, I naturally produced a socially awkward squeal of excitement (socially awkward because I was in the shop alone, so was just squealing to myself… sigh) and scoured the lengths of the make-up stands for far too long, when I came across this beauty of a varnish by Barry M. I love Barry M nail varnishes with a passion, they are just such amazing quality for such a great price, and glide onto the nail like a dream.

The colour I purchased, and of course am now wearing is no273 Raspberry. Although the word raspberry would make you think of a colour more on the pink side, I’d say this varnish is definitely more of a dark maroony red, which is just perfect for the autumnal season and is bang on trend. Obviously I added something a bit different on my ring finger in a true Lauren fashion, going for a floral black branch and silver flower pattern which was super-duper quick and easy to do.

I love how this has turned out, and love my new polish purchase. Just this colour on its own would create such a simple, classy look absolutely perfect for welcoming in the autumn season.

xoxo

H&M Autumn Haul

I’m so excited to be writing this. It’s been way too long since my bank account has allowed for anything remotely like this to occur, but when I saw the nice little payment for my work over Freshers week pop up in my bank account, I knew there was only one place I was going to be heading. H&M.

I’m not going to lie, I probably spent well over an hour in my local H&M store, but not having an endless supply of money as a full time student has made me super stingy with my spending, and I won’t buy anything unless I really really like it. But inevitably, I found too many things that I really really liked, and had to restrain myself. Anyway, rambles over. Onto the good stuff…

Autumn Berry Thin Knit Jumper- £12.99
I’ve been dying for a less chunky knitted jumper to fit nicely under my coat on those crisp, cold days. When I was wandering through the shop and spotted this number, I knew I’d hit the jackpot. This is probably my favourite thing I bought. The colour just fits perfectly in with the new autumnal berry coloured trend that’s plastered everywhere at the moment, and although it’s a jumper that’s more on the thin side, its baggy and cosy enough to keep you warm on those winter nights. At £12.99 and with the number of times I’m guaranteed to wear this, I’d say it’s an absolute bargain.

Plum Geometric Scarf- £9.99
This one was more of an impulse buy. I’m an absolute sucker for scarves, I have way too many of them, yet I just can’t ever seem to resist buying more. It’s a bad habit, I know. But I’m yet to have one in this material or colour (until now that is…) so I’d say I can be let off the hook, right? The autumnal colour of this scarf is perfect for the colder weather that seems to be setting in here in Britain. I hate thin, barely there scarves. If you’re going to wear a scarf you might as well have plenty of material around you to keep all snug, and this one definitely fits the bill. There’s not too much to stop you from being able to physically move, but just enough to keep you all cosy and warm. Win.

                                                                  Basic Black Vest- £3.99
I feel like basic tops are something that everyone needs in their wardrobe, but can never bring themselves to buy. I can’t help but always feel like I’m cheating myself spending money on basic vests and t-shirts rather than fancy patterned pieces. H&M basics are always a go to for me, being super cheap and pretty decent quality. I picked up a basic black vest, which turned out to be super long, and as a girl on the shorter side, this could probably be worn as a dress for me. I however have no problem with folding the bottom under and making it the length I want it to be, and at only £3.99, this isn’t too much of an issue.

Checked Skater Skirt- £12.99
My obsession with skater skirts is getting quite frankly unhealthy, but when I saw this I just couldn’t resist trying it on, and of course buying it. I like the darker pattern of it, making it ideal for the coming autumn months, and keeps me away from the plain black options which I have way too many of, and naturally wear way too much. For me this skirt is perfect for either a night out, or dressed down for the daytime with black tights and a pair of boots.

Dark Grey Crop Top- £1.99
This whole crop top trend took me a while to get into. I’m not the biggest fan of flashing the flesh, but I’ve definitely warmed up to this look. I already have a couple of crop tops, but they definitely fit into the more summery clothing category, so I thought it was time to add one more suited to the current season. At £1.99 this is probably the best bargain I came across in H&M, and it’d be a flipping good find to come across one cheaper than this.

Anyone else come across any good H&M finds recently?

xoxo

Nail of the Day | Autumn Berry

I can’t help but feel Autumn coming upon us in full force, and I love it. Clothes are getting darker, thicker and fluffier, and full on smoky make-up looks are now absolutely okay to wear on a daily basis. After a short break from the old polish to give my nails some breathing time, I decided to let my nails reflect the colder weather that I love so much, and the winter fashion that comes with it.

One thing I love about the Autumnal months is the gorgeous berry colours that flood into the shops. If I could pull off these colours all year round, I absolutely would. But there’s something quite nice about waiting until it starts getting colder and darker to bring those plum tones out. This week I’m finally bringing out an old favourite of mine when it comes to nail polishes, with a metallic plummy purple base. And it wouldn’t be a nail done by me without a little bit of art thrown in there now would it?! So I’ve gone for a silver and black floral style pattern on my ring finger to add a little bit of something different.

I really like how this has turned out and cannot wait to keep on showing off those berry tones both through my clothes, and through my nails too.

xoxo

Midi Ring Love

Although midi rings have been a trend that has been around for what feels like forever, I feel that this is a look that isn’t going to be going anywhere for quite a while yet. I’ve always been a daily wearer of a ring of some sort, whether a simple gold band or an oversized statement ring, and I can’t help but feel almost naked without one on my hand.

When I came across the midi ring I was a bit unsure of them. I considered buying a few when on a shopping trip with one of my close friends, but when she saw me pick one up she quickly turned her nose up at it, putting me off a bit. However, she wasn’t going to be the one wearing them was she?! So days later I went back to the shop and made my purchase, not looking back.

I think midi rings look pretty darn cool. Although I’m still a fan of just wearing a simple, normal sized ring on a daily basis, I feel like midi rings are a nice addition to dress up your accessory choice a bit. I see midi rings as a modern take on the classic ring, and really add a different edgy look to your jewellery. I’m personally a big fan of this style and simply can’t get enough of them! My collection still remains quite small, but I definitely plan on expanding it in the near future.

xoxo

Nail of the Day | Geometric Metallics

   

I know I’ve already posted today. But I’ve just painted my nails and simply couldn’t resist sharing my nail of the day with you all!

After giving my nails a few days to breathe after removing my previous dark blue nail, I replaced it with a more metallic, slightly geometric number. Being right handed made painting this design onto my right hand a bit of a mare, but with a pretty steady hand I think I’ve just about managed to get it all looking nice and even across both of my hands!

To create this look I used Rimmel London Metal Rush in 60 Royal Blue on the base (sadly I don’t think they sell this anymore), then used one of my nail art polishes in silver to create the geometric pattern. I love love love how this has turned out.

xoxo

I made a skirt!

This summer I made a skirt. Yep, that’s right. A skirt. I made one. There’s apparently no better way to waste away a summer than to attempt to make an item of clothing. This idea actually came from my mum, who noticed me trying to make a new skirt out of an old one that wasn’t getting any wear, but instead told me to get my own fabric, and start from scratch. And that’s exactly what I did. So thanks mum, I guess this post (and skirt) is down to you!

I’m not going to lie to you and say this was super-duper easy, because it wasn’t. It took me weeks to finally complete, and required a lot of concentration, something I can lack at times. But with persistence I finally achieved it, and it resulted in something even I’d say doesn’t look too shabby at all, and I’m actually quite proud of the fruits of my labour.

When I started making this skirt the weather was so lovely and sunny, but as I’m sure all Brits can agree, British summers are pretty short lived. So in the spirit of the weather at the time, I picked out a lovely pink patterned fabric, thinking it would look perfect on a summers walk down the beach. This makes me kind of sad because by the time I’d finished the skirt, any remnants of British summer had disappeared, and opportunity to wear it had gone in front of my eyes. Luckily our weather can be pretty unpredictable, so fingers crossed for an autumn heatwave eh?! Otherwise, this shall have to wait patiently until next spring/summer to get some wear.

But to make this skirt, I went old school and bought a skirt pattern. The pattern I used was by a brand called Simplicity, and I used number 1369 to make it. Clothes patterns are basically huge pieces of tissue paper with the pieces you’ll need to make the skirt drawn onto them, so you just have to work out your size, stick them on the fabric, cut around them, and go from there. Although this turned out to be a little harder than it sounds, I think it creates a nice sturdy skirt, and you can use the patterns over and over again so you can have the skirt in every colour of the rainbow!

So here’s the final product (apologies for the bad quality photo, my camera didn’t want to behave today!). It’s turned out to be a nice high waisted skater style skirt, and I’m actually really happy with how this turned out. I think it’ll look pretty cute with a floaty vest tucked into it, and I look forward to getting some wear out of it when the weather allows for it!

Anyone else ever had a go at making their own clothes?

xoxo

DIY | Distressed Jean

        

In recent months I’ve really noticed an influx of ripped/distressed jeans coming into high street stores. As much as I love my classic plain jean, I’ve been really enjoying this new look, and I think paired with the right top etc. a really cool look can be made. And although I’ve been very tempted to set foot onto the high street and look for a pair, I recently came across a pair of old grey jeans that I haven’t worn in a very long time, so decided to have a go at creating my own.

A lot of people make the mistake of just cutting a slit into the denim and hoping for the best. Even though this will create the rip in the jean that you’re looking for, it will literally just look like you’ve got your scissors out and accidentally cut into your trousers. It won’t look great. I actually did use scissors and cut across my jeans, but I instead made two cuts close to each other, and with tweezers pulled out the vertical strings of jean in the section between the two cuts, creating this more distressed look. After doing this I got a bit of sandpaper and rubbed down all of the edges around the cut, to create this more intentional, shop-bought look.

I wouldn’t recommend doing this to a new pair of jeans or ones that are well loved. Trends come and go but a solid pair of jeans will always remain a wardrobe staple. I would do it on an older pair of jeans, like I did, meaning that something I was getting zero wear out of will now be in frequent use in my wardrobe.

xoxo

The Skater Skirt

It’s very rare that a week goes by where I don’t wear a skater skirt of some sort. I find them so so flattering, and work really well as both a daytime and evening item. I’d always been one to shy away from skirts in the past, sticking to dresses when keeping those trousers firmly tucked away in my wardrobe. But since I purchased my first skater style skirt a couple of years ago, I think it’s fair to say that I just cannot get enough of them.

Black appears to have been very much my go-to colour when purchasing skater skirts. I actually hadn’t realised this until I got my small collection of them out just now, but apparently I really like a black skirt. I guess you could say this is true though, black goes with everything, and I think a good black skirt can create a really simple yet classy look.

So here’s my collection. The first skater style skirt I ever bought was from H&M. This originally came with chunky gold buttons but after a while of wearing it I decided I wanted to put a simpler black button onto it, so as you can see, that’s what I did! The next one is my absolute all-time favourite skirt. I absolutely love this one and wear it wayyy too much, but it just fits so well and is so flattering that it’d be rude not to, right? My final plain black one I got on sale in River Island, and is a slightly different material, giving a more leathery look, without actually being made out of leather, so is still nice and soft. My next one I actually received from a friend who wasn’t getting any wear out of it, so passed it on to me. This is from Urban Outfitters and has a lovely floral pattern across it, perfect for daytime wear. And finally, my black and white stripey one I actually made from a dress that was too small for me up top, so I just chopped the bottom off it, brought it in around my waist and simply sewed it up and off I went with it.

I just find something so lovely and girly about this kind of skirt, and with the synching in at the waist, I find they look very slimming and really flatter my frame. I’m pretty sure I’ll be making more purchases of this style of skirt in the very near future!

xoxo

Nail of the Day | Inching Back to Darker Colours

  

With Autumn rapidly drawing in on us, I’ve started to lean towards darker nail colours. I’ve been dying to bring this dark blue nail polish out for months, and I finally feel that with September here, it’s acceptable to do so. 292 Navy nail polish by Barry M has to be one of my all-time favourites, and is often what I go to when I can’t decide what colour to paint my nails.

I like to add a bit of something different to my nails, painting patterns on them when I can find a bit of spare time to sit down and do it. I often like to paint just one nail differently as I think this keeps the simplicity of the plain colour across the nails nicely, while adding something a bit crazy in a more subtle way. My usual go to finger to do this with is my ring finger on both hands, and today was no different, so here’s my nail of the day. I went with my Navy Barry M polish across my nails, then with my nail art thin brushed polishes I did flicks branching out from one side across the nail. I went with white, black, grey and pink to do this, and love the way it turned out, keeping it simple but adding something a little different to your average plain polished look.

xoxo