The Shoe Addiction Continues - LK Bennett & Dorothy Perkins.

I love shoes. I do. They're pretty and can instantly dress up or down an outfit which can double your wardrobe styles whilst staying on a budget! However, I do not have the space for new shoes nor the funds really to buy every pair of shoes that I fall in love with (but then again, does any girl really have the funds to buy any pair of shoes she wants unless she is Blair Waldorf?). Despite this shoe-ban I have imposed upon myself, there were two sneaky exceptions which just crushed my shoe self-control: L.K. Bennett & Dorothy Perkins.

Firstly, I have loved L.K. Bennett shoes from the moment I saw Kate Middleton strolling about in her nude sledge shoes, they just looked the epitome of elegance. Unfortunately, I cannot afford myself a pair of sledge shoes, but found these beauties instead in the sale:

 

I love them. I love them possibly as much as I love my boyfriend. I originally tried these on in black, but opted for the nude-y colour as I have quite a few pair of black platforms and did not really need to add more to the collection. It was the lily decoration that caught my attention at first, with such detail being put into it that you could see it was a lily, followed by the elegantly sculped platform heel - a mix between a block & stiletto heel.

They were originally £130 and went down to £65 in the sale - an extravagant treat I have to say but one I do not regret even though I may not have worn them out yet! I ordered them online and one of the things that impressed me straight off was that they arrived the next day - fantastic! To add to this, they came in their own material bag inside of the shoe box to be completely protected from any scuffs that could possibly occur on the journey - I like how much thought has gone into this presentation! The soles are also lightly padded which makes wearing them a lot more pleasant than normal platforms which after about five minutes for me have my feet throbbing. 

 These picture are quite deceptive about the size of the heel as they look quite average sized, but they are in fact in the sky-scraper heel boundary, giving me a good four inches of extra height. 

Originally I wanted to wear these to work but feel they are a bit too special for that, what occasions would you recommend wearing them to?

The second pair:

These were much more work orientated when being purchased, as they had more of a kitten heel rather than being platforms. I have come to realise that the only navy pair of shoes I owned were my nautical ballerina pumps which, as much as I adore them, can pick up dirt quite quickly, as well as having a more casual feel than these do. I liked these as they had a vintage 1920s feel to them with the strap and design of a contrasting trim. It's also an ink coloured navy which just looks smarter than a washed out navy shade which are my pumps. For only £30, I was quite pleased with myself for snagging these and have already worn them a couple of times at work, being complimented on them in the process - thank you DP!

 

So those are some of the recent purchases, going to split up the rest with other posts but I have been having a little bit of a spending spree from ASOS to Yumi! 

What sort of shoes do you get sucked in by - ballerinas or platforms? And how do you store them?

Love,

Summer Skin Regime #1 - Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions.

Hello my lovelies! It's back to blogging again, and I wanted to write about the new skin regime I have started myself on. Now, I hate to admit this as a beauty blogger but I have not always been the best at looking after my skin. I know, I know its awful! But I just couldn't be bothered after work and took the lazy route of a quick wash with soap rather than a more cleansing routine. However, my skin started to rebel against this attitude and eventually I began trying new skincare products to solve the problem of a combination skin type that led to unwanted outbreaks, but none seemed to work. Until...

As a previous user of Clinique products, I felt quite confident in purchasing a small heap to kick my skin back into a healthy submission. I had used them a little during university , but stopped because it was becoming an expensive habit that I just couldn't afford to keep up. I was lured back recently, partly because I had some extra money to spoil myself with but more so  with the free gift offer that Clinique were running with various mini sets of skincare products to suit your particular skin needs. Out of the four kits they had on offer, I went for the 'Anti-Blemish Solutions' one which had a bar of Anti-Blemish Cleansing Bar, a 60ml bottle of Anti-Blemish Clarifying Lotion, and a 30ml Anti-Blemish Moisturizer. 

I have previously used the Anti-Blemish Solutions 'Clear Blemish Gel' and found that it worked brilliantly when attacking blemishes directly but isn't really a whole face product. Nevertheless, it made me feel confident that choosing this particular kit would be worth-while and after using it for over two weeks I can attest that it works pretty damn well. 



Considering these are only minis and are still being used twice a day, everyday, for coming up to three weeks now they have lasted remarkably well! I have literally just finished off the clarifying lotion, but the 30ml moisturizer is still going strong, along with the soap!  Along with their lasting power, I have felt that my skin is becoming significantly clearer but also feels deeply cleansed - especially by the clarifying lotion. I am still having little outbreaks, but I have noticed a definite difference in my complexion in that my pores are tighter, my skin is clearer and I am having fewer break-outs which proves that the products are keeping to their names. The moisturizer is a favourite simply because a little can go such a long way (making it worth its' money) as well as being a brilliant primer for make up - plus it's not oily which is a worry for me with moisturizer. 

I loved that this is in such a cute little pouch (perfect for travel), and that it was decent sized minis that have given me a chance to really test out these products. I am quite tempted that once I have finished my next set of Clinique products for a 'dry combination' skin type, that I may go back to the Anti-Blemish Solutions set. 

The full size product prices (as shown on Boots.co.uk) are:
- Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Bar - £14
- Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion - £17
Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer - £18.50


Next time, it will be the 'Dry Combination' Three Step Starter Kit. 


Are you a Clinique fan? Which products of theirs have you found the most effective?


Love,

I'm Dreaming of an Aussie Summer Sizzle Party!

I'm back! And what better way to celebrate my back to blogging antics than with a party? 

Unfortunately, due to bad weather and being unable to reschedule it I couldn't actually throw my Aussie Summer Sizzle Party (boohoo!) but it did give me the chance to create the dream Aussie Shindig - you know, the sort of party that you would throw if you were as wealthty as Blair Waldorf. So here goes:

Bondi Beach, New South Wales. 

 Via Google Images
 

The gorgeous Bondi Beach jumped straight to my mind when planning my Aussie party, because of the TV Programme, I mean who wouldn't want to meet a Bondi Beach lifeguard?! I would fly my guests out in the ultimate Aussie Angel style (first class, with cocktails all the way) to this paradise to celebrate the awesomeness of Aussie in its namesake place! 

 

Now, being the dream party, there are no limits to pampering my guests (and myself, of course) which means no lying down in the sand, oh no no no! Instead, a private marquee will be set up with sofas and tables filled with every cocktail that you can think of! I may even have a stolen a couple of cheeky Aussie guys to work the BBQ - because, being the princesses that the Aussie Angels are, we cannot do the BBQ-ing ourselves!

 The cocktail of choice was the delicious, and aptly named, Sex on the Beach, with a supply of cocktail cherries readily available on demand because who doesn't love an extra few cherries in a cocktail?!

(Images via Google)

So whilst we are waiting for the BBQ to get going (the manservants are clearly too relaxed), we've got the iPod pumping out some of the best beach tunes:

1) The Beach Boys - Surfin' USA 

2) Colbie Caillat - Brighter Than The Sun

3) Katy Perry - California Gurls

4) Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Ukulele)

5) Sitting, Waiting, Wishing - Jack Johnson

6) The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice

7) All Shook Up - Elvis Presley

7) Hawaaiin Rollercoaster Ride - Lilo and Stitch

8) Without You - Usher

9) I've Got a Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

10) Honey - The Hush Sound

With our aussome music blaring out, the classic dance of my friends that always comes out is our custom made dance - The Crow. Although we may not be in beach wear, whenever we feel the need to groove, The Crow is our go to move (its so awesome it results in rhyme)

 

After working up a sweat with our amazing dancing skills, we have earned ourselves a treat, and what better way to celebrate the amazingness of being an Aussie than with an excellent burger.

So that's my party - the rest of the time we will just be chilling, chatting, and enjoying the sun! It’s the Aussie effect and motto – to just be relaxed and enjoying life, which was the theme of my party! 

My Aussie Extravaganza Look was a relaxed, beach style dress with gladiator sandals in neutral colours, with some lovely beach waves hair (similar to that of a lion mane, thanks humidity!) thanks to my beloved Aussie Summer Save Kit:

 

   

My final thought went to ‘what new product would I like to have in Aussie hair care products?’ It did not take long before it clicked - coconut! For me, coconut is the ultimate chill out scent: Pina Coladas, Hawaii and sun cream (aka holiday time!). I would love my hair to smell of coconut everyday whilst being glossy and gorgeous, so that's what my secret ingredient would be!

Now, does anyone actually want to add to the 'Stephie Wants an Aussie Party' fund so we can get on over to Bondi Beach?!

Love,

Unexpected Abscence.

Hello my lovelies!

It is just a quick note from me today as I wanted sincerely apologise for my lack of blogging for  the last month! It has been one hectic month starting with a severe stomach flu and following on with my Graduate Teacher Induction days and the craziness that ensued from that! 

It is the last week of term for me at this school before I move onto becoming a teacher at my new academy, so everything is a bit manic! However, I have been stocking some blogposts up including my recent shopping hauls, Clinique haul, Harry Potter Tour, and LK Bennetts! 

So here is my promise - as the summer holidays dawn upon me, I shall make up my lack of blogging there! And I am excited to get back to it :-)

Thank you to all my followers who have been patient enough with me despite my disappearance from the blogging world, and a big hello/thank you to my new followers. It means a lot to me that my followers have stayed loyal despite my mini break, and it makes me smile when I am having a rough day that my blog/readers are there! 

Be back in a week!

Love,

That Touch of Mink Polka Dots.

Good evening lovelies. At this moment, I am tucked up under a blanket with a warm ribena trying to gain my voice back - this is the first day off since I returned to work after my operation and I'm so frustrated that I had to take it! Alas, trying to control kids at school with mime discipline would not go down quite as well as shouting 'Be quiet!' a hundred times a day, so I camped out at home and thinking what a perfect time to blog!

A little while ago I bought a gorgeous dress from H&M as a treat and although I have posted about it in  my Work Week Outfits in Instagram posts, it didn't quite express my sheer adulation for this dress. 

Dress: H&M
Tights: M&S
Pumps: Primark
Belt: New Look.

So what is it that I love so much about it? Well, being a woman on a budget my dresses generally need to be quite versatile so that I can wear them to give the illusion that I have more outfits in my wardrobe than I do. It is also the 'create a whole different look for the weekend' idea that makes it necessary for them to be versatile, because sadly my work & weekend wardrobe seem to be merging more and more at the moment.This dress has that. With the neutral mink colour and cream/white polka dots, it goes perfectly with browns, pinks, navy, cream cardigans & pumps. Perfect! 

It was also the whole design of the dress, going for the vintage feel with the cute mini dress style and full skirt, with the mix of polka dots and capped sleeves - pretty much combining everything I want in a dress into one adorable package. 

Price wise, I couldn't complain - it is made of quite thick material so it's not a thin summer dress and I will easily be able to wear this in winter with black tights (as shown in the picture), along with no tights in summer. For £19.99 it was quite the steal in my opinion as I have seen similar dresses in other stores that are charging at least £25.

However, the dress is not perfect (but it is preeeeetty close). The only thing for me where it could be improved would maybe be the length, to have it around half an inch longer, but its not a huge issue for me (as shown by buying it). What the good thing is about the skirt of the dress is that its longer in both the front and back, with it being a little shorter on the sides. The back of a dress is an issue with me as it tends to come up shorter making me paranoid everyone can see up my skirt - something Miss Manners would not approve of. 

Well that's it, my review for one of my top favourite dresses. I'm going to try and get a couple more posts done tonight as I should be away this weekend for my three year anniversary with the boyfriend, so want to get my blogging in now :)

Do you like to have dresses that work both for winter & spring, or do you like a whole seperate wardrobe?

Love,

The Work Week's Outfits in Instagram #4 & Aussie Surprise!

With this week’s weather being as indecisive as I am at the MAC lipstick counter, my outfits have once again been dictated to by the threat of rain more than just what suited my mood that particular morning. With the breezes from Siberia and random downpour, the winter wardrobe was dragged back out, but with trepidation I tried to style it a little differently – shorter dresses/tunics with leggings, rather than just my usual tights. I have to say that I am actually liking the mix of shorter dresses/tops with leggings rather than just wearing plain old tights with dresses, it gives my outfits a bit more of a relaxed feel but still smart enough for work. I also debut my new Dorothy Perkins floral dress this week which was another eBay bargain that has sparked my eBay addiction all over again. 

(From top left to right) 1) Dress: Vero Moda, Cardigan: H&M, Belt: New Look, Leggings: New Look, Pumps: H! by Henry Holland. 2) Dress: Next, Cardigan: New Look, Belt: New Look, Pumps: Primark. 3) Dress: Vero Moda, Cardigan: New Look, Belt: New Look. 4) Dress: Dorothy Perkins, Belt: New Look, Cardigan: New Look.

In other news, with trepidation, I have began wearing heels again at work. By no means are they my sky-scraper heels that I wore when working in London, but it is nice to not be wearing pumps constantly and give myself that bit of added height - always helps when a Year 8 student is at my eye level. 

Finally, I came home on Friday after a strenuous day at the salt mines, to the most gorgeous surprise from the lovely ladies at Aussie:

It arrived at the perfect time and I felt truly grateful/spoilt to be an Aussie Angel! I have already begun using the Leave-In conditioner to soften my hair, plus make it smell heavenly and have plans for the mini Aussie bottles for weekends when I am staying at the boyfriends. Unfortunately, I am unable to get involved in the Aussie Summer Sizzle Party this time as I'm swamped with work and disappearing across Ireland & Yorkshire, but cannot wait to see the other entries!

Last note - I am selling two pairs of lovely shoes that I sadly do not wear - one pair is brand new from Dorothy Perkins in its box, and one is almost new from New Look. If you fancy having a peek, click HERE.

How do you feel about leggings? What sort of shoe style do you go for - pumps or heels? And what do you think of the Aussie Summer Style?

Love,

My First Primark Haul: Shoes Galore!

I know the title of this post must come as a shock to most - a blogger who is not a regular Primark visitor?! Blasphemy! But it's true. I have never really found anything that appealed to me in Primark, and apart from buying a mini skirt and a brown bag quickly before going on holiday last year, I just haven't felt the need to make it a regular shopping destination. This was until one of the besties came back with the cutest pair of pumps I have seen around for a while and at the bargain price of £6. Well, that was it for me! I hurried off to Primark and instead of just buying one pair of pumps, I have now bought three all for £18 - I'm swayed. 

These pumps are softly padded and its pretty much like walking around in slippers (although the grip on the soles leaves something to be desired, not sure I want a repeat performance of my spectacular slipping over at Stratford Station) and the wide range of styles for such a low price caught my attention. I have opted for plain black for work, baby pink that seems to go with everything, and a cute tan coloured pair with a bow as I couldn't not have a pair of pumps without a bow! 

For £6 each, I'm not sure how long they will last without falling into pieces or cracking, but I'm hoping that my cynical nature will be proved wrong and it will be a New Look pumps miracle where I still wear a pair from when I was 16!

Are you a Primark addict? Have you tried their pumps?

Love,