Quick OOTD...its been too long

Not done an outfit post in aaagggeeess...so here is tonight's date night outfit. We arn't going anywhere special so its just a comfy casual outfit. I just got this skirt today in a swap from Big Wardrobe, The top was also a swap from about a year ago but I still love it! My total outfit cost £0!!!

Lace Vest Miss Selfridge via BW

Tie Dye Maxi Skirt Unbranded via BW

I'm not wearing any shoes or a jacket yet so obviously my outfit will have cost something!

Back again soon for another OOTD

Alyssa xx

OOTD and update!

I am still ridiculously busy at work at the moment and not really any time for blogging or generally living my life so I apologise to anyone that actually reads my blog!

A couple of new outfits for you:

This was just a lazy comft outfit to go round to a friend's house the other week. He cooked for me and the boyfriend and made an amazing chinese feast, I think he thought he was feeding 50. It was really warm so I wore this sleeveless blouse I got in the New Look sale for about £10. A gorgeous Motel skirt which was a swap and these wedges shown in the bottom pic from Dunnes (£13) They are the comfiest shoes ever btw :)

My second outfit was my new playsuit from Henry Holland which I mentioned in the last post but couldn't find a picture. I absolutley love it, its just a black and white pattern but the webcam seemed to pick up purple in it for some reason? It went really nice with my pearl necklace and peep-tie black patent heels. The boyfriend took me out to a Brazilian steakhouse for our 3 year anniversary so I felt I had to make more of an effort than usual. Did I mention this playsuit was only a tenner, get yourselves down to the Debenhams 70% off sale.

Alyssa xx

P.S News about my giveaway is coming up!

50p Bargains & OOTD

On Saturday I passed by my local church fair so thought I ought to pop in as I know quite a few of the stall holders. Had a scoot round and came home with two gems for 50p each!

 100% silk scarf from Accessorize

Vintage Bag by Belle Paris (I really love this as its so unique and almost like a satchel)

On the same day I returned a pair of faulty sandals to a local boutique and exchanged them for this lovely sheer shirt dress. I couldn't resist it as it was a cat print, I then wore it on Saturday night with leggings and belt to go see some friends at their new house. You might also be able to see in these pics that I was a little bit sunburnt from the sunbed, oops!

Shirt Victoria's Boutique £25

Belt swap via Big Wardrobe

Leggings Peacocks £3

Wedges Blue Inc £20

Finally an OOTD, I got these chinos from M&S after running in during a thunderstorm, glad I did now as they are a perfect fit and I have been after some for ages! Also I love this jumper, you see right though it as the holes are so big so you need a vest under it but suprisingly it does keep the chill off so its perfect for this time of year. Its also really baggy and oversized so very comfortable!

Jumper ASOS via Big Wardrobe

Chinos M&S £22

Are you impressed with my 50p bargains?

Alyssa xx

50 Followers!

Thank you for taking the time to read what I write and look at my photos. I write posts about things that I enjoy reading on other people's blogs so I hope I'm doing the right thing.

Anyway, I said I was going to do a giveaway and this seems like an appropriate milestone. I will be offering a nice gift set containing some of my handmade products which you can see on my website Clarise Cosmetics. However, It just dawned on me that two weeks today I will be going on holiday so I am going to be too busy to arrange it and promote it properly until I get back. Don't worry though, I won't forget!

An example of one of my handmade gift sets

Here is my outfit from last night's date night, we went to a new Turkish restaurant in the net village to us and the owner was so friendly and welcoming it was lovely. I wore my Mela Loves London dress that I picked up for £6.99 in the charity shop a couple of weeks ago with black tights (although it was actually a bit warm for them last night!) I also took a long black cardigan with pearls over it to compliment my pearl jewellery. I felt like a lady for a change!

I don't normally show a face close up but I was really happy with my hair, I literally blasted it with a hair dryer for 5 mins then ran my brush though it but it was full of volume. I am also wearing Benetint (Glamour freebie!) on my lips which makes them a really lovely colour!

Alyssa xx

Bank Holiday Update and OOTD

This past week I have been so busy at work that I just haven't had chance to do a blog! But I thought I would leave a quick note just to remind you that I'm still here and will be back with more interesting posts once things have quietened down a little bit!

So today I nipped out to the shops for a couple of hours as it was raining and was fed up of playing on the xbox! I managed to wear all my current favoruite items of clothing at once: River island skinny combats, French Connection Stripy tshirt, New look blazer and my comfy tan mocassins. Also you can't really see from this pic but my hair was amazing poofy!

 I ended up buying this skirt in Peacocks, it looks much nicer in real life than on this pic asit is more of a burnt orange not fluorescent! It also hugs the body so makes you look like you have nice curves.

Maxi Skirt £16 Peacocks

I'm also quite a fan of the underwear at Peacocks as it always fits me so well and I came away with lots of bits and pieces, my favourite being this gorgeous set which looks really expensive! Take a look at it here!

Bra £7 Knickers £3.50 Peacocks

So that was today's mini shopping splurge, I hope to write a more exciting post next time. I have some recipes I want to share with you that I made for some friends on Sunday nght.

Alyssa xx

My recent purchases plus OOTD

I have had such a busy and stressful week that I decided I needed some retail therapy! I had to go to the shopping centre as I needed to get my mum's birthday present from WHSmiths so decided to look around the other shops as I only go to the shopping centre about once a year!

Here is what I wore. I needed something comfy and casual and as it was sunny and warm-ish I went for the plain maxi dress. I didn't really dress it up as I hate jewellery and stuff getting caught when trying on clothes etc.

Maxi Dress New Look £5

Cardigan Primark £11

Belt Free

First purchase was these leather loafers for £22, reduced from £44 from ebay. The postman brought them this morning which was a nice surprise as I wasn't expecting them to arrive til next week.

I then went a bit crazy in Primark as its somewhere I very rarely go. I bought a lovely tshirt which you may remember from a previous post so I went in to see if they still had it in another colour. I ended up buying it in cinammon.

I also picked up another cardigan in the same style as I was wearing but in a camel colour.

I got three vests for £2 each and a cream long sleeved tshirt as I like layering clothes.

These shorts are in anticipation of my holiday next month. A pair of stone coloured linen shorts and some patterned light weight cotton ones which will be great to throw on with one of the vests above!

Some extra bits include a headband which is memory wire with fabric over so you can twist it around your head. It is so comfortable to wear and doesn't slip off like a headscarf. Some glossy natural tights, I love these ones as they have aloe vera in and your legs feel moisturised when you take them off!

The wedges were actually from Blue Inc, I just saw them on the rack in the entrance, they had them in coral too but unfortunately not in my size so I went for black instead.

I then nipped into the Body Shop, (another shop I never go in) as I really needed something for my skin. I've been using the Benefit B.right range but I have just started breaking out again so I think my skin is too sensitive for it. I spent ages talking to the assistant who was really helpful and let me test everything and this is what I came out with.

From left to right:

Tea tree skin clearing lotion for blemished skin

Vitamin C facial polish for dull skin

Eye roll on and brightener for dull skin 

The three items on the right were free gifts because I spent over £25. And they include Vitamin E hand cream, Vitamin E eye cream and a mascara. Heard lots of good reviews of the Body Shop mascaras so looking forward to trying it out.

So let me know what you think, was I sensible shopper? haha

Alyssa xx

OOTD Update

Now blogger has decided to come back I can update you with some outfits from this week. First up its date night outfit, I decided to be brave and wear a skirt with natural tights! Ignore my weird looking down pose, self timer doesn't give much time and my hair was weird!

Pink pearl vest Boohoo £6

Silver pencil skirt Vintage

Chain handle Bag Suzy Smith Vintage

Jacket As before

I then decided I liked the bare legs look so I wore another skirt although this is actually a dress with a tshirt over the top. Who says you shouldn't wear spots and stripes together, and this is one of my favourite tshirts at the moment.

Tshirt French Connection via BW Free

Spotty Dress Primark via BW Free

Chunky Belt Dunnes £2

Blazer New Look £19.99

Finally, these are some new sunglasses I picked up from my local chemists for only £3.99. Love both the shape and the colour of the them, shame it hasn't been sunny enough to wear them!

I am planning a little giveaway with a twist at the moment, one lucky follower will win a selection of my handmade bath and body products which you will find on my website Clarise Cosmetics, the twist is that you will have to write a review on your blog about my products!

Let me know what you think to my giveaway idea!

Alyssa xx

Budget Basics and OOTD!

I feel bad for not blogging for a few days but I just havn't had the chance! I usually get a few spare minutes at work but I just havn't had long enough probably catching up after all the bank holidays!

Here is a quick OOTD from yesterday. Its so chilly at work that I have to wear lots of layers so I decided to mix up the colours a little bit and I also wanted to wear my new mustard vest. You will notice the background is different as I actually took these at work when I was in the office by myself!

Grey Pocket Tshirt- Select £5

Mustard Rib Vest- Asda £3

Tan Belt- Dunnes £2

Charcoal Chinos- Select £10

Tan Mocassins- Clarks £17.99

You can see I like to wear plain things layered up and I think this means you can get lots of different looks from the same items. Mixing and matching colours. I also have this vest and t-shirt both in cobalt blue as well. The T-shirts are actually quite long so I knotted it up at the front to look a little different. I like items which are versatile and can be worn a few different ways.

My second outfit I couldn't resist showing as it was such a bargain. It cost me a total of £1.99 (well £3.99 if you include postage!)

Henry Holland Oversized Tshirt Ebay 99p

Leather Belt Charity Shop £1

River Island Skinny Jeans Free from a Swish!

The picture is rubbish and doesn't show any detail but I got the jeans from a clothes swap, they are River Island sort of dark blue distressed style with studs on the back pockets, they are super skinny though and it can be tricky getting in and out of them!

This tshirt arrived in the post this week from ebay (99p!) and I already love it as its so easy to wear. Henry Holland himself has even been spotted wearing it even though its from the womens collection. I think I look much better in it though! haha :)

That's all for tonight, I have lots of ideas for more exiting blog posts but maybe when I have more time to think about what I'm writing!

Alyssa xx

OOTD...well week to be exact!

Its been a short week this week with the all the bank holidays but I thought I would show you what outfits I have been wearing to work. I work in a tiny office for a graphics company and you can wear pretty much what you like, most people choose jeans but I can't sit in jeans all day, I like to be comfy! Its also really chilly in our office usually so layers are generally a good thing or at least a cardi!

TUESDAY

Rose Chiffon Tshirt- Topshop Free (swap)

Waterfall Cardigan Miss Selfridge Via Ebay 99p

Linen Trousers George Petite £10

Handbag Suzy Smith vis Ebay £5ish

WEDNESDAY

Floral T-shirt w/ lace sleeves H! by Henry Holland Free (swap)

Charcoal Pleated Chinos Select £12

Skinny Rose Belt Asda £3

THURSDAY

Long T-shirt H! by Henry Holland Free (swap)

Leggings Asda £6

Faux Leather Jacket New Look £30ish

Sandals Matalan £8

And a bonus outfit from date night this week! I finally wore this top I bought from River Island with some vouchers. I love the shape of it especially the floaty sleeves, the material reminds me of sofa upholstery with see-though patches- odd I know!

Gold Top River Island £24.99

Black Skinny Jeans Internacionale £15ish

Leather Wedges M&S £9

Gold Snakeskin Clutch Peacocks £5

So there you have it, sorry for not being very orginal but I promise my next post will be really exciting as I have some news! 

Alyssa xx

BBQ OOTD & Wii Fit Challenge

I hope you have all had a great bank holiday weekend. I can't even really remember what I've done but its been very chilled out. Obviously it was Andy's birthday on Saturday so we went out and then last night we had a BBQ at his house to celebrate with his family, I thought it was appropriate to wear something baggy if copious amounts of bbq food were to be consumed so I tried out my new Bench dress over indigo leggings (great colour combo- shame they look black in the picture!)

Dress £10 (reduced from £30)

Blue Vest (just seen) £2 Peacocks 

Indigo Leggings £5 Ebay

Wedges £9 (reduced from £39!) M&S

I also started a wii fit challenge last Thursday. My wii has been gathering dust in the corner for the last 6 months so thought I should actually start using it again. My challenge is to use it for a minimum of 20 mins each day, focusing mainly on core strength (yoga) with a little bit of muscle toning. So far its going really well, I had aching abs for the first 3 days, now my upper arms and thighs ache too as I have been increasing the muscle work outs plus an extra bit of rhythm boxing which is my favourite! Here is how it is going so far as I am tracking everything to see if it makes a difference although I'm not really looking to loose weight just tone up.

                    BMI           Weight          Fitness Age           Time Spent
Day 1            18.92           8. 2                35 (!)                      33 mins
Day 2            18.55           7.13               20                           20 mins
Day 3            18.77           8.1                 22                           22 mins
Day 4            18.88           8.1                 20                           22 mins
Day 5            18.92           8.1                 20                           30 mins


So, as you can see my weight has stayed pretty much consistant and I am classed at the very lower end of the 'ideal' category for BMI. I don't expect to see any real dramatic changes here but I thought it would be interesting to monitor. I will keep you updated with how its going anyway!

Alyssa xx

Summer OOTD!

As its Good Friday and got the day off I've had a great day just mooching around in the garden, watching the parents build a patio and making a scrap book (which was a little tricky as my my paper kept flying about) I will put up some pics of the pages when they are finished.
This morning I dragged a huge bag of summer clothes out of the loft as I'm hoping to book my summer holiday this weekend and also its such fab weather I can wear some of it. This is what I wore today, I also had my hair cut this morning and I love it!

Purple Oversized Sunglasses £3 Dunnes

Pink Lace and Pearl Vest £6 Boohoo.com

Polka Dot Culottes FREE Big Wardrobe

Have you brought out your summer clothes yet? Anyway must dash, the BBQ has been lit!

Alyssa xx

OOTD && NOTD!

I'm feeling a bit fashion-y today. I decided I wanted to wear my Henry Holland Giraffe top which I got on ebay for a bargain 99p but everytime I put it on, I always end up changing for something else....
In the end I decided to team it with a gorgeous grey-blue silk skirt by Isabell Kristensen (RRP £120. bought for £20 at TK Maxx) The skirt is way too big for me so I rolled over the waist band and tucked it under a chunky waistbelt, perfect! I then put on my military blazer and pewter flats and was ready to go!

The cute giraffe print

I also tried out the Barry M crackle effect nail polish last night on my toes and was really impressed. I used Max Factor nailfinity in 704 Disco Pink underneath which is fab as it doesn't chip and goes on really smoothly. I also applied a top coat as I wanted it really shiny as the crackle effect is matt looking and would probably come off quite quickly!

**WARNING** You are about to see my toes!

What do you think? I can't wait to try the white one too!

Alyssa xx