New In // H&M Jewels and Basics

Statement necklaces are special, they have the ability to lift just about any outfit from drab and dull to delightful all by themselves. Quite an achievement if you ask me. I was browsing H&M the other day and spotted this one twinkling on a stand. It stood out from the sea of other jewels and for the price, naturally, I deemed it a 'must-buy'.

I actually spotted a lot of other things I loved in there, too. Sometimes I find a store will have a season that seems to perfectly suit my taste and I end up wearing whole outfits consisting of their stuff. Zara last summer was a prime example of this. This season H&M is killing it for me. Only problem, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to buy less 'fast fashion' items... 

So I only walked away with a couple of things, one of which was this simple white sweater from their 'conscious collection'. I liked the slightly sheer sleeves and trim, it's a perfect basic for my summer wardrobe that can be worked into a lot of outfits. Watch this space for a lot of it and probably a tonne of other H&M stuff too, as soon as my wavering willpower waves goodbye.

Necklace - H&M  //  Sweater - H&M   //  'Lovelorn' Lipstick MAC - HERE  //  Marc Jacobs Watch - HERE

xxx


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More Coffee // More Cosy

Man alive, time seems to be flying! Don't you feel like it was just summer a few weeks ago?! And now here we are approaching Christmas at a rapid pace. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas but I'm a bit scared by how fast time seems to be slipping away from me. It never helps the feeling when I check in on my blog and realize it's been five days since my last post :( Apologies.

The weekend was a mish mash of this and that, lots of time spent getting odd jobs done and a smattering of shopping. I picked up this cosy cardigan (I'm majorly obsessed with 'cosy' right now, if you hadn't noticed!) from H&M and it's going to be hard to take it off. It's one of those finds that I just know I'll wear until it's death. It's knitted and offers a lot of warmth without being bulky, the sleeves are long (something I love for that added cosy factor), it hangs loosely but in the most flattering way and it can be dressed up or down in a hundred different ways. It's a versatile piece which, I think, looks much more expensive than it actually was.

Like my weekend, the following photos are a bit of a mish mash. The weather wasn't playing ball so I only got a couple of pictures of my outfit, courtesy of my iPhone. We retreated back inside Starbucks (always got some spare time for a bit of Christmas in a cup) and hid from the rain, with the 'real' camera never even making it out of the bag. You'll still get the idea though :)

Cardigan  //  Bag  //  Black Fur Stole - similar here  //  Boots - similar here

Some of you with very keen eyes might have noticed my nail polish, it's a combination of two new colours I picked from the James Bond Skyfall collection. I've taken some snaps (decent ones on a decent camera - promise!) to show you the colours, both of which I really love. I'll show you them in my next post - Wednesday's the aim, here's hoping I can keep track of time a little better until then!

xxx

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A Beary Good Friday Night

How great are weekends?! The only complaint I have about them is how quickly they always pass. On Friday nights, even though half the time we'd love nothing more than to just crash out on the couch with a bottle of wine, my fiancé and I always try to go out and do something. It really helps to make the weekend feel a little longer. Last night, since it was a really nice evening here, we went for a stroll to the park and then for a few glasses of wine and dinner al fresco! 

I really struggle to dress appropriately when it comes to doing something like that though. Dinner and drinks calls for smarter attire than the walking around the park part, don't you agree?! Anyway, after a lot of uming and ahing about it, I opted for my new floral skirt from F21 with my beige linen blazer from Zara. A white vest, some gold flat sandals and one of my favourite vintage clutch bags to pull the look together. 

The quality of some photos isn't fantastic, sorry...but that's because they were all snapped on my brand new iPhone!! Yeeeeeaaaah! :)

Floral skirt - F21.  White watch - DKNY.  Nails - OPI 'Shorts Story'.

Gold Sandals - F21 : Only place currently stocking my size in Korea :'( Steve's trainers - Salvatore Ferragamo.

Spring Haul: Wardrobe Re-style

Cherry blossoms below my apartment. 

Spring has finally sprung here and I've been turning my wardrobe upside down trying to put together outfits suitable for the suddenly warm weather. Of course, even though I have more than enough clothing, somehow I feel like I have nothing to wear, it's all old! I'm sure you've all stood and looked at your wardrobe and thought that at least once or twice right?!

If you saw the room that has become my walk-in closet you'd know I really don't need to go out and start buying a whole new spring wardrobe though. I decided to go out and pick up just a couple of new items to try and shake the idea of doing just that. The aim being to re-invigorate what I already have instead. Sometimes I find that just by getting a few new things I suddenly have so many more options incorporating older clothes.

Since Zara always has a habit of sucking my bank balance dry and is 20-30% more expensive here in Korea (talk about adding insult to injury!), I made a pact with myself not to go near it. Instead I headed to H&M and Forever 21, both much more wallet friendly. Turns out there's a fair amount of stuff I liked in there too...surprise, surprise!! I managed to exercise a little restraint though, a pretty amazing feat for me!

Here's the items I decided could re-invigorate my wardrobe for spring:

Cream Dipped High Low Hem Dress - F21. This is my favourite buy, I'm sure it'll become my 'go to' summer dress.
It'll work for evening or dressed down with sandals and tan accessories for a summer day.

Black Short Flared Skirt - H&M. A basic staple that'll work with so many tops and jackets, again day or night.
Big floppy hat - Forever 21. These babies add glamour and style to just about any outfit.

Purple and Blue Floral Skirt - H&M. Bright, summery and a very cute option for day with sandals or dressed up with some wedges for a summer evening out.

Accessories can absolutely make or break any outfit so of course I had to pick up a few new options.
Turquoise Headband, spiked bracelet and gold bangles - F21. Long tassled necklace - H&M.

These few additions have really helped to refresh my wardrobe and the way I'm looking at it. I feel like I can combine the new items with older pieces to make lots of brand new outfits now!

Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve

I took a trip into the Yorkshire countryside this weekend. I know most people who go walking in the countryside would be wearing walking boots, a waterproof jacket and some woollies but....well...I guess I'm just.... not...that...girl. Practicality has never been top of my priorities because, let's face it, practical is not pretty. Not pretty one bit.

I picked up this simple, casual and cute heart motif sweater from New Look. I didn't realise what a great store I've been missing out on living in Korea. I'm not sure it used to be as good before and I'm told they still have their ups and downs but when I went in recently I saw loads of really nice things. To top it off I could actually afford them, always a bonus/relief! Haha!

Jumper - New Look. Sunglasses - Gucci.

Silver Bangle - Mont Blanc. Charm Bracelet - Pandora. Scarf - H&M

 

Face - all thanks to MAC!

Military style jacket - F21

 

I love visiting the countryside when I need some time away from everything to slow down and think about things. Lately, as you know, I've been really busy and this last week one thing and another had started to get to me. I feel so lucky to live near such beautiful natural landscapes, it's awe inspiring. Being there makes me think about how small I am in the world and helps make me see my problems are only momentary in the grand scheme of things.

Where do you go when you need some thinking time or to get a little perspective?

xxx

I Wore: Comfortable and Concealed in Leopard and Leggings.

I thought that with the passing of Christmas I would finally have a bit more time on my hands. I was wrong. Once again I find myself struggling to fit everything in to one day. Last night my family and I took a trip to see a Pantomime, a Christmassy type of tradition for lots of English people.

There was one small problem with the plan though, I've eaten and drunk SO much for the last few days I couldn't face the thought of getting dressed in anything tight or fitted! Honestly, at this point in time I couldn't care less if I never ever saw a chocolate truffle or glass of champagne again. Okay, the champagne maybe but the chocolate, eurrrgh, I feel sick just thinking about it.

There's only one answer in my hard in times like these:

Leggings!

Yes, they are my savior when times get hard or heavier should I say. They may not be the epitome of style but they are great for times like these. It was also the perfect opportunity to get another wear out of my oversized jumper dress too. Pure cosy, comfortable, concealed delight!

Jumper Dress - H&M. Handbag - Bally

If I'm wearing a plain outfit I like to add a printed scarf for a bit more interest. I started tying my scarves in a bow a few years ago. I think it looks girly and cute, like a teddy bear. Perhaps I'm deluded but either way it adds more interest. Along with a nice sparkly bracelet stack!

Leopard print scarf - H&M. Watch - Rolex. Assorted bracelets - Accessorize.

Lipstick colour - MAC 'Angel'

 

At the Panto! :)

Still in the Christmas spirit.

Tonight I'm out yet again and yet again I'm wearing leggings. Ha! Oh Christmas time I love you but I'm glad you're almost over!

Are you glad Christmas is over? What do you turn to in your wardrobe when you feel like you've maybe had one too many chocolates?

xxx

I Wore: Simple Snakeskin

Good Morning!

It's unusual for me to be posting on a Sunday morning, okay, I lie, early afternoon. It feels like morning to me since I rarely manage to motivate myself to post anytime before 8pm on a Sunday. I've been sick all week but finally feel like I'm almost well again. It's given me a new lease of life. I actually felt well enough to go out to dinner last night with my boyfriend; getting dressed up always helps make me feel better. Snakeskin print is a big trend of this fall. It's in a lot of the shops and I've seen a lot of celebrities wearing it. Although I'm not brave enough to do head to toe snakeskin like the celebs I picked up a cute snakeskin dress a couple of weeks ago. 

 

Snakeskin Print Dress - H&M

Vintage Black Clutch with Gold Chain Detail - Stuart Weitzman

Black Patent Shoe Boots - Moda In Pele

Gold Cuff Bracelet - F21. Ring - Accessorize. Gold Pendant - Vivienne Westwood.

Since the snakeskin is such a statement print I let that do the talking and kept the rest of my outfit simple. Black leggings, black shoe boots and my absolute favorite vintage clutch bag.

The weather here yesterday was unseasonably warm so we headed to a great restaurant we love that has an open air courtyard you can dine in. I think it's possibly one of the prettiest restaurants I've eaten in. The food is incredible too. It serves a course menu comprising seven courses. I only took three photos because I was too busy enjoying the evening (and eating all those courses) to remember to photo them all, sorry!

Although the weather was mild and the courtyard is heated I still took my snuggliest knit to keep myself warm. Don't want to catch a cold now that I'm almost better do I!! I picked it up in Mango last week. I'll do a post that you can see it clearly in soon (it totally deserves full recognition, it's so cozy). Also, isn't the entrance to the restaurant pretty, very romantic, I love it.

Chunky Knit Cardigan with Fur Trim - Mango

Today I'm venturing out for brunch and possibly a cupcake and coffee later, I'm so addicted, it's bad!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!

xxx 

What did you do last night? Feel free to leave a link if you've written a post about what you did, I'd love to read it!
 
Oh, almost forgot, remember to enter my giveaway if you haven't yet! :)

I Wore: All Ruffled Up

I guess I was feeling the ruffles. Ruffled coat. Ruffled scarf. Ruffles on my hairband. I just got this coat a week or two ago on my H&M jaunt. I got the scarf there too, it's a ruched light and floaty material. It's surprisingly warm too, must be all the high quality polyester.

I went into a bit of a shopping frenzy in H&M. Basically it's one of the few shops that I like in Korea that caters to my size, fashionably. There was two branches about a 30 minute cab ride across town from my place. Then...they opened one within walking distance from my apartment. Yep, walking distance. So, in short, I was overcome by excitement and this is still not the last of the new things you'll be seeing from that shopping trip. In fact, I don't know how I'm going to avoid shopping there all the time now. Might as well change my blog name now. Ugly (H&M) Duckling. Has it got the same ring to it? 

 

Ruffles <3

Wanted to show you the cute ruffle on the back even though I look like a chipmunk here. Could  be because of this....

...Fairtrade 'Divine' white chocolate, literally. Should eat lots less of this. Hard to.

So how was hump day for you? Such an ugly expression don't you think? Suppose it's an ugly day though so maybe that was what they were going for.

I knew it wasn't going to be a good day for me when I hit snooze on my alarm only to realize I'd already set it to go off late in my dry eyed sleepy state - it was 1.55am when I finally went to bed. Do. Not. Know why I do it to myself! No extra lie-in. Boo. I proceeded to move like a snail getting ready. Left my house at the time I was supposed to be at work. Model employee right here.

Continued moving like a snail for the rest of the day. Good job Amelia!

xxx

I Wore: Diesel, Dream Catcher & Chloe Bag.

Hey Lovelies, how is Saturday treating you?

For me it's great but I do have a confession to make...it's almost 4pm and I'm not dressed yet. I'm bad ass like that! I am going to get dressed soon I swear but first I wanted to show you some pics that I'd forgotten to post previously. I took them only a few weeks ago as the summer was dwindling away.

I didn't know it at the time but this was the last time I got to go bare legged and wear my favorite denim skirt (love it, so comfy and casual, if you stick around you'll no doubt see it again next year). It actually seems like it was just last week but I'd freeze if I tried to wear this here now.

Paddington Saddle Bag - Chloe. Denim Skirt - Diesel. Cardigan - MS.

 

My boyfriend and I had popped out for a coffee in the late afternoon. I wore the skirt with a simple white tee and beige cardigan. I've had my Chloe saddle bag for years now, I love it so much and it's only getting better with age I think. Although, I have ditched the padlock from it because the bag itself is so heavy it gives me backache. The padlock feels like it doubles the weight. So that just sits in my house now instead. The scarf is from H&M, as is the dream catcher necklace. When I saw the necklace it instantly made me think of Fall, don't you think?!

Dream Catcher Necklace - H&M

Ummm, yeah, you might be noticing I can't stay away from cupcakes.

A mixture of different bracelets  - Accessorize.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peachy nude ruffle bow flats - Zara.

Love the girliness of the ruffled bow.

 

Even though it's too cold for the skirt I can still wear the rest with jeans instead. Which is great because I love the color combination of soft pinks and browns together. Seems so fallish if you know what I mean.

Okay, so the boyfriends is fully ready to go out now and will start to get impatient/repulsed if I don't get off the couch and shower. Don't know what the plan for the day evening is but you can be sure I'll take some snaps if I see or do anything fun!

Please leave a comment and follow my blog. I'm planning my first giveaway for when I reach 50 followers, not a big number but I really appreciate every person who bothers to read my ramblings and you've got to start somewhere, right?!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone! xxx