Love it like XO

Dress - Zara // Hoops - Topshop 
Hey dolls, 
Just a quick one, but I wanted to share with you this beaaaautiful dress I picked up from Zara before my holidays. I totally wasn't meant to be buying anything and talked myself out of it about 5 times, but it was just to pretty to leave behind! 
I am a sucker for a white/cream dress and when I saw this in the Manchester store I grabbed my size and took it to the changing rooms where the love affair began ;). They also have it in black which is super nice as well - but I thought white would look nice with a tan and tan accessories. 
I wore this on holiday with a tan belt and gladiators but completely forgot to take picture (I'm so rubbish at taking holiday pics) but as the dress is so simple, its really easy to dress up with a statement gold/silver necklace or keep it minimal with some gold hoops like I have. I love the back strap detail and the boho-esque look for holidays so if you are looking for a pretty maxi dress, this one is perf! The only issue I had was that I cant wear a bra with it and its a little see-though (eeep!) but there is so many bra/boob diy kits now I had come fully prepared! 
Have you been holiday shopping in Zara? It's all too nice! 

when i met you in the summer

Dress- Zara // Arm Accessories (earrings!) - Primark
Hey dolls, 
How exciting is it that it is nearly summer!! As soon as Coachella starts springing up on my social media feeds I can't help but feel 1. Super jel and 2. Summer is coming! I have seen so many gorgeous outfits already and I cant wait to go and get my own for festivals in the UK this year - make sure you have a look, so much festival inspo! 
I recently found this beautiful dress in Zara (how lush is Zara at the minute though?!) and I decided it had to be mine as I had been searching for a nice dress to wear at a wedding abroad this summer. I thought this would be perfect as its pretty light weight and not too heavy for a whole day in the heat. I always have a problem finding a dress for weddings as I am obsessed with wearing creams & whites which isn't ideal with this being the brides colour *siiigh* ....anyway, I was super happy when I found this mint one which I am going to wear with tan/gold shoes and accessories to finish it off. The gold arm accessories I have on are actually earrings from Primark (lol), however when I was trying these on they were SO heavy on my ears I decided I couldn't wear them. No one wants droopy ear lobes! I put them on my arms for some reason and voila - some gold arm bands! I don't like seeing things go to waste :D 
Have you been in Zara lately? 

Got me Faded

Dress - Closet // Bag - River Island // Shoes - Primark

Hey dolls, 

I got this super cute shift dress before Christmas as a starter item for my S/S14 wardrobe, so thought I would pull it out for a new post. It is from 'Closet' which if you haven't heard of before is a London based company selling high quality dresses that I think are perfect for christenings, weddings etc. They have a large range of dresses and from all the ones I have seen the quality of the fabric is always on form. My dress doesn't seem to be on there but there is a similar peplum style one HERE that I think is super cute! 

My mum came to Manchester the other weekend and she treat me to these gladiator style sandals which I fell in love with when I saw the Primark S/S14 shoe campaign on line! They have SO many nice and super affordable shoes coming in so I am constantly keeping my eye out for my faves! They are perfect for everyday and would be ideal for taking with you on holiday - I love them! 

I hope every one is having a good week! Mine has been a good one based on the fact I got the opportunity to go and see the queen again (Beyonce) with my little sisters who couldn't have been more excited! We had such a good night and Beyonce was, of course, incredible in every way! 

Did anyone else go and see Queen Bey? 

Drunk in Love

 Dress - PrettyLittleThing // Heels - River Island // Hoops - Topshop

Hey Dolls,

I picked this dress up from work the other day, which is now unfortunately out of stock but you can buy this from Pretty Little Thing for £18, which is a bargain for such a nice LBD. I have been after a black dress for a while now and fell in love with this one. It's perfect for day to night wear and I love the subtle cut out back feature. 

I ended up wearing this for a recent flat warming at my new flat but I had a bit too much to drink (oops) so pictures were limited and I decided to re-shoot the dress again. Speaking of drinks I was very kindly sent this AMAZING wine to try from Gallo Family Vineyards. I have to say, I am partial to some vino and I am usually a rose kinda girl, so it was nice to get the chance to try a white wine for a change. Now usually when I have white wine I have to add a bit of lemonade to get rid of the dry taste as I have a bit of a sweet tooth! So, before I opened the wine I went to the shop to grab a bottle of lemonade to make it a bit sweeter - even when a wine says 'sweet' I still never think it's that sweet to be honest. I have to say though, I didn't touch the lemonade all night - this super sweet and fruity wine was so easy to drink and it even reminded me of the 'shloer' non alcoholic drinks...but nicer! 

The Gallo Moscato is described as a,"White Californian Wine Our Gallo Moscato is a lusciously sweet wine with flavours of tropical fruit such as pineapple and peach. Hints of orange blossoms and honey complement the fruity, yet refreshing finish." - This couldn't be a better description and I couldn't recommend this wine enough! Even my friends were taking pictures of the bottle so they can remember to buy it when they are next shopping. I will definitely be stocking up for Summer, it is THE perfect drink for a Summers day! I was also given this Spiced Orange Blossom Punch to make using the Gallo Moscato which I cannot wait to have a go at! I've put it under here if you fancy a go ;) You can buy this wine for £6.99 from most Supermarkets.

Spiced Orange Blossom Punch

You'll need:

• 2 bottles of Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato
• Half a lemon, half an orange & 4 kumquats
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of orange blossom water
• 80g sugar
• 6 whole allspice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Twist of orange zest and physalis

How to:

• Thinly slice the lemon, orange and kumquats, discarding any seeds. Quarter the orange slices.
• Put the fruit into a pan and add honey, sugar, orange blossom and allspice. 
• With a knife, cut the cinnamon sticks lengthwise into thinner strips & add to the pan.
• Add two cups of water to the pan, bring to boil over high heat then reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes
• Pour both bottles of Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato into the hot citrus base and heat until steaming for about 8 minutes
• Pour into martini glasses with a twist of orange zest and a physalis for garnish.

I can't even explain how nice this wine is! I can't wait to have a go at this cocktail! I insist you give it a try if you are a wine fiend like me :)

Gorgeous Couture

Dress - Gorgeous Couture // Shoes - Topshop // Midi rings - eBay

Hey dolls, 

Eeeep its just 9 sleeps till Christmas now - how exciting! I can't wait to go home and spend some quality time with the familia and just have a general break from work. I've been super organised this year and got all my presents in advance (thank god). Last year was too stressful as I decided to leave it all till last minute as per. Honestly, running round Manchester like a headless chicken is not the one. So I'm happy I can just chill out till I break up from work and enjoy the build up to Christmas day :)

On another note, I was absolutely thrilled when an email popped up from Gorgeous Couture asking me if I would like to be part of their December blogger edit! I always love receiving their blogger edit emails and oggling over some beaut bloggers in GC's latest designs! To be asked to be part of this too, I was completely over the moon and SO excited to wear one of their gorgeous dresses. When my parcel arrived I couldn't wait to get inside and ripped open the wrapper as quick as I could (you can't wait around for a dress like this ;). The dress came beautifully wrapped in tissue paper in a black box with a luxurious black velvet hanger - what more could I ask for? I love the fact there is so much thought put into the packaging and you really feel like you are getting a luxury item! Fit for a princess ;)

When I saw the dress I totally fell in love. I'm obsessed with white dresses, I think they look so expensive and are look amazing with loads of accessories and at the same time can look good with just minimal jewellery. I tried this dress on with a few statement necklaces, but decided I preferred the minimal look with some gold midi rings and a slick of M.A.C's RiRi Woo on my lips.

My favourite part of the dress is the stunning cut out back, which I think makes this dress super sexy and reminds me of something worthy of a red carpet. I can't tell you how much I love this dress and I can't wait to wear it for something special! You definitely get your money's worth with Gorgeous Couture - from the super high quality fabric to the beautiful packaging, I really couldn't ask for more! The dress I am wearing is the 'Freya Maxi Dress' which you can find HERE.

Have you bought anything from Gorgeous Couture before?

L O V E

Dress - Fashion Union* // Boots - Primark // Clutch - River Island // Jacket - Koo-Ture // Watch - Born Prettys*

Hey Dolls, 

Hope everyone had a good weekend! I'm having one of them days where everything goes wrong and I just want to crawl back into bed, wahh! 

I wanted to share with you this gorgeous PU shift dress I received off Fashion Union which I can't wait to wear for the party season! I love a bit of PU leather and when I first saw these dresses I knew I would have to get my hands on one at some point! They are so easy to style and you can never go wrong with a LBD can you really? I can't find the dress on-line but they have a very Burberry-esque heart print one which is gorgeous PLUS FU are offering 30% off at the moment so I'm thinking of putting a cheeky little order in myself! 

I came across the cut out shoe boots in Primark that had been reduced from £25 to £10 !!! Yes, you read it right - £10. They are the absolute spit of the Rihanna for RI pair which I loved but they sold out so quick I didn't manage to get my little celebrity endorsed obsessed hands on them. They also have the black & cream version on sale too, however as lovely as they are I thought the one pair was enough (I have too many shoes I don't wear!). I found these in the Manchester Market Street Primark but I'm sure they are about everywhere! 

The fur jacket was something I bought from work spontaneously and I absolutely love it. I have got so much wear out of this already and is the perfect day to night coat that looks good but keeps you warm at the same time. There are loads of gorgeous coats/capes on-line at the moment, definitely worth a look! You can check them out HERE. 

I decided to give this outfit a pop of colour with the RI clutch and pink jelly wrist watch. I was very kindly sent this watch from 'Born Prettys' that are an on-line company that sell all the accessories you could think of from phone cases to bracelet watches. This LED watch is super cheap and as well as having a wide range of products to choose from I think these watches are great for adding a pop of colour to your outfit. I even have a 10% discount code you can use despite the prices being so reasonable already - ASHLEIGHGC10 just pop it in at the check out! You can also find my watch HERE.

Hope everyone has a fab week - nearly Christmas Eeeek!

Suede & Tassels

Dress - Koo-Ture // Wedges - Manchester Boutique

Hey dolls, 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Apart from working on a mad busy night due to the boxing being held in Manchester, it was a pretty chilled one which is just what I like when I've been ill and busy at work! I also had a cheeky splurge in Topshop yesterday and got myself a Kim K inspired outfit that I cannot wait to wear on my next night out! 

Whilst being super busy I did manage to pick up this pocohontas-esque dress which is a new brand to be part of Koo-Ture from Poland. I really can't make my mind up on when or where to wear it too but it's pretty cute all the same. I figured I'd probably wear it as a top for through the day and then a dress on a night out. I espesh love the tassel sleeves and it's an amazing quality, however I cant work out if this is more of a summer outfit or if I could get away with it for a wintery night out...hmm?If all else fails I'm going as Pocahontas to the next fancy dress party I'm going to, ha!

I'm off to see the new Hunger Games film tonight and I am too excited, major girl crush time over Katniss! Has anyone else seen it yet? 

Have you shopped at Koo-Ture before?

It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters

 Dress- Ebay // Hi-Tops - Footlocker // Chain - Ebay // Bag - Zara 

Hey Dolls, 

Yayyyy it's Friday! My favourite day of the working week AND its still sunny! What is this? What has happened to the UK? Either way I'm not complaining, gimmie more! 

Anyway I recently got this little beaut of a dress (pretty sure most people wear it as a top but whatevs) thanks to Charlotte at Lurchhound Loves who I spotted wearing on an instagram post and instantly fell in love. I love tie dye in the Summer and I seem to be immediately drawn to it whenever I'm shopping. I even got my own tie dying dyes to have a go myself, but haven't got round to using yet. I think I had previously seen this one on Pretty Little Thing, however, Charlotte mentioned she got hers off Ebay for cheaper so I jumped on that one and got searching! 

I managed to find one for just under £9 on Ebay which is a total bargain! 'Buy Now' was pressed immediately. Within about 2 days my dress arrived so it was super speedy delivery, which I love! Charlotte teamed hers with a skirt, which is probably more sensible than me just going all out with nothing else on, but at the moment I'm just finding the weather too hot so I'm opting for minimal, sorry guys. I wore mine with some baby pink socks, my fave Airforce1 high tops and a gold chain (also from Ebay - just type in 'gold chain', loads come up) and went for a bit of an urban look. I also had my white Zara baby hanging off my arm and I was sort of enjoying the pastel tie dye/white combo to be honest!

You can get the same dress/top, whatever you want to call it - HERE or HERE (the first one could be sold out now) but you can still get the same dress for just under a tenner - not bad huh?!      

Are you Ebay obsessed like me? 

KJ Dressing Room

Dress - KJ Dressing Room* // Bag - Topshop // Shoes - Primark 

Hey dolls! 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend! Mine was pretty busy but lots of fun all the same :) Now it's back to a week of work...owww! I wish I could be a lady of leisure whilst its this warm! 

Despite being back at work I received a lovely package from KJ Dressing Room last week and was absolutely over the moon with this gorgeous bodycon dress (might I add wrapped up in lovely gold tissue paper - I love good packaging). KJ Dressing Room are a brand new online fashion website that sell dresses, bags and accessories for both day and night occasions. The brand belongs to the lovely Jade Turner & Kate Thorne - who some of you might recognise if you are a Geordie Shore fan, as James' girlfriend, a very beautiful lady! After browsing the website I had already fallen in love with some of the dresses in the night wear section - I'm a sucker for a white dress and they have plenty to choose from! Not only do they have a gorgeous night wear selection for super reasonable prices (From around £20), last night they launched their brand new day wear range which is equally as lovely - lots of gorgeous midi and maxi dresses for Summer! I especially love the cream tie maxi dress, so if you are jetting off on holidays soon this would be perfect against a gorgeous holiday tan! 

The dress I have on is also something I would certainly be taking away with me, I think it would look lush with a tan and I felt like it was a really flattering fit. The fabric is quite tight so its good for holding you in whilst sculpting and smoothing your shape - yay! I absolutely love the pattern/design on the front of the dress which is why I decided to leave out any statement jewellery as I didn't want to take away attention from the detail. I teamed the dress with some black Kim K inspired heels that I managed to bag off a photo shoot from work ;) and a black 3D flower clutch from Topshop. I love a bodycon dress as I find they are ideal for both day to night wear as they are easily dressed up or down. Although I would probably wear this dressed up, I think it would look nice with some black gladiator sandals also! You can get my dress HERE and it retails for a very reasonable £31.99!

Have you checked out KJ Dressing Room?

Red

                        Dress - MissGuided // Chain - Ebay // Stud Platform Boots - Daisy Street*

Hey Dolls, 

Eeeep I haven't blogged for so long, I've been so busy! I turned 23 this month and ever since then I've been non stop. Need to get my blogging head back on :) 

I recently got this dress from Miss Guided which I have wanted for quite a while as I don't really have anything in this style and I like the 'bardot' style cut at the top. I think the free delivery swayed my decision to finally buy the dress as well 8). When I first got the dress I loved it but I wasn't so keen on the length as for some reason it just didn't look right on me. I tried rolling the dress up to a shorter length which I decided looked much better and made the amendments myself. Despite all this there is a shorter length version of this dress called the 'Rorry' dress but me being lazy and impatient, didn't want to wait for returns/exchange and I could have been possibly out of the time limit to return anyway. I also need to add that the quality of the dress is really impressive. The fabric is quite thick with a good stretch which is what you want in a bodycon dress, I've had some bad ones that are super thin and just pretty rubbish in general but this one gets a massive thumbs up!

I think this is perfect dress for day to night wear as I think it would look lush with biker style or cut out black boots for through the day and then with some heels for night. I teamed mine with the trusty Jeffery Campbell lookalikes from Daisy Street, which have featured on quite a few of my posts now and my chunky gold chain necklace which is always hanging round my neck - it's love!

You can get this dress HERE off Miss Guided for £14.99 and the shorter version that I have amended my length to HERE for £13.99 which in my eyes are both major bargains!

Do you like the 'bardot' style?

Think Like a Boss

 Blazer - The Kooples // Dress - Fashion Union* // Bag - H&M // Biker Boots - Zara

Hey dolls!

Hope all is well. I am back from Egypt and I have serious holiday blues :( :( :( I desperately need to get away again soon, I hate this weather.Since arriving back I have neglected any form of clothing that doesn't represent Summer as I feel that I need to show off my Egyptian tan, ha. So I have been strolling around in summer clothes regardless of how cold it is. 

I recently was lucky enough to choose this super cute LBD off Fashion Union. This is a fab website I have recently discovered with lots of amazing Summer pieces to offer with the high street price tag. Perfect for girls like me on a budget! I love all the festival clothes that seem to have kicked off since the Coachella craze, which will be right up my street for when I go to various festivals this year - YAY. If you haven't already checked out Fashion Union, you can HERE.

I can't find this exact dress on the Fashion Union website, however they have a similar pinafore dress which I think will look super cute this summer. You can find it HERE, plus its only £20! Bargain or what. 

I have also recently been wearing my new biker boots from Zara that my mum kindly got me when she last visited Manchester. I absolutely love them but I'm not going to lie, although they look pretty they are not the comfiest. My poor feet have took a bit of a battering with these - ouch, I hope they are properly worn in soon as I really want to wear them all the time!

Do you shop at Fashion Union? Have you got any holidays/festivals booked?

Vintage Floral | Koo-Ture

                               Dress - Koo-Ture // Shoes - Stylist Pick

Hey Dolls, 
  Hope you are having a nice weekend. I have had a really busy week and I have headed home to the lakes for my pops 50th :) We went for a yummy meal at a super nice restaurant in the lakes and I can't tell you how ready I was stuff my face! I ordered a big fat steak (sorry if you're veggie) and it was delicious. I have had a pretty busy week, although I have been seriously slacking with the gym, UGH. I have had the pleasure of going to two amazing events this week just gone though, which were super fun. Busy, busy.

I need this week to go really quick as me and my friend managed to book a last minute trip to Egypt which I am TOO excited about! I need some sunshine in my life! I can't wait to get in my bikini and get me some tan! I've never been to Egypt before so if you have and you have any tips for me, please share!

Aside from my ramble, the dress I have on is from where I work and as soon as I saw it I wanted it. It is super girlie and probably not one of my obvious choices but I can't wait to wear it. I think it's pretty versatile and can be worn for through the day or dressed up at night. When I first saw it, my mind immediately thought of festivals as I think it is perfect teamed with converse or wellies!

I have put a pair of heels with it on the picture as I wanted to see how it would look dressed up PLUS I have never actually wore these heels that I fell in love with and got last year from 'Stylist Pick'. Where has all the hype from this site gone? I can remember getting my Cheryl Cole shoe boots from there and then I haven't really heard from them since!?

Anyway, As neon is very on trend at the moment I thought these bright yellow heels bring out the yellow in the dress and look pretty cute for a night out or special occasion. I also loved the deep-v back - I love anything backless! Unfortunately the dress I have has sold out due to high demand but there are also various other prints and styles on the website which you can find HERE.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend, I can't wait to get stuck into my Sunday dinner soon ... MMM! 

House Party

Jumper Dress - H&M //Chain - Primark // Airforce1 - Footlocker

Hey beauties,

Hope everyone had a good bank holiday weekend! Mine consisted of chilling, eating, partying and sleeping - just what I needed! The outfit I am wearing is what I wore to my friend Elle's 21st birthday house party which was super fun! 

I was having a dilemma before hand as me being me (dizzy) planned my outfit before hand, which was a skater skirt I bought online and much to my disappointment ended up being too big :( plus there was going to be no time to return it and it to get back to me in time. FAIL. So, never fear, I work at a fashion company - there must be something I can pick up in work. I had had my eye on one of the boutique designs they had in so I thought, yeah this will be cute for a house party and it can be dressed up or down. So what do I do? Walk home that night feeling good as I have four days off, then it hits me, I only left the dress in work. Wow, I have no words. 

Anyway, obviously I am going to have to pick up something else so I drag my best friend to town that night and we end up in trusty H&M. I was looking around the casual section for some reason and noticed this jumper/dress. So I tried it on and instantly loved it. I have wanted a varsity style jumper/dress for a while and this was perfect for £15. I think they will look lush in Summer for through the day as well. I decided this would be pretty cute for the party and so I ended up choosing to go quite casual to the party as it was in my friends house. I had such a fun night - lots of drinking and dancing took place! I teamed the dress with my airforce1's and a chain from Primark along with lots of hand bling. I have more snaps of the night on my instagram which you can find HERE if you didn't follow already :)

Hope you all had a fun weekend :)