H&M Cropped Jumper / George Net Frill Skirt / Primark Cosy Tights / Dr Martens Crackle Suede Pascal Boots / Curiology Snow Globe Necklace

Well, it’s been a ridiculously long time since I last posted, but I think it’s about time I made a blog comeback!  The last few months have been incredibly busy, and I may do a life update post soon to share a few things, but for now I thought I’d kick back off with a good ol’ outfit post – my favourite!

Last weekend we had our first snow of the season, and though there wasn’t much, Charles and I went for a lovely wintry walk around the local meadows.  My outfit of choice for my snowy walk was put together around one piece – my skirt.  I actually thrifted this skirt for just £3.25 from a charity shop a few weeks ago, and I absolutely adore it.  The full tiered net looks so feminine, but still has the Gothy edge that I love, and is surprisingly warm when worn over tights.

I teamed the skirt with one of my favourite basic jumpers from H&M, and my newest pair of Dr Martens, which kept my toes toasty from the cold.  The necklace was a Christmas gift from my mum, and is pretty damn cool.  It’s by Curiology, and was one of their Winter 2015 pieces.  It doesn’t show up well in the photo, but the necklace is layered, and depicts a gothic castle scene, with teeny bats included.  So cute.

Did you get any snow last week?

Naomi x

 ASOS Flared Sleeve Dress / Primark Bat Leggings / Primark Stretch Tee / Everything5Pounds Stud Boots / Alchemy Bat Necklace / Fitbit Charge

Spooky season is well and truly upon us!  Which, much to my delight, means that the shops are currently full of Halloween themed goodies.  For me, Halloween is better than Christmas, so like a lot of people love to spend December wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, I like to wear Halloween clothing throughout October!

My first Halloween purchase this year is this pair of monochrome bat print leggings from Primark.  Bats are actually one of my favourite creatures, so when I spotted these they went straight into my shopping basket.  I was slightly worried that they wouldn’t work for me as Primark leggings don’t always fit me right, but these are pretty damn perfect.  They’re true to size, and the fabric is also lovely and soft.

To continue the bat theme I threw on my Alchemy bat necklace, over this cute ASOS dress.  I actually bought this during the summer sale, but have only just started wearing it for some reason.  The long flared sleeves remind me of bat wings, and the length is perfect for showing off patterned leggings such as these.

The studded biker boots are from Everything5Pounds and were, you guessed it, only £5!  Despite the low price tag they’re excellent quality, and are great for leaf kicking.

Naomi x

I’ve always been more of an Autumn/Winter fan than a Spring/Summer one (which is probably just as well considering I live in chilly little England!), so although I’m enjoying the longer days, blue skies and lush landscapes of the current months, I can’t help but get a little bit excited about the up and coming Autumn/Winter collections from my favourite shops and designers.  Walking around the Highcross last week, I’ve already started to notice a slow trickle of thicker fabrics and darker colours coming in and, much to my delight, Alexander McQueen have also just launched their Pre Autumn Winter 2015, and Autumn Winter 2015 collections.  There are some absolutely stunning pieces in both collections, but unfortunately I’m far too poor to afford any of it!  So I thought I’d share with you my McQueen Autumn/Winter wishlist, so that you can see how beautiful it all is, but also so I can come back to it during the end of year sale to remind myself of what I want, in the hope that I will then be able to afford it!

Which is your favourite piece?

Naomi x

Handmade Flocked Skater Dress / MortiisM Vegan Skull Necklace / Blonde + Blonde Lace Up Block Heel Boots / Primark Tights

Today’s outfit post is also a Thrifty Finds post, as my beautiful flocked skater dress was handmade by my very talented mum, using fabric that we got from a carboot sale.  And the best part is the fabric only cost £1!  My mum drafted the pattern for this herself, using the bodice from one of my dresses, and the skirt from another, so it turned out the exact fit, shape and length I was hoping for.  I’m so impressed by mum’s work, especially as this was the first adult dress she ever made.  The stitching is so neat, it’s comfortable, and it fits me really well – quite an achievement considering I tried the bodice on once whilst she was making it, and that’s it!  Needless to say I’ll be asking her to make me another dress very soon, as I’m so pleased with this one.

My necklace is also a craft piece, by the lovely MortiisM, who makes vegan skull and metal jewellery, antlers, and homewares.  I won this piece in a giveaway on Instagram, and I adore it.  I love the length, and the quality of the piece is really high.  It looks so real, and the Swarovski adornment is like the icing on the cake.  Stunning!

Naomi x

P.S. Check out how else I styled these boots!

I’ve always had a thing for studs and spikes on accessories, and used to wear a lot of them during my ‘Goth’ teen years, but unlike the cheap, tacky stuff I had back then, this bracelet is classy, eye-catching, and a bit more ‘grown up’.  It consists of five rows of high-shine metal spikes, which are blunted so they won’t snag on clothes, and are securely joined at the back and strung onto robust elastic.  As its name suggests, it is also quite heavy, but not to the point that it’s uncomfortable to wear.  Everything about this bracelet, especially the weightiness, oozes quality, and it is incredibly well made.  It fits really well too as it’s slightly curved, so has an elegant shape and sits neatly against the wrist.

This is undoubtedly a statement piece which is perfect for the current Gothic and Biker trends, and it is also very versatile.  I usually wear a lot of thin bracelets stacked on top of each other, but this is so big and bold I can get away with wearing it on its own, with whatever I’m wearing that day, and it always grabs people’s attention.  In fact, I love it so much that I plan on featuring it in a few up and coming outfit posts, so check back soon for those.

You can get your own Heavy Spike Bracelet, and loads of other gorgeous pieces, online at Accessories Boutique, and if you spend £20 delivery is free.

Happy shopping!

Naomi x

*This Heavy Spike Bracelet was sent to me by Accessories Boutique for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*

Primark Black & Teal Lace Midi Skirt / Primark Pocket Top / Dr Martens Regina Heeled Boots / Alchemy The Raven Necklace / Juno Black Patent Grab Bag

For a slightly Victorianesque Gothic look, I finished the outfit with my lace up Dr Martens Regina brogue heeled boots, and my stunning Raven Alchemy necklace.  Alchemy are a company close to my heart as they’re based in my hometown, and I own quite a few of their pieces, but this is one of my favourites as it’s based on my favourite Edgar Allan Poe poem, ‘The Raven’.  Of course I also had to add my trusty Juno patent grab bag, which I reviewed here last week.

What do you think of this look?

Naomi x

The three shades are 1 Seduction, a lovely pinky red, 2 Scorned, a dark purple, and 3 Revenge, a deep berry red, which is the shade I went for, and they’re all perfect for Autumn/Winter.  All three lipsticks have Collection’s signature black packaging, but rather than pink it is embellished with gold, which I think gives it a more luxe look.

The lipstick itself has a very creamy texture, so it glides on easily and evenly.  It’s also quite moisturising, however, I would still recommend using a lip balm underneath, or exfoliating your lips before use, as after a while it tends to show up darker on any dry patches/creases.  Not ideal in winter I must say!

‘Revenge’ is a stunning, vampy, almost maroon red, and is very highly pigmented, or as Collection says, ‘deeply intense’.  The colour lasts well on the lips and it stays bold for several hours after application, but it does eventually start to wear off, and needs touching up every now and then.  But I tend to expect that of dark shades anyway.  I have noticed that it acts almost like a lip tint though, as even after I’ve removed it my lips look slightly stained with a hint of berry red.

Collection’s Gothic Glam lipsticks retail for £2.99 each, which is just so affordable, and for a budget product ‘Revenge’ is really quite impressive.  The colour and staying power could even rival some of my more expensive lipsticks!  It reminds me a little bit of Dainty Doll’s 001 Couture, which is another of my favourites.  So, if you love dark shades and are willing to moisturise/exfoliate before applying lipstick, then Collection Gothic Glam Lipsticks could be for you.  You can find them in Superdrug and Boots!

What are your thoughts on this range?

Naomi x

Dress – Damart

Leather Jacket – Vintage

Bag – Everything5Pounds

Cut Out Boots – New Look

Bracelets – eBay, Primark, Gifted

Necklace – Handmade by Me

The dress was originally £35, but is currently on sale at Damart for just £14, and it comes in black, navy or print and in sizes 10-22.  Damart may not usually be your first choice for fashion, but give them a chance!  They’re brilliant for affordable, basic pieces that can be styled up to suit your mood, and the weather, as you can see.

Naomi x

*This dress was sent to me by Damart for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*

(Click the image for a closer look)

Shop this look:

– Annie Oversized Vintage Jumper in ‘Black’ (£20) – Davina Skull Print Leggings in ‘Berry’ (£10) –

– Quinn Black Suedette Platform Courts (£12) – Diamante Skull Chain (£8) –

I have been browsing the high street a lot lately for Autumn trends, and have spotted a lot of big slouchy jumpers and grunge style pieces on the shelves, with a mix of Gothic style prints.  Lucky for me, I already incorporate these styles into my look anyway, so it seemed only natural to take this route when choosing my outfit for the challenge.

Too often people go for bright, patterned tops and plain bottoms, so I thought I would switch the conventions around a bit.  I knew that I wanted to team a simple black jumper with bold bottoms, and the Annie Oversized Vintage Jumper seemed like a good starting point.  I chose the red Skull Print Leggings to go with it as they offset the bagginess of the jumper nicely by being skin-tight, and the red adds a gorgeous splash of Autumn colour.  The skull print is what initially drew me to this piece as it happens to be one of my favourite clothing prints, and it gives the outfit a hint of Gothic.

I added black Platform Courts to the outfit to show that grunge/Goth can be sexy too, and that the image can be carried through to the evening with some killer, confidence boosting heels.  My final addition was the Diamante Skull Chain.  I adore big statement pieces of jewellery, and own a few sparkly skull necklaces myself, so when I saw this necklace I just had to include it…  It matches the leggings perfectly, and would really stand out on the simple jumper, giving the outfit a girly edge.

My outfit totals exactly £50, which I am very pleased with.  This is the kind of thing I will be wearing myself throughout Autumn and Winter, and if I win I may even use the voucher to buy this outfit!

I was contacted about this challenge by email yesterday, but anybody can enter.  If you fancy trying your hand at styling on a budget, here are the rules for entering:

How to Enter

1. Head over to BooHoo.com and start piecing together an outfit, making sure you do not exceed your £50 budget (no student discounts or other voucher codes can be used to help you stretch this budget I’m afraid).

2. Write a post about your outfit and this competition on your blog, which includes a link back to our home page www.fashionvouchers.com.

3. Email a link to your entry to competition@fashionvouchers.com.

Rules

1. The prize will consist of 1 x £50 BooHoo.com voucher, and there will be four winners.

2. No cash alternative is available for the prize.

3. The competition starts on September 1st.

4. Closing date for entries is September 30th.

5. Winner will be announced by October 10^th on our twitter page @fashvouchers.

6. Only one entry per person.

I hope you like my outfit, and if you decide to enter yourself please comment below with the link to your entry so I can check out your fashion finds… and good luck!

Naomi x

I have just updated my Blog Sale with a few more items of clothing, including this rare black lace skirt by Omen.  It’s a Size 10ish and it’s hardly ever been worn so is in excellent condition!  It doesn’t fit me any more and though I’m sad to see it go, I think it deserves a new home with someone who will show it off!

Check out my Blog Sale page for more information and more items

Naomi x