So, here is my go-to outfit for this month’s not-so-summery summer days.  I wore it recently to see a band play at a pub, and I’ll be wearing it tonight with comfortable flats for a meal out with my partner.

Dip Hem Shirt, Vest and Skinny Jeans – Primark

Suedette Shoe Boots – New Look

Studded Skull Bag – Everything5Pounds

Handcrafted Silver Bat Skull Necklace – Birthday gift from my Dad (bought from Etsy)

What have you been wearing on these cooler summer days?

Naomi x

Christmas isn’t just about the presents, but I got some really lovely fashion and beauty related things this year, so I thought I would share them with you today.  I also got a lot of chocolate, baking equipment, geeky stuff (including a bat detector which I’ve been wanting for AGES) and books – my friends and relatives know me well!

So, here are some of my Christmas gifts.  Apologies for the strange colouring in a few of the photographs…  They were taken in bad lighting!

My dad bought me this absolutely beautiful sterling silver Bat Skull necklace.  He mentioned that he got it from Etsy and it was handmade in New York by an obviously very talented maker.  I instantly fell in love with it when I opened the box, and in my surprise I ended up dropping the box in my mug of tea, woops!  I adore bats so I am going to treasure this piece.

I also love hares, so my dad gave me this large pewter moon hare pendant as well.  Isn’t it stunning?  I need to find a chain for this pronto so I can start wearing it.

The dinosaur at the top was from my sister, Rex from Toy Story was from my fiancé, and the owl was from my fiancé’s sister.  Owls, dinosaurs and necklaces are a few of my favourite things, so I was very pleased to receive all three of these beauties.

I received three different perfumes this year, all of which are replacements for perfumes I already have.  Cacharel’s Amor Amor (one of my all time favourites), Vera Wang Princess Night, and an Accessorize Gift Set.

I didn’t get much make up this year, but my cousin gave me 17′s Smoky Eye Palette and a few little 17 lip glosses.  The red gloss is gorgeous!  The guy at the bottom is a rather cute owl lip balm.

How amazing are these?!  My fiancé’s sister gave me these Batman nail transfers.  I was so excited when I opened them and I cannot wait to give them a go.  Definitely expect a review of these soon.

This cat bag from my mum was one of my favourite gifts this year.  It’s big and furry and very soft – it needs to stop raining now so I can use it!

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a scarf, gloves or socks, and this year I got all three.  The scarf is purple with green skulls and is nice and light – ideal for spring.  The socks have squirrels on them, one of my favourite animals, and the rainbow mitten gloves are SO SNUGGLY – win!

Not the best photo in the world but my mum got me a BATMAN ONESIE!  Amazing, right? <3

A massive thank you to everyone who spoilt me this year, I am extremely grateful.  Did you get anything fashion and beauty related for Christmas this year?  I’d love to see your hauls too!

Naomi x

(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