my beauty space: August 2014

Sunday, August 31, 2014

LADY IN (dark) RED

So this dress is the third and final piece I was super super lucky enough to receive from Missguided! When choosing my items, I definitely went for pieces fitting for the coming seasons, as I know I'll get plenty of wear out of them.
I have to credit Robyn, the lovely girl from Missguided, for unintentionally giving me an amazing idea on styling this dress. My black duster and fedora go perfectly with this burgundy combo, and give a smart, tailored finish! Both pieces were incredibly cheap, and I actually picked up the same duster in white yesterday! Majorly on the hunt for a some grid print duster coat now!
Let's just talk about how cute this dress is.. How cute is this dress?! I've always loved skater style dresses, and sweetheart necklines, so this is the perfect combo! It's a non-stretch, silk material, so I sized up, (very wisely), as I knew it'd be a struggle to get over my chest, so definitely size up if you're like me.. in that department. Sizing aside, it's the perfect day-to-night piece, and the print and colours are the perfect nod to the autumnal colour palette.
I featured these shoes in my previous post, so closer images are here. They're another fabulous piece from Missguided's new A/W collection. I love the mixture of a cute feminine dress, and some androgynous brogues. It makes what could be your average outfit, a real head-turner. It's all in the details!
I have quite a few new bits from Missguided that I purchased myself to show you all very soon, following on from the recent flow of A/W fashion! (Is it just me who is sick to death of hearing/reading the words 'A/W'..)?

DUSTER COAT - PRIMARK

HAT - H&M (similar here)

DRESS - c/o MISSGUIDED

SHOES - c/o MISSGUIDED

A/W PINK FLORALS

It seems I'm no longer resisting the charms of A/W fashion, that's it, I'm hanging up my kimonos, and accepting summer is ending! (Okay, we all know I can't let go of my treasured kimonos).
Anyway, this is a hugely exciting post for me as I'm insanely lucky enough to be working with my beloved Missguided on some A/W looks!! It's so excited for me to be reaching these goals that I've set for myself, and seeing how far I come, and I pray I make even further progress in the near future!
I've always loved the look of the suede coats with a sheepskin underlay, but the fitting of them was always such a pain for me as I have broad shoulders, and they're generally stiff fitting, but oh my goodness. I cannot express how incredibly the fit and material of this coat is. I've been rambling to my blogging friends and my family about how crazy perfect it is! I even made my boyfriend have a snuggle with it, haha! There is a tan and black version as well I believe, so I'm really temped to get a hold of one of those! Honestly guys, so soft. So damn soft.
My best friend bought me this gorgeous two-piece for my birthday, (she knows me well!). I love the way two-pieces are being transitioned into the colder seasons. The colours of this are perfect, taking on the deeper burgundy shades, yet still featuring the pastel pinks I'm obsessed with.
I accessorised this look with these super shiny burgundy brogues, and my even newer addition to my growing Grafea family, the camera bag! The colour of the brogues compliments the wintery shades of the flowers on the two-piece, and is a great alternative to heels.. certainly one my feet will appreciate! Adding an androgynous twist to a girly outfit is something I've always been in to, so I have a feeling brogues will be a staple in my A/W wardrobe. I'm thinking of doing a post solely on the Grafea camera bag, as I think a lot more needs to be said about it than a little sum up in an outfit post! I'll keep it to a minimum for now, but keep an eye out for a post regarding this baby, as I feel this is such a versatile bag and there's lots for me to say!

COAT - c/o MISSGUIDED TOP - MISSGUIDED SHORTS - MISSGUIDED SHOES - c/o MISSGUIDED BAG - GRAFEA post signature

AUTUMN KIMONO

As I'd imagine you all know, I am the craziest kimono lady on this Earth, so realising that A/W is rapidly approaching certainly rocked my emotions as I worried I'd have to part with my with dear kimonos! So as it turns out, you can buy grungier shades of kimono?! Genius! There's me thinking it was only acceptable to rock the neons and pastels.
I actually bought this little beauty in the New Look sale a while back, but I couldn't bring myself to showcase the darker colours whilst it's still.. 'Summer'.. I found the perfect opportunity upon receiving yet another incredibly elegant two-piece from Hedonia. You may have seen an older post of me wearing a gorgeous white two-piece from Hedonia, and how much I raved about the elegance and beauty of it. Well now that they're releasing they're new collection, I was super lucky to receive the A/W take on the two-piece trend! It has lovely mesh/caged detailing on the shoulders of the top, and just above the hem of the skirt. I really don't like super short skirts or dresses, so the length of this is just right for me, and the fact you can only see a couple of inches of leg in between gets the thumbs up from me!
Looking over my outfit, this is quite a classic 'Nicole' look really. Kimono? Check. Two-piece? Check. Primark? Check! What can I say? I'm consistent! Primark has so many gorgeous shoes in at the moment, and I was thrilled when I spotted these very 'Dr Marten' style cut out shoes. They had them in black too, but the burgundy looked so much more expensive. Certainly a lot more than the £14 price tag!
So how did I do at A/W fashion? Am I coping with the inevitable season change? I'm trying!

TOP - c/o HEDONIA SKIRT - c/o HEDONIA KIMONO - NEW LOOK (in sale!) SHOES - PRIMARK post signature

THE SECOND GRAFEA DEBUT

I've had these beautiful clothes for over a week now, (that's a long time in my book), and I've been dying to get them up on my blog as they're current favourites in my wardrobe, (particularly the playsuit!). Now, I'm not a playsuit girl by any means, purely because I despise the way I look in them, but recently I've been seeing a few that flatter me.. (as best as possible). This one is one of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe. I love the colour, pattern, fabric, cut, the lot! I'd seen it on Missguided for absolutely ages, and when I saw it was included in the 40% off section, naturally it went straight into my basket! Another item that was in that section is this perfect pastel pink kimono. So simple, so classic, and so me! I actually bought the lilac one too, (don't shoot me!).
Yep! ANOTHER beloved Grafea bag!! This is the second beautiful bag I got for my birthday. I want to carry them both around with me at all times!! How perfect does this bag go with my outfit? This kimono and bag are a match made, I'm sure of it. Just like the lilac Hari bag, the quality is incomparable to any bag I've owned/seen. Also, I found that in person, the bags are a little smaller, which is really good as it makes them a lot more versatile/easy to use. This bag is the 'holdall', but I find it just the right size to use as a day bag, then again, I love huge, obnoxious bags!
Besides the weather being incredibly bipolar, (using it as an adjective), I popped on my new favourite sunglasses from Red Hot Sunglasses! I was recently lucky enough to be added as one of their new bloggers, and I received the cutest welcome pack, including these babies, (as well as some delicious chocolate!). They stock some incredibly drool-worthy sunglasses from the likes of Miu Miu, Prada, and many more!
Also, I do apologise for the slight lack in pictures/lack in good ones as I had a little struggle with my photographer AKA mother.

PLAYSUIT - MISSGUIDED KIMONO - MISSGUIDED SHOES - TOPSHOP BAG - GRAFEA SUNGLASSES - c/o RED HOT SUNGLASSES post signature

THE GRAFEA DEBUT

So this is possibly the most exciting blog post I have ever done as it's featuring............. my very first Grafea bag!!!! It was my birthday on Tuesday, and I was completely spoilt. I received not only one, but TWO grafea bags! The lilac one featured today was from my absolutely amazing boyfriend, (shoutout to the bae, hehe), and I got the pink holdall from my parents! I could shed a tear when I look at them both, they're like my children! I think I have the 'Grafea bug' now though, and I have my eye firmly on the pink camera bag! I can confirm the rumours are true, and they are of incredible quality! It's worth saving up for or splashing out on, and I fully intend on owning a very large collection!
Another one of my amazing presents isn't part of my outfit, but part of the photography! Yep, I now own the 50mm lens! It's quite difficult to get used to, hence why some of these pictures are slightly fuzzed, but I believe this is the start of a beautiful relationship..... with my camera......(????).
Okay, the outfit! I'm very lucky to be given the opportunity to frequently work with Miss Pap, a brand that I absolutely adoooore, so I always thoroughly enjoy receiving gorgeous pieces from them! This set is the most perfect A/W transitional two-piece, as it has the summery floral print and cut, but takes on a sleek monochrome colour. It makes it so easy to chuck on your favourite chunky coat and boots, and boom, you're an A/W queen! I'd recommend sizing down in the top if you're after a snug fit, but if you like it comfortable and oversized, stick to your normal size!
This jacket is an absolute killer, and now a firm staple in my wardrobe. Since getting a hold of the pastel blue duster coat from Asos, I've been hell-bent on tracking down a black one, but for a friendlier price! Well, well, well, what can I say? Primark, you came through! I managed to pick up my dream duster for only £17!!! They had it in white too, but the unfortunate orange make-up stains meant I had to pray for a next time.
My hat and shoes have certainly been featured more than once, but they are from Asos and Public Desire, (respectively), for you newbies!!
On a random note, I'm so enjoying blogging, it's given a lot of meaning to my life, and I am so grateful for all of these incredible opportunities I have been given. The future is exciting!