Bag Chat- Chanel Classic Flap Reveal

As a self-confessed long-time bag addict, I have pined over the Chanel Classic Flap Bag for years. With their intricate stitching and shiny hardware, for me they have always been the epitome of elegance within the 'handbag world'.

It was during a holiday in Paris last August that my bag dreams actually came true, when I visited Chanel's flagship store at 31 Rue Cambon. After hearing countless tales of 'waiting list' situations, I went to the store naturally expecting the 'Classic' ranges to be unavailable. Thankfully (...although not for my bank account) this was not at all the case!

(Apologies for any poorer quality photos- these were taken in my hotel room after purchasing...)

When purchasing from the Rue Cambon store, the packaging is different to that of other Chanel stores. The regular black box and bag are replaced with white packaging, but still have the beautiful Chanel ribbon and camellia flower attached.

The box is a hard 'shoe box style' rather than the magnetic boxes which are available in other stores.

Once opened, the bag is wrapped in beautiful tissue paper, and then in its protective dust bag which features a drawing of Coco Chanel. There is also a pamphlet detailing how the bag was made, alongside an array of stunning photographs that show the complicated process. 

Lastly, there is a care booklet and cleaning mitt, to help keep the bag in tip top condition! I like to store the bag within all its original packaging when it's not in use, so that it remains pristine!

So here it is! The Chanel Classic Flap Bag! Mine is the M/L size in Lambskin with gold hardware, and words honestly can't describe how much I love it. This model includes the famous 'double flap', which since 2009 has been made standard for the Classic Bags, making its contents very secure.

This bag is extremely versatile and can be worn with both casual and formal outfits. I personally prefer to wear the bag with the singular long strap, rather than with the straps doubled, as I feel it is more age appropriate for me at the moment. However, it is lovely to have the option of wearing the bag higher up on my body, which I'm sure I will do more in years to come.

I'm so so thrilled to have this bag in my collection, and hope you've enjoyed having a peek at it too! If anyone has any questions about the bag itself, or my Chanel experience, then please feel free to leave a comment. 

What is your favourite item in your wardrobe? What is your dream bag?

Domi 

Massive Beauty Haul And First Impressions!

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently packed my bags and moved from my little teeny home-town, to a big city, full of amazing shops which I had to travel for an hour to get to before. Not only is the shopping here amazing, but I'm right near everything, and as you can imagine, living a mere five minute walk away from a shopping centre is pretty lethal for someone like me!

Lots of beauty bits seem to have found their way into my flat within the past month, so I figured I'd show you all what I've naughtily been purchasing. I splurged... (Apologies in advance for the super long, picture heavy post!)

First stop- MAC. With a new counter opening, it'd be rude not to!

The first things I picked up from Mac were two lovely lipsticks that had been on my wishlist for a while. I chose Viva Glam V and Plumful, which are both absolutely beautiful.

I've been lusting after Plumful ever since I saw EssieButton's Mac Lipstick Collection Video, and trusted her opinion as a fellow pale skinned girl. It's a stunning berry shade, that's perfect for autumn, and those who (like me) aren't brave enough to rock Mac's Rebel as a daytime shade! I've also been loving Viva Glam V as a neutral everyday shade.

Next I strolled over to the eyeshadows, and was keen to have a look at the Mineralize Eyeshadow in 'Gilt By Assosciation', after hearing ThePersianBabe speak about it recently (I'm so easily influenced!). When swatched it's an amazing black/brown with gold glitter, and is great for a minimum effort, maximum effect smokey eye. The pigmentation is also great, as it is most of the time when it comes to Mac eyeshadows!

I also picked up four eyeshadows in pan form, as I wanted to try to incorporate some more colourful shades into my makeup looks. I chose 'Sketch', which is a purpley plum colour, 'Club', which is a brown green, 'Contrast', which is a rich navy blue, and 'Shale', which is a grey lilac. I love the look of 'Shale' with 'Sketch', as they're great for a purple toned smokey eye. 'Cranberry' is next on my wish list I think!

 

Last of all at Mac I purchased the Cream Colour Base in 'Pearl', Fluidline Gel Liner in 'Blacktrack', and 239 brush. 'Pearl' is a stunning cream-gold highlight, which blends effortlessly for a hassle-free glow. 

As a gel liner novice, I was unsure how successful application of my new fluidline would go, but it's SO EASY! I use a small angled liner brush from Crown Brush, which draws a seamless line, and the pigmentation of the fluidline is great. 

I've been on the hunt for a stiff eyeshadow shader brush, and this one fits the bill. It's great for packing on eyeshadow, which I think blend out using my trusty cult favourite- the Mac 217.

Next I ended up at Bobbi Brown, where I purchased my first Bobbi Brown product- the corrector. I'm not sure why it's taken me this long to buy one of their products, as I'm always interested in their counters and have heard great things about their products. The corrector is so far living up to the hype, and has been doing a great job at helping to disguise my unsightly dark circles.

Urban Decay's Primer Potion is another cult product that's been on my wishlist for months, that I finally decided to purchase. However, so far I'm pretty undecided on this one. It keeps my makeup in place for the whole day which is great, but I'm unsure of the finish on my dry skin. It seems to look slightly patchy or cakey on my lids? I'm not sure why, but I'm going to keep trying to make it work for me!

Last but by no means least is Laura Mercier's 'Creme Smooth Foundation'. I've purchased this foundation before, and can finally say It's my Holy Grail product. I've never used a foundation with such great coverage, colour, and beautiful dewy finish as this one, which is amazing for my dry skin. It's pricey, but it's worth it, and if I could only have one makeup item in the world this would definatly be it!

What have you been purchasing recently? Have you used any of the products mentioned, and if so what did you think?

I'm A Terrible Blogger...

Sooo, it's been a while again it seems. Nearly four months since my last blog post infact, and if you're still here then thankyou very much indeed. :D 

The past few months have sped by in what seems to me like a matter of days, and to be honest it's all been a bit overwhelming at times! Since my last post...

- I moved out and to another county
- I got a flat with my boyfriend
- I started University
- I got a new job working for Lush Cosmetics (if you'd like to see any Lush related posts then let me know!)

Since I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, I'd love to hear what kinds of posts you'd like to see on my blog in the future, so please feel free to comment below with any suggestions you have!
Hope you guys are all good!

My Top 3 Online Shopping Destinations!

I love online shopping.

Some people hate it- the waiting, the disappointment when the item isn't what you thought it was, and the hassle of returns, but for me the pros far outweigh the cons. I find way more things that are my style online, and like how I can compare products to get the best deal!

Therefore, to ensure that you guys have the best online shopping experience, I've compiled a list of my favourite 3 less well known online only stores!

(Obviously I love ASOS, Missguided etc too, but I could have written a post of about 100 sites so I needed restrictions!

Anyway, without further ado, let's crack on!

YAYER

Yayer is a Bristol based store run by sisters Charlotte and Harriet Walters, that stocks both new and vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. Dubbed the UK's version of the amazing Nasty Gal, Yayer stocks many popular brands such as Jeffrey Campbell, Evil Twin, and Motel. I love the edgy pieces on the site, find the prices really reasonable and love how frequently stock is updated!

These are my favourite clothing pieces from the site right now, all fitting in with my monochrome obsession!

1- Dark Bloom Skirt- £24

2- Strapped In Dress- £24

3- Celine Me Alone Tee- £24

4- Lace Space Dress- £30

CHOIES



Choies are an international site which ship to the UK amongst other countries, and stock loads of different lines. There's so much choice, and some really unique pieces can be found for amazing prices. I also love the fact that they offer usual catwalk and designer inspired  clothing that can't be found on the highstreet (and even if it could, it'd be ridiculously expensive!) I really could spend an insane amount of money on stuff from this site.

Here are my favourite items from the site at the moment!

Cut Out Shoulder Strap Skirt- £18.47

Navy Velvet Cross Top and Skirt- £42.89
Fine Belt Mesh Dress- £30.35
Contrast White Skater Dress- £25.73

ROMWE

Romwe are another international site, and are very similar to Choies, but seem to carry even more products and are generally a more well known site. The prices are amazing, but I would recommend checking both sites for prices if you see something you like as often the both have the same product, and you can save yourself some pennies through taking the time to shop around!

And again, here are my four favourites from the site, mainly dresses! I'm a creature of habit...

Daisy A Line Dress- £27.52
Ink Painting Tee- £19.46
Wave Waist Black Dress- £32.89
Black Baroque Shorts- £18.12

I hope you guys found this post interesting/ helpful! I'd love to hear what posts you like reading, or ideas of what you think I should blog about- I'm always open to suggestions.

Have you ever bought from these sites before? What are your favourite online stores?

OOTD- Tailored Monochrome

Blazer- H&M, £29.99

Top- H&M, £3.99

Jeans- Primark, £10

Flatform Sandals- Primark, £10

Necklace- Topshop, £20

Nails- Barry M 'Raspberry'

Hi everyone! This evening I went out for a meal with my boyfriend and his mum, and thought I'd just quickly show you all what I wore, in my first ever OOTD post!

I purchased this white blazer a few months ago, after falling in love with the cut, and it's been sitting in my wardrobe ever since. I don't know why, but I guess you could say I was a bit scared of it- I didn't know what to wear it with or how to tie it into an outfit until I plucked up the courage today.

I used this statement necklace from Topshop to pull the black and white elements together, which has given me loads of ideas of how I can wear this blazer in the future.

I'm loving these two Primark purchases too. I've spoken about the flatforms in a previous post, and am happy to report that I've not experience any rubbing as mentioned before. Also, these jeans are amazing, and are a great dupe for the American Apparel Easy Jeans, and Topshop Joni Jeans. I literally cannot stop wearing them, and find them much more flattering than their pricier rivals.

Sorry about the lighting in these photos by the way! They were just quick snaps after I got in at 11, so obviously I couldn't take them in natural light!

How would you guys style a white blazer?

Collective Primark Haul- June 2013

So in my absence I have of course snuck on a few shopping trips, and my debit card has accidentally fell into numerous card machines (I should be saving more money, and am off to London again tomorrow, whoops!) Naturally I therefore have some bits and bobs that I fancied showing you guys.

Personally, I love reading Primark related blog posts to get an idea of what's in store before I go so that I can hunt things I've seen online down when I get there,  especially since I don't have the pleasure of living near a Primark myself. Therefore, I decided to show you all what I've been purchasing from Primark recently....

I purchased these beautiful monochrome (I actually can't get enough of monochrome) heels for a bargain price of only £12! I haven't worn them out yet, but from wearing them in the house I think I'll save these for occasions where I'll be mostly sitting down since they aren't the most comfortable shoes in the world to say the least...

The shoes are a snakeskin type texture on the white parts, and faux suede on the black parts. They are so similar to some that are in Zara at the moment, and the price really cannot be beaten considering they're good quality and don't look like they're from Primark at all!



Sticking with the footwear I also purchased these black faux suede flatforms which I am absolutely in love with! These are so versatile, and I can see myself getting so much wear out of these. I'm already planning outfits in my head that include these, and just hope the weather warms up a bit soon so I can wear these over 'summer'. They were only £10, which is incredible, as Topshop are selling similar shoes for around £30, and Primark also stock these in a beautiful coral colour.

The only downside to these is that I've heard from others that the toe strap is prone to causing blisters, although obviously I can't confirm this, but I think i'll just buy some of those shoe cushions and hopefully all will then be well!

If you read my 'Monochrome Accessories' blog post, you'll know that I've been after a white satchel bag for a little while, but couldn't bring myself to spend over £100 on the Cambridge Satchel Company version available on Asos.

I found this version which is absolutely perfect, considering I'm not sure how much wear I'll get out of it in the long run, and for £9 I could afford to buy it as an experimental piece.

I also purchased a second bag, which I thought would be nice for summer. This faux leather tassel/ fringed  duffel style bag with studs has an adjustable strap and just enough room for the essentials, and encourages me to not put so much unnecessary rubbish in my bag for a day out. Best of all, it was only £8!

This black and white damask/ wallpaper print skater dress was £15 and is right up my street since I can wear it with so many different items I already own. I think the pattern is stunning, and I don't have a similar dress already so I had to buy it!



I've also been looking for an oversized denim jacket that I can just through on for when it's warm but a bit windy, as I usually just live in my faux leather jackets which can be a bit too warm in the summer months.

I'm also really into acid wash right now, and some of the 90s trend, so this £16 Primark number was perfect.

I purchased my regular size, and the fit is a larger boyfriend style which I think looks really effortless. I like to roll the cuffs of the sleeves up when wearing mine.



The last thing I purchased was this oversized chiffon button up shirt. It's a lovely taupe- grey colour, and has roll sleeves, which makes the style of the shirt look very 'Topshop-esque' which I love. The material isn't amazing quality, but for £8 I'm happy, and if it's worn with better quality items it fits right in and doesn't end up looking cheap. The fit is flattering also, and it's available in black too, which I might pop back to get tomorrow!

Apologies for the creased-ness in the photo by the way- I've been wearing it a ton and just dug it out of the ironing pile to show you guys since I love it so much!



And that is everything I've purchased from Primark, (with the exception of stuff for my little sister and brother). I think they've got some really lovely things in store at the moment, and have been impressed every time within the last month.

I hope you are all well and always love hearing from any readers, so don't hesitate to leave a comment. Also, I hope you liked this new style of post, so let me know if you did!

Have you snapped up any bargains recently? What's your favourite thing I bought?



I'm Back Tomorrow!

Hello everyone and anyone!
Just a quick post to say I'm sorry for not posting in what seems to be like forever! I am a complete noob, and managed to do two things that stopped me posting anything for a little while.

1) I started using a different browser which wouldn't load blogger, but am now back on the old oneeee.

2) I forgot my login details. Typical me.

Also, this past month has been a very busy one, I was presented with an exciting potential job opportunity (I find out this week if I got it) which took up a lot of my time in preparation, along with several trips to London, and a lot of late nights. On the plus side when I've been in London there's been time for shopping, and I feel like I've got loads to talk about and lots of products and items to show you all!

I'll be posting properly tomorrow unless something else goes wrong...