CHiBi-CHiC UK Fashion Blog

Primark Haul May 2013

2013-05-07T07:59:00.002-07:00

Primark Haul May 2013

Hello all of you lovely UK Fashion blog readers! Today I am sharing my Primark Haul May 2013 video showing a lot of the bits and pieces I purchased in Primark stores.

There are a variety of Primark clothes ranging from aztec dresses to aztec skirts to polka dot shoes and neon spike necklaces. There are a lot of items hence the reason for the video being 27 minutes long!

I hope you enjoy my Primark Haul for May 2013 and I hope it inspires you for some fashion purchases with Primark clothing!

Primark, Boots and Superdrug Beauty Haul April 2013

2013-04-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Beauty Haul!

Hi UK Fashion Blog readers, I thought I would do a slightly different post/video to usual and share my latest beauty purchases with you all! I've been so busy with coursework, this felt like a great way to keep you guys updated with what's to come on my UK fashion blog with this beauty haul from Primark, Boots and Superdrug.

Remember to check out my new UK Fashion Blog at CHiBi CHiC and follow on Facebook and Twitter for updates!

Saturday Blog Hop #002

2013-04-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hey all you lovely bloggers! I've been wanting to find some new blogs to read and thought what better way that having a Saturday blog hop! This will be added every week so be sure to keep adding yourself and equally looking for new entries each week!

To add your link simply:

Follow me on Twitter:Follow @HOGGSofWAR

Like the CHiBi CHiC UK Fashion Blog Facebook Page:

Then go ahead and add your link!

Saturday Blog Hop!

2013-04-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

To add your link simply:

Follow me on Twitter:Follow @HOGGSofWAR

Like the CHiBi CHiC UK Fashion Blog Facebook Page:

Then go ahead and add your link!

River Island Stripe Jumper

2013-04-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

\Hello UK Fashion Blog readers! Here is my latest fashion post on a River Island stripe top I purchased in a River Island sale.

Click here to my new UK Fashion Blog to check it out!

River Island Fur Collar Jacket

2013-03-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

Been looking for a ladies quilted jacket? I think I just found my perfect grey quilted jacket! This fur collar jacket was purchased on the River Island website and I think it makes an ideal piece of womens clothing for petites!

Click here to read my thoughts and see photos of my River Island Fur Collar Jacket on my UK Fashion Blog!

River Island Ladies Parka

2013-03-11T11:57:00.002-07:00

Fur Parka

ladies parka

River Island Parka

Don't know about everywhere else in the world but in England, in particular Lincoln these cold winter winds are refusing to leave and we're delightfully being greeted by more rain and snow. For this weather I couldn't resist looking for an ideal ladies parka to wear, but it proved difficult to find a parka for petites. I came across this fur parka which turned out to be amazing for me!

Follow this link to my new UK fashion blog to read the full post on this ladies parka!

Lovely Sally Leggings Pure Cold

2013-03-03T06:07:00.000-08:00

My UK Fashion Blog has moved, please follow the link below to read about my Lovely Sally Leggings.

Click here to read about the Pure Cold Lovely Sally Leggings.

Cat Ear Headband

2013-03-03T06:03:00.001-08:00

My UK Fashion Blog has moved, please follow the link below to read the article.

Click here to read about my cat ear headband!

Gold Dress Red Hair

2013-02-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Isn't this gold dress pretty? I also have a new hair colour!

You can read about this look by clicking here!

Remember to like the CHiBi CHiC Facebook page and Follow on Twitter!

My UK Fashion blog has moved!

2013-02-04T10:02:00.002-08:00

Hello all!

Apologies in a lack of recent posts, my uk fashion blog has been redesigned and moved to:

http://www.chibichic.co.uk

Unfortunately I cannot have Google Followers on my new petite fashion blog as it is self hosted! :( However I will still do snipped posts on here to direct you across to my new blog so that you current Google followers can stay updated!

If you want even more close updates please follow me on Twitter and like the CHiBi CHiC Facebook page.

https://twitter.com/HOGGSofWAR

http://www.facebook.com/chibichicblog

Studded Biker Jacket

2012-12-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

Studded Biker Jacket

Hello fashion blog readers! Apologies for the lack of posting over the last couple of weeks, I have been working on my new fashion blog site as this one will be transferring. Hopefully my new fashion blog will be up and running within the next two weeks. If you haven't already please take the time to like the Facebook page or follow me on Twitter to keep updated for when the fashion blog transfers.

In the mean time, I thought I'd share some of my Boxing Day purchases with y'all with my new Nikon D3100 DSLR camera which I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas. I have a lot of experimenting to do so please bear with me.

I wore an outfit to create a rock chick look with my blonde dip dye hair.

The Full Outfit:

Studded Biker Jacket - River Island

Speckle Top - Topshop Petite

Imperial Purple Disco Pants - American Apparel

Suede Boots - River Island

Gold Bag - Dorothy Perkins

Necklace - Allumer

Owl Earrings - Accessorize

Here are some close ups:

Hopefully you can see the difference in the quality of the images with my new Nikon D3100.

I have purchased the River Island Studded Jacket in a size 6 in the sales and it is a perfect fit as a petite, I am so delighted by this piece of women's clothing! The American Apparel Disco Pants were purchased for £74 (Not in a sale sadly!) in size XS but are a snug fit, ideally you will need to be a UK size 4 or 6 as a petite. The River Island Suede boots were another sale purchase in a UK size 4 and are surprisingly easy to walk in and I am somebody who really struggles with heels. These are a must have for petites for comfortable walking with an added 4 inches in height.

The Topshop speckle top from last year, you would probably have to look on Ebay UK for this. I purchased this in a UK size 4 petite.

So I shall end this post by wishing all of you a happy new year! Also, if you're a Made In Chelsea fan, there is an episode on for the Made In Chelsea end of season 4 party tonight. I attended this event and should be in the background of the mums with my fiancé, so look out for the short blonde girl whilst the mums are interviewed!

Wishing y'all the best for 2013! Xo

American Apparel Disco Pants - Imperial Purple

2012-12-20T13:50:00.001-08:00

American Apparel Disco Pants - Imperial Purple

I have been so excited to take some fashion photos and write a fashion blog post ever since I finally purchased the American Apparel Disco Pants. I purchased these disco pants in shade Imperial Purple. It is a gorgeous colour and as you can see doesn't appear too loud or bright in an outfit.

These American Apparel Disco Pants might cost £74 but I cannot stress enough how comfortable and stylish they are. They have a slight stretch to them and feel like a cross between leggings and trousers, so I guess we could say these purple disco pants are like treggings.

I have noticed on Tumblr and on the review section of the American Apparel Disco Pants many people are asking 'What size am I for the American Apparel Disco Pants?' and I myself was panicking about the exact same fashion dilemma. Fortunately, in my hometown Bristol there is an American Apparel store located in Cabot Circus so I was able to try these on.

Please bear in mind, this is a petite fashion blog primarily targeted at petites, so this is a representation of how the American Apparel Disco Pants looked on me being just 4ft 11. I cannot recommend them enough for petites as they are so slimming and aren't too long in length. The skinny style of the disco pants also means the length isn't much of an issue and the excess length of the American Apparel disco pants can gather around the ankles. These are also very warm for these winter months and would make ideal party wear for a night out where you didn't want to expose your legs to the cold winter winds.

I purchased the American Apparel Disco Pants in size XS.

It was difficult to decide between XS and XXS.

In Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins I am a UK petite size 4, very occasionally a UK petite size 6 depending on the cut or type of clothing. I do find clothes in most shops to be slightly over sized as well perhaps distorting the sizes.

The XXS is supposedly the equivalent to a size 00, they did fit (Yay! Although I wouldn't say I look anything like a size 00... silly height. Ha.) However, one thing crossed my mind, I might need to eat food once in a while during my day, although the size 00 was okay, considering there is a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts on the next floor of the Bristol Cabot Circus shopping centre I might find within minutes I would need to explode out of the XXS disco pants from the excessive amount of doughnuts I inhale.

The XS Disco Pants are the equivalent to a size 0 which would normally be a UK size 4 however, I do believe these would fit a UK size 6 also as there is a bit of give. I find these more comfortable as I have the extra breathing space for when I want to lounge around the house in a fashionable outfit and also have the extra room for food, especially with the stretchy material these disco pants are made of.

Here are some photos I took of my American Apparel Imperial Purple Disco Pants.

There are lots of colours available on the American Apparel website regarding the Disco Pants, however this was the colour I was most drawn to simply as I found the shade Imperial Purple to be gorgeous and very different to anything I already owned. Although after finding how comfortable and amazing these disco pants are I am very tempted to purchase more colours!

My black bandeau top is from Topshop.

I hope this fashion blog post has been helpful to y'all! Xo

Miss Selfridge Frilly Playsuit

2012-12-16T05:37:00.002-08:00

Miss Selfridge Petite Navy Frilly Playsuit

So after some more personal blog posts I wanted to review a petite fashion purchase I made from the Miss Selfridge Petite range.

This is my Miss Selfridge Navy Frilly Playsuit. It has a gold zip front and such a flattering fit! This Miss Selfridge playsuit is very comfortable to wear and has silky soft material. This makes a great party outfit for us petites!

This navy playsuit has sold out on Miss Selfridge online sadly. However, if you were looking to shop online with Miss Selfridge you can purchase this petite playsuit in burgundy instead.

Click here to check it out!

Here is a close up of the navy playsuit showing the frilly detail.

The full outfit:

Navy Frilly Playsuit - Miss Selfridge Petite

Heels - Primark

Blonde Hair Extensions - Foxy Locks

Double Finger Cross Ring - New Look

Enjoy your day! Xo

Cat Jumper

2012-12-15T09:30:00.001-08:00

Cat Jumper From Urban Outfitters

Over the last two weeks I had been visiting my own parents alongside my fiancé's parents which involved me returning from my university life in Lincoln to my hometown, Bristol.

I have realised since leaving Bristol, how many things I miss about this place. The first being this location, Brandon Hill, it was featured in the last episode of Series 1 of Skins where Cassie and Sid meet at the bench. I have a lot of mixed memories of this place, some positive, some sad, so I felt the need to return to Brandon Hill to replace those saddening memories with happier ones.

I had also taken some time to browse Urban Outfitters whilst I was back as I had been missing this shop quite a lot since leaving Bristol. I made some lovely purchases in their Urban Renewal section, one of which was this cute cat jumper. Their Urban Renewal section mostly stocks clothes which are for all sizes. At first I was anxious about this purchase being only 4ft 11, however the material was of such great quality and the cut was so flattering I realised that these Urban Outfitters Urban Renewal clothes really could suit all sizes. I also have a crazy obsession with cats (No I'm not a crazy cat lady) so I had to make this purchase.

The Full Outfit:

Cat Jumper - Urban Outfitters

Grey Dress - Topshop Petite

Red Pom Pom Hat - Topshop

Grey Tights - New Look

Military Boots - River Island

I have also taken photos of this cat jumper with another outfit to show how you can add that preppy look to any style.

Cat Jumper - Urban Outfitters

Studded Collar Shirt - Urban Outfitters

Faux Leather Shorts - Primark

Red Sparkly Tights - Topshop

Have a nice day! Xo

Made In Chelsea End Of Year Party.

2012-12-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

Made In Chelsea End Of Year Party

In my previous blog post I wrote a quick update on mobile phone stating that I was on my way to London as I had won a ticket to the Made In Chelsea End Of Season 4 Party.

The coach journey was actually very pleasant, I was travelling from Ipswich as I had been visiting my fiancé's parents for the week. My fiancé and I arrived at London Victoria coach station at around 11am after our three hour journey. Fortunately, London Victoria Coach station is a short walk from The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and postcode SW3. To begin with we both walked along the Chelsea Embankment and enjoyed the incredible views of London and Chelsea, alongside the low flying airplanes.

Chelsea Embankment

Those were a few photos of the sights you should expect to see whilst walking along the Chelsea Embankment. The Chelsea Embankment is often shown in shots of episodes of Made in Chelsea. The Chelsea Embankment was a wonderful walk, I noticed many people jogging down the embankment as well so this appears a popular location in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

After walking across the Chelsea Embankment my fiancé and myself decided to find our hotel to drop off our belongings and search for the location of the Made In Chelsea End Of Season Party. It was fascinating to see that perhaps not all of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was as glamorous as it appeared on Made In Chelsea. The area felt safe however, I do respect how talented the shots are for episodes of Made In Chelsea to manipulate the way Chelsea appears. I will show photos of surprising and fascinating aspects of Chelsea in my next blog post as it is separate from the topic of the Made In Chelsea End Of Season Party.

Sara Hotel

As the Made In Chelsea party wasn't estimated to finish until 11pm, I did worry my fiancé and I would be pushed for time to travel back to Ipswich so we booked a room at the Sara Hotel in Chelsea. To my amazement, this last minute booking of the Sara Hotel in Chelsea came to £40 for one night. Yes, it sounds like a lot of money but believe me, regarding hotels in London, in particular hotels in Chelsea, this felt incredibly cheap.

Unfortunately after booking I had read some terrifying reviews online and had prepared myself for a night similar to that in The Shining or Psycho. Luckily, this was not the case. I thought I'd write a brief review of my experience in the Sara Hotel in Chelsea in case any future visitors of Chelsea or attendees to the Made In Chelsea End Of Season Party would know this well located hotel could be a possibility.

Don't expect a luxury hotel!

I think this was the largest problem regarding the reviews. I presume several people may not have been aware that to get a hotel this cheap in such a practical location of Chelsea, down a safe road and about a forty minute walk from London Victoria station would probably not be such a luxurious place to stay. However, it honestly isn't all that bad either.

Compare it to student housing, I'd say. It isn't newly furnished or newly decorated by any means but the rooms do have the following things:

A door that locks
An en suite shower, toilet and sink (This is quite small)
A double bed
3 bedside tables
1 cupboard
Flat Screen TV - Can't remember whether this was Freeview or Cable etc but I was just amazed to have a TV in my room.
Provided with towels and soaps. (No shampoo, conditioner or shower gel)

The room could get quite cold at night, but take an extra blanket or two and you should be fine.

The room was secure! Which was the main thing I wanted. I felt safe.

Alongside this, you do have breakfast included. I believe on the website it states a full English breakfast, again I believe affecting the reviews. There was no 'Full English Breakfast' which I wasn't expecting anyway because of the reviews, however you weren't starved to death and forced to eat pigeons.

Breakfast included:

Sainsbury's Yoghurts (A variety of flavours)
Tea or Coffee
Cups of milk
Cornflakes
Wheetabix
Toast
Jam, Marmalade, Butter and I believe another spread which I can't remember.

It might not be the ideal breakfast but it certainly satisfied my hunger in the morning and kept me full for the journey back to Ipswich.

What I Wore To The Made In Chelsea End Of Season Party. Lucy Watson's Miss Selfridge Petite Nude Dress.

As this is usually a petite fashion blog, I thought I'd do a quick mention of what I wore to this Made In Chelsea End Of Season Party. The photos aren't the best, I am hoping to do a proper photo shoot for this Miss Selfridge Dress spotted on Lucy Watson in an episode of Made In Chelsea soon!

The last photograph was taken in the Sara Hotel Room. This gives you an indication of what to expect there as well.

Apologies for the quality of the photos and how I look ha! As I say, a photo shoot for this dress is on its way! I purchased this dress from the Miss Selfridge Petite section in a UK size 6. This dress was spotted on Lucy Watson in an episode of Made In Chelsea where Jamie first meets Lucy.

Made In Chelsea End Of Year Party

I cannot stress enough how worth it this trip to London for the Made In Chelsea End Of Season Party was. Yes we might have had to queue for two hours in the freezing cold but I got to speak to a few of the cast members and get a photo with Francis from Made In Chelsea!

I felt somewhat out of place in this queue I guess. Most of the girls in the queue were tall, tanned and had long flowing brown hair. They had made much more of an effort with their make up and hair than I had. They were also a lot more confident than myself. The screamed as Andy or Ollie Locke walked past and were able to have conversations with the Made In Chelsea cast whilst I felt too paranoid to speak. Then I saw Francis walk past. Francis is my favourite character on Made In Chelsea because of his geeky side and quirky character. He has intelligence and also seems very sweet. It feels awkward when you see a celebrity you think you would have a lot in common with but worry that you would be odd to start a conversation with them regarding art or monkeys. I called out to him, in my pathetic little shy voice and felt sad as I watched him walk past. So many of the girls in the queue were screaming but I couldn't bring myself to be like that, it felt upsetting that my nerves were getting the better of me. As I went to turn around I heard Francis shout a sorry as he ran over realising he hadn't heard me properly and spoke to me briefly followed by having a photo with me. He said it was nice to meet me then carried on his way. It sounds pathetic but I was squealing and smiling to myself in the queue as I held my camera and stared at the photograph for ages knowing I was lucky enough to have a photo with Francis from Made In Chelsea. He was just as lovely in real life as he was on the show.

Yes that is Sophia from Made In Chelsea stood in front of me but do you notice who else was sat pretty much where I was standing? The mums of Binky, Cheska and Ollie. They were a lovely sociable bunch and very entertaining to be with for the night. Alongside this, my fiancé and I might be seen on TV on the Made In Chelsea End Of Year Party to be shown on New Year's Eve 2012 as the Made In Chelsea mums had a fair bit of screen time.

I spent quite some time speaking with Cheska's mum. I had already seen her before as she owns a shop in Salcombe called Amelia's Attic. My parents recently bought a second property which is a penthouse in Devon so we are very close to Salcombe. I had encountered Amelia's Attic in the early stages of the Made In Chelsea series and was so surprised when I realised I was purchasing goods in a shop owned by Cheska's mum! She was so friendly and easy to talk to, so if you're ever in Salcombe why not pop into Amelia's Attic and say hello to the lovely woman!

So that was my experience of Made In Chelsea End Of Season party. I'd love to know of anybody else who attended so drop me a comment if you did! Look out for this episode on New Years Eve of 2012, especially look out for clips of the mums, with the short blonde girl (me) poking her head out. Ha!

Enjoy your weekend! Xo

Made In Chelsea End Of Season Party

2012-12-11T02:11:00.001-08:00

I have never written a blog post from my mobile before so here we go.

As you can see from the photo. I have a ticket to the Made In Chelsea end of season party. Eeeee. I feel rather excited.

I am on the coach to Victoria Coach station in London at the moment. Sadly the journey is taking a while so I decided to turn myself into an alien on my phone. It looks so trendy right? *cough* anyway yes, I will stop rambling.

I'm quite looking forward to this. I will spend the day wandering around Chelsea and take some snaps to upload to this blog for you all to see. I am really looking forward to walking down the Chelsea Embankment.

I'd like to hope at the party itself I'd have a chance to meet the Made In Chelsea cast but we shall see!

At the moment I am wearing my Topshop grey fur collar coat as it is lovely and warm. Look forward to my future blog post about the Made In Chelsea party and what I wore to it.

Have a good day! Xo

Aztec Shorts

2012-12-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

Hipster Fashion - Aztec Print Shorts

Here is another quick fashion blog post, regarding my beautiful Urban Outfitters Aztec Print Shorts which I purchased in Toronto in Canada. I do worry Urban Outfitters is some form of black hole regarding my money... it swallows all of it.

As a petite, I find lengths difficult with fashion. One of my tips regarding fashion for petites is to create the illusion of longer legs, which I do by keeping all of my shorts and skirts above the mid thigh length, I often find high waisted shorts or high waisted skirts the most flattering for petites.

These blue high waisted aztec shorts from Urban Outfitters are one of my favourite pieces of women's clothing for recreating hipster fashion. I have kept the colours in this outfit earthy and neutral and gone for a smoky eye look using my Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes kit. (You can check out my smoky eye make up tutorial by clicking here.)

Here are some photos of this hipster outfit I had taken outside of Lincoln Cathedral.

The Full Outfit:

Khaki Top / Khaki Jumper - Topshop

Aztec Shorts - Urban Outfitters

Bronze Bracelets - Topshop

Tartan Boots - Urban Outfitters

Black Shoulder Bag - George, Asda

Hair Extensions - Foxy Locks

Waistbelt - Primark

My TOP 10 things to do whilst at the Lincoln Christmas Market

2012-12-06T16:33:00.004-08:00

My Top 10 Things To Do Whilst At Lincoln Christmas Market

It's that time of year again already. In the above photo, you can see Lincoln castle. Doesn't it look spacious? It's hard to imagine that during Thursday the 6th and Sunday the 9th of December this historic area will be crowded with approximately 300,000 people. Yes... it really is hectic, before you ask.

Naturally, the Lincoln Christmas Market is a very popular attraction in the UK over Christmas time with historical land marks such as Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle. For those of you who are new to the Lincoln Christmas Market experience and are planning to visit this weekend, the crowds begin all of the way at Lincoln train station, the crowds cram the high street making any Christmas shopping in Lincoln high street an ambitious challenge. The solid crowd continues up the famous Lincoln Steep Hill, up to this area here in which visitors are guided into Lincoln Castle. Yes, isn't that exciting, the market takes place in Lincoln Castle!

So there is a quick coverage of what to expect regarding the Lincoln Christmas market however, many visitors travel from all over the UK or even abroad and may stay visiting Lincoln over the weekend. Of course I appreciate the priority of this visit would be the Lincoln Christmas Market however, if you travel all of this way and stay for a few days, you may want to explore the other gems that help to make Lincoln a beautiful city.

Naturally, the Lincoln Cathedral would also be an obvious attraction and impossible to miss whilst visiting, so I will also make a presumption that you would be choosing to visit this attraction regardless!

Covering attractions, boutiques, shops, restaurants and pubs I have made my own personal TOP 10 THINGS TO DO in Lincoln that I would recommend to any visitor. I hope these are helpful for deciding, in particular some lovely restaurants to try on your visit to the Lincoln Christmas Market.

10. RUBY RED BOUTIQUE

At number 10 I would say RUBY RED BOUTIQUE. As this is a fashion blog, I feel the need to mention this little boutique. This boutique is located at the bottom of Steep Hill and sells all sorts of fashion garments and accessories. I'm particularly fond of the graphic tank tops, in particular the moustache tops for sale in this boutique. The reason I recommend this boutique is the price, the tank tops I found in this boutique were only £6, with other clothing items retailing for under £15. This boutique is beautifully decorated inside and the staff are very friendly. I imagine this to be a popular attraction for any fashionista during the Lincoln Christmas Market.

9. CALLY CO

At number 9, I am recommending CALLY CO. This fabric shop is located in the Bailgate area of Lincoln at the top of Steep Hill, past Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle. You may have a Cally Co in your city back home but if not I highly recommend this fabric shop. This fabric shop isn't the cheapest, but it sells some of the most beautiful fabrics, accessories and craft materials I have ever seen. Again the staff are wonderful and it really is a delightful little place to explore!

8. BAILGATE KITCHENS & COOKWARE

At number 8 I will be recommending the BAILGATE KITCHENS & COOKWARE shop. This cookware shop sells lovely collectible crockery, for those of you who are regular readers of my fashion blog, you may recognise the crockery in the left of the photograph. Can you see the cats? This is the crockery shop where I purchased my Dubout Promenade En Famille Cat and Kitten Sugar Pot. It's so cute!

You can see an image of it by clicking here!

I often find a lot of delightful kitchen decorations in this shop, the staff are so polite and friendly and the prices are reasonable for collectible items. I'd highly recommend paying this kitchen shop a little visit.

7. GREESTONE PARK LINCOLN

At number 7 I'd recommend the park by the Greeston Building in Lincoln. The Greestone Building is where life drawing takes place for the University of Lincoln art students and is surrounded by beautiful greenery. Although I imagine, these fields will look more frosty over the Lincoln Christmas Market weekend due to the weather, however, it would look beautiful and could make a lovely escape from the busy crowds of the Lincoln Christmas Market.

Featured here are also an Art Gallery and a Museum, these would make other great visits for your trip in Lincoln.

6. VINTAGE CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

At number 6, is this VINTAGE CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES shop. The vintage clothing and vintage accessories in this shop can vary in price, but everything in store is beautiful. This vintage clothing shop is a MUST visit for any vintage fashion lover. Many of the shoes and bags are from the 1940's era and have a slight tatty look to them. If I won the lottery I would buy everything in there! This shop is located about half way up Steep Hill, look out for the vintage bicycle on the right which points towards the vintage clothing & accessories shop.

5. LINCOLN CANAL - LINCOLN WATERSIDE CENTRE

At number 5, this canal is located in the centre of the Lincoln high street, next to the Lincoln Waterside Centre. You might feel a city centre sight isn't an ideal priority for when you visit Lincoln however, this was the first part of Lincoln I discovered when initially attending my University of Lincoln interview almost three years ago. Standing on the bridge watching the swans is a very pleasant experience.

4 LINCOLN TRADITIONAL SWEET SHOP

At number 4 is the Lincoln Traditional Sweet Shop. Goodies Lincoln.

Once again, like with most of Lincoln, this shop makes you feel like you have stepped back in time. This traditional sweet shop will offer many visitors nostalgic feelings and will make a delightful visit on your trip to Lincoln. This traditional sweet shop is located at the bottom of Steep Hill opposite RubyRed Boutique.

3. SAFFRON INDIAN RESTAURANT

At number 3 is the SAFFRON INDIAN RESTAURANT near to Lincoln Cathedral. I went to this restaurant by chance and had one of the most DELICIOUS Chicken Tikka Massalas I had ever tasted. The quality of the meat was incredible and the sauces would burst with flavour. Sorry my photo of my meal doesn't do this food justice at all! The staff were so welcoming and friendly and the meal was quite cheap considering how incredible the food was! However, this restaurant does get busy, so I'd book in advance if you were interested in this!

2 - THE HORSE & GROOM

At number 2 I would recommend the Horse & Groom. The drinks aren't the cheapest here but this pub is a wonderful place to indulge in a few drinks, located on the Lincoln Brayford. This pub is reasonably close to where I live, hence my regular visits. The Horse & Groom has a pub quiz on Mondays which is always fun to enter for just £1 and you get free snacks included as well, in the past I was given onion bhajis and samosas! The Horse & Groom also has a lovely beer garden, however, this probably wouldn't be much use to you during Christmas time due to the cold!

Here are some photos of the Brayford I had taken which you will get to walk along if enjoying drinks at this pub.

1. THAI ONE ON - THAI RESTAURANT

My number one choice of my TOP 10 things to do whilst at Lincoln Christmas Market would be to dine in Thai One On. Now, this restaurant is located on the Lincoln Brayford, around the corner from the Odeon cinema, next to, dare I say it? Chicken Cottage. Yes that was the fast food restaurant mentioned on Four Lions. (Rubber Dinghy Rapids! Tehe!) So yes, the outside of this Thai Restaurant isn't too appealing is it? As they say don't judge a book by its cover. To me, because of the location of this Thai Restaurant alongside its architecture, this is one of the ultimate hidden gems in Lincoln. You enter the doors, to find a lift. Go inside, press the button to go up and you will be greeted by a lovely lady dressed in beautiful clothes. As you go through to the room, you might expect it to be pretty average but this really is not the case. There is a large fountain/waterfall in the far corner of the room, the furniture is beautiful and you honestly feel like you have stepped into another country. The staff are incredibly polite and the food, the food is just incredible. I recommend getting the meal set for 4 (usually at the front of the menu) working out at £19.99 each (Totalling to about £80) however, you get to try so much of the different food and it really is great value for money. Their chilli chicken is delicious with a very light crispy coating, bursting with flavour. This is by far my favourite restaurant in Lincoln so far and I'd like to hope many others could enjoy its food!

So I hope this has been a helpful read to you all and possibly sparked ideas for what to do whilst visiting the Lincoln Christmas Market. However, there is no reason you could visit any of these places at any other time of year either, so I hope this has made you want to visit Lincoln at some point in time. In all honesty, I keep thinking of more things I want to suggest and recommend however this list would be never ending. If you want to ask if there is something you are looking for here that I haven't mentioned, especially regarding bars and restaurants as there are A LOT, feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to advise you!

A winter shade of grey.

2012-11-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

I know I have already written a fashion blog post about my Topshop grey coat but I was able to get some new snaps of it in much better light and also with my new dip dye hair!

Topshop Short Fur Collar Swing Coat Post - Click Here

L'Oreal Blonde Dip Dye Review - Click Here

At first I had worried as to whether this Topshop fur collar coat suited me but since dip dyeing my hair I have found this winter coat looks even better. Although this grey winter coat is not from the Topshop petite range, it still hangs to a great length on us and will keep you warm this winter! I am only about 4ft 11, so this should give you a good indication to the sizing on this grey coat. This coat was purchased in UK size 6.

The Full outfit

Grey Coat - Topshop

Bag - George, Asda

Hair Extensions - Foxy Locks

Boots - Urban Outfitters

L'Oreal Preference Wild Ombres No 3 Dip Dye Hair Kit Blonde to Dark Blonde review.

2012-11-29T14:27:00.000-08:00

L'Oreal Preference Wild Ombres No 3 Dip Dye Hair Kit Blonde to Dark Blonde review.

In a previous beauty blog post, I wrote about a cheap hair dye I purchased by Derma V10 in a Golden Chestnut shade. (You can see the results by clicking here.)

Initially I was wary about which hair dye to use and more importantly, which colour. As good as the cheap hair dye was, the Derma V10 did fade slightly after just a few days. Although this was no bad thing. I love dark brown and blonde hairstyles, so having this cheap hair dye fade from a chestnut brown to a dark blonde or mousey brown offered me a very natural look, which is what I had always wanted regarding hair styles.

I thought...

Unfortunately, I find my skin tone, for some reason doesn't quite suit my natural hair colour. My hair colour also appeared flat, dull and lifeless. Naturally this would send most girls into a state of panic so I was left looking for a new hair colour to experiment with. I was certain I would go brunette but I felt sad at the thought of parting ways with my messy blonde hair and my dyed Foxy Locks hair extensions. As I love dark brown and blonde hair styles, or hair styles similar to that of Mary Kate or others with blonde indie hair, I found myself taking a real interest in dip dye.

Dip Dyeing Your Hair

So, I'm aware that the dip dye hair styles have been around for a while now. The first time I ever noticed the dip dye hair was on Gabriella Ellis from Made in Chelsea. She's also used a variety of dip dye hair colours.

As I was looking for interesting ways to dye hair I decided to approach this celeb dip dye look. I went with L'Oreal Paris Ombre Dip Dye in shade no3 for blonde to dark blonde. I had used L'Oreal hair dye before (Click here!) and was very happy with the results.

The thought of dip dyeing your hair at home by yourself might seem scary, but the L'Oreal dip dye kit is so easy to follow and I honestly enjoyed this more than just doing my average hair dye.

Another bonus I found from using this product is you CAN diy ombre on dyed hair. These dip dye kits lighten your hair for you, so you don't have to worry about seeking out a hair lightener or bleach products before hair colouring.

Here is a photo of what the L'Oreal Dip Dye kit contains.

As you can see as always, you're provided with gloves and a conditioner (Which works wonders!) whilst also getting a small plastic brush to help you comb the dip dye effect into your hair.

This L'Oreal Dip Dye cost me £6 and included everything you see in the photo! They're also on offer at the moment in Boots stores for 2 for £11 and at Superdrug stores on 2 for £10.

This was the result of the dip dye on my hair. I am so thrilled about these cool dip dyes and would definitely recommend these hair styles to anybody looking to try something new!

The blend of dark blonde with an artificial blonde goes so well and will be great for the hipster style.

If you're looking for interesting ways to dye hair, I would try out the L'Oreal Wild Ombres Dip Dye. There are three different types of L'Oreal dip dye dependant on your base hair colour.

I also used the dip dye on my Foxy Locks hair extensions and again was amazed how well it worked! I had often read online that you can't lighten hair extensions but I think this just goes to show the high quality of the Foxy Locks hair extensions.

My black embellished shoulder dress is from Topshop.

My lipstick is MAC Shy Girl.

I hope you have found this beauty blog post helpful! Xo

Indie Party Girl - TOPSHOP UK PETITE LUREX SKATER DRESS

2012-11-25T12:26:00.002-08:00

Indie Party Girl

Topshop UK Petite Lurex Skater Dress

This is an older piece of women's clothing from Topshop stores from earlier in 2012. However, I've often noticed this Topshop pink dress on Ebay UK and Asos Marketplace so I thought I would dedicate a fashion blog post to this gorgeous Topshop Petite Lurex Skater Dress. This Topshop dress was purchased in petite size 4 and it has the most flattering cut and perfect fit for petites. I've added a black and gold waist belt to this dress as well to add more impact to this outfit. This dress is perfect for the indie party girl look. It could be dressed down for the day time but I personally think this better suits its purpose of nightclub wear.

The dress is of bodycon style, the material is slightly stretchy and the dress has an elasticated waist. The material is a light pink/nude shade and has a gorgeous sparkle or shimmer to it. This is one of my favourite dresses from the Topshop petite range.

The full outfit:

Lurex Skater Dress - Topshop Petite

Black & Gold waist belt - Primark

Burgundy Heels - M&S

Burgundy Bag - Liz Claiborne

Bronze Bracelets - Topshop

Inspired by Gossip Girl Fashion

2012-11-25T10:00:00.002-08:00

Inspired By Gossip Girl Fashion

Oasis and Warehouse Clothing

Over the last weekend, I really wanted to relax and take a bit of a break from studying and worrying about what I plan to do after university, so I dragged out some of my Gossip Girl DVDs and decided to snuggle up in bed with a hot chocolate and watch the fashionable TV show.

Recently I had been watching a lot of documentaries and more challenging films such as Requiem for a Dream and David Lynch's, Inland Empire. If I watched a TV series it would most likely be The Walking Dead or Breaking Bad. After watching these, I was sceptical as to whether Gossip Girl would be as good a TV drama as I had remembered but I was surprised to remember how dark a TV drama Gossip Girl was at times, I can't really compare it to One Tree Hill or 90210. Regardless of whether a TV drama is your cup of tea or not, I can't help but find Gossip Girl is produced very well at times in the series.

Aside from this I love the Gossip Girl music and the Gossip Girl fashion.

I find the Gossip Girl clothes, in particular the Gossip Girl dresses so beautiful, I struggle to find similar looking pieces of women's clothing in many of the high street stores at all. Based on Gossip Girl season 1 and Gossip Girl season 2 I decided to create an outfit inspired by the Gossip Girl fashion.

The style of the Gossip Girl fashion I often noticed was a rock chick look. I often notice a lot of black and grey, mixed with other darker shades of colours. The clothes often have a sparkle, either through embellished detailing, sequins, beads or through a gold shimmering material.

My advice, if you're in England wanting to create an outfit based on Gossip Girl fashion, shop in the high street stores, Warehouse, Oasis, H&M and Topshop. No doubt L.K Bennett, Zara or Whistles will have some ideal clothing pieces but the price can jump a bit compared to what can already feel like slightly expensive high street stores such as Topshop UK.

Regarding material, I notice a lot of floaty or silky tops with lace shrugs or cardigans alongside tweed blazers or sequin blazers.

This was my attempt at creating an outfit based on Gossip Girl fashion.

The beaded grey top is from Oasis. Yes it is supposed to be a vest top, however, thanks to being blessed with petite height, I found this top could look great as a tunic or dress. If you're not a petite, I'd recommend wearing this top with black skinny jeans or black wet look leggings.

The lace cardigan is a cropped jacket from Warehouse. Again, I feel, through this piece of women's clothing being a cropped jacket, that this clothing is ideal for a petite lady. I am only around 4ft 11.

To add a flash of colour I've added my burgundy Liz Claiborne Bag. I adore this bag, it looks expensive and so chic!

Winter Fashion

Bearing in mind, the time of year I am writing this fashion blog post, this outfit could be a little too cold to wear over the winter season. I think this outfit would be perfect for Christmas parties, Christmas meals or for drinks in a bar all year round. It honestly feels so classy. So, regarding winter time, I would add two extra accessories to shield me from the winter winds.

I have added an Oasis fur scarf and my Topshop Fur Trim Bowler Hat. It's amazing what a difference these pieces can make to an outfit. Obviously, if it is so cold, you would want to add a winter coat over the top, but adding the bowler hat and fur scarf are great ideas for if you need to nip outside for air or to a cash point during your evening.

Adding the fur scarf and fur trim bowler hat reminds me more of Made In Chelsea fashion rather than Gossip Girl fashion. So if you want to take influences from both TV shows then this winter fashion is ideal.

Here is how the Oasis grey top looks without the other pieces of clothing. I am in love with the colour and feel this could be worn in a variety of occasions and would suit so many outfits! It's also the perfect length for petites to pass this off as a dress.

The full outfit:

Grey Beaded Top - Oasis

Black Lace Cropped Jacket - Warehouse

Necklace - Warehouse

Fur Trim Bowler Hat - Topshop

Fur Scarf - Oasis

Brown Suede Heels - Dune

Maroon Bag - Liz Claiborne

Allumer - Gift Ideas for Christmas Time

2012-11-24T09:59:00.005-08:00

Stuck For The Perfect Christmas Gift Ideas? Treat Someone Special To Beautiful Allumer Jewellery.

Oh my! The years really do go faster as you get older, Christmas day of 2011 felt like only a few weeks ago. It feels rather scary to realise it is Christmas time again already, in fact, Christmas day itself is only about one month away! Now alarm bells are REALLY ringing as I know that I certainly need to get a move on and start Christmas shopping!

Speaking of bells...

GOLD ALLUMETTE BELL NECKLACE - Various Colours £24

What a cute set of bell pendant necklaces! These beautiful necklaces caught my eye immediately through the bright colours of the bell pendants. These quirky necklaces are both subtle and striking through the use of bold colours on a small bell pendant. I imagine these pieces of colourful jewellery could be a great way to add a bit of colour to a black tulip dress or even a more stylish casual look of just black skinny jeans and a mink vest top.

These necklaces could make a great Christmas present for anybody you know who loves jewellery or has an obsession with a particular colour! Although at just £24, these could make a lovely treat for yourself! Bearing in mind it is Christmas time, no doubt we'd all be attending Christmas parties making these bell pendant necklaces a stylish fashion accessory, especially if purchasing the green bell necklace or the red bell necklace with their festive colours and also suiting the theme of Christmas bells!

You can purchase these by clicking here:

GOLD ALLUMETTE BELL NECKLACE - Various Colours

Allumer London

Those colourful bell pendant necklaces are part of the Allumer jewellery range. Allumer are based in London (Hence the Allumer London part.) and have a variety of stunning necklaces, bracelets, earrings and even candles for sale on their website:

www.allumer.co.uk/

Alongside this, Allumer has recently been announced available for purchase in Heathrow Airport, England. You can find the Allumer jewellery in the store Paul Smith in Terminal 3 or Paul Smith globe in Terminal 5. Conveniently my mother (As much as she hates flying) has to travel a lot for her job, at least once a week she has to fly to Scotland for business meetings via Heathrow airport so I might be able to pick up one of these beautiful Allumer necklaces, if I can gather enough money together.

To all of you fashion blog readers outside of the UK planning to visit England, this now means you have an opportunity to see the Allumer jewellery close up in person at Heathrow airport!

However, if you do choose to shop online with Allumer you do receive 10% off your first order when you sign up to the newsletter, which might not sound a lot for the bell pendant necklaces at £24 each but when I show you the prices of their more expensive necklaces, you will realise a 10% discount will go a long way! Especially over Christmas time whilst shopping online for gifts.

Also, on the Allumer website, take a look at the Celebrity section. Allumer jewellery has been worn by many celebrities including Kate Moss, the cast of Made in Chelsea and the cast of The Only Way Is Essex. (TOWIE)

Allumer Collections

Now, I will stop sharing my obsession with this latest discovery of Allumer jewellery and show you all what you want to see, their jewellery. There is a lot more jewellery available on the Allumer website, I have just picked out a few pieces I fell in love with to show to you lovely fashion blog readers.

ALLUMER MATCH - 9ct Yellow Gold Vermeil £138

This Allumer Match necklace will definitely be going onto my wish list. The Allumer jewellery is packaged in these cute little match boxes, making the match pendant necklace an essential piece of jewellery for the Allumer collection. You can also customise your necklaces by choosing a colour for the ball chain design and choosing the jewel on the end. I have chosen Amethyst for this necklace. There are other forms of the match necklaces available on the Allumer website and the prices can vary a bit.

Heart Earrings

Alphallumer Earring- 9kt Gold Hoop with Heart & Diamond £78

These gold heart earrings are so chic! These expensive heart earrings are available in three different colours and have a slight vintage look to them. I got rather excited by this jewellery as I new it could suit all fashion styles. Perfect for nightclub wear whilst also being perfect earrings for casual day wear. Whether you dress bohemian or in formal wear these heart earrings could suit any occasion. These heart earrings would make a fabulous Christmas gift and again these heart hoop earrings are packaged in the adorable match box.

Expensive Heart Necklace

Alphallumer Heart Necklace with Diamond £78

If you're unsure about the heart hoop earrings from Allumer, there is always the option for this expensive heart necklace as well. Again you can customise this heart necklace through the ball chain colour and also choose between three colours of gold for the gold heart pendant. Again a very simple and chic piece of jewellery which could add a dash of colour to any outfit. Another special Christmas gift idea.

My Favourite Necklace

Small Flicker of Light £138

My favourite necklace from Allumer is the 'Small Flicker of Light'. Again you can customise these pieces of Allumer jewellery through choosing the colour of the ball chain, the colour and material of the flicker (the pendant) to different types of gold or even silver and finally by choosing a message. When you flick the gold disk, you can see whatever message you chose to have engraved into the pendant. Messages on the Allumer website include XOXO, XXX, LOL, ROCK and more. These beautiful and expensive necklaces feel unique to me, I often get excited about jewellery containing messages. This expensive necklace would be a DEFINITE piece of jewellery on my wish list, and could also make an ideal gift for a special friend or relative if you were considering spending this amount of money on a Christmas gift.

The packaging for the Small Flicker of Light Allumer necklace is again an Allumer match box, however, these matchboxes have a message printed on the outside: "Light up my life"

I am a sucker for packaging, as I always say in my beauty blog posts so not only are these Small Flicker of Light necklaces tempting, but so are the cute Allumer match boxes you'd receive them in!

That's all I'm going to show on this blog post. If you've enjoyed what you have read or seen, why don't you hop over to the Allumer website now:

www.allumer.co.uk/

Explore the Allumer website, customise some necklaces of your own and see what you find. Remember you can receive 10% off your first order by signing up to the news letter.

Also remember if you ever do travel via Heathrow Airport to check in Paul Smith Terminal 3 and Paul Smith Globe Terminal 5 for the Allumer jewellery.

I hope this blog post has offered a few gift ideas for your friends, family or even yourself over Christmas time. If you like what you see, or know someone special who would, why don't you shop online to buy a gift from Allumer London this Christmas.

Inspired Kate Middleton Fashion From Borneo Forest.

2012-11-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Inspired Kate Middleton Fashion From Her Trip To Borneo Forest. A Cheap Primark Alternative To Kate Middleton's Zara Shirt.

In a previous fashion blog post (Which you can read about by clicking here!) I showed some photos of my recent shopping spree of cheap clothing from Primark. In amongst this was my Navy Primark Shirt Blouse which was reduced to just £5! I had been wanting this navy chiffon shirt for a while now as it reminded me of Kate Middleton's navy shirt from Zara which she wore in Borneo Forest.

The material of the chiffon shirt is great and this really doesn't feel like a typical piece of Primark clothing to me. I also noticed in the photos from Borneo Forest, Kate Middleton was wearing some beige or tan coloured trousers. Kate had a safari look for this trip, so I put together my similar looking Topshop Jamie Jeans and River Island Military Boots to recreate Kate Middleton's look.

So here are some photos of how the outfit looks.

The full outfit:

Navy Chiffon Shirt - Primark

Tan Jeans - Topshop

Military Boots - River Island

They still have these shirts in Primark stores, so if you're quick you can probably grab yourself one for just £5.