Altuzarra for Target

Altuzarra for Target Jumper 
Topshop Joni jeans
JustFab Tamery flats*

These photos are from last week, I'm so sorry I haven't had chance to put them into a post earlier! Anyway, the good news is that quite a lot of the Altuzarra for Target collection is still available on Net-a-Porter (link above). Usually these high street-designer collaborations sell out really quickly, but for some reason this one's lasted a little bit longer! I saw this jumper in a magazine a few weeks ago and absolutely fell in love. I'm loving the monochrome trend at the moment, but we all know I love a good big bird (eagles, owls, pheasants etc). I'm always drawn to Bird things and this jumper just had to be mine.
The embroidery is absolutely beautiful, the quality is amazing, and you can really tell it's from a designer collection. The jumper itself is really soft and is quite lightweight so will be great for layering too. It's getting so cold now in England isn't it?

I'm also wearing my Joni jeans. (how many times have I typed that over the last year!) Anyway, you'll be pleased to know that I'm wearing my new ones now, and have retired these old ones to wearing around the house. Future outfit posts will feature the new pair! (it's taken me long enough!)

Last but not least, I'm wearing my JustFab Tamery flats. These slip-ons have been a huge trend for Spring and Summer and are staying around for Autumn and Winter. They're a great casual shoe and go with pretty much anything. I'm always wearing mine, and they're great for just slipping on when you're in a hurry. I have the black ones, but they come in some lovely prints and colours too.

I hope you're all having a great week so far! I always feel like my week is split into two as I have placement Monday-Wednesday and then uni Thursday-Friday! Nearly weekend now guys! xx

The Weekend Post #2

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend!! I'm sorry I didn't do a weekend post last week as I totally forgot about it- I've been so busy! 

On Friday my grandma bought me this gorgeous cupcake and macaroons from a shop in Skiptom where she went for the day with my family (I was at uni). They were absolutely delicious!! 

Saturday was spent doing work for uni which was rather boring, although I did have an exciting topshop delivery which hopefully I will be sharing with you soon. I really want to get back into making videos but it's just trying to find a time to do them! 

I'm wearing my new topshop fur lined denim jacket today it's super cosy and I love it. I really regretted not buying it last year, so I had to take advantage of the 20% student discount offer this week to get it! 

Today I've had a lovely day out with my mum. We went into Manchester as I had a few vouchers for different shops from magazines and things so I've been treating myself!! I will try and do a haul soon with what I've bought! I have things from Harvey Nichols, whistles, jack wills, office and the body shop so it's been a #feelingspendy kinda day!! I also picked up Alfie's book (the pointless book) which seems really fun when I've just had a flick through! I like to support fellow bloggers and bloggers even though they're already so much more established than me! 

This week looks like another super busy one but I'm determined to get some more blogging done this week! I keep getting annoyed as I've been planning blogging evenings and then I end up with work to do for uni for the next day!! I'm really looking forward to half term! 

Hope you all have a lovely week, and make sure to follow this blog if you haven't already! Xx

(These photos are from my Instagram so make sure you're following me there too @nellyandnoopy) x 

September Birchbox

I'm a little late with this month's Birchbox, although I'm doing better than last month! As usual I'm really impressed with the box- I honestly haven't been disappointed with any of my boxes! The theme for September is Happy Days which is nice as September seems to be the month of new starts as most of us are back to uni/work school and it kind of feels like a second January sometimes!

All subscribers received the ModelCo Lip Laquer, but Birchbox gave us the option to choose the shade. If you're subscribed to Birchbox, keep your eye on their instagram account, as that's usually where these kinds of things are announced. I chose the shade 'Viva' which is a nice pale nude-ish pink colour (the kind of shade I usually go for!). It has a gorgeous sweet scent (very similar to the Tanya Burr lip glosses), and is a very cute sample size!

I also received the Agave Healing Oil Treatment which will come in super handy as I've just gone lighter so have quite a bit of bleach in my hair now, which makes it quite dry. I love a good hair oil as I do struggle with frizz, but I end up using them on a daily basis as I have thick hair which can be quite difficult to manage. I haven't tried this one yet, but I'm excited to do!

Two skincare products in my box this month are the Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream and the Premae Mild Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub. I do love my skincare as you probably all know, so I'm always happy to see skincare in my Birchbox, especially from some of my favourite brands. I haven't tried these two products yet, but I've tried other skincare from Premae and Benefit, which I've been really impressed with, so hopefully I'll love these products too!

I also received the Korres Citrus Showergel. I've tried the matching body lotion before as it was in a previous box, which I really liked, so I'm happy to have received the matching shower gel. Citrus scents I find are great for in the mornings as they really wake me up, which I definitely need, especially for my 6:30 starts that are way too early for me! (I'm definitely not a morning person!)

Last but not least are two lifestyle extras. I love these little extras that Birchbox add in, it's a bit like getting free gifts! The little photo clip is super cute, and I'll definitely make use of it! (there's also a full set available from the Birchbox shop)The Strawberry Urban Fruit looks good, and I'm back on my strict diet, so it'll be a better lunchbox choice than a biscuit!

I'm really impressed with the box this month, and there's nothing in there that I won't make use of, which I find to be really consistent in Birchbox!

Hope you're all having a lovely week so far! Happy October too, it's officially Fall/ Autumn! x

Boohoo Blazer

Boohoo Ester Pinstripe Boyfriend Blazer*
Zoe Karssen Sweatshirt
Topshop Joni jeans
Vagabond Dioon Chelsea Boots

Firstly, you've probably noticed my new hair! I've gone blonder, and will do a whole post on it soon! I've finally got rid of the orange in my hair although I'm still not as ashy as I'd like!

Anyway, I was really lucky to be sent this gorgeous blazer from Boohoo. It's from their new collection (you may have seen the #fashpack cards on my instagram already) and it's so lovely! The photographs don't really pick up the pinstripe detail but it's more pronounced in real life. It's a beautiful quality blazer and the fabric is so soft. I've styled it with a casual outfit as it was the weekend after all, but I know I'll also get lots of wear out of it for my placement (workwear). Also, Boohoo currently have 25% off their Autumn collection with the code COSY, which is the perfect excuse to update your wardrobe. I did actually order a couple of pieces last week, including this waistcoat which is absolutely gorgeous.

I'm also wearing my Zoe Karssen sweatshirt which was a total bargain as I found it in TK Maxx for just £24.99!! I'm so pleased with it as I just love a good sweatshirt- especially for Autumn and Winter.

Of course I'm wearing my Joni jeans too, I must be wearing these in 99% of my blog posts! I promise I do wear other things in real life too!

And I can't not mention my new favourite boots. I regretted not buying the Vagabond Dioon boots last year so I decided to treat myself to them this year. They're super comfortable and go with everything, and I can wear them smart or casual. I love that they give a bit of height whilst still being really comfy and easy to wear. I love them, they are expensive but totally worth it in my opinion!

Hope you're all having a great start to the week! Mine's been super-busy as usual! xx

*The blazer was sent to me for free but all other items mentioned and worn were bought with my own money. As always all opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliate links.

Blonde vs. Brunette

So I'm off to the hairdressers on Saturday with the hopes of ridding my hair of the dreaded orange tones that seem to be so permanent in my hair at the moment! (Hopefully for the last time) 
I've experimented with different colours over the years and have been various shades of blonde, brunette and pink ombre. I came across this cool info graphic and I thought I'd share it with you. It's something to think about if you're considering a change of colour. I never knew that blondes on average earn more money! Let's hope that's true! 
I'll show you all my new hair when it's done, as I'm hoping I'll finally be happy with it (fingers crossed)! 

Hope you're all having a great week. I've been super busy this week with my PGCE placement and uni work, so I'm sorry that the blog has been a bit lacking! xx

Birchbox August Full-Size Favourites

Supergoop CC Cream*

The Proposal: Tasmina Perry *

Number 4 Lumiere D'Hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect*

Last month's Birchbox was full of amazing samples, and I was very lucky to receive my 3 favourites in full size. I'm always really impressed with my Birchbox boxes and I love trying out new products. (I used to subscribe to Glossybox but I much prefer Birchbox as it's more consistent with quality of samples) 

My first favourite product is the Supergoop CC Cream. I have the shade light/medium which is a really good match for me. What I really love about this CC cream is that it applies beautifully. I quite often find that BB and CC creams are sticky and feel very wet on my skin, which I really don't like. This one feels like a liquid foundation mixed with a moisturiser and doesn't cling to any dry patches, or make me look shiny. I'd say it leaves a healthy glow, and looks very natural on the skin. A light layer is virtually undetectable. I've also worn it underneath my Tarte Amazonian Clay powder foundation for a higher coverage finish, and also mixed it in with Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua to get a really sheer coverage (I had a really good skin day that day!). 

I'm really impressed with it, and have used up my little sample completely. A little bit of this product goes such a long way, and I find I can achieve light to medium coverage with this. It hasn't broken me out at all and has protected my skin from pollution and the sun. I've also found that I don't need to use any primer with this as it stays on perfectly with out (and I normally need primer with everything!). Because it's moisturising, I've found that unless my skin is really dry, there's enough moisturiser in the CC cream to keep my skin hydrated all day, making my morning routine super-quick (perfect for my very early starts for my uni and placement days). I've tried it with different brushes and using my fingers, and it works well with either! I really can't recommend it enough, I'm so impressed that I would be happy to repurchase it. 

My second favourite is a detangling spray. Now if you've been following me for a while you'll know that I have seriously knotty hair! Any detangling products always go down a treat with me, and if they work, I get strangely excited! This one smells absolutely amazing, and works so well on both wet and dry hair. I just spray it into my hair before brushing as I find it really reduces breakage and leaves my hair feeling silky soft.

This product is also vegan, gluten-free, sulphate-free and paraben-free, so it's perfect for everyone. It also doesn't weigh my hair down at all and is great at taming frizz and fly-aways. My hair is also coloured so I'm a good test for a nourishing hair product, and this one definitely passed the test. Also, I couldn't not mention the gorgeous sleek packaging, it looks so sleek and sophisticated on my dressing table and I know it's not all about the packaging, but I do like things to look nice! It's not a cheap product, but neither are all the other detangling sprays I've found that really work, I guess you get what you pay for! 

Last but not least is quite a weird Birchbox sample. I received the first chapter of The Proposal in my Birchbox, and I'll be honest I hardly ever read. I've recently treated myself to a kindle paperwhite in an attempt to fit more reading in, and I've found I actually really enjoy it. I used to put it off so much because I have reading difficulties, but I've also found that it's really improving my reading skills and I'm enjoying it more and more! I'm currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn on my Kindle, which I'm really enjoying (I'll review it when I've finished it). I can't wait to read the rest of the proposal when I've finished Gone Girl, as I really loved the first chapter and I really want to know what happens next! If you like romance and historical novels, I'd say you'd probably like The Proposal.

I think having a book sample in a beauty box is a really great idea, as I find it so hard to choose a book to read!  (anyone else find that?)

You can probably tell how impressed I am with these products! If you try anything let me know how you get on with them, I really hope you love them as much as I do! 

Have a lovely day xx

*These products were sent to me for free from Birchbox to review. However I pay for my Birchbox subscription myself, and am not obligated to write good reviews. All opinions are 100% honest. 

John Lewis Autumn Fashion Magazine

John Lewis Wave bangles, Kin by John Lewis Grey skinny jeans , Decadorn Pyrite ring , Kin by John Lewis Bronte Distressed Leather tote bag, Collection by John Lewis Marzita Crop Jacket

It feels like forever since I’ve done one of these fashion collages! John Lewis have just released their Autumn fashion magazine, and I’ve been invited to share it all with you. I’ve chosen 5 items that I think are perfect for this season’s trends.

Firstly, I’ve been loving Scandinavian style recently, and have been getting so much inspiration from Swedish and Stockholm street style (blogs and websites). You probably know that monochrome plays a huge part in that, and it’s been really inspiring a lot of my recent purchases.

We all know I love my skinny jeans, I basically live in them (Apart from when I’m on uni placement and am not allowed!). I chose this grey pair as they’re a bit different from my standard black and denim ones. They’re still really versatile, and I’ve recently been loving grey! I also think grey adds a bit of interest to a monochrome look, and can easily be styled in so many different ways.

I’ve also been loving silver recently. I’m usually drawn to rose gold and yellow gold, but this season there are so many gorgeous silver pieces, and again I think it works so well with monochrome. The bangles are super simple, so they can be layered with other bracelets or worn alone. I also love a bit of mixed metal so I think they’d look great with some of my other jewellery. This distressed bag is so unique, like a luxury shopping bag. I’ve not seen anything else like it, which is why I was so drawn to it. I love to add leather into my outfits as I just love the texture of it. This bag is also big enough to use as a work or day bag, which makes it super versatile!

As I do love a bit of leather, I was also drawn to this Cropped jacket with faux leather trip. It could be easily dressed up for work with a shirt and some trousers, or could be worn over a basic tee and some skinny jeans. Black jackets are so useful, and can be worn all year round, so are a great investment.

Last but not least is this amazing ring. I love a bit of unusual jewellery and although it’s expensive, I think it’d go with practically everything and again it’s perfect for both formal and casual wear.

I hope you enjoyed this post, you can see the rest of the Autumn edit here, as I’ve only shown you a very small selection of the new collections!

Hope you’re all having a lovely day!