#69

Welcome to my current wish-list. I swear one day I will be rich enough to buy every item of clothing in the world; and I will do so purely for confirmation that I am no longer too poor to own the clothes I would like to. But for now here's a small selection of things I am lovvvvving right now...*sob*

Alais Stud Biker Boots

Markus Lupfer Pyjama Top

Blackwatch Check Playsuit

KAPOW! sweat

Dandy Wallpaper Trousers

Cheap Monday Washed Tshirt

Miss-Dea Hand Embroidered Caiman Trimmed Lace Clutch

x

#68

So here I am sticking to my guns and blogging for the second time in two days; it's a miracle I can tell you...

Jumper: glamorousUK, Blazer: River Island, Jeans: Topshop, Brogues: New Look, Bag: Next, Gold Necklace: vintage

I suppose this is a part ootd, part haul post-I'm not sure if one new item counts as a haul but it'll certainly make me feel better if I call it that. 

I bought this jumper on Saturday from Jolly's in Bath; a shop full of mostly designer temptations, make up counters cluttered with expensive luxuries and foundation-clad young women. However, being the poor little me that I am, this jumper is not designer and is in fact by the label (and now internet boutique) Glamorousuk.

It's the first item of clothing I've purchased even partly on outside opinion in a while as I tend to find once I start asking for opinions I lose confidence in my own wardrobe choices, but I'm very grateful to my friends for recommending this particular embellished delight to me for my winter wardrobe.

With statement jewellery in many a metallic hue making a vast appearance this season, I liked the up-to-dateness of this jumper and thought it would bring a little bit of specifically A/W12 into my wardrobe.

ANNNND I saw the one and only Katherine Jenkins sporting the same piece on 'surprise surprise' last night. WIN.

Today I went for a smart look with black brogues, blue skinnies, and my go-to RI blazer. My trusty waxed jacket proved to be a perfectly good outer layer, and my everyday school bag seemed to match the tan lining  on my blazer pretty well so overall, I was quite happy with my outfit today and even received a few compliments for it. Happy Elise :-)

I hope all your Monday's weren't completely terrible!

x

#67

Ooops! It appears to have been a whole week since I last blogged! It has been a pretty busy week however; those of you who follow me on instagram or twitter will have seen Ivy in her pink leopard print bandage after she accumulated a nasty cut on her leg. She does look super stylish now though so every cloud, eh?

I think, however, that the main reason for my lack of posting recently is that I've been feeling rather uninspired, dare I say it. With a lack of cash and an ever-growing wish-list, I've noticed a decrease in the number of items out there that I completely adore and an increase in items that I simply 'really want'. This probably makes no sense to any of you reading this...so in short I think I may have developed a little shopaholic problem!

I did purchase a new jumper yesterday (to be featured on tomorrow's post) and I do really love it, but I noticed I didn't get half the satisfaction from buying it as I would have a few months ago. My idea of a solution to this is to introduce a spending ban into my life, for the next month-excluding the winter coat my mother will kindly purchase for me. 

Of course this is producing problems already. I have two parties in the next few weeks and zilch to wear. I am determined to stick to my spending ban however so keep your eyes peeled for some wardrobe revamping and experimental creations and of course, apologies in advance for any wardrobe mistakes that appear as a result of this. I am really looking forward to doing some more styling and less buying though:-)

Enough of the rambling, time to get back into the swing of things. My absence means I'm behind on the weekly round ups but they'll be back-aplenty this Friday. I'm also keen to share with you my high-street and high-fashion wish-lists (both equally unattainable right now) and finally, at least one or two ootd posts. So there's a heads up for the week ahead on with0utacare. 

Have a lovely relaxing Sunday and enjoy the week ahead without a care. Yes I just fit the blog title into a casual sentence. Smooth right?

x

#66

I don't know about you, but when I woke up this morning to see snow on the ground, the 8 year old me was more than satisfied. I got home close to midnight last night and although it was cold (when is it not in England?) there was no sign of snow anywhere so I was shocked. Of course I soon realised that despite it setting, and being miles better than that slush/sleet we only ever seem to get these days, there isn't enough for snowman building, snow angels, or snow ball wars. Instead, I put Ivy in her Christmas jumper and took her outside for her first experience of snow! She was not amused...

As much as I would love her to enable me to do a bit of calender style 'cute-kitten-in-the-snow' type photography, she did not like the snow one bit so I don't think I'm going to get anything cuter than her cowering under the garden table unfortunately!

Moving on, I feel the snow was some form of communication from the greater good that yes, today's post must be on the best winter accessories. So here we go...

Cable Pom Pom Hat/Topshop

A little overpriced but a delight none the less. Everyone needs a cute go-to, go-with-everything beanie during the colder months and this one is fab. You can't go wrong with a neutral colour like this in navy, or perhaps grey or black. I bought a burgundy oxblood-ish colour one from ASOS for only £6, but it's very large and quite hard to style to make sure it doesn't look like it's swallowing my head whole! This one looks like much better sizing.

Chestnut Brown Chunky Knit Pom Pom Scarf/Newlook

Due to its length, this scarf can either be styled as shown in the picture or double wrapped; both key trends during winter where scarves are concerned. I love the Autumnal colour and the cute pom-poms make it even more fun for the fashion eye. Did I mention that it's an absolute bargain too?

Faux Fur Pom Pom Boyfriend Beanie/ASOS

Fancy matching your beanie to your scarf? Then go for this gorgeous style from ASOS. It's even in the sale so go go go!

Leather All Over Stud Gloves/ASOS

For the more bad-ass side of you...ta dah!

I adore these gloves and their "rock n' roll" edge. Leather gloves are in. Studs are in. It's a match made in fashion heaven. Again, they're in the sale!

P.S. River Island have some very similar at pretty much the same price, I can't decide which are nicer so check them out!

Orange pu and grey tweed gloves/RI

To put it mildly, I am in love with these gloves. Yes to tweed, Yes to leather and a big YES to orange!

Beige borg earmuffs/RI

Pair these with some shearling mittens (I've seen a killer pair I'm saving for on Ebay!) and you're good to go!

Burgundy Faux Fur Cossack/Miss Selfridge

Miss Selfridge have a couple of nice fur options, my favourite being this one (the gorgeous burgundy/plum colouring is so on trend) and a neutral faux fur headband. 

Faux Fur Neck Warmer/Banana Republic

This neck warmer was just made for warmth, and I'm pretty sure it would look good under your winter coat, over your cosiest jumper or even just hanging up waiting to be worn!

These are just a few of my favourite options out there for warmth at the moment. Have you seen any gorgeous winter accessories this year?

x

#65

A super spooky hello to y'all tonight readers (I'm about to head out to my second and final Halloween party for the year).

I've been a little more absent from blogging than I'd have hoped this half term but I just thought I'd show you my horrendous costume for the night, and let you know that tomorrow it's back to good old fashion blogging!

Hope you're all well.

x

#64

Hey guys, you probably feel like I'm bombarding you with Halloween posts right now...probably because I am! Any holiday that involves dressing up and eating lots of chocolate/sweets is a great holiday if you ask me, so we may as well indulge since it's only once a year right?

I hope you all found my last post at least a little helpful. Thanks to everyone who left a comment, I really love hearing your feedback and always check out your blogs so thank you. If you are still stuck for ideas, don't be afraid to ask me about it, I can't promise any expertise but I'll be more than happy to help!

So my neighbour and childhood friend Katie and I had a pretty creative, Halloween themed day. First we carved the four pumpkins. I did not trust myself with the huge knife one bit, so I was rapidly put on 'ripping out the insides' duty. The mucky bit's always the most fun though isn't it?

Then we made these Halloween cakes. I actually despise cooking/baking (and I'm terrible at it too!) so Katie did the majority of that part. Although heroically, I was on hand to locate and hand her the ingredients and tools. (That was sarcasm by the way, I can never tell if it comes across properly via the internet?)

I did however chip in with the decorating (try stopping me!) which was very amusing. In between some surprisingly friendly looking monsters and a couple of funny looking Frankensteins, we managed to make a couple of good'ns so it wasn't all a total disaster on my part.

Are you guys getting into the spirit of things this October? How have you been preparing for Halloween 2012?

x

p.s. Check out this AMAZING nail varnish I found on americanapparel.net, so cool!

#63

Get Inspired for Halloween!

Halloween is just around the corner, and although in a perfect world we'd all have amazing outfits created and ready to wear by now...I'm sure many of us do not! So what are you waiting for? Halloween is the perfect opportunity to try out trends you wouldn't dare to any other time of the year and take some wardrobe risks. Not to mention the fun that can be had when designing/creating an outfit from home!

I'm going to do a number of Halloween posts, as there's quite a few different aspects to the holiday that can create a whole lot of fun. In this post, I'm going to link you to some great fancy dress websites, include some inspiring celebrity costume photography, and some DIY ideas too.

Oh, and also, having no plans for the holiday is no excuse not to get into the spooky spirit. Take younger siblings trick or treating, host a scary movie night, or simply spend the evening carving pumpkins and eating lots of Halloween sweets! Whatever you spend Halloween 2012 doing, make sure you embrace the fun of it!

Fancy dress websites to check out:

• http://www.megafancydress.co.uk/
• http://www.partybritain.com/
• http://www.escapade.co.uk/?gclid=CITu-K2DobMCFebLtAodrD4AmA
• http://www.brightonfancydress.co.uk/
• http://www.harlequinfancydress.co.uk/index.asp?textpage=home&mainpage=home
• EBAY!

Celeb Halloween Costumes!

So the trick is (I found) to search the internet high and low for Halloween inspiration, gather ideas, things you think are cool, images in your head or anything that just clicks with you. Then, you need to have a good old rummage through your wardrobe, with said inspiration fresh in your mind. Do you have a cute dress you could apply some fake blood to and go as a scary doll? You'd only need a teddy and some knee-high socks or tights to complete the look. Do you have a tutu that could transform you into a ballerina with the right make up? Maybe you could borrow your dad or brothers big clothes and drape them with chains for a hip-hop vibe. Think outside the box, try stuff on, find cheap accessories if they're needed, and I'm sure at this point you will at least be on the road to having a great costume!

On Halloween night, I'm dressing as an FBI agent. It's a perfect costume for me as I have so much black in my wardrobe anyway! I'm simply wearing my leather panel leggings with a black vest top and leather jacket, and tipexing 'FBI' onto the top. Add some aviators, and a toy gun supplied by my friend and voilà a fancy dress costume for free! At the weekend I have a second fancy dress party to go to, but I'm in the stages of creating a second outfit now. I'm thinking gangster or creepy dolly maybe? Whichever means spending the least money I suppose-I know I'm so stingy!

Quick DIY ideas:

Propaganda Lady

• Bandanna (preferably red)
• Denim shirt tied above your tum
• high waisted shorts/jeans

Creepy Dolly

(for image see Rochelle, The Saturdays, above)

• Cute/girly dress with or without a white shirt underneath
• an accessory such as a teddy or picnic basket
• creepy make up and/or fake blood
• tie your hair in plaits

Bond/Bond Girl

• your fanciest dress (preferably black)
• heels
• lots of fancy jewellery
• red lippy

for boys:

• your smartest suit 
• a slick hairstyle

Cat

• all black clothes
• draw on whiskers and a nose with eye-liner or face paint

Nicki Minaj

• Pink wig
• white vest top
• denim shorts
• yellow/green underwear poking out
• pink shoes (although not all of these things are completely necessary to complete the look!)