tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48125759411222962242024-02-20T16:07:31.078+00:00The Fashion BanditFreelance writer and fashion lover. The rest of the time, I'm just a northern lass living in Buckinghamshire. Welcome to my style diary.Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.comBlogger184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-69381285406814169632014-04-17T19:13:00.000+01:002014-04-17T19:13:43.888+01:00What I Wore: Guns & Roses for a Spring Wedding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been lucky enough to be invited to a bunch of lovely weddings this year - and at the very end of March I attended a fabulous spring wedding.</div>
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The bride and groom I have known since I was in 6th form college, and it only occurred to me a couple of months before their wedding that there might be other people I went to college with in attendance too! As it turned out we were seated with the groom's gang of mates, and their wives. Talk about a flash from the past! The best thing was, they were all just as lovely, more than ten years on. We had a great day, the wedding was beautiful and it was good catching up with friends from years gone by.</div>
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<b><u>Outfit:</u></b></div>
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For the day I decided to wear a bright pop of colour with this fabulous Hell Bunny Desperado 50s style fitted dress. With blooms of yellow pink and red roses, pistols, skulls and Mexican ladies, it may not have been the most a traditional choice for a wedding guest outfit! After having my bridesmaids in Hell Bunny dresses for my wedding (more on that at a later date) I have become rather a big fan of the brand - particularly for their rockabilly style clothing and dresses.</div>
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The shape of the dress mean finding a cover-up to go with it was challenging, but I eventually found this gorgeous cropped sky blue cardigan from ASOS. The shoes I bought last summer are by Mel (part of the Melissa brand that make the fabulous Vivienne Westwood shoes I wore on my wedding day - again more of that at a later date). Out of everywhere I looked to find an affordable clutch bag - New Look saved the day, they had so many to choose from, I couldn't find anything appropriate anywhere else on the high street - but in New Look I had a choice of three bags that would work with my outfit. I finally settled on this nude one to match my shoes and it only cost £8.99 too!</div>
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My 'Hello Sailor' nautical necklace is an old favourite from Topshop - I love a bit of tongue-in-cheek kitsch jewellery. </div>
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<b><u>Hair & Make up:</u></b></div>
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I pin curled my hair for the occasion and wore a floral headpiece I'd made especially to match my dress. After I made floral hairband for my wedding last summer I thought I'd do this again as I really enjoyed it. I also made a floral crown so I'd have a choice on the day - but went with the grouping of silk flowers instead as it worked better with my 50s inspired hair. I painted a set of false nails to match my outfit with a graduated pink ombre effect and statement nail with freehand nail art roses to co-ordinate with the frock.<br />
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I was really pleased with the way the final outfit all came together and now I have another wedding outfit to plan for a summer wedding!<br />
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What are you planning to wear to any weddings this year? Are there any brands you are currently loving?</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229108464852675682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-35929780255400464122014-04-06T21:37:00.002+01:002014-04-06T21:37:37.569+01:00You spent HOW long in the hairdresser's?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last weekend I spent a record-breaking amount of time in the hairdresser's...erm, 10 hours.</div>
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Ridiculous eh?</div>
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So, I bet you are looking at those above pictures and thinking, what on earth took 10 hours? Fair enough.</div>
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I certainly wasn't planning on being in the salon for longer than the average working day. I went in for a cut and colour, but the problem was my base colour proved trickier to deal with than both I, and my stylist, envisioned. </div>
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At the end of last year I coloured my hair the <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/since-i-saw-you-last.html" target="_blank">darkest it has ever been, a deep plummy red</a>. Oh, and I hated it. It made me look ill and it bled heaps of colour every time I washed my hair. Fail. Earlier this year I used an <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/since-i-saw-you-last.html" target="_blank">at home kit to remove the colour and then used a temporary orange colour</a>. When this faded I used a permanent ginger colour at home. The very top pictures is a couple of months later, with roots, faded ends and a grown out cut.</div>
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As I hadn't had my hair professionally coloured since I went<a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-wedding-bandit-love-my-dress.html" target="_blank"> blonde for my wedding last year</a>, the stylist planned to cleanse it and then colour. After a cut and two cleanses (each taking an hour or more), we finally applied the colour...but it went wrong. There had been pigments left in my hair from my previous adventures and I ended up with flurorescent orange roots, followed by a wide pillar box red band, then patchy ginger lengths.This was about 5 hours in. Panic.</div>
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Another cleanse followed, and when that only removed the colour applied 60 minutes earlier, it was recommended I choose another colour. The suggested shade to cover up my mis-matched hair? Dark plummy red. Nooooooo! When my hairdresser saw the panic in my eyes - and judged that my hair was still in good strong condition - we instead opted for highlights through my t-section to break up the bright red. A combination of two different colours were then used to achieve a more uniform copper / ginger colour through out. I arrived at the salon at 12 noon, and left the at 10pm.</div>
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So it may not look like it, because it isn't particularly wild, exciting or complicated looking - but my new hair took some intensive salon time. Thank you to the lovely stylists, who despite it being a Saturday night, kept the salon open long past closing time to get my hair sorted and even bought me some dinner!</div>
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So what have we learnt? Box colouring is dangerous. Sometime even the most experienced colourists can't predict what hair will do when a colour is applied. If you sit in the hairdressers for 10 hours you'll leave with neck ache and a numb bum. Colour correction is a bitch. </div>
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Anyone else had to deal with colour correction? What is the longest you've ever spent in the hairdressers?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nngjhQfIJTEccituiMe3PdM6FgdQp2W9OvAJtSL8XsIbSvKm4_At_s5kzN-68tf51uKwYnePqI_bZHNVQ-eT0S0r4VjChtpF1LsDC1ZpRVHeiBAT5DmRlx9sOwWjbACYgkOPr5w4Zi4/s1600/sign2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nngjhQfIJTEccituiMe3PdM6FgdQp2W9OvAJtSL8XsIbSvKm4_At_s5kzN-68tf51uKwYnePqI_bZHNVQ-eT0S0r4VjChtpF1LsDC1ZpRVHeiBAT5DmRlx9sOwWjbACYgkOPr5w4Zi4/s1600/sign2.jpg" height="158" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-68207029570924302522014-03-28T08:27:00.000+00:002014-03-28T08:31:32.479+00:00Knickers to That<div style="text-align: center;">
Wanna hear me talk about knickers? </div>
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Of course you do.</div>
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Last month I had the fabulous opportunity to be part of a new online TV show called The Lounge, on TV Bedfordshire. The show featured food, hair, music, poetry, fitness, and from me - fashion. The first episode had a loose Valentine's theme - so it seemed the perfect opportunity to talk about sexy lingerie!<br />
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To view the whole show visit the presenter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3-mXA7cTL4">Carys Dayne's Youtube page</a>, or view more content on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/tvbedfordshire">TV Bedfordshire's YouTube</a>. The above segment is a full portion of fashion, the longer uncensored version, featuring gorgeous underwear from Ann Summers, Marks and Spencer, Charnos, Debenhams, Blossom Lingerie Bedford, and Petticoats Lingerie in Ampthill. I discuss lingerie trends for Spring / Summer 2014, a guide to bra fittings and some helpful hints for men buying underwear as a present.<br />
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Hopefully there will be another The Lounge episode on the way very soon...</div>
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Ladies, have you ever been bought lingerie by your man? How did he do?</div>
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I'd love to know what you think of the lingerie I featured.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj-hmQWYOvmQBojssgvfyMLOz069oNmldHJgAlyB2_GtDRX87UZTSiKlJKZCKvldeIiIcfNr5oGZERpNASSaBcOJTGaAPGqhTI1VNt6vz_PrEyLl5ZrH_9SfxW8bPWzDWBCOyOW-1FEs/s1600/sign2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj-hmQWYOvmQBojssgvfyMLOz069oNmldHJgAlyB2_GtDRX87UZTSiKlJKZCKvldeIiIcfNr5oGZERpNASSaBcOJTGaAPGqhTI1VNt6vz_PrEyLl5ZrH_9SfxW8bPWzDWBCOyOW-1FEs/s1600/sign2.jpg" height="158" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-78018979766801037102014-03-09T21:01:00.000+00:002014-03-09T21:01:27.924+00:00The Wedding Bandit: Love my Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTQaS83-fzX6-RtxWa1QaYDGUh2O2W5f9EilWBJy_LDd6PMDqTZHPOp9WGHyda2pKewFAWs63PoT74vz7tUjEJ5Mo_aWItXo_UwGcbLXz1mrfekhYbYLuECzk5Yji5xlvYTux8Es6ytQ/s1600/957+Alex+and+James.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTQaS83-fzX6-RtxWa1QaYDGUh2O2W5f9EilWBJy_LDd6PMDqTZHPOp9WGHyda2pKewFAWs63PoT74vz7tUjEJ5Mo_aWItXo_UwGcbLXz1mrfekhYbYLuECzk5Yji5xlvYTux8Es6ytQ/s1600/957+Alex+and+James.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Wedding photography by <a href="http://www.naturaltouchphotography.com/">Natural Touch Photography</a></i></span></div>
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This time last year I was waist-deep in wedding planning. I was a little stressed, but generally most things were organised. We were pulling together finishing touches and looking for last minute inspiration to make our big day perfect. Up to this moment, I, and my mum, had spent countless hours devouring the posts on <a href="http://www.lovemydress.net/">Love My Dress</a>. This amazing blog is one of the UK's top wedding websites and offers inspiration, advice and ideas for brides-to-be with a love of vintage look weddings. Over the years owner Annabel has featured some truly breath-taking weddings, with dreamy photos and brides describing their day in their own words, it is easy to see why it has become so popular.<br />
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After our own dream wedding we couldn't wait to get our photos back, and when we did we had been talking to our ace photographer Steve (more of him on a later date) about our favourtie wedding sites. We agreed that we would be happy for him to submit the photos of our day to a few websites see whether any would be interested in publishing. As my favourite site in the run up to our wedding, Love My Dress was our first call. Imagine our surprise and major excitement, (erm...a lot!) when Annabel said she wanted to feature us!<br />
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Well, the post on our wedding went live this week and the feedback has been so lovely. I am just over the moon that we made the cut.<br />
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You can see the post here: <a href="http://www.lovemydress.net/blog/2014/03/british-50s-afternoon-tea-retro-wedding.html#comments">www.lovemydress.net/blog/2014/03/british-50s-afternoon-tea-retro-wedding</a><br />
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Of course, although this feature includes a lot of detail about our day, it isn't everything by any stretch (our fabulous cake decorated by my mum for one!) but over the next few months I plan on writing a wedding post every few weeks (let's call it the Wedding Bandit!), focusing on the different aspects of how we put our day together...it included a lot of DIY! I felt like I learnt a lot in a short space of time so I would love to share some of my new found wedding-brain knowledge and hopefully it may give any other fashion-loving brides some ideas too.<br />
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<br />Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-80526118856276987642014-02-25T13:25:00.000+00:002014-02-26T09:36:18.865+00:00Nail gallery...naillery?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRcHpMT-S-CEyuEOFmKXEBVQwg4H7qNq39IDb4NU-DFuXoG27CZQidx1_8fvnElrKSHvVK3iI2gXus2fDNnbxi65ZNQSXEb5PHHi6eOo_K10KGjY6A0BiSBD7O14iFgWodF5JFkEm2eI/s1600/Instagram+Nails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRcHpMT-S-CEyuEOFmKXEBVQwg4H7qNq39IDb4NU-DFuXoG27CZQidx1_8fvnElrKSHvVK3iI2gXus2fDNnbxi65ZNQSXEb5PHHi6eOo_K10KGjY6A0BiSBD7O14iFgWodF5JFkEm2eI/s1600/Instagram+Nails.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Recent nail adventures: </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Camouflage shorties / Love Gold Sailor Lettering / Underwater Green & Blue Leopard / </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nude, Red & Black Chevrons / Neon Partial Leopard / Glossy Black Squared /</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gold, Black & White Mix 'n' Match Stilettos / Pointed Love Hearts / Valentine's Sparkles</span></i></div>
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Some of my recent, free-hand nail art designs. As you can tell some of these are on false nails, and some are on my natural shorties. Some are better than others - it depends what was on TV at the time, Dexter or Breaking Bad equals messy nails! Next time I do a mani, I'll upload better pics and details of polishes used.</div>
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I am loving using Pinterest for nail art inspiration - my board is here: <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/fashionbandit/nail-it/">www.pinterest.com/fashionbandit/nail-it/</a><br />
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-43534093505065247392014-02-20T19:05:00.000+00:002014-02-20T19:05:50.498+00:00Since I saw you last...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJgK0UcmZOJ9oLrzHg4PmP5tKX9KXsRIZp7LY3V0FZ3AC3rRONA_XgVdyFJA2NpyP8a177hfpMiyU6q0AJHx-6ETdBtDLzLiJrzA1JZdGCdUcwJGWeQww-RQmUzTJXODBhUywK8cMnwI/s1600/2013+to+2014+hair+catch+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJgK0UcmZOJ9oLrzHg4PmP5tKX9KXsRIZp7LY3V0FZ3AC3rRONA_XgVdyFJA2NpyP8a177hfpMiyU6q0AJHx-6ETdBtDLzLiJrzA1JZdGCdUcwJGWeQww-RQmUzTJXODBhUywK8cMnwI/s1600/2013+to+2014+hair+catch+up.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">L to R, top to bottom, my hair over the past 10 months:</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">grown-out blonde hair / wedding hair / honeymoon hair /</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">wedding guest up-do hair / </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> fresh new start hair / </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">scary Halloween hair /</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> faded hair / ginger bob hair / finally...ginger pincurls hair.</span></i></div>
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So just a quick pictorial hair update...</div>
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You know when <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/hello-again.html">I said I change my hair a lot</a>? Here is the proof. I thought a quick hair catch up since <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/what-i-wore-not-at-all-loveless.html">I last posted my face</a>, was due. So over the past 10 months this is what my barnet has been through. Quite a bit, eh?</div>
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I knew I wanted to be a natural-looking blonde for the my wedding, as I always tend to go back to blonde (you've been fore-warned), but after that I got a little bored. In the 18 months running up to the wedding I was really good, I didn't do anything crazy with my hair, no drastic dye-jobs, no crazy cuts...so afterwards I felt like a change. I started off with a deep red colour and short bangs / fringe, retro style. I love these pin up fringes on other people, but (apart from that one central photo) I hated it on me. The colour started to fade so I went darker, which again, was a bad move. It faded even quicker, so chop-chop, a dose of Hair Colour Remover (thank you, <a href="http://www.colourb4.com/">Colour B4</a>, that shizzle really works) and some 'orange' hair dye later, I was finally happy. I am loving being a fiery redhead.</div>
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That brings us up to date, so when I post at least you'll recognise me.</div>
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You. Are. Welcome.</div>
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-11541055234844153562014-02-15T15:10:00.000+00:002014-02-20T17:40:32.672+00:00Hello again.<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi there.</div>
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It has been a while, hasn't it? Do you remember me? My name is Alex, aka the Fashion Bandit. I am in my late 20s and I live in Buckinghamshire. I love vintage, retro and reproduction clothes, as well as a healthy dose of high street. I love getting creative with nail art and I change my hair more often than some folk change their underwear. I have an office job, but I also work freelance as writer/stylist/presenter. I have a lovely man and a very fluffy cat called Boots. Now I've re-introduced myself I think I probably owe anyone reading this an explanation as to my quite obvious absence...<br />
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Just under a year ago I posted that things would be a bit quiet for a while on the blog, I was getting ready to get married and I was up to my eyeballs in the mega plan-a-thon that getting hitched requires. Now before you jump to conclusions, no the wedding didn't get called off. In fact it went pretty perfectly - and I am now a very happy 'Mrs'. After all the fun of the wedding it took a few weeks for everything to calm down, then we jetted off on a fabulous honeymoon for two weeks in September. When we arrived back I started a new job, which required both longer working hours and a lengthy commute. Over the past year I have also had some health problems which I may build up the courage to discuss in a future post. As such I have been drained, uninspired and living a hermit-like life.<br />
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I've had a hard couple of years and if I am being truthful, there have been several moments over that time where I have seriously considered shutting up shop for good. Seeing the rocketing success of other bloggers in a cyber-space over saturated with our kind, left me wondering why mine was plodding along so slowly and feeling generally frustrated with blogging and everything surrounding it. I am not meant to say that though, am I?<br />
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To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure I would pick up my blog again. I had a serious case of bloggers guilt, I knew my site was sat waiting for me, but I couldn't find the motivation to put fingers to keyboard again. I didn't have enough of a following for anyone to really lament the loss of my content, and for a while I didn't even miss posting, I had other things to think about.<br />
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So why am I back, you ask? Because I feel I still have something to say. I am feeling inspired again. Not momentarily inspired, but a gradual build up of inspiration over the last couple of months, where I have started to feel like me again.<br />
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I want to go back to writing about the things I want to write about, instead of worrying about how it stands next to other's blogs. I want write about the sort of things I like to read. Outfit posts. Thrifty findings and ideas. Fashion inspiration. Personal posts about life. Beauty tips and tricks. I want to tell you about my wedding. I want to rave about my latest fashion obsessions. I want to share my latest style work with you.<br />
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So this is what you can expect. </div>
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More real-life fashion. More real-life beauty. More me.</div>
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Will you have me back?<br />
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-77214884181982949532013-04-12T23:22:00.001+01:002013-04-12T23:22:18.132+01:00All quiet on the wedding front<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You may have noticed my posts have become a little infrequent as of late, and there are several good reasons, the main one being, it is now only ten weeks until my wedding!</div>
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Ten weeks today, in fact. The planning is going well, the invites have mostly been sent out, the venue, the caterers, the florists, the DJ, have all been booked. The all-important dress and shoes have been bought, but there is still lots to do.</div>
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I have taken on some extra work to help pay the bills, so that, combined with my other work and wedding planning like a mad woman, mean I am strapped for time. Word is, I should be trying to squeeze in some beauty-sleep at some point too, ha!</div>
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So this post isn't saying that I will not be blogging between now and the big day, but just that things may be a bit slow for a while - but know I am still here, all be it more quietly, and normal service will resume in July.</div>
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You can still contact me via <a href="https://twitter.com/Fashion_Bandit" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, or <a href="mailto:thefashionbandit@gmail.com" target="_blank">email</a>, or just, you know, holla at me in the street. On second thoughts, best stick to the first two.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSH3d-dzRHG8_pxfBO46-sELX3OHDhFkqBcjphIWzI6Fribod3T1vGJWxdf4FjhGetF6SPWbQ9dXHPyQtDYNr9d-FbzOYChOD9-WlBYLiR0VY867o8Oas9xKR1coIGDQ5ALyOrWS3FPI_/s1600/Postcard+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSH3d-dzRHG8_pxfBO46-sELX3OHDhFkqBcjphIWzI6Fribod3T1vGJWxdf4FjhGetF6SPWbQ9dXHPyQtDYNr9d-FbzOYChOD9-WlBYLiR0VY867o8Oas9xKR1coIGDQ5ALyOrWS3FPI_/s1600/Postcard+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSH3d-dzRHG8_pxfBO46-sELX3OHDhFkqBcjphIWzI6Fribod3T1vGJWxdf4FjhGetF6SPWbQ9dXHPyQtDYNr9d-FbzOYChOD9-WlBYLiR0VY867o8Oas9xKR1coIGDQ5ALyOrWS3FPI_/s1600/Postcard+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSH3d-dzRHG8_pxfBO46-sELX3OHDhFkqBcjphIWzI6Fribod3T1vGJWxdf4FjhGetF6SPWbQ9dXHPyQtDYNr9d-FbzOYChOD9-WlBYLiR0VY867o8Oas9xKR1coIGDQ5ALyOrWS3FPI_/s1600/Postcard+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSH3d-dzRHG8_pxfBO46-sELX3OHDhFkqBcjphIWzI6Fribod3T1vGJWxdf4FjhGetF6SPWbQ9dXHPyQtDYNr9d-FbzOYChOD9-WlBYLiR0VY867o8Oas9xKR1coIGDQ5ALyOrWS3FPI_/s1600/Postcard+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSH3d-dzRHG8_pxfBO46-sELX3OHDhFkqBcjphIWzI6Fribod3T1vGJWxdf4FjhGetF6SPWbQ9dXHPyQtDYNr9d-FbzOYChOD9-WlBYLiR0VY867o8Oas9xKR1coIGDQ5ALyOrWS3FPI_/s1600/Postcard+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229108464852675682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-44778898518031963592013-04-07T22:31:00.002+01:002013-04-07T22:31:47.277+01:00Make up bag overhaul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AuBavTHTwlxbT8QoRNSiDop1mZh1can1-7onMGyM6UehrHbWF43bky3rnaA9kP06-AUjKh_2Kc5fQ862gM_pcsK6DYRKWFJkUNzbWnNWY2r1iUP2laLiSHP6H07n8dZDYN2BWVVb-vo/s1600/DSC06394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AuBavTHTwlxbT8QoRNSiDop1mZh1can1-7onMGyM6UehrHbWF43bky3rnaA9kP06-AUjKh_2Kc5fQ862gM_pcsK6DYRKWFJkUNzbWnNWY2r1iUP2laLiSHP6H07n8dZDYN2BWVVb-vo/s640/DSC06394.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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My make up bag has been an embarrassment for some time. Dirty, battered and filled with products I rarely use, I have been hunting for a replacement for more than a year!</div>
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I have had my old make up bag for many years, the cheeky monkey print is cute, but it was the boxy shape that originally drew me to it. I've found the style perfect for holding all my daily kit, and the wide opening also makes it easy to rummage through. I have struggled to replace it because I have been looking for one the same...but, you know, with a functioning zip.</div>
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When I popped in Primark the other day I spotted this beauty, which is not only the same shape as my original trusty bag o' tricks, but it is even bigger and has a mirror, which is a bonus. Oh, and it was only £5! I saw this as the perfect opportunity to clear out my make up collection and make sure my bag was filled with just my daily products.</div>
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I am rather fickle when it comes to make up products, but this is what I am currently using (as pictured);</div>
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<li><b>Eye liner: Bourjoius Liner Pinceau, £6.99.</b> I have been using this eyeliner for a while and have been impressed by its neat application and staying power. With a thin brush it is easier to apply than many liquid eyeliners I have used before, and this one tube has lasted me months, with daily application.</li>
<li><b>Foundations:</b> <b>Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, £10.99</b>. I bought this foundation after being impressed by the concealer of the same range. When my skin is fairly clear this is what I am currently using for day-wear, it has medium coverage and a nice light feel to it. However, when my skin has a major breakout, I want more coverage or I have a night out, I tend to use <b>Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, £27.50.</b> With heavier coverage, it certainly conceals well, but it sometimes makes my face feel a little clogged and the counter didn't do a great job of colour matching me, so I have to make sure I bend well to avoid mask-face.</li>
<li><b>Concealer: Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, £7.49</b>. I have been using this for a couple of years, and I am yet to find a price-matched alternative that does the job as well. It is by no-means perfect, but it conceals both blemishes and under-eye circles, better than most.</li>
<li><b>Highlighter: Mac Strobe Liquid, £22.50.</b> A small brush and the tiniest amount of this highlighter have served me well for years, needless to say, it is well worth the money.</li>
<li><b>Mascara: Benefit They're Real Mascara,</b> <b>(I can't remember the price of this trial size but I think it was about £10)</b>. I had wanted to try this for a little while, so when I saw a trial size on offer in Boots I had to give it a whirl. I really like the brush, which gives minimum clumps and maximum separation. I wouldn't say I am fooling anyone into thinking my lashes are fake, but they do look pretty damn good.</li>
<li><b>Eye Shadow: Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Shimmer Almost Peach and Velvet Bewitched, (price unknown). </b>I was bought this as a present years and years ago. I never used it as I never liked brown eye shadow....until I had my <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/pin-up-girl-for-day.html">Alter Ego shoo</a>t. It opened my eyes, literally, to these shades. On clearing out some make up I found this unused, and since then I use it practically everyday. Almost Peach is a soft shimmery nude colour which serves as an excellent base eye colour, while the brown Bewitched colour blends in really nicely to give shape and depth. I don't think Clinique make this duo any more so I will be gutted when it runs out.</li>
<li><b>Blush: Benefit Coralista Box of Powder, £23.50.</b> A pretty coral and shimmering gold blush, this colour seems to suit any skin tone, even my pasty one, and it smells lush too.</li>
<li><b>Pressed powder: Bourjois Healthy Balance Unifying Powder, £8.49.</b> I bought this after the success of using the liquid foundation and concealer from the same collection. It isn't bad, but doesn't live up to its 10hr shine protection promise - so I am looking for a replacement - any suggestions?</li>
<li><b>Bronzer: Bourjois Delice de Poudre Broning Powder, £6.99.</b> I won this in a Bourjois Twitter competition, and although I don't usually go in for bronzer, I have been using this to give a bit of subtle colour to my neck and collarbone-area...and it smells like chocolate too!</li>
<li><b>Eyebrow shaper: FashionistA Brow Kit, £7.</b> I love this kit, and reviewed it in detail back in July last year, read the full review and see before and after pictures <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/brow-by-definition.html">HERE</a>.</li>
<li><b>Kit: Bobbi Brown Raspberry Face Palette, (price unknown - around the £40-mark). </b>I was lucky enough to be given this as a press sample back when it was launched in 2008, it remains in my daily make up kit as I often mix the raspberry blush with Coralista for a different look. I sometimes use the grey eyeshadow, 'Fog', as an alternative to the Clinique duo. I do love Bobbi Brown make up, by my budget rarely allows such fun!</li>
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So that is it - my daily make up kit. Currently a lot of Bourjois and a couple of Benefit, plus a few other brands, from the bargainous to the luxury. Anything here that you use? How is your make up bag organised? Any product recommendations?</div>
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<br />Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-25529503827827227562013-03-24T19:32:00.001+00:002013-03-24T19:36:30.940+00:00What I Wore: (not at all) loveless<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeZ_oeW7VfGINRUyQrnpHo0suEUahANbeNSpmobqibkGlV_RQS2zvb2Hd6YzNM9144_ICY5UPN0UrSRKcS100x9PF-cIpgAellqpFMIX55PhNpOylXFxRdgAqLXetWLhDk3VuC5Mz4YCd/s1600/DSC064252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="742.4" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeZ_oeW7VfGINRUyQrnpHo0suEUahANbeNSpmobqibkGlV_RQS2zvb2Hd6YzNM9144_ICY5UPN0UrSRKcS100x9PF-cIpgAellqpFMIX55PhNpOylXFxRdgAqLXetWLhDk3VuC5Mz4YCd/s640/DSC064252.jpg" width="640.32" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Jumper, Meadham Kirchhoff for Amazon / Camouflage jacket, New Look / Trainer heels, Internationale / Gold hoop earrings, H&M / Black jeans, Clothes Show Live trader / Gold bangles, River Island / Red bandanna, market</span></div>
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Hi there, how are you today? How was your weekend?</div>
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Enough of the small talk...</div>
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I've had the most chilled out weekend in months. The past three weeks have consisted of a bridesmaids' weekend, dinner with friends, hosting a Saturday lunch for family and a Sunday Mothers' Day lunch for the in-laws. So mainly lots of socialising and way too much pigging out! Needless to say I was rather thankful to have a weekend doing nothing more than a bit of pottering around the house and watching lots of DVDs with my man. We were planning on visiting a local car boot sale, but the snow put a stop to that. The only successful ventures out of the house were to the supermarket for supplies and to the cinema to see Oz The Great and The Powerful. This is the outfit I wore for the latter...</div>
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The jumper is rather special isn't it? It is part of a collection of four sweatshirts (priced at £75 each) created exclusively for Amazon, by amazing London-based designing duo, Meadham Kirchhoff. The four sweatshirts consist of one men's style featuring a monster print, and three ladies' styles. I was kindly sent the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meadham-Kirchhoff-Loveless-Womens-Sweatshirt/dp/B00A4FM5LI">Loveless design</a> by the good people at Amazon. Meadham Kirchhoff described the design as showing, "an abstract crochet style heart broken in two with the signature ribbon lettering written in lipstick.” The other two designs from the collection include two unicorns in an 80's style girly motif, and a 30's style paper doll print with the words 'Mother may I?'. Both very cute, but I do love my loveless sweatshirt! Light, but slightly fleecy on the inside, it is the perfect spring jumper, especially considering the current weather.</div>
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As you may have guesses from my <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/riri-for-river-island.html">last post</a>, I love a collaboration, be it by a musician, a designer or a stylish celeb, with a high street brand or website. Being a bargain lover, I may not be able to afford couture, or even ready-to-wear designer garms, but a collaboration like this allows a taste of their style for a fraction of the price. I think it's fab that Amazon have arranged this partnership, and I hope they've got many more designer-collaborations in the pipeline for the future. </div>
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What do you think of the designs? Who would you like to see Amazon collaborate with? What other brand/designer partnerships would get you excited?</div>
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<!--END HYPE WIDGET-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229108464852675682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-77141327708705441982013-03-19T21:36:00.001+00:002013-03-19T21:36:46.201+00:00RiRi for River Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQRnTxhl1SMmXHvbYb6M24lBjqo_bdz-r3tjGh3r1hKXPYABNk4X21lMib3-fOSmKHdhw-JJotRn2LPWPJtQVpwQf-hKQhYAnU6hhyyt6A-OE59ZoIQkGy2_UGgOS4dcjgTw2GhdDqtc/s1600/Rihanna+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQRnTxhl1SMmXHvbYb6M24lBjqo_bdz-r3tjGh3r1hKXPYABNk4X21lMib3-fOSmKHdhw-JJotRn2LPWPJtQVpwQf-hKQhYAnU6hhyyt6A-OE59ZoIQkGy2_UGgOS4dcjgTw2GhdDqtc/s640/Rihanna+dress.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When I first heard about the River Island and Rihanna collaboration, I was a bit excited. Although I might not agree with some of the beautiful RiRi's life decisions, I do love her style. Sometimes edgy, sometimes elegant, she seems to have a real eye for fashion, and working with my favourite high street store I was looking forward to seeing the results.<br />
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From what I hear the collection has had mixed reviews, with one particularly harsh critic describing it as 'porny'...erm, is that even a word?! Anyway, I really love the first of the four collections she has launched in River Island, and don't think it is porny...at all. The whole collection is infused with a sports luxe vibe; jersey skirts with thigh-high splits, cropped Tees, slinky dresses, knotted vests, baseball jackets, jeans and some AMAZING shoes, all in neutral black, grey, white and navy, plus some splashes of fluoro yellow.<br />
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I had my eye on a striped sleeveless top that was £20, but when I tried it on it didn't suit me at all. On a whim I had also taken a transparent dungaree dress into the fitting room, the problem is, once I tried it on, I fell in love! Light, floaty, transparent, and unusually beautiful, I had to have it...even if it was £60. The fit is actually quite big, so although I am a size ten, I could fit into an eight and even a six. The six seemed to fit better across my small bust, but the eight was better in length, so that was the size I eventually went for. Wrapped in tissue paper and presented in a stripy bag, I also got a free copy of Elle thrown in as I spent £60 on the collection. Bonus.<br />
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I have no idea when I am going to wear my new dress, although it is so transparent I will need to have a play with layers. Perhaps I'll wear it with leggings and a bandeau for dinner out, with a short slip for drinks or if I am feeling really daring, with just a body underneath for a night out.<br />
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What do you think of the collection? Have you bought anything from the collaboration? How would you wear the dress?</div>
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-49534531418135367112013-03-10T23:33:00.001+00:002013-03-10T23:33:28.394+00:00Not such an Irregular Choice...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to win a competition run by shoe-dream-weavers, Irregular Choice, to win a pair of their fabulous shoes.<br />
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I have been an Irregular Choice fan for years, but only actually own one pair of their shoes, a pair of beautiful gold ankle boots, which although I have had them for about five years, are still going strong. The Irregular Choice brand was dreamt up by the incredibly creative Dan Sullivan about 12 years ago. Since then his wild and imaginative shoes have won him fans around the world, including several celebs, Jessie J and Katy Perry anyone?<br />
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Unsurprisingly these are not the cheapest of shoes, but for their quality and creativeness I think they are reasonably priced, (expect to pay £70 plus for heeled styles). When I won the competition I literally jumped around my kitchen like a total loon. I was on my own apart from the cat, and she ran for cover.<br />
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With my wedding just a few months away I initially opted for a pair of 'Mrs Lower' shoes that I thought I could wear on my big day, but when they arrived, I wasn't feeling it. There were a couple of little manufacturing faults, and being a perfectionist, I just wasn't happy enough with them to wear on the day. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, after-all they were a competition prize, but I fed back to the customer service team that I was disappointed Luckily the team were really helpful and assured me this was a one-off problem, arranged for the collection of the shoes and offered me a new pair.<br />
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I did consider getting a new faultless pair, but in the end I decided the 'Mrs Lower' shoes weren't right for the wedding, so a chose something a bit different...a pair of 'Mandarin' boots. Not for the wedding...obvs. I believe they were about £175, I can't link to them unfortunately, as they were in the sale and have since become unavailable.<br />
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Anyhow, you can see them in the above photos, with the distinctive Irregular Choice painted sole! I love the slightly Aztec-style print and chunky block wedge...oh and they also have a super-snugly furry lining. As a wee bonus, they sent me a robot shopper bag too - happy days.<br />
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I am totally in love with my new shoes, unusual they might be, but that is the beauty of Irregular Choice.</div>
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Do you like? What would you have chosen? Anyone else an Irregular Choice fan?</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229108464852675682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-61062479080411329982013-02-27T16:00:00.002+00:002013-02-27T16:00:55.375+00:00What I Wore: What I Wear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you follow me on Twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/Fashion_Bandit">@Fashion_Bandit</a>) you may have seen me getting rather excited this morning - as I have been featured in the Metro! Sorry about that...<br />
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Just before Christmas I was invited by the Metro's style editor, Bel Jacobs, to come down to London for a photo-shoot to appear in this regular 'What I Wear' feature. I was really nervous prior to the shoot, not really sure why, as it wasn't my first time in front of a camera. The day before the shoot I made sure I had coloured my hair, and packed (far too many) clothes, in case I put on my outfit and had a sudden, "Argggghhhhh, I hate this outfit" moment. It happens to the best of us.<br />
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I was greeted at the Metro by the lovely Bel, and taken to the studio. P.S. The Metro is part of Associated Newspapers - and their offices are swanky! Here I was left with a gorgeous lady called Charlotte, who did a great job on my make up, and amazing photographer Philip Waterman. Philip was really kind and put me at ease straight away, obviously a very good talent when you are a photographer! He took a whole heap of images and then I was done.<br />
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A few weeks after the shoot I was kindly allowed to chose my favourite photo to be featured, which was tricky, because - thanks to Philip- there were lots of good ones. And by good, I mean considering they were of me, he did a good job, I pretty much always think I look like a dork. I then I answered a list of fashiony questions, for them to whittle down into the feature.<br />
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I have been waiting patiently for the past couple of months, and thought I was going to be featured next week, so I was surprised to get some lovely texts, tweets and Facebook messages this morning about the the piece!<br />
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If you do fancy reading the full article and getting a better look at my outfit, the feature is also online <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/27/what-i-wear-fashion-writerstylist-alex-gardner-on-henry-holland-and-mary-katrantzou-3516267/">HERE</a>. I am wearing my favourite vintage jumper, a black knitted dress and gold necklace from H&M, Henry Holland for Pretty Polly tights, and Accessorize bowler hat, my ebay shoes and a Punky Pins brooch.<br />
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Did any of the gorgeous London-based people spot me this morning? Have you ever been featured in a paper? Would you?</div>
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-63932178776496792652013-02-21T22:14:00.000+00:002013-02-21T22:37:39.727+00:00What I Wore: If You Dare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A little outfit post for you today!</div>
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I just wanted to show you one of the ways I've been wearing my new Men's <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/january-super-sales.html">River Island T-shirt</a> - today it was over a very bright Topshop dress - which I also wore <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/dressing-up-games.html">HERE</a>, like a million years ago. I now have quite the collection of men's Tees and the print on this one is just lovely. The bowler hat I bought last year but it hasn't had too much wear yet. I've not worn these shoes for ages either, but I love that they make me well-over 6ft tall. Yikes.<br />
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I forced James out onto the street to take some photos for today's post - and it was bitterly cold, so we lasted all of about six minutes before I turned into a human icicle and he started to complain about people staring. Honestly.<br />
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Just a quick one tonight, I have got to paint my nails as we are going wedding ring shopping tomorrow and I don't think chipped neon talons sends the right message. Unless the message is, I am poor and scruffy. In which case at least it would be an honest message...<br />
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-14777797524495419402013-02-20T22:12:00.000+00:002013-02-21T22:13:19.448+00:00February Round Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Left to right, top to bottom:</div>
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1. Calorie counting with My Fitness Pal. I used this app and website last year and got on really well with it. You input your height, weight, age and activity levels, plus how much weight you want to lose, gain or if you want to keep your weight consistent. There is a website, as well as the app, which I use on Android. I particularly like using this on my phone as you can use your mobile's camera to scan bar-codes on food to quickly add it to your food diary. I am not attempting to use it to lose loads of weight - just be a bit healthier and trimmer in time for the wedding.<br />
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2. Poor little Boots was neutered, so that when she goes out in a week or so we don't end up with kittens. She wasn't too happy about being a cone head, but it is off now, so she is just concentrating on growing back the large amounts of fur they shaved off her belly!<br />
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3. Nail studs using the studding kit I got for Christmas - very simple, but I do like the effect.<br />
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4. I have just finished reading the first Dexter book by Jeff Lindsay. Here at Bandit HQ we are massive (read: obsessive) fans of the TV series, but I have to admit I didn't really enjoy the book, so will be sticking with the TV show.<br />
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5. Beautiful roses, just one of my Valentine's gifts from my man. I also got two pairs of awesome heart printed tights and chocs.<br />
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6. Vintage-style swirly hair for a cinema date - I might do a tutorial on this as I often get asked how I do it, I is much simpler than it looks.<br />
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7. Drippy mint and black nails, not my best effort, but I was a bit distracted watching telly when I was doing them!<br />
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8. Trying T-Zone's spot zapping stick with Manuka honey. I have used the regular version before, and I know Manuka honey has some amazing anti bacterial and healing properties, God knows my skin needs some help at the moment. I got this in Home Bargains, one of my favourite haunts for cheap beauty supplies.<br />
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9. We picked up our certification for marriage this week, and handed it over to the registrar. In fact we have had a very busy week sorting all sorts of wedding stuff, including flowers, catering and invitations Although I have been feeling the wedding stress we are definitely getting there, and have made some noticeable progress this week.<br />
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Thanks for all the entries to my blog birthday competition - I will be drawing the winner and contacting them soon.<br />
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What has everyone else been getting up to?</div>
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-4300593214645431572013-02-08T14:19:00.004+00:002013-02-08T15:14:29.308+00:00What I Wore: A Colourful New Look<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Camo jacket, New Look / coral trousers, H&M / snood, H&M / ankle boots, M&S / jumper Dorothy Perkins / gold spikes, skull, bead and pearl bracelets, River Island / 'Oui' bracelet, vintage / braided and spiked bracelet, homemade / nose ring, River Island (as featured </span><a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/fessing-up-to-fakery.html" style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">HERE</a><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">)</span><br />
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It has been a bit of a while since I did a proper outfit post - but like buses, they all come at once, so I have a few coming up for you over the next few weeks! You may remember I entered a New Look competition with <a href="http://asteria-sparkle.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/and-winner-is.html">Sparkle blog</a>, late last year (post <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/sparkle-with-little-denim.html">HERE</a>) and I was a runner up,and very happily won a £30 gift card.</div>
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The competition centred around styling an outfit to go with a pair of their fab jeans, so my original plan was to use my voucher to buy myself a pair of those bad boys. My local New Look in Milton Keynes has a re-fit recently so I had a fun hour trying on lots of bits and pieces, including jeans...but it was this gorgeous jacket that caught my eye.</div>
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Apart from the camo print, the jacket is quite plain, with very few metal findings, which is perfect for me, as I can style it up however I like. The jacket is medium weight so I can wear it both now, and in the summer months, oh, and it was only £25!</div>
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This outfit I wore to go out for a few casual drinks, so I just paired my new jacket with those amazing coral sale trousers from H&M (as featured <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/january-super-sales.html">HERE</a>) and colour coordinated scarf that my lovely man bought for me (as featured <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/gorgeous-gifts.html">HERE</a>). I am trying to wear a bit more colour this year, and not always opt for black. I've stocked up on a few bracelets too and am loving these from River Island (as featured <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/january-super-sales.html">HERE</a>), worn with both a vintage bracelet, and my homemade braid/spike studded one.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">What are you trying to wear more of this year? What do you think of the bracelet collection? -I am in the process of making more of the braid/spike ones! Anyone else trying out some camouflage print this season?</span></div>
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<br />Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-47694690031520103022013-01-31T21:56:00.002+00:002013-02-01T10:24:39.190+00:00A Birthday Competition!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4dPRLTMkTGmixqXH_afKCHM2MSZYm0BT9r58Zrgy8GnkyCDDsofMNHIfLn0z3RALJUaLLpl1IgwZqagi2l1IK4cALoWp7Ogb2N71EzKM1Qbj0BBq4h0dmehOpjHJdi3BegYckpVE_xLK/s1600/Competition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4dPRLTMkTGmixqXH_afKCHM2MSZYm0BT9r58Zrgy8GnkyCDDsofMNHIfLn0z3RALJUaLLpl1IgwZqagi2l1IK4cALoWp7Ogb2N71EzKM1Qbj0BBq4h0dmehOpjHJdi3BegYckpVE_xLK/s640/Competition.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I am very excited today to offer a fab competition to celebrate my blog's third birthday!<br />
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It is hard to believe it is three years since I started blogging - my first proper post you can read <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/some-things-you-cant-say-no-to_9145.html">HERE</a>, it was all about bargainous shoes, some things, it would seem, never change. My first outfit was posted <a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/is-there-legspert-in-house.html">HERE</a>, where I blogged about being a 'legspert' for Charnos, with some seriously awkward posing...I like to think I have got a bit better at that, or at least a little less awkward!<br />
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Although my little site here is still very much small-fry in terms of style blogs, I am so grateful for all those who read, follow and comment, it really means so much. <br />
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As a thank you I have organised a competition and have a pile of prizes to give away!<br />
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<b>The first prize winner will receive prizes in total worth over £100:</b><br />
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<li style="text-align: left;">Your own bespoke <a href="http://www.punkypins.co.uk/">Punky Pins</a> name necklace, featuring up to nine letters* - I love mine and always get comments on it, I also had a larger one specially commissioned from Punky Pins, which you can see in my blog header</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">A <a href="http://www.homedics.co.uk/">Homedics</a> My Spa Pedicure System* - I have one of these and it is amazing at giving unloved feet some TLC</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">A <a href="http://www.drorganic.co.uk/">Dr Organic</a> Manuka Honey Foot & Heel Cream* - Manuka honey has some serious healing properties, so this is perfect for using after your pedicure system</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Five pairs of gorgeous <a href="http://www.charnoshosiery.com/">Charnos</a> tights* - I am a big Charnos fan, they are an amazing British tights brand and always bring out gorgeous new styles each season</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">A small make up bag filled with 10 new make up products including eye shadows, lipstick, eye-liner, lip-glosses and nail treats from brands including Rimmel, Revlon, MUA and Kiss - including some discontinued products - because who doesn't love free make up!</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">A copy of one of my favourite books, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak - a little bonus prize, if you love a good story, this book is a MUST read</li>
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I also have<b> two runners up prizes</b> of personalised Punky Pins name necklaces* to give-away, so you have even more chances to win!<br />
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I am using a Rafflecopter form for this competition, to make it really easy to enter and totally fair. Just enter here...</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cab0400/" id="rc-cab0400" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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This competition closes on 14th February 2013.</div>
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Good luck and a big thank you to all my followers, old and new.</div>
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* denotes: prizes kindly donated for this competition by the aforementioned companies.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229108464852675682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-71901362533663914812013-01-30T13:25:00.000+00:002013-01-30T13:25:29.104+00:00January Super Sales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love me some sales, and January is (by far) the month when I let myself hit them hard! Due to a couple of Christmas presents that didn't fit I had a credit note to spend in River Island and another to spend in Marks & Spencer, plus a little bit of Christmas cash I was given as a pressie. </div>
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The images above tell the story... </div>
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I just can't remember how much the Primark trousers were prior to the sale, but I think it was about £10. So in total this little lot should have cost me £217, but I actually spent £89.50. Of course I had those credit notes and some Christmas money, so I really didn't spend anything at all! </div>
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As you can see, I am really into my trousers at the minute, so I have been looking for some alternatives to my normal blue jeans and these four pairs all fit really well. The bracelets from River Island were actually on my Christmas lust list, so when Santa didn't deliver and I saw them in the sale I knew it was meant to be. Oh and the pink clutch is one of my favourite sale steals form this month as it is real leather and is absolutely beautiful!</div>
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Not included in this little sum up - I also bought myself some fab new underwear in the M&S sale - I love their lingerie, especially the Limited Collection stuff, I even managed to pick up a gorgeous Limited bra for £2.50 at the end of the sale.</div>
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Did you shop the sales this month? What was your most bargainous find? - I'd love to know!</div>
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Stay tuned - tomorrow I am launching an ACE competition!</div>
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-18421413859067655422013-01-27T18:07:00.000+00:002013-01-28T23:28:24.997+00:00'Fessing up to Fakery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKciinnj2ttn1g85AO1cw9Zf0VX7yoyx6lz0BDR2kwbFYLMzJI3lD2hBw2WmuIEskIZwirdvOgcTyhFlU6Xmc6PhElvctat5ue2U30g7tgTWQQDWPVzHTB97oie0FygKsAX_1tqsHbom8/s1600/A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464.1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKciinnj2ttn1g85AO1cw9Zf0VX7yoyx6lz0BDR2kwbFYLMzJI3lD2hBw2WmuIEskIZwirdvOgcTyhFlU6Xmc6PhElvctat5ue2U30g7tgTWQQDWPVzHTB97oie0FygKsAX_1tqsHbom8/s640/A.jpg" width="672" /></a></div>
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During my first year of uni I really wanted my nose pierced. I even went into a piercing and tattoo parlour with a friend to try to summon the courage to have it done. Unfortunately the establishment in question didn't fill me with confidence, just a dose of fear. Quite honestly, I chickened out. I don't know if it was the scare stories of nose piercings that healed up if they were left empty for just one evening, or the stories of piercings that never healed up, leaving an ugly permanent hole. Perhaps it was the horror stories of infections, and the nasty things that happen when you have a cold. Maybe it was just that I am a wimp and I hate pain.<br />
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A couple of years later nose piercings fell out of vogue, and I was fairly happy I hadn't bothered with the piercing. But these things come around and suddenly nose rings are everywhere again, and I remember why I wanted one in the first place. So a few days ago I uploaded a picture of myself, sporting a nose ring, to my Facebook. The reviewed were mixed, my sister panicked, phoning me saying; "Have you thought this through? You are getting married in a couple of months!" my dad gave me talk about how no one will want to employ me, my darling fiancée took great offence and demanded to know 'what I had done', but my friends said it suited me and that they liked the new addition to my face.<br />
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The thing is... it isn't real. Yep, the title of this post alludes to the truth, I am 'fessing up to fakery, I am wearing a faux nose ring. I spotted these while shopping in River Island and I decided it was time to give a nose piercing a go, the risk-free way. And for just £1.50, it would have been rude not to. I don't know what you think, but I reckon they look quite realistic! I have noticed fake piercings are becoming more common place, with faux ear cuffs becoming popular again. I have one of these too, obvs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFPOp0VFYaPxevoIR_bnqA2VAvIwoYWmcGiHF2ApHLz8ceCvS6LhYRLSrTh3qPJuotKqPQZNk-fBfbX_nlKcpfXI-uu7VFrS9db6Dr_WsxsLkN9q4B4fLXgEqz_4i5B6_X7iODWduLWs/s1600/A-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFPOp0VFYaPxevoIR_bnqA2VAvIwoYWmcGiHF2ApHLz8ceCvS6LhYRLSrTh3qPJuotKqPQZNk-fBfbX_nlKcpfXI-uu7VFrS9db6Dr_WsxsLkN9q4B4fLXgEqz_4i5B6_X7iODWduLWs/s320/A-002.jpg" width="302" /></a>I was quite surprised at how impassioned some of the comments were about my new piece of jewellery. Even when they found out it was fake, the haters still hated. I don't think it is a big deal, like the rest of my jewellery, it is worn occasionally and for fun.<br />
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And I think this is the key. I am wearing them for fun. I am not thinking of getting my nose pierced anymore. I don't want a permanent piercing in the middle of my face, for many of the above reasons. But to be able to wear one now and again, sounds all right to me.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">What do you think? Naff? Tacky? Horrible? Good? Do you have any facial piercings, real or otherwise? Would you wear one of these?</span><br />
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-28276708977452994112013-01-19T19:49:00.001+00:002013-01-19T19:49:37.698+00:00Having a snow day...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Predictably, here are some photos of snow. </div>
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We have had a bit of a snow day at our house, snuggled up watching some Smallville on DVD, a game of Monopoly (me and the man, not the cat!), and later a film and some pick and mix! I suppose it wasn't technically a 'snow day' because we were both actually meant to be off work, and didn't have to be anywhere.<br />
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My lovely little kitty-cat, Boots, is now nearly six-months old, so, (once she has had a little op, so we don't get a pile o' kittens....shhhhh, don't tell her) she will be going out soon. To start to get her used to the outside world we have been having little visits to the garden. On the safety of her harness and leash, of course.<br />
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She was a bit confused by all the cold white stuff, so after a few minutes of exploring and sniffing, we headed back into the warm.<br />
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Sorry, this should be all about cold-weather fashion, right? Nahhh. When I get cold, I get practical. So, here you will see me rocking a very sexy waterproof. Mmmmm.<br />
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Hope everyone has been enjoying the snow, or at least enjoying looking out at it from the warm! Has anyone not been able to work because of the weather? How did you spend your snow day?</div>
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-47175367262636187332013-01-12T19:07:00.000+00:002013-01-19T19:08:32.846+00:00Gorgeous Gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have had a glorious few weeks away from my little blogging life. I had a lovely Christmas, a great new year and have thrown myself head-first into 2013. So now, I owe you a wee catch up. Although Christmas seems an age ago, ok, well, it sort of was, I still wanted to show you some of the fabulously fashionable gifts I was lucky enough to receive from my loved ones. Some of these - the Topshop necklace (from my brother-in-law-to-be), the fab grungy New Look Jumper (from my parents-in-law-to-be), the bright green handbag (from my parents), were specifically on my 'wishlist', which made me very happy, but the rest were wonderful surprises.<br />
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My man did particularly well, see the snood, the spiky-shouldered River Island top, the dangly star earrings and the 'It's a skin thing' moisturiser? All his work! He is a good 'un.<br />
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My Mum and Dad got me a lovely heap of presents, including that deliciously green bag, the sparkly earrings, the cute cosmetic mirror and the amazing Vogue prints. My granny bought me some lovely things too, and she was on a bit of a winning streak with those funky tights and the chunky bracelet. The Primark jumper dress is my first properly festive jumper- yay! That was from my lovely aunt and uncle, as was the cute delicate silver bracelet. The other gifts were from the rest of my family and my bestest girl friends...have you seen the WAH! book and nail studs?....Ah-maze!<br />
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I got lots of other non-fashiony gifts too, so I was really spoilt. Oh and I wanted to put the totally brilliant onesie my sister got me in this post, but, erm...I am wearing it. Cosy times.<br />
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Anyhow hope you all had a great Christmas, what were your fave presents you got this year? Hope you are all wrapped up safe and warm at home in all this miserable weather!</div>
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<br />Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-82730598138809340752012-12-19T11:31:00.000+00:002012-12-19T11:31:17.803+00:00It is beginning to look a lot like (a crafty) Christmas...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe Christmas is only a week away - where have the last few weeks gone?</div>
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I have spent a large amount of it feeling ill - I have managed to catch the dreaded cold lergy that has been going round, needless to say I can barely breathe, have sinus pain, headaches and a sore throat. I am not much fun to be around!<br />
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Although, this month I have managed to get my 'craft' on, and have created some home-made festive goodies with a cash-strapped-but-isn't-everything-nicer-when-it-is-home-made sort of ethos.<br />
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<b><u>Cupcakes</u></b><br />
My first stop on my home-made Christmas surge was some gingerbread cupcakes. These were for a crafty evening I went to at a friend's house. I used a recipe I found <a href="http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/640627">HERE</a>. And I have to say, although the cakes were really tasty, and had a light 'Christmas spice' sort of flavour, I didn't really get a full gingerbread hit. I think next time I'll add a bit more of each of the required spices, and if you fancy trying the recipe I suggest you do the same. I didn't use the frosting recommended here, instead I opted for home-made lemon buttercream which is also meant to go well with gingerbread (it did!). I coloured the icing red and green and added some fondant gingerbread man shapes I cut out of coloured ready-roll.<br />
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<u><b>Nails</b></u><br />
I painted a friend's nails with a bit of festive mix 'n' match design. I used my white and black nail art pens for the details. Snowman, candy cane, holly, fair isle, and snow flake where my chosen themes. And before someone mentions it, yes, I applied my topcoat too soon and smudged some of the designs...oops.<br />
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<b><u>Gift bows</u></b><br />
The same friend who the nails above belong to, showed me how to make gift bows from any sort of paper (a crafty trade off, if you will). This is something I have never done before - but I was surprised how easy the process was - and love how you can turn any old paper into something useful. After I made a few at our crafting afternoon I Googled a 'how-to' to remind myself of the necessary measurements for the paper strips used and I found a tutorial <a href="http://howaboutorange.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html">HERE</a>. Although you can use magazine paper, or any type of paper, I wanted a more retro feel so I went to a local charity shop and picked up an old Garfield comic and a Bunty from the early 80s. It total my paper sourced cost me £1.25, and I love how these turned out!<br />
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<b><u>Stockings</u></b><br />
I have very luckily inherited my Nan's old Singer sewing machine. Once manual, this amazing piece of machinery was converted to electric some twenty-something years ago. My mum is a dab-hand at this sort of stuff, but I had never used a sewing machine before, so I wanted to start off with an easy project. James & I decided to buy each other 'stocking presents' this year, so I thought making us Christmas stockings would be perfect. I used a some instructions I found on Design Sponge <a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2011/12/sewing-101-christmas-stockings.html">HERE</a>, to get me started. I had a sewing-pro friend help me figure out exactly how to use my machine, and we adapted the design, as my stockings have a turn-over top, and no lining. For my first go, I think I did an okay job...next stop clothing, ha!<br />
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Anyone else been getting crafty this Christmas? What have you made - I'd love to see? Have you come across any other good tutorials of seasonal things I can try to make?</div>
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<br />Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-82404344882866101312012-11-29T13:46:00.001+00:002012-11-29T13:46:58.130+00:00Foodie Review: The Living Room MK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Good afternoon my lovelies. </div>
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Something a bit different for you today - a wee restaurant review. Back when I was a full time features journalist I did a fair few restaurant reviews, it was undoubtedly one of the perks of the job, and James didn't complain much being my just-enjoy-a-free-dinner companion. Sadly in my current employment there are less opportunities for for such fun, so when The Living Room in Milton Keynes offered me a review, I thought it would be just rude not to take them up on the offer.</div>
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The MK Living Room opened about four years ago - I was actually invited along to the opening and had a fantastic meal with some of my colleagues - but strangely I have not really eaten there since. For me, The Living Room became a fun, classy, and bustling place to swing by for a few drinks on a night out. Located at The Hub, there are a few other drinking spots locally, but The Living Room always has a good atmosphere and it attracts a slightly older crowd than the likes of Revolution, which I am thankful for! I think I had actually forgot that although downstairs is an energetic bar at the weekends (reverting to a more chilled out one during the week), upstairs is a restaurant.</div>
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We visited on a Wednesday night, expecting it to be quiet. So we were quite amazed at how busy the whole place was, from the bar (who I believe were hosting a private event) to the restaurant, that had a steady flow of customers. The Living Room restaurant is almost on, what feels like, a suspended floor, as the tables at the edge slightly overlook the ground floor. This effect on a quiet-to-slightly busy night is lovely, as you can sometimes be lucky enough to hear someone tickling the ivories on the white baby grand piano downstairs. However I expect eating at the restaurant during the weekend, when the bar is packed, might be a slightly noisier experience. </div>
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The Living Room change their menu seasonally, and pride themselves on 'traditional favourites with an original twist'. While we perused the menu James & I shared a selection of warm breads with dipping oil. You might notice this isn't featured in the above images, I sort of forgot to take a picture in all the excitement - but they looked like tasty bread, I am sure you can imagine.</div>
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James selected one of the new dishes on th<span style="font-family: inherit;">e menu for his starter, a rich <span style="background-color: white;">Black Forest smoked cured ham and figs, with a creamy goats cheese mousse and raspberry and beetroot vinaigrette and jellies. Now this might not sound the most exciting course, but after a taste, I can assure you, it was amazing how well these ingredients combined to create serious mouthwatering flavour! </span>I started with some homemade butternut squash and roasted red petter soup, which came with some bread a</span>nd butter. I love a homemade soup as much, if not slightly more, than the next person, and this one was delicious A smooth texture, with a lovely depth of flavour, my real problem was restraining myself from eating the entire hearty portion, and leaving room for the rest of my meal.</div>
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When we chose our main course I was seriously tempted by the 'trio of pork', but in the end opted for the much lighter pan fried sea bass. I love sea bass, but only ever eat it when we dine out - I must investigate getting some to try cooking at home. Anyone got any recipes? This one was served with a meaty lentil casserole and orange scented broccoli. Again, you may think this is a bit of a weird collaboration, but the light and delicate fish was perfectly complemented by the broccoli that was only gently flavoured with the orange, and the gorgeous lentil casserole gave the dish a bit more sustenance. James had duck breast with szechuan pepper and plum chutney, chilli fried bok choi and sweet potato fondant. I am not a lover of spicy food, so I can only rely on what James told me about his dish, which was 'yeah, very nice' - thanks love, informative as always. I can say the duck looked to be cooked until just about still pink (not that you can tell from the photo), and the sweet potato fondant was very good - I love me some sweet potato!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For dessert we thought it only right to go for a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> sharing board. This consisted of four different desserts, and there was easily enough for four not very hungry people, three peckish people or two total pigs. Ah-herm... so there was</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> chocolate truffle cake, which the menu informed us came with crushed honeycomb, but our honey comb arrived atop of our vanilla ice cream portion instead. The cake itself was rather nice, but needed the ice cream with it to stop it being too heavy. There was also an apple streusel tart, which was popular with James, but I thought could have done with a dollop of custard (I am northern, we like our custard thick, ok?!). The one I was looking forward to trying the most was the 'Basil Grande' Eton mess, essentially a big Eton mess with some cheeky basil mixed in. My jury is still out on this one - I have to say - it tasted quite nice, but the basil flavour kept confusing my taste buds, so I think I might have </span><span style="color: #222222;">preferred</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> this one without the 'twist'. Finally there was a coconut and</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> passion fruit crème brulée, which was our </span><span style="color: #222222;">unanimous</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> favourite - a really unexpected and pleasan</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">t take on a classic, which was light and more-ish. </span></div>
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I really enjoyed our meal out, and I think the prices (anywhere between £3.75-£8 for starters, £10-£20 for a main course, and most desserts around £4.75 each), for the quality of the food, are rather reasonable. I think it is safe to say, we won't be forgetting about the restaurant again!</div>
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Oh, and your dose of fashion, I wore: Top, ring, skirt and bag from Primark, Collar from Topshop, Tights from Charnos and Boots from Ebay. I am also sporting massive roots, I like to think, in a I-don't-give-a-damn sort of way (wishful thinking). The horrendous hair has since been temporarily fixed, but I will show you that in my next post!<br />
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Do you have a Living Room near you? Have you eaten there & what did you think? Any other recommendations for good places to eat in Milton Keynes or Buckinghamshire?</div>
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Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-75671957616585845072012-11-15T13:02:00.002+00:002012-11-15T13:02:32.177+00:00Shoot the Breeze: Our Seaside Engagement Shoot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here are some pictures I have been planning on sharing for a while...a small selection (from 500+ ) of images from our engagement shoot!</div>
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I haven't got very weddingy all up-in-ya-face on the blog, because I figure if you are visiting for normal fashion ramblings you probably won't be that excited by all the 'big day' details. However I thought it would be nice to occasionally share some bits in association with the subject. </div>
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Coming from a magazine background choosing a photographer was very important to me. Not only over the years have I worked with a fair few photographers, but I have a very strict idea of what I do and don't like. After hours of internet searching I came to the conclusion that the amazing photography stylings featured on all my favourite wedding blogs, such as Love My Dress and Rock 'n' Roll Bride, were something only dreams were made of. Most of these photographers were southernly based (we are getting married in the North West) and well out of our price range. I looked at a lot of images from traditional wedding photographers, and was left feeling nothing but disappointment at their lack of heart, fun, and style. </div>
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I was beginning to fret, then I happened across the super-talented <a href="http://www.naturaltouchphotography.com/">Steven Rooney at Natural Touch Photography</a>. As soon as I saw his beautiful images, saw he was ideally located for our wedding, and realised he was within budget - I knew I had found our guy!</div>
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We had a really great meeting with Steve and not only is he booked for the wedding next year, but he also agreed to do an engagement shoot for us. As a purveyor of social media and the web, engagement shoots are no strange concept to me, yet they were to many of our friends and family. I explained to them that an engagement shoot would be great for several reasons;</div>
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1. To document our engagement and have some awesome photographs to look back on when we are old and grey 'Aw weren't we sweet before we were married, look you had all your hair...etc, etc'. Also - like many couples- we don't actually seem to have many, or any, good photographs that were not taken at arm's length</div>
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2. To give my lovely man, and myself, a chance to get used to being photographed together and a chance to work with Steve, so that on the big day we feel comfortable with him</div>
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3. A chance for our photographer to get to know us and what we like, this way on the wedding day, he will know, for example, that we are the kind of couple who are up for trying different things to get the best shot</div>
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This shoot was done in just one morning in July, we were incredibly lucky with the weather as it had rained most of the week before. Our first location was the beach and sand dunes, followed by a nearby meadow and woodland. We both had a quick outfit change (of course) before heading to the pier and arcade to finish up our shoot. We had so much fun during that morning - and we blown away by the photographs, of which my favourites change daily.</div>
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And as this is primarily a style blog, it only seems right to tell you what I wore:</div>
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<b>Beach/woodland</b></div>
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High waisted denim shorts, New Look</div>
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White T-shirt, Primark</div>
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Tropical denim waistcoat, River Island</div>
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Pumps, Primark</div>
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'A' necklace, Urban Outfitters</div>
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Heart sunglasses, Vintage</div>
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<b>Pier/Arcade</b></div>
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Red jeans, River Island</div>
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White shirt, Dorothy Perkins</div>
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American flag concealed platform shoes, Ebay</div>
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'Hello Sailor' necklace, Topshop</div>
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'Love' Brooch, Punky Pins</div>
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Black sunglasses, Vintage</div>
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Oh and I also styled James a bit, so we were wearing complementary outfits... (haha, he loved that!)</div>
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<b>He wears:</b></div>
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Pastel striped T-shirt, H&M (beach/woodland)</div>
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White and navy striped T-shirt & pale denim shirt, H&M (pier/arcade)</div>
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Blue trousers, Next</div>
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Mint pumps, H&M</div>
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Watch, Ben Sherman</div>
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Sunglasses H&M</div>
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So what do you think of the above photos? If you are married, did you go for an engagement shoot? If you are not, would you?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_e5D9dTTDViaUSx2Os7bi3AXKI8i0Z-U8NQ86luZWcTXnuPehuTn5mg6v8j3dIcA2HlR7dtHKVVQ0wgiB6wqqfngkJbCTFuCU6ooPlC3MDs754RMDAdAyHJkVoEXP-gsYnr8vHdk5Xo/s1600/sign3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_e5D9dTTDViaUSx2Os7bi3AXKI8i0Z-U8NQ86luZWcTXnuPehuTn5mg6v8j3dIcA2HlR7dtHKVVQ0wgiB6wqqfngkJbCTFuCU6ooPlC3MDs754RMDAdAyHJkVoEXP-gsYnr8vHdk5Xo/s320/sign3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812575941122296224.post-50319541858862141472012-10-29T22:24:00.001+00:002012-10-30T11:47:41.315+00:00Think (Bespectacled) Pink, for Charity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIYC2uaLk0tzDIh9Dwwg0k56WCdluSs33bh0OWYCkBGe6VclD0UsSMksns-JLZhGRRhtHT1dpaiREk93DIIfyCb_ZpKQteI4Za7oaHjBnEcGyVmwt6UV2NY5vTeRQPswecztHKXSbOBw/s1600/October+20121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIYC2uaLk0tzDIh9Dwwg0k56WCdluSs33bh0OWYCkBGe6VclD0UsSMksns-JLZhGRRhtHT1dpaiREk93DIIfyCb_ZpKQteI4Za7oaHjBnEcGyVmwt6UV2NY5vTeRQPswecztHKXSbOBw/s640/October+20121.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjQBUMMEfg9cLKvoBIQht3BBjXrXnNIVonLg2OKyDn6vi9bHRxxwm-0z2f4ADbP1axaWY0KwaY1r-Lo6gHJ5kLxFfahfcy9_ggQHtQAOgCm7KvwA7R0MYJyNGSeUDUlrBnmjaSRsRHs0/s1600/October+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjQBUMMEfg9cLKvoBIQht3BBjXrXnNIVonLg2OKyDn6vi9bHRxxwm-0z2f4ADbP1axaWY0KwaY1r-Lo6gHJ5kLxFfahfcy9_ggQHtQAOgCm7KvwA7R0MYJyNGSeUDUlrBnmjaSRsRHs0/s640/October+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Gone are the days when I was ashamed to pop glasses on my face, now-a-days I've embraced my speccy side thanks to owning a few funky frames. My latest pair were sent to me courtesy of awesome online company Lensway (<a href="http://the-fashion-bandit.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/ive-got-specs-appeal.html">HERE</a> are my other glasses from Lensway). You may notice this pair, from a brand called Love, sport very lovely pale pink arms, and with good reason...<br />
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Tonight I just wanted to let you know about the campaign that Lensway are running until the end of October - every time a customer buys a pair of pink glasses, including the ones featured above, Lensway will donate £25 to <a href="http://www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/">Against Breast Cancer</a>. How awesome is that?!<br />
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Lots of companies offer products with donations to breast cancer charities in October, but sometimes the actual amount donated from 'charity products' isn't as much as you might think.When you bear in mind that these glasses retail at £69 (plus shipping), £25 is quite a hefty donation.<br />
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There are loads of glasses to choose from, 58 different styles I believe, and you can see the full collection of pink specs in the campaign <a href="https://www.lensway.co.uk/glasses/cPinkGlasses.html">HERE</a>. Don't forget you only have until the Wednesday 31st October if you'd like to get some new glasses and help a good cause at the same time - so get shopping!<br />
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All Lensway glasses come in a hard red case, with a soft cloth and a handy screwdriver. Entering your prescription online is easy and if you are not happy with the product, returns seem to be straight forward (I have never had to return any). The three pairs of glasses I have had from Lensway have all been fab and I will definitely use them again.<br />
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Have you purchased any charity products this month? Are you tempted to get some pink Lensway glasses?</div>
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<br />Fashion Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17458163954186925199noreply@blogger.com0