Hello again.

Hi there.

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...

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

So this is what you can expect. 

More real-life fashion. More real-life beauty. More me.

Will you have me back?

All quiet on the wedding front

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!

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.

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!

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.

You can still contact me via Twitter, or email, or just, you know, holla at me in the street. On second thoughts, best stick to the first two.

Make up bag overhaul

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!

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.

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.

I am rather fickle when it comes to make up products, but this is what I am currently using (as pictured);

• Eye liner: Bourjoius Liner Pinceau, £6.99. 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.
• Foundations: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, £10.99. 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 Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, £27.50. 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.
• Concealer: Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, £7.49. 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.
• Highlighter: Mac Strobe Liquid, £22.50. 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.
• Mascara: Benefit They're Real Mascara, (I can't remember the price of this trial size but I think it was about £10). 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.
• Eye Shadow: Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Shimmer Almost Peach and Velvet Bewitched, (price unknown). 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 Alter Ego shoot. 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.
• Blush: Benefit Coralista Box of Powder, £23.50. A pretty coral and shimmering gold blush, this colour seems to suit any skin tone, even my pasty one, and it smells lush too.
• Pressed powder: Bourjois Healthy Balance Unifying Powder, £8.49. 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?
• Bronzer: Bourjois Delice de Poudre Broning Powder, £6.99. 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!
• Eyebrow shaper: FashionistA Brow Kit, £7. I love this kit, and reviewed it in detail back in July last year, read the full review and see before and after pictures HERE.
• Kit: Bobbi Brown Raspberry Face Palette, (price unknown - around the £40-mark). 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!

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?

What I Wore: (not at all) loveless

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

Hi there, how are you today? How was your weekend?

Enough of the small talk...

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...

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 Loveless design 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.

As you may have guesses from my last post, 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. 

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?

RiRi for River Island

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.

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.

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.

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.

What do you think of the collection? Have you bought anything from the collaboration? How would you wear the dress?

Not such an Irregular Choice...

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

I am totally in love with my new shoes, unusual they might be, but that is the beauty of Irregular Choice.

Do you like? What would you have chosen? Anyone else an Irregular Choice fan?