Winning

Dress | H&M

Leggings | H&M

Flatforms | H&M

Necklace | Made via Topshop

Another outfit post from Kathykins featuring all one brand.... I really need to get more imaginative! But you get the general idea! I just wanted to do a quick post to show you some of the things I bought at the weekend with my FIRST PAYCHECK (internal squeals of happiness!) I got this dress (which everyone and their cat has) and I loved it so much I also bought it in white! I also made the leap and purchased some flatforms for work - despite the fact that I think they look like built up shoes?! I hope everyone's had a happy Monday!!

Katharine x

Aztec

Cardigan, vest, skirt | Topshop

Necklace | Made via Topshop

Sorry - another all Topshop post! I really don't like doing it but it's always by accident! As you can see I find it hard to keep my Topshop addiction at bay! I look really orange in these photos because I had the main light on as it's been such a dull and grey day today - I promise I'm not actually this colour! I also hate my hair up but I wish in a rush and didn't have time to do it properly.

I mentioned in a previous post that I was after a textured cardigan. The one I originally wanted was sold out, but I found this one on the Topshop website and thought it looked like a nice summer-y version. I'm always put off by the price of Topshop knitwear, but after hunting high and low on all the usual sites that I spend hours gazing at, I couldn't find anything else that was quite right. Even though Topshop knitwear is expensive, it has that cosy-yet-luxurious sense of quality to it, which almost justifies the price. At the moment I'm really craving different textures in my clothes: it's all about textured knits with clashing prints and leather or lace for me.

I saw this top in Topshop and really loved the print of it. For some reason I don't have much aztec print, even though I've loved it for ages! This was the last one of this top they had in stock and it's two sizes too big for me, however I like tying it up at the bottom to give it more shape. I also couldn't resist picking up this skirt. It's the same shape as my beloved black one but in the grey marl material that everyone's loving right now.

This weekend I been at The Oracle Fashion Week. I was invited to watch the catwalk shows and have a behind the scenes tour, where I got to meet the models, makeup artist and stylist for the event. I had a fantastic time and would like to say a big thank you to Danesha who looked after us so well! I took over 600 photos over the weekend which I need to look through, and will be writing a piece about the event. I'd also like to say thank you so much to everyone who wished me luck for my first week at work, it went really well and I really enjoyed it!

I hope everyone's had a lovely week! Lots of love,

Katharine x

Peter Pan

Jumper and skirt | H&M (old)

Necklace | Dolly Bow Bow

This is the outfit I wore on Saturday when I went shopping and out for a meal with my boyfriend. I was looking for new work clothes but I couldn't find anything I liked! Today was my first day at my new job and it went really well, I can't wait to get properly into it!

I'm wearing my lovely new necklace from Dolly Bow Bow. These peter pan necklaces come in other colours but I loved this teal one - I think it really makes an outfit.

Katharine x

Set fire to the rain

Dress, shorts, belt and necklace | Topshop

Denim shirt | River Island (old)

Today I'm wearing a very spring-like outfit, despite the fact that it's pouring with rain! I managed a catch a time when it was nice and sunny to take these photos - right after a thunder storm (hence the strange lighting)! I'm wearing my new dress and necklace that I showed recently in a haul - the necklace is my new favourite piece of jewellery and I'm sure I will be wearing it loads! Let me know what you think of the dress, it can be worn in lots of different ways - as a full dress or with shorts and a belt as I'm wearing it today. I'm really into different textures in clothes and shapes in accessories for spring - I wanted to wear a textured cardigan with this dress but I don't have one - let me know if you see any nice ones that don't cost almost £40!!

So in other news I got offered a job on Friday and I start work tomorrow! I'm so excited - I can't wait to start and I'm very happy to finally have a job! It will give me some Marketing experience which is great - I'm glad now that I went to so many interviews and waited for the right thing to come along! Last week I had at least one interview every day of the week which was very stressful and hectic but it prepared me for working Monday - Friday again, so next week won't come as a shock! I'm going to try and keep up a regular blogging routine even though I'm going to be working full time again, the lighter evenings will definitely be a help! I hope everyone's had a lovely week :-)

Katharine x

Clarins Eau Lactée Auto-Bronzant Review

Liquid Bronze Self Tanning for face and décolleté £17.50 from Boots

I've recently heard a lot of people speak about this product on blogs and YouTube so I thought I should review it as it's something I've used and loved for quite a while now. 

It is quite simply a liquid self tanner for your face and neck and which provides a natural looking golden tan whilst softening the skin. I find it does all of the above to perfection, I have extremely sensitive skin so have to be very careful about what products I use (especially on my face) as the slightest thing can cause me weeks of problems with dry red patches and hypersensitivity. I have never had any problems using this product, of course this might not be the case for everyone as everybody's skin is different. I'm not prone to spots as my skin tends to get drier when it's unhappy so I can't comment on that, but I absolutely love the effects of this. I put it on at night in place of moisturiser about twice a week and wake up in the morning with a lovely subtle tan which makes my sometimes dull and uneven skin look clearer and radiant. This has NEVER made me look orange - just a lovely golden glow, and I've used it religiously for over a year. The instructions advise to use cotton wool to apply this but I don't do that as I find it wastes a lot of product and I get a perfectly even application from just using my fingertips (and making sure to wash my hands after!!) You are also meant to be able to use it under makeup but I don't like doing that as it's not a great base for foundation being slightly greasy - and I did find my makeup slid off when I once tried to wear it in the day. It's absolutely perfect for nightime use though. I couldn't use this every night as I don't think my skin would like it - but a couple of times a week causes me no problems at all.

I've had this bottle for over a year and I've used quite a lot of it and it isn't yet empty so I'd definitely say it's worth the money. Some people might think £17.50 is a lot for this, but personally I think it's a reasonable price for a decent brand like Clarins and a product that really works and doesn't upset my skin, I will definitely be re-purchasing once this runs out! The liquid itself does have a scent but it's hard to describe as it's not like most fake tans. Incredibly it doesn't have the awful fake tan 'developed' smell - like mouldy biscuits!

As I use my Clarisonic Mia every day I do find this wears off quite quickly on me, but I don't think there's much that can be done about that - I would still 100% recommend this product as I can't really fault it! I'm also interested in trying the Clarins Instant Smoothing Self Tan which is described as a 'caramel tinted complexion perfector'.

Have you tried any Clarins self tanning products?

Haul : Topshop, Boots and Loreal Infallible

So I mentioned in a previous post that I'd done a bit of shopping recently so I thought I'd show you some of the things I picked up! My boyfriend generously got some of this for me as presents as he knows I'm depressed about not having any money for shopping at the moment!

1) I saw this dress in Topshop and really liked it as I'm obsessed with crosses at the moment. I thought it was really quirky and can be worn in a lot of different ways. I can't wait for it to get a but warmer so I can wear it!

2) I'm in love with this spiked necklace for Topshop, especially because it has mint in it which is my favourite colour at the moment! I can't wait to wear it over jumpers or with collars.

3) I always have false nails done so rarely spent money on nail polishes - however I'm preparing to have my fakes taken off for a while to give my nails a bit of a break. I bought this nail polish (Topshop Parma Violet) in preparation for having natural nails - it's such a pretty colour and I love pastel nails at the moment.

4) I've heard so much about the Revlon lip butters and as always couldn't resist the hype. I picked this one up in the shade Tutti Frutti. It' a gorgeous bright orange colour and I love the formulation - really moisturising and glossy.

5) I decided to try this foundation after watching TalkBoutique's review on YouTube and I'm so glad I did - it's my new favourite foundation. It literally has everything I look for in a foundation, I prefer it to my MAC ones! The finish is not overly matte or dewy - just very natural and skin-like. I'd say it was medium coverage but buildable and it's very light on the skin and blends so easily. I really really love it - I haven't used a drugstore foundation for ages but this is so perfect for me I don't think I'll need to stray! It matches my skin perfectly (I'm shade 125) and has a slight scent which I personally don't mind as I like the smell. I've also heard that the shade range is very good for pale skins so I'd definitely recommend checking it out if that sounds like you!

6) I absolutely love perfume and Naughty Alice by Vivienne Westwood is my favourite at the moment. It's my favourite kind of perfume - girly, sweet and fresh but with a slight edge to it which makes it quite unusual and stand out from other sweet perfumes. If you haven't smelt this I really recommend going into Boots and having a spray - it's absolutely delicious and has a really pretty bottle.

I am having a mini blog sale of mainly makeup items - I have a few nail polishes and some earrings as well, please check it out here if you're interested! xx

Unestablish

Dress | c/o Unestablish via Yasmin's giveaway

Necklace | c/o Rock 'N' Rose

Leather jacket | Topshop

Shoes | New Look
Sorry about the nutter's glint in my eye in the third pic!

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to win the lovely Yasmin's Unestablish giveaway. I was very happy to receive $70 store credit to use on the Unestablish website. I saw this dress and immediately fell in love as it has everything I love in a dress at the moment - pleats, lace and a peter pan collar - what more could I ask for! I paid a little bit extra of my own money to get this dress and I'm so glad I did - it's my favourite thing I have in my wardrobe at the moment. (I think) Unestablish is an Australian brand - I'd seen a few items from them on Yasmin's blog in the past, but this is the first thing I've got from them. I've been very impressed with the quality and I think it's nice to have something a bit different that not everyone in the UK will have. They offer free shipping worldwide so it's well worth checking out! I can't wait to wear this dress on a night out, but being me I'll happily wear in in the day time as well with tights flats and leather!

Today I'm having a very lazy day - catching up on blogging, reading blogs, watching films and eating!

xxx

Mini Blog Sale

 Bourjois Pressed powder in shade 74 Abricote £3

Sleek Blush in Suede £3

ELF Mineral Booster loose powder in Sheer - £1.50

Model's Own Nail Polish in Nyla Nude (Limited Edition)- £3  SOLD

Topshop Nail Polish in Pie In The Sky - £3

Revlon Nail Polish in Lilac Pastelle - £4

*Disclaimer - photos have been edited but I have tried to show as accurate representations of colours as possible

Rules:

• Please comment below with your email address (so I can contact you) if you would like anything - first come first served!
• Postage for all items is £1 for UK delivery and £2 for everywhere else
• All items will be sent by Royal Mail Standard Delivery and I will obtain a proof of postage in case of problems with post etc. Once an item has been shipped it is no longer in my possession and I cannot accept responsibility for problems with the post as this is out of my control
• Please pay via PayPal to the email address kathykinsxo@gmail.com - you must have a valid PayPal account
• I will aim to dispatch items within 24 hours of receipt of payment and will email you to let you know as soon as your item has been dispatched
• All items are in good condition. Cosmetic items have been used a handful of times at most - as the pictures show the majority of the product is left
• Unfortunately I am unable to accept refunds
• Email kathykinsxo@gmail.com with any questions :-)

xxx

Missguided blouse keep or return?

Blouse | Missguided

Skirt | Miss Selfridge

Bag | Marc B @ Tophop

Rings | Gift

Lips | Impassioned by MAC

I bought this blouse last week from missguided after seeing it on the website and instantly falling in love with it. I've recently been selling some old clothes on eBay so I used the money in my paypal account to buy it. I'm loving sheer lace blouses at the moment and I think the faux-leather trim makes this really stand out. It's a size 10 and isn't at all tight - if anything it feels a little loose around the underarms. However it still seems to gape slightly around the bust area which is a little displeasing. I love the style of it and I think it goes really well with this skirt, let me know your opinions on it! My mum got me these rings from Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. We have some family friends who live there, I've been once before when I was young but would love to visit again. It's quite an alternative place - really cool and different from Reading!

This week I've had several job interviews and I've also got a few more lined up for next week. It feels really good to be finally getting somewhere in my job hunt - I've had a lot of positive feedback so fingers crossed I will find a job pretty soon! Today my boyfriend and I went into town and did a bit of shopping and I picked up a few bits from Topshop and was treated to a couple of lovely presents and a Nandos! I also found out that I won Chloe's Wonderbra giveaway which I'm so excited about as I've wanted one for ages but have never been able to afford one! Overall I've had a lovely day - I hope everyone's having a fantastic weekend :-)

Katharine x

My lipstick collection

My latest attempt at YouTube! Still haven't got it quite right - making videos is much harder than blogging!

Jewellery purchases from Dolly Bow Bow!

Just a quick post to show you a few bits I recently picked up from dollybowbow.co.uk! I've been a fan of Kate's (Dolly Bow Bow) YouTube videos for years now, but had never purchased anything from her shop before. She has some lovely bits so it's well worth checking out! I love these earrings and have been wearing them loads recently, and I absolutely adore this cute peter pan necklace - can't wait to wear it!

Katharine x

Minted

Vest and shoes | New Look

Bandeau top | H&M (old)

Skirt | Miss Selfridge

Necklace | c/o Rock 'n' Rose

We've had another lovely sunny day so I decided to take my outfit photos outside in the street! It was quite funny having to jump out of the way of cars and then carry on! I got a few funny looks from the neighbours, but I don't really care! I mentioned in my springtime wishlist that I was after some black studded flats similar to the Topshop vectras and had been eyeing up these ones from asos, but I managed to pick up these New Look ones for cheaper. They are pretty similar so I'm very happy with the purchase - I always like finding a bargain! The only this is they're quite hard at the back so I'm having to wear blister plasters while I wear them in. I also go this drop armhole vest from New Look for about £4! I'm loving drop armholes and mint at then moment so for £4 I couldn't say no! I got it in a size 12 as I like these style of tops a bit baggy.

I'm wearing my necklace from Rock 'n' Rose - not sure how I feel about wearing an inverted cross, it's a bit controversial! I really like it though, let me know what you think about it?! Hope everyone's having a good week! I can't believe it's April already, feels like this year is just flying by!

xxx