Fashion Vouchers £100 Christmas Outfit Challenge: Pearls and Feathers

I've seen a few entrant into the fashion vouchers £100 Christmas outift challenge and thought it looked fun, so i've decided to give it a go! However it's a lot harder than it looks. I originally wanted to use motel as my merchant but couldn't find any shoes over there to fit the budget.. Then, having a bright sparks moment I remembered ASOS sell motel! After hours of scrolling through ASOS, i finally settled on something completely different but so very pretty and it's this burgundy Chiffon skater dress with an elegant pearl back. It's the back that caught my attention, i just think it's so beautiful and feminine, I love the little details in an outfit.  

To continue the theme of pearls, i picked out this pearl hair barrette which could be used to pin back your hair, I sometimes like to braid mine to the back and add a pretty pin so this would be perfect. Also I found this pearl multi finger ring which looks like a lot of fun. I have a similar 3 finger ring and I love the way it looks with an outfit. 

I think this crimson colour in the dress matches well with black accessories, so to keep it sophisticated, I paired it with some plain black peep toe heels which are a steal at £18. And to add some fun texture, I love this feathered clutch bag. Finally, no Christmas outfit is complete without a bit of sparkle and glitter so I had to include a festive nail polish! I love gold glitter polishes at this time of year, so i thought i'd include this Barry M number. 

Also, I recently made a Facebook page for my blog so please go and click the 'Like' button!

 If you've entered, i'd love to see your outfits! You can enter here. What would be your ideal Christmas outfit? 

Disco Ball

Hi lovelies! I thought I'd showcase the other addition from Fast Fashion. If you read my post with my new floral skirt, you will know i was also lucky enough to receive this beautiful piece which is perfect for a crazy night out! This beautiful sequin shift dress is definitely a statement, so in this outfit I decided to keep accessories rather minimal, just adding a black skinny waist belt and black T-bar platform shoes.. Oh and of course classic red lipstick.

Dress: Rare through Fast Fashion
Belt: Primark
Shoes: Ebay
Rings: The Accessory Stand

As i said before, this dress would be perfect to wear on a night out to town, which is what I plan to do! I love how eye catching it is, it really does make a statement! And all of the sequins are individually sown onto the dress so if one falls of, it's not the entire line which could be disastrous! It is quite short, so I do like that my top half is nicely covered and there's not too much skin on show. This dress also has added shoulder pads which makes it feel more expensive as well as highlighting the upper half of the body and taking some attention away from your legs. The only problem I've had with this is that it clings a little bit to my tummy which makes me feel a little self concious, so it does help to add a waist belt.

In other news, do you guys like the new effect I'm using on my pictures? I'm just playing around with different effects at the moment and i'd love your feedback. I really love this look on them though I think it makes the snaps look more.. seductive ;)

Also, recently I've joined up with motel to give you wonderful ladies a generous 20% on their website. All you have to do it use the code "katiefhowell". There's a link in the sidebar so go treat yourself!

How would you wear this dress? Hope you have a great weekend!

Floral Pleats

So a few weeks back, i was really lucky to win a twitter competition with Fast Fashion for this sparkly number. However, as a kind gesture they also included this gorgeous floral pleated skirt by Rare. I don't own any pleated skirts, so i've been having lots of fun finding new ways to dress this up and down. 

Cardigan - Old from Miss Selfridge

Vest top - Old from H&M

Skirt - Fast Fashion (Rare)

Belt - Old from Primark

Shoes - New Look

Necklace - Dorothy Perking

Bow Ring - The Accessory Stand

Being quite short, the length of this skirt isn't the most flattering, so i've had to roll it up at the waistline and hold it with a belt, but i do like that it's modest. Plus it has a lining underneath to prevent any accidental bum-flashes! In this look, i've tried to keep it casual and this would be the type of outfit i'd wear day-to-day, but with this skirt you could also team a blazer and shirt for a smarter occasion. I actually have a burnt-red coloured blazer that this skirt looks really pretty with and it would be perfect to wear in the autumn. 
In other news, I've had some exciting packages this week which i'm excited to share with you guys, so keep your eye's peeled for them! Now i'm working more, i have a little bit more cash to treat myself now and then. Including tonight, Mike and I are going to ZaZa Bazaar in Bristol to celebrate a friends birthday. If you've never been and you live in Bristol, it's definitely worth a visit. The place is absolutely huge and thriving on a weekend!
How would you wear this skirt? What are your plans for the weekend?

Paprika

I wanted to post this at 7, earlier this evening but my boyfriend treated me to a lovely meal out, so now i'm writing this tucked up in bed with a full, content tummy. 
So anyway, I came home from sixth form to a lovely exciting parcel from Sarah over at Temporary Secretary. A few weeks back, she hosted a fabulous giveaway and i was the lucky winner of the floral blouse by Paprika fashion so here it is!

As you can see, it was a nice enough day to wear my sunglasses, Yay!
Sunglasses: Accessorize
Blouse: Paprika 
Cameo: Accessorize
Skirt: New Look
Belt: Primark
Tights: Sainsburys
Shoes: Topshop


The blouse itself is a size 10 and it is slightly on the baggy side so for a more formal look, i decided to tuck it into a black body-con skirt. For sixth form, i'll wear this outfit with a smart black blazer but today i opted for sunglasses and a denim jacket which made me feel really summery! I really love the pussybow style neck tie as it adds a lovely bit of detailing to the outfit, so all in all a big thank you to Sarah!
Just to update you guys, i'm working really hard with my sixth form work at the moment which is why my posts have been fairly sparse, but i am trying! 


Hope you guys like the outfit and catch you in my next post!

*p.s Don't forget to enter my giveaway here*