summer strawberry socks!

Not my usual type of post, but oh my goodness how sweet are these strawberry socks?! These totally remind me of the quirky little things I used to have as a child and just bring a smile to my face when I wear them. Spring/summer eat your heart out! In all honesty I haven't ventured out in public wearing these just yet because I can't think of any outfits to pair them with (or perhaps i'm just not brave enough), but I love them for lazing around the house. 

If you want to get your hands (or feet) on these beauties, I picked them up from ASOS for £3. Unfortunately they are currently out of stock.. but here are some other strawberry inspired goodies to get you in the fruity mood..

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My favourite is the watch, Enjoy!

Fashion: Tartan and Daisies

Every year, I never understand the fascination with the January sales. Usually I buy a couple of bits and bobs here and there.. but this year i'm a student living off of my student loan, which somehow has meant all my money has disappeared into the January sales abyss, mainly the ASOS abyss actually. I convinced myself it was okay, because they offer free delivery and free returns.. Oooh and student discount! This is my ASOS haul (so far).

Black Polo Neck Crop Top - ASOS

Statement Necklace - Stolen from Mum's jewellery drawer..

Tartan Skirt - ASOS

Tights - Tesco

Boots - ASOS

Bag - New Look (Christmas present from younger brother).

Nails - OPI 'OPI Ink'

This first outfit is so perfect for A/W because it actually keeps you super warm aswell as staying on trend. Tartan has been so popular this season and pairing it with a simple black top keeps it wearable and suitable for everyday wear. I paired this outfit with a chunky statement necklace just to add interest and to show how this versatile outfit can quickly be changed from day wear to night attire.

The boots were a total steal at £30 for real leather! However i did have a couple of problems with ASOS because at first they sent me a pair with completely faulty insoles. They were glued in half way up the boot if that makes sense? I sent them back requesting a replacement and they sent me these which have the same problem, just less severe. So i'm currently debating whether or not to ask for another replacement.. what do you think?

Daisy Print Swing Dress - ASOS

Tights & Boots - As before

This dress caught my eye because it looked really comfortable and easy to wear, yet really pretty and feminine. I was right, it's super soft and hides and lumps and bumps, but does anyone else think it's a little.. unflattering? I'm really unsure whether or not to send it back. I adore the print, and wearing this to uni would be easy to just chuck on, but the shapelessness does me no favours. The t-shirt styled high neck also seems to look strange on me, so i'm really at a loss. Help and advice would be appreciated!

However, if you are one of the lucky so-in-so's who can pull off a swing dress, this would be a lovely piece for that difficult winter to spring wardrobe transition. I think it looks sophisticated and cosy with a pair of boots, but it would also look good bare legged with strappy sandals.

Leather Zip Jacket - New Look (old)

Leather Collar dress - ASOS

Tights & Boots - As before.

Lastly, I picked up this patterned leather collar dress from Club L at ASOS. Supposedly it's knitted, but it was also a complete steal at £11.50 (down from £40!). I've already worn this out to my friends birthday meal on New Year's Day and it's that type of dress that is perfect for that kind of Smart/Casual event. I love how the leather collars adds a little fierceness, yet the shape is so girly and cutesy. 

So yes, I've spent waaaay too much on the ASOS website this month, not to mention i've also bought some new Forever 21 goodies, books, candles, lush treats.. the list goes on and someone needs to stop me before things get out of hand.

Also, these are the first outfit photos i've taken in over a year and I have to thank my gorgeous boyfriend for helping me out. I think he's done a really good job, tell him what you think over on his blog. 

What have you guys bought in the January Sales? Let me know on my Facebook page!

#Blogmas Day One: Instagram 007 - Cider Lane

This month i've decided to take on a challenge and do Blogmas! Meaning I will be posting on here every other day. If any of you know of any tags going around please let me know and if you have any requests of what you may like to see leave a comment! To kick things off i'm doing an instagram update!

1. New ASOS dress 2. New Look creepers for work 3. 99p Ebay find 4. Dyed my hair red 5. My all time favourite, Percy Pigs 6. Montagne Jeunesse exotic fruits range 7. Just chilling with the Kaiser Chiefs!!! 8. Favourite tic tacs, Strawberry Fields 9. This is Halloween 10. Dip dabs yum 11. Sleepy Kitty 12. Delicious bed time snack and hot chocolate

13. My business cards came! 14. I bought an xbox! 15. Cute little lovehearts gift 16. Frankie and Benny's waffles are the best 17. November She Said Beauty Box 18. Autumn outfit of the day 19. New iPhone case from Etsy 20. Slatkin & Co goodies!

What have you been up to lately? You can follow my instagram here!

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? 

Diva

This is the outfit I have been living and dying in recently. I've had my eye on this ballet wrap dress from ASOS for ages now and just didn't get around to buying it. I'm always hesitant to buy online just in case the fit isn't right and i have to fuss around with returns, but with ASOS it's free returns and i managed to find a discount code so i just HAD to buy it! However i didn't need to return this beauty and i'm very tempted to buy it in black as well. It's just so versatile, I've been wearing it in the day layered up with chunky tights, boots and scarves as pictured above but you can also wear it out at night with heels, a waist belt and a leather jacket. I love this cranberry colour too - so perfect for A/W12 and i have a strong feeling this will end up being my Christmas dress!

The ballet wrap effect on the dress is also really flattering. As you can see it's fitted at the top and then flares into a skater style skirt which i think works on most body types. I actually opted for the petite styled one because i'm so short and i love the length. It's not too short to be inappropriate but it's enough to still be stylish. I literally cannot recommend this enough, it's definitely a staple piece in my wardrobe and a gorgeous investment. Don't be surprised if the next outfit post contains the black version - I am sorely tempted!

Lipstick - Diva by MAC

Ballet Wrap Dress - ASOS

Fur Waistcoat - New Look

Chunky Tights - Tesco

Furlined boots - Tesco

I wore my new MAC lipstick with this dress which is Diva in matte and it's an absolutely beautiful dark red vampy colour. My friend Grace bought it for me as a belated birthday present (thanks if you're reading!) and i absolutely love it! I don't think you can get away with the colour in other seasons but for A/W12 I have been wearing it everywhere! The pigment in this lipstick is brilliant, I'm considering doing a review on it - is that something you readers would like to see? You can also really see my ombre in these photos, I've been debating on whether or not to dye my hair a darker shade for the winter, what do you guys think?

Just a quick little update - Thank you all for helping me reach 300 GFC followers! I feel like over the past couple of months i took a little step back from blogging, but now I have quit one of my jobs and i have more time and energy to focus on this again so hopefully you will be seeing more of me! I've actually just attended an event called "Dining in the Dark" which was really exciting and I can't wait to share with you guys. 

What have your staple pieces been this A/W? Have you tried a ballet wrap dress before?

Shoetastic - ECCO

If you haven't heard of ECCO already, they are a fashionable shoe brand who specialise in comfort as well as style. In fact they take pride in suggesting that the shoe follows the foot! I was lucky enough to trial their new "sculptured 65" shoe which is a patent leather boot with a manageable heel of 6.5cm (perfect for people like me who aren't gifted with lovely long legs!) I decided to wear these out last night for date night with a friend and paired them with a casual outfit. Although I really felt like the shoes really added an edge to my outfit, adding not only height, but glamour and sophistication too. These are a really versatile and "grown up" pair of shoes which make me feel sensible and mature.

As I said, I wore these little cuties out last night and they are such a dream to wear! Not only do they seem to go with pretty much anything, but they really are so comfortable with a soft textile lining which contains a leather inlay sole and a moisture absorbent circulation system for maximum comfort. Being so short means that I like to wear heels a lot of the time, but with the  angle that your foot is at, it can be really uncomfortable at times and I also really struggle to drive in heels. However I can say that these are something else! When I was busy rushing around Bristol yesterday, the last thing I was thinking of were my feet, and as for driving - no problem at all!

As you can see, I paired these boots with a casual outfit of a grey speckled t-shirt and leather lookalike skirt simply because the weather has been so dreary recently, I've felt like wearing darker colours. Despite the weather, these boots feel so durable and I can tell they'll be a staple throughout the autumn and winter months. And, as I said before they can be paired with pretty much anything because they're so versatile. Here are a couple more outfit ideas centered around the boots..

Outfit One: Jeans - Topshop, Beanie - Topshop, Jacket - New Look, Top - Miss Selfridge
Outfit Two: Top - Topshop, Skirt - River Island, Watch - River Island, Bag - River Island, Necklace - Temporary Secretary
Outfit Three: Dress - Glamourous UK, Earrings - Asos, Clutch - Miss Selfridge

How would you wear the Sculptured 65 shoe?

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Wishlist: Penny Talk

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1. My mum bought me a similar variation of this bracelet in a chrome-ish colour and i've found that i'm wearing it to death! With the recent rose-gold hype, i think this bracelet would go with anything! Badass.
2. I saw Jennie wearing a variation of this dress on her blog and i just thought it looked super flattering, great for everyday wear as well as dressing up a little. Sometimes the simplest of things can look the nicest!
3. After searching high and low for some new dresses to wear out to town, i stumbled across this on the missguided website and i just love the stud detailing! Not sure how well this would stay up though, it does look a little flimsy! Missguided prices tend to be so reasonable it's hard to resist splurging.
4. So, one of my random lusts this month are the White Fudge Flipz, i received an exciting box of goodies from cybercandy this week and now i pretty much want to try everything on their website! These look like they taste so delicious!
5. I'm pretty bad when it comes to biting my nails, but lately i've been really good and kept them in a really good condition.. which just gives me the excuse to buy more nail polish! I know the famous Essie polish is Mint Candy Apple, but i really love this colour which is "Penny Talk" I think it's a really wearable colour, but girly and feminine at the same time.
6. I really need a new fragrance seeing as my Loverdose recently ran out (sob sob!) but i loved the scent still, so my friend recommended blackXS by Paco Robanne which is similar because it's got that sweet, but musky smell to it, and it's much cheaper than splurging on Miss Dior Cherie! I wish.
7. Finally, i've been lusting after these adorable skull bracelets that are everywhere right now. Topshop do some pretty awesome ones, but i find that ebay is the place to go for cheaper variations and i love the pastel colours as they make them look more girly. 
What's on your wishlist? I'm going away on a Tipi Adventure holiday so things may be a little quieter around here for a while, i'll update you when i get home!