The Summer Sales - River Island

I've never been a huge River Island fan. But I've recently been very impressed by what I've seen RI produce in the past few years. Their clothes stay at the height of fashion and they really seem to be on top of their game. Their 'style' is still quite different to Topshop or H&M but they have something for everyone.

Having two besties that work for the company can come in handy. For example their Summer Season Sale started this morning at 8am and the first 35 people through the doors received an extra 50% off all sale items. Madness! So I dragged myself out of bed at the crack of dawn and jumped in the car with my friend at half 7.
But it was so worth it...

Here we are with our RI extra discount wristbands

1) Gold bangles with turquoise stones, bird charm and 'hope' charm.

2) Wild pattern silky peg leg trousers. I love these. Not something I would usually go for, but with a plain vest tee and wedges I think I can make it work...I hope I can make it work!

3) Floral kimono style blouse. This is so beautiful but bloody hard to get into. I spent a good 5 mins in the changing room trying to get it on. There's a little cami underneath and then the loose sleeves which you sort of flip over yourself and it hangs down the back like a cape. I'll do an outfit post with this soon.

3) Black cycling shorts. To wear underneath denim cut-offs or too-short dresses/skirts. Can't wait to wear these!

4) Sleeveless tribal print tube top. In a swimwear type fabric of all things. Could wear with leather look leggings in the evening or denim shorts during the day.

5) White playsuit. Was originally £39.99 reduced to £20, and with my further discount, just £10. Bargain!
It's very Made in Chelsea, the material is thick and feels expensive and it fits very well. I'm thinking I'll wear it with either brown caged heels or white platforms. It also looks great with flats. Just need a summer garden party to attend now.

I'm excited about my new buys and how cheap they were. In total I saved a huge £90. I got 6 quality items and only spent £30. I think even Primark can't beat that!

If your reading this now and you didn't queue outside your RI this morning, you won't get the extra half price discount but the general sale is still pretty good. Most items were already 50% off or more and there were great deals on handbags/purses (I had to restrain myself.)

Did anyone go shopping in the RI Sale today? Tell me what you bought!
I only went to my local River Island so god knows what amazing deals they had in the bigger stores!

x

Just a quick reminder that my give away ends tomorrow night, Friday 1st July at midnight, so go enter!

Selling my Life on Ebay...

I you've never sold anything on Ebay before then you really should give it a go!
My mum and I have been ebay addicts for years now and she was the one who got me into it. If I've seen something I like I have a peak on ebay first to see if I can get it at a lower price. And a lot of the time you can get great bargains!

Selling on ebay can seem like a huge hassle but it's really not once you learn how and it becomes quite fun.
I spent the best part of today photographing items from my wardrobe, writing listings and getting them posted to auction. A lot of the time listing is free so its not a big loss if your items don't sell.

I've been a bit low on cash recently and with all these mid season sales I've been spending like crazy.
So I've put as many things as I could bear to part with on ebay for you all to have a nosey at and even a bid if you like!
Nearly everything starts at 99p and brands include Topshop, H&M, MAC, Primark, Mango, Eyeko etc.
Some of the items are brand new, some worn once. I struggled to get rid of lots because they have such nice memories like the Red bodycon Dress that I wore for my 18th birthday. Or items that I love but sadly just don't fit me. But mainly I had a things hanging around never worn that still had the tags attached, so it was time to show them the door! (Or the parcel office...)

So go see my ebay listings for yourself!....

x

In a Week...

...or two!
Where have my regular Sunday 'In a Week...' posts gone?
God knows. But they are back now! This one including some photos from a few weeks back too, I need to catch up, and to be honest I've not been doing very much this week alone.

I apologise for the crappy TwitPic quality phone images, but these were just that. 

If you don't follow my Twitter then you should! 

1) The first photo is from a night out last week where I'm looking very bronzed thanks to St Moriz. I also love that playsuit to bits, its from H&M.

2) On 13th June I took a little road trip with two of my besties to Trafford to see The X Factor auditions! Tickets were free but we did have to stand outside for a good 3 hours in the cold. Hence bad photograph of me. Celebs spotted include Olly Murs, Dermot O'Leary and Louis Walsh! We of course saw all the new judges too and some great singers and some bad ones. I'm quite excited about this years X Factor, I hope I spot myself in the audience...

3) Dominos girlie night in with Sex and the City and G&Ts. 

4) My hair in rollers before going out on Thursday - I couldn't leave them in long enough and my hair was still damp when I was running out the door. I need to get myself some heated ones.

5) Here we are with The Blanks! If anyone's a fan of Scrubs you will recognise these gentleman as Ted's band. Yes they are a real band and we went to see them on Thursday night. They were brilliant and so friendly, I even got a huge hug from Ted (Sam Lloyd) !

x

Don't forget to check out my current give away with prizes including Benefit goodies!!

100 Followers Give Away - Friday Feeling!

You may or may not have noticed that I recently reached 100 followers! I know this may not seem like a huge deal to more popular bloggers who have thousands of followers, but for me its a big step and I'm so happy that 100+ people are interested in reading my blog. It makes me want to keep going and produce better, more interesting, fun, unique and useful posts.

So as a massive thank you to all of you I am holding a little give away including some prizes that I think exemplify me and my personality - and definitely items I would love to win!
If you'd like to enter to have the chance of winning the following, please don't hesitate! The rules and info are at the bottom of this post...

Check out the prizes!

1) The Cheap Date Guide to Style - by Kira Jolliffee & Bay Garnett

Before I started my (short and sweet) degree course in Fashion I was told by many a person that I just had to own a copy of this book. The Cheap Date Guide to Style is a style bible written by the editors of the world famous Cheap Date magazine. Inside are millions of unique tips and tricks on how to make the most of fashion, finding your own style, finding amazing pieces in vintage and charity shops and a little bit of diy too! It's full of inspiration and ideas, and although this book does not include high street fashion-of-the-moment styles, it gives insight to how to make fashion your own for life.

2) Benefit To Go Beauty Best Sellers - Mini Versions
This must have kit contains:
Some Kinda Gorgeous (foundation faker 1.8g)
High Beam (luminescent complexion enhancer 2.5g)
Posie Tint (poppy pink tinted lip and cheek stain 2.5ml)
That Gal (brightening face primer 2.5g)

I have tried High Beam and Posie Tint and love them both. With Posie Tint taking 1st place for me. I can't say I've tried out the other products but I would love to, and if Some Kinda Gorgeous is anything like the Boiing concealer then it will be fantastic! 

This is a great little set if your unsure about trying out Benefit products at full size/full price. And a kit that is very difficult to get hold of.

3) Turquoise and Silver Oversized Stone Ring
If you follow my blog you will probably have realised by now that I love my jewellery. And I own a good set of turquoise stone jewellery which just so happens to be very fashionable right now! I'm also a big fan of oversized rings. This one is so beautiful and a great piece for anyone's collection. The ring is adjustable so will fit any size. 

The Rules!

1) You must be a follower of this blog via Google Friend Connect (on the left)

2) Leave a comment on this post telling me what type of posts you like to see the most on ThisFashionIsMine

3) Include your e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you should you win

All products are brand new and I have purchased them with my own money

Only one entry per person, this give away is unfortunately only open to residents of the UK and Ireland (due to heavy items and high shipping costs plus risk of missing parcels or customs holding parcels) 
Give away will end in exactly one weeks time on Friday 1st July 2011 at Midnight. 
The winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced on this blog and emailed. If the winner does not contact me within 48hours of receiving their email, a new winner will be chosen.

And that's it! Simple! Good Luck everyone, tell your friends, family, neighbours and pets! 

x

Outfit of the Evening

This is the dress I blogged about a few days ago, I wore it out to a meal on Father's Day. I love it. Its the perfect summer length, not too short not too long, so I can wear it without tights in the summer breeze and not worry about revealing too much.

I'm wearing tights here though - it was a bit chilly outside and I was heading to work straight after the meal. I'm also only wearing my work pumps which are boring black cheap ones. 

But I'd wear this on a hotter occasion with bare legs and colourful wedges.

The bracelet is a solid black one with a gold feather detail and for the life of me I can't remember where its from. The belt is Primark - I wear it with everything.

My hair has now reached the length of my hair extensions when curled, so I only wear them for added volume! I might invest in some longer ones but I kinda feel hair longer than this looks unnatural on me. 

I curled my hair using a Babyliss Wand that I'm really getting the hang of now and I'm liking these slightly tighter curls than my usual barely-there waves. 

Silly me didn't realise the slip underneath the dress was actually detachable and I only have to cut the little plastic ribbons that join them together. Instead I spent a good 5 minutes fighting my way in to it. 

I'm really getting on top of my blogging recently, I've got all sorts of ideas about posts including skincare and health and fitness. Let me know if you'd be interested in any of those?

I've usually always got a couple of posts in draft ready to be published  - so yey me :)

I've also decided that my blog give away is going to go live this Friday!! 

x

Outfit of the Day: All Things Bright

Hello people! My outfit posts are rare and underwhelming. But here you go anyway, I do enjoy posing infront of the camera even if I look like a twat most of the time. 

This is the mustard yellow top from Primark (£5) I blogged about the other day. Its a size 10 but quite an oversized fit and I think it makes me look huge in these photos, but irl its lovely. 

I wore this outfit last night just to my local for a few drinks - I'm wearing my Topshop Super Skinny Jeggings that are too boring to photograph and my ASOS brown loafers which I love dearly. 

The bracelets and ring are also Primark and were featured in my new buys post. Does anyone else wear their newly bought items straight away like me? I'm just too excited to wait! And then in a few weeks they will become boring, un-new items that sit in my wardrobe collecting dust. 

The necklace is a H&M one from ages back that I still really like. Its tiny little charms include a padlock, a key, the no.3, and a % sign. Quite odd and I often get comments on it. 

Makeup wise I am wearing Collection 200 concealer, Benefit's Posie Tint Blush stain, Urban Decay NAKED palette various shades, Maybelline Collossal Mascara, Elf's Gel Eyeliner and Mac Angel Lipstick. 

Yesterday was Father's Day, did everyone do something nice?
I actually probably enjoyed the day more than my Dad did. With my two older siblings we bought him three dvds and some fancy chocolates. I watched one of the dvds with him during the day and then with the rest of my family went for a meal to celebrate my cousin's birthday and of course Father's Day. I had work that night but actually enjoyed it  - just the pub regulars and me on my laptop.

Looking forward to Made In Chelsea tonight and eating my Dad's chocolates ;)

x

And the Winner Is....

Congratulations to:

" Lace x "
(Lacey)

...you have won two temporary tattoos from

FakeTattoos.se

Your e-mail is awaiting you! 

Please respond as quickly as possible so I can post your prize

A big thanks to everyone who entered! 

*Keep your eyes peeled for my next give away coming very soon*

x

What's New in My Wardrobe?

I took a shopping trip with one of my besties on Thursday and it felt great to be in Manchester after so long without spending pennies. Primark was top of my list as I really haven't been in over 6 weeks and it didn't disappoint!

I could have blown my last 3 weeks of wages in Primark. Sometimes I can't find anything I like and other times I'm blown away by the quality and in-trend fashion they have to offer. 

1) I have the above shirt dress in cobalt blue and love it, so had to pick up this beautiful rusty faded red/brown colour too. It also comes in white, black, floral, cinnamon, brown, pink... etc. Almost every colour under the sun. This one falls just above the knee, whereas my blue one is a little shorter (something to bear in mind should you buy one - they all differ slightly.) I'm planning on wearing it tomorrow night for Fathers Day/Cousin's birthday meal out. It was £15 (but quality is Topshop worthy so worth every penny.)

2) The mustard yellow top is something I saw and was attracted to straight away but I had my reservations as with my hair colour I worry about wearing yellow. Ally assured me it did not clash or look funny and for £5 I got it. I need more colour in my wardrobe and this two pocket silky oversized top definitely screams me. 

3) I have Benefit's High Beam already and was not too interested in Benetint. I picked Posie Tint not just because it was cheap but because I already read Glamour regularly and this was just a bonus. I didn't expect wonders but I actually love it. On the cheeks its really quite a bright pink but looks so natural and lasts allllll day.

4) I know I know!! Not another MAC lipstick. Well, yes. The Mac counter in Selfridges is right next to the train station so we always pop in on the way home. And even though I'd already spent a fortune I was still looking for Costa Chic and Shy Girl. I tried out Shy Girl and found it not as beautiful as I'd expected? I couldn't find Costa Chic and there didn't seem to be a free Mac artist/assistant around to help (unbelievable right) but I did stumble across Snob.
Snob is one of those shades I never believed I could ever pull off. But I had a quick try on right there and then and realised its not quite as bright and in-your-face as I thought. Therefore - I bought it. Its a pinky lilac shade  and the photo is doing it no justice. The magic happens when its on your lips. I've not worn it out-out yet but I'm excited too!

5) Back to the classic French Manicure this week. Chipped already!

6) Another turquoise ring to add to the collection. I think I'd look a bit silly wearing them all at once. Again from Primark for a couple of pounds. And these amazing festival bracelets/beads are so gorgeous I wont be taking them off. 

7) I also treated my feet to a pair of Toms. This is my post about them if your interested...

*BIG NEWS!* 

Don't think I haven't noticed I have hit that 100 followers mark! AMAZING guys, thank you so so much! I love you all for reading my blog! And in celebration I have decided to give away some lovely prizes...

The give away (which I'm really excited about and keeping hush hush for now) should take place some time next week. I want to let my current give away finish first before I start a new one! 

* Don't forget its your last chance to enter my give away which ends tomorrow Fathers Day at 7.00pm

x

TOMS - A Comfortable Classic

I just had to post quickly about my new love for Toms... 


I'm guessing espadrilles are not to everyone's taste. I was first introduced to this summers fad by Primark and Topshop who were selling pairs made from what seemed like straw and canvas. I liked the way they looked but they were completely impractical for day to day wear as holes would be formed in minutes. 


Unknown to me, Toms are quite something else entirely. They are made of a thicker canvas upper, meaning you can't see every toe popping through the material and the bottoms are soft rubber. They are still definitely a summer shoe, and won't last for a trek up the mountains. What I love the most are the soles... soft, moulded, bouncy and so so comfy! 


I have a pair in Navy (although the image above is from a website) and my friend also bought hers today in Grey. More elaborate designs are available.


Toms are an LA based company who give a pair of shoes to a child in need every time they sell a pair. So I can feel even better about my purchase knowing my money is also going to a good cause.


I'd say if you were on the fence about these then go for it and get a pair! I cant speak for how long lasting they are as I've only had them on my feet a few hours - but with some care I hope they last me until next summer!

~

A HUGE thanks to my new followers! Hey there! 
I'm not quite sure where the little influx came from, did someone link me? 
I'm also now using my Twitter account more regularly (trying!) so feel free to follow me on there if you use it...
Gwen McMullin


x


Don't forget about my faketattoo.se give away guys, ending this Sunday!

Skincare Essentials

I really enjoy reading about skincare. As much as I love my make up, I'm always very interested in new skincare products and ways of making my skin better. Because at the end of the day, the clearer my skin, the less make up I wear!

I thought I'd write my own post on my skincare essentials because some products really do deserve the attention....

Tea Tree Oil
My miracle worker! My advice is to buy pre-blended oil, like Superdrug's own Blended Tea Tree Oil. It's more cost effective to buy pure tea tree and dilute it yourself but who can be bothered! This way I can just dab a small amount straight on to any blemishes before bed and in the morning they are much smaller and any redness is reduced.

Simple Moisturiser
I've been using this moisturiser for years now and I love it. The light hydrating one is best for my slightly oily skin as it doesn't feel heavy or greasy. It creates a great base before make up and feeds my skin all the moisture it needs. Its perfect for sensitive skins as it doesn't contain any harsh chemicals.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2in1 Face Wash and Mask
I first bought this product about 3 years ago - and apart from occasionally switching to higher end products (see below) I always find myself going back to this. Its creamy soft texture glides on and leaves my skin feeling much smoother. It has definitely improved my skin in terms of spots. If I use this regularly I don't have half as many breakouts and it helps to get rid of any blemishes I do have.
I wish I used the mask more often than I do but I find the wash to be effective enough on its own.

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser 
A lovely cleanser for when I can afford it and an all round favourite it seems. It's something I treat myself (and my skin) to and feels like a very posh spa treatment every time I use it! I can't say its quite as good as controlling breakouts as the Visibly Clear but it evens skin tone and makes my skin super smoooooth afterwards.

Do you guys have any miracle products you couldn't live without?

x

Don't forget to enter my give away to win two false tattoos from FalseTattoos.se

FakeTattoos Give Away!

Recently a new website came to my attention and I was very interested in what they had to offer...
FakeTattoos.se is a company who produce exactly that... Transferable temporary exclusive tattoo designs!

FakeTattoos offer modern, unique and feminine designs as well as old school traditional tattoos and even blank sheets for you to fill with your own chosen image/illustration - so you can try out a non permanent design just for fun or before booking yourself in at the tattoo shop.

I personally only have one tattoo and it took me months to decide on whether it was right for me. I love it now and am happy I went for it but I think in the future I will test out any ideas using FakeTattoos
These tattoos last for a few days or up to a week if you're careful. They look very realistic on the skin and are great for nights out and fooling friends (or parents!)

See what other bloggers have had to say about FakeTattoos here

The lovely people at FakeTattoos have given me the following two cute designs to give away to one lucky follower.....tried, tested and modelled by myself...

Tiny swallows and a beautiful blue rose design!
So if you'd like a chance of winning them all you have to do is....

1) Be a follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect 
(click Follow over there on the left)
2) Leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address so I can contact you should you win!

*The give away is only for people based in the UK or Ireland*

Only one entry per person.

One winner will be selected using Random.org

The give away will run for 1 week as of today - ending on Sunday 19th June at 7.00pm GMT - where the winner will be e-mailed and announced on this blog. Should the winner not reply to my email within 48 hours a new winner will be selected using Random.org and contacted through e-mail.

Good Luck!

x