A LITTLE BIT BRIGHT

DAY FIFTEEN: Yellow paisley trousers, Warehouse

So, as long as the sun is shining and it's technically still summer, I thought I might return to brights. I picked these trousers up in the Warehouse sale when I first came back from Turkey. Suffering the worst case of heat rash that I'd ever experienced (bet you wanted to know that) I couldn't wear anything with even a hint of polyester or that touched my skin, lest I wished to experience the feeling of a cheese grater on the back of my knees.

I'd seen these trousers in the Warehouse sale before I'd left and had regretted not picking them up as they're super soft and just the thing that I wanted to bum around in. I call them my pyjama trousers because that's pretty much what they look like and I wear them whenever I'm having one of those days where I just want to feel like any second I could still go back to bed. Of course, I can't because I'm usually sitting at my desk in the office but y'know, a girl can pretend, right?

Annoyingly, they appear to have disappeared off the Warehouse website where they were only £10 yesterday, marked down from £45 but you may still be able to hunt down a pair in the remains of the sales in your local branch. If you do, I'd fully recommend the purchase.

Quite why they're called Desert Trek trousers is beyond me - I know noone who'd go trekking in the desert in yellow paisley. But then, maybe I haven't lived.

Worn with: Grey tee, H&M; necklaces, Nocturne & H&M; aviators, Ray-Ban; sandals, Topshop.

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY ONE

DAY TWENTY ONE: Zebra nail wraps, nailease


I love crazy nails but I rarely have the patience anymore to spend a whole night giving myself a complicated manicure and I have a weird phobia of anyone else touching my nails after a few dodgy adventures in nail bars so most of the time I just end up painting my nails block colours these days.


The other day I randomly got given some nail wraps and in a fit of boredom, decided to test them out. Usually I find them too fiddly what with having to heat them up, smooth out air bubbles and so on but these won me over as they didn't involve a hairdryer and an army of other tools.


After a tricky first hand, I got into the swing of things - match your nail, peel off the wrap and gently press it on, then file off the excess. Admittedly, I had to redo one of my index fingers as the curve of the nail isn't really accounted for in a flat transfer but I'm impressed with how well these have lasted. I applied them on Thursday afternoon, fully expecting to be peeling them off by Friday morning at the latest as has always been my previous experience, even when they've been applied by a professional but these don't look like they're going anywhere.


The wraps have gone a little crinkly (I think this is moisture getting underneath) but with a quick coat of my Ciaté topcoat every day, they've stayed in place remarkably well considering everything that I've put them through over the long Easter weekend. The edges are starting to wear down like any manicure would but there's no chipping as of yet so they might stay in place for a few days still.


UPDATE: So it turns out that these particular nail wraps are by a brand called nailease, as sold at Miss Selfridge [here] for the rather bargain price £6 for a pack of 20 wraps. I actually cut some of mine down before applying them and minus one or two replacements, you could probably get two sets out of one pack. I couldn't help myself and picked up another set on my way home, definitely addicted.

TRANSITION: DAY THIRTEEN

DAY THIRTEEN: Bee Mine playsuit, Monsoon Fusion x Burt's Bees


Third day on the trot of sunshine and it's gone straight to my brain. And wardrobe. I picked up this cute little playsuit on the day of my now infamous Marni at H&M binge, arriving at the newly revamped Monsoon store at Marble Arch dragging my loot and grinning like a loon.


I wasn't meant to spend any more money after my blowout up the road but the second I laid eyes on this piece, all sensibility went flying out of the window and my card came flying into view again. Oops.

This playsuit is a collaboration between Monsoon and Burt's Bees in aide of the Honey Bee, which is slowly dying out in Britain. With every purchase from the range you receive a packet of wild flower seeds to sow in your garden/pot/window box, which will abstract the bees back. So really, my splurge was worthy rather than naughty this time, no? Plus, how cute are the little bees that are dotted all over the honeycomb print?


It's funny, everyone who sees it thinks that it's actually a dress because of the loose style of the bottom half which I quite like as most of my other playsuits are shorter and more boyishly structured. More girly than my usual style but I guess sometimes I have to step out of my tomboy box. (Says the girl who wore neon pink and florals yesterday.)


The playsuit is available for a very reasonable £58 [here] so buzz on over. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

TRANSITION: DAY ELEVEN

DAY ELEVEN: Silk pajama style top, Marni at H&M


Sorry for the absence, I had some very sad news on Friday and didn't really feel like blogging, plus what I was wearing was heavily wintery, somewhat matching my mood to the grey skies.


Come Saturday, I was feeling a bit chipper, what with the little bit of sunshine before the pissing rain took hold I decided it was time to try out another piece from my Marni at H&M haul. On a side note, after several fittings of the lilac and gold brocade trousers, I made my peace with them and decided that unless I was willing to drop the money (that I don't have) to get them altered, they would end up consigned to the back of the wardrobe and thus it was time for them to go back to the store, which they duly did.


So instead, I figured it was time to wear my silk patterned pajama top. I was a bit apprehensive as I thought it might look like I'd literally rolled out of bed but I threw caution to the wind and I have to say, this is officially now one of my comfiest pieces and as soon as the weather improves, it'll be coming out to play again.


Worn with: denim shorts, Zara; Black opaques, Wolford; Biker boots, New Look.

TRANSITION: DAYS FIVE & SIX

I'm sorry to harp on about the beauty that is the Marni at H&M collection but I am really quite besotted so I thought I should dedicate another two days worth, maybe more, to the collection. I found myself staring at the ceiling this morning mixing the pieces, particularly the PJ style top and shorts, imagining what I can style them with. I'm planning on wearing the shorts today so I'll post a photo later of how they're blending into my wardrobe. In the meantime, here's a few photos of some of the pieces I bought. I'm still waiting to draw a conclusion on the brocade trousers, so there's a high chance that there will be a post about these later in the week. ANYWAY.

Hat, £9.99 and spotty dress, £59.99

shorts, £34.99 and top, £69.99 Photos by the lovely Caroline Leeming