Tag: H&M

Tie Top & Mom Jeans

The weather has been glorious in England this week! I know that I often talk about the weather in my posts (how very British of me) but when you come from a place like England, where the weather can determine your outfits on a daily basis, it’s hard not to mention it when it’s being particularly fabulous for once. And by fabulous, I mean sunny!

Okay so it’s rarely hot, hot in England but it’s still so satisfying when it gets warm enough that you can wear your summer pieces and step out of the house without taking a jacket or coat.

Crop tops are some of those cute summer items that I love to wear. I especially love the cute tie top ones like this one that I’m wearing. I originally got this as a two piece which I previously posted here and this time I decided to switch it up by pairing the top with a casual pair of Mom Jeans. I’m a little late on the Mom Jean tred but I am loving these as they are so comfy, making them a nice and relaxed changed from super tight skinnies.

What I wore:
Sandals – Clarks
Cropped shirt – H&M (Similar here)
Jeans – H&M (Similar here)

What items of clothing do you love to rock in the summer weather?

Samio x

June 12, 2015
That Special Occasion Outfit – The Jones and Jones Dress

Oh how I love to dress up. If I had the choice I’d dress up everyday (although some say I already do to some degree) but unfortunately normal life often gets in the way and heels and a girly lace lined dress aren’t always deemed practicle. But of course there are times when it is seen as acceptable to go all out and dress up for that special occasion. It may not be quite right for popping to the shops in but as the season is approaching, I think that this look that I’ve put together, would be perfect for prom or if you’re wanting to make a special effort as a wedding guest. Unfortunately I’m too old to attend prom (The film Never Been Kissed springs to mind) and the next Wedding I’m going to be attending is over a year away… But, in the mean time, it’s fine for a girl to play dress up right?

I recently picked out this gorgeous pale pink and navy blue baroque print dress from Jones and Jones and instantly knew I’d have to team it with what I like to call my ‘Mrs Kennedy’ jacket, from Zara. I went for a matching pale pink belt to synch in the dress at the waist and slipped on a pair of pale pink heels. I went for a small navy blue clutch purse to tie in with the colour on the dress and a pair of retro style sunnies completed the look perfectly.

What I wore
Dress – Jones and Jones
Belt – Primark
Jacket – Zara (last season)
Heels – New Look
Bag – H&M

How about you, do you have any special occasions coming up this summer? What would be your perfect outfit to wear to a wedding or to prom?

Samio x

April 28, 2015
H&M, Clarks & Orla Kiely

Let’s start from the bottom and work our way up shall we…

So with Saturday’s outfit I finally got round to wearing my Clarks x Orla Kiely navy leather platform heels. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen me post a picture of these. Since this year’s Clarks x Orla Kiely collaboration dropped, I’ve been swooning over these retro looking babies and if I’m quite honest when I was given the chance to pick a pair out, I was torn between the navy leather and the brown (both equally as stunning). In the end I opted for the Navy Leather as I didn’t own any heels in that colour and I’ve already mentioned in previous posts about my current love for shades of blue at the moment. So the decision was made…

So on Saturday I spent the day strutting around town is these towering diva heels and I have to say they were rather comfortable (by heels standards), they didn’t rub and as they have quite a large platform they don’t feel quite as tall (heel height – 12cm) when you’re wearing them and so they don’t strain your feet so much when walking.

For the rest of my outfit I wore this cute yellow jersey dress, covered with a quirky dark blue speckled print. I picked this up recently from H&M. I always love going to there for cute little summer dresses that you can just throw on. This one was only £7.99.

The jacket was another recent H&M purchase and I’ve not stopped wearing it since I bought it last Monday. Now the weather is hotting up here in England, I’m able to ditch the heavy jackets and it’s so perfect having a lightweight jacket like this that I can throw on. The style is cropped, so it means that I goes perfectly with all my high waisted skirts and pretty spring/summer dresses.

What I wore:
Heels – Clarks x Orla Kiely – Orla Beryl
Dress – H&M
Denim Jacket – H&M(Similar here)

Samio x

April 23, 2015
Live Simple, Dream Big, Give Love, Laugh More

This is my first blog post in just over a week, I think this has been the longest amount of time I’ve not blogged for in a while. It’s funny that I now see a week as a long time to not have blogged, seeing as when I first began blogging my posting was somewhat sporadic but what can I say, since the start of this year, I now have the blogging bug. Anyway, sometimes life gets in the way or even the words just don’t quite flow and I go into a bit of a ‘bloggers block’, especially when I feel like in have lots of other things on my mind. Last week I spent a couple of days in London, which might also have something to do with it and although I’m down there again this week, this time I plan to be more organised with my blogging schedule…

Anyway, onto the focal words of this post: Live Simple, Dream Big, Give Love, Laugh More – Four simple hashtags on my t-shirt. I spotted this top in H&M and although it’s not the usual style of Tee that I go for, I really liked the fitted, slightly cropped style and decided to purchase it. Also I think the hashtags are some pretty good points to live by.

#Live Simple
This is always something I have often struggled with, what can I say, I’m a consumer, I want more, I buy more. I enjoy acquiring ‘stuff’ and even when I go away for just a week I struggle to fit all my ‘essentials’ into one decent sized case. However to ‘live simple’ is something I have been trying to do more in recent times. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t see me giving up my home and living out of a backpack anytime soon but I’ve learnt that certain extravagances don’t always bring you happiness and sometimes (just sometimes), the simple things are the best.

#Dream Big
I’m the biggest dreamer, some may even say, ‘too much of a dreamer’. I often need to remind myself to put my plans into action instead of just dreaming about them but over the years I’ve got better at that and I’d say to anyone else, why limit yourself. If you have dreams, chase them.

#Give Love
Never were there wiser words. Without sounding all hippie dippy, if we all just gave a bit more love (not just to those we know), the world would be a much better place. Enough said.

#Laugh More
Laughing is infections, it makes you smile, it makes other people smile and most importantly, it makes people happy (unless your laugh is the start of a manic breakdown instead of actual happiness of course), so when you can, do it more. Don’t take life too seriously, enjoy the moment and surround yourself with those who bring you joy.

What I wore:
T-Shirt – H&M
Jeans – Gap
Belt – Primark
Shades – Vintage Christian Dior
Backpack – H&M
Shoes – Asos (old)

So I hope you all have a fabulous week and remember some of those hashtags as you go about your day.

Samio x

April 20, 2015
H&M Nudes Eyeshadow Palette Review

I seem to have gone a little bit eyeshadow obsessed lately, or maybe I’m just makeup obsessed in general, yeah, that’s probably it. Anyway it’s appears that now, I can’t walk in any store without checking out the makeup section, as limited as it may be. If it sells makeup, I’ll be browsing.

Whilst in H&M I spotted a few makeup goodies, including this nudes Eyeshadow pallet. It’s the size that intrigued me, as its the perfect size to fit in my gym bag for if I need to apply makeup after the gym. It was only £1.99, so I thought I’d give it a go.

Once I’d got home, I was happy to find that the shadows are actually pretty decent. Each one has a lovely shimmer and the colours come and bold. Everything you’d want for an on the go eyeshadow palette and not bad for less than two pound.

I’m pleased with my little bargain purchase. I’ll be tempted to try out some of the H&M lipsticks next time. How about you, have you tried any H&M makeup?

Samio x

March 31, 2015
80s Fashion Friday

Friday was the first day that actually felt like summer might be coming after what has felt like the longest winter ever. Blue skies and not a rain cloud in sight meant I was able to ‘de-layer’. Although it wasn’t time to get out the shorts or crop top just yet, it was nice to be able to ditch the big cosy coat for once and not feel the need to be wrapped in a thousand layers.

Late afternoon I met up with my friend Laura and we went for pizza and wine at Dry Bar before I met up with some other friends to head to The Smiths Disco later that evening.

I wanted to wear something that I could wear from evening through to the night, so I went for blue high waisted trousers and a silky wrap peplum top to dress it up a bit. I’ve had the vintgae top for ages but this is the first time I wore it. I’m guessing it’s from the 80’s and I love how it looks good worn either open as a jacket or fastened as a top. I think I’ll be pulling this one out a lot more now that I’ve finally gotten round to wearing it.

What I wore:
Top – Vintage
Navy high waisted trousers – H&M
Belt – Vintage
Shoes – River Island
Hoop earrings – Topshop
Bag – zara

Samio x

March 7, 2015
Manchester Blog Meetup

On Saturday, my boyfriend Damien and I were heading into town to the Northern Quarter for a spot of lunch and a few drinks. It was on our way into the centre that I decided to have a quick scroll through my Twitter feed and as I did I spotted that there was a Manchester blog meetup taking place in the Northern Quarter that afternoon. I instantly wanted to get involved and so I sent a tweet to Jasmin, who had organised the meet up and asked where it would be as I was keen to pop along. It was perfect timing too and after quickly nipping to the shops, Damien and I headed to kosmonaut, where the meetup was taking place.

Luckily for Damien, Jasmin, who had travelled up from London, had brought her boyfriend, Paul along too and so it wasn’t long before the pair of them were enjoying a pint each and chatting about ‘guys stuff’.

It was my first bloggers meet up and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so nice to chat to many other like minded bloggers and of course exchange blogs with one another (I always love finding new ones to read). The turn out was really good which was of course great but it was a shame that I didn’t get chance to chat to everyone there, as there were so many of us. It was a great afternoon though and I got to meet a lovely mixed bunch of beauty, fashion and lifestyle bloggers.

This is some of us not long before we left (many had already just gone) but here are some of the lovely ladies I got to chat to.

Damien and Paul sat enjoying their pints.

Lots of chatting and several glasses of wine later, we wrapped things up at the bloggers meet up and after everyone headed their separate ways, Damien and I went to Hold Fast Bar for another drink. As impromptu as it was, we both really enjoyed the meet up and had a really good afternoon. I always enjoy meeting new people and sharing interests, I think I’ll have to make it to another meet up again soon.

What I wore:
Cardigan – Forever 21
Vest – Primark
Denim shorts – Primark
Necklace – H&M
Belt – Asos
Bag – Aldo
Boots – H&M (Similar here)

Samio x

March 2, 2015
The Pink Vintage Shirt

Today has been a delightful day, it’s been a delightful weekend in fact and now I can’t believe that it is March already! It feels like only the other day that I was writing my first blog post of the year on the first day of January. Anyway, here we are and I’m pleased to be slowly working outfit posts back onto my blog. Brighter days and slightly better weather mean I’m getting more opportunities to get some of my outfits snapped. Today was no exception and we got these shots done literally seconds before it began to pour it down. Despite the wet weather, it was certainly not putting a dampener on my day as I’d met up with one of my best friend’s, Lydia and her mother Hazel, as we headed to Frurt to attend their Barakah Food Aid event.

We spent the afternoon sipping coffee, sampling tasty cake and of course frozen yoghurt. Lydia and I tried our first taste of kanafeh, which is a cheese pastry soaked in sweet sugar based syrup. It was unusual, yet enjoyable nonetheless. We also enjoyed a delicious Nutella hot chocolate each, which of course was amazing! It was certainly a sugar filled afternoon and an enjoyable one at that.

What I wore:
Shirt – Vintage
Skirt – H&M
Belt – Primark
Necklace – Ebay
Shoes – Office

Samio x

March 1, 2015
Bomber Jacket & Lace-Up Boots OOTD

It’s that time of the year when comfort and warmth always takes priority. I love living in the UK but as others who live here will know, this time of the year is when the weather is at its harshest. It’s for this reason that I decided to invest in some super practical boots. This is something I’ve been pretty much averse to in the past, who wants to spend money on boring practical clothing/shoes, really? Not me that’s for sure. Anyway it was at the start of December that I spotted these boots in Topshop. Similar to Dr Martens but for a half the price and with an extra 30% off at the time, I thought it was about time I invested in some decent winter boots. I’ve actually found plenty of use for them since so it was probably a good job I decided to make the purchase. They are now in the sale and for a decent pair of real leather boots, they make a great bargain.

The bomber jacket was also a purchase from the end of last year (it feels strange saying that already about 2014). I actually bought the bomber jacket off Asos but it’s from New Look. Again I’ve been able to wear this jacket a lot, as it goes with loads of stuff and it’s easy to just throw on with a pair of jeans. It appears to no longer be in stock at New Look but I found they had a similar one online and I’ve since seen a couple of nice bombers in Zara as well. I like this style of bomber jacket, as it’s quilted so it actually makes it pretty warm.

What I wore:
Bomber jacket – New Look (Similar here)
Top – H&M
Skirt – H&M
Bag – River Island (similar here)
Boots – Topshop

Samio x

January 4, 2015
Wrapped Up for Winter

So Christmas is finally over but winter certainly isn’t. I’m feeling the necessity of layers even more as this cold weather here in England continues to sweep in and I’m wanting to do nothing more than hibernate in bed. However, as it is mandatory to venture outside I make sure I’m layered up when I do so and I’m more than happy that I have this coat to keep me warm. I got this coat from H&M at the start of December and it’s truly been my saviour on those frosty days. It’s actually now in the sale as all the shops are prepping for spring/summer, so if you go quick you may be able to nab a bargain. Although the shops may be preparing for warmer days, I on the other hand am not quite ready to get into shorts and a crop top, so for now it’s still warm clothes and layers for me!

These earrings are from Ultimate Collections. I was given the option to pick out a piece and so I went for these pretty jeweled studs. They are very me as I do like my sparkly pieces. I was also wore them for NYE as they went perfect with my dress.

What I wore:
Coat – H&M
Turtleneck – Primark
Jeans – Topshop
Heels – Primark
Bag – Aldo
Earrings – Ultimate Collections

Samio x

January 2, 2015