Tiny Tiger Tidbits

Look how cute. I was roaming Hounslow today and just so happened to stumble upon a Tiger store! It’s a little dangerous for me knowing it’s there… Who knows how much money I’m going to spend purchasing little unnecessary trinkets like a tiny grater or a tea-light lantern? (A lot, I figure.)

But, I was overjoyed to find it today because I was on the desperate hunt for storage. How exciting, eh?

I found these gorgeous pentagonal wire baskets – I figure I could use one for mail and one for make-up palettes, or whatever else I find astray.

Tiger: Black and Chrome coloured baskets. £4 each.

I also found this orange hanging basket: the last of its kind. In the store, the rest of them were black. I had to snap up this little beauty before someone else could get their mittens on it!

I’m going to use this as an ‘essentials’ basket: it’ll hold my keys, my purse and a couple of other important things that I forget more often than I’d like to! Practical and stylish, no?

Tiger. Orange hanging basket. £3.

I'm still playing around with where I want these (I have a lot of naked shelves I need to fill!) but this is where they will live for now. I think they're tidy, hassle-free and I love the minimalist look of the pentagonal baskets juxtaposed against the more rustic look of the orange hanging basket. But I feel like they belong together because they have the same symmetrical wire look. Like basket cousins maybe!

Weee, love all around.

L.

(The link will direct you to the Tiger Stores website, although you will not be able to purchase anything online. You can only purchase items in store. There is information on where the closest Tiger store to you will be :) Also, as a disclaimer, this post is not sponsored.)

OOTD - 4th May, 2014

It is a beauuuutiful day in London - sunny, a cool breeze in the air, perfect for, well. I thought it was perfect for going to the cinema. The weather is a waste on me, I know.

I went solo to go see The Other Woman. But after a little mix up with the times (my bad) I saw Bad Neighbours at Vue in Islington. Great film! And so much eye candy (Seth Rogen, I'm talking about you. Hahah)

Anyways, I took a couple impromptu snaps before I hurried out the door. 

Apparently I like to touch my face

Black. Surprised?

My basic black top is from Topshop (? like, £8ish)

My jeans are from Topshop (Jamie, £40)

My belt is also from Topshop (£18)

My necklace is from New Look (??)

My Kimono (which I am in love with) is from Forever 21 (£9.75)

My trainers are Adidas

L.

OOTD

Today was an exploration day in London: I wanted an outfit that folded in the allure of smart-chic but that was comfortable enough to be able to spend the whole day in. I’d planned to walk around for hours.

…this outfit was predominantly inspired by the styling of Anne Hathaway in the movie, Love and Other Drugs. Set in the mid-to-late 90s, the outfit choices are carefully thought out to portray the eradication of gender-fuelled fashion choices, bringing in the androgynous quality in fashion that we see repeatedly today.

My two staple pieces in this outfit are my (ludicrously named) ‘Boyfriend’ coat (£58) and ‘Mom’ jeans (£40).

Although not a fan of their titles, I adore both these pieces as both perfectly adapt to a range of outfits.

I accessorised this with a belt from Topshop (£18) and  Ray-Ban Clubmasters (Christmas present). The plain, white t-shirt is from Brandy Melville ('Sheron top, about £10.)

The scarf is from a charity shop, and only cost £2!

I love the look of the Boyfriend coat as it creates such a great silhouette, and is perfect for day and night.

Its transformable quality makes it worth the money spent!

This clutch satchel is also a shoulder bag (Topshop, £28)

My trusty Dr. Martens

L.

5 Things To Smile About

I was feeling really down today, but a lot of people around me radiated a kind of warmness and joy that teases you in despite the dark clouds that hang above you. I reminded myself that moods are contagious, and you should always keep people that won't induce negativity as company. There's nothing worse than a Negative Nancy (or Natalie, or Niamh, or Norman or Nathan.. I don't know why Nancy gets picked on) so here are a couple of things that happen in life that you could smile about.

1) When you pull your curtains back and you see that it has snowed overnight:
As a kid in primary school, waking up at 6am was no problem if it was to listen to the radio (see that... Radio, not Facebook or Twitter!) and keep your ears open for your primary school's name to be called. And it's not much different now I'm 18. I doubt it's very much different for adults with full time occupations! Planning a completely different day ahead to welcome Jack Frost was, (and still is) the most exhilarating thing! It's spontaneous, and it keeps us on our toes: and whether we stay in with a hot drink or go out and embrace the snow, is up to us. And that goes for ANY type of weather! (Hear that sun? It'd be nice if you showed your face too... we like it!)

2) Discounts:
I complimented a lady on her maxi-dress yesterday evening and asked her if she'd been anywhere nice: she replied she hadn't, and that the sun was enough of an excuse to wear it (can you tell we live in England?). She proceeded on to tell me that she'd seen it in the Monsoon sale, with a £25 discount. BUT, as it scanned through, it came out even more cheaper. HOW GREAT IS THAT. I, not the benefitee of the sale, was ecstatic for her because those little perks are something great, aren't they?

3) The Stranger Smile:
In my Tumblr bio (you can take a peek here!), I write that I'm 'appreciative of the stranger smile'. I smile to strangers as much as I can. I grew up in a tiny village where everybody says hello to each other, and so I think I've developed an inability of fearing strangers, but trying to remove the stigma associated with them. "But stranger danger is a THING, Lol", I hear you say. I know, but weren't all your friends strangers once?
Try it - smiles are contagious. Smile right now. See if it makes you just that teeny bit happier. And if it doesn't, think about how silly you looked smiling to yourself. Weirdo.

4) Opportunities:
Hey kid, how cool is it that we have so much to choose from? You can wake up tomorrow and choose to be someone who is intellectually stimulating, or a movie-nerd, or an athlete, or a basket case (...sorry, that turned very "The Breakfast Club". Guess which one I am). You might think it weird or you may have just not grasped the concept of freedom or liberty as severe as I see it, but it's your life, and it may take a couple of weeks, months or years and a few pennies but you can do it. That's something to smile about. Solidifying your dreams. Cheesy, but who doesn't like cheese?

5) That time when you did that really awesome thing:
You've lived a couple years by now, (I'm guessing.. unless the children from "Baby Geniuses" are reading this. What's up Sly?) so you've got a collection of memories that make you smile. No doubt. You've got that time when that thing happened and you were like 'woah' and that time when that other thing happened that made you feel really anxious and crappy but now you're like 'hahhahah lmfao lol'. Y'know?! Those little things shouldn't be forgotten - try and squeeze them tight to embed them into that little noggin of yours, and save them for a day when the sun isn't shining so brightly, and your smile isn't as wide as it could be.

As you might be able to tell, this kind of progressed into something a little deeper than intended. But let's cut the stuffy, philosophical tension and list a couple of other things that might make you smile:

6) Jennifer Lawrence.
7) Junk food.
8) Trashy reality TV.
9) Alcohol (disclaimer: this may also make you cry. Side affects include headaches and sickness.)
10) Tumblr/Twitter
11) Photos!
12) PoorMichelle


...please feel free to add your own in the comments below! :)

L.

OOTD - 6th June, 2013

Two posts in one day! What the eff! Hahah.

I think the sun is making me more productive (when it comes to my blog, not so much revision) and so I took a couple of snaps of what I am wearing this glorious evening!

It's a super casual OOTD... and admittedly my second outfit of the day.

The grey v-neck is from H&M - a great staple to your wardrobe! (Just realised I haven't even really showed you the v-neck! ...But you can use your imagination, haha)

My trousers are from the Topshop sale!

They are so light and airy and perfect for summer!

...My trusty Docs have once again appeared.

L.

OOTD - 24th May, 2013

WHERE HAVE THE YEARS GONE?

I finished college for GOOD today. I feel a lot of mixed emotions, but mostly just relief that I endured the 2 years. I'm also astounded as to how quickly it passed by - on to university in September (eek!)

Anyways, today's post is another OOTD. The weather wasn't particularly great, and it made me feel very melancholy... it's probably reflected in my outfit, haha! Here are a few cheeky snaps.

From head to toe -

Checkered shirt - Monki (around £15)

Black staple jump suit - Topshop (I think it was £38)

Men's wool cardigan - Charity Shop (£4)

Cross hatched tights - Present

Black, patent Dr. Martens

L.

(Disclaimer: I am no way affiliated with the brands that I have mentioned: these views are entirely my own. I am also not sponsored, nor sent any of the items shown above.)

OOTD - 21st May, 2013

Hello :)

Lovely day, isn't it? It started off really foggy, but by the time I got home, it was beautifullllll. I decided to slip out of the oversized jumper I went to college in, and slip into more summery attire.

This is what I came up with!

My lace, quasi-salmon pink crop top is from a cute little store called H&B.

Hearts & Bows (Manchester) is so dainty, and every time I visit my sister I always want to check it out. They do great grungey/punk clothes, for amazing prices - or, you can splash out on their super chic vintage section upstairs.

You can get cropped jumpers, dupes for disco pants, studded clothes and printed tees just to name a handful of things!

When I went, they were having a 20% off sale, so I think this top I purchased came to about £10!

It also came in the cutest bag.

(Sorry for the mirrored picture)

This top is thin, it's light and it's perfect for summer! What I really like about it is that it doesn't suffocate my arms like I felt the Topshop ones did - I think the colour also added a bit of excitement to the outfit, and its brightness is perfect for when the sun finally decides to show!

What I would recommend, though, is to wear a bandeau underneath it, as it is a bit revealing!

My a-line/asymmetrical skirt is from H&M (although I don't think it's sold online...) Once again, I think this was a really simple staple, which took a backseat in the outfit  - it acted as the foundation I worked around. I think the skirt was around £8.

I would advise wearing hot pants (or whatever coverage you prefer) underneath this as it isn't very opaque - the material is quite sheer, so you can see that cheeky butt!

What I think would be cool is to wear a leotard like this or this with this skirt... killing two birds with one stone, as they say!

Wearing a leotard would be a good alternative to a crop top, as you wouldn't have to show that bit of tummy if you didn't want to - for those of you out there that would rather keep it tucked in (including myself) a leotard is a fantastic alternative to simply tucking in a normal top because you don't get the 'bunching' that tends to happen around the waistline! 

And my trusty, over-worn Dr. Martens are from online (Amazon) but you can get them from so many places I'm sure you wouldn't need to search for long!

 :)

L.