Twisted

T-shirt - Pepe Jeans, skirt - H&M (although its actually a top), sandals - Zara, watch - vintage

On my day off last week, we ran around doing the usual chores - food shopping etc but the difference was we got to do it all in a car! I could hardly contain myself that we actually had a boot to fill rather than lugging it all home like donkeys. We've bought an old Nissan Micra to help with the everyday things but also to go and visit family further away more easily. I also can't wait for our first countryside outing as I'm feeling a little sick of the city at the moment.

I needed to be comfy because it was the first day of getting used to the new car so opted for a stretch cotton skirt, white T and my red twisted suede sandals.

♥ 5 Things

This week has been a whirlwind of car buying (a totally alien venture which I am going to dedicate a whole post to next week), working and contract signing (new job, flat contract extension). And I'm finally looking forward to a weekend of socialising and shopping - in other words, me time.

These are some things that have made this paper work heavy week, a little lighter.

Finally getting the keys to our new car! I jazzed up the boring key ring with some ribbon I took from Fendi (where I'm working currently).

My mint plant is growing like crazy!

Beautiful sunflowers to remind me that even if it doesn't seem like it weather-wise, it is indeed summer.

A long soak in a bubble bath after a long day in heels.

Juicy cantaloupe melon as an afternoon snack.

Very.co.uk Cocktails and Fashion Event

Ugh what a terribly blogger I am. Its odd how this summer has turned out. I thought I would get much more time to relax and actually have a holiday whilst casually doing a bit of work on the side for extra cash. Although I've actually ended up working rather a lot more than first anticipated and barely have any time for myself. And blogging, well no matter how much I try, my body (nor mind) is just not willing to cooperate when I get home at 10pm after 9 hours on the shop floor. I actually feel pretty guilty for the slight blog negligence but I suppose something has to give.

Please bare with me whilst I attempt to take control of my life.

On a more upbeat note, I went to a Very.co.uk event last Thursday night. It was held at Foundation bar in Covent Garden where we were served cocktails and were talked through the latest trends in fashion, technology, interiors and beauty.

I went with my long time friend and ex dance teacher Becky who had won tickets which meant we got a rather generous goody bag on exit.

I would also very much recommend Foundation bar for some post-work/shopping drinks if you're in the area.

HedKandi Beach House straightners set, Provocative Woman Eau de Parfum by Elizabeth Arden, Very.co.uk wrist band, Burt's Bees Lip Balm Set, Intimately Beckham Eau de Parfum sample, Gatineau Activ Eclat intense natural glow, Barry M Crack Effect Nail Paint

If you want to watch a video from the event (I'm at 4 secs for not even a second but hey) click here to take you to the Facebook link.

Currently Lusting

Wednesday already! Day off tomorrow? Yes please! I'm working at Fendi accessories in Harrods at the moment (come and say hello if you're in the area!) and although I have a lot of fun there, my feet and legs ache so much by the end of the day so I'm very grateful when my day off rolls around. Ok, enough moaning and onto the fashion.

Working in such a drool-worthy environment, I find myself making mental lists of all the things I'm going to buy when, oh say £20,000 rocks up in my bank account. Unfortunately I don't live in this fantasy world but I guess a girl can dream.

Here are just a handful of things on that list:

They are the ultimate really, aren't they? Go with everything colour to attempt some sort of justification.

Timeless, classic, extremely over priced. One day maybe...

I walked passed the Herve Leger concession today and may have slowed my walk briefly while I oggled the dresses.

I've wanted one of these for a while and although I'm not sure of the exact price, I know that its going to be in excess of £300. This small detail means it remains on the fantasy list and not in my jewellery box (or on my wrist).

My Weekend

This weekend has been possibly the least productive weekend for some time. Constant rain, wind and the occasional storm don't do much for motivation to get out and about. I was supposed to go and look at some cars this weekend but I didn't fancy getting soaked on the walk there.

Instead I stayed in, ordered Chinese, painted my nails and had a blog clean-up (did you notice?).

I tried out a similar style to this with my new favourite silver glitter polish, but this time graduated the glitter from the corner of the nail. The basic process was the same as before but a bit more of a steady hand was needed for the sparkly detail. For the base coats I used Essie in Flirt.

All White

I've had a couple of days off and I'm so shattered I haven't planned on venturing too far. However much as I would like to wear my pajamas to the supermarket, I'm not sure it would be received too well (for a start my boyfriend would most likely refuse to go with me) so I suppose I've had to get dressed - reluctantly.

Attempting to be as fuss-free as possible, I opted for my white jeans, my beloved white t-shirt which I've had for so long and worn so much that its going see-through and colour-pop platforms.

T-shirt - Pepe Jeans, jeans - I don't remember its been so long, heels - Zara

Road Trip Wardrobe

I haven't been very forthcoming with posts this week. The combination of working long hours and then remembering I have a dastardly summer cold when I do get a moment to breath means for little motivation to do anything other than sleep.

However, as I type whilst still in bed at 12.47pm on my day off, I do have the ability to do some browsing online.

I know everyone's buzzing about A/W already but it's hard to think about cosy knits and biker boots when it's 22 degrees and sunny outside. So I've made a conscious decision not to look at my winter wardrobe quite yet. Plus, I don't want to get fed up of it before I even get a chance to wear any of it.

Working isn't the only thing that's going on in my life at the moment. My boyfriend and I are embarking on buying our first car. I've had my licence for nearly two years and have driven my parents' car in Spain but there are more and more occasions now where I think it would be handy to have a car. For example, commuting to uni, visiting relatives and doing the numerous airport runs that there are during the year. Mr Maria's Gaga only started his lessons last week but hopes to pass his test by the end of the summer and after doing some research, strangely it costs less with him on the insurance than with me on my own even though he hasn't passed his test yet. Funny how these things work out.

Anyway, once we get the car we can't wait to take day trips to the beach and have cheap weekends away in the country. With that in mind I've compiled the ultimate road trip wardrobe.

Bookcase

I finally got round to buying a much needed bookcase for our lounge. After searching everywhere for a reasonably priced one (even turning to bespoke until I found out that a modest bookcase would cost about £800 - not in my budget) I had accepted that I would have to buy Ikea. I really didn't want to, not because I'm against Ikea (we have a lot of Ikea furniture already) but just because I wanted something authentic and unique. I'd tried Ebay but because we don't have a car at the moment, we'd have to pay for a courier on top of the bookcase and that would make it unnecessarily expensive.

However, I had a stroke of luck and managed to find a company who do their business through Ebay but for a reasonable price, can also deliver. Result! The one we bought was on offer at £80, I offered £50 and it was accepted. So all in all, it would cost the same amount as the Ikea bookcase we were going to buy but it was A. So much nicer and B. We didn't have to assemble it ourselves.

It's made of solid pine wood and although is second hand, is in pretty good condition. I would hazard a guess that it was at least 10 years old but that just adds to its character. It has some cut out detail all along the top, four shelves and a wood paneling back.

Temporarily I've put all our books and DVDs on there but I plan to rearrange it all when I have time to make it look more considered. I'll attempt to follow these tips on how to get your bookcase looking its best.

Here are a couple more ideas I'm taking inspiration from:

Images c/o Google

Over The Taupe

Whilst working, my nails have to be pristine so every few days I have to remove and reapply. However, after making my way through my entire nail colour collection, I decided to experiment a little using the glitter polish I bought to wear to the wedding last month (see here). One of my favourites is Over The Taupe by OPI but I consider it more of an autumn/winter colour. However, a little glitter should brighten it up nicely.

After cleaning, moisterising and shaping, I applied a thin layer of basecoat to each nail. Then two layers of Over The Taupe, leaving each layer to dry completely before applying the next. Then I painted my index and ring finger nail on each hand with the glitter polish, left it to dry and then finished with a layer of top coat on all the nails.

Verdict: Not 100% if I like it but I suppose that's the beauty of being able to change it every few days. I think next time I'll graduate the glitter down the nail instead of covering it all evenly.

First coat

Second coat

Glitter added

My tools - OPI Over The Taupe, Attitude by Star Nails, Rimmel 5in1 Base & Top Coat

White Out

Dress - Zara, sandals - River Island, bracelet - I've had it so long I don't even remember

Today has been a day of chores. Tidying, food shopping, washing (that reminds me, I need to hang the washing out), cooking and organising. Not exactly fun-filled but all necessary I suppose.

For work I have to wear a boring plain black skirt suit, plain black top, plain black heels and unattractive nude tights so off-duty, I like to wear pretty, colourful, non-structured clothes. Since I'm doing a lot of moving around in this humid weather, my cotton Zara summer dress works perfectly and with my hair scooped off my neck, a make-shift bracelet (made from a long necklace) and some simple sandals, I'm good to go.

Now excuse me while I tend to my freshly cleaned bedding.

Card Holder

Thanks to a very generous friend, I had a gift card to use at Reiss. I don't often shop at Reiss, not really sure why, but after researching further I realised the prices are actually quite steep for the high street. So I patiently waited for the sale to spend my credit.

Even in the sale, a dress is upwards of £100 and I didn't want to get a sequined t-shirt for £60 - yes, £60. But whilst browsing I came across their lovely selection of iphone holders and card holders. Since I'm a Blackberry girl, the phone holders were out of the question - shame - but I thought a chic leather card holder might be a nice replacement for my freebie M&S Oyster card holder. Plus, it can replace my chunky wallet with my cards, ID and some cash in there when I want to use a clutch bag.

I found it difficult to decide between the vibrancy of this one and the one I bought but went with the navy blue patent mock croc in the end because it echoed the mock croc leather of my Mulberry.

With that in mind, I had a look at some other card holders and travel accessories which would make a perfect gift for men or women, especially when personalised.

Travel Wallet

I love the vibrancy of the citrus yellow and the fact that you can keep everything you need for the journey in one place.

Card Holder

Such a pretty colour. Reminds me of a summer sky.

Luggage Tags

Ruby red luggage tags make it so much easier (and fun) to spot your suitcase on the airport carousel.

Travel Wallet

Great for the jet-setting man. Understated, not flashy.

Card Holder

For the kind of man who doesn't carry lots of cash, it seamlessly fits into a trouser pocket.

Passport Holder

A little luxury to brighten up the queue at passport control.

Shoe Boxes

I'm having a gradual re-vamp of our apartment at the moment. It seems like since we moved here nearly a year ago, we've accumulated so much more stuff that I really can't find space for it all anymore. Alas, it gathers dust and becomes clutter on the floor instead.

So I started with my shoe situation. Although I have a large double wardrobe, half of it is filled with a spare duvet for when we have guests to stay so I only have a single wardrobe size space for my shoes. After counting them and realising I shockingly own 26 pairs (this doesn't sound much but when I moved here I only had about 10 - meaning I've purchased 16 pairs in less than a year) I needed to find a simple, cheap solution to storing them all in the wardrobe - rather than being scattered all over the floor.

I had looked at chest of draw-type pieces and specific shoe holding systems but they were all too pricey and just didn't store enough shoes. I've always been interested in clear plastic shoe boxes but I kind of thought what's the point, I can just store them in their original boxes. However, they aren't just boxes but actually serve as really smart storage spaces. Each box locks together which makes it easy to stack them and they open at both ends so you don't need to unstack and restack every time you want to take out a pair of shoes. Each box is large enough to fit 1 pair of heels, 2 pairs of flats or 3 pairs of sandals so are really efficient and they have a handle on the side which means they are easy to travel with. At £1 per box, it really was an excellent solution. Plus, the boxes come in various sizes for men, ankle boots and tall boots.

Unfortunately they don't fit my bulky running trainers in but that's my only complaint.