Current favourites: nail edit staples

I have really been taking the time, recently to do my nails and wanted to share a few current favourites with you. 

I love nail varnish and have a pretty good collection but sometimes I honestly don't have the time.

Recently however. I have been taking those 10-15 minutes to just chill out, choose a colour and clear my mind as they dry.

Neutral tones and grungey feeling nails are an all year round favourite.
These have been my go to choices.

Current favs:

Barry M picks:

Grey and Blue from the Barry M classic range

Barry M is one of my absolute favourite affordable nail companies.

They always have large range of colours and finishes to choose from.

They also seem to last forever, I have had one nail varnish from their classic range for 10 years and it still perfect- no word of a lie. I t has only recently been replaced.

MUA pick:

Midnight is a really pretty metallic shade and only costs £1. 

MUA is a very trend led brand with a very low price point.

So it is great for checking out new colours without having to spend too much.

Essie pick:

Vested Interest  Is a really striking greyish toned teal green.

Essie is another brand that is of great quality and has excellent colour ranges.

The tones are always pretty cool.
They can be a little pricey but shopping online or going to TK Maxx like I did can save your a fair bit of money.

OPI pick:

OPI Brazil Collection - I Sao Paulo Over There

This is such a stunning colour and just adds something to an outfit, as well as making your hands look beautiful.

It is totally an understated statement colour.
Again OPI Can be pricey so look around. 

I also found this in TK Maxx for £2.99 or £3.99 saving over £7.

Primark pick (In Stores)

019 At 80p this is the cheapest polish in my edit.
 The colour appears a little different in the bottle.
Which is what attracted my attention but it is a pretty deep petrol denim colour.

Kiko picks:

226 Rouge Noir, 508 Rose Sand and 317 Dark Antique Pink from the Kiko nail lacquer range.

Kiko is one of those undercover cult beauty brands, that totally deserve the hype.

They have very affordable items that rival and surpass much bigger brands.

I will however say that without a top coat 317 does chip after a day or 2.
However it is still such a pretty neutral blush colour in real life.

What colours are you reaching for?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays

Reads of the month: December 2015

Hi Lovers,
Long time no review but I promise I have been reading!
So these are my new reads of the month.
These are two very different books.
Check them out below.

The girl next door 

 by Ruth Rendell (3.5 stars)

Flitting between the modern day and the cusp of WW2. 

A buried tin containing the remnants of two severed hands, is the catalyst that brings a group of friends long since grown up back into each other lives.

Having grown up in a small Essex suburb together, it doesn't take long before old alliances and group hierarchy of what once was are firmly back in place. 

Swept up in a murder investigation, old truths and buried memories are brought to the surface.

Rendell took an interesting route and didn't focus on the actual murderer but the children now well into adulthood.

The plot centers on how an incident that they didn't know had actually happened greatly impacted their lives. 

As the group find each other again regret, lost chances, ageing and opportunities rear their head and some to detrimental effect.

Told from a much older generation struggling to find their place in the modern world was an excellent touch.

I found the use of older people making mistakes, feeling adrift and learning to live a life other than the one set out for them refreshing.

The role of being all knowing and wise is often afforded or foisted on older characters and this certainly isn't the case here. 

I am a pretty fast reader but this is a slow burn so it took some sticking to.

Without giving the plot away I did find fault with the stereotypical scenes and internalised

 misogynistic attributes in a few of the characters.

 This often irritates me in books however one characters end story did go some way in redeeming this.

This is actually the last book Rendell before her death earlier this year.

 So I think it will be very special to a lot of her keen followers.

Kitty Peck and the Child of Ill-Fortune by Kate Griffin (4 stars)

This engrossing historical mystery thriller set in Victorian London, follows fiery and fearless 17 year old Kitty Peck. 

The newly untested heiress of Paradise, the underworld criminal empire formerly run by her grandmother Lady Ginger.

No longer one of the many girls working within her grandmothers music hall.

 Kitty is now the boss and has to fight for the right to win and command all that lies within Paradise. 

Desperate to find and be reunited with her banished brother Joey.

 She embarks on a journey, where her life is placed in danger when she can not refuse a strangers plea for help and the chance to save a child.

Kitty and her friends lives are soon in danger as she unwittingly stumbles through her Grandmothers plans for her and those who have followed her back from Paris in pursuit of this child and bury a secret that could potential bring down the English empire.

This is actually the second book in this series and I didn't feel as though I had missed out on information at all. The first Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders is definitely on my list.

I found myself automatically reading kitty's parts in a proper hardcore cockney accent. Although there were cases of othering. 

 I felt a good percentage of the characters were well rounded and described well.

I really enjoyed this book and really felt as though I was immersed and living this adventure with Kitty. 

I found that the author struck the right balance of Kitty being a young woman and suddenly having to don this mantle of responsibility brilliantly.

This follows the traditional penny dreadful style and although a little sketchy in places is  very enjoyable.

Until next time.......

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Shaking up AW15: Kiko haul

Kiko is one of those beauty brands that is soooo affordable and is amazing quality yet I find I don't shop there enough. 

I may not shop there as often as I would like but I do have a great collection of solid great performance products.

I absolutely love the Regents Street branch and could honestly
just stay in there for hours gazing at the products.
Although it doesn't have the biggest space it's very cleanly layed out
and just on the right side of overwhelming -if there is such a thing!

Whilst meeting up with friends for dinner,
I dropped in and picked up a few items and I am really loving them.
As I don't often wear bright colours on my eyes,
I actually bought these eyeshadow shades to use them mainly as blusher.
Although less bright in real life,
they are very pigmented. So a very light hand is needed and a very small amount of product does the job.
They might be colours usually associated with spring or summer
but if you have been reading the blog for a while I am sure you know I wear whatever takes my fancy whenever
it takes said fancy!

Here are a few things I picked up:

Infinity Eyeshadow 207 Mat Papaya
Infinity Eyeshadow 208 no longer on site but is in store
Ultra Glossy Stylo 809 Red Ruby
Ultra Glossy Stylo 814 Glam Magenta
Smart Lipstick 923 Peony Purple
Nail Laquer 536 metallic quartz green

No surprise that there are 3 lipsticks!

I absolutely love a bold lip,
it might be my signature eyebrows and bold lips. 

Sounds good.

I also grabbed a gorgeous metallic fresh green to contrast with my khaki collection and am very happy to have this stunner in my collection.

What were your last Kiko buys?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

AW15 Jewellery: what I'm wearing

Autumn is fast becoming my favourite time of year.

Being in London the weather is always unpredictable but Autumn especially brings such varied weather you never know what you will be wearing from one day to the next.

So Jewellery is such a great way to jazz up any outfit, boost my mood and shop my collection.

I have really been inspired of late to shop my wardrobe/ jewellery box and have been loving these pieces.
All of these are pretty old and are a mixture of vintage, eBay,Asos and Primark.

Here are a few of my favourite pieces so far

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Noir et blanc: Monochrome moments

Hi Lovers,

I am an avid lover of monochrome and I tend to start the "all monochrome everything"" campaign mid way through January for a few weeks. After I have flung on the brightest , richest colours to cheer up the London cold drudgery and folded away the party wear after the the last 2 months of rampant bacchanalia. It is time to dedicate myself to monochrome. I love how you just look put together and finished in monochrome. Whether you go full on with the black and white or you pull together a black ensemble with a pop of white.

I love the simplicity of monochrome. It is chic and stylish for all occasions and means that you don't have to think too hard when you get up at the crack of dawn. Nor does it assault your eyes and senses with the vibrancy of colour lol. I am not a morning person and the cold offends me- Warmer days where art thou?

I haven't spent much money on myself this year so far or over Christmas in regards to clothes ( steady on we are 20 days in!) and I am loving the feeling of "shopping my closet". I have so many black and white items and bags for days. A a few of which you might remember from my Shoppers+ Pouches post.

 Here are a few items that I have in my closet or am considering *ahem* buying that are very good value or in the sales.

Boohoo Abbie Grid Print Duster Coat

 ASH feeling stretch feeling stretch boots

F&F Printed shirt dress

ASOS TALL Midi Skater Dress With Short Sleeves

Gingham Lace Trim Ankle Socks

Newlook white chunky multi buckle cut out boots

MAC Ruby Woo  (because why not?!)

Until pastel Fridays and animal print Mondays kick in  (joking lol)........

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and Follow @GirlWednesdays  

MUA Nail Polish haul

L-R  Leapfrog, Sweet peach, Red rose £1 each

I stopped by  Superdrug a few weeks back and picked up these beautiful nail varnishes by MUA. I really like their stuff and I find that most colours have very good staying power. They are a really good way of experimenting without breaking the bank.

Although 2 aren't particularly wintry, I find that at least 60% of the time I reach for brighter colours in 

A/W to lift my mood and paint my toes.

At £1 each I couldn't of got a better bargain and you can never have enough red nail varnishes especially in the run up to Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas these make really lovely stocking fillers and with so many pretty shades in cute packaging to choose  from you can't go wrong.

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

My ultimate mini satchel

Strolling through Primark a few weeks back, My eye was caught by this beautiful maroon/ burgundy/ deliciously dark berry mini satchel.

I love a good satchel and immediately snatched it determined to buy it and at a ridiculously low £6 buy it I did. Everything about it appeals to me.

I really love the gun metal hardware and matte finish that gives it a glossier high end look. Although I have been using this as a clutch it does come with a strap which I would have preferred to be detachable but hey ho! It is the perfect size for the bare essentials, phone, money, keys, cards, oyster card of course and lippie. Bish, bash, bosh.

My fav khaki snuggly jumper and mini satchel- good colour pair no?

I do tend to favour bigger bags and carry my whole room in the depths of them but have been leaning towards pouches as seen in this post. I love that it can be taken from day to night and have been reaching for it non stop of late. It adds a really nice sophisticated yet edgy twist to any outfit. Every once in a while I stumble across a fashion item that I obsess over and this my friends is it! 

It just seems perfect for me in every way and I can't wait to break this bad boy out for the Christmas party season.

What do you think guys?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

What a difference a week makes....December 2013

Hey Dawls,

Its been a while since my last post-I know lol.

I have been so busy lately and I haven't had a moment to stop. But when I did, look what happened. The gorgeous autumn leaves are now that hazardous mulch that tries to kill you on the pavement and the trees  how have that bald, stark prison look. That I will cut you bitch look (I have been binge watching Orange is the new black so yeh). It is strangely beautiful in a cold dismal, this looks better from a window seat and central heating on full blast way.

It is soooo time for me to pull out the mens thermal socks and my comfy old jumper, whilst scoffing pumpkin and squash soup. Mhhhh yummers!  Might even make some hot cocoa in a pan (yeah I gets fancy lol). As lovely as the notion of a winter wonderland sounds, lets hope it doesn't happen! Sorry but no. Fingers and toes crossed for a cold yet snow free winter yay! How are you welcoming in December?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

 

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

Matalan Haul:A/W12

Well bonjour Madame Matalan!  Matalan isn't a shop I visit very often but that will definitely change. I have been receiving a lot of their catalogues and discount cards of late so decided to stop by.  I was a little late and didn’t discover Matalan until Uni days. Even then it was one of those shops that you hit like twice a year because of its random location. 

I am incredibly happy with the pieces I got and have already been complimented on several items. This is a very autumnal haul with key accents in plum, aubergine and oxblood. It was not deliberate but it seems that I am reaching for these rich colours more and more. The velvet metal capped brogues give a feminised shoe the much needed edge I love in my accessories and can be teamed with the floaty dress and blazer for a business look or with turned up jeggings and the over sized knit for a casual Friday look.

The over sized orangey coral clutch is really beautiful and the studded horses really lift the bag and add another element to any outfit. I also really loved the over sized tote in cream. You cant see very well from the image but it has a very slight hint of pinky mink blush to it which helps the rose gold studded detail to really warm up the tone of the bag. 

I always get flat ballet pumps where ever I can as I love them and they are super comfortable. The quilted finish is an added extra to the patent capped look we have been seeing on the high streets. Finally Metallics are very big this season and who could resist that gorgeous wear me at Halloween or Christmas party foiled dipped hem skirt? It really reminded me of the foiled Christmas wrapping paper and I just had to have it!

To be honest I didn't go mad as I was looking for smart casual pieces that could go from day to night and not have the rigidity of office wear.  For me their range this season was either too casual or to office wear, so it was definitely quality over quantity this time around. I would definitely suggest trying things on in store if it is your first foray into the shop as I have found their sizing really weird and usually have to go a size smaller some items and bigger in others. I would highly recommend their jumpers this season as they are comfy slouchy and tailored enough to be duel party and business pieces.

 Matalan have really stepped up their game over the last 10 years apparently and I can definitely say their clothes are fashionable and excellent quality. Unlike some other well know high street companies their leggings and jersey dresses don't bobble and tear upon impact with skin. Have you found any Matalan gems of late?

  Until next time.......

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

E.L.F lips edition (haul)

Hey dolls,
So winter is here and it is here with a vengeance!
Wind , rain and for some hardcore floods.
Now I have a normal if not large amount of lipgloss and lip care but whilst on a train I have been assulted with a a tidal wave of ashy and dry lips!
Seeing the dead skin and massive crackshas  spurred me into action and et voila I went on a little E.LF spree as soon as my fingers touched a keyboard.

The above lipglosses and lipsticks are the fruit of my labour and I absolutely LOVE them.
I am not quite sure why I got 2 lip plumping glosses as I really don't need it but meh, the more the merrier. They nourish my lips well and smell great.
They are provide a beautiful  wash of colour and are packed with goodies to keep my lips supple, crack free and winter ready. Most importantly they are not too sticky. E.L.F have some amazing deals on atm so go indulge yourself and have chap free lips as it is most definitely the trend for AW12!

Until next time .....

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays  

The AW/12 fashion moodboard

Yay Autumn is upon us! The kids are back at school and the first week of September has been unexpectedly sunny its time to shzuuush up your outfits with a those autumnal colours and whip out the old macs and capes.

Obviously times are hard and for most of us money is tight so picking key pieces and finding alternatives is important. Its all about layering and mix matching textures and prints. Statement pieces are always a must for a unique twist, be it a necklace, weird bag or killer coat let your piece do the talking! Keep it trendy in bold berrys and striking plums. Find your inner lady with lace but vamp it up with a whisper of leather. Find your own interpretation of British heritage chic. Match an over sized tee, funky legging, a Barbour or military inspired coat and those wicked Alexander McQueen riding boots for that concrete jungle edgy.  Jewellery wise keep it bold yet classic. Find simple pieces that have been updated or giver a twist. Always check boutiques, bazaars, markets and eBay for one off original items that others won't have.

Most importantly make it your own and have fun!

Until next time...........

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays