The Wanderer Returns...

First things first...I feel I should apologise for my little six week hiatus. I'd very much like to pretend that it's been an exciting few weeks of adventure and travelling, but I am not a very talented liar. Basically, I was ill for a little while and then had a mountain of freelance work that I needed to catch up on, which ultimately meant that I spent a fair amount of time lounging around my house in a pair of oh so flattering Topman PJs (yes...I'm aware that it is the male counterpart of Topshop). I wasn't so sure if anybody would want to read a post entitled "How To Dress Like A Male Slob", so my personal blog sadly took a bit of a backseat, but anyway...I have returned; healthy, triumphant and back in women's clothes. 

(Dress - ASOS,Shoes - Missguided, Bag - Primark, Cuff - New Look, Necklace - Vintage)

I wore this outfit a few weekends ago for a night out in Cardiff with friends, it's a little lower and clingier than I normally go for sans gym-body, but a girl needs to feel feminine after spending so much time in Topman PJs! You'll have to forgive the photos, I was about to miss my train and my father isn't much of a photographer so the lighting is simply horrendous. Oh, and you can also see that my dip-dye is no more! I've gone back to my roots ready for winter, it's a little darker than I initially planned and left me feeling a little washed out, however I found the perfect solution for this: the Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Ibiza. I first bought some Charlotte Tilbury cosmetics on a whim when I was last in London, I fell in love with an eye palette of hers, then when I saw Millie Mackintosh post a photo using the Ibiza beach stick, I was on the Selfridges website just as quickly as I would have been on a trip to the white isle itself. The consistency is lovely and creamy; it doubles up as a lipstick as well as being flattering on the cheeks and giving a killer glow. Whilst it is a little pricey, a little goes a long way so it is a worthy investment. I'm also thinking of doing a full post about the make-up products I use and my favourite products if any of you would be interested. 

Also, seems as I've been away for a little while, I haven't had a chance to share my other blog with you. I've recently started working with a local vintage store; I've created a blog for them and will be posting weekly articles about vintage dressing and inspiration if any of you fancy taking a look and following the blog then it would be greatly appreciated. You can find it here.

Thanks for reading!

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xx

Grungin' It Up In Gingham.

This is probably the first photo of me wearing a pink ensemble since I was about 7 years old, so drink it up. I think I have had a bit of an unfair aversion to pink clothing for the last few years, choosing to associate it with Barbie-esque hair extensions and a heavy spray tan; but when I saw this dress on Motel, I fell a little bit in love with it. I've made no secret of the fact that I like my outfits to have an element of grunge to them, and not look too "overdone", so with this in mind I was a little worried about how I could make pink work for me - but I do love a challenge. As always, I layered my favourite necklaces over it which are from ASOS and Empty Casket. This had the desired effect of taking me away from that dreaded Barbie route. I was originally going to team it with my JC Lita's, but it was so warm yesterday that I opted for my new La Moda sliders. This whole outfit was for a mini music festival that my local pub hosts every year, so the loose fit of this slip dress was a real winner when I spied the giant BBQ. Aside from the occasional "why are you wearing PJs?" comments, I was happy with how this outfit worked out and surprisingly didn't feel out of my comfort zone by not wearing my atypical outfit of 95% black.

(Dress - Motel Rocks, Shoes - La Moda, Choker - ASOS, Necklace - Empty Casket, Bag - H&M, bangle - Topshop, Rings - Primark)

As for my make-up, I kept it fairly simple but I opted for a purple toned lipstick for a more 90s feel, rather than my signature red lip, and my hair - as always- pretty much did its own thing. I let it dry naturally in the sun and then scrunched some Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray into the ends before flicking my straighteners over my fringe/curtains. Also, I apologise for the rather boring setting of my photos, I was running late as always. 

Another thing - if any of you choose to buy anything from Motel Rocks, you can get 20% discount off your orders with the code "RHIANSD24"

Thanks for reading, please follow the links below for more from me.

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xx

Thighs & Tie Dye

Ah, Rat and Boa.....what would my wardrobe be like without you? I'm not sure that these photos really do a good job of showcasing this skirt, but I was rather limited with space to take photos...plus I didn't really feel like taking my camera out for a night out in Brighton - who knows what images would have been captured?! My guess is that it would have been something akin to the photo reel at the end of The Hangover. Anywho...this was another of my loose fitting outfits in a bid to reduce the pain of sunburn. The hat was added as something of an after thought - sunburn & straighteners are not a fun combination so I was forced to dig out the Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray and let my hair do its own thing. 

Hat - ASOS, Crop Top - Topshop, Skirt - Rat and Boa, Shoes - Primark, Watch - Marc Jacobs, Choker - ASOS, Necklace - Empty Casket

To be honest, this whole look panned out a little better than I was expecting considering I went for comfort and practicality above anything else. I think the best outfits are often the ones without too much thought behind them. I do, however, wish that my face had been a little less shiny, ha. I suppose there is only so much magic that make-up can do after a day of frying your skin though.

These photos were taken on our last night in Brighton, which was spent in an Open Mic night. I've mentioned before that my boyfriend is a singer/songwriter, so he got all excited when he saw a random advert for an Open Mic night just up the road from our hotel. Of course, I was forced to attend after dragging him around endless vintage boutiques and what not all week - but it surprisingly turned out to be one of the best nights of our "holiday". The Open Mic night in question was held in The Bee's Mouth - a bar I'd never even heard of. The bar itself was completely quirky and endlessly fascinating with an eccentric décor which manages to encapsulate both the weird and the wonderful; it just felt instantly cosy, particularly with the aromatic scent of burning incense in each of the dimly lit rooms. 

Anyway, as you can imagine, I get dragged to more than my fair share of Open Mic nights and music venues - and don't get me wrong, I really do love to hear new music from fresh talent; I find it both invigorating and inspiring. I love the sense of excitement that overcomes me when I hear something new which moves me in a way that radio simply can't. I feel lucky to be exposed to all of this raw talent; a musician's most honest and "real" material generally comes from the early part of their career before they get tweaked and refined to meet radio standards and regulations - there really is nothing better than seeing them in all their raw, vehement glory. The Bee's Mouth seemed to truly encapsulate everything that's good about live music; the amount of talent to be held within one small room was truly inspirational, and every single person there watching seemed to be truly interested and moved by each performance. Honestly, the vibe there was electric. I couldn't recommend it more as a venue - definitely worth a look if you ever find yourself in Brighton.