February Fancies.

Alina Lingerie - Agent Provocateur | Leather Jacket - Whistles | Black Orchid EDP -  Tom Ford | "Love" Rose Gold Necklace - Astley Clarke | Saffiano Clutch - Vivienne Westwood | Labradorite Friendship Bracelet - Astley Clarke | Atlas of Remote Islands Book - Amazon | Adventurers Journal - Cottonon.com

Ah, valentine's day - the most romantic day of the year, apparently.

 February 14th dictates that it must be the most romantic day of the year, thereby making it the least romantic. What happened to spontaneity, ey? I'm not a big lover of the clichés when it comes to Valentine's day; I think the small gestures go a lot further. An overpriced restaurant full of anxious men getting down on one knee? No thanks. Breakfast in bed just because? That's more like it. However, with that being said, I am still a big believer in luxurious treats from time to time, but I think more and more women need reminding that you don't need a partner to shower you with gifts; you deserve to spoil yourself every once in a while! I've been single at Valentine's day, and it's only natural to feel a little bit left out when you're bombarded with photos of roses and little blue Tiffany boxes on Instagram come February 14th. So, this year why don't you all treat yourselves to a little luxury in February? January is normally the most depressing month in the calender. It brings with it the end of the festivites, the sickeningly long wait until payday and we've all grown sick of the freezing cold mornings and the incessant rain. Don't we all need deserve a little pick me up after that?

So, don't wait for a man to come along and spoil you this Valentine's day, do it yourself. I've compiled a list of all the little luxuries that I'll be dreaming of this February. Sadly, my bank balance isn't quite healthy enough to justify purchasing all of these little indulgences, but I think I will treat myself to some Astley Clarke jewellery, I've been lusting after a simplistic rose gold necklace for a while now, and this one was just love at first sight. An apt gift to myself this Valentine's day, don't you think? After all, rose gold will always outlive a real rose.

What are all of you lusting after this Valentine's day? 

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

Snow White.

I'm not going to lie, the thing that stood out most to me when I looked at these photos was my deathly pale skin. I worked until 5.30 this evening, and then had to get ready in about 40 minutes to head to a gig....hence my lack of fake bake. I probably should have pretended that my paleness was intentional, shouldn't I? Oh well - you live and you learn. I went to see Kids In Glass Houses tonight, for possibly the millionth time. Incase you haven't heard of them, they're a Welsh band who are currently preparing for what will be their final tour; this is a depressing thought - not just because they're a talented band, but also because it makes me feel incredibly old....I've been going to their gigs since I was around 15 years old - it's like the end of an era! In terms of the venue, it was a relatively small and intimate gig, but once they started playing, you could have easily forgot that; their stage presence and energy is simply phenomenal, they have a profound ability to liven up even the most neglected of bars. I'll probably post a couple of photos on my Instagram account, I took them on my phone so the quality isn't sharp enough for my blog, sadly.  A quick tip: if you haven't heard Kids In Glass Houses before, give them a quick search on YouTube. "Drive" is my song of choice.

 

Kimono - River Island, T-Shirt - River Island, Skirt - ASOS, Boots - Kurt Geiger, Bag - Urban Outfitters, Necklaces - River Island, Cuff - New Look

I wasn't really too sure what to wear, it was an indoor gig so I went for something relatively cool. I  think the whole outfit would have worked a little better with a different choice of shoe, but I knew the entire place was going to be crammed, and I didn't want my poor little tootsies to get crushed. So, instead of focusing on my rather boring and mismatched outfit, I'm going to bang on about my hair for a little while. I've had a couple of private messages asking me what I do to style it, and the answer is frustratingly simple....I hardly do anything to it. My hair has a natural kink to it, which used to be the bane of my life. Nowadays I embrace it. I normally wash my hair, and then put it in a very loose and messy bun on top of my head until it's 80% dry, then I blast my hairdryer over it and rough straighten my "curtains". I then tip my head upside down and spray a little Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray through the ends and scrunch it in before combing through it all roughly. Voilà! That's basically it; my answer to scruffy, grunge hair! Oh, and another question I've had lately - "Do you wear extensions?" No, my hair is naturally this length. I'm always more than happy to answer questions about my style and/or beauty routine, so do feel free to tweet/comment/instagram/send smoke signals if you want to know anything more. Actually, maybe not smoke signals....I'm not sure if I'm fluent enough in smoke yet.

Thanks for reading!

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xx

Liebster Award

I was nominated for the Liebster award by Sophie from As Seen On Sophie. I'm relatively new to the blogging world so it was lovely to be nominated for something. The Liebster award is basically a way for new bloggers to connect with other bloggers, and it's also a good way to get your blog out there by answering questions about yourself. The rules are as follows:

You must answer all 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.

You must link back to the person that nominated you.

After completing these questions you must nominate 11 bloggers (with under 200 followers) and give them 11 questions of your choice.

You can not nominate the person who nominated you.

Okay, here we go. These were the questions I was given...

.1. What has been your favourite moment this year?

Hmm, I assume this means within 2014, but I'm going to take it as "the past twelve months" ha - just so I can use my favourite memory of finally getting to see Kings of Leon in the most incredible atmosphere of V Festival. I've been to so many gigs, but seeing a band you love in a festival setting is such an experience. If I was to answer the question properly though, my highlight of 2014 so far is probably visiting Liverpool. I booked it on a bit of a whim for Easter weekend, but I had such an incredible time in the Cavern Club - pretending I was living it up in the 60s, ha.

V Festival 2013

2. What are you looking forward to most this summer?

I'll be honest, this summer pales in comparison to last summer where I swanned off to Ibiza, lived it up in V Festival and had several weekends away, ha. But I can't complain too much, I'm hoping to book a mini-break to Newquay for August Bank Holiday weekend, and I've got a couple of small gigs lined up such as Kids In Glass Houses, Taking Back Sunday and Reel Big Fish. Plus, I'm hoping to go to Iceland in November to see the Northern Lights and make up for my lack of summer holiday this year.

3. What got you in to blogging?

People had been telling me to blog for ages, and it was always something I was interested in but kept pushing to the bottom of my to do list. Then one day, I was moaning about the lack of fashion writing opportunities in my hometown, and I just thought that I should make my own platform rather than way for somebody to allow me share theirs. 

4. Sweet or savoury?

Sweet, 100%. My goal of having a body akin to that of  a Victoria's Secret model drifts further and further away every single day.

5. Cats or Dogs?

Dogs. I have two - a malamute and a springer spaniel. Currently waiting for somebody to buy me a Saint Bernard.

Me and my dogs...trying not to be cruel and refer to my sister as a dog too, ha. Not the most fashionable of photos, but sometimes (just sometimes) warmth comes first...mainly just in times when you're not expecting a camera in your face.

6.If you could be anyone for the day, who would you be?

Valentina Muntoni....without a shadow of a doubt. 

Valentina Muntoni: The definition of "utter babe"

7. If you had to choose which one would it be, fashion or make-up?

This is so hard, ha. I'm going to go with fashion....I could probably hide my scary make-up free face behind a gigantic pair of Chanel sunglasses that way. 

8. What's your favourite TV show?

Friends, even though it ended over a decade ago, ha. Rachel and Ross stole my heart! I am partial to a bit of Made in Chelsea though, it's my guilty pleasure. 

9. What's the worst experience you've gone through that you have learnt from?

I don't really want to bring too much negativity to my blog by answering this question, so I'm just going to answer with something I've struggled with recently rather than my worst experience (I know - what a cop out!) I found life after university a lot harder than I thought it would be; I assumed that I'd have landed my dream job by now and be well on my way to paying off my rather huge student loans. But I just don't think that's realistic for anyone thesedays. In my last year of university, I realised that a degree isn't worth as much as it used to be; employers want real experience nowadays. So I've spent the last couple of  years trying my best to balance university work, a job whilst also trying to freelance as often as I could, at one point I was trying to finish my dissertation whilst working unpaid for Closer Magazine in London (4 hours away from my university campus and home), because I just really wanted to get myself as much experience as I could. Luckily, I've graduated now so the intensity has lifted somewhat, but even now I still write between 8-12 articles a week whilst working 37.5 hours a week and trying to blog as often as I can - so forgive me if my posts are sometimes few and far between, ha.

10. Who is your favourite blogger and why?

Lydia from Fashion Influx. I've followed her for years, and I like how she's stayed true to her style. She also finds the best bargains.....which makes you forgive her for her seriously enviable figure!

11. What do you love about blogging? 

As much as it sounds like a cliche, blogging allows me to bring my two greatest passions together - writing and fashion. When I started my blog, I was always a little concerned that people would assume it was a bit narcissistic in that "look at me and how awesome I think my fashion sense is", but I think personal style blogs are such an interesting platform for creativity, I love how people showcase their outfits - even if it's in a style that I personally wouldn't wear. I just really do believe that fashion is a form of self- expression in the same way that music is; fashion is a culture that we all immerse ourselves in every single day.

Here are my nominations:

www.gracesbeautyspace.blogspot.co.uk

www.farhfromordinary.com/blog/

www.vogueandvigour.blogspot.co.uk/

www.anikamiller.blogspot.co.uk/

www.yourdailydoseofstyle.blogspot.co.uk/

www.sophiedeedoesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

www.themodelcachet.blogspot.co.uk/

www.freyablendell.blogspot.co.uk/

www.simplesassysultry.blogspot.com

www.rockmyboots.blogspot.com.es/

www.hellolupi.blogspot.co.uk/

And, here are your questions for you:

1. What has been your highlight of the past 12 months?
2. What are your top 3 summer fashion essentials?

3. How did you get in to blogging?

4.  If you were on a desert island, what would your 3 beauty essentials be?

5. What is your key festival outfit?

6.If you could visit anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?

7. If you had to choose which one would it be, fashion or make-up?

8. What's your guilty pleasure?

9. What is your dream career?

10. Who is your favourite blogger and why?

11. What do you love most about blogging? 

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.

Instagram // Twitter //Bloglovin

xx

Bohemian Vibes.

I feel a little self conscious writing another post about this kimono seems as I did one not too long ago - I think it's just such a statement piece that it remains rather fresh in my mind, but it's simply too pretty to end up being a "one time wonder" piece of clothing that I castaway to the far depths of my overflowing wardrobe. I went for a couple (okay - a lot) of drinks for a friend's birthday last night. We only headed down to our local pub, but regardless of that, I didn't really want to go for the "full slob" kinda look. Seems as it was the hottest day of the year to date, I thought I'd opt for a dress of sorts - however the problem which lies within this decision is that I have a rather unhealthy obsession with black clothing. Albeit, this is hardly an apocalyptic issue, but it does make summer dressing a little boring sometimes. That's why I think that this Rat and Boa kimono is perfect for those of us with a penchant for darker colours; it's sheer, lightweight and really lifts an otherwise boring outfit. It adds a great deal of colour and dimension to an outfit without being overpowering.

Kimono - Rat and Boa, Dress - ASOS, Shoes - La Moda, Anklet - Ebay, Rings - Primark, Watch - Marc Jacobs, Bag - Urban Outfitters, Choker - ASOS

I'm so glad that I finally got a hold of a pair of these La Moda shoes as well, especially because they went down to half price in the sale; they are just the most versatile shoe I have ever bought. Plus, I can finally give you all a break from my much-loved Primark sandals now. Oh - and as you can all probably tell by now, I do tend to recycle the same accessories over and over again. It's ridiculous, because I have so much jewellery and keep buying more, but I always go back to the same key pieces. Does anyone else do that? 

Sunflowers & Sunburn.

There's a lot of things which make summer the best season of the year.....sunburn, however, is not one of them. The beach breeze in Brighton is absolutely lethal, I spent the majority of our first day lounging around in my bikini with goosebumps over my skin - I was adamant that my phone was lying to me and that the weather wasn't actually sunbathing weather, but I'm stubborn and continued to lay there in a desperate attempt to tan....and boy, did I tan. We all know that sunburnt skin is not chic; luckily my sunburn hasn't shown up too badly in the photos, but I assure you that even something as simple as sitting down became painful. With this in mind, tight fitting clothes were off the menu which meant I finally got a chance to wear this Motel Rocks sunflower print dress; it's loose fitting and something akin to a smock which is generally a style that I steer clear of out of fear of looking pregnant. I'm pretty short (5"4) so I normally wear something which gives me a bit of shape so that I don't look like a complete toddler running riot around the place; but I have to admit, I kinda liked the floaty shape to this dress in the end. I'm not much of a "girly girl" when it comes to dresses, I like to toughen things up with heavier accessories and chunky shoes but I left this outfit fairly minimalistic and I think it worked well for an effortless, holiday look. Obviously I couldn't resist layering on a choker and an Empty Casket necklace for good measure though.

(Dress - Motel Rocks, Choker - ASOS, Necklace - Empty Casket, Bangles - Primark, Ring - Primark, Sandals - Primark, Watch - Marc Jacobs, Anklet - Ebay)

I do feel as though I should draw attention to the fact that my legs are a completely different colour to the rest of my body - I am the most uneven tanner that you will ever meet, it's something of a curse. Also, you can get 20% off this Motel Rocks dress, or any other full price product on their website if you enter my discount code "RHIANSD24" at checkout. 

Crochet Crush.

First things first....forgive the slightly lame post title, it's a Sunday morning and my head isn't fully in the game yet -it's days like today when I really wish that I liked coffee! I went for a couple of drinks with friends last night and as always, my poor time management skills meant that I was running around like a headless chicken by 8pm, screeching at my father to take photos as quickly as possible, so you'll just have to work with my slightly awkward posing for today. Given that I was running so late, I opted for quite a quirky dress that would do all the talking itself, detracting from my haphazardly slapped on make-up, so this little Rat and Boa number seemed like the perfect choice. Lightweight, summery and unique, it allowed the rest of my outfit to just fall into place fairly naturally - embracing my deeply hated natural curls (dubbed as the "wicked wave" by my father - cheers for that one, Dad!) which were touched up with a quick flick of my straighteners to tousle it all into place and cemented by the lifesaver which is Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. All in all, I'm fairly happy with how this outfit panned out, although in hindsight, I'd probably team the dress with some chunky boots to toughen it up a little and add a little edge to it but that can be a post for another day!

Dress - Ratandboa.com

Gold cuff - New Look

Bangle & rings - Camden Market

Spiked necklace - River Island

Wishbone necklace - ASOS

Shoes - River Island

Bag - Primark

I think I've gushed about Rat and Boa in almost every one of my blogposts so far, but I really can't help it. For anyone that hasn't checked them out, I couldn't recommend them more. They have such lovely bohemian pieces which are often limited in stock figures, everything on the site sells out really quickly and they rarely restock the same items, so it's nice to be assured that you're spending your hard-earned cash on a really individualistic piece. It was just so lovely to go out last night and not have that recurring nightmare that often happens when you wear a River Island or Topshop dress for a night out....the dreaded realisation that somebody two tables across has the same dress on as you - it really is the worst! It's easy to change the look of a skirt just by wearing a slightly more unusual top with it, but a dress is often the statement piece in itself, that's why I enjoyed knowing that it was extremely unlikely to see somebody in the same dress as me last night, it was somewhat refreshing to stand out from the sea of bodycon dresses for a change. Could any of you recommend any slightly different shops to those on the high street? I'm always on the lookout for more ways to demolish my bank balance.

Curtains.

I have both good, and bad news. Let's start with the good news....I went to the hairdressers yesterday and she has reassured me that I am not going to go bald after my attempt at DIY ombre, apparently it didn't damage my hair at all and there were no split ends in sight. I'm not smug at all, honest. So, I'm now safe to give Loreal a big fat 5 star review. The bad news, you ask? Well, I embraced yet another hair change and opted to relive the haircut of my youth - the centre parting, AKA the "Martin with a centre parting" hairstyle as dubbed by my school back in the day. We were just so witty. The outcome? I won't lie, I feel like something out of a 90s boyband sporting some fetching curtains - I maintain that I could currently photoshop my head into an old photo of Boyzone and blend right in with those young heartthrobs. Don't get me wrong, my hairdresser did an admirable job as always, I just failed to take into account the ramifications of having a spectacularly large forehead. Oh well - you live and you learn, ey?
This is yet another quick outfit that I threw on, I swear at some point I will put together a more exciting outfit post. At least you can all see why my blog title contains the word "underdressed" now, though. I just love a casually thrown together outfit with a bohemian vibe to it - I've always felt that laid-back, understated looks are the most fascinating and inspirational of outfits. I opted for an oversized tee from Rat & Boa, teamed with some black skinny jeans with busted knees. Fun fact: this tee is supposedly a dress, but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to brave exposing that level of flesh. Maybe I'll risk it come festival season, when I'm more suitably armed with a bucket of St Tropez for my pasty limbs.

Top/Dress- Rat and Boa

Jeans - Topshop (rips - DIY)

Bag- Urban Outfitters

Sandals - Primark

Choker - Asos

Necklace - Empty Casket

Watch - Marc by Marc Jacobs

Bangles - Primark

Stacking Ring - Pandora

Oversized Ring - Primark

Midi Ring - Primark

Sheer Lizard.

Hi guys - just a quick introduction seems as this is my first post. I'm Rhian, a 23 year old English Literature graduate from South Wales. I've dabbled with fashion writing for a couple of years (including a work placement on the fashion desk for Closer magazine), but I wanted to create my own personal online space to showcase my own day-to-day outfits and to bore you all with the details of life in the sleepy Welsh valleys. You can find out more about me on my About Me page, or via my personal twitter/instagram pages which are linked in my sidebar. But anyway, let's get back to the point....

Kimono - Ratandboa.com, Jeans - Topshop (rips- DIY) , Sandals - Primark, Bag - Urban Outfitters

I had a day off work today, so I popped out to do a bit of shopping in Cardiff and this is what I wore. I do tend to wear alot of black, so this sheer, floor length kimono from Rat and Boa seemed a little bit daunting at first, but I like how it works layered over an otherwise boring outfit, it adds a bit of an edge whilst still encapsulating the laid back vibe which I like my outfits to have. I've always loved Rat and Boa's casual yet vibrant and edgy style, especially their summer lookbooks - they are my favourite brand when it comes to festival styling. Speaking of summer, I swear there was a brief appearance of sun in Wales today...before the heavens opened right back up and left my choice of footwear looking somewhat questionable to the other shoppers with their feet cosily tucked away in boots. Cold toes are surely a small price to pay in order to show off the absolute bargain that is these Primark sandals though, right? Let me know what you think of this kimono, and what your go-to festival shops are.