I’ve fallen for these three dresses from Karen Millen, even though my budget won’t allow me to get them (although maybe in the sale…?).

The first one is a simple black wool dress, which I think would look great with the right pair of boots (£135):

The second is wet look jersey dress with an asymmetric neckline and some zipper detail on the front (£135):

The third one is a brown satin dress with fake leather detail at the waist. I love the neckline and sleeves (£165):

I’m really in a Halloween mood, even though I have to stay in today to catch up on some work. So no dressing up and trick or treating for me this year (to be fair, I’ve never really celebrated Halloween before, so it’s not as if I’m missing out this year, cause normally I wouldn’t do anything anyway). Despite that though, I couldn’t resist thinking of costumes and wondering what I could put together if I had to do something last minute. So here’s my short list of last minute outfits (most of these are somewhat based by clothes I own, and which I could pull off last minute if I wanted to).

1. Lara Croft – Tomb Raider

An obvious place for me to start, especially after I got the remark last summer that I was in full-on Tomb Raider style. All you need is a simple black or brown pair of shorts, plus a black or brown tank top (although white and teal are also possible depending on which game/movie you take). Add a pair of sun glasses, boots and your outfit is complete. For extra effect, add a fake gun, gloves, and a little back pack.

2. Echo – Dollhouse

How simple can you make it? The dolls when in the Dollhouse walk around in what are basically pajamas. Loose fitting pants and a simple tank top… tada! You’re done. Now just walk around with a vacant look on your face.

3. Max – Dark Angel

I’m not even sure most people will get this, but I used to love Dark Angel (until it got cancelled… by Fox… of course). Max had a lot of different type of outfits on Dark Angel, but half of the time it was leather pants (or trousers or whatever you call it here in the UK) plus a neck high zipped jacket. Don’t forget to add the barcode to the back of your neck!

4. Steampunk

You might have seen my tweets yesterday when I realized I could use my bridesmaid dress as the basis for a steampunk costum. This is the dress I got, but anything brown and kind of long and flowy should work for this. There are a lot of ways you can go about putting this look together (there aren’t any real steampunk costume rules, I assume, it just has to be a bit victorian inspired). I’d try adding a leather vest or corset over the dress, or if you can find it a white high collared old fashioned shirt with ruffles. Add extra props like goggles or a parasol.

5. Chuck – Pushing Daisies

Again a tricky one, cause there are so many possibilities. Chuck on Pushing Daisies always had very colourfol combos on, and the main thing you have to bear in mind is to keep it as vibrant as possible. Most of the time she’d layer clothes in the same colour; for example, a bright red dress plus a bright red coat (although any colour would do). Most of the dresses were 50s inspired (although it depended per week). Add sun glasses and a head shawl to complete the outfit.

Bonus: Elle Wood – Legally Blonde

It’s not really a ‘geeky’ outfit, but I thought I add it anyway. To create the Elle Wood look, just take anything pink! Oh, and you have to be blonde (or get a wig). Extra points if you can arrange a chihuahua.

I’ve got a major weakness for boots; if I hadn’t such weird difficulties with finding comfortable shoes, I could guarantee my entire house would be overflowing with boots (no, that’s not true. Given the choice between, let’s say, a Nintendo DS and a pair of boots, or even 12 new shiny books and a pair of boots, the boots won’t win.)

I blogged about the online store DUO Boots more than a year ago, but when I saw their latest collection I couldn’t resist writing about them again. Some of these boots are just sooo gorgeous! The great thing about DUO though is that they offer calf-fitted boots. So besides just giving your foot size, you also get to specify your calf width for the perfect fit.

Here are a couple of my favourites:

Olbia – Classic, elegant knee high boots with pointed toe and leather covered heel. Colours: Black leather. Lining material: Fabric. Heel height: 9cm. Zip: Full-length. £145

Madeira – Opulent over the knee boot with an asymmetric toe and a covered platform & heel and button detail. Vary your look with the optional turn down cuff. Colours: Black leather, Teal suede. Lining material: Leather. Heel height: 8.5cm £245

Rochelle – Captivatingly sleek stiletto heeled boots with front panel detail and neatly rounded toe. Colours: Black leather, Cocoa brown leather. Lining material: Fabric. Heel height: 9cm. Zip: Full-length £145

Jesolo – Stunning crinkle patent leather boots with covered platform sole and heel. A beautiful sleek silhouette with minimal detailing and a flattering front seam. Colours: Jet black crinkle patent. Lining material: Leather. Heel height: 9cm. £205

Toscana – Stylish asymmetric toe knee high boots made from soft suede and glossy patent leather with suede covered buckled straps and button detail. Colours: Black suede & patent leather, Amethyst purple suede & patent leather. Lining material: Leather. Heel height: 9cm £215

Mallorca – Kitten heel leather boot with flower corsage detail. Colours: Black leather, Conker leather. Lining material: Fabric. Heel height: 6cm. £145

They’ve got loads more different styles (and flat shoes too) on the DUOboots website. I still can’t decide which pair I should get for myself; I’d love one of the more ‘funkier’ ones, like the turquoise Madeira or the red Mallorca, but I don’t think I have enough clothes that will fit with these. The more practical me is saying to go for the Jesolo: a simple black silhouette plus not a too thin heel. Which pair are your favourites?

If you’re interested in getting some, you can get free shipping when you enter AW09 at the checkout. Offers expires: 30.09.09

I used to have this gigantic silver purple jewelry box which was perfect to store all the pretties I owned (looking back now though it’s kind of kitschy). It was too heavy though to take with me when moving to London (and also not that practical), so since then I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement.

I stumbled on these beautiful boxes on design store Umbra:

Turvy Storage Box: Pine storage box that pivots from the center. 9 x 3.5 x 4.5″ (23 x 9 x 11 cm). £33.00

Tuck Storage Box: Bamboo boxes that swivel together to create a cube for easy storage. 5 x 5 x 5″ (13 x 13 x 13 cm). £30.50

Terrace Storage Box: Set of three stacking bamboo boxes for jewelry. 5″ diameter x 4″. £30.50

Spindle Storage Box: Pivoting storage box with magnetic closure. 7.5 x 4.5 x 4.5″. £30.50

I should have blogged about this sooner, but I’ve been so busy lately. I got some great entries on my Find The Hidden Treasure contest last week, that I had to share a couple of them with you.

Zain:

Hidden Gem: Ambala Sweet store. Something about syrupy sweets and a sunshine ky make a miserable me a little happy. Unfortunately, I’m nowhere near the sweet store and the weather is overcast.

Judith Lewis:

my hidden gem: The Chocolate Society Shop on Elizabeth St. If you don’t know about it, you’ll never find it but they have the BEST chocolate cookies I’ve had in a long time and my favourite chocolate brownies. Their chocolates are fab too!

Genevieve Hassan:

My hidden gem in London: If you’re a die-hard meat eater, you’ll never have considered Food For Thought – a small basement vegetarian restaurant in Covent Garden. They serve the best dessert in the world – the “Strawberry Scrunch” – a crunchy biscuit base with fresh cream, bananas and strawberries, plus they give you a HUGE portion! I challenge anyone to find a better dessert.

Emma Persky:

My Hidden Gem:

If I told you then it would no longer be hidden! Oh well, there are lot’s so I’m sure I can reveal one of my favourite to you 🙂 But which one…

Hush. Yes, that’s the name of the restaurant. Why (the name that is)? Because it’s hidden away in a small courtyard at the end of South Molton Street so innocuously that you would never, ever find it, unless you knew it was there. No signposts or glaring neon signs point the way, and that’s jut the way they like it. You know a restaurant (and upstairs bar) must be good when its bursting at the seams even though it receives no footfall traffic.

The cuisine is modern british with a hint of french influence. My favourite dish being the “Gratin of Macaroni Cheese with (or without) Bacon” as a started. Enough to share, but so good you’ll regret that decision.

Oh, and did I mention that they have a wine list to die for!

sheilaellen:

My Hidden Gem in London has to be The Orc’s Nest (6 Earlham Street, WC2H 9RY).  It’s a treasure trove for anyone who’s into games – board, role-playing, cards or otherwise.  Packed full of the essentials to get you started, plus extension packs and ephemera.  And despite the bold yellow and black metal frontage and stunning Orc’s head logo, it’s surprising how many people walk past without ever noticing it’s there.

The winner of the contest was Judith Lewis with her chocolate store gem (I’ve got to visit that shop sometime!), but she couldn’t make it to the event. So the runner-up Emma Persky joined me last Thursday to the Joy Store to do some treasure hunting.

The event was pretty interesting. There were cupcakes and champagne for all the blog writers plus winners, and we got to see a shiny new Ford Ka (I loved the colour! It was almost Miss Geeky red, but slightly nudging a bit more to the pink side). We all had to find 1 Ford Ka miniature in the store, which we could exchange for £60 worth of Joy Store vouchers. Sweet!

Finding the miniatures wasn’t hard at all, so we got to spend 2 hours trying on clothes and picking out what we wanted for free. I ended up with a black zipper dress (still not completely sure about that dress though, the shoulders are a little bit too eighties) and a silver grey dress with gathered sections. I really liked the style of the Joy Store, but almost all the clothes I tried on didn’t fit me. Guess I have a slightly different body type (wide hips, small shoulders and waist) than what they design for.

Still, I had a great time (who wouldn’t with free champagne, free cupcakes and free dresses!). For the rest of September, every Friday every Joy Store in the UK will have miniature Ford Ka’s hidden in their store. If you find one, you can get a £10 voucher, and some of them will even be for a £100 voucher!

A couple of months ago I came across this cute jewelry brand via The Style PA. It’s called Fairytales & Post it Notes and everything about it is just so cute! The name, the designs, the site, I love it all.

Here are a couple of my favourite products:

Letter in Envelope Necklace: Envelope necklace with its own “I love you” letter inside. Also has its own little birdie on the side. £15

Telescope Necklace: Fully working extendable telescope necklace for you to keep a close eye on all those important things. £25

Pocket Compass Necklace: Antique style pocket watch style compass – so you’ll never loose your way. Fully working push button mechanism. £28

Sandtimer Necklace: Sandtimer necklace for those all important deadlines. £16

Bird & Cage Earrings: £6.50

Via The Style PA

These skirts are just so cute! I wish I had the skills to create something like this:

Via Design Crush

I’m adoring some of these dresses from Lipsy! I’m thinking of maybe getting one of them, but I can’t decide. I know I’ll have to go and actually try them on first before making any decisions, but which of them do you like best?

Left: Bow Sleeve Tea Dress for £25.00, Right: Belted Cocoon Dress for £25.00

Left: Asymmetric Zip Shift Dress for £55, Right: Fluted Sleeve Jersey Dress for £25.00

My preference at the moment is for the top left Bow Sleeve Tea Dress, but I’m not too sure whether it might look too cutesy. My second favourite is the Zip dress, but the higher price tag (£55 instead £25) might sway me from getting it.

Check out more dresses on Lipsy.com

I’m subscribed to the weekly new Threadless T-shirts feed, so I get to see the latest tees that they’re offering. Most of the time there’ll be 1 shirt I like, with the rest only achieving a yawn or a “meh”. This week, however, was full of some great tees!

I’m Not A Blogger, I Just Tweet A Lot seemed just so appropriate for some people I know:

Then came this beauty (The Sin):

But the one I really love is called Missing!!!:

You’ve got to check out the website to see the entire story on that shirt, but I just found it adorable. Other cool ones were The Smiley Factory and When You Think About It, All Galaxies Are Far, Far, Away.

I’ve never been much of a make-up wearer, but this year I’ve been slowly getting into it. I got a couple of Dior eye products from my sister for Christmas, and I love the quality you get from those. Even if they’re more expensive, it’s a much better experience than say a £5 eye pencil from your local drugstore.

I stumbled on this Fall 2009 collection from Dior, called Jazz Club, inspired by the 1920’s/1930’s. The collection presents deep smokey colours, and I’m especially digging the eye palettes:

Don’t you just love the casing? This palette is called Smokey Eye, and features six Dior eye products: 4 eyeshadows, a brow-shaping powder, and a cream-to-powder eyeliner. I love these colours; it’s similar to what I’m using now, but maybe different enough to justify getting it. Here’s a closer look at the colours:

There’s also an alternate version, exclusive to Nordstrom. I’m not sure about its availability in the UK; I haven’t seen anything mentioned about it. It features more purpley and greyer colours than the one above:

To see more of the collection (including the lipsticks and nail polishes), check out this blog post from Temptalia. If you’re based in the US, both of the above palettes are available on the Nordstrom site.

Via BritishBeautyBlogger