Lady Bug Says ... As Smart As It Gets!

The dress code at my work is well, pretty much non existent! Being the only female I don't tend to dress too smart for work, I would kind of look out of place against the polo shirt clad males!

I tend to air on the side of smart casual most of the time, you can't generally go wrong with that! But every now and then it is nice to make a little bit more effort.

I was recently sent this boucle biker jacket from Very as a little thank you for working with them recently. I have a similar one from Primark and even being somewhat of a die hard Primark fan I can definitely see why this Very jacket costs a lot more! I t is definitely worth the money, it fits like a glove!

Unfortunately this photo is the best of a bad bunch! I seem to be rocking the 'pissed off' look in 99% of the photos!

Flatform heels - H&M £20

Pleather stripe trousers - Next £8

White Shirt - Next £28

Jacket - c/o Very

Outfit total - £56

Lady Bug Says ... These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things!

Evening :)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and made the most of the sunshine if you got any! I spent mine relaxing on the beach with friends, having an evening BBQ then camping over in our camper van literally 25 meters from the sea. It was also Daisy's first time at a sandy beach :) I will do a little puppy update soon if anyone is interested? 

Today has inevitably resulted in us being very tired so lots of lounging on the sofa eating bacon sandwiches,  watching YouTube and cuddling up with the dog.

I thought I would share with you all an outfit that I wore last weekend for a meal out with the Mr's family. As the posts title suggests this outfit is made up of pretty much all my favourite things in my wardrobe at the moment.

As soon as I saw this jacket in the Primark AW12 preview I knew I wanted it, I wanted it so much that I actually sent an email to my sister and a few friends saying that if they saw the jacket in store to please please please buy it for me! The pleather detail trousers were actually a suprising summer sale find in Next along with the marl jumper, to me they seem pretty perfect for the upcoming season! The necklace was a holiday purchase that I am pretty pleased with, can't say I have seen anyone else wearing it and don't think I will! It brings a little originality to my otherwise very high street outfit. A favourite things outfit wouldn't be complete without these flatforms, so worn to death I recently bought a back up pair, though I was a little disappointed that the new pair have squared off toes rather than round, but still as comfortable as the originals!

Flatform heels, H&M £20

Pleather stripe trousers, Next £8

Grey marl jumper, Next £12

Pleather sleeved parka, Primark £25

Necklace, French jewellery boutique £20

Knuckle rings, Kukee £1.50 each

Nails, Barry M 'Pink Flamingo' with LOOK Beauty 'Sequin Effect' top coat

Outfit total - £88

Lady Bug Says ... Not Quite Sure

I said in this post that I loved this top, but wasn't sure of how else to wear it, but I think I may have found another way!

I'm liking the top half of this outfit, but not so convinced about the bottom! Thinking the skirt makes me a look a little bit too bottom heavy and the sandals are kind of not doing a lot for my cankles! My ankles have been really sore and swollen since I started running, think I need to invest in some better trainers!

Flatform sandals, New Look £12

Pleated midi skirt, Next £12

Printed shirt, Dorothy Perkins £12

Necklace, Primark £5

Knuckle ring, Kukee £1.50

Triangle ring, Kukee £2

Nails, Barry M Peach Melba

Outfit total £44.50

Apologies for the short post, words seem to be failing me!

Lady Bug Says ... Working It Out

Evening :)

This is pretty much a more work appropriate version of this weekend outfit, I don't think the short shorts would have gone down well at work! This jumper is already earning its place a new favourite 'go to' item in my wardrobe!

Grey suede flatform shoes, H&M £20

Black skinny jeans, Primark £8

Metallic marl jumper, Next £12

Necklace, Primark £5

I picked up this necklace a few weeks ago in Primark, the jewellery section seems to be going from strength the strength in the last few years! I love a good statement necklace for adding some interest to an otherwise simple outfit.

My nails are painted in my current favourite polish, Barry M NP140, which dries with an interesting semi matte finish. I finished the tips off with 2 coats of LOOK Beauty's sequin effect polish.

Do you have 'go to' items in your wardrobe? 

Lady Bug Says ... Who Wears Short Shorts!?

Evening lovelies.

Now, possibly stating the obvious but these photos were taken last week, when the sun was shining and it was safe to get my legs out without them being covered in goosebumps and rain! It was also last week when I purchased these shorts from the sale in Tesco, convincing myself that I did indeed need a pair of floral print shorts to add to my collection! Whilst we are on the subject of new things, this jumper also happens to be a new addition to my wardrobe, courtesy of the Next sale. I didn't think I had really 'done' the sales but apparently I have!

The floral shorts were the last pair in my size, so of course I grabbed them! Their £4 price tag was also pretty much all the justification I needed to make them mine! Strangely though there were loads of these grey marl jumpers with metallic detailing hanging on the racks in the Next sale, why nobody was buying them I don't know, they are gorgeous!

Grey flatform shoes, H&M £20

Floral print shorts, F&F at Tesco £4

Grey jumper, Next £12

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter (@Ladybugsays) you may seen me mention purchasing this necklace whilst away on holiday. It was from a little jewellery shop in my favourite town, and despite the security at the airport being slightly wary of the metal spiky thing in my luggage, it is a firm favourite of mine! It is so damn heavy too!

Necklace, £20

Outfit total £56

Lady Bug Says ... Olympic Ready!

Evening all!

Are you all ready for the Olympics? I am not a big fan in general but hope that everyone who wants to enjoy it does!

I was gifted this scarf by Next a little while a go when I went to their store opening and have worn it a fair bit since, but unfortunately my broken camera stopped me documenting it! Now my camera is fixed I can finally show it to you!

This outfit is pretty similar to what I wore to watch the Olympic torch pass through my city, just with flat shoes!

Black flatform heels, H&M £20

Cream dress, H&M via Ebay £7

Red Blazer, Forever 21 £19

Olympic scarf, courtesy of Next

Gold necklace, Accessorize £1

Outfit total £47

Lady Bug Says ... Next Store Opening

Evening lovelies!

Hope you are all enjoying the long weekend :)

Today I wanted to tell you all about the sneak peek I got at a new Next store this week. I was kindly invited by their PR department to have a little look around the store before it opened for business. I have never been to anything like this before but found it really interesting, who doesn't love a sneaky look! It was lovely to see the store all neat and tidy before the public got their hands on it, the store is beautifully designed and completely glass fronted, meaning even on the gloomiest of days it seemed bright and airy inside.

The layout of the store was logical and they displayed their stand out prints and pieces beautifully. I also feel I need their shoe room in my house!

I want all of the items in the top left photograph, coral is quickly becoming my favourite colour of the moment. I was beyond impressed with their home section, a great mix of classic pieces, my much beloved vintage inspired and brilliant summer brights! I purchased the white zip detail top photographed bottom left, I can see it being a great office, to weekend, to night out piece. I also had to get a snap of one of the lovely staffs outfits, those print trousers look fab on her!

This is the outfit I wore for the opening, sorry of the poor quality photo, I was trying to get a quick snap when the staff weren't looking!

Flatforms, H&M £20, Tights, Primark £1, Dress, QED Clothing via TK Maxx £17, Pink Belt, Primark £1, Blazer, H&M Kids £8, Bag, H&M £10

Outfit total - £57

On the day I was kindly gifted their Olympic & Paralympic scarves which I will be incorporating into an outfit post very soon.

Big thank you to Next for a great morning and to Matt from their PR Department for inviting me and showing me around their new store!