Showing posts with label accessories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accessories. Show all posts

11 May 2017

The Complete Handbag Buyer's Guide

Handbags are a must-have item for every woman. It is a well known fact that the larger your handbag, the more things you find that you absolutely have to put into them. I refer to my previous What's in my Handbag post. But how do you go about choosing the right one?

Decide On The Style
The term ‘handbag’ is actually pretty broad. There are so many different types of bag that fall under this category. Some have more uses than other, some are small, some are wide, some have straps, some have no straps. Saying you want to buy a new handbag is just the beginning, you need to dive into things and decide what style of handbag you’re looking for.

When most people say they need a handbag, they’re usually talking about a bag they can carry with them throughout the day, every day. This really refers to three or four styles in particular; shopper bags, shoulder bags, tote bags, and maybe across the body bags too. These are all great styles if you’re after a bag to use for practical purposes as well as to compliment an outfit. Then, you have smaller varieties that are more aimed towards being a fashion accessory more than anything else. The bottom line is that you need to decide on the style before you start shopping.

Consider How Much You Want To Spend

Setting yourself a handbag budget is a must, as you can easily get carried away and buy something way out of your league just because it looks nice. The budget you choose should be representative of your financial situation, as well as how much usage you’ll get out of the handbag. If you’re buying an everyday handbag, then you can afford to spend a little more as you will get a lot of use out of it.

Also, don’t be fooled into thinking you have to pay top dollar for the best designer brands out there. We have places like Nordstrom Rack that sell designer bags by Marc Jacobs, Rebecca Minkoff, and so much more big brands. Plus, you can probably find Nordstrom Rack coupons to drop the price even further. There are loads of other outlet stores like this that sell expensive bags at much lower prices. Bear that in mind when you’re shopping for your new handbag.

Think About The Brand

Some people think that buying branded handbags is a huge waste of money. However, there is a lot of logic behind buying a more expensive, designer brand, compared to a non-brand that’s very cheap.

For one, designer brands tend to be more expensive as their quality is far greater than other bags out there. This means you can get a handbag that lasts you for years without showing any signs of natural wear and tear. With the cheaper non-brands, you might see issues within a year. So, think about the main designer handbag brands out there.

Although I have not achieved my desire for a designer bag yet, I do have a fund that I saving up in to buy one. Something that is classic, timeless and will hopefully last me many years.



* Collaborative piece

27 March 2015

Spring Days

Although there has been snow in parts of Lancashire today, thankfully for once not on my doorstep, my thoughts today have been with Spring.  I see it popping up everything and it makes me yearn for those sunny days, sat out somewhere lovely in the late afternoon catching up with my friends with a glass of wine.

So today I am showing you a new dress that I recently bought from +Simply Be and have styled it for that perfect sunny day, hoping that it is not too far away.


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One thing that I am on the constant lookout for is that perfect evening bag that goes with everything,  Something classic and timeless and that can fit all the essentials needed.  I was recently asked by +Harvey Nichols if I would like to review one of their bags and I chose this DKNY bag * as it fits the bill for that evening bag I have been searching for.


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The bag is beautifully made and has the option of using it as handheld as shown above but also extends so that you can wear it on your shoulder.  I used it recently on an evening out and I can confirm that it holds everything essential, including my not small Samsung Note that I cannot leave the house without!

What things are you dreaming about for the warmer months?



20 May 2014

Shop Your Stash


Welcome to the Shop Your Stash Challenge run by the lovely Hollie of PrettyBigButterflies. This is all about finding a gem in what you already own and creating a blog post on it. This is to let go a little of the stress that comes with being a blogger - even if it is just once a month. Rummage through your beauty products and climb through those clothes draws. You might surprise yourself!

This month we were to chose something that we had brought back to life for the Summer.  What I have chosen to do is show you an old black (yes, I did say black) jersey casual dress and how I have revamped it ready for the Summer months.

It is a simple does what it says on the tin dress that you can throw on and let your accessories do the talking, if anything you choose to wear any!

The first way I am wearing it is designed for the daytime with black sandals and a big chunky necklace.  I would be happy going out for the afternoon, shopping with the girls and I have also on occasion worn this dress to work, styled much like this when it is hot.




Then imagine this.  You are at work, wearing the sad outfit when your work colleagues decide that tonight is the night to nip into the city after work for few cheeky cocktails.  No time to change, what do you do?  

What I have done here is simply swap out the sandals for some heels, changed my neck to a pearl costume jewellery piece and add something I have discovered recently which is quite frankly a genius invention.  Wingz !

If you have never heard of Wingz before, they are sleeves; either short, elbow or wrist length that you can add underneath your dress.  Whilst some may choose to wear them if they are not happy with their arms and want coverage, from my point of view I love the different options that they give you in being able to style in different ways.  In this case the lace Party Wingz * have helped me to bring a night time edge to my outfit  and also add an interesting detail with the lace.







 So what do you think?  I was sent the lace elbow length Wingz and also a shorter jersey pair and I am looking forward to playing around with different dresses and seeing what changes I can effect.  The things with wearing a dress is that it is a full piece and only by using accessories can you make it look different.  I think this is where the Wingz really come into their own.

Check out what the other ladies have done to change up old Summer outfits!

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* gifted item

7 May 2014

Magnificent 7th


We will be posting on the 7th of each month, and the aim of the challenge is to create an outfit to fit the theme, using clothes from our wardrobes, and yes that does mean digging deep into the depths and finding those long lost clothes! Hopefully one of us won’t end up in Narnia, but you never know with a bloggers wardrobe!

This month’s theme is your favourite accessory.

I think that the favourite accessory I have is probably the double strand bird necklaces that I bought from Primark, for the princely sum of £3.00 per necklace. 

These necklaces are my go to when I look at an outfit and it needs a small “something” added, but nothing too obtrusive.  I love the dull gold and the length of the necklaces which work with all types of necklines and can either blend with an outfit or add a little interest to it.

These necklaces are also the bane of my life when they are hanging on my necklace tree as they seem to attach themselves to everything and every single time I decide to wear them I end up fighting a five minute battle in order to detangle!

Here are some of the outfits I have worn the necklaces with recently: