Lifestyle || MY week, a recap!

I'm writing this in the most perfect blogging atmosphere ever. Rainy day, sat by the window cosied up with a cup of tea. Today's post consists of my week in the form of OOTDs. I know I've done this once before, but it's certainly about time I gave a little update! I work in a relaxed dress code office where there are literally no boundaries of what you can wear whatsoever! This sounds amazing, but it does often mean my day to day wardrobe becomes quite repetitive as I don't have a separate work/life wardrobe. This week didn't quite turn out how I thought it would, so I'm glad I have this blogpost to look back on! Side note: I apologise in advance for the badly lit photographs! They were all taken at 8am pre work!

Mondays outfit was probably the only one I planned for over the weekend. I have had this H&M shacket for over a month but had debated to and fro whether I was actually going to keep it, or if it was going to be returned. I finally decided that I loved it so Monday I took it out for a spin. This photo doesn't show the whole outfit look as I wore my grey University jumper under with the hood popping out slightly. Monday was going so well until the sad news that my contract at my current position wasn't being renewed which has led to a very anxiety filled/stressful week! 

Jacket - H&M

Jeans - Topshop

Belt - Topshop

Shirt - Stradivarius

Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday. I decided to choose something a little different today as the rest of my wardrobe had become a little tiresome! Luckily I changed over my summer/winter wardrobe last weekend and I found this little leopard print beauty! I love the cute little tie and it works perfectly with jeans or a dressed up with a leather skirt! 

Shirt - River Island

Jeans - Topshop

Belt - Topshop

Wednesday. Time for something a little more casual. You can probably notice a little theme by now, but it's so much easier when travelling into London to wear jeans and a cute top. On Wednesday I knew I would be lugging boxes around the office so needed something a little more loose and comfortable. 

Blouse - Topshop

Jeans - Topshop

Thursday consisted of all the casual cosy vibes. On a Thursday I have to commute a little further out to our main head office which is located on the complete opposite side of London (17 central line stops, you feel me!). I always try to wear something comfortable on a Thursday and nothing screams cosy quite like this oversized knit and leather look jeans!

Jumper - River Island

Jeans - River Island

TGIF! Finally Friday. This has been a LOOONNNGGGG week. We have had a rat infestation in our office this week so I was made to trek all the way back to our head office. I'm just pleased I had a cute top to wear that's a little smarter for the head office environment! I've actually had this top for a couple of weeks now and have found it to be the best transitional piece in my wardrobe. I've worn it without a vest, with a vest and shirt open, tucked into jeans and tucked into a slip skirt. It's the best ££ I've spent in ages!

Shirt - Topshop

Jeans - Topshop

I hope you enjoyed reading this post, I know it's very different to the ones I usually post. It didn't really turn out the way I thought it would, and the negative start to the week really threw me off a little but I am pleased that I continued with my OOTD post as it gave me something to think about. Plus I now have a cute selection of outfits to look back on when I need inspo! 

Have a lovely week! 

Until next time x

Lifestyle : A trip to Buckingham Palace | OOTD

London is probably one of my favourite cities to visit, although I'm  probably being extremely biased only living a stones throw away from it! As much as I love London, it's very rare that I actually do any of the 'tourist' attractions that it has to offer. Unless you count Oxford Street shopping as an attraction - that's one thing I definitely have done enough of in my time! 

Last year my mum and I visited Buckingham Palace as part of a girlie weekend. When leaving you have the option to have your ticket stamped to allow free entry within a year. We vowed to return together and finally booked to go last Saturday. (A little fact about me is that I actually met the Queen as a child, although that's probably a story for another day!). Every year, the Palace puts on a different exhibition and I find it so interesting walking in the footsteps of the royal family! As part of our day trip, we took a walk first through Green Park in the sunshine before heading off to the Palace. Saturday felt like the first day of Autumn weather, and I love wearing boots and jackets, so I thought what a great time and place for a mini OOTD fashion shoot!

I knew that I wanted to dress for the weather, whilst still looking a little bit fashionable... I mean I did try to look nice for Queenie you never know if she will pop in! I have been waiting for the right occasion to bust out my new Zara Jacket and am so pleased I wore it. I purchased this in Cyprus when on holiday so am not sure if this is available in the UK! I paired the jacket with my trusty Topshop Jamie jeans and a slouchy grey V-neck t shirt from Next. This shirt is honestly one of the most comfy things I own, so is always a favourite choice of mine! To finish off the look I wore my Topshop studded chelsea boots and Dune London hand bag.

At the palace my mum and I decided to treat ourselves to something a little sweet. Last year we did the exact same thing so thought it would be nice to carry on the little mummy/daughter tradition. We shared some profiteroles and vanilla cake. Plus, it's been nice to say I have officially had tea in the Queen's garden!  

Have you been to Buckingham Palace? What did you think of the grounds if you have? Let me know! 

Until next time, 

Fashion : The Red Gingham dress of dreams

Two OOTD posts in the space of one week? Am I finally turning myself into a proper fashion blogger?! I bet you can tell that with university finally being over I suddenly have a lot of free time on my hands!

Anyway, I am feeling all kinds of picnic vibes with this dress, but you know what, I just love it! Talking of fashion bloggers, I am finally jumping onto the gingham print trend. Emma (my brothers girlfriend) spotted this dress in the Zara sale for me and I knew instantly that I needed to get it. I had actually spotted a couple of bloggers raving about this particular dress in the blue so was pleased to finally have found it in red! (Side note, Emma actually bought the blue version!).  Another deciding factor on getting this dress, despite the £19.99 sale price, was how easy it is to dress up or down depending on the occasion. This makes it the most perfect holiday wardrobe essential as it looks just as nice with a pair of brown gladiator sandals. 

Dress: Zara, Shoes: New Look, Glasses: Ray Ban. 

I am so happy with how this dress looks when being worn, I love when an outfit looks as nice as you imagine it to be. I know that I will be getting a lot of use out of it this summer as well thanks to the fabric being lightweight too.  

Have you got any 'dream' dresses in your wardrobe that are perfect for any occasion? Let me know! 

Until next time! 

Ombre : Summer Style OOTD

So the weather has perked up again! Thank goodness, I was beginning to think that summer had come and gone in the space of a day! I am here again with another OOTD in my new favourite place in the garden. I have taken the last couple of blogposts in this exact spot at different times of the day to try and figure out when the best time is to take the pics! I still need to invest in a whole lighting equipment, but for now this is the best I can do!

So, I got this top the other week when shopping the New Look sale. I found it a little unusual and different so obviously I had to get it. I have found it really hard to style though! The colour just doesn't seem to go with my light wash jeans, but perfectly with a white or dark denim pair. (I promise I do wear other jeans than these white ones, but have fallen in love with them over the last couple of weeks!) The jeans are from Marks and Spencers Limited collection believe it or not. I was never really a shopper of Marks and was going to buy a pair of white jeans from Topshop. However these were a pound or two cheaper and just fit so much nicer! They are also not crisp white but more of an off white shade which is perfect for me! 

On my feet I wore my other new sandals from Primark. You know what they say, you can never have enough pairs of Primark sandals. Oh, they don't say that? never mind then!

I hope you enjoyed reading my latest OOTD blogpost! I am loving making them again now I have some more time in my day to dedicate to taking HD pictures! 

Let me know what you think! 

Lots of love, 

White and Grey : Summer Style OOTD

Summer doesn't only have to be for bright florals and prints. Sometimes the most discreet designs and colours can make for a cool summer look. I went to the New Look sale a couple of weeks and found this little grey top wonder. I have never really owned a top before that was high neck as the shoulders are an area of my body that I am not that confident in showing off, but I loved the frilly design on the armholes. I also really like the speckled grey design on the top and the versatility of being able to wear this with jeans and denim shorts too. I managed to get this in the New Look sale for £7 which I am really happy with! 

I had also been looking for a pair of sunglasses that I can wear when driving or just general everyday use. I have a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers in black which I wear all of the time, however I wanted a pair that I could wear as more of a fashion statement. I spotted these in Forever 21 for £2! I thought they were cute and interesting as well as very affordable!

To finish off my look I wore my favourite lipstick at the moment Kiko cosmetics, 319 smart lipstick.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blogpost! 

Let me know whether you agree with my theory of greys for summer too! 

Lots of love, 

Francesca xx

Summer Style OOTD

I am loving the fact that summer has finally arrived in the UK! We have had some really hot days recently which makes me so excited for my summer holiday to San Francisco in a  couple of months time. Stupidly last year I made the biggest mistake ever by getting rid of most of my summer clothes. Although that does work in my favour seeing as I have lost a little bit of weight since last year, which means a whole new summer wardrobe for me! I have also finally got out my white jeans which is rare for me as I can't seem to go anywhere without getting something down them! 

For this post I am wearing a couple of new items I purchased for the new summer weather. Every year I visit my local primark as I love the affordable fashion that is available! It doesn't last for ages but it does the job! For example, my sandals are a purchase that I make at the start of the summer every year. These sandals are £3 and are really pretty. I have a feeling I am going to be wearing them a lot over the next couple of months. The shirt was also bought from Primark for £3. It is really simple but I love the detail at the bottom of the shirt which adds a little something to the overall look. I also love the colour yellow paired with yellow at the moment! 

I hope you liked this style of post! I am so glad to be back properly blogging again as I have finished my university course for the summer break! (I know crazy!) I had really missed doing OOTD's in a proper photoshoot way other than Instagram shots. Although when taking pictures for this post I had a nosey neighbour looking over the fence at what I was doing, I guess some people don't understand blogging! 

Let me know what your loving for summer in the comments below! 

Lots of love, 

Kate Spade 2016 Planner!

Good afternoon! 

This blogpost is probably a little bit late, and I should have done this at the beginning of January, but I was really excited to share the beauty that is the Kate Spade 2016 planner. I have always been one of those people who likes to plan everything to every tiny detail. My school planner/homework diary would always be full to the brim of everything clearly labelled out with stickers and highlighters, and I would make sure that things were written down neatly in my very best handwriting! Since leaving school I have always had small diary's but in an attempt to try to plan my life a little bit better I asked for this Kate Spade 2016 agenda for Christmas. I have been speaking to a few people recently about my anxiety and a couple of the tips were to write down things in your diary that you will look at for the week ahead for something to keep your mind on when feeling a little bit down. This has certainly worked for me and is something I really recommend. 

So, the front of the diary is cream in colour and has a golden polkadot print all over. It has an elastic fastening which keeps everything nice and secure inside. I don't take this diary out with me, but I can imagine that this is helpful when chucking it into a bag too as the pages won't open so freely and look battered! 

As soon as you open the planner you have a little envelope section which is perfect for keeping important pieces of information or notes. This is where I normally keep my pen tucked into so I always have one with me. I currently have a business card from my Topshop personal shopping experience, a letter from my parents at Christmas and a Costco cake form that I am looking at for my 21st birthday! This space is really big and there is also another one of these sections on the next page.  Can we just talk about the gorgeous baby pink and gold colours? Oh my, they are utterly gorgeous! 

A nice little feature that the agenda has is that it actually starts from July 2015. So if you are one of those people who like to plan way way in advance then this diary will be for you! If only I knew about this! With that being said the 2016 section does run all the way through till January 2017!

Each month in the agenda is separated with another double page of polka dots. I love that this is a continuing feature throughout the diary. I do love me a polka dot! 

At the start of each month there is also an overview of the whole month. So you are able to write down any important information that you might need, as well as smaller less important information. I find that this section is quite good to look at when wanting to remember birthdays in particular as I can go ahead and make lots of cards in advance. 

Finally the main weekly section of the diary is absolutely gorgeous as well. There is plenty of space to write down lots of information and the lines are really nicely spaced out. The pages itself are smooth so it's very nice to write on. One thing that I think I will find annoying as the months go on is that if the month before finishes on say a Monday, then that day will be on the next months page. A little bit annoying, but a very minimal feature that I will certainly deal with! 

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

I know it is a little bit different to what I normally post about! 

If you would like another review like this let me know in the comments. I have a weakness for stationary! 

Have a lovely rest of your day! 

Lots of love,