And The Results Are In...

Good afternoon all, on this beautiful day!

I have some GREAT news that I just can't keep to myself so I'll share it with anyone who is reading if you don't mind! Well, I got my degree result today, and...

I PASSED WITH FIRST CLASS HONOURS!!!

I am so happy that all the hard work paid off, and now am really looking forward to graduation next month :-)

In a celebratory kind of mood the boyfriend and I headed off to the pub (as you do!) and had the best nachos ever!! I'm not exaggerating. Seriously, look at them...

And I can confirm they taste as good as they look! I did share them though - I thought the boyfriend deserved some as well, after getting a 2:1 himself :-)

Here's a quick pic of what I wore...

My dress was from Primark a couple of years ago and I tend to live in it in the summer, and my flip flops are also a whole £2-worth of Primark goodness! I'll show you close ups of my jewellery in a haul that I plan on doing soon.

I'm now off to settle down in the sun to watch Andy Murray for a while, before heading out again tonight for some more celebrating and a couple of cheeky drinkies!

xx

De-Cluttering My Life With Ebay!

Firstly, hasn't it been a gorgeous day today?! Loving the weather, and seeing as my hayfever seems to be a lot better due to new tablets, I hope it continues this way for a while yet :-)

As you'll know if you follow me on Twitter (wingstoflyblog) I've been sorting things all day to sell on ebay. With my ever increasing wardrobe I've been running out of space and so finally decided to have a clear out, and am going to sell everything on ebay to try to make a few extra pennies.

This is all the stuff I've decided to sell...quite a lot as you can see...!

As well as a lot of my own stuff, I'm also selling a few of my mum's and boyfriend's things (with their permission of course! - I'm not that cheeky!).

I thought I'd just show you a few of the items I'll be putting up for auction over the next few days/weeks..

This is a brand new River Island bag still with the tags. I love its pink fluffiness, but can't really see me using it...

Who doesn't need a good old sequin waistcoat?! (well, me apparently!) I do really like this but never seem to wear it, so I guess its no good just sitting in my wardrobe.

This is another brand new item, again from River Island. I actually really like this top and don't know why I never wore it, but now it is a bit too small for me :-(

I LOVE this shirt! It is a few years old, and even though I've worn it quite a lot, its still in great condition. Its from Fornarina at House of Fraser, and it's really fitted. Unfortunately, again its a bit too small for me now (hence why I have started a new fitness regime today, but hey, that's a whole other blog post!)...

I spent many a happy shopping trip with this River Island bag, but as I have recently bought a new black handbag, I don't think I really need this one anymore...

So that's just a sneak peek of what I'll be selling. I reckon I've got over 100 things to sell, so I'll be a very busy bee over the next few weeks :-)

If you fancy taking a look on ebay of what I've got for sale, then my seller name is 'caldweet' and I'll probably be adding a few things everyday, as I don't fancy going to the post office with 50 things for them to post at a time! I'll be putting a whole mixture of things up, some old some new, some mens some womens, jewellery lots, shoes, bags, fancy dress...everything...so you never know, something may just catch your eye!

Do any of you lovely ladies go on ebay a lot? Are you more buyers or sellers? I love a good old bit of ebay action!

xx

Style Crush: AnnaLynne McCord

So I'm not afraid to admit it, I have a crush of huuuuge proportions at the moment!

But, as it's a style crush as opposed to a can't stop thinking about them, talking about them or stalking them kinda crush (or is that just me...) then I guess it's ok to share it with you!

The subject of my style obsession is Miss AnnaLynne McCord. I have to admit that I didn't know much about her before she started cropping up in a few of the magazines I read and I loved her style. So I found out a bit more about her; basically she is best known for her appearance in 90210, but has also been in Nip/Tuck and a number of other tv programmes and films. She's also said to be dating the model and actor Kellan Lutz, who is hot hot hot!

But it's not the career or the boyfriend I want, but her wardrobe. I've put a few of my favourite outfits of hers below. What do you think?

In this first outfit, the white jeans and grey vest combo is pretty simple, but the bright shoes, cuff and nails add real interest. I plan on doing this kind of look myself in the future- relying more on basics and adding individuality with accessories.

AnnaLynne's wearing the very same cuff in the outfit below. I think this look is gorgeous too. Although they go in and out of fashion I'm a big fan of slogan tees, and this one is cute. Not sure I could rock those trousers in quite the same way as her though!

She's gone for a far more casual look below, but still looks amazing. It's a really chilled out look, yet still shows off her stunning figure and oozes style. I also see a theme occurring with another chunky cuff - going to have to look out for something similar when I'm out shopping next. If only we all looked this good in the local supermarket!

The picture below proves she looks good day and night. I can't say I would wear this dress myself, but she looks stunning. The hair and make up too are gorgeous.

This has got to be my fave outfit out of all of them though. The neon yellow vest and white jeans (again) are a winning combo, but it's the scarf I love the most - the bright colours and pattern are gorgeous. Teamed with hat and big sunnies she looks quite the star!

So what do you think - do you love AnnaLynne's style as much as I do?

I really think I need to watch 90210 now. It seems like just the kind of programme I love and I don't know why I didn't get into it earlier. Have any of you seen it? I'm off to find the box set!

xx

My Little Piece of Heaven!

As I settled down in my bed to write this post tonight, I thought what better to blog about than the very room I am sitting in...

So this isn't strictly about fashion, but I love looking at pictures of where other people blog from, so I thought I would do the same myself, just in case anyone is a little bit nosey like me!

The room I am in at the moment is my bedroom in my parents house which has recently been decorated - and I was in charge! I could design it how I wanted and it would always be my room, but it couldn't be too personal as I would hardly be spending any time there due to university and moving away, and so it would mostly be a guest room. Overall, I decided to go for a kind of girly, chintzy kinda look, although I was on quite a tight budget.

So, here are some pics of the overall look and some of my favourite bits:

My absolute favourite thing in my room is my lampshade - I think it's amazing! I stumbled across it in the Next Home sale for about £7... absolute bargain! It's basically made up of loads of strips of white plastic flower shapes that you clip on to a frame. It's about 3ft long (!) and really stands out. I love it!

On one of my walls I have black metal words that read 'Live Love Laugh' that I placed diagonally alongside my bed. I wasn't sure how the black would look in the mostly pale room, but I think it really works. The words were from Dunelm Mill and I think they were £10 for the set. Another bargain! I know they're really common now (I've even seen them on someone's wall on Coronation Street) but I don't care cos they look good!

On the other wall I have three simple canvases of flowers that are also from Dunelm and are quite rustic-y looking...

Here's my set of drawers, which is the only real furniture I have apart from my bed, as I have a built-in wardrobe for all my clothes. They're from Ikea and were £80 which I think is good value. On the top I've got two really cute tea light holders which were only £2.50 each from Dunelm Mill again, as are the photo frames. They've got a vintagey look and the photos are my little personal touch in the room. I think the mirror may be intended for a bathroom, but I reckon the chintzy look goes well.

Finally on my bed I have a really cute, girly duvet cover and four cushions, but I'm on the lookout for loads more. I want all different designs so that it doesn't look too put together. I really want a faded Union Jack design, but am just looking for the right one at the moment.

What do you think? Did I do a good job? I certainly love it!

I can't wait til I have my own flat that I can decorate exactly how I want it! I am collecting little bits and pieces here and there already!

xx

It's the Final Final Fling

Last night was a monumental occasion - officially my last night out as a student of Aston University :-(

All this week has been what we at Aston call our 'Final Fling' - the last week of term where we have different events every night before heading our different ways for the summer. Only this time we weren't heading different ways for the summer... but forever... (well this may be slightly dramatic but you know what I mean!).

So last night we headed to our Students' Guild, where Tim Westwood(!) was the guest DJ for the night. Here's a close up of me before I went out. Sorry it's black and white and so not that great to see my make up, but I was playing around with PhotoBooth at the time! I used curlers on my hair but went for a more tousled look than tight ringlets.

And here's my outfit. I wore a dress from New Look, that is navy blue at the top with frills, and then the bottom half is a floral print. Some people think it is a skirt and top. I like wearing its cos it's supper comfy, lovely colours and cute and girly. I wore my gladiator type sandals as I wanted to have a good old dance to celebrate my last night at uni, and didn't want any heels to ruin my time with the dancefloor!

I had a great night dancing, drinking and chatting with loads of the amazing people I've met during my time at Aston. When I got home it was time to cut off my Final Fling wristband and, as silly as it sounds, I really didn't want to do it. I've had the most amazing time and can't believe it's finally come to an end.

Thanks Aston. It's been awesome.

xx

Yay! I Won Something!

Just a quick post this evening to share some great news that I got today!

A few weeks ago I entered a competition being run by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association called 'Project Guide Dogs'. The aim of the competition, aimed at students, was to develop an online marketing campaign for the charity to encourage at least 10,000 18-25 year olds to say they would support current or future Guide Dogs campaigns.

I spent a while on my entry and, to cut a long story short... I WON!!

I just received the news today and I am so happy! There are three other winners as well as myself and I am really pleased to have won as apparently there were lots of applicants.

So, to the good stuff - what have I won?!

Firstly, I will be attending a 2-day residential in August along with the other winners, where we will develop a campaign that will actually be implemented. I think this will be great fun and a brilliant experience. I am looking to work in Marketing now I have graduated, so this is a great opportunity.

Secondly, later in the year I will have 2-weeks work experience with the charity. This is really exciting as I will be able to see how such a charity operates, and hopefully be able to get involved in some exciting projects.

I am really looking forward to all of this, as it will be a great experience and really boost my CV. On top of this, hopefully whatever campaign we implement should really help the charity, which is great as it is a brilliant cause.

The third part of the prize is what I know will appeal to some of you the most though... I also won £250 shopping vouchers!! There were a list of shops to choose from, and I think I am going to go for a mix of Topshop and Next, as this way I can treat my boyfriend to some nice things too :-)

Pretty excited about spending the money already!!

Anyway just thought I would share my good news, and I'll keep you updated with my residential, placement and shopping, as and when it happens! And I expect all of you to join the campaign when it is launched later this summer - I'll keep you posted :-)

Yay, sooooo excited!

xx

Product Review: The Pink Cow

I've got a review for you here on some gorgeous products I've recently bought from Boots. Ladies, let me introduce you to... The Pink Cow!

(Can I just say that this review, as well as all the others I do on here, are all about products I have been out and bought myself, just because I like the look of them and want to give them a whirl! If I ever review anything I have been sent by a company I will point that out to you all, just to make it clear. Now the official stuff's done, on to the real business...)

Soooo, I'd never heard of The Pink Cow until I was perusing the shelves in Boots the other day and their colourful tubes and bottles took my fancy. There are 6 'flavours' in the range, and each of them is described on the packaging as 'A Very *something* Bath & Shower Gel / Body Scrub'. There's...

Lemon Cheesecake: A very morningy...

Strawberry Sundae: A very wild...

Coconut Creme: A very quiet...

Ginger Bread: A very warm...

Vanilla Biscuit: A very happy...

Mint Candy: A very soothing...

The packaging is simple but still pretty funky, with big, bold writing and really brightly coloured contents.

As I say, I'd never heard of the company, and have tried to find other blog reviews about their products, but can't find too much. I can't even seem to find a company website or email address which is a bit strange...

After giving them all a quick smell in Boots I decided to go for the Lemon Cheesecake Bath and Shower Gel and the Strawberry Sundae Body Scrub...

These two caught my eye because I love to eat strawberry sundaes and lemon cheesecake (hey, you've got to make a decision somehow!).

So, the scrub. Firstly, the strawberry smell is heavenly! I know smell shouldn't really be a deciding factor when it comes to beauty products (unless it smells horrible of course!) but it makes such a difference to me. And its pink, and who doesn't love a bit of pink beauty action?!

The ratio of creme to scrubby bits (I really don't think these are the right terms, but hey ho, you know what I mean) is just right. I hate scrubs that have such few 'bits' that they hardly feel like a scrub, and I equally dislike scrubs that have too many 'bits' (particularly if they are big) which just makes it feel like you are rubbing rocks on yourself (no, I don't know why you would ever do this either...). The Pink Cow have got it just right, though, as after using it I felt like it had done its job but was not too harsh on my skin.

'What's the price?' I hear you ask. Well, it was a mere £2.99. For 225ml I don't think that's bad at all. I've used it quite a few times and still have quite a lot left.

So, the scrub was a winner, so how about the bath and shower gel?

I have to say this didn't let me down either. Again the smell is amazing. The packaging refers to it as 'A very morningy' bath and shower gel, and that's such a good description of it! The smell is really strong and zingy (is this a real word?) and has really woken me up in my morning showers over the last few days.

It didn't lather up quite as much as some other shower gels I have tried and there weren't as many bubbles, but it still left my skin feeling really soft.

Again, this was only £2.99 for 500ml. It's a really big, chunky bottle and should last me a while. Much better than buying cheaper ones for half the price that wont last as long.

Overall I've got to say I'm a Pink Cow convert! Both products were much better than I expected from a company I'd never heard of and I'll definitely continue to use them. I really want to try out the rest of the range and will let you know if I do.

Have you ever heard of The Pink Cow or tried any of their products? If you have, what did you think?

xx

End of an Era

I have a rather special OOTD to share with you all today so I really hope you like it!

Last night was my Graduation Ball held at the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Birmingham and it was (I know I use this word a lot) amazing!

For those of you that have been following my blog you will know that I have been panicking so much about finding a dress over the last few weeks but, lo and behold, I managed to find one eventually! So please forgive my self-indulgence, as this post contains a lot of photos, but I had such a great night and as I don't get dressed up like this very often I figure I might as well make the most of it.

Here's the dress I finally went for...

I love it so much. I got it from a Karen Millen outlet where it was reduced from £200 to £55, which I don't think is too bad at all. I have tried so many on over the last few weeks, and I know that in most of them I would have had to have breathed in all night or kept pulling them up, and I really didn't want that. This one was great because it was floaty it I didn't have to worry about any of that. I also love the dress because of the colour. The orange is really eye catching and the gold detailing (sequins, beads and chains) around the top adds a bit of interest. I think I was one of only a couple of people out of 800 wearing orange, so I felt different which is what I really wanted. I thought maybe the dress wouldn't be 'ball-y' enough, but as it was, dresses ranged from simple summer dresses to full on ball gowns, so I fitted in just fine!

I planned on selling the dress on ebay after I'd worn it, but I enjoyed wearing it so much that I think I'm going to hang on to it for a while!

I had my make up done for free at the Clinique counter in Boots. I only really went in for them to try out foundation on me, but the lady ended up doing the whole thing! I really loved the foundation she used. The 'Superbalanced Make Up' covered up all my blemishes and gave a really even finish, but still felt really light and my skin could breathe. I loved the look at a whole, because it was really fresh and pretty, and still subtle (I'm not really a fan of garish make up).

Here's a close up of my eyes. The lady filled in my eyebrows, which I have never done before but it made such a big difference, I will definitely do it again. She used mainly bronze colours, but a hint of 'Indigo Quickliner' on my bottom eyelid. When she first suggested indigo I was horrified, but I actually think it looked really good, and brought out the blue of my eyes.

Here you can see my eyelids better. Look at my eyelashes - they've never been so long!

I wasn't sure what colour nails to go for so I asked my boyfriend who suggested grey, and I have to say it was an inspired choice! (Not that there was any real thought behind his suggestion - I know he just guesses and hopes for the best). I used Collection 2000 Hot Looks nail varnish in 'Wham!' It gave quite a matt finish and I think it went really well with the orange of my dress, although I would probably have never thought of it myself (Erin 0, Boyfriend 1).

Because my dress was pretty bright, I kept things simple jewellery-wise. I just wore a bracelet I got in the Miss Selfridge sale for £2 which has a pearl, gold heart and black bow, and my mum's old engagement ring which she gave to me which I think is gorgeous and only wear on really special occasions.

So that's pretty much my whole outfit! What do you guys think? What are you planning on wearing for any balls / proms / parties you've got coming up this summer?

I have to say I loved my whole outfit sooooooo much! It was one of those rare occasions that I really felt good in what I was wearing and wanted lots of photos taken! I've put a few more pics below just in case you fancy taking a look at what my friends were wearing and what the place was like. As I've already said the Botanical Gardens were really beautiful, with so much to explore and great backgrounds for photos!

Here's me and my boyfriend. I think he looks rather dapper!

This is me with 3 of my best girl friends who I think all looked really pretty. How well does my friend Dani on the right's bag match her dress?! (And it was from Primark - bargain! - but sssshhh, don't tell anyone!)

The boys found a play area! They may have nearly graduated but they are still little boys at heart!

I have loads of photos from last night and know that in years to come they'll bring back such great memories. I'm starting to get a little bit emotional just thinking about it! The night finished off with a beautiful fireworks display as the class of 2010 made their way home.

All in all a crazy, emotional, funny night out (with a nice outfit) - what more could you ask for?!

xx

My Uni Life In Fancy Dress

I'll try and say this without shedding a tear - I now have only a few weeks until I leave university for good (sob!).

Although I'm ready to leave, I've had the time of my life and will always look back with such great memories. So I thought it would be a nice idea to do a couple of blog posts over the next few weeks to take a peek back over my time at Aston.

As the first post, I can't think of a better way to start than with... (drumroll please)... FANCY DRESS!

Anyone who goes to or has been to uni will know that fancy dress is one thing you can't escape... And I LOVE IT!!! It's an excuse to be someone you're not, get creative and in the case of some of my outfits, wear something skimpy you wouldn't dare to wear under normal circumstances!

So, I'll talk you through some of the outfits I have worn over the last four years, finishing off with my favourite three. (I apologise now for dodgy camera work - many of these were taken before starting a blog even entered my thinking, so most are a result of a drunk friend on an awesome night out!).

Well, we have a 'Skool Daze' party every term, so I've been to nearly 10. School uniform is pretty standard and I always wear the same kinds of thing, but maybe mix it up a little with shorts or skirt, vests, accessories etc. I can tell these pics are from different nights cos of the changing hairstyles!

There are a few different ones below...

- First I went for a kind of bat, spider person kinda look for halloween in second year! Don't really know what I was aiming for, but I reckon if you mix a lot of black and purple you can't really go wrong for halloween!

- Then there's me as Pocahontas (sp?) for the 'Fairytale Ball'. I remember this being a real last minute outfit, which involved me running to Birmingham indoor market about 5 minutes before it closed, buying £2 of material and hoping for the best! I think it worked out pretty well in the end!

- The third one was more of a 'challenge' than an event! On cricket tour in Torquay, we each had to find the worst (or should that be best?!) outfit for £5 in a charity shop for 'Bad Shirt Night'! I found this awesome skirt and jacket combo. I felt like Carol Vorderman on Countdown back in the day! And all for just a fiver - bargain!

Here's a two more...

- The first one was for 'Heaven and Hell' night and I went as an angel, although all you can see of my outfit is the fluffy halo! But hey, that was the best bit - I would definitely add it to my everyday wardrobe if I could!

- Every year we have 'Freakers', the sexual fantasy ball - not as kinky as it may sound, I promise! It's one of the biggest nights in Aston's calendar and everyone makes a real effort. This year I went as a sexy policewoman, in a VERY skimpy outfit - much smaller than it looked on ebay... ah well, you're only young once! (And yes, that's my boyfriend in the morphsuit, but the less said about his outfit the better!)

And finally the last two before the big countdown:

- On the left I am dressed as an air hostess for a friend's 'Mile High Club' birthday. In hindsight I now think I looked more like a cleaner...

- On the right is my second year Freakers outfit (see above) which I went to as a footballer / girl in their boyfriend's football shirt! I loved it at the time, but I won't be getting my abs out like that anytime soon - need a few more stomach crunches til that happens again!

So, here goes, now we get to the big three...

My third favourite fancy dress outfit... ARMY!

In first year we wore the army theme for a friend's birthday. I love the army theme for a fancy dress and its perfect for when there's lots of boys and girls, as it suits both sexes. I went for a brown bikini, under a netted top, with combats on the bottom. I think I may have got the facepaints a bit wrong though as I ended up with more tribal stripes than army war paint! Ah well. Another good thing about this outfit was that I got to wear combats and trainers, so it was much easier to bust a few moves on the dancefloor!

My second favourite fancy dress outfit... CAVEGIRLS!

For a friend's birthday we all dressed as Cavegirls. We bought loads of material from the markets in Birmingham city centre and had great fun ripping, cutting and tying our little hearts out! I think cavegirl is such a good outfit cos it is really cheap, and you can go a bit crazy not only with the outfit, but with the hair and make up too.

And finally, my favourite fancy dress outfit.... CHAVS!

In second year we had 'Chav Night' and it was amazing! I wore a velour tracksuit, huge hooped earrings and even had my 'ASBO' round my neck! (I'm third from left). It's my friend Sarah on the left who I think looks amazing though - the gelled-down hair, thick lipliner and teddy for a baby was perfect! You'd be surprised how much people's behaviour changes when you are dressed like this - it all got a bit lairy!

I know my favourite three are quite standard fancy dress outfits, but I had such great fun wearing them that they just had to top the list.

I hope you've enjoyed looking at these pictures - reminiscing has definitely bought a HUGE smile to my face! When I meet up with my friends from university after we leave I am going to ensure it is fancy dress, cos I think I will miss it too much in the 'real world'!

Which of my outfits from the photos is your favourite? Do any of you have any cool fancy dress ideas, or have you worn any in the past?

xx

Sun, Shopping and the Suffolk Show

Wow, what a gorgeous day it's been today!

I've been outside at the Suffolk Show and am now soooooo tired from all the sun and walking, but its been brilliant!

My favourite part was definitely the animal area, even though apart from cats I'm not normally much of animal lover (is this something it is is socially acceptable to admit? I feel like I'm saying I have no heart...I do, I promise!). I bypassed the cows and pigs for slightly cuter animals and absolutely fell in love with these pygmy goats...look how adorable...

Before today I was desperate for a kitten but now I want one of these! They are soooooo cute. I NEED one!

And as there's not much about fashion in this blog post, look at this guy for style! He certainly knows how to rock a cool hairdo... Such a dude! Although he was a little bit big and scary for a pet methinks!

We also made our way round all the fashion and craft stands and although I didn't buy anything I loved a stand I found there by a company called Little Folks. (Sorry about the picture, but there were A LOT of people around!).

I'd never heard of them before but they do the most gorgeous personalised gifts for children - bags, babygrows, even deckchairs! To be honest I even considered getting a personalised flask for myself! As soon as I got back I googled them and they have a website which is www.littlefolk.co.uk that I'll definitely be keeping in mind when I next buy something for my cousin's little children. You guys should definitely check it out, cos in the flesh their stuff is absolutely beautiful.

After walking around all morning we settled down with an ice cream by the Grand Ring to watch show jumping and a military demonstration.

My outfit wasn't particularly inspired, but I'll share it with you anyway. I went in jeans and a coat, but as the sun came out I changed into my shorts which luckily I had in my bag.

My shirt and vest top are New Look, plimsoles by good old Primark (for £2 you can't beat them) and my shorts are from Dorothy Perkins and I feel like I've had them forever. As I say, not a particularly exciting outfit, but practical for walking around all day and importantly covering my shoulders from the sun (I burn ridiculously easily!)

We've just got back from dinner in a country pub where I just changed my top for a slightly more dressy one with a lightweight jacket.

What a great end to a great day :-)

xx