Thanks to London Fashion Week I am now coveting...

Twice a year I head on down to London for fashion week. As well as running around for shows, queueing for what feels like the best part of the day and surviving solely off of weird vitamin drinks, I also get to go have a nosy through Somerset House at all of next season's collections. This year I was accompanied by one of my bestest buddies and the collections we saw were arguably the best yet.

For those of you who didn't get a chance to go, here's a little round-up of all the things I'm now coveting and a teaser look at next season's collections:

These statement necklaces by Nocturne are to die for!

I can't even put in to words how badly I want a Hemsley London bag.
 #wishlistproblems 

Zoe Sherwood and her amazing flying bird themed head wear. 

Shout out to these dreamy things for making me realise the potential in
 accessorising my shoulders. 

As a big tea drinker I feel this tea-cosy is more a necessity than an accessory
(ahem). 

Little wings and arrows came together to create the dreamiest of jewels
by Phoebe Coleman. 

HEMSLEY HEMSLEY HEMSLEY

O x

Book Review: Here's Looking At You by Mhairi McFarlane.

This is the first time I've written a book review and it's something new I'm trying out for this blog so any feedback or comments would be much appreciated! 

This is actually the second book I've read by Mhairi McFarlane. I bought the first one, You Had Me At Hello, on a whim as I was actually buying some books by John Green and it was on a 3 for 2 offer. However, that said, that whim buy turned out to be one of the best literature decisions I've ever made. And, in case you were wondering, the John Green books were, in my opinion, completely rubbish – sorry die hard JG fans. After finishing the first book I googled the author and realised she had this second novel published too. I purchased it immediately and began reading it practically the second it came through my door. 

Without spoiling too much, basically what the novel is about is about an incredibly attractive, single, History professor called Anna. Anna thinks she's moved on from the bullying she suffered when she was at school and is quite content spending her free time going on dates, helping her younger sister plan her wedding and hanging out with her two best friends. That is until she's assigned to work on a project with James Fraser, the orchestrator of her school humiliation, and her trust and confidence is put to the test once again. James, who fails to recognise Anna as the girl he mistreated in school, is going through a messy break-up with his wife Penny and the work project he is assigned to create with Anna becomes a distraction from his hectic home life. At first Anna acts coldly towards him but over time the two become friends and Anna begins to develop romantic feelings towards James.

I will say that this book has plenty of ups and downs, Anna's younger sister going off the rails being one of them and James' bitch wife being another. However, what would a romance story be without its fair share of turmoil?! What I love about Mhairi's writing style is that she is completely hilarious, hits the nail on the head again and again when it comes to accurately describing situations and feelings and, on the whole, remains very contemporary. For me, the way her characters react, think and talk is so realistic it actually makes the book.

Now that I'm getting older I've realised I can no longer read books aimed at teenagers as I feel they're just a little too 'young' for my taste. However, for any women in their twenties/thirties looking for a really funny, light-hearted and addictive read I would whole heartedly recommend this writer.Trouble is now I've read both her books, I'm a sitting duck waiting for a third!

Have you read any of her books or have any book recommendations for girls in their twenties? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment below.

O x

Product Review - Barry M Showgirl Mascaras

I was feeling a little blue yesterday and fancied a small pick me up. So, naturally, after work I headed on over to the make-up aisle at Boots and bought myself a couple of little treats. I've been after a new mascara for what feels like forever. One of my own personal favourites is the YSL Babydoll Mascara, however, this retails at a somewhat pricey £24.50. Usually, this wouldn't bother me as I don't mind forking out for quality products. However, I've been a student for the past four years and have only just graduated so rethinking my spending habits has become a top priority of late. Whilst I would say that YSL Babydoll IS worth the money, I'm personally looking for something just as good but at a much more affordable price. Which brings me to my next point: Barry M have just launched two new mascaras entitled Showgirl Volumising Mascara and Showgirl Extreme Lengthening Mascara.

I was initially drawn to these products because of the packaging which is bad as I've tried what feels likes hundreds of mascaras and have been let down by packaging, ridiculous guarantees (4D effect lashes here's looking at you) and misleading ad campaigns many times before. However, these ones come in a flashy metallic colour with the product name featured in bold, star print typography and really stood out on the shelf. So, for only £4.99 each, I thought I'd give them a go anyway. 

I was very eager to try these out so gave them a test this morning when I applied my make-up. I curled my lashes with an eye-lash curler, as I do every morning, and then proceeded to apply the extreme lengthening mascara (silver tube). I must admit that I was particularly impressed with this product as the results it gave felt similar to the Benefit They're Real Mascara. It was easy to apply, clump-free and left my lashes looking very natural and long. Plus at £4.99, which is almost a ¼ of the price of the Benefit mascara, this couldn't be a better product!

Next I applied the extra volumising mascara (pink tube). I wasn't as impressed with this one as it didn't give as much volume as I would have liked/expected. However, that said, it was really easy to apply and was also clump free. I've tried to include pictures of the effect but I'm living in the dark ages with an iPhone 4s and apologise for the poor quality of my camera!

Overall I think both products work quite well and, when used together, definitely compliment each other. If I'm honest though I felt a little let down by the volumising mascara as I hoped it would have a bit more of a 'wow' effect. That said, I am extremely impressed with the lengthening and natural effect that the other one gave and would definitely recommend the extreme lengthening product, especially at the bargain price of £4.99. 

O x

Edeline LEE SS15

I was lucky enough to attend London Fashion Week for the second time this September and got to see some really amazing shows. One of these included the Edeline Lee SS15 presentation which I reviewed for styleldn.com. After a hectic four days (I didn't stay for the full five) and after viewing and reviewing countless fashion shows, I can honestly say that this one was one of my favourite collections! Admittedly this was partly because one of my best gal pals got to come see it with me, but it was also one of the most interesting, unique and creative shows I'd seen that week. For one, she didn't use too much floral print or pastel colours and thus her show didn't look like every other Spring/Summer line I'd seen that week. Plus Edeline Lee really pushed the boundaries with her demonstration this year and, for me, seeing her devotion and hard work in such a literal way was really something special. It's collections like hers that make all the hustle and bustle of fashion week worth it for me. Snaps for Edeline Lee!

Here are some of the snaps I got of her gorgeous,upcoming Spring line:

If you fancy having a read of my  full review then head on over to http://styleldn.com/edeline-lee-ss15/.

O x

Do it better in Helene Berman.

The good thing about turning our back on Summer is that we get to say hello to an entire new season and, if we're all being honest, AW fashion is waaaaaaay better than summer fashion anyway. Personally, I LOVE everything about AW. I love the ankle boots and array of faux fur, the influx of burgundy, wine red shades and grey, grey and more grey. Yet, above all of that, the thing I love most about AW fashion is getting to pick out a statement coat to see me through the season. This year I've gone with designer Helene Berman. Don't know her? Well you should. She's only an utterly fabulous up-and-coming British designer with a passion for everything heritage! It gets better; I bagged this fabulous piece from the ASOS sale for only £41! Jammy b**** you say? Hell yes. In case my enthusiasm for my latest buy isn't demonstrated accurately in this post, see the following images for an inkling:

#OOTD I'm wearing Jeans by ASOS, coat - Helene Bernam at ASOS, crop top by Topshop, faux fur snood -unbranded, shoes - H&M.

O x

Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

So how have I spent my week? Well, unfortunately following my return from London Fashion Week my life has been incredibly hectic. Realising just how much work I have to do and how much I need to sort out has just left me feeling incredibly hopeless and unmotivated. Wanting to pursue a career in fashion journalism and living in a small town really DON'T go hand-in-hand and the realisation that the closer I get towards reaching my goal the further away it feels has hit me sideways like a speeding lorry. Needless to say, I'm seriously lacking in motivation and teetering on the edge of depression.

(insert grey cloudy overcast here)

However, there are some positive to draw from this week including the fact that I've gone down a jeans size and landed a new job working within retail. So, to celebrate I bought myself a new pair of black skinny jeans from ASOS and some super chic loafers from Matalan. Plus last night was date night and I got to go to the cinema AND eat McDonald's at midnight in the passenger seat of a car, (a very nice car I might add).

Here's a little snap of me standing on the driveway with my 
newly purchased goodies earlier today.

I'm hoping this new job will open up some doors for me and, at the very least, help me save up enough money so that I can go and do an internship in London sometime after the new year. If that doesn't work out though at the very least I can now afford some new clothes. And after all, retail therapy is the best therapy there is, am I right?

After reading this I imagine you're probably think I'm a complete and utter tragic twenty something with the most embarrassing life. Well, you're right. But, Monday brings with it a new week and I'm going to do what I do best; throw myself back in to work and quit my bitching. This week WILL be better and hopefully by next Sunday I'll have something better to blog about, (she says).

O x

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”

Welcome to my first post on 'Same Chic, Different day'!

Although this is my first post I must admit that the blogging experience isn't an entirely new one for me. My journey in to the world of blogging began about 2 years ago. Since then a lot has changed; I graduated from university, lost about 3 stone, ended a four year relationship and fully threw myself in to the world of fashion journalism. 

Since I started blogging I've been fortunate to go to LFW three times, write for a variety of different fashion publications and improve my writing technique. Currently I write for two fashion websites; one as a beauty editor and another as a news writer. I also have my own blog on wordpress but after going to fashion week again this year and networking with some of the top UK fashion bloggers I realised I was doing a lot of really simple things wrong and that there were so many ways I could improve my blog and increase my internet presence. However, because there were just so many things I wanted to do over I made the somewhat painful decision to abandon my original blog and start an entirely new one.

This time around I want to make my blog a more personal one and plan to include more images of myself, my fashion and beauty choices, and include literature and music reviews as well.

So, with all of that said, I'd like to end my first post relating back to the title of the piece. I know some people think it's cheesy or cringey to use quotes to relate to your current situation but as an aspiring writer I have to disagree. Words are essentially my life so I happen to love quotes I can relate to. Anyway -

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”- Thomas Jefferson (I believe)

And that's what I'm hoping this blog is; an opportunity to try again. Until next time,

O x