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A quick fotd as I haven't done one for a while. I ordered some lip tars from OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) and I'm loving them. I played it pretty safe buying a lot of nudes and browns, but then those are the colours that suit me-so it makes sense. I am wanting to delve into the brighter/scary colours like dark green and bright blue though because they provide really interesting colours when mixed. Anyway there will be a more in depth review and swatching of them next week. For today, I mixed Complex (pastel greyish lilac/pink) with Petty Beige (warm, goldish beige), then popped some GOSH lipgloss (0059) over the top (because the lip tars are very matte), and I came up with this stunning nude. I love it!
I did the rest of my face pretty quickly with Dainty Doll foundation in Ivory (Jelly Pong Pong), No7 Quick Cover concealer in 02 Extra Fair and under the eyes this week I've been using the eye brightener from the Wakeup Makeup palette from Jelly Pong Pong which I'm very impressed with. I used the beautiful Front Page Peach (Blush Delice) and a flick of Super Liner Carbon Gloss in Carbon Black, both by L'Oreal and 123 Looks mascara from Rimmel (on level 2).
Click images to enlarge. I'm wearing these gorgeous boots from Heatherette/Irregular Choice, floral dress from Primark, my new unicorn pearls from Topshop and one of the 3 pairs of floral sunglasses that I got yesterday, also from Primark. Aren't they cute? Hope all you hard workers are looking forward to the long weekend!
Here's some more of your questions to 'The Shoe Girl Diaries', more to come later in the week!How do you decide which pair to wear each day?
Good question...I usually start an outfit with one item, it could be that I want to wear a certain necklace, pair of shoes or bright pink lipstick or something. I then build an outfit around that-it's how I've always done it. Or if I were going shopping that day, I usually try to wear shoes that are easy to take on and off for trying on shoes or clothes-as there's nothing more annoying than spending 10 minutes lacing a pair of boots back up only to take them off again in half an hour. I started writing down the remaining 'unworn' shoes a couple of months ago and this has somewhat influenced my decision making in recent weeks. I'm making sure for example that I wear the more wintery styles before the warmer weather comes.
Where do you buy most of your shoes? Online or do you prefer trying them on in person? I'm a huge fan of internet shopping, it's much easier and more convenient for me. There is of course the disadvantage of sizing issues and I would prefer to try them on in person. I always panic when the parcel arrives that they won't fit! I live in a small town though, so I don't have any big shops at my fingertips, I can't just pop in to try them on-so for the wider choice I prefer online. Some places like Kurt Geiger, Cloggs and ASOS now offer free returns which is fantastic.
What's the most amount you've bought at one time?
Haha, you know me well! I can vividly remember being on a family holiday when I was 17 and I think I bought 4 or 5 pairs in the one shop. The assistant was gobsmacked, "you want them all? All of them?"! I was so nonchalant about it too! I've done this several times since though, I'm not sure of the most...maybe 6 or 7 pairs and it was probably in Matalan. Online I used to go crazy in the asos sale and usually get 4 or 5 pairs and I once ordered 5 pairs from the Faith sale online (it was very exciting to get that massive box delivered).
You have so many pairs of shoes and boots, where on earth do you store them all? Any tips?
Well this is my biggest problem, if I had a massive storage space, there would be no end to my shoe shopping! I have to admit that when I moved back home, my family built a shed to store some of my belongings because I'd amassed so much in 4 years away, oops! I need a room like Mariah, where it's all set out like a shop-although in saying that, if you display shoes on a shelf they do get dusty and I wouldn't like that. You also can't just chuck your shoes under the bed/wardrobe or in a large box because they get ruined, it's not worth it. I've spoken before about these fabulous boxes that I bought in Superdrug a few years back. They are sturdy, perfect for stacking and they have a see through panel so you can see which shoes are inside. You can also pull the front section down and slide your shoes out, so you don't have to pull the box out from the stack. They came in packs of 2 (one larger, one normal) and I went around all the local Superdrugs and bought all the stock they had (they wondered what I was putting in all of these boxes!). I maybe have around 50 or 60 of them, but I can't find them now or online.
So I keep unboxed or tatty box shoes in there. I have 2 huge stacks floor to almost ceiling next to my wardrobe. Then on top of my wardrobe are maybe another 50 pairs and there are piles of boxes in any spare space around my room and of course some older styles in 'the shed'!
I also converted one of my wardrobes into an Irregular Choice shoe closet! How cool? I know! Again they come in boxes that you can stack and they are drawer-like, so you can pull the shoes out without wrecking the whole pile (well sometimes!). There's still quite a bit of IC overspill from that though!
Is it only shoes you're obsessed with or do you buy a lot of clothes too?
If you follow me on Pink Haired Princess, you'll know I'm quite bad for splurging on other things too. I love clothes, jewellery, bags, makeup-anything fashion related. I suppose because I can't get creative and make things like I used to, I have to buy them. I'm always feeling inspired and it can be frustrating if you can't find what you're looking for in the shops. Unfortunately making my own clothes and accessories is out of the picture jut now and that's something I miss terribly. Storage wise, I wish it was "only shoes" I need to find room for! And I'm sure my bank wished it was only shoes, I spend a ridiculous amount on makeup too. My family are 'collector's' though, I guess I get it from them!
How can you wear and walk in high heels all day?
Well I don't wear them all day these days as I tend to either be in the wheelchair or can only walk short distances (nothing shoe related), but I've never had a problem with high heels. Walking in them, is something that's always come naturally to me and actually I'd have a problem wearing flat shoes, even barefoot, I'm on tip-toes! I think it's all about confidence though, you need to "work it". There's nothing worse than someone teetering in heels and they literally can't make it two steps without wobbling, it's embarrassing. If you can't walk in 5" heels, then practice at home and if you still can't, then you need to find a heel height that suits you. There's nothing I can't do in heels, I could run in them, walk all day...I used to walk lots as my family don't have a car and it was never a problem.
What's the highest heel you own?
I'm not totally sure, but I think I have 6" heels with a platform or 5-5 1/2" heels with no platform. I think I've actually become quite lazy because if I wear 4" heels without a platform, my legs ache but 5 1/2" with a platform are a breeze!
Do you ever wear flats?
Nope! I don't actually think I own any anymore. I think my foot looks odd when it's in flat shoes, it looks huge, maybe just because I'm so used to only seeing the tips of my toes on the ground.
Would you ever wear....wait for it....Crocs?
Aaaaaagh, no! Never! My Mum has them (perhaps I'm adopted?) and my little nephew lives in his. I think they can be quite cute for kids, but they're just so rounded and ugly that I would never, ever wear them myself. What ould you wear them with, a floral dress? Oh No! I also hate Uggs...sorry folks! I think they are on a par with Crocs in ugly terms, they're gross. And I especially hate those crappy "knitted" imitations for £6 in Primark or whatever, gross. They're called "ug" for a reason you know! I blame Pamela Anderson for starting that craze, although she totally rocked them on the set of Baywatch like nobody else could. And when you see celebrities on set in a gorgeous designer dress with Uggs on for comfort, oh God it creeps me out...and they're so expensive too-why would you want to part with that amount of cash for something so?...euch, I could go on for hours about it!
Ok, so to celebrate 200 days of shoes yesterday (woopee) on The Shoe Girl Diaries, there will be an interview all week, with The Shoe Girl aka, me, Pink Haired Princess. Some of you sent in questions a little while ago and I mentioned a surprise goodie bag (winning question picked at random), so more on that later in the week. Picture-free questions first, but I have some great photos for later in the week, let's begin....Have you always been known as 'The Shoe Girl'?Pretty much so. Everyone always knew me as 'that girl with the crazy shoes' at school and around where I live and they'd always look to see which shoes I was wearing. Then at a house party at Uni, this boy told me that all his friends called me "the shoe girl" when they didn't know my name and that was the first time someone actually admitted to it and it stuck, haha! I thought it was the perfect name for the blog. What was your motivation or reasons for starting the blog?There were lots of reasons. I've been ill for almost 8 years now and blogging in general was something I could manage at home that still kept me creative and involved in fashion and beauty-which is what I love and I really missed being a"part" of that. I also don't get out all that much and thought it would be nice to know that somebody other than my Mum or nosey neighbour would see the special shoes I was wearing that day! I already started Pink Haired Princess and didn't know exactly how I would go about this shoe blog, what would the rules be, how would it work? Then it was while reading WhatKatieWore one day that I thought "I could do a variation of that, but with shoes". I wanted to get myself to wear those styles that I'd fallen out of love with instead of the latest shoe that I would wear over and over again. I also wanted to help people that buy online, because seeing a shoe on the foot can completely change your opinion of it. I try to write about whether the shoe is comfortable to wear, whether you need to go a size up etcYou must work in a very relaxed setting, that would allow you to wear such outrageous colours and heels. Well, I don't work due to health reasons, so I can have pink hair and bright yellow platform shoes and nobody cares : ) In the past though, I've always pushed it as far as I could, even at school with the shoes or clothes I wore-I don't like having to conform when it comes to fashion!What size of shoe do you wear?A UK 5/38. It used to be you could buy me any pair of size 5's, from any brand without me trying them on and they'd fit. However as I've put on weight in recent years I do struggle sometimes with strapping across the foot or around the ankle or very narrow styles. Would you ever consider doing daily outfit posts? If your clothes are anything like your shoes, I'd love to see that!Haha, thank you! Well as I've mentioned I've put on weight in recent years and I'm just getting used to being that much bigger and although I'm confident enough, I don't think I'm at the stage where I would feel comfortable doing that. The other more important reason is that I actually haven't figured out how to get a decent full length shot, taking the photo by myself-it's pretty impossible actually. Plus I wanted this blog to be something different, there are tonnes of daily outfit blogs out there and although quite a few people are now taking inspiration from me by setting themselves the challenge to wear different shoes every day-it was original at the time. Who takes the images for the blog and where are they taken?I take the photos myself. Once I figured out that I could take a decent enough shot of my own feet, I realised the blog was possible. I sometimes find myself in strange positions twisting and bending to get that decent image. Most images are taken in my bedroom (the pale green carpet) or around the house. I would feel very weird with someone else taking my photo or doing it in public! Maybe if I could sneakily take the image outdoors without anyone seeing, then I would. I should probably challenge myself to do that!How can you afford so many shoes? You must be rich!Haha, no I must be broke-from all the shoe buying! Ok, I don't want to get too serious or personal here but I have no "real" responsibilities; I don't have children to look after or massive bills to pay etc etc. So the majority of my money is spent on shoes/clothes/beauty. I don't go out, I don't drink or smoke, so I have no outgoings there. Also this shoe collection isn't an instant thing. I've been collecting since I was a teenager when my £10 a week paper-round money would be saved for shoe buying!Has this blog had an effect on the size of your shoe collection?Yes it has, but maybe not as you'd expect. Maybe a third of the shoes I've worn, I've now parted with. I'm a terrible hoarder, but wearing or seeing these shoes, I realised I no longer liked them or needed them, so off they went. Between giving to charity, selling on ebay or binning, I've probably given at least 100 pairs in the last 18 months. That may seem like I'm really wasteful, but I enjoyed the shoes at the time and now I'd say my thinking has changed that I try to only buy really unusual shoes rather than some ok-ish ones because they're only £12! Did you ever know how many pairs of shoes you owned?I used to always say "more than 100, less than 200". I have of course been proven wrong by that, seeing as I've reached 200 and am still going strong! There's also been several pairs recently that I've given away without photographing for the blog (maybe another 20 pairs). I had no idea I had this many though, honestly. Interview Part 2, coming soon!
Dear Miss Selfridge,
I want to look all Miu Miu in your cute new prom dress, £45. It sticks out, has a bow, kitsch bird print and is so 50's-everything I love. Please could you make your clothing in larger sizes, there are oodles of fashionable girls out there over a size 16. I'm already dreaming of wearing this dress with little lace gloves, pearls, peep toes and a fascinator. I want to twirl and sip tea and eat cupcakes in this dress. Boys will like me, girls will want to be me, flowers will bloom and little birds, squirrels, bunnies and raccoons will actually sing to me in this dress. Please make it possible.
Yours,
Pink Haired Princess x
It's celebration time over on The Shoe Girl Diaries, where I've managed to wear a different pair of shoes for 200 whole days, quite a 'feat', get it? Head over now to see the sparkly, party shoes I chose to celebrate with today. Still plenty more awesome shoes to come.
I saw these turquoise sandals (£84.99) in Look magazine earlier in the year and sad as I am, I have been totally lusting after them for months. I've been obsessed with checking the website to no avail and was about to give up all hope when they appeared last weekend. Hurrah! They're from River Island and by the Design Forum which is an initiative set up by RI who commission fashion students to design real items that will be sold in their stores under the Design Forum label. From the items I've seen, it's an amazing idea that's working well, the shoes especially are unique, quirky and look top quality. This specific shoe range come courtesy of Sophia Grace, who's already won The Browns Shoe Competition and is obviously set for big things. I would absolutely love Sophia designing for me, she's got an eye for making footwear that I didn't even know I wanted until I see them and that I fall 100% in love with, there's not a single thing about them I'd change. She even makes flat shoes desirable and you know I never wear flats!
I was a little undecided with which colour to purchase, but finally decided on the turquoise seeing as they were the pair I first spotted. I ordered them this morning and can't wait for them to arrive. I also really, really want this style (above); a cream peep toe ankle boot with stripes and bow, £74.99. However, I'm trying to not go too crazy at the first sight of some cash (even if it means I have to pay postage for separate orders), so they'll have to wait for now. Are you as in love with this new collection as I am?
I know I've been concentrating on No7 mascaras for the past few weeks, but have you seen the new Rimmel 1-2-3 Looks advertised? It's quite freaky because just last night it popped up on tv and I said "yeah right, like that would actually work"! You apparently turn the dial to pump up the volume of lashes depending on the look you want to achieve. I was very sceptical about it, I mean the same brush is dipped in the same mascara right? How could it magically apply any differently? Well shock of the week came this morning, when what popped through my door, but 123 Looks mascara from Rimmel! Do they have unusual hearing powers like Superman, I wonder? As I was so dubious about it's 'magical transforming quality', I tried it right away and I have to admit (shock of the week no.2) and say "it's brilliant"!
I'll do a more in-depth review once I've tried it a few more times, but I took this quick pic today with Level 1 (3x more volume) on one eye and Level 3 (10x more volume) on the other. The difference in the mascara and brush as it comes out of the tube on different levels is undoubtedly apparent, which surprised me (yep, shock of the week no.3). The contrast once applied to the lashes is also clearly visible. I don't know how they do it, but I like it and I'll be turning and clicking the magic wand until my heart's content!
I've always been someone who adores jewellery. Undoubtedly it's due to my magpie like characteristic of a fondness for anything that sparkles and twinkles. When I was 12, a boy at school nicknamed me 'kooky' due to the huge sparkly rings that adorned my fingers (at that time nobody wore costume jewellery at that age and especially not to school). I try and regularly go through my stash and donate the stuff I don't wear anymore to charity or throw the rubbish in the bin. The other night I decided to do something about the ever growing bundle of pieces lying around my room and the issue that so many of my rings are stored all over the house-I want them altogether in one place. The images above show maybe a third of my collection, before I starting organising.
I got this stunning box a few Christmas's ago. It's padded pink leather with a satin dress and shoe design on the front and large mirror in the lid. It has keys and a lock, which I haven't seen on a jewellery box for years! It's actually supposed to hold cosmetics as the tray contain the words 'lots of lipsticks, eyeshadows, pencils', but I thought it perfect for my rings. Inside is a tray which is split into 6 sections and in the base the box is split in half (I've popped some necklaces in for now that were lying around). So a few days ago I made it my project to organise my rings into this box. Here's what the finished collection looks like. I tried to be somewhat methodical.
Below; this is a random-ish row. My good friend gave me the Playboy ring years and years ago and although Playboy stuff used to be well-made (nowadays I think the clothes/shoes etc are tacky as hell), but I like this ring. She also brought me back the pearl ring next to it from a trip abroad and I adore it. It fits like a dream and is so comfortable to wear and very unique. The other is my Topshop unicorn ring (love you) and a Virgin Vie ring, an oval shape with beautiful blue stone.
Next some flower rings. My Mum started buying me these before they became uber trendy, although I love that you can now go into any high-street store and pick up a huge flower for your finger!
Another random row with my Topshop swan and giraffe rings, a massive pearl ring from Primark and an old ASOS teal ring with little chains that hang from it (I've worn this so many times over the years).
More flower rings including this silver one, which I wear at the top of my finger. I bought it too small for this purpose-can't brag enough about how much I love wearing it. Always feel a little rock-chick when I'm wearing it.
Now onto my bigger rings. It's funny how older 'big rings' are now modest in comparison to todays big rings. When it comes to jewellery I love cameos, pearls, kitsch, sparkles and usually the bigger the better-I look utterly ridiculous in small band rings (potential fiance beware). I would honestly not marry someone who bought me a tiny ring and that's nothing to do with price-they just wouldn't know me very well if they thought I would like that. I'd much rather have an inexpensive sparkler than an expensive diamond the size of a grain of sand.
My newest addition is the pewter flower ring from Dorothy Perkins (bottom right) which I got for under £2! I had no idea it was this huge, but was very excited when it arrived. Next to that is my Topshop ring that I got for £1 that I showed you a few months ago. It's very weighty, but stunning. Gold flower, black flower and purple oval Matalan, jewelled oval and 2 pearl ovals Primark, bright pink cameo Miss Selfridge, black oblong Virgin Vie and rest ASOS). The one that looks like a My Little pony is from my sister which she bought in a boutique in Glasgow I think. I wish I knew the brand. It is honestly the comfiest ring ever, it looks like a napkin ring as the actual band is flat so fits well between your fingers. I fell in love with this the second she gave it to me, it's so pretty. Look at the pearl ring and a more recent version-that's how much rings have changed in a couple of years. It's now acceptable to wear a ring that covers most of your hand!
The final section is mostly filled with items I don't wear as often. The bottom row in the middle are my 2 fake engagement rings! I always wear them on that finger and although they're both from Claire's Accessories, they make me feel a million dollars because they catch the light and sparkle! I had a fake engagement ring at Uni that I bought at Disney Land (it's not shown here, it was a 'gold' band with lots of little 'diamonds' piled on top of each other in a diamond shape) and I used to fool so many people with it. One group of guys told my friends that obviously I was dating a very rich man that could afford such a large diamond ring! Yep, I spent a whole £20 on that one!
My Granny gave me loads of rings last year (some shown below) and the other ring I bought in a local boutique and I think it's Mary on it.
So there you have it. I'm very happy with my new ring storage although I have remembered one ring that I can't find and it's driving me nuts now. I have no idea where it is, but when I find it, it will be added to my collection!
A quick fotd as I haven't done one for a while. I ordered some lip tars from OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) and I'm loving them. I played it pretty safe buying a lot of nudes and browns, but then those are the colours that suit me-so it makes sense. I am wanting to delve into the brighter/scary colours like dark green and bright blue though because they provide really interesting colours when mixed. Anyway there will be a more in depth review and swatching of them next week. For today, I mixed Complex (pastel greyish lilac/pink) with Petty Beige (warm, goldish beige), then popped some GOSH lipgloss (0059) over the top (because the lip tars are very matte), and I came up with this stunning nude. I love it!
I did the rest of my face pretty quickly with Dainty Doll foundation in Ivory (Jelly Pong Pong), No7 Quick Cover concealer in 02 Extra Fair and under the eyes this week I've been using the eye brightener from the Wakeup Makeup palette from Jelly Pong Pong which I'm very impressed with. I used the beautiful Front Page Peach (Blush Delice) and a flick of Super Liner Carbon Gloss in Carbon Black, both by L'Oreal and 123 Looks mascara from Rimmel (on level 2).
Click images to enlarge. I'm wearing these gorgeous boots from Heatherette/Irregular Choice, floral dress from Primark, my new unicorn pearls from Topshop and one of the 3 pairs of floral sunglasses that I got yesterday, also from Primark. Aren't they cute? Hope all you hard workers are looking forward to the long weekend!
