Recent Shoe Hauls

Shortly before Christmas a few more of the things I'd ordered online were delivered. I haven't had the time or space to properly photograph them yet but took these very quick images the evening I received them. The lighting therefore is hopeless, but some of the pictures have turned out ok.

First up are my Jean Paul Gaultier Melissa sandals from Shudoo which looked better without the tights I was wearing that day, so no 'on the foot' photos. They are a little tight on me, true to size in length though. I actually forgot how thin the heel was when I was prancing around my room in them. You definitely don't feel like you have to tread carefully for fear of snapping it. Upon closer inspection, I realised it's metal-obviously it would have to be otherwise a jelly heel that narrow wouldn't hold any weight. The strapping at the heel is a little odd, you have that large black slingback which just sits at the heel. I was trying to pull it right up, because it feels like it's falling down, when actually it's supposed to sit like that (will take a bit of getting used to). There's a double row of the clear strapping which is attached to the inside of that strap and your heel doesn't really sit pushed back into the heel section of the sandal (these straps jut out and your foot is further forward). It just looks a little weird from the back when it's on the foot. In my haste (and excitement), I didn't realise they came with a dustbag until I was browsing the photos I took and spotted it in the box!
Now you may recall I ordered two sizes of these ('Partytime' by ASOS). So glad, because the 5 were too small and I've returned them. Even the 6 can be a struggle to get all your toes lying flat and comfortable. I actually wore these on Boxing Day when my sister and her family came, with my ASOS Curve floral maxi (a killer combo fyi). So they are long overdue a little outing on The Shoe Girl Diaries. They've unfortunately sold out in this colourway, but there's still plain black, black with leopard platform + heel or for double the price, a diamante pair.
I'm a sucker for glitter and especially so if it's multi coloured! I like that they have a more manageable chunky heel which is a little different from most party shoes. They are very high though, I was towering above everyone (just as well, as my maxi is very long). I suppose they're a little like the mullet haircut, all 'business' on top but 'party' down below!
I also have some pics of my Irregular Choice No Pain, All Gain boots from Branch 309, which arrived that same day. They sit mid calf rather than knee high (again sorry, no foot photos). In the foot, they fit true to size with a very wide, roomy toe. I can just zip these up over my legs (there's no stretch in them), I think my legs are probably slightly larger than most but not massive by any means. I love that the zip is multi coloured to blend in with the boot and I love IC for actually including a zip at all (are they finally listening?). The heel is mirrored, marbled, metallic (which I wasn't aware of from online images). The box they came in is gigantic (where am I going to put it?) and absolutely adorable (I don't yet have this 'Alice' image). Oh and I've just found these (crap!) pictures on my computer of the Miss Selfridge shoe-boots I bought in the sale a while back. They are very chunky looking and thankfully have 2 straps with 'working' buckles or else I wouldn't get my feet in. They just fit and no more (I bought my regular size)! The heel feels very low which it probably is, considering the size of the platform. I can see me getting wear out of these when the snow has gone but it's still cold.

It seems to be taking me ages to write posts these days, I don't know where my head is at! So, I just want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. I'm not doing anything special tonight on Hogmanay, but I hope wherever you are, you're happy and safe. I'm hoping 2011 is a turnaround year for me-there's so much I want to achieve and my stars are looking good! PHP x x x

Irregular Choice SS11

The time has come, Christmas is over and Spring/Summer stock is already filtering into the shops! If you're still trying to snap up winter high-street bargains in the sale and can't even contemplate swapping your cosy gloves and scarf for a skimpy bikini and shades then you should perhaps visit Spar to get in the spirit-they were selling Cadbury Creme Eggs, Mini Eggs and all sorts of Easter eggs in early December. Seriously!
Moving on...Irregular Choice have started rolling out the spring stock and I'm happy to see these Can't Touch It courts which I posted on the IC forum months ago. They are a fresh take on the Fantasy Flower from last summer. I like the hessian mixed with purple and I'm always happy to see the carved perspex heel which has become a signature feature of IC.
Scottie Dog courts have been revamped as an exclusive to Schuh in lime green and pale pink. I'm a little on the fence with these, can't decide if they're garish or quite cute. I do get a little perplexed at some of the 'makeovers' Schuh give to old IC styles, sometimes I think the rehashing of old fabrics and shapes doesn't work and good shoes should be left alone. The new Trinklettina are a leading example, just too much going on there (lovely fabrics alone but not together).
As much as I love florals, the new Flick Flack (seriously how many times are we going to revamp FF?) are again too much. There's three different flowery prints, a patterned sole and a green printed insole...wah. The pink are available from Schuh and both black and pink are available on the IC site.
One shoe that always seems to work no matter which colour it comes in is the floral cortesan mary-jane from Schuh (exclusive). I'm sure many will be delighted with it's subtle transformation.
Tea & Cakes are a new style (another Schuh exclusive) that almost descend from the previous shoe. It's one print all over and instead of a corsage detail, it has a large bow-always a winner with me. They have a very retro feel and I'd love to see if other stores will do alternative colours.
Finally if trainers are your thing, then I'm sure you'll absolutely think these are the shizzle. Or at least they would appear to be to me, a non-sneaker wearing girl. You have wild colours and prints and cute little charms that are sure to get noticed. I don't keep track of this range on the IC site but I believe the Meteora are new colours whilst Trek Asteroid, Comet and Celestrial Sphere are completely new styles. All available from the IC site.

Estee Lauder Haul

Hi! Hope you've all had a good Christmas. I'm keen to get back into my routine, these past few weeks have all been a bit of a blur and I need normality again! Remember the Estee Lauder haul I did weeks ago? Well unfortunately it's coming to you later than I intended, but better that than never right? I'm super pleased with everything I got and the service from their online store is incredible. My items came gift wrapped (free), with free delivery and I got all these extras; Double Wear mascara, Bronze Goddess Sunscreen, Automatic Lip Pencil in Fig and Signature Hydra Lustre Lipstick in Chic Pink, oh and my gorgeous Christmas tree bauble (the whole reason I ordered!). Mum said I should've given her the bauble for Christmas as it's her initials on it!
Fig lip liner is something I'm sure I'll get a lot of use from. It's a pale brown that's very dupable (is that a word?), lots of brands make that type of shade is what I'm trying to say, but it's great for those slightly darker than nude lipsticks. Chic Pink lipstick isn't a shade I'd pick for myself, in the tube it looks very coral or salmon pink which I usually try to avoid. However it's actually pretty sheer and possibly much more wearable than I thought. The coral colour disappears and you're left with a light, ever so peachy pink.
As for the items I purchased. I'm dying to review this Double Wear foundation, but I will do so later, rather than filling up this post with an in depth review, suffice to say I love it! The colour is not at all what I expected, 1C1 Shell looks cool toned and very, very pink in the online swatch and I did have my doubts as to whether or not this would actually be too light for me. In reality it's actually pretty perfect, a palest ivory. In the swatch I've blended a little of it, although my hand isn't the same shade as my face, but you get the idea. If you are pale like me and I reckon I have pink undertones, then this shade should suit.
The lipstick is wowtastic (definitely not a word). Check out that gold glitter! It doesn't run all the way through and even swatching the top layer, not a single piece of glitter showed up (kinda freaky). The colour underneath looks much more browny in the tube than swatched where it's a rich raspberry. As a side note, my MAC Marcel Wanders stuff came the same day and although they look completely different in the tube, the Digna lipstick is an absolute dead ringer for this Estee Lauder shade. I'll post comparison pics in my MAC post (which is still to come).

Irregular Choice Sale Watch

Hi ladies, are you all organised for Christmas? I feel like I need another week to properly prepare, I really love the run-up to the big day and for various reasons I've missed that this year. Parcels have been turning up thick and fast though! These pre-Christmas sales are killing me, there's so many things I have my eye on. I've compiled a more easier to look at list of all the Irregular Choice shoes currently on sale for you (and for me to refer back to as well)! There are tonnes of markdowns on the official Irregular Choice site, which I haven't documented here, so check that out too.

Schuh have a massive sale, as you can see below. The purple Bambi wedges £39.95 (above) are now sold out (there were 5's and 6's available earlier) and they were a pair I really liked. Remember Amazon and Viva La Diva also sell Schuh IC's, although sometimes you end up disappointed as their stock levels aren't updated as recently as the Schuh site (so in-stock items may actually be sold out). I also like the turquoise floral wedges and those floral rosette courts that I couldn't get to fit months ago (I'm so tempted to buy the size 6 and force my feet in)! The lattice peacock pair are also available in yellow btw.
Below are a selection from Branch309 who have been regularly adding to their stock over this past week. I have to admit I buckled and ordered the No Pain All Gain multi coloured boots this week! I've had my eye on them for ages and watched them sell out on Amazon as they steadily reduced the price, so I snapped them up when I saw them here. I bought my regular size and they fit true to size in the foot and even zip up over my legs, yipee! I'd like the You're A Star courts below but at £50 they're still a little more than I'm prepared to pay for them. The same applies to the Apple Turnover ankle boots, turquoise Magic Pony shoes and Christmassy Oz.
Note, I've only shown one colourway of most styles, but you can see underneath which pairs are available in other colours, click images to enlarge.
DV8 have a small selection of handbags on sale and the black glitter I'm In Vegas shoes.
Shoes.co.uk have a small selection of shoes reduced including I'm In Vegas, Miaow and No Place Like Home.
You can pick up the popular black Patty courts for only £3 at Shudoo along with reductions on the likes of Spit Spot, Wicked Western and Flick Flack.
Asos have a bit of a strange sale going on, you'll notice the top section below are straight forward enough. However I've also grouped together another selection from the site which aren't officially marked down, but are reduced (I've written the original rrp's on each). This may help, if you have a discount code that can't be used on sale items, as asos aren't stating that these are in the sale (bonus)!
Cloggs have several markdowns on their site, indicated below.
Finally Dolly Dagger have a great sale with mostly half price IC's (a couple of items are 25% off). I want those turquoise Tickling Loris so badly, but they're gonna go and I have no money : (