The ballet flats that dreams are made of

I first started taking ballet lessons when I was knee high. I quickly discovered that it wasn't for me (I have about as much grace and poise as a tea spoon). Although ballet never worked out for me, I have always respected the discipline required and the sheer amount of hard work it takes to train.

Fast forward some years to the here and now, when one day I came across a pair of soft pink ballet pumps. It brought back all the memories and I couldn't not pick them up could I??

Pink tie leg ballet flats here

I find that some pointed courts can pinch and destroy your feet over time, but no word of a lie, these are an absolute joy to wear thanks to the padded, cushioned built-in insoles which I can only describe as like WALKING ON A CLOUD.

The ties are as buttery soft as the shoe itself, so feel suitably nice whether you wrap the ties around your ankles or higher up your leg. Whilst I don't have the grace or poise to be a ballerina in this lifetime, they do lend a grace to any outfit. They come into their own when paired with a long pleated skirt 

Polka dot long pleated skirt

They also work a treat in a more casual context with a silk camisole and chunky knit cardigan

Vila camisole here

Primark cardigan

Some may call them pink. Some may call them nude. All I know is that they blend in with my skin tone like state of art invisi-shoes. They are so lightweight I sometimes forget I even have shoes on (a far cry from my ballet days where the ballet pumps used to HURT LIKE HELL). 

Thanks for reading!

NEW IN // Topshop lace-ups and skirt

When it comes to clothing, I don't shop much in-store these days. Not intentionally - it's just that I tend to have more luck online. But I stand corrected. The other day I went to Topshop and fell head over heels for two things: the lace up shoes that everyone and their cat has, and a white skirt in the prettiest embossed pattern:

Red lace-ups  //   White embossed skirt   //  Black lace-ups

Perhaps I didn't need two pairs of shoes. I just couldn't decide. What colour do you prefer? I went outside my comfort zone and picked up a pair in red as I have never owned a pair of red shoes before(!) And seeing as I live my life mostly in monochrome, these will bring a welcome pop of colour to my wardrobe!

And let's talk about the skirt. 

Not only does it have the most beautiful embossed detail, but it also has a rose gold zip. It's love <3

Debenhams event #Faithis50

A few months ago, I went to a Jamaican themed Debenhams event that I really enjoyed so I was delighted when the lovely people at Debenhams invited me to another one. This time we were celebrating Faith's 50th birthday and what better way to celebrate than with shoes, champagne and cupcakes?! The way the shoes were presented was absolutely jaw dropping. Put bloggers in a room with pretty things and pictures aplenty are guaranteed. But oh my goodness. Never have I seen cameras / phones pulled out pockets and bags so quickly. Faith's shoe collection were suspended from balloons

It was pretty surreal bobbing and weaving through rows of floating shoes!

We were treated to champagne and a selection of canapés:

And sparkly cupcakes dusted with edible glitter...

.... which was very fitting as there was certainly a lot of sparkle in Faith's collection.

As well as falling in love with pretty much all the shoes Faith has to offer, it was lovely meeting other bloggers and discovering new reads. 

Do I have a favourite shoe from the collection? Nope. I have favourites. Plural. My top picks are the iridescent strappy heels, the rainbow courts and the silver and navy blue heels.

What is your favourite shoe from the collection?

What I bought // ASOS

Needing more work appropriate attire, I was on the look-out for simple, classic, versatile pieces that would equally be acceptable for post-work drinks. I could have easily spent hours trailing the high street, but I knew of one website which always has exactly what I need. A website where "just a browse" turns into a guaranteed order every time. The website I am talking about is of course ASOS - an online shopping mecca. Discovering a 20% off discount code, this was something that couldn't have come at a better time!

ASOS pea coat   //   Mango shirt   //   ASOS mid heel sandals

ASOS organza top  //  ASOS Sugar Rush heels   //  ASOS Snap heels  //  River Island necklace  // Warehouse top

• As much as I love heels, our London office is too vast for me to survive 9-5 in them. These low and mid heels are a lot more practical, but at the same time I don't have to compromise on style!

• I have a new found love for blouses and shirts. I love how versatile they are as you can dress them up or down. I especially loved these lace organza type blouses as they'd look lovely layered with a simple dress. 

• I have been on the hunt for the perfect camel coloured coat for over a year now and I think I've finally found it! Camel coloured AND a pea coat... it ticks all the right boxes.

• Not traditionally a colour I would go for, but I couldn't resist this light pink / nude River Island necklace. It will really perk up a simple tee. Or add interest to a shirt collar.

If you wish to jump on the 20% off bandwagon, use the ASOS discount code ASOSGLAMOUR when you get to checkout. Hurry though, because this code expires on 9th September! If you do make any purchases, please tell all in the comments below - I'd love to know!

Debenhams press day

I love reading about press days and have always wanted to go to one, but the ones I'm invited to are usually during the day. As I work full time, I always seem to miss out. When Debenhams sent me an invite to their latest - evening - press day it was music to my ears. Jamaican themed, the event would celebrate the launch of the S/S Call It Spring collection. I've written about my admiration for Call It Spring before so I jumped at the chance to go with one of my best friends as my +1. Alison and I arrived to summery tunes, summery nibbles, summery drinks and well, summery everything. The collection was beautifully presented alongside Martini glasses, neon coloured cups with curly straws, and friendship bracelets. We were in shoe heaven:

They also had an AW preview which looks to be very promising indeed:

Honestly, I can't pick out one single favourite item from the collection. It would be a close call between the hi-tops, black ankle boots, black courts with the gold chain anklets, the iridescent shoes... damn it, I loved it all.

Sadly the savoury food was gone by the time we got there :'( But we had some lovely pineapple and coconut cake and fruit skewers with our drinks (fruity ginger beer concoctions).

Complimentary beauty treatments were also available that evening. We didn't tan or get our hair done, but we did line up to get our nails done. Nail polish wise, the lady literally had every colour under the sun. Although I did question who on earth gets their nails painted bright yellow. The neon yellow one reminded me of when you're walking home with an Indian takeaway and the curry leaks and stains the bag that shockingly bright yellow colour! But the lady laughed and said that people actually do chose that colour. And that it 's nicer than how it appears in the bottle. Alison went for a gorgeous dusky mauve / grey colour, whereas I chose a pastel blue:

When we left, the lovely people of Debenhams gave us a goody bag to take home. Each bag was unique. Alison had a sparkly tiara / hair piece in hers, whereas I had sunglasses. We both had the same pretty scarf though:

The bags were chosen at random so I found it funny how the blue of my sunglasses matched my freshly painted nails

Thanks for having us Debenhams!

#JaJaJaJamaica