How to get your wish-list for 'free'

For many years I was guilty of spending my money on lots of cheap 'fast-fashion' items as opposed to investing in pieces that would last for years to come. However over the last year or so I have been making an effort to reduce the quantity of pieces that I buy and rather invest in a few key pieces each season.

Here are some of my top tips:

1. Adopt a 'One in-One out' policy
Every time I purchase an item I now make sure that I get rid of at least one item from my closet. To me this is a win-win situation - I get more space in my closet so that I can actually see what I have in there (!) and my local Tenovus charity shop gets a donation. One of the unexpected benefits of this is that rediscovering pieces at the back of my closet can feel a bit like getting new clothes. 'New' clothes for free - what's not to love?!

2. Take a look at your closet
No, I am not suggesting that you study the construction and fixtures and fittings of your wardrobe, but rather take a long hard look at the items that you already own. Are there any 'gaps' in your wardrobe, i.e. do you have an excess of casual skirts, but are missing a high-quality smart winter coat? This works on two levels. Identify which missing pieces would really help to 'pull together' your closet. Equally, if you find that you have an excess amount of a particular item *, consider donating some of them to your local charity shop or selling them via one of the designer resale sites like Style Sequel.

* In my book numerous breton stripe tops don't count. They are a classic, and perhaps more importantly really versatile piece. If they were good enough for Coco Chanel...

Cue superfluous image of a breton top!

Image: Damsel in Dior

3. Use cashback sites where possible
Once you have identified the pieces that your wardrobe needs then why not use a cashback site such as Quidco to purchase your items. For those that don't know, Quidco is a site which gives you a percentage of your spend back. The website does this by getting an affiliate commission from the retailer. If you are going to buy an item anyway then to me it is a no-brainer to go via a site like this and get cashback on your purchase. Sometimes the sites also offer exclusive voucher codes which can help you save on your purchases.


4. Save to spend
OK I realise  that if I was very sensible then the above headline would read 'Save to save', but hey ho! I currently have my eye on a few investment pieces which are out of my budget. Therefore in my version of being frugal I am going to make sure that any earnings from putting points 2 and 3 into action are put directly into a dedicated savings account. Only once I have saved enough via this means will I invest in the pieces I want and which more importantly will last for years to come. Below is one of the items which is top of my wish-list.

Mansur Gavriel tote

Of course the ultimate wish-list item item for me would have to be this beauty - a girl can dream!

Image: Pinterest

I would love to know what your approach to purchasing the higher-priced items on your wish-list is. Are you a 'buy now, worry later' kind of girl or a 'save to spend' lady?

Mid-week Manicure: Chanel 'Blue Rebel'

Today's mid-week manicure is a bit of a blast from the past. It is 'Blue Rebel' by Chanel - a dark navy blue. 'Blue Rebel' was part of their limited edition 'Les Jeans de Chanel' collection from 2011. 

I chose this from my collection as I was looking for a dark polish, but fancied a change from a burgundy polish (of which I have more than a few!). This applied really well and gave excellent coverage in just two coats. I had forgotten how great this polish was, and in case I needed reminding, the first morning that I wore it, a lady stopped me on the train to ask me where my nail polish was from. She then proceeded to scribble the name in her diary and to tell me that she would be paying a visit to her nearest Chanel counter that very lunchtime to buy it!

Although this polish was limited edition, you can still find it on counters, or at Debenhams.com

Mid-week Manicure: Nails Inc Porchester Square

It has been a while since I have done a nail polish post, so I thought that I would try and start a regular feature, ‘Mid-week Manicure’. Today’s polish of choice is Nails Inc ‘Porchester Square’, which they describe as one of their hero shades. When I first saw this shade, it immediately reminded me of Chanel’s ‘Frenzy’, one of their latest limited edition releases. Although I love the Chanel shades, I am trying to be a bit more sensible with my beauty spending (with the emphasis on the ‘trying’!), so I have been reluctant to spend £17 on a nail polish, even if I do LOVE all things Chanel-related.

 

Therefore, I jumped at the opportunity to try this when I saw that it is on offer in the ‘Latest in Beauty’ online store for £5 (a saving of £6). Having read a number of reviews of Chanel ‘Frenzy’, the consensus seems to be that although this shade has a more lavender tone than ‘Frenzy’, they are still very similar. So, for now I will be getting my ‘Chanel’ fix thanks to 'Nails Inc' and 'Latest in Beauty’!

OPI Bastille My Heart nail polish

As the nights draw in and the temperature drops I tend to start wearing darker nail colours as opposed to the eye-catching bright shades from Summer. Perhaps not surprising given that one of my first nail polish must-buys was Chanels's Rouge Noir. I came across this polish after I commented on one of the lovely A Girl, A Style 's Instagram photos, asking where her nail polish was from. Although she had a Shellac manicure in the photos she told me that she also loved OPI Bastille My Heart which was a similar shade.

I need  no encouragement to add more nail polishes to my collection, and snapped mine up from the London Perfume Company for £7.99, saving £3.00 on the usual RRP of OPI polishes. You can also purchase OPI polishes at Beauty Bay and Look Fantastic . 

I took the photo below to show that in certain lights the polish can look more red than burgundy, but as red nail polishes are a staple part of my beauty must-haves, I am more than happy with that!

Chanel 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition - Part II

I took rather a lot of photographs when I went to 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition, so I thought it best to spread them over two posts. I would love to know which are your favourite images from the exhibition.

Carine Roitfeld

A close-up of Carine Roitfeld

A close-up of the Chanel pearls

Jane Birkin

Amanda Harlech

Lauren Hutton

Clémence Poésy

Chanel 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition - Part I

On Sunday I travelled up to London to catch Chanel's 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. I had been looking forward to the exhibition ever since details were announced in August. I whiled away the three and a half hour bus journey by immersing myself in the latest edition of 'Vogue' and doing some online retail research on the Acne 'Pistol' boot.

Anna Wintour

Charlotte Casiraghi, model (and grand-daughter of Grace Kelly!)

I had never been to the Saatchi Gallery before, but it was easy enough to find my way there from Sloane Square tube station, by going in the opposite direction to the crowds of people walking towards me with their 'The Little Black Jacket' posters clutched in their hands! Not surprisingly given the area, and the nature of the exhibition, I also spotted more than a few Chanel 2.55 bags. As I am a lover of all things Chanel, I am sure  that you won't be surprised to discover that the 2.55 is firmly at the top of my handbag wish-list.

Sofia Coppola

Scarlett Utzmann Huynh, daugher of Carine Roitfeld's assistant

I loved the exhibition. It is such a simple concept, but executed with a combination of style, humour and sophistication. Although of course one would expect nothing less from Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld. I had seen some of the images before on the internet, but they were no substitute for seeing the images on a larger scale. The photographs were very simply presented, which allowed you to focus on the individuals in the photograph, and how they were wearing the little back jacket. One of the things that I loved about the exhibition was the diversity of the individuals in the photographs: men and women; small children and older ladies; fashion designers and rap stars.

Waris Ahluwalia , actor

Elizabeth Olsen, actress

Everyone visiting the exhibition was allowed to choose one of three posters: Georgia May Jagger; Lily Donaldson or Astrid Berges-Frisbey. I opted for the Lily Donaldson poster, as I liked the combination of the sophisticated black jacket with the punk styling. Judging by the number of bored-looking boyfriends and four year old children in the queue clutching posters, I think some people managed to get all three posters. 

Lily Donaldson

Last Sunday was supposed to be the last day of the exhibition, but it has been extended due to popular demand. The exhibition will now run until November 4th. I would highly recommend it.

Guest post: A Perfect Red - Chanel Gabrielle

Georgia from 'Georgia on My Mind' blog was one of the first beauty bloggers that I followed, therefore I was thrilled when she agreed to write a guest post for my blog. As well as writing a brilliant post, she has now inspired serious lipstick lust, thanks to her post *adds item to shopping list* Read on to find out the new object of my makeup desire!

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I firmly believe that every woman needs to own at least one great red lipstick. I also firmly believe every woman should own a piece of 'Chanel'. Let me show you how to kill two proverbial birds with one stone. Meet 'Chanel' Rouge Coco in shade 'Gabrielle'

It is a truth universally acknowledged that 'Chanel' do reds very well. Generally if I'm looking for a great red, I look to 'Chanel' first. Whilst I own more than I care to admit, this is one I use most often. Something about 'Gabrielle' calls to me more than the other reds on offer.

Bearing the name of Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel herself this lipstick is the epitome of timelessness and a true classic. From the understated elegance of the black and gold case to the creamy, opaque coverage of the lipstick itself - 'Gabrielle' is a winner and one of the few lipsticks I constantly recommend to others. If you are looking for your perfect red - look no further.

If you only ever purchase and own one red lipstick..let it be 'Gabrielle'. A universally flattering shade - a 'true' red if you will. It does lean slightly more to being a blue based red, but contains enough orange to counteract the blue, making it flattering on cool or warm skin tones. It is the perfect red for making the teeth appear whiter and in my case my smile that bit brighter.

In the bullet, there are tiny flecks of glitter visible which did initially worry me- but on the lips this translates as a creamy shine with dimension- keeping the overall look classic with a modern twist. Rouge Coco's and especially 'Gabrielle' are incredibly comfortable on the lips - moisturising enough yet long lasting. 'Gabrielle' will last you through several cocktails before fading to a stain that in itself is wearable.

I like to imagine this is the exact shade of red Coco herself wore, complete with signature black ensemble and simple string of pearls. Elegant. Glamorous. Iconic.

Chanel's 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition opening in London

As a lover of all things Chanel, I was eagerly looking forward to the release of the 'The Little Black Jacket: Chanel's Classic Revisited' coffee-table book, from the moment details were announced. The book, by Karl Lagerfeld and ex-'Vogue Paris' editor, Carine Roitfeld, pays tribute to one of the French fashion house's iconic pieces. What I love about the photographs in the book is that the subjects; who are a 'Who's Who?' of Chanel muses and clients, from Sarah Jessica Parker to Alice Dellal, all wear the jacket their way. They all manage to give their own look, to a fashion classic.

Carine Roitfeld as Coco Chanel [Photo: Chanel/Karl Lagerfeld]

To coincide with the launch of the book, a 'The Little Black Jacket' exhibition has been travelling the globe: from Tokyo to New York; Taipei to Hong Kong. And the next stop on its travels? London.

Here is what Chanel has to say about the exhibition:

"The special event underlines the brand's values of creativity, modernity and excellence. The public will discover the versatility and timelessness of the iconic Chanel jacket through Karl Lagerfeld's photographs."

The exhibition, which contains 113 photographs, will be showing at the Saatchi Gallery from October 12th to October 29th, and admission is free. I really hope that I get a chance to take in the exhibition, as the images I have seen so far, look fantastic.

Springtime in Chanel: Le Vernis in 'April'

Our weather may be having a Winter flashback, but I am definitely all about Spring/Summer. And in particular, 'April', 'May' and 'June', otherwise known as this season's Limited Edition nail polish shades from Chanel.

The shades are part of the Chanel Spring/Summer 2012 collection. I am always keen to try the latest Chanel releases, and loved the look of all three shades when I first saw pictures on Lisa Eldridge's blog. 'April' is a berry/port shade; 'May' is the perfect pink for Spring - reminiscent of sugared almonds and carnations, whilst 'June' is a shade of apricot. After much deliberation I settled on 'April'.

The creme finish of 'April' applied really smoothly, and I was really impressed with the high-gloss finish that it has. I wear a lot of dark red nail polishes, and I think this is the perfect way of taking that look through into Spring/Summer. It is a red with a berry-ish tone, which isn't too dark against Summer brights and pastels.

Have you tried any of the latest 'Chanel' shades? If yes, which one is your favourite?

Chanel 'Black Pearl'

I am eagerly waiting to pick up the new Chanel nail polish shades, which came out on Friday, but until I get my hands on them, I thought that I would post about one of my recently re-discovered Chanel favourites. I love my nail polishes, and I generally treat myself to one of the limited edition shades every season. It’s the closest that I will get to a Chanel 2.55 anytime soon!

Last week I watched a video on Lisa Eldridge’s website, in which she shows her ten favourite polishes. I own two of them, Chanel ‘Black Pearl’ and Ciate ‘Mistress’. I regularly wear ‘Mistress’, but realised that I hadn’t used ‘Black Pearl’ for a while. So I decided to give it an outing.

‘Black Pearl’ is from the S/S 2011 Collection, and is meant to look like Tahitian black pearls. I initially wasn’t 100% convinced about this when I saw it in the bottle, but decided to give it a go. But when I tried it I really liked it. Which is why I’m not sure why I haven’t worn it in a while! It is a green-black with a pearl lustre finish. I like wearing this, as it is very different to other polishes I own, but isn’t too ‘in your face’, so it is perfect to wear every day. This is definitely going back on my list of favourites.

Have you tried ‘Black Pearl’? What did you think of it? What other ‘Chanel’ polishes do you like?

Fashion or Feminism?: I'll take them both and in every colour!

Yesterday, I was reading my weekly copy of 'Grazia' magazine when I came across an article by Polly Vernon. In the article, Polly looked at the recent furore surrounding Louise Mensch (author and Tory M.P) who appeared in 'GQ' magazine. Following on from her appearance in the magazine, some newspapers started to compare her to Katie Price. Janet Street-Porter also criticised her in an article entitled 'You can't be a clothes horse AND a feminist'. Whilst Polly Vernon didn't defend Louise Mensch personally, she was determined to "defend a feminist's right to fashion", and describes herself as a "fancy, furious, frock-wearing feminist". 

The piece really struck a chord with me, as on a number of occasions I have had comments (or worse the condescending 'look') from people who are dismissive of my love of fashion and beauty, as if it is impossible to be interested in both Chanel AND what's going on in society. I might have Chanel 2.55s in my eyes (a girl can dream!), but that doesn't mean that I am blind to anything outside the world of fashion and beauty. It also raised a wry smile, as it reminded me of a comment one of my house-mates made to me when I was in University: "You would definitely be my 'Phone a Friend' Lou, as you know what nail polish is in this season and also lots about History & Politics." Which was just as well since those were my degree subjects! Although I'm not sure why she thought these were mutually exclusive.

Louise Mensch (Photo: Simon Emmett/GQ)

I agree wholeheartedly with Vernon's take on the issue, that "good clothes can be empowering". It's not about having to wear hideously expensive pieces. but rather pieces that express who you are, or that make you feel good. I am really interested to hear your thoughts on this. Have you ever had any negative comments about your love of fashion and beauty? What was your response to those comments?

Yoga Styling: Chanel vs Manuka Life

Chanel. Now I don't know about you, but that's not the first thing that I think of when I think yoga clothing. But Karl Lagerfeld obviously has other ideas. The latest Chanel ad campaign features Joan Smalls and Saskia de Brauw taking part in a variety of activities, from yoga to gymnastics. All whilst clad in this season's finest Chanel. As you do.

If Chanel is a non non, and you don't fancy doing the Downward Dog in your Dolce, or the Warrior in your Westwood, then you might want to check out 'Manuka Life'. I came across the brand when I was looking for some clothing to wear to the brilliant 'Yoga Fever' hot yoga classes that I have signed up to. My usual gym attire just wasn't suitable, so I decided to call on the power of Google to source some. 'Manuka Life' has a great range of clothing which is perfect for wearing to yoga class or just to relax at home. The clothing is made from sustainable yarns and fabrics, which reduces the demand on natural resources. 

Living Tee - £14.40

Living Pedal Pants - £14.40

Bamboo Serenity Cover Up - £15.20

I was really impressed with the items that I ordered (the Pedal Pants; the Living Tee and the Bamboo Serenity Cover-up). The pieces are soft enough to allow plenty of movement, but the cut and fit on the pieces is such that I'm not worried that I'm going to be exposing myself to the rest of the class! They also roll up easily, so that I can put them in my new LILIFI shopper, which means I don't have to cart my big gym bag around with me.

And what is even better, is that 'Manuka Life' have currently got a 60% off sale. So if you are looking for some new fitness kit, or just some comfortable pieces for lounging, then check out 'Manuka Life'.

Guest Post: NOTD - Peridot Peacock

Guest blogging today is the lovely Cherry Sue, a beauty blogger from Dublin who I 'met' on Twitter . Her blog is called, 'CherrySue, Doin' the Do'. One of her specialities is her fantastic nail art, and she has written a brilliant post aboout how to create a really striking nail look. Over to you Cherry Sue:

I've been loving the new Chanel polishes, both Graphite and Peridot from the A/W range. Stuck by the green and navy duochrome in Peridot and the below snapshot, I decided on some Peacock Inspired nail art.

 

 

 

 

I like to keep things simple when it comes to my nail art ventures and to use a design that will happily adorn an accent nail while the rest boast just the base colour. I find that helps when a) you're short on time and b) you need a simple look that's office appropriate but also unique. 

This design can be made using any brand of polish so long as the colours are Gold, Teal and Navy. 

         

Start with 2 coats of Peridot.

Dab on several large teal spots, freehand is fine. 

Using a simple bobby pin, place navy dots inside the teal dabs.

Using the other side of the pin, place smaller teal dots inside the navy. 

The finished result

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LouLou says: Great post. I love the colours in this design and will definitely be trying this out once I'm back from my holiday.