Crop Star

When it comes to fashion, there are some trends I bypass entirely (ie. culottes), and some I latch on to right away (ie. crop tops). This little white top from last summer made a return appearance for our trip to Cuba, this time paired with one of my favourite skirts ever, a midi/maxi (mixi?) I picked up in a post-Christmas Anthro sale. I love long skirts but I often find it tricky to decide what to wear them with -- so often, a tucked-in t-shirt can look kind of awkward when it bunches up around the waist, I find. So thank God for crop tops! And I love that this plain white one is the perfect backdrop for a big, statement necklace.

Crop top - H&M

Necklace - Aldo

Skirt - Anthropologie

Bag - Kate Spade

Sandals - J. Crew

Sunglasses - Forever 21

Lipstick - Posh Pink (Lancôme)

Grey Days in Gardens

As you may have guessed from this post and this one (and even here, I guess), coats are kind of my thing. Some people lust over handbags, others favour shoes, but for me, a good coat trumps all. I only buy one new coat a year, but I keep my little collection in constant rotation (this H&M number, for example, is five years old but I have no intention of discarding it anytime soon). It's actually my favourite item to wear this time of year because it has an almost springlike feel to it -- as soon as Christmas is over, I'm always ready to ditch the red and plaid in favour of a lighter look.

Coat - H&M

Hat - Topshop

Tights - Penneys

Boots* - Steve Madden

Gloves - Accessorize

Lipstick - Posh Pink by Lancôme

*eeee I never noticed how grey these boots are (I totally thought they were as black as my tights, and in hindsight probably wouldn't have worn them with this outfit...)

Candy Cane

I've been wearing this plaid scarf pretty much every day since I bought it -- it's just so cosy and festive, I can't resist! While I'll occasionally wear it with my black brocade coat or my red one, this cream wool is my favourite coat to pair with it (I guess I just love the Christmassy, candy cane vibe of red, green, and white together!). 

I'm also thrilled with these new boots I recently picked up at Winners -- I'd been looking everywhere for the perfect pair of flat, black boots with some kind of studded detailing, and these beauties, the only pair of their kind left on the (very) bare shelves, just so happened to be in my size! I just know I'm going to get so much wear out of them, year-round (I'm already envisioning wearing them in summer, with bare legs and a sundress). 

Scarf - Gap

Coat - RW & Co.

Boots - Vince Camuto via Winners

Lipstick - Love It (Lancôme) 

Lipstick of the Week: Lancôme Ruby Silk

I'm fond of red lipstick year-round, but there's something about a red lip around Christmastime particularly that just feels so right. This shade, Ruby Silk, from Lancôme's L'Absolu Rouge range, is every bit as luxuriant as it sounds -- rich, creamy, and surprisingly moisturizing for such a vivid colour. 

Give Me the Slip

Last autumn, I fell in love with this silky little slip skirt from Zara, but balked at the steep price tag. Fast forward a few months, and I was able to snag it in the post-Christmas sales (it was the last one on the rack and just so happened to be in my size...score!!). 

I'm a big fan of that whole boudoir-chic trend, and I love how surprisingly versatile this little skirt is -- I like to brighten it up with this powder-blue shirt, but I'm also fond of pairing it with a dark blazer to make it more formal, or a big, chunky sweater for a casual look.

Shirt - Forever 21

Skirt - Zara

Tights - Gap

Boots - Steve Madden

Lipstick - Posh Pink (Lancôme) 

Lipstick of the Week: Lancôme Exotic Orchid

While I have a lot of freebies in my lipstick collection, there are actually only a few that I wear on a regular basis, and Exotic Orchid, from Lancôme's L'Absolu Rouge collection, is one of them. The name is somewhat misleading as there's nothing really exotic or orchid-like about this shade -- something like "Basic Rose" would be more appropriate, but I guess that just doesn't have the same allure, does it? 

For me, this is the perfect lipstick for when I want something a bit rosier than a basic pink but not as intense as a full-on red lip; in short, it's the ideal shade for everyday wear. 

Fergalicious Louboutins

While I am no great fan of Stacy Ferguson, aka Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas, I have to grudgingly admit that she makes a damn comfortable heel. I purchased a pair of Fergalicious brand shoes for $39.99 at Winners the other day, and have been pleasantly surprised at their wearability. Their only fault, however, is that they're slightly bland to look at, and that's where Rosso Solini comes in!

Rosso Solini, a company that specialises in colourful stick-on soles, was started in 2010 by Irish teen Tara Haughton. They are currently only stocked in Ireland, but ship worldwide. We happened to have a pack of the red ones lying around in the house, and I felt that my new heels would be the perfect candidate to test them out. I simply applied a sticker to each sole, trimmed off the excess with a craft knife, et voila! My very own pair of shoes with that covetable flash of red sole! Until such time as I can fork out a cool $695 for the real deal (um, never!) I am pretty content with my Loubou-scams. 

Pink silk blouse - Jacob

Black lace skirt - Jacob

Black heels - Fergalicious, with a little help from Rosso Solini

Silver heart locket - Tales From the Earth (gift from my godmother)

Lipstick - "Love It" by Lancome 

Rosso Solini website: http://www.rossosolinishop.com/