A work wardrobe for Autumn

This Monday I'm making the transition from unemployed graduate to working woman as I start a full-time job. Being a t-shirts and skinny jeans sort of girl I didn't have much in my wardrobe that fits the 'business casual' dress code that I'll be following so I've been trawling the shops to find cute pieces to wear to the office. A lot of the styles that are in this season tend to go one way or the other: half of the tops are sleeveless and the other half are cosy jumpers, neither of which are really what I wanted, so I was starting to despair a little. Luckily I was able to catch the bus up to Edinburgh today though and God bless Primark for having plenty of cute blouses and tops for me to choose from! Here's what I picked up (excuse the lighting and the blurriness of some of my pictures!):

Red checked Peter Pan collar t-shirt, £6.00

I thought this top was really cute, it's more or less a t-shirt so it's comfortable but it has a sweet tartan print and a Peter Pan collar which I really like. This style is available in another print, black with white swallows, but I thought this was more colourful and sophisticated.

Double pocket shirt, £10.00

I wanted a white shirt but not one that made me feel like I was back in my school uniform, so this is perfect. I thought the black details were really striking and I really like the gold buttons. 

Supersoft V-neck jumper, £6.00

I grabbed this jumper in both this deep red and black when I first entered the store but in the fitting room I decided to go for the coloured version, which looks brighter in person. I like this colour which comes around every Autumn and a jumper like this will come in handy for commuting on colder days.

Cut & sew top in grey, £7.00

There are variations of this top in most of the high-street stores, often in baby pink which white lace (which Primark also has) but I'm still a teen goth at heart so I went for the grey version instead. The lace has really cute daisies and even though the top is sheer I think it'll be quite warm for winter.

Sleeveless lace Peter Pan collar blouse, £6.00

This is my favourite of all the pieces I picked up today, it's just so pretty! It's hard to see from the picture but the top is white lace, front and back, with another Peter Pan collar. I'm already thinking about getting camisoles in different colours to wear underneath this. 

Classic canvas black shoes and black slipper shoes, both £6.00

The Chuck Taylor style shoes aren't for work but I had an old New Look pair which I just had to throw out and I wear them a lot so I needed a replacement. They're half the price of my previous pair, which themselves are half the price of a Converse pair so I'm happy with the bargain.

I don't wear pumps at all because I find that they don't stay on my feet. Over the last few days I've tried shoes on in almost every store in town and I couldn't find a pair that fit me at all. These slipper-style shoes are the best that I've found so hopefully they'll serve me well - if not I'll be off to work in pretty dresses and chunky boots like my 90s faves from Beverly Hills 90210!

Stretch cami in black, £1.80, & long sleeve stretch scoop neck top in slate, £3.50

A lot of the tops above are sheer so I picked up a black camisole to wear underneath - I'd have taken a white one too but there was only one size left and sadly it wasn't mine. 

I bought another of these long-sleeve tops on a previous visit in another colour (purple with black stars printed on) and it's serving me well so I picked up another in this more neutral shade today. 

There are lots of colour options for both of these styles, as well as vests and t-shirts, so plenty to choose from!

Lace trim socks, £1.00; invisible socks (2 pairs), £1.50; cotton rich socks (5 pairs), £2.00

I know this looks like a lot of black socks but I swear they're all different. I bought the 'invisible' socks last time I was in and I wear them a lot so it turned out that 2 pairs wasn't enough.

I didn't have any regular black socks to wear with my transparent rain boots or on days when I don't want my socks to be obvious so I picked up a plain pack.
Finally I was passing a sale basket when I spotted the black-on-black lace trim socks that I've admired for a while so I treated myself since they were on sale. I love the juxtaposition of the feminine lace with studded creepers or other thick shoes but I only have lacy socks in pastel and white shades so now I have something more goth to wear too.

I also had a look in H&M but I didn't see any clothes that I loved, just these cute necklaces:

Choker, £1.99 and necklaces, £9.99

I like to wear necklaces but most of the ones I own are band merchandise and they're not really work-friendly. I really like the 90s chokers that are back in style just now, I've been wearing one of the woven ones almost every day for the last few weeks so I wanted a little more variety. The necklace on the left is velvet with a little gold charm, they also had styles with different colours and charms but this was my favourite.

There were a couple of the sets of necklaces to choose from and I almost went for the other one which had different charms but instead I opted for the one above. The five necklaces are all separate but they go together: there's a choker, a diamante-encrusted eye on a leather string, a tiny arrowhead on a silver chain, a piece of turquoise on a braided leather string and a gold peace sign on a long chain. The four pendants are all really dainty which should mean I can wear them with anything and in any combination, and I really like them all so I think they were a good buy.

NME, free; Harpers Bazaar US edition, £4.95

Finally, although they're not clothing, I also picked up these magazines today. I'm not a city girl so I've not been able to get my hands on NME since it became a free publication so I'm looking forward to seeing the changes that have taken place since I last bought it.

I like to flick through the proper fashion magazines and make collages with my favourite pictures so every time I'm in Edinburgh I go into Waterstones to look at their magazine section - the Princes St branch is the only one I've come across that stocks magazines and they have a selection that I can't find anywhere else. They didn't have US Vogue, which I like at this time of year because it often has 1000 pages, so I went for Harpers Bazaar instead which is also thick with gorgeous pictures... plus it mentioned Kendall & Kylie on the cover and I unashamedly keep up with the Kardashians. I'm looking forward to flicking through both of these in bed later.

So now I think I have everything I need to start work next week, I'm excited about starting a new adventure especially after having been largely inactive since I finished Uni. Hopefully I'll still have time to blog, but if not at least you know I'll be well-dressed!

Music Monday: girls like girls and boys [N-Z]

Last week I shared some of the best male and female artists on my iPod whose names happen to be in the first half of the alphabet. Here's the second installment, featuring my favourites from letters N-Z:

Nine Inch Nails: I first became aware of Nine Inch Nails a decade ago when I started buying Kerrang around the time that they put out The Hand That Feeds, which is one of my favourite songs of theirs. Over the years I've listened to them a little more,
Nancy Sinatra: Nancy is one of the artists I've listened to most over the last couple of years, she's so versatile. Her songs go from the sweet, like 'Sugar Town', through feminist hits like 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'' to sad songs like 'Bang Bang My Baby Shot Me Down'. My favourites are the duets she recorded with Lee Hazlewood, especially 'Some Velvet Morning', which is beautiful and unsettling.

Operation Ivy: I don't know a whole lot of Operation Ivy songs, not that there are many, but 'Knowledge' is basically my national anthem.
Olivia Newton-John: I don't have many O artists and I had to look at my iTunes to find one, but I chose Olivia because I went through a big Grease phase when I was young (doesn't every girl?) and I still love listening to the soundtrack.

Panic! At The Disco: I was really into Panic! when their first and second albums came out and though I've kind of lost track of their more recent material I still listen when I can. It doesn't matter how long it's been since I've last listened to it, the words to the songs on A Fever You Can't Sweat Out seem to be burned into my memory for all time.
Paramore: I almost chose PVRIS here because I think they're amazing too but when I consider how many times I've listened to the last Paramore album I had to pick them instead. I've always liked Paramore but their self-titled blew me away; I love the aesthetic of the 'Still Into You' video and the variety of sounds on the album, especially the soul of 'Ain't It Fun' and the cute ukulele sound of the interludes.

Quiet Riot: I had to go back into my iTunes to find Q artists since they're few and far between. I had a glam metal phase a few years ago and listened to their version of Cum On Feel The Noize a lot so they're probably my favourite of all the Q artists there are.
Queen Latifah: I've bought one of Queen Latifah's albums and not had time to listen to it yet, although I'm sure it'll be rad. Until then I have to give props to her performance in Chicago.

Refused: I'll lose points for this but I've never actually listened to The Shape Of Punk To Come even though I know how influential it is. I did download 'Liberation Frequency' and 'New Noise' about a year ago though and neither of them have come off my playlist since then, so I really should move Refused up my list of priorities!
The Runaways: The Runaways are so important to me, I love their albums and their solo work and the movies about them. My favourite is Lita even though she has a reputation for being a bitch, but her guitar work on 'Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin' is too good to argue against. I love Cherie Currie's voice and their whole persona, although I'm not a huge Joan Jett fan.

The Smiths: Morrissey came to play in my little home town in 2011 and I never went but after that I started listening to The Smiths and I've regretted missing the show ever since. His lyrics combined with the music of Johnny Marr are just magical and I love to listen to them. My favourite album is The Queen Is Dead, it has moments of joy like 'Vicar In A Tutu', heartwrenching songs like 'I Know It's Over', and the classic 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'.
Siouxsie & The Banshees: After being hooked on their cover of 'Dear Prudence' I started exploring the Banshees' back catalogue and discovered so many great goth songs. Siouxsie is a cultural icon and she completely deserves the hype.

Taking Back Sunday: As a teenage emo I've been interested in Taking Back Sunday since they put out 'MakeDamnSure', but over the last year or so I've been really into their album Tell All Your Friends. The Blackout used to cover a snippet of 'You Know How I Do' within my favourite of their songs so it makes me emotional every time.
Taylor Swift: I used to think Taylor Swift was a bit average until she put out 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together', and then when 'Shake It Off' was released I was confused again. I quickly got over it though and I've played the singles from 1989 on repeat all year, she's great.

U.S.U.R.A.: I only have 2 U artists on my iPod and I only know one song by this artist, the 1993 hit 'Open Your Mind'. It's a dance song that kind of sounds like what I imagine being on drugs is like, repetitive and a bit sinister. I found it while listening to the chart music from the year I was born, along with a whole lot of other great cheesy Eurodance which is my guilty (although I feel no guilt) pleasure.
Uffie: I can't remember where I first heard 'Ready To Uff' but I've been obsessed with it for years and years and I don't get how Uffie isn't as huge as Nicki Minaj.

The Vaccines: V is another letter I struggled with. I don't know many of The Vaccines' songs but I heard 'Teenage Icon' on a whole lot of playlists and eventually learned to love it.
The Velvet Underground: When I first heard Nico's voice I hated it but at the same time I wanted to hear more. My dad has all their albums on cassette and I'm glad because it means I can listen to 'Femme Fatale' while I read books on Warhol and Edie Sedgwick who I find fascinating.

When Reason Sleeps: I bought this band's EP on eBay because it was Sean Smith's band before The Blackout got big, and it's a weird set of songs. Some of them have completely unnecessary outros (one track is half an hour long and most of it is just the band messing about in the studio) and it's obvious that they just want to be Glassjaw or Lostprophets. However there's one acoustic song called 'The Glass Curtain' that I absolutely adore, so the purchase was worth it for that alone.
Whitney Houston: I love 80s music and Whitney is one of the most important singers of the decade. 'How Will I Know' is maybe my favourite but she had so many great hits that it's hard to say for sure; I wish she was still around.

XTRMST: XTRMST is the straight edge hardcore band put together by Davey and Jade from AFI who unexpectedly appeared last year with a stunning EP and then an album. I listen to their cassette whenever I'm pissed off and although it really forces the straight edge thing which I sometimes feel is too much I think they're amazing.
X-Ray Spex: It's a shame that Poly Styrene isn't still with us because she's a punk icon and I find stories about her so interesting. Germfree Adolescents is a great album which sounds like it could come out now and still be just as innovative.

Young Guns: I've been able to see Young Guns a few times and I think they're one of the best British bands around so I'm glad that they're doing so well in the USA. All three of their albums are excellent so if you're not already listening to them I'd definitely recommend you look them up.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: I don't listen to this band much anymore but Y artists are hard to come by! Karen O is really exciting to watch and I loved their song 'Cheated Hearts' when it came out.

Zedd: I heard 'Clarity' in a shop and had no idea what it was but I went home and searched the lyrics until I found it. After that he put out 'Stay The Night' with Hayley Williams, a song I was completely obsessed with, and 'Break Free' with Ariana Grande who I mentioned last week. I'm looking forward to seeing which of my other favourites he'll collaborate with.
Zola Jesus: I heard the song 'Night' on a goth playlist and adored it. I don't know many other Zola Jesus songs but if they're all that good than I'm definitely a fan.

The 1975: I think this band are kind of overrated and I don't love all their songs, but 'Sex' is incredible so I still count myself as a fan of theirs.
2Unlimited: This is another group from my '93 Eurodance phase, and probably my favourite of the lot. I know it was a big hit that I'm just too young to remember but when I heard 'No Limit' for the first time I was amazed by how great it was. I also love 'Tribal Dance' and I'm kind of sad that this isn't the music that clubs play in 2015.

So there it is, my full alphabet of favourite artists. If I've left any glaring omissions let me know!

#NOTD: frosted purple ombre

Nail polish is the only make-up I wear so I like to experiment with different colours and textures. I have polishes in every colour of the rainbow but there are a lot of them that I rarely, if ever, use, so one of the goals on my Day Zero list is to test each of them out. My go-to shade in recent months as been Barry M's matte polish in Espresso, which is the black polish I used as a base here. I love the matte effect and it dries so quickly which is ideal for me because I usually manage to smudge my nails before they dry. The idea for this manicure was born when I opened the box of polishes under my bed and picked out one I hadn't used before, Frost from Nailed Polish by Sleek. I've never seen or heard of Sleek before but there was a bottle in the reduced to clear section of the charity shop I work at and at 49p it's not like I had much to lose if it didn't work out. 

As you can see from the bottle, the polish looks like it's going to be a shiny white shade and it didn't really show up on my bare nails. but when I brushed it over the chipped remains of last week's black manicure I was surprised to see that it turned my nail purple. After applying a base coat of the black polish I started layering the Frost shade over the top until it created the ombre effect you see above. I have to admit that I did screw up a little on the index fingers and the colour you actually see is a deep purple franken-polish I made years ago by adding a little purple to one of my black polishes, but aside from that the colour you see is from layering. By the time I got to my little fingers I was using half a dozen coats so it looks really thick and took a while to dry; it's now day four and the polish has started to crack and it'll probably chip off in big chunks tomorrow.

When I was done I felt like the darker nails weren't purple enough so I added a tiny bit of glitter to the tips which was harder than expected because my purple glitter polish had dried up - that's why it's not in the photo above, I threw it out immediately, but it was one of those cheap brands you find in bargain stores so I wasn't too upset about losing it. You might be able to tell from the picture that the glitter has lost its purple colour and turned silver really quickly. If I ever choose to replace it I'll probably pick up a Barry M glitter because it's much thicker and longer-lasting and I like my glitter polish to be as over-the-top as possible.

Finally, my very favourite nail polish discovery is the fast-drying topcoat, Mavala's Mavadry. I got this as a free sample and I was immediately amazed by how well it worked. It's such a small bottle though that I'm almost running out and it's not cheap to replace, so if anyone can recommend something similar but less pricey I'm all ears. I'm so impressed by it that I'm considering just buying matte polishes from now on and painting the Mavadry over them when I want shine, since both dry so quickly and look so good. 

Overall I'm happy with how this turned out although I don't think it's going to remain chip-free for much longer, but that doesn't bother me because it means time to try something new soon. I have 55 different coloured polishes to work through (54 now since I threw out the purple glitter) so watch this space!

Nail polishes used:

Barry M Matte in Espresso

Nailed Polish by Sleek in Frost

Mavala Mavadry

w7 Polish in Purple Glitter

Homemade deep purple

What I was watching while they dried: Freaks & Geeks ep 16, Smooching & Mooching