Branching out into Onee-gyaru (Wardrobe Update)

 Hey Sweethearts,

Finally getting round to doing another outfit post!

Spring is finally here....well, it was here, briefly, until we had snow here in Scotland this week! >.<
 For the last while I've been having a good hard think about what direction to take my style & wardrobe in. I'm not far away from the dreaded 3-0, so it's probably about time I grow up in terms of style too.

That being said, I still want to keep my Gyaru influences, just make it a bit more age appropriate. Upon searching, I came across a style called "onee-gyaru". "Onee" translates as "older sister" and this sub-style of Gyaru is a more toned down, grown up & refined style - and I was quite excited to see this!

I haven't given myself Gyaru makeup here due to my eyes being pretty dry so lenses aren't a good idea, and my hair is in desperate need of a revamp, so I've just been tying it back and avoiding it!

I've been doing a lot of research and trying to find equivalent or similar items on a budget that can give me that look & hopefully rebuild my self-confidence. (lately, I'm struggling to wear items other than running gear and jeans with holes in the thighs....thick thigh issues)


I went a little nosey around Primark, hoping to find a nice dress & accessories to make an outfit from and I think I got something pretty good!

Dress:

Price: £13 - Primark

I really love the colours and pattern on this dress. I'm really into neutral tones, and the splash of blue worked so well to make it pop a bit more. 

It regards to the cut of the dress, I'm enjoying trying out higher necklines as usually I opt for something more low cut to show off my collarbones. (and make my bust look bigger than it actually is  - padded bras are friends, ladies! XD)
 The downside of the neckline is that it minimises the bust area for me, but it still looks nice. 
 Generally the dress has quite a loose fit, which is why it comes with a little waist belt to pull it in and give shape. Unfortunately I currently lack shape (well, aside from pear...), so every little bit helps. 
 I wasn't entirely sold on the little thin belt as I didn't feel it pulled my in enough for my liking, so when I added a jacket to it, I changed belts. 

Shoes:

I also realised that I had thrown out all of my little flat shoes in my last wardrobe clearout, so had to get myself a couple of new pairs. I found these little brown ones for £6 which matched the belt on my dress, so picked them up.

Price: £6 - Primark

These are super comfy and fit well, so perfect for running around in town, and for when I need to change out of heels! (I always like to carry flats in my handbag if I'm going out in heels)

Bag: 

I went out shopping with a good friend of mine who came back to visit this week, and stupidly went out without a handbag - only grabbing my purse and keys before running out of the door! -_-

However, I used this as an excellent excuse to buy this cute little bag that I spied on my last venture to the shops: 

Price: £8 - Primark

I absolutely LOVE the lace cut out detail on this, it's just so cute! ^_^ It also fits in with the rest of the things I bought the few days prior, so that's always a plus!
To be honest, I've been wanting a brown bag like this for the longest time, so I'm really happy to have it.
It's quite a small bag (for me, at least) but it can hold my big purse, keys, phone, makeup & mirror, and a Manga quite comfortably!
The drawback is that it doesn't have a zip, which is quite a big deal for me - I'm a paranoid person, and prefer to have a zip underneath for extra security.

Outfit: 

So here is my outfit!

I teamed this dress with my favourite soft, nude coloured jacket from New Look that I got a couple of years back. I kept the accessories simple with a little necklace and bracelet set that I also got from Primark for £4, and a thicker belt that I had in my cupboard (also from Primark a few years ago).

Improvements: 

Ideally to complete the look, heels are definitely a requirement, but I haven't found a pair to match that I like enough to buy. Do any of you have any suggestions?
I also need to make an effort with my hair & makeup...I can't wait to take a bottle or 2 of dye to my hair again!
  I've been trying my best to let my hair grow out after all the bleaching, but I'm getting to the point of hair hatred, where it's a case of I either;

a) Dye it and get extensions
or
b) shave it all off and start again

I don't mind the brown so much, but all the same 1 colour is too plain and boring for my tastes...I really want to add some blonde into the mix.

What do you think?
Have you got any hair or shoe suggestions for me?

As always, leave me comments below!

Love,

          Kasumi x

Mini High-street clothing haul (including the Bank closing down sale)

Hey Sweethearts,

So this week, I'm going to chat about another little clothes haul, but this time from right here on the high street!

I met up with my Mum last week for coffee & a girls day out, and we went bargain hunting on the high street (Scotland, UK).

I'm a sucker for sales and love bargains, but who doesn't, right?

We walked through the main shopping area and I spied a sign saying that Bank fashion is closing down, so I popped in for a look.
 For those who can't get to a store, the website is http://www.bankfashion.co.uk though if you pass by a store, the items will vary depending on what they have left in stock.

I've always found bank a bit hit-or-miss for me when it comes to my personal tastes, and it's usually way out of my price range, but when I spotted a good sale I couldn't resist dragging my Mum in for a nosey.

I didn't actually think that I'd find anything that I liked enough to buy (I like a lot of different things, but realistically I'd buy them, wear once, then into the cupboards they go) so I was really pleased when I stumbled across some lovely, spring/autumn type jackets at the back of my local store.

This comes with it's own set of problems though....

I said above that I tend to wear things once, then put in cupboards, remember?

Well....I seem to have accumulated 35 jackets/coats over the years. Yup, 35...plus the 2 new ones makes 37 of them. I have a little bit of a problem (read: I have a massive jacket obsession) >.< I will be aiming to half my jacket collection in the near future, so that's my justification...and because they were super cute!

Here's what I ended up buying:
This Jacket is by the Pink Soda brand that I came across in Bank-fashion. It's a soft, dusky pink, faux leather jacket with wool on the inside. 
 I thought when I first saw it that the material would be pretty stiff and hard, but it's actually pretty soft - the wool on the inside makes it lovely and warm too! 

If I remember rightly (this one isn't available on the website any more) this jacket was £65 originally, or there abouts, but in the sale I paid £20! 

This 2nd jacket is also from the Pink Soda brand.
Again, this is a faux leather jacket in pastel pink. This one is a more biker styled, cropped jacket with plenty of attitude. I really love the black accents on the zips, and the overall shape - it really caught my attention.
I've been looking for some fresher styled jackets that fit in with my style a lot more, I'm not the girl that can wear black constantly any more so a lot of my black jackets will be going to new homes soon.
This one is still available online, and is reduced from rrp: £50 to £25 http://www.bankfashion.co.uk/products/pink-soda-pastel-biker-jacket/152534

          

This trip also re-enforced why I'm not that bothered about dress sizes in clothing. The first jacket is a UK8, and the 2nd is a UK10 - both from the same brand, but there was no way I'd get into the 2nd one if it were a size 8! It all very much depends on the cut of the clothing, I've seen myself wearing a size 16 lingerie waistbelt before from h&m that fit me perfectly!

Speaking of H&M, after my massive £75 saving in Bank, I headed on over to h&m to see if I could find myself a cute jumper or some new jeans.

Unfortunately the jeans didn't happen, but I did pick up this super cute jumper!

I absolutely fell in love with this jumper when I spotted it! It's (again - I think we're starting to see a colour pattern here) pale pink, with "Amour" spelt on it - so cute!
It retails at £12.99, and I chose to get it in the biggest size they had in stock, which was Large. I really wanted this to be quite casual and baggy, as I'm really loving oversized jumpers at the minute. They really feel quite Spring-y to me.

Of course, I had up pick up some cute Hello Kitty socks too! They were £7.99 for a pack of 3 in assorted designs - they're really thick too, so perfect for wearing with boots or around the house to keep your tootsies warm! ^_^

What do you think? Are you feeling the oversized cute jumpers? What is in your Spring wardrobe?
Love,
          Kasumi x