Arm Candy

I was having a bad day last week and what does every blogger turn to when things aren't going right? Correct, retail therapy. So I bought this little beauty from Zara...

Handbag, £39.99, Zara

I've had my eye on this bag for aaaages, so it wasn't exactly a spur of the moment choice but I'm so glad I finally caved and purchased it! I'm a big fan of anything in tan, I think it's such a good colour for the A/W season as it can be matched with just about anything. Plus, I'm not a massive fan of black handbags, I feel some can look a bit harsh.

Unfortunately I haven't had much chance to show it off as the weather recently has been awful. Rather than a zip that stretches the the whole length of the bag, it has a flap that zips over the middle. Because of the rain I haven't taken it out much as I didn't want the contents of my handbag getting soaked, hence the generic website images!

I did manage to catch a fair weather day at the end of the week for a lunch date with my friend, so I jumped at the chance of taking my new bag out to play! And, as expected, my friend noticed, and loved, my new bag instantly!

So, I think it's safe to say that I think my bad day retail therapy fix was totally worth it? Either way, I love my new bag and expect to be showcasing it a lot more throughout the winter months (weather permitting!)

Scottish Antics

For anyone that doesn't know, I have a whole load of family that resides in Glasgow, therefore I'm often hopping up past the border for an impromptu visit. Sheffield can get tedious so it's nice to know I've got a little bolthole to run away to when things up North get to be too much!

So, I recently spent the week staying on the outskirts of Glasgow with my family and indulged in a few days off fabulous food and deathly vodka.

My cousin picks the best places for scran in the city and once again, she didn't let me down. We went to a cute little Thai place on Bath Street called St Jude's that offered delicious food and some of the most attentive service I've ever received.
I had chicken tempura with chili jam for starters, thai green chicken curry with jasmine rice for main and then somehow managed to squeeze in a mango and passion fruit cheesecake for dessert.. Fatty, I know.
And you know when you order water in a restaurant, you're lucky if you even get ice? This place went the extra mile with a half a fruit bowl in my glass! And it was constantly refilled which was a lovely touch. And we each got a fortune cookie with a bill, I love the little messages that come inside them!

Being in Scotland, a night out was definitely on the cards.. When in Rome and all that! We started off in a very student-esque bar called Driftwood, the drinks were cheap and the music was good, what more could you ask for? We then made our way up to one of Glasgow's most popular clubs, Garage, where there really was a room for every kind of music taste!

And the bar offered a speciality that would leave many English folk baffled.. A, "Bucky Bomb." Bucky (or Buckfast, to give it the proper title) is a tonic wine that is ridiculously popular in Scotland. Whilst it's not to my taste, I personally think it's vile, I can only imagine the taste is somewhat improved when it's sunk with Red Bull? I didn't try one so I can't really report back, but I wasn't willing to risk it coming straight back up and into a toilet bowl..

The day after provided a hangover of delightful standards which meant only one thing, I needed bad food.. And fast. And when in Glasgow, only something deep fried can cure a sore head and flipping stomach. My deep fried treat of choice? Why the pizza, of course. It may sound awful, I thought this to begin with, it's surprisingly moreish and the sheer amount of battered margherita goodness quickly sends any hangover packing.

Obviously I managed to fit in a teeny shopping trip in whilst in Glasgow.. Though on this occasion, I was on the mission for a friend's birthday present. But I did manage to find these Topshop dupes in Primark for the bargain price of £10! I already have them in nude so I was over the moon to finally find the elusive black ones too.

Hope you've had a lovely weekend and enjoy reading about my Glaswegian outings! xxx

Duty Free Goodies

For anyone that follows me on Twitter (@emmalouisewilso, for those of you that don't!) you'll know I've been home alone for the past two weeks, as my Mum and her boyfriend have been away sunning themselves in Bulgaria, lucky devils. I've spent the last fortnight tweeting the pros and cons of being by myself but I have to say, I'm so glad to have them back, I hated being alone at night!

But, on the plus side, my Mum going away always means one thing.. She brings me home a few fabulous Duty Free treats! And boy did she do well this time. 

First up, she bought me a massive bottle of my favourite perfume, Nina by Nina Ricci. I love the bottle, it's shaped into the most adorable pink apple and is a really girly addition to any dressing table. I'm a big fan of sweet perfumes and this one certainly does the trick!

Now this is the present I'm most excited about, my Urban Decay Naked2 palette. For so long I've seen bloggers posting about their Naked & Naked2 palettes but I've never been able to justify buying one for myself and now I don't need to! I love how with this palette you also get a little freebie.. A miniature tube of Lip Junkie, which I can't wait to try out. 

I absolutely adore Milka chocolate and whilst you can get in in the UK, you get so much more variety elsewhere in Europe and thankfully my Mamma knows this, picking me up a few different bars!

I love how you get such value for money when you hit duty free in the airport and I've been particularly lucky with the haul my Mum has brought me back this time..

Festival Fun

So, it's been a couple of weeks since I returned from Leeds Fest and I think I've just about recovered. I've gotten used to not waking up in a tent, drinking a can of cider for breakfast and I've shaken off the dreaded post-festival flu. Unlike the poor folk who went to Creamfields, we were very lucky with the weather, which considering I don't cope well in the rain, was probably in the best interests of everyone else.

Unfortunately I wasn't organised enough to take photos of my outfit choices for each day but I do have a small selection to show off what I packed. It's probably for the best I didn't take outfit photos each day anyway, as by the third day my body was breaking down, my hair was a state and make-up was minimal, so I'm probably saving you all a fright..
My festival essential is definitely a onesie and I chose a fancy leopard print one to take with me. It kept me cosy in my freezing tent at night and was perfect for lazing around the campsite in whilst coping with a hangover in the morning. The only downside? Being a onesie, going to the loo was awkward but there were more positives than negatives! 

Onesie, £16.99, New Look

As any festival goer knows, a decent pair of wellies is an essential if you don't want to destroy your clothes with mud, alcohol or whatever else is getting thrown about.. This year I finally took the plunge and invested in a pair of pink Hunter wellies and matching Hunter wellie socks (so fleecy and warm, definitely the best thing I packed for the whole festval!) and I absolutely love them. They're so girly and definitely worth shelling out the cash for.

Hunter wellingtons, £64.81, Amazon
Hunter wellie socks, last season £6.99, ASOS

The only day I have an official, 'Out Of The Day,' is for the morning and I set off and bear in mind, this photo was taken at 4.30 in the morning so I wasn't feel totally fresh. It also shows that I can't pull off a backpack to save my life, but I'm okay with this because backpacks aren't my thing anyway..

Scarf, Accessorize
Jumper, Topshop
Shorts, Topshop
Socks, Primark

So it's safe to say I'm extremely sad to be home and I'm kind of mentally counting down till next year. What's not to love about getting drunk for 4 days, sleeping terribly in tents and listening to your favourite music all weekend?

Did you go to any festivals this summer? If so, what were your festival essentials?

Posh Spice Turned True Fashionista

Only a matter of weeks ago, many took to their Twitter accounts to question why, in the fashion section of the Olympics Closing Ceremony, a Victoria Beckham piece had been chosen to feature alongside other, much more established, designers such as Westwood and McQueen.

Image from The Daily Mail

But boy did our Vicky do us Brits proud. Georgia May Jagger looked stunning in her metallic gold dress as she strutted round the arena alongside fellow models including, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. The dress fitted in seamlessly with the fellow designers' picks for the models, all dressed in gold to celebrate the success of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Image from The Daily Mail

Whilst many folk still appear to sneer Mrs Beckham's fashion credentials as merely another celebrity fashion collection this should all hopefully come to a stop after she showcased her stunning S/S 2013 collection at New York Fashion Week.
The effortlessly stylish collection, coloured in black, white and orange, combined a selection of dress, trousers, blouses, skirts and jackets for every occasion. Whilst a VB piece will cost you upwards of £1,000, they are classic pieces so you could definitely justify it as an investment piece you could wear again and again!

Whilst Victoria's past collections, and no doubt new collection too, have become firm favourites with celebrities around the globe, the lady herself is definitely the brand's best model. She's frequently photographed in her own designs and New York Fashion Week was no different and she hit the catwalk for the finale in a modified version of one of her own designs and looked as fabulous as her models!

Images from MTV

What do you think of Victoria Beckham's new collection, are you a fan?