New Years Eve

January 7, 2016 | blueskygirlie

What did you get up to on New Years Eve?

We were lucky enough to be invited to two parties and split our time between family and friends and of course I took the opportunity to get dressed up!

What I wore –

I wanted a formal look that was a bit quirky and definitely sexy so went for a mix of underwear as outerwear and vintage! The skirt is an amazing vintage Frank Usher layered chiffon maxi skirt with a wired hem that makes it ‘swoosh’ out. Being vintage its fixed waistband was a tight fit on me even though the label said 14 – thats one of the things I hate about vintage…vain I know! But it certainly is a fabulous skirt. I teamed it with a black lace body with 3/4 length sleeves from the Secret Possessions range at Primark and a black satin underwear underneath.

Hair and make-up –

With it being NYE I went for a full face of make-up with Barry M smoky grey Dazzle Dust eyeshadow, highlighted with an amazing L’Oreal holographic silver shadow, black liquid eye liner and a wine coloured lip.

My hair was freshly washed in L’Oreal Paris Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal Sparkling Shampoo and conditioner (which gives a lovely shine) then dried while it was up in a loose bun to create full beachy waves. I pinned a few sections away from my face and finished with Ellnet hair spray.

Accessories –

As I was wearing such a dramatic skirt I went quite light on accessories wearing a pair of drop diamante earings and a novelty bag both from New Look. This chocolate bar clutch makes me smile whenever I use it!

And that was my New Years Eve look for 2015! I had a absolutely fabulous night and felt like a gothic princess which in my opinion, is not a bad thing to feel like! I hope you had fun too whatever you were doing.

Lace Body – Primark

Satin body (underwear) – Very.co.uk

Maxi skirt – Frank Usher (vintage)

Earrings – New Look

Clutch bag – New Look

Thank You!

December 25, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Merry Christmas to all my readers both via the blog and via social media. Thank you for the support over the last year as this baby blog has found its feet and grown – I can’t believe ‘Always a Blue Sky Girl’ is over a year old now! Here’s to a stylish and wonderful 2016 and another year of blogging! Love, Sarah xx

photo source

Finding my Dress of Dreams™

November 25, 2015November 25, 2015 | blueskygirlie

I think its fair to say I’m quite a bohemian at heart. Style wise I love a maxi dress or skirt or hippy style kimono. I’m always on the look out for great boho style pieces for my wardrobe but you tend to find they are mainly summer pieces.

When I saw this dress in H&M last week I grabbed it off the rail so quickly I almost gave myself whiplash! I don’t buy a lot of clothes but this sort of dress is a dream daytime dress for me.

The dress itself is a great A/W piece made from a silky yet thick material which hangs beautifully. Being only 5’2″ I knew the dress would be too long and as soon as I got it home I altered it taking 3″ off the bottom. I’m used to shortening things now when there’s not a petite section and a dress like this is pretty easy to do.

I added a thick belt for a more structured look, as being petite I often get a bit swamped by blouson styles but the dress has an elasticated waistband so can easy be worn without. It is available in sizes UK 6-16 and comes up true to size/slightly generous. I am wearing a UK size 10 here although as I mentioned it is shorted by 3″.

Little details such as bell sleeves and a tasselled tie to the collar really makes this dress looks much more expensive than it really was…

…Oh yes, did I mention it is instore at only £14.99!!! What an absolute bargain!Lace up boots keep the look relaxed yet still within a bohemian vibe although I kept the hem length to just above the floor so you can hardly see them.I kept my hair long and added some extra curls to the ends, make-up was a neutral daytime look with just a bit of mascara, brown eyeshadow and wine coloured lip gloss to complete the look. My autumn flower power inspired look was complete!

Dress – H&M

Belt – Vintage

Boots – New Look

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New in my Etsy Shop: Vintage Accessories

November 21, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Do you love vintage jewellery and accessories? I do, and you’ll often see me wearing items in outfit posts and on my Instagram. Often its hard to find pieces – they are getting rarer and rarer, and more and more collectable. I have just added some fantastic items to my Etsy vintage shop this week!

Here’s a selection of whats currently on offer – I have pieces from the 1950’s right through to the 1980’s. They make a great present too if you’re looking of a gift thats a bit different.

For a Mad Men style look these vintage brooches are just perfect…

Love modernist style? Then this signed 1960’s Pewter pendant by Norwegian designer Eivind Hillest could be for you…

Or how about a fabulous 1960’s beaded necklace? I adore the colour of this one…

Love the quirky style of the 1980’s? This necklace would look fantastic with its pop of bright colour…

For a bit of fun, retro earrings are perfect…and you don’t even need pierced ears!

diamante and glass bead earrings – £10.00

Don’t forget how well bracelets add interest to an outfit too…

Can’t resist a handbag? Be unique and pick a vintage one…

Find the full range of all my vintage items and more details on all the items seen on todays blog in my Etsy shop ‘Always a Blue Sky Girl’ here.

The thing I fell in love with this week…

November 14, 2015 | blueskygirlie

YD at Primark glitter skate shoes – £1 (from £6.00)

Anyone who knows me, knows I love a bit of sparkle and I also love a bargain…well in these shoes I have both!

Part of the kids range at Primark, these beauties are currently in the sale along with a pink version. They go up to a size 6 (EUR 39) too. Mermaid shoes? Definitely a must have for me!

What bargains have you bought lately that you’ve just loved?

Autumn Uniform

November 11, 2015November 17, 2015 | blueskygirlie

In todays blog I show you my forth and final ‘uniform’ to make dressing easy this autumn…

Todays uniform – dress, tights and boots

What you need in your wardrobe –

Winter dress (or add a polo neck under a shift dress)
Opaque tights
Ankle boots

This is really the easiest combination of all the autumn uniforms…just pick a winter dress you love and add thick tights and boots! I’ve gone for this one from Primark – I really love how easy it is to wear – its made from a stretchy material and has white collar and cuff detail. For sizing I have gone for a 12 (its available in sizes 8-20) and costs £14.00.
The dress itself is red and navy and works well with black accessories although you could easily use navy tights or if you want a quirky look, red boots would look amazing!
Keep the look dressy with ankle boots instead of knee length boots. Make sure you show off those legs! If the weather is cold, layer a slim fitting t-shirt (or thermal top if you feel the cold like I do!) underneath or add a light-weight cardigan. My tights are also Primark – 100 denier and cost £2.50 a pack. They are fantastic quality and I’d definitely recommend them. They are quite big though – I bought the size small and could still pull them up to bust level!

As it’s daytime, neutral make up and wavy hair complete the look. I created volume in my hair using some Batiste dry shampoo which I find is perfect for encouraging beachy waves and a full look without having to wash your hair every day.

I think I’ve found my new favourite dress and its a bargain one!

Find my blogs on creating uniforms 1, 2 and 3 here, here and here. I hope you’ve enjoyed my blogs on creating easy to put together outfits this Autumn and have mixed up a few ideas into your own outfits. PS THEY WORK FOR WINTER TOO!!!

Dress : Primark
Tights : Primark
Boots : Marks & Spencer

New Look Mini Haul

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 | blueskygirlie

I love New Look and popped in the other day…and left with a carrier bag full of bargains! Want to see what I bought?

Camel boxy jumper – £7.99 This jumper has been used in a lot of New Looks adverts as its at such a good price. I wanted a simple jumper in this seasons big colour, camel, and this one was perfect and a total bargain. Its nice a roomy and a size small will easily fit anyone 8-12. It is also available in sizes medium and large.

915 glitter Mary-Jane block heel shoes – £6 (from £19.99) Ok, they’re not the Boden ones but if you have feet size 6 (EUR 39) or smaller then the 915 teen range has some amazing fashion shoes. I will team these with opaque tights and party dresses this winter for a festive fun look.

915 metallic silver brogues – £6 (from £19.99) How nice are these? A perfect way to jazz up an outfit of jumper and skinny jeans this winter. Again smaller feet = fab bargain shoes! Hoorah!

Leopard print skinny scarf – £1 (from £4.99) I am going to use this as a pussy-bow for blouses and fitted jumpers.

Orange slice novelty bag – £3.50 (from £12.99) I loved this in the spring when it came out but couldn’t justify buying another novelty bag (I have a few!) but at 70% off? It would of been rude not to!

I love a bit of New Look! What have you bought lately – I would love to know…

Desperately seeking Pearl

October 28, 2015November 2, 2015 | blueskygirlie

We were invited to the wedding reception of our friends Sally and Christian a couple of weeks back and jumped at the chance to dress up and have fun while celebrating the fact a fantastic coupled had got hitched!

I had been searching for a particular ‘dream’ dress on eBay for ages…a Pearl Lowe lace dress that had been produced by Peacocks back in 2010. At the time I bought a couple of the dresses (they ranged in price from £30-£60) but they were only in a few top stores and sold out really quickly, then Peacocks went into administration and the range was stopped. I was also a size 18 at the time so those dresses I did get ended up going to the charity shop and my search for a size 10 version of the most press loved dress began.

After a few months I finally found one and I’m so glad I did! It is a gorgeous dress and doesnt look like a high street product at all – in fact it made me feel like a million dollars!The dress itself has a fitted lace body with satin slip underneath. Its tight fitting on top and flares out into a lovely full skirt. The long sleeves show the detail of the lace off beautifully. It really is a beautiful dress and its such a shame they no longer produce the range. My bag was a vintage 1960s box bag. Its a lovely piece with gold chain and gold studded frame…and you can fit quite a bit in it! One of the things I love about vintage is you get a unique piece – who wants to turn up somewhere and someone else has exactly the same thing!I’m really fussy about shoes. I don’t like really high heels and I like to dance so they need to be comfortable. I came upon these Emilio Luca satin beauties purely by chance and they matched the colour of my dress perfectly…plus the kitten heel was comfortable enough to wear all night. Make-up was a dark red lipstick to match my dress, smoky eyes and winged eye liner. I also had my normally curly hair professionally blow dryed as I’m useless at doing it myself. We had a wonderful time and I got to hang out with this fantastic fella – I cannot wait till it’s our own wedding we’re dressing up for…

Dress : Pearl Lowe at Peacocks (via eBay)

Bag : Vintage

Shoes : Emilio Luca

Whats your Autumn Uniform?

October 21, 2015October 28, 2015 | blueskygirlie

In this weeks styling tips blog I show you my third ‘uniform’ to make dressing easy this autumn…

Todays uniform – shirt, jumper and jeans.

What you need in your wardrobe –

Crew neck jumper
Button down shirt
Skinny or slim fit jeans
Plimsoll type casual shoe

This is a great, easy to wear outfit for days when you want to feel comfortable yet still a little dressed up. Great for running around; wearing plimsolls and jeans is always a winner and the addition of a smart shirt under a jumper makes this look a little more dressy without any extra work.

Pick a blouse or shirt with some pattern on. I’ve gone for a H&M blouse in a star print which is everywhere at the moment…

This look works with any casual flat shoe but I personally love a pair of Converse All Stars as they go with anything. When a leather version of their iconic black trainer came out I had to have a pair…they are a mixture of casual and smart and can be worn whatever the weather! If Converse aren’t your thing, just replace with any plimsoll type shoe.