An Update

This us just a warning to anyone who reads this blog, but I might not be on as much in the coming week - not only has my internet died (I'm using the wifi from the chippy across the street right now) but I'm going to Amsterdam on September 2-4! I am so excited, I can not wait to see that gorgeous city! But in the meantime, I will do my best to queue some posts for you all, but my internet is really spotty.

So basically, this is an apology in advance if there aren't as many posts in the coming week or so. I promise to be back as soon as I can!

Love,

Caro

Clothing Review: Asos Petite Exclusive Baseball Dress with Contrast Metallic Sleeves

Wow that's a long title...

Anyways, I just got this Asos dress in the mail (I was ordering a pair of boots and it was an impulse buy, whoops) and I am so in love with this dress I just had to make a review for it right away! 

Asos Petite Exclusive Baseball Dress with Contrast Metallic Sleeves

I don't think I'll be able to format this into a proper review, because I'm wearing the dress as I write this and oh my lord I don't think I've ever had a dress that's this soft! Honestly, I feel like I'm wearing pajamas, that is how comfy and soft it is. Looking at the pictures online, I was a little wary because a lot of times with cheaper dresses the material on sleeves like these are super scratchy and itchy, but these are not. The sleeves are a little thinner, but the rest of the dress is a nice thickness, were it'll be good for winter with some tights and a coat (and your bra won't show through).

 It fits super well, and it's incredibly flattering too! Generally I shy away from things that are more fitted throughout, like bodycon dresses, but this dress is fitted and loose in all the right places. It's a great length on me too, given that its from the petite section and I'm only 5 feet tall.

Basically, I love this dress. It's probably my favorite thing that I've purchased recently (well, apart from Putt Putt Saves the Zoo).

Let me know what you guys think! Do you shop regularly at Asos? I haven't before, but I might have to start now, especially from their petite section.

Love,

Caro

Style Steal: Topshop Physics Premium Strap Boots

There seems to be a pattern lately where all of my blog posts are about shoes. So as not to dissapoint the trend, here's another one!

Topshop used to sell these gorgeous black, heeled, strappy boots that were absolutely gorgeous, but have since sold out. If you weren't lucky enough to get your hands on a pair because they were too expensive or just because you couldn't get them in time, I found some cute similar boots that are still for sale.

Topshop Physics Premium Strap Boots - SOLD OUT

New Look Wide Fit Tan Triple Buckle Cut Out Ankle Boots - £24.99

Tony Bianco Glamar Boots - $100.00

Neither of these boots have heels quite as tall as the original, but they're very cute and have a similar look with all the straps.

Let me know what you guys think!

Love,

Caro

Makeup Review: Topshop Matte Nails in "Easy Peasy"

A little while ago Topshop came out with a range of matte nail polishes, and I finally picked up a couple shades the other day. I decided to try out "Easy Peasy" first, a nice light shade of gray. It goes on really well, and it has a nice matte finish to it (as one would expect). I've bought other nail polishes from Topshop before, and the quality of this is one is just as nice. I definitely recommend them, whether you want a normal shade or the matte ones (they're one pound more expensive, but that's not too bad).

Topshop Matte Nails in "Easy Peasy"

Love,

Caro

Adventures

Now that I'm back in Scotland and my test is finally over and done with (hallelujah!), I have a month to spare before my classes start up again. Like a lot of people my age with no job and no classes, I can get sucked into the internet, spending days at a time inside watching videos or literally going through every single page of someone's blog. This time though, I've found myself in Europe with no commitments for a whole month, so I'm making a promise to myself not to waste this opportunity!

Basically, what I've told myself is this: Every week I have to do something that I feel is worthy of bragging to the world about, whether I make a post about it on here or its a story I share at parties, I have to do something awesome! A few ideas that I have lined up include going to a free festival with a friend, going to Amsterdam for a few days, and staying out at this one club until five in the morning! (You get a free t shirt if you do, and who am I to resist anything free?)

So what I'm doing, is just trying to do more. It really doesn't sound like much, but for someone who spends a lot of her life on the computer, I really could do with a little more adventure. And I encourage you all to join me!

Love,

Caro

Books Haul!

I thought I'd do a little bit of a different post today. In my effort to buy less clothes lately, I've apparently switched over to buying nail polish, and more to the point of this post, books. Amazon is a great way to get new books at a discounted price, and you can literally find any book you could possibly want! I also picked up a couple in the airport on my flight back to Scotland. I haven't read any of these books yet, but if any of you are interested I can post reviews on them once I've finished.

Scar Tissue: The Autobiography - Anthony Kiedis

The autobiography of Anthony Kiedis, lead singer and guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I love this band, and my brother read it years ago and recommended it so I've been meaning to pick it up.

A Man without a Country - Kurt Vonnegut

I have loved Kurt Vonnegut since the day I first read Slaughterhouse Five. I remember grabbing that book because I had seen quotes from it all over the internet and I liked them, and so I've done the same thing again. You can't go wrong with Kurt Vonnegut though.

The General in His Labyrinth - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

John Green makes references to this book quite a few times in his book "Looking for Alaska", and since I read that last spring and absolutely loved it I've been planning to read this for a long time. I finally got my hands on it, and I can't wait to read it!

Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders - Kate Griffin

I've never actually heard anything about this book before, but I saw it when I was in the airport and it looked interesting. So we'll see how it is.

Billy and Me - Giovanna Fletcher

I keep seeing this book on tumblr (because it was written by the wife of a guy in McFly and I follow some people who love McFly) and it honestly looks so cute! I haven't gotten this one in the mail yet, but hopefully it'll come this week and I can get started reading it.

What are your favorite books right now? Any and all recommendations are welcome in the comments below!

Love,

Caro

Clothing Review: Topshop Notion Cross Over Mid Sandals

Topshop Notion Cross Over Mid Sandals

I recently got these heeled sandals from Topshop as a present, and I have to say I am absolutely in love with them! Not only are they gorgeous, but they're actually super comfortable (and not in the way that people insist heels are comfy when they're really just not quite as painful as other heels, they are actually so easy to wear). I am 150% in love with these shoes. I know that they're a little more on the expensive side, but they are honestly so worth the money.

I was a little tentative, because with the height and width of the ankle straps they could either be super cute or super unflattering, but they look so great on. The material of the shoes is really nice as well, and since the strap is a velcro one its really easy to put on.

Overall, I love these shoes. If they ever go on sale, or if you want to spend the money and you are looking for a great pair of heeled sandals, you could not find a better pair. Honestly, I kind of want to get these shoes in white too.

Let me know what you guys think!

Love,

Caro

OOTD: Piano Playing

Today is a rather relaxed day for me - I'm cleaning my room (getting ready for a room tour post!) and then heading up the road to the library to practice some piano. The weather has been unusually nice for Scotland, and I thought I would take advantage of that.

*Please ignore the mess in the background! I'm still unpacking*

Top - Zara

Skirt - Topshop

No links, sorry. I'm pretty sure the skirt is sold out and I couldn't find the top on the website (its super cute though, it has a black and white picture of some mountains and says infinite really small across the top).

Love,

Caro

Style Steal: Topshop Contrast Sparkle Clutch

A few months ago, Topshop sold this gorgeous black, sparkly clutch. It was ridiculously expensive, so I didn't buy it and of course now its sold out and I can't stop thinking about how gorgeous it is! So I thought I would look around for some cheaper lookalikes.

Topshop Contrast Sparkle Unique Clutch - SOLD OUT

Forever 21 Sequined Foldover Clutch - $19.80

Accessorize Glitter Bar Envelope Clutch - £15.00

BCBG Matte-Sequined Harlow Envelope - $98.00

(BCBG Clutch - $88.00)

Love,

Caro

Updated Cosmetics & Etc. Wishlist

A little while ago I posted my cosmetics wishlist, and since then I've picked up a few of those items!

I haven't really had a chance to try out all of these new things, but once I do I will be sure to let you know what I thought of them.

Check out the original post here with links to all of the products.

Love,

Caro

Clothing Review: Blonde & Blonde Mason Cutout Boots

A few weeks ago I purchased these boots from bankfashion.co.uk that look just like a sold out pair of boots from Topshop (you can read my post about it here). 

Blonde & Blonde Mason Cutout Boots

I ordered them in my normal size, and for the most part they fit great. A little loose around the ankle, but given the cut of these boots and where they hit my ankle its better that they are a little loose. They definitely won't fall off, but they will move around a little bit as I walk. The heel is a good size too - I won't be walking around in them if I know I'm going to be on my feet all day, but I'll definitely wear them to my Uni classes because I live really close.

The only negative aspect that I found was that they were a little tight around the front of my feet (I really don't know how to describe which part of the foot it is, but that spot that's right before your toes). TO be fair, I have wide feet. My normal size usual fits fine, but these shoes seem to run a little narrow. Nothing too uncomfortable though so it should be fine. Once I've broken them in I think they'll fit a little better.

Overall, these are great shoes, especially for their price. They're a cute statement shoe, and I can't wait to rock them this fall.

What do you guys think about this white soled boots trend? Do you love it or hate it? Tell me in the comments!

Love,

Caro

Style Icon: Lily Collins

Lily Collins has been making a lot of movies lately, and she's been popping up all over the place for red carpet appearances or just walking around. I've always seen her style as super preppy, but lately she's become more fashionable and I've been loving her look. 

My personal favorite look was her 2013 Comic Con look, with the coordinating top and shorts. Her look can be anywhere from girly and classic to edgy and modern. While I may not always absolutely love her look, I certainly love how versatile her style is. I can definitely identify with the changing aspect of her look - one day I feel like a rock star, and the next I'll feel like Audrey Hepburn.

Lily wears a lot of clothes that are more polished, such as collared shirts, nice but casual jackets, and dark wash jeans. She can also wear clothes that are a bit more fun, such as patterned trousers or skater skirts and graphic tees. With her style, you can pretty much pair anything from her wardrobe together. Its cute and versatile, and practical - you can take any piece from day to night just by changing around a few pieces like shoes, or pants.

Tell me what you think of Lily's style in the comments.

Love,

Caro

Makeup Review: Gold by Giles Lipstick in "Jazz" and "Crush"

A while ago I picked up these two lipsticks from New Look for a couple of pounds each. I think it was about 9 months ago so I don't remember how much it was, and its not available on the website, but they could still be in stores.

I absolutely love these! The colors are great - Crush is a nice, natural looking color that's a little less pink than my MAC Creme Cup lipstick but still great for day, and Jazz is a great, bright pink. I'm not very exciting in my lipstick color, in fact I only recently just started wearing lipstick (I was always a lip balm kind of person) so for this price and this quality, I definitely recommend branching out of your comfort zone. 

Overall, I definitely recommend these if you can get your hands on them. They're not very expensive, and they're a great quality.

Love,

Caro

Sales!

Sorry that I haven't been on here in a while, I've been a little busy trying to adjust to an entirely new time zone whilst simultaneously cramming for a test and moving in. But somehow, in the midst of all that, I still managed to pop down to the City Centre and check out the sales at Topshop and Zara. I'm really trying not to shop as much, so I only picked up a couple of things.

The first thing I got was this pair of jeans - it was the most expensive thing I got at 20 pounds, but that's a little more than half off the original price. They are absolutely amazing - high waisted and a nice, versatile color. I actually ordered tham along with another pair of jeans that were on sale too, but I don't think I'm going to keep the other pair.

When I went to pick up my jeans order, I took a look around the store and saw lots of cute things, but I really didn't feel like spending that much money. And then I found this absolutely gorgeous burgundy leather skater skirt for only 7 pounds! Its super flattering, and seems like a great piece for going out.

The last item I got form Topshop is this pair of trousers. They're currently on sale for 15 pounds from the website, and I just ordered them last night so I can't wait for them to come in. I've seen a few different people wearing a similar pair of trousers from Topshop that are black and white and they look adorable on. I'm not much of a color person, but for this price I figured I could try. Plus, I love how they styled it online with a white crop top.

The last thing I got was this jumper from Zara. Its a gorgeous cream color, and it feels really nice and has a cool zip down the back. For only 6 pounds, it was a great deal. I also got a sheer black jumper, but since I was lazy and didn't want to try it on in the store, when I tried it on at home the shoulders felt a little weird so I'm giving it to my flat mate.

I tried to be a little bit more practical this time around. At least I didn't get a ton of stuff.

Have you guys got any things from the sales? If so, what did you get? Tell me in the comments.

Love,

Caro

Instead of an August Wishlist...

So this summer I have been buying clothes online like crazy. I usually don't get this many clothes in such a short span of time, but I had a lot of time to kill and I basically spent my days on ebay or looking at sales in Topshop or Zara. (Seriously, you should have seen the pile of packages waiting for me when I got back to Scotland!)

So, in order to not buy as many clothes, I'm making a few changes, one of them being not making a wishlist for this month. When I make lists, I like to cross off as many things as I can, so if I make a wishlist it will just motivate me to shop even more! What I'll be doing instead is allowing myself to buy two or three items of clothing for the entire month. Now, this doesn't include necessary pieces of clothing, like underwear or socks, but anything that I do not need will go toward this total.

But, its only August 8th and I already know what I want to buy! I already bought the Blonde and Blonde Mason Cutout Boots (in yesterdays post), and hopefully today I will be buying a pair of Topshop Physics Boots (its off of eEbay though so anything can happen). For my third and final item this month, there is this gorgeous dress from Urban Outfitters that I am absolutely in love with - the only problem is that it is part of their Urban Renewal collection, which means that each item is unique and therefore the image on the website is not 100% accurate. But, since today is Thursday and all of the shops in City Centre stay open late tonight, my plan is to study and unpack some more during the day and hopefully find this dress and try it on tonight!

Vintage O&O Babydoll Shirt Dress

And hopefully soon I will find a job so that I can have money coming in (as well as going out).

Love,

Caro

Style Steal: Black Cut Out Boots with White Soles

So w little while ago Topshop stocked this gorgeous pair of boots called the Aftershocks. They were black, lace up cut out boots with a white sole, and they were a little pricey and sold out incredibly fast. Unfortunately, Topshop said they were not going to restock them, but then a few months later an Australian store called Tony Bianco (that has gorgeous shoes by the way) started selling a pair that looked exactly the same! But at $200 for a pair, I was not about to buy them. But, as I was trolling the internet the other day, as I do every day, I came across these boots from Bank for a much more reasonable price!

Topshop Aftershock Cutout Lace-up Boots - $170 Sold Out

Tony Bianco Gidget Boots - $170

Blonde & Blonde Mason Cutout Boots - $48

At more than $100 cheaper, these boots are definitely a great deal.

Love,

Caro

Makeup Review: M.A.C. Cremesheen Lipstick in "Creme Cup"

My friend highly recommended this lipstick to me a little while ago, so I decided to check it out at the M.A.C. store in my mall. I went in, and immediately asked to see it, and fell in love. It's a gorgeous natural, light pink color - its basically the same as my natural lip color, so its great for every day looks. 

It is a little bit more expensive than drugstore lipsticks, but its only $15 so its still less expensive than NARS or other makeup brands from Sephora. It is the same quality though, in my opinion, and absolutely worth the money. From the color to the quality, I am sure I will be getting a lot of use out of this lipstick.

If you can get to a M.A.C. store I recommend picking this up! Of course you have to try the color on your hand first to make sure it works with your skin tone, but its a great quality lipstick.

Love,

Caro

Traveling

 

 

This Monday, I leave California to go back to Scotland

for school. Its a little sad, because I have to go back early for a test, but I plan on making the most of it once the test is done and doing some traveling!

 

I've been flying on planes for most of my life, but in the last year or so I've started getting increasingly nervous on flights. To keep calm, I listen to music and I do my best to be asleep when the plane takes off - I've found that if I'm not aware that the plane is actually departing from the ground, I'm a lot less nervous for the flight. Which is good when your flight lasts 8+ hours.

 

Also, I wanted to make a quick apology for the fact that I've been making a few less posts lately, and that will likely continue for a little while. I'll be traveling and adjusting myself back to Scotland, and then moving into my flat and cramming for my test until August 14th. But after that, I should be up and running, even if I do some more traveling.



Accessories Haul

I've been trying not to do as much shopping lately. So in Caroline terms, I've been buying little things instead, like accessories. Gotta take it one small step at a time, you know.

Anyways, I just thought I'd share some of the things I've bought with you guys.

I got a bunch of scrunchies and hair bows from American Apparel in a variety of colors that I liked. To be honest the price was a little ridiculous all total, but so far the quality of the scrunchies have been amazing! I've been wearing them for these past few days, and they're super cute. But that's just my opinion, I love scrunchies.

And I got some cute socks from Forever 21. Because you can never have too many socks. And why would anyone want socks that are boring and not totally adorable? I always loose socks, so for $1.50 these were a good buy.

And lastly I got this pair of tennis shoes, also from Forever 21. I originally saw a fake leather converse-style pair at H&M, but they were about $30, so when I found these for $12.80 I had to get them. They probably won;t last super long, and they are definitely not real leather (not for that cheap) but they're cute and I will definitely use them. Plus, you can't go wrong with cute tennis shoes, or even just cute flats.

If I have some time before I leave on Monday, I might try to head over to Brandy Melville for some rings (I saw Tanya Burr got some really cute ones from there).

Love,

Caro

Style Steal: Mulberry Bayswater Double Zip Bag

So once again, I've fallen in love with something completely out of my price range - this time, it's the Mulberry Bayswater Double Zip Bag. It is a ridiculously gorgeous bag, but its about $2,000, and I'm not in the habit of buying an item of clothing that is worth about a years rent of my apartment.

 

Luckily, Zara has an amazing bag that looks super similar called the Zara Office City bag!

 

 

The Zara Office City Bag is $90, which is still a little expensive, but in comparison to the Mulberry Bayswater Double Zip Bag its a steal. And, from what I hear its big enough to hold a laptop, so its the perfect bag for school.

 

Love,

 

Caro



My Jacket Collection

I love jackets, more than a lot of things in the world. They can be fluffy, and cute, and nice, and warm, and everything that can that all in one is amazing in my eyes. I never used to have much of a reason to buy winter coats, I'm a Californian I just wear sweatshirts and cardigans. Now that I live in Scotland, it's useful having a nice jacket (or two, or twelve...).

 

Generally speaking, I buy one nice jacket for winter each year (or if the coat I had last year still works fine, I keep that one) and then I find some cute ones on sale or off of ebay. That way, I have a nice jacket to keep me warm, and some jackets that I just find cute.

 

 

This is my collection of jackets. I have some parka type ones with giant hoods (that are great for Scotland and the rain), some cute nice oversize coats that can be worn casually or dressed up, some nice jackets that are a little thinner but incredibly cute, and of course a cute leather jacket.

 

So yeah. That is my jacket collection. I move back to Scotland in a week, and so I've been thinking about clothes for cold weather a lot lately.

 

Love,

 

Caro