Dress Like Gossip Girl | Inspiration | Blair Waldorf | My Top 12

Morning Upper East siders,

Sally here.

As I did a post on my top 12 Serena Van Der Woodsen outfits yesterday, and I did say that I am Team Blair, I thought it was only right to do my Blair Waldorf post today!

Queen B is the daughter of fashion designer Eleanor Waldorf, who actually uses Abigail Lorick's lines as her fictional lines. So as you can imagine, Blair herself is also a "dictator of taste" as she is described by the Upper East sides very own writer - Dan Humphrey.

12

Season 1 Episode 7

It wouldn't quite be a top 12 of Blair's outfits if I didn't include one of Blair's school uniforms. I mean if I had dressed like this for school, I wouldn't have actually minded going! I remember wearing those type of tights to primary school and never realised just how cool they could actually look! Where can I get some please?! Of course, the outfit is topped off with Blair's signature - the headband.

11

Season 2 Episode 1

This outfit is so cute! Perfect for a lovely summer bike ride. The full outfit goes together, the headband, the dress and the shoes! Not to mention the colours also match Blair's bike! I love the collaring on the dress giving it a real 1950's vintage look! Amazing!

10

Season 4 Episode 1

This dress is stunning. I love the belted waist with the embellished details. This dress Blair wears in Paris. It's perfect for walking around Le Louvre and the bold coloured bag really stands out from the dress and brings out the orange tones.

9

Season 4 Episode 11

This outfit is something I would definitely wear! A pretty simple blouse tucked into a structured skirt. You can see how her school uniform fashion has really inspired this look. I also love the tights as they're so detailed, making sure her look is as interesting as it ever is!

8

This outfit is so cute and girly! It completely juxtaposes Blair's character as we all know she's a schemer! She's even scheming in this very scene as she wears this cute outfit. You'd think butter wouldn't melt! I love all the baby pink details in this outfit, right down to the pom poms on her laces.

7

Season 4 Episode 4

Another stunning and very girly outfit from Blair. The flowing dress is made structured by the belt that pinches in her waist. The patent black belt and shoes slightly toughens up this look, reminding us that Blair has a tough exterior but underneath she's girly and sentimental, like this look!

6

Season 4 Episode 8

I love the structure of this outfit. Her shoes! I'm in love. I don't know what else to say about this outfit because I just love absolutely everything about it!

5

Season 5 Episode 2

Blair Waldorf style 101: colour coordinate. All of Blair's outfits are colour coordinated, but I have never seen anything like this! The colours are very bold and really work with her colour complexion.

4

Season 3 Episode 22

Another amazing colour coordinated outfit! If you can't colour coordinate your full outfit, always try to match your shoes and your bag! This can be seen in so many of Blair's outfits which is why they all work so well! This outfit is perfect for a cold day.

 3

Season 5 Episode 6

The bold colours are absolutely stunning. I love the fruity prints and of course the headband with matching strappy sandals with a giant buckle on the side, adding a bit more detail! I love the detailing on the transition of the top to the skirt.

2

Season 4 Episode 2

This Oscar De La Renta dress. This is one of my very favourite Blair outfits, so much so I couldn;t decide if this should be my top spot outfit! What more can be said? The detailing is amazing. The red works amazingly with Blair's dark hair. The ruffles are absolutely stunning. If I was going to be running around Paris, I would want to be doing it in this dress! The colour of the shoes and the bag match amazingly.

1

Season 6 Episode 10

This Elie Saab dress tops off the most amazing of Blair's outfits.

{Spoiler alert}

The perfect wedding for Blair just wouldn't be right without a headband would it?

This sheer blue dress is just perfect. The flower detailing is amazing. I would love to have this as my wedding dress! Elie Saab please gift this to me!

I hope you liked my Gossip Girl fashion special! Let me know your thoughts on my top 12! What's your favourite Blair outfit?!

XOXO

Sally

**Images are linked to the websites that they came from. These are not my own images.

Dress Like Gossip Girl | Inspiration | Serena Van Der Woodsen | My Top 12

Afternoon, Upper East Siders!

So I thought I'd do a few posts on one of my favourite Netflix shows, Gossip Girl!

For fashion lovers like myself, Gossip Girl is the most amazing show in the world.

Personally, I'm Team Blair but I thought I'd do my first post on Serena.

12

Season 4 Episode 5

I absolutely adore this outfit! The bold colours are what make it. The contrasting yellow top with the blue bag just works perfectly. The high waisted shorts are perfect for when you feel like baring your legs in the summer!

11

Season 4 Episode 3

This dress is absolutely stunning. The colours and patterns! The flowing dress is made more structured by the belt fastened around her waist and the red bag adds an extra pop of colour. 10/10 from me!

10

Season 4 Episode 19

What I love about this Marchesa dress is the detailing from the back! You can just about see in this picture the bow tail that Serena has and how the top half of the back is cut out! Perfect for showing a little bit of skin if you're self conscious of certain parts of your body!

9

Season 5 Episode 4

I love the colours in this outfit - mustard yellow dress crossed with a tan studded bag. A very daring choice as mustard yellow doesn't tend to suit everyone, but a gorgeous outfit nonetheless.

8

Season 5 Episode 10

I am obsessed with the ombre effect of this dress and the detailing on the bodice. The colours are absolutely stunning!

7

Season 3 Episode 5

This gorgeous outfit is worn to Lily's wedding. The dress is very formal and the dark blue colour is absolutely amazing. The dress is initially quite short with a longer overlay which makes it perfect for anyone small or tall! 

6

Season 4 Episode 3

I am in love with this outfit! I'd personally wear a flat pair of sandals with this outfit as I don't tend to wear heels during the day, but I absolutely love the denim waistcoat! I need to invest in one I think!

5

Season 1 Episode 2

This outfit always reminds me of how young the characters are in the first couple of series! It really shows Serena's girly side because it's such a cute day dress!

4

Season 2 Episode 5

This is one of the many dresses that are part of Eleanor Waldorf's fashion show. Eleanor Waldorf's fictional lines actually belong to the designer Abigail Lorick and these designed are showcased as Eleanor Waldorf's throughout the entirety of the show. The dresses are amazing in this scene but my favourite is the focus dress - Serena's! The ruffle detailing, the bow on her shoulder, right down to the immaculate emerald colour, everything on this dress is just flawless.

3

Season 6 Episode 3

Showcased as one of Eleanor Waldorf's "vintage" designs, this dress is absolutely gorgeous.

It really deserves one of the top spots in my top 12. The structure is simple, along with the black, mixed with the bold stripe print. It matches perfectly with Serena's golden shoes.

2

Season 5 Episode 8

This dress is absolutely crazy! The patterns are very eye catching and the dress matches perfectly with the very simple pearls Serena has draped around her neck. Not to mention the cute bow that she has in her hair if you have ever seen this episode! LOVE!

1

Season 4 Episode 8

This Zuhair Murad dress will forever be my favourite Serena outfit! The dusky colour is so simple, yet not too dull on her skin. The dress is so formal and perfect for any occasion on the Upper East Side!

I hope you liked my Gossip Girl fashion special! Let me know your thoughts on my top 12! What's your favourite Serena outfit?!

XO XO

Sally

**Images are linked to the websites that they came from. These are not my own images.

July Empties

I thought I'd try a new style of post today that I haven't done yet...
My "Empties"!
I never really seem to finish beauty products as I'm always trying new ones before I've even finished old ones but I managed to finish a small few this month!
I apologise that the photos aren't the best quality, I'm just getting used to my new camera at the minute so it is definitely a work in progress!

My July Empties are the following:

From left to right:

1) Tresemme Platinum Strength leave in treatment

I'm always using different Tresemme products as I find them amazing priced! (They always seem to be on offer in the super drug that I go into on my way to work!) The platinum strength range is specific for reducing up to 2 years worth of damage. I have been using this range for a while now and even from the first use, I could tell it was working! My hair used to be really damaged from heat damage and colour damage, this product really helped to reduce that.

I would definitely recommend and I'm sure that I will be buying this product again in the future.

 2) Roots hair treatment from Lush Cosmetics

This treatment is for anyone who wants their hair to grow faster! I searched for "hair growth" on the lush website and this is one of the products which came up. It smells quite minty as one of the ingredients is menthol which is supposed to stimulate your scalp. I think you can really feel it working as it makes your scalp feel quite cold! I applied it to my full head and then brushed through my hair while the treatment was on, to get rid of any tangles in my hair.

This treatment has a price tag of £9.99 but lasts a few goes, depending on how long your hair is.

I will definitely be rebuying this treatment in the future.

3) The Body Shop seaweed cleanser and toner

This range was recommended to me by a friend when I used to suffer from problem skin. I suffered from acne and I had tried absolutely everything, I was willing to try anything at all! The seaweed products are absolutely gorgeous, they feel amazing on the skin and smell lovely. My skin really seemed to clear up while I have been using these products. I also use the mattifying moisturiser from the seaweed products. 

The cleanser and toner each have a price tag of £9.50, which I felt was very fair with the time that these products have lasted me and just how amazing they are! The seaweed range is one of the body shops best sellers and I can honestly say, "I see why"!

I will be buying these again.

Thanks for reading my short post on my empties!

Let me know if you have used any of the products featured in this post and what you thought of them!

Sally x

Sale Shopping Is Always the Best!

If you're anything like me, you'll love getting a good bargain! I hate spending ages raking through the rails of sale though...

So I love when you can do it online, or when someone else does the looking for you!

My friend recently bought this playsuit from Zara in the sale for £9.99, when I saw her wearing it, I had to have it too! It's long sleeved with wide, baggy legs. I wear it with a plaited belt to give it a bit more shape.

I also paired it with my new leather fringe sandals from New Look which I have mentioned in a previous post. These were £12 in the sale! I then matched this with my fringe bag also from New Look which I bought last year.

I got my new camera today, so I took a little trip down to the beach to give it a test run...
I got the Nikon D3100 (if anyone is looking for a new camera, I love mine!).

Outfit details: Playsuit - Zara (out of stock) similar here

Sandals- New Look available here

Bag - New Look similar here

Feel free to share your thoughts on my outfit, or anything else about my posts!

Thanks for reading, Sally x

Must-Have Leather Sandals

I am absolutely loving anything fringed at the minute! The easiest item to buy fringed that will look amazing with absolutely anything is shoes! In the spirit of summer, today I bought some fringed sandals.

I was absolutely amazed that New Look are selling pairs of fringed real leather sandals from £12 in the sale. 

Image from newlook.com

Image from newlook.com

Image from newlook.com

Tan £12, Black £12, Stone £16

All reduced from £27.99

I bought the tan pair and I thought I would share them with you as I thought they were absolutely amazing and such a bargain at the price!
With them being real leather they'll be super comfy! Perfect for my trip to Paris in the next couple of weeks where I will be walking constantly! Real leather shoes are also great as you can buy them a little tight as they will stretch to the size and shape of your feet and you know they will last for such a long time!
Normally, you could expect to pay up to about £40 for a pair of real leather sandals (depending on the style) which is why I was so amazed that these were only £12!
I'm normally a 4 in flat shoes from New Look and tried on the size 3 and they were too small for me so I would say they are true to size! I have ordered the size 4 online.

Do you love them as much as me? Are you ordering a pair? Is fringe not for you?
Let me know!
Sally x

Summer Payday Wishlist

So as you may know (if you've read any of my previous posts), I started back at work in June after being away at university for first year. I just missed the cut off for the June pay date when I started back so tomorrow is my first pay day back!
As you can probably imagine, I am very excited to finally have a bit of extra money that doesn't absolutely have to go on bills for my new house which I'm moving into any day now!

So I thought I would show you my wishlist for this payday! Unfortunately I won't be able to afford everything (cry!!) but I may be able to find some cheaper alternatives!

Image from topshop.com

Topshop Petite Bardot Stripe dress £36

Ideally, I really want this dress in the petite as I am quite short and always tend to go for the petite range in Topshop! It's no longer in stock online in petite but is currently still available in a few sizes in the regular length Topshop range: here.

I love the bardot style that is on trend at the minute! It means you can show a bit of your skin on your shoulders without having to show off the top of your arms, which if you're like me, I don't tend to show!

Image from topshop.com

Topshop Fig lace up sandals in tan £39

I've seen quite a few pairs of lace up leather sandals on the high street at the minute but these have to be my favourite! I like the black and the white pairs too but I feel the tan pair would be more versatile and therefore I'd get more use out of them! They'd also look great if I got a tiny bit of a tan on my feet!

You can find this pair here.

Image from asos.com

ASOS ALDO Frosinone Fold Over Fringed Tote bag £45

I'm loving anything fringed at the minute! I'm trying to steer away from only wearing black at the minute but a black bag will go with anything and everything! This bag is so simple, yet so effective. It's hard to find a fringed back at the minute because they sell so fast!

You can find this one here.

Image from asos.com

ASOS Rivington Ankle Grazer Jegging with Displaced Ripped Knees in pink £30

I love everything about these! I love the colour because it's such a lovely pastel pink, it would be perfect with everything for summer! I also like the fact that the slits are displaced so they aren't directly on the knees which set them aside from the other ones you can buy! The fact that they are jeggings is a bonus so they'll be slightly stretchier than jeans!

You can get these here.

Image from newlook.com

New Look Blue Ripped Fray Hem Ankle Grazer Jeans £24.99

If coloured jeans just aren't your thing then these might appeal to you more! These distressed looked jeans are right on trend at the minute! I absolutely love the frayed hems at the bottom.

You can find these here.

Image from urbanoutfitters.com

Urban Outfitters Light Before Dark Cut Out Back top in white

Perfect for wearing with just a pair of shorts or jeans, this lovely top would go with just about anything! I love the cut out because it gives a bit more detailing to an otherwise boring top!

You can get this here.

Image from urbanoutfitters.com

Urban Outfitters BDG Slubby Red Pocket Jumper

As we all know summer will eventually draw to an end and the cooler nights will creep in. I'm hoping not for a while though! This thin, slubby style jumper will keep you that little bit warmer as the evening draws in.

You can find this here.

Thanks for reading my summer payday wishlist! Have a lovely day!

Sally x

Hair growth - my tips

So I have been looking through some of my old photos and noticed the length my hair used to be compared to the length that it is now, which reminded me of the struggle it was to grow my hair!
I left work at the end of summer last year to go to university and I've returned this summer and one of the things that everyone has said to me is "your hair has grown SO much!". It really has! It finally really, really has!

So I'm just writing this post a long with recommendations of a few products that I used which I feel helped me along my journey to hair growth (whether they actually helped the growth or not, they definitely made my hair feel healthy, and healthy hair will grow!).

Rule 1 - Keep your hair in great condition!
To me the most important item in hair care is simply your shampoo and conditioner! You want to apply shampoo to your roots down to the middle of your hair as this is where most of the oil in your hair accumulates. I usually shampoo twice just to make sure I've washed it thoroughly. I then apply conditioner through the ends of my hair and using my brush carefully brush through my hair. The conditioner makes it easier to brush through the hair which means less stress on the hair and therefore less breakage.
If I want to give my hair a conditioning treat which I do about once a week I either use a conditioning mask such as the Tresemme Platinum Strength Deep Conditioning Treatment. Or you can just use any standard conditioner but really layer it on all over your hair and give it a good brush through before washing it out!
Avoid hair breakage by using treatments such as the Tresemme Split Remedy range.

Rule 2 - Give your hair a break!
It sounds like a cliché but... don't use heat on your hair unless if it's necessary! Saying that, necessary doesn't have to mean just when you're in a rush! I never let my hair naturally dry, this is because it's so thick that it would take literally hours to dry! However, I don't normally straighten my hair excessively. If I straighten my hair it's usually just to neaten it up a bit as it's quite naturally curly.
If I fully straighten my hair I use a heat protection spray. I usually use Tresemme Heat Defence Spray I like the Tresemme products for heat protection because unlike some sprays they don't leave a burning smell on my hair after I've straightened it. If you feel you really need to straighten your hair, there are products you can use which help keep your hair straighter for longer, such as Tresemme Keratin Smooth treatments.

Rule 3 - Don't be afraid to try something new!
I tried Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment. I loved the full range. I still use it now occasionally but it's a bit pricey to use as a standard shampoo when you're not really aiming for hair growth! I really loved the leave in treatment as it left my hair feeling and smelling great! All in all I would recommend giving the full range a go at least once and see for yourself!
I've also tried Alpecin Caffeine Shampoo which I also really liked. The only downside to this shampoo was you're not really supposed to use conditioner with it which I don't like as my hair needs a good condition every now and then! The shampoo did leave my scalp feeling really refreshed and clean though so I would still recommend this shampoo for you lovely girls looking to grow their lovely locks!

Rule 4 - Stay healthy!
A healthy body means healthy hair, but no need to go on a massive health kick! Your major focuses should be protein, vitamins and plenty of water.

Rule 5 - Don't be afraid to say what you mean!
Anyone that knows me knows that I really have a fear of going to the hairdressers! I've been traumatised by too many cuts where I've come out feeling as if I need to cover the bald patches! Maybe that's a bit extreme but I always regret going as soon as I've come out!
However one of my closest friends recently became qualified at Toni and Guy which was the best thing that ever happened to me because like me she knew the struggles of trying to grow her hair as she had her hair cut into a bob about the same time as me and was growing it for years! It finally meant that I could really trust in my hairdresser and really say what I wanted (for example - I ONLY want the very ends cut off). My advice though is to be brave and not let your hairdresser get carried away! Tell them exactly how much you want off - however if they tell you it's for the best to get a bit more than that off due to breakage, believe them, they are the professionals after all! Just follow my first and second rules to help avoid breakage for next time!

I will add any more rules that I think of at a later date and I really hope this helps any of you wanting to grow your hair!

Do you have any rules that you need to stick to? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Sally x