My top 5 things for feeling like a 50's pinup

Hello sweeties,

Seems a little while since I last posted, so I do apologise for that. But i'm here now, so a big hello to past and new readers! Today does not contain photos of my fashion today(because if i'm really honest i'm having a makeup break for a few days and noone wants to see that on a photo!!) but there is a few older photos of some of my favourite things to make me feel like a sassy pin up girl!

1. Lush Emotional Brilliance lip colour in Decisive :

photo from lush.com

I love the fashions of the 1950's, so popping this colour on my lips makes me feel all sassy and makes me instantly feel more like a pin up girl! It's a really beautiful blend of rose wax, candelilla wax and jojoba oil, meaning that I can wear a bright lip colour that keeps my lips lovely and soft. WIN WIN! It's such a strong pigment which for me, means I can wear it all day long and rarely top it up, and it still looks vibrant and fabulous.

Here is me wearing decisive with my old hair and an attempt at victory rolls!

2. A good set of underwear.

This is clearly not me, (a girl can wish eh?) but I do have this set of underwear! Whenever I wear these, I feel like a million dollars! It's madmen 1950's feel appeals to me greatly but the best bit are the briefs. These Lyla briefs are high waisted so if you have a little extra tum and bum like me, then these will give you that extra support and suck you in a little, without feeling frumpy and horrid! These are from boux avenue and they have them in a range of colours, I highly recommend investing in a special set of underwear that makes you feel gorgeous!

3. A good 50's dress (of course)

This is a photo from my holiday to Tenerife in September, although it looks rather cloudy here! I love the shape of this dress as it hides a multitude of sins (it was in the sale for £15 in Topshop and is Jones and Jones)! It's a great shape for my figure, as I have a big bum and hips and the kick at the waist and pleats cover all that up. Make sure you have an underskirt handy or buy a dress like this one that already has one sewn in as it gives a dress a real pin up feel! This dress is fairly short so if you are wary of your thighs, then you can always find one that has a few more inches to the skirt. I'm usually not fond of my thighs, but I just adored this dress so thought 'who cares'. Pin ups and women of the 50's were not tiny women, Marilyn Monroe was not stick thin, they all had beautiful curves, SO EMBRACE AND LOVE THEM LADIES :D. 50's fashion is a perfect way to do this, as it often cinches you in on the waist, making it appear smaller and then kicks out on the hips (always fetching on the chest too!).

Marilyn shows off her beautiful hips and waist here!

4. A head scarf

I often wear a scarf in my hair and this is usually a lush knot wrap, or vintage scarf! Lush do a range of knot wraps at £3.95 and you can pick up vintage scarfs for reasonable prices too! A scarf in your hair does two things; 1. it give you a wonderful rockabilly look and 2. hides messy hair or hair that may be on the verge of needing a wash (let's face it, we don't always have time!)

Sorry about the rubbish photo but you can see the kind of affect a hair scarf has :)

5. An LBD/ pencil skirt

I've got to be honest, when I wear a pencil skirt I feel very sophisticated, my bum and tummy always looks a little large in them but who cares? I feel like a secretary in the 50's, just pass me some glasses and a typewriter ;)! This pencil skirt is a good length as it comes to midway down my calf, it is also a stretchy material which means it is not too tight and doesn't restrict movement ( with large thighs I can sometimes walk like a penguin in tight pencil skirts!) The skirt was around £8 in Primark and they always make them in a few colours, a staple item for any wardrobe I say! I teamed it with a primark vest that was about £2 and a red waist belt that came on another dress, so really a very very budget outfit! The necklace is of course Tatty Devine and the most expensive thing about this outfit! 

What are your tips for a fabulous pinup look?

P.s There is another addition to the dress family...but in a different form. Keep your eyes peeled at the start of next week for that post ;)

Love and Hugs

Ruby xo

Handmade With Love

Hello my lovelies :).

Again, it has been 0 days since my last purchase of a dress, in fact i've bought three in the last two days! Despite the fact there are new babies in my collection, this post is not about dresses. I have decided that my start of week post will be about my dresses, and my midweek post will be about other bits and bobs!

In the last few days i've had a few lovely deliveries, so I decided that todays post will be about the lovely handmade goodies i've received! I have been really into the site 'Etsy' recently, as I love handmade items. I find it truly beautiful to own something lovingly crafted by someone, and think it's also important to support people trying to make a living! One page I love is 'I Love Crafty', as she has some beautiful mermaid items (who doesn't love pretending to be a mermaid?!). She is also a fellow blogger, so be sure to head over to her blog which I shall link at the bottom of the post. I was tempted by so many items but finally decided on some cute pink shell earrings.

I think they're really sweet, and playful and will surely add a little sparkle to any outfit. I was amazed at how quick they arrived, and Laura (who owns the shop) kept in contact with me excellently! A really wonderful seller. 

I also found this in my order, which I thought was a lovely touch as i'm dying to buy lots more from her. Not only does she do mermaid jewellery, she also does a cat range called 'feline fatale' a 'tropical range' and a range that uses lots of hearts! It's all so very cute! I will definitely be treating myself to some more items!

Another shop I found was 'Ladybirdlikes', who makes wooden jewellery involving lots of animals and cute images. She also has a blog so please check her out! If you have read my other post, you will have noticed I have a pug cross, so when I noticed there was pug related jewellery, I whacked my debit card out and ordered straight away. I decided on the pug collar clips as it is an item of jewellery I think looks really cool but have never really bought before. It came in really sweet packaging with lovely little messages on.

Apologies for the ripping, I was very eager to get into it :)

On top of this, I also have a beautiful little butterfly brooch that makes any item look super pretty! 

www.ladybirdlikes.blogspot.com

www.ilovecrafty.blogspot.com

So, what are your favourite handmade sites?

Love and hugs,

Ruby xo

Dress #1

Hello, my names Ruby...and i'm a shopaholic! It has been 0 days since my last purchase (in fact it was only last night). I am obsessed with buying clothes, accessories, shoes, EVERYTHING, but my main addiction is dresses. The title of the blog suggests it all really, yes that's right, I have 97 dresses to date! Although my collection is rather large, I do shop on a budget, I am a part time sales assistant on a fairly low wage so when I buy, I never really splurge on one item. I also really love the thrill of getting a beautiful item of clothing for a bargain! This blog is dedicated to all of you out there who are fashion obsessed. My dresses will appear regularly, but there will be other bits thrown in there too! 

So here it goes ... post #1, dress #1

With autumn creeping up on us, monochrome has been a favourite of mine. You can't go wrong with black and white, it's sophisticated and looks very striking! You can also jazz it up a little with some bright accessories for a different look. 

When I saw this dress I had to have it, and at £13 in Primark it was an absolute bargain. Surprisingly, I don't have many shift dresses in my collection of 97, so it seemed only sensible to buy this little number. This is the first time i've worn this dress, and it was to a trip to the cinema and nando's. I decided to keep the whole look monochrome with a touch of silver in the accessories.

Although I shop on a budget, I do love my trusty Tatty Devine accessories! They aren't cheap, but they are so versatile that you can make any outfit look amazing by popping one on! So on this occasion, I whipped out my favourite of them all, The Cinderella Carriage. Now what's not to love? Disney and shiny too! I was always a little hesitant to buy it myself as it is £60, but when my boyfriend bought it me for my birthday I wept tears of joy and have treasured this little cutie ever since!

Along with my carriage, I also wore my Cartoon Eye rings. I think these go perfect with this outfit as they are monochrome and give the outfit a bit of fun. These are also Tatty Devine and cost £30 for the set.

To finish off this outfit I added a cute monochrome dog clutch bag. Now, I say clutch bag, this is really a Ipad/tablet case from Primark for £4. But shhhh...that is strictly our little secret. I love dogs, especially squashed face dogs like pugs, french bulldogs and boston terriers, so when I saw this I just couldn't resist, and I think it actually looks rather good, what do you think?

As I was finishing off the photos for this post, my puppy got a little jealous that she wasn't in the spotlight so she gatecrashed my photos, 

I think she's a rather good model even if she is a little squashy round the edges!

So that is my first autumn look, i'd love to know what you think about it and what your favourite trends for autumn are?

Love and Hugs,

Ruby xo