What I wore: photoshoot fun

Jacket - New Look | Trousers - Topshop | Top - New Look | Necklace - Primark | Shoes- Primark

Bralet - Topshop | Skirt - Topshop | Shoes - Primark | Necklace - Primark

Two days ago I attended a makeover photo-shoot by Mark Swinford Photography courtesy of an offer I won through New Look a while back now. The session included a one hour hair and makeup session, and an hour photo shoot with a choice of backgrounds and outfits. Despite being half an hour late (our sat nav took us in the opposite direction nearing the countryside and my internet wouldn't work, absolute nightmare!) I had a great time. I'm always a little apprehensive when attending an unfamiliar place, especially when I'm leaving strangers in charge of sprucing me up and giving me instructions left right and centre. However, I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute, from being made up to feel glamorous, to being put into positions I never thought I could reach. I'm not the most confident person, I'm awkward and I find it difficult to explain my life story to everyone I meet but I felt so at ease here. The staff were super lovely, comforting and complementing and I loved the transformation they gave me.

Friday's weather was terrible so that meant I weren't able to make the most of my freshly styled hair and makeup. The makeup was different to my usual natural preference, my eyes were heavily made up and I stepped out of my lip colour comfort zone but I did love the change. My hair was softly curled so they fell delicately and luckily those curls stayed in overnight so I was able keep the style ready for some quick outdoor outfit photos yesterday evening. The outfits are completely contrasting; one spells out autumn, and the other is still stuck in summer but I purposely decided to pick these to represent my mixed up style. I think you were allowed a few more outfit changes but I stuck to just two to keep it simple and I think (well, I hope) that worked. I have an appointment to view the end result on Tuesday and from there I get to choose a free print. Unfortunately, unless up to a £1000 magically appears in my bank account over the next few days, I doubt I'll be purchasing the whole portfolio of photos but for the experience alone, it was priceless... literally!

Giveaway: a Lush thank you

When I finally plucked up the courage to log on to blogger.com and start writing my very first blog post, I never expected anyone to be the slightest bit interested in what I had to say and show. Admittedly, I had no idea what I was doing at first and the awkward, slightly rubbish, amateur posts weren't the best kind, nor did they make much sense; but fast forward a year or so and I've reached 300 Bloglovin' followers, nearly 30,000 page views and an increasing amount of love and acceptance within the blogging community. I'm not going to run along the so soppy, it's cringe lines, but I will say I appreciate every comment from every reader, whether they're the ones who take the time out to acknowledge daily, or those who stop by on a one off to make me smile cheesily with their kind words. I can definitely say I now consider blogging a part of who I am; I enjoy planning and displaying the posts, reading other blogs for inspiration and setting myself goals to improve so my blogging success will (hopefully) continue to strive. That's all down to you lovely lot, which is why I decided to put together another small giveaway to unveil my gratitude. 

Anyway, moving on to said giveaway. I realisebd d I completely missed my one year blogging anniversary earlier this year which I was quite gutted about and ended up giving myself a secret slap so I told myself when I reach another milestone, I will plan a giveaway and I thought now (now I've reached the 300 stage) would be an appropriate time to hold that. Once again, it's nothing much. I've not attained the blogging stage where I'm able to access another source of income so all I have to rely on are my low funds BUT I don't think that matters, what I did do is include something what I, and many other bloggers seem to love and that's Lush bath treats. There's only five but they're some of my favourites and those goodies will make the perfect edition to someone's bathroom ready for a pampering night (or day). The prizes up for grabs are: Sex Bomb Bath Bomb, Think Pink Bath Bomb, Ickle Baby Bot Bath Bomb, Granny Takes A Dip Bath Bomb, Pop In The Bath Bubble Bar.

Now on to the ins and outs. The giveaway is held through Rafflecopter, all you need to do is enter with the mandatory options (following my bloglovin' and my twitter) and the rest is left entirely up to you. The giveaway starts today (29th August 2014) and ends in a months time (29th September 2014) as soon as the clock reaches midnight. The giveaway is open internationally. The winner will be picked at random and will be contacted straight away. If the winner doesn't respond within 3 days, another person will be chosen. Good luck, and happy Friday!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Missguided wishlist

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

Ah, Missguided; my one true love. I find myself checking the new in section more or less every day, afraid I'll miss the seasonal and frequent additions to their beautiful collection. I don't think I've ever scrolled the Missguided website without falling for an item. There's always something I have my eye on whether that be a basic staple piece or a full blown outfit but in reality, they're placed in my basket and then left bookmarked knowing I can't blow even more money on clothes I don't need (I just can't help myself). The recent transitional summer to autumn pieces that are fresh at the moment are included in my current wishlist. I don't even think I could pick a favourite, I adore each one for different reasons. I love how the colours vary, the pastel pinks and blues still being present, but the monochrome and bright, bold prints also being intact. The style is so up my street and I can't help but think how I'd wear them and mix them up when if they were mine.

What transitional pieces are you loving at the moment?

What I wore: The New Fragrances

Tee - H&M | Trousers - H&M | Hat - H&M | Shoes - Primark | Bag - Vintage

I never realised every item (bar the shoes and bag) I'm wearing here are from H&M. You know when you piece together an outfit from the items you've swiftly seen in the shop in your mind, order them and then try them on to find out it's worked just as well in real life? Well this was one of those moments. I can always rely on H&M to provide the basics with an edge and both this top and the slacks definitely fit the bill. I struggle when it comes to buying trousers, they never seem to fit properly. With my body shape being so damn out of proportion, it's difficult to judge sizing. They're either too big on the waist and too small on my huge hips or they are too tight, baggy and all round unflattering everywhere which results in me giving up the job of finding the perfect pair. Despite my hesitance when buying these, luckily they did fit me just fine and I've been admiring the pretty pattern ever since.

It doesn't look as though we're gonna get anymore summer, 2/3 weeks of sunshine and Britain has had enough; that's us done with. So unfortunately, I think the summery pants will have to be thrown back into my wardrobe and the thicker clothing will have to be dug out. There's such a horrible wintery vibe around lately and I just can't seem to get warm. Is anyone else feeling the cold, putting on the onesies and complaining non stop about the possibility of the heating having to be switched on in August? Maybe it's just me, who knows.

Five festival inspired outfits

Although festival season is very nearly ending and August is living up to it's 'I will rain every day of the week for one whole month' reputation, there's still the odd one or two events happening here and there, in particular a local of mine and a huge favourite, the Leeds fest, and the V Fest this weekend.  I'm not a festival kind of gal, the thought of being cramped together, camping out, not having access to a decent shower and bracing the public toilets is actually quite horrifying but I can understand people who put that aside and attend purely for the music and the atmosphere, because that alone must be a moment to remember. Something I do absolutely love however, is festival inspired fashion. When summer comes around it's a standard for me to browse the street style - festival edition on blogs, magazines and even round and about the alleys to see what's trending, for me to then inject that into my own style (even if it does end up just being a wellies and raincoat job). 

THE CO ORD

Co-ord - Missguided | Jacket - Dunnes (old) | Necklace - Forever 21 | Sandals - Primark

Up until this year, I don't think co-ords were well known; now they're all out in their glory and it's all I've seen ever since. Not that I'm complaining, they've slowly become a favourite of mine, so easy to style and there's one for every occasion. Although choosing what to wear to most festivals in Britain is often weather dependent, I think placing a jacket, a kimono, a cardigan etc over a co-ord solves the problem.

THE PLAYSUIT

Playsuit - Boohoo | Boots - New Look | Sleeveless Cardi - Primark | Hat - Primark | Bag - Primark

A trusty cami playsuit with that beachy, festival vibe to it has always been my most reliable throw on and then dress up kind of outfit. You can make the simplest of playsuits look striving just by accessorizing. I don't think you can go wrong with choosing a playsuit as your staple piece for a festival; they're comfortable and don't require much effort so that's one less thing to worry about when you're enjoying yourself.

THE DRESS

Dress - Kiss The Sky at Ark | Sandals - Primark | Hat - New Look | Necklace - Forever 21

The dress, always a first choice in my eyes; especially when it has that hippie ambiance (and elephants, you've got to love elephants!) to it so it looks as though you've thought deeply about the kind of thing you're likely to see within festival fashion. I just love how wide open the options are when it comes down to wearing a dress for a festival. Short, long, sleeveless, long sleeved, patterned, plain, casual, classy, no matter which one you pick out of your wardrobe, the possibilities of styling are endless.

THE DENIM SHORTS

Shorts - River Island | Belt - New Look | Vest - Monki | Jacket - Quiz | Sandals - Primark | Bag- Primark

Denim shorts will never go out of fashion (well maybe in 50 years time, but definitely not in today's day and age). I think they've always been a long term preference for festival wear and in all different types too. I personally lean more towards the high waisted boyfriend shorts, purely so it covers up all my wobbly bits, but hot pants and short shorts are just as accepted. Once again, it's plain sailing when dressing up or dressing down your denim shorts and the great thing is, you can pile on as many layers as you want.

THE KIMONO

Kimono - eBay | Dress - Boohoo | Boots - Primark | Headband - Primark | Necklace - Forever 21

Another recent craze has been the kimono, something I try so hard to pull off but never succeed in. As much as I love the heavily patterned and tasseled kimonos, I always find myself going back to the ordinary. Settling for plain, basic colours works for me (and for many others) as you can throw them on top off anything. Here, I've gone for the 'boho' look. Another one of my festival favourites, with ankle boots, head wear, crochet and jewellery completing the look.

Have you been to a festival or have any upcoming festivals? What's your favourite piece to wear?

A new beginning

Hello my dearest followers! If you're wondering who the hell this new kid is on your reading list, don't panic! You may or may not have realised that I've had a small change on my blog and have decided to revamp my space and transform it into something fresh. I think currently, Oh So Bridie didn't feel right anymore. I just wasn't digging the name anymore and fancied creating something a little more catchy. After two full days (I'm not joking!) of pondering over slogans, quotes and anything else I could mash my brain with, I finally came up with 'Upon My Sleeve'. I settled for this purely because it had a ring to it and it fits in with the theme of my blog. A "sleeve" being a clever way to relate to fashion, and the entire saying 'Upon My Sleeve' meaning it's coming straight from the horse's mouth. My words are always my own and they roll off the tongue when making a note of my most loved things. Of course, with a new name, comes a reborn design. I've not rejuvenated it too much and have kept to the same layout but I feel as though it's now more simplistic and readable. After a few days of making sure everything now links to my new URL, it's finally up and ready. I just have to figure out how to transfer my Bloglovin' followers to my new blog name without losing any traffic, which if I'm correct, I think means contacting Bloglovin' directly. I hope everything is working fine and I hope you're still able to see this on your feed. It sucks being a non-tech savvy individual at times!

What I wore: staple skirt

Skirt - Primark | Top - Topshop | Shoes - Primark | Bracelets - Primark

I was debating with myself when questioning how I could style my new favourite skirt that I fetched all the way back from Spain to my home ground. I guess it's suitable for all seasons and any kind of top half item would pair well but as the sun was shining (a week or so ago which didn't last long!) I went all simplistic and brought out this cutesy mesh top. I feel as though white has been the colour I've been drawn to most this summer (you can never get enough of it, right?!), and as summer is slowly but surely dying out, I'm pleased to see white has continued to be up there with the trends. 

Although the weather's been severely hormonal and indecisive, I'm constantly having to wear clothing with zero thickness or sleeves and although I know I'll regret saying this, I'm looking forward to the cooler weather moving in and the ever so loved layers coming out. This muggy weather has hit hard and when you have a house that represents a sauna, that's difficult to cope with. I hope you're surviving better than I am! Enjoy your weekend, lovelies.

Summer at the seaside

Last week, the usual gang (me, my mum, brother and grandma) took advantage of the lovely, sunny weather and headed off on a trip to the Yorkshire seaside town that is Bridlington. I've been visiting Bridlington ever since I was 8 year old, when my grandma owned a caravan on a caravan site near the seafront. I've had the happiest times there and every time I go back, it's like retreating my childhood. It's a basic seaside place and there's not a whole load to do but I still get that same excited feeling when we plan a day out. I think the thought of being in different surroundings, soaking up the sea air, inhaling the sickly, mouth watering smell of candyfloss and donuts, strolling along the peaceful, fresh looking beach despite it being nowhere near warm enough and enjoying the sound of the noisy seagulls, the children on the fairground rides and the repetitive songs in the amusements explains why it's so great. There's something about the seaside that makes spending £5 worth of 2p's just to win a keyring that would have only cost 50p in a shop acceptable. It's full of the simple things that make you happy, even the car journey on the way back when you have the road to yourself, watching the sunset and singing along to your favourite song with no regrets. 

We set off at 10am and headed on a steady journey, stopping off by a favourite cafe of ours in another of our favourite places, a dainty village named Stamford Bridge (not the football stadium) for some late breakfast/brunch and I devoured the best crumpets I've ever tasted. When we arrived, we strolled round the shops, took a walk on the harbour and had an ice cream covered in all carbs possible before the weather started deteriorating (typical). Afterwards, we dropped in to my grandma's friends' house just around the corner from the centre. They're Londoners who retired in Bridlington influenced by my grandma's caravan and how pleasant the Yorkshire countryside was. We spent a good few hours there and in that time spent, we barely got a word in edge ways. They're the loveliest, most comical people but by god, are they loud haha. Once we had ventured off (after another half hour of talking when we said we better go) we finished off the exploring down the sea front as we'd not had the time in the afternoon. Starting from the bottom end where the rides, the arcades and the boats were, we slowly wandered through the promenade, up to the top where the walk-able bit of beach and the overly pretty beach huts were. The tide was in but I eventually found a pebbled area of sand to stand on and whip my beloved camera out. It was empty and only accompanied by the odd dog walker but that's what made the peace and tranquility. Finally to end a satisfying day, we stopped off at the local Sizzlers pub and guzzled down a well needed meal and an extra treat, the chocolate fudge cake I shouldn't have been eating (oops!).

Despite knowing my way round Bridlington with my eyes closed, I never recognized how many photo opportunities there were until capturing the atmosphere of a place became a passion of mine. I always say pictures speak more than words and no matter where you are, even for example, in an abandoned, desolate street there'll always be a chance to capture the moment.