High End vs. High Street.

2014 Blogger Challenge post time! The topic this time is in the title - High End vs. High Street! 

I'm not really sure what counts as 'High Street' and 'High End' as where I live, there are pretty expensive shops but they aren't to the standards of brands like Gucci or Prada. 

Clothes

I think, as a student and having no income (yay for having no time for a job...), I would have to say High Street is my favourite out of the two as they're more affordable and last quite a long time if you choose wisely. Some of my favourites are probably New Look, H! for Henry Holland and Red Herring in Debenhams, Next, Banana Republic and Crew. 

I own a lot of clothes from Crew because there are yearly factory/warehouse sales which are great for buying their clothing cheaper. The quality is amazing and even at full price, spending the money is worth it as the styles aren't seasonal and can be worn for however long you want! 

New Look is great for vest tops and ballet flats as they last for ages and are super cheap for the basics. I'm not a big fan of most of their clothes but when they have pieces I do like, they last for ages and fit me perfectly. 

Debenhams are perfect. Red Herring do some of my favourite pieces of clothing that I wear and will go back to over and over again and my two all time favourite dresses come from H! by Henry Holland. They both fit perfectly, have cute, fun designs that still look good and are made of great quality material. They're also not outrageously expensive. 

Next are the only place I'll buy jeans from. I have quite big legs which makes it a problem for me to buy jeans from designer places but Next make jeans of great quality that last for ages and look good too! There are also loads of styles and not just drainpipe skinny which is helpful for me as I suit straight leg better. 

I discovered Banana Republic when I went to Covent Garden a little while ago and I fell in love. This goes at the more expensive end of High Street with Crew because they go on the same sorts of prices. They have a perfect mix of classy and casual pieces that are amazing and I would happily buy most of their shop if I could afford it. I rarely say that about anywhere so they must be pretty awesome! I wish I could go there more often because the two tops I have from there are both perfect and look great!

I'm not sure how many of these really count as High Street but they're mostly affordable so I think that's how I would class them!

I'm not really sure how to class High End because different people class them as different things. I'm going to say that my favourite (and only) High End brand is naturally Kate Spade though. Their prices are completely ridiculous and a lot of their pieces are very hit and miss with me but when I find something I do like, I fall in love with it and then cry about the price tag. I was over the moon when I found out that there was a Kate Spade shop in London and I was even happier when I bought my first ever piece from there, my stripy bow top. I also have a ring, scarf, purse, bracelet and mug from there and I love them all. The quality is second to none for the clothes and while the jewellery has minor problems (magnetically held bracelets are NOT easy to wear in daily college life), I still love them. I try to go there when sales are on as the price drops are crazily good and make everything vaguely affordable but they're still more expensive than most of theHigh Street brands I previously mentioned! I think if their prices were lower I would be so much happier but I think I'll just have to put up with just staring at the pretty pieces over the internet for a little while longer (or forever unless I get a REALLY good job). 

Make Up

I love pretty much every piece of make up I have ever bought so this is a tough one. 

I would have to say though that as my favourite foundation (Max factor), lipstick (Rimmel), blusher (Ruby and Millie) and nail polish (Essie) are all High Street brands, I'm starting to lean that way.

However, my favourite mascara (Benefit), eyeshadow (Urban Decay) and eyeliner (Eyeko) are High End, so it does even itself out quite well. 

I think that because I use my High Street products more as I don't have a problem with replacing them due to their cheap prices, I can say that I prefer them. I also have fairly good High Street options for mascaras and eyeliners to choose from as replacements for my High End versions. Urban Decay will never be beaten on the eyeshadow (or primer!) front though - I'm definitely willing to spend out for them as they're so good and last for so long! They're also cruelty free which is a nice addition!

I would happily use more high end brands for make up because they are good quality, but the high street ones aren't that much worse and the quality difference doesn't compensate spending another £10/£20 essentially just for a name plastered on the side. Yes, the packaging is prettier, but the product in the tube is what counts really!

I do love both, but for affordability purposes, High Street wins hands down here for me! 

Jess xx

Challenge post three.

Things I've had my eye on recently!

I haven't had the money to buy anything recently but I've been keeping my eye on a few things that I really like!

Make Up

Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 107.

I love this lipstick, it's such an Autumn/Winter colour! I've heard really good things about this lipstick and when I found it in Boots, I tested the colour and it was a really deep pink-purple which looks amazing. It's £5.49 from Boots (link below).

Picture from here.

L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint.

I don't wear foundation much but I tested it at it's such a perfect match to my skin, I was so impressed! I have some nasty dry patches around my nose so I hope that this foundation doesn't stick to them like my current one!

I hope I can get this eventually!

Clothes

H! by Henry Holland Navy Belted Panda Dress.

I've had my eye on this dress pretty much since the current line was released. I need to save up so I can buy it because this dress is so me - animal print (actual animals, not things like leopard print!), navy and a skater style skirt! The long sleeves would also be great for winter as they add a little bit of warmth!

I love this dress so much.

H! by Henry Holland Navy Fox Knit Tunic Dress

Henry Holland is my favourite designer that is featured in Debenhams and I own a dress and a pair of shoes that are both gorgeous - this dress is amazing, who doesn't love a Fox?! I've seen this in the shops and it's such a soft material, I love it!

Who doesn't love a fox jumper?!

Books

Audrey the 60s

I found this book in the bookshop by college a few weeks ago and in my frees I sometimes go back to have a quick flick through it. It's a gorgeous big hardback with gorgeous pictures, some never seen before. I think this is a really great coffee table book and I really hope that I'll be able to own it one day!

I really want this book!

This is all I can think of at the moment and hopefully I can at least buy some of these over the next few months!
Jess xx

The Perfect Weekend.

This weekend made me realise that there's nothing that I love more than cuddling in bed playing pacman at 11pm with someone you care a lot about.

This weekend, as the title says, was really quite perfect. I went to see my close friend (&now boyfriend - yay!) down in Dorchester Friday-Sunday and it was really great! 

Friday was a relaxed day because it took 2 and a half hours by train to get down there which took up quite a bit of the day and included a stupid delay at my station so we had to go to the next station on which was quite stressful! From there everything was fine though; I got to Reading without any problems, got my coffee and some other bits & bobs and managed to balance 2 rather large bags, a coffee and a train ticket whilst walking through a barrier. I feel quite proud of myself for achieving this really! When I got there we decided what to do on Saturday and decided on the cinema so to prepare, we watched Despicable Me on DVD (plus all the extras - the minions are so so funny!). It must be one of my favourite films EVER. It's adorable and the minions and little girls are just hilarious and amazing! 

On Saturday we went to Weymouth which was really nice - it's a really pretty seaside town with lots of shops....me + shops = lots of shopping, and that's exactly what happened! I ended up getting some gorgeous black and white polka dot sandal wedges from Debenhams in the sale for £17.50 and they're just amazing! I'm going to take them on my trip to Sicily next week and gove them a good run out! They're so cute and comfortable too, I love them!

The perfect pair of wedges

I still can't believe they were only £17.50!

I was telling Mark about a perfume I've heard a lot about from other blogs and what not and how it smelled amazing. I went to the loo and I came back and he'd bought it for me as a present! He's really so adorable and it's amazing! (Just as a side note - we've been unofficial for about a month and a half, it's not like he's buying me amazing presents after a day of dating, don't worry!) The perfume is Laugh with me LeeLee by Benefit and it really is the most gorgeous and delicate summery floral smell. They describe it as a woody floral smell in the booklet and that's pretty much spot on I think! It's pretty and subtle so it's really good for an every day wear instead of a special occasion perfume. It also comes in the cutest packaging as well, I'm in love completely! It's so cute! The bottle is also amazing too!

If you haven't tried this out then do, it's really amazing! 

I also went to New Look and bought a couple of strappy tops for Sicily because they'll be good to wear in the super hot weather! I got a white one and a pink one and they're both so nice! 

We saw Despicable Me 2 in the cinema and it's honestly one of the funniest films I've ever seen. It matches and possibly even beats the first one which is pretty impressive! The little minion clips during the first part of the credits were also just as funny, I just can't get enough of those yellow guys! The purple minions were hilarious too! It's definitely one of my favourite non-Disney films though, so brilliant! 

We went to Dorchester centre on the Sunday and it was so lovely. There was a market which was really nice to look around and I ended up buying 8 books!!! I spent £8.50 on them put together instead of on only one so I'm pretty happy! I regret not getting more though because I overlooked some books because I thought mum had them but it turned out that she didn't so yeah...silly on my part really! I'm really excited to read the books I did get though! I've either heard really good things about the books, the authors or I thought they sounded interesting so I'm rather excited to give them a read! At least I won't be short of reading material on the Sicily trip! If you've read any of the books then tell me what they're like in the comments below!

I can't wait to start this pile! They all look so good! 

We also had a really lovely and romantic lunch at Carluccio's which was pretty perfect! I've decided I like Mark's neck of the woods rather a lot... His house is in the middle of nowhere and in a proper village like out of TV shows but it isn't completely remote because there are some pretty nice and rather big towns quite close by which is really nice! It makes where I live feel like the middle of a busy city! It's a shame we live so far apart because it's so lovely spending time with him and it's rather special and fun when we're together. He's one of those people I just click with and can have a great time with so yeah, pretty perfect if you ask me!
Jess xx

Knees...

Only one day left after this!! The second look at my wardrobe!

Jeans/trousers
I pretty much live in jeans. They're comfy, warm and look good without having to do much. I like having my legs covered because it gets pretty cold when they aren't so trousers and jeans are the best things for it!

From left to right: Dark blue straight leg denim jeans from Next
Black skinny jeans from Red Herring, Debenhams
Pink 3/4 length jeans from Crew
White cropped trousers from Marks and Spencer

My blue jeans are my current go to. They look good with most things but I have to wear my light blue jeans (not shown here) with dark coloured tops.
My black jeans can either show a rocker look or a cute look, depending on the top!
My pink 3/4 lengths are amazing. They finish just below my knees and they're tight fitting so they look really nice! I love wearing them with navy and white because it just works together!
My white trousers are less tight than my other trousers, perfect for warm summer days!

Shorts
I don't wear shorts much anymore, and for that reason I only have a couple of pairs.

Left: from Dorothy Perkins
Right: from Hollister

The Dorothy Perkins pair are a good length and the roll up bottom bits are really nice because they stop them being baggy!
Despite being pretty short, even for shorts, the Hollister pair are really good for hot days and they aren't as short as they look! I love the ripped detail on them, gives them a worn and casual look that I love.

Skirts
I wear skirts a lot in the winter, it's the same as dresses! I really don't understand myself sometimes.

From the top, clockwise: Blue floral skirt from Johnnie B
White and navy skirt from Hollister
Denim jean skirt from Next
Brown, pink & purple plaid skirt from Crew

The floral skirt is really nice and swishy! It's also quite short which is nice for the summer, it also goes nicely with boots and leggings in the winter!
The Hollister skirt has layers underneath which makes it flay out a bit and I love that! It's cute and flirty and it has flower cut out details over the whole thing which is really nice!
The denim skirt is good for edgy looks with black boots or heels! For when you want to look edgy/rocker and you don't want to wear jeans again!
I actually wore the crew skirt to my college interview so obviously it can be dressed up to look smart! It can also be dressed down to look cute and girly though.

Leggings
I don't wear tights because they hurt my feet, so instead I wear leggings with skirts! They're so much warmer and they're darker than normal tights too, it's also good because you don't have to worry about flashing people as much!
Leggings are also great for when you just want something comfy to wear out or to lounge around in at the weekend.

Lounge trousers
My best investment yet. I wear these when I'm at home revising or just lounging around (hence the name) and they're honestly the comfiest things I own!

Plaid lounge trousers from Johnnie B

I love these so much, I wear them all the time when I'm at home all weekend and I just love them!!

I'll be back tomorrow for my final instalment of the four!
Jess xx