va va voom velvet...

Velvet is something that we didn't see for quite a few years but seems to be making a regular comeback for the last few Autumn/Winters. Nothing says luxury like a beautiful velvet dress on a cold winters evening. I'm missing out this Christmas as I'm in Australia so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that velvet is still big in 2014 too.

Here are few velvet pieces I have bought and a few more I could definitely see me parting with my pennies for.

I love this little skater style dress. It is super comfy and has little dots of glitter all over it. The three quarter length sleeves work great for winter too. It looks fab with black tights and black heels. I have gotten heaps of wear from this dress already.

Everyone needs some black pumps so why not make them velvet too.

Berry shades are big this year and this burgundy velvet dress is just perfect for a night out on the town. Paired with black tights and boots and a black leather jacket this is a super chic outfit with a bit of edge too.

You can't have black pumps without getting a matching pair in navy too.

This dress oozes sophistication. It is a simple silhouette that lets the velvet speak for itself. I got this as a gift last Christmas and lived in it.

I really am not a leggings type of person but I just couldn't leave these behind. I love black velvet because it really is the darkest black you can find and wont lose it's colour. Leggings and a loose shirt with some heels and statement jewellery work great for a festive get together.

I need this dress...

I think some velvet boots will be next on my wish list. I would give a great home to any of these.

cute caviar nails...

Caviar manicures came to light last year. I love painting my nails and almost never have them without polish so this was something I was really excited to try. I bought the beads from ebay where they were cheap as chips. I painted my nails with one coat of black nail polish and let this dry completely before following with another coat one nail at a time. As you paint each nail sprinkle the beads onto the wet polish and gently press onto the nail. Do this over an empty shoe box lid or similar to collect all the extra beads.

This is the result I got earlier this year. I loved how it turned out and everyone was commenting on how different it looked.

Here are a few more looks I must try...

I love this pearl white colour. It would look great for a wedding.

Buy a mixed bag of beads and go for cute candy coloured nails.

Why not just caviar one nail as a super chic statement.

I love this beautiful denim blue colour. Perfect for all seasons.

Go half and half like this black and gold combo. Beautiful.

Give it a go. It doesn't last more than a few days but for a special occasion it looks amazing.

luxe leather...

There are some key peices that come back year after year, some times reinvented but a lot of the time if the piece was strong enough it will stand alone and make as strong a statement as ever before. A leather skirt is one of these pieces. Leather is everywhere this year, in black, browns, creams and whites and beautiful burgundy. Leather can be pretty costly but I look at it as an investment. A good quality leather item is going to go the distance and once it is well looked after it will last for years to come.

About two years ago I found a leather jacket in Topshop and fell in love with it. Unfortunately it was in the lead up to payday and I just could not afford it. Maybe a day before payday I had a look online and discovered it had gone into the sale and sold out. I was devastated. I had tried it on and it was so lovely and promised myself I would buy it on payday and now it was gone. I checked online in all the stores but to no avail. I decided it was probably just not meant to be. Maybe a week later I was walking through Knightsbridge and was passing Topshop when out of the corner of my eye I spotted the jacket, one lonely jacket hanging on the end of a rail, not even on a hanger. I ran into the shop like a mad lady and prayed it would be in my size. It was! Now that is what I call meant to be. I bought it right there and then for half the original price. Bargain!!

This year I spotted a leather skirt in a shop in Melbourne. It was one of those days where I was just wandering about getting familiar with my new surroundings while searching for a job. I had previously tried on quite a few leather skirts before but found none of them fitted how I would like and if I was going to be paying a lot of money for one I needed to love it. I tried this skirt on and it fit like a glove. Perfect. I was in love, but again not a penny to my name. I got a job two days later and thought I'd go back and have another look at the skirt. When I got to the shop I could see huge sale banners plastered across the windows. Jackpot! They had the skirt, in my size and for less than half the price. If this keeps happening I'm going to have a considerable leather collection.

I love this skirt. I have worn it loads for work and it also looks fab with just a t-shirt or cosy jumper and tights and ankle boots. I want to get it cleaned so have found a leather specialist to do that for me as this is definitely something I want to be looked after.

Here are some more leather pieces I have found that I just love. A leather dress is definitely next on my leather list...