White Floral Dress

Dress c/o Pop Couture / Jewellery Temporary:Secretary / Blazer Topshop / Shoes Miss Selfridge

Looking out the window right now, I can see it is snowing! So, to start with, I want to say that these photos were taken at the beginning of the week, when it was sunny but SO windy! (see picture below for a *blog blooper*) Last week, I introduced clothing brand, Pop Couture and here is another dress from the same brand. I have been wearing it recently with a chunky cardigan but it will be a great dress to wear in Spring/Summer. I like making the most out of my clothes, I'm not one to wear for "one season". Makes me sound so economical, but truthfully, I am such a hoarder! I hate throwing or giving away clothes! I try to keep them all forever! I'm wearing the white floral dress here with my trusty old white peter pan collar vest as an extra layer for warmth. The neckline of the dress is quite high so the collar looks like it is part of the dress. (stylish and functional! I just wish it was vest was thermal as well!) 

Recently, I have been trying to look for an alternative to Instagram. Yesterday, I found an app called Molome. It is in no way better than Instagram but I use a Nokia phone so the alternative will suffice. I will be uploading these quick snaps on my Twitter. I don't know about you, but I love seeing life through other people's eyes in an instance - like you are seeing exactly what they are seeing (via phone pics/Instagram). Anyway, if you are on Twitter, my user name is @TempSec. 

Lately, I have been actually been a bit confused as to how I want to use my Twitter account. I joined in 2008 and I thoroughly enjoy interacting with customers and getting feedback from people, I am on it all the time! But recently, I have been feeling like some people follow me because of my business, some follow me because of my blog; so now I am stuck between both. I don't know what sort of tweets people prefer. I haven't promoted the shop on Twitter for a while or offered special offers, and of course, I can only be myself, but I always try to remain professional and impartial on Twitter because it is, after all, under my business's name. That's probably why I didn't ask for votes for Marie Claire Blog Awards, I didn't want to jeopardise and take advantage of those who are following me for my business. I wish I had two Twitter accounts but there's no way I'd be able to maintain both! The business and my customers are my first priority - so rest assured, you won't be ignored and all tweets will be replied to! :) 

Here's a funny outtake photo - hair in my face (WOW SO SEXY!) - Happy Sunday!! x

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Womenswear Buyers Magazine

WWB Magazine is a trade publication for the fashion industry and covers retailers, buyers, manufacturers, agents and suppliers to offer insight on womenswear trade in the UK. They wanted to do an editorial piece to introduce some up and coming fashion blogs and also established fashion bloggers.  I am, of course, not the latter! A few months ago, Carey from the magazine emailed me to ask if I'd like to be featured. Just before Christmas, she kindly sent me the pdf and I was happy to see it! I am so super pleased and honoured to have been included in this feature, but I feel a little bit embarrassed because everyone else included in the feature are so experienced and so professional. I feel a little bit out of place. To begin with, I don't even have a proper domain for my blog, I am the only one! So amateur! However, I am extremely happy and thankful to be part of this, and thank you to Carey and WWB mag for the opportunity! (Also very sorry to WWB for posting about this a month late!) 

If you would like to read the full article, click the image below to enlarge. 

Credit: Carey Whitwam / WWB Magazine Dec 2011

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Own The Runway / win this dress!

Dress Own The Runway / Jewellery Temporary:Secretary

I haven't done a blog giveaway in 3 years and now two comes along in one month! A couple of weeks ago, I launched a giveaway that was not a sponsored one. You can see it here and there is still time to put your entry in. As you can see from that post that I had bought some things to treat my lovely, supportive readers and I do feel really bad that some people have said they won't be entering because there isn't anything in their size. So when a clothing company called Own The Runway contacted me to host a giveaway, I agreed because the good news is that you can win the dress I am wearing in the photos (above) and they will sent you the size that you want! So, if you like the Peter Pan Collar Pleated Dress I am wearing here, then feel free to enter the giveaway! The pleated detail on this dress is my favourite part, and as the colour is not so garish, it is easy to wear. We have timed it so that both my own (non-sponsored) giveaway and this giveaway will be ending at the same time, winners will be randomly selected at the end of this month. 

How To Enter:

* Follow Temporary:Secretary blog via GFC (This is the widget on the side bar  "Join This Site" button)

* 'Like' Own The Runway's Facebook Page

* Leave a comment on this blog post about anything you want, or even if it's just to let us know you'd like to enter the competition. Either way, let me know what you think about the dress :)
* Don't forget to let us know your email address or twitter ID so if you are the winner, Own The Runway can contact you.

* For an additional entry, details are over on my Facebook page. Details will be announced over there shortly.

On a slightly different note, as I have been wearing this dress with my faux fur jacket (got it ages ago from ebay for 99p ages ago!), I thought it would be funny to show you this plus a photo of me from when I was little wearing a similar coat! The photo on the left was taken about 25-26 years ago! Circa mid-80s! What do you think of my little handbag? Not much has changed, right?!

Giveaway Terms and Conditions: One blog (one comment as entry) and facebook entry (one tag) per person / One winner chosen at random on 31st January 2012 / Winner will be contacted via email / Entrants must 'like' owntherunway's Facebook Page and follow Temporary:Secretary Blog via GCF / Prize is non-refundable and exchanges are not available on items sent out / The giveaway is open to UK residents only / owntherunway will dispatch the dress directly to the winner / No payment was given or accepted for this post but this one dress was gifted to me and the winner will receive the same design in their own size (Jewellery, belt and faux fur coat are not included in the prize)

Year of The Dragon

Dress Pop Couture / Jewellery Temporary:Secretary / Nail Polish 17 Boots (mint choc chip)

I don't think I own a red dress, but I do now thanks to Pop Couture! I find it difficult to find a nice and suitable red dress. Thankfully, Pop Couture sent me this dress and I really like it but I have rolled the sleeves up as it was too long and flappy for me! The length is just right for me but bear in mind, I am 5ft, so it might be too short for those who are taller. The dress is perfect for Chinese New Year for when it is traditional to wear red as the colour represents prosperity, luck and fortune (yeah, I totally just googled this! Gee, I should really know more about the culture my parents come from). Do you own any red dresses? This red one also comes in black and orange but I thought I'd may as well go for red as I own far too many clothes that are black. I almost bought another black skirt the other day, I'm a little addicted to buying them. I've been good recently and haven't spent much! I was saving up to buy a Polly Push Lock bag from Mulberry next month as a birthday treat to myself but they have discontinued it which is actually good news because I would've just felt bad for spending so much money on one thing. I'll just buy myself a box of chocs and maybe some new make up!

Chinese New Year is tomorrow and traditionally lasts 2 weeks; honouring something different each day of the holidays. Honestly, it is really bad how little I know, I haven't really embraced it. Embarrassingly, I'm on wikipedia right now reading up on it. We're not so traditional here in this household, you see. I'd love it if my family immersed themselves in to it, it's such a big deal in Chinese culture. We just celebrate with a family dinner (if that!) and then the "grown ups" (parents, aunties, uncles and grandparents) gives us red packets with money inside them. There's so much more to the festivities but that's the extent of my knowledge of Chinese New Year! We don't even go to see the dragon/lion dances anymore. Although, when I was little, the combination of loud drums, firecrackers and the dancing dragon used to scare me and make me scream, then I'd eventually cry hysterically clutching on to mum and dad! I am still a big wimp! No surprises here but I'll be lacking in Chinese New Year photos - I don't think we have any plans - so I probably won't be blogging about it, but I know Winnie from Diamond Canopy won't let me down! I really like her food posts! I trust she'll have some good CNY blog posts in the next week or so!

Wishing all of my family, relatives and friends a happy Chinese new year! 

xxxx

Little Fille: Jasmine Hairband

Another really lovely head band/turban from Little Fille. This was in the same parcel they sent to me before Christmas along with my favourite Kiki/Minnie Mouse red bow! I also have some detachable collars too but haven't found anything suitable to wear them with yet. Probably because most of my tops and dresses have already got collars. I'm going to search for a nice top to wear Little Fille detachable collars with. You can check out this purple hand band here, and the rest of Mari's creations on her website. As I mentioned last time, everything is handmade by her. You can quote TempSec upon checkout and you will receive a free gift with your Little Fille order! Support the indie retailers! :)

I stayed up the other night to watch The Golden Globes, and now I am excited for awards season! I love the glamour of it. Admittedly, I don't have the best taste in films, so the big Oscar nominated ones don't really appeal to me! However, I was keen to watch Inception, only for Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Leonardo DiCaprio though! And I did enjoy Black Swan! I am the first to admit that I have the worst taste in movies, though - Clueless is my favourite! - and I love all Hugh Grant films, even though I don't even like him!? I love a good romcom! This past week, I watched Bridget Jones 1 and 2, Notting Hill and About A Boy. I have to watch Notting Hill every time it's on tv! I just have to! I should just buy it on DVD...

It has been so icy these past few days, I am itching to get some outfit photos done. If I look a bit blue in the next few outfit posts, then it's because I have actually frozen in to ice!! For now, I will just snuggle up on the sofa and edit millions of product images. Is there a Hugh Grant movie on tv tonight? :) 

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GlossyBox For Men : Review

I'm letting a boy take over the blog today to blog about a GlossyBox For Men and review it for you. Niki is usually more comfortable behind the camera, so I've had to persuade him to let me upload a photos of him! With that battle over, without further ado, here he is with his own photos of GlossyBox For Men, and his own honest review:

What Niki Says:

First of all, thank you GlossyBox For Men and Sarah for letting me guest blog! In this guest post I’ll be reviewing the service, products and overall first box. To me this is a fantastic concept, I hear from Sarah that original Glossybox (for the ladies) is highly successful and it is great they have expanded the brand. I’m not a rough macho man who is afraid of grooming products but on the other hand, I also find it difficult to know what to choose from the vast array of skin and body care products out there!  I have very little knowledge of men grooming products! The Glossybox for Men offers a selection of 7 deluxe-sized samples of grooming products for men, from both well-known luxury brands and trendy, specialist niche brands. The products themselves range from hair styling, skin care, fragrances and body care. The box is delivered every 3 months and costs a very reasonable £15 per box plus £2.95 P&P.

My favourite product out of the selection was the Vitru Conditioning Body Wash, which is formulated specifically for male skin, and it shows. Immediately after using it, my skin felt much cleaner than the Dove stuff I normally use, maybe that was the “mild foaming agents” at work, but it definitely made a difference to how clean my skin felt afterwards.

The most eye-catching samples are of course the YSL fragrances from their L’Homme product range. Basically what we have here is two fragrances that complement each other, L’Homme which is a woody, masculine scent for the casual daytime and La Nuit De L’Homme which is a spicier more oriental smelling fragrance for the evening. I personally prefer more citrus, fruity and younger smelling fragrances such as Bleu de Chanel and the Boss In Motion (White Edition), but I still found the L’Homme daytime Eau de Toilette very pleasant for everyday use. I also disappointed to say that my least favourite product in the box is YSL La Nuit De L’Homme fragrance; the reason being it just isn’t to my taste. Fragrance and smells are such a subjective thing so this is not to say that the YSL La Nuit De L’Homme is a bad product, its just that it smells and feels a bit too spicy and mature for me and what I’m used to wearing.

Murad Clarifying Mask is an excellent product that left my skin feeling cleaner but Sarah suggests to try this mask again with exfoliator beforehand the next time I use it to maximize the effects. I'm probably not the only guy to say this, but the grooming products I am generally most interested in is hair products. I am willing to spend £10-£15 on a tub of hair wax. The small pot of Goldwell Lagoom Jam Volume Gel that we received in the box is an interesting product. It looks and feels very much like a conventional hair gel but actually holds a lot stronger and is much more versatile. I have really thick hair so I normally use stronger putty/wax so I didn’t use too much of this “jam”. Goldwell Hair and Body Shampoo was another interesting one. I’m always fascinated by hair and body shampoo combos but Sarah always tell me to stay away from them! This one is a decently competent cleaner, as a body cleaner it wasn’t as good as the Vitru Body Wash but it is a brilliant product as a shampoo.

All in all, the Glossybox for Men has proved to be extremely good value, especially considering how much these products retail for and it gives cosmetics rookies like myself a chance to explore and try new products which we may not have had the opportunity to do so! I for one will definitely be considering subscribing to the next Glossybox for Men.  -NIKI

We hope you, your other half, brothers and male friends find this review helpful! Niki has a blog too - I am always telling him to update it more! Although it is not fashion or style related, there are some awesome photography, car design and other cool arty farty stuff to look at! You can check it out here > http://heroandcape.blogspot.com

GlossyBox For Men website: http://lp.glossybox.co.uk/men/

Silk Blouse from Lavish Alice

Blouse Lavish Alice / Jewellery Temporary:Secretary / Nails Boots No.7 (Minty Fresh)

I have spent the whole weekend watching films, and looking on RightMove website for places to rent. The thought of owning a house is miles away, in dreamland! I always end up looking at the houses worth millions of pounds, you know, just for fun! Just to see how the other half lives! 

My top here is from Lavish Alice, and I'm wearing them with a pair of black shorts. I am not sure if they quite go together! I'll probably stick to skinny jeans next time I wear this top, or maybe buy myself a pair of those shiny leggings! The Cross rings are back in stock on the website. The Temp:Sec January Sales are still on, which means new jewellery will be arriving this week. Sales items start from £3.00! Such a busy couple of weeks!

I think I failed to mention that Oscar was a runner up in a fun pet photography competition on Tigerprint. Such a scatter brain! Tigerprint is the business who supplies greeting cards and gift wrapping exclusively to Marks & Spencer. They also featured me on their website in November which was really nice of them! If you fancy letting out your creative side, check out Tigerprint's competitions. They often have photography ones. The latest one is to capture Teen Years. Definitely worth looking at if you are in to photography, surface patterns, illustrations, painting and/or graphics. The winner(s) gets paid £200 and a possible placement, and perhaps a chance to see your work being used on M&S greet cards and gift wrap! With Oscar being a runner up n the pet photography competition, they sent me a huge box of postcards as a prize. I'm obsessed with stationary so thanks to Oscar for winning me some! Of course, I bought him a bag of treats for being such a cutie pie! Here are some new pictures of him! Grumpy as ever!

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Newcastle Quayside

Dress Dahlia / Jewellery Temporary:Secetary / Jacket ASOS / Nail Polish 17 from Boots

A change of scenery today! And also a little image heavy on this post. It is my second month blogging for Dahlia's website, and I thought I'd step it up and venture out of my comfort zone, so that is why I have a few extra pics to show you all this week! I hope you don't mind! I'm wearing the Ann-Marie dress in these pics, but I really also love the Jessie skirt at the moment. The dress I am wearing in the pics above does not come with a collar, this is the same white top as I'm wearing in the previous post. The blog post on Dahlia is now on the website so please pop over to their blog and check it out when you have a spare moment!

We travelled up to Newcastle yesterday and took a walk around the Quayside. This was one of my favourite things to do when I used to live in Newcastle. Sundays were the best as there's a market. As you can imagine, yesterday was very very cold and windy so taking the photos was challenging! We also visited the Baltic Contemporary Art Gallery where The Turner Prize awards exhibition had just finished on Sunday! To be honest though, I don't get modern art! But The Baltic is nice place to visit and there is a very lovely gift shop! I have so much love for Newcastle, it is a lovely city and I miss living there. I now only live about 45 minutes away from Newcastle, so I'm not too far to visit more often!

Have had some good news this week! On Monday morning, Marie Claire announced the "longlist" for their Blog and Twitter competition. As I didn't even mention it or ask for nominations, I didn't think I would have a chance! My blog has made it on to the list so now you can vote which blogs to be shortlisted. It would be really awesome if you could visit this link and vote for me (only if you want to, of course!) but I know that the competition is really tough! Marie Claire has published the list so you can check out who else made it. When I found out about this on Monday, I was really happy but about 20minutes later, there was a negative vibe about it on Twitter - all within reason - so I've been quiet about it as I don't want to annoy anyone under my only (business) Twitter account! But I guess that if you don't ask, you don't get! I'll pluck up the courage to ask before the deadline but, of course, I won't rabbit on about it.

Another thing to let you all know is that one of you who are reading the blog now may receive an email from The Fairy Hobmother soon! The Fairy HobMother is from a website called Appliances Online. She stopped by my blog and offered me £50 voucher to spend on Amazon. The only catch is that I have to mention this link for Washing Machines. Those who are unfamiliar with The Fairy HobMother will find it very random. I guess this is just like an advertised link for an appliance company and I wouldn't normally do this.... BUT she will be reading the comments on this blog post and has promised to pay a visit to one of your blogs and grant you a wish, this may be vouchers which I think is nice as you can treat yourself to something to beat the January blues!

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Coral Jumper

Clothes TopShop / Jewellery Temporary:Secretary 

You'll probably notice that when I blog, I often say that I bought something ages ago or even years ago! I am not one of those bloggers who are on the ball with the latest trends and the newest collection that the high street has to offer - I haven't got the money to keep up! I always feel bad when someone asks me where I bought something, knowing that they want to go to the shops to check it or maybe even buy it, and I will end up telling them eg. "River Island...... in 2009". Well, here's another outfit that's not available to buy anymore (I am so last season). I bought all of this outfit with a TopShop gift card. I'm wearing a white crochet Peter Pan collar top underneath the chunky knit 3/4 length jumper (I'm still feeling festive?!) and a pair of polka dot burgandy shorts. My nail polish here is Pink Grapefruit by 17 from Boots. Both the nail polish and the coral red jumper was difficult to photograph, they're so bright!

I have taken baby steps back in to drawing and illustrating, which is my new years resolution. Another one of my new years resolution is write letters to people more. I based my final major project on promoting letter writing. The white dress I am wearing on my blog header is actually a paper dress with hand written letters on it. Sounds a bit strange, but you can see some photos of my paper dress design(s) here and here.  You can see more of the illustrations/designs and flat work in this post from April 2009.

Anyway, I think I've got pencil and paper phobia, you know when you look at a blank piece of paper and you just can't bring yourself to make a mark! I've forgotten how to write, and draw! That aside, I have managed to fire up Adobe Illustrator on my laptop and have made a start on a couple of digital illustrations. They will probably be completed next time I blog, so will have something to show you all. I hope to collaborate with Hero & Cape again and get more involved in the graphic illustration side of things. I still haven't bought myself the Temporary:Secretary T-shirt! I WILL buy it at some point! It's a scalloped peter pan collar graphic with a detachable black bow neck tie. I've seen some of you wear it on your blog and it makes me so happy!

Temporary:Secretary T-Shirt from Hero and Cape

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