The Shoe Girl Styles It: Carvela Australia

A bold cobalt blue peep toe today, in the shape of these Carvela 'Australia' £96, with a small platform and 5" heel.  They've currently got 20% off (plus an extra 10% off for today only with the purchase of two sale items, code EVENMORE) or there's a nude/pink patent pair with 10% off at the same link. I had this skirt saved in my favourites from the previous week and was debating whether pairing it with these shoes was a little 'cobalt overkill' and just too matchy, but I think once you bring in the other pastel shades, it works. I have to add I am sooooo ridiculously in love with this bag, I want it desperately. The new season 'Charming' girls are as gorgeous as ever.  Overall, I really love this look.  What do you think?

The Shoe Girl Styles It: Sophia Webster Nicole

Our luxe edition last week was sheer decadence, so I've gone for something more simple this time. I could style these Sophia Webster 'Nicole' sandals (£422) a million ways if I'm honest, as the style and colours just lend themselves to anything and everything. They have a 4 1/4" leopard print heel to match the back and a coral patent strap across the toes. I love the bold simplicity of this dress and well the clutch is obviously something I adore. The earrings are strange ones for sure, but add a little something!

The Shoe Girl Styles It: Chie Mihara Klass

I know I pick a lot of higher heeled styles (purely because they appeal to me as it's what I would wear), so I wanted to choose something a little lower, like these. I'm maybe pushing it a bit including them in my regular TSGSI rather than the weekend 'luxe' edition when I look at the price, but oh well! They do have 10% off just now (for an extra 10% off, see details here), so that can be my excuse. They are Chie Mihara 'Klass' £190.50 and the block heel is 3 1/2". Nautical themed outfits are my favourites, I never tire of them, so I knew that's where this one was headed. For once I actually picked the skirt/top first, then looked for shoes (I always do it the other way round).

Day 983 - Shoesday Tuesday

Shoes: Black 'One Who Charms' Irregular Choice 

It doesn't feel like an entire week since our last Shoesday Tuesday, but here I am with another shoe fix.

The Shoe Girl Styles It: Ravel Liv

Last week for The Shoe Girl Styles It, I picked shoes that were quite 'statementy' on their own. So this time, I've been a little more conscious of that and tried to choose more simple styles. It's actually harder for me, because they can be so much more versatile and therefore there's a trillion looks you could come up with! I cheated a little with this pair because I made two outfits ; ) The shoes are 'classic' patent peep toes Liv by Ravel £55 with a 4 3/4" heel. This is the peach, they also come in a bright salmon pink £49.50 (on the same link), but there's only a few sizes left of both colours, so grab 'em fast!

The Shoe Girl Styles It: Rupert Sanderson Janice

TSGSI goes luxe for the weekend with a designer special! I've ogled these Rupert Sanderson 'Janice' shoes £212.50 (50% off at The Outnet) for some time, but never really thought how I'd style them. This skirt caught my attention and just fitted perfectly. I added some jewel shades so it wasn't too bland, but wanted to compliment the brown rather than detract from. I would tuck the top into the skirt and the brooch would sit to the side of the neckline.

The Shoe Girl Styles It: Topshop Glory (Blue Floral)

A little later than I'd have liked with this post today-technical hitch on Polyvore and a rather horrible trip to the doctors (poo, well not actual poo but you know), so let's distract ourselves with pretty shoes!  Gosh I want these Topshop 'Glory' shoes so badly! I keep hanging off as I can't really justify a spend right now, but I thought up lots of ways to wear these (which just made me want them all the more). This idea was my favourite though. I wanted monochrome stripes as a bold contrast to the baby blue and girly florals. So once I found this top, I built the rest around that. The flash of bright pink is another nice contrast I reckon.

The Shoe Girl Styles It: Office Jay Bird

Hello, hope you are all well? It's very hot and humid here, so I picked these colourful shoes for today, Office 'Jay Bird' £65. We've previously discussed these flamingo platforms on Pink Haired Princess, but today I'm looking at how I'd wear them. They've got a 5 1/2" heel, woven platform and contrast white ankle strap. I suppose I've gone for a wedding guest type look.

Day 982 - Shoesday Tuesday

Shoes: Turquoise 'Tinky Binky' Irregular Choice 

The one thing I've gone back and forth on with the new format, is would I title these weekly shoe posts as something new or continue on my 'shoe challenge'?

The Shoe Girl Styles It: ASOS Potter

Thank you, if you read through that previous long text post, I just wanted to explain the situation and now the new chapter begins. In it I promised new features and here we are!  In 'The Shoe Girl Styles It', I simply take a pair of shoes and show you how I would style them. I've just joined Polyvore (after browsing for years) and think I'm getting the hang of it. Today the shoes are ASOS 'Potter' £40 and feature this cool perspex ankle strap with a pointed toe and 4" heel. I knew I wanted to continue the pastel theme of the shoes and this one was easy for me considering I already own the gorgeous t-shirt and the skirt in a different colour!

To Blog Or Not To Blog

Blogging has very much been forced to take a backseat this year, while I deal with my health issues. Though I'm nowhere near 'better' right now, I'm keen to have something to concentrate on and that means getting back into blogging. How much I can do or how long it will last, I don't know. I spent a lot of time on the computer yesterday, to the point that I thought I was going to be sick and couldn't move or speak, I was utterly exhausted. All that, just from sitting reading and typing, nothing 'physical' whatsoever! As I lay there aching afterwards, I felt all the plans and hopes that I'd been working on, just fizzling out. Clearly, I'm not capable of coming back full-time, so do I admit defeat and give up altogether or continue taking a step back, in the hope I heal? It's tough to know whether to push through it or take the time off. It's something I've struggled with (blogging aside) for the 12 years I've been ill and going too hard was how I got into this mess in the first place.
Blogging is not an easy thing to give up though. I was thankful that it was something vaguely in 'my field' that I was capable of doing whilst ill, as I'd had to give up on so many other hobbies and activities. So, I've worked my butt off on my blogs over the years. Of course I've pushed myself, keeping up both blogs, meeting deadlines, working when I wasn't feeling 100%, it's been damn hard, but I love it. It's exciting, it helps me interact with others (when I have very little or none of that in real life), it covers topics I'm passionate about and it's given me a 'purpose' and something to focus on, when my own life is a mess. I think about blogging every single day, whether it's an idea for a new feature, something I want to photograph or something I see online. I don't find it can be switched off, even during the last 5 months of 'bed rest'. I'm a blogger. I want to do it and I love to do it.

It's fast moving though and taking time off or blogging less frequently has consequences. Readers switch off (understandably so, when there's nothing new), opportunities dry up and statistics, no matter how much I try to wriggle out of dealing with, matter. People need something tangible to measure, your passion and sometimes content are irrelevant. I suppose it's a bit like dieting without weighing yourself. Some 'feel' lighter or tell by how their clothes fit, but you're never really going to know how much you've lost. When someone asks, how can you tell them, if you don't know the figures? You need a word or number, something factual. So this whole week (pre knackered incident), I got my blogging hat on. I've been writing lists, sending emails, thinking up new features and forcing myself to look at what the stats say. I'm talking 'targets', 'time management', 'goals' and 'planning'. Words I seriously used to hate. My mind is constantly ticking and I've even taken a notebook to bed, scribbling notes as I'm falling asleep. Like I say, it never stops.

So am I back to full time blogging? Well, I just feel I've worked too hard on building my blogs up, to sit back and watch them crumble now. Statistics or not, of course I've taken a beating over the last few months. Anyone would. In my favour though are some amazing and loyal readers. Yes, you! You've checked back time and time again in the hope of a new post and been straight in there to comment when I do. You've emailed, left blog comments and sent messages on Facebook asking if I'm still alive (!) and so I feel I owe it to you and to myself to keep going. Much like a movie musical-montage moment, I wish I could be all "I'm stronger than this, I'm going to beat it and come out the other side, rah-rah-rah", but the reality is, I'm just not sure if it is something I'm physically and mentally capable of right now. Only time (and a blood test on Friday) will tell.

I'm definitely going to give it my best shot though and that means being more responsible when it comes to managing my time and scheduling in necessary breaks, so I don't become overworked. Therefore the planning has to be spot on. I'm making up a weekly planner as we speak (it's like old-school study plans which I always had more fun making than adhering to), detailing what has to be achieved each day. It may sound silly to "list makers" but I tend to be a 'wing it' girl, doing what I want, when I want. That's only going to make me more stressed and that's the last thing I need. Hopefully (although it may take a couple of weeks to fall into a manageable routine), I'll get it down and be able to stick to it. So what does it mean for you? Well, I'm probably going to play around with the blog layout on Pink Haired Princess and add new components. You'll already see the social media buttons below each post, meaning it's easy to share posts or pictures you like from my blogs through any of the channels, in one click (or maybe a couple)! Once I figure out my techy HTML shizzle, I'll then see what needs neatened up, what can be lost altogether or what else to add. It might not all take effect immediately, it's a work in progress. There's also going to be some new features, seeing as my beauty ones are unachievable for me right now (makeup free, ill selfie in this post as proof of that). Basically a refresh, more streamlined (I think) and I want it all (blogging, social media, readers, sharing) to be more interactive with one another (imagine me doing finger locking actions to illustrate my point).

Here at The Shoe Girl Diaries is where there's going to be the biggest change, as it's completely come to a standstill during my time in perma-PJ's with no shoes! The thing is, I've always been so sure of the format and exactly how I wanted it to look, only changing it once since I began in 2009 (with the introduction of full outfit/head shots) and even then, I wasn't sure I wanted to change it. So I thought long and hard about how it could or if it should evolve. Did I really want to mess around with my 'baby' and stray from the 'diary' style? Well it's move it on or lose it completely and thankfully my readers here are usually there for some shoe appreciation and there's definitely going to be plenty of that. For sure, there will be more frequent updates, once weekly shoe posts (old-school TSGD style) and even a new feature that involves my readers (stay tuned for info of that). I was almost at 1000 days of shoe posts before my break and already thinking ahead to how the blog could develop, so this has just given me a much needed push in the right direction.

If I'm serious about blogging, which I always have been, then I need to act like it. I can't be the scruffy surfer dude, that drives a colourful camper van, sometimes sleeps on the beach and refuses to get a haircut but actually works a 'respectable' 9-5 office job where he has to wear a suit but wonders why he is the laughing stock. If I'm doing the do and want to be taken seriously, I need to fully embrace it and that means sticking to schedules and keeping one eye on the 'boring' side of things, so hopefully I don't fall into the trap of long breaks or stopping blogging altogether. In theory anyway. Just when I think I'm getting somewhere with the blog, out of the blue there's a technical or health issue and I feel like all my work up until that point is forgotten and I have to start afresh again. I've put too much into it at this stage to allow that to keep happening. So the 'fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants' approach is going and the more structured technique is hopefully going to be my saviour. One thing that won't change is my enthusiasm and passion for writing about things that I love. I've always had that and the day I don't, is the day I give up blogging.

I've taken a lot from the past few months. I've learnt I'm very determined and don't give up easily, which I honestly never knew. I would never make light of how my health has been this year, because really I've been bedridden ill (and am not out of the woods yet), but blogging is so important to me that I'm hoping I've found a way to make it work and can build on it as my health improves. I always say I'm 'keeping it real' and showing that bloggers are real people with real lives and real problems and I like that I can show that more vulnerable, unglamourous side once in a while. It's perhaps a unique approach as many prefer to act like they just walked out the pages of Vogue, where everything is wonderful all the time and there's never a struggle to figure out what that HTML code means, tea stains on that white t-shirt, shit lighting for taking photos or something outwith your control that has meant you've lost 4 hours when you should've been blogging. Yes a blog should be a happy, inspirational place and not a daily moan, but there is this far from perfect life away from the hundreds of lipsticks and high heels that I don't want to ignore. I haven't left the house since March, I have 5" of roots in my hair, I can't walk up the stairs without getting breathless, I take more pills a day than meals and I'm only able to shower once a week.  If that is a turn-off for some, then so be it, I will never pretend to be perfect or someone I'm not.  If anything I'd hope that this will put an end to that 'perfect blogger' myth.  Life is cruel sometimes, but you've just got to roll with the punches.  Thanks again for the loyalty and welcome to any new readers that like my fresh take on blogging.  Like I say, you can share this post via the social media buttons below, if you think your friends/followers would like it...let me know if there's something missing there that you'd like me to add (I tried to pick the most popular ones) and I'll see what I can do.  Onwards and upwards folks, new outlook starts now!! x x x

The Shoe Girl Diaries 2013 Part 4

I'm sorry it's been months since my last post, but I am determined to finish this today! Then we can hopefully move onto something new. Health-wise things are just the same, so there will be no full outfit posts in the near future, but I can't put into words how much I'm missing blogging here. I really am. I miss the blogging part, more than the outfit and shoe wearing itself! I was thinking of returning to my old type of post with a photo of the shoes and info about them in the meantime? Is this something you'd like to see, maybe once a week or so? I don't want to leave the blog in limbo, so am trying to come up with something manageable for me, to fill the time until I'm feeling better. Let me know in the comments and thanks for sticking by me thus far. Anyway onto the final part of last year, October to December.

 October 2013
Lots of different things going on in October.  Colour, texture, print, frills, glitter and embellishments.  
My faded pink hair made way for an ace period of bright blue.  Blue isn't a favourite colour of mine, but I just adored this colour on my hair, it was so vivid and fun. I was still keen to wear flowers in my hair while the weather was nice and I'm loving that peachy blush.  
It was pretty much dress+cardi throughout October (well isn't it always).  The times I strayed from that were definitely my favourites though.

Everyone loves these Carvela 'Antibes' courts and why not? They are over the top girly with their pink glitter and I loved the contrast against my newly blue hair and blue/pink floral dress that day. This post has over 300 notes on Tumblr and even now (8 months on) it still gets liked and reblogged, which amazes me.
I don't wear my Rosy courts very often (Irregular Choice by Rosanna Gault), either because I forget or they are well hidden in my room, not sure which! They are lovely though, with their giant heart heel cut-out and fresh looking stripes.
I do wear my Chuckles (Irregular Choice) a lot though. I never imagined how much I'd fall in love with the actual shoe, because although I love the idea of the heel, I'm not particularly mad on gnomes. However I think it's the bright colours against the black that make these stand out and they just work so well in my wardrobe.
A similar story with these (Moschino Cheap & Chic) shoes. That gorgeous fluffy red heart against the plain black peep-toe is so simple and striking. This is definitely another favourite outfit of mine-I just love every bit of it. It's "old-school" for me, as this is how I used to dress in my early 20's. I think it was my first time wearing the beautiful leopard print cardigan (Julien Macdonald at Debenhams) and the Mickey & Minnie Mouse tattoo tights from Primark just brought the whole look together and made it a little more feisty than a regular pencil skirt outfit. This was another popular look on Tumblr.
Another great outfit, but completely different from the last one is this Primark tartan dress with my Irregular Choice 'Flashing Lights' boots. I went all the way to Edinburgh to track down this dress (well actually the Blackwatch tartan version that I haven't worn yet). My sister thinks I look like a Summer Bay school student and my Mum thinks I'm Annie! I'm not usually a tartan fan, but I do think this dress is cool, especially 'punked' up a little with boots.
I looooved my makeup this day. That bright turquoise Lancome pencil against my blue hair is so bold. Plus sometimes the more simple outfits (hello £8 Primark dress) work brilliantly when teamed with statement accessories like this (rude) pony Topshop necklace and Irregular Choice 'Dolly Mixture' shoes.  I wish I'd noticed the horse head was stuck down my dress for the photos though! 
Same applies to this. I've worn this H by Henry Holland dress loads, but revamped it with a wide Swan by Clements Ribeiro belt and Irregular Choice 'Petrisha' shoes. Loved my hair this day!
Another £8 Primark dress that looked great with black tights, Bailey (KG by Kurt Geiger) embellished satin courts and brightened with a red patent belt. It's not often I wear something so 'short' without leggings and along with the tartan dress, it was twice in one month! 
The contrast between my hair in this month-brilliant!

November 2013
Not many shoes in November.  I think that's because I went to Edinburgh (2 months running) and it was a big trip for me and knackered me for the rest of the month.  With hindsight I can look back on this and see that I was pushing myself a lot and it's probably why I've ended up so ill again.    
The blue started to fade and lightened to a turquoise colour. Makeup wise I was still enjoying that gorgeous peachy blush from last month.  
Longer length dresses and tights seemed to make an impact this month.  Nothing overly exciting jumping out at me though.   Irregular Choice "Pat's Picnic", always a favourite, there's just so much to look at!
I'll never tire of these Terry de Havilland 'Ella' beauties either.
I like shoes that work in winter or summer and these look just as good with bare legs as they do with thick tights. Irregular Choice 'Kitty Princess'.
Well of course this ASOS wiggle dress was going to feature in my favourites this month.  It's no wonder, I've purchased it in every fabric, print and colour that fits!  This outfit was for a trip to see The Lion King in Edinburgh and so I wanted to wear pieces that I'd be comfortable in.  I spent the whole day answering questions about my shoes and literally couldn't take two steps without being stopped or stared at.  It was actually rather nice as I don't get out often and there was most definitely a lot of interaction that day!  I always figure in a big city, nobody will look twice as it's busy and they must see people in more outlandish dress all the time, but actually in the small town I come from, the locals seem to be accustomed to me and don't stare too much now! 
I didn't get very good photos of this outfit, but it was quite pretty.  The star print dress is an old favourite from Pearl Lowe at Peacocks with House of Holland tights and these divine Miu Miu embellished courts.   
A similar look with this 'Celia' dress from Swan by Clements Ribeiro with HoH star tights and fabulously high, wine, patent 'Active' Carvela mary-janes.  My Limited Edition Primark hairband also had a starring role throughout these months.    
I kinda like this because my hair is such an odd shade of blue here.  It's light but so bright and I don't think it looked like that any other day.   
Smokey eyes and nude lips, my favourite look.  Another LE Primark hairband here.   
On the rare occasion I stray from my beloved nude lip, I actually quite like the look.  Although I often feel darker, vampy lips translate better in photos than they do on me in real life.    
Why does the top of my arm look like it's the size of a child's wrist here?  Odd angle clearly!  I picked this photo because even I have days when my hair is a mess and I'm not feeling particularly like getting really dressed up. Beanie hat on and I'm hardly 'grunge', but it's a more relaxed look than normal.

December 2013
It was December, how could I not wear my Santa heels? I spent the weekend away in Glasgow, so I solely wore those shoes. There was gold and glitz inbetween.
It was all change for the hair again with a violet purple this time. I'm laughing to myself, because this was the last time I dyed it.  So it's now 7 months of natural regrowth, faded pink in the middle, then white at the ends. Pretty amazing considering it's a 'temporary' shade.
Lots of pretty dresses this month.
Hotel carpet!  My 'Dreamy' (Irregular Choice) Santa heels lasted three outfit changes and the first two days of December, during my trip to Glasgow.  Pretty good going considering I hadn't trial-worn them yet.  I'm not big on the shoe itself (no fan of velvet or the style), but that heel is the cheeriest wee fella you ever did see.  Proof came when this total 'bah-humbug' dude was all 'deck the halls' when he stood behind me on the bus steps and could see my heels in all their glory.  Random strangers telling you how your shoes have made their day or cheered them up is just too cool.  Plus 5ive totally loved them.  Everybody Get Up!   
Ahh the Luella shoes I've lusted after for years, finally and rather randomly became mine.  It all felt a little too good to be true, but they arrived and were just as perfect as I imagined.  Purple, lilac and orange (sounds hideous) with heart shaped details including the cutest ever heel cut-out, have definitely found their way into my heart.  Worn here with my ballerina printed Pearl Lowe tea-dress and yet more purple (tights)!    
I've had this Grace (Swan by Clements Ribeiro) dress for years but this was the first time I wore it.  I felt great in it and although the fit could be better (it's snug around the chest but quite baggy on the waist and hips), it's just lovely.  I accessorised with a gold elephant belt (ASOS), House of Holland leopard fishnets and of course my Santa heels.   
Wow, I'm looking at this thinking I've put on a helluva weight since I've been 'inactive'!  Anyway, my trustee Primark pencil skirt had a ton of gorgeous new tops to work with.  Here it is with an adorable Ariel and Eric, kissing the girl tank by Hot Topic...

...and with a festive Barbie T from Primark (with modified neckline because I choke in high necks on t-shirts) and another Limited Edition item from Primark, this jewelled perspex necklace.  
I like this photo because when I take FOTD's at home, I tend to have the flash on or else it's too dark.  However I took advantage of the relatively bright winter light in the hotel room and this is without the flash.  it makes my hair colour look really vivid (and my face look 3 shades darker than my chest, so ignore that part).  
I look weird here, don't I? It's the fringe or the eyebrows or something.  Boyish?  I'm not actually sure that's possible on me, but anyway this dress tends to look terrible with other hair colours, but absolutely divine with purple (or at least this shade of it).  The makeup is simple but quite pretty.  
I didn't get too many decent photos on Christmas Day because we were rushing to get through to my sisters house.  This dress wasn't in my outfit faves because I felt I didn't quite do it justice that time.  However I did like my makeup here and my hair always looks cute with that sparkly clasp my sister got me for my birthday.

Are you impressed? We've finished!!  I hope you've enjoyed this look back over the shoes, hair, makeup and outfits of 2013.  I've loved it because I can see things that didn't work so well or things I need to try more of.  I was going to say if I do the same in 2015, I'll need to start organising the post sooner, but there's only been a handful of outfits so far this year with my health being so bad, so maybe it won't take long at all.  It blows, because I miss getting dressed up and I'm repeating myself, but I really miss blogging about it too.  So what were your favourites?  Do you like the pink, blue or purple hair?  My Disney tights, pencil skirt, leopard cardigan and Moschino heart shoes was my fave look.