Down the rabbit hole.

Yes, that was the theme of my 18th party - it was a joint one with another friend, and we both adore Alice in Wonderland so.. Naturally we told all our friends to come a little bit 'down the rabbit hole' and dress for a bit of a Mad Hatter's tea party. Of course, since it was an 18th party the only way to describe it is going to be 'amazing', 'insane' and 'messy'. I love my friends lots, and there are some amazing photos up on my facebook, but honestly, you lovely fashionable people checking out my blog just don't need to see me looking my least attractive.. You'll be seeing the early on photos. First of all here is what I wore..

Dress - D&G; Shoes - New Look; Bracelet - Pandora; Rings - Vivienne Westwood & Ebay; Crown - made by a friend.

If you can't quite tell, I am meant to be the Red Queen, but a slightly more fashionable version. Okay, okay, so in reality I was just desperate to wear my D&G dress and found a way to work it in with some gorgeous new red shoes, a crown that one of my friends made for me years ago and I still have, plus some red lipstick and a little heart on my cheek (a la Marina Lambrini Diamandis). Honestly, this dress is so gorgeous I can barely believe I own it, so there was no way I was not going to wear it on my 18th! I am now even more determined to keep it forever because it is super-comfortable, actually really good for dancing and will be in style perenially.

Here comes a few of the photos of the night - the good ones that my friends and I won't mind having put on a *fashion* blog!

The incredible cake the other birthday girl made!

Little face cakes that I made.

Holly, Ashleigh, Sammie, me, Alison & Reiss.

Me & Lottie as red queens.

Sammie & Alison.

Clare, Tristan & Sherri.

Martha, Claire, Jenni & Lucy.

Me & Jenni.

Me & Ashleigh.

The hangover-cure breakfast (just toast for me actually).

The carnivores' pile of grease.

The mess we were faced with.

Looking fresh as daisies in the morning, of course.

Anyway, that was my party and it was brilliant fun, I absolutely loved it. It feels so good to be 18 - grown up at last. I hope everyone else had as much fun as me, and that Alison's parents are still speaking to her. Being 18 is a big deal in England, because it is basically becoming an adult and I will admit that being able to vote is scary.. But as one of my birthday cards said "You may be an adult now.. but it doesn't mean you have to act like one!", and I intend to.

Not to drag this whole birthday thing out for too long, but tomorrow I will post my haul of presents (finally!), including those from my family, friends and even my little treats for myself that I picked up at the weekend, while being talked in to getting a Topshop store card..

Love and kisses, Tara xox

Who's a lucky girl then?

I don't even know how to start.. I suppose with a massive thankyou, lots of love and cyber kisses for MyDaily UK and my-wardrobe.com, since I won their£500 to on my-wardrobe, thanks to the See It Tag It Love It competition. All of the prizes are incredible, and I was blown away to have won anything - especially a legitimate chance to spend, spend, spend minus the guilt! MyDaily & my-wardrobe, you are now my NBFs.

Choosing what to buy was a long, excitable, difficult, enjoyable process, since I have never had a chance like this before (God, don't I sound sweet/pathetic..), and after I picked my items I was half expecting to find out it wasn't real - you know what they say about "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".. But it was for real, and my gorgeous, gorgeous pieces came today! I got very overexcited, and a little carried away taking pictures, so prepare yourself for a long-ass post about my first ever designer shopping spree.

Oh the excitement I felt when I saw these little packages.. I took my time opening them, trying (and failing) not to rip the paper - I felt like a kid on Christmas day. First to be opened was this gorgeous Lola Rose bracelet, which came in a sweet little pink bag.

Okay, okay, so there are more photos of the pretty packaging than the actual bracelet.. but I fell in love as soon as I saw that cute pink bag! The bracelet itself is something I adore, but would never have been able to afford if it wasn't free - Lola Rose is a fash-pack favourite, thanks to her combination of semi-precious stones and cute charms. I chose this sweet rose quartz one with a little star because it is pastel-hued, and my name means star so it is kind of personal.

My second beautiful, *free* designer purchase was this green belt by Malene Birger. It was purely an impulse buy, a complete what-the-hell moment, and I wouldn't have bought it, or anything like it, had I not had this opportunity. But I just love how kitsch it is, yet stylish and almost elegant at the same time. The bright hue combined with the plastic just makes it so sweet and unusual, it is the perfect detail to pull together and rev up some of my day-to-day outfits.

The grand finale of my £500 shopping spree (and the thing that took up most of that money) was my first mainline designer dress. I am now the proud owner of a D&G velvet & lace LBD, which I intend to wear, love and keep forever. I saw it on the site and couldn't drag myself away - with an opportunity like this, you want something spectacular, and I simply adore this dress. The mix of textures adds interest and detail to a classic shape, while making sure it remains chic and timeless. I love the side panels and bow belt too, for the sweet yet sexy detail. When I opened this up I literally ran around my house hyperventilating at the fact I was wearing D&G - not cool, I know, but incredibly necessary.

So yes, today is the day I finally got my first real designer items, and they will stay with me all my life I am sure. My favourite thing is of course that dress, it is stunning, it is chic, and it is D&G! I can't wait to christen it by wearing it out to a party, but at the same time I don't want to waste it's first appearance on something that isn't special.. Whatever. For now I am just enjoying looking at it all wrapped up in its garment bag.. 

Once again, thank you so much to MyDaily UK and my-wardrobe.com for making a little fashion blogger's dreams come true! And if you thought my designer tastes were satisfied, you'd be wrong.. my appetite has just been whetted by this stunning dress. Sorry about poor picture quality, but what do you guys all think? Was that the right way to spend £500? 

Love and kisses, Tara xox