Christmas presents - the challenge - one for you three for me

December is officially the month I give in to temptation. I go out too much, drink too much, eat too much and shop too much.


I end up carrying home tons of gifts. Problem is that only one out of ten is a Christmas present for someone else. The rest are 'presents' for me!



How come this happens every year? If I carry on like this I'm going to be the best dressed penniless person under the tree.


Does this happen to you too? It would make me feel a lot better if I’m not the only one. Really.

And now - ho! ho! ho! - my Christmas gift necklace collection:

Bird necklace £143.10 (after discount)

These necklaces would make a lovely present for anyone (including yourself) and are currently 10% off at MyShoppingSpy.com

Heart necklace with secret message £116.10 (after discount)

This is one of my favourites. You can hide a secret message in the little drawer and give it to a very special person.

Magic Stone necklace £98.10 (after discount)

Apparently, if you wear this necklace anything is possible. It's all down to the magic stone inside.

Wing necklace £80.10 (after discount) and Swedish Russian Doll £107.10 (after discount)

I'm also a big fan of classic pieces like this super cute wing necklaces and this Swedish interpretation of a Russian Doll. It’s like a little entertainment piece around your neck. If you ever get bored, just start playing with your necklace. Love it.

Looking good today

This jumper from Markus Lupfer with its cheeky message is my favourite item of the day and will just put everyone into place who might have had any doubts about your looks.

Instant good mood Jumper by Markus Lupfer

And should you have a bad-hair/make-up/body/general day you could always say it was meant to be a compliment for the person looking at you.


Wear it with hot pants, mini skirts, midi skirts, skinny jeans, track trousers and innocent smile because YOU LOOK REALLY GOOD TODAY!!


Get 25% off if you buy at Donna Ida

Lagerfeld, my shopping hero

You've got to love him for this quote:


"I think they should make a tax so that when you earn a certain amount of money, you have to spend a certain amount on shopping. To buy whatever… And that way, we create tons of jobs. I think it's a good idea. What I hate is people with a lot of money who don't spend it." 

This is what he told Womens Wear Daily when they asked leading designers for their thoughts on the economy and how to make it better.


I couldn't agree more and leave you with this profound note.


Have a great weekend. May it be full of shopping !


x

Haizhen Wang SALE now on !!!

My sale spies just tweeted me that Notting Hill based designer Haizhen Wang has reduced his prices by up to 25% and is now officially on SALE. 


That's really good news because now we can save double - up to 25% off because of SALE and an additional 10% off with the MyShoppingSpy voucher code. With so much to save let me give you some inspiration as to what to buy...


Since it's almost winter I'm going to invest in a coat or jacket. I tried most of them during my  interview with Haizhen and they are amazing. They don't just look extremely cool but are also of superb quality. I don't think we will ever get the chance again to snap them up for such a good price.

Like this one with yellow detailing and a super cool military feel.

Jacket - reduced from £700 to £590 (£531 after MyShoppingSpy discount)

Or my all time favourite, a stripy woollen blazer which was featured in Chinese Vogue.

Wool blazer - was £450 now £360 (£324 after MyShoppingSpy discount)

That's feathers on the sleeves. Steam pressed. I have never seen anything like that. Looks amazing.


This coat is a cross between classic trench and biker jacket with fine leather and a lot of straps and stuff which gives it a really cool and edgy look. I love it

Waxed Cotton Trench Coat - £700 (£630 after MyShoppingSpy discount)

There are many more items on sale. If you get the chance go to the  Haizhen Wang boutique in Notting Hill otherwise check their online store here.


To claim the MyShoppingSpy discount enter myshoppingspy before check out or print off this voucher and present in the shop.


And now, quick quick before everything is sold out!

The new Must Have handbag accessory

It's not often that I'm totally excited about a new product. I was eagerly awaiting the launch of PUREBERG, a new luxury hand sanitizer, for weeks and finally it's here!


And look how perfect it blends in with my other handbag essentials

Snakeskin clutch - present from my best friend :-)
Mulberry Leather Credit Card Holder
Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte Natural Finish
 Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Satin Lip Colour No 14
iphone 3GS
Pureberg Hand Sanitizer

I feel about 100 times a day that I need to wash my hands and the next bathroom is miles away. Especially when travelling by tube or now in this peak season for colds you can't clean your paws often enough. The problem with the usual hand sanitizers is that they look dead ugly and on top of that your skin quickly dries out if you overdo it.


So, when I heard that there is going to be a new product targeting the fashionable crowd - that's us - with a stylish and luxurious design promising to leave your hands feeling soothed, moisturised and beautifully scented I was counting the days.

PUREBERG Hand Sanitizer

• Kills 99.99% of germs
• Extreme moisturising with added ingredients from a hand lotion: Shea Butter, Vitamin E, Avocado Oil, Aloe Vera and Hydrogenated Castor Oil
• Beautifully scented with jasmine, camellia and fresh rose
• Paraben free
• Dermatologist tested
• Easy screw cap to prevent leaks in handbag

It does everything it promises and it's the perfect present for your girl-friends, mothers, sisters, colleagues... and everyone else who likes to accessorize their handbag with a mini-spa on the go.

Tibi Sample Sale now on

I thought this might be of interest...

Tibi Sample Sale until 13/11/2011

Longing for sun

If you are fed up like me with this horrible weather outside (cold, grey, drizzle rain) this will bring back the sunshine to your life. Promise.

Paolita Cut out swimsuit in nauti red

Paolita Voyage with its clever figure flattering cut out is so super cute that you could not notice that its currently reduced from £142 to £72. You could, but this is why there's me jumping up and down, waving the sales flag to let you know that its not just reduced - no - you also on top of that get 10% off with the MyShoppingSpy Special Offer.


Now thats a deal.


If you don't like the red there are 4 more colours to chose from. Now make your choice...

Cut out one-piece alternative colours

... and start planning the next holiday!

Today I'm lusting after fringed boots

Ever since Isabel Marant sent models down the runway in knee-high fringed boots I'm lusting after a pair. Marant was for almost £1,000 a little out of my financial reach.

Isabel Marant - sold out

With this pair from Karen Millen the dream suddenly became much more reality. They are knee-high - tick, fringed - tick and currently on special 20% off sale - tick tick tick.


Hooray!!

Karen Millen Boots £295 (-20%)

Karen Millen Boots £295 (-20%)

Spied - Kurt Geiger Bracelets

I had to kill some time yesterday while I was waiting for a friend and checked out the new jewellery and hair accessory collection by Kurt Geiger. And it's not bad at all. They've got some really nice pieces ranging from as little as £8 for a hair elastic up to £80 for a chunky necklace.


Nothing is too girly and much to my delight they have a huge selection of bracelets.


I got these two...

Cassie Bracelet (20£) comes in silver and gold

The gold bracelet already had a warm welcome.


They also have these more chunky bracelets in silver with brass coloured stones and blue suede or silver (a little darker toned) with just the stones. Both really cool.

Chunky bracelet (silver, £60) and dark silver (£50)

And if you love arm parties as much as I do you must get these super cute star bracelets.

Star bracelet (£20) and Multi-chain cuff (£40)

As a 24/7 shopper I never miss an opportunity to save money so what a delight that in store there currently is a promotion where you get 1 and the other one 1/2 price. Yessss

And look at the lovely packaging. How can you resist!? I couldn't.

Shopping Spy - Pick of the day

On my shopping list today this lovely XXL cape by Sweaty Betty. It's perfect for beating off autumn chills and those moments when you can't decide weather to still wear your summer jacket or already dig out the winter coat.

And its a snap at £150.

Cape by Sweaty Betty

Don't miss - Joanne Stoker Pop-up Shoe Shop Event tonight at Shoreditch House

Joanne Stoker

I want yellow. I want trainers. I want gold.

MyShoppingSpy on Polyvore

Just posted this on Polyvore... Still struggling with their template but really WANTED to put it up there.


What do you think???

Uterqüe - Sounds Scandinavian, is Spanish

Spain never disappoints when it comes to providing us with fashion forward looks and I just came across another brand on the rise – Uterqüe.

Unpronouncable but therefore affordable.

Uterqüe , Zara's more sophisticated older sister is specialised in accessories in high quality materials, fine fabrics and leathers, largely from Italy. Products are produced as a limited series. Sounds promising.

I found some really nice bags that wil jeux up every outfit.

Bowling bag £185

Party bag £79.90

Chanel style messenger bag £79.90

And if you haven't yet found the perfect pair of 70s boots have a look at these.

70s boots £155

Absolutely faboulus are these driver gloves with perforated purple leather detailing. Love them!

Driver gloves £54.90

Back on my radar since D&G's SS12 show - silk foulards. If you don't want to go overboard with patterns you might like this one here with star print that comes in either pink or blue.

Star foulard £44.90

I'm a big fan of pop colours and love this mock-croc belt that either comes in grey or bright yellow. It will give a nice contrast to a one coloured outfit.

Reversible belt £44.90

And now, before the rest of the world finds out about this brand start shopping. NOW.

Russian Seduction - my visit to hot new label Izmaylova

OMG - I'm standing in Izmaylova's showroom. Excited. Hit by an adrenalin rush triggered by Swarovski crystals, fine leather and A LOT of feathers. My photographer is waiting, I'm not a sample size and I just found out most dresses are between size 6 and 8.

Hallelujah.

Calm down I tell myself, ignore the 50 degrees in the studio, breathe in and pray one of them will fit.

Yessssssss, I manage to get in 3 of my favourite 40 looks.

Photo TonyTKSmith

Photo TonyTKSmith

The fabric feels amazing. The crystals sit powerful like a warrior shield on my shoulders while the silk feels very gentle and feminine.  Not sure if I want to dance or fight. For now I just want to look beautiful.

I can't get enough of those feathers.

Photo TonyTKSmith

Photo TonyTKSmith

The little black dress as Izmaylova interprets it for the night...

and as a sophisticated day dress

I also had a chance to sneak a peak at the SS12 collection with flowy dresses like this.

Photo TonyTKSmith

Photo TonyTKSmith

And the feathers have a come back in white

I absolutely love these dresses. They will wake up your inner Amazon to make you win - hearts, style trophies and admiring looks.

What more to want.

Click here read my interview with Izmaylova 

Don't burst it - Shopping in the bubble

A friend of mine recently called it ‘the bubble’.

We were talking about Notting Hill and its surreal attractiveness. Living, shopping and eating out in this London Neighbourhood makes you forget that there is another world out there, without beautiful people, endless shopping opportunities and that isn’t the perfect environment to parade around in your chic look 24/7.

But, hey, do we really want to know? Let's embrace the bubble and do what we all do best -  let's go shopping

My latest crush - Wolf & Badger. If you want to invest into a future fashion hottie, long before everyone else knows who they are and where to get them from, don’t miss this place. It has serious style leader alert.

Almost everything has the want stamp on it but two areas got my special attention – men's and jewellery.

Always a good combination.

Wax Seal Ring by Pyrrha

Canadian jewelry designer Pyrra creates rings and necklaces made of ancient wax seals. They come with meaningful little notes to make them the perfect gift for your beau.

Wax Seal necklace by Pyrrha

Classic meets punk in this sharp hoody by London-based Menswear label BREAKS. They use the same manufacturer as Burberry so I was told.

Hoody by BREAKS

These Tees by Piano Necktie are a no brainer. Unique, cool and a snap at £49 (!). They come in decorative boxes. 

Go, get them. Quick!

Boxing Tee by Piano Necktie’s

Going mad for hats?

Hats by Anthony Peto

So, over to me. Enough of you guys.

I totally adore this wrap bracelet. It's studded with Swarovski crystals and gold stars The friendship bracelet style makes me want to wear it every day.

Arm candy by Tomasz Donocik

It also comes in silver. Or why not add these cute double gun necklace?

You cannot always wear pearls...

Wrap Bracelet and Double Gun Necklace, both Thomasz Donocik

Good I just had a mani. Gives that spike ring the environment it deserves

Spike Ring by Maria Black

Last and absolutely not least this statement bracelet by Maria Francesca Pepe. It is perfect as an accessory to a feminine outfit to give you that little edge.

Stud Bracelet by Maria Francesca Pepe

Beautiful!