Trending

Monday, 29 August 2016

Tips for Charity shop success



I've been obsessed with Charity shops forever.
I love finding one off timeless pieces, but it's also great for finding current trends without spending a lot of money on something that you mightn't get much wear out of.
People are often asking me how I find such great stuff and honestly it's always a hit and miss, so I thought I'd share with you some of my tips and tricks!

My fave find of the week £1

Look through everything
I can spend hours going from one charity shop to another and I always make sure that I search the entire place. The Mens section is great for finding flamboyant shirts, cool alternative tee's, hoodies, flannels and often the pricing is even cheaper in this section.
Another favourite of mine is to look through the accessories, I love finding interesting hats, bags and cool sunglasses.
If you're in to interior design I reccomend rummaging through the home ware shelves as well. Most of the artwork on my walls are thrifted (can I use that word if I'm English?) and there are always cool nik naks and antiques to be found!
Just be sure to scan through the whole shop if you're eager to find amazing pieces!


Be creative

With the prices being so low, it's good to think outside of the box. Think about if you could alter a piece if it's too big or small, or if something could be cropped or altered to fit you better. Another idea is to buy a cheap denim or leather jacket and customise it with pins, patches or even paint it!
Recently I found a satin slip dress and it was waaay big, I ended up cutting it in to a vest and for £2 it was definitely cheaper than the high street alternatives.


Use the fitting rooms
I like to completely ignore the sizing when charity shopping and instead I'll just try on everything that I've picked up. It's tempting to just grab a load of clothes and buy them straight away since it's so cheap but make sure you use the fitting rooms.
I think it's best to set yourself aside a few hours to check in all of the charity shops and remember to wear something that's comfy and easy to take on and off so you stay motivated. Honestly I'm always motivated by the amazing pieces that I find! I'm constantly being laughed at by the people who work there for overloading of my arms with clothes.


The shorts were £2

Visit different locations
It's a lot easier now that we have a car, but I've always made the effort to travel to different high streets where I know that there are several charity shops.
By my house the charity shops are really cheap and the clothes aren't usually that great, but if I travel to higher income areas it will cost more but the variety of donated clothes will be awesome!
It's always exciting to find designer pieces and clothes that are currently trendy and expensive on the high street.
If you're interested in vintage clothing then definitely visit up and coming areas with a hipster vibe, the clothes will be cost more than your usual charity shop finds but when comparing it to normal vintage shop prices it's usually still a bargain!

Both jackets were £4

Buy for others
earn instant brownie points by picking stuff up that you know friend's or family members will love. I will often find amazing pieces that I love but I know I probably won't get much wear out of, so I like to pass them on to my mum or other family and friends to see the clothes go to a good home!


I think charity shops are great for pushing your style and really experimenting with what you wear, so have fun and think outside the box!
All of the stuff in the photo's is what I've found this week alone and as you can see I'm in three stripe heaven at the minute!

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any other tricks that you like to follow!

Instagram @wolvesandflames

SHARE:

Thursday, 5 May 2016

Sporty summer OOTD






The weather is beautiful!
I was in work early this morning and because I planned on going out afterwards I wanted an outfit that worked well for both. I found these pants in a charity shop and they're so versatile, I can wear them quite casually or dress them up like this.
Of course I have another trusty vest on, this one was from New Look and I love the high neck, I predict this will be the new go to item in my wardrobe!







Cap - New era
Earrings - Claire's
Vest - New Look
Pants - Charity shop
Trainers - Primark

Instagram @wolvesandflames

SHARE:

Thursday, 4 February 2016

Sports luxe all black OOTD








As soon as I saw this cap I knew I had to have it! Sadly it's too big for my buzzed pea head, so I paired it with my amazing wig from Lush wigs and spent the day flicking my hair around and feeling girly. Sorry for wearing this bomber jacket in every post, it just seems to go with everything I'm wearing right now and it's doing a good job of keeping me warm on these windy days.






 Also how cute are my nails right now? I was considering getting little dots tattooed below my nails on each finger so I painting them on to try it out before committing, it means that I don't have to redo my nails after every climbing session as well because there's no chipping, so that's a bonus!

Cap - Asos
Wig - Lush Wigs
Velvet choker - similar here
Vest - Select
Bomber jacket - New Look
Leggings - Missguided
Trainers - Nike

Instagram @wolvesandflames



SHARE:

Wednesday, 26 August 2015

Staying motivated to exercise...


Over the past few years I've gone from someone that went the gym a few times a month to someone who exercises in some form every single day. I still have a long way to go on my fitness journey but I thought I'd share a few tips that have helped me along so far!

Make a playlist
Like most people, music is a vital part of my life and I've found that listening to the right music will make you push that bit harder when exercising.
Create a playlist with all of your favourite songs that get you psyched and ready to go. Make sure you mix it up often and always have your phone/I pod charged for impromptu workout sessions!

Do what you love
I have truly found my passion in rock climbing. I would climb everyday if I could, we even plan our holidays around the boulders we're going to climb.
But before I started bouldering I was the complete opposite, my workout routine was flaky, I would stick to something for a few months and then I would hit a wall and stop exercising altogether. You just need to find your passion and then exercise will never be a chore!
It might be something simple like running, or something exciting like parkour, be adventurous and try as many new fitness classes as you can!

Buy cute workout clothes
I know it sounds cheesy, but it's an obvious one for us fashion obsessed. Having a wide variety of sports bras, trainers and yoga pants that you actually want to wear is really important. There's nothing worse than wanting to go the gym and all you have are some baggy 3/4 tracksuits and your old tongue twister K Swiss trainers from year 10 P.E.
On my lazy days off work I find that putting on some nice leggings and a structured vest will motivate me to exercise, even if it's just running in the park with the dog (instead of letting him pull me around as usual).

Set goals
It's important to challenge yourself when exercising and setting goals is really helpful. I will usually aim to improve flexibility, stamina and it has been vital in my fitness journey.
Be realistic with your goals, I will set myself small targets so that I can't fail, but it is still rewarding to see progress however small it is!
Friendly competition is also great for this, my boyfriend Mike and I are currently in a battle to be the first one to do the splits, it might take a few months but I am definitely motivated to kick his ass!
Just make sure your goals are reasonable and don't over exert yourself, there's nothing fun about getting injured... 


This was just a quick post to hopefully inspire and help people on their fitness journey, remember we all have to start somewhere...

Instagram @wolvesandflames



SHARE:

Tuesday, 25 August 2015

Clean shirt, new shoes and I don't know where I am goin' to..OOTD








Shirt - Forever 21
Watch - Asos

This was a super casual day that consisted of running about and doing errands.
I am in love with this new shirt I bought from Forever 21, khaki is everywhere at the minute and this silky top is the perfect "throw it on and go" piece.
It can be really dressed up with bare legs and over the knee boots but because I was doing a lot of walking I teamed it with tights and my trusty huaraches!
I'm going to see if this shirt comes in different colours because I know it's the perfect staple piece for my wardrobe.

Instagram @wolvesandflames


SHARE:

Friday, 24 July 2015

Pinterest Inspiration #1

Hello, my name is Melissa and I am a Pinterest-aholic...

Fashion





Beauty Makeup





Tattoo





Interior design






So these are some of my favourite pins at the moment.
I hope they inspire you as much as they do me!

Pinterest - Melissa Mears

Instagram @wolvesandflames



SHARE:
© Wolves and Flames. All rights reserved.
Blogger Designs by pipdig