Fantastically Wonderful Advertisers | February

image c/o weheartit.com

It's that time of the month again - let me tell you a little bit about some of the amazing ladies on my sidebar...get comfy and prepare to add a few new favourites to your list!

Polka Dot Dreams
Oh my goodness, where on earth do I start with this little place of amazingness? You know when you stumble across something when you're having an etsy stalk (we all do it, don't pretend) and you so wish you could make it because it's just so perfect? That's how I felt when  I stumbled across Samantha's shop. Okay, so not only does she sell the most frickin' gorgeous felt accessories (oh my GOD have you seen the fox necklace, I nearly died), she also makes items to order so if you had something particular in mind, she's your lady. Pretty please pop on over and say Hi - I'm bowled over by the wonderfulness of her lovely shop.

Eat Play Shop Love
Okay, this lady is one of my absolute favourites. On Charlie's blog not only will you find detailed beauty reviews, hauls, get to know me posts and notd's - but you will also find a really lovely lady. I get lost in her posts and find myself smiling at the screen like a creep with her relatable writing. You won't be disappointed if you hop on over, although perhaps have a cuppa at the ready - because you'll be there a while.

Beauty Becky
I'm hoping you all know who Becky is, as she was sitting pretty on my sidebar last month too. I'm still girl crushing pretty hard to be honest - consistency seems to be key in this little ladies book. Her posts are detailed - I always find myself wanting to buy whatever it is she's writing about and one of my absolute favourite things about it is her photography. It's so clear and fantastic quality, so if you're looking for in-depth reviews with fantastic swatches look no further. What a good egg :)

Our Little Balham Life
Oh, Nicola. How can I express my love for you and your blog in a paragraph? (not possible) Honestly, when I first read Nicola's blog I knew it was meant to be. From reading just a few sentences of a blog post you feel like you know her, and to me that's what blogging is all about. Reading this blog, you'll mainly discover what it's like to live in London, what she gets up to and some frickin' awesome food recipes. Yep, go on, tell me all how much you love it too...

Beauty & Truth
Aubry is wonderful, as is her blog. She is absolutely drop dead gorgeous, and with that very, very talented. Fancy knowing how to bake some awesome cookies? Some DIY jewellery and accessories? Or perhaps a little bit of fashion? You've come to the right place. I can't help but want to be part of this ladies adventures and go round for a cup of tea and cake. Her words and beauty just make you feel right at home.

Angel's Corner
Honesty is the best policy and I feel that's 100% what you get with this lovely ladies blog. She's packed to the brim with beauty and fashion hauls, lifestyle posts and most recently FOOD ART. How cool is that? Making art from your food, has to be one of the most creative things I've heard of in a long while! I find myself constantly checking back to see if there's a new post and they're always such a pleasure to read :)

I hope you lovely lot have found a few new gems in this bunch - they're some of my absolute favourite places on the interwebs and I'm so glad I get to share them all with you! Please do let me know what you think of them! And share the love <3

Don't forget to drop me an email if you'd like to have your advertisment on my sidebar!

February Favourites

L-R: Bourjois Nail Polish Remover. Rimmel Apocalips. Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser. MAC Woodwinked Eyeshadow. Urban Fudge Sea Salt Spray. Algenist Triple Action Micropeel and Polish.

Can I just be massively cliché here and say - where the HELL has February gone? This is actually mental. Life needs to slow down a little, it's going to be bloody Christmas before we know it!

So.. I haven't done a monthly favourites post in I can't remember how long. But I'm trying this thing where I become more organised in life and get things done, and it just so happens that monthly favourites is one of those things! (this month anyway haha). 
There are few products in here that probably wont be too much of a shock to you beauty addicts, but I do think I've discovered a few gems too.
Do let me know what you think of the products, and if you've tried any of them :)

What Happened to Quality?

Behold! An entirely secondhand ensemble; a perfectly fuzzy vintage tee, deliciously ripped and ratty Levi’s, a big ass fuzzy coat, some secondhand pumps and a rope necklace that I spotted in the window at Salvation Army and plucked right off that mannequin. There are three MAJOR reasons that a majority of my wardrobe is secondhand:

1. Further Develop Personal Style

2. Ethical

3. Quality

In today’s lesson we will explore the latter. Any piece of clothing made in this day and age (post-2000) is seriously lacking in quality. (Please Note: I am not talking designer/boutique fashion here…which is obviously in a whole 'nother echelon of “quality”.) All of the items I am wearing in today’s post date back to around the late 1970’s...ish. An era when making quality garments was simply the standard…people wanted their shit to laaaaast. Fabric selection, strong stitching, attention to details; all of these elements are working together to make these garments the best they can be. People back then simply expected this. On the rare occasion that I venture out to the mall to do a lil’ shop-iddy-shopping, I see first-hand how our “Throw Away Society” has greatly decreased the quality of garments made today. I’m sure you’ve all noticed, haven’t you? The crazy part is we don’t even seem to care…even though we all know it to be true! Seems we all have the same general attitude. We KNOW that it’s not good quality. I mean, that’s no secret. But, we want to rock that metallic pump…no, we NEED to rock that metallic pump. Our sartorial reputation as a trendsetting style maven depends on it! So…why not drop a measly $15 on it, right?! (Please Note: I am absolutely NOT immune to purchasing said $15 metallic pumps from Forever 21 that won’t last past 10 wears. GUILTY. Srsly.) But then, when I go out vintage shopping, I feel embarrassed and silly for having made such frivilous purchases. No one in 30 years is going to see my metallic pumps in a vintage shop window; they won’t last that long! Do you think it’s possible that thrifting and second-hand shopping will die off in the future because nothing we have created today will stand the test of time? Or conversely; are you satisfied with the general quality of garments today? Do tell!

Vintage...everything. Coat available in our Etsy shop here.

Until Next Time, 

Brittany

Mixing Prints | Outfit Post

Following on from my last outfit post I find myself constantly reaching for comfort at the moment. There’s nothing better than whacking on an outfit that you don’t need to worry about – no your tops not going to fall down and your skirt isn’t going to ride up your bum, it’s just effortless and comfortable.

Scarf: c/o Hannah Belle. Playsuit: thrifted. Jumper: factorie. Belt: Thrifted. Boots: Urban Outfitters

Although I was a little in the mood for mixing prints – is feathers, polka dots and spikes too much? I don’t think so :) I feel oddly right with all this business and feel uber relaxed with the bagginess of everything!

Throughout winter and the cooler months as we head in to Spring you will always see me sporting a scarf. For me they complete an outfit and I’m particularly fond of bold, statement scarves that bring pieces together and help a plain top stand out.  I’m pretty much in love with this little beauty sent to me by the gorgeous Hannah of Hannah Belle. You must check out her shop filled with gorgeous home bargains & this item of loveliness was only £8.50, making it a real bargain! The mix of colours and the softness means it fits my perfect scarf checklist and it’s also going to be light enough to team with little dresses when the weather starts to warm up.

My playsuit is one of my absolute favourite’s, it used to be my mum’s underwear and I just can’t understand why you would want to wear it under your clothes – it’s so pretty! I threw this jumper over the top just to keep me warm and tucked it in to my belt (also my mum’s old one) I think it’s perfect for bringing the whole outfit together.

How do you feel about clashing prints? I’d love to see some other bloggers posts on these sort of styles? 

How I Style My Hair | Enrapture Jumbo Waver

I am completely overwhelmed at the amazing response to my Enrapture giveaway, there have been heaps of entries and it seems everyone wants to get their hands on a pair. So, I thought that it might be quite nice to film a little tutorial to show you guys how I achieved the look and how easy they are to use...

They are my new favourite thing and I’m loving experimenting with them and achieving different looks – I particularly love how they create a volumized ponytail.

Do you own a pair of these? I’d love to know how you style yours if so? And if not – good luck with the giveaway!! :D

Shop Our Closet

Last week my boyfriend sat me down and told me that we needed to talk. “Oh shit, this must be serious…”I thought to myself. And it was. “Babe…I love you more than anything. You know that I will support you unconditionally and that I am always here for you. But (deep breath)…we need to address your clothing situation.” He’s right, I have a problem. It’s more than I problem. It’s a full blown addiction. I swear to GOD my tiny one bedroom apartment cannot handle one more piece of clothing…like seriously, not even a head scarf. There is no more space. My clothes are strewn across the apartment. Carrie Bradshaw style; mini skirts stored in my nightstand. High Heels in the kitchen cabinets. A growing stack of vintage tees stored atop my desk. My mind was racing…we can’t live like this anymore! “Babe…” I quickly quipped back, “Don’t think of them as merely clothes. This is my INVENTORY, for my new business…an Etsy shop! I’m specializing in vintage clothing and accessories…” 

 And so…”Shop Pardon My Fashion” is born! I love each of my unique vintage pieces like my own children, but I am excited to see how my stylish blogosphere friends can breathe a new life of stylish adventures into them! PS- If you’ve seen Chels or myself wear something on the blog that you would like to have in your own closet, then send us an email at PardonMyFashion@gmail.com and you’ll totes get first dibs ;)

PPS- Sorry bout the technical difficulties earlier, ladies. Thank you for the heads up...I suck at HTML.

Beauty Products I Can't Live Without!

This has to be one of my absolute favourite videos I’ve filmed. Picking out and selecting my beauty products I couldn’t live out was harder than I imagined. It turns out I’m probably a bit higher maintenance than I thought! I could’ve had double the products in there, but I tried my hardest to strip it back to basics and my day to day necessities. There’s a mixture of high to low end beauty bits so there is definitely something for everyone.

If any of your staples are the same as mine I’d love to know – and alternatively if there is anything you’ve spotted in the video that you’re thinking you’d like to try I’d love to know that too. It’s always lovely to hear when someone goes with a recommendation and sees results :)

I hope you all had a lovely weekend? My plans changed last minute and I ended up going to my nanny’s on the Friday night and stayed right through until Sunday evening. I really love spending time with her and we had a jolly time shopping, eating lots of food and watching a film at the cinema – a song for Marion, I’m warning you now if you’re a bit of a crier at films, TAKE TISSUES. I was literally in hysterics and was trying to conceal my blubbing by eating massive handfuls of popcorn. It was such a lovely film though so definitely worth a watch.

I also took a few snaps in my Nan’s garden for an outfit post coming up soon, so keep your eyes peeled for a change of scenery! Ooh Err, I know how to treat you don't I? ;)

Have a great weeks ladies (& gents) :) 

How to Dress Like an Adventurer

Yesterday, Britt and I planned to get together for dinner at a fine restaurant (read: Cheeseburgers at Ruby’s Diner) and snap some good ol’ fashioned bloggy pics while we were at it. A pretty run-of-the-mill Saturday night. (We’re secure in our lameness, thank you very much!) That is, until we decided that run-of-the-mill just wasn’t gonna cut it today…we were feeling a bit dare-devilish and lusting after some adventure. But where to? After a crazy intense Google sesh, we decided to head out to an abandoned military medical facility for a little exploring and the general debauchery that this sort of thing enatils. We called up our equally as adventurous BFF Jasmine to join us. By definition an “abandoned military medical facility” is CREEPY as fugg; so power in numbers, ladies! After we finagled our way into the facility, (we’re crafty young women!) it was GO TIME. Before we even entered the building we were greeted with some less than welcoming graffiti art that read, “Here is where you meet your doom…” Now we’re smart ladies…but we ignored the warning and proceeded anyway. It was a WAR ZONE inside, but you could see the sort of exoskeleton of what was once here. There were desks and chairs and medical files everywhere. As we got over our initial heebie-jeebies, we proceeded down the long hallway lined with doors and rooms on each side leading to offices with EERIE ass old effed up medical supplies like old dental chairs and skin pokers and chemical spills and shit…EEK! We explored and rummaged and squealed in terror at every creek of a door and sound of breaking glass. This place was HUGE. After we caught our bearings, it was actually quite peaceful. What was once a bustling and busy medical office is now in utter ruins; quiet and completely still. I felt like we were some of the last remaining humans on earth. Rummaging through the remains looking for clues asking ourselves what happened? What went so terribly wrong? And why? As the sun set we knew we had to high tail it outta there before the zombies awoke from their slumber and ate us alive. JK…too much Walking Dead ;) Stay tuned for PART 2…the journey UPSTAIRS! Dun, dun duuuuuuunnnnnnnnn…!

Vintage coat (Available HERE). Thrifted sweater. Thrifted mini skirt. Via Spiga Boots. F21 necklace.

Until next time,

Chelsea

GIVEAWAY | The Enrapture Jumbo Waver!

Enrapture is fast becoming my favourite go-to heat styling company, my totem styler has seen my ghds are made redundant at the back of my drawers; and today I have another one of their exciting tools to introduce to you.

You know when you sometimes fancy looking like a mermaid and plait your hair the night before you go to sleep, with the hope that you’ll wake up with lightly crimped hair? Yeah – mine never looks good when I do that, it’s always a massive frizz ball and I end up putting it into a bun. Enrapture have created something so absolutely amazing I couldn’t wait to share it with you…

Before...

After...

The Jumbo Waver: Not only does it create instant volume – (the large plates can’t help but to lift up and out!) it only took me 10 minutes to style my entire head of hair. Soft, gentle, giant waves - I think I actually prefer this look to curls now!

With regards to using this it’s so simple – it has a temperature control to determine how much heat you want to apply to the hair. For example, if you have really fine hair you probably wouldn’t need them to be on full temperature to achieve the desired look. You may be able to tell from the pictures that this is quite a large tool (no, I’m not being naughty!) but don’t let that put you off – it’s lightweight and it doesn’t feel at all big when you’re actually styling your hair.

I styled mine from the roots right to the bottom – and with my hair length I had to move the waver down the selected hair piece 2-3 times before moving on to the next section. Of course, if you don’t want to do it right from the roots you don’t have to, I just like the bohemian volumised look that achieves.

It comes beautifully packaged – it feels very luxurious and expensive, with a heat resistant bag for travelling. As with the totem styler, the jumbo waver holds the waves all day. I went to the X-Factor tour last Saturday, I did my hair at 10am and still had my waves perfectly in place at 12am (when I went to bed!). I didn’t even use hairspray, I simply spritzed my hair with some sea salt spray, to ensure that extra ‘beachy’ look and away I went!

Enrapture aren’t the cheapest and these retail at £74.99 – but are currently on offer at Argos for £59.99. For some it might seem quite steep but I’m sure a lot of you have invested in ghds which hit the £100 mark! And I’d say this brand are definitely on par, if not better – it’s a real investment for any lady who longs to achieve long-lasting curls and in no time at all.

I thought you lovely ladies might be quite head over heels like I am with this product. So Argos have kindly offered a lucky reader the opportunity to win a hair styler too! This is a 3-part giveaway, I have 1 more special one coming up over the next couple of weeks so if you don’t win the others keep your eyes peeled for the last one! I know it’s a few to have in one go, but I wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate you and I love sharing the things I love with you!

I am using rafflecopter again – I used it  for my last few giveaways and it works perfectly. Just follow the steps below, and rafflecopter will pick 1 winner at random. The giveaway will close on 10th March and will be open worldwide.

Thank you again lovelies, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Style As An Act of Rebelion

My penchant for getting my protest on would probably explain my undying adoration of Chloe Sevingy’s latest collection for Opening Ceremony, which was inspired by the free thinking and restlessness of the youth of the 1960’s protesting era. During this counter culture movement, a divided worldview between the old and the young generation caused for maaaaajor friction regarding opinions on the ongoing war in Vietnam, sexuality, women’s rights, democracy, environmentalism, and differing interpretations of the “American Dream”. (UM…wait a minute! Does that sound familiar to anyone else? Are we talking 1964 or 2013?) All this talk of counter culture and protesting and dissent and civil disobedience was gettin' me hot and bothered! (And it gave birth to my Chloe X Opening Ceremony inspired ensemble!) Then I had a (small) epiphany. These elements are exactly why fashion seduces and thrills me the way it does. I delight in the fact that I can use my style as an act of rebellion. For me, this is what fashion is all about. Making a sartorial statement that pushes up against social norms or challenges the status quo. The name of the blog “Pardon My Fashion” actually came from the fact that what Chels and I wear often elicits a rather 'uncomfortable' reaction from people. But the reactions are exactly what I’m after. As long as I’m getting some kind of rise out of you, whether positive or negative, I figure I’m doing something right…right?!

Target hat. Thrifted angora sweater. Thrifted corduroy skirt. Forever 21 sandals and necklace.

Until next time,

Brittany

Splash of Colour | Neon Love

Being poorly means I have little time for making an effort when I have to show my face in public. I apologise if I’m still looking a little peaky in these photo’s, but laryngitis took hold of me and wouldn’t budge for nearly two weeks! It was my little sister’s 15^th birthday (god I feel old) and we all went out for lunch at a local restaurant. I had the yummiest duck salad for main and a berry frozen yoghurt for dessert – quite healthy for me! Any way I wanted to be comfy because I was still feeling a bit rubbish.

Jumper: c/o Mary Jane Fashion. Leggings: Topshop. Boots: H b Hudson of London. Bracelet: Jacey Withers

My Topshop velvet leggings I basically live in – they are the warmest most comfortable item of clothing I own and I’m gutted because they’ve completely sold out of the majority of sizes so I can’t buy myself another pair! Oversized baggy jumpers are also a staple in my winter wardrobe, you can throw them on with pretty much anything, feel cosy and still look like you’ve made an effort. I’m quite in love with this jumper to be honest – I love the neon coral and how it injects a bit of colour to a simple outfit - I think we'll be seeing a lot more of neon this season judging from London Fashion Week and I'm quite alright with that! I went for a size medium as I thought I’d prefer the larger fitting and I think it works well. 
Now I'm on the road to recovery you should be seeing a few more outfit posts pop up here and there! 
I hope you're all having a good week any way :) Daniel had an operation today, so I've been chilling with him and watching documentaries! (we're not geeks - promise)...

Simplicity With A Wild Side

Life is feeling cluttered lately; full of distractions, unnecessary noise and ya know...shit. My sartorial choices always have a way of reflecting my state of mind and this weekend I needed to zen the eff out, man. My mind subliminally lead me to an uncomplicated, simple, and minimalist silhouette. To me, minimalism is all about stripping away the bullshit, eliminating the non-essentials, and getting back to the basics. Reducing down to the barest form. And when you’ve done that, you’re left with only what is truly important. While simple can sometimes be misinterpreted by us fashionistas to mean “boring”; think of about the importance and the message that "simple" holds in a world filled with deception, fraud, and crookedness. (Ya, I’m talking to you politicians/CEOs.) Simplicity is candid, sincere, honest, and straightforward...it’s so stripped that it has nothing to hide! Isn’t that a refreshing change of pace? Of course, in true Chelsea fashion, I’ve paired my simplistic and minimalistic ensemble with a leopard print shoe...cuz ya know, I’ve still got that wild side that will never be tamed ;)

Thrifted velvet dress. Thrifted cowl neck sweater. Thrifted shoes.

Until next time,

Chelsea