Clean Out Your Closet The Vogue Way

So its that time of year. You've gone a bit mad at the sales last month and all the gorgeous new season collections are hitting the shops, but, you have one big problem. Your wardrobe is practically exploding all over the room and there's no way you'll be able to fit in all the gorgeous new pieces you've spotted. The only solution is to edit down your wardrobe and donate the excess.

Since I am in the middle of doing the same I thralled the internet for some advice and thought I'd share the best bits with you. The last ones a life saver!

You do not need 30 striped T-shirts!

Be it striped tees, black polo necks or ripped jeans, I get it we all have our own personal style uniform but if you have more than 5 of the same thing its time to edit it down. 

One Vogue editor uses the One In - One Out strategy

Its simple but hard to stick with. Basically if you buy one new piece you have to get rid of one old piece.

So you've done the most of the work but your left with that pile that you just don't know what to do with! You keep making excuses as to why you need them and you need to keep them. Its time to get real. I have learned from experience, I have gotten over excited at the prospect of new clothes and have thrown out some quality pieces, one in particular sticks in my craw. Several years ago myself and my mam were cleaning out our wardrobes and I tossed a gorgeous Aran cardi that my mam had knitted a long time ago, I'll never get a piece like that back so now if its quality vintage, an investment piece or something that your mam has made for you or passed down to you I say keep it, store it, just don't throw it out!!

For all of your wardrobe detoxing dilemmas I found this amazing flow-chart on Vogue!! Its a real time saver so when you get stuck in the middle of your closet clean out use these guidelines and your bound to get it right!

Are you editing your closet? Let me know if you used any of these and if they helped!

Zee xx

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Images via Pinterest

Top Tips For Shopping A Bridal Sample Sale

Its that time of year again when all of the wedding dress boutiques have their new collections in and are trying to make space on their rails. In other words you are going to see quite a few sample sales taking place over the next while. So here are my top tips to success at a bridal sample sale.

Before I start lets just make it clear exactly what a sample sale is. A wedding dress sample sale is when a bridal boutique sells off their showroom samples. These are the dresses that brides to be have been trying on. You are literally buying the sample dress off the rail as is, in that size and that condition. The dress will most likely not be in perfect condition, it will most definitely need dry cleaning, may need a new zip or buttons, may have some tears and details like beading and sequins may be falling off in places. This may not sound ideal but these dresses are usually sold at seriously reduced prices, usually 50%-70% off!! If you are a bride on a budget that should definitely be incentive enough to give it a go! So if you do decide its for you here are my top tips to help you find your dream dress at a sample sale for a rock bottom price!!

1) Do not attend a sample sale if it is your first shopping trip for your wedding dress! It simply will not be successful. It is best that brides have an idea of the style and fit they are looking for in their wedding dress before attending a sample sale. The savvy sample sale customer will have been looking for a dress for a few weeks prior. They will have seen what they like and realise they can't afford the full price. A sample sale is good for that bride. That said, it is important to be open minded at a sample sale as the selection will be a surprise!

2) Find out if the sample sales are by appointment or if they are open days with a first come first served policy. Either way get in early to get the best choice!!

3) Bring images of the dresses you're interested in, screen shots are best. This speeds up the process and means you can grab the dresses before anyone else.

4) Be aware of your expectations of the level of service you will receive at a sample sale. Don't confuse this with a real bridal appointment. Since the gowns are so deeply discounted you can't expect the level of service you would typically receive at a normal bridal appointment.

5) There typically will not be enough dressing rooms to go around to every bride at a sample sale. Be prepared to share!!

6) Be very picky about who you bring with you to the sale. Bringing more than one guest is not recommended. Bring a friend, mam, sis etc… that is honest and decisive. After all purchasing a dress at a sample sale is not a decision that you can sleep on! Brides who bring an entourage to a sample sale, thinking each friend can grab several dresses at a time, end up being frustrated and disappointed, as this will not be the case. It is not like the movies or that episode in Friends when Monica goes shopping for her wedding dress whistles and all! Bear in mind that sample sales can be extremely busy and most boutiques simply will not be able to accommodate you and your entourage.

7) If the dress is too small be realistic!! Will you actually loose weight to fit it? It is better to have it a little big as you can have it taken in to fit you. Most boutiques will either have an in house alterations service or a good relationship with amazing dressmakers who are more than capable of this. So don't be put off by the sizes. Don't be offended by the sizes either and bear in mind that bridal sizes are smaller than those on the high street.

8) Once again be aware that these dresses are show room samples and may not be in perfect condition. For example they may need to be dry cleaned, have buttons or zips replaced, beading may be loose or missing and they may have small tears or pulls.

9) There are no refunds available on sample sale dresses. They are sold as seen and taken home on the day. This does not affect your statutory rights.

Feel free to leave questions in the comments! I hope I have been of some help! HAPPY SHOPPING!!

Zee xx

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10 Tips For Avoiding Pain In Heels

Any of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook will know that I have a huge love affair with heels, and proper high ones. Being a little vertically challenged and simply for the love of shoes I have grinned through the pain on more occasions than I'd like to count, seen more blisters and plasters than I care to recall and tried every trick in the book to save my poor pinkies from pain. So,  now I can share the ones that work with you!


1. When buying your shoes avoid cheap hard plastic or rubber shoes. This is for 3 reasons. First of all they aren't breathable, meaning your feet will sweat more causing friction and therefore you guessed it, blisters. Second of all they will not soften meaning you cant stretch them out and lastly along with the sweat and friction the hard edges are likely to dig into your feet cutting them.


2. If the shoes hurt when you try them on in the shop, they will probably always hurt, so cut your losses and leave them behind.


3. If the shoes are a little tight or pinching at the toes a little stretching can really help. If you're anything like me you'll want to wear them straight away so you won't have time to break them in around the house for a week or so. Instead pop them on with a pair of socks and blast them with the hair dryer, this will soften them to help them stretch and mould to your feet.


4. Another quick and easy way to stretch your shoes is to fill freezer bags with water, put them in the shoes and put the shoes in the freezer over night. When water freezes it expands therefore stretching the shoes. this works great for any type of footwear.


5. If you are wearing your heels to work all day your feet will sweat and swell a little throughout the day. To help combat this and any blisters it might lead to keep talcom powder or spray deodorant in your handbag and apply it as needed throughout the day.


6. Gel insoles ladies. If you haven't become acquainted with them you are about to enter into a great friendship. They stick to the insoles of your shoes right where the ball of your foot sits. They are particularly great for shoes with no platform as they cushion the ball of your foot and also have a cooling effect to help ease any burning sensation you might get.


7. You might think I sound crazy but trust me you'll thank me for this one. To alleviate pain in the ball of your foot tape your third and fourth toes together, counting from your big toe. I've found that nude medical tape is best. The reason this works is that there is a nerve that splits between those two toes that causes pain when pressure is put on it. The tape removes the strain on the nerve, therefore it causes no pain.


8. Pop socks. I know they remind you of your granny but believe me granny knew what she was doing. They reduce the friction between your foot and the shoes which means less swelling, less sweating and less chance of blisters!


9. Whatever you do if your new shoes are killing your feet DON"T TAKE THEM OFF. I mean it, if your feet are sore the best thing you can do is smile through the pain. Taking your heels off may sound tempting and will give you relief for a brief time, but with all that swelling getting them back on is guaranteed to be twice as painful. If you really do find that you cant bear the pain, sit down and take the weight off for a while.


10. ALWAYS have a pair of stylish flats on hand. Keep them in your handbag, your locker or under your desk for those occasions that your feet really just can't take it anymore. 


Keep strolling to shop my current favorite highstreet heels!

 Zara d'orsay shoes with ankle strap €39.95

Zara blue high heeled strappy sligback sandals €49.95

Topshop PAGAN premium mules £78

Britton metal heel pointed toe stiletto by Kurt Geiger £250

Zara salón piel print heels €79.95 

Ted Baker SAVENNI high back court shoes £170

Zara ankle boot with track heel €69.95 

River Island green leather snake print court shoes €75 

Zara vinyl heel court shoe €39.95

Let me know if you plan on trying any of these or if you have tried them. Have you any tips that I havent heard of? Have you fallen for any of these beautiful heels? Let me know below in the comments. Thanks for reading.

Zee xx

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Katy Perry Roars at SuperBowl XLIX

So SuperBowl XLIX or SuperBowl 49 for those of us not versed in fancy roman numerals was on last night. Reigning champions and Mr Gisele Bundchen's team The Patriots took the win again. But what made me staying up way way way past my bedtime even more worth it was the legendary half time show. This year Katy Perry literally roared down the house along with Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott.

The amazing spectacle was created by Irish man Baz Halpin and included a giant walking lion, dancing sharks, amazing light and fireworks displays and Katy Perry levitating and flying over the crowds on a shooting star!

The show also had 4 costume changes, which is pretty phenomenal for such a huge 12 minute production. Katy Perry literally had nano seconds to change between some of her looks! Perry's favourite designer and good friend Jeremy Scott designed all of her looks for the performance. Moschino's creative director shared all of his sketches for the halftime show with Elle.

He told them that Perry was actually wearing her second look under her first and that the one that kept him up at night was her over sized sweater dress that she wore for her performance with Missy Elliot. Apparently the black sweater dress with 49 embellished on it for the 49th SuperBowl kept getting caught on Katy Perry's hips during rehearsals, refusing to come down.

Scott told Elle that some of the sequins on her star dress were bigger than your hand. Perry also had costume rehearsals simply to time getting in and out of her costumes to make sure there were no mishaps during the performance.

So tell me what did you think of Katy Perry's SuperBowl halftime show? Did it make you ROAR??

Zee xx

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Images courtesy of elle.com

GIVEAWAY!!

Celebrate good times, come on!

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning my little blogs fan page on Facebook reached over 200 followers! I am positively super excited! The decline in usage of Facebook has been well documented over the past month or two and as a result of this decline progress has been quite slow on this particular social media platform for ZeeRailed in comparison with the new giants such as Twitter and Instagram.

I promised all my lovely followers that when i did reach 200 likes that I would do a special giveaway as both a thank you for all the support and for taking the time to read my ramblings here on the blog and as a celebration for reaching this itty bitty milestone! And here it is... I've put together a hamper of some great beauty goodies for you guys  including...

1. Derma V10 Fake Tan Wipes

2. Claryssimé Paris Mythos Body Lotion

3. L'Óreal Professional Travel Makeup Brush Set and Case

4. Fearne Shimmering Eyes Set

5. Nivea Soft Moisturising Cream

6. Sleek Eye Dust in Innocence

7. Bourjois Paris 3D Effect Lip Gloss in 02

8. Sigma Eyeshadow samples

9. L'Óreal Nude Magique sample

10. L'Óreal True Match sample

11. Rimmel BB Cream

To enter all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Some of the actions can be performed daily to gain more entries. The winner will be announced in 2 weeks on Friday the 24th of January. The link for my page on Bloglovin' is here. Good Luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Oh and just to help with the celebrations a little Kool & The Gang... Pointy white brogues and a happy dance anyone?!

Celebrate good times, come on!

Zee xx