Author Archives: Lorna

About Lorna

Hi, I'm Lorna, I am the editor of DenimBlog and I also have my own personal style blog Raindrops of Sapphire. I adore all things fashion and love blogging about it!

Black & White Stripes Like Beetle Juice

(Jeans – Similar, Blazer – Similar, Boots – Similar, Bag – Similar)

I have to admit that this isn’t one of my favourite outfits, but I had to style these jeans for DenimBlog and they didn’t fit me quite right so I needed to pair them with boots. I kept everything black and white because I think that suits the jeans perfectly, but then livened it up with the shots of red in my bag and with my lipstick.

I’m wearing 7 For All Mankind Jeans, a Zara Black Blazer, my DUO Laurel Black Boots and my Marc by Marc Jacobs Red Bell Bag.

When I first got these jeans they reminded me so much of Beetle Juice, hence the title of my post, because he had a whole suit with these thick black and white stripes on. I think I would like these more if the were not coated though, I think the shine makes them less intense. Thick black and white stripes I do prefer over pinstripes though, I think they are really bold and effective. What do you think of the look?

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My Obsession With Watches

I never used to really be a watch person a couple of years ago. I would get irritated by anything tight around my wrist as it feels restricting, however when I realised that I could wear watches loose like my bangles and bracelets, I became addicted.

Since last year I have probably acquired 5 watches and I love them so much! I have a rose gold Marc by Marc Jacobs one, a Daniel Wellington one, two ASOS watches; one with a mustache and one with a rainbow strap, and I recently got a neon pink Marc by Marc Jacobs watch for my anniversary on the weekend.

I’ve always loved the idea of having a designer watch though, ever since I saw an advert in Vogue magazine maybe two years ago of a beautiful Omega watch on Cindy Crawford, I was besotted. It was stunning, but obviously I can’t afford an Omega watch. My boyfriend has always loved them as well and plans to get one in the future.

I was happy to collaborate with Watches of Switzerland on this post purely because they offer pre-owned and vintage designer watches in pristine condition, so you can get them much cheaper. I love the idea of this as it makes things so much easier for those of us who can’t afford the retail value and of course still want an authentic watch! How many of you are slightly watch addicted?

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Photos From Cardiff Castle In Wales

As promised here is the second post from my trip to Cardiff Castle in Wales on Saturday. I have piled all of the castle and grounds photos into this post, as well as some funny ones from the day. The castle itself is amazing, it’s actually quite demolished as it’s been damaged through many wars in the past, so a lot of it has fallen down, however the parts that are still standing are incredible. As it’s so old it has that distinct smell to it which isn’t the nicest, but that’s always to be expected lol.

When you first arrive at Cardiff Castle you see the big wall around the outside and go through the big gates. It’s just like in the films when you see old scenery! You start out the tour with a 5 minute movie, which wasn’t to my liking at all, but then you head off through the tunnels which people used to hide in during the war. You get the air raid siren noise as well as planes and bomb explosions going on through the speakers to give you a real insight as to what it was like. There was also beds and a small kitchen there as people had to live down in the tunnels like that for some time.

We then went up some stairs and out onto the roof of the castle which overlooks everything. This was on the outskirts so you could see into the centre. We then headed down by the back entrance gates and took a walk along the cobble path. There was a massive wooden catapult which was used to obviously fling things at the enemies back in the day, I thought that was was really cool. There was also a stone trench for the troops to hide in and I found some stocks, which I put myself in lol. Then in the middle of the grounds, surrounded by a moat, is the remains of the castle. You have to go up many stone steps which was a nightmare on my knees, but you pass a well on the way up and it’s an incredible view from the top.

The first section which you arrive at has grass grounds and is in the middle, I assume a little like a courtyard, but then you have to go up some more steps to a mid level which overlooks onto the grounds and then if you go up a really narrow and small twisted set of stone steps, you get to the roof which overlooks the whole of Wales. It was such an amazing view as you can see down onto the valleys and everything. It’s quite awkward coming back down though as the steps are steep and only big enough for one person, so bypassing people on the way down and up is quite tricky!

After visiting the castle, my boyfriend and I went into the mansion which is in the grounds. This was built at a much much later date as the people in the paintings who lived there were mainly from the 1800′s. The house was incredible! The decor was a lot like Asian temples and palaces with gold leaf and enamel. They also had the old chairs from the 1800′s still intact and everything. It was an amazing house to be in. You can’t visit all of it as a lot of the house is protected, however you can go through the corridors, dining room and a few other spaces. I loved the old style carvings and statues they had on the walls and around the ceilings as well. There were even stained glass windows of the king and queen and lots of Greek writing above places.

Before we left, we found a place we hadn’t noticed and it was a war museum. Inside were uniforms, medals, guns, weapons and everything from all eras of the war. This was my boyfriends favourite section and I took a photo of him in a Russian hat with a Russian gun lol. There was so much to see and learning about history has always fascinated me!

Overall I had an amazing time there and I would definitely visit again! The train trip was only about an hour and I was worried the tunnel would be bad on my ears, but it wasn’t. It was ok actually! It’s so strange just crossing the tunnel though because as soon as you are out the other side and people get on at the next stop, everyone is Welsh and I adore the accent so it kept me smiling most of the time ha ha. Have any of you ever visited Cardiff Castle? I didn’t get us lost either, even though I had never been to Wales before. Luckily I stare at Google maps as I have a photographic memory and I can know my route just from that. You can see all of my photos by clicking the continue reading button below!

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Burgundy, Black & Grey At Cardiff Castle

(Jeans – Similar, Jacket – Similar, Shoes – Exact, Bag – Similar, Sunglasses – Similar)

Those of you who follow me on Instagram (@LornaRaindrops) will know that I was in the country of Wales on Saturday visiting Cardiff Castle. It was mine and my boyfriends 5 year anniversary and we thought it would be nice to take the train to Wales and visit the castle. We both had an amazing time there and there was so much to see, it was really fun! I will talk more about the castle in my second post as I’m splitting it into two, this one features my outfit and the next one will feature all of the castle pictures!

I’m wearing my Koral Merlot Skinny Jeans, my Zara Faux Leather Sleeve Blazer, my H&M White T-Shirt, my Grey TOMS, my Ray-Ban Cats 5000 Sunglasses and my Mulberry Mini Taylor in Deer Brown.

I honestly did have such a lovely day, it couldn’t have gone better really. The train trip was fine and not too long, the weather was warm all day, our lunch out was nice and the castle was even better than I had expected. It did start raining when we were due to go home and unfortunately I’ve not been too well yesterday and today, but the Saturday was worth it. I’m excited to share the rest of the photos with you soon! Have any of you visited Cardiff Castle before? Comment and let me know what you think of my outfit too!