OOTD: Casino-Themed Ball

These past few days have been anything but lazy, the most prominent events being the two Sixth Form balls I attended on Thursday and Friday evening. Thursday's was my current school's ball which was so much fun; from the delicious bean burger, to the fantastic song selection, to the super-fun photobooth. Friday's - my old schools ball, which I was invited to as a plus one for one of my friends, - unfortunately wasn't as great, as it was ridiculously cramped. This one was casino themed; I've got to hand it to them, they carried out the theme really well. Because this was the one I planned to go to first I chose my outfit based on the casino theme and this is what I came up with: 

the dress

Of course, the dress is what I had to pick out first. After spending ages trawling through numerous sites, I came across this beautiful bodycon from Lipsy. I don't know why Lipsy wasn't my first port of call - the quality of their clothes is amazing and their dresses are always so gorgeous. I thought I'd go for a classic LBD, but this one has a bit of a twist in that it is rippled with slivery/black glitter. It also has a slightly asymmetric skirt which I also really like. This also makes it a bit longer at the back so it covers everything nicely. I think the design of the whole dress was completely ideal and I'm sooo glad I found it. 

Lipsy Dress - £48

the shoes 

Nothing too spectacular here, apart from another chance to rave about New Look heels. I'm head over heels (yes, pun intended - soz) for New Look's range of shoes. These I got about a year ago now, and despite wearing them a fair few times, they still feel as good as new. Plus they were in the sale: you can't go wrong! These ones are an extremely cute pair; simply plain black, with a sling-back design to cater for your exact foot length and shape, and an adorable bow on the front. I didn't know whether they'd tie into the casino theme particularly well but black heels are pretty much fool-proof for any kind of occasion. I'm not entirely sure how high these ones are but they aren't huge - I think for an event in which you're going to be up and dancing for a long period of time, diddier ones are better: those with impossibly high heels may look great to start with, but not when they're hobbling around at the end of the night! Since I got them last year in the sale, they no longer have them in stock, but New Look is a great place to drop into for any kind of shoes. 

New Look shoes

the bag

To stick to the casino theme, I really wanted a red clutch bag. If you want something really simple like I did, Amazon is a good site to check out. Because I was planning on doing a fairly extravagant make-up look and my dress was more than your average LBD, a dramatic bag wasn't really my aim, so this one from Amazon was perfecto. It's a fabulous size with a pocket inside for additional storage. It comes with a little wrist strap that I used, but also a longer strap to wear it as a handbag. The colour was a brilliant red that was almost identical to my lipstick (Blake's red from L'Oreal, if you were interested). I hope I can get more use out of this clutch in the future. 

Amazon Bag - £11.99

the accessories 

I can't go anywhere these days without my Pandora rings and Olivia Burton watch. It helps that my dazzling daisy Pandora ring matches the sparkles on the dress, and having the watch strap in black tied in with the outfit also. On my nails, I wore simply a glittery Ted Baker top coat. I don't think they sell these anymore as it came in a limited edition set a few Christmases ago, but any kind of sparkling nail polish would've suited this look. I liked how it matched the shimmer of the dress. 

Olivia Burton watch - £70, Pandora Star Stacking ring - £45,
Pandora Dazzling Daisy ring - £45

the fragrance

If you've read my 'Summetime Hauling' post (if not, there's a little cheeky link here for you to do just that) then it will probably come as no surprise at all that my perfume of choice was STELLA Eau du Parfum. My new all-time fave. I've gone into a fair bit of detail on the 'Summertime Hauling' post so I won't go crazy here, but it is my perfect fragrance, with a blend of daytime and nightime notes swirled together in fruity-floral greatness. And, let's be honest, who can resist that bottle? The fragrance is pretty pungent and lasts a long time, so perfect for a long and sweaty night dancing. I know I'll be purchasing many a bottle of these; it was the perfect perfume for the evening. 

STELLA Eau du Parfum 50ml - £43.99

I'm so pleased with how this outfit worked out. I had two eventful evenings to say the least, my getting ready with these items made them all the more special. Hope you liked it! 

See you all soon.

From, 

Eleanor