What a day for a Bright Wedding

From tasteful tea parties through to sun drenched days at the beach, Summer throws up all sorts of delights particularly in a sartorial sense.

However, as far as occasionwear goes, things aren't always as simple as throwing on a silky slip dress and chunky wooden wedges, and this certainly will not suffice for a sunny day wedding.

The trickiest of Summertime soirees by a country mile, choosing a suitable outfit as a wedding guest is never easy. The best way to go about it, though, is to find a dazzling but demure dress that you can really personalise with accessories to make it your own. 

Opt for a subtle neutral shade that will carry you through the wedding season and an elegant and ethereal style that will befit the occasion.

Then really go to town on the accessories... I like this unexpected flash of neon.

1. I am a statement necklace fiend and this new one from Freedom at Topshop has just made it on to my must-have list for Summer. Paired with this blush shade it certainly provides a punchy pop of colour. It is £30 here. 

2. This wrap dress from Topshop is available in a selection of washed pastel shades and makes for a fabulous Summer party staple. An elegant length with a balletic swishy skirt and flattering pleat detail at the waist- this dress is fantastic for showing off your figure while still leaving plenty to the imagination. The best part? It is only £65 here. 

3. Accessorize have really crept up my high street radar of late. With directional perspex clutches, Shourouk-esque fluoro jewellery and trinkety treasures, it is little wonder that Accessorize have got me questioning my infatuation with the one and only Zara *. This vibrant coral lace detail box clutch is a punchy alternative to the classic neutrals and metallics that are often common place at weddings. It is limited edition so do get your skates on ladies- it is £35 here.  

4. Finding striking shoes on the high street is not always easy, but these vivid lime heels from River Island are striking to say the very least. A slick sandal complete with pretty laser cut detailing, I love the juxtaposition between this ethereal dress and the fierce fluoro heels. They are £65 here. 

5. Topshop nail polishes are always the most deliciously tempting colours and this zingy Venus Fly Trap number is just divine for Summer.  A snip at £5 here, it'd be rude not to, non?

6. Something a little brighter, this glorious neon Bottle Service shade from Essie is sure to put a smile on your face. 

7. Yet another sweetie, this Nails Inc limited edition Summer shade is as yummy as the ice cream sundae on the glossy bottletop. Chelsea Physic Garden is a pastel blue that is sure to compliment sun-kissed Summer skin.

8. You are probably wondering why I featured three nail polishes, but I promise I've not completely lost my marbles. When I spotted these Topshop nail art brushes (£10 for the set here), I knew I had to share them with you guys. Nail art can look so amazing, particularly in these juicy Summer shades. If you need some inspiration, check out my post here or Mara Hoffman's little competition here. 

* I still love you Zara... I think we need some time apart. It's not you, it's me... And my bank balance.

Insta-Intern

Topshop Pumps, Feather and Gem Statement Necklace

Topshop Rings, ASOS Heels (in sale £51)

Nail Art at the Impulse Event by Michelle

Topshop Bracelet, Wonderful quote at Thoughts of Angel

Topshop Ring, Ashish Loser T-Shirt

This month I have been interning at a few different places, and i've been having a blast. I thought i'd do a nice cheery post featuring some images from my Instagram account to brighten up the blog! If you'd like to see more of my generic nail/jewellery/self-depriciating t-shirt blogs please do follow my instagram account at ShonaWallace ! Or follow me on twitter at @SWfashion_

Zig a Zig Wah

Since I had the evening to myself, I thought i'd give some fun nail art a go and went for a leopard print design as seen in my amazing WAH nails book (read about it here) 

I had always thought that I was far too shaky of hand to pull off such a look, but even with my oozing nail art pens I managed to do a fairly decent job of adding a classy but wild edge to my petite nails. 

In the WAH book they recommend a pastel blue base, but I wanted something a little more subtle so opted for my favourite muted grey polish- Covent Garden Ballet, part of the Nails Inc A-Lister collection- as a base, inspired by a favourite summer dress of mine in a cloudy charcoal leopard print.

So how do you go about doing this look? It's a lot easier than you might expect!

1. Start by painting your nails a base colour of your choice. You can keep it simple with a taupe or grey, or pretty with a delicate pastel or zingy with a fluoro polish! Another option is to paint the base white and have the spots coloured rather than white (see a how-to on one of my favourite beauty blogs HERE)

2. Leave polish to dry before carefully dotting a white polish around the nails. Scatter the spots randomly but try to keep them relatively small. As I said before, though, you can swap the white polish for a variety of brights if you're going for a white base.

3. Once dry, take a nail art pen and draw circles and semi-circles around each dot. They needn't be particularly neat- as leopard print is never precise.

4. Once you're satisfied, fill in any gaps with little black spots or dashes to add a bit of life and you are ready to roar.