Alice Tinted Glasses: Barnardos Charity Shop Challenge... Sequin Maxi Dress

I was absolutely thrilled to be contacted by Barnardos a couple of months ago and asked to help guest write for their blog. I jumped at the chance, charity shopping is definitely one of my favourite ways to shop, I am always browsing the rails to find the next fabulous bargain!

I was asked to take part in a style challenge to create an outfit purely shopping in one of their stores, I was so up for this. The Barnardos in my home town is always full of great bargains and they regularly have special offers so I was ready to take on the challenge. I wanted to create a festival inspired look as it is now the height of festival season.

I made the trip to town to take on the rails, it didn't take me long to spot this absolutely incredible sequin maxi dress and I knew this was the dress for me. It was a couple of sizes too big and the lining was full but I grabbed it as I knew I could modify this myself. I also couldn't resist as it was only £1.99, I couldn't believe how cheap it was. The Barnardos in my home town rarely has any items for over £1.99 so there are always huge bargains to be had, last winter I picked up a fab faux sheepskin coat for the same price!

When I got this dress home I shortened the lining to make my legs visible through the sequin sheer material and also took the sides in to make the dress fit me better. It was a quick an easy job and the results are fabulous. I've styled the dress with a gorgeous floral crown and also with glitter festival style make up along with white chunky heels, which I of course wouldn't wear at a festival (Dr Martens are my go to festival shoe!).

This dress proves what absolute gems can be found in charity shops, not only do you get the joy of searching through the rails but you also get to find one off pieces that no one else has. It's so much more exciting than high street shopping! I can't wait to prance about a field in my fabulous new dress!!