beauty

Hello, ‘ello, ‘ello! So, I’ve been thinking of doing this post for a while, and after the recent #lbloggers chat on Twitter, it made me just go with it. I hope you enjoy this new post, and hopefully it can become a monthly occasion on my blog…

The XX I recently discovered this band, and I love them. They’re a British band which is very rare to come across these days (I think), and they are really quite good. They’re inspiring because they make me relaxed and just make me want to zone out and chill for a while. If you like indie, and a good bass, then this a definitely a band to check out.
Image Source: Chart Attack

Eddie Redmayne & Cara When having a conversation with my best bud (her blog is pretty cool), I ended up looking through Eddie Redmayne pictures, as you do. I stumbled upon these, and WOW. Cara just looks… like Cara (i.e pretty darn awesome), and Eddie, just looks… cute ^-^ The reason these are inspiring is… well… um… just… they’re nice?!
Image Source: Rebloggy

A New Generation I’m getting ridiculously excited now. If you don’t know, I’m going to become an aunty very very soon! It’s going to be so weird for me, seeing as I have never held such a tiny creature of the same species, and I have never really been up close and personal with a bubba. I’m so excited, and I can’t wait to meet my niece/nephew (eek!)
Image Source: Embell

Sunsets & New Beginnings FYI, no I have not fallen in love. Haha! First of all, I just love Sunsets. They’re inspiring because they are so beautiful, and they clear my mind when I see them. As of New Beginnings, it’s Autumn, which means only one thing… Winter. Winter means that it is nearing the end of a year. This year has been such an amazing year. I’ve moved to abroad, I’ve been told that I’m becoming an aunty, I’ve achieved so many things, and met some amazing people. I cannot believe that it has all happened in one year (and a bit). I know it’s not over yet, and I have had some amazing news which hopefully will pull through and I can let you know of, but I have a feeling that this year has been my best yet.
Image Source: Only HD Wallpapers

Sweater Weather Not only do I absolutely love the song, Sweater Weather, I actually love… Sweater Weather haha! I have a feeling that I will be wearing my good ol’ WOW jumper over and over again, with a few nice dresses underneath. I love the feeling of a nice sunny day with a fresh breeze. It’s inspiring because it makes me feel cosy and homely, which makes me feel like spending more time, just chilling.
Image Source: Pinterest

Coral Tea Dress £22.00 (River Island Teens), Pink Marl Slouchy Top £22.00 (River Island Teens), Leopard Print Chelsea Boots £50.00 (River Island), Scallop Trim Satchel £22.00 (ASOS), Barry M Eyeliner £4.59 (ASOS) & Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick £7.99 (ASOS).

As for what I hope to wear this Autumn, I love layering different tones of colours. For example, berries and oranges are perfect! I love putting jumpers over collared dresses, with a nice satchel! I think it looks nice and vintage! I also love eyeliner in Autumn, and of course a berry lipstick!

When reading one of my favourite blogs, Ellie’s Favourite Things, I found quite a nice and quirky post, and now after seeing other people doing it too, I’m going to join in… At this moment in time, I am very nervous and scared about the following pictures. I look absolutely hilarious…. oh and do excuse the messy writing, I did it on a tablet!Oh… gosh. I haven’t even written a full paragraph about these pictures and I am almost peeing myself. Seriously?! Why the heck am I writing this post? Please take care to remind me… I know that my sister is reading this, and I am just going to say it, stop laughing.

The Colourful Jumper – Right, I actually can explain this one. That jumper was literally thee cosiest and comfortable jumper ever. I could store my hankies (handkerchiefs) in the pocket – making me look like a pregnant 4 year old – but it was totally worth it. How to work this look? – Green and grey parka coat, and red trousers, oh and one squinty eye!

The Pirate – Okay, kind of not actually real, but I do promise that this was worn after the fancy dress party, so actually it is kind of real. I’m not quite sure why I dressed like a boy though… Jack Sparrow?! Hmm… How to work this look? – Add another squinty eye.

Red T-Shirt & Barbie Sunglasses – HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh wow. What the heck is that face?! Seriiiiousssly! When people at my old school said I looked like Gollum from Lord of The Rings, I now totally understand their logic. I still cannot believe that I have put that picture out into the universe. 0_0 How to work this look? – Stick your bottom lip out and wear blue Barbie sunglasses.

First Day of School – This is such a me picture. If you think of me when I was younger, it’s either this one or the one where I have 2 glasses up against my head – don’t ask. But yeah. I swear my forehead was abnormally huge when I was younger, it’s sort of in proportion now, but back then, HUGE. N’aww cute though?! If I do say so myself… How to work this look? – Scarves on bags?! Not such a thing, use your handkerchief instead on your lunch bag, oh and just add ANOTHER pair of squinty eyes.

No Skirt – Yeah. I didn’t like to wear skirts, just tops and tights with a VVNL – very visible nappy line. Mama Posh always says that I used to throw tantrums because I really didn’t want to wear my skirt. I would walk around like public spaces without one. How to work this look? – Don’t wear skirts… simple.

Footy Fan – My brother’s rubbed off on me, and I used to love wearing my England football kit, like everywhere. It was comfy, and I just loved it. How to work this look? – Buy a football kit… and um, a squinty eye.

Barbie Sunnies Take 2 – Yup, you can see I just love those sunglasses! But seriously, THAT FACE. WHAT THE HECK IS THAT. Like dwarf elf squashed together?! How to work this look? – Squash your head between an elf and a dwarf (Do not try this at home).

So yep. I have just totally humiliated myself in front of all my blog readers. And yes, I do deserve a medal. I would show you some more recent images, but quite frankly, they are no where near as amusing as these. I also now, really do feel for you grown up people. I want to be cute and funny again. 🙁 Oh well, I can just make my niece/nephew (eeep, not long now!) totally crazy and we can rule the world together. *sets new life goal*

I’m really excited to be writing this ‘My Style’ post. I absolutely loved wearing this outfit, and editing it was even more fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and make sure you put on your 50s cap for this one!

What I Wore: Denim Dress €2.00 (IKKS – Jumble Sale), Blue Cardigan (Primark), Aztec Knee High Socks (River Island), Jelly Shoes €4.00 (Supermarket), Vintage Cat Eye Sunglasses €1.00 (Jumble Sale).

I feel like a vintage doll in this outfit. The dress is just so simple and versatile, it’s one of my best jumble sale finds. I popped a white t-shirt underneath, with some gorgeous knee high socks and my black jelly shoes. I love how all the colours match together, and I feel like I could wear this in whichever season. Just pop on some tights in winter, and voila! Hehe, anyone spot Mama Posh in the reflection?

If you think that these photos aren’t in focus, well you are wrong. I looked up how to edit them all vintage-y, and I now finally know off by heart the ins and outs of making your photos look beautifully retro. Also, yes, I am wearing eye liner. It seems every time I wear my Primark cardigan, I am always wearing eye liner?! I feel like the eye liner just completes the look and feel of this outfit, and it makes me feel a little bit more special!

I just love this outfit, so so so so much. It’s the most gorgeous outfit ever, and err, I love it. Haha! I don’t think I will keep the editing the same again, but I will keeping it as light and delicate as this. What do you think? Too much or too little? Let me know in the comments!

So, um… yeah. Do you remember when I tried to start a series called A-Z Fashion Designers? I started with Adrian Adolph Greenberg… and ended with… Adrian Adolph Greenberg? Yup, well I’m going to attempt to do it again… I cannot promise that I will end on a Z, but I can promise that I will get to a B…. aha. WOW, long intro, let’s just get into it…

Name: Azzedine Alaia (عز الدين عليّة)
Born: Tunis, Tunisia on June 7th 1939 (Age 74)
Education: École des Beaux-Arts
Occupation: Fashion Designer (obviously)
Celebrities seen wearing:  Grace Jones, Tina Turner, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Naomi Campbell, Shakira, Miley Cyrus and also, Rihanna.

Alaia or, Alaïa, was born in Tunisia. His twin sister, inspired him to become a designer. Alaïa lied about his age to get into the École des Beaux-Arts where he studied sculpture. After studying at the school in Tunis, he worked as a dressmaker’s assistant, which led to him dressing private clients. In 1957 he moved to Paris to work on fashion design. He worked as a tailor at Christian Dior and then Guy Laroche and soon afterwards, Thierry Mugler, after which he opened his very own atelier in the late 70s. He produced his first ready-to-wear collection in 1980 which awarded him with Best Designer of The Year and Best Collection of the Year at the Oscars de la Mode in 1984.

His career kicked off after Melka Tréanton of Depeche Mode and Nicole Crassat of French Elle, featured his works in their magazines. In 1988 he had opened his own boutiques in New York, Beverly Hills and in Paris. His ‘sexy’, clinging clothes were a great success and the media named him, ‘The King of Cling’. After his sister passed away in the mid-1990s, he came quiet in the fashion world, although he did carry on working for private clients. In 2000, Prada took him under his wing.

Zig Zag Skirt//Bag//Belt//White Strappy Heels//Check Skirt//Dress//Lasercut Heeled Boots

These are some of my favourite pieces available at the moment. The zig zag skirt is right up my street, because it’s scalloped, multi coloured, and just utterly gorgeous. It’s simple yet chic, and I like it. A lot. The bag is actually quite nice too! Not usually something I would normally like, but I think it would be a nice bag for work or travelling to hold everything! This belt is really nice too (I’m gonna’ say that about everything haha), and is perfect for A/W! The heels are not particularly me, but I thought I would include them because I saw some ‘dupes’ by The Whitepepper, and now I love them even more. Gahh. I also love this check skirt because it would be good for all seasons. The red dress just looks like it would be really nice and flattering and the boots are quite interesting, but again not particularly my favourite ever.

I hope you liked the 2nd instalment of this series, and I do promise I will try and at least get to B, but I’m not sure about Z… Have you been watching LFW Live Streams? I’m loving the collections! I can’t wait for Sunday, think, Mulberry, Topshop Unique & Paul Smith. Uh huh. Mulberry shows always make me feel special because of my mum (she used to design for them), even though it was before I was born, even before my sister was born in fact, but yeah it still makes me smile 🙂 I’m a lucky ducky having a talented mumma! #SoppyMoment Hehe, oh well, just letting it all out! Haha…

(Information found via Wikipedia.)

Hi hi! (I seriously don’t know how to introduce these posts anymore)… Today I am doing a tag. Oh yes, ‘Tolly-The-No-Tag-Blogger’ is going against all she has said, and making her own?! *gasp* I know. I thought there was one missing, so I decided to YOLO it and create the ultimate, Fashion Week tag. *DUN DUN DUN – dramatic intro*

Have you ever been to a Fashion Week before?: Unfortunately, no. I’ve been to The Clothes Show Live, but that’s the closest, and I’ve been invited to a LFW Party but, had to decline due to living in France. But um, yeah. Nope. *sob sob*

If you could go to a Fashion Week, which one would you go to and which season?: Ummm… I think probably London just because I am English, but I wouldn’t mind really. For the season, probably Spring & Summer because I’m more of a fan of colourful clothing than dark grung-y stuff, so S/S is my pick!

What designer’s show would you most like to go to?: Although I absolutely love Vivienne Westwood, and it’s one of my dreams to be able to attend her show, I would be really interested in Valentino’s show because after seeing the catwalk pictures, it looks like such an interesting show to attend!

Would you rather be ‘FROW’ (Front Row) or would you rather take the back seat?: Personally, I’d rather go FROW. I know that some people would like to be back seat because of not being intimidated by ‘bigger’ stars (maybe…?), but for me FROW is where I would like to be seated, oh and if possible, can Anna Wintour sit next to me?

If you were able to work at LFW, who would you rather be – A designer, a model, the press, a VIP, or someone backstage?: Well, I think we all know the answer to this one for me 😉 Of course, I would love to be the designer. Just being able to see my designs go down the catwalk sounds so cool!

Sometimes you can get invites to the after ‘part-ays’, but you are only allowed to meet one model, one designer and one VIP/celebrity, in person. Who would you like to meet?: For a model, I know it is very typical, but Cara Delevingne. Apparently Cara is really laid back and just like any other ‘gal’ – sorry, I’m being rather typical and boring today aren’t I? -, so it would be interesting to see exactly what she is like. For a designer, it would of course be the queen herself, Vivienne Westwood. I am ever so jealous of Olivia (from What Olivia Did) for meeting Vivienne whilst she was eating pie, so I am now aiming to meet her in the next few years (…optimistic!). For a VIP, it would probably be… um… I don’t actually know! I guess meeting anyone inspiring would be amazing, so I guess I’d just see who was there, haha!

For your Fashion Week trip, you can take 5 items, for example a camera etc. What would be your essentials?: Like the example, of course my camera for snapping those catwalk pictures and when I meet Cara & Vivienne. A note pad for jotting down information and thoughts on the shows. Lucozade to keep me going, because it is literally a life saver for people who don’t like coffee! A pair of pumps or super comfortable shoes to slip on if my snazzier pair get painful! Plus, some business cards to just remind people of when they meet me 😉

And finally, of course the obvious question. What will you wear?: I definitely think comfort is key. I think perhaps a jumpsuit and then jazz it up with a funky jacket and accessories, and a striking pair of shoes! I definitely don’t think that making yourself stand out is what it’s all about, but maybe something eye catching which suits your personality and is something you would normally wear.

I TAG…
Anna from The Life of A Fashion Nerd//Joni from Berry Crumble//Nicole from Cole of The Ball//Flora from Pretty Little Things To Do//Harriet from Harriet Does Make-Up//MyDogBlog//Megan from Floral of Beauty
AND EVERYONE!

I hope you enjoyed this very rare occasion. If you are interested in doing this tag, you can find all the questions here: TAG QUESTIONS! Just simply copy and paste! If you did enjoy this, let me know in the comments!

Oh. My. WOW. I haven’t done a design collection in yonks. I know I said I would, and I’m sawwwry, okay?! But, I thought this idea would make it a good way to start a fresh? Non? Welcome in my blogger inspired fashion design collection, oh yes!

All these designs have been based on the blogger’s style. I’ve looked at what they’ve worn and slightly tweaked them. I’m sorry if they are not totally extravagant, but I wanted to really make them wearable for the bloggers.

What Olivia Did:
As you may already know, I love Olivia’s style, and I wanted to sort of, change up a few of the classic pieces that she likes to wear. I’ve made a sailor style collar, but changed it up to a pink colour. I would also make it embellished but it was hard to show on the image above. The skirt is a skater style one in polka dots, I would make it a nice thick jersey style so it has a lot of shape to it.

Briar Rose: 
Again, one of my favourite style inspirations, Megan. I decided to sort of change up the style, by going all out pink, and also using a smock style dress. Megan has the perfect figure for any type of dress style! The neckline has laser cut detail with also a few embellishments around. The skirt is a low waist, and has a nice puffy underskirt. I definitely think Megan could rock this!

Lisette Loves:
You might know, that um, I have a slight obsession with this one 😉 in, a *hopefully* non creepy way. Lisette has a gorgeous fashion sense! I decided to take her away from her favourite style of the smock dress, and pop her in a shift dress. A shapeless dress is always flattering, plus denim is too? I know Lisette could accessorise this really well! I would make the dress a nice perfect blue with a slight acid wash effect.

Hey D*ck Face: 
A more recent style obsession, is the lovely lady from Hey D*ck face. Her style is quite quirky but simple, so anyone can try and take a few ideas from her outfits. I decided to do a twist on one of her most recent OOTDs. I’ve made the sweater a purple and pastel blue dip dye colour, with the Hey D*ck face logo.  I also changed up the skirt so it is a metallic texture – so cool. I love the metallic look, and I definitely think she could work it 😉

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Make sure to check out all these lovely ladies, their blogs are amazing! I think I might do another one of these collections? What do you think? Let me know in the comments?

Excuse the really odd title of this My Style post. I thought it was quite fitting, though…?! I also excuse the fact that my editing is changing. I’m trying to find the perfect way that suits the feel of my outfits I wear, I know it can be annoying, but I just can’t find the right type of colours etc

What I Wore: Floral Crown (DIY), Oriental Silk Kimono Top €1.00 (Jumble Sale), Sleeveless Parrot Blouse £8.00* (Peacocks), Petite Lasercut Hi Low Skirt £13.00 (ASOS), Jelly Shoes (Supermarket).

I LOVE THIS OUTFIT. When this gorgeous blouse slipped through my letter box, I was like.. ‘Hmm, what should I wear it with’, so I went on the hunt for something to wear with it. BINGO. A 1 EURO Silk Kimono Top in the perfect turquoise blue. The colour picks out the parrots in my blouse, and ooooh they look so nice together. Add my flowy lasercut skirt from ASOS (Still available here, grab it whilst you can!), and it’s just perfect. Although this blouse is Peacocks, I really do like it. It’s great quality for the price. The one thing that is a shame, is the fact that there are only a few gems in the range for girls, which are in the midst of 1D T-Shirts, so come on Peacocks, give us some more! I definitely think I would wear this to LFW though, for one of the more informal shows… *sob sob* Ahhh, one can dream!

As I always do, here is the lifestyle part of my OOTDs… last week we went on a day trip, involving an hour and a half car journey. We went to a pretty village which was basically on the edge of a hill (One of the building was IN the hill). We had a walk round, a drink and a kebab – the yummy ones, pita bread, chips, BBQ sauce, onion… you know the drill. We then went back home stopping off to of course take my OOTD pictures 😉 #bloggerproblems. It was a really lovely day, but also absolutely boiling! I am going to miss the summer, but oh boy, I can’t wait for cosy nights in the winter!

Unfortunately, the leaves are turning. Autumn is upon us, and it’s time to change up our wardrobe. I’ve rounded up the best picks for your Jewellery & Accessories for A/W 13. At very cheap prices, anyone can afford these pieces…

Turquoise Bracelet//Ring//Pearl Collar//Tartan Scrunchy//Tartan Scarf

Turquoise Stone: I’ve seen a lot of this type of stone on jewellery recently, and I think it’s going to be even bigger this upcoming season. It looks great with anything monochrome, and it looks more expensive than it is. I love this bracelet and it looks great with the leather straps. The ring is also really nice! I love how it is such a statement piece, and it’s definitely a key piece for anyone’s jewellery collection!

Pearls: As I said in this post, I think pearls are definitely on the rise. Although this collar does not feature real ones, it’s still effortlessly gorgeous, and would go with any simple dress. After the film, The Great Gatsby, the rise of this type of costume jewellery has shown!

Scrunchy: I love the old school vibe of scrunchies. Although some people think these are just a little too retro, I think they can complete any outfit, especially when they are brightly coloured like this one from Season’s Online. It’s a cute and bright addition to your collection, and would look amazing with a simple smock or skater dress.

Tartan: The scarf and scrunchy are perfect examples of tartan. The print is quite hard to get right, but when you add a touch of it to an outfit, you will most likely get it spot on. Mix the scarf with a leather jacket and you’ll be ready to rock! Plus, it’s Buy One Get One Free so… it’s a bargain really!

I hope you liked this round up of Jewellery & Accessories for the new season! My favourite has got to be the scrunchy! It’s so cute!

(This is a sponsored post on behalf of Season’s Online. I may have been gifted or paid to write and publish this post, but all opinions are 100% honest and are in no way biased. All content was written by myself. You can read my full disclaimer here.)

What up, peeps?! Today it is the 3rd installment of The Beauty Reviews. If you don’t know already this is the only beauty post I publish on this blog. It happens every month, and it’s basically a round up of some products I have been loving (or hating!). I’m not 100% feeling these posts, so please let me know if you like them or not, but yeah… enjoy…

Concoction ‘ShampYou’ £14.00 & Creme De Conditioner £16.00*: I was really excited to receive these products. The concept of Concoction, is basically to personalise your haircare. You can choose from a variety of ‘bases’ for your shampoo and a choice of different ‘shots’ which are things like moisture boosts etc, just like a cocktail. I have the Bakhour ShampYou base, with the Turn Up The Volume & Back To Your Roots Superserums and the Cashmere & Water Lily Conditioner. First of all… The packaging; It’s sleek, and simple, but when wet, it is really slippery and hard to hold. The lids are quite hard to use because it means having to squeeze the slippery bottle to actually get the product out, of which I found hard to do with the conditioner. The Superserums; You add these to the shampoo. Snap the lids off, and unscrew the bottle of shampoo, pour in the serums and shake for at least a minute. I found this quite an annoying process in my opinion, but I like how personal it is. The outcome; To be honest with you, I think this is an over priced product.. eep! I didn’t see a massive difference when I used the products together. The shampoo did it’s job in making my hair clean, but it didn’t really make it fresh like some other ones I use. The conditioner again didn’t really do much, but did make my hair silky. I haven’t seen extra volume in my hair from the Turn Up The Volume Superserum, but my roots do feel a bit nicer from the Back To Your Roots one. All In All; I think I will need to keep trying this product even more to see exactly the changes, so I will report back to you! But for now, I’m not 100% feeling it. The concept is nice, but the product… hmm? Rating: 6.5/10

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 640, Plum Luck: As it’s getting nearer to A/W, I’m using darker colours on my nails. This colour is a really nice, dark purple colour. It looks almost black, but with a nice purpley red tone to it. With a clear top coat it looks so shiny, and takes around 4 days without chipping. It looks a lot lighter in the bottle, so I would be aware of that. It’s actually one of my favourite formulas at the moment, and the colour too. Rating: 8/10

Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser with Orange Extracts: I found this amongst a load of products which I rarely use, and I decided to give it a go. This cleanser is a really nice, fresh exfoliater. I like to use this after removing any make-up, but this is probably only once a week. Although it is quite gentle, I think if you have quite sensitive skin, it could be quite rough for you. I find even if I go on my cheeks, it can start irritating around my eye area, because the grains are quite big. The consistency is a nice creamy one though. I think it would be good for oily skin types, and a nice summer cleanser as it is refreshing. Rating: 7/10

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash: I bought this sort of on a whim when I heard of foaming face washes (sounds silly that I’d never heard of them, I know!), but it’s actually really really nice. It’s amazingly gentle, but it definitely soaks into the skin. If I have any blemishes or small spots, I like to wash my face with this as it seems to reduce the appearance of them. It’s nice and foamy at first and you only need one pump, after rubbing it in it goes into a more soapy consistency which is when you know it is really working. Simply wash off with water, and voila! I use this most mornings and nights, and I’d say it is a perfect face wash for anyone my age or in their teens. Rating: 9/10

Heal Gel for Eyes £32.00*: I’ve been really interested in buying an eye gel because of what the beauty blogging community has been saying about them. I’ve used a cream one before, but really didn’t see any difference, so when this came up, I was intrigued. It’s a clear gel which comes with a handy pump. It’s a great travel size and would be great for people on the go. I love the packaging, it’s very simple and quirky. What I like about this is the fact that you can get really close up to your eyes, and it doesn’t irritate them at all. It’s very gentle. When using it, throughout the day or in the morning, I do see a difference. I also see a difference when I’ve been using it for around 2 days, but if I stop, my eyes just go back to normal. It makes my under eye area, nice and soft, and also a little tighter, but I don’t see much of a difference. I’m going to carry on using it and see if it makes a difference in the long run, but for now, I call it my ‘under eye moisturiser’. Rating 7/10

I hope you liked these mini reviews! I’m sorry it was a long one, but I had to fit a lot in! If you do like these posts, do let me know because I don’t know whether to keep them as part of my blog, or not? 

It’s getting to that time again where students are making decisions. What university or college do they want to go to? What job do they really want to have? Should they take a gap year, etc. Sometimes knowing a little bit more inside detail from the people who actually hire employees can be reassuring. I was given the opportunity to speak to Boohoo.com‘s Head of HR (Human Resources), Kathy Allison about getting a job in the fashion industry, and what working with Boohoo is really all about. Enjoy… (Images courtesy of Boohoo.com)