Just too cute for words. And the lugagge… *sigh*
Love!
All available at the Lulu Guinness website.
Category Archives: Lifestyle
Cyclical fashion: dip-dye hair
Minaj's rainbow dip-dye
Lavoisier’s conservation of mass law tells us that in nature nothing is wasted, nothing is created, everything is transformed. I really like that – even though the principle is really used for chemistry and mechanics, I do believe things are cyclical, and fashion is no different.
One example, of many, is platform shoes. I have worn platforms twice in my lifetime – not when they became hugely popular for the first time, in the 60’s and 70’s, but when they had a brief revival in the mid 90’s and recently and for the past two years they have been everywhere. And the trends keep coming back to haunt or delight us, albeit with a modern twist but recycled nevertheless.
Anyway… I saw the dip-dye hair trend on Vogue recently, and even though it is something I will never consider (I am too much a colour coordination freak to do that), I thought it was worth a mention.
It is transformed from the past – what we see today, an almost polished look, with well treated and well coloured locks is reminiscent of the bold colours grunge girls wore back in the 90’s.
Niki Minaj’s is my favourite, just because it is a different twist on the trend, and I think it suits her. If to be tried at home, I suppose colourful hair inserts could do the trick. If you think this one is definitely for you and are feeling brave enough, here is a tutorial on how to dip-dye your hair.
I am also not that keen on the ombre hair seen in the same Vogue gallery (super overgrown roots, giving the hair that lighter colour at the tip). I like my highlights retouched, thank you very much.
Cyndi Lauper shows her true colours!
Funnily enough, over the weekend, as I watched old video clips on obscure music channels quite late at night, I saw the ever fabulous Cyndi Lauper singing True Colors, back in 1986. Of course, her hair colour has always been flamboyant to say the least, and here she also has a second colour on the bottom layer of her hair, but you can see the orange dip-dye-esque colour there.
It does, however, work for some (certainly worked for Cyndi), and in my opinion, worked better when it was part of a lifestyle.
Would you venture?
Can’t let go of my Schutz shoes!
My "vintage" Schutz shoes
I cannot recollect when I started loving shoes, it was certainly at a very young age. What I do remember is falling in love with them again, in different ways, when introduced to Brazilian shoe makers Arezzo and Schutz – they were my staples when I lived in Brazil: almost all of my shoes were either Arezzo or Schutz.
I started to love the design, the materials, the quality and comfort a killer high heel can give you due to engineering. Far from something that protects my feet or accessorises the outfit, the shoes I buy become a part of me, they pretty much are the outfit.
I started following @Schutzoficial not long ago, to get updates, news and feel closer to one of the institutions that helped shape my love for shoes. When I was younger, there were Arezzos and Schutzs, I later discovered the Louboutins and Jimmy Choos.
When I noticed someone posted a picture of their recent Schutz, I decided to post a picture of a very old pair of mine, probably bought circa 2000/2001, and one of the very few that survived my move to London and 9 years beyond that. I just can’t let it go! And probably never will.
Today, they posted my Schutz “vintage” on their blog – the shoes that have been part of my life for about a decade, that danced lots the nights away, and luckily, cannot tell anyone what it has witnessed. What a nice surprise!
That is very sweet, thank you Schutz!
Hooking up with my (shoe) crush
Well, the say you never forget your first love. Maybe it wasn’t love, but I have previously opened my heart about my very first Autumn/Winter 11-12 crush, the Mushnik velvet feather trim shoes from Very.co.uk, which I came across on Coco’s Tea Party blog.
It turns out it is now available for sale, and the price is even better than publicised before: for a mere £38 you can get hold of these lovely shoes.
So I did – I could not neglect the powers of this crush, also, I really obsess with stuff. I have succumbed to buying A/W items in July. There is no hope.
First of all, having never ordered from them before, I was very pleasantly surprised with Very’s service: placed my order on Monday 25/07 at around midday and requested delivery to a Collect+ point near work (I am now a massive fan of Collect+, everyone who retails online should use them!) and by 10am on Tuesday 26/07, I received a text saying my item was ready to collect. Thumbs up for them.
Now, back to the shoes – they are very period drama like – maybe it is the velvet, or the deep burgundy on them, maybe it is just the combo of the fabric with the feathers and “jewels”, it just hides enough of the peep-toe, making it ideal to wear with thicker tights in the colder months. It is a statement shoe, but without being too overpowering.
It is quite true to size, a comfortable 4, almost a 4.5 to be exact and even though it has 5 inches heels, there is a considerable hidden platform, I found them rather comfortable (I was wearing them for ages to get the pictures taken, still to see how they fare on a night out!).
With my eyes on the A/W trends, I have decided I will wear them with a mustard lace dress I bought (ok, alright, the shoes were not the first A/W item I bought this season, go on, judge me!), and I think it will look fab!
I have now more staple items than ever on my new season to buy list, and if the thought of cold, dark, 30-layers-that-make-u you-look-ginormous 5 months to come is enough to make me depressed, building my new season wardrobe is the silver lining that keeps me going!
*P.S.: I might ogling and dribbling over A/W stuff, and even buying a few (I am actually suffering in silence, trying not to max out my credit card on new season stuff!)- it doesn’t mean I gave up on summer – never – even if it is grey, wet and with temperatures so pathetic that are just above the winter days in my home country.
The magical Jacques Townhouse
Yesterday was the last day of the lovely Jacques Townhouse – Chando’s House got an apple and pear makeover into an indulgent girly hotel for this fabulous pop up venue by Jacques Cider.
I am very glad I made it – I certainly had a the most amazing time. Even thought they started the 10- day event with invitation only admission, they soon posted on their Facebook page that invitation was no longer necessary, and people would be served on a first come-first served basis within their daily 17:30 and 19:30 slots. When I first read it, I thought I’d never get in; that there would be long queues (and I really dislike queues, especially after a day at work!), so I decided not to go. However, the fact that I saw the open invite first thing in the morning on Facebook was, to me, a clearl sign that I should not miss it.
The entrance to Chandos House was deliciously decorated with apples and pears. Even though I got there at 17:28, there were only around 15 people waiting ahead of me. Soon after 17:30 a bright red lipped hostess came out with a clipboard and the queue started to move, with small groups of people being let in.
The perfect welcome was delivered by the front of house staff, including the fabulous Miss Monroe, in the hotel reception. They enthusiastically (and with impeccable posh accents) told us about the different rooms of the house and what we would in them: the Photo Studio, Wardrobe of Wonders, Trendtellers, Style Bar, Beauty Parlour and Enchanted Garden.
Each one of us was given a little key to the bar, which unlocked your 2 free refreshing Jacques ciders. We were also offered mini doughnuts and I had a bellboy escorting me up the stairs arm in arm to the Wardrobe of Wonders, which were very nice touches!
Keen to unveil the secrets behind each door, I entered the Wardrobe of Wonders, chose clothes from the racks and accessories, and posed for the camera (have to say, I do not think that this was my best shot from the 3 they took – it is not possible!!!). Waiters went around with trays laden with crispy cider, and girls (including myself) shrieked in excitement or burst into laughter when looking for accessories and trying on clothes.
After that, I went into the Trendtellers room, where I created a feather head band and stencilled my own Jacques canvas bag.
With my newly created items in tow, I went downstairs to the Style Bar, and claimed my first drink, an orchard fruits Jacques cider. Glass in hand, I moved on to the Enchanted Garden, exquisitely decorated with all sort of nick knacks. I was offered popcorn and sat around, soaking in the atmosphere and detail (and checking in on Facebook!).
I then moved to the Beauty Parlour, where I had fluttering eyelashes applied, and cheekily asked for a second treat, and spoiled for choice – between eye, lips or face make up, a massage, a hair do or nails painted – I settled for eye make up. In hindsight, should have gone for a massage, which I really need – however, my “beauty before comfort” motto shouted louder.
With smokey eyes and lashes so fluttery I could have caused a tornado, I collected my second beverage, this time a fruits des bois Jacques cider, and went back to the garden, where I just sat and relaxed – until it was time to leave, but not before grabbing my goody bag, which contained another canvas bag and a bottle of cider!
So I made my way home, smiling and marvelling about all the weird and wonderful things I encountered, enchanted and looking forward to next year’s magical townhouse!
Put a ring on it
A make-up person? Yes. A clothes-coming-out-of-your-ears person? Sure. A more-than-a-centipede-can-handle shoe person? Hell, yes! I never, however, considered myself a ring person. Never cared for them, furthermore, at one point I even worried about the possibility of wearing a wedding ring.
Childhood treasures
When I was a child, I had a lovely tiny gold solitary ring with a blue sapphire. I remember crying so much when the stone fell, and my mum got it replaced with the dinkiest ruby ever. I also had a little pearl ring. I quickly grew out of them and had to have the little ruby ring broken in order to remove it from my finger.
On my 13th birthday, I was given a diamond solitary ring (not a massive rock – small, but with amazing clarity, colour and cut). I also grew out of that, after having it resized once, I had to get it cut out of me! Yes, it seems that I tend to hang on to things, until someone physically removes them from me – but that’s another issue altogether!
And I never fussed over rings, maybe because I got traumatised by wearing a “commitment” ring for 3 years from my very first boyfriend, with our names engraved and all – such an old fashioned thing that has nothing to do with the person I am; it haunts me to this day – I have bad taste shivers to the day when I think of it!
Making a statement, a finger at a time!
In the past years, I bought only a couple rings, discreet sets of 3 with flowers mainly. In the last couple months, however, I have been totally crazy for them – maybe because the current fashion dictates they come big, bold and bright (and there is virtually nothing like that I don’t love), maybe I just decided my fingers need adorning – and I have amassed a little collection in a very short period of time.
The funny thing is, one day, when I failed to put a ring on, I felt kinda naked on the DLR on my way to work. Could the rings be my new earrings? Time will tell!
French and fishtail plaits
At the moment, I am very much into doing different things to my hair. I have always been a straightened-hair-down kinda girl, mainly because I suffered from severe acne in my younger years, and used my fringe to my best advantage.
Two courses of Roaccutane and advancing age later, I am much more comfortable in my own skin (literally) and I am even welcoming the pull back dos (check my post on ballerina buns) , which were a big no-no in the past!
Plaits were, as well as the ballerina buns, a big part of my life when growing up. My mum was a big fan of many forms of plaiting and side ponytails. I learnt how to plait my hair very young, and for most of my life, they played the “bad hair day” ally part.
What I never learnt was to do a French plait – this was always a frustration of mine. And I had never heard (or seen) a fishtail plait until very recently.
So, as with all the things I like, I decided to give it a go. Armed with a comb and Youtube, I found video tutorials to help me fulfill my plaited dream.
Holiday hair - but where's the sun?
I found the French plait particularly useful for when on holidays. When done in the fringe, it kind of tidies up the frizziness of the whole hair, resulting on a “polished” wild look.
As for the fishtail, I just find it prettier than a normal side plait; it is more interesting, I like the texture on it – after finishing it, I usually scruff it up a bit, to get a more natural, less tight look. It also helps to keep the strands of hair that are too short for a side plait tighter. For both, it took me a few attempts to get it right, but now I am able to do them quite quickly!
Here is the tutorial I used for the fishtail plaits and the French plait, both by FoxyLocks on YouTube.
It is so nice to wake up and think we have options that won’t take you ages to achieve, before reaching out to the good old straightener!
Scarily accurate “social” portrait of myself
Well, it just takes into account one of my online personas, just one facet to this diamond that is my personality (ok, ok, I am too inspired this morning), but I think it hits the nail in the head, apart from the flip-flops I am wearing (but this is nothing to do with my personality, only with the number of followers I have!)
Plus, it is dead cute!
It is created automatically, by this lovely site that launched yesterday, called Visual.ly.
I also created a Twitter-off one with bf!
There is nothing not to love about this one!
@dani_dutra. To create yours, go to http://visual.ly/twitter.
The Shoe Fund
Never too many shoes...
Last year, when I got lovely Louboutins for my birthday, an idea struck me: the shoe fund.
I am not earning bucket loads, and although I could make room to afford a spontaneous buy of a £500 pair of shoes, this could affect my budget in a way I wouldn’t like.
So I thought I would, every month on getting paid, put a very small amount of money (currently at £30) into my ISA savings account, so I could treat myself to fabulous shoes on my birthday – and The Shoe Fund was born. At that rate, the amount over 12 months would buy me basic Jimmy Choo courts or I could add some money on top of it to go for something wilder.
This has been going very well, even though this year I won’t have a full 12 months savings ( I started it in March 2011, and supplemented with a refund and a mobile phone sale!) , I will be able to buy another great pair.
I just found out by Googling it, there is something similar from Independent Women, but their shoe fund is more a financial service directed to savings for any occasion – “build or raid a fund that is set aside for those days when a little retail therapy is the best remedy. Whether that is a holiday, home improvements, a new outfit or even just a lipstick or two is irrelevant “.
My shoe fund has made me happier and I cannot help but wonder how many women out there could benefit from this – and if luxury shoe makers could get on board, offering a small discount if the purchase from the money in the shoe fund was used to buy their shoes… Just a thought!
Shopping fever
I am infected by a pesky shopping bug!
I have been compromised, and have the worst case of shopping fever in a while. It is not related to the sales, only 4 of my sea of purchases was actually from the bargain bin.
It seems to be contagious: 3 of us in the office are suffering from similar symptoms.
In the past 2 weeks, I bought: 1 pair of trousers, 3 dresses, 2 skirts, 1 shorts, 5 tops, 3 high heels, 2 pairs of flats, 3 rings, 2 earrings, on top of very expensive flights to Brazil.
I need some help, thinking about setting up a support group!
So Many Lovely Things 