Shoes, shoes, shoes: a feast of famous footwear

Wizard of Oz Dorothy’s ruby slipper is the first iconic shoe to appear

Nothing better for a Friday than….SHOES!!! It is almost 5pm and to make home (or party) time arrive faster, you can check the lovely selection of shoes on the “Famous Shoes” photo gallery from Federico Mauro.

Feast you eyes with 35 iconic items of footwear from film and personalities – from Audrey Hepburn to Marty McFly.

Happy to see Dorothy’s ruby slippers, Carrie’s blue Manolo, Cinderella’s crystal slipper AND – wait for that – Wonder Woman’s red boots!

Pretty Woman’s over the knee patent boots

Happy Friday!

ps. Thanks Mark for sharing it with me! 🙂

Current shoe affair – Schutz fringe sandals

You might judge me for my shoe promiscuity, but I have no shame. I have a new affair, and I am not hiding it. You can love different shoes in different ways. I am not a one-shoe kind of woman, one is not enough and I am very proud of it.

Excuses aside, I am always falling in love with shoes, and here is the flavour of the month: these amazing black suede barely there high heels sandals with a fringe cuff around the ankle. The uber sexy fringes sweep around your ankles when you walk – or dance. Just HOT!!! And for this reason alone they have been elected my Ibiza sandals, for when I am strutting my stuff around the white island in a few weeks. Plus, they are comfy!!!

They are from Schutz, one of my long time favourites shoe brands in Brazil; this one is called sandália folk franjas preta, from their Folkloric collection. And they were a gift. Yes, a gift from a lovely friend who brought them all the way from home. You know when it is love when people give you shoes, right? Thank you Lu <3.

How long will this affair last? I suspect that in this case, what happens in Ibiza, does not just stay in Ibiza!

See you for the next pair! x

What I’ve been wearing – 02/08/2013

Finally, a more summery post! It’s been a long time coming, and the pins are out for good (ish!).

Here is a combination of some new pieces and some memories of summers past which I still treasure and wear quite a bit!

Red and white full skirt dress from H&M, nude sling back midi heel sandals from Topshop, rings from Primark and Forever 21. Lipstick is MAC So Chaud. Bright colours short-sleeved shirt from New Look, black cigarette trousers from H&M, black patent peep-toes from Ibiza, necklace from H&M, rings from H&M, Topshop and New Look.

Flowery shirt dress from Primark, black patent peep-toes from Ibiza, rings from H&M and Forever 21. Lisptick is Glo Minerals Siren.

Venice print dress from New Look, nude slingback sandals from Topshop, rings from H&M, Forever 21 and Topshop, bracelet from Primark.

Black t-shirt with white collar from Primark, below the knee black patterned skirt from a shop in Stratford centre (bargain of the summer – £5!!!!!!!), black patent peep-toes from Ibiza, rings from New Look, Forever 21 and Topshop.

What’s your style favourites this summer?

What I’ve been wearing – 30 May 2013

Another week, another load of outfits… Summery outfit ratio: 1 in 5 = Sad

One can only hope for better weather…

Outfit #1

Black sheer shirt and black and white striped shorts from Primark, black and white court shoes from Viviana Calçados, necklace from H&M, rings from New Look and H&M, bracelet from New Look. Lipstick is MAC Red.

Outfit #2

Blue, white and black printed short sleeve top from Primark, leggings from H&M, studded black boots from Primark, rings and black bracelet from New Look, eye bracelet from Turkey, necklace from Primark. Lipstick is MAC Lady Danger.

Outfit #3

White batwing crop top from Zara, grey cigarette trousers from Topshop, lack patent court shoes from Christian Louboutin (Rolando), animal hair clutch from Viviana Calçados, necklace from new Look, bracelet from Topshop. Lipstick is MAC Russian Red and zombie eyes courtesy of iPhone flash!

Outfit #4

Black and white stripped trousers from H&M, royal blue crop top from New Look, royal blue court shoes from Aldo, ring from New Look and necklace from Primark. Lipstick is MAC Lady Danger.

Outfit #5

White leopard head print top from H&M, black midi straight skirt from the market, denim waistcoat from Primark, white block heel sandals from Topshop, rings from Accessorize, H&M and New Look, bracelets from New Look. Lipstick is Cosmetics à La Carte Vintage.

Object of my desire: Alexander Siradekiana shoes

OMG OMG OMG

It turns out that Russian designer Alexander Siradekiana’s collection entitled My Way is not just his way, it’s very much mine too. I mean, how hot are these beauties???

Need these AMAZING shoes in my life NOW – at least one pair, pleeease???

From Russia with love indeed….

alexander siradekiana shoes

Current shoe obsession

Some shoes have recently entered my life recently and I have proclaimed my undying love to them….

This GORGEOUSLY sexy pair of black stilettos is from Brazilian brand Schutz’s Marching Orders line.

I absolutely love this brand, and have been a customer for a good 13 years now; every time I go back to Brazil, I by at least a pair. And I can’t get enough of this one, with its fierce point toes, tie up front and shiny, raven like animal hair! ❤

I may have been quite naughty and bought I little clutch bag to go with it. Just might… this one is from Viviana, in my home city of Campinas, SP, Brazil.

What I’ve been wearing – 21 April 2013

In the winter months I get super de-motivated to post the outfits I have been wearing… as spring starts to come by, I feel the urge to get back on it… so here they come, 2013 first edition of a selection of last week’s outfits:

Outfit #1

Beware, you will see A LOT of black and white. If I was obsessed before it was bang on trend and everywhere I look, now it will be impossible to stop me! MONOCHROME OVERDOSE!

outfit - somanylovelythings

Black and white striped shirt and black skirt both from H&M, black court shoes with white details from Viviana Calçados (Brazil), necklace from H&M. Russian Red lipstick.

Outfit #2

Now, the other way round…

Black sheer shirt from Primark, striped leggings from H&M, black and white shoes as above, neon yellow and gold necklace and earrings, black and white bracelet set, exclamation mark ring and heart ring all from New Look. Revlon lip butter in tutti-frutti.

Outfit #3

Leopard print dress from Primark, black and gold court shoes from charity shop, necklace, fox ring and flower ring from Accessorize.

Outfit #4

Doll eyes top from Lulu Guinness for Uniqlo (LOOOOVE this top, so cute!), black skater skirt from H&M, black and white court shoes from Viviana Calçados, set of above the knuckle rings and necklace from H&M, bow ring from New Look and Believe ring from Disney Couture. Russian Red lipstick.

And that is it for this week! What do you think? Are you obsessed with monochromes?

My top beauty tips

Regardless of being a woman obsessed with beauty and is always trying new things, or just sticking to everyday basics, we all have our tricks and tips to make things work for us.

I decided to share some of mine; they are simple tips; some I use all the time, others very rarely, and they are a mix of information I picked up from make up artists or found out myself through experimentation, online and other blogs.

When applying concealer/ highlighter under the eyes , also apply to inside socket, close to the inner corners of the eyes, on the sides of the nose bridge – it makes a big difference!
Extend you eyebrows length to match and imaginary line from the outer corner of your eyes. Also, fill eyebrows with a matte eyeshadow closer to its colour, brush the hairs upwards and apply good highlighter on brow bone – this will give you supermodel brows.
Stay clear from dry, flaky lips by using a toothbrush and Vaseline to gently scrub your lips. I recently discovered Lush’s lip scrub which is also great!
I don’t deliberately apply to my face, but when I do apply on my hair, I notice a little bit of hairspray will ultra fix make up. Urban Decay’s All Nighter make up fixing spray gives you a very similar effect and is skin friendly, for more frequent use.
I always apply fake tan spray mixed with moisturiser; the colour looks more natural and it won’t streak!
After painting my nails, I rub manicure sticks with cotton wool on the tip, dipped in nail polish remover, on the edge of my nail. This creates an imperceptible line with no polish, minimising the varnish impact on surfaces, thus making it last longer and chip less.
Ballerina buns are a saviour for bad hair days.
Dry shampoo – another saviour; especially when you have fine hair like mine, which I feel the need to wash everyday!
When wearing dark lipstick, I like to apply some face powder on the outer line of my lips, it gives them amazing definition, really making them pop!
Sometimes I mix my foundation with moisturiser for a lighter coverage.
Lacy thongs are great for tight dresses. Their lace band is stretchy and it doesn’t cut through skin, leaving no marks or even worse, muffin tops!
Use a cotton bud dipped in eye make up remover for super defined corners on smokey eyes. Just rub it across from the outer corner of the eye towards your temples on a 45 degree angle to clean up the excess and create a super defined line.

What about you? Any tips or ritual you swear by? Why not share here?

The white shoes

This season I was caught in a massive fashion dilemma – white stiletto shoes: yay or nay? White is one of my favourite colours. I know they are bravely back in. They are a great alternative to black shoes when rocking monochrome looks, they are great with pastels. But deep inside I have that feeling about it being an icon of everything bad with 80’s fashion. Plus, to me, it does have that fallen 80’s popstar vibe.

Depending on the material, they can look very tacky (God knows what I’ve seen being sold). The expression on my boyfriend’s face when I told him I had bought white shoes just became funnier after I answered yes to his question “but they are not stilettos, right?”.

I do remember, in the late 90’s/early 00’s, wearing white leather booties (which were really cute, with a metal heel and a Swarovsky crystal in it… erm, maybe not that cute) and every summer I wear white (usually cork) wedges. But a stiletto? Am I really going back to this fashion I was lucky to be young enough to escape? Well, the answer is definitely yes.

After falling in love with a KG number and deciding against them as they were made in China (Chinese shoes really, really hurt my feet. It is a deep pain bordering on desperation. I don’t know what the problem is, maybe it’s because I have slightly wider feet, I stopped buying them as they often don’t see more than one wear, or two, if I am feeling masochistic), I kept battling with myself for another while, and finally caved in about a month ago when I found these lovely River Island ones.

They don’t shine. The have that snake skin detail (white, nevertheless) that detracts a bit from the whiteness of it. And they are slightly off white, so they don’t “glow” in your feet (or at least I keep telling myself that). AND they are made in Brazil. I am supporting my country’s export industry. Right?

All excuses aside, I really like them. It is a lovely shape, pointy, love the heel line and they are made of leather, meaning they will be more comfy after a few wears.

So that’s it. I confessed. This is my spring/summer 2013 guilty pleasure and I am loving it. Don’t care if you think I am an 80’s throwback, after all, it was acceptable in the 80’s (but seriously, what wasn’t?).

What about you? Likely to sport white stilettos soon or won’t be seen dead in them?

Some Valentine’s inspiration…

Hello all. I am about to write about something that is not inspiring me much this year: Valentine’s day.

Yes, sounds a bit bitter, and I am usually a big fan of the day, but my boyfriend is away for work and I will spend my evening alone. Well, not alone – I booked myself a lovely facial and massage at the Elemis spa (which I will be reviewing), so that will detract from the fact I should be sipping some champagne in a romantic setting!

I can still look around and think of options for outfits, places, Valentine’s things I like… a bit sad, but hey, there is always next year! There are so many cute dresses out there at the moment, I am really into bodycons. So how about a pretty dress for the night? Here are some ideas from the high street:

This H&M stripey dress – For a great figure!

The Dorothy Perkins dress – Chic

The Topshop dress- for a little mystery

The Zara red dress – simple but sexy

The back of Miss Selfridge cream bow dress – So cute!

And some shoes, of course!

Vinyl panelled shoes from Dune

Metal platform shoes from Zara

Nude and black shoes from Topshop

Nude shoes from River Island

Red and gold from Miss Selfridge

I usually like to pamper myself; put a face mask on before the date; I tried the Elemis freshskin deep purifying mask, followed by their magical moisture quenching face mask and woke up with calm, soft skin. Love it!

For extra soft kissable lips, I found a favourite: Lush Bubblegum lip scrub. It is made of sugar, tastes amazing and you can eat it afterwards (I know, right?). I wear it daily, in the morning, then apply my favorite lip balm (at the moment, Nivea lip butter).

How about a little treat for the couple? I came across this cute Elemis couples’ kits – for her, an Exotic Frangipani Monoi body oil and a bath and shower cream; for him, a Sharp Shower Body Wash (with invigorating spearmint and peppermint essentials oils) and a Time For Men deep cleanse facial wash. They retail at £12 each. I have the Frangipani body oil and it is amazing – the smell is lovely, it absorbs well in the skin and leaves you really moisturised and soft – I will post the full review soon! You can buy these lovely sets here.

Ladurée macaroons are also a very nice little treat! I am a big fan – they are really the best and their little boxes are super cute….

If you are in London, I find there are so many options of lovely places to go with your loved one. I know that they are overpriced, but sometimes it is just worth going for the experience. There are so many amazing options… For example, Altitude 360 is doing a romantic 5-course with a glass of champagne each for £99. Searcy’s champagne bar offers a special menu and their champagne selection is fantastic, but my favourite has to be the Wallace restaurant at the Wallace Collection, set in a beautiful courtyard in central London, and amazing value for money, at under £30 pp for the set menu. The London Eye has special Valentine’s flights with champagne from £35.04 (online booking price).

Staying in? Waitrose is doing a special twist on their dine-in deal: a three-course meal and a bottle of bubbly for £20!

This year, we had a play booked for the day before Valentine’s (we managed to re-book for the following week!) – and I think this is a nice way of spending the evening with the loved one!

However, the most important thing is that you have each other and have fun spending time together!

Happy Valentine’s day!