Category Archives: Accessories

Cat-a-Cake Creations jewellery: a world of cuteness

Cat-a-cake Creations - somanylovelythingsAccessories are really important in my life – I wear tons of it everyday (actually someone at work once mentioned they were distracted by my rings when talking to me, haha), so I was delighted to receive some lovely samples from Cat-a-Cake Creations, an illustration, design, jewellery and greeting cards (phew!) company by Claire Montgomery.

Illustrator and designer Claire, based in Brighton, UK, specialises in hand crafted collage illustrations; the greeting cards are designed using hand drawn and digital processes and the jewellery, launched in 2012, is hand designed and laser cut.

Her jewellery is very cute and very quirky, girly with an edge – the materials used, acrylic and cherry wood veneer, certainly contribute to that.

bird earring Cat-a-cake Creations - somanylovelythings

So delicate!


I got the lovely Summer Seaside ice-cream cone necklace in gold mirror, which costs £10 and a little flying bird pair of earrings, in a lovely metallic charcoal finish, which retails for a very resonable £6. I really like the length on the necklace chain. The finish is flawless and detail is incredible and you can choose different finishes for some of the designs.

They are very pretty and wearable, definitely unique pieces that will make you stand out from the crowd – and this is just a small sample of her range, which include the latest collection entitled Carousel.

ice-cream necklace Cat-a-cake Creations - somanylovelythings

So quirky and shiny!

You can browse Claire’s jewellery line (which contains necklaces, brooches, charm bracelets, charms, phone charms, and earrings) and her gorgeously illustrated greeting cards (she has an amazing offer available, but will also pick up commissions) on the Cat-a-Cake Creations site and you can buy online on her Etsy site. Oh, and everything is lovingly made by the seaside!

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

What I’ve been wearing – 28 April 2013

Another week, a whole set of outfits… aaaaaaah! Again, B&W obsession is NOT going away…

Outfit #1

outfit of the day

Some spots and stripes! Lulu Guinness for Uniqlo top, River Island polka dot skirt, red court shoes from New Look. Lipstick is MAC Red.

Outfit #2

outfit of the day

Leather collar shirt, from Primark, black shorts from H&M, black and white court shoes from Viviana Calcados, set of above the knuckle rings from H&M, key, pearl and heart rings from New Look. Lipstick is MAC So Chaud.

Outfit #3

outfit of the day

Didn’t really have time to properly photograph the outfit that wasn’t black and white!!! AAArgh! Black top, blue patterned trousers and necklace from H&M, black court shoes from River Island.

Outfit #4

outfit of the day

Apple print shirt from Friday on My Mind, black pencil skirt from H&M, red court shoes from New Look, kiss and bow rings from Primark, set of above the knuckle rings from H&M. Lipstick is Ruby Woo.

Outfit #5

outfit9

Black and white patterned shirt from H&M, leather-like pleated skirt from Primark, black and white court shoes from Viviana, bow and key rings and bracelet from New Look. Lipstick is MAC Lady Danger.

What about you? What have you been wearing?

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…

outfit - somanylovelythings

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

outfit - somanylovelythings

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

Outfit #4

outfit4

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

Illustration - woman applying lipstickRegardless 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?

X

Genoa cosmetics and make-up trolley from Beauty Boxes

Genoa Cosmetics & Make Up Trolley from Beauty Boxes - So Many Lovely Things

A girl’s beauty dream

If you are a make-up mad person as I am, I doubt you never dreamt about having all your lovely cosmetics organised in a gorgeous beauty trolley.

I mean, just think about having everything visible, in one safe place that is mobile. Well, I no longer have to dream.

The Genoa trolley from Beauty Boxes is a “workstation on wheels” and it is suitable for make-up artists and beauticians, as well as to have at home. It’s not too big and bulky, so it sits comfortably even in homes that don’t have that much space (like mine), and because it is very pretty, it can (and should) be on show!

The delivery service was exceptional – next day and I got an email on the day specifying an hour time slot for delivery, and it came 5 minutes into the slot. In all my excitement, I opened the box to find an amazingly sturdy, finished to a high standard trolley, with very smooth hinges and sliders. There are two mirrors inside and it also comes with two make-up brushes holders which can be hung on the trolley when open. The top compartments have a good depth and the bottom part too – it’s deep enough to fit hair tools. It also has a key.

I fit most of my make-up in it, well, the usual suspects that is, leaving out many odds and sods, some palettes and a few products I haven’t opened yet! At the top I put my face and lip products. In the second fold of drawers I put my single eye shadows and all eye stuff. In the compartments at the bottom, I put my beloved Urban Decay palettes and bags with the other eyes, lips and face stuff I use less often. There were two empty compartments where I could put my other eye shadow palettes, skincare and/or hair dryer, straighteners, curlers and products. On top of it, when closed, I had the brush holders and my lovely Revlon mirror with lights, so the trolley is really versatile!

In terms of mobility, I found it is not too heavy when loaded. The wheels are smooth, and the handle strongly built.

It comes in three colours; mine, rose, a lovely bright-ish pink with a snake skin-like texture, baby pink and silver, both with a metal finish – all in 38.5cm width, 62cm height, 30cm depth and 7.4kg of fabulousness.

Would I recommended that anyone that has a considerable amount of make-up and cosmetics buy one? Definitely. If you don’t have that much, Beauty Boxes has an exciting range of practical, durable and versatile beauty boxes and trolleys which are also very pretty and stylish, to cater for varied needs – oh, and with free delivery!

Beauty Boxes kindly sent me this as a PR sample, and I could not be happier. Serious amount of excitement. Views are my own, based on honest experience with the product.

Retrospective fashion show – from the past to the next season

Gold lamé – yes, please!

Bourne and Hollingsworth, the creators of Retrospective: The history behind next season, kindly sent me an invitation to attend the event. The fashion show idea is rather simple, but ingenious – to showcase coming trends using vintage pieces. As a big fan of vintage I was very excited to attend – especially was there was a party afterwards!

The show started with a display of fashion and silver screen icons and consisted of showing trends that we are currently wearing via garments from the past, from various eras.

The trends explored were Gothic (so hot right now!), monochrome, wild, lingerie/night gowns and the finale was a showcase of known designer pieces in mixed styles.

It is everywhere. Black, lace, crosses… and it was here too. From the gothic trend I really liked a Gil Y Jacques lurex dress with a feather choker and a 90’s Oscar de la Renta forest green silk shirt.

I love monochromes, to me, black and white together never go out of fashion… so that was a tough call… it will have to be the Biba black acetate and rayon jumpsuit and sequin jacket from the 70’s and a tulle and cotton white dress worn with patent snakeskin gloves.

Needless to say, I am a massive fan of animal prints, and in my books, a bit of leopard is always welcome, so wild is just up my street. Faves were an 80’s Adele Simpson snakeskin print silk dress and an amazing 60’s raccoon fur coat.

For the nighties, I didn’t fancy that enough to pick a piece, it’s ok, but not my favourite… but from their showcase finale, I have to say I enjoyed most of it… the Givenchy black viscose and lace jumpsuit (80’s) was fabulous, the 20’s silk and faux-fur dress coat so feminine, the glam Loriz Azzaro gold lame dress from the 50’s was possibly my favourite piece of all.

I really enjoyed the concept, it shows that not only the recyclable nature of trends, but also the clothes themselves they are still edgy and most still wearable.

As for the party, there were, as expected, music from different eras; and dance performances… it was a lot of fun. There were thematic cocktails (I had Gatsbys). Not fun was to wait ages for drinks, though…

Still, I enjoyed myself. Hats off to the stylist Violet Naylor-Leyland, who picked through pieces from various past times to present them neatly and excitingly – I am full of ideas. Inspiration, for me, is the main point of fashion.

What I wore – 21/07/12

It really feels like every week, when I show you what I wore, I mainly moan about the weather. Well, I do. I cannot take anymore. All the tought and effort (and a bit of frenzy) that went inbto building a lovely summery wardrobe are totally in vain. Oh, well….

It feels like my tights are glued to my legs. My only attempt not to wear tights last week was aborted in the middle of the day; I didn~t wear them on Tuesday, but I brought them in my bag. By midday had to gie in… just not warm or dry enough.

It had been a while since I wore leopard print, so I decided to start my week in it; and I closed my week confronting the grey weather by going all colour with a bright pink playsuit.

And on Wednesday, I wore I dress I bought a few years back in New York; so pretty, inspired on the Prada collection at the time, it seems to keep giving!

Here are the details:

Monday

Leopard print blouse (Forever 21), black leggings (H&M), taupe shoes with gold toe cap (Viviana), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), resin ring (Sobral), spike and leather studded bracelets (New Look), NYX lipstick in Peach Bellini.

Tuesday

Mint green lace panel top (H&M), black pencil skirt (H&M), mint green shoes with silver toe cap (Topshop), skull ring (shop in Paris), triple spike and black heart rings (Forever 21), believe ring (Disney Couture),  Revlon lip butter in Strawberry Shortcake.

Wednesday

Black and white print dress (Forever 21),  tricolour shoes (Zara), metal belt (Primark),  pearl earrings (Accessorize), ear cuff (Topshop), flower rings (Accessorize), big heart ring (Forever 21), D heart ring (Miss Selfridge), bracelets (a mix of New Look, Topshop and Primark), MAC lipstick in Russian Red.

Friday

Pink flower print playsuit (Primark), black leather ankle boots (gift from a friend), skull ring (as above), star ring (Primark), snake ring (New Look), purple stone ring (Accessorize), bracelets (a mix of Topshop and New Look), NYX lipstick in Chloe.

How are coping with the “summer” in the UK? If you are not in the UK, how’s the weather over where you are?

What I wore – 14/07/2012

Bad, bad weather. Been desperately trying to keep my pins out, but it feels like the tights are stuck to them!

Black, white and red is my favourite combination ever for dressing. So pretty, effortless and instantly gives you a classic look. Cannot have enough of it, as you can see this week!

Fruit print seems to be a recurring theme this week – appeared twice in my wardrobe!

My favourite outfit was Wednesday’s, I am in love with the blouse… I thought I’d make a bit more of an effort as I attend Cointreau Rendez-vous in London, a lovely event where you got a cocktail master class, mini manis and the lovely ladies from Wish Want Wear. It was held at the super-quirky Ninetyeight bar in Shoreditch.

Monday

Cherry print dress (H&M), red patent court shoes (New Look), red belt (Little Mistress), rings (skull – small shop in Paris, black stones – Primark, apple – New Look), bracelets (spike and gold chain – Topshop, gold and black – H&M), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger, Collection 2000 Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner and MAC eyeshadow in Nylon.

Tuesday

Blue dress with tiny multicoloured hearts and dots (small shop in Brazil), tricolour shoes (Zara), rings (small flower – Accessorize, big flower – from Brazil, white round  and love birds- H&M), bracelets (gold studs+leather New Look, others from Topshop), Nyx lipstick in Peach Bellini, MAC eyeshadow Vex and Deep Truth as liner.

Wednesday

Apple print blouse (Friday On My Mind), black pencil skirt (H&M), black Décolleté 100 pumps (Christian Louboutin), rings (love birds – H&M, apple – New Look, D in heart – Miss Selfridge, white rose – H&M, black and gold resin – Sobral), bracelets (pearls and bow – Primark, gold chain – Topshop), earring (love with pearl – Miss Selfridge, ear cuff – Topshop), MAC lipstick in Russian Red, MAC lipstick in Lady Danger, Collection 2000 Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner and MAC eyeshadow in Nylon.

Thursday

Black and White striped sleeveless blouse (Primark), high-waisted black shorts (H&M), black studs slippers (Topshop), rings (zebra – New Look, love birds – H&M, believe – Disney Couture, other silver – a gift from a friend),  bracelets (spikes and bangle – New Look), Nyx lipstick in Peach Bellini.

Friday

Cornflour blue shift dress (Dorothy Perkins),  black belt with chain (Primark), black Décolleté 100 pumps (Christian Louboutin), rings (love birds – H&M, black and gold resin – Sobral, D in a heart – Miss Selfridge, pink flower – Accessorize, gold flower – shop in Brazil), bracelets (gold with bow – New Look, spike and chain – Topshop), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger.

And here a couple pictures of my outfits in action on Wednesday and Friday and the Cointreau goody bag!

What about you? Any outfits you put together lately that you loved and made you feel pretty?

What I wore – 30/06/12

I have been a bit busy, so sometimes I am not able to photograph five outfits a week; the weather hasn’t been too bad – ok, it hasn’t been brilliant, but at least the temperature has gone up a couple degrees, and the leg bearing opportunities have increased.

This selection takes advantage of that – I took the plunge and I may have gone home slight cold and/or with wet feet, but it is summer and I will insist. I also have a new red in my life: MAC’s Lady Danger, discovered last week. I am obsessed, but that doesn’t mean I forgot my first love Russian Red.

I finally got round to hemming two maxi skirts and a maxi dress I bought a while ago, so I am wearing this lovely, bang on trend tribal-esque print dress on Monday, to open the week.

I had a little bit of a retro feel on my outfit on Tuesday- I love wearing retro inspired stuff, usually don’t stick to a particular decade; I just pull some elements, a few little touches, and make them work with my wardrobe and inspiration.

On Wednesday, I wore a dress I bought ages ago and didn’t have the chance to wear: this lovely tomato print dress. I fell in Love with D&G vegetable prints (the aubergine to be precise), but sadly my budget does not stretch that far, so I made do with what I could find – and what I lovely find that was!

Finally, on Friday, I wore a favourite dress of mine, bought in Thailand a few years back; I feel it hasn’t gone out of fashion, and I can always count on it to feel pretty.

Wanna see what they are? Here is the nitty-gritty:

Monday

Tribal-esque print maxi dress (Primark), sand colour wedges (Território dos Pés, Brazil), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), prince frog ring (New Look), bracelets (Topshop and New Look), Revlon lip butter in Strawberry Shortcake.

Tuesday

Balck and white polka dot skirt (River Island), should ruffle black top (H&M), gold belt (Primark), tricolour court shoes (Zara), owl earrings (Primark), tiger ring (New Look), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), flower ring (a shop in Brazil), bracelet (H&M), MAC lipstick Lady Danger.

Wednesday

Tomato print dress (New Look), nude slingback peep toe sandals (Topshop), bracelets (Topshop and New Look), rings (H&M, Accessorize, Primark and a shop in Brazil), MAC lipstick Lady Danger (not shown).

Friday

White dress with red, green and purple leaf print (a boutique in Thailand), red slingback peep toe sandals (Aldo), big stone ring (hand, custom made in Marrakesh), silver knuckle ring (New Look), little rings (H&M, in a set), believe ring (Disney Couture), bracelets (Primark and Topshop – skulls), Lancome lipstick in in Hot Stuff.

What about you? Obsessed with anything lately?

This week’s outfits – 23/06/12

Hello all, this post should really be called “last week’s outfits”; I was so ill with flu that I wore pyjamas over two whole days of last week, so I only have three outfits to add!

Monday

Black bodycon skirt (H&M), black and white stripey blouse (Primark), prince frog ring (New Look), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), bracelets (all from Topshop), tri-colour shoes (Zara), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger (IN LOVE with it!!!).

Tuesday

Black trousers (Zara), mint green top with sheer back (H&M), believe ring (Disney Couture), tiger, leaf and birds rings (H&M), spike bracelet (New Look), mint green with silver toe cap shoes (Topshop), MAC Viva Glam lipstick in Nicki.

Wednesday

Green flower print dress (Primark), white embroided bolero (a shop in Brazil), gold leaf hair clip (Primark), triple snake ring (New Look), pearl ring (Primark), birds ring (H&M). nude sling back peep-toes (Topshop), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger (told you I am obsessed!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is it for this week, you’ll be glad to know I won’t be posting any pyjamas pictures!!! I will soon be posting the latest! What about you? Excited about anything you have been wearing lately?