Category Archives: Style

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

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!

lush_lip_scrubFor 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.

elemis

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!

heart banner

x x x

My last minute spot at the BBloggersXmas event

I found out about this event very last minute, thanks to Grace from All that slap – and I am so glad they had a little place available for me.

This networking event took place really close to my home, at the Reebok bar in Canary Wharf and it was beautifully organised by Lola, from Lola Star Hearts and Victoria, from Victoria’s Beauty and Fashion Review blogs.

Lot of talk about it was going on Twitter (I am still not quite sure how I completely missed it!). Everyone was excited and thinking about outfits! I hadn’t thought about that yet, and panicked a little bit, as I was sure everyone was going to look lovely, so I settled for American Apparel wet(ish) leggings, a burgundy leather peplum from H&M, Louboutin black courts, a multicoloured necklace also from H&M, grey/black smokey eyes and burgundy lipstick (MAC’s Diva).

Around 65 bloggers, I hear, attended the event – an amazing turnout. There were some brands demo-ing their products, such as Slendertone, Aromatherapy Associates, Diva hair styling products, Bad Apple polishes, Bronze Ambition and Twisted Sista hair products. There was a quiz and twitter prize draws – lucky me here got a glass nail file with Swarosvki crystals!

There were cakes pops, Pop Chips (yum yum yum!) and lots of lovely bloggers to meet and chat away! The atmosphere was great! I find that people say bloggers are not very friendly to other bloggers, but I am not sure where people get this from – every event I attended, everyone I met was super lovely and friendly and I always have a great time!

Thank you very much Lola and Victoria, it was an awesome event, really well organised and a goodie bag to really die for – and early Christmas treat (it was like opening my stocking in the morning) and which will generate plenty of reviews!!!

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

So, with the weather oscillating so much, and looking a bit grim at points to say the least, I went a bit crazy on the autumn/winter 12-13 items that can already be found in the shops. It is a sad thing; it is not even the pinnacle of summer and I am already thinking about buying warmer clothes…

I started the week with love on my mind, favouring the heart print two days in a row, with two girly dresses I love!

Then I went a bit darker, and yes, I wore trousers, a very rare occurrence; and  I closed the week with a very autumnal blouse.

This week I gave in to the big necklaces. Oh, I am loving them and cannot wait to acquire a couple more.

Monday

Navy and nude heart print dress (Little Mistress),  red patent court shoes (New Look), heart ring (Forever 21), nude round and large over the knuckle rings (H&M), above the knuckle ring (eBay), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger.

Tuesday

Black and mustard heart print ring (Primark), tricolour court shoes (Zara), rings (big heart – Forever 21, small D heart – Miss Selfridge, mustard – H&M, black bars – Primark), bracelets (mix of Topshop and New Look), Lancome lipstick in Hot stuff.

Wednesday

Black sheer shirt (Primark), black trousers (Zara), black peep-toe wedge booties (New Look), rings (skull – shop in Paris, gold knuckle – H&M, resin – Sobral, above the knuckle – Lovehearts and crosses), bracelet (New Look), earrings (News Look and ear cuff – Topshop), necklace (Primark), MAC lipstick in Odyssey.

Friday

Floral blouse (Primark), black pencil skirt (H&M), taupe gold captoe shoes (Viviana), rings (mustard H&M, star – Primark, gold knuckle – H&M, resin – Sobral, above the knuckle – Lovehearts and crosses, bars – Primark), necklace (Primark), Kiko lipstick (it was bought on their sale, has no number, or name, it is quite orange and matte, I put a little bit of Vaseline on top).

Have you started buying Autumn/Winter items yet? What trends are you going to be adopting?

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?

Trends: inspiration for Autumn/Winter 12-13

My autumn/winter 12-13 moodboard

There have been loads of talks about transitioning into the colder season – guess what, I am still transitioning into summer – but it looks like I will be on a 12 months transition, the temperature doesn’t get any better and I am just changing the collections leaving some previous season legacy behind! Sad times! Still a month or so of hope, maybe I will be wearing pretty dresses and sandals till September.

Every year, I follow the fashion weeks across the globe, and something always jumps to my attention (I feel in love with LV SS12 collection so much that much of my current wardrobe is inspired by it!); but by the time you actually get to wear the trends, you kinda forgot about them… but the fashion mags and the high street won’t let you forget. Or me.

Some trends are right up my street; others, I pass, thank you, and that is the beauty of it – making what is “in” your own, picking and choosing – and why not mixing – moulding the trends to suit your own personal style.

I will be slowly leaving my pastels behind and looking out for some trends I will be adopting.

Soooo pleased that the “womanly” trend is being dragged into the next season, thanks Lanvin and Calvin Klein  – I just love the nipped waists,  curve skimming shapes,  part femme-fatale, part innocent, part dominatrix! Sharp, fierce, elegant, and red lipped.

I see this burst of femininity, an ode to the female shape, much as retro inspired wear, so will definitely embrace more!

Glad I can still wear some leather skirts I bought last season I didn’t get to very much. A leather biker jacket is number one on my wish list.

Goth, as seen in Chanel, JP Gaultier and may other – I love lace. And fishnets. Lots of black, my favoured going out shade, I count on studs and spikes to keep going for a while.  That mix of religion and rebellion. Heavy eyes.  Dark lips. Hang on to my skulls, get crosses. Really want an above the knuckle cross ring. Cute.

I love dressing very feminine but with an edge, a bit of a rough edge – so accessories following the goth trend will give me just that when thrown in with a pretty pencil skirt or a dress and sexy sky scrapping heels.

Exaggeration. HUGE necklaces. I mean, seriously. Haven’t been into necklaces very much lately, but something tells me this will change… courtesy of Miu Miu and Prabal Gurung.

Embroidery, appliqués,  crystals, jewels. May be altogether. A tribute to Baroque – all very decadent, lavish and a lot of gold. Think fabrics with flower prints with texture that could be on sofa. Love it.

Some crazy everything goes… well, I like mixing styles sometimes, so add big sunglasses and I am possibly in. I don’t like print clash myself, but admire those who manage to do it well.

Of course, counting on (faux) fur for the season, and to me, leopard print is never a no no.

As colours go,  I am paying attention to berry shades:  from lighter to darker, red to blue based;  deep reds brighter than last autumn’s hero, the burgundy and purples; earthy tones: browns, tans and taupes, greens, not jade as last winter’s; more bottle or forest green. Black of course, dark greys with a blue tinge and silver.

Have seen some sporty items I could wear, even though I am not massive on the trend – H&M is full of them – really thick “lycra-ish” fabrics, sports bralets oh so cute. Not sure I am leaning towards them beacuse of the Olympics fever, as long as they are girly, I am in. We shall see.

Peplums seem to be the shape of the moment, but I have been wearing it for the past three years, so not that excited; still, a feminine, flattering shape.

Opposed to last autumn’s colour blocking, I think this one will be more about texture; and I am loving it.

Glad to see red lips still on (are they ever out? Not for me!). Geometric liners, not so sure I can pull that one off, but will give it a go.  Sculpted cheeks (love it, make you look great on pictures!).

Hair? I am thinking sleek hair – down straight on in ponytails.

I am inspired. However, I will ride this “summer that never came” vibe for a while longer. I still have hope to make my pastels worth their money!

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?