September wish list

I am still very reluctant in saying that summer is coming to a close. But we cannot argue with the fact it is September tomorrow and soon deceased will be the floral summer dresses, strappy tops and denim shorts, in their place will be all those long sleeve layers we are not wanting to think about yet. However on a slightly lighter note I decided to make the most of the situation and see what range the high street stores have on offer for this years Autumn/Winter months.

I started with the items I think are the staple for an Autumn/Winter wardrobe, these being the coat, jumper, trouser and boot. I am always careful when buying coats as often I am tempted to buy one that will only go with one item of clothing I own. As a result I try to think realistically in order to get my moneys worth and buy a garment that will get its wear out of it.

H&M have started to fill their rails with a nice selection of affordable coats that will no doubt grow, leaving us to be spoilt for choice for that key piece.

When it comes to jumpers my mind instantly jumps to Topshop, I don't know how many of you will agree but their range of knitwear in the Autumn/Winter months is unreal. For a fashionable, wooly warmer that will last you the season, with Topshop you can't go wrong.

I like to keep some of the summer spirit when it comes to trousers, often on the hunt to buy a bold printed/pattern trouser that will be a statement of an outfit. I told myself I would never wear tartan as it was part of my school uniform for five whole years, however if these beauties from River Island were part of the dress code I certainly would not have been complaining!

However I also tend to buy what I like to call 'the safety jean'. A pair of skinny jeans in a warm winter shade that will easily go with many items in my wardrobe. I already have a pair of these maroon skinnies but these are this years version.

Boots are seasonal favourite of mine. Seeing them as a staple I find it necessary to buy a new pair each year. Last year I purchased some gorgeous black leather rider boots from Topshop which are still going strong so this time round I was keeping my eye out for a pair of simple ankle boots. Already in many high street stores they are stocking up with a good selection of boots. I found this lovely pair in M&S for £35, stylish, good quality and suitable to sustain the winter weather.

Now for the fun bit, Add ons. Whether it be shirts, bags, hats or jewelry, these can often be those extra key pieces that will finish off the ideal, fashionable look of the season. This shirt from Topshop looks great on its own but also fab under a cropped of long sleeved jumper. Piece it with a statement necklace, leather shorts and tights to complete the look. In terms of accessories I've planned to keep it simple with my trusty bowler and a tote bag that will accompany many Autumn/Winter garments. So if you're as keen as me, why not get ahead of the game before the new season arrives!

What is on your wish list?

Ellie

Product of the week: Sally Hansen Nail Hardener

My nails are forever breaking and peeling, however since investing in Sally Hansen's Diamond Strength Nail Hardener, I have noticed a real difference. My nails feel instantly stronger and gradually my nails have stopped peeling completely! This nail care polish also doubles up as base or top coat, giving your nails a bit of TLC whilst helping prevent your polish from chipping when used as a top coat. As it seemed to be extensive use of nail polish that was weakening my nails before, I now feel way less guilty painting my nails 24/7! 

There is a seven day treatment guide that comes with the product which I strongly advise you use, as I didn't at first and noticed the polish started to peel off after a couple of days. The treatment is as follows:

Day 1: 

Apply 1-2 thin coats to dry, clean, bare nails, apply nail polish if desired. 

Day 3: 

Apply a further thin coat over the existing nail treatment/colour. 

Day 6:

Remove all products from nails (using Acetone free nail polish remover as this will dry out your nails the least) and leave bare for 24 hours. 

Day 7:

You may begin the treatment again. Repeat usage will give you the results you desire so make sure you stick at it.

This lovely little product is priced at around £8 and is available at most drug stores, or you can buy it online HERE.

Are there any nail care products that you would recommend?

Ellie

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Style icon: Beyonce Knowles

After returning from V festival, my love for Beyonce has grown even more. Seeing her live made me intrigued to discover more about her style off the stage as well on. There is no question as to what Beyonce would look good in because if you ask me she could probably look good in a bag. Because of this she has such a wide variety of styles, showing that she has fun with what she wears; sometime wearing garments you wouldn't expect but looks stunning in regardless. I find this something to look up to because I like the idea of being able to wear anything not focusing too much on following trends to a T, but being able to play around with fashion with a laid back approach. In terms of some of Beyonce's approaches to fashion, in particular  I really like her sophisticated, chic, more formal wear. This style emphasises her femininity and personally this would be a similar style i'd like to take when dressing formally.

In contrast, her everyday outfits are often casual, laid back, and spontaneous. Something that I admire her for. These appearances show she has natural fashion ability. Often outfits look like they've been put together quickly, without intense thought as they are just simple, everyday garments. This is something that's easy to do for us admirers on a lower budget than she.
So hands down to the woman as I have not yet come across an outfit that has not appealed to me in someway. Below are some ensembles that I was particularly inspired by. As there are so many, I formed a slideshow of the images to save you scrolling down for for miles!

I loved some of these looks so much that I researched online to put together some budget looks...

To view the looks bigger, just click on the image.

What are your favourite Beyonce Looks?

Who are your style icons?

Ellie

My Festival wardrobe

 This weekend I lost my festival virginity when I went to this years Virgin Media Festival at Weston Park. There was such a great line up this year and all the acts I saw were saw amazing, in particular the one and only Beyonce Knowles; there are no words good enough to describe her performance and my love for her! However, not only were the acts a delight to see but I really enjoyed seeing peoples festival wear. For some reason at festivals it seems that fashion is a bit more elaborate, people come out of their shell more and show individuality through clothing, as a fashion student I love that! So I thought I would give you my take on the festival look and what I wore.

For those of you are going to a festival in the next few weeks such as Leeds and Reading or Creamfields and have not been to camp before my biggest tip for you is that you pack light! I know what you are thinking, those two little words 'pack light' can be very daunting to us fashion bloggers but trust me you can still create a great, varied festival wardrobe with minimal items. For example take just one or two staple item such as denim shorts, or a parka coat and then pack a number of light tops that you can company with the staple item, however pack brightly coloured or printed tops as this will make your outfit look different each day.

Wellies. The one word that screams festival and that has to be your festival essential, weather muddy or not you can never go wrong with wellies at a festival! I took a pair of bright coral beauties for just £12 from Primark, I suggest these and one pair of either sandals or converse, weather dependent, and you will be all set!

Are there any other festivals that have you been to this year?

What items would you take to a festival?

Ellie

Product of the week: The lipstick that MATTErs

This weeks post is a little overdue but with my week quietening down a bit I have finally gotten round to completing it.
It is not very often that I wear a bold colour on my lips but when I do it always seems to be red. I have tried various lipsticks eg. Topshop, and lip-glosses but have found they wear off really easily. I began to think it was due to the fact that with red being such an outstanding colour that it would always be noticeable when it started to wear off. UNTIL, I took a look at Kate Moss' matte collection for Rimmel London. There is a lovely collection of shades available but I decided to risk it again with the red (shade 111 Kiss of Life) as I had not tried a matte one before. I put it to the test when I went to York races the other day and it did me proud, I only had to touch it up once after food, and even then the colour was still pretty bold. Before applying the colour I brushed on a tiny bit of foundation over my lips just using the excess on my foundation brush, this proved to be a good base to support the lipstick and also gives the closest match to the colour as when you test it on your hand in the shop. The matte effect has also become a lot more appealing to me in comparioson to lipsticks with a slight shine, not only does it stay on longer but seems to apply better and produce a solid colour.

Sorry for the phone image here!

If any of you have not yet tried a matte lippy, I really recommend you do so, it was certainly a £5.49 well spent!

You can purchase this lipstick and other shades HERE
Are there any matte lipstick brands you would recommend?

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Mini Barry M Spree

My collection of Barry M nail polish seems to be ever growing and this week my all time favoruite colour ran out! I immediately had to go out and buy a new one and I knew I would be kidding myself if I thought I would only come out of the shop with only one nail polish. So my collection continues as to it has been added these lovely colours...

The raspberry red was the colour I initially went to stock up on, this is the colour I seems to have on my nails the majority of the time because its such a impacting, lush colour that goes with a lot of things in my wardrobe. However I was also tempted by one of the new 'Gelly Hi-shine' polishes, I have always wanted a subtle, nude colour that is discreet but doesn't mean I have to have bare nails, so this polish was perfect. And finally, the pastel blue colour caught my eye and once I picked it up I had no intention to put it down again, I thought this polish was a lovely summery shade. A good trio if you ask me!

Obviously not all together unless you're feeling really wacky, but this is how the polishes looked on...

If you want to purchase any of these you can do so on the Barry M website along with many other gorgeous shades, just click HERE

What are your favorite nail colours?

Are there any other brands I should be aware of?

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Birthday Cocktails: How to

As part of celebrating my birthday I invited my best girly mates round and made them all cocktails before heading on a night out! I made some slight adjustments to some of my favorite cocktails, Peach Bellini and Blue lagoon..

My friends thought it would be funny to buy me willy straws!

For the Bellini's I used regular flute glasses, which I personalised with my friends names on them as a little extra touch. For this drink I would start by putting half of a peach slice in the bottom of the glass. Next I would add in half a shot of peach schnapps, I stared with a whole shot but this was a tad strong for my liking as I actually wanted to make it out hat night (unlike on my 18th birthday, but enough said there)...

Then top up the rest of the cocktail by pouring in the CAVA. For a final touch I always like to add a cheeky cocktail umbrella! Peach Bellini is a lovely, fruity and fizzy drink, perfect to sip on whilst chatting with friends. You can also try it with other fruits such as raspberry because Schnapps is also available in this flavour.

As for the blue lagoon, I used tumbler style glasses that I put cubes of ice in to start with, I found that the more, the better but it is totally up to you! Next pour in a shot of vodka and peach schnapps, you can do half shots if you don't want it to strong, but the lemonade seems to balance it out. Then fill the glass half full with WKD blue. Then fill to glass to the top with lemonade, and to finish, add a cocktail brolly and a straw. This drink is really sweet, sparkling and tasty, a delicious cocktail perfect for summer evenings.

As expected, these recipes went down very well with my friends so I will definitely have to organise another cocktail night soon!

Some of the girls x

What are your favourite cocktails to make?

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Birthday time: Smile for the camera!

So it was my 19th birthday last week and I was EXTREMELY lucky to receive off my lovely parents a new bridge camera that I have been wanting for months, the Fujifilm Finepix HS50EXR. So finally my pictures will be of a better quality for you, hoorah!
After taking just a few shots I can tell that this camera is going to be my new best friend! Prior to my birthday I was unsure whether I wanted a DSLR or a bridge camera and after many recommendations it seemed that the bridge camera was most suitable for my requirements. The main difference between a DSLR and a bridge is that you can change the lenses on a DSLR for various types of zooms etc. but I can imagine I would be clueless when it comes to the different kinds of lenses and are more suited to photography professionals! This is where the bridge camera is perfect for me because it has great zoom qualities all in one lens therefore I don't have to faff around with changing lenses in a hurry and it will save me some expenses as well. Furthermore, a really good aspect of this bridge camera that not every bridge camera has is that the lens zoom on the bridge camera works manually so you can twist it so that its at the exact zoom you want up to 42x.

The Fujifilm also has a wide variety of settings depending on what type of photo you want to take, for example, panoramic, advanced filter, portrait, landscape and manual. I mainly wanted the camera for uni work because with doing fashion design I always need to take photos of peices of work and street style imagery to use as inspiration,but its evident that this camera will be appropriae for many other types of photography! So be sure to see some more photography in my upcoming blog posts.

If you are interested you can see a video tour of the camera by clicking here

Just so you can get an idea of the photo and zoom quality here are a few pictures I took at Swinsty reservoir the other day... 

Capturing a sun ray 

Can't believe I managed to capture this!

My mum thought these mushrooms looked like storm troopers haha!

Picturesque reservoir water

Are any of you keen photographers as well?

Do you have any tips for me?

Ell

The Leibster Awards

Firstly thank you to Keri the writer of Sincerely Snow who nominated me for the award, I had not heard of it till now, so I am looking forward to taking part. The great thing about the award is thats it raises awarness of blogs with fewer than 200 followers and allows you discover you new blogs through the passing on of nominations.

As for my answers to Keri's 11 questions...

1) What is one thing you wish you were brave (or rich) enough to try?
My dream would be to travel the world, this would require a lot of bravery (and no doubt a lot of money) as travelling for a long period of time, miles away from my friends and family is a very scary thought! However I imagine the things I would have the opportunity to see and do would be more than worth it.

2) Who was your first celebrity crush?
Well before I knew cartoon characters weren't real, John Smith from the Disney film Pocahontas was the only guy I had my eyes on, if only. Haha how embarassing!

3) If you could rewrite a film/book ending what would you chose and what would you change?

The Hunger Games, when I saw the film I was mesmorised and I told myself I HAD to read the books, and when it came to the third one I was a little dissapointed. I thought the concept was brilliant and had so much potential that I think the author didnt make the most out of it! If I was to re-write the books I would make them much longer.

4) What is your favorite decade and why?
The 90's. The decade in which I was born and grown up. I feel that our generation has seen a lot including technological developments, a millenium, and personally I think that the decade including the fame of The Spice Girls has to be No.1!

5) Who is your style icon? 
I am inspired by the style of Beyonce Knowles. Mainly because she has such a wide variety of styles, showing that she has fun with it, wearing sometimes garments you wouldn't think that she would wear but looks incredible in anyway. To be honest she could look good in a bin bag! But I like the idea of being able to wear anything takes my fancy. I really like her sophistaced, chic more formal wear, a similar style I like to take when dressing formally. In contrast her everyday outfits are often casual, laid back, simple and spontaneous, something that I admire her for. But these outfits are put together so well that they therefore look great, something that's easy to do for us admirers on a lower budget than she. 

6) Who is your celebrity girl crush?
Beyonce Knowles hands down.  If you asked anyone who knew me they could probably tell you how much I love this lady more than I can simply because I go on about her 24/7 (as proved in the answer to question No.5) . She is such an inspiring human being, with a voice (and behind) that could attract anybody!

7) What is your number one guilty pleasure?

Pointless day time TV, 'Nothing to declare' is a personal favourite of mine. I orginally typed in cheese, but I love that too much for it to be guilty!

8) Would you rather meet your ancestors or your great great great grandchildren? 
Probably my great great great grandchildren because with research you can learn about this history of your ancestors and the period in which they lived in. I would like to see what the world would be like that my great x3 grandchildren would be living in.

9) What beauty skill do you wish you were better at? 

Eye shadow, it is a rarity that I ever wear it mainly because I'm very weary about applying bold tones to my eyes. I would like to learn how to blend neutral and smokey tones effectively. Luckily, one of my best friends is studying media make up at university so I'm sure she'd be happy to give me a hand.

10) If you could go to lunch with anyone in the world who would you pick?

I'll give you one guess?..Yep that would be Beyonce! Or the queen but I imagine conversation may be a little idle..I also wouldnt say no to lunch date with Ryan Gosling..who would?! 

11) Would you rather a 5,000 shopping spree or a 5 night luxury vacation?
In an ideal world I would chose the money and with it buy a vacation! However I feel like that might be cheating so if I had to chose it would most likely be the vacation because money can't always buy you happiness! 

My 11 nominees and questions are as follows...

Apologies if some of you have already been nominated

'Beleza' by Ems
A Design Rookie
A Yellow Brick Blog
When Black Meets Beige
Right Up My Street
Bellaconscience
Miss Sophie Rose
It's A Trendy World
Masha's Mumbles
HOLLISA
Louabellex
What is your favourite thing about blogging?
What 3 words best describe yourself?
If you could star in any film, which would it be?
Who would you be most curious to spend a day in the life of?
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
What is your favourite beauty product at the moment?
What was the last piece of clothing you bought?
And now for some quick fire questions...
Tea or coffee?
Harry potter or lord of the rings?
High street or designer?

I hope you enjoy taking part!

Ellie

Outfits of the holiday: My Majorcan wardrobe

This year me and my family had a lovely weeks break to the sunny island of Majorca.
I was quite disciplined when it came to holiday shopping this year only treating myself to 2 new outfits which together were just over my budget of £50. The thing in particular that I love about holidays is the evening warmth and being able to go out dressed in anything you like and not panic about being too cold (a major dilemma I am troubled with living in the North East of England).

I have been very into my print this season and my favorite new outfit of the holiday was a loose shift dress with a bright tribal print that I purchased from Miss Guided for £24.99. I loved the print on this on this dress and the bright coral colour in it gave it a really summery feel! It is also available in green.
The other outfit I bought was from NewLook and consisted of a plain white cami vest which was just £9.99 which I tucked into a black and white aztec print skirt midi skirt which I wore at the waist, this was just £22.99. To accompany the outfit I wore a nice pair of strappy black sandals with a small gold buckle that which I had admire similar to on a number of online designer websites, however I managed to bag them for just £12 from Primark.

Again, still working on the camera, apologies!

Loving my hair braid in this photo, always a must when I go on holiday!

Have any of you bought any new outfits for summer this year?

Ellie

Product of the week: My Piz Buin summer essential!

Hola fellow bloggers!

With being on holiday the last week I have unfortunately been unable to blog for a while, but I am back, and on the return of my week of Majorcan sunshine comes my next product of the week!

Waking up to guaranteed 35 degree heat everyday for the past week was more than bliss for me, and I am like a human magnet to the sun therefore my skin has developed a nice natural tan. It is habit of mine after a day in the heat to apply after sun as I worry the sun will dry my skin out so I like to keep it moisturised. This wonderful little product did just that and then some. The lotion was so light and did not leave you with that sticky excess of the product you sometimes get with after sun lotions or sun creams. The product went on really smoothly and not only hydrated my skin but left it feeling so soft and healthy. Furthermore, in this case a little amount of product went a long way, this being very convenient when you are spending £10.49 on a product and using it every day of the holiday.

A little extra to the product that made the Piz Buin brand stand out to me from the rest was the fact it contains Tanimel, an ingredient that helps boost your skins natural tanning pigments. I usually suffer a sever case of holiday blues however knowing that I will be able to maintain my for that little bit longer thanks to this diamond of a beauty product, has certainly helped keep me in the summer spirit.

I thoroughly recommend this product as in essential in your luggage this year, happy holidays!

Ellie