Olympic Torch Relay

 

Amelia got to hold the torch! Lucky girl. My sister is holding her and I'm on the end.

At the weekend we went to Stepney Green to see the torch relay. It was a really nice day as it got warm and stayed dry so of course I was a happy girl! Amelia was really excited to get her hands on the torch, by the look on her face I'm sure she thought she was allowed to keep it and wasn't too impressed when it was taken away, boo! There was a big celebration in the park, not forgetting the huge robot..

 

Did anybody else go to see the torch?

As I live about 20mins from the Olympic stadium it was probably one of the only things I will be enjoying about the Olympics.  

Budget Fashionistas Rejoice - Guest Post

Browsing in vain hope through the online sales in mid-July would, at best, normally snag me a couple of cut-price autumn end of lines.  Last year I was out of a job and donning the cocoons and sloping shoulder jackets well into the summer season, having picked them up at a bargain.  Ever I seem to be a step behind everybody else and, being a student, I expected this year to be the same. 

            So if you can master the bedhead frizz that this humidity is causing, what’s bad for the economy is good for budget fashionistas!  Now might be the first time that I’ll be able to join in with the trends of the month.  We hear that all of this rain is forcing the high street to launch their sales early; nobody is going into town on a drizzly Saturday morning and coming back with Stars & Stripes denim hot pants, hem vests and straw trilbies.  But it’s not just the day wear that’s suffering; one of the best things about fashion in summer is the availability for nightlife outfits!  Jackets and cardigans no longer need to be co-ordinated with your perfect dress and you’re free to wear your favorite (but very breezy) shift cami!

            One look at any of the high street store’s “Just Arrived” page on their website is enough to douse that tiny hopeful flame that is this summer’s fashion.  At this time of year, the week of the school’s summer break, we should be seeing beachwear, resort wear; people will be looking to jet off soon and those left behind will be swooping down on English coastlines in search of the sun.  But on River Island’s website I see dark pastel colours across fallaway jackets and sweaters.  However in their sale; dresses, shorts, sunglasses, pinks, light blues, reds and whites!  A pandemonium of holiday wear at October’s pricing!

            So we can take something good from all of this bad weather.  We’re being told that the good weather is approaching (aren’t we always?) so why not prepare whilst prices are low?  After all, if the weather never comes; nobody gets the chance to wear their outfits and they’ll still be fresh and new for next ‘summer!’

--------------

Rebecca Jones has worked in the Hair & Beauty industry for over 5 years and currently works for http://www.haircarehelp.co.uk/ leading suppliers of TIGI products and Cloud Nine straighteners.  Check out her blog on Hair Care Help Store

The Eight Pound Dress

http://www.lyst.com/clothing/topshop-pocket-pleat-dress-coral/?ctx=194699&lyst_source=194699&lyst_medium=product&lyst_campaign=link

When I saw this dress whilst on Lyst a few days ago I added it straight away, how cute?

Two days later I had an email from lyst to let me know Topshop had now put the dress (by Rare) into their sale for £8! The original price was £42 (pictured). Of course I got over to Topshop straight away and brought it. It came today and I just had to share it with you, it's just soo beautiful! It's girly in this coral colour and floaty for the summer (if we ever get one). I love the exposed zip at the back of the dress too. Topshop still have this in stock in every size, you can buy by clicking on the link above.

Including P&P it was £12, bargain!!

 

Texture And Dramatic Dark Colours In The 2012 Fall Fashion Palette - Guest Post

Fall is all about texture – luxurious fabrics of smooth velour, the sheen of gold radiance, and plush accessories. Classy yet sexy, classic yet updated, the 2012 fall fashions bring back old favourites with new twists.

Think Shakespeare, with sequins, ornamental spangles, glittering, and elegant beading, and tapestry fabrics in evening wear with baroque influences. Autumn evening fashions demand indulgence in extravagance and opulence. Girls can be princesses again with the renaissance flavour in fabric and style.

Soft pastels colours will add to regal feminine gowns and glamorous cocktail attire. Even gold won’t be too brassy and softer hues will make themselves known at night. Cooler weather in the fall calls for the embracing warmth of velour, not with a heavy drapery effect but with a soft lilt, flowing like royalty.

Fitted sheaths, not too tight, and frock dresses work well with belts and leggings. Mid-knee hem lines or no more than a couple of inches below the knee will show off curvy limbs. The consummate little black dress will be belted or narrowed at the waist and accented by patterned pumps or sleek boots. The idea is to give a little bit more of a formal flavour.

A variety of pantsuit styles will hit stores this autumn in updated variations of cropped pants and flared pants with a retro look. Layered suits add a modern lift to the pantsuit ensemble. Pantsuits aren’t replacing skirts, but the skirts will be more defined, like pencil skirts, emphasizing long legs and belted waistlines or at least, a narrow waist.

Modern girls will enjoy the sleek laminated finishes for outerwear and accessories. Fall collections have also introduced intricate prints, latticework patterns, and embroidered designs in pantsuits, blouses, and dresses alike.

Department stores and malls across the country will display oversized autumn outerwear complemented with loose trousers and easy layers, topping glossy sleek boots and classic pump styling meshed with patterns and colours. Skinny leggings will not disappear but will be the backdrop for a myriad of boots, topped with wool ponchos, woven one-piece shawls, and other gorgeous layered cover-ups.

Tribal wear is being replaced by the straight lines and triangular finishes of civilized military style including epaulettes and peacoats. Waistlines will be emphasized with tightly snuggled belts and handbags strapped in straight lines across the chest.

Dramatic eye makeup takes its cue from nature in beautiful peacock colours, and the wings of other birds and opalescent insect wings. Opaque lipsticks emphasize red pouty lips, captivating flirtatious innocence.

Clutch purses will beautifully accessorize wardrobes in the fall season. Fur and embroidered clutches will keep the textured theme and will feel wonderful in hand.

Hair will have more of an edge to it, making bold statements, and barrettes will add sparkle and glitter. Classy accessories will add a finishing touch and compliment provocative non-symmetrical hair styles. The classic fedora will top off masculine fashions like the military style. Jewellery will offer strong lines, blocks of colour, and natural stones. Contrasts of light and dark will make daring statements on delicate ears.

Pastels and extremely neutral palettes can still pop in the right ensemble with the right accessories. Blacks, browns, greys, dark blues, winter white, and taupe are classic fashion colours for fall and winter that will sizzle with sparkling accents.

This year’s 2012 fall season will see edgy clothes and a good fit with feminine waistlines in masculine attire, or fun girlie fashions in sexy, classic styling.

Louise Goldsmith works for http://www.coathanger.net/as a personal style assistant, through her job she travels to lots of interesting fashion events in London, Paris and Milan.

Lyst

So when I checked my emails this morning I had a message from Christina (profreshstyle) from Lyst.

I had heard of Lyst a few times before but had never actually checked it out. Christina invited me to sign up to share not only my blog but my loves and style, so of course I did.

For those who don't know, Lyst is a social shopping community online where users can discover products from the people or companies they follow.

I only signed up about an hour ago and I love it already!

My Lyst profile

A few finds..

http://www.lyst.com/clothing/chloe-white-scalloped-halterneck-bikini/?ctx=194699&lyst_source=194699&lyst_medium=product&lyst_campaign=link

http://www.lyst.com/clothing/dolce-gabbana-multi-silk-scarf-floral-print-dress/?ctx=194699&lyst_source=194699&lyst_medium=product&lyst_campaign=link

http://www.lyst.com/shoes/jeffrey-campbell-aubrey-spike-wedges-black/?ctx=194699&lyst_source=194699&lyst_medium=product&lyst_campaign=link

http://www.lyst.com/clothing/topshop-scallop-edge-shorts-by-love-sand/?ctx=194699&lyst_source=194699&lyst_medium=product&lyst_campaign=link



Amelia's First Birthday

Amelia turnt one on the 23rd of this month. We had a lovely party for with a bouncy castle and yummy cake, which she loved running around demanding pieces from everyone. I'm still finding it a little hard to believe she is a whole year old already.. That went by soo fast!

Just thought I'd share a few pictures from the day with you.

Ombre.

So, I jumped on the ombre wagon. In a slighty different way though. Instead of dashing to the shops and buying clothes dye to 'improve' my favorite shirt ombre style I decided to go a little different, as you can see.

I'd been wanting to dye my hair again for ages just because I was so bored of it, plus having red hair isn't such a great thing when it suddenly comes 'in'. This took five and a half hours to complete, three magazines and a giant bag of walkers. But I love it, sometimes.

Anyway lets do a OOTD..

Shorts - Topshop

Sorry for the blurry picture, I have no idea why it came out like that considering the other is fine and these were taken at the same time.

Me and a friend took Amelia swimming for the first time today. I know 11 months is a little old to go for the first time but the weather had been so awful!



Crush

I haven't had the time to do this for so long I feel like a blogging virgin.

I came across the very cute website Ellatino a while ago now, I haven't actually brought anything from them (yet!) but I have got a serious crush of a few of their items and I just had to share these two with you..

£44.99

£55

I'm going to be putting together a update post then hopefully I can get back into the swing of things!

How to; get fuller lips



I have quite thin lips so as I was growing up I was always looking for ways to make them look fuller. Alot of companies have lip pumping lipglosses but I have found most of them tingle to make you think they work but don't actually work. Here's three ways to get fuller looking lips (without needles!).

Wear lighter coloured lipstick! We all know dark colours give the illusion of being smaller, which is why of course every woman owns a little black dress. Same goes for your makeup, so the darker the lipstick the smaller your lips are going to look, try to go for a satin finish too.

Always wear lipgloss! Lipgloss is shiny so reflects light making the lips look fuller, choose lighter coloured lipglosses or a clear lipgloss to go over your lipstick.

Use a white eyeliner instead of lipliner! I don't know about you but I think lipliner looks awful as most people get it so wrong. Apply a white eyeliner to the cupid's bow and below the bottom lip and blend. This gives the same effect as a highlighter so makes your lips slighty 3D.



DIY; Bling Shades.

 

I made some sunglass clip-ons today. I kept it a basic sliver pattern so that their not too tacky, ofcourse you can't see threw them like this which is why I made them as clip-ons instead of actual sunglasses. So you can just clip them on and off your own sunglasses. I reckon they could be alot better.

Spring.

Missguided

The weather has been lovely lately, I've been making the most of it as it will probably be raining again next week. It hasn't really been warm enough for me to get the shorts out but I've fallen head first for these little beauties (pictured, shorts) which Missguided have in stock at the moment in two different colours. I just had to share! 

OOTD

Hello my loves. 

I haven't posted an outfit of the day in forever so thought i would spoil you, haha. 

I've been so busy lately, it was my birthday on the 2nd of this month.. 21 at last! I had taken some birthday photos but just didn't get the time to post, although I still plan to post something birthday related! 

I was in Birmingham all day yesterday as my sister had her graduation from uni (well done em!). 

I haven't done a haul post in a while either so I'm thinking I might do a recent purchases post as I don't ment to 'bulk' shop anymore. 

Anyway I hope everyone has been good? 

Dress - River Island / Leggings - Primark / Jacket - New Look

Guest Post - Power in Fashion

Power in Fashion

 By: Jackie Clark

 Sometimes life can get you down in the dumps. It can be easy to give into your negative feelings and depression. If you are diagnosed with a type of cancer like mesothelioma, for instance, this is especially true. Your prognosis might make you feel as if your life is over. You might not be motivated to dress up or even go out of your house to socialize with your friends and family. However, you should not feel that way because how you feel is as good as how you look. 

Fashion is a powerful tool that is all about boosting your self-esteem. We don’t employ fashion for everybody. We don’t make ourselves look good simply so we’ll look good to everyone else, but rather we do it because it is good for ourselves, for our souls. When you feel like you look good, you feel better, and when you feel better you are healthier. Fashion helps contribute to your overall mental, emotional and physical health. When you don’t feel good mentally and emotionally, then it takes a toll on your physical health. If you get depressed you might begin to lose your appetite and your willingness to do anything. You might stop exercising. These are just a few examples of how having low self-esteem can negatively impact your life.

 Fortunately, we have plenty of fashion tools available to us to make us feel better about ourselves. For example, nothing makes you feel better after a long, hard day of work than going to salon to get your hair or nails done. At the salon, you can socialize with others, feel pampered and relieve stress. When you’re treated like a queen, you feel like one. It’s amazing how something as simple as having your hair style or your nails manicured can help rejuvenate you from

the days experience and give you new energy to go out for a night on the town with a few friends.

 Many people even find shopping to be a great stress reliever. When you go shopping, you can forget about everything that’s bogging you down, and as you try on clothes, shoes and accessories and see how well they complement you, you’ll begin to feel better about yourself. One of the best things to do when you’re feeling down in the dumps is to treat yourself to a new pair of shoes, a new skirt, a new blouse or a new set of earrings. Plus, when you purchase new fashion items, you’ll be more excited about getting up in the morning because you won’t be able to wait to show off your latest style items. You’ll exhibit a better overall mood and feel more optimistic about the present and the future.


Please take a look at Jackie's blog here. 

DIY: Studded Shorts

Who needs Levis when you can do it yourself!? 

There is quite a few places you can buy studs, I got these ones from this seller on ebay. They come in packs of 100pcs and work out to about £2.52 which is quite a good price. The seller is based in Hong Kong so they did take about 4 weeks to arrive but postage is free so you can't really complain! There are lots of other types of studs on ebay, and they can be used for clothes, shoes, bags.. anything really!

I also bought the shorts from ebay (not sure of the seller) for £12 (River Island shorts). 

As you can see I haven't finished them yet, simply because I ran out of studs! Which is annoying as I'll now have to wait another 4 weeks to finish them so if you do decide to order them I'd suggest getting two packs (I've just ordered another two!). You get the idea though, I'm only planning to cover the one side I've started. The studs are really easy to use and can be taken off without damage quite easy if you make a mistake or just change your mind. They came in this cute little box and a sealed plastic bag. I will post a picture of the shorts once they are finished!

Bed Head Reviews - Discounted

Firstly, I always buy TIGI Bed Head products at a discounted price. Simply because I know of so many places which sell them at discount so really do not see the point in paying full price. 

I got all these items from the gorgeous shop, which sells lots of other items at discounted prices too so check them out. My products arrived all safely wrapped up with two items in a special Gorgeous Shop wash bag. I got this order a few weeks ago and so have used the products enough for a honest review.

Products; 

 Epic volume (styleshots) shampoo.

It says - zero gravity root lift, fully clean feel. Infused with a shot of volume boosters explodes your style taking it to new heights. Hair bursting with bounce and fullness. 

I say - This is one of the best shampoos I have ever used, ever. It does everything it says but there is one thing about this product they forgot to mention on the bottle, the smell. It smells just like candy! I would actually buy this product just on it's smell alone, but luckily it didn't just make my hair smell like a sweet shop, it felt it silky and full of volume just as promised. 

 Treat me right peppermint hair mask. 

It says - Give your hair and spa treatment in 5 minutes with this stimulating and conditioning mask that will give you full, shiny, healthier hair. 

I say - Again this product did not disappoint. I always leave hair masks on for longer than they recommend so I left this one on for roughly 20 minutes. This one smelt gorgeous too but I knew it would as it already stated it smelt of peppermint. While it was on my head it gave me that cool feeling mint gives you too. I loved this product and will be buying it again. I did have on complaint though, the pot isn't very big which isn't such a big deal as you don't need to use alot of the product anyway (and I mixed in Bed Head's Superstar conditioner) but it had loads of product missing (pictured below) which really annoyed me and still does slightly! 

After party smoothing cream. 

It says - Smoothing cream for silky, shiny, healthy looking hair. Control the funky fly-aways and silk-ify your hair. 

I say -  I like the fact you use this product on dry hair, which means seeing what you're doing and using as much as you want, everyday. I didn't use this when I left my hair curly but did when I had my hair straight and it made my hair look lovely. I hate all those fly-aways you get and just think they look awful really, this really kept them down well and left my hair looking very shiny and healthy, yes I got comments on it! 

Ego boost split end mender. 

It says - Ego boost will seal, smooth and protect your hair. As a split end mender apply to ends, as a leave in conditioner smooth over hair as needed. 

I say - I've used this after washing my hair everytime since having it I love it that much. I've been using it as a leave in conditioner and a split end mender, and it's working wonders! I apply this to my hair while it's damp, not wet. You could also apply it to dry hair. It smells lovely too!

After use of all products

Overall I am very pleased with my purchase from Gorgeousshop. As a company I feel very pleased with them and will be purchasing from them in the future. I am also very pleased with the products by TIGI Bed Head and will be purchasing these items again and would recommend them.

Amelia's Update

Amelia is eight months old tomorrow, how quick has that gone!? 

I can't remember what she was doing on her last update so I'll just say it all again! She's been standing (holding on but not moving) since four and a half months, sitting and crawling (more belly flopping but getting around fine!) since five months, crawling properly by six months, standing and walking holding onto things at six and a half months, and walking by herself with her push walker at seven months! 

She eats three meals a day aswell as three bottles of milk, she loves her food, one of her favorites is chicken curry. 

Her favorite things to do are play with her toys (she's waving a rattle above her head at the moment), eat, walk and bath time. We have two cats and a dog and she loves them so much, I love that she has grown up with animals so she isn't afraid of them. Amelia loves shopping just as much as her mummy does so we do that quite often, she's always the one bringing home lots of goodies from the shops though! 

We got her the cutest pair of converse yesterday..

Sorry I haven't been on for a while. The housing hunting is still going on and of course having a very demanding baby takes a toll! My laptop still isn't working either so I'm still using the macbook which is abit annoying as all my pictures are on my laptop, I also got the galaxy phone back in November and still don't know how to put pictures from it onto a laptop so I can't post much without my pictures, BOO! I'm going to try sorting the pictures thing out though and get back to blogging.

River Island: Haul

I needed some retail therapy so I logged onto River Islands website the other night and got busy. I love RI but sometimes find I can walk in and not see a thing I like. They have some really cute things in at the moment though and I had to contain myself slightly so I just got these three. I've added the pictures from the website as they parcel came late (6ish) on Wednesday so it was quite hard getting any good pictures in the dark. I don't really post hauls anymore, unless they are beauty related maybe, which is why I thought I'd throw one in!

eagle jumper - floral blouse - turquoise colour block top

Young Mums; The Stigma

This is not a BR post, obviously. 

Everybody has a different idea of what it is to be a good parent and I'm sure we all know the stigma around teen pregnancies and teen parents. I turnt 20 three months before I gave birth to my daughter so technically was never a teen mum, but I did have a teen pregnancy being 19 for almost my whole pregnancy. I am considered to be a young mum though. I know people will go on about how young mums are looked at but I don't think you will ever quite know how it is unless you've been there. I always knew there were people who didn't agree with people being parents at a young age but I never realised just how 'outcased' people would make you feel. Women are always talking about how difficult it is to bring a child into this world and then take care of that child but those same women will bring somebody else down simply because they feel you are not old enough. I for one think young mums are just like other mums, only we have it a little harder. Not only do we have to look after our child but have to try to build a career at the same time. Now don't get me wrong I'm not moaning, I fully understand the fact that we got pregnant and kept our baby but I think we have it hard enough already without other people making us to feel less of a parent based on our age. There are certain areas in London which when I take my daughter out in other mothers in the street will stop and stare and shake their heads. People assume I must not know who the father of my baby is. I must be living my life on benefits sat around doing nothing, I work part time. I have to take my baby to work with me which is hard enough then when I am not working I am looking after her. Not that there is anything wrong with being on benefits, most mums wont be able to work until their child is old enough to go to nursey. 

This isn't spose to be a rant post or anything, though it has probably turnt out that way. I just sometimes get a little fed up with being judged on my parenting skills based on my age when the truth is a lot of young parents are better parents then older married couples. I just see it as I've had my daughter when I'm abit younger I get to spend more time with her. 

People say it all the time but you really shouldn't judge people, you should be more interested in your own life. 

#005 Wishlist

Miss Selfridge Shirt Body - Delicious Couture Guns Jumper - Kate Kanzier Skull Shoes - ASOS Anchor Earrings.

I love shirts.. checked boyfriend style, cute pussybow or animal print collars. I just think they're so cute and can make a simple outfit with a pair of jeans look a little more pulled together. This one from Miss Selfridge is great with the body as it tucks in perfectly. It's a perfect day to night top as it can be dressed down with flats and dressed up with a heel.

I've been lusting after this Delicious Couture jumper for the past few weeks, they've only just restocked. Jumpers are just something every girl needs. Worn in the winter under your coat to keep you warm or in the summer with a pair of shorts. I think this one is really cute with its design and I love the fact its chorcal in colour, not black!

I love Kate Kanzier for flat shoes. I already own three pairs and they are just such great quality, and not too expensive. I even love the boxes they come in and still have all three of mine tucked away safely in theirs. You can never go wrong with a pair o flat blacks, the skull design on these just give them a little more.. cute!

I'm a massive fan of earrings. Weather they are big and gorgeous, sometimes a little tacky! Or small and bearly noticeable. I'm normally a sliver girl over gold but I really love these. Just so cute but still simple and not too OTT.