On-The-Go Style Hacks to Instantly Boost Your Outfit

Bonjour,
How are you? Hope all is well.  I've been great, took a break from blogging primarily because I've been busy moving house.  Interestingly, it's not just me.  We all have busy lives, we all obsess over busy schedules, we all walk on busy streets, and we cannot get enough of it.  I'm going to (stealthily) segue this into what to do fashion wise if you are on-the-go but still want to pull an outfit together.

Leave your coat untied - Not for all coats, but it can look 'effortlessly put together' and let's be honest, that's the best kind of look to go for.

Cuff your jeans -  Looks great with booties and/or boyfriend jeans.

Add a pop of colour - Whether its via lip colour, accessories or a sweater, a pop of colour can brighten up even the most dreary of weeks.

Throw on an oversized scarf - I am currently OBSESSED with oversized scarves.  They are everything to me right now and if you have one, I am sure they are everything to you too.

Front/Side tuck your top - I love this trick because it can make casual t-shirts look so formal.

I hope you find this useful!

What is your go-to outfit for a busy day?

Summer Lovin' Tag

I have spent the past few months being bothered and flustered with the heat and humidity that summer brought.  Although it took me a little while to come around, I have turned the negativity into positive thoughts and decided to get excited for summer.

There is a tag going around - a tag is a list of questions concentrated on one topic - about all the things one is loving about summer.  In an effort to bring more summer spirit into my life, the following is me answering the questions.  Maybe this will get you thinking about what you love about summer and get excited for this season!

Summer nail polish you're loving?
OPI Cajun Shrimp.  The name is just laughable and odd for a nail polish! It's such a great bright colour for summer without being neon or dull.  Any colour that provides a contrast will look good on any skin tone, this is definitely one of those.  A universally flattering colour.

Summer Lipstick you're loving?
Sephora Rouge Volupte Cream Lip Stain in 03 Strawberry Kiss.  A pink toned colour.  It's very easy to apply and does not transfer on to anything!  Highly recommend!

Summer drink of choice? 

Starbucks Java Chip Frapp with no Whipped Cream. A nice treat!  Not something I have regularly though. 

Favourite Summer Accessory? 

I tend not to go too overboard with summer clothing because I would rather invest in fall fashion.  That being said, accessories are such a fun and affordable way to brighten up an outfit.  The necklace I have been wearing regularly through summer is this bright gold and coral one from Forever 21.

Favourite Summer Song? 

Sing by Ed Sheeran.  I think this is a staple in everyone's current playlist.  It would not be a surprise, this song is incredible.  Infact, his whole new album 'multiply' is absolutely amazing.  I have been listening to it on repeat! 

Summer Bronzer you're loving? 

Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzing Face Powder in 03 Naturel - Brunettes.  This colour looks so sun kissed on my skin tone without making me look muddy.  It also has very very very little shimmer in it, you would not even notice it unless you intently stared.  I like that because it does not make one's face too dewy.  

Favourite Summer Fragrance/Perfume?  

Flora by Gucci.  I got this perfume duty-free at an airport and have had this for a while.  As soon as spring started, I used it like it was my job.  It is such a pleasant smell, not overpowering, and definitely floral as the title suggests.  Fragrances with a Tuberose undertone to them are quickly becoming my favourite.  

What are you excited about doing this summer? 

I have actually already done the activity that I would consider I was most looking forward to.  It may sound cheesy but spending time with my grandmother at various parks and gardens was one of the most rewarding experiences.

What are you most looking forward to doing?  

What are you loving about summer?

13 Fashion & Beauty Skills to Master in your Twenties

Howdy!

I'm back now with another fashion list, I love writing these lists.  Is that weird?  Anyway … I hope you find this useful.  I think it's imperative to have good fashion and beauty skills under one's belt by the time you turn 30.  By no means have I mastered all of them but this list is a really good starting point and guide for anyone in their twenties to work themselves to generally being much more put together.


1.  Have a go-to signature look.  Mine has been a red lip and cat eye for beauty.  For fashion, I always go for a white blouse and black pants and a chic watch or statement necklace.


2.  Learn to dress sexy but not scandalous. Don't overdo it and look like you're seeking attention.  Don't be that person.

3.  Make the most out of your features and your body.  Figure out what works on you, fashion and makeup doesn't translate the same on everybody.  Or in other words, work what your mamma gave ya!

4.  Master business casual for your work environment.  Know what the office attire is for where you work.  It's not ideal to strut around in heels in a labour intensive environment or to wear extremely trendy clothing in a corporate environment.

5.  Learn how to pose for a picture without having to retake it a million times.  This one has lots to do with confidence and accepting ones self and maybe knowing how to work camera angles too.

6.  Know how to spend your money on fashion investments without having buyers remorse or having your card be declined as you pay for it.  Basically, think about what you're buying especially if it is expensive.

7.  Learn to pack your handbag and keep it organised.

8.  Dress for any occasion formal or business events.  Learn to pick an outfit without emptying the contents of your wardrobe, having a mini meltdown and crying over ranting text messages to your girlfriends.  I'm only saying this because I go through this dilemma all the time.

9.  Make sunscreen the most important step in your beauty regime.

10. Learn to layer and develop a casual-chic look without looking like a hobo.

11. Master the following makeup looks: A sultry smokey eye, winged eyeliner, contouring, and blending foundation.  It'll be so useful to switch up between these.

12. Learn to maintain and care for shoes, jewellery and clothes to get the most out of them.  No one looks good in a crumply and faded t-shirt.

13. Last and definitely the most cruel, keep your closet organised, once and for all.  The hardest one in my opinion.

I hope you can set a mini long-term challenge to accomplish a few, if not all of the things on this list.  I think most women would already possess some of the skills so it shouldn't be too hard.

Did I miss any fashion or beauty skills that you think is important?

Which one of these do you need to work on the most? 

My Number One Shopping Rule to Kick Impulse Shopping to the Curb!

In my opinion, one of the best traits to posses is knowing when to spend and when not to.  By knowing when not to spend I don't mean saving, I mean stopping yourself from impulse shopping.  I think we've all done it, it's the thrill that really gets to us.  Apart from the adrenaline, some other key signs of impulse shopping is when you buy yourself an item you already have something similar to, like two lipsticks of a similar shade (I know i've done this), buying something just because something is on sale, or buying something because your friend has it and you want to make a statement about having it too.  (I know people who have done this)

What I do instead of immediately acting on the impulse to have a beauty or fashion item is that I wait three days.  I've told friends of mine this and it always seems to work.  If you want something but you don't need it by all means try it on and enjoy that but if you're unsure, wait three days.  If you still are thinking about how amazing it is and if you are planning outfits in your head (everyone does this right? just me?) then by all means go back and get it.  Give this a shot next time, trust me your wallet will thank you for it!

Pastel Essie Nailpolishes for Spring 2014

My latest obsession has been pastel and ladylike colours for nails.  It was just coincidence that all the pastel colours I owned turned out to be Essie, I don't know, OPI hasn't been rocking my boat lately.  I also had a nail polish fiasco recently.  I put a BodyShop body oil in my drawer where I keep all my nail polishes and the lid was a little bit open (a little bit, like a tiny bit open.)  So obviously the universe has just such a great sense of humour and the whole bottle exploded and now all my nail polishes smell like sweet lemon oil.  The whole point of the story is that most of them aren't opening anymore but I was able to save a few Essie ones.  So in no particular order, here are my most recent pastel favourites!

P.S. For some reason in the main image, they are appearing a little brighter than they are, so I haven't edited any of the other ones to give you a true representation of the colours.

Essie Bikini So Teeny - A periwinkle blue, layers nicely.  So creamy.

Essie Sparkly On Top - I love to just wear it on its own, its so princess-y.  I know it's not a pastel but it's too fitting to not add in.

Essie Blanc - Such a vibrant white.  Is that possible? Its very opaque and so chic for this season.

Essie Fiji - A well loved baby pink.  It's almost empty!  You definitely need a few thin coats but it's such a cult favourite and once you try it, you'll definitely understand why.

 Essie Lilacism - I love this lavender pastel because it's so creamy and makes ones nails look so polished.

It's also the colour i'm wearing right now!  Hope you liked a few of my choices!

Lipstick Shades Every Woman Should Own

In my makeup routine, lipstick is a must have.  It's the type of product that will either make or break your look.  It's also the aspect of makeup I love the most because you don't have to commit to one colour and you can have the most fun with it.  Not including trendy colours, here is my list of lipstick shades that I think are essential in any woman's collection.

Summer Coral

I don't think the camera is actually picking up how vibrant this coral is but it's such a lovely colour for summer time.  It suits lots of different skin tones and comes in various undertones.  I'm wearing Vegas Volt by Mac.  I bought this particular one because but I found out a character (Betty Draper) from Mad Men wears it and I love classic beauty so go ahead, call me a nerd, it's fine.

Barbie Pink

This could potentially be a shade that might go wrong more than right on first try and it is pretty daring if you're going out for a girls night, I highly advise giving a hot pink a try.   Technically, Barbie Pink can be lighter too but it just doesn't flatter me so I went with an electric version.  Above, i'm wearing a YSL Rouge Volupte in Peach Passion topped with a Rimmel Apocolips Lacquer in 303 Apocoliptic.

Suitable Nude

If you know me, you'd know that I never wear nude lipstick colours.  Most of them just make me look dead.  The one i'm wearing above is Fanfare by Mac and it was a birthday present.  It's a pink hued nude and that pop of colour gives a lot of (much needed) brightness to my face.  It's a must have for every woman's collection because it's timeless and cleans up any look.  The most chic of all lipstick colours.

Classic Red

By far, my favourite lipstick shade.  I love red lipstick so much I could write a whole series on it; I own so many red lipsticks it's embarrassing.  A classic blue toned red lip though is ESSENTIAL for every woman to own.  It's universally flattering and there are so many different undertones to pursue if you have a much fairer or much darker complexion.  The one i'm wearing, and one of my favourites, is Ruby Woo by Mac.  Another good (and darker) red is Russian Red by Mac.  Both are matte, both are gorgeous.

Bold Berry

The thing I love most about berry colours are that you can wear a stained version or a full on dark matte version and both look chic.  It's definitely a shade to try on before buying but it can very easily glam up even the most casual outfits.  The one i'm wearing is a Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in the colour 107.  It's a dark, brooding, wine coloured shade.  It wears through out the day and through food nicely, it does come off but it just fades into a stain.

Honourable Mentions

Taupe - If you have the skin tone to suit it, definitely try a taupe.  Doesn't look good on me unfortunately.

Rose - It looks wonderful on a lot of skin tones because it gives a lovely healthy glow to the skin.  I don't own one but it's on my list next!

Orange - Very on trend for this Spring/Summer season.  

Hope you liked this list! Cheers :)

Style Inspiration | Emma Watson

Emma Watson is a style inspiration to me because her sense of fashion is usually classic and clean, and yet she takes risks with fashion.  She also never tries to look too perfect, which I love.  The most important aspect of her fashion sense to me is that it can be quintessentially British.  She has been promoting her new movie Noah so a lot of the looks are recent.  Here's a few that i'll most certainly try to incorporate into my wardrobe.

This was Emma arriving at the Ed Sullivan Theatre for her interview with David Lettermen.  I think that this outfit has to be a staple in everyone's wardrobe because it will never go out of style.  It's clean and put together and I love the feminine take with the red lips on a men's tux.  Plus, fifty years from now, if you walk into a party, a meeting, or any social gathering wearing this, no one will say 'Wow, thats a disgusting outfit.'  This will always be a classic.

The above was Emma at the London premier of her movie Noah.  I love this whole ensemble because it is fresh and clean.  This is a good example of the woman wearing the dress as opposed to the dress wearing the woman.  If there isn't an occasion to wear a floor length Ralph Lauren like Emma is, a good alternative would be to use the all white (including the shoes) idea and/or to buy a top with the same neckline as this.  Another great part of this look is her makeup; I like that it hasn't been caked on.  The summery lip colour with the modern gold bracelets tie the outfit together nicely.

Emma attended the Madrid premier of Noah in this wonderfully timeless white blouse with black trousers look.  The neckline of the blouse is something that I think will be on trend for a lot of blouses this spring.  I'm a sucker for timeless style.  I do like that she spiced the look up with a bold berry lipstick.  The whole combination sans the lipstick would be perfect for a date night, and the whole outfit with the lipstick would be great for girls night.  It's a great look no matter what.  The best part of all the three looks so far is that she's worn closed toe pumps; I think this is great because it is classy.

I don't think I can get away with not mentioning what Emma wore at the Golden Globes this year.  This whole ensemble was beyond amazing and I think she ended up on every possible best dressed list.        This is what I meant when I said that she takes risks!  What I love most about this look is that that it's backless as well the colour combination between the poppy orange, black and navy blue heels.  If orange is not your thing, finding a top in a bright cherry red would flatter any skin tone and last you through to the holiday season!  I also adore navy heels, they are a great alternative to black coloured shoes and is definitely on my shopping list.  Another inspiration we can pull from this look is that her skin look was flawless, playing it safe with a smokey eye and a pop of colour on the lips.  

Overall, I love Emma Watson's style because its not hard to incorporate into one's wardrobe and it is always timeless and sophisticated.

All Images from - emma-watson.net

Trend Report | Spring/Summer Beauty for 2014

Designers really hit the jackpot this year for their Spring/Summer 2014 lines at various Fashion Weeks and the Spring beauty they incorporated to compliment their designs did not disappoint.  The following are a few trends that I think can be easily incorporated into your beauty collection whether you want to do it as dramatic as on the runway or just be a little inspired from it to freshen up your look. 

1. Orange Lips

(DKNY)

2. Blue Eyeshadow

(Marc By Marc Jacobs)

3. Raw Beauty

(Left-Emilio Pucci/Right-Lanvin)

4.  Flower Crowns/Milk Maid Braids

(Dolce and Gabbana)

5.  Winged Eyeliner

(Chanel)