I Heart Topshop!

I've been in love with Topshop's clothes for a long time now! Every time I go there, I come away with more and more stuff (or end up trying to when my bank account allows haha). To me they're constantly evolving and developing and I love every effort that goes into their collections.

I went on their website the other day and I must say it's looking very chic at the moment. The overall layout and accompanying photos are all looking gorgeous! I'm particularly fond of the Marianne collection that you can see on there right now. I've a sneaking suspicion it's so named after Marianne Faithfull who's well known for her beautiful sense of style from suede boots to fur coats - very 60s and very sexy!

The Kate Moss A/W 09 collection launched on Thursday and I think it might be her best line yet. There's many items from it I'm adding to my wants list hehe... I'm coveting the fur print bolero top, the flame mesh halter dress and her trophy stud dress...

I understand why some people may not be so fond of Topshop since their prices went up in the last few years, but you have to give them their due - they are the only highstreet retailer that offer people on limited budgets such a diverse range of on-trend collections that I know I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford!

When I get some cash together I'll be taking a grand trip up to Oxford Circus Topshop - bring on three levels of seventh heaven fashion - I managed to spend FOUR hours in there once... Well it is supposed to be Europe's biggest retail outlet - Mamma mia!

Bat For Lashes

I love this artist!! I also love it when singers even manage to work a unique style that gets people's heads turning and almost set off a craze themselves. Some of the greatest artists to date are known much for their style as they are for their music. Madonna's ever evolving image for instance, Blondie's Debbie Harry, even David Bowie and more recently it would seem Lady Gaga has rocked the fashion boat with her unusual sense of style and dress!

I kept noticing the name Bat For Lashes fly around for about a year and every time I heard it mentioned I'd think about how unusual it was, but nonetheless an awesome name! But I still wasn't sure if I'd heard her material or not...

A few weeks ago I saw an article with pictures of a beautiful singer on an elaborately decorated stage and was amazed at the effort that went into her outfit, makeup and even the whole stage rig was amazing. I then found that it was Bat For Lashes herself! But I still hadn't heard her music (and if I had I wasn't sure it was her!). A cool name yes, fantastic fashion definitely, but that doesn't mean I'd necessarily be into her style of music. Lo and behold listening to the radio I had one of those "Whose this?!" moments upon hearing her music and I can FINALLY say that I love this lady's voice, music and style all rolled into one.

One of my favourite tracks of hers is Moon and Moon - it's so beautiful and haunting, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I think that and the track Daniel made me fall in love with her voice for good! I'll definitely be trying to see her live very soon... I'm sure I'll have to form an orderly queue though : )

Here are some of the beautiful snaps from her performance at this year's Glastonbury festival - I hear her outfit was created by Topshop - I think we all agree that she looks gorgeous!...

The Jumpsuit - a Fashion Debate!

Nobody seems to agree on this trend. I've had a few discussions with friends about it and have researched until the cows came home and most people:

• Agree to disagree
  
• Think it's a fad that will fade with Autumn/Winter of this year not to be seen again
  
• Don't feel they have the confidence to pull one off

Well I wasn't sure at first, but slowly but surely the idea warmed to me. A couple of months back I passed a Miss Sixty store and spotted a gorgeous white linen number that I instantly fell in love with (as I do with all of Miss Sixty's collections really - if I could live in a fashion store, theirs would be the one!). Sadly my budget doesn't allow for regular buys from there. After just having spoken with a friend about the beauties of Ebay bargains which I hadn't been taking advantage of the way I used to, I took the plunge, logged in and typed in "jumpsuit".

Within seconds I stumbled across pretty much an identical jumpsuit to that of the one in Miss Sixty, but for a fraction of the price, made of linen but bright red, by Mango (another of my favourite labels). Wow! It must have been the summer heat because I threw caution to the wind, made a bid and sure enough I won it. I figured it must be a sign, haha! After being inspired by mystylediary.stylehive.com I decided to take a snap of the results...

It's important, especially if your jumpsuit is made of a fabric like linen, to accessorise (and especially as mine is red!) or it can look like a pair of overalls haha! So to break it up I teamed it with a black belt, which also frames my figure that jumpsuits are notorious for hiding on any lady. I also paired it with a lovely pair of strappy stilettos to make it every inch feminine and some sunnies! I contemplated a headscarf, but for today I left it as is...

Speaking of Mystylediary - I came across this site a while ago and I think it's a great, fun resource for any of you girlies who want to be inspired by other like-minded ladies. Hundreds of girls share their wardrobe with others on the web by simply making a diary of snapshots of each of their outfits, at the same time sharing breakdowns of their clothes and accessories so others know where to go and also discover brands/labels they've never heard of before.

I think it's a goldmine for anyone who wants to either reinvent their look, get a little inspiration, or simply a gander at some gorgeous clothes at not-so-scary prices! Plus you could inspire someone too - it's free to sign up and share your own wardrobe diary as well so why not take a look?

Go to http://mystylediary.stylehive.com/ for more information!

Alice in Wonderland - with a twist!

I love Alice in Wonderland. It's my all-time favourite childhood story/film and I recently watched it again after pretty much a decade (at least) as my wonderful boyfriend got it on DVD for my birthday! x I still find it inspiring and as fun as I did when I was little. The story has even inspired me to create my very own (photo shoot) interpretation one fine day...

Funnily enough some wonderfully talented people have done that very thing and I stumbled across these shots after having just written yesterday's entry on Gwen Stefani's makeup! The link: When Gwen Stefani went solo for the first time, her debut single 'What You Waiting For?' music video featured herself playing Alice in an Alice in Wonderland fantasy world.

I came across these shots from a photo shoot produced by makeup artist Sarah Terry, photographer Rebecca Parkes, hairstylist Sean Butt and designer Bibian Blue. This dark vision of Alice in Wonderland was created with the Victorian and Edwardian eras in mind when it came to Sarah Terry's makeup of contrasting "creams and golds with reds and smoky blacks". The detail from the costume to the hair right down to the very appliqués and feathers is wonderful! Enjoy...

All photos by Rebecca Parkes

The Aviator - Gwen Stefani makeup

I watched the Aviator for the first time the other day and had completely forgotten that Gwen Stefani had a starring role alongside the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio, Cate Blanchett and Kate Beckinsale.

Gwen plays the famous Jean Harlow, who is at the time a waitress that catches (Leonardo's character) Howard Hughes' eye one night at dinner. On seeing her he realises she'd be perfect for his lead female role in his first epic Hell's Angels. There I was watching the scene thinking A) She's stunning and B) She looks familiar...

In Gwen's first scene she hasn't the blonde locks that we all know and love and is instead a brunette, so it's not immediately obvious it's her! Nevertheless I fell in love with her makeup! It's typical of the era the film is set in - the 1920s which is one of my favourite periods to date - it's when makeup went wild!

Back in the 1920s after World War I when the men returned home, their respective wives, lovers, sisters and daughters who'd been worrying sick and working away back home felt an urge for freedom. This time things would be done on their terms! Girls chopped their hair boy-short, wore the reddest lips ever seen and lashings of dark eye kohl. Previously "nice girls" hid their makeup away from their male counterparts, so coming out with this new approach to beauty was very revolutionary and brave indeed!

And that was just the makeup and hair - fashion and even etiquette both took a massive turn too! The girls made no effort to hide the fact that they wore makeup - quite the contrary. Out came the first compact mirrors at the dinner table where lipstick would be unashamedly reapplied and the first powders came out at parties! Away went the conservative dresses and restrictive corsets - women's skirts were going short like their hair and a more masculine look was adopted in a big way when it came to clothing.

It was definitely a most exciting time for fashion and makeup, a time that influences us greatly today and one that is perfect for fancy dress which is why this will be my first choice of looks to try out next.

I'll be posting the pics and all the details in a week to share with you, I can't wait - watch this space!! : )

6 Months to go Until IMATS!

Yes, that's right I am counting down and I know it's still a long way to go, but I missed the last one by the skin of my teeth (literally by a day) so this time I want to be sure I'm first in line for tickets : )

IMATS, for those of you who are confused right now, is the International Makeup Artist Trade Show that takes place annually in London's Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace), usually at the end of January. It's a fantastic world-travelling event (it also visits LA and Sydney) that provides a huge window into the world of makeup and prosthetics from glamour makeup to Special Effects makeup for TV, film and photography.

Makeup artists the world over visit to see one-off special seminars given by some of the world's most talented makeup specialists, including Bafta and Oscar award winners. Makeup companies often debut their makeup and insider secrets are shared! If that's not enough, many cosmetic and beauty products including the tools of the trade (brushes) are on sale for you to shop, shop, shop!! The best thing is anyone can come along, you don't have to have a makeup qualification to go, although a madness for makeup will obviously help : )

I can't wait to go in 2010 - I'll be saving up the pennies between now and then to make the most of the discounted products and exclusive cosmetics on offer and I honestly am so excited to see the makeup artists who'll be kindly sharing their knowledge and experience during the event! *squee*

For a taste of the kind of the wonders on show these photos are examples from some of the visiting stands who come to promote their courses - beauty makeup as demonstrated by West Thames College stand and bodypainting from Charles Fox...

My New Read - Kate Moss Style

You may remember me mentioning the interview I saw at the Clothes Show with Angela Buttolph - author of the Kate Moss Style book that I had a flick through the other day and just knew I had to have! Well I am now the proud owner of said book : )

I grabbed a coffee yesterday and sat down with it finally - I'm such a kid, I always flick through first to fawn over all the piccies and then I go back and read it properly, hehe! Angela's done tonnes of amazing research to pull this book together, it goes into great detail - not too much and not too little.

The images are beautiful and inspiring, it's great to see the way Kate has transformed since she was discovered at the tiny age of 14! Reading about Kate's laissez-faire but fun approach to fashion and dressing is also really admirable and a definite message to go with what you feel, not what you think you should wear!! The book was written by Angela with the curious investigation into the what, where, why and how Kate has become such a style icon today...

I can't wait to read it fully all the way through and will be writing a more in-depth post on it when I'm done, but from what I can see already, I'm really glad that I bought it - I relish the time I'm going to have cosying up with this book and a nice cup of coffee/hot chocolate - bliss : )

New Hair - My Pixie Cut!

Today I went to the hair salon and got a brand new hair-do! It's been about 4 months since I had it cut last, it was a nice and short wavy bob before, but it had massively grown out and in the past 8 months I've been gradually daring to go shorter and shorter.

Well today I took the plunge and went that bit shorter still and these are the results! I love it and I'm so pleased with the way it's turned out : ) I'm still tempted to one day go for a proper Elvin cut a la Edie Sedgwick or Mia Farrow, but one step at a time, hehe. Right now I'm lovin' the length it is!

And for anyone who happens to be in the local Surrey area, I can tell you that my hair was lovingly styled by Leonardo at the Sanrizz Salon on North Street. So if you're looking for a new hairdresser, he's your man! I've been going to him for nearly 3 years now and I love what he does with my hair - he's the king of hairdressers!

(For styling he used AH (Alternative Hair) Booster mousse designed to add ooomph and hold to my locks, plus a little bit of Tigi Bedhead Mastermind. This stuff smells SO yummy I could eat it - but it's best used for added texture, separation and shine!)

Yay for new hair! : )

P.S. Scuse our temporary makeshift coat rack while we await a lovely hat stand - I plan to go back and edit this photo later! Oh and the canvas is a poster for You Heard Nothing, my boyfriend's very awesome indie rock club night! As it's in there, I may as well shamelessly plug, hehe: www.youheardnothing.co.uk

*Gasp* Sneak Peak - MAC Holiday 09 goodies...

Ok, somewhere on my makeup grapevine, I found about these little treasures. Yes, every Christmas hols, as many of you may know, MAC release special limited edition kits over the holiday season.

I've just found out about this year's kits and they're so adorable! They'll be offering lip kits, eye palettes, face kits and a bronzing face kit, all packaged in beautiful metal cases with colourful spheres corresponding to the shades of blush, eyeshadows, etc. that they house!!

Here's a hand-picked selection from all of the kits on offer this winter, bearing in mind that in total there will be 8 kits on offer! These are the ones that I'm keen to try out most:

'Devil May Dare' Warm Eyeshadow Palette
'Dare Ya!' - light frosty peachy pink
'Devilishly Dark' - rich brown with gold pearl
'Oh My Darling' - pale frosty cream
'Prankster' - mid-tone frosted olive
'Sorcery' - blackened burgundy
'Gold Tease' - frosty mid-tone gold

'Mystic' Cool Eyeshadow Palette
'Cool Incantation' - opalescent white gold
'Shhh, Don’t Tell' - pale neutral pink
'Blue Enchantment' - dark frosted turquoise
'Rose Potion' - mid-tone frosted rose
'Deep Secret' - deep frosted indigo
'Violet Vow' - deep cool brown

'Hocus Focus Colourful' Face Kit
'Pretty Baby' Beauty Powder - soft baby pink
'Peachykeen' Powder Blush - mid-tone peach with pearl
'Sunsparked' Pearl Beauty Powder - frost warm beige with pearl

UK prices and more pics will be on their way when I know more - *watch this space!*