A/W Makeup Trends 2009

With the chill of autumn on our doorstep, let's face it September makes or breaks summer for good! I'm still clinging to the hope that we might have 2 more weeks of a Golden September, but until then and after (if it ever comes!) it will most definitely be "Bye bye summer" for 2009...

That said - it's not all doom and gloom! Autumn and winter mean more accessorising (hats, scarves, gloves, tights and booties), layering (jackets, cardigans, wraps and knitwear galore) YAY and also makeup - whether it be your eyes, lips or even nails - can be taken up a notch in terms of colours and strength/depth, HOORAH! So the colder months needn't be boring, and they ought not to be seeming as all that colour and the excuse to wear more clothes will help lift your mood on the rainy, cold walks to work : )

Today I've been looking at the new trends for makeup this A/W and what's hot on the catwalks this season...

It's All About Brows, Brows, Brows!
Over the years people have realised how important a well groomed and defined brow really is to complete a look! I never used to fully understand how it could make a difference but trust me it does. If you haven't tried defining your brows, be brave and give it a go. You'll wonder how you ever managed without it before.

A well groomed and defined brow can take years off a face and transform it all at the same time. This year shimmery golds were brushed through the brows to add more impact to the overall eye makeup. It may sound severe, but the end effect is stunning, opening up the eyes and adding a new dimension to the face.

Of course you might feel this all to be too much if you've never even touched your brows with a brow definer brush or pencil, haha! I'll be giving a tutorial in the next two weeks on how to define your eyebrows so watch this space...

Red Lips
This winter the lips are 1940s inspired, rich red and strong! Plus it's all about the detail - lips are going Geisha-style with a sharp contour on the Cupid's bow. A red lip needs to be done carefully, so make sure to apply concealer/foundation to the lip and powder so you have a great base, then get to work with a red lip liner all over the lips and finish off with your red lipstick of choice.

Smoky Dramatic Eyes
And we're not just talking black - blues and sparkling greens are among this year's colours of choice for that impactful look. I'm in love with Aaron De Mey's creations that he demonstrated for Lancome.

The new Artistic Director has also developed his third makeup collection for the brand called Declaring Indigo which made its debut on the catwalks this season and will be hitting our stores very soon! He's even had input into other areas of Lancome's business such as the way its products are presented instore...

He gave models a smoky eye using sapphire blues and emerald greens but advises to use very little foundation to keep the look fresh and youthful.

Aaron De Mey, whose Lancome range Declaring Indigo is out in stores soon!

Kate Moss Style - A Review

Just under a month ago you may remember me saying I'd bought this book and was relishing reading through it! Well I finished it the other day and the verdict?...

I LOVED it! I didn't want to put the book down, so much so it was a little sad when it came to the end, haha! Here's a bit of a rundown of some of the topics covered in the book that I enjoyed learning... *If you really don't want to know because you want to read it first then please look away now...*

From Angela's meticulous research, one thing's for certain - you really do learn a lot about Kate Moss' history, her background, where she grew up, how she was discovered and how she discovered the world of fashion and the fun and creativity behind dressing up, dressing down and behind the lens!

As you read through you find out more and more about the influential figures that she has met, lived with, grown up with and is still friends with to this day - from her everlasting friendship with hairdresser James Brown to even her famous relationships with Johnny Depp and Pete Doherty...

It's unbelievable to think her career began at the sweet age of 14! Kate's face even then caught many an eye and since then the fashion industry, photographers and designers alike haven't looked back...

My favourite thing about this read is that you get a real insight into Kate's very own flair, passion for fashion and eye for a bargain/special and rare pieces. Shopping and looking around for the right outfit seem to come to her like a sixth sense which I find both enviable and admirable!

I certainly have realised that she has a very strong sense of style, no matter how many labels she could or supposedly should wear, she certainly has no fear of standing out of the crowd and damn straight - she's a reason for us ladies to be proud to be British!

As a result she's become the ultimate style icon of our time, she has set numerous trends and I highly suspect she will do for years to come, despite her career nearly spanning 20 years, she shows no sign of fading, tiring or even really ageing!

And equally she's became a muse for many a photographer, fashion designer and label, and of course someone we all look to when dressing ourselves - her influence is everywhere even if you don't realise it. She wore leggings just before they hit the catwalk, now you can seem them everywhere all over the highstreet, on every celeb around and in many different styles.

Do you remember slouchy suede boots? Yup, she began that trend since she wore them on a night out and got snapped in them. I remember having a pair myself a few years ago and I had no idea it was Kate who propelled them to the popularity that they gained!

Angela's book has certainly opened my eyes to how amazing Kate is, I really admire her panache and sense of adventure when it comes to getting dressed. I've certainly always shared her belief that getting dressed is half the fun (if not all the fun!) - I enjoy the getting-ready part to any night out as much as the night out itself!!

If you're at all intimidated that Kate Moss Style might be full of fashion terminology and scary levels of detail that you won't be able to keep up with - don't be! Angela takes you through very gently, naturally and in fact this book has given me a thirst for more fashion books like it! It's really educational without being overwhelming or patronising.

Of course whilst I could talk and wax lyrical about this book in far more detail, I won't because if you haven't read it and want to I'd be spoiling your fun. If you're even slightly tempted to pick this up then I encourage you to give it a go, it's a must for any coffee/bedside table : )

In terms of new reads to get my teeth into, the books I now have my eye on are "What I Wore Today" and "Model As Muse" and well all many others in between because each time I go into Foyles I can't help myself haha!

New Favourite - Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara

It was love at first stroke - for my mascara of course!!

I got a free sample in Glamour magazine - "Little Bit BADgal" and have been using it for over 2 months now...

The wand is absolutely massive, wider than any other mascara wand I've seen/used before! It was a bit intimidating at first in fact because I didn't think I'd be able to control the application too well and might poke myself in the eye! But the moment I used it I thought it was AMAZING! It was actually very easy to use from the word go, I had no problems with control or application at all.

Yeah, it retails a little on the pricier side, but it doesn't clump, flake, smudge or run and well for me, it just seems like it was made for my eyelashes, haha! The thicker wand means that you can get right to the base of the lashes and coat the lashes quickly and effectively. The bristles are great because the mascara doesn't seem to cling to them in the same way that some mascara wands do which in turn cause clumping and unwanted excess product coating the lashes!

I'm VERY impressed with this product, I haven't had a sample that's encouraged me to eventually buy the product in a long time! But I'll be definitely buying the full-size version of this beauty as soon as my sample runs out!

If you don't have curly/long lashes this stuff's a godsend and if you do, well you'll just have lovely, luscious lashes that blow the boys away when you wink or blink! : )

You can find Benefit's BADgal Lash mascara at any Benefit counter near you or here.

Edit: You can now see images to go with this post - as you'll see the brush is huuuuge! : )

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