Thursday 30 December 2010

Paris Spring/Summer Fashion Shows

Paris Spring/Summer Catwalk collections
Over the next week I am going to do a review of the Spring/Summer collections of the most influential designers in the fashion world and give some indictions of up and coming trends. The first one is one Chanel but coming up are reviews of Louis Vuitton, Elie Saab and Stella Mcartney.
Chanel
Karl Lagerfeld’s ready-to-wear collection for Chanel was absolutely exquisite.  Smart and classic, the collection featured egg shell blues and pinks and feather embellishments which were particularly used at the bottom of dresses, around the collar and on the shoulders. (This trend has already been picked out my Miss Selfridge in some of their Christmas party dresses) The collection overall could not be described as colourful as there was an abundance of blacks, greys and white but it was definitely crisp and fresh. My favourite pieces were the umbrella shaped like a classic Chanel hat and the dark washed skinny jeans which, when looked at closely, had beautiful detailing.


Love and Cupcakes,



Wednesday 29 December 2010

Websites I'm Loving this Week

There are a few websites which I absolutely adore. And a few which i find quite amusing. And a few I go on when I’m insanely bored or have work to do because they’re a great great way to procrastinate. Anyway! Have guessing which is which with these lovelies:
www.galadarling.com – the play girl’s guide to radical self love. This website is full of good advice to make you happy and beautiful photos.

http://www.kirstymitchellphotography.com/home.php - amazing amazing amazing pictures. I love the Alice in wonderland inspired ones.
http://zodiac-signs-astrology.com/zodiac-signs/gemini.htm - Apparently it’s mostly women who like horoscopes because we like to make sense of the world, but its a fun of fun however you see it.
http://aheadrobot.com/2010/06/12/ipad-unchocolateboxing/ - This guy bought an ipad and then dipped it in chocolate! Wow.
from mancavesite.org

http://uk.askmen.com/specials/2010_great_male_survey/ - This is brilliant. It’s basicly a what-men-really-think guide. If you have a look though the site you can read articles such as ’10 signs you’ve been single too long’: 4) you get a cat! Lol. Aparently girls think that guys with cats are weird.  I’m sure if men read women’s websites about understanding men they would be equally as funny, and I’m not trying to put anyone down who is single but.....you know.....I wouldn’t be put off a guy if they had a cat! That’s just silly. Anyways! Have a peek!ey/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1146544/21_questions_to_ask_a_guy_fun_relationship.html?cat=41 – 21 questions to get to know a guy in a relationship. Or you can ask your friends, which would be equally as fun. J One of my colleagues also taught me a questions game called what would you rather? E.g. Would you rather have lots of nice shoes but no pets, or a dog and only one pair of shoes? And you can each ask each other a question until you get bored.
Love and Cupcakes,








Friday 24 December 2010

Merry Christmas




Hey Guys. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year full of fun, frollicks and lots of fabulous makeup.

Much love and cupcakes,

Monday 20 December 2010

How to Jazz up your Junk

Hey Guys, My friend was telling me some really cools ways to jazz up your junk and I thought I'd share them with you. Enjoy getting crafty!

Cute Storage boxes.
Make Storage boxes by covering old shoe boxes with fancy wallpaper or wrapping paper. To make it really trendy, mix a plain coloured lid with a patterned bottom or vice versa. You can use these to store hair bits, make up and stationary. Another idea is to cover the shoe box with pretty paper and then put your shoes back in, take a picture of the shoes and stick it on the front and that way when you're looking for them you will be able to see what box they're in without searching for them.

These are some made with Hexagons of paper from http://litchi7.blogspot.com/2010/01/if-shoe-fits.html


Potpourri
To make potpourri, get some flowers which are going over and lay the petals on baking trays and leave in the airing cupboard for a few days until they've dried out. You can always get interesting twigs and fir cones and spray paint them a metallic colour to make it look more interesting.

Teacup candles
Buy some vintage candles from a carboot sale and make them into cute candles by filling the cup with wax and adding a wick. You can easily buy a kit from amazon and then fill 'em up! these make really cute vintage presents too.
teacup_candle1
Photo from: http://www.kid-craft-project.com
Soap Dish.
One really good way to use soaps which have dents in them or are damaged is to shave curls of soap off them with a knife and collect them in little dish so if you're washing your hands you just take a few of the peices.

Hugs and Crafty Cupcakes,



Friday 17 December 2010

What's Your Skin Type?

What is your skin type?
Apparently 74% of people don’t know their skin type. So week by week I’m going to give you a guide to your skin. What type you are, what you should be doing daily to keep it in tip-top condition and how to help problem skin.
Remember your skin can change due to weather conditions, medication, the Pill, ageing and change in hormones so you may have to adapt your skin care regime after some time. You are not a skin type for life!
Oily Skin – Oily skin has a visible shine, often only a few hours after cleansing. It can be prone to acne, blemishes, black heads and pimples. It often has large visible pores and is often dull.
Dry Skin – Dry skin can be flaky and often feels tight after washing. You are more prone to wrinkles, redness and the skin can feel flaky.
Normal skin – Normal skin has little shininess and rarely has dry patches or blemishes.
Sensitive skin – Often has allergic reactions to products and can also be dry or oily, often has red blotchy patches.
Combination skin – Combination skin tends to be shiny on the T-zone and dry on the cheeks. It gets a few blemishes and blackheads and a few flaky patches.
Men – Men’s skin can be any of the skin types above but the skin is usually thicker. The main difference in skin type between men and women is in the body. Putting it simply, men’s skin is more tightly woven together. This means that they aren’t prone to cellulite like women are.
Skin care quiz – this is a little quiz to help you find out what skin type you are, but it doesn’t include sensitive skin because often you can be a combination of dry-sensitive/oily-sensitive or normal-sensitive.  This shouldn’t take over the advice of your doctor/dermatologist but gives you a good indication of which type you might be.
How does your skin feel after washing?
a)      After a few hours it feels greasy
b)      It feels tight, and not very supple.
c)       It feels fine, neither greasy nor oily
d)      It feels fine but after a few hours I get a slight shine
e)      I don’t wash. I’m a man.
Can you see your pores?
a)      Yes, They’re very visible
b)      No, I can never see them
c)       I can rarely see them
d)      I can sometimes see them, but not all the time.
e)      What’s a Pore?
How often do you get black heads/blemishes?
a)      Often.
b)      Never, or on rare occasions
c)       Every now and then, say, once/twice a month, but not often
d)      I get black heads and Blemishes quite frequently
e)      You mean those volcano things in my skin? Yeah I pick at them in the mirror after I shave.
What’s your skin type?
Mostly A – Oliy skin
Mostly B – Dry Skin
Mostly C – Normal skin
Mostly D- Combination skin
Mostly E – You’re probably a man.

Myth
If I use a face cream for a long time, my skin will ‘get used to it.’  
This is a myth made up by companies to get you to spend more. If your skin looks and feels great then keep your skin care regime. If your skin needs something different, for example its getting dry/oily/dull then your skin has changed because of hormones or the weather or another reason. Your skin is not complex enough to ‘get used to’ something.
Hope this is useful! I'm really excited for all the other posts I have planned so pop back soon.
Did you know what your skin type was before you did my Quiz?
Hugs and Cupcakes,


Thursday 16 December 2010

All I want for Christmas . . .

Dear Santa, Friends, lovers, and secret admirers.

I know you would all like to club together and buy me a holiday to the bahamas, a sports car or a pony. But, really! that's too much, so here's a few ideas if you're still stuck for what gifts to lavish on me on the Big C day. ;)

All I want for Christmas . . .


Winter White Knitted Chunky Crystal Studded Jumper, 45 GBP
Purple pussybow blouse, £30, Dorothy Perkins
Fluffy Socks from Next UK, £6
Diamond Key Pendant Necklace
Charm Bracelet
Inception
Big makeup case
A hot turkey Dinner with my Family (awwwww!)
A new job in John Lewis
Ghost perfume
Alice in Wonderland.A nice hunky man. preferably one that doesn't talk, doesn't own an xbox and is tall dark and handsome.
Fashion/style/makeup books

I actually saw Bracknell santa the other day and asked him if he could put a nice young man in my stocking. He said he would see what he could do ;) better get a bigger stocking then! :)

I hope you're all nearly ready with your christmas bits now. Not long now!

love and Cupcakes,

Tuesday 14 December 2010

My Perfect Outfit

Hey, Don't you just love those days when you wake up with all the peices of a perfect outfit planned out in your head. This happened to me the other and these are the results. Shame the only one I own is the navy blazer, but its a good excuse to go shopping, right?

New outfit


Purple pussybow blouse, £30, Dorothy Perkins
Amazon.com: Navy Velvet Satin Tie Blazer Jacket: Clothing, $100
Black tights, From all good retailers, (and lets be fair you most likely have some in your drawer anyway)
Military High Waisted Shorts, £30, Miss Selfridge
Black Glitzy Lace Shoe Boot, £55, Miss Selfridge

Only 12 days untill Christmas as well! ooooo......exciting! :)
 
Love and Cupcakes,
 
 

Monday 13 December 2010

Inspire Me

For all those people doing work for the end of term, or working and looking forward to the holidays, something to inspire you.



If You Don't Study, YOU SHALL NOT PASS
 

Drawing by: http://www.summerpierre.com/


Love and a million Cupcakes,


Emma xox




 

Sunday 12 December 2010

Day Seven: and If You Still Don't Have Ideas For Your LBD, How About This?

Heya Guys,

Well its the end of the LBD series and I hope you enjoyed and are ready to go out and accessorise like crazy! Here's a few more ideas if you still aren't sure if you have anything in your wardrode to match.

Coming up soon: A new party makeup tutorial, the anti-little black dress, festive frolics and gift ideas amongst others.

Hope to see you soon. leave a comment and say hello if you fancy.

The Little Black Dress

Love and Cupcakes,

Saturday 11 December 2010

Make your Own Christmas Gift - M&S Limoncello

photo from: www.amountainofcrushedice.com
Have you got a few people on your Christmas list that are hard to buy for? The "oh no, nothing I want this year" people but you know you want to get them something anyway? How about making some of this Limoncello? I found this recipe in a magazine and it looks divine for Christmas. It's perfect as a light dessert if you serve a scoop of lemon sorbet with a shot of Limoncello to pour over the top. Delicious! or serve with heaps of ice, slices of lime and lemonade.

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus soaking, cooling and 2 weeks storing
Cooking: 5 minutes
Makes: approximately 1.5lt

Ingredients: 6 unwaxed lemons
70cl bottle vodka
250g caster sugar

1) Soak the lemons in water for 30 minutes then dry them. Peel the zest using a vegetable peeler, taking care not to include any of the pith. Put the zest in a large sterilised jar and pour over the vodka. Seal and set aside for one week, shaking the jar everyday.
2) Put the sugar and 300ml of water in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool completely. Add to the vodka, stirring well, then strain into sterilised bottles. Leave for a further week.
3) Chill in the freezer for 1 - 2 hours before serving as a liquor.

Hope you enjoy this, I can’t wait to get started. How are you getting on with your christmas shopping? I would love to hear your Christmas pressie ideas for those people which are hard to buy for in the comments box below. :)

Hugs and cupcakes,

Friday 10 December 2010

Day Six: Punk it up and your Little Black Dress

Hey guys, Off set biker boots with a girly LBD and a clutch bag. Perfect for the daring divas out there!

Punk it up and the LBD
Love and Cupcakes,

Emma x o x
 

Thursday 9 December 2010

Day Five: LBD and a visit to Grandma

Heya guys! I hope you're all get prepared for christmas now, online shopping really is a lifesaver. Want to know what to wear when you're visiting Grandma on christmas eve? hmmmmm........How about a little Black dress?

Day wear LBD

Love and Chrtistmas Cupcakes,


Emma x o x

p.s. I hope you're liking the new Blog design. What do you think? x

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Day Four: The Classic Little Black Dress for the Cocktail Party

Hey Guys, There's something about a little black dress at a cocktail party that just says instant class. Audrey Hepburn is the queen of the classic LBD so this set is inspired by her. You know what I realised the other day as well? Black is really slimming. Hurrah! is there anything the LBD can't do?

Little Black Dress

Love and Cupcakes,



Tuesday 7 December 2010

Day Three: Sping Picnic and your LBD

Want to know what to wear on your next cute picnic date? The little black dress will serve you well in those unsure moments - what is too much/too dressy/what if i look over dressed/under dressed? LBD all the way! :)


Spring Picinic
Love and Cupcakes

Sunday 5 December 2010

Purple Rain: Your little Black Dress and a Night on the Town.

Heya! Here's another way which you can wear your Little Black Dress if you're going out with your girlies or to a party or a night on the town - Remember those killer heels? Go get 'em!

LBD and Purple


Hugs and cupcakes,

Friday 3 December 2010

Day One: Back to Black Again

Rain or Shine . . Surf or Ski....Don't go anywhere without your LBD

Another way to wear you little black dress. Come rain or shine!

Love and Cupcakes,

Back to Black

Photo by Katie Jane
I have a few Christmas Parties coming up (If I manage to get out of the snow!) and I thought I'd show you a if-all-fails-and-you-don't-know-what-to-wear outfit which is perfect for any Occasion. It is, of course, the Little Black Dress (LBD)

The perfect thing about a LBD is you can accessorise with absolutely everything. You can dress it down and go to Costa Coffee with a cardigan and some flats, or you can add a sexy waist belt and some killer high heels and go out with your girl friends. In this picture I'm wearing a H&M strapless dress with a Dorothy Perkins Brown saddle-style belt some earings from Accessorize, nude tights, and a brown bracelet to match. Okay, usually black and brown in the fashion world don't really go, but I was always one for breaking rules! If it looks cool then go with it!

Top Tips with your LBD
  • Jazz up your black dress with bright accessories. Have a pair of killer Hot Pink Heels? Pair it with a LBD and a matching handbag and you're good to go.
  • Don't know what jewelry to wear? Add several necklaces of different lengths but either all gold/silver/similar colourings and practise with a few different ones to see what looks right.
  • For a smart occasion or if its cold pair with a beautiful tailored Blazer. I have a couple which were real finds and once you start wearing them you won't stop. My favourite is from Madam Butterfly but you can also get nice ones from New Look or Dorothy Perkins. They're a wardrobe must!
  • Have you already got a nice little blak dress? Good ways to make it 'on trend' for the winter season: Pair with a sparkly bolero, a  velvet jacket or a scarf/shoes/bag with animal print/fur. Or something Gold.
  • Add some Body sparkle on your decolletage and arms if you're going to a party. The Body Shop have a gorgeous one in thier new winter makeup collection which is £10 and scented of Japanese Cherry Blosom. I can't wait to get my hand on one of those!
  • Dress down with Biker boots, flats, cardigans and jeans or leggings underneath.
  • If you're not particularly curvy then give yourself some shape with a cute waist belt.
As you can see a LBD is so versatile it will solve any wardrode crisis! Fashion is made when designers break the 'rules' of fashion and this is the perfect dress to become a fashion designer yourself. Go crazy, have fun and as long as you feel good then let your style show!

Monday 29 November 2010

Fishing

 A picture and thought for the day: This is a picture of Montanita in Ecador, South America, where I went traveling a  few years ago. It's a little slice of heaven is this cold weather. Absolute Bliss! And the little phrase I found on the net when i was bored. Forget Boyfriends, I think thats how I would feel if one of my goldfish died! hahaha. Bless 'em :)

Love and cupcakes,

Sunday 28 November 2010

Have a Pink Christmas

Hey, I did this as a bit of fun when I was looking for party shoes.
It's nearly December, it's snowing outside and I'm getting excited
for christmas. Have you started your christmas shopping yet?

Love and Cupcakes,

Emma x o x

Thursday 25 November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving - 12 (Beauty) Things I'm Thankful For.

Now I know I'm not American but its good every now and then to say what we're Thankful for, so here we have it. 12 Beauty things I'm thankful for and what it reminds me of in my life thats totally awesome.



1) Tap Water. Did you know that every bottle of water you buy wastes 7lts of water? But it’s so good for my skin, eyes, hair and overall wellbeing and concentration I hear you say. Well did you also know that in a recent test over 80% of people couldn’t tell the difference in taste between tap water and mineral water? So, no excuses! Fill it up from the tap and save your pennies for your shoe fund J   

This reminds me that I’m happy for being 21 and still alive and healthy and happy.

2) Lancome Youth Activating Eye concentrate – My Mum gave me some of this recently and I can’t stop using it. It’s lovely. (Review coming up shortly)

This reminds me how lucky I am to have a mum who I can chat to about anything and do girly things like shopping with, a brother who makes me laugh all the time and who I don't argue with, and a dad who, as one person put it is 'crazy as a box of frogs' but goes out and catches burglars and lets me get away with anything.
 



3) Red lipstick – This is an essential beauty box item because you can slap some sunnies on, a bit of red lipstick and you’re queen of the catwalk even if you have no other make up on and dark circles under your eyes.

This reminds me how amazing it is to study something which I am so so passionate about for 3 years.

4)  Concealer. What would I do in the morning without a blooming good concealer? Hmmm......probably not get up until the afternoon.

This reminds me I’m thankful for Make-up (of course!) which is my other passion and does the wonders of hiding sleepless nights, pimples, spots and blotches and every morning transforms me into a normal human being.



5) Pocket mirror – A necessity for every handbag on wind swept days whe you don’t want to arrive at the office looking as though you’d been dragged though a hedge kicking and screaming.

This makes me excited for my two job interviews in the New Year. Go me! J



6) Micro refiner Exfoliator. This is my absolute favourite Body Shop Product packed full of vitamin C which comes from community traded Camu Camu from the Amazon it’s a really harsh exfoliator which makes my skin glow.

As I work in the Body Shop this reminds me that I have totally awesome colleagues who I love to pieces and which makes my job an absolute dream. I look forward to going to work every day and not many people can say that.


7) Cotton Pads – No matter how amazing your make up look is you’ve got to take it off and some point. That’s when these babies come in handy.

 Living in a country which, despite its lying government has clean drinking water, education up to secondary level for all, free health care, supermarkets which sell everything under the sun and is not a war zone and gives you the freedom of speech to make yourself look like an idiot.

8) Camomile Eye Makeup Remover – This is the most gentle make up remover on the high street, I’ve lost count the number of times I have got this in my eye and believe it or not its not the battery-acid- running-round-rubbing-my-eyes-hissy-fit that I usually have with most make up removers.

This reminds me I also couldn’t live without my Best friends who are actually amazing people. I can trust them 100% and who would do anything for me. Not many people can say that either.



9) Cosmopolitan Magazine – I love my monthly subscription to this magazine. Style, interviews,fashion, advice, sex tips. Everything necessary for the modern girl about town.

Which reminds me how thankful I am my friend persuaded me to create this Blog which keeps me out of mischief of an evening and lets me show people my passion.

10) SPF 15 Johnson and Johnson Moisturiser. Using an SPF moisturiser everyday is a must if you want to protect your skin from sun damage. This one is nice and light for my skin.

This reminds me that I’m thankful for changing my attitude this academic term. Getting up early to do work, looking after myself, keeping myself away from people who are negative influences and having lots of FOCUS!



11) Mascara – Does this need an explanation? What girl doesn’t love a little lift in her lash line?

This reminds me I’m glad I Got 3 adorable Goldfish. They don't fart/play COD like a boyfriend but they blow me little kisses and remind me to 'just keep swimming.' No matter what.

12) YOU!!  I’m thankful for all the people come that come read my blog. Thanks Guys!

Love and Cupcakes,