This Season's Must have Trousers: The Flare

Heya guys,

This is the last post in the 'How to Wear this Seasons Trousers' series and it's having a look at the Flare.

http://blog.shopbop.com/

The Flare:

The great thing is that the flare is super flattering for most body shapes. If you're curvy it will emphasise your curves and if you're not they'll make you look more curvy. (Sounds great, eh?) You can also get highwaisted versions to flatter your tummy too.  They've been all over the runway the past two seasons and have been popular with lots of celebrities too so you don't have to worry about them looking dated.

 

They look fabulous if you want to go with the whole 70's trend and get a bit Boho but they really are so versatile you can put them with anything.

 

Have you got any great ways of wearing your flares? or do you think they're a bit dated?

 

Lert m know what you think!

 

Hugs and Cupcakes,

 

 

This Season's Must have Trousers: The Wide Leg

The Wide leg. hmmm...... now this one is definately a difficult one because it doesn't suit all body types and it's not always the most flattering. Lets face it, it 0% shows off your amazing pins/booty because they're covered up by a million folds of material! and sometimes even for slimer people they can cling in ALL the wrong places so be careful of the fit!


from Varsity.co.uk


Because of the shape it looks best on tall figures but if you're petite, you could always go for pin stripes and heels to elongate your legs and don't go for such a wide cut. Heels are kinda a must for this fashion anyway because they tend to drag on the floor a little if you don't! If you are tall you can get away with a wider cut and if you're curvy try and go for more of a flare shape to bring out your curvy hips! (ooo lala!)

As there is so little structuring on your bottom half you need to make sure you pair it with something quite fitted and unfussy at the top. A simple tshirt and jacket would look great for example but not a blouse which is too huge.

Anyway, play around with it! and email me some of your outfits so I can post them as style inspiration.

Hugs and Cupcakes,

This Seasons Must Have Trousers: The Chino

Heya peeps! Ready to make Chino's your new Spring staple?

Number one in this season's must have trouser style is the Chino. This three quarter length tailored trouser are usually made from crisp cotton and you can dress it up or down, so they really are versatile. They're also a great transition piece from spring to summer. Too cold for shorts, yet too warm for trousers and you want to look smart/casual? Go for the Chino!

The great thing about these is you can get some slightly different cuts to suit your body type so they suit all kinds of body shape. For example, if you're worried about having a 'muffin top' go for a high waisted version which is going to pull you in.

 

 

Here's a piccie of me wearing some black chino's, shoes and bag from Topshop and a jumper from Oasis.(Excuse the camera, no one was around to take a piccie for me!) At the time I was planning a work interview outfit but I went for something different in the end. It's still pretty smart though!

Hugs and Cupcakes,

How to Wear this Seasons Trousers

Picture from River Island

So left to right we have the Chino, then the Pallazo (or wide legged trousers), the Skinny Combat and The Flare.  Over the next few days I'm going to be showing you some cool ways to wear them and my top tips to understanding which type will suit your body type best!

I can't wait!

Hugs and cupcakes,

That Girl's Got Skillz

Do you want to nab some skills? Running skills? Flirting skills? Posh Nosh Skills?

Every New Year, a lot of people seem to get an opinion on how to improve their lives and consequently everyone else’s. From the truly crazy ideas [I’m going to live on just water and carrots for an entire month] to the reasonable [I want to lose one stone before I go on holiday] to the downright ridiculous [I’m going to shave my cat] everything comes out of the barrel and by half way through January, often forgotten.

 Now as it’s a new year I thought it would be good to get some skills or improve on the ones I already have. Here are some awesome websites which will hopefully get you some new hints and tips too. Enjoy! And add a comment of any websites you also find really useful.

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/beginners/get-started-schedules/30.html

Want to start running? Well this website has a programme which will get you to running for 30 minutes at a time in 8 weeks? Get some tunes on your ipod, get running and you’ll have a beach ready body in no time J

http://jezebel.com/5732771/social-minefield-a-guide-to-flirting

Awkward when chatting to guys/girls? This is a good guide to helping you feel a tad more comfortable! I know its really hard, whenever I see someone I really like I always act like a douche because I get all nervous but the best thing to think is. . . no pressure! Talk to them with the intention of being friends and then it’s no big deal if there’s not an instant attraction. You’ve got a new friend right?

http://lovephool.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/self-help-for-the-truly-fcked-up-or-the-vaguely-discontent/

One theory on the way to be happy. There is some truth in the article!

http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

Need to take a break for two minutes?  . .. as if I need any more encouraging!

http://www.closettailors.com/blog/

Want to organise your home? This blog has lots of handy tips and ideas to get you going. My bedroom needs rewiring so I’m literally going through every item in my bedroom and either keeping, throwing away or selling on Ebay and this website has certainly helped get me started. There are lots of different ideas on there so have a mooch around.

http://www.problogger.net/

Want to improve your blog? Get more traffic? Have a look at this website with lots of useful hints, tips and articles.

http://www.waitrose.com/food/cookingandrecipes/index.aspx

Want to find another dish which will soon become your ‘speciality?’ Try Waitrose. The gods of food. Okay, whilst my student budget doesn’t stretch to their gourmet prices, you can make some posh nosh with the same recipes but the onions come from ASDA instead. WIN :D

I particularly like the Green Thai Chicken Curry:

http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Delia's_Thai_Chicken_with_lime_and_coconut.aspx

A little word on diets

It seems at the start of a new year the real focus is on the body, what you eat and how much you exercise. I applaud anyone who is on a diet. I know that I would find it very difficult to restrict what I’m eating because I always want what I can’t have! (This also happens to me with men and shoes and often when I order food, I want what someone else is having!) But one of the ways which I’m using to help me come to terms with eating a bit more healthily (chocolate is my downfall!) is when eating a salad or a piece of fruit to think “this is good for me to eat because it’s going to make my skin/hair glow and I’m going to feel great.” and when I eat something that isn’t healthy, rather than thinking that something is ‘bad’ and giving myself a guilt trip about it, to think “I’m eating this [insert junk food here] and its going to make me feel sluggish and bring me out in spots but I’m doing it anyway.” Suddenly doesn’t look as appetising does it? Aside from this, there are some genuinely tasty salads out there; it doesn’t all have to be carrot food to be healthy! I went out with a friend of mine to Ponti’s in Reading and had the most delicious caser salad and it made me feel so good and ready to keep shopping. Probably not the same feeling I would have got if I’d have had a Burger!

So, don’t guilt trip yourself but remember you deserve to look great and you deserve to eat yummy tasty healthy food which is going to make you look even more like the goddesses you are!

Hope this inspires you,

Love and Cupcakes

Lily Wiggleworth Sale

Hiya guys,



I have found a sale with so many bargains I just had to share it. Lily Wigglesworth specialises in designer clutch bags but also sells jewelry and some other accessories. Unfortunately they're closing down (Boo!) but it means that all of their clutch bags are 70% off! (Woop!) There are some gorgeous things in the sale including these which I will be purchasing soon:



A cute little clutch by designer Suzy Smith which will go with practically anything due to it's neutral colour. Was £69 now £19.50



This is another cute clutch Bag by Suzy Smith that was £35 but now £10.50. Look at the sparkles! :) This would look fantastic with skinny jeans and a black top. Instant Glamour!

The website for the shop is: http://www.lilywigglesworth.co.uk/

Enjoy girlies and let me know what bargains you end up going for,

Love and Cupcakes,

Easy Smokey Eyes Tutorial

I hope you enjoyed this Smokey eyes look, feel free to ask me any questions in the comment box if you're not quite sure about anything.

Coming up: Different types of smokey eye! - Gold and black smokey eyes and green smokey eyes

Love and Cupcakes,

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.

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,

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,

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.

Love and Cupcakes,

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!

Hugs and cupcakes,