30 August 2015

Jeans

Do you want skinny, straight, girlfriend, boyfriend, high waisted, low waisted, cropped or flared? Yes, I’m talking about jeans, jeans can be a nightmare to shop for.  Then there’s the wash, how distressed you want them and how does your bum look in them.  The dilemmas we women go through just to buy jeans. It can be a challenging task, but luckily for me the day I went jeans shopping I was fortunate enough to leave the store with two pairs of jeans and a sigh of relief.

I normally go high street to buy my jeans but own a few branded jeans that I had invested in and have lasted me years. The days of spending nearly £150 on one pair of jeans are long gone but I discovered high street have amazing options that last you years too. My advice when shopping for jeans is to try on every brand on your budget and to decide which felt comfortable on you. I have always liked Topshop and H&M jeans but still to this day I need to try them on, styles change over the years and so does the fit. Jeans are meant to last you years and almost all of my jeans have done so, the secret is not to wash them so often. But it all depends on the denim if it is raw or pre-washed. Click on the link here for a video about denim and how to wash them.

Below are my recently purchased jeans, both from Topshop.

Topshop MOTO Vintage Ripped Baxter





















Denim has been a popular choice this season amongst many designers, with patchwork denim, frayed and flares being a favoured choice. If your venturing out to buy a pair of jeans this season and want a flattering shape that will last, try buying a straight leg, high waisted or flared (refer back to the previous post here for options on flares).

Here are a few of my favourite styles from the high street.

Zara high waist jeans
H&M Shaping Flare Regular Jeans
Topshop MOTO Boyfriend Jeans
ASOS Farleigh High Waist Slim
M&S Straight Leg Denim Jeans
COS Slim fit cropped jeans















Pinterest Images

19 August 2015

Trainers

With the Yeezy Boost 350 by Kayne West selling out within an hour in June and now a black version dropping this week, as well as new trainers popping up every month, trainers are more popular than ever. But what is it about trainers?

We get excited when the word 'limited edition' pops up, people queue up for hours, we contemplate whether to get another colour way in the same trainers and we go crazy over celebrity collaborations. We now have designers designing trainers, high street stores doing more styles than they used to, the options are endless when choosing trainers.

My earliest encounter of wearing trainers was at primary school, we were actually allowed to wear trainers with our uniform, not sure if this was an 80's thing. But it wasn't until I was 18 I was obsessed with buying different styles of trainers. I owned a few from brands such as Adidas, Puma and Nike and even a pair of blue suede Diesel trainers. It was then in my mid-20s I began to slowly move away from trainers and buy more shoes, regrettably heels that are never worn now. Then I purchased my first Chuck Taylor Converse trainers and it was the best purchase ever, I still wear them 10 years on (although I do have a 2nd pair as well). It is undeniably a classic trainer to have in your wardrobe that will last you years, this is without fail one of my staple items.

I love the fact trainers are more common now to wear with dresses or skirts, and it is one of the best combinations for me. It adds a bit of an edge and you can even team it up with an elegant dress, which my husband hates! I personally love the unique and colourful styles out there and if you're not a sneakerhead, I'm pretty sure you'll need a pair at one time or another in your life.

Designed or named after celebs

Superstar Pharrell
Yeezy Boost
Adidas Stan Smith
Chuck Taylor All Star






Pinterest Images


Shop Trainers


1. Nike Air Force 1 Mid Black Cut Out
2. Nike Air Max Thea leather sneakers
3. Nike Air Pegasus 83 iD
4. Zara Platform Sneaker
5. Superga 2750 Cotu Trainers
6. Reebok Classic Leather

15 August 2015

Cleanser

On my skin care section I've written about some products I use on my skin and hair, so far it has been oils, there is just one more oil to add (I swear it's the last) and that's a cleansing oil for my face.

I'm always switching my cleanser and have used various types including cleansing milk, foaming washes and creams. But there is one that I keep coming back to and that's the cleansing oil. An oil cleanser is meant to be better as it takes out the impurities without clogging the pores and balances our skins natural pH, where some cleansers strip away our skins natural oils. Some think by putting oil on your face will make you oily and break out with spots, but this is not the case in my experience, personally I haven't had a problem to date. More on cleansing oils here.

The first time I heard of cleansing oils was years ago when it wasn't that widely known and I purchased my first cleansing oil from the Shu Uemura counter at a department store. The range is known for their oil based cleansers and they cater for different types of skin concerns. I can't really remember much on how it felt on my skin, but as it was pricey I stopped using it. There are so many face oils on the market at different price ranges it's easy to seek one on your budget. At the moment I am using the Boots time delay cleansing oil, it was between this or the L'OrĂ©al skin perfecting oil which I had used before. The Boots cleanser contains skin smoothing oils of grapeseed, rosehip, jojoba and olive. I prefer to use this on the days I wear makeup as it definitely removes all traces of makeup and leaves my skin soft and glowing.

Another cleanser I use is the Simple micellar cleansing water. This is a must for me and I use it mostly on the days I feel a little lazy or sometimes after my oil cleanser to make sure all the makeup and dirt is removed off my skin. So many brands have micellar water in their range now and it has become increasingly popular. Micellar water is quick and easy to use, generously pour some of the micellar water onto a cotton wool pad and gently wipe your face and neck until there is no dirt left, it's that easy.  No need to rinse after and you skin is left super clean. I also have the simple micellar cleansing wipes for those really lazy days but I try not to get that lazy with my skin anymore.

Boot Time Delay Cleansing Oil
Simple Micellar Water
Simple Micellar cleansing wipes

Cleansers

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Cleansing Oil
No7 Skin Cleansing Oil
Bobbie Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Oil
Bioderma Sensibio H2O
Lancome Eau Micellaire






10 August 2015

Black On Black

After doing the post on black dresses, I realised I had to do a post on black outfits, as it's not just a black dress that makes your wardrobe complete. Over the past few months, I've talked about several staple pieces to have in your wardrobe, like the white shirt, a breton top and a black blazer to name a few. However black is a colour that pops up a lot when you are buying staple items, not only is a black dress and black blazer good to have, but if you want staple timeless pieces in your wardrobe you need the following: A good pair of black trousers, black jeans, black skirt, black jumper and a black tee. Yes black! By having these as staple items, you can now mix and match with fashion pieces and add colour.

I think it's always good to have these lasting pieces in your wardrobe because everyone will always need one of those items to complete a look one time or another.  Having so many black items doesn't mean you have to wear black on black, however, it does look good and sometimes I do like to wear a nice black outfit.

You don't have to be boring with this as you can always add details like belts and accessories to bring the outfit together or have fun with it by mixing textures and prints. But remember black on black doesn't have to look like you're off to a job interview, below are a few of my favourites from Pinterest.



High-street buys:

Topshop Jamie Jeans
&other stories Zipped Sweater
Topshop Stitch Jumper
Kookai Leather Skirt
 

Zara Knit Sweater
Zara Fringed Skirt
Zara Suedette Cutwork Skirt

ASOS Boyfriend Tee
COS Cotton T-Shirt