Natalya's Beauty Blog- Filthygorgeousmakeup: candid

Tuesday, 23 June 2015

OOTD: Country Wedding

A few weeks ago the hubby and I attended a lovely country wedding to celebrate the union of our university friends! The wedding was very sweet with lots of homemade aspects and family members arranging flowers and baking cakes to make the newlyweds' special day unique and very personal.

Dress from Reiss (Marte in blue), bag from Chanel, fascinator from TK Maxx, shoes from Melissa.

I wouldn't normally choose jelly shoes for a wedding, but as there was a mile walk from the church to the reception in a marquee with a high likelihood of rain I decided to be very sensible (and waterproof)! They were also super comfy so I could dance into the early hours... and we did!

Being May the evening was very cold so I definitely brought lots of layers - cardigans, scarf and this pretty (also waterproof) laser cut cream trench coat from Warehouse.

Such a lovely day!

Our Engagement Party and Amazing Cakes!

On the 1st of June the fiance and I hosted a much belated celebration of our engagement with our closest friends and our families. It was a wonderful evening and while I was having far too much fun catching up with everyone to take many photos I did want to share some pictures from the night and also give a special mention to some of our amazing suppliers :).

You all know I love any excuse to dress up, so while the Mr kept it pretty casual I decided to wear something a little more adventurous. I chose the Talia dress from the Hobbs limited edition Invitation collection with matching shoes. It's a nifty little corset number with a very voluminous skirt that really reminds me of the shape of Vivienne Westwood dresses, which I adore. I paired it with a white L.K Benett chiffon petal bag.

As the dress was already quite a statement I kept my hair simple by curling it with Babyliss hot rollers and brushing through the hair with a soft Denman brush to create loose, soft, shiny curls. For the makeup I went for a silver and grey smokey eye to complement the dress.

I chose the Blanchard Room of the Hollywood Arms as the venue for its amazing decor and it did not disappoint! All our guests loved it and I must say that the staff were outstanding on the night, making sure everyone had plenty of bubbles in their glasses until the early hours ;).

Since we are not getting married till next July we wanted to give our guests a little taste of what to expect next year and decided to order a cake as a sweet finishing touch to the evening. I am a huge dessert fan and loved the idea of having a cupcake cake for our guests to enjoy. After getting quotes from a few suppliers I chose the Chelsea Cake Company. Nessie was an absolute sweetheart in creating the perfect cake for us and it's just so lovely to work with someone who is incredibly passionate about their business. I highly recommend you check her website out for wedding, party or celebration cakes as she does some incredible designs using only the best organic ingredients.

Nessie also made some adorable wedding themed cookies for guests to take away with them! They were just as yummy as they look.

After the party we carried on the celebration at Embargos, although not all of our guests made it that far ;p. Fingers crossed I will be able to make the wedding go as smoothly! xxx

A change of direction...

So many of you lovely readers have contacted me to inquire where I have been hiding so I thought it best to write a little message to you all.

2012 was such a fantastic year for me. So many amazing things happened! I got engaged (squeal), got a big promotion at work, passed all my exams keeping me on track to gaining the financial qualification I have been studying for and have been involved in some exciting fashion and beauty projects. I am so happy and blessed and greatful for everything in my life. I can't thank you all enough for your support and your enthusiasm over this blog and my YouTube channel and I really do appreciate every comment, tweet and e-mail and the time you take out of your day to spend in my little world.

I am still incredibly passionate about beauty, fashion and all the girly fun that comes with this blog, however, I do see that there will have to be a slight change in direction.

At the end of last year I was still working full time, studying, commuting on the weekends to spend time with the boy in Liverpool, attending 3/4 events in the evenings every week and starting to plan a wedding (which, in truth, has been the most difficult task of all). As you can imagine this left me with very little time for anything else and made me lose enthusiasm - some days I felt like life was just going through the motions. I was honestly quite exhausted, often staying up till 2am to get all my work done and starting it all over again the next day.

One of the reasons I decided not to make blogging/ youtubing my day job is that I love variety. In some ways I like the fact that I have a serious job in the City, and that I can be successful without wearing a boring black suit everyday into the office. I can have a challenging career, while still preserving my individuality and femininity. I never want my love of beauty and fashion to become a job. I want to keep it a hobby - something I am excited about and I thoroughly enjoy, not something I have to do to pay my mortgage. I would much rather sit in a meeting about the future of commodities and then run off to learn all about the latest mascara and be excited by both. I'm not ashamed of being a geek...

I love this blog, I love my readers and I love all the friends that I have made through blogging, but as I get older I feel that my audience grows with me so I hope that you understand this slight change in direction. I am going to really make an effort to make this blog more personal and include a greater variety of topics. I want it to mature with me and reflect other interests that I have thus far only touched on.

My life is so full of contrasts and I feel that this blog hasn't reflected all those dimensions. I want to make a real effort this year to live my life to its fullest, and if that means reading fewer press releases, spending less hours behind a computer and more time with my friends enjoying all London (and who knows where else) has to offer I am ready to do that. Hopefully those experiences will make for more exciting content, both in life and online!

I really do hope that you want to come on this journey with me... even if it may contain a little less eyeshadow! xxx

Meeeeerrrrryyyyyyy Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the little monster and me :)!

I hope you all have a wonderful day with your loved ones! xxx

Marrakesh

After covering 3 continents in just over 4 days (work, work and holiday) I am safely back on my sofa and can honestly declare that as much as I love traveling, nothing is as good as being home with my little Maxie! Though I must confess I made a few other feline friends on my travels...

I thought I would share a few photos of our (all too brief) trip to Marrakesh as many of you expressed your interest on twitter. It is an amazing city - full of vitality, vibrant colour and rich history (as well as small doorways).

Please excuse the Movember moustache on the boy - everyone kept mistaking him for a local...

We stayed in a really fun Riyadh hotel, which certainly wasn't on the minimalist side. Just look at the entrance. I won't scar you with photos of our room, but it was certainly an experience!

The famous soukhs were so much fun to get lost in. However, if this trip cemented one thing it is that I am a fiend when it comes to bargaining, but the fiancee really is a soft touch. 120Dh he spent on a little pot... I know I could have got it for 30! ;p

The YSL or Majorelle Gardens.

The gardens were stunning and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The sun came out and though it wasn't exactly hot it was perfect for a hectic day of sightseeing!

After a lovely lunch in the gardens followed by copious mint tea the fiancee tried his hand at orienteering... which is when we got lost!

I would definitely recommend Marrakesh for a long weekend break in the sun. Perhaps it is not the most romantic of places (no hand holding), but the vibrant atmosphere alone is worth the journey!

The worst kept secret... I'm Engaged!!!

Apologies for my little absence over the past week, but as you can tell by the title of this post something very exciting happened last weekend. My darling boyfriend proposed on Saturday and I said YES! We are both absolutely thrilled and couldn't be happier!!

I would love to share the whole story with you as I have been gushing about it to anyone who asks, but the fiancée (eek!) has asked me to keep some things private, so I shall give you the shorter and less emotional version!

After weeks of busy schedules that involved back to back night-shifts for him and work trips for me we decided to take Friday off work and spend some quality time together. He planned two magical days of mini dates that included a Michelin starred restaurant for lunch, coffee at the Corinthia hotel (where I have just realised the Xfactor finalists are staying this year), the London Eye, cocktails and nibbles at Evans and Peel detective agency (1920s theme), romantic movie and a long walk around Kew Gardens in the sunshine. On Saturday evening we went for dinner to one of our favourite French restaurants and upon returning home I found my living room had been transformed with hundreds of photos, candles and red roses...

I have never seen the poor boy so nervous, but he assures me it was well worth it to make me the happiest girl in the world! I have been smiling all week like an absolute loon :).

Thank you all so much for your kind messages on FB and twitter. It really does mean the world to us! xxx

Umbria and Tuscany

Not too long ago I spent a magical week in the plush Italian countryside on the border between Umbria and Tuscany. Having returned home to find my internet was broken (fixed today yay!) I have been looking forward to sharing these pictures with you for far too long!!!