Back to Red (and lace)

You may have noticed that after a brief flirtation with brown locks and a few honey highlights this summer I have now gone back to my preferred hair colour. The red is back and here to stay... or at least it's here till I get bored again ;).

This post however, is about red of a more vibrant hue!

I love the vibrant tone of this playsuit mixed with the delicate detailing of the black lace. It's definitely a bit of a show stopping evening number, especially as it is so short (on me), and a cute alternative to a dress. However, I would say that the fit of this leaves a lot to be desired. The pleats create a lot of volume in the front, which as you can see in the picture below makes a rather unflattering little pouch when looking from the side or sitting down. I just wish it either had more pleats all the way around to create a more flared short, or else had none so it lay flat to the body. 

 

I noticed that even the gorgeous Laura Whitmore had this problem on the XtraFactor, which makes me glad that I'm not alone in my phantom poof!

Even despite this I still think it is a gorgeous piece and looks so much more expensive than it's £50 price tag! If you are interested in checking out this playsuit you can find it on the Topshop website here. They also have a similar style in cream here.

What do you guys think of this little red number? Since these photos were taken I have found a way to tame the pleats with a wide belt to keep the front in place, but if you have any crafty suggestions I'd love to hear your tricks! :). xxx

Ciate Jubilee Caviar Manicure

I have been absolutely dying to try Ciate's amazing caviar manicure and it seems that I was not alone as these sets have been sold out ever since their launch! I was so excited when their gorgeous Jubilee duo landed on my office desk. I was half tempted to start sprinkling away in my lunch hour ;).

The caviar sets come with two paint pots - a base colour and a pot of multi coloured beads. The Jubilee set is wonderfully patriotic with red, blue and transparent pearls and a shimmery white base called angel wings.

The manicure itself is really easy to do and unexpectedly mess free! I applied two coats of the shimmery white polish and while the second coat was still wet poured the beads over and pressed them into the base to secure them. The set comes with a tray to trap all the surplus beads and a funnel to make sure that no beads go to waste.

The final effect is really fun and unique! The only shame is that it doesn't last longer than a few days. You can give the beads a little extra longevity by applying a little top coat along the edge of your nails and take a little extra care in your daily 'nail usage'. Personally I think they look gorgeous and it's really worth the extra effort ;). 

The Jubilee Ciate Caviar set is exclusive to Selfridges and can be found for £18 here.

Have you tried any of Ciate's Caviar sets? Which are your favourites? xxx

FOTD: Jubilee

This is the look I wore to watch the flotilla on the Thames for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this Sunday. The atmosphere in London has been absolutely amazing over the last few days and I am so happy to be a part of it!

While keeping the rest of my makeup neutral I decided to add a little patriotic red to my look with FashionistA's fabulous Red Carpet lippie (£7 here).

 

After many hours in the cold and wet of the Thames I think that I have put this lipstick to the test and it has passed with flying colours! Super pigmented, creamy, non drying and long lasting - this lipstick is one of my new favourite reds. It is so rich in colour, yet feels light while still looking glossy and being fade resistant.

 

Have you tried any colours from the FashionistA range? What's your favourite red lippie? How have you been celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee? xxx

Red Hot Love

I purchased this dress from Love a few weeks ago and despite the rain I knew I had to wear it for Saturday night cocktails. This dress is definitely all party in the front and business in the back ;). I paired it with a kimono-esque black wrap around belt to cinch in the waist, black tights and some leopard print booties.

Asymmetrical Maxi Dress - Love (£48 here), Belt - H&M, Boots - River Island.

Unfortunately the bf's photo taking skills have not improved. He has managed to shrink me from 5"10 to about 5"2 in all these photos and let's just say that the walking shots have ended up on the cutting room floor. Despite failing to capture any decent images, you can see that the flow of this dress is absolutely gorgeous. It really does move beautifully when you walk. Though you do have to be quite careful when sudden gusts of wind are around as the front is very short. To preserve my modesty I used a few small pins to secure the skirt in place. You could easily add a few stitches to hold the fabric together, or even add a small weight at the bottom of the skirt (apparently this is what the Queen has in all her clothes) to prevent it from flying up.

Having less than 10 minutes to freshen up my makeup I decided to add lashes (from Velour here) and a dark red lip to take my look from plain to dramatic. I used a combo of a few different reds - Burgundy NYX pencil, MAC's Russian Red lipstick and The Bodyshop's Love Gloss for Lips, which meant I didn't have to touch up through the night and the strong colour lasted through a number of cocktails!

What are your go-to looks on a Saturday night? What do you think of asymmetric dresses? Have you ever purchased anything from In Love with Fashion? From the 4th of May they are having a special sale if you guys are interested in checking them out... 

On the 6th of May you can also use code BANKHOLIDAYTREAT25 at checkout on orders over £40 to get 25% off your order :). Happy shopping! xxx

YSL Glossy Stain

Glossy Stains from Yves Saint Laurent are designed to provide intense colour and shine, while being extremely long wearing. They look like a gloss, last like a stain and have the deep pigment of a lipstick. I love a bold lip colour so I was really excited to try these to see if they really deliver in all these categories!

I was kindly sent the Glossy Stain in shade 1 - an extremely deep and vampy purple.

On the skin this shade definitely has a plummy undertone with a high gloss finish. When first applied it has a smooth gel texture and can be sheered out a little or built up for greater impact. It fades down to a matte dark pink, which actually lasted on my hand all day!

My lips are quite pigmented so they counteracted the blue/ purple tint and gave the overall colour more of a red undertone. The application did require a steady hand, but the pointed tip of the applicator made it easy to get a defined edge without the aid if lipliner.

As you can see with just one slick of gloss the colour is extremely intense, however I did find that it looked darker on the inside of my lips in some areas. I'm not sure if this is just because my lips were dry that day so the tint clung to these areas more... I definitely need to play around with this shade a little more as I am determined to make it work for me in the future!

I am also keen to try out some of the lighter colours to see how intense they will look and play around with adding the Glossy Stain over a lipstick.

The YSL Glossy Stain retails at £22.50 and can be purchased online here.

Have you tried any of YSL's lip stains? What are your favourite shades? xxx

The House of Rush

New Year, new you? I would never be so dramatic, but it's nice to update your look a little every now and then. So I was excited when I was given the opportunity to review the newly opened House of Rush in the heart of bustling Picadilly. With it's ultra glamorous decor, and a team of top stylists it makes a great flagship for the RUSH chain of salons.

With a list of treatments that ranges from the usual cut and colour through to eyelash extensions, facials, massages, waxing, tan and even permanent hair reductions I was spoilled for choice. However, when I think of Rush I think of hair, so I decided on a half head of highlights to give my hair a new lease of life.

 The before:

My lovely stylist Amanda met me on arrival and gave me a full consultation about the look that I wanted to achieve. After dying my hair a deeper red/ brown earlier in the week I felt that my hair colour was looking a bit flat, and wanted to add some vibrancy and shine. What I was hoping for was to have a variety of tones throughout my hair and achieve a look that would make someone say "oh, your hair looks nice" rather than "oh, you've had highlights".

I have to admit that I was a little worried about getting highlights as often red can turn into streaky orange/ brassy sections if bleached or stripped. So instead I was delighted that Amanda chose to add slightly lighter, more vibrant red highlights throughout my hair, which would catch the light and add dimension and shine, rather than bleaching or lifting my existing colour. The highlights themselves were placed just under the line of my natural parting, so that they looked more natural.

As many of us find the hairdressers can sometimes be a bit of a stressful experience I have to point out that I felt very relaxed during my colour. Amanda was absolutely lovely, extremely friendly, bubbly and thoughtful. It was an absolute pleasure to meet someone who was genuinely excited and enjoyed their job! The mood at the salon was also very calm and it was refreshing to see that due to the longer time slots allocated for each appointment care and time was taken over my hair, unlike at other salons where I have previously felt rushed out of the door, or handed over to a junior because my stylist had run out of time.

So here is my after shot, though unfortunately this was taken after I had come back from dinner (in the drizzle) so my hair had lost some of its volume and bounce.

As you can see the change is very subtle, but the freehand placement of the highlights adds some lovely tonal variation to my hair, without making it look 'stripy' or unnatural. I absolutely loved the final results and will definitely be going back to the House of Rush and particularly Amanda, who was absolutely wonderful!

Have you been to the House of Rush? I'm so excited to have found a salon that is a one stop shop for all my beauty needs and can't wait to try some of the other treatments they have available! xxx

Cast Yourself: Please vote for me!! :)

Many of you have probably heard about the L'Oreal Cast Yourself Competition on Facebook to be the face of Casting Creme Gloss alongside Cheryl Cole. I have unashamedly entered and with only a few days left to vote I am so excited to be in the top 60 entries for my colour (red!) so far. Voting closes in two days so I am hoping for one more little push to get me into the lucky few who will audition for the part!

I would absolutely love the opportunity to meet the gorgeous Cheryl and it would mean so much if you could vote for me on facebook here!!!

Thanks so much my lovelies and fingers crossed! xxx

Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick #19 Gabrielle

Its Chanel, it's classic, it's creamy, it's vibrant and rich and perhaps the most beautiful red I have ever seen. My new red lippie of choice is the Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick no.19 Gabrielle. I am in love!

A classic red lip is one of the easiest looks to do, but it never fails to make a statement and make you feel feminine and glamorous. The tricky part (once you have mastered creating a neat lip shape) is finding the right red for you!

 I think this colour would suit most as being a true red it is not too dark or cool, but still retains all its 'teeth brightening' properties. I'll let the swatches speak for themselves ;).

 Tutorial for this look is coming soon, but I just couldn't wait to share my lipstick love!

Do you love red statement lips? What is your favourite red lipstick? xxx

TRW - OOTD

Since neither my friends nor I were invited to the royal wedding (quelle surprise!) we were very excited to attend a party in honour of the wedding in the heart of Trafalgar Square instead. With plenty of delicious canapes and glasses of champagne that were refilled with the utmost haste it was the perfect way to celebrate such a special occasion. I decided to keep within the 'royal and loyal' theme and wear a bright red dress, inspired by the style of one of the esteemed wedding guests - none other than Mrs Beckham ;).

I purchased this VB inspired dress from ASOS a few weeks ago, initially to wear to work due to its modest hemline. On arrival I decided this dress would be better suited to other occasions - let's just say it looked a little more demure on the athletic build of the model ;). I paired the dress with a patent leather belt from Ted Baker and black heels from Carvela.

Makeup was applied hastily using a hand mirror while watching the wedding footage, so was kept pretty simple using all the usual suspects (NARS sheer glow as foundation, laguna as bronzer and MAC well dressed blush). On the eyes I used Urban Decay's naked palette (sin on the lid and naked in the crease), Dior liquid liner and No7 Exquisite Curl mascara. I then added a little colour to the lips with The Bodyshop's lipgloss in an unfortunately discontinued sheer red colour.

To add some volume into my hair I used Shan Rahimkhan True Colour shampoo and Double Phase Leave in Treatment as a light spray leave -in conditioner. I don't use these every day as my long hair needs a lot of moisture to keep it soft and nourished, but for days when I need more volume and bounce these products are unbeatable! They make my hair feel very light and help the volume created through heat styling last much longer. As I was pressed for time instead of using hot rollers I used the Babyliss Big Hair to add height at the roots and some soft curls at the ends.

I hope you all had a wonderful day off and enjoyed the royal wedding. Did you celebrate at home or join in a street part? If you were in London did you manage to catch a glimpse of the beautiful couple? xxx

OOTD - Red Velvet

It feels like I haven't made an OOTD post in a while, so here is a fun one from this weekend. Although I found the sales quite disappointing this year, with stock that had been in the shops 4 seasons ago suddenly popping up on the rails, there are always items that tempt me. When you are feeling a little sensitive about a few rounder edges that have developed over the festive season (I know I am!), but need a couple of new outfit injections, there are still shoes! There will always be shoes!

Shirt dress - courtesy of Love (find it here), camisole (just seen) - M&S, stirrup leggings - ASOS, shoe boots - Office.

With my toes tactically on display in this weather a warm jacket was a must!

 Tailored leather jacket - Reiss.

Completely impractical, but I adore them! Surprisingly they are the most comfortable heels/ wedges I own as they are extremely light. The moment I put them on my feet immediately felt at home. I know these shoes will not be to everyone's taste, so feel free to let me have your opinions ;). xxx

Colourglide Lipstick

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the recent Bodyshop event and was very much lemming everyone's goodie bags. I was therefore super excited when the lovely Natalie from Headstream kindly sent me some samples to test out and review for you. I have yet to try everything, but the product that has so far really stood out are the Colourglide lipsticks.

For me the most important factors in a lipstick are the colour pay off, staying power and the way it feels on my lips. These tick all the boxes as the formula is lovely, they last pretty well, and are super moisturising. They contain gorgeous ingredients such as marula oil, sesame oil, organic beeswax, Vitamin E, jojoba, rosehip seed and lanolin oil as well as vanilla fruit extract, which gives them a pleasant subtle scent. There is also a great range of colours to chose from (37 on the website) including subtle nudes, hot brights and deep, sultry shades.

It is also interesting to see how wearable some of the shades are compared to the way they look in the tube. I would definitely recommend checking these out in person before purchasing.

For example, shade 62 Velvet Wine looks like a rich dark brown in the tube, but on the lips it is actually a stunning, deep berry red.

To be perfectly honest I would have never even swatched this lipstick if I saw it on display as it looks far too dark for my skin tone. However, I think this colour is a great alternative to the classic red lip and is perfect for autumn. Even my bf commented that it was a really flattering statement lip colour, and given that he normally has absolutely zero opinion on makeup, this can only be a good thing!

As intense as this lipstick is used with a lipliner it did not budge or bleed and lasted a good 6 hours without any touch ups. When I was eating I also noticed that it didn't fade just in the centre, creating that horrible rim of colour you can sometimes get with dark lipsticks, but it left behind an even stain on the lips.

Overall, I have to say I am really impressed with these lipsticks and can't wait to try more colours especially as these are currently on sale on the bodyshop website for £6!!The only problem is I can't chose which ones to get as there is too much choice.

Look out MAC cremesheens, I have a new love ;).

Have you tried any of these lipsticks? Also, if you want me to do a post or video showing swatches of all the colours I have please let me know.

Nails, nails, nails.

Since so many of you were keen for me to post more nail related pictures I bring you my mother's nails, freshly painted this morning :).Before anyone comments on these nails (or as i like to call them - claws) they are acrylic, and long overdue for an infill, so are very long. However, I think this design would work perfectly well on shorter or square nails too.

I used one coat of ciate paint pots in no. 39, Mistress. It is no wonder that this polish has won the Kiss and Makeup Beauty Awards, as with just one coat I got an opaque coverage and a glossy finish. These ciate polishes come in a really fun range of colours and finishes and I especially love the cute bow detail on the bottle. They can be purchased from the Powder Rooms website for £7.50. Also, be sure to check out Hele's blog for a 20% discount code ;).
For the flower design I used Konad black nail varnish and plate m7.
I then finished it off with my favourite top coat- Seche Vite.

What do you guys think? Too vamp?