Reiss Group Collection.

This post is based on my most recent project at uni, it was a collaboration between design and textiles to create a collection for S/S 14 for Reiss so I thought I'd share it with you.
From initial research we came up with a general mood board and developed a muse: a florist from Hampstead who is modern, feminine and arty, and likes clean cut clothing to go from day to night.
We titled our collection to come 'La Femme De La Fleur'.

Going from here we then came up with a colour palette based on our imagery, two silhouette boards: daywear and evening wear and a print board. Rolling with our florist muse the textiles group developed their prints based on pressed flowers and organic shapes.

Once the boards were completed we could move on to designing and focusing more on our individual work. Coming together after the designing period we chose a final line up of 9 outfits, once this was selected we came up with illustrations and technical drawings. I'm not the strongest at these but I do try and it can be quite fun to just draw.

Occasion:

Day:

My Garments:

 

So yeah, that's it. Our show was last night and there really were some amazing collection that look like they've came straight from the store. Below is just a few of my favourites from the other collections, everyone did such an amazing job but I am so glad that it is over.

Enjoy

X

Today's Outfit #04

Hey Guys, I went to put yesterday's outfit post up last night but basically my boyfriend's laptop wasn't liking my blogger account so I'm uploading it this morning.
Last night we had an end of year fashion show for our last project which hopefully I will be getting a post up about that later on. So onto the outfit...

The picture isn't great as it's just from a phone but anyway. Jumper:Zara, Skirt:Topshop, Boots: Topshop, Socks: Dorothy Perkins, Necklace: Topshop, Earrings (can't really see them): Forever TwentyOne.

Hope you've liked it, let me know what you think. See you soon.

X

Ascot on a Budget.

Hey Guys. It's been about two weeks since my last blog... oops. Uni has been so hectic recently with the deadline that I have literally had no time to blog but I am now all handed in as of thursday and am now offically on my summer holiday (YAYYYY!!!). I'm only two days in really and I'm already feeling a bit lost with not alot really to do but because of this I will be directing my attention mostly to my blog and getting into a rhythum of posting every few days. Due to my abscense I have decided to do a post a day for the next seven days. I've had a list of posts to do for ages now so am going to work my way through them and hopefully you'll enjoy them.

Anyway with that little ramble over I decided to make this post about Ascot. My 21st birthday is coming up so I decided this year that to celebrate with my family we are going to have a day at the races. I'm so excited and can't wait to go but there is one issue... getting a dress, and to add to this I'm on a bit of a budget so searching for a dress has been very difficult. I've looked at so many but choosing one that's appropriate for ascot has been hard. I've narrowed down to a few but thought I'd share some of the ideas I've had for outfits with you... why not.

 So here are the chosen few. I'm not sure why but they are mostly block colour all bar one even though I love print. Starting from left to right:

1. The Darinka Short Sleeve Bardot Midi Dress in Mint from Missguided, £14.99 I love this dress mainly for the colour as it just looks fresh and summery, I also love the off-the-shoulder shape and am yet to buy something with this detailing to it. It just seems really flattering and having the tops of the arms covered makes them look slimmer. It is in a jersey, bodycon material so I'm not sure if it's quite dressy enough for Ascot but at this price I might just buy it anyway for over the summer or for a holiday.
2. The Petite Bodycon Dress in Tattoo Print from ASOS, £35. The print on this dress is so different, from a distance it does look like a blue/purple floral pattern but up close you see the detailed tattoo/oriental style print. I'm also loving white this summer and think it sets the dress off nicely. I'm not completely sold on whether it is Ascot but I love it and it's nice to wear something a bit different from what the masses will be wearing.
3. The Lime Thigh Split Open Back Maxi Dress from River Island, £45. This dress is a bit more expensive but it's amazing. The bright lime colour just takes my breath away. I like the split detailing to the dress, also because hopefully it'll be hot mid june so having these would make the dress more comfortable to wear. The back is open with a crossing detail but this is in black which I find a bit strange but I can ignore that (it's on the back so I won't be able to see it anyway).
4. The Bubble Lace Skater Dress in Bright Blue from Topshop, £40. the more I look at this dress I don't think it will be suitable for the occasion mainly because it is a bit short but the cobalt colour is stunning and really summery. I'm also really liking the fitted long sleeves to it even though it is summer or meant to be, it just makes it a bit different from your average skater dress. The lace overlay sets the dress off nicely adding just a hint of detail to make it a bit more exciting.
5. The Midi Dress in Lace with Wrap Back in Cream from ASOS, £38. This dress has such a vintage feel to it I just love it. It seems like it would be flattering with the elasticated waist and comfortable to wear. I think it's the mixture of cream lace, with the free flowing skirt and the 3/4 sleeves that together give it that vintage feel. The slightly open back makes the design of the dress that bit more special and worth the money.

Well I hope you've enjoyed the post and let me know what you think of the dresses. Remember to check back as there will be posts everyday for the next 7 days including a tanning post and also my latest uni group collection for Reiss.

Summer Ready.

Hey Guys, this post is a bit different to my normal ones on fashion and beauty products mainly because I am being quite strict with my spending as I'm saving for a holiday and the fact that uni has completely taken over my life the last few weeks so I have had no time to shop. Like most of you I am trying to get bikini ready so I thought I would do a post on ways to help get fitter. I am no fitness guru, just your average size 10 girl trying to shift a few pounds feel comfortable in a crop top. If this all works out then I will do a post on that (but I wouldnt hold out for that).
So anyway, two key things that everyone bangs on about are diet and exercise and unfortunately there isnt really any way around it (no healthy way!). I am trying out a few things at the moment to regulate exercise and restrict the food.

Diet:

1. Don't bother cutting out a food group, eg carbs, its fine maybe for the last week before your holiday or something like that as it will rid you of a bloated looking belly but in the long term you will cave at some point and will be right back at the beginning again. Sure restrict them, but theres not really much need to cut them out completely.
2. Install some kind of app on your phone or keep a food diary. I use my fitness pal to do this just to keep track of what I'm eating. I have now become and avid calorie counter, it just happened. You don't have to do this, just keep track of what you eat and substitute fast food and snacks for healthy alternatives. It doesn't have to be boring.
3. Get Graze. Its like £3.75ish and you get healthier, lower calorie snacks than whats normally leerking in the kitchen cupboards. You can chose how often you get them or just order one off boxes. With this you still get things with chocolate in them or a flapjack but it helps with snack portion control .
4. Vegetables are free! Eat as many as you like and treat yourself once a week.

Exercise:

1. Most bloggers are youtube junkies, I certainly am so maybe take like 20 minutes away from the fashion and beauty ones and look at some workout videos. I admit I have watched numerous videos where the instructors are quite annoying and I switch over after about 30 seconds but there are some good ones.These are actually quite good as you can do them at home.
2. Although I have a gym membership and access to classes and swimming within it, sometimes I just can't be bothereed to get ready and drive to the gym. My boyfirend who used to be a personal trainer bought the Insanity workout disc set. I love it, it is really difficult and after the 35-40 minute workouts my face looks like a tomato but you feel good for doing it. They are expensive ( i think it was £100 roughly) but there are loads of fitness dvds and videos which are alot cheaper.
3. I don't always have an hour spare to workout so just for 5-10 minutes in the morning or before bed just do some toning exercises. Its not difficult to find some either online or buy a fitness magazine.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, I know it's something different and I'm not sure about doing another one but I hope it helped in someway. I have now realised nothing is going to happen over night, so I just have to stay happy and perservere with it.

X

April GlossyBox.

Hey Guys, so I'm getting a bit behind with my blogging, uni has been so busy I just haven't had the time but my april glossybox arrived a week and a bit ago maybe longer and I am absolutely in love with it. There are some amazing products in there and this months one is such good value for money.

To start with, this box is beautiful! The cute floaral pattern and pastel orange colour by Pearl Lowe got me excited just looking at it.

So... Product 1: Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow Hand Therapy. Sample size 25g. Full size 100g for £14.

I'm not a lover of hand cream just because I have quite soft hands anyway so don't really need it but also because I find so many of them leave some kind of residue leaving my hands feeling sticky or oily (not nice). Anyway I tried it and I now love it, this little sample lives in my bag. It uses macadamia nut oil, shea butter and vitamins C and E which leave your hands really smooth and it soaks in really quickly. It also smells lovely. This Somerset Meadow range is new and actually launches in stores today, I would definately recommend trying this whether you suffer from dry hands or not.

Next up is Essie Nail Lacquer in shade We're In It Together. Full Size 135ml for £7.99.

I have wanted to try the Essie nail varnishes for a while but they're just a bit pricey. I love the colour I got, it's perfect for spring/summer and has kind of an irridescent shine to it in the light. the only thing I found is that if you want a solid colour you do have to put 2-3 coats on but the colour is so pretty that I don't mind. I would definately consider getting a few more shades.

Product three is Illamasqua Medium Pencil in shade Manic. Full size 1g for £13.

I have to admit I haven't tried this yet mainly because I haven't had an occasion to test it out for but I love the colour. This pencil is meant to multi task between eyes, lips and brows. I don't think I'm quite daring enough to use it on my brows but shall definately be giving it a go as an eyeliner. The colour is so bright from just one stroke, it could make quite a cool eye for summer or a festival look. I wouldn't ever of bought this for myself so it's nice to get a product like this that's a bit different.

Onto Yves Rocher France, So Ellixr Purple Yves Rocher Eau de Parfum. Full size 50ml for £44.

 I got rather excited when I saw a little perfume in this months box. When it comes to perfume I don't favour a particular scent or brand and like to have a range to choose from. Somedays I'll wear a Marc Jacobs like Daisy which is really light and floral, then the next I might wear Paco Rabanne Lady Million or versace Yellow Diamond which are stronger and a bit more fruity I suppose. This Yves Rocher perfume is also quite strong and is described as a 'floral-woody elixir'. The more I use it, the more I love it.

Last but not least is Nip+Fab Dry Skin Fix Body Butter in Pistachio Sundae. Sample size 50ml. Full size 200ml for £9.95.

This is definately my new favourite product. It smells amazing! As soon as you open the tub you get this sweet smell like marzipan or battenburg (not quite pistachio) but it's sooo good. I like this more than other body butters I've tried in the past as the consistencey of it isn't as thick and it goes a bit further. You don't have to pile it on to get a decent coverage and the best bit is that the smell stays with you for a good few hours. I have nothing bad to say about this product and when I run out I will definately be buying another. They also do it in Mango Smoothie or Coconur Latte.

Well I hope you enjoyed my GlossyBox post, I love reading and seeing what everyone else got in theres.

X

Today's Outfit #03

Hey Guys, this was yesterdays outfit. I had been at work for 4 hours so kept my outfit the same and just dressed it up with some heels, clutch and extensions. Me and Alex were off to meet our friends for drinks and a take out so it wasn't anything fancy but enough to get the heels out.

Top: Black Marl Vest Top from Topshop, Skirt: Striped Pencil Skirt from Dorothy Perkins (still in store), Belt: Elasticated Rose Chain Belt from Topshop, Cardigan: Chunky Boyfriend Cardigan from Dorothy Perkins, Bag: Black Bow Clutch from New Look, Shoes: Rose Sequinned Mules from Topshop.
I don't know if it's just me but I have two types of heels: 'going out' heels which tend to be huge and chunky and then 'dinner' heels which are more dainty and girly usually with a stiletto heel. 
These are definately one of my 'dinner' shoes.

X

Today's Outfit #02

Second post for the day and it's just a small one. Today I was just going to uni, some days I dress up a bit more like I did today and other days I just rock up in leggings, a tee and my plimsols (like yesterday). I put all the details of cwhat I'm wearing below the pictures.
Let me know what you think. :)

 Pretty simple outfit, the shirt is so loud that I didn't really need to pair much else with it.
Shirt: From ASOS, I got it in the last big sale they did for about £12 I think. I love the print on it, I had seen my friend wearing it and had to have it. I've noticed that I don't wear alot of black, and when I do it tends to be bottoms rather than tops. But anyway I love this shirt and it's something I can wear rain or shine.
Leggings: From New Look, I got these such a long time ago I can't remember how much they were. If I'm to guess they're around the £10 mark. Just basic black leggings, the seam free ones, they've kept their colour and are more lycra like then the cotton feel ones.
Boots: Studded heeled leather boots from Topshop. I think these were £95? or around that. The picture doesn't show too well but they do have small gold studs on the toe. I love these boots and put them with most outfits.

I feel a bit more made up today than usual, I think it may be the red lip.
Earrings: These are from Topshop, I absolutely love them. Neon jewellery like this is slowly becoming my favourite so think I may be buying some more. These are a pretty statement piece so I didn't wear a necklace.
Makeup: Benefit Erase Paste around the eye, MUA Cover & Conceal in Fair to highlight eyes, nose, chin and cupids bow, Collection Extreme Felt Tip Liner, NYC High Definition Mascara, Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush in Cranberry, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Silky Beige, MUA Blush in Shade 1, Virgin Cosmetics Bronzer.

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