Wednesday 28 November 2012

British Fashion Awards, Why Alexa Chung is the best of british.



Last night,  The British Fashion Awards took place in at the Savoy hotel in London. The awards recognise the most influential people in fashion today and celebrate the reputation and development of British fashion. I really wanted to go to it this year but being a mum its difficult to go to such swanky events.  I did however check out the winners this morning through the Fashion awards website.
 
The winners included one of my favourite style icons Alexa Chung who won the British Style Award for the third year running. Very deserved in my opinion. The award is the only one voted by the British public and she beat off competition by Victoria Beckham, Tilda Swinton, Carey Mulligan, Kate Middleton and Kate Moss.
 
Alexa Chung first hit the fashion scene as a model while at sixth form in Wincester when she was approached in the comedy tent at the Reading Festival at age 16. Alexa worked for Storm Model management and had shoots with Teen magazines such as Elle Girl and CosmoGirl. She appeared in music videos for artists including The Streets, Westlife, Delta Goodrem, Reuben and Holly Valance and starred as Jake in a scripted reality show called Shoot me, broadcast on Fashion TV in 2005.

After becoming a TV personality, Alexa made a return to occasional modelling.  From 2008 to the present day she has been the face of campaigns such as the Australian fashion label Antipodium's SS 2008 collection, Oxfam's ethical fashion range, Revamped, Vivienne Westwood's Red label show in 2009,  New Look, and DKNY Jeans. In June 2010, she was announced as the first celebrity face of Lacoste appearing in both the TV and print advertising campaigns for their "Joy of Pink" fragrance. In February 2012, she took part in the London Fashion Week show for designer Stella McCartney, where she acted as a guest assistant to magician Hans Klok in a number of illusions including being levitated and sawed in half.

Alexa Chung has made such an impact on the fashion scene that she has her own own Mulberry bag named in her honour, the ‘Alexa’,  which is the fashion house’s bestseller. We love her style because she wears simple wearable pieces - whether she's top to toe designer in her role as British Fashion Council Young Style Ambassador, or her grungy 'model-off-duty' look - she is constantly inspiring our looks.
 
Here is my top Alexa style moments of this year.
 
Right: Looking sleek in this LBD at London's fashion night out. Left: Paris fashion week 2012 wearing a mod skirt with a cozy sweater.
 
 
Attending the Vogue Fashion Fund Awards
 
Attending the celebration of Chanel fine jewellery's 80th anniversary of the 'Bijoux De Diamants' collection.
 
February 2012 Company magazine's cover girl 
 
 
Her amazing dress from last nights awards.
 
 

Do you agree that Alexa has the best British style?
 
Thanks for reading.
Gem xx
 
 
 
 


Monday 26 November 2012

I wish my hair looked like this...

Having a bit of a lazy day today as winter Flu has hit me hard. (insert little violin here). Today i thought i would just post some of my favourite pictures.
 
 
Hair
My hair is really long and messy at the moment. I never get time to visit my hairdresser any more but I have decided i must change the style completely before Christmas. These are some of the styles I love at the moment. Which one shall i go for?  I quite like the idea of being a red head at the moment.

Dip dye
 
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Beautiful red
 
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Glamorous Miley
 
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Rock Chic Miley ( probably not for me)
 
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Rapunzel hair
 
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Elegant Black
 
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(images weheartit.com)
 

Sunday 25 November 2012

Christmas gift ideas

Christmas gift ideas

These are just a few small ideas Ive come up with for Christmas gifts. I've loosely based them on mine and my friends wish list so hopefully you like them too.
 
Starting with the ladies gifts:
 
 
The Nars Edie Gift set is from the Andy Warhol collection and retails at £54.00. The set is presented in an authentic 16mm film canister and includes:

  • NEW Film Star Pure Matte Lipstick—60s nude pink
  • Edie Eyeshadow—cream with a little bit of shimmer
  • Carpates Eyeliner Stylo—black
  • Mini Blush Duo in Deep Throat and Amour—flirty, sheer peach and peachy pink
  • 16mm film canister

  • Marc Jacobs Ipad case 'Shorty the boxer'. I found this one for £38.58 at Nordstrom.com. This is must have for people who like quicky but cute things. Also, I find this price to be quite reasonalable for a designer case.
     
    Lady Gaga Perfum. A 50 ml bottle is currently selling at £29.99 from the perfumshop.com. They also have gift sets for £31.50. This one has to be my favourite perfum of the year. Don't normally like celeb frangrances but this one is a must have.
     
    Lauren Conrad Beauty. This is her first guide dedicated exclusively to beauty. The book covers everything you need to know to maximize your own beauty potential. From tips for creating a strong foundation and maintaining healthy skin and hair through diet, exercise, and all-around wellness to everyday makeup techniques and tricks of the trade for special-occasion looks. Lauren's personal anecdotes and illustrated step-by-step lessons for makeup, hair, and nails will have you looking great for day or night. The best price i found was Amazon at £8.24.
     
    Micheal Kors Rose gold watch. This has been the top selling watch of this year but at around £185, it is one pricey present to buy. Most shops have sold out but are still available from the watchshop.com.
     
     
    For the boys
     
     
     
    Lego minecraft. This is one of the top selling toys this christmas with most stores selling out already. It costs a very over priced £75 on Amazon and also going for that on Ebay but have just found it on the Lego website for £35.99. Get it quick!!  I think the joy on your husbands/ boyfriends/ brother/ Dad (if they like their gaming of course) will be priceless.
     
     
    Beats by Dr. Dre. These are one of the best headsets on the market and cost around £118 on Amazon. 
     
     
    Micheal Kors Mens Watch. The one shown above is £177 from the watch shop.  I love These watches and find them to look so stylish.
     
     
    Burberry touch. A 30 ml bottle costs £21.50 from the perfum shop.  You can never go wrong with giving the gift of perfum at christmas. This one is one of my personal favourite men's scents. Its described as evoking feelings of intimacy, sensuality & sophistication, representing many of Burberry's core values.

    Edwin Jagger Ribbon Gift Set - Travel Set with Hydrating Pre-Shave Cream & Sandalwood. For some reason, every year all the men i know have talked about always wanting an old fashioned shaving kit. I have never brought them one but this year i might get round to it. This one i have featured is high end luxury at £120. It features:
     
  • Edwin Jagger - impeccable male grooming accessories
  • Includes: Mach 3 razor with a Gillette head
  • Travel badger hair shaving brush
  • 100ml of natural hydrating pre-shave lotion
  • 100ml of shaving cream with gorgeous sandalwood scent
  • Shaving cream and aftershave lotion sample pots
  • Genuine leather travel case


  • I have found cheaper versions like this one from amazon at £19.90
    




     

     
     
     
    Hope this gives you a few ideas.
    Gem
    xx
     
     
     
     

    Thursday 22 November 2012

    Barratts Christmas Giveaway.

    Today, I was excited to receive another email telling me about an exciting giveaway. This time it was from Barrats shoes asking me if I was interested in entering their giveaway that they were holding.

    The Prize is in two parts and worth £100.

    The first part of a £30 giveaway is over on Kel Loves blog. <go and say hi.

    The second part is worth £70 and is open to bloggers only. To enter this giveaway, you have to create an outfit post for a festive occasion. The outfits should be designed to fit one of a range of Christmas situations which can be either:
    *A walk in a winter wonderland
    * Christmas party
    * A shopping Outfit
    *Christmas day outfit
    * Or anything else festive you can think of.

    The clothing can come from any website you choose, but the shoes must come from Barratts. Also, don't forget Barratts have their own range or bags and accessories, so you can also use these in your outfits!

    Since i have already created a party outfit, I thought i would do a long day of Christmas shopping outfit:
    Barrats creepers


    For my Long Shopping Day outfit I wanted to make sure the outfit would be completely comfortable, shoes being the most important ones. I tried wearing heels once on a long shopping trip and had to be helped home by my poor friend. Never again! 
    I chose a pair of simple black Creepers that cost a bargain price of £25.00. Feel these look amazing and are so cosy on your feet.
    The rest of the outfit comes from the wonderful topshop. I found a stunning Christmas holly jumper for £50, and paired it with a cute leather skirt. I have also added a ox blood collar which costs £22.00 to add a little more style and detail.  I chose a cross body bag which is ideal to free up those hands so you can carry more shopping bags! Finally, I had to add a cute Christmas pudding beanie I found in River Island. It costs £15.99 and found it to be such a cute little find.


    Hope you like the outfit.
    Gem





    Wednesday 21 November 2012

    My fashion Vouchers Challenge: Christmas party outfit.

    Last week I received an email from Fashionvouchers.com to tell me about their fashion blogger challenge. The challenge is to find the best Christmas party outfits for £100 and under. There are three £100 fashion vouchers for the three best outfits, and each entrant needs to pick one merchant from the list of all the merchants on FashionVouchers.com, to create their outfit from. As a lover of putting outfits together, I couldn't help but participate.
     
    My 'merchant' of choice is Missguided.  I've chosen this shop as i am very familiar with their clothing and so know this is a great place to shop. Looking through their party outfits, i think I've made a excellent choice.

    This is my Christmas outfit:

    Christmas party outfit

     

    So, these are my picks! This is a Christmas party outfit so I decided  to choose a festive berry red colour of dress. It really caught my eye. Also, I'm all about studs at the moment (I have an inner rock chick) so when I saw this gorgeous dress I knew exactly how I wanted the rest of my outfit to look!  The clutch bag, I admit is a bit Bah Humbug but I love it and thought it suited the look of the dress well. My favourite piece in this outfit is the Bellenca leather jacket with a fur collar. Who wants to be cold on a night out? You will really look stylish and feel warm at the same time wearing this one. Love the fur collar. Unfortunately I ran out of money for shoes, but every girl has a pair of cute heels in her wardrobe, right?

    This outfit comes to a grand total of: £94.98  



    Hope you like it!!

    Fancy a go at creating an outfit? Visit Fashionvouchers.com and their homepage for more details.

    Gem xx

    P.s Fancy a early christmas sing- a - long. This is my favourite:



     






    Autumn/ Winter Layering

    Winter is a extremely difficult season  to dress stylish for. You feel you have to wear as many layers as possible in order to stay warm. Its OK though, its on trend as layering has been seen all over the 2012 Autumn and Winter cat walk shows. 

    My layering tips:

    1. Choosing a certain mood for your colours. For example, if you look at the picture below, the designer has used different shades of the same colour in different amounts of clothing to illustrate layers. This is called complex layering so that you can’t focus on just one object but take in the whole effect. Or if you like, you could just go out-right bold and colourful!

    2. Textures – Be adventurous! Mix that fluff with that leather. It’ll look hot!

    3. The more the merrier! If you can’t do it now, when can you?! Embrace fashion and pile it on!
     
     

    Some of my favourite street looks

    Cute jumpers with collars:



    I love cute jumpers with peter pan collars and these girls really carry off this look well. I love the mix of evening with day wear. I am especially in love with that cute cat jumper.
     

    Leather and wool mix up:





    I love these cute wool jumpers paired with a leather mini. My favourite of the two is the look below. The over sized boyfriend coat paired with a cute leather mini skirt and grey tights is really simple but beautifully stylish.
     This stunning girl wears a Mongolian lambs wool coat, which I think looks amazing. Not something i would wear myself but she is defiantly working those layers by pairing the coat with a hand-bleached plaid Ralph Lauren shirt and Jesus print t-shirt. A leather mini skirt and weather-worn Dr. Martens complete the outfit.


























    Read on to get the layered look:

    Monday 19 November 2012

    AMAs Best and worst dressed

    It was the American Music Awards this weekend and if you are like me then you love to watch the red carpet entrances. Normally at music awards we see stars dressing outrageously to get themselves noticed, Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga especially. Last night's AMAs didn't have anyone really standing out as being over the top but there were a few outfits that made me smile (and a few cringe worthy entries as well).

    My Best Dressed List:

    Taylor Swift's long sleeved golden mini-dress by Zuhair Murad featured a seriously sexy open back and gorgeous gold detailing. While the star may have stayed away from her signature long shimmering strapless gown she still opted for a little gold sparkle, giving us a hint of Taylor in a whole new sexy style. She really looked beyond gorgeous, proving that you can shine on a red carpet without showing off too much skin.




    Carrie Underwood, I loved this dress on the AMAs red carpet. She wore a lacy purple floor-length gown that was the perfect fit and colour for her. The dress is an Abed Mahfouz number and loved how she matched it with a red and gold clutch, two colours i would personally not put together.



    Carly Rae Jepsen's floor-length dress of pale pink sparkles seems to be every ones favourite from the night. I'm not a huge fan of Carly but I have to agree that she does look stunning. The dress is by Gomez Garcia which she has paired with a Edie Parker clutch and beautiful hot pink nails.


    Finally, just because it's Christina Aguilera and I think she is amazing, I have to include her stunning floor length gown. She looked confident and curvy in Pamella Roland, opting for a  blond bombshell bob. The singer wore plenty of bling and paired the soft tones of her dress with some bedazzled pumps. I really admire this girl and find her to be a great role model.


    My Worst Dressed List:

    Nicki Minaj's dress wasn't too bad but the colour ruined it for me. I'm not a fan of neon at all and just felt this dress just didn't look good on her. The dress was a Monique Lhuillier gown. Her second dress, a floor length black lace gown, that she wore on stage to collect her award was gorgeous. Unfortunately, she went down hill again wearing a Puffy Marshmallow vibe during her performance!



    I love Pink, but her colour choice at the 2012 AMAs was a little dull.  The dress was made by Catherine Deane and unfortunately everyone is going on about how Kim Kardashian wore the same dress but in blue only last month. She more than made up for it by showing off every inch of her gorgeous abs during her performance though. That girl can sing.




    Phoebe Price. To be honest, I'm not sure who this woman is but I saw her picture while browsing on line and thought 'No. Just, no'.  Apparently she is a socialite/singer in America who turned up to last night’s event in a over the top gold getup that made her guilty of all kinds of fashion faux pas. You should always go for ONE statement piece, and hers was comprised of many, which made her look really tacky especially  with those huge chanel earrings and gold blazer.
     
     
     
    Finally, Jordan Sparks. She wore a Etro gown featuring netted long-sleeves, eclectic patchwork prints and sheer panels. Jordan tied the look together with a simple pulled back ponytail, nude lips, diamond stud earrings and pointy nude pumps. This dress would look better if the netting was replaced by sheer black fabric.


     
    What were your favourite dresses of the night?
     
    Gem xx
     
     
     
     

    Sunday 18 November 2012

    Date night outfit. What I wore to see Twilight breaking dawn part 2.

    Last night my lovely husband took me to see Twilight: breaking dawn part 2. I wore a red floral Primark tea dress, black tights and black heels from deichmans. On my wrist is my rose gold watch from txmaxx, skull bracelet from topshop, and a pyramid bracelet from eBay.

    The film was amazing, especially the ending. I was sat on the edge of my seat with my hands over my face. Won't give anything away in case you haven't seen it but defiantly recommend going to watch it.

    /Dress- Primark/ Belt- Primark/ pyramid bracelet- Melo Yumi at Ebay/ Watch- Tkmax/ skull bracelet - Freedom at Topshop/ Shoes (out of shot) £16.99 Deichmans/  



    Friday 16 November 2012

    What I got in my glossybox: November 2012

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    I have to say, I am very impressed with this months box. The previous boxes have been disappointing alot of people lately and so I think Glossy box have started to up their game, especially with the amount of competition they now have with other beauty boxes.

    This month's theme is 'Stocking Fillers'. The card states that the box aims to serve as an inspirational gift guide which i think is a really good idea, seeing as I have no idea to buy my girlie's this year.

    The first and largest product i grabbed out of my glossy box was a Wei beauty white lotus hydrating face treatment pads. On the card it states that it instantly hydrates and revitalises lifeless skin, leaving you looking dewy and fresh. The sample includes one pad which i am really excited to try out. The original product costs £55 for six pads! Expensive so must be good.



    Second product is yet another Dr. Jart BB creme, but I'm not complaining. This one is a water fuse beauty balm which you place under makeup to avoid streaking when sweating. Last month I received a sample of the Dr Jart+ Premium BB cream and I absolutely adore it, I think it really deserves all the hype it's been getting recently. I had also seen some reviews of the Dr Jart+ Water Fuse BB Cream and I loved the sound of it so I'm thrilled to be able to try it in this month's box! From what I've read I think I might like it more than the Premium version, but we shall see! The full 50ml tube is £18 which I think is really reasonable.
     
     
     
     
    Next up, a Dermalogica daily microfoliant. The card reads: A unique rice based powder that gently exfoliates skin, leaving it noticeably smoother and brighter. When I first looked at this product, i was like what is it, a salt pot? On reading the instructions i discovered you shake the contents into wet hands, rub into a paste and massage over your face and it will activate upon contact.  I've never really seen anything similar before, it's a powder that is gentle enough to use on a daily basis. I have already tried this face scrub and I have to say, it feels really nice. My face felt really soft and fresh. Also there's not much of a scent to it which is what i like in a face product. The full size of 75g is £38.50 so it's pretty pricey. Will probably not be buying this if I'm honest as i find cheaper product a lot better.   
     
     
     
     
     
    The fourth product is this newcomer from Alison Claire natural beauty. It is a mango body butter which smells amazing. I have used this on my hands and has made them so soft. My husband recons the smell is a little too strong but i love mangos so it doesn't really bother me. I find it brings a little summer happiness to the cold harsh winter. The bonus of this product is that it isn't tested on animals and is made from 70% organic ingredients which I think is great. Defiantly worth buying a full size 200ml bottle for £15.  
     
     
    The award for best product in this box goes to this gorgeous Nails inc polish. The colour is 'Notting hill gate' which is a bright neon pink. The tiny 4ml bottle is so adorable, it's one of the smallest bottles of nail polish I've ever seen but will be perfect to put in a clutch or small handbag in case your nails require a quick emergency touch up. I've tried nails inc polishes before and have always loved the quality of them. The full size of a 10ml is £11.
     
     
    Overall, I felt this is great box this month and i am excited to try out all of the products. I have seen other boxes, and have to say I'm really jealous that some girls received Burberry body! Its my one of my favourite perfumes. What did you get in your boxes?
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Thursday 15 November 2012

    Ideal home Christmas show

    This is what i did today:
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    PhotobucketMy gorgeous Mum in law, Lisa invited me to come with her to the Ideal home Christmas exhibition taking place at London's Earl court. I love Christmas so couldn't turn the offer down.

    On arrival we were greeted by real snow!!! and father Christmas on his sleigh. This made me very happy, almost like I turned into a child again happy. The crowds were manic getting in so couldn't take many pictures of the outside but tried my best for you guys.
    Photobucket Inside, we were taken back at how gigantic the place was and just knew we weren't going to see everything in a day. The place was carpeted white and surrounded by fir trees which looked stunning. Hanging from the ceiling was a large cone of fairy lights and tinsel. Just stunning. Down stairs as you can see from the picture on the left was all the lovely craft shops and in the middle was the Dancing on ice skate rink. Lisa and I are not skaters so avoided that one. Up stairs was the best part in my opinion. Christmas food and fashion and beauty, all in one space. Heaven!


    Our first aim was to watch the fashion show but we got distracted by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen, our first celebrity spot. He is actually really handsome in real life and a really nice person. We then got distracted again, this time by an Hawaiian hairstylist. She was desperate to make us buy her hair straighteners and claimed them to be better than GHD's. After having my hair straightened, I thought they just are not worth the money at £75 but it was still nice to have my hair done for free.

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    After four more stalls grabbed us to look at their products, we eventually found the catwalk. We arrived slightly late and there were no names of the clothing lines to be seen but it was hosted by Models of Diversity. A agency who employs any size, race, or ability. It was amazing to see them. The first models to walk the runway wore beautiful lace underwear (I couldn't take photos of the underwear). Loved seeing that the models where from size 6 to 16. They looked really beautiful. Next came sports wear, men's fashions and evening wear. My two favourites were this beautiful long white flowing gown with a tribal style top underneath and a long sheer black dress in a similar style. I really wish they had some sort of screen so we knew who made the dresses. Would love one for myself.
    All the models had their hair styled almost in a birds nest type look. My mum in law, Lisa hated it, especially seeing that the men also had the same hair styles.I actually found it to look quite glamorous and interesting.
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    After the fashion show, we hits the shops. My best purchase was a Moyou nail stamping kit. The girl literally grabbed by arm and started stamping my nails. There was no stopping her. Seeing what she has done made it all OK. All she did was to place a little bit of nail polish on a silver pattern plate, scraped off some excess, rolled a stamper over the top, then placed it on one of my nails. The middle one was the one I tried myself, hence the messiness but i fell in love with them enough to make a purchase. A small basic kit with two pattern discs costs £15.99. Defiantly recommend buying one or getting one as a gift for Christmas.
     
     
     
    My highlight of the day was seeing the Jersey boys. I am admittedly a huge west end theatre nut. I love love musicals. I hadn't yet seen the Jersey boys and they didn't disappoint. Their voices are amazing and their smiles, wow.