A date with destiny...

Well said Coco....

Happy Hump Day xoxo

Jessica Biel wedding dress - hit or miss?

Ok don't get me wrong here...

1) I love Jessica Biel. She is an unbelievably beautiful woman and I usually adore her sense of style.
2) JT and her are such a great and fun couple
3) I thought their wedding photos looked amazing; a stunning romantic location in Italy and overall it looked lots of fun!

...But sorry what was shethinking with that pink, fluffy, prom style wedding gown?

It it just me or do you agree? Xoxo

A girly weekend of R&R at The Olde Bell

Occasionally we all need to escape the busy city life and spoil ourselves to bit of R&R in the country side. Fresh air, walks, massages, fireplaces in country pubs and delicious food are all good for the soul, so me and a girlfriend decided to go on a wee road trip out of London and book ourselves a room at the gorgeous The Olde Bell in Hurley. The Inn is only a 45min drive from the city; located in a wee village along the Thames and is very close to famous English countryside towns Henley on Thames, Maidenhead and Marlow.

The Olde Bell is not a hotel where the rooms dominate, but where the common spaces are the heartbeat of the place. It has a lovely pub area where you can sit down for a casual lunch or enjoy tea and cakes or a glass of wine by the fireplace.

After arriving at the hotel we checked into our room, dived onto the bed and did a big 'whoooopie we're here!' and then headed downstairs to enjoy a delicious parsnip soup with freshly baked breads in the pub.

The Modern Coaching Inns rooms are designed by the celebrated designer Ilse Crawford (portfolio includes Soho House New York, Grand Hotel Stockholm, Cecconis and more). I loved the design and style of the hotel; a perfect mix of old and new. Old beams, wooden floors, wool and fluffy blankets and modern furniture. The bathroom featured an amazing claw foot bath and lots of Aesop goodies!

After our heart-warming lunch we decided to go for a walk in the cold countryside. We had a mix of four seasons during our two and a half hour walk; sunshine, wind and rain! But I loved being in the fresh air, getting some exercise, catching up with my friend and exploring in the woods.

I think autumn is one of my favourite seasons!

See I am no princess! I don't mind getting a little muddy and luckily I had my trusted Hunter wellies!

Perfectly timed after we got back from the walk (a little windswept and wet from the rain) our room got magically transformed into a private beauty spa because through the hotel we'd booked for a mobile treatment by Flutterby. I got a full body massage and my friend a facial. After this we felt super relaxed and could have almost hopped into bed right then and there but we managed to pep ourselves up for dinner in the main restaurant of the hotel. This was my casual outfit of the night...

Jeans by Abercromby & Fitch (link)

Leopard print shoes by ALDO (link)

Green off the shoulder top (purchased in small boutique shop in Barcelona)

Black wool cardigan by Country Road

Double layer navy/beige leopard printed scarf by ZARA (recent purchase)

The main restaurant serves simple, rustic and great quality food so we decided to order from their three course menu at £29.50 per person. We both had the goats cheese and baked beets as a starter and I had the braised lamb shoulder with pearl barley and red cabbage and Katharina indulged in the sirloin steak with triple cooked chips and bone marrow gravy. It was a lovely evening; enjoying delicious food, a glass of red and wonderful company! But best part had to be...

....DESSERT!! ;) I had the Rhubarb and Apple Crumble and Katharina the Sticky Toffee Pudding ♥

After dinner we retreated to our room for some reading and a great nights sleep! To be continued.... x

Burgundy outfit of the day

Here a recent outfit of the day featuring my beloved new burgundy jeans! When I was in New York City I fell in love with the shop Aritzia.

Aritzia is a women's fashion boutique that offers a mix of beautifully designed clothes that are on trend, high quality, and good value. They have boutiques across the US and Canada. Me and my flat mate spent quite a lot of time in their dressing rooms trying on clothes and from there deciding how much damage this shop would do to our bank accounts because we seroiusly wanted to buy it all! This scarf is one of the items I just had to have, the colours are perfect for fall and a girl can never have too many scarfs right?

Burgundy waxed jeans by Gina Tricot

White v-neck tee by Zara

Black jersey blazer by Zara

Linen scarf from Aritzia

Leather over the knee high boots by Oasis

Grey cable knit vest from United Colors of Benetton

Watch by Michael Kors

Black leather biker jacket from River Island

Walls...

Weekly food for thought....

“Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.”

Socrates

Happy Hump Day everyone :)

Simply Be, Be Beautiful at any size!

For you curvy ladies out there, check out this great little video by Simply Be showcasing their latest Anna Scholz collection that is available online now. I think it's great to see an increase in fashion retailers offering a wide range of fashionable and on-trend items for sizes 12-36. Because no matter what size you are you should be able to feel beautiful and find clothing that make you feel amazing and confident :)

(Sponsored post)

I was also happy to read recently that Australian model Robyn Lawley has become the first plus-sized model ever to score a major campaign for high-end fashion designer Ralph Lauren. In the past, Ralph Lauren has been highly criticised for airbrushing its models to unrecognisable versions of thin. I mean these beautiful girls below for example have been photoshopped so much they look alien-like....

The 23 year old plus-sized model is rapidly making a name for herself in the fashion industry! Robyn Lawley's curves have already been featured in Vogue Italia and French Elle and now Ralph Lauren's move to book the size 12 model is a hugely positive step forward to reshape people's ingrained thinking that bigger can't be beautiful. I mean look at her....this girl is STUNNING!

I spotted the following quote on the Simply Be Pinterest Page: “I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.” ~ Mae West. Haha I love it ♥

Clinique Chubby Sticks now more intense!

Following on from the success of their cult Chubby Sticks range (read my review here) Clinique is now releasing a new line and this time round their crayon style lipsticks will be INTENSE! The new moisturising lip colour balms will feature a new fuller coverage formula that will give you bolder colour pay off. 

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense will be available in 8 shades: Curviest Caramel, Chunkiest Chili, Heftiest Hibiscus, Mightiest Maraschino, Plushest Punch, Roomiest Rose, Broadest Berry, and Grandest Grape retailing at £16 each.

The chunky pens are perfect for applying on the go, because your simply twist up the base to dispense more product. Plus whilst now adding a more intense touch of colour to your lips the formula still contains the loveliest ingredients including shea butter, mango seed butter and jojoba seed oil to deliver plenty of moisture leaving your lips soft and soothed.

As mentioned there will be 8 shades in the range and lucky me was able to get my hands on two shades before they are released nationwide in mid-November.

Let me introduce you to Chunkiest Chilli and Plushest Punch:

 Chunkiest Chilli is a slightly brown brick red shade and Plushest Punch is a bright fushia pink shade.

I have swatched both Chubby Sticks below; first swatched normally and then swatched slightly blended out for if you prefer a softer look as a glossy balm but still with plenty of colour pay-off. 

Top: Chunkiest Chilli

Bottom: Plushest Punk

The bright punchy pink is definitely up my alley but when I first saw the brownish red Chubby stick I didn't think it would suit me at all. However I was pleasantly surprised and quite like this more brownish natural toned shade at the moment for a chic autumn look.

If you are a fan of the original Chubby Stick formula but prefer something with a bit more of a kick then I'd say definitely check out the new Intense range when it comes out in November! 

UGG Australia '12 Fall Collection: Style & Comfort!

Some of you might only know UGG for their (amazing) warm sheepskin Ugg boots but over the last few years the brand has proved that they can do more than just cozy fluffy boots. These days UGG Australia  actually has a full clothing, shoe and accessories line. During London Fashion week I got a sneak peak at their 2012 Fall women and men shoe collection and was very lucky to pick an amazing pair of ankle booties to take home with me! Check out my new wedges...

UGG Australia Carmine ankle boot (link)

The best bit about these new shoes that make them perfect for winter???

The soft sheepskin insoles!  These babies will definitely keep my feet nice and toasty during winter whilst looking chic at the same time, love it :)

The 2012 Fall collection includes many bold and edgy pieces. 

Their newly created line combines rugged styling and features luxurious materials so it holds up against the harsh winter elements giving fashionistas the best of both worlds; fashion and comfort.

My favourites of the collection were the black leather pebbled Cosima boots (link), the Georgette sheepskin cuffed city ankle boots (link) and those bright blue Alloway slippers (link) look so comfy and loved the burst of colour! 

The UGG Australia collection is available now at www.uggaustralia.co.uk plus at selected department stores, retailers and your local UGG store.  So what do you think of my new ankle boots and the 2012 UGG Australia Fall collection, spot anything you like? x 

MAC Melba Blush >

Melba by MAC Cosmetics is my go-to blush at the moment. I have been using it pretty much every day for the last few weeks and can't seem to get enough of it! Melba has been one my best friends holy grail products for a long time but I had personally never tried it. When I was in the States, I used it for her bridal makeup look (see post here) and after that moment I decided - I need to have this as part of my collection!



Melba is part of MAC's permanent range and described as a soft coral peach with a matte finish (link). In the pan it looks a slightly unexciting muted coral shade but trust me once the powder is on your skin it is so much prettier!



Because it is super pigmented you only need a light dusting of Melba on your cheeks for a warm pinky-peach natural glow. I feel it makes me look more tanned and because it has a matte finish it is my perfect everyday blush.

I just adore this blush and will definitely continue to repurchase Melba because it is now a must-have as part of my makeup collection! Have you tried Melba? xoxo 

Headed for sunshine #

Wednesday's Wise Words....

 

Happy Hump Day! I hope you have a great day :) xoxo

How to wear: Tartan Mini Skirt Outfit

This was my outfit of the day when out for lunch in my local hood, Notting Hill, yesterday. It was such a gorgeous crisp sunny autumn Sunday in London so after I managed to drag myself out of bed with a wee hangover (sunglasses luckily hide the dark circles...) it was time for some food and laughter with friends at Granger & Co.

 I got a lot of compliments on my tartan mini skirt that I picked up at Gina Tricot in Sweden a few weeks back (read here). The skirt is right on trend with the 2012 fall/winter fashion as part of the popular English Heritage style. I continued the navy/black look by pairing it with black tights, boots and a navy knit jumper.

Tartan mini skirt by GinaTricot

Black boots by Country Road

Navy Jumper with elbow patches by ZARA 

Sunglasses RayBan

Watch Michael Kors

I think a tartan mini skirt is a timeless investment for any fall/winter wardrobe. A lot of people might be scared of looking too 'school girl' in this kind of skirt but I think when styled correctly it can look very chic and fun. Here a few little tips for when wearing tartan (or plaid, as more commonly called in America):

• Pair your tartan skirt with stylish tights and over-the-knee boots or ankle-boots. This look will help you make yourlegs look longer. If the skirt is quite mini then make sure you wear it over opaque tights or leggings to remain looking classy. Knee-length pencil tartan skirts also work, as long as you downsize your top half with a form-fitting blazer/jacket or shirt. Don’t go longer than a knee-length tartan skirt unless you want to look like you stole the kitchen tablecloth.

• Stay in the same color family. Tartan usually has at least three or four different hues interwoven in the design, giving you a wide palette of color choices. The only time you should not match is when you are coupling a black and white tartan with, say, a red silk shirt. 

• Also pay attention to the fabric and colour before buying tartan for your wardrobe. Neutral and earth colours look good on all those who are short and are not comfortable with their body proportions. Whereas tall people can go for the bright coloured checks to add a fun colourful streak to their look.


• Fit plays a vital role with this print. A perfect tartan or plaid print must be well fitted on the body part for which it is intended. Baggy tartan skirts or shirts can look very unflattering to most body shapes.

• Tartan is a bold pattern, so avoid going overboard when accessorising. For starters stick with one prominent tartan piece or several small plaid accessories.

• Keep the top in solids, a subtle design or a print in one or two basic colors. You do not want to top a tartan skirt with a loud tartan blouse, even if they do have the same hues. Usually tartan pairs well with neutral tones like black, white, navy, grey or tan for a chic look.

What do you think of my tartan look, is this something you would wear this winter? xoxo

Kate Hudson: Red Carpet Perfection at AmFar

How amazing does Kate Hudson look at the recent amFar Inspiration Gala in LA? She donned a sizzling red hot Prabal Gurung Resort 2013 gown, which showed off her banging post baby-figure!
It's probably one of my favourite looks I have seen on the red carpet for a while.

She completed the look to absolute perfection with a crescent necklace that nicely complemented the structural dress, a chic and pretty ponytail and a funky embellished clutch. And now let's talk makeup, I just adore her gorgeous bronzed smokey eyes!

As a blue eyed girl I have always found that bronze and coppery eye shadows really make my eyes POP so I can't wait to copy this stunning coppery look on myself! I am going out tonight so think will give it a go! Here is how to re-create this smokey eye:

♥ Line the inner rims of your eyes with bronze (or brown, if you don't have bronze) eyeliner.
♥ Apply a coppery bronze eyeshadow to your lid up to your crease and blend out gently. Also apply the bronze shadow quite heavily underneath your lower lash line.
♥  Dust a very soft shimmery pink/vanilla eyeshadow into the inner corner of your eye plus a smidgen above the folds of your eyes.
♥  To finish it off curl your lashes and put on your favorite va-va-voom mascara!
♥ And if you want a little more drama, smudge some black liner directly into your top lashes so it just looks like you have thicker lashes—not actually line of black on top.

Anyway I just can't stop gushing about how phenomenal Kate looked - what do you think? xoxo

SkullCandy Edit: Designing custom headphones!

Last week I was invited by the uber cool people of SkullCandy to check out the launch of their UK online AviatorEdit suite. SkullCandy is a lifestyle brand that specialises in producing the best, sickest, top quality sounding headphones. They are the second largest headphone maker in the States and are super popular with action sport fans and have many celebs, ranging from Snoop Dogg to pro snowboarder Danny Kass raving about their products!

SkullCandy AviatorEdit allows you to design your own set of Aviator headphones from the comfort of your home. You can mix up colours for a custom Aviator creation; splash on some paint and see what sticks - on caps, cords, headbands and frames. Spin it, modify it, share it with friends. Or use the randomize button for a surprising experience and a one-of-a-kind paint job!

Once you decide on your favourite look, place your order and in two weeks time your very own personally designed headphones will arrive at your door! At the launch, a very lucky me was allowed to design my own custom aviators headphones. It was quite difficult with so many cool options to chose from but in the end I decided on a mix of my two favourite colours; turquoise and coral!

What do you think? I am super excited and can't wait for them to arrive! :) For more information about Skullcandy or to check out the Edit Program, visit www.skullcandy.com/edit

Totally Fort Worth It?

When I was in America I picked up a new OPI nail polish that's described as “A shimmery lavender grey that’s so worthy of you.” Its Totally Fort Worth It is from their 2011 Texas collection.

In the bottle the polish looks like a grey with quite a strong pink shimmer through it but unfortunately when on your nails the shimmer hardly shows. This polish has quite a sheer formula meaning that it takes minimum 3-4 coats to get opaque cover. This is after 3 coats...

I found this nail polish a little underwhelming because I just was hoping for a grey with bit more oomph because of the pink shimmer but it turned out to be more a sheer shimmery silver.
So I thought what can I do to make my nails a bit more exciting? I know, add a Essie LuxEffects topcoat! Shine of the Times is a gorgeous multichromatic flaky glitter topcoat which shifts to every color except purple, but the most dominant colors are red/orange and green. There's a heavy amount of flake in here and it provides very good coverage with only one coat.

Tadaaa much better. What do you think?
It's even more gorgeous in real life but the shine was hard to capture on camera.

I think Shine of the Times is a must-have top coat. It looks fabulously pretty on top light polishes or fun and edgy over darker shades. Have you tried any of these two polishes or can you recommend a great Shine of the Times combo? Xoxo

Dream big! =

Some weekly Wednesday inspiration...

"Laugh often, dream big, reach for the stars!"

Happy hump day! xoxo

Wedding Makeup - The Bride FOTD

Back in September I was in California for the wedding of one of my best friends. In the months coming up to the big day she asked if I would do her wedding make up. She explained that she'd done a couple of trial runs at MAC and said she never was that impressed with what they had done and felt I'd done her makeup just as well, if not better, in the past. Of course in the first instance I felt incredibly flattered of her to ask me but on the other hand I felt very nervous about the whole thing! Yes I love makeup and I feel pretty confident these days doing my own makeup and doing my friends' makeup for events or nights out..but this was something so much more important! I am definitely no professional makeup artists and this I would be one of the biggest days of her life...god what if she didn't like what I did!?

Anyway after an initial freak out moment I remembered, this is one of my best friends and I know what she likes and dislikes and she is certainly NO bridezilla so I went back to feeling super honoured and now also excited to be able to be part of her wedding in this way!

Luckily she had a pretty clear vision of the makeup look she wanted for her wedding day; natural, glowing and pretty with a bit of sparkle but making sure she still looked like herself! We used products by MAC cosmetics that she had chosen with a MAC makeup artists during a previous trial run so it was really great to have such clear instructions to go by. I was still a little nervous on the day but in the end it was so much fun to be there to help her get ready, do her makeup and make her feel beautiful on this special day. Not that I really had to do that much because I think she is the most beautiful woman (inside and outside) already!

So now without any further a-do; here comes the gorgeous bride!!!

(No photoshop or editing used....doesn't she have the most amazing eyes?)

Products used for this FOTD:

♥ Face:
MAC Prep + Prime line filler (link)
MAC Prep + Prime Primer (link)
MAC StudioFix Foundation
MUA Bronzed Perfection (as seen here)
MAC Powder Blush - Melba

♥ Eyes:
MAC Saddle eyeshadow (gold orange brown/matte) - all over lid
MAC Downbrown eyeshadow (teddybear brown/veluxe) – blended into crease &lower lash line
MAC Tan Pigment (muted pinky brown bronze) as seen here– applied to middle of lid
MAC Fluidline in Dipdown (flat brown) – applied along lower lash line only
MAC Zoomlash mascara

♥ Lips:
Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Imaginaire (56) as seen here

The bride was pretty happy with her look I think ;)

Doesn't her hair look amazing? I loved the romantic but fun twisty half up-do!

The above photos were all taken by me on the day. Now below are some official wedding photographs by Stephanie of Creative Photography Inc. It really was such an amazing day that I will remember forever....

Getting ready, walking down the beach 'aisle' and the kiss!

The "I do's" :)

The beach was the perfect backdrop for their Californian wedding!

Some fun group photos after the ceremony!

At the wedding reception. The dress code for the wedding was 'summer chic' so I decided on this fun turquoise dress I got in Paris over a year ago (as seen here). Makeup wise I went for a bronzed golden look using my Estée Lauder Island Oasis eyeshadow palette.

This is probably my favourite photo of the couple; it shows true happiness, love and fun which I hope their marriage will be filled with for the rest of their lives!!

Lulu & Will; I love you both so much and I'm so happy that I was be able to be part of your special day!
Friends forever ♥

What do you think of my first official bridal makeup FOTD? Xoxo

For the autumn wardrobe: Burgundy & Tartan

When I am in Scandinavia I always try to at least make a quick shopping stop at Gina Tricot! Gina Tricot is a very popular Swedish fashion highstreet chain that is now rapidly expanding into the rest of Europe. It is one of those low-cost shops where you can find some fab fashionable items for a really affordable price. Their clothing and accessories tend to be very simple, on-trend and have that Scandinavian ‘cool’ factor! So when I was in Sweden the other weekend I made a quick pit-stop at Gina Tricot and ended up buying these great two pieces for my autumn/winter wardrobe.

 Elly coated zip jeans in port royal shade - 599 SEK/€59.84 (link)

Simone woven skirt (blue/green) - 199 SEK/€19.95 (link)

 

I’ve been lusting after a pair of burgundy waxed/leather-like finished jeans for a while now and really liked these ones because of the zippers on the front and legs. Also as soon as I spotted the tartan skirt I knew it had to be mine for my winter wardrobe! I can’t wait to wear it with cable knit jumpers, black tights and boots. Both tartan and burgundy are hot trends for A/W 2012. You can read more about how to wear the biggest autumn trends here. 

Both these new purchases can easily be dressed up or down. Think burgundy jeans with heels and a blazer or matched comfy jumpers and converse sneakers. Here a quick collage on how I'd style these items..

Burgundy & Tartan Looks by dutchessroz 

(Click on image above to view this collage in Polyvore with all item links)

Like my new purchases? Will you add some burgundy or tartan to your autumn wardrobe this season?