Best Dressed: 2013 People & Critic Choice Awards

This week both the 2013 People's Choice & Critic's Choice Awards took place in Los Angeles. Here are my best dressed picks from the red carpet.

Emily Blunt is absolute perfection in this white Miu Miu dress! The back of the dress, the flawless makeup, the red lips and the glamorous hair...just WOW!

Lea Michele sparkled in this pink Elie Saab dress. The mix of lace and sequins is cute and the colour is just so fun. Her legs look smokin' hot and I really like the purple makeup (she even manages to pull off purple lashes!) to complete her look.

Taylor Swift was a sexy vision in white in this daring low plunging gown by Ralph Lauren. The dramatic bronze makeup and turquoise earrings completed her essemble perfectly.

How cute is Julianne Hough's sparky number! Her make up is impeccable and love her fun and messy bob hairstyle.

Noami Watts looked amazing at both award shows where she was nominated for Best Actress for her outstanding performance in the film The Impossible. I watched this movie on Sunday and admit that I haven't cried so much at a movie for ages! A very touching and intense story about the 2004 Tsunami; so if you go and see it (which I truly recommend you do) make sure you bring a box of tissues!

Jennifer Lawrence in a Prabal Gurung gown with leather detailing and a sheer train. Loved her edgy yet elegant look.

Two other honourable mentions needed are for Amy Adams and Helen Hunt. Both look beautiful. The white and navy Grecian high split gown is sexy and really compliments her lovely porcelain skin. Helen shines in red; the lace detailing is stunning and how incredible is her body for her age; she turns 50 this year!

Who were your favourites of these Awards shows? I can't wait for the Golden Globes and Oscars.  I just love award season :)

Isla Fisher - InStyle Australia December '12

I came across these photos online the other day of Isla Fisher photographed by Troyt Coburn for the cover shoot of the fashion magazine InStyle Australia for their December 2012 issue. How beautiful are they??

Oh and Happy Hump Day! :)

Victoria Secret Fashion Show 2012

Its no secret that I love Victoria Secret and every year I cant wait to see their annual amazing fashion shows (see photos of previous years here and here). This years extravaganza went down in NYC on November 8 and it aired this week on CBS in America.

During the show the famous Angels strutt their hot stuff on the catwalk in the most glamous and fun outfits showcasing some of the upcoming pieces from the lingerie retailer. The show this year consisted of six separate themed segments being; Circus, Dangerous Liaisons, Calendar Girls, Pink Is Us, Silver Screen Angels and Angels in Bloom.

There were a handful of memorable ensembles — Alessandra modeled the 2012 Fantasy Bra, covered in $2.5 million worth of gems, while Miranda donned a Swarovski-embellished corset. Doutzen Kroes looked incredible in a pink pom-pom ensemble, and Lily Aldridge, whose Kings of Leon rocker husband, Caleb Followill, was in the front row, took a turn down the runway in a patriotic flag skirt.

In addition to the Angels, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and Bruno Mars also took the stage with some great musical performances. Rihanna definitely stole the show, she looked beautiful and simply smokin' hot! She could easily be one of the next angels! ;)

 

My current favourite Victoria Secret Angels would have to be Doutzen Kroes, Miranda Kerr, Candice Swanepoel and Erin Heatherton.

I think Doutzen (a fellow Dutchy) has the perfect body; I mean just look at her..WOW!

Who are your favourite VS Angels and did you watch the show this week?

 

This will be your night - BOSS Nuit Pour Femme

One of my favourite parts of going out is the anticipation and getting ready for the night! After choosing the right dress, shoes and your hair and make up is all done, the final touch is spraying on your fragrance for the evening! I have a few staple perfume favourites but at the moment I am loving Hugo BOSS Nuit Pour Femme.

The campaign for BOSS Nuit Pour Femme is fronted by the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow and the scent itself is based on the most iconic symbol of feminine style – the little black dress (we all have one!)

The bottle, like the perfect little black dress, is classic yet sexy. The perfume has top notes of white peach and wet aldehydic, heart accords of jasmine, white flowers and violets, and the base notes include warm woods, sandalwood and crystal moss. Gwyneth says the fragrance is a sensual and feminine perfume “For me, BOSS Nuit pour Femme is a very sensual, feminine perfume. It’s the perfect night time perfume because it’s very alluring but very elegant at the same time.”

As always, Gwyneth looks flawless and beautiful! The little black dress that Gwyneth is wearing in this video is actually available to purchase form Hugo Boss stores. I am definitely loving BOSS Nuit Pour Femme at the moment as the finishing touch to my evening preparations, ensuring I feel 'perfectly put together' for my night out :)

The BOSS Nuit Pour Femme products range from £20-£59 which means there’s something suit almost everyone’s budget. Are you a fan of Hugo Boss perfumes?

ghd hair inspiration & celeb hair style icons

When it comes to hairstyling, my can't-live-without item would have to be my ghd styler. I bought my first one when I was about 18 years old and I have not looked back since. I personally think its the best quality iron out in the market place and I use mine daily for straightening or curling my hair! I've tried other irons over the years which have been good but the ghd's remain on top because they heat so quickly and they are the only stylers that can make my curls last all day without them falling out too quickly. You can watch my 'vintage' ghd hair curling tutorial that I filmed two years ago here (link).

I recently discovered that ghd have now a launched a hairstyles page on their website where they demonstrate images and videos of styles that are on-trend or for special occasions. But I particularly like to browse their celebrity hairstyles page (link) for the latest hair inspirations!

These are some of my favourite looks at the moment....

When it comes to celebrity hairstyles Blake Lively, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley are definitely three girls whose hair I always love! Who are your celeb hair style icons? 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

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

Best & Worst: 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards

On Sunday the 64th Emmy Awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles, awarding prizes to the outstanding comedy, drama, miniseries and reality programmes of 2012.

As always it was a great opportunity for the celebrities to shine on the red carpet, some more than others! Blue (in various shades) proved to be a popular colour on the red carpet and also yellow seemed to be a hit with the stars which is a quite a surprising bright colour for such an autumn event. Here are my best and worst picks of the night..

BEST

I loved Cat's scarlet gown and the shape and style fitted her perfectly. Julianne went for the mermaid look and I think she made it look very glamorous. Julie's neon yellow strapless gown seems to be a hit for some or a complete miss with others. I liked it, on photos it doesn't always do it justice I think because when I saw a live shot of her on the red carpet I just felt the fit and colour was beautiful and she looked so radiant, like a ray of sunshine! Emily got a lot of negative comments on this look; yes it is safe, yes it is a little boring because she is young and has a killer body but I personally liked the muted grey gown and think she's beautiful no matter what and she looks very elegant.

Heidi shows off some extreme 'Jolie leg' in this beautiful seafoam green couture gown, but with gams like that she can pull it off. January Jones is always something of a risk-taker when it comes to the red carpet but this gothic-glam gown by Zac Posen suits her beautifully and it shows that sometimes risks can pay off. Claire Danes flaunted her growing baby belly in a bright and bold dress by Lanvin. I think it's an interesting and chic take on a maternity dress and she looks stunning.

 

Homeland was actually the big winner on the night, taking home statues for lead actress (Claire Danes), lead actor (Damien Lewis) and outstanding writing in the drama category, as well as the outstanding drama award. I am completely addicted to this show so think the awards are well deserved!

 

WORST

Hayden looks a bit like she's going to a fancy toga party in this Grecian-inspired dress by Marchesa. I think remove the blue tule and it would have looked a lot better. Juliane; don't get me wrong I am loving the bright colour and it definitely takes a brave woman to wear that much yellow but unfortunately I don't think she shape of the dress is very flattering and it's all little too much with the long sleeves and long skirt. Ashley Judd, not much more to say than serious fashion crime. Ugly dress and the hair...sorry but what was her hairstylist on? Sadly Lena's black and lace Prada number looks boxy and does nothing to flatter her figure.

Lena Headey tries gothic-glam and fails. Kristen Wiig looks uninspiring to me; the hair too messy, the dress too casual and the whole look is just a bit blah! Alexandra of 'American Horror Story' striked some fierce poses on the red carpet but flashed a bit too much leg when her undies were on show! Even so, think the dress is unflattering and 'cheap' looking and not loving the hairstyle with this dress. Lucy Liu looks like a metal disco ball; a case of sequins gone wrong!

I really liked seeing so many bright colour on the red carpet at this event! What were your best and worst picks from the 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards?

Happy Hump Day Everyone! xoxo

Diane Kruger front row at Calvin Klein NYFW

I love Fashion Weeks; not only to spot the trends on the actual catwalk but also to see what the front row celebs and ‘it’ people in the world of fashion are wearing. For example I loved Diane Kruger edgy front row look at the Calvin Klein's New York Fashion Week show last week.

The stunning actress showed off her toned stomach in a form-fitting white long-sleeved top, teamed with a high-waisted black leather miniskirt by the designer.

Diane Kruger is known to be a big fan of Calvin Klein. The actress said “The Calvin Klein woman is something I really identify with because I feel she is very understated. There is a sexiness to her, but it is not obvious, and that’s something that I prefer for myself.” Francisco Costa, for Calvin Klein, creates one-off red-carpet dresses for Kruger, who added, “I don’t like to show off too much cleavage; I want it to be mysterious. I am not one of those girls who is like, ‘It’s all there!’ ”



Diane was joined on the front row by fellow Hollywood stars Emma Stone and Amy Adams. Emma looked colourful in a coral shift dress which she teamed with bright yellow heels. Adore her wavy haired look here! And Amy also looked chic and sophisticated in a below-the-knee white dress which featured a high neckline and ruching around the waist area.

Diane is definitely one of my style icons! 

What do you think of Diane's black and white front row fashion forward look?

My new bikini purchases #

Because of my impending sailing holiday to Croatia I was looking at my bikinis a while back and concluded that my collection was definitely due for a refresh this summer! So for the last few weeks I’ve been searching the web and tried on many in stores but I just couldn’t seem to find any that I absolutely loved. That is until I came across this gorgeous bikini at Reiss!

ALBI - bandeau style petrol blue and gold stripe bikini from Reiss - now on sale for £34! (link)

The bikini comes with removable halter neck trap and has lovely gold d-ring detailing to the front and cube-finished tie-side bottoms. This is me soaking up the sun in them while I was in Como, Italy :)

Then the other day while reading some celeb goss online I spotted these photo's of Ashley Tisdale in a bright fringe bikini and it was love at first sight! I just knew I HAD to get my hands on them.

How cute do they look right?

So I googled and googled away and found that the bikini she's wearing is the Audrey Bikini by L'Space. The funky bikini comes with a citrus halter neck fringed top that is supposed to enlongate the torso to give you better bikini cleavage and the bottoms are a fun colour patterned design. 

L'Space Audrey Bikini with Foxy Tab bikini bottoms (link)

I got all excited about ordering one for my holiday but then found that they were pretty much sold out on every webshop! I emailed online beachwear company Beach Elements and they replied saying they’d just had some come in stock and could get one shipped to me within 3 days. What great service and tada  three days later my new bikini arrived in London - I am one happy girl :)

Do you like my new bikini purchases?

As you are reading this I will be wearing one of these new bikinis whilst sailing the crystal blue waters of Croatia on my holiday!! Next week, while I am away I have lined up a couple of guest posts from some of my favourite bloggers. I hope you enjoy them. See you when I get back :) xoxo

50 Shades of Grey....(blush)

Like just about every other woman in the world, I admit that I am currently hooked on the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy books! The novels which originally began as "Twilight" fan fiction have now become one of the best selling books of the year with over 10 million copies sold so far. The first book in the series; 50 Shades of Grey has actually made E.L. James the first author to sell more than one million copies via Kindle! After hearing so much about these books; the curious side of me just had to know what they were all about....

The plot of “50 Shades of Grey” revolves around a young and naïve college student named Anastasia Steele who is seduced by a hot, rich and powerful billionaire businessman named Christian Grey. Grey persuades Steele to sign a contract that allows him complete control over her life, in and out of the bedroom. And let's just say their relationship is rather steamy! The books have received a lot of criticism calling the erotic novels 'mommy porn' with the overall reception being very mixed; people seem to either love it or hate it. I am now half way through the second book 'Fifty Shades Darker' and I am definitely a little addicted. I do admit that it has caused me to blush (fifty shades of pink!) occasionally when reading the book in public and I may have actually missed my tube stop one morning because I was so...well... caught up (hehe) in reading the book! Fifty Shades of Grey is definitely my guilty pleasure at the moment ;)

Following the huge success of the books you can imagine that this caused a fierce bidding war between leading film studios to secure the movie rights to the trilogy. Universal and Focus Features won the battle and this has now left many fans of the sexy books wondering who will be bringing the sexiness of the main characters to life on the silver screen! Rumours are all over the internet about who will or should play the smoldering leading man, Mr Christian Grey.  

My inner goddess just couldn't resist getting in on the action looking for gorgeous men who I think should play the sexiest, richest, hottest guy on the planet ;)

Let's have a look at my candidates shall we?

♥ Ryan Gosling. I think it is fair to say that I love me some Ryan Gosling any day! Ryan oozes sexyness, cheekiness and has got the smoldering eyes thing pat down. Just think a mix of his characters from Crazy, Stupid Love & Drive to channel Mr Grey plus we all know this guy can rock a suit!

♥ Alexander Skarsgard. If you've ever watched True Blood (or have a pair of eyes for that matter) then enough said. But yes he is tall, athletic and totally has the dominating, intense thing down! I can see him being sensitive yet protective. I can see him being dominating and loving. I think character wise Alexander would be a pretty perfect fit for the role.♥ Ian Somerhalder. Known for his leading role in the Vampire Diaries. Apparently Ian has expressed interest in being cast in the 50 Shades movie. I think he could pull of the sexy and sweet act and let's admit that mischievous grin is quite the asset as well.♥ Armie Hammer. At first glance Armie might look a little vanilla. BUT if you’ve read the book Christian Grey decides he’s into vanilla…soooo…he would fit the nice guy/bad guy mold pretty well.

♥...and last but not least my final pick would be Matt Bomer. Matt is not (YET) that well known as an actor but after seeing photos online of him as suggestions for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie I am completely SOLD on him playing the sexy Mr Grey! Gorgeous eyes, hair you can run your fingers through, and a body that would make any girl weak in the knees...yup, Matt Bomer has got it all looks-wise. I can go on for days just talking about this man's good looks but I'll let the pictures on this page do all that for you. To me Matt looks the ultimate Christian and think he could pull off the dominating but sweet and sexy billionaire CEO personality very well. So he gets my top vote!

All together now....PHWOAR!!!

So there you have it. My 5 suggestions for Christian Grey! 

Have you read the books - if so who would YOU choose to play Christian?

Happy Hump Day everyone! Instead of providing you with my weekly (deep and meaningful) quotes on hump day I thought today I'd just provide you all with some eye candy! Just as satisfying don't you agree? ;)

Laters baby!
(swooooooon) x