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 

How to wear: A/W Trend - English Heritage

One trend that featured a heavily on the 2012 Autumn/Winter catwalks was English Heritage. Many designers like Burberry, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors included tweed, dog tooth and tartan as part of their fall collections for this year. The English Heritage trend is all about country living meets city dressing...

I'm definitely loving this A/W trend and luckily we don't have to spend big bucks at the designer stores to get this English Heritage look. The high street stores are filled at the moment with great items that you can mix and match to incorporate country cool into your wardrobe. Here are some looks from the high street that I am loving and I thought I'd show you how I would make this big autumn trend wearable:

How lovely are both these trench coats & I adore the pearl collar peplum blouse!

(You can click on the image above to to view all the individual item links)

(You can click on the image above for the individual items links)

I've always loved the tartan/plaid look so this trend is right up my alley plus I think a classic tweed jacket is a classic wardrobe staple must-have!

(You can click on the image to to view all the individual items links)

One item that has been on my lust list for a while now that fits right into the town & field trend this autumn is a wax Barbour jacket. However after all my recent holidays, I really can't afford to splurge on a Barbour coat. So I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted this awesome wax jacket at Dorothy Perkins last week. And at only £59 it wasn't going to break my bank; ka-ching!! Today was a typical English rainy day so this was the perfect day to show off my new purchase :)

Navy waxed hooded jacket - Dorothy Perkins (link)

Red cable knit jumper by Abercrombie & Fitch (as seen here)

Denim jeggings from ZARA (link)

Hunter Regent Savoy Wellies (link)

A pair of Hunter boots are a must-have for those rainy London days; no need to avoid the puddles ;)

The jacket did well in the rain today and kept me warm and dry. Plus I love the checked detailing in the hood and the patch stitching on the arms! What do you think of my new wax jacket and the English Heritage trend? Have you seen anything that you'd like to add to your wardrobe to look countryside cool this autumn?

 

This 'How to Wear' post is part of a bigger research project I took part in with Most Wanted to find out to how to take the A/W 12 top trends from the catwalk to your wardrobe, via the high street stores to create the hottest looks. You can read the all the articles here including other big season trends like mixed patterns & prints, berries, unexpected leather and military!

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?

A 'MINT' (jeans) day! #

As per my 'Spring trend crush: Mint' blog post; getting some mint jeans was on the top of my shopping lust-list! I finally ended up buying the perfect ones last week and couldn't wait to wear them this weekend...

Back in February during London Fashion I popped by the Handpicked Media LFW Lounge where UK fashion retailer Warehouse were also showcasing their gorgeous Spring/Summer '12 collection. 

The collection is full of pretty pastel hues, chic silhouettes, simple shapes and tropical prints.

I love this white lace cami and the beige peplum skirt! So classic and elegant ♥

And this where I first spotted their beautiful mint jeans!!

You can get their ultra skinny mint jeans online here for £40 (link)

I had also seen mint jeans in other high street shops like H&M, ZARA and River Island but the Warehouse ones started my original love affair and once I tried them on I was just sold :) They are a lovely slim fit, quite a strong not too stretchy cotton and about mid-rise waisted.
I had my parents visiting from The Netherlands this weekend and it was b-e-a-utiful weather which meant a perfect time to rock my new mint skinny jeans!

Ultra Skinny Coloured Jeans by Warehouse

White cable stitch jumper by ZARA as seen here (link)

Silver ballet flats by ZARA (last season)

Pastel/white scarf by TieRack (gift from a friend)

RayBan Aviator sunglasses by RayBan

Watch by Michael Kors

Bag by GinaTricot as seen here (link)

We spent most of Saturday walking along the Thames and soaking up the sun in Richmond Park!

The sunset over the Thames in Richmond. 

I had the loveliest weekend and I'm just over the moon with my mint jeans! :) 

Are you eyeing up any mint or other pastel coloured jean this summer? xoxo

M.A.C. Master-class at London Fashion Week 2012

Back in February I was very lucky to get invited by M·A·C to attend a special make up master-class at London Fashion week! I've never been to a fashion week before so even just walking around the fashion week grounds at Somerset House in London felt really cool. 

As the official makeup sponsor of London Fashion week 2012 M·A·C had their own suite set up for us to enjoy breakfast, browse around their new collections and get to see Pablo Rodriguez, MAC's senior makeup artist, recreate a catwalk look from start to finish.

Me with my exhibition pass, feeling pretty 'cool' ;)

Self portrait and goody bags!

The look that Pablo was going to show us was designed especially for Stephanie Rolland Spring 2012 show as seen on the runway at the Haute Couture Paris Fashion week.

This is definitely not your every-day kind of makeup! It's a very dramatic winged smokey eye but I think the look really suited the collection which contained a colour palette of black, white, red and lime green and where silhouettes were kept simple with highly sculptural and exaggerated flounces.

This is model Yasmin Le Bon closing the show wearing a blood-red gown that weighed over 45kg!

OK now to the look.... Pablo started using M·A·C Studio Sculpt foundation which he stippled on with a M·A·C 188 brush, then he dabbed Select Cover-Up Concealer under the eyes to conceal dark circles and then he set the base with Blot Powder using the M·A·C 168 brush.

The model looking very fresh faced ;)

For the eyes he lined both the waterline and upper inner lashline with Feline eyeliner. He then pressed M·A·C Fluidline Eyeliner in Blacktrack (one my favourite products) all over the eyelids and blended it out with the 224 brush.

To achieve the dramatic look as seen on the runway he applied M·A·C Pro Acrylic Paint in black with a mascara brush to create a feathered, paint 'splattered' effect and the lashes got a layer of MAC False Lashes mascara. To finish off the face he applied a new contouring creme with his fingers under the cheekbones and the cheeks received a lovely gentle flush of colour with M·A·C Pink Swoon blush. The final touch was a nude pink gloss on the lips in the form of MAC Lipglass in Underage. As you can see it was all really about the eyes with this look by keeping the rest of the makeup very simple! 

TADA the finished look. I love this edgy winged smokey eye!

It was really cool to see such a special look created up close and Pablo was truly amazing and answered all our questions :) Sometimes catwalk makeup can look very complicated but when you get taken through the steps you can realise it is not actually always that hard! I left feeling the master class feeling super inspired and passionate about makeup. 

Thank you very much M·A·C for my lovely London Fashion Week experience ♥ xoxo

Spring Trend Crush - Mint!

I don’t know about you all but I am definitely ready for Spring! I am loving all the spring colours that are hitting the stores and magazines. It's getting me in the mood for warmer and sunnier days...

So let’s quickly talk about my favourite trend for 2012 Spring; MINT! Pastels were all over the spring runways and mint green is the main shade that caught my eye.....

Pale and mellow, soft and feminine, mint is the ultimate spring accessory to your wardrobe. Like a refreshing peppermint candy, this cool color will freshen up your wardrobe!

I'm so in love with this colour right now that I personally can't wait to get my hands on something mint green. High on the list is mint nail polish and mint coloured jeans!

Incorporating mint green into your current wardrobe is easy!
You can use it on clothes, jewellery, shoes, handbags- the only limitation really is your creativity...
Have you got a colour crush like me? If so tell me what mint items are on your lust list :)

Happy Hump Day! xoxo

ESSIE Chinchilly at NYC Fashion Week '12

Here is a quick trend report from Essie at NYC Fashion week.
This is what they spotted backstage at 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall/Winter 2012....

♥ Trends:
Short oval nails
Romantic yet edge makeup
Neo-noir, comic inspired clothing and nails

♥ Colours: One coat of licorice, topped with a thin stripe of chinchilly and highlighted with blanc for a shadowed, crescent-moon effect.

♥ Heard: “This graphic nail design is dramatic, yet incredibly wearable. Women of any age can wear this look to make a super modern statement that is still totally chic.” – Essie Weingarten.

Love this funky nail look! Essie in Chinchilly is one of their best selling shades. 

It's a 'sleek granite grey' that flatters many skin tones.

Normally Chanel Particulière is my go-to elegant taupe nail polish but at the moment am loving the whole greige look. Chinchilly is a darker version of my OPI's Skull & Glossbones but this has slightly more mauve/purplish undertones. It is creamy, chic and natural yet a little sexy and very versatile!

The formula of this nail polish is fantastic. Not too thick, very smooth but not streaky which meant opaque nails after only two coats. The brush is also makes applying a breeze. This is definitely a new favourite of mine and as it seems right on trend....So are you loving the greige nail look? xoxo