SHOPPING - June's Pay Day Picks

The end of the month is looming which means pay day and a few extra pennies to treat yourself to something special. Whether you've got a lot to spend or just a little bit going spare, here's what has been catching my eye this week...

It may not be winter but with the temperature sitting around 10 degrees in London at the weekend a jumper could be a good investment. Grey is my new 'black' so this Markus Lupfer merino wool slogan top ticks off that trend too. Get it for £225 at Matches Fashion.

These Patsy Tassel wedges from Topshop are statement summer shoes at their finest. I love how chunky they are with little borrowed details from this season's 'it' shoe, the clog. They'll be yours for £130.

Maxi dresses are top of the fashionista's shopping list this summer and I love the colour and floaty fabric of this halter maxi dress from ASOS. Own it for a reasonable £45.

Last on the list is my chosen pay day purchase, this Rock & Roll Knuckleduster ring from SUPERSWEET. I saw it back at a recent press day and when I saw it on sale I just had to make it mine. It's a little bit 'gangsta' but I love it! Take it home for £30.

What's on your pay day shopping list this month?

STYLE - Aussie to the Rescue Event

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited by Aussie to their 'Aussie to the Rescue' event. The idea behind it was to give us girlies a bit of pampering and for us to take away some hair, make-up and stylist tips not to mention enjoy a few cocktails and plenty of gossip too.

We were told to think up a hair style that would challenge the hair stylists so I decided on something a bit retro. I've never had a forties style hair-do so thought it was about time to give it a go.

 

I started with make-up and the lovely make-up artist did my make-up in a complementary style to the victory rolls I was about to get done. The products used were all Max Factor and I discovered a couple of great products that I'll be looking out for in future. I loved the Max Factor Lipfinity in 560, and the blush in 221. Check out make-up artist Jo's website for more ideas.

After make-up and some nibbles it was on to the hair and a chat with the stylist, the lovely Stevey Spencer. Not only did he give me some great tips for my wardrobehe even gave me a couple of tips for my holiday to Rome too. Multi-talented! As I'm short but quite curvy, Stevey suggested I avoid high necklines, roll up my jacket sleeves and avoid wearing dark tights with dark dresses. I've been covering up too much skin it would seem. Time to flaunt my legs and chest a bit more! We also talked about shoes and Stevey pointed out some ankle boot or high shoestyles that I could wear without stunting my height. I'll definitely be taking on board his tips next time I go shopping... on my shopping list are dresses from Urban Outfitters, a cropped denim waistcoat, a wrap dress, a halter neck maxi dress and anything in coral, turquoise and grey.

The hair was the highlight of course though. As I was sitting there I had no idea what was going on with my 'do'. It's quite time consuming to quickly set the curls for proper victory rolls but the result was amazing! I did get some tips for trying it out at home but I'm not sure I could manage the amazing fringe-wave that the stylist knocked up. I'll be taking on her tip about products with sea kelp to smooth flyaways though and I'm already converted to Aussie hair spray. Smells so much nicer than other brands. For this style we used a heat protection spray, hairspray, shine spray and mousee, all by Aussie of course.

Here's some pics of me and the other girls...

Me

Kavita from I Heart Vintage

Charlie from Vampires & Cardigans

Christina from A Sense Sublime

Sherin from Hi Fashion 

Amina from Inner Belle 

Kirsty from Belle Fantaisie

Reena from Fashion Daydreams

The event was held in one of the Hempel Hotel's apartments (Which was amazing by the way). I'd love to stay there some time. Aussie even hired our very own barman for the evening. Thanks to the guys at 1000 Heads for yet another fun, fabulous and useful evening out.

STYLE - Thinking of Holidays

I'm getting that holiday feeling. I haven't been on a 2 week holiday since 2006... this means I'm well overdue if you ask me. My dream Italian wardrobe would probably look something like this. I can but dream...

Retro holidays by The Style PA featuring Kurt Geiger shoes

SKINCARE - Melvita for Mother and Baby

 
One for mummies and mums to be, this post is all about the fabulous new mother and baby skincare range by Melvita. I was invited along a few weeks ago to give the new range a try and learn more about the idea behind it and ingredients used.

So who are Melvita? You may not have heard of them in the UK but they are a household name in France and French women have been trusting in Melvita for all sorts of skincare needs for over 25 years. Melvita are organic experts and work very closely with suppliers to ensure that ingredients meet the very high expectations of their customers. The new mum and baby range takes this to new heights and products are...

• Hypo-allergenic
• Allergen free
• Alcohol free
• Free from essential oils
• Formulated under paediatric control
• Dermatologically tested

Top of the 'to buy' list is probably the changing cream which creates a barrier to protect from nappy rash while soothing and softening. The cold cream soap also stood out as we tried the products. I was interested to learn the method used to make the soap. Many ordinary soaps are not properly compacted and are instead just poured into moulds. This is what leads to the breakdown of the soap when it gets wet. Melvita heavily compress their soaps to make sure they always hold together and this also means that a £5 soap will last you for ages and ages.

I tested out all the products on my hands and left the session with the most fabulous smelling and smoothest feeling skin. Each product does have a slightly different scent depending on the ingredients which again is testament to the quality of the natural ingredients. 

I've often heard people talk about the benefits of baby massage as it helps mother and baby to bond and also is great for baby's skin. The £17 massage oil in the Melvita range was something I'd want to steal myself making it a multi-tasking product for adults and little ones alike. Not to be outdone, mums get the pampering treatment too with products like a stretch mark prevention cream and body milk.

I took away a few goodies from the day which I passed on to one of my best friend who's just welcomed her little one, Archie, into the big wide world. He'll be testing out the shower shampoo and changing cream while mum has the pleasure of testing out the nipple balm.... I don't envy her and all that breast-feeding!

There are over 300 products in the wider Melvita range so if you've not considered the brand before, perhaps now is the time to take a look. Every single product is certified organic by ECOCERT, there's even food supplements to complement the skincare essentials.

GADGET - Wacom Bamboo Interactive Tablet

I'm known as a girl who loves gadgets so when Wacom approached me to introduce their Bamboo tablet I was intrigued.

I spend a huge amount of time at my computer, at work and at home. I've already switched my conventional mouse at home for a vertical one to relieve RSI so the tablet idea appealed to me. With the iPad and smart phones bringing touch technology even more to the forefront the idea of using a tablet, I think, will become more of a mainstream idea.

So why is it good for a fashion blogger?  I've been messing around doing things like this...

If you've got Windows 7 like me then lots of the programmes you already use will have integration with interactive tablets like this. You can even use it to draw pictures to your friends on messenger services. The Tablet also comes with something called the Bamboo Dock which includes useful applications and fun tools and games to help you get the most out of the tablet.

Are you a big Twitter user? There's a little app called DrawTweet so you can easily upload your doodles to Twitter. General photo editing is also easier to do with a tablet than with a mouse and with the Bamboo you can rotate and zoom in or out with quick finger movements. I found the tablet to be really responsive and it's great that with my model could use the touch of your fingertips or a pen.

The looks of this gadget are spot on. It's sleek, slimline and available in black or silver so it will fit with your existing kit. When I'm not using mine it slips easily into my desk draw and in terms of setting it up it couldn't be easier, USB plug and play.

It takes a little getting used to in order to really get a feel for using it but once you have it's a really good alternative to working with a mouse and great for personal edits of images. That's what I'll use it for most.

Find out about all the available Bamboo models at the Wacom website. Prices start from

SHOPPING - A Beautiful Way to Spend a Day

Today was a day without any real plans so after a text to one of my best friends we embarked upon a day of fun which I've now decided would pretty much be the perfect date. It just so happens, that in this case I shared it with a friend instead of a guy... perhaps I'll find a man to play it all out again with soon.

We started by taking a stroll through Regent's Park. Since my move into Camden, I've been wondering how far it is to walk and the answer is not very far at all, hurrah! After taking in the summer sunshine and scenery, I decided that I couldn't wait to spend my Agent Provocateur voucher and had to make a lovely piece of lingerie mine. We headed off to the Soho store to browse the beautiful bras.

I wasn't sure what to get and whether to go for something really sexy or stick with something quite pretty. In the end the style that fit me the best was the Minnie Bra, black and white polka dotted with a pretty polka dot bow in Agent Provocateur pink. I tried some of the sheer styles and some of the non-wired ones too but I think it's difficult to make the switch if what you're used to is the more modern, padded styles. The Minnie bra is demi cup which means it only just covers the nipple but gives you a great shape and maximum uplift. Great for super-low necklines or just for prancing around in front of your man. My friend and I were in awe of the shop assistant's outfits too... reminded me of the girls on the latest head&shoulders ads.

After all the walking and shopping lunch was on our minds so we headed to Leon on Carnaby Street for a yummy, healthy wrap. I went for chicken and chorizo... delicious! I really like the food in Leon. It's fast but it feels like they use the best ingredients and you're not consuming millions of calories (420 calories for my wrap in fact).

With food in our bellies, and a spot more shopping we decided to head off to the cinema for the gritty Brooklyn's Finest. I actually went to the cinema the night before too but that was a bit of a special event. Gillette Venus is hosting the Get Close Cinema Season to celebrate the launch of the Venus Emrace five blade razor (I currently use it and have been suggesting it to all my friends too) At the launch of the film season we watched Dirty Dancing after a few delicious strawberry cocktails. It was so cool to see it on the big screen and to have other fans there watching it with you, sharing in each and every romantic moment.

Other films are being shown too including Pretty Woman, Grease, Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Notebook. The film season runs at Picturehouse cinemas until 27 July and you can find out more and enter to get a free ticket at the Get Close website.

CELEBRITY - Lea Michele's Red Carpet Look

Glee is everyone's favourite programme at the moment and I was quite sad when I realised that the season finale is soon. Check out Glee star Lea Michele's look as she attended the Time's 100 most influential people in the world gala. At the heart of this look are the lashes which a birdie tells me are by Reese Robert, a US company.

When prepping for Lea’s red carpet look, Lea's make-up artist Melanie says: “The Reese Robert lashes "One Hot Mama" were the perfect final touch to Lea’s rock'n'roll eyes for the Times 100. It added lushness to her own eyelashes and helped create the perfect smoky eyes to match her classic gown".

Now you've got the eyes, it's time to copy that dress...

Lea wore a classic champagne coloured gown. Steal her style with these fab dresses...

Beaded liquid metallic dress - Amazon - $172.99

Zac Posen Nautilus silk-satin dress - The Outnet - £669

Halston chiffon lurex ruffle dress - Net-a-porter - £3160

COMPETITION - The Miele Fashion Prize

Miele make home appliances so they might not be your first thought for a link up with fashion designers but as part of their work to promote their amazing washing machines, that's exactly the link up they have.

Miele host a fashion prize contest where one lucky winner will be awarded £1000 worth of Miele appliances and will have their dress made for them by Jasper Garvida to be displayed in his latest collection. Last year, Nathan Jones was the winner with a dress featuring a honeycomb design as inspired by the machine’s honeycomb drum, shown below...

To enter this year's contest, you have to design a dress which reflects one of the special fashion care programs on Miele’s laundry machines just like Nathan's honeycomb idea. Find out more about wash cycles here.

You don't need to be a fashion designer to take part, just grab a pen and paper and put your creativity to work. Who knows, you just might have what it takes to win.

Click here to enter the Miele Fashion Prize

NEWS - In my inbox in June

It's been over a week without internet and I've an inbox flooding with emails. I thought I'd pick a few features out while I regroup and try and get back on track with my blogging...

I've always followed Alphabet bags and have been keen to see the ways in which they are expanding their product mix. Here's the latest addition to the portfolio, coin purses. I want one! The cotton purses are priced at £12 each and make a great little gift for a friend. Visit www.alphabetbags.com to buy online.

Take a sneak peek behind the scenes of, young British designer, Hannah Marshall's studio.

Lily Cole was at Gatwick this week to launch Gatwick Runway Models - a search for the nation’s most aspirational people to win a place next to model royalty such as Cindy Crawford and Eva Herzigova on Storm’s exclusive books.

Catwalk queen Kate Moss was famously discovered at JFK airport in the ‘80’s by Sarah Doukas, founder of Storm Model Management.  London Gatwick Airport is hoping for similar success as it joins forces with Storm, to discover Britain’s newest model talent.

There'll be one male and female to get the ultimate kick-start to their modelling career. Not only will they receive a formidable New Faces contract with Storm, they will also take to the runway for the first time at London Gatwick Fashion Week in August.  Under the watchful eye of Lily Cole, they will model the airports retailers’ hottest summer looks, celebrating the fantastic line-up of high street and designer stores.

And London Gatwick Airport will donate £1* to Great Ormond Street Hospital for every entry received. You can find out more at the website.

Good luck to everyone who enters.