Spring Summer Youtube Trend Report

Please check out my YouTube video on Spring Summer trends hot off the catwalk!

Fashion Capital - My day in London

So yesterday I put on my big girl pants and went off to London on my own for the day. Mainly for an interview (blog post to follow about this) but I also spent some time mooching around looking at the amazing shops and retail space. One thing I love about the shops in London is that its all or nothing. They go mad with amazing displays, layouts, music, design and window displays.
One store that absolutely blew me away in terms of the retail space but also eye catching design was Issey Miyake. I love the bare walls with the pop of colour running through. His collection is really really clever with interesting angles, shapes and innovative design. I spent ages in here just looking and taking it all in.

All images are my own.

Another store which I ALWAYS love without fail is Banana Republic. I love the clothes already because they are very plain and simple pieces and definitely my kind of style however I was impressed with the pretty wall displays they had in-store this season. Not only are the walls looking gorgeous but the clothes are too! Shop the new season here Banana Republic

All images my own

SS '16 Trends

I have recently got back from a trip to Paris (blog post about the trip to follow) and whilst there I visited Premier Vision, a fashion event for industry professionals to come and witness the up and coming trends in fabrics, leather, accessories, yarns and even some digital media too. I wanted to create 3 mood boards on the key trends I picked up on for SS '16 from the event. The ones that stood out the most for me were: Fruit prints, Papaya colour tones and Tangram print. I love all 3 of these new trends and I am so excited to see them emerging on the catwalk! 

I saw a lot of fruit prints coming through in particular fabrics such as silks and chiffons. The lightweight fabrics teamed with this kind of print create a real summery effect and reminds me of Dolce and Gabbana's Spring 2012 show in Milan. 

The Papaya tones ran throughout most of the fabric collections at the show as I feel this is a real bright and bold colour for the new season which makes a nice change from the pastels we have had in recent years!

Finally, Tangram print. My favourite of them all. I love the digital look this print gives and I saw this a few times on different peoples collections especially on cotton fabrics. They look really modern and fresh and I can't wait to see this on the catwalk.

Here are my moodboards to reflect what I have seen.

Traveling to the Fashion Capitals Part One - New York

This is completely and utterly over due and should have been blogged about months ago but I have finally got round to it and so here it is. Part one of my travels to the fashion capitals of the world and what better way to kick this off then flying to NYC!

I went in November which in my opinion is perfect timing to visit the city as everyones is gearing up for Thanks Giving and Christmas so there is a real buzz in the air. My experience of New York was second to none and I would urge anybody with a bit of money to go, and if you don't SAVE SAVE SAVE because its somewhere everyone, especially the fashion conscious should visit at least once.

The shopping experience in New York is so exciting and awe inspiring as everything is so HUGE! The stores are massive and often occupy several floors of just endless beautiful clothes to look at and buy, yippee!! I spent a scary amount of money whilst over there as the stores were just too good to resist, I treated myself to a Michael Kors hobo style bag which I use endlessly now and of course not forgetting the gigantic Victoria Secrets on Broadway which I must have spent hundreds of dollars in!!!

Aside from all the shopping, I managed to get a lot of fantastic photos as well. I am a budding photographer so when the opportunity came up to go I just had to. THE PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES!!
I visited Central Park, Empire State Building and Rockefeller Centre among a load of other cool places and the photos I got made me so giddy! Its a photographers dream over there it really is. (I've included some of my favourite shots from my trip below for you to check out...)

As a fashion student I was mesmerised by the bright lights and glamour of 5th Avenue, the designer stores look so gorgeous and the window displays are so extravagant! I was in heaven with all the things to look at to inspire my work and ambitions. The in-store displays for Versace amazed me the most with the bright bold colours and cool props and mannequin. I was swiftly dragged away from going inside by my boyfriend, luckily though otherwise a hefty purchase may have been made!!

I am so proud to say I have been to New York and truly experienced the culture of this great city. Thats one fashion capital checked off my list!

Inside my make-up bag

I absolutely love make up products and most of my wages go on them! I probably spend too much money on make up and hair products however it makes me feel good and gives me a confidence boost. I've condensed down my hoards of beauty products to show you but a few of my everyday pieces that help me create my look. 

It was my birthday last week and I was lucky enough to receive this GORGEOUS Ted Baker cosmetics bag from my best friend Rhian. I love the unusual design of the bag and love the inside lining even more!! I'm traveling to America in November to visit New York City so this little bag will be super handy for my travels.

My go to foundation has to be Revlon's 'Nearly Naked' in Ivory 110.  I love this foundation purely because of the fact that it is so light but gives such a good coverage. Recently I have found it increasingly difficult to find a foundation to match my skin tone as I am quite pale however I feel I have found my best match with this one! Another benefit to it is that it has a built in SPF 20 which is pretty high for a foundation, so when the sun does come out (which is rare in England but you never know!) you are protected from sun burn which is even better.

3 of my all time favourite products all come from Benefit conveniently. The first one here is the 'High Beam' which I love because I have rather round cheeks which is so annoying at times however the high beam enables me to create a highlighted effect which helps to define my cheek bones to make my face look slimmer.
Benefits 'Fine one one' is probably the best thing I've ever discovered. It is a highlighter, a cream blush and cream bronzer all in one! Its such an easy way to create a great defined look with just one swipe of the little wind up stick and you're away. (this can also be used on the lips too but I haven't done this yet)
Finally the 'Bene tint'. SUCH a good product, a lip and cheek stain in one and trust me it lasts ages! I'm slowly running out so I think I will go for a much bigger bottle next time. Its great for a night out as it seems to be transfer proof and the colour doesn't disappear even after drinking and eating.

My favourite part of my face is my eyes therefore I spend the most time in the morning applying eye shadow/eye liner and mascara. My favourites to create my look are, again, Benefit's 'They're real' mascara in Black. The brush on it seems to make my lashes really long and I imagine, from the name, tries to create a fake eyelash effect. I've been experimenting more and more with eye shadow lately because before now I thought eyeshadow was a little bit 90's however I've been amazed with the looks you can create with some beautiful colours. Accessorize's 'Exposed' 32 shade eye shadow pallet is amazing, the colours are stunning.

Kate Spade creates such quirky colours and I love this gold metallic shade called 'Uptown Glamour'. I would normally wear this nail varnish on a night out to add some class. Another one of my favourites is Umberto Giannini in shade 'Cloud', this is a perfect neutral colour for everyday much like my 3rd favourite shade from Accessorize in shade 'Fudge'.

Anyone that knows me will know that I am a real perfume freak! I have probably 4 or 5 perfumes on the go at the moment including Elie Saab and Chanel Chance Eau Tendre which are my special occasion perfumes however my every day perfume has got to be Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs. Its such a floral girlie smell which suits me down to the ground. I also love this little pocket sized perfume from The Body Shop. My favourite scent is the Madagascan Vanilla, I take this in my clutch bag on a night out.

Finally hair. My hairdresser recently was shocked to hear that I wasn't using heat protector spray and applying heat to my hair on a daily basis. After a telling off I went out and purchased Percy and Reeds answer to heat protection. So far so good and I enjoy the fact that it adds shine and gloss to my hair after I've styled it. My second must have hair product is Bumble & Bumble surf spray. My hair is naturally wavy however it does need taming and styling slightly which is where this comes in. I love the 'bed head' windswept look this spray creates! 

Day trip 1: Royal William Yard, Plymouth

On the rare occasion that me and my best friend Rhian get the same day off work we often go out and do something together. This usually involves taking outfit photos for her blog and we always have such a great day. Yesterday we decided to take a trip to Royal William Yard in Plymouth. This plays host to some amazing little restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques.

After taking some outfit photos for her blog post on styling we found a new little cafe that had recently opened up down there called 'Wills'. The cutsie shabby chic feel of the place was definitely my cup of tea (pardon the pun!) and the cakes and coffee were utterly delicious.
Rhian and I are getting ever so excited about the start of our uni course so at any opportunity we are editing photos, looking for inspiration and checking out new blogs on our macs. Its a great place to go for a "working girls lunch". Within the 'One Residence' you will find an art gallery, some bespoke designer jewellery, this little cafe (Wills) and also the cutest traditional sweet shop. All in all it was a great day spent doing the things we love. I seriously recommend checking this place out, its very hidden however when you find it you won't be disappointed!  http://www.one-royalwilliamyard.co.uk

My first blog post: Street styling

For my first blog post I wanted to give you an insight into my style and lifestyle to set the mood to my blog.

The start of my uni course is fast approaching which means I had to start getting together my summer project set for us by my lecturer. The project was to photograph yourself wearing your favourite outfits incorporating lots of accessories into this. 

I chose the Barbican in Plymouth for my shoot with my fellow blogger best friend Rhian (http://soalamode.blogspot.co.uk) and we were really happy with the outcome of the images. 

My styling for this particular outfit was pretty relaxed and casual as this is the look I normally go for. I love dressing up don't get me wrong but I must admit I prefer a more laid back approach to styling and fashion. The white blazer was a style steal from my best friend but we practically share a wardrobe anyway! She picked this up from Topshop a while back and I think pairing it with my breton striped boyfriend top from Urban Outfitters works so well for a slight smarten up of what would of been a pretty mediocre outfit. I've thrown on my "go to" jeans. The Nadine's from Monsoon. I have just recently left Monsoon after working there for nearly two years but I still love my trusty Nadine's. They stretch and are seriously slimming! Its a win win. Finally the outfit is completed with these gorgeous Topshop cross-over sling backs with the perfect heel because trust me they do not knacker your feet. (YES!!) Picked up at such a reasonable price, £25, which is such a style steal. Of course the bag is such a cute accessory to accompany this outfit. This amazing little satchel is available from Accessorize at a really great price. Its not real leather but I don't think you can tell. I tied a little silk scarf around it that I picked up in Beyond Retro in London just to give it a pop of colour and texture.