British Fashion Awards: British Style Award- Alexa Chung

Last night at the British Fashion Awards, Alexa Chung won the much coveted British Style Award for the third year in a row. She collected her prize in a Simone Rocha black embroidered dress and her usual tousled locks.

Although she now lives in the States, and a she incorporates more desinger peices into her wardrobe, her style is still  effortlessly chic. Her love of classic tailoring and ability to always be ahead of trend leads her to have a wardrobe and style that any girl (including me!) would absolutely adore!

I have pulled together some of my favourite looks of hers, plus made one of my own inspired by Alexa Chung, but with a twist to make it to my taste. Enjoy!

Coat- MissSelfridge / Dress - Dahlia / Ombre Kit- L'oreal Preference / 'Alexa' Bag- Mulberry / Brpgues - TopShop / Socks- TopShop

I really loved putting this outfit together and now all of these are on my monthly wishlist! (NB I have decided to do 'Monthly Wish Lists' rather than weekly as I tend to not want much every week!) Although I don't usually like brown / tan items, these really appeal to me as classic pieces. And, of course, the Ombre kit is a must for Alexa, whose had this trademark style long before it became a major trend.

Congratulations Alexa Chung!



New Look SS13 Preview

 

I was invited to the New Look Spring / Summer 13 Preview event which was located at the New Look HQ, conveniently a few streets away from my work. I went with my Mum and it was a lovely little girlie bonding evening. We were given scanners to scan all the products we loved and comment cards to review pieces we either love, hated, or just wanted to write about. There were 2 floors to review. Downstairs constisted of a largely Pastle selection, underwear, jewellery, shoes and bags, while the Upstairs was split between 2 trends and swimwear.
It was really nice having a sneak peak at the possible products that may be in stores early next year, before even the Press (the press day was the next day).
Although at first I didn't scan that much as I'm not usually a pastle fan, I can see the upcoming 'The Great Gatsby' film is going to heavily influence fashion next year, with lots of embellishments and drop-waists. Peplum dresses and skirts were ever present, so hold on to your peplum pieces as their time is definitely not over yet. Similarly, skater skirts were still dominating. Studs also look to be big still, but unfortunately the majority was gold, as were the jewellery and bag clasps etc, and I really don't like gold!

As we were told, not all the pieces we saw would actually make it into the store next year, but I really hope that these beauties will be:

I've always been quite 'anti-creepers' but these could be the pair to change my mind! They look so dainty and pretty because of the colour and because I have fairly small feet for my height, I think they may look less clumpy.
We also received a goodie bag (woo!) which included a cosy onsie, perfect for the upcoming cold winter nights and lots of other cute little bits. It was a really fun evening and I loved talking to the Buyers who genuinely seemed to want to hear our opinions about what they should stock.

I hope to attend more of these in future!

say it isn't true, don't tell me romance is dead

I finally dyed my hair! Although it took me absolutely ages in Boots to choose the shade I wanted (I was standing in the hair colourants section for about 40 minutes with colours that, looking back, were pretty much identical) I settled on 'Dark Cherry' or 2.6  by Garnier. Although I have been dying my hair for a very long time, I'd previously only had it done at the hair dressers or used Crazy Colour/Directions to top up. So I was a bit apprehensive when it came to choosing a perminent at home dye. 

The application was really easy (with the help of my lovely Mum) and it smelt really nice, rather than really chemically. It did take a while to wash out but I am really pleased with the result. I used 2 packets as I have quite thick hair, but that meant that I got 2 of the conditioners so it will last me longer (hopefully).

Also, this is what I look like! This is my first full face picture on my blog, so hello everyone! I have increased the contrast on the photo slighty to show the red of the colour as the picture didn't pick it up as much as you can see it in person. It came out a lovely deep red without being purple and super shiney, exactly what I wanted. If the colour doesn't fade too much, I will definitely keep to it.

Also, I used my new Mark Hill Rock Chick Wave Wand, which I'll do a seperate post on soon as it is amazing! (This photo doesn't do it justice)

Tumblr

I made a Tumblr about 2 years ago, but stopped using it early this year as I was more focused on this blog. But I have totally rekindled my love for it!

Check it out, and I'll check yours out too :)

http://lipstick-and-lace-x.tumblr.com/

Smiles from Strangers

I have been the worst blogger in the world! I have been super busy at work and with various celebrations that I haven't even had a chance to paint my nails over the past few weeks (which for me is a major thing! I haven't had bare nails in about 4 years!)

I have loads to write about! It was my birthday recently (woo!), I've been shopping quite a few times and sorting out re-applying for University. Expect to see me posting multiple things over the next few days in order to catch up.

Even though I've been a bit rubbish up till now, I really am serious about my little space on the internet. I've been getting loads of inspiration recently for both hobbies and career and things like that so I'm in such a positive mood.

Today me and my boyfriend started planning our holiday for next year and I really feel that the world is my oyster as cliche as that sounds. I've started learning French and reading loads more again and getting back into art. When I started my internship I think I was really overwhelmed with everything and the responsibility of being a 'grown up' so now I've learnt to handle things and manage my time I am so positive and excited for, well, everything!