Summer Series: Festival Fashion

Hello all

Welcome to the second of my Summer Series posts. You can read the first installment on Barcelona Beach here.  This time I've created a festival look. Unfortunately this year I'm not going to the festival I wanted, which was Download back in June. However I have created an outfit that I would have worn there! Unlike other festivals like Glasto or V, Download is different music, from rock to metal and indie, so the fashion too is very different. You probably wouldn't see the fashion forward looks you my see at more mainstream festivals (no neon here!), but because of this, the fashion is very much 'me', channeling my gothy teenage self!

So here is my 'Festival Fashion' outfit:

Clockwise from top left: Backpack- River Island | Dress- H&M | Bandeau's- TopShop | Maybelline- Eye Studio Master Smokey in Black | Boots- JuJu @ New Look

I actually picked this 'Thorn of a Rose' dress in the H&M sale this weekend and I love it! It is so easy to throw on and paired with a smokey eye, it really gives the effortless rock chick look. The back of the dress, as you can see, is very open with twisted straps. I hate when bras are on show, I think it's so tacky, so these lace long-line bandeau's from Topshop look great underneath. I couldn't decide which colour, nude or a pop of red so included both!

For a festival, you probably won't want to take too much makeup with you, so this eye pencil with smudging tool on the end is perfect to create the messy smokey eye that's almost essential at a rock festival.

Festivals are notoriously muddy, so a pair of wellies or cheap boots are very much necessary. Although a great pair of Doc Martens would look amazing with this outfit, I have made this mistake before and they were utterly ruined. So opting for a cheaper pair of biker boots is a great alternative to still look rocky, but no ruining £70 worth of shoes!

Finally, a studded backpack is perfect to carry all your daily musts into the festival as it keeps your hands free to dance or mosh to music, but is big enough to keep a jacket for the evening and definitely some sun block!

I hope you are enjoying my Summer Series as much as I am enjoying making them. I am thinking of doing a separate makeup series on what to pack in terms of beauty and skin products for different locations, so let me know if this is something you would want to read!

 

Summer Series: Barcelona Beach

Hello all

Welcome to my new Summer Series. It looks like I won't be having a summer holiday, as its far cheaper to go out of season! However, to ease the pain of the inevitable smiling summer holiday photos, I thought I would create the 'Summer Series'. I will be putting together outfits that I would wear at different holiday venues. They won't be everyone's style but they are what I would wear to these places. Expect to see beach, city breaks and maybe the odd clubbing venue thrown in!

First off, Barcelona Beach!

I'm planning to go to Barcelona later this year,as its the perfect combination of beach and city break.

Clockwise from top left: Topshop Lip Bullet in Rockabilly | Topshop Bikini top and high waisted bottoms | Smashbox BB Cream with SPF 35 | Converse in Red | New Look Cat Eye Sunglasses | H&M Skater Dress

I tried on this bikini recently and oh my it is flattering! I felt like a 50s pin up, not sure I looked like one, but feeling it was good enough for me! Keeping with the fifties feeling, I would add some cat eye sunglasses and a slick of red lipstick. I had to include something with skulls, of course, so this light H&M skater dress is perfect. I don't particularly like my feet, or sand, so sandals aren't my best friend. These Converse are more streamlined and lighter, so more feminine so I would definitely wear them to the beach. I would suggest getting a size or half size bigger as for me these came up quite small.

I have previously stressed the importance of SPF, and on holiday it's even more important. I don't tend to wear face products on holiday, although eyeliner and lipstick are musts! This BB cream is light enough in colour and texture and has one of the highest SPF numbers for a BB cream.

I hope you liked this new series! Look out for more Summer Series destinations!

 

The Importance of Sun Protection

Hello all!

As Summer finally appears to be here, I wanted to do a post stressing the importance of protecting your skin from the sun. I am incredibly pale & use factor 50 even in England. We are all told of the dangers of sun exposure to the skin & most do wear sun protection whilst on holiday. but many neglect this when at home.

You can still burn & damage your skin in England!

Although adding sun cream to your daily routine may seem a hassle, having fresh & youthful skin definitely outweighs a few extra minutes in the morning! Loads of moisturisers, BB creams and foundations have SPF, UVA and/or UVB protection in them, which makes protecting your skin even simpler. 

Best moisturisers & BB cream's with SPF:

SAVE Rimmel BB Cream SPF 25, in Light, £6.99

SPEND MAC Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15 in Light, £21

SPLURGE Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 in Fair, £27 

Best foundations with SPF:

SAVE Sleek Foundation Creme to Powder SPF 15 in White Rose, £7.99

SPEND MAC Mineralize Foundation SPF 15 in NW15, £26

SPLURGE Chanel VITALUMIÈRE AQUA SPF 15 in 12 Beige Rose, £32

I have found it incredibly hard to locate body moisturisers with SPF! It's mad that beauty brands stress the importance of wearing SPF on your face, why is the body neglected? With a moisturiser for pretty much everything else (firming, bronzing, anti-aging etc) I don't see why they don't include a SPF in them too! Of course sun cream is an option, and shouldn't be neglected, but the often have the typical 'sun cream' smell, so it would be nice to have it added to a lovely moisturiser. However until this is created, ensure you wear a sun cream on exposed skin.

For pale people like me, I always use a sun protection of over SPF 20, so the Rimmel and Smashbox BB Creams are great with such high protection. It is a common mistake that if you have darker skin, you do not need to wear SPF. This is so untrue. Every skin tone needs to be protected, so no matter how light or dark you are check that you are protecting yourself at some stage in your make-up routine all year round, not just for Summer!

J'adore... Cat Eye Sunnies

Before I got contact lenses, I was never really into sunglasses as a style statement or even a necessity. That was until I was 15 and was treated to some designer prescription sunglasses and I suddenly appreaciated how s good pair of sunnies can complete a look. Unfortunately, my prescription got worse so I only got about a year and a half out of that pair- although I still have them, so I am contemplating getting normal lenses put in them so I can still wear them.

However, although designer sunglasses are nice and are sometimes better quality than cheaper versions, they are incredibly expensive and especially living in England where we don't get the chance to wear them too often, the cost per wear of these high end sunnies don't seem worth it. Luckily, the great British High Street have some great pairs that look great at a fraction of the price!

I can never decide whether I have a square or heart-shaped face, but cat eye sunglasses, and normal glasses for that matter, seem to suit my bone structure really nicely. The upwards design kind of follows my cheek bones and I think they flatter me. I also love the vintage feel they have, and always reminds me of the fifties!

Here are my personal favourite cat eye sunglasses:

Clockwise from top left: New Look | BooHoo | River Island | Topshop | Chanel (a girl can dream) | Forever 21

 

So, as usual they stick to my prefered colour palette of black and white! But the River Island cream and leopard print did catch my eye! I fell in love with the Chanel pearl sunglasses recently, they looke a-maz-ing, but at over £400 I definitely couldn't justify them, however the BooHoo ones are a lot cheaper and are really lovely too. I do pearls! The Topshop glasses are more cat's ear that cat's eye but they are adorable and quirky so I had to include them.

 

Now I just need to book a nice holiday, or the weather in England needs to imporve so I can wear them!