Trendy clothes: May 2012

Thursday, 31 May 2012

Eva Longoria in Marchesa

Eva Longoria in Marchesa at the 'Moonrise Kingdom' screening for the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival.

What is it about stripes that make them so attractive and addictive? How can a thin line be the shortest and straight way to elegance and chic whatever the budget? Coco was such a genius when she introduced the world to a Breton top. I wonder if we would ever notice it without her impact on our taste…

My favourite choices are always navy and blue stripes because those are the colours I adore and wear a lot. Adding them to solid pieces, a pair of denim blue jeans, white or blue dress or a white summer skirt or trousers, make the outfit feel so flirty, classy and very current. My other little rules are…

* never wearing more than one stripy piece at a time, whether it is a top or pair of shoes

* wearing horizontal lines on top and vertical on the bottom

* being very selective when it comes to the length of my tops as a shorter one can definitely square you out

* spending a bit more on timeless items like cashmere jumper, classic shirt or cardi that I will wear for years and years and less on tops and tees that will be worn day in and day out, washed a lot and most likely lose their pristine appearance within a couple of seasons

* playing with stripy accessories for just a touch of fun and definitely choosing budget-friendly options when it comes to jewellery, sunglasses, hats and bags (sometimes this even applies to shoes as long as they are adorable and comfortable – no.15 below is a perfect example)

* adding a gold piece of jewellery or statement necklace (pearls or crystals or both) to a basic outfit for creating a different mood.

How do you wear your stripes?

Long-sleeve tops (left to right): Boat-neck long sleeved top by Uniqlo (£14.90), Henley striped cotton top by J.Crew (£25), Sparkle striped sweater by Crumpet (£299), Striped jumper by Commes des Garcons (£234).

Dresses (left to right): Short sleeved striped dress by Sakai Luck (£270), also available in sleeveless option, Striped cotton tank dress by Sonia Rykiel (£305), Striped cotton dress by Mango (£22), Belted tunic dress by Oasis (£45).

Tops and blazers (left to right): Striped knit top by Fendi (£626), Stripe boat top by Oasis (£40), Stripe blazer by Smythe (£469), Cream sailor stripe blazer by Steffen Schraut (£139)

Bottoms (let to right): Invitation Galindo skirt by Hobbs (£110), Dapper striped linen blend shorts by J.Crew (£65), Striped shorts by Sonia Rykiel (£50), slouchy striped cotton twill shorts by Sara Berman (£80)

Click to shop: 1. Wide brim white straw fedora by Forever21 (£10.65), 2. Raffia braid fedora by Hat Attack (£89, for lucky US-based fashionistas available for £54 here), Nicole sun hat by Laundry (£46), 4. Meredith striped canvas wedge sandals by Charlotte Olympia (£565), 5. Bead & Sequin stripe clutch by Forever 21 (£18.75), 6. Stripe strap watch by AK Anne Klein (£37.21), 7. Duo of multi-coloured bangles by Promod (£11), 8. Wayfarer sunglasses by Forever 21 (£3.80), 9. Dashwood striped cashmere scarf by Ascher (£345), 10. Barca stripe espadrilles by Soludos (£30), 11. Slingback pumps by Ballin (£349), 12. Blue stripe ankle strap heels by Dollybird (£45), 13. Weatherbee eyelet and feather courts by JW Anderson for Aldo Rise (£125), 14. Retro sunglasses by Dior (£219.89), 15. Hope stripe ankle strap espadrilles by Rocket dog (£36), 16. Canvas striped bowling bag by Marla London (£33.75), 17. Aldridge patent leather striped tote bag by Ri2K (£75), 18. Stripe canvas tote by Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren (£88).

If this selection isn’t enough, feel free to stop by my Currently Obsessed page to see more.

Photo source: Elle US June 2007

Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Street Style: Charlize Theron

I really love her! She is so pretty and she can really rock a blazer.

Stylish quote

“Youthfulness is about how you live,

not when you were born.”

Karl Lagerfeld

Photo source: Cosmopolitan UK May 2012

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Clarins: UV Plus HP and Creme Douceur Jour Cream

As the weather has heated up dramatically over here in the UK, I thought a post about Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen High Protection would be timely!

I bought this before I went to Germany, as I thought the weather there would be a lot warmer - unfortunately only the Friday was boiling hot, the rest of the weekend was pretty chilly! Seems I managed to go the one weekend the weather was no good, how typical T_T

The SAs at Clarins are generally pretty lovely I find, and the one who sold me this was no exception!

I'd just run out of my regular day cream, Clarins Daily Energizers SPF 15 cream, and I wanted to try something a little gentler. I have extremely sensitive skin, and I suspect the Daily Energizers range may be a little too harsh for my skin (review to come!).

The SA suggested their Creme Douceur range, and gave me a sample to try. I always think counters that are willing to give out samples are indicative of how good the brand itself is - they're concerned with you testing the product before you buy, to make sure it's really right for you, rather than making a fast quid. I think it shows a confidence in their products too - 'Go on, take a sample...we know you'll be back. We're that good.'

I purchased the UV Plus HP as you can wear this over whatever moisturiser you want, and it'll give you excellent protection being SPF 40.

I personally am getting more and more cautious about over exposing my skin to the sun. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of tanned skin, and there's nothing I want more in the Summer months than a lovely golden glow.

But I also have to face facts, I am super pale and have dry skin - so not only will my skin be prone to wrinkles, I also have zero protection against sun damage too (one of the biggest factors in ageing, for those of you who've been living under a rock and don't know this :P).

So having reached the grand old age of 21, I am now thinking more and more about preserving my skin. I'm not onto anti-ageing products just yet, as I think if you use those on young skin you can risk damaging it, but I am thinking about prevention tactics, meaning protection from harmful UV rays!

So I've been using between SPF 15 - 30 on my face pretty much every day for the last year now, and try to always buy moisturisers with SPF. While this makes it easier and less time consuming to apply SPF to your face, it can also limit the number of moisturisers you can use. I've found time and again that I've tested a moisturiser, loved it, only to stop using it as it has no SPF.

The Clarins UV Plus HP is great then, in that you can use whatever moisturiser you want, and just apply this on top.

I also have a lot of experience with sun-creams that feel heavy, or sticky on the skin (I used to HATE wearing sun-cream when I was little because of this) and this is nearly always worse with the higher SPF creams.

So, taking all this into account, I was a little nervous about how well this would work...it's the highest SPF I've used on my face!

Happy to say, hand on heart, that I absolutely love this product though. Abso-bloody-lutely love it. It's not sticky, it's not heavy, it doesn't leave a white cast, it sinks in so easily, and doesn't feel like anything is there (no traces, no sticky residue). I think it's love.

I love the dropper style bottle of this as well - great to use just the right amount of product. You really don't need a lot of this at all (which is good at's it a fairly small bottle!)

I even feel like the quality of my skin has improved since I've been using this! (Maybe proof that sun exposure really does make your skin not look so great?)

Only real problem is that this ain't cheap at £30 a pop. A little does go a really long way, but the bottle isn't the biggest :/ I personally think this is worth it though, as good quality sun protection is something that's really important to me.

I tried it out firstly with the Creme Douceur Jour sample I received.

This was a cute little sample, although it only contained a diddy amount of product (I ran out of it after only 3-4 uses!)

I will say for this cream that it is obviously very high quality, and soothing and gentle...etc. However, it is THICK. Like, REALLY THICK. And I am unfortunately cursed with skin that is incredibly dry and sensitive (I get patches of eczema on my face :/) and yet I still get clogged pores very easily and am prone to break outs if I put anything too heavy on. So while this was lovely and soothing, and cleared my eczema right up, it was simply way too thick to use as a day cream, and I did get some bad clogged pores from this. Thank goodness I got the sample, huh?

This is great to use on my dry patches alone, but I wouldn't use this all over my face in the morning (but potentially as a night cream?)

Thick white cream is the Creme Douceur Jour, and the pink cream is the UV Plus HP.

Mixed together - funnily enough the SA I bought this from said it was fine to mix the SPF cream into my regular moisturiser, but another SA said to definitely not do this, as it doesn't work unless applied in a layer on top!

So there you go guys, absolutely no excuse not to wear SPF on your face, and stay sun-savvy this Summer!

Emma

xxx

Some of the most beautiful Vogue covers

I’ve started a photo album on Facebook to collect my favourite fashion magazines covers and wanted to share a few here just to highlight such an event. For me, a good cover is the one that doesn’t feature a celebrity and awakens positive emotions in me. Unfortunately these days an unforgettable magazine cover is such a rarity that I can remember most of them by heart.

Photo source: Vogue Italia March 1992, Vogue UK January 1990, Vogue Italia May 1993, Vogue Germany May 1990, Vogue Germany March 2010, Vogue Korea May 2006, Vogue Korea May 2007, Vogue Korea August 2003, Vogue Russia 2002, Vogue Paris March 2012, Vogue Mexico June 2012

Monday, 28 May 2012

Saona Island for Mister Universe Model 2012

Dominican native Jose Luis Polanco has been appointed as Mister Universe Model Saona Island 2012. He will represent Saona Island at Mister Universe Model 2012 to be held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic date yet to be announced. Polanco recently competed at Mister Tourism International 2012 where he ended as a finalist

Source: Beauty Mania

Manhunt International Pakistan 2012

Qasim Khan, 25, emerged as the winner of Manhunt Pakistan 2012 contest. Khan, who is a professional model, will represent Pakistan at Manhunt International 2012 contest to be held in Thailand on November 11. He stands 1.88 m. tall.

Sami Butt, 21, from Gujranwala, was 2nd, and won the title of Best Model of the World Pakistan 2012. He will compete in Turkey, in the Best Model of the World contest, in December.

Source: Global Beauties

Samuel Mapinda is the new Mister Angola 2012

25-year-old Samuel Mapinda won the title of Mister Angola 2012. He's expected to represent Angola in the upcoming Mister World pageant. Samuel studies Banking, speaks English, enjoys reading and he stands 181cm.