Monday 20 August 2012

Ornamental design

For Autumn/Winter '12 baroque design is deeming to be very popualr. This desgin, first made poular in the 1600's throughout Europe, is an artistic style that uses detail to create drama and to add the impression of exuberance and grandeur. Examples of this style can be seen in furniture, architecture, interior, fashion and many other forms of art.

Baroque on the runway. Below i have picked out some of my favourites from various A/W 2012 collections.
Baroque designs seen in Dolce and Gabbana's A/W '12 collection
Dolce and Gabbana seem to be taking the approach of a monochrome background whilst letting the baroque detail take center stage.

 
Baroque designs seen in Alexander Mcqueen's A/W '12 collection
As seen by Alexander Mcqueen, a different view point of baroque is shown through extravagant colours being one of the main view points with more discreet detailing.

Queen Elizabeth I

Many of the baroque designs seen today are reminiscent of designs and colours seen back in the 1600's. Worn by famous historical figures and certainly a thing that many people, such as Queen Elizabeth I are recognised for. The baroque embellishments and clothes oozed extravagance and wealth, letting all know the importance of the wearer.

The baroque trend is a style i am personally glad to see back in fashion. The trend is something a little different, but yet adds interest and glamour to outfits. This is a trend i am definitely looking forward to seeing incorporated into the high street, and if what can be viewed on the runways is anything to go by we're in for a treat!

Sunday 19 August 2012

Aubin & Wills Autumn 2012 Collection

Welimeadow crew neck

Threddingworth coat
Irby dress

Derrington dress
Tweenham blazer
 Peason blouse paired with the Elston skinny cord jean
Webster desert boots
With the recent release of the Aubin and Wills Autumn 2012 collection we see the quintessentially British brand again impress us with it's sophisticated take on Autumn fashion.

With Sophie Dahl and Andre Van Noord taking their turn to represent the brand, the theme - as seen in the video, seems to be based upon a whimsical-like forest backdrop. The clothes seen in this collection are suited to Autumnal style with the shades being a reflection of colours that could be sighted in a wood during a stereotypical British Autumn (which, let's face it, seems to last most of the year).

I am especially excited about the corduroy collection for this season. I love cords! They are a recurrence for Autumn/Winter style and are a great alternative to leggings or jeans during the colder months.

When i first learnt of Aubin and Wills, the first thing i was drawn to was their blouses. Each season, this brand never fails to impress with their elegant editions. Recently, i've been noticing a lot of Peter Pan-type collars during the past few seasons, which is a great thing for me as it's a style i really like. Feminine, but yet with a slight masculine touch that smartens up any outfit.

Another thing that Aubin and Wills never fail to continually impress with, are the coat and jacket range for each season. Above i have shown two of my favourite items from the current range. The Threddingworth coat is the perfect camel coat and ideal for Autumn. Probably one of my most drawn to items of this range has to be the Tweenham blazer. This i absolutely adore! I am a big lover of tweed blazers and this is probably the best edition of this item i have seen.  On the upper collar of this jacket, there is also some suede detailing. I really like this and i'm a big lover of mixing colours and textures, so this adds something a bit different to the average tweed blazer.

The dresses featured in this collection enhance further the good impression of this seasons collection. The Irby dress is a lovely alternative to the normal LBD and is very sophisticated whilst also being fashionable. The Derrington dress is a lovely day dress that can easily be dressed up and down.

I also featured pictures of a desert boot the brand have released for the season. The Webster dessert boots is ideal for Autumn and being available in two very nice shades, makes it easy to choose the shade to fit you. I am a lover of desert boots and so this edition, again shows me how fitting the brand is towards my personal style.

A classic piece to Aubin and Wills is always the signature fox jumper, avaliable for both men and women. The Welimeadow crow neck is a symbolism of the brand, however in a subtle way. This edition is constantly brought back into the collections and it's something i always find myself drawn to.

This brand being famous for it's good quality, sophisticated style and touches of up-to-date fashion. It never fails to impress me with it's collections and i always seem to find many (if not most things in the collection) that i like and find suited to my style. Though a little pricey, at least you know with this and the good reputation of the brand that the quality will be excellent. With this, all of the clothes are classic pieces that are generally wardrobe essentials on a constant cycle of being brought in and out of fashion, or in an ongoing state of being stylish.

I can safely say that many items from this collection i will have my eye on, and that i will be taking inspiration from the range for my Autumnal outfits.



Friday 17 August 2012

Kate Moss - Street Style





As well as being one of my favourite models, Kate Moss's style is something i admire a lot. I love her simple but chic outfits and the slight grungy touch she gives to them.  I really like the camel coat sighted in two of her looks above, and being a lover of the classic biker jacket myself, i really admire this too. I like the way her style varies, as seen above with her more grungy looks, to the simple LBD and camel coat, to the stylish lilac blazer.


Also, though it isn't really street style, I've added a picture of Kate's wedding dress. I absolutely loved this and thought it was so elegant.

Thursday 16 August 2012

Clinique 3-Step Skincare System Review

I am someone who thinks that taking care of your skin is very important. It's important to use the right products for your skin type and to keep skin clean. That's one of the sacrifices of wearing make-up - having to wash it off.

For nearly two years i have religiously been using the Clinique 3-Step system. I learnt about it from my Mum who also used to use and still continues to use some of the products from the range. I started off by purchasing the smaller 3-step kit. As advised by my Mum, i went for number 1 - for dry skin. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Clinique 3-Step system, there are many different types of system. These ranging from number 1 for dry skin all the way up to number 4 for very oily skin.

From first use of the kit i instantly loved it. It makes sure all traces of make-up are removed and leaves your skin feeling fresh and squeaky clean! The liquid facial soap is sensitive on the skin and doesn't dry it out whatsoever. The clarifying lotion helps to make sure that all make-up is removed and also gently exfoliates the skin. The Dramatically Different Moisturising lotion moisturises skin really well and is one of the best moisturisers i have ever used! The moisturiser is also really important to me as i do have dry skin and this one has never let me down.

Since using this first starter kit, i have gone through two more full sized kits and have continuously used this skin care system. I would agree that it is the best skin care routine i have ever used and in my opinion is definitely worth the money. For anyone interested in trying out this skin care system i would advise to try with the starter kit first to make sure that you do actually like the products before spending money on the full sized bottles.

Stila HD Beauty Balm Review


Stila HD Beauty Balm swatch

Stila HD Beauty Balm (left - without moisturiser, right - mixed with moisturiser)
Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD beauty balm is only the second BB cream i myself have ever used. Normally, me being the product junkie that i am, before purchasing or trying out any new product, i tend to read reviews and research into it. However, with this one it was bought on a whim which is very unlike me. I knew vaugely of the Stila beauty balm and when i saw it i decided to buy it, seeing as i was eager to try more BB creams after trying the Garnier version.

Personally, i love the idea of BB creams. I like the idea that you can combine skin care with daily make-up. I think that it's important to look after your skin and i also love make-up, so BB creams make it very convenient to take care of my skin throughout the day. I also like my make-up to be minimalistic and i prefer to wear as little as possible. I think that this BB cream helps me to achieve this and leaves a barley there look.

At first impression i thought this cream was a little too dark for my very pale skin, however it was lighter than the Garnier one and i could manage to get away with it if i didn't wear powder on top, which is not really a problem as i find that this BB cream gives a really nice glowy finish and does not appear shiny. As i usually do with most foundations etc, i mixed this with a moisturiser and this made the colour paler and the consistency thinner.

I tend to have a habit of mixing my cream bases with moisturiser for a number of reasons. To begin with, i like to wear an SPF every day on my skin, and this product unfortunately does not contain one which i was a little disappointed with at first but once mixed with a moisturiser containing SPF, this problem was solved. Also, my skin is quite dry, so it is important for me to wear a face make up that moisturises and so adding a moisturiser to my face products insures this.The moisturiser i tend to use for this is Boots Simply Sensitive Day Moisturiser with SPF 15.

These are the benefits stated on the back of the box:-
  • Luxurious beauty balm glides onto skin and leaves a silky, powdery finish
  • High-definition formula helps reduce pore size and provides oil and blemish control
  • Contains innovative micro spheres, which have been shown to hide skin imperfections and reduce wrinkle depth by up to 84%
  • Features an exclusive complex, which helps reduce redness and skin irritation
  • Enriched with Tripeptide-37, bamboo and pea extracts, which help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
  • Infused with natural, skin-protecting emollients which have been shown to increase anti-oxidant activity by up to 89.7%
  • Uses the smallest particle size of coated pigments for seamless, smooth coverage
  • Ideal for all skin types and skin tones
  • Oil-free, paraben-free and dermatologist tested

All in all i do have to say that i was impressed with this product. I now wear it as my daily base and i feel that it does last all day on the skin.