Lips and boys

I am in love with this video advert! I hardly ever wear lipstick and now I want to wear it all day everyday and even in bed! Amazing!!! Must watch!

Go Tom Ford! 

See full feature here 

http://youtu.be/Kved4v1_e9A

What I'm wearing today

Hay: Ugg Australia

Stripey jumper: Primark

Long black cardigan: By Malene Birger

Jeans: Primark

Jacket: H&M

Boots: New Look

Bag: River Island

Too Much info?

I was having a quick browse through the daily mail today, trashy I know but i just like to keep up on my celeb gossip! When I came across this article about a new book coming out next month (26th Feb) on Alexander McQueen. 

Having read the article and extracts from the book do I really want to read it? It's an in depth biography about the seedier side of his life. Now most people are not naive McQueen partied with the hardest including Kate Moss during the drugs days, we know the man was no angel, his clothes themselves represent that! If you have seen one of his shows its is blindingly obvious that he had a somewhat strange look on things. However, this never took away from his incredible talent, his clothes were revolutionary in British Fashion. Now he has gone do we really need to know all the sordid details? As a nation we can't help ourselves we love to hear of other people's lives, loves and misfortune. 

I know will read this book but I will do so with a very open mind, I do not want stories of his life to ruin the way I look at his clothes! 

I will say it may give me a different perspective when I go to see his exhibition at the V&A in April with my girls from Uni, but I know it will not change my love of his unique clothing and style.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2933678/Dark-fashion-fawned-fashion-world-awarded-CBE-new-biography-brilliant-designer-Alexander-McQueen-reveals-glamour-lay-man-prone-shocking-depravity-cruelty.html

Trends of change pt2

Well I got told off! Turns out my Great Grandad was actually the Station Manager and Bethnal Green not a porter! My nan said he would have been 'turning in his grave'. 

My nan read my previous post and went on to correct my shaky family history! I was right on quite a few counts but I also forgot to mention that our family had owned the chip shop, which was actually the first in Columbia Road for over 100 years! You learn something new every day! 

SS15 70'S Flower Power

I have finally had a chance to have a look at a few of the recent runway shows! Today I watched Chanel and Victor and Rolf. And all I can see is flowers flowers flowers! Chanel not only had them on the clothes but as part of the set as well! Below are a few of my favourite looks.

Chanel S/S15

I adore this! It is a current spin on the classic Chanel two piece. The small print means it isn't overwhelming and actually really wearable! I also like the flawy a line of the skirt! I hate to say it looks as though midriff bearing ensembles are going to be around for a while though! I really should do those sit ups!

 Again we have a new spin on the two piece. This one to me has a real 70's, craft, make it yourself feel, which really reminds me of a book of crafts my nan had around when I was young! (Ithink she still has it).

 This again has that 70's 'craft' feel to it. Loving the bright red colour, this is one of my faves!

This cute poppy design is lovely and great for the summer.

Victor & Rolf S/S15

I love Victor and Rolf full stop. I think their designs are always colourful and then do tend to feature a lot of florals. Again they have incorporated a countryside 'make it yourself' theme with these amazing corn husk hats. 

This is my favourite I love the colours and the big bold print.

Images from style.com

Pretty New Nails

On trend points with grey polish and a little bit of me with a touch of sparkle ;) 

What I'm wearing today

Cardigan: New Look

Tank top: H&M

Skirt: H&M

Shoes: Converse

Bag not pictured: Black and White, River Island

Vegetarian Food, Simple luxury mushroom pasta

I was in Seven Oaks recently and came across a gorgeous Italian deli called Valentina. I only popped in to have a little look and found these amazing ingredients! So last night I invited my mum and nan ver for dinner as they are both veggies. I made a simple but majorly tasty pasta dish! For the pasta I used the porcini mushroom pasta in the picture and just tossed it in garlic, chilli and the porcini mushroom oil. Then I sautéd a load of mixed exotic mushrooms and added some shaved black truffle and a hint of white truffle oil.

I have to say I really enjoyed it and I think mum and nan did too! Plates were clear and made a change from having a heavy sauce on top! Yum yum wish I had taken a picture though :(

Trends of change

I find it so weird how places I have been visiting my entire life are all of a sudden the new trend hotspot! Today I read that Columbia Road in East London is the new 'IT' place to be seen!  The new 'Primrose Hill' well firstly I use to hang out at Primrose Hill with my uncle when I was around 13 way before your Sadie Frosts were interested in the patch of green in the big city! And now Columbia Road has regulars such as Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley! My nan grew up in the east end just around the corner from Columbia Road, my Grams little terrace house is still there now. So for as long as I can remember I have been a regular at Columbia Road flower market on a Sunday, nan regaling me with tales from her youth. My Great Grandad was a porter on the London Underground at Bethnal Green Station and before that he owned both a cobblers and a fish and chips shop on Columbia Road itself. The last time I was there the shop had been turned into one of those boutique shops selling all sorts of knick knacks and Cath Kidson! What was cute was that up a tiny set of rickety stairs, up in what was the accommodation housed a very small select bookshop! Totally cute and carrying some lovely old additions of classics.

It's a shame in a way that this little gem that was already a busy spot, especially on market day, will now be over run with celeb spotters! Plus side maybe there will be some blanket space on Primrose Hill for a while! 

Strike me down

I have just seen this image in last weeks Grazia magazine (I'm a little behind my week has been manic!) and I just thought it looked amazing really striking! Beautiful, sime dress with a bold statement with the biker bandana. Love this! 

H&M lust

I do love H&M I but quite a lot from there thanks to the reasonable price and I think pretty good quality of their clothes! For highstreet it is deff my shop of choice! 

Roll on pay day and my next purchase! 

Oscar dresses

So the next Red Carpet is I believe the Oscars and I found this image on Pintrest this morning and just thought it was amazing I'm really interested in the history of fashion from designers stories to the clothing itself and this really appealed to me! I currently have 3 new books to start about the lives and craziness of influential women in the fashion industry! Once I read one I will post a review :) 

Styles have of course hanged over the years but every one of the dresses would have looked amazing! 

SAG Awards pt2

Having only been up half an hour I have already been well and truly wow'd by some of the looks on this years Red carpet! Below are just a selection of my favourites.

Sophia Bush in Vivienne Westwood

I am in love with this burnt orange colour it looks absolutely stunning with her colouring! Also loving her hair colour the blonde really suits her. Shoes are on trend with simple strap stilettos. 

Julia Roberts in Givenchy

This lady is amazing she is rockin' this jumpsuit in a way women half her age could only dream of doing! My only tiny criticism is I think the shoes are a little heavy. Personally I would have gone with a strappier shoe.

Camilo Alves Donna Karan

The colour of this dress is just incredible. Not everyone can pull off such a dramatic colour but by keeping her jewellery minimal she just looks so striking and not over the top.

Jennifer Aniston, Vintage Galliano

Now what can I say this woman looks incredible! She is also my partners celeb crush! And I for one can see why! Let's be honest this dress could look a little slutty but I think she pulls it back from that and I think she is pulling it off well.

Maggie Gyllenhaal Thankoon

I love this lady, she always makes everything look a tiny bit quirky and this is no exception. The cut out section is still in fashion although not something I am a fan of. But here it is subtle and she looks very elegant. Also rockin the classic red lip. Love 

Emmy Rossum, Armani Prive 

I love this dress, it's glamorous and to me has a touch of gothic chic which Emmy always pulls off really well.

Natalie Dormer, Naeem Khan

So I am having mixed feelings about this dress! I adore the print but find the rest a bit blah! Not the most descriptive word but literally all I can think of! If I were to wear this dress I would shorten it to a mini or even a midi. To me this length makes it feel to fussy! 

Eddie Redmayne in Prada

This guy is the man of the moment! And I totally appreciate why! Apart from his incredible performance in The Theory of Everything, he is filling this gorgeous suit an all the right ways! 

SAG Awards

So tonight is another red carpet event and I for one cannot wait to see the looks that come down it! Being in the UK the Screen Actors Guild Awards is on super late here and as my little Pirate isn't very well I am hitting the hay early incase we have a wakeful night! I do of course have the whole thing on record ready to watch as soon as I get up in the morning! So tomorrow I will give my opinions of the best and worse dressed! Eeek I am so excited nothing like a red carpet gown to make me go all a flutter! 

Hangover Cure Myths

Now let's be honest there is nothing worse than a hangover after indulging in one too many cocktails! 

Personally my remedies for that nauseous feeling and pounding head is symple! Lots of sleep is key, some greasy food, an ice cold diet coke and if I can a swim! Having a swim after a heavy night always leaves me feeling really refreshed and much better! Of course if you don't have a pool near by a nice cold shower works too! 

Here are health.com top tips for beating the dreaded hangover 

http://www.health.com/health/m/gallery/0,,20452426,00.html

Cocktails!

Tonight's cocktails are Espresso Martinis and Chocolate Martinis!

The reason for the straight forward chocolatey ones is that my partner hates coffee! 

50ml chocolate liquor I'm using thorntons

50ml different chocolate liquor I'm using baileys Choco luxe

25ml vodka Smirnoff red

25ml Diserano 

And for the Espresso martini a 50ml shot of Espresso coffee yum yum :) 

What I'm wearing pt2

So I persuaded my partner to take me out for a few cocktails tonight at the Shoebury Hotel :) 

Top and skirt: H&M

Shoes and Necklace: Primark

Bag: Vivienne Westwood 

New nail varnish

Loving this white nail varnish! Rimmel 60 second in white hot love xxx

What I'm wearing today

Today I am wearing my PJs! I have a child free afternoon so I have had a lovely relaxing bath and am now going to spend the rest of the day vegetating! I had every intention of going to the gym and trying out my new yoga dvd but that has all gone out the window as I have the house to myself for once! So now I am going to relax catch up on some tv and do nothing! Heaven 

Original Geek Chic

Now don't laugh! As a kid my mum bought me Nintendos. I had the original one right through to a Game Cube! I even own a Wii now (not that it gets used that much!) the games these days are all a bit confusing if you ask me bring back the original Mario and Zelda! Now Xelda is my all time fave, The Ocreana of time and Majorias Mask love love love! So you can imagine my very sad excitement when the Nintendo 3ds re brought out these two Zelda games! I literally reverted to a 10yr old child again! So lots and lots of hints were made by me to my partner and for once they paid off! He bought me a shiny new pink 3ds! 

It has literally just arrived in the post and I'm soooo excited it's unreal! Only down side I have to wait till Monday to buy the game :( 

Animal print

Anyone who knows me knows I can't resist a touch of animal print! If there is a leopard print dress in a shop I am automatically drawn to it like a moth to flame! It is my guilty, not so secret. I try really had to only stick to one for of print per outfit as no one wants to do a Bette Lynch! 

So when I got my daily net-a-porter.com email this morning I was very excited to see a good touch of animal print! These were the Editors picks from their current sale. These 3 are my faves. 

Givenchy, Nadia sandal.

I still love this type of saddle and as the material is minimal it gives such a subtle kick of leopard print.

Michael Kors, Pleated Python Skirt.

I'm still very much lusting over a line skirts at the mo! And this one teamed with neutrals is such a lovely daytime look.

Dolce & Gabbana, Sicily Leopard print velvet tote.

I have no words! I am in love with this bag! I just adore it! I am also loving D&G's add champagnes at the mo big stylish Italian families just amazing! 

Hair dilemma!

I am a little nervous today as my much loved hair extensions are coming out! It's been a long time since I have seen my real hair and have to say Im looking forward to seeing what length it is now! The only reason I am having them out is that I suffer from migraines and in the last few months they have got worse so I am doing everything I can think of to make them less frequent and hopefully more manageable! Until I see my natural hair i won't be having anything done to it! Although I do have a style in mind I am going to give myself a week to decide on my new style. Wish me luck :)

Vegetarian Food, Miller and Carter

I am vegetarian, and like most veggies finding inspiring and amazing food in normal restaurants is pretty hard! I absolutely love food and I adore cooking so a lot of my posts will be about food. 

We decided to go to Lakeside shopping centre last week. It's not my favourite place for shopping but it was cold and raining and I didn't want to drag the little one too far from home. So after a few hours shopping we went for a late lunch. There are the usual chain restaurants, Pizza Express, Wagamammas etc (although i love Wagammamas by partner is not overly adventurous with food so that was out!) we decided to go to the Miller and Carter restaurant that they now have on the old paddle boat on the lake. They were really accommodating even with our little one which I always appreciate and the atmosphere was very relaxing after the huddle and bustle of the shops! So anyway of course I checked out the cocktails first and went for a mudslide martini, very nice. The veggie main option was a risotto which is fine by me I love a good risotto but let's be honest they are easily messed up! This one was an asparagus and pea base with a finely chopped ratatouille, poached egg and pea shoots and it was amazing! I was so impressed I ate the whole thing and for me that's shows how good it was! I couldn't even wait long enough to take a pic I was so excited to dig in! jAson had a burger but even he said it was one of the best he has had in a while! I would absolutely recommend the place and can safely say we will go back! 

Champagne Cocktails

Champagne Cocktails seem to be very in right now much to my absolute delight! I was very lucky to have a mum growing up who loved a drop of Champers! (We always said she was Patsy from Ab Fab, her best friend was Eddie and when I was younger I was Saff! Safe to say I grew out of that!) Champagne is a treat but not just for special occasions!

Moët and Chandon is my brand of choice closely followed by Tattinger. However I am also happy with a decent Presseco too. Sainsburys Taste the Different Presseco £8-£11 is my favourite at the moment. 

My other absolute obsession is cocktails so as you can imagine Champagne Cocktails are the one for me! 

Below are 10 cocktails that I can wait to try! Particularly the blood orange mimosa such an amazing idea! 

http://www.bustle.com/articles/54535-10-champagne-cocktails-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-because-no-bash-is-complete-without-a-little/page/2

Trying to be creative on no sleep!

So, I have a very poorly monkey at home who decided he did not want to sleep at all last night! So my attempts at being creative today are not working as you can see! Trying to create a brand logo in the very early stages.

Today I'm wearing

So today's outfit is almost all Primark with some H&M thrown in.

T-shirt: Primark

Skirt: H&M

Necklace: Primark 

Boots: Primark

Handbag: Not show but today is a grey leather Prada 

Stars in Their Eyes

Ok now I know every one watched the new version with Harry Hill and I have to say I was horrified! In fact I want just horrified I was disappointed, angry, upset and a whole range of other emotions that I can't even think of right now!

Nearly 10 years ago I got my first break working on the show. (During the Cat Deeley days) and it taught me so much! I was proud as hell to have had the chance to work on it and watching the new show the other night made me feel physically sick. (I know other members of the old team felt exactly the same way!) Now I know the show was never taken very serious but It was fun without being silly and actually the number to people who appeared on the show who actually went on to have tv/music careers was amazing. But who ever had the bright idea to put Harry bloody Hill as the front man must have surely been taking some form of medication!

When I think back to those days I have nothing but fond memories! I always found it hilarious that our team was not allowed to be based at ITV studio's due to the fact the head designer smoked like a chimney! (those were the days when you could still smoke inside office buildings) So there we were in a completely different building, our little team squished into 2 rooms no bigger than most peoples bedrooms surrounded by shoes, fabric, bras and sequins (there was an Elvis number with so many sequins and beads on it made you go cross eyed) but we did have a laugh. Very much miss those days, who knows once this degree is out of the way I may find something similar to get back into.

Few shots from my last photoshoot.
Model: Toni Hepherd
Photographer: Lilli Dickens
Styling: Lilli Dickens

Ok so this is my first blog in a while! Im a little behind on the times thanks to taking time out to have my gorgeous little boy. No one tells you having a baby is quite so all consuming ;)

Now things are settling down and my degree is going well I am determined to start getting out and about and doing the things I enjoy! Although I can 100% predict that a lot of my posts may slide into things about my bubba! I promise to try and keep them a little more interesting than what happens in most of my day to day life.

And in case you were wondering my blogs namesakes are in the photo, my two babies, my little boy Oscar and my yorkie Tallulah.