The Oscars - Three favourite dresses

You could hear the crowd for miles around, the red carpet was laid and the huge statues were rolled out again for the 84^th time. Of course this was the Oscars 2012. It may be the biggest film awards show in the world; however nowadays it seems like it’s more about who wore what instead of who won what!  

So here’s a rundown, the Artist won 5 awards,  Meryl Streep won the award for best leading actress, for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. Among these big stars, Bret Mackenzie won an award for the best original song in a movie; for ‘Man or a Muppet’, obviously for the film; The Muppets.

Now it’s time for the really important stuff; the dresses! The main theme was gold, it was everywhere, perhaps the actresses believed, if they wore gold it would win them the golden trophy.

Saying this I really did like some of the golden dresses, such as the gorgeous dress Stacy Keibler wore, the girlfriend of George Clooney who of course also looked amazing!

Stacy is wearing a Marchesa gown, which makes her look like an Oscar herself! She looks absolutely gorgeous and it shows off her figure so well. I love the way the fabric is positioned, with the roset of fabric on the side. This fabric is so good at picking up the light, and will change shade whenever she moves, which gives a good fluidity to the gown. Beside her is the ever attractive George Clooney, in a suit by Armarni, which works perfectly with the shades in Stacy's gown. I love the detail of the shiny lapels and the seam of his trousers, they add a bit of glamour to this suit. Well done Sir. 

Another dress that caught my eye was the one Gwyneth Paltrow was wearing, a Tom Ford cloaked dress. 

This dress is so elegant, just like Gwyneth and there is a nice simplicity about the gown. I love the asymmetric line to the top of it, as it looks chic and clean cut. The addition of the silver cuff, is the perfect accessory for this dress, which adds a bit of glamour to this sophisticated gown. 

Jessica Chastain, a nominee for her role in the film 'The Help', looked incredible in her Alexanda McQueen dress.

This dress has been put on the best and the worst dressed lists, around the world. However I say it should be well and truely on the best dressed list! The workmanship that has gone into it is incredible, I love the way it has been designed so the embroidery mirrors on each side. This makes Jessica's figure look amazing, and the gold and black goes perfectly with her hair.  

This hand embroidered dress is gothic sheek at it's best! 

Jessica told a Hollywood reporter “There was something about the embroidery of this dress. It felt larger than life — and this is a larger-than-life moment. I always wanted to be an actor. Most little girls dream of their wedding dresses; I grew up dreaming of my Oscar dress.”

I really think this is the perfect Oscar dress, it is bold and beautiful and really would make you feel like a million dollars. This is the best dress for me from the whole of the red carpet. 

These are my three favourite dresses that were worn yesterday, they all convey different things, from the extravagant Alexanda McQueen gown, to the clean cut Tom Ford and the perfectly matched outfits from George Clooney and Stacy Keibler. These all show a real aspect of the Oscar's, and how much of a glamorous occasion it is. 

The Oscars 2012, was a great success for many actresses and actors, along with the success of the designers on the red carpet. 

And after the days of preparation and the amount of people involved within a few hours the statues had been packed away and the red carpet was rolled up, and put back into the cupboard for another year. 

REVLON ColorStay foundation

I was recommended this product my a friend of mine, as my face has decided to break out and with a week to go until Paris, I don't fancy walking around with huge visible spots on my face. So after reading a few reviews of this foundation on the boots website, I decided to buy it. I have quite pale skin so I was hoping that this would be the right tone for my skin. 

After wondering around boots, I took the plunge and got in line at the till. I say this because it is quite expensive; £12.49. I'm really hoping this stuff is as good as everything says it is.

So far it has not disappointed, it doesn't make my face itchy with a lot of foundations, as I have sensitive skin, and it apparently stays on all day! 

The only thing with this product is that it hasn't got a pump so it is difficult to get it onto a brush. This is especially difficult the first time as I wasn't sure how thick the foundation was or how much I would need. Thankfully with this foundation you don't need much, and a little really does go a long way!

All I need now is some blusher.

Any suggestions?

x

My new 'not so leather' leather jacket

When I checked my bank balance late last night I came to realise, that I had been paid a little bit more than usual. This obviously meant that it was time to go shopping! So this morning I jumped out of bed at 10.30 and prepared myself for going into Southampton, by watching a bit of 'This morning' whilst eating some toast with a cup of tea on the side. 

So after getting dressed, I drove into town and started my quest for the perfect boots, I had tried on the previous day and the perfect fake leather jacket which I had also spotted on my browsing trip. 

I walked into Topshop, to see the fake leather jacket sitting on the front of a rail in my size; the one I had tried on yesterday! I grabbed it and didn't let it out of my sight until it was safely in a shopping bag!

Next stop on the agenda were the boots; the boots that had sold out everywhere online, the boots that were the perfect fit, the boots that I knew I needed to have. I was just hoping and wishing that they still had them in my size! 

As I walked over to the shoe department I noticed the display where the shoes were the previous day had been slightly adjusted, panic set in. I started to walk quickly to the display and thankfully, they had just been moved to the opposite side! The shop assistant was standing right by them so I grabbed on size 4 and asked for the other one as quickly as I could. No one else was getting these beauties! Not on my watch, as some people say! 

So here they are...

Topshop - £75

These boots maybe quite expensive, however they are real leather, which makes a huge difference on how much I spend on shoes. If they were a different material; even if they were suede, I wouldn't have paid this much, because it's simply not worth it. But no these boots are perfect, they have a zip on either side which makes them a bit more unique from the standard Chelsea style boot.

I have been wearing them since I got home 4 hours ago and they are still really comfortable and really easy to wear. They will go with everything and anything, which is another reason why I justified spending so much!

My next purchase was my 'not so leather' leather jacket. It is made from 100% Polyurethane, and fits really nicely. It is also very similar to the real leather jacket they do called the 'traditional biker jacket' this comes in at £165, which is very expensive for a leather jacket. Here's a little snap shot of my one...

Topshop - £55

I think the texture of the jacket and the look of it makes you think it is real leather, they have done really well at making this the next fake leather jacket you could buy; price and quality. Another item that I think everyone should have in their wardrobe, as it again goes with anything! It also instantly rocks up any outfit, which you should know by now, I just love rocking outfits up! 

Along with these two items, which in total came to a bit less, thanks to saving 15%, I also received this beautiful Mary Katrantzou bag! It is so cute, I love it. Super summery and it's big enough to fit uni stuff in! What more could you want?

Hopefully your days have been as lucky as mine have!

x

Feminine vs masculine

As my sister has been at home this week writing her dissertation, I decided to use her photographic services and asked her to take a few simple shots of my outfit outside. As usually I have to use my dark living room, which isn't amazing for photograph quality. 

Anyway, this is what I was wearing on Thursday this week, that morning I had no idea what I was going to wear, it was a nightmare! I seriously need to sort my wardrobe out, it's starting to get unbearable. 

 Finally I opted for my Zara jeans in beige, which I should wear more as it took me over an hour to get the right size! Seeing as Zara's clothes may say they are size 10 but there are at least 10 variations of a size 10. However these jeans do make my bottom half look naked from far away, but as I took so long finding them I feel like I should wear them more often.  I paired it with my Urban outfitters dark teal shirt, with detailing around the collar. I have never put these items together before however I think it works pretty well. But judge for yourself.

After uni I decided to change my bag, to my 'old lady' (vintage) one my sister bought from a charity shop 5 years ago and gave to me. I adore this bag so much, it has so many little compartments inside including; pen pockets, a small zip up pocket and two main compartments. The stark white contrasts beautifully with the dark teal of my shirt, I also think it's a great juxtaposition between the male shirt aspect and the feminine bag. 

As it was cold outside I obviously had to wear my beautiful coat, it didn't fail to keep me nice and toasty! 

Even though I have never worn this outfit before I will definitely be wearing it again, maybe even to Paris when I go at the beginning of March.

x

The Grammy's 2012

A lot of great things came out of yesterdays Grammy Awards, from Jenifer Hudson's tribute to the late Whitney Houston, who was supposed to be performing at the prestigious awards. To Adele who won six Grammy's including 'record of the year' and 'best pop solo performance'. Which is amazing, since having her throat surgery earlier in the year, she was unable to complete her american tour, so the awards must have meant so much to her.

 

Among the music and the bright lights there were some fashion faux pars...

First off there was Fergie, who wore a Jean Paul Gauter disaster. Which was unflattering, bright orange and see through! I can not understand why she's on the best dressed lists, I don't see it. If someone would like to kindly explain to be that would be great. This dress had the potential of being gorgeous, but Fergie must have forgotten to put a slip on before putting this outrageous thing on.

Sklar Grey's outfit was a little bit better than Fergie's however it was again unflattering, and too broad for her small frame. The stark contrast between her black hair and the white dress was too much in my opinion, she would have looked a lot more elegant in either a longer gown or a cute prom dress. 

I'm not sure what kind of look Sasha Gradiva was going for but to me it looks as if she was auditioning to be in a new terminator movie! I love her dress I think it's gorgeous but the Russian singer took juxtaposition too far! She would have been on the best dressed list, if she had not stuck that metal armour on to her arm!

Last and definitely least is Nadeea Volianova, and I can imagine most of you thinking 'Who is this woman!?' I can't help you with that, all I know is she is an american singer and she can not dress to save her life, please someone sack her stylist...if she has one. 

This dress is vile, it looks as if shes just come over form a street corner. It is so short, I hope she was wearing knickers to give her a little bit of dignity. She has been known to wear a few daring outfits, mainly the piece of fabric she wore to the 2010 Grammy's (see picture below). Let's just hope one year she finally realises how bad she looks and puts some clothes on!

But enough of the bad outfits; trust me there was a lot more than I've shown you, so on to a few of the best dressed. 

Carrie Underwood looked amazing in this Gomez-Gracia dress, the beautiful white sparkly fabric made it look like she had just fallen from the clouds above. It fitted her beautifully and with her back on show it gave it a sexy edge.

Katy Perry was also wearing a gorgeous ball gown. I love how she has used her blue hair to influence the colour of the dress, least there is no clashing here. Again the dress fitted amazingly, showing off her voluptuous figure. This dress was so simple and elegant where could she have gone wrong?

I loved it.

 

Now onto Rihanna, in this little sexy number, which still showed her seductive side we see in her videos however this dress gave her more of a classy edge. I love the deep V and that her whole back was exposed, but there was enough fabric to cover the vital areas. She gets a big tick from me on this choice. 

Finally Kelly Osbourne was wearing this gorgeous one shouldered gown. It looked so elegant on her and the  shape suited her down to the ground. I loved the eradecent fabric which went really well with her hair. 

There were of course some other amazing gowns, however I thought these four were the best. 

All in all I thought the mens dressed so much better than the women this time around, which isn't too difficult when you look through the worst dressed lists. However the awards were a success and a special congratulations to the Foo Fighters who won six awards and of course Adele for her six wins also. 

x

Midnight glam

I've created this outfit for anyone who is going to a evening event, as it is a perfect dress for this. 

With the studded bodice it gives a rocky edge to a standard maxi dress. The addition of black and gold accessories compliment the dress well, you could also paint your nails in black or gold or go for a combination of both, maybe with one statement nail in gold. 

By adding in red lipstick it again gives the whole outfit a bit of an edge, I think it would go really well to bring the outfit together.

x

Jewelry must haves from Topshop

I love this new necklace from Topshop, I suppose that's obvious because of my other post about my love for everything moustache. 

But whilst scrolling through there 'new in this week' section I stumbled across this beaut. It's very similar to another necklace I have however this one has a top hat! What more could you want!?

I need this in my life, to carry on my collection, so this is definitely going on my wish list. 

I also found another piece of jewelry, this amazing ring for only £6.50. It's a really interesting ring as it's actually in the shape of lips with the gap in the middle. I haven't ever seen anything like this, it reminds me of Jessie J a lot, as she wears lip transfers. Where this ring in in gold, it looks similar to a lip transfer, so overall I love this piece of jewelry.

Thank god for eBay!

After a very long day at uni yesterday, I was glad to be home with my boyfriend. When I walked through the door to find that my new jean shorts had come through, my day had got 10000% better. I now have a pair of 501 vintage shorts!

I've wanted them for ages but didn't want to pay the ridiculous prices they are in the shops. Magically all the charity shops in my local area had all sold out of 501 levi's After asking around no one had any old jeans, so making my own was out of the question. 

So I went to eBay for help and boy did it. 

After getting caught in a bidding war, I managed to get the highest bid right at the end of the bidding, it was fated. 

They make me look more proportioned it's great, just what I need. Usually shorts make me look dumpy with big hips, however these high wasted ones just look perfect. 

They are making me want to actually go to a festival this year though, also as the Foo Fighters have been heavily rumored to be playing Reading festival this year. 

Which gives another reason to no longer be a festival virgin!

I love wearing these shorts with a top tucked in and a skinny belt, I think it's the best way to wear the high wasted design. As you can show them off to the best of your ability, without taking them off and parading around the streets holding them on a pole.

I can't wait to wear these out, I might wait until the super cold weather has stopped though! 

x

I love student discount.

After not buying anything for a few weeks, as my student budget won't allow it, my boyfriend and I decided we would both treat ourselves yesterday by going for a spot of shopping in Southampton.

After hoping on a train and wandering around town for a while, my boyfriend bought himself an Iphone, and as he was always on my one, it was a good idea. He bought it on a contract, so he only had to pay £50 for it! I thought to myself. "I'll spend the same amount"...in my mind this made a lot sense, wish he had spent a bit more though, as this would mean I could have spent more. 

With this in mind, I quickly steered towards Topshop, who still have a sale on and also a lot of the new stock is coming in, as I've kept up to date on their website. 

I picked up some of their coloured jeans, a jumper, and a few sale skirts to try on. Low and behold the full price items didn't look right, and their jeans had 6% elastine in them, which could mean they go baggy. I was not willing to spend £38 on baggy skinny jeans!

I left the fitting room with a black skirt from the sale; which i needed as I only have a grey skirt and it seemed a bit silly that I didn't own a black one! 

After picking up some new pants and heading to the till, I spotted a sleeveless floral shirt. I instantly fell in love. As I picked it off the bottom fixture, looked at it in a bit more detail and to my disbelief it was my size! What are the chances? 
So without trying it on I ran to the till with it, before anyone else could pick it up. I wasn't too sure what it would look like or even suit me but I'm so glad I picked it up! I tried it all on today and the shirt goes perfectly with the skirt I bought! 

Super excited. 

The skirt was originally £25 however I bought it for £12 well £10.80 with student discount. This is my first sale purchase of the year, it maybe late, but I'm so glad I saw it their on the sale rail. It has a pleather band across the top, which adds a bit of a rocky edge to the skirt. Which I love, and such a steal at just over a tenner!

 The shirt was £32 (£28.80 student discount) and I am so glad I saw it on the rail on it's own, screaming at me to buy it. As it's sleeveless I wasn't sure it would look right on my frame. However it must be my lucky day because I think it actually does look nice. If I say so myself. 
It will also go with a lot of my wardrobe, from my black maxi skirt to my skinny jeans. I love the bright hues on the black fabric, it brings the shirt to life, and bringing a bit of light to the colder months.

Perfect 

x

Miss Dior

I really do adore (ignore the french pun) this perfume; Miss Dior and Miss Dior Cherie.

They are both gorgeous perfumes and both smell slightly different. I bought the smaller bottle of 'Cherie' a while ago I started to run out, near Christmas; which was lucky as I added it to my list quicker than you can say 'Miss Dior'! 

Then when I opened it on Christmas day, my parents had bought me the original scent. Which I was actually happy about because when I smelt it, it was a lot more refreshing. 

I do not want to buy any other perfumes at the moment, it is just the perfect scent! I think you should all give it a try, however it does smell different on different people, which is a shame.

x

Glittery Brogues from Topshop

Well it looks as if Topshop have bought out their own version of the Kurt Geiger, Leonardo glitter Brogues, which I blogged here. 

Here are the Topshop version:

They are very similar to the Kurt Geiger ones, but they are covered in fine multi coloured glitter not black glitter, which means they are less of a night time shoe. 

Of course you could wear these at night time, but if you were going to buy an evening shoe, I would go for the KG ones as they have a bigger WOW affect. 

These brogues are a lot cheaper at an amazing £60! Which is half price of the KG ones, but they are half the excitement. 

In addition to those shoes, Topshop have also got an even cheaper version, which are £32! 

But yet again, they have got even less impressive. I suppose this is because the price is lower, but I am disappointed, after seeing the KG version. The laces look thin, cheap and out of place, against the sparkle. I may sound cynical, but I can guarantee you that the glitter will probably fall off over time.

 This cheaper version will still do the job of sparkling up any outfit, however, but I still hold true to my previous comment. That they do not give the same 'WOW' affect.

x

Birthday shoes

These are the gorgeous shoes my sister bought me for my 20th birthday from Clarks. Yes I said Clarks and gorgeous in the same sentence, who'd of thought it. But they have actually got some really great shoes coming in to their stores. 

These shoes are so comfortable, and I just adore the purple hue, they may not go with many things however they go with black, grey, white and other neutrals. It could be worse. The thick heel is great on them as well, making them more comfortable as I don't get that throbbing feeling in my feet when I've worn them all day! The thicker heel also makes my legs look more in proportion, which is another plus point! 

I am really impressed with these shoes, they tick all the boxes, and as they were a birthday present I wouldn't have thought to look in Clarks so they are an amazing present. Kudos to my sister for that. 

Back to Clarks new shoes. There was a time where I hated going into that shop, their shoes were dated and the store smelt disgusting. However it looks like they have turned a corner and now a lot of their shoes have been revamped. Which means a great price, comfortable and well fitting shoes, what more would you want?

x

My fur coat

I love my faux fur coat, so much. I saw it last year in River Island; it was love at first sight. I tried it on and it fitted like a glove, and ever since whenever it was slightly cold I have donned the coat. 

I love how it is still cold; in some ways, because I get to wear it even more that usual. Whilst wearing this coat I feel amazing, it makes me feel really glamorous and of course warm! 

That's the thing with fur coats, they have always been glamorous and luxurious, and I suppose they always will be. Timeless in other words.

The cold weather is starting to get a bit old now. I can't wait until the day where I look out of my window in the morning, see the fresh morning sky and know that it will be warm out there. Instead of looking out of my window and seeing frost on the grass outside.

x