Happy Birthday Breton Stripes

If I look that good at 155 years old then I'd consider that to be some great achievement! Last week saw the 155th birthday of The Breton Stripe: the iconic navy blue and white stripy tee that became the official uniform for Brittany navy seamen in 1858. Since then it's not left the catwalks, appears as a standard in almost every wardrobe and has been worn by a whole bunch of celebrities. The list is so long I couldn't even begin (I'll leave you with some true style icons though - Kate Moss and Alexa Chung are huge Breton fans!)

Two different styles yet two amazing ways to wear the classic tee:

 

Alexa goes cool and casual by wearing a Breton striped tshirt to a festival, accessorised with jeans, layered over a plain grey top and with a chunky necklace on top. Kate, however, styles it in a more sexy way. The longer top takes place of the trousers but she'd still be one brave lady to leave the house with a dress that short - in fact I couldn't even class that as a dress! She's layered it will a tasselled scarf and a shiny leather jacket to smarten the whole outfit up a bit more.

There's plenty of ways to style it up or down for every occasion, and who says you should stop with blue stripes? Who says you should stop at a tshirt?

Topshop have a lovely Breton collection at the moment and I love the three-quarter length dress with simple stripes. Along with this they also have plenty of items in different colours such as pinks, reds, oranges and of course - blacks.

I love this monochrome Breton striped skirt, the different width of stripes looks great too. Just goes to show how the Breton style has inspired and transformed over the last century and a half yet it's still a massive part of today's fashion.

Midi Skirt - Topshop

I Need...Make Up

A wishlist this time, I can dream - can't I? So yeah if anybody has a few spare coins lying around I honestly wouldn't mind if you fancied buying me a little summit summit off this list of beautiful things!

Left to right: YSL Teint Touche Eclat Foundation - Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo-Fibre Collection - 

YSL Volupte Sheer Candy - MAC Cremesheen + Pearl - MAC Lady Danger - Benefit They're Real Mascara - 

Nars Orgasm Blusher - Naked 2 Palette - Dior Vernis Pink Kimono

One day my make up collection will be blessed with beauties such as these, to name a few. I've literally just read about the Real Techniques brushes less than 24 hours ago and how could I not include them? I have you seen them! Perfection in a box.

As for the three lipsticks, three different shades for three different occasions. One bright red, one subtler pink and one almost nude. In fact I couldn't think of another colour needed....well I could, in fact I'd like to own every colour possible but that's a different subject.

Next comes the They're Real mascara from Benefit, something I'd like to try in hope to bring a bit of length and depth to my own eyelashes without the aid of trusty false eyelashes!

And of course, the Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay, I was hooked from the moment I dipped my brush into Steph's! It's like little magical colours dancing over my eyelids, beautiful!

Finally we've got a popping pink nail varnish from Dior and the infamous Nars Orgasm blusher. As for nails, who doesn't like to stand out? You might as well and there's no better way than with this neon pink. Perfect for 'jazzing' up a plainer outfit without too much effort. The blusher however is something I've read so many review on but never been able to justify spending over 20 smackers for..one day my purse will allow this. Please.

Elizabeth Arden - Eight Hour Cream

So the story stands that the name 'Eight Hour Cream' came from a loyal customer who claimed the cream helped to heal her son's scraped knee in just eight hours.  If only I had this as a child while I was learning to ride a bike!

I'm currently on my third tube of Skin Protectant, and I already have another 3 waiting to be used up. Yes. Hoarder, I know, but whenever I'm on a plane I just can't resist. Those little words 'Duty Free' are shouting 'BUY ME ZOE' from the page and I can't ignore that, can I?

Anyway, Eight Hour Cream is one of those things you either love or you hate, and for me it's massive LOVE! I have one in my handbag which I take absolutely everywhere with me. With the release of a new product, Nourishing Lip Balm SPF 20, in both a pot and a tube I was reminded about the countless ways to use the products. After a spot of research and experimenting I've got a quick (read: long) list of the many uses!

• Lip balm, during the day for a quick moisture but especially over night to wake up with plump, smooth lips!
• As a cuticle oil for healthy nails.
• Healing scars from burns or scabs etc
• Removing sting and redness from both windburn and sunburn
• On dry skin on any area of the body
• Healing blemishes and reducing acne
• Removing mascara (even waterproof) - rub into the lashes and wipe off with a cotton pad
• Moisturising your nose and keeping the redness at bay when you have a cold
• Softening cracked heels
• Glossing eyelids for a both bold and simple looks, with or without eyeshadow
• Keeping down frizzy hair as a hair serum
• Soothing irritating shaving rashes
• As a barrier against chlorine to protect the skin in swimming pools
• Shaping eyebrows
• Moisturising elbows, knees and ankles before applying fake tan
• Highlighter for a luminous shine or cheek or brow bone

So there's a handful of uses and when you look at it that way it's a true bargain isn't it? You'd never need to buy any other lotions and potions! There's a few other Elizabeth Arden products I use regularly too including the Intensive Hand Cream, Daily Face Moisturiser and the Intensive Body Treatment and it's safe to say - I can't wait to get my mitts on the new Lip Balm.

Skin Protectant is currently on offer for £13.15 instead of the RRP £25 at CheapSmells.

My Make Up

Face: Benefit Porefessional - 17 BB cream - Nivea Hydration Primer - YSL Touche Eclat - 

bareMinerals Powder - Estee Lauder Blush Trio - Real Techniques Core Collection, Blush Brush, Stippling Brush

Eyes & Lips: Soap + Glory MotherPucker - Natural Collection Lipstick - Carmex Lip Balm - 

Blink and Go Mascara - Gosh Eye Primer - Sleek iDivine - MUA Heaven and Earth - Look Beauty Nude Eyeliner -

HD Brows kit - ELF Gel Eyeliner - Elizabeth Arden Skin Protectant

Extensive collection? Probably. Trust me, you don't want to see the rest of it.

There is a collage of the make up I use on a regular basis, more often than not. The 'not' being when I get out of bed 10 minutes before a lecture begins and only have time to slap on some mascara, a swipe of blusher and a bit of trusty carmex!

My make up bag includes some brands available in high street shops such as Boots or Superdrug, and some more high-end brands such as YSL or Estee Lauder. It's just about testing what works best for you.

I'll always prep my face with Nivea Express Hydration Primer and once it's sunk in I'll begin with the make up, usually Benefit Porefessional if my skin could do with a tiny bit extra coverage. I always use BB cream rather than foundation as I find it to be too heavy on my sensitive skin. YSL Touche Eclat is an absolute lifesaver for those bags under my eyes that reflect a few too many late nights, but as a student I'd say that's nothing unusual? On top of all my base make up I'll set it with a bareMinerals powder and a stippling brush. I swear by Real Techniques brushes that's for sure. I'm hooked!

On my cheeks I like to contour and highlight, this Estee Lauder palette has the perfect bronzer and blush colours to create the 'cheekbone effect'. Although I'll say now - the middle pink colour is only for the very daring!

For my eyes on a normal day to day basis I prefer a quick sweep of neutral creams and browns but for a night time I'll take it a step further and add in a few darker colours to create a smokey look. On top of all that is a winged black eyeliner with gel liner from ELF, a tiny bit of nude liner in the waterline for a brighter eye and a few coatings of mascara.

Eyebrows is the last, but probably the most important thing I do. They frame the face and without the HD powder mine are pretty much non-exsistent!

Finally a bit of lipstick over a coat of carmex, or if I really want a glossy look, a slick of Elizabeth Arden Skin Protectant. I really could write a whole post on Elizabeth Arden, it is AMAZING.

I'm Loving...Topshop

Dress - Shoes - Bowler Hat - Bag - Cuff

Now, anyone who is anyone has some serious loving for Topshop, even if it's just a little bit, you still have to admit you've seen a piece of clothing in there that's made you weak at the knees and even consider selling a limb to buy it.

So, with this outfit I went for a quirky look with the asymmetric printed dress, but I kept the accessories to a minimum to make sure the bright, red, beautiful, amazing, i-need-in-my-life shoes stood out among the black and the gold sea. The golden cuff was merely added to 'toughen' up the look, it's nice to look a bit scary sometimes while wearing what could pass for a minor weapon. I'd have to say though, you'd need something to scare them off when you wear those shoes though because everyone will be after you! 

If anyone has a spare £170-odd quid lying around I'd be eternally grateful for this outfit to land on my doorstep.

Having one bright colour is probably the most effective way to draw attention to a key piece of an outfit and if that key piece we're talking about is on the same level of beauty as those shoes - then show it off all you can, you lucky, lucky lady. (or man, don't want to be getting all sexist here lads!)

Anyway, enough rambling about the beauties in Topshop and showing off key pieces. Head over to Steph's blog for more chit-chat about all things fashion and beauty. I can assure you, you'll regret it if you don't take a peek!

Playing on Polyvore

I may be late to the party but after experimenting with Polyvore in university I loved creating sets of outfits that ooze inspiration and style!

The website is really easy to get around and there's so much fun to create boards of clothing and pictures that piece together trends or just simply items you like.

I entered a couple of contests on the website by creating boards to a set brief.

 

Spring Outfit with Saucy Pan cross body bag

I love the orange colour of this bag so decided to pick up on it with the bright jacket too. For the rest of the outfit I chose to stick to casual, more neutral colours so the bag and jacket remained centre of attention. The Louboutins are gorgeous too and can be worn to a casual taste aswell.

Marrakech with UGG Australia 

Now it's starting to transform into Spring/Summer (who am I kidding? It's currently snowing outside!) UGG boots are taking the back shelf on the wardrobe making way for the new collection of shoes including trainers and sad shoes. The whole collection revolves around a spicy, exotic theme but I can't help think they will get much use in our English weather!

Sunnies and Swimwear

This is my kind of style! A beach with the sun beaming down wearing a lovely bikini, tousled hair, a huge bag filled with 'essentials' I probably won't use and of course - some sunglasses. Holiday shopping is probably one of my favourite kinds of shopping and I could definitely not say no to either of these swim suits! I love the vintage-style bikini shape as opposed to the usual triangle cups that fasten with strings.

Follow me on Polyvore here.

Spark Magazine: Issue 10, April 2013.

It's that time again! Spark Magazine have published their 10th issue and here it is! It's filled with film previews, live band interviews and obviously, an incredible four fashion pages - but then again, I am a little bit biased about that part! So if you want to check your horoscopes, find out some great facts such as the 'banana-berry' and how many sesame seeds on top of a Big Mac then read on!

Click here to view the magazine on a larger scale. Turn to pages 18-21 for my fashion pages!

Spark Magazine :: Issue 10 :: April/May 2013

Summer Street Style in Sunderland

The next fashion assignment for university was to produce a double spread magazine page of the cities street style. Fortunately, the day I chose to take my photographs saw an inkling of sun which gave me a good show of summer clothes, brighter colours and plenty of sunglasses!

My page is influenced by the Grazia style pages but instead of using their iconic yellow colour I went for a orange picked straight from the skirt one of the girls was wearing. Using this same colour ties the article together and links the two pages respectively.

Here's the page and if you want to view it larger to read the text you can click here.

Clothes For Phones?

These days it's almost impossible to find somebody who doesn't own some kind of smart phone whether it be an iPhone, BlackBerry or some Android powered device such as HTC or Samsung. In fact, it's becoming a competition to see who can bring out the phone with the most gadgets on - no complaining from me, but quite possibly from my bank balance. I'm impartial to a new piece of technology, hence the reason I've upgraded my phone three times in the space of year - my two-year contract is yet to end and I can't wait to go phone shopping again!

However, if you're anything like me you like to make sure your phone has a regular change of clothes: well you do so it's only fair you allow your phone to have the same option. Right? Not to mention, if your phone is no stranger to the floor, like mine, it's nice to give it that little extra protection for the next time it decides to jump out of your hands through no fault of your own. Obviously.

I've had a good look about and I've found some of the best phone cases that I think my phone deserves in it's wardrobe.

Wonka Bar - Red Bubble

Being a chocolate lover, I can't think of anything better than having a wonka bar for a phone?! Complete with your very own golden ticket.

Kensington Rose - Cath Kidson

My absolute favourite patten ever is the iconic floral design from Cath Kidson!

  

Vintage Camera Case - Zazzle

All things vintage are coming back in fashion and what better way to make your brand new, super quick camera phone look like the old school camera that took about ten years to take one picture?

Diana Von Furstenberg Case - Net-A-Porter

Pretty and pink - not much else to say on the matter!

Kate Spade Case - Apple Store

Simple, yet stylish. The basic case puts all the attention to the intricate detailing on the eyes on this case.

After all them plastic cases there's one different kind of case I can't miss out! The 'purse case' from Topshop! Complete with a card holder and a little pocket for money I can't think of anything better for a night out...although, where is the lipstick compartment?!

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Fashion Over Comfort?

Do you choose fashion or comfort? For me, it’s all about the way it looks rather than the way it feels – I’d rather wear something that looks amazing yet needs re-adjusting every half an hour than an old pair of leggings and a baggy top for ease, cosiness and a sense of relaxation.

Although I find them uncomfortable to drive in, and even more uncomfortable to sit down for long periods of time, my disco pants are my favourite item of clothing in my wardrobe. The shiny skin-tight trousers, a bargain from River Island at £30 instead of American Apparel’s price of £70, constantly find themselves on my legs yet I can’t help but subconsciously fear they will split at the back and I’ll be left revealing my spotty knickers. So all in all they aren’t the ideal garment to wear for a full day of sitting in lectures at university, but who cares if you look good?

It’s not just about the clothes you wear with dread of a seam ripping – tell me, how many times have you worn shoes that literally rub the skin off your ankles? Blisters aren’t the nicest things but if the shoes are fashionable then I’d say the blisters equate to some sort of medal for owning a damn good pair of heels. Not to mention, do you own a pair of shoes that are virtually impossible to drive in? If you’re anything like me you’ll have a spare pair of shoes in the boot in case a quick change is needed half-way down the motorway.

However, there is one thing I’d never give up that provides me with ultimate luxury and comfort – my dressing gown. There’s not a chance I’d choose skin-tight leggings over a soft and fluffy dressing gown if I were in the comfort of my own home. But that’s okay, isn’t it? Comfortable clothing was designed to be worn in the house but for the great outdoors it’s necessary to show off your style and wear what looks good yet might not feel it. After all, nobody started a story with: ‘One time I wore my joggers to a restaurant,’ do they?

Me and my beloved disco pants!

MoneySuper Market - Passion for Fashion

As part of a competition with A Little Bird Told Me and MoneySuper Market there is a challenge circling blogger-sphere to create three looks - casual, party and beach with a limit of £200 per outfit.

Why not add my two cents to the game?

First off is the casual look. The aim of the style was to be cool and comfortable yet still stand out from the crowd: the cherry-red jeans from Topshop are perfect for this. With the rest of the outfit toned down to monochrome colours it allows the jeans to 'do the talking' - as some would say. The three chain linked rings add a mix of metal tones to the outfit along with the gold studded boots and the gold arrow necklace.

Necklace | Ring | Boots | Satchel | Blazer | Top | Jeans

Next up is the party look I created using a printed playsuit I came across while scouring the beachwear pages. Too nice for the beach, perfect for a night out on the town with a cocktail and some friends! Chunky heels are another bold statement set by the outfit but the accessories are toned down to neutral colours and minimal gold jewellery to allow the print to be the main focus.

Lipstick | Watch | Ring | Shoes | Bag | Playsuit

Finally is the beach wear, my favourite. Bikini shopping is probably one of the most exciting things to shop for, yes? After all, who doesn't look a summer holiday by the pool with a ice cold drink in hand? To brighten up the look I added bright blue denim shorts for a piece of colour in all the white clothing. And one last touch is obviously a pair of sunglasses, not only for protecting your eyes from the sun but for people-watching without getting noticed!

Bikini | Sunglasses | Sandals | Shorts | Bag

Spark Magazine: Issue 9, February 2013.

After a successful issue of Spark Magazine in December, the February issue went to press and is bursting with reviews, gossip and entertainment! I know i'm writing this a few weeks later but who cares?! Here it is! 

Turn to pages 16-19 to see my fashion pages.

Spark Magazine :: Issue 9 :: We're Still Here 2013

Or to see the pages on a bigger screen, click here.

Spark Magazine: Issue 8, December 2012.

So I mentioned a couple of posts ago about Spark Magazine who I design the fashion pages for. Here's the copy from December, my first issue. Skip to pages 16-19 to look at my pages!

Spark Magazine :: Issue 8 :: End of the World 2012

To view in a bigger screen, click here.