I like to read my e-mails as i'm laying in bed contemplating getting up which I should, even though it feels like it's still the middle of the night. This morning an e-mail pinged into my inbox from Vogue which I thought i'd share with you. It's subject: Spring/Summer 2013 Make-Up Trends, and here they are:
1. Attention Grabbing Eyes
This image is from Chanel where the models wore space age silver with bold, black liner. Attention grabbing eyes were also seen with a splash of colour from Topshop Unique and Clements Ribeiro. (below)
2. Enhanced Minimalism
Balmain shows us how to do flawless skin, this natural look has been given a bit of an edge with the help of subtle blush and lash curling giving added definition to natural beauty.
3. Colour Pop
Giles perhaps shows this best with natural faces brought to life with a blast of fuchsia on the lips. Other designers showing this trend this season are Dries Van Noten, also with bright lips, and Donna Karan with magenta eyes. (Below respectively)
4. The Sixties
This one is so common these days that it's almost like it's never left us. Marc Jacobs shows us how to do eyes just like Twiggy. Remember the key to the sixties look is that it's all about the eyes, go easy on the rest of the face, a touch (if any) of blush and a sweep of nude lipstick is all that's needed to offset the lashes and defined lids.
Now I have to admit it's taken me until today to look at the Burberry S/S13 campaign, I get a little cringey around the brand Beckham, although I did fall in love with Vicky B's fashion line i'm not a massive fan of them in general, it's all just a bit much.
For some women every billboard being full to busting with David Beckham's pants may be like all their Christmases have come at once but personally I like my men a little less "perfect" and he can have all the muscles he wants it's not going to change the fact that if you close your eyes he still sounds like an 11 year old schoolboy.
So with this in mind when I heard that Romeo(!) Beckham was going to star in the new Burberry ad campaign I did roll my eyes and vow to stay away as long as possible, well, let's just say curiosity got the better of me and when I came across the video on Vogue.co.uk I just couldn't resist having a sneaky peak, well prepared to cringe myself into oblivion!
That didn't happen. I actually smiled. And was on the verge of a laugh. Yes, I was wonderfully surprised, the little guy is perfect! At ten years old he is the star, and not because he's a Beckham, he could have been anyone's kid and would still have been perfect, jumping about while two Mannequin like models stand perfectly still. (Well until she can't help herself and cracks a grin too!) Oh and the clothes are pretty special too!
It has a long history, wa,s at a time a sign of being a certain type of person but now, getting a tattoo seems to be the thing to do, the ultimate commitment, the permanent fashion accessory.
December 16th 2012 saw the first tattoo convention held at the Lighthouse in Poole, Dorset, and the Jurassic Coast Tattoo Convention was the first of its kind that i'd been to.
The day itself was dull and rainy, perfect for an indoor event, so off I went, ticket in hand, camera hung around my neck thinking I was about to see some amazing tattoos, and to be honest, I didn't even notice the majority of the tattoos that were being done, I was far more interested in the people involved, from the older lady decked out in Heyday style, to the tattooist with a face full and everyone in between.
Here are a selection of what I took that day, see what you think...
I'm no stranger to ink myself, I now have five, ranging in size, from a small dove on my wrist (the one that got me hooked) to a beautiful 1920's style woman's face complete with Cloche hat and a spray of traditional roses on my thigh. My latest addition is the most beautiful, an anatomically correct Honey Bee in between my shoulder blades, beautifully and skillfully done by Craig at Adorned Tattoo in Ashley Cross, Poole.
It's that time of year again, Christmas has just emptied my bank balance and filled out my favourite dresses, and now the dreaded New Year is upon us!
Why do people put so much emphasis on one night which quite frankly in my opinion is a whole lot of pressure to have the best night of the year when generally we spend it FREEZING, queueing up outside scummy little bars and pubs who charge five pounds to get in and once you get in there it stinks of sweat, is so crowded you can hardly turn around and can't even get served at the bar anyway because it's at least 10 people deep!
You spend about £40 on a taxi and wake up the next day feeling bruised, tired and wondering where all your money went when you only managed to buy two drinks all night!
You also spend the next day eating crap, laying on the sofa watching Mary Poppins declaring that "The diet starts tomorrow!" every time you pop another Christmas chocolate in your mouth.
I'd much rather get it all over with as quickly as possible, like pulling off a plaster, just grit your teeth get through New Years eve and day and then we can all go back to normal and get through the next 11 months until December creeps back up on us and we have to go through it all again!
So I don't have for you a list of New Year resolutions, (I don't make any so I won't break any!) but I will try to write posts for you more often, take more photographs with Nicky Nikon and show you more of my new southern life!
For the longest time i've been super lazy, probably since secondary school when it wasn't 'cool' to ride bikes all weekend anymore and I started to hear the call of the high street. Now don't get me wrong, I used to walk about three miles everyday but this was more due to the fact that I don't drive and am too much of a tightwad to pay £1.50 for the bus to town when I can walk it, and maybe more importantly, remember when the same bus used to charge 42p! But I am a bit of a slob, I like pyjama days and sitting on my bum all day watching The Big Bang Theory with a constant stream of crappy foods to keep me amused, apart from the almost daily walks to town and back I was a complete exercise phobe.
However, that's all (almost) changed. Two months ago I moved to Dorset, and i'm now living with family until my job starts in September and I can finally rent my own place.
My sister asked me when I moved here if I wanted to go swimming with her, I don't think i've ever properly swam since primary school swimming lessons but I said yes, it would give me something to look forward to every week as until I start work i've got a LOT of free time on my hands and not a lot to fill it. So off I went to the pool, and in 45 minutes i'd swam EIGHT lengths! I had to rest between each length, got cramp in my foot and felt like i'd gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson the next day.
But I didn't give up, every week I swim more and more lengths, the rests got shorter and I can now swim six lengths without stopping and most importantly, i'm pain free the next day which is a big achievement for me.
Anyway, the swimming seems to have set off some kind of exercise bomb inside my brain, not only do we swim once a week but we also got an amazing deal through Groupon for 10 gym day passes for £16 (Usually £15 each!) we've been doing half an hour in the gym, Body Combat and Aqua Aerobics every Monday, I also plan on getting a gym membership when I start work, and i've bought dumbbells and a bike! She's a beautiful cream dutch bike, currently in my sisters shed, waiting for the rain to stop so that I can go over and fetch her.
But most importantly I now look forward to exercise, it makes me feel better and although it's early days and i'm not yet seeing any changes to my body I can feel them, my resistance is slowly building up and it's only going to get better. I would recommend to anyone to try to exercise more, as once I got over the initial hump, it's the best thing i've ever done!
I came to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to be blessed in the breast department a long time ago. After I spent my school days stuffing my bra, buying padded bras, covering myself up, making jokes before anyone else did so that I could laugh too and then going home, throwing myself on my bed and sobbing my heart out.
I am honestly fine about it now. I don't mind that there isn't a great deal there, I stopped stuffing my bra a long time ago, I don't buy bra's with inches and inches of padding, I don't even cry anymore. In fact I thank my lucky stars that I don't have backache like some big boobed women do, people look at my face rather than stare at my chest (because really there isn't anything to stare at!) and I can run for the bus without fear of knocking myself out. What I don't like about being a small chested woman is that we're not really catered for, and no-one seems to care!
There are so many websites designed for women with quite frankly more than their fair share, but I have just spent two days scouring the internet for some kind of swimwear that will make me feel like a fully grown woman rather than an over grown girl and have got nowhere.
Let me tell you my issues with swimwear (and not just swimwear, this also applies to bra's)
I do not want to walk around with three inches of padding strapped to my chest, it's not attractive, it's not comfortable and you feel 10X worse when you take it off.
I don't want ruffles or frills or tassels to give the illusion of a fuller bust, I'm not five years old, nor am I a can-can or salsa dancer. (Plus it doesn't work anyway)
Tiny little triangles of brightly coloured material makes small boobs look smaller.
Full swimsuits make you feel like you're 10 years old again in school swimming lessons.
Molded cups are useless if you haven't got anything to go in them in the first place, they gape and everyone sees your nipples.
And Finally... Bandeau tops FLATTEN and SLIDE OFF rendering them utterly useless!
All i'm looking for is something that's comfortable, fashionable, makes me look and feel like a woman, something that I won't have to worry about floating off in the pool, and most of all something that fits without the risk of everyone seeing a bit of nip when you bend down!
I shouldn't have to shove a load of gel filled, delightfully named "chicken fillets" into my bra to feel like a woman, I shouldn't have to hide under water so that people can't see my chest or lack of. I should be able to walk proud on a beach or at the swimming pool and not have to worry if people think i'm a tall, tattoo'd 12 year old.
Small busts are just as much of a problem to women as big busts are, someone needs to fix this and not just shove some kind of implant or insert at it. Where's the research into what our needs are?!
1. Attention Grabbing Eyes
