Style Staple: Blazers

Happy Thursday!

I'm not normally one to put a lot of photos of myself onto the blog as I like to keep to myself and find taking them more complicated than others seem to. However I'm getting better at it so thought I'd branch out and write about my Style Staples.
As well as beauty I am also a massive fan of clothes, as you would expect. I find blazers the perfect accompaniment to most outfits and they seem to finish them off without being too overly smart.

My collection has been growing recently so I decided to share it with you and which styles I find go better with which outfits.

First up is the old favourite. This is a black/grey blazer from Dorothy Perkins which I bought quite a few years ago now. This is what I call my 'Slouchy Blazer'.
It was black and it still is mostly, but from wear it has turned into a more grey black, as you'd expect a more vintage like blazer to look, which makes me love it more.

It has a waterfall front with two large pockets on either side which I suppose don't serve much purpose as they're too big and slouchy but they're so comfortable to rest your hands in!
It's easily thrown on with any outfit as it doesn't do up so I mostly wear this with jeans for every day wear and layer it with scarves and leather jackets when it's colder.

Next up is the newest in my collection; the orange Jogging Blazer from Zara.
This is my 'Bright (and BEAUTIFUL) Blazer'.

This jacket is absolutely amazing and I'm so pleased I bought it. I've worn it out to many things since I bought it at the end of March; lunch meals with family, pub meet ups with the girls and on my birthday night out with my Lipsy Dress.

It just seems to go with EVERYTHING! It brightens up every outfit and can be worn done up or left undone  and the slightly shorter sleeves make it great to wear in any weather.

It's definitely going to be a firm favourite for the summer!


This next one is one of my most prized possessions.
The timeless classic that is the Ralph Lauren military blazer. (i.e. my 'Military Blazer' - duh!)



I absolutely LOVE it.
The shape is beautiful and its made with such thick and good quality material I am hoping it will last a long time. The sleeves are lovely and long, the shoulders and waist tapered and fitted, and the length of the blazer sits perfectly on my hip.



The pocket is of course a primary feature of the blazer, and the crest is beautifully stitched and looks very regal with the feathers and crown. It's one of my favourite parts of the blazer along with the buttons which are gold coloured and feature the same sort of detailing.



I love it pulls together any outfit and makes it look smart but it's so comfortable it doesn't feel like you're all dressed up over the top.
I've worn it out with family for my birthday meal with jeans and with a dress and leggings and it looks great with all of them.
It was a birthday present so is fairly new to my wardrobe so I expect I will be wearing it a lot in future, especially as I feel like Kate Middleton knowing she's a bit of a fan of Ralph! (I wish!)

This one is another Dorothy Perkins buy as I loved the black one so much that I went back last summer and picked up the cream version with black collar detailing.
This would be my 'Summer Blazer' I suppose.

It's a little harder to wear as although its pretty much the same as the black one the material is thinner and I don't feel it has quite the same look as the black one.
This one should get more wear than it does as I always seem to steer towards black (as you may notice considering this post contains three....) but I need to start varying my wardrobe as it does seem a little bit boring sometimes.

You can see in the photo above that this blazer has the same waterfall front and large pockets, but the front is a little more waterfall than the black and maybe why it gets worn less.

Finally we have the Warehouse blazer, which is one I picked up after Christmas when they had 20% off and I have quite honestly never looked back. I'd term this one the 'Classic Blazer'.

I have been looking for a black fitted blazer ever since I bought the Dorothy Perkins one. The other got so much wear I knew I needed a fitted one for smarter occasions and snapped this one up when I got the chance!

It has super long sleeves which is lush when you're tall as it doesn't always happen, sits perfectly on the hip and tapers in all the right places.
The longer collar seems to elongate the body making you look slimmer and I love wearing it out with dresses.
I do love my Ralph one but I think that will be for smarter day wear occasions as this one has a similar effect but I wouldn't mind taking this one out on the town with me as they sell very similar ones still and i know the style that will fit me to replace it.

The only downside to this one is that it doesn't do up which would have made it even better. A hook and eye would have finished it perfectly and I'd be tempted to add one if i had any idea how to!

So what are your style staples? I think I will be doing more of these posts as I'm getting more confident in taking the pictures and I absolutely love blazers.

Which one of these is your favourite? Do you favour colour or classic? Military or slouchy?

L xxx

OOTD Casual Jeans

For a while now I've been wanting to do OOTD posts. I've been trying different ways to take photos to do some. Hope you don't mind the mirror photos.

This is one of my casual weekend out fits. I love my jeans turned up. These are from target. I find these are the best jeans for me and they fit amazing. I know order these jeans via eBay as I love them that much. You lucky American's with your amazing skinny jeans. I can get them for around £10-£30 posted from eBay. The brand is Mossimo. (here are eBay's current offering)

I own so many black vests. This one if from Dorothy Perkins. My favourite ones are from Select.  These are the ones I favour.You can never have enough in my opinion. I wear them all year round. My rings are stackable ones from Avon. I love adding a bit of sparkle with these. I tend to layer my clothes a lot. I love the deep V on this New Look Jumper. I do tend to pick up quite a few of my basics from there. Matalan have a similar jumper here for £10

It's taken me a long time to embrace the brogue trend. They tend to look amazing on others but I just couldn't find a pair I liked. I spotted these in the sale section of primark for £4. They have gotten really grubby so I need to find a new pair. I love the lower front on these, New Look have a similar pair in black here.

If I have on silver Jewellery I'll usually be wearing one of my Thomas Sabo bead bracelets. I love these. I was lucky to get most of these for my 21st birthday and my Other half gets me one for most occasions now. Most of them have a meaning behind them which I love. They go with so much too.

I've been after an easy to wear short every day necklace for a while. This one is from The Sphere of Life. I was lucky enough to win it in a blog compitition from Jenny who runs the The Pulse Of Fashion. Jenny has the most amazing style and I love her OOTD posts. I love that this has a little heart floating in it which is gold on one side and red on the other. It's simple but perfect. You can find the full range here. It comes in great packaging so makes great gifts.

That's my casual weekend outfit. Hopefully we will get some more sun soon so the dresses can come out.

Love M

xxx

Tutorial: Eylure Individual Lashes

A few weeks back I picked up the Eylure Individual lashes. After seeing a few tutorials on them I thought I'd give it a go myself. I love the look of false lashes and regularly wear them for nights out. For everyday wear I can't be bothered though.

I got mine from Boots for £5.35. Next time I'd get the just short and medium ones as I found the long ones too long. The ones I got are cluster lashes. I'm tempted to try the single ones next.

The lashes are semi permanent. They come with full instructions, 3 different lash lengths, eyelash glue, and remover.

You'll also need a pair of tweezers, tin foil.

To start the lashes need to me clean and oil free. To do this I used my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and a bit of toner.

Once I'd cleaned my eye lashes I sat down at the table, I'd recommend sitting somewhere where you're able to rest your elbow to steady yourself. Also do it when you've got lots of time if it's your first time.

To apply the glue to the lashes it is recommend to put a drop of the glue onto the tin foil. Only put a drop on as it dries out and this prevents wasting too much of the glue. This glue is stronger than normal eyelash glue. Using tweezers pull of the size of the lash you want. (It's recommended to start with long on the outside and work into small on the inner eye)

I found it easiest to use one hand to hold my eye shut and the other hand holding the tweezers, holding the lash with the blob of glue on the bottom. Unlike usual lash glue you can apply this straight away, you don't need to wait for it to dry. Apply as close to the lash line as possible and make sure the curl of the lash is the right way up. I found this the trickiest bit and you'll see some of my lashes aren't at the right angles.

This would be so much easier to do on someone else. I did think it was easier than I expected thought. I found some lashes after I'd place them would come off as I applied the next but I learnt to be more careful as I went on.

The lashes blend so well with my natural ones, even though my natural lashes aren't that dark. I needed to apply more to the edges than I did here. It is recommended to apply between 7 to 14 clusters depending on taste.

Here you can see the outer cluster is slightly wonky. 

So how did they last. I applied them on Friday evening and they lasted through too Tuesday morning. I had lost some by this point and they had started to annoy me. Overall I think they'd be great for weekends apply and special occasions.

I'll definitely be repurchasing but like I said above only in the short and medium lengths.

Have you tried the semi permanent or individual lashes on yourself?

Would you?

Love M

xxx

Review: Avon Perfect Kiss Lipstick Berry Smooch

I picked this lipstick up a while (haul here) the other lipsticks I got are reviewed here and here. I really like Avon lipsticks and make up products. I'm especially loving one of there mascara's at the moment but I won't go into too much detail about that as it's unfortunately discontinued now. I hate it when they do that.

I think it's fair to say I'm now a lipstick addict. The amount my collection has grown in 18 months is crazy and my tastes have definitely changed, I've have never chosen a colour like this before.

This is one of Avon's Perfect Kiss Lipsticks. Described as:

'Full-coverage lipstick with natural oils and triple action smoothing complex gives you soft, smooth lips, that look instantly fuller, ready for a kiss!'

These lipsticks are very pigmented and do glide onto the lips without dragging!

I love the silver packaging, it really stands out in my lipstick drawer and makes these easy to find. The stamping on the bullet makes the lipsticks appear more expensive in my opinion and I love it.

Berry smooch is a vibrant lilac/purple toned pink. It really stands out on the lips. I think of it as a brighter version of Mac Plumful. It's got the same tones to it.

I've got naturally dark lips and as you can see here this lipstick is very pigmented and sits on the lips beautifully.

These next few photos are in natural light and show the lipstick most true to colour in my opinion.

The lipstick lasts really well and due to oils in it isn't drying at all on the lips and leaves a slightly glossy finish.

I love this shade for everyday when paired with simple eyes. It's also great for nights out with smoky eyes.

It can be picked up from here for £8.50 but is currently on offer for 2 for £10 across certain make up. I'd suggest getting Racy Red too as it's stunning!! Caressing Coral and Natural Glow are next on my list!!

Have you become more into lipstick lately? I'm such a bright colour girl now. My make doesn't feel done without it now.

Love M

xxx