Filthy Gorgeous London Air-Kiss Nail Polish

Recently my sister and I have been making the most of the summer with escapes to Sonar in Barcelona, a ball in Cambridge and going more than a little Queenie-crazy in London; as a result we have neglected Belles On Style.  But a recent, new favourite, addition to my bursting-at-the-seams nail varnish holdall satisfied my passion for polish for another day. And as you can see, it’s just too gorgeous not to blog about. 

The super cool Air-Kiss nail polish from Filthy Gorgeous is a bold denim blue shade and glides on smoothly with a perfect consistency. The applicator brush is just the right size – not too big and thick and not too tiny and fiddly. With two coats the polish was complete and lasted for two days or so before the inevitable chips appeared.

Air-Kiss added a touch of eye-catching glamour to my desperately-trying-to-achieve-festival-chic mud splattered wellies and waterproof poncho while watching Rhianna and Jay-Z at Radio One Hackney Weekend.

The polish can be purchased from the Filthy Gorgeous website (http://www.filthygorgeouslondon.com/) or from one of the boutique stores. 

Flatforms

November 2011 – see someone walking down the street wearing flatforms – turn to friend and laugh – haha imagine we are all wearing them in 6 months time, they are awful – May 2012



£50.00 - Office - Mod Revival



£89.99 - Office - Undergrund Wafrun Creeper



£95.00 - Office - Undergrund Wafrun Creeper



I want them. I want them a lot. Casual enough to wear all day. Comfy enough to wear all night. High enough to make our legs appear longer. They are closer to platforms of the 70’s than platforms of 2010. They aren’t completely new either as Doc Marten has been working a similar thick sole since 1945.

£80.00 - Doc Marten

 But is anything really new? Everything is inspired by something that came before it.  
I laughed and I was wrong. Like so many other ‘new’ fashions, they are hard to accept at first, but I firmly believe we can make anything, that is flattering, fashionable. It's not unusual to see lady Gaga-esque stage outfit's on the high street. Outfit's that I probably thought were bonkers when I first saw her wearing them. Big shoulders ... Gothic style spikes ... Glitter ... metalic ... dip dyed hair. All of which I have now experimented with.  And now I love flatforms.

Adam Reed, Henry Holland and Babyliss bloggers event

I was delighted when a note from Babyliss arrived in my inbox inviting me to attend an evening with designer Henry Holland and hair-preneur Adam Reed at Soho House to celebrate the launch of the Babyliss Boutique Collection.

Adam and Henry talked us through their creation of the “Pastel Punks” show at SS12 London Fashion Week: Henry took inspiration from Tour De France cyclists, while Adam looked to Felicity Kendal from “The Good Life”. Henry divulged his three key trends: pastels, prints and rose gold as the finishing accessory; Adam demonstrated summer hair looks on models.

Adam used the Babyliss Loose Waves wand to create messy, natural waves revealing his top tip: “Take big chunks of hair and wrap around the wand, roll the wand up and down the length of the hair”... think of a rolling pin action.

Adam, Henry and a model dressed in House of Holland SS12 (sorry for the poor iphone picture quality...!)

I couldn’t resist introducing myself and asking Adam some questions...

Ten minutes with Adam Reed:

Me: Adam, It’s such a pleasure to meet you; I absolutely adore Percy & Reed. Your product range has gone down so well with the beauty press - you guys are everywhere! How have you done it? You must have amazing PR?!

Adam: Haha! Yes we’re lucky that so many of the beauty editors are fans! I’ve been doing their hair for years so that made it much easier to launch our own products.

Me: Of all the products and brands you must have access to, why Babyliss?

Adam: We get sent so many new things to try at the salon, we’re absolutely bursting with options but I really love and trust Babyliss, it’s a fantastic heritage brand. The hairdryer from the Babyliss Boutique Collection is amazing; I take it with me to the shows as it’s lightweight but very powerful.

Me: The Percy & Reed dry shampoo is one of my favourites from your range, it smells amazing and the packaging is very cute...

Adam: I love it too, it was actually one of my secret weapons at the SS12 show; I used it as the finishing touch to a look, giving the hair a more lived-in look, and adding volume and texture. 

Me: The Loose Waves tool looks fantastic; I can’t wait to try it out. The only thing is that with my blonde highlights my hair can look really dry and frazzled; I always worry that too much heat will damage it further...

Adam: I wouldn’t worry about it, the Loose Waves wand is ideal as it has five heat settings. For your hair I’d go for a low setting and use lots of heat protecting product. I’m always saying to my clients, “You wouldn’t put a scolding hot iron on a silk shirt would you? No, so don’t use a hair tool that’s too hot.”

My beauty blogging friend Billie: I’ve just cut my hair into a bob, what can you suggest for styling my hair this summer?

Adam: One of the models at the show had hair like yours – short and straight – but I used the Loose Waves wand to give her volume and texture and it looked amazing!

Me: Thanks so much for chatting to us Adam; it’s been great to meet you! 

Adam, me and Henry!

The Beauty Blogger’s Guide To Glamorous (Back)Packing

I’ve been neglecting Belles On Style recently and for that I apologise; my only excuse is that my boyfriend and I went on an amazing holiday to India and I’ve been resisting reality for as long as possible. I’m satisfied that I’ve milked the just-home-from-holiday-feeling and I’m now ready to fully embrace the real world. I’m also desperate to share some beauty wisdoms I learned on my trip.

This was my first experience of backpacking; we travelled from Mumbia to Goa to Kerela and back again and I quickly discovered the beauty essentials I was relieved I’d packed, and the ones I desperately wish I had brought with me.

The essentials I had...

Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner

After a day in the sea and the sun I looked like a bedraggled, windswept scarecrow but following shampooing and conditioning I generously squirted Aussie’s leave-in conditioner hair to rescue my hair.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Blush

Perfect for mattifying and giving my hair an injection of volume, especially when contending with the South Indian humidity.

Simple Derma Intensive Relief Lotion

The ultimate dual action antidote to my sunburned and dry skin.

Simple Radiance Brightening Cleansing Wipes

The Rolls Royce of face wipes: so soft and luxurious. I took them with my everywhere as they served so many purposes (removed make-up, cleaned my hands and scrubbed Mumbai dirt and Goa sand off my feet).

Bare Minerals Foundation

It doesn’t slide off like a liquid foundation would in the heat, also a saviour for evening out my lobster face.

St. Tropez SPF 50 Face With Tan Enhancer

Because wrinkles are not cool.

The essentials I longed for...

A body spray!

I wasn’t prepared to take the risk and pack my Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey but I did wish I had a lovely scent to squoosh before dinner each night. Something super cheap, easily disposable and delightfully tropical from Impulse would have been perfect.

A Boho Chic headband...

To disguise my disastrous “hasn’t seen a hairdryer in days” and “not coping well with the humidity” hair.

Semi permanent eye lash extensions

With my make-up sliding off my face as soon as I stepped off the plane in Mumbai I quickly realised that any attempt at applying mascara would prove futile; eye lash extensions would have been the solution.

A washboard stomach, Frankie Sandford’s would have been ideal

pureDKNY a drop of verbena

Verbena is one of my favourite scents, just yesterday I was in L’Occitane dousing myself in their gorgeous Verbena Eau de Toilette. I love the crisp, fresh and lemony perfume; it reminds me of summer days and chilled prosecco. So I was excited to discover that DKNY has added a brand fragrance to their pureDKNY range: a drop of verbena.

But this isn’t just a fragrance; this is a “drop of goodwill”. I’m always a little suspicious of global brands that make charitable promises, it often sounds like marketing jargon or as if they have just appointed a new Director of Corporate Social Responsibility. But after watching the promotional video on the DKNY website fronted by model Angela Lindvall I was convinced that this really is a lovely, caring and positive campaign. 

pureDKNY is supporting CARE - a humanitarian organisation who provide financial supports to farmers in Uganda – by giving funds and by ensuring they conduct responsible and fair farming. So thank you DKNY for helping me to smell so delicious but also allowing me to, albeit indirectly, give a tiny little bit back to the Ugandan farmers who work tirelessly to harvest the essential ingredients found in some of my favourite scents.

Take a look at the video: http://www.dknyfragrances.co.uk/pure/

LFW AW12: favourite beauty looks

With Milan preparing for the last few days of shows and the beauty editors eagerly anticipating what Paris may have in store for them I thought I’d take share with you some of my favourite beauty looks from London Fashion Week...

First up: Micahel Van Der Ham with gold leaf eyes, a pretty feline flick and tumbling glossy 40s waves. The gold leaf is highly un-wearable and looks tricky to get right; for that reason I want to experiment with it so much more. But perhaps I’ll wait until the autumn, this is definitely a look for a glamour filled, champagne sipping chilly AW evening.

Next: I loved Moschino Cheap And Chic glittering and sparkling pink lips. They are such fun and give the appearance of having just kissed a tub of sherbet; sugary sweet and delicious.

I also loved: Erdem neon tweed and traditional tailoring teamed with a Charles Worthington bow-tail. The perfect pairing of structure and pretty; a black bow in my hair is a look accessible enough for everyday.

Finally: Roksanda Ilincic grunge bun, dewy skin and smoky eyes. Super sexy, elegant and feminine.

Disastrously one of the key trends to emerge from New York and London Fashion Week was the bare-faced beauty: she sports simple eyes, taupe and beiges colours and not a scrape of mascara. I look a little bit ill without mascara so this is one trend I will not be embracing. As seen at Carolina Herrera, NYFW. 

 

London Fashion Week - The Highs

So LFW is over!  

What did I love? (And what did I secretly not love?)

Loving – House of Holland

Striking colours, no need for cartoon like make up, the models looked beautiful and the clothes were left to speak for themselves. (Maybe a hat or two that I doubt will be on my must have list – although never say never)

Bora Aksu

I love the quilted affect some of the outfits had. The patterns/colours/shape are so feminine.

PPQ

I would love to cycle down Buchanan Street wearing this outfit. (I promise I never will).

The leotard with tights look is a brave one, but the tights are perfectly opaque, and the sparkly detail is amazing. The figure hugging black velvet cocktail dresses are stunning, and the grey-tone chiffon skirts and dresses are so sophisticated yet flirty.