Wonderful You | Fashion and Style Blog: May 2013

Thursday, 30 May 2013

Company Style Blogger Awards 2013

Source

Dress: Virgos Lounge. Hat: Topshop. Boots: TK Maxx.

Last night as I’m sure you’re aware, was the long awaited Company Magazine Style Blogger Awards. I was so nervous travelling down on my own but thankfully the beauties Katy (Little Winter) and Robyn (Robyn Mayday) were there to meet me at the station and we scurried around London for the best part of an hour trying to find the venue – which turned out to be the cutest little bar just off brick lane.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so overwhelmed walking in to a room filled to the brim with amazing bloggers and fashion professionals - I was scared to say the least. Of course there was nothing to be worried about, every single person I spoke to was wonderful and so friendly. It's great to finally meet people in 'real' life!

Company had put on such a wonderful event with Paul Mitchell hairstyling, a D.I.Y sunglasses station and of course the trusty photo booth. Then it was time for the awards presented by the amazing Victoria White and Oonagh Brennan....

I only went and bloody won!!! I felt my face go as red as a tomato and my ears burn to about 500 degrees as I headed up on stage to collect my award, thankfully no-one booed! I actually can’t believe that Wonderful You was even considered for short-listing let alone winning, it’s honestly made me feel so happy and proud of this little blog and to be recognised by you guys is so amazing – really, thank you x100000000000. I quite hate being gushy but honestly I’m so grateful to anyone who voted. AND a huge congratulations to Katy for receiving highly commended in Best Duo, Victoria from In The Frow for winning Best Personal Style Blog – Newcomer and my fave Becky from milk bubble tea who won best use of Photography! You guys absolutely rock my socks!

I went on to drink probably far too many cocktails and danced the night away on our imaginary dance floor with some bloomin’ lovely ladies.

Thank you Company Magazine for hosting such a lovely evening and thank you again to YOU amazing people's for giving me the opportunity to even be there.

LOVE YOU xxx

p.s. I totally got a fringe ;)

Thursday, 23 May 2013

Ombrelicious

Jumper: c/o The Hut. Boots: Urban Outfitters. Hat: Topshop.

I’m not the girl who has embraced the ombre hairstyle – I think it looks great on other people but for me I think I’d just look a bit stupid really. However the ombre theme in every other sense of the word interests me immensely – oh how I wish I was talented enough to put together an ombre lip...alas I cannot so of course when it comes to clothes I’m all over it.

When the Hut got in contact letting me know they’re re-launching their women’s wear section ofthe website, I picked this lovely jumper out of their samples and it is literally the comfiest ever, ever. The material is so soft and well made and from the looks of the website it’s hugely affordable too. Unfortunately this jumper isn't yet available to buy but they’ve got a cheeky 20% off to celebrate the launch when you enter TREAT at checkout, so go have a gander – I’ve personally got my eye on the daisy print crop, it’s so pretty!

This weekend I'm going to Oxford to spend time with my nan :) I can't wait - I've missed her loads! What's everyone else up to?

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Lollipop Dreams

T-Shirt c/o: Brakeburn. Belt: ASOS. Leggings: Topshop. Boots: Hudson. Hat: Topshop

Firstly can I apologise for how hideously over exposed my photo's are, I took the snaps and then realised when I came to edit that the settings were definitely wrong!
Even though the weather has been a bit crappy it's still been warm enough to not always wear a jumper and when purchasing a t-shirt it obviously needs to have lollies on it. Brakeburn embraces the comfort in their street-wear clothing, which you know I'm a huge fan of. I'll put my hands up and admit that I'm not the 'sporty' type. I used to study dance at College but when I graduated it got left on the back-burner and Daniel will occasionally persuade me to the gym but I'm definitely not an active being! However I definitely have time for comfy clothes and fun prints which this company provide a-plenty.
It's not quite warm enough at the moment for me to whack out my pasty pins with this tee, but I'd definitely sport it with a cheeky maxi skirt when the sun decides to make an appearance.

This week feels like it's dragging hugely already - is it honestly on Tuesday?

Friday, 10 May 2013

I need a Spring in my step!

Dress: c/o Traffic People. Earrings: c/o Temp Sec. Boots: Hudson of London. Hat: Topshop. Rings: Alex Monroe & Bohemian Collective.

Well that smashing weather lasted all five bloody seconds – can’t say I’m not a little miffed about it. Nonetheless it’s still slightly warm enough to pop on a little summer dress and beef it up with some woolly tights and booties.

Green and blue are my favourite colours but oddly I don’t really have that many items of clothing reflecting my love for them! So of course this dress is a welcomed addition to my S/S collection..the fabric is so light and bouncy making it hang beautifully. I was a little put off when I opened it to see a giant dress but I quickly spotted the pull-ties in the middle to tuck it in nicely to your waist; meaning it will be a dress that you can pretty much keep in your wardrobe forever regardless of whether you pop on a few pounds or not. If I’m being honest I think this dress was actually made for me – it has so many attributes I look for in a piece of clothing, a collar, detailed buttons and a loose, flattering fit to name but a few.

I also kinda broke my spending ban, whoopsy – but my head was cold and needed a new hat to keep it warm, plus it’s pretty and will go with everything.

I’ve been feeling really quite crap about my blog this week and I can’t put my finger on why. I just feel like I’m getting a bit bored with myself and that that’s probably showing through on my posts because it all feels a little, odd. I know that us bloggers have these phases and they come and go but when you’re in the middle of it, it feels like forever. Perhaps it might be an idea to take a break for a little while, although I’m bursting with posts to write left right and centre...bluh what am I like!

Anyway on a brighter note - TGIF!!!! I’m sure I’m not the only one who was thankful for the long weekend just gone, it’s lovely to have a slightly shorter week, isn’t it? Do you have many plans for this weekend?

Thursday, 9 May 2013

To Fringe or Not to Fringe? That is the Question..

Back in 2008 I saw myself rocking a full on fringe. I popped into my hairdressers and said do something completely different - I'm bored, so he cut it in...when he span me round to show me my hair in the mirror at the end, I cried. I absolutely hated it, it made my face look so different and I just didn't like it whatsoever. After sobbing for a few days I realised perhaps I was being a drama queen (no, really?? that's not like you Megs), and really I quite liked it. Well, it stayed on my head that way for a few years and I ended up loving it.

Nearly 5 years later I'm finding myself getting bored of my hairstyle (I know, me and every other girl) and thought...hmm perhaps my fringe needs to make a comeback? I thought I'd show you guys a few pictures of me back then to help aid your decision (because of course, you're making it for me)...

You can probably tell from the piccies that the fringe is styled to shape my face and has quite a lot of feathering going on. I'm thinking that I'd quite like to go for a more blunt cut and keep my layers long - like the look the beaut Carly Rae Jepson is currently rocking (p.s. she's totally stolen my hair colour).

Image from Twitter

So...what do you all think? Shall I go all out and rekindle this long lost love with my fringe?

Wednesday, 8 May 2013

The Body Shop | Nutriganics Drops of Youth

Nutriganics Drops of Youth c/o The Body Shop

You know how much I love The Body Shop, their body butters and make-up are some of the staples in my beauty regime and have been for years - so here I am again sharing yet another gem. Their Nutriganics range is designed to fight the first signs of ageing..and this review feels quite fitting following on from the weekly #bbloggers chat on Sunday (which focused on the best and worst beauty advice) – one of my best tips was to start using anti-ageing products before your skin actually starts to age. The hint is in the title...you want to be fighting to keep your skin youthful, not waiting until it has aged to try and reverse it!

The Nutriganics Drops of Youth is a refreshing natural serum promising to enhance the surface skin condition, smooth and ultimately leave your skin looking healthier and brighter. The glass packaging is beautiful and the pipette is also glass which goes above and beyond the £22 price tag.

I’ve been using this every day and every other night for the past month or so, popping 2-3 drops of the serum in to the palm of my hand and gently massaging in to my skin in upwards motions. The serum itself is quite thick but it applies like a dream and sinks in almost instantly, I did find on first application that it felt quite sticky but I think perhaps my skin was just getting used to it as after a couple of uses my skin was lapping it up! It’s the perfect product to have as a ‘wake me up’ boost in the morning, I apply it after cleansing and just before popping my moisturiser on and my skin hasn’t looked as radiant in forever. It also doesn't have a scent, which I absolutely love.

I think having such bad skin over the past 2 years I’d got a bit sucked in to getting rid of my spots as opposed to giving my skin what it needed – a bit of hydration and moisture.

So far I'm really impressed with the results, my skin feels healthier and it's also contributing to reduce my scarring as well as it feeling plumper and refreshed.

Have you tried anything from the Nutriganics range? I'm quite keen on trying the Smoothing Mask next!

Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Daisy Day

Dress: Ever Ours. Sandals: F-Troupe. Bag: Zara. Belt: Vintage

Hallelujah for the amazing weather we had over the weekend. I know every British blogger and his/her dog will be waffling on about how wonderful the weather was and no, I won’t be an exception!

The absolute beaut that is Kim from Ever Ours kindly sent me this little flowery number and her timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I absolutely HATE my legs but I was sweltering in my tights come 12pm yesterday so I had to whip them off and get the pasty pins out. I am head over heels in love with this dress – A. It’s swishy, B. It has daisies on it and C. It is so girly it may as well come with a tiara (that’s a good thing btw). The fabric is just light enough to wear in hotter weather, but thick enough that I’m going to be able to team it with some chunky boots and tights in the winter. But my favourite part has to be the sleeves, it’s cut perfectly and it’s an absolute steal at only £18.

Daniel and I spent our weekend house hunting (we found a rather dreamy cottage, I shall keep you posted), going to the gym (I know, I’m surprised at myself) and taking a little trip to Foxton Locks before visiting some friends for drinks. It was rather lovely to be honest and very chilled – just what I needed as I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed with life in general as of late.

I couldn’t wait to put on my little sandals – they’re from brand called F-Troupe who have the best shoes, ever. They are an expensive make but I picked these up in their sale last year for £15 WOOHOO so if they have something you like it’s worth doing some hunting to see if you can grab a bargain too!

This week I have made no plans, except to sort life-ness and of course watch the final of Suits.

Do you have anything excited planned? What did you get up to over the long weekend?

Friday, 3 May 2013

Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in Place Makeup

Anyone of you who watch my YouTube videos will know that my Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions foundation is a firm favourite. It’s been the only foundation I’ve used for the past 2 or so years and it’s served me well – how I love you my trusty companion. However I recently decided that I wanted to branch out, and try to experiment with a few more foundations now my skin has (sort of) decided to calm down.

Estée Lauder’s Double Wear has been raved about for a long time now and I don’t know why but I’ve just never thought to try it. It was only when I started to ask for recommendations from friends and bloggers that I realised perhaps I was missing out. I trotted down to my local counter a couple of weeks ago to get colour matched (is it just me or is this one of the most exciting things ever?) and the lady was so helpful and picked the absolute perfect shade for my skin – Ecru.

Through the grapevine I’ve heard Double Wear is renowned for being thick and tricky to apply – I have to disagree, I had zero issues with it and it applied like a dream. I’m quite sure that it’s all down to what you’re using to put it on and what products you’re using before doing so. I’ve been using my trusty witch anti-blemish primer – which is bloody good I tell thee, and applying the foundation with my Real Techniques buffing brush. Because this is a thicker foundation I am having to wash my brush a little more regularly than with others but this brush was 100% made for that foundation, it’s a match made in heaven.

This is the matte of all matte foundations and it does set quite quickly, so if you’ve got dry skin you might find this foundation a little too drying. The coverage is INSANE, honestly you can’t really believe it until you’ve tried it – I expected it to feel really cakey and heavy but it doesn’t at all, it’s simply just lovely. My scarring from spots is something that really knocks my confidence and this covers them like no other – winner.

Now, when people go on about staying power I rarely believe any foundation will last all day. Even my Clinique that I swear by requires a good topping up by the end of the day. But on the first day I wore this I couldn’t quite believe how in-place my face was (that sounds so wrong) at the end of the day. No slipping, sliding, caking, congealing – nada it is honestly the best foundation I’ve ever used. It’s probably not something I’ll wear throughout hotter months (if they arrive) as the coverage is so full, but it’s become my staple daily foundation for the moment.

With a price tag of £27.50 it’s not the cheapest, but in comparison to my Clinique at £21 I am completely happy to pay an extra few pounds for this beauty. The gorgeous packaging alone is enough for my magpie tendencies.

Is Double Wear a foundation you’ve tried yet? What are your thoughts?

Thursday, 2 May 2013

So, Shoes are Boring... | Converse All Stars

You might have seen my ooooh dey so purdy - god knows the last time I owned a pair of trainers – with all my ankle boots filling up my wardrobe, as pretty as they are they’re not the comfiest and you know me...comfort is key at the end of the day and shoes are no exception to the rule.

When I was a bit younger (15-18) converse were my absolute favourites - I had some khaki high tops with pink lining and I wore them EVERY DAY and now my high-top needs have been re-established with my Nike’s I’ve found myself lusting after some Converse All Star’s.

These low cut purple-y lovely's are so perfect for spring and the best part about these sorts of trainers is that they go with absolutely everything. Pair them up with a little skater skirt, maxi dress, disco pants or shorts - they are the perfect way to add colour and style to a casual look.

I think sometimes trainers are a little misjudged. We seem to have this idea in our head that they’re perhaps un-feminine or too chunky and I just have to disagree. Converse especially are so lightweight and slim line it’s like a glove for your little tootsies and with a huge array of colours and styles there really is something for everyone.

Do you own any converse? Or if not, are you embracing trainers in your daily wear? I think I’m going to have to break my spending ban, again....(sorry not sorry).

*This is a sponsored post

Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Comfort is Key #2

Jumper: Factorie. Leggings: Topshop. Bag: TKmaxx. Belt: ASOS. Nike Blazers: JD Sports. Earrings, Necklace, Hair Ties & Triangle Ring: c/o Kitsch. Silver Ring: Bohemian Collective. Gold jewel ring: Alex Monroe.

It’s a common fact that when you feel comfortable in your clothes, confidence tags along. Currently this is my go-to comfy outfit and I’ve found myself reaching for comfort much more recently. With buying the house I’m feeling a little stressed and as each day means we’re a little bit closer I just don’t want to worry about what I’m wearing - but of course I still want to look ‘presentable’!

My factorie jumper that I picked up in Australia is getting a bit worn down now as I’ve worn it to death but I’m still completely in love with it. Topshop have stopped making these leggings, and I could probably cry about it - they’re such a snug fit and the velvet detailing makes them that little bit more interesting. They’re starting to lose their shape a little now though so I need to find some alternatives – I’m thinking Zara might be a safe bet. Delicate jewellery always gets a big thumbs up from me and this necklace and earrings set from kitsch along with their lovely little triangle ring are so pretty. I’m also a bit in love with their hair ties – I always have a hairbobble on my wrist and let’s face it they don’t exactly look pretty. However kitsch have got it spot on with these pretty little ties, my favourite is definitely the gold glitter one and with the stretchy elastic you don’t get a kink in your hair – hell yeaaaah.

And...are your eyes serving you right? Yes, yes they are; I am wearing Nike Blazers. Daniel and I decided last weekend that we were going to have a day off house shopping and I accidently stumbled into JD sports and fell in love with these little ones. I love the colour and they are literally the most comfiest pair of shoes I have ever owned, ever. I thought they might feel a little chunky but they actually feel quite light and fit live a glove.

Last night I went to see The Rocket Summer (a solo American singer), who is one of my absolute favourites. It’s completely cheesy American pop/rock but I frickin’ love it - it’s the kind of music you can’t sit still to and just puts a huge smile on your face. Small, personal gigs are the best kind and he spent the majority of the evening chatting with us all in-between sets, asking what we wanted to hear and coming into the audience for a dance off! Bloody brilliant.

Are you all having a good week so far? :)

Subscribe to:

Glam