Monday 28 December 2015

SEVENTIES CARDIGAN







I hope everyone has had a nice Christmas! This was the first Christmas in years that I could really enjoy it after having made so much progress in the last year and it’s been amazing for me. I was able to go and do all my Christmas shopping myself, I made Christmas dinner and I was able to be up out of bed for most of the day. I still struggled and there were things I still couldn’t do, but the improvement from last year has been incredible for me and I’m feeling extremely grateful for that. For any readers who are living with pain or any other health problems, I hope you have been able to enjoy Christmas as much as possible. I spent 4 Christmases confined to bed having to eat my dinner and open my presents lay down in absolute agony, so I know how hard it can be to enjoy this time of year.

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Monday 21 December 2015

PATCHWORK SADDLE BAG AND 60S ANKLE BOOTS






One of my absolute dream wish list handbags is of course the Chloe Drew, probably the most coveted and Instagrammed designer bag of 2015. I’d have to win the lottery to have any chance of owning one any time soon, so instead I have to settle for the various high street versions that come with a much more affordable price tag. I love the easy style aesthetic and functionality of saddle bags, and I have Topshop’s current copy of the Drew in both black and tan. Earlier this year, Chloe brought out a ridiculously gorgeous patchwork python version of their new ‘It bag’ and I was desperately lusting after it. So, when I saw this patchwork Aldo saddle bag I had to have it. It gives the perfect 70s influence to my outfits and the patchwork pattern adds style and personality without being too over powering. With the right mix of modern and retro due to its classic shape and chic gold hardware, it truly is a great bag. What really appealed to me was that it has the ability to work with different styles. It would look as amazing worn effortlessly with jeans and a plain white tee as with a pretty printed dress. The styling possibilities are endless.

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Monday 14 December 2015

LITTLE RED DRESS AND GOLD HEELED BOOTS


Everybody loves a little black dress; known for coming to the rescue in those ever occurring ‘I have nothing to wear’ situations. Personally, I’m also partial to a good little red dress too. As much as I love wearing black, I tend to find myself drawn towards more colourful, printed and bolder pieces. The great thing about this dress is that it satisfies my thirst for colour whilst being simple enough to offer versatility. The classic shift shape means it won’t go out of style, and its plain yet bold colour means I can style it pretty much however I want whilst still having it brighten up my look. I’ve always been fond of the colour red. Not only do I find it glamorous, but because of my blonde hair I usually suit it quite well. What drew me to this particular red dress were the gorgeous flared sleeves which I love and the on point turtle neckline. My camera struggled to capture just how beautiful the colour is, but it’s very much rouge red. The perfect colour to wear over Christmas.

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Tuesday 8 December 2015

KNITTED METALLIC CHEVRON STRIPE DRESS








One thing you should know about me is that I absolutely love Christmas! It’s my favourite time of the year. This year, I managed to find my perfect Christmas jumper dress from Asos. There are many reasons I fell in love with it: the knitted fabric and ribbed high neck make this super warm, its loose swing fit makes it comfy and cosy, the stylish chevron pattern makes it bang on trend, and the rainbow coloured metallic detail makes it festive and Christmassy. As an added bonus, the tinsel thread is only on the outside of the dress, meaning none of the skin itching you often get with anything metallic or glittery. I’ve already worn it a couple of times and love it so much. It’s going to be getting plenty of wear now that we’re in December. Speaking of, I can’t believe how quick Christmas is coming around. I haven’t really started my Christmas shopping yet, which is very unlike me. I’m normally totally prepared and organised. I don’t know what’s up with me this year. I’m planning on going into Manchester this week to try and get some done.

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Monday 30 November 2015

MAKE UP PRIMERS



Top, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, Bottom, Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer

Continuing on from my review of Urban Decay All Nighter Make up Setting Spray, there are 2 other products I credit with helping my make up last longer. In addition to improving its wear time, they also greatly improve my make up application. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer are two make up primers of cult status, and for good reason. It may be unconventional, but I use both of these on different parts of my face. I have used them for a while now, and couldn’t do my make up without either.

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Thursday 26 November 2015

NARS GLOSSYBOX


I was one of the lucky people who managed to get hold of the limited edition Nars Glossybox when it was released here in the UK last week. I had been so excited for this to launch. I’ve never bought a beauty box before or subscribed to the services such as Glossybox or Birchbox, but I am a big Nars fan and love their make up. So, when I read about this very special box and the products it contained I knew I had to get one. The reason this was such a hotly anticipated release was due to the fact Nars has never been included in a beauty box before, and in addition one of the products was their brand new Audacious mascara. There had been a lot of buzz and hype surrounding it, doubtless you’ve seen it pictured on many beauty bloggers Instagram feeds. I already have quite a few things from Nars and a couple of products in particular that I really love. I also have a lot on my ‘to buy list’, but I never seem to get round to it. The problem for me is that there’s now a never ending stream of limited edition collections from every beauty brand you can think of, with the only real exceptions being some of the drug store brands. So I tend to spend any money I have for make up on those items I know I won’t have the chance to buy again. As a result, the permanent items I want end up being forgotten about. One item in particular from Nars is their powder blush in Orgasm, which has been very high on my list and I was considering asking somebody if they’d buy me it me for Christmas this year. When I found out this was one of the products in the Glossybox, it was game on!

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Monday 23 November 2015

MOCKINGJAY PART 2 OUTFIT



On Saturday night, I went to see The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 at the cinema. I’m a huge fan of both the books and the movies, and Jennifer Lawrence can seriously do no wrong in my eyes. Mockingjay Part 1 was the first of the franchise I was able to go and see at the cinema because I wasn’t well enough when the first two came out. That was a year ago and it’s felt like torture having to wait a whole year for the second part of Mockingjay to be released. I read the books whilst ill too and couldn’t put them down once I’d started. Which wasn’t easy for me as for a long time I really struggled reading because of the side effects of my various medications, and from the ‘fibro fog’ I suffer from as a result of my fibromyalgia. The film was amazing! As much as I absolutely loved it I do feel quite sad that it was the last one and the story has come to an end, but the film did an excellent job at staying true to the book and its conclusion. Having read the books I obviously knew how things were going to end, and I had prepared by wearing waterproof eyeliner and mascara (if you’ve read the books or seen it already, you’ll know why that was a necessary step). I’m dying to go and see it again because I don’t think I can wait however many months it’s going to take for the DVD to be released to watch it again.

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Friday 20 November 2015

URBAN DECAY ALL NIGHTER MAKE UP SETTING SPRAY



For my first beauty post, I thought I’d share with you a product I only started using recently but that has already become essential to my make up routine. Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, £21, does exactly what its name suggests; it sets your make up and helps it last longer. I actually purchased this several months ago, but for whatever reason it ended up in the back of a drawer and I completely forgot about it. That was until a couple of months ago when we were painting our bedroom and I found it when sorting through things. I’d bought it after hearing so much about it and reading such favourable reviews. I’m all for anything that’s going to keep my make up looking good for longer, as I hate having to touch it up and reapply through the day. Despite this, I have to admit I was actually quite reluctant to start using it. Since my health problems began, my skin has become ridiculously sensitive and dry. With this product, it was the sensitivity that concerned me and I was worried it might make me break out or cause a bad reaction. But I decided to bite the bullet and start using it. Fortunately, my skin was absolutely fine and I haven’t had any reaction to it, which I’m very pleased about as I really love it. It truly does make a big difference. It sets my make up in place and it lasts a good amount longer than it usually would. Plus it keeps it looking freshly applied, which is surely what everyone wants.

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Monday 16 November 2015

GEOMETRIC CO-ORD






Today’s outfit post features a print I’m kinda obsessed with at the moment and that is this amazing geometric print. This flared dress and matching slack pants are from H&M. I have this style of dress from H&M in a couple of different prints which I got in the spring time and wore all summer long, so I was very happy to find they had brought out new patterns for fall. I purchased this particular dress back in September and also got it in plain navy. I’ve already been wearing the dress a lot with black tights and I just love the colour combination. So obviously when I saw they had brought out the matching pants I had to get them. Now, some may view it as a no no, but I’m actually a big fan of dresses over pants. I think that done right it can work really well and be a new, interesting way to wear some of your dresses. Since the whole co-ordination thing is a big trend, I decided to go all matchy matchy and wear the dress and slacks together. If this style isn’t necessarily for you though, the pants also look great with a shirt or a knitted jumper. I have an oversized camel jumper that I’m planning on wearing them with, especially now that the weather has turned so cold.

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Thursday 12 November 2015

MAKE UP





I want to share with you something that really helped me when I was restricted to bed: lipstick. Yes, lipstick. I’ve loved make up since I was very young and like most young girls I always wanted to play with it and go through family members make up bags. I started wearing it at about 13 years old. I learnt pretty quickly (although not that well), and was soon a make up devotee; insisting on wearing it to high school every day, despite it not being allowed. It’s essential to me. I’m by no means a pro at applying it, but I don’t need to be. The fact is it makes me happy, it brings me enjoyment and helps give me confidence, which being a very insecure person is extremely important. When I became ill, this was stripped of me along with fashion, and only added to the depression I suffered from. I was lay flat in bed, and despite my best efforts, doing make up was too difficult. Obviously putting make up on probably seems unnecessary seen as though I was in bed constantly. But being such a large part of who I am and something I’m passionate about I wanted to still be able to do it, simply to make me feel normal. But it was too hard. I would struggle through it for special occasions or to cheer me up on particularly down days, but by no means was it something I could do regularly.

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Monday 9 November 2015

PINAFORES AND TARTAN




Pinafores. What does that word make you think about? For many, it brings to mind how you dressed as a little girl or perhaps renders images of a young Alice in Wonderland. For others, it’s a variation of an apron or a housedress worn by housewives back in the 1950s. For me, it has always been a go to style and represents the autumn when the weather turns chilly. It’s my seasonal transitional piece. Pinafores are finally being appreciated and are everywhere at the moment, much to my happiness. Usually I struggle searching for new ones and have to resort to old styles I’ve managed to find in the past, or even just settle on using a sleeveless dress worn in the style of a pinafore, but it’s never the same. This year, however, there are plenty to choose from. But they should no longer be seen as just a retro or childlike sartorial choice. Yes they are certainly girly, but there are ways to make this versatile piece more grown up and current.

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© The Style Blossom

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