The H&M Blazer and a new kind of Ombre

I have always felt a little too chunky to carry off the boyfriend blazer trend but a shopping trip to H&M a few weeks ago had me changing my mind.

I guess it's not a boyfriend blazer in the traditional sense but it is far less structured and fitted than my normal choice of blazer.  It hangs quite lose over the body with relaxed rolled up sleeves and loose roomy pockets.  For £19.99 (*i think*) it was too much of a snip to miss out on.  

Because it's a creamy off-white, I do feel I need to be tanned up to carry it off well but it's such a versatile jacket that can be worn with anything - proof of this is the fact I haven't had it off my back since I bought it.  

Case in point ... 

Super casual, t-shirt (Marc Jacobs), Scarf (Warehouse), jeans (unseen), trainers (unseen)

Smart Casual for a spot of shopping.  Vest (H&M), Necklace (Topshop), Wax look trousers (H&M), Snake Print bag (Mango), Studded pumps (unseen) 

Dressed up with a sequin cape for a quick makeover to take me into the evening.  Cape (Topshop), Vest (H&M), dark blue jeans (Primark), stilettos (unseen)

I also decided to bring back the ombre this week but a much more subtle version courtesy of the wonderful Stacie, whose blog you can read here.  It gives a much more sunkissed appearance than my first foray into Ombre but I will probably take it a few shades lighter on my next visit to see Stacie.  

A more natural red/auburn dye with bleached ombre weaved into the ends 

I am absolutely loving the new hair and have been wearing it in a middle parting more often just for a change.  My hair has also grown so long, at last there is so much I can do with it! :) 

What item of clothing are you obsessing over at the moment? 

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Supermarket Beauty

I notoriously hate supermarkets.  I avoid having to visit them at all costs and on the rare occasion I do have to go I usually strop about, whining like a 3 year old!

However, there are 2 supermarkets that I never turn down a visit to - Aldi and Lidl.  I just love them, I think the smaller layout and potential for finding a bargain attracts me.  Lidl mayonnaise is hands down the best I've tasted and I love finding oddly named products from home and away ... Disco Biscuits, anyone?! ;)

It's no secret that their beauty aisles also hold some hidden gems for bargain prices and on my most recent visits I picked up some bargain nail care that I thought you would all love to know about!

First up, from Lidl ... is the fabulous Cien nail polish remover.  Blue in colour and quite a pungent scent, don't let this put you off.  It comes with the perfect dispenser for pushing your cotton pad on with just the right amount being dispensed. It also removes nail polish quickly and effortlessly even glitter polish! It really is one of the best removers I have used in a long time! From memory I think this product only cost around the £3 - brilliant value.

My second purchase is from Aldi's Lacura Beauty range.  I was in between nail polishes and spotted this easy DIY French Manicure Set.  It comes with a white nail tip pen and clear top coat.  All you do is swipe the pen along the top of your nail, allow to dry and apply topcoat. Voila! (see my shoddy attempt below).

Only problem I had was difficulty getting my right hand to look neat as I am not too nifty with a pen in my lefty!  I'm sure it was £3.59 and so far the pen still hasn't dried out which is always a bonus with this type of product.

I'll definitely be spending more time in the beauty aisles the next time I go to Aldi and Lidl and it may even encourage me to start braving bigger supermarkets.  What fabulous bargain beauty products have you found in the supermarket?

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The Glam Guide E-Mag

Just a quick post to let you know I recently contributed to an E-mag, created by Stephanie at The Glam Guide.

There are lots of other blogger contributors too, discussing spring fashion, nail trends etc

It's £1.99 to download and 10% of that goes to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

You can access at the following link

http://www.theglamguide.com/e-magazine/

In it, I talk about Spring trends for make up and how I created this look

Hope you enjoy x

Scottish Ballet: Streetcar Named Desire

This week Scottish Ballet unveiled the world premiere tour of their production of Streetcar Named Desire.

Originally a play written 65 years ago this year by Tennessee Williams (and later brought to moviescreens starring Marlon Brando and Vivian Leigh), Scottish Ballet presented their vibrant new take on Streetcar Named Desire, collaborating with theatre and film director Nancy Meckler and international choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to create a powerful infusion of drama and dance.

I almost have no words for how incredible and how much of a must see this performance is.  It tells a tragic tale of Southern Belle, Blanche DuBois tackling her plight and fall into despair, anguish and ultimately mental illness.  We are given a glimpse of her wounded past which continues to haunt her and lead her to a situation of distress and suffering which is only heightened when she goes to stay with her sister, Stella and her brutish husband, Stanley.

The opening scene is still what sticks with me the most, Blanche underneath a naked lightbulb, delicately fluttering with moth like movements toward the light.  The light was to represent desire, which attracts but can also burn but there was just something about the movements of Eve Mutso's Blanche that was haunting, sensitive and instantly gave an insight into the mental fragility of the character.

The performance is provocative, deep and highly sexed to say the least - whether it was the cruel but needy physical passion between Stella and Stanley (played by Tama Barry) to the debauched and reckless secret life of Blanche.  Blanche's demise eventually comes when Stanley, who has set out to destroy her in a bid to have Stella to himself, engages in a dramatic, shocking and emotional performance depicting her rape.  In a strong and visually shocking performance, it takes the audience to that dark place of helplessness and all of a sudden you are lost in raw emotion for all characters involved.

For as dark as the performance could be at times, there was still plenty of buzz, beauty and effervescence in abundance on stage.  The score by Peter Salem did a wonderful job of representing a jazzy New Orleans and even at times got a little 'dancey' (as my  husband described it ... as in disco dancey!).  As ever the fashions of the 40's/50's on stage left me salivating for more.  The Scottish Ballet wardrobe must be a fabulous place to be!



Seriously, watch the trailer, you will not be disappointed and you will want to see more!

Out of all of the Scottish Ballet productions I have seen to date, this really has to be my favourite.  It was just all manners of mesmerising and wonderful!

I honestly cannot recommend it enough.  If you are interested in going to see it, the venues and dates are as follows:

Theatre Royal, Glasgow
11 - 14 April 2012
Tickets from £10
Box Office 0844 871 7647*

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
18 - 21 April 2012
Tickets from £16.50
Box Office 0131 529 6000*

Sadler's Wells, London
26 - 28 April 2012
Tickets from £12
Box Office 0844 412 4300*

His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen
2 - 5 May 2012
Tickets from £13.50
Box Office 01224 641122*

Eden Court, Inverness
9 - 12 May 2012
Tickets from £17
Box Office 01463 234 234*

Grand Opera House, Belfast
16 - 19 May 2012
Tickets from £9.25
Box Office 028 9024 1919*

Sun Therapy

Having just bought our first proper house together, the Mister and I had resigned ourselves to the fact that we may have to forego a holiday this year, something we pretty much live for.  However, enough is enough and we have already started looking around for some cheap holiday deals.

Last week we had glorious weather that stunned us all (especially up here in Glasgow), the sun was beating down most days and there were sunburn marks all round, ouch! This week however, we have had rain, hail, sleet and snow and it has just reaffirmed to me how much I need a holiday.

Despite all our money being invested in the house, it's renovations and now the hard slog of decorating ... I hope I can find a cheap holiday deal that will have me jetting off for a bit of sun, relaxation and snoozy, lazy days.

My first thought is of Spain.  My husband used to live there and we absolutely love the laid back, colourful culture.  For a chilled out week away I would love to go back to Barcelona.  Eating delicious tapas and drinking a refreshing cerveza, watching the world go by ... bliss!

Ultimately I think I would quite like  return to Ibiza this year.  Perfect for the party girl (and party boy) in me and my husband but likewise caters to our need for some serious chillaxing!  Ideal for me to dance about in the sun with neon nails and feathers in my hair :)

Sitting wrapped up on the couch just now, I am taking comfort in the hope of finding myself a cheap deal so I can look forward to a cheeky wee sunny holiday :)

Do you have holidays booked? Where are you off to this year? Go on, make me jel! ;)

x

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow!

A couple of weeks ago, Benefit invited me along to an event in Glasgow to launch it's latest foundation offering - Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow.  Yup, a bit of a mouthful that one.

It was interesting to hear that Benefit as a brand actually started off in Glasgow before spreading throughout the UK, so it seems Scottish shores have a special meaning for the company.  That aside, we were given a demo of the new foundation by the wonderful Head Artist, Lisa - which in a change to Benefit's regular line, is a liquid foundation.  This excited me, I pretty much only use liquid or 'wet' foundations so to speak so I was looking forward to giving it a go.

Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow comes in more shades than what Benefit normally offer with 9 shades varying in light, medium and dark.  I was matched to 'I'm so money ... honey' which is just about right for me when I am fake tanned.  It is said to provide a light to medium coverage, is oil free and contains an SPF25.

It comes in a frosted clear bottle which is handy for keeping tabs on your supply and it has an absolute godsend for all foundations - an application pump! Honestly, all foundation packaging should come with a pump.  As a foundation liquid, it is quite runny in consistency which I usually associate with low coverage and reduced wear time.

Despite my initial reservations, I have actually fallen in love with this foundation.  Personally I feel it's coverage leans more on the medium side as opposed to light but this is ideal for what I am after.  It is easy to apply with tools or with your hands and creates a soft, subtle dewiness to the skin without making it look greasy or oily.  It gives a natural, fresh glow to the skin.  It blends beautifully and from what I have noticed there is little to no fragrance.  For me, it lasts a full day of work with no touch ups at all although I can't be certain this will be the same for all skin types (I am normal/combination fyi).

My only negative is the SPF properties creates a little bit of flashback with the camera but not enough to stop me wearing on a night out.  I think its a wonderful spring/summer foundation for those of us who hate to go without a base even in warmer weather.

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow is available now priced at £24.50

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