Kingdom of Jewels

A few weeks ago the Swarovski lookbook landed on my doorstep enticing me with the new season's sparklies aptly named, Kingdon of Jewels.

I have been swamped with work at the moment so this has been my first proper opportunity to have a flick through and see what I fancy for my wish list.

According to Swarovski, 'this season reveals an aristocratic and multicultural muse whose spirited style combines heritage and modernity.  In this collection, we are led into a realm where jewellery and accessories boast a fashionable hint of rock and baroque'.

Well this appeals to the 'rock chick' in me, I love how Swarovski constantly veer away from it's fine crystal background to challenge key trends of the season by setting it's own high standard of stunning, fashionable jewellery, evolving from it's more traditional roots.

The SEXY bracelet.  I love the mix of golds, bronzes, silver and pewter in this bracelet as well as the slightly aztec look about it.  It reminds me of a Pamela Love bracelet I own, I think they would look brilliant stacked on top of one another.

The SWORD ring.  More mixed metals, which I just love. I am all for mixing up silver, golds, coppers, rose golds and pewter, I love the depth and modernity of it and teamed with a mix of textures as we do with this sword ring, it becomes the jewels that legends were made of.

The SKETCH cocktail ring.  Well everyone likes, a l'il bit of bling every now and then.  This is a real statement piece that packs a punch on it's own never mind teamed with some blingy buddies.  Made from one of my favourite stones, black agate encased with a sunburst of crystals.

Those are my top picks so far but the more I delve into this lookbook, the bigger my wish list gets, uh-oh!

Roll on payday! ;)

x

Ardanaiseig Hotel

Mr Read and I often feel we don't explore our own country enough, usually pushing it aside to go on exotic or cultural jaunts abroad.   Sometimes we forget about the beauty that lies on our own doorstep.

Last month we decided to take a trip to Argyll to stay at the Ardanaiseig Hotel as part of the Mr's birthday treat.  We heard that the hotel was very remote, overlooking the vast and beautiful Loch Awe, however, we didn't realise quite the oasis of tranquility it would be.

I was instantly hit with how deeply romantic the location and hotel is, as you make your way along the long and winding road towards the hotel.  The grounds feel and look magical with old statues placed sporadically around the gardens and an old penny farthing parked in the porch.  The views of the Loch and Ben Cruachan in the distance are breathtaking with greenery and woods all around, and even a boathouse that stands by the Loch that can be rented separately.

We strolled down to the Loch (where you can hire a rowing boat) and around the vast and stunning grounds.  We found a walled garden which took me back to my childhood reminding me of Frances Hodgson Burnett's, The Secret Garden.  We then came across some discarded tennis courts, a small graveyard and an abandoned boat.  I felt like I was in a fairytale, stumbling across treasures at every turn, imagining in wonderment how it all came to be.

The highlight of the trip was dinner, naturally ... always thinking about food, me!  The Ardanaiseig have the honour of Scotland's Chef of the Year 2011, Gary Goldie as their head chef.  Dinner is a unique culinary experience, a seven-course taster menu with much of the produce locally sourced.  In fact, a special moment as we ate our dinner overlooking the Loch, was seeing a kitchen porter out on a rowing boat, fishing for the next feed.

Shamefully, I can't remember the exact menu but I can tell you it was absolutely delicious, one of the best meals i've had in a while.  All washed down with a bottle of red wine, it was bliss!

If you ever get the chance to visit this hotel, you won't be disappointed.

x

Beatrice Boyle

I only discovered the wonders of Artist/Illustrator, Beatrice Boyle very recently.  A London College of Fashion graduate, Beatrice is known for her deconstructed photographs of models, creating dark and distressed images that are quite frankly, right up my street.

Although it has long past, when I heard she had created a capsule collection for Browns Focus I did a little more digging.  The collection featured t-shirts, vests and dresses with graphic prints inspired by her photographic work.  I luckily ended up stumbling across an eBay listing of a brand new with tags item from the collection and just had to purchase.

I haven't worn it yet and I am actually quite tempted to frame it and hang on my wall in lieu of one of Boyle's fabulously dark, deconstructed photo illustrations.

What do you think? Wear it or hang it?

x

Margaux Bonnie

Like most of us, I am usually glued to my iPhone. In this digital age, I use my iPhone for everything whether it's organising my diary, reading the news, listening to music, tweeting, facebooking, instagramming or online shopping ... it's always with me.

I think all this use merits a pretty iPhone case and I see loads of bloggers picking up really fun and interesting designs all the time. It was time I did my own little search.

This is how I came about Margaux Bonnie, an Etsy store specialising in bespoke iPhone covers.  All the cases are handmade by the owners Calee and Mark and are pretty unique.  I chose a sexy snakeprint, stud design that had a bit of edge to it.

With all the studding, it does make your phone a little heavier than normal but I don't really mind this.  I paid around £20-£25 for my case which included delivery from the US.  Shipping from America might take a little longer to get to you but mine was worth the wait in the end.

I quite fancy buying a few more designs now so I can match them daily to different outfits but maybe that's just a step too far ;)

Read between the lines

A quick post to let you all know of some updates to this blog.

Saskia has left the building.  She was all up in my face and getting too much for me ... all that fairy namby pamby and banging on about 'style', it was just too much for a girl to live up to.  I will miss her though, it has been nearly 4 years after all.

I am going back to basics and stripping it back so to speak.  You will find much of the same or similar posts as you used to but I won't be afraid to step outside the fashion or beauty box every so often.

I am in the process of updating my Bloglovin' profile and would love if you could all stick with me.  Hopefully, I can transfer any followers across with little hassle.  I will be doing the same for my Facebook too.

My new blog link can be found here. http://www.read-betweenthelines.com/

Thanks again for following, hopefully you will all like the new blog :)

Judge Me

Go on. Dare ya.  Bet you loved it too.

If this is your photo, get in touch so I can credit you. Found via google.

The most 'totes emosh' part of the evening for me was seeing Freddie Mercury immortalised on stage via old video footage while Roger Taylor and Brian May played on stage.  Serious lump in the throat.  Still rockin' :)

What did you think of the Olympic Closing Ceremony?

x

Work Smarter, Not Harder

As a kid I was a wannabe tomboy.  I shunned dolls and barbies and instead I would attempt to muck about with my nephews, playing shoot 'em up games and climbing trees.  In reality, I would always just stand around watching them, egging them on from afar ... I didn't want to get my clothes dirty ... naturally! ;)

Anyway, I was fascinated by basketball which was something my nephews got me into, in particular Michael Jordan who was a huge icon of the 80's.

My big brother went to America when I was about 11 and came back with the ultimate gift for me.  My very own pair of Nike Air Jordan.  Honestly, if this didn't make me the coolest kid in the class, I don't know what would!

My original Jordan ... still think these look amazing! 

Turned out it earned me about 3 minutes of cool points at school and devastatingly for me, on the first day I wore them I fell down some stairs, causing a huge noticeable rip in the leather of one of the shoes.  Waaaa-aah :(

Fast forward to being a grown up.  I enjoy dressing up in heels, dresses, painting my face and making sure never to over exert myself by climbing trees or looking sweaty.  Ugh, what a girl!  The Nike Air Jordan that I treasured so, have been chucked in the bin by my parents when they moved from the family home .... never to be forgiven for that one, I tell you!

So in my grief for my lost but not forgotten Jordan's, my wonderful Mr who jet sets back and forth to the US ... returned from his most recent trip with a 'little surprise'.  Holy Schmoking, I nearly fell off my seat when I unwrapped the box to find the silhouette of Michael Jordan's infamous jump on the front of the box.

He had only gone and bought me a replacement for the pair that to this day I still rave about (I mean come on, this is a whole blogpost dedication to them!!).  They might not be the exact model I once owned but they are colourful, chunky and Jordan! I love them!

And the most ironic thing about this tale?  I still haven't worn them outdoors.  I keep replaying the moment I feel down those stairs as a kid ... I couldn't take it if I ruined another pair!!!  Therapy, please!

Anyway, big props to the Mr for such a cool treat!

x

The Money Pit

A lot of you will know I have recently moved to a new house which I guess my Mr and I class as a bit of a 'fixer-upper'.

We have been working hard and spending hard on it for a while and to be honest we are getting a little fed up and in desperate need of a holiday (NYC I mean you!!). So ... we have slowed down the progress so we can still enjoy the finer things in life.

One of the first rooms to be trashed and rebuilt was the bathroom.  It's not finished yet, we still need to paint a wall and replace some bath fittings that were delivered faulty :( However, it is getting there and I can start to see it take shape.

I thought I would show you some of my inspiration charted against how my bathroom looks currently.  This should give you an idea of what it should look like when it is finished.

Naked art whether it be sculptural or illustration, i love it!

A chandelier and a rolltop bath were always top of my list

Dark walls against warm rustic pieces look awesome

I wanted brick tiles, marble and vintage touches

In my head I had the idea of a 50's/60's era New York City style bathroom with brick tiles, monochrome colour scheme and a bit of marble thrown in for good measure.  You won't see in the photo but our shower cubicle is covered in brick marble tiles and a retro rain shower head.  The rooltop bath was debated over for weeks, we originally wanted a modern rolltop but this reproduction was too lush to resist.  I am a little obsessed with grey and black walls at the moment so I painted the bathroom a Valspar shade 'Caviar for the Tsars'.  I want to paint at least one wall in every room black for some reason while others desperately try to talk me out of it. Go figure. 

I'm also obsessed with fur blankets, rugs and taxidermy so as well as the Ikea sheepskin rug in the bathroom, I plan on adding a few extra creepy bits and pieces that will act as a talking point/incite disgust ;).  TK Maxx has been a bit of an interiors paradise for me lately.  I don't know what I would do without that shop.  I always find interesting and 'on trend' pieces for a fraction of the price.  I found these 2 framed naked lady illustrations there for £10.  whoop! 

rolltop, chandelier, black walls, sheepskin rug

TK Maxx bargain 'art'

Currently we are adding a pop of yellow/gold to the room to help warm it up and add a modern/vintage balance.  Hopefully we will have finished it soon and I can post some final photos.

Oh and a quick edit for you - I forgot to post a pic of the bathroom BEFORE I got my hands on it so here it is. It's small and blurry but it's all I have.

BEFORE the makeover

As ever, I would love your opinions of my humble abode :) 

Glamour Check!

I instagrammed this look ages ago and promised to do a blogpost letting you know what I used.

Tardy, much?

Anyway, i'll cut to the chase ...

It was to be an evening of bar hopping and a quick pub quiz (which we won, hell yeah! Team GB).  I was going for casual attire so I usually go for something a little more glam on the eyes.

Excuse the half stripped walls in the background ...

... and excuse the monkey eyebrows!

EYES: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Ebloui as a base. MAC Woodwinked all over lid with Glamour Check! and Twinks defining outer v and under the eye.  Glamour Check! and Twinks are such similar colours you could easily just use one.  Mac Blacktrack fluidline to add a flick and line the waterline and MUFE Smokey lash to finish off.

CHEEKS:  Benefit Hula to bronze and contour.  Mac Springsheen and Illamasqua unrequited mixed together on cheeks. 

LIPS: Hmm, i'm sorry I actually have no idea - I can't remember.  How rubbish am i?! 

A special shout out to skin.  I used Smashbox Studio Skin which has been likened to Mac studio fix fluid.  I don't find the consistency quite as thick and find the colour range a little better in terms of the lighter foundations. (I sometimes find Mac SFF shades too pink or too yellow).  

A little goes a long way with this foundation and piling it on will leave your face hanging by your knees by the end of the day, it's so heavy!  However, a light application gives just the right medium coverage and is easy to blend.  It looks fresh, flawlwess and lasts all day and night.  The only judgement I have yet to make on it is whether or not it photographs well.  This is always the clincher for me.

Now I am off to work out how to make the best of this blog and possibly come up with a better look and name for it.  I feel like I have grown out of Saskia the Style Fairy ... girl feels like a numpty! Any suggestions, you can let me know :) 

x

Matalan Style Project ... (whispers) ... I Won!

Gosh, it's been a looooong time since I have blogged.  So long, I wasn't sure I could start again.  I'm not sure if I lost the love for it or if this blog just didn't really feel like 'me' anymore, or if it was just that life gets a bit busy sometimes and before you know it you are out of the loop.

Whatever the case, here I am.  We will see for how long.

So, quick update, one of my last posts was a not so subtle plea in my bid to win some votes in the Matalan Style Project.  Well, I am hugely chuffed to say I ended up winning it ... which is all thanks to you guys!  I never thought in a million years I would get the most votes but I am so grateful to all of you who voted, thank you so very much! :)

Happy Dance?

There is a new style project on the Matalan website, with 4 great bloggers looking for your votes so take a look at what they have chosen for this months theme 'Holiday Day Trip'.

x