The Best of London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2014

With London Fashion Week drawing to a close on Tuesday, I thought I would share my best shows from the past week. Unlike Sophie, whose favourite fashion week is New York (click here to see her best from NYFW), London is my favourite of the 'big four' fashion weeks- I love seeing British designers on the global stage and this year they didn't disappoint.


Burberry Prorsum

This show is the one I always get the most excited for every season, with the added benefit of being able to watch the show live online it makes you feel a little bit more of the action. The clothes were as exquisite as always with hand painted floaty floral dresses, sheer lace skirts and of course the classic trench coats. For the finale, the hottest models including Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Edie Campbell and Suki Waterhouse also sported a personalised cashmere scarf; that will definitely going on my wishlist in the not so distant future.


Temperley London

Slowly earning its place along side fashion's power houses, Temperely London has a strong reputation, a big red carpet presence and the seal of approval from the Duchess of Cambridge. The show displayed feminine dresses with bold prints, beautiful fabrics and intricate embellishment.


Topshop Unique

Blues, yellows and blacks seemed to be the main colour palette for Topshop Unique AW14, with a range of different materials and textures throughout the whole collection, from patchwork fur coats to sheer tops and a few cosy jumpers in between. An impressive FROW including the fashion matriarch herself, Anna Wintour sat next to reality star Kendall Jenner, Kate and Lottie Moss, Poppy Delevingne and Sir Philip Green.


Anya Hindmarch 

Anya's supermarket themed 'Counter Culture' show was certainly different, but none the less enjoyable. With a catwalk reminiscent of a conveyor belt and a back drop resembling a barcode, the theme did not stop there... With handbags the shape of a packet of digestive biscuits, the famous Kellogg's cockerel and Tony the Tiger plastered on her Ebury totes; Anya's show was bright, colourful and a lot of fun.


Tom Ford

Tom stuck with his usual monochrome colour palette for his AW14 show, there were sharp and elegant dresses, with jewels, leathers and fur. The beauty for the show was in control of make-up genius Charlotte Tilbury who created a dark smokey eye on the models, including Georgia May Jagger and Liberty Ross. Tom showcased his designs in the magnificent Lindley Hall in front of an impressive Front Row including Anna Wintour, Bradley Cooper and Suki Waterhouse.


Holly Fulton

Edinburgh-born designer Holly showcased her collection full of graphic prints and printed motifs, the show had a more grown-up feel to her earlier work and full of nudes, dusty pinks and powder blues. The show was based upon a theme of silent movies but she still managed to pay homage to her Scottish roots with Scot-made knitted kilts and wool coats. Although high fashion, a lot of Holly's looks and dresses would be very wearable straight off the catwalk.

What were your favourite shows and looks from LFW? Keep an eye out for our favourite shows from Milan and Paris over the next couple of weeks!

The Best of New York Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2014

Last week it was New York Fashion Week, kicking off the beginning of fashion weeks across the globe for Autumn/Winter 2014. New York Fashion week is always my favourite week for runway shows, especially for Autumn/Winter, and this year was no exception. These were the best runway shows from the week.

Donna Karan

Donna Karan's collection was incredible as always with a focus on black, sheer, sparkles and some daring red pieces to fill the collection. Karlie Kloss, who made many appearances on the catwalk throughout NYFW, walked the runway sporting one of the more daring flowing red dresses. 

Tory Burch

Tory Burch showcased some wearable and casual outfits on her catwalk with cosy oversized jumpers, and dark colours like blacks, greys and dark blues. Tory Burch showcased many patterns and embellishments with some metallics making an appearance. I loved the playfulness of this show with a mirrored catwalk and most models wearing knee high socks and heels. 

DKNY

DKNY was another favourite of New York Fashion Week. This collection was tailored to a younger audience, compared to the Donna Karan show, and the whole collection showed attitude. All the models wore Yankee Baseball Caps and most of the designs featured black too. I love Donna's work as she really shows what it's like to dress like a fashionable New Yorker. In fact the model's weren't professional models but actually creative locals of New York.

Diane Von Furstenberg

Diane Von Furstenberg showcased some unique prints on her catwalk. Many of the prints were mixed with other prints and even the catwalk featured the one of the prints. She also showed some glamorous golden and sparkly dresses towards the end of the show. But don't worry, she still paid homage to her classic wrap dress. Models on the runway included Jourdan Dunn and Karlie Kloss.

Prabal Gurung

Once again fur made an appearance in Prabal Gurung's show. There was also a noticeable selection of grey mixed with jewel tones like sapphire and garnet. Prabal Gurung's show was not only noticeable because of the clothes. A streaker in a crown and trench coat decided to steal the show by hijacking the runway! However Gurung showed a sense of humour towards the event by handing out plastic crowns at the show's after party. 

Rag and Bone

Rag and Bone showcased wearable items of clothing with a stylish twist. The show has been said to be typical of Rag and Bone's "advanced contemporary" style. The clothes were youthful and were all about mix and match with different patterns and textures. One of my favourite looks was Karlie Kloss sporting a silk bomber jacket mixed with a plaid skirt. 

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacob's runway show was one of the most talked about shows of the week. This show was Marc's main concern during fashion week due to him stepping down as creative director from Louis Vuitton and taking a step back from Marc by Marc Jacobs. The clothes were incredible yet muted and included furs and chiffon dresses. The show was also talked about because Kendall Jenner appeared on the runway in a sheer, and rather revealing, top that had everyone talking about her debut fashion week catwalk.

Jason Wu

Jason Wu's runway show was perfect for the modern and elegant woman. With fitted dresses and slicked back hair, these clothes exuded class and sophistication. The collection seemed timeless and wearable due to the blacks and greys throughout. I also loved the shoes and makeup that went with the clothes. 

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham's runway show was one of my favourites from this year's fashion week. I loved the sleek and classic designs and neutral colours of black and white. Her designs showed elements of both masculinity and femininity including both ruffles and chains with strong silhouettes. The collection seemed high fashion but also wearable too. Her show was also talked about because her whole family were in the front row supporting her throughout. 

Vera Wang

Vera Wang's was my favourite catwalk show from New York Fashion Week. The clothes ranged from extremely wearable to extremely glamorous. The whole collection was made up of blacks and greys and included patterns, embellishments, fur, oversized jumpers, leather and metallics. The designs of the dresses towards the end of the show were just incredible too. 

Overall I really loved the designs this year at NYFW. There were so many great shows that I struggled to narrow down my favourites. The most popular trends included blacks and greys, patterns and embellishments. I can't wait for Autumn/Winter 2014 now! 

Which runway show was your favourite from New York  Fashion Week? 

The Best Dressed of the BAFTA Awards 2014

Last night was the 67th BAFTA Awards ceremony. Many stars turned up to the event including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and many more. There were some great dresses (and tuxedos) last night, and here are my best dressed from the red carpet. 

Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita has been the best dressed across all of the award ceremonies so far, and for a newcomer that is so impressive. She chooses such beautiful colours and dresses and none have been similar but all have been special and fashionable in their own way. I love this gorgeous green coloured Dior dress on Lupita and the gold accessories go really well with it. I can't wait to see what she'll wear to the Oscars!

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Brad and Angelina impressed in their matching tuxedos. Angelina looks fantastic in her Saint Laurent suit and her's certainly upstaged Brad's!

Amy Adams

I'm so happy Amy Adams chose this Victoria Beckham dress. I haven't been impressed with her dresses so far but this one is so beautiful. It looks so flattering on her figure and the dark lip and scraped back hair go so well with this look. 

Leonardo DiCaprio

Best dressed man of the night was definitely Leonardo DiCaprio. He looked fantastic in his Armani suit. He didn't win an award at the BAFTA's but let's hope he has better luck at the Oscars!

Helen Mirren

The Fellowship Award winner, Helen Mirren, looked amazing in this sparkly Jacques Azagury dress. She proved that you can look amazing on a red carpet no matter what your age is!

Naomie Harris

Naomie Harris looked great in this pink Gucci dress. I love the plunging neckline and the slit showing off her legs matched with the long sleeves to make the dress look so elegant on her. 

Samantha Barks

Samantha Barks stunned in this chic white Calvin Klein dress. Her simple but effective makeup and hair went so well with this look too. 

Worst Dressed

Lily Allen

The worst dressed of the night has to be Lily Allen in this Vivienne Westwood dress. The bright pink and orange do not go well together and not only clash with each other but also the red carpet. To top off this bad look Lily included a strange bright pink headpiece that just wasn't suitable for a red carpet award ceremony like the BAFTAs. 

Who was your best dressed from the BAFTA Awards? 

Haul #1: Beauty + Fashion

On Friday, Sophie and I had a bit of a post-exams treat shopping spree in our university city of Nottingham. I spent far too much money on stuff I probably don't need- but it was all in the name of fun! Sophie will also be doing a haul of what she bought, but she is just waiting on some online purchases to arrive first.

SpaceNK 

Nude Oil Based Cleanser

I have recently been looking for an oil-based cleanser to replace my Bioderma micellar water to use as a pre-cleanse to remove all my make-up in the evenings. Although I find the Bioderma to be amazing at taking off eye make-up, when I use it all over my face it does tend to leave it feeling a little dry. After reading some reviews and blog posts I decided to go for this Nude one, on first impressions I really like it but will do a full product review in about a month.


Laura Mercier Long Lash Mascara

I got a sample of this mascara in a Birchbox a few months ago and loved it so bought the full sized version. I won't go on about it for too long as I go into more detail in my post a few weeks ago about my favourite Birchbox products (click here) but I think this is a great, more natural looking everyday mascara. 

MAC

Lipstick in 'Mehr'

This one was a bit of an impulse buy, I originally went into MAC for an eyeliner and some eyeshadows to build up my palette but I couldn't decide which colours to go for. I felt that an eyeliner wasn't enough to satisfy my MAC-craving so I went over to the lipstick counter. Surprisingly, I only own one other MAC lipstick which I bought when I was about 14 and never wear as it is a god-awful colour, what was I thinking? But when I saw this one, 'Mehr', I fell in love with the colour and had to get it. The colour is sort of a deep dusky pink with a very matte finish, nothing like I already have.


Eye Pencil in 'Coffee'

This is what I originally went into MAC for, the eyeliner in 'Coffee'. I wanted a brown eyeliner to wear when I want to go for a more natural look as black can often look a bit too harsh and dramatic. I used it today and the pencil feels nice and soft on application and create a deep warm brown colour. It looks nice on the waterline and well as smudged across the upper lash line.

John Lewis

YSL Flower Crush Palette - Rosy Blush 

Is this not the most beautiful bit of make-up you have ever seen? This was the biggest splurge on the shopping trip. I've wanted this spring limited edition blusher since it was launched, there was a lot of umming and aahing at the YSL counter as it is not the cheapest item of make up in the world (I'm not saying how much it was incase my mum reads this blog post) but after a bit of gentle persuasion from Sophie and the lady at YSL I decided to go for it and I am so glad I did. I've only used it once so far but the colour is a perfect shimmery peachy-pink and the texture is like a creamy-powder. 

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanillé Soufflé Body Crème

This was another cheeky little splurge, but I have wanted it for ages- its nice to have a little bit of luxury sometimes! This body cream smells amazing, I could smell it all day, in fact as I'm sat here typing I'm smelling it. It feels good on the skin and the smell lasts for ages on your skin; if I put it on in the morning, it will still be able to smell it when I go to bed.


Origins GinZing Eye Cream

This little baby has been a life saver recently, I actually bought this a few weeks ago but thought I would sneak it in here anyway. I bought this before my January exams as I was a bit sleep deprived, a little stressed and there may have even been a few tears, but this little eye cream brightened up any tell-tale dark circles and puffiness. I use it every morning after my face moisturiser and have really noticed a difference.

Topshop

Knitted Crystal Stud Jumper in Duck Egg

When we went on our shopping trip, I saw the jumper Sophie was wearing and absolutely loved it... so I bought it. Although I am not a complete copy cat, Sophie has the dark grey version and I picked up this lovely duck egg blue colour. I'm a bit obsessed with this colour at the minute and I love the embellishment around the neckline. The material is so soft, it's not itchy and super comfortable to wear. 

Product Review: Charlotte Tilbury The Vintage Vamp Palette

Ever since the incredibly talented make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury launched her debut cosmetics range last year I have been dying to get my hands on the whole lot, however as we all know, money unfortunately doesn't grow on trees. I am (very) slowly building up a collection and so far have the beautiful palette in The Vintage Vamp thanks to a very generous sister and the Colour Chameleon eye shadow pencil in Champagne Diamonds from an equally as generous Sophie. 

All the palettes in the range are colour coded and have a 'Prime', 'Enhance', 'Smoke' and 'Pop' shade which all work beautifully together. In The Vintage Vamp the 'Prime' is a gorgeous light shimmery pink- it reminds me a bit of MAC's Naked Lunch, the 'Enhance' is a sort of rustic looking reddy-brown, perfect for blending through the crease, the 'Smoke' is a dark crimson colour which can create a dramatic smokey-eye effect. Lastly, the 'Pop' shade is this amazing glittery gold - it is so beautiful I could sit here and stare at it all day.

All the shades are soft, velvety, and highly pigmented. They blend together like a dream and just such a pleasure to use. The packaging is classic and elegant, although it is on the pricey side at £38 I would definitely say it is worth it. 

I have a trip to London planned in a couple of weeks so I think a little trip to Selfriges is needed to build up the collection a little bit more - any recommendations?

p.s Charlotte Tilbury also has step-by-step tutorials for each of her palettes on YouTube, click here to see The Vintage Vamp

Get the Make-Up Look: Carey Mulligan in The Great Gatsby

 Last year I was so excited that Baz Luhrmann decided to recreate the on screen version of The Great Gatsby. I was even more excited when I found out that Leonardo Dicapirio and Carey Mulligan would be starring as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan and that Jay Z was producing the Soundtrack for the film. The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books and I think Baz did a great job at creating his version of the story. The film was visually stunning and one thing I especially loved were the outfits and makeup. Tiffany created all the jewellery including Daisy's gorgeous engagement ring and Jay's signature ring. Also Prada designed all of the costumes. Daisy has quite a subtle romantic makeup look that exudes femininity. I recently got the DVD for Christmas so when me and Jess re-watched the film recently I just had to do a blog post on her gorgeous makeup.

Complexion

First apply foundation to your skin as you normally would, perhaps if you use a lighter shade that would be better to recreate this look as Daisy's makeup is quite delicate. A matte foundation would probably be best too. I would use the Nars Sheer Matte Foundation. Next apply concealer where needed (under the eyes and to cover blemishes) as Carey has perfect skin in the film such as the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. The makeup look is quite matte so apply a setting powder all over the face like the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent. Carey doesn't have much colour to the cheeks but if you want some colour then use a light natural brush and subtly sweep over the apples of your cheeks to make it look as natural as possible.

Eyes

Fill in the eyebrows with a light brown eye shadow and an angled brush for a soft look. I would use MAC Charcoal Brown. Don't go over the top with the eyebrows just fill in where is needed to make them look strong and arched, but you don't want them to be the focus of the whole look. Next is Daisy's eyeshadow. Use a light neutral colour such as MAC Naked Lunch and sweep all over the lid using a basic shading eyeshadow brush. Then choose a light grey shade such as MAC Print and apply using a blending brush to the middle of the eyelid and out into the corners. Blend in with the lighter colour. Then use a blending brush to apply the grey colour to the crease. Blend all of this out again with a blending brush to give a soft look to the eyes. It is important to blend the colour and use light colours to recreate Carey's look. Daisy's eyes are slightly lined so draw out a thin line right along the lash line to give the eyes some definition. You can either use a matte black eyeshadow such as MAC Carbon or a liquid eyeliner such as the Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Eyeliner. Next curl your lashes and apply a few coats of black mascara such as the Diorshow Mascara.

Lips

Daisy has a subtle and natural looking lip throughout the film. Use a rosy pink matte lipstick or lip pencil to achieve her look. You could even use a lip liner to define the lips and then colour in all of the lips and blend out with a lip brush. I would use the Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien to achieve this look. You could also use a lipstick such as the Chanel Rouge Allure in Séduisante which the makeup artist for the film, Maurizio Silvi, used lightly on Carey's lips.