The Best of Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2014

This week the last fashion week of the season ended in Paris. In my opinion Paris Fashion Week was one of the best weeks showcasing future AW14 trends with so many great catwalks and clothes. Here are my favourite shows from the week: 

H&M

H&M showcased simple and wearable clothes on their catwalk at Paris Fashion Week. There was a theme of khaki greens, blacks, dark blues, reds and tall boots. The H&M studio show had some of the biggest guests on the front row including Miranda Kerr (the new face of H&M), Jourdan  Dunn, Jessica Alba and Solange Knowles. 

Balmain

The Balmain catwalk showcased military chic looks down the runway. It was full of structured jackets and skirts and khaki. The models also wore military style boots to continue the theme. There were also many supermodels walking the catwalk including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Joan Smalls, Karlie Kloss and Jourdan Dunn. 

Nina Ricci

The Nina Ricci catwalk showed delicate and feminine pieces. I loved the colours designer Peter Copping chose such as blacks, dark greys, silvers and purples. The whole collection was pretty with embellishments, lace and fur. The clothes were all so beautiful and detailed but also fashionable and wearable.  

Christian Dior

Raf Simons went for a sporty catwalk showing youthful designs. There was also a theme of bright and bold colours that made a statement such as yellows, pinks, reds and blues. The tailoring had quite a masculine edge too. Dior definitely brightened up Paris Fashion Week!

Isabel Marant

I loved Isabel Marant's off duty chic looks on her catwalk. The clothes were fashionable but easily wearable. Khaki also made an appearance in this show as well as greys and blacks similarly to Balmain. Another theme was oversized jumpers, baggy clothes and short skirts and shorts to add to the casual theme of the catwalk.

Sonia Rykiel

Sonia Rykiel also followed the trend of fur but this catwalk had over the top furs and coats. The clothes followed a basic colour theme of blacks, whites and beiges. There were also prints and patterns on the catwalk such as "Moi" printed all over some items. The catwalk was chic and sophisticated, especially because Miranda Kerr was walking the runway. 

Elie Saab

The Elie Saab catwalk was one of my favourite catwalks from Paris Fashion Week. I loved the deep colour scheme of purples, dark greens, and blacks. The designs were also gorgeous! With big coatswith fur, beautiful sequined or flowing dresses with slits, sheer and lace. The handbags and shoes were amazing too!

Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent had to be my all time favourite show from Paris Fashion Week. The clothes were girly and youthful with an influence of city chic. Some of the clothes had a revived sixties feel and I loved the boots worn by the models on the catwalk. There was a mixture of tartan, sequins, fur, blacks and greys with the odd pop of colour here and there which is exactly what I love in an Autumn/Winter catwalk. 

Chanel

Chanel is always the most fun and exciting of catwalks during Paris Fashion Week and this year Karl Lagerfeld certainly didn't disappoint. The theme for the runway this year was a supermarket and stars such as Rihanna browsed the shelves before the show started with Chanel shopping baskets. The clothes were equally as playful too such as candy colours but with signature Chanel styles like classic tweed designs. Chanel had many famous models walking the catwalk including Cara Delevingne, Kendall Jenner and Joan Smalls.

Louis Vuitton

This was Nicolas Ghesquiere's first collection for Louis Vuitton since Marc Jacobs departure as Creative Director and although I will miss Marc's designs I think Nicolas did very well for his first LV attempt. The clothes were modern and simple with some different colours for an Autumn/Winter catwalk such as beiges, tans and light blues. There was also an inclusion of leather in a lot of the pieces. There were also some great Louis Vuitton bags being carried by the models. 

Overall I loved most of the looks from  Paris Fashion Week and there were some great catwalks across the whole week. The biggest trends seemed to be Khaki, Purples and Blacks as well as Fur, embellishments. 

Which was your favourite Catwalk from Paris Fashion Week?
See our blog posts on the best of NYFW, LFW and MFW too!

Best Dressed at the Oscars 2014

On Sunday night it was the 86th Academy Awards ceremony and many star studded guests attended. All I could say when watching the Oscars red carpet this year was Wow! Everyone looked amazing and I was so impressed with the fashion compared to all other red carpets of the award season. Here are my Best Dressed from the night: 

Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita looked absolutely stunning on the red carpet. This was the best dress she has worn, and that's saying something considering the amazing dresses she has worn on the other red carpets this year. She definitely saved the best til last. Lupita said that the light blue Prada dress was designed to look like champagne bubbles and that she chose the blue colour because it reminded her of home. She has been the most consistent on the red carpets this year and for a newcomer that is pretty impressive!

Amy Adams

Amy Adams looked great in this blue strapless Gucci dress. The shape was flattering on her and I preferred this dress to all others she has worn to award ceremonies this year.

Jennifer Lawrence

Although this Dior dress wasn't my favourite of the night, I still think Jennifer Lawrence looked so good at the Oscars. This orange peplum dress has been her best of award season too. Unfortunately J-Law fell again at the Oscars this year but luckily it wasn't on stage, it was on the red carpet instead.  

Margot Robbie

I really liked Margot Robbie's embellished Saint Laurent dress on the red carpet and I liked her hairstyle and dark lip to go with it. However her overall look didn't quite look right. I think the hair colour was too dark compared to her usual blonde and her eyebrows were quite strong too. I still think she was one of the best dressed though and I liked the added detail of the bow on the back.

Leonardo Di Caprio

The Best Dressed man of the night had to be Leonardo DiCaprio. Unfortunately he didn't win the Oscar for Best Actor in the Wolf of Wall Street (which he deserved!) If it was up to me he'd win an Oscar for this suit. 

Emma Watson

Emma Watson looked glamorous as always on the red carpet in this Vera Wang dress. I like how this metallic dress was split into two different colours and was slightly sheer. I loved her hair and makeup too!

Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock looked so elegant in this Alexander McQueen dress. I think it's the best one she's worn all award season and I loved the old Hollywood style hair matched with the strapless style. 

Angelina and Brad

The Best Dressed couple of the night was definitely Brad and Angelina in my opinion, they just always know how to get it right and make each other look good. Brad looked dapper in a simple black tuxedo and Angelina looked beautiful as per usual in a glittery beaded Ellie Saab gown. Unfortunately the famous Angelina Jolie leg pose didn't make it to the red carpet this year. 

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett looked incredible in this embellished Armani Prive dress. She is another celebrity who has been quite consistent across the award seasons but this style really suited her and made her stand out more among the other celebrities at the Oscars. 

Who do you think was the Best Dressed at this years Oscars?

February Favorites

I can't believe February is over already, this month we will be a quarter of the way through 2014! Here are my February Favourites including beauty products, fashion and a few other bits and bobs.


Tanya Burr Nail Varnish in 'Little Duck'

How gorgeous is this colour? I am absolutely loving this colour at the moment, as you will see there is a bit of a recurring duck-egg blue theme in this post. When I went to order a few bits from Tanya Burr's new range I really couldn't decide which ones to get - I wanted them all! But I chose this one and I am so glad I did. It has a really nice consistency and doesn't chip easily, two coats and you're good to go.  I would definitely recommend.



Liz Earle Instant Skin Tonic

I found a sample sized version of Liz Earle's Skin Tonic in my beauty draw and loved it so much I bought the full sized version. I love the smell of this and the way it makes me skin feel after using it. I especially like using it in the mornings as it makes me fell really fresh, bright and awake.


YSL Rose Crush Blusher

This was featured in my haul a few weeks ago and I love it so much! I want to use it everyday but I am rationing myself to once a week so it doesn't run out too quickly! I think I'm only going to start wearing it for special occasions as I will be devastated when it runs out - especially as it is a limited addition.



Charles Worthington Dry Shampoo

I wanted to try this out because I love loads of other products in the Salon at Home range by Charles Worthington, I'm not mad keen on the classic Batiste dry shampoo as I find it too chalky and makes my head itch so I only use it dire emergencies (i.e. when I haven't got out of bed early enough to wash my hair before a 9am lecture) but I do like this Charles Worthington one. It doesn't soak up grease as well as Batiste but that's not what I really use it for, I find it really good for giving my second day (third day if I'm lucky) a bit more umph or spraying it on the roots of freshly washed and straightened hair to give it a bit more volume. It also smells amazing, the smell actually reminds me of Marc Jacob's Daisy perfume.


Topshop Embellished Jumper

This also featured in the haul so I won't go on about it too much, but basically I love the colour, material and embellishments on this jumper. The only negative thing about this is it is a bit of a bitch to clean as it it hand wash only.

London Fashion Week

I big highlight of February was seeing the Autumn/Winter 14 collections, my favourite being London Fashion Week. My favourite show was Burberry, you can click here to see my best bits of London Fashion Week!

Pretty Little Liars

I am so behind with PLL, I started watching in October and pretty much haven't stopped watching it since. I'm in the middle of season 4 and have made it my mission to catch up before season 5 airs here in the UK. If I have a spare hour in between lectures I'll go home and sneak an episode in between. If I fail my degree, blame Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hannah.

What have you been loving this month?

The Best of Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2014

As the fashion world swooped into Italy last week, all eyes were on Milan to see what they could contribute to AW14 trends. The penultimate fashion week didn't disappoint, with all the Italian fashion power houses pulling out all the stops. Below are my four favourite shows from the past week...

Roberto Cavalli

As I adore all things 1920s, this was probably my favourite show from Milan. With beautiful, intricate embellished flapper-esque dresses, big fur coats and stoles and a black, white and grey colour palette the pieces were high fashion but also very wearable. A front row including many Brit stars including Ellie Goulding, Cheryl Cole and Samantha Barks watched on as models strutted down the runway.


Dolce and Gabbana

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's theme for their AW14 collection was named 'Enchanted Sicily', the whole show having a fairytale feel to it with the models walking down the runway to Tchaikovsky's 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' and a collection including a red cape resembling that of little red riding hood, a colour palette of deep forest greens, reds, purples and blues and a finale featuring an army of 'fairies'. The make-up was minimal apart from a subtle winged eye-line and the hair was swept back, with soft curls framing the face.


Dsquared²

Dsquared² isn't usually a show that stands out to me during fashion week, put this season some pieces really caught my eye. I like the deep purples and electric blues thrown into the monochrome and neutrals colour theme and the show displayed many wearable items. I particularly liked the block-coloured shift dresses, the embellished camel dresses and the white skirt suits.


Emilio Pucci

Peter Dundas' tribal themed show for Emilio Pucci has been one of my favourites throughout the fashion show season so far. The show started with some more casual looks, with detailed tribal prints plastered onto dresses, jumpsuits, coats and jumpers with deep oranges, reds, blacks and whites. Towards the end of the show Emilio Pucci showcased some of the most beautiful, intricate and daring dresses I have seen so far in the AW14 collections.

What have been your favourite shows from Milan or any of the other cities? Look out for Sophie's review of Paris FW next week and also don't forget to check out my review of LFW (click here) and Sophie's review of NYFW (click here). 

Haul #2: Beauty

On Friday the 31st of January me and Jess went on a big day out to celebrate the end of our exams and to have a good catch up. We had such a good day in Nottingham starting off with some essential beauty shopping. Then we went to see The Wolf of Wall Street (which was so good!) and then we did a bit more shopping and then went out for a delicious meal at Piccolino's before going back to my house to watch The Great Gatsby on DVD. On our shopping trip we bought so many beauty products so both me and Jess decided to do a haul each (Click here to read Jess' haul). Here are the things that I bought:

MAC
MAC Eyeshadow in Retrospeck

The first product that I bought was a refill palette eyeshadow from MAC in the colour Retrospeck. I have a 15 eyeshadow palette and I had already filled 12 of the slots and I'm slowly building it up to complete it. Jess already has this shade and she recommended it to me so I thought I'd try it out. I absolutely love this shade, it's so glittery and I love a good neutral eyeshadow colour. It goes well with the other colours I have in my palette too, only 2 to go until it's finished!

John Lewis
YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Rose in Tension

After MAC we went to John Lewis which has one of the best beauty departments in Nottingham, in my opinion. I had been wanting a new lipstick for a while so I thought I'd treat myself to a luxury brand lipstick. I decided on a YSL one because I love the gorgeous packaging and the texture of the Volupte Shine Lipsticks. I also really love the colour Rose in Tension. It's a really unique pink colour that can be worn both in the daytime and at night. I haven't stopped wearing it since I bought it!

Boots and Superdrug
Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Celeste

I bought the Apocalips Lip Lacquer because I had heard so much about these lip glosses and I've heard a few good reviews about them so I thought why not try one of them out? (I think they were on offer too which helped me to decide to get one). There were so many colours to choose from but I thought I'd go for a more natural colour and ended up choosing Celeste. I love the pink colour and the wand is such a good shape for application too. The Apocalips Lip Lacquers have some gorgeous shades but the smell of them is quite distinct so if you don't like strong smelling products I wouldn't recommend these.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

When we were in Boots I picked up the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent because my current one has smashed and the lid had broken too so it was impossible to carry it around with me on the move. I decided to get transparent because I use the powder to set my foundation and minimize shine rather than using it for coverage. I love this powder because it looks light and natural on the skin and works so well for the amazing price of £3.99!

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

I am such a mascara lover, so love experimenting and trying new ones out all the time. I love trying both high end and drugstore mascaras and I've had many favourites over the years including the YSL Babydoll mascara, Diorshow mascara and Lancome Drama Hypnose mascara. I have to say that the Maybelline The Falsies Mascara is among those favourites. It really elongates and separates my lashes but also thickens and volumizes them at the same time and it is relatively cheap at only £7.99. If you are looking for a new mascara then definitely try this one out!

Essie Nail Varnish in Shearling Darling

I have blogged before about how much I love Essie Nail Varnishes from how long they last to the colours, I can't get enough of them. I also love the limited edition shades that Essie releases on a regular basis. The most recent limited edition collection was the Winter 2013 collection. I loved all the colours from a sparkly pink to a lilac colour but I decided on a dark purple called Shearling Darling (I also love the names of Essie Nail Varnish). This nail varnish is so pretty and it dries really quickly too.

Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser

I bought this moisturiser from Boots because I love the idea of a moisturiser you can use in the shower and wash off without having to apply moisturiser once you've gotten out of the shower. Although I love some normal moisturisers like various Soap and Glory and Laura Mercier ones, I hate having heavy moisturiser on my skin that I have to wait for ages to dry meaning sometimes I have to not bother at all when I'm in a rush, however this Nivea moisturiser is the perfect solution! I got the one for normal skin and when I got out of the shower my skin felt so smooth and silky after just one use. It was also on offer in Boots with a third off the original price for the 400ml bottle. The scent is sea minerals and isn't very strong or distinct but it is a lovely fresh smelling moisturiser. Overall I would definitely recommend this product for those who are always running out of time in the mornings like me!

Soap and Glory No Clogs Allowed Deep Pore Detox Mask

Recently I have been having problems with my skin and even though it has been clearing up I've been trying to discover new products to help clear my skin and keep spots away without spending too much money, as I already use a few Dermalogica products that can add up to quite a bit of money. After watching Youtuber Fleur De Force, I came across the No Clogs Allowed Deep Pore Detox Mask which intrigued me. The formula heats up when applied and turns blue when you apply it to the skin. You can feel it working as soon as you apply it and my skin felt clean and refreshed after one use. Also Soap and Glory was also a 1/3 off in Boots which encouraged me to try it out.

House of Fraser
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers

I didn't buy the products from House of Fraser on our shopping trip but I thought I'd include them in my haul anyway because I ordered them online around the same time. I bought these eyelash curlers because I'd lost my previous ones and I've heard so many good things about the Shu Uemura ones. Although they are a little pricey at £20 they are supposed to be THE eyelash curlers to have and my first impression of them is that they are amazing! I can't wait to carry on using them and trying them out, especially with my new The Falsies Mascara.

Jo Malone Perfume in Peony and Blush Suede

This has to be my favourite purchase from the entire haul. I have wanted this perfume ever since I first smelled it in Selfridges over Christmas and I haven't stopped thinking about it since! Finally I decided to stop obsessing over it and I actually bought it, and I'm so happy that I did. The fragrance is floral with notes of Peony, Suede, Apple and Rose and it is the perfect spring fragrance. It is one of the most recent fragrances from Jo Malone and has had some raving reviews since its arrival. It came in such a cute box with a nice bow and black tissue paper inside too. I will proudly display this bottle on my vanity table!

Best Dressed at the BRIT Awards 2014

This week has been the week of all things British, starting with the beginning of London Fashion Week (see Jess' favourite runway shows from LFW here), then the BAFTA Awards (see my best dressed at the BAFTAs here) and finally ending with the BRIT Awards. There were so many star studded guests at the awards this year including Pharrell Williams, One Direction, Katy Perry and Beyonce. Here are my best dressed from the BRIT Awards 2014.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked incredible in this sparkly red and black dress Saint Laurent dress showing off her famous long legs. The supermodel presented an award to One Direction on the night. 

Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams was one of the best dressed men of the night in this metallic Lanvin suit. He performed with Nile Rodgers at the end of the ceremony (which was so good!). Unfortunately he wasn't wearing his famous Vivienne Westwood  Mountie hat. 

Pixie Lott

Pixie Lott looked great in this long white DKNY dress with a slit. I love the silver shoes and the small white handbag she coordinated with the dress. Also this style is so flattering on her. 

Kimberley Walsh

Kimberley Walsh looked beautiful in this see through Blumarine rose printed dress. Her makeup and hair looked fantastic as well, as always. 

Ellie Goulding

Although I disliked her red carpet Vivienne Westwood dress, Ellie Goulding looked great at the actual ceremony. She wore an embellished Julien Macdonald gown when she accepted her award for Best Female Solo Artist. 

Beyonce

The best dressed of the night had to be Beyonce, hands down! She looked stunning in a turquoise sequined Vrettos Vrettakos dress. The dress hugged her figure perfectly and her hair and makeup looked just as good. Her performance was the best moment of the night. 

Worst Dressed - Kylie Minogue

One of the worst dressed of the night for me had to be Kylie Minogue. The shiny latex William Wilde dress was just terrible and the huge bow across the front made it worse.  Also the bits of white made it look even more tacky. 

Who do you think was the best dressed at the BRITs 2014?