What Was I Wearing: lazy weekend outfit made good

I don't know about you but when my weekend activities consist of a quick dash to the supermarket and petrol station and changing beds and hoovering and cleaning and many many more boring things like that besides, I don't really feel like making too much of an effort with my outfit. Or my make-up. Or my hair. But even a pair of jeans and a plain tee don't have to be plain and boring, just add a little bling in the form of a statement necklace, like this one from Marks and Spencer:

And a pair of patent pumps, like these from Bloch (via Spartoo):

How do you dress at the weekend?

Lovely Links

This week, I've been reading...

Clockwise from top left: The Beauty Department: How to create coloured dip-dyed hair (via The Glossy Guide); Cotton and Curls: Yellow Gathered Grecian Dress Tutorial; Simply Breakfast (via Where Is Harriet?); Dressing Table Inspiration from Into The Gloss; Bitchy Barbie over at Barbie of the Day; and Wayward Daughter: Half-moon nail tutorial.

What have you been reading this week?

Beauty Review: Dior Addict Lipstick

I'm sure you've seen the adverts starring Kate Moss for the new Dior Addict Lipsticks? Honestly, Kate Moss could probably sell me anything she advertised - I was a huge Rimmel fan during her time there. But now she is encouraging me to try something a little more luxurious and I'm happy to be easily led by the supermodel.

When I was passing through John Lewis one evening after work last week, I stopped to take a look at the Dior stand and before I knew it, I was in the make-up chair and having my face made up. I usually end up going home from a make-up trial session and removing every last drop of make-up from my face. I usually find that they have piled the make-up on and I look like one of those brides who walks down the aisle on her wedding day looking like the drag version of herself!! But not today. Not one bit. I loved the look I was given.

The minute my make-up man put the Dior Addict lipstick in Diorkiss (the shade that Moss wears in the advertising campaign) on I loved it. L-o-v-e-d. It is a wonderfully pigmented sheer lipstick and for the first time, I didn't hate a bright colour on me. Result. The consistency of the lipstick is a little like a lip gloss which means that it goes on easily but doesn't last for hours. But that only means you'll have to get out your beautifully packaged Dior lipstick to reapply!

"My make-up man" at the Dior counter used a lip liner in Candy Rose first. I've always been a little cautious about lip liners, thinking they look a little '80s. But instead he lightly brushed the pencil over my lips, almost feathering it all over my lips to give a good matte base colour. It also helps to keep some colour on the lips when the lipstick starts to rub off a little and before you have a chance to reapply. This is how my lips looked after a few hours of wear:

Of course, when "my make-up man" asked me if I'd like to try some more Dior make-up, I didn't hesitate to say yes! So he tried Dior's Diorskin Nude Compact. The Compact is a wonderful multi-tasking product - something you all know I love. It is a mineralised foundation, bronzer and highlighter that can be used altogether or separately. My make-up man event used the bronzer as a neutral eyeshadow and the highlighter on the brow bone:

To finish the look, my make-up man filled in my eyebrows with an Dior Powder Eyebrow Pencil. I never do anything to my eyebrows (I barely pluck them these days) but I had to admit that they did frame my eyes better:

And finally he added some mascara. I'm really annoyed that I didn't check which mascara he used as it really did curl my lashes beautifully.

*Top Tip from the Dior man: use a little lip balm (like Dior's Creme De Rose which smells divine) before applying any lipstick but allow it to dry first or dab it dry, otherwise the lipstick won't stick.


Have you tried the Dior Addict lipsticks? Or any of the rest of the Dior make-up collection?

Visual Friend Friday: Where I Blog

Source

This is where I wish I blogged from. A beautifully organised workspace all of my own. When I saw this in last week's The Simply Luxurious Life's weekly newsletter, I fell in love (if you can fall in love with a desk!!).

We are currently in the process of house hunting to buy our first house. It is a long and slow process as we work out what we want from our first house and then work out the reality of what we can afford to want. Personally, I would like a little corner where I can set up a desk properly for my blogging. However we currently live in a rented two bedroom flat that we are fast outgrowing and so, this is where I blog:

A leather Ikea sofa in the living room of our flat.

Of course, it doesn't have to be the desk in the first photo, I'd be equally content to sit myself down at this desk too:

Source

When I found out we were doing this post for FBFF this week, I went on the hunt for more workspace inspiration and I found it in abundance:

Sources, clockwise from top left: #1; #2; #3; and #4.

It seems that when I come to creating my perfect workspace in our new house, flowers and an old-fashioned typewriter are what I need to make it mine!

I'm a girl torn between a modern minimalist desk:

Source

And an old-fashioned higgledy piggledy desk:

Source

What does your workspace look like? Whether it's for blogging or any other type of work? Do you dream of how it might be?

This week's Visual Friend Friday is brought to you by Suze of MissVinylAhoy, you can pop over to her blog and see the other places the FBFF bloggers blog from. For more information on the Friend Friday project, you can visit Katy's blog, ModlyChic.

Have Your Say: Black or beige?

When I spotted these Esprit boots over at Spartoo, I knew they were just the thing for the transitional season (or summer, as we like to call it here in the UK!). But then I realised I had a dilemna... which colour? I can't really justify buying both pairs, so do I get black or beige?

Or alternatively, do you think they are ug-ly and I should get neither!!?

Blogger Style Icon: Jessica, of What I Wore

I am hugely excited to introduce to you this week's Blogger Style Icon: Jessica, the girl behind the blog What I Wore and the recently published book of the same name.

Jessica is one of the original personal style bloggers who has posted her outfits every day on her tumblr blog since 2007. Her blog is a delight to "read", her style choices make it a gorgeous record of her everyday wardrobe:

I asked Jessica:

What influences your style choices?

As crazy as it sounds, I try to rotate colors and that's a big motivator for me. For example, if I wear a lot of olive/denim/gray for a couple days, I try to switch it up with brights.  Because I'm photographing (almost) every outfit and posting it to the blog, I try to mix it up.  But then again, my gut feeling when I look at my closet has a lot to do with what I wear too!

DENIM LOVER

Where do you mainly shop for new pieces for your wardrobe?

50s housewife look: à la Betty Draper

I do a lot of online shopping, especially for bargains. I like discount e-mailers like Shop It To Me and flash sites like GILT group.  There are some great little boutiques in town (Bloomington, IN) that I like to browse at whenever I walk by too. Lately I've been shopping quite a bit at Anthropologie and J.Crew as well!


Who is your style icon?

MAD MEN influence

It's ever changing!  Sometimes I'm all about the 50s housewife à la Betty Draper and other times I'm in an Annie Hall mood.  There aren't any celebs that I follow religiously, probably because I just like to march to the beat of my own drum!

 Which blogger is your style icon? 

Most of my favorite blogs are actually lifestyle focused including Rockstar Diaries, Frecklewonder and Dear Baby.  The fashion blogs I read are gals I'm friendly with - Kendi Everyday, Cali Vintage, My Style Pill, Jen Loves Kev, Eat Sleep Wear and many many more!

Jessica is currently on a book tour promoting her brand new book, What I Wore, and hasn't let her style crown slip as she's toured the States:

What do you think of Jessica's style? Which blogger is your style icon? Which blogs to you go to when you need style inspiration?

If you know someone who you think should be included in this series, leave a comment on this post, or send me an email. If you would like to write a guest post for Sugar and Spice about who your blogger style icon is, or any other topic, you can find all of the information you need here.

How to... wear flared jeans

This morning a new pair of bootcut jeans arrived in the post from asos.com - a recent spur-of-the-moment purchase that I'd forgotten I'd even made (got to stop doing that!). But then the inevitable question hit me: how will I wear my new purchase? So I turned to a few flare-lovers and good ol' Polyvore for some inspiration:

First up, Katie Holmes. An all-round jeans lover, Mrs Cruise shows how to do a relaxed look with her flares. Adding a long-line tee with a scarf and a blazer and finishing it off with some heeled boots.

Kate Moss shows us another relaxed look. Preferring to tuck her tee into her jeans and add a belt to bring the look together. She adds height with heels too and throws a slouchy bag over her shoulder.

Next up is Rachel Blison's nautical look. She favours tucking in her Breton tee too and again adds a slouchy bag.

Victoria Beckham takes the casual approach, teaming her flared jeans with a fine-knit jumper and over-sized bag.

Mrs Beckham dresses up her flares her with a simple black blazer and smart black handbag.

Flares and flared jeans were all over the catwalks for Spring Summer 2011. So, my rules for my new flared jeans:

1. Heels are a must. Not only do they simply work but they also help to accentuate the length of your leg, something that the flare itself already does.
2. Anything else goes. Relaxed look? Chuck on a tee. A little chilly? Throw a jumper over the top. Want a smarter look? Add a black blazer.
3. Enjoy the fact that, at least for a day or two, you're wearing something different to your skinny jeans.

What are your top tips for wearing flared jeans?

Mani of the Week: WAH-inspired half moons

This week's Mani of the Week has been completely inspired by these WAH designs:

I've been meaning to try one of the nails pens from the Models Own and WAH nails collaboration and this last weekend, I finally got one from Boots. And tried it out doing my own WAH-inspired half moons:

I used my Chanel Particuliere for a base coat and then the Models Own and WAH nail pen in black to create the look:

What do you think of my half moon design? Hit or fail?

BARGAIN OF THE DAY: Dorothy Perkins Scalloped Hem Dress

This gorgeous, simple scalopped hem dress from Dorothy Perkins would be perfect for a summer wedding or even in the office and it is now only £12!! (Down from £50)

Go on, you know you want to!!

Mirror Image: Coco has a twin!

Last week, I wore my new striped Mango dress, this week I wear its twin sister (the colours are simply reversed). Yes, that's right, I loved it so much that I bought it again*:

My new denim jacket (c/o Joe Browns) has been just the perfect thing to throw on over summer dresses in what passes for summer here in the UK!!

I am wearing: Joe Browns denim jacket; Mango dress; and Blink heels (via Spartoo).

Do you have a favourite piece that you wear so much that you bought two of?

*Would totally recommend buying more than one of a piece if you like it and know you'll get a lot of wear out of it - more particularly when it is in more than one colour/colour-way.

Monday Morning Pic-Me-Up

Nothing better than waking up to the sunlight pouring in through the window...

What Was I Wearing: Saturday Shopping

A couple of week's ago the lovely Hazel of Hazel's World of Joy blogged that she'd ordered a dress from H&M but it didn't suit and so she would give it to the first person to leave a comment on the post. So I left a comment. And a few hours later received an email from Hazel asking for my address. The dress subsequently arrived and yesterday seemed to be the perfect day for its first outing, so I took it shopping:

I think it enjoyed shopping with me!!

I love the strap detail with the three spaghetti straps that tie at the neck to create a halter.

What have you been up to this weekend? After shopping yesterday, I soaked up some sun in a beer garden with the boyfriend. Today has been more sedate, with a quick trip out for a Sunday Roast.

What do you think?

Lovely Links and Links à la Mode

This week, I've been reading:

Clockwise from top left: The Simply Luxurious Life: Why Not... Get Organized? Blogger Style Icon: Grit and Glamour; Street Style London: Stand By Your Man; What Was I Wearing: Royal Garden Party; Forever Amber: Blogging For Bucks: Why I Don't Just "Blog For Me"; and IFB: A Guide To Using Your DSLR For Bloggers.

Style is what you make it. We are all different and beautiful in our own ways. Many of us have different techniques to display how we want to present ourselves. Some people are very "structured" "prim and proper" and live by a color scheme while others go wild with mixing patterns and have the "unpolished" and "don't care" look. It's all about where you get your inspiration from and your personality in general.

Here are some classic quotes on style:

• "Fashion fades, style is eternal." -YSL
• "Fashion is not something that exist only in dresses. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." -Coco Chanel
• "'Style' is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style." -John Fairchild

Links à la Mode: July 21st

• a tout le monde: When You Smile, I Smile
• Adventures in Refashioning: FFB: Fashion, Social Class, and the Ethics of Thrifting
• Angela Osborn: Considering Color
• Beyond Fabric: Pea(k)ocking
• Blogging for Bucks: Why I Don’t Just Blog “For Me”
• Castle Fashion: Fashion Blogging…In This Economy?
• fashioned by love: Seaside glamour
• Fish Monkey’s Writing Stuff: Project Runway returns
• Forever Amber: Blogging for Bucks
• i am sugar-stoned.: What’s Inside My 11’ Cambridge Satchel
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: A Guide to Using Your DSLR for Bloggers
• Leia’s Delights: Sunday Musings: Why Outfit Posts?
• Kirstin Marie: DIY Floral Mary Janes
• LAW OF FASHION: i wore this…to work [cocktail dress + marni coat]
• Lifestyles of the Thrifty and Shameless: Can You Handle Me the Way I’m Are?
• Lily Pepper: Figure Templates
• {morbid glamour}: One Shot: Olsen Twins
• QQueen of Hearts: Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty
• Sugar and Spice: Style Inspiration from Kate Middleton’s shoe rack
• The Fashion Igloo: Geishas like Sushi (Part 1)
• TheStylishButterfly: How Becky Bloomwood’s Wardrobe ended up on my side bar

SPONSOR:
Bikini Sale at Shopbop: Parker bikinis, Tori Praver, Salt Swimwear, OndadeMar, Naelie, Zimmerman, Juicy Couture, Rosa Cha, Vix, Tyler Rose, & Brette Sandler

PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE
If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine