London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2014

Hey all! I apologise that this is a very brief post. Usually on fashion week posts I like to give a written round up of the shows but this week I've been so busy preparing to move into my uni house that I've barely had time to watch Suburgatory. But I do love London fashion week so I did want to feature it on my blog, even if it is short. So, readers, here are my favourite London fashion week shows of the Spring/Summer '14 season...

Holly Fulton

Burberry Prorsum

Topshop Unique

Mary Katrantzou

What was your favourite show of London fashion week S/S '14?

Regretfully, I must admit that over the next week I won't be able to post as my house does not yet have wi-fi but hopefully I will fix it as soon a possible and I look forward to catching up with you all when I log back on. In the meantime, have a great week!


NG <3

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New York Fashion Week S/S 2014

Firstly, I apologise that this post is a little past its sell by date, as we are already well and truly into the swing of London fashion week. To be honest I've been typing and editing snippets of this post since fashion month began but I haven't had a chance to publish it as I've been rather busy packing up ready to move into my student house. But, late or not, New York fashion week is just too great to ignore. It's time to think about summer, about the colours that you'll be wearing, about the silhouettes that will be flattering your frame, and about the bikini that you will be sashaying around in (oh I do love a good bikini to 'sashay' in before I inevitably trip up). I am still considering what coat I will be purchasing for winter, let alone considering whether to go for a bandeau or halterneck bikini. But nevertheless, as always fashion is forward thinking so it's time to meet your future wardrobe.
Here are my top five shows of New York fashion week S/S '14...

Jenny Packham

Expectations are high when you count Kate Middleton as regular clientele. Jenny Packham is acclaimed for her breathtaking ballgowns but this season Packham gave her designs a retro spin with heavy influence from the 70s. But we're not talking peace signs and bell bottoms-we're talking Packham's grown-up, glamorous take on the 70s. More Studio 54 than Abba. The colour was focused on deep sapphire, sunshine yellow, pastel blue and earthy neutrals. The hair? Big. Hairspray is your best friend. Jenny Packham, I salute you, after all isn't life always better when you're walking on the sunshine?

Kate Spade

I have a confession; at heart I am undoubtedly a prep. Give me plaid, pink and peep toes and my inner Blair Waldorf is ecstatic. So it won't come as a surprise that I adored Kate Spade's S/S '14 show in all its candy crush hued creations. As fabulous as it was varied, Spade had all bases covered from 60s style shift dresses to the ultimate in laid-back chic; a pair of jeans splattered with every hue imaginable. So who is the Kate Spade girl this season? Well aside from a mandatory top knot and a bloody good bag it's all about ladylike glamour. If you can say yes to the question 'would Audrey Hepburn/ Sophia Loren/ Grace Kelly wear it', then buy it, and buy it preferably in the brightest colour available.

Jason Wu

A sure antidote to the vivid hues of Kate Spade and the whimsical delights of Jenny Packham? Enter Jason Wu. Colour was sparse, spare navy blue and gold but the prominent palette of Wu's show was monochrome; oh no, it's going anywhere and rightly so! But Wu added a fresh spin with innocent gingham, given an edge with sharp, structured cuts and unexpected details (note the strip across the chest area on the second outfit). The Wu girl is all about modernity; sleek, practical and powerful and the hair and makeup echo this.

Victoria Beckham

No designer quite masters office dressing like Victoria Beckham, and this isn't just a white shirt and black skirt. The key silhouette of Beckham's show was the flippy, skater skirt, in all its glorious, fabulous form. The fun, not to mention ridiculously flattering, skater is juxtaposed with crisp shirts and structured jumpers. But the fun doesn't end with a flared hemline, Beckham adds a twist with intense colours to brighten up the look. And what power dresser doesn't love hot pink?

Tory Burch

Ah, Tory Burch. How I do love your oh-so-sweet S/S '14 presentation. Any show that mixes lilacs, metallics and basket of flowers is fine by me.  I don't know whether it's the florals or the sorbet shades but this show has a whimsical, ethereal quality to it. How to offset such an angelic wardrobe? Mix it up with soft, flowing sex-bomb hair and earthy 'english rose' makeup.  Make the most of tartan this season while you still can.


What were your favourite shows of S/S 2014 in New York?


NG <3

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Makeup How To; Back to School/University

At school I always struggled to get my makeup just right and strike the balance between 'au natural English rose' and 'drag queen'. Ok, the drag queen part was a tad of an over exaggeration but I did find it a challenge to get a quick, easy and decent look. Even at uni forming a regular makeup routine for everyday is handy. This summer I've been playing around with a few more 'natural' makeup styles (although, I cannot forgo long lashes!) and wanted to share with you one of the looks that I have been wearing the most. It only takes about ten to fifteen minutes so when it comes to uni next year I'm sorted. Although, this is an optimistic view, in all honesty the snooze button will most likely be hit repeatedly until the time when I can hastily dress and just make it to a 9am lecture. A girl can dream though...

 

Step One; Prep skin by moisturising, followed by a primer. If you're feeling and looking extra sleepy (late nights will do that to a girl) then apply a soothing, re-energising cream under your eyes. I love the one from Soap and Glory. Then apply your chosen foundation, I'm using my trusty Clinique Stay Matte in 'Alabaster'. I always apply with my fingers in the morning to wake up skin and mostly for speed.

Step Two; Dust a light eyeshadow over your eyelid. I'm using the cream shade from the Clinqiue Colour Surge Eye Shadow Quad.

 Step Three; Apply a light, messy line of brown kohl pencil above your lashline and use your fingers to blend the eyeliner in and make it looked a little 'lived-in'. I also used L'Oreal Super Liner Gelmatic in 'Black', applying it in the same way as the kohl liner and smudging it in. 

 

Step Four; Apply a good few layers of mascara to your top lashes and lightly press the mascara wand on your lower lashes for a few seconds to add length to them. I'm using Clinique High Impact Mascara in 'Black'.

 

Step Five; Apply Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer to blemishes and under the eyes before blending in. Finish by applying pressed powder to your face, paying particular attention to your t-zone. I'm using Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder.

Step Six; Yes this is a strange facial expression but sucking in your cheeks and applying a bronzer, like Benefit Coralista, to the the hollows of your cheeks, as shown, contours the face. I also apply a pink blush whilst smiling to bring out the apples of cheeks, followed by an illuminating powder, like 17's Shimmer Bricks.

Step Seven; Tame and shape your eyebrows briefly with a brow brush. Then finish the look with a subtle lip colour, such as Maybelline Colour Sensations in 'Pearly Pink'.

 

What  makeup do you rely on for your day-to-day makeup routine?

NG <3

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Date Night

Last night I cooked a meal. Well, I use the term 'cook' very loosely but I did put said dish in the oven so I suppose I can say I cooked a meal on a technicality. The truth in the matter is that I am a terrible cook, I think I blame my dad. He is somewhat of a culinary whizz and so I've never really had to fend for myself. Luckily I just sit down and await whatever Provincial dish is on the line up that day. I was lucky enough last year to be in catered halls at uni therefore food was not a worry. But next year? I'm living in my own house so unless I want to survive solely of tinned soup and the occasional pasta when the mood takes me, I need to start cooking. But last night was important, so last night wasn't the night to start.

Photo from my instagram @natashagregson

My boyfriend's birthday is coming up this week and my parents were away so I decided to throw a romantic 4-course dinner for him and I wanted everything to be perfect, so me cooking wasn't on the agenda for the night. The menu is was as follows;

Pre-meal nibbles; Ciabatta bread with an olive oil dip and cherry tomatoes. It was due to be served with balsamic vinegar also but the clever little chef I am I didn't check that we had any in the cupboard until five minutes before he arrived *FAIL NUMBER ONE*.

Starter; Lobster Bisque served with seeded bread rolls. Thanks the heavens for Baxter's tinned soup, the fact that I laughed when telling him what ingredients I put into the bisque kind of  gave my faux attempt away *FAIL NUMBER TWO*.

Main; Catalan chicken with potato wedges, with help from Sainsbury's bistro ready prepared meals. I nearly got away with it until he heard me popping the film lid *FAIL NUMBER THREE*.

Dessert; Chocolate souffle. Ok, it was fairly simple; remove the packaging and place the pot on the table but surprisingly *NO FAIL HERE*.

Onto the outfit of the night. In the tradition of sticking with fail-safe options for the night I went for a classic LBD.

The dress is from Boohoo, I believe it was only £15, and it's named 'Natasha'. Yes, that was partly the reason for my purchase. The picture isn't amazing quality but I only had limited time to take a few pictures before my boyfriend arrived. In terms of jewellery I opted for classic, delicate styles in silver to complement the dress. The necklace is by Jon Richard, the bracelet's a gift and the earrings were from Primark.

The hair and make-up was also fairly simple. I quickly curled my hair and ran serum though the ends before spraying hairspray on. Make-up wise I wore a slick of liquid eyeliner, slightly thickening the line above the lashes before applying a few coats of mascara and a layer of red lipstick on lips, although it looks pink on the picture!

I hope you are having a great weekend! I'd love to hear what have you been up to so far?


NG <3

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August Favourites

It's September! Which means it's that time of the month again-the time for my monthly beauty/fashion/culture favourites. Luckily this month I've been on a bit of a beauty binge meaning that I've tried and tested a lot of products so I have have rich material for this post. And so I shall begin...

 

V05 Give Me Texture Tousled Style Spray 

I, for one, love a good salt spray. There's nothing quite like achieving that out-of-the-sea wave that Gisele and Sienna do so well. And one great thing is when you've actually styled it to look so in the comfort of your home it can look amazing, whereas, in my case, fresh out of the ocean the only pop culture figure I resemble is Hagrid. V05 are the UK's number one styling range and I've loved their products before so after I saw the adverts for this spray I knew I had to purchase it. It's great for a messy, matte texture that is all undone glamour.

L'Oreal Perfect Slim Super Liner

If you read this blog regularly you will know that I'm a devout worshipper at the alter of eyeliner pens. I find them the easiest eyeliner to apply and this is my biggie when looking for a new one especially as I have a weak eye so when applying eyeliner on one eye I can't see what I'm doing! This L'Oreal liner ticked all the boxes. I was apprehensive at first as I haven't tried L'Oreal products too much in the past and I am very picky when it comes to eyeliner. The pen is highly pigmented to achieve that inky black look and the thin tip means it is ridiculously easy to apply, even for me. I love love love this product. Will I repurchase? You bet!

Essie Nail Lacquer in 'Naughty Nautical'

Ahoy there! I've coveted this nail colour ever since I saw the S/S '13 Essie campaign featuring this polish dripping over a bell. This was my perfect colour for August, the height of summer. The colour itself reminds me of an aqua, tropical lagoon and the shimmer effect makes it all the better in summer as it allows the natural light to bring this polish to life. The brush makes application easy and fuss-free, which I love because I hate to spend forever reapplying. I used two coats and a clear top coat and it lasted for up to a week. In fact I love this nail polish so much it will frequent my nails throughout winter as well as summer!

Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in 'Guavagold'

If you read my recent post 'Matte or Gloss?' you will know that I am a huge fan of lip gloss. This Clinique one was actually a free gift from their recent 'bonus time' gift giveaway and actually is double ended with a mascara at the other end. Talk about a multitasking product! I love the shimmery finish it gives to lips but most of all it's the shade that has me reapplying. It's a pale pink-peachy shade that suits anyone and looks subtle so it suits any make-up look.

BB Thickening Hairspray

There seems to be a recurring theme in this month's favourites; freebies! Who doesn't love a freebie, especially when it's a great product like this BB Hairspray. I got this free in Elle UK and before I was a BB virgin, I know, I know. This product is amazing, I spray it on damp hair before blow drying and it gives long lasting volume and healthier looking hair. The full sized product is £21 which is a little pricey for me for a hair product but it is that good that I'm so tempted to splurge when my tester runs out!

 

Johnson's Baby Light Oil Spray

Hands up if, like me, you are shamefully lazy when it comes to applying moisturiser to your body. To say I'm a beauty blogger I don't use body moisturiser quite as much as I should do. Call me lazy (I am) but when I get out of the bath I just love to get into my PJs and get some sleep! When I saw this advertised I knew this was my solution. The oil is absorbed so quickly and takes little time to rub in so it's the perfect product for lazy girls like me!

Opia at Primark Necklace

My love of blue continues. Aside from the hue of this necklace I adore the bohemian, effortless edge that it gives off. If only I was wearing this on Bondi beach, I'm not much of a surfer girl but I do like to copy the look! The fact that it was £2.50 makes it so much more appealing, it may not last me till Winter but it's so pretty for now. 

What have you been loving this August?

NG <3

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