McQueen Auction and a Special Beauty Post

I know that I usually only post about fashion and style, but today I am going to make an exception and talk about beauty. I went shopping for some of my essential makeup products, and realized how important they are in a girl's life! So here is my first beauty post, enjoy!!

My daily makeup consists of a thin line of eyeliner on my top eyelid, and some mascara. It's very minimal, but makes a huge difference. It's quick, easy and effective. My favorite products to use are:

Rimmel "Exaggerate" Eyeliner

First off, liquid eyeliner is always the way to go. When I first started experimenting with makeup, I was far too scared to try liquid liner, and so always stuck to pencil eyeliners. Once I got over my fear and tried it, I instantly appreciated the difference that liquid liner makes. I like Rimmel's "Exaggerate" because it's a very rich and dark black, which means you don't have to double layer it for the full effect. Also, it stays on all day, an re-application is hardly ever needed (unless you've gotten water on it and wiped your eyes like crazy). It's no waterproof, but usually doesn't run in water unless you really wipe where the eyeliner is.

Bourjois "Volume Glamour - Ultra Black" Mascara

I have tried dozens of different brands for mascaras that really give your eyelashes volume. Most of them worked, but I ended up with very clumpy eyelashes instead of just full-looking ones. Bourjois was the answer to my prayers! The second you apply the mascara, you can see the difference with your eyelashes, and it doesn't clump at all. I really do recommend this mascara.

Now that the everyday makeup products have been covered, every girl knows that she has evening makeup essentials. It's always great to try out different things with makeup, but we all have our signature look for times when we're in a rush or are drawing a creative blank when it comes to makeup. Here are some of the products that I could never live without:

Boots No. 7 "Stay Perfect" Base

No one should ever apply eyeshadow without applying a base first. This base by Boots No. 7 is by far the best that I've tried. With this base, not only does your eyeshadow stay perfect all night long, but you can even fall asleep and wake up with your makeup looking perfect. It really does live up to it's name, trust me there have been too many times where I've fallen asleep with my makeup on, and it still looks perfect in the morning.

M.A.C "Select" Cover-Up

Everyone wants to go out and have fun after a long, tiring day. No one wants to do so with bags under their eyes. All you need is a dot of this cover up on anything from bags to pimples, and they disappear like magic. I hate the cover-ups that look too white after they're applied, and this one does just the opposite, it blends into your skin perfectly. However, for the best results, you need to use this next product on top of it.

M.A.C "Studio Fix" Powder

I don't usually like powder that you apply to your entire face, but this one is so light that it doesn't even look like you have anything on. I like to apply the powder to my face, and then with a tissue very lightly wipe off the excess in order to maintain a very natural look, while at the same time giving me a clear complexion. It's also great for nights where you're planning to be taking a lot of pictures, because as human beings we have natural oils on our faces that sometimes show in photos, but this "Studio Fix" powder is here to prevent exactly that!

Make Up Forever "Star Powder" Eyeshadow

I bought this eyeshadow 3 years ago because the sales woman was very convincing, I wasn't really interested in it. 3 years later and I'm still using this eyeshadow. It's loose powder eyeshadow and it is amazingly vibrant. It's shimmer really does give it a "stardust" feel. My favorite shade is "Pearl Gold", it manages to go with everything that I wear. Definitely a great buy.

M.A.C "Black Tied" Eyeshadow

I love this eyeshadow because when applied it looks very black, as opposed to the sad grey that a lot of eyeshadows turn into 3 hours after being applied. Also, it has a very pretty shimmer to it, making it stand out more than the boring matte black eyeshadow shades.

M.A.C. "White Frost" Eyeshadow

This eyeshadow is the perfect final touch, just dab a little bit of it under the arc of your eyebrows, and you're ready to go out. It's a beautiful colour, it's very subtle but very effective in highlighting your eyes.

In other news, a few McQueen pieces are going to be auctioned off on the 30th of June. Here are two dresses that are going to be part of the auction:

For more information about this auction, visit Bonhams.

"British fashion is self confident and fearless. It refuses to bow to commerce, thus generating a constant flow of new ideas whilst drawing in British heritage." - Alexander McQueen

Surviving The Heat In Style

Summer is here, that’s for sure. How do we know this? because of the scorching heat outside. Now, the one thing that I’ve noticed is that it’s easier to play around with your fashion sense during the colder seasons, because you’re able to layer and add bits and bobs to things. When it comes to summer though, I feel like I want to be wearing the least possible amount of garments on me, because it is far too hot. Due to this, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to finding ways to look good in summer while still saving ourselves from suffering in the heat.

We all know the essentials for summer: shorts, shorts, shorts! But shorts can get quite boring eventually. Luckily, fashion doesn’t really leave room for boring. I am going to show you how to use the simplest things to your advantage, in order to save from looking plain every day.

Summer Scarves

Who said that scarves should only be worn in the cold? As long as you pick the right scarf, you’ll have the perfect accessory for the summer. A light, colourful scarf will bring life to the plain old tank top and shorts look. It’s an easy look to get, just throw the scarf on and you’re set!

Both available at Topshop

Sunglasses

As we all know, sunglasses have become a fashion accessory. They add brilliantly to an outfit, especially when there’s something striking about them. Pick up a pair in a unique colour, or mirror lens sunglasses, or even ones that are just big. They can also later be used as a hair accessory when pulled up, so it’s pretty much a win-win situation!

Dolce & Gabbana

Ray Ban

Brooches

Big, bold brooches make a huge difference. If you’re wearing a plain tank top and shorts, you can just place the brooch somewhere on the top or even shorts (Don’t just place it at the top where people usually place their brooches, place it somewhere different, like at the bottom or on the pocket of your shorts). This gives a very funky feel to the outfit.

 Both available at Topshop

Sandals

This season, the sandals I have been seeing are far from the standard sandals we were used to. This is perfect, because they really do liven up an outfit. Get yourself a pair of sandals that are different to what you would usually wear, trust me, they’ll look great and they’ll add amazingly to whatever you’re wearing.

Aldo

Kurt Geiger

I’ll leave it at that for now. I hope you all enjoyed this!

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to change it every 6 months" - Oscar Wilde

Tribute Top and Getting Ready For Fall

I was in Saifi Village yesterday, and I decided to look around at the stores. When in Cream, I found this really cute thing they were doing, where they had some really nice tank tops with flags of different countries on them for the World Cup. Amidst those tank tops, I found another one I really liked… and so had to pick up. It’s a white tank top with the British flag on it, and on the flag it says “Tribute to McQueen”. I absolutely adored it, tried it on, and adored it even more. The nice thing about it is that it’s not a standard tank top, and therefore can be worn in different ways to create different looks. It can even be worn as bar casual, or dressed up for a chilled out lounge. Here it is!

I also picked up British Vogue, and saw that regardless of the scorching heat outside, designers already released their pre-collections for fall, and I am going to share the new (or recycled) trends for fall 2010.

Seeing Red…

No, they’re not talking about a deep blood-red, we’re talking about bright, flashy, red carpet-red. It’s back for the colder seasons, and even brighter than ever. I think everyone should own something red this Fall, this way we can all contribute by adding colour to the dark tones of Fall and Winter.

Michael Kors

Valentino

Pull Them Up…

High-waist trousers are still in, so don’t throw them out just yet! I remember very clearly when I would refuse to wear anything but my low-rise jeans, specifically the ones that had only one button. Now, most of my pants are high-waist. What’s the plus side of high-waist trousers? They give you length.

Celine

At Ease…

One more thing that doesn’t need to be stashed in the back of your closet this Fall: the Military trend. It’s back, and it looks like it’s going to make quite a statement. The jackets, the pencil skirts, the earthy colours… I love them! So if you missed out on the trend last time, here’s your chance to sport the look before it dies out for another 9 years.

 Burberry Prorsum

Dior

Roll Them Down…

You better wear your miniskirts every day of this summer, because come fall, they’re not the skirts to be sporting. This fall, it’s the midi length that’s going to be taking over the fashion scene. I know this length doesn’t suit everyone, especially someone who’s my height, but there are ways to pull it off. Note to all my short girls out there: when it comes to midi length skirts, bu6y the pencil skirts, not the loose ones. Buy the high-waist skirts, not the regular ones. And finally, never leave the house without your heels if you’ve decided to wear a midi skirt!

Bottega Veneta

Alberta Ferretti

Jungle Fever…

Unfortunately for me, Leopard Prints are back. I have never owned anything with leopard print, and I doubt I will be doing so any time soon. I usually give in to trends shortly after I’ve seen enough of them to grow fond of them, but my fashion sense will definitely be putting up a fight with this one. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m not that impressed.

Emilio Pucci

 Lanvin

Now that we've followed the fashion industry's rules, and took a quick look at what's in store for Fall, the next few posts will be dedicated to summer, as I'm sure we are all feeling the heat at the moment.

"Happy, happy fashion - there is not much more to it than that." - Marc Jacobs

CFDA 2010 Fashion Awards : Winners

For those of you who remember, I had previously posted the CFDA Fashion Awards nominees. Well, on the 7th of June the awards were given out, and here are the winners!

Women's Designer of the Year:

Marc Jacobs

Men's Designer of the Year:

David Neville & Marcus Wainwright (Rag & Bone)

Accessory Designer of the Year:

Alexis Bittar

Swarovski Young Design (for women) Award:

Jason Wu

Swarovski Young Design (for men) Award:

Richard Chai

Swarovski Young Accessory Design Award:

Alexander Wang

2010 MTV Movie Awards

For those of you who don't know, the MTV Movie Awards took place last night. As always, when we have big celebrity events, we have an endless number of stars who fall victim to fashion-analysis. So here we go with some of the attendees of the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.

Katy Perry

I'm not that fond of the dress, but it's not that bad. The whole "nothing but diamonds" look is getting a little bit boring, if you ask me, because more and more celebrities are going for it, and now it's just a tad over done. The blue hair is an interesting change, and I like the way it makes her eyes pop. The one thing I absolutely HATE about this whole thing has to be her nails. Yellow should not be put on nails in the first place, and matching it with this outfit is just a horrible disaster.

Jessica Biel

She looks absolutely beautiful, as usual. At a first glance, it looks like a very simple and classy outfit: a white shirt tucked in under a black, high-waist skirt. However, when you look closer you see all the fun little quirks about the outfit. I have to say that my favorite part is the belt, it adds a little colour to the outfit while able to stay subtle.

Lindsay Lohan

Her outfit makes me feel like I'm back in the 70's, and someone had a very bad encounter with a disco ball. It's not that bad, honestly, but I don't think it's something to be worn to the MTV Movie Awards, it's more like something you would save for Halloween. I don't really like how there's a very obvious like between the colours, I would have preferred it more if it faded from grey to white

Vanessa Hudgens

I really like this dress on her. It's very cute and feminine, it goes perfectly with her look and personality. I really like the silver on the sides and the embroidery. I can't find anything about this dress that I don't like (except for the fact that I'm not too fond of Ms. Hudgens, but the dress shouldn't suffer for that) so I'm going to leave it with a two thumbs up.

Scarlett Johansson

There is no doubt that Scarlett Johansson is absolutely stunning, and that she always dresses to impress. While this dress is simple and elegant, I'm not a fan of it on her. I feel like it takes away from her height. The dress makes her look like she's being cut off at the knee. Conclusion: the dress and Johansson are both stunning, but separately.

Christina Aguilera

The chains are interesting, and the top of the dress is beautiful. It's the bottom that's bothering me. It's not the style, I really like dresses that are short at the front and long at the bottom, it's the material of the skirt. I don't like how it's shiny, and at some parts multi-coloured. Great top, horrible bottom. But the shoes are great!

Those were the most interesting dresses that I've seen so far, if I come across any more, I'll be sure to post them!

Pictures from: thisis50.com

Fashion is not frivolous. It is a part of being alive today. - Mary Quant

Celebrity Focus: Lady Gaga. News on McQueen's label.

For a while now, I’ve been trying to avoid talking about Lady Gaga when it comes to fashion. The reason behind this is that sometimes I’m not even sure if I like what she’s wearing, or if I think it’s absolutely horrible. However, Gaga is showing up more and more on the news because of her fashion sense, and the Brit Awards in February were the starting factor of me considering finally taking on Lady Gaga’s fashion. So here I am, and here are the dresses:

I decided to start with this outfit, as it was the most simple out of all the ones I picked out. I really like it; I love the low v-neckline and the very fresh pink. The shoes provide the dark, solid colour needed to break the pink, making sure that it’s not too overwhelming. So far, so good for Ms. Gaga.

Although this dress has the basic structure of the previous, including the low neckline and hints of the same pink colour, I am not a fan of this outfit at all. I’m not sure if she was trying to look cute by wearing a Muppet head, but it just looks a bit frightening to me.

Since we’re on the topic of frightening, here’s another one. It’s great that Lady Gaga is unconventional when it comes to fashion, and that she does really well when trying to make a statement. But bondage? Really? Maybe the dress would look alright, but that mask makes her looks like a potential serial killer.

Frightening outfit number 3 consists of a ‘hair-skirt’. First of all, the dress looks like it’s cutting all circulation from her upper body… someone needs to make sure her dress fits before wearing it out in public. Secondly, the hair is really creepy. This isn’t even creative; this just makes my skin crawl.

I really like this dress. I love the origami feel of it. Now this is a bold, statement that I am glad Lady Gaga made, because she pulls it off and looks fabulous without looking plain and boring. This is the Lady Gaga that I would like to see more of.

This outfit confuses me. She looks like she’s naked, and someone wrapped her in bubble-wrap to save her the embarrassment of being nude on stage. I’m not too fond of this one. Some may look at it as art, but to me it just looks like Gaga was trying too hard to shock the world with her outfit.

For some reason, every time I see this picture, I get an image of Chanel’s little black dress. I’m not trying to compare Lady Gaga’s style to Chanel though. It’s just that to me, this picture looks like a more modern spin-off of the traditional Chanel cocktail dress. Very nicely done.

I am absolutely loving this outfit on Gaga. It just oozes this rock star feeling. I think she carries herself really well in this, despite the fact that it’s quite plain compared to the rest of her wardrobe. Sometimes it’s alright to go simple.

I am actually not going to comment on her dress here, because it looks like something anyone would choose to wear, but her hair. The hair looks like it’s ready for appetizers to be put on top of it and served to the audience. I got used to Lady Gaga tying her hair into a bow, but this is too much for me to get used to.

Who wouldn’t want an outfit that shot flames out of the chest? But that’s not the worst part of the dress, moving downwards, it disturbs me how little this outfit covers. Gaga, very few of us are interested in seeing what you’re willing to show, please put it away.

As if that was bad, this is the outfit that drove me to put Lady Gaga in the spotlight for this post. The infamous outfit worn to the Brit Awards. This outfit is obviously trying to make a statement as a response to people gossiping about Lady Gaga being a man. Alright Gaga, we believe that you’re a real woman, head to toe. Honestly, she needs to save a little something for the imagination.

Also, I just thought it would be interesting to mention this: I’ve heard a lot of people comparing Lady Gaga to Christina Aguilera, calling her a Christina look-alike. But has no one else noticed how similar she looks to Judith Light (Who’s the Boss)?

For some closing news, for those of you who didn’t already know, Alexander McQueen’s replacement has been announced. His long-time colleague of 12 years, Sarah Burton, will be taking over the McQueen label. When rumors first surfaced about who his replacement was going to be, I was definitely rooting for Ms Burton, as she had been around McQueen the most, and would definitely do a good job in carrying on with the label.

Also, if you enjoyed my Celebrity Focus post, you’ll be glad to know that I am going to post a Celebrity Focus piece every Tuesday and Thursday, picking different celebrities each time. If you didn’t enjoy the post, however, let me know in the comment box so as to avoid me boring away any readers that I have!

Picutres from thefablife.com

"I don't design clothes. I design dreams." - Ralph Lauren