Festival Fever

With Coachella done and dusted for another year, it really does cement the beginning of festival season 2014. When I first began my blog, almost a year ago, my favourite topic to write about (and still is) festival style/boho chic, the hippy genre. I loved the laid back, effortless approach and honestly, I would dress this way everyday if I could. But unfortunately I can't! So I talk about this as much as I can and that's how I get my fix! Over the next few weeks/months I feel festival topics will appear on every blog, fashion magazine/website that we come across, it's just that time of the year. The good thing is I don't know anyone who doesn't like to hear about it :) I will be focusing my attention to boho inspirations, styles I'm loving & looks that I have spotted. I will do this by carrying out the posts festival specific, this is just a small warm up to the season approaching us. 

What festivals are you heading to this summer?

Love C X 

Sweet Velvetine

There is something about this time of year that always makes me want to wear velvet, particularly burgundy velvet. I always have this image in my head of a specific dress; skater skirt, sleeves to the elbow, scoop neck, very simple. But yet I have not found it anywhere. This time I am determined that I am going to find it! 

Velvet is also appearing more and more frequently in high street shops in the form of mostly crop tops and skater skirts. Personally I am not a big fan of crop tops, but the later I love and will definitely pick them up in black and burgundy. I'm picturing a lace top teamed with a dark rose lip to give an overall Gothic feel for the Christmas. 

The biggest shake up in the reviving trend is the breakthrough of velvet boots. These can be bought in virtually any fashion outlet at the minute. My favourite (Christmas wish list!) are from River Island for 65Euro, and will go with everything, therefore completely worth the money. Urban Outfitters is another brand which have lots of velvet options in at the minute. To mic things up a little I've been spotting this Navy Overall Skirt which although is way more than I would pay for a skirt at $110 (roughly 81Euro), I just think that there is something quite special about it and I haven't seen anything like it on the high street. Is it worth the money??

 One of the most influential style sources of our generation, Vogue, has suggested that those who are not entirely comfortable sporting a velvet outfit (sometimes it can be quite unflattering) could subtly embrace the look with the aid of a velvet fedora/jewellery/bag. It doesn't have to be an in your face statement. Vogue recommend investing in the "Rabbit Felt and Velvet Hat" by Maison Michel for $950, which is ridiculous! Pop down to H&M and pick up a brilliant replica for £12.99.

Back in September I wrote a post called Turkish Delight and I spoke about my love for a particular bohemian lifestyle that resembled Turkish and Moroccan markets.I also think this post has something similar to offer in that velvet co-ordinates this style effectively. If you need any more encouraging on the effects refer back to the previous post (link above). 

Love C X 

So Long Summer.......

So it's that time of the year again when we must pack away our white beach dresses and put the fedoras back in the wardrobe for another year. This part of the year is always a particularly gruelling task for me as I find summer style to be most natural to me. I long to live somewhere where it is acceptable to wear high waisted denim shorts (with no tights), a white tank and sandals all year!! So today I hvae decided to dedicate this post on reflecting on particular looks that I have admired, re-created and praised over the past few months. 

As I have already told you all, my style is very bohemian orientated and I love anything that has fringe, a tassle, has an exotic print or rich in colour and floaty. The summer is a great way to express this look but I look forwrad to the challenge of winter and bulking up the layers. I look forward to sharing my experiments with you guys for this coming season. 

Another trend I enjoyed this year was the extensive use of head accessories. Head scarves and jewels were all the rage this year and will continue this as long as I can. If you see a girl in the crowd wearing a head scarf in the snow it will be probably be me!! 

Below are some of my fav head pieces from this summer. 

This coming season I will be concentrating on the off the shoulder, oversized and punk trends. Better start planning my winter wardrobe! Love C X 

Bohemian Nights

Like all twenty-something girls I have been experimenting with various "looks" over the past few years to find a style that not only suits my body shape, but also my personality. Being a size 10 (basic average size) means that I have meat on my bones and this is the where shopping may cause a problem (depending on where you are carrying this weight). I have curves and therefore have never felt overly comfortable wearing tight fitted clothes. My style has also been loose on top and tight on the leg. Skinny jeans were my dream come true, and to this day I still stand by them 100%.But as I have personally evolved, so has my fashion sense and the one look that has always stuck by me has been "BoHo Chic".

 As I get older this look intrigues me more and lately I have found myself expanding this look to all aspects of my life; my home, work, gadgets and covers, decorating. I think it is safe to say that deep down I long to be a bohemian gypsy. When I saw this recent picture it inspired me to decorate my room exactly as it is in this picture, but as I am in the middle of moving I have decided to hold off for the minute but watch this space.....

The high street is a great way to pick up random jewellery such as rings and earrings, but for truly inspiring pieces it is essential to explore back street vintage stores (it is usually the shops that are harder to find are the ones with the best bits). I am very proud of my collection of jewels and other accessories and plan to add a section to this blog displaying them. I promise to post them very soon. But in the mean time I have  been trying to replicate this look. If anyone has managed to succeed please let me know (even though I will be extremely jealous). 

Another important feature in tyring to complete the BoHo Chic look is the way in which your hair is presented. I have two hair straighteners that are NEVER used. Using styling mouse is a really simple and quick way of achieving a tousled look, and along with the use of dry shampoo can be just as easily used at festivals or long weekends away. 

This hair style by Sienna Miller is my hair crush at the minute and I am searching for the quickest way to achieve this look, because lets face it I don't know any girl who has that much time in the mornings to style their hair! If any body has any suggestions on how to achieve this look please get in touch! 

Love C x 

Electric Bloom

Seeing as I recently spoke about what trends are being seen at this summers hottest festivals, it only seems appropriate to talk about how to add some festival fever to your face.  Although slumming it in a cheap tent is all part of the experience, it  is essential for every girl to maintain a fresh glow, it is completely expected at festivals to  break the boundaries with your make up.  Personally I enjoy adding a unique design on the face, particularly around the eye area as this is something that cannot be done everyday and it allows me to be a complete hippy in fields for a few days. But other looks which I will be trying out this summer include this two-tone lip . 

As soon as I saw this photo on Pinterest I knew this was something i was going to have to try. it seems relatively easy, simple but effective. To begin this look, and with all looks including a strong lip, I would first prepare the lips for the product which is just as important as the lip stick itself. Primers are an excellent product for ensuring that the lip colour will stay and that it will also last longer. Personally, I use MAC Prep & Prime fro Lips. I cannot apply any lip colour without using this primer and highly recommend this brand for a true performance of how primers should work. Following this a lip brush is always needed to ensure perfection when applying the lip colour. Again for me I use Mac's 318 retractable lip brush which works perfectly every time. A steady hand is required. Also, while at festivals it is imperative to go a little crazy and do something outside your comfort zone. My comfort zone is red when it comes to shades! Therefore this summer I am going bold with neon pink, I went through a serious MAC phase a few months ago so most of my products in my beauty bag are this brand so the colours I am recommending are MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme. It really does what it says on the box, and stays on ..... for ages! Especially at a three day event you are going to need something that will go the distance so investing in a long lasting product is worth every penny spent. I would find a shade that suits your skin tone (never be afraid to ask for counter assistance, its what they are paid to do) and get either a shade lighter or a shade darker. Grab your lip brush and gently apply the darker shade onto the brush. Whatever shape you decide to create with the products, start to outline on the lip with this design. Practice before you head away for the weekend to avoid wasting time on the first day trying different designs or shades! Also practicing will help you decide on which shade should be placed where on the lip. This look is definitely original and I do not think many girls will think of this so make sure to try this look before someone else does.  

Cheeks are also a great area to decorate when getting involved in all the festivities. I enjoy the simplicity of just simple little black hearts on cheeks and so easily done. Start by picking up/ grabbing you liquid eye liner (I would recommend the liner stick rather than pot liner as it will be easier to apply). Liquid liner will also stay on the face longer as pencil can fade away really easily, and I would use Rimmels black liner. if you already have pot eye liner, never fear! This will work just as well as the stick, it will just require the assistance of an eyeliner brush for precision. Bobbi Brown have a fantastic eye liner brush and its also award winning so you know your in safe hands. To complete this look I would apply a strong eye with the addition of more liquid eye liner above the lid of the eye and and black pencil liner on the bottom and keeping the lips nude.A great mascara to use is Benefits Bad Gal Waterproof mascara. This will allow the lashes to stand out from the large crowd and get noticed!  This will complete the look of the festival reveler. 

Enjoy the festivals guys, Love C X 

Fringe, Florals and Fedora's

So here we are again, Summer, and this can only mean one thing... festival fever. Over the past number of weeks social media has allowed us all to view the onstage antics of the artists bracing the stage. And while the music is a factor in enjoying these events, I think for the ladies its all about the dressing up!

The signature style for all festival revellers, and has been for a significant number of years now has been the high waisted cut off denim shorts with printed tees. this look has become particularly very popular by artists such as Rihanna  and Katy Perry at Coachella. But this year the style stakes have been upped with the new addition of the reviving trends of fringe and fedoras. As a lover of the 70's era I welcome this trend with open arms. Not only has it welcomed the hippiness back into the festival scene but it allows for Boho Chic to to have the epic comeback that it has always deserved. While browsing through  vogue.co.uk last week I spotted these lovely ladies and couldn't help but admire there attire. 

These three girls have all embraced this seasons trendiest outfits effortlessly. My favourite is definitely girl number one who decided that fringe and fedoras were a must, and went with the edginess of black, and biker boots instead of traditional wellies. 

I hope to make Electric Picnic in Stradbally in September so I am starting to pick out my outfits for the weekend now (fail to prepare, prepare to fail!). My favourite high street shops to hit when the Summer is here is H&M, River Island and the forever faithful Pennys/Primark. As festival tickets can be expensive it is important to be able to look well on a budget, especially as the mud can take over and destroy the clothes so remember that when forking out top money. As mcuh as a love going into a shop, trying something on and physically bringing it home with me, lately I have been converted to online shopping and boohoo.com is fantastic for great bargains and fast delivery. There is one particular fedora on the site in black which I feel is a staple piece for all Summer occasions and not just festivals. And priced at only 20euro it really is an investment. 

I shall keep you all updated as to what will end up in bag for Electric Picnic but in the mean time unleash your inner hippy and brake out your fringe! 

Love Cx