She Wore What?!

Dress- Asos Marketplace, Bracelets- brought back from a holiday, Ring- a gift

I got this vintage dress from ASOS Marketplace. It's definitely worth checking out, there are people selling new and vintage clothing (though there's a fine line between vintage and second-hand!) It's good for something different and original.

This 70s dress is somewhere between mid-length and a maxi. I wore it with my brown wedges but it's the kind of dress you feel you should go barefoot in! It's cotton and wonderfully cool for the Summer, even though we're not really having much of one up here in Manchester.

Boyfriend and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary yesterday by watching trashy TV and eating Strawberry Cheesecake flavoured Häagen-Dazs. Here's to a lot more years of that!


Love, S
xxx

Were You Watching? Perfume

My favourite perfume, Tom Ford Black Orchid!

 There was a great documentary on BBC 4 last night about Perfume! The first episode in this series was titled 'Something Old, Something New' and focused on two perfume houses and they ways in which they lure their customers.

The house of Guerlain prides itself on its heritage, still using the original recipes, some of them 90 years old. Women who use Guerlain use their perfumes for life, a signature scent. We see Guerlain's owner John-Paul Guerlain and his protégé Thierry Wasser and the carefully thought about decision of whether to tamper with the recipe for the iconic Shalimar.

Tommy Hilfiger on the other half, whose perfume is made by Estee Lauder, focuses on its marketing campaigns and focus groups. We follow the launch of their 'Loud' perfume and their insistence that it's the 'next big thing'.

It got me thinking about the perfumes that I use. My absolute favourite is Tom Ford Black Orchid, it's rich and sophisticated, it's my signature scent. His perfumes feel luxurious and exclusive when worn and Ford's Private Blends give the perfumes an air of elegance harking back to traditional perfume houses. But maybe this is just a clever marketing tool!

My other signature scents, Chloe eau de parfum, Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne and Dolce & Gabbana The One

Black Orchid is a bit more of an Autumn/Winter, too heavy for the Summer, so I introduce my three other signature scents! Watching the documentary I definitely saw myself as a Guerlain girl, (that is until Guerlain's racist comments there's no place for that). For me it's one signature scent, ok so maybe four, rather than the next big thing.

It definitely opened my eyes about the way perfume is made, consumed and conceived. Next week it's Bottling the Memory! Were you watching?!

Love, S
xxx

Nail'd: Playing with Fimo!

So I thought I'd do a post dedicated to Fimo and using it in nail art. I bought my sticks on a bit of a whim from Amazon.

As you can see I've only cut a few of them up. You get a razor in the pack and it takes ages. Really they need to be super thin. I watched a video on YouTube about cutting them which said they should be paper thin!

Here's my first nail art with Fimo...

 Not very adventurous! But I tested out their staying power. I had my nails like this for about a week and they showed no signs of falling off. Of course mine weren't paper thin but I stuck them on my ring finger where they were least likely to fall off.

 To stick them on I just used a paintbrush and OPI Nail Envy which I use as a topcoat. I put a bit of Nail Envy on the bottom of the Fimo piece and placed it onto my nail with the paintbrush. I then held it down with the other end of the brush until it had stuck down. I found that with them being quite thick they tend to raise up at the edges. But a big coat of topcoat (and a long wait for it to dry) and they were stuck down nicely.

I'd definitely advise buying pre-cut Fimo, I know you can find it on Ebay or Amazon. That way you get to skip all that slicing and you know they'll be nice and thin!

Love, S
xxx

Nail'd: Going Dotty!

Finally a Sunny day! So I've given my nails a Summery look with dots and flowers...

Cuticle oil is making my hands look shiny could I copy Wah anymore?! My cuticles were looking a bit shocking!

I didn't copy this from a picture/video (I'm getting creative!) But I was inspired by a blogger who did polka dot nails recently. I can't remember or find who it was (which is really annoying me) I'm sure I commented on it though. (Let me know if it was you!)
I used some Fimo flowers I got from Amazon to make it look really Summery! I'm going to do a post about Fimo sticks tomorrow so watch this space

I also used dotting tools (from Amazon). I used the smallest size and all the dots look pretty much the same size. There are of course some great things you can use from around the home instead of buying dotting tools, a hairpin, paperclip, needle head etc. I'm sure you've all heard it before.

Oh also if you're on Twitter I'd love it if you'd follow me @PeuRenardRoux
Haha! I might have made the whole punk band thing up!

Love, S
xxx

Friday's Fashion Fix: Part Two!

Here's part two of today's Fashion Fix focusing on JOY!

All items from JOY!

This time lovely tribal prints! The back of the green dress is amazing so you should check it out. I'm loving all the jewellery here as well... I want it all!

I especially love this...

Large bee necklace, sigh, if only I wasn't on a spending ban!

Love, S
xxx

Friday's Fashion Fix: Part One!

You're so lucky, two lots of fashion fix today both focusing on JOY the store!

All items from JOY!

Let me know if you want any more details about any of the items featured. First of all I picked out some pastel, girly items, cute and ready for Summer!

JOY is a great alternative to Topshop. Their products are around the same price range and they're great quality. I'm loving the rabbit necklace and the sparrow ring, I'm really into jewellery at the moment!

Stay tuned for Part Two coming up later!

Love, S
xxx

Vintage Finds: Hollywood Glamour

Faux fur coat a family 'heirloom'! Vintage silk top from Vintage-A-Peel

In these gloomy weather days I just feel like staying in and watching old films. The kind that make you wish 'we still dressed like that'. Right now I'd much rather be watching All About Eve than thinking about getting ready for work!

But instead I thought I'd show you some of my pieces that give me a little bit of that old school Hollywood glamour. The faux fur coat has been in my family for years, I love the colour and feel of it, it looks so expensive and it's really warm and cosy. The pink silk top with lace sleeves I got from Vintage-a-Peel they've got some cute vintage pieces.

I love this top, it looks a bit shapeless in the picture but it ties at the waist. I'll do an outfit post of it sometime, I think I'm going to take it to York when we go to the races so I can really dress it up then! There are some vintage stores in Manchester  but I haven't really found anywhere near me that does great vintage pieces so I had to resort to online vintage shopping. (If you live in the Manchester area and you know of any great vintage stores please let me know!)

Love, S
xxx

Beauty Heroes: Liz Earle vs. Elemis

I’ve been using Liz Earle for a couple of years. I have dry, sensitive skin that is prone to breakouts. It doesn’t like anything with harsh chemicals and Cleanse and Polish came as a bit of a saviour to my skin.

I know loads of bloggers have expressed the virtues of Liz Earle so I’m not going go into detail about it. What I will say is that if you’re having problem skin give it a try, there’s only one cleanser in the range because it’s suitable for everyone and gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin (100ml pump starter kit £13.25).

I’d also recommend the toner and moisturiser to really complete your skincare routine. The toner with aloe vera, chamomile and cucumber soothes the skin (£11.75 for 200ml). There’s a choice of moisturisers based on your skin type. I use dry/sensitive which has quite a thick consistency. But if your skin was oily Skin Repair Moisturiser light would be recommended as the consistency is much thinner (£17.60 for 50ml).

Recently however I’ve begun to notice that after cleaning my face has been getting very painful. My skin becomes blotchy, especially on my cheeks and I feel like I’m running for the toner. So I thought I'd steal borrow my Mum's Elemis and try it out.

I love the look of the bottle but was a bit worried about whether it would be full of chemicals.  Their tagline ‘Defined my Nature led by Science’ worried me a little. But I got a wonderful surprise. My skin seems to love Elemis, the Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser (£27.60 for 150ml) which is really gentle and takes make-up off really effectively.

I’ve also started using the Papaya Enzyme Peel once a week (which doesn’t actually peel it’s just a mask) which purifies sensitive skin and has a really great subtle fruity smell (£28.60 for 50 ml). And finally the Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules, (pink (rose) in the morning and green (lavender) at night) are fantastic for hydrating my dry skin, though wouldn’t be suitable for oily skin as their consistency is rich and oily (£59.30 for 60 capsules).

Now after cleansing and even when I wake up in the morning my skin has a much more even tone and feels softer and healthier. As you can see, Elemis is quite a bit more expensive than Liz Earle so I’ve been mixing it up. I use the Elemis cleanser with my Liz Earle toner and moisturiser. 

I’ve not given up on Cleanse and Polish forever I think my skin just needed a break and it just shows that it’s good to try something new in your routine now and then

Have you tried any of these products, what do you think? And what would you recommend?

Love, S
xxx

She Wore What?! Monocrome Madness!

It's Summer Solstice, the longest day but it's raining, boo! Come on Summer give some sunshine to those of us who aren't going away.

I've gone all monocrome today in a Prada-inspired Summer dress teamed with tights (of course) and some little black espadrilles.

Me again!

My dress was from Tesco (just a bit cheaper than Prada then!). My shoes are from La Redoute, they were £25 and I love them. They're not too high so I've been wearing them all the time, they look great with jeans too!
I've blogged about my vintage necklace and brooch, you can check that out here!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Love, S
xxx

I Just Wanted to Say... Thank You

To Beth, for making me her first Friday Favourite :) It means a lot, especially as I haven't been blogging for very long.

You can check Crystal Beth out here! And you should, she's got a fantastic blog :)

And I'm currently loving The Kills new single Future Starts Slow, here it is live.

Happy Sunday!

Love, S
xxx

Nail'd: Wah Nails Inspired Leopard Print!

Hey, I would've posted this earlier but had a bit of a nightmare with my laptop. I had this pretend virus thing which was trying to make me buy fake anti-virus software (grr!). My amazing boy managed to fix it though (phew!) So I've only just been able to read all my lovely comments (thank you!)

Today I decided to try out a leopard print design I saw on Wah's site ages ago, here's my attempt...

And this is the picture which I copied it gained inspiration from...

Credit

Yeah so as you can see my nails are a lot shorter, I love the shape of these nails but long nails always make me feel a bit weird. I think I'm going to try and grow them a bit longer and see how I feel.

Despite that I'm well impressed with my handiwork. I tried using tape to do the two colours to begin with but it was a bit too fiddly for me so I decided to just do it freehand. I've got a bit of a wobbly hand but the pattern over the join covered it!

Now I feel ready for Summer and a bit of sunshine, what do you think?

Love, S
xxx

Friday's Fashion Fix

This week: a little bit of Oriental inspiration!

White dress- Topshop, Fan- River Island, All Jewellery- Shared Earth, Shes- both from Miss Selfridge, Beige Maxi Dress- River Island, Kimono- Oasis, Snissues- Miss Selfridge

I really love kimonos at the moment, especially this one, it's so wearable. You could put it with jeans or with a white dress for Summer days. Being on my spending ban of course I'm not going to be buying it. Instead I've decided that if I really need clothes I'm only going to buy them from charity/thrift shops because it's cheaper and it'll make my search for a kimono more interesting! (By the time I find one I probably won't even want one anyway!)

All the jewellery here I picked from Shared Earth's website. If you've never heard of Shared Earth before I urge you to check it out. The things they sell are handmade, eco-friendly and beautiful. All goods are fair-trade so you know that when you buy something the money is going to the skilled people who made them.

Hope you all have a good weekend!

Love, S
xxx

Friday Morning Whinge Club (better late than never!)

Hello! I had to work this morning and didn't really have time to post at 7.30!

Bit more of a serious moan this week. I was watching This Morning yesterday, a segment of which was called 'Asking for it?' The guests included Nick Freeman, who is of the opinion that by dressing provocatively women are making themselves look available and are therefore partly to blame in rape cases.

You can watch the video here.

I couldn't find the video on YouTube, but if you follow the link you can watch this guy pretty much blame women for getting raped. He can only be described as a complete knob fool. His views of women are Victorian and he makes men sound like neanderthals who are all programmed to rape women who wear short skirts.

Personally I try to dress relatively modestly, but I believe women should feel free to wear what they like. As Slut Walk supporter Lisa Longstaff  says women get raped regardless of what they are wearing.

I imagine pretty much everyone following my blog is of the believe that women and men are equal, but it seems that even in the 21st century there are people who take such an antiquated view. This guy made my blood boil and certainly brought out the feminist in me. If you've seen it or have taken the time to watch it I hope that you feel the same.

(On a lighter note I loved the part where Phillip Schofield picks up the paper and asks Nick Freeman if he thinks his daughter looks like a slut!)

Love, S
xxx

In these times of Austerity...

DIY Chanel logo tee

In exactly 25 days time I will be unemployed, unless I’m offered a full-time contract (but recession blah, blah, blah!) I’m feeling very slightly worried about the prospect of being jobless. But I’m hoping something will come along soon (and so should you, if I don’t have a job I’ll be posting crap on here all day long!)

Secondly there’s a slight chance that maybe, possibly, perhaps, conceivably, imaginably, it may be that one day me and my boy will be living together. That is if he doesn’t change his mind in the meantime! So this means I’m supposed to be saving incase this actually happens (while he’s living it up at uni!)

So anyway I have decided that until I have secured some more permanent employment I’m going on a spending ban! Wish me luck because I’m gonna need it! 

Love, S

xxx

She Wore What?! Easy Cheesy!

Hello! Happy Wednesday!

Thought I'd start with a montage of me (how vain!), imagine some cheesy 80s music in the background...

You haven't really seen much of me since I started blogging, so I hope this will make up for it!

The reason I took all these pics was to show of my charity shop bargains. Unfortunately they didn't like being photographed when I was wearing them.

That tunic was £2.75 and has never been worn! I'm not really sure what to wear it with so any suggestions will much appreciated!
The big tacky gold necklace was £2 and I had to have it, plus it looks great against the tunic.

Finally this week I'm loving...

Nicola Robert's new single Beat of My Drum. My boyfriend hates it (I can understand why) but I think it's pretty infectious and makes you want to get up and dance. It also adds that little bit more cheese to this post!

Love, S
xxx

Fashion Icon: Rosamund Pike

Bonjour, hope Monday is treating you all well!
Thought I'd start a little feature about the people that inspire me, to begin, Rosamund Pike.

Credit

Rosamund Pike is understated and beautiful. I love her voice and the way she can pull off any look. The pictures that I have chosen here are taken from the Guardian photoshoot where she has been dressed in the style of Grace Kelly (another icon of course!) Also from the film An Education and from the adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love.

Credit

 So I've clearly picked pictures where Pike has been styled by someone else. But for me it's the way she wears these clothes that we can all learn something from. She oozes elegance and can pull off looks from any era.

Credit

 An Education (images above) is one of my favourite films, and one I'd highly recommend. That early 60s style is captured wonderfully by Odile Dicks-Mireaux who sourced the outfits from vintage dealers and costume houses.

Credit

This picture is taken from BBC 4's recent adaption of Women in Love, Pike is elegant and sophisticated in this 20s drama. She typifies the sophistication of a bygone era.

Well I hope you're all feeling inspired! And let me know, who are your fashion icons?

Love, S
xxx

Nail'd: Totally Tribal!

Hey! I just want to say thank you to everyone who has commented on my posts, I really appreciate them and they always make me smile :)

Thought I'd try out tribal nails next. This involved much searching around YouTube for a video easy enough to follow but still with quite an intricate design. So here's the result...

This is the video I used, it was easy to follow, the quality was good and you could easily change it to suit your own style! I chose to do it in the same colours just because I could but I think it would look good in blue and yellow.

As you can see I had to change the design a bit to make up for the fact that I have really short nails. I have to say it looks better in the picture than it does in real life. But seeing as most people see my with my nails waving around rather than up close I don't think it's too bad!

Hope you're all having a good Sunday, let me know what you think of the nails!

Love, S
xxx

Friday's Fashion Fix

This week: animal print, but not as we know it!

(L-R) Feather Headdress- River Island, Wolf tee- Urban Outfitters, Feather print skirt- Topshop, Sandals- River Island, Feather Earrings- River Island, Necklace- River Island, Ring- Asos, Feather print tee- Topshop, Navajo style bag- Etsy, Ring- Asos

Something a bit different from the classic leopard and zebra prints, and many pieces I've fallen in love with!

And as promised my pink jeans...

I dyed some old jeans white, with inspiration from last week's Fashion Fix. I used Dylon hand dye in Powder Pink. It's a bit brighter in real life, but the colour is very even (thanks to me stirring it in the sink continuously for 15 mins!)

So what are you lusting after? Got any DIY plans for this weekend? Or any ideas about what I can wear my new jeans with?!

Love, S
xxx

Friday Morning Whinge Club

Well this is it guys, your chance to bitch about everything that’s been getting you down over the past week!

I got the idea from work. A team in the office have  a weekly Friday Morning Whinge club. It’s their chance to have a good old moan about everything that’s been getting them down, usually whilst eating some tasty treats. Unfortunately I won’t be providing food (you can get your own!) But I am offering a place to moan freely about anything!

This week I’m moaning about George at Asda (and other clothing shops in general)

 

I got this dress on Wednesday from the George section in Asda while I was doing some food shopping. Normally I really like George clothing, you can get some great pieces, especially from the G21 range, which has clothing to rival shops like Topshop at more purse-friendly prices. I often find that people ask me where I got my clothes from when I’m wearing something from Asda, I definitely think its range is better than those from other supermarkets.

However, the picture that you see of this dress is the only one I could post of me wearing it. Anything full length would’ve been quite frankly indecent. I got home and tried it on to find that it was completely see-through, COMPLETELY! Even with white underwear. It’s nice but... and yeah it’s a big butt!

I don’t understand how clothing stores think it’s acceptable to sell something which is pretty much unwearable.  I’d have to buy another dress to wear underneath it to actually be able to go out in it!

But Asda isn’t the only store that does this; I’ve noticed lots of other high street stores cutting corners with their cheap see-through clothing. Another culprit is Topshop, I mean I’m all for layering clothing but when I buy a t-shirt I don’t expect to have to buy something else to go underneath it to protect my modesty! What’s worse is that they’re overpriced for how cheaply made they are.

So anyway I’ve checked the dress out on Asda’s website and lo and behold you can’t see the model’s underwear in the picture. Hello! I can’t Photoshop myself in real life, how do you expect me to wear this?! So I’m going to do the right thing and complain, I’ll let you know if I hear anything back!

Phew! Getting things off my chest has definitely made me feel better, so please feel free to get moaning! (Oh and don’t worry if it’s not Friday or the morning!)

Love, S

xxx

My Day Off: In Pictures

Hello Lovelies :)
Just want to say thanks to all my followers, I was really excited to reach the 20 mark, and I'm looking forward to gaining more (hopefully!)
So as a bit of a get to know you I took a few pictures to show what I've been up to.

I finished making my boyfriend's card, it's his birthday Sunday, he'll be 22, which means he's my toyboy! It's not exactly my most artistic creation but I'm putting money in it so he won't complain!
I also did some recycling, I made these earrings out of some old jewellery I don't wear anymore. I like the challenge of using old jewellery, you can get some bargains from the charity shop and make them into something new and unique.

Smoked salmon salad for lunch (yum). I had to take the salmon off the salad to eat it , I can't have things touching! And the wonderfully summery fragrance Country Lemonade, even though I lit them during a thunderstorm. I love Yankee Candles, if you've never tried them you're really missing out. My favourite fragrances are the food and spice ones, especially Pomegranate Cider, but the big jars are a bit pricey!

Did a bit of shopping and came away with way to many biscuits and a dress from Asda. (There'll be more about this tomorrow- remember to think about what's been getting on your nerves this week in preparation!)

And finally, I started a bit of a (quite literally) rainy-day project dying some white jeans (which I've never worn) pink. I got them in the Next sale years ago, I'm not really sure what I was thinking, me + white trousers = not good! I'm a bit clumsy, especially when it comes to spilling food on clothes. So I thought I'd take inspiration from last Friday's Fashion Fix and get myself some pink jeans on the cheap. I'll post the results tomorrow!
Finally my boyfriend came back from uni in the evening (he's at Liverpool so I don't get to see him all that often). We watched True Blood, which he says he doesn't enjoy but totally does. Can't wait for series 4!

Phew! Hope you've all been having a good week, let me know what you've been doing, started any rainy projects lately?

Love, S
xxx

Guilty Pleasures: My Louboutins

I probably should've called this post The Dangers of Impulse Buying! I know, shocking right?! I just couldn't help myself (and if you're thinking about asking price related questions, please don't, it's something I'm trying not to think about!)

 

 

I bought them as a present to myself when my contract got extended at work in February. Some things in life you just have to have, you shouldn't feel like anything in life is inaccessible. I don't have a mortgage or children so I thought I should treat myself while I still can. (Am I justifying this to you yet?!)
So tell me, what are your guilty pleasures (come on, it's not gonna be as guilt-ridden as mine!)

Today I'm having a lazy Wednesday while the weather decides to make up it's mind, thunder and lightning or sunshine! I've taken a few pics so I might do my day in pictures tomorrow, oh and get your moans, whines and grievances ready for Friday, you're gonna be needing them!

Love, S
xxx

Nail'd: My very first Leopard Print Nails!

Happy Monday! Back to work, can’t say I’ve missed it though!

So nail art- it seems to be becoming increasingly popular thanks to the fantastic Wah Nails, people posting their designs on their blogs and step-by-step YouTube tutorials. Now even the complete amateur (i.e. me) can give it a go!

To be honest the thought of nail art used to conjure up images of the tragic 90s stuff at my local salon.  But having watched the leopard print tutorial on Wah’s website I was convinced. I ordered the Wah Nails and Models Own nail art pen and scoured the internet for nail art ideas. I’ve got a long list of youtube videos and images I want to try and recreate and share the results with you. Hopefully as I gain more confidence I’ll be able to create my own designs.

So first off leopard print...

 And this was the video I found the most useful...

Personally I'm quite impressed with the results considering it was my first attempt (they do look better in real life). It was really easy, you can't really go wrong with leopard print because its all squiggly lines- good if you don't have a steady hand. I'd definitely recommend it if you're a first-timer like me, leopard print is cute and classic and looks great on your nails!

Let me know what you think?  Are there any designs you think I should try out?

Love, S

xxx