Autumn & Winter Wardrobe Staples

What staples to invest in when planning your transition from summer to autumn & winter wardrobe:-

White Button Shirt

Monsoon Pattie Shirt

Asos Shirt with Scalloped Collar

Monsoon Sarine Spot Top

Blazers 

Asos Blazer in Wide Check

Asos Blazer in Dark Check 

Asos Curve Exclusive Soft Blazer in Coral

Asos Petite Blazer in Textured Boucle

Blazers can change an outfit from morning to night in an instant. Patterned or block-coloured pieces add a pop of color to any plain outfit.

Chunky Cardigans

Religion Drape Derelict Cardigan

Asos Big Pocket Cardigan in Grey

Perfect for throwing on on a relaxed, crisp night out.

Jumpers & Sweaters

Mango Eyelet Jumper

Boutique by Jaeger Knitted Sweater with Bird Intarsia

Whistles Elsa Silk Mix Boxy Jumper (Sorry, couldn't resist the colour!)

One of the main reasons why I love winter. 

(Dark) Jeans

Asos Ridley Supersoft High Waisted Ultra Skinny Jeans in Deep Indigo
Mango Skinny Jeans in Navy
Noisy May Lucy Second Skin Skinny Jeans

Leather Shorts & Skirts

River Island Black Quilted Hem Skater Skirt

River Island Coated Skater Skirt

Topshop Zip Side Leather Look Shorts 

See Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2013. Leather is everywhere.

Boots

 

Ganni Leather Ankle Boot in Black
Asos Arcade Cut Out Ankle Boots in Oxblood
Asos Astronout Leather Biker Ankle Boots in Brown

A pair of ankle boots would be the way to go to slowly get rid of those comfy, summer sandals. Although I am guilty of wearing these in summer too. Oops.

Tights

Gipsy Heart & Pinstripe Tights in Grey
Asos 80 Denier Tights in Navy
Gipsy Modal Rib Tights in Black

Can't let go of your summer-worn skirts and shorts? Buy some tights. I know I'm not gonna let go of my copius pairs of high-waisted shorts.

Scarves

Cath Kidston Kentish Rose Wool Scarf
River Island Gauze Ladder Scarf in Blue
New Look Cream Stag Print Scarf

Keep a scarf in your bag to throw on for when it suddenly gets chilly in the evening.

I am not saying that buying each of every one at once is economical. If you could resist not to. But if you are planning on building an autumn & winter wardrobe, these would be the way to go.

Autumn/Winter Cover-Ups

Forcibly, a coat should be one of autumn/winter's investments. It will see you throughout the whole winter, and very likely, a few winters that follow. Along with newly purchased ones, of course.

For this season, cover-ups have been spotted on the catwalk in various shapes and sizes. Which one will you be going for?

The Sleeveless

Trussardi

 

Antonio Berardi

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham

What? A coat without sleeves? Yes. What is its use in winter I cannot fully comprehend. However, it does emit that feeling of elegance... Victoria Beckham seems to think so too.

The Oversize or The Streamlined

DKNY

DKNY

Richard Nicoll

MaxMara

What happened to "That size is not right for you. Maybe you should opt for a smaller size?" The charcoal grey DKNY coat has to be my favourite of the bunch. I added the other DKNY one for model purposes. I possibly cannot have a post involving models without including Cara Delevingne. Her coat also comprises the colour block trend.

The delicately falling shoulders give these coats a feminine feel.

For those who prefer to flaunt off their curves... no worries. The streamlined, narrow coats have made an appearance too.

Vivienne Westwood

Louis Vuitton

The Tomboy

For those of you with a masculine ego, fear not. The bombers and parkas are just for you, featuring zip fastenings, deep pockets and hoods. More suitable for a laid-back look, these bring a mellow spin to the cover-up.

Sacai

Rag & Bone

Belstaff

Prabal Gurung

The Richly Hued or The Pale

This highly depends on the individual's attitude. The style risk-takers will find no problem with investing in a crazy or deeply coloured cover-up. Others prefer to keep it low-key, while still making a statement.

Paul Smith

Peter Pilotto

Celine

Hermes

Parabens... and Cancer. WHAT?!

Following yesterday's post about facials, I put together the Parabens post as promised. I must say it left me feeling quite startled... 

Parabens are a class of chemicals that are commonly used in products by cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies. They are synthetically added to prevent microbial growth in the product, which leads to abominable changes. In conjunction with their low cost, this explains their widespread use.

Common products containing parabens are: makeup, economic moisturisers, shaving gels, spray tanners, shampoos and toothpaste. Parabens are listed amongst the ingredients as 'something-paraben', such as propylparaben, methylparaben... to mention a few.

What is of interest is that, recently, they have become a topic of controversy due to being associated with cancer. I was of the idea that they only caused adverse reactions in people with sensitive skin, so needless to say, I was shocked to find this. I'm not going to go into boring, medical details on here and I will link the articles at the end of this post. However, in a 2004 research, parabens were found in breast cancer tumors, and research is still under scrutiny to find whether there is a direct causal link.

Although breast cancer is unrelated to yesterday's post, I found this controversy shocking enough to continue reading. Parabens displayed the strength to mimic estrogen, a hormone known to increase the risk of breast cancer. According to Philippa Darbre, leader of the 2004 research, the parabens in tumors came from something that was applied directly to the skin, such as underarm roll-on, cream or body spray. In fact, only part of the tumor is located in the breast, the rest extends to the underarm.

Moving on to parabens in facial skincare, I must say I was quite disappointed with the limited amount of information provided online. Mostly it just tells you that they are unsafe to use, and lead to breakouts, blemishes... On the contrary, the predominant cosmetic industry is putting forward that they are safe. Not surprised at all. They still need to sell their products, after all.

Big, cheap brands have a sizable, varied supply and to an extent it is understandable that they don't use expensive ingredients for their products. From what I can understand, the reason why certain cheap brands work on certain people but not on others is because the effects of parabens remain dormant. On the other hand, in people with sensitive, acne-prone and problematic skin, parabens cause hormones to go haywire.

I don't know about you, but after this I strengthened my views on organic products and skincare. To a certain extent, knowing that products are being produced from natural ingredients puts my mind at rest. With today's expanding beauty industry, it's not a hassle to find 'cleaner' alternatives.

Related links:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2085585/Parabens-Chemical-everyday-items-needs-investigation-scientists-discover-tumours-ALL-breast-cancer-patients.html

http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=291

http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/worry-about-parabens-00000000028428/index.html

LIEBSTER AWARD 2013

Image from Google

So most of you may be wondering what this post is all about... How can I be talking about any award when I've just launched my blog two days ago?

Basically, the Liebster Award is an award for bloggers who have less than 200 followers. In German, 'liebster' means 'beloved', 'kind', 'darling'... I have been nominated by Nicola and Cookies & Something

I think it's such a prized way of promoting emerging bloggers in this mushrooming blogging world.

The rules of the Liebster Award are as follow:

•  Each nominee must link back to the person that nominated them.
• Answer the 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator.
• Nominate 10 other bloggers you like and who have less than 200 followers.
• Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
• Let them know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

My answers to Nicola's questions

1. What was your last purchase? Real Techniques set & individual brushes this afternoon.
2. What's your favourite item of clothing? My Topshop high-waisted floral shorts.
3. What's your favourite type of chocolate? I love all types of chocolate! But I think most fall under the 'milk' category.
4. Why did you start blogging? I have endless thoughts going through my mind which I think would be interesting to share. Also I'm obsessed about anything related to beauty, fashion and lifestyle.
5. One thing you can't live without? Phone, I think.
6. How many pillows do you sleep with? Three.
7. Do you have any phobias? From injections.
8. Favourite designer/brand? High street: Topshop ; High end: Can't decide without buying! But I would probably go for Marc Jacobs.
9. What perfume are you currently using? La Vie Est Belle by Lancome.
10. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? America.

My answers to Shannon's (Cookies & Something) questions

1. What is your favourite thing about blogging? Sharing with others my thoughts and getting feedback.
2. If you could move to any country in the world where would you move to? London.
3. What's your all time favourite perfume? Lancome La Vie Est Belle.
4. Your favourite place to shop. Topshop.
5. Your favourite animal. Cat.
6. What song reminds you of this summer? Get Lucky by Daft Punk.
7. Who's your favourite artist/singer? Radiohead.
8. What career do you want to have when you're older? Fashion stylist.
9. One item that goes everywhere with you. My phone.
10. Who inspired you to start blogging? It all started from Zoella, but I think the main inspiration for my blog was Anna.

My nominees

Simply Drew Anne

This & That by Claire 

Hayerlily 

Forever Styling 

Pixylinan 

Annabelle 

The A Style 

MwahMakeUp
Wandering of Miss Dane 

La Belle Aventure 

Its All Just Rosie

MY questions for you :)

1. Why did you start a blog?
2. Who is your favourite blogger?
3. What is your favourite makeup brand?
4. What is the one piece of makeup you can't live without?
5. What is your dream future career?
6. What is your pet peeve?
7. Which country do you want to travel to next?
8. Which is your favourite season?
9. Name one item on your wish list.
10. What is your winter wardrobe staple?

Food Note: Stuffed Tomatoes

Having been out since this morning, I skipped my usual dinner at around 16:30 and satisfied myself with some packed lunch instead. However, upon arriving home at around 20:00 I was feeling slightly piggish. I refuse to eat a bulky meal in the evening, therefore I prepared a light snack.

Tomatoes filled with ricotta, tuna, onions and parsley

The caption says it all - all I did was remove the tomato seeds and carve the tomato in a cup-shape, then filled them with: ricotta, tuna, onions and parsley. After, I put these two babies under the grill for five minutes.

The filling depends on your preferred choice.

Please excuse my presentation skills. The taste makes up for it. Promise.

Are facials REALLY beneficial for your skin?

Before I start writing this post, I just want to say that by no means am I saying that this happens at all salons, or that it is going to happen to you next time you have a facial. The images below are not mine - they were obtained from the Singaporean blogger's, Juli, personal website, which I will link below.

Juli's pre-facial picture [scroll down]

                              

Back in the day when I used to have facials, I always wondered how my skin benefitted from all the extraction. My spots just didn't seem to heal. Not to mention the redness that swamped my face minutes after exiting the salon. It was when I realised that I had sensitive skin, and that the facials where in no way contributing to my spots, that I stopped making appointments for such treatments.

As I was reading through some blogs a few weeks ago, I came across this post on BunBunMakeupTips. Not only was I horrified, but I also felt sorry for the woman.

Juli's post-facial picture

She only went to get a sponsored facial after all. It seems that Juli's skin adversely reacted to the products used during the treatment. Having battled highly reactive, sensitive skin about five years ago, I know how daunting it can be. It is all about finding a dermatologist whom you can trust (because you find doctors who misdiagnose). And it's okay to get a second opinion if you're still unsure. By time, you build your own skincare regime and learn which products suit your skin.

If you have highly reactive, acne-prone, or just sensitive skin:

1. Seek a dermatologist's advice. If s/he prescribes you medicated facial/skin products, STICK TO THEM.
2. Steer away from fancy products which you buy just for the sake of their brand name.
3. Check the ingredients. Yes, this can be a humdrum, but it's good to know what constitutes the products you are slapping on your face.
4. Holding on with the ingredients' note, avoid brands containing parabens (I'm planning an entire paraben-related post).
5. Explore organic brands, which are known for their natural ingredients. I did an entire post regarding one of these brands a while ago.
6. Know your skin type! 
7. Don't be tempted by offers or samples. If they're not quite right for you, pass them on to someone else.

If you do treat yourself to a facial and find that it works in your favour, please carry on. There are some highly trustworthy beauty therapists out there.

You should know that facial conditions do clear up, if not exceptionally severe. I'm just not so sure whether it's through the extraction track.

Back 2 School Wish List

Finally it's that time of the year again! And I say 'finally' because I have always been a school girl at heart, secretly eager for the new scholastic year to start.

Whether you are progressing from secondary school to college, or from college to university, you can't help experiencing that liberating feeling of not having to wear those frumpy uniforms. Ever again. A portion of my excitement involves compiling a new wardrobe for the coming months.

1. Asos Aran Cream Jumper - €49.95

Jumpers make me love the colder seasons even more. And what better colour to have in your collection if not cream. Versatile; Goes with everything; Smart. Check. A wardrobe staple.

2. Asos High Waist Denim Tube Pants in Indigo - €39.04

For the lazy days, denim pants immediately smarten up your look in an effortless way. I would recommend going for darker shades, especially for winter.

3. Dr Martens Chelsea Boots in Burgundy - €143.14

A bit on the pricey side, these boots are sure to see you through the roughest winters. Personally, a durable pair of of boots are a winter investment. But if you're on a tight budget, various brands do cheaper versions. Sorted. Meanwhile... Dr Martens I'm watching you.

4. Accessorize Phantom Digital Floral Stole - €29.90

There's nothing better than a floral scarf to brighten up those dull, rainy days. Accessorize do the best vibrant ones.

5. Asos Satchel Bag with Scallop Bar Detail - €39.04

A school-bag with a twist - the scallop details makes it too witty to resist. Why so serious?

6. Rouge Bunny Colour Burst Lipstick in Raw Silence - €24.40

Don't forget a warm lip colour to pull your entire outfit together.