What I Wore: Chester Races, Ladies Day 2012

 

This week I embarked upon my first ever trip to Ladies Day at the races! To be honest I don’t know too much about horse racing but it was a trip with all of the girls from work and so I knew I’d have a wonderful day. I wrote a detailed blog for the Peaches and Cream website to tell you all of the gossip – you can view that by clicking here – but I also thought it would be nice to share a bit about my outfit for the day.

First of all I snapped up a gorgeous vintage dress at the Vintage Showroom in Liverpool. It was a last-minute dash again (do you remember my scramble to find a piece for the Christmas party?) but I found a lovely dress. Mart, the owner, picked this dress out for me and even altered it as I waited. He was really helpful and funny, I’ll definitely be going back to him again. It was a halter neck floral dress with a thick waist belt and long, pleated skirt.

Next, I took to Bold Street and happened to pop upstairs in Soho Vintage. My flatmates had told me about a lovely new Bollywood-themed jewellery shop, Bollywood Bazaar, that had just opened and so I just had to go and explore. I found the most beautiful earrings and some bindis and so I decided to take my recent Indian Princess makeup as inspiration and head to the races as a Bollywood princess! The lady in there, Dipi, was really lovely and we ended up chatting for ages. I showed her the photos of my shoot with Preserved Vintage recently and she recognised one of the models… it was Dana, the face of her campaigns, ha ha! That’s one thing I love about Liverpool, there’s a real sense of community and everyone is linked in some way.

Picking out colours from my dress, I created a smoky eye look using lime green, turquoise, black and purple pigments. I topped up my look with some No.9 lashes from Peaches and Cream, my all-time favourites. Nicola (one of my bosses) had done Amy Childs’ makeup during the week and told me that she’d gone for two sets of No.9s (you can read all about it here on the Peaches blog). I decided that if two sets were good enough for Amy, they were definitely going to be good enough for me! Funnily enough someone asked me at the races if my bindi was a vajazzle so Amy’s influence was with me in lash and in bindi.

All in all I had a lovely day and I was SO glad I’d worn a floor length dress… my feet were killing by about 3pm so Big Mare smuggled me some slippers and nobody was any the wiser! I really enjoyed wearing my bindi and had lots of compliments on it so I think I’m going to make it more of a feature in my makeup. I absolutely love wearing jewellery and love anything that’s covered in gems (no pun intended) so I really felt glam with it on.

I wasn’t the only one who had put a lot of time and thought into my outfit – here’s a photo with me and all of the girls! We’re all quite different and so I think our outfits were really varied which was lovely. Who’s dress do you like the best? Leave me a comment below and tell me.

ASOS Photoshoot with Preserved Vintage – Bollywood Makeup

A couple of weeks ago I teamed up with my friend Lucy at Preserved Vintage for her latest ASOS Marketplace photo shoot. Lucy has a lovely shop in Quiggins in Liverpool but she also sells online on ASOS. The time had come for her to photograph her latest stock and so I was on hand to inject a bit of my latest beauty must-have… Bollywood themed makeup.

Lucy arrived at mine with two models for the shoot, Kim and Dana. They both look quite different so it was interesting to see how different the same makeup scheme could look on both of them. I used a template for both which featured a variety of bright colours, but gave each of them a colour scheme. 

Kim was first for a cool makeover. Her paler skin contrasted the blue tones of her makeup really nicely, making everything look really bright.

Dana was next for a warm makeover. Her darker skin made the warm colours of her makeup look gorgeous, and I went to town with some golden tones for her highlighter.

When styling the girls, Lucy took their colour schemes into consideration and dressed them accordingly. The photos, and – of course – the clothes, were absolutely gorgeous! You can take a look at the entire collection by visiting the Preserved Vintage marketplace. Which is your favourite outfit? Leave me a comment to tell me below. (P.S there’s free post on all UK orders until this Thursday!)

Happy shopping: https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/preserved-vintage.

Festival bracelet stacks on eBay this week!

Isn’t it funny how festivals go hand-in-hand with a boho kind of dress code? Denim comes in many forms, patterned socks trim Hunter wellies, and floral hair bands crown heads everywhere. As well as influencing many an outfit choice, festivals seem to encourage people to go all out with their accessories.

Bracelet stacks are very common among festival goers, with attendees often choosing to customise their coveted wrist band with a sparkly bracelet or two. Inspired by the beautiful (but very expensive) bracelet stacks at Ettika, I decided to put together my own bracelet stacks so that getting the festival feel can be a little bit easier this Summer!

Using a mixture of bracelets, with some from the likes of Topshop and Miss Selfridge, I have created just seven unique festival-inspired stacks. As a personal touch, I’ve decided to name them after seven of my festival loving friends. Here’s the collection – be sure to click the name of the bracelet to be redirected to eBay.

Stack No.1 – Esme, for always looking like she’s going to one…

Stack No.2 – Tanya, for not wanting to cut her wristbands off…

Stack No.3 – Healy, for banging on about them all the time…

Stack No.4 – Robert, for bravely inviting me to one this summer…

Stack No.5 – Madalaine Katie, Glastonbury’s infamous glamorous duo…

Stack No.6 – Katie, for her ability to balance festival chic and scouse couture in her outfits…

Stack No.7 – Stephanie, for her amazing skin jacking at Peaches before Creamfields… 

All of these stacks have a starting bid of just £9.99 and end this Sunday evening. You’ll even get a surprise set of stud earrings to go with your new bracelets, meaning that all of your festival accessories will be covered!

Speaking of festivals, do you remember the interview I did with Sarah Flynn of Phestival? Well, she’s relaunched the Phestival website and it looks fantastic. Be sure to take a look for everything else you’ll need to plan the perfect festival trip.

www.phestival.com

Style vs Fashion: the Liverpool Fashion Week 2012 Debate

Girls in Liverpool have today been upset by an interview with Liverpool Fashion Week organiser Amanda Moss. Speaking to the Mirror, Amanda revealed that for her next fashion week, she will not be selecting models that encompass the classic Liverpudlian beauty trends of big hair, false lashes and heavy eyebrows. Liverpool ladies appear to have taken this as an insult with a few notable figures such as Justine Mills, owner of Cricket, giving quotes to the newspaper.

I can see both sides of the argument for this decision.

• Why it’s a shame…

On one hand, I think it is a shame not to use models of this description because these are really classic characteristics of Liverpool girls. This is a city where girls love to take pride in their appearance and have a ‘look’ that is very special to the city. Of all of the places I have visited, I don’t think I can say that any other city has such a strong ‘look’ or way when it comes to beauty choices. To show this in Liverpool Fashion Week would be a great way to celebrate these trends and enjoy them.

• Why it makes sense…

There is no denying that Liverpool ladies are impeccably stylish; the popularity of these beauty trends and the fact that the city has enough of a fashion following to host its own fashion week is more than proof of that. There is, however, a huge difference between style and high fashion. Style is timeless but high fashion is ever evolving, and in order for Amanda to celebrate new and upcoming trends in her fashion week she must focus on beauty trends as well as fashion trends. Things such as hairstyle and brow shape vary just as much as fashion garments when designers create new SS or AW collections, so models that are something of a blank canvas would be needed to capture these trends.

I met Amanda very briefly at Liverpool Fashion Week 2010 and I remember how passionate she was about the event. She talked about how great it was that a city with such huge fashion potential was receiving national recognition, and she genuinely seemed to love her city. I doubt very much that this interview is a comment on her opinions of Liverpool girls or, indeed, their style choices. It sounds, to me, like a simple clash between style and high fashion.

Get your rollers in, put your St Moriz on and celebrate the quirks of every Liverpool girl by reading my interview with Liverpool’s favourite new tweeter (and self proclaimed ‘Scouse Bridget Jones’) @ScouseBirdProbs.

Dream Jobs – the Fashion Designer: Tanya Maxwell of THIRtEEN

A few months ago, Dale Street in Liverpool (home to the gorgeous Moose café and the inimitable Peaches and Cream salon) welcomed a new house guest… Tanya Maxwell, the flame-haired Irish beauty behind THIRtEEN Fashion. She took her flair for fashion design and built an impressive empire, starting by making Irish dancing costumes for her sister at the tender age of 13 and going on to dress the likes of Chloe Sims from The Only Way is Essex.

Tanya launched THIRtEEN fashion 6 years ago alongside her degree in Clothing, Design and Technology at Manchester Metropolitan University. The line has been stocked in the likes of Liverpool’s famous Cricket boutique and her intimate team of four offers a bespoke dressmaking service as well as ready-to-wear garments. Although her services can usually be booked with a 3 week notice period, busier times such as Ladies Day at Aintree Racecourse can result in high demand periods where as much as 2 months notice is necessary! Telling me all about the brand, Tanya talks sewing machines and NME with me in her usual eclectic style…

For the readers that weren’t fortunate enough to have joined us for cocktails as we celebrated Christmas 2011, remind me about the significance of the name THIRtEEN…
The name THIRtEEN was chosen for a few reasons. My birthday is the 13th, my mum is the 13th child and I got my sewing machine on my 13th birthday!

Do you think THIRtEEN has a signature look or vibe, and, if so, what would you say that is?
I wouldn’t say that we have a signature look as we like to be as wide-ranging as possible, but throughout our collections the signature THIRtEEN dress has consisted of a fitted upper bodice, a synched in waist and skater style skirt with huge underskirt.

Where does your inspiration come from for new collections?
I’m always looking high and low for inspiration for THIRtEEN, whether it be in magazines like Vogue or NME or on TV shows such as the X Factor, The Voice… anywhere! For my collections I like to keep up with what Liverpool girls want but, at the same time, try to put my own twist on it.

Recently your designs have attracted so much press attention from being featured on television stars such as the cast members of Desperate Scousewives and The Only Way is Essex. What does that feel like?
Of course it makes me feel proud when I see my designs in newspapers and televisions, but truth be told I feel equally as proud when one of my girls tags my dress in a Facebook photo before going on a night out with her friends. The publicity has been really good for business as it has projected the brand to a wider audience, especially through the mediums of Twitter and Facebook. We have never had so many customers from Essex, ha-ha!

You used to have a boutique in Quiggins (which houses lots of fashion designers/boutiques) and recently you’ve moved to a shop on Dale St. What are the best and worst things about both locations?
The best thing about being in Quiggins was the community spirit of all the shops in there, but the worst thing for myself was not having the space or environment that I needed to create the boutique I would have liked. The great thing about Dale Street is having the location I’ve always dreamed of (a shop) and, of course, being next door to the most supportive neighbours in the world – Peaches and Cream. The worst thing about being in Dale street is that I have 24 hour access to the shop (unlike Quiggins which would shut at a set time) meaning that I never know when to go home!

As well as stocking your own things, your Dale Street is also home to Minnie Bee, a children’s clothing boutique. What do you look for when sourcing other collections or designers?
The main thing we look for when sourcing our Minnie Bee labels is that we want to be different. Anyone can go to a big chain store and buy designer labels for their little ones; most of the children’s labels we stock are exclusive to us in Liverpool which makes us stand out all the more.

Tanya’s top tips for a successful career in dressmaking:

• Be true to your own style and influences.
• Perfect your pattern cutting skills; if your pattern is wrong, the garment will never be right.

Are you inspired by Tanya’s story or a huge fan of her brand? If so, let her know. She happened to mention that her small team are hoping to expand and suggested that they will do so when they “find the right person”. Who knows, could you be a lucky addition to the number that is unlucky for some – THIRtEEN?

Make sure you check out Tanya’s amazing designs by following her on Twitter and using the link below to visit her Facebook page.

www.facebook.com/thirteenby.tanyamaxwell 

If you feel inspired to go for your dream job after hearing Tanya’s story, remember to read my ‘How to Land Your Dream Internship or Job‘ feature.

More in the Dream Jobs series:

• Dream Jobs – the Festival Fashionista: Sarah Flynn of Phestival
• Dream Jobs – the Jewellery Designer: Sarah Warner of Bits and Bows
• Dream Jobs – the Nail Artist: Scratch Dollface
• Dream Jobs – the Magazine Publisher: Kerry O’Coy of Fused Magazine
• Dream Jobs – the Art Workshop Facilitator: Becky Waite of the Bluecoat Blue Room
• Dream Jobs – the Permanent Makeup Artist: Hayley McCaughran of Blushious Contour
• Graduate Unemployment – Relieve Your Worry! 

Kawaii Storage Tins

Recently I’ve been making an effort to get my bedroom in order (tidiness isn’t something that comes naturally to me!) and so I’ve been investing in nice storage boxes. This week, I was delighted to come across these beautiful kawaii tins by Tokyo Belle.

The first red tin actually says ‘Jewelry Box’ on it and is fairly small and deep.

Inside, there are a few kawaii jewellery pieces including a necklace, ring and bracelet. I won’t wear these but I’m sure I could find them a loving home, and the black packaging is removable to leave a tin which is perfect for jewellery. I think I’m going to use this to store rings because so often I find that jewellery boxes can be a bit too shallow for larger cocktail rings.

The second tin is actually a ‘Letter Case’ and is filled with the most beautiful stationary.

Inside there’s a fountain pen with cartridges, an address book, cards and notepaper and envelopes for both. The girl on the front of the box has long red hair and is even holding a kitten!

As this tin is a little longer and smaller, I think I’ll stick to the rules and keep this beside my bed with letters and photos.

I would love some suggestions as to where I could find nice storage solutions. Have you got any ideas? Please leave me a comment below if you’d recommend any websites.

If you liked these tins, you’ll love this kawaii iPhone 4 case that I got on eBay.

Ladies Day at the Grand National 2012 – the Most Fashionable Guest

Over the weekend, I was working at Peaches and Cream to help out during one of the busiest times of year – the Aintree Grand National. With three days of races, girls flock to Peaches for amazing makeup to accompany their new dresses, killer heels and flamboyant accessories.

On this occasion I undertook front of house duties and worked the desk with Big Mare. It was a really lovely position to see the weekend in because I saw every single girl that came in and out and made sure I took photographs of every transformation. In between answering the phone, selling false eyelashes and cornering everyone with the camera, I found the time to do one very special makeover… a Chanel chic for Big Mare!

Those of you that have read my previous posts about Peaches will know that Big Mare is co-owner Kate’s mom and is a mother figure to everyone in the shop (some clients included, ha ha). She was off to the races on Friday with her beloved Paul and she wanted a nice makeover to suit her lovely outfit. Kitted in a monochrome Chanel attire, I decided that it would be nice to keep her makeup classic and chic just like Coco herself!

Big Mare has got lovely skin, but just to be safe and ensure that I created a look that would bring out her features in the nicest way I used these tips from Kate about doing makeup for more mature skin:

• Apply foundation with your hands. By avoiding my foundation brush, I felt that I gave Mare’s foundation a softer finish and managed to really work it into her skin.
• Avoid too much highlighter. I used MAC Strobe Cream under Mare’s foundation to give her a dewy glow, and then I avoided using highlighter on her cheekbones in case it accentuated any fine lines. I still used it under her brow bone because her skin was great there.
• Go for a soft, blended eyeshadow. Rather than attempting to add any contouring to Mare’s eyes or go for a lighter to darker look, I blended some brown shades to give her a full smokey look. This meant that any fine lines around her eyes were less visible.

I’m sure a lot of you have seen photographs from Aintree (if you haven’t, you can read these pieces from the Daily Mail on Thursday and Friday) but to me the most fashionable lady at Aintree would have to be Big Mare. It was Coco Chanel that once said, ‘a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous’, and I think it is fair to say that she is flying the flag for both!

Thanks for a brilliant weekend Mare xxx

Cocktail Rings For Sale on eBay This Week – HUGE 99p Sale!

Like many others, I’ve been making the most of my Easter break by doing an enormous clear out. Among my possessions are these beautiful rings that I purchased with the hope of setting up a small online shop to accompany my blog. Each ring is more gorgeous than the next, but there’s one huge problem… they’re cluttering up my bedroom and they’ve all got to go!

Could you offer one of them a good home for the very small price of just 99p?

This week I’m selling a number of cocktail rings that I have sourced from a number of places. When it comes to jewellery, I love really unusual, striking pieces that no-one else will have, so I’ve tried to find similar pieces to sell. (The only problem is I am going to be heartbroken when parting with them!)

Using one of my favourite iPhone apps, Frametastic, I’ve put together some collections of rings that I think team nicely with one another. Have a browse and follow the links under the pictures if you’d like to be redirected to the eBay listing. All rings marked with an asterisk (*) have a 99p starting bid!

 Amazingly Aztec

The turquoise ring here is my favourite, but think how lovely the long gold ring would look teamed with a black nail varnish? L-R:

• Gold, Red and Black Aztec Inspired Cocktail Ring *
• Gold and Marble Ornate Oversized Cocktail Ring
• Tribal Turquoise Stone and Gold Pattern Ring *
• Gold and Purple Tribal Cocktail Ring *

 Pretty in Pink

One of my favourite films is Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, and all of these rings seem like they could have been worn by her. The second ring across has been gushed at and admired by everyone I’ve shown my rings to, and the very last ring is one that I own myself… it goes with everything. L-R:

• Dusky Pink Cameo Cocktail Ring *
• Pearl and Gem Cocktail Ring *
• Pink and Multi-Stone Cameo Cocktail Ring *
• Peach Stone Cocktail Ring *

 Kooky Creations

These rings are all a little unusual, they’re definitely all one-of-a-kind. My absolute favourite is this Mexican Sugar Skull ring, it is so unique and has become something of an iconic Mixed Gems theme. I’m also a huge animal lover and love animal-themed jewellery. This little zebra is a keeper. L-R:

• Cream and Grey Zebra Head Cocktail Ring *
• Gold Glitter Leopard Print Cocktail Ring *
• Mexican Sugar Skull Gold and Paint Cocktail Ring
• Crazy Eyeball and Gold Hands Cocktail Ring – SOLD

 Material Girl

The fuchsia colour in all of these rings makes them all look so lavish. That first ring is very strange, it is wrapped in gold wire and could be interpreted as either a Barbie Girl’s dream or even a lovely addition to the earlier Aztec inspired pieces. L-R:

• Fuchsia and Gold Wire Cocktail Ring *
• Gold and Pink Flower Cameo Cocktail Ring *
• Gold and Pink Heart Cocktail Ring *
• Gold and Pink Oversized Cocktail Ring *

 Under the Sea

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the ocean themes that have littered the SS12 fashion collections. What better way to embrace the trend than by wearing a small piece of jewellery for a fraction of the price of the high-fashion brands? The turquoise fish ring is my favourite piece out of all of my rings… I was very tempted not to sell it! I know I featured the pearl ring in another collection but I think it works so well with this theme, too; it’s very versatile. L-R:

• Mother of Pearl and Gold Tribal Cage Ring *
• Turquoise Fish Cocktail Ring – SOLD
• Cream and Gold Dolphin Cocktail Ring *
• Pearl and Gem Cocktail Ring *

I hope you like them, and please take a look at my eBay world for even more rings. What would you style them with? Which are your favourites? I’d love to hear from you – leave me a comment and tell me below.

All of these items end in 7 days so happy bidding and good luck!

This week’s pretty charity shop finds…

For unusual prints and one-of-a-kind garments, sometimes the best place to search can be your local charity shop. Earlier this week, I took to the shops to find a few bright pieces on a budget.

Blouse – £1.50: My first find was this pretty blouse, priced at just £1.50! There’s no label on it so I can’t quite tell who’s made it, but the material is lovely and soft. Luckily, despite it being so delicate, it doesn’t wrinkle easily. I know this because it’s been crumpled in a carrier bag for days and when I took it out it emerged like new. The front of this blouse is pleated and the buttons down the middle are covered, so the blouse is more fun than formal.

Blouse – £1.50: This gorgeous pussy-bow blouse was from the same charity shop for £1.50 also. It is a Marks and Spencer blouse (I can tell from the St. Michael’s label) and is just as soft as the aforementioned number. The bottom of the blouse is gathered, making it perfect to team with smart jeans, and the front is pleated. Although it is smart enough to wear to work, the brightness of the colour makes it flirty enough for a night out, too.

Scarf – £0.50: Yes – you read that right. This little scarf cost me just 50p! The fishes and aquamarine colour scheme are perfect for the ocean-inspired trends of many SS12 collections. It will also come in handy for adding a bit of print to any block colour garments or darker outfits.

After being so happy with these purchases, I got to thinking about other things I’ve purchased from charity shops. Here are two of my treasured items that were once owned by somebody else.

Jumper – under £5.00: I’ve had this jumper for years so I can’t quite remember the price, but isn’t it divine? The print is so striking and the shape is a God send – it hangs loosely from your frame, making it perfect for those days when you’ve had one too many spring rolls with your Chinese take away.

Handbag – under £5.00: Again, I can’t remember how much this was but I know I paid pennies for it. I bought this long before the Chanel-inspired chain handbags infiltrated the high street, meaning that everywhere I went with it people used to gawp! Even now the heaviness of the chains and quality of the leather in this handbag give it the extra edge from any high street replica. It’s the perfect thing to keep me going until the day comes that I can afford the real thing!

2 blouses, a jumper, a scarf and a handbag for under £15.00? Charity shops are the way forward. Not to mention, you’re doing your bit to help those less fortunate along the way.

YSL Arty Oval Ring Replica

As an avid user of Instagram, I’ve noticed for quite some time that the ‘it’ jewellery item of the moment is definitely the YSL Arty Oval Ring. A really unusual piece, I was quite repulsed by it at first glance. After seeing it many configurations and styled in all sorts of ways, I surprisingly warmed to it and had to find one of my own.

Priced at £165.00, I wasn’t prepared to invest. My dream of wearing a ring favoured by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Alexa Chung was shattered. But then, at dinner with one of my fellow Modern Girl’s Guide bloggers, I noticed that she was wearing the ring! Grabbing her hand to have a closer look, she told me that she’d found it for a very reasonable price on eBay… it was a replica. That was that – I was off to find my own!

Sometimes I am hesitant to buy from users who use a standard press image of an item – I somehow feel more comfortable buying from users that have taken real photos of their item. Bearing this in mind, I found The Accessory Stand‘s replica rings quite quickly. She sells the replica in a number of colours – I chose this coral colour because I’ve seen the turquoise one in quite a lot of places and wanted something slightly different. Photographed clearly and on plain backgrounds, I was happy to purchase from her. When my ring arrived, it was wrapped in a lovely gift bag and included a business card that linked to her website and Facebook page.

What do you think of my ring? I think it’s a brilliant replica and at just £5.00 in total, a much cheaper investment!