Wednesday 29 February 2012

Wednesday Wishlist #08 - 29/02/2012

The one when it was Leap Day......

There is quite an amount of stuff on my Wednesday Wishlist this week considering how much (little) cash there actually is in my bank account at present. But, I cannot remember for the life of me when was the last time that I did one of these recurring Wednesday Wishlist posts. Anyhow, whenever that may have been, stuff has been safely accumulating on my 'window shopping' list since then. Some of the below are downright necessities whilst all the rest are luxuries that probably will become necessities too at some instance :)


1) Wildfox Couture silver sparkle heart baggy beach jumper - I am fixated with all things Wildfox at the moment, if I could I would buy everything from their 1970s inspired collection. I have narrowed it down to two items...... for now. This is a great simple jumper with a flattering baggy shape. I love the sparkly heart in the centre and the boat neck. This will look very well over some skinny jeans and my Kurt Geiger ankle boots for a casual pulled together daytime look. For an evening, you could always swap the boots for some heels.
2) Wildfox rose gold plated winged earrings - Another beaut by Wildfox. Staple earrings should be a part of any woman's jewellery wardrobe I think, even if your not extraordinarily into jewellery. If you don't fancy wearing any other piece of jewellery, wearing gigantic earrings alone can be a immense statement in itself.
3) Fossil Maddox black leather purse - This Fossil purse has alot of space for cards inside, perfect for me, as I have a mammoth number of those. I am hoping to save up for this as quite frankly I am very bored of my current Coach wallet.
4) Antica Murrina cuore emozione blue necklace.
5) OPI skull and glossbones nail lacquer.
7) DKNY be delicious 30ml EDP.
10) Models Own Beetlejuice emerald black nail lacquer - I don't particularly get along with Models Own nail polishes, but I'll have to make an exception for the much hyped Beetlejuice collection.
11) Waldo Pancake A4 blank inside notebook - This notebook has everything I adore...... is by Waldo Pancake, has a catchphrase and is slickly quirky.
12) Galibardy white enamel coffee cup with brass detail - A must have for a tea/coffee-holic like myself.
13) The Help by Kathryn Stockett (paperback).
14) MAC Viva Glam Nicki Minaj l/s (satin) - Everybody on my Twitter timeline keeps talking about it and apparently its very bright, so, why not ;)

Mim xo

Tuesday 28 February 2012

London Fashion Weekend - Friday 24th February 2012 :)

Outside Somerset House, Strand.

LFWeekend large banner.

View from south wing.

The infamous River Box housing extensive majestic jewellery, a nail bar and a whole wardrobe of Essie :) we also had access to free 'unlimited' smoothies as soon as we walked in, sweet.


This is it, finally, my LFWeekend blogpost. N.B. Please do excuse the tenor of this post, I am writing this while feeling wholly off my head and I am also in need of a desperate big shot of strong black coffee...... I am ludicrously wasted!!! Sorry xxx

Firstly, I have to say, I was not intending even in the slightest, of attending LFWeekend this year whatsoever, as I was saving my dough to try and get me and my bf tickets to London Jewellery Week 2012, but hey ho, considering I did not have to fork out no extra money in getting myself in as I won a pair of LFWeekend tickets via a Twitter competition and due to a clash of affairs, Jewellery Week will be having to wait till next year anyways, I thought why not, and decided to spend all my Jewellery Week Ticket savings on this designer shopping on the cheap extravaganza. To be honest with you, I am so glad I won those tickets! I had an extremely A-W-E-S-O-M-E day

I am having a frugal couple of months so I held my horses on the spending thus I did not end up buying too much. Oh yeah, however, this did mean that I had to snub some Vivienne Westwood sunnies that were reduced from £190.00 to 75 quid...... gutted :/

Last year, I broke my 1970s style sunglasses by Accessorize in Istanbul and although I still have my aviators by Storm and some retro oversized sunglasses by Mango, I like to have atleast a couple of decent eye wear options to keep me going throughout the summer months year in year out.

These clean, edgy, 60s influenced sunnies were an instantaneous grab as soon as we walked into the Boutique by Jaeger's designated space. Luckily, at £25.00 they were well within my budget. Moreover, considering that I was on the hunt for a replacement since last year I could not bypass these (especially not after having walked away from the VW one's earlier). The lady that took my order told me how she has had exactly the same sunglasses that I picked up since last year and that they are still in A1 condition; that was a thumbs up for me, as I am outstandingly meticulous and conscientious with what I buy. I will pick quality over quantity anyday.

The odds of me coming back with no jewellery certainly does not exist and I jumped with joy straight after I caught sight of the River Box. Inside, it is a palace fit for a jewellery enthusiast and despite the lack of funds I managed to infiltrate through it until I hit upon this stunning faceted semi precious gemstone 24k yellow gold plated ring by Didi Colley (HoF blogpost soon). The ring has an uncanny resemblance to one of my favourite set of stacking rings ever but at a meagre portion of the price.


Overall, I had a lovely day and inspite of the lack of funds, it in no way at all encumbered my entire LFWeekend experience :)

I think I will have to hit the sack soon, sooo wasted ;D

Mim xo

Monday 27 February 2012

Oscars 2012 - Angelina Jolie.

Angie in a black velvet strapless Atelier Versace gown with flattering red lips!

Mim xo

♥ Keep Calm And Carry On ♥


A full on week is pretty hard to come by in my present life (no job, no money, no fulltime routine), but last week was a hectic week to say the least. I had a huge tower of pending stuff/job applications to do pretty much every single day aswell as surviving a two and a half hour trek to see my bf all day Thursday. Come Friday, I went to London Fashion Weekend, the annual consumer event held at Somerset House, Strand. I was undoubtedly excited from the moment I won a pair of tickets for me and my +1, courtesy of Elizabeth Arden and Debenhams Beauty Club, to when I finally came back home after an awesome day of trudging in my heels! I am not going to talk too much about LFWeekend right now as I want to save all of that for a future blogpost which will be fully committed to it, (mini haul too!) Oh, I have to say though, some of the things that I saw at LFWeekend were U-H-M-A-Z-I-N-G, including the jewellery, oh my, the jewellery :O

On Sunday, I put my best slap on as I had to attend a friend's wedding reception that afternoon. I don't have any decent quality photo of my dress, jewellery, accessories, hair and makeup on me at the moment, as they are all still on my camera which decided to die on me this morning (grrr...) but I took this picture using my phone straight after coming back. It is a shame it is so awfully blurry and you cannot make out much without becoming cross-eyed :/


Anyways, this was my lip combination for the wedding...... which obviously wore off in the above picture.

Revlon super lustrous wild orchid l/s.
Revlon colorburst hot pink lipgloss.

I also tried out my new Collection 2000 perfect finish foundation on Sunday. I am the shade 5, Honey. I mixed one pump of this with my Clarins hydra-matte lotion - combination skin. As somebody who does not wear foundation at all and only wears tinted moisturisers somedays, N.B. I do NOT have perfect skin, if anything my skin has always been a pain in the a**, I am astonished at how much I really really like this. Combined with my trusted moisturiser, this felt extremely lightweight on my face and left a dewy, airbrushed finish without making me look like a bag of greasy chips. I think this is the end of the road for my affair with MAC face and body foundation. Mine ran out last week and to be honest with you I simply cannot afford the majestic 25 quid price tag at the moment. No worries, at £4.99, the Collection 2000 stuff will hardly break my purse, sweet :)


I am not morphing this post into a beauty product review thing or anything, I am hardly a Beauty Blogger at the end of the day, but I have to give a shout out to my good ol' Blinc mascara in dark brown. I am a mascara snob as I only ever wear the Blinc mascara ever since its discovery, which was a year and a half ago. The only other mascara that I own is the Avon superfull one which has probably dried to nothing as I have had it for yonks. I have relatively sensitive eyes, makes sense as I have sensitive skin too aswell as having Keratosis pilaris on the backs of my upper arms; and the Blinc one works a treat without instigating an irritation of any nature. Plus, like alot of other mascaras, this one isn't a biatch to remove.


Now that the sun is out more, its imperative that I resume wearing coloured mascara. I'm thinking the Blinc mascara in dark green. Anymore colour suggestions for dark brown eyes??

As for the title of this post and the beautiful shot of the blue enamel mug at the beginning, a Xmas/New Year present from my bf, I think the viral 'Keep Calm And Carry On' epigram ties in very well with my hectic last week :)

P.S. I am lusting after this Sam Ubhi vintage style turquoise stone gold-tone brass statement ring......


Mim xo

Tuesday 21 February 2012

NOTD and HoF: Its a harmonious life......

This post was scheduled to go up yesterday, but surprise surprise, Blogger fail :/ anyways, here is the post how it was meant to go up originally:

China Glaze lemon fizz nail lacquer.
925 sterling silver moonstone above the knuckle ring.
Gold multiple charms ring (my mum's).
Oversized coral statement ring.

Thought I'll quickly show you my nails/rings that I have been rocking out all day today. Normally, I don't opt for wearing such a bright in-your-face yellow on my nails (maybe except for when there is a heatwave), but after being blessed with some much needed sun rays and Vitamin D for the last while I thought why not and deemed it apt to let loose my China Glaze lemon fizz nail polish, which I bought last summer before my holiday to Turkey.

The oversized coral statement ring was one of the presents given to me by my little sister on my last Birthday and I actually really like the battle between the equally overriding yellow and coral colours, very summery in my opinion. As a major winter lover I am very surprised by how much I am actually looking forward to summer this year, I really hope the sun is here to stay :)

House of flies:

Harmony engraved vintage brass ring by Zara Taylor.

I get easily drawn to anything meaningful...... absolutely ANYTHING, from books, epigrams etc to stationery, jewellery etc. That is probably why the next ring on my brass jewellery hitlist, is this solid beauty by Zara Taylor, a designer whose vintage themed jewellery won my praises since the time I discovered her via Fearne Cotton. All I need now are the funds to afford this and then I am good to wear it all the bloody time :) this would be a majestic addition to my Zara Taylor jewellery collection which also includes the peace brass earrings that I including in my Wednesday Wishlist #2 - 28/12/2011 blogpost.

P.S. I think this is off the hook, a recreation is well underway.

YSL couture manicure.

Mim xo

Sunday 19 February 2012

V Day nail ideas and other.


Just a quick post today as I am busy getting on with a very time consuming undertaking. Something I want to get round to telling/showing you in a post entirely of its own, fingers crossed sometime next week (preferably after my rendezvous with Mr. DJ).

After my previous blogpost here, last night before crashing out I quickly put pen to paper and sketched a few Valentine's Day nail ideas. I am a big doodler so these collectively took me only a couple of minutes. I am aiming for something very simple and easy as I don't have much time to create anything spectacular as I'm having a hectic week next week.

Idea 1.

Idea 2.

I could certainly come up with more ideas...... could even create a whole portfolio if I wanted too actually, but I don't have too much time on my hands and to be honest with you I actually cannot be bothered :P If you do know of any simple, easy yet attractive Valentine's nail art, or maybe you created one yourself, please do signpost me!

Also, here is a snippet of one of my DIY lip glosses, something that I have indulged in making since I was thirteen years old :)


I would like to share more personal posts with you in the near future (as I do describe my blog a lifestyle one), but sadly nothing too exciting is happening in my life at the moment. I graduated last autumn and since then I have been desperately seeking a much coveted job. Due to lack of funds I have had to put a major stop to my once blossomed social life and spend my weeks saving up money to go and see my 104 miles away bf :( All my best/close friends are either still at Uni, in full fledged employment or are getting married :D one of my best friends from school, Kitty (my nickname for her) is tying the knot in six months time!!! Thankfully, I'm seeing her face next week!

P.S. I am in awe of this quote, said by one of my many favourite authors, as it describes the way I see things perfectly.

"To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with" - Mark Twain.

Swanage beach (2010)

Mim xo

Saturday 18 February 2012

Pastels/Valentine's inspired nails and other.

Without flash.

With flash.


After feeling very uninspired with my nails yesterday, I elected to keep them very simple and chic by painting them with two generous coats of Avon luxe lavender nail polish leaving out the ring finger. I remember watching Samantha Schuerman's (one of my top youtubers!) dots and hearts nail tutorial two days back and decided to copy her accent nail considering she painted the rest of her nails with Orly's lollipop nail polish which coincidently was a Siamese of luxe lavender by Avon. I used Barry M's strawberry ice cream nail polish (which is gorg, don't show it enough love) all over the ring finger as I don't have Essie's Van D'Go in my stash and created the heart using my dotting tool and a tippex-like cheap white polish. To me, this is a cross between the pastels trend and the Valentine's theme which is still very much in attendance. This has kind of given me an idea for my own nails for Valentine's Day in an uncanny way. I know Valentine's Day is over but me and the bf have still not celebrated, yes, I spent Valentine's alone :'( seeing him next week though! :) Overall, I really like this simple design and I will adopt it more often on my lazy sofa-date days ;)

Also, I would like to say a BIG thank you to Kirsty over at Starry Eyed Blogs for giving me a mention in her 'Blogging Heaven: Follow Friday 001' blogpost! Seriously, I am very very very honoured. My blog is my own personal lifestyle scrapbook on the interweb and considering it used to be set to private ages ago and even after making it public I had disabled the GFC function for a long while, I have met some really lovely people, like Kirsty, through it. I am grateful to all those that do follow/leave comments/talk to me on Twitter etc, a big cheers to all of you xxxxxx

Please follow Kirsty if you don't already, she is ace :)

Talking of Valentine's Day, I have found my perfect plumping lip gloss for the day!


Fashionista plumping lip glaze in Hollywood...... a bright pink! But moreover I like the way this product makes my lips feel.

I haven't checked out the Fashionista cosmetic line fully since it erupted in my local Superdrug. Any suggestions/advice on what I should/should not spend my cash on?

Earlier, Elle UK tweeted this picture showcasing the new Dominic Jones spike rings, I was helpless and had to retweet!

Ring

Hope everybody is having an awesome weekend.

Mim xo

Friday 17 February 2012

New watch :) DKNY ceramic watch.

All good things come to those who wait......

DKNY lovin.

DKNY ceramic watch.

Since I was thirteen years old I have envisaged a DKNY watch decorating my wrist. A vision obviously too far fetched for a thirteen year old, but my love for Dior, DKNY, Vivienne Westwood, Mulberry and Ted Baker is a long term affair. I appreciate the aesthetics behind these houses/designers and have done so for years. DKNY in particular was my stepping stone into the world of high fashion, so in no way was it a surprise that my first ever luxurious timepiece would come straight from the designer who I have spent adoring throughout my teen years.

I bought this watch on the back of a hardcore saving spree (lol), but it was a purchase that was going to occur at some point anyways, the sooner the better really, and its not just that, the watch is honestly worth every single penny. The solid build is a true reflection of the price you pay and the majestic exterior is compliment worthy. Regardless of the weight it holds, it is comfortable, easy to put on and very high quality. I am so chuffed I took the plunge... finally!


I also love the DKNY tan croc effect leather wallet, money soon please.


Ok, I'm off to paint my nails now using this, luxe lavender nail polish by Avon and then settle for a late movie with the boy after dinner :) P.S. I'm going to London Fashion Weekend next week! Anybody else going too?

Mim xo

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Giles EEK nails and HoF: Yellow gold bow ring by Imogen Belfield.

Basecoat: Sally Hansen diamond strength instant nail hardener.
OPI banana bandana nail polish.
Barry M mushroom nail polish.
Orly au champagne nail polish.
Black Sharpie.
Topcoat: Barry M 3 in 1 nail paint.

I have taken inspiration from the Giles EEK nails video tutorial by Sophy Robson many times before to create similar nails, but yesterday I decided to add a contrasting, bright yellow shade just to branch out from my Trends - Neons post that I wrote yesterday. As much as it is a colour I don't naturally fancy wearing, I actually quiet like the yellow as one of the two alternating colours on this instance; though ofcourse my Ma does have a contrary opinion. However, I am still not prepared to go to the full length of painting all of my nails yellow just yet.

Inspite of owning an extensive collection of nail lacquers/nail wraps/nail art material, I still cannot get enough of them. Right now I have my eyes set on the beauty which made it to Lisa Eldridge's top favourite nail colours.


Jade is the new black nail polish by OPI (released as part of the Hong Kong collection).

I am totally not into wearing black nails whatsoever, but according to OPI, jade is the new black so......

House of flies:

Yellow gold bow ring by Imogen Belfield (RRP £72.00).

Smothered in a generous plating of gold, this bow tie ring has been on my wishlist for yonks. Aswell as an everyday ring, I reckon it would also make a delightful engagement/promise ring as it is timeless, contemporary, unique and dramatic all at the same time. This ring is an epitome of how beautifully angles can be used to offer dimension to a piece of gracious jewellery.

Roll on payday! Not that I am implying in anyway possible that I have finally found a much coveted job lol, but you get my drift.

Hope everybody had a lovely Valentine's Day! I am going to eat another one of these delicious cupcakes, watch episode 6 of The Royal Bodyguard, read more Jane Eyre and then try and crash out :)


Mim xo

Monday 13 February 2012

Trends - Neons.


1) Rare Fashion zip back chiffon top in rust.
2) Me & Zena *love-o-meter* heart spinner necklace in silver.
3) Designer sexy women's denim skinny jeans in Malibu Blue.
8) Illamasqua collide nail polish.
9) Waldo Pancake A5 upside down notebook.
10) MAC lady danger l/s (matte).

Truthfully, I am not the biggest fan on the globe of the neon trend if we strictly speak of clothing, and despite that I have indulged (still do) in wearing neon clothing in the past, a very rare occasion obviously, I much rather inject a few elements of this trend into my personal everyday style via other methods. For me, fashion is nothing compared to style and style is comfort. Though, I have to say, I really like the Topshop short sleeve burn out tee in sugar pink. It is sooo up my street and is a brighter alternative to the Topshop pink tonal fleck tee that I featured in my Trends - Pastels blogpost here. A definite purchase :)

I indirectly, very briefly touched on this trend in my previous post aswell, (totally unintentionally, believe me) but now looking back at it, I must add that the Identity block colour watches that I blogged about fit faultlessly with this trend too; how convenient, cos as like all Identity watches, the block colour ones don't break the bank.

I am completely glued to the neon jewellery, accessories and makeup...... even stationery. As a stationery junkie and a lover of Waldo Pancake's creativity, eccentricity and wit, I love the A5 upside down notebook. That is me down to a tee! Also, the Me & Zena *love-o-meter* heart spinner necklace is a striking way of getting in tune with this trend. It has most of the colours you could think of and will look lovely when worn with the right top, a plain tee/blouse in my opinion. How cool is the orange fluro cracked leather satchel? Up close, you get to really appreciate the cracked leather finish. I also like the outfit that ASOS have styled the satchel with on their website, very well put together I have to admit.

If your looking for a red lipstick to wear with your neons, may I suggest lady danger by MAC? Ok, its not conventionally very 'neon' I know, but who cares lol, it has strong neon-like undertones which I adore. As for that Ted Baker Maybell printed matinee purse, that is not very neon either, but Mim likes a little bit of Ted Baker, especially when they have the bright red TB enamel hearts on the top. The bright champion pumps I do love and I will wear, wear very soon actually as they have already made it to checkout.

I would love to read your opinions about the neon trend and how you slot it into your daily fashion without looking OTT, I can do with some inspiration this year :)

P.S. I have started adding links to where you can buy the things that I talk about in the blogpost from, I hope it is more helpful that way incase you did see something you like and wish to buy.

Mim xo

Sunday 12 February 2012

Identity block colour watches.

From left to right:
FASHIONOLOGY.NL silver bead bracelet
Vintage gold cubic zirconia and pearl bracelet
Sawyer & Scout silver bead charm bracelet
Identity London block colour watch in white

It is one of my life's goals to own either a ICE-watch, a Toywatch, or both! Basically, to cut a long story short, I am a chronic watch wearer, I have worn a watch factually allllll my life. I am one of those people that feel naked without a watch and I naturally feel out of depths if by any chance I leave my watch at home......lol. Having said all of that, I simply cannot afford neither an ICE or a Toywatch at the moment, but, I found a purse friendly watch which works as an ICE-watch/Toywatch dupe for me :)


I love these unisex block colour watches by Identity London. I bought my first one in white at the start of 2011 but as I have a ultra small wrist it obviously didn't fit and I couldn't figure out a way of removing the links either. However, after months, my bf managed to resize it for me (apparently it was very easy lol) and since then I have been sporting my Identity block colour watch everytime I head out the door! Right now, there is a special offer at Argos where you can pick up two Identity watches for 16 quid (normally, they are a tenner each).

Hello red and blue :)

P.S. I was randomly looking for some more nail art inspiration on the web when I came across these nails.


In my opinion, I think it is a very clever, slightly more 'futuristic' take on the classic French tip manicure. Regardless, it is awesome and a comfortable way of incorporating neons. I am somebody who is forever shying away from neons therefore I will definitely give this one a go. I even have the nail polish that I will use in mind, collide nail varnish by Illamasqua, which is a bright neon pink that dries to a satin finish. Also, as a tech geek, the futuristic aura is extremely enticing!

Mim xo

Thursday 9 February 2012

Valentine's Day nail art design inspired by e.l.f.

With flash.

Without flash.

Basecoat: Sally Hansen diamond strength instant nail hardener.
Essie size matters nail polish (pinky, middle, thumb, flowers).
Orly au champagne nail polish (ring finger, index finger, dots).
Nails Inc little Miss Splendid nail polish (leaves).
17 pink grapefruit nail polish (hearts).
Barry M mushroom nail polish (dots on index finger).
Topcoat: Collection 2000 sparkle topcoat.

I watched the tutorial on how to recreate the flowers and hearts nail art here after seeing this picture on the e.l.f. UK blog.


I used products that I already had lying around but after watching the tutorial I really want the e.l.f. hot pink and golden goddess nail polishes! Golden goddess would make a striking glittery topcoat!

Try it yourself, it was so quick and simple :)

Mim xo
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...