Style Crush Of The Week: Mollie King

I wasn't going to blog much this week because I've been really stressed over my dad's ill health but I decided that I would do some posts since it's something I enjoy doing and it takes my mind off things.  I just wanted to say thank you so much to you guys for all your lovely heartfelt good wishes for me, my dad and my family.  It means alot to me to know that you are thinking of me.  My dad is still in hospital and awaiting the stent procedure, which is when they insert a small device into your wrist, feed it up to your heart and it inflates to expand the artery that has become too narrow.  There's a big waiting list so we have our fingers crossed he will get that done soon.  I think more than the physical effects of the heart attack, it has really affected my dad mentally.  He is a big, strong, tough guy from Toxteth in Liverpool and he always prided himself on being a protective and caring dad.  I think this has knocked him for 6 and as a man, he feels vulnerable and unable to care for/protect his family whilst he is incapacitated.  He is a very strong person though and I know he will get through this difficult time and emerge even stronger than before. I will keep you guys updated on how things are going.

I decided to start this new regular post because I'm always spotting celebs with enviable style...be it their own or that of their stylists! Wouldn't it be fabulous to have someone on hand to advise you on what to wear every day!  I'm aware that not all celebs work with stylists and some prefer to put together their own outfits.  I would say that pop stars have the most help in this area because they're constantly being styled for music videos, tv appearances and the like.  They probably pick up alot of tricks and tips along the way and develop their own version of the latest trends.

Someone who has been catching my attention alot lately has been Mollie King from the girl band, The Saturdays.  Girl bands have come along way since the likes of Bewitched and the Spice Girls where they often wore matching (more often than not, ridiculous) outfits.  Nowadays, they like to take a more subtle approach and seem to deviate more towards wearing outfits that compliment eachother but still show their individual personalities.  It always seems that girl bands wear crappy matching clothes when they first appear on the music scene, then as they gradually become more popular and get more exposure, their fashion sense miraculously improves (I'm thinking of Girls Aloud and The Sugababes).

Back to Mollie though, who bears an incredible resemblance to another British beauty, Sienna Miller.  I have to say that I pretty much love EVERYTHING that Mollie wears nowadays.  Her daytime looks are my favourite aspect of her style.  They are quite simple, with hardly any fussy details but I love that she looks so well put together...it's laid back glamour at it's best.  She keeps her accessories basic, a tan belt here...a fine chain necklace there, but there's never loads of fuss.  I always think that women look best when they don't look like they have tried TOO hard.  She seems to base alot of her looks on neutral tones but adds fresher tones with whites and bright colours.  Her shoes are often quite neutral but us girls all know that when you buy a neutral toned shoe, it's gonna go with 99% of what's in your wardrobe!  Who can argue with that???

Mollie is the type of girl we would all like to be friends with, she always looks effortlessly cool...attempting knee high socks can be dodgy but she makes them look fantastic.  I think her style is so accessible because stores like Reiss, Warehouse, Dune and Top Shop are full of these types of pieces so you wouldn't have to spend a fortune to get something similar. 

I don't see Mollie as being a super polished, designer draped, celeb like Cheryl Cole, Kim Kardashian or Sarah Jessica Parker BUT she is a pop star version of the girl next door, she's a regular in the best dressed sections of magazines and I always look forward to see what she's wearing.  She doesn't wear anything Lady GaGa-groundbreaking...but who's wardrobe would you prefer to raid for your everyday life?

Who is your style crush at the moment?

Bad News

Hi guys,

I just wanted to do a quick post to say that I probably won't be blogging much this week because my dad had a heart attack on Friday and he has been in hospital since then.  He is over the worst of it, thank god, and he's on the mend slowly.  It was just a shock to all of us because he doesn't smoke, he doesn't drink that much and he is active and does a fair amount of exercise.  They think it's hereditary so it's the luck of the draw really.  I have been visiting him every day with Chris and trying to cheer him up and keep his mind off things.  His sense of humour is definitely intact because he still has the liverpool cheeky chappy side to him!

When things like this happen, it really makes you take stock of your life and realise how lucky you are to have your loved ones around you.  It's sad that sometimes it takes a shock like this to remind you to live every day to the fullest, but it's something we all have to keep in the forefront of our minds.  

Kim Kardashian Bikini Shoot

Kim Kardashian Bikini Shoot

Here's To....

Here's to...my lovely, handsome husband who always makes me laugh and never fails to make me smile when I have a bad day...

Here's to...Wolverine and his many failed attempts to escape from his cage this week, you have to admire his persistence...

Here's to...a yummy body lotion, Philosophy's Wild Blackberry Blossom, that makes your mouth water when you apply it and is seriously addictive...

Here's to...re-discovering old favourites.  I started using my Aveda Damage Remedy shampoo and conditioner again and I had forgotten how much I love this combo for making my hair incredibly volumised, manageable and shiny...

Cue happy hair pic....

Here's to...slowly making my Jem fancy dress costume from scratch (photos of finished outfit to be posted once completed!)...

Here's to...lusting after dream storage products from Howards Storage World.  I really want this jewellery tidy...

AND this bag tidy for my closet...

AND this bigger hanging jewellery tidy...I want! I want!

Here's to...a song that reminds you to forget the people who have royally hacked you off and get on with your fabulous life...Tali, this one's in support for you...please don't give up blogging!  We love you girl!

Feel free to do one of these posts yourself...I would love to see what other people are loving this week!

Tali's Tag: Would You Rather?...

Tali's TAG: Would You Rather..

I thought this looked like fun so here goes...

Never use mascara again or bronzer again?
Well as I've said many times before, I resemble the above picture when I don't wear mascara (ok...SLIGHT exaggeration but you know what I mean!). So it would have to be mascara all the way for me, unless I could get my eyelashes tinted! I could just use fake tan to get my glow on and skip the bronzer.

Only be able to buy high end make-up or drugstore make-up again?
I would have to choose high end makeup because most of my favourites belong to brands like YSL, Dior and Estee Lauder. If I'm being completely honest, the higher end brands make me feel more special, they often feel and look more luxurious so it feels more like I'm treating myself.

Be In Love or Be Loved?
Oh man, I would definitely prefer to be loved. I don't think there's anything more painful than unrequited love! Remember that crush you had in high school and he never even noticed you existed?...ok, so that was probably more infatuation than love but it hurts all the same. I often think if we displayed the same behaviour now with the opposite sex as we did when we were teenagers, we would be branded as stalkers!ha ha. Writing his name on your pencil case, working out in percentage terms how compatible you are, choosing the same subjects as him in the vain hope of sitting next to him, following him home from school...joke! I never did that...and if anyone tells you otherwise then they're a big fat liar! The weird thing is, 9 times out of 10, these guys lose their looks when they grow up and you're left in awe of the geeky boys who have turned into gods! Ah...you have to love the poetic justice of it all!

Go out with chipped nail varnish or unshaven legs?
Well considering I'm an OCD freak 90% of the time, the chipped nail varnish would be VERY hard to bear. Seriously, if I even get one little chip on my nail, I have to take the whole lot off...I know, I have a problem! However, the thought of going out with unshaven legs would just feel gross to me...unless I could hide them under some opaque black tights! So chipped nails it is (ugh...I just shuddered at the mere thought of it).

Go out with messy hair or no make-up?
Ha ha ha...considering I am a makeup addict, this one is easy peasy sesameesy! I would rather go outside with messy hair any day than without a scrap of makeup. I have suffered years of ridicule and questioning from my family/friends about the fact that I won't go makeup-less but it's part of who I am so I make no apology for it! I like to look put together and well presented at all times so makeup is a must for me. Some girls are lucky enough to be able to go without makeup and look good (my friends being in this category) but I have high coloration in my cheeks which would lead people to ask if I'm:

a) entering the menopause early and dealing with hot flushes or;
b) embarassed about something and blushing uncontrollably

Generally speaking, if your makeup looks fab, it doesn't tend to matter what your hair looks like. Plus I often think that messy hair can look good!

Leave the house with an orange tan or peroxide-gone-wrong ginger hair?
Hmmm this is a tough one as neither of them appeal to me (maybe it would if I was Christina Aguilera circa 2002). I have had a few disastrous fake tan incidents...who hasn't?! So I know first hand the embarassment of going one shade shy of Oompa Loompa. BUT I would say that peroxide-gone-wrong ginger hair would be more expensive to fix and it would take longer to rescue your burnt out hair. So it's with much upset that I choose the orange tan...at least you could exfoliate the bejesus out of yourself to remove it and within a couple of days you would look semi-normal again!

It were Winter forever or Summer forever?
This should be an easy answer...most people would choose summer. HOWEVER, this depends where you live...we all know that summers in the UK are not great and tend to be a disappointment. Plus, I'm actually well climitised to the Scottish weather so I find it hard to deal with mega hot weather and the fact that makeup just slides off your face, you have to apply sun screen a couple of times every day, it's harder to keep your hair in good condition and the sun ages your skin more quickly when it's at it's strongest. I hate to admit it but I quite like winter...being all cosy inside (an excuse to get extra close to the man in your life!), sipping hot chocolate whilst it's cold and snowy outside, building snow men with your pals and having snowball fights, being able to layer lovely clothes and not worry about being in the best shape ever, Christmas and family time...etc. So I choose winter!

Leave the house with dried toothpaste drool or crusty yellow sleep eyes?
Hmmm...neither of these are particularly enticing but I would probably have to choose the dried toothpaste drool because crusty yellow sleep stuff is gross! It used to scare me when I was a kid and I was being told that the sandman came at night to put the sleep stuff in your eyes! What kid would be comfortable with a grown male stranger sneaking around their bedroom whilst they were asleep?! (it's ok santa, you get a pass!)

Give up all MAC or Illamasqua products?
I like both brands but I definitely have more favourite products from MAC...I love their lipsticks, MSF's, blushes and pigments. Illamasqua are a relatively new brand so it would be difficult for them to compete with the likes of MAC who are almost an institution in the world of makeup!

Looking forward to seeing everyone else's answers!

The Prettiest Peach Blush...

I can't say that I've ever been obsessed with blush products, given that I have naturally rosy cheeks, so I tend to stick to delicate shades of pink and peach to flatter my skin tone.  As you know, my current favourite is Benefit's Coralista and I used it non-stop during the summer months.

However I have increasingly been feeling that I need to start using a blush that's more appropriate for the autumnal/winter months i.e. a product without any 'shimmer' particles.  As we all know, the light in the winter months can be harsh and it almost more of a white light than the yellow light you get in the summer months.

Chantecaille is a brand that I have never looked into before as it's not readily available at make up counters in Aberdeen, therefore you have to rely on online swatches/colour descriptions.  It's a high end brand with high end prices (this blush product is £23.00 for 2.5g).  I would say that it's definitely worth doing your research before you buy anything as no one likes to spend alot of money blindly on cosmetics just to find out that the shade doesn't suit your skin tone.  I think we have all experienced that before!

This is Chantecaille Cheek Shade in 'Joy'...

This blush is the most beautiful shade of peachy pink and has been formulated to create 'the most subtly convincing blush of colour'.  It has an incredibly feathery light, fine texture that is so smooth, it almost feels creamy to the touch.  This is definitely a blush product that would appeal to Holly, Tali and Aleksis.

This blush contains vitamins A, C and E and has a soft matte finish that looks really natural on the skin.  It doesn't sit on top of your make up and look powdery like some blushers can, it just blends in beautifully.  Here's a swatch so you can see the loveliness for yourself...

I really love the colour and formulation of this product and it does ooze quality however it's an expensive blush so I would imagine it's only one for those who really are blush obsessed.  You don't get a massive amount of product for your money but the product you do get is top notch.  This blush is very pigmented so you only need to dab your blush brush into it to get the desired amount.  It lasts all day on me without having to re-apply (for reference I have combination/dry skin).  The packaging is very compact and really easy to pop into a small make up bag for touch ups so it would also be great for when you are travelling.

So, in conclusion, if you absolutely love blush and love peachy pink tones, then this product is for you.  However, if you aren't too fussed about blush and prefer something more affordable, then I would recommend MeMeMe, Korres or Sleek blushes.

Have you tried anything from Chantecaille?