Time to spring clean your wardrobe!

After the Spring/ Summer '13 Fashion weeks last year, it's safe to say that we all should have seen at least one article in a magazine on the trends that were seen. However, I've put together a list of the top six just to condense them to an easy- peasy shopping list for you!

1. ORIENTAL
Ok, so basically I love Asians, I think they're amazing at pretty much everything and not so secretly wish that I was Asian. JUST TO PUT IT OUT THERE. But anyway, there is a definite oriental feel coming from the catwalks and shops even at the moment, I myself bought a blue oriental- style blouse from Topshop last month, so it has slyly been creeping in. Love the trend, I think the patterns really spice up Spring/Summer more than usual. So I've found you a couple of examples below from Topshop that you might like.

Oversize Porcelain Bird Shirt- £40.00
Buy it here  at Topshop

Premium bird embroidered shirt- £65.00
Buy it here at Topshop

2. CROPPED
Sometimes we all feel like having a lazy day, off from waxing and shaving and just want to wear jeans in Summer! So to give yourself that cheeky little edge to a pair of jeans, crop! Avoid rolling them up, it does not always look as good as you think. But there should be plenty of fab options soon as the Spring/Summer trends hit the stores. Also, cropped tees are back and as long as they're not inappropriately small, they can make the best casual Summer item.
NOTE: The Seamed Ankle Cigarette Jeans by Urban Outfitters below- LOVE.

BDG Seamed Ankle Cigarette Jeans- £50
Buy here at Urban Outfitters

Poppy 'Eye See Everything' Stud Crop Tee-  £10.00
Buy here at Boohoo

3. WHITE/ MINIMALISM
White is a trend that reappears EVERY Spring/Summer purely because it is the colour that is most associated with a Summer's evening- for example Daisy in the Great Gatsby in her flowing white gown- to get a bit nerdy. There are UNLIMITED options for this trend, everywhere you go. But I managed to find this absolutely cute, cute, cute dress at New Look for the amazing price of £27.99 so I thought it HAD to be shared. It's sweet and simple, a perfect quick Summer buy.

White crotchet lace 3/4 sleeve skater dress- £27.99
Buy here at New Look

Casual Seam Detail Tee- £32.00
Buy here at Topshop

4. SIXTIES

So, Cara is wearing Moschino which I wouldn't call particularly affordable, but it's Cara and I love her, so it had to be done.

Cara Delevingne - VOGUE

5. SHEER/ MESH
Again to link with the trend of Summer WHITE would be sheer, mesh and chiffon fabrics as I believe we've really had enough of black this Autumn/ Winter and personally I need to get out of the comfort zone of black twenty- four/ seven! So this cute, white sheer blouse would be a good start if you're like me and are seeking a slightly cheeky alternative to the conservative den of your black clothing.

Sparkle & Fade plain long sleeve chiffon shirt- £32.00
Buy here at Urban Outfitters

Leanne Cropped Crotchet Metallic Foil Top- £10
Buy here at Boohoo

6. FLORAL
Floral- another Summer repeat. I will be scavenging amongst my wardrobe very soon to pull out all the floral gear from previous years, but here's a couple of examples to help if you haven't been the most flowery person in the past and fancy a change.
NOTE:Whilst searching for floral examples I came across this River Island dress and it is ONLY £10 on reduction. One of the best buys I've seen for a long time, so GET SHOPPING?!?!

Black floral print structured dress- £10.00
Buy here at River Island

Floral Pleat Front A-line Skirt- £38.00
Buy here at Topshop

Little White Lies flower child floral print - £85.00
Buy here at Urban Outfitters

Voila! Hope this helps!
Happy shopping, 
Love Emily X

Origins face masks

Origins is one of the most established and best brands for skincare. A majority of their products are highly commended and rightly so. After reading so many rave reviews online i had to get my paws on the three most popular masks and having testing them out for a little over two months i thought i'd share my thoughts.

Origins Drink Up mask £20 (buy here)
Having dry skin this product suits me extremely well. It has a cream, almost gel-like, formula which is easy to distribute evenly around the face so you only need the tiniest amount to cover your face and neck resulting in the regular 100ml tubes lasting a while. (I've had mine since early january, use a it twice a week and reckon i've only used a quarter of the tube.) The mask is extremely rich and tackles those nasty dry patches during those cold months. A must-have for all those with dry skin.

Origins Clear Improvement £20 (buy here)
Probably my favourite face mask out of the three, don't get me wrong i'm a big fan of all of them but this one is something special. During the colder months my skin suffers terribly, it gets dry and boy, does it breakout! I tried this at a time when i was particularly spotty, it did nothing for the spots already there but as the spots there began to fade over time i noticed no fresh ones were arising- what is this witchcraft?! The only thing i had changed in my routine was my mask and ever since i have used it religiously. Although this mask is designed for oily skin it works wonders on my dry skin, i just slather on some face cream half an hour after using it. If you were to buy just one of the masks out of the three i would recommend this one the most, especially if you suffer from active breakouts or congested pores.

Origins Out of Trouble £20 (buy here)
This mask is designed for oily skins so i thought it'd be best to use one of my friends with more oily skin as a guinea pig so i could give better feedback. It mattified her skin without drying it out, in fact it left it soft and visibly brighter. Personally i've found this mask to work best on painful spots, it reduces the redness and dries the spot out thus reducing the pain. A holy grail product for all those who suffer from oily skin.

Victoria's Secret alternative

Victoria's Secret. 

Everyone knows about Victoria's Secret, actually coming to think of it do you think Victoria actually had a secret? Or do you think that the secret was all in her frilly lace knickers and exquisitely padded bras... anyway I adore Victoria's Secret and must visit the online store at least once a week to just goggle at the prettiness of each garment. Unfortunately though even after getting down on my hands and knees in the middle of the recently new Stratford Westfields Victoria's Secret last week and begging my mum to buy me an Ink blot coloured bra, (I was convinced I would succeed) I am yet to be a proud owner of any of their clothing merchandise. Sobs hysterically. Due to the fact being unemployed and on very little monthly allowance, I simply just cannot afford. 

Stratford's VS (i took this photo)

The Bra I begged for

However, in seeking an alternative underwear department to shop in, (some could argue that there is no comparison to VS..) for as what Gilly Hicks calls them, 'Down Undies' just temporarily until I obviously become an Angel myself... I wish. I have to admit, good old Marks and Spencer's have a beautiful collection of underwear at more affordable prices, which are also easier to get your hands on. Sorry not even Gilly Hicks does it for me as they cater for only boobs of super tiny exterior, and I feel LaSenza to be of itchy quality and over garish appearance.  

So I just wanted to preach to you guys the subtle elegance of M&S's lingerie and found a few items from their Rosie for Autograph line. Not only is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley a massive girl crush of mine but she's Modelled for Victoria's Secret since 2006 (so she definitely knows her stuff), was born in Devon and is currently dating Jason Staham, what a lucky girl.

Damask Rose Print Lace Padded Plunge A-DD Bra with Silk
£22.50 (buy here)

French Designed Rose
Lace Padded A-DD Body with Silk
£45.00 (buy here)

Damask Rose Print Lace Padded
Plunge A-E Bra with Silk
£22.50 (buy here)

Swiss-Designed Couture
Embroidered
Smoothing Padded B-DD Bra
with Memory Foam
£35.00 (buy here)

Rose Print Mini Brazilian Knickers with Silk
£12.50 (buy here)

Hope you find this informative.
Love Becky x

A Becky style book review

I absolutely adore reading, however since starting A-Level English Literature back in September my passion for reading, despite how much this pains me to say has quite honestly dissappeared. That could potentially be because the books i've been set to read are all based around WW1, not that the literature from that era was boring- because it's not. Or because there is more of a burning urge inside me to get stuck into the next Shirley Conran book I have waiting patiently on my desk.

For those of you who have not yet read LACE by Shirley Conran, I am now forcing you to. I read LACE back in the summer while on holiday in Greece, it was a perfect getaway book and gave me chronic bliss right until the very end. 

The book is set over an era, the era of LACE's famous 'Lili' and the lives of 4 other women over a handful of decades.
Lili Shirley Conran's main character has been hard done by, neglected, abused and forgotten. But despite her youth and terrible past becomes a ultra glamourous mega-watt film star. Is that not enough to convince you purchase the book and read on?
The four other women, Maxine, Judy, Kate and Pagan, went to finishing school in Switzerland in the late 1940s. One of them got pregnant and had a baby (Lili), who the mother put up for fostering. And LACE follows the four potential mothers and Lili throughout their life course as they each go their separate ways and lead their own exciting and captivating lives. Only to bring them back together in Manhattan's most exclusive hotel where Lili has a question for them, 
"Which one of you bitches is my mother?"
Everyone has their own favourite movie line which sticks with them forever but rarely do you find a book which manages to have the same effect with only one line, "Which one of you bitches is my mother?" is simple literary genius and a line belonging to LACE and only LACE.

I am not declaring Lace as the best book I have ever read but it most certainly is amoungst my top 10. Potentially appealing to younger readers which puts in the same category as Jackie Collins, LACE is 'The scandalous classic which defined an era.' And a drama of sex galmour and bitchery, one which i couldn't put down, it makes 50 shades of Grey look incompetent and irrelevant as a book. Eagerly trying to get my hands on Lace 2 but in the mean time, when A-Level English takes a step back I will be diving into the other Shirley Conran of mine, Savages.

Also this may intrigue you to know.. Shirley Conran is the mother of Jasper and Sebastian Conran both of whom are designers, you can now see where they get their class and sassy-ness from. And she is also a former editor of the Daily Mail and Observer, what an idol. 

If you are interested in buying them you can buy lace (here) and savages (here).

Sorry if im wasting my time and gossip-girl style books are not your cup of tea but they sure are a cheeky pleasure of mine.

Lots of Love



Becks muhaaaa

Mother's day gift guide

Mother's day is fast approaching and for all of those clueless i thought i'd make little guide to help you.

Top row (left to right): Pivoine Flora Trio £20(here) Weekend baking £16(here)  DIPTYQUE Mimosa scented candle £40(here)  Sugar-Spots Apron £34(here) Middle row: DIPTYQUE Baies scented candle £40(here)  Pink Champagne truffles £16.50(here) Ren face Mask £30 (here) Bottom row:  CathKidson mug £6.50(here)  Benefit skincare kit £10(here)  The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook £11(here)

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Blouse-With-Detail-Front-And-Drop-Neck/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2527596&WT.ac=rec_viewed

Cara

She is beautiful. That is all.

MARY KATRANTZOU- London Fashion Week

The images below are from the elleuk.com site, where I spend an unhealthy amount of time watching the fashion week catwalk shows and a designer that especially stood out to me this season and has been doing so for a few years now is the brilliant Mary Katrantzou. 

She is incredibly young for a designer who has reached levels that of designers at least ten years her elder. Having taken on inspiration from a season at Lessage http://www.lesage-paris.com/ a couple of years ago and reaching her thirtieth birthday this year, she can look back to her Masters graduation from the legendary Central St. Martin's in 2008 and heightening her success to show status by the very next year..

Born of parents who were in interior design and textiles; structural, intricate prints are abundant throughout her designs with an almost oriental theme running through most, interestingly contradictory to her Greek heritage.

Katrantzou's work is bordering haute couture and many would be opposed to wearing such things on the street on everyday tasks, however if someone offered me a Katrantzou piece I would have no worries wearing it to school to be frank! I'd look a total freak, but a beautiful freak nevertheless.

As much as I can emphasise how I love this designer, it has to be said that I'm slightly dissapointed with her the lack of her signature vibrance and absolute chaos of colour throughout her work. I understand that Spring/Summer collections are going to be obviously brighter, but this dark? For Katrantzou? Makes me kind of sad... To the left and the right are a couple of examples of her pieces from the last Spring/Summer collection, inspired by postal stamps and ofcourse I had to use a photograph of Cara Delevingne, merely because I love her incredible amounts.

The angular shaping is something that reporters have claimed to be their not so favourite aspect of her collection, but in my opinion there hasn't been enough of these  angular designs throughout Fashion Week.. Despite an Autumn/ Winter trend of straight and crossed designs... Hmmm... 

These were the finale pieces and they are stunning, it makes me emotional how elegant they are... Sad, I know, mais c'est vrai. 

Lastly, I have to mention the hair, purely because I have incredible doubts about the bowl- cut coming back. I'm sorry, we may be in a recession, but surely times have not gotten that tough.. Not quite sure what Katrantzou was trying to put across there, but we love her all the same!

Let me know what you think about this season's LFW shows,

Love, Emily X