Lipsticks

I'm a huge fan of lipsticks, RARELY do I dare to do no colour, if i do i'm always wearing a moisturiser /chap stick for some comfort, I get asked what colours i'm wearing so I thought it'd be interesting to get some of my favourites together.

Loreal
I was given this lipstick by my aunty, as I usually wouldn't bother buying anything else until my collection 2000 has run out, But i'm glad i've had the chance to try something new,   it's a great Lipstick, lovely packaging and feels very luxurious, It also comes off easily on glasses and whatever you eat, but blotting should help that. This is an amazing intense red lipstick which is one of my must-haves.

Sleek - Mystic 783

This little lipstick is modestly packaged but it has become one of my favourites, in a beautiful bold purple colour it applies really well and has a very smooth moisturising feel, if you're worried about wearing a Matt lipstick which may make your lips look dry this really is a great find,  creamy and vibrant and surprisingly long lasting, at £4.99 it's a win win. 8/10

YSL Rouge 

it is far by the best lipstick i've ever bought, in every way it's exceptional, The packaging is beautiful and hardy, it's lovely to hold and it really feels like it's worth every penny, The scent of the lipstick is very fruity, and obviously the coverage and the feel is everything I want from lipstick, the colour is intense and only one/two applications is needed, the staying power is brilliant and it has a really nice mouse like texture. At £25 it is the top of my price range, but it has lasted a long time and i'd love to own more from that collection. 9/10

17 Lasting fix lipstick - Hot Chilli
This is one of my go to lipsticks, not quite a red as it has a gorgeous orange tint to it, it doesn't quite have the super human staying power as sleek Mystic though,  which isn't a bad thing as it's still brilliant, anyone who's not quite brave enough to try a full on red might want to give this a try one evening, you won't need to worry about re-applying and it won't look flakey. £4.29 8/10

Collection 2000 Volume sensation - Cherry Pop
When you get a Red lipstick you need a good one! and this is it,  (the search is over!) I'm always being complimented on this and for the price it's incredible value. It stays on so well, it's creamy, moisturising and had a really vibrant coverage, it goes everywhere with me i had no idea it was meant to be plumping but it does have a little glossiness to it which may add to that illusion, Great find and i can't recommend enough. £2.99 9/10

Rimmel Apocalips - Apocaliptic,
 Intense, vibrant and smooth, it' much thicker than a gloss and it's lovely to wear, the colour is super strong and really gives a nice edge to makeup, it can look a bit much if worn with heavy eye-makeup but it depends what you want to get out of it. I love this Lipstick/Gloss and it's one of my favourites, might be worth using a lip liner if colour bleeds on your lips. £5.99 8/10

This is my FIRST ever make-up post so i hope it wasn't too boring and at least a little interesting, Thanks for reading if you got this far, would love to know your fave lipsticks and what you thought of this post. All photographs have been taken by me.
 Nat x

   

My Holiday Accessories

If you follow me on twitter then you probably know that i'm going to New York on Monday! (EEEEK) I cannot wait, and i'm feeling so unprepared, the weather seems to be so unpredictable, sometimes snow, others it appears to be dry and just cold. (Wardrobe hell) I have no idea what to take so i'm putting a lot of varieties into my suitcase just incase.  It's a bit frustrating, those last few days leading up to a holiday as all the things I regularly wear are being washed and I don't want to wear them, My favourite coat is being dry cleaned so i hope it isn't destroyed when i get it back.

I managed to get some great things when looking at second hand shops, Ebay and my local boot market are places i'll go just before a holiday, I suppose i'd rather spend my money on things when I'm there than expensive things to take. A lot of things I have were either bought for me (for xmas or birthday), given to me, or I bought second hand, My best buy is my Tortoise shell cat eye sunglasses, I also have a black version simply because they were £3.69 from this Ebay Store. They look fab and they're simple enough to go with a lot of outfits, it's really difficult to find accessories which aren't overly embellished, but these are perfect. 

 I have two favourite perfumes, The one pictured is Gucci Guilty, and the other is Armani Diamonds (Presents, i'd never buy myself expensive perfumes) But i'm so glad I have them as they're really lovely.My watch is second hand, £2. My YSL earrings are fake! (I feel so ashamed) My favourite lipstick is Loreal, "Colour Riche 461" and as lipsticks go it's one of the best, stays on beautifully, has great coverage and it's a real poppy colour. Highly recommended.

So, i'm just getting final things together now and Pinning lots of places for us to visit, One being the High rise, I've heard it's a really lovely view of New York. Which I can't wait to see! Also we're going to watch some shows on Broadway, I reaallly want to go to some lovely little Cafes, so If you have any suggestions of places to go, please let me know :)
As always, thanks for reading,

Nat x

Street Style New York

Fashion weeeeeek! It's very exciting, and as much as I need to see what's on the catwalk I seem to really enjoy looking at the fashion from the front row and attendees lately, a street style frenzy has swept the internet in the last few years thanks to bloggers and independent fashion lovers,  It's really interesting to see the people who attend these shows and how their personal style is influenced by it, Obviously if I could buy designer my wardrobe would be crammed with Burberry, Lanvin and Givenchy, but unfortunately the life of a new freelance artist only allows a high street wardrobe... Which is fine! There are many stores  which really keep up with the trends and offer very well made clothes. For me, Zara has some of the best elegant pieces that are simple and beautiful. 

 Reading through Vogue online I came across New York fashion week street style images, All of the people chosen had such a unique sense of style, I had to draw a few of my favourites,

The first being Sonya Esman who is wearing my ultimate love at the moment... (Boyfriend Jeans) paired with a lovely textured coat and fluffy bag I really enjoyed the different surfaces mixed within this outfit, I think it works so well due to the muted colour pallets brought together, this is a look I'd love to try out, maybe with a nice white blouse.

Next is an outfit which really reminds me of something I wore when I was young. The skirt/trouser combination isn't something I'd be confident enough to try, but Veronica Gledhil wears this so well, if there's something I've learnt through fashion in the last few years it's never to say never, if you hate a trend and publicly bash it, prepare to eat your words when it's styled to perfection and you unwillingly love it (I'm still not going to say I'm unsure about trainers on the chanel catwalk...) I love all there is about this outfit, its a real breath of fresh air in street style but still remains on trend with the shoe style and linear silhouette. For a petite girl such as myself i think this outfit would unfortunately enhance my shortness, but you never know, I'd like to try a more layered look.

 Next is Lainey Hedaya I'm a big fan of capes, I don't own any but I'm starting to be convinced (thanks to Suki Waterhouse too) they're very feminine and I love the movement with the extra material, I especially like the length of this cape, I can imagine it being worn over a beautiful 1950's evening gown, making it beautiful for any occasion. There is a sophistication with this outfit which I can really appreciate, the Manolos work perfectly adding a just enough detail to the outfit without it being over done. 

All the links to these ladies twitter accounts can be reached by clicking on their name! I hope they all like these illustrations and you enjoyed reading some of my thoughts on street style x 

Bafta Award Illustrations

The Baftas are our own lovely British Award Ceremony, I really wanted to draw some of the UK ladies who's personal and event style I admire. Kiera is very well known for her fashion sense and is seen to wear a lot of outfits that I love. Suki is relatively new on the scene compared to Kiera, however I'm really enjoying seeing her style blossom. 

Suki Waterhouse, wearing the most amazing outfit, The dress has a glamorous vintage vibe with the hem line finishing just below the knee and a matching belt cinching the waist, The dusty pink Ralph and Russo cape has a very detailed ruffled shoulder, It really reminded me of the flowing capes which chanel made in the 1950's which were often worn with matching dresses/skirts underneath.

 I am really enjoy the matching pastels in this outfit, which are very on trend at the moment, I've seen a big increase in the use of pink and red lately (which i've mentioned before in another post when I illustrated Sarah Jessica Parker) I think Suki used this trend in a very smart way adding the bold red in small details (only on the lips and nails) making her one of the best dressed in my opinion.
 Another outfit Suki wore during the Baftas was a royal blue tailored suit, posing with Cara Delevigne in a similar Burberry tux, I was really impressed with all of her outfits throughout the night and i'll be looking forward to seeing her trying out new styles soon.

Kiera Knightley attended the Bafta Dinner party wearing head to toe Burberry, This outfit is slightly less formal than other attendants, however it really is lovely styling, The Burberry jacket has very detailed parts with many zips and fasteners, also the padded details on the upper and lower arms make this a really stunning leather. Costing around £1500 I can only imagine how lovely the quality must be, Underneath Kiera wore a short sleeved Burberry dress with a black and blue circle print, and accessorised the outfit with a dark quilted Chanel bag and wore pointed flat shoes.
 If you look at Kiera's personal style she often wears this jacket and doc martins, Her fashion sense really appeals to me, it's very casual and mixes many designers such as Chanel, Michael Van Der Ham and Gucci, Having read others opinions  on this outfit, it seems to have caused a little controversy with people mentioning the length is too long,  without showing much shape, personally I wouldn't change a thing with this outfit and think it works perfectly. 







Anyway! I appreciate you reading, Hope you like the illustrations, i wanted to present them to everyone in a different way which wasn't pasting the photos directly from the internet, I'm planning to do more illustrations of events, ect, so let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations. 

Leopard Print

Leopard Print, (with great power, comes great responsibility) ha! But really, it's such a striking print that just a hint of it is enough, I can't say i'm a huge fan of the print when it's in prink or any other garish colour.

 I recently bought some new shoes from Ebay, I had my heart set on some leopard print shoes for a long time, but finding the right type or print which weren't on 6 inch heels with a huge platform proved pretty challenging. I finally found some lovely shoes, with a small heel (4in) usually not a fan of tiny heels but they do give enough height and are really comfortable. 

£8 from Ebay, (My photograph)

Some Leopard prints I love, espescially with Olivia's pink dress..

All images Via Pinterest

Company Magazine Illustrations March 2013

Woo! It's been a crazy month of work for me, I've done loads, and they're all being released at once, these were drawn very late last year (drawn the same time as the Paris Issue work) These are my favourite drawings so far, They seem so delicate and really represent spring (drew lots of little flowers)

We went through a few outfit changes, added various accessories, removed things and worked out what looked better, I'm really pleased with the final result, I roughly drew out the placement of the products for them to be replaced with the photographs, 

Any thoughts on the drawings?

Susie Bubble

 Whilst flicking through the couture week photos, I always have a look through the front row, it's really interesting to see the style of the people who attend, and how they're influenced by fashion, of course it's different for everyone, but Susie Bubble is a lady who always stands out to me, her style is so unique, She is aware of the trends but doesn't let them control her, she wears what she wants, and it never comes across in attention seeking way, Even the brightest and extraordinarily colourful outfits appear to be put together with not only thought but a humble love and understanding of fashion.

When I see an image that I want to draw, it bugs me for a while, I can't get it out of my head, I think about how i'll draw it what colours i'll use and if i'll add any mixed media, I love being bugged by inspiration.

I envy those who will wear an outfit regardless of how others may react, I do wonder how i'd dress if wasn't so conscious of people's opinions. Saying it sounds very shallow, but i'm sure it's something that people can relate to. Having said that, the blogging world is really taking over, and with that is more exposure to new trends within different countries, which is an exciting and inspiring time, a few clicks and you can find the most stylish in any place you may want, It's great to challenge your perception of style and try things out of your comfort, I think susie is doing just that, and I'm excited to take a few more risks this year.

 If you haven't heard of Susie or her work (i'm 100% sure you know who she is) then check her out here 

NYLON Magazine DIOR Cruise

Hello!

 How is everyone? I was so excited to find that one of my illustrations for NYLON magazine was released this month in the February issue, It was all about the lovely Dior Cruise. The collection had some incredible pieces, billowing dresses in lush bright colours to pastel suits with structured tailoring with metallic embellishments, Everything delicate and beautiful. It's just a shame I couldn't draw it all. 

I wanted the show to have a celebratory warm vibe to it, Adding fuchsia specks in and out of focus added a different dimension to my work which I'm glad to have tried.

A massive thank you to Kailey (Mermaidens) for providing me with these photographs of the magazine <3 x

A few of the beautiful photographs I'd used for my inpsiration

Carboot

I'd really love to shop new more often, but unfortunately money does get tight now and again, so it's always wise to save where and when you can. My dad has been going to car boots and second hand shops all of his life, when I was little I was constantly dragged around bored out of my mind, flicking through books which felt a hundred years old, however, when I took a few pounds to spend on a sunday I really made it go far and it was surprised how good things were if you took the time to look.
 I decided to go back this morning with my dad as I haven't been for a while. I took £10 with me and made it my budget, (Big spender, I know). I usually like to have an idea in my head of what i'll buy, I had my heart set on some nice small heels, however at a place like this it's hard to be too specific as you never know what will be there. 

My First purchase was a thick red jumper with a nice high round neck, I'm planning to wear it underneath my long beige coat. It was £3, I always feel cheeky trying to lower the price, however, that is not an issue for my dad, he got a pound off it, and the lady grumpily stuffed it in a bag, (I felt bad, but it was pretty funny) Next was a pair of shoes which i'd usually despise, such a small heel! I'm 5'2, I need more height. I'm going through a "Carrie, Sex and the City" phase at the moment and kept running into long skirts with court shoes and kitten heels, and at two pounds I thought I may as well try them, a little insole is needed but they fit pretty nicely, These are super comfortable and look great with black trousers and a white blouse, as they're a little lower than i'd usually wear they are less formal and go with more outfits, So i'm pretty happy about that little find. Lastly is my new watch, I recently got a lovely one in the sale from Miss Selfridge, I find that it's a little big for me as it's non-adjustable, it's not a massive issue it just sits on my arm a little higher, It's also more suited to an evening, So this lovely thing is going to be my everyday watch.
 £7 in total for nearly a whole outfit. Oh yeahh.

 Afterwards I went out to take some pictures, putting my new jumper to the test, i'll be honest, I was a little hot! and i'm the coldest person ever :D