Beauty // Baby Put On Heart Shaped Sunglasses.

You could be fooled into thinking that this was supposed to be a Valentines day post that I forgot to share with you because I'm a slightly very inconsistent blogger, but I can assure it's not! Just because theres photos of pretty rose's in it, that doesn't mean I was supposed to write this weeks ago ... although admittedly I can see why you may think that! Truth be told I'm not actually a massive fan of Valentines Day, and that's not because I'm forever destined to be alone ... It's just not really my thing. However there is is one thing about the occasion that I adore, and that my friends is the abundance of pinks and reds everywhere. Yes I'm yet again declaring my love for all things pink, and yes you got me I'm using this post as an excuse to do so.

It's perfectly normal to match your nails to a bunch of flowers, right? ... errr no? OK only me then. It seems I have a persistent need to be "matchy matchy" all the time. In other words my colour matching apparently has no boundaries. I know, I'm beyond weird. But I think we can all agree in my defence however, that pink and red are an irresistible colour combination. So it was somewhat obvious that as soon as I feasted my eyes upon this delectable bouquet I was going to instantly fall in love with these colours again, and in true Aimee style I would paint my nails accordingly. Because of course that's a perfectly normal thing to do! (errrr...)

Lately I've been noticing a lot of variations of "Heart-esque-style nails" (Yeah, I have no idea what to call them) all over the Internet, so I thought I would "attempt" something similar myself. Admittedly mine don't exactly look that heart shaped, however I weirdly prefer the way mine turned out. I feel it just suits my nail shape a lot more, although I guess its just personal preference! If however you do want a more "hearty" look you could simply just take the polish further up the nail, or paint the edges more rounded.

I don't really feel that these nails even need explaining, because believe me they are so incredibly simple. Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it. Fact. However for the sake of this blog post I'll briefly explain what I used and how I used it ...

1 // Firstly I selected my desired nail polishes, which also just so happen to be my current favourites. Since I'm obsessed with both these colours, It was really the obvious choice. Alternatively though, you could use any shades you fancy for this ... I'm already imagining it in a rainbow of pastels. (I wrote a post on L'oreal Colour Riche "Marie Antoinette" here, and Maybelline Color Show "Downtown Red" here too, If you want a little review!)

2 // Then I proceeded to paint my nails in the shade "Marie Antoinette" (Oh how I adore this colour!), which was shortly followed by a second coat. I find most pastel polishes need two coats (sometimes three!) to avoid streaking.

3 // Once dry, I then reached for "Downtown Red" and carefully swiped a small semi-circle (ish!) shape at the corner of the nail. I then repeated that on the opposite corner. TIP: Be careful but fast at the same time ... trust me, It just works!

4 // .... AND VOLIA!!! ... Yes It's that simple. See I told you it needs no explaining!

... And yes my hand looks strange. Why is it so impossible to take a decent photo of my hand? It was either this or the dreaded "dinosaur claw" hand pose ... and I just can't bear that!

So there you have it, a simple and easy (annnd quick might I add!) way to paint your nails, If of course you fancy it! This post has turned out incredibly longer than I anticipated, so I think I'll just go now before I write an essay ...

... Hope your all having a lovely weekend!

Fashion // Orla Kiely SS/14

// Original Images found here on the Orla Kiely Pinterest page //

I think we all know by now that I adore anything and everything designed by Orla Kiely, so I thought it was only natural to share with you some of my favourite pieces from the new collection ... which I believe is now available online and in stores as of today! Sadly most of these beautiful items are unattainable to me at the moment (Yes I'm looking at you Raccoon bag!), but hey a girl can dream right? So dream we shall ...

In my opinion Orla Kiely never fails to disappoint and this season was certainly no different. Inspired by Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" (*I know, I'm squealing inside too!*) and girl scouts, it was obvious that I was going to fall head over heels in love with this collection right from the get go! As always each piece has a modern yet retro feel to it, which I believe is something that no other designer can do as well as Orla. To me this collection has a very strong feel of the late 60's /early 70's to it, which as you can imagine being a vintage geek myself I adore this immensely. Every piece just so happens to be incredibly feminine and playful and ALSO I think there's an interesting contrast of texture and embellishment throughout. I know, I know, can it sound even more perfect than it already does? ... well yes my friends, yes It can! There's animal motif embroidery too ... annnnnd animal shaped bags, I repeat animal shaped bags! Yes you heard me animal shaped bags! Can you tell I'm obsessed with the animal shaped bags? (OK I'll stop its becoming annoying now!) 

Also I should mention that if like me your swooning over those delectable shoes that the model is wearing above, I can happily tell you that they are part of a collaboration with Clarks (I know, who would of thought it!) and are available here along with the rest of the collection. 

... Now that I've declared my love and admiration for Orla Kiely, I'm off to pretend I'm Suzy Bishop!

What are your thoughts on the collection though? Is there a particular piece your swooning over? ... and are you a fan of the animal shaped bags too? hehe!

Hope you've all had a lovely Valentines Day!

P.s.  ... Also who's excited to see what other magical creations are at the at the Orla Kiely AW 14/15 presentation tomorrow? I know I certainly am!  

Blogspired // What Olivia Did.

I read a lot of blogs. And when I say a lot I mean A LOT. I feel like it’s become somewhat of a harmless addiction for me, over the last few years. I mean reading blogs never hurt anyone right? ... Well except my purse (Sorry Purse!  ... yes I just apologised to my purse, errr lets swiftly move on ...). So I was thinking that it only seemed fitting to share some of my absolute favourites with you in a series of posts, because I've got a feeling you too might share my addiction! After all I found out about all of my favourite blogs through other blogs, so it would be rude of me to deny you my knowledge! However there is a one little twist, which of course you've already noticed ... Yes I shall indeed create an illustration of each blogger! Partially because you know I can’t resist drawing a pretty girl in a pretty dress, but also because I wanted to make an effort. After all who knows what I’d be wearing today if I'd never discovered the amazing world of fashion blogs ... Honestly I dread to think!...

To begin with I thought I'd start with the ever so delightful Olivia from What Olivia did, whose blog I have adored for a very long time now ... in fact It was one of the first blogs I ever read (2010 anyone?), so I guess you could say that I really have watched it grow in to something truly inspiring over the years! I have a feeling that a lot of you reading this have probably already seen (or read even!) the lovely Miss Purvis's blog, but just in case you don't I'll  give you a little insight on what to expect when you go and check and it out in a moment! Yes that was an order ... honestly I promise you'll love it as much as me, so just go and take a look!

Lipstick, The sixties, and that oh-so perfect beehive (how does she do it so well?!) are just a few of the things that spring to mind when I think of Olivia. She's like a modern day Audrey Hepburn who oozes grace and elegance in every outfit she wears ... yes there's no denying I have wardrobe envy too! However her impeccable style isn't the only thing that entices me to her blog time after time ... she's actually an incredibly talented writer too! Lets just say it's refreshing to see a blog that has amazing photography AND amazing content. Don't get me wrong however her blog isn't just about her amazing hat collection (yes guys I can only dream of looking that good in a fedora!), it also has lots of lovely reviews of places to visit in London, scatterings of music, and more importantly scrumptious baking recipes to try! Yes Olivia, like me, shares a love for baking or should I say The Great British Bake Off. Oh Mary why can't I be as talented as you? Whyyy? ...

So there you have you have it, I can just tell your itching to click through and read more, that is of course if you haven't already left me! Hopefully you will all adore Olivia's blog as much as I do. I'm 100% positive you will however, after all she has won amazing awards for What Olivia Did ... I guess it just goes to prove that hard work and determination really do pay off when it comes to blogging!

Hope your all having a lovely Wednesday so far!

UPDATE: I've just noticed that I've stupidly misspelt Olivia's name on the actual illustration! Seriously I feel like a complete idiot ... honestly Olivia if your reading this then I want to apologise as I know how annoying having your name misspelt is! ... what was I thinking???!

Moodboard // Ooh La Flamingo.

*Images sources from left to right // 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 *

If you told me last week that I would dedicate a whole blog post to a pink bird, I wouldn't of believed you. In fact if you told me yesterday, I still won't of believed you. However here I am today sharing with you my current "unlikely" inspiration, and possibly my new style icon ... the flamingo, I mean come on guys lets face it this bird has style! It all started late last night when I was gathering images to use in my scrapbook (Yes Ella's amazing post on "Staying Creative" , completely inspired me!), when I suddenly realised that sub-consciously over the last month I had saved/pinned (Yes you're looking at a Pinterest addict here!) loads of photos that were very flamingo-esque. This led me to the conclusion that I must have a thing for elegant pink birds that can stand on one leg! I didn't realise it till last night, but thinking about it now all the signs were there. Lusting over anything and everything pink, wearing pastel pink nail polish non-stop, me having a dream about wearing the most amazing fuzzy pink coat, and standing on one leg ... OK so not the last one, but I thinks its pretty safe to say that I've been wanting to be a flamingo for awhile now. So without further ado I thought I'd share with you a few items that will get you on your way to becoming in my opinion "the prettiest bird in all the land" ...

Where to buy from left to right  // 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

OK OK OK! Yessssss I'll admit I've simply just selected all the beautiful pink things my heart desires ... And yes you're right I'm using flamingos as an excuse to obsess over pink yet again! I have a problem, I know! But honestly, you can't deny that there's something ridiculously flirtatious about wearing pink that's hard to resist! ... no? Only me? OK then! I should probably confess however that I actually don't wear much pink ... I know shock horror Aimee doesn't actually wear much pink, yet she declares her love for the colour ALL THE TIMEEEEE! Take a moment to let that sink in, because sadly it's true! (contrary to popular belief my wardrobe doesn't resemble Barbies! ... although my 5 year old self wishes it did) Perhaps that's the reason I decided to write this post ... to sub consciously inspire myself to "embrace the pink"! Well I can tell you girlie's (or guys?) its working. This time next week I'll be a walking talking flamingo ... either that or I'll look like Barbie's thrown up all over me (such a strange visual image for you there!), either way I'm definitely going to be investing in some pink for my wardrobe soon ...

... The question is will you? Have I tempted you to embrace your inner flamingo? ... or does the thought of wearing pink still make you shudder with horror?

... Hope you all had a lovely Tuesday! 

* For a lot of these images I was unable to find the exact original source (so annoying when that happens!), so instead I've linked you to the images on Pinterest account.

Photos // A Little Bit Of (A Belated) Christmas.

So I'm pretty sure its safe to say that Christmas is well and truly over for another year. I try not to dwell on that thought for too long as it makes me rather sad ... As usual it flew by!!! Oh well I guess I only have to wait another 356 days to relieve it all again (I should mention maths isn't my strong point, so don't quote me on that one!) On Christmas night I found myself quietly reflecting the reasons as to why I love Christmas so much, and to my surprise I realised that it wasn't the obvious things I had always thought. Of course there's the present giving, and as much as we all love it (despite how "stressful" buying for certain GENDER can be!), as your parents probably always say "its not all about getting presents!". Of course as much as I love presents, their absolutely right! Then there's the being allowed to eat your own body weight in food, yes I totally did that (Or least that's what It felt like later that night when I was suffering from the consequences ... hello Gaviscon my new best friend!). Honestly It's not my fault the Quality Street tin seduced me! But in all seriousness I think I've worked out what I love the most about Christmas ... It's that everyone's happy or at least they appear to be! Of course I'm well aware that not "everyone in the whole world" is happy (I'm not that naive!), but I just mean the people I'm surrounded by. Even strangers in the street walk past and smile or say "hello", or "Merry Christmas" at this time of year ... seriously things like that are rare in England! I walk past these people everyday without even a glance, but at Christmas everything changes! I guess Christmas spirit really is infectious after all!

As always I received lots of lovely presents this year, which I truly appreciate and am genuinely so thankful for. Honestly sometimes I think I take for granted how generous my family are. That's something else I love about Christmas; showing the people you care about how much you really appreciate them (OK, cringe worthy moment there). As you can see from above I've decided to share a few photos of just some of the lovely thing's I got this year. I know post's like this are sort of a love/hate thing (I personally love them), so I decided to keep it minimal, because I would hate to appear to be "bragging" in any way (Trust me, I'm not that kind of person!). In other words I'm not going to list every single item, because honestly I don't want to annoy you ... and also because my bath awaits me!

Also I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has read, followed, or commented on this blog! Honestly I never excepted anyone to read my blog let alone actually leave a comment. Your lovely words truly mean a lot to me! Hopefully this year I'll make an effort to post more than in 2013 (18 posts ... seriously?!?!). I can honestly say I'm excited to spend more time on this little space this year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this year, and of course I hope you had a happy new year! (2014?!?! How did this happen so fast?!)

Beauty // Winter Nails.

When it comes to beauty I am for all intents and purpose a complete novice. Despite wearing make-up everyday I have somewhat of a "slap it on and hope for the best" attitude , in fact that's pretty much my motto. This of course results in me looking a complete mess 99.9% of the time. FACT. I therefore do not at all consider myself to be a "Beauty Blogger". In fact if I do decide to ever post about actual make-up in the future, take my advice and don't read it! I'm the last person you should listen too when it comes to make up! However despite all this there is one beauty product I feel confident enough to talk about with you all ... Nail Polish!

A few weeks ago I briefly mentioned that this winter I was obsessing over all things sugary and sweet on my nails (hello pastels!), and whilst I could of just posted about the "50 shades of pink" I seem to have acquired in my nail collection lately, I decided to share the other somewhat "neglected" colours that I'm loving this festive season; as even though I hate to admit it, not every one loves pink!

//The "Neutral Oh-So-Sophisticated" Nail //

Over the last few years as Its approached winter wearing neutral shades on my nails has become my default. Perhaps its because they simply go with every outfit, or perhaps its because it makes a refreshing change from the incredibly bright colours I wear throughout the summer (yeah I'm that girl!) ... whatever the reason all I know is that I'll definitely be wearing a "sophisticated" neutral nail again this winter (Apparently there is no sophistication in having bright blue nails ...) Above I've selected a few that I've been enjoying lately, and hopefully you might too...

Ciate "Pocket money" // This shade oozes understated elegance, and because of this I'm completely in love with it. Its a very girly colour (in subtle way though!) , and has a soft creamy fudge appearance to it which I think is perfect for Christmas.

Ciate "Cookies and Cream" // This is perhaps the most easiest colour to wear ever. FACT. Its a very light nude, that's almost bordering on being a pastel grey. Due to its versatility it can honestly be worn with anything. Seriously what more could you ask for!

Maybelline Colour show "Mauve Kiss"// I would consider this one of my all time "go-to" colours. If in doubt wham it on ... not literally though as that could be a disaster (Trust me, I've been there!) Its very similar to Barry M mushroom, but I would say slightly lighter. The colour itself is more of creamy beige with undertones of pale mauve ... honestly  I don't know what else to say, over than It's perfect!

Maybelline Colour Show "Winter Baby"// A white nail polish is an essential. Despite this however I've always shied away from wearing pure white personally, in fact I quote "white nails look ridiculously tacky" (me, 2009). Things have changed though, and this year I 've found myself being drawn it. Although it takes around 3 coats to perfect the smooth snowy finish, its definitely worth it for a cold winters day. Also with a name like "Winter Baby" it seemed almost rude not to include it!

//The "I'm a little bit obsessed with Gatsby" Nail //

In the past I've always had this hatred of sparkly nails, in fact I've always hated anything remotely sparkly (glitter, metallics, sequins, diamonds, ... and don't get me started on tinsel!). I'm not sure why this started,  it's just something I've always found aesthetically displeasing ... however things have changed (only slightly though!). This year I've weirdly started to embrace a more Gatsby-esque nail. OK, so as fickle as it may sound watching The Great Gatsby perhaps made me fall in love with the more shiny embellished things in life. So like before here are a few "sparkly" nail polishes that I've been wearing ...

Barry M Instant Nail Effects Foil "Gold"// Its gold. And I mean gold. To many that may seem perfectly normal, but to me its a colour that I never imagined wearing ... and I mean ever! Despite all that I'm completely in love with it. I adore the colour, the finish, and the way it catches the light. It has a luxurious foil like finish to it which I think looks sooo ridiculously festive ... now If only I was going to one of Gatsby's parties!

Barry M Glitter Nail Paint "Hologram Hexagons" // This is the first glittery nail polish I've owned since the 90's. FACT. As a child I remember owning these little kids glittery nails polishes, and I would only ever really wear them if I was going to a birthday party. (I'm pretty sure they were peel-able ... anyone else remember those?) Like I've already mentioned a million times, I'm not a massive fan of glitter so me purchasing this was somewhat peculiar. I'm not sure what initially attracted me to this, but seriously it looks really amazing worn as an accent nail. What I love about it is that its has really big hexagon pieces in it, rather than your typical glitter. Lately I've really been enjoying it over the top of pastel shades .. yep I'm addicted to pastels!

Ciate Caviar Manicure // The Caviar Manicure is ridiculously beautiful, and despite what you might think incredibly easy to apply. Instead of rambling on about it again, you can read my full post on this polish "here".

// The "One" //

In my opinion Christmas isn't complete until you find the perfect deep red nail polish (and lipstick to match too!). Each year I find myself searching for a new perfect shade! Of course I could just repurchase the same one I obsessed over the year before, but well there's no fun in that! However when you find the "one", you know instantly ... as cliché as it sounds it's almost definitely "love at first sight". And without further ado here's the "one" for me this year ...

Maybelline Colour show "Downtown Red"// The number of times I've already worn this is unimaginable (perhaps a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea!) I feel that my nails look at there best when I'm wearing this colour, which might seem a little strange, but I think its because I love the contrast between my incredibly pale white skin and the richness of this colour. (OK so that is strange.) This colour is the perfect cross between an intensely rich burgundy and a vivid ruby red, and for that reason alone I will be wearing this polish for a very long time. For me this is definitely the "one" this year! And in the words of "Buddy the Elf", "I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it!"

Phew! And finally we're done! This is by far the longest post I've ever wrote. Perhaps too long. If you've actually managed to read though all that with dying of complete boredom than I salute you! (Note to self: Write less.) 

Feel free to leave any nail polish recommendations of colours you've been loving lately ... as well lets face it I'm slightly obsessed! ... and perhaps slightly nosey curious!

Photos // Tea Stains, Tears, And Memories.

"If you love a flower, don't pick it up. Because if you pick it up it dies and ceases to be what you love. So if you love a flower, let it be. Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation." 

I have a confession to make ... I like to press flowers. There we go, I've said it. To a lot of people it can seem incredibly naff and slightly granny-ish, which is in fact an understandable assumption to make as there is a lot of awful pressed flower art around, however I honestly don't care. I've always found the process itself to be a rather beautiful one and lately its something that I've been quite inspired by. As a child I remember my Grandma teaching me how to press flowers, and it was something that at the time I was amazed by. I would wander around her garden collecting suitable flowers, then we would carefully place them amongst the pages of one of her old "heavy" books, and as if by magic a month later they would be completely squished and feel like fine delicate paper. I think there's a beauty in the simplicity of it all, the idea of hiding a precious flower between the pages of a book, where it remains concealed within until all of its moisture is dried out. Its essence slowly being absorbed into the letters printed upon the pages, infusing itself amongst tea stains, tears, and more importantly memories. If your lucky you'll be like me and open a book a year later to surprisingly have a flower fall out at your feet. Its one of those simple but special life moments. Unexpected beauty.

That's what happened to me today. And it was lovely.

Illustration // Orla Kiely SS/14

Earlier today It suddenly hit me that I had completely forgotten to post the finished Orla Kiely Illustration I talked about the other week. If I'm being completely honest I'm not too happy with how it turned out (let's face it drawing will never be my artistic strong point!), but then again when am I ever? Despite this I did say that I wanted to share illustrations on here even if there not that great, simply because otherwise they just stay hidden away in one of my many sketchbooks ... or worse in the bin. Lets just say I'm trying to figure out my own illustrative style, and hopefully by sharing some of things I do on here I'll feel encouraged to improve ... Or not!

That's all really. This is perhaps the shortest post I've ever wrote on here, although most of you probably think that's better as far as I'm concerned, especially since I have a tendency to ramble on about absolutely nothing! I'm working on that I promise! 

Beauty // Let Them Eat Cake.

When you stumble upon a nail polish that's named after one of your favourite films, you will find it very hard to say no! You will feel an overwhelming need to make it yours. You will start to feel as though this nail polish will change your life,and that it simply isn't possible to live without it. In other words ... YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THE SHOP WITHOUT IT. And that my friends is exactly what happened to me last week.

If your familiar with the L'Oreal Color Riche Nails collection then I'm sure your all aware of how many amazing colours there are to choose from. If your as indecisive as I am however it can make things a little difficult, not that I'm complaining at all! Anyhow, I've been searching after the "perfect" pale pink for a while now, as I felt my nail collection was missing one and because I've been lusting over anything and everything pink all season(Pastels in winter right guys?)  ... OK OK so I already own a few pale pinks however they either apply awfully,or are just too sickly a shade for me to even contemplate wearing! However I think I finally might of found the the "perfect"one ...

I hate to admit that I'm one of those people who buys things purely because I like name, but sadly its true (please tell me I'm not the only one?!). However in this case I genuinely do love the colour so I guess that makes it OK right? (Yes I know I'm trying to justify it to myself!) The shade is "Marie Antoinette 202" and its the perfect pale candy pink, it almost reminds me of a Laduree macaron. Think Fleur de Cerisier. The polish itself has a gel based formula which makes it very long lasting and ultra glossy. It also apparently has  built- in top coat "LiquiGel Technology" (?) which again is probably why its incredibly glossy. I only needed two coats for this colour which is pretty much normal for any pastel shade, and the application itself was ridiculously easy. Perhaps this was due to the flat paddle precision brush or simply because the formula was sooooo smooth. Either way I'm in love with this polish and will definitely be wearing it a lot this winter ... and probably the other seasons too!

Out of curiosity will any of you be sporting pastel nails this winter or do you prefer the more darker shades?

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

*Apologies for the awful photos, the lighting was awful and for some reason I seemed incapable of actually taking a photo in focus!

Beauty // Kate Moss Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick 107

Today I thought I'd attempt something new ... a "beauty post-ish-thing!". I know what your thinking, I too never thought I would see the day when me, Aimee, someone who wears make-up daily yet always looks ridiculously awful, would attempt to share beauty tips ... I think even I have surprised myself with this one! However tonight I thought I'd give it ago because I really wanted to share this amazingly beautiful lipstick with you guys ... after all it is a known fact that I wear lipstick every single day and might just have an a teeny tiny addiction to the stuff! (OK you got me big addiction!) Here goes then, wish me luck ...

I purchased this lipstick a little over a week ago, and if I'm honest it was a complete impulse buy. Perhaps I was tempted by its ridiculously inexpensive price tag, or perhaps it was due to the fact that I can't say no to anything remotely burgundy ... I'm guessing it was the latter of the two! I know I'm a little late to the party when it comes to this lipstick as it was crazy popular on the "blogsphere" last year when it was released,but its better late than never right? Right guys!? ...

Of course as you are all aware this is indeed the Kate Moss Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick for Rimmel and its in the shade 107. This colour is scary. I mean scary. Scary good though. Honestly I'm intimated and so in love with this colour all at the same time, Its just amazing. However despite all that I think a shade like this is perfect for this time of year, almost a rich Christmas berry colour that's perfect for the festive season ahead. What I love however about this lipstick mostly is that its Matte, and not the awful "show how many imperfections I have on my lips, don't they look disgustingly dry matte" the "my lips look so perfect and velvety, don't you want to kiss them matte" ... see amazing! The formula itself applies really easily due to it being so velvety smooth, and its also very highly pigmented which gives a lovely full coverage opaque look. On me it lasted mostly perfect for around 5-ish hours and then needed a little re-application, which I think is pretty good all in all considering the colour.

I remember a while back when Kate Moss launched her first lipstick collection with Rimmel, being completely in love with them and wearing them all the time, so I'll admit I had quite high hopes for this one. One thing that I should mention however is that as much as I love and admire dark lips on other people, I've never been brave enough to actually wear anything remotely this dark myself, but again like writing this post I figured why not just give it ago? Does it suit me? Honestly I'm not entirely sure. I guess I'll let you all be the judge of that!

(Read: I haven't actually worn it outside yet so feedback would be great else I might end up looking like a complete fool ... as per usual!)

So there you have it perhaps the worse "beauty post-ish-thing" you will find on the Internet, but after all it was my first attempt ... and lets face it I'm not a make-up expert that's for sure!

Illustration // Orla kiely ss/14 (WIP)

Its no secret that I'm obsessive when it comes to anything Orla Kiely, so It was quite obvious really that once I saw the new SS/14 collection I was going to lust over every item like some crazy fanatic. However of course I can't afford to buy any of it sadly, so I decided to do the next best thing ... draw it! As you can see this illustration isn't yet complete (I'm still yet to attempt that beautiful elephant/ rhino? print on the dress and finish of the face and arms), but I would say that its definitely satisfying my craving for a pink beret (...OK seriously who am I trying to kid?). But honestly I've really been loving creating illustrations recently, and also I've really been focused more on developing my own illustrative style. I think its because I passionately hate most things I draw, and I'm trying to make a conscious effort to change that ... practice makes perfect right?

I have to say this is perhaps the shortest post I've ever wrote, but I just really felt like sharing this with you all tonight. Once Its complete I'll update you all of course!

I'm off now to dream of pink berets and binoculars ...

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Art Styled // Rosemarie Auberson

 // Artwork On The Right Found On Rosemarie Auberson's Website //

It's no secret that my one true love will always be art, that's just the way it's always been and always will be I'm afraid, however Its also common knowledge that I'm also rather interested in fashion (OK OK fashion is technically art, I know). So this morning I was thinking seeing as how I've been wanting to try something new on here, that it would be quite interesting and different to combine the two in a post ... OK OK so I wanted an excuse to waste time on polyvore, you got me! But seriously guys I originally started this blog with the intention that I would use it as a place to share inspiring artists and artworks, that have in some way inspired me and in turn hopefully they would inspire you (after all 99% of artists I obsess over were discovered through me reading blogs ... FACT). However I've noticed that so far that hasn't happened on here ... At least not until today that is! 

I first discovered French Artist Rosemarie Auberson's artwork sometime last year, and I can remember instantly falling in love with the way in which she combines collage and printmaking. All of her art work has a certain simplicity about it that evokes a sense of calm and tranquillity.What I find most compelling however about her work (other than her delectable colour palette that is)is the beautiful delicacy that every image she creates captures. She makes just the simple positioning of a black and white image look ridiculously understated yet ridiculously beautiful and enticing. I am however not the only one to adore her work,as she has taken part in quite a few exciting collaborations. For instance she has created media kits for Hermes SS/12 and produced wearable textiles for New York label Rachel Comey. 

Thinking about it now, its seems as though deciding to create outfits to represent each piece of work was a rather fitting idea, especially since Rosemarie Auberson has such a strong connection with visual art becoming fashion. For the outfits above I simply tried to interpret each piece of art in a way that still suits my own personal style. Whether or not I did it well, I guess I'm not too sure? ... I'll let you be the judge of that!  When I started however, I kept in mind that I wanted to create a "delicate yet simplistic beauty" in each outfit, and I'd like to hopefully think that I achieved that. Of course most of the items I used are way out of my budget, but hey "a girl can dream" right? ...

I honestly loved creating this post and hopefully if your reading this then you perhaps did too!

Todays Playlist: STAY AWAKE // London Grammar, IF I COULD CHANGE YOUR MIND // Haim, RIPTIDE // Vance Joy, ROYALS // Lorde, IN/OUT // Dan Croll, and PUT A LIGHT ON // Generationals.