Neutral Territory

I was inspired by a style page in 'Maire Claire' called 'Neutral Territory' to create a sort of look book of some neutral/nude items in my wardrobe. I love the chic look that neutrals can give and the way you can easily mix and match them which I hope I show.

• Shirt- H&M
• Shorts- H&M

• Top- H&M
• Skirt- Oasis

• Jumper- H&M
• Shorts- Topshop

• Top- New Look
• Trousers- H&M

• Shirt-H&M
• Shorts- Topshop

• T- Shirt- New Look
• Skirt- Oasis

• Cardigan- H&M
• Dress- Primark

These are just some shoes and accessories that I like to pair with neutral outfits.

Found in July's Issue of Marie Claire- Im a subscriber of this magazine and really recommend it, it has a great mix of fashion beauty and interesting interviews.

This was just a way that I combine different nude/neutral pieces, I find them really easy to wear because well...they're neutral so they go with everything. What are your favourite trends at the moment?

Hope you enjoyed,

xoxo L

Award: Best Blog

I have't been blogging for long so this award was all very exciting for me! Thanks :) 

Rules of this award are:

1. Link back to the person who awarded this to you:

 http://21saraloves.blogspot.com

2. Share 7 random things about yourself:

• I have a tortoise
• I love to flip (of the backflipping variety)
• I get huge obsessions with celebrity styles (currently Olivia Palermo)
• I am watching the hills right now- Love!!
• I am addicted to jaffa cakes
• I draw a lot (and other arty fartsy things)
• I stand at the height of 5ft 4 inches

3. Award 15 Blogs: Now I haven't actually awarded 15 because I really wanted to narrow it down to some of my favourites, I also didn't choose all my favourites but those I felt particularly deserved to be more known than they are...so people should read them! :)

• http://daisydodoes.blogspot.com
• http://glitterandcarousels.blogspot.com
• http://wakeupbuttercup.blogspot.com
• http://makemeuplucy.blogspot.com
•  http://paperbacks-and-postcards.blogspot.com
• http://pinksugarlump.blogspot.com
•  http://productdoctor.blogspot.com
•  http://sarahseesall.blogspot.com
• http://sugarpuffish.blogspot.com
•  http://nicolaxoxo.blogspot.com

4. Answer the following questions:

• Your favourite colour: an obnoxious shade of lime green, but clothes wise I like nudey beiges ( I can choose more than 1 right? )
• Favourite song at the moment: I could never choose a favourite, but right now The A team- Ed Sheeran is playing...yea I quite like that song :)
• Your favourite dessert: New York Cheesecake made by my mum
• What is pissing you off: right now? nothing i'm very content
• When you're upset you: moan about it to my friends
• Your favourite pet: I am equally fond of my tortoise and dog
• Black or White: black
• Biggest fear: I dont know, lets not make this depressing
• Best feature: hair?
• Everyday attitude: no such thing, my mood is very changeable
• What is perfection: an unattainable goal
• Guilty pleasure: buying clothes/makeup/jewellery etc. (how predictable)

Thanks for the award and congrats if I awarded you, believe me I thought about it carefully. Carry it on if you want to, its a great way to share the love and find new blogs <3

xoxo L

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen Influence

I recently purchased the 'coffee table book' Influence by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, it includes photographs and interviews based around their influences in fashion and style. It was my love for the Olsen twins style that initially attracted my attention to the book, I grew up watching 'Full House'  where they appeared from the adorable age of 6 months old, however, if you are not a huge Olsen fan but do love fashion I would definitely recommend you do not dismiss it.

When it comes to size this is not a book that you can just throw in your bag, it's big and more a of a stand out piece, the front cover catches attention. Aside from the writing and the interviews for me the photography in the book is worth purchasing it for alone. There are some gorgeous pictures of Mary Kate and Ashley exclusive to this book along with other artistically interesting images. I really like the  you can pick this book up and just flick through it in any order.

I was surprised at the amount of 'Olseness' (I think this word should catch on) or lack of maybe. All the interviews really do seem to be focussed on the designer or photographer, and the questions asked by the twins are very interesting. Although they do interview well I think the people they have chosen to interview are extremely intriguing to read about with the stories they have to tell, so in some ways it makes the Olsen's job 'easier'. The enthusiasm the girls have for fashion and the people they talk about really comes across in the book which is not only endearing to read it also makes it more enjoyable. I like the personal touch this book has, for example a questionnaire given out which has handwritten answers....theres something about seeing a photocopy of the original with the designers handwriting that I just love.  Is this just me?

Within the book they interview the following:

• Peter Beard
• Alexandre De Betak
• Bob Colacello
• David Collins
• George Condo
• Franciso Costa
• Diane Von Furstenberg
• John Galliano 
• Lazaro Hernandez & Jack McCollough
• Lauren Hutton
• Karl Lagerfeld
• Peter Lindbergh
• Christian Louboutin
• Margherita Missoni
• Robert Lee Morris
• Jack Pierson
• Richard Prince
• Terry Richardson
• Giambattista Valli
• Evan Yurman

I had by no means heard of all these people yet I found all of them interesting to read about. I love the inspirational quotes included by designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg who I idolise. I think I will combine some of these quotes along with some others of my favourites in a separate post.

I purchased mine from Amazon for £13.56, I think this was reasonable as the price tag on the back said £20.00 so the price varies. Overall I really cannot fault this book and whether you are interested in the Olsen twins themselves or the fashion designers it includes, it is a great book to have. 

If you've read this I would love to know what you think of it. Are there any other books like this you would recommend? 

Hope you enjoyed,

xoxo L

All pictures were found out www.Amazon.co.uk

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer- Review

I recently purchased the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection ultimate wear concealer for £4.19. Now before I get stuck into this review I would just like to make clear that when it comes to concealers I definitely do not tend to branch out into high end...other make up yes, but for me its just not necessary to do so for concealers. I am fairly lucky when it comes to blemishes and pigmentation problems as a result of this concealers were always something I had incase a breakout were to occur and to cover slight dark circles that I had under my eyes.You should also bare in mind that my skin type is dry/ combination. I've heard rave reviews of this product through both blogs and the beauty community on youtube and as it is very reasonably priced I thought I would give it a whirl.

What the concealer promises: Conceals flaws and blemishes for up to 16 hours.

It's not often I will have my makeup on for a good 16 hours, however on the occasion I have, I did noticed that product has good staying power. I've also worn it to the gym and it lasted well, and that definitely put it to the test!

It comes in 4 shades and I have opted for the shade 2, Light. While the colour range for light to medium skin tones is good i'm not sure how well it would work for darker skin tones. If you have tried it let me know?

It comes in a slim tube with an applicator wand...now if i'm being really picky as its a product you may be using to cover blemishes this could touch bacteria and then put this bacteria back into the product. However, many other concealers come in a similar manner so this cannot be too much of an issue and if it really bothers you, then use a brush?

As for the actual product I found it to be of a lovely creamy consistency. The texture of the concealer was particularly good for my dry skin as it was very moisturising and didn't get cakey at all, even after layering or reapplying.

The coverage is fantastic and it blends extremely well. All in all I cannot fault this concealer and it does the job perfectly for me. Like I said previously I cannot compare it to higher end brands but from what I have heard/read it does the job just as well, and at £4.19 (approx.) you can't go wrong.

Here I am wearing the concealer along with my Bourjois healthy mix foundation. Although the naturally bright lighting of the photograph is kind to dark circles I think you can tell that the concealer does blend well and does its job of "concealing flaws and blemishes"

If you have any other questions I would love to try and help. What do you think of this concealer? Any others you would recommend?

Hope everyone is enjoying the lovely english weather (fingers crossed it stays for a while)

xoxo

L

Frivolous Food- Brownies

"Don't wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty"

- Lora Brody

So this is nothing beauty related but chocolate and brownies are definitely some of my 'frivolous loves'. I made the 'Bloomin brilliant brownies' from the Jamie Oliver coockbook and bloomin brilliant they are indeed!

The recipe can be found here, or follow what I did as I did make some small changes to the recipe :)

What I used:

• 250g unsalted butter
• 200g dark chocolate
• 80g cocoa powder, sifted
• 65g flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 360g caster sugar
• 4 large free range eggs
• white chocolate chips

First I melted the chocolate and butter together in a large bowl over simmering water, while I could have done this quicker in a microwave, the recipe said to do it this way and I could just leave it to melt whilst I got the other ingredients together. 

In  separate bowl I mixed together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder.

Once the chocolate was completely melted I added the other ingredients and mixed all together.

I then added the eggs....

and stirred in the white chocolate chips, the little something I decided to add for extra chocolatey goodness ;)

I poured the mixture into a grease proof paper lined try and baked in the oven for 25 minutes at 180 C

and heres the result....

This is definitely the best brownie recipe i've tried so thought I would share it with any other chocolate lovers out there :)

I would love you to try it...or do you have any other favourite chocolate recipes you want to share?

Hope you enjoyed,

xoxo L

"Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold"- Judith Olney 

Mulberry: Happy 40th Birthday!

All the obsessive Mulberry fans out there lets join together in celebration of 40 years of the 'luxury English fashion' that is Mulberry. Hooray!

As a big Mulberry fan myself I thought I would take this opportunity to share with some of my favourite pictures. I love the simplicity of the brand and have vowed to myself that I WILL one day own the Alexa bag which has definitely reached cult status.

According to Mulberry the Alexa is 1 part Bayswater + 1 part Elkington + a dash of vintage inspiration= The Alexa 

http://www.mulberry.com/#/discovermulberry/evolutionofthealexa/

'Mulberry' The book

In celebration of Mulberry's 40th anniversary they have released a book showing the brands journey throughout the past two years since the brands popularity rocketed. Taking nearly three years to make it was shot by photographer Venetia Dearden. It shows the models, Somerset Factory and 'captures the heart and pulse of Mulberry' in one luxurious book. Going by my love for the brand and beautifully shot Mulberry Advertisements I think this book looks fabulous! If anyone has purchased it I would love to hear about it :)

It can be bought from Mulberry in store or the website here

In addition to this, Mulberry currently has a great sale on with up to 50% off on many items....if you are like me sadly then it may still be too pricey for your budget, but if you were thinking about investing it's definitely worth a look.

For now I will continue to drool at pictures of the lovely bags and purses...who will join me?

Are you a Mulberry fan? I would love to know your favourite Piece :)

Hope you enjoyed

xoxo L

P.S I am in know way affiliated with this company or have been told to say any of this...ha I wish!

Haul: bit of Wednesday shopping....

So here are the lovely goodies I picked up that I thought I would share with you :)

• Lasting Perfection ultimate wear concealer ( in 2 Light): £4.19- Heard very good things about this and needed a new concealer so thought I would try it out...so far so good!
• QVS Eyelash curlers: £3.49- never really been a user of eyelash curlers but I do have fairly long lashes and not so much of a fan of false lashes so thought I would give these a go to give them a bit of umph! 

• Maybeline falsies mascara: £6.19- definitely my favourite mascara of the moment...lots of volume with minimal clumpiness

.....and here are the results!

• New Look playsuit: £14.99- I love playsuits for the summer, very easy to throw on when its hot and thats your outfit sorted!

• Barry M Nailpaint in Block orange: £2.99- my own take on the 'orange trend' as im not quite brave enough for the orangey lipstick

• Dove summer glow: £3.00- I like to use this on the odd occasion just to take away the pale edge, even though i'm all for embracing the pale

• Superdrug Beauty Card- While in Superdrug I picked up one of the heavily advertised new Beaty Cards. According to the leaflet you earn 1 point for every £1 you spend...although according to my receipt after spending £19 ish pounds i've earned 119 points? Can anyone else of this? Anyway every 100 points are worth £1...anything free is a bargain to me!

• Elle Magazine- Featuring another one of my obsessions at the moment 'Rosie Huntington- Whiteley....gorgeous!

• New Look hair bow: £4.99- When I get fed up of long hair I pile it all up on top of my head by finishing it off with a nice bow I like to think it makes it look like I made a bit of an effort...maybe?

What have you been buying recently? I'd love to have a look :)

Hope you enjoyed

L xoxo