Advent Calendar: 6

What a miserable day it has suddenly become; the sunny morning held some promise but the afternoon was bitingly cold. I would like this bobble jumper from Whistles to keep out the wind. The buttons on the back are a pleasing detail.

A

Advent Calendar Bonus: 4 & 5

PLESKOVSKAIA'S KINDERGARTEN PRINT

This is one of those double whammy Advent calendar days where you realise you forgot to open up one of those windows so now you’ve got two to open. And frankly, you suspect that your brain tricked into doing this, without your knowledge, so you’d have the double treat today.

Today’s first treat is this charming Pleskovskala print from Magma Books. They are currently running a series of ‘Masters of Early Russian Children Books’ prints. According to the blurb:

‘Through the ’20s and ’30s, in the early Soviet Union, there flowered briefly a golden age of children’s books. Great artists and writers, often prohibited from other work, created a benign and fabulous alternative world.’

Fabulous indeed. Now for the next treat, a warm sweater dress from Vanessa Bruno Athe available on Outnet. I like this because it looks like you could wear an entire outfit underneath, pop this on top and be warm as a button.

Snug as a bug in a cable knit sweater dress

A

Our first birthday

S & I hosted the blog’s first birthday party last night at the Scooter Caffe. It was a dark, stormy night so we were ever so pleased when friends, blog friends and blog readers turned up.

There were cupcakes and fondant fancies a-plenty and tea in nice cups.

An animated birthday party chat

AMS & LON of Sparkling Whine enjoying a little sparkle

We were lucky enough to enjoy the company of fellow bloggers including Sparkling Whine (above), Fashpoliticos, Nneoma from TwentyTenEightFour and Fi from Save our Shoes. We also had a gaggle of pals including the lovely Brooke Roberts and Emma Gibney. A big thank you to everyone who came along.

Brooke, of Brooke Roberts fame

Fi, Save Our Shoes, with her carton of milk

 

Thanks to Cup of Sea for the goodie bag goodies (above).

Good night lights

Good night.

A

Party people

Big thanks to everyone who came to our blog birthday party yesterday, we had a great time and it was awesome to meet new people who I knew from ye internet worlde but not in real life. More detailed posting and a giveaway of shiny things will be forthcoming.

xx S & A

Advent calendar: 3

It is a cold and awkward day here in London, and I am huddling under blankets. Soon I will watch Mamma Mia on DVD, but for now I am opening my imaginary calendar, whose Tardis-like properties impress me greatly, and finding this delightful jumper. Why don’t I own a sequinned jumper? There is a hole in my wardrobe where this item should be, in a world where everything is fair.

S

***EDIT*** The jumper is from Joseph at My Wardrobe and if you want to spend £420 on it and send it to me via SendSocial, feel free.

Advent Calendar: 2

Today’s Advent calendar treat is this tea and cupcakes ring from Galibardy. It makes me think of tonight’s party.

I bought a lovely owl ring from them a while back, and people are always commenting on it.

A

Advent Calendar: 1

There are no chocolates in our advent calendar, just little fabulous things that catch our eye. What better excuse than Christmas to enjoy total frivolous lust?

Today, in honour of the surprisingly good read that is the Asos magazine, endorsed by both A and I, I present you with these gorgeous woodland rings. I am particularly taken by the fox one.

A little bit Disco, a little bit cups of tea

Hello devoted readers.  The blog has made it through its first year and to celebrate the blood, sweat and tears that went into our many posts about Topshop, we are throwing a soiree.

It is in the downstairs room at the lovely Scooter Caffe in Waterloo, tomorrow after work. My directions above are a little vague, try this Google Maps link instead.

The lovely Scooter Caffe.

There’ll be cakes, some little presents, tea and hopefully people who read blogs, write blogs, make clothes, make crafts, and generally people who are lovely. Feel free to turn up and introduce yourself.

xxx S & A, proud blog mothers

Make-Up Monday – One person, three smoking looks

I love smoky eyes, and with the winter here and the long nights and darkness drawing in, I think the best thing to do to cope with this is to make your eyes smoulder in defiance! Ok, so a little dramatic, but I think winter lends itself to heavier make-up, certainly darker eyes, especially with the party season just around the corner.

I’m going to look at one person, Hilary Duff, working the same technique, and how it can be used to show three very different looks.

The key, like most make-up application, is to blend. Whether you are using shimmer based shadows, or matt, you have to blend so there are no hard visible lines.

There are two other rules that are both clearly perfected below. Firstly, keep the lips neutral, do not let your lips compete with your eyes for attention. It is the same as the age-old rule of legs or cleavage, one can be hot, both can be too much. And secondly keep the colour on the socket, below the brow bone. Only use the brow bone for highlighting, otherwise there is a risk of looking bruised.

This look uses black liner and shadow, but with a lovely white shimmery powder in the corner of the eye blending through to the middle. This really opens up the eye whilst adding real glamour. If you are scared of smoking your eyes up, this is a great way to meet the look halfway:

I love this next look. It uses relatively matt, dark and taupe shades of brown all over and around the eye. For under the eye, do not use a hard pencil line in the lash line, always use a touch of colour and blend from the outer to the inner corner. I think this look is edgy without depicting any particular era:

With smoky eyes, you can use varying colours other than the obvious black and brown. Depending on my mood I might smoke-up with emerald green, midnight blue, aubergine, or gun-metal grey. Not only can you reflect your mood, but your outfit, hair and eye colour and the seasons.

This shows how blue eye shadow doesn’t have to be a cliché:

V

*Pictures courtesy of Just Jared

Bat for Lashes?

I am in love with fake eyelashes. I bought a pair at Bestival for a fiver. A lovely woman in a tent applied them to my eyelids and sent me off with the little tube of adhesive for future use. Pleased as punch, I was.

I know everyone has been going gaga for fake lashes for a while but it is a recent discovery for me. I’m not talking about those normal lashes that make you look like you have amazing mascara, but those that make people look twice and ask if you’re aware there’s an animal on your face.

Are you aware that there's an animal on your face? Yes, yes, I am, thank you very much.

My pair are a bit less animal and more glitter – black and gold, to be precise. I’d like another pair but I’m low on funds so these will have to do for now.

A