Preview: Superdry's Beauty Collection

This week I was lucky enough to get  a sneak-peak of global hero brand Superdry's fabulous new make-up collection.  They're not the first high-street brand to release their own: my housemates' cosmetics bags are full of Topshop brushes and Jack Wills nail-polishes, but I have a feeling Superdry's contribution to the hybrid fashion-beauty world is going to stand out. They've always been famous for their urban take on classic preppy styles, and now their line is high-impact both inside and out.  Carefully-chosen products are combined with carefully-designed packaging; a collection of bright colours and urban shades, all priced between £3-£20.

There's bundles of choice when it comes to colour and shades, but there's a basic 'Superdry' look the collection is going for: skin is kept neutral, with iridescent contouring created through the use of their pearl highlighters, bronzers and blushers.

You can stand out with their velvety smooth lip-paints (available in Flamingo, Electric Pink and Rebel Red), or blend in with their vanilla-scented jelly glazes.  In the interest of long-lasting style, they've also created a product called 'Lip Fix' which - thanks to it's non-greasy formula - doubles as a chapstick and lip-primer.

Statement eyes are the real focus of the collection - eyeshadows are bright jade green, grape purple, sunflower orange or secura blue, and are accompanied by keratin-infused volumising mascara and a choice of pencil or felt-tip eyeliners.

Ever since I was gifted the Eliis Faas felt-tip eyeliner in September I've been a convert from the ordinary pencil variety, and I fell immediately in love with the neon-pink Kabuki brush.  I'm not daring enough to try the crazy colour shades, but I am itching to try their iridescent highlighter and enhance my cheekbones to model-sharp levels.

You can buy it from February online and in-store - find your local Superdry here.

Winter Blues

I spent this weekend at home, with GB and my best friend Rose.  The countryside's been pretty snow-covered, and there's no gritting here so everything looked a little bit like this:

Not only does it make everything super pretty, the snow gave us all a little chance to chill out: dog-walking, playing in the snow, building fires and making monster hot chocolates were all on the agenda.

YUM.

By the time I was getting off my train at York the snow turned to sleet, the pavements had turned to ice, and the magic had thoroughly worn off.  I was missing the sun, and I decided to cheer myself (and GB) up with a little holiday-themed cooking..  This is a great student-friendly recipe; it's based on European street-foods (gyros, shwarma etc.) and it's super easy to change depending on your mood, what you've got to hand, and how many hungry mouths you'll be feeding.

For the wraps you'll need:

• Flatbreads (I like to use traditional Arabic bread, but today I'm using thick square wraps) 
• Red onions (half an onion for two wraps) and malt-vinegar for soaking
• Chicken breasts (one per wrap - we're being greedy here!)
• Cucumber or avocado
• Tomato (again, one per wrap)
• Tzatziki
• Seasoning: Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper

 For the secret sauce, I always use my favourite blogger Rose Thomas' recipe:

• Honey
• Tabasco
• Mayo
• Harissa Paste (or Nando's sauce, if you're being lazy)
• Lime

First, chop your healthy stuff (tomatoes, onion, cucumber) and leave to one side. Chop your chicken up, add a little salt/pepper/whatever you fancy and heat on a hot pan until brown.

While you're waiting for that to cook nicely, it's time to make secret sauce!  Use roughly equal amounts of each 'sauce' and use the tabasco/lime juice to taste.  I like to buy limes/lemons in bulk and freeze them - hardly anybody uses up a whole lemon in one go, and this way you can double them up as ice cubes!  For squeezing though, pop in a little cup of boiling water and they'll soften in no time..

 I always have to make extra secret sauce, because I find myself dipping celery sticks in it while I'm waiting for everything to cook..

Unfortunately the photos stop here guys, but from here-on it's pretty self explanatory!  Warm up your bread in the oven, and assemble.  You can smother your chicken in secret-sauce, or leave it for people to add separately.  The best thing about this dish is it's share-iness; invite over some good friends, whip up some fruity cocktails, close your eyes and you might as well be here:

Exams & Vintage

This weekend is going to be super exciting, because I finished my essays for this term! Expect documentation of nights out - embarrassing outfits, funny faces and lethal drinks.

Here's one from last night, at my favourite cocktail bar Bora Bora

I'll blog about Bora Bora soon, I think if I'm going to do this properly I should at least introduce you to my favourite places to hang round in York!

Anyway, big news for my other project arrived today - new promotional images! We're working on a couple of 'simple' ones, business cards, A5 information cards and a few singular shots that show off our models.  The first set showed up today, featuring our newest model Bron, and I'm so excited I have to show them off to you:

I've narrowed the selection down to my favourite four, and I've got to spend the rest of the day deciding my favourite two! What do you think?

Feel free to like my page at /pages/vintage-2-versace and on twitter @vintage2versace

xo!

I had to share this..

...because it made me giggle.

Blackscore Tees popped up around six months ago (just in time for LFW SS13) with their ironic (and super-comfy) fashion tees, vests & canvas bags.  Their sharp logos included gems like 'GUCCI GOT GAME',  'DIOR IS DOPE' and my favourite 'TOM FORD IS MY HOMEBOY' and they staged a flashmob-style handout at Somerset House over the Fashion Week Weekend, to the delights of bloggers and press-babies alike.

Unfortunately I didn't make it in time for Tom Ford, but I simply couldn't live without a piece of their super-cool collection (I really wanted the canvas bags they were handing the tees out from, but that's another story).  I won't post my pic (you can find it here if you fancy a laugh) but I was suitably impressed, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they've got this year.  I'm going to be featuring this brand on my 'WHAT TO WEAR TO FASHION WEEK' piece, coming up on The Wardrobe Update.

You can buy 'TOM FORD IS MY HOMEBOY' here, and the 'BRAD PITBULL' style here.

Collection: tees, vests & bags for men and women
Price Range: £35-60
Links: Twitter, Website

Christmas Sales Shopping

Today is the day I finally emerged from my cocoon, fought my way through traffic and crowds with my best friend Rose, and searched for bargains!

I'm not a big sale shopper in all, but I had some lovely vouchers (and a few last-min additions to get) and I figured - why not?   My mother always advises that you shouldn't buy something in a sale you haven't considered at least 3 times before, that you should NEVER buy something that isn't your size just because you're in love/will consume your way into it/will diet your way into it/your friend loved it, and that 'YOLO' is not an acceptable term when planning your wardrobe.

We parked next to the Lace Market, so naturally our two first stops were the Wills family.  I've been lusting after a grey fox jumper in Aubin & Wills for ages - it's sold out online - but unfortunately they only had it in tan in the store, too!  Our trip to Jack Wills was far more fruitful, and myself & Rose emerged hands-full of goodies:

Let me introduce you to the Keynsham Dress, and the Campbell Knit hoodie.  This dress will be perfect for NYE - Jack Wills release a similar dress to this (differing prints, and features such as bows etc.) every season and I absolutely adore them.  I ordered the hoodie before the sale as a Christmas present to someone I won't be seeing until January, but I think I love it even more in real life than on the website and I might have to wear it myself...

We also tried on their fuzz-lined hoodies and furry headbands, and Rose left with a few of those. We were both really happy with our new purchases, excitedly planning social events to show them off when it occurred to us that we had no shoes!

"Off to House of Fraser!", we said

I'm a big believer in putting several outfits together with one piece, so naturally I had to buy a pair for day and a pair for parties..  I've loved the selection of black peep-toe pumps Dune has for years - I have their 'WAIVER' pair for winter, and was looking for something a little sleeker for summer - so there was really only one choice for me.

I'm not much of a shoe person, but I don't believe you can go wrong with a pair of simple, flattering, black suede peep-toe pumps.  Boring, I know, but there's really no room for improvement there!  Fortunately, Rose is super-exciting when it comes to heels, and she brightened up our shopping list with these pewter babies from Moda in Pelle!

It's a bit cheeky pretending I purchased my last pair today - really, I ordered them online on Saturday. They're navy, patent, super-cute, and you can either purchase them directly from Paul Smith or from Sarah Coggles in York (which is where I got mine from).

What have you bought from the sales so far?

xx

2013

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are planning an exciting NYE!

Number one on my list is to stay faithful here, as well as sticking to my other blogging commitments!

Trust me, it didn't look like this for long..

Let me know if you have plans, I'm sure I'll be blogging about mine! :)

xx

The Big Shave!

Cancer is something that affects everyone; 1 in 3 are likely to receive treatment for a cancerous illness at some point during their lives, and almost everyone can recall a close friend or relative who has suffered.

I like to aid cancer charities such as Cancer Research and CLIC Sargeant by attending sponsored events, and buying from charity shops, however one of my close friends is going one step further this coming year. Gemma is shaving off her hair in aid of awareness and patient support, and wants to raise £1000 for CR via the website 'justgiving.co.uk'.

She had this to say:

"The past few days I have been sat reflecting on life, as the year of 2012 draws to an end and the start of a new year approaches.  Thinking about how lucky I am to be here, healthy, happy and alive. Some are not so lucky, Cancer has taken the lives of so many, who had so much to give. That is why I am taking a stand.

On Monday 28th January 2013 I will be shaving all of my hair off in order to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

I'm asking you, my friends, family and work colleagues to support my cause. Any small donation that you could make would make a big difference and help raise awareness.

This is my way of fighting back, a chance to help those who really need it.

Information and updates will be regularly posted on how you can support me through this cause.

Thank you for you time and support."

You can donate HERE:  www.justgiving.com/TeamGemmaBaker  

It only takes one person to make a difference.