Tuesday

The rain is gone (for now!) and the weather is beautiful.  A day like today makes me want to wear this x

Imagery - tumblr

Daddy Cool

This photo portrays several important messages.  Firstly, I will never again sport a fringe - I just wish I could have been in charge of my own hair at this age.  Secondly, that the early 90's were clearly a time that when it came to sunglasses, the bigger the better.  And finally, that I was, and still am, a bit of a daddy's girl.

Daddy, affectionately referred to as 'D' for short (to distract people's attention away from the shame that I still am not allowed to call him Dad) is one of the greats.  Having been always surrounded by us Alexander women, he is one of the gentlest men I know - the idea of him getting rowdy in a pub is unthinkable.  

He's always been quite dapper.  Having worked closely with their advertising team for years, it was D's copy of Vogue I'd steal each month as a little girl.  I grew up thinking that all gentleman's wardrobes were meticulously organised, that every man owned wooden shoe trees and a colour-coordinated tie hanger, and that an endless supply of white cotton handkerchiefs ironed to perfection was the norm.  He rocks a winter coat, he's got a great head of hair, and packs for trips using tissue paper after every layer of shirts. I guess this explains my disappointment when I discover a boys wardrobe is an unruly mess of bad decisions, and my glee when my first boyfriend had his own alphabetised aftershave cabinet.  

He bought me up on a concoction of Blackadder, Fawlty Towers and Shooting Stars.  He taught me to dance and at weddings we are still the most dedicated partnership on the dance floor.  In Portugal and at Christmas he steals the odd cigarette from me which he knows I love.  He gave me an education in The Beach Boys each Summer.  He calls me to sing Frank Sinatra down the phone every time he goes to New York.  He calming me down when he got  daily crying phone calls when I was stuck in the most awful job I have ever had and didn't know what to do.    He said it was ok every parents evening when the three of us sat through a less than perfect review of my performance in sport, walking away saying he didn't respect the opinion of a woman who considers tracksuits as appropriate night time attire.  And he has worked so hard to make sure we are all ok.  And it is this generosity, kindness and humour, and his love for Mummy, his daughters and grandchildren, that makes him thoroughly worthy of this little homage on Father's Day.  I think he is, quite simply, the best xxx

Swimmers

As you can see readers, my appreciation of good swimwear started from a young age...as did my love of ice cream and a good hair accessory apparently.  A great swimsuit or a fabulous statement bikini can make or break your holiday and paying attention to your shape is vital.  I don't like seeing girls on the beach dripping in layers of jewellery and makeup.  Doesn't it create odd tan lines?  Instead, all of the below can be paired with a sizzlingly bright mani and pedi, and a delicate gold chain.  Here are my favourites from budget blowing to absolute bargain.  Bon voyage x   

GAP

Team this emerald green with fuschia, glossy nails

H&M

My favourite retro style I have found

Violet Lake
For the athletic type, this bikini comes in a variety of colours and the little
cut outs between the cleavage and on each hips are seriously sexy

 

American Apparel
Edgy as hell.  Neon nails and a killer brown bod

F+F at Tesco
 This is exotic, great on curves and a staggering £12

French Connection

Cute as a button.
Bows? Check. Bandeau? Check. Mega sweet horse shoe print? Check.

American Apparel

F+F at Tesco
One splash of colour is always effective.  One for the classic, one for the girly.

H&M

H&M's swimwear is some of the most fashion forward on the high street. The designers have serious attention to detail, and the fact that the pieces are so purse-friendly is just an added bonus.  Every bikini has that perfect exposed zip or retro frill.

Topshop

This one piece means business.  Wet look.  Black.  Tight.  Backless.  HOT.

Urban Outfitters

Juxtapose the delicious frill and fuss of this bikini, with a slick high ponytail or top knot

Topshop

Miu Miu

Two halters.  Two very different bikinis.

We Are Handsome

This brand has taken the swimwear world by storm since
celebs galore fell for its graphic one pieces

Topshop
Sometimes you just have to go simple...

Warehouse

...sometimes not

Ted Baker

Lime green and flamingos makes the perfect, show stopping suit

Wildfox
Cult brand and the cutest little kitten.  A bold choice for the deepest tan

Zimmerman

Could almost pass for underwear - love.

Tuesday's Child Is Full Of Grace

Tuesday's girl crush:

Simply...Alexa

 

Imagery - Fashion Roll Call, Google, Hearty Chic, InStyle, Vogue, My Best Wish, Street Glamour Today, Tumblr

Tips I wasn't taught

I grew up in a house full of women - my mother and three sisters who were practically getting married by the time I started playing with cosmetics.  Yet somehow, whilst I learnt loads from the Alexander women, I was never taught to apply makeup...probably best as it was the late 80's and my oldest sister had a perm.  Whilst other girls were slapping on garish colours on each other at sleepovers like face paint, I would be meticulously applying in the same way that I would meticulously draw my favourite Disney characters.  And so over the years I picked up some fail safe tricks myself.  Here are a few of my best. Some may be obvious, some may not be, but they're the ones I will be passing onto my daughter...or, if some friends and colleagues predictions come true, my gay son.  

Makeup

When your mascara gets old, dry and clumpy, place it in a mug of boiling hot water for a minute or two.  You'll see the plastic swell a bit, take it out and you'll have a glossy, fresh, smooth mascara again.  

For full, volumised eyelashes run an eye makeup brush dipped in talcum powder, or EVEN plain flour over the lashes before applying mascara.  You'll be surprised at the results.

Another tip for full looking lashes is drawing black kohl eyeliner in the upper, inner eyelids.  This gives the illusion of super sultry, thick lashes.  

Treat your makeup kit like an artists kit and mix and blend like paints.  For more intense looks, mix eyeshadow with gloss to thicken into a striking cream texture.  Heat kohl eyeliner briefly with a hairdryer so that its almost molten for seriously moody, Kate Moss eyes.  

Allegedly Julia Roberts uses safety pins to separate lashes post mascara application.  For a slightly less scary method, wash an old mascara brush clean and use as a 'lash comb'.  Alternatively, soak a cotton bud in liquid eye makeup remover and run over the top of the lashes to remove clumps.

Ever curl your lashes only to find them drop when you apply mascara?  This is probably because you're not using waterproof.  Regular mascara instantly flattens lashes whereas waterproof keeps them perfectly curved.

Heat your eye lash curlers gently and briefly for quick curl.

Apply bronzer where light falls on your face.  Think of where you tan first - forehead, down the bridge of the nose, lightly on the chin.  

For perfect blush, smile to find the fleshy 'apples' of the cheeks.  This is exactly where you should apply for the most natural flush.

For dewy, glowing skin use a highlighter like Benefit's High Beam.  This stuff is a little creamy miracle.  Mixed with a little, non-sticky, clear gloss, apply with your finger tips on the brow bone and down in a semi circle shape to the cheek bones.  Again, the bridge of the nose needs a touch too.  The highlighter makes the skin glow and the gloss makes skin look dewy and fresh.  

Another High Beam tip.  Apply a touch onto the inner corners of the eye and leave to set for a minute.  Smudge and blend thoroughly with your finger tip for sparkling and awake eyes.

When testing lipstick in a shop, test on the pads of your fingers.  This is the closest colour to your natural lip hue, NOT the back of the hand which is so commonly used.

For 60's style, matte lips blend a little concealer onto the mouth before using a nude lipstick.  Keep it creamy so it doesn't settle in the creases of your lips (which looks hideous) and if they are too pale and deadly, dust a little bronzer over them.  

For an uber sexy pout, dot a blob of gloss onto the centre of the bottom lip only.  This gives the illusion of fuller lips.

If the weather is affecting the smoothness of lips and they are a little flaky, gently scrub with an old toothbrush covered in a healing cream.  Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream is phenomenal and cures everything, but Vaseline works too.  Do this last thing at night and then slather the cream on before you sleep.  In the morning you'll have super smooth lips.

Hair

My most trusted weapon is talcum powder.  Rub a little between the palms, throw your hair over your face and massage the powder into the roots.  This gives masses of instant volume, a delicious matte, tousled texture and hair will look freshly washed within seconds as the powder absorbs any grease and moisture.  If you're dark haired, I've heard that some stylists mix a matching eyeshadow in with the powder to avoid grey locks.

Another volume trick, in an instant, is simply to change your parting.  It will be unused to lying in the opposite direction and will be fuller than before.

If beachy, Summer hair is your thing, salt water is your best friend.  Avoid spending £20 or more on a branded 'Salt/Surf Spray' and just make your own.  A pint of hot water with a hearty portion of table salt dissolved in it, thrown over the hair post-wash will give the desired look.

For the ultimate condition, apply olive oil to the hair, wrap up in a towel (if its warm from the radiator all the better) and leave for 20 minutes.  Wash out and enjoy silken tresses.

Nails

For an intense, stormy colour, paint a coat of black polish underneath your chosen colour.  It makes a navy look wonderfully dark, and a red look incredibly sultry.

If nails are yellowing from too much continual nail varnish, scrub bare nails with a nail brush laden with whitening tooth paste.  Let it lather and wash off.  I've also heard that the same method with denture cleaner works wonders.

Another olive oil secret - rub into each cuticle before you go to bed for glossy, smooth skin come morning.

I hope these have proved handy.  If any readers have any other amazing tricks of the trade, please do share in the Comments section below xx

The Roaring 20's

Just a quick snap of my outfit for my best friend's 20's themed birthday bash last night.  I've been a bad blogger - I didn't take any photos while I was there (I was enjoying the potent punch too much to take a steady photograph!) but there was an amazing array of outfits.  Lots of fringing, loads of pearls  and guys looking super cute in three piece suits and slicked back hair.

The kimono

This is such a beautiful piece and a few girls asked if it was vintage.  

In fact, it was a sneaky, brilliant bargain.

Glamorousuk.com

The glitter

After creating two very smokey eyes I wanted to add a bit of 'pizzazz'.  I wiped a touch of eyelash glue onto a clean brush and plunged it into Barry M's vivid blue glitter (below, second pot down).  I swept it over my eyelids and the glue kept it in place all night, as well as not disturbing the smoke shadow underneath.  This stacking pot is a godsend for high octane glamour looks.  

Barry M Glitter Stacking Pots

The nails

The most perfect, delicious, Summer coral/red out there.  

Discovered on the tube last year when I couldn't take my eyes off a fellow commuter's nails.  

Rimmel 'Coral Romance' polish

Barry M 30th Anniversary Party - Circus

As promised, a few snaps from a very cool evening.  Barry M has always been about colour, glitter, gloss and FUN.  So Circus in Covent Garden was the perfect venue for the celebration of the brand that holds glitter nail varnish in the same esteem as a classic nude.  The evening was a delicious concoction of celebs, chattering journalists, sapphire cocktails, and circus performers.  Makeovers took place as flash bulbs glittered and the incredible tumbling, spinning and contorting artists were the icing on the cake.

 

www.barrym.com