ALLSAINTS Portraits Of A Collection

 
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I'll admit now, I've never stepped foot into an ALLSAINTS store. I did have a look at the Bicester Village outlet last summer but it was full of string vests and chainmail skirts. The SS13 lookbook has really got me thinking about changing that though. ALLSAINTS have undergone a project called 'Portraits Of a Collection', which documents a series of international creatives, renowned for their alternative approaches to the traditional pathways of design. Their methods reflect the principles of ALLSAINTS perfectly; and as Creative Director Wil Beedle puts it, "Spring is a consciously evolved, refined and curated collection that distils our brand identity of an attitudinal, metropolitan wardrobe. These portraits document that evolution."

I'm loving the whole air of neutral calm in the collection- no neons or pastels in sight, and it would seem to suit more of an Autumn-Winter palette, but I think it's pretty spot on for the UK. I've shared my favourites above (that little black dress has me weak at the knees), but you can check out the rest of the lookbook here. What do you think of the collection?

LFW AW13 Backstage: Jean Pierre Braganza

Backstage at London Fashion Week with TONI&GUY: Jean Pierre Braganza AW13
Last photo credited to TONI&GUY
Jean Pierre Braganza was my second visit backstage at London Fashion Week AW13. The TONI&GUY Session Team and Indira Schauwecker created a look inspired by east meets west; the idea being along the lines of a 'boho rock chick travels to Japan and learns the way of the Samurai'. Interesting! So.. how?

The hair was first prepped with label.m Volume Mousse and blow-dried to a straight, smooth finish with a paddle brush. A clean centre part was created with the tail of a comb and a small triangle was sectioned at the top before securing with an elastic. The length of the section was sprayed with label.m Hairspray and smoothed over with straighteners to fuse the hair together. The same section was then looped over, secured again and rolled underneath itself, wound through and pinned into place to give the effect of an 'origami bun'. Finally, label.m Shine Spray was misted over the look for a natural shine.

Not quite an every day look but makes an interesting change from an otherwise smooth, sleek look. What are your thoughts?

Primark, Boots & Zara (and more!) Haul

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So my first 'proper' video is a haul. A mix of mostly high street and a couple of other places chucked in. Hope you enjoy!

Origins Make A Difference Plus+

Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Treatment: £33*
Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Moisturiser: £33*
Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Ultra-Rich Cream: £33*
My skin feels thirstier than ever and needs all the help it can get at the moment. Origins is a brand I always turn to when I'm looking for some new goodies to treat my skin and for a while now I've been trying out the new range, Make A Difference Plus+. A reformulated range (formerly known as the same, but without the 'plus'), now including an ultra-rich cream to go with the other two to complete the range and fill the whole of the skin spectrum. My skin type seems to switch as and when it chooses so I've been trialling each of the moisturisers and seeing how they fare.

Fortified with Rose of Jericho, lychee and watermelon hydra-sustain complex, each of the Make A Difference Plus+ pots are designed to quench the thirst of dehydrated skin. Boasting the ability to both increase moisture levels by a whopping 75%, and improve moisture retention for a full 24 hours. If that's not impressive then I don't know what is. As I've been lucky enough to see how each of the products suit my skin, my face seems to have taken a shine to the routine of first using the treatment (targeted to oilier skins as it feels like a gel-cream hybrid), followed by a helping of the moisturiser for more normal skin types. The results is instantly comforted, plumped-up skin; both products sink in beautifully and provide incredible levels of hydration. Using these products is the favourite part of my morning (sometimes at night too - these are designed to be used both AM and PM - but I tend to use heavier stuff) routine actually, I love them that much! The smell is also divine, I can't quite describe it but I want to say it reminds me of a mojito. Zingy, fresh and puts me in a great mood when I use it.

The ultra-rich cream is effective but probably my least favourite out of the three as it is very thick and I only really use it at night or in places where I have severe dryness/dehydration. Obviously it's not catered to my skin type completely so it's more my fault than that of the product. I also find the smell isn't as strong which kind of takes out the enjoyment of using it for me. Simple minds.. That said though, it would definitely be a product I'd recommend to anyone in need of extreme hydration.

I'm not super pleased that I love these tubs of goodness so much as they're a gulp-worthy £33 a pop. Then again I truly do think they are worth every penny - in fact, I had the moisturiser in the older formula before the range was re-released so I'd be more than happy to repurchase in future! Have you tried the Make A Difference Plus+ range?

LFW AW13 Backstage: Maria Grachvogel

Backstage at London Fashion Week with L'Oréal Professionel: Maria Grachvogel AW13
On the last day of London Fashion Week last Tuesday, I headed backstage to see what was going on with the hair for the Maria Grachvogel AW13 collection. Products were key to the finished look, and stylist Federico Ghezzi took some precious time out of preparing the models for the catwalk to explain the process to me. A half-up, half-down affair, with a controlled sleek finish to match the collection's soft fabrics with the structured designs? Here's how he made it happen..

A perfect centre parting is created first, and then the hair is blow-dried after being sprayed with Beach Fizz from the L'Oréal Professionel Tecni Art range to ensure maximum texture and thickness. 2cm down the hairline was backcombed, with the help of Super Dust for ultimate grip, setting the hair up for the next step. Lots of bobby pins helped the style stay perfectly in place, while Fix Anti-Frizz Spray smoothed the hair back down, to be straightened at the bottom into a sleek 'double pony'.

I was confused when I was taught the method as I had no idea of how to picture it in my head, but I have to admit I loved the final look. Strong and methodical, yet very pretty and somewhat dainty at the same time. Amazing!




I was lucky enough to catch the show and see the style on the catwalk; it's a total hit in my book! What do you think?

All The Best Nights

  
  
  
  
  
  
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LFW breakfast, my lovely Valentine's roses, MAC kit backstage, stationery junkie, paps at a catwalk show, Coke from a glass bottle.. nothing better, post-LFW tote full of Vitamin Water and press releases, LFW Tuesday outfit (full post coming soon), Felder Felder FROW cupcake, ghd session - Bardot-esque bun, baby bobby pins, new candy stylers and my spin on a a beehive as half-up-half-down, aaaaahhhhh, birthday girl, yewtoob, pastel toners and all of the fruit for lunch.

LFW AW13 Backstage: Central Saint Martins

Backstage at London Fashion Week with L'Oréal Professionel: Central Saint Martins MA AW13
The Central Saint Martins MA show consists of a number of different designers' collections, so it seems like it would be pretty tricky to create a hairstyle that complements each collection. Professor Louise Wilson MBE worked with session stylist Stephen Low to come up with a look to filter throughout the whole show. As always with CSM shows, the hair themes are along the lines of natural, young and raw, and of course London.

It felt surreal backstage as it was actually really calm considering there were so many different rails of clothing and so many people! The decided look was a a side part which would be flat on top and tucked behind the ears. In order to create a uniform flatness between all the models, hair would be covered tightly with a hair net whilst being blow-dried (hot air, then cold) with a little Crystal Gloss sprayed on the crown to shine as the models did their thing on the catwalk.

Towards the bottom half of the hair, movement and texture was introduced. From the neck down, a lot of Super Dust was used whilst twisting and diffusing the hair to give it a completely matte finish. The end result - a super relaxed, high end bed head look. I'm not sure I'd choose to avoid volume myself, but it looked great with all the collections as it was so simple!