How To Wear A Crop Top and Keep It Classy

                                     image via: http://www.dokonalazena.cz/

As a child of the 90's it fills me with glee to see a 90's trend making a come back, it's nostalgic to an extent.

The Crop Top has been around for a while now and yet so many people still get such a simple and staple piece so wrong.

Here are my tips to wearing a crop top and keep it looking sophisticated.

1) I don't care if you have a great body, don't wear a crop top with something that shows off your stomach - it's not chic it's trashy! You are not on a beach and you are not wearing a bikini therefore bare stomach is a definite NO. It's all about seeing a small a strip of skin below the crop top - which keeps it looking on trend and styled well.

2) Always go for something high waisted for the bottom half. This keeps everything well balanced and proportioned.

AND 3) Choose conservatively, if you are going to wear a crop top think about lengths of your bottom half and remember the golden rule -  chest, legs or tum - and never the twain shall meet - you can only feature one at a time to keep things looking sophisticated and well put together.

                                                              ...

5 Key Beauty Items Every Woman Should Carry Around In Her Handbag

My bag is more often than not filled with crap, a trait I get from my mother, who at one point was guilty of carrying around an entire encyclopedia on cheese in the back of her car, till this day no one is really sure how or why it got there....

There are plenty of things that should not be in my bag, however in term of my beauty survival kit, I've got it down.

1) Lip Balm - everyone needs it and at the moment I am SERIOUSLY loving the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream in stick form - believe the hype it is so brilliant.

2) Small Mascara - When in doubt add more mascara, I like to carry travel size products and at the moment I am currently using the mini size of Benefits cult 'They're Real' mascara. It is so small it would fit in any bag.

3) Concealer - an absolute must have for any needed touch ups, or to simply refreshen up your makeup.

4) Powder - as you all should know, powder is not just for those with oily skin. Powder is great for setting your makeup, making it last all day and also to take away any unwanted shine. My current favourite is the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Powder - so long lasting, great coverage plus it comes with a little compact mirror! MARVELLOUS

5) Deodorant - there is nothing like a quick spritz of deodorant to make you feel all freshened up, so a compact aerosol is always to be found in my handbag.

6) Red Lipstick - probably the least essential in this little roundup, however if I make some last minute plans and I feel underdressed a red lip makes an instant impact with minimal effort. I love the Dior Rouge Lipstick in the shade 999 creamy and comfortable but long lasting with great pigment.

                                                                         ...

How Did I Ever Underestimate The Importance Of Blusher?

via : http://wifflegif.com

For the longest time I steered far away from using blush, I've always used bronzer, but I didn't understand why anyone would want to look hot, flustered and flushed.

I truly underestimated the transformative power of blush and the difference it can make to the skin, taking dull, lifeless flat skin and turning it into a luminous fresh youthful base. Your face looks healthier, plumper and more glowing.

Blusher is in fact a sort of beauty SOS saviour, as it is ever so forgiving, helping banish signs of late nights, hangovers or just bad skin days. All are disguised with a pop of blush on the apples of the cheek. When used correctly it adds subtle contours and colouring to the skin.

The trick is all in the application and choosing a flattering shade, to avoid, what makeup artist extraordinaire Charlotte Tilbury describes as 'looking like Aunt Sally'

via : http://fortheloveofkinks.files.wordpress.com

To apply use a soft bristled brush, smile and place the brush directly onto the apple of the skin and apply in circular motions gently sweeping upwards towards the top of the cheekbones. Cream blush is generally applied best with fingers.

A little pop of blush on the apple of the cheeks really can enliven the face and take a flat, ashy complexion and transform it into a healthy perky glow.

                                                  ...

Why You Should Add Olive Oil To Your Bath

I have to admit having a bath is one of my favourite ways to spend a Sunday evening.  There is nothing quite like it, true bliss.

I like to add all sorts of different bath foams, bath bombs and oils, but my most recent discovery has been using olive oil in my bath.

I came across this idea when I read an article that mentioned Italian Beauty Sophia Loren admits to using olive oil in her bath, as part of her beauty routine. Side note, how gorgeous is she?! If it's good enough for Ms Loren, then it's defiantly worth trying it out.

Adding Olive Oil to your bath is in fact an ancient tradition, believed to have been used as a Roman custom, as part of their bathing ritual. The bather would rub the olive oil all over the body, as a substitute for soap, to cleanse their skin and then proceed to scrape off the dirt with a tool called a strigil. After they has finished they would remain in the bath a while longer, allowing any left over oil to soak into the skin.

Simply add a few teaspoons to your bath and follow with a bath product of your choice.

Since adding the olive oil to my bath routine, I have found my skin no longer feels tight or dry but is left feeling soothed, nourished and hydrated.

                                                                  ...

                                       imaged sourced from: http://www.vogue.com/

Dressing Table Dreaming

Ever since I first saw this scene in the Parent Trap, when Lindsay Lohan's character is looking round her mother's bedroom, swooning over her mother's beautiful dressing table, I have yearned for one of my own.

Is there anything quite like a dressing table that evokes the image of an old hollywood star applying her signature makeup, think Elizabeth Taylor getting ready in the morning.

via: Pinterest

I love my bedroom, it is my sanctuary and the only room in the house that is all my taste. I perhaps should have entitled this blog post 'Ode to a Dressing Table', because if you can't already tell, I really really love them, despite the fact that they are not the most practical or necessary piece of furniture, it is the piece that gives me the most pleasure.

It saddens me how rare it is to find a dressing table in homes these days, and often if there is one they are there for decorative effect rather than actually used.

Here are a few of my favourites:

                                                    Delphine Shabby Chic Dressing Table

                                                   The French Bedroom Company

                                                                          £675

Toulouse White Dressing Table and Stool

Dunelm

£135.99

Minerva Mirrored Dressing Table

Frances Hunt

£311.20

...