January make up must haves!

This post will contain my must haves for this month, specifically tailored to the trends and requirements for January 2013...

My first must have product is the 'oh honey' set of Lashes from the Katy Perry lash collection, created by Eylure priced at £5.95



This is due to Spring/Summer trend 'Fluttery Lashes' as seen on the runway at Moschino, Giorgio Armani & Gucci

It is clear that huge lashes are used on a very natural colour palette, enhancing eyes and making the look more feminine. These Katy Perry lashes are perfect for giving your eyes an extra flutter. Stock up because this is going to be a huge trend!

My second Beauty product is the Liz Earle Brightening Treatment mask. £14.25


During the winter the cold, harsh weather can leave your skin dull and dreary. This treatment mask with revitalise your skin and give you a 'natural looking radiance' It does this through natural products such as camphor oil and toning witch hazel.This can be used morning, night or whenever you see fit. A definite must have for restoring your skin to it's full potential. 

My third must-have beauty poduct is the Undressed palette from MUA £4 


This bargain product is perfect for recreating the sixties make up trend as seen at Marc Jacbs & Louis Vuitton...

A neutral smokey eye with an abundance of eyeliner will perfect this sixties trend. Use lighter colours on your inner eye lid, then a slightly darker shade towards the outer corner with a very dark colour along the crease. Sweep the same dark colour out extending past your eye for a dramatic night time look. Don't forget to fully fill in your eyebrows too for a very sixties style look.

My fourth must-have beauty product are these twon nail polishes from OPI £11 each (prices vary depending on stockists)

This is due to the Spring/Summer trend approaching fast - two tone nails, as seen on runways at Phillip Lim, Roland Mouret and Tracy Reese...

The great thing about these colours I've chosen (Altar ego - Pale pink & Midnight in Moscow - Burgundy) is that these two polishes can be used in two other Spring Summer trends - Pale nails & Dark nails. By investing in two nail polishes you're set for 3 upcoming trends! Sounds like a good investment to me.

My fitfh must-have beauty product is the Barry M Lip Paint in Shocking Pink £4.49



This is in honour of the colour pop lip trend popping it's way on to the catwalk at Giles & Dries Van Noten

A bright pop of colour on your lips is a fabulous statement this season, wear with bright prints for an all over colour blast or with a simple monochrome look for a serious colour pop. This Barry M colour is perfect for recreating a catwalk trend for less. A very wise investment!

My Sixth must-have beauty product is the Juicy Couture perfume 'Couture La La' £34.50


This Juicy couture fragrance is the newest edition to the fragrance line and isn't it gorgeous! However, a fragrance shouldn't be bought by judgement on the bottle (but it is beautiful isn't it!) it's about the scent - This one's wonderful. It is a floral fruity scent and has a very feminine feel to it, that's just what you need after a Christmas of gingerbread scents. 

My seventh must-have beauty product is Frontcover's Black Kohl Pencil With Smudger £8.00



This season it's all about grungy eyeliner, as seen at Lanvin & Roberto Cavalli 

The best way to achieve this runway look is to take inspiration from these pictures. Sweep a thick line of Kohl pencil along your lower lash line and then smudge with the other end of the pencil - a perfect grunge look achieved in seconds!

My eighth must-have beauty product is Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle Re-constructor £4



This deep conditioner is perfect for resolving problems with dry hair. During the winter months hair can be left feel dry, dull and in need of help! This Aussie conditioner will help revitalize your gorgeous tresses and leave them looking wonderful again! At £4 for 250ml I'd say it's at least worth a try!

My ninth beauty must-have is MUA's professional Primer - £4



I have repurchased this product countless times, it's a miracle product! A current trend for Spring/Summer is a completely flawless complexion and using this primer, you're on your way! Take a look at these runway looks from Jil Sander



As you can see each of these models has a clear, flawless complexion. This is easily achieved with a primer and why blow all your cash on a high end one when MUA offers high end results at a fraction of the cost? It makes perfect sense to invest in this gorgeous primer. 

My final must-have beauty product is Collection 2000's Lock N Hold Lipgloss in shade 'Rock Steady'

I chose this because I picked one up on Sunday and I adore it! I wear it over MUA's lipstick shade 14 - Bare and it looks gorgeous! For a simple neutral gloss, this is perfect. When you don't have a lot of time, slip this on your lips and your pout is perfected! 

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope it inspires you to pick up some of these gorgeous products! 
Love Dixie
:) xox

Closet Control: Key item #3

To have a gorgeous wardrobe is every fashionista's dream, having a huge variety of unique but on-trend ensembles at the ready is perfection. However to each wardrobe there are basics that are a must, no matter what you're personal style without these basics you're wardrobe won't be at its best, over the next few weeks I'll post various sections of the 'perfect' wardrobe with pictures, diagrams and helpful hints on how to achieve you're very own 'perfect' wardrobe. 

This post is about the third key item which will help you build your 'perfect' wardrobe, which is LBD's (Little Black Dresses.)

LBD's are super important for building a 'perfect' wardrobe because they are a 'go to' garment. This basically means if you're stuck for what to wear to a more formal event, you can't go wrong with an LBD! You can pair them with almost anything; heels, flats or ankle boots, cardigans, blazers or jackets, scarves, clutches or statement necklaces. The best thing about LBD's is there are so many variations out there you can find one that suits you perfectly. 

My advice on finding the perfect Little Black Dress is to go with simplicity, after all 'The greatest form of Sophistication is simplicity' The reason that having a simple LBD is the best idea is because it will be extremely versatile, you can add a denim jacket and ankle boots for a casual look or pair with sky high heels and a statement necklace for a formal event. Here are a few styles that I love... 

A simple round-neck, no sleeved, A-Line style dress. 

A long sleeved, round neck, flared skirt dress. 

This dress has a simple neckline and no sleeves with added Peplum detailing.

Cross over back detail, bodycon style dress.

V neck, wrap style dress with ruffled hem. 

LBD's are a wonderful edition to any wardrobe because of the simplicity  they'll always be a simple yet chic look. My formal 'go-to' look is my LBD (bodycon with simple neckline and jeweled cuffs) paired with a collar style necklace, statement heels and a clutch. The main focus for a 'perfect wardrobe' is to have items that are versatile and you can wear them lots of times in order to get your money's worth and to always be able to find something to wear,. The LBD fits that criteria perfectly! 

It's so important to pick a little black dress that flatters your body shape and that you can play around with to achieve different styles, look at my example of a simple transformed from day to night...

It's so easy to change the style of a dress. For the daytime look I chose a sheer, burgundy blouse which would be worn under the dress, as layering is commonly more of a daytime look. I chose a denim jacket as these are very casual and give an urban feel to the outfit  A pair of black tights are very simple and would look good with the dress. A pair of biker boots would look good with this dress as their casual and urban, also a backpack thrown on for more of an urban edge and finally a double fingered gold ring for again an urban feel. Casual look complete! 

To achieve the formal look, I was influenced by 'less is more' and my obsession with glitter! A statement necklace, is simple yet sophisticated, a nighttime must! Keep the colour palette neutral if you're going for sparkles, I'm sticking to champagne and gold. I chose a pair of Louboutins as they're classy and elegant which is the look i aim to achieve. I paired this with a sparkly, gold clutch as it's super chic and very useful on a night out. Finally an Yves Saint Laurent ring in a champagne colour to maximise the sophisticated look. 

And that is too very difficult, equally as gorgeous looks created with the base of the same dress. It's so simple to create different looks with one dress, it's all about what you team it with and the colours and decoration used. 

When shopping for an LBD it's important to try heaps on until you find the one that's right for you take into account the skirt length, the fit of the dress, the neckline, sleeve length and the sleeve type as these things will affect the overall look of the dress. It's also important to remember that it's okay to splash out when buying an little black dress as you can re wear it so many times, instead of buying lots of cheap dresses you get one or two wears out of, invest in a higher quality, more useful LBD you can wear again and again!

I hope this post gives you inspiration and helps you,

 Love Dixie

:) xox

Rainy day pick me ups

Today in England it is raining cats and dogs and it is hard to feel glamorous in the rain, here is a guide on how to survive the rain:

Getting from A to B
On a rainy day travelling is the last thing you want to do but when there is a place you need to be there are some simple ways to maintain your look and ending up at point B looking presentable.
1. Tie your hair loosely in a low ponytail, slightly to one side, for me it's my right and let it rest down your shoulder.
2. Put on a coat with a hood and use the hood! Although it isn't always the most glamorous of options it will save your hair!
3. Always always always carry an umbrella in your bag, then you can whip it out when necessary.
4. When you arrive at your destination simply undo the ponytail and speedily rearrange your hair back into it's original style, pull of the coat and wrap your umbrella up in a small plastic bag and put back in your bag

Ways to pick up your mood
When it's cold and wet and windy outside it instantly puts me in a bad mood, however there some things that cheer me up, here are some ways you can cheer yourself up in the gloomy weather
1. Rock a bright lipstick
 By wearing a bright pink lipstick, every time I check the mirror to check my make up it brightens my mood a little because the colour is so bright and pretty

 Some gorgeous shades to try are:
Nicki Minaj Viva Glam £13.50

MUA Shade 4 £1

Rimmel - Kate lasting finish lipstick shade 5 £5.49



2. Another way to pick yourself up on a rainy day is to wear pretty jewellery
I like to wear cute charm bracelets or big, chunky rings here are some cute ideas of jewellery you could try:
Accessorize abstract Leah ring £14

This ring is gorgeous! I love how abstract the ring is. I also love the clash of the silvery gems and the gold coloured detailing. This sparkly ring will definitely raise your mood in the rainy weather!

Dollybowbow.co.uk  - Trinket charm Bracelet - Luck £7
 
This bracelet is adorable! Dollybowbow is an incredible online store, also if you love the style of the site, check out the dollybowbow youtube channel for style and make up tips! Wearing this would instantly make me smile due to the cute little charms, also who knows maybe the lucky horse shoe charm, four leaved clover or wishbone will make the bad weather change?
RegalRose - Tea cup ring £6

I j'adore this adorable little ring! It is so quirky and cute, and was inspired by Alice in wonderland and the Mad hatters tea party which is really cute. This would make me smile because of how delicate and adorable it is, for only £6 this ring is a must!

3. Another way to pick yourself up is to use a cute umbrella! It sounds silly but instead of having a plain umbrella, why not go for a more interesting umbrella like this cute ones...
New Look - Union Jack Umbrella £7.99

This umbrella will definitely stand out in the gloomy weather, this instantly makes me smile due to the bright colours and the fact that I love almost anything with the union jack on it and this year everybody seems to be very patriotic!
New look - Red spot frill Umbrella £8.99

I love how feminine and cute this umbrella is. Again it would definitely stand out in the dark, gloomy weather and would put a smile on anyone's face. A very pretty umbrella is a very good way to brighten your rainy day.
New look - Zebra crook umbrella £7.99

A more urban umbrella, Not as eye catching but still a very modern style. This would definitely still put a smile on my face in the rain due to the cool pattern, also tribal prints are very on trend right now!

These are most of my ideas for cheering yourself up on a rainy day and also how to maintain your stylish and glamorous look in the rain! Hope it helps.
Love Dixie
:) xox