Blogmas Day 3:Budget Christmas Party Make-Up

So it's the most glamorous time of year, with multiple opportunities for us ladies to adorn ourselves head-to-toe in glitter, sequins and bling galore. 

For me, picking out something to wear for work's Christmas party or New Years Eve is the easy part. Make-up is where I usually struggle. Now you may remember a while back I reviewed the MUA Undressed Palette as well as some other MUA products in a haul that I did (which you can read here). 

I waxed lyrical about the MUA palette because at only £4, it's a carbon copy of the Urban Decay Naked Palette in terms of shades, and the pigmentation is dense and rich. 

So I decided to knock up a few eye shadow looks using the palette to give you some budget beauty inspiration. 

You'll notice that the shades actually come in pairs made up of a matte shade and a metallic shade. Each of these looks consist of a pair, with the matte shade covering the lid all the way up to the crease, and the metallic shade blending outwards from the crease up, to create a winged shape. In all of these looks, I have used shade No.1 as a highlighter for just below my brow and the inner corner of my eye. 

Shades 1 & 2

 This is the gentlest of all the looks. Even though I use shade 1 as a highlighter most of the time, it also works really well on the lid, accompanied by shade 2. If you're going for a natural make-up look but want just a little bit of colour and highlighting, these shades are perfect. These icy pinks are great for both day and night winter looks. 

Shades 3 & 4

This is a very gentle combo. I like to think of these shades as rose gold in hue. They add a little bit of warmth and depth to the lid but are at the same time are quite natural in tone. If you've got quite a dramatic outfit, something like this would work really well. 

Shades 5 & 6

Everyone needs a bit of gold on them somewhere at Christmas, and gold make-up can be the perfect sparkly Christmas accessory. These shades are subtle, but work to add a warm glow to your eyes, 

Shades 7 & 8

I like to think of this combo as a bronze smokey eye. Both the matte and the metallic are two differing depths of bronze, and they work so well together. This combo will look amazing on anyone with brown eyes, as it really makes them pop. 

Shades 9 & 10

 I love the pinky metallic with the chocolate brown here. The brown gives depth to the eyelid and the muted pink makes for a good contrast. 

Shades 11 & 12

This look is one of my favourites. The metallic blue gives a nice twist to the smokey eye, and helps to create a defined wing. This is the most dramatic look of them all. This is a statement look, and would work well with a subtle and understated outfit. 

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London Fashion Weekend Street Style

London Fashion Week flashed by me in a blink of an eye. I barely got a chance to sift through some of the shows and pick out some common trends for SS15 before it moved on to lands afar. If like me you saw the whole event as a bit of a blur and wanted a well-rounded summary of the whole thing, then London Fashion Weekend was the place to be. 

For those of you that haven't heard of LFWEnd before, it's a more commercial version of London Fashion Week that's open to the general public, with tickets available at a variety of prices. The whole event spans from the Thursday to the Sunday and consists of dozens of designer brands showcasing their wares and giving anyone with a ticket cheeky discounts! If that wasn't enough, there are also designer and trend catwalk shows. This season's event featured designers such as Amanda Wakely, Nicholas Oakwell Couture, Notte by Marchesa and Fyodor Golan.

The trend shows are a summary of the top 4 key trends of the season. That's right!! Instead of watching shows of trends you can't get your hands on for a whole year, LFWEnd focuses on the trends for the very next season, making sure we've got our wardrobes in order for when winter does arrive.

Now if you are a fan of the whole seasonal event,  you'll know that street style is where everyone's eyes are really at. What people where to the LFW is just as important as what's on the catwalk, and that vibe still runs strong into the weekend.

Whilst I was milling around eyeing up some of the fantastic clothing and jewellery stands, I happened to notice a few people whose style game was on point! There were 4 main trends that were really prominent throughout the day, and these girls had those trends nailed.

1. Grunge

If you've read any of my fashion posts before you'll know that grunge is my go-to style. I'm addicted to black and when it comes to shoes, the chunkier the better. These were girls of my own heart. With grunge style, if you are going to be wearing a lot of the same colour e.g. black, texture and layering are key. I love how the tartan pleating contrasts with the monochrome fur on the jumper of the girl on the left, and just adds a touch of colour.

The girl on the right has added a sport luxe element to her grunge style with the sports bra style crop and the loose fitting trousers. The long cardigan works to pull the two pieces together and the cute up-do takes away any harshness.

2. One and Only

This is one of the trends focused on during the LFWEnd trend shows. It's all about patronizing one particular colour, using texture and tailoring to create feminine yet severe silhouettes.These two girls caught my eye from a mile off. The tailoring of the high wasted trousers and the crop teamed with the pixie crop hairstyle created an elegant androgynous feel. So simple yet so dramatic, and a perfect way of bringing an edgy vibe to what was already a strong shade of blue. 

White can be worn in a variety of ways, from sporty to severe, but I think this playful display of white is my favorite. It's an outfit that brings a smile to your face instantly. There's nothing over-complicated about this outfit which really goes to show that with this trend, less is more. The shift dress hangs effortlessly whilst the cleated soles take it to a casual yet kitsch level. It contrasts brilliantly with the perfectly coiffed afro, and the pastel blue bag is just the right touch of colour. 

3. Monochrome

We all know for a fact that the monochrome trend will NEVER die, so why not embrace it like this  girl has done! When its a gorgeous sunny day, sometimes all black and a bit of white can seem too harsh, but swap that black for a silvery grey or even a gunmetal shade and you've added a bit of sun to your outfit. The soft grey of the coat works really well in contrast with her light blonde hair and the white t-shirt, whilst the sunglasses again add remnants of summer. I don't want to sound cliche, but the only way I can describe this outfit is cool. And it is. It's effortlessly cool, and the epitome of casual street style. 

4. Vintage 

If vintage is your favourite style, then really the world is your oyster. Just from these three girls alone you can see the variety, and that's why I chose them. Each of them is individually unique in the way they have styled a vintage look. Vintage means you can get as crazy and daring as you like, and a perfect example is how the girl on the left has teamed a classically vintage shirt with a metallic silver pencil skirt. The chunky boots collaborate with the skirt to bring a modern edge to the shirt. The contrast of the tight fitting skirt and loose fitting shirt is always a flattering silhouette too. 

I absolutely adored the way the girl in the middle roles up the legs of her dungarees and paired them with some dainty heels, showing off just the right amount of ankle. There isn't much you can do with a pair of full length dungarees, but the way this girl has styled hers is a worthy template for everyone. 

Last but certainly not least is the girl on the right. If I'd have seen the fluffy bardot top and the vintage peg leg trousers laid out together I never would have thought they'd work, but sometimes, when you try an outfit on it can drastically change, for better or for worse. Here the outfit definitely changes for the better. The trousers are so vibrant and colourful that it needs something simple to go with it. I never would have guessed white as a worthy companion, but in this case the contrasts compliment each other. 

Steph x x x

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Instituto Marangoni at Graduate Fashion Week

The private Italian school of fashion and design opened Graduate Fashion Week, and it was most certainly a hard one to follow. Here are the designers and their collections. 

Kanyinsola Onalaja 

A striking collection of hot, spicy reds; you could almost feel the heat. Patchwork and pleated skirts, open knits, and crimped fur made this collection a textural haven. Boxy jumpers and coats with sleek, streamlined bottoms created silhouettes reminiscent of the 80s. 

Juanita Huber Millett

 A collection of pure elegance - tops and dresses of loose draped fabric in metallic hues mimicing linked chains were the textured stars. The coupling of glossy and matte fabrics were definitely the central focus of this collection, with gold MC Hammer pants toned down by a flat matte woolen coat. The central piece of the collection for me was the sleek navy jumpsuit with metallic panels. This is a collection that is completely wearable, the style of which I can see featuring strongly com
e A/W 14

Jill Melina Zimmerman

Reds, oranges and blacks ruled this collection of long streamlined silhouettes. Slogan and bold lettering worked to create a sporty, urban feel with summer vibes. 

Hannah George

This was one of my favorites of the entire show, mainly because of the oil slick inserts. We've had an entire winter of metallic and leather inserts, and  I love the slight yet dramatic oil slick twist. A collection inspired by exoskeleton and endoskeleton, the inserts accompanied by the caged, oversized shoulders are very reminiscent of beetles. I particularly love the oil slick Sowester coat. The jewel tones are rich and contrast well with the delicate light blue beading.

Cleveland Covington

A collection of earthy hues, a strong focus was given to large, oversized waterfall reveres. Deep, low necklines and subtly flared hems make for an extremely elegant A/W collection. 

Alina Makarenko

Dramatic. That's what really came to mind when watching this particular collection, and in both senses of the word. Not only was it jaw droppingly stunning, but would not look out of place in a period drama. Late Edwardian silhouettes were paired with modern, black graphic slashes, whilst every heel was lined with a thin trickling of blood, bringing a macabre edge to the collection. Each outfit was a pairing of contrasting hues such as grey and purple, or peach and red. The center piece; a dress made entirely of tiny peach pleats was the show stopper, with a bright red inner lining that flashed through the jagged hem. 

Alexandra Henkes

Inspired by the notion of nature's existence, waste culture and modern society, this is a collection of distressed fabrics and autumnal hues. PVC layering strongly contrasts with the rough textures, whilst the goggles add a steampunk element. 

Marika Grasso

One of the many incredible menswear collections of the week, Marika Grasso puts an urban twist on the typical pin-stripe suit with primal prints, whilst transforming Xhose tribe blankets into oversized cardigans and scarves. I instantly thought of Tinie Tempah, who is renowned for his love of urban style tailoring and prints. 

Mariam Chumburidze

There were a lot of collections that focused specifically on sportswear, but ski-wear, not so many. I love how this is a collection that can be dissected and worn either off or on the slopes. The simplistic orange, grey and white color palette contributed to the futuristic feel of the collection. High necklines were making appearances in so many collections, and ski-wear was no exception, creating long, square silhouettes. The slogan and paint splatter motifs helped to add an urban and ready-to-wear element to the collection. 

Louise Irene Persson

A collection highly inspired by the gothic ninja menswear trend, a simple palette of blacks, greys and whites took center stage. The extreme layering creates a deconstructed look, whilst the lack of color keeps it controlled and masculine. 

Lisa Kidd

Inspired by classic fairy tales, Lisa Kidd cleverly turns her models into life-size marionettes and teddy bears with sugary pastel jumpsuits and voluminous dresses. Hidden structures give the impression of wildlife creatures lifting the garments in true Snow White style. 

Lihn Thuy Pham

Named 'The Exploding Body' , this collection's silhouettes dramatically fan outward with the use of concertina pleating in red and black. The simplistic and limited color palette leaves room for the designer to explore and experiment with 3d texture as well as body imagery prints eg breasts that are highlighted on selected garments. 

Karle Erratzi De Miguel

A very romantic collection that features crumpled textures and 3d florals. Delicate hues of white and acid wash lilac create a summery yet slightly grungy edge to the collection. 

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