Wellies for wet and snowy weather

The last few weeks I've been struggling to find the right pair of shoes for this weather.

There was rain, then snow, then ice, then snow, then rain again.

I decided I may need a new pair of wellies.

I was having a browse over at Hunter's website and found this lovely pearlescent pair (£89.00).

Aren't they lovely?

Sadly, they are not meant to be for me - the calves are too small for my foot size. Le sigh.

All is not lost tho, I do have a pair of wellies I can wear. Okay, I did cut them so that they fit my calves, but still... it's not ideal.

I can't be the only lady with UK size 5 (US size 7) feet and 42 cm calves. Honestly, I don't look like some weird out-of-proportion monster, but when it comes to boot shopping, I might as well be!

How about you? What do you wear in this wet winter weather? 

Broke the spending ban for an OPI sale

My wallet has been hard hit by the holiday season last year, so I've been trying to be good with my spending. This means that I really have to be careful with my beauty purchases. In fact, I'm even being so good that as long as I have something similar that I can use, I won't allow myself to buy something new. For example, I have a tonne of eyeshadows, so I can't buy any more until I use them up. Harsh, but sensible.

Well... at least for now. We'll see how long I can last.

Honestly, I have been pretty successful. Partially due to bad luck (I had various illnesses in the lead-up to the holiday season) and maybe a bit of good luck, it turns out I hadn't bought any makeup purchases since ...  October maybe? I can only say I didn't buy any makeup cos I did buy some beauty products, but only as needed. And I bought some clothes, and shoes... which weren't needed. I'm only human. *shrug*

Did I mention it was my birthday a couple weeks ago? Yeah, well that and the fact that Lena White was having a sale on OPI lead me down the path to my first gratuitous beauty purchase this year.

A little aside: I haven't been using much nail polish lately as I've had a finger infection that is still clearing up. In anticipation of being able to wear nail polish again, nail polish seemed like the perfect treat.

Also, did I mention there's a January sale on OPI at Lena White? Yeah, that helped!

Especially as I really wanted a couple of polishes from OPI's Holland collection (Spring/Summer 2012), and why not pick up one not on sale, from the Germany collection (Autumn 2012).

The colours I bought (from left to right):

• Gouda Gouda Two Shoes 
• Wooden Shoe Like To Know?
• Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! 

I can't wait to try them. Sadly that won't be for another month at least.

But I do recommend the sale, especially since they have my favourite greens on sale: Don't Mess With OPI and Jade is the New Black.

Actually I might be tempted back to try Avoplex High Intensity Hand and Nail Cream. Ah, how much money is in my account again? ;) 

Futuristic metallics for Burberry Spring/Summer 2013

This Spring/Summer 2013 for Burberry features some serious metal work!

Bright Metallic Trench Coat, £1,995

They look futuristic and kinda funky, but there is something I really like about this look.

What a price tag tho! I love the metallic trench above. It comes in a range of brilliant jewel shades, and I would love to get my hands on the 'ink' colour.

Actually, I think I want that purple trench on the male model. Looks like tin foil. Love it.  

I'm less sure about the turtle neck or the dress shirt tho...

Metallic Silk Sweater £695

Metallic Cotton Shirt £350

On second thought, I do like that shirt in a suit... :)

For the more shy, you could still rock the metallic look with a handbag instead.

Large Metallic Leather Bowling Bag £1,295

Beautiful.

Will you be sporting the metallic look this spring?

As sweet as candy

Have you seen these Candy handbags from Furla?

They kind of remind of those see-through handbags you used to see some shop employees carrying  way back when I was in high school. Well, they remind of a way cooler version of that.

At $228 US or £185 a pop for these sweets, you'd expect more than just a plastic bag. These come in a rainbow of colours.

Furla's website has a really cool video where you can see a variety of these handbags here.

So, what do you think? I think they look really cool. I'm a fan of this shape for handbags. They are also really sturdy, and the PVC makes them ideal for rainy city living. Also, I think it's a cool alternative to leather, if that's your thing. The downside for me is I'm not really sure I can handle paying £185 for a plastic bag.

I guess until I make my mind up I'll stick to this mini version. It's actually a keychain replica of the candy handbag (£40.00). Adorable.

Selena Gomez collection by Nicole OPI

I can't believe I've been so outta the loop that I only just discovered this a few days ago! The latest celeb to be treated to a inspired nail polish collection from Nicole by OPI is Selena Gomez!

Selena at the Toronto International Film Festival 2012

I couldn't think of a better celebrity! Honestly, the girl has a heart of gold. Not only is she the youngest ambassador for Unicef and a complete sweetheart, she's also a popstar and actress and has a large following of young girls that she actively encourages to be themselves.

I also really like her style. She always looks very well put-together and I've been meaning to blog about how much I love her style. Girl is busy, she even has her own line at Kmart! Ah well.

Interesting that it wasn't that long ago that her famous ex/on-off boyfriend, Justin Bieber got a collection from Nicole, which had quite a few treasures in it, so I have high hopes for the Selena Gomez collection. After all, and no offence to Biebs, but I'd much rather look like Selena.

It's also perfect timing for a Selena collection as we're awaiting the Disney original Wizards of Waverly Place Reunion that is due to grace the Disney channel in early 2013. I'm hoping Disney will cash in and release it on DVD here in the UK, as sadly, I do not have the Disney channel! 

But you wanna hear more about the nail polishes, so let's move on.

Nicole by OPI describe this collection as:

These 14 shades inspired by actress & singer Selena Gomez capture her sweet yet spunky personality, from soft pink and peach hues to bright glitter and confetti lacquers. This diverse palette offers the perfect color for any occasion!

Wow, look at all those glitters! Very young and bright. A perfect collection for this spring when we're really seeing these bright vibrant colours on the runways.  It also looks like a perfect collection for Selena's core fanbase of adolescent to teenage girls, and also us older gals who are still young at heart.

I can't decide what my favourite of the collection is. Sadly I can't offer you swatches, but the  Lacquered Lover has swatched and reviewed all 14 shades for our viewing pleasure.

I think I may have to get my hands on Scarlett. How about you?

Lunasol Spring 2013 Makeup Preview

Model wearing Lunasol Spring 2013 makeup

On the 18th January this year, Lunasol will release its Spring makeup. Here are some of the highlights from the website:

I'm going to start with the eyeshadow palettes since they are always my favourite! This spring we're being treated to a total of 5 palettes, which is nice since we got 3 very similar looking releases for Spring 2012 with the Pure Petal Eyes.

Vivid Clear Eyes (5 shades) 5,250 yen

• 01 Blue Green Collection
• 02 Pink Collection
• 03 Orange Collection
• 04 Khaki Beige Collection
• 05 Pink Beige Collection

I can't really tell from the pics whether these are shimmery, but I suspect they are. Curious to see how dark the bright splashes of colour are for the Blue Green, Pink, and Orange collections. Most of these shades don't really surprise me. Very typical OL (office lady) friendly Lunasol. I like the Blue Green and Pink Collection as they're a bit more out there. You can definitely see how the neon and bright 80s colours have influenced this release.

High Stylized Mascara SV (2 shades) 3,150 yen

•  01 Clear Black
• EX01 Natural Brown

Nice to see a mascara release with brown! Yay! I love brown mascara however I have been struggling to find a decent one. Sadly EX01 Natural Brown is only a special rather than a permanent addition but I may have to give it a try anyway. 

Brow Styling Compact (2 shades) 3,990 yen

• GB03 Grayish Brown
• BR03 Natural Brown

Coloring Cheeks N (3 shades) 2,625 yen

• 01 Light Pink
• 02 Light Coral
• 03 Soft Beige Red

Three new shades of blush based on the Colouring Cheeks range. Very girly. I like it. 

Now onto the lips! 

Full Glamour Lips (5 new shades) 3,150 yen

• 12 Light Coral Pink
• 13 Light Pink
• 14 Beige Coral
• 15 Soft Beige
• 16 Beige Pink

Full Glamour Liquid Lips (5 shades) 2,940 yen

• EX08 Shining Clear Pink
• EX09 Shiny Pink
• EX10 Pure Coral
• EX11 Red Beige
• EX12 Shiny Coral Pink

Treatment Gloss (1 shade) 2,310 yen

• 01 Pure Pink

And last, but not least 5 special edition nail polishes! 

Nail Finish N (5 shades) 1,575 yen

• EX09 Vivid Blue Green
• EX10 Vivid Pink
• EX11 Vivid Orange
• EX12 Vivid Yellow
• EX13 Vivid Red

And we're ending it with a pop of colour like we saw in the eyeshadows! The 80s really are back. What a collection. I guess it was acceptable in the 80s <cheesy grin>

Anything catch your eye? 

Blair Waldorf Fashion Inspiration: Spotlight on Valentino

Okay, so Gossip Girl is over which means I can't look forward to seeing what Blair is wearing each week. How will I survive? Yeah, it's going to be tough, but hopefully over the years I've managed to pick up a thing or two regarding her taste. Today I wanted to focus on some gorgeous pieces from Valentino that I think Blair would whole-heartily approve of.

Valentino Lace-Bodice Organza Dress $3290 US

This is such a gorgeous feminine dress for Spring 2013. I love the delicate lace around the upper body with the elegant poof skirt and bow tying the waist in. I would probably pair this dress with a pair of dark green tights and some colour pop patent kitten heels in yellow, pink, or purple. Available to pre-order at Neiman Marcus.

Valentino Floral-Lace Point d'Esprit Dress $5790 US

Another lace dress! Yes, lace is featuring prominently this spring! You can never go wrong with monochrome and you can add literally any colour to make it pop. Dress it up or down depending on the occasion  this is such a versatile piece. Available now at Neiman Marcus.

RED Valentino Square-Neck Drop-Waist Floral Dress $795 US

I love the fitted bodice and poof skirt here. Although, I do wonder if you have cleavage what happens, it really looks like it would accommodate that, however maybe that's not a concern for everyone! Available now (along with matching cardigan) at Neiman Marcus.

RED Valentino Bow-Print Faille Dress $695 US

I love this bow-print! RED Valentino have also released a skirt and another dress (poofy skirt with spaghetti straps). I'm melting with how much I love this pattern. Available for preorder at Neiman Marcus.

RED Valentino Striped Tricotine Dress $795 US

So lovely and I also saw this somewhere in navy and black at Nordstrom which I think I love even more. Now available (with matching cardigan) at Neiman Marcus.


Well, what do you think, Blair?

Although most of these are out of my budget, sadly, you can't blame a girl for dreaming right? Besides, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for when cheaper versions of these looks hit the high street!

Did any of these catch your eye?

Jill Stuart Spring 2013 Makeup Preview

The concept for Jill Stuart's Spring 2013 makeup release is Innocent Sexy. 

This is one doozy of a release! Be warned, it will be hard to read this post without getting a major case of the lemmings!

Layer Blush Compact (5 shades) 4,725 yen

• 01 baby berry
• 02 pop sorbet
• 03 relax smile
• 04 juicy tint
• 05 eternal femininity

Wow, eternal femininity is quite the name for a blush!

Mix Blush Compact N (5 shades) 4,725 yen

• 01 baby blush
• 02 fresh apricot
• 03 milky strawberry
• 04 candy orange
• 05 sunny holiday

Okay... some of these look familiar to me.... like oh, say shades 01-04! They appear to be reissues of Mix Blush Compact in this new series called Mix Blush Compact N. Hmm... I dunno if we can really count this as a 'new release', but since there are a whopping 10 blushers in this lineup, I can let it slide.

Velvet Crystal Eyes (5 shades) 5,250 yen

• 01 nudy venus
• 02 first wink
• 03 calm glance
• 04 loved one
• 05 mischievous girl

Oooooo. A new eye palette collection. Oh dear. This may be the death of my budget! Lots of lovely dark brown. Yay! Also intrigued by the 'velvet' aspect. Could these be matt? N'ah... or .... n'ah. Oh, I need to find out. 01 nudy venus I'm looking at you. Such easy to wear colours.

Update: Swatches of 01 nudy venus over on Kirei no Otomo. 

Jewel Crystal Eyes N (5 shades) 5,250 yen

• 01 sweet amethyst
• 02 pink cameo
• 03 princess sapphire
• 04 romantic onyx
• 05 peridot harmony

Another reissue series, so most of these shades aren't new, again forgiven due to the sheer volume in this collection. 05 peridot harmony is at least a new shade and looks very intriguing. The second shade looks like a gold but does it have a hint of green as the name implies. I'd like to see some swatches of this one.

Nail Lacquer R (20 shades) 1,575 yen

20 shades? That's incredible. Yeah, it's another reissue series it seems. There may be some new colours but I'm not as familiar with the nail varnishes as they're hard purchase outside of Asia.

Lip Jewel (3 shades) 2,940 yen

• 20 tropical beryl
• 21 romantic grossular
• 22 poetic almandine

Wow, really digging in the bottom of the beryl... ahem barrel for these names. Actually, I've heard of beryl, but grossular and almandine I have to admit I had to look up! Both in the garnet family... and garnet's my birth stone. Hm.. maybe I should have known!

Eye Brow Powder (3 shades) 3,360 yen - available 15th February

• 01 light brown
• 02 natural brown
• 03 olive brown

And last but not least a new collection of eye brow shades. Interesting.


Yes, that's right, we have 10 blushes, 10 eyeshadow palettes, 20 nail polishes, 3 lip glosses, and 3 brow shades. Phew, even I'm exhausted! That's a lot of makeup.

They will be available from the 11th January, except for the Eye Brow Powders which release from the 15th February.

I can't wait for the release tho. I'm most looking forward to the Velvet Crystal Eyes. How about you?

More love for Cambridge Satchel Company

Yes, it's another of those gorgeous satchels from the Cambridge Satchel Company! This one is a special edition in British Racing Green patent leather to commemorate the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee. 

Available in 11'' for £115 and 13'' for £120.

WANT. Yes, want this. Need this? No, I still have my oxblood (burgundy) patent leather satchel which is so far from wearing out. Oh, but it's green and gorgeous! (And very Slytherin! Bonus points.)

Okay maybe one of you will be able to get your hands on this one and I can feel better about it? 

...  Nope, I still want it! >_<  

Cambridge Satchel Company is also having a sale on their metallics - 11''s are £75 and 13''s are £78. Eek, I'm so tempted. I love the gold one! Oh, or maybe the lavender! How about you?