Lucie Loves

Real women. Real easy make-up by NARS at Urban Retreat, Harrods.

We were introduced to the NARS Spring 2013 Colour Collection; paprika, vivid cyan, parakeet green, soft pink tulle, sangria and fuchsia rose. The names alone are enough to want to make you walk into your nearest travel agents, book your flights, pack your slinkiest bikini and passport and jet off to faraway, exotic shores… *sighs…*

I enjoyed watching Jane and her team put the new SS13 product range to-the-test to create flawless bases and dramatic smokey eyes on the lovely ladies waiting for their professional make-up touch-up.

One ladies diffused grey smokey eye really reminded me of the make-up look worn by Natalie Portman in the Miss Dior advert.

Jane and her team had worked their magic on the lucky ladies at the NARS masterclass to show them how to create achievable day-to-night make-up.

There are a plentiful supply of NARS cosmetics at Urban Retreat, Harrods - in-store and online at the Urban Retreat Beautique. 

Photography © Lucie Kerley

Current @COSStores Crush…

I went to the COS, Collection of Style, store at @westfieldlondon and fell in love with these gorgeous spring/summer pieces. When one shouldn’t be spending any money on clothes… what does one do?

Go WINDOW SHOPPING.

COS have a way of making their clothes feel timeless. Their stores are always beautifully mapped out, with varying hues of colour flowing from front to back, side to side. This time, I was drawn to their blue section. But their collection of burnt orange, stark white and evergreen always catches my eye. COS believes in style over fashion and so you’ll find dresses, shirts, trousers, coats, jackets, shoes and knits that will stand the test of time and easily become your classic go-to wardrobe staples. • Functional design crafted from simple ideas - COS • The quality of the fabric and cut of each garment is exceptional, something that can be hard to find in highstreet fashion.

Things I tried on and still are desperate to buy…

• Straight cotton shirt dress in periwinkle blue, £69, COS
• Side drape linen dress in petrol blue, £69, COS
• Side pleat dress in taupe(also available in navy), £59, COS
• Black leather sandals, as seen in photos, also COS
• I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little - possibly silk - printed zip-up summer jacket. I can’t find it on the COS Stores website yet, but it was £79 and I want it.

In fact, I NEED IT IN MY WARDROBE LIFE.

(For reference: I’m wearing a size 8, which is an XS, in the photos above.)

Photography © Lucie Kerley

NARS COSMETICS PRESENT EXCLUSIVE NARS MASTERCLASS
East Dulwich Deli, Urban Retreat, Harrods, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7XL

6pm - 8pm | 16th April 2013

Fancy pulling yourself out of a make-up rut? Want to try something new for spring/summer 2013?

I do. I find myself doing the same old make-up more or less everyday. My evening look usually just consists of an extra slick of lippy or a stronger sweep of eyeliner. Boring, I know. But trying something new can often be a bit daunting… and result in panda eyes or lipstick that bleeds. Urgh.

BUT! Girls! Step away from your comfort zones.

I’ve just found out about this pretty cool event being held next week at Urban Retreat, Harrods. NARS Cosmetics have invited International Lead Make-up Artist, Jane Richardson, to conduct an exclusive NARS show-and-tell style masterclass and you lovely people are invited to join in the fun.

Tickets cost £50 and include a fabulous goody bag stuffed full of trinkets to take home and also a make-up touch up by a top MUA - who doesn’t like being pampered a bit? The cost of the ticket is redeemable against any NARS cosmetics that you purchase on the evening. So, if you think about it, if you’re make-up stocks are looking a little low or you just fancy treating yourself to something new to brighten up your spring/summer look, then this event is the perfect opportunity to get exploring some new products.

Not bad eh??

MUA Jane will be delving into fresh new catwalk looks and explaining how you can translate these so that you can create achievable and also - more to the point- wearable make-up looks at home.

HOW TO BOOK:
Spaces are limited and will sell like hot cakes. Please be aware this is a high-demand event.
To book please call Urban Retreat’s booking line:
+44 (0)20 7893 8333

Photos c/o Nars @ Urban Retreat

#BLOGGED Summer lovin’ (what I want to wear when the weather gets warmer…)

Like a breath of summer air, that’s what opening my little YBD parcel felt like. I was greeted by zingy orange Charlotte Taylor, sea blue mermaid-style Atalanta Weller and stunning Meli Melo butter-soft arm candy. I immediately wanted to unwrap them all, call my friends and tell them to get dressed up so that we could all go out and play*.

What I’m wearing:

• Zebra Cotton Mini Dress by Charlotte Taylor at Young British Designers
• Apricot Suede Cropped Biker Jacket by H&M - an oldie but a goodie  - similar ones are often available on eBay for a bargain!
• Thela Bag in soft navy leather by Meli Melo at Young British Designers
• Sea Blue Sandal Wedges by Atalanta Weller at Young British Designers
• Beaded multi-colour bracelet, a lovely little shop in Puerto   Pollensa, Majorca
• Spike and pearl chainlink necklace from Topshop (2012)
• Eagle handchain and ring from Topshop (2012) - see similar handchains here.

(*Read: Drink mojitos + dance to 90s RnB and a bit of 00s garage until our feet hurt and our faces ached from smiling.)

#BLOGGED Zigzag shaped summer sandal delights from Atalanta Weller at Young British Designers.

I love these sandals. They have all the comfort of a wedge but the deceptively slender back-view of a stiletto. Ta da! 

Block Heel Zigzag Sandal by Atalanta Weller at Young British Designers

Atalanta Weller has produced a stunning tan-caramel suede, block heel sandal with soft, pale cream, zigzag accents. The heel height is just over 3 inches - so very practical. I think these shoes well deserve a place on your holiday packing list, they’d be fab for adding a little extra length to your pins and a little extra wow to your outfits. 

A few possible ways to wear them:

#BLOGGED Thank you, Charlotte Taylor @YBDfashion for a fresh new take on this summer’s party dress.

So, I’ve had a look in my wardrobe and it turns out I own all sorts of prints…

• Leopard
• Snake
• Herringbone
• Paisley
• Floral
• Tarten
• Trumpet Lantern
• Parrot
• Polkadot
• Striped
• Bird
• Brocade
• Oriental
• Geometric
• Cosmic
• Monochrome

The list goes on… and on… and on.

BUT! I realise, I have never before owned or worn (in all seriousness) something resembling zebra print.

You hear zebra and, admit it, you tend to think of a zebra crossing or of garish black and white mock-zebra stripes. However, you will be pleased to know, Charlotte Taylor has managed to sweep away those ghastly predictable connections and produce a fun, unexpected, young and pretty print that is perfect for introducing to your spring/summer 2013 wardrobe.

Young British Designers stock a good selection of Charlotte Taylor pieces and her zebra range is pretty extensive.

I am wearing loving the orange chevron striped Zebra Cotton Mini Dress by Charlotte Taylor at Young British Designers, £210 worn (above) with the fabulous Atalanta Weller Sea Blue Sandal Wedge. I find the repeating pattern of little zebra heads set against the quirky orange backdrop very fun.

I also adore the chiffon maxi version of this zebra dress too, priced at £390. It would be perfect to wear as a guest for a friend’s spring/summer wedding. It’s rather demure neckline belies the sexy low v-cut back along with the pretty capped sleeves and chiffon floaty fabric, which make it a very wearable, lightweight summer staple.

If you’re still a little scared of going ‘all out’ zebra, treat yourself to a little Charlotte Taylor scarf to dip your toe into the quirky Eastern inspired waters.

Zebra Chiffon Scarf by Charlotte Taylor at Young British Designers, £120

Photography © jmgcreative + Lucie Kerley

#BLOGGED The most beautiful DSLR Camera Bag a girl could ever own!

Those of you Fashion, Lifestyle or Food Bloggers or stylish Photographers, who own a DSLR camera, will understand where I’m coming from when I say that fashion + practicalities never really add up when it comes to carrying your DSLR around with you without looking like a lost backpacker or worrying that you’ll scratch your lens.

I have been known, on occasion, to sling on a giant Lowepro backpack and look like I might topple over at any moment. And despite it being very sturdy, weather-proof, full of handy little compartments and a waist belt to lighten the load of my camera equipment… it is not sexy.

However, the White Rock Snake Camera Bag by Meli Melo is.

I spotted the Meli Melo bag on the Young British Designer’s ‘New In’ pages and if you’d have seen me, you’d have noticed the heart shaped adoration in my eyes. No joke.

I read up a bit more about Meli Melo, which describes itself as ‘a British handbag label with Italian heritage’. It prides itself in selecting only the highest quality leather skins and working with high-end Italian tanneries to produce superb, covetable, results.

I can confirm, my beautiful camera bag is strokeably soft. It’s definitely a special occasion bag, one that I wouldn’t want to wear out with over-use. It comes complete with a long gold and leather-effect chain and top carrying handle. It also comes in Mandarin Orange leather too.

I decided to pair my bag with the Garden White Gloss T Dress by Draw In Light, a Forever 21 gold chain-mail necklace and my Jenson Python Ankle Boots by Lama Peach, another one of my favourite Young British Designers.

Draw In Light produce wonderful, one-off, unique garments in their London studio using free-hand silk screen techniques. You can make an appointment to visit the studio, chat fashion and see how they work.

Photography © Lucie Kerley

#BLOGGED Full of Eastern promise, let the clocks spring forwards.

A celebration of spring/summer ‘13 featuring some of my favourite Young British Designers. I’m a big fan of a maxi dress and when that maxi dress is covered in some of Charlotte Taylor’s magnificently colourful prints, I want to wear it even more. All hail the mighty cow print! It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which I love. Shouldn’t life be more like a Charlotte Taylor dress?

We all love something sexy hanging off our arm… I’m not being silly and talking about boysssss… or girlsssss. I’m a handbag worshipper.  I have a range of bags, both vintage and new (don’t we all?) from the likes of Highstreet stores Topshop, NewLook, Urban Outfitters, and, in my line of blogging work, have dabbled (very enjoyably might I add) with upcoming Young British Designers like Sophie Hulme, and M. Hulot and I can now proudly add Meli Melo to that collection.

The Thela Bag by Meli Melo, in buttery soft navy leather, is going to be a strong contender for a space on my arm this year. It has been ergonomically designed to hang off your arm in that way that ‘ladies who shop’ like to do. Effortless chic.

What I loved most about it were all of the little compartments inside and the multitude of ways there are to wear it. Prepare yourselves to be amazed. This bag is roooooomy.

The great little inner-pockets carefully file away your belongings - in my case: iPhone 5, lipstick, lipgloss, Louise Gray cream blush compact and eyeliner stick - the essentials.

It also comes with a small matching navy blue leather clutch bag which you can put your purse, keys and other precious bits in that you need to find quickly. The clutch can be attached/detached to/from the inside of the bag using a clip feature. It’s basically two bags for the price of one (see photo). If you ever needed justification (which you won’t - not if you’ve worked hard enough) to get one of these, then surely 2-4-1 is going to sway you? 

And like all good things, the leather will only get better with age.

What I’m wearing:

• Cow Print Jersey Maxi Dress by Charlotte Taylor
• Block heel zigzag tan suede sandals by Atalanta Weller
• Thela Bag in soft navy leather by Meli Melo C/O Young British Designers
• Apricot suede jacket by H&M (a favourite from a few seasons ago)
• Wooden beaded necklace, a charity shop find

Photography © jmgcreative + Styled/Edited by Lucie Kerley

#BLOGGED Statement shoes by Atalanta Weller at Young British Designers and how to wear them.

These sea blue peep-toe sandal wedges by Atalanta Weller are certainly eye-catching. But how on earth do you wear them? I decided to set myself a small mission to answer that question.

Here are some outfit inspiration photos that I found on Pinterest, my favourite visual mood-boarding site.

“How To Wear Statement Shoes?”

Sunglasses? What sunglasses?

A grey start to Spring hasn’t stopped me dreaming of buying some new sunglasses. Here are eight of my favourite pairs - a mix of designer and highstreet - from the likes of Topshop, Urban Outfitters and Farfetch. As you can see from my picks, I am a fan of a sexy cats-eye frame and  love tortoise shell print.

1. Leopard Cat Eye Sunglasses, £16 @ Urban Outfitters 

2. Jewelled Catseye Sunglasses, £20 @Topshop 

3. Clubmaster Sunglasses @ Ray-ban

4. Tort Fade Vintage Sunglasses, £16 @ Urban Outfitters 

5. Clubmaster Gradient Brown @ Rayman

6. Tom Ford Plastic Sunglasses, £316.92 @ Farfetch

7. Marc Jacobs Round Frame Sunglasses, £307.87 @ Farfetch

8. Butterfly Cats Eye Sunglasses, £16, @ Topshop 

May I introduce to you the delightful Jenson.

The gorgeous chicks @LamaPeach of www.lamapeach.com were very kind and sent me these fabulous custom-made (in Italy!!!) python leather boots.

OMIGOD OMIGOD OMIGOD.

I received a little message on my tumblr blog around Christmas as was literally jumping up and down with joy at what it said. (See photo)

You may have seen me in outfit shots wearing another of Lama Peach’s boots - Paige, these were from www.youngbritishdesigners.com. They were THE boots to see me through last summer.

Festivals, parties, shopping trips, beach days, etc, etc.

For 5 ways to wear Lama Peach have a peak at these outfits featuring my Paige laser cut cowboy boots:

1. http://lucieloves.co.uk/post/22978191547/13-05-12-my-diy-tie-dye-maxi-dress-ybdfashion
2. http://lucieloves.co.uk/post/23189860083/all-jazzed-out
3. http://lucieloves.co.uk/post/23439328269/19-05-12-dainty-diana-tights-floral-playsuit-and-lama-pe
4. http://lucieloves.co.uk/post/23127060410/ding-dong-hello-lincoln-in-stripes
5. http://lucieloves.co.uk/post/23057420380/14-05-12-racer-front-vest-inspired-by-afterdrk

They currently stock at pair called Payton, which are a similar style to my Paige ones. Soooo nice! Perfect summer ankle boots.

Lama Peach does very cool footwear. Not only does it look HOTTT, but they also produce boots that are comfy as hell. Never a blister will grace this foot wearing these badboys.

So, Jenson, will be gracing my feet a LOT this spring/summer 2013.

What will you be treating your tootsies too?

Check out more SS13 footwear at www.lamapeach.com and follow them on twitter @LamaPeach.

THANK YOU LAMA & YOUR LOVELY CHICKS!!!! MMMMWAH!!! XXXX

Photography © Lucie Kerley

P.S I’ve already been eyeing up other snakeprint accessories like this White Rock Snake Camera Bag from Young British Designers, by Meli Melo:

I’m a firm believer in ‘try before you buy’ and so had a ball trying on some of the cute SS13 knitwear pieces on sale at their China Doll Boutique Pop-Up shop. 

Blake Red Velvet Dress, £40. I’m wearing a size medium (which is about a size 8-10) as they come up quite small in size.

Pom Pom Bobble Jumper, £34. This was my FAVOURITE!

BLOGGED | The #LFW TahirSultan Katch London Fashion Scout show, where I met the lovely @Reena_Rai, @FashionNBarbie, @HiFashionSherin and @BumpkinBetty.

On Tuesday, I attended the Tahir Sultan AW13 #LFW show, courtesy of the lovely Amy @Wolfwhistle and Katch London. Another great Fashion Scout show at the Freemason’s Hall, Great Queen Street, Covent Garden. 19.02.13

The catwalk models hair was incredible, such a simple yet retro-cool vibe which emanated throughout the show. The effect was rather striking. 

My favourite pieces from Tahir Sultan’s AW13 collection include the taupe/grey coloured trench coat, the pretty peach, pink and pastel floaty dresses, the leather biker jacket and the GORGEOUS gem-stone embellished black cape. Soooo wearable, I want it all!

It was great to finally meet a few of my favourite fashion bloggers and their friends. If I’ve learnt anything from attending my first London Fashion Week, it is that socially IT IS AMAZING! You meet very cool people, in the flesh, that you’d spent the rest of the year chatting to on Twitter. Crazy! It’s great to put Twitter handles to faces.

Check out these lovely ladies on Twitter and their fab blogs:
* @Reena_Rai - http://www.fashiondaydreams.com
* @HiFashionSherin - http://www.thehifashionsite.com/
* @bumpkinbetty - http://www.bumpkinbetty.com
* @FashionNBarbie - http://www.fashionistabarbieuk.com

Lucie Loves | Tahir Sultan AW13 #LFW Katch London / Fashion Scout show, (Click to view whole album on flickr)

Photography © Lucie Kerley

Spotted at LFW - Day 1. Cont.

Fashion Blogger extraordinaire - What Olivia Did aka Liv Purvis, Artist - Kojey Radical, Mod, Fine Art Student & Fashion Blogger - Amelia Cross of http://ameliaisnotcross.blogspot.co.uk/, Yolanda Dombo aka The Divah and Freelance Stylist Abdul Adama of https://www.facebook.com/Ldnpa and the ever so dapper Michael Xufu Huang.

Photography © Lucie Kerley

Just a few little @REISS pieces I’d like to add to my #SS13 wardrobe… 

• Paula Black Suede Platform Wedge Sandals, £139, Reiss
• Blaire Olive Slim Fitting Geometric Detail Skirt, £95, Reiss
• Josh Red Oversize Shirt, £95, Reiss
• Maya Red Moto Leather Jacket, £395, Reiss

Check out the gorgeous new Reiss 1971 collection for more Spring/Summer wardrobe inspiration.