Saturday 10 October 2015

Pyjama Party

Today has been a very lazy Saturday of long lies and Netflix - exactly how at least one Saturday a month should be! I have been snuggling up in my pyjamas all day and it got me thinking to my extensive pyjama collection. I have a little obsession. So I thought I would do a little browsing online for my favourites that are currently available. Perfect for the best snuggle Saturday!




I love Rosie for Autograph at Marks and Spencer. Even in bed you should look and feel your best and these really live up to that. These are silk so a little indulgent but trust me you will have the best sleep. Throw on a cosy knit jumper and some cable knit socks if wearing in the day and you will be doubting the need to ever wear clothes again.




I love them in floral too, if you are going to make the investment buy and want to add that extra bit of cute - these are the ones for you!





I have had my eye on these for a while... You can order them online but the shipping and taxes are expensive. I am in America a week today so will definitely be picking up a pair! Or if you are in London, you are in the perfect place to hit the store on New Bond Street or at Westfield. I love the classic pink and white candy stripe and full pyjamas are so cosy.





They also come with matching eye masks! This is literally the perfect snuggle set and the tartan is exactly the pattern that is needed now the seasons are changing. This may be too early to say it but they would make a great Christmas present!



Next, £16

These are so fun so I thought I would throw them in too. The bottoms have little gingerbread men on them - how cute! I love the knitted pom pom hat too, everyone loves a faux fur bobble!


What are your favourite pyjamas?

Styling Happiness xoxo


Friday 9 October 2015

5 days, 5 hairstyles


Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - 5 simple hairstyles for busy people on the go using only 3 hair accessories including a pair of straighteners. No day needs to be the same...


All week all I needed were these thin straighteners, a hair bobble and a hair clip. For an average week you want to keep it simple and easy, all can be done in under 5 minutes - Friday may take you longer but it's Friday - who cares?



Monday

After a busy weekend the last thing you want to do is a complicated hairstyle and the chances are your hair might be requiring a wash. This is were a twist up bun is the perfect option - it hides a multitude of sins! I twisted a ponytail round to secure the hair together and then wound it round and secured it with my hair clip. Easy peasy.



Tuesday

Monday night is my hair wash night, therefore I love a down do on a Tuesday. I have kept it simple and straightened my hair down to the end and then flicked the hair under for a very soft look.



Wednesday

A high ponytail is one of my favourite looks, it frames your face perfectly. I don't like a severe pulled back look but soft and swept back is the way to go - perfect for second day hair.  I have secured this up with a hair bobble.



Thursday

I wash my hair every 2 days, I have a lot of hair so this is really all I can handle. So, I have decided to go for a twist on my down do and clip half up to pull it away from my face. I prop the top of my hair up a little bit to give it a little height before putting the clip in.



Friday 

Friday deserves something a little more special so in 2 layers I have curled, using my straighteners soft curls which I then brushed through with my fingers to loosen the curls.

There you have it - 5 very simple and easy looks for 5 days. For the weekend it is time to be fun and play around with hairstyles. Stay tuned for weekend hair!

Happy Friday!!

Styling Happiness xoxo

Thursday 8 October 2015

Cashmere and gold luxury...

It's cold outside, so all I want to do is snuggle up on the couch with my macbook and online shop. However, life can't be perfect so I find some little pick me ups are Cashmere, faux fur and a little accent of gold to warm things up...



I love to add a little gold accent to the top of my cheekbone, it warms the whole look up. I also used a warm gold shimmer eyeshadow to tie in the effect.



I heard that baby hairs are the new in thing... I must be bang on trend.



This is my trusty little sidekick for that warm glow - Benefit sun beam. I put this under my eyebrows to open my eyes, at the top of my cheekbones and I dab it over a nude lip to add that extra sparkle to my look.



The extra little hint of luxury that I need to complete the look is my new faux fur stole from Zara. I love faux fur, it is just what any outfit needs to bring out that bit of sophistication you need.



Here is a little close up of the cable detail on my Cashmere Johnstons of Elgin jumper. When I got this a few years ago I swore that I would never take it off until Summer - I was pretty much correct. Here is a similar one, it is an investment buy but treat it well and you will have it for years and years to come. All brought together with my favourite leopard print pumps!

I hope you are all snuggled up in luxury today too!

Styling Happiness xoxo

Wednesday 7 October 2015

It's time to 'Fall' in love with coats

Anyone who knows me, knows that my heart goes a flutter with the thought of wearing coats now the cold weather is back in full force. The seasons have well and truly changed and I am obsessing over my favourite Autumn/Winter coats on the high street. I am very picky about coats. I love tailored, classic looks that have amazing stitching, buttons or ties and a colour that will never go out of style. No, no's for me are definitely zips, different coloured stitching, velcro!?, anything that looks cheap and if it is a A/W coat there has to be a lapel. Here are a few of my favourites currently available on the high street...



Long vest with fur collar, Zara £89.99

Now I know, this may not be the most practical of coats for the cold weather as it has no sleeves but I love how chic it is and look at all that faux fur! I think this would be perfect in Autumn with a thick jumper. It adds that streamline elegance that you can only find in a tailored coat. 




Hand-made dressing gown coat, Zara £99.99

Ever since Olivia Pope graced the silver screens in Scandal I have been obsessed with dressing gown coats, I associate them with power and elegance and that is exactly what I want out of a coat. This is very thin for a coat, so a jumper would definitely be required in the colder months but perfect for now!





A tailored black coat is something that I am really missing from my wardrobe, it really is a staple, classic piece that everyone should have at hand. This is also formal enough to be dressed up at evening with a tailored trouser or left open to accompany a great LBD.



Cashmere blend wrap coat, Topshop £225.00

Another great staple piece in every wardrobe is a camel coat, I have one from Zara a couple of years ago that some days in the A/W months only comes off my back to sleep. However, this has rather caught my eye and you can never go wrong if there is a bit of Cashmere involved. 



Kimono cape, River Island £55.00

I love how this coat looks on, it is perfect for Autumn with it's short sleeves that will go great with a turtleneck underneath. It is perfect if you are wanting to go for a statement necklace or bracelet as it showcases it perfectly.

Now that I have critically analysed them I just want them all! However, I am not sure that they will fit in my cupboard!

Styling Happiness xoxo



Tuesday 6 October 2015

Pastel vibes with a little bit of wild...

Today is a very rainy day in Edinburgh so I wanted to channel some pastel vibes to brighten up the day and of course add my little obsession at the moment which is an accent of leopard print.


I love this Johnstons of Elgin cashmere jumper, the pastel hue and cosy fit is perfect for a day like today. This and my pukka three ginger tea was just the combination I needed this morning, in my favourite Marks and Spencer 'S' mug.



A little highlight of pink goes perfectly with my pastel blue jumper, I got this Bourjois Paris Colour Boost in Proudly naked yesterday. It has a great glossy finish, glides on and feels very nourishing on my lips. I even may be able to wear it sans Burts Bees - very bold for me. With a little spritz of my favourite Victoria's Secret 'Sexy little things' I felt a lovely pink glow.






My whole make-up look today is very natural with a little highlight of pink cream blush. I curled my hair for yesterdays blog post but I then got very rained on and it lost a little bit of its magic so I pulled it up into a high ponytail.



I love a statement necklace, this is one from Zara a few seasons a go and I find that it goes so well with a lot of outfits and the position is great for a high neckline.




This is my little hint of wild. I have been trying to break these in for a very long time and I think that today is the first time that they haven't hurt - it was so worth it though!! I've teamed these with my distressed jeans to add a little edge to my pastels.



I will be working away today on lots of new fun blog ideas! If you have anything that you would like me to cover, let me know! I will be cosying up with my ginger tea and doing lots of fashion, style and beauty research and maybe obsessing over Chanel's runway (airport lounge) show.

Happy Tuesday!

Styling Happiness xoxo



Monday 5 October 2015

H&M Bargain Dress - £10!

I love a bargain, some of my favourite items of clothing are amazing bargains that I have found while rummaging through a sale. With Summer coming to a close I have been pondering through the high street to see if I can pick up any bargains that I can tuck away for next year. I love buying classic items that can be worn again and again for years. The other day I struck gold finding this classic monochrome lawn tennis dress for £10 ... I am in love with it.


This is the perfect Summer dress or for a more Autumn feel bringing it to an evening look with gold accessories, Chanel bag and black strapped sandals.



For make-up and hair and wanted to go for something quintessentially British. I thought a 1940s vibe would work perfectly with this so I loosely curled my hair, kept my eye make-up to my signature winged effect and glammed it up the look with a red lip.






Coming out with bargains like this makes me extremely happy and make all that rummaging worthwhile. At only £10 my bank account was also very happy!

I love to hear about your bargains too, so tell me all!

Styling Happiness xoxo


Sunday 4 October 2015

Natural Make-Up Tutorial

I thought a Sunday was the perfect day to post a blog on how to get the perfect natural make-up look. Sunday's are casual, so to complement your relaxed, dressed-down Sunday style here is how to keep your make-up low key and simple while still highlighting your best features.


I'll take you through step by step. All the products that I use are available at boots (apart from a couple of Mac items) and are great for beauty on a budget.



Here is my no make-up selfie - it is never flattering taking a picture naked (make-up naked). Start off with a freshly washed face and moisturise lightly - a heavy moisturiser can give you an oily glow so don't use too much.


To start off with I use Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser, I have large pores so this is perfect to use as a primer - I focus on either side of my nose and my eyes so that there is a base to apply Bourjois Paris Happy Light concealer in Ivoire. 


Using my Real Techniques concealer brush I apply the concealer around the dark circles in the inner corners of my eyes, in a triangular shape on either side of my nose for subtle contouring and down the centre of my nose to thin it - I have a large nose so this is quite vital.



I have used Mac Studio Fix Fluid for years, the colour changes throughout the year depending on the weather and where I have travelled but it provides the perfect coverage. I use NC35, the NC range has yellow undertones which compliment my skintone as it is quite olive. If you have a paler skin I would go for the NW range with its pink undertones. 




Using a Benefit foundation brush I apply it lightly all over my face, blending in with the concealer for an all over coverage. Make sure that you blend your foundation into your neck and choose a colour that is the same as your neck so that you don't have the dreaded tidal mark! After that I use the below Hello Flawless powder and apply evenly all over to give a matte finish and seal in my foundation. I use a Real Techniques brush for this.







Now it is time for subtle contouring, I have put a little more on than usual so that you can see where to apply it. I find Maybelline Master Sculpt is perfect for contouring, it is not too heavy and you can build it up to get the effect that you are looking for. I use a Real Techniques sculpting brush as it angles well when contouring.



I want to subtly accentuate my cheekbones so it is time to pout, follow the the natural line that forms, angle your brush length ways and apply the contouring powder. I also put this around my hairline, my jawline, the bottom of my chin and down the sides of my nose to thin it!




Now I blend in the contouring using Benefit Hoola, Bourjois Paris blusher in 16 Rose Coup de Foudre and Benefit sun beam.



I apply bronzer to my forehead to give a sun kissed glow and to my cheeks to blend in with the contouring using the brush that comes with the Hoola. I then use the blusher on the apples of my cheeks to give a little colour. I then want to highlight to contrast the contouring, I use sun beam under my eyebrows, at the top of my cheeks just below my eyes and on my cupid's bow (the dent above your lip).



I have very dark eyebrows naturally, so defining them is something that I have just got into. I think it really adds shape to your face, so it is a beauty tip I would highly suggest. However, make it subtle and follow your natural brow, I have seen some bad eyebrows in my time - don't be one of them. I use Benefit Browzings in dark.



Fill in the gaps and give a subtle defining look.



It is now time for eyes and for a natural look I am going to keep it very subtle and fresh. I use Mac Pro Longer Paint Pot in Bare Study - it gives a lovely glow and is very crease resistant. I love a winged eyeliner look, alongside a defined brow it gives a great shape to your face, I use Collection Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner which I have used for years as it really stays in place.



I keep the winged eyeliner to a minimum and follow the natural line of my eye with a small tail on the outer part of my eye.



Now to bring it all together with mascara. I have used Bourjois Paris mascara for years, I have tried a lot of other brands in between but keep coming back as it is by far the best. I have recently moved on to Twist up the Volume and I love it for its two brushes in one.



Mascara really opens up your eyes, make sure you apply it to the bottom lashes too to give a natural, wide eyed fresh look.



To complete the look I want to keep the lips subtle so have decided to use a light pink - Estee Lauder Lasting Creme in Vanilla Truffle. I have very dry lips so am never very far away from my Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. I always put this under my lipstick so that it blends in subtly and doesn't give a too harsh look.



Here is the finished look. Natural, fresh and perfectly contoured.




I've decided to go for my hair down to keep it natural, now to decide what to wear!

I hope you all have lovely, relaxed Sunday's!

Styling Happiness xoxo