Feeling refreshed with a Summer in December

Fashion Infatuation has been on a bit of a break lately, because I decided to escape the cold and treat myself to a holiday!

I've never been on a sun holiday this late in the year before, and it felt really surreal being on a beach one day, only to come home to cold and rain the next - going straight from summer to Christmas!

The destination was the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, which has a pretty solid 28ish degrees all year around, and the softest sandy beaches I've ever experienced!

The sea was absolutely crazy at this time of year, with extremely high and strong waves, but that didn't stop me from getting in! 

I lost my beloved Ray Bans to the depths of the sea though... :(

Swimwear-wise, I went for a turquoise two piece for this holiday.

I wanted something a bit different from my usual earthy hues - something that would stand out - and thought this colour would look good against tanned skin.

 If you look at the bikini close-up you can see that it has got decorative patterns that resemble something a bit oriental - a nice detail to a bikini that is otherwise all the same colour.

The bandeau style allows me to get a nice and even tan without leaving white strap lines on my shoulders. Should I have needed more support when swimming there was a halterneck strap you could tie to the metal ring in the middle of the bikini top.

Good thing I'm quite small in that department so that the bikini stayed up anyway ;)

My holiday nails for the second week of the holiday (first week was turquoise nails to match the bikini) were painted in a very simple style; just a dusky pink polish topped with a coat of glitter. You can't really go wrong with that.

And my toe nails are matching, of course!

What I really love about going on a sun holiday is how care-free I feel. It's so relaxing, and I don't worry about anything, and definitely not my looks. Just like it's a two week holiday from everyday life, it's also a break from makeup and other products, as well as from my blog as you may have noticed. It's just a time to enjoy yourself and let the sun, sea and sand work its magic on your dull northern European skin. I feel refreshed, and like a new person!

The Parisian way to style up a pair of chunky boots

 There's this tiny little park in the centre of Leeds, just a 5 minute walk from the shopping area, that is so lovely and quiet. Even though it's so central, not many people seem to know about it. It's located in an old square, and all the buildings surrounding it are old-fashioned, and really posh.

I've made it a habit to walk through this park every time I go to Leeds, and I always admire the pretty town houses with the colourful doors. 

It doesn't feel like being in England, but I imagine this is what the outskirts of Paris look like.

 So when I stumbled across this Paris print t-shirt at Primark the other day, I immediately knew where I wanted to go to photograph it for this outfit post!

It's such a simple t-shirt, but that's also what makes it so versatile. 

A basic piece of clothing like this can be worn with literally anything!

But the real inspiration for this particular outfit was actually the boots.

With them being of a chunky military style, I wanted to continue this style and go for the typical military green and camel colours - but proving that even this style can be worn in a chic and Parisian way.

This khaki green pleated midi skirt is from Boohoo, and is (just like the t-shirt) very versatile and can be worn for any season paired with the right items.

 The ruched sleeve camel coloured blazer in a soft jersey material is from wearall.com. 

I really love the button details on it, and the sort of military inspired shoulders.

I'm pairing it with a vintage looking pocket watch necklace in brass.

 But back to the Paris print t-shirt...

I've always been quite reluctant to wear standard t-shirts, ad it's just recently that I've embraced this basic item and realised what you can wear it with.

Just because you're wearing a simple t-shirt, it doesn't have to mean you're casual.

I tend to wear my t-shirts with high-waisted skirts, under blazers, and I'll definitely take this one with me on holiday next week when I'll be wearing it with some denim shorts!

 The reddish tan military style boots are from the AW15 collection at Clarks, and they're actually the first flat boots I've had in years. 

I find myself wearing heels a lot, but when I first laid eyes on these badboys, I just knew I had to have them! I also sort of wanted to prove to myself that you an look chic and feminine even when wearing really chunky footwear.

And pssst...! Clarks are actually taking part in Black Friday this year, so you may be able to find yourself a bargain or two if you're out to get your hands (or feet!) on some quality shoes.

 

 The handbag is my trusted cream and beige DKNY.

It's been with me for over a year now, and I still absolutely love it.

With the colours being so basic the bag goes with pretty much anything, and especially with my Paris t-shirt and the earthy hues in this chic military inspired outfit.

 

As usual, let me know what you think of my outfit by leaving a comment.

Creating contrasts with different materials

All this talk about Black Friday next week, and I decided to give myself a challenge...
Well, it's Friday, and I'm wearing all black! 

But how can you create contrasts in your outfit when all items are of the same colour?

The trick is to wear items of different materials and textures, and the ones you'll see in this outfit are smooth cotton, soft felt, shiny leather and a textured knit.

See what I mean?

The outfit has a lot of contrasts even though it's all the same colour.

Yes, I know I've cheated with the grey clutch bag, but grey is basically light black, right? ;)

The idea for this outfit all started when I fell head over heels in love with this leather look midi skirt from Boohoo. 

But what would I wear with it? 

I wore several high-waisted midi skirts over the summer and paired them all with crop tops, but the weather isn't quite right for that anymore...
That's when I found this simple but beautiful ruched turtle neck top, also from Boohoo. What I really love about it is the pleated detail over the chest - it really adds so much to the outfit! 

To make the outfit more suitable for Autumn, but also a bit more dramatic, I chose a long knitted maxi cardigan as an extra layer.

Guess where it's from?

My favourite online shop Boohoo, of course!

I love how it blows in the wind and adds a bit of drama to my life ;)

It's like a cape, and everytime I walk down the stairs wearing it I feel like a queen!

Even my jewellery for this Black Friday outfit is black.

This long chain necklace has a pendant with a simple shiny black ball surrounded by a steel ring with the life motto "THE REST OF YOUR LIFE STARTS TODAY" printed on it.

I'm all for life mottos - I find them really inspiring.

I really like the burnt red floppy felt hat I wore in my last outfit post where I'm blending in with the beautiful Autumn colours, so I decided to get a black hat as well. 

This one isn't quite as floppy, and what makes it different is the faux leather band with a bow that decorates it - a perfect match to my leather look skirt!

And last but not least, my little cheat accessory; the "light black" clutch bag.

This tiny grey clutch is from DKNY, and it's the perfect little party bag as it has got card slots in it, and therefore works as a wallet as well as a party bag for your going out essentials (keys, phone, lipstick...)

I can see myself using it a lot during the upcoming festive season.

And that's that - my "Black Friday" outfit.

I know how many fans of all black clothing there are out there, and I hope my tips on how to create contrasts with the same colour will inspire you.

Newspaper print nails with decorative roses

 It has been absolutely ages since I last did a nail polish post, and I have had this style on my mind for quite a while now. The only problem is that I've had short nails for the last couple of months, but I've let them grow out a bit now.

 My design today is a newspaper print with decorative roses. 

As usual, I'm a big fan of multiple accent nails, and for this design I'm using 4 different colours.
The pink polish is one that I've mixed myself as i thought the original polish was too bright, and I wanted it to be more of a dusky pink.

 To start with, I decided which nails I wanted plain, and which ones I wanted my newspaper print on, and simply painted my nails in my two chosen base colours; cream and metallic green.

 In order to create a newspaper print on your nails there are a few things you need;

• Little cut-out squares with text from a newspaper

• A glass with a bit of clear spirit, for example vodka

• Tweezers

 Start by placing your newspaper square in the glass of vodka (one at a time), and let it soak for 20-30 seconds before fishing it out with your tweezers.

 Place the newspaper square on your nail with the text facing downwards. Press it down onto your nail without moving it back and forth, and press it slightly to make sure that the printed text comes off.

 Peel off the piece of newspaper, and tadaa! - There you have your newspaper print nail.

As you can see, the text ends up mirrored.

Quickly apply some topcoat to avoid smudging the print.

 The next step in my nailpolish design is to add some decorative roses to my newspaper print nails. I use a small dotting tool to create these roses, and simply use 2 different polishes (in this case a dusky pink and a purple) and swirl the 2 polishes around until it resembles a rose. Alternate the colours and add more of one until you're happy with your design.

 I've used the same green nailpolish for the leaves as for my plain nails to make the design match.

The last step in my design is to add some studs to the green nails in order to jazz them up a bit. 

Finish off the design with a good, smoothing and fast drying topcoat (my favourite is No7 from Boots), and there you have it - a newspaper print nail design with decorative roses, and green accent nails with studs.

My catwalk model debut - Halloween style

Who would have thought that I would end up trying my luck as a catwalk model? 

That sure is something to add to my blog CV!

The ones who gave me this fantastic opportunity was Bolongaro Trevor in Leeds, and this special occasion was their Halloween-style store party that took place two weeks ago.

Bolongaro Trevor is a clothing brand that hasn't been around that long. It was founded in 2006 by Kait Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor - the former founders and designers behind All Saints. 

It's not the standard highstreet fashion, but far from it. People tend to describe the clothing as a bit steampunk inspired, mixed with rock influences and with a twist of historic Victorian vibes. 

Quite the unique style!

For the event all models were treated to a Halloween inspired makeover with pale and dramatic makeup and crazy hair by the stylists from Leeds salon Blonde Fury.

And this was the result!

We were 9 catwalk models in total - 4 girls and 5 guys - and we were all going to walk the catwalk 3 times each in different outfits.

My first outfit was the one pictured in the first photo in this post; a black skater dress in a scuba material, paired with a gorgeous and very flattering asymmetric leather jacket.

Another one of my outfits was this AMAZING full circle dipped hem skirt in a thick and heavy material, combined with a black cape-like top decorated with thousands of little black beads. 

And doesn't my catwalk partner look dapper!

I was seriously obsessing about this grey skirt! 

(whilst desperately hoping I wouldn't trip and fall over wearing my crazy high platform shoes by Jeffrey Campbell.)

Saffron looked amazing in her white, patterned parachute dress.

Emma rocked that skull scarf and leather trousers!

Fellow blogger Deimantė who runs SUNNYDEI was proper strutting her stuff on the catwalk, and looked gorgeous in everything she wore. This white printed shirt was a favourite for lots of people.

The male models looked fantastic as well! 

Just look how spooky they look with their straight, white faces. I couldn't quite keep as serious as them.

This man was proper going in for the steampunk style, and brought his own awesome hat decorated with goggles made from cutlery.

When the catwalk show was over it was time for the after party!

There were lots of mingling (here with Laura from PR company Marmalade Inspired who organised the event), drinks, and we also got to enjoy listening to the local band The Victors who were playing live during the evening.

It was a fabulous night and we all had so much fun!

Thank you so much to Bolongaro Trevor for letting me walk the catwalk, Laura from Marmalade Inspired for organising everything, and KDBarker and Jodie Beardmmore Photography for letting me use their photos.

Blending in with the beautiful Autumn colours

One thing I do like about Autumn is all the beautiful colours. 
Summer is still my favourite season and will always be, but there are so many more options of great clothes for Autumn!

This part of Autumn, when the leaves haven't fallen off the trees just yet but just sit there looking pretty in all colours from green to yellow to red, is the best bit. 
And this has been my inspiration for this outfit.

This fabulous maxi coat in a deep green hue is like a dream! 

It's the Geneva Maxi Coat from Coast which has a tailored, flattering fit (it basically makes you look really tall and slim - wohoo!) and a very classic and timeless cut. 

It was recently featured in Vogue, which is a bit of a wow-factor.

I'm pairing my fabulous coat with these very fabulous shoes!

These tan leather ankle boots with lace details are from Shoetique and their Hush Puppies collection. 
Just like the coat, these shoes have a very classic style. I have actually had my eye on these for years, but always hesitated because of the price, but since they are just about the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned, they are definitely worth every penny!

A very delicate looking golden leaf necklace from Accessorize (thanks Mode Lily for this brilliant birthday present!) is the perfect piece of Autumn themed jewellery.

If you read my blog last week about my trip to Manchester you will know that I was part of a blogger shopping spree arranged by Premier Inn, and that's when I found this very quirky, floppy felt hat. 
I found it in the brand new River Island in the Arndale shopping centre, and what I really love about it is the burnt red colour - ideal for an Autumn day like this. 
See how it matches the trees in the background? ;)

The black leather shoulder bag (which was already featured on Fashion Infatuation a while ago) is from Fiorelly at House of Fraser. It's a pretty standard handbag, but it's therefore very versatile and goes with most styles and outfits. 
What's funny is that I've had a couple of friends who have mistaken it for a Michael Kors bag when they've just glanced at it. Haha! I wish!

And that's that - my Autumn themed outfit with the focus on my gorgeous green maxi coat.

I'm in love!