Gemstones and their meanings

Valentine’s Day is less than 3 weeks away, and boyfriends, husbands and admirers all over the world have started thinking about what to get their loved one for this special day. Valentine’s Day is also the most popular day for proposals – not very original, I would say. When thinking about buying an engagement ring, you might want to think about what the different gem stones mean. All women don’t want a sparkling diamond ring, but a coloured gemstone could be a great option. But what does the different gemstones symbolise? 

The emerald is believed to bring love and sensitivity, and it’s also believed to hold healing powers that can enhance memory, mental capacity and eliminate negativity.

The sapphire is a very popular choice for an engagement ring, and historically it has been associated with wisdom, joy, peace and loyalty. It’s supposed to bring the wearer fulfilment of their dreams, and enhance their beauty.

The ruby stands for love, passion, and zest for life. It’s an emotional stone and it is believed that is has healing powers and that it will protect its wearer from distress.

The amethyst is the ultimate healing stone. If you are looking at amethyst rings for your loved one you should know that the amethyst is believed to have powers that can affect the human body. Sleep with an amethyst under your pillow and it will reduce your stress through its peaceful vibrations, and it will promote positive dreams. It’s also supposed to enhance wisdom, psychic abilities and intuition, and bring inner peace.

If you are wearing a citrine you will feel protected. It will increase your creativity and physical energy, and you will experience complete mental awakening. It is also believed to bring the wearer comfort and wealth. 

If you are thinking of something smaller, not quite so dramatic and life changing for Valentine’s day, there is always the safe choice of earrings, perfume, sexy (but comfortable!) underwear, luxury spa treatments, chocolate and flowers, and of course a sweet Valentine’s card. I’m hoping that my dear boyfriend will get me my favourite perfume ;) As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, they have stopped making it! Although, I have found an online shop called Forget Flowers that still have it in stock. YAY! Hurry honey, and get me my Ralph Lauren HOT! (he has hinted about it already) They also stock classic fragrances such as Dolce & Gabbana, Estee Lauder, Gucci, Armani and Chanel perfume.

My hair colours throughout the years

I've never been one to experiment a lot with my hairstyle. I've kept to long hair all my life, except for one time when I was 10 and I cut my hair in a super short bob like the Swedish pop singer Robyn - she made it a big trend amongst us girls back in the mid 90's. I'm just saying one thing - never again!
On the other hand - I've not been afraid of experimenting with my hair colour. Ever since I was 14 I've coloured my hair, and during my college years I made sure to try as many colours as possible. I coloured my hair into a new colour every month! It went from blonde to brown, to red, to black and then back again. As you can imagine I've had all sorts of weird "in between"-colours. It sure isn't easy going from dark to lighter, and I usually ended up with lots of odd coloured highlights in my hair. Back when I was a rock chic teenager my favourite colour was my very dark brown hair that had a purple shine to it.

 

These photos are all of me from the age of 16 until now (25). The most recent one is the last one of the blonde ones, which was taken a few months ago. This medium ashy blonde colour is pretty much my natural colour. Yes, I've finally gotten tired of colouring my hair, and nowadays I stick to a colour that is as close to my natural colour as possible. Call it laziness ;)

How to walk in high heels...

...something I need to learn myself!

Shoes are such an important part of an outfit. They are what completes a look!

But why does it have to be so bloody difficult to walk in shoes with high heels?

Recently I went in to a shoe shop to get some normal black heels for a staff party, and my friend who was with me got me to try on skyscraper high stilettos. AS IF I COULD WALK IN SHOES LIKE THAT! I was staggering around in the shop with these horribly uncomfortable shoes on my feet, and my friend got herself a right laugh!

So, here are some tips that will hopefully help you, and myself to walk like a runway model in high heels... eventually.

1 Don't aim too high. 

Start off with low heels that are a bit chunkier, and work yourself up. Choosing a model with straps is also good, to make sure that the shoes sit properly on your feet and won't fall off. Be patient - you won't get there in a day.

2 Practise at home. 

Wearing your shoes in your house while doing household jobs is a great way of wearing them in.

3 Walk heel to toe. 

Never ever just balance on your toes while walking in high heels (unless you're standing on sand or grass). This is a classic mistake, that most women make.

4 Go for quality.

Don't buy cheap shopes with rubbish or non-existing soles. Investing in high quality shoes with spongy soles will definitely be worth it.

5 Be prepared. 

You don't want to end up with blisters on your feet after a few hours, so keep some gel pads such as Party Feet in your bag, along with some compeed plasters. Little tricks like this can really save the day.

Follow these steps, and you will soon be a pro at walking in high heels, and you won't feel as if you're walking on nails.

Golden Globes 2012 - red carpet beauties

My pick of best dressed stars on the red carpet of this year's Golden Globes.

No particular order - I think all these 9 actresses are absolutely stunning!

Jessica Alba in an embroidered Gucci dress in a kind of a lavender colour. A safe choice of dress, I would say. Very prom-like.
Mila Kunis is hot, hot, hot in black one shoulder-strap Dior dress.
Beautiful Sofia Vergara shows off her fit figure in a midnight blue mermaid-style dress by noone else than Vera Wang. I'm loving it!

Nicole Kidman wore a light patterned dress by Versace.

Charlize Theron was wearing a pale pink gown - short in the front and long in the back -by Dior. Isn't she one of the most beutiful women you've ever seen?

Emma Stone in a low cut, layered Lanvin dress in a deep fuchsia colour.

Kate Beckinsale, the stunning Underworld actress, was curvalicious in a Roberto Cavalli dress.

Glee star Lea Michele wore the coolest dress of the evening. Very daring choice, and the dress was a Marchesa.
Debra Messing arrived in a brown (although it looks black in the photo) Monique Lhuillier dress, with twisted layered details.

Marc Jacobs autumn 2012 menswear collection

What would a mix between 90’s skateboard culture and Turkish market style from Istanbul look like if it was mixed together in today’s fashion?

The American designer Marc Jacobs has been inspired by these two elements when creating his 2012 autumn and winter collection of men’s clothes. He calls it “weird luxury”. A very weird combination indeed, but I’m guessing that was the point.

Here are a few examples of the collection.

Some interesting facts about Marc Jacobs:

Marc Jacobs designed his first collection in his own name in 1986. Already the year after, he received an award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America for Best New Fashion Talent. He received a reward for Women’s Designer of the Year in 1989 for his Grunge collection.

In 1997, the first free standing Marc Jacobs store opened up in New York.

Marc Jabobs second clothing line, called Marc by Marc Jacobs, was introduced in 2001 with a spring runway show. 6 years later, in 2007, Marc launched a full collection of children’s clothes called Little Marc Jacobs. The same year Marc decided to take a step further in his designs, and produced his first collection of eyewear as well as his first perfume, called Daisy.

Today, the company has expanded massively, and there are over 100 Marc Jacobs stores in the world. No wonder Marc Jacobs is one of our time’s greatest designers!

Fabulous celebrity weddings of 2011

I know 2012 has just started, but let's have a look back at 2011, and some of the fabulous celebrity weddings that took place throughout the year.

First out was singer Shania Twain, who in January married her business man Frederic Thiebaud on a beach in Puerto Rico. 

A small and simple wedding - beautiful!

Reese Witherspoon married her agent Jim Toth on her luxury ranch in March. 

It was a traditional ceremony, and Reese walked down the aisle in a custom made Monique Lhuillier gown.

The biggest 2011 celebrity wedding in the UK belonged to Prince William and Kate Middleton, and this special occasion occurred in April. The day even became a bank holiday for us people in England! Beautiful Kate was wearing a stunning, royal looking gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.

A pregnant Lily Allen married Sam Cooper in June. The bride showed off a tiny bump under her lace wedding dress, which was designed by Delphine Manivet. When it came to the choice of wedding headpieces, I think Lily went a bit over the top with these extremely big flowers on each side of her head. It looked like teddy bear ears!

Ugly Betty-actress America Ferrera finally married her longtime boyfriend Ryan Piers in June, in a dress by Amsale's Christos label.

Super famous model Kate Moss and musician-boyfriend Jamie Hince tied the knot on the 1st of July in a picturesque little village. The dress was designed by John Galliano, who apparently is a close friend to Kate.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian got hitched with basketball player Kris Humphries in August, wearing a gorgeous custom made Vera Wang gown. Her engagement ring was worth $2 million dollars, and just like her bling was over-the-top - so was the wedding. Many call this the wedding of the year with lots of a-list Hollywood celebs on the guest list. Too bad the marriage didn't last for more than 72 days... 

The old Beatles-member Paul McCartney married American heiress Nancy Shevell in October. It was a simple ceremony that took place at a register office in London, and the bride was wearing a knee-length dress designed by Paul's designer daughter Stella McCartney.

I know it's not a real wedding, but it's only fictional - but the wedding of Twilight characters Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is one of the most talked about weddings of 2011. Bella was wearing a dress by wedding dress designer veteran Carolina Herrera, with a gorgeous lace and tulle back in an oval shape. Very classy and sophisticated. I especially liked Bella's bridal hair accessories, which consisted of a small veil and an antique looking sparkly comb to hold it in place.

Fair trade fashion

Don't you think that buying fashion for a good cause makes you feel super good about yourself?
I do! I can't say I've tried it numbers of times, but every time I do I feel great. Remember, buying for a good cause doesn't mean you have to buy second hand clothes from some local charity shop. Nowadays there are so many companies out there that sell fair trade clothing, and this really inspires me. Knowing that my money goes to help countries in poverty really motivates me to buy these kind of clothes.

The countries involved in fair trading are usually in Africa, South America and Asia, and as we all know those continents are known for their tribal patterns and vibrant colours. Although I love colourful clothing and patterns I think it's more for wearing in the summer, as they can be quite extreme.

Below are some pictures of the beautiful Beyoncé from her video "Put it in a love song", wearing some really awesome tribal patterned clothes. The video was filmed in Brazil, so I can imagine that the patterns of her outfit are inspired by one of the very many Indian tribes in Brazil, such as Tupi, Tapirapé or Terena.

I've found a fair trade shop online called Traidcraft and I was amazed by their collection of handmade accessories - especially the bags and scarves.

Some of the bags are made by recycled materials, and I think this is fantastic! You can see the whole collection of handmade accessories from Traidcraft here.