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!

Everyday smoky eye tutorial

Can I just start by saying that this is the best eyeshadow palette I've ever had!

'The Nudes' by Maybelline was introduced to me in August, and it was love at first sight. 

It's the perfect shades when you want to create a smoky eye look, whether you're after a more neutral look, or something more dramatic.

This, in combination with a badass waterproof eyeliner pencil and a fibre based mascara is all the eye makeup I need.

The eyeshadow colours go from basic beige and browns, to metallics and black.

I'm going to show you how I do my standard everyday smoky eye makeup, and the colours I've gone for are somewhere in between neutral and dramatic. You can easily add some more black if you need your makeup to take you from the office to a night out without having to redo everything.

Most people start with the light base colour, but I actually think it's easier to start with the darker coloour.

I simply start by placing a fingerprint sized dot in the outer corner of my upper eyelid with the help of a standard eyeshadow brush.

With the brush I then blend and spread the eyeshadow into a C-shape to create an illusion of a frame and bigger eyes.

Moving on, I then use the same dark eyeshadow and apply it underneath my eyes (two thirds in) to really get that smoky effect. I use the same brush for this as I'm not too fussed about the line looking neat. I'm a rock chick, and I like a lot of makeup ;)

The next step is to add lighter eyeshadow to the inner parts of your upper eyelids. Make sure you blend it well where it meets the darker shade, and don't be afraid to add a bit more dark eyeshadow in the outer corners if needed.

Apply eyeliner in your preferred shape (I love a bit of winged eyeliner to create that cat's eye look) and top it all off with mascara.

And tadaa! That's your basic everyday smoky eye makeup!

I can really recommend the nude shades from Maybelline. Like I mentioned before - it's the best eyeshadow palette that has ever been in my possession!

Sleep well, shop well - getting spolit by Premier Inn in Manchester

Well hello there!

A mirror selfie? Why?

Because I was in a hotel room all by myself about to go out for some exciting shenanigans with some fellow fashion bloggers!

My outfit for the night was a strapless black skater dress and a blue and silver statement necklace, dramatic eye makeup, and of course a pair of heels to top (bottom?) it all off.

There were 20 local-ish fashion bloggers that had been invited to an exciting event called #SleepWellShopWell, hosted by the fab Premier Inn Picadilly in Manchester in collaboration with Propeller Net and The Front Row Society.

It should have been called #EatWellSleepWell in my opinion, with the amount of food they brought us for dinner! Oh my!

We were treated to dinner at Fumo (a San Carlo chain restaurant) in central Manchester, and the menu had been set for us.

They went for a tapas style menu with lots of small dishes, and we couldn't believe how much food there was! The waiters just kept coming out with more!

There was bread and olives, prosciutto, pasta, pizza, duck salad, steak... you name it!

It was all gorgeous, and we were basically rolling out of the restaurant afterwards.

Myself and fellow Swede and Leeds blogger Jennie from Lifestyled by Jennie enjoyed a Limoncello after dinner.

I got to know lots of lovely bloggers that I've never met before, including Bryony from Bea Lea (to the right), and lots of other girls. 

I do love a social event like this - such a great campaign idea Premier Inn!

After dinner and quite a few drinks it was time to go back to the hotel for a great night's sleep before the adventure was due to continue the next day. 

Remember, if you sleep well you shop well ;)

Goodnight!

Premier Inn seriously has the comfiest beds ever! 

I'm really picky with pillows, and sleeping on a pillow that is not in line with what I'm used to can really ruin a night's sleep completely.

I can't even remember falling asleep this night! I put my head on the pillow and all of a sudden it was morning, and I was more than ready for an exciting day of shopping.

Premier Inn had teamed up with Manchester stylist and blogger Megan from Pages by Megan, and after a massive and delicious hotel breakfast all bloggers made their way to the Northern Quarter in their own time, where Megan had picked out a few of her favourite shops for quirky, wonderful and vintage finds.

One of the boutiques was COW vintage, which truly was vintage heaven!

It was quality European vintage fashion arranged to perfection on two floors.

Although we went to a few different shops of similar styles in the Northern Quarter, COW was definitely my favourite!

Another vintage shop that I really liked was Pop Boutique.

It was like stepping right into the 1970's, and even the shop assistants looked the part with their clothes, hair and makeup.

Very 70's retro, indeed!

After getting slightly lost in Afflecks Palace, Jennie and I continued to do some shopping in the Arndale Centre before heading back to Leeds again.

Thank you so much to Premier Inn for inviting me to this fantastic blogger event where we all got to eat well, sleep well and shop well - I felt so spoilt, and it was nice to get a different shopping experience like this, rather than just sticking to the highstreet!