Sunday 28 February 2010

Alice in Wonderland

Hi!
I'm sure you've found it hard to miss that CS Lewis classic, Alice in Wonderland is making one of the biggest 'comebacks' a book will ever make!
Disney and Tim Burton are working together to produce the film version, and with actors like Johnny Depp, Barbara Windsor, Anne Hathaway, Matt Lucas and Stephen Fry, it's all set up to be an amazing film!
Australian Mia Wasikowska will be playing Alice, along with Johnny Depp, the Mad Hatter, and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat. Barbara Windsor will be playing the animated dormouse, but she isn't worried that she won't be seen, as she described herself as having 'a very distinctive voice'.

The film will be released on March 5th, and is expected to be a very popular choice. It is set in the genre 'Family, Adventure, and Fantasy', where nineteen year old Alice returns to to magical world of her childhood adventure, reunites with her friends, reveals her destiny, but can she stop the Red Queen before its all too late?

In shops all around the world, Alice inspired jewelry and clothing have been bestsellers. Urban Outfitters sell a Curious Alice range of tee-shirts, for men and women, and many shops are selling Alice accessories. The typical 'Alice in Wonderland' is a girl with long blonde wavy hair, in a blue dress. The tee-shirts being sold however, are mainly in neutral colours, such as beiges, and browns, with sketches of Alice, The Mad Hatter, and various other characters as the centre.

I can't remember where, but I saw a cluster necklace, with charms of teacups, and mad hats, made to represent the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Cluster necklaces are very pretty, and can be used to represent anything, by only using a few charms.

Go out, and have a truly, deeply, curiously Alice inspired shopping spree :)

Saturday 27 February 2010




Spring Makeup!

Ok, I've posted just about everything else on the topic of spring, but what about your hair and makeup?
Well, makeup should stay natural during spring, and go darker for summer, with a pale, yet bright complex for winter. So, considering it's spring, I think we should stick with natural.

You can base your makeup with a nice, neutral foundation, such as a cheap one, from Boot's Natural Collection. Don't be afraid to test foundation on your hand in a shop, providing it is a tester, because you have to make sure the colour is just right, because you don't want to be one of those 'orange girls', but you don't want to scare everyone off with ghastly colouring!
To apply your foundation properly, you should only use a very small amount, as it will spread as it sinks into your face. Before applying, wash your face very well, or it will come on lumpy. Cover any blemishes with an airbrush concealer beforehand, and gently smooth in your foundation.

To keep your eyes natural, don't go for anything too heavy. A simple eye pencil will start you off, preferably black, don't wear anything bright. Dust your eyelids very lightly with a simply tan shadow, and use clear mascara.

Make your eyebrows perfect. This doesn't mean to pluck them all off, but use an eyebrow comb, and give them some shape, and pencil this gently. If you are worried that they won't stay, glaze them with Vaseline, but don't use too much, or you will appear all shiny, and this won't achieve 'natural'!

For your cheeks, blend in a very neutral blusher. I can't really say much on this, as the type you will want to use will depend on your toning, but try not to make it stand out too much.

For your lips, use a nice tinted lip balm, and after it sets in, apply a little clear gloss. The best tinted lip balms are Body Shop. Use their lip butter, in a flavour of your choice. My personal favourite are Shea Butter and Coconut, but it's your opinion. These are pricy, but will last, and are a great fix for chapped lips.

Now, for your hair, there are many different styles you may choose to wear, as it all depends on your hair type.

If you have thick hair, you are lucky, as 'big' hair is what most catwalk models will be paying to have done right now. However, this doesn't mean that you can just leave your hair, it will still require a bit of work. If your hair is naturally thick, but straight, you may want to try an updo. These can be tricky, or messy, but will suit your hairstyle. Try a pleat, French plait, or chignon. These all look fab on thick hair, but need a lot of hairspray. You should never use too much hairspray, so rather than using thin hairspray and using heaps, use a strong hairspray, and only spray on a thin layer. Where you can help it, don't wash the hairspray out immediately. Thick or curly hair shouldn't be washed more than twice a week, as this can lead to frizzyness.

If your hair is thick, yet curly, you can probably get away with wearing it out. Comb your hair through well, using a widetooth, or 'afro' comb. Don't use a brush on your hair, this will ruin your natural curl. After combing, rub some form of leave in conditioner (my favourite is Vitapointe) through your hands, and run your hands through your hair. Tip your head upside down, and shake your hair. Flip your hair back, and your hair should look pretty good. If you think it is a little too big, try using a few pretty clips to tie back half, and leave the other half out, and curly.

If you have wavy hair, you will suit your hair in nice simple styles. I think wavy hair suits plaits, and bunches, so try these styles, or high ponytails. Wavy hair can often be flyaway, so don't brush your hair when it isn't necessary, or if you want to brush it a lot, you will need to tie it back well. Wavy hair should be washed pretty regularly, but not with too much shampoo, as wavy hair needs to be kept shiny, but remaining with it's natural oils, so as not to block out any wave.

Straight hair is probably the simplest to handle. When your hair is wet, blow dry it as straight as you can, and try a hippy headband. These suit straight hair, providing you don't have a fringe. If you have a fringe, try your hair in a loose, but high, ponytail, leaving your fringe out, and pull out a few tendrils around the sides of your head. Straight hair can really be washed as often as you feel it needs, but try to use a weak shampoo so as to leave some natural oils behind.

ALL hairstyles need to be kept in shape. Even if you are trying to grow your hair very long, you need to keep trimming it, or you might never reach your hairs potential, because your hair will be carrying dead weight, or in it's literal terms, dead ends.

I'm sure all hair types can look lovely, just care for your hair!







Ok, as I've said, springy colours such as green, pink and yellow are in, and so above are Daisy Lowe, in a casual white tee-shirt, with green and pink abstract design, Georgia Jagger posing for Versace, in a green tight waisted dress, Taylor Swift, caught by cameras in a yellow coat, and Cheryl in a yellow dress.

Because these colours are quite simple, they will suit almost anybody. If you have darker skin toning, you will most likely suit yellow, and if you are pale, with darker hair, green. Pink suits most people, but try and avoid bright pinks if you have very ginger hair, as you don't want to cause clashing!

don't go cold in spring!
fair enough, spring is nearly summer, but why not try a lovely spring green coat?
It's not like in winter, when you need a coat, but it ends up being a depressing, heavy, dark coat. try a light coat, and have a nice spring!

Hola!
I forgot to mention in my last post that there are many beautiful styles of shoes and jewelry available right now, and they are all pretty stylish. Depending on your outfit, you can get away with spring coloured Converse, and other pumps, sandals, low heels, or boots. With it being spring, I wouldn't wear black boots, but tan, and brown are fine, and go very well with leggings and pastel shirts.

Some of my favourite shoes are Converse All Star Double Tongue, which look great in the green, orange and pink combination. Converse All Star Parody Print Hi are also very nice, a hi-top pair of pumps, with a pop art style design, in mainly block primary colours.

A great spring make of shoe are Irregular Choice. Their website isn't the best, but I would say their shoes are. My personal favourites in Irregular Choice are the 'Lily Pump', 'Choo Choo' shoe, 'Daisy Drops' and 'Bow-Belle' in red. They also sell some very nice boots, such as 'Parrot Talk' in black, and 'Pixie Playa'.
Irregular Choice are quite expensive, but are of very good quality, and are worth it if you feel the need to treat yourself to a pair of shoes.

If you like bright, and vibrant shoes that let you move, you should give 'Babycham' a go, as they sell many different coloured shoes, and are comfortable, at a good price.

I also love Cameo Brooch Pump Floral, Cherie Ballerina and Bernie Elastic Patent Pump, all from Schuh. Schuh is often a little expensive, but sell great quality shoes, and are often from the best makes.


Onto the jewelry side of spring, there are many different types you can go for. If you want a 'real' piece of jewelry, and are willing to spend a lot on it, try Pandora, or Links of London. These are best for bracelets, such as the Pandora's silver bracelets, which you can personalize with charms, and my favourite charms are the Murano style, as they don't cost as much as the real silver and gold ones, but the wooden ones are equally as nice. If you would prefer a Links of London bracelet, my favourite is the Sweetie. Alike Pandora, it is one you personalize with charms. These are slightly more expensive, with charms starting at £25.00. A nice base for your charm bracelet would be to start of with a charm of the first letter of your name, and your religious sign, such as a Star of David charm, or a Christian cross charm. Then, you can try some more colourful charms, like the Enamel Strawberry, or if you are willing to spend a lot, get a gold charm. It'll add colour, but will be pricy.

If you don't want to end up spending much, and you just want some everyday jewelry, Accessorize is good, and my favourite spring bracelet is the Bluebelle Mismatch. I also like Arriba Tassel, Abi Tropical, and the Candy Shop Charm bracelet.

Have a look on the websites, and have a nice time accessorizing your spring outfits :)
Hola, hope you're having a nice day!

Although the weather may not agree, it's nearly real spring, blossom, and easter spring :)

So I think everyone needs to get their 'spring style' clothes back out! This year, floral patterns, greens and yellows and pastel pinks will be in, so try out a nice combination :)

Remember, the weather doesn't yet agree with the time, so you can wear your spring outfit with boots, and a nice light coat. Or, if you want to get ahead of time, and wear your skirts and dresses, Accessorize sell great floral tights and long socks, and also yellows, greens, and pastel pinks. My personal favourite tights are 'Pretty Poppy Print', Accessorize.

If you want to wear a dress or skirt, try www.republic.co.uk
www.joebrowns.co.uk
www.boohoo.com
These three site are all easy to access, and they also sell nice floral prints, and will deliver to the UK, at reasonable prices.

My favourite dress for spring is 'Alyssa ethnic print 1/2 sleeve tunic' in pink, from boohoo.com, and at twelve pounds, it's a basic steal! If you prefer leggings or jeans, I would have a look at pullandbear.com. My favourite pair of jeans from that particular site for Spring 2010 are the mid-blue pair, that have the reference number: 5680/302/402, and cost £19.99.

If you are going to go and try out some of these styles, you will probably need a good perfume to go with it. The scents you might want to wear will depend on your style. If you are sporty, why not try something fresh, and cooling, like Marc Jacobs: Splash, in Pear.
It's a few years old, but I think it's a really nice scent. If you're more girly, and are following my 'floral' trend, try something flowery, like Versace: Bright Crystal. It's light, yet vibrant, flowery and fresh. With it's lotus, pomegranate and amber plant, it's a great fragrance for this spring. If you aren't overly sporty, or girly, you can try a neutral scent, like DKNY: Be Delicious. Fruity, but not too overpowering. It's available in different fragrance scents, but my favourite is the green apple.

Have a happy spring :)

Ok, well, this is a favourite of mine, and had to be first on my blog, Momiji!

Momiji is a beautiful Japanese company, who make ornamental dolls, mugs, Zakka, Senjou, and many other lovely little products. They can range in price, but to find out more, check out their website, lovemomiji.com

The company within itself is a few years old, yet not overly successful. However, by posting this on my blog, I am hoping to help advertising the wonderful Momiji company.

Please, take the time to check out the Momiji website, and buy a product!

Have a nice day, Kiki :)

Hi, welcome to my site, Verano Joya!
It's all about trends, makeup, clothing, and anything that comes into my head while I'm blogging, so I hope you like it :)