In The Spotlight: Rianna Phillips

I love the world of blogging, for constantly helping me discover some amazingly creative people - one such person is Rianna Phillips. This lovely lady commented on my blog and so I headed over to hers (this is usually the case) and found that she makes the most wonderful digital print scarves and beautiful clutch bags. I'm a sucker for a digital print and this lady does them so well. Another great thing about Rianna is she is based in the North - I like to champion the Northern ladies. But don't worry I love the south too! 

I'm defiantly going to be getting myself the large lilac and silver clutch - it will even fit my macbook in. Rianna designed it with the fashion crowd in mind, after a trip to London confirmed that people needed a bag that was large enough for their gadgets but flat so their bountiful invitations didn't get squished in the rush to the next show.

Don't just take my word for it, check out her designs for yourself -  take a gander at her shop and buy something awesome at: http://www.riannaphillips.com/ 

Fashion In Film: Clueless

Here I am again with another fashion in film post - I seem to just be going through my favourite fashion films of all time. Of course high up on my list is Clueless - AS IF! Had to add that in there because we all know Clueless is well known for its catchphrases as well as the clothes. This summer I would most like to be channeling Cher's look - how awesome is the black sheer shirt and white tank combo? This got me to thinking, there has been such a 90's revival of late - what would Cher wear these days? 

I loved this dress from Nasty Gal - it ticks all the right boxes and I'm sure Cher would strut her stuff in this. Of course she has to throw on the sheer black shirt to keep Daddy happy. This one from Topshop caught my eye - I really liked the dipped hem and I thought it brought the whole outfit up to date. Of course we can't forget the cross, this simple one from ASOS did the trick. I thought Cher would love these shoes from Sweedish Hasbeens - still adding a touch of coy to the outfit.

I'll leave you with this amazing video I came across documenting every outfit change Cher Horowitz wears in Clueless - there are an amazing 50 costume changes! 

Whats In My Bag: Featuring Urban Outfitters Backpack

| Bag, Urban Outfitters | Superbalm, Liz Earle | Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti | 
| Keys, feauting Mark Fast keyring from LFW | 

| Phone, HTC Desire HD (Floral case from Amazon) |

 | Models Own Nail Varnish, Beach Party and Blooboo | Handcream, Elemis |
 | Beanie, Topman | Purse, Zara | 

I always love a good nosey into people's bags - it kind of shows you a little bit more of their personality. This backpack is from Urban Outfitters which I actually picked up in the sale for the bargainous price of £20. I'm not one to carry around a lot of things with me on a daily basis - these are the main things I had. I had just bought the two Models Own nail polish featured above - Boots are currently having a 2 for £8 offer on them, so now is the time to snap some up. I'm looking forward to trying the Hed Kandi collaboration - a have seen it on a few friends nails and it looks fabulous. 

I always need some hand cream with me because I hate how dry my hand gets from using cheap soap at work - this works a treat.  The superbalm from Liz Earle is really good for lips and any dry patches you might have - it works wonders on elbows! I am loving the new Revlon Lip Butters - I often find lipsticks really drying so this is a perfect solution. 

My sheep keyring was from the Mark Fast goodie bag I managed to grab while I was at fashion week - I like this little dude on my keys, don't you? I just picked up this case for my phone and I love it - it made me feel like I had a whole new phone again. 

I always throw this beanie in my bag to keep my hair dry and under control in this ridiculous weather we have been having in the UK. Lastly is my purse from Zara which my mum got me at Christmas - skulls and spiky studs, pretty much me in purse form. 

Review: Dermalogica Microzone Treatment

Today myself and my mum went down to the Dermalogica counter in Harvey Nichols. We each had a voucher for the Dermalogica MicroZone Treatment from our Mother's Day goodie bags. This treatment would normal cost £20 - I think after having it, this is a great price because so many products are used and it isn't a rushed through job. The lovely Amy took me through every single step and what benefits each product had for my skin. The scary looking machine below turned out to be not so scary it actually speeds up the process of any masks that are applied and makes sure the product gets right into your skin. It was nice to hear that my skin was actually looking pretty good - I always thought I had fairly bad skin for my age (most people have grown out of spots by now) but with this new and improved skin routine I'm sure my acne scarring will soon fade. 

    

Afterwards I looked over all the products Amy had used on my face and I had a chance to use them again on the back of my hand. I decided in the end to pick up the Daily Microfoliant - it seemed like the best all round product to buy which would slot right in to my current skin routine. Of course I was sent away with some other samples of products that were used in my treatment - a great way to choose my next Dermalogica purchase. You are also supplied with your face map which tells you which products were used and also it is a great way to track progress any progress you have made with your skin when you come in for your next treatment. I really do recommend going down and speaking to some from Dermalogica - they give great advice and it will leave you with skin to be proud of. 

In The Spotlight: Melanie Drake

As you know I always love to find new e-commerce sites. Melanie Drake has recently expanded online after only having their boutique open for 21 months. The online launch has come 12 months earlier than originally planned. 

I really love the clean design of the home page and the easy navigation. I picked out a few key pieces that caught my eye. I absolutely loving printed trousers at the moment,  so these ones from Maison Scotch are perfect. I think they would look perfect teamed with this plain white shirt and cream bag - how nice is this bag? 

New Talent: Mary Benson

Photography by Vasilisa Forbes

Modelled by Kelly Thomas

I'm always a champion of new talent - especially when said talent is one of my lovely friends. Mary Benson was first featured on BBC 2's 'Mary Queen Of Shops', when she was chosen to be stocked in several boutiques in the UK. She then went on to open her own boutique called 'Pieces of Eight' featuring a 8 piece capsule collection. 

Mary has interned for the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Richard Nicoll - she is currently studying at Westminster for a BA in Fashion Design. 

Mary is also currently working alongside VV Brown for new online vintage store VVVintage. She is one of the few designers working on the Design With Oxfam collaboration, customising specially selected vintage pieces from Oxfam, chosen by VV Brown and Lola Peach. Mary’s statement prints will be applied to each garment creating a full collection of 6 one-off pieces - these will be available to buy on the VVVintage web site from August 2012.

Personally I am seeing big and bright things in the future for Mary - I can think of a few popstars that will be fighting over this whole collection when it drops. I'll have an interview with the woman herself this weekend, so be sure to check back. In the meantime add Mary up on Twitter:  @Mary_Benson 

Nail Art Tutorial: Skull Nails

After posting my picture from Instagram of my nail art I have had quite a lot of interest in a tutorial. I wanted to do one for a while but it takes a lot of setting up and I didn't have the time. When this beautiful Wah Nails book landed on my mat today I knew I just had to crack on with it. So please forgive me as this is my first attempt at trying to explain something like this....

My Skincare Routine: Liz Earle

I have never had the best skin while many of my friends have passed the teen spot phase, I always seemed to be suffering. Of course with this in mind I'm always on the look out for the miracle that will finally give me perfect clear skin - now of course I know this won't happen but I have started a routine that seems to be working for me. These three Liz Earle products are my absolute holy grail at the moment and on the plus side they aren't ridiculously expensive either. I'll talk you through each one.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - As with all of these products I use this night and day. I love the way my skin feels after I've used this. It just gives you that clean feel, which some cleansers don't tend to give. I have found others can be quite heavy and some of it can sit on the skin. This Hot Polish Cleanser its great for any skin type and I would really recommend it.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic - I recently added the skin tonic to my routine and honestly I can't believe I had ever been without it. This leaves your skin feeling so refreshed, it's a great way to start and end your day. I'm going to go back and pick up a sample size to carry round in my handbag - the assistant said its a great pick me up if your skin feels dull through out the day.

Liz Earle Skin Repair Light Moisturiser - I got this in Combination/Oily - this is best used after the Skin Tonic as the tonic helps it to work to its full potential. I really love the smell and it helps my foundation go on really well. 

I was also given these samples of the new Sheer Skin Tint - I'm really excited for the Liz Earle make-up collection to be launched because I'm expecting it to be just as good as their other lines. I'm going to try these out when my skin gets a little better and I'll let you all know what I think. 

Do any of you use Liz Earle products? What do you think? 

In The Spotlight: Timothy Roe

Timothy Roe, provider of bespoke jewellery.

As you all know I am a lover of costume jewellery but when I'm looking for jewellery to wear everyday I tend to stick to something a little more simple. I wear them same silver plain earrings everyday (along with my tunnels). So when I was approached by Timothy Roe and asked to pick a ring from their Spinning Jewellery collection. I chose the Sprinkle Dots ring - I loved the simple design and thought it would be perfect for everyday wear. I've worn it everyday since I received it in the post. It came so nicely packaged too - I always appreciate good presentation. 

What are the pieces of jewellery you can't take off? 

Manchester Fashion Week 2012: Day One

Bank holiday Monday brought the start of Manchester Fashion Week - me and a friend headed over to The Avenue at Spinningfields to see what Manchester had to offer. There were three shows going on -  first up was Private White V.C, then River Island and Nadine Merabi closed the proceedings. This is going to be an image heavy post so please click on the link to read on...

Week in Pictures: Welcome to Instagram

Now that Android users have access to Instagram I have become obsessed with it. I've always been a fairly nosey person, so being able to see snap shots from peoples lives is something that really appeals to me. 

In my attempt to get better at nail art I bought some more pens from New Look this week -what do you think? I thought about doing a step by step tutorial for the skull nail or the eye ball nail, would that be something you would all like to see? 

As you can see I was rocking my spiked pumps again this week, I really can't count the amount of times I have been stopped and asked about these babies. I feel slightly famous when I wear them. I went shopping with my mum this weekend and picked up a few things. All the clothes I bought were in sales - I always love a good bargain. I went into Liz Earle to buy their skin tonic and I have to say I have never been severed by such lovely staff. The people in there always try and make your shopping experience an enjoyable one - thanks Liz Earle! 

I also picked up my hair dye - which actually involves 3 dyes in total. My hair had gone a little orange from a previous dying session and it didn't look great on me. Safe to say I am back to my normal red-pink look, which feels more like me.

This eyeball necklace was actually spotted by my boyfriend while we were in Topman - I always try Topman for their jewellery as they have some similar styles to Topshop but a little cheaper. 

The last picture was an attempted to show my funky t-shirt from Cheap Monday and to show my awesome £15 mirror off - what do you think? 

I don't think I'll be making this blog post a weekly thing but I might share some pictures every so often to show you what I have been up to. 

If any of you have Instagram please feel free to follow me on: aforteforfashion 

Easter Giveaway: House of The Fickle Queen

If you saw my new brooch in my what I wore post last week you'll be excited to know that House of the Fickle Queen have kindly gifted me the bracelet above to give to one of my lovely readers. I told them the presence of skulls on the bracelet was something I would really like - we all know how much I love them.

If you would like to win this lovely little bracelet, there are just a few rules: 

1) Follow House of The Fickle Queen on Twitter.  

2) Follow me on Twitter or 

Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect. 

3) Comment below once you have done the above and leave your email address.

COMPETITION CLOSED.

Spring Summer 2012 Fashionable Footwear

I've taken a look at a fair few trends for Spring/Summer - this time it is the turn of footwear. I've picked out three key trends which I think will be on everyones feet. Which one of the trends are your favourite?

The flatform - all of the height but non of the awkward navigating in skyscrapers. I really like these coral pink numbers from Miss Guided - I think they would look good with any summer outfit and would be a comfy shoe to run all your errands in. 

Love them or hate them you can't deny the sheer influx of the creeper shoe. Personally I love them - I have a black pair. There are now so many colours to choose from, I plan to add another pair to my shoe collection. The lilac Underground pair are on my list for sure. 

While the flatform and creepers are taking care of height, the lady like heel is bringing all of the class. I love this height of heel - not the devil height of the kitten heel but they aint no 6 inch wonders either. I love heels that have great details - the perspex on the Office pair is something a little different. 

What I Wore: featuring House Of The Fickle Queen

| Dress, Oh My Love | Shoes, The Cult Label | Brooch, The House Of The Fickle Queen | 

I am always on the look out for independent costume jewellery because although I love raiding Topshop, it's always nice to have a one of a kind piece or something your not going to see on everyone. 

The House Of The Fickle Queen very kindly sent me this lovely little fellow - I love how he looks on a plain black dress. I encourage you to all go check out their stuff, I might have a little something to give away from them in the coming weeks.
I love this dress - I picked it up in Topshop at the end of last year. I had some fun trying to capture the movement of the dress in the wind. I have to say I was absolutely freezing in these pictures - all in the name of blogging!