Sunday, 30 March 2014

Perfect Spots: The Leopard Coat OOTD


I had been eying up this Leopard print boyfriend coat in Dotti for more than a few months but couldn't bring myself to part with the cash because, let's get real here, I live in a part of Australia where the temperature rarely dips below 20 degrees celsius, but when I walked past a store and saw it on sale for $49.95 and they only had one left in my size I knew it must be fate.

You see, I've been searching for the perfect leopard print coat for years. Years. When done well they look chic and invoke the spirit of Bridget Bardot and her ilk of 60s sex kittens, but when done badly they just look so tacky.



Structured coats are my weakness (among others) and this is perfect. It's apparently a boyfriend style but I don't find it slouchy or particularly oversized. The pattern itself is what cinched it for me - it's not too yellow or loud and the fact that it's not faux fur gives it a little bit of a masculine edge.

Here I am giving it my best Patti Smith ignoring the suffocating humidity in leather trousers and a coat just for you.





Wednesday, 26 March 2014

They See Me Haulin': The Beauty Haul


Over the past three months I have found myself in need of few new things.
Now, when I say 'in need of' I mean 'with an insatiable thirst for,' and when I say 'a few new things' I mean 'everything, all the things.'
I've binged a little - I can admit that - but I will say I did actually need at least two of these products. And the rest? A weak will, alluring sale signs and strategic marketing.


Dior's Glow Maximizer was necessary because a) my skin has been dry and lacking a little lustre recently, and b) my Chanel illuminating powder is too beautiful to use. I've used this a handful of times now (I haven't plucked up the courage to apply it all over my face because it is very glowy) and I love it as a highlight - it gives a beautiful natural sheen to the cheeks and high points of the face sans glitter and without being overpoweringly shimmery. Chanel CC cream is currently an Asia exclusive but I'm going on holiday to Japan in a month's time and I wanted something easy to use as a base. My skin is a bad traveller - it gets dry and flaky and oily at the slightest hint of a change in climate. This CC cream is supposed to be quite hydrating and provides great sun protection (SPF 30 PA +++). The downside is it only comes in B20 but luckily I'm a B10 and the sheerer coverage means I can get away with the slightly darker shade. I've already written a review for Chanel's Rouge Allure lipstick in Incandescente here because I couldn't wait to proclaim my love for this fiery red.


Now, the next few things I did actually need. Priceline had a massive cosmetics sale recently just as I was running out of mascara and foundation. Usually I opt for higher end foundation because I hate the ordeal of trying to colour match but I had read so many positive reviews for Rimmel's True Match foundation I had to risk it. I bought the shade 81 Fair Ivory which is a good match for me. I really like the finish this foundation gives. Granted it isn't as radiant on my dry skin but it blends so well. I also picked up Rimmel's Wake Me Up concealer because why not, but while I don't mind it and I'll certainly use it, it hasn't really impressed. L'oreal's False Butterfly Effect mascara on the other hand, has convinced me that maybe there is a drugstore mascara out there for me. I like it so far and I can only assume I'll like it even more when the formula dries out a little. And the Benefit Gimme Brow? Well, I'm always on the hunt for something to tame these bad boys. My brows are already full and dark but they do not like to stay in place and this seems to do the trick while adding some texture and depth.


I've only used Ren's Invisible Pores Detox Mask three times and I already feel like it's made such a difference to my troublesome T zone. The real star here though, and my new favourite skincare product is the Indeed Lab Eysilix Eye Rescue Treatment. Now, I'm not prone to hyperbole but this is without doubt the best eye cream I have ever used. It depuffs and lightens dark circles and doesn't affect concealer. It's the best thing that has happened to me this year and I will never go without it ever again.

There will also be a fashion haul coming up in the near future because I have a problem and, in my mind, blogging about it somehow justifies that.

ASHA.


Sunday, 23 March 2014

The Muses #1: Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)


As a young and impressionable teenager with a penchant for post-punk, 80s new wave and indie, I always felt as though I could never find a suitably awe-inspiring female role model. There was Siouxsie, of course (mmm... gurl, dem brows) but any small amount of goth in me belonged solely to Robert Smith and besides, her makeup was not the sort of look one could sport on a Saturday night at the local haunts. Brody Dalle was the favoured riot grrrl but again, her look was but one facial scab away from Faces of Meth - so what was a girl to do? Who was I to take my alternative style cues from? For a time I struggled to create my own style by adapting more feminine looks from the likes of The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand, but that could only present itself with limited success.

And then it happened...

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One Christmas I unwrapped a copy of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs first album proper, Fever to Tell. I had never heard of them but I distinctly recall staring at the brightly patterned album artwork and the dark blunt bob so many would copy. The images were exciting. I had asked my brother for Hot Hot Heat's Make Up the Breakdown, but instead without knowing it, he had given me what I really needed - my first girl crush.

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The hair, the makeup, the ripped layered stockings and flaming red lips were all manna from heaven to me. I spent more than a good deal of my time as a 15 year old altering my clothes and carefully ripping colourful fishnet stockings. My makeup skills were still relatively underdeveloped (some may argue they still are) but I could manage a red lip and a smear of black kohl around the eyes.

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Unfortunately, my looks could never match the scale of Karen O's stage looks because sadly I lacked my own costume designer. Christian Joy has created all of Karen O's stage costumes since the inception of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in New York in early 2000. Now, I'm not one to call items of clothing "pieces" no matter how exquisitely divine, but together, Christian Joy and Karen O have created sartorial revelations - jewels in cloth form.

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Karen O was Gaga before Lady Gaga - and without the pretension of pop masquerading as "performance art." One of my favourite looks was from the Heads Will Roll film clip (see below). Granted, not one for everyday, but just look at it...

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Over time, Karen O look has naturally refined - a subtle transition from coarsely ripped clothing and studding to thoughtfully layered textures and embroidery. However, although celebrity has allowed for a bigger budget and a sleeker aesthetic, the spirit of her style has not changed - there is still an irreverence that informs her look.

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Her recent Oscars performance introduced her style (and talent) to a wider audience and showed us a hitherto unseen glamour. Her dress - designed, as always, by Christian Joy - landed her on many a best dressed list with more than a few fashion junkie wondering "Karen who?"
This is only one of the many reasons I will always aspire to the effortless cool Karen O exudes - she doesn't care about the front rows or the fashion critics - her style is her own.
Oh, Karen, I love you...

ASHA.

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

Rosebud Nail Art Tutorial

When I'm feeling lazy (which is often - I lead quite the Dionysian lifestyle minus the hedonistic excess, so just the lying down and eating grapes), I always seem to turn to floral nail art because despite appearances it can be very simple.


Today I have one such simple floral tutorial for you. These rosebuds are essentially made up of a dot and a few little lines but the effect is quite dainty and Cath Kidson-esque.

What you will need:

  • Navy nail polish ( I used Rimmel's Aye, Aye Sailor)
  • Light pink nail polish ( I used OPI's Mod About You)
  • Two shades of green nail polish or striper polishes
  • White nail polish or striper polish
  • Red polish or striper polish
  • Small dotting tool or bobby pin
  • Small thin brush if you don't own striper polishes

  • Start by applying two coats of your navy polish. Once it's dry to the touch use a dotting tool or bobby pin to paint small light pink dots on your nails, leaving enough space between each dot to add leaves.

    Use your darker shade of green to paint small leaves attached to each bud. Then use your lighter shade of green as a highlight on the leaves.
    To add detail tot he bud (and make it actually look like a flower bud rather than a dot), use your white polish to roughly outline one half of the bud - this doesn't need to be neat. The using your red polish, roughly outline the other half of the bud.


    I also used a darker pink striper polish to add some extra ... depth, I suppose you could call it?
    Et voila! Dainty little rosebuds on your dainty little digits! 

    And here's a little rose-themed song for you to play as you go about your life with roses on your toeses. Or fingers.


Tuesday, 11 March 2014

Review: Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette



Allow me to preface this review by saying that I don’t really go in for large palettes. I don’t own any of the Urban Decay Naked palettes for exactly that reason. I don’t doubt their quality or their beauty but when bloggers talk about how travel friendly they are, I can’t help but think that they must employ the use of some style of Mary Poppins make up bag because it certainly wouldn’t fit in my travel make up bag. And so I bought the Too Faced Boudoir Eyes palette as an alternative to the Naked palettes for this reason and also because the shades on offer in this palette are more to my preference than the myriad of bronzy browns in Urban Decay’s offerings.




The palette contains nine shades, which are separated into three “looks:” day, classic and fashion. The tin packaging provides a sturdier, and yes more “travel friendly” alternative to the brand’s other cardboard palettes. Five out of the nine shades in the palette are new and cater to the taupe lovers out there (myself included). Aside from the shades themselves, perhaps my favourite thing about the palette are the names – thank you Urban Dictionary for explain the meaning of ‘sugar walls.’


In the Buff – off white/cream matte
Fuzzy Handcuffs – Beige satin/sheen with peachy undertones – new shade
Voulez-vous – Aubergine purple shimmer – new shade
Satin Sheets – Champagne with a gold and pink reflect
Sugar Walls – Dusty pink micro glitter – new shade
Garter Belt – Cool-toned dark grey matte with slight brown undertone – new shade
Birthday Suit – Iridescent beige shimmer
Lap Dance – Taupe and silver shimmer
French Tickler – Matte black with gold micro glitter – new shade

The formula is great – soft with good, buildable pigmentation, no creasing and minimal fading. The only problem I encountered was with In the Buff, which came off quite chalky and had the poorest pigmentation in the palette.

However, for the price and quality, you can’t go wrong and this is definitely one of my most used palettes.

Sunday, 9 March 2014

A Rough Guide: Rough Trade by Rob Young

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Where would music be without Rough Trade Records? Well, for a start there would be no Smiths, no Fall, no Libertines , no Cabaret Voltaire, Scritti Politi, British Sea Power or Belle and Sebastian. Not to mention any UK releases for The Go-Betweens, early Arcade Fire or The Strokes. In fact without Rough Trade Records or Geoff Travis, I fear we would all be forced to listen to every  Red Hot Chilli Peppers recording ever released – surely a fate worse than death. There is a reason thousands of music fans make the pilgrimage to the original Rough Trade shop in London every year.

The second offering the Labels Unlimited series, Rough Trade provides an illustrated and comprehensive history England’s most notable independent record label. The label began its life as a small record shop in Notting Hill in 1976. Founder, Geoff Travis opened the shop in an attempt to off load part of the vast record collection he had built up while travelling through America. The Rough Trade Shop – which still stands today and is a pilgrimage for all true indie connoisseurs – soon became the haunt for London’s thriving underground music community.
Unsatisfied with merely providing an outlet for small and unsigned bands to sell their wares, Travis expanded into recording and producing records for new up and coming musicians. The venture was never meant to be a business one – Rough Trade was designed specifically to develop bands, giving them an opportunity to record while they waited for offers from larger commercial record companies. After years of struggle, it suddenly occurred to Travis that it would be more beneficial for the company and the bands to stick together: Rough Trade would generate a better profit while the bands could sign to an Independent label and retain free reign over their music. Influential post-punk and experimental acts such as Cabaret Voltaire and Stiff Little Fingers signed to the label in quick succession, and the Rough Trade legacy was born.

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 A regular contributor to The Wire, Rob Young presents a well-informed narration of the Record label’s past. From its zenith during the mid eighties, through the company’s disastrous collapse on the cusp of 1990, to the slow rebuilding that has returned Rough Trade Records to its former glory, Young spares no detail. The book is divided into time periods, with each chapter named after a song by a band signed to Rough Trade. The chapters contain an exhaustive guide to the bands signed to the label during the particular period – tours, fights, and, of course, albums. It is to Young’s credit that he did not succumb to the temptation of focusing only on Rough Trade’s biggest bands; rather, he discusses dozens of interestingly off-kilter acts that were on the label, and it is often these bands that afford the most amusing anecdotes. However, having said this, the inclusion of every single band or musician ever signed to Rough Trade at some point in the label’s history means that all but the most serious of Rough Trade fans will be left flipping through the book, looking for the three bands they know. And how often do you actually find someone who is a fan of a record company? 

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Most interesting, and undoubtedly the first part of the book most readers will flip to is the chapter detailing Rough Trade’s tumultuous relationship with The Smiths. Appropriately, but perhaps slightly bitterly titled ‘1983-1986: Money Changes Everything,’ it relates the early amicable days of the band’s time with the label and the gradual degeneration of their association which led to The Smiths leaving Rough Trade. One particular quote from Morrissey encapsulates the story perfectly: “I tremble at the power we have, that’s how I feel about The Smiths. It’s there and it’s going to happen... What we want to achieve CAN be achieved on Rough Trade. Obviously we wouldn’t say no to Warners, but Rough Trade can do it too.” Reading this, one is left thinking that surely Travis should have seen what lay ahead, after all, Rough Trade’s DIY ethic always meant that they were limited in what they could offer financially, and the lure of money should never be underestimated. Morrissey claimed they would not say no to Warners and clearly, they didn’t.

Rough Trade is certainly an attractive book to look at. The cover art gives a brief but bright pictorial history of the record label. The pages are colour coordinated – white pages contain the chapters; pastel yellow marks out written and illustrative band retrospectives and interviews with everyone from musicians to an in depth interview Travis himself; and a complete Rough Trade discography is printed on bright yellow paper at the back of the book. The text is tempered with hundreds of photos, and while there are plenty of shots of the bands, it is pleasing to see that Young has not limited himself to the obligatory candid pictures of musicians smoking or drinking. Album covers, promotional posters, cartoons, even hand written directions to the shop scribbled on a Rough Trade Distribution catalogue.  Everything has been included here, so much so that the book’s size excludes it from the practicality of being able to read it anywhere but home – it is simply too big to carry around.
Rough Trade presents a thoroughly detailed and engaging chronicle of one of the most important record labels in the history of rock music. It successfully straddles the line between fascinatingly knowledgeable and pretentiously over-informed.

Where would the music industry be without Rough Trade Records, and where would any music fan be without Rough Trade?

Rough Trade available here.

ASHA.

Monday, 3 March 2014

Chanel Rouge Allure #97 Incandescente - Swatch & Review

Much of my adult life has been tempered by the seemingly endless struggle to find the perfect red lipstick. Of course I am plagued by life's more serious questions like "where am I going with my life?" "Have I squandered my potential?" But it is when I am faced with these very real problems that my dissatisfaction with my red lipstick collection comes to the fore and I find myself aimlessly browsing cosmetic counters searching for THE red. The consummate crimson. The right rouge.

And thus, it was during one of these existential crises/shopping trips that I happened upon Chanel's Rouge Allure in #97 Incandescente. 



The Rouge Allure range is designed to provide "luminous, intense lip colour." Incandescente is a vibrant warm red with the slightest hint of orange without leaning too far into the orange spectrum. It is a magnificent fire red. In the light, an incredibly fine gold micro glitter can be seen but this shimmer does not translate onto the lips, rather it provides the promised  "luminosity."


The colour is extremely creamy and opaque and the formula provides a somewhat moisturising satin finish. This lipstick feels comfortable on the lips and wears well for around 4-5 hours before a touch is required.