31 August 2009

Your daily dose of pretty: black tbar platform shoe

Would you look at these pretty wee things:



If you listen very carefully you might just hear them calling "buy me Selina, you know you want to, so what if you'll have less money to spend in Melbourne, look how pretty we are".

Obviously when shoes start talking to you it's time to reconsider your medication. But they are gorgeous are they not, with their platform, peep toe and contrast detailing? And I love their double strap take on the good old tbar. £40.00 from Dorothy Perkins.

In all fairness I should buy them, it's not fair to make them beg.

30 August 2009

Revlon Pure Confection collection

Here in the Antipodes spring starts in two days. The weather's beginning to warm up, end of winter sales are on everywhere and the spring/summer collections are beginning to appear in shops.

Revlon's offering for spring 2009 is the Pure Confection range. Revlon says:

Candy inspired colours are evident this season with romantic lips in soft corals and reds. Eyes are decorated in shades of sage, beiges and pink and nails are the perfect accessory ranging in shades from boldest purple to fresh mango.

The range consists of five Colorstay Soft & Smooth Lipcolors in:

Smooth Nude

Pink Indulgence

Plush Pink

Luscious Rose

Ripened Red

Three Colorstay Overtime Lipcolors in:

Non-Stop Cherry

On-Going Flame

Perennial Plum


A limited edition ColorStay 12 Hour Eye Shadow in Wildflower:



Four nail enamels in:

Pink Again

Sweet Tart

Make Mine Mango

No Shrinking Violet


Some of those lip colours look quite appealing and I'm loving the colours of the Wildfire eyeshadow pallette. And of course it goes without saying that the nail enamel in No Shrinking Violet has gone on my must-buy list. What about you my pretties? Which colours in this range would you 'spring' for?*

* Worst. Pun. Ever.

Your daily dose of pretty: Blue satin floral clutch purse

There's something wonderfully old-fashioned and lady-like about clutch purses. My problem is, I feel compelled to carry an enormous amount of stuff around with me. Even for a night out without the kids the items I deem necessities take up more room than a clutch purse offers. On the plus side I'm the person to go to at a cocktail party if you have blisters/a headache/indigestion/a sugar craving/greasy fingers.

If I ever do manage to discipline myself enough for a clutch purse, I might be tempted by the offerings from IMHDesigns.



Such a pretty colour, and I love the embroidery. US$72.00 from IMHDesigns on Etsy.

27 August 2009

Your daily dose of pretty: Smoothie print flats

I. Love. Shoes. This totally doesn't come as a surprise to you does it my pretties? I'd happily go without food to support my shoe obsession. But, I cannot bring myself to like flat shoes. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm only five foot tall, I like any extra height I can get. And I just can't see the sexiness in flat shoes. Whatever the reason, my shoe collection contains only a couple of pairs of flats (not counting trainers), but it probably needs more. I admit there's times when heels are just a bit much (especially when there's a lot of walking involved), but I want something a little dressier than trainers.

And you know what? I totally don't hate these:



I wouldn't in a month of Sundays wear that (positively garish) print anywhere else on my body, but the contrast of the tropical print with the plaited rope trim works on these shoes. I'm loving the peep toe and bow too. I could wear these.

Smoothie Open Toe Bow Accent Print Flats, US$19.20 from YesStyle.

Swatches: Eyeko polishes

Here at long, long last are the swatches of the Eyeko polishes I received a couple of weeks back. The purchase of these three polishes means that I now have all six of their current polishes. Not for long though, their new range is coming out in September, and I gather when it does the current ones will be discontinued.

First up, my general thoughts about all the polishes. With the exception of Disco Polish, the formula on all six polishes is a little troublesome - prone to dragging and streaking and general glugginess. All the polishes have beautiful rich pigmentation, but in the case of the two light coloured polishes four coats were required simply to deal with the streaking, and they all needed a top coat to even out their finish. However once the top coat is on they all have a beautiful depth of colour.

I love that Eyeko thought outside the box with their packaging, the squat 10ml bottles with their metal lids remind me of something you'd find in an olden days chemist, and their labels are adorable. I've mentioned before however that the lid is a little stubby and wide for comfortable application, and the other downside to the bottles is the wide mouth, which makes wiping down the brush before application more difficult. Being a complete klutz I also worry that if I knocked a bottle over the wide mouth would mean an awful lot of polish would spill. It's bound to happen, I'm forever knocking my polish bottles over.

So on to the specific colours. Here is Pretty Polish:




Not my best application, I apologise, this must have been just after I had to cut all my nails back. Pretty Polish won over this non-pink lover. It's a beautiful, soft powder pink - delicate and girly.

Next, Punk Polish:




Wowser! Super-duper, make-you-blink, bright pink. Not my sort of colour I have to say, 13 Year Old Daughter is a big fan though!

Finally, Saucy Red Polish:




We all know I'm hard to please when it comes to reds, and I love this one. It's a retro pin-up girl red, the type worn by bad girls that mothers don't want their sons dating.

So there you go. For all my criticisms of the formula/bottles I LOVE Eyeko polishes. Whatever difficulties I may have in application pale when I see the polishes on. They're well pigmented, and they really hit the nail on the head with their colours - spanning the range from girly to vampy. I am so looking forward to the release of the new polishes in September (you KNOW I'll be getting them all!).

Here are the links for my reviews of the other three polishes in their current range: Disco Polish and Pastel Polish here, Vamp Polish (my all time favourite polish EVER) here.

26 August 2009

Your daily dose of pretty: Grace and Ease empire style dress

I love the romantic, Grecian look of this dress:



So pretty. To be fair I probably couldn't wear it. I'm five foot tall, the proportions of maxi dresses are all wrong on me - I end up looking like I'm playing dress ups. However, in my head I'm five foot ten and rocking it! Anyway, that's the Grace and Ease empire style dress, US$80.00 by flytie on Etsy.

A special request from 10 Year Old Boy

10 Year Old Boy is home sick again today (vomitting this time - but it's ok, he was at his dad's last night so I didn't have to clean up after him!). So of course the first thing he did was grab a pile of polishes, make a tower out of them and demand that I post a picture on my blog!

So here he is, my gorgeous boy:



Bless! Next time he can write the blog post himself!

25 August 2009

My NARS have landed

Remember a while ago my pretties I mentioned the NARS vintage polishes (and promptly gave in and bought two)? Well they arrived today! They've been a while coming because I had to have them posted to the Eccentric English Boyfriend's mother since NARS don't ship internationally, plus when they arrived she discovered that one of the bottles was broken. I have to say the service from NARS was excellent, they kept in contact by email during the whole process and once we'd provided a photograph of the damaged bottle a replacement was despatched immediately, along with a free lip gloss duo. Also, in all the correspondence they referred to me as "Lady Selina". I have no idea why, but I like it, and henceforth this is how you shall all refer to me.

So here they are, in all their prettiness:



Blue Lagoon on the left, Cha Cha Cha on the right, and a mini lip gloss duo in Sweet Dreams and Dolce Vita in front.

This is my first time trying any NARS products, and so far I'm impressed. The lip gloss is lovely - nice application, not at all sticky feeling (which I absolutely hate in a gloss), good colour payoff for a gloss and lasted well. Dolce Vita is the perfect neutral on me, while Sweet Dreams is an equally pretty neutral with a lovely iridescence perfect for adding a touch of shimmer on its own, or layering over lipstick.

The formula on both polishes was amongst the best I've ever used - thin (in a good way) it flowed beautifully over the nail virtually applying itself. The only thing I did find was that it the polish (which is quite fast drying) became tacky quite quickly during application if I took too long over a nail and then tried to correct any brushstrokes.

First up Cha Cha Cha:





NARS describe this as a semi-sheer tangerine with gold reflections. For those happy to wear sheer polishes two coats of this would be more than adequate, bottle colour took four coats and there was still some visible nail line but with such a pretty iridescent that's not going to bother me. What you see in the pictures is actually considerably more than four coats because after I applied it I fell asleep on the couch and ended up with cushion marks, so I did a couple more coats before I photographed it. I love the colour, it is exactly as NARS describes, and I would add that in some lights there is an almost coppery tinge to it - very very pretty. Some brushstrokes visible, not enough to annoy me though, but definitely a polish to apply with care in order to avoid them.

Next Blue Lagoon:




This one NARS describe as an iridescent powder blue, and again their description is spot on. Four coats to achieve bottle colour on this too, and if I look closely enough I can see some visible nail line but I'm fine with that. This colour makes me think of all sorts of things, in some lights it has an almost translucent quality that puts me in mind of clear Pacific Island waters (not that I've ever been there), while in others the iridescence reminds me of opals. Again some brushstrokes, less than with Cha Cha Cha and hardly noticeable to me.

So my first foray into NARS has me super impressed. I think I'll be trying out more of their products when we go to England next year.

Your daily dose of pretty: NZ Paua Earrings

Readers who have been with me for a while may remember the piggy earrings which I blogged about back in June. And promptly bought. Well susane01, the Etsy seller (and fellow New Zealander) who I bought them from has another presence on Etsy with the artisanjouel shop, where I found these gorgeous NZ paua earrings:



Which I promptly bought. Are you sensing a pattern here? But that's ok because there were two pairs in stock (US$8.90 each), so if you're quick you might be able to get your hands on the last pair.

23 August 2009

Your daily dose of pretty: swallow skirt

The lovely swallow print on this skirt is copied from some vector art found online.



Here is a close up of the swallow print:



And the lace-up detailing on the back:



That's one cute wee skirt. US$40.00 from Miscy on ArtFire.

Beware of the ... cute?

How unbelievably cute is this:



This is quite possibly the most irresistably cute thing EVER! I want it so much! US$20.00 from Rainbow Swirlz on ArtFire.

Your daily dose of pretty: Blue Wool Messenger with Kelp Print

Look at the beautiful delicate kelp print on this messenger bag:



Messenger bags can be so utilitarian, but the print on this one makes it quite special. The bag itself is made from blue and white herringbone wool and is US$52.00 from appetite on Etsy.

Kit High Velocity nail polish

Australian company Kit Cosmetics have added new products to their Makeup Kit range. As well as new eyeshadows, eyeliners, and limited edition bags the range now also includes the High Velocity nail polish collection:



Left to right: Speed Demon (hot turquoise), Top Gear (creamy purple) and Full Throttle (vivid magenta). AU$15.95 each.

Full Throttle isn't calling me but Speed Demon and Top Gear look like must-haves. Which is fine because in three weeks time I'm going to be in Melbourne. As in Melbourne, Australia. As in, place where Kit Cosmetics have shops. Yippee! You can guarantee these will be going in my shopping basket!

21 August 2009

My grandmother's vintage

A couple of weeks ago I spent an afternoon with my mum going through boxes and cupboards at my grandparents' house. It was a bittersweet occasion, we had a lot of fun discovering hidden treasures in my grandmother's neatly organised storage, but we were doing it because my funny, loving and now alzheimers-befuddled grandfather has just gone into a home, and from the looks of it he had touched very little in the house since my grandmother died several years ago.

Sad as it sometimes was though, it was also at times hilariously funny, especially when we found some genuine 1950's foundation garments and couldn't for the life of us figure out how anybody (even my skinny minnie grandmother) could possibly squeeze themselves into them!

As much as my grandmother's habit of keeping everything (because you never knew when it might come in useful) means we have a big job ahead of us, it also means I came away with bags full of little treasures, most wonderfully these gloriously feminine gloves:


(Click on the picture to see it bigger.)

So ladylike, here's some close-ups of the embroidery detailing:



(Again, click to see bigger.)

These black ones are my favourites, and the ones I think I may actually find occasion to wear. I love the white leather trim and the button detailing:



I'm so glad I found these. Even if I never wear them they're such a lovely thing to have, and a connection to my wonderful grandmother.

More hauls, and nail polish bottle constructions

Just a couple of hauls for you. I'm waiting for my big order from the Overall Beauty sale to arrive, and then I'm putting a moratorium on my spending for a while because I'm saving my pennies for a trip to Melbourne within the next couple of months. It's my big reward from the Eccentric English Boyfriend for quitting smoking (nearly two months now by the way - yay me). Initially he was going to buy me expensive shoes once I hit three months smoke free, but then we hit upon the idea of a long weekend trip to Melbourne. My best friend from high school (back in the day) lives there now and I'm super excited about seeing her, and also visiting another high school friend who now has a wee tot. Plus I hear the shopping is awesome! Woo and also hoo! Flights yet to be booked (yay for paying with airmiles), excitement building ...

Anyway back to the hauls. First another parcel from my wonderful UK friend Ewa:



Left to right: Collection 2000 Green With Envy, Boots 17 Peacock (which the lovely Glittermillie has coincidentally just blogged about), Hot Looks Show Off, Rimmel Blue Me Away and Hot Looks BMX Bandit.

Have any of you ever seen the movie BMX Bandit? If not search it out, just to see a very young Nicole Kidman back in the 80's when her hair was curlier than a trampoline spring.

Rimmel Blue Me Away just happened to be one of the polishes I got in my KMart haul the other, but the double up was my fault because I'd told Eva Rimmel was not commonly available in New Zealand and then I found a great big display of them in KMart. But that's ok because the extra one will find a good home with 13 Year Old Daughter's bestie.

Next a couple of polishes from TradeMe:


Love My Nails Raspberry Sorbet


O.P.I. Monsooner Or Later

I was so cross when I opened the packet the Monsooner Or Later came in to discover it is a little itty-bitty-teeny-weeny 3.75ml mini. Then I went back to the listing and realised it very clearly listed the size so it was my own silly fault for not reading more carefully (normally I'm so careful to not buy the minis). It's incredibly annoying because the price I paid was far too much for a mini. Lesson (hopefully) learned.

Finally, 10 Year Old Son has been home sick with a cold the last couple of days, and he was obviously a bit bored because I kept finding these on the desk:



Nail polish towers! I love the way the Kit bottle at top right is teetering so precariously. Every now and then I would hear the clink clink bang of polish bottles falling over, none were broken thank goodness. Bless him!

Your daily dose of pretty: Cruella shoes by Faith

As a colour combination grey and burgundy doesn't sound particularly inspiring. In fact, it sounds downright drab. But just look at these shoes:



Faith have managed to take grey and burgundy and combine them in a way that is actually quite gorgeous. I love the shape of the shoe, the peep toe, the burgundy detailing and that lovely delicate wee bow at the front. Also, they're called Cruella, that's like the bestest shoe name EVER! £35.00 from Faith.

Your daily dose of pretty: Halter Neck Swing Dress by Vivien of Holloway

Here's another contender for the Dress I Want To Wear To My Little Brother's Wedding line-up, and this one is shaping up to be the front runner. I saw the 1950's Halter Dresses from Vivien of Holloway blogged about over at Pretty Vintage and fell in love at first sight. The style is absolutely perfect and the price is pretty jolly good too.

If it weren't for a wedding I'd probably go for black, but as a pretty summery wedding choice I'm leaning towards the turquoise:



So pretty, so feminine, so want! £59.00 from Vivien of Holloway.

20 August 2009

Your daily dose of pretty: Sputnik bracelet by fuzzishu

I have a full house today with both kids home sick from school. 10 Year Old Son is doing the "is not small boy, is actually Walrus" cough that always accompanies the tail end of a cold for him, while 13 Year Old Daughter is lying on the couch looking pale and suffering a sore throat. Meanwhile an ill-advised afternoon sleep yesterday meant I didn't get to sleep until 5am this morning so I'm feeling a little out of sorts. Aren't we a fun bunch? I need something to make me smile, and here it is:



So cute, so colourful and I love the bumpy, tactile nature of the beads. US$90.00 from fuzzishu on Etsy.

19 August 2009

Get your mod on

For fans of Mad Men, and more particularly the gorgeous 60's style clothes in the show, the ModCloth website will soon feature a Mad Men-inspired lookbook entitled "A Mod Affair". ModCloth say: "This fashion spread features a special collection of 20 one of a kind items, along with new ModCloth items, that will be launched in tandem with the lookbook, with new true-vintage pieces going up every hour, on the hour, between 9am and 11pm."

The lookbook launches Wednesday 19 August. Of course here in New Zealand it IS already 19 August, so I'm just going to have to keep checking back until it's up. In the meantime I will have to content myself with looking at some of the items that will be featured. This Flower Box Pin for US$14.99 is rather cute and whimsical.



For more about the lookbook see the blog entry in the ModCloth blog.

EDIT: It's up! See it here.