Wednesday 28 September 2011

The LOOK Show AW11

The British High Street is on top form right now, so last weekend when I attended The Look Show it was fantastic to see leading looks from 13 leading high-street stores.


Spotted on the FROW was Kelis, Tolulah Adeyemi, girl band Parade, Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt and an array of fellow bloggerati and high street lovers.

Kimberly admires Miss Harding on the runway
 
Kelis checks out this little number

Dionne Bromfiled wows us all with her amazing performance of 'Yeah Right'

A catwalk debut from the stunning Sarah Harding who showcased looks from Warehouse and Miss Selfridge wowed the audience as she strutted down the runway with her gorgeous copper crop. Sarah looked like a glamorous siren as she elegantly walked like a pro.

Sarah Harding opens the show in Warehouse

Favourite collections amongst the show were Warehouse, with a laid back 70s vibe featuring faux fur, sequins, prints and womanly shapes; Urban Outfitters where aztec prints met padded and knitted layers; Forever 21 which offered a cool spin on graphic prints and girl-next-door meets boy; M&S Limited which I have been blown away with since the Ad Campaign launched, bodycon styles mixed with slouchy jackets and floppy hats make for a stylish look; and River Island where all of this season's hottest trends were covered - a jewel coloured jumpsuit, a high shine shift dress (which I must have), bold floral print trousers and monochrome masculinity. The great thing about all of this is that it is all in stores and available to buy NOW! I'd better get to the shops...

Stain Glass Nails

I have always had a bit of an obsession with my nails... as someone who bit their nails to shreds as a child, I was so excited to have something to work with when they finally started growing! I began attempting nail art a few years ago, just on myself, and nothing too outrageous as there wasn't too much nail inspiration around as far as I can remember, but recently with all sorts of ideas and looks becoming so popular within nail art, I have been playing around and having lots of fun!

I did the marbling, messy but looks cool... the crackle polish, the contrasting half moons, multi coloured spots, leopard print, you name it... but recently whilst experimenting I discovered the stain glass effect. Now I'm not going to say I had some amazing vision and it worked first time round, because the truth of the matter is that I was attempting something completely different... and it just so happens that stain glass was the end result!



So, how did I do it?

Step 1: Paint a base coat in a rich, shimmering colour - I chose gold. I guess silver, bronze etc would work too.
Step 2: Use a nail art polish or pen (I used a polish with a very fine brush which I found in a random outlet shopping centre) to paint on small circular patterns, but don't be too careful. I used orange.
Step 3: Use another nail art polish/pen to trace around the patterns, again don't be precious about it - turns out that when it runs a bit the overall effect is better. I used a deep red colour as I wanted to palette to be quite tonal.
Step 4: Paint on a clear top coat to prevent chipping and to give another dimension.

And that is all you have to do! I think this would work with most colour palettes as long as they are tonal, so maybe a nice jade green with a couple of shades of blue/turquoise. If you do this, and manage to come up with some cool colour combos, let me know!