Fashion Lives in Birmingham Hooray!

Considering that Birmingham is the second biggest city in the UK on second to the mighty LDN there isn't as much of a happening fashion scene as there could be.

While Birmingham is seen as some sort of shopping mecca with the Mailbox and the Bullring where is there to go for someone who doesn't want to walk around in the latest Primark or Topshop rails.

If vintage is your thing then Birmingham isn't doing too badly but it's no Brick Lane. Cow (the yellow warehouse), Top Banana in Kings Head and the Custard Factory market held every Saturday are great places to source the finest vintage attire.

There are a few events that are trying to challenge the notion of Birmingham being an unstylish city. Ebony & Ivory promotions www.ebonyandivorypromotions.co.uk/ offer exclusive fashion parties at the cities hottest club scenes combining every girls love of music, clubbing and fashion. What better reason to get dolled up and drink away on a weekday?

As well as great parties, Birmingham is home to the Midlands Young Fashion Designer Awards (MYFDA) http://www.myfashiondesigners.co.uk/ which celebrates emerging talent who hope to grace the future catwalks of Milan, Paris and New York. This celebration of fashion gives young and established designers a chance to showcase their home grown talents. We need to show our appreciation of these talents so they don't fly the nest and leave for the Big Smoke.

Give us the emerging fashion, Birmingham is ready for it!

Must Have Make Up

I’ve discovered a couple of make up gems that I thought I should share with you…and that you should have in your make up bags!

i-blossom by new ID

This silky powder blusher stamp with mirror and simple-to-use sponge applicator adds an instant, healthy flush of colour to the cheeks. It’s a pretty hefty price tag at £16.50 but well worth it as it fits perfectly in your handbag on a night out and I just love the ‘stamp’.
http://www.newcidcosmetics.com/

Plush Lush by Mac
This mascara is amazing in every way. It has a big fat want which is great for creating thick lashes and doesn’t smudge. I’ve been searching for mascara like this for a long time and at £10.77 it’s quite reasonable.
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/

Dark Nail Polishes by e.l.f.
These bargain nail polishes are said to be just as good as Chanel by beauty editors and at the fraction of the price (£1.50!!) then you should fill your make up bag for this coming season. The polish is lovely and thick and doesn’t chip unlike a lot of other cheaper products.
http://www.eyelipsface.co.uk/

By the way, this is not a paid editorial these are products that I’ve genuinely recently discovered and could not live without now. I thought it was only my duty to let you know about them…

If you have any must-have products secrets please let me know so I can get them!

My Model Crush

While most people may go for a classic Kate Moss or fiery Naomi Campbell I have a model crush on Anja Rubik. You may not know the name but you will definitely know the face, she’s everywhere.

The Polish model has modelled for anyone who is anyone including amazing names such as Chloe, Dior, Prada and every girls dream - Channel. The queen of the catwalk has also graced the covers of countless fashion magazines including Vogue, Elle and Nylon. The (depressingly) 23 year old model attended high school in Paris (is there anything about this girl we don’t envy?) and officially started modelling when she finished school.

Anja really came into her own when she had THE haircut that made her model of the moment. She went from being another skinny beautiful model to a fashion goddess in one fail swoop of the scissors when she got the crop. Her new look made her fabulous cheek bones stick out like an anorexics collar bone and drew more attention to her piercing blue eyes.

Anja’s off duty style is just as amazing as on the runway. She goes for casual, effortless chic only the way a model could. The striking model likes to wear classic designer pieces to make the most of her elfin look.

A Great Love Affair

I’ve finally had to accept that I’m having an affair behind my boyfriend’s back…a great love affair with fashion magazines.

I discovered how immense my love affair was on a recent trip to Asia for two months where I proceeded to spend copious amounts of money on magazines trying to convince my boyfriend that £10 on Elle wasn’t that bad. It was more of an investment into fashion than a stupid amount of money on some pieces of paper. But they’re not just pieces of paper, their like bibles to me. I couldn’t live without them on my travels.

I remember from a young age I’ve been obsessed with magazines persuading my mum to subscribe to both Sugar and Bliss when I was about 11 or 12. The sound of the magazine hitting the mat as the post arrived made me burst with excitement and I would get engrossed for hours with my magazines. They helped mould me into who I am today and further my passion with fashion and beauty.

It got worse as I grew up. My mum and I would have continuous arguments about throwing my magazines out. I would like to file them away categorised by magazine in case I needed to ‘refer back to them’. She never understood and would sneak them out when she thought I wasn’t looking.

So now, I’ve finally had to admit that this addiction has gotten the better of me as I continue to buy magazines on a weekly and monthly basis with my favourite being Look, Company, Glamour and Elle.

The addiction isn’t cheap, but what one is? I’m now considering the thought of subscriptions to these magazines in order to save some money in this current climate. It won’t be the same though, the thought of rushing to the shops to buy the latest magazine that may have a special feature on ‘shoes’ or ‘spring/summer trends’.

I’ll get by though, safe in the knowledge that when I get home my magazines will be on the mat like they were when I was young and I can get engrossed in them no matter what.

'I do' Fashion

The wedding season is upon us and picking an appropriate yet chic outfit can be a nightmare for everyone apart from the damn smug bride.

There are three main rules when deciding on your wedding guest ensemble. Follow these and you shall stay safe and stylish…

1. Never, ever wear white, ivory or anything remotely that could have you confused with the Bride It’s her big day and all the attention should be on her.

2. Find out what colour the bridesmaids are wearing. With so many people buying bridesmaids outfits from high street stores you could face disaster of all disasters, not just one person wearing the same outfit as you but maybe two, three or even four!

3. Dress length can play a big part in choosing your outfit. You want to look stylish, not skanky. Anything way above the knee can be discounted straight away no matter how in fashion they are.

Making your outfit stand out in the right way is down to superior accessorising. While aunties and mothers of the bride and bridegroom will stick to the good old fashioned wedding hat us young ‘uns know how to do it better! Fascinators are girls best wedding friend, second to diamonds because they’re always a girls best friend. They can range anything from £2 in Primark to the earth in Selfridges. H&M do this trend brilliantly with affordable fascinators that look beautiful for under £10.

And now a tip for the fashion forward, next year will be the year for feathers. Go over the top and wear a fascinator with feathers like SJP did for the London premiere of SATC. Philip Tracy may not be banging your door down to create you such a magnificent creation but you can find something similar on the high street and customise it yourself with a visit to the haberdashery.