GUCCI ♥ fur & jewels. {part 2}

Source: fashionrising.com

Here is the second part to my hommage to Gucci's A/W 11 collection.
Part one can be found here where you can find more inspiration focusing on ochre and red and images from the actual show (not taken by me of course). All items featured there (and here) are under £60, apart from one (but sshhh,we'll just ignore that).

P U R P L E  H A Z E.

{1 - New Look fur coat, £31.49}

{2 - Awear fur collar, £16}

{3 - Fashion Union shirt, £25}

{4 - Next scarf, £9}

{5 - Topshop trousers, £40}

{6 - H&M nail varnish, £1.99}

{7 - Dorothy Perkins jumper, £16}

T U R Q U O I S E  D R E A M.

{1 - Fashion Union skirt, £25}

{2 - Bank fur snood, £18}

{3 - H&M coat, £39.99}

{4 - New Look dress, £24.99}

I have #4 in red and I love it!

{5 - Asos fedora, £14}

{6 - Fashion Union blouse, £25}

{7 - Oasis jumpsuit, £75}

{8 - Topshop blazer, £55}

{9 - Accessorize fur stole, £20}

Taking On Gucci.

Now a little on actually pulling off a Gucci look. Here are a list of key things I think are essential when considering how to approach this. 

• Aim for inspiration, not replication. When taking inspiration from this collection there should be less of an aim to replicate a look, after all they are so colourful that it might look too much out of the context of a fashion show. Instead take your favourite elements and work them into your usual style. For example, I personally adore the ochre colours and the floaty rich materials, so a satin shirt with a chiffon scarf or a long flowing skirt would fit in with the rest of my wardrobe a treat. Alternatively a bold fedora with a darker outfit makes a cool statement.

• Own the fur, don't let the fur own you. As for fur, don’t go overboard, it can be quite hard to actually pull off a coat made entirely of fur, considering how even the slim models like bulky wearing them. Instead go for a fur collar on your coat (there are an abundance of these at the moment), or some cute cuffs (ASOS has some). 

• Keep it feminine, but not too girly. If you want the sophistication offered by this collection make sure you don't make your outfit too girly, nothing too short and not too many accessories, let the simple elegance speak for itself. The same applies to the make-up, just a flick of mascara, a little eyeshadow and of course, those gorgeous deep red lips.

 

Later this week I’ll be showing you my take on the Gucci look which I really can’t wait to show you (along with that perfect lipstick I mentioned in part 1)!

Do you have any pieces in your wardrobe (or that you've seen) that you love and think fit in with this winter's Gucci look? Or even a whole outfit? I would love to see them.

GUCCI ♥ fur & jewels. {part 1}

Source: Fashionising.com

There's been a lot of (faux) fur accessorising the catwalks for A/W 11 in the form of coats, shrugs, stoles and cuffs and it has all been so beautiful. There's also been an abundance of gorgeous, rich colour. Think burgundy and wine, deep turquoises and teals, golds, ochres and royal purples, in sumptuous materials; satin, silk, chiffon and suede.

I think that one design house has managed to sum up these two huge elements of A/W 11 in a really amazing collection; Gucci. They've focused so well on real, old time glamour and with so many colours and textures to choose from, a gucci winter isn't going to be a bland or monochrome one. I mean seriously, just look and drool. These clothes exude so much luxury and sophistication, so feminine yet mature.

Obviously most of us mere mortals can't even allow ourselves to dream of owning anything from their Ready to Wear collection. So, I've scoured the internet and have found some examples where you can actually get a little bit of the Gucci glamour, all below £60 (apart from one, but it's an exception!).

{1 - Next berry boots, £89} 

{2 - H&M nail varnish, £0.99} 
{3 - Warehouse pussy bow dress, £60} 
{4 - Next berry heels, £30} 
{5 - ASOS faux fur racoon tail, £10} 
{6 - New Look blazer, £29.99} 
{7 - New Look fur stole, £9.09} 
{8 - Awear belted skirt, £30}

{1 -Dorothy Perkins trousers, £20}

{2 - Topshop silk shirt, £40}

{3 - New Look belted mac, £22} 

{4 - Awear skinny belt, £6}

{5 - Next crew neck cardigan, £18}

{6 - Asos maxi skirt, £40}

{7 - Oasis bag, £40}

Part 2 will be bringing more afforable inspirations and a little on how to pull off the Gucci look.
And I have the most perfect shade of lipstick that matches those seen on the models. I just can't wait to show you at some point next week when I also put up my own Gucci inspired look.

Dry shampoo, the stand-off.

Today's post is a short review.
The other day I went shopping to get some new dry shampoo. As a person with unnatural coloured hair (currently pink and some vague shade of uncertain green) I use quite a lot of dry shampoo to avoid washing my hair too often and therefore avoiding the colour fading too quickly.
I went into Superdrug (because now I have their advantage card I am out to accumulate points!) to look for my usual; Batiste. However I saw that there was some kind of two-for-one deal for their own brand dry shampoo, so I thought I'd try that out. For the sake of this review I'll call it Superdrug own.

Batiste vs. Superdrug

Sorry about the horrendous photo, this one was taken by me.
The normal quality of photos will return next time, I promise!

The first thing I noticed is how aweful Superdrug own was to inhale once sprayed, unlike Batiste which smells pleasant enough even after excessive spraying. With Superdrug own the smell was fine if I sprayed a small amount, but if I did a general all-over-the-head sort of coverage the smell was aweful and felt really, for a better way of putting it, toxic, like, I could definitely smell those solvents, and they were strong. This doesn't happen with Batiste. And at least with Batiste when I moved into a different room to avoid inhaling too much of it, the scent didn't follow, with Superdrug own it did, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Also, on a minor note Superdrug own felt slightly wet, when spraying it and once on my hair it felt a little damp, which was odd. Once brushed though, the dampness just subsided to feeling a bit cold.

Finally, the actual efficency of Superdrug own isn't as good as Batiste. At least with Batiste I know something is happening because I can see the white dust on my hair until I brush it out and afterwards my hair feels softer, looks fluffier (and fuller) and is generally improved. With Superdrug own there was no initial whiteness (that I can see) and the effect after brushing wasn't anywhere near as satisfying that Batiste.

Conclusion

I would not recommend Superdrug own (unless you're really skint), but would definitely recommend Batiste!

I will be trying out different makes of dry shampoo in the future (as long as their not too expensive). I plan on giving Boots own brand a go next time and also Tresemmé, unfortunately I have to get through two 150ml cans of Superdrug own. *exasperated face* this is what I get for being a sucker for a cheap deal.

EDIT: I do have two thing to say in Superdrug's defence:
1) they are cheaper, so the differences are to be expected.
2) my second can of their dry shampoo (called "Heart on Your Sleeve") smells a lot better and a lot less chemical than the original (called "Away With the Fairies").