The Low-Down: Liquid Eyeliner

I L-O-V-E liquid eye liner. I was doing the flick way before Amy Winehouse came on the scene and it crept onto the catwalk (remember Chanel's models with their dreamy fly-away beehives and thickly lined feline eyes back in 2007? It's pictured below in case you don't!). As with mascara application, I am a firm believer that anyone can learn to do great make-up if they familiarise themselves with their facial features. I first started experimenting with eye liner when I was about 13/14 years old because I had to do stage make-up for ballet performances. It was a disaster so I bought one pink and one lilac kohl pencil eye liner from MAC to practise with. These were both beautiful with my green eyes and were much better to play around with as mistakes weren't so obvious.

I did not master the art of applying liquid eye liner until a fellow dancer told me her technique (which I explain below). Since then, I have often gone back to the classic flick for a night out. I have stayed loyal to Rimmel's liquid eye liners (it was the first I tried) but also use Shiseido's in grey. A friend uses YSL's so I can vouch for theirs too. I do not think this is something you need to splash out on, though. 

Do test before you purchase by drawing a line across the back of your hand (not on your face - you don't know where it's been!!). The line should be opaque and glossy. Many will come out grainy, blotchy or too dilute. I also recommend that you get an eye liner with an applicator like a felt-tip and not a brush. These are much easier to handle and, because of their tapered shape, allow you to draw a better line and control the thickness.

Nailed!

The hand-shake is a universal greeting and our nails are one of the first things that people notice about us. Today I will explain exactly how to care for your nails and I'll also share with you some of the best products on the market.

For those of you lucky enough to have the budget for regular manicures and pedicures (the ideal being monthly full-on services and a weekly file/polish change). The Nail Station on York Street (near Baker Street tube station) is great. Do be careful if your nail technician tries to use metal tools, particularly cuticle clippers. I find these can sometimes make my delicate nail beds bleed!! Also take note of or ask about their tool-cleaning methods - some salons re-use soaking water. Yuck! I am not a fan of Nails Inc, but they do have handy in-store nail bars at Harvey Nichols, Topshop etc. 

AB's Delicious Blueberry Sponge

 I am not the kind of cook who diligently follows a recipe gram for gram. I prefer to taste, feel and sometimes guess my way to culinary success. I inherited this cooking style from my mother, who is such a domestic goddess, she makes Nigella look like a novice.

My cakes are highly acclaimed so I thought I would share this particular one with you, as it went down particularly well (and fast, which you can tell by the fact I didn't even manage to get the whole cake in the photo, above!).

Three Times a Lady

Unless you've been living in a cave, it should not be news to you that lady-like fashion is BIG this season. It didn't come as a surprise: the moment Mad Men hit our screens I could sense it coming. The beautiful clothes and retro decor were even better than the mysterious plot lines.

My personal heroes this season are Louis Vuitton (above - doesn't Christie look amazing!? I NEED that dress!!) and Prada (right  - be still my beating heart...I am in shoe heaven and below). I can't get enough of LV's A/W10 campaign - all gorgeous full-skirted dresses and demure leather gloves. I'm all over Prada's collection: models pose with conservative yet sexy up-do's, decadent dresses featuring frilly detail at the bust and flirty but practical checked coats with fun button detailing.

I am made up of several fashion personalities: the demure lady; the chic androgynous gal; the glitter-loving, floral-print-wearing girl's girl; and the sexy senorita. Growing up, I yearned to wear all of the outfits I put together in my head yet found that often they were too old for my age. I am ecstatic that not only am I old enough for them now but also the demure lady in me is bang on the money this Autumn.

Knit Wits!

Wool is IN for A/W10. Dolce & Gabbana have given the classic Fair Isle sweater a revamp with their chalet-chic collection (see picture, left, courtesy of Net-A-Porter). Prada showed cosy over-sized jumpers cinched at the waist with skinny belts and placed woolly Alice bands over their models' volumised up do's (pictured below). So, my fashion darlings, I suggest you cast aside your preconceptions and get KNITTING!

Knitted gifts make fantastic presents. Not only will the lucky recipient be touched by the personal element and all the effort you went to but it's a good way to save pennies in these less-than-affluent times.

Now, I've been craftily inclined from a young age but I noticed a few years ago that knitting was catching on. Even celebrities started getting their needles out at every opportunity - I remember seeing pictures of SJP, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Uma Thurman knitting away between takes.

Mascaras - splurge

I was born with porcelain skin and light brown hair and so naturally am obsessed with mascara. Mascara gives my otherwise invisible lashes depth and defines my green eyes. I thought I would use my first post to share my opinion of the many, many mascaras out there that I have tested and also give a few tips on the application process.

Benefit

Benefit's BADgal mascara is amazing. It does have a large brush so you may have problems applying it if you have small eyes (on this, see Dior, below). 

If, however, you are blessed with Bambi peepers like yours truly, then go for it! It's cheaper than the premium brands but gives excellent volume, length and curl. Although I haven't used it in a while (purely because I keep being given mascaras), I remember it being fantastic at maintaining the curl obtained using my trusty eyelash curlers. 

I would not recommend using this during the day, unless you go for the Kim Kardashian/ Cheryl Cole/ Eva Longoria uber glam, high-maintenance look 24/7.

Alexander McQueen A/W 2010

I was lucky enough to be invited by Net A Porter to their offices at Westfield shopping centre to an intimate viewing of Alexander McQueen's A/W 2010 collectible items. Net A Porter presented seven dresses in total, which will be available on their website at the end of October.

 Look 2 is a printed jacquard dress with bulletted duchesse skirt. The print was inspired by three paintings from Heironymus Bosch, 'Earthly Paradise', 'Garden of Earthly Delights', and, 'Musical Hell'. The metal sequin embroidery covering the bodice refernces Byzantine Mosaics.


My initial reaction was that the skirt reminded me of a combination of the curtain from my childhood dressing table and my university gown. I also thought the skirt was a few inches too low, and would cause a McDonalds effect to the posterior. However, after viewing the film of the catwalk presentation (screened for us by Net A Porter during the viewing), I realised that, of course, the skirt is placed perfectly. Any higher would be catastrophic for the hips.


Price £12,420.00