Sunday 30 November 2014

My WAH nails design in Wonderland Magazine!


Wonderland is vast becoming one of my favourite magazines with its perfect blend of quirky new discoveries, numerous short articles and dreamy photoshoots. On Friday I bought the Nov/Dec issue at the train station on the way to visit my Grandparents in Norfolk and whilst flicking through saw MY WAH NAILS DESIGN! (cue fangirling)
Back in the summer I was invited by Sharmadean Reid to get a complementary nail treatment at WAH; knowing that I probably wouldn't get the opportunity again I spent a few hours finding inspiration and drawing up the designs I wanted on my nails. I must've drawn about 15 different nail designs over about 3 hours (and coloured them in, complete with glitter specs where I wanted the rhinestones) and in the end settled on a lilac and white mix complete with sparkles, marbling, mermaid scales and a mock-kenzo eye. I know I might've looked a bit sad walking in with fully drawn up designs of how I wanted my nails to look but I didn't want to waste the opportunity and obviously my work paid off!
It seems I wasn't the only one who loved my nail set, as it has been recreated by WAH in Thailand for Sharmadean Reid's feature in Wonderland magazine! I couldn't believe it when I spotted it, it may not seem like a big deal to many of you but I was so excited that my nail art design had been featured in a national magazine. It's got me thinking that perhaps I can do more than just writing as a journalist, and that I should open myself up to taking the other forms of creativity that I love, such as design and styling, more seriously. I would honestly love a career that involves all three!

You can see photos from my WAH visit here!

Love Ellen xx
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Friday 28 November 2014

Pastels, Metallics & Fluff

Jumper - ASOS
Jeans - Topshop
Boots - ASOS
Bag - DIY

This outfit combines pretty much all of my favourite things in life: pastels, metallics, fluff and ASOS. I'm pretty darn obsessed with everything on the site at the moment and holding myself back from their Black Friday 20% discount (using code CYBERWKND20) is proving quite challenging…

I got both the jumper and shoes from this outfit for my birthday and wanted to pair them together immediately! I'm completely head-over-heels for these boots and you'll be seeing a lot of them in future outfit posts. 

Big thank you to Emily for taking these photos for me too!

Love Ellen xx
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Wednesday 26 November 2014

Ways to wear over-the-knee boots: Part #3

Coat - Missguided
Jeans - Topshop
Boots - Zara
Bag - Zara
Crystal Necklace - The Serpents Club
Silver Necklace - Forever 21

I wanted the final look in this instalment to be a much more casual option, so I paired my over-the-knee boots with some distressed high-waisted jeans and a simple 90s crop. It's finally starting to get a bit chilly here in London so I also slung this oversized black teddy coat that I got for my birthday over my shoulders, it's such a warm and cosy piece that is such good value for the price!

On a side note, I'm so happy with how my blog is going at the moment, I feel like living in London and being at university means I've been properly able to throw myself into blogging - taking outfit photos, recieving more opportunities and creating regular content for you all. I also have to say a huge thank you to the girls I'm living with, they're so supportive of me and regularly take the time out of their days to take my blog photos, I super duper appreciate it ladies! Mwah!

So yeah, I'm excited for the future!

Love Ellen xx


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Monday 24 November 2014

Glitter Nails

Topshop Nails in Razzmatazz

Sorry for the lack of an outfit post this weekend, but my boyfriend visited me in London and I've got a French assessment tomorrow that I've spent today preparing for. The last instalment of my 'over-the-knee-boots series' should be up in the next couple of days and then I have quite a few outfit posts planned for upcoming posts.

Anyways, as a sort of 'filler post' I thought I'd show you all my nails at the minute, they're still the same acrylics that I got done for my birthday but I've painted over the original colour with a glitter topcoat from Topshop. As well as making me feel all festive, the chunky glitter also works really well at covering up area at the base of my nail where my nails have started to grow.

What do you think of this polish?

Love Ellen xx
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Thursday 20 November 2014

Get in my make-up bag: #1


I'm currently sat in bed wishing I had enough money to run around Selfridges (or Harrods, I'm not fussy) and buy the contents of my dream make-up bag, starting with the above. I was never really that into beauty, but recently I've turned into a make-up fiend - I'm totally obsessed with lipsticks, particularly pinky nude tones and since I tried this Illamasqua foundation I've not been able to get it off my mind. I've never really found a foundation that gives the amount of coverage I want and yet still looks natural, I'm currently using the much-raved-about Bourjois Healthy Mix but it just doesn't seem to sit right on my skin and I find it often goes patchy. I recently tried the Illamasqua Skin Base foundation, albeit in a shade slightly too dark for me, and fell completely in love: the texture, coverage and finish were perfect for me and I can't wait to get my hands on a bottle!

What's currently on your beauty wishlist?

Love Ellen xx
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Tuesday 18 November 2014

Ways to wear over-the-knee boots: Part #2

Playsuit - Topshop
Bag - Zara
Boots - Zara
Belt - Goodwill
Scarf - River Island

This is the second instalment in my 'over-the-knee boots' series, and I'm still totally obsessed with them and how they look. I wore this outfit on a shopping trip to Oxford Street last weekend, I went for a more 70s vibe this time, pairing the boots with the long sleeved-playsuit. I only realised whilst editing these photos that I had planned on including my black fedora in this look, but completely forgot on the day so you'll just have to use your imaginations with that one I'm afraid!

Let me know what you think of this outfit!

Love Ellen xx
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Sunday 16 November 2014

Musings #4: Fashion & Feminism


It’s a question I see thrown around a lot at the moment – how can you claim to be a feminist whilst still devoting your time and your passions to aesthetics, to fashion and beauty? As a strong and intelligent woman, how can you waste your life by devoting it to such ‘trivial’ means?

 I was faced with these questions at 16, when my Chemistry teacher singled me out and asked, rather accusingly, why I’d chosen such ’fluffy’ subjects such as textiles, languages and history for my A-levels, when my academic ability meant that I could make a ‘real difference in this world’. I almost cried. It’s a typical view nowadays that in order to live a meaningful life, it must be dedicated to the sciences or the law…you know, ‘proper jobs’. I resented that. It seems we have forgotten the impact that arts: that poetry and language and creativity, have had on this world, and fashion is exactly that – an art form, a language and a display of creativity.

  The way we look, whether we like it or not, communicates to others a sense of who we are. The clothes we wear and our personal style is a form of art – a visual representation of our personality, whether that says ‘I’m very much into fashion’ or ‘I dress simply to cover my body, as is necessary in modern society’ is regardless, the communication is still there. In the same way, fashion is a language, with garments acting as words that mean different things when placed in different locations: wearing jeans on a trip to the cinema for example, can say something entirely different to wearing them at a funeral– both communicate different messages depending on the context.

   As many have pointed out, I do not think it is a coincidence that fashion and beauty are the only art forms and means of self-expression in which women are granted more freedom in society than men, and yet they are the ones branded as the most trivial, even ‘dumb’, and to be honest I’m getting pretty sick of it. I’m fed up of telling people I’m a fashion journalist and receiving comments such as “awww” or (in a high-pitched girly voice, whilst doing whimsical arm movements) “ooo fashion”, I’m fed up of being patronized or being thought of as less intelligent or strong because of my specialism. I’m also fed up of people, mostly men, assuming that women do their hair and their make-up, and dress well for the appreciation of the male population, when we absolutely do not. If we did, we would just strut around naked and never even think of touching a pair of Birkenstocks, culottes or other ‘man repelling’ style staples. I dress for myself, and more often than not, the approval and admiration of other women, and if my boyfriend doesn’t like my outfit, then tough shit.

    The same view goes for beauty and make-up; women are undoubtedly granted more freedoms than men in this area, and yet it is derided as shallow and frivolous. I have a great amount of respect for make-up artists, or even just the girls I follow on Instagram who have an insane talent for ‘doing their face’, and so would a lot of others, if only they weren’t applying their artistry to their faces… If the same skill and talent were applied to a canvas and placed in a gallery, it’d be an entirely different story; there could be international acclaim, lots of nods and murmurs of approval and maybe it would even sell for some ridiculous sum at auction…But no, because it’s a predominantly female art form that revolves around aesthetics.

  It would appear that neither industry can muster any amount of respect from anyone who moves outside of their (most often intertwined) circles. Whilst I do agree that both the fashion and beauty industries are still quite backward in their representation of women, there is a whole new generation of young and inspired women (and men) emerging, who are ready to break into the business and incite real change.

  For me, neither fashion nor beauty are trivial, or dumb or shallow. Both are inspiring, empowering and ever-changing art forms that have the ability to communicate powerful messages. And I’m not standing for it any longer, (repeats to self) I am a strong, intelligent woman; I am a feminist and I just bloody love fashion… and with that, Dave the Chemistry Teacher, I will change the world in my own way.


Love Ellen xx
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Friday 14 November 2014

Ways to wear over-the-knee boots: Part 1

Boots - Zara
Jumper - Goodwill
Shorts - Miss Selfridge
Bag - Zara

Oh my gosh I can't even put into words how frustrating this post has been to edit…I don't know if any of you experience this too, but I can edit my photos exactly how I want them to be in iPhoto or elsewhere, and as soon as I upload them to blogger they look totally different! These photos kept uploading with a yellowy/orange tinge and thats why I'm afraid some of them just look very bright and cool toned, I've edited and uploaded each one about 20 times and I'm still not happy…If there's a solution to this please, please let me know!

Anyways, back to the point of the post…THESE BOOTS! OH MY SWEET BABY JESUS THESE BOOTS!
I found these babies in Zara whilst on my birthday shopping trip with my mum and they were an instant must-buy. I've been lusting after a pair of over-the-knee boots for a while now but I think they can be quite difficult to get right, if the heel is too high or too thin and the toe too pointy, they can just look a bit too much in my opinion. These, for me, are the perfect style, and they're real suede which means they're an investment piece that should last me through a load of A/Ws. I almost had to fight a bitch off who decided to steal the other boot when I tried them on…there was only one size 5 left, but in my stubborn ways I walked round the store in that one boot for a good 10 minutes until she realised I wasn't giving up and put the boot back (well, hid it on a different shelf). Victory was mine.

I'll be doing a three part series on ways to wear these babies, so let me know what you think of the first instalment!

Love Ellen xx
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Tuesday 11 November 2014

Square Stiletto Nails


Part of my birthday present from my mum was to get my nails done properly at a salon, I usually do them myself because it's cheaper, but it's always nice to get acrylics that I don't have to then replace every week or worry about them pinging off! This time, I wanted to try a different shape and opted for something I've taken to calling the 'square stiletto', essentially the tapered style of a stiletto nail with a squared-off tip. I'm really loving this new shape, the lack of a sharp edge makes these nails a lot less deadly than the stiletto style I'm used to, but there's still something quite edgy about the way that they look.
I recently decided that I wanted to try some matte polishes in my beloved pastel tones, so bought Topshop's 'Rendezvous' (a matte lilac) just before my appointment - I love the colour, but the matte finish isn't at all long-lasting and needs regularly topping up with a matte top coat.

What do you think of these nails?

Love Ellen xx
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Sunday 9 November 2014

My birthday weekend!

Jumpsuit - ℅ Lola Loves
Coat - Topshop
Shoes - River Island

  Sooo it was my birthday this week! Just in time, Lola Loves sent me this super schmancy jumpsuit that I was able to wear out with my friends and boyfriend for my first ever Brick Lane curry, I've never owned a jumpsuit before but I think this is one is really flattering and it's convinced me to try some more in future. I paired it with these killer heels from River Island, with the Alexander McQueen-reminiscent curved heel, and my fluffy mint coat from Topshop that has had me willing it to be cold so I can pull it out my wardrobe again. 

I'm thinking of showing you what I got for my birthday as a haul video, so let me know if that's something you'd like to see!  

Love Ellen xx
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Sunday 2 November 2014

A Saturday in Leeds

Last weekend I visited my boyfriend at his university in Leeds and managed to take a few photos for you all. I love exploring new cities and Leeds is really lovely, the northern weather even held back for me so I didn't have to wear tights!

Playsuit - Topshop
Cardigan - Primark
Bag - Zara
Shoes - Primark
Belt - Goodwill
Necklace - Forever 21

This is quite a simple outfit but I recently ordered this Topshop playsuit for half the price from eBay and was so excited to wear it. I loved the palm-print version in the summer (see me wearing it here) and decided that the black would be an essential for A/W - I love that this piece can be dressed up or down and I find the fit really flattering for my body shape. I paired the tailored playsuit with my masculine patent brogues from Primark as I think they help to offset the formality of the style, and my maxi cardi, which has been a life saver in these transitional months!


We ate lunch at Red's True Barbecue which was soooo good and mid-shopping I tried my very first PSL at Starbucks…I'm so ashamed to say that I really liked it! I don't even like coffee but it was just subtle and sweet enough for me to turn into your typical white girl at Christmas…oh the shame…

I hope you liked this style of post, I might try to do more in future!

Love Ellen xx 

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Saturday 1 November 2014

Blogger Love: October


Yaaaay I managed to do my blogger favourites on time! Sorry for the lack of content this week, I've been off ill and only came back to London yesterday. I have some posts ready to go this week from my trip to Leeds last weekend and it's also my birthday on Thursday so no doubt I'll have things to share with you then. I'm really excited for this week, I love this time of year so much!

As always, leave your favourite bloggers down below!

Love Ellen xx
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