Wednesday 21 October 2015

MAVERICK & WOLF - MICHEAL KORS SUNGLASSES REVIEW


Use discount code ELLENMAW to get 20% off any Maverick and Wolf purchase!

If you saw my last outfit post, you would have already seen these babies - my first pair of designer sunglasses. I've always bought cheap sunnies, just whichever ones I liked the best in Primark would become my pair for the summer, before they broke or got so scratched up I couldn't even see through them anymore. I'd never really thought about investing and buying designer sunglasses, until now...I think Maverick and Wolf have converted me.

The Maverick and Wolf team picked this Micheal Kors pair out for me and the quality and sturdiness is far superior to any pair of sunglasses I've ever owned. They feel so durable and with the cute little hard-case they come in, which I've been keeping in my bag to keep them safe, they're not going to be breaking or scratching any time soon. They're such a classic design as well that they've become my go-to pair, that I can wear with anything.

I also love that buying a pair of designer sunglasses is a more affordable way to own something by your favourite designer, you could own a bit of Prada for 10% of the price of one of their bags. Plus, sunglasses are timeless and you're never going to not need a pair. As I said, I think I'm converted.

Whilst I was in the Maverick and Wolf store in Chelsea, I tried on loads of different pairs of sunglasses and they have so many amazing designs and shapes in store. I have my eye on a pair by Dita, which you can see here on my instagram. I don't know what it is about designer sunglasses, but they just seem to suit and flatter your face so much better than their cheaper alternatives. 

If you're looking to treat yourself or someone else for Christmas, you can use my discount code above to get 20% off your purchase! I say go for it, who doesn't want a bit of designer in their life?

Love Ellen xx
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Tuesday 13 October 2015

THE LEATHER JACKET

Jacket - Lazer Heaven (I can't remember the exact website!)
Shoes - Spy Love Buy
Top - Primark

My last 'all-black erry'thang post' was so popular I thought I'd do another one for you guys! The patched-up leather jacket is set to be a huge trend for the up-coming season, I've seen so many street style edits featuring them at various S/S '16 Fashion Weeks and thought I would take inspiration and create my own outfit.

Also, how fab are these Michael Kors sunglasses?? A full review will be coming shortly with more detailed images, but for now let's just say Maverick and Wolf have converted me to designer sunnies -  they have such a huge selection and you just can't compare the quality! I've got my eye on some Miu Miu ones next...hehe

You can use promo code ELLENMAW for 20% off all Maverick and Wolf designer sunnies!

Love Ellen xx
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Sunday 11 October 2015

MARRAKECH TRAVEL TIPS & PHOTODIARY


This is probably the most photo/text-heavy post I've done in a while, but I really wanted to share my experience in Marrakech with you all. This post will provide travel tips and honest advice based on my own experiences; you're definitely welcome to add yours in the comments! I also understand that my experience doesn't represent everyone else's, you're perfectly welcome to disagree with my advice, but this is just based on my visit.

The Souks

The best way I can describe the Souks would be to imagine Camden market, only 4 times the size and with very insistent shop owners. You literally cannot browse anywhere. This was the aspect that I found the most frustrating, every time you step into a shop or stall to browse, the shop owner has pounced and is giving you the full spiel on his products; they are extremely persistent and it can be difficult to make a quick exit. This ended up putting me off completely, I was reluctant to even look in shops for fear of not being able to get away for another 20 minutes! I think my best advice would be to have an idea in your head of what you want to get and browse from the main pathway as best as you can, then, when you see what you're looking for, go into the stall and bargain hard! They do enjoy upping the prices for tourists...

Harassment

This was probably the thing I was most worried about, especially being a white, very pale, blonde female, I thought I would stick out like a sore thumb. I had heard so many stories from various people about the amount of harassment, grabbing and heckling I might be faced with in the city centre, but honestly, this was entirely unfounded. 
I'm not sure I would like to have been travelling around on my own, but on the whole I received absolutely no comments on my hair colour and was not grabbed or harassed once. I do think people exaggerate the extent to which this occurs in Marrakech, after all, it's a city dependent on tourism and you really don't have to worry about standing out. 

The only thing I would say, is be firm with shop owners and locals. If they're giving you their spiel on products or where is best to go, just say 'no' firmly and walk away, otherwise there is absolutely nothing stopping them and you won't get away. Don't be shy about interrupting and being firm, if you're not interested, just say so and make sure you stand your ground.

Places of Interest

The Marrakech Museum is a beautiful building, although the entry is expensive and the actual things the museum houses were a bit disappointing, a lot of the small rooms were just left entirely empty! It is a cool place to visit though for traditional Moroccan tiling and design. 
As mentioned in my previous post, I also really recommend the Henna Café for safe and expertly done henna. I wouldn't recommend getting it done in the Souks or main square and at least here you can eat pastries and play with their turtles whilst you have it done!
One final note, don't bother with the Menara Gardens. Our guidebook painted it out to be an idyllic picnic setting and what we actually discovered was laughably different. It's essentially a concrete pool with a very worn looking building and dry muddy park areas...not exactly the beautiful gardens we were expecting.

Excursions 
(The Ozoud Waterfall and Atlas Mountains)

This was by far the highlight of the holiday for me! As you can probably tell from the photos, Joe and I booked an excursion to the Ozoud Waterfall and both of us loved it. The whole day cost us around £100 for the 2 of us and included a 3 hour bus ride to and from the mountains, the tour guide, a boat trip and food. The tour guide we had was absolutely fab and we would've been totally lost without him. He led us from the bottom of the waterfall up and back down again, stopping at all of the most picturesque spots so we could all get photos. At the bottom of the waterfall we all stopped for 30min and had a swim in the water, which was lined with the most 'Pinterest' beds and cushions I've seen (see photo)! We then continued on our hike before reaching the top for lunch overlooking the waterfall and a boat ride (I say boat, it was essentially a DIY raft with chairs and fake flowers stuck on top, once again, see photo). Upon reaching the top of the waterfall we were greeted by wild monkeys that we were able to feed with peanuts that the tour guide had kindly brought with him, it was so cool seeing them so close and I would love to do this kind of trip again! 

Trust no local!

This was the hardest thing about the whole holiday for Joe and I, we just couldn't get over how much the local shop owners, taxi drivers and even some citizens lied to us when we were clearly vulnerable and lost. We had a number of experiences in which locals misled us about directions so that we'd go back towards their business, or where they would give us directions and then demand money. One guy even caused so much of a scene because we only offered him a small amount of money for showing us something only a short distance from where we were, that other locals then got involved and began threatening myself and my boyfriend, as Joe dropped some money by accident, the guy just snatched it and ran. It's safe to say that this then put a downer on both of our moods for the rest of the day. 
We also had taxi drivers tell us certain places were closed when they weren't, and then drove us to their family shop 15 minutes away from where we'd actually asked to go. We essentially had to rely on our own instincts and a map, which in the labyrinth of the Souks wasn't always easy. It was very difficult to accept that we literally couldn't trust anyone, not even taxis, which in the UK are just accepted as a safe last-resort if you're really, truly lost.

On the whole, although I really enjoyed the holiday and I'm glad I can tick Marrakech of my bucket list, I don't think I'd go again.

Have you ever been to Marrakech? As always, leave your comments below!

Love Ellen xx


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Friday 9 October 2015

MARRAKECH - PART 3

Jumpsuit - ASOS
Jewellery* - Rokit

This is the final outfit post from my Marrakech holiday, my next post will be a full photo diary and travel tips. I absolutely loved this outfit, wearing this wide-legged jumpsuit (which I managed to bag for half price in the ASOS sale!) made me feel so lady-like and well-dressed. I bought it specifically for the holiday because I wanted to make sure I had something to wear in the city that didn't disrespect local culture or get me harassed too much, but there were plenty of tourists in shorts and vests so at times I felt a bit too dressed up. I do love this jumpsuit though, it fits so well with the 70s trend that I could easily wear it with a chunky cardi and boots for the winter.

I also wanted to do an outfit post where I showed off the henna I got at the Henna Café in the city. The café was one of the places at the top of my list for visiting, it's a local initiative that serve food and drinks but also provide a henna menu full of different designs. The henna is all organic and is applied in the traditional way by local women, the café's profits are then reinvested into the community. I was so happy with how my design turned out and I'm so sad that it's now faded!

Come back Sunday for a post jam-packed with holiday photos and travel advice!

Love Ellen xx

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Wednesday 7 October 2015

MARRAKECH - PART 2 WITH ROKIT VINTAGE


When Rokit Vintage got in contact with me over the summer to kit me out for my holiday I didn't even hesitate before saying yes! I opted for this super cute Rokit Recycled denim look and loads of silver jewellery to create the perfect Moroccan vibe. This little top is my favourite part of the outfit, I've been wearing it loads now the weather's getting cooler with black jeans and a big coat and it's still so on trend.

How are you transitioning your holiday pieces?

Love Ellen xx
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Monday 5 October 2015

MARRAKECH - PART 1

Two-piece* - ZoeZogg Clothing
Shoes - Topshop

I'm a bit late in starting my holiday posts, I know, but this is the first of four blog posts I'll be doing on my visit to Marrakech. My boyfriend and I went in September for a week and I thought I'd share some of my outfits and travel tips with you all.
These photos were taken in our hotel; we stayed at the Blue Sea Ryad Parc and Spa, just outside of Marrakech city centre and we were so pleasantly surprised. We'd booked our holiday on a website selling cheap package deals and essentially just hoped for the best, what we actually got was a gorgeous room complete with lounge area and balcony, in a beautiful pink Ryad. For what we paid we got such a good deal! I would definitely recommend staying there if you want to visit Marrakech, it meant that we could chill and have time by the pool, and then venture into Marrakech or on excursions when we felt like it. The hotel offered a shuttle service in and out of Marrakech for less than £1.50 return, I personally don't think I would have liked to stay in the city centre, so it was nice that we had the option to stay and relax at the resort instead.

I received this two-piece just before we left for the holiday and I ended up wearing it quite a lot, the shorts especially were so comfortable to wear with a bikini top around the pool. The stripes are also so classic that the top could easily be worn with jeans and boots as a transitional piece.

Love Ellen xx

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Friday 2 October 2015

LFW DAY 2

Jacket - DIY
Twoosie - Oh My Love London
Boots* - Spy Love Buy
Boot stickers - Skinnydip London


This was my second outfit for LFW, I DIY'ed this jacket and didn't quite get it finished, but I'd love to add loads more patches.
I'm currently a bit bummed because I've been invited to a few shows in PFW and I can't go (cries for days). I'm determined to do it next year though - how amaaazzing would that be??

Love Ellen xx
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