OOTW; Summer Lovin'

Sunday 30th May
Out in London on a Summery Warm Evening

What better way to bring myself back into outfit of the weeks posts then to do this simple smart but summery outfit!
So the last Bank Holiday in the UK until August was a couple of weeks ago and I was invited to go to a friends birthday do up in London, as we all know I can't say no to a glass of wine so me and my other friend went along! We had an awesome time.
My outfit was just a simple colour palette of black and white, nothing over the top but sophisticated.

Outfit Details

Black Midi Dress, New Look - £12.99

Size 18

White Jacket with Gold Zips, Peacocks - £25

Size 18

White T-Bar Sandals, Boohoo - £14

Silver Hoops, New Look - £5

Leopard Print Frame Sunglasses, Peacocks - £5

I can never say no to a matching manicure and pedicure - I opted for the No.7 nail polish topcoat of Disco Ball. I love how much glitter you get after two coatings. One of my absolute favourite glitter nail polishes I have ever owned!! (Also please excused my bruised foot - I had an extremely heavy power chair roll over and crush my foot - its still very tender and painful!)

I went with a simple make-up look, of just a tinted moisturiser, a white eyeshadow over my eye lids with a champagne eyeshadow in the crease and blended out. I used my Barry M Mascara and doubled up with my No.7 Mascara for extra volume and length. 

I threw my hair up into a ponytail and quiffed what used to be my fringe (which can't be a fringe anymore as my hair is down past my nose).

For my handbag I went with my current small little clutch bag from Peacocks. This is what I like to call my little Mary Poppins bag - I'm amazed at how much stuff I can get in this!!

And have a couple of images of my friends and me from that day/night!

Lots of Love

Emma V

xoxoxox

OOTW; Wrap It Up

Outfit

Underwear

Red Plus Size Bra (42DD), New Look - £12.99

Red Strappy Side Lace Briefs (18), New Look- £5.99

Black 80 Denier Tights (L), New Look - £4.99

Main Outfit

Baby Pink Strappy Top (18), Primark - £1.80

Grey Pencil Bodycon Skirt (18), Primark - £2

Black Block Heels (6), Primark - £15

Jacket & Accessories

Woolen Wrap (One Size), Next - £Gifted

White Woolen Snood (One Size), Primark - £5

Silver Heart Pendant Necklace, Gift from the Boyfriend

What I love the most about this outfit is just how lovely it looks. You can look smart yet feel so darn comfy! This grey pencil bodycon skirt is my definite go to for work at the moment, especially with all the running around I do, I can still look smart, sophisticated but still be comfy and be able to do all the things I need to do.

I've definitely been on the trend of wearing wraps/shawls this year, I have 2 so far, and this was gifted to me for Christmas. I absolutely love how soft and cosy this is to wear! It's definitely like getting a hug when you can't get an actual one from someone. Cuddles me all day long!

Can we all take a moment to admire how beautiful my necklace is?! 

(Little secret, I balled my eyes out when I got this at Christmas!)

I've had a lot of "Are you're shoes comfortable?!" yes, yes they are! These stunners from Primark for a mighty £15 are super comfy and the absolute perfect height for me. They are definitely not too high, and are comfortable for me to wear all day. I can also jog lightly in them when required... Obviously not out of choice, but I have tested this out.

As you can see, I'm currently sporting a choppy bob and full fringe. We all know how spontaneous I am with my hair, and decided to go for the chop back in December; my hair was not in a very good state and had been through the wars a bit. To get my hair back into a better condition I got my split ends all cut out with a bit of extra length taken to make sure I can grow my hair beautifully.

My make-up is a simple Autumnal look, I've really just stayed in my Autumnal fashion this autumn and winter due to the weather. It's not been cold enough for big fur coats and elaborate winter fashion for me. I've enjoyed being able to play out my autumn fashion style a little longer then normal too! I've gone for some light browns on the eyelid and a dark brown in the crease blended through, in the small of my eye I've gone for a shimmery gold, blended through into the light brown and dark brown in my crease.

On my lips I began with exofliating with a toothbrush and proceeding to put on some Carmex lip balm. After a while I added my Benefit Rockateur Lip Gloss over the top for that extra bit of glam!

My foundation and concealer are both Rimmel in the shade Soft Beige and my eyeshadow's are from the MUA Palette's. Blusher is a combo of Soap & Glory's & Bourjois in Rose D'Or.

Lots of Love

Emma 

xoxo

OOTW; Casual Pastels

Before you read on, I just want to apologise for my lack of posting. My laptop hasn't been working for a few weeks due to the fan not operating subjecting my laptop to major over heating issues... I'd use it for 10 minutes before it overheated, which gave me no time at all to post on here. I took these images back in August, but I couldn't not show you my outfit!

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So I started my new job on the 3rd of September... I don't have to dress in a suit (thank god!) but I do need to dress reserved... I wanted to do this outfit purely because its what I wear (bar the jeans) when I'm just chilling and not off somewhere that requires me to usually dress up. This was also the first time I wore skinny ankle grazer jeans in nearly 3 years!!  This outfit is simple, cute and casual - you can just throw your hair up in a pony tail if you don't want it down! I wouldn't wear flip flops for work, I'd probably match this outfit up with some converses which are comfy!

(P.S Who loves my hair here?! I only had it for a few weeks till I started work but it looked so cute!)

Pink Alice Top, Collectif - £15
Blossom Flower Light Cardigan, F&F - £18

Mint Ankle Grazer Skinnys, F&F - £14

Roxy Flip Flops, Blue - £5

I kept my make-up very bare as for work I don't tend to wear that much anyway because there isn't any need for me to. I just use a tad of concealer (I use my Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer in Ivory) for my troublesome area's and I will use my Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid if my skin is particularly bad.

I painted my nails all in the shade 'Prickly Pear' by Barry M and used my top coat by Rimmel to give a lasting effect. 

I'm just wearing some studs and my usual plain metal scaffold bar and my birth stone necklace I got for my birthday.

Emma Victoria

xoxox

OOTW; Soak up the Summer

The past few weeks have been beautiful down in Sunny Sussex! The sun has been out with very few appearances from the rain clouds - and I've been topping up my tan, well lack of it but attempting to tan up anyway! When I shot this outfit it was the hottest day of the year so far in the UK and it hit a scorching 32°c where I live... which for pale, fair haired little old me was blooming hot hot hot! 

I opted for an outfit that was light, flowy, bright and made me figure look pretty. I went for this gorgeous red dress which I bought from eBay back in December and have used for a couple of photoshoots as well.

Outfit
Red Billowing Evening/Cocktail Party Dress, eBay - £18.99 (+£7 postage)

Straw Rounded Hat with Multi Coloured Bow Sash, Brighton Laines - £5Black Metal Brow Trim Sunglasses - New Look, £5.99



I chose to wear no shoes or sandals because it was so hot and I wasn't going anywhere. However I'd possibly pair these up with either black strappy gladiator sandals or white wedges for an all round summery look.

Also - my recent OOTW's have featured our other half of the garden which we have finally started making to look like a garden. Doesn't it look so pretty!

I love this dress because it fits my figure really well, and also hugs me perfectly at my natural waist accentuating my natural hourglass figure.

The beautiful bow sash on the back of my hat bought from the Brighton Laines. This hat fits magically, and despite not being a hat person, I really do love this for the summer!
I also just put my hair in some low bunches - my hair is super thick lately and getting super long, and I thought low bunches just made me look adorable when adding my hat to my look.

I opted for a casual no maintenance look for today, seeing how hot it was and that I didn't want to overdress either. In the summer I like to keep my outfits and make-up low maintenance as it is, and for me when my skin is in good condition I opt for just moisturiser on my face with no foundation or concealer.

Also! Don't forget your sun cream this summer - if you're pale and fair skinned like me you will definitely need that sun cream with the sun! Its better to use your suncream then pay for the painful sun burn later on!
I use a 'Nivea Sun' factor 50 Bronze and Protect sun cream (which is running low) and it works wonderfully for me. 

My poor dogs Freddie and Alice were definitely feeling the heat too bless them!

Emma Victoria xoxo

OOTW; Quietly Casual

Hello my lovelies! I hope you are all okay and I'm sorry that its been so long since I've done an Outfit of the Week - I've not had enough time in my schedule to even be able to do one, and I'll be honest, with working and being ill I've not really had any 'amazing' outfits to show you, just boring old outfits which are purely for leisure. Which really aren't interesting; but I'm back and doing some new outfits! I'm aiming to post an OOTW up every 2-3 weeks depending on my schedule! (I'll be doing a YouTube video soon explaining what's been going on the past few months soon!).

Outfit

Black Strapped Midi Dress - New Look, £12.99

Size 18

Purple Checked Shirt - M&S (about 2 years old), £9.99

Size 18

Reef Flip Flops -  Blue (Shop no longer around), £5
Size 5

Stone Snakeskin Panel Satchel - New Look, £15

One Size

Black Metal Brow Trim Sunglasses - New Look, £5.99 

You can either wear the shirt loose or tie it off under your bust for that country chic look. On myself, if I tie the shirt off at the waist it helps to define my waist a little better, but wearing it lose can also hide my stomach if I'm not wearing shapewear.

I always forget to paint my toenails - I like my nails to match but I'm constantly changing my nail colours. I'm tempted to go with a nude palette of colours for my pedicure's this summer. Watch this space for my favourite nail polishes over the summer.
I love this pair of flip flops. I've had them for years, probably about six years now. They are exceptionally comfy, and reasonably sturdy too. They are still in great condition despite how old they are.

My favourite lip product at the moment when not using tinted lip balms or lipsticks is the Carmex lip balms. I've always had a love for these, but recently rekindled my love after I found them on sale in Boots the other week.

Seeing as I was just running errands and doing adult stuff, I just had a little bit of concealer and mascara on for my make-up.
I don't dress up for everything, I like to dress down a lot too.
I had my hair in a ponytail and a clip - I love my hair like this!

My peace sign earrings are from my visit to New York when I went to the Hard Rock Cafe. Bought as a single pair for about $6 if I remember correctly.
My corkscrew scaffold bar was bought in an independent piercing shop in Brighton for £5.

I'm also really loving these natural shots lately.

And just look at how long my hair is now!

Well thank you for reading, and I hope you liked my new sort of layout for OOTW's!

Emma Victoria
xoxox

Valentines OOTW; Perfect Pin-Up

It's been a while since I've done an OOTW on my blog, but sadly I've been very ill for the past 7 weeks which means I just haven't had the energy to do any OOTW's after being ill and also working my day job & also modelling at the weekends. 

But today I'm showing you my 'perfect Pin-Up' Valentines Look! This is a gorgeous little summer dress from Collectif that I got last summer, but haven't had much of a chance to wear it or shoot with it yet. So as soon as I was shooting my Valentines Photoshoot on Saturday (Images will be over on my facebook page over the next few days and weeks!) I had to wear this gorgeous number.

Photo & Post-Processing - John Bellingham
Model, MUA & Hair Stylist - Emma Victoria

Pink Hibiscus Dolores Doll Dress (Size 18), Collectif - £59.50

Baby Pink 20 inch Petticoat, Hell Bunny - £25.00

Black 6.5 inch Heels, Charity - £5

Baby Pink Chiffon Square (Headscarf), eBay - £4.00

1940's White Size 5 Gloves with Lace edge Detailing, Vintage Shop - £10

I totally love this gorgeous look, its adorably cute and sweet and just oozes with the love that Valentine's Day is filled with. I simply adore the Pink Hibiscus Flowers, it adds the summer feeling I've been missing for so long and its the perfect dress to stand out with on Valentines Day if you have a special someone.

If you want a darker Valentines Look then why don't you look at my OOTW from Last Year

OOTW - Death by Love

Make-Up

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation - Ivory

Natural Collection Face Powder - Neutral

Victoria Jackson Sunset Eyeshadow Palette (Gold & Pale Pink)
Bourjois Blush - Rose D'Or

Bourjois Clubbing Linner - Extreme Black

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Red Lip Liner

Barry M Red Lipstick (Blue Undertone) - Shade 151

Hair has been curled in opposing directions to create a ringlet and swirl as the hair sits on my shoulders, I used Tresemme Firm Hold Hairspray and did a wet set curl and left in overnight.

I hope you have a fantastic Valentines Day and Weekend. I might go and see Fifty Shades of Grey if I'm well enough and can find someone to go with me!!

Lots of Love

Emma Victoria

xoxox

OOTW; Das Rock Haus Skirt Review

Today's OOTW is the first of 2015 and its a review of the gorgeous Das Rock Haus Olga Wrap Skirt!

OOTW

Olga Wrap Skirt, Das Rock Haus - £33.74 (converted into GBP)

White Long Sleeved Top, Novelle - £8
Long Apple Pendant, New Look - £5 (discontinued)
Stone Patent Double T-Bar Pumps, New Look - £7
Coral Headband, New Look - £5

Review
When the lovely Fiza contacted me about reviewing a skirt for Das Rock Haus I immediately jumped at the chance! The choice of skirts are wonderful and they are all so pretty and beautiful! Fiza and me discussed which would be best and I had a look, but I fell in love with the Olga and I'm so thrilled with the way it looks. Seeing as the skirt came from Singapore, I expected what with the Royal Mail for the skirt to take a little while to arrive but it arrived in 5 days which took me by surprise! When the skirt arrived it came in this wonderful mesh bag, with the ribbons tied in a bow. I completely loved the presentation of the skirt too, it was just the extra touch that makes the difference!

The fastenings are hook and eye fastenings which I honestly love, it's a more comfortable fit and no buttons coming off or loose! All you need to do is, take your measurements and the skirt's fastenings are done to your measurements for a perfect fit - which I honestly LOVE! I always have a problem when it comes to the 'right' size on my waist, and I think this is the perfect idea for an amazing fit!

I honestly love the fit on my figure - I'm an hourglass (with a little extra sand!) and I really love how this comfortably sits on my waist and doesn't dig in when I sit down. The wrap around skirt also helps to weight the skirt down a little so no awkward moments of the skirt flaring up when its a bit windy. I'm not wearing any shape wear with this skirt either. This skirt will be perfect for the hot Spring and Summer to come!

The skirt is a light weight material with a gorgeous triple bow detail on the top hem of the skirt - its the perfect touch to this already stunning skirt!

I give the Olga Wrap Skirt a 10/10!

Love

Emma Victoria
xoxox

OOTW; The Christmas Edition '14

Well, its Christmas Eve! Which means today's OOTW is going to be what I'm wearing over the next 24 hours... and the last OOTW of 2014! I normally go super super elaborate at Christmas, with a gorgeous dress; which I did actually purchase. But sadly after feeling a little bit low emotionally the past few days I went and bought a more casual comforting outfit to try and make me feel a little more 'cuddled'. (Silly I know, but its the little things).

I do feel a little upset and let down that I feel so low at this time of year, seeing as I've been so excited for Christmas since November but alas that is life sadly!

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

Tonight I'm going to be wearing my new pyjama set from New Look's plus size range 'Inspire' ...
As you can see I opted for the 'I'm a train-wreck' look with unbrushed hair and no make-up and also posing next to my natural habitat...

Navy Fairisle Jogger Bottom Pyjama Set, New Look - £11
(Bought in Sale - Reduced to £4)

Oh I Wish It Could Be Christmas... Everyday!

So as I said, its very casual this year, unusual for me, but I just honestly don't feel in the mood. People should be glad I'm even making an effort to put make-up on if I'm honest!

Black, White & Grey Long Line Jumper Dress, Peacocks - £18
Slub Cable Knit Cardigan, Peacocks - £25
Large Bun Hair Donut, Peacocks - £3
Baby Pink Glitter Bow, Beauxoxo - £5

My face is also very very plain, I'll probably rub some glitter rub on me on the day if I can find it and pop on some perfume - but otherwise I'm sticking with foundation and mascara.
Base is;
Collection 2000 Concealer in 01 Fair
2True Concealer in 01 (Under Eyes Only)
Rimmel Match Perfection in Ivory
Maybelline New York Dream Satin Liquid Foundation in Ivory
Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara

My hair is very simple, just up in a bun using a large hair donut and added a cute bow for some cuteness.

I also painted my nails (sorry for the messy edges I literally just painted them and hadn't cleaned them up yet!). I used a matte varnish for the first time ever. I used the Barry M Matte Nail Paint in Shade ' Crush' number 441 - its mix between a deep purple/plum and a rich burgundy, I can't really decide. But I'm very impressed and this is my absolute favourite shade right now!

Well I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, not sure if I will be posting up a Saturday post this week as I'm going to the rugby in Twickenham on Saturday but we'll see... If not I hope you have a Happy New Year too!

See you guys soon!

Lots of Love

Emma Victoria

xoxox

OOTW; From Smart to Casual

So a couple of weeks ago, I was working flat out and had to go from office wear to casual going out to dinner wear. So I decided to wear a multi-change outfit, one suitable for 2 different situations.

So for me I made a base outfit and by adding either a jacket, or cardigan made it either smart of casual!

Underwear
Floral Set, Bra and High Waisted Knickers; Simple Be - Bra £30 Knickers £15

Black Hold Up Stockings, Amazon - £2.89

Outfit
Base
Navy Blue Alice Top, Collectif - £15

Black Pencil Skirt, Chairty - £5
Black Patent Clover Heels, Clarks - £50 (discontinued)

Casual
Pink Fluffy Cardigan, New Look - £24.99

Pink Patent Handbag, Next - £30

Smart
Tailored Blue Spot Jacket, Next - £35

It was super easy for me to shrug off my jacket from work and pop on this super cosy and cute cardigan, perfect for the cooler evenings now, and go out to dinner! Literally took me just 5 minutes

to change over and do my eye make-up! Super cute and super quick. The base outfit is simple, and can be worn for various occasions, either dressed up or down! 
For my eye make-up, I used a candy pink on the inside of my eye, and on the outer lid I used a bold shimmery blue. I then blended the two and got a beautiful purple hue in the middle! Totally cute and super simple to achieve, by using an angled brush and blending brush! 
I just used my scandal eyes mascara and used the Mary Kay lip gloss in 'gold rush' for a slight shimmer. On my cheeks is the Bourjois blush in Rose D'Or; and foundation and concealer are Collection 2000, both in shade ivory.

Not long until its December and we can officially go Christmas Crazy!!

Emma Victoria

xoxox

OOTW; Winter Polka Dotty

Seeing as we are approaching cooler climates now its starting to get near Christmas - which always means I get super excited. However, I still have a lot of meetings to go to for various things I do, so I need to look smart yet stylish. Way back in July I think it was, Collectif had a huge sale and I bought this lovely dress, and its absolutely perfect!

Blue Crochet Multiway Bra, Simply Be - £32 (No Longer Available)

Blue Crochet High Waisted Briefs, Simple Be - £18 (No Longer Available)

Black 20 Denier Hold-ups, Amazon - £2.89

Red Polka Dot Dolores Wiggle Dress, Collectif - £50
Black pearls, Charity Shop - £1
Cream Fur Coat, Primark - £35
Patent Becca Bag, Collectif - £35
T-Bar Heels, eBay - £20

This outfit is really lovely and comfortable, I got my dress in a size 22, but kind of wish I went for a 20 or even an 18. Its actually quite big on me, but I've yet to get round to tailoring it properly to my figure. However, its a super classy, bright number which can brighten anyone's day - as my boss told me so!

I've also been really enjoying wearing hold-ups more so far this autumn/winter, I normally just wore plain tights or leggings if wearing boots. And these Amazon ones are amazing and don't fall down! I have a review for them coming up soon!

I kept my make-up particularly simple, seeing as this is a more 'office' do, and the smoky grey eyes are just absolutely lovely anyway! You can add eyeliner if you wish, however I chose not to.

Make-up

Vie Tinted Moisturiser in Very Light

Collection 2000 Concealer in Shade 02
Collection 2000 Foundation in Light
Natural Collection Face Powder shade Neutral

Light Shimmer Grey over whole lid
Dark Shimmer Grey in crease, blended out

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara
Mary Kay Lip Gloss in shade Goldrush

Emma Victoria

xoxox

OOTW & Tutorial; Halloween Dead Diner Doll

Halloween is only 2 days away! I conjured up this really cute yet creepy Halloween look - it covers adorable retro chic, my favourite brand of clothing and being totally creepy and creative!

Here are the links to last years Halloween ideas!Rockabilly Zombie
Vintage Broken Doll
Seductive Devil
Dead Slutty Barbie Doll

Outfit

Pink Cynthia Doll Dress, Collectif - £89 .50
White Bobby Socks, eBay - £5
Black Creepers, New Look - £12

Make-Up and Hair Tutorial

Step 1 First off you need to prime your face, I used a basic primer which I had come in a set. I primed my whole face so that the face paint would sit better.

Step 2 After priming, prepare your face paint - I used the Snazaroo face paint in White (you can use any strong pigmented face paint - this is the only one I can use as I'm allergic to others). I did about 2 layers of face paint and blended to make it smooth. When doing the first layer, apply and then smooth out, leave to dry before applying another coat.

Step 3 I then went on to use a blue shimmer dust to contour my face, again for a more dead look. I used a angled brush for a harsh line and then blended out using a blusher brush.

Step 4 Moving onto the eyes. I want a very harsh look to my eyes, seeing as I need to look creepy and dead I used dark greys and blacks. I heavily went over my under eye with a black eye-liner and then smudged this out used a Q-Tip. On the actual eyelids, I used a shimmery grey all over the lid, including the inner corner of my eye, and then in my crease I did a thick blended out line of black. I then used my liquid eyeliner to give myself a medium thickness wing. I tend not to wear false eyelashes (personal preference) so I just used my Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara.

Step 5 The next step is the scars. I used the same liquid liner I used on my eyes to make the scars. These are pretty easy and basic and you just need a steady hand. (I also added a beauty spot!) I then made some fake blood, using an old cheap red lipstick I don't used along with some Vaseline, I then added a scrapping of black eye-shadow to make the colour a bit darker. The gloss of the Vaseline in the light gives the scar a fresh bleeding effect (simple but effective!) I then filled the scars in and over with the fake blood. For the scar under the eye I made a gap between the two centre lines of the scar (seeing left above image) - this is an open wound, its the same process, just fill in the gap with the fake blood.

Step 6 The lips - I used my Rimmel Dark Berry Lipstick I got for winter last year (I love dark berry shades for Autumn and Winter). After applying my lipstick as normal, I added some black eyeshadow to the corners and outer line of my lips and rubbed my lips together for a dark red/purpley/black effect!

Step 7 The last step is the hair. I did a simple messy beehive, just cause its simple, easy and easy to make a mess of! I split my hair into two, I put the lower back half into a high ponytail where I want the beehive to sit, and the other half a bun on my head till I have the ponytail where I want. I then back comb the ponytail and fold it over itself, pinning the hair on the underside (use as many pins are you wish on this part, it will be covered over. I then took the rest of my hair, back combed it and put it over the now back combed folded over ponytail and pinned. I then took a comb and just made the beehive messy!

And your done!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! (Go be creepy...)

Emma Victoria

xoxox