Current faves pt.2

             

Lets start off with a bit of music - my friend Frances (who I shall be writing about soon - she dresses so cool) introduced them to me the other day and I have not taken them of repeat since. They're one of those bands which you can listen to again and again and not get bored of. I don't know if any of you recognise the lead singer, but that is Peaches Geldof's baby-daddy, Tom Cohen. I can totally see why she went after him, because everybody knows - once you're in a band and you are really tall, that makes you hot. That's why people like Graham Coxon are attractive, because they're in a band.

Something else I've been loving (well today I loved it) is the WEATHER!!! Since Monday I've left my jeans in the back of my wardrobe and I hope they stay there till September. It has been too long since we had a bit of sunshine in the U.K don't you agree? I don't think I could live with that rain for much longer, I'd probably end up looking like a prune in a week, or worse, have trench foot.

Linking in with the beautiful weather, my favourite clothing type thing at the mo' has to be shorts and a tshirt. Mostly shorts, they are my absolute favourite item. Shorts can be worn all year round in my opinion, if it's chilly outside a pair of tights underneath your favourite shorts will keep you warm. Although I don't recommend cycling shorts with tights underneath because that would just look silly. My all time favourite type of short hast to be a high-waist cycling short, it has the same amount of freedom as a legging but the smartness of a short. Personally, I'm a firm believer in shorts/skirts over cycling shorts, I think if you have a plain pair of denim shorts it can be quite cool if there's a little bit of bright colour just peeking out at the bottom. Cycling shorts are great if you have a sheer or short skirt that you don't feel comfortable in, you can kind do what you want if you have shorts on. They're just the best item of clothing ever invented.

Asos

BooHoo

Nothing else spectacular has been happening recently, so I don't have much to say. I finished school on Friday which has been pretty sweet except I have to keep going back for exams (THEY'RE DRAINING MY SOUL). Oh! I got tickets to see Blur with my ma' which I am unbelievably excited about!! That gig better be good, I've been waiting for ages to actually go and see them...

Anywho, must be off - B.x  

Scarlett Hearts - Online Store

Scarlett hearts is a cute little independent online-boutique, that sells adorable pieces of hand made jewellery. I love it when I find online stores like this because the quality of the pieces are always better than high street jewellery and it usually tends to be more unique and interesting, I guess I just really love hand made stuff. Also price wise, Scarlett hearts is the best. I can never find a nice piece of bling these days without it costing over a tenner - anyway here's the interview with the woman behind the machine Charlotte :

How did you get involved with making/designing jewellery?

 Well I’ve worked with jewellery for 5 ½ years now, I began working in a High end jewellery store and we were taught how to make minor repairs and add extensions on for customers. That’s where my basic knowledge of jewellery making and designing came from, the rest is all self-taught. .
 
When did you decide that you wanted this to be your career?
I graduated from a degree in Geography and realised that I did not want to rush straight into a career with that subject. I began working more hours basically just to pay my bills but I felt like I wasn’t fulfilled. I had been making jewellery for myself for a couple of months and then began sharing it with friends; they encouraged me to start selling it.
 
Scarlett Hearts is just a year old and its going from strength to strength! It is so exciting because I know I have built this all up myself and I’m proud of Scarlett Hearts. I now know that this is no longer just a hobby, I want to continue to grow Scarlett Hearts because I believe it has the potential to be successful! 

Where do you gather inspiration from when you create a new piece of jewellery?

 Inspiration for new piece can come from all over! I have an eclectic bunch of friends who all like different things so they play a large part of my inspiration.

I’m very big on trends and fashion so when a new season is approaching I look at these and try and see ways to bring that into my designs so that people can see my pieces fitting in with their wardrobes.

 
Bloggers and You tubers are great inspiration too as you get to see what is current on the high street through those and again I look at ways I can bring my designs into their wardrobes.   
 
Do you believe that the fashion and jewellery industry go hand in hand?
 I do think both go hand in hand because an accessory can make or break an outfit, it can be that finishing touch.
 
Being a 'one-woman show' at the moment, would you ever consider hiring other people to help make jewellery with you?
I make everything myself but I do get help at busy times from my friends and family! I would love to employ people and have a little studio eventually! 

Your jewellery is incredibly low price! Have you ever considered raising the price? 
The whole point of what I wanted to create with Scarlett Hearts is to have affordable pieces because it’s hard to find that anymore on the high-street and it’s even harder to find that with handmade items! So pieces at Scarlett Hearts will be remaining affordable! J

Would you ever create a collection for a well-known shop or is Scarlett Hearts totally independent?

I’d love to do some collaborations but I like the idea of collaborating with other indie companies. I love working with other creative people as you can come up with something amazing!


I love it when people send me good clear answers like these ones because it means less for me to write, haha!! But on a serious note Scarlett Hearts is one of those labels that you can just tell is going to succeed, even looking on their website loads of the stock is selling out (especially all the pieces I wanted).

My absolute favourite item from Scarlett Hearts has to be the 'Zodiac necklace' (pictured above). In my opinion it's the perfect piece of jewellery - it's simple and can be worn with everything and gives the wearer an indentity, it's the kind of necklace that's a conversation stater on it's own. Selling at £3.50 it's a complete bargin that pretty much everyone can afford.

Ok - well I have to go now or I'll fail my english exam... B.x

This is the website (it's cute innit?)
http://scarletthearts.bigcartel.com/

Festival rules.

I feel that I have been to my fair share of festivals in my life and it's only fair that I share some of the knowledge that I've picked up along the way, rather than doing revision. So, here are a few things that I wish I had known from that very first campsite.

1. ALWAYS TAKE BOOTS, NOT TRAINERS. 
I learnt this the hard way. It was the first time I was going on a festival without my mum and naturally, I didn't listen to any of the advice she was giving me and I thought it would be a good idea if I wore my nikes. If only I could back in time and tell my naive self that what I was doing would end in complete disaster. That year wasn't particularly wet but even so, I kept losing my shoe in the mud and having to run to catch up with my friends. I got back home tired and dirty, with these piles of mud on my feet. I actually managed to save those shoes by putting them in a pillowcase in the washing machine, they were never the same though. Also, no matter how many pairs of socks you have on, your feet will not feel warm at 3am in a pair of vans.

2. SHORTS + THIGH HIGHS > JEANS
It's a rather bizarre statement really, but it's true. There is nothing worse than being in a pair of soaking wet jeans when you don't have a duvet and hot water-bottle waiting for you at home and lets be honest you're not going to have another pair of jeans waiting for you back at the campsite are you?

3. TAKE A MIRROR & LOADS OF MAKE-UP (NOT NECESSARILY NAIL VARNISH THOUGH)
This counts for camping and festivals really. The amount of time that I've spent sitting in a tent looking in the tiny screen of my mobile trying to put eyeliner is insane, it never works and you end up looking really stupid. As for make-up, your usual routine isn't enough. The fun of going to festivals is dressing-up and being able to look like a mentalist without even having to think what everyone else says (not that you should care normally). Trust me, it is such a laugh putting on 6 different shades of eyeshadow, it's pretty much fancy dress for 'grown-ups'.

4. TAKE A TOILETRIES
If you think that you can go 4 days with out a wash, you are so wrong. At least take one of those all body wet-wipes/a toothbrush. You really don't want to be one of the smelly ones. Also - if you're pretty obsessed with greasy hair like me - there is always a sink somewhere that you can wash your hair in.

5. BRING YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT 
Whatever is going on at the festival you are gonna have times when you just want to jam at the campsite. Take your iPod and speakers and something else to take up your time, because you will be without internet and however much you try to deny it - we are all dependent on facebook/twitter.

I hope these have helped and I can't wait for the rain to leave England alone so I go out and do my thing festival-style. If you don't live here, you wouldn't understand how much of a piss it takes. B.x

P.S THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE IS FUN! 

Aisha

Blouse - Charity shop
Jeans - Primark
Vans - Office

My friend Aisha is pretty, playful and a barrel of laughs! Her happy-go-lucky attitude shines through her relaxed style with a twinge of her prized 'Aisha spice', she certainly has a unique outlook on fashion. Here's her various ideas and opinions:

Tell me how you dress in three words?
Urban, chic and ummm.... vintage? I like my charity shops!

Are there any designers or celebrities that you take trends from?
It sounds a bit cheesy but I quite like Jessie J, I quite like what she wears. Like... some of the stuff at dutty is quite nice..


Ok, I know that you really like beyonce..
Oh YES!


Do you think she looks better with her hair curly or straight?
Curly


Mel (she was with us at the cafe): What sort of question is that? 
I'm asking because Beyonce is mixed race..
She's black actually. 


Yeah she's black and she's in the public eye and she bleaches her skin and straightens her hair and  it's not very natural is it?
I definitely think she looks better with curly hair. Her curly hair is weng. 


Do you think she'd look better if she was more natural - if everyone was more natural? Or is a little make-up good?
I think make-up is good because it can boost your self confidence and it's fun.

Does it piss you off (because it pisses me off) that Beyonce bleaches her skin and straightens her hair? Because I find that it's a bit disrespectful and contradicts the message that I think she gives.
I think it's a shame because it's just what people want to see rather than what they need to see.


And do you think if she just decided to go for a really natural look one day everyone would start dressing naturally?
Mel:It's not like she's the queen.. 
She is the queen. I think it would help people explore their more natural side which I think is a bit better. Well not always but it's a bit more true to yourself rather than fake eyelashes. 


Is there anything that you wish you could change about the fashion industry?
I wish it wasn't so expensive! But I think there should be more support for models and women for accepting their bodies, whether being slim or curvy, because that's the way we are and we should support each other to feel more confident about our unique bodies

So what you're saying is that big designers need to get more natural looking women?
Yeah 


Ok - if you saw a size 16 girl modelling Chanel, How do you think that would go down with the public?
I think people would be really uncool about it, but they shouldn't. Obviously it's a bit of a shock because their not used to size 16 models.. Sometimes people can be quite hypocritical because they'll say "why do big girls wear tight skirts? they look fat" but then again why shouldn't they? They are just people! Any girl can wear what she wants! 


Do you try to keep on trend when you chose your outfit - or do you just wear what you want to wear?
I suppose I keep on trend a little bit but I need a little 'Aisha spice'


What is 'Aisha Spice'?
Me.


What do you add to an outfit to make 'Aisha spice'?
I like gold, like gold earrings and eyeshadow - but not like tacky. For instance, I think a little delicate chain could really make my outfit


 Being 15 -do you think that it's silly that some teenagers say that they're more stressed about their appearance rather than their grades?
That is absolute bullshit. People should be worrying about their damn GCSE's rather than what they wear. When you've got all your passes then you can worry about what you are wearing! I understand that everyone wants to look nice and be a bit more confident but trying to find that balance between what you are wearing and other stuff is important for your confidence as well I suppose.


Do you think that some young peoples clothes are offensive to others or should it not matter?
I think that people need to mature into their style. I think people can wear what they want really, but maybe it would be better to wait a bit to wear hot-pants.


Is it unfair that men view women in a different way depending on what they wear?
Well it shouldn't matter what you wear, but I think you should be careful because there are idiots out there that think all women in short skirts want sex. If we were living in a world where everyone was nice we wouldn't have to worry about that, but we're not so I think people should be a bit careful.


And finally - what are your favourite shops or designers?
I like Topshop, Charity shops, Dutty, Urban outfitters and I quite like little boutiques and things like that! 


Thank you Aisha!

*Dutty girl is a boutique in Bristol that has lots of vintage and one of a kind clothing.