Mirroring Meghan Markle’s Royal Style Part One: The Bags

You guy know how much of a fan I am of Kate’s royal fashion, so when Meghan Markle joined the royal family officially, I was thrilled – double the fashion, double the fun! I adore the fact that Meghan brings a whole new style to her official functions, with chic, pared-back pieces being a hallmark of hers. Whilst Kate’s Sloaney, preppy, tailored style is classic and absolutely gorgeous, Meghan’s more laid-back smart-casual wardrobe might resonate more with women who already have a similar style for their everyday looks. So far Meghan’s style hinges on solid primary colours like navy, black, white and green, and consists of skinny or wide leg trousers, simple tops and jumpers, paired with luxurious wrap coats and small, structured crossbody bags which can be carried under the arm or by a top handle.

Here are some of my favourite pieces from Meghan’s wardrobe!

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Get Royally Lippy: Charlotte Tilbury Puckers Up For The Crown with Your Lip Service

You’re not surprised to hear that I am an absolute sucker for anything to do with royalty and my favourite makeup brand, are you? When The Crown debuted on Netflix in November 2016, like everyone else I was enchanted by Claire Foy’s charismatic portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II. And, like everyone else, I coveted her perfectly gorgeous raspberry-coloured pout. Charlotte Tilbury, queen of the makeup trends, released a limited edition lipstick called The Queen, inspired by HRH and with exactly the kind of rich, deep, raspberry colour I was after.

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FFF’s Fashion Stories: March On!

March is a weird month – it’s still freezing, but the sun is shining… from inside it looks warm enough to frolick coatless in the grass, but when you finally get outside you realise you might just need to add a scarf as well…

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My dieting and workout regime is continuing well – I’ve currently lost a stone and a half, despite all my restaurant reviews… To keep myself motivated I’ve been creating fashion flatlays with some of my old clothes, because I know it’s just a matter of time before they fit me again. This is an old ASOS dress (seen on me here), paired with my beloved Chloe Drew, and a new pair of shoes from ASOS. These were purchased as a pretty good replikate for the Duchess of Cambridge’s Gianvito Rossi Suede d’Orsay Pumps. As of writing, the Penalty pumps are still available in most sizes, for the bargain price of £32!

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Oscar De La Renta Platinum Lamé Cabrina Pumps: Channel Kate’s Style for Less!

On 27 February and 17 March, the Duchess of Cambridge wore some incredible high heels from Oscar De La Renta, with a gorgeous sparkling effect. The shoes are available here. (Sign up for 10% off!)

Platinum Lamé Cabrina Pumps Oscar De La Renta Continue reading

Replikates for Gerard Darel Joesphine Shirt

Kate Style: Dress Like The Duchess of Cambridge for Less

Gerard Darel Josephine Shirt replikate.jpg

Last month, Kate wore this pretty little ruffled collar shirt from Gerard Darel under a green Hobbs jacket at an EACH engagement. Priced at £105 (already reduced from £175), this top was pricey, but sold out almost right away. A stock refresh recently sold out too, apart from one lone item in size 44, which you can purchase here.

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Fortune Teller from Ciate's Mini Mani Month Advent calendar: nail swatch

Ciate’s Mini Mani Month 2016: All The Swatches!

My Top Five Nail Polish Swatches from Ciate London

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you’ll probably know that in December, I swatched all the colours from Ciate’s Mini Mani Month advent calendar. I decided to make a post featuring my favourite colours, and there’s a link below to take you to all of the swatches from the advent calendar on my Flickr account!

Starry Night

Starry Night from Ciate's Mini Mani Month Advent calendar: nail swatch

Starry Night from Ciate’s Mini Mani Month Advent calendar: nail swatch

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Skincare regime for oily skin including Liz Earle, Clinique, Hourglass and Estee Lauder double wear foundation

My New Year’s Resolution: Skincare Upgrades!

My quest for skin perfection

Everyone else is sitting there making worthy New Year’s resolutions, like to do more charity work, or to seek inner peace, or to get fit, and here’s me, just desperately hoping that 2017 will be the year that my skin stops resembling an oil slick… I’ve tried hard to not let it bother me, I’ve given it a few half-hearted attempts at switching products around, and I’ve gone through more blotting paper than I thought possible… but really, when perfect strangers comment on your skin’s oiliness in a selfie you thought looked just about okay, you have to start thinking that maybe there’s something else you should be doing…

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Umbriah3 high heel slip on loafers Nine West, replikate for Tod's fringed leather pumps

Christmas Day Replikate: Fur Scarf and Burgundy Brogues

Replikating Kate’s 2016 Christmas Day outfit…

Hold onto your hats, this is another one of those Kate-fashion posts you didn’t ask for…

On Christmas day 2016, the Duchess of Cambridge and her family attended church near the Middleton family home. Not being royal, or in line to the throne, or important or special in any way, I was lounging around on the sofa eating chocolates at the time, wearing a terrible oversized Christmas jumper. Kate, meanwhile, was wearing a gorgeous ensemble of browns and reds – the perfect festive church-going outfit, which was chic and elegant, as well as thrifty! With her old Hobbs Celeste coat (which I’d never really warmed to), she wore a pretty red faux fur scarf, and accessorized with her red suede Mulberry Bayswater clutch, and her red Tod’s fringed leather pumps. See the wonderful What Kate Wore’s post about the outfit here.

I waited for an ID… And waited… Turns out everyone else was enjoying their Christmas day, while I was obsessively checking and double checking my Twitter feed. So, I decided to try and ID it myself, with my first stop being Really Wild Clothing, which definitely carries similar pieces. Nothing there, and nothing at Helen Moore either… So, I decided to Google ‘red faux fur collar’ and the first result that came up was this listing for an ASOS Faux Fur Mini Slot Through Collar.

ASOS faux fur mini slot through collar as seen on Duchess of Cambridge Christmas Day 2016

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My Beauty Obsession: Why Charlotte Tilbury Is The Reigning Queen of Makeup

Darlings, if you haven’t fallen under the magic spell of beauty goddess Charlotte Tilbury, then I don’t know where you’ve been these past couple of years. From cult beauty brand to mega makeup maven, with a beautiful boutique in Covent Garden, Charlotte Tilbury has waved her magic fairy wand over me and thousands of other fans, bringing her special blend of glamour to our beauty bags.


Charlotte’s positive mantra of self-love and confidence, and her ‘beautiful before, beautiful after’ tutorials give her brand a real old-school feminist vibe. Think Hollywood glamour, seductive boudoirs, and Marilyn Monroe singing Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Charlotte calls on the star power of both old Hollywood (with her lipsticks like So Marilyn and Hepburn Honey: still my favourite colour), and new (with Kidman’s Kiss, Secret Salma, and the rest of her Hot Lips collection. This is a celebration of pure feminine power – I bet you didn’t think you could buy that in a tube, did you?


One of the things I love about Charlotte Tilbury is her ten makeup looks – ten core makeup wardrobes that create stunning looks in a variety of themes and moods, collected together so you can just buy the lot and know they all go together.There are five daytime looks, and five heavier evening looks.


The first look I bought was The Uptown Girl, a palette of shimmery greys and pearly pinks for the eyes, and the pink neutral lipstick Bitch Perfect, wearable everyday. Each look is demonstrated in a YouTube tutorial hosted on the site, and many of Charlotte’s lipsticks and eyeshadows are demo’d on a variety of skintones, so you can see how it’ll look on you. There are even suggestions for how to kick it up a notch for evening time (and for Uptown Girl, try switching Bitch Perfect for the bolder Amazing Grace.)


Since then, I’ve purchased palettes for The Sophisticate, The Rock Chick, The Rebel and The Dolce Vita – a combination of gold, brown and deep, browny red, my ABSOLUTE favourite look, and one which I’ll wear any time, any opportunity I get. My most recent purchase was The Vintage Vamp, which is a glorious combination of pinks and reds. There’s just something addictive and simple about collecting makeup looks, and I think Charlotte completely nailed her themes and created a range of styles which will suit almost any lifestyle.


As far as lipsticks are concerned, although Hepburn Honey is my everyday go-to, I’ve actually purchased a ridiculous number of other colours – amongst which my favourites are Stoned Rose, Bond Girl, Secret Salma (actually a press sample!) and The Queen. The latter was a limited edition which was sold out, but given the popularity of The Crown on Netflix, they relaunched the shade! (Pictured above, from top centre going clockwise are Coachella Coral, Bitch Perfect, Nude Kate, Amazing Grace, The Queen, Secret Salma, Hepburn Honey, Stoned Rose and Bond Girl.)


If you’re a makeup novice, or you want to dip your toe into Charlotte’s world, or you want an everyday makeup look that’s easy to apply with great results every time (and easy to take on your travels), then Instant Look in a Palette: Natural Beauty is my number one recommendation. It’s currently available here as a limited edition. Inside the palette are three eyeshadows, two blushes, a highligher and a bronzer. You use all of these to create one, gorgeously understated and flattering look, which you can punch up and add to if you want to go bolder. It’s a massive favourite of mine, and works on so many complexions it’s unbelievable!

There’s even a new Instant Look In A Palette – Seductive Beauty, a limited edition version for £49 which has all the ingredients for a smokey eye and gorgeous cheeks! Yikes… that’s on my wish-list already!

This is my latest love – which arrived today along with Vintage Vamp! This gorgeous deep red clutch is actually storage for four mini makeup brushes! I just couldn’t resist – I wish CT would release a larger version that actually was a clutch you could fit a lipstick and a phone in, but for now this will certainly do!

Have you fallen under the spell of Charlotte Tilbury yet? Let me know what your favourite looks are in the comments below!

And even better, there are currently a few deals going on for special offers! If you spend £100 or more you’ll receive two red envelopes and an exclusive beauty surprise (enter LUNARNEWYEAR at checkout). If you spend over £75 you’ll receive two mini lipsticks in Kim K W and Secret Salma! And… if you use my link here for orders over £75, you’ll get £15 off and so will I!

 

Red is the colour: the ultimate Christmas bag from Ilex London

If you’re still on the lookout for the perfect Christmas bag, can I please introduce you to this beauty, c/o Ilex London?

I love red accessories at the best of times, but there’s no denying that red is the unofficial colour of Christmas. It goes so well with metallics, especially gold, and it pairs beautifully with navy and white – just ask Father Christmas!

Now, while a smart little clutch might seem like the ultimate Christmas bag for parties and cocktail dos, I’m here for your wake-up call. You don’t need a red clutch, you need a red tote! Stuff it full of Christmas cards, hide your partner’s pressie inside when you’re shopping, cram your scarf in there for good measure. Take it to the works party and line it with tupperware to nick sausage rolls and quiche to eat later.

Take it to a carol service and throw the order of service in afterwards. Buy a pack of mince pies and mulled wine and retrieve them on a visit to a friend, and look like the most casually perfect and festive guest in history. Pair it with sequins and tartan and red suede high heels or black novelty slipper shoes.

Wear it with a black velvet dress, or a white shirt and jeans, or a navy skirt and cable knit jumper. Carry it to work, to school, to appointments, to parties, to friends and family – take it on Christmas day and Boxing day and NYE! Put your clutch INSIDE it and then you’ll never be without space for all the things we actually need at parties – your phone, spare lippy, extra tights, a mirror, your keys…

Have I convinced you yet? Nab your Harriet here for £205 (but if you sign up to the newsletter, you’ll get 10% off!) Also, check out the Ilex sale here, where there are a few bags in the same lovely colour red available!