Bunny Loving

They say a dog is "man's best friend". But what about us females?! 

For most of us young and aspiring women, the notion of being a "stay at home" housewife / dog minder whilst the man is at work is slowly but surely becoming a rather unappealing dream.

Don't get me wrong - yes, most do still have a certain "knack" for nurturing various beings (as do men), but how does one channel such energies in the modern day?

The answer - rabbits. 

Although many "young people" associate the furry friend with the empire created by a certain 80-something-year-old-in-a-robe *cough* Playboy *cough*; bunny rabbits do still have that loving quality that predates the rise of the industry. Furthermore, they are perfect for those who work (Rabbits are able to entertain themselves for much of the time) yet they still need that bit o' loving (which can be scheduled into one's busy schedule via blackberry or iPhone).

A prime example of how to introduce the furry friend into one's life is simple, shown by my recent purchase.

My mother, a full time worker, was in need of something to look after once my brother and I left home. 

My solution - a bunny rabbit.

So, on her birthday I purchased the rabbit (now called Toffee) and my mother's need to nurture has been fulfilled.

For those who are a) not in full time work b) not a mother and c) male, the rabbit is also an acceptable choice.

Reasons being a) no love is enough love, so you can always find something to do with the bunny

b) these are perfect pets for student housing for the reason they are easy to look after and entertaining

c) men too have a nurturing quality. just less stereotypically so.

On that note. Please remember bunny's are for life not for Christmas, Chanukah or any other reasonably religious event.

Jaz xxx

Toffee, the over-sized Dwarf rabbit and I

Fancy A Snog?

After many emails from various fashion houses warning me of the potential debt I am about to run into (ie: their future sales), I realised if one is going to spend an obscene amount of cash they must balance this unhealthy habit with one of a more healthy stature. And this leads me to the need for frozen yogurt, and not just any fro yo - a Snog.

Going for the fruity option?

For those of you who are unaware of the agave nectar-filled phenomenon let me explain using a scenario. 

You've been shopping in Covent Garden for a good three hours. As your mind fails to differentiate between the different Kurt Geiger designs you know it is time to escape before you've purchased heels that are a size too small or trainers in the incorrect colour (such mistakes only take place when exhausted, of course). Although as humans we have the tendency to try to "do it all in one go" and therefore avoid what is known as "a break" (I know, alien to most of us who live in the modern day), with the help of Snog's delicious products this is no longer the case!

Be tempted by their range of natural yogurt, while deciding between being a guilty or fruity Snogger. I personally decide based upon my most recent purchase, a method of elimination you may wish to use. Here, if my last buy was unnecessary the guilty option is taken and therefore I will enjoy a brownie and oreo topped-treat. However, if my last purchase was semi-sensible and "essential" then a fruity Snog is chosen. (Although most of the time I decide I'm bang in the middle of both and therefore have a mixture of toppings...) 

Regardless of your choice, by having a mid-afternoon Snog I believe you are less likely to buy that unnecessary item, so this is clearly a cost effective way to have that break so well promoted by KitKat!

Don't believe me? Try it.

xxx

Lip or Eye debate

As the days become sunnier and the trouser length slowly shortens to the knee (or in more unfortunate cases the upper thigh) it is time for a make-up change.

Luckily, this season is bringing bright back-with the focus on the eyes and lips. However, although this is all exciting for all of us who remember the days of face-paint and dress up, it does create a problem - what does one focus on? (Note: although Rihanna, Boy George and others can pull dramatic eyes and lips off, for the average fashionista less is more).

So the debate begins. For all those with dark eyes and long eyelashes, focus on the lips. Clearly, you're blessed insofar as being able to save much money on less mascara - so focus on the lips to highlight this.

My personal favorite lip paint is Mac's, try Sheen Supreme lipstick, and to go with the bright colour trend choose "Quite the thing!" if you're daring or "Look at her!".

However, if you're blessed with lips that are naturally tinted and would rather focus on your "windows into the soul" (eyes) then use Mac's new "In Extra Dimension" eye shadow, promising to create striking looks. I advise wearing a nude lip in contrast with "Lunar" or "Rich Core" eyeshadow to stick with this season's bright colours theme.

So the result of the debate? Choose your less dominant feature and dress it up as if you were about to walk Vivienne Westwood's runway...

xxx

The Motto

Whilst wandering around town the other day I saw this poster in Urban Outfitters.

Take a moment.

All you fashionistas are probably thinking the same thing - we now have a reason to shop guilt-free.

 Why?

 We're contributing to the economy's recovery so therefore shopping has become a selfless deed.

In case you need more convincing please watch...

Drake, "The Motto" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYDKK95cpfM&ob=av2n 

When Procrastinating

For all you who are attempting to avoid the Monday blues (triggered by lack of work and organisation over the weekend...) here's some rules.

1 - Despite what anyone says, ignorance IS bliss. Need a place to start? Then follow the link below to view David LaChapelle's latest work...

http://www.davidlachapelle.com/

2 - Productive procrastination is always worthwhile. I tend to make my nails the point of focus for this...but hair, makeup and occasionally paper can also be used as doodle space.

3 - Finally, fashion wish lists will move the day forward. This can include a list for the "will buy" and another for "will not ever afford", with the latter being the much more exciting. This can take from ten minutes to ten days to write, either way it will make monday move faster...

Remember, procrastination is not "avoiding" but "finding something more worthwhile".

xxx

Realistic Representation

So apparently I know how to cheekily disappear of the face of the internet without explanation. Apologies for that, apparently I had to do things in the real world; EUGH!

As a "welcome back to blog" note I thought I'd talk about how last month Israel banned underweight models from the catwalk. 

How is this significant?

It cannot be denied that the size of models on the runway directly correlates to the number of eating disorders recorded among young people. Therefore, by a country stopping unhealthy fashion models from walking, it is hoped the amount of such illnesses will be reduced. This is a major step forward in the fashion world, and could influence other countries to do the same. If so maybe we'll see a variety of shapes walking up and down the catwalk, as fashion comes in all sizes.

For those of you wishing to promote a healthy catwalk follow @allwalkscatwalk. 

Year of the Clash.

For those who have not yet been enlightened by the array of prints featured in every store in the country, brace yourselves.

According to the recent catwalks this season is set to be flamboyant, but not to the extent each one of us will end up looking like Gaga on the way to Waitrose.

For example;

River Island (Men) = Polo shirts (the stylish bit) + striking prints (the flamboyant bit)

Topshop = a range of bomber jackets (the stylish bit) + insane patterns (the flamboyant bit)

A few guidelines regarding this trend...

1-Use catwalks for inspiration, if you like a look a high street store will have already copied it by now...(hopefully!)

2-Maximalist clothes are striking enough without extensive accessories. So females, don't put on loads of makeup unless you want to look like a walking traffic light...or use makeup to heighten your look in a classy way. (natural is in for the season anyway!)

3-Choose a style that will enhance your figure in the right ways. It's easy to look at an item and buy it because the print is exciting, yet try various prints on as some compliment body shape whereas others will highlight unwanted areas! 

So get to the shops and start attracting maximum attention.

xxx

The power of #trends

The role of twitter has become more and more dominant in my life, so the evolution of it therefore needs to be broken into stages that I'm sure most have experienced.

#1: I used it to follow my friends. 

#2: I tweeted. 

#3  I realised people make more of an impact in less than 120 characters than in a novel (ish)

#4  I now use it to know exactly what is going on in all aspects of my life.

Fascinating.

However, will this last or just be (pardon the pun) another trend?

#discuss.

Animal Madness

With all of the gorgeous animal prints that keep showing up in various fashion weeks I thought it would be fitting for me to join in...

However, as oppose to designing my own collection (I've already admitted to my rather impatient designing efforts...) I thought I'd share a photo I took a while ago. 

Titled "Animal Cruelty" I dressed some volunteers in tiger-print and then took advantage of the body paint I had to "animalise" them.

After taking what felt like a lifetime of photographs I chose this one to front my collection, and the use of barbed wire directly in front of the camera lens proved successful as I think this captures the need to escape perfectly!

Going for the Chop?

Many of us decide to make a few changes at the beginning of a new year. Being a self-confessed hair obsessive, I'd been contemplating short hair (or mid-length hair if we're going to get specific) for a while and now the change has been done! New year, new hair and all that jazz (excuse the name association there).

So for any of you wanting to change your hair to bring in the new year, whether to an Emma Watson cut (voted most influential hair of 2011) or just a change of colour I can now say DO IT! Hair always grows back anyway! And as for those who can grow facial hair, 2012 is the year of the beard in my opinion, so restrain from the razor if you can!

Here's my hair cut (a good 5 inches gone!)

and this was it before...

 

So ladies and gentlemen, book a hair appointment now!

Hello 2012

January normally leads to a few things for me....

1-I'll spend too much on things I don't need in the "January Sales"

2-I'll feel guilty about my purchases and take the new items back

3-Whilst in the shop taking my "sale items" back I'll end up buying something from the newer collection.

New years resolution? I'm thinking of stopping this annoying habit and avoiding sales all together-and instead focusing on the new collections...

If you're in the same mindset as me see if this "resolution" works for you!!

Happy New Year, spread the word

xxx