Emmanuelle Alt named Editor in Chief of French Vogue

Emmanuelle Alt, French Vogue's Fashion Editor, has now been named the successor to Carine Roitfeld, and will step into the position as Editor in Chief at the acclaimed fashion magazine as of February 1st 2011. This fashion chameleon has managed to create a name for herself, often being called "one of the chosen ones", mostly due to her radiating French style and unique attitude towards fashion. Not only does Alt demonstrate fashion charisma as far as the eye can see, but she is one to always be experimenting with different looks. Thus... masculine, gothic, classy and futuristic pieces find their way into her "we-want" wardrobe.

Goodluck Emmanuelle.

Blake Lively to be Purse Ambassador for Chanel

 

Having been on the cover of Vogue twice, said to have hair just as iconic as Rachel from friends (aka Jennifer Aniston) and having shot to startdom in one of the most popular and talked-about hit teen shows since The OC, this unique American starlet has yet again made headlines after being appointed the"official ambassador" of Chanels new Mademoiselle handbag.

Karl Lagerfeld, whom was introduced to the blonde bomshell through mutual friends and fashion heavy-weight Anna Wintour, came to admire Blake after meeting her before his couture show last July. He describes her as "a kind of American dream girl" and utterly believes that she embodies everything that Chanel has grown to respesent, that being classic, iconic, timless and forever relevant clothing.

OOTD - Red Velvet

It feels like I haven't made an OOTD post in a while, so here is a fun one from this weekend. Although I found the sales quite disappointing this year, with stock that had been in the shops 4 seasons ago suddenly popping up on the rails, there are always items that tempt me. When you are feeling a little sensitive about a few rounder edges that have developed over the festive season (I know I am!), but need a couple of new outfit injections, there are still shoes! There will always be shoes!

Shirt dress - courtesy of Love (find it here), camisole (just seen) - M&S, stirrup leggings - ASOS, shoe boots - Office.

With my toes tactically on display in this weather a warm jacket was a must!

 Tailored leather jacket - Reiss.

Completely impractical, but I adore them! Surprisingly they are the most comfortable heels/ wedges I own as they are extremely light. The moment I put them on my feet immediately felt at home. I know these shoes will not be to everyone's taste, so feel free to let me have your opinions ;). xxx

Finally! We Got The Pro Wedding Photos!

We got our wedding photo album the other week but we have been waiting patiently to get the digital copies so we can share the pics with our friends.  There's a few we definitely want to get printed.  The photographer did a great job and we were really happy with the way the pics turned out.  His style is a little different from your usual wedding photographer because he also does fashion photography so he gives you alot of direction.  Thank god for that because I had no idea what I was doing! ha ha.  I didn't include any of the bridesmaids or too many of the family as I'm not sure they would want to be plastered all over my blog.lol.

I like the sepia effect of this pic because it makes it look retro and that bit more glamourous.

I actually got into the dress in this room at the cottages we were renting, because I needed the room to deal with all the underskirts!  No one had seen me in the dress except for my mum and my mother in law, who helped me get into it.  This is when I started to get a bit nervous!

Typical Irishmen! This pic makes me laugh and I like the informal, fun feel to it.

Ahhh, my handsome husband, Chris.  He decided he wanted to wear a kilt for the wedding.  He chose a family tartan so it had a soecial meaning.  Irish folk wore kilts back in the day too and continue to do so, like the Scottish, as symbol of Celtic identity.

This was taken to the side of the cottages where were were staying on the weekend of the wedding.  It was so picturesque and just beautiful! There was a woodland next to us with a big stream bubbling over rocks.  It was great that we had such a lovely backdrop so close by.

This was taken in the car as I arrived at the venue for the ceremony.  I was was feeling a mixture of complete happiness, excitement and slight nerves about everyone staring at me.  I was terririfed I would trip and fall over!ha ha.

This photo makes me and my dad laugh because he looks totally bereft and miserable!ha ha.  My mum also told him off for not holding his arm up at a 90 degree angle.  He said he was feeling so many different emotions and that it hadn't sunk in that I was actually getting married until he started walking down the aisle with me.  He said it was difficult to hand his child over to be looked after by someone else.  Awww bless!

This was taken after we gave our vows and I love the way he made it look like we were the only two people there.  The photo has a really intimate feel to it and it's one of my favourites.

We had already signed the register but we were asked to pose and pretend we were signing it.ha ha.  We were both in a complete bubble that day and everything went so fast.  The ceremony felt like it only lasted 10 minutes when in reality, it lasted about 40 mins.

I love the shape of that window that looked out onto Loch Lomond.  It was the perfect backdrop for the ceremony given that me and Chris both love the outdoors.

There was alot of laughing during the ceremony from myself and Chris because we were both a bit nervous so if either of us did something wrong or tripped up on ours words, we just started giggling.

The ceremony had finished and we were whisked away to have our photo taken back at the cottages 5 mins up the road.  We were both just constantly beaming with cheesy smiles.  I've never felt that kind of bubbling, excited happy that I felt that day...I couldn't have wished for a more perfect wedding day from the weather to the ceremony to the meal and evening.

The stream and woodland was a great place to get some more arty shots taken.  At one point the photgrapher asked me to face Chris, then for him to lean me back over the side of the railings, with my train over the side.  It was almost touching the water at that point! I had this horrible thought as I was leaning back that the old railing might not be able to take the weight of both of us.  I wouldn't have been too happy if we had both fallen in! ha ha.

This was the front door to the cottage my mum and dad were staying in and since it had the cool antlers above the door (they were fake I might add!), we thought it would make a great pic.  It's weird getting direction from a photographer because it's A LOT harder than you would think.  You're concentrating on getting every part of your body in the right place and angle.  I was really tired after the marathon of photographs!lol.

We went down to the pier in the small village next to the venue and there were loads of tourists around...it was Loch Lomond afterall!  They were all watching us as we posed for our photographs so that was a bit embarassing! There were old women saying "awww, young love".ha ha.

This photograph was a really tough one to take because I was having to look directly into the sun's glare so I kept squinting or sneezing.  It took a while to get the shot and by then my stomach was killing me from tensing my abdominal muscles for so long!ha ha.  I even got a little round of applause from the tourists watching from the pier above because they saw what I went through.  What you can't see in the pic is that there were two people having their lunch in the boat next to me so they were watching me the whole time!

I really like this photo because it just looks like we're having a casual chat with eachother...photos are always better when they are less posed I think.  They always come across more natural that way.

I was really happy with the cake.  I bought it from M&S for only £120, it was just a plain cream icing cake with a waterfall arrangement of cream fondant roses down the front.  I got the florist to add some thistles into the design and a corsage of cream roses, thistles and greenery on the top.  All the professional cakes I looked at were £600+ so I thought I did really well to come up with this for only £150, including the extra flower arrangement!  You dont have to spend a fortune to get something special.

So I hope you enjoyed seeing my wedding photographs!

Rihanna's New Perfume & A Few Product Raves

I had no idea that Rihanna was bringing out a perfume until I randomly stumbled across the info today on MSN.  With some further research, I found these images, courtesy of RIHANNADAILY.com.  The scent is called Reb’l Fleur and it will begin rolling into department stores stateside on January 25th (priced at $49 for a 1.7 oz. bottle) and it is hoped it will be introduced to international markets within three months.

Apparently the name Reb'l fleur was chosen because Rihanna's grandmother used to call her 'Rebel Flower'.  The scent will be a mixture of ripe fruits and sumptuous florals, as well as a musky mix of vanilla, patchouli and amber.  It sounds interesting! I'm not a fan of the bottle though...I think they could have created something like a gorgeous clear crystal rose head with faux silver barb wire around it to link in with the pale pink rose she's holding in the ad campaign.  That would have given the idea of softness with a tough edge.  That's just my opinion though, I just don't feel that the bottle matches the feel of the promo pics.

I have to say that I adore the makeup and hair in the promotional pic below! It looks like they have created a really nice smokey eye with varying tones of purple and a really pretty highlight on the cheekbones.  It contrasts her red hair in such a gorgeous way and her eyes look amazing...

Rihanna also posted a twitpic recently from the “Fly” video shoot with Nicki Minaj but a release date hasn't been detailed as yet.  Rihanna's makeup in the pic below looks very similar if not the same as the look from her perfume ad's but with more subtle false lashes.  It'll be interesting to see what the styling will be like for the video because Nicky Minaj has this Harajuku Barbie look going on so she often looks like a cartoon character which I secretly love.  She takes everything to the extreme...those false lashes are crazy as is the hair and saftey hazard outfit!  She could have Rihanna's eye out with one of those...the spikes I mean! ha ha.

When I heard the title of the song, I expected it to be an upbeat number about how fine they are.  BUT it's actually more of a 'believe in yourself' kind of ditty.  Not sure about it yet but it could be a grower.  What do you think? 

I wanted to do a few random raves about products I have been using over the last few weeks and have been really impressed by.  First up is this SBC Advanced Skin Care Propolis Gel, I got my 250ml pump bottle for £32.35 from here.  Here's the blurb "Light textured, easily absorbed, non-sticky, water-based gel.  Propolis wax is created by bees to protect the hive. Rich in minerals, vitamins and bio-flavanoids. Possesses anti-bacterial and moisturising properties. Helps to calm sensitive skin.  May be especially helpful on chapped skin".  Now if you have normal skin then you could stick to your usual moisturisers but for people like me, with Psoriasis, I have to take extra care of my skin.  I absolutely hate heavy moisturisers that leave a sticky, oily residue on your skin because it feels horrible and it slowly ruins your clothes.  This gel is so light, it absorbs almost immediately but it leaves my skin so nourished and soft and it has really clamed my skin condition.  You can get great deals on this gel on channels like QVC too so it's best to wait for a promotional item on there to bag yourself a couple for cut price.  This gel is also the PERFECT pre-self tanning moisturiser.

I can say without a doubt that L'Occitane's Shaving Gel For Men is the best I have ever come across.  Don't be put off by the fact it's for men, I actually like the sandlewood, masculine scent anyway.  I have been using this about 3 years now and I can't use any other shaving gel because it just doesn't match up to this product.  It's more expensive at £11 for 150ml can from here (with free delivery) but it lasts for absolutely ages because it's so rich and creamy, you only need a tiny amount.  Chris won't use any other shaving gel now so he's well and truly converted as well.  The gel contains Cade (Juniper) and Lavandin essential oils which both help to prevent cuts, irritation and dryness.  I used to get loads of little red bumps on my legs after shaving but I've never had that problem with this product.  My skin feels gorgeous after using this product...you HAVE to try it! If you have a L'Occitane store near you then ask for a free sample, they always have loads.  You will never want to use any other shaving gel ever again!

Because I get my hair highlighted, I have to take extra care over the ends to ensure they don't get dry and straw-like.  I started using John Frieda Sheer Blonde Healthy Attitude Leave-In Nourishing Spray by applying it to my hair whilst damp, then blowdrying.  It has a dual effect of acting as a heat shield and also nourishing the hair at the same time.  It has made a big difference to the tecture of my hair as it feel really soft and silky now and also super shiny.  I bought it for £4.99 from Boots, the price seems to have gone up slightly to £5.10 but I'm guessing that's because of the recent increase in VAT rates.

I was watching City Of God last night on Sky.  It's a Brazilian (subtitled) crime thriller made in 2002, which I have on dvd already but it's such a brilliant film, I was happy to watch it for the 5th time.  If you get a chance to see it, then grab it, I really recommend it.  I know some people can't be bothered with subtitled films but this is really worth it.  City of God is based on a true story that takes place in the 1960's, where in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, two boys growing up in the neighborhood take different paths in life. The story is told through eyes of Buscape, a poor young fisherman's son who dreams of becoming a photographer one day. His story narrates the violence and corruption surrounding the city and the rise and fall of one of the city's most notorious boss', Li'l Ze.  As war wages on the streets, Buscape's only way out of this violent life is to expose the brutality of this world through his pictures. Along the way the lives of others are put into perspective as their stories intersect with the events that take place.

Another subtitled film that is very much worth the extra work of reading is Pan's Labrynth.  It's set in 1944, in the post-Civil War in Spain and it depicts rebels still fighting in the mountains against fascist troops. A young girl, Ofelia, travels with her pregnant and sick mother Carmen Vidal to the country to meet and live with her stepfather, the sadistic and cruel Captain Vidal.. During the night, Ofelia meets a fairy and together they go to a pit in the center of a maze where they meet a faun that tells that her she is a princess from a kingdom in the underground. He also tells that her father is waiting for her, but she needs to accomplish three gruesome, tough and dangerous assignments first.  If you liked Lord Of The Rings, then chances are you'll like this film.  I think it's one of the best films I've seen in the past few years, just because it's so unique.

Don't you just love those movie voice overs...I've got a double chin trying to do an impression of it now so thank god you can't hear me! I always end up in a coughing fit when I do that voice! ha ha.  So a very mixed post today, but you know me, I never stick to just one subject!

Have you seen either of these films? Are you excited about Rihanna's perfume or her song with Nicky Minaj?