ClaireAugust 16, 2014

AW14 Mini-Trend: The Duster Coat

Buckets full of soz for everyone still clinging onto the dream of summer, but we must face facts that autumn is nearly upon us. Thankfully though, this means we can start getting prepared with autumn/winter shopping and some of next season’s trends are so exciting that we’re sure even the most stubborn sun-worshipping winter hater will look forward to them. Enter mini-trend of the season number 1: the duster coat.

Duster coats are apparently so called because back in the day people wore these long coats when they were riding either on horseback or in carriages, where they would get all dusty from the road. As an olden-days woman I would have been FUMING if my nicely chosen winter outfit had been ruined by dust, so I can understand why dusters were such a biggie. Nowadays, we’re lucky enough to have things like tarmac and car doors to keep us relatively dust-free on our journeys, but that hasn’t stopped duster coats coming back into fashion. Due to their lightweight material, they’ve been spotted out and about during the summer evenings already – but this A/W they’re going to be very big news.

We haven’t actually tried any on yet so we can’t vouch for how the oversized, longer-length jackets are going to look on petite girls. We kind of predict they’re not going to be the most flattering things, but before we see this for ourselves and ruin the dream, we thought we’d share with you some of our fave dusters from the high street. Some of these are already available NOW (so err, what are you waiting for?!) whereas others are due to drop in the next couple of weeks.

Topshop Checked Duster / River Island Red Duster Jacket / New Look Mint Green Duster Coat

I always used to hate coats because I saw them as total outfit-ruiners, but these fresh, contemporary dusters from Topshop, River Island and New Look respectively show that they can be as much a part of your outfit as what you wear underneath. Both the Topshop check and the River Island bright are statement pieces that are sure to brighten up any outfit, while it’s nice to see pastels sticking around for another winter. The New Look one, which is available in 2 weeks, is also a polyester/wool mix and so will be much warmer than the lightweight dusters we’ve seen so far this S/S.

Miss Selfridge Jacquard Duster / New Look Crepe Duster Coat / Topshop Khaki Duster

These three jackets are from the more classic end of the spectrum and so perfect for people who like their coats a bit more neutral. Jacquard is always a popular texture in the winter and the monochrome of this Miss Selfridge coat will mean it goes with everything. New Look and Topshop provide another two corkers; the pale pink New Look coat proves the oversized shape doesn’t need to make the duster masculine, while the Toppers one looks very authentic – I imagine it’d take a dusty road very well indeed.

ASOS also stock a few nice ones and I’ve seen on Instagram that people are snapping up some BEAUTIES from Primark too, so we would definitely recommend checking those out as well. Come payday I plan to launch my own duster coat mission, so I’ll report back on whether it makes us short girls look chic and androgynous, or like a massive sack of potatoes…

What do you all think of the duster coat trend?

ClaireAugust 15, 2014

The Lazy Girls Manicure: The Fake Nail Edit

There are two things in life that I really like: 1) fake nails and 2) being lazy.

While I super respect girls who are amazing at nails and can do all kinds of nail art, I am terrible at it. In fact, I can barely even paint my own nails properly. And even if I do manage to make them look less like I’ve dipped my finger tips into a pot of paint, I am too impatient to wait for them to dry properly and ruin them that way. ZUT ALORS, I am truly an idiot.

So obvi, the only option really is to opt for fake nails. My usual buys are the Boot’s pack of 100 nails which I glue on and paint when I can be arsed. But there are so many beautiful fake nails out there that are definitely worth trying, especially if you’re looking for fake nails that involve zero effort – as well as the opportunity to lie to people who compliment you and pretend you did the nail art yourself.

Here are some of my faves, which I’m sure you will agree are the most beautiful things on the planet ever.

Ted Baker | Faked to Perfection Range

The Ted Baker fake nail range is absolutely beautiful and I have so much love for every single set of fake nails they offer. Each costs £8 to buy, and includes 24 nails and glue. For £8, I really don’t think you can shake your head at that really.

House of Holland | x Elegant Touch Range

If you’ve never come across the House of Holland range of nails, have you been living under a rock with tiny people who know nothing? For anyone looking for amazing nail art that even real life idiots like Josie Cunningham could do, these are an absolute must. The range is quirky and I love it. Some of them come across as a little bit cringe, and I wouldn’t recommend that anyone puts ‘Yolo’ on their hands unless they personally want a punch off me and Claire.

Ali Express | ‘Popular Cute Fake Nails’

Ali Express is an absolutely mad website and shopping on it is pretty bizarre, but it really is a good one to find a bargain on. This couldn’t be more true when it comes to fake nails, because they have a RIDICULOUS amount of nail art on the go for prices that are cheaper than it would cost you for a shot of apple sours. This is a great site if you’re a fan of 3D nails in particular – and I kid you not, prices start from cheaper than £1. Some of them are a bit loud, but worth a look if you’re keen for a bold nail look.

Do you wear fake nails? Which are your faves?

ClaireAugust 14, 2014

14-Piece Real Techniques Dupe Set | Review

Ooh look, someone’s paid a visit to Knock-Off Nigel! Love them or hate them, dupes always get a lot of attention in both the beauty and fashion industries. Let’s be honest, apart from those of us with money falling out of our booties, there’s always a slight appeal to rip-0ffs – even if it’s just out of curiosity to see how well the dupe matches up to the real deal.

I recently spied this 14-piece Real Technique lookalike set of brushes on another blog and aftering finding out it was in the sale on AliExpress for around £8 I couldn’t really resist ordering it. I already own a few Real Techniques ‘inspired'(ahem) brushes that I bought last September (that you can see in this post if you so wish) and with my buffing brush finally starting to shed a little, I realised I could do with a replacement. My brush collection is pretty poor in general too, so I figured adding to my toolkit wasn’t a bad idea. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally start being bothered to wear eyeshadow if I have more ways to poke myself in the eye…

Firstly I’ll point out there’s not even a buffing brush in this set, but obviously that’s my own fault for being a tit and not even bothering to check. However, what the set does include is pretty impressive. There’s a variety of eyeshadow and eyeliner brushes, a couple of flat brushes for liquid foundations or concealers, and a range of powder brushes with different varieties of angles for all your pressing and contouring needs.

As a collection, they obviously look great (though yes, the different coloured bases do annoy me), but to be honest the quality varies a LOT amongst the set. Some of the bristles, particularly on the eyeshadow brushes, are really stiff. This means they aren’t the best if you want to blend, or actually, y’know, keep your eyes not-stabbed. However, a few of the other brushes are really good. My two faves are the large face brush, which I use for powder, and the slightly conical powder brush, which I use for angling bronzer underneath my cheekbones. To show how good the face brush is, here it is next to the genuine Real Techniques face brush:

The fakey is slightly smaller than the real thing, and the bristles are a bit less dense. But other than that, these brushes are practically identical, feeling equally soft and luxurious. Of course only time will really tell how the dupe matches up in terms of shedding and keeping its softness, but for now I’m really impressed with this one and a few others from the collection.

It’s quite unusual for us to give such a lukewarm review of products as we tend to either love things or want to throw them into the fiery pits of hell, but my feelings towards this set are genuinely a bit meeeeeh. Overall I’d say it’s still decent value for money, even if only for the face brushes (I mean, £8, c’mon). However, with half of the brushes being pretty useless for me personally, I’d probably still rather just pick up a few brushes of choice separately via eBay.

Have any of you tried RT dupes? What do you think?

ClaireAugust 13, 2014

Topshop Autumn/Winter 2014 Preview

Hi there folks,

I’m not sure about y’all, but this chilly weather has made me think that summer is well and truly done with. I’m quite pleased actually, since I am very tired of seeing people’s holiday snaps on Twitter and thinking ‘what on earth am I doing in England, I am giving up this shit to become a wine ~~maker~~ drinker in Italy’. Cheers Hurricane Bertha.

On the plus side, not having to think about any form of bikini body has meant I have been able to nibble/shovel cake at work without a care in the world. There is a silver lining to everything.

So, I figured now is the time to do a few more autumn/winter previews, which I hope you chicks who have no holiday to look forward to will appreciate too.

As pretty basic bitches when it comes to finances, it’s not often that Claire and I splash out on Topshop, but it still holds a dear place in our hearts. Sometimes, when I feel like I need a bit of a cheer up, I like popping into Toppers and subsequently get chucked out for accidentally drooling on a pile of clothes. So clearly, it was hugely necessary for me to have a nice perv on the Topshop autumn/winter collection – which is FIERCE by the way.

Cara has been named as the face of Topshop’s autumn/winter collections and by all that is holy, she looks AMAZING. I’m pleased to see a bit of leopard print making an appearance – which as you will have guessed, is one of Stylingo’s passions (aside from drinking tea and discussing the fine points of trap music).

She is so sassy. I’m loving virtually all of these pieces, and looking forward to winter coming, so I can stroll around in a big fur coat, heels and no trousers on. I’m liking how grungey everything seems to be, although that’s not a big surprise, since winter always brings grungier stuff (why is anyone ever surprised that black, dark colours and big coats are a thing in winter I don’t know).

Topshop have also released a few non-Cara snaps, which all look excellent too.

I am particularly keen to wear what looks like a big blanket out. I’m guessing for the skint girls such as myself, it will be acceptable to nip to the shops with a duvet slung around my shoulders. Huzzah.

What do you think of the Topshop autumn/winter 2014 collections?

ClaireAugust 12, 2014

#GrabAMakeover With Grabble

It’s no secret that Grabble are our FAVEY brand in the fashion biz, so when they invited us to their recent event we obviously booked our train tickets down to merry old London faster than you can say “er Mr Bossman, do you mind if we leave early next Tuesday?” (obviously he didn’t mind, in fact we’re starting to think our colleagues are actually relieved when they can get rid of us for an afternoon. Rude, but convenient so who’s complainin’).

Grab A Makeover was held at Andrew Barton’s celeb salon, which was packed with bloggers getting treated to loads of mini treatments including manicures, hair styling and massages. There was also pizza and alcohol, so I’m sure you can imagine what our primary concerns were…

We got the chance to catch up with some of our favourite people like Holly from i2Style and Katie and the rest of the Grabble team, and also finally meet some lovely bloggers including Jen, Courtney and Georgina. Here are a few snaps from the evening – yes I was wearing a fedora to hide my roots from Andrew, oh the shame.

God, was I jelly of Andrew’s tan.

The event was loads of fun, and the raffle also raised over £500 for the wonderful COSMIC charity which is a lovely extra. A huge thank you to the wonderful Grabble team for organising such a great evening, to Andrew for putting up with us all in his salon, and to everyone else involved. The goodie bag was obviously swoon-worthy too. Oh you guyssss.

Do you all love Grabble as much as we do?!

ClaireAugust 10, 2014

Outfit of the Day: Fashion Union Jumpsuit

Jumpsuit: Fashion Union* / Giselle Bag: Marc B / Shoes: Primark / London Retro Sunglasses: Glasses Direct*

Waddup angel faces! Apologies for being such a Squinty McSquinterson in these photos; I’m evidently still not used to the outside world with all its nature and sunshine and crap. Urgh, who needs it.

ANYWHO, I was superrr excited when Fashion Union contacted us recently as I’ve been wanting to try something from them for ever (give or take a month). I fell in love with this jumpsuit as soon as I saw it; the palm print screams summer but the monochrome keeps it more casual and means that I should still be able to wear it into autumn.

The fit is really loose and comfortable, and I’m a big fan of the adjustable straps as it improves the fit for us petite lasses who can sometimes look a little swamped in jumpsuits. It is a little too long for me – but then so are most children’s clothes, so no surprise there – so I teamed it with heels which worked fine. I still might see about getting the legs turned up though as I’d love to wear this casually too.

I kept accessories simple with nude heels, favey Marc B handbag and beaut London Retro sunglasses from Glasses Direct. These are the priciest pair of sunglasses I own at £95, but they’ve been such a staple for me this summer so I can see why people invest in designer shades.

I’m really impressed with Fashion Union after this jumpsuit and am now off to have a full browse at the website and suggest y’all do the same. I mean, do you really have anything better to do with your day? Didn’t think so. Until next time my pretties.

Let me know what you think of this outfit in the comments below, or tweet us @StylingoUK!

ClaireAugust 7, 2014

Why Bloggers Need to Get Over Themselves

Ooh, did I get your attention with my controversial title? Good, bahaha. I’ll obviously point out that in today’s post I’m actually talking about why some bloggers need to get over themselves – the vast majority of bloggers we know are all super lovely swell people, but there is a certain attitude amongst some bloggers that’s been irking us for a while now.

As we work in digital marketing, we get to see both sides of the blogger outreach system, both as bloggers being approached and the brand approaching bloggers. And from both of these perspectives we now and then see the same things: namely, bloggers who need to get over themselves. Whether it’s making cringey requests under #PRRequest hashtag, or bitching that they haven’t been invited to certain events, I’m sure we’ve all seen this type of bad blogger behaviour.

Here are a few of my personal bugbears when it comes to bloggers:

Badmouthing a Company’s Outreach – Especially When It’s Legit

We know there are plenty of companies or individuals who are not great at outreaching to bloggers, but seeing people take to social media and blast a brand is a bit boring to read at the best of times. But what really grates on me is seeing a blogger slag off an outreach campaign simply because it doesn’t match their personal standards.

One shining example of this happened quite a few months back on Twitter. We saw one blogger furiously tweeting about a brand, and then saw her write a whole blog post about the way that this company was trying to scam bloggers. So what did this company have the audacity to do? They put a tweet out for blogger collaborations, which then turned out to be asking for bloggers to guest post for them on their own blog. Said blogger was properly furious about this, stating it was just brands getting something for free by using and abusing bloggers. I have several issues with this bloggers’ beef:

1. guest posting has been used as a way to help blogs for years, as appearing on someone else’s blog and getting a link back to your blog can help with your SEO (as we spoke about in more detail here)
2. social exposure and association with a fashion brand is surely something that, as a fashion blogger, should surely be something fairly interesting to you
3. this blogger had clearly been more than happy to work with the brand when they thought there was a freebie from it, yet not when they realised otherwise

For the record, we ended up writing a guest post for said brand. They still tweet out our article regularly, as well as promoting our other posts across their social channels, and we got a lot of traffic from it. We would rather that than a cheap freebie, ta.

Assuming There’s a Budget and They Deserve to Be Paid

Sponsored posts are fairly commonplace in the blogging industry, however there are many bloggers who are a bit too obsessed with the idea of getting dollar dollar bill. There are a lot of blogging groups out there where you’ll see bloggers slating companies who have offered guest posts or try to outreach with a ‘blog to win’ competition. Common complaints include

“We should not be expected to work for free, we’re valuable to brands and they should stop abusing us”
“There is a marketing budget for advertising so they should pay us”
“I bet the people working at the brands aren’t working for free”

First up, yes bloggers are growing increasingly important to brands, which is why so many of them are thinking of ways to work with us. However, it’s important to stay humble and also realistic. Just because you have 200 followers does not mean brands should be fawning all over you as if the fate of their company rests in your typing hands. Secondly, a blog for most people is rarely advertised as their work. Of course there are full time bloggers but what happened to all this “I blog because I love it” shit that most bloggers will always say when asked? So now writing about fashion, which you claim is your passion, is a chore? Convenient.

Next up, there is not always a budget for blogger campaigns, and this is not a snub. Often digital marketing budgets are small and paid marketing is another kettle of fish entirely to what blogger outreach falls under. Similarly, sometimes there will be no budget as brands have a policy of not paying for links (which should actually be the case, cough cough). Contrary to popular belief, marketeers do not spend their time laughing at how they’ve scammed you while rolling around in money that was originally in a bag labelled ‘Blogger Incentives’.

And finally… no of course they’re not working for free. Check out ‘blog’ and ‘job’ in the dictionary; quite different definitions. You berks.

Taking It All Too Seriously

I know we all put a lot of effort into our blogs, but the fact is that most of us set out to start a blog because it’s fun and is meant to be something we enjoy. To see people slagging off brands, making demands and slating outreach people (who are just essentially trying to do their job) just makes it look like they’ve forgotten why they started, or that they were always in it for the wrong reasons anywho.

Also, as a side note, being that outspoken and bitchy isn’t going to endear you to many PR people. Juuuuust sayin’.

What do you all think about this topic? Let me know in the comments below!

ClaireAugust 5, 2014

Outfit of the Day: Missguided and Vintage Denim

Missguided Swing Dress | Missguided Gold Chain Necklace | Cow Vintage Denim Jacket | Converse

Hey hottays,

I am happy to say that Claire is back in England and I no longer have to cry myself to sleep every night. I’m not really sure how I coped quite frankly.

In my state of unhappiness and woe, I had to go shopping to try and cheer myself up in Claire’s absence. It did help actually, especially since I found this absolutely fabulous denim jacket from Cow, a vintage shop based in Birmingham (although they have shops in Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield too!). If you’re ever in the Birmingham area, I thoroughly recommend a visit to Cow – they have some absolutely EXCELLENT vintage denim and also loads of bags/shoes/dresses/errrrrything. I was really tempted by a chain print blouse while I was there as well, but managed to not get too drawn in (how, I don’t know). They retail online as well, so go and have a nosey kids, this is their website. The Birmingham Cow is based in Digbeth.

Anywho, enough ramblings about how much I enjoy Cow. The denim jacket I got is from the men’s section, mainly because I couldn’t find a ladies one with the right level of acid wash. I wanted it pretty oversized anyway, so I’m MEGA pleased with it even if I am technically cross dressing.

I paired the jacket with a simple Missguided swing dress, a gold chain and my horribly battered converse. I’ve got Rimmel’s Apocolips in Big Bang on my face (no really, I managed to get it in my eyebrow this morning) and fashioned my hair into some french braids.

HUZZAH. I only slightly look like an alien in that little selfie OH WELL.

ClaireAugust 4, 2014

Outfit of the Day: Sports Luxe

Top: Brave Soul via ASOS / Shorts: Motel Rocks / Sandals: Primark

Hey there lads and lasses! So I have to say that sports luxe is a trend I never really felt brave enough to attempt, feeling that my take on joggers and heels would look less ‘fashion’ and more ‘confused chav’ (which is basically what I am, but we must try to hide this from the world). However, I think with this outfit I’ve sort of managed the varsity-inspired smart/casual blend that has been intriguing me for a couple of seasons now.

I’m in love with this Brave Soul top that I picked up in the ASOS sale a couple of weeks ago. You can’t see too well in the photos but it’s actually a perforated jersey so has that authentic sports vibe, but the cropped fit keeps it from being too masculine (which is a good thing considering I have shoulders broad enough to take on any American footballer). I also like the fact that the print isn’t a varsity number or anything too sporty, as I think that’s a leeeeedle bit done and dusted now.

To add the smarter edge to the outfit I paired the top with these beautiful embossed white shorts from Motel. I got these as part of a co-ord, but they’re so versatile I’ll get plenty of wear out of them on their own. I can’t track them down on the website any longer which is a DARN shame, but they still have the black version here and they’re currently in the sale for £15 so GO MONKEYS, GO.

Of course my Primark sandals also had to be worn. Legend says that I’m actually incapable of wearing any other shoes at the moment…

What do you all think of this outfit?

ClaireAugust 1, 2014

Things We Learned From Bridget Jones

Before you all shout ‘WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT LAUREN, BRIDGET JONES IS 10 ZILLION YEARS AGO, YOU ARE BORING’, I say to you: shut up, I am very busy and important.

I realised again yesterday that Bridget Jones is possibly my favourite film ever. I’m not a big film watcher, because I don’t feel like I can commit to a full 2 hours of watching something (God help the man who decides to marry me). But Bridget is something I watch about once a month, and I will never AND I SAY NEVER tire of the brilliant woman (apart from Mad About The Boy, that was just upsetting). So, I have decided to put together a little post about the things we learned from good old BJ – because let’s face it, there are many.

1. Only Strippers and Victoria’s Secret Models Can Get Away With Pole Dancing

Haters can hate, but the whole pole fit phenom has separated the graceful girls from the horrific uncoordinated lunatics like myself. Yes, we might think that having a go on the pole will instantly make us look sexy and wicked, but no. Somehow, it makes us look even more tragic than we already are. Remember Bridget’s fireman’s pole incident? That is what we look like.

And don’t even try to upload pics to Facebook balancing about a foot off the ground with a pole mushed between your thighs, because people will laugh at you and think ‘what an absolute bell’.

2. Sexy Pyjamas Are Stupid

It’s all very well wearing a little nightie and walzting around looking fierce, but I think that Bridget has taught us a valuable lesson in pyjama wearing – i.e. matching flannels with penguins on are approximately 40 times better. But why, you ask? Well firstly, there are a lot of logistical problems when wearing nighties. For example, how on earth are you supposed to down shots of vodka? You might end up with some spillage issues, which could have been nicely soaked up by your flannels. Secondly, a nice pair of flannels allows for more movement when you’re dancing around your flat to ‘All By Myself’ – that’s something that a nightie just couldn’t offer. And of course, thirdly, your flannels will offer an extra layer of protection when you get eaten by Alsations.

3. Hair Rollers Are Somewhat Baffling

Right, as a bit of a beauty blogger, this is a bit shameful to admit. I like hair rollers, and I’m currently having a MAJOR love affair with my Sleep In Rollers but I never manage to get them quite right. All that rolling and clipping is hard for heaven’s sake, and don’t even get me started on the back of the head problem. The curls and volume I get are fine, but nothing on the K-Middy level of boucibility. Bridget knows.

4. Stalking Your Boyfriend Will Get You A Mini Break

Yes, everyone goes on about how you should trust your boyfriend and all that nonsense but Bridget has proven that stalking your boyfriend not only lets you find out whether or not the long legged lady friend he has is a lesbian, but also will basically definitely get you a skiing mini break. So, if we take Bridget’s advice, we need to clamber around our boyfriends’ houses, get some leaves stuck in our hair (so he can shake his head in amusement before he snogs you) and possibly try and get up a tree if we can. Once we’ve done that, he will say ‘You are mad, but do you want to come to France and ski?’ and you will say ‘Yes, that sounds marv’. Job done.

5. Being An Idiot Is Not Too Bad

For those who know me, I am an absolute walking failure at life. Whether its getting common phrases wrong (e.g. ‘stop twisting my leg’) to continually walking into things, I am more than a little bit silly. I try to hide it by not opening my mouth too much, but its pretty much unavoidable the majority of the time. But thanks to our dear friend and colleague Bridget Jones, I am convinced that being a ridiculous human isn’t too bad – and in fact, will get me a job on telly and I might also get a free sky dive out of it. Huzzah.

All that’s left to say really is, thank you Bridget. You are the light of our lives.