Exams are over!!

Hey everyone! Its finally the Christmas holidays and I feel like I can finally enjoy myself and watch some movies without feeling guilty about doing it instead of studying.

So my exams went well, I can honestly say that im pretty sure I've passed and im at that stage where I just wanna put all that out my head and focus on my collection over the next few weeks cause thats really taken a back seat.

Its Christmas soon! And once the fun is over ive decided that I will finally do a swatch video of my ysl lipstick collection for everyone to see so keep an eye out for that!

So today was my first day off on the holidays so I just relaxed and had fun with it but tomorrow i'm going to work and then straight after that im going to the gym because the increase in uni work and revision means that I havent been in a month which is scandelous!

I've gained a few pounds over the past few weeks and now that all the stress is out the way I really wanna focus on getting my health back on track. The exams have lead to me smoking again which is devastating and the amount of junk food I've consumed has been shocking!

So I'm currently 13 stone 4lbs but before anyone is like "holy crap WHAT!?" I am 5'9 so weight looks way different on me than others who are shorter and to be honest it isnt really bringing me down or that it's just that I would love to get back to under 12 stone cause I looked really good back then :p

So! The aim over the holidays is to get back into the gym routine and be under 13 stone before i go back to uni. That gives me a month to lose 4 pounds so we're aiming for 1lb loss a week.

I might make this a frequent feature on the blog im not sure but I really feel like a fresh start. To get back to 11 stone by june so that I look banging for grad ball would be grand!

So heres to the fresh start!
And heres to having a fantastic time over the holidays, I for one will be making the most of them!

Below are some photos of the chaos that was revising for these exams, I am a huge fan of flash cards...

Going Out-Out

Time for a major outfit appreciation post! Not done one of these in a hella long time.
So recently I've been spending a bunch of time going out with friends and I done a load of overtime at work so I've been able to indulge in new clothes and such for nights out.

If I could describe my "out-out" style I would begin by saying that I'm not a girl who likes wearing proper skimpy dresses that are all boobs, butt and legs. I also hate anything body-con cause I have a tummy and my bum is pretty big and therefore doesn't need any more attention.

Hemhem, anyway... I am a lover of little A-line dresses, shorts and blazers, nothing too revealing (I like to TRY and keep it classy) so anyway here is a little collection of my going out outfits from last month!

As you can see I am a strong believer in the mirror pic selfie (honestly too cool)

 

The above two pictures are from the same night. I got these stunning fuschia shorts and black top from topshop and the blazer is from river island. The blazer is really baggy but I like the 'boyfriend-blazer' style it gives. 

These two are from a night out shortly after in which is wore the shorts (again) but paired them with a topshop t-shirt for a casual look that could let me go from casual drinks in a bar to a night out with my friends.

This outfit is from this weekend and was purchased because I was going to dinner, then the movies, then the pub and then a night out so I needed something very versatile that would be suitable. I think the statement necklace really took it to the next level. I'm not a massive fan of accessories because I often forget to put them on but this was stunning. Both the dress and necklace were from New Look.

Planning for the Future-Careers Adviser

Hey guys! So as you know I'm in my final year at university which means that I need to start thinking about what I want to do in the future, something that I'm sure everyone is terrified to do.

A girl I work with turned to me the other day and asked "Don't you think it's insane that they expect us to know what we want to be at 17?"

No!!

 

The truth is that whilst it is seems crazy that you have to pick a higher education course to dedicate the next 4 years of your life to, the fact of the matter is that that course can make you qualified for a vast number of jobs. A few weeks ago I bit the bullet and visited my careers adviser and it is incredible how many jobs my university course allows me to apply for.

 

The bottom line is that whilst you may not know exactly what job you want to go into, you aren't limited on options.

 

To those of you who are reading this and thinking "Hmmm, maybe I'll book an appointment with my careers adviser tomorrow..." DO IT! Infact I have a few reasons for you to take that first step.

 

1. I had no idea what I wanted to do or what areas of work I wanted to go into but I had a very good idea of what areas of my course I enjoyed, and which ones I hated. Before you go to see your adviser make a list of the parts of your course you like and don't like, this will help narrow down your options and will ensure that you end up going for a job that you will actually love doing.

 

2. The careers adviser will have multiple books and leaflets on the many jobs out there (job profiles) and will be able to show you these and discuss what jobs will be best suited to your areas of interest and course.

 

 

On my first meeting I told my adviser I had no idea where to even begin in regards to what I wanted to do after university, my only helping hand was that I knew I liked Production Management and the Design Process as well as other similar classes to this. I also knew that when my mentor came to do a talk at my university (before she was my mentor) her job sounded absolutely perfect.

 In the end it turned out that I had a much better idea of what I wanted to be than I knew I had (if that makes sense) and that the job I was describing was a Garment Technologist. I had no idea what on earth that job was until my adviser gave me a job profile on Garment Technologists and hey presto! Hiya Dream job!!

 

Another fantastic reason to go to your careers adviser is that they will be able to help you with your CV, cover letter and the one at my university will even do a mock interview with you and discuss the type of questions you are likely to be faced with.

 

My CV now flows much better and I'm ready to get a cover letter typed out that makes me sound the best I possibly can to a potential employer.

 

I think the best piece of advice I can give to anyone in my position (4th year student, graduation looming, prospects of leaving home and being all independent are totally reliant on you getting a cracking first job) is to get started as soon as possible. You can never be too prepared for that first step. Its all good getting your degree but it's what you use it for after all the celebrations are over that's important.

 

I've got a list somewhere of a whole bunch of job seeking sites for graduates that I'll post on here in the future and In the next few weeks I'll do a post on what my CV is laid out like to help those of you who want to make yours look as good as possible!

 

Much love guys!

Here come the exams!

This year is going far too fast! I'm currently in the library practising for a presentation I'm doing tomorrow that goes towards my final degree! I'm amazed I'm so calm right now, it's all taking me back to when I wrote the post on here on the eve of my presentation last April on Factory layouts and auditing.

I'm finally going to be stepping into the workshop on Wednesday to do some pleating samples that will aid in my final collection which is a lot of pressure off my shoulders, most of the people in my class would probably tell you that getting back into the workshop feels like such a progression this year.

My exams are now less than a month away as well which has got me all panicky! I actually don't remember being this tense last year but then again I don't remember normal classes being so stressful either...

I am so excited to get all of my sketches and drawings done so that I can just get started on the sewing, It'll be good as well after this week is done because that means at least all of the scary presentations are over!

Anyway I'll post about how everything went next week as well as hopefully do a review on my first ever BB cream purchase!

Work Experience Weeks 2 and 3

Hey everyone!!! Christmas is coming and I'm feeing the buzz more than ever at work and on placement! Things have been getting a little crazy with the amount of business we're getting in the run up to the festive period.

Things have been going really well on my placement, last week I worked in the cash office and learnt about how the store deals with its profits and receipts and stuff, it was a lot more relaxing than the previous week with visual and was something I really enjoyed.

However, last week I got to work with the Visual department again in the run up to one of the biggest weeks for Debenhams which is our Christmas mega week which involved me prepping advertising for the stores massive discount.

It was a lot of fun but was also a lot of hard work - I think its safe to say after my two shifts with the department that Visual is something that takes a lot of energy - so we spent 4 hours doing bannering to promote the deals going on in store.

Bannering involves a lot of ladder climbing (Something I couldn't do because I'm not trained) to hang signage from the ceiling and promote add on sales for the business, I also spent a bit of time in our various window displays updating some ticketing and putting posters up.

I think that from the 3 weeks I've spent in the store doing other jobs than my usual one in the Café it's safe to say that its pretty awesome how each department contributes to the overall promotion and running of the store. I'm starting to appreciate everyone's role and hope to apply all this learning to when I finish uni and go out into the real world!!

Urban Decay 'Big Fatty' Mascara review

Hey guys! I've finally managed to get a shot on a computer at my university so I can (at last!) do a review on the Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara!

 

A few of you who follow me will know that my last post on the Benefit They're Real mascara was a bit of a mish-mashed review because whilst it looks really good on the eyes it was a total pain to remove.

Shortly after that review I gave up using the mascara and invested instead in the Urban Decay Big Fatty.

 

So first of all I need to say that in terms of the packaging The Big Fatty doesn't look as nice as They're Real. It comes in a very basic black tube with a little design on the bottle but the They're Real looked to be of a much higher quality because of the shape and finish to the bottle. It is a really pretty product.

 

When I put the mascara on it basically had the same appearance as the Benefit product, my lashes were much longer and really fanned out which is what I like from a mascara but ONCE AGAIN it was a nightmare to get off!!

Granted that it was still a lot easier to remove than the They're Real but seriously how hard is it to get a good quality mascara that will wash off easily these days?

 

In terms of price the Urban Decay Big Fatty mascara is much more affordable than the They're Real mascara but apart from that there really isn't much of a difference between the two. Both gave my eyelashes the same look and both were a nightmare to remove at night.

 

My eye after using 'The Big Fatty'  

I'm holding onto the mascara for now due to my student budget but I'm looking to invest in a much better mascara after this one, maybe the YSL Baby doll.

 

Anyone have any other recommendations?

Work Experience

Hey guys so I talk a bunch on this about how important it is to get experience and always look out for chances to get some industry insight and over the years I've tried my best to get little placements here and there but my work just threw me a massive bone!

I've mentioned before that I work in the food service sector of Debenhams and have done so since I was 16 (god it feels like forever) but I recently approached my store manager can have been offered a placement for the rest of the year!!

I dunno if I will start up a separate segment on this blog for posts on my placement, perhaps leave a comment if you think that'd be an idea but I will put into this post about my first day on the job which was with the Visual Merchandising department.

So my day with visual merchandising was pretty awesome, it's great as well because I'm working with people I've essentially worked with for several years so it's much less intimidating.
The day started off with me undressing a couple of menswear mannequins which are SO HEAVY! And actually took me so long to do but I soon found out that there is a lot of heavy lifting and stuff in the job of a visual merchandiser.

In Debenhams we have designers at Debenhams such as Julien McDonald and Jasper Conran so I got to look at their CVs (which are layouts of how the stock should be put onto the shelves and mannequins) and got to have a stab at doing the main mannequin display for Jasper Conran and the concession stand Red Herring.

It's pretty fascinating stuff because with the designers you aren't allowed to do any kind of styling on the mannequin, the clothes must be unaccompanied by jewellery whereas with the Red Herring brand, because it's young fashion you can rouche up the clothes and add accessories to help it better convey the theme. On this day the Red Herring theme was a punky sort of look so I got to use a lot of metallic jewellery and there was this lovely pair of leggings I got to pick. As a visual merchandiser you can kind of be a stylist as well!

There's a lot of painting and ironing and stuff involves as you are in charge of keeping up the appearance of every display in the store. I had to iron the Jasper Conran jacket I was going to use so as to make it look as presentable as possible to the customer.

Another cool thing I learnt is that where a mannequin is put on display the clothes used for the outfit must be placed in the immediate vicinity. This is so that a customer can come in, see the mannequin, love the garment and then be able to find those specific items almost immediately. If a customer has to go on a mad hunt for the clothes they may just leave buying anything altogether.

When you think about it visual merchandising actually involves a lot of psychology. You have to think about where your customer is going, how they will perceive things and how best to lay out your store to accommodate these.

Let me ask you, why do you think the fragrance halls of these department stores is placed right at the entrance?

Disaster!!

Just a quick blog post to tell you all that my second laptop has broken :( so I am currently laptopless (is that even a word!?!?!) for the foreseeable future. Luckily though I have blogger on my phone so it's either going to be posts with massive instagram photos attached or posts with absolutely no photos, take your pick!

Obviously this is causing a tonne of problems with university as well which is why I think the problem will be fixed asap, I really can't be without a laptop when I'm meant to be writing my 4th year dissertation...

I'm currently in the library about to do another post for you all on some exciting stuff that's happened recently but just thought I'd update you all on my absence recently.

Very tough times indeed!

Initial Research has started!!

Hey guys so I mentioned in my last post that I would put up some photos of my very early research into my origami inspired collection and here they are!

 

I love doing design and research work (I think its definitely one of my stronger points) and my sketchbook tends to be full of photos and annotation.

 

This is only a few pages of my research so far but it covers the expected things you'd look into when coming up with ideas for your design work.

 

A basic look at origami products, a bit of research into my chosen retailer as well as a few designers who are inspiring me at the moment, Peter Pilotto being a major influence of mine right now.

 

So yeah! I'm hoping that I'll be able to start really initial ideas next week so I'll post a few photos of that as well, I'll continue my research sketchbook as I go of course.



Week 3 and 4

Things are well and truely underway with collection, my mentor has put me and some friends into support groups to ensure that we all help support each other over the year and I have to say it is such a nice thing to be a part of.

My workload has started to increase 10 fold. I've just this second bought two books on amazon to help with strategic management and am sat here doing my collection research sketchbook! It's very exciting to finally be moving forward with everything.

I'll be putting up a few pictures of my sketchbook on Friday to show you how I approach research for my collection, so far it's been much more in depth than what I've done in previous years and it's a long day having to do it all for hours and hours. Luckily I have series 2 of Game of Thrones to keep me going.

My other classes are getting fairly gritty as well! There's a lot of talk in strategic management of Hermes and Mark Jacobs, Mulberry and M&S as we look at their strategies of expansion into new market etc. In international trade issues we look at the Chinese are their rapid growth over the last few decades which is a fascinating subject. I've managed to pick up a few books on those subjects too so hopefully all the reading will pay off when exam time comes!!

I've got a few more beauty posts I'd like to do next week , I'm sorry I've not posted as much since September began but the workload really is starting to mount!!

Week 2 at University

Well week 2 turned out to be just as intense as week 1!! I'm writing this on my Monday day off so I'm actually to start week 3 tomorrow which means its down to the nitty gritty but before all that I think it's time for a little bit of reflecting...

 

Week 2 actually turned out to only be 2 days but there was a whole bunch of scary stuff crammed into those two days!!

 

Monday started off with my strategic management class which made a lot more sense this time round I must admit. It turns out that a lot of the stuff I learnt in my advanced Higher class in high school is gonna relate to that class so once I've finished writing this I'm going upstairs to somehow dig out all my old stuff from under my bed.

 

After that class I had my collection meeting and luckily my origami theme got approved and I just found out about an hour ago that the teacher I really wanted to b my mentor for the year is actually who I got!!

 

So my collection this year is about how origami has affected high street fashion and I've decided to make it for the Topshop Unique brand which is beneficial as they go above and beyond with their collections because it's presence at LFW makes it so much different from other high street brands.

 

Thursday was my international trading issues class in which we had a bit of a more in depth look at China and how much its grown in the past few decades which is really fascinating. Chinese people have much better work ethics and saving methods than us brits, many Chinese people save about 50% of what they earn which is incredible compared to the 10% or less that most brits are managing to save at the moment.

 

So that was my week! After the meeting where  my collection idea got approved I started immediately on my first sketchbook of ideas and this weekend I found a great fabric I'm wanting to incorporate into my designs.

 

I have never worked with prints in my time at university and was considering using a Japanese style print for my collection. However my mentor said that would be too cliché so I have found this fantastic geometric print instead that I'm loving and has a nice young look to it which I'm hoping will really fit in well!!

 

This week at university I'm in on more days and I'll be starting to meet with my mentor to get everything started. I'm hoping to post another update on Wednesday so I'll tell you all how things are going!

 

 The fabric I found for my collection

 A little snapshop from during the week after a 5:45am start

The first few pages of my sketchbook

 

 

Make-Up Atelier Paris Waterproof Gel Foundation Review

Hey everyone! So today's blog post is about something I seen on gossmakeupartists YouTube channel which I fell in love with immediately and that is Make-Up Ateliers Waterproof Gel Foundation.

I've mentioned on this blog a few times already that I suffer from really oily skin and as a result I've become pretty obsessed with foundations and what finishes they create on my face.

Over the past month I've switched from my Benefit foundation to a combination of a YSL and Urban Decay Naked foundation. This combination has given me the flawless full coverage appearance that I like but as the day goes on my skin gets oily again and the foundation moves about so by the time I finish and come home I just want to take it all off as soon as possible because my face looks terrible.

So I took to YouTube again to find some advice on what foundations would be good for my skin and came across this one through the video I've posted above!

 It is AMAZING!!

This foundation is 100% waterproof and is extremely full coverage. I wore it for the first time on a night out 2 days ago and when I put the foundation on I looked and felt a little bit like I had a mask on! This is because of how full coverage it is! My face was just one complete colour which looked a little mental but once you apply your bronzer and highlight etc. it really does create a flawless look.

The foundation is also completely matte and so was totally suitable for my night out since I don't like it in photographs when my skin starts to get really shiny.

The one thing I'll say that was pretty annoying about the foundation was that once you've been dancing and worked up a bit of a sweat the foundation's waterproof properties mean the sweat sits on the top of your face in little beads which is pretty unattractive. HOWEVER! because the foundation is so heavy when you wipe the sweat off, the make up remains perfectly intact!

The photo below is of me once I out my make up on.

As you can see the make up is extremely matte and it did photograph extremely well.

The other wonderful thing about the foundation is that it only cost me £30 including delivery and it arrived the very next day. Its definitely a product I will repeatedly purchase from now on as it is truly wonderful in covering up my oily skin!

A slight warning however! The foundation is so hard to get off because it's waterproof so its best to get a good make up remover specifically for waterproof products.

You can buy the foundation and other Make-Up Atelier face products here http://www.makeupatelierparis.co.uk/face-c-2.html

Back to University! (Noooooo!)

Hey everyone! So I'm finally back at university and thank goodness because I've been dying to write about what I actually do throughout the year an how everything builds up over the weeks, I have no idea how I've managed to keep the blog going over the summer without having my course to provide interesting topics...

 

So it's actually Monday morning when I'm writing this because I've been luckily enough to have them off this term (woo!) so I'm aiming to post a course update every Monday from now on to keep you updated on how my collection is going.

 

So what's happened in my first week of 4th year?

Apart from having to get up at 5:45am every morning!?

Well, it all started off with a few daydreams of me in my graduation gown but as the weeks gone on those thoughts have become few and far between! We've been getting  lot of serious chat about how important the year is and whilst it is motivating to be told about how close you are to finishing university, constantly hearing the same thing can have the opposite effect. Come Friday I was so keen to enjoy the weekend! Especially since I left campus with 8 library books!

 

I have two management classes this term, one is strategic management and the other is international trade issues which are pretty interesting topics to read into. I've said before that I done business and stuff throughout high school so I'll be studying hard to get the grades that will (hopefully) contribute to a 1:1 degree this year! I'll maybe talk about these more over the coming months cause they can be pretty interesting topics (I promise!)

 

So anyway, my year is taken up mostly by my honours collection which is where I undertake an area of research and develop clothing to back up that research.

I can now tell you all that I've submitted my topic and tomorrow I'll discuss it with my year head. My chosen topic is an investigation into Origami and it's influence on high street fashion. This might change after tomorrow if my lecturer feels bits need tweaked but I'm pretty stoked to get my teeth into it all.

 

We've got a dissertation/report to do as a part of it which is pretty worrying but once I sit down and actually plan it all out I'll be a bit more confident in tackling my subject! We've had two mini workshops on dissertation writing and it's starting to sound a lot more in depth and complicated than I initially thought.

 

I have a few photos from the week to upload including a photo of my new mannequin!! I'm going to do a review on it later on this week, hopefully Wednesday because I've literally wanted one since I was 13 so I've got one so that I can continue to work from home this year as well.

 

So yeah! That's been week 1 at uni, there's a bunch of new stuff to learn but it's nice to back into the swing of things, can't wait to show you all how my collection turns out!

 

So here is this week in photos!!

 

 In order to get a lie in we stay at a friends house in Galashiels on Thursday night! Here is a snapshot of me pre-sleepover

 Thursday nights is also the night for the business homework...with wine...

 The new mannequin I got at last!

 A student fireplace

 An origami structure created for my research project

 The chaotic 5:45am 'hot girl disguise' workshop, I honestly dunno how I can function so early in the day

Playing about with origami structures on the mannequin

 

Industry Insider: Kirsty Evans

Introducing Industry Insider! A new segment on the blog inspired by Natasha from www.drawdrobeblog.co.uk who recently interviewed me about my course at university. The aim is to get information on different courses and jobs in the fashion industry out there to help educate those who want a foot in the door through a series of interviews.

First up is Kirsty Evans, a fashion student facing her 4th year at university. As the prospect of finishing school and going out into the 'big world' looms, I ask her how she came to be involved in fashion and what her hopes are for the future!
 

What/Where do you study?
The course I am studying is Fashion Technology at Heriot Watt in the Scottish Borders. I’m just about to go into fourth year, which is a little bit scary!

What parts of your course do you find interesting and why? 
I honestly think I made the best decision in going with Fashion Technology instead of some of the other courses available at my university, for me personally. It has given me an insight into so many different areas of the fashion industry that I didn’t think was possible in the little time that I’ve been there. The design element within my modules has always been my favourite if I’m entirely honest.  It’s strange, because the things I imagined I would love haven’t been my most favourite to study. For example, I’ve always been a bit of a computer geek that loved a fiddle with photoshop. But at university, I think computer aided design is one of my least favourite after a 9 hour day in the computer labs – although I still enjoy it!

What made you choose this particular course?
It was a throw up between this particular course and Fashion Communications when I was applying to the university. Although I was keen to do both, I think the Fashion Technology course tipped it because there was a lot more versatility within the course. Either that or because I wasn’t successful with my interview for Fashion Coms – it was fate!

Is there any areas that your course doesn't cover? Or any ways in which you feel your course isn't entirely relevant to what you want to do?
I really wish there was an element of photography in this course, because it is something I have always been interested in. I have just been sure to keep it up as a hobby throughout my course and who knows, it may be something I go into later. Just because I haven’t studied it in depth doesn’t mean I can’t pursue it I guess. I guess the only other thing I wish I could have got more involved in was fashion journalism, but I guess that’s why I have such a love for fashion blogs – photography & journalism in one! I think there are many days in our course where every single person in the lecture theatre is sitting there thinking ‘why is this relevant?!’, but we wouldn’t be taught it if it wasn’t in some shape or form.

What made you want to get into Fashion? Was there a specific moment when you fell in love with it all?
I was that little girl that was obsessed with dressing up. I know most girls were, but I took it to another level with my Mum’s clothes & lipsticks. I think I just grew up appreciating it. When I was younger drawing at my friends house, I used to draw dresses when everyone else was drawing houses, weird. I remember reading some book series when I was about 12 that was about a group of friends & one of them (I swear her name was Izzy) used to make her own clothes & I was like, oh I wanna do that! Why do I remember these things?

Did you take any specific classes or do any internships to help you gain experience and get into university?
I didn’t. I think this is one of my biggest regrets before going into university. A lot of people on the course went to college for a year and learned about the trade before delving into the whole dressmaking world and I think I’ve suffered a little from that. But at the same time, I think it’s helped me to grow as a person & a student because I’ve had to learn a lot quicker.

What does a typical day in your university class involve?
I commute to university, so it always begins with an early rise and trip down to Galashiels! But it then depends on what modules I have for the day. If it’s a lecture day, it’ll be spent with a strong coffee in hand taking notes during the lecture, and then some time at the library after. Before hand ins, it’s a full day in the library! If it’s a workshop day, the class would start at 9 and end at 5. So depending upon the time of year and how far into the module we are, it could be an entire day of pattern cutting, construction or toiling, or final garment production. Towards the end, I can remember being there with the girls until 8/9 at night still staring at a sewing machine. The days are really long, because it’s not just like a course where its an hour lecture & you’re left to your own means. The people I go to university with are amazing though, & I usually spend the majority of the day rolling around the floor laughing.

Can you think of any classes or extra curricular activities you done at high school that have aided the work you do at uni or helped you understand some of you lectures a little better?
The only subject I took at school which relates is Art. At school, I was a music kid and everyone presumed that’s something I would go on to do. I was involved in all the musical productions etc though including the styling and getting together costumes, so I guess that was something? I was quite unlucky at school because they didn’t offer fashion or photography as a subject. Just your standard subjects really. Taking art definitely helped though, even though it was standard art and we couldn’t branch out into fashion too much! I worked in a few different fashion retailers which I think gave me an eye a little. Seeing new collections, how different people wore them etc. Something so silly as a part time job has helped me a little.

Do you see your blog as a means of showing your passion for your subject?
I do. I’ve read blogs for years, and always been inspired by all the girls I’ve read and subscribed to. They’re the people I look up to and gain my knowledge from in fashion rather than what I’m told to like in the magazines. I’ve always found street style so much more interesting and real. I always wanted to express my love for all things fashion and beauty, but I guess I was too scared and believed no-one would read it so what was the point? But yeah, I’m really glad I did because I feel I’ve learned a lot from it in the short time already. Whether a million people read it or one person does, who cares. I’m doing it to learn than to please anyone else really.

Do you feel that a blog is a helpful tool in pursuing a career after university?
I honestly do because it’s real and not something you were assigned to do in the classroom. I think it’s good to future employers within the industry because it shows your drive and initiative to make something of yourself within the fashion world as well.

What do you plan on doing after university?
To be honest, I have no idea. I graduate next Summer and the thought terrifies me. All I know is that this time next year I’ll be moving to London with my best friend to dip my big toe into loads of different fashion related ponds. Who knows where or what I’ll be doing, all I know is that I’m excited to get there!

You can find Kirsty's blog at http://www.krstyvns.blogspot.co.uk/

Black Milk - The Harry Potter Collection

As some of you may or may not know, I am a massive Harry Potter fan! And in June I wrote about my trip to London and how I had the best birthday ever at the Leavesden Studios!

 

Well, shortly after returning from London my friend Amber (http://www.bambi-bell.com/) started to post links to http://blackmilkclothing.com/ on my facebook wall with the promise that a line of Harry Potter clothing was in the works! You can imagine my excitement!

 

So, shortly after her promise was fulfilled and Black Milk released photos of their new line that included all sorts of leggings, body suits, tops etc with the Hogwarts houses on them and other prints that come from within the films and books.

 

The wonderful thing about all these clothes are that they are way more affordable than the items you find at the studio tour and there is much more variety.

I also find that the Black Milk line is fantastic because its wearable. It's pretty hard to dawn a pair of Gryffindor leggings and look sexy but this stuff manages it!

 

I bought a top from the Harry Potter studios that's a replica of Harry's Triwizard Tournament Top but I can't wear it down the street without looking like a total diehard fan (and not in a good way.) But with this line of clothing it's possible to do so and look pretty damn cool at the same time!!

 

Black Milk Clothing everybody!! (wooo!)



 

 

Yves Saint Laurent vs Urban Decay (Lipstick Comparison)

Okay so my issue is that it has literally gone so cold over night in Scotland! It's like the 31st of August was the last official day of summer and overnight it has decided to get all 'Autumn' on us.

Having said that the turning of the weather has also reminded me that university is now a mere 16 days away! A time of year where I usually turn my attention to knitted jumpers, layers and layers of tops over a measly pair of leggings and (most importantly) the shades of lipstick I am going to wear for the season.

Now as I mentioned before I have done a lot of overtime this past month which has meant my pay has allowed for a certain 'splurge' to occur. Over the past two days I've been investing in a little bit of Urban Decay and YSL make up which I will write about in a later post but right now I want to compare two of the lipsticks I've picked up.

Yes, it's another beauty post!!

So my little obsession with the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte line of lipsticks began when I found a Chloe Morello Vlog post on YouTube about her collection of 16 lipsticks from the range and oh my gosh I fell in love immediately!! The canisters they come in are so pretty that I couldn't really resist them and the colours were so gorgeous so I vowed to begin my own collection as of this month.

My urban decay lipstick however, was only bought because of a promotion that is on in the store I work in, buy two lip products get a goody bag free (I'm a sucker for a free eyeliner and make up setting spray) so I bought a nude coloured lipstick (used in this review but later given to my sister) and a dark purple colour.

So onto the comparison! (The following two photos are not my own)

1. First Impression of Canister
So we have two nude lipsticks. In terms of appearance I feel the YSL wins hands down, the gold shine and the band of colour around the middle are absolutely stunning and I think that you can tell straight away that this is a very high end lipstick.
The Urban Decay lipstick looks less upmarket than the YSL but it's canister is also very pretty when compared to others out there, especially because of its intriguing purple colour. So the YSL wins this round.

YSL-1
Urban Decay-0

2. Price
So the price of a lipstick is obviously going to play a big part in whether or not you purchase it. The Urban Decay lipstick costs £15 which I would say is an acceptable price to pay for something that is definitely a little more upmarket.

However, the YSL lipstick can cost between £23-£25 depending on whether it is a matte lipstick or a shine lipstick. The one I hold in the picture above is a shine version of the Rouge Volupte and cost me £13 after I (luckily!) rescued it from a bargain bin at work.

Now, as a student I would obviously go for the Urban Decay because it is a nice looking lipstick and is from a very reputable company, the only reason I buy YSL lipstick is because it is quite obviously a luxury item, it's something I'd buy as a treat to myself. My aim is to get one of the YSL a month but I'd prefer the matte ones purely because they are ever so slightly cheaper in price.

YSL - 1
Urban Decay - 1

3. Texture
Both lipsticks are very creamy in texture. The YSL feels slightly 'wetter' if that's the correct term to use but the Urban Decay is equally as moisturising. The YSL shine has bits of glitter throughout it which makes me think it could have more of a rough texture to it but it actually just glides over the lips.

Both lipsticks are also extremely opaque after just one application which means that you use much less of it and don't have to keep applying it throughout the day.

The only downside to the Urban Decay is that as the day went on my lips got a little 'tacky' feel to them which is common for lipsticks but I cant remember having a similar problem with the YSL.

Overall both lipsticks are exceptional for texture but the YSLs wetter feel can make you think the lipstick would come off easier whereas the Urban Decay goes on and feels a lot more durable.

We'll call this a draw

YSL - 2
Urban Decay - 2

4. Appearance
Below is a swatch of both lipsticks to show just how pigmented they are. Swatch number 1 is the Urban Decay and swatch number 2 is the YSL. As you can see here both colours are very similar so it helps you to see what the similarities are. The YSL is a much more glittery shade of the nude colour whereas the Urban Decay is a more matte finish. As you can see from the swatch both formulas are a thick consistency.

So the YSL lipstick is my go-to lipstick at the moment and I feel it looks really pretty, one good thing about it is that the glitter in it catches the light and gives you a nice glossy lip and since I usually got for a matte lip I found this to be a really nice change!

Also, I like the kind of neutral colour it is, its a nice light pink that's really pretty and is suitable for me to wear at work which is a really important thing for me.

Next up is the Urban Decay lipstick. Again the colour is really pretty but I prefer this one because its more of a matte finish which I prefer. I also like the lipstick because it looks moisturised on the lips, it doesn't look dry.

 

I think this is going to be a draw for the finishes of both lipsticks. Both are a nice pigmented colour with pretty, moisturised finishes that are both matte and shiny.

 

YSL - 3

Urban Decay - 3

 

5. Lasting Power

  Me and my sister wore both lipsticks on a night out (me the YSL and her the Urban Decay) and throughout the course of the night I had to re-apply the shade only once. Whist the colour stayed on very well there was some residue left on glasses etc but overall it didn't go dry and wasn't a worry for me on the night.

 

My sister however had to reapply her lipstick shade twice throughout the night because it kept coming off on her glass. She also wore this shade the other day to a friends and got it all over a cup. Whist the lipstick feels durable it doesn't seem to last very well when you have a drink. Apart from that my sister says the lipstick felt fine throughout the night.

 

YSL- 4

Urban Decay -3

 

Overall both lipsticks are very good. Whilst the YSL seems to be the longer lasting of the two (which is good due to how much it costs) you get an equally good product with the Urban Decay. If anything the price difference between the two could be down to the ornate nature of the YSLs canister or the more moisturising finish of the latter. Either way I feel both lipsticks are a lovely addition to my collection and more will definitely be getting bought!

 

They're Real! - Mascara Review

So the blog has had a little revamp and I've finally figured out how to separate my posts into their respective categories! Which means that people can finally navigate my blog a little easier as well as allow me to cover a more broad range of topics.

 

So this is a little beauty post I've been meaning to write for a little while now.

A good friend of mine works for Benefit and speaks very highly of them. As I've mentioned before I work in a department store and we stock Benefit in our beauty hall.

 

Now I'll be the first to admit that I didn't really care much for make up these past few years, I mainly used brands available in drug stores such as Rimmel and Collection 2000. This is mainly because they are cheap and easily accessible but recently my interest in beauty vlogs on YouTube has grown with the likes of 'gossmakeupartist' and 'SaturdayNightsAlrite' providing me with weekly tutorials on foundation routines and eye looks.

 

So the obsession has grown and my first foray into high end make up began with a Benefit Foundation (much to the delight of my friend) but what I want to talk about in this post is the They're Real! Benefit Mascara.

So I've had a crazy amount of mascaras over the years but nothing quite like this. I'll be the first to admit that it does what it boasts. With a few applications your eyelashes achieve a much longer, fanned-out look that every girl wants. I like wearing the product most days because it makes the eyes appear much bigger which is fantastic when you've had an early start for work and haven't quite woke up yet...

 

HOWEVER!

 

This mascara is an absolute demon to get off at night! Usually I can get in the bath, get some water on my fingers and rub my lashes, thus ridding them of most of the product very easily. Most of my mascaras have had the advantage of easy removal but this one is like tar. It takes some serious abrasion to get the product off which can damage the very fragile skin under the eyes. I always try and avoid this because no-one wants premature wrinkles!

 

To sum up the product I must say it does create amazing lashes but I probably won't repurchase purely because of the thickness of the formula. There are other ways of creating volume without having to resort to the heavy rubbing of the eyelashes at the end of the day. Whilst cleansing lotions and the like can make it easier to remove this mascara I would much rather go without the hastle.

 

My next mascara purchase will be the Big Fatty by Urban Decay.

 

 

 

 My eyes after using the They're Real Benefit Mascara

Constructing Collections

OK so I've had this post sat on this computer for quite a while and it's probably the longest post I've done to date so I wanted to do it justice.

With the prospect of my final year at university approaching I'm spending a lot of time having a look at my brief for collection next year. This will be my biggest collection to date and whilst we also have the option of doing a dissertation I feel that another collection would be the best direction to go in.

This post is a warm up to what I'd like to write about on here once I start the new term. This post is to help others who would like to do their own collection. Here I would like to talk about the process I go through when coming up with my ideas and developing the garments so that they make up a cohesive collection of clothes!

So first of all I want to make it clear that coming up with a collection is by no means an easy task for me, the very initial stages involve me pulling my hair out as I try and come up with ideas for themes etc and involves me spending a lot of time either with my head in books or staring at a computer screen! To come up with a collection you have to consider target market, retailer, fabric cost etc which is why it can take ages to get a collection that meets all your needs effectively.

The Brief- At university we are given a brief and are told to dissect it. In our briefs we are given a lot of free reign over target market, retailer, theme etc but we have to explore each aspect as deep as we can so that our garments meet the needs of our customer as much as possible.

For example when researching your target market you would look into gender, age, income and interests.

Once a brief has been thoroughly looked into and all aspects explored you can start coming up with ideas for your collection that will tailor to your target market.

Last years brief with annotations

So here is the first step:
1. Get plenty of inspiration. Last year the inspiration for my collection came totally from left field when I was watching the opening ceremony for the Olympics but this year I'm looking more into YouTube videos and catwalk shows to get some interesting stuff. Definitely invest in various pattern cutting books for a little inspiration and I also have a few books on innovative pleats and other crazy stuff you can do with fabric which is giving me a lot of ideas.
Amazon is a great place to start, I get almost all of my books from there and everything is reasonably priced.

I have quite a few books that I will consistently turn to when looking for inspiration. I have a book all about fashion designers sketchbooks and a picture of a fabric used in a Chanel catwalk show inspired me to make my own similar fabric made from much cheaper ric-rac for my collection last year.

I also have a lot of books on inventive pattern cutting which are a fantastic starting point for ideas.

I also highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the likes of Tumblr and Pinterest where users avidly upload pictures of the latest catwalk trends as well as interesting style features they find on garments, these provide a lot of inspiration and starting points upon which to develop your designs.

My internet research into structure

The designer sketchbook which gave me the idea to make my own fabric for last years collection



My holy grail when wanting to explore with silhouette and structure

Every pattern cutter will have come across these books. A pioneer in creative pattern cutting, these books include some seriously crazy designs.

A Winifred Aldridge womens wear pattern cutting book. Very good for basic ideas you can build upon.

2. Get all of your ideas onto paper. I have little scraps that I keep all over my bedroom, last year I would be lying in bed and crazy stuff would come to my mind which I would get up and get onto paper straight away. Even if it is a napkin each thought you come up with could lead to a fantastic end outfit. Even really interpretive drawings of a silhouette can be a good reference, obviously if you can keep all of your very early ideas in the one place like a sketchbook that'd be ideal as a place you can constantly refer back to and build upon.

Even a small collection of fabric swatches or little cut out and stuck down pictures of a style feature you've found with a little bit of information written beside it is helpful. For last years collection I had a few sketchbooks and notebooks that I'd just fill with scribbles and notes, right now I have one that I take to work and write ideas in on my lunch break.

A list of points I'd have to think about when coming up with a collection eg. style features, time constraints, trimming, fabric choice, necklines

A mood board showing key aspects of the design direction such as structures, fabric swatches and colour scheme which can be referred to when coming up with initial designs

Theme research

 

3. Developing your ideas. Now there are many ways to develop your ideas and everyone has a preferred way. Because I done Craft and Design in high school I am used to coming up with an initial idea and developing it by changing one detail at a time until I come up with an idea that I think best fits my brief. This is my preferred method and it works pretty well for me.

I also like to come up with ideas by taking two things I find particularly interesting and blending them together. For example there could be a really cool style of pleat I want to include in a skirt as well as a certain style feature I've been fascinated by so I'd draw these onto a skirt and then develop it from there to get a more fluid idea that will fit my brief.

I cant say enough how important it is to annotate your drawings, there are many occasions where I've seen a drawing and thought 'what on earth is this meant to be made from?' which is why it is so important to include colour, fabric choice etc beside your drawings.

Initial design ideas with annotations

 

 

Very quick silhouette drawings

 

Completed design drawings ready to be presented

4.Fabric Choice this is the part of coming up with a collection that I almost always mess up. I learnt the hard way last year that it pays to have a thorough idea of what fabrics you are going to use before the toiling process. Last year I wanted to make a chiffon blouse but my fabric was so thin that you could see all of the stitching through it and it was much too fragile. Instead, I had to resort to a heavier crepe fabric.

I studied textiles a little in 1st and 2nd year and they encouraged us to keep a fabric file so that we could refer back to it and make informed decisions about what fabric would be best to use for particular garments.

For example, if you're making something that is quite structured it is best to use a cotton drill and this is a thick fabric that can be manipulated easily into different shapes, if you are wanting a fabric with good drape it is better to use a light cotton or crepe fabric which is light and hangs well.

When I came up with my collection last year I had to think a lot about fabric choice, I had to ensure I used the correct fabrics for my draped skirts and tops and thick fabrics for my dress etc, fabric choice can affect the end look of a garment, you have to collect swatches and understand how the fabric hangs to ensure you're garment reflects your design drawing.

A list of online fabric stores I refer to

Fabric research

Final fabric choice which was actually changed later on due to poor research

A page from my old fabric file

 

5. Toiling (garment mock ups) This is when I start to get excited about my collection! You've spent months thinking about it, developing it and by now it's you're pride and joy so the stage when you actually start making a garment and getting it onto a mannequin is such a good feeling!
The toiling stage also has it's moments of intense frustration though, last term I had a dress with a crazy 3D structure on it and I couldn't for the life of me get it to sit right on the garment, I had 2 technitions and my lecturer have a look at the dress and on several occasions we had to take it all apart and start again, something that you don't want to do when you're nearing deadlines!

6.The Final Garment This is when all your hard work pays off. You've slaved for months carrying our research, developing design ideas and perfecting final garment proposals, collecting fabric swatches and creating outfits and FINALLY you have your finished collection in front of you.


I'll admit there are many moments throughout the collection process that I would come up against
 a problem I didn't think I would fix but it just makes the finished outfits feel more rewarding.
It's always best to carry out as much research as possible before coming up with ideas to limit the chances of things going wrong.

I hope this helps anyone who is coming up with their own collections!!