Weekly Window Shop: Floaty and Feminine Lace

best lace dresses

Oh I am all over these lacy dresses and skirts that seem to be flooding the clothes shops at the moment. I’m talking about the beautifully feminine, Chloe-style lace garments, not the fitted type in garish colours that look flammable and scratchy. Floaty, romantic lace that makes you think of soft-focus seventies films; white, cream and nude shades that flatter the skin and look sexy and innocent all at the same time.

Here are the lacy things I’m lusting after. Luckily, two of them are at H&M so I won’t feel too guilty about snapping those up – I’ll try them on this week when I get near a store. I’m not making the mistake of ordering online from them again! (It took ages. It was difficult to get help from someone human. Loads of things didn’t arrive because they were out of stock. Shame, because I’d order from them a lot if it was easier…)

lace skirt white

The first is this white jersey-lined skirt – it looks luxurious and drapes beautifully and I like the geometric hemline. It’s £39.99 here.

lace body h&M

You need to see this bodysuit on, rather than as a still-life – look at the model pics here. I have absolutely no idea what I’d wear this with (perhaps a tailored pencil skirt, or beneath a structured dinner jacket on a night out?) but I love it. It’s £24.99 here.

roxo lace dress maje

This stretch-lace dress from Maje was the thing that set this whole lace-obsession off; I think I’m going to take the plunge and buy it, even if it is totally impractical! It’ll be stained with something permanent, like marker pen or shoe polish, within about ten minutes. But I love the comfortable stretch in the fabric and the way it can be worn casually with flats on a hot summer’s day or dressed up with tan sandals for an evening out. It’s £290 here.

When I’ve finished breastfeeding and I don’t have boobs the size of planets, I want to wear this. The delicate, unbelievably pretty Millie bra from Stella McCartney. It’s half-price on The Outnet (£27.50 here) and there’s an amazing matching bodysuit, if you’re into having matching sets of things…

best lace dresses

I know that I would never, ever wear this ballerina dress from Alice + Olivia (£465 here) but that doesn’t stop me from wanting it. Badly. It’s like a childhood dream come true. I’d hang it on the back of my bedroom door and stare at it constantly. I can’t even imagine what kind of occasion would call for a ballerina dress (I want to say prom, but price-wise it’s rather steep for a teen!) but if I think of one, and manage to miraculously tone up my arms and legs before the summer, I will be wearing this. On a sidenote, I’ve only recently discovered Alice + Olivia and they do such amazing dresses – I’ve added them to my list of designers to check when I need something snazzy to wear.

The post Weekly Window Shop: Floaty and Feminine Lace appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Buying a Winter Coat? Read this First…

ruth crilly winter coats lookbook

And here it is; the Fluffy Coat and Faux Fur lookbook. Do not buy a winter coat until you’ve seen these beauties; they’re warm, comfortable and totally on-trend (if you bother with that kind of thing!) and work equally well worn casually as they do thrown over something smart. I’ve already told you about the Unreal Fur coats (see Monday’s post); the pink (above) one reminds me so much of the Gucci campaign coat that has been in all of the magazines. Except at a saving of approximately 96%. You can find it (the one that doesn’t require a bank loan) here.

ruth crilly fashion model blogger

And the faux fur from Miss Selfridge is a total cracker; I had a total of seven high-street versions in my spare room, but this one was by far the most beautiful in terms of quality, cut and colour. It has a lovely creamy, plush finish that looks and feels expensive and the length is perhaps a little chic-er than the cropped ones – keeps your kidneys warm, as my Mum likes to say. Considering that this is under £100, I think that Miss Selfridge have done magnificently; it made me feel a million dollars. Proper Hollywood-style dressing and I put it on with jeans to demonstrate just how versatile it is. You can find it online here.

ruth crilly fashion model blogger

Watch the video to have a good look at the rest of the coats; there’s a rather striking purple number from Baum und Pferdgarten, a soft, cheerful teddy-bear coat from ASOS and some more monochrome options for those who feel safer in black. All of the video details are below the screen, just click the links for prices and information.

OUTFIT 1:
Coat: Unreal Fur De-Fur. Find it at ASOS here: http://tidd.ly/bbd97542
Unicorn Silk Dress: Silken Favours. https://twitter.com/silkenfavours
Glitter Pumps: Jimmy Choo

OUTFIT 2:
Purple Coat: Baum und Pferdgarten http://shop.baumundpferdgarten.com
Palm Print Dress: Baum und Pferdgarten http://shop.baumundpferdgarten.com
Flat Biker Boots: Karen Millen. http://bit.ly/1sL6fZR

Outfit 3:
Teddy Coat: ASOS. Find it here: http://tidd.ly/6870cf7c
Skirt: Hush. Find it here: http://tidd.ly/942d9879
Shoes by Jimmy Choo as before

Outfit 4:
Faux-Fur coat by Miss Selfridge. (OMG it is amazing! One of the best fake fur coats I have seen this season.) Find it here: http://rstyle.me/n/qym6ut6a6
T-Shirt: Milly NY.
Jeans: Ralph Lauren from ASOS, past season.
Shoes: LK Bennett. Past season.

Outfit 5:
Faux-Fur coat: Fire& Ice by Unreal Fur. Find it at Hush: http://tidd.ly/2a294ef0
Black cords by Paige
Boots: Leona pull-on leather boots from LK Bennett. Buy them here: http://tidd.ly/84a78d9a

Outfit 6:
Panda Sweater: Wildfox http://www.wildfoxcouture.co.uk/store/
Black Furry Coat: Supertrash. At ASOS here: http://tidd.ly/c73a08ee
Black cords, Paige as before.
Black flat boots, Karen Millen as before. http://bit.ly/1sL6fZR

The post Buying a Winter Coat? Read this First… appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Lanolips 101 Ointment and High-End Healing…

lanolips 101 ointment review

I have a strong and long-lasting love for Lanolips. It’s a high-powered lip-healer that stays put for hours and protects the skin from even the most bitter winter chills. If you’ve ever had cracked nipples, the bleeding sort of chapped nipples that are so painful you can’t even muster up the energy to cry, then you’ll know that lanolin – a waxy, waterproofing substance – is the one saving grace.

And if it can help with cracked nips then it sure as hell can do the trick on cracked lips – I regularly use the nips one (Lansinoh) on lips, though I’ve never used my lips one (Lano 101 Ointment) on nips. Mainly because I like the banana one the most, and I was never sure whether the newborn baby would take to banana flavoured nipples. I mean, would, if I was a baby, but I still drink banana-flavoured Nesquik so my opinion shouldn’t really count for anything.

Also, the banana flavoured 101 Ointment isn’t pure lanolin – it’s got extra bits and pieces added in, like (obviously) banana flavouring and shea butter and beeswax and castor seed oil. If you wanted lips n’ nips covered, you’d need the original 101 Ointment (£10.99 online) and not one with “added extras”. I’d say, too, that the original is the best version if you do want to treat ragged cuticles and itchy skin and annoying insect bites and so on – there are apparently 101 uses for lanolin (hence the 101 in the name) so it’s much more than just a lip balm.

lanolips 101 ointment review

I digress! Lano have created an exclusive and especially fruity 101 Ointment package for high-end purveyors of fashion, Net-a-Porter. It’s a duo containing a Peach 101 Ointment and a Strawberry one, with the most gorgeous retro packaging. And actually, these Ointments are mostly lanolin with just Vitamin E added along with fruit extract, so fine to use on dry patches and as a nail treatment and so on, if you don’t mind being scented all over…

Sunday Tittle Tattle: Face by Pixiwoo

Face by Pixiwoo book review

If you’ve ever dilly-dallied with the idea of buying a makeup manual, a sort of “how-to” of face-painting, then Face by Pixiwoo should be the one that you go for. A million miles away from the cringe-worthy tomes that were available when I was in my late teens and desperate for some sort of cosmetics advice, this beautiful book covers everything from eyebrow maintenance to picking the right foundation to making your blemishes disappear.

Face by Pixiwoo book review

I should mention that it’s written by two of my very good friends, Sam and Nic Chapman, women I admire tremendously for their obvious talent as makeup artists but also for their relentless hard work and ability to keep on building their successful Pixiwoo brand. If you’re already Pixiwoo fans then this book is a must – filled with anecdotes and Q&As and charming personal touches – if you’re not familiar with the girls then I urge you to check out their Youtube channel here.

Face by Pixiwoo book review

But I don’t actually think that it matters a jot whether you’re au fait or not with the Pixiwoo back-catalogue of makeup tutorials; this book is so well put-together and so packed with beautiful imagery that it’s just a joy to read. I started to flick through it on Friday night as soon as it arrived, thinking I’d just have a quick dip into it before reading properly the next day, but I sat at the kitchen table and read it from cover to cover. The only thing I didn’t do was download the free app that accompanies the book (gives you loads of video content and demos to bring the makeup tips to life) but that was because I was so engrossed I didn’t want to go upstairs and get my iPhone!

Face by Pixiwoo book review

Face was released last week and it is currently £10 for the hardback on Amazon here. I can see it topping many people’s Christmas wish-lists this year and rightfully so.

NB: this post was supposed to have a review of Sali Hughes new book, Pretty Iconic, too, but someone has mysteriously moved my copy and I have been searching the house frantically for it all weekend! I’m on it – watch this space.

Read more Sunday Tittle Tattles…

Before I forget: OM Skincare winners. The big prize winner this time is April (aswieconrk), who wins the full skincare set. and the four runners-up each winning the boosters are Marianne Berends, Grace Turner, Maryse Groen and Anna (tannawarren). Well done to the winners – you’ll be contacted directly by the PR next week – and thank you to everyone who entered. There will be another excellent giveaway soon.

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© 2016 A Model Recommends®: all opinions are my own and any sponsored or paid posts will always be very clearly marked. I accept press samples and receive product and services to review as part of my job. Outward links to retailers will usually be affiliate links. Please see here for full “about” section and disclaimer.  A Model Recommends and Ruth Crilly are registered trademarks.

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