Love it! Rock it! Own it!
When I get dressed I always think: "Where am I going and what fashion mood am I in?"
The answers to these questions determine which choices I make with my clothes, shoes and accessories - ultimately giving me an outfit I can feel confident and stylish in.
"Fashion shouldn't be taken too seriously. You've got to have fun with it, to make it work"
Every edition I am going to share with you:
**What's in my Wardrobe**
**Hil-hair-ious styling**
**Jenna-rate’ the look**
I want you to think of all the items in your wardrobe and all the endless possibilities of what you can create.
Let your imagination run riot. Have fun, glam up - Love it! Rock it! Own it!
**What’s in my Wardrobe**
Yes it’s my birthday! Well technically it’s not my birthday - it’s the magazine’s first birthday - but still, it’s my celebration and now with two birthdays a year to celebrate, I feel like the Queen! Tempted as I am to throw a street party, I don’t want to ruin the look of any outfit with a plastic poncho if the heavens should open!
With that in mind - and undeterred by the British summer - I decided I needed a crown. Naturally! I scoured the internet and found a lady from the Ukraine called Olena Grinn with an Etsy store called Elviejewelerydreams. After briefing Olena, she made me the most incredibly stunning jewelled crown. Not only did it look amazing, I felt like royalty whilst wearing it! Even after the shoot finished I hoovered the studio still wearing it!
With the crown being the star of the show I didn’t want the clothes to upstage it. Neither did I want to go down the stereotypical ‘princess’ route and wear a long flowing dress. I wanted a different look and decided to go with an elegant Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) trouser suit.
What I love about this suit is the versatility of it. It is made up of the iconic DVF wrap dress and a pair of matching trousers - so each piece can be worn separately or together.
The black fabric of the suit is thick, with a luxurious feel to it, and subtly flecked with gold glitter, making it an excellent choice for a night out. The wrap dress/top is designed to flatter all shapes; teamed with the trousers it creates a beautiful silhouette and a very chic outfit.
Simple black heels were added to the outfit and the only other accessories were my diamond ring and that wonderful, glorious crown.
What a fabulous birthday outfit!
Nails: Rebecca from Irresistible beauty was shown a picture of the crown and asked to create regal nails. Here she tell us how she achieved them.
“After I buffed off your previous set, I applied a base coat, followed by two coats of Shellac ‘Digi-teal’ on all fingers except the ring fingers. I dusted over the nails with CND’s additive glitter in ‘Winter Blue’.
On the ring fingers I applied two coats of Shellac ‘Safety Pin’ with a mix of large and small gold crystals set into the top coat, covering the whole nail.”
Thanks Rebecca - you definitely gave my nails the royal treatment!
Book yourself into the award-winning Irresistible Beauty, Treboeth, Swansea on 01792 773887 and let them work their mani/pedi magic on your nails too.
Hair: Created and styled by Hilary Jones from Pimped Up Pins hair salon. I’ll hand you over to Hilary to explain how she achieved this month’s crowning glory.
**Hil-hair-ious styling**
“Ola”
An extra big updo was the order of the day for this birthday shoot.
Starting at the front, Emma’s hair was placed in a centre parting and straightened, using hairspray to keep the front flat.
The rest of the hair was curled using medium-sized straighteners, taking large sections as we wanted a more messy look.
Leaving the front ‘straight bit’ out (think half up - half down), I put most of the curls in a high ponytail (leaving a small section at the back out) - and place through a large bun ring, securing the bun ring with grips at the base.
The curls were loosely backcombed and pinned all around the bun ring to cover it.
When doing a style with a messy look - don’t take it too seriously. Just grab and pin.
For that extra oomph - some of the hair left out at the back was brushed upwards, backcombed and pinned high on top.
The front piece of straightened hair was brushed and pinned back on either side of the updo and hair sprayed down to keep a flat, sleeker look.
Emma’s amazing crown is secured on a discreet hair band, so it neatly slotted in and was placed slightly off centre.
Happy birthday your royal highness!
Thank you Hilary for creating another masterpiece.
Hilary is available to cut, style and/or colour your hair at Pimped Up Pins, Treboeth, Swansea. 01792 799775.
Makeup: Created and applied by Jenna Kelly. I’ll hand you over to Jenna to tell you how she achieved the look.
**’Jenna-rate’ the look**
Happy birthday emmaheaven.com! Oh my gosh one entire year! It's flown by and what a year it's been! I've enjoyed so much being a part of this very special project and sharing all of our beauty loves with you all!
I've decided after several very gorgeous ladies informed me that they loved last month’s budget-friendly product recommendation so much, that at the end of each month’s column I'm going to give you a little "JK's secret weapon" from my arsenal of makeup goodies. A product whose quality far outweighs its wonderful little price tag. So eyes peeled!
This month Emma wanted full, crown-worthy queen glam. So that's what we gave her! “Your wish is my command!”
Eyes: Starting with the brows I created a full bold brow. The hairstyle for this look was full of volume and the makeup quite dramatic, so as I've said before, having that defined brow is key to holding the shape of the face. I added a cream eyeshadow in a bronze tone to the lid of the eye (great to use a cream under a powder shadow for extra depth to the colour) and packed on a gorgeous deep bronze shadow on top.
Using a more red-toned rusty coloured shadow I blended out the edges into the crease to create a warm and soft edge to the intense colour. A dark brown soft kohl eyeliner in the waterline and top and bottom lash lines created a great intense smoky effect; the same bronze shadow as above was swept under the bottom lashes to soften. Mascara, mascara, mascara and a strip of Ardell Wispie lashes - the eyes were complete!
Face: For a glowing complexion I applied a sheer and hydrating foundation, (Mac face and body) all over the skin with a beauty blender, working it in until it looked like a second skin. I followed this with a similar texture concealer under the eye area, covering any darkness to add to the fresh look of the skin. The concealer on this occasion was a fab steal product from Maybelline (Wake Me Up concealer); it's great for all ages and really does give you that ‘awake’ look.
I added small amounts of cream foundation to the areas of the skin that needed a little extra cover, and used the same product in a darker colour to create the contours of Emma's face. Set with a loose powder and voilà! A really natural looking but flawless skin. My fave. I added a little bronzer to the contoured areas with a hint of blush for colour.
To complete the base, I brushed highlight powder over the cheekbones and bridge of the nose with a fan brush - this adds just the right amount of product without being wet looking or glittery. My fave highlighter of the moment is "New CID i-Glow Sirocco Shimmer Powder’. I actually picked this up from a little beauty event evening Emma held last month and I am obsessed! I will be stocking up on all of their other colours to add to my kit very soon!
Lips: Use your beauty blender or foundation brush (no need to add any extra product) and just sweep the excess residue over the lips from the brush. This will help to neutralise the colour of the lips and create a perfect base for your lip products.
JK's Secret Weapon
This month my secret product is Ardell Brow Pomade! For brows I've always been a huge fan of the original Anastasia Beverly Hills dipbrow pomade. However my pet peeve with these products is that that dry out sooooo quickly. By quickly, I mean after just a week and a half I'm adding Mac’s Prep & Prime Fix+ spray to soften them. Annoying! Plus it costs £18-ish so definitely NOT cheap!
So ladies and gents, allow me to introduce you to Ardell! Whilst restocking lashes a few weeks ago I spotted the Ardell Brow Pomade (Sally's beauty warehouse in Llansamlet, Swansea; you can also buy online/in Boots or Superdrug stores) so I thought I'd give it a try!
I am super duper impressed! Not only do they provide a brush with the product, it doesn’t dry out quickly; and when you apply the pomade, it has a powdery finish, making for less ‘stick on brows’ and more ‘natural hairs’. And, do you want to hear the best part!? They're £5*! Yes 5 actual pounds and that's including a brush!
As always...
Thank me later!!
*prices/stockists may vary
Thank you Jenna for creating another stunning look. You can find out all about Jenna and her work at jennakellymua.com.
