My InstaWeek #2 .....

L-R: Adam's 'crazy' birthday face| Adam made his own birthday cake| Magnolia Bakery inspired Red Velvet cake made by me| Beautiful roses from Mr Fiance| The Great Gatsby date night movie| Weekend nails: Catrice 'Karl says tres chic' & Essie 'a cut above'| Bored in Adam's car....found technology merchandise! | Romania's insane entry for Eurovision| My 'No Makeup' Makeup look for Sunday. 

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I have been a total instagram fanatic towards the end of last week, so much so that I'm thinking about taking a picture everyday & then documenting it here on a Monday every week (even though today is Tuesday!)... watch this space! I hope you have all had a good day so far & I'll see you in the next one! 

 

Follow me on Instagram!! 

Much Love,

Elle

xoxox

♥

Being Elle: The Sunday Catch-Up Week 007

Side Note: Sorry for the two week hiatus on these posts, work got crazy! But they are back......

1. Monday began with Adam's 23rd Birthday. After weeks months of him not knowing what he wanted for his birthday, the day finally came where I only could muster up two gifts! It's not that I didn't want to get him anything, he was just being as always difficult, leaving it till last minuet & genuinely he did not give me any ideas, so I had to free style! Men! I love making & receiving home made gifts & so I made him a Magnolia Bakery doppelganger of our favourite & loved Red Velvet cake, complete with home made icing, which tasted exactly the same as the real deal. As you can see from the above picture, it turned out not too shabby & was eaten up in under a day! Also I made on Printstagram a poster photo montage, which did arrive late but it looked great & he loved it!! Oh & on his birthday he found a wallet he really liked & so I brought him that too!! Overall he had a pretty good day, mainly filled with a lot of cake, food, Star Trek (Adam is a 'treky' & we saw the latest one on his birthday, which was so good!!) & chilling out- just how we like to celebrate!

2. Tuesday onwards I was struck down by a Spring cold! How could I have gone all the way through Winter without catching one & then in Spring manage to become germ infested!? Needless to say on my day off on Wednesday most of the day was spent feeling sorry for myself in bed!!

3. I brought some boyfriend jeans finally from New Look & have been addicted to wearing them. I brought them a size too big so they are super baggy & have been wearing them with a belt, plain T, fitted blazer & flats. Maybe it's time to retire my skinnies?!

4. Managed to Facetime with one of my good friends Joanna, which was brilliant. She's moved over to Sweden permanently & apart from emailing we haven't spoken properly in about four months, so it was so good to hear her voice & see her face & catch up- I miss her so much ♥

5. New summer drink love from Costa: Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Fruit Cooler- It's so lush & summery, although be warned as twice in a row my local Costa ran out of ice & I couldn't get one!

6. The Great Gatsby was FINALLY released at the cinema & I dragged Adam along to watch it with me. Now Baz Luhrmann is my all time favourite director & The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books, so you can imagine how excited I have been since finding out this movie was being made!! It is hands down my favourite film of the year, ( I know it has had a lot of criticism & mixed reviews) I loved the costumes, the way it was shot & edited (classic Baz), the way modern music was incorporated into the movie though still in keeping with the era,  the set was phenomenal as was the graphics & the way the story was told, even though it was different to how it is narrated in the book, was beautifully acted & great to watch. I know the way Luhrmann tells a story is not to everyones taste (too artsy, too over the top, too much going on) but for me, this was how the 1920's was & everything Fitzgerald wrote about in the book was over satirised with a lot of imagery, juxtapositions & narration thrown in! Can you tell I studied English Literature!? & so the ending did bring a tear to my eye! 

7. This weekend I was constantly on Instagram & Twitter, documenting everything from The Eurovision Song Contest through to food & to my weekend face! I was social media crazy! Oh & I discovered emoji's!

8. Highlights on the blog include| Printstagram Haul & My Sunday 'No Makeup' Makeup Routine. Youtube Highlight| Products I Have Used Up: Empties #1

What has been happening this week for you guys?

Much Love,

Elle

xoxoxo

♥

The Sunday 'No Makeup, Makeup' Look.......

L-R: Makeup Academy Pro-Base Conceal & Brighten Kit in Porcelain Beige, Maybelline 'The Rocket' Volumise Mascara in Black, Makeup Academy BB Cream in Shade 1 Light, Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 001 Transparent, Figs & Rouge Peppermint & Tea Tree Lip Balm.

/ I start off by applying a two pence sized amount of the Makeup Academy BB cream all over my face using my fingers just a few minuets after moisturising, as I find it applies & looks better on the skin when doing so (after a lot of trial & error!) making sure to really buff it into the skin so that you don't get any weird lines & streaks!

// Next I take the peachier colour in my Makeup Academy Conceal & Brighten kit & apply it with my ring finger underneath my eyes, to conceal my under eye circles using a patting motion. & then taking the middle concealer colour, I conceal any acne, redness & acne scarring that is still visible. The last thing I use from this kit is the pinky highlighter which again I apply with my ring finger to the tops of my cheekbones, which not only adds a nice glow to my face, but because it's a pinky colour it adds a little colour to my cheeks too.  

/// Of course don't forget to powder, as it sets your whole 'skin work' & makes it last keeping oiliness at bay. Rimmel's Stay Matte powder has been one of my teenhood staples for years & I have recently gone back to it, as it is such a good product for drugstore/value for money. I apply it with my Mac Powder Brush on my T-zone (Forehead, Nose & Chin) using a light hand.

//// Mascara is the one piece of makeup that I feel adds a huge difference to the way I look as it makes me look awake & alert, so even for the most simplest look it is an essential. 'The Rocket' by Maybelline is my favourite mascara at the moment (I still love my Covergirl Lashblast though!) as it adds so much length to my lashes & the way it separates my lashes makes it look so natural! Make sure to brush off the excess product onto the opening of the tube, as adding too much product will look like you have spider lashes & I apply two coats.

///// Finally I finish off my Sunday look with a generous amount of my favourite lip balm. The Figs & Rouge lip balm is so moisturising & calming on the lips, that it is perfect for a relaxed Sunday.

////// Hair wise I like to keep it simple by either putting it up in a topknot or (like I have today) wear it in a messy, high ponytail. I always like to keep my hair off my face on the weekend, just so my face has a day off from my hair being near my face & because it ties in well with a casual/relaxed look I am looking for.

Do you have a signature Sunday makeup look?

Much Love,

Elle

xoxoxo

♥

The Joys Of Printstagram......

The most used app on my iPhone is Instagram.

I am a huge lover of photography & editing photos with filters, (as I love the look when putting a filter on top) & so over the last two years of having Instagram I had accumulated over three hundred photographs by using this app, but know means of printing them!

Until I found Printstagram.

This online store offers you plenty of different ways to remember those memories created- from classic Polaroid squares to A4 posters, calenders to framed prints, the options are endless!
& not only is the quality of the prints absolutely fantastic & the speed they took to get here was great (they came from America!), but for such great value for money you don't need to worry about it costing a huge amount. Adam & I are so impressed by the quality & overall look of them that we are going to get some printed for thank you cards for the wedding & getting the photo's printed off from the reception & wedding in a memory box! 

                                                      Squares- $12

                                                  Mini Prints- $12

 ©VintageELLE09

 
Follow Me On Instagram!
                    
What style of prints have you ordered on Printstagram?

Much Love,
Elle
xoxoxo
♥

The Classic English Rose & Gabrielle Chanel.......

Keira Knightly & Chanel fix anyone?

Karl Lagerfel unveiled his newest Chanel creation last night in Singapore & although it wasn't tweed or No5, it was definitely just as chic & sophisticated. 

Of course it was the long anticipated short film to mark one hundred years of Chanel. 'Once upon a Time' stars the beautiful & amazingly talented Keira Knightly (girl crush) as the young Gabrielle Chanel, at the very beginning of her career setting up her first shop in Deauville in 1913.

Beautifully directed & edited with a stellar cast & envious costumes, Legerfel's film makes this a must see for all Chanel & Keira lovers!  

^^^^ Watch Above ^^^^

What do you like about Karl Lagerfeld's newest creation? 

Much Love,

Elle

xoxoxo

♥

Fashion Musing: Those Legs & The Golden Mane.......

Blake Lively or Serena van der Woodson?

Sometimes it's difficult to see where Serena stops & Blake starts, however both of them have always had such a effortless & sophisticated look between them that has always been inspiring.

Not having seen Blake around that much since Gossip Girl ended, I was more then happy to see photo's from this recently photo shoot for Lucky magazine by Patrick Demarchelier in New York city gracing Marie Claire.com.


The first couple of looks, I'm not that 'wowed' about. The first shows off her incredible legs, wearing only a woollen blue coat, with some amazing chunky black ankle boots, which I am in love with! The second is slightly more seventies inspired with a lace up black mini dress, teamed with black floppy hat & suede open toed boots, which for me is not that wearable (although Blake does look gorgeous in both outfits!)

Now the last couple of outfits are my favourites! A key trend for Spring modelled here by Blake is the cropped top paired with a high waisted skirt, exposing the most tiniest amount of mid-drift that makes this outfit look wearable & chic instead of trashy!

This is by all means my favourite look- monochrome! The simple wrap mini with side split, (similar one at Zara HERE) paired with a white over sized biker jacket & simple black tee looks effortless & chic, along with those killer boots, metallic clutch & aviators which adds a touch of high fashion & attitude to the whole outfit. Making a mental note to replicate this for Spring! 

Images from marieclaire.com

Who has been your fashion inspiration of the day?

Much Love,
Elle
xoxox
♥