Shopping : Lingerie 4 Valentine @KIABI

 By: Unknown    03:00  No comments

When it comes to lingerie and underwear, my brain is always a bit twofold. On the one hand, I love the idea of beautiful, silky, luxurious lingerie, on the other hand it's underwear, its worn and washed a lot and sometimes the cheaper stuff is more hard wearing. I've decided to own both kinds and use accordingly but I really do thing there is a big case for cheaper clothing when ti comes to underwear and just general lounge-at-home-clothes.

That's why I've decided to focus this shopping post on KIABI's lingerie and underwear, a shop renown for its 'little prices' . Since Valentine's Day is soon coming up I've focused a bit on the red's and pinks and the some of the sexier garments but there's a couple of cute things thrown in.

First up is that corset in the pic above - maybe it should be used before dinner rather than after - definitely will look better on a less -full stomach.

Next is this red, push up bra that's just 10 euros.

And there's a few more things in this slideshow below ...





Because there has to be something cute - here's a pair of Michy Mouse slippers - loveee them




And I couldn't fail to mention that they have slimming and curve enhancing effect lingerie - high useful for under that Valentine's Day outfit

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Outfit Post : Mustard On Both Feet

 By: Unknown    03:06  No comments

The Hubby and I rarely match - we have different styles and different moods and there are days where I as he puts it look like 'I'm going to a ball' and he looks like he's going on a hike. On this day however, we matched. Same style, same shoes - time for a 'his n hers' outfit post.

The star of the show is of course these little mustard PANAMA JACK beauties - if you follow me on Facebook (why not if not ?) you might recall a recent hullabaloo about whether or not to choose burgundy over pink - burgundy it was.

After I raved on about how comfy they are and pranced around in them - the hubby decided he needed a pair too - can't let me be original can he - so he hightailed it to get himself a pair...Mine are more special anyway - they're limited edition..his ...well his are just normal classic ones - so there.

What do you think of my pointed, purple nails ?




The location of this shoot might strike a chord in some old school friends - this is the old entrance to my Junior School - St Dorothy's Tal-Virtu -on a whim I decided I wanted to see 'the hill' again.




The awesomeee leather satchel had an outing :D - BTW there are new styles of different leather out and on sale at ASOS !!



Flick through for more photos if you want :)

I played around with my makeup that day and if you want to know more you can read this post - my hair was blowdried by Tina at Toni &Guy Hilton Malta




Outfit Details : Snood : Accessorize / Top : Nasty Gal  / Tights : Primark / Hair : Toni & Guy / Jacket : London (old) / Shoesssss : Panama Jack  @ Stivaletti @ Plaza / Bag : Leather Satchel Company / Nails : Femme Beauty

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Random Post : The Perplexity of LEGGINGS

 By: Unknown    06:28  No comments

Leggings - I find these to be the most perplexing clothing item of all. I simply can't get why some women are so attached to them. 

I can understand wearing them at home to lounge around in, I can understand wearing them under tunics. I can totally understand wearing them to a dance class but I can't for the life of me understand how this can happen . So lets look at this scenario - a woman applies full makeup, blow dries her hair, wears interesting jewellery, a great pair of shoes, an expensive handbag, a lovely short top and jacket and then finishes with black cotton-type, almost transparent leggings.

I'm not even talking about leather or patterned leggings, I'm talking about a pair of plain cotton-style leggings. How does that happen ? How does one make the decision to pair something so cheap and unflattering with an outfit that's otherwise perfect. In my opinion, there isn't even a question as to whether they suit the person - yes some people have toned bums and legs that can possibly stand being clad in something that fitted and obvious - but the ugliness of these leggings still remains. ' also the often-forgotten fact that leggings look even more horrible and become semi transparent if a photo with flash is taken of them.

I know not everyone cares or has an interest in fashion and I accept that. This is why I find leggings worn as pants easier to accept when combined with a head-to-toe 'ugly' outfit but on fashionable women - I'm just entirely baffled.

Opinions Anyone ?

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Beauty Post : Coloured eyeliners

 By: Unknown    04:56  No comments

I've mentioned using coloured eyeliners before, I had showed this look using a light bright blue here and another wearing purple eyeliner here. I'm still super in love with the concept. It's a great and super quick way to add a pop of colour to your look. Truth be told, you barely need any other eye makeup.

In this picture above I used a sprinkling of MAC eyeshadow and some Maybelline Rocket Mascara and then applied this super long lasting KIKO GREEN EYELINER. It's waterproof and doesn't budge for the entire day. 

I've got other colours too - pink, blue , purple - love them all. I also found this green eyeliner from lookfantastic that looks great but I haven't tried yet.

Photo by Kurt Paris

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Events Post : My Birthday :)

 By: Unknown    05:47  No comments

Sooo last week I turned 31 and because I'm still a kid at heart I had about 4 different celebrations across the week. More posts to come about what I wore when but the first is the PARTY at Electro Lobster - which was sooo much fun.

I decided to wear a fun outfit revolving around the faux fur MONSTER HAT the hubby had just gifted me which I had been raving on about after I found it a luisaviaroma.

I'm in love with this scuba skater skirt too it's soo much fun - I bought it from London last September but I spotted a similar white one on sale at Miss Selfridge in Malta and I also found this tiered scuba skirt at asos , a less exaggerated black skirt at missguided and this brilliant scuba skater dress at asos

Let's talk about those little shoe beauties above on my feet from Tosca Blu (Stivaletti) that got used for the first time that night and actually didn't hurt at all

Top : Suiteblanco (last year) / Skirt : H&M / Hat : LuisaViaRoma / Necklace : Chanel / Shoes : Tosca Blu at Stivaletti / Watch : Rotary Vintage

Flick through the slideshow below for some more photos :D

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Family Corner : Maternity Wear

 By: Unknown    06:46  No comments

Since I've never been pregnant myself, as I mentioned in this first post - which touched on the subject of maternity wear - my experience and knowledge is limited to what I've read and heard. From what I can make out however, dressing yourself when heavily pregnant is no mean task, especially in Malta - apparently here, the choice is really really limited.

I think when you're pregnant, although comfort is of the utmost importance, looking and feeling good, can help you deal with your body changes a bit better. Every pregnancy is different, whilst some women battle water retention and high growth early within the term, others experience very little changes such that they actually get annoyed that as they put it 'they might look fat, not pregnant'. 

None the less, whilst the point at which it happens might differ, every pregnant women tends to grow to a size that requires maternity clothes. In Malta, two of my favourite shops that stock maternity wear are Kiabi and Debenhams - the former has a range of perfect essentials that are really designed with comfort in mind, the latter have such cute and pretty things, it's not the first time I've picked up something for myself without realising.

One of the best wardrobe decisions you can make throughout this period, is to stick to a capsule wardrobe. There's no point in investing in too many pieces that you will only wear for a short period of time. Try and buy a small number of things that can be mixed and matched to create different outfits. 

An ideal capsule wardrobe might consist of a pair of black trousers that look somewhat smart a couple of smart tops that have good stretching properties, a nice pair of jeans and some nice cardigans , especially the waterfall kind.

It might also be a good idea to include one nice black dress (or dark blue if you hate wearing black to occasions), some different coloured polo necks if it's winter time and possibly a couple of jackets. If it's winter you might need a coat too. It might be the case that your own coats and jackets carry you well into nearly the end of your pregnancy so it does depend at what point in the year your term will end.

If you're a fashion / clothes lover I also strongly suggest buying a few 'trendy' pieces to keep you happy - something like this adorable skater dress that's actually on sale  or this vintage inspired dress at modcloth

And for some style inspiration from the online world flick through the slideshow below

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Random Post : Handbag Organisers

 By: Unknown    02:41  No comments

One of the things I hate most is hunting for stuff in my large bags - whatever I'm looking for, somehow, always seems to be right at the bottom, which means it takes me ages to find it. Changing around large handbags is also a nightmare as it involves transferring all the various items from one bag to another. I could of course buy more compartmental or smaller bags or always use the same handbag but what's the fun in that. 

I was happy to discover organiser bags - the first brad I cam across is Tintamar - sold at various online stores and at Porto in Malta. They exist in various sizes and fabrics and colours and have all these handy pouches and zips so you can store items of different sizes in different parts of it. It also means that when changing bag, all that it involves is transferring the organiser from one bag to another - brillaint right? They're priced between 30 - 40 euros depending on the size and colour.

I didn't actually buy one of the Tintamar ones, I kept meaning to but I was being a bit miserly about spending 40 euros on a bag that goes inside another bag, so I decided to run an ebay search. I found the following listing selling for less than 3 euros:  Handbag Organiser.  I bought it and it's absolutely great - not of as high a quality as the Tintamar ones but it doesn't feel that cheap either. It has different compartments, some zipped, some open and fits all my stuff really well. 

Changing my bag in the morning has now become a piece of cake :D. You might want to invest in one of these organisers....let me know if you do...

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Body Shape Post : How to Choose the Right Boots

 By: Unknown    05:26  No comments

Boots, just like our bodies are not made equal, a lot of people don't realise that our different shapes and sizes actually somewhat dictate which boot style will flatter us most.

Before we delve into boots for body types, I've already written many body shape posts including the all-important how to learn your body shape, what to wear if you're a pear, what to wear if you're an apple. You might want to learn a bit more about your own body before reading the rest of this article. If you already know your shape, then here's the boot & body shape lowdown.

As a starter tidbit, here are a few general rules across all styles 

• Shorter women will look best in a heeled boot version - extra height, real or fake, always helps, especially on curvy women. 
• For pear-shaped women or women with thicker thighs and hips, I love chunky boots (whatever the actual boot style) as I feel this balances out the area. A thicker heel will also balance out thick calves.

Ankle Boots

Nero Giardini at Stivaletti

Looks Best On - Everyone.
Looks Worst On - Nobody.

I'm starting with the most universal of styles - this one flatters most body shapes. The great thing about ankle boots is that they create the illusion of extra length and who doesn't want longer-looking legs ? 

Stiletto heels like the one in the picture below will elongate the legs further, however, I don't recommend wearing them with skinny jeans and a short top if you're bottom-heavy / pear shaped / simply have thicker calves.

Tosca Blu at Stivaeletti

Knee-Length Boots

Nero Giardini at Stivaletti

Looks Best On - Everyone. BUT should be worn in different ways according to shape.
Looks Worst On - Short, pear-shaped / hourglass women wearing jeans tucked in to the boots and a short top.

Whilst some style magazines recommend that this style be avoided by shorter women, I think this is actually quite a universal style. 

Having said that, for pear-shaped, shorter, women, I do prefer and recommend that this style is worn with a skirt or a dress. If skirts aren't your thing, if you wish to wear leggings / skinny jeans, wear them with a loose, long tunic top. If you're an hourglass shape adding a belt to a tunic / dress would be a great idea. 

If you're more on the top heavy side (apple shaped / inverted triangle) your legs are most likely to be lean ,and mean so knee-high boots are an excellent style for you.

Over-the-Knee Boots

Kurt Geiger

Looks Best On - Tall, thin women.
Looks Worst On - Short, pear shaped women.

These boots were made for women with slim, long legs. If you're rather bottom heavy (pear-shaped), it's best to stay away from these as they will further enhance those curvy hips. This boot-style will also have a shortening effect so it is also more suited for taller women.

Mid - Calf Boots

UGG at Kurt Geiger

Looks Best On - Tall, thin women.
Looks Worst On - Shorter women with thick calves.

These are best for those that have thinner calves. Muscular or bigger calves will look bigger in this style, so unless that is what you're seeking, try to opt for something a bit shorter or longer.

Flat Riding Boots

Looks Best On - Tall, thin women.
Looks Worst On - Shorter women but truly, anyone can wear this style.

Flat, knee high riding boots can look good on everyone, they're the ultimate shoe for tall women especially those whose length is mainly within the leg department.

If you're short and perhaps somewhat pear shaped don't wear them with leggings and a tight top - instead opt for skinny jeans and a long baggy top to balance out your bottom half. 

Another trick is to opt for a pair of sleek, minimal boots and wear bright colours / patterns on your upper half - this will drive the eyes upwards.

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Beauty Post : ARK SKINCARE PRIMER

 By: Unknown    07:46  No comments

Last September when I travelled to London for Fashion Week, I attended a beauty event at which I was introduced to Ark Skincare. Before I left, they were kind enough to gift me this Anti-Ageing Skin Protector Primer with SPF 30. I've been using it nearly every day ever since. The product contains a bunch of useful and beneficial ingredients - shea butter, extracts of jojoba, vitamin E , mimosa and sunflower. It is a primer meaning it is designed for use under makeup, possibly, if desired, over moisturiser - it smoothens skin out quite well and foundation glides on more easily after using this product.

I love the fact that it has a high SPF but doesn't feel greasy at all, I've used it both in the warmer months (October in Malta is around 23 degrees Celsius) and during this last much colder month. It has performed well in both climates and my makeup stayed on without budging or flaking for long periods of time in both cases.

The product retails at 36 gbp so it's not in the cheap but neither the unaffordable category, plus a little product goes a long way. I'm pretty sure I will be repurchasing it once the product runs out. I'm now thinking of adding this ARK exfoliator which I also found on lookfantastic.com a and this ARK moisturiser to my collection

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Family Corner : Auntie Time

 By: Unknown    01:48  No comments

As you know, Friday is Family Corner time and today is bit special because I'm just become an auntie - yep it has been one eventful week - what with still ongoing birthday celebrations and waiting for the baby to arrive  - a lot has happened. It's a wonderful, baby girl and I'm looking forward to clad her in the pinkest, cutest items money can buy, possibly for the rest of her life :P.

With that in mind, all I can think of is baby items today so if you're not in the mood of looking at baby and kids stuff, I apologise :)

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Random : It's My Birthday !!

 By: Unknown    01:05  No comments

Since my birthday falls so close to the start of the new year, I tend to measure a year from one birthday to the next, so today is when I take a look back on all that the last year has brought, with all its highs and lows.

It''s been a good year, it's a strange word to use but somehow, looking back at it, makes me feel oddly satisfied. When I was younger, I never really cared about whether or not I felt I had accomplished anything throughout the last year. In my early twenties especially, I regarded life as just one big ball of space to have as much fun as possible in. As I hit late twenties and now, today, I've turned 31 it's as though I've had this realisation that life is kind of a precious object and as morbid as it sounds, it does eventually run out. I've had this feeling of wanting to ensure that I'm living a life worth living - at least a life worth living according to Caroline :). 

Some highlights from the last year included - celebrating my 30th in Paris with the hubby, a trip to Florence with my mother, blogging for Simshar & handling International Relations for Malta Fashion Week in May, going to AltaRoma in July, lots and lots of beach time in August, the New Model Today Competition and London Fashion Week in September, Ferramoda and the launch of the Chamber of Fashion Malta and the Malta Fashion Association in November, a trip to Paris with the hubby in December and a brilliant Christmas period. And of course, there were lots of other dinners, weddings and time with friends and family but those don't relate as much to this blog.

Flick through the slideshow for a trip down my memory lane (each photo is a link to that post)

It was also an exciting year for this blog in terms of lots of brand collaborations, general growth and I've also written for many different publications, both local and international. This is where I say a BIG FAT THANK YOU to all of you for following me and reading what I have to say.

As a parting note, I'd like to finish off this 'serious' reflection post with one thing - as I get older and 'wiser', I've started to live life more for myself - I care so much less now about what person X thinks of me or why person Y seems to dislike me, than I did 5 years ago. This is my life, my appearance, my work. I refuse to care about bitchiness and whilst I really do appreciate all suggestions and constructive criticism that people pass my way, I might still decide to do things differently. Here's to another good year!

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Shopping : What I Bought

 By: Unknown    02:48  No comments

After weeks of passing on shopping tips and sale finds, I think it's only fair that you see some of what I bought for myself over the last month. 

So, above, first item in the picture shows my very first oversized jacket from Promod - an outfit post to follow very, very soon.

Right below, are a new pair of black, knee high boots - can you believe my previous, black knee high boots are about 7 years old ?! These are Nero Giardini from Stivaletti and as comfy as my bedroom slippers, ok, well, almost...

Then there's a Honey necklace that looks great with shirts / dresses etc that I've been reaching for a lot.

Below that, there's a skater skirt from Zara. I'm in love with the comfort and ease skater skirts bring to my life - I've only owned this skirt for one week and I've already worn it three times.

Then there's the PANAMA JACKS - yep I got a pair in burgundy - wohoooo

And the next two things are a cheat -- I don't own them but I'd like to very much and hey it's my birthday tomorrow. I've been passing hints at every turn for two weeks now, so hopefully some of them stuck in someone's brain !! :)

• The first is a suede patchwork dress from ASOS - I really love the colours, it's a perfect item for Spring and in Winter I'd wear it over a cream turtleneck and some thick cream tights.. perfection.
• It wouldn't be my list without at least something pink but even non-pink lovers, you have to admit there are few things more darling than this coat - and it's on sale.

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Outfit Post : In Winter I Wear Capes & Hats

 By: Unknown    11:55  No comments

This cape that I got from Paris makes me feel brilliant..besides the fact that I love the style and its made from beautiful soft wool, it hides literally ALL my sins and trust me after Christmas there are a few too many of them...

I recently watched the Downton Abbey Christmas Special and if you did you must have noticed the hats - oh my god there were so many different, stunning ones - the milliner must have worked for months on end on those beauties. I bring up the subject of hats because as you may have realised I'm wearing a cloche hat and believe it or not, this is my first cloche hat. Yes, the girl who has way too many hats to count has never up till now worn or owned a proper cloche hat. Although I think I'm glad I waited, this way when I met this perfect Coccinelle one, it got the greeting it deserved and a nice big fat smile.

If you're wondering where I wore this outfit to, well it came out with me sale shopping around Sliema last Saturday. A rare Saturday off that I spent with my mother and thoroughly enjoyed. One of my 2015 resolutions is to find a way to have more time to relax and do other things besides work, at least in January it's proving to be somewhat doable...what about you guys have you kept your resolutions ?

Photos by Kurt Paris

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Shopping : A Spot of Male Styling

 By: Unknown    03:00  No comments

Last Friday, I made my way to KIABI to style two men in the new, 'just arrived' collection. This collection is a really interesting one and I actually had trouble selecting only two outfits. This leather jacket in the pictures above and below caught my eye the minute I walked in. The quality is great, the smell of leather intoxicating and the style brilliant ..plus it's under 50 euros..what more do you want ? Next, my eyes gravitated towards this Star Wars t-shirt ..so much fun potential, there needs to be a female version  ! A pair of grey black jeans completed the look.

More pics in the slideshow below....



Next up I chose a casual blue-denim-grey look - loving this blue grey sweater in the picture below and these chinos have a really great fit. The denim jackets are also worth a mention, again really like their quality.









More pics in the slideshow below....

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Urban Travel : In the Fitting Room Vol 2

 By: Unknown    12:20  No comments

As I mentioned last week, as the Urban Travel collaboration with #MEXX now comes to an end, I decided to end with something a bit different for 2015 - I'm taking you with me into the changing / fitting / dressing room !!

Whenever I'm shopping, the thing I hate most is 'trying on' and there are times when I break one of my own rules and simply skip that part. However, when I do enter, sometimes I'll decide instantly, other times I'll spend about 10 minutes craning my neck trying to see whether or not my bum looks big.

Last week I chose a long, casual, sweater dress that's a bit fitted. This week I've changed tune completely and I've migrated into a woolly, casual, chunky cardigan that hides all your sins. The great thing about this cardigan sweater is that you can wear it EVERYWHERE - to work, out shopping, to the cinema, to a friend's house...& you can wear it with many different colours -  black, denim, white, purple, navy. I also chose a black leather clutch bag that's really stylish.

The best part - MEXX is on sale now !!

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