Blue jeans and black top.....Simple but classy!

Hello and Happy Christmas to all of you reading. I hope you had a great day.

Today I spent the day at my grandparents where we had our Christmas dinner with all relatives. When it came to choosing my outfit for this day I wanted something casual but also put together. Initially I was thinking to wear my new red skinny jeans but I didn't find anything to pair with it in my wardrobe. Sometimes shopping in your wardrobe can be not so successful. But thankfully the sales start tomorrow so I hope to get some good deals and may be find something to wear with my red jeans. I then tried on a dress with some leggings. And finally I opted for the most basic simple outfit you could wear: blue jeans and a black top. The top I wore is the one I had bought to wear with the red jeans. But that outfit didn't work out for me as red is already a bright colour so I feel I need to tone it down with a light neutral colour like camel or dark beige. 

I am wearing

Blue jeans from New Look

Black knitted top & black arm warmers from Shana

Black suede pumps from local shop

Satchel bag from Miss Selfridge

Skinny belt from Sicily

Gold studs from H&M

Taupe coat from local shop

I am happy with the outfit although had I had the time to, I would have made a few adjustments like choosing a different belt. I like the colour but I think a thinner one would have worked better. I think this outfit is a classic. Blue jeans will never go out of fashion. And neither will  a nice black top. I wore the short sleeve crochet black top over a three quarter length black T-shirt and some knitted black hand warmers. My shoes were black suede pumps which I got a while ago for my graduation. The star of the whole outfit was my new handbag which my husband got me for Christmas. And I also liked how my hair came out. However, keep in mind that I took the pictures in the evening after a whole day not touching and after walking in the presence of a very strong wind. 

So if you don't know what to wear either today or any other festive day don't be afraid of wearing a simple outfit like blue jeans and a black top. Remember that simple is classic. And classic is tasteful. Always better than going all out with your outfit and ending up looking too made up.......STAY FAB

Christmas Nails......

Hello ladies,

Only few days are left to Christmas. I am sure you are looking forward to it. Have you already decided what to wear, how to make your hair and makeup, where to go and what to eat? Here are some posts which might give you some ideas about the holidays in general.

Holiday Party Dresses

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-dresses.html

Holiday Makeup

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-makeup.html

Pink Makeup........ for the Holidays

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/pink-makeupfor-holidays.html

Christmas Decorations....Ideas

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-2011-decorideas.html

Christmas at Home

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-at-home.html

Christmas Gifts

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-gifts.html

Christmas Eve Food

http://alessiascues.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-eve-food.htmlPoste

WHAT ABOUT YOUR NAILS? How are you going to paint your nails this Christmas? This is the colour I suggest. It is the colour I am wearing this week. I had bought it last year for Christmas but I didn't have time to paint my nails. So I am wearing it this Christmas for the first time. It's shade 300 Movie Star by Rimmel London 60 seconds. It's a shimmery and glittery red with some pink undertone. I think this would be great both for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You can wear it with a nice dress but also a pair of jeans. I will make you look festive but glamorous. 

 

 

 

STAY FAB.........

PARTY HAIRSTYLES........

No fabulous dress will be complete without an equally fabulous hairstyle. So as part of my Holiday Party posts series I cannot skip a hairstyle post. In this post I am going to show you my favourite hairstyles to wear with my favourite 3 dresses featured in my HOLIDAY PARTY DRESSES post, which you can view by clicking this link http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-dresses.html. You can of course use these hairstyles with any other formal or non formal dress (and also with a casual outfit). In fact, I have chosen very simple hairstyles because I think these 3 dresses are so beautiful you don't need to overdo them with a complex hairstyle. Another thing I wanted to say is that if you are young and want to look elegant and classy but still your age, I would wear a soft hairstyle with a formal dress not to look too much put together for your age. For this reason I would suggest avoiding totally up dos with these 3 dresses. But of course this is just my opinion.....

My FAVOURITE HAIRSTYLES for Dress 1.....

As you can see on your right, this dress is very simple yet classy and modern at the same time. I think the simplicity of the dress is what makes it one of my favourite. After all, the greatest thing are the simplest......I wouldn't want to ruin this simple elegant look with an elaborate hairstyle. This is why I would go with an equally simple hairstyle. This way you will be the star. It will be you to make this dress special. 

This is the hairstyle I would wear with this dress. It is sleek, feminine, girly, simple but elegant. And it attracts attention to your face which will be played with the makeup I showed you in my Holiday Makeup.....Look 1.

This hairstyle is quite simple to achieve. You have to have freshly washed or second day hair, depending on how thick your hair is and whether it is oily or not. You will want to straighten it with a very good straightener without forgetting the use of a heat protector styling product. My favourite at the moment is Tresemme' Iron Style & Hold Spray. This product is amazing. It not only protects your hair from heat from any heat device you use but it also gives your hair extra hold and leaves it super shiny. However, you can also a normal heat protector like the Tresemme' Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray below.

These are other hairstyles I would suggest to wear with this dress. 

      

My FAVOURITE HAIRSTYLES for Dress 2.....

This second dress is very girly and pink. It is also very sequin and therefore quiet elaborate. It is elegant but modern because of the bright colour. But it is especially a young dress. I would suggest this dress for someone under 30. IF you are older you can still choose a different shade of pink. To keep the final look young, flirty but also super romantic, I would wear this dress with sleek pony tail like the one below. This is another simple hairstyle to recreate.  First, you simply take your clean hair and straighten it slightly using a heat protector. Then, you want to create some volume in front with a teasing brush and hair hold spray. I am currently using Tresemme' Salon Finish Extra Hold Spray. Next put your hair up in a sleek ponytail but not too tight. Take a hair strand and wrap it around the hair bend to hide it using some bobby pins. Finally you want to create some soft waves at the end of your pony tail using a curling iron or wand. 

These are other pony tails you can choose from, depending on your hair length. And if you prefer an up do, I would suggest a fin one like the one Lauren Conrad is wearing below.

          

My TOP HAIRSTYLES for Dress 3........

This is the most elaborate of the 3 dresses in my opinion and it is the one I would suggest for the more grown up ladies but also younger women who want to look more put together and classy but still wear a different dress. 

I wouldn't wear this dress with an up do. Because of the many triangles it features, I would pair it with a soft 

hairstyles like these simple soft curls. 

The above two hairstyles are also very simple to create.You simply take your front top hair backwards to create a half up half down look. You can choose to add some volume if you like. But don't over do it. And then you curl your hair and soften the curls by running your hands through them. Finally spray with a hold spray.  

For those women who want to achieve a more elegant put together look here are 2 soft up dos which will add softness to the geometric shapes in the dress.

STAY FAB........

-----------------------------------------------

My other HOLIDAY POSTS:

Holiday Party Dresses

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-dresses.html

Holiday Makeup

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-makeup.html

Pink Makeup........ for the Holidays

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/pink-makeupfor-holidays.html

Christmas Decorations....Ideas

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-2011-decorideas.html

Christmas at Home

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-at-home.html

Christmas Gifts

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-gifts.html

Christmas Eve Food

http://alessiascues.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-eve-food.html

Winter Outfit......Cozy Sunday.

Hello ladies,

Winter it almost here and the Christmas countdown has started. I am sure that in many places is already freezing cold. So you need to keep warm especially for those relaxed Sundays spent at home. I find that whenever I go at my mum's I really get cold because I normally just seat and do nothing. Whereas when I am home doing house chores or also when I go out to run errands I feel warmer even if outside is cold because I am moving all the time. For this reason, I wear extra chunky layers whenever I go at my parent's house. The outfit below is an example of what I normally wear on a Sunday spent home with my family.

I am wearing....

Black leggings from Sicily market 

Black basic polo neck / turtle neck from a local shop 

Grey summer short sleeve tunic from Piazza Italia

Black sweater from Terranova

Black flats from New Look

Black skinny belt

With winter approaching I would replace the flats with some cozy boots and I might also throw on a cardigan.

Stay FAB.....

January 2011 Haul.........

Dear shopping lovers,


Here is my first clothing haul post. As a premise I would like to say that I have always loved shopping especially clothes shopping. However, only recently I have started really enjoying it because since I reached my goal weight it has been easier to find clothes which I both like and which suit me well. I always try my best to limit myself and shop mostly during sales especially at more expensive shops. During non sales period I try to purchase only the necessary and try to buy from cheaper local stores. The most important features which I look for when buying clothes are quality, unique details, good fit and comfort. The following clothes have been purchased by me in the last 2 weeks during the sales.


I would like to start by the most essential garment I bought: no doubt, jeans. Jeans are part of my everyday wardrobe as they can create both casual and smart day and night looks. I am almost always wearing some pair of jeans unless I am wearing leggings or tights with some dresses, skirts or shorts. My prefered styles are skinny and straight leg jeans because they make my legs appear longer which is a plus for me since I am quiet petite. The two pair of jeans I grabbed at my local clothes store are black faded trouser jeans which have a straight leg and blue slightly washed denim in a skinny style. These latter are very nice as they have a particular detail on the knee - just a striped patch sewn on the knees which makes the jeans less ordinary and more stylish. You can see them below. I got these at half price in sizes 36 and 40 respectively because of the different style.

Three other pieces I got in the same store are turtle neck or high neck jumpers. Two of them have a very nice cashmere material mixed with wool and cotton and I got them in the colours dark brown and light grey. Whereas the other one is a more ordinary long sleeved cotton turtle neck and I got it in military green. I really love having different turtle neck colours because I wear them all the time in winter, either on their own with a scarf and a necklace under a coat or jacket but I also like layering them under cardigans and sweaters. I got these also for half price and they were a very good bargain. I already wore the brown one with the new blue jeans and I really liked both pieces and felt very comfortable.

From Dorothy Perkins I got a nice grey waterfall open cardigan, which is long at the back but short in front; a pair of leggings in magenta colour and a very cute feminine sleveless silk blouse in a nice golden glittered beige colour. This last as it can be seen from the picture below has a very detailed ruffled front. It is slightly baggy because I normally get a small size but there was only size 10 left, but I really like how the baggy blouse flows over a jeans with some boots or pumps on. These 3 pieces were very cheap when compared to their non sale price. The total would have been 99 euros without the sales reduction whereas I only paid 29.73 euros. A great bargain, I think! 

I also stopped by Zara (the only one in my country) and got a camel short sleeved turtle neck with a nice belted detail on the sleeves and a very particular top in old rose with a unique pattern on the front. I really love the style of this last piece I got and I am looking forward to wear it in summer with some jeans or trousers and my hair up in a ponytail. I got these two tops at half price and in sizes small and medium respecitvely. The medium one is a bit large from the underarms but I can wore a top under to avoid anything showing.

The last 2 things I got during the sales are a loop scarf with a blue grey pattern and a brown waist belt with a nice rose detail. I got these from a chinese shop in a local shopping centre. I am really excited about the scarf because I have been wanting a loop scarf since fall.

I hope you like this post. If you wish to, feel free to leave any comments.

AlessiaPearl

What to wear to a winter event.....

Dear all,

I am happy to say that my grandparents (my mum's parents) have celebrated their 50th anniversary last Saturday and I have been very pleased to be entrusted with the organization of this important family event. We had a buffet dinner with entertainment in one of the local 5 stars hotels. The party took place in a private hall and everything went well and all guests were satisfied. As a gift I bought the favors for the souvenirs plus I put a lot of effort and time into the organization of this party.

After all the hard work, I really wanted to enjoy myself and looked and feel great. So I looked around for the right dress and came up with an elegant makeup and hair look. Finding the dress was harder than I thought because being in the sales period, most sizes had already been taken and in some cases there the dresses I liked started from a size which was too large for me. I am size 6, sometimes 8 but the major problem is that I have an extremely small waist while my hips and derriere are fuller when compared to the small waist. So all the size 8 dresses are too large from the waist and sometimes also the ones in size 6. However, my hips and derriere won't fit in a size 4. I ended up buying a petrol blue green dress with crystals embellishment on the shoulders in a size 8. The dress is from Oasis and I also bought a red dress fairly plain but with a very mice silk fabric. I really wanted to wear the Oasis Necklace Prom Dress but it starts from a size 8 and was huge on me. So I guess I will wear the red dress I bought for Valentine's day to go to dinner with my newly husband (it will be our first valentine's as a married couple). The dress I bought for the event did feel a bit wide around my waist but I bought it 2 days before the event after going around most shops in my country (my country is very small just in case you are wondering how I looked around the whole country) so I didn't have any other alternatives.

As for the makeup, I chose to wear a very simple but elegant look because I wanted to stand out thanks to my natural features rather than lots of makeup. Here is a short step by step guide as how to achieve the makeup look I had for this event:
Step 1 - I applied Sisley Phyto Teint Eclat Fluid foundation with my fingers using a sample I got in the shade 0 Porcelain on cleansed and moisturized skin. I didn't apply my mattifying primer because in the last month I have had some dryness problems on certain areas of my face so I don't really need to mattify my face.
Step 2 - For my cheecks I applied my Missha Golden Rose blush in shade 208
Step 3 - I applied a little bit of Rimmel Stay Matte powder but it would have been better if I had not applied it because it cause some dryness while the foundation looked better without the powder just because I am being more dry than oily this month due to the very cold weather to which I am extremely sensitive
Step 4 - As for eyeshadows I applied a pink eye shadow very natural looking not too pink all over the lid and in the inner corner of my eyes. I then smoked the outer corner of the eyes with a petrol blue teal eye shadow and added some silver just on the lower part of the corner of the eye. I finished by reapplying the pink shadow on the inner corner of the eye to make the darker shade pop even more.
Step 5 - I then smudged a charcoal shadow on the lower lash line and applied a black eye liner on the lower water line.
Step 6 - As for lips I just applied a lip balm and a clear lip gloss because I wanted to keep the look very natural as i already said.

A close up of my face for you to see my makeup

(However, keep in mind that this picture was taken at the end of the event once I got home so my makeup had been on for more than 8 hours by that time)

My lovely sister and me....

As for my hair I did a quick bun following this tutorial on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/LuxyHair#p/u/30/qjTX3_W1oBM

As for accessories I wear a pair of big round silver stud earrings and my swatch silver bracelet with studs. My spectacles are by Moschino. My handbag was a small satin black clutch by Accesorize with a lace wide ribbon tied with a bow. My shoes were black suede pumps with some crocodile skin detail at the back. My coat was a grey striped knee length coat by Esprit and I wore my black leather gloves and my lace black sparkly scarf by Tally Wejl.

As for my nails I had on one coat of rock the metal by Rimmel 60 seconds and one coat of top coat by Nails Professionals.

Love,

AlessiaPearl