New Products To Fight That Sleepy Face.

It's 7:25 and your alarm's just gone off, last night's mascara is somehow still all down your face - despite the effort you took to remove your make-up last night. Your eye bags are bigger than the Chanel SS13 hula-hoop bag and the idea of facing the world makes you want to chew on your own pillows... Do not fear, these lovely items will leave you looking fresh and fit for anything that the day fancies hitting you with: Combating sleepy-eyes: Clinique's New Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector at £28. This beauty will hydrate the entire area and ensure that your peepers are looking big and sparkly, without the big bags beneath. The product contains plumping agents to rejuvenate the eye area, whilst the massage tip cools and soothes away your sleepiness.

 

Darkness Around The Eyes: Bare Minerals Face and Eye Brightener at £22.  This new product is a two-in-one, meaning great value for your money and more room in your handbag for those all important receipts and empty chewing gum wrappers that you pretend you always clear out, religiously. The product is said to: "Instantly brighten and revive a lack-luster complexion. Contains light-reflecting minerals to even skin tone while improving skin radiance and visibly minimizing dark spots and discolorations over time. Works for all skin tones." 

 

 You can buy this product online by clicking on either of these images, or you can find them in your high street at stores such as Debenhams, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and sometimes in larger Boots stores. Reclaim That Piercing Stare: Max Factor Eye Brightening Mascara at £6.99.  The cheapest option of the bunch and the one with the added benefit of Student Discount as it's sold in Superdrug, is Max Factor's intriguing new mascara. It comes in three colours: blue, green and brown - which you have to pick, obviously, in correspondence with your eye colour and it's supposed to make the colour pop out with its innovative technology. The product says: "The formula contains light reflective particles to add a subtle brightening effect, and gem-toned colour beads which customise the reflected light to enrich eye colour. At the same time the mascara gives your lashes up to 300% more volume making sure your eyes stand out." I'm debating picking this item up myself, solely due to curiosity as it's definitely a niche that I haven't seen explored before. Have you tried it? Let me know what you think if you have.

 

Aside from these wonderful products, the one thing you ought to be wearing, despite how crap the weather may be or how late your train is - is a smile. Scientists say that smiling and laughing can instantly cheer you up and others around you, after all!

What're your go-to products in the morning to wake yourself up?

Ebony xo

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How To Get Your Blog Started.

 

So, you've just created your domain name, you're restlessly scrolling through themes and you're bursting with the energy that you're going to be the next best thing. Now what? Starting a blog can be a very daunting task, especially getting those first few sentences down and out there to your audience. Firstly, you need to remember that your blog is yours - you shouldn't change anything about your tone and you should  let your character shine through with everything you write. I heard a lovely compliment recently that somebody reads my blog, despite having little interest in the topics I feature, purely because of my writing style - which really made my day.

You need to focus on the things you love and the things that you know an audience will love to read about. Make it relevant to a wide audience, but still personal to yourself. It's fine to do OOTD posts and posts about your day, but most successful blogs will feature the latest fashion/beauty news and events too, so it's good to keep yourself updated. To do this, you might want to open an Twitter account. Whilst I've only been blogging about the fashion industry for a matter of months, I've managed to create a brilliant network of bloggers and PR faces, which opened the doors to many opportunities that you'd otherwise miss. I can't really express the necessity of Twitter enough - fashionistas would be lost without it. If I hadn't used it, I would have never got an invite to London Fashion Week, started planning my own major fashion event or got a work experience/internship placement at ELLE Magazine this year - you need to get your name out there as well as you can, without over-spamming and driving your followers crazy. You also might want to think of creating a niche for your blog. Who are you? 

What do you have to offer readers that is reasonably unique to you? Are you from a certain part of the world that people find interesting? Do you have a particular style? Think about your personal attributes and lend them to your professional life - it will bring you a strong following of people that find you easy to relate to and interesting. Post regularly - everywhere. If you want to do this, you have to do it hard. My English Language lecturer last year told us that genius rarely came to you, you have to work for it, check this out: "Alan Turing, the man who created the first electric computer and who helped to win World War II with it by using it to break the German codes was actually forbidden from reading Maths books not relevant to the curriculum when he was at school. He used to hide the extra books he acquired under a floorboard and read them at night under the bedclothes, with a torch." You have to be prepared to put the work in with your blog, or people will tire of clicking back to your page and you'll be one of those bloggers who had so much potential but flittered away within weeks - forgotten. Not good. Make sure you're posting at least a few times a week. Personally, I post a couple of posts around 3 times a week at least - but that has only been the case recently as I have been without my laptop for nearly a month.

If you would like any more information regarding tips and tricks on how to set up your own fashion/beauty blog, feel free to drop me a comment below or feel free to email me at ebony@elnfashion.com.

Ebony xo

   

Leeds Haul and the Evils of Travelling.

Today I went to Leeds to grab a Nando's with a friend and pick up my laptop (nearly a month after I left it in @whenflowersfall's car boot after London Fashion Week). It's been a lovely day, I managed to switch my studded iPhone clutch from Urban Outfitters, which I really wouldn't recommend that you purchase, for the following reasons: when I went to buy the first one in London, the cashier recommended that I picked a different one as the studs looked like they were about to fall off - which I did and secondly, to add salt to it, the one I actually bought shed two studs within 3 days of taking it home - then my boyfriend dropped one of them under the floorboards trying to fix it, bless him. Yeah, steer clear of it anyway - it looks very cool but unless you don't fancy taking your manicured paws off it for one whole second, I'd leave it on the shelf. Sorry Urbies...

 

 Aside from that, I also gave into temptation and picked up a new bold winter jumper in Pop Boutique, which will feature on a OOTD post very soon. If you've never checked out the Pop Boutique in Leeds, I'd definitely suggest that you did - I prefer it to the Manchester and Liverpool branches any day. Also, if you're wondering why they don't do Student Discount in Leeds, whereas they do in Manchester/Liverpool, it's because they apparently lower the cost price of every item in the store, due to the fact that most customers are students anyway. With a chunky vintage jumper for £22, I'm not really complaining! The day was grand until I tried to get myself home and found myself quite where I am right now - very late home, slightly inebriated and rather angry. Here are some tip-top tips from the worst train-traveller in the world (I would not be surprised, were that true):

• Regardless of how much of a reputable source you deem National Rail, do not trust anyone. If you go for that 19:08 train from Leeds to Lancaster, with the promise of being in bed with your boyfriend for 8:55pm, you're being lied to and you will end up stranded in Manchester until 22:16.
• On that note, check with the train station - they know their shit.
• On top of that note, probably learn the main rule that I never, ever have learned: get the even earlier train, just to be on the safe side.
• Do not, on realisation that you're trapped miles away from your comfy bed, boyfriend and potential zzz-ing quarters until half-past eleven, walk around the train station fighting off tears like a derp - you will lose self-respect.
• Do not add to this distress by not having phone charge and do not rely  on iPhone batteries because, despite how sleek and modern that exterior is, the battery is still shitter than a Nokia 3310.
• Do find a Starbucks, plug in your phone and sulk until your phone eventually turns back on again. Also curse yourself for having an aversion to Android and their instant switch-on from charging.
• Once charged, do find the nearest station bar and order the largest white wine that they offer. Breathe, call your best mate - laugh your tits off, relax.
• Catch the later train and use the extra time and access to train charge sockets - blog on the train.

I hope you look past the slight bitterness of this post, haha, it's been a long day!

What're your fail-proof travelling tips? I could do with some help, it seems!

Ebony xo

   

London Fashion Week - OOTD

So the other day I ended up at London Fashion Week to watch the Timur Kim show, completely randomly, but there'll be another post about that shortly - where you can read all about it. I went with two other lovely fashion/beauty bloggers, who you can find here: (PS. click the names for blog links!)

Sam - @whenflowersfall

Sally - @rainydayfaces

Here are a couple of pictures of my outfit that day which, may I add, I ran around New Look frantically purchasing the day before I left for London (I only found I was going about 16 hours before we set off!):

 

Apologies for the absolutely horrendous hair going on - I didn't have my hairbrush with me and probably drove the girls mental moaning about how messy it was all day. I love the outfit but I think I nearly fell on my ass a good 6 times throughout the day, probably not the most sensible footwear to be wearing around London, especially when you have pathetically small Size 3 feet... For my make-up, I'm wearing everything M.A.C for the base (again, if anyone wants to know what I use for my basics make-up, comment and I'll post about it), with Lush's new Emotional Brilliance liquid eyeliner in Independent, Estée Lauder's new Vivid Shine lipstick in Black Cassis (had to buy as it matched my shoes) and Estée Lauder mascara - which I shall be reviewing very soon! This is how my hair was supposed to look, haha. Every single thing I'm wearing can be purchased right now at New Look:

• Matching Tweed Jacket £35.99

• Matching Tweed Shorts £22.99 Approx

Unfortunately, these are no longer on the New Look website but they were in good stock in my little Lancaster store, so have a look on your next shopping trip.

• Horse-Print Collar Long Sleeved Blouse - £22.99

• Dark Green Quilted Tassel Bowler Bag - £17.99

• Deep Red Cross Strap Wedges - £22.99

All images of the clothing will link you to the item on the New Look website!

What shows have you caught at London Fashion Week? What have been your highlights so far? And, what do you think of my outfit? :)

xo

New Look/Grazia Denim Styling Event - Manchester Arndale.

Yesterday I braved the rain and hopped a few trains to Manchester to check out the New Look/Grazia Denim Styling event in the Arndale - with the hope of having a couple of minutes to speak to the Grazia Fashion Editor Sophie Ferguson Jones - which I did! There was a little talk from Sophie, where she gave some hints and tips regarding the new trends for Autumn/Winter 2012 and what we should be wearing these next coming months.

Here are some of her pointers:

• Khaki Camouflage Skinny Jeans - £24.99

 

Due to the recent Utility trend that's been gracing both the streets and catwalks this year, camouflage was bound to find its way into our leg-wear - and what better way than through denim? These are the only way that I would wear camouflage on my legs, as I'm really not a fan of leggings. Team these with a grungy shirt and creepers for a fierce daytime look, or with huge black heels and a leather jacket for an equally snazzy night out look.

• Red Overdye Acid Wash Skinny Jeans - £22.99

 

Sophie said to look out for reds and garnet colours this upcoming season, as they were all over the catwalk recently. Even though I'm not a fan of brightly coloured denim myself, I was quite drawn to this gloriously grungy pair - a perfect addition to ombre-dyed hair and Docs.

• Dark Blue Denim Shaper Skinny Jeans - £22.99

A range of shaping jeans were mentioned at the talk, which I'm guessing are these - as I can't find any others on the New Look website. These jeans will pull you in and up in all the right places, which is great if you're a bit dubious about squeezing into skinny jeans. I absolutely love this colour, dark denim will always be my favourite - it's slimming, versatile and always looks way more expensive than it is!

   

 The event itself was lovely, all who attended were offered a lush-looking cupcake and Sophie was wandering around chatting to customers around the store for a while after her talk. She was wearing black skinny jeans and this black polka dot peplum top, which was gorgeous. I stalked her around the shop for a little while and managed to quiz her a little on how to go about getting into an internship for a magazine like Grazia and she was really helpful. Here are some ideas she gave me:

• Carry on with my blog and send links to select people on Twitter that work in the areas you're writing about.

• Keep pushing for internships!

• Don't worry too much about costs of big magazine internships - they are actually paid, unlike smaller houses.

• Strike up the odd conversation with magazines on social media and especially the writers on there, but don't be too pushy or stalker-esque!

 For more posts, visit my main site at ELNfashion.com, or follow me @Ebzo.

x

REVIEW: LUSH Gorilla Perfume in Vanillary.

 

 Yesterday I received a sample of Vanillary through the post from LUSH - which was a lovely surprise! I popped it into my satchel in my hurry for the train, as I was off to Manchester to see Grazia's Fashion Editor Sophie Ferguson at the New Look Denim Styling Event - and quickly dabbed a little on my wrists in the midst of my extensive make-up routine (done on the train - Miss Lastminute.com). It smells absolutely divine! The scent is rich and familiar yet filled with sexy musky tones - I may just have to order some the second this one runs out! I'm also really happy as it's another LUSH pot to my collection that I can recycle for one of their divine face masks when finished. You can apply the perfume stick to either your neck or wrists, and I found it easier to apply a generous amount to my wrists and then rub onto my neck. I couldn't decide whether it was due to it being a new scent to me, or whether it had amazing staying power, as I could still smell it as though fresh, a good time after one application. The packaging is ongoing with the LUSH brand theme, black with their signature title font in white in a small cylinder shape - so perhaps not as glam as you'd like your perfume to be, but it is amazingly handy for just throwing in your bag and using for a little pick-me-up throughout the day.

   

 The scent is available in three forms: perfume stick £6.50 (which I received), spritzer £12.50 and atomiser for £26. Here's the LUSH description of the product: "The sweet and sensual real vanilla and jasmine absolutes are supported by the burnt caramel-like scent of tonka bean in this delicious perfume. Vanillary is a grown-up gourmand. Its character really warms and develops on the skin and you'll get many compliments wearing it. A group of Lushies visited Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant and were inspired by a pudding they ate there to create the Vanilla Fountain bath ballistic. Amanda, our Retail Guru, along with many other Lushies nagged Simon until he caved in and made the delicious scent into a perfume." I would definitely recommend this product - to pretty much anyone who is on the go constantly. Even if the scent isn't for you, the LUSH perfume range is ever-expanding, with new scents like 25:43 getting snapped up frantically already. Find your own scent!

For more posts, visit my main site at ELNfashion.com, or follow me @Ebzo.

Hey Guys, An Update.

I haven't used this Blogger site yet, given that I'm usually at ELNfashion.com, but I've decided to upload a quick backlog of some of the posts I have done over the past (nearly) year. So forgive me if some of them don't really look right or if I'm referring to things retrospectively in any posts that I put up today. 

For more posts, visit my main site ELNfashion.com or follow me @Ebzo!

Gossip Girl Outfit Breakdown #1: Blair's Preppy High School Look.

As mentioned very vaguely a few days ago on the blog, I'm now going to be a doing a Gossip Girl Outfit Breakdown every single day until the première of  Gossip Girl Season 6 on October 8th. Each post will contain information about where you can find similar items of clothing to replicate the styles of your favourite GG characters, without breaking the bank. If I start posting too much Blair, shout at me - her style is just amazing. Please feel free to leave me an outfit request from your favourite look (of any episode in any season!) and I'll put it in the queue for the next few days and put you a post up!  

 It's hard to believe that it was 5 years ago when Blair Waldorf first popped up on our TV screens across the world. Since then, with the help of Gossip Girl stylist Eric Daman, she has been causing serious wardrobe envy - especially for me! I was then and will probably be forever in love with Blair's high school fashion, and it's always nice to realise how easily (and incredibly inexpensively) you can recreate some of the looks...

Beauty Look of the Day - MUA Cosmetics.