Win with Motel Rocks

 

Motel Rocks, the brand known for making those sexy little dresses, is running a competition on their Facebook page. You can win an item of your choice by creating a look using their clothes on Polyvore. All the details are on their page. Here are my entries.

 

Hurry over to their Facebook page and enter. Who knows, you might win!

Till next time beauties,

Deja xx 

Dancing to the Afro-Beat of Drums

I recently went to see Fela!, the musical about the life of Afro-beat pioneer Fela Kuti. I didn't have a clue about the man or the music before I went to the show. It was incredible. An explosion of drums, dance and colour-with a social message. I'm not a Fela expert so I won't discuss him but I will say I've been discovering his music and I'm sold. A fusion of jazz, funk, soul and Latin music, it's literally music to my ears. The version above is from the Broadway show but it's currently on in London at Sadler's Wells until the end of the month.

 

I remember when going to the theatre was a very formal affair and  you had to dress accordingly. I'm not one to go to these kinds of events too casually but I was going to be spending the day in rainy London so my outfit had to be versatile. 

 

I love denim jackets and I've had this one for ages. It's from J.Crew, an American brand and I remember being shocked by how much it cost at the time but as it's lasted 7 years. I think that's good value for money. 

Denim Jacket-J.Crew

Dress and Lace trimmed tank-Monsooon

Belt-Accessorize

Shoes-Primark

Bag-Vintage Louis Vuitton

Hair Band-New Look

Earrings-Topshop

I felt comfortable, happy and I enjoyed myself. What more could one want?

Till next time beauties,

Deja xx

 

Review: Benefit Brow Bar

 

Brow, I mean, how are you doing? Well. You can forgive a slip of the tongue after seeing this pic of Fran from Dodgeball, the movie. You can never underestimate the comedic effect of a good unibrow. I, on the other hand, don't really enjoy excess brow hair. Nothing will make your face look brighter, happier and fresher than having your eyebrows shaped and I'm always on the lookout for a good salon that gives great service and great brows. I have had my share of horror stories on the way. 

This was me six years ago. Caterpillars I call those, but hey. I have quite thick eyebrows and you would think it would give people a lot of scope. You know, if you make a mistake there's plenty left to mask any problems. One lady (or should I say girl) waxed off half of one eyebrow, another dropped hot wax in my eye. I left a well known national spa chain with the worst eyebrow shape in the world (think horizontal walking sticks). 

I've threaded, waxed, plucked, and shaved (yes, shaved-don't ask) to achieve the perfect brow. This perfection has happened twice. Once when I visited a non-descript salon in New Jersey with a friend which I never visited again and the last time on a trip to the Benefit Brow Bar in Chicago's Lincoln Park. When I heard Benefit Cosmetics were bringing their Brow Bars to the UK I was super excited. I mean Chicago is quite far to go for the perfect brow shape. A month ago I popped into the Benefit Brow Bar in Bristol with my friend Mariam (shout-out!) and a couple of weeks later I visited another in Brighton. 

Here I am before!

Looking slightly crazy...

And here's me after!

This was after my visit to Brighton. The beautician was very chatty and nice and showed me the shape I would have before she started. She also offered to change anything once she was done. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my brows and I like them to be as even as possible. One was slightly thinner than the other but I can sort that with a brow pencil. Next time I go I will ask them to leave a bit of the new hair under the thinner one and it should grow back full in no time! Personable, professional and good. I would thoroughly recommend Benefit Brow Bars. It cost £11 and I didn't have an appointment either time.There are 38 locations across the country.

Until next time beauties,

Deja xx

Win with Very.co.uk

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So I wouldn't leave you all high and dry without addressing what I'm sure is a burning question. A mobile phone? Fashion event tickets? Paprika voucher? Did I hear that right, you won them? Yes, yes, I do like winning, but not in a Charlie Sheen kind of way. If I see a great competition to win pretty things I put my name in the hat. My mid-year resolution is to share these wonderful fashion competitions with you guys. Looking good is great but looking good for free is frickin amazing.

And in that vein you can win Nicole Scherzinger's look with very.co.uk. Follow the instructions on their page by Wednesday and you could be walking away with a brand new LBD.

Till next time beauties,

Deja xx

Suits You Sir

Oh how I love playsuits. I used to shun them on the rack. They just looked uncomfortable and childish. I mean, a toilet run should never be difficult! Then I tried this one on. On sale at Primark a couple of seasons ago for the grand old sum of £5, it tempted me with it's leopard print goodness. Paired with my cowboy boots from Moda in Pelle (they make great boots!) and suspender-look tights (also from Primark) I felt both sexy and cute. I was well and truly playsuit-hooked.

Here are a few of my favourites.

Asos Denim 50's Playsuit

Lipsy Pearl Collar Playsuit 

Miss Selfridge Jade Dungaree Skort

Miss Selfridge Nude Frill Sleeve Playsuit

 Paprika Parisian Tie Back Playsuit

And finally this lovely yellow beauty. I won £20 on Paprika's Facebook page and purchased this tootsuite (don't worry, I do know how to spell that but it just looks cuter that way).

Paprika Zip Front Playsuit





I love the vintage look of this photo. I feel it's befitting of the playsuit. But I digress. Go on, try on a playsuit. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Till next time beauties!

Deja xx

Moved

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So it's been a while since my last post but there's good reason for that. I've moved house and if you've ever moved house you'll realise how stressful and utterly horrible it is. I don't think I'm being dramatic when I say that moving house is like pulling teeth. Ok, I'm sorry to any of my toothless readers but I really don't like it. Anywho. This painting is how I've felt for the last few weeks of uprooting.

But it's not been all bad. In that time I've been very lucky. Freemans.com ran a competition for student fashion writers and I was runner-up! Besides boosting my confidence those lovely people at Freemans also bestowed onto me a shiny new Blackberry mobile. I've just finished a degree at Brighton University (more about that another time) and winning was a great way to sum up my time there.  

Not too much later I was informed that I won tickets to a fashion event hosted by very.co.uk's V-Team. These ladies are like a fashion, home interiors, technology and beauty crime fighting team. I think they might even have capes. There were delicious canapes, gorgeous cocktails, sparkling rose, racks of clothes to peruse and informative presentations. What I considered the biggest win of the night was the discovery of a certain dress.  

£59.00

The Fearne Seagull Print Vintage Dress was worn by one of the presenters and I was immediately taken. The print. The cut. The colour. It just spoke to me. In fact I think it said "Deja, I can get boys to buy you ice cream." Ok, maybe it didn't say that but I'm sure they would. As you can tell, I love this dress. I knew Fearne Cotton did a collection for very.co.uk but I wanted to know if all the pieces were this delicious. It turns out they are.

5.50!

 On Ebay Very has several listings in their clearance section including these Fearne Vienna Brogues for the incredible price of £5.50. I know, I can't believe it either. They actually come in coral (not black and white, guess they're sold out) but if you're looking to add a pop of colour to an outfit I can't think of a cheaper (or more stylish) way to do it.

£19.00

Also in clearance is this Fearne Fringe Cocktail Dress. I will probably be commanded to appear in the next production of Chicago. I shall be needing this in that case.

£19.50

The Fearne Double Poplum Dress is equally appealling. I'm starting to realise that Fearne does great cuts and vintage prints. I might have a girl crush. And there's more on ebay and very.co.uk. Expect snaps of the V-Team event soonish.

Till next time beauties,

Deja xx



The Leather Satchel Co

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These satchels are so classic and sleek it's a shame I don't already own one. The Leather Satchel Co have been making satchels since the 1960s and it seems their classic design hasn't changed much in that time. I'm loving the vintage feel of handbags on the high street at the moment. From pillar box handbags from Marc b, to tasselled beauties from Miss Selfridge. And there's more good news. It's possible to get one of these 100% leather satchels for free. Enter the giveaway here and who knows you might be sporting a brand new satchel of your choosing. 

Till next time beauties,

Deja x

Festival Fashion All Grown Up

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Kate Moss. Gwen Stefani. Naomi Campbell. How do they do it? Stylish, beautiful and over 30 (or 40!). As I’m now on the wrong side of 25 (or the right side if you ask me) I’m starting to think about styling myself to avoid serving up a steaming hot plate of mutton.  

Festival fashion is still a hot topic but I was perplexed after perusing fashion pages recently. If you don’t want to wear hot pants and feather headdresses you might feel left out. Well, by golly Batman I think I have a stylish and stunning festival outfit that wouldn’t look out of place on the mud plains of Glastonbury, for beauties who like Eliza Doolittle but don’t want to look like her (only she seems to be able to pull this off).

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This week I've been perusing a new find, Freemans.com. All of these items can be found on their website.

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Bottom row: 5, 6, 7, 8



These chinos are a great cut and colour, with a flattering and trendy paper bag waist. Not a hot pant in sight.

A rock print t-shirt can be made more sophisticated with a spot of cool denim tailoring. This denim blazer looks modern and grown up all at the same time.

I love these fringed sandals and the fringing is replicated in the detailing on the handbag. The bag’s bright colour is a great way to inject a pop of colour without looking like a Snog Marry Avoid castoff. Finish with a long pendant necklace and wooden bangles.

All these great items can be found at Freemans.com.

So go forth my beauties and embrace your inner rock chic, I mean cheek, I mean chick. ;)

Till next time beauties,

Deja x

P.S. This post is not sponsored.

Hats Off To You Sir

I was lucky enough to go to the Isle of Wight festival this year and get wristbands for the H&M lounge. Let me tell you, I never thought luxury and festivals would go together but the H&M lounge was lush. Comfy couches, bean bags, a private bar, riverside location and a manicure bar staffed by some lovely girls from WAH Nails. They've ruined me. How can I go to festivals the same way again? Seriously, I enjoyed every minute of it and I got to listen to some amazing bands. 

Whilst there I also saw a really cool array of hats. I wore my favourite trilby hat from, who woulda thunk it, Tesco. 

Other protective headgear wasn't so attractive. Moving on.

Caps and beanies were popular near the river at the H&M lounge but I think we can always be creative with festival headgear. Here are some of my favourites from around the shops.

Top Row: Asos.com, Etro at Net-a-porter.com, Fat Face
Bottom Row: Tesco (under 3 quid!!), French Connection, Miss Selfridge


Aren't they lovely? Makes me want to go hat shopping now. 




Till next time beauties,




Deja x

Sour Lemons

So. Yes, this is a cake. Lemon drizzle supposedly. I did a bit of research before I made it to make sure it wouldn't be too dry. Suggestions ranged from adding applesauce, to omitting one egg white, to adding more sugar. Perhaps I shouldn't have tried all of those at once. Oh well. It did however get me thinking about how popular neons are at the moment and as it's a lovely sunny day I thought I'd pay tribute to my favourite summer colour, yellow. I'll try my hand at cake-baking another day. 

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These pumps are Lemon Sours from Kandee shoes. I recently bought these in an amazing sample sale they had on facebook. They are seriously high and showy, so I'm slightly afraid I might get mistaken for a stripper when I wear them. Hey, if that's your bag, fine, but I don't want to give people the impression I have those kind of skills because I'm afraid I do not. Although I do really want to try pole dancing classes. Anywho I digress. They are on sale (yay) for £64.50. Half off! 

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This bag has been on my wishlist for a while now. I saw someone at the pub with a red one

 and I could feel bag envy descending over me. There was only one thing wrong with it. It 

wasn't yellow. The Cambridge Satchel Company have been pumping these babies out to many 

a customer for years and there's a colour for everyone including a fluoro yellow if you want to 

shine even brighter! And it can be yours for £84.00. 

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I love a good wrap dress. As a curvalicious diva I like to flatter my shape with good cuts and hide any lumps and bumps. What's that you say? You wouldn't wear a yellow dress? Slap on a bit of bronzer and go for it girl! £40.00 to look like the best lemon tart ever. Ok, maybe not a tart but you're sweet right?

I was looking through my wardrobe and I'm noticing that more and more of my clothes are black. I must change this and inject more bright colours. Summer's here!

Till next time,

Deja x

P.S. I've got a TRIPLE mascara review to post so check back for it :)

Slipping on By

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Poor Hyde Park. The Kings of Leon. Hard Rock Calling. Wireless Festival. These events are of course taking place in London's large open air space. I was there last night to see the Kings of Leon and the battering to the grass was evident. I really enjoyed the music but the muddy soup underfoot seemed to have sucked a few unlucky souls down with it. I saw a girl teeter by on cork platform sandals. The sexy/cute factor was kind of depleted by the slipping and muddy splatters. Poor girl.

I love listening to live music and to be outside with thousands of people can feel quite electrifying. I also love looking good but quite frankly I don't like looking the fool. So I thought it'd be great to have a gander at some fashionable footwear that wouldn't go amiss in a muddy field near you.

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Hunter wellies are a wet weather classic. And a collaboration with Jimmy Choo? Sign me up! Ok so at £255 they're not exactly bargain bucket but they are pretty snazzy. I can dream.

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So who says you need to wear wellies to a festival? Break the mold and quite frankly embrace you inner wild child with these biker beauties from Rocket Dog. Currently on sale for £39.99 I might be breaking out my leathers any day now.

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So who's waded into the crowded waters of wellydom then? It's only our favourite flip flop brand Havaianas (how hard is that to spell!). These colourful bursts of sunshine for your feet are £50 and if they're as comfortable as their flip flops they might be worth every penny.

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So these red wonders are not for the faint-hearted. Over the knee, fire-engine red rain boots? Whatever will they think of next? I think they're amazing but I have this weird thought that over the knee boots will make me walk like a robot. If you have no problem bending your knee like a normal person these babies will set you back $118 from Zappos. Sorry my European beauties, they don't ship internationally.

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So what about the stylish man among us? I think these rain boots by Diesel fit the bill. Although lots of guys I know have this strange addiction to slopping around in the mud in flip flops. Maybe they like the squelch between their toes? If you or your fella decide to keep toes mud free these are £165.

So maybe you've seen something you've liked or something you've absolutely hated. Or you know of another amazing wet weather footwear choice. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think. Go on, wade in. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Told you I was bit of a geek.

Stay dry and fly beauties.

Deja

P.S. The layout of my blog is a work in progress. Please bear with.