Statement earrings

As I said before, with the Holiday season approaching, all I can think about is mulled wine, marshmello hot chocolates, chunky sweaters, gingerbread, candles and pixie lights, glamorous outfits, or if not glamorous at least really, really shiny ones, and the statement earrings to go with the crazy outfits. You know how we see that influencers give their best during fashion shows. That’s when they go crazy with creativity and their outfits are jaw dropping? That is how I feel about this season! I want to wear cosy knits, with just a bit of lace peeking from underneath and the statement earring that catches your eye when you stay in line for you coffee and you’re glad to be distracted by something nice, other than a sandwich.

I always loved jewellery. For me jewellery is like music. You listen to a song a lot in a certain period of time, and then after you replay it years later, you remember most of the things that happened around that time. That is jewellery for me, a mirror to the past, if we are to say it metaphorically. I remembered who gifted it to me, I remember when and what I was doing around that time. Problem was, especially with earrings, I always seem to loose one of the pair. But no worries, I would either wear just one of them, or I would mix and match. And now, surprise, surprise, this is the trend of the moment: single earrings. Love it!

With the pictures I am simply suggesting to go outside your comfort zone when it comes to earrings but not necessarily start looking like a Christmas tree…as I did:))

Mango similar here

Boohoo here

Boohoo similar here

Mango similar here

Mango here

Mango my personal favourite – here

November 26, 2017 0

Pointe shoes hunt

When I’m having a pedicure, I always feel like I need to entertain the lady to distract her from the battlefield she’s dealing with. Ever since I was a child, I was a runner so you can imagine that my nails have suffered from running in inappropriate shoes. Now, I could only run to save my life so no treadmill for me, thank you!

Then dancing, and especially dancing without shoes was a killer. Let’s just put it like this: I will never be a foot model. When I’ve tried my first pair of pointe shoes I thought that they were the most beautiful torture instruments I have worn in my life but then, there was not much damage to do to my feet anymore.

I am in no way a ballerina! I did have classical ballet training with a few wonderful teachers, but I started a bit too late and I was distracted by the more psychological style – contemporary dance. I bought my first pair of pointe shoes to start training more seriously but, as you might have heard, it is safer to have a few years of technique behind when you start using the pointe shoes. These ones were the Debutante from Sansha. I bought them at the suggestion of my then teacher so I didn’t know much about styles and how to find the perfect one for the shape of your feet.

Officially, my first pair of pointe shoes are dead, but long live the new ones. Google maps was the one suggesting me to go to the Bloch store that was really close to the Royal Opera House, so I thought it must be a good one. I got there and I was awestruck, a child in candy-land! So many pink satin beautiful torture machines! I had something that I’ve never had before: a fitting! Which makes sense now that I know what to look for in a pointe shoes. The sales assistant (who was a ballerina) asked me to go to the barre and tendu to the side, plie and releve to see how arched my feet are so that she will try shoes that are more or less flexible, accordingly. Gladly, she was a perfectionist so we tried 5 styles until we’ve found the right one. Let me tell you, every single style that I tried for beginners was hurting so badly. She wanted a tapered style for me because I have what you would call an Egyptian style of feet where the big toe is the biggest. Just when we were about to give up and try the boxier style that I had before, she had an idea to try another tapered style even though it was for intermediates. And these were the winners: Triomphe…well yes, literally! These were as comfortable as a pointe shoe can get and because of the tapered style, my body weight was dispersed on all my toes, not just my big one.

I guess it is safe to say that you will be seeing more and more pictures on pointe shoes, especially on my Instagram, which in case you don’t follow, I believe you should;). Do you like these or prefer normal shoes?

November 22, 2017 0

Cosy knits review

Oooh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, since we’ve (got?) no place to go, let it snow, let it snow let it snooooow….well, not quite yet. It’s not even December, but I feel like Christmas is just around the corner. The Christmas lights are up and bright here in London, and I can’t take my mind off of gingerbread, mulled wine, cinnamon, “The Holiday” movie and knits. The bigger the better!

If you are fussy when it comes to knits, finding the perfect one is a hard job. Sweater shopping is deceiving. You never know how it fits until you actually try it on so online shopping might become longer than you hoped. Another drawback is that you never know how it will last in time. If you don’t dry-clean your sweaters, which I personally don’t, the first time you wash them you’re always “fingers crossed it’s not 2 sizes smaller”. I’ve bought 6 “specimens” and I tested them against British weather for a while, so I will be able you give you my opinion on them.

Boohoo similar here

This one is good for a mild winter or for late autumn and to feed your inner-child with a soft pink hue. When I first wore it, I couldn’t stand it because of the plastic-like smell, but after I washed it the first time, it went away. It didn’t shrink at all and it became even softer although this was never a problem, it was pretty comfortable to begin with.

H&M shorter version here

This one is quite versatile! I chose to wear it with leather trousers but the length would allow you to wear it with tights also. This one is not the most comfortable on your bare skin because of the glittery insertions that are a bit scratchy. The visual effect of them, though, is a plus. Although, something I didn’t expect at all, was for it to be heavy, which it is, but once you wear it, you can’t really feel it.

Boohoo here

The colour of this one caught my eye immediately, I just love it! As most chenille jumpers, this one is very soft…more like fluffy, but it leaves so much fluff. Even if that doesn’t make you tear up, wherever you sit down, it will shed worse than my cats back home and leave a mark stating that you were there. After washing it, the shedding got a bit better, but it wasn’t “cured” completely.

Boohoo similar here

This one is the classic cable knit, not too comfortable, but not scratchy either. What I like about this one is the design and the fact that it is cropped which goes with all my high waisted trousers and jeans. Comfy, but not too spectacular.

Boohoo similar here

This is one of the nicest looking in the bunch but the least comfortable also. I’ve never worn anything scratchier than this. It looks as if it comes from a YSL runway show, but doesn’t feel like one at all. Still, if you wear something underneath, it is one of the cosier pieces that will come in handy during the holiday season.

As you can, I would need some suggestions when it comes to knits, so don’t hesitate to leave me one in the comment section!

November 19, 2017 2

L’Oreal X Balmain

This is the first time I am buying an entire collection of lipsticks so naturally, I was a bit reluctant. Now, after I took a picture of all of them, I started actually trying them on and well, I have some thoughts. What can I say, I am from the Instagram generation, we take pictures of our food before we eat it and wear swimsuits that disintegrate if we get into the water with them. Back to the lipsticks! I was surprised at how comfortable they are. Of course, they are not transfer proof, but they don’t make my lips look like a raisin either.

There are 12 shades, in 3 collections: Safari, Rock and Couture. On the bright side, except the fact that they are confortable, what I noticed is that regardless of your skin tone, you will find at least one shade that will look gorgeous on you.

I am glad I chose this collection to try out because both Balmain and L’Oreal are brands that are known for giving us options regardless of skin tone or race. Also, Olivier Rousteing is one of the people I would have written about in my last post, have I remembered. Blondes!

And again back to the lipsticks. Most of the colours are pretty pigmented and for me they didn’t slide outside my lip lines but I did have problems applying the colour evenly. For future reference, I will stay away from Confession, Confidence and Urban Safari. If your lips get even slightly dry, these three shades will be a nightmare.

As we keep on hearing, purples are hard to make. Liberation, the darker purple, is slightly drier, but once you put it on the lips, it is opaque and beautiful for those of us who are not affraid of a vampy lip. The lighter purple though, is really easy to put on, but is doesn’t go on evenly. We haven’t edited the lips in the pictures so that you have a fair image of how they go on. For a few shades, I had a problem with them rubbing off the middle of my lips and with others, that I could still see the colour of my lips peeking through.

And now, to talk about the elephant in the room, the navy one – Rebellion and the army green one – Instinct. How unsual these shades are? I love it! I was surprised by the fact that I really like them and I am not one to wear super crazy colours. I need to find an occasion for these two shades. Gone with the comfort zone!

Personal favourite? Fever, a brick red…this coming from a person who doesn’t really wear reds. I must say Domination has a really flattering undertone.

What is your favourite? Because I don’t have the best lips in the world, I thought, instead of lip swatches, I will do an entire look to show you what each colour made me think of without letting myself influenced by the name.

Enjoy!

Rock collection

Safari collection

Couture collection

Glamazone

Rebellion

Domination

Fever

Confidence

Liberation

Urban Safari

Confession

Power

Freedom

Instinct

Legend

I purchased the entire collection from Boots and the package reached my curious hands in two working days 😀 Boots

November 15, 2017 1

Influencers that inspire me

There are a lot of uber-talented influencers out there and there is always space for new faces, but the ones that I go back to over and over again, have caught my eye for multiple reasons. It’s either their talent, their sense of style, their very juicy hauls, but most of the time, it’s their personalities.

Kathleen Lights – Youtube channel

The best example in this sense is Kathleen Lights who, as she says herself, was not a trained makeup artist when she started her Youtube channel, but she learned a lot along the way. What she lacked in experience, she compensated with hard work and the kind of personality that really makes you feel like you could definitely be friends with her. Is she now a well-known Youtuber with 3M followers, who has done multiple successful collaborations and has her own brand? Oh yes, she is!

2. Aimee Song – Youtube channel

Another influencer who has the same lovable, magnetic personality is Aimee Song from Song of Style. She was a professional Instagrammer even back then when I would still ask my geekier friends what that is and they would funnily roll their eyes in response. On top of her style and her “take me home” personality, I love the fact that she really gives us insight on the industry. Her very casual but nonetheless entertaining interviews with the people who already made it are priceless. The first advice that all these people give us, who want to infiltrate ourselves into the industry, is to do internships, to “tail” a person who made it to see how she/he deals with things, what her/his job actually consists of, to make ourselves useful and continue learning…practically, to continue to be curious. If you have questions about the industry, she is the person who will tell you how she manages to travel that much, how she earns her money, if in order to be a successful influencer, you need a manager, and other questions alike. I asked these questions myself. Have you noticed how there is no recipe for how to make it in this industry? Do you know what this means? That you can create your own way, as long as you are dedicated and willing to learn.

3. Linda Hallberg – Blog

I love going to Linda Hallberg’s blog for makeup ideas. This woman is so creative! I have to admit that even though I love writing about beauty myself, I don’t always have patience to read about it so what I sometimes do is check out her blog just for the pictures since she posts a look every single day.

4. Ohh Couture – Blog

Leonie’s blog and instagram motivates me so much! For me, her blog is like a fantasy that I want to live myself. This woman is gorgeous and due to the way she writes, she seems such a kind person. I find her blog perfect to be read on the tube, on my way to work.

5. Tamara Kalinic – Instagram

Tamara Kalinic’s hauls are a guilty pleasure that I love feeding. Because she invests so much money in her job, she always has “hot” items that are also very versatile. I wouldn’t mind going through her wardrobe, even though I consider her style much more feminine than mine.

6. Tati Westbrook – Youtube channel

First, I am proudly counting myself among the people that used to watch Tati’s videos even way back then when she didn’t have a room dedicated to her passion, and no professional lights at all. Second, I love the fact that she posts 5 days a week which means that when something new is being released, it is more likely that she reviewed it. On top of that, I trust her judgement so she has become the first person I go to when I’m curious about a product.

7. Mikuta & Klemens – Blog

This is a blog that I quickly developed an obsession for and I devoured it in a few days. It is really easy to read and their photos are so eye-catching. I am always sharing their photos with Paul, who is a big fan of the dramatic edit that they use. The fact is, if I were to randomly see a photo taken by them, thanks to their unique editing, I would recognise the picture as being one of theirs.

Coat – Zara here

Earrings – Boohoo similar here

Makeup – Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Pallette here

Jacket – Boohoo here

Trousers – H&M here

Boots – Topshop similar here

Top – Little white lies here

Trousers and boots – Zara (old collection)

Dress – Boohoo here

November 12, 2017 6

MAC Holiday Collection

Us, girls, are known for having a soft spot for glitter so it is safe to say that MAC did it right (yet again) with their Holiday Collection. Last year was glittery also with the Mariah Carey Collection, but this year they took it all to another level. First, with how many products they have in the collection…in case you didn’t know what to wear for the holiday season parties, Mac has you covered, but also, the packaging is so stunning, it feels like a collectors piece. I am actually curious who the designer is.

I have to admit, since I only have one proud representative (Here comes joy), I had to watch a small ton of videos on Youtube, which made me feel like Christmas came two months too early. I hope we don’t lose our enthusiasm until then.

I misunderstood the date of the release (obviously), so when I realised that the collection is already in store, I tried my luck at the MAC store in Carnaby, London. The display was beautiful and strategically placed at the entrance, but the store was completely overcrowded and the music was so loud, I just felt like I had to buy ¨my stuff¨ quickly and get going. What is this? A marketing strategy to hurry up customers? Still, I have to say that I am happy with my purchase.

I thought I was buying a highlighter, so I tried to use it as one, which only made me build up the colour until it did look like a soft highlighter, but the colour was just on the verge of being too dark for my skin tone. Still, I loved it so much that I wanted to make it work so I tried it as a blush topper. Had you told me a few months ago that I will actually put something shimmery on the apple of my cheeks, I would have told you that you don’t know anything about me and my super oily skin.

After all these experiments, I thought it’s time to read the sticker on the back of the product and it turns out my ¨highlighter¨ is actually an opalescent Face Powder…everything made sense now and HERE CAME JOY!:))

Mac – HERE COMES JOY (Face Powder)

http://bit.ly/2m0wyy2

November 8, 2017 4

Early birds in London

We wanted to try something different today. We’ve been scouting for photogenic places in London, a task that is actually not hard to fulfil at all because this city is just so easy to capture. This time we came across a beautiful place, the bridge across Thames that takes you to St. Paul’s Church. Our only problem was that it is such a well-known place so it is full of tourists at all times – but tourists do sleep, don’t they?

Fortunately, just a few days before, I watched Tamara Kalinic’s vlog from Venice where she funnily explains how she takes pictures without having people in them. I was having all sorts of fantasies of how she takes out a sound enhancing device and convinces everyone to stay out of frame until she takes the picture, but then reality hit me and she shows her phone : 5:30 a.m.! and she was wearing a full face of makeup and was already dressed…talking about super-humans :))

So that’s exactly what we did: we woke up at 4:30 a.m. and while I did my makeup, Paul made me coffee – he knows me well, I’m dangerous without enough coffee on board, and then we drove to St. Paul’s Church and started shooting at 6 a.m.

Fun fact: a bride and groom were shooting their wedding photos so we actually had to wait in line for the bridge to be empty.

This article, together with the photos, have been in stand by for some months now, so you will notice that not only this collection from Zara is long forgotten about but also that the weather in the UK is not as forgiving anymore.

Regardless, it was a wonderful morning! By 7:30 a.m. I was having my second coffee of the day when a thought just hit me: that’s how you know you’ve been productive.

Outfits

All clothing – Zara (summer 2017 collection) – sorry!

http://bit.ly/2n6N2nn

Loafers – Accessorize

http://bit.ly/1me5oNu

Sneakers – Adidas

http://bit.ly/2yKB5JY

Makeup

Eye makeup: Kat von D – MetalMatte

http://bit.ly/2dj6Cc7

November 5, 2017 0

Who is Miss Casual?

I am a Romanian-Hungarian hybrid (as I like calling myself) who recently moved to London. This was a dream ever since I was a child, but I have to admit, ¨Harry Potter¨ might have played a part in my fascination for London.

I studied to become a dancer and choreographer. Well, the truth is, my first studies were on Environmental Sciences – a fascinating subject and very useful for understanding how nature works, but this wasn’t the domain I wanted a career in. My creative part, which is quite an imposing one, was not fulfilled. That is why the next two years I spent joggling Arts University and working with dance companies and The National Theatre, were the most fulfilling and the ones that shaped me best into who I am today.

I have always surrounded myself with fashion. Even as a child I would cut pictures out from magazines and glue them into a huge notebook. Usually I was a distant admirer of fashion because I never thought I could afford it, but ever since I moved to London, I started feeling that I am part of it. Well, the fact that I work in luxury retail might have something to do with this feeling 🙂 The streets of London seem to be made for people watching…the creativity in this city is insane and then all the choices that we have here, starting from luxury, high-end or really affordable brands. I must admit, all this has got me really excited!

This is a city that is surprising me even after my 10 months that I spent being a part of it. I find it perfect for people with huge dreams, who are willing to make them come true. (I guess this is what New-Yorkers say about their own city, but I wouldn’t know that, I haven’t been there yet) Either way, you know what people smarter than me say about dreams: If it doesn’t scare you, it’s not big enough.

So I guess it is fair to say that I didn’t come to London empty handed, I came with a dream. For months I was looking for a way to combine all my art related passions and turn them into a profession eventually- I am referring to fashion, dancing, choreography, makeup and modelling. I still don’t know if this blog is not too much of a fruit salad but I’ll try it either way and for this I needed a platform where I could create diverse content about all of the above…and about a guilty pleasure that I know for sure that it goes hand in hand with everything- travelling!

So welcome to my attempt to CASUALLY combining most of my passions in the format of a diary and an abundance of photos.

P.S. No need to fasten your seat-belt, just get ready to enjoy the journey!

August 8, 2017 2