AN ODE TO GROUPIES

When I think 'groupie' I'm thinking empowered femmes...not some sort of wimpy, dependent drug girl. Much more Penny Lane in Almost Famous than 1980's prosey there to 'service' all members of the Motley Crue. Eww. I'm under no illusion about what a groupie is ultimately there for... and deep down I know that it's a trashy concept that can't exist alongside any sort of feminist values - but let's not allow that to ruin the alluring images I have in my head concerning the groupie. Besides, I'm sure close up it was all a bit of a mess - but if you stand far enough away, like in the year 2013, it's glamorous.

Pamela Des Barres - groupie extraordinaire & writer of  'I'm with the band - Confessions of a Groupie'

Empowered femmes from the 70's in big faux fur coats, paisley print and tea dresses. Tassels and velvet. Unkempt hair and last night's blue kohl eyeliner. The odd sequin, a kimono over jeans and a vest. It's the most desirable of all looks - carefree and thrown together whilst being incredibley chic and interesting. It looks as if you didn't spend any longer than a minute pondering what to wear, you pretty much picked up clothes from the night before off the floor and threw them on - along with a big afghan coat. There's something vile about an outfit that looks overly composed and polished, which is why one of my pet hates is matching shoes and bag with each other.

Another key element to the 70's groupie style is to look eclectic. Each individual item is mismatched in a way that suggests a life that is disorganised, exciting and bohemian. The wearer looks well travelled and full of intrigue. A look achieved through travelling with a touring band, perhaps. Going back to the film 'Almost Famous' - I'm really rather infactuated by it and have watched it yearly for the past ten years. The girls in the film have spot on style and the existence they live in is very appealing in comparison to modern reality.

Marianne Faithfull - mega babe

 The look was highly influential - and it's reach can still clearly be seen today in the likes of Kate Moss or Sienna Miller, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, to name but a few. Take the grunge trend; it's essence is equally as thrown together and similarly it's foundation is built on music and the style of those who make the music. Courtney Love and the Babydoll/Riotgrrl look was just another more modern reincarnation with slightly different elements but the same core ideas. Without groupies, fashion would be horrible today.

Vintage suede lace up heels, Etsy: FLUTTER AND ECHO VINTAGE

Kate Moss-channeling 70's glam & groupie glamour

Vintage 70's coat, Etsy: sugarshackvintage

//

VERY NEAR NOW

WINTER SKIN BLUES

I felt compelled to write my first ever beauty related post having tried Clinique's three step 'Anti-Blemish Solutions' skin regime. In Winter I always have rubbish skin; I get blemishes over my cheeks which can easily spiral out of control and spread. On top of this, my skin looks dull and it gets really dry. I can pretty much count on the fact that my skin will be bad in Winter... it's that predictable. In Summer I tend to have really good skin, and in the months in between, a few blemishes here and there but nothing to write home about. Winter really does bring the worst out in it.

Over the past ten years I've probably spent excessive amounts of time and money on finding potential cures for my break outs. These include doctor prescribed creams, various contraceptive pills with a supposed side effect of solving skin problems, and many, many store bought lotions and potions varying from Lush products to Simple and Clean & Clear. You name it, I've most likely tried it. 

I initially looked in to the Clinque Anti-Blemish products because of all the advertising surrounding them. I requested a tester of the anti-blemish moisturiser and really liked it, I did a little limited reading up on the range and was still uncertain about how well it worked as there were mixed reviews, but mainly people seemed to talk about it like it was some kind of miracle. Spurred on by this and ignoring the bad reviews, I decided to try it.

For the three full sized products, it cost £50.00 - not cheap. I bought mine from a Clinique counter in a Boots store. I think spending that much money on anti-blemish products makes you feel as if you have some kind of control over a problem that is so out of your control. Anyone who has suffered with spots will know how horrible it can make you feel. Spending a significant amount of cash on a 'cure' makes you feel like you've been pro-active, and hell, if it's that expensive, it's got to work, right?

The three products in the routine are: Cleansing Foam, Clarifying Lotion and Clearing Moisturiser. I was instructed by the Clinique lady to use all three both in the morning and evening. She also told me that I'd need to remove makeup with my normal cleanser, before using the cleansing foam as it would not remove makeup. She also told me to stop using any exfoliator. I voiced my concerns that every anti-blemish treatment I'd tried in the past had always dried my skin out, but she assured me this wouldn't.

The Products

Step 1 - Cleansing Foam: It doesn't smell great. I've read reviews that have suggested it smells like old cigarette butts. I wouldn't go that far, more like a faint moth ball smell. Bearable though, and pleasant enough. It leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean - much like any face wash would.

Step 2 - Clarifying Lotion: It looks like clear liquid with a cloud of white at the bottom. You have to shake the bottle vigorously before each use and then apply with a cotton wool pad and sweep over face and neck (I was told only a few gentle sweeps, no rubbing it over). It smells very alcohol-ey and when applying, it stings. I have sensitive skin on top of all the other predicaments, so from day one I was worried about using such a strong product on my face. For those of you who have used Clean and Clear's 'Deep Cleansing Toner', it has a similar feel and smell. It certainly sweeps away any last morsel of makeup that might still be hanging on.

Step 3 - Clearing Moisturiser: This is my favourite of the three, It smells more natural than the other two, like Tea Tree essential oil, which as we all know is good for break outs. A little blob goes a fairly long way and it absorbs easily in to the skin leaving your face completely non-greasy and comfortable. The tube is small in comparison to the large size of the other two products, which is a shame because I feel it's the best bit. I was told I wouldn't need to use any other moisturising product when using this...not true.

Result

Week 1 - My blemishes got dramatically worse after the third day of using the products morning and night. On top of this they were completely drying my skin out which didn't create a good base for applying makeup. Even a light foundation only highlighted the really dry areas. I did some further reading  in to the Clinique range and established that with a lot of people, their skin got worse before it got better, so I decided to continue.

Week 2 - By week 2 I'd given in to using an additional intensive moisturiser, Boots 'Organic Botanics Face Super Balm' (Approx £4.99 for a 15g pot). I've been a fan of this super balm for years, it's really dense, not for rubbing all over your face like a normal moisturiser but ideal for using on the most dry areas such as around the nose, and it works wonders. I'd recommend applying a little before going to sleep rather than in the morning as it's quite greasy and wouldn't work under makeup. Without this my skin would have been a mess. The Clinique clarifying lotion realllly dried my skin out, to the extent that it felt tight and uncomfortable 5 minutes after I'd applied it, unless moisturiser was applied straight afterwards. As for the blemishes, I guess I noticed a very slight improvement, but this could just have been down to my skin doing it's own thing and healing.

Week 3 - By week 3 I'd gone feral with the products. As in, I stopped following the advice of the Clinique lady and instead I was doing my own thing. At the end of the day, you know your own skin better than someone working on a makeup counter who has only met you for 5 minutes. It's a nice momentary fantasy to think that if you follow all of their advice and use the products religiously you'll get perfect skin like they promise - they're supposedly experts after all. But that's wrong, you're the expert of your own skin. So, I continued using the Clinique moisturiser day and night as I really liked it, but I was only using the cleansing foam once a day in the morning, and only using the lotion every other day as it was so strong. I also bought a face mask from The Body Shop, 'Vitamin E Sink-in Moisture Mask' (£12.00 for a 100ml tub), which I was actually using three times a week in the evening as my skin was so horrifically dry from the Clinique stuff and the rancid cold wind outside. I would highly recommend this face mask, it has a bouncy jelly consistency, smells like soft soapy talc and most importantly it does it's job. I would recommend applying it in the evening...leaving it on for around 15 mins and then rinsing. The next morning your skin feels moisturised and free from dry patches.

Week 4 - Well, it's been a month since I started using Clinique's anti-blemish regime. My verdict is that it's not a straight forward miracle like it's painted to be. I think if you have the odd blemish but fairly good skin overall and don't suffer from dry skin, it could work for you. But if you have persistently blemished skin on and off, and have tried several different treatments, you may be disappointed. It has got me in to a good routine, which interestingly is what I read on someone elses review as well. In that, I can be quite lazy with my skin care routine, but now I strategically cleanse, tone and moisturise every morning and night. Just not with Clinique. 

I have found ways of incorporating the products in to my routine, for example, I use the face wash a few times a week, I still use the moisturiser every day and night (it will be a perfect summer moisturiser as it's light and non-greasy), and I use the lotion on rare occasions, intertwined with two new finds, Body Shop's 'Tea Tree Facial Wash' (£5.00 for a 250 ml bottle) and Body Shop's 'Tea Tree Toner' (Also £5.00 for a 250 ml bottle). I was recommended these products whilst moaning about my skin and Clinique to a Body Shop employee. She was really helpful and had similar skin to mine. She gave me testers of the two tea tree products and highly recommended them. They are lovely to use, they have a subtle tea tree smell but not too strong and they haven't dried my skin out. Plus, they have definetly reduced the amount of break outs I'm having and have helped to heal the spots that are currently there.

To Finish...

If you are planning on trying the Clinique products for a blemish problem, I would suggest waiting until it gets a bit warmer outside, because Winter is already hard enough on the skin even before you try a whole new skin care routine. I would also suggest being pushy with the Clinique counter people; they will obviously want you to believe them so you buy the products, and they will want you to buy the biggest most expensive quantities. Don't be shy about asking for testers, even the facial foam could be dispensed in to one of the little tester pots, so just ask. Lastly, you don't necessarily have to buy the biggest, find out about different sizes and prices. I wasn't offered anything but the biggest sizes and only found out later that you can actually get a smaller set for £30.00, if you're in any doubt, get this instead.

IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES

This year the 'sales' have been really really horrible; and the way people refer to them as if they're a kind of British institution isn't great either. I went sale shopping recently and left feeling cold/dead inside. Maybe not that bad, but I certainly could have spent my day in a nicer way. One perk of the trip was looking at all the rancid old items in the sale and laughing at them. For your pleasure and as a way of exorcising the gross experience of sale shopping from my head, I have found the worst of the worst and will now go about naming and shaming in a 'top 4 worst' fashion...

1) River Island's 'Green Floral Print Peplum Dress'

Oh let's just shove all the trends from 2012 on to one dress and see what happens... Floral? Check. Peplum? Check. Cut out? Check. It's bloody disgusting. And if you're now thinking 'mmm but it's not that bad', you should have seen it in real life. You would have laughed too.

2) Superdrug's 'Milk Chocolate Make-Up Set'

This is choco shaped like makeup... for the woman in your life. Clearly the designer of this sweet treat really thought they'd done great creating a product which incorporates TWO of a girl's fave things! Choco AND makeup. FYI, these two things should never be mixed in any way, and, it's a horrible mistake to think we'd like this, stocking filler or not. What made it worse was the fact that the little chocolate perfume bottle had been nicked from the particular set I saw in Superdrug... which made it all the more sad. HA. HA HA.

3) River Island's 'Orange Faux Fur Ear Earmuffs'

River Island make the list for the second time running with this wacky, wacky creation. Look like a bear whilst wearing earmuffs and feel cute and fucking great. Oh you kids are crazy. It's a shame you look like a wanker isn't it. 

4) Primark's 'Studded Ballerina Skeleton T-Shirt'

I couldn't find an image of it online and so have had to illustrate this point with a similar product from Zara (see above- shame on you Zara). Also, the item was not in the sale, but it's Primark, which is basically a sale all year round. So, the t-shirt in question features an illustration of a skeleton doing ballet in a tutu. Why? Why would they do this? And who for? And whose bright idea was it? It's just so shit, and weird, and not 'cool weird' either. It also has these massive studds on the shoulders. Another sick attempt to cram several trends on to one thing in one swift move. If you see it, I hope you appreciate how literally hilarious and un-edgy it is. I only wish I'd taken a photo so I could go back to it again and again. Or I'll just buy it.

THE END

OH HEY, LK

Today I went vintage clothes shopping and bought my very first item of designer vintage apparel. I've never ventured in to this territory before, mainly because I've never been able to afford it, and I suppose I haven't come across many wearable designer items. I once found some tartan Moschino cigarette pants from the 80's in a charity shop, but they were size 16, expensive, and I just couldn't justify buying them.

So I'm very smug about this lovely wearable, timeless item. It's a Green graphic print L.K Bennett midi dress, and I'm really rather smitten, hence photographing it as soon as it came out of the bag like some kind of saddo, and then creating this post...

I love the print, colour, shape and how lady like it is, if this doesn't make me feel like a grown up, nothing will! Then in the vintage shop, I saw my ex-boyfriend's brother, so I quickly ran away which is another saddo moment of the day. Hmm. At least I had time to buy LK before scuttling away.

The End

IN VIEW OF

Oh DEER HI.

In view of recent times, here is a list of some stuff I like and some stuff I don't like.
I DON'T LIKE (the glass is half empty etc.)

1)Adult
2)Grey
3)Winter
4)Rain
5)Office
6)Forward Plan 
7)Boring
8)I.T.
9)Don't be an idiot

I LIKE (Oh!)

1)Music (not musicals)
2)Space
3)Glitter and Glam Rock
4)Tattoo
5)Tropical
6)Kitten
7)Grimes 
8)Nebula
9)I used to REALLY fancy this guy who loved 'Kiss'
10)1970s Groupie outfits

The Complete Abandonment/AA Disco Pants Debate

Hi! How are you? I've utterley neglected 'Idea, you gave me a fright dear' ever since joining Pinterest. If, by the way, you'd like to see my Pinterest, you can! HERE. It's a shame that there's something more gratifying about just copying images from around the internet on to boards rather than constructing well thought out blog posts, but that's just the way it is.

My lack of blog interest can also be blamed on my fairly new full time job in which I'm literally running around for most of the day reading to children, teaching pensioners how to use computers and any number of other things. 

Anyho, enough of this. What have I been wearing? MMMM. Spending most of my time at work means I spend most of time in work clothes. It took me a few weeks to get the balance right between looking like either a conservative yuppy bitch or a bratty art student, but I feel as if I've finally achieved the balance. There are things I miss wearing, like neon skirts or sequined shorts...things that would be ridiculously controversial at work. I've been living in 3/4 jumpers with midi skirts or cropped trousers and jersey tops, I sometimes wear these Urban Outfitter's trousers (pictured, below) to work, much to the amusement of customers and colleagues alike, apparently they're 'Andy Pandy' trousers. Good, I say.

Outside of work, a major debate of mine has been whether to buy the now cult American Apparel Disco Pants (approx. £74.00) or to save a bit of cash and purchase a cheaper version. Much debate has been had about whether the Disco Pants by 'Glamorous' (£30.00) are any good...I hate to say it, but having tried on pretty much every pair I come across, it's worth spending the extra for the AA ones. The Glamorous ones are made of a much much thinner fabric, you can see VPL through them, so I personally wouldn't want to wear them with a short t-shirt, and generally they just feel rubbish. Topshop have a version, but only in Black. They feel a bit thicker but still not quite up to scratch.

If you want Disco Pants to wear as trousers, just bite the bullet. If you are only wanting shiney leggings to wear under big jumpers etc. Get some nice shiney leggings rather than fake Disco Pants. 

Gosh I've gone off on a bit of a tangent haven't I. 

The End.  I'll be back when I remember this place again.

I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND, Shirt

At the moment I'm completely obsessed with this shirt that I sort of borrowed/stole/acquired from my wonderous bf. A proper 'boyfriend shirt'! It's a towl checkered grungey number, oversized ofcourse. I've been wearing it as a shirt, jacket, dress...I don't know what I'd do without it now, and a few days ago my bf said I could have it! Hurrah. On this note, I've found a few other boyfriend-esque shirts that I've fallen in love with, and will act as acceptable replacements should BF decide he needs this one back...(he won't). They're from Lazy Oaf, which i've only just discovered. Lazy Oaf sell really good printed shirts, skater dresses etc. An excellent find...

1

2

3

1. X Batman Bat Icon Mono Crop Shirt (£60) 

2. Skull Repeat Shirt (£65)

3. X Batman Logo Shirt (£65)

I SEE A WHITE BAG, AND I WANT IT PAINTED PINK

Being broke right now I can't afford an amazing bright block colour satchel/handbag/clutch, but that's not gonna stop me! I transformed an average handbag in to a dream this afternoon, and here's how...

1) TO BEGIN

Take an old handbag, preferably one that is plain and pale in colour (I found this PVC one in a charity shop for around £2). A bag with a slight texture to it will work best, as it will hold the colour and create good effects with the paint after a bit of wear and tear

2) CHOOSE YOUR COLOUR

I went for a fuscia pink, I considered neon, but Autumn/Winter is on it's way and I wanted something that would be flexible throughout the seasons. I used a fabric paint by Pebeo called 'Setacolor Opaque' in no. 64 'Oriental Red'. I watered it down to about a 3/4 consistency

3) AND PAINT...

I used an old decorating paintbrush as big strokes look better, and it takes less time. I didn't pay much attention to neatness as the messier the better with this. Though I was sure to cover all areas of the bag including a couple of inches on the inside. Once it started to dry I brushed over it again and pressed colour in to all the nooks and crannies. I then left it outside for a few hours to dry

4) TA DA! 

It's now night time and the bag is dry! I'm happy with it, though it will look even better after a couple of wears when the paint chips a bit and white starts to show through. I may even re-paint it a different colour somewhere down the line. A DIY look is key here, so don't go wearing any matching pink shoes now! I will wear my special dream bag with a black shirt and denim shorts

NAUSEA BABY - A battle between Fine Art and Meadham Kirchhoff

Meadham Kirchhoff is a designer collaboration that makes pieces fitting for a fancy dress bargain bin. Me and my friend Natalie used to go to our local fancy dress shop whenever we felt depressed (which was regularly, you'll be happy to hear). We were students on a fine art course, and when that sweet and elusive inspiration didn't come, we'd go buy some bits from the £1 bin at one of Nottingham's fancy dress shops. It always made us feel better, especially once when Natalie let me borrow the money to hire a two person horse costume. 

I like Meadham Kirchhoff (aka Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff) because what they make is kind of disgusting anti-fashion. It's nausea all over. It disgusts me, and I love it. 

P.S. Because I'm Bitter, I'm gonna go to Twitter.

LUSTS OF THE DAY: A-MORIR

I have a slight fetish for sunglasses, apparently. I didn't choose it, it chose me. A quick look in to my 'top draw' (aka. draw of junk/jewels and sentimentals) reveals a staggering collection of sunglasses and glasses...ranging from the novelty to the everyday, that I've accidentally collected over years. Similarly, I seem to have a fetish for novelty t-shirts, but that's a different story. So, you can imagine my delight on discovering this range of sunglasses by A-MORIR. I'm a huge sucker for embellishment, kitsch and bad taste. Fortunatly they tick all boxes. Here are my favourites...

I mean really, could they get any better? No. And the above frames are pretty tame compared to some of the designs on offer. Each pair is made by hand, to order, with customisation options available. Therefore the hefty price tag of  around £250 a pair is justified...kind of.  A-Morir creator and designer Kerin Rose Weinberg says she's inspired by 'her time spent studying classical music as a child combined with her lifelong love of rock and roll'. Furthermore, Weinberg cites music from the 1920's, 1970's and the 1990's as inspiration for the spring/summer collection. Wow...I'm in love.

1) Bootsy ($275.00), 2) Dio ($350.00), 3) Cass ($400.00), 4) Simone ($350.00), 5) Lena ($320.00), 6) Betty ($280.00)

I KNOW I'M FAKIN' IT (FAKIN' IT)

Illustrator Harriet Gray has created my favourite thing of the day...or even week! Temporary tattoos of kittens faces. There is a kitschiness and charm to fake tattoos that really wins the day. As a kid in the 90's I used to get the fake kind inside this chewing gum, and sometimes from 'Smash Hits' magazine. I think the time has come to re-discover this 90's dream. Excited!

Set of 7 tattoos - £10 (Also available from Harriet's Etsy shop)

A WEEK IN PICTURES

STUDDY HELL

Top: Gold Anchor Studs - A gift from my sister, Leopard Print Cardigan - Charity Shop

Bottom: Silver Star Studs - An emo shop, White Shirt - American Apparel

THE HIGH STREET FASHION TRAP

Today in H&M, wedged amongst the many, many rails of sale clothes, I got to thinking about throw-away high street fashion.

It's no secret that clothes purchased on the high street lose the majority of their value as soon as they're bought by the customer. It seems like a good idea at the time, in the seductive atmosphere of the shop, because you feel like you really want a peplum top or some harem pants. But a few weeks down the line when everyone hates peplums and harems, you're just left with some over priced garments that are now worth nothing and you won't wear again, ever. The bottom line is...we are obsessed with high street trends that change from month to month, rendering the purchases of months past as worthless.

This is bad for several reasons. Firstly, it's just pure wasteful. Secondly, our drive to have the latest 'on trend' item is turning us in to slaves, literally consuming whatever fad is thrown at us. Thirdly, as well as making us slaves, it's transforming us in to the spitting image of each other, which is dull, to say the least. Finally, it's fuelling cheap foreign labour and has already completely obliterated the British sewing/textile trades.

So to save you from having to fall in to this horrible high street fashion trap, I have concocted some tips, so you won't have to be a slave to the shopping centre ever again (p.s. peplum tops aren't a good idea, even if everyone says they are).

1) DON'T GET SEDUCED

Avoid items that you're unsure about, but you talk yourself in to buying because they're of the moment. 

2) DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE

Get to know your own style and tastes. Understand what suits you, and develop it. It may involve making some crappy fashion faux pas, (which may well end up being amazing) but that's part of it. This way you'll know which trends to pursue and which to ignore. 

3) INVEST, DON'T JUST BUY

If you're in to fashion, it's fun to observe what designers are doing and watch how trends develop across the seasons, but the high streets take on these changes is fickle and cheap, so if you really like a trend, invest in an item that will stand the test of time, not necessarily an expensive item, but one that could be interpreted in different ways. To elaborate, take the trend of Navajo (which seems to be going on forever?!) as example. Instead of buying an all over Navajo print dress which is pretty great now, but won't be in a year or two, buy a vest, shorts or accessory featuring Navajo embellishments that will be transformed in to a brand new look when this stubborn trend is finally put to bed.

4) CONSIDER WHICH BRANDS YOU BUY FROM

As an avid Ebayer (both seller and buyer) I have noticed certain brands always do well on Ebay. Two that instantly come to mind are Topshop and Urban Outfitters. In my experience, you can often make a profit on items from these brands if you sell them even second hand on Ebay. So, if you're in to Ebay, it would make sense to consider how sell-able an item will be when you buy it.

5) SIT BACK AND WAIT IT OUT

To be honest, most of these trends come and go so quickly that just turning a blind eye for a bit, when you're really broke, or can't be bothered with all the fussing, could be the solution. Another trend that you'll want to buy in to will be just around the corner anyway.

6) SWEET CHARITY

Charity shops are literally one of the best ideas ever, I think. They provide a place to unload your old high street mistakes and they supply people like me with a weird and wonderful selection of oddities and stuff. If in doubt, just visit a charity shop and find a few cheapo bits to refresh the items you already have. Thus giving money to charity, not fuelling this crazed high street consumer mess, and not spending as much cash.

7) BUY VINTAGE

Generally, clothes from 20 plus years ago are much better made and have stood the test of time. They are also extremely coveted by many. Therefore buying vintage can be seen as an investment. It's like that thing they say about cars and houses. Buying a car sucks your money, because it costs to keep it and it loses money with age. Buying a house is a financial asset, and it maintains/increases it's value over time.

Keep your vintage well, and you could end up making a profit from it when it's day with you is done.

Lastly, and to emphasise the importance of having your own sense of style...

Being inspired and influenced by high street/catwalk/street trends is good, but don't be a fashion puppet. I think it's important to develop your tastes and follow your instincts, without taking it all too seriously. Fashion is, after all, temporary. The beauty of it is it's ever evolving and shifting nature. So be an observer, not a slave. Having a strong sense of personal style is the key.

The End

LUST OF THE DAY: BLESS

Today I will mostly be lusting after these sunglasses by 'Bless'. They are just a real dream come true. I first discovered them in graphic design journal eye (December 2007/January 2008) and have been searching for something that resembles them since. The fact they can no longer be acquired only adds to my lusting.

www.bless-service.de

IT GIRL

I adore Chloe Sevigny, and her collaboration with Opening Ceremony. Here are my favourites from her current collection:
         

1) Eyelet Pinafore Dress ($500)   2) Vision Canvas High-Top Sneakers ($80)   3) Barton
Perreira Kevin Sunglasses ($440)

www.openingceremony.us