Visiting Brighton In The Rain

 

 

It's not often I visit somewhere soggy and grey with the wind howling up my skirt and don't feel like running to the nearest café and bolting the door, but Brighton is different it has this strange effect, of making you feel like you are on the set of some magic show, which leaves you feeling curiouser and curiouser . Everywhere I looked smiling visitors and locals, coated in thin plastic macs were skidding around the shiny boards of Brighton Pier. Dodging in and out of amusement arcades and sitting on the shingle beach eating pale fat chips doused in vinegar,

 

 waiting to be blasted by the sound of another wave crashing onto the beach. After the frustration of trying to capture a giant one-eyed furry yellow minion with a useless/rigged metal claw, it felt like the right time for a game of mega air hockey, my winning streak back,
 Christmas shopping was next on my list. I found some leopard print soaps in Heals, a whoopee cushion in a sweet brown vintage box (there are little people in my life) pop art, cartoon ceramic cups, with phrases like Zap and Pow in pink and purple and some Choccywoccydoodah activity books.

 

 

 

 

 

 I wanted a giant felt robin and a stripy Christmas mitten, but decided to calm my Christmas shopping fever by experiencing the Zen of Brighton's eastern inspired pavilion. You're not allowed to take photographs inside, but I managed to snap it's fairy tale peaks peeping out of some trees. Whatever you do, if you ever go to Brighton, visit Brighton Royal 

Pavilion!

 

 

 

 Some people get goose bumps listening to music. I get goose bumps about unusual buildings and clothing and this place gave me a lot! It was a real Charlie and the Chocolate factory moment when I stepped into the entrance, the first things I noticed were giant chandeliers suspended by huge carved dragons, blindingly bright emerald green and yellow walls. Bamboo everywhere, including the banisters that ran up the side of the grand staircase, nodding Chinese figures and ornate hand knotted pink and gold silk rugs, but what I love most about it, none of this was taken from a real idea of the East. The Palace was never intended to last, it was created for the Prince Regent to inspire playfulness, based on the designer's brief to recreate the east and fun loving Brighton sprung up around it. If your lucky and it's not too busy you can have high tea upstairs, check out the tea pot! If you fancy freezing your bum off and sampling the delights of the Pav you can find out more here.

 

 

My Passport To Styles | Christmas Tree Makover

A Christmas Tree With A Difference | That Can Be Used All Year Round!

I love the idea of transforming useful pretty home ware over the festive season. If you're getting a bit bored with the idea of a traditional Christmas tree and are a bit of a fashionista, you might like my favourite Christmas makeover over yet, transforming my vintage wire mannequin from my bedroom, by weaving some Christmas magic into it, using last year's Christmas decorations and some florist wires to attach them.

Enjoy The Satisfaction Of Customizing Your Manni Tree

 Last year I went for a fun multi coloured theme, using pink, purple and gold tinsel woven through and scattered with brightly wrapped sweets. You could use a mix of emerald green decorations and fabric trimmings to create a stuning textured look, weave sparkly green ribbon and tinsel through the wires of your mannequin, fix emerald pompom ribbon using a little wire around the petticoat edge of your wired mannequin for a chic feel, then continue up the bodice and perhaps finish off the top with a dramatic pop of red, like this fuchsia hair clip or why not reuse one of your old fascinators like a miniature scarlet top hat or an old pair of your daughters/nieces glittery tap shoes that you can fix to the top of the mannequin using garden wire again. A gold dove would also look really opulent, against these emerald city trimmings.

Function And Form

The beauty of this unusual tree is there's no mud to worry about, the feet are pretty enough to remain bare until the pitter pat of newly wrapped presents arrives and better still once Christmas is over simply remove the decorations and use your mannequin to display your favourite jewellery or keep tomorrows outfit crease free and ready to slip on. You then have a whole new year to dream up a new look for your mannequin tree!

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas, fashionable frolickers and a very happy New Year!

                                      

                                                       love Sharon xx

Top Four DIY Christmas Gifts



Hi Gals, it's that time of year again, I love Christmas, but I start running out of original gift ideas for my fashionista friends, that's where do it yourself gift ideas come in, here are my Top Four favourites including the lovely Torie Jaynes HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY LIP BALM

 a DIY tote I made from an old stappy dress (in under 1hr!)

 a super easy fun belt DIY 

and a multi purpose cuff DIY that you can use as a cuff but also to up cycle everything from your Christmas table to that old jumpsuit in your wardrobe when you want to inject some chic into your party look, ready for all those new moves you will be showing off on the dance floor!  

 Make Torie Jaynes Stawberry Lip Balm 

Drab To Fab In Half An Hour!

Easy No Sew DIY Utilty Belt 

The Christmas Gift That Can Be Style 3 Unique Ways!

A Pair Of Shoes That Are Lickable!

The must have shoe for this festive season, red candy cane stripes!!

My Passport To Style | Style Tips For The Christmas Party Season

 I know that Christmas and the New Year can often be a busy time for most women and with the party season snapping at our heels, I thought I would play fairy godmother by rounding up my hottest style tips for adding polish to your party look without busting your budget. Red lipstick has had a revival and creates instant party glamour, if your thinking of wearing a red lipstick this party season, follow my two foolproof tips-

How To Wear Your Perfect Red Lipstick

Pull your lower lip out and match the colour red you select to the shade of the your skin tone on your lower lip. Remember to use a nude lip liner to stop any bleeding or feathering, apply your lipstick with a brush for best coverage, blot with tissue and reapply, this is the most important part- Put the first half of your index finger in your mouth and pucker up your lips whilst removing your finger. This will ensure that any access lipstick appears on your finger and not your teeth, when you smile!


One of the best ways to achieve instant glamour is with a hair up, this season the catwalks were awash with clean sophisticated hair ups a la Grace Kelly.

Don't Ditch The Doughnuts Just Yet!

Want to achieve the look but don't think your fine or shoulder length hair will allow you to reach those dizzy heights? You need a little boost with the greatest invention since a jammy dodger a foam doughnut, a small hair brush, a stack of long pins, some hair spray and a strong hair elastic.

 Using a small brush gather all your hair into a high pony tail, on the top of the back of your head, slide the doughnut over your ponytail, depending on your hair length in front of a mirror wrap the ends of your hair round the doughnut securing with the long pins to match your hair colour. Comb through some hair spray to the front and spray the back, voila your done.

High Brow

 Strong brows are essential for this seasons retro party feel and always add strength to the face, brow kits can cost £25.00 upwards, own a good waterproof eyeliner in a shade lighter than your brows? Then why try this budget busting grooming advice, purchase a baby sized tooth brush I usually opt for pink! Lightly stroke on your eyeliner following the shape of your brow, brush hairs backwards and then brush back into shape, dust with translucent powder and your good to go!

Who Needs A Manicure This Christmas Party Season!

For top to toe grooming I would generally advocate a full manicure, however with this season being all about full on glamour, I have the perfect style solution that will save you time and rescue you from feeling guilty about forgetting take care of your nails! For uber glamour, ditch your washing up gloves in favour of full length evening gloves in this seasons brightest colors! Spanx currently sell a vast range of mouth watering colours on Amazon.

Cette Hollywood -tightsplease

 Customize Your Look

Personalize your tights by layering an exsisting pair of opaque pair with a sheer glittery pair over the top, great for when the temperature drops! Try purple tights with a glittery silver finish or black tights with a purple finish and dark grey with a silver finish, for a sophisticated after dark look.

clutch bags catwalkfashion.co.uk

Clutch Control RULES! 

Finally do you have a whole array of soft clutch bags but want to update them a little? Brightly colored vintage style diamante brooches add instant chic to your clutch or why not glue some black marabou trim to the bottom edge of your bag or even a wide black Alice band if you fancy adding a bit of Audrey sparkle to your up do!

My Passport to Style | Got Cindy Lou Fever Find Out Why .....

Hi Gals, if your looking for a perfectly wicked reason to splurge on yourself in the run up to my favourite time of the year that is Christmas, then please take note at what I'm about to say, but don't say you heard it here first, got it! Unless of course it's to let your closet gal pal in on our cunning plot! Got it?! Great!

 Every year I indulge in a new look for the Christmas party season, usually a dress, do I ever wear it again?  I'm ashamed to say in previous years the answer has been no! The solution is to invest in slightly quirky but still chic separates rather than that expensive price tag dress, separates that you can wear from now through to the November, then configure (loving that word) differently for Christmas season 2011. So in the spirit of 'configuring' buy it now pieces into a sparkling Christmas look, I'm thinking this Aztec vest with kitch Christmas chic running right through it, is the perfect place to start guilt free pre Christmas shopping. I could wear it with my grey wool A-line skirt, bright yellow tights, fitted black leather jacket and these buy it now gorgeous gunmental cuban ankle boots for a fun edgy look.

 By updating my old black skirt to this lovely swishy number from Style Passport I can tap into this seasons monchrome look now, then come Christmas day leave even the Grinch with a warm glow at my Christmas Party look, as I glide down the stairwell of the hottest ticket in town wearing said black swishy skirt, Aztec vest, sheer black tights, gun mental leather cubans, knock out earrings, a neat silver clutch and a partridge in a pear tree! Sorry I could not resist, capsule wardrobe planning always makes me slightly giddy!

 all items Style Passport

Wishing All My Passport to Style Readers And Followers A Very Magical Christmas

How is a girl to decide which outfit works best for each of her delicous gingerbread men?!! They need to look their best for Christmas Day!

Fingers crossed that you get a little shoe love underneath your tree!

                                        Sharon x x 

Sugar Plum Fairy Plays Dress Up With Laura Of Bright, Bold, Beautiful!

I just adore it when a blog like Bright, Bold, Beautiful inspires me, Lauras blog stands for all that I believe in, in the world of fashion and design, bright colours and pattern invigorate and show confidence. Bright has subtle tones too!I like simple designs with clever cutting that have real impact! So when Laura asked me if I would like to showcase some of her beautiful water colours I was delighted!!I admit Laura did lead me a little down the sugar plum fairy path(top design by Susan Beebe), but who can blame me!! Her water colours are sooo frothy, sherbet magic, and after all, it is nearly Christmas!

 sWISHY sWIRLY -Girly Girl water colours by Laura of Bright, Bold Beautiful

frothy, frilly, flounces, blue fairy written all over it!

Something for that special evening out perhaps? Inky blue inspiration,I had fun coming up with accessory ideas!! x

Ink blue Silk So Elegant!

Thats better a little plush velvet vintage midnight blue bag always helps!

yOU mUST hAVE sOME bAUBLES tO eNSURE yOUR pARTy gOES wITH A sWING ,cHECK oUT thESE gEORGEOUS cOASTERS by Laura! x

Im  away now, for four days holiday, to bonny Scotland, see you all soon, many thanks for all your comments look forward to visiting your blogs on my return.Have a lovely weekend. Sxxx