Dark Valentine: how to wear latex lingerie and a discount code for you to try it.

With Valentine’s day getting closer I decided some new lingerie images were in order. I often find I need to shoot items several times to get the perfect shot or enough to showcase it properly so all of these items have been shot before but I was pleased to see them showcased from new angles.

s&s on rug

I’ve wanted to try shooting images from above using a bed or rugs as a backdrop for a while and decided on this large white one as it contrasts nicely with the black latex.

shakira rug

Shakira wears: choker harness bra, latexlace suspender belt, latexlace harness panties and latex stockings, all available on the website. Use EustL20 for 20% off at checkout.

stacey rug

 

  I’m wearing: Pastie harness bra, latexlace cincher harness, standard latex briefs and banded latex stockings. Again, use EustL20 for 20& off.

S&S standing

This is the time of year when a lot of people decide to try latex lingerie for the first time. They have often seen pictures of it and like the look of it but aren’t sure how to wear it themselves or if it would suite them.

In this post, I’m going to try and address some common worries people might have when thinking of purchasing latex underwear for the first time.

  1. Latex won’t look good on me/suit my figure.

Latex lingerie, like regular lingerie, comes in all shapes and sizes. If you’re not sure what style to go for, make your first purchase a similar style to your current favourite lingerie set. To change it up a bit, maybe try a different colour, trim or motif but keep the style quite similar to something you know and love.

Well-cut latex is very flattering. The different thicknesses give varying amounts of support but in general, it is slightly more sculpting than regular lingerie and tends to enhance curves in an attractive way. If you would like to know more about fit, take time to discuss designs and thicknesses with your designer so you can make an informed decision. Most also offer a made to measure service to ensure a perfect fit.

You don’t have to show a lot of skin in order to wear latex lingerie, especially if you are not purchasing it exclusively for the bedroom. A full outfit of a bra, high waisted briefs, suspender belt, stockings, gloves and a headpiece will cover a lot more flesh than a dress as well as offering more support to your figure. Such an outfit also offers versatility as each of the components can then also be used in different outfits

 

stacey rug standing

shakira rug standing

2. I’m scared I’ll ruin it!

It is always advisable to read up on latex care before starting your latex collection but I find that people are often surprised by how durable it is. I have previously written a post on latex care which you can read here.

Latex is stretchy and can take a bit of handling as long at the right method and dressing aid is used.

My main dressing tips would be to make sure you warm it up before you wear it, especially in the winter and to be careful not to put your nail through it, or snag it on any other pointy items.

When you take your latex off after a sweaty night, wash it!

Look into storage options and don’t be lazy. Like any luxury item, latex needs a bit of care. If you throw it on your bedroom floor after use, it probably won’t last that long.

p.s. If you have any damaged latex in need of repair, feel free to give me a message. I do reasonably priced repairs, alterations and can also make suggestions for garments usually considered “ruined beyond repair”.

3. Latex has to be paired with latex.

People often put off buying a latex item they love out of wear of not having anything to wear with it. They think that in order to buy whatever they have their eye on, they would have to first have a whole latex outfit to wear with it!

The truth is, latex looks great paired with other fabrics. Contrasting textures always add interest to an outfit and can also be used to enhance a silhouette by making some parts more prominent than others. For example, if you think that your thighs look large in proportion to the rest of your body, skin-tight and shiny latex stockings can give the appearance of more streamline legs, while a textured or decorated bra can draw attention to the bust and make it look fuller.

I have included some examples of latex being worn with items from my fabric lingerie line.

stacey half

4. Latex is strictly for people who practice BDSM.                                          

I don’t know how people can still believe this in 2016, but it would appear that they do.

Latex clothing now comes in any colour or style under the sun. I know I’ve focused on black for this set but feel free to check out my collection gallery to give you some examples.

You can order any of your wardrobe staples in latex, made to measure and customised to fit your needs.

It is not sold in dingy, downstairs sex shops but in beautifully lit and decorated boutiques, like any kind of luxury clothing.

Every celebrity owns a piece and it graces fashion week catwalks season after season.

Latex can even be integrated into your everyday wardrobe if you so wish and a post on how to achieve that will be coming soon.

Photography: Richard Ayres

models: Shakira and myself

Wardrobe: Eustratia

Concept, styling and makeup by me

BLOG SIGNATURE

New year beauty must-haves

Hourglass-Ambient-Lighting-Edit-Palette-65

 

My most coveted product of the last couple of months has to be the Hourglass Ambient lighting edit palette.

I love the finely-milled shimmery powders, they sit beautifully on the skin and don’t cause the flaky or dusty effects I have noticed when using some others.

The palette contains 3 powers in different shades, 2 blushers and a bronzer. This makes it perfect to travel with as all the powders you need are beautifully arranged in a gold case. The mirror is also quite large which eliminates the need for a travel mirror.

I would love to be able to take this to fashion week with me next month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A second product I have loved this month is the lipstick queen “Ice queen story” set.

I wish I had found out about this before Christmas as it would have made the perfect stocking UK200016145_LIPSTICK_Qfiller. The “wine sinner” is my perfect red and “Ice queen” would have been perfect for my “winter wonderland” shoot and fashion show. I also have a couple more lipsticks in my collection it would look great layered with.

Lipstick queen is fast becoming my favourite lipstick brand. I have 6 of their lipsticks in my current collection and love the cleverness of their products. As well as producing a variety of formulas and finishes (often indicated by the colour of the packaging), their ranges are also conceptual and often include an unexpected property to spark your interest.

This is currently in the sale at SPACE NK. I hope someone buys something off my website so I can treat myself before it sells out.

Lipstick queen, Ice queen story £17.50, SPACE NK

 

UK200002511_NARS_COSME

For the past couple of months, I have also been obsessing over the Nars makeup brushes.

They are on the pricey side but I have never come across “good” brushes that I find so aesthetically appealing before so I just have to have them. When I first got the Real techinques brushes, I remember complaining about them ruining my dressing-table colour-scheme, whereas these fit in perfectly. I have 3 so far, trying to buy one every time I have some spare cash.

Nars “Yachiyo” kabuki brush £43, SPACE NK

Rococo-Nail-Apparel-Love-Protection-Duo

 

This next product is a bit of a surprise. I have never really been that “into” nail polish and the chemicals that Iwork with on a day to day basis ruin it so I don’t wear it often. I ended up picking up a one from “Rococo”, a brand I have never tried before in the SPACE NK sale (it was only £1.50!) and was impressed by both the packaging and the quality of the polish. 

At this price, it’s definitely worth trying out. I really love the box as it goes with my decor and it looks like a lot of the colours have a beautiful iridescence to them.

The shade I like best out of the ones left in the sale is SNO BABY £1.50, SPACE NK

US300025295_HOURGLASS

 

 

Next we have another hourglass product. I need a new tinted moisturiser and I’ve heard so many good things about this one.

From the description, it sounds like exactly what I’m looking for but I haven’t tried it yet so I hope I can get my hands on it soon and that it lives up to my expectations.

Hourglass illusion Hyaluronic skin tint, £45, SPACE NK 

10878523-2044294061464758

The final product is a hairspray, which might seem a bit odd, but I am featuring it for quite a pointful reason. If you read my “2016 goals” post, you may have noted that I’m trying to turn all of my beauty and household products cruelty-free.

Hairspray is quite a tricky one so I was pleased to come across this Argan oil infused one by Moroccanoil. I featured it in case anyone was also on the lookout for something similar.

Like all Moroccanoil products, it isn’t cheap, but I think it might be worth it as I don’t really use hairspray that often.

Morrocanoil luminous hairspray, £17.25 www.lookfantastic.com

 

 

 

 

I hope you found this post useful! Feel free to share your new-year beauty must-haves, I always love checking out new products! And let me know if you have tried any of the ones I’ve listed here today and what you thought.

 

 

Emma Hardie skincare review

I have now been using Emma Hardie products for over a year and feel I know enough about them to give an honest and informed review. I have tried most of the products in the range now and wanted to share my favourites.

IMG_2559

Emma Hardie moisturiser, primer, oil, serum by aestheticcontradiction

The most well-known product, is the Moringa cleansing balm, which has achieved almost “cult” beauty status, with hosts of bloggers reviewing it and singing its praises. I also have this and use it on days when I wear a lot of makeup, but the products I wanted to talk about today are as follows:

emma hardie moisturiser favourite by aestheticcontradiction

 

The amazing face protect and prime:

This is a priming moisturiser with SPF, specially formulated with Mongongo Oil, Oat Extract and Vitamin E. I use it every day.

I like that it doubles up as a primer as I don’t bother using a separate one day to day and it helps keep my BB cream in place.

 If I ever forget to apply it before my morning dog walk, I do notice the difference, my face feels dry and more exposed to the elements.

It does feel like a cross between a moisturiser and a primer when applied to the skin and has a light fragrance, which I think is a blend of rose and essential oils, similar to most Emma Hardie products.

Though I’m not crazy about the colour of the packaging, I find the pump really handy and like how sturdy it is. If I’m travelling, I just throw it in my bag and have never had any problems with leakage. I find other products with similar packaging often have a loose lid that falls off easily, meaning the pump could accidentally be compressed, covering the contents of your bag in product.

This has become my go-to moisturiser because it combines everything that I need day to day and I can easily just squeeze some on before I leave in the morning. I don’t even have to worry about screwing a lid back on properly.

Buy it: £45 from Emma Hardie

emma hardie facial oil by aestheticcontradiction blogger

Brilliance facial oil:

A moisturising and brightening oil containing 9 essential oils and 5 plant oils.

I know a lot of people say this when they first try facial oil, but I was seriously expecting it to make my skin more oily or cause me to break out. I have actually tried other oils in the past and found they did just that.

This time however, I was pleasantly surprised. I actually think this oil helps minimise breakouts, it has genuine brightening properties and leaves me skin feeling and looking smoother and more hydrated. I don’t always wake up thinking how amazing my skin looks, but it definitely happens more often after starting to use the Emma Hardie brilliance facial oil.

The packaging of this is beautiful. Even before I was sure that it would suit my skin, I wanted it to be part of my vanity display. The quality is evident in every element and the dropper is the perfect way to distribute the oil.

I was also quite surprised by the size of this and how long it lasts. I use this every two days and I estimate a 30 ml. bottle would last me a year, making the £31 totally worth it.

Buy it: £31 from SPACE NK

Emma Hardie face serum by aestheticcontradiction blogger

 

Mydas touch face serum:

Concentrated collagen-boosting, skin-firming face serum.

I mostly use this around my eyes and mouth, where I feel my skin is losing its elasticity or starting to form fine lines.

What I particularly love about this is that you can also add it to sensitive or spot-prone areas without fear of irritation or oiliness. It feels very light and silky on the skin and is easily absorbed.

This comes in a cylindrical box that is way too big for it. It looks impressive, but is not at all practical if you purchase it on a trip, like I did. I ended up having to ditch outer packaging because it didn’t fit in my bag.

The internal packaging, I feel is perfect and I love the chunky pen shape.

Pressing the bottom of the “pen” releases a small blob of product, ensuring there is no waste.

This is quite pricey so I use it around 3 times a week but I don’t think any more than that would be necessary.

£59, Cult Beauty


Emma hardie review favourite products by aestheticcontradiction

I hope it was useful to hear about my favourite products and how I use them. If you use any of these, I’d love to know what you think and if you use them in a similar way.

Emma Hardie also do not test their raw ingredients or finished products on animals, They do not sell to China and are in the process of having a leaping bunny logo added to their site.

IMG_2558BLOG SIGNATURE

Eustratia Lingerie

I don’t often feature shoots on here that I have not conceptualised myself, but I also seldom shoot in black and white, and thought these images were sufficiently different from anything I would normally post, to leave room for you to admire them and the lingerie, as well as whatever I decide to do with it next.

The set was shot as part of Alexander Bather’s “Night diary” exhibition last year and was arranged in collaboration with Vauhaus model agency, who also allowed their HQ to become the backdrop.

Some of you may remember, I released several bras with my Vanguard collection last year. I initially intended them to be worn more as tops but soon decided it would be better to make bottoms to go with them, so they can also be worn as lingerie, in a set.

I didn’t have much time to design before the shoot so I made two out of three styles on the day. Hazel had already ordered a set from me and had requested something that matched the bra with lots of straps, which I think I delivered. Lia wanted to wear a high waisted brief so just used the same fabrics and details as the bra and created something in that style. For the third set, I decided to make a thong for variety, without knowing who the model would be at the time.

I was quite pleased with how the came out for a first attempt, though I have now made adjustments and changed some of the details. I look forward to showing you the final versions in a photoshoot at some point soon. 9Q4A5214

9Q4A5239-2

DSCF5742

DSCF5820

DSCF5825

DSCF5742

DSCF5763

DSCF6001DSCF5929DSCF5978DSCF5891

DSCF5934

DSCF6042

 

Images by Alexander Bather

Models Lia, Laura and Hazel 

mua Demi Skinner

Lingerie by Eustratia

If you like what you see, you can get 20% off with code: EUSTL20, perfect for a Valentine’s day treat 😉

Faux fur jumper and snake effect boots

fur jumper 1

fur jumper aestheticcontradiction blogger 2

fur jumper style blogger 7

fur jumper aestheticcontradiction style blog 3

fur jumper aestheticcontradiction dark fashion blog 4

fur jumper style 5

snake pattern rd. martens

fur jumper aestheticcontradiction blogger 6

This weekend saw a rare spot of sunshine hit Manchester, making it the perfect time to take a walk. I wore a casual outfit, incorporating a variety of black textures.

 A few years ago, I would not have worn, sequins, faux fur or any kind of animal print but seeing as I continue to wear a lot of black, I have been trying to branch out in materials and textures to keep my wardrobe varied and interesting.

The bag was a Christmas present but I’ve used it a few times and am finding having a small backpack quite useful, as long as I wear remember to wear something else with pockets to keep my phone in.

Faux fur jumper: Eustratia

shirt: Miss selfridge

jeans: Moto at Topshop

bag: M&S

Boots: Dr. Martens

Images by Richard Ayres

BLOG SIGNATURE