Autumn/Winter wishlist (and black Friday deals)

This post has been in the works for a while. I tried to write it last month but wasn’t feeling inspired enough by fall trends to find enough items that I liked. This week however, all the talk of holidays and sales has speared e into action and I have actually discovered that I have a bit of a thing for marble print, apparently! autumnwinter16 wishlist

 

  1. Marble print sunglasses by Quay @topshop £24 in the sale! These are the perfect pair of statement sunglasses to shield the winter sun from your eyes.
  2. Hourglass Surreal light palette, £69 SpaceNK  Yes, this is pricey but I loved last year’s version and I would use this all the time too.
  3. Spectrum “marbelous” 7 piece brush set, £24 in the Beautybay sale.  Beautiful affordable brushes with great reviews.
  4. Spectrum marble print bag £16.99, spectrum (I had to update the link as it has sold out on beautybay).
  5. Embellished cold shoulder jumper £46, topshop
  6. Miista Uma shoes £129 but there are various black Friday discount codes available.
  7. Swell marble print water bottle, £25 urban outfitters This appears quite pricey for the size, but as someone who as carried a plastic bottle around in my handbag since I can remember, I think I would be glad to swap it for a non cancer-causing stainless steel version.
  8. Poison moon ring by Dixi, £32 but will be discounted by up to 50% throughout black Friday weekend.

 

I hope you find some things you love in the sales this year!

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New self-portraits

I’ve been applying for a few modelling jobs recently and realised I could do with some new head-shots so I decided to have a late-night play after my shoot was cancelled on Monday and take some new self-portraits.

Experimenting with new looks inspires my future projects and this is a really easy way to capture them.

grey hair lace bra

For the first look I wanted to try something quite paired down, with natural-ish ( but still perfectly highlighted with hourglass ambient lighting powders) makeup and messy hair. I wanted to keep the colours neutral so I decided to do with this ivory and nude triangle latexlace bra from my most recent Eustratia collection and added a bit of an edge with some chainmail jewellery by Richard Ayres. When I shot these, I assumed they would require quite a lot of perfecting, but I was surprised to find they turned out just the way I wanted and this is probably the least edited image I’ve ever released.

blue lace bra pony ears

I decided to stick with the bras from the latest collection so for the second look, I wore the blue lace bralette and paired it with the pony ear headpiece that I’ve needed a close-up picture of for a while. This is a slightly darker look and I decided to finish it off with a bit more contouring and my new metallic purple lipstick from lipstick queen.

grey hair aurora bra

For the final look, I wanted something a bit more flirty and feminine so I added some cat-eye liner and a coral liquid lipstick by hourglass, as well as a bit of mac glitter on the lid. I swept my hair over to one side and wore the latexlace Aurora bra, also from the new collection.

Please let me know which look is your favourite!

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Fedora and pleated maxi skirt

Going for lunch at my parents’ house gave me a fun opportunity to walk the dogs in a maxi skirt and heels, which certainly amused the other dog-walkers we passed on the way. Luckily my Dr. martens heeled boots have a sturdy and can withstand a bit of gravel and mud.

This was also my first time trying out my new Armani exchange jacket. This is quite different to the styles I usually wear but I wanted to add a spring jacket to my wardrobe that wasn’t a blazer or made of leather and I think I quite like it.
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Jacket: Armani Exchange

Fedora: Asos

Skirt: Ebay

Boots: Dr. Martens

Necklace: Richard Ayres

Top: Topshop

Images by Richard Ayres Photography 

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Eustratia SS’16, “Lace Nymphs”

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Amber wears: 

Lace scallop bra

Latexlace cincher harness

Full latex briefs

Latex stockings

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Shakira wears:

High neck lace bodysuit

Latex cincher harness

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Stacey wears:

Latexlace harness dress

Latexlace moth pasties

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Amber wears:

Latexlace triangle bra

Latex flower hotpants

Latex knee high socks

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Shakira wears:

Aurora latexlace bra

Aurora high-leg latexlace briefs

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Stacey wears:

Nymph robe

Lace nymph bra

inverted suspender briefs

With this collection, I wanted to go back to the origins of Eustratia and create pieces that embody the contradictions which inspired me to start the label. Delicate lace and feminine silhouettes contrasted by harness straps and oversized hardware.

Shot by Danniella Jaine

MUA Hannah Gill

Styling and hair by me

Other models: Amber and Shakira @Vauhaus

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2016, goals and improvements

It’s finally the new year and we have to start getting used to writing 2016 after all our dates, something that always takes me ages!

It’s a bit of a cliche to to write down new year’s resolutions and it hasn’t been something I was ever particularly into when I was younger but since I became a business owner and then a blogger, I definitely saw how it could be helpful.

Last year, I didn’t write down goals as our dogs had puppies, which totally took over my life and I noticed that my year had less structure, so I wanted to get back on that again this year.

The first thing I did was write a list of all the months and outline my main collections, projects and photoshoots for the year, including adequate preparation times. There is no point releasing a wonderful themed photo-set, perfect for a certain occasion or season when that is already upon us coming to an end: This has happened to me before and I know it is something small companies often struggle with but I’m going to try my hardest to release everything early this year.

Seeing the whole year outlined in one little list actually makes it seem quite short and I feel like breaking it up into sections is helping me set realistic time-frames for achieving each project. When I think I’m not sure what to work on first, I often waste time trying to decide and end up falling behind.

You don’t have to run a business to make a monthly plan of the year, you could include your holidays and social calendar so you can start budgeting in advance or know which months you will have extra cash for luxuries, or you could include goals to achieve in your work or hobbies.

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 I have also made a bullet point goal list:

2016 GOALS

  • Make a more conscious effort to use cruelty free products. This is something I was already interested in and have done for most of my beauty and household products but I’m still sometimes surprised by the types of products are tested on animals so I’m going to make a bigger effort.
  • Only buy clothes I really love, support more independent designers, invest in designer items or make things myself. I have always hated fast fashion but sometimes I run out of time or money and decide to go for the easy option. I want to fight against that this year but ebay will still happen sometimes. 
  • Go out to eat and drink in more interesting places. My boyfriend and I can both cook, so we hardly ever go out to eat, but I’d like to be less of a hermit this year and explore the new places that have opened in Manchester, there are so many I’ve heard good things about.
  • Be more active on social media! This may surprise you, but I don’t like to be glued to my phone like a lot of people. I particularly enjoy instagram and pinterest at the moment but I could really use some encouragement, if you’re on there give me a follow and say hi! 
  • Go to America. I think I’ve said I wanted to do this for the last 5 years and I’m still sitting here writing this with an empty bank account but hopefully some magic will happen this year. 
  • Manage my daily tasks and still have some time for myself. This sounds pretty vague but my entire existence is like a juggling act and I’m always striving to complete it without dropping any of the balls. My appearance is always the first thing to go and I want to take more pride in that this year (while also having a clean house, successful business and well-behaved dogs).
  • Feature more beauty products on here. This follows on from my decision to take more care of myself. I’ve been getting more into beauty and skincare over the last year after a bit of a break in my “don’t buy anything that isn’t for the business” years and I thought it would be nice to share some of my favourites. 
  • Start doing videos. I thought I might as well write this one down to see if it motivates me further to do something about it. From how to put on strappy harnesses or latex leggings to house/studio tours and tutorials, I think it would be pointful and fun to make videos. I have wanted to do this for about 3 years now and I go through phases of trying to make a start but it getting it to the stage where it can be released just seems daunting. 
  • Post regularly. This year I’m taking a step back, planning only two posts and week and trying my hardest to keep up. If I can do that till May, I’ll think about adding something extra. 

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