Halloween: Vampire Nails & Beauty Essentials

For those of you who tend to leave things to the last minute (much like myself!) I thought I would share with you a quick & easy Halloween nail tutorial. It is very simple & only requires things most girls would tend to own: black nail varnish, red nail varnish, silver nail varnish & two well sharpened pencils. 

For face make-up some essentials are dark purple, pinks, reds & black eyeshadows found in most eye palettes. If you are simply creating a smoky eye look than you could use a piece of tape from the edge of your eye out to your eyebrow to create a strong, defined line. However, if you are placing the eyeshadow all over the face for a bruised and 'dead' look ideally use matte shades. Sharp lipliners or eyeliners can be used to create 'veins on the face.' To finish off the look you can either add a few coats of mascara or some false eyelashes. 

Loose glitter pigments could be used all over the face if you were going for a Twilight look where you wanted to 'shimmer.' 

Lastly a great vampire look would not be complete with either a deep dark red or purple lipstick & dripping fake blood coming off the bottom lip down onto the neck! Vampire teeth are optional here too :-) 

Here are some of my favourites:

Products shown:

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette // Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette // Urban Decay Naked Palette // MAC Eyeshadow x 9: Burgundy Times Nine // Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Leather Effect // Charlotte Tilbury's Colour Chameleon in Dark Pearl // Eyelure Nadine Definition Lashes // Topshop Nails In Rumours & Lies (Red) // Topshop Nails In Up In Smoke (Silver) // Topshop Nails In Cloak and Dagger (Black) // Topshop Lipstick in Wicked (similar) // Barry M Lip Liner Plum No. 11

I hope this post helps a few of you who are going out/dressing up for halloween at the last minute! Or perhaps a few of you who are behind the UK and have a lot longer to get ready. 

Happy Halloween!

Lots of love,

Sarah Marie x

Autumn Beauty

Autumn is my favourite time for make-up, I love the deep purple and berry tones mixed with bronze hues. 

For my eyes my most staple product would be the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette that consists of five matte shades from white to brown to black and acts as a great base layer. On top of a couple of these shades, I use the MAC Eyeshadow x 9: Burgundy Times Nine which gives a lovely warm hue to the eyes. If I am going for a softer look I will use the first five shades (left to right) and if I am going for a smokier look I use the last five shades. To apply them I use the brush that came in my Naked Basics 3 palette but the Urban Decay Naked Basics Double-Ended Brush is very similar.   

Another two eye products I sometimes use are Charlotte Tilbury's Colour Chameleon in Dark Pearl (a lovely deep purple shade) all over the lid and smudged out or Maybelleine's 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in Leather Effect (deep brown) in the crease and blended out. To line my eyelids my favourite product to use is Charlotte Tilbury's The Classic Sophia Eyeliner, a warm bronze colour that gives a softer appearance to black eyeliner for a more natural look. 

For the day time I like to wear a dark nude shade on my lips such as Topshop's Lipstick in Mink. It has a very smooth and creamy texture making it easy to apply on the go, but it does also mean that it does not have the best staying power. For the evening I have been constantly reaching for Charlotte Tilbury's Lip Cheat Lipliner in Crazy in Love and wearing it all over my lips on its own. The red rose colour is perfect for those with a medium or olive skin tone and the staying power on this is amazing!

On my nails I keep on re-applying Topshop's Nail Varnish in Rainy Day which I think is the most perfect grey colour with a hint of blue and purple in some lights. I do feel that the product quality isn't as good as some of their other nail varnishes as mine has chipped and flaked after four days, but I can overlook that as the colour is so beautiful! I don't usually go for glittery nail varnish but with festive seasons approaching I bought Topshop's Nail Varnish in Up in Smoke on a whim! I will probably use it as an accent colour on one of my nails :-) It appears quite pink online but in reality it is more silver with a hint of pink. 

What are your favourite autumn beauty products? 

Lots of love,

Sarah Marie x

Evening Style | Rhodes Gig

A week or so ago my friend suggested that we go and see Rhodes live at a nearby venue, the tickets were cheap and it was very close so we had nothing to loose! Little did we know how amazing he and his band were going to be and his supporting acts were just as fabulous! Fun fact: Rhodes actually also performed at a Burberry show a few seasons ago which is very cool :-) 

As it was in the evening time I wanted to wear something warm and comfortable yet cute at the same time. Therefore I opted for a pair of black skinny jeans and a black belt with a silver buckle for added definition at the waist. 

On the top half I was originally just going to wear my grey jumper. However, it is extremely cropped and has a tendency to ride up which would have been annoying when swaying along for example. Therefore I decided to add a long bralet (similar here or here) underneath, which added extra coverage for when it rode up and also added a cute extra detail to my otherwise plain outfit. 

Before I left I decided to add some rings (similar here) to my outfit and these just came out of a multi-pack from Urban Outfitters. The silver also matched my belt. I didn't wear a coat because the venue was extremely close and I just wore my standard black boots to complete the outfit :-)

You can check out the bands here:

Rhodes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RD8B_cFD4U 

                :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epGnes2q3NQ

JP Cooper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fVZL6Acxr8

Lots of love,

Sarah Marie x 

October Haul

When I arrived back at university and my student loan came in, I couldn't help but go on a little shopping spree... oops! It was a very successful trip and I feel I have bought great staples for the autumnal months ahead. 

Zara Flat Shoes with Studs

As I am not a 'shoe person' I find it extremely difficult to come across a pair that I like which is why I wear my three year old boots all of the time! However, when I went into Zara I was drawn to this pair - they felt comfortable, fit well and were smart yet stylish. I love the silver stud detail and I can't wait to wear them. 

Topshop Double Faced Swing Top

Jumpers are also something that I lack of in my wardrobe, as I generally don't tend to find the fit of them to be flattering on me. The fit of this grey one is perfect with the high neck and a relaxed bodice and sleeves. It also has a lovely cream accent on the hem and down the centre back. 

Zara Grey Ribbed Crop Top

This is definitely my favourite purchase of the bunch! It is great to throw on with a pair of high-waisted jeans and you are ready to go. It is not too cropped and very comfortable to wear! You can see me wearing it in this OOTD. 

All Saints Black Kerin Vest

I have been lusting after this item for a little while now and whilst they were doing 20% student discount I had to pop in and try it on. It was a lot more draped then I had initially expected and really wanted the grey colour. However, I realised that it draped a lot more than the black version and with black I could pop a little black cami or bralette underneath to blend it in. It is a beautiful fit but definitely size down and you will probably need to wear something underneath!

MAC 'Staunchly Stylish' Pro Longwear Lip Pencil

Initially I wanted the lip pencil in Spice to go with the lipstick I bought, yet they were out of stock so I went for this colour instead. It is a lovely pinky beige and acts as a great base to layer a darker nude on top and really helps to keep the lipstick on. 

MAC 'Taupe' Matte Lipstick

This has become my go-to lipstick for a night out and even during the day. It is a beautiful reddish-taupe-brown colour which I think personally really flatters those with an olive/tan skin tone. As it is matte, it is important that your lips are nice and hydrated beforehand, otherwise it will really settle into any dry patches on your lips. Overall, a great seasonal colour! 

Lots of love,

Sarah Marie x 

University Style | Little Denim Skirt

Denim skirts were a huge trend over the summer and have transitioned into a suede button-up skirt trend for autumn. However, I don't see any reason why this skirt can't make it through the autumn season too :-)

To make the outfit more seasonal I simply paired the skirt with a cropped black long sleeve top (similar here). It was very warm on this day but I brought my black lightweight duster coat (similar here) with me in case it got a little bit chillier. For shoes I simply continued the neutral colour palette with some black boots (similar here) and I wore my black Michael Kors bag too. However, you could always swap these accessories for a burgundy or burnt orange colour to inject some life into the outfit.

I think that this outfit would also look nice paired with a simple white t-shirt and black tights or alternatively a dark grey jumper.   

I love the A-Line shape of this skirt, as I find it to be very flattering and it would suit many shapes and sizes. The panel construction also helps to achieve a nice fit and a-line shape. Lovely details include the buttons running down the centre front and the classic orange topstitching which I think fits in perfectly for autumn! 

As I have been inserting the links to the clothes I have realised that this post is practically an homage to Topshop (haha) - but thats because I think they are the perfect place to buy on-trend yet good-quality clothes :-) 

Hope you are all having a lovely week.

Lots of love,

Sarah Marie x

Mary Katrantzou Internship Experience

Before I go on you may want to put on something cosy, grab yourself a drink and a handful of snacks, this is going to be a long one… ;-)

Over the summer I decided that I wanted to do another internship and to do so I undertook the same process that I did earlier this year (see my Sass and Bide internship here). However, it was required that I had an interview before I was selected which I was quite nervous about. When the time came they asked me questions such as:

• Tell me a bit about yourself
• What is your favourite collection and why?
• What is your least favourite collection and why?
• What do you know about Mary?
• If you had to pick three designers to work for who would they be and why?

Luckily Mary Katrantzou is definitely up there as one of my favourite designers so I thought that the interview went well. After that it became the waiting game to find out if I had been chosen or not and after e-mailing them a couple of times they replied saying that I had got the PR & Marketing internship - hurrah! 

First Day

Tip: The first day is always the most daunting - you are the newbie and a blank canvas in a new setting. First impressions count so make sure you are friendly to everyone, offer to help where necessary, be eager to learn and try your hardest. There is always a lot of information to take in on your first couple of days so bring a notepad and pen with you to jot everything down :-)

On my first day I made sure I set off a little earlier than I needed to in case I got lost or there was any delays with the train - I was half an hour early in the end! After being offered countless amounts of tea, coffee or water I finally met the team who I would be working with and they were all so lovely. My task for the day was to do an inventory for the sample sale. This required me to go through boxes of sample clothing and using their commercial books I had to find the style of the garment and the name of the print and note it down into a spreadsheet. It was super exciting seeing all of the clothing in real life and I began to understand how the business side worked.    

The Next Few Weeks

Over the next few weeks I was given a range of tasks including; designing and writing newsletters, logistics, locating samples, using Fashion GPs, communicating with PR companies Karla Otto and Starworks and suggesting garments/looks for bloggers. My skills rapidly developed, I felt in control of my role and I was enjoying every minute of it. I was also getting to know other interns, and members from different teams (finance, e-commerce and sales) which has resulted in me making great friends and good networking for the future :-) One aspect of the fashion world that I love is that you never know what the next day is going to bring and the tasks are constantly fresh and exciting. 

Show Week

Show week is manic. The hours are longer and it involves a lot of logistics as an intern. Tasks for the week involved; ensuring the show boxes were complete, writing invitations, hand-delivering invitations, sending looks for guests to wear to the show and many coffee runs. This is the week that you really want to aim for comfortable clothing as you will be doing lots of running around getting bits and bobs! It is also very important to be on top of all e-mails, make sure you prioritise important tasks efficiently and work well as a team :-) 

Show Day

The day began at the studio getting last-minute show bits and going on a huge coffee run before heading off to the venue at Kings Cross. My role was working front of house which meant that I had to put all of the seat numbers/names out on the benches and show guests to their seats if they were lost with the other interns. I was required to wear all black with a Mary Katrantzou scarf to distinguish myself as an employee. After everyone was seated we were rushed off to the viewing gallery where we could sit and awe at the show from above it was absolutely magical - I loved the cosmos & chaos theme! It still amazes me how fast fashion shows whizz past, months and months of preparation and it is all over in ten minutes - every moment counts and I think Mary and her team definitely made every moment count. 

Top Tips:

1. For an interview always thoroughly research the brand and be prepared to answer difficult questions. 

2. Always be sure to ask what you need to bring with you on your first day. (A notepad and pen are a must).

3. To-Do Lists will be your best friend. 

4. Don't be afraid to ask questions. 

5. All you can ever do is be confident and try your very best :-) 


Lots of love,

Sarah Marie x