OOTD: Polka Pleats

Hello readers,

I had promised you more outfit posts, and here's another one. The pleated skirt was once my mum's, and I get compliments on it whenever I wear it. It's different and daring, but very feminine and stylish. Since I paired it with a sheer black polka dotted shirt, I added a gold necklace and rings to add a pop of colour, and matches the touches of gold on the bag. 

Shirt: Zara
Skirt: Vintage
Shoes: Peacocks
Bag: Accessorize
Double Ring: Dorothy Perkins
Ring: Gift
Necklace: Accessorize

As always, a big thankyou to the talented Robert Bajada for the pictures. Make sure you like his page 'HERE' He has some really cool stuff :)

Choose to shine!

Ruth x x

My Style : The Red Skirt

Hello Readers

You know how we tend to associate Winnie the Pooh with a red T shirt, and Marge Simpsons with a green dress ? Everyone has a piece of clothing which they wear over and over, and people tend to relate the particular item to the person. I have a favourite skirt, my high waisted red skirt, which I have worn countless times, in countless different ways. I think anyone who knows me has seen me wearing this skirt. It is really comfortable and versatile, and if I could wear it every day, I would. This skirt is such a must have in my closet, it solves world crises, I feel like I have turned into my super hero outfit when I have it on. Whenever I'm in a what-to-wear problem, I always turn to it and life is happy again. I'm not saying that everyone should own a high waisted red skirt, but I'm going to show you my favourite ways to wear mine.

Outfit #1: Skirt Stradivarius - Top Zara - Bag Miss Selfridge - Shoes McBailey

Outfit #2: Skirt Stradivarius - Top Stradivarius - Bag Accessorize - Shoes New Look

Outfit #3: Skirt Stradivarius - Top Zara - Bag Berska - Shoes Stivaletti

Outfit #4: Skirt Stradivarius - Top Pull and Bear - Cardigan Peacoks - Bag Accessorize - Shoes Mc Bailey - Necklace Accessorize

In the following outfits, the skirt is paired with items so that the outfit is good for fall and the colder weather. I added a grey tights instead of a black one because I think it's more warm and settle like this. 

Outfit #5: Skirt Stradivarius - Shirt Jennyfer - Bag Accessorize - Shoes Peacocks

Outfit #6: Skirt Stradivarius - Top Zara -  Cardigan Pull and Bear - Bag Accessorize - Shoes New Look

Outfit #7: Skirt Stradivarius - Top Zara - Bag Berska - Shoes Stivaletti

Outfit #8: Skirt Stradivarius - Top Piazza Italia - Bag Accessorize - Shoes Peacocks - Tights New Look

Outfit #9: Skirt Stradivarius - Jacket New Look - Bag Accessorize - Shoes New Look

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and appreciate how versatile the skirt is. As seen in the outfits above, the skirt is not only versatile in season, but can also be dressed down for an everyday look, or else dressed up for a more sophisticated and chic look.

Choose to Shine! 

Ruth x x 

OOTD : Not Just A Doll

Hello Readers

I decided that the best way to give you ideas on outfits for this season, is showing you actual outfits that I would personally wear. Here is an outfit of the day, which reflects my personality quite a lot. I love pairing T-shirts with high wasted skirts because in this way I manage to dress up the T-shirt or dress down the skirt. Here the look is dressed up with heels and blazer, but with flats and a cardigan, a similar look can be turned casual and worn for everyday. 

T-shirt : Zara

Skirt : Bershka

Blazer : Mexx

Bag : Accessorize

Shoes : Peacocks

Earrings : Orsay

Ring : Accessorize

Sunglasses : Mango

A big thank you to my friend and photographer Robert Bajada. Don't forget to like this talented guy's page 'HERE' !!

I promise you more outfit posts in the following weeks, so make sure you keep following if you want to stay updated.

Choose to shine!

Ruth x x

Men of the Army

Hello Readers! 

Today I decided to do a quick blog post for the guys out there who often ask me to blog about men's fashion trends. My favourite trend on guys this Fall is by far Military trend. Camo-jackets are really fun to wear and are very versatile and double breasted military inspired coats and jackets take the outfit to another level, they look so expensive and gorgeous. Those guys who are not so adventurous with clothing, can go for dark olive green jackets or trouser, pair them with denim, and you can never go wrong. Girls like guys who make them feel safe, and what better than a guy whose clothes are inspired from soldiers? Here are some street-style outfits so you can have a better idea of this trend. 

Choose to shine! 

Ruth x x 

Vampy Face

Hello Readers!

Fall 2012 has brought some really fun trends in makeup, and I'm going to share with you my favourites. 

The dark lips go well on everyone. Try on different shades to find the one who compliments your skin tone. You can choose on how dark you can go, and whether to go on a dark purple, brown, or red shade. Dark lips looks best with a natural pink blush, and one of the following eye looks, burgundy, gold or bronze, neutral eyes, and winged eyeliner. 

Dark Lips with Burgundy Eyes 

Dark Lips with Neutral Eyes

Dark Lips with Gold/Bronze Eyes

Dark Lips with Winged Eyeliner

Those who do not like the dark lip look, can still play with burgundy eyeshadow and go for a neutral glossy lip colour. You can never go wrong with neutral lip gloss. 

Then there's the cat eye/winged eyeliner look. You can exaggerate and play with its shape. Try finding the best shape that compliments your eye-shape  so you will still look neat. Winged eyeliner does not mean looking cheap and slutty... just take care on how you carry it. I recommend you use gel or liquid eyeliner. Liquid eyeliner shows much better in photos, however gel is easier to apply and is more long lasting. An easy tip to help you manage liquid eyeliner, is by having a base of pencil eyeliner underneath, so you can go over it easily, avoiding mistakes, and ensuring a neat look that will stay all night. For the perfect look this fall, with eyeliner like this, I would go for a nude eye look, several coats of mascara, light pink blush, and bold lips. 

The smoky eye look this fall is a bit different from the ones we're used to. It's more daring and bold, and that's why I like it. Don't apply the black on the crease, but use black as a base colour on your lid. Then play with colours over the black, and the colours show up warmer and the look is more solid. The picture below shows a look I did myself on my friend Julia. Note how the brown on the crease completes the look and how it stands out with black underneath. The brown could go in different areas, but as long as it is applied on the black, this beautiful effect comes out. 

Purples, Blues, Greens would look great on black as well. Note how the look below would be completely different if it didn't have a black base underneath. 

I hope you have found this blog post useful. Let me know if you try any of these looks, and don't hesitate to leave a comment here or on my facebook page if you have any questions on any of them. 

Choose to shine! 

Ruth x x 

Fall for Burgun-me

Hello readers!

If I was a colour, I would be burgundy, and If I wasn’t burgundy, I would be sad. Every Fall has warm colours in fashion trends, yellow turns to mustard, purple turns to plum, green turns to teal, and red turns to my favourite one, burgundy. Here I have some ideas on how I would pair burgundy in the coming colder days.

Burgundy and Neutrals

First of all, of course burgundy goes perfectly with neutrals. I am a 'neutral colour fanatic' all year round, and when pastel colours were in, I loved pairing pastels with neutrals. Now that I'm crazy in love with burgundy, I will happily pair it with neutrals again. I also adore coloured tights, and the 'wear your coat as a dress' trend, so why not combine everything together? I came up with this: a neutral coat, worn as a dress, over burgundy tights. For me, it's classic. Then when taking off the coat, a neutral coloured dress would be gorgeous. Note that I've paired burgundy shoes with the burgundy tights; this is because this will give an illusion of taller and slimmer legs, because they look as one whole.

Burgundy and Gold

Another combination of colour I’m loving is burgundy with gold. Yes gold. I have owned a gold cardigan since last year, but I’ve worn it only a few times beause I don’t find a lot of stuff that goes with it, and it’s a pity. Burgundy is going to solve my problem for this year, burgundy and gold look so expensive together, it feels like something baroque-ish, like an expensive embroidered sofa, lovely. And then accessorize with black to complete the look.

Burgundy and Black and White

I think this is my favourite outfit of them all, burgundy with black and white. You can easily create different looks with these three colours, mixing and matching, however I prefer a black bottom (skirt or pants) with a white shirt or top, and burgundy outerwear. Then I would spice the rather plain outfit with some leopard print shoes, or bag. ( I did not say AND) Leopard print consists of neutral colours, so it goes with everything, if not overdone. I think it looks really chic and people would look at you with respect.

Back to school Outfits :

Burgundy and Orange

I would colourblock burgundy with mustard or orange. They are a lighter colour, however still warm and ideal for this season. I think it’s fun, unexpected and playful.

Burgundy and Denim

How about burgundy chinos? The idea excites me. If you’re not a fan of pairing orange, I would go with neutrals and then completing the look with denim. A denim jacket completes the look, and you can stay comfortable and look effortlessly cool and casual. The shoes and bag I paired are in Tan colour, which I really like since they go with nearly everything. To me they are musthaves for school, as you are able to have different outfits everyday without worrying that you don’t have enough shoes and bags to match.

I want to continue talking about burgundy in makeup, but that should be a blog post I’ll try to upload asap. If you look forward to that, keep following to make sure you won’t miss it. I hope this blog post has helped you in some way.

Choose to shine!

Ruth x x 

What about Summer ?

Hello readers! 

It does seem that I'm abandoning my blog, doesn't it? I haven't blogged regularly for the whole summer. Honestly I've been wanting to start again regularly for a long time, because I had some good ideas which I didn't share with you for several reasons. I would like to give you a quick review of my summer holidays.

• I started doing makeup on other people, for different occasions, and for photoshoots. I love it, and I have to admit that the satisfaction it gives me is priceless. When I see the end look, and realise that I managed to make a look like I wanted it to be, I'm overjoyed! I am a beginner in all this, so it means a lot to me. I know I have to improve a lot more, but I think that I'm on the right track, and with the little experience I had this summer, I have learnt much more new things. 

here are some of my favourites: 

to view my whole makeup portfolio click (HERE)

• I was so overwhelmed about this all summer, that all I could think about was planning new looks, rather than blogging. When I browsed the internet, I always ended up looking for different makeup looks and skills, rather than fashion ideas. 

• I look forward to work more on my makeup skills, get more experience and work with different photographers and models. If you would like to work with me, just send me an email here : amordegirasol28.blogspot.com

• I haven't done any favourites on makeup this summer, because I was always using the same products which I had reviewed before. To me, Summer '12 was about drinking plenty and plenty of water, moisturiser, bronzed skin, and eye-liner and mascara.

• Fashion is still a big part of my world. It's the way you express and present yourself to the world, however sometimes I don't feel like the ideal person to talk about it, just because I'm not like other fashion bloggers * heads down to them* who talk about fashion shows and cat walks and high end brands. I love reading them, and there are some really good Maltese bloggers who do so, and appreciate their work a lot. However I don't think I'm capable of talking about that, and I prefer talking about street style rather than catwalks, because I know that you readers can relate to them more. 

• I have wondered whether I should stop blogging and focus on doing makeup, or else change my blog which is quite open, to a blog dedicated only to makeup, but even though I thought about it, I don't have the guts to do it because the blog got me where I am today. I am who I am today because I blog. I have gained so much confidence in myself, and I know that without it, I wouldn't have arrived where I am. Not that I have reached God knows what, but I have started being what I want to be, and I think that's the most important thing in life.

• I plan to continue to blog about fashion and makeup, but here I need your help. I would love it if you share my facebook page, tell your friends who you think would enjoy my blog to follow, and keep me updated with your comments about it. I cannot improve without your criticism, tell me what you would like to read about more. Tell me what I'm going great at, so I do it more, and tell me where I'm failing, so I'll try to stop. And not just for this time, keep doing so for the whole year if possible. 

Choose to shine! 

Ruth x x