Hot on the High Street: Peter Pan Collar.

The newest style to hit the high street this month is the cute peter pan collar, seen adorning blouses and dresses alike. The sweet rounded collar is often accessorised with pussy bows and neck ties and is guaranteed to make you look cute as a button! Here are my favourite (and affordable) picks available online! I’m quite attracted to lace, can you tell?

(Click on the pictures to go to website.)

This navy printed dress from Red Herring is simply adorable. The print features flying birds and the vintage white lace collar just sets this dress off!  £40.

ASOS stuns with this gorgeous lace, fitted dress. The structured skirt and zig-zag hem is to die for and is available in the four colours of black, white, teal and navy. £45.

Lace features again in this jade-coloured sleeveless blouse from Topshop. With ribbon tie detail to show off the peter pan collar, I think this is my favourite! Also available in burgundy and white, £26.

The Peter Pan collar looks so cute on this sheer shift dress from Missguided.co.uk. In this season’s hot colour of rust, the black trim, long sleeves and pleated design showcase this dress beautifully. Also available in mustard, £22.99.

This peter pan collar shift dress by Vero Moda is reminiscent of the 60’s and features an A-line silhouette. Only £15!

Hope you like my choices, do you own anything with a Peter Pan collar and what do you think of this style?

Love, 

Emma xx

Operation Beautiful

I recently stumbled upon Operation Beautiful and completely fell in love with the concept! Launched by 26-year-old Caitlin Moran from Charlotte, North Carolina on her blog in 2009, the scheme helps to promote positive well-being and self-image to other people across the globe. Instead of the bitchy remarks that are heard all too often nowadays, Operation Beautiful aims to end the negative self-talk in women, children and men by encouraging the positive qualities within everyone. The idea is simple: by posting nice, cute and inspirational messages on post-it-notes in random, public places, you are able to make one person feel better about themselves and spread a feeling of warmth and love. Operation Beautiful is transforming the way you see yourself, one post-it-note at a time. 

So how can you get involved and spread the love? Simply carry a pad of post-it-notes and a pen in your handbag/pocket/coat and leave an inspirational message anywhere you feel someone will be able to see it. The toilets, the gym changing rooms, the library, the supermarket- seriously anywhere! You’ll feel good about yourself for imparting some affection and I can guarantee that whoever receives the note will surely appreciate it!

I believe that everyone’s unique qualities should be valued and celebrated and self-confidence is imperative to happiness. And what better way of spreading the self-confidence, happiness and well-being than through these random, little gestures? This is certainly a scheme we should all be involved in in this day and age where the world seems to be obsessed with the perfect body, seen in photoshopped images in the media. Because we are all beautiful and perfect in our own special way!

So whack out your post-it-note today and impart a little bit more joy in this world of negativity. Remember you’re beautiful!

If you want any more information about Operation Beautiful, visit their site here.

Love,

Emma.

N is for... Nailene nails!

Hi there,

Going do a quick beauty post today following a lovely giveaway I managed to win earlier this week!

Thanks to the lovely Sherrie at Mirror Mirror on the Wall, I was lucky enough to win a pack of Nailene nails and also a pack of their New Ultra Tabs, which are an alternative to glue. So no more faffing and getting your fingernails, hands and whatever else for that matter covered in glue, these adhesive tabs easily stick to natural nails without damaging them in the process... excellent! They are really easy to remove as well, you just slide off the artificial nail rather than pulling it off, easy peasy!

I’ve borrowed this pic from Sherrie’s blog as I was too eager to rip into my packs to take a quick pic!

I must say that the adhesive tabs were excellent and had real sticking power. My only problem was that they didn’t seem big enough to cover my nails and sometimes I had to stick on more than one, maybe I have large fingernails, who knows? Here are the results...

 I have never had artificial nails before so these were a first for me and I definitely thought that they looked gorgeous and would certainly try them again! The nails looked natural with French tips and as they were short cortas, they were very manageable. Unfortunately for me, they did not last the full, guaranteed 5 days but I loved them all the same and would definitely recommend them for some special occasions!

Hope you enjoyed my beauty post,

Emma!

Move over Big Brother, it's Little Brother!

For the past ten years, every summer we have heard Davina McCall’s high-pitched screeches from our television sets, exclaiming ‘You are live on Channel 4, please do not swear!’ However, after a significant era of reality television, the Big Brother phenomenon is finally over and not without a few relieved and thankful faces.

However, all is not lost for die-hard fans of reality television. The show, which is reason for the rise and downfall of many household names, has spawned many different and successful copycat series’, such as Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Dirty Sexy Things, Made in Chelsea and The Real Housewives of New Jersey to name a few.  Following the epic success of these reality shows, Channel 4 has revealed their screening of another programme, guaranteed to shock the nation. In a situation not unlike its main earner, Big Brother, Channel 4 have forced a group of personalities into a shared house to live and get to know one another. The difference? The stars of the show are all less than 5ft tall.

Entitled Seven Dwarfs, the show follows seven vertically challenged people along the Christmas period as they star together in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The cameras document the seven as they party hard whilst simultaneously trying to focus on their panto performances. The cast include a dwarf couple, a drag queen and actors who have starred in major films, such as the Harry Potter series.

But do we really need another reality TV show? Every channel seems to be jumping on the proverbial bandwagon and our cosy nights in in front of the television seem to be inundated with these shows, featuring ludicrous characters and even more ludicrous behaviour (who can forget last month’s Geordie Shore?) However, even I have to admit, I am a sucker for this cringe-y, invasive television, in which we are able to watch over-the-top, larger-than-life but nonetheless very real people going about their daily lives and doing thing we wouldn’t dream of doing. Despite the largely universal opinion that reality shows have ruined television, this new TV series is simply catering to the public’s needs (we have to admit the popularity of Big Brother after all). Plus the added extra of the ‘reality stars’ being under 5ft tall means that Seven Dwarfs could end up being more entertaining and successful than the rest.

On the other hand, although this programme is tarred with the same brush as other reality shows featuring big (or in this case, small) personalities, Channel 4 claims that Seven Dwarves will not hold its subjects up only to knock them down again. Instead, the seven dwarves are all lively, down-to-earth people, who are open to people’s reaction to their size and will provide an entertaining and fascinating experience into how they live their lives: coping with their size and performing on stage. Channel 4 therefore claims the show will change the public’s preconceptions by providing an honest and rounded insight into the private and professional lives of such a minority group. Executive Producer Nick Curwin said: "By capturing every aspect of their lives, the series will break-through panto stereotypes to show how this group of dwarf actors face the challenges of ordinary life head-on."

Whether I’ll be cringing or pleasantly surprised, I’ll most certainly be watching! Seven Dwarves airs on Tuesday, August 16!

Hope you enjoy it,

Emma xx

Have some pride!

Since Thursday 4^th August, after 29-year-old Mark Duggan from Tottenham was killed by police in unexplained and suspicious circumstances, violent riots have swept across the country. Beginning with a quiet but passionate protest over what they believed to be an unfair killing, tempers soon swept out of control, sparking full-blown riots and lootings that have spread across and past the capital. Major cities, such as Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, and Leeds, have seen copycat acts of mindless violence, far removed from any political point, which have lasted for a fourth night running.

Thousands of youths, mostly aged between fourteen and twenty, have partaken in unimaginable scenes of aggression, brutality and opportunistic looting. Some say that they are standing up for their rights and fighting for a better future but opponents look on in disgust as their rampages spread and they damage their own reputation and their own city.

However in this time of fear, where the rioters lead a path of destruction, the good, moral people of society have risen to the occasion and have taken pride in their cities. These tales of bravery and kindness of those who are not involved in the riots show that despite how we feel at the moment, there are still those out there willing to do good and to make a change for the better.

The Riot Clean-up is an operation devoted to cleaning up the areas affected by the riots, such as in London, Liverpool and Birmingham. The Clean-Up is composed solely of volunteers by the locals in the communities affected and are about people who care, coming together to engender a sense of community.

A Riot Clean-up poster.

Also locals have joined forces together to oppose the rioters, as Clapham locals stop thugs going up Northcote Road, Turkish men from Dalston guard their highstreet with sticks and a group of over 70 teenagers chase 150 rioters off their street in South London. Locals have also come together in a display of community spirit to protect those in danger because of the riots: a 176 bus driver who was out of service gallantly stopped and offered people a lift to safety.

Also, as looters and rioters smashed up shops, looted and fought with police in Camden Town, Phillipa Morgan-Walker, 25 and her husband, Jonny Walker, 31, made tea for the police who were protecting their street, some of whom had been on duty more than 30 hours.

Photo taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixel-eight/6024429000/

These scenes show that, despite the awful violence occurring on the streets night after night, there are people out their willing to help and make a difference because they have pride in their city. Communities are joining together, getting to know one another in the aftermath and making friendships along the way. Have pride for where you live and do your bit to clean up or support the safety of others!