Perfect Summer Perfume Picks!

Heyy ♥

I'm majorly obsessed with perfume, i love pretty much every perfume i smell and it's rare that i find one i really hate, although there are a few out there!

I love to smell nice so perfumes are my must-have product everywhere i go, i always have a little sample in my bag to touch up during the day and i always have a few on my shelf in my room. However, i hate sticking to the same perfume for prolonged periods and like to switch it up all the time and go back and forth to different ones. Therefore, i thought i would quickly share with you guys my top five picks for this Summer!

These are just the five fragrances i think stand out and are really fresh, fruity and summery! It was hard to just pick five as i had about ten that i would have loved to include but, i managed to just pick five of my faves that i am going to be wearing through Summer 13!

At No.5 i have Forbidden Euphoria by Calvin Klein.

This is a beautiful sweet, floral perfume. It is a bit of a modern, young fragrance in my opinion but it is really lasting and it is great on a night out or when you want your perfume to be quite noticeable  I also love the bottle of this, it has an unusual shape to other bottles and it's purple transparent glass makes it quite girly and pretty.

No.4 is Miss Dior Cherie by Dior.

Another of my all time faves. I buy this a lot and i wear it pretty much all year round not just one i go to for summer months. It is a real all rounder, really fresh smelling and girly with an equally girly bottle. It is an amazing perfume. My one, if you're wondering is the 2012 edition of this perfume as there are a few versions since it's launch in 2005.

Ok so up at no.3 i have Dot by Marc Jacobs.

This fragrance is really summery! It's fruity and girly and really appropriate for Summer. First off, the bottle! I could not love this bottle more. Some people probably hate it but, i absolutely love it. So pretty and summery and it's just something that really appeals to me. This fragrance is really fruity and reminds me of a summer holiday somewhere sunny and beautiful. It's just lovely.

No.2 is J'adore by Dior.

I am a massive fan of Dior perfumes  i think they are really mature and quite sexy but fun and fresh at the same time. This particular perfume is quite feminine and floral rather than sweet. It is definitely one of my go-to perfumes and i have re-purchased this, as well as others from Dior quite a few times. Really long lasting and a major fave of mine.

And up at my current Summer No.1 i have Chance Eau Tendre by Chanel.

Oh, what can i say about this? It is amazing. I love all the Chanel Chance perfumes but the Eau Tendre has to be my favourite. It is quite a floral one again with a bit of a fruity tone, it lasts quite a long time and the bottle is just classic Chanel, simple but effective. Definitely worthy of my number one Summer fragrance. 

I genuinely love all of these perfumes and as a review i would absolutely recommend each and every one of them if you are looking for a new Summer fragrance! 

What are your top Spring/Summer perfumes?

Any you can recommend to me?

A♥

Barbie Gal!

Hello!♥

How lovely is the weather this week? I'm getting so excited for Summer and i bet it starts raining tomorrow now i've said that..

Anyway, since it's been nice i thought i would crack out the short shorts again while i can and i'm just going to share a really quick OOTD with you guys before i head outside and enjoy the sun while it's hanging about!

Dress/Karma Shorts/RiverIsland

Shoes/Primark

Bag/F&F

I love this Karma dress but as a dress, its pretty short to wear without leggings or tights so i've tucked it into my beloved high-waisted river island shorts and paired it with my casual cream and black contrast pointed-toe flats from primark and a n oversized cream. tan and brown bag.

How would you style this barbie dress?

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine!

Oh and i'd be a very happy lady if you could please follow me on Bloglovin' - Here

A♥

Men & Womens S/S 2013 Fashion Guide!

Hello Ladies & Gents ♥

Today's post is a bit different as it is going to feature a few key fashion trends that are hot this Spring/Summer. Not only is this post going to be for women's fashion, but I have got the lovely Kieron from the-totality.com involved to talk about hot men's trends!

Avoiding waffling on and on, here's Kieron's take on men's fashion trends for S/S13:

One of the main problems with monitoring men’s fashion developments is the fact that, for the most part, male clothing does not usually boast the wild new styles that will often dominate trends for their female counterparts. Whereas women’s fashion over the last twelve months has boasted an explosion of outrageous or eye-catching styles, such as spikes and cork wedges, men’s trends have all been somewhat more conservative and staid. So, when looking forward to the trends that are likely to make the biggest splash for male dressers this Spring, it is best not to expect anything overly revolutionary and, instead, subtlety and slight tweaks on classic designs are likely to be key.

Making It Pop! 
Most men’s high street retailers usually begin to fade out all but the most autumnal hues from their clothing ranges from as early as September with greys, blacks, khaki and blues dominating the colour pallet through to the end of winter. Judging by the Spring collections of designers such as Nautica and Michael Kors, however, men’s fashion is set to become much more vibrant this season! Whilst the spate of primary colours, contrasted against crisp whites and blacks, are not quite as vivid as the colour blocking trend favoured in female fashion circles, the colours do mark something of a bold step away from the muted colour scheme many male designers employ.

In the Shops:

From top Left to Bottom Right (click to buy):

River Island

Boohoo

Boohoo

Topman

Bold Accessories 

In recent years, men have seen the idea of accessorising an outfit as somewhat problematic – even bags had to have the prefix “man” attached so as to negate any perceived emasculatory qualities carrying one may add. Thankfully, many designers have begun to see past such short-sightedness and a new emphasis on bold accessories is likely to come to the forefront. Similarly to how Michael Kors ensembles have clearly taken colour blocking as an inspiration, many lines are due to feature brightly coloured accessories such as watches, bags, shoes and ties to further help men add dynamism to their outfits.

In the Shops:

Topman

Topman

Boohoo

RiverIsland

Subtle Patterns 

As mentioned previously, men’s fashion is not quite as flamboyant or daring as their female counterparts and, as such, whilst prints, such as floral or animal, can be widely embraced by women dressers, men prefer their items devoid of any such embellishments. Aside from the odd logo, most men’s fashion comes in bland, pattern free designs; something which might be altered slightly come Spring. Dolce & Gabbana and Parke & Ronen are two of the powerhouse brands that have begun to experiment with patterns that could be adopted by mainstream men’s fashion. However, as mentioned before, most men’s styles are quite conservative so the print which is most likely to make its mark on the high street this year is the subtle stripe. 

Oxford Lace-ups

Whilst I have previously been using the word “conservative” to describe the men’s fashion trends, occasionally this is not altogether a bad thing as evidenced by the recent renaissance of 1920s style “gentlemen” inspired trends. From the widespread comeback of blazers as an integral feature for young men’s wardrobes, through to tailored suits being seen more and more on the backs of male fashionistas, the trend for smart is set to continue. Whereas previously, many men have thought nothing of teaming trainers with even the most formal of attires, the Spring is set to see an increase in popularity of smarter shoes. Oxford lace-ups, as favoured by the likes of George Clooney, are the most likely style of shoe to be widely appropriated.

In the Shops:

Next
Dune

Tod's

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for my take on the hottest trends in women's fashion:

So women's trends tend to be easier to define, are anything but subtle, and are usually everywhere! This S/S the hottest trends seem to include a few new takes on old trends as well as some funky, colourful designs to brighten up the likely rubbish UK weather! Here's my main trends:

Monochrome
Monochrome seemed to be a trend which never really: ended in women's fashion from last year as i remember picking up a few bits myself! It has reappeared recently and can be seen everywhere! I love bright colours but you can never really go wrong with a bit of classic black and white. A lot of shops have jumped on the monochrome bandwagon so there are loads and loads of different styles and varieties you can pick up on the high street and online, i've included a little selection of my favourite picks.

In the Shops:

Topshop
InLoveWithFashion
RiverIsland

Dip Dye
This is another trend, like most women's trends, that i feel goes in and out of fashion. I am really loving dip dyed clothing just now though and it is definitely going to be big this Spring/Summer! I am actually failing at making my own dip dye shorts which i promise, even if they do completely fail, will be up on my blog very soon for you to see!

In the Shops:

InLoveWithFashion
Boohoo
Motel

Slogan Tees
Controversial trend at the moment but i'm loving it and i know a lot of you are too! Topshop i think was the first to sell their 'Geek' top which flew off the shelves despite the number of people i have heard saying they dislike them. Then Primark and others soon followed by introducing their versions of the top. Now there are loads of different variations and loads of sellers. If you don't like this trend, i think you are going to find it a difficult one to avoid this S/S!

In the Shops:

Topshop
Missguided
Boohoo
KarmaClothing

Continuing Trends
Other trends which are continuing from last year into this year are florals, studs and spikes and denims. These trends are carrying on and have been particularly popular within women's fashion throughout last year, all through the Winter into this S/S. I am not going to include examples of these as i'm sure a lot of you are seeing spiked, floral and denim things every where and i can't even pick some faves, i love them all! Particular places i've been eyeing up these trends are Primark, Missguided, Boohoo and Motel.

**Just a note, all 'In the Shops' examples were picked by myself, so the men's ones do not necessarily represent what Kieron (or any other man for that matter) would pick!**

Hope you liked this collaborative post and i hope for more of this kind to come.

Please go visit Kieron's blog by clicking right here: the-totality.com and go follow him on twitter by clicking right here: @kieronbarr!

What are your fave trends for S/S13?

Ashley&Kieron
♥