Autumn Essentials: Chelsea Boots

If you buy one new pair of boots for this Autumn/Winter, make sure it is the tried and tested Chelsea Boot. A staple in any fashionistas wardrobe, they can be worn with almost anything. From pretty winter floral dresses, to leather trousers or maxi skirts, these trusty ankle boots will be worn to death.

There are many variations on the high street at the moment, from black to off white leather. My personal favourites are the flat chelsea boots, but for all you hardcore heel lovers, there are many platform variations. 

Here are my top picks available right now - 

1) Topshop - Pago Buckle Chelsea Boot

2) Missguided.com - Christie Leather Platform Boot 

3) Office - Off White Charlotte Chelsea Boot

4) River Island  - Leopard Print Boot

5) Zara - Patent Black Chelsea Boot

6) Oasis - Camille Tan Boot

7) Kurt Geiger - Stomp Chelsea Boot 

Trend Alert : Tartan

It's no surprise that Tartan has made a come back for our  2013 Autumn wardrobes, and with it arriving in many different colour ways, there is sure to be something for everyone. Team your tartan of choice with leather for a really tough and fashion forward look. 

Here are my must haves, to have you looking bang on trend, whatever the weather - 

1) Zara : Check top with zips - €49.95

2) Zara : Tartan Dress - €49.95

3) Boohoo.com - Blue Tartan Harem Trousers - €30

4) Topshop - Blue and Red Tartan Suit - £150

5) Boohoo.com - Wool and Tartan Mix Biker Jacket - €75

6) Oasis - Tartan Mini Skirt - €44

Oasis "My Personal Stylist" Competition

Ok, I know I have been MIA for the last few weeks, but I promise I have a pretty good excuse :-)

So, I entered a competition that was broadcast on TV3's Ireland AM, by Oasis, who were looking for the next up and coming stylist for their stores. I was advised by my friends and family that I would be mad not to enter. So I did, and within a few hours of sending in my application, I got a call to say I had been chosen for the top 30 entrants. I was shocked to even get that far!!

So we were asked to attend the Oasis flagship store at St. Stephens Green for an assessment day. This part of the competition was not filmed for TV. It was just a chance for the judges to whittle the numbers down to top 12. After waiting for over 8 hours on the phone call I was dreading, I got a call to tell me I was through to the top 12, and would start filming in two days time. To say I was excited was an understatement, I even cried on the phone call.. a real X Factor moment! 

This is when the fun started. We would do three separate challenges, over 3 weeks. Each week we had a different judge who would set us a task. The judges were Ian Galvin, chairman on Oasis Fashion Ireland, Bairbre Power, Fashion Editor of the Irish Independent, and celebrity stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick.

The first task, which was set by Ian Galvin, was to style ourselves in 40 minutes with a rock music brief, and present it back to the judges, explaining our style inspiration for the look. 

We then had to attend Ireland AM three days later, to find out who was going through to the top 8, live on TV! The nerves had set in big time at this stage as you can imagine.
I got through, and was excited about the next task.

The following week we were asked to meet the next judge, Bairbre Power, at Clery's in Dublin. We were asked to put together a capsule collection for a weekend away, selecting only 11 pieces. We needed to include an outfit for travelling, a day time outfit, and also something glam for a night out. This was my favourite task, and I went on to win it!! My pieces were featured in the Irish Independent's Weekend Magazine. I am so grateful to Bairbre Power for choosing my look.

The final task was set by stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick. We were in the TV3 studios bright and early for a live styling challenge. We were each given a leather piece to style. I was given a beautiful waterfall leather jacket. I wanted to wear it myself!! After this challenge we had to wait a full week to find out who won the 3 jobs on offer. 

We headed to Ireland AM again, and met with all three judges, and of course all the staff who worked behind the scene's throughout the competition. 

To my surprise, I WON!! I couldn't believe it when they called my name. This is literally my dream job, and I am so grateful to everyone who was involved in the competition. Congratulations to the other two winners, Claire Lane and Christine Murphy.

I have met so many lovely people throughout the competition, and cannot wait to get started in Oasis, St. Stephens Green. 

Be sure to book in your personal styling appointments with me :-) 

Rosie 

x

Clothing Haul

Hi Ladies! 

Ok, so I know I haven't blogged in a while. This is only because I have been up to my eyes with work, college and a few other projects at the moment, but will definitely get myself more organised, I promise! 

I have had a few events that I needed some new outfits for this week, so que the endless hours shopping after work.

My first port of call was my second home, Zara.

I saw this black blazer with leather sleeves, and thought "I need this!" Im obsessed with the leather trend, and when it comes to staple pieces, a black blazer is key.

It is tailored beautifully, and has a very expensive looking finish to it. 

I also picked up this camouflage print blouse, which is perfect to add some interest to any outfit, and also bang in trend. I'm sure everyone on the planet is aware of the camo trend thats happening at the moment.

My favourite recent purchase has to be these studded ankle boots. I have not taken them off since i bought them. They are super comfortable for being on your feet all day. I love how they add a little edginess to a simple outfit.

My last buy from Zara was a last minute piece that I spotted at the till, and thought it will match so many of my outfits. It is this metallic chain, with beautiful detail. I have plenty of chains similar to this, but I love the fact that the gold is not too yellow toned.

I popped into Miss Selfridge to see their Autumn/Winter collection, and fell in love with this peplum fishtail top. The shape is so feminine and flattering, but it was the colour that won me over. It is a stunning burgundy/berry colour, which is perfect for the Autumn/Winter season, and goes really well with leather trousers, or wet look leggings. I recently paired this with a matching lipstick (MAC Rebel) and got so many compliments on the outfit!

My last buy in this haul is from River Island. I have been loving the mix of maxi skirts with chunky, edgy boots, so decided to pick up this printed ruched side maxi skirt. I plan on wearing this with my new Zara boots (seen as how I think they may need to be surgically removed from my feet!)

So, as I said earlier, I will be a lot more consistent with my posts from here on in!!

Be sure to subscribe, using your email address in the box on the right of the screen :-)

Rosie

x

OOTD - Studs & Denim

Just a quick outfit of the Day post on this chilled Saturday afternoon.

I went out for some tapas at Octopussy in Howth, an amazing seafood restaurant (defo worth checking out!!) So decided to wear something casual for the day.

I got this gorgeous denim and leather shirt in River Island. I love anything with leather detail on it (obsessed more like!) so this shirt does it for me. I wore a plain white tank from Topshop underneath.

Last week, I popped into Penney's to pick up some boots for the winter. I found these gorgeous flat black boots, with studded detail, another trend I am loving.

I teamed these with some black Zara skinnies, and my Zara messenger bag to finish my outfit.

I will have an Autumn/Winter fashion haul coming soon so keep your eye's peeled for that :-)

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

Rosie 

x

Favourite MAC Lipsticks

Seen as how I have over 30 MAC lipsticks, I decided to do a quick post in my favourite five. Its not easy to narrow it down to just five but I think I've managed it!

The first is Rebel, which is a satin finish lipstick. It is a fuchsia berry shade, with a very subtle shimmer to it. It goes on with a slight sheen, and is very opaque. It compliments all skin tones, from fair to dark. It is vampy without being too gothic. This is a great Autumn/Winter shade.

Next up is Ruby Woo, a classic red lipstick. There are so many great reviews of this lipstick already, but I couldn't do a favourites post without this beauty! It is a blue toned red, which is very flattering on the skin. It can sometimes appear to be brighter in some swatches online, but when seen in person, it has a darker shade to it. Again, this is will be perfect for Autumn/Winter time. I would recommend using a lip conditioner under this one, as it can be drying on the lips.

On to the pink shades, and Chatterbox is a recent favourite of mine. It i described as a bright, red-pink with an amplified creme finish. I love the amplified lipsticks, as they have a beautiful sheen and are very comfortable to wear. It is extremely pigmented, and long lasting.

Another favourite is Snob. It is a cool toned pink, with a satin finish. Although it is a little drier than other stain finish lipsticks, it wears very well. It has a slight grey tone to it, with an opaque coverage.

Last but certainly not least, is Myth. I have probably purchased over 20 of this exact shade, as I go through it like there is no tomorrow!! This is the perfect nude colour for my skin tone, and is worn almost every day. It is a pale pink-tinted beige nude with a creamy, satin consistency. It glides on beautifully, and wears off very slowly (perfect for work, when you havn't time to be reapplying!) 

There is not much more I can say about this shade, other than it is my all tine favourite nude colour :-) 

So there you have it, my narrowed down top 5 MAC lipsticks. This is ever changing, so I will do an updated version with any new additions soon :-) 

Left to Right  : Rebel, Ruby Woo, Chatterbox, Snob, Myth.

Rosie

x

OOTD

Hey ladies, Just a quick Outfit of the Day post!

I wore my favourite jacket from Stradivarius with my Zara black skinny's, my new Zara leather sleeved top and my romwe.com bag.

This is a typical work outfit for me. It is simple, comfortable and easy to put together at 7am!

My black bag is from Romwe.com. It is perfect for carrying my Macbook Air to work, along with the kitchen sink ;-) 

Today, I just threw on my nude flats that I purchased from Office last week (post on these here)

I hope you all had a nice Monday :-) 

Rosie

x