Estelle Dévé

Who is the Estelle Dévé girl?

Someone comfortable in her own skin. A hard working woman, who enjoys pretty things.

Read the interview at :  http://herribbonsandherbows.blogspot.co.uk/

The colour purple

der liebling x maritsa amethyst necklace

“Well, life isn't a cakewalk, is it?! Eighty-nine percent of the world's most valuable art was created by men living in rat-infested flats. You think Velásquez wore Adidas? You think he enjoyed the luxuries of central heating and twenty-four-hour pizza delivery?!” 

― Marisha Pessl

moleskine diary

“No wonder so many adults long to return to university, to all those deadlines--ahhh, that structure! Scaffolding to which we may cling! Even if it is arbitrary, without it, we're lost, wholly incapable of separating the Romantic from the Victorian in our sad, bewildering lives...” 
― Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in Calamity Physics

V is for Vintage

From Frou Frouu blog ~ Nadia Sarwar

Those who read my blog know that I love vintage.

What I really like about vintage is that:

1) The item itself is likely to be pretty unique- you won't find it mass produced and good vintage items have stood the test of time and with care will continue to do so.

2) Design- whether the vintage item is an item of clothing or furniture the patterns and shapes are unlikely to be found elsewhere and can lead to inspiration for decoration and accessorizing. Needless to say a beautiful vintage item makes a unique gift.

3) History and nostalgia- I am a romantic at heart and prefer my life to have meanings attached. I love flowers, patterns and flowy dresses so the 70's is my vintage decade :)

4) Environment, recycling- Vintage falls within the subset of second-hand so one is helping the environment to an extent.

5) Price- Good vintage does not cost the earth and there are bargains out there. It just takes time and patience to find. I don't have much vintage items but some of the good items that I have I have found indirectly by being inspired by blogs. Google can work wonders in this area.

Theatre

One of the few things which makes me really happy is theatre. I find it so life affirming and uplifting.
I made a resolution a few years ago to go to the theatre at least once a year....

I failed miserably as....

a) Ticket prices are expensive and the lower priced seats sell like hot cakes and I'm just not quick enough to buy these in time. I was gutted that I had missed the Michael Grandage Company perfomances tickets, many which were selling at £10.00!!!  http://www.michaelgrandagecompany.com/whats-on/


b) My past friendship group were not interested in theatre or more probably the price tag and the efforts to attend contributed to this .  I tried to organise one for my birthday a couple of years ago and hardly received any responses - cheers to my so called  "friends".....

Anna Madeley (Governess) in The Turn of the Screw. Photo Nobby Clark from http://blog.almeida.co.uk/2013/01/18/the-turn-of-the-screw-lights-candles-atmosphere/

Anyway to treat myself I will try and go to a couple of shows this year with or without anyone.  After all life passes by and you can't depend on others to want to go with you.  Life's too short to let your joys and dreams pass you by.

Erdem

I really like Erdem and the resort 2013 collection. I have a weakness for dark florals and quirky designs . “Colour, optimism and oddities.” is right up my street- if only I was earning loads....

Erdem, resort 2013, images are from style.com

From:  http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers_profile.aspx?DesignerID=109

DESIGNER NAME: Erdem Moralioglu

BACKGROUND: “I was born in Montreal, Canada. I lived just outside the city, near a very large lake.”  Erdem studied at the Royal College of Art. He worked for a designer in New York before setting up his own label.

SIGNATURES: “Colour, optimism and oddities.”
IDEAL CLIENT: “A clever person who probably cares little about seasons. She has a lot of conviction and marches to her own drum.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “Hopefully pieces that are special and individual.”


Erdem was the winner of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund 2010

Erdem won the New Establishment Award at the British Fashion Awards 2012

Interview: Lauren Whitworth make-up artist , NYC

Lauren Whitworth is one of my friends  and I was thrilled when she happily agreed to an interview. She has a super exciting job as a successful make-up Artist in New York and I have positive envy- I've just made that term up!

1) When did you become a make up artist and can you describe a typical week if there is such thing as a typical week?

I ACTUALLY BECAME A MAKEUP ARTIST INDIRECTLY WHILST STUDYING FOR MY DEGREE IN PHOTOGRAPHY, I HAD NO BUDGET FOR A MAKEUP ARTIST FOR MY PROJECT SHOOTS, AND WAS ALWAYS SO INTO DOING MY OWN MAKEUP - I JUST DECIDED TO DO BOTH! I KNOW MY TRAINING IN PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED ME TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW MAKEUP IS TRANSLATED ONTO CAMERA, AND I THINK WHENEVER YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO, YOU ALWAYS EXCEL AT IT. MY LOVE FOR MAKEUP ARTISTRY GREW AND GREW - SO IN MY THIRD AND FINAL YEAR AT UNIVERSITY I DECIDED TO GET A PART TIME JOB AT A PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO AS THE IN-HOUSE MAKEUP ARTIST. THE REST IS HISTORY! AFTER I GRADUATED I NEVER PICKED UP A CAMERA IN A PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY AGAIN! I ENROLLED IN A YEAR LONG MAKEUP ARTISTRY COURSE AT THE DELAMAR ACADEMY OF MAKEUP, WHERE I ENDED UP ASSISTING ONE OF MY TUTORS ON EDITORIAL SHOOTS. I WAS SOON BOOKING MY OWN JOBS ANDVTHEN FIVE YEARS LATER, MY CAREER BROUGHT ME TO NEW YORK CITY! I AM 31 YEARS OLD NOW AND IT'S HARD TO THINK I'VE BEEN IN THE INDUSTRY FOR A DECADE ALREADY. TIME FLIES WHEN YOU ARE HAVING FUN I GUESS! WHAT I LOVE IN ADDITION TO THE VARIETY OF MY JOB, IS THE REACTION I SEE IN PEOPLE 'POST' MAKEUP SESSION. YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE ARE VISUALLY MORE CONFIDENT IN THEIR SKIN AND I LOVE MAKING PEOPLE FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES. NO DAY IS EVER THE SAME. ONE DAY I AM WORKING ON A TV COMMERCIAL, THE NEXT A MENSWEAR SHOOT, THE NEXT DAY, A TOP CELEBRITY! ITS JUST SO FUN IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE WORK! I MAY BE SHOOTING FOR A DAY IN MANHATTAN, OR A WEEK IN MOSCOW! NEVER THE SAME -BEST JOB EVER! 

Lauren Whitworth on set.

2) What are your top tips for everyday makeup and evening makeup?

NO MATTER HOW CONFIDENT YOU FEEL APPLYING MAKEUP, A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY. THEREFORE, FOR DAY, I THINK THE BEST THING TO DO IS FRESHEN UP THE SKIN, BRIGHTEN AND OPEN UP THE EYES, (EVEN IF ITS JUST A MINIMAL LICK OF MASCARA AFTER CURLING THE LASHES) AND HEALTHY GLOSSY LIPS. I THINK MAKEUP MID-DAY SHOULD BE CLEAN, PROFESSIONAL AND KEPT TO A MINIMUM. AND A HINT OF CORAL ON THE CHEEK, OR WARM PINK JUST ADDS THAT HEALTHY, FRESH, WELL-SLEPT GLOW. FOR EVENING, YOU CAN REALLY HAVE MORE FUN! ADD A SULTRY EYE, A FEW FALSE LASHES OR A DRAMATIC RED LIP AND YOU ARE INSTANTLY GLAMMED UP FOR THE NIGHT!

Lauren making up Kathy Sledge from 'Sister Sledge'

3) What inspires you as a make up artist?

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT OF MAKING PEOPLE FEEL GREAT IS MY BIGGEST INSPIRATION. I LOVE OBSERVING MY CLIENTS BODY LANGUAGE GRADUALLY CHANGE AS THEY SIT STRAIGHTER IN MY CHAIR, OR LIFT THEIR HEAD UP WITH MORE CONFIDENCE AS THE MAKEUP PROCESS TAKES SHAPE. 

4) How do you manage your time and client expectations?

I WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH MY CLIENTS IN FINDING OUT WHAT THEY WANT AND OF COURSE, AS EVERYONE IN NYC IS PRETTY BUSY, TIME CAN BE OF THE ESSENCE! GOOD COMMUNICATION IS KEY IN EVERYTHING, BUT ESPECIALLY IN THIS FIELD.

Beauty advice by Lauren Whitworth

5) What are your favourite places in NYC ?

 I AM MADLY IN LOVE WITH NYC AND SO IT'S HARD TO PICK EVEN JUST A COUPLE PLACES! I LOVE THE BUZZ OF MANHATTAN, WHETHER YOU BE IN A BAR, SEE A SHOW, OR JUST WALK THE STREETS AND OBSERVE LIFE. NEW YORK HAS ITS OWN HEART BEAT AND THE GRANDEUR OF THE PLACE NEVER WEARS OFF, NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU LIVE HERE. EVEN NOW, I STILL DRIVE OVER THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, SEE THE NY SKYLINE AND GET BUTTERFLIES IN MY TUMMY! I ADORE THIS CITY AS IF IT WERE A PERSON! I LIVE IN A FABULOUS PART OF BROOKLYN CALLED PARK SLOPE WHICH HAS A VERY FAMILY FEEL TO IT, AND SO ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO IS JUST WALK WITH MY BOYFRIEND AND TWO PUGS AROUND MY NEIGHBORHOOD, GO TO THE BAR (WITH DOGS!) AND JUST TAKE A STEP BACK FROM ALL THE GLAMOR AND ENJOY THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE!

The tools and make up......

Lauren's website is http://www.laurenwhitworth.com

Images provided by Lauren Whitworth

Simplicity

I like wing themed jewellery.  These are by Phoebe Coleman.

Skincare for dry skin

I have very dry skin and dry hair too.  After I turned 30 I realised I need to look after my skin more, it just felt different and the lustre and natural glow faded since my twenties with the passing of time, my poor lifestyle and stresses of work and study.

I recently tried these two products and the cream especially is super amazing! Honestly if you have dry and tired skin it will really pick you up!   

The facial scrub is not a harsh facial scrub and you only need a little pea sized amount.  It is probably a scrub you can use as a daily face wash as it feels rather gentle on skin.  It contains real fruit and is said to improve skin.

I'll post a comment on how these two treat me over the next month- maybe I will have healthy and healthy looking skin  :)

Kiehl's Creme d'Elegance Repairateur

Kiehl's Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub

Blush

To apply cream blush, use your fingers to tap the product to the apples of the cheeks then blend it out and down ~ Nars

I don't wear much makeup because I was brought up to keep my face free of foundation and didn't feel like I should bother much.  It was only in my mid twenties that I started wearing mascara and blush more regularly.  I still don't wear foundation as I think it's better to look after your skin -by eating well, drinking water and regular exercise - This will create a natural glow.