Fruit Salad

Hello all!

Recently I've been noticing an increasing trend in bold and colourful prints on the high street and online clothing websites. The sunny weather has definitely inspired some lovely and vibrant Summer styles, but I particularly feel as though fruity prints are the juiciest. Fruity prints are fun, bright and bold, and represent everything I think Summer fashion should be about. I myself own a few examples of fruity fashion and I have been scouting the internet and high street for a few ideas which may inspire the lot of you. I would love to know what you all think and whether you think fruity prints are as sweet and delicious as I do!



TOPSHOP:

This is one of my own personal fruity bargains that I picked up from the Topshop sale for a mouthwatering £15!

This juicy Topshop minidress is a bit more expensive at £38. If you love this print, but fancy something that covers up a bit more flesh, Topshop sell a similar midi dress in the same print for £45. The print also comes in a crop top for £22, and a pair of leggings for £30.

I think this is gorgeous. The yellow base colour looks fab with the contrasting red watermelon print. This would look lovely as a Summer day dress/ casual night dress for your jollies, and would really compliment a banging tan. A lovely little Summer purchase for £38.

This cute little banana bralet is perhaps a subtler approach to sporting the fruity print. It would provide a fun splash of fruit to a pair of denim shorts without being too bold or making too much of a statement. Price: £26.


MISSGUIDED:

This is one of my favourite pieces. I love the colour, the detail of the print and the lace on the collar. The peachy print is cute and fun without being too over facing. I got this dress in the Missguided sale for £9.99! Absolute bargain.

This Missguided pineapple print playsuit is really sweet and edgy. It would look great as a cossy cover up by the pool or at night with a cute pair of sandals for a casual drink. Missguided sell this playsuit for £14.99, as well as a swing dress (also £14.99) and a crop top (£9.99) in the same print.

Like the Topshop banana bralet, I think this strawberry bodysuit could be a subtle way to wear the trend. The colours aren't necessarily 'stand out', but the piece is still fun and playful and quite Katy Perry-esque in my opinion. Price: £14.99.

AMERICAN APPAREL:

These watermelon print shorts are super cute and very festival friendly, but may end up hurting your wallet at a hefty £54.

I love this lemon print drop cossy! It's cute and sexy, and another subtle was to wear fruity prints. The downside to a costume like this however, is that it's bound to leave a wicked tan line if you're not savvy with holiday bikini rotation. I think this is quite reasonably priced for American Apparel at £38.


VARIETY PICKS FROM ASOS MARKETPLACE: 

I adore Asos Marketplace. It's a great website to find and discover quirky new clothing lines and to snap up individual one off pieces for a great price. Here is what I have managed to find from a variety of marketplaces...

I love these shorts! The contrasting turquoise short and yellow banana pocket makes a great Summer colour combination. I think these are a bargain at £15 from the seller 'WesternTropics'.

This vintage fruit print top is very cute and Summery and a great fashion statement. A reasonable purchase at £20 from the seller 'Miss Lawes Adores'.

This sheer vintage fruit blouse is a gorgeous piece. The length also means it could potentially be worn as a dress by the more adventurous. Sold at £27 from one of my favourite marketplaces, 'Vulgar'.



And that's the pick of crop! If anyone feels inspired by this blog, I'd love to see pictures of you sporting your own take on fruity fashion. Send your snaps to: ellatroup@aol.com.
Ta-rah!

Firefly Photography Fashion Shoot

So I decided it was time to ditch the iPhone selfies and take vanity to the next level. My friend Kayleigh and I visited the Firefly Photography Studio in Manchester today for a professional style photoshoot. We were approached a few months ago in town and were given a really good deal on booking a shoot. Little did we know, they would be trying to flog us several photos afterwards for a ridiculous fee. As long as you're strong willed and don't let them persuade you otherwise, you can get quite a good deal out of them.

On the day itself, we were greeted with a glass of wine and a style consultation, which was quite simply a form we had to fill out in order to help them to create our chosen 'looks'. The hair and makeup team were very professional and were obviously very skilled in what they do. I was extremely happy with how lush my makeup turned out, even though it was a lot more subtle than I usually do myself!

We were asked to bring 3 to 5 outfits to be photographed in throughout the day. We were both photographed by 2 different photographers, one of which was particularly better and more attentive than the other; I think all of the pictures I picked to keep from the day were taken by that one photographer only. The company as a whole also came across as pretty disorganised. It just seemed we waited ages in between having our photoshoot and seeing our pictures. It was particularly irritating being told 'only 2 more minutes' about 5 times over half an hour.

But all in all it was a nice day. Nice hair, nice makeup, nice wine and nice pictures as an end result, but I could've done without the stress of a hard sell at the end. I'm not going to disclose how much I ended up spending, but I would highly recommend keeping your wits about you if you ever want to go for one of these photography experiences. DON'T GET RIPPED OFF... because I'm pretty sure I did get ripped off...

But hey, it's only money. Here are a few of my favourite shots from the day. Enjoy!

LVL Lashes Review - The Nail Base

Hello all!

Like many of you, I find applying lashings of mascara to be a very tedious chore. On Saturday, I decided to try out this new LVL Lash treatment that my local nail salon, the Nail Base in Widnes, had recently started to offer. This is a natural lash enhancement treatment, without the need for extensions, which basically involves lifting and perming the lashes.

I have had lash extensions before, which to be honest I found to be very irritating towards the end when they were falling out; the falling out process of the lashes was very inconsistent, so I ended up with like 3 really long lashes on each eye... not a good look. I can honestly say though, that the end result of the LVL Lash treatment is just as impressive as newly applied lash extensions. They feel soft, light, and I do not feel as though I have anything on my lashes, (unlike lash extensions which feel quite heavy and constantly make you feel as though you have false lashes on).

The treatment itself was around an hour, and I found it much more relaxing than the application of lash extensions. I would be lying if I said the treatment was as relaxing as a facial, but realistically anything that involves your eyes or lashes is going to be a tiny bit uncomfortable. It is anything too stressful or uncomfortable though, and Bonita from the Nail Base is always cautious and mindful of her client's needs. I regularly visit the Nail Base to get my nails done, and I am always very satisfied and very happy with what both Bonita and Becky do for me; nothing is ever too much to ask! In the past I have also had spray tans and teeth whitening treatments, which again have been very successful and professionally executed.

So back to LVL. This treatment usually lasts around 6 weeks and costs £45 at the Nail Base (unless you go with a friend to get the treatment done, in which case, Bon knocks a fiver off of each bill). I am extremely happy with how my lashes now look. My eyes look wider and the application of the treatment was even and definitely achieved a very natural look. I would very much recommend both the treatment and the Nail Base itself, which can be found on Derby Road in Widnes, Cheshire.

Here is a before and after picture of the results!
Enjoy!

An Introduction...

Hello to the very few people who will perhaps end up reading this unfortunate and poorly crafted first blog!

My name is Ella Troup, and I am a 19 year old Drama and Screen student who lives in Manchester. I have from a very young age had an unfathomable obsession with fashion, beauty, individuality, looking good and everything in between. I wanted to give this who blog thing a go, as I decided I needed a hobby which is more productive than lazing around, eating salted cashew nuts and watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians... (trashy, I know, but a little bit of trash as a guilty pleasure is good for the soul).

So what am I intending to blog about? Honestly, I am not entirely too sure of that myself. I suppose anything I feel to be interesting in regards to fashion or beauty I will probably attempt to express my invaluable opinion on. I have always been told that I am a dab hand at applying makeup and throwing together outfits, so as things develop, I would like to make a few tutorial videos. I will also post pictures of whatever I am wearing, or review any beauty treatments or new products I also feel will be of interest.

There we have it, all in a nutshell. Just to get the ball rolling, I want to share a picture of myself (vain, I know) so that you are able to put a face to the name, and get a better idea of my own personal style.

Ta-rah!