Find Your Perfect Summer Red Lip

Red lipstick is a staple product that every makeup lover should have in their makeup bags, it can transform a day look into a glamorous evening look. In this post I'm going to show you some of my favourite red lip shades and also give you a brief overview of which types of red lipstick are most likely to suit you.

What toned red lipstick should I go for?
Pink/Cool toned skin - go for the classic reds or a pinky red.
Warm/Caramel toned skin - go for a burnt orange/red.
Dark toned skin - go for the richer red shades.
Really there is no right or wrong way when it comes to red lipstick, so if you feel like it, go for whatever shade you like!

Some of my favourite Summer reds

Mac Lipstick in Ruby Woo £15.50 and Mac Lip Pencil in Cherry £12.50
Ruby Woo is the classic red lip, with its blue undertone and matte finish. This colour works beautifully against cooler skin tones, just like Taylor Swift.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick by Kate Moss in 111 Kiss of Life - £5.49
This lipstick has a mix of orange and blue undertones meaning it should suit a variety of skin tones. It claims to have a matte finish but I would call it more of a satin when you look at it compared to Ruby Woo.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Harlot - £14
If you prefer a lip colour to be more glossy the OCC lip tars are great. They have a really strong staying power as they do slightly stain your lips. Harlot is a more pinky red and is more likely to suit cooler toned skin.

Mac Lipstick in So Chaud - £15.50
If you have a warmer skin tone this lipstick is a stunner! It really warms up the skin with it's orange undertone, whilst also having a beautiful matte finish. I love to pair burnt orange/red shades with the Mac Pro Longwear Lip pencil in High Energy.

Mac Lipstick in Lady Danger - £15.50
Lady Danger is another staple lipstick, it's such a vibrant burnt orange without being too garish and neon. Again I pair this with the Mac Pro Longwear Lip pencil in High Energy to really get the full potential of the lip colour.

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Twitter | @Alexandraahowe
Facebook | Alexandra Elizabeth
Instagram | @Alexandraahowe

Shop The Trend: Palm Leaves Print

I have recently fallen in the love with the palm leaves print trend, it's the perfect summer staple this year. I've already bought a few products in this print which I will show you all styled up when I go on holiday in a couple of weeks time.
If you aren't into small and busy floral prints, this is the perfect alternative as they tend to come in quite big prints that aren't quite as flouncy. It also comes in such a range of colours and styles you can really incorporate the trend into your own style and wardrobe.
Almost every shop I go into at the moment have featured this print in their summer collections but I've picked out a few items that have stood out to me ranging from high-street to high-end to save you from hours of browsing!

Product links in order from left to right 
Missguided | Tropical Print Halterneck Backless Crop Top £15 and Tropical Print Jersey Culottes £25
ASOS | Mix & Match Multi Leaf Print Bikini £10-£18
Roberto Cavalli | Tropical Print Lace Insert Jersey Dress £670
New Look | Khaki Leaf Print Twist Front Underwired Racer Back Bikini Top £17.99 and Khaki Leaf Print Strappy Side High Waisted Bikini Bottoms £11.99
New Look | Orange Palm Leaf Jacquard Zip Back Skirt £19.99
Warehouse | Tropical Palm Culotte £36

How To Balance Studying, a Job and a Blog

If you didn’t know already, not only do I write this blog but I am also studying fashion at university and I work at MAC during the weekends, so I have a pretty busy lifestyle!
I often get people asking me how I balance between all these and still do my hobbies like tennis and going to see friends. I can tell you now it’s not easy but it is doable so here are some of my tips that I would give to anyone else in the same position. 

Be Realistic
When thinking about getting a part-time job look into realistic hours, think to yourself ‘Are you already struggling with time management?’ If so maybe look into a few hours a week, if not you could go for a couple of days a week. 
If you have a blog, having a post schedule can be pretty handy but don’t be unrealistic, don’t aim to post every day of the week, maybe once or twice. That’ll be enough to keep your readers interested in your blog.

Give yourself weekly goals
I try to set myself weekly goals, so if I have a particular project going on for uni I will set days to aim to do certain parts of it. I may even set myself a couple of hours to go through press emails, updating my blog, replying to comments or even researching up new ideas for future blog posts. 
Having goals set at the start of the week will push you to be more motivated to get stuff done, rather than just being very here and there about it. I love my little to do list from Paperchase by Rifle Paper which I have staring at me on my desk all the time. 

Have blog posts and social media scheduled
Sometimes I will have one week that is jam packed and then the next I will have a lot more time. So during my less busy week I will try write up a few blog posts and then just schedule them to post during my busier weeks. This means I don’t end up with weeks of no posts coming up on my blog as this can cause a drop in followers and views. 
You can do the same with social media, for example I use Hootsuite to schedule tweets, as sometimes when I’m doing uni work I’m trying to stay away from it so I can focus better or I’m at work so I don’t have access to social media. 

Have time for yourself
Try to not make things become a chore, make sure you still get time for yourself. Sometimes I get my best ideas when I'm at the gym or just going for a walk through town. If I give myself a couple of hours a day just to do whatever I want, sometimes that'll be just watching youtube videos, giving my self a manicure or chilling with my housemates. I find that I become much more productive when it does come down to getting on with work.

If you’ve already put yourself up to be juggling all these things, you’re probably already a very organised person. But if you aren’t so much, then hopefully following the few pointers I’ve said above will help you that little bit more to becoming better with time management.  

Fresh Mint Check & Neon Heel #ColourMeMarch

In celebration of #ColourMeMarch at the Cheltenham Races this week and Ladies day tomorrow, I've put together an outfit that is sophisticated but with a pop of colour! This skirt from Zara is so comfy and the print really brightens up the outfit, you can get a top with the same pattern to make it into a co-ord but I found the black top made all the colours in this outfit really pop. 

 | Zara Top |  Zara Skirt | Schuh Heels | 

| H&M Necklace | Lulu Guinness Clutch (Similar) | Pandora Ring |  Rotary Watch |

Life is a roller coaster

The past couple of weeks I have had a bit of an emotional roller coaster, I went from a high note and then dropped down to a low note.

I'll start of with the high note, if you follow me on twitter you may have seen that in November I started working as a retail makeup artist at MAC. I applied for the job in September and after a loooooong recruitment process I got the job! I was over the moon. Since I was about 14 I've always loved the bright colours and creativeness of MAC and always wanted to be part of the brand.
I will probably start owning a lot more MAC cosmetics but I won't be biased when it comes to reviews on my blog and I'll still use my loved products from other brands, so don't worry about that.

From my Instagram @Alexandraahowe

Then just over a week ago I had a very unexpected situation occur. I'm currently a second year student so I now live in a house shared with some of my flat mates from halls. I had some criminals break into my bedroom at 6pm one evening. They smashed through my bedroom window with a huge rock from the garden. Luckily I wasn't harmed and nothing was stolen as I had my valuables with me in the kitchen at the time and all 6 of us were in the house so we all reacted before they could actually get into my room. Since the incident I've been a bit emotionally unstable, exhausted and haven't had the time or mentality to get blog posts up or be on social media as much.

I'm starting to get back to being myself again but it will take a while to be completely at ease, but working at MAC during the weekends has been helping get my mind off things. I've also just arrived back at home for the Christmas holidays which should also help me relax a little more.
Sorry that this isn't the most exciting post (apart from getting the job at MAC) but I just needed to get it off my chest and let you guys be all in the loop of things. I hope you're all well and my next post should be something a little more christmassy and fun!

Boots & Capes W/ Stephi LaReine

I bought this cape towards the end of the summer when they first started appearing in the shops but the weather was so warm up until recently, so I've only just been starting to wear it. I've joined up with the lovely Stephi La Reine to style up an outfit with this seasons essential. You can check out her monochrome cape outfit here.
I love how comfy capes are! This one is particularly snuggly and warm, it even works as a blanket at the end of the day. I really like wearing skater skirts with this cape as it's quite a slouchy item, so I like something more fitted and flattering for the figure underneath. Then of course I had to pair it all up with my chelsea boots which I have worn to death over the past couple of years, they are a must have for your shoe collection!

Cape - Miss Selfridge

Top - Primark

Skater Skirt - Newlook (Similar)

Boots - Topshop (Similar)

Necklace - Urban Outfitters (Similar)

Bag - Urban Outfitters

You can also check out my Steal the Style: Capes post here

Have you been styling up capes this season?

My Summer as an Intern and Tips for Internships

For 3 months this summer I was working as a PR & Events intern at Umberto Giannini, if you haven't heard of the brand they sell hair-care and styling products in Boots and have salons across the country.
When I finished university for summer I thought I'd just be working as a waitress or something a little less glamorous and just have the weeks work experience I had planned at UG, but not long after finishing that work experience they asked if I would be interested in helping out with their latest product launch. Of course I said yes!
I had the opportunity to be a part of lots of exciting things from organising and hosting events at Boots head office and other Boots stores across the country and creating goodie bags for press and bloggers. Along side all the events and PR I did also do a lot of trend research so they could prepare and generate ideas for future Christmas gifts and styles for photo shoots.
I didn't feel like I was just an intern, I felt like part of the team. I thought being an intern would involve doing coffee runs and not contribute much because of what films represent them as.
I can't thank the people I worked with at UG enough for such an amazing opportunity and experience! It has definitely opened up my eyes to possible future jobs I would like to have and I got a real taste of the working world, getting up at 6am and getting home at 6pm commuting Monday to Friday was tough but so worth it!

My Top Tips for Getting an Internship

1. Contact lots of different brands even if they aren't advertising an opportunity. Don't be disheartened if you do get declined, you just have to keep trying!
2. If they can't offer you an internship straight up, ask for some work experience, even if it is just for a week. They will be more likely to contact you/accept you when an internship opens up.
3. Send them an online portfolio of any work you have done, whether it be creative or written. You can say you're good at this and that, but they'll want to see evidence of this. 
4. If you've already done an internship or some work experience or are about to, get as many contacts as you can whilst you're there as this can lead to a future internship/work experience with another brand or company.
5. Create your own contact cards, it's an easy, quick and professional way of getting your details out to people. I would recommend Moo.com I had some made by them and they are amazing quality and they often have some really good deals. 
6. Make sure your CV is up-to date and adapt it to fit the job you're applying for.

I'm looking forward to applying for more internships and experience in different areas of the fashion/beauty world and I hope some of you will find these tips helpful when you're applying for experiences too! If you have any questions feel free to comment below or tweet me.

Steal the Style: Capes

This Autumn/Winter Burberry have brought out a whole range of capes in a whole bunch of styles and of course it wasn't long till the high street started to feature them too. Now, not everyone has several £100's to spend on a single item of clothing so I've found some similar styles at high street prices! 

Burberry Check Merino Wool Cashmere Wrap £650

Just looking at the close up of this cape you can see how soft it looks! It has a lovely sheen to it and features the classy Burberry print, but is it worth £650? I don't think I could ever justify it!

ASOS Reversible Cape with Check Panel £25

This was the closest dupe I could find, I know the colours aren't exactly the same but the style of it is pretty much the same. It is made completely from Acrylic so it may not have as much softness as the Burberry one but at £25 can you really complain? 

Burberry Check Wool and Cashmere Blanket Poncho £895

Out of all the Burberry capes this is one of my favourites, I love rich warm tones so that's probably the main thing that draws me to it. This one isn't as soft as the other Burberry cape as its 85% wool and 15% Cashmere, this does however give the cape more structure. 

ASOS Block Panel Cape £25

I actually think this one looks much comfier and it's only made from acrylic. The colours again are so rich and warm and you can see it has a very similar print style to the Burberry one. You can look just as stylish but for £870 cheaper! 

If you haven't already entered, check out my giveaway here where you can win a £20 ASOS voucher, if you win it you could get one of these capes for just £5! 

200 Followers Giveaway!

This weekend I reached 200 followers on Bloglovin! When I decided to start blogging along side my Youtube channel I was so worried that no one would ever follow my blog and that it wouldn't catch on but now it's so lovely to read your comments about you liking my content and to see my followers slowly but surely creeping up. As a thank you I am going to be giving away a £20 ASOS voucher along with a few other surprise little bits and pieces.
ASOS is one of my favourite places to shop as you can get such a variety of brands, clothing, accessories and beauty products. It's also great for us students as they always have some sort of discount going on. As everyone has different styles I thought I would do a voucher so you can use it on something you've been eyeing up for the past few months or for a lovely impulse buy.

You can enter my giveaway using the Rafflecopter app below and the rules are as follows;
You must follow my blog on Bloglovin as this is where I reached the goal but all other entries are optional, the more you do the more chances you have! The giveaway is running for 2 weeks and will end at midnight on Sunday October 12th and the winner should be announced within the next few days after the closing date.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I look forward to seeing what the future holds for me and my blog and again a big thank you to each and every one of you for supporting me.

Fashion News: Game of Thrones Stars Become Face of Fashion Brands

Some of you may know from the occasional tweet that I'm quite a fan of the TV series Game of Thrones and recently I've noticed that some of the actors have now become the face of big fashion brands. This is one of the first shows other than reality or soaps that I've seen several actors work along side fashion brands, I keep wondering who will be next from the show to sign up, my bets are on Emilia Clarke also known as Daenerys Targaryen.

Sophie Turner normally known as Sansa Stark in the show is currently the face of Karen Millen. She has gorgeous red hair and pale skin that works beautifully with the warm colours and floral patterns in the collection she is modelling.

"We really admire sophie's talent and ambition. She has a real presence and warmth, great personal style and is brimming with confidence and energy. She was a natural choice for us." - Karen Millen Insider.

At just 18 I can imagine there will be plenty more modelling opportunities for Sophie either with Karen Millen or many other brands. I'm looking forward to seeing her again in season 5 next year, and maybe some more shows or films in the future. 

Now onto Kit Harington also known as Jon Snow. I'll start off by expressing my absolute desire for this man, he is just pwoar! He's currently the face of Jimmy Choo mens clothing and their new fragrance. In the show he wears a lot of dark coloured clothes and is usually layered in lots of animal skins, so it's nice to see him all suited up for a change. He's still in dark colours, but I think they just suit him perfectly, especially with his long dark locks and facial hair. 

'It is incredibly exciting to work with a brand that is so highly regarded in fashion so it is a real honour to be the face of their campaign.' - Kit Harington

In TV series like Game of Thrones you tend to grow a connection with the character they are, so it is quite hard to see them as someone else, but I felt that these two brands have picked styles that almost match up with the characters personalities as well as their personal styles.

I feel like this post is slightly different to my norm, but if you would like to see more fashion or beauty news type posts, please let me know in the comments! 

Floral Fatale

This Autumn/Winter dark florals are back in trend and I am loving it! I fell in love with this graphic print skirt from Topshop that i bought recently, not only is it super pretty but the material is also really comfortable. I've featured this kimono before in an outfit post, it such a great item to have in your wardrobe as it can really dress up an outfit without being a heavy jacket. The little bag from H&M is perfect for a night out as it's small but big enough for all you need, it zips up and it'll pretty much work with any outfit. I am so ready for the Autumn now, my tan has gone, my dark hair is back and the fashion is much more my style!

Skirt & Necklace - Topshop / Kimono - Missguided / Bag & Top- H&M / Shoes - ASOS 

Lipstick - Captive by MAC / Nails - Pillow Fight by Ciate

Steal the Style: Speckled Clutch Bag

I was casually browsing through ASOS (as you do before payday...) and came across these two clutch bags that looked almost identical but had completely different price tags! I felt like I had tell you that you can get some things so similar to designer for a fraction of the price. There are of course going to be some positives and negatives to both so that's why I thought I'd compare them for you.

I would like to keep doing posts like this if I spot anymore product matches, so please let me know if you'd like to see more of these! 

Lulu Guinness Hug & Hold Clutch in All Over Speckle Print £225

I do have a rather sweet spot for Lulu Guinness, everything's just so cute and quirky without being garish. Until I had looked closely at this bag did I realise that the black speckles were actually little lip shapes which is a lovely touch. 

The bag is made from 100% leather and the lining is 100% cotton so the material quality is pretty high, however for the price I would've expected a silk or something more luxurious to be used for the lining. It has a textured matte finish which I think works with the design really well, the leather material probably helps make this texture.

I love the little lip shape cut out in the corner where the chain goes through, again it's a very Lulu Guinness touch. The chain is only long enough to go around your wrist so you can't convert it into a shoulder bag unless you attach your own longer chain to it, which is doable but I guess it is meant to be a clutch not a shoulder bag. 

The size is quite large at W36cm H16cm so you can get plenty in there if you need to, even your iPad or tablet could fit inside along with your essentials which makes it perfect for on the go! 

Monki Annie Bag £15

I do reckon that Monki have spotted the Lulu Guinness bag and have made their own version, but I could be wrong. It's just so similar I would be surprised if they hadn't.
The speckles are just speckles, not a specific shape but that's probably down to them not having an iconic shape like Lulu does but it still looks just as effective from a distance.
It's 65% cotton and 35% polyester so it's not totally synthetic but it's not quite the same as leather. If you're against bags being made from animal skin then this would be perfect for you if you still want the style. They have managed to give it a matte texture to it as well which makes it look more pricey.
I like the fact that you can remove the chain if you want it to be just a clutch, unfortunetly you don't get that option with the Lulu Guinness bag.
This bag is slightly smaller at W23cm H16cm so you wouldn't be able to fit your favourite magazine in their but there's two separate compartments so one could become your beauty section and the other your money and others bits.

Overall they are visually so incredibly similar its up to you which one you want to get, there is a huge price gap so it depends on what your budget is. If you have the money and want a bit more character then go ahead with the Lulu Guinness but if you just want something stylish for less then go for the Monki bag, from a distance people may even think its the Lulu one!

You can purchase both these bags from ASOS and there's currently a discount code so don't forget to type in ASOSGLAMOUR for 20% off at the checkout.

I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you want to see more like this. 

Trend: Schiaparelli Pink

On the hight street this summer bright pink is one of the must have colours in your wardrobe, wether it be an accessory or an item of clothing. It can easily been worn with a mix of white and black to make it really pop or with greys and creams to cool it down a bit. You could be extra daring and mix it up with bright orange which is also in this summer.

Not only is it a fashion trend but all over Pinterest I've seen it in beauty and homeware. People have been adding this colour to their homes and offices either as an accent with upholstery and decor whilst others with entire pieces of furniture or even painting their walls the colour.
If you haven't quite got that much money to spend then why not follow the trend in the beauty world and just get a bright pink lipstick or nail polish to finish your look, I'd recommend MAC Candy Yum-Yum for the lipstick and Essie Bottle Service for the polish, they're both the perfect match for this trend.

I'm loving this pink on white so I've created an outfit featuring this trend in a classy evening style. This look could easily be altered to be more suitable for the day by changing the Lulu Guinness bag to a Cambridge Satchel and the heels to flats. I've been head over heels for the Lulu Guinness neon pink perspex lip clutch bag, I've even posted about it before. One day I will have one!

Bright Pink Trend by alexhowe1995

I've seen some rumours that this trend is going to stay for next summer too, so maybe a purchase of a few of these items will be worth while.
What are your views on this trend and how are you wearing, styling or featuring it in your life?