Thursday 31 May 2012

#19

I spend quite a lot of time imagining how my life would be different if I were tall, or perhaps even just averagely placed on the height chart. At about 5ft, I am somewhat a midget. While everyone says 'you have plenty of time left to grow!' I panic and wonder if I will have to go out into the adult world as that person who receives a comment such as 'you're so small!' at least once a day. Despite stars such as Kourtney Kardashian and Lady Gaga paving the way for us petite girls, I do (sometimes) wish I was tall. Why am I telling you this? Well I have recently fallen in love with a new style of dress which is pretty much off limits to anyone under 5 ft 3, the midi.

While currently understated as a S/S12 trend, I see it as a rising star that has been residing backstage for too long already. We saw a rise in appreciation for 'bodycon' skirts but as these were usually tiny pieces of flimsy material that clung to your bum like a scared child holding onto its mother, yet hung on the thighs like a limp piece of cloth with no desire to be there, I was not a huge fan.

Recently, this style has been developed with better fittings, patterns and embellishments making me take an entirely new approach to the design. Due to recent developments in the world of fashion I have also found myself falling for a few bodycon dresses, something I had previously eagerly shrugged off after associating them with the likes of Mercedes Mcqueen (Hollyoaks fans will understand!). 
However, it is the midi which has really made me fall in love with the boydcon fitting. As its name suggests, it offers a little more coverage in the leg department (great for anyone feeling self conscious about their pins!) while still available in designs that both lack and accentuate cleavage, making them flattering for a lady of any weight!

My picks:











The great thing about the midi is that it's truly versatile because it is just a length. Not only is there the gorgeous bodycon midi's, the trend also offers us dip-hems and a range of more classic, day time dresses. It's no surprise that during the year of the Queens diamond jubilee, women's style may become more elegant, modest and generally a little bit classier (think Brie Van De kamp). Other trends to share the glory of the jubilee include peplums and a range of different collars. For the whole jubilee-esc look without having to go for the creatively designed shorts/tops/trousers/jumpers/bags/shoes smothered in the union jack print, here's a few things I'd try...















You can definitely see elements of the Queens staple garments in the white coat and pink blazer, but whether you're patriotic or not, they are lovely clothes!
x

Thursday 24 May 2012

#17

Summer Dresses- My Picks
The trends this year regarding summer fashion are some of my favourite ever! There's everything from the daring and different tropical prints to the pretty pastels and luxury laces. I love about 90% of what's out there on the high street at the moment so this was quite a challenge, but here are my favourites at a range of prices. Hopefully this helps anyone who needs inspiration for their summer wardrobe!




£50




£40




£89




£28



£35




£29




£19.99




£27.99





£29.99




£58



£24



£18.39




£45




£45





Sunday 20 May 2012

#16

Dieting in Teens


It doesn't take a genius to work out that what you eat and drink affects your health. But when it comes to dieting, how many people know the consequences of cutting certain things out, especially as a teenager?
An article in the June issue of VOGUE got me thinking about the topic in more detail than I already had been. Although I know of a lot of girls who have been or who still are 'dieting' and thought it was sad, I hadn't really thought about the effects it could have if done badly. Charlotte Sinclair writes an interesting article about the confusion surrounding food and nutrition and raises the idea that the enjoyment of food has been lost in recent years. People are obsessed with size/weight/shape but seem to forget that 'healthy' doesn't necessarily equal thin. That's not to say that thin people are not healthy, just as it does not mean bigger people can't be healthy either.

The small paragraph out of all 20 of them, that I was most intrigued by was the following:
"Asides pounds lost or gained, dieting has a major biological impact. It affects our brain chemistry, hormone levels, digestion and metabolic systems. Our new aversion to dairy is causing osteoporosis rates to soar. Diet in our teens, and we programme an expectation of starvation into our metabolic rate, the response to eat more.

To explain (as best I can) Osteoporosis is a condition affecting the bones. It causes them to become weak and brittle, exploiting a sufferer to breaks and fractures much more easily than someone without the condition. Approximately 3 million people in the UK alone are thought to suffer from the illness, and although it is most common in older women, it can affect absolutely anyone at any age. It may not sound so bad initially, but for someone suffering from Osteoporosis, a sneeze or cough can cause a fracture in a rib. The reason the illness is linked to health from a young age is because it has a very slow onset with a number of causes and factors that will probably go unnoticed until you are diagnosed. Diet is directly linked to Conditions like Osteoporosis, calcium and vitamin D being most well known for keeping bones healthy and strong. So already you can see that if you suddenly start cutting out your main sources of calcium, which can often have high fat rates too, you might lose a bit of weight for a few months while endangering your future health.
Dieting also drastically affects metabolism. If you follow a low-calorie diet, your body goes through 5 main stages:

1) You may lose several pounds in water weight. Your body uses up carbohydrate stores known as glycogen which is stored with water.

2) Once all your carbs have been used up your body will enter starvation mode. Protein in your muscles is now the main source for energy. This then causes toxic compounds to be released causing you to feel tired and suffer from headaches.

3) As you begin to lose weight your muscle mass lessens and your metabolism begins to slow down to conserve the small amount of calories you're having. The more muscle you have, the faster you burn calories.

4) If you initially lose a lot of weight on the diet, you lose a lot of muscle mass too, meaning your body now burns calories at a slower rate than before you started the diet.

5) Finally, you will eventually return to your pre-diet eating habits (you're not going to diet forever!).You will regain the weight you lost and perhaps even more because your metabolism is now slower than it was before.



So already, that's just two big downfalls to dieting and there are many, many more. A lack of certain vitamins and minerals over a long period of time can cause other illnesses not just osteoporosis and too high levels of fats, sugars and salts can lead to diabetes and heart disease for starters. Dieting is very specific to the individual person. If you're very overweight you may be having too many calories in which case the ways in which you should diet will be very different to someone who just feels a bit too chubby and needs to swap a fizzy drink for water or a chocolate bar for an apple. 

If you still think you need to diet, and won't be happy until you've lost weight, do the research first.

 Dieting wrong has the potential to harm you more than a muffin top ever could!

The NHS have a great section all about healthy eating and how to diet in the most productive and safe ways, I would not recommend dieting before reading the website thoroughly. If reading isn't really your thing (not sure why you'd be reading this if it wasn't) pay your GP a quick visit to get advice and set up a plan. It's their job to do things like that and it's better than getting into bad eating habits and going back later because of them!




#15

Hello again, remember me? I'm ashamed to say I've been a rather bad blogger this week. I didn't even manage to do a quick 'funny Friday' post! I'm afraid that due to exam season being in full swing, at any opportunity at which I've been on the computer, I have been revising (sad but necessary). Last week I downloaded the blogger app onto my iPod in the hope I'd be able to blog from there, but me being me, I haven't quite got to grips with it yet and the small screen just doesn't do it for me when I'm writing!

Anyway there are a few posts and topics I've been itching to write recently. I would have liked to have done another outfit/hair/make up post yesterday as I was out all day with family from all over the country celebrating my granddad's 80th birthday! It was a great day and it was lovely to have everyone from the age of 1-80 there! Unfortunately the long day left no time for photographing/hair-styling/writing so that sort of post wasn't possible. Although, in this rather dashing picture of me attempting to be 7 again (what happens when you're around children!) you can see the casual got-this-from-my-floordrobe type outfit I went for. It had to be grandma friendly too of course! I also attempted the colour pop socks and shoes look which I actually quite like on occasion, it certainly fits with the childish photo!



This cardigan also made an appearance earlier in the week at my brothers 18th birthday (yay!).


yum...

Floral mohair cardigan over denim shirt with long key chain, rolled up cuffs and leather panel leggings...

 I eagerly stole my brothers new Shakespeare's book of sonnets...

We ate out at aqua on Walcott street (I think!) which I definitely recommend as it was really lovely.

Due to this busy schedule recently I've been using Instagram to share my week in pictures as best I can from my little iPod so there are also a few snaps on there.

So now that you are all aware of what I've been up to over the past week I can move on to the better stuff! Two main topics are sort of floating around aimlessly in my head which I've been planning to write about on here recently. First, is dieting. I've noticed that A LOT of girls about and around my age are beginning to diet. This is understandable as it's coming up to summer (the weather would suggest otherwise) and as girls it's in our DNA to go into bikini-body-mode in the months leading up to our holidays. But, there was an interesting article about food and diet in VOGUE's latest issue which got me thinking, how many girls are dieting safely and correctly and how many are just doing whatever they can to get that flat tummy?
As I think this a really important topic for a lot of people, I'm going to do a totally separate post on the matter very shortly (hopefully today!).
Secondly, summer dresses! The weather will never stop our brains telling us we need a whole wardrobe revamp once the winter months are out the way. But with so many trends out there, what do you go for? I also plan to cover this life or death matter in a post soon, so keep your eyes pealed!
x

Saturday 12 May 2012

#14

Today I Am Wearing

Why is it that every time I make an effort with my outfit I get 'oh where are you going?' by every member of my household present at the time? Is it so wrong to 'over dress' for life itself? I think not. Saturday and Sunday are the only days each week I get to put thought, time and effort into what I wear and being the fashion addict I am, I enjoy the process hugely! Anyway, today I did go for a rather new/brave choice but I'm hoping it's a good sort of brave! With lots of different detail, layering, and pastels, I thought this smart/casual look was a pretty nice ensemble for a brisk, sunny day in May. 










I Also put a little effort into my hair style this morning too, which is sort of a big deal for me since if I ever do decide to style it, I usually get bored and give up after a few minutes! My hair has always had a mind of it's own and the only people who have ever managed to fully 'curl' it are my hairdressers! So I went for something simple yet cute.




In a total of about 20 minutes I got this summer like wave to my hair just by taking sections of my hair, putting it through my straighteners and adding kinks and curves as I pleased. This was easier than usual as my hair was less unruly than most days and was fairly tamed! I took two small sections from either side of my face and pulled them back into a basic plait, wrapping them around my head and fastening them with about 4 brown hair grips, which I'm pleased to say aren't too obvious!
To match the look make-up wise I went for a base layer of pore refining primer, one layer of foundation, about 3 strokes of mascara and a sweep of orange blush. For my lips I combined a red (ish) lipstick with a light pink balm to get a shade that matched the look of the outfit, but wasn't overly 'pretty pink'.


p.s. My instagram is now in full swing, and amongst silly and boring pictures it's likely I'll upload wardrobe choices plus looks/outfits/pieces I love onto there. If you want to follow me on the site, search 'elisemckeever'.

 x


Friday 11 May 2012

#13

Thank God It's Funny Friday!


Despite the bank holiday, this week has felt just as long as any other week, for me at least. About a week ago now, I was introduced to the Loiter Squad's YouTube account and since discovering them, have never been short of smiles and laughs. So, I'm going to start a special Friday blog post 'Funny Friday' (imaginative I know!) featuring something different every week that has made me smile and/or laugh. I apologise in advance if you do not share my sense of humour because it is likely that this blog will put you in a worse mood rather than a better one (which is the intention)!
Without further ado here is Tyler The Creator ft. Nathaniel the seagull, dressed rather strangely singing a seriously deep song. I really connected with the lyrics, as will you...