New Year's Nails

NEW YEAR, NEW NAILS!!!

BARGAINS

1. The Natural Collection nail polish in Winter Moon, £1.89
2. Topshop Crackle topcoat in Frosty, £6
3. Max factor Mini Effects Nail colour in Red Carpet Glam, £3.99
4. Nicole by OPI in shade It’s Possible, £9.00
5. Orly Nail polish in Precisely Poppy £5.00
6. Mac nail lacquer in Hyperion, £9.00
7. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Wine Not, £6.99
8. Revlon Nail Enamel in Gold Coin, £6.49
9. No7 Nail polish in Milan, £7.00
10.  Nails Inc Victoria mini polish, £5.00

LUXURIES

           

1. Dior Vernis Nail polish in Pink Aristocrat, £17.50
2. Chanel Le Vernis in Jade Rose, £17.50
3. Nars Nail polish in Purple Rain, £13.50
4. Deborah Lippman Today Was a Fairytale Nail Laquer, £18.00
5. OPI nail lacquer in shade Kiss on the Chic, £10.50
6. Essie Nail polish in shade aruba blue, £9.95
7. Nails Inc. Polish in
   Cadogan Square
   , £11.00
8. Tom Ford Nail Lacquer in Mink Brule, £25.00
9. Dolce & Gabbana Intense Nail Lacquer Ruby, £17.00
10.  Leighton Denny Nail polish in Diamond Rose, £11.00

 Love TFA xx

TFA Trend: Red in Two Takes

Whether it's last minute christmas decorations, shopping, or food hunting (Turkey's beware!), we all find ourselves very busy at this time of year. So, how can we look picture perfect this holiday season when we're running around in such a manner?!

My answer is simple; the 'Hollywood Double Take'

For decades we've witness stars adorning this look on the red carpet, looking absolutely spectacular. (Hello Marilyn Munroe, prime example.) You only need two products to transform your entire look - a classic red polish and lipstick. 

In under ten minutes not only do you look as glamorous and put together as a Hollywood star, but you ooze festive.

[I thought I'd share my favourite picks with you: Polish - Nails Inc in St James, Lips - Chanel's Rouge Allure in Passion]

So Girls, run home and get ready, for the cameras and dazzling lights await you!

TFA's Christmas Wishlist

Just a couple of gifts we dream of recieving this Holiday Season...

Clockwise from left: Chloe Marcie bag, Dior Vernis Exquis, Biba Violet Boots, Kiehls Ultra facial cleanser, Alice Temperley London Lace Dress, Chanel classic black 2.55, Creme De La Mer cream, CHANEL Coco eau de parfum and Vince ebellished crepe dress.

A girl can dream...

Lots of Love

T.F.A xx

T.F.A’s Thursday Night Tunes

#1: Bob Marley- Three Little Birds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGUr6wzyT8

A real feel good tune to dissipate the anxieties and stresses of school and the approaching mock exams! Enjoy.

T.F.A xx

T. F. A. Trend: Sequins Galore

Sparkle this Holiday season...

      1.       Oasis ‘Twinkle’ bandeau dress - £120

2.       Anya Hindmarch Marano glitter finish box clutch - £350

3.       French Connection Lucinda Sequin Fitted dress - £150

4.       French Connection Lucinda sequin shorts - £82

5.       OPI in ‘Gettin’ Miss Piggy with it!’ - £9.50 (depending on store)

6.       Warehouse Pearlised Sequin One Shoulder Dress - £90

7.       Christian Louboutin’s Swarovski crystal peep-toe pumps - £2,095 (I wish!)

8.        Miu Miu sequined collar top - £385



Karen O: Style Icon Extraordinaire

Karen O, lead singer of New York based indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is a true style icon. As well as being one of the greatest front women ever, she manages to embellish all of her artistic endeavours with the pizzazz that is so resonant in her music, particularly when it comes to fashion. Her stage outfits range from the magnificent to the extraordinary to the plain bizarre, yet she always seems to exude coolness and charm. Her friend and long time collaborator, designer Christian Joy (Christiane Hultquist), is responsible for the majority of Karen’s eclectic collection, and her reputation has grown as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs became more and more famous with Karen receiving attention from the fashion media for the captivating outfits she donned at live shows. Karen’s latest project is her opera Stop the Virgens and she has expressed the importance of the costume and make up in the show, commenting “The costume, hair and makeup tell the story just as much as the music and choreography do.” She enlisted the help of Joy, along with make-up artist Mike Potter to bring her vision to life. Their mutual respect and understanding of each others creative perspectives made it very easy for them to create a fantastic spectacle for fans to enjoy, but Karen admits that she likes to let them have freedom in designing. "The way I work with Christiane and Mike is to mostly let them do what they want. It works best that way." For a month and a half, Joy and her team made costumes for the main cast which includes Karen, seven main Virgens, 33 chorus Virgens and two Sentinels. The show boasts costumes including lotus glasses (with 3D flowers projecting from the eyes), a gilded stuffed lobster claw and a mammoth spiky crown that adorns Joy’s personal favourite of the costumes. The look is comprised of tiers of white ruffles and is the first of the seven looks that Karen wears. Potter wanted the make-up to transform the actresses so they looked like a "happy yet melancholy" doll and he painted the lips naked and applied opaque white cream around the eyes to make them huge and round. The Virgens are supposed to look “scary, beautiful and sublime”, and Karen always enjoys experimenting with her make-up, though usually sports a rocky black eyeliner with red lipstick which is a failsafe classic look. I wonder whether we will be seeing a new doll-like style to Karen’s make-up choices in the future? Hopefully a new YYYs album and tour soon will allow us to see Karen’s next fascinating fashion step!

T.F.A. xx

                                    Karen in her opera, Stop the Virgens.

Joy's designs for Stop the Virgens.

                                         

                                          The staging for the opera.

                                          Some of Karen's style hilights: Her leather 'KO' Jacket,
                                          channeling Chanel chic with her bandmembers, and her
                                          psychedelic native american attire.

Versace for H&M - Gaud or Glamour?

In a mere few days, hours, and minutes – this very week – the much awaited arrival of Versace for H&M will hit stores. But is it more ‘gaud’ than glamour? Donatella previewed the collection at a New York event in early November, revealing her striking designs. These consisted of head to toe flamboyant floral patterns, which were projected on an array of colourful attire. She used the history of the fashion house for inspiration, incorporating plenty of leopard print, blouson jackets, palm prints and mini silk skirts, as well as pinafore dresses, plain tunics and floral bustiers - not forgetting Donatella’s famous studded leather pieces.  

Versace’s H&M closet has received great praise from critics, and general fashion lovers alike. So am I the only one that feels a little let down by the undoubtedly talented Donatella? Although I appreciate what she’s done with the task, I would have liked to see something a little different. Some of the cute and sultry mini dresses are admirable, but similar styles can be purchased in most high street retailers for a comparable price. While the huge heart print with fringing look striking in photos when worn by performers such as Nikki Minaj (who was present at the New York preview), in reality they comes across as slightly tacky. To put it bluntly, some pieces look more more suited as a stage costume, rather than a cheaper alternative to couture.  Ideally I would have loved to see more sleek ‘elegance with an edge’ mini dresses that I’ve seen many a time on the Versace runway. 

I don't think I'll be sporting the above dress any time soon.

However, there are a few pieces that may take your fancy.

(Don't forget that the collection includes some accessories too. I'm secretly craving the 'barbie' pink shoes...)

Versace for H&M is out in stores on the 17th. 

With Love,

T.F.A.

utO.P.Ia

Everyone’s favourite reasonably priced nail polish brand, OPI, is releasing a Muppets collection for Christmas 2011, to coincide with the release date of the movie in the USA. With an array of vibrant sparkly colours, and a set of rich reds and elegant neutrals, you’ll have the perfect nails to compliment your Christmas party outfits as well as your Christmas shopping day wear. The silvery hue of Designer De Better is a personal favourite of mine, and Wocka Wocka, Warm and Fozzie and Gettin’ Miss Piggy are fab colours to get in the spirit of the holiday season. You’re spoilt for choice with this selection; and they’re only £10.50, so don’t be a Scrooge and treat yourself this Christmas!