Farewell Athens... Hello London!

Hello beauties, I hope you're all having a great week, sorry for the lack of posts recently...

I want to thank you all for still being here and stopping by, but even more so, for your continued support and your comments & messages that I've received during this time, you guys are so awesome!

I'm making a trip back to London for a short while but will be be posting sporadically, but don't think I won't be checking you guys out!

Thanks also to Jemima for my recent blog award and also Alessia for tagging me recently.

Ciao Bella & Bello!
x.o.x.o

In the spotlight: Monique of My Glamourology

Yippee today is Friday! I'm shattered to be honest. This morning I was battling with the good old Greek lack of internet and phone connection for over 4 hours... I'd woken up mega early to start my day and wanted to tick things off my never ending list of things to get sorted and the no internet thing didn't help at all!

Anyhow, I'm so excited to share with you all a fabulous & glam blogger who also happens to be uber talented at sketching (anything fashion) as well as designing & making jewellery. What I love about blogging is the fantastic community we have, getting inspired and sharing the love of all things fabulous!
So, let me introduce you to this gorgeous gal, Monique of My Glamourology and owner of online jewellery boutique, Justina-Leigh Jewellery! I remember the first time I came across her blog after she left a lovely comment on mine and I was instantly captivated by her outfit posts, cute pup and her amazing jewellery collection, one click on her shop had me running to my purse and grabbing my plastic, I wanted everything!!! I eventually picked out the ever popular woven chain bracelet 'Monte' for my 5m fashion fix.

Here's a glamourous peek into Monique's world, enjoy!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your work. When did you launch Justina Leigh Jewellery?

Full time I am a fashion designer for tween girl clothes but I've always had so many random passions on the side. I started making necklaces from thick chains maybe 5 or 6 years ago. I really made them as gifts and a few people at work would order some. It's sorta started from there but only recently did I have enough courage to actually try and get it into small independent Boutiques like Julia James and even started my own Etsy shop.

This morning you woke up and...
Today is Saturday so I woke up later than usual, immediately put coffee on the pot, checked and made a few emails, not every Saturday do I have to fill an order but ironically today I do! A bracelet for a girl named Debbie over in the Netherlands she ordered the Monte from my Etsy shop..

The new 'Monte' bracelet with leather entwined

What is a typical day in the life of Monique Justina?
A typical day is me waking up at around 6:30, After getting ready to go to the office I check my emails, maybe publish a blog post, read a few blogs, get to work and usually I have a meeting in the AM with my merchandiser, get to designing and working with our pattern maker. After work I go home at around 6:30ish I walk the dog, the sweetie and I either cook or order in, and then I blog, and design jewelry and I'm in bed around 12:30/1am every night. Working full time and also having a mini side business def leads to less sleep and less time for relaxing and TV watching. But I enjoy it regardless.

Supercute outfit and a little sketch of those lace shorts

Where does your inspiration come from?
I'm not sure really what I'm inspired by. Nothing specific in particular I just really love mixing girlie with hard edgy things. I love when I wear a frilly party dress and one of my big chunky heavy metal bracelets to off set the look. Even on my heavy metal pieces they have crystals and pearls. I just love the clash of the two looks.

Justina Leigh sold in various retail locations, click here for more info

What do you love most of what you do?
Having an Etsy site and being able to send the things I create across the globe to someone is amazing! I have an order from a girl in the Netherlands and to me that's just amazing. Someone will be wearing Justina Leigh across the globe! I love that!

Any advice for aspiring online shop owners?
My shop is still pretty new, but I think having a blog has really helped it gain a bit of traffic. I've become Etsy obsessed lately. Buying things from other creative people. Things that are one of a kind and unique. I think I'll do most of my Holiday shopping there too!

Other than shoes, what is your wardrobe chock full of? (Note, this gal loves shoes!)

Well, yes shoes are def 75-80% of my closet! But I also have an abundance of handbags. I started collecting bags when I was in college I had hundreds! Sad story - my Father accidentally put the box of handbags I had stored in the basement outside for charity to pick up! I lost literally about 100 handbags!! The one I miss most is a vintage Moschino red one. I've never seen that style again! Definitely a sad day for me, but slowly my collection has grown and I do have quite a number of handbags.


Fave dress?
My deep purple Diane Von Furstenburg chiffon wrap dress that I purchased at Neiman Marcus outlet for a pretty good price. It's simple and elegant and I toughen it up with chunky belt. I love that my BF is in the background of this pic too! Typical of what happens when I'm photographing and playing dress up! Haha!

Fave Bling?

I love this ring I purchased as a gift to myself when I was single. It's a big smokey topaz with a halo of pave diamonds and pave diamonds on the band. I figured if you don't have a guy to buy you sparkles just buy it yourself! It makes me feel strong and independent. I think they call those power rings? Did I just make that up? I have no idea, but I love it and I love that It was a gift from me to me!

Fave Shoes?
My Chloe Black Patent "Leonessa" T-strap Mary Janes that I purchased 3 years ago. They make me feel so girlie! I wear them with thick black tights and mini skirts around the holidays, they never go out of style.

What are your favourite shopping haunts in NYC?
I love thrift stores but unfortunately they've gained so much popularity that you cant find anything at a bargain! Until I discovered Beacons Closet in Williamsburg recently. They have great things designer and not designer at great prices! Huge fan of that place. But my all time favorite store in NYC is Henri Bendels. That place is like heaven for me!

If there was a genie in a bottle, what 3 wishes, would you wish for?
1. To be able to eat cupcakes every day and not gain a pound!
2. More hours in the day to do everything I want to do
3. More wishes?? lol!

It's never too late to...
Do something your passionate about.

What's next?
There are so many different things I want to do. I would love to expand Justina Leigh into a small lifestyle brand. I'd make one of a kind handbags with straps that look like a lot of my bracelets (I used to make handbags in college) and maybe even some clothing pieces. I'd love to get back into sewing, but there really just isn't enough time in the day! Where is that genie!?! haha Here's a peek of one of my new styles that I haven't put in my shop yet. It's a twist on the popular "Monte" I'm starting to incorporate leather. I haven't even named it yet, any suggestions? :)

I really love this!!!

Fashion is...
Not the articles of clothing you wear, but how you wear them.

Thank you so much Monique for sharing! Have a great weekend everyone!

Don't forget to check out Justina Leigh Jewellery!

Belt up Baby! Save, Spend & Splurge!

I heart accessories in a big way, especially belts worn in multiples that also applies to watches worn in multiples - mixing metals with leather straps is something me likes. I love layering in fall, especially with the rather unpredictable weather of late, who knows if you'll be wearing a trench, cardi or cute printed frock? Belts are just one of those rather flexible items in the wardrobe, I have mixed chain belts worn as a chunky necklace and other belts worn cinched in at the waist or slung over the hips. How do you wear yours and do you have any favourites?

Via Elle UK, Sept

Muse & heiress, Daphne Guinness, arriving for Alexander McQueen's memorial

SPLURGE

Paul Smith SS11 rocking double belts
From top:
Alice by Temperley leather and suede belt 160 euros
Chloe Clasp fastening belt 275 euro
Balmain stud braided belt 1,055 euros

SPEND

Topshop bar clasp belt £22
Topshop Zebra skinny belt £20
Topshop 6 rings belt £30
Topshop Utility belt £25
BCBG dual buckle stud belt $48


SAVE

Main: Next canvas belt £20
ASOS thin buckle belt £7
ASOS leather skinny snakeskin belt £16

Nailing it!

I'm having a nail envy moment, wishing that mine looked more like these (below), I'm dazzled by the cool colours and contrasts! With Autumn/Winter around the corner, muted neutral shades are oh so chic for the day, but I want to show off bejewelled colours for a wild weekend or evening!

via Marie Claire, Greece

I'm getting giddy all over just thinking about teaming these 2 colours together
or even Purple with teal tips!
YSL Manucure Couture £24 or 32.35 euros

Or even:
I love a manicure with a bold twist, something I have loved ever since I saw nail hero, Sharon Stone aka Ginger Mckenna in Scorsese's Casino donning a cool mani with blood red tips!

Barry M is launching a new collection 'Instant nail effect' at the end of September, great timing as I shall be back in London around then! Woo hoo!
I know it looks like normal black polish, but once you apply it over another shade it starts to crack slightly, showing the shade underneath. From £3.95 ref: Grazia
Barry M

Another neat little trick that has this kind of effect is using a plain solid colour polish followed by a layer of chunky glitter polish in a bold contrast colour with a clear base, this will show specks of the colour underneath too.

Both Essie & Nails Inc have created very similar and delicious collections for Autumn/Winter, with shades of mulberry, pewtery green, browns and khaki's.
For the Essie range see here and for Nails Inc here.

£22.50 via Nails Inc

International high street giant NEXT: Hot picks

Ok, this International high street fashion chain used to dominate the high street for your core basics, work wear, home ware, great kidswear in the UK and had insane queues for their Boxing Day sales start at 6am. NEXT is one of those mega brands that was well known for everything else but fashion, but no more!

I was recently intrigued by Kirsty of, Fashion Champagne's obsession with all things NEXT, has it really changed so much, have they hired a new crew of designers or is the creative director trying something new? Well, whatever they're doing, it's pretty amazing and rather impressive.

Recently featured in Vogues promotional campaign (see below), their shots captured a much more fashion forward presentation of their A/W collection and hitting most key trends/looks from the catwalk.

Hello Military-esque boots!

Brogues galore! This is only a fraction of what yumminess they have in their footwear range, you'll have to check it out here!

From top left: Cream lace shell top (under military jkt) £50
2 in 1 lace dress £50
Feathered cape £25 & blue knot maxi dress £35
Mink Velour jacket £35, lace statement necklace £18

So, whilst I have no qualms with the fabulous new look NEXT, I can't believe NEXT store's are everywhere world-wide, from New Zealand, USA and pretty much all continental European countries, through to the Middle East, Scandinavia, Russia, except in Greece.
What they do need to do is set up shop in Greece asap!

Road Tripping: Best of North Greece

Hey guys, hope you've all had an amazing weekend. I've finally had some catch up time to sort some bits outs, including sharing some photos of our road trip North of Greece a while back. It was a spontaneous and very random road trip as we didn't book hotels (seriously not a good thing to do in peak holiday time in Greece!) but it was a seriously fun adventure! I'm usually a planner and organizer and 4 years ago, doing a road trip without planning would have freaked me out to the nines, but having spent 2 years in Greece now, I've chilled out & become more laid back about things in life.

Some of these snaps were taken whilst we were whizzing by in the car, hence the lamp post above! I'm not so sure I would have stopped for this little stampede though!

Sunset, Elani (1st Peninsula), Halkidiki

Halkidiki near Kalithea

Ancient ruins of Dion - this was such an amazing archaeological site at the foot of Mt. Olympus, with lots of amazing uncoverings of the ancient ruins of Dion. This is the place where Alexander the Great made majestic sacrifices to Olympian God, Zeus before embarking on his great campaign in Asia. This was such a hilarious trip, as Mr. Perseus, gave me his very own history lesson, I'm totally geeked up on Alexander the Great now!

The excavation of Aphrodite's temple/sanctuary.

After visiting Dion, we ran into a different kind of a stampede, one involving lots of Vespa's, from antiques to modern one alike - I even saw a Barbie-fied one, but the camera didn't come out in time! The above shot is of a small waterfall at Elikonas River, aka one of the most ancient rivers in Pieria and also Vafiras or Ourlias River. According to mythology, this is the river where the women washed their hands of blood after having murdered Orpheus (The King of the Ciconians, is counted among the Argonauts. Orpheus practiced minstrelsy and by his songs moved stones and trees, holding also a spell over the wild beasts. He descended to the Underworld in order to fetch his dead wife, but had to return without her). The river disappeared underground and only to later resurface at Dion.

Cafe Leibhora at Mt. Olympus.

The Greek theatre, Dion with Mt. Olympus in the background

Beautylicious videos: How To...

Yes, it's another series of beautylicious videos, only this time I hope they're working and don't take too long to load, eek. With 2 of my dearest friends getting hitched next month, and me being assigned extra curricular Maid of Honour duties involving hair & make-up, I've been checking out some super cool beauty vids to make sure I have I haven't missed a trick.

It's one thing doing make-up on yourself, but doing make-up on someone else is a totally different experience. I've done make-up on both chums before and experimented a fair bit already, but wedding make-up requires quite a bit more attention. These are some of the cool beauty vids I checked out in my recce...

My fave being the Kim Kardashian ones, because you get to watch her make-up artist transform her from being normal gorgeous to super wow! It's not exactly wedding make up appropriate, it's more of "so this is what Kim looks like sans make up" video and "so this is how they do it"!
Oh and a brilliant video showing you how to get cheekbones to die for, aka 'Contouring'. Enjoy!

How-To get the perfect base, by Look Beauty Editor Sophie Beresiner - this is something that everyone should get right.

Get Kate Moss Cheekbones: Contouring by Look Beauty Editor Sophie Beresiner

This video is brilliant for accentuating and defining your cheekbone area and a fantastic follow up to the first video.

Kim Kardashian herself & make up artist show us how to get the Smoky Eye look, with Stephen Moleski
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Lastly, Part 4, et voila!

via Youtube

Thank you so much everyone for stopping by and taking time out to leave a comment, they always make my day and even chuckle a bit (I know how funny some of you guys are!).

Have a Fantastic weekend lovelies!

Photography Love: Magnificent Miles Aldridge

I just love love love this guys work! I just noticed that he's also married to the legendary Kristen Mcmenamy.

Numero Magazine 2007, via Miles Aldridge

Sorry if you couldn't check out the previous post, there's something wrong with some of the Beautylicious videos... will try posting again tomorrow.

Lusting after...

This oversized knit cardi in a really big way.

There's something about this ad campaign that I love, slouchy knee boots, woolly sheepskin mix bag, awesome belt... or perhaps it's the fact that she can get away with looking Über cool in hotpants and not feel the cold at.all?

I love this twist lock box bag by Marni and the LV's yumtastic Doctors bag below... I'd buy it, like tomorrow if I had a cool 2 point something K hanging about.

Last but not least, who's brave enough to rock this skin-tight little number? Grrrrrrr!

Ok, not moi! By asos.com £30

I know in one of my previous posts, when asked how I really feel about cat print romper by Fashion Butter I admitted to loving anything cat print/leopard print... but this, this requires boldness and a super hot bod!