Updates! Re-decorating and some recent buys!

Hi Sweethearts!

Do you know what? I always seem to start off by apologizing for the lack of updates - I'm really not good at sticking to things, so it's not surprising!
I feel like the busier I get, the less interesting my life is...not that it's terribly interesting to begin with! >.<

ANYWAY

Lately my home got rewired and a new bathroom fitted, so I took the time to redecorate - this was actually a really hard task for me as I'm a compulsive hoarder.
Like, no joke. I should have been on that hoarder programme on TV.
 I eventually worked up the courage to de-clutter so that I could have a lovely living space, and create my girl paradise room!
(it took a good few car loads over weeks and a full van load to take all the unnecessary items to the local skip....that says it all!)

I went for a really cutesy, girly vibe for my dressing room - the rest of the flat is my usual colour schemes or black,white,red & purple. >.< I'll always be a goth at heart!

I've still got some bits and bobs to do - ideally I'd like to give the floor another coat of paint at some point, and I'm looking at buying a wee white daybed to sit under the window for my chill out time! 

The dressing table that I picked up at Ikea is my favourite thing - I saved up hard for this beauty! 
I do need to invest in a chair/stool for it though, as I wasn't really fussed on the one that was shown with it - I fancy something a lot more padded for my dodgy spine. 

 
House aside, I finally got my hands on the Makeup Revolution Ilovemakeup choco palette in pink fizz - late to the party, I know! 
 I also picked up some lashes for 31p on ebay, absolute bargain! 

I also picked up a super nice belt from boohoo.com after a friend posted it up - I couldn't resist! I've been looking for a nice waist belt for the past while, and this will go perfect with a lot of things!

Ok, so £14 is a little pricey for a wee waist belt imo, but isn't it pretty???

That's all from me at the moment - I haven't had much of a chance to review items, or create looks due to the house being done up...my style has been "homeless chic" for the past month, but I'm looking forward to the warmer weather and being able to look more feminine!

Love,
           Kasumi x

Christmas Fashion Photoshoot

Hi Sweeties!

I recently did a Christmas themed fashion shoot with my wonderful photographer friend Louise Cantwell - Check out her work over on Facebook here: Louise Cantwell Photography

Louise is one of the most talented people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with, and when she decided to make this amazing Christmas Tree outfit I had my fingers crossed that she would ask me to model it for her - and lucky she did!
 Shooting out on location in a derelict barn with natural light was a lovely change from shooting in my house/in a studio - I really love natural light and the different mood it gives the images. ^_^

 

  

For this look, we decided that we should try out some more Avant Garde makeup, instead of anything plain and simple. (I'm sure this is why she picked me - I've been itching to do something more 'out there' for a while! hehehe ^_^)

I actually didn't have many idea of what to do makeup-wise until the morning of the shoot. I looked at the outfit and then raided my craft drawers and came across some feathers, bead sprays, lace and a pair of primark earrings that turned out to be perfect!

Here are some headshots of the makeup and a wee product breakdown.

For this look, I started off with my normal base foundation, and since it was photoshoot makeup, I made my contour with the sleek palette a lot stronger than I would for daily looks, to add some drama and shape to my face.

For the eyes, I went with a few dark brown shades of eyeshadow from my new Makeup Revolution palette (I'll post about this soon) to add some depth to my eyesockets/crease.

 I then went over this with a red shadow from the same palette, followed by BarryM dazzle Dust in the red shade, and blended this up to my eyebrows, which I had blocked out slightly with concealer. I winged out the shadow at the outer corners of my eyes and brought a sharp line down the bridge of my nose with an angled brush.

I lined my eyes with BarryM white gel eyeliner, which I have to admit isn't a the greatest product product, but it was the closest I could find to a white liquid liner the night before - it did the job well. I strengthened up the colour by pressing Etude House Crystal Tear powder over the liner, which also gives a lovely frosty sparkle.
The lower waterline is filled with maybelline black and white big eyeliner pencil.

For my lashes I used a L'oreal  2in1 mascara, and only used the white first step to allow my lashes to be white. I added more of the crystal tear powder around the bottom of my eyes for extra sparkle.

Now comes the fun part!

Firstly, I started attaching the feathers on my forehead with Revlon lash glue (this stuff is amazing) and attached them over my brow area, followed by the bead sprays to add dimension.
The most difficult part here was attaching the earrings to my head as they're pretty heavy and made from metal. However, this is why I love the Revlon lash glue so much! I held the earrings on (I cut off the loops on the top so they wouldn't look like I just chopped off the bottom of some earrings) and waited about 5minutes, and they stayed on perfectly without even a hint of movement for hours!
Well done Revlon!

Then I had previously thought that I'd use eyeshadow to create a lace pattern on the rest of my face, so chopped up a lace appliqué to use as a stencil and stuck it on. After looking at it for a few moments, I decided that the lace on it's own would be a far better (and easier) option, so I replicated it on the other side!
Finishing it all off with some little crystals, and filling my lips with Rimmel Apocalips matte lip lacquer the look was complete!

I'm personally really thrilled with how this came together, and can't thank Louise enough for getting me involved in such a fun concept - some of the images from the set have been published in Surreal Beauty Magazine too, which you can pick up here: Surreal Beauty Magazine 

 So, what do you think?
Leave your thoughts below ^_^
Love,
          Kasumi x

Gathering some new basics

Hi Sweethearts,

I really feel that I'm falling so behind in trying to get new blog posts out to you all, and it's just because I'm so busy at the moment.

What's new with me? 

Well, not terribly much! I've been doing well at being an ex-smoker (which isn't easy, let me tell you!), working and failing at being healthy.
 Being so exhausted after work leaves me no motivation to cook or eat healthily at all. Even though I'm at spin classes 3 nights a week, and generally eating less, I've still managed to gain weight due to the amount of crap I'm polluting my body with.
 However, I have managed to lose an inch off my thighs, which is great, however I've gained that inch back around my waist....what kind of sorcery is this?!?!!?
 I suppose that means I'm on the look out for an ab workout that won't affect my back, in addition to attempting to eat right and not just quick and lazy!
If you have any ideas for me, please leave me a comment below! 
I'm also looking at those waist trainer fad-trend-current product - do they really work? 


Moving on, I've been trying to renew some basics in my wardrobe (read: my current ones are literally falling apart or are ripped to shreds with wear and tear) so took a little trip around the high street with my other half before dinner to find some staples.

So, these are what I came away with today!

I've been in desperate need of these items for a while, and after being moaned at for the state of my work jeans (they were ripped from the inner thing almost 3/4 around to the other side!) I finally gave in and got some new ones.

 These 2 pairs came from Primark, for £9 & £11, and DAMN is it difficult to find bootcut jeans on the high street! I had to venture to Glasgow just to get some. Everywhere is skinny, Skinny, SKINNY...and I'm sick of them!
 They don't look good on someone pear shaped and short like me, unless I have a long top and heels on. I much prefer to try and balance myself out with bootcuts, that to be honest, are far comfier on my legs. (does anyone else find that skinny jeans are uncomfortable on the calves after a while, or is that just me?)  

Unfortunately, as usual, I'm going to have to either roll these up or cut them to make them a proper length for my 28inch legs...it's either that or I fork out 4times the price for ones built for shorties!
(whilst I'd have no problem doing this for nice jeans, work ones will just get ruined anyway so it's a waste of cash) 

I also bought a few Bras from H&M as I don't really have enough that are the proper size, so in order to throw them out I needed to restock.
 I got the same style in black, white and light pink as they're super nice, comfy and most importantly...really padded! I have a bit of a complex about my bust size, much like most women on the planet, so I don't feel comfortable wearing bras that aren't padded...I guess that makes me a cheater/let down...right?
They came in at £14.99 each.

Finally...something even less exciting (can you handle it?) SOCKS.
Seriously. Socks.
I am utterly convinced that either my cat steals them all, they magically grow legs and run away at night, or that the washing machine eats them!
 No matter how many pairs of socks I have, I can guarantee that before long they will be long gone! Even a full gutting out of my flat yields no results...this can't be normal, can it? Do they really grow legs? 


Moving on to something a little more interesting to look at, is my outfit for the day!

I really do have a thing for white jeans at the moment. Even though I have to be super careful not to mess them up, I always seem to feel really good and dressed up in them...even if my outfit is casual.
I recently picked up this knitted slouchy Cardigan from Ebay after being after one for a good while!

I never really thought that I'd wear something like that until I saw a picture of Ozaki Sayoko in something similar, and I absolutely love her style so I just had to find myself something similar!

I teamed this up with some white heels (on sale at New Look the other month), offbrand dangly earrings, bracelet, and a strappy black top that my mother gave me a long while back.

I actually used this Cardigan for a photoshoot on Sunday, where I did a little experimenting! Here's a sneak peek/behind the scenes from the shoot whilst I wait for the images! Hopefully you'll like them!

Silly VS super Serious face!

Anyway, that's all I have to report for the moment, as usual please leave me your feedback below! ^_^

Love,

           Kasumi x

Germany Trip 2015 (image heavy)

Hi Sweethearts,

Sorry for the delay in getting this post to you!

As I mentioned before, I was spending some time with my family back in Germany earlier on this month (unfortunately it wasn't under the best of circumstances) and I thought I'd share some pictures of my adventures with you!

So, my Mothership & I flew from Edinburgh to Hamburg this time, before commencing the most stressful 3 hour train journey to my family in Wolfsburg.

Travelling & Touristy photos:

(Left:Edinburgh Airport air traffic control/Right: Touching down in Hamburg)

Hamburg

Whoever said that Germans were efficient and punctual was totally lying - out first train to Hamburg Hbf was perfect, however our transfer from Hbf to Uelzen ended up being delayed due to the lines (unfortunately we arrived at the start of the 38degree heatwave) which meant on getting to Uelzen we had to literally run to get the connecting train to Gifhorn, which luckily waited for the passengers coming off the Hamburg-Uelzen train. 

Luckily my sister came to collect us at Gifhorn, as due to delays we narrowly missed the train to Wolfburg. 
(The train journey back was even worse for timing - we almost missed the train due to delays again, and the heatwave was over) 

Gifhorn Train Station

Eventually we got into Wolfsburg, and after some family time, I took a couple of days to wander around and feel all nostalgic about the city I lived in after I left school.

Left: VW factory/Right: Phaeno

We also took a day trip out to Braunschweig, to have a look around the shops and see some pretty architecture! I really love this city - it's just so beautiful.

Food

Anyone that knows me at all, knows that I have a major food addiction, especially when it comes to cake!
Here are a few of the yummy things I came across this time round. I really didn't eat much cake or bad things this time, as I'm actively trying to lose weight and it was heartbreaking not to eat every single yummy thing I wanted!

I couldn't resist picking up this beauty from Happy Donazz in the Schloss Arcaden, Braunschweig!
I absolutely adore these guys - they make the best Donuts ever....this one had crunchy nut on it! OMG! 

In true Me fashion, I found myself a good place to get some Sushi! 

Seriously, I have a massive addiction to Sushi, and it's usually the first thing I look for when I'm out and hungry. 

This box was just under 20Euros from Sushi Bar Viet Express in Kaufhof, Wolfsburg and was super lovely. On top of that they also gave me a discount randomly, so it was even cheaper. 

As far as value for money goes, this is definitely great and much cheaper compared to Scotland!
If you're in Wolfsburg, you should check them out: http://www.sushiwob.de

Left: Puddingbrezel for Breakfast/Right: Strawberry & Blackcurrent slices!

Baked Gyros with Cheese and Potatos from the Thission Greek Restaurant in Wob-stadt.

I also want to share with you some of the most delicious cherries, that came from my Omas' Cherry Tree! They were so good! 

Pets! 

I also want to introduce you all to my Sisters' cat, Lumpi. 

He's such a snuggly cuddly boy, that only gets to go outside when he has his jacket and lead on, so that he stays safe!

Isn't he a sweetie?! 

 

Fashion:

When we got to Germany, I was SO thankful that I packed light, girly, summery items! It was reaching almost 40degrees over the majority of the week, so I was absolutely melting! I even managed to get a ridiculous tan line from sitting on my Sisters' balcony for a few hours!

I wish that I could have put more makeup on, but for most of the week I had to hide it in a cold dark cupboard as my lipsticks and other cream/liquid products were taking the heat badly and things were beginning to melt! I dunno how you all in hot countries deal with makeup - short of keeping it in the fridge!

Travelling face! Hat: New Look 

Dress: H&M
Waistcoat: Primark

Necklace, Bracelet, Tshirt & Jeans: Primark

 Cardigan: Ebay

Dress: Offbrand from local Sunday Market/Car boot trader
Hat: TkMaxx
Sunglasses & Belt: Primark 

My Super Ridiculous tan lines! >.<

So this is a little rough sum-up of my week - food, sunshine and awful train services!
I've not posted any family pics up here to protect their privacy - however if you know me personally you'll have seen them on my personal page!

Next time I'll be back to chattering about makeup/looks/products and my usual geekery!

Until then,

Love,
          Kasumi x

Steal this Style: Sexy & Sophisticated Photoshoot

Hi Sweethearts,

The other week I finally managed to be brave enough to get in front of the camera and model again, after being extremely reluctant to do so due to my own body & confidence issues - so I thought that I would share this with you.

After much humming and hawing over what to shoot with the wonderful Louise from Louise Cantwell Photography  - we had originally planned to shoot some avant garde, fantasy, ethereal style fashion, incorporating a bespoke headpiece.
     However, after having a huge confidence crisis that morning whilst getting ready (Thankfully she's a very good friend of mine, so is used to me looking in the mirror and freaking out, repeatedly deciding that I hate myself and am a terrible disgusting person etc before I finally get the courage to do things.) and a failed attempt at putting together a last minute outfit (my sewing machine played up the entire night, and the outfit was far too sheer for going outdoors in public)  we ended up raiding my wardrobes to shoot a more glamorous, yet sophisticated type of fashion shoot - complete with some gal makeup!

The dress I chose was one that I picked up from Ebay last year on a whim, thinking that I'd love to be able to go somewhere/do something that would warrant wearing it - so it was a perfect choice for making me feel a little more like myself again.



I'm always a little wary when picking outfits from Asia, as I'm a lot more curvy, and pear shaped in figure so always wonder if it will fit over my butt or not! Luckily though, it's pretty perfect and makes me feel slimmer/more hourglass-like, due to the peplum and puffy shoulders.

I teamed the dress with a nude pair of heels from Primark, having not yet invested in a nice white pair (suggestions welcome)

Here are some shots from our adventure into the posh, quaint little side streets of my town & a local park bridge.  ^_^

I also happened to come across a sailor hat on my rails, which I think is maybe Russian, and couldn't resist taking it along as a fun prop! (feel free to correct me in regards to its' origin) 

           



It felt really strange getting back into posing that isn't a selfie, but at the same time I really enjoyed myself once I got back into the swing of things.
 It was a different style for both of us image wise, and it was a lovely to feel a bit more sexy/glamorous for a change!

I really love the more grown up, 'cool' type feel of these images - the outfit is pretty flashy for me, which I love, but the images are more casually styled....if that makes sense?

I would love to know your thoughts of the images, and do you wear clothing similar? Would you?
Let me know in the comments below ^_^

Love,
           Kasumi x