May the fashion be with you

Star Wars is pretty big news right now with the new film Episode VII set to be released in 2015, and fashion houses like Rodarte using motifs right from the films in their latest collections. As it's Star Wars Day I've put together a few ways you can celebrate in style. May the fourth be with you!

Star Wars by x-hannahmarie featuring a red dress

Childhood tunes

I remember a long time ago someone asking me why I like the music I like. It's quite a strange question to ask and when first asked you're not really sure how to reply but actually for me it's pretty simple and it comes down purely to my parents. Music is a very strong childhood memory for me. Whether it's dancing to Texas with my mum and my little brother, or my dad blasting out Pink Floyd throughout the house so loud you could probably hear it a street away. Obviously at that age if you'd have asked me my favourite band I was hardly likely to turn around and reply with Black Sabbath (it was the nineties and I'm a girl, hello Spice Girls). When you really start thinking about the music you heard throughout your childhood you remember a lot of interesting things. For example, I've known who Kate Bush is for as long as I can remember. I don't recall ever sitting down and listening to Kate Bush myself, or finding out who she is and what she does for my own personal gain. That is purely down to my mum playing her music around the house and singing along, and I would ask as any inquisitive child would, who it was. Then there are specific songs that I remember, Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl, Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song (my brother and I would love to do Robert Plant's "AAAAAAAAAAH AH"), Lighthouse Family's Lifted, and a huge amount of U2. My mum had the Best of 1980-1990 album by U2 and I can specifically remember without looking it up that the cover was a weird mustard colour with a sepia picture of a young boy wearing a riding helmet. Though I may be leaning more towards my dad's music taste nowadays (we once travelled to Reading to see a Led Zeppelin tribute band and most recently he joined me on the Sunday of Download Festival 2012 to see Black Sabbath), I still enjoy a dance around to George Baker's Little Green Bag with my mum, or a no holds barred mini concert with the whole family to Journey's Don't Stop Believin'.

New makeup hero

Allow me to introduce Illamasqua Hydra Veil.

I'd seen and heard about this product for a while now but whilst shopping to replace my favourite Illamasqua powder, I took the dive and bought this as well. Hydra Veil is a primer that has a jelly-like consistancy, making it feel a bit strange when you first apply it using the miniature spoon provided.

The jelly formula melts slightly as it comes in contact with your skin then glides over your face when you apply it. Immediately I noticed that my skin felt hydrated, which differs from the feeling I get using my usual Illamasqua Matte primer which seems to strip away all oils from my face. I do have quite oily skin so I figured from this it might not work with me. I applied my makeup as usual and went about my day. Not once did I have to re-powder my face, my makeup never looked caked, or faded. I took this photo after about 6 hours in my makeup on a warm day.

It's not the clearest photo I know, but basically my makeup looked exactly the same as when I first applied it in the morning. So Illamasqua has done it for me again, this is my new miracle product, and although it's a little pricey (£30 for the pot) you get a huge amount for your money and you only need to use a small amount with each application. I would definitely recommend this for anyone struggling to find a primer that works for them.

Quick shoot

This is an impromptu photoshoot I did because the weather had blessed us with some great natural lighting. I haven't edited these shots at all because I really like naturally backlit photos so much, it gives a beautiful almost matte effect to the images. I think if you're not focusing on anything in particular in a photo, then backlighting in a great way to do it.

Model: Joshua Dunne

Style crush

I'm having a moment of major love for Kelly Osbourne right now. She's the poster girl for transformations, turning herself from the bratty punky teenager on The Osbournes to this purple-haired style queen. Her personal style is very similar to mine, kind of girly gothic, and I love pretty much everything she wears so obviously I need her wardrobe immediately. It's not just about the fashion though, her hair and makeup is always on point, she's not afraid to experiment a little and being the daughter of the Prince of Darkness she can basically get away with anything.

(Images via STYLEBISTRO)

This week's music

This playlist is all about memories. Certain bands and songs can take you back to an exact moment in your life and I always find that pretty amazing. Growing up these were my 'favourite bands' throughout various times. I don't really have a favourite band anymore, I don't think it's really possible for me because I would change my mind too much. With these bands I could literally tell you the order and how old I was and what I was doing and why they were my favourite band at that point because all it takes is one listen now and I remember everything. I think I did pretty well with my growing up bands because I don't regret anything of them and still listen to their music to this day, just maybe not with quite the amount of overwhelming enthusiasm as when I was 14.

Spring/Summer 2014 Beauty

Differing from my summary posts of the Autumn/Winter 2014-15 collections, my beauty post will focus on Spring/Summer 2014. These are the looks that are relevant and on trend right now.

Natural wonders
Seen at Giles, Emilio Pucci, Christopher Kane, Giambattista Valli, Alexander Wang.

The natural look is seen every season but it really stood out as a trend this season. At Giles (top), Lucia Pieroni's inspiration was nineties supermodels, glowing skin, mascara free eyes, and rosebud lips. Bare lashes were seen again at Emilio Pucci (middle), with makeup artist Lisa Butler describing the inspiration behind the look as "a strong girl who is naturally beautiful and doesn't need makeup". The makeup itself looked slightly heavier than some of the other natural looks, this is due to the use of a foundation shade slightly darker than the model's skin tone to give the skin a healthy glow. The makeup at Alexander Wang (bottom) was very raw and minimalistic. Diane Kendal simply moisturised the face then used concealer where absolutely necessary, and hair stylist Guido Palau created messy undone matte hair.

Blue is the warmest colour
Seen at Marc by Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Anna Sui, David Koma, Prada.

Blue eyeshadow has been brought out of the eighties and into the 21st century, updated with different colours and techniques. The most striking blue of this season was seen at Marc by Marc Jacobs (top), makeup artist Dick Page used a block of highly-pigmented vibrant blue across the lids, keeping the rest of the face fairly minimal. At Miu Miu (middle), the colours were more subtle palette of pastels blues, accentuated with lilac and lemon hues. Pat McGrath really experimented at Prada (bottom) by applying the eye makeup with a spray-gun style tool. The look looked slightly messy which perfectly complimented the offbeat collection.

All lined up
Seen at Just Cavalli, Erdem, Missoni, Rodarte, Stella McCartney.

An easy trend to replicate is the slightly rough around the edges eyeliner trend. Terry Barber created an edgy, messy look full of attitude for Just Cavalli (top), he described the Just Cavalli girl as "an effortless 'urban' who likes her makeup in a lived in way... she finds perfection trashy". This look can be easily recreated with a kohl liner applied in an almond shape around the eye, slightly smudged, and then left to further smudge and fade as the day goes on. The eyeliner was slightly more polished at Missoni (middle) with Lucia Pieroni creating a graphic lined eye applied right into the inner corners of the eye. At Stella McCartney (bottom) eyeliner was applied all around the eye and flicked out at the corners for a rebellious heavy look contrasting with natural skin.

Straight Edge
Seen at Elie Saab, Chloé, Helmut Lang, Proenza Schouler, Ralf Lauren.

Preppy and street, or sleek and sophisticated, poker-straight hair is the hair style of the season. At Elie Saab (top) Eugene Souleiman created the sleek hair swept back by a golden hairband, he described the look as "expensive but not vulgar". The neat, smooth hair created by Paul Hanlon at Helmet Lang (middle) was tucked behind the models eyes and secured in a low ponytail, this polished hairstyle was perfectly offset by the slouchy clothes of the collection. Paul Hanlon was inspired by Californian skaters for the simple straight hair at Proenza Schouler (bottom), the hairstyle was edged-up a little more with a slightly off-centre parting and a slightly less polished look than seen in other shows.

Vocalists

My recent discovery of Halestorm and the power vocals of Lzzy Hale got me thinking about vocalists. I don't play an instrument so vocals tend to be the first thing I really notice about a song (not that I sing either), therefore vocals and lyrics are very important to me in music. So I've thought long and hard and compiled a list of five of my favourite vocalists. This is basically an impossible task so I'm not saying that these are definitely my top five and will never be beaten (well apart from the first), no way, these are just the musicians I really think I would pay to hear them sing the phonebook. Now there are so many more I would have liked to include here (Robert Plant, James Hetfield, Kurt Cobain, Tim McIlrath, Prince, Stevie Nicks, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and more), but for now it's these five.

Freddie Mercury

Seriously though, beat that. There is no voice like Freddie Mercury's. I may not listen to Queen every day of my life, in fact I very rarely listen to Queen, but I can't imagine not having Freddie Mercury in this post. It wouldn't make sense.

Michael Jackson

I absolutely love Michael Jackson, nearly five years after his death I'm still pretty broken hearted because if I could pick anyone in the world to see live it would be Michael Jackson. His voice is awesome, he's the world's greatest dancer and entertainer ever. I really hope that I'm still as big a Michael Jackson fan as I am now in 10, 20, 30 years time. And yes I know the Thriller dance, and the one below.

Steven Tyler

Huge huge huge huge huge Aerosmith fan so Steven had to be on this little list. If you like Aerosmith then you understand the excitement that is Steven Tyler's scream, and the further excitement of when the harmonica comes out. Of course the older performances are better, let's not forget Steven is 66 now, but he's still doing pretty well if you ask me.

Chris Cornell

I love voices that you just can't ignore, Chris Cornell's voice is definitely one to sit up and pay attention to. Gargling pepples low and sexy one minute then BAM full power.

Corey Taylor

It's pretty wildly known in my friends and family that I love Corey Taylor. For about 1000 reasons, but the voice is the main. First off you have Slipknot, I'd say it's fairly impressive to be able to communicate real raw emotion through singing and screaming while wearing a mask, but Corey nails it. Then there's there's Stone Sour and Corey's acoustic solos, suddenly the growling screaming masked man from Slipknot has a beautiful powerful voice. Amazing, amazing, amazing. Give that man the phone book I will pay!

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

So I'm very excited because I've just booked my ticket to the most highly anticipated fashion exhibition of next year. The Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition was originally displayed in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 2011. The collection was so popular it was extended by an extra week. Now it's coming to London. The V&A will host the exhibition from March 14th to July 19th, and with London being the designer's birthplace, I imagine it will be immensely popular here too. The collection covers the entire spectrum of Alexander McQueen's career, from his 1992 graduate show to his unfinished autumn/winter 2010 collection.

Buy your tickets to this exhibition here now.

(Image via Vogue UK)

100 happy days

100 happy days is the latest social media craze blowing up all over Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. The concept is simple, take a photo a day of something that has made you happy, upload it to your chosen social media platform with the hashtag #100happydays. I began this challenge in January and just uploaded my 100th photo. I'm so glad I did it, because as corny as it is, it does make you appreciate the little things every day that make you happy, and also it's encouraged me to take more photos. It's been hard though, especially on days where you think to yourself 'I have literally done nothing all day long', so you take a photo of the movie you're watching on your laptop and call it a day. Here are some of my 100 happy days. Have a go yourself!

Festival Dress

Festival season is coming up and as much as I would like to go to all of them, sadly I can't. That hasn't stopped me from thinking about the outfits I'd love to wear to each of them. I love festival dressing, especially the way that each festival differs in style. I think I've got a pretty straightforward sense of style, I tend to lean towards the grungy masculine look but I like getting all dolled up from time to time. Festival-wise, I would wear things that I wouldn't normal wear in my day to day life, I think it's a bit of a 'when in Rome' situation. So here are my festival wardrobe picks for five of the biggest festivals coming this Summer.

Download festival

Download by x-hannahmarie featuring a fur hood parka

First off, we have Download Festival. My personal favourite festival I'm gutted to be missing this year. Being a metal festival I think it's got a reputation for just being dirty and the image people envisage is a bunch of big bearded men in band shirts strutting around a field, and while they would be totally wrong, there's more to it then that. Personally I like the idea of sticking to my own personal style at this festival, mixing the masculine rocky vibe with some cute feminine pieces. Whether it's this Mickey Mouse silhouette crop top, or just a bright pretty nail colour, it all looks great when juxtaposed with ripped jeans and super messy hair pulled together with a bandana.

Glastonbury festival 

Glastonbury by x-hannahmarie featuring a green hi low dress

Ah Glastonbury. If there's one place I'm going to rock florals and fringing (rare features of my wardrobe) together then it's here. I'd really pull out all the girly stops for Glastonbury, even foregoing tights and just popping on a bit of fake tan (a necessity for my bare paler than the moon legs, the campsite would be blinded without it).

V festival

V by x-hannahmarie featuring a black paisley bandana

V is fun, it's mainstream, it's sexy, it's young. Short denim cutoffs are a must! These and crop tops are part of my festival essentials as they're very small so you can bring more options but take up less space than jeans and tops. Just be sure to also bring something warm and a good waterproof.

Reading&Leeds festival

Reading by x-hannahmarie featuring a blue jean jacket

I generally view Reading&Leeds as the starter festival. It was my first festival when I was 16, Metallica headlined and I actually remember it clearer than some of the more recent festivals I've been to. The line up this year is insane and I would love to go but for rock and metal fans, when you discover Download and Sonisphere, you can't really imagine going back to Reading. Saying that, if I was given the opportunity to go this year I would jump to it. As Reading is young and edgy you can get away with going a bit crazy grunge, which I love.

Bestival

Bestival by x-hannahmarie featuring a waterproof coat

Bestival is crazy. Honestly crazy. I went for the first time last year and actually if I had to pick one festival to go to this year it would be Bestival again. It's really far out of my comfort zone music wise so I was really apprehensive about it, but it was one of the best festival experiences I've ever had. Style wise, anything goes. Clash that print and colour as much as you want, it's all good at Bestival.

Miss Hale

As the Halestorm obsession continues I just have to promote Lzzy Hale and her INSANE voice. I would listen to that woman singing the phone book. Two videos below; the first being when I saw her at Download 2012 with Corey Taylor. Corey is probably my favourite vocalist in rock and he could have done this song alone and it would have been brilliant, but throw Lzzy into the mix and you have sheer vocal heaven. The second video is an acoustic version of my favourite Halestorm song Here's To Us, where you can really appreciate the skill of this lady.

Guy Bourdin inspired

I had the opportunity to photograph a shoot inspired by the above photograph taken by legendary fashion photographer for Guy Bourdin for this photoshoot. We wanted to recreate this image in a modern, and brighter way. It was hard work, especially finding ways to keep the model from toppling off the table completely, but I think the images have turned out very well.

Model and stylist: Faye Harrison

Makeup essentials

Following up from my beauty essentials post, I thought I'd do the same but for my makeup. I'm pretty stuck on my makeup, nothing really changes because it works so why experiment with something that might not? Maybe one day I'll push the boat out a bit a try new things, but for now I love what I've got so here we are.

This is my favourite primer on the market, and I've tried them all believe me. I need a primer in my makeup routine because I have pretty oily skin so makeup tends to just slide right off me. This is the only primer I've found that really keeps it in place. I used to wear the Illamasqua Satin Primer, which was great and made my skin feel nice and soft, but it did nothing for my makeup. The Matte primer keeps everything in place and it's definitely an essential in my kit.

I think if you're going to spend a bit more money on one thing in your makeup bag it should be foundation. A bad foundation can be spotted a mile off, with tidelines and caking, and just that general fake look. This Estée Lauder is perfect for my skin. I use the Double Wear Light as I don't really like heavy makeup, it doesn't work on me, it looks really obvious on my skin, and I generally just don't like the feel of it. I never like to feel makeup on my skin because I get paranoid about what it's doing to it. I love this foundation because of the lightness of it, and also because I think it's the first foundation I've ever bought that straight out of the pot matches the colour of my skin. Again it stays in place all day even with my oily skin and hot weather. Supposedly the normal Double Wear foundation does this also, so whatever coverage you like, I would highly recommend this product.

Yes I am a huge Illamasqua fan so here's some more. I was actually quite scared of cream blusher before I found this one. I couldn't understand how you could put it in the right place and make it look natural, turns out it looks 100 times more natural than powder. This colour is absolutely beautiful, I think it would suit pretty much anyone, and the bonus is you can use it on your lips too and it looks like a gorgeous lipstick. This is my favourite powder in the world. It's loose powder so can get a bit messy but it's worth it. It's light, it mattifies the face without caking it, and it smells gorgeous too.

I always use Maybelline mascara, I've tried pretty much every one and I think they're all great. At the moment I've been combing these two, using the lower lash wand on the Big Eyes for my lower lashes, the upper wand for one coat on my upper lashes, then finishing with another coat on the upper lashes using the Colossal Volume.

For lips I tend to stick with Barry M lipsticks. I have others of course, Rimmel do great lipsticks (big fan of the Kate Moss collection), but Barry M have an amazing range of colours and each one has great staying power without drying out lips.

Well I suppose it could be argued that I like Barry M for nails too (that's just over half the amount of colours I have). I just think they're great value, great staying power, and a really good selection of colours and glitters.