UGG BOOTS ARE BACK INTO THE FASHION WORLD?!?

Just as I threw my pair away, convinced that no one was ever going to wear them again, they came back to the fashion fold, as cozy and comfy as they’ll ever be. It’s scary and crazy how fast this trend can affect everyone and how easily the high streets of London and Paris will be full of them.

Yes, I’m talking about Ugg Boots.

I still remember that a few years ago every girl of my city would show up with the uggs and woolrich combo... it was thought to be so cool and fashionable, I hardly ever met girls without them at least in their wardrobe. But then everyone started to think it was too “daggy” or just like “slippers”, reason why I would have never imagined that they would come back to the fashion world, again. And, by the way... “slippers”... ehm, there’s always that insecurity about “are they actually fashionable?” “Does it look like that’s my PJ?” “Do they look like slippers?” Now, let me clear your mind. 

Back in 2003 an awesome celebrity devotees like Kate Moss wore the “slippers” in a fur gillet walking down the street in West London... and in 2001-2002 it was virtually impossible to get your hands on a pair of Ugg boots, with a very humble price tag of 250 pounds... quite expensive slippers, uh? Moreover, they were not as easy to be found  as they are now, literally at every single corner of high streets.

But what does actually make people love Uggs so much?

To really understand that, we must take the ship’s bearings on when and why they were invented.

They originated from Australia, at first designed as an utilitarian footwear worn for warmth. They were usually worn by surfers during the sixties and they were actually introduced to the world market in the 1970s, firstly in the surf culture of the UK and USA; who brought them to Europe and American where simply surfers, usually coming back from competitions in Australia. They started to emerge as a fashion trend in America in the late 1990s and earned world-wide importance in the mid-2000s.

While we wear them as a quite fashionable trend, and not only for the freaking amazing warmth they give us, in Australia they are worn predominantly as slippers and associated with “bogan” culture. Now, in case you wondered what that means, “bogan” is Australian and New Zealander slang to describe working class people, in a nutshell; as my Australian friend explained it to me, it can be either pejorative or self-deprecating.

Now, one of the reasons why everyone loves Ugg boots so much, a part of the fact that we are all idiots (sorry) and we suddenly like something when everyone wears it, is their comfortableness. Designer Ashley WIlliams admitted: “I wear mine with hand painted Aries Jeans, a Moschino tote, Palace Skateboards hoodie and Meadham Kirchhoff star hair clips. It was my first outfit of 2015 – Uggs are the marmite of the footwear world, they’re so comfortable. I love them”. And in addition to that, Vogue’s settings editor Nura Khan had quite positive things to say about that: “Of course there is the comfort factor too. They are just so cosy. Carrie Bradshaw wore them the best with painted boyfriend jeans and a sheepskin jacket – think throwback, grungy San Francisco style”. So, I wouldn’t exactly say the high fashion world does not appreciate Ugg boots, as lots of people (mostly Ugg’s haters, to be fair) say. Ahhh, this means we don’t have to feel guilty about wearing them!

What I used to think a few months ago is that I would wear them when I felt cold, or bored or sad... or else, when I was not willing to spend time choosing a good outfit. But I was so wrong... and I now learnt how to wear them to look at our best. If worn right, they really can make you look trendy and fashionable.

1 Firs of all, choose the right colour! Just try different pairs on and see which on matches the most with your complexion and hair colour. If you are pale or you have light or reddish hair, you may want to go from a natural earth tones range of colours (like brown or chestnut), whereas if you have a swarthy or olive skin, blue, black and grey will be awesome on you. Still, don’t ever feel like the colour is the most important thing, since you’re not obligated to follow any stereotype: just find the ones you like the most.

2 NEVER forget your body shape, even though (I know that feeling) most of the times we really don’t want to think about it! The main guideline is, as fare as body shape is concerned: of you have short legs, compered to your upper body, opt for the ankle-high boots and wear them with leggings or jeans. Again, don’t feel restrained to stereotypes and feel free to choose your favourite look, as long as you like how it fits you. There are tons of different ways to wear Uggs for a fashionable and super comfy look:

 - For a very casual look, wear with boyfriend loose jeans, a tight jacket and no make up (or, if you can’t help it, with a natural looking make up); in fact, the first heyday of uggs was back in 2004, in the feet of Sienna Miller, who had a lovely look with a completely bare face.

 -    Try with a vintage kind of dress and a chunky knit 

 -    For a strong look, go for a tux shirt or a long tunic with mini back Uggs

-       Wear baggy trousers and tuck them in the boots, accompanying them with a tight shirt or blouse with a cardigan

-       Opt for leggings and a cute babydoll dress, which usually helps to create curves for rectangle-shaped figures or, on the opposite, to hide extra curves.

-       Do the opposite of the baggy jeans style! Go for skinny jeans and a baggy blouse; if you’re that kind of girl, like me, who cannot live without accessories, put a wide, black necklace on

THE TWO MAIN DON’TS IN THE UGGS WORLD!!!

-       Why does everyone do it? Please, don’t ever wear uggs with shorts or supermini-skirts and bare legs, since there’s a reason why they’re filled with fur... despite the fact that the UGG Australia brand claims that the shoe can also be worn in summer, the trend in our fashion world is usually reserved for winter or fall. My conclusions are: if you feel like you’re going to be soaked with sweat if you wear leggings or stockings, it probably isn’t the right time to wear Uggs, too!

-       Don’t wear for dressy occasions. Despite what you see on TV (I mean, how stupid are most of the ads!), since I once saw a girl wearing uggs for a party, please be aware of the fact that Uggs are for casual outfits

AND... that's it! Hope everyone has a good day, love you all (and wear uggs!) :)
Camilla

DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER? My personal opinion

Have you ever seen a picture of a girl considered a beauty idol in 1950s? Or, let’s say, a Greek Venus? Well, in case the world needed some reminders, there you go...

  

I know, right? A little bit out of the standard we now have of a “hot girl”... completely, terribly, so horrifically wrong. Those girls are beautiful, and they are not only beautiful because they have “curves”, which are often said to make a “real woman”... they actually look stunning because you can see the confidence in their eyes. And by confidence I’m not talking about the certainty to be beautiful, but that awesome, extremely attractive look that tells: “Hey, this is me and I’m never going to change””. I may be wrong, but I can see that clear in those beautiful voluptuous women. Can you ever imagine Marilyn Monroe thinking “Oh, no, why am I so chubby?! I must loose weight!” Err... no. Would you ever be so crazy to think these girls need to be on a “diet”? I guess you wouldn’t. As long as there's health, everything can be beautiful. Then why are we so strict with ourselves? And then, last question, do you actually know what diet means?

Straight from the dictionary:"from the Latin root diaeta, means 'a way of life'". A WAY OF LIFE. 

Yeah, exactly. Misunderstandings everywhere, right?

Now, we also should all wonder what makes a woman a “real” one, apart, of course, the body: in my opinion, it’s likely the confidence, the confidence seen like the certainty of feeling comfortable with herself and accordingly with anyone surrounding her.

When I used to be slightly plumper, at about fourteen, I remember my mom telling me how much I looked worse when I clearly didn’t feel comfortable, maybe because next to my super skinny girlfriends. I didn’t believe her when she told me “You know what, you would look so much prettier if you got more confident and if you started to love yourself a bit more”. But I couldn’t. And I was involuntarily making myself look less pretty than I actually was... and if anyone ever thought that I was not beautiful, it probably wasn’t for that little bit of tummy on my stomach, but for that look that was telling everyone: “I don’t like myself”. It’s unattractive, it’s more unattractive that the actual body’s blemishes themselves. Crazy, I know, but so true.

I don’t want to sound cheesy indeed, like all those girls that spend so much time acting like earnest and sensible and then make fun of “fat people”, so I want to explicitly say that I personally think being thin (slim, not bony) is maybe the best choice, because being healthy comes first than any other thing; still, as long as we are happy and healthy, every size is good. And there's somthing called "constitution", which means you maybe have a bigger build, or a thinner one... and that's obviously not something to blame. Obviously, when it comes to obesity or anorexia there clearly are some issues and, in this case, the only way to escape the illness is to talk, even if sometimes it’s just so hard to be honest about something we wouldn’t like to admit even to ourselves. I'll be honest, I don't like it when I see those youtube channels where girls say "be whatever size you want"; as harsh as it may sound, either too fat or too skinny are bad... not for how you look, but your your health.

I’m really, really sure that taking care of ourselves and learning how to love our bodies is the best way to show everyone how amazing we are... either with some meat on our tights, or with small breast, we will always look lovely if we are happy with ourselves.

We always tend to think so superbly that we’re such good liars, when we don’t realise how many secrets our eyes can tell. And sometimes it’s really important to face up to the fact that what really makes the world so good is diversity, and  that there’s not one single person all around the globe that looks exactly like you, and with your own exact personality. We have the chance to be unique and we keep trying to waste it, struggling to get the body or the face of somebody else... we are who we are, as simple and annoyingly cheesy as it sounds. And one day, sooner or later, we will find that one special person who will understand how perfect we, and only we, are to him or her, whatever your size is. And still, it’s your personality, always, that the people you talked to will remember at the end of the day; and surely taking care of ourselves, trying to loose weigh when we need to and doing exercise is very good for us, as long as we do it because we ENJOY it, or because we STRONGLY DESIRE to change something about ourselves. It’s ok, sometimes, to feel envious, it’s ok to try to change and it’s ok to find flaws... trust me, the only reason why the world “flawless” exists is to be sang in Taylor Swift’s song “Enchanted” (this night is flawless, don’t you let it gooo lalal), which tells about an imaginary world: enough said.

Perfection, my loves, comes from a mysterious mix of humbleness, confidence and good values. What you look like DOES NOT change anything... and if anyone says it does, it means this person’s still too young, too blind, or incredibly stupid (my apologies) to understand what life is really all about: happiness. And we couldn’t ask for anything better than that.

Alright, so this was my little thought about a subject that is currently so discussed everywhere and anywhere... I just felt like I had to say what I honestly think.

Have a great night and work hard to love your flaws more than your virtues.

Love,

Camilla

MY FAVOURITE BEAUTY HACKS!

Have you ever tried to juggle with your hairdryer like a crazy clown while getting dressed or having breakfast, or to blend your blush while haphazardly putting random useless stuff into a bag? Well, I’m exactly like that.

You heard right, I’m always that girl who can never keep up with all the things she does and my agenda’s so full that I often end up going to school with wet hair. And, I swear, this happened multiple times, and not just in school.

Given that I will never learn how to be in time and follow a precise schedule, as my neat-freak sister would do, I eventually decided that I was fed up with my wet hair and not so well done make up, and I finally managed to find some tricks for a great, but still fast, beautifying process.

It all started when I was with my friend Isabella, a few months ago, moaning about how long it took sometimes to take a good shower and wash my hair when I was in a rush. “Go mutitask!” she said, and, even though I felt quite confused at first, I then realized how  I could be more clever and learn how to get ready in half of the time. “Why don’t you wake up early?” you may ask, and I can suddenly tell you that I’m not good with plans and I never ever, ever listen to my clock... yeah, I know, it’s just there to make people think I'm a very organised, responsible girl. No, I definitely need to always be late and in a rush... I just can't help it, that's how I like it.
And these are the little tricks that I started to use when I really must storm out of my house for some reason:

1.  USE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER TOGETHER 

There actually are tons of all-in-one products, but (hallo, Camilla!) I realized that you can actually use both shampoo and conditioner together, simply blending the second one only on the edges, and the shampoo on the roots of your hair. Then, you will only have to rinse off all at once.
 
     2.   DON’T USE SHAMPOO ON WET HAIR

Now, since the very first times I was trying to wash my hair at eight, my mum’s always taught me the "make your hair wet and then put shampoo on" thing, and that’s how I’ve always done. A few months ago, though, as I was doing some research to learn how not to let your hair get greasy, I found lots of sources saying that shampoo doesn’t need to be applied on wet hair to clean it well, and I actually noticed the difference... so, in addition to its cleaning advantages, applying the shampoo on wet hair may also be a way to cut off some time. 

   3. DO SOME SPEED SKINCARE 

Never forget it, even tough sometimes it seems the last thing to do when we’re in a rush. If you’re (like me) the kind of girl that doesn’t choose her outfit the day before, I suggest you to choose it after you put on some cream for your face and body, so that you let it absorb.

And then... then we get to the fun part: make up! I always do it when I’m all ready, and I think that is the best choice, but if you happen to be a very messy person pay attention and try not to dirty your clothes. 
Below are some hacks to speed up your make up process:

1.  USE A MOISTURIZER OR A CC CREAM

I recently read on Cosmopolitan that the makeup artist Alexis Day recommended the “Nars Tinted moisturiser in a few interviews, saying it gives a radiant glow and it’s very easy to blend. A CC cream is substantially a BB cream, with the only difference that CC generally stands for “color correcting” and the products are meant to address issues like redness or sallowness, whereas BB creams are like lighter foundation with a little skin care benefits thrown in. The famous makeup artist Nico Guilis said that “CC cream is a color corrector and will be lighter on the skin [than a BB cream]. They have more of a whipped, light, fluffy feel and finish... kind of the new and improved BB"

     2. SPRAY-ON IS GREAT TO PREPARE YOUR SKIN 

You can find everywhere mists that instantly prepare your skin for the makeup and also conceal blemishes or red spots. The smash box primer Water is actually a very good one and you can buy and it costs only something around 20 pounds. 

     3. WARM YOUR MASCARA UP!

To get curlier lashes, you should warm your mascara before... sometimes, when I don’t have much time I just put it in my bra... yeah, I know; weird, right? But I swear it really works! I also fold them and I strongly suggest you to do that if you don’t already.

     

     4. FOR YOUR EYE BROWS

Now, personally I don’t do my eyebrowses, so I can’t really say anuthing about this, but I did my research and found out that applying specialized tints or gels  with  a brush can both colour and groom them at once; Cosmopolitan, again, suggests “Benefit Gimme Brow” and “L’Oreal Paris Brow Artist Plumper”, and they both costs less then 20 pounds, so they’re affordable as well.

    5. DO YOUR LIPS FAST! 

For a lovely cupid's bow when applying lippy, draw an X onto your top lip, apply lip liner around the rest of your lips, and then colour in with lipstick. To make them look fuller, try to use a brown or dark coloured pencil.

   
     





    

    6. CONCEALER 

A lot of people I met would use the concealer as a BB cream. Once I saw my friend blending it all over her face, and even on her neck, saying “she had so many blemishes”... alright, don’t do that. Concealer is mostly for little spots like pimples or stuff like that and you are supposed to blend it around your nose and chin, and under your eyes if you need it. It doesn’t have to take the place of a foundation! Caroline Barns, Cheryl Fernandez-Versing's makeup artist, suggest to "start with a concealer like Vicky Dermablend Corrective Stick (15 pounds) and use it as you would an eraser, deleting the redness and blemishes". Moreover, instead of wiping along your dark circles, apply it in a triangle under your eye. I also found a video that exactly explains how to do it, so there you go!

   9. GETTING AN INTENSE LOOK

I found on Cosmopolitan, a few days ago, the words of Florrie White, a clinique UK colour artist about this: “Apply a soft smudgy eyeliner into the waterline (the bit above your lower lashes, next to your eye), then into the lower lashes, blending to a soft line  underneath. Sharpen the pencil and sweep a line over the top lashes”. To make the best of your eye shadow, intensify the colour of any eyeshadow by putting white eyeshadow/crayon on your eyelid first. If your eyeshadow cracks, which happens so often to me, there’s actually a super easy trick to have a new one, that doesn’t involve spending money. Just wrap it in collophane, smash it and then just add some alchol... I tried and it worked (actually, only the second time, since the first time I basically put way too much alchool I think I killed the eyeshadow). 



And for now, that's all.

Love you all,
GirlyGirl

FALLING IN LOVE WITH CARDIFF?!?

I'm currently on holiday in Cardiff, as you know the capital of Wales, and in the last few days I've been slowly falling in love with the city... now, after three days, I literally am here lying in my hotel bed, picturing my future in one of those super cute houses in the centre and counting how many days I still have to spend in my squalid city before I get to live in Cardiff! I know, I'm quite a good dreamer, uh?
It was love at first sight and I honestly would have never imagined that Wales was so stunning: my jaw suddenly dropped as I saw the main shopping centre, called Saint David's I think (but I may be wrong), one of the best I've ever seen in Britain... there is everything you need, EVERYTHING... From Topshop and Primark to classy shops selling sophisticated jewellery, and tons of places to eat, again from elegant italian restaurants to Nando's, Ed's, Diner and similar fast foods. And what I like the most about Cardiff is the fact that you can find everything in such a small, lovely city... as a London lover and fan, I can still be honest and say that it makes you feel lonely sometimes and it can be dispersive and chaotic, which are definitely not adjectives that you could ever give to Cardiff. And what I mostly look for in a city, whenever I travel, is that perfect balance between history and modernity, reason why I wouldn't live in New York or in the Celshire countryside; that's what I found in Cardiff, and that's substantially what made me fall so badly in love with this lovely city.
However, I have to say that I already had a reason to like Cardiff, since my second choice journalism university would be, for now, the Journalism University of Cardiff, after the UAL in London... I went to visit that, too, of course, and my eyes were beaming with joy, really! The universities are all located in the same place, all near each others, so that, as a student that I got to meet told me "there's a very good chance to make lots of people studying completely different things". And I think that would be a very good reason to love a city, since, when you move to study somewhere that's not your hometown, you're gonna need friends! And, still, I quite enjoy some alone-laptop and tv time, but in a city like that you really can meet people, make friends and have fun!

 

Alright, now I'd better draw my conclusions, and then go to bed because I'm a wreck right now and my eyes are begging me to stop rumbling and start sleeping instead: Cardiff really is such a great city, full of history (the castle is awesome!) and yet so full of youth and places to go shopping or simply have a good time... basically, guys, go to Cardiff if you haven't yet, because it really is great!
Well, now that I said everything I wanted to say, I'll lie down and start dreaming what my house-to-be in Cardiff will look like... Ah, have a goodnight everyone!


Kisses,
GirlyGirl