Wonderful things I would buy if I had wonderful money.....sigh......

 Sometimes I like to look at things I can't afford. Sometimes I like to look at things I would buy if I owned a nice house. Sometimes I like to combine the two and look at things I can't afford and would buy if I suddenly came into an inheritance..... Today I found a table I would buy. This is the balloon table by Duffy London. It was suggested to me by the powers that be (random internet stalking) and I instantly fell in love with their website...

There is something that makes me happy about the table. I have no idea why but there is something.

Then I realised I would kill to own their 'wolf within' shadow chair too....HOW COOL IS THIS???????? I MUST HAVE IT!

You can stalk the rest of their wonderful site here : here

So what summer trends am I still hating or have I changed my mind (Don't count on it)

 So what of the summer trends? There are some trends that I hate instantly on sight but yet grow to love over the months. It has to do with getting my head round the sight of new things. I know thats not a great thing to admit to as a fashion blogger but sometimes a girl needs a minute! Or in some cases five months.....
So what trends am I hating on and which have I forgiven?

I have never liked peblum dresses. Never have and I never will. I have no idea why I hate them so much but the style of them has never appealed to me. I have no interest! This hasn't changed over the years at all. I will never stop hating on them. Grrrr. I even tried one on in the interest of science and couldn't bring myself to enjoy it.

 Brothel Creepers - I have a weird love hate thing going on with BCs. I kinda think they look ugly but I kinda like them. I am not entirely blown away by them. I much prefer the high top sneaker and hidden wedge sneaker trend which have been doing the rounds. River Island have some great ones in right now. I am put off the BC trend even further by the fact that the high street have yet to embrace them. I just haven't found any I like. There some nice ones in Schuh but to be honest, I'd rather spend the money on some high tops. These look a little clumpy and down right weird....

Crop Tops - I have just bought a crop top but it doesn't change my opinion that most people shouldn't be wearing them. I wear mine underneath things in a bra sort of way but I have seen waaaaaay too many people wearing them as actual statements. Get this, and get it well - DO NOT WEAR A CROP TOP IF YOU HAVE A BELLY. Simples. I'm sorry but its a fact that it is just not flattering. I've been wearing mine under shirts and with dresses for work and hiding the fact that its cropped. Mind you, these are kinda cute with high waisted shorts for festivals. That is the only exception. I have spoken. that is all.

Vintage Versace prints- The recent Versace collaboration with H&M has brought about a revival of her prints. I HATE this. I am not the biggest Versace fan ever but my god, it's tacky. It was tacky then and its tacky now. I can't stand it. I think it doesn't help that even Topshop have ripped this look off and ripped it off badly. This jazzy and loud print just doesn't work in rural Ireland. It might be catwalk inspired and circa now but I think it would be best left on the sale racks - where it has ended up. Give it a rest people!

Bomber Jackets in cheap prints  - I love that the only picture I could find of the bomber jackets from Topshop was this one - Jessie J wearing one with what looks like a really sore camel toe. Seriously, those American Apparel pants are well jammed in there! It's gonna take her weeks to get them off! Anyway, Topshop got behind this trend massively this summer by producing an entire line of just bomber jackets. Inspired by the 20 year rule in fashion which means that the 90s are now fashion gold dust - the jackets have popped up in all high street stores.....oh wait....no....pretty much Topshop. Oh and they are in those Versace prints too - you know how I love those!!!!
The bomber jacket is the hipster's best friend. It shows their ironic street cred. Ironic because the hipsters know the jackets are massively uncool and try to make them cool by wearing them and ironic because they look like utter twats wearing them.


I have spoken. Let us go in peace. Amen.

 

I leave you with Jessie J's weird looking crotch thing......Yeah.....that can't be natural..... I wanna ring her up and offer her some savlon.....

WORKFACE : Rainbows!

 There is nothing I hate more then missing out on a whopper party. So I was well upset that I couldn't make the Pride march in Dublin today. However I got into the spirit of things by painting my face. I decided to paint massive rainbows. As you do.

EYES - MAC 'Hush' cream color base, Barry M red eyeshadow, MAC 'Orange', MAC 'Chrome Yellow', Barry M green, M Store blue eyeshadow, M Store 'Bordeaux' purple. Barry M liquid liner in Grey. I popped all the colors on using my fingers then blended it all together using a round blending brush.  I also added No.44 lashes from MAC.

EYEBROWS - Spiked by MAC

 Lips - Hello Kitty by MAC. I forget the name of this but its a glaze and its a light pink color with fragments of red glitter in it. I'm not mad about it but I really couldn't get a bright color to match.

Bra - Miss Selfridge
Necklace - Freedom jewelry
Dress - Topshop (its a skirt made into a dress)

QUOTAGE!

“I made a joke and she started to laugh and she said let’s go and get some paninis because we’re starving … and off we went. We just talk, talk, talk. She’s so inspiring. We make fun of each other and teach each other. She says, ‘I could never make sexy clothes, but I love them.’ And I say, ‘Well, I love what you do.’”

- Donatella Versace on eating paninis with Muccia. Now this is straight up bullshit....everyone knows that no one in fashion eats actual bread...... If she had said they went out for some air and bitching then I would understand that...everyone knows that in fashion, air and bitching are two of the four food groups...The others are champagne and marlboro lights.

So, which one were you?

When I was eleven - there was one question more burning then most.......Which Spice Girl were you?

I was always posh spice. The reason for this was that despite being blonde - I had a short bob hair cut like hers. So therefore, I was always posh. My sister was always scary spice because she had mad curly hair (hair straighteners weren't around then) and there you go. The girl up the road was sport spice because she was....well...sporty and my best friend was baby spice because of her pigtails. We were always short a Geri because no one had ginger hair. As much as my American readers might find that funny - we were short a red haired person in Ireland. Laugh all you will - this was a terrible thing to have happen in 90s rural Ireland.

Anyway, I cringe when I think back to those days. Mind you, I'd not change a thing though. So the inner ten year old found it incredibly funny that the Spice Girls are auctioning off some of their clothing for charity over the summer - and the charity isn't funding their dying careers.....

...It's for children in need and yes Beckham is also sponsoring some of her costumes. Although for those of you who might be thinking about the Prada - she looked incredibly ropey in those days so the best you can hope for is a skirt so short it's a belt and a bra with metal on it....Incredible what passed for posh in those days....Remember this was a time Pre-Gaga and Pre- Nicki....

Wishing everyone in Dublin a very happy Pride!

HAPPY PRIDE EVERYBODY!

Miss Penny Dreadful wishes everybody in Dublin a very happy and fun pride! I wish I could march with you today but I'll be there in spirit!

and remember.....You Better Werk!

Slingbacks

I know these are quite conservative and all...but there is something about a simple black slingback which is filling me with joy this morning. I don't normally do slingback as a pair cut the back of my heel off before but these are quite nice....

They are topshop incase anyone is wondering.....

NOMINATE AND VOTE!

Hi guys,

If you like the blog and find your a frequent visitor - then why not nominate us for best fashion blog in the Cosmo awards 2012?

A great way to say thank you to everyone for all the hard work!

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Boots

Sexy..... I want these silver boots from Acne. The boots are misleading named Free metallic boots! Sadly though, they are far from free and cost €520!

You can find them at netaporter.com here

River Island Leggings are go!

Thought I would share these gorgeous leggings from River Island with you. I keep meaning to buy more leggings. It's the one thing I always forget to do. I go in to town to buy leggings, black T-shirts for work and vests and I come back with floaty summer skirts and all manner of band T-shirts......

Anyway....find them hre

Guess who is getting a divorce? and who is pregnant?

So they are getting a divorce.

That is all.


Oh and someone told me Adele is pregnant. Right so....

WORKFACE : Today

 Today I brought back my purple eyebrows! I had pink ones but I wasn't feeling it so I changed them to black and purple.

FACE - Matchmaster 1 Mac, Concealer from Rimmel

 Eyes - 'Tundra' shadestick from MAC, 'Designer purple' from MAC and liquid eyeliner in grey from Barry M, Extended play lash mascara from MAC.

Glasses - Camden Market

Lipstick - 'Impassioned' from MAC

Necklace - Topshop

I LOVE my new lipstick

I've become obsessed with bright pink lipstick lately. I bought the new 'Dear Diary' lipstick from the MAC Beth Ditto collection......and I love it.....

It's neon pink, creamy AND it's Pro Longwear as well so it will stay on for hours. As it proved yesterday. I love it.

The collection is actually gorgeous. I also bought the purple mascara as well. There is a dotted powder which might look a bit mad but really works.

I kinda wish I had bought the bright orange shade and the pink pencil but I thought I already have a bright pink pencil and I have a few orange shades which I never wear....So I settled on just the lippy.

Sadly the only place you can get the Ditto bits is at Dublin Airport and the UK.....

Daphne Guinness raised a small fortune for charity

Remember how we posted that Daphne Guinness would be auctioning off her old gear for the Isabella Blow Foundation? Well she managed to raise over half a million!

Wow!

Apparently Lady Gaga bought a truck load of stuff at the auction. There hasn't been confirmation of how much she spent but if it caused Guinness to tweet about it then you can only imagine it was more then a tenner.....

'
"And, thank you my friend Lady Gaga. You are a real person. and a great one! Your proof of friendship, your time was very touching XXXX"

"I'm particularly moved by Lady Gaga's support for the Foundation. I like her very much, and it's lovely to see the nascent beginnings of something that may help other people."

The Olsen twins do it again.....

 

I was a little shocked when I saw this bag. It's disgusting. I mean its seriously minging. I looked to see which high street store could possibly be responsible for such an ugly piece of baggage and I got a second shock - it's not a piece of cheap high street tat at all.....in fact it belongs to the Olsen twins.....

Yeah so this is the new madly expensive handbag. Basically it's the second one that the Olsens have stuck a mental price tag on - this bag costs $16,000. No joke. Honestly.....I know it looks like it came off the back of a lorry but it actually belongs to the Olsens.

Do they just design these bags for the shits and giggles? 'I wonder how who would be that stupid.....'? Really? I wonder do they pluck a number from the air just to see what happens????

Moth eaten crow Racheal Zoe has already sung the praises of the bag (which makes me wonder if she did it for the free goods) by saying : '“Let your wrists unwind this summer with a modern backpack, a trend we are currently keen on thanks to The Row. Not only will your body thank you, but your new bag will also boast a fashion prowess previously unprecedented. Pretty in patchwork, The Row’s posh pack combines comfort and class. The fuzzy texture on this nifty knapsack is also a fashion favorite.”

Posh pack??????? Nifty knapsack?????? Is the woman on crack? I call a tenner for a backpack in Pennys - a nifty knapsack.....not a bag that costs more then a small car or a college education.....

Lets please just all get over ourselves shall we??

PETA have already issued a statement concerning the real fur usage : '“If it looks like a troll and acts like a troll, it’s probably a Trollsen Twin — or someone wearing one of their new $16,000 totes, which are made from the fur and skins of innocent animals.”

Mind you...their last handbag cost $34,000 so this is a steal....I shouldn't remind anyone that it sold out in hours.....Oh to be rich and tasteless......

The floods in Cork......wow.....

A lot of you might not know that I grew up in a tiny village in West Cork called Clonakilty. Yesterday they were hit badly by flooding. I've seen floods before as the village is situated on top of a river but nothing as bad as what I saw yesterday.
My heart goes out to people with businesses and houses that were affected by this. I know it hit the whole of Cork very badly but I was shocked when I saw the pictures of Clonakilty.
A lot of people are already back on their feet after the flood thanks to the the help of the community. Still, the photos are insane.
There is something horrible about seeing the places you grew up under a few feet of water.

WORKFACE : What I wore yesterday

 With purple hair I thought it might be cool to have purple eyebrows....so I used one of the MAC paint sticks to paint the boys purple!!!!

 FACE - Matchmaster 1 from MAC, Soft and Gentle highlighter, Benefit Dallas and MAC concealer

EYES - Waveline fluidline from MAC and Extended Play lash mascara from MAC

LIPS - 'Dear Diary' from MAC Beth Ditto collection and Magenta lip pencil from MAC

Earrings - Topshop

Face Chart Art

 

 So I stole a bunch of face charts and I have spent a few minutes tonight playing with them! The photos aren't great but I used my new lip pencils and face paints to create these. I used concealer for the skin color and then used all the different brushes I could get my hands on to blend them around the face.

 Once more, sorry about the quality of the photos! I'm using the mac cam which isn't great!!!

 I wanted to see if I could change the shape of the eyes using make-up. The eyes on this one btoher me because one lid seems bigger then the other. That is going to bother me for a long while now! It's up on my wall in my room and I can see the mistake from here....Grrrrr....

I'm so proud of the lipstick here! It took four lip pencils and two brushes to get that effect!

WATCH THIS : 1950s weight loss videos

Check out this 1950s weight loss video! Wow.....

What is vintage anyway???

The term Vintage is one that gets over used quite a lot. I've heard vintage being attached anything these days that happens to be over 5 years old. However, what does qualify as vintage? How does vintage get assessed? How much is decent vintage worth? And are the 90s vintage yet? I mean really really vintage?
Fashion site, the Business of Fashion have addressed these concerns and many others on their website which you can read here. But here is what I gleamed from the article and a few pointers from myself on vintage fashion and styling....

WHAT IS VINTAGE ANYWAY???
Vintage is a term to describe anything older and collectable from various brands. Originally, the twenty year rule (the fashion rule for anything that is twenty years or more becoming stylish) dictated that only a decade twenty years ago (such as the 90s are now) can be deemed as vintage. However, fashion moves more quickly and designers are using archive material from later decades such as noughties for inspiration in their collections. The subsiquent revival of trends from those eras spark an interest in original clothing from that decade.
While vintage stores would have you believe that anything can be vintage - it is not so. Vintage has to be collectable otherwise - its second hand. However vintage is a much more attractive term to today's shopper and therefore, we have pieces being labelled as vintage when they are really nothing more then rubbish. Personally, I like the term, 'Pre-loved clothing' instead of just labelling everything as vintage or second hand.


HOW DO I SPOT GOOD VINTAGE?
Good vintage can be instantly recognisable. While one man's garbage is another man's D&G shirt, it is generally a safe bet to assess the item in these terms.
1 -  Is it in good condition? If it is ripped or torn assess how much it would cost to have the item fixed - sometimes it really isn't worth it!
2 - Are labels are everything? Assess the label. There is a current tip off that anything with YSL on the label will be more valuable to collectors now that the Y is about to be dropped from the brand logo. Oh and apparently Versace is also valuable - especially from the 80s and 90s. I would recommend that if your not into investing in a label but just want to buy a good piece - then don't bother too much about the label. Fashion houses that were around fifty years ago might not be around today.
3 - Shop around - There are so many great vintage outlets in Ireland and many more springing up daily. It pays to shop around to avoid the more expensive locations. Alternatively - why not try somewhere like Berlin that has a reputation for amazing vintage?
4 - Fit - Keep in mind that fifty years ago - sizing was smaller. Always try the item on and ask for help.

HOW DID VINTAGE BECOME A 'THING'?
You can blame celebrities for this one. Basically, celebrity stylists became sick of seeing the same item of clothing on celeb after celeb. You can really ensure that your client is wearing something truly unique if it is vintage - the chances of someone else having it are very slim. Eventually this trend hit the high street when it was endorsed by Kate Moss. Moss used her own vintage wardrobe to inspire designs for her first collection for Topshop in 2007.
Then again there are people who want to make a statement by wearing vintage instead of modern pieces, women and men who like a particular era of style like the 50s, hipsters and collectors.
Vintage pop up stores began to appear in high street stores like Urban Outfitters and Topshop to cater to the trend as more and more people began to look at vintage stores.

WHAT DETERMINES THE PRICE OF VINTAGE?
1 - Supply and demand. A singular shirt from Dior is going to be more expensive in that store then a store where there are five of the same shirt. Also there are certain items that are vintage 'gold dust' such as Hermes or Mulberry bags.
2 -  Location of the store. This is in terms of footfall, rents and competition. If a store has a lot of competition within a city - their prices may be lower.
3 - Brand. Vintage Topshop is going to be cheaper then vintage D&G isn't it??
4 - Condition and Unique designs - if the store has a bag that was limited edition or part of a particular collection then it might raise the price.
5 - Era. Not always so. Sometimes pieces from the 1970s might be more expensive then pieces from the 50s. This can be down to the reasons stated above.

WHERE CAN I GET GOOD VINTAGE?
Relik London
Lucys Lounge Dublin
Turquoise Flamingo Cork
The Harliquin Dublin
Public Romance Galway
Dolls Boutique Dublin

WHAT SHOULD I INVEST IN?
Unless your a collector - I would invest in something that you can wear repeatedly. Something that stands the test of time regardless of trends or label. I would invest in something like a jacket or an accessory that you can get repeated wear out of. My own personal best buys have been : A vintage YSL mens shirt for €4 (swear to god), a Burberry trench coat, a brown bag that looks like an old doctors bag, a vintage fur coat from the 40s, a green cropped jacket from the 50s, a green net hat from the 1950s and a red silk scarf!


So I hope this has been of some help to someone somewhere! Happy Vintage shopping!

Victoria Beckham rocks a cape / rain mac / trench coat....sigh....

 DAMN GIRL! Victoria Beckham pulled off a brilliant twist on the classic mac this week. This piece, a trench coat/ caped thing has to be one of the best pieces I have seen her in of late....

 The only thing I dislike about the outfit are the glasses. I'm so over those tacky large block sunglasses. Would have been nice to see her in something a little bit more fashion forward then her usuals. Prehaps the new Pradas? The really cool 50s style glasses - pop into Brown Thomas if your unsure!

I'm not sure if this is Comme Des Garcons or Junja Watanabe....no one seems to know for sure. The only thing people seem sure of is that she has knocked this one out of the park!

Lively and interesting.....

Damn it! This picture of what I think is Blake Lively appeared on the Russian Vogue facebook page - and I am mad to find out where that dress is from......
I don't know why - I kinda like it!

Only issue I have with it is this : it makes her look a LOT older then she is. Anyone else feel that???
Any suggestions?

FOLLOW US AND SHOW US SOME LOVE!!!

I got a reminder there that I have another page that you can follow me on!

Click onto our blog lovin' profile to support us!!! You can view all our new and exciting posts and get all the information on what is going on in the Dreadful towers whenever you like....

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We are nothing without support! We can't do this without you - so if you wanna get involved and show us some love then it would be greatly appreciated. Each follower is confirmation that we are doing something right!!!

I would also like to thank everyone who got in touch yesterday to say Happy Birthday - that was awesome! XXXX  aw you guys!!!

Hidden heel sneakers....are you interested?

The world has gone mad for high top sneakers!

The best ones I have seen and certainly the most reasonable comes from River Island  - who have a selection of black, blue and white and now beige sneakers with hidden wedge heels!

Oh and get this, they are only €55!!! DEAL!

I kinda like them....I haven't worn sneakers since 1998 but I think I could make an exception for those bad boys.....

COMPETITION TIME : Win M Store Facial mists!

Okay kids,
It's about time to have a littttttle competition again!

M Store have provided us with five kits of face mist and a little hand mirror!

If you would like one of these gorgeous little kits (in their own mini bag no less!) then leave your name and comment under this post - oh and make sure your a follower too!

you have until Friday mid day!

Kits are worth about €40

GET IN THERE!

TUNE OF THE DAY : History (xx remix) Mos Def vs the XX

A while ago I promised I would do a sort of Dreadful DJ thing on this yoke! However as the summer marched on and I got mad busy - then it kinda fell apart! I would like to announce the arrival of TUNE OF THE DAY! Starting with this mad tune from the XX with Mos Def. So enjoy and I promise as much as I can.....I will.....yesssssss.....

WHAT I WORE LAST WEEK : Run DMC

 The last of the London pics! I also bought some vests in London - one Bob Dylan vest as I ADORE Dylan! And this Run Dmc vest. This is me having a good time in the Roisin in Galway - maybe a little bit too much of a good time!!!!

I also managed to replace my nerd glasses in Camden as well!!! Oh and the earrings are from Topshop in London too! I am wearing my usual six layers of scarf and the varnish is from YSL. Or rather SL....

WORKFACE : Paintstick playing

 I recently took a trip to the MAC PRO store in London to pick up some goodies! While I was there I managed to spend €611!!!! I did get one hell of a haul for that amount and I included some paint sticks in there!

 So getting ready to head into London that night - I played around with a few of the sticks as I was curious. Incase your not sure what a PRO product is as I fear it might be MUA talk - there are certain stores which carry products for professional use that not all MAC stores have. This includes insanely cool pigments, paint sticks, paint pots, acrylic paints, body painting gear and fancy sponges - there are also different foundations like the Full Coverage foundation. So this was the pink paint stick!

I made up the eyes using a combination of 'Cranberry', 'Fig 1' and ' Brown Down' to create a purple smokey eye. I popped the new Zoom Lash in purple from the Beth Ditto collection onto the lashes and finished off with a slick of 'Up the Amp' lipstick. I wish, looking back that I had used one of the paint sticks to do my eyebrows purple - I had bought the purple one! I then caught the paint stick and placed it flat on my face before twisting it slightly to create the bubbles. You need to make sure that the stick is totally flat for this to work. So if your paint stick is a bit raised and used then shave it a little to get it flat. Otherwise you end up with wet lumps across your face!

 So here is as much as I remember buying!
Matchmaster foundation 1.0
Prep and Prime in Adjust
Lashes in no.7 + no.44
Cream Color base in Shell
Pro eye make-up remover
Paintsticks in blue, pink and purple
Shadestick in silver
'Up the Amp'
'Impassioned'
'dear diary' pro long wear lipstick
'Lasting sensation' orange lip pencil
'Hip and Happy' lip pencil (pink)
Brushes (about 5 of them)
Extended play lash mascara
Clinique HD lashes
'designer purple' pearlglide eye pencil
'Teddy' eye pencil
about 7 or 8 eyeshadows for my palettes
Mineralise skinfinish powder in Light
That is literally all I can remember but as you can see from above - it was a busy day!!!! It was over 43 items and it took a poor sales assistant about twenty minutes to get everything! Sorry!!!

MMMM....Paint sticks.....