I freaking love Millie Mackintosh, star of the not-at-all reality show, Made In Chelsea. I can't help it. I'm hypnotised by her. The perfect caramel locks (how on earth do I get that hair colour?), the glowing skin, the whip-thin figure and the haughty pout. I cannot get enough. It's bordering on an obsession now, as I'm noticing more and more 'Millie' style purchases creeping into my wardrobe.

Seriously, I've now bought several pastel tweed jackets, a feather gilet and a couple of chiffon blouses with Millie on my mind. And, as per my previous post, I am dangerously close to purchasing a pair of skinny leather trousers, all because the lady Mack likes them...

I caught one episode of MIC a few months ago, having never watched it, and was instantly mesmerised by the gilded lives, immaculate outfits and sleazy relationships, and ended up getting the 40D app on my iPhone so that I could catch up on several series worth (much to the disgust of my husband, who thinks its an absolute pile of nonsensical rot. And he would be right. But oh, its such pretty rot!).

And the star of the show for me is Miss Millie Mack. So, how do I love her style? Let me count the ways...

1. She pulls off a pop of bright.

 If you said to me the term 'orange leather jacket' in connection to something you actually wanted me to wear, I'd usually run away screaming. And yet Millie takes the same item, and makes it look instantly chic with the aid of a cream chiffon vest. And she gets away with it! That takes a certain kind of skill that I can only respect...

2. She doesn't give a damn about seasons

Well, a furry gilet and boots wouldn't be my first choice on a day warm enough to break out the denim shorts, but what do I know? I am but a moth to Millie's fashion flame. She breaks all the rules with this outfit and she does it with complete conviction, proving my theory that attitude is 80% of all style. Even the felt fedora works (somehow) when it should, by rights, look oh-so-wrong. But I adore that gilet so much that I purchased a damn near identical one from Miss Selfridge when I would never normally have given it a second glance. That's the Millie effect in action!

3. She mixes up her style

Millie is a perfect blend of so many different styles- a little bit classic, a little bit raunchy, a little bit boho- and what she achieves is a great mid-ground where she never looks overdone. I love this combination of tweed blazer with leather shorts so much, it's just bang on the money. And of course it showcases her enviable legs...

4. She gives great red carpet

Whether its the BAFTAs or the BRITs or anything in between, Millie knows the power of a show-stopping red-carpet frock. Its ridiculous. She almost looks more at home in a floor-sweeping gown than anything else. And the two themes she's gone for recently...green with envy at her emerald green, thigh-split gown with jewelled belt, and I adored her white greek goddess dress as well. Wowzer!

5. She makes the trends her own

Miss Mack is always straight onto the catwalk styles, but somehow she manages to do them in a way that looks utterly her own, and never too contrived. She tends to favour a skinny-on-the-bottom, floaty-on-the-top silhouette that really works for her, but she always seems to make sure one star piece is the main attraction without detracting from the impact of what she wears. I get the impression (from watching a few YouTube videos of her discussing her wardrobe) that she puts a fair amount of thought into her outfits, and it sure pays off. I haven't ever actually seen her in anything that looks bad. In fact, every outfit I see her in, I want to own.

In short, Millie is a bona fide member of the glossy posse, and has the sort of refined polish to her that only a sweetie heiress could hope to achieve. But she has that rare talent of making anything she wears- even if its Topshop- look designer and utterly delicious. I look forward to seeing more of her outfits in the future!

This is an issue which has been preoccupying me for a few days now, and one I’ve asked all my friends about: are leather trousers ever okay?
I mean, obviously, they’re okay on some people. Namely super-skinny, stick-legged models and people with Badass Rock Attitude. But I fear I have neither the thighs, nor the tude to pull off leather skinnies. And I’ve never particularly wanted to, either. I always thought there was just too much potential for these kind of things to go wrong. There’s such a fine line between looking like Kate Beckinsale and looking like a Hairy Biker, and I’m terrified of getting it wrong.

I’ve seen that episode of Friends too many times (the one with Ross, the ‘leather pants’ and the lotion and powder making a paste) not to feel a tremor of fear in my heart at the prospect of them. And yet...and yet. Last Friday night while out at a dark, I spotted a girl looking amazing in them. She wasn’t rail thin either, and she just looked brilliant. I wanted her whole outfit- strappy heels, skinny leather jeans, a loose floaty vest top, and a blazer. But I’m in agonies over whether I could pull off this particular look, or whether I’d just look like a fat fool.

Having consulted with my best friend and fashion guru, Lady T, I’m none the wiser. She was all for going for it, but I think she’s just trying to be nice. I think the key would absolutely be to get a decent quality pair- the kind that pull you in rather than the kind that bounce the light off your butt cheeks in an unflattering way, and that probably means spending a bit of money, so I want to be sure about it.

As a consequence, I’ve been researching girls rocking the leather to try and get inspired, and here are the results...

From brunette to blonde and back again!

My top tips on achieving blondeness with dark hair:

After my posting of before and after make-up shots, I decided I had to be brave and post my own before and after shot as well!

I don't mind popping to the market or going to the gym without any make-up, but it's fair to say I feel a million times better with my warpaint on.

My under-eye situation alone demands some make-up, just out of consideration to any small children who might otherwise be scared!

I had a realisation the other week when scanning the web for new make-up tips- I have down turned eyes. I haven't ever given it much thought before, but that and my dark, saggy under-eye area perfectly explain my obsession with winged liner and shadow, brow highlighting, and generally trying to make my eyes point a little more heavenwards.

So, I read up on creating the ultimate cats eye makeup, a la Angelina Jolie. I wore this look out to my works leaving do and really enjoyed the effect. I hope this helps you too if you have the same issues, or just enjoy the feline look ;)

Products I Used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Benefit High Brow
• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette shades in 'Booty Call', 'Pistol' and 'Blackout'
• Revlon ColourStay Quad in 'Sultry Smoke'
• Benefit Bad Gal Pencil Liner and Waterproof Pen
• Urban Decay Ink for Eyes in 'Zero'
• Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Gel Liner
• L'Oreal Lash Architect 4D mascara 'Carbon Black'
• Active Glamour Lashes 'Attraction'

Phew. That's a lot of product for a 'no-colour' eye! But this look is just so brilliant because it's super-sexy, but not too overdone or heavy. This means it goes just as well with a bright lip as it does a neutral gloss, so you can play the rest of your look whichever way you like.

Step i) Lightly dot on and blend in an eye primer- this is an essential step, because this look is all about creating a shape to the eyes, and that won't work if your eyeliner goes all smudgy.

Step ii) Next, scribble on and blend in some of Benefit's High Brow pencil all across the lid and under the brows. This will lighten up the eye area and make it look more radiant. The line of the pencil under your brows has a great lifting effect as well.


Step iii) Then, using a fluff shadow brush, buff a matte, skin-tone shade (I used the shade 'Booty Call' from the Naked 2 palette) across your lids and up onto the brow bone. The point of this step is to make the eyelid skin look naturally perfect, like you don't have eyeshadow on. But as most people's lids are a bit discoloured and shiny, this works as a cheat!

Step iv) The next step- and the biggest- is all the liner and getting the shape nice and tight. For this step, I find it useful to use a few different eyeliner products. Start off by tightlining your upper eyelid rims. This helps to make your lashes look more lush and draw the focus upwards to counteract your down-tilted eye shape. To do this, use a finger to gently push your upper eyelid until it raises slightly and you can see the inner rim. Then use the softest, creamiest black eye pencil you can find (I used Benefit's Bad Gal pencil) to shade in the outer corners of this inside rim. This takes time and practice to do without violently blinking every two seconds, but it's worth it!


Step v) Now for the liner on the upper lids. You want to start off at the inner corners of your eye with quite a thin, precise line, and then fatten it up dramatically on the outer corners. Then, finish the whole thing off with an upwards flick towards your temples. The easiest way I've found of doing this, is to create the complete 'thin' line first, then just go over the line a few times on the outer edges to thicken it up. Here the multiple eyeliners come in handy!


I used the Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Pen, which is so easy to draw precise, thin lines with, to do my initial line. Then, to fatten up the outer edges, I used Urban Decay Ink for Eyes. This is a gorgeous cream liner, but the best part about it is the amazing brush they include, which is slanted and perfect for creating a winged liner look. To make the 'flick', and balance out my downwards eyes, trace a line diagonally upwards towards your temples from the outer corner of your bottom lids, as if they continued upwards. This makes sure you get a good angle and an 'eye lift' effect.

I then went over the liner with a black powder shadow ('Blackout' from the Naked 2 palette) to set the liner. With a pointed blending brush, I softened and smoked out the shadow upwards onto the lid, so it blended well into the neutral shade and gave a softer effect.


Finally, on the inner corners, and under my bottom lashes, I added a slick of Collection 2000 Glam Crystal Gel Liner (a product I love). Its a black gel with silver glitters in that adds a bit of extra impact for night time.


Step vi) AFTER all the liner is in place- and this is important, because overdoing the shadow will kill this look stone cold dead- I went back in with a pointed brush and blended some of the grey shade from Revlon's ColourStay Quad in 'Sultry Smoke' into the very outer v of my lids. This helps to subtly enhance the cat's eye shape. But don't overdo it!


Step vii) Now you want to place some colour under the eye, or it won't look finished. However, it can't be too dark or it will visually drag the eye down and lose the uplifted effect we're trying for. A brilliant colour to use is a mid-tone, silvery grey, such as 'Pistol' from the Naked 2 palette. This is dark enough to show up, but still lets the eye look lifted. With a liner brush, take a thin line of this colour along the bottom lash line, but miss out the inner corners, as 'closing' the line all the way around the eyes can have the effect of making them look smaller- definitely not what we want!


Step viii) Curl the heck out of your lashes. Seriously, you cannot over-curl with downwards tilting eyes. Curl as if your life depended on it. Then curl some more! Add two coats of a thickening black mascara onto your upper lashes ONLY. I used L'Oreal's Lash Architect 4d Carbon Black for a glossy finish. Then, I added some flared strip lashes to really get an uplifted effect. But, because you want to emphasise the outer corners of your eyes, get your nail scissors out and chop off about one-third of the strip lashes from the inner corners (never the outer edge), so you have a shorter strip. Not only does this blend better with your real lashes and look much more natural than wearing a full strip, but concentrating the drama on the outer corners gives a much more feline look to the eyes. Align the outer edges of the strip lashes with your eye and carefully glue into place.

 Step ix)And finally, dot a highlighter along the brow bone and into the inner corners of your eyes to open them up and give them a real wow factor.

And there we have it- cat's eye makeup that will give your look a real lift!

I think I've always been quite awe-struck  by the power of cosmetics, and how, when applied with skill, they can transform a fairly plain looking person into an absolute beauty. There is something almost witchcraft-like about the level of transformation some people manage to achieve, and all with items you can pick up in any Boots.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say I'm fascinated with it, and its become a lifelong obsession of mine. A lot of it stems from watching my mother put her make-up. She used to be a professional dancer, and so she'd learned quite a lot over the years about cosmetics and how to really make the most of what God gave you! She was fairly ordinary looking, but she could turn herself into a stunner with powder and paint, and that has always amazed me.

So, I decided to post below my absolute favourite, awe-inspiring make-up transformations. Hope you enjoy!