How do you get invited to The Oscars?

Last night was the biggest night on any Hollywood actors calendar. Yep, it was of course The Oscars (y'know, because maybe you somehow managed to miss that memo!!). Now, I know the title might make it look like I'm fishing for an invite, but I'm really not (well, I lie - who wouldn't want an invite to The Oscars, but that is something else completely!). What I really want to know is how some celebrities get invites?

Obviously, everyone who is nominated is invited, as are everyone who is connected with nominated film (or, if they're not, then they should be). And you get the elite actors of Hollywood who always attend, even if they haven't released a film in the past twelve months - that makes sense, because it is their field of work.

The invites that I'm not so sure about are the "celebrities" who aren't actors. They haven't contributed to any films that we're aware of, they're not directors or producers, and if they are artists, they haven't contributed a song to a film. Some celebrities are more "socially active" than being famous for actually doing anything in particular. So, why are they invited to the biggest night of the film year?

I get what is in it for the celebrity: it makes them look good to be seen as attending The Oscars. But, what is in it for The Oscars? Who determines who attends? We all know that going to such a prestigious event is strictly by invitation only, so they have obviously received one, but why?

Seat Fillers:

One answer might be the idea of "seat fillers". This is when people - who are often not famous - are hired (or cast) to fill up empty seats at Award Ceremonies, because it looks bad if there are seats with no one sat in them. By inviting as many celebrities - even those who are not connected to films - as possible, means that they can act as the "seat fillers" as well.

Does anyone know?

Let's chat, trade tips, gossip and share 

(Go on! You don't know what you're missing!)

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OOTN: Feeling Blue?

So, I am slowly building up the courage to show more of Outfits of the Day and Night, and I thought that this was a nice one to start with, because I absolutely loved this outfit. I felt good in it, and it was a comfortable fit which is nice because I've gotten so used to wearing clothes that are either too tight on me, or just too big. But with a total of nine months off in just under two months, I'm starting to notice clothes fitting better.

Anyway, this is an outfit that I wore on Saturday for my friend's birthday night out:

PS: I know that the photo isn't the best quality, but you can still see what I am wearing :)

The dress, I picked up from Ebay, but is originally from New Look (as usual, I seem to have a magnetic draw towards New Look!):

The dress was a little bit short for my liking, but with the black tights, it didn't really bother me that much. I love the skirt of this dress, because it flares out quite nicely and I'm quite fond of dresses and skirts that are like that. I also really liked how it fitted so well across the boobs as well as my back, because it felt like it was made to fit me exactly - I don't think that I have ever worn a dress that made me feel like that!

The necklace that I'm wearing in the photo was actually a 21st Birthday present from my eldest brother, but the one that I actually wore on the night came from my favourite jewellery shop: Accessorize (of course!):

I really wanted to include my own photos of the necklace, but due to the style of the heart pendant, it was really difficult to represent it as well as I felt the stock photos did.

This necklace cost £10, and is also available in gold (bronze). The bottom image of the pendant is considerably bigger than real size, but it is a long necklace.

The tights were brand new, but they are definitely my go-to tights, which I've been picking up from Marks & Spencer's since 2009. They are a little expensive, but I personally think that they are worth every penny, especially if you are like me and have never liked wearing tights because they just always feel itchy. These tights have never irritated me, and they are generally a really good fit. I do recommend getting them in a higher denier, because they lower ones are - as you might expect - prone to holes.

The ones that I am wearing are the 40 Denier Body Sensor Opaque Tights. I get them in a three-pack which costs £8, and you can get them in All-Black, All-Navy, a Mulberry Mix or a Purple Mix (The mixes contain different colours). 

For shoes, I wore a pair of black pumps that I picked up from a Charity Shop years ago.

What do you think of my Outfit of the Night?

Let's chat, trade tips, gossip and share 

(Go on! You don't know what you're missing!)

All items were bought by me, or given to me as a gift by a relative. This post is not sponsored, and all opinions are my own - as always!

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The Happy and Sad Side of Life

So, today's blog post doesn't really need an introduction. It is basically a few of the things in life that make me happy, and then a few things that make me not-so-happy. I actually wrote this a while ago, as part of a creative thinking exercise, but I wanted to share it, so here ya go. Enjoy:

Ten Things That Make Me Happy :)

1. Writing stories, for pleasure.
2. Sunshine
3. Splashing in the sea
4. That moment when the lights dim in the Cinema
5. Curling up with a good book
6. Lazy Sundays 
7. Archers and Coke (yum!)
8. Playing with a cat
9. Summer rain
10. Shopping!!

Ten Things That Make Me Sad :(

1. Realising that I'll never do certain things again.
2. Knowing that I probably won't appreciate video games in the same way that I used to.
3. Sick children who never have a chance - it just seems so unfair!
4. The oppression of women in some countries
5. That so many men still view women as objects
6. The question: "What were you wearing...?" because it doesn't matter what you were wearing!
7. The rise of so-called gossip magazines
8. That I'm too old to own a Panda Hoodie or Care Bears pajamas.
9. Drunk drivers
10. Drunks and addicts getting organ donations before people with real, not self-indulgent, problems.

What makes you happy and sad in life?

Let's chat, trade tips, gossip and share 

(Go on! You don't know what you're missing!)

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Makeup in Film: American Hustle

The big film at the moment - in my world, anyway - has to be David O. Russell's seventies crime comedy American Hustle. It's funny, smart and the acting is absolutely spot-on from all five of the main cast. So, of course this weeks Makeup in Film is all about this film and it is such an easy film to focus on because practically everything about this film revolves around both the hair and the fashion - not only of the leading ladies, but also the men:

Unlike the bright and bold colourful sixties, the 1970s was a decade when less was more in terms of makeup, as natural and more subtle tones. Foundation especially followed this pattern, with nude shades, and the "fresh" look with blush on the cheeks, was particularly popular.

However bronzers were also best sellers as tanned skin grew in popularity, with tanning lamps becoming available in 1978 and tanning beds in 1979.

Greens and blues were particularly popular in the seventies, but with the rise of discos bold winged eyeliner and shimmer was incredibly popular.

Lipstick wasn't as bold as it had been in the sixties, with bright pinks and red being replaced by neutral colours, allowing for most attention to be placed on the eyes.

Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence represent the subtleties of the seventies, in quite different ways.

Amy Adam's makeup was allegedly inspired by the covers of magazines from the 1970s, but what I find interesting about the Sydney character is that she really plays up to the natural vibe that was popular throughout the seventies, as she really doesn't appear to wear that much makeup. She is of course wearing makeup, but it's very subtle with the use of neutral tones and a pale lipstick.

In comparison, Jennifer Lawrence's character has a very strong and sultry look with her makeup emphasising both her eyes and her lips. 

This different approach to makeup - I feel - perfectly represents the two characters and their differences.

For example, Sydney is a vulnerable young woman, but she hides it behind a tough exterior. She comes across quite "no-shit", and it is that attitude that comes across in her overall look. She doesn't have anything to prove, so she doesn't need makeup that draws men on.

Rosalyn, on the other-hand, is an incredibly insecure character: she is unhappy in her marriage and in her life, and she craves the attention of the men that she is married to. So, Jennifer Lawrence's makeup is kind of like the characters mask, as she attempts to make people believe that she is stronger than she really is.

She hides not only behind her makeup, but her hair (which she thinks looks classy, but just looks messy), her jewellery, her clothes and her outrageously awful nails (going so far as to obsess about the smell of her nail polish!). This inevitably creates a look that is ridiculously over-the-top.

Interestingly, in Rosalyn's final scene, her makeup is much more toned down and similar to Sydney's, perhaps as she is in a better place both literally, and emotionally.

It's normal for the women to take over when it comes to hair and makeup, but in American Hustle both Adams and Lawrence are overshadowed by their male co-stars Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper:

Practically unrecognisable in American Hustle, Christian Bale gained over 40 pounds for the role, but his paunch isn't what fascinates me, but that crazy comb over.

The film actually opens with Bale's character Irving applying a hair piece with glue and perfecting that comb-over in a scene that is a little "what the hell?", with a smidgeon of funny and a lot of empathy for the character. I know that a few people have questioned the point of the scene, but I think the scene represents the things that we all do to be happy within ourselves.

The scene featuring Bradley Cooper's character Richie wearing rollers in his hair to achieve his perm shows that even someone on the other side of the law has something that he needs to prove, but probably wants to hide the efforts he'll go to to achieve that.

What did you think of the makeup in American Hustle?

Representative of the era, or something more? 

Perhaps you think that it completely misses the mark?

How important is it - really - for hair and makeup to get an era right?

Share your thoughts below :)

Let's chat, trade tips, gossip and share 

(Go on! You don't know what you're missing!)

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Makeup in Film: Katniss Everdeen

There's no denying that the series that I've missed writing the most, over the past few months, has been the Makeup in Film series, so I am over the moon to be writing this one which I've been meaning to put together since I first saw the film (yeah, I've seen it twice!), so without further ado, here we go:

I've done a makeup in film post for Katniss before, back in March 2012, to coincide with the release of the first Hunger Games film, however, that post concentrated more on Jennifer Lawrence, so this time around I really want to focus solely on the character and how much she has changed since that first film came out.

As a character, Katniss isn't someone who you can imagine wears any makeup at all. Looking beautiful just isn't on her list of importance - behind, y'know,  staying alive!

In fact, in both films her makeup is still predominantly the same, in the sense that it is very minimalistic and looks like she isn't wearing any (even if we know that she probably is!):

However, an area that Katniss has completely changed is in regards to everything that she does relating to the Capitol, that has been created (in the film) by Cinna and his team.

In the first film, Katniss' makeup was quite simple and neutral, and at times appears to be trying to give her a look of innocence:

But, it is her Tribute makeup that really plays up that innocence with the soft skin colouring, and eye makeup that makes her eye look large, sweet and perhaps even vulnerable. Even the hair-style - in my opinion - has an air of childlike-ness to it.

Move forward to Catching Fire, and Katniss' makeup is completely different. It's gone from being minimalistic to more "full-on", first in the party scene:

And then in the Tributes Parade:

For me, Katniss' Tribute Parade makeup - and outfit - are incredibly revealing of her growth as a character, and her growing anger at both the Capitol and - probably most especially - President Snow. The makeup is very strong, bold and - in my opinion - empowering, and combined with that glare, it feels like Katniss (and Cinna), are staying "You can't control me. I'm not afraid of you any more."

For me, her Tribute Parade look is the most important one throughout the film.

Her "bridal" makeup look, I feel, is quite clever:

(if you haven't seen the film, or read the book 

and don't want spoilers,

 you might want to skip this next part!)

As everyone has seen the film knows, this outfit is to become Cinna's last defiance against the Capitol, and so much about this look is a hint of what Cinna had up his sleeve, as little things point towards birds:

• The feathers in her hair
• The wing-effect of her eyeliner, looks very much like the wings of a Mockingjay.

It is certainly a clever look.

I can imagine that the makeup artists have such an amazing time, plotting what looks Katniss could have,because there is so much room for creativity and imagination. It's just such a shame that the team did not receive an Oscar Nomination for their hard work.

Let's chat, trade tips, gossip and share 

(Go on! You don't know what you're missing!)

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Are You Okay?

The other day, Kellie at Big Fashionista wrote a blog post titled Are You Okay? (I strongly recommend going and checking it out!) and initially I didn't really think anything of it, but then it got me thinking...

It's so easy to plod along telling ourselves, well not really telling ourselves anything, because we just don't question ourselves enough. We just walk on, completely convinced that we are fine and just ignoring the fact that we are not fine, we're not "okay". Admitting it to ourselves is so difficult, but Kellie's post made me realise that..

Someone once told me that I didn't have a clue what "real" problems were because I had never seen a war (yes, he was in the military). At the time, I'd thought that he was right, but looking back - he was a complete idiot.

No, I haven't seen a war, but that doesn't mean that I don't have problems.

Everyone has problems, and you know what? It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to be stressed, depressed, down or any other kind of emotion.

And you also know what? Feeling like that is normal, it does not make you weak, or pathetic. Admitting that you are not okay, makes you strong.

Reading some of the comments on Kellie's post, my problems and issues are definitely not as bad as some, and it does make you think in perspective. In fact, it reminded me of an image I came across on Pinterest, just the other day:


Okay, so these things might seem trivial, but it gives a little bit of "hindsight" on lifes little niggles.

But, despite everything that we're all going through, it's important to remember to tell yourself:

Because, honestly, you are going to be okay, it just might take longer for some than others, but I promise that you will get there one day!

Let's chat, trade tips, gossip and share (Go on! You don't know what you're missing!)

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