Crop it like its hot

Growing up in the nineties saw lots of fashion disasters, icons, trends and quirky new and daring ways to wear clothes. From double denim to tie-dye everything was possible and being adventurous was the only option. 

Pedal pushers and crop tops were the main memories of my childhood. Even though now lime green, sky blue and the wacky colours worn when we were young and didn’t care wasn’t the best look, crop tops have come back and they have brought a whole new meaning to the midriff showing style.

Everywhere you look now from catwalk to high street fashion, crop tops are all in and with summer finally here there are many styles, prints and designs to appeal to everyone. One of the best things I like about the crops this season is that they are being styled to suit every body shape. If you want to keep your stomach covered up there are some gorgeous high-waisted skirts and shorts around that will look great at showing of your figure. Or if you’re brave you can let your stomach show and wear the top with something more stomach clenching. 

On many occasions I team crop tops with midi or maxi skirts as they work together nicely and since your showing your stomach, covering the legs keeps you stylish and not revealing too much. Again if you want to dress up but without revealing the flesh, pair with some disco pants or high-waisted jeans for another stylish but comfortable look. So basically crop tops work well with the majority of below the waist clothing just be daring and try them out, I can guarantee there’s something out there for you.

 I think one of the main things to get right is if the top is a simple one eg, a block colour; which seem to be all the rage at the minute, then pair with bright bottoms maybe a print or patterned style to really make the outfit stand out. Again this works both ways if you wear a printed or patterned crop top wear with simple block coloured bottoms.

Last month I went on a night out in Las Americas and I opted for a coral coloured block top that is really girly and shows just enough, but it is not extremely cropped if you get what I mean. I paired the top with a pair of funky striped shorts that have similar colours throughout the pattern; I found these beauties in a little boutique shop in Tenerife and fell instantly in love with them. Like I said the one coloured cropped vest and the eye-catching style of the shorts create great chemistry and they complement each other perfectly. Normally I wouldn’t be as daring as this, as I revealed a fraction of my stomach and the shorts were fairly short. But I thought I would risk it as I wouldn’t know anyone out and thought what the heck, if you don’t try then you’ll never know. 

The risk truly paid off as I received lots of compliments on the look and felt comfortable throughout the whole night (especially after a few drinks). I teamed the outfit with some diamond shaped gold earrings and a matching ring, then some simple purple sandals to fit in with the girly pastel colours. I chose a dainty white clutch bag that again worked well.

 I decided to put my fringe in a big quiff as I love this style and I always think the bigger the better in a night out. With enough hairspray the look can last the whole night and doesn’t fall out or get too hot dancing. Teamed of course with my favourite pink lipstick I was set to go and my outfit complete.

With the heat that is here at the moment in Tenerife, working during the day is incredibly hot. I have started teaming a black crop top with high-waisted shorts, this keeps me as cool as I can be and doesn’t reveal anything as the high shorts keep my stomach covered up. Therefore I have a stylish yet comfortable look suitable for working in this hot weather.
 

So like I said earlier crop tops really can work for any occasion and any body shape. You just have to be patient and try on a whole load of patterns, styles and shapes until you find one that suits you.

Enjoy Ryanne ♥

Payday Treats

When payday loomed a couple of weeks ago I simply couldn’t resist purchasing some new goodies. Lately I have been drawn to all the gorgeous pastel and ice cream coloured accessories that have become increasingly popular over these summer months. Summer is fully represented through these colours and I think they do a great job at reflecting the hot weather in an eye catching and instantly appealing way. One of my favourite colours I am drawn to is mint green, I have invested in a number of accessories in this cool and calm colour. So there is no surprise that once I spotted this bag I knew it was coming home with me.

Along with the colour, the unusual style caught my eye; featured on the handle of the bag is a zip design that runs throughout both handles. I thought this was quirky and different, I am immediately drawn to unique and cute designs that are unlike others featured in most high street shops.Inside the bag in roomy and fits everything I need in when using it on a day-to-day basis, with an inside zip section and a two pockets that is ideal for my phone and keys or lipstick for easy access. One of the main things that encouraged me to buy the bag is the attachable strap that is essential in every day wear. 

The bag comes in every colour under the sun and I have had to stop myself for going back and buying them all to start a collection of these colourful beauties. The tanned camel colour was also gorgeous and as this colour goes with everything it would be a practical buy.    

I didn’t intend on buying a purse as well but when I saw this one, and it was the only one left I thought it was an opportunity not to be missed. The diamond and circled studs featured on the front is again an unusual style. I know that the stud style is everywhere at the minute but the stripped design on this purse really stood out and caught my eye. Inside is lots of room for all my cards and bits and bobs, the there is a large zipped section for all my loose change and another smaller zip for any other bits.

I did buy a gorgeous River Island purse before I got to Tenerife but the black and white design, is not good when using for every day wear as the white has faded and loos extremely worn out even though it hasn’t been used for more than a couple of months. I would advise you to watch out when making purchases similar to mine and take in the practical side over things over the design.

Enjoy Ryanne ♥

My summertime essentials: what’s in my bag?

Finally the time of year is here that we have all been waiting for; summertime. There is something about waking up to the sunlight peeking through your curtains and the warm air much more appealing in day-to-day life. I am sure you will all agree that it is much more motivating when you are faced with sunshine rather than rain and dreary weather. However we all know that living in England does not provide the happy go lucky weather that is usually predicted. Therefore many are left to jet off into the sunshine for a summer holiday, whether it is for a few weeks or a short weekend away.  This holiday is something that is the key focus of getting through the last shifts at work, school or life in general before being faced with sun, sea and sand. But a surprise burst of nice weather in England leaves us needing these essentials pronto. 

I am going to show you all of my ultimate favourite items whilst in the sun and are constantly in my handbag at all times. Living in Tenerife I have tried and tested many products and found what suits my skin and what doesn’t. 

So where do I begin, I’ll start with one of the most important products whilst enjoying the sun: sun creams and lotions. I am very stubborn when it comes to tanning, I want to be brown straight away, but I know that it is all about gradually building up a nice, even and safe colour to the skin. When I first moved to Tenerife I started on factor 20 (my skin is quite tolerant to the sun and I do not need an extremely high factor), but be careful as each individual skin type is different so make sure you start with a high factor. After being here two months I am now down to factor six and I have discovered a Malibu dry oil spray which is great. Oil is by far my favourite type of protection to use whilst out in the sunshine. This particular oil dissolves instantly in my skin and does not leave it greasy (which I know is a fear almost oil). Although it advises you to reapply frequently, I only need to reapply every so often as it works wonders for a quite a long period of time.

The next essential I am going to share with you is by far one of if not the best buys I have purchase this year: my sunnies. When I got the last instalment of my student loan I thought I best invest in something worthwhile and booked in for a well needed eye test. Specsavers is great value for money and they were very friendly and helped me with everything I needed, I would advise anyone to give them a try. I opted for two gorgeous pairs of glasses that were on the two for £99. Now when you purchase the glasses you can add allsorts to your lens, I decided for one pair to have a sunglasses lens as I knew I was moving to Tenerife. All my life I have been a lover of the big and bold ‘wag’ style sunglasses, but when I saw these gorgeous Gok Wan glasses I had to have them and I thought with a tint from the sunglasses lens they would look perfect. The smaller frame is perfect for everyday wear and the design goes with everything. 

Being in the sun can leave your skin feeling dried out and unhealthy, I think the perfect solution for this is body cream. I have grown up using Body shop’s range of gorgeous body butters and think they work wonders for your skin. As Body shop is no long easily accessible for me I found this little beauty in the supermarket. ‘Fruit fusion body cream’ is amazing for my skin, alone the summer fruits and raspberry smell is to die for. When applied to my skin it leaves it feeling and looking refreshed and shining. I always add a bronzing glow to my legs if I am going out just for that extra shine. The most unbelievable thing about this product is that it was just under two euros to buy. 

Almost of us girls buy a shampoo based upon the smell it promises to give off after use, also I might be alone here but I am more likely to buy the product if the bottle is bright and eye-catching. Herbal essences is perfect at promising both of these things with all the different colours and ranges they produce. I have tried every one of the range and almost all of them have made my hair silky soft and smelling good. This ‘smooth and soft intense mask’ is great at helping my hair remain silk and healthy in the constant sunshine. As my hair tends to get very dry and bristly in this weather its essential I have good products to stop it drying out. My tip with this ‘mask’ is that when I am out sunbathing I try to apply this and leave it on whilst outside then rinse out later on. This just gives the hair a layer of protection and leaves it feeling great after washing. I opted for the orange range as it is for ‘Dry/damaged/frizzy hair’ and although I have finally got my hair back to good condition I chose this one to keep it healthy and nourished.

Another thing for your hair is to ensure you are applying lots of heat protection serum and sprays, as you may not realise it but the sun constantly dries out your hair whether you’re sunbathing or simply walking around in the heat. The extra protection is needed to give your hair some life and strength. Blow drying/straightening/curling does bad enough damage to your hair without the sun, So just be careful and if you can whilst holidaying to leave your hair to dry natural (I try as often as I can). This helps as you are not putting that added pressure onto the hair to allow its full health to remain.

One of my favourite beauty products is Vaseline, I am constantly carry one if not two little tins around in my bag and I apply it a ridiculous amount of times a day. The little blue tin that now comes in a variety of colours and flavours including coco, rose tint and aloe vera are great at keeping your lips from drying out and cracking in the sun. Aloe vera is probably the best in the sunshine as it is a good source of treatment for burns and rashes, but the others also work well. The skin on the lips is much more sensitive and one of the most common places people forget about, carrying this little tin helps in the long run! I constantly collect Vaseline tins and was amazed when I found a big tub which holds for smaller ones inside (I now use that tin to store my jewellery-practical and reusable). I have yet to find Vaseline over here but I am sure it will be somewhere if not there are a range of versions I have found that may keep me going until I visit England.

 Hope you found any of these products useful and I’d love to hear if you tried them and liked them? Also let me know what’s in your bag and your essentials whilst out in the sunshine.

Ryanne ♥

Fingertips Friday

This is my first post after a busy week working and running errands, I do apologize! But I promise I will post regular after I settle into the routine and shifts at my new job.

 

Every Friday I am going to be dedicating a post to my fingertips and what colours/style I have been creating for them this week. Living in Tenerife and constantly having my toes out in sandals and flip fops I feel that I have to have them painted at all times and preferably matching my fingers. Being the girly girl that I am I love having my nails painted in cute and different shades and normally change the colour within a few days as soon as I spot any slight chipping (which drives me crazy).

I think that nails are a great way at reflecting a person’s personality in a clever and simple way. Bright and bold colours reflect an outgoing and confident personality that is daring and prepared to take risks. Softer shades of blues and greens reflect a relaxed and chilled our personality, that’s shows a calm and more reserved person. The current pastel and 'ice cream' colours that seem to be everywhere at the minute are great! I am in love with these, they are so fresh and dainty. I think they reflect an easy going and girly personality that likes to be subtle in style without being in your face, they tend to be up to date with the current fashion trends.

My nails this week have been all about the polka dots, as I said in a previous post I am crazy about anything spotty and this week I decided to take it into my own hands and create my own polka dot nails. I’m going to share with you how I did it, however I am no professional so it’s not perfect so be nice guys!

 

As mentioned earlier I constantly have my nails painted and rarely go a day without, I know how messy and frustrating it is to try and get a darker varnish off completely before applying a lighter coat. My advice is to remove the varnish best you can with nail varnish remover, then soak them in warm soapy water and repeat with varnish remover. This just softens the skin and makes the colour easier to remover and the double dose of nail varnish remover helps to completely free the nails of excess colour.

Then once they are nice and clean file them so they are all straight and neat and ready to paint. For this one I am going to how you I opted for simple black on white spots, this is a cute style. I kept it black and white to keep neutral and so that it would go with my bright summer wardrobe. So with the black varnish apply a base coat, with the dark shade you probably will only need one coat depending on the make. If it looks a little weak then apply another coat once dry for a fuller and good thick layer.

Next step in creating the polka dots I advise anyone who is keen on this style to invest in a decent nail are pen as they create a full and perfect circle. However me being the clutz that I am have left mine back in England, as I wanted to get this post up and haven't had a chance to look around the local shops to hunt one down i had to opt for the next best thing...a cocktail stick. Nothing like improvising is there. But on a serious note if you can a nail art pen is the best option.

 Gather a good amount of white varnish on the stick and carefully create small dots on each nail, the best thing about this style is polka dots can be dotted around the nail anyhow they do not need to be in a straight line, although I do suggest you keep them in a pattern to avoid it looking mismatched.

Continue this through the whole of your nails and the end product is a lovely polka dot finish that looks professional and unique; who needs falsies when you can be creative in your own way. Be careful when creating your spots, start off with small spots to avoid them smudging/turning into big blobs, you can always add to them to make them bigger afterwards.

If you like the neutural look but prefer some brighter and more bolder colours then do not be scare to experiment you will find that almost any colours work with this. I would say tho keep the dots black or white just to keep them simple but appealing.

Swap the black and white for red and white and transform your nails into a cute ladybird theme. I love this look and think the eye catching style is bright and attention grabbing. I got lots of compliments when wearing this and many people asked if I was wearing the stick on strips, which is a bonus because it must of look half professional.

Or swap the black for white polka dots, this instantly screams I am girly at me, it is very cute and an extremely light, bright and fresh feeling look. Are you bold enough to create this style? Let me know.

 Ryanne ♥