Thursday 27 December 2012

Papercutting of a stag-rabbit



Since leaving uni, I have been left with a gaping hole in m' soul that can only be filled by making things. I have taken to doing papercuttings of pictures (google image search anything of your choice, followed by silhouette). This is a convenient craft as all you need is a cutting mat, a scalpel, lots of 120gsm paper in different colours, a HB and H3 pencil and tracing paper. 

I found a picture of this papercutting online, printed it, traced it, transferred it on to black paper, then cut it out with a scalpel and put it in a big frame I found in TKMaxx for £16.00. I will eventually find a place for him on my wall, but for now he is resting against my bookshelf in the living room. Because the frame is so big, it looks quite effective there, and is more in my eye-line when on the sofa, anyway. 

I gave a framed papercutting of an Alice in Wonderland scene to my step-sister for Christmas and she loved it. They take a bit of time, but are really good homemade presents. 

Fabienne x

Sunday 23 December 2012

Nespresso U


Nespresso U in grey, £120, House of Fraser
Panettone, £4.99, Costco 
Espresso cups, £8.00, TKMaxx

Due to us both wanting to spend Christmas with our own families, my boyfriend is driving back to the west country today, meaning that we had to do presents early. 

I got the Nespresso U for my boyfriend a couple of months ago in House of Fraser following a demonstration in store. I was amazed at how compact, chic and easy to use it is. It requires no cleaning or rinsing, and makes gorgeous coffee. I drink espresso anyway, but it can be used to make lattés, Americanos or flat whites. My boyfriend loved it and is already making loads!..He won't be sleeping tonight. 

The panettone was a total steal from Costco. Panettone is lovely with coffee and has a real Christmassy flavour, but I really just fell in love with the tin! I love red and I thought that this worked really well with the taupe machine and can be reused for amaretti biscuits forever. 

The simple espresso cups are from TKMaxx a while ago. It's definitely worth rummaging around in their kitchen section; the other day I got a huge Le Creuset baking dish (perfect for pasta bakes and roasts when entertaining) in an deep taupe grey for only £20! 

Fabienne x


Walking Miss Polly


I am dog-sitting Polly the springer spaniel for a family friend while she is away for two weeks over Christmas. She is so gorgeous! 

Today my boyfriend and I pulled on our Hunters and Barbours and headed to a nearby woodland. 

Hunters are definitely the best wellingtons. I got these for my birthday in October from House of Fraser for £90. I love how the red (normally a lot brighter than pictured covered in mud) is a quick way to add some fun to an outfit. I will wear them in rainy/snowy weather this season, and then team them with vintage denim shorts and tshirts for festivals in the summer. 

Better dash- Polly has just got hold of some chocolate coins. Oops.

Fabienne x


Saturday 22 December 2012

Benefit BROWzings


I use Benefit BROWzings in dark every day to define my eyebrows. Well, I say define, in my case I have to draw on my eyebrows as there is practically no natural eyebrow. They are very fair, but there is not much point in dying them as they are also really sparse and fine. 

The only good thing about having my eyebrows is that I can change them to suit the rest of my make-up, my hairstyle and my whole outfit or look as I see fit. 
I tend to have thin eyebrows when I want to look really polished and put-together, such as a posh dinner out with the boyfriend or when I have a meeting at work. 
I do thick, lighter coloured brows when I am more barefaced and natural at weekends.
I do thicker and darker eyebrows when I am wearing false eyelashes for a night out and when I'm wanting to achieve more of a masculine look, i.e. with a buttoned up blouse and jumper.

I do my eyebrows after applying foundation/BB cream, concealer and translucent powder, as it gives the product something to stick to. I also use tweezerman tweezers (not the little useless ones in the BROWzings kit) to neaten any stray hairs beforehand. 

For thick brows, I use the hard angled brush to apply the pigmented wax in an upward direction, starting from the middle. I continue to apply it in this way, frequently reloading the brush, for two thirds of the brow before turning the brush and gliding the wax down to a neat point. I then repeat the process on the other brow. When they are both done I check they are symmetrical, fixing with cotton buds and reapplying where necessary. I leave them like this if I want a lighter colour, but if I want it darker I apply the powder with the blending brush in dabbing motions. The powder also makes it last longer.

For thinner brows, I apply the pigmented wax with the hard angled brush in short strokes along the eyebrow following the direction of the hair, often using the brush to 'tuck in' hairs that are sticking out of line. Thin brows are a lot quicker to do, so I often do this look for work, plus it looks like it is more high maintenance.

Fabienne x


I turn to you


Here are five of my fashion and beauty heroines.

I love Holly Willoughby for how she dresses her size 12 figure, I turn to her when I feel chubs and self-conscious. Think big hair, thick falselashes, minimal accessories and a pencil dress. An Easy, simple and sexy going out outfit. However, I like Fearne Cotton for the opposite. She takes lots of risks, wearing frumpy vintage blouses and lots of bright separates- something I struggle to find the confidence to do most days. I turn to her for work wear, where I like to look chic and professional and slightly boyish. So, think 7/8 trousers in prints, buttoned up cardigans, shirts and vintage blouses and nude court shoes and eyeliner flicks to keep it young.

Carine Restoin Roitfeld is simply fabulous. I love her for her flat-out glam goth looks and layering up lots of black in different textures. I turned to her when deciding how to dye my hair. I got a deep mahogany at the roots and a red brown at the mid lengths. I already had ombréd hair, but adding a red element made it look much more luxurious, warmed up my complexion and it shows off my hazel eyes.

Kate Moss needs no explanation.

Kate middleton, however, has become a bit of a cliché. I, like everyone else, love her for her impossibly groomed hair. I also turn to her for eyebrow inspiration, believe it or not. Despite being dark haired I have quite fair and sparse eyebrows, so fill them in (in a different shape each day- but mostly in 'the Kate'). I will post a eyebrow specific post in due course.

Fabienne x



Dear Father Christmas,...


1. Some Jo Malone blackberry and bay cologne
2. Nigellissima book
3. Dalmation shoe boots from Topshop
4. A bunch of vintage roses
5. The Gucci pug key ring
6. Some Ladurée macaroons
7. Ted Baker sausage dog purse
8. A cavalier King Charles spaniel
9. A mustard Velvet Company tub chair from Oliver Bonas 


Some are more realistic than others, obviously, but a girl can dream. 

Fabienne x