HOW TO KEEP WARM IN THE WINTER

Here in Italy, the winter is very cold. I’m normally someone who is always hot, but this year I suffered from the cold a lot, so i thoughtI would share with you my tips for staying warm.

1. Wear layers. the most important things is to have layers of clothing on. You can always take things off if you get hot, but you can’t put on something you don’t have with you if you’re out.
2. If you’re in the house, have a hot-water-bottle always with you. These are my lifesavers, and I always have at least one with me while I work or study. 
3. In the morning put your clothes on the radiator so they get nice and warm before you have to put them on, it’s a much nicer way to get up in the morning.
4. Have hot drinks. This might seem very obvious, but I know people that never drink anything hot during the day, even if they’re cold. Even if you don’t like coffee or tea, you can have a nice warm hot chocolate. 
5. Always wear socks. They are so easy to not think about, but they make a huge difference. You can find cosy socks anywhere nowadays, so I really recommend buying a few pairs to wear day and night. 

I hope these tips were useful. What’s the weather like now in your country? Love, Sara xx

ps. these are my favourite warm socks, my cozy jumper, and my hot water bottle called Jim xx

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HAIR FROM THE HEAT: AUSSIE

Last summer I wrote a post about my favourite shampoo and conditioner, and since then I have used that nearly every single time I shower. Recently though, I have tried something new, and let me tell you, it’s an even better replacement. For a really long time I had wanted to try some Aussie products, so last time I was in England I picked up a shampoo and conditioner to try out. I chose the Take The Heat, because I wanted to see if it would be useful, so m hair wouldn’t get ruined every time I curl it or straighten it. 

A few weeks back I tried it for the first time, and then curled my hair, and it has never felt so soft! Sometimes, when you put too much heat on your hair, it can look a bit like straw and very ruined at the tips, but using this shampoo and conditioner a few times, I can tell you that you will definitely see the results. 

Have you ever tried any aussie products? Do you have any to recommend? Love, Sara xx

HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN CIAMBELLA

This is my all time favourite cake, which I have been making ever since I can remmeber, it’s really easy to make, so don't worry if you’re new at cooking!

PERIOD TIPS AND TRICKS

Periods are something that most of us girls need to go through until we’re in our 50s/60s. For some people they aren’t a big deal: they feel no pain at all and have very light ones. For others, that can be horrible days of the month, with aches and pains for days.

BLOGGERS AND YOUTUBERS YOU SHOULD BE FOLLOWING

Today I wanted to talk to you guys about some of my favourite bloggers and youtubers out there. I’m not going to talk about many, not because I don’t enjoy reading or watching others if not the ones I’m going to talk about today, but because it would defeat the purpose of ‘favourite’. If you want a list of youtubers/blogs I enjoy reading and watching, let me know and I will do just that.

Victoria, more commonly known as Inthefrow, is a luxury fashion and beauty blogger and youtuber. She also wrights about different places she has travelled to, with photos that are just beautiful and so captivating. She recently did one about her trip to the Maldives, which is amazing to read and look at all the stunning photos, specially if you’re broke and know you will probably never be able to go. She also occasionally writes personal blog posts, which happened very recently, at the begging of the new year(here), which are so amazing to reflect on, and really are an insight on Victoria’s personality. But you really get to know her through her videos, and vlogs. She is sweet and caring, and I don’t know this because I’ve have the pleasure to meet her, but because of how she relates herself to everyone around her, from her boyfriend Alex and all her friends, to all her viewers and readers. She recently tweeted about me, making me feel oh so grateful for her existence, even more than I was before. She is my biggest style inspiration and I can always count on her to have a good makeup review that I can trust. I will leave all her links below, so make sure to check her out.

Youtube

Blog

Twitter

Instagram

Snapchat: inthefrow

MY FAVOURITE YANKEE CANDLES

Today I want to talk about some of my all time favourite candles. Over the last few months my obsession for candles has really grown, as I now often will light one while I’m studying, or while I’m just chilling in my room. I always rely on Yankee Candle to have the scents I’m looking for, even though, I will admit, they’re not great if you don’t want to spend much money. In that case, Ikea or any shop that sells home decor will have some really good, cheap alternatives. 

ps. Yankee Candle is amazing at giving names to candles, they smell exactly like their name, so my description of the scents wont be that interesting :)

I’m going to put these in an order of preference, so you can know which ones I prefer.

TIPS FOR ASPIRING FASHION DESIGNERS: INSPIRATION

Finding inspiration is one of the most important parts in the process of making a collection. It can come from anywhere: nature, other designers, architecture, fashion history or celebrities.

Firstly you should choose a muse. 

It could be a celebrity or someone you know. Everything you design should be something you could imagine them wearing. This is already a great starting point for creating silhouettes and colours. 

Then you should choose a colour palette that you think would suit his/her skin tone, and that go with the season you are making the collection for. There are no rules for this, but I would stick to the basics if it’s your first one. 

Then you should search images on the internet, or photos you have taken yourself, of places in nature that are inspiring, and that you design something upon. It could be the sea, a sunset, leaves or flowers. 

You can then search certain years, like the 20s or the 50s, and take inspiration from shapes and colours that were in fashion back then. 

Lastly, you can get inspiration from everyday life. I sometimes see buildings that have a nice colour, or make me think of a certain style of clothing, and I will take a photo and make a little voice memo to remind myself later. 

It’s a great way to take inspiration from your surrounding, maybe even the best.  

What’s your inspiration?

 Love, Sara xx

PS. I really hope you enjoyed this little series of tips on fashion designing, if you have any more, just let me know xx

ESTEE LAUDER BRONZE GODESS BRONZER

The first time I heard about the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer was quite a while ago in Niomi’s (Smart) video. I saw it and instantly I fell in love. I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find it, until I forgot. Then I saw someone tweet about it and instantly I resumed my search. And luckily they had it in my local Sephora!

MY FAVOURITE PERFUMES

Perfumes are the best accessory for an outfit. Often without any on I feel bare, and I feel much more confident in myself when I’m wearing a scent I love. Today I’m going to tell you about 5 perfumes that I adore, ranging from drugstore to high end.

TIPS FOR ASPIRING FASHION DESIGNERS: MATERIALS

Today I thought I would write the second ‘episode’ of my ‘Tips for aspiring fashion designers’ series. This one is going to be all about materials. 

BUYING MY MACBOOK #47 #49

As most of you will know, this year I managed to accomplish one of my 2015 New Years resolutions: I bought a Macbook Pro 13”. It was also on my bucket list, as I had wanted one for so long, and it was also my first big online purchase. So in one go, I managed to tick two things off my bucket list, which i am very happy about.

CHANEL SIGNE PARTICULIER QUADRA EYESHADOW

For a really long time I have wanted to own a Chanel beauty product, but I never knew which one would really be worth the money. Then I saw a post by the beautiful Victoria from Inthefrow about Chanel beauty, and I fell in love with the quadra eyeshadow set.

TIPS FOR ASPIRING FASHION DESIGNERS: BOOKS

When I first started getting into fashion designing, when I was about nine years old, I would copy my drawings from books and magazines. I thought today I would tell you what are the best books you can own about fashion and that are great inspiration.

I received The Teen Vogue Handbook when I turned 13, and since then that has been my source for a lot of information. It’s great if you want to find out more about the business, the names you need to know, and where are the best places to study.

I actually received the next four books all last Christmas. The first one i’m going to talk about is 50 Contemporary Fashion Designers You Should Know, which is, as the title says, a book that talks about designers you should keep an eye on, as they are amazing unknown, or emerging designers. I’ve found some great designers in that book, and I really like to read it now and then to find some inspiration.

Then I have Japanese Street Style by Pat Little, this book i absolutely amazing for inspiration. The Japanese fashion culture is absolutely crazy, and they have strange but amazing ideas on how to pair things.

The next two books are pretty much just for fashion culture. 20th Century Fashion by Jim Heimann and Alison A. Nieder and Vogue Covers by Thames & Hudson are two books, mainly pictures, of ads from the last one hundred years, and the Vogue covers since 1920. 

I absolutely love these books, and out of all the fashion books I own, they are definitely my favourites! 

Do you own any of these? 

Love, Sara xx