animal print and tartan trends for an Autumn transition

As hard as it seems to even imagine Autumn and Winter clothing when there is a tropical heat wave going on outside. But, as sad as it sounds, Autumn is approaching in the eyes of fashion, as nearly all highstreet shops have been adding new collections into their stores, it's time to accept the truth and It's always better to be over prepared than under, right? Below I've added two of my favourite Autumn and Winter trends you can slowly build into your current Summer wardrobe. 

Crazy for Cheetah 

One trend which seems to be going no where fast is ANIMAL PRINT, of course, its lasted 2 seasons already and prints such as leopard and cheetah are looking to last one more. Any loud prints are totally in this season, and I've found a few items which you could use to embrace the trend, subtly or all out...

Dress and Blouse - Never Fully Dressed & Earrings - Zara

Trend Report - Denim Jackets & Double Denim

Double Denim? The Denim Jacket?

You may be thinking, really Nic? a denim jacket is a classic piece of clothing which never really goes out of fashion. TRUE, however, I slightly beg to differ, as simple as it may sound, a big trend will be detail. Oversized, Over detailed and Overly Deconstructed denim jackets are in my opinion going to be a huge trend for SS18. 

With celebs like Kendall Jenner and Kim K sporting the item of clothing, and with many retailers jumping on the band wagon, I believe the denim jacket will be a big hit this season & you heard it here first... (probably not but lets pretend you did for my sake).

Last Summer I searched high and low for a light blue wash denim jacket, looking for an oversized in a boxy fit way, and stiff enough that it would not sag (oh I hate a sag). After having no luck, it seems like this year they are everywhere, you literally can't miss them. 

My Blogger Inspiration

So as an avid blog reader I thought I'd write a post that I would like to read for myself which is my Feb Favourite Fashion Bloggers for 2018 (so far).

I, like I'm sure many people, have their favourite fashion bloggers on Instagram which are incredibly inspiring in terms of style and even aesthetic. I love finding new influencers to follow on Instagram, and many times I've typed in "top 10 fashion bloggers" into google search and all thats come up are the common insta blogger gals who have billions of followers, not that I'm hating on anyone as their pages are amazingggg (hence the billions of followers) but there are so many hidden gems out there which not that many people have found yet.
SO I am here to show you some.

So here we go...

@Matildadjerf AND @Emitaz

@Matildadjerf - (insta & blog & youtube links) 
@Emitaz - (insta & blog & youtube links) 

Trend Report - Leopard Print

My Trend Report for Autumn / Winter 2017 says everything leopard print, despite it being an eternal trend, if you told me this time last year I'd be wearing leopard print I would have laughed in your face, and would deffo have said "who do you think I am? Kat Slater?". Maybe its my tastes that are changing, but Leopard has become a print many famous faces, and retailers are embracing, It adds a pop of colour to a dull winters outfit.

Sunday Wish List

Happy Sunday! 

After being at work all day, I am finally on a few weeks break, before I start uni, and also before my holiday on Saturday WOO!! So I really want to start doing more posts on here, as well as maybe on Youtube, doing vlogs and what not? Especially as uni is so so soon, I am starting to shop a lot for clothes, and it would be a lot easier to do a haul rather than writing about it on here!

Anyway I thought I would do a short post today, based on My Autumn / Winter Wish List, both high street & designer, so lets begin...

One & Two 

ONE - Like most girls, Zara is my favourite high street shop, especially now it is approaching autumn/winter, I am so excited to start shopping the new seasons, especially coats! This 'Biker Jacket' as Zara calls it, is the jacket Ive been looking for, for over a year, (literally) as I really wanted this last year, but by the time I wanted it, it had sold out, so this is deffo in my shopping basket as soon as I get paid lol! TWO - Gucci of course! I've always been a lover of little bags, and this Gucci 'Soho Leather Disco Bag' is literally a dream of mine. Perfect as a cross body and every day bag, I just really want it, thats all haha.

Three & Four

THREE - Bootiesss, as sad as it is, summer is nearly over and the rain will be here very soon, as its time to face the facts, and prepare yourself and your feet! These 'studded buckle flat ankle boots" from ASOS are extremely similar to ones that are all over the high street, and I really want to get my hands on a pair of the studded beauties. FOUR - hehehe Gucci again, the Gucci 'leather belt with the Double G Buckle' is literally all I need in my life, as atm I've been wearing a lot of belts, especially with high waist denim mom jeans, and it would just be so much better if i was wearing a Gucci belt, don't you agree?

Thanks for reading and see ya soon! Follow my Instagram HERE

Love Nic x

Kendall Jenner Street Style

From airport outfits to day-to-day style, Kendall Jenner has always been my go too for style inspiration. Decpite my previous post about her and Kylies street style, after subscribing to Kendall's app and me watching back-to-back episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians, my love of Kendall has well and turely returned. From mom jeans, to white tees, biker jackets and over sized sweaters, I can't get enough.

How I Edit My Instagram Photos

This is my first time writing a post like this so hopefully it goes well and most importantly makes sense! My photo editing for insta isn't really a long process, it all depends on the quality originally, but I do get a lot of questions on it so i thought I'd write a post about it! So here are the ins and outs of my process...

OOTD - pleated trousers

I don't know about anyone else but I am never ashamed to re-wear last years wardrobe. After scrolling through pintrest I found loads of summer outfit inspiration, most of which involving pleats. Last year pleats were really popular, especially ones similar to the culottes I'm wearing here! Topshop especially embraced the trend, with many colours and lengths, however, this year the culottes are being replaced by long line skirts, pleated ones at that, but still any pleats are good enough! As the sun has been out this week I thought it would be the perfect time to bring out the pleats once again. 

Todays outfit I wore my pink wish pleats with adidas trainers, and a white super cropped tee that i recently got from Urban Outfitters, I love this top because of the neck it has, anything slightly high necked is a bit of me lol. But as I am on holiday next week I am definitely going to be taking them with me and wearing them in the evenings with a bralet! The only thing is, I wished i bought a size small as the top can sometimes rise a little too high and show the bottom of your bra, but hay ho just gotta embrace it lol, and get those not so abs out!!   

Pleats are an easy way to embrace the summer months, they are light and simply feel like you're wearing nothing haha, I will deffo be grabbing these a lot during hot summer days. Especially as they make you feel so girly and fashionable, you'll deffo be standing out from the crowd in pleats this season. 

Styling and Inspiration 

TOP - Urban Outfitters

TROUSERS - Topshop (similar here)

SHOES - Adidas 

 MY INSPO

My inspiration came mostly from these two pictures, especially the white and grey tees with trainers, turning a really girly piece of clothing into a sport casual look. I love the blue on the right, but mostly the metallic skirt. Both are amazing summer street style outfits. My main love is deffo the logo tee shirt, but as I don't have a graphic one at the moment, I had to settle for the plain white tee shirt Im wearing above. 

I hope you enjoyed this sweet but simple post today, keep tuned for my next few holiday based posts including tanning and outfits (ofc)!!

FOLLOW ME ON

Insta - @nicolakaik

BlogLovin - NICOLAKAIK

Love Nic x

Mood Board 3 - INTERIOR

Two posts in 24 hours, wow... Is it just me or do you over think and over plan everything in your head when its night time? Because I always do. Whether it is what you are going to wear tomorrow, or about how you have to pack for holiday thats only a few weeks away, or even thinking about the hair oil you need to buy because you've run out! Its like night time was made for over-thinking. As i felt like my other post categories weren't seeing the love, compared to my fashion one, I thought I'd do a new mood board, for Interior, desk interior / office to be more precise, the reason for my over-thinking. 

Uni is only a few months away, and as I've decided to stay at home and commute into London this year (for money reason, not that I didn't want to stay in halls). I am in need of desk or space to do work on, for my laptop and books and somewhere where I can feel inspired and relaxed enough to work, as at the moment my room is lacking this a lot. Pintrest is the saviour as per usual, as it is where I get most of my inspiration from. Black, white, rose gold and marble are my inspiration colours, along with faux fur, prints and green plants (mostly palm trees, but you can put one of those in your bedroom). I am really excited to decorate my room more, and to create this space to work and be creative here on my blog, I already have a few ideas which you will be seeing very soon, but this is just a tease of whats to come and whats inspired me.

Pintrest - nicolakaik

I hope you enjoyed this short post, don't forget to check out my previous post from a few hours ago lol and see you again soon, Love Nic x

Prada & Chanel SS18 Resort Collection

You may be wondering why we are already talking about next years fashion trends while we are only just going into 2017 summer, but as fashion is always 2 seasons ahead, and Prada and Chanel have just had their resort collection, it would be a pity not to talk about it. 

For those of you who do not know, the Resort collections that you see many fashion houses have, refers to 'a holiday or travel collection', this being the reason it is sometimes called a Cruise Collection. It is meant to be for wealthier customers who travel all year round, and are in need of a lighter summer wardrobe for their travels during winter months. 

With summer ahead and holidays approaching, there is no harm in taking early inspiration from the Spring / Summer 2018 resort collection for your vacay outfit planning. Last week we saw both Chanel and Prada show off their collections and bellow are the bits that caught my eye the most...

Chanel 

Karl Lagerfeld stepped back from future and space inspiration and took on a "modern mythology" theme, embracing Ancient Greek's beauty and culture. With Greek ruins as a catwalk and the clothes truly embracing a goddess theme, my favourite part of this walk is the lack of celeb models such as Kendall and Gigi, as Chanel has tried to go back to a purer times which includes the models. 

Gold Is The Theme - Picture one is by far my favourite outfit from the whole walk, as from head to toe it is stunning, ready to wear and the pieces compliment each other so well. I am in love with the gold bold sunglasses as well as the cream trousers that have a subtle hint of pattern. I feel like Zara will truly embrace these looks as they tend to create beautiful cream and white clothing as well as embroidery, which has already been seen this year.  Despite pictures 1 and 2 embracing the embroidery theme, I specifically chose picture 2 for the knot detail and cut out side dress! Knots are already very much in this season with many summer playsuits as well as the deconstructed shirt trend. I recently found a tie front playsuit from ASOS that i am in love with which embraces the cutout/tie style, see here.

 Last but not least my favourite from picture 3 is the embrace of metallic gold, combined with a co-ord, picture 3 has given me major festival inspiration as a metallic bold skirt is deffo going to be worn. Topshop have recently brought out a pink metallic skirt that I am dying for, especially for festivals and nights out this summer, click here to see. As well as these few looks, Lagerfeld also took on crochet, macs and weaved pieces, however it is safe to say that the Chanel walk has made me want to invest in some neon lace up heels and to dig out the alice band again!

Prada

Prada spring / summer resort collection was very thought out, as the looks match the settings. The room was lit with a pink-hue, black, pink and white benches lined the centre, and huge windows showing off the industrial surroundings of the Fondazione Prada Osservatorio. As for the clothes, Prada stuck with the same colour themes and embraced a sporty yet still, overly girly touch. 

Any More Pink - Just from a first glance, Prada used many materials, from shirts, sequins, feathers, mesh and pleats, this pretty much sums up the catwalk. Picture one is of course a favourite, as the crisp white shirt is a must to everyones wardrobe, but the added mesh detail, more importantly the pink mesh detail, is amazing and deffo something I will be embracing this summer and most likely next summer. Secondly, picture two has me feeling a lot of things, as the silver metallic sequin skirt is the key piece... this skirt has gave me major festival inspiration. Fashion bloggers such as Sarah Ashcroft embraced the sequins at the Coachella just gone, as she wore a Lipsy London pink sequin dress, see here. 

As for picture 3, I am loving the juxtaposition of a sporty jacket and mesh pleated skirt, adding to a sport/girly look. Pleats were a big trend last summer and I have a feeling that they will make an appearance once again!! Id be very happy for this to happen so I can pull out my pink Topshop pleated trousers again. If you haven't noticed already all the models wear plaited hair and knee high sports socks which adds to the overall sporty, with a touch of pink girly look. 

Thank you for reading, follow me on bloglovin here or click the + gadget to keep up to date with my future posts!! love nic x

Blogs I'm loving at the moment - Elle's Choice https://ellechoice.blogspot.co.uk

Mom Jeans To Die For

The mom jeans came about in the 1960s, as levi first produced the style and called them waist overalls, as they were a similar style to dungarees but without the top half, they soon become popular after James Dean popularised them in the film Rebel. Since then the style came back in the 1990's, such as in sit coms like Friends and many other 90s shows. Now the mom jeans are back in fashion, many retail shops are taking on the trend, adding embellishments, ripped and cut hems to add a modern twist with the old style jeans.

When I personally think of mom jeans the first thing that comes into my head is Rachel and Monica from Friends, wearing the classic 90's denim and more recently Kendall Jenner sporting the slim fit blue mom jeans. 90's style has always been such an inspiration to me, thus the reason behind my love of these denim dreams. I've had a few pairs in the past few years but i've only recently found a pair that fully suit my shape!

Most mum jeans on the highstreet that I've found, tend to be the loose fit, tapered style, more like a vintage look, that are baggy from the waist down, until the ankle. But for me these never suit my figure and they make me look like I have no butt at all! After searching high and low, I found a few that appeared to be a slim fit style, more like the ones Kendall Jenner wears. Kendall has previously stated that her mum jeans are from Topshop, but at the time of me buying them they never seemed to have my size. 

I continued to look around, and eventually found a pair that fitted perfectly! ASOS saved the day.. The jeans I'm wearing here, the star of the entire blog post, are called the 'ASOS Fairleigh High Waist Slim Mom Jeans', I bought them in the shade Prince Wash. (Click Here to View). As I bought these a few months ago there is limited stock left in this colour, however ASOS has now brought out more colours, including 'bright blue', 'washed black' and a few others including stepped hemmed and ripped ones, if you type in the name above into the ASOS search bar then you can browse the entire range!

What I love the most about these particular mom jeans are how they fit perfectly around my waist, and are tighter around my bum and thighs, compared to other Mom jeans I've bought in the past. There is nothing I hate more than jeans that are baggy around your waist but tight round your bum, or just so baggy that your figure is hidden completely. Not only this but the price is fairly cheap for a decent thick pair of denim jeans, at only £32 they are a good price, especially compared to similar Levi or Topshop ones.

My Size Guide

I am usually a size 6 and a 34" leg length in jeans, so I bought the 25" waist and a 32" leg length, as I wanted them to be slightly shorter and just above the ankle, which was perfect! For a size scale to help you, in Topshop Joni jeans (which I'm sure everyone has) I am a size 6 which is also a 25" waist.  So these jeans are pretty true to size, and for leg length I say stay normal to your other jeans if not go a size down for a more classic mom jean vintage-ish style.

Inspiration and styling

I hope you enjoyed this post, and my previous more fashion related ones! I'm going to start posting more regularly like 3 times a week at least!! This is unrelated, but to any of those reading this, have you ever tried Too Faced born this way foundation, or the Nars sheer glow?! if so comment bellow which one you prefer or your thoughts as I'm in need of a new foundation and stuck on which too get lol! Thank you again Love Nic x

All About Gingham

Gingham - We saw it in 2014 and now once again the Gingham trend is back in shops and near enough everyones wardrobe, and for sure everyones Instagram feeds. From checked shirts, ruffled skirts, thrilled trousers and co-ords, this print has made a return with near enough every brand stocking the monochrome and brightly coloured print trend. 

Fact of the Day - The truth is that gingham doesn't actually mean checked, but more so stripped (horizontal and vertical lines overlapping) yes creating a checkered appearance, but coming from the Malayan word "genggan" in English meaning 'stripe'. 

My love for it started from seeing my favourite fashion blogger, Emelie Natascha aka Emitaz wearing a monochrome gingham thrilled skort from Zara... which sadly sold out but
I found it on depop and of course had to buy it!! She paired it perfectly with a white cropped Guess jumper and turned a dressier item into a casual look (picture below). She recently posted the second picture onto her Instagram of a gingham cutout dress from Revolve, which added to my love of all things gingham as well as it fitting in well with the deconstructed shirt trend that was all over catwalk for SS17 and of which I spoke about in my previous posts HERE. 

As the Zara skort no longer exists I found an identical skirt on Pretty Little Thing (click here to shop) & the Revolve dress (here).

My opinion is that the gingham trend is going to stick around, as it is a very good transitional piece, from summer to winter - not that we want to be thinking about winter just yet - but it can easily be dressed for both. As well as it already making an appearance back in 2014, you have no worry of it going out of trend any time soon!

My Top Two Picks

Both from Asos ONE and TWO

Have a good night and apologies for the lack of my Sunday mood board, but ones coming Very Soon!! love Nic x

Sliders Sliders Sliders

ONE (here) TWO (here) THREE (here) FOUR (here)

Sliders are something thats been around for many years, but recently it has moved from a dad shoe to a real fashion trend. It started with Adidas and bold logos across the front, then to Pumas fur ones. But recently, many retail shops have been creating statement shoes like the ones above. The 4 sliders here are just a few of my favourites that I've found online, and some of which I own. I didn't realise until putting the pictures together that they only consisted of metallic and black haha. 

Number 1 and 2 are both similar with a bow/thrill detail, which again is a big trend for SS17, I own no.2 myself and they are the best sliders i have, they are so girly and fashion forward, they also come in a khaki colour and a dusky pink, they are also cheaper alternatives to the Puma Fenty ones. Number 3 and 4 are both dreams. I love number 3's white line around the soul and the gem details, which Zara is really loving at the moment. For number 4 I was so undecided whether to post the picture of them in black or silver, as they are both amazing. 

Hope you're enjoying my recent fashion posts, because theres more to come soon! Love Nic x

3 Hot Fashion Trends

As spring has come and the summer weather is slowly but surely on its way, I thought it would be the perfect time to write about my top 3 favourite trends that embraced the catwalk a few months ago, and are all over the high street right now.

Deconstructed Shirts

The deconstructed shirt was a trend that started in New York, and continued all the way to London's catwalk, Victoria Beckham embraced the trend as you can see in the 1st and 3rd picture, she combined silk coloured shirts, as well as the basic white shirt and added a twist, the deep V neck line and folded over detail, adds a work-to-play feel. Alexandera Wang also embraced the trend, by going from the plain crisp white shirt to a major summer look. Vogue wrote a post all about how to DIY your shirt into a major fashion trend that you can read here Vogue.

All Shades of Pink

No colour could be more summery than pink, and this season all shades of pink hit the catwalk, from Fuchsia to dusky. (From left to right) Hermes, Bottega Vaneta and Miu Miu all added a splash of colour to their show, as well as Valentino who used Pink throughout nearly their entire collection. Retail shops such as Zara have really embraced the trend, through to trousers, shirts and jackets. Would you dare to go PINK?

Thrills & Ruffles 

As you have most definitely seen in retail shops recently, ruffles are taking over your clothes, down the seam of your trousers, around your ankles, along your arms or across your chest, ruffles and thrills are everywhere. My new favourite designers, Thornton Bregazzi, took on the Spanish-ish style and put ruffles everywhere, the 3 picture above are a few of my favourite looks of their London SS17 walk. I love the trouser details and simplistic arm designs, as well as the white look. This look is an easy way to embrace the  upcoming summer trend, and a fun way to spice up any outfit.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it, let me know in the comments if this is the type of posts you enjoy! Have a good day, Love Nic x

Mood Board 2 - Wanderlust

Happy Easter!! Im keeping up with the weekly mood boards and todays one (aka the second) is a wanderlust mood board, as I am holiday dreaming as per usual. I really want to go on holiday again after Morocco so I've been looking hard and I think Corfu will be the next adventure!  I've been planning next weeks blog posts already and I hope to share a lot of new ideas, including outfit ones, which i hope you love, and as for next sundays mood board I think it will be on home interior inspo! Any way I hope you liked this weeks inspo and it makes you just as excited for summer as I am... love Nic x

Keep updated for new posts on my insta . . . @nicolakaik 

Mood Board 1 - the start

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I've decided that from now on every Sunday I am going to post a mood board of pictures that have inspired me the most, consisting of fashion, travel and interior design photos that I've found on Pintrest. But I hope that you are also inspired by them too, and eventually weekly they will be more specific rather than this awful first attempt haha. But this week Gucci, Denim (double denim) Palm Trees and Tattoos, and of course Kendall Jenner has inspired me the most! I hope you like this post, and the amazing english weather, which I wouldn't know about as I've been stuck in work, but still, have a good day, Love N x

My Top 5 Dream Travel Destinations

Hiya, I've decided to start writing on my blog daily, or more often than i do now, which is not a lot haha. So today i wanted to talk about how i have been really inspired by a certain blogger, called Emitaz (most people know her as) or Emelie Natascha who is a swedish blogger living in Barcelona living the dream life and traveling all over the world, so today i thought i would write a short and sweet post about My Top 5 Dream Travel Destinations, which is a bit of a mouthful but here it goes.

1. First of all i have always dreamed of going to Bali, as probably most people have, but yep thats my first, as i am such a water baby and the beaches look dreamy and I've never been to Asia before!
2. Secondly, Barcelona, as i have never been to main land spain, and i love the idea of a city escape, that is also a beach holiday! and the festivals of course!
3. Thirdly, very similar to my second choice would be Madrid, as i have always wanted to have a week away in barcelona and then get a short plane over to Madrid and continue exploring there!
4. Fourth would be Hawaii, as it looks like a dream land, with palm trees, blue seas, white sands, and the wildlife and the history of Hawaii including Pearl Harbour memorial, i feel like there would be so much to see in Hawaii, and with amazing weather it sounds like a dream get a way. 
5. My last destination has always been a dream of mine, which is Morocco, from being a kid i always wanted to go to morocco and visit the towns and the markets, and i always pictured every building being a shade of terracotta haha! In addition, the reason why i have added Morocco onto my list is because i am going in June!!! 

I hope you have a lovely day,  Love N x

Kendall & Kylie Street Style Inspiration

Kendall & Kylie look book

After Kendall Jenners birthday dress that was smothered all over our instagrams, with fashion brands taking major inspiration, its not just the instagram shops who have been looking at the Jenner sisters style, but near enough every teenage girl has been taking inspiration from their street style. My blog post today is all about Kendall and Kylie's fashion must have styles that have been captured in the past few months. I have commented on my favourite pieces and also found cheaper alternatives for a few of them! So lets stop rambling and get on with it...

My Kendall inspiration first stemmed from me watching a video Kris Jenner uploaded on her instagram, i fell in love with the way Kendall matched a leather skirt with a band tee! I think any black leather skirt with a white or grey or even black band tee would create such an effortless but fashionable outfit for a regular day. 

I then continued to google more kendal street styles and this is what i found...

 My next fashion love would be the blue denim that Kendall seems to wear a lot of, i love the baggy ankle look on the left but also the casual mom jeans that she's wearing on the right. I am currently loving any form of blue jeans at the moment, especially with rips in like the ones i posted a picture of on my instagram (click here to see). Not only am I loving Kendalls denim but also the neutral colours, beige and creams andddd her Stella Mcartney shoes in the left picture. 

My next love which has been seen in every retail shop on the highstreet recently would be the leather jacket. The leather jacket is a timeless piece and has been around for many many years, by the looks of things it doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon. Kendall is a prime example of how a leather jacket can be worn to dress up and down an outfit.I am loving the colours she's wearing in the picture above, the grey cropped jumper under the leather jacket really goes well together, especially the way she has effortlessly slung it over her shoulders.

Zara had a lot of coloured faux leather jackets during the summer months, but I didn't notice them selling a white one, after doing some research I discovered a shop called Bershka who sell practically identical white ones for only £39.99 (click here).

When I first uploaded this picture onto my blog I was going to talk about the jacket Kendall is wearing, but I have just noticed that she is sporting a pair of leather trousers as well! Leather leggings or trousers are verryyyyyy in style right now, and over the autumn/winter months. Paired with trainers like above help add a casual look to a quite dressy piece of clothing.

Not only am i obsessed with the leather leggings but also the faux fur jacket! Firstly with Kylies all black outfit, with an oversized bomber jacket. I am in love with Kendalls outfit, as my obsession for faux fur is still massive, ever since my discovery of the TDS faux fur bomber jacket brand I've mentioned on my blog before. 

My next up favourite from both Kendall and Kylie would be the band tee shirt. I recently saw a blog post on how the band tee shirt trend is now dead, which i majorly disagree with.. nearly every retail shop has still got them in store and celebs like these two continuously show them off on social media. Even if i'm wrong and they are in fact "dead", then who cares? Fashion is all about personal intereptation and I much prefer leaving the house knowing that I am not going to look exactly the same as every other girl out there. But any who, i am loving Kylie's mix of the black and white pieces (especially the socks), and her leather jacket over the top adds to the look. 

Bershka has also been selling a lot of band tee shirts recently! Not long ago I bought a metallic logo 'Metallica' tee shirt from their Oxford street shop, which is also online here.

My last style inspiration follows on from the last one but with an added twist. Here again is the oversized band tee shirt but a distressed DIY version. Kendall has a cut out a V neck line into a band t-shirt leaving the neck band to add a chocker effect. She has also paired it once again with blue jeans, which i adore moreeee. 

Thank you once again for taking the time to read my fashion post and i hope i have gave someone inspiration, through the pictures or my comments! To keep updated on my next blog post be sure to follow me on instagram @nicolakaik as this is where i announce my new posts!! 

(none of the pictures are mine and found on google or instagram)

see ya again soon

Nic x

My Holy Grail Fake Tan

Lets Get Bronzed!
Now the winter season is coming and my summer tan has faded, its time to start Fake Tanning! I've tried a few but I always seem to go back to the same brand... St Moriz.

For many years I have been using the St Moriz professional medium ( or dark ) mousse, I pick it up from my local boots, but you can also get it online here . 

Why i love it..

The first reason why I love St Moriz is because of the price, only £4.99 for the bottle which will last 3 months if not more.. compared to its rivals who charge £15+ for the same volume, it is the best for a natural colour, my fake tan colour is identical to my real tan colour, and i always get compliments from people asking if it is real!! It is streakless if applied right and despite the semi fake tan smell it disappears after you shower!!

Dark or Medium? 

I personally do not recognise the difference between the medium and dark shade, i normally just buy the one Boots have in stock at the time, but if you're fairer skinned then i would deffo recommend the medium shade just in case. I have never personally used the light shade before, but my beliefs are that if you're using fake tan you may as well go all out... right?? haha 

How i use it..

The way you apply your fake tan is vital to the out come, if you want a natural non streaky tan then you have too apply it in the correct way! Here is my method that works well for me and hopefully you too..

what you will need-

• Your St Moriz gradual tanning mousse 
• A tanning mit ( i always get mine from primary for £1.99) 
• Any moisturiser ( i use Garnier body 7 day nourishing lotion in mango )

I normally fake tan after i have bathed or shower, so i have smooth legs and also this gives me time to scrub and exfoliate the dead skin, this will help avoid dark patches when you tan. 

I then moisturise, it is up to you whether you moisturise your whole body or just the areas prone to be drier than the rest. for me i always moisturise my legs, feet and ankles, hands, elbows and chest as this is where I am most dry lol. 

Now it is tan time!! I ALWAYS use a tanning mitt to apply it, this way you will avoid the dreaded orange palms! I normally apply two pumps onto the mitt for each body part, i start from the bottom up, with my legs and feet, then my stomach, back and then chest and top of back, ensuring that the sides match and i haven't left any white marks. if you struggle applying fake tan to your back ask someone for help, I always find myself putting tan on my sisters back, however, i never seem to struggle, as i have monkey arms lol. I then do both of my arms and then leave my hands to last to avoid smudging them in the mitt.

If you want to apply fake tan on your face i would suggest using less product! I personally only ever use the excess that has been left on the mitt to apply all over my face and then add some of my Garnier Amber Solair 1 week glow for face in medium to blend. This step is optional especially if you wear makeup everyday!

After i have applied my tan it then takes 4-6 hours to develop, but I normally apply my fake tan an hour or two before bed, so i let it dry first and then go to sleep with the tan on and shower it off in the morning, this way it gives the darkest outcome, despite it also ruining my white bedding (but don't stress it does wash off lol).

When it comes to showering the next morning, i only spend a minute or two in there. I use shower gel all over to take off the excess and this is also where the fake tan smell disappears. 

My tan normally lasts 5 days but this depends on how often you exfoliate and moisturise after. I normally re apply my tan every week but sometimes more sometimes less depending on my laziness and if i am going out on a weekend. 

THE END

I hope I have helped your fake tanning needs, and if you give my technique a go or just use St Moriz mousse, then comment on here or my isnta - @Nicolakaik and let me know what you think!!!

thank you for reading, love N x

Faux FURRR Bombers - The Design Studio Hawarden

THE DESIGN STUDIO HAWARDEN 

TDS FAUX FUR BOMBER JACKETS ARE MY OBSESSION.   

Despite me not YET owning one of these jackets (recognise the yet). I am still in love with these faux fur bombers. I discovered this brand firstly on Instagram @thedesignstudiohawarden and I fell in love with not only the aesthetic of their social media page, but mostly the uniqueness each of the jackets have. The mother daughter duo, Sally Pattinson and Lettie Pattinson,

design and make the unique jackets themselves, as every jacket is unique and hand made! (Which definitely makes me want one more).

Every sunday at 7pm they put up their new designs on their website, after teasing their 35.1K followers with sneak peaks throughout the week, on their quickly expanding Instagram. Every jacket is lined with ivory or black satin, with scuba fabric as edging, some with zips and some without. All covered in very different, vibrant and unique coloured and textured faux fur, and some combined with denim or poly cotton panels.   

You may be thinking that these faux fur covered bomber jackets are just for winter, BUT NO you are wrong, as TDS creates new styles and textures to adapt to the changing seasons. The spring designs include pastel furs, whites and greys. But, most excitingly the new summer designs are  incorporating floral leather fabrics and pink quilted polyester!    

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

Not only do I want one of these jackets because they are absolutely stunning, but also because you will  without a doubt stand out when you wear one. The design Studio Hawarden is the only company I have found who has combined the old school bomber jacket with faux fur. Even if there are other brands out there, I can guarantee that they don't do it like TDS do it. The only criticism with this brand is that every jacket they make are all beautiful, I just can't decide which one I want!! 

The Design Studio Hawarden is my favourite Instagram fashion brand at the moment and have been ever since I discovered them. Thus the reason behind them being my first blog post! 

Follow them on insta - @thedesignstudiohawarden

Website - The Design Studio

Thank you for reading, N x

(all pictures are from TDS Instagram and none belong to me) 

all opinions belong to me