Saturday 29 June 2013

Saving money as a blogger - by Rianna

So I have a confession I am a shopaholic and I have a bid addiction to buying all the pretty fashion and beauty items I see in the world and then feeling depressed when I shake my purse and nothing but a penny drops out. Hello my lovelies so ever since I started blogging and well my blog became what I call " successful"  in my eyes I have found that as a blogger I have less and less money in my purse at the end of the month because as a blogger it might be just me but there is that pressure to have the latest beauty products and be on the latest fashion trend and this can be very cost effective for your bank balance. The last two years a lot has gone on for me with home life and school and I have found that when I had those moments of being depression I found myself turning to shopping because it made me feel good and have  a sense of happiness and then after going shopping and looking at the items for about an hour I would be depressed as those items would no longer have that spark factor and I would depressed again. This week my mum and I had a big talk which was really nice because me and my mum are like sisters , we are very close and she said to me that I have ti learn to save money like I did before , not wasting it on silly things and actually choosing whether the things I buy are a "need" or a "want". So after having that conversation with my mum I thought this was the perfect time to make this post and share some tips on what I am going to do to try and save money and what you guys could do.

1. Do you really need it.

So I mentioned this tip briefly above but when out shopping the one thing my mum mentions to me is "Rianna do you really need it"? . If you see something in the shop and you know that is going to be there for a long time or you think it is going to go into the sale just hold back and don't buy it straight away , if you end still wanting it in a week then maybe then it is ok to buy it but just think to yourself am I really going to get a lot of use of this product / item or am I just buying it because it is on trend? Decisions ......Decisions

2. Spending Purse and Saving Purse

Ever since I was little I don't know why but I have had this habit of always splitting my pocket money in half when I get it (haven't really done it recently but really going to try and get back into the habit). So If I get £10 then I will put five in my saving purse and five in my spending purse. This is a really effective way to save money but still have money spend.

3. Sales, Vouchers, Discounts ...

Always take advantage of sales (btw the Topshop sale has just launched today) because sales are  essentially the way to save money. The topshop sales are a brilliant example , all the lace crop tops (if you don't know what I am talking about look here) that were fifteenth pounds are now seven pounds.  When buying beauty products always look out for the best deals like three for two and buy one get one half price and fashion always look for end of season sales and mid season sales.

4. Saving tins, piggy banks 

So I currently myself and my mum have saving tins sitting in our living room which you have to smash to get open and get the content out. These tins are a great way to save money because every now and again I drop a one pound or a two pound coin and slowly your tin will begin to get a heavy and when the time comes to break it open it is the best feeling in the world. My cousin one had five hundred pounds in her tin once full.


So those are my tips for saving money and what I will be trying to do to save money , my first test will be on Sunday when I go to Westfield as although I have saved some money for the shopping trip I am going to try and think carefully before I purchase anything.

Friday 28 June 2013

Follow us on Bloglovin'



Hey! With Google Reader being no more as of Monday we're a little worried that our blog might disappear from your Blogger reading list. You are still able to follow through Google Friend Connect, however the reading list/rss feed might no longer work.

So we've transferred all of your lovely blogs that we read on a weekly basis to Bloglovin' and we hope that you can follow us on there too :)

You can also find us on:


Thursday 27 June 2013

Celeb Style: Aila Wang




It is not every day that I envy the wardrobe of a toddler, however, Aila Wang is no ordinary child.  Since the birth of Suri Cruise, the world has taken notice of fashionable young tots with wardrobes as big as the average house.  Suri, Harper Beckham, Blue Ivy Carter and Kingston Rossdale have all made headlines thanks to their fashion forward outfits, and now I welcome another super stylish tot onto the scene, Alia.  She’s got me broody.  
Aila is the niece of American fashion designer and streetwear advocate, Alexander Wang.  Pairing custom Wang designs with Nike trainers, flaunting her mini Rocco bag and effortlessly impressing the style set all at the tender age of 3 is all in a days work for tiny Aila.  This is a girl who probably keeps crayons in her Chanel.
Today marks the beginning of New York Fashion Week and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for pictures of fashion princess Aila looking streetwear chic thanks to Uncle Alex.
by JKA x

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Wednesday wish list: Motel


Going away on holiday should be a time to wind down and relax but I know that the time leading up to going away is most definitely not any of those things! In fact packing has to be the bane of my life and normally ends up with me writing thousands of lists just so I don't forget anything to then loose the lists and be left in a panic anyway. So it got me thinking, there must be a much easier way to pack without completely losing your marbles before you've even left the country!
So I've decided to test this theory by browsing through Motel's online collection in order to find great pieces that could be transformed from day to night with just a few carefully selected accessories, whilst also thinking about that dreaded case weigh in at the airport. Let's face it there's nothing worse than being overcharged for that extra 10 pairs of shoes that you just don't need, so here's to being a savvy shopper whilst still looking effortlessly fashionable.
Playsuits
Such a practical piece that can be dressed up for the night time with a pair of heels and a skinny waist belt, or casually styles with a pair of trainer pumps and a rucksack.



Dresses
Lightweight and guaranteed to make you feel a little more lady like, a dress is perfect for daytime site seeing, but you also won't look out of place at a bar.



Skirts
Pair with a tucked in tee for the day time and rock a crop top or a bandeau top in the evening.



Shorts
Great for a day on the beach over the top of your bikini or swimming costume or paired with a strappy or cropped top during the evening.



Remember Motel offer 20% student discount on all purchases along with UK free delivery and returns!

What does your holiday staple wardrobe consist of? Have you ever bought anything from Motel before?

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Lashes of London SALE!



Yesterday Lashes of London launched their sale and we couldn't resist sharing with you our fave picks. The Lashes sale is always a good one, with huge savings to be had!

We know lots of you love Lashes and so do we :) They have reduced their much coveted 'Mystic' unicorn print shorts to just £18! And the gorgeous Parma crop top to £20 (as seen on Olivia from What Olivia Did).



But you need to be quick if you'd like to purchase anything as there is very low stock on all products!

Happy shopping :)

Monday 24 June 2013

Competition Round-Up!


Win In Love With Fashion's most coveted hot pink wrap playsuit, and a big bouquet of Summer roses in their latest competition!


Win Lashes of London's Chi-Chi playsuit as seen on Ellie Goulding and Perrie Edwards from Little Mix! Enter here


Win 7 DRESSES and 7 NAIL POLISHES from Oh My Love and Nailgirls! Plus 10 runners up will win a backpack and nail polish. Enter now!!


Win £200 to spend at Asos and £200 to spend at Shopcade with etailPR! Click here for more details :)


Sunday 23 June 2013

DIY: Sunflower Collar Tips


So in work this week there was a woman selling these really pretty sunflower pins for Hospice Sunflower Days. As soon as I saw them I thought of a tutorial I saw on In Between Idols about how to make collar tips and I thought they would be perfect. Not to mention by buying two of them I was being charitable - two birds with one stone. 

Step One:

First of all it doesn't have to be pins, you could use old earrings or brooches, whatever you think looks pretty. If something doesn't have a sharp point on the back you could always buy a pack of cheap earring backs to glue on. They don't even have to be matching if you like!

Anyway, once you have picked your chosen tips then you need a chain from a necklace and a pair of scissors. I bought this necklace in Topshop and I thought it was three separate necklaces sold together, but it was one long tiered necklace so I cut off a bit and used that. The scissors are just nail scissors.

ignore the grubby table plz
Step Two:

Use the scissors to cut the necklace where you want it. Find the break in the chain link and cut until a bigger gap forms and then you can just pull the necklace in two. Don't forget to remove the chain link with the big gap as it won't stay attached to the pin. 


Step Three:

When you're happy with the chain length put some glue around the base of the pin and link the chain onto it, add more glue if you feel it's necessary. I only used a weak eyelash glue because I wanted to be able to detach the chain and use the pins as earrings too. Link the other end of the chain to the other pin and voila! I put two chains onto mine for a bulkier chain look. If you don't want the chains to be bulky, but you want more than one, cut the second chain shorter than the first for a different look.


Step Four:

Allow the glue to dry and pin to any shirt for a summery, flowery feel. Or scrap the whole collar tip idea and wear them as earrings like I did.


by Megan


Saturday 22 June 2013

How to wear red lips by Sian at Style with Friends

Hi there I'm Sian and I blog over at 'Style with Friends'. I have decided for a guest post on the lovely e-tail blog I would focus on red lipstick. It is a must have beauty product for any girl, but yet I come across a lot of people who are scared wear it. Red lips can make any outfit look hot without you even trying, so girls if you don't own a red lippy here are some for you to choose from along with two outfit ideas.

Mac RiRi Woo £14
The Body Shop Brilliant Red Colourglide £10

Any of these products are great to use but the Nars has the best staying power, I can go 6 hours without having to reapply. For evening outfit ideas I have chosen the LBD, by adding in a touch of red lips it will make your LBD stand out even more. I have gone for four different LBD to choose from instead of one outfit idea, they are different shapes to suit different bodies.


Black Panel Dress- £30 Glamorous
Black Lace Dress- £75 Next
Linen Blend Dress- £35 Next
Lace Feather Dress- £110 Lipsy

The casual outfit is based around what I like to call rock-comfort, the outfit has an edge that works really well with the red lipstick but isn't too daring. 90's denim jackets are also currently making a massive comeback so this distressed one from Romwe will fit perfectly in your wardrobe.


Distressed Denim Jacket- £44:31 Romwe
Skinny Jeans- £45 Next
Rolling Stones Tee- £29:99 This is Pulp
Double Creepers- £14:99 eBay

So there you go some tips for how to wear red lipstick, hope you enjoyed if you have please check out my blog for other style tips.



Friday 21 June 2013

Win a bundle of hair, beauty and fashion goodies with etailPR!


We've launched a new Facebook competition today, compiling a number of amazing goodies into one fantastic bundle worth over £250!

The prize includes:

  • 1x Yogi 3 in 1 Hair Curling wand
  • 1x £50 voucher for Linzi Shoes
  • Dr Organic bundle: Body oil, hair treatment serum, hand & nail cream and more
  • Macadamia Natural Oil gift set: Healing oil treatment, rejuvenating shampoo, deep repair masque and oil infused comb
  • Elemis 10th anniversary Pro-Collagen Marine Cream - 100ml worth £99!

To be in with a chance of winning simply click here to enter! Good luck :)

Thursday 20 June 2013

Celeb Style: Made in Chelsea



With the final episode of Made in Chelsea being aired earlier this week we thought we'd centre this 'Celeb Style' post around the cast - or more importantly the girls!

With both Millie and Rosie having their own style blogs (which of course we follow) we find the girls wearing some of our favourite brands on a weekly basis. Whether it's on the show or off all of the girls always look elegant and sophisticated wherever they're papped. Of course if we were rich and famous and got to hang out in Chelsea's coolest spots we'd like to think we'd look uber chic too!

Are you a fan of the show? Who's your favourite?

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Wednesday Wishlist - Motel Rocks top sale picks!

1. Christine Mini Skirt in White
2. Pollyanna PU Trim Shift Dress in Black Smoke Print
3. Hollyanna Shift Dress in Digital Love Print
4. Kadie High Waist Skater Skirt in Magenta
5. Kadie High Waist Skater Skirt In Motel Letters Print
6. Polly Babydoll Dress in Black Pyramid Print

Motel Rocks have just launched their summer sale with up to 50% off some of your favourite Motel pieces! As you can imagine, we're pretty excited about this so thought we would share some of our personal favourites from the sale.

We love the shift style dresses featured above. They're so easy to throw on and look effortlessly glam, and perfectly loose for the summer heat (if we ever get any!). The skater skirts are a bargain at £15 - £18, as is the mini skirt with the asymmetric zip at  £15!

There are plenty more tops, skirts, dresses jackets and more in the Motel sale. We recommend you check it out before the best bargains are gone!

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Daisy print nails by The Makeup Diary

Today I will be showing you how to do these cute daisy nails, perfect for the summer these are really simple to create yourself at home. 

You will need
A sky blue nail polish
A white nail polish
A yellow nail polish
Bobby pins or dotting tools
Base/Top Coat

Step One
After prepping your nails with a base coat apply two thin coats of blue nail polish to all of your nails


Step Two
To create the petals of your flowers use a medium sized dotting tool or the end of a makeup brush to create four dots that meet in the middle. I also added smaller dots to fill the rest of the nail, you can do this by using a smaller dotting tool or a bobby pin.



Step Three
Using a yellow nail polish and a small dotting tool apply a small amount in the middle of the petals to make your daisies.


Step Four
Apply a top coat to seal in your design and there you have your own daisy print summer nails, I think these would look great for a festival too.


Thanks for reading,
Jodie xx

Sunday 16 June 2013

Twitter competition with Vintage Style Me


We've teamed up with the wonderful online vintage boutique - Vintage Style Me - to offer one lucky Twitter follower a Playful Puppies skirt and Animal Pocket dress (pictured above).

To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is simply follow both @etailpr and @vintagestyleme on Twitter and retweet this tweet

Simple! The competition will end on Tuesday morning at 10am. Good luck :)

DIY: How to make a cute tea light


Here's a quick little tutorial on how to make a cute D.I.Y candle holder with some scraps lying around your house! This will look really nice either in your bedroom/bathroom to create a relaxed atmosphere or hanging up in the garden for late summer nights with your friends!

The tutorial is super simple and easy to do - and the end result looks lovely and so homely! 

If you enjoy the post be sure to check me out: 
My blog is all things beauty, health, anxiety & lifestyle
- @mgnhndly



What you need:
- lace material (any colour you want!)
- Sticky fixers / or super glue
- metal wire
- chord string - any colour you want
- old glass jar
- curling pliers 
- cutting snips 


Step 1:
-wrap the lace around the jar
- when desired length is found, cut the lace to this length
- stick the lace in place at the point of joining - I used a piece of sticky fixer but you can use a dab of super glue (wait for it to dry before step 2 though!)



Step 2:
-Using the chord, tightly tie around the lace sealing with a bow



Step 3:
- Cut the metal wire using the snips to the length of 2 times the circumference of the jar 
(so that it wraps around twice)



Step 4:
- Create one loop that will securely fit around the jar lip using pliers
- Make it so that you can tighten the loop once it is fitted on the jar



Step 5:
- Form a handle with the excess wire
- Secure with a loop using your pliers
- Apply to the jar lip, once on adjust to a secure fit using your pliers
- Add a tea-light candle and ta-da! Your D.I.Y tea-light holder is done!




Saturday 15 June 2013

Emma Warren Designs by Katie at Aim Above Limits

As a student, I am always trying to be aware of the two B's - budgeting and bargains. With this said, it becomes crucial for me, and many other students who have an obsession with the latest fashion trends, around the UK to discover brands that enable them to comply to the latest styles, whilst not needing to break the bank to do so. And this is why I am pleased to introduce.. Emma Warren Designs. 


Emma Warren Designs is a small brand which specializes in hand made jewellery which emphasize Emma's love of embellishment and detail and head-pieces (their current collection of floral headbands are simply divine!) as well as the newer introduction of graphic t-shirts and bespoke collars. Emma Warren Designs first began before Miss Warren went to university when she began to sell at craft fairs and festivals and when she finished university, she saw the brand expand further by working freelance for several brands and designers. Now an ASOS Marketplace best-seller, Emma Warren Designs has come on leaps and bounds since its first trading day. 


 It is easy to see a Victorian influence in Emma's work - the array and quantity of lace especially! I particularly love Emma's ability to incorporate vintage lace and brooches into her pieces, so she creates a mixture of old and new. When I asked Emma, "is the brand an extension of yourself?", her reply was that it 100% is. Her studio and rooms are full with her current collections, whilst in her spare time she adores going to charity shops to find vintage bargains to enable her to have unique pieces. 




For all those budding entrepreneurs out there, Emma Warren shared a small insight into how to make your first business successful; " I would say, at the moment, the key factor to starting a brand would be social media, and working with fashion bloggers to get your brand known" She added that Instagram is her favourite tool to build outfits to show potential customers how to style her products!

Check out her full collection here.
What do you think? Do you love the brand as much as me?


Lots of love,

Friday 14 June 2013

Win £200 to spend at Asos PLUS £200 to spend on Shopcade! FINISHED


We have teamed up with Shopcade and Asos to bring you our most recent blogger competition! You could win a £200 Asos voucher PLUS a £200 voucher for a retailer of your choice on Shopcade

To be in with a chance of winning you need to be signed up to our Blogger Network here, then create a blog post about Shopcade (e.g. a wishlist of your favourite items from the site, or an introduction to the concept of the site - it's up to you, but the post must be dedicated to Shopcade!). In the blog post you need to link back to Shopcade using this link: http://bit.ly/177STf7 and let your readers know about this competition by linking back to this post. Then just email the link of your blog post to bloggers@etailpr.com.

Please email your blog link over to us by 2pm Friday 28th June to be in with a chance of winning!

To recap:
- Make sure you're signed up to our Blogger Network.
- Create a blog post about Shopcade and let your readers know about this competition (please link them back to this post!).
- Link to the Shopcade website in the post using this link: http://bit.ly/177STf7.
- Email the link of your blog post to bloggers@e-tailwebstores.com
- You have until Friday 28th June to email your links in.
- A winner will be announced on Monday 1st July.

Good luck!

The winner is Jess 

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Wednesday Wishlist: Maxi Dresses


1. Ax Paris - £40 
2. Chi Chi - £39.99
3. Lashes of London - £95
4. Ax Paris - £35
5. Chi Chi - £49.99

With upcoming holidays just around the corner for many of us in the etailPR office we thought we'd centre this weeks 'Wednesday Wishlist' post around the maxi dress!
Perfect for holidays and Summer in general, there are many beautiful maxi dresses on the market. In particular both Chi Chi and Ax Paris offer a wide range of lovely styles. We particularly love this underwater themed Chi Chi bandeau one (2).

Also, not forgetting Lashes of London! Their 'Juniper' dress pictured here in the middle, is one of their best selling items. With a gorgeous, multi coloured, chiffon bottom and bandeau white cotton top it would make the perfect beach attire. We can just picture ourselves strolling across a stunning, sandy beach as the sun is setting... ahh! We can only dream right now.

Are you a fan of the maxi dress?

Tuesday 11 June 2013

Ax Paris launch on the etailPR Blogger Network!


Ax Paris have been working with etailPR’s web and affiliate marketing teams for the past few years, however they have now chosen to branch out within the company and utilise the etailPR Blogger Network.

You can now apply to work with Ax Paris as you would any other of our brands by clicking on 'Promotions' > 'Campaigns' on the left hand side of your home page.

Click here to sign into your account or if you haven't already sign up now!

Once approved you will receive a confirmation email with the next steps.