Look back at 2011

This year has been fantastic for me and fashion for a number of reasons:

I finally got my hands on some patent white DMs, dream come true; Found some gorgeous bright red jeans in Warehouse; tried out coloured contacts, got some beautiful glittery red nail varnish just in time for party season and perhaps the best was finding out that nude shades are in for spring new year!

Apart from fashion, 2011 has been great for music, Nicki Minaj's SuperBass is STILL being played in clubs and Florence released her second album Ceremonials which is flawlessly haunting.

As for film, the only one that made any impact (for me anyway) was Harry Potter, I was in asda at midnight buying that badboy.

Aside from the clothes, music and movies though 2011 has been a pretty good year. It started off a bit rocky, but then again, most new years do, th

ings left unsettled from the past year but it eased out.

I've been to London twice, got to go to Paris with my family, danced away at V festival even though I was deathly ill, worked 9-5 then 8-1 all through summer and made my parents very proud, had some fabulous meals and free shots (...VODKA), moved into my little flat with L&N, cleaned for the first time EVER, cried when I was sad...well cried because I'm not HP, laughed so hard it hurt and of course made some wonderful memories with friends that I will never forget for as long as I shall live.

All in all this year hasn't been too shabby.

ASA bands Lucy lynx adverts

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned the Lynx Deodorant web campaign starring Lucy Pinder after complaints that the images objectivity and degrade woman. Apparently there were 5 adverts which showed Pinder undertaking activities including washing a car, jogging and playing with a light sabre, which in all fairness to the girl are things that I’m guessing quite a few women do in their spare time.

Now I would consider myself somewhat of a feminist, of course I want equal rights to men and I think that women deserve that but I sometimes can’t help but think that the issue of scantily clad females has been brought up time and time again and I am sick to death of it!

Yes the advert features Pinder in her underwear doing activities provocatively and yes she is a gorgeous woman with rather big boobs but so what?! She is also a woman who got paid to do the campaign and I’m guessing it wasn't an awful amount either. Nobody forced her to shoot the photos, she wasn’t being taken advantage of; she chose to show off her stuff in her underwear and I think hats off to the girl! Maybe I am missing the point here but I don’t quite understand what is so awful and demeaning with adverts like this. To me it represents a strong independent woman who has chosen to use what god has given her to help make a living and is enjoying living her life for the here and now. There’s no shame in her expression on the photos that’s for sure and if you want to do that thing then surely it is your choice, as a woman of the world, to use your body how you want and surely that in itself is being a feminist.

Obviously as the ads are banned the images are hard to find, but here’s one I managed to get my hands on, if you are going to be offended by a woman in her underwear, in the kitchen, with a turkey then I suggest you don’t look at the image.

The strap line reads, “Can she make you lose control?” and quite frankly if a woman cooking in her undies makes a man lose control then I think it says more about the state of the man than the woman.

Don't you just hate it when...

One night when I was lying in bed thinking of what ways there are to cover up and keep warm during winter but at the same time remain sexy and stylish and it suddenly hit me. The perfect item to pair with my leather jacket - A gorgeous black fur (faux obvious) gilet complete with hood and pom poms... But of course in pure fashion fan style, I had imagined such an item. Nevertheless I began the hunt to find my furry gilet. I have tried all the shops and haven't yet found one that is as perfect as the one that I have in my head.

I have however found some suitable alternatives if my imaginary one is not found, but if anyone finds my gilet PLEASE give me a heads up :)

Here's the links for the ones I found just incase you want to have a look:

Here for Topshop

Here for ASOS

The naked dress

The naked dress by vanityamor featuring sleeveless dresses

H M zipper dress
£17 - hm.com

Elie Saab zipper dress
$2,514 - boutique1.com

Dorothy Perkins pleated dress
£29 - dorothyperkins.com

Sleeveless dress
£4.99 - dressrail.com

Forever21 sequin evening dress
$25 - forever21.com

Belle Maison Interiors> Home > MIRRORS > Patterned Black Glass Oval...
£69 - bellemaisoninteriors.co.uk

The show boot

The show boot by vanityamor featuring brown booties

Proenza Schouler lace up bootie
$930 - editnewyork.com

Alexander Wang leather lace up boots
$236 - theoutnet.com

Zigi Soho leather boots
$100 - dsw.com

Jeffrey campbell boots
£119 - oxygenboutique.com

Jeffrey Campbell high heel boots
£120 - office.co.uk

Brown booties
$4.50 - romwe.com

BB cream

Waking up at 7 in the morning trying to peel myself out of bed the last thing I want to do is slap on a a face full of makeup. During the day I'm not a fan of wearing much makeup and having to wait the recommended 5 minutes after moisturising to apply foundation really drags! But I find that tinted moisturisers can leave you with an oily face or with no coverage at all so I was really excited when I heard about this new BB cream that Garnier have brought out. It stands for blemish balm and is supposed to have 5 amazing properties, it claims to:

1.Even, to blur imperfections and lines

2.Cover with mineral pigments

3.Hydrate for 24 hours

4.Illuminate to give the appearance of smoother skin

5.Help protect skin against UV rays

It all sounds too good to be true right?

Sadly it is. Unfortunately this isn't the amazing miracle cure we've all been searching for. I have to give it credit, it does illuminate and hydrate but I think you'd have to have pretty much perfect skin in the first place for it to cover all those pesky imperfections. Having said that, it gives more coverage than the average tinted moisturiser which is a plus.

I don't think it'll replace my foundation but for those days when I only want really basic coverage or can't be bothered putting on my war paint I'll definitely be using this.

The 'miracle skin perfecter' just comes in 2 shades, light and medium and I got mine from Boots for £9.99 which I think is a fair price for a good all rounder. I'd give it a 3/5 and carry on the search for the perfect skin product.

Festival footwear

So I just got back from V festival yesterday and it was amazing to say the least. The music was intense but the outfits down in Essex town were totally cute. I saw loads of white dresses and long chiffon shirts which looked gorgeous but by far the one thing that everyone was wearing were Dr Martens and let me tell you they looked beyond cool.

The label has been around since the 1960s and they have become an iconic make with celebs and models alike loving the brand. They go hand in hand with the teddy boy look from the 60s and give off ultimate rocker cool. Paired with skinny jeans rolled up to the ankle or long floaty skirts, even cute little play suits there boots are a definite must have.

They aren't cheap though, they retail for around £90 so you'll have to start saving up the pennies, but they really are versatile and will see you through all seasons. Personally I think the patent or patterned boots look the best, unless you want to go for the tough biker look.

My favorites are these white ankle boots! Next purchase for sure.

Best fake tanner

Just a quick post to all the fake tan lovers out there, I have found THE best self tanner.

It's called Vita Liberata and is perfect for just about anyone.

It comes in a few different colours depending on how dark you want to go and also in tinted/non-tinted, gel or cream which means that there will be one perfect for you.

But that's not even the best bit, I could rave on and on! It is odourless so no more of that warm biscuit smell and doesn't contain alcohol or perfume (which are bad for your skin) or parabens (which have been linked to cancer).

I bought the extra rich silken chocolate, tinted, gel version and I love it. It lasts for ages so I definately think my quest for the perfect tan is over. I love the tinted one because it means you're brown straight away so its instant and gradual tan all in one.

I bought it in boots when there was an offer on and it was around £22.50 so it's not the cheapest on the market but it is by far the best!

Hey beautiful

Well this is my first post so I thought I'd start off by just saying hi! I'm going into my second year studying fashion journalism and I'm a beauty addict so my blog will share my views, review products and let you all know about current trends are where to shop them.

Hope you enjoy
Love Vanity
xoxo