A change in direction; Harry Styles’ solo debut heads into Bowie territory

(Piece for University of Warwick's The Boar. 8th April 2017)

★★★★

Almost six years ago, I sat awake at 7.30am during a school holiday, eagerly awaiting the first play of One Direction’s first single, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’. Now (somewhat embarrassingly) at age twenty, I was doing the same for the release of Harry Styles’ solo music.

It’s been a sixteen-month drought of hearing the beautiful raspy sounds of Styles’ voice, but after a haircut, becoming a movie star and adorning a trio of covers for Another Man magazine, he is back. Taking a little while longer in his release than his 1D counterparts, his widely-anticipated music drop was rumoured to be an amalgamation of his various musical inspirations. Whilst Niall gave us a Sheeran-esque, acoustic track, signalling a wholesome, folk-influenced direction for his future album, Louis teamed up with DJ/producer Steve Aoki to drop uplifting EDM song, ‘Just Hold On’. With the One Direction boys seemingly heading in opposite directions from the sort of music they produced as a group, it was now Styles’ turn to set himself apart from the pop-drenched discography of the boyband.

Previously citing music legends such as Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie as his influences, it was interesting to see if the spirit of their music would be present in Styles’ own. As rumours flew about his highly anticipated forthcoming album, sources claimed that the record came with an overarching stamp of 70’s British rock, and if his first single is anything to go by, the influences are evident. ‘Sign of the Times’ is a crooning, piano driven ballad that exhibits the full spectrum of Styles’ talents.

With somewhat melancholic lyrics (“Just stop your crying/It’s the sign of the times/We gotta get away from here”), the debut offers a taste of what’s to come of the singer’s raw and personal lyricism. Whilst it could be argued that One Direction’s music occasionally lacked integrity and harboured a “made for radio” formula, it would appear that Styles is making the music for himself. The song, coming in at almost six minutes in length, is slow and not exactly catchy. That isn’t to say that it isn’t good – because it is – it’s just that without the commercialism of Harry Styles himself, the song would perhaps struggle being a mainstream hit. It’s an interesting song for a debut, especially if you’re accustomed to the poppy, beat-driven singles of 1D. ‘Sign of the Times’ offers a hazy melody, filled with Bowie-driven intergalactic synth and guitar. The lyrics are repetitive, but not in a way that makes the song monotonous, in fact it’s more dreamlike. Styles blesses us with heavenly vocals, opting to showcase his ever-improving talents with a falsetto bridge alongside his signature raspy drawl.

Judging by his debut, it would seem that Harry has a promising solo career ahead of him. We’ll have to wait and see if future tracks offer an upbeat reminiscence of his boyband days, but something tells me that whatever Styles puts out will be a success. If not, he’s always got movie star as a backup.

The Spring Coat

 I finally have a spare moment in between waitressing and essay writing to upload a blog post. My second year of university has certainly been overwhelming to say the least and blogging has had to take a back seat once again. As it's currently Easter Holidays and I've been enjoying some time at home, I thought I would take advantage of my younger sister and get her to shoot some outfits for me to bring my blog out of hibernation.

This longline navy coat from Topshop has seen me through the last 6 months, having bought it last October, and I'm still in love with it. Its classical, tailored style is timeless and can be paired with almost anything in my wardrobe. Plus, it's a perfect coat to see me through to the Spring as it's not overly heavy or warm.

For this simple look, I paired the coat with some jeans and a classic white shirt- an easy outfit but definitely a go-to. Statement earrings are still a must have for me this season, so I went with a pair of my favourite tassel ones for a pop of colour and texture. Matching those are these pink sunglasses I picked up from Primark recently. Their unconventional, hexagonal shape and reflective lenses drew me in and I couldn't resist them at £3. 

Coat: Topshop

Shirt: Topshop

Jeans: Asos

Bag: Primark

Shoes: Topshop

Earrings: H&M

Sunglasses: Primark

Scarf (on bag): Vintage shop

December 'Dress of the Month' with Boohoo

Recently I was contacted by Boohoo to take part in their DOTM, or Dress of the Month, campaign. The idea is that they send the same dress to several different bloggers to see how differently we would all style it. As the bloggers, we would have no idea as to what the dress was like until it arrived in the post, which I found very nerve racking. I'm fairly confident in my own style, so the thought of having to work with something that would perhaps be the opposite of what I would have chosen, was quite daunting. There was a possibility that the dress would arrive and I would have nothing to wear it with because it absolutely wasn't my sort of style. Luckily, it arrived and it was something that gave me lots to work with.

The dress is fairly simple; a navy blue, velvet halter neck dress with a slit in the thigh, but it was beautiful and very flattering. I was a bit nervous considering it was basically a bodycon dress and I tend to stay clear of them to avoid showing off every imperfection in my figure. However this one features a synched in waist, giving you more of a flattering silhouette, one that made me feel way more confident. 

This dress is actually part of Boohoo's Going Out section, so technically it's meant for a night out. However, I decided to take the tone down a bit and make it more everyday appropriate. I added this white polo neck underneath to cater to the cold weather, but kept a fancy flair with the frilled sleeves and these utterly brilliant tassel earrings from H&M. Their statement earring selection at the moment is great if you're looking for something to easily spruce up a look! I kept it simple in the shoe department with some black heeled boots to complete a slightly fancy everyday outfit.

I love this dress as it's a perfect all-rounder; you can wear it dressed down, like I am here, or you can wear it for evening attire. I can't wait to dress it up for a night out! Perhaps I've found my NYE dress?

This campaign from Boohoo is brilliant as it's given me the opportunity to take a chance with my style and put the fate of my outfit in someone else's hands. It's encouraged me to take more risks with my looks and go for things that I normally wouldn't- a great new mindset to take into the new year!

You can check out Boohoo's amazing selection of dresses on their website here! 

Dress: Boohoo*

Jumper: Asos

Boots: Asos

Earrings: H&M

How are you hoping to mix up your style in the new year?

Winter in the City

The other day my family and I took a Christmassy trip up to London to visit the The Royal Academy of Arts for an exhibition and see the delights of Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. 

The exhibition was on Abstract Expressionism from New York and was absolutely brilliant. Large, energetic, abstract pieces are my favourite and it was great to see the sort of art that I like to do myself. I've been feeling so uninspired at the moment, but being back in an artistic environment really helped- it also reminded me of how much I miss formally studying Fine Art. One of my main goals for the new year is to actively make time for producing art as I've seriously neglected my artistic side since leaving college.   

After the exhibition, we took a trip to Carnaby Street for some shopping and whilst I didn't find anything to buy, I did find this great little side street for some outfit photos. 

London felt so festive and definitely got me in the Christmas spirit! Winter Wonderland was as garish and over the top as you can imagine but it was a bit of fun. Plus, I got a chance to be a big kid and get an overpriced waffle with every single sugary topping I could get. Buddy the Elf would have been proud.

Coat: Topshop

Jumper: Primark

Jeans: Topshop

Bag: Primark

Boots: Topshop

Jouer Best of Nudes Collection

Jouer has been a brand that's been floating around the beauty community for what seems like forever. I've watched countless make up tutorials and hauls that sing their praises for this chic little brand, in particular their lip cremes.

But with such an incredible array of nude tones on offer and an incredibly indecisive personality, I could never sit down and pick a shade to start my foray into the brand. Luckily for me, Jouer recently released this brilliant mini set of lip cremes featuring their most coveted shades, so now I could try a bit of everything. 

Included in this beautiful little set are the shades Skinny Dip and Papaye, two glitzy colours that I feel like I haven't stopped hearing about ever since the metallic lip trend came into fashion. With Skinny Dip being the more intense in terms of glitter and functioning as a lip topper, you can use it to add a bit of glamour to any of the other neutral shades in the collection.

The range offers lip cremes from dainty peach tones to beautifully rich terracotta shades- perfect to help transition from an understated daytime look to an edgier look for night.

L-R Skinny Dip, Terra, Buff, Dulce de Leche, Papaye, Noisette, Melon, Creme Brule

After hearing such rave reviews about these beauties, I must say I was nervous to try them out myself. Despite loving them to death, liquid lipsticks and I aren't the best of friends and I often find them extremely drying, no matter what the brand. But with these being cremes, I had high hopes and they didn't disappoint. Jouer's lip cremes are extremely light weight and, not to point out the obvious, ridiculously creamy. They're so comfortable to wear and after they've dried down, it doesn't feel like you're wearing anything. That doesn't mean that the colour payoff suffers at the hands of comfort; these shades are amazingly opaque and not at all streaky, not even the lighter shades. Plus, they fade beautifully throughout the day, so you're not left with that awkward lipliner look. Due to the fact that they are creme lipsticks, there is a bit of transfer, but not enough to deter you from that coffee in fear that you'll lose all your lipstick with one sip.

I purchased my set from Cult Beauty a few weeks ago, after waiting with baited breath for it to come back in stock. I had to get my hands on it considering it was such good value; the whole set was £34 which makes each lipstick a mere £4.25 each! Granted, they are mini versions of the usual £15 lip cremes, but even so, the set still works out to be a great bargain!

If by magic you're able to get your hands on this set, then I definitely recommend that you do. Or alternatively, pick up some of the full size lip cremes as they're such amazing products- I know I'll be doing so when I run out of these.

Have you tried any other Jouer products? Let me know in the comments and I'll check them out! 

#PartyAfterParty with Boohoo

Last week I was lucky enough to attend Boohoo's Christmas Blogger party, held at the beautifully chic W Hotel in London. After a long day of Uni and a delayed train journey, my friend Ellen and I finally made it to the city, ready to adorn every bit of glitz and glamour as possible. 

Boohoo very kindly offered to send me a dress for the occasion, so to stick with the party theme of 'Sparkle and Sequins' I chose this rose gold one which I paired with my Poppy Lissiman clutch and a pair of leopard print heels.

The venue did not disappoint- after some confusion with the lifts (and accidentally gatecrashing another party), we made it to the party room, where every inch of the place was bathed in glitter. Straight to the photo booth and to the complimentary Prosecco we went and before we knew it, we were also bathed in glitter, thanks to the #GoGetGlitter station. Talk about a blinding highlight!

It was so great to be around like-minded people that evening- I got to meet some brill blogger babes and chat all things fashion and beauty with people that had the same enthusiasm as I do. Boohoo really outdid themselves with creating such a chill atmosphere for people to party it up but also feel comfortable. 

Boohoo has definitely got me in the Christmas spirit this year- and that's not just thanks to the glitter that I'm still finding on myself a week later! 

If you want to get into the Christmas Party spirit with the help of Boohoo, then check out their fab selection of glitzy party wear over on their website! 

Styling Satin

What with University, society positions and jobs, my personal blog has been neglected recently. Whilst looking through my laptop, I've found three or four outfit shoots that were lost amongst the hundreds of pages of lecture notes and essays. 

Not wishing to let these shoots go to waste, I'll be posting them over the next week, and whilst some outfits are rather inappropriate for the recent chilly weather, they will be a nice reminder of the somewhat decent summer we had this year.

The first of the throwback posts is this one, featuring probably one my favourite purchases from the last few months- this gorgeous satin drape blouse.

I can't remember exactly where I saw this top for the first time, but I remember falling in love with it straight away. Anyone who knows me knows that I am seriously pink obsessed, and this top was no exception. The dusty rose tone is stunning, and paired with the delicate silhouette of the blouse, makes for a beautifully feminine, romantic look. 

To keep the look day-appropriate, I paired the top with some simple blue skinny jeans and loafers. Matching my accessories with the gold hardware on my shoes, I wore my glasses from Ace & Tate, a simple chain choker and a recent favourite bag. 

Keep an eye out for some more posts coming this week. Plus, if you happen to run out of things to read over here, why not check out my university's fashion blog, of which I am editor of this year! Find that over at theunderlinedblog.com 

Blouse: Asos

Jeans: Monki

Bag: Primark

Shoes: Topshop

Choker: Topshop

Glasses: Ace & Tate