Wide-Eyed and Playlist XI.

*NJOY xoxo

And because pancake Tuesday:

The formula of how to Haim.

Haim's new video for If I Could Change Your Mind is all over my facebook feed and tumblr. It's mostly because girl and womankind alike, journalists and average Josephines alike are squeeing and fangirling to the max. The band's rise, to coin a terrible cliché, has been meteoric. And while many fans are of male and other gender-identifying persuasions, it seems to me that it is the female fans who are most into them.

We're all girl-crushing hard and by three.

And I think I've cracked the formula - how they've managed to beguile us all like wonderful songstressy sirens. Here's a breakdown of why Haim are so perfect.

1. See, Haim manage to be many things at once while maintaining a appearance of being genuine. Now, I'm not questioning this genuineness - I'm as fangirly as the next gal - but pointing it out is important. 

2. Dat Hair is perfect. Srsly. We all want it.

3. Us nineties gals remember when Girl Power was the phrase of the moment and how into it we all were. I mean, celebrating being a girl? So good! The fact that Haim are an all-girl band of sisters - though they are many things other than that and are still musicians and a band rather than merely a "girl band" - adds to our general adoration of them.

4. They're so cool! They never seem to try too hard or as they're high-maintenance. They're cool girls in a band being awesome.

5. But they're also a little goofy. The new video being a case in point. The choreography, the referencing of 60s and 70s girl groups. It's not an artsy short film trying too hard, it's people having fun. And still managing to be cool.

6. They're relatable - they're not air-brushed ideals but beautiful, talented, real, full human beings.

7.  Connected is the fact that while they have an enviable sense of style it's never over-styled - they could easily be a particularly cool girl you know. They're flawless but not in the literal sense of the word, in the fangirly sense. 

Clearly, I've spent my time wisely. Not thinking about the meaning of life or how to end climate-change but about why we all love Haim...hrm. What d'y'all think? Am I a million miles off or spot on?

What crazy crap is in my bag? - The one with a delivery and a lack of self-control.

I've been terrible at posting this week, I can only apologise. I have no excuse, I just didn't feel into it and that's the worst time to do it, it makes posting feel not genuine and forced. 

Tuesday saw me making dinner for one of my best friends and when I went to buy my groceries for a veggie moussaka, I also popped in to pick up a package from the post office. Finally, my Korean beauty products have arrived! Yayyyy!!1 

So, my bag contained my notebooks, wallet etc as per, alongside a courgette, two potatoes, garlic, some cherries, an aubergine, some organic eggs, grissini (breaksticks), a tin of tomatoes, my Tangle Attack, a beer and the package.

And, then, as I lack self-control I wandered into Boots, intending to look into a new concealer and ended up leaving with one of Seventeen's new Cheek Stamps...hrm. Suckered in by a complete gimmick once again. However, it actually has turned out to be great. A review is on it's way!

Bonus: Some pictures of the stuff from KollectionK. Some of it will feature in later posts with reviews etc. Look out for that! 

Cute little hello from the company.

Samples!

My modest purchases - SO CUTE.

PS Would peeps be interested in me posting more recipes and stuff? I'm no expert but that was a damn fine moussaka. Sarah can vouch for me!

Ashish A/W 2014-15: My inner-child is squeeing.

LIGHT-UP, FREAKING RUNNERS.

I've genuinely been saying I want a pair for a while now but for some reason, by and large, they don't make them for adults. But now Ashish is bringing them to Topshop in an up-coming collab and yesterday they debuted them in their A/W 2014-15 show. I'm not mad on how they look but dammit, I haven't had light-up feet since I was a child!

Childlike and exuberant are, in fact, the best words to describe the showing. It was all sequins, pastels, princessy skirts and crowns. And I loved it. Some pieces were less than wearable but, overall, pieces could be integrated into many a wardrobe to add fun and flavour. The palette, nods to the nineties and touches of sportswear are nothing new, we've been seeing them season after season, and yet the collection seems fresh and endearing. This is largely down to the execution and styling. There's a lot going on but never really too much - the ruffle dress and ruffle two-piece denim suit are more out there than I could personally handle but they are moments of absolute extremes in a collection of well-handled maximalism that avoids becoming clownish.

PS Yay for the statement ending. "Love Will Win" is kinda the ultimate statement tee for our generation, right?

(Images from vogue.co.uk)

I give the collection 4.5/5 Colettes.

Wide-Eyed and Bargain: Tangle Attack.

I have extremely knotty hair. It's been better since I started using Argan Oil in it but sometimes it's a real bitch to brush through. My friend used to brush it out for me with her Tangle Teezer when it was really bad and I always liked the product, I just think it remains over-priced.

The "Tangle Attack" (which is available in Ireland in the €2 Shop and, sadly, nowhere else as far as I'm aware) costs just €1.50 and is just as good as the Tangle Teezer, at around a tenth of the price. The design is slightly different and looks less like a dog brush. It also comes with a little travel cover with a mirror inside. The mirror is kind of pointless and too small to be very useful but the case is nice for throwing it in a bag without getting dirty. 

Overall, it's crazy-good value for money. So, if you were looking to invest in a Tangle Teezer, save yourself a few quid. 

I give it 4/5 Colettes. 

(How d'y'all like my new ranking system?)

Looking back at Outfits Past.

Fashion blogging mostly began with people posting images of their outfits online. While I enjoyed and still enjoy these types of blogs, the internet is now so saturated with fashion blogs that I feel like you need to be able to offer more than the ability to take a cute picture. Unless that's what you're known for and you'd be shooting yourself in the foot and alienating your audience by doing a 180.

My own roots are mostly in outfit posting. When I began this blog, nearly two years ago now, around 75% of my posts were outfit posts. The first thing I ever put up was a lowdown of the style in Buffy but a lot of what I put out there in the interim was OOTD. Gradually this became less of a focus. I was interested in talking about high fashion, reviewing shows, looking at trends and themes in fashion and more recently I decided I wanted to do all this while taking everything less seriously. Of course, I want to retain a certain level of professionalism but I also want to be able to make fun of myself and just have fun with fashion and junk. So, while levity is more of a concern, I've come to focus on particular areas such as photography, shows, reviewing products, OOTD, finding bargains, playlists and things I'm feeling.

Thinking about where I'm at now made me look at where I was previously. I've never gone on a deleting spree despite my certainty that past posts/outfits may be cringey. Yet, when I looked, they weren't that bad. In fact, though I no longer dress the same way, I can appreciate them. So, I decided to take a selection of past OOTDs as encouragement to do some more in the future. If nothing else, they're fun as a visual diary of where I'm at in my life.

I'm less with the fashion regrets over the past few years - you need to go back quite a bit for the true horrors of faux pas in my life - how about y'all? Any major mistakes? Particular periods of problematic choices?

What crazy stuff is in my bag? - The food edition.

So, I didn't find the Holy Grail in my bag this week - BOO-URNS. I did find a lot of food...because I went grocery shopping...but also this stuff.

Once again, aside from my dayplanner, pencil case, passport, notebook and sunglasses - seen in the first post - there was:

A new notebook
My crappy old phone
House keys
An umbrella

Organic natural yogurt
Organic falafel 
Panna
Lettuce
A tomato
A carrot
Some Milka

A book about the painter Walter Osborne by Jeanne Sheehy

A "Tangle Attack" which is the two euro shop rip-off of the Tangle Teezer and is great

And a discount flyer for Frite Haus we were given when we left...yet it says nothing about a discount on it...hrm...

Drawing on ma face.

Boredom in classes led to my drawing on my arms a lot as a kid. This urge to not only doodle but to doodle on yourself when less than stimulated followed me into adulthood. And the result of major internet usage over the past few years is that I cannot merely do one thing at a time. The insane range of things we can access at any moment in time and my lack of self-restraint has combined to make me gorge on the daily. I watch a movie while reading a manga or I watch tv while internet window-shopping and drawing on my face etc etc etc.

Drawing on your face? What ARE you talking about? - You may be thinking loudly at me through your computer screen.

I, of course, mean putting makeup on. 

I've not been drawing on my face with pens...much...

Putting on makeup is the female (generally - boo, repressed, strict gender roles), adult equivalent of drawing on your arms. Which is funny because on a daily basis I wear very little makeup. Not only because I'm lazy and don't care enough to get up earlier but because I have this weird thing where I only consider myself as attractive as I can be with minimal intervention. By this I mean that I feel hideous if I don't look passable sans hairstyle and makeup. Totally makes sense....And isn't a cycle of self-blame and disgust. Heh. I'm fine, seriously...But, basically, my wearing makeup generally means I was bored or procrastinating or both. If you meet me dolled up you can assume this to be the case.

The other day I caught myself unable to watch an entire episode of Dark Angel (despite the gorgeousness of early 2000s Jessica Alba and my loving the show) without needing to do something else at the same time. So, I started putting on makeup. Mostly I was playing around with eyeshadow which I normally never wear.

The following is the result of that evening. The above was just me being self-indulgent. Enjoy.

Smokey neutral eye + natural lip and flushed cheeks.

Products:

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Maybelline Dream Pure BB in Light

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Oriflame Translucent Pressed Powder

Estee Lauder All-Over Face Powder Quad - Used as a blush (it's a light pink)

Mac 168 Blusher Brush

Philosophy Divine Illumination Love at First Light Skin Luminizer in Honey Gold 02

Clinique Eye Pencil in Brown Sugar 104 - Used to fill in brows and line eyes

IsaDora Triple Eyeshadow in Sandy Sky 06

Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara in Black

Ecotools Eyeshadow Brush

Smokey coloured eye + gothy burgundy lips

Products:

All are the same except:

Rimmel Colour Rush Mono Eyeshadow in Iris 350

Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil in Jet Black 061

Catrice Baroque Glamour Lipstick in Purple Silk C04

Graphic cateye + peachy lips

Products:

Same once again except:

IsaDora eyeshadow repeated with only the white shadow used

Seventeen Superlash! liner in Black

Topshop Lip Bullet in Joyride

Heh, I totes know about makeup and shit...

Wide-Eyed and Brilliant: 10 Things I'm Loving Right Now.

1. Wildfox's Mrs Darcy Tee - The collection was adorable but this was IWANTSOMUCHMUSTHAVE.

2. Korean Beauty Products - SO CUTE. So cute, in fact, they made Sarah unable to look at them anymore the other day. It was an adorbs overload. Check out KollectionK to have a gander.

Korean Beauty Products by fitzpac featuring a pastel nail polish

3. Unicorns - No explanation necessary. I just want them on everything.

UNICORNS! by fitzpac featuring Topshop

4. The new Warpaint Album - It's as hauntingly beautiful as you might demand.

5. The new Dum Dum Girls album - Can I be in the band?

6. Brendon Urie - I've rediscovered 14 year-old me's crush...and the band, obvs.

7. Swatching - It's gotten out of hand...geddit? GEDDIT???

8. Green - Never a colour I've been fond of before and suddenly...

Green by fitzpac featuring a nail polish

9. VOYA products - Smells good, makes me glow and is so green (heh)! What more could a gal ask for?

10. The Enclave by Richard Mosse at the RHA - Reeaaallllly needs to be seen. Amazing.

(All rights belong to the artist, obvs)