Topshop Midi Ring

What's really in for street style is to add some edgy jewellery and I'm absolutely in love with this new trend of midi rings.

I've found that Topshop do the most variety and that's where I brought my first midi ring from:

Topshop Midi Ring

Midi Ring - Topshop

This was my absolute favourite in the shop and I had to get it. I love how unique it is, joining the two rings together and I love the style. The two rings are joined by a dainty chain and the jewel adds an extra bit of glam that I love. It's so delicate and chic.

The price was great too. It was only £6, so a real bargain.

Topshop Midi Ring

Midi Ring - Topshop

The gold really makes the jewel stand out too and means that it can go with almost any outfit. It's a great everyday chic addition as well as being sophisticated, glam and delicate enough to wear on a special occasion with a chic dress too.

It's really comfortable to wear. I was a bit worried the chain might get annoying or it might affect closing my hands but it honestly doesn't. The chains's so delicate and light you can barely notice it's there and isn't annoying at all. 

What do you think of the style? Do you have a favourite midi ring?

REMEMBER! You can WIN a ring like this and more in my Twitter giveaway! Check it out: HERE

xoxo

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1000 Twitter Follower Giveaway!

Thank you to everyone that follows my blog on Twitter! If you don't already you can find me at www.twitter.com/swtheartfashion. As a massive thank you I'm running a twitter giveaway :) All you have to do is make sure you're following and retweet the giveaway tweet. Simple!
If you win you'll be get:

• One month's FREE advertising on my blog for your blog (if you have one) in the form of your blogger button (incl. link) on my sweetheartfashionx.blogspot.com blog page.
• A Topshop ring
• £5 Accessorize voucher
• A Face Mask

How great is that?!
My next post will be on my ring I brought from Topshop (as featured in the giveaway picture) and the whole Midiring style so thought doing a giveaway of it would be very apt!
The Accessorize voucher was inspired by all the positive response I've received for my Accessorize bag you can see here.
Lastly I have included the Face Mask as I have so many beauty blogger followers too that I thought would appreciate this.

Competition ends in 2 weeks so get following and retweeting! (25.03.14)

Thank you again everyone for all your support, hope you enjoy my first giveaway/competition!

xoxo

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OOTD - Returning Sun

The sun has finally returned! It's finally not feeling like winter any more and I love how it's so bright in the mornings and how much longer it takes for the sun to set in the evenings.

I chose to wear some bright colours today as over the winter months I've tended to wear a lot of black so with the return of spring, I'm brighten up my wardrobe.

Sunglasses - Gucci

Cardigan - H&M

Top - Jack Wills

Bracelet - A market stall in China

Watch - Guess

Ring - Topshop

Skinny Jeans - M&S

Pumps - Accessorize

It's strange but lovely going outside without a coat on! I wore my baggy H&M cardigan for some extra warmth as its still a little cold. I love its preppy elbow pads and 3/4 length sleeves! 

To match, I wore my favourite pumps from Accessorize. Accessorize do the best shoes!! They're always so comfy! Flats have a bad habit of rubbing my feet so I always have to be careful which ones I buy. Even though Accessorize's are a tad on the expensive side, it's worth the expense for the amount of comfort they give you and therefore the amount of use you can get out of them!

Sunglasses - Gucci

Earrings - Accessorize

Necklace - Etsy

Cardigan - H&M

Top - Jack Wills

Bracelet - A market stall in China

Watch - Guess

Ring - Topshop

Skinny Jeans - M&S

Pumps - Accessorize

I also wore this gorgeous floral top from Jack Wills. I love the quality of all of Jack Wills' items, you really can't go wrong with them!
Finally, I completed the look with these skinny jeans from M&S. They were actually a gift from my dear nan. I was a little apprehensive when I heard she'd brought me clothes, one worries when their mother buys clothes so to hear grandmother, it can be a little worrying that the result will be the look of a 3-year-old. But actually, she's done really well. These and a pair of leggings she brought me, also from M&S, have turned out to be my top favourites to wear... looks like she's a keeper as my buyer ;)
They're really comfortable and great quality, plus I cannot get over the fab colour!

What clothes are you wearing for the return of spring?

xoxo

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Inspirational Women in...

Women in Science!

For this year's International Women's Day, I thought I'd do a little post on something that maybe doesn't get spoken about enough, but is important to me as a woman. 

As some of you may already know from my bio etc., I'm currently studying for a degree and it's in science. My dream after I graduate is to go on to study for a PhD but this is not the case for most women.

Science even today is still a very male orientated field, with the few women at the top of their game often being forgotten by the general public. If a list of inspirational men were to be made, Sir David Attenborough, Steven Hawkins, Albert Einstein, would all be on there somewhere. Even just a list on solely inspirational men in science would be easy to achieve for anyone. 

But yesterday and today when I was reading people and companies' lists of inspirational women, not one had anything to do with science. There were lots of arts and humanitarians of course, celebrities, entrepreneurs/business women, athletes and even the odd politician (or close enough), but where are the women we can celebrate and look up to in hard academia?  We have male scientist celebrities with their own shows such as Sir David Attenborough and Professor Brian Cox, but any women?? Sadly, not yet. This means that there is a gaping hole where our young girls of the future are not able to be inspired by women who have excelled in science.

However, this means there is an opening. Now is our chance to push, strive and succeed. 

Of course we need to keep fighting to enable equal access to education for girls and women but the fight's not over when they're in. Girls need to be encouraged to achieve just as high standards, if not higher, than their male peers in school, college and higher. Women can be just as successful in science as men and there's no reason why we cannot be celebrated for it either! 

The best way to get a little inspiration from women at the cutting edge of discovery is to watch talks on TED.com. They are often short and punchy so don't be afraid to check them out.

Here's one of my favourites!

It was presented in 2007 by Carolyn Porco, a Planetary scientist. Even though I am not studying in here field, I was still very inspired by her talk. She was one of the very few to actually get a standing ovation and when you watch it you can see why! (Skip 7 minutes in if you do not have time to watch the whole thing).

My little list of current inspirational women, worth looking up, are:

• Jane Goodall - Primatologist and environmentalist

• Elizabeth Loftus - Psychologist

• Emma Teeling - Zoologist

• Sarah-Jayne Blakemore - Cognitive Neuroscientist

• Elizabeth H. Blackburn - 2009 Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology or Medicine with...
• Carol W. Greider - They won in the field of genetics for: "the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"

• Ada E. Yonath - 2009 Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry for: "studies of the structure and function of the ribosome"

Interesting conversations on this topic have been featured on the news this year, such as Sky News. Here's a link to an article 'Pink Won't Make Girls Think, Says Govt Minister' published on 6th February and from there you can read another called 'Is Pink Holding Girls Back?' published the same day, as well as two videos 'Getting Girls Into Science' and 'Call For More Women In Science' (I couldn't link to these individually).

http://news.sky.com/story/1207448/pink-wont-make-girls-think-says-govt-minister#

What are your views and experiences?

Were you discouraged from science at school? Do you study a science subject?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

xoxo

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Blogging with a Tripod

Thank you to everyone's support and love for my tripod! I've received lots of feedback about it and had lots of questions about it too, so I thought I'd answer them all in one place and do a post for you.

This is my tripod, it's a Konig kn-tripod 55 and is available to buy from Amazon here:
Konig High Quality KN-tripod 55

I decided to buy a tripod because my boyfriend is away during the day at the moment, so it was easiest for me to do it myself this way. Although it is of course always easier getting someone to take the pictures for you, this is a great idea if you're stuck for people to find, don't want to bother someone or are too shy to pose in front of people!

If you're struggling, to begin with I recommend putting a full length mirror next to the camera on the stand so you can get a much clearer idea of how the picture's likely to turn out. I also suggest just putting it on self timer at first to give you time to get into position rather than spending money on a remote too in case you find that a tripod isn't for you.

Yes, mine's a little expensive, I wanted one that lasts and my boyfriend can use on location for wildlife shots too. But there are plenty of cheaper ones out there if you're on a budget, though some people have told me how they have had quality issues with ones too cheap so find the right balance for you.

Tripods are great for indoor and outdoor shots! You're able to adjust each leg individually so even if you're on a slope or uneven surface you can still get the perfect shot without damaging your camera.

Also, by using a tripod you're able to grow and develop your own photography skills. You control where the best lighting is, the camera settings, angles, focus... everything. Even if it is just a short term solution, it will get you thinking more deeply about how you compose your shots and the art behind the lens, rather than just your favourite outfit and how best to show it off. 

It can be hard at first to get your head around everything you need to think of and it can take a few takes before you get a shot you're happy with! But stick with it, I promise it gets easier and it's definitely rewarding. It can be hardest getting an outdoor shot as you have to deal with more factors at once. For my OOTD faux fur post (you can read here) I tried to take the shots outside in windy weather. The wind seemed intent on ruining each shot as it appeared to blow my hair into my face just as the camera took the picture. But, you have to work with it. In the end, it blew up my coat dramatically and made a more edgy artistic shot than a static pose it might have been. If you can build your confidence to take pictures outside I do recommend it. Use the natural sunlight, wind and colours to your advantage and don't be afraid to play around with it!

Do you use a tripod?

What's your top tips?

xoxo

Products featured in this post:

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Review - Max Factor Lipfinity

Last week I posted a picture of my mini make-up haul on my Sweetheart Fashion Instagram and within a week it's become my (very close) 2nd all time liked picture! I really appreciate it, so thought I'd do a little blog post about one of the items featured and expand into a little bit of beauty blogging along side my usual fashion blogging.

I've chosen to write about Max Factor's Lipfinity range. This is a definite must-have product! I remember when this type of product was first released in my early teens and even then I knew I had to own at least one. It's the absolute perfect blend of lipstick and lipgloss! 

Wearing Max Factor Lipfinity - 030 Cool

You use the first to add the colour which is like a matte lipgloss. It dries almost instantly to your lips to give high definition colour, the same as with your fresh lipstick. But honestly, it lasts!! Unlike lipstick where  it comes off on everything your lips touch, because of its powerful drying time, it stays like a lipstain but keeps a clean finish.

(Here's the picture that's caught everyone's attention: )

Max Factor Mini Make-up Haul

Vogue

You then add the gloss as you would a moisturising lipbalm and your lips are transformed to a glossy, sexy, lipgloss effect finish. All that comes off now would maybe be a faint mark like clear lipbalm, but definitely no colour! You can then reapply the gloss throughout the day. It's also non sticky too, just silky, so perfect if you were hoping for a kiss ;) Plus you don't need to apply heaps to get the fabulous effect. It's very tempting with lipgloss to lay it on very thick, but with this, you only have to do one layer and you have just as glossy finish.

It's ideal for everyday use, particularly if you know carrying a mini mirror or finding the time to delicately keep reapplying lipstick would be tricky. It's easy to just whip out your balm pen and reapply the gloss, no mirrors, no mess!

Also, if you go for less natural shades and more show-stopping colours, its perfect for that night out or meal out! No embarrassing lipstick stains on your glass, no faded or patchy colour and no running to the bathroom when you can to keep reapplying.

Your lips stay fabulous all day and all night long!

What's your favourite lip product?

xoxo

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OOTD - Faux Fur

Sadly, it's still winter, it's unbelievably cold and windy most days and the rain never likes to leave for long. But, it is a great excuse to get out your favourite winter accessories and accessorise!

Today I'm wearing my absolutely gorgeous winter coat with faux fur pelt from M&S. I feel like a I'm from a scene of Downton Abbey wearing it because it's so long and the faux fur's so big. Very 1920's glam. 

Hat - Topshop

Sunglasses - Gucci

Coat - M&S

Jumper - H&M

Jeggings - M&S

Boots - M&S

As you can see the wind got my hair all over the place but I tried to work it and although not recommended in windy weather, I wore my Topshop hat for extra class. I like to usually wear my black jeans with this black coat but it is quite sunny so decided to wear my brighter patterned jeggings. I wore my casual ankle boots as it is a day look rather than evening but they still have a heel which I think is really needed with a long coat like this to give you extra height and not drown you.

Hat - Topshop

Sunglasses - Gucci

Coat - M&S

Jumper - H&M

Jeggings - M&S

Boots - M&S

I wore my hair down and I curled it into loose romantic curls which I think really complement the look. For my make-up, I chose some deep pink lipstick, again for extra glam.

This HAS to be my favourite coat! It keeps me so warm and I feel so fabulous in it. The quality is amazing but obviously with M&S, with their quality comes price too so if this is out of your price range have no fear, there are lots of coats similar on the high street but even if you're struggling, you can always buy a long coat and the faux fur pelt separately. 

What's your favourite coat?

xoxo