Fab experience with The-Bias-Cut

Imagine spending the day with two blogger friends, a professional make-up artist and photographer, and a new and vibrant fashion brand with a rail of divine clothes. Yes, it was heaven, and that's what I did recently courtesy of the Bias Cut.

Beauty Advent calendars

I love to have a beauty Advent Calendar. Such fun to open a window every day and find a little treat to enjoy, even if there is no picture of Ruud Gullitt on a chimney pot  (A Father Ted joke for those in the know). Beauty Advent calendars are big business. Most brands are in on the act. So which one to choose?

Side striped trousers and Teatum Jones shirt

There's something very timeless about a crisp white shirt and black trousers. I was tempted to try these Hush side stripe trousers after seeing them on Nikki from Midlife Chic. I liked the idea of a gold stripe - it makes them more glamorous and less like Adidas jogging pants. The shirt, which has wonderful texture and glamorous sleeves, is by up-and-coming London brand Teatum Jones, sold by Next in their new initiative "Mix" which features independent designers. 

The shirt is wonderful quality with buttons covered by the placket (always a sign of quality) and darts. I added a waist belt and chunky pearls.

The shoes are a fun touch. I never used to go anywhere near leopard or cheetah print until last summer, thinking it too Bet Lynch. But I was converted by a leopard print clutch bag which went with so many outfits. I don't think you'll ever see me in an animal print faux fur coat but I love touches of leopard print in accessories.

The kitten heel shoes are by Vionic, so not only are they very  stylish, they're also comfortable. Vionic's unique FMT Technology provides superior orthotic support, relief and stability to help realign the feet back to their natural position.  I wrote about Vionic here.

The socks are what we used to call "pop sox" by Charnos - they now call them "fashion knee highs." I like the different designs they come in.

Outfit Details

Teatum Jones frill cuff shirt, Mix at Next; Josie shoes in tan leopard, Vionic; Alexis trousers, Hush. Belt, Once Upon a Belt; fashion knee high socks, Charnos.

Sharing this post with Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style; Catherine at Not Dressed As Lamb;  Fake It Until You Make It at Fake Fabulous, Creative Mondays at Claire Justine, Emma at Stylesplash, Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish,  Ashley and Laurie Link Up, Fabulous Friday at A Pocketful of Polka Dots,Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style and Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style

What do you think about side stripe trousers? Smart enough for the office or dining out, or best saved for the gym?

And how much leopard or cheetah print do you have?

ARE YOU MUTTONED UP?

Don't miss a post -  follow my blog on Bloglovin or Feedspot, and receive a weekly email on my updates. You'll love "shoe of the day" on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. And check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks.

MAC Pastel Times Nine eyeshadow palette

As we get older, avenues of pleasure gradually become closed to us. For me, the avenues include: oysters, following an incident in a local restaurant that meant I was unable to go to the Chelsea Flower Show, and high heels. For my mother, the list irrationally includes cucumbers.

For me it also includes eye shadow palettes.

I drool over beautiful eye shadow palettes and used to collect them, even if I knew I'd only wear one colour. Such things of beauty!

But over time, I became disillusioned because nearly all the palettes on the market are aimed squarely at the young audience and aren't suited for the crepey, hooded or deep set eyes of the older fashionista.

Some of the eye shadows which are aimed at us are just so matte and boring, I don't want to give them house room.

A lot of cosmetic houses make the mistake of thinking that older women can wear browns and purples and, er reds, the same as everyone else. For me, with deep seat eyes and dark circles, those colours make me look like Frankinstein.  Light pastels work best to bring my eyes forward, and I like to use a little judicious frosting or shimmer, even though it's supposed to be against the rules.

Trying the MAC Pastel Times Nine Palette

I was thrilled to see a palette, which, although it isn't jaw droppingly gorgeous like the Huda or Naked palettes, does have nine colours that mostly all work for me.

The MAC Pastel Times Nine palette, £25, has a combination of satin and frosted shadows in light pastels, as the name would suggest - although there are some darker colours on the right hand side which are perfect for contouring the eye socket  (check out my tips on eyeshadow for deep set eyes).

The shades are:
New Nude: Whitish pink highlighter (Satin)
Fresh Innoncence: Ivory frosty warm white (Frost)
Spice Bar: Grayish taupe (Satin)
Flounce: Pale pastel pink (Matte)
Restless Rose: Pinkish Mauve (Satin)
Free Roaming: Dirty lavender (VXP)
Spring Moon: Baby blue (Frost)
Greystroke: Pale greenish silver (Satin)
Sweet Green: Soft muted green (Satin)

The shades can be used wet or dry. I used the two green shades on my lids and socket, extending upwards at the outer corners, and highlighted the brow area with the ivory frosty warm white. I would like to say my skin really does look this good, but Samsung phone cameras detect a "selfie" being taken and all sorts of filters get applied without one's knowledge!

Sharing this post with Claire Justine's Wednesday Blog Hop and Saturday Share at Not Dressed As Lamb.

ARE YOU MUTTONED UP?

Don't miss a post -  follow my blog on Bloglovin or Feedspot, and receive a weekly email on my updates. You'll love "shoe of the day" on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. And check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks.

Vintage and Thrifted Special

Many of you are engaged in "No Spend October" on Instagram, where you're shopping your closet and not going near the shops or those pesky online retailers. I'm afraid I'm still spending, but to enter into the spirit of the thing, I've put together a really ancient and partially thrifted outfit!

Where are the bodysuits? And no more Hygge or Ikigai!

Mutton's Choice Cuts, October 2017

Shirts, blouses and a lot of other tops are very annoying when tucked into a skirt or trousers. There's either too much fabric, creating wrinkly bottoms and bunching, or not enough fabric, which means they constantly wriggle free.

So I can fully understand why bodysuits became a thing in the 80s: the all-in-one which gave a smooth line but had issues of its own around poppers on the undercarriage and sometimes a cheese wire (thong).

One jumper, three ways

I was attracted to this Hobbs Sofia jumper by its green and navy colours, and the fact it can be worn quite casually or dressed up a bit.

Spectacular Opals, birthstone for October

Opal, the birthstone for October, is one of the most spectacular gemstones. A single stone can flash every color of the spectrum with an intensity and quality of color that can surpass the fire of diamond. 

5 Over 50 Challenge: Hats

When I set the "A Woman Wears Many Hats" challenge, I had no idea it would be so unpopular. The ladies have not been keen, so I can't wait to see what they've pulled out of the bag, hat-wise.