My Style Gets The MIX With Sunglasses for Summer

             At the first sign of sun, the sunglasses come out. Now that we’re entering the tail end of summer, with rain threatening to cut our precious season short, it’s time we make the most of our sunnies and perhaps even buy a few more. 

  

             The MIX is a women’s eyewear label that creates trendy frames for every occasion. Deriving inspiration from global street styles, music, and fashion, the brand offers an assortment of timeless and one-of-a-kind shapes (aviator, cat eye, round). Most importantly, all of their sunglasses offer 100% UVA and UVB protection, so you can keep your eyes safe from the rays while you bask in them. The prices range from £18 to £25 and several of the designs have been featured in Cosmopolitan magazine. You can also browse through a selection of brands, including Elizabeth & James and Wildfox, on the website. For those of you lucky enough to be going on a late summer holiday, look no further!

             I teamed up with The MIX and took a few pairs of sunglasses with me on a trip to Germany. I styled them with different outfits, shifting shapes as a chameleon of clothes to play up the inherently eclectic nature of fashion and accessorizing. I hope you enjoy what I've come up with, but sunglasses are meant to be worn however you like with whatever you like, so don't be afraid to mix it up for yourselves! I would like to give a big thank you to the ever-patient Alison Rutkowski for taking the photos for this post.

             Come rain, come shine, whether you wear your sunglasses at night or not is up to you, but when they look as good as these ones from The MIX, why wouldn’t you want to make a spectacle out of your spectacles? View the full range here. 

Georgie sunglasses in dark purple galaxy 

Pick up a pair here.

Esme sunglasses in dark tortoiseshell

Pick up a pair here.

Zara sunglasses in matte black

Pick up a pair here.

Scarlett sunglasses in dark tortoiseshell

Pick up a pair here.

Peace, Love & Zara Taylor Jewellery

             All you really need in life is a little peace and love, and good jewellery of course. When it comes to Zara Taylor’s London-based brand, you can have all three. I was introduced to Taylor’s creations firsthand at her boutique in East Dulwich. The shop was a treasure trove of temptations, an Aladdin’s cave. Chains and rings melded with semiprecious stones and gems caught my magpie eyes. That makes Taylor the magical genie granting our every wish, and she is happy to do so by making minor alterations in-store. Tucked inside a little alcove of the boutique is her workshop, where she tinkers to her heart’s content – the fruits of her labor laid out only a few steps away on warm wooden displays.

             Taylor scours vintage markets for unique and quirky finds to incorporate into her jewellery, and it is this love for vintage that inspired her to launch her designs in 2010. That influence is very much alive in her boutique, with it’s inviting décor and homey feel. She even operates from an antique cash register, the kind that essentially lets out a jubilant “Ka-ching!” each time a transaction is made. Taylor was born and raised in South London and is of Irish and Thai descent. This multiculturalism, coupled with her travelling experiences, informs her creative process today. The result is a range of eclectic jewellery that maintains a vintage feel at its heart – the more, the merrier!

             Celebrities such as Fearne Cotton, Kelly Rowland, Jessie J, Taylor Swift, and Millie Mackintosh (who wore the Peace & Love Earrings on an episode of Made in Chelsea) are fans of Taylor's work. If that wasn't enough of a selling point already, the prices for all of the pieces are relatively low, while the cost of impact is high, high, high!             

             Rather than being encased in glass, as at most jewellery shops, rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are eager to be picked up and put on. Each piece is meant to feel like an heirloom. An article entitled “Rich Mix” by Ellie Pithers in the March issue of Vogue proposed heirlooms as the new “it” accessory. They’re making a comeback in a big way. We want to feel connected and emotionally attached to our jewellery more than ever before. The Future Laboratory, a consultancy responsible for trend forecasting, “sees [it] as part of a broader shift in the luxury market towards storytelling.” 

             Every heirloom has to start somewhere and with Taylor’s jewellery, you can create your own story. Whether that story involves evil eyes, subtlety, gothic skulls, dainty amulets, exotic animals, notice-me pendants, chokers, charms, or metals, there’s something for everyone to begin telling theirs. Besides, since Vogue is the fashion bible, it would be sacrilege not to obey...

             Unlike a thieving magpie, I was given my treasures to take away with me and I will now share how I styled them. Jewellery polishes off any outfit and presents so many opportunities for self-expression. The most exciting part resides in the fact that these same pieces can be styled in a myriad of different ways, depending on each individuals' personal preferences. 

             For my first outfit, I wore Zara Taylor's Peace & Love Ring in silver, the Peace Stud Earrings in white, and the Peace & Love Long Chain Pendant in silver. Since it's festival season, I opted for a bohemian look with fringing, patterns, and a flower crown, adorned with the recurring peace and love motif, which naturally screams hippie chic. I would like to give a big thank you to my friend, Christian Johnson, for taking the following photos. 

             To get in touch with my inner Pink Lady à la Grease, I wore Zara Taylor's Crystal Ear Jacket Earrings in gold and the Diamond Shaped Ring in gold for my second outfit. I can't get enough of front-back earrings at the moment and these Zara Taylor ones are the perfect addition to my growing collection with crystals that catch the light. I would like to give a big thank you to my friend, Sunna Naseer, for taking the following photos. 

             Now it's your turn to get shopping and get styling! Check out the Zara Taylor Jewellery website here or pay a visit to the boutique in East Dulwich.

Hola Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos

             I briefly relocated My London Dream to Barcelona to give Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos a spin! What better place to show off the British-based brand’s temporary metallic tattoos than in sunny Spain? Darel Russell and his sister Shar Alexandra first launched the brand in September 2014. I met Russell at a fashion show hosted by London Fashion Kick in April (read the post here) and have been obsessed with the products ever since.

            After I was very kindly sent over the Rihanna collection of temporary tattoos, I knew that packing accessories for Spain would be a no-brainer. There are 13 collections to select from, each containing four sheets of transfers. It’s always a worry to take precious necklaces, bracelets, and fiddly earrings on holiday, in case they are misplaced, lost, or in the worst-case scenario, stolen. Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos provides a creative and unique solution to this problem. All I had to do was pop my packet of temporary tattoos in my suitcase and I was set!

Look One: A Pool of Embellishment

             Whilst on my trip, I compiled three different looks to show how I would wear Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos. (Please note that the necklace tattoo I’m wearing above is taken from the Alexandra collection, while the rest are all from the Rihanna collection). They’re incredibly versatile, especially in terms of where they can be worn or how they can be styled, which means each individual can rock them in their own way. The application process is simple: cut out your desired tattoo, remove the plastic film, place the design on an area of your skin, hold a damp cloth on the tattoo for 30 seconds, and remove! I say 30 seconds just to be safe, but you’ll know once the design has started to lift from the paper to your newly “inked” skin.

Look Two: Gilded Florals

             Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos come in at £16.95 a collection. Sure, there are cheaper alternatives on the market, but when you scrimp on price, you’ll pay for it in quality and durability. Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos are unrivaled in both of these areas, their sparkle and texture creating the illusion of real gold or silver. As well as being waterproof and lasting up to five days, when I tested my tattoos by attempting to scrub them off, they would not budge! While this is great, if you need to remove them quickly, Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos recommends rubbing alcohol or baby oil. However, I found that Vaseline worked like a treat and is a lot less messy (and smelly). Spread Vaseline on the tattoo you would like to remove and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. The design should then disintegrate when you use a damp cloth or tissue to massage the area in circular motions.

Look Three: Blackberries & Coconut, Triangles & Love

             When I was younger, I remember that temporary tattoos were all the rage, but it appears that they are now making a comeback for grownups – stronger, bolder, and more fashionable than ever before. Replacing cartoon characters or silly symbols, Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos add sophistication and distinction to the temporary, while bordering on the realistic.

             Now it's time for you to go and experiment with your temporary tattoos! Purchase collections on the Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos website here or in various retailers throughout the UK.