Retro Flame: January 2013

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Sneak Peek: Commerce Ball Outfit

Hey everyone! So tomorrow I have my college ball, which will actually be my last college ball ever! I really can't believe that my college days are nearly coming to an end. As most of you might know, I'm currently in my final year of Commerce (Business) in NUIG and so will be attending our annual ball tomorrow. It's undoubtedly the most popular ball in the college and it promises to be such an amazing night -with Rudimental as the headlining act!

So here is a quick look at some new shoes I purchased for the night, from one of my favourite websites at the moment, GoJane.com. You can also see a very sneak peek of my dress, which is a vintage one that I picked up just before Christmas. I'm also really excited to announce that I'll be one of the judges choosing the best dressed ladies tomorrow night, so if you happen to be going to the ball too, be sure to come up & say hi! I'll be photographing all my favourite looks, so stay tuned for a blog post later on this week which will also include some pictures of my full outfit...& of course, I'll be posting a quick snap on my Retro Flame Facebook Page tomorrow too.

Hope you're all having a lovely week!

Stylishly yours,

Erika x

Friday, 25 January 2013

New Nails: Grafton Salon Galway

Hey everyone! Here's a quick post to show you my brand new gel nails from Grafton Hair & Beauty, a salon in Galway. I called in on Wednesday to finally revamp these nails of mine & I am over the moon with the result. I had posted a picture of my inspiration on my Retro Flame Facebook Page Tuesday night & then decided to go for a more round/pointed version. Lately, I have seen so many celebrities posting instagram pictures of their pointed nails and I was dying to try out this trend for myself.

If you're Galway based, I really couldn't' recommend Grafton Hair & Beauty enough! The nail artist, Mary Anne, was so lovely & attentive and I think I may have finally found my favourite salon in Galway (it only took 3 years!). I have my college ball coming up next week, so it's such a treat to have my nails looking good. I know a lot of my readers would also be students in Galway, so be sure to check out the amazing student deals they are offering at the moment, in the run up to all the college events. You can check out their Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Stylishly yours,

Erika x

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Trend Watch: Tulle Skirts

Carrie Bradshaw: Queen of Tulle

I'm not going to lie, if I could dress in tulle skirts every day I would. The girliness, the colours, the texture, the drama and of course...the 'poofyness'. Why wouldn't you want to dress like this everyday? I have my eye on a baby blue one at the moment and hopefully it's going to be mine very very soon. I plan on jeweling it, just like the one in the 3rd picture above....so keep you eyes peeled for a (poofy) outfit post.

Hope you're all having a lovely week (and surviving this CRAZY cold weather)!

Stylishly yours,

Erika x

Monday, 21 January 2013

Outfit Post: Crochet

ZARA Crochet Top || Dunnes Floppy Hat || Topshop Leggings & Shoes
You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu HERE

On Saturday, Tommy and I made a trip to Ross Castle in Killarney. We visited this castle over Christmas, but unfortunately, I totally forgot to bring my camera, so I promised I would go back again very soon to take some pictures for the blog. It is the most amazing little spot and it reminded me about how beautiful Kerry (where I'm from) really is. The castle looks out on a never-ending lake, which served as the perfect backdrop for these photos. I don't know if you remember, but at the end of the Summer I did a blog post called Crochet Lovin' and told you how I was on the lookout for a crochet dress. Unfortunately, I didn't find one before I left NYC, but instead found this beauty on my trip to Edinburgh. It's another amazing find from none other than the ZARA sale. It's a bit more of a Summer piece, but there was no way I was waiting that long!

I'm also very excited to tell you that some invites for London Fashion Week arrived in my inbox this morning, so there's a very good chance that I might just be making an appearance there in February. It's not 100% confirmed yet, but as always I'll keep you updated!

Hope you've had a good day too,

Stylishly yours,

Erika x

Sunday, 20 January 2013

Lilac Lovin'

While I was in Edinburgh, I purchased a vintage lilac 50's style dress. I really had forgotten about the beauty of this colour! I can nearly taste spring-dressing at this stage...& luckily, it's just around the corner.

I hope you're all having a lovely Sunday so far. It was an early one for me today -but I've spent part of the morning having breakfast in bed & catching up on all my favourite blogs. I purchased some running gear yesterday (for the first time in years) so the rest of my Sunday will consist of a mix of running, blogging & (hopefully some) relaxing. I don't know why, but I've always loved Sundays!

Hope you have a good one too,

Stylishly yours,

Erika x

Saturday, 19 January 2013

New in: Velvet Ankle Boots

Say hello to my new favorite ankle boots! When I arrived at the airport in Edinburgh, I spotted a girl wearing these beauties & fell in love straight away. The next day, I saw them in Zara....on sale & in size 5. Perfection. I looked on the site to see if they still have some left, but unfortunately they must be all sold out at this stage. However, I came across this pair which are quite nice too & seem very reasonable.

Hope you're all having a lovely Saturday!

Stylishly yours,

Erika x

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Outfit Post: Edinburgh Castle

The Vintage Set Jacket || Bershka Dress || Topshop Shoes || Primark/Penneys Necklace || NYC Sunglasses
You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu HERE

Here is my other outfit post from my trip to Edinburgh. On our second day there, we visited Edinburgh Castle, which really was as beautiful as everyone had told me it was. Usually, on these quick shopping-trips, my sister & I don't have sight-seeing on top of our to-do list, but this was definitely a must-see. We were really lucky that it was such a beautiful day & of course, it was the absolutely perfect place for taking some photos. The jacket I'm wearing is vintage & is from an online store called The Vintage Set. I really can't get enough of the dogtooth trend at the moment! I am also crazy about the necklace I'm wearing. Would you believe that I found it in the sale section in Primark for £2? I really do need to stop buying necklaces, but I honestly don't see that day coming any time soon.

Just before we were about to leave the castle grounds, I noticed that there was the most amazing sunlight hitting one of the areas next to the castle, so I managed to squeeze in a few more photos & I just love how they turned out....

So I decided to (finally) create a new blog header! I'd love to know what you think?

Hope you're all having a lovely week.

Stylishly yours,

Erika x

Monday, 14 January 2013

Outfit Post: Edinburgh

My sister, Kaelin <3

Charity Shop Jumper || Miss Selfridge Jeans || Vintage Shirt || GoJane Sunnies || Mi Asunta Collar Chain || Topshop shoes
You can HYPE on Lookbook.nu HERE

On Friday, I posted a photo diary from my trip to Edinburgh & now it's onto one of the outfits I wore while I was there. This is the outfit I wore on day 1, while traveling from Cork. The jumper is from a charity shop in Galway & is one of my favourite colours at the moment. The collar chain is from an amazing brand called Mi Asunta. The designer is a girl who I worked with in New York during the Summer & when I was leaving to come home, she gave me this amazing collar chain as a gift! We took these photos straight away when we arrived in Edinburgh at 4pm, just when it was starting to get dark & I absolutely loved the lighting. It's so nice to have somewhere different to shoot these type of posts.

So, I'm back to college today in Galway. My last semester - I really can't believe it! I had a really lovely Christmas, but I'm definitely excited to be back in Galway again!

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend.

Stylishly yours,

Erika x