Saturday at LFW

I was incredibly lucky this weekend and had the opportunity to go to London Fashion week on Saturday. Having spent so many seasons wistfully dreaming of getting the chance to go for myself, I spent half the day pinching myself to check I was still in reality!

With LFW drawing to a close today, and the fashionistas jetting off to Paris for next week’s schedule, I thought I would share with you a glimpse of my day!

Most of the day was spend fashion-watching. There were some amazing outfits walking around. From the extraordinary to the chicest of chic, LFW was definitely the heart of the city’s style this week. We also had the chance to look round all of the exhibitions. Sister by Sibling was by far my favourite collection. Anything with a bit of Neon and I'm on board! We caught a glimpse of the Todd Lynn models and I pretty much fell in love with the pink dress below. Maxi, structured and a hint of peplum detail? Sold.

Topshop Dreaming

So, as you will be aware from this week’s instaweek post, myself and Sarah have just spent a lovely weekend catching up in London. Naturally, this catch up weekend inevitably lead to a trip (well, ok.. 2 trips) to Topshop. I’m lucky enough to work on Oxford Street so it’s on my doorstep, but in the interest of avoiding temptation I try to avoid visiting the store too often or lingering for too long. And after this weekend, I know why. I’m a massive Topshop fan and have been for years – but let’s face it, who isn’t – but even I can see that sometimes they do go a bit overboard with a million different ‘trends’. I wasn’t overwhelmed with this year’s Summer collection so didn’t really feel like I was missing out on too much. However, my most recent visit has put their collection back up to the number 1 spot on my wishlist. Hello autumn/winter!

I invariably prefer Topshop’s winter collections anyway, maybe it’s because I prefer winter dressing – layering and playing with different textures appeals to the shopaholic in me. This year, as ever, they’ve done us proud. It’s nice to see that some of last winter’s colour palette is sticking around so all those cranberry and silvery grey tones that I stocked up are not banished to the back of my wardrobe this year. There is also a nice play with a couple of neon shades so there’s a little consistency in the transition from summer to winter this year.

In an attempt to render my online lusting a little more productive, I decided to share my favourite pieces with you here. I’m sure, as much as I resist, you will inevitably be seeing some of these items popping up in my wardrobe over the coming months.

Images via www.topshop.com 

Casper & Co.'s Instaweek

Late again we're afraid, this time our only excuse is that we were too busy enjoying one another's company in London during a lovely reunion weekend! Here's our best bits of the week to share with you!

[Paralympic bunting pride on Leeds Uni campus. Salted caramel and orange blossom cupcakes at Primrose bakery. Espresso martinis chez Natalie. Mojito madness at Balls Brothers near Victoria station. The perfect post-Shoreditch Sunday brunch. Enjoying the autumn sun on Primrose Hill]

Further Foundation Fancies

[Image via: http://www.loreal-paris.co.uk/cosmetics/face/
liquid-foundation/rose-ivory.aspx?code=Cos163_1]

A few weeks ago, I posted about my hunt for the perfect pale-friendly foundation. A non-orange tinted solution to my fake tan rehab stint. While I’m perfectly happy with my MAC fluid for those times when I need a slightly heavier coverage, day-to-day it’s just a bit too heavy. At the time of posting, my daytime foundation of choice was Bourgeois Healthy Mix, and I was pretty happy with it. But, always keen to try new products (or at the least new to me) I decided to give L’Oreal True Match a whirl after reading a post by The Beauty Geek. And I have to say, it surpassed all my expectations. I’m actually going to go out on a limb and say I might like it as much as my MAC., and at £9.99 it’s a snip at half the price!

I’ve been using the lightest shade available ‘Rose Ivory’ and it is the perfect shade for my skin tone. I’ve always been slightly dubious of a foundation that claims to adapt to match your skin, surely such magic can only be the work of clever marketing and photoshop? – But either their range of shades is versatile enough to back this claim, or it actually does what it says on the tin. Either way, I no longer need to spend a few minutes carefully blending moisturiser and foundation to avoid a horrible

line situation! 

Definitely worth a try!

And here are Sarah's favourites:

After a recent recommendation from a friend, I've recently started using Clarins Everlasting Foundation, because the cover is fantastic and it really does last. The shade is good for my skin in the summer, but does need a bit of blending around the jawline. It's a little pricey at £24 but I would say it's worth the money and you only need 1-2 pumps for a full face. 

[Clarins Everlasting Foundation SPF 15 in 104 Cream. shu uemura 
cover crayon in 9YR LIGHT/5YR MEDIUM. Cover Crayon swatch]

I found out about the shu uemura cover crayon whilst working as a TV extra - the make-up artists like to use it because they can match it to any skin tone (there are 3 shades) and it covers well. The crayon could be off-putting to some, but it has a creamy consistency and if you're worried about it pulling at the skin, you can mix it on your hand to create the ideal shade then use a make-up brush to avoid this. Priced at £17, it's a little more expensive than your average concealer, however the pencil ensures you don't waste anything, and it also doubles up as a highlighter.

Casper & Co.'s Instaweek

Well, what a crazy week it's been weather-wise! However we've managed to grab a few snippets of loveliness - hope you're having a relaxing Sunday evening enjoying the calm before the storm that is Monday morning!

[Sarah's final masters hand-in, accompanied with a celebratory smoothie. Graffiti and flowers in Hyde Park, Leeds. Cheesy crumpet, yoghurt and apple to start the day. Heather on the sand dunes, Winterton-on-sea. Fish pie and broccoli at Bills in covent garden. How a Saturday morning run should always look]

Casper & Co's Instaweek

Another late one I'm afraid, but here are some of the things we've been doing when we've had a spare moment! Happy Monday everybody, enjoy your week!

[Beautiful blue sky on a Chatsworth House grounds picnic. Pretty ceramic jar from Bombay Duck. Gluten-free chocolate welcome home cake for Sarah's Sydney friend. Near empty bottle of Pimm's...oops. Nat sunbathing on Hampstead Heath with her beautiful best friend. Mini Hummingbird cupcake bites for a mid-week treat]

Casper & Co's Instaweek

Another week, another insta-snap of the last week. Sarah is away for the week, so here is a little slice of London from me to you. Hope you've had a good one!

[The freshest of fresh coconut juice in Primrose Hill, the ponds on Hampstead Heath on a sunny Sunday, silk scarf from Beyond Retro, Pastel Houses in Notting Hill, Chalk Farm's beautiful art gallery, perfect teacup for a morning wake up]