Live Below The Line Challenge

 Did you know over 1.2 billion people are living in extreme poverty in the world???

 Extreme proverty is defined by the World Bank as people who are so poor they have less than $1.25  per day to survive on whether that is spent on food, housing, travel, healthcare or education.


Today I started the Live Below The Line challenge (a day later than the official start date) in aid of raising awareness of world proverty but also for my chosen charity of No More Malaria UK.

I chose to raise money for the charity No More Malaria after visiting Gambia in December 2013 to see my Boyfriend & hearing that his best friend had been infected with the disease which had him hospitalised for a few days.

The aim is to spend just £1 each a day on all our food and drink for five days between Monday 28th April until Friday 2nd May.

I definitely will say I take for granted what a pound can actually buy us nowadays and I know I personally do not budget my spend on food each day and without a doubt could easily spend up to £10 on food based on impulse

I will be putting forward a donation of the cost of my usual weekly shop . Feel free to support me by donating any spare money you can afford  here , as Malaria No More UK can treat people with £1 (81.8p) which go towards the cost of providing protection (Mosquito nets , Vaccines & treatments) of Malaria infected countinents such West Africa (Ghana, Namibia , Botswana)

See below what I ate on my first day of the challenge:

Breakfast Total= 17p

Porridge 10p, made with half milk 2p & water , served with Chia seeds and Golden syrup 10g @ 5p

Lunch Total = 59p

 Fresh Fusili Pasta 100g @ 29p, Pasta sauce 220g @13p & Salad (Cucumber, Avocado & Lettuce) 5p

Dinner Total= 20p

Fried Dumpling (flour 75g @ 8p , salt 1p, paprika 1p , water = free, frying oil 35ml 10p)

Dessert Total = 5p

Slice of Everyday value Chocolate & Vanilla Swiss Roll

 

Day 1 total cost : £1

The highs and lows

 I am so glad I remember about Fried Dumplings for dinner as they are so quick , easy and cheap to make (water, self raising flour, pinch of salt and frying oil), this meal was able to sustain me for the whole night. I faced the challenge earlier of my first day without my usual big breakfast at work which usually consists of  a Bagel, Raspberry sprinkled Porridge & fruit platter plate ( Strawberrries, Raspberries & oranges), I found that I was really hungry by 10am and anxiously waiting for Lunch time to arrive. However, by lunch time, the plate of pasta and salad filled me up so much until it was time for dinner. Personally I think having a big lunch makes a difference to rest of the day. I did not mind having water all day as I think it will be beneficial not only my health but my skin will love me even more. Overall I think today went well and I am excited for the next 4 days!

Peace, Love & Besos

Fashion Fix Friday 2: How I Dress Hawes & Curtis

Hi Belles!!

Happy Good Friday. I hope you are enjoying your Friday off so far and have exciting plans for this lovely long weekend. As I said last week today is Fashion Fix Friday and as always its all things fashion. This week I am going to show you how I dressed my new Hawes & Curtis shirts.

Last week my family were bad influences and persuaded me to purchase. I went into Hawes & Curtis to return a bag for my brother. Before I knew it, I was whipping out the card and paying for 5 new (albeit gorgeous) shirts. I have to admit I am glad they did not stop me, because I am in love with the fit, colour and style of the shirts.

Instead of my usual hauls of just showing you my new items on lifeless hangers. I decided to show you the shirts on my mannequin and how I would style them. So I hope you enjoy :)

HAWES & CURTIS

Hawes & Curtis are luxury shirt makers based on Jermyn Street, London. They have been established since 1913 by Ralph Hawes and Freddie Curtis. They have created luxurious clothing for the royalty as well as the aristocracy since 1913; and maintained their high quality while keeping to the English heritage with their classic styles. Even though they maintain their heritage they are still keeping with the evolving styles and trends, keeping them up to date and relevant in the current fashion world. 

As well as creating amazing shirts, Hawes & Curtis create high quality jackets, jumpers, a wide array of colourful ties and cufflinks to compliment all shirts. Not only have they stuck to clothing but have ventured into accessories to complete your outfit. These range from bags, hats and shoes etc ensuring that you do not leave the store without a stylish outfit. The best this is that they are not exclusive to just the royalty or aristocracy anymore; but accessible to everyone, especially with 30 stores around the UK.

The White Shirt

Necklaces: Primark & AX Paris

Everybody needs a crisp white shirt in their wardrobe, it is one of those staple items. A white shirt could be dressed up for the office or dressed down with rolled up sleeves for that casual trip. I decided to style my white shirt by sticking to the colour blocking trend. I teamed my shirt with royal blue tapered trousers, a fitted fuschia pink blazer and patent nude pumps. I also added an extravagant statement necklace just to add some sparkle to the outfit.

Blazer: Primark

Trousers: Primark

Necklace: New Look

Heels: Primark

Purple Polka Hearts

Necklace: New Look

As soon as I saw this shirt I thought of the Burberry Prorsum Heart print silk shirt, that was a key favourite amongst the likes of Victoria Beckham. Although it is not silk I think this is a pretty good dupe. I would wear this shirt for drinks with the girls or a casual trip to the theatre/cinema. I decided to style this shirt with my dark denim jeans and patent black pumps. I also chose to accessorise it with a glittery purple clutch and purple statement necklace.

 

Jeans: Forever 21

Necklace: New Look

Clutch: New Look

Heels: Ebay

The Satin Pussy Bow

Brooch: My mum's

I have always wanted a pussy bow shirt and finally I have added one to my shirt collection. This shirt is so versatile, on the mannequin I have tied the bow like a tie and added a glittery brooch for effect. However, when I styled the shirt I tied the bow low to make the shirt into more of a V-neckline. I decided to dress this shirt how I would wear it to the office. I teamed it with my navy fit & flare skirt to give me more of a shape, my fitted textured weave blazer, and patent black pumps

Jacket: H&M

Skirt: H&M

Heels: Ebay

The Striped Shirt

Necklace: New Look

This shirt is absolutely gorgeous and very comfortable. I especially love the little Hawes & Curtis crest on the back of the sleeve cuffs. I decided to keep this shirt bright and teamed it with all white to ensure that the colour popped. I styled it with my white jeans, white long line fitted blazer, black and white striped heels and some light pearls.

Jeans: New Look

Heels: New Look

Jacket: Primark

Pearls: Primark & AX Paris

The Red Pinstripe

Necklace: Primark

This shirt has a rich deep red base with fine white pinstripes, and white collars and cuffs. As soon as I saw this I automatically thought it would be great for the office, but also a great casual shirt. I would wear this on a shopping trip or sightseeing while on holiday. I decided to team this shirt with white shorts, black pleather biker jacket, red gold buckled flats, and a red structured bag with gold detailing.

 Shorts: H&M

Flats: Primark

Bag: Primark

Which is your favourite shirt and which style did you like the best?

Hugs and Kisses

Fashion Fix Friday 1: Lupita Nyongo

Hi Lovelies

Apologies for not posting *you have permission to shake me into shape lol* I have been extremely busy lately, sorting out some exciting things. As Spring has begun new beginnings have started for me which hopefully means more time for blog posts ;)

I have decided to start a new series on the blog called 'FASHION FIX FRIDAY', which means every Friday I will try my hardest to be all things fashion. It may be an update on the current fashion trends, Fashion House's that I'm loving, Models or just general Fashion. If your lucky I may even document my attempts at learning how to sew lol.

Now we are truly into Spring , it highlights that its time to swap over your wardrobe from the rich and dark colours, to those pretty light and pastel colours. Spring is always a great time to breathe new life into fashion, as it gives you an opportunity to be daring and stand out.

No more hiding gorgeous pieces under a heavy coat or if it's anything like here being blown around with your umbrella like Mary Poppins :)

Come on belles its time to let your styling do the talking with those bold colour blocking pieces, or release that soft, innocent pastel passion!

The first in the series is on the gorgeous, inspirational and perfect Lupita Nyongo.


The Kenyan-Mexican born actress first graced our screens and quickly rose to stardom, in her powerful role as Patsey, in 'Twelve Year's a Slave'. However, it was not just her amazing talent as an actress that caught my eyes, but her impact on the fashion world.

Source: marieclaire.co.uk

Source: micaelaerlanger.com

This humble woman can do no wrong with her style. She has worn nearly every colour in the rainbow and executed each style with precision and grace. Her elegant style has seen her in beautifully soft gowns that just fall around her enviable figure. One minute she will be the girl next door with soft and draping silhouettes, and then the next she will surprise you by teaming a racy leather basque with a delicate skirt and fitted dress coat.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Source: uk.eonline.com

There are many chosen fashion houses that have been luckily enough to make it into the many looks of Lupita include; Prada, Ralph Lauren,Gucci, Giambattista Valli, Lanvin, Miu Miu, Stella McCartney,Jonathan Cohen, Michael Kors, Mary Katrantzou, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Dior, Givency etc. Lets just say her style bible is well and truly full of some of the most revered fashion houses.

Source: micaelaerlanger.com

However I have to give credit where it is due to her incredible stylist Micaela Erlanger, who knows how to dress Lupita elegantly, making her look effortlessly chic but also knows when to show some skin tastefully. Not only does her portfolio house Lupita, but includes the names of Michelle Dockery (Mary in Downton Abbey), Olivia Munn (Sloan Sabbith in Newsroom ), and Winona Ryder to name a few.

Source: instyle.com

I love how Lupita is also trendtastic by joining the crop top and fitted skirt combo which is clearly a favourite among the Kardashian Klan as well as being a trend setter. But that outfit is not only memorable for displaying her figure, but also memorable for her heartfelt speech on beauty that captured the hearts of everyone.

Source: Google images

Not only is she making waves in fashion by teaching us how to make a style statement, but she has branched into all things beauty by becoming the new face of the French cosmetic house Lancôme

Lupita I name you my Style Queen of 2014 and fashion inspiration for Spring as you never fail to disappoint or astound all of your fashion fans!

Hugs and Kisses

Floral Bloom

I don't normally blog about shoes, but I felt I needed to give these heels an additional platform to shine!

Primark as you know is definitely one of my favourite stores for picking up some real hidden beauties, if you search high and low through the store. On Mothers day, I went to Primark Westfield,Stratford store to pick up a cami and came out with these beautiful floral court heels which I decided to wear to dinner at 'Lanes of London' that same day.

They are pocket friendly at only £12, which compared to the £120 Ted Baker Luceey Shoes is an absolute bargain. The floral print is stunningly beautiful and the intense multitude of colour is perfect for spring/summer.

I was able to wear these pointed toe shoes all evening as they were really comfy.  I decided to pair the shoes with a monochrome outfit and I loved the way the pop of colour lifted the sophiscated look! (excuse the mobile pic, I did not have time to take a picture with my actual camera on the day)

Peace , Love & Besos