Louise Roe . . . Style envy!

We're loving Louise Roe's style, recently attending the Nylon June/July Music issue launch event in this beautiful Manish Arora sequined dress with statement orange 'Alba' clutch from Accessorize, who ever said designer and High Street couldn't work well together . . .

. . . Louise also attended the 13th Costume Designers Guild Awards in another Manish Arora creations, not quite as eye catching as the above dress but equally as beautiful, with the exaggerated tailoring around the hips and shoulders . . . 

. . . and these Versace stiletto's aren't bad either!

Mae sure you check out our interview with Louise in the latest issue of teenbook here pages 24 and 25.

Blog must read . . . Style Bubble

This is one of our all time favourite blogs and remains firmly on our weekly, if not daily, reading list. Style Bubble is the brain child of Susie Bubble aka Susie Lau, showcasing the best of what her home town of London has to offer. The site is great for getting the low down on all the very latest emerging designers, as well as all the latest must have products to hit the High Street and designer shelves.

The site is a visual feast, with stunning close ups of her fashion discoveries and purchases, as well as personal observations and experiences. Susie has been blogging since 2006 and since then she has gone on to be Editor for Dazed Digital for Dazed and Confused, and now focuses on her blog and works as a freelance journalist completing work for Dazed Digital and Elle magazine to name but a few.

A healthy treat for the weekend . . .

Frozen yogurt is everywhere, with shops popping up on High Streets and department stores everywhere. 

It's the perfect healthy summer indulgence and much better for you than ice cream, plus you can add whatever toppings you like. YooMoo is the latest offering on the frozen yogurt market scene, with concessions in Harrods Food Hall and Westfield's Shopping, but also have a number of other stores dotted around the UK. 

However, if you've not got a YooMoo shop near you do not fret! They've just launched their take-home range (available from your local supermarket) Packed full of natural goodness and real fruit (none of that imitation stuff!), available in natural, chocolate, strawberry or fruity flavours . . . one word yum!

Prometheus - Review

Since the dawn of mankind, our greatest minds have pondered over many questions; why are we here? Is there a higher being at work? Can there be more than two decent Alien films? In Prometheus, director Ridley Scott – returning to the franchise he created and that launched his career 33 years ago – attempts to answer these questions, and pose a couple of new ones.

In the year 2094 a team of scientists aboard the spaceship Prometheus, named after the Greek legend of the man who stole fire from the Gods, arrive at the distant planet of LV-223, following a star map discovered on the Isle of Skye. 

Led by the reckless Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) and his more cautious partner Shaw (Noomi Rapace), the crew investigate the planet for signs of life, and an answer to the origin of our species, but don’t necessarily find the answers they were hoping for, and not all of them survive long enough to hear them.

Amongst the rest of the crew, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba stand out as the icy, businesslike Vickers and the laidback, blue collar captain Janek, but Michael Fassbender as the ship’s robot David steals the scenes he isn’t even in. His performance is a masterclass in pretending to be an android, making David a restrained, often creepy creation.

This film has to be an early contender for next year’s visual effects Oscars, as everything from the sets, the costumes and the creature designs are stunning. The attention to detail is breathtaking, and everything is so realistic you begin to question whether it’s real or not.

The story begins to fall apart in places, but eventually the slower-paced first half gives way to a more action-packed, and occasionally frightening second half. Some scenes could be difficult to watch, especially a particularly traumatic encounter Shaw has in a surgery pod, and at times characters’ motives are questionable, to the point of not making sense as the script rushes along from one scene to the next, without allowing itself any time to look around and see if it’s going the right way. A couple more weeks spent rewriting could have helped wonders here.

In 1979, Alien was a groundbreaking sci-fi horror that casts a long shadow over Prometheus. It tries hard, but would have needed to do considerably more to step out into a fresh, new light. There are familiarities between Prometheus and the original – so it could be a kind of semi-prequel, that eventually weaves in to the original story – as well as some elements from the 1986 follow-up Aliens, directed by James Cameron. 

Those too remain far superior in terms of story and characters, but Prometheus still holds its own and is worth a look for fans of the others.

Rating - 7/10

You can read more of Jason's film reviews at lifevsfilm.blogspot.com or on Twitter @LifeVFilm

This weeks best dressed . . .

It wasn't just the girls looking their best at Cannes film festival, both Shia La Beouf and Tom Hardy show how to wear a three piece suit, not so sure on the facial hair Mr Hardy but loving the deep blue colour of your suit!

Last night saw the UK premiere of the hotly anticipated movie release of the year Prometheus, and the leading ladies looked stunning on the blue carpet . . . One of our favourites was Noomi Rapace's Valentino AW12 embellished gown.

Guy Pearce was also looking rather dapper in this suit, a modern twist on a British classic, and the statement glasses complete the look.

We were lucky enough to have an insider at the premiere stay tuned for the review . . .

The low down on BB creams . . .

BB creams or Blemish Balms have had a lot of press over the past couple of months with all the major beauty brands launching their own versions, all promising a multitude of benefits. However, just because they're called Blemish Balms it doesn't mean they're just for skins prone to the occasional breakout, the cream is a multi-tasker, creating an even skin tone, covering redness and minor imperfections, acting just like a primer.

We've scoured the market and here are our top three creams and everything they promise to help alleviate . . . 

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB cream

One of the very first BB creams to hit the beauty market at the beginning of the year, and it still remains one of our favourites. Promising to hydrate your skin for 24 hours, evens skin tone, correct blemishes, boost your natural healthy glow, and also has a UV protection SPF15, and at an incredibly affordable price, it's available in two shades, so you can match it to your own natural skin tone, what's not to love?

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream

It may be a brand that your likely to see in your mum's make up bag, but No7 products really do work! We love these creams, available in three options dependent on your skin type; Normal/Dry, Dry/Very Dry, Normal/Oily so you can get the one that's right for you. The cream promises to disguise imperfections, hide away blemishes as well as protecting your skin with a built in SPF15 as well as lifting and brightening your skin.

Shu Uemura UV BB Mousse

If you find creams too heavy for your skin, this ultra-light mousse formula is perfect! Providing a clean even base before applying your make up, and also has an SPF30 so will keep your skin super protected and hydrated. A little pricer than our other creams, but well worth the extra expense, the perfect indulgent treat maybe . . .

New British musical talent . . .

In keeping with the Jubilee celebrations we decided to focus on an up and coming British bands and artists and we've managed to whittle it down to two of our favorites.


Lawson
 Lawson are made up of Ryan, Andy, Adam and Joel four friends from all corners of the UK, they've supported both The Wanted and The Saturday's and now they're making a name for themselves releasing their first single 'When She Was Mine'. Make sure you watch this space . . . 

Rudimental
Rudimental's first single, with somewhat of an unconventional video including horses for this club/dance track. You can follow him on his tour of the UK on Facebook and Twitter . . .

Summer essentials . . .

Sunglasses

These foldable Sunpocket sunglasses available from Surfdome are perfect for those on the go, and if you're forever loosing or breaking your sunglasses, they come in a variety of colours, but in keeping with the SS pastel trend our favourites are these pastel blue ones, the perfect summer beach accessory just in time for the half term holidays and the Jubilee weekend.

Rucksack

Sometimes a hand bag or satchel just doesn't quite do it, especially if you've got a day at the beach planned or are off out and about in the countryside. This Back to it rucksack from Converse is a great bag for the gym or if your heading out for the day, and the pale blue colour is bang on trend too!  

Shorts

Trousers are just not an option when the sun is shining and its hot and sticky. These knee length shorts from Alpinestars are the perfect option, not too short or too long, and if you do get a tad warm simply roll them up. We couldn't decided between these dip dye effect or red shorts but, so we'll let you decide which you prefer, but both would work well with a plain white t-shirt.

Sandals

We never thought we'd be saying this but here goes . . . jelly shoes are back, they were a firm fixture in our childhood, summer wouldn't be summer without a sparkly pair of heeled jelly shoes. Thankfully these designs are a lot more stylish thanks to JuJu, they're also available in great colour options, our personal favourite are these coral ones, perfect for the beach or a day of shopping as they're super comfortable.

Micro trend alert . . .

It seems that we weren't the only ones in awe of Louis Vuitton's metal toe cap shoes at their SS12 show, this seems to be one trend that is set to stick around, with the likes of Pringle of Scotland and YSL all bringing out their own versions of the beautiful contrasting shoes.

A whole host of A-listers have been spotted in a pair including Alexa Chung, Gwenyth Paltrow, Rihanna and Solange Knowles to name but a few. Our budgets can't quite stretch to the colossal £670 price tag, but lucky for us, the British High Street has done what it's best at and come up with some cheaper alternatives, we're loving this nude pair from Topshop, perfect for both daytime and evening wear, teamed with a pair of city shorts or cropped chinos.

These would be perfect with a pair of cropped beige chinos a white t-shirt and blazer jacket, also available from Topshop

Corinne Bailey Rae . . .

We know this self titled album has been around for a while (6 years in fact!) but there's nothing better when the sun is shining than listening to the relaxing and soulful tunes of Corinne Bailey Rae, and no matter how many times we hear it Put Your Records On never fails to get us singing along . . . available to buy from itunes.

The inner workings of a photo shoot . . . .

We caught up with photographer Phoebe Cheong as she finishes her second year (of three) at the Arts University College in Bournemouth, asking her what inspires her, the work that goes into putting a shoot together and who she dreams of photographing . . .

What first got you into photography?

Memories. I was drawn to photographs since I began to move around countries due to my parents work. As a young child away from my home country (Malaysia), I use to carry and keep photographs of my favourite memories of my close family and friends whenever and wherever I go. As I grew older, I was the 'official photographer' of my family and friends, it sounds very cliche, but that's how my journey began. Fashion photography came a bit later when I conducted a 'photo shoot' on my 16th birthday with a few friends, using my bed sheets as backdrops, a table lamp as lights, silver cardboard as a reflector and a summer fan as a wind machine! (-at that time I didn't even know that a 'reflector' even existed!). I then began to take an interest in fashion photography, producing images of my close friends, and when my art teacher saw my natural eye for composition in my images, he then began to introduce me into the real world of photography. 

* Who inspires you? 

My culture, colours, people, personalities and breathtaking locations. 

* What are your favourite three blogs/websites?

I tend to browse around various sites, but I would say the current ones I'm hooked on are: Stumble Upon and asianmodelsblog.blogspot.com. 

* What do you see yourself doing once you graduate?

I would love to see myself travelling, assisting photographers everywhere I go, embracing different cultures and using those experiences to conduct a fashion shoot and photograph something spectacular wherever I find myself inspired. I would love to photograph mixed race models, as I find them so uniquely beautiful. 

* What's your favourite location you've ever completed a photo shoot on?

So far, it would have to be the photo shoot by the 'Blue Lagoon' in the middle of a Quarry that I surprisingly found on Google Maps!

* What's a typical day like on one of your shoots? Is there a lot of prep work involved before the shoot?

Depending on how big the production is, some shoots can take up months, and some can take up only a day to plan. I love spontaneous photo shoots as they are so unpredictable but what I love most is the ones with a huge production, large group, and an amazing location.  A typical day on my shoots would definitely be exciting and fun but also a little nerve-racking (for me at least)! It's kind of like when you are about to step on stage, theres always butterflies in your stomach before you do your 'performance'.

* What is the one item of clothing from this seasons S/S collections would you love to shoot, and with which model?

Xiao Wen (IMG) is on the top of my list at the moment, and  wearing an Elie Saab Haute Couture dress, shot on the Great Wall of China, whilst snowing. Imagine that! 


For more behind the scenes videos and photos from Phoebe's shoots make sure you check out her website, where you can also view more of her work, as well as on Facebook and you can also follow her on Twitter.

The answer to all your photo printing needs . . .

We don't know about you, but we're always snapping away on our phones when we're out and about shopping or with friends and family, and have literally hundreds of photos in need of being printed off, transferring them to your laptop/PC and then uploading them online or burning them to disk can be such a long winded process. 

Well we may have just found the perfect solution; the Photo Cube Smart Phone printer. At 17.5x15cm it's small enough to stow away in your draw when it's not in use, as well as being incredibly easy to use. Simply download the Photo Cube app (which is free), select the image that you want to print and how you want it printed and pop it onto the printer and away it goes, producing 36 6x4" glossy prints per cartridge. Now that's what we call efficient!