Stardoll MeDoll

To become a member of Stardoll it's very simple. There's no cost involved in signing up and you even get some free stardollars to start you off.
Making a MeDoll is lots of fun. I found that mine looks spookily similar to the real-life me. There are different body sizes and skin colours. Trawl through several facial features until you find the one that most looks like you and you can even add freckles, lipstick and blusher.
There are tonnes of hairstyles and more can be unlocked the more you play on the site. Under your suite on your page, you'll find 'starpoints'. Everytime you log in and play with the celebrity stardolls, or dress yourself or leave comments in albums etc you earn points. Once you reach a certain level you unlock new items to buy or new free hairstyles. Also, every day you log onto the site you earn 1 stardollar (a new scheme), so it's easy to get money for buying new things.
The stardoll shop has expanded drastically since the start. I'll go into more detail about StarPlaza later, but there is a Sephora where you can purchase makeup to further customise your MeDoll. The new Kat Von D collection was added to the shop recently. In Doree, superstars can buy hair dye (the range of colours constantly changes), if you feel you haven't quite nailed it with the small selection of free hair colours. You can try all hair and makeup items before buying and once you've bought them you can use them as many times as you wish.

There's also Splendid, an accessories shop filled with jewellery, hair accessories, sunglasses etc, as well as a range of Heidi Klum jewellery. There's always new jewellery in the shop to coordinate with the new clothing ranges and so you can wear different items every day to match your outfit.

The Stardoll World

I don't know where to start with the phenomenon that is Stardoll. Well, the site started off as a place to play dress-up with celebrity dolls. Orlando Bloom, Britney Spears and Beyonce Knowles could be dressed in a variety of fashions, some similar to their real life clothes. These dolls could be saved in an album on your own page (shown below). I've told you before I love games like this and found myself spending hours on the site.
Within a couple of years though the site developed and it was possible to make yourself into a dress-up figure too, known as a 'MeDoll'. I thought this was majorly cool, having a mini replica me to dress. You even get your own little room to stand in and there was a small shop to buy clothes for your doll.

The site now boasts over 19 million registered users and it's not hard to see why. Members can use 'real money' to buy 'Stardollars'. Stardollars can be used to buy furnishings for your room ('suite') and clothes for your MeDoll. There is also Superstar membership with access to new celebrity dolls before anyone else, more album space, more rooms within your suite and exclusive clothes and decor int he shops as well as monthly 'sales'. The site is constantly improving itself and adding new features and I'll go into each section in more detail in following posts.

Jasper Garvida at Oli

Finally the collection from winner of Project Catwalk, Jasper Garvida has hit Oli. I must say I'm a little disappointed. I loved his work on the show and had come to expect something a little more avant garde from him. The sombre colour palette and lack of detailing left me a little empty. I know the collection is high-street rather than couture, so perhaps cost-wise he had to cut-back on the details. Although if I'm honest there are much better collections out there for the same price on the high-street, so it can be done on a budget. Below are, maxi dress £80, black dress £70 and shirt £50.

SATC shoes, run don't walk!

Ok, so I think it's safe to say that the Dior shoes in the Sex & The City Movie may just be the most talked about on-screen footwear since Cinderella and her sparkling slipper. Sarah Jessica Parker wore them with practically every outfit and so the high-street came up with their own interpretations. Asos have just received a third batch of their take on the gladiator sandal. Available in black, they still have every size apart from a 4 (above £55). If you want them, grab them fast, once the initial stock of black and brown sold out quickly, another batch were produced and these went really fast too, so be warned. I'm severely tempted (although I have no money!). I got the Oli version (below £40) and I'm not as keen on them. Although they probably look more like the Dior, I think I prefer the chunkier look of the Asos pair.

FOTD 25/07/08

I've been shunning lots of eyeshadow lately and instead prefer a more simple eyeliner look. Today I used Urban Decay liquid liner in Smog, (an olive green shade), flicked out at the corners. I used BeneFit Some Kind-a Gorgeous as a base, Mark After-Glo blush and then decided to choose a barely there lip. I actually used the very inexpensive Miss Sporty Twinkle Shine lipstick in 130 DJ. I was going to wear gloss, but instead opted for this much neglected lippie. I think I've only used it once since I bought it. It's actually very nice, it's a really great nude shade with silver shimmer throughout. It's supposed to be sheer I guess as it's 'twinkle shine' lipstick, but as it's such a beautiful shade I would prefer it to have more substance to it. It's a lovely colour for summer though, the only thing slightly off-putting is the scent, I think it's apple. It's only upon applicaton that I smell it though, so I'll definitely use this more often now that I know how pretty it is.

Shoe button stress

Remember the Irregular Choice 'Sky Fox' blue unicorn shoe debacle? Here's a reminder and development.

Back in May, my Mum ordered them as an early birthday pressie for me online (I love unicorns, so they were my dream shoes) and when they came they fitted fine, but the strap wouldn't do up. I had to admit it was unlikely I would ever get them to fasten, so I sent them back for refund. Schuh then got stock of the same style in black or gold (no unicorns unfortunately), but I was able to try them instore at least (I had it in mind to then order the blue pair online again in the bigger size if they fitted). However the size 6 were too big, but remarkably the 5 fitted and did up perfectly. I figured it was because the strap and button had been more used than the brand new, un-tried-on pair I got online.

So I was all excited and bought the black pair and decided to order the size 5 blue pair again and see if a little manipulation and stretching could make them fit. The original place I bought them from had them in the sale and had sold out of the 5's, so I bought them from the Irregular Choice website, who coincidently had theirs in the sale too for £38.75. Jammy bargain, or so I thought.

They arrive today and I ooh and aah over them, I then unfasten them to try them on and the button comes off in my hand. The metal link broke off the button, so there's the elastic on the shoe and button on the floor! Now I have to go to the expense of sending them back (deja vu anyone?) for an exchange. I'm now paranoid about getting another pair and the same happening again or else the button coming off my black pair.

Owning the amount of shoes I do, it's easy to pick up on design faults. I personally hate these elasticated buttons. I don't think they are robust enough in shoe design, as pretty as they may look. I can never decide if the designers have it in mind that you can put the shoe on without taking the button out (usually pretty impossible in my opinion) or if they expect you to fiddle with the fastening each and every time you try them on. I've been trying to avoid shoes with this feature preferring to go for more reliable buckles instead. So in the mission to find unicorn shoes, it's been rather costly and I still don't have the perfect pair!

My eBay stress!

I haven't been on eBay for a while, but the other day I was browsing and added a good few pairs of shoes to my watch list. It turned out they were all from the same seller and all 5 pairs ended around about the same time. Now, I'm someone that normally gets quite stressed by the bidding frenzy that usually erupts in the last few minutes of an auction. My dad on the otherhand loves it (I think it's a man thing!), he says the adrenaline is going and he tends to leave bidding until the very last second, he has lots of theories and plans when bidding too. I tend to just get all worked up and worried that I'll lose and hate that panic that I feel. Today of course, with 5 items ending at the same time, I realised I had to have some sort of method, so I decided to prioritise. I narrowed them down to 3 pairs of shoes and had seperate windows open for them all. I was outbid on the first pair, the second pair went too high for me and I won the final pair! I had a little panic as I placed the bid on the last pair with about a minute to go and just had to sit and wait to see if anyone else would bid, but all in all I'm pretty happy as this is the pair I wanted the most.

They are beautiful Irregular Choice shoes in mermaid inspired colours. I already own the older pink leopard print style and they are very flattering, so I'm happy to get this new style at just over half the price they cost in Schuh.

Dressup Games

If you ever have one of those days, when you don't feel like working much, then I've found the perfect site for you. Girl Games 911 is a site filled with lots of girly dressing up dolls and makeover games. I was obsessed with little paper dolls when I was younger, the ones that came with clothes with tabs on them. It would keep me amused for hours, designing new fashions for them and cutting out the ones they came with. So it's no surprise that I could get lost for hours in this site. There are tonnes of games, so you're bound to find something you like. Here's a look at some of my favourites.

Designer inspired dress-ups like this Miu Miu one (below) are fabulous.
There are celeb dress-ups, such as Charlize Theron, wearing actual real-life outfits!

There's an entire Barbie section, including this makeover game, if you ever fancied seeing what she'd look like with glossy nude lips and a slick of eyeliner.

I loved all the outfits for this doll (below) and how much you could transform her with each look.

Dior Spring/Summer '08 shoes

If I'd ever had the choice to write an essay on one designer when I was at Uni, I would've chosen Christian Dior. I would be able to talk non-stop about almost every collection since the 1947 'new look' to the current genius of head designer John Galliano. I usually drool over every catwalk outfit of every haute couture and ready-to-wear show. From the fantastical makeup right down to the fabulous shoes. It's safe to say I do 'J'adore Dior'.

At the Spring/Summer '08 RTW show, I was dazzled yet again by the craftmanship of Galliano, in particular the gorgeous shoes that accompanied each outfit (shown in blue above). Now, it's got to be said, that on my budget, I'm not likely to be able to afford the £500+ needed for said shoes that I've spotted on Diane Kruger and Dita Von Teese. ASOS however, surprised me this week with a new pair of shoes which have definitely taken inspiration from the Dior beauties. OK, so they're not quite couture level, they don't have the metal cone, cut-out heel for one, but they do a pretty good job. The have the brogue detailing, 3 straps and concealed platform. At £50 they are not the cheapest of shoes from the internet brand, but I think these will be added to my ever growing ASOS shopping list!

The Shoe Addiction Continues...

Over at Celeb Style, I'm besotted with these Samba shoes from Topshop. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be purchasing them very soon as I added another 3 pairs of shoes to my out-of-control collection yesterday. In the New Look sale I picked up these floral courts and peach lace peep-toes for a tenner each (above). I also got the flying ice-cream/cupcake shoes from Irregular Choice at Schuh. I regrettably sent back the most gorgeous blue unicorn pair after I couldn't do the strap up. I hate those fiddly little buttons on elastic, that ping out of your fingers just as you think you've done them up. My foot wouldn't go in without taking the button out, so I decided they had to go back. I tried a size 6, thinking they would be slightly wider and therefore easier to do up, but they were huge on me. I ended up with the black in a size 5, with button fastened perfectly. It's just a shame Schuh don't stock the blue pair. Perhaps as they had been bought online and hadn't been tried on the button and strap were a little stiff, whereas the black were easier to take in and out. It's just my luck that the size 5's are out of stock in the blue now! I also picked up an Irregular Choice pinstripe clutch bag for £15 with flower embroidery on it.

Miss Sporty lipgoss charm

Everything by cosmetic brand Miss Sporty is under £3, but don't let this put you off. Although the packaging and marketing looks a bit 'tween', you'd be surprised by the quality of some of the items. I use the 'Eye Illuminator' every day under my eyeshadow and it's great at preventing creasing and fading. The 'Fabulous Colour Palette' in Chill-Out Chic contains a lipgloss and two wonderful light and dark grey eyeshadows for the perfect smokey eye and some of the lipglosses are not bad too. So, I was extremely excited today to see that they've brought out Limited Edition Mini Mobile Lipglosses. I have an obsession with these type of glosses. I have them attached to keys, bags, my mobile, everything. I am never without at least 2 or 3 different types. Bourjois do nice ones, although they can be a little expensive for the tiny size. Available in 2 shades, and exclusively at Superdrug, I'll definitely be snapping these up.

Irregular Choice

I love Irregular Choice and have added 2 new pairs to my collection this week. I was really pleased with the lovely black moc-croc pair I received today from Branch309 (complete with fabulous leopard print sole). They have a really square toe and very curved inside heel. There is also no tongue behind the fabric laces, so your skin peeps through. I think they'll look great with coloured tights and I'm considering purchasing the brown pair too. I also got an older style 'City Picnic' last week. I managed to get them for a really great price at Letsbuyshoes and I've always liked them so treated myself. They have a lovely lilac gingham print on the sole with flowers and fairies.

Primark Haul

Remember I told you I went shopping last week for the first time in months? Well, going to one shop is the most I can do and even that's a struggle. I chose Primark and ended up spending a small fortune. For £186 though, I got a cute cropped leopard print jacket (£13), a very Carrie-esque purple and green floral coat (£17), grey Granny style lace up brogues and the most stylish brown platform ones (for £12 each), I love them as they have a concealed platform and stitched section on the toe (which makes them look very expensive). I got 5 clutch bags (including 3 gorgeous hard cased, moc-croc, long silver framed ones in black, cream and red, £6 each), 7 hairbands, a black vest (no seams and of excellent quality for only £3), a Luella inspired floral, ruffled blouse, 3 tops and 5 dresses. Phew! That was all we could carry. I think I was just lucky as they seemed to have a lot of new stock, I'm sure I could go next week and not find much at all.

Must Have Shoes from ASOS

I was flicking through the recent ASOS magazine and instantly fell for these gorgeous hot pink t-bars (£45).

The front detailing reminds of these L.A.M.B. shoes (above £239, which I've also had my eye on). It creates an illusion of a bigger platform where there isn't one, I think it looks really quirky. They are also available in black, but the gorgeous pink really sold me. When I first checked the site they didn't yet have them, then they sneakily added them to their stock without me noticing. The 5's I need are out of stock, so I'll just have to hope they get some more in....they must be mine!
I also spotted this pic on the ASOS 'shoe' page a few days ago and was intrigued by the pink heeled/soled peep toe boots. Lace-up shoe boots, especially peep-toes have been my obsession for quite a while and I just can't get enough of them. I check the new stock pages on ASOS at least twice a day, so I knew they weren't on the site yet. I thought I'd better double check all the ASOS branded footwear just incase, but I couldn't find them. Then the next day they appeared on the site (£30). I don't think the product images do them justice, the pink looks much brighter in the banner image.

I'm definitely going to get them (once I have some money) and I also like these new zip detail platforms (below, £30). Available in pewter or black, I'm kind of undecided about which colour I'll get. I think the pewter are unusual and I have been buying quite a lot of black footwear lately, so it would make a nice change, although the black do look so shiny and classy!