Win a bottle of Lacoste Touch of Pink!

 

 

This month I have a gorgeous bottle of Lacoste Touch Of Pink 90 ml from Fragrance Direct to giveaway. It's one of my favourite perfumes for the summer that is perfect for day or night wear. It has a soft flower aroma with a hint of sweetness. Its very girl next door and it will always remind me of a holiday in the sun! To enter simply follow the steps below. This competition is open internationally and a winner will be picked on Friday the 31st of May.

To enter :

* Like my Facebook page and share it.

*Subscribe to my blog either via email or through blogger

*Send me a Facebook message or post a comment below to confirm your entry.

 

 

 

Travels of a curvy model : Destination Cape Verde

 

Two months ago I was very lucky to be flown to an area off the coast of Africa to shoot an editorial in Cape Verde. I had heard about the area in the past but I wasn't acquainted with its culture, history or its full geography. Cape Verde itself is actually made up of 8 islands. The main island is called Sal which is the only member of the islands with an airport. As we were only there for a eight days, we stayed on Sal but travelled each day for location scouting or to shoot the editorials for Big Is Beautiful magazine. The team included fashion editor Andrea Hollebeek, celebrity photographer Iris Planting, leading hair and makeup artist Ingrid Burger and top stylist Christel Monteiro. All of whom have extremely sucessful careers in the Netherlands. They were such down to earth and amazing women whom I learned so much from in such a short space of time. Both the editor and the makeup artist are working mums and multitasking gurus. Where they find the time to do everything I really don't know but I was certainly in awe.

 

It was such a different experience to any other country I've been to before. The stores were very basic like general grocery stores or the odd tourist shop. There was one or two exceptions where we might have seen a local fashion store and ran into have a look, but it was extremely expensive as their products are shipped in from various parts of Europe or mainland Africa. So as you can imagine myself and Christel the stylist had a case of 'lack of retail therapy anxiety' by the end of the trip. ;)

Aside from this slight setback, it was a really interesting experience. As a developing region I was extremely surprised to see so many outstanding hotels and how wifi cafes did indeed have a presence. There was still great disparities to be seen on the island between the extreme wealthy to the levels of poverty which was terrible to see.

The locals were really intrigued as to what was happening. They treated us like celebrities as a fashion shoot for them was not a common thing to come across. Adults would even walk in front of the camera in the hope of being in the photo. It put things into perspective of how fortunate we are, how being surrounded by technology all the time in a digital world at home, can make you forget or appreciate the smaller things in life. It also increased my appreciation all the more for how lucky I am to be a working curvy model.

The lifestyle on the islands is however full of positivity with the island motto "Capo Verde, no stress". Everywhere we went we heard it. If the team were sorting out clothes and trying to get the next shoot location organised, a local would some how pop out of nowhere chanting " hey, you're in Capo Verde...no stressss..." . It became the unofficial title to our trip. It was extremely funny. The locals lead such a laid back lifestyle, but when you visit their beaches it all makes sense. No explanation needed. It's Mother Nature at her best.

 

Above is a some behind the scenes photos of me in a black wig. It was styled in line with one of the editorials which centred around the monochrome theme. There was around 8-10 different monochrome shots in the current edition of the magazine with tonnes of plus size designer labels such as Anna Scholtz, Yoek, Sallie Sahne and gorgeous jewellery by a new Dutch brand called Bahia Love. It was certainly different to see what I'd look like with a black bob, but I think I'll stick with my blonde hair for the moment! ;) The second editorial encompassed the denim trend with a Bohemian twist to it. We shot in seven different locations for the denim shoot, so every look was really different and displayed some amazing parts of Cape Verde including one of the oldest salt mines in Africa which was incredible.

I've so much more to share with you all. But as the next issue of Big Is Beautiful is due to hit the shelves across Europe in the next few weeks, I will wait and post more details and editorial photos from the issue then.

 

Lou.x

 

 

My new website Louiseoreilly.com

 

 

 

This week my new model website Louiseoreilly.com was designed by the talented team at Jelly Box Media. I am extremly happy with design and layout as its user friendly with a fresh feel, which was exactly what I was looking for to showcase my portfolio. Jelly Box are also kindly offering discounts on websites for Style Me Curvy readers by simply quoting 'Style Me Curvy' upon your inquiry to them. To get in touch go to Jellyboxmedia.com or find them on Facebook here.

Feel free to check out my new site, Louiseoreilly.com. I'd love to hear any feedback. :)

 

Lou.x

 

Double Denim

 

This year we've seen denim return in a big way. From catwalks in Milan, Paris, New York and London. Our world of denim has gotten a revamp, mutli layered denim patchwork, bleached denim, colour pop denim jeans from rich blues, pinks, whites, florals and the decorative to the old school dungarees. Its back to the cute country girl denim shirts and the basic summer denim shorts but with a twist. Its now even easier to nail two trends in one with such a great selection of denim styles out there at the moment. For now, I've pick my current favourites which I'll be watching out for over the coming weeks. :-)

 

Top tip :

If pairing denim with denim isn't your thing. Try breaking it up with a plain top such as number 6, Simply Be's Denim gilet with a white vest with number 7, New Looks indigo blue skinny jeans. For something simple try one of the denim dresses from Warehouse , number 1, and A Wear , number 5.

 

1: Warehouse, Denim stud dress - €63 / £53 sizes 6-16

2: New Look, Blue wash denim shorts dungarees - €30/ £24.99 sizes 6-18

3: River Island, patchwork denim shorts - €35 / £30, sizes 6-18

4: Mango, slim fit polka dot jeans - €39.99/ £34.99, sizes 6-14

5: Awear, denim belted dress - €40/ £35 , sizes 6-18

6:Simply Be, Joe Browns denim gilet - € 49.99/ £42 , sizes 16-28

7: New Look, Inspire blue skinny jeans € 19.99/ £16.99 ,sizes 6-32

8: River Island, light acid wash denim shirt with diamanté and cross embellished detail on the back, €30/ £25 sizes 8-18

 

Lou xx

Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier review

When it comes to perfume I'm pretty conscious. For me, finding the right fragrance is really important because its something that indirectly represents your personality especially when it comes to first impressions, job interviews or even meetings.

 

A product worth noting at the moment is Roger & Gallets new fragrance Fleur de Figuier. After one spray you get a wonderful burst of fruity zesty goodness. It is certainly a feel good summer perfume with undertones of cedar, musk and fig leaves, intertwined with the sweetness of grapefruit and mandarin. It's quite a feminine and fresh scent that is a perfect day time fragrance. The bottle itself is extremely pretty with floral designs from French artist Martin Szekley which I really liked about this product.

What I admired most about the product was that you didn't need to use too much. It comes across slightly strong for the first two minutes but then tones down leaving a fresh floral fragrance that lasts for hours. When you compare it with other luxury brands that could cost you 80 euro and upwards yet fade after just an hour, Fleur de Figuier is a cheaper alternative at €17.50 for a 30 ml or €39.75 for a 100ml. You can find this product in selective pharmacies nationwide.

 

Louise xx

 

 

Outfit post : My curvy blazer

 

 

 

This week I went for a casual smart look, I paired it with my Savida blue bow Tshirt, my indigo jeans and my favourite webbed tie front heels. My recent purchase this month was this white blazer from A Wear. I've had it now for about two weeks and it seems to go with so many outfits. I had my eye on a few different white blazers from different brands, some with black leather trims, others that were more structured. But when I tried them realistically they were too formal and not exactly, me! I chose this jersey style one in the end. It has casual material with fixed rolled up sleeves, however it can be dressy too which was what made it the perfect buy.

 

I felt white was a good way to introduce a Spring / Summer vibe and help breakup all the black items in my wardrobe. It's an item that any shape can wear. For petite ladies, the hem will sit a little longer touching just past your bum which works perfectly as it would just look like a long lined blazer. For tall women however, I'm afraid it would look quite short but you can find similar longer styles in Dorothy Perkins or Forever 21.

 

 

Blazer : Awear , £38/ €45 sizes 8-18

Tshirt : Savida - last season

Jeans : River Island, £30/ €35 sizes 6 - 18

Shoes : New Look - Last Season

Lou. X