Shopping Guide!

Launched this morning!!! 

Follow This Link to get your free .PDF download of Lipstick Royalty Magazine's Online Shopping Guide 2009!

Check out the new Lipstick Royalty ad!

I love you Cassie...

As some of you may remember from a previous blog post I was mourning the sale of an iconic dress made by my favorite designer of all time -  New York Couture's Cassie. 

But seriously, or as she would say 'totally'... I now love her again... all hail the replacement dress in my affections... isn't it beautiful? 

Photo: Steve Prue

Glamour Kills...

Photo: Lotus Josephine for Glamour Kills

Ok... this photo gets me excited on SO many levels...

... Firstly a new photo from Hanna Beth - one of my favorite models! 

.... Glamour Kill's are launching a swimwear line.... and its PWETTY! 

... This photo just gets me... a beautiful location and by one of my favorite photographers, Lotus Josephine, but a combination of her pose, her expression, her hair and the soft glow light and the slightly out of focus nature of the background... breathtaking... 

Jetson Milkshake Party...

Ok... I love Audrey Kitching and I love her hair but seriously? I'm not sure how I feel about this look on her... its from  Jetson's style shoot but its a bit.... Big and straight? I'm not really sure how I feel about it... your thoughts? 

Clothes Show London...

...wow what a day...

As many of you will know, Lipstick Royalty's Fashion Editor Amy and I hit up Clothes Show London (in London!) yesterday... I survived the tube and met Amy for the first time, and no offense hun but it was nice not to be the shortest person for a change! 

First up, we caught the Beauty Awards and runway/dance show in the fashion theater. You'll hear more about these from Amy, as she took all the notes! However I can tell you that the show was Katie Prices' first ever catwalk debut so she was fronting the show, the dancers were incredible and the whole thing was based around a day trip to the great British seaside. And I almost whooped in delight - tutus have made it into mainstream fashion -  they were everywhere! 

Next we went and checked out the show. We met some really cool people and discovered some sickeningly cool designers!  

My favorite labels of the day have to be:

Darimeya with their gorgeous dresses - I owned one before clothes show but now I want more! 

My Darimeya birthday dress... I've found its really great to wear with grey skinny jeans to! 

Lazy Oaf - they had the cutest tees, belts hoodies etc. on the planet!

I'm like in love with this Tote bag I brought... its so cute! 

Eyeko Beauty - I'd seen them before but their stand with all the sweets and the candy coloured packaging on their products was the coolest ever! The woman on the exhibit as a nice as anything as well, and the cupcake flavored lipgloss was divine!

B Never To Busy To Be Beautiful (cosmetics) - Ok, Amy knew about these people but I didn't - brightly pigmented mineral make - ups in little jeweled boxes as packaging! I tried some loose gold eyeshadow on the back of my hand and the colour stayed for ever and was bright, glittery and shiny! 

Isn't this both the coolest colour with the coolest packaging ever?!?

We also met some cool people...

We did an on the stop pit stop interview with Red from the Red Mutha alternative fashion store in Brighton while she was tending her stand (they had the coolest get your name painted on tape necklaces on the planet!)...

We met the uber nice Pin Up, Fetish and Fashion model Aisling Grace at the Limb Clothing stand...

And when we went back to Red Mutha to browse we bumped into Kate the designer from Gobbolino, who we featured in Lipstick Royalty a while back (and who we'll be featuring again sometime soon - watch this space!) and it was nice to meet her in the flesh at last! 

And finally, when I got home there was a package on my desk from Brooklyn - my Lime Crime make-up samples! I can't wait to try them out and write their product review! Thanks Lime Crime! 

LittleBirdie...

So... lets see, something I love...

Independent Fashion Bloggers Little Birdie! 

Image: Independent Fashion Bloggers 

Basically its this service open to IFB members (like me) where you can make a request for something, like an interview with an independent designer, items for sweepstakes or stuff to feature in things like blogs shopping guides. Then all thee requests get stuck together in a newsletter which gets sent out to anyone who requests it. To request this you don't have to be a member of IFB to ask for this... you could be a designer who wants to see peoples requests for designers to interview etc. I get it for Lipstick Royalty so I see how it works both ways. 

I've already had a response for my request for a designer to interview and its my first request! So I hope you'll all get to see that soon... 

Age-defying...

Ok so I've been catching up on the blogs I've not been reading while I've been so busy and I've come across a recent post from my personal favorite, the Doe Deere Blogazine about if young ager is an obstacle or not... 

Young age: obstacle or advantage?

I think that every young creative (by young I mean aged 15-18) should read this. Even though Doe is giving advice to a young girl about if young age is an obstacle or not for becoming a make up artist or not, this information can be applied to everyone. 

Running Lipstick Royalty I've come across a barrage of agism. I founded in the magazine in December 07, when I was 14 years old. Lest be honest, I was carp at it at the time but I like to think I've become good at my job. However I have noticed a massive leap in how people see me in business since my 16th birthday. I want to know how different my portfolio is since the beginning of this year, when I was 15. It hasn't changed. How about my ability to do my job?I get better every day but I wasn't as the point where I couldn't be taken seriously. 

I think the world, but especially the online creative industry needs to pay attention to who exactly they are excluding in their barrage of ageism. What difference should a few months make. None. But it does. Should a 16 year old who can do her job be penalized against when she can do her job just as well as the average 25 year old? No. But she is. 

Few Days Of Fashion...

Today is all about preparation... things I hate. I'm now starting to realized how good I had it at London Fashion Week. I was there with the Raw TV film crew, and I had someone there to drive me to London (albeit having to get up at 5:00am), I had someone liaising with the PR company running the event for me, and my interview with Erin O'Conner was all scheduled and organized for me. All I had to do was the research...

As some of my, or my Fashion Editor Amy's regular readers may know, we are both going to Clothes Show London tomorrow. And we're organizing everything ourselves. So basically I'm here to moan about the Docklands Light Railway being closed in the bit we ned for repair, getting things like Business cards and flyers sorted. At least my train leaves at (9:00am is so I won't be getting up too early... 

The reason I'm blogging rather than Tweeting about this (apart from the fact I've just written WAY more than 140 characters!) is I wanted to tell you all about Clothes Show London, and if you want to hear all about it before August 1st when you'll read Amy's article on it in Lipstick Royalty, check back here for more updates tomorrow evening! 

On another note, I've been working flat out on the Lipstick Royalty Magazine online shopping guide 2009 in every second of the day I haven't been studying so you should look out for that on Monday! 

Finally... I needed to get out of the house and cheer myself up... so I went shopping!

I finally managed to get myself a sundress after two years of looking. This one was £40 from Topshop, fits beautifully and also comes in white. I got the peach as I'd only get it dirty by sitting on the grass or something! 

My second purchase, which if it is possible I'm even more pleased about are these pair of shoes - leather Converse All Stars! I hate shoe shopping. They are my first pair of Converses and they are as comfy as hell. They are also GOLD! Not tacky gold but nice gold, exclusive to Office and they also com in silver too. Shame they were £54.99. Thats a wincing price. At least they won't let water in!!! 

Funky Foto...

Raquel Reed by Frizzycube, MUA Joel Vasquez

Stalking tools...

Follow my blog with bloglovin´

If anyone happens to use it...

In other news what a few days I have coming up.... preparing for Clothes Show London, the launch of our online shopping guide on the 1st.... I'll write a proper blog post soon!

Its not just jeans you should buy two of...

The most tragic thing happened to me this afternoon - a chain broke. 

I've got this long silver neckass I brought in Cario, a really pretty, indvividual link patterned Egyptian silver chain and Kartouche, an ancient Egyptian nameplate saying, well my name. On the same chain I have a little Athenian owl, the symbol of the goddess Athena and the symbol of wisdom I brought on a tiny Greek island I have been to several times and I'll never remember the name of last October, and a little greek column of the ionic order of architecture I brought at Olympia the day after I brought the owl, representing this capitol I took a photo of at the ancient site of Olympia when I was ten years old. It was my first time is Greece when i took that photo, and it was that photo that made me become a photographer. I've hardly taken this chain off in fiver years since my Daddy brought it for me in Egypt. (This tells you a) how much I love my Daddy & b) I'm obsessed with ancient cultures and the fact I know this much about ancient architecture is an indicator that I study classics!) 

Well the chain broke today... snapped. Clean in half. Can't be repaired. I was gutted. Thankfully I didn't lose any of the charms but I couldn't wear it anymore! 

First moment I could I went out to all the silver shops I knew but I couldn't find one the same length the same. I ended up getting one as it felt all weird  only having my gold locket round my neck and not my silver charms. I tried putting the charms on the same chain as the locket but it still felt odd - and I don't like mixing gold and silver... 

I don't like my new chain though. Its not as pretty and individual as my egyptian one - its not individual. Its shiny too... I never took it of in water or even swimming pools (until I discovered that is you swim in a chlorine pool then get  into a bromine hot tub silver turns as black as night and its a hell to clean up shiny again). So my charms are this lovely dark but shiny silver with black in the detailed bits, like my old chain was in the swirls  -  the new ones all light and shiny and it will take ages to get it nice! And there's o detail so it will never have the black bits... 

And the moral of this story is? 

To add insult to injury I had to pay over 4 times the price of the original chain for the new one. Silver isn't exactly expensive (the chain cost £14) but I always buy my silver jewelry in Greece of Egypt where its dirt cheap and you get prettier, more individual less commercial pieces. Also sometimes when you replacing something you find something nicer. (my greek eternity bracelet for example - my little cousin tore it of my wrist (it hurt!) and I found a better replacement - a gorgeous silver eternity bangle on my next visit to Greece) 

The replacement cost £14, and the original in a jewelers at a Cairo bazaar right next to the pyramids, in a better design and a better grade of Egyptian silver... it cost me £3. Moral of the story is if you find that good a bargain buy two. Oh how I wish I'd grabbed two of those chains... Ladies... its not just the perfect pair of jeans you should buy two of... 

Pwetty Pwuple Pwotogrphy...

Check out the STUNNING concepts, styling and photography from my new discovery on the designer front... PINaR ERIS: Edginess & Feminity. I spent a whole ten minutes looking at this last photograph... 

New York Couture...

Check out the images of the New York Couture show at London Alternative Fashion Week last month that have just been uploaded... Cassie's designs just keep getting better and better... I LOVE the tight/ tight sock combo on the models, their hair and especially New York Couture's Fashion Week shows customary hookers shoes! I am in awe of the first black and pink dress... it rocks! 

PINK!!!

Ok, so I love my guitar... I really do... (and I'm going to ignore the fact that in the above picture All Time Low's bassist is playing a bass, not a guitar) but when I brought mine why didn't anyone tell me, or why didn't the shop have them... I WANTED ONE THAT COLOUR... And when I came to draw my guitar under the subtopic of colour it would have looks SO much cooler!


That got me thinking about my dream guitar... and funnily enough for me, its not colourful, its black and white. But then, again its still very me; its an exact replica of Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine's custom made First Act instrument, and its BEAUTIFUL! The shape, the colour, the frets the wood... bliss... Shame it would set me back $2799. A girl can dream...

 

Its Sunday...

Well Happy Sunday everyone... 

So... what have my favorite things been this week? 

Eurovision Song Contest... 

Ok... I've never watched this before but my roommate started to watch it on BBC iPlayer and I kinda got drawn in... it's hilarious! Some of the performances are just damn funny, some are good.. and some of the costumes are amazing! I'm about half way through watching it. 

Memorable moments so far...

Ok... Germany, no offense but you were CRAP. But at least you had one of my idols, Dita Von Teese on the stage looking pretty! But what exactly WAS she there for?!?

Oh, and then I couldn't find a picture but we have the pretty Estonian entry too... 

Barbie Suite in the Palms Hotel...

Oh, to be honest I stole this love of the week off of Audrey Kitching... but it doesn't stop it being damn cool! 

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich...

Ok I know this one is kinda old, but I'm really loving Lady Gaga's (aren't I always?) Dirty Sexy Money version of her music video for Beautiful, Dirty, Rich this week. 

 

Lipstick Royalty Magazine's Online Shopping Guide 2009...

Ok here's the first official announcement for it, one of my better ideas. We are going to have a special edition issue, date not yet set, and its going to be SHOPPING PICKS! featuring designers, vintage stockists and exclusive interviews with up and coming labels Toxic Couture by Loriel Andre'a and KupKake Kouture by... well.... meee! Watch this space for more info...

Photo: Model & Photography by Liz at Bang Bang Baby! for Bang Bang Baby!

Amy's blog...

Just reposting a blog post Amy wrote from the magazines Bebo page today... it made ME go all sentimental! 

Going All Sentimental... 

Good Girls Go Bad Part Two...

Well I usually don't obsess over music videos much, unless they are works of art (enter Gaga stage right), or they are by Maroon 5 (you'll most likely have to wait until early next year when their album is out for to find out how dedicated to the M5 cause I am!) but seeing as I am, like, OBSESSED with Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester's new single, "Good Girls Gone Bad" right now, I was quite excited to get my hands on a couple of screenshots from their up coming video! You've gotta love Buzznet music news... I don't know what I'd do without it! 

Whoa! Talk about Gaga eye paint! And sweet wig, or is that a real cut?

Photos: Scott Gries 

Polyvore...

Wow what a discovery on my part! I can't believe I haven't found this before! SUCH a resource! I call this look Rock Chic Marie Antoinette!

A Part Of Me Died Inside...

You may have heard me mention that even though I don't own any of their pieces New York Couture is one of my favorite design houses of all time... 

Well my love affair with New York Couture started totally by accident (which by coincidence is how I came to found Lipstick Royalty Magazine (to find out how that came about click HERE). Our first ever cover for Lipstick Royalty Magazine (then called Inside Out Magazine) looked like this:

The image, is world famous alternative model Audrey Kitching (a name I have used SO many times over the last 18 months) modeling for New York Couture. Our old Creative Director Joe introduced me to New York Couture and I thought it was just bright colours, I didn't even know what alternative fashion was, and, at the time of press I didn't know who Audrey Kitching was (I cringe as I write this!) or how famous she was. I didn't know it at the time (I didn't even know what alternative fashion was) the evening I lay on my bed in my room (stopping to grab supper and a bread roll as well in between) looking through New York Couture's pictures was the moment I ell in love with alternative fashion, and bright colours. I wonder where I would be now if I hadn't landed such a stellar first cover (or picked up the use of the word stellar from Joe!) Would I still be running LR now? Would I have been on TV? Interviewed a supermodel at Fashion Week?

Anyway, so onto why a part of me has died inside...


On that first day, the reason I fell in LOVE with alternative fashion was one of a kind dress, modeled by Audrey herself made out of part of a vintage wedding dress.... and today, while browsing the New York Couture I noticed it has been SOLD! Whoever has brought it, better look after the piece that has forged my career so far! Or put it on eBay when I actually have enough spare cash to buy it!

I've been thinking...

While I should have been studying I was doing two things. Writing questions for my interview with Xenia from Lime Crime, and reading my two favorite blogs: Gala Darling's iCiNG and Xenia's Doe Deere Blogazine. These two wonderful ladies got me thinking... and I have a list of things I want to do once my exams are over (which I should really have been studying for!)

1. I will STOP taking myself so seriously!
2. I will try to loosen up a bit...
3. I will TRY to have more fun...

*Ok... I'm getting worried now... if I can even admit this, what type of person am I?!?*

4. Wear some of the clothes and make up I keep writing about... If I love them so much why don't I wear them! I NEED to get out of black... 

5. Take a photo a day.

Anyway nothing else much is new, apart form I'm getting quite excited about Clothes Show London in a few days time... Lipstick Royalty's Fashion Editor Amy and I are going to have a blast! Also Amy (who is great at blog stalking) told me that internet model and celebrity Bee Pirate Hooker is going on the Friday to. When I interviewed her for Mookychick a couple of months ago Bee and I were talking about how we really wanted to shoot together but couldn't because of the distance! Hopefully if the rumors are true and she's going to be in London on that day we can hook up and shoot! 

Also, if you fancy a laugh, tune into Channel 4 at 11:00am for Battlefront Television 2009... I had to get accustomed to seeing clips of myself on national television again this morning and on Friday there will be clips of all the Battlefront campaigners, including yours truly!

Love and kisses,

Rachel

xoxo

So Bright Its Illegal...

Ok so I've been putting together the line up for September's issue of Lipstick Royalty (I know working ahead... but the August issue is coming together so nicely!) and this morning I confirmed a product review I'm really excited to do  - Lime Crime Make-Up! I'm going to be interviewing them about their company and how it came about, but what I'm really excited about is getting the samples for the product review. Not just because it means free samples (but thats an added plus!), but because according to their website all their make up is ok for use by people with sensitive skin. Most make up makes my skin go red and sometimes peel off (nice I know!) so I have really limited brands I can use! I have almost all Clinique stuff in my make up bag, some Benefit which I seem to be ok with and M.A.C eyeliner as I'm only allergic to their foundations, face powders and eyeshadows. This means that bright colours are pretty much out the window for me. They opened a mineral make up stand in Fenwick the other week but I tested some of their really bright gold eyeshadow pigment on my hand and it rubbed off in about five minutes! 

Lime Crime's products look REALLY bright (their tag line is "So Bright It's Illegal") and according to their website the pigments lat! Hopefully when it comes to write my article I would have finally found a ridiculously bright product I can actually use! 

Image Raquel Reed by Team Rockstar Images

Lots of love,

Rachel

xoxo

Anyone on Facebook?

Linkage for Lipstick Royalty...

Lipstick Royalty Magazine Fan Page

Lipstick Royalty Facebook Group

See you there! 

Pink Hair Take Two...

I'm in the mood for another fix of the pink hair I so admire... I was looking at pics of Amor Hilton's locks when I was planing the Hocus Focus LA ad campaign for the August edition of Lipstick Royalty, and I was doing the Gala Darling iCiNG ad at the same time... So I went looking for a new prrretty picture of Audrey Kitching to post but then I found someone who's hair I LOVE even MORE! 

Ladies and gentlemen... I give you, JACQUELUN MARIE!

Photo by Jon at Hocus Focus LA

Good Girls Go Bad...

I don't know what Perez Hilton was going on about when he said Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester couldn't sing... she sounds a bit like Hilary Duff... but well... better. 

Check out her vocals on Cobra Starship's new song, Good Girls Gone Bad (ft. Leighton Meester) on the Cobra Starship Myspace! 

Customize C.TA Glam Couture Style!

The fabulous Chelsea (a.k.a Tragic Glamour) at C.TA Glam Couture has posted FANTASTIC guides to customizing her custom print shirts on her new look website... check them out HERE!

Its Tragic Glamour's birthday soon too so swing by her Myspace to show her your love!

Boots...

Ok... Another shopping pick... I saw some of these in Cult this morning from Superdry... I'm in love! They would have gone really nicely with... well everythign! 

Megaboom...

Check out this super sweet Deviant artist, Megaboom... 

Picture copywrited to megaboom.deviantart.com

New Deviations...

Just uploaded some new photography to my devianART!

Gala Darling...

Click on the image or the picture of the cupcake in my side bar to be taken to Gala's blog - iCiNG! Its is TRULY fantastic! 

This is the first part of the 6 part ad campaign for the August issue of Lipstick Royalty! I hope you like it!

The Book...

The day has come.

17 months since the birth of Lipstick Royalty Magazine (then called Inside Out Magazine) I wrote everything down in a notebook. It was called "The Book". You see I've never ever finished an entire notebook in my life before... (excluding sketchbooks and photo portfolio albums) UNTIL now. 

The final page is full.

R.I.P Lipstick Royalty Magazine's "BOOK 1"