Valentine's Treats for Yourself!

Each Valentine's Day, women seemed to be divided into two groups: bitter singles determined to drown out the constant stream of heart shaped everything with copious amounts of red wine & dark chocolate, and stressed out lovebirds in a frenzy to find the perfect gift/dinner location/outfit/hairstyle/makeup/etc for their partner while making sure to photograph and post every step along the way. Valentine’s Day has always been a holiday to celebrate love, but it wasn’t until relatively recently that the love celebrated was romantic. While cheeky love notes and giant teddy bears are lovely gifts indeed, there is no better gift than a little self love this V-day. And what better way to celebrate your body and self than a brand new set of lingerie?

Bras, knickers and slips aren’t just confined to the bedroom anymore. While lingerie has a historical connotation of being something that women wear solely to entice men, recent trends and movements in both the fashion and social world have seen undergarments become less taboo, to the point where one can often see them mixed in with ready-to-wear pieces. Lingerie, first and foremost, should be for the women wearing it, because nothing feels empowering in the way that wearing a playful little set that no one else knows about.

Even for a woman who is looking to buy lingerie to entice her partner, the first step to the ultimate boudoir experience is looking and feeling good yourself. By picking out something that you feel sexy and comfortable in, your bedroom confidence will skyrocket. Adorning your body in all its glory and getting in touch with your sexual side will result in a positive body image that carries on into other aspects of life.

Regardless of your relationship status, treat yourself to a bit of self love this V-Day! Whether your vibe is romantic or dominatrix, celebrate yourself with a set that you’re head-over-heels for. So take a bubble bath, pour a large glass of wine, and check out our top Valentine’s picks for singletons and sweethearts alike:

Treat yourself to our luxurious Penelope Gold Eyelash Lace Teddy!

This art-deco inspired playsuit wraps you in a blanket of super soft black matt satin with a touch of elegant gold filigree lace at the edges.

Get your best night’s sleep yet in this dream of effortless glamour.

Nothing says V-Day like our beautifully romantic Ada set. Featuring an embroidered cup with a seashell motif, this bra and knicker combo is sure to make you feel like a mermaid.

Little touches like a fluted edging on the knicker and center front bow add an air of delicate femininity to complete the look.

Available in cup sizes A-G.

Turn up the heat with our sexy Red Cordelia Lace Overlay  Bra and Brief!

Designed for our Fuller Bust Collection, this set will keep you fully supported with strong mesh wings and thick shoulder straps, while still feeling sexy with double straps on the thong and black eyelash lace peeking over the sides.

Available in cup sizes DD-G, back sizes 28-36.

Perfect for any budget, these naughty nipple tassels are a real tease! A little touch of beading keeps you feeling sexy underneath every outfit, or with absolutely nothing on at all!

The Legend of the Mermaid

Seashell detail featured in our Ada set

Mermaids can be found in legends across the world dating back to around 2000 B.C. While many are familiar with Disney’s lighthearted production of the Little Mermaid, most underwater spirits in mystical folk tales were described not only as beautiful and enchanting, but also dangerous and murderous. These sirens of the ocean have always been portrayed with quite a contradictory personality: while on one hand they were often described as gorgeous maidens tempting lonely sailors at sea, they were also often portrayed as beasts drowning men in the depths of the deep black ocean. The conflicting personality of the mermaid has allowed her to remain intriguing still today.

One well known tale of the seductive deception of the mermaid is the Greek myth of Ulysses and the Sirens. Before setting sail back home to Greece, Ulysses was warned by a prophetess Circe about the beautiful but deadly song of the sirens that was known to sweetly lure sailors into the ocean to drown. When passing through the waters that these mermaidens inhabited, Ulysses ordered his crew to put wax in their ears so that they would not be able to hear the deadly song. Ulysses, wanting to hear the song himself without being influenced to jump to his death, had his crew tie him to a mast and keep him there, though he was driven to insanity begged to be released to them once he heard their beautiful song. 

The most typical storyline of a mermaid folklore across all culture involves a mermaid falling in love with a young man. If the man accepts her, she drags him down to his death in the sea, in some stories out of malice and in others simply because she forgets that mortals cannot live underwater. On the other hand if the man rejects her love, she would simply kill him. Regardless of the choice the man makes, it seems that the enchanting beauty of the legendary mermaids resulted in death for her unfortunate victim of attraction either way.

A somewhat happier example of this type of story is the Cornish legend of a mysterious woman in church one day who attracts the attention of all the young men, specifically a Mathey Trewella. At the end of the service, she lures Mathey towards the end of the cliffs at the edge of town and he is never seen again. Years later, a Cornish sailor from this town is greeted by a mermaid who sweetly asks him to remove the anchor from the entrance of her home, as it is blocking her on her way back to see her husband, Mathey Trewella. The sailor returns home startled, as mermaids were also a sign of unfortunate events to come, and puts up a mermaid figure to honor Mathey’s fate.

While marine biology was still in its infancy during the Age of Exploration, sightings of these beautiful creatures throughout Age of Exploration was quite common. In 1614 John Smith, known as the love of Pocahontas, reported spotting a lovely sea maiden “swimming about with all possible grace” and noted that “her long green hair imparted to her an original character that was by no means unattractive”.  Christopher Columbus also mentioned having seen three mermaids frolicking on the coast of Haiti during his seafaring journeys.

While today’s stories describe merfolk as a bit more gentle than the manipulative maidens of old tales, many depictions, like the mermaids from Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan, still have quite a bit of sass and seduction. Additionally, the most recent film from the Pirates of the Caribbean series in 2015 depicts a group of mermaids as their classic, seductive, murderous selves, luring pirates into the ocean to drown.

Our Ada collection draws inspiration from the enchanting sensuality of the mermaid legends with a modern retro twist. The peach satin cup is delicately embroidered to highlight the shell shape of the bra and features a delicate bow at center front. A sheer mesh above the lower shell cup adds a beautiful enticement to the bra. The peach satin brief is shaped into a shell on the front panel, topped with embroidery to pick out the details. The rest of the brief is comprised of sheer show-off mesh and a matching centre bow. This set allows the modern enchantress to show off her elegance and charm, taking a page out of the legendary mermaids’ book of seduction.

- Kristi

References:

http://www.wired.com/2014/10/fantastically-wrong-strange-murderous-sometimes-sexy-history-mermaid/

http://www.livescience.com/39882-mermaid.html

http://www.beautiful-mermaid-art.com/cornish-folk-tales.html

http://www.beautiful-mermaid-art.com/mermaid-story.html

http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/mermaid0/info/info.html

Style: Grunge Glamour

Fancy going for a girly look with a little edge? Add some grunge elements for that perfect night or day look!

Use our Christina satin and mesh longline bra as a bralette (or with the cage straps peeking out of a crop top) teamed with a sparkly pencil skirt then start accessorizing.

For the day, a causal oversized denim jacket and fringed bag with brogues for classic style with a twist. In the evening be bold with a big black felt hat and silver metal cuff combined with metal detailing on a comfortable mid height heel.

1.      Topshop MOTO Oversized Western Jacket £30

2.      River Island black gold sparkle pencil skirt £30

3.      ASOS Western Tassle Suede and Leather Cross Body Bag £30

4.      Office gent Block Heel Lace Up £40

5.      ASOS Felt Fedora Hat with Wide band and stitch edge £20

6.      Miss Selfridge Caged Cuff £10

7.      Urban Outfitters Unif Shoes £80

How do you wear your Cristina bra?

Style: Festival Chic

Planning on going to a festival this year and want to look stylish even when you live in a tent and haven’t showered for days? Take a look at our festival chic style post to always look like a fashion princess!

Start with our Lucy Neon Coral Lace Longline Bra as a base to this statement look; the neon coral colour is suitable for both night and day.

The more accessories the better so hunt out bulky bracelets and bundle bangles together for a thick but fun looking wrist. Headpieces are an essential item to enhance the ultimate festival look. Feathers, beading, Aztec embroidery and bling, you name it! Team this combination together with a fringed jacket for the evening to continue into the night at the after party.

1. ASOS Boho Stone Cuff Bracelet £10.00

2. Office Cleopatra Mid Heel Casual Side Zip, Brown Leather £80 – £45

3. Topshop MOTO Folk Embroidered Hotpants £34

4. Topshop Rhinestone Tribal Headband £12.50

5. River Island Brown laser cut suede fringed cape £95.00

 If you can’t bare the thought of living without your electrical needs fear not you can rock the boho festival look regardless!

How will you wear your Lucy bra?

Makeup Tips and Trends: Michelle Court

Following on from my previous makeup post, meet bubbly Essex lass Michelle Court who, similar to Katie, decided she wanted to be a makeup artist as a teen when she discovered the transformation mascara made to her eyes. She began experimenting with electric blue mascara (memories for all those 90s kids!).

Multi-talented, trained in airbrushing, special effects and hairdressing, Michelle has been using her creativity in the industry for over a decade and with her incredible experiences any makeup artist aspires to have her success. 

We asked Michelle a few questions about her career, for all those daunted by their future in the industry as a makeup artist. 

What was it like after years of studying to become a professional makeup artist and then be out inthe big wide word on your first paid job?

I remember I felt very nervous on set with my hands shaking, worrying that your work isn’t going to be liked. After I’d finished the makeup and shown the model in the mirror I was still worrying but once the photographer commented ‘the makeup looks great on camera’ there was a sigh of relief, which helped build my confidence. Each shoot from there onwards my confidence has grown.

What has been your favourite job so far and why?

I like the fast pace of a fashion show, but editorial shoots allow me to be more creative and bold. Each shoot is different and I enjoy them all, but the most memorable one I will never forget is Ibiza. I get to travel with work but on this particular occasion I got to stay on an elite 5* yacht, shoot in beautiful million pound villas and magical secluded beaches.

Have you ever been on a shoot and it was an absolute nightmare?

The most awkward moment in my entire career was working on celebrity model Janice Dickinson; she was rude and erratic, bad mouthing all the beautiful models and to top it off said ‘don’t you know who I am?’! I smiled and nodded politely. Once I’d finished working on her face I said ‘ok, you can look in the mirror’ and as she turned to look; our heads collided and I ended up head-butting her!

Finally, for this season will the electric blue mascara be making a reappearance in your makeup bag?

I love experimenting; especially using bold and exciting colours which work well on camera for high fashion shots; but I also like neutral shades. Bright Sugarpill loose powders can create a great look with a subtle lip from Shien cosmetics. My motto is: you’re only as good as your last work, so experiment and enjoy!

Check out Michelle's work for inspiration at www.court-on-camera.com

And don't forget that you can shop for Sugarpill, Shien Cosmetics and Cirque Colors on our website!

Grab 30% off all makeup from now until the 14th August with code MAKEUP30