Happy New Year!

Above: new year, new loot! Some gems from Christmas and January sales

Today started with such good intentions. After a whirlwind of Christmas and New Year celebrations (which always passes by so quickly doesn't it?) I decided I should sort my life out and freshen up for the new year. Cue manic tidying, multiple loads of washing and lots of ideas for revamping this blog and my other web projects.

All good in theory, but when I haven't been on 'blog watch' for a couple of weeks, I find a whole gallon of exciting posts I've missed, from some of my fave blogs, below. Now four hours later I have just about caught up but left very little in the way of time for my own posts!

It's been a very busy festive Ship-Shape season, what with Christmas stockings, January sales and the obligatory annual health kick (complete with new gym kit) so while I flex my fingers and start typing, why don't you check out some of the gems you might have missed over the festive season on my reading list...

Rock & Roll Bride - 2010 The Year That Was... Part One & Part Two - an extensive rock and roll round up of some of the best weddings/engagements/photo shoots of 2010 from one of my fave bridal blogs.
Bargainista Fashionista - Make it your own Christmas! - nowt to do with bargains but actually a gorgeous (and cheap) idea for an alternative wreath. This is so sweet I think you could have it up all year round...
IFB - Setting Blog Resolutions For The New Year - this time of year it can be tough to keep up the blogging momentum so this is a great read to reignite your passion for your blog and perhaps inspire you to create your own.
The Bristol Beauty Blog - The Beauty Diet Reboot for 2011 - An alternative diet for the year ahead - using up/getting rid of all those smellies and make-up bits and bobs that you never use!
Fashionising - Zoolander 2 on the way: rumormonger - by far and way my favourite rumour of the new year. Fact.

Weird Trend of The Month: two-tone hair

There I was, browsing the pages of Look magazine on my lunch break and what did I come across but a luxurious looking fashion shoot featuring a model with striking, two-tone hair, above. Compare that to the barnet I’m sporting, below, and I think we could we could be twins no?

It’s strange really, because although I respect the fact that model looks stunning, with a gorgeous lean figure and strong features, her hair just makes me want to shout a tirade of abuse at the page. Surely the poor thing can’t be that out of pocket that she can’t at least by a packet of Garnier Nutrisse from Boots?

Alexa Chung and Drew Barrymore have being among the many celebs to road test this two-tone look in recent months but I'm pretty sure they can both afford to touch up their roots. I’d wager that I’ll have hair like that but look far less cool in approximately five months if I don’t book myself in for a haircut soon...

Above: My root-tastic hair and I on a night out, with my friend, A, looking not quite sober

Blog of The Week: Mademoiselle Robot

This week's Blog of The Week has been pressing my fashionable buttons since I discovered it a couple of days ago. The name Mademoiselle Robot has been rattling around in my subconscious for some time now, which is no surprise since the blog and its creator, Laetitia Wajnapel, have featured in The Telegraph, Company, Drapers and Asos to name but a few since the blog's inception.

But I finally got round to checking it out on Monday afternoon (when I should have been working, tsk!) and I think it has struck the perfect balance between blog and website, with different categories for everything from outfit posts, beauty tutorials, interviews and interiors.


Not content with just a fashion blog, Laetitia also runs a styling consultancy and runs a blog dedicated to cute animals, specifically puppies, kittens and bunnies (seriously). Hailing from Paris but now living and working in London, Laetitia writes witty, friendly prose that makes me think she would make not only an excellent shopping partner in crime but also a great laugh over a bottle of wine (an essential quality in my book).

Not only are there the usual outfit post but also 'Innerspace' where Laetitia has snooped round some super stylised homes, which goes to show that fashion is not only about the clothes you wear on your back. There are also interesting posts about her daily routine and the loves and likes of the blogsphere, entitled Secret Diary of a Blog Girl which you can read here. Video tutorials can show you how to trim your fringe (something I'm crap at) and master the art of classic French make-up and Laetitia's honesty and self depreciating nature only make her more appealing! If you've ever fantasised about Parisian chic then this should be your go-to blog for all things cliche and girly with a quirky edge.