Swan song

I could not be more excited about this film, its Rodarte costumes, and the posters below, which are by La Boca. Cannot wait for it to come out in the UK. That is all.

And the winner is...

Thanks to everyone for entering my giveaway! Sorry you couldn't all be winners, but the lucky lady is...  no.  54 lovely Vix of Ragmagpie!

I'm really happy she won because she's a brand new blogger and her blog is fab. In the interest of full disclosure I have to mention she's also my colleague's girlfriend (not a fix, I swear!) I almost redrew it but then that wouldn't have been fair, so Vix, enjoy the loot and merry Xmas, you won fair and square!

Congrats Vix xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The brows are not what they seem...

I'm 14 episodes into a serious Twin Peaks addiction. Despite the resultant nightmares (it's the most terrifying TV I've ever seen), I can't enough. Especially when it comes to the fantastic Audrey Horne, and in particular, her majestic eyebrows.

Sherilyn Fenn is a fox - I love Audrey's iconic brogues/pout/cigarette combo. But back to the brows. I'm beginning to think David Lynch has a brow fetish - check out the tweezer-work of his three leading ladies.

And finally - today's the last day of the blog giveaway, so click the banner above for your last chance to enter!

A Christmas Gift For You...

He may be a murderer, but Phil Spector knew how to do Christmas. Forget Band Aid, Alexandra Burke's sacrilegous Hallelujah or the entire Now That's What I Call Xmas album, these are the only sleigh bells I need to get me through the festive period. If you don't own it, get it downloaded and whack it on today, the first day when we're officially allowed to be festive.
The star of the show is, of course, Ronnie Spector, ringleader of The Ronettes and Phil's main squeeze. The woman was a hirsute wonder... and offered more than a little musical, make-up and backcombing inspiration to a certain Miss Winehouse.

That eyeliner! That fringe! That sultry look!

Ronnie has a new EP, Ronnie Spector's Best Christmas Ever, out for Crimbo 2010, and though I can't yet vouch for its quality, I'll be giving it a spin this afternoon.

Seems like a good time to debut my new Ronnie (and maybe a little bit Winkleman)-inspired fringe?

 Click here to enter my awesome Christmas blog giveaway

My Claud-robe

It's become necessary for me to reveal my ultimate style icon. No, it' not Kate Moss, Julia Restoin-Roitfield, or even my beloved Olsen twins. If I'm honest with myself, (and I must point out here that I rarely am), the person who has inspired more purchases that any other is the one and only Ms Claudia Winkleman.

Close friends will not find this surprising. I have confessed to numerous people that I feel we are in fact long-lost friends, destined to reconnect at some point and take on the world one bag of cheesy Wotsits at a time. I taken pictures of her amazingly bouncy bob to the hairdressers, flirting with a nude lip and have a similarly inordinate number of obscenely high shoes. I draw the line at the spray tans, though it's only a matter of time.

I have obviously never met Claud (though she did recently tell my boyfriend he was 'soooo sweet' so we are obviously of one mind), yet I have loved her since It Takes Two started many moons ago. But my style stealing ways began this time last year when I spotted her in this warehouse dress on ITT:

Then, more recently, I spied a beautiful shirt on the Warehouse website:

I loved it, but I thought £55 was pretty steep, no? Even if it is silk. Until I turned on ITT and saw Claudia sporting the very same blouse. It was a sign from the gods - we are of one mind. It had to be mine.
Then I began the search for a Xmas party dress. I had absolutely no luck until browsing shoppingthetrend.com and noticing my future best mate in this beauty:

Dorothy Perkins, £40 on the big sale day? Yes please. So my Claud-robe continues to build. If I could afford either of the beautiful Paul and Jo Sister numbers she's worn in recent weeks I would snap them up. Seen here  and here.

So in summation, I love her style, described as Kate Moss meets Chrissie Hynde, and am not above copying it from time to time. I leave you with a quote:

"Everything I wear on Strictly people can buy. You will never see me in Herve Leger, because who can afford that?

"I get 50 requests a day from the show's online message boards and I want to always be able to say Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, French Connection or Topshop because that is all I wear."

Click here to enter my awesome Christmas blog giveaway

What's in my Santa sack?

It's giveaway time! I want to say a huge festive thank you to all my followers with a few early Christmas pressies. I really do appreciate all the hits and comments so thank you very much!

Here we have:
Courtesy of the lovely people at Sanctuary, a Spa Self-Indulgence Set. This includes Body wash, scrub, butter, bath soak and a body brush.
Courtesy of my good friends at Batiste (I swear they don't pay me!) Shimmer Dry Shampoo in both silver and gold - how festive!
Many thanks to Denman for 2 handbag brushes - fab stocking fillers.
Thanks to the lovely Amy of Wolfwhistle for this beautiful Gogo Philip necklace. I was so tempted to keep this for myself!
A current fave of mine, Barry M nail polish (courtesy of, erm, me) in Dusky Mauve - read more here.
Perhaps the most random of them all, Cherry Vimto and some lovely lollies! This is thanks to my lovely friend Gemma at Fido PR because, in this shitty weather, who doesn't love a hot Vimto!

All you need to do for a chance to win everything you see is be a follower and comment below! I'll add an exta entry to anyone who tweets about the competition - make sure to @tortlington me in so I know you've done it! Bloglovin' followers also count, and if anyone is lovely enough to actually mention the comp on their own blog, you'll get two extra entries. Can't say fairer than that!

The competition will run for three weeks. Good luck chucks!

Beauty's only thin deep?

In an instance of kismet, this project found its way to me just when I needed it. After having to return another whole Topshop order because everything looked dreadful on me, I was introduced to Redrawn, a fashion project from Natalie at definatalie.com via dangerouslyluxe.com
Natalie is reimagining catwalk looks on non-conventional bodies, and the illustrated results are fabulous. The project 'draws' (pah!) attention to age-old fact that the fashion industry pays little to no attention to, not just overweight people, but curvy girls, booby ladies, the very thin, the very tall, the teeny small - anyone who doesn't fit into Topshop's idea of slim-hipped beauty.

 Thanks to aroselikethis for introducing me to this!

The 'I wish' list

Thought I'd share my personal Christmas list for you all... and if anyone that knows Jon is reading this, tell him to check it out!

Graham and Green Gold Guilded Letters - from £8
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Home Candle - £38
House of Harlow 1960 Black And Gold 3 Stack Jagged Rings - £65
House of Harlow 1960 Five Stack Jagged Rings - £86
Lush Silver Studded Bottom Strap Paneled Tote - $169.99
Anthropologie Roaring Shakers - £16
Models Own WAH Nail Art Pens - £6
ASOS 'Night Owl' Giftcard With Owl Pendant Necklace - £10
Topshop Knitted Wool Plait Headband - £10

Phew!

Wats-on Emma today?

Never thought I'd say this, but Hermione Grainger is hitting it out of the ballpark. She's always tried to dress well, bless her, and fash eds have been trying to convince me she's a style icon for years, but she's always been a bit... meh. But now it's as if the foxy hair has given her a fresh lease of fashion life... or, more likely, she's hired a new stylist. Either way I ADORE this dress with the red lips, and that Burberry studded trench is calling out for a high street rip-off - ASOS, do your stuff.

Flick off

I'm a big fan of black liquid eyeliner. In fact, unless I'm off on a big night out, I rarely do an eye look other than LC-esque flicks and mascara. So, I was excited to try out Topshop's Liner offering in Rook. On my hand it seemed fab.

A soper-glossy, totally opaque and resilient liquid liner. I bought it without a second thought.
But when I got it home, it was another story. My problem is with the applicator.

It's a felt pen-style applicator, but its core seems incredibly stiff. With no give in the applicator, any small wobble of the hand is reflected on your eye and I found it practically impossible to get a nice clean line. And I tried MANY times. It's such a shame a quality product is rendered practically unusable by a cheap applicator.

Has anyone had better results with this than me? Maybe I just need more practice.

My fave liquid liner, which I've gone back to in a flash now Toppers has failed me, is L'Oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss. I love this for its ease of use, excellent pigment and price point. Everything they claim about this ultra-lasting, precision-tip product is true. Five stars!

Love the look

She may not be breaking down fashion boundaries, but lovely Lauren turns it out every time. I love the make-up, hair and fab frock.
Anyone interested in Lauren's make-up looks should check out Amy Nadine's blog. It hasn't been updated in a while, but has great breakdowns of her work with Lauren, Whitney and others, including the products she uses.I love a bit of backstage goss.
Also, is this dress Kate Moss for Topshop, or have I gone mad?
Pic courtesy of GFY

These streets will make you feel brand new...

This time last year I'd just returned from four days in the 'concrete jungle where dreams are made' with these wonderful women. This year I've just returned from four days in Teesside. Granted, I was visiting wonderful family, but still, it was Teesside. New York vs Teesside. You decide.
This depressing realisation is made all the worse by our car breaking down en route, costing £100 to tow back and the resultant £100 each return train home. Christmas is cancelled people. As is my Autumn wardrobe overhaul. Apologies if posts are thin on the ground until payday!

Legs get it on

So my Janis Joplin outfit didn't happen. Jon wanted to go more traditional and combine our annual pumpkin carving with some friends, punch and a night on the tiles, so I had to throw together a spider look last minute. Tell you what though, having eight legs is fun, especially when throwing shapes on the dancefloor!
Jon took the painstaking route and dressed as an incredibly impressive mummy. he blew all the other costumes we saw out of the water, and received many a comment on the streets of Stoke Newington.

Tint it great

Today I realised I've raved about many a new buy but never mentioned the products I've been using for a while and couldn't live without. There are too many to mention in one go, so I thought I'd start at the bottom with my favourite tinted moisturisors, and pose a VERY important question to you, blogfans... but more on that later.
First, a little about my skin. I suffer from mild hormone-induced acne around my chin. It's pretty combination - I can't live without moisturiser as I end up with ashy make-up (lovely) so I tend to use combination skin products.

At £30 a pop, Estee Lauder DayWear Plus is pretty pricey, but a little goes a long way. This tends to last me more than 6 months with regular use. The best thing is it adjusts to match your skintone. I know, it sounds impossible, but next time you're by the Estee Lauder counter ask to try it out - this stuff is magical.
The product gives a lovely dewy, glowing finish to skin, with a tiny touch of shimmer that's especially flattering on a sunkissed face. That's when this product really comes into its own - you can wear throughout your hols as your skin darkens (I know I'm reviewing this at EXACTLY the wrong time of year) then when you get back to Blighty, until your tan fades and your usual base matches again. Genius!

Bobbi Brown's Tinted Moisturizing Balm was recommended to me by the always-helpful assistant in Selfridges when I was looking for a dewy finish that would still cover my spots while hydrating my skin.
It seems quite thick but goes on really smooth and subtly, and offers light coverage and plenty of moisture.
I like to use this more in the winter months, as the 'balm'; texture offers excellent protection against the wind and harsh weather. But with SPF25 this is also great in the summer! I've had a few skin compliments when wearing this - shocking as, with my dreadful complexion I'm happy if people don't recoil in horror. It's another pricey one - £32 - but I've not seen a similar budget product anywhere, if that helps!



Apologies there are no before and after shots of these - the thought of revealing my face free from make-up makes me feel rather sick, so you'll have to take my word that these two are well-worth your hard-earned.

So here's my dilemma: when using a tinted moisturiser, do you use a regular moisturiser first? I can't imagine getting a flawless finish if I applied somethig pigmented onto dry skin - my face would soak up the product more in some parts that others and leave it all pretty patchy. What do you guys do? Help!

Twinkle toes

How perfect are these for the festive season? Sam Edelman Torins available at ASOS

You've got to hand it to her

3D nail art, american typewriter finger tattoo, managing to work those funny shape bracelet things... this waitress, captured by Karen Blanchard at wheredidyougetthat, is pretty damn fly.

Riva Fever!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Chanel Le Vernis Riva. This beautiful baby blue is part of the up-coming Cote D'Azure Cruise Collection. Get your names on the waiting list, it's limited edition and will launch on 1 December - just in time for my Christmas stocking!

Pics courtesy of the incredibly awesome lacquerized.

Oh Lord won't you buy me...

Janis Joplin by curveinthemode featuring a purple cardigan

Halloween is almost upon us, and in a welcome change to the somewhat tedious British Halloween options (horny devil, slutty witch, slaggy cat) I may be off to a Death by Misadventure party.

This involves dressing as your favourite deceased musician - a little morbid, I know, and rather more difficult for ladies that men... there's not a lot to choose from; we must be a more responsible bunch.

In a bid to cobble an outfit from my existing wardrobe, I'm thinking Janis Joplin, and anyone will a few grand in the bank could do the same by following my very first Polyvore set.

It would have been hard to put this together without a number of obvious additions from House of Harlow, Winter Kate and Pamela Love, but I love the hippy vibe that's far from over in blogland.Let me know what you think!

Next of pumpkin

Just had to share this pic of my gorgeous nephew Gabriel, sporting his new pumpkin outfit from his favourite Auntie. Doesn't he look impressed! I could just eat him up in a pumpkin pie.

Grunge glam, thank you Maam!

The Topshop Heavy Duty Limited Edition Make Up collection is right up my alley - especially the polishes. I almost left with three, but as I'd bought Chanel's Paradoxal a mere half-hour earlier, I thought this might be a bit excessive. I soul-searched for a good 20 minutes before settling for Grunge, but I can't promise I won't be back for Lead.

Grunge is a beautiful black base/gold mettalic combo which looks kind of khaki green in the right light. It goes with absolutely all my recent A/W aquisitions, including purple, nude, terracotta and especially camel.

It's totally opaque with two well-applied coats, and super glossy due to the amazing gold shimmer that adds a little understated glam to daytime. And 48 hours in with CND Stickey basecoat (review to come) and Seche Vite, it's chip-free.

Well done Topshop!

A Lita bit of a confession...

I have something to get off my chest. I've been trying to keep it quiet but my adversion to a particular garment has been brewing inside me, emitting noxious hate gas like a particularly offensive geyser. In the interest of not developing an ulcer I have to go public - I hate the Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots.
Wow. That feels better. You see, for those who have no idea what I'm talking about, these ugmeisters are the toast of blogtown, but I just can't get on board. But I fear alienating readers with my unfashionable hate... what is it about these that attracts you all? 

I think my personal aversion comes from an obsession with conventional platform-to-heel ratio... these are just too much like a corrective shoe for someone with lopsided legs than a fashion garment. I also know I would look like an utter tit in them, but that's never made me dislike a trend before, as you must have all realised by now.
In the interest of full discosure I suppose I should outline the other 2010 trends I can't abide.

The trapper hat. Come on guys; I embraced the lumberjack shirt in both the nineties and 2009, I'm on-board with the shearling in all its incarnations, but fur on your head?! This is the UK, not Cicely, Alaska! (Anyone who doesn't get that reference, get yourself to Amazon, order Northern Exposure seasons one to three and bloody well enjoy).

Jewelled/sequined/leopard knicker shorts. This is a cruel joke from the skinny bitches at Topshop right? Who the frigg is brave/thin/exhibitionist or impervious-to-the-cold enough to wear these? Ok, Jamie Winstone, but who else?
What trends do you wish would naff off?

The mane event

If my mother taught me anything, it's the importance of a blow-dry. I have incredibly straight, flat hair, so I learned young to master my brush-work to add volume, bounce and shape.

Since I moved to mid-length a couple of years back, I've been on the search for the perfect brush, and I've finally found it courtesy of the lovely people at Denman.

After trying natural bristles, aero brushes, paddle brushes, synthetic brushes and everything in-between, I was sent the Headhugger DHH3 and can't believe I didn't go with industry fave Denman sooner. Here, in pictures, is my first bash at this brilliant brush:






After a 20-minute blow-dry, hair really did have the bounce, extreme shine and shape you usually only get from a pro, and I'd say I'm only an 8/10 when it comes to amateur styling skills.

The brush is also pretty lightweight, which makes it good for beginners, and I found it's almost impossible to tangle your hair in - I'm usually a bugger for doing that!

A small note on the products I use; I have a strange hair type - a hell of a lot of very fine hair - which is prone to being greasy, flat, and any extra product tends to weigh it down. I'm, therefore, fiercely loyal to Aussie Mega shampoo, which cleans the hair and leaves a nice fresh mane.
For the same reasons, I never use conditioner in the shower, but spritz Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance through the ends for protection and added shine without weight. I then use a small amount of Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray as a styling product - when it's blow dried through your hair it adds thickness, volume and the more 'mussed up' effect I usually strive for.

What's your hair routine?
P.S - Apologies for the cheeky drying rack that creeped in the pics - I realised way too late it was still out - oops!