Absolut Originality- Interview with Chrissie Abbott

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to interview London based illustrator Chrissie Abbott for the upcoming Absolut Originality Exhibition running in Dublin next week. I didn't realise that I already knew some of Chrissie's work and I can now say that I am a true fan. I am in complete awe of how talented she is. Please take a look at her site to see more of her amazing work.

Have you been creative from an early age? When did you first start getting into the world of design/illustration?

I think it’s just something I've always enjoyed; at school art was my favourite, the only subject I liked. I've always drawn and made things; collaging old scraps of Christmas cards, birthday cards and magazines was a group activity in my house when I was little.

 When did you know that you wanted to be an illustrator? What made you realise that's what you wanted to do?

I never really considered another option; it just wouldn't make sense to me to not do this. The covers of book and record sleeves that my parents owned were a massive inspiration and it was just always what I saw myself doing. 

Do you think it's important for someone interested in design/illustration to study it in college or do you think you can be self-taught?

I think it really depends on the person. The thing about Art College is that it doesn't teach you to have talent, it teaches you techniques to express what's inside of you, and you meet wonderful and inspiring people and you learn how to communicate your ideas. At the time I wasn't the biggest fan of being there but in hindsight I learnt how to work to deadlines and discovered printmaking which was invaluable.

Chrissie's collaboration with ASOS

 As someone who doesn't know a great deal about the world of illustrating, I would love to know who your favourite illustrators are.

There are so many! Jiro Bevis, Marcus Oakley, Will Sweeny, French, Esra Roise, Jody Barton, Jim Stoten, and Peter Blake is my ultimate hero.

 I had a look at your tumblr and I noticed you seem to be a fan of a lot of different films, television and music. What are some of your favourite films/television/music? Do you think that they have an influence on your work? Are there any directors/musicians that you would love to work with?

I love Sofia Coppola's visual style; The Virgin Suicides was a big influence and inspiration for me because it was just so dreamy.

Older films and TV shows like Twin Peaks, The Holy Mountain, Harold and Maude, and Easy Rider are amongst my favourites.

I really enjoy working with musicians and bands whose music I like because it’s usually really easy to translate into a record sleeve. 

I would flip out if I ever got to work with My Bloody Valentine or Neil Young.

Reading Emotions

What makes you decide to work with a brand?

If it’s an exciting project it’s great to work with brands as it elevates your work to a wider platform and gets seen by more people.

 Do you have a favourite from your body of work?

Recently I did artwork for a band called Big Deal, and I think this is my favourite because they were such a joy to work with and I felt really inspired by their record.

 I have a friend who is just starting out as a fashion illustrator, is there any advice you can give her from your own experience?

I think just work hard and be enthusiastic and try not to lose the love of what you do.

 Do you have any plans for the future? Are there any brands/people you would love to work with? 

I’m just about to embark on a trip to Australia and I'm excited to be in warmer climes and get inspired by new things.

I'd love to do more fashion stuff like textile and pattern design.

 What inspired you for the collaboration with Absolut Vodka?

I'm a big fan of rocks and minerals, for me the cobalt blue held a wealth of inspiration, plus I get to work with some amazingly talented and people who make wonderful things.

Chrissie will be featuring her designs in ABSOLUT ORIGINALITY, a free multidisciplinary exhibition taking place in Mabos Arts Space, 8 Hanover Quay, Dublin. The exhibition is free and open to the public on Thursday, October 31^st; 11am to 8pm, Friday, November 1^st; 11am to 6pm and Saturday, November 2^nd, 11am to 6pm. The exhibition is to launch this year’s new limited edition bottle design, ABSOLUT ORIGINALITY, which features a streak of cobalt blue to reflect the original streak in all of us.  Visit www.ABSOLUTORIGINALITY.ie for more information.

I hope you enjoyed reading the interview as much as I did coming up with the questions and a huge thank you so much to Chrissie for her time and to Absolut for this opportunity. 

Emma x

Camera Talk

Today I want to talk about cameras for blogging. Unfortunately I don't have my own digital SLR yet although I am extremely lucky to have access to a Panasonic Lumix GH1 for taking all of my blog photos. My boyfriend bought it a few years ago for filming with and it's an excellent camera that I would fully recommend  to anyone interested and I've learned so much about photography through using it and figuring out all of the settings. It helps when you have your own personal expert on hand of course. However, I would love to some day invest in my own camera. As much as I love the Panasonic one, I do feel it's strengths lie in filming with rather than stills so I've been doing some research into the Canon and Nikon options on Jessops online store for my future camera investment.

The Canon 5D Mark III is the most recent in the 5D range and would be a dream to own but it a little out of my price range. 

The more affordable option would be to buy a body only as we already have 28mm and 50mm Canon lenses and you can always build on your collection later. The Canon EOS 7D would be ideal as the body is significantly less expensive than with the 18-35mm kit included. I've used the 7D for filming and stills and I absolutely loved using it. It takes the most beautiful photographs. 

Another more affordable option is the Nikon D3200. Again, you could pay very little for the body only, depending on what lenses you already have, or invest in a kit with the 18-55mm VR lens and a Tamron 70-300mm lens so that you would have a lot of options. 

If you wanted to invest in Nikon, another possible option that wouldn't break the bank would be the D7000 with 18-105mm VR Lens Kit.  I would be a lot less familiar with Nikon, although I have used my friends Nikon for stills and I did find it was quite easy to adapt to it after working primarily with Panasonic and Canon cameras. 

I think it's a case of once you know what you're doing with one camera, it's fairly easy to work with any make or model. I know a lot of people have their favourite brands but after using a few different cameras I'm certain I could adapt to any brand. Being as passionate as I am about photography it's about time I started to save for my own camera. I look forward to doing more research and finally choosing the one I want to invest in. 

What camera do you use? Are you loyal to one brand?

Emma x

Next Christmas Collection

Last Wednesday evening I went to the Next Christmas Collection event in the beautiful surroundings of the Cliff Townhouse. The room was decorated beautifully and included pieces from Womenwear, Menswear, Childrenswear and Home Decor. There was also a Tropical Popical nail bar and Christmas cookie decorating from Thunders Bakery. 

As you can see the Christmas accessories collection was very opulent. There were black, gold, silver, purple, velvet, sequinned and bejewelled necklaces, watches, evening bags and shoes. 

As you would expect fabric and texture were a big feature of the collection with fur, jacquard, sequins, silk, tulle, leather and velvet. There was a good range of colour with monochrome, black and red, camel, soft pink and purple as well as the old reliable black. There was a big Highland inspiration to the more casual items with a lot of tartan, dogtooth, check, wool and tweed. 

The Home collection for Christmas really drew me in with all of the bright colours, candles, Christmas decorations, gifts and fairy lights. It got me really excited for December to come around. My favourite item was the Teapot cushion above. That is definitely going on my Christmas wishlist!

Despite not having as much of an interest in men's and children's fashion, the collections for both were gorgeous. I especially loved the men's footwear. All of the pretty girls dresses reminded me of how much I loved getting my new Christmas dress every year. The children's Christmas jumpers were so cute! 

I met the lovely Marta from Addicted to Fashion Forever. You can read her post about the event here. 

My good friend Vanessa came with me, we had a great time drinking wine, decorating our cookies and chatting to the lovely ladies from Next- Rebecca, Chantelle and Vicky. 

If you're near a branch of Next pop in and grab the gorgeous lookbook featuring the stunning Arizona Muse.

Thanks to the lovely ladies from Next for inviting me along and a huge well done on organising such an enjoyable evening!

Is there anything from the collection you have your eye on?

Emma x

Twinkling Toucan

I'm so excited to show you all the amazing brooch I was sent from Jasper Jewellery, an Irish based online jewellery retailer that have a variety of well priced earrings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches as well as a Swarovski Crystal collection. 

I was sent this gorgeous Swarovski Toucan brooch which I cannot wait to wear on my fur coat when it gets colder paired with some red lipstick. I know this brooch won't be to everyone's taste but I adore it and it really stood out to me straight away. This one is no longer on the site, but there is a very similar Parrot brooch that I also love. 

The quality of the brooch is excellent, it's quite heavy and substantial which is why I'll wear it on a thicker fabric like my fur coat. I love the Swarovski encrusted beak, it really sparkles in the sunlight. Sometimes a statement brooch is the perfect accessory for the colder months to add some interest to a coat when the rest of your outfit is hidden away. I have a collection of brooches that I wear all Winter on my coats and I'm delighted to add this to the collection. 

Jasper Jewellery have free worldwide shipping and free gift wrapping on all orders which is great for ordering gifts coming up to Christmas because it takes away the hassle of wrapping things. 

Keep on eye on the Jasper Jewellery facebook page for competitions and special promotions.

What do you think of my little friend?

Emma x

Plum Bronze

I recently bought two make up items that I had been wanting for about a year now. I decided to use them together to create a pretty Autumnal look. 

Products Used:

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light in Intensity 1

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque
Revlon Rich Sable Matte Eye Shadow (for Brows)
Collection Clear Mascara (for Brows)

Estée Lauder Double Wear Concealer in Light

L'Oréal Gel Intenza Eye Liner in 01 Pure Black

Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl Mascara

NARS Blush in Sin

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

No7 Perfect Loose Powder in Translucent

I had been wanting the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24h Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze since I first saw these released last year but every time I thought to pick it up in Boots it was sold out or the ones there had been opened and used. Gross! When I finally did manage to find a brand new sealed one a couple of weeks ago I was not disappointed. The colour is so pretty and subtle, but can also be built up for more of an impact. I found it easy to blend with fingers or a blending brush. I have worn it alone, with gel and pencil liner and with a matte brown eye shadow blended into the crease to add intensity and dimension. I have also used it as a base for other eyeshadows and no matter what way I've used it it has incredible staying power. At the very reasonable price of €7.49, it's such amazing value for money. I honestly think everyone should own this shade.

I paired On and On Bronze with my new MAC Plumful lipstick. I saw this on a lot of blogs this time last year and by the time I had gotten around to deciding to try it, it was coming into Springtime so I waited until this Autumn to get it and once again, I am totally smitten with this lipstick. It's a Lustre finish so it's quite sheer on the lips but as you can see above you can build it up just like the Color Tattoo for a more intense colour. The shade is a darker version of my lip colour so it's perfect for an everyday make up look and I think these two products together make the most beautiful pairing. I've been wearing this combination to work pretty much non-stop for the past couple of weeks. The lipstick was €19 and is available at any MAC counter as part of their permanent collection.

What do you think?  Have you found any great Autumn eye/lip combinations?

Emma x