Friday 28 March 2014

Past Instagrams 2

I don't know if you'll remember, but I did a post like this last year on how much of a fail I am on Instagram (post link here). For some reason, it popped back into my head again this week and, remembering how funny it was looking back at some horrific photos I was willing to just share with the internet, I've decided to do it again. Especially now being a photography student, it's really interesting to see how my photography has changed and improved over the past year or two. I have written the occasional tip for those of you who are new to Instagram so you don't make the same embarrassing mistakes that I did.

Christmas light fail. Don't take pictures on moving verticals.
This would look great if the green bushes weren't there.
Do share hair tips, it's a great way to get conversations
going in the comments.
Me attempting to be deep with my horrible handwriting.
Tip: inside jokes don't always translate well online.
That just doesn't work, what was I thinking...
Don't use frames, no-one uses frames.
Best. Chocolate. Ever.
Rain isn't always so bad.
Reflections almost always make interesting photography.
Have you made any of these mistakes? Own up now in the comments and, if this post has strangely made you want to follow me on Instagram, my username name is razmatazgirl. All blog updates are posted there, I always like to keep you in the know. 

Tasmin x

Saturday 22 March 2014

Mothers Day Gift Ideas


When I think gifts for Mums, luxury is one of the first words that pop into my head. Our Mums work hard to look after us so the least we can do is spoil them once in a while, and that is the whole point of Mother's Day. Gift buying isn't always the easiest task to undertake, so I created this collage of gift ideas to help those, like myself, in need of a little inspiration. This list is full of items I know my Mum likes so I assume most Mums like a lot of this too. As it's spring, I've gone with a lot of more light and pastel colours. Beauty products, scented candles and jewellery are fairly classic Mum gifts, my Mum also lives in sunglasses (oh so glamorous) and spring showers means that an umbrella makes a cute and practical gift.

If you're on a small budget, like myself, luxury gifts aren't always the most affordable of gifts. However, I'm a firm believer that it's the thought that counts. My gift this year is very unlikely to consist of expensive jewellery or scented candles but more handmade cards and breakfast in bed (that maybe more my sister as she can actually cook!) which I know my Mum is going to love just as much as any of these items on this list.

Your Mum loves you no matter what, so my advice would be to think of a gift that has real meaning and thought behind it.

Tasmin x

Saturday 15 March 2014

Spring Make-up Look


Spring is the perfect time to shake-up your make-up bag. The change of season means it's time to ditch the plum and burgundy tones of winter in exchange for the refreshing tones of spring/summer. A big make-up trend right now is wearing lilac eye-shadow. Now, for someone who rarely strays away from natural toned eye-shadows, lilac is very different from what I am used to. Bold colour on the eyes can be daunting but make-up is supposed to be fun, right? So I'm embracing this trend and showing you a fairly easy to wear this trend to end this fear of colour. I've also heard that purple is supposed to be a good colour for those with brown eyes i.e me!

To create this look, the base is always a good place to start. I used Maybelline's FitMe concealer in shade 15 and Max Factor foundation. However, being the smart cookie that I am, I started with the eye-shadow (not recommended). I used this lovely palette from Revlon and followed the instructions almost exactly on the back of the palette as I am rather unskilled at applying eye-shadow. Every shadow was used within the look although the lightest shadow is hard to see as it isn't very pigmented but lovely and glittery. One step not in the instructions (unless I read them wrong, which is possible), is I continued the 3rd colour to line the lower lashes to round off the eye look (visible in top image). Mascara of choice today was the Miss Manga mascara from L'Oreal. I love the dramatic effect this mascara gives to my lashes. They look twice the size and work well on the lower lashes too. I finished this look with a subtle toned lip-gloss from Maybelline to allow the eye to take full attention in this look.

L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara | Max Factor Smooth Effect foundation (45)
Revlon ColorStay eye-shadow in Seductive (530) | Maybelline FitMe concealer (15)
Maybelline Colorsensational Shine gloss in Cashmere Rose (105)

So there we go, a simple on trend  make-up look that will bring a hint of colour to your make-up bag. Lilac is a great colour for the eyes as it compliments most skin tones and can be easily worked into most outfits. But what do you think, what's your favourite spring trend?

Tasmin x

Sunday 9 March 2014

Spring Flowers


Last week I made a post of the images I took of the sunrise which you can find here if you missed it. I really enjoyed making and, since having such a lovely response from it, I've decided to make more of these sorts of post. As a photography student, I love going out and taking photos and do this a lot for my course. I can not share the images that I will be submitting for my coursework but I take so many that won't get submitted, I thought it would be nice idea to share them with you. It also give you the opportunity to explore a little more of Guernsey as I'm aware that many of you will not of heard of the island before. Please let me know what you think it the comments, do you enjoy this sort of post and would you like to see more of them?

The sun has been out this weekend and it really feels like Spring is here. So I headed on out to Candie Gardens and was surprised to see just how many colourful flowers have sprung out since I was last here. It makes me really excited for Summer and lazying around in the sun. All we need is for it to get just a little warmer, then it will be the perfect weather.


The duck isn't quite so keen for a photo...




Tasmin x

Friday 7 March 2014

Retro Chick

Retro Chick


Almari retro dress
$82 - johnlewis.com

River Island platform boots
$83 - riverisland.com

Anne Klein watch
nordstrom.com

Flower necklace
etsy.com

Dorothy Perkins belt
dorothyperkins.com


It's march so, despite it still being a little chilly, I'm announcing it as ok to talk about spring/summer clothing. And a trend that I am really excited about this season is retro. This will be full of prom-esque tea dresses, high waisted clothing and, of course, statement red lips. Think Audrey Hepburn with a modern twist and you're there. I love sixties fashion so I am ecstatic that the shops will be crammed full of sixties style clothing, it just sounds like heaven!

This look centres around the gorgeous retro prom-style dress. Polka-dots seem to be everywhere at the moment which I think adds to the retro vibe of this dress. I kept the accessories of this look a very neutral tone with the bag, watch and little ankle boots the same colour in order for the stunning flower necklace to pop out and truly make a statement. I thought this was important with such a pretty piece of jewellery. However, this can be easily interchanged with a bold red lip colour to create another stunning look.

Tasmin x

P.s. Are you a fan of vintage-style jewellery? Forage and Finds are a mother and daughter team who handmade beautiful jewellery out of vintage items. The jewellery is truly stunning and they are well worth checking out. I'll leave the link here.

Sunday 2 March 2014

Guernsey at Sunrise


I'm not typically a morning person, but for my photography project I want to capture some images of the sunrise as the vibrant colours in the sky would be worth the early wake up call. Although I did struggle to get up at 5:30 this morning, some of the images I got were definitely worth it.

I have a little obsession of photographing clouds.

All images are taken from the  St Peter Port sea front. (Little Blurry, oops!)


The islands: Herm (to the left), Jethou (a private island in the centre) and Sark (in the faint background to the right.)
These aren't images that will be going towards my project as I'm still unsure whether I'm actually allowed to share these until they have been marked and validated, but this does give you a small insight of what I'm doing. I just though 'there is no way I'm waking up this early and not sharing some of the results.' Haha!

Tasmin x