Max Factor Haul

Why? Because one of my New Years Resolutions was to extend the colour range in my wardrobe and there is no reason this cannot extend to my face. However, I am not yet ready to give up my smoky eye just yet, as you can see. I bought Max Factor's Smoky Eye Effect Eyeshadow in Purple Dust, Mastertouch Under-eye Concealer in Ivory and Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint in Marshmallow.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Having just finished this book, written by author Daniel Handler who most of us will know as Lemony Snicket, I wanted to share my thoughts. Thoughts, which will include spoilers, so those inclined to read it in the near future, may wish to look away now.

Why We Broke Up tells the story of Min, a heartbroken young girl sitting in a coffee shop writing the final goodbyes to now ex-boyfriend Ed, as she prepares to give back his things. Beautifully illustrated, each chapter is nameless - only marked by an image of an item in the box. Through cinema tickets, condom wrappers and ugly gifted jewellery, Min recounts her romance with the athlete, who endlessly describes her as 'different' to the plethora of girls he has slept with and yet is still intimidated by her one previous relationship. Ed and Min are from different worlds, and Min struggles to even like her boyfriend at times, as she suffers through a wash of blonde-haired sports-groupies, each vying for the illustrious role of basketball player's girlfriend.

At first, I find Handler's narrative painful to read on a personal level. We, the reader, see Min falling in love with a deceptive womaniser and feel the sting of the dramatic irony that the title provides us with. As the novel goes on, the cracks start to show - a high profile event for Ed and Min as a couple ends in tears and slowly rifts begin to form between Min and her friends because of Ed's lack of respect for them. In the concluding chapters we learn that Ed, as we had suspected, had not seen the early stages of his relationship with Min as valid and had cheated under the facade of 'we were not official yet.' Min rightly walks away, the better person for it.

All in all, I liked Why We Broke Up - an enjoyable and emotive read for the bitter and unloved. And there was me thinking that fiction was all made up.

Fox Fur Merkins

I think I'll be sticking to my vajazzle. I dread to think that 70's disco hair-down-there will ever come back into style.

Disney Pull Joy Division Shirt

Good riddance.

Ann Summers Elisa Black Dress

Why? Because I got drunk on red wine at an Ann Summers party and thought dressing as the biggest slut possible tomorrow night in Klute was a good idea. To be honest, I still do think that dressing like a whore is a good idea. My body is only going south from here - I might as well make use of it now!

Alexander McQueen Autumn-Winter 2012-13

I love this collection more than any man I have ever known.

Thom Browne Autumn-Winter 2012-13

God, I love a good scare - and even more so if it comes in the form of fashion's fusion with sexuality. If, within the next year, I see more BDSM fashion on the streets, I will be a very happy lady. Leather and metal are wonderous materials that should be used to thrill and excite - exactly what Thom Browne's latest line is doing with its charismatic mixture of nautical and fetish chic. However, I'm still not sure that a bondage mask should ever make it into the public domain... even I have to draw the line somewhere.

Oh God, She is Incredible!

I want a fringe now.

Draw Me Nancy

These three images are impressions of three winning looks from Lookbook.nu, drawn by Nancy Zhang, to be published in her next book, Street Illustrations. Aren't they beautiful?

Glee Pays Tribute...

...to the Royal Wedding. Sue Sylvester and Coach Beiste wear bridemaids hats heavily influenced by the fascinators worn by Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie last April. Hilarious.

Annamarie Tendler

New Yorker Annamarie Tendler is a makeup artist working in the fashion industry - nothing extrodinary about that. Painting the faces and showcasing on the pages of many great magazines is everday life for Annamarie. The work is flowing and with it brings the opportunity make a career out of something you love. It is, however, Annamarie's non-profit work on her own face that has caught my attention. Her whimsical 'Daily Face' project (an attempt to redefine beauty on a daily basis) is packed with infectious wit, creativity and yet glamour. Each day's look goes beyond typical beauty and instead uses the medium of makeup to create art on the female face. Take a look at some of my favourite faces:

Bourjois Paris Intense Eyeshadow

Why? As you may have gathered by now, I love all things gothic, dark and subsequently sexy. My eyes are no different. Even on a day-to-day basis, I wear a solid smoky eye. A big fan of the Bourjois brand, this bold black will replace the Per Una eyeshadow I have just finished.

Asking for Harassment?

Youtube personality Lex Croucher addresses an issue close to my heart in her latest vlog.

Victoria Beckham: Style Icon

Possibly my favourite woman on the planet, Victoria Beckham has had an influence upon my style since before she was even a Beckham. Victoria Adams captured the heart of a 1990s child and inspired her to bob her hair and wear heeled jelly shoes to primary school. Victoria Beckham continues to inspire that same girl with her dry wit, effortless composure and buckets of flair for dark and mysterious fashion. Here I salute Mrs Victoria Beckham.

The Klute Boycott

With candles in hand and dressed in funeral attire, Durham students are to protest outside Klute at 10pm on Sunday 15th January 2012 - the night of the club's relaunch with new management. The event, humorously titled 'Funeral for a Friend' will mark the first night of the student movement to boycott the once popular nightclub, in response to the un-Durham changes that have been made in secret to the club over the Christmas period.

Whilst 165 students are currently attending the event on Facebook, it is yet to be seen how much support the boycott and its preceding protest will have. Alternatively, students have resolved to enter the new venue and create as much fuss as possible - by occupying, sitting-in, demanding Klute's original soundtrack and ordering Klute's trademark 'Quaddie Voddy' at the gaudy new bar. Regardless of method, Durham students are unhappy and Klute’s new owners are quickly backtracking from their ill-researched PR disaster.

However, until college nights, cheese music, the DJ, Quaddies, Disco Waters and the no-local policy are reinstated, the new Klute owners are going to face a fierce backlash to their attempt to destroy a Durham institution.

Additionally, in response to the Klute scandal, the Durham Union Society will host an emergency debate on the subject on the 20th January: This House Would Restore Klute to its Former Glory.

To join the movement and bring back real Klute, click here.

Hitler Finds Out About Klute

For every good news story, there is a new take on an old meme. Here is what happened when Adolf Hitler discovered Klute's fate after reading the news on FASH at felicityhall.blogspot.com.

Klute Alternatives

In the spirit of the Durham difference and revolution in the face of losing student tradition, I along with many others will be boycotting the reformed Klute until it responds to the wants of those who keep it open - the students. In the meantime, I bring you three decent places to drink your student loan away in Durham.

With the changes Klute has made, Studio now holds the title of Durham's leading club. Fresh from its successful merger with sister club Loft, colloquially-nicknamed 'Ludio' holds a special place in the collective Durham student heart. Highlights include the pervy first floor DJ and University College's infamous 'Castle Corner' on a Tuesday night. Studio does not try to be a small-town superclub; it is simply reliable and promises the same good night on the regular. Studio hits the nail on the head by not trying to be something it is not.

Durham's only haunted venue Jimmy Allens, affectionately known to students as Jimmy As, is located under Elvet Bridge opposite Klute's final resting place. The club offers free entry, good cheesy music and its trademark quirky cave-like dancefloors. The club's downside? It's clientele: a combination of locals and sportsmen. I would avoid Jimmy A's, along with Loveshack (which I deplore at the best of times) on a Wednesday night, unless you are looking to become yet another notch on a uni sport player's ego and bedpost.

When you want to start a swanky and glitzy Durham venue, Klute owners, this is how you do it. Renaming and rebranding an old and washed up bar opposite the equally washed up Boathouse, Whisky River is Durham's latest and most glamorous cocktail venue, boasting the most glorious drinks menu in the city. The venue, only opened in the autumn of 2011, has already attracted the attention of Britain's reality royalty - including the likes of Hugo Taylor, Spencer Matthews and Mark Wright. A sign of a good night out? I think so.

Bring Back Real Klute

Klute has changed hands and lost all of its character. This follows a recent trend of whitewashing student tradition in Durham. Not only does this create a monopoly of nightlife and show little regard for the wants of the people that prop up the local economy, these changes negate what we call 'the Durham Difference' - all the unique aspects of student lifesyle in Durham that sets it apart from other universities. The Facebook page, started by my good friend Rosie Patchett and administrated by me, Bring back real Klute, has become exceedingly popular. Here is what various news outlets are saying about the campaign:

Meanwhile, a new page, entitled “Bring Back Real Klute” rocketed into popularity and gained 800 “likes” in the space of as many seconds. The National Student

A Facebook page called ‘Bring back real Klute’, set up in protest at the alterations, has already achieved over 1,100 likes, more than five times as many as the Klute nightclub page itself. The page suggests a university-wide boycott of the previously popular club, to be held outside Klute on January 15th, its re-opening night. The Palatinate

Already, a guerilla campaign has sprung up in the form of a facebook group entitled, 'Bring back real Klute', which has attracted over 700 members in a few hours since its creation. Significantly, more than four times the amount of Klute's official facebook page. The Durham One

Their opening night “Midnight Mass” has been announced on Facebook, yet many are astonished by the potentially insulting allusions to religious practise. The numerous comments following on the page are also far from optimistic about the future of the established club, with many concerned at the loss of Klute traditions, to the extent that a rival Facebook group has been created to “Bring back real Klute.” Purple Radio

Klute's new management has taken to Twitter to respond. Some more nights to be announced very soon...Can anyone smell cheese?

Too little, too late?

Please do something, get riled and support a cause. Click here to find out more about the New Klute Boycott.

The Daily Mail Does Bondage

Agyness Deyn is playing Flo in a remake of the 1996 film Pusher. This costume is described as 'bondage' and all its negative connotations in a Daily Mail article. I think Agyness looks incredible. The Mail have a lot to learn.

8 Women Who Do More Harm Than Good

Lillian La Mantia angers me. She is a woman from Farnham, Surrey featured in today’s Daily Mail (yes I read it), telling women to be ashamed of their bodies and cover them for fear that men may see them as sex objects. Well isn’t that a symptom of a bigger problem? That society allows men to do this, not that women invite it. Why should women feel the shame and not the men too? Either everyone shut up, cover up and look up into the eyes when having a conversation, or embrace the human form regardless of gender and celebrate flesh as the attractive thing it is. Preaching modesty does not correct the issue - it merely underlines the belief that a woman's body is a sex toy, to be covered as deemed inappropriate. By all means Lillian, clothe your own skin however you so choose, but do not tell me how to.

And so, in honour of Lillian, I bring to you 7 more women who think they’re doing good, but are actually part of the problem.

7) Courtney Stodden
6) Natasha Giggs
5) Sarah Palin
4) Mariah Yeater
3) Pageant moms
2) Kris Jenner
1) These women:

Purses

Today I lost my purse, and everything important in it. Boo Hiss. On the other hand, this presents a wonderful opportunity to lust after a new purse. However, having phoned Santander to cancel my card, I may not yet buy one. Boo hiss, again.

Paris House Let's Fill This Town With Art Wallet

Fiorelli Roka Leather Purse

ASOS Leopard Ball Clip Frame Purse

Mischa Barton Rae Frame Purse With Stud Detail

Juicy Couture Classically Black Zip Top Purse

Morticia Addams: Style Icon

Today, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the brilliantly macabre Charles Addams - the American cartoonist responsible for the Addams Family - I would like to pay homage to one of my personal style inspirations: Morticia Addams. Glamorous, avant garde and incredibly gothic, these photographs respresent the various interpretations of Morticia, each one as iconic as the last.

Felix & the Bandit

Joining the ranks of music’s finest Mancunians, Felix & the Bandit are a flourishing underground electronica duo with an exciting new take on and a penchant for dubstep, electro and house. Formed in late 2010, Phil Jacob and Jack Mck have caught the attention of many industry favourites and have performed alongside the likes of Chase and Status, Beardyman, P-Money, Example, Funtcase, White Lies, Magnetic Man, Katy B, Cookie Monsta, 16 Bit, MS Dynamite, Gemini and Skepta, amongst others at a range of venues and festivals across the UK. Alongside their resident host NRJ, the duo who met during their time at a Manchester comprehensive secondary school, have carved a distinct niche in underground electronic music with a unique blend of charisma, talent and whimsy that proved most successful throughout 2011. The coming year promises more success for Felix & the Bandit, who are on the precipice of something big.

Felicity Hall speaks to close personal friend, Phil Jacob, on why we should believe the Felix & the Bandit hype.

So Phil, for people who have not yet come across your music, how would you describe Felix & the Bandit’s sound?
We try to go for a very cinematic feel with our music, with very detailed intro's and sounds. As for our 'drops' as such, we go for a very electric approach, mixing dubstep styles with electro influenced sounds.

Sounds good! Who would you compare Felix & the Bandit to?
I'd say our style is similar to the people we look up to in terms of producing, so the likes of Helicopter Showdown, Sluggo, Nerd Rage, Zomboy and Figure but then on the electronic side, I’d say Fatboy Slim, Porter Robinson and Neus etc.

In terms of fashion and style, who or what influences Felix & the Bandit’s image?
We mainly have our own style, not really influenced by artists in terms of fashion. I'd say we'd aim to have the same kind of image as the likes of Skream & Benga, respected by all producers/fan bases and known to be down to earth guys.

So what is more important, image or sound?
Sound, I think the likes of Deadmau5 kind of prove that - amazing producer but known to be quite arrogant.

Nothing wrong with that! What has been the highlight of your career so far?
I'd have to say its split between two: the first would definitely be supporting Chase & Status at UTR on The Beach in Newquay; the UTR crowd is one of the best we've ever had and the vibes were incredible. The other I’d say is not from a DJ/producer’s perspective, but after our set at Beach Break Live, sitting in the sun with a beer watching Newton Faulkner finish his set with Bohemian Rhapsody - that definitely was an amazing experience.

And it’s only up from here, so what do you hope to achieve in 2012?
Well, just to keep striving and improving production wise. We hope to travel internationally and play shows, especially in the US. We hope to have released an EP/album with a certain label (I’m sworn to secrecy on which) on iTunes, Beatport, Amazon etc..
And to be playing regular weekly shows in different cities and places!

More information and music from Felix & the Bandit can be found here.

Topshop Double Breasted Longline Blazer

Why? I like oxblood. I like blazers. I like longline. I like concessions at Topshop. I like sale prices. Though I did go out with the intention of buying a skirt, this blazer fills a gap in my wardrobe - a jacket to wear that isn't navy blue.

Spring Fashion Networking Party Manchester

The Spring Fashion Show is an annual event organized by students, models and designers, aimed at showcasing up-and-coming talent in the fashion industry. 2012 is the third year that Manchester has played host to this event and promises a show that demonstrates everything fashion in the North of England has to offer.

In the spirit of bringing northern creatives together, event organisers have arranged an exclusive pre-show networking event to encourage models, journalists, designers, buyers, stylists, photographers and bloggers to get involved, mingle and promote the main event on 8th February 2012.

The Pre-Show Networking Party promises to be a useful and equally stylish alternative to equivalent London shindigs, with a focus on flaunting business ideas and promoting artistry, in a fashionable bar setting which allows for unique networking opportunities to spread the word of your designs and make working contacts in an increasingly competitive industry.

The Pre-Show Networking Party takes place on the 5th January 2012; more information and tickets can be found here.

Miss Selfridge Peg Leg Jumpsuit

Why? Again, on the theme of looking for daytime alternatives to jeans, this Miss Selfridge jumpsuit was too much of a sale steal to miss.

New Look Jodhpurs

Why? I am exploring alternatives to jeans and trying to avoid head-to-toe black, considering my new darker hair colour. These jodhpurs are a neutral truffle colour, easy to coordinate with and a very reasonable price for everyday wear.

Ann Summers PVC Longline Bra and Thong

Why? Although I do need bras, this set isn't what you would call practical, and so was bought as another Christmas sales luxury. However, I can't help but notice how well they will go with the thigh high boots in the right company.

Ann Summers Red Lace Bra and Thong

Why? For the same reasons as the teal set; red seemed like a nice alternative to basic black and I have the perfect pair of red lace-topped stockings to go with this set.

Ann Summers Teal Lace Bra and Thong

Why? Having gone up a cup size during the summer, I am incredibly low on bras and have a thing for blue underwear, so these were a natural choice.

Topshop Thigh High Leather Boots

Why? Being into fetish fashion, I have always lusted after a pair of thigh high boots, and this Topshop pair were too much of a steal in the Christmas sales to miss.