Summer's here: hot looks from latest editorials

Summer has officially arrived in Greece, or, at least in Athens. It's 33 degrees Celsius during day which means it's time to ditch jeans and shoes in favor of shorts and sandals and add a few extra light summer tops to my wardrobe. I also put together this mini scrapbook of the best looks from summer fashion shoots by some of the best magazines for style inspiration.

Alexis Johns for PAPERCUT MAGAZINE

Aline Weber by Benny Horne for RUSSH

Bambi Northwood-Blyth for HARPER'S BAZAAR AUSTRALIA June/July 2011

Isabeli Fontana for VOGUE PARIS June/July 2011

Angela Lindvall for ELLE RUSSIA June 2011

Eniko Mihalik for VOGUE ITALIA May 2011

Liu Wen by for VOGUE CHINA June 2011

Remik Kozdra & Kasia Baczulis for PAPERCUT MAGAZINE

Paint It Rouge: a red lipstick experiment

I haven't used a lipstick for quite some years now. Instead I've been wearing all sorts of lip gloss - from pearly to glossy and semi-transparent - and whenever I tried a lipstick on, I felt that it looked too harsh on me - almost vulgar. But we grow up, our tastes change and this season I got swept away by the RED lipstick trend.

Of course, it's a classic, and never really went out of fashion, but suddenly I started seeing it everywhere - from catwalk shows to red carpets, so I decided I simply must get a red one myself - even though it felt (and still feels) quite dashing and experimental to me. So I went and got this "Lady Danger" matte lipstick from MAC - it's my first experience with MAC cosmetics in fact (there were no MAC stores in Kyiv, Ukraine where I lived until recently) and I was totally pleased with its quality. As for my red lip EXPERIMENT - I believe it was successful! I'm still getting used to my red-lipped look but already loving it. I think it was just what I needed to spice up my makeup style.

Below I enclose a number of celebrity and catwalk show pics for more Rouge inspiration...

Julianne Moore

Bonnie Wright

Rihanna

Penelope Cruz

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Gucci

Best of latest lookbooks: H&M, Zara TRF and Topshop

I decided not to turn my blog and focus more on personal posts and features. However occasional collections of latest looks from my favorite shops can't hurt, right? So here I bring you selected images from latest lookbooks by H&M, ZARA TRF and TOPSHOP.

H&M (Summer 2011 Campaign)

ZARA TRF (May 2011 Lookbook)

TOPSHOP (Gypsy Rocker Summer 2011 Collection)

STYLE OBSESSION: Shopper bags

I've always been a fan of BIG bags. And not so much because of style, but because of the freedom it grants me to carry all things I may need and still leaves extra space to squeeze in a water bottle, a cardigan if I get too hot or a magazine. Now lately I've been running around with a rather modestly-sized (by my standards) cross-body bag and it surely has it benefits, but recently I found myself falling deeply in love with the SHOPPER bags. Fact is I've never had a bag exactly like a shopper, also most of them are also supplied with an extra strap for cross-body wearing and of course, the allure of space inside is so hard to resist. The color-blocking shoppers by the Greek brand Fullah Sugah and the classy brown one from ASOS are among my top choices.

FULLAH SUGAH

FULLAH SUGAH

ASOS

ASOS

ASOS

FULLAH SUGAH

TOPSHOP

Color & stripes explosion from Mango

Just yesterday I posted the looks from MANGO summer collection modelled by Scarlett Johansson, but I just couldn't resist those latest pics from another Mango summer lookbook called "COLOR & STRIPES" starring model Eniko Mihalik. I never get tired of stripes, and I they seem especially hot this summer varying from classic white-n-navy-blue to the most striking color combinations. Moreover, as Mango shoes us - stripes work great for smart color blocking!

Scarlett Johansson brings summer to Mango

As we can plainly see, SCARJO is still with MANGO, now bringing us yet another set of gorgeous looks showcasing the key pieces from the brand's SUMMER collection. This time Scarlett spots an unbearably sexy look with radically androgynous hairstyle, "modest" pastels, crochet and minis, looking like a breath of fresh air on a hot summer day. So, if despite many designers' "advice" you don't feel like the blazing colors, bright stripes and voluminous fruity prints this summer, keep it airy and simple - just make sure it compliments your figure and focus on gorgeous hair and make-up!