Deep Conditioning

Hi ladies, just a quickie today. I've just bought a new product that has worked wonders with my hair and just HAD to share it with you. As you know, it's all about the luscious locks and all the rubbish we coat are hair in keeps are hair looking fierce, but feel good? NO! After a couple of days of back combing, salt spray, hair spray, dry shampoo, curling, straightening and god knows what else, my hair is literally craving an intervention... a detox! 

!!!!HELP!!!!

I bought a tube of deep conditioner from boots and to be honest I was a bit sceptical  I've tried deep conditioners before and they've never really worked, but I thought I'd give it a go. I bought the little tester tube (75ml) of "AUSSIE, 3 minute miracle constructor". This brand does a whole selection of other treatments and in different sizes, but keeping it safe, I just bought this. 

My little miracle worker! From Boots at £1.59

I've used the whole tube up now, which is the equivalent of three washes and my hair feels super soft. You literally use a small amount and rub it into the most damaged strands of hair, which in my case were the ends and round my face. Run a brush, comb or fingers through your hair to de-tangle it and leave it for three minutes. I left it for 5 just in case, then wash off. 

I'll give you a tip, wash it off with cold water... well as cold as you can stand. This closes your pores and stop any products getting into your scalp, which can cause dry scalp or itching. It also leaves your hair with a sheen once it's dried. And that's it.

My hair feels in really good condition and smells lovely. I don't know if any of you remember L'oreal kids shampoo and conditioner they did? It smells like that... really sweet and sugary. 

It smells just like this... blast from the past

I am definitely going to invest in a larger bottle and use this regularly... maybe once a week. After such a good result, I think I'm going to delve into some of AUSSIE's other products. I will let you know how the searching and testing goes! :)

Aussie's the way forward.

Signing out 

Sneek Peek at Rihanna's collection for River Island

Rihanna is back for a second season with her cool and urban designs for River Island. SS13 collections included wispy maxi pinafores, watercolour print garments and grunge shirts attached to denim minis. The overall feel to the collection was sexy grunge with a hint of glamour and urban charm.

How does AW13 differ from SS13? 

This season, we're seeing a lot of camo and urban street garments from the photography campaigns.  

There's a certain "toughness" to the collection. Yes it's seductive, but not one glimmer of femininity is apparent. Instead the tone screams Attitude!

Rihanna looking cool and fresh in her own camo cropped jersey.

COLLECTIONS OUT 12TH SEPTEMBER

PRE ORDER HERE>>

Something old, but something new

Being a good sister, I took my younger sibling to the airport ready for her fourth holiday this summer (jealous). The airport was on route to work anyway, but after dropping her off, I still had an hour to kill. What's a girl to do? Of course I did what any girl would do... a bit of retail therapy. I found a very rustic vintage boutique that I spent a good 40 minutes wondering around before I had to leave to get to work. But not before finding an absolute bargain. 

Me in action at the vintage shop, trying on this little number. I do realize I'm wearing jeans, but it was a quick try on.

I got this 40s style dress for £4. Deep blue with white polka dots and a cinched waist with button detailing down the  front. I loved it, as it's so versatile. In the day: with brogues and and a brown satchel. In the evening: crimson lippy, victory rolls in my hair, tan wedges and clutch.

signing out

 

Journey through Time

Now when it comes to fashion, I love the high street! What could be better than on trend fashion at a price that doesn't bankrupt me. But sometimes... well the high street is that shopped that EVERYONE has the same pieces. I find that I can't go out of my house without seeing someone in the same top or dress or skirt etc... 

So sometimes, hitting the vintage shops isn't just about finding a bargain, it's about finding something individual and different from everyone else. Stepping out of the mould! Ok, yes vintage is huuuuge at the moment and every girl seems to have the high waisted levis shorts and oversized denim jackets, but vintage is so much more than that! There are so many different eras, different periods of time to adopt. My favourites are the roaring 20's and pre and post war! Classic, sexy and unmistakeable! It's good to be different!

I love hitting the vintage sector. It feels like Aladdin's cave, with hidden treasures to find. Full of trinkets, memories and snip its from the past! You never know what you're going to find!I know a lot of people just think it's a heap of junk and "stuff" people don't want, but these items were loved and very much apart of people's lives. Beautiful, loved garments, which could have been worn by the most glamorous of people. What lives did they lead and what journeys have they been through? Yes they're just clothes, but they're full of meaning and stories! And that's what makes them so special and unique!

Crimson lipstick and flicky eye liner

Go all out with your vintage look! Whether it's a victory roll, a deep crimson lippy or a flick of the liquid eye liner! But keep some of your look contemporary by pairing a vintage piece with new vintage inspired pieces. Let's face it... you don't want to look like your Gran now. You just want to take a little bit of the past and combine it with the new. 

victory roll hair do

My own take on the victory roll

Stay tuned to read how I created this 40s hair do! 

Signing out

  

The style Diaries

Hi little fashionistas, Ok so here's the continuing of my style diaries! I told you I would get cracking with them.... 


Diary Entry 3:

The first evening in Africa, I was absolutely shattered! A 5 hour drive down to London Gatwick, followed by a 10 hour flight and then a 2 hour transfer... well you can imagine how I felt. But did this stop me going out that night in my brand new holiday clothes? Hell NO! I had planned every outfit down to a T and there was no way that one of my dresses was gonna be left out because f a little bit of tiredness. So I drank a large coffee, had a shower, put my face on and I was ready to go...

My Outfit for the night

Dress: Forever 21, £12

Belt: River Island, £7

Necklace: Adorning Ava, £8

I bought this elephant jewelled belt in the River Island sale. I'd seen it months ago and thought how well it would work with my maxis to cinch my waist in, plus I loved the elephant buckle. But I never bought it, hoping it would go into sale. My waiting paid off and indeed it did go into the sale at a very nice price of £7. All things good for those who wait my friend!

Signing out

The Style Diaries Continues...

Hi guys! Well I was supposed to have all my Kenyan style diary entries complete by now, but I have been that busy, Iv'e not got round to finishing them all! I'm sorry for the delay, but I'm gonna get cracking with them again this week, so keep tuned! 

Rainy Days

Today was one of those days. Miserable and wet. You know that fine rain that soaks you wet through? Well that's what me and my sister were up against walking the little bundle of fluff that is little Flo. I thought I'd blog because my sister did such a cute job on her outfit, even though it was horrible. 

Jumper: New Look £20.00

Dress: Topshop £28

Scarf: Authentic vintage passed down from Great Nan 

Wellies: Hunters £90

Umbrella: Vintage
Earrings: Adorning Ava £4

Signing out

BEY utifull...

When it comes to festivals, concerts, and gigs, I have seen some absolute belters... Spice girls, Oasis, Take that, Robbie, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake etc.. but no one has performed like BEYONCE! What a woman! She is an inspiration for all women. Classy, beautiful, sexy and stylish. Everything you should aspire to be! 

She had 5 costume changes, each one more beautiful than the last. Sequins, embellishment, glitz and glamour! After only just getting her hair cut off, she showed up with a full set of extensions in, shaped into a sleek bob. We all had a sneaky suspicion this would happen. How could she be Sascha fierce without her iconic mane.I got goosebumps watching her and so emotional that I actually shed a few tears.

The last outfit of the evening!

There has been a back lash about her being late on stage, banning her performance on channel 4 and shouting at fans for filming her. She was 20 minutes late, but due to technical faults, unlike other artists that are 2/3 hours late because they're drunk or stoned? She didn't cut the show short, so played later, which others wouldn't do. And as for her shouting at fans not to film her? This is absolute rubbish! She only had lovely things to say to her fans!

After the most amazing performance of beautiful melodys, key perfect balads and intense dancing, the star worked up a big appetite and spent a wopping £1500 on Nandos, the equivalent of 2000 chicken chicken wings! That's a lot of chicken Bey! But no one looks like Beyonce by eating all that chicken...needless to say she shared all the chicken with her entourage and put Nandos out of business for chicken wings all night! Talk about going all out!

Signing out

  

Bohemian Queen

Hello my little fashionistas, 

I may have given you a little clue that I was heading off to V festival this weekend and wow what a weekend. The weather may have been miserable, but spirits were up, along with the bobbing of arms amongst the crowds of tiaras, flower crowns and feather headresses. And I couldn't not mention that performance by the one and only queen Bee! One word.... star-struck! 

Anyway, after weeks of perfecting the ultimate summery festival look, the rain crushed the dream. Most of the time, I ended up in my pink floral poncho or oversized gray hoodie. However, there were moments where I got to reveal underneath the huge plastic coat. 

Shorts: Vintage Levis £10

Tank Top: H&M £7.99

Jacket: Topshop £15

The long chiffon patterend jacket I wore is actually a maxi dress, but worn open it looks great for a wispy, bohemian feel to any outfit. I plan to wear it a lot this winter with boots. £15 in the Topshop sale... who could resist?

Before the heavens opened!

Long necklace with beads, owl pendant and a feather.
On a suede "chain". I love this, as it always looks really cool and boho.
£3 from the one and only Priamani.
Chain ring: River Islane £3
Peace bracelet set: Priamrk £3.

A deep brown leather belt with gold buckle. I bought this from a touring vintage fair for £4. 

And for the rest of the Saturday, the rain wouldn't subside, so I had to wear this little cheeky cover up!

Poncho: £9 from TESCO

Everyone looked amazing and the vibe was awesome. We spend so much time worrying about the perfect festival outfits, but when the rain kicks in and the musics pumping, all that matters is that you're having fun! And I DEFINITELY DID!

Signing out

A Step Back in time

I feel right at home in these high waisted Levis and reinvented Harley Davidson tee! Comfy and edgy! My favourite combo!

Levis: Vintage, £15

Tee: Urban Outfitters, £30
Belt: Primark £2.50

Oversized sleeves with a rolled up hem

My Favourite waist belt, which I wear a lot to pull my look together. Invest in a good belt and it can be the feature of your whole look. It's all about accessorising. 

Signing out

Sewing Bee

At the moment I'm currently preparing and packing for a weekend of partying, dancing and lack of sleep! ** It's V FESTIVAL **  Now the one item every girl will be taking with them or wearing from the word GO will be a pair of Levis high waisted shorts.  But what if every single vintage shop has sold out in your size (due to festival season) and you don't want to pay £40 in urban outfitters? What's a girl to do? EASY PEASY Ladies! You make them! This sounds pretty hard, but tbh you can't go wrong. There's no sewing involved... all you need to do, is get happy snappy with your denim!

Essentials:

I have dress making scissors, but for this, the rougher the edges the better. If you only have a pair of bog standard scissors... go for it anyway. Don't go out and buy a dress makers pair. Save your money for the drinks at the actual festival! 



The jeans you can see here are actually high waisted Levis from a vintage boutique, but you can use modern high waisted jeans or longer shorts. It doesn't really matter. But truth be told... Levis do look the best! These were only £15!!! Absolute bargain!!!


Chalk It Through

Use a bit of chalk to draw roughly a line around the jeans. This is where you're gonna cut after! I usually draw the line slightly lower down for the first cut, just to be extra careful. I use a tape measure to roughly check that each leg is the same length. It's a lot easier to do this on a mate that is roughly the same size as you and use her as a model, or you will have to get someone you trust to help you draw/ measure the lines.


When drawing the line at the back, you want to mark the jeans slightly lower than the line at the front. I know they won't match up, but you can sort this out later. This is so your bum cheeks won't be hanging out. I know a few of you probably want that look, but I don't particularly like it and I don't think the poor souls walking behind me would either. 

Now: "cut on the dotted line"! 


You can try the rough shorts back on to see if any extra length needs to be cut away and to even up the front and back, so that they look even. Use the chalk again to roughly mark which bits need cutting away. Make the cutting line slope upwards on the back panels, so that the slope helps to join the slightly shorter cut lines at the front. 

Whip them off and cut again!

And again try them back on. It sounds a lot of faffing but it's all worth it! If you still want a bit more of the length off, do the same process again. 

Now to "decorate"!

Fray the edges of the shorts by pulling hard with your fingers. If not enough is fraying, turn the shorts over to reveal the white strands you want to pull easier. Use a needle ir something pointy to push them out. This works a lot easier. 


Those were already there

To exaggerate the rusticity of the shorts, it looks better if you add rips. But not by cutting great big holes through the denim. 

You basically need to scratch off the blue threads of denim, leaving the white threads behind. This is not a job for impatient people. It takes time and tbh is a bit frustrating, but well and truly worth it.

Start by cutting carefully a tiny bit of the blue and I mean a minute bit! Then with your needle scrape really hard over the tiny section. This will loosen up all the blue threads. Cut away the fluffy blue and you will begin to see the white threads.

 Now it gets easier. To get rips running horizontally, you need to break more blue threads. Use the needle or a stitch unpicker to pull each tiny thread away. I told you it was time consuming!

If you want the rip to running vertically. This is much easier. These threads are already broke and all you have to is unravel them. A quick ways is to scratch it with the needle and keep cutting the fluffy blue threads away! 

The End Result

Hidden Gems

Not everyone is a fan of Primark and I have to say, I have my moments where I think WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? But today... well liked is not the word! The new collections for aw13 were in and in abundance. The accessories were by far the best! So what actually was supposed to be a quick trip for welly socks for V fest (stay tuned for that post) ended up being a quite expensive adventure. 

But how could you turn these little gems down????

As you may be aware from previous blogs, I L.O.V.E frilly socks, so you can imagine my excitement when I came across the new pairs in shades of fallen leaves and quirky patterns! I ended up buying 3 frilly fancies, which was a struggle considering originally I had at least 7 pairs in my hands! After some conflicting feelings, I put the other 4 pairs back(reluctantly).

A cheeky bargain I stumbled across while rooting through the sale section! Great Gatsby Eat your heart out!

<3 Great Gatsby inspired Clutch with a long chain handle <3

I could not believe this was only a tenner! This is going to be worn A LOT over the Winter months! They probably won't have these in stock for long, so if you like... better get moving! A definite statement piece!!!

Primark, you have well and truly outdone yourself... keep it up!

Signing out

Time for Tea............

A little trip to Manchester and I found myself in a kooky vintage tea room. Quaint and quirky with a lovely rustic feel. 

Fig and Sparrow
Oldham St
Northern Quarter
Manchester

At the front of the cafe is a dresser full of beautiful individual arts and crafts, which are locally sourced. 

The staff were friendly and the whole vibe was cool and relaxed! This is definitely my new favourite hang out! Check it out!!!

Signing out