DIY Ombre...

You might have guessed from previous posts, but I am a bit fickle when it comes to my hair. I love to change the colour all the time and ombre aka Dip dying has been my favourite. I have done this once before and thought I would revisit it for Autumn. I am also a bit of a DIYer with my hair... at the end of the day, it's only hair. If it goes wrong, it can be fixed. So I thought I would share with you how to do ombre yourself, as many hairdressers literally have no clue what this is or how to do it or charge you a small fortune.

The last time I ombred my hair, I used a colour remover, as the colour underneath my brown hair was blonde. But this time, I thought I'd try the ombre boxed dye by L'Oreal.

So enough rambling on... here we go....  

1. Get out all the "ingredients" in your little dye box and read the instructions very carefully. You might want to put an old towel down to protect your dressing table and wear an old tee that you don't care about.

2. Put all the ingredients into the little applicator bottle and shake shake shake it baby!!!

3. This is where I don't follow the guide. I separate my hair down my parting and into 3 sections each side... bottom, middle and top layer. Pin the top two layers up and use both bottom layers first.

4. Apply the dye to your hair, about half the way up and basically cover it. Rub it in with your fingers and make sure it really is coated. The box tells you to use the brush, but for the bottom later don't bother. Add extra to the tips of your hair and cover the ends in tin foil.

By the way... on the pics, I don't have any gloves on, as I couldn't use my iphone with them on. But when doing yours.... DO NOT take them off, especially if you have sensitive skin.

5. Now undo the second layer of hair.


6. With the second layer, you don't want the dye to go on thick and heavy, but more wispy. The way I achieve this is by back combing, which pulls half of the hair out of the section. Then cover the remaining of the section in the dye. 


7. The rest of the back combing hair, comb backdown into the rest of the coated hair and then, just lightly brush a small amount of dye over this section. This will take to your hair a lot less, giving you the gradual colour change. 


8. Again cover the very ends in tin foil. As you can see from the picture, it will start to look like you have metal dread locks.

9. Now the final layer of your hair (the top layer) will probably be very small and possibly shorter. Again, I slightly back comb the top layer and then apply the dye to the very ends. Literally only cover about 1-2 cm in it. Then get the little brush that comes in the kit and brush the back combed hair down. Again brush a small amount of dye into parts of the top section. Apply tin foil to the 1-2cm ends of hair covered in dye. 

10. Then you should look like this. An absolute loony with bits of tin foil hanging off your head.

11. If you really want the ends of the hair to be light, you need to apply some heat to the dye. In a salon, they use the hot lights, but I'm not exactly a pro stylist... so the hair dryer does the trick. I only use it for a minute or two, just to warm the hair and the tin foil does the rest. 

12. Leave it for thirty minutes and check to see if it's developed. I then added another coat of dye top the very ends and cover again with tin foil. Leave for a further 15 mins before washing it off. I used a deep conditioning serum, so that my hair keeps moisturised. Dry and style and voilà.... sunkissed ombre hair. 

Before ... Dark hair
After... Naturally ombreed sunkissed hair.

 Signing out

Revealing of Rihanna

It's here... the day we were all waiting for.... getting our hands on the new Rihanna collection at River Island. I am pleased to now share with you my fav pieces and the definite pieces that will be hanging in my wardrobe this season. 

The Occult Print Tshirt dress

£50

This is already sold out online. You have to be quick if you want this beaut dress. I think you'll agree... very Mary Katrantzu.

 Dark Wash Denim Boyfriend jeans.

£50

Slouchy, yet sexy paired with a tank or bralet and stiletto strappys. 

Urban feel with a hint of demure and attitude.

They have that cool Rihanna vibe going on... plus they look amazzzingly comfy.

Khaki Camo Leather shorts

£85

C'mon, we all knew Ri was never goona bring out quiet and conservative. Raunchy and wowzarooney... YES!

And these camo leather hot pants are definately have the wow factor. 

What I love about them, is that I would wear them in the day with oversized knitwear, tights and trainers...maybe a beanie too. 

Or wedges, vest and a clutch... your choice.

G4Life Barely There Sandals

£60

I am literally in love with these girls. Only Rihanna could turn a simply classic strappy into a pumped up urban killers. 

What can I say?

L.O.V.E

Faux Fur Rucksack

£40

I am a little made for ruckies at the mo, and this bad boy is no exception. With graffiti straps and a soft to touch fabric and fur like texture, It ticks all the boxes. 

So, I don't know about you, but I'm marching down to River Island to get me some of these, before I miss out. Fav Piece? It HAS to be all the pieces in the black and white occult pattern. It's such a cool, yet sophisticated pattern that really is versatile. 

Well done Riri.... you've done us proud

Signing out

Nothing like a little bit of class

Unorganized has been my middle name this week. Usually, I've got my outfit planned, right down to the shade of polish on my nails, but I went to my cousins wedding this weekend and literally didn't have a clue what to wear until Friday. This was a last minute affair, but luckily I found the perfect dress after only 4 hours of searching. And what's more, 20% discount for students... thanks to my sister, meaning I got this beauty for £75 in Miss Selfridge. 

Trying on my dress

Any outfit, isn't complete without a new pair of heels and a clutch...... so I just couldn't resist these. 

Bag: New Look £24.99

Heels: £85 Carvella 

I went for the whole Great Gatsby look. A world of glamour and sophistication... perfect for a wedding. I didn't want a dress that I couldn't wear again and would just be stuck and sat at the back of my wardrobe. 

My original choice was a dusky pink dress, with pleated chiffon in a full but flat skirt, finished with pink stones in a subtle pattern on the front of the top. It was pretty, but I wouldn't wear it on a night out... too conservative looking. Pretty, but not worth the £80 from Coast.

Weird lighting, as I was in the Fitting room

Stay tuned to see the wedding piccies and my complete outfit put together on the big day!

Signing out 

Getting creative

I am no amateur when it comes to sewing...bit of a sewing bee actually. I love getting creative on the sewing machine. I have made all sorts of little gems from Cath Kidston bird mobiles, personalized cushions, lavender bags,  kindle covers, jewellery wraps to hot water bottle cases. 

Bird mobile

Personalized cushions 

My latest sewing endeavour is a personalized cushion for a friends birthday! I love making these, as I can make them to fit their personality. I also add fabric photographs on! 

The front of the cushion

A line of personal fabric photos on either side of the blue and green floral motif fabric, surrounded by white frill.

This is the back of the cushion

Blue and green floral motif bed dress cushion. White, lace frill around the edge with a blue ribbon shaped into a bow with a green button in the centre. 

Signing out

Top 10 Fashion Buys this Autumn/Winter

It's getting closer to Autumn everyday and I can't help but wonder... where has summer gone? The weather's getting cooler, the days shorter and the nights darker, but one things for sure, we can expect great trends for the next couple of months. There are a few key buys that you don't wanna miss out on and will see you straight through to SS14!

1: Ice Pastels

This season, pastels are going to be huuuge, especially dusky pinks. It's nice to see a bit of colour in winter, instead of the typical blacks, greys and greens. 

On the high street, this is a winner! Topshop unique has outdone themselves with this statement overcoat. But, best get moving, as every fashion editor for miles has got their name on the list for it. It will arrive in store in the next couples of weeks, so be on the look out. 

Overcoat in dusky pink

2: Leather

I would be lying if I said I was surprised that leather would be big this winter. Leather is a favourite with the designers. The days are shorter and darkness rules for most the hours, so it is only second nature that designers would include leather for a mysterious, seductive feel to the season. It fits nicely into the punk rebellion trend making it's way into the high street right now. I love this little LBD from Miss Selfridge! It's laser cut with a heart motif etched into the front panel and around the sleeves. It's girly, yet sexy at the same time. At £140, it's steep but worth it. It's out right NOW!!!

Miss selfridge leather LBD

3: Animal Print

The beginnings of aw13 trends are beginning and we are no stranger to this trend. Animal Print was big in ss13 and it only grows in strength for winter. Snakeskin and leopard print seem to take front row of the prints.  My favourites on the high street are: 

Karen Millen Jumper finished with small metallic sequins.

Pencil Skirt from Zara

Metallic animal print dress from Next. Texture makes the dress look expensive. Classic shape.

4: Masculine Tailoring

This isn't everyones cup of tea, but boy is it sexy and dominantly beautiful. Stella Mcartney led the way at fashion week with this trend, which has flourished throughout the high street. We all new Topshop would invent their own masculine suit for us all to get our hands on.

Topshop Lightweight masculine Blazer £120

5: Punk 

We are taking a trip back to the 70's this season with a twist on punk. It's sexy, sleek and of course tartan mad. Anti establishment has leaked into some of the grungy trends this summer, but for winter, it's out in full dark force. Primark has some great pieces this season inspired by Yves Saint Laurent, but at a fraction of the price.

Primark does Punk

6: Houndstooth

Traditionally associated with heritage design, this textile pattern has made a huge comeback and Zara has produced some beautiful pieces to help you nail this trend. 

Zara £39.99

7: Over Sized Everything

we all love a cuddly jumper to snuggle into during the winter months and this year is no exception. But to really pull this off, pair it with a pencil skirt or over a midi dress for a dressier look. 

Mango

8: High shine

We saw metallics being paraded through the summer months and winter isn't about to stamp it out. Anything with a sheen or a shine this season is a winner. This little number from H&M gets my thumbs up, nailing three styles in one.... Shiny, Pink and mid length. In store now!

H&M £39.99! Keep it simple with a white cami and oversized cardigan

9: Winter Florals

Usually the norm in the warmer months, florals are breaking into winter also. Bold blues and rich reds will overtake the paler tones from summer. 

10: Mid Length

we've seen a lot of midi dresses and skirts recently, but this is only gaining in momentum. for a long time, mini skirts, mini dresses and short shorts were in, but now short is out. But long doesn't mean frumpy, au contra-ire it can actually be seductive and extremely sexy.  

Topshop £42

Make-up Review

Hello, my lovelies...

I don't if any of you remember, but a couple of weeks ago, I went on a little shopping spree to find some new beauty products that were cheap in price, but expensive in quality. 

The blog post was:  New Goodies Blog.

To quickly recap, I bought :

Blusher: Max Factor, colour 223 natural glow. aka Rose pink! £5.99

Transluscent eyebrow highlighte: Rimmel, colour 100 glam ice. aka white £3.99

Bronzer: seventeen, colour light bronze £4.99

Concealer: 17, colour medium dark. £3.99

Eye brow pencil: Maybeline, colour soft brown. £2.99

I said that I would review the products and give you my feedback and here it is....

Ok, so I've had the new products for 3 weeks, so I've got a pretty good basis on how they work, look and last.

Max Factor Blusher:

This has been my favourite product out of my new bits. The original blusher I was using was Estee Lauder, but I wanted to find another brand that was similar in quality, but half the price. Max Factor didn't let me down. The colour is a rose shade, which stays true to it's colour when applied. Sometimes you find with cheaper makes, the colour when applied fades and looks powdery and translucent, but this wasn't the case. Yes it wasn't as intense as my Estee Lauder, but the result was the same. As you can tell from the photo, the blush is intact and has hardly made a dent in it, even though I have used this every day and regularly in the evenings also. 

Marks out of 5? 

I give it a 5!

Would I buy again? Yes

Eyeshadow/ eye brow highlighter:

I wanted this to use as a highlighter below my eyebrows and would blend with my eyeshadow also. I went for Rimmel Glam Ice. Again, my usual brand is Estee Lauder, but unusually for this brand, the highlighter ran out quite quickly. But Rimmel has lasted a treat. I've used this everyday and the palette doesn't even look like it's been used. I admit, it is a very intense white, opposed to a milky shade, but if you are sparing with it when applying, it becomes a translucent white, which is just enough to life the eye brow. If you apply a lot of this product, your eyes will literally look like a transvestite... not a good look.

A BIG NO

YESSSSS

Marks out of 5?

I give it a 4!

Would I buy again? Yes

Bronzer

I don't need to say much about this product... a picture says a thousand words. After 3 weeks, the bronzer from 17 had crumbled and almost half gone. Whenever I dipped my brush into the bronzer, it would pull away with too much powder on. The powder is very loose, therefore a lot of it gets wasted. On a better note, it applies well and leaves a matte, flawless finish, but it just doesn't last long enough. I might as well buy a MAC bronzer which lasts months and months. 

Marks out of 5?

I give it a 1!

Would I buy again? No

Concealer

In all honesty, I haven't used this product daily like the others, only when I have had blemishes to conceal. However, when I have applied it, the concealer does what it says... conceal. It blends well, hides the blemishes and doesn't result in a shiny face either. It has lasted all day as well... no need to reapply. 

Marks out of 5?

I give it a 4!

Would I buy again? Yes

Eye brow pencil

As you can see from the above piccy, the eye brow pencil hasn't lasted very long. I have literally had to sharpen it every time I do my brows... in which case is... every day! This is because when you apply it, the substance is quite waxy and coats your brow instead of defining it. It takes a while to comb out the excess "gunk". Not a fan!!! It does last all day, after the hour it takes to perfect your brows, but I'd prefer to spend a bit more money to get a better quality product.

Marks out 5? 

I give it a 2!

Would I buy again? No

Well girls, I hope this has been helpful for you. Now you have a better idea of yays and nays for cheaper beauty products.

Signing out

Miss Dior

I cannot get enough of my new perfume. When it comes to perfume, I love the sweet, seductive tones, rather than the musks and woody ones and this fragrance is no different.  

There are so many different editions of Miss Dior, but the classic is my fav.

The Accords:

Rose

Floral

Citrus

Earthy

Patchouli 

Warm Spice

In 2012 the house of Dior renamed their Miss Dior Cherie Perfume (the original Miss Dior Cherie was launched in 2005) as MISS DIOR. This doesn't have any similarity to the original Miss Dior from 1947. In March earlier this year, the new MISS DIOR Eau De Toilette joined the collection aka my new fragrance.

The fragrance is romantic and feminine, which is everything Christian Dior stood for. The fragrance has fresh tones of Tunisian Neroli oil, but the heart of the perfume combines Bulgarian and Turkish roses. Base notes are Indonesian patchouli.

The face of the new fragrance is Natalie Portman, photographed by Tim Walker. Natalie wears a dress designed by Raf Simons that is a modern take of the famous original Miss Dior dress from 1944. 

Version on the original MISS DIOR Dress

The original MISS DIOR Dresss

I have had the pleasure of seeing for myself this beautiful creation in the V&A special exhibition. Nothing compares to the original, but the newly influenced dress created by raf Simons keeps true to the form and idea of the original.

I have a true love of the original Christian Dior collections and the man himself, so this perfume isn't just about smelling sweet, it embodies the fashion desires of Dior himself.

The man himself

Signing out