Vignette 005

So today I'm going to walk down to uni to pick up my first batch of results of third year. Really not looking forward to this. I dread receiving results more than doing the actual work or exam. I think I have such little self belief so I'd rather just live blissfully unaware!

I've got so much work to do, and I keep getting so distracted writing and taking photos for my blog, and reading other blogs that I just haven't been doing it! So I'm going to make myself this afternoon. Have an exciting article I need to finish writing for the uni magazine and website from an interview with my teenage faves, Feeder! On the guest list for their gig this week, super exciting!

Thank you guys so much for all your lovely feedback on my attempt at ombre hair. Now I can see you all approve, I think I will be a little more daring when I redo it! But I'll definitely be keeping it natural looking, as the general consensus seems to be that this is the best look!

Ombre Hair

Okay, so maybe it's not the most drastic of differences. But as most first time bleachers/dip dyers are, I was a little nervous. But I really like how it turned out! And now that I've been brave enough to do it for the first time, I may go over it again in the near future and go a little higher!

I used a high lighting kit I picked up in Wilkinsons by L'Oreal called Prefect Blonde Creme Maximum Bleaching Kit. I went for 'maximum' as it claimed that it can get your hair up to 6 tones lighter, which I thought was best for such dark hair like mine. I also picked up this tinting brush from Wilkos, which was only £1. I thought using this would help me create that dip dye effect.

Confession time! I didn't actually do this to my own hair! I did it to extensions! I would seriously recommend this if you're not keen on the idea of bleaching the tips of your own hair as this is a highly damaging process that will take a lot of after care to keep healthy. My ends are no good, and I knew if I bleached them it wouldn't be too long before I was getting 3 inches cut off and I just can't stand that thought! So, enter ebay!! I purchased these 20 inch 100g hair extensions for £29.99, which is a really good price. They delivered next day as well, which I was really impressed by!

Now here's a lovely photo of my bathroom floor, during attempt one at bleaching the tips! I organised my hair extensions into bundles and smothered on both sides with the bleach. I then wrapped them up in the tin foil (to keep in the heat) for half an hour, giving the tin foil a blast with my hair dryer after 15 mins. I unwrapped after 30 mins, and couldn't really see a considerable change, so I re-covered them, gave the tin foil another blast with my hair dryer and left for another 15 mins. I then went back to check again and decided I'd give them one finally going over with the hair dryer and another 10 mins. 

After this I unwrapped them and rinsed out the bleach in the sink. I then blow dryer to see how the colour had come out. I was happy that the colour had actually changed, because I couldn't believe how long I had to leave them for (considering the leaflet said to leave no longer than 30 mins. opps!) I'd ended up with a more chestnut brown, which I quite liked, but I wanted more gradient to the colour, so went back over the very tips and wrapped back in tin foil. I gave the foil a once over with my hair dryer and left for another 30 mins. I then rinsed and dried the hair again, and clipped them in to see how I liked it so far. I was pleased, but I'd created a bit of a straight line where I had applied the bleach initially. Damn. 

Back to the bathroom! I put about an inch and a half worth of bleach above where I had previously bleached the first time. I tried to make the edge softer by dabbing away with my tinting brush. I wrapped in tin foil once again, and got the old hair dryer out on them, and left for a final 30 mins.

Excuse the dodgy photo quality, but this was taken on my phone to send to my boyfriend after I'd finished! I think it shows the gradient I was trying to achieve quite well.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me through my long winded explanation of my ombre experience! I hope you like it!

Walk Like An Aztec

So here's the other lovely playsuit I got in the Ark sale, which was honestly the best sale I found online! (I think they've still got some lovely stuff on sale now!) I ended up basket-ing two playsuits from them, this Aztec print and another one in burgundy which I posted about a week or so ago.

I think this one is my favourite out of the two I brought. It caught my eye immediately when scrolling through their sale pages. This is my third playsuit I've brought from Ark, I picked one up in the summer in orange polka dots of holiday and honestly it was the best thing ever. I love the fit of them, they're so comfy and unrestricting. 

I'm also wearing my amazing studded ring from Topshop in the sale for just £2.50, reduced from £10! Now they're the savings I like to make!! I love it, it's so cool and different. Totally unlike the jewellery I usually go for.

I'd just like to mention a lovely thank you to a wonderful follower of mine, Laura from Dreams and Dresses who has awarded me the 'Kreativ Blogger Award'! This is my third award in a week so I'm feeling pretty blown away right now. I so so appreciate all my followers support, you actually are the nicest people. And a big thank you once again to Laura, you have a beautiful blog. 

Finally, I am currently in the process of ombre-ing my hair! I'll do a post on it tomorrow...depending on whether it comes out okay that is...   

Queen Of Hearts

This is my new favourite shirt from Primark, and my new favourite jeans from Dorothy Perkins. Sorry for the a$$ shot, but it was the only way I could think to photograph the jeans. I love love this shirt, I always get the best compliments on it when I wear it. It's so eye catching, and so Spring. So basically it's got me so excited for some sunshine. I'm sick of having the heating on and layering up like a biatch! I love the coral of the collar and the buttons against the white and black print of the shirt. This shirt is a perfect example of all the gorgeous things Primark have got in their Spring line! Ohhh I love Primes! If only I had more money to blow in there!

These jeans are like insanely comfortable, I need to invest in like every colour they sell. I love them so much, and I'm so picky with jeans so when I find a pair I like it's a big deal to me! Plus, how cutie are my rings? My really good friends make them! If you're interested, tweet them here.

I also want to add special thanks to one of my lovely followers from Jenny's Little Box of Gems who has nominated me for another Versatile Bloggers Award! Since I've just done a post for my first one, I'm not gonna do the whole post again, but thank you to Jenny! I really appreciate it! 

Vignette 004 Blog Award

I picked up these glasses with my boyfriend in Primark the other day. We both got a pair as our friends are having an OAP themed bingo night as a fundraiser soon! But I couldn't resist having a play with them before hand, they're just so huge!

Excuse the cray face, but I'm super excited to have received a 'Versatile Blogger Award' from one of my wonderful followers: Bracelets & Bangles. It's so nice to receive some recognition from my followers! I also want to mention that the amazing Katy from Caught Up In Cake posted me as her blog of the week, which I was pretty chuffed about too! 

As I've received this award , it's now my duty to share seven facts about myself with you, and then pass on the award to fifteen other blogs I think are worthy of it.

001. I check my blog stats constantly. I think I'm getting a little obsessed with this whole blogging thing! 

002. I'm an obsessive cleaning freak. I can't stand clutter or things being out of place around the flat for too long.
003. I'm graduating from university this year, and I'm terrified of living life in the real world, with a real job. Sometimes I think I'll just stay at Thorntons!
004. I love my soaps way too much, and shout at the tv more than any normal person should.
005. I didn't get my ears pierced till I was 20 years old, because I was way too much of a scaredy cat.

006. I have a silly obsession with Hello Kitty, which I think most girls do these days. I've tried my best to tone it down now that I'm living with my boyfriend, but I just love that damn Kitty so much!

007. I love my little hamster, Mimi almost as much as I love my boyfriend. I'm very content with my little family right now.

Blogs I nominate for the 'Versatile Blogger Award':

Rebecca-Louise at Autumn Leaves - Rebecca at Be Beautiful - Carrie at Beauty: Not Just Skin Deep - Rebecca-Monique at Blaque Pearl - Blue October - Katy at Caught Up In Cake - Lizzie at Cupcakes & Cosmetics - Laura at Dreams and Dresses - Eloise at I Need More Clothes - Stephanie at Influence - Ysis at Le Beauty Group - Emma at Oh Really? - TeefeyLee at Pretty Things - Erika at Retro Flame - Paula at The Brantastic Life   

Rules of Versatile Blogger award: Thank the blogger who nominated you in your post, list seven facts about yourself that your followers may not know, then nominate fifteen blogs for the award.

Revlon Colorstay Soft & Smooth Lipstick

This lipstick is heaven in a tube, no doubt. I literally went 'ohh!' when I put it on for the first time. This is legit the softest thing I have ever put on my lips, and that includes all the many lip balms I have tried and tested over the years. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I do have trouble when it comes to lippy. I can never seem to get my lips into good enough condition to make any lipstick look half decent. But, recently I think I've got a little more savvy when it comes to choosing lipsticks, and I struck gold with this little beauty!

I brought this colorstay in shade 345 Red Velvet. I do like a little red lippy every now and again! I picked this up on ebay, as insanely Revlon seem to have discontinued the line, and replaced it with a liquid lipstick? They've got all sorts of colours online, so I think I may have to invest in a few more shades! 

I seriously recommend looking on ebay when you're looking to try something new but don't want to break the bank!

Peter Pan

Oh my god, a million times over. I love this dress. This is what I wore to uni on Thursday, and without wanting to sound too boastful, I really liked this outfit. This dress is the comfiest thing ever. It's from the online shop, Romwe and only ended up costing me £19.79!! (20% off first purchase promo) The dress is really thick, like sweatshirt material? So, perfect for these chilly months! I forgot to photograph it's length, but it hits a few inches above the knee, I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to wear it without leggings or thick tights! 

I wore my leather jacket and faux fur stole from New Look with the dress to harden it up a bit. I really like the combination, I think I worked it well!! My rings are from ebay, you can read about them in this previous post.

Just want to give a little mention to all the followers I gained over the past week. Thanks so much for following, I really appreciate it!

Vignette 003

Had a lazy day today, so fancied trying out my photoshop skillz. Adore this shirt from Lavish Alice.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Luscious Long Deep Treatment

I am in constant turmoil with my hair. I most definitely have a love/hate relationship with it, as I think most girls do with their hair. My hair's been through a lot of thermal abuse through out its 21 years, and I really don't get it cut anywhere near as often as I should. So, keen on keeping the mids and lengths of my hair as soft as I can, I picked up a bottle of Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle Luscious Long Deep Treatment from Superdrug. It's currently on offer for £3.49, so I had to grab it. In the past I've always picked up the sachets when I've felt my hair was in need of a treat, so it's nice to finally have a lovely big bottle of the stuff! 

I've been using it for the past week or so, replacing my usual TRESemmé Thermal Recovery conditioner during every other wash. It's important not to use a deep conditioning treatment every time you wash your hair, as you don't want your hair to become dependent on the product. The product smells so yummy, it has a beautiful fresh, sweet scent to it. It's consistency is fairly thick, and has an extremely silky feel to it as your rub it through your hair. I usually leave it in whilst I shave my legs and wash my face in the shower, leaving it to work it's 'miracle' on my split ends! My hair does feel significantly softer after I use this Aussie deep treatment. After blow drying, the lengths of my hair feel much less brittle. I'm hoping if I continue using this product as I have been, there will be a much more permanent improvement. Well, at least until I give in to the inevitable and finally get my hair cut!  

Burgundy Playsuit

This weekend I went away with some friends to a fund raiser that some other friends of mine were holding. It was a great night, and a lot of money was raised so well worth the trip. It was an eventful evening to say the least, but nevertheless, this is what I wore.

The play suit is a lovely little bargain I picked up from Ark's sale of £11! I love their play suits, they're all so comfy and fit lovely. I thought this one was really versatile as it's burgundy colour was very Wintery so could be dressed with tights and a blazer, as I did. My blazer is from H&M, I picked it up in September for £14.99 but they still sell it. It's such a useful little blazer, and the material's so soft. The lace up shoe boots are from New Look, I absolutely adore these, I wear them all the time. They're so comfy and so so cute, I'm really just in love with them. I'm considering picking them up in the tan shade too before they stop stocking! They were only £24.99 which I think is a great price for a pair of wedges. 

I just want to point out that I picked up a few jewellery bargains from Topshop the other day that I was really proud of, including one of the rings I'm which I'm wearing on my index finger above. This one was originally £10 reduced to £1.50. Oh, I love a good bargain!

Glitter Tips

This was a quick idea I had last night. I was in desperate need to re-do my nails, they were so chipped and nasty! I was just going to paint them and leave it at that, but I couldn't just leave it - that was too boring for me! So after painting with another of Primark's UV varnishes (haha), I took some Wilkinson's double sided tape that we got with a Christmas puppet kit! I used this tape because it was a thin role and it seemed like it wouldn't be that sticky as it came with a children's craft kit. I lined them up over each nail tip, like you would do if you were doing a French manicure and just painted away with my Barry M Limited Edition Glitter Nail Paint. I did a couple coats on the tips so the glitter stood out. When removing the tape it did pull some of my nail varnish off, so it probably wasn't the best thing to use! But I was improvising so was good enough for me! I pretty pleased with how it came out, I think it's a bit different.

Student's Wishlist

Well, for most students, when student loan arrives, the most holiest of days in the student calendar; it's a celebratory event. But my sad reality is that, my loan just covers my rent, and my boyfriend and myself need food to survive, so no blowing the big bucks in Primark for me this term! Hours are short at work, so looks like wish lists are all that's left for me! Don't you worry though, as soon as I scrape the pennies together I'll get spending!

001. HOW CUTE IS THE DRESS! Sob sob sob, I really like this lace number. Ohh, and it has a neck tie as well. It has my name written all over it, and this is definitely at the top of my list at the moment! I was sent a 20% off code from Ark over Christmas, so as soon as my moment of weakness hits I'll be making the most of that!

002. I've got a real thing for faux items lately. My obsession with faux fur is still going strong, and now it's extending onto leather. Alas, these leggings are £40 from River Island. They'd look so nice with a flowy white blouse, nothing beats a bit of monochrome. 

003. Romwe is a newish online shop I've discovered, but practically everything on their website is right up my street. Navy is definitely one of my favourite colours to wear, plus I love the white collar popping out. But what I love the most is that it's made out of satin. How nice would they look with the leather leggings on an evening out? 

004. I'm a sucker for animal print, I have a major weakness for it. I think it may have something to do with my admiration for the Kardashians. I love these shoe boots, I mean how mega are they? I love wedges too, so much more comfortable.

005&6. I love my rings, especially cute eye catching ones like this little bunny. Plus I always wear gold jewellery, I don't know why but I always seem to avoid silver. Gold and bronze are the one. This marble double cross ring is so so cute. It's so different and I'm really into those double rings at the moment. Unfortunately, I'm under the understanding that £10 is a bit silly for a ring. One daaayyy... 

January Beauty Box

I was so excited to receive my first Beauty Box in the post yesterday, it just made a good day even better - for the first time in a while! The theme of this month's box was 'New Year, New You' which I really like the idea of. The whole box is themed around rejuvenation and 'starting over' which I think we could all do with a dose of after a heavy Christmas and NYE!

To start off with we've got Phyto's PhytoBaume Color Protect Express Conditioner designed to detangle and improve manageability. It's created for coloured hair, which is a shame as I don't colour my hair. I really wish they would have sent out samples of the regular express conditioner by Phyto. Howvever, after reading descriptions of the product online; "Grapefruit Extract & Hibiscus Flower Acids seal the cuticle to give lustrous, shiny hair and Mallow Extracts & Castor Oil nourish and protect" it sounds like such an intense conditioner, so I think I'll give it a shot anyway. I've dyed my hair extensions too, so may be nice to use on those to help lock in the colour and keep them soft!

Next we have Deep Sea Spa's Salt Brushing, which contains anti-oxidising Vitamin E, Coconut oil to nourish and of course Dead Sea salts. This 'salt brush' is meant to 'deeply hydrate, repair and soothe your body and mind', which sounds right up my street. And as it's their best selling product, I'm really excited to try it out!

Caudalie's Nourishing Body Lotion is a useful little sample tube of a very milky, lightly scented moisturiser. Illegibly, it's suppose to encourage micro-circulation and help prevent premature skin ageing - a prospect I am very wary of! I am very sceptical of products that I put all over my body, as I have sensitive skin. Therefore, I think I'll keep this tube in my bag as a handy moisturiser on the go, and hopefully it'll keep my hands looking young at the same time!

Next, a tiney tiny sample of Lierac's Comfort Peel. Anything with the word 'peel' in scares me a little if I'm honest. But nevertheless, this 'renewing cream' is meant to provide you with a 'new skin effect', which sounds pretty brilliant. It's another wrinkle preventer, but I can't seem to find anything about it on Feel Unique's site, so I'm presuming it's like a peely face mask? Please let me know if you work this one out, otherwise spose I better just slap it on and hope for the best!

This Works Clean Skin Daily Wash is so nice! I used it in the shower today on my face and it just smells so clean and I could really feel a difference in my skin after using. It's consistency is lovely as well, when you squeeze it out the bottle it's like a foam but it's actually quite creamy, it's hard to describe! It has frankincense in it, which I was really just amazed by, I've never heard of a product that has that in it! Fancy! This would definitely be a product I would repurchase after I run out of my sample.

And last, but by no means least. This is the product I'm probably most excited about, Lierac's Creme Mesolift Anti Ageing. The cream claims to be “THE ultimate anti-fatigue cream for the skin, based on THE mesolift cocktail used by doctors to energise, replump and illuminate the skin." You're never too young to start defending yourself against wrinkles, and as a 21 year old girl I'm keen to ward off any premature signs of ageing. I believe taking the steps now will make a huge difference in the future, so I'm really excited to start using this product as it sounds amazing and smells nice too!

Overall, it's a lovely selection and I really like the idea behind this month's theme. But it doesn't wow me, and most of the products aren't the kind of stuff I would normally be inclined to pick up. The products are all high end, but no full size items this month which is a disappointment, if only I'd signed up for the Christmas Beauty Box. All the same, I am looking forward to trying out all my items and giving myself a well needed pamper!

Hologram Hexograms

I love doing my nails, I really do. Here I used Barry M's 'Hologram Hexograms' which was a bargain £2.99! I really didn't get on with this glitter varnish very well at all when I first brought it. It's tough to get an even spread of glitter and it comes off the brush quite sparsely onto your nails. I think my disappointment was in the fact that it just didn't turn out on my nails how I imagined it would. Really, this is a great glitter polish; you just need to know how to use it right. 

The key is, you've got to blob it! That sounds a bit ambiguous I imagine, but it's really simple. Wipe the brush off on the edge of the pot so there's not too much product on the brush, then just dot the glitter about until you feel you have enough of your nail. Doing it this way does mean you get a lot of clear varnish glooped onto your nails which does dry a little uneven, but tried and tested it does feel like the only way to use this glitter! Having lots of clear top coat on isn't necessarily a bad thing anyway; it will protect your nails from chipping for a little longer!

Underneath is just a cheap Primark nail varnish I picked up that was on sale before Christmas. It looked like a burgundy shade to me in the bottle, but in different lights it goes between a deep red and purple. Either way, I really like it, it has a lovely warm depth to it. It is a 'UV' nail polish, which I find quite funny. Reminds me of going to gigs when I was 15 years old and being so excited at how all the white bits on your clothes would illuminate under the UV lights!

Anniversary

Today was my two year anniversary with my wonderful boyfriend; my whole world! So we went into Birmingham and had an extremely yummy dinner at Las Iguanas. We'd never been before, and my god was I impressed. Recommend the enchiladas to everybody!

Anyway, I wore this new top from Primark, which I think is just so cute. Love the navy blue, love the broderie lace, love love the peter pan collar. Majorly crazy for collars at the moment. Think the top was only £6. And, well, if you're going to shop in Primark, you might as well get a bargain!

I also wore my new Dorothy Perkins jeans which I'm pretty crazy about. Super skinny and black. Sounds so basic and boring but I'm such a fussy floozy with jeans, so when I come across a good pair it's pretty much a Christmas miracle. I also managed to get into a size smaller comfortably which is amazing after how much I stuffed my face recently. So, that was a double blessing!

Got my fancy watch on I got for my 21st, don't ask me anything about it because I know nothing about watches. I just know it's shiney and pretty. And then there's my cross double finger ring, which is just my favourite thing really.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara

So, in an attempt to mix things up a bit from my usual Body Shop Big and Curvy which I've mentioned in previous posts as being my favourite mascara ever, I thought I'd try a classic. Benefit's Bad Gal is well known, and I've come across it many times over the years but never took the leap in trying it out myself. So I decided to treat myself.

The mascara comes in at £16.50, but I'm sure you can find it online for less. The brush is large, intended to create voluminous lashes. It's definitely one of the biggest wands I've ever come across when using mascara, and although it does create length quite well, I find the brush hard to control. I'm pretty used to the thin, rubbery wand that comes with the Big and Curvy which is really easy to manoeuvre, and I feel like I can reach all my lashes, top and bottom, with ease. With Bad Gal, I find it harder to reach into the inner corners of my eyes. However, the large brush does work well on the outer lashes.

The formulation of the actual mascara is not as waxy, and well, clumpy as I usually like it. I realise that maybe I don't look for what most normal people may look for in a good mascara, but I enjoy heavier mascaras that instantly define your lashes. Nevertheless, I would definitely use Bad Gal as a day time mascara, when I wasn't going for too  heavy a look. Saying that though, I have found using Bad Gal as a base coat, then building upon it with my new Collection 2000 Pump Up The Volume creates the much darker, defined look that I'm looking for. For most girls, this is the usual trick to lengthening and adding volume to your lashes; using multiply mascaras.  

Overall, I do like this mascara, but it's not everything I thought it would be. I don't know if I have silly expectations, or if I'm just far too in love with Big and Curvy. If you're simply looking to add a little length then this mascara will really suit you. However, I do not doubt you can find similar mascaras, if not better for much less money. I do feel like Pump Up The Volume that I mentioned before is just as good if not better, with the same kind of large wand. At the end of the day, I don't think I'll be repurchasing when this one dries out. 

Stud

I brought this shirt back in December from Select. I just love everything about it. Some of you may remember it from my rainy day wish list. From what I remember, it was £14, and £14 well spent. I love the collar, the sheerness, the gem studs and most of all the length. It has a loose fit round the mid section and covers the bottom nicely!

I actually wore this shirt on new years eve teamed with a velvet blue pair of leggings my brother got me for Christmas from Dorothy Perkins. I'll have to get pictures up of them soon, because they are seriously the best things ever!

My bow ring is from ebay and the other is from my favourite jewellery shop ever, Muse. If you have one where you live you should definitely make the most of it, they're always jam packed with amazing jewellery and at such amazing prices!