Month: August 2015

The perfect trim at home.

Getting your hair cut professionally is always going to guarantee you a good hair cut but sometimes there’s no time to get to the hairdressers and when you just want a trim to loose those scruffy ends I can’t see the harm in doing it yourself. I have very long, brunette hair which comes to almost my waist at the back, my hair is extremely thick so I have a couple of layers put in to lift the weight and a few slightly sorter pieces around the front to frame my face. I like me hair to be easy to wear and style, I like not having to worry about my hair or what it is doing during that day. This may not be the best technique for you and your hair type but if your hair is long then I’d give this a go.

You should always cut your hair immediately after washing when it is still damp as this makes it easier to get a clean cut. First of all I separate out the top section of my hair (from just above my ears) and clip it in a bun on top of my head out of the way, leaving the bottom section down. I then divide the bottom section into two and bring all my hair round to the front. I brush through the lengths of the hair to ensure they are smooth. I then clamp my hair between my first two fingers and draw down to about an inch before the ends; using sharp scissors I cut about 2cm off the ends of my hair. Always cut parallel to the ends of the hair to keep it even and consistent. Do this on both sides until you are satisfied the hair is even. By bringing all your hair round to the front and cutting it straight across this will result in the back being slightly longer than the front this helps it fall more naturally and give it a slight V shape.

Next take down the bun and again brush through the hair. Divide the top section into two, the top back section (the crown) and the top front section. Take the back section and gather all the hair up vertically from the head. Again clamp the hair between the first and second finger and drag through to the ends maintaining the vertical of the hair. Again snip about 2cm off the ends of your hair. Let go of the hair and let it fall into place. Cutting it vertically gives your hair layers with out horrible staggered straight lines, this way will give it a feathered softer finish.

Repeat this with the front section. I like to ensure the front section is a little shorted than the back to give me the framing pieces around my face. Afterwards I let it fall again and ruffle it up to see how it looks. It’s good to gather the top section up vertically one more time to check the hair is even through out.

That’s it! It’s that simple. Cut away the dodgy edges from the bottom section of hair and then do the same with the top section but vertically from the head, cut to a straight line and let it fall.

Crisp White Sheets.

White sheets always remind me of hotels- an enormous comfy bed with freshly laundered crisp white sheets. I have always been a bit hesitant about putting white sheets on my bed at home -what if I spill my morning coffee on the sheets or what if my mascara smudges on to the pillow case. Well I have finally decided now is as good a time as any for those fresh white sheets to make an appearance. They make the room look so much brighter, bigger and more inviting.

White bedding can be expensive but I nabbed these up in the sale for only £7 for a king size set in B&Q -not the first place I would have thought to find bedding but these ones feels like good quality and are nice and soft.

White bedding goes with any decor and is modern and chic. I feel it looks best when it’s creased and a bit scrumpled on the bed, it’s very minimal and gives it a more living in cozy look. You can dress the bed with some soft accents to go with the colour scheme of the room, maybe a knitted grey throw, or a fluffy blush pillow, or anything that brings a touch of the colour to the plain canvas that ties in with the rest of the room.

Using different textures in a room can really add depth particularly when using a minimal colour palette. Contrast your cushions and throws against your plain white bedding for added coziness. From left to right we have George Home Purple chenille throw £7, George Home Hippo oxford edge cushion £4, Matalan Mongolian Cushion £8, George Home Smoked cushion in silver £5.

    Mongolian Cushion (48cm x 48cm)

Chartwell Easy Care White Plain Kingsize Bed cover Set from B&Q reduced to £7

The Blues kitchen Shoreditch.

Last night Zac and I went to The Blues kitchen in Shoreditch for date night. It’s a gorgeous quirky bar and restaurant that serves American style BBQ and grilled food with live Blues music and a great range of cocktails and drinks. We booked a table for 7:30pm and were met with a bustling atmosphere and lovely people. The food was delicious; we had the Deluxe BBQ Sharer for 2 which came with the best rib of beef I have ever tasted!! The place had such a good vibe – it was decked out in a rustic industrial hipster est style with chesterfield sofas and tiled ceilings. I would highly recommend it to anyone after some good food in Shoreditch.

blues kitchen

The food was a competitive price for the amount you got and for the Shoreditch area. Cocktails cost around £9 each so a little pricey but for a one off occasion it is a lovely place to go. The frozen margaritas were amazing; frozen tequila, raspberry, grapefruit and lime juice -I could have drunk them all night.

bbq platter

A perfect place to go for meat lovers and cocktail drinkers.

Dress Down Khaki.

Yesterday I had the afternoon off work and my boyfriend’s family where down from Manchester. It was so nice to see them again, we met them for lunch in Kensington after some london site seeing we then got the river boat down the Thames to Cutty Sark for some delicious ice cream from Black Vanilla. It was such a lovely afternoon and the perfect start to the weekend.

I wanted something comfy and casual to wear so I paired a simple khaki cami from Newlook with Black rolled up Topshop Jeans, Asos leather sling back sandals, Newlook sunnies and my Pulsar watch.

dress down khaki

I really love these sunglasses. I picked them up yesterday after my old ones cracked. I never buy expensive sunglasses because I am forever loosing them, sitting on them or dropping and cracking them. These cost £3 in the Newlook sale. They are a simple black frame with black lenses, with a quilted texture on the arms and a grey inner frame. A steel for the price.

Check out the Newlook sale here: http://www.newlook.com/shop/sale/womens-sale_30082?intcam=INT-2015-16-WK16-HOME-ZBck-0027

A link to my post on Black Vanilla  https://katielouisaclarke.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/black-vanilla-2/