fashion

So Nails.

There’s nothing more girly than painting your nails. It looks so pretty and stops them breaking. Wack on some colour and look fabulous all week and then surprise yourself a week later with how much your nails have grown. Also a good colour on your nails finishes your look and makes you feel like you’ve made more of an effect even when you haven’t. Right now I am wearing Barry M Matte in Crush- its a dark burgundy berry colour- the matte finish is so sophisticated, in my opinion its just more subtle than the glossy finish making it more wearable. All the colours in their matte range are so nice and at £3.99 a bottle and often on offer with 3 for 2 they are definitely well worth a try.

Barry-M-Matte-Polish

Another nail vanish range I am in love with is Essie’s Autumn Collection- I know we are heading into spring but theres still plenty of time was those autumn shades. Essie is a little more expensive but the vanishes do last longer without chipping and the colours are so scrummy. I have Sew Psyched which is a neutral pale khaki tone.essie

A cashmere-soft sage pewter nail lacquer is perfectly suited to set off fall and winter styles. dressed up or down, this shade is sure to start a fashion frenzy.

Its something a little bit different and I think it goes really well with my skin tone and being neutral it goes with everything.

http://www.boots.com/en/Essie-Nail-Polish-Sew-Psyched-13-5ml_1347605/

http://www.boots.com/en/Barry-M-Matte-Nail-Paint_1388205/

The Bearded.

Beards are sexy as hell. There is nothing more manly than a man with a beard. Its that rugged, worn in, easy look that’s charming and so endearing. A smooth faced man is like a man with a high voice- luckily David Beckham has a beard to cancel out the latter and thank god in pictures you don’t have to hear him speak. And no girl likes face burn. To avoid that sore blotchy face from too many kisses there is one simple solution… just head straight for the bearded instead.

stubble

I watched the Oscars earlier this week. I think nearly every guy there was fully suited and booted and finished with a well groomed beard. My first prize would have to go Chris Pine-Who else; what a fine specimen of a man he is. But in at a very close second it would have to be Chris Evans- such beard perfection.

pine and evans

So dreamy. A good beard adds to the jaw line and frames the face. It should be trimmed under the cheek bones to create a clean line, similarly a straight line can be trimmed into the neck line, this gives a neat edge to the beard and keeps you looking polished and fresh.

In my opinion baby faces should be left for babies. Full stop. I’l just leave you with one final image of the ever so handsome Chris Pine. If the don’t share the same enthusiasum for a good beard then maybe Pine’s fine blue eyes will change your mind.

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Calvin Klein.

I adore a little bit of CK- If only I had the money to get to really enjoy their clothes! Their collections are always simply Clean cut, Minimal and Modern. But they carry a price tag to match.Main-Moss

More in my budget is their underwear range- So comfy and they look so good. Theirs nothing better to lounge around in the house in. Or for a casual weekend look keep it comfy with a loose over sized jersey top and jeans maybe show a little bit of that iconic branded elastic above your jeans or through a dropped arm whole vest.

On my wishlist next is this gorgeous set of Grey Dual Tone Bra and matching Briefs. Triangle bras are very in at the moment and that suits me fine- no uncomfortable under wire and unnecessary padding, they are so feminine and a splash from the past.grey dual bra set For me this Duel Tone set sits perfectly between aesthetic fashion underwear and sports underwear making it extremely versatile. A defiantly staple. The triangle shape frames the cleavage more so than the more traditional scoop neck sports bras, this means you can wear it under more as it doesn’t have those thick shoulder straps.
This set is still a lot to spend on two triangles of fabric but they are so gorgeous. I’m resisting the temptation to get them just yet. They are out of stock in a few stores but I’m waiting for a good student discount perk to come along so I snap them up for less.

Missguided Sale Haul.

Missguided have an extra 40% their sale items, ending soon! Before you dash off and bag yourself some bargains let me just show you what I found.
missguided

I was just after a few staple pieces that would lift the colours in my wardrobe to take me through into spring. Starting from the left I have Cerrie Zip Detail Waterfall Blazer in Grey- to help me ease out of the thick knitwear and into the more breezy tops, I love the grey colour making it very versatile and wearable with any colour. Next along is Avery Lurex Long Sleeve Top in Baby Pink- this is a lightweight top perfect to wear with jeans but it’s easy to dress it up because the lurex finish gives it a slight sparkle and is so pretty with its delicate texture at the same time- in my opinion you can never have too many boxy long sleeves tops; they go with everything. Then I have Taleasha ‘Basic T Shirt’ Slogan Top- I’ve seen a lot of these tops and normally I steer away from them but here I think you can’t go wrong stating the obvious in this oversized white T. And finally on the right I have Marrie Cropped Peg Leg Cropped Trousers in Black- These cropped trousers look great on this 5,11″ model but for me I was praying these trousers would be perfect ankle grazers- Fingers crossed. I love the high waist, most smart trousers are low rise but here they sit perfectly on the waist creating the illusion of longer legs which I can’t get enough of. These trousers could be paired with any of the other items I ordered as well as dressed up or down again very versatile.

There was one last piece I did resit from buying. It’s such a show stopper I was worried I wouldn’t get the wear out of it but just look at it!
missguided jumpsuit

Plunge Cut Out Tailored Jumpsuit in White. Its so gorgeous. I love the neck line and open back and the straight trousers keep it easy and clean. It would look stunning paired with a camel longline coat or go monochrome with some black stilettos and a black tote bag- I would have loved it but I have no where to wear such a stunner. It was originally £30 (which I don’t even think is a bad price) it then it dropped to £28 in the sale but with the extra 40% off it makes it £16.80. Such a bargain! If anyone has this jumpsuit or just loves it why don’t you leave a comment bellow- tell me what you think.

I am really pleased with my buys and hope you snap up some goodies too 🙂

And here is the link to the Missguided Sale. Happy Shopping!!
http://www.missguided.co.uk/sale

Pinterest.

I just wanted to talk a little bit about Pinterest. Firstly i think its amazing and for those of you who don’t know what it is or just haven’t created an account -let me give you the low down. Pinterest is a web application where you can store, save and share images, links and inspiration that you find anywhere on the internet. When you come across an article you want to read again later or a recipe you want to try for dinner or even an image that shows exactly how you want your hair cut Pinterest allows you to keep all these clippings together. Before i would bookmark some pages or save images to my laptop with Pinterest everything is now all in one place.

Pinterest is essential a pin board for the web. Read something you want to see again- just stick a pin in it.
As well as being able to Pin the things you are interest in, you can follow friends and bloggers and view their boards as well. You can then repin things you like to your own boards.

katie's pinterest

Here’s a snapshot of my Fashion Board. See, so easy and clear; everything I view, like and love in one place. If your redoing your bathroom or your after DIY tips and tricks Pinterest is perfect. Say you are getting your hair cut so you turn to google for some photo inspiration but you know when the images are just a little bit naff and out dated and just not quite what you are looking for. I garentee search the same thing on Pintrest and the images will be exactly what you are looking for. 
If you want to follow me and see where I get my inspiration from feel free the link is below.
And why not create an account and start your own board. Happy Pinning.

Get to know me.

me

I’m 20, a student and living in London. I always read blogs, possibly one of my favorites in Anouska Brandon http://www.anouskaproettabrandon.com/ I love her style, she keeps it simple with a lot of monochromes and clean lines. I just think she is great! I started a blog to have a place where I could put my thoughts on everything that matters to me, at the moment I’m not sure where this blog will go but you have to start some where.

I would describe my style as minimal, I wear a lot of neutral tones often with just a touch of colour, dark burgundies and forest green are great to play around with at the moment along with textures- I am all about textures right now- black on black can look so polished when you mix up the textures and fabrics: coated black jeans, a fine knit jumper and teddy bear coat all black but will look far from boring. Black is defiantly my go to look for winter, day or night black is perfect- you can always add a little splash of burgundy into the mix, maybe your nail polish or a cozy scarf and you are done. marble, wood + gold //

Along with fashion I love interiors. I am forever scrawling through Zoopla looking at the gorgeous apartments near by in London. I am not going to be able to afford them for years and years and years (if ever) but I look anyway. I judge a house on its kitchen, if it has a fuss free, modern, clean line kitchen, it makes it through the first round, I then move onto looking at living space and bedrooms and a modern stylish bathroom is a must. I always look to see how I would dress any space; dark woods, off white walls, warm neutrals with metallic accents screams understated class, that and huge floor to ceiling windows overlooking the London sky line sounds like my kind of place.

textureI did A levels in Art, Textiles and Photography, I have an eye for good composition and colours, at the moment I just wish I could do more with it but its hard to find the time but again minimal and abstract with an array of textures and I’m sold. Dance has always been a part of my growing up and I am currently in my 2nd year at Trinity Laban studying Contemporary Dance for my degree. It literally takes up all my time, I’m enjoying it but at the moment I feel there are so many artistic and creative paths that interest me I’m just hungry to get out into the real world and put them all into play.

Hopefully this has given you a little in site into who am I so please stay tuned for more posts to come

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Tone Tone Tone.

Fixing your hair colour used to cost you loads at the salon but now there is a whole range of different toners and colour correctors out there in your drug store and even supermarket.

If you are a brunette you will most probably have a natural warm, reddish undertone. In the sunshine your hair may have a reddish copper shine. The problem is when you start to lighten your hair this reddish pigment becomes more prominent and this is why your hair can sometimes turn out an awkward shade of orange. This is perfectly normal though and with the use of a toner you can balance out the orange colour with a purple pigment to cool it down and give it a more ash finish, this can also make your hair appear brighter and healthier because it be a more natural colour.

Purple toners are most commonly used to help achieve a platinum blonde colour, they are also used on grey and white hair to fight against yellow discolouration. These products work really well on lightened brunette hair too because it is the same principle- you want to remove the warm orange and yellow tones.

Toners are less damaging on your hair than hair dyes and colourants as they generally don’t contain ammonia or other harsh chemicals.

I would recommend Touch of Silver Twice a Week Brightening Shampoo. It is aimed at really light coloured hair such as platinum blonde and grey so its vibrant violet colour can course a colour build up and a purple tinge to the hair if over used but on my brunette hair I use it almost every time I wash my hair and it helps maintain my ash tone perfectly. This product is great. It is priced about £3 which is perfectly reasonable, it leaves my hair feeling strong and shiny and my hair even stays cleaner for longer plus it smells great. I can not fault this product! A definite staple shampoo for lightened hair. 

A similar product is Silver Shampoo by Bleach London it is more pricey at £5 a bottle and if I’m honest, has an unpleasant chemically smell and the results were no different to Touch of Silver. The product still works really well but when others are cheaper and have a nicer smell they are going to win every time in a comparison.

When lightening your hair, I believe it is important to work with your natural colour, don’t force it or dye it a new shade just lighten what you have and use toners such as purple shampoos to keep your hair looking bright, healthy and natural.

The New Shade of Brunette.

Ombre or Bayalage- Once you’ve tried it you will never go back .

Ombre is the perfect way to lift and brighten your hair with a soft and worn in, natural finish. It looks great on all hair colours, it is easy to maintain and simple to achieve at home. I am a dark brunette and this post is mainly aimed at similar brunettes but can similarly work on blondes and other shads. Everyone wants what they don’t have! Brunettes wish they were blonde, blondes want to go dark, if you have curly hair you wish it was straight and straight wish it was curly. It’s just the way it is. Lightening my hair has always played on my mind, this technique allowed me to lighten the colour of my hair without the worry of going a horrible allover orange colour with dark roots showing through (literally every brunettes worse nightmare when considering going blonde).

The trick, in my opinion is to start off subtly and build it up over time.Casting Sunkiss Jelly with Doutzen Kroes I started with Loreal’s SunKissed Jelly:

The product can be used on wet or dry hair. I chose to work on dry hair as you can really see where you are applying the product and have more of an idea of the finished look. I applied a generous amount to my finger tips and ran in through my hair, starting 2 to 3 inches from my roots and running it right to the ends, you don’t need to be too neat and careful. You ain’t looking to cover your whole head, it’s best to leave some hair untouched to add depth of colour to your look, just be sure to frame your face and concentrate most the the product around the front sections but don’t forget to apply some to the back lengths as well.

This product is great because it is gradual, just apply and leave it in. This allows you to build up the colour to achieve the shade you are after without going too far. I used this jelly 4 times over the space of 2 weeks before i was happy with the result, i had lifted the colour on the lower two thirds of my hair while maintaining a subtle transition with no lines or hard edges from the brunette at my roots.

You could leave it there… But for a more dynamic finish I chose to highlight over the top to give more depth of tone to the hair. For this i used Loreal Preference Glam Lights Kit, again on dry hair i used the comb applicator to paint the product into my hair in narrow strips, I focused this mainly on the bottom half  of my top layers and throughout the whole lengths of the underneath layers. I kept an eye on the lightening process and rinsed the product out after 20 mins. I was now left with a subtle fade into copper with dynamic high and low lights throughout.

The most important step now is Tone Tone Tone. check out my next post on the best ways to keep your ombre look bright and fresh.

Thanks again for reading x

ps. please like and follow me:)

Nike Roshe Run.

Nike brought out their Roshe Run collection early last year and they have proven they are here to stay. They are light weight comfortable and really mold to your feet due to its woven upper textile. They look great with anything whether your wearing them for the gym or just everyday they work great with skinny jeans or dress them up suit trousers. This minimal shoe work extremely well in black and white. Laura from Fashion Landscape seen in the image to the left has paired her Roshe’s with black skinny jeans, black high neck jumper, Toupe long coat and slouchy beanie for this wrap up, relaxed day time look.

2015 is well under way now and for me the Roshe Run winter in burgundy suede are a great way to add a splash of colour into your step. Whilst as spring gets ever closer to these light grey perforated Roshe’s are gorgeous and a great way to lift your outfit- these are way up there on my Wish List for this year and would be perfect with toupes, greys and distressed blue jeans.

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Roshe Runs are prices around the £70 mark. The Roshe Runs Winter are currently on Sale at £64.99 at Footasylum

The Perforated Roshe Runs are £74.99, again from Footasylum

http://www.footasylum.com/nike-womens-roshe-run-perforated-trainer-086715/

http://www.footasylum.com/nike-womens-roshe-run-winter-trainer-086711/