Outfit post #1

I realised earlier in the week that I hadn't actually done an outfit post in about 3 weeks, woopsie. I've also decided to try and do more outfit posts, so I'm starting a fresh (as the name of this post suggests).

So here's what I wore today. I've had a very lazy day today, having my only lecture and seminar at 3pm today, so I didn't actually get ready to go out till about half 1 this afternoon, lazy I know! 

I decided to wear a top that I've had in my wardrobe for a good few years, however I hardly ever wear it. It is a cream thin knit jumper that I found in a charity shop in my home town. When I first got it, I decided to cut the top of it to make it an off the shoulder jumper. It was about £3 from a local Barnardos.  

I wore this with a green camisole underneath, just because this shirt is quite see through, I then tucked the camisole into my high waisted Jamie jeans from Topshop in burgandy (£40). I really need these jeans in black as well, they are just so comfortable! They feel more like a jegging but they are thicker which is always nice.  

I also wore my Topshop leather boots (£45) which I've had for about a year now. 

I decided to wear this outfit with this gorgeous necklace* my sister bought me for my birthday. You can change the shape of the fan, by spreading it further apart and closer together until it becomes a closed fan. I prefer it spreaded out like this, as it looks more like a statement piece. I also love the colours used within the fan - the marbling effect means you can wear this with so many different outfits. 

I also wore this ring which I bought from Forever 21 about two years ago, it cost me $4, as I was in Florida when I first found this awesome store! It is a shame because it is the kind of metal that gives you a green finger, but because it's so big you can't see the effect until you take it off. I think it goes well with the necklace as it looks semi-precious and the gold is similar. 

I also wore my Michael Kors watch* which I received off my parents for my 21st birthday, I love this watch so much. The rose gold is perfect, as I'm not a fan of silver or gold watches. The face is so simple and elegant I just can't get enough of wearing this watch. 

I love the subtle details on the watch, from 'Michael Kors' embossed on the clasp to a tiny 'MK' on the side dial (the one to change the time). I think this watch is so classic and beautiful which means I can check the time whenever instead of taking my phone out every 5 minutes! 

All together I really love my outfit today, and may start wearing that jumper more and more, instead of leaving it to hang in my wardrobe!

x

MaryJaneFashion facebook giveaway

Over on the MaryJaneFashion facebook page there is a giveaway taking place, to win your choice of blouse to go with a knitwear item of your choice as well. Which is brilliant, because blouses and jumpers go so well together and they have a big range of different knitwear options to go with the blouses. I had a look on their website and here is my combination of shirt and jumper that I would chose if I was lucky enough to win. 

I decided to pair the wine colour with a simple cream mid-sized knit as I think it was a nice contrast and the red shade looks stunning against a simple cream tone. I love the studded collar of the shirt as it adds a bit of an edge to the otherwise simple outfit. I would probably wear this with a pair of black leather Chelsea boots or a pair of vans. 

What are you waiting for, the competition last for 12 days and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards. Enter here and you might be in with a chance of winning your perfect combination!

x

  

John Frieda - Precision Foam Colour 6.5C - Lightest Copper Brown

*text and photo heavy* - sorry.

I have been dying my hair since the age of 14, I used to use non-permanent dyes as they are better for your hair. A few years ago I changed to the permanent dyes, as it was just less hassle than seeing my colour fade after a few washes. I have always dyed my hair a red shade, as I am naturally Auburn, I would never dye my hair black or blonde, as I think the warm shades go better with my skin tone. With using a lot of different hair dye kits - from Loreal to Nice and Easy to Live salon style all of which have their merits and their flaws. I had never used this hair dyes before and after a long debate over which brand and colour to go for, I finally chose the JF one in lightest copper brown (C 6.5). I bought it from Boots for £9.99, which is a pain because it has now has 1/3 off making it £6.66! Bargain, seeing as it is quite a luxury brand when it comes to hair care.

Inside the box

I love the bottles in the JF hair colour range, simple but it makes it seem so much more luxurious than the standard cheap thin gloves and the squeezy bottles.

The box contains : 

-Bottle of developer 

-Bottle of colourant 

-Bottle of conditioner

- Pair of black thick gloves

- A foaming nozzle

- A instruction manual

How to

First of all I poured the bottle of colorant into the bottle of developer. The colourant had a very strong smell of chemicals, stronger than many of the colourants I've used before. 

I then replaced the lid and 'tilted' the bottle 5 times as instructed, I wasn't sure about this method, as it didn't seem to mix as well as the usual method of shaking it does. However I went by the instructions just in case, I didn't want to mess it up!

I then replaced the lid with the foaming attachment, and put the gloves on. I was impressed with these gloves and they were tight and also quite thick. This raised hope in the fact I wouldn't be left with stains all over my hands. 

There was no need to wash your hair, so I then proceeded to squeeze the bottle to produce the foam onto my hand, ready for application. The foam seemed different in colour, as if it wasn't completely mixed through. I used this to apply to my roots and left it on for 10 minutes, which I always do with colourant. I was told by a hairdresser at RUSH hair salon to always leave at home colourant on your roots for 10 minutes and then apply it to the rest of your hair. So it doesn't go 'brassy' at the ends, so I took her advise again. 

After this initial 10 minutes I started applying it to the rest of my hair. I was worried when half way through I looked at the bottle and it only had 2cm left of colourant. This made me uneasy about if I was going to be able to finish my whole head, as I have quite long hair. I carried on going as I didn't just want to give up, half a head of different hair colour is not a good look!

I was pleasantly surprised however to be able to complete my whole head and still have a lot of product left! I suppose when the liquid is converted into foam it used less colourant, which means even if you have longer hair than me, you will only need one bottle! 

I then left it on for another 10 minutes to develop, then I rinsed it out, which took a while as usual as I have quite thick hair (need it cut basically). I then applied the conditioner that is supplied with the hair colourant kit. It smelt really nice, fresh and fruity. 

My hair afterwards... Drum roll please.

Ok so the roots are a different colour, which I was a tad disappointed about. However this is under the super bright lights in my room so in daylight it's not as obvious. 

I think this is because when I was applying the foam it was not the same colour throughout, going from white foam to light orange to deep orange. So if I decide to go for this colour next time I will make sure I 'tilt' the bottle more than the recommended 5 times! 

My hair is also in bad condition as I desperately need a hair cut (not being able to afford one since July 2012). I regularly use deep conditioners and hot oils, but after using this colourant on it is was left in a pretty bad state. I have bought some new deep conditioners which I shall be doing a review of, as I used it a few days after dying my hair. So keep your eyes peeled. 

I think I will use this hair colourant again because it has given my hair a nice deep colour, seeing as I already have red in my hair it clung onto that and enhanced it. I would love to get my hair dyed in a salon all the time however it is just too expensive for my student budget to handle. 

x

Liebster award!

Thank you to the lovely Emma, over at Miss Baigent for tagging me for a Liebster award, which is great. Thanks again :)

What is the Liebster Award?

The Liebster Award is given to new bloggers with less than 200 followers and therefore helps promote and support those bloggers nominated.

The Rules:

-Nominees must link back to the blogger who awarded them.

-If nominated, write '11 Random Facts' about yourself!

-Answer the 11 questions the person who nominated you wrote for you.

-Come up with 11 new questions to be answered by 11 new nominees.

11 random facts about me:

1. I have three cats (Pickle, Fizz and Turbo) and a dog called Millie. They get along really well, funnily enough.
2. I wear glasses, which I haven't changed in ages, they have a scratch on them from about 2 years ago. Need to sort it out really.
3. I'm in my second year of my uni degree at Southampton Solent.
4. I was going to go to Brighton Uni, to do photography but I decided to take a year out instead, then I applied to Southampton Solent to do a fashion journalism course.
5. I went to Florida in 2010 and every day I want to go back. One day I will!
6. I worked full time for a a year and a half at John Lewis, which was fun but went part time when I got into Uni.
7. I love cheese, mainly cheddar, but not 'mouldy cheese'
8. This year I have been diagnosed with Dyslexia and borderline Dyspraxia. I managed to go 90% of my education without any help, well done me?
9. I had to Google how to spell Dyspraxia.
10. I have a boyfriend, who is lovely and has been around for about 2 and a half years now. :)
11. When I was a kid I used to run around my garden in a pair of goggles. Weird right?

Here are my answers to the questions Emma set.

1. How long have you been blogging for?

Just over a year, I started on January 4th 2012. 

2. What is your ultimate career goal in life?

Oh jeez, I have no idea. I would like to be successful in whatever I choose. Something creative, maybe page design or visual merchandising. Not 100% sure yet. 

3. What's your favourite shop?

Topshop, or Paperchase (Stationary geek)

4. Who influences your fashion style?

I don't have a particular person who I emulate or take influences from. I do like looking at other peoples style though. But I don't specifically go out to look like them. 

5. Favourite film?

I have so many, Harry Potter (all of them) used to watch it all the time when I was a kid and know every single word from the first film. Notting Hill is another favourite, and it helps that it's on ITV2 most of the time.

6. Katie price vs Peter andre?

Neither, sorry.

7. Whats the most expensive clothing/shoe you've ever bought?

My suit I used to wear for work, it's a navy three piece from Reiss. With my clothing allowance at work it still cost me over £200, along with a crisp white Reiss shirt and a pair of black heels from Nine West. Ouch!

8. What's your guilty pleasure food?

Probably a good bowl of egg fried rice. I love rice. I know it's not really a guilty pleasure, but I couldn't think of anything else...erm chocolate is quite a guilty pleasure. Not together though. 

9. What's your idea of a perfect sunday afternoon?

Chilling out with my boyfriend, eating probably. 

10. What do you plan to do for your next birthday?

I've only just turned 21! It's a ages away (December 26th), so I have no idea, something fun hopefully :)

11. If there was an apocolypse, and you had time to grab ONE thing from your house what would it be?

My dog, she's my favourite. 

My nominees are:

Secrets of a Fashion Girl 

Hampshire Style 

Granny Gee

East End Meets Essex 

Diary of a Fashion Fanatic

Daisy 

SMK Stlye

and these are my questions to those tagged!

1. What's your favourite item of clothing?
2. Why did you start your blog? 
3. What would you like to achieve in your career?
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
5. What is your favourite shop?
6. List 5 beauty products could you not live without?
7. What is your favourite season for fashion?
8. If you could be any animal what would you be? 
9. If you were given £2,000 where would you spend it and on what? 
10. Most visited website?
11. Pizza or pasta?

x

Come on ladies, come on ladies, one pound earrings

Terrible pun I know! But it's OK just ignore it 

Here's another set of bargain buys from EverOurs, I swear I've fallen in love with that shop! I can't seem to go on their website without finding at least one thing I want. The other day was no exception where, I found these on there for £1, yes one pound! 

I saw them and died, they are perfect, and I don't usually wear earrings. They usually hurt my ears and I take them off half way through the day, but these are not painful at all. For some reason they do not irritate my ears, which is amazing. 

I was a bit hesitant in buying them, as I wasn't sure what effect they would have on my sensitive ears, but I thought what the heck they're a pound! So when they came through the post, in the beautiful pink tissue paper I've come to know and love, I instantly put on the black triangle scull ones on, and didn't want to take them off. It felt odd wearing earrings seeing as I never do but I got used to them, and even forgot they were there. Only remembering when my boyfriend, commented about them being a nice change from my usual, no earring state. 

I then wore these gold triangle ones on a night out and I just love how they are simple but effective. The gold looks really nice against my ginger hair, next time I think I'll wear my hair up with these as they need to be shown off! 

These earrings are really versatile, as you can wear them with a casual outfit, to give it the extra edge, or you could wear these with a nice evening dress to give it a bit of character. (Not that I ever have anywhere to go in a evening dress; but a girl can dream!)

x

L'Oreal Color Riche 'Metallic Coral' Review

£8.16* Feel Unique.

I don't usually wear lipstick as my lips are chapped and I think using lipstick will only make them dryer and in even worse condition, however this Color Riche by L'Oreal claims to be 'enriched with a combination of Omega-3 oils and vitamin E and helps to protect your lips from drying' (taken from the L'Oreal website). So after being gifted if I decided I would try it out. The colour I have is 407 - Metallic Coral, and is a beautiful colour, at first I wasn't sure if it would suit me, however I recently wore it on a night out and I think it just completed my overall makeup look.

It applied really smoothly even over my horribly chapped lips and it was a nice even colour, the metallic qualities made it vibrant and wasn't very subtle, however it was good for a night out.

It stayed on all night, I did reapply it a few times however it didn't really need reapplying even after having a few drinks. It was more of a lip stain than a lipstick, which is always a good thing when you're drinking out of a glass, you don't want it coming off and leaving you with horrible looking lips. So thank you L'Oreal for giving me faith in lipsticks.

I would purchase this lipstick but maybe in a lighter shade for the daytime as I think this is too bold for me to wear in the daytime. 

x

I'm shoe obsessed #2

I couldn't love Sole Trader more than I do right now! I bought these beauties for £17.10 in the sale plus student discount, which is amazing, since they were £35 full price and I've wanted some shoes like this for what seems like forever. I finally have them, it must be the year of the shoe, in my world. 

They have quite a high wedge and platform at the front which is great, because I'm not the tallest of girls (5 foot 3ish) so it gives me my much needed height! They are also a suede, again like my Lita dupes, but they are a coarser suede which is nice.

I love the detail at the front of the shoe, it gives the shoe a different texture. They are comfy to wear, however I haven't actually worn them outside my house yet, will have to sort some outfits out to wear with them first. Unfortunately I can't wear them at the moment, I don't think they will do very well in the snow!

x

Lip Saver

Blistex - Intensive Moisturiser. - £2.63 Boots

I bought this lip balm on a whim, as I had never seen it before, and I'm so glad I did. I'm really surprised how good it is, it's called intensive moisturiser and it really is intensive, it gives a slight tingling sensation when it's applied; so you know it's working, and has a great peppermint flavour. As well as staying on for a long time, meaning it protects for a long time. 

I have been using this for a while now and I can honestly say it has made my lips in a lot better condition, than they were. Especially with this cold weather it really has protected them against the icy wind. The only thing with lip balms is you have to apply them regularly to keep your lips in good condition, I'm hoping that after I use this my lips won't be go back to their original condition. So far it's been okay, when I haven't applied it for a few hours, so fingers crossed!

Has anyone got any recommendations on lip balms/moisturisers?

x

There's No Day Like A Snow Day

Just a few Instagram photographs from the snow day today...

The best dog in the world having fun in the snow in my back garden, just before she tried to 'help' me build me snow man...where she just dug it up instead. She's such a cutie and she loved the snow, seeing as it's her natural habitat.

Me after taking Millie out for a snow walk, with my dad. It was still snowing when we went out and even with a hat on my hair still got drenched. Forgot snow was actually wet...I'm not the brightest. 

The jumper I'm wearing is a cream jumper with a moustache on it (a present from my parents for Christmas) with a tank top underneath; for warmth. Also I wore my burgundy Topshop jeans, two pairs of socks and my pair of second hand Doc Martens, which are amazing in the snow! Unlike wellies they kept my feet warm, and comfortable as well as keeping them dry and giving grip on the snow. 

This is part of my garden and the marsh behind my house, this morning after waking up. The urge to stand on my neighbors shed roof and make footprints was too much, but I managed to resist, mainly as I couldn't get to the roof...

I hope you've all had a great snow day, full of snow obviously and you all kept warm and cosy!

x

I'm shoe obsessed #1

My shoe obsession is getting worse, all thanks to the online store I've mentioned a few times; everours and their amazingly priced shoes! I will usually buy a pair of shoes every so often and just lust over websites/shoe stores the rest of the time, however January must be shoe buying month...I bought two pairs in the space of three days..and now I've found some others I really want, woops.

I bought these beauties for a measly £15 in the sale! I've been trying to get some reasonably priced Lita dupes in ages, because I can not afford £100+ on a pair of boots, so these are a perfect price for a student budget. 

EverOurs.co.uk - £15

They're suede, which is gorgeous and they have a massive platform. I can wear these with many different outfits, which is always what to look for in a shoe. I'm so excited to have these at last and I just want to wear them all the time, which leads me onto another point...

I wore these beauties on a night out which was about 6 hours, and my feet weren't in as much pain as they usually would be if I wore my standard black heels. Now that's what I call impressive!

I'll show you my other shoe bargain soon, they are another pair of shoes I've wanted in a very long time.

Are there any shoes that you've wanted for a while and finally have them?

x

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara review

RRP - £10.99 - boots*

I have many mascara's in my make up box, however only a few are any good, so when I was gifted this one, I was really excited to try it out. It is False Lash Telescopic mascara, in Magnetic Black by L'Oreal, it is also available in waterproof black and 'hypnotic brown'.

First of all I love the look of the mascara, the container is a sleek silver with black writing. The first thing I noticed when I opened it up, was how flexible and soft the wand was, I am a lover of flexible wand's/brushes as it just feel nicer to apply. The brush is thin and quite square, which make it seem easy to apply to the base of the lashes, as well as this the bristles are evenly spaced apart. This helps when applying the mascara, as it helps to make the lashes not clump together. - which is one of the worst things to happen when applying mascara!

I really liked using this mascara, it really is great at coverage over the lashes, from root to tip, without clumping or overloading the lashes. It seems to be able to reach a lot of lashes as well, creating a nice fan shape. However I would recommend using a lash curler first as it didn't curl my lashes very well, making them quite straight in these images.

The view from underneath, it has reached all the way to the base of my eyelashes very easily with no discomfort from a hard inflexible brush, instead a nicely sweeping mascara, that is soft on your eyes (I have sensitive eyes and skin).

I would recommend and buy this mascara as a cheaper alternative to Lancôme - Hypnotic, as it is similar at half the price (£10.99 in Boots). Has anyone else used this mascara or any others that are a nice alternative to the really expensive mascara's? 

x

'Smoky eyes' by Boujois Paris

Today whilst purchasing my usual eye liner - Rimmel exaggerate waterproof, I decided to buy a smokey eye kit, I wasn't sure which brand to go for because I don't usually wear a lot of make up, especially eye shadow. However I like the look of smokey eyes, so I thought I would give eye shadow a go. 

I went for 'Smoky Eyes' by Bourjois, as the shade looked nice and it was a nice compact kit complete with a tiny double sided brush. I bought it in Boots for £5.99, which was £2 off the usual price.

On the back of the small kit, there was a 3 step instruction manual, explaining what shade to apply first and where; which made the application so much easier. 

Step one: Apply the darkest shade to the top lid and around the bottom - 'Sculpt'

Step two: Apply the middle shade just above the grey and blend with darker shade - 'Blend'

Step three: apply the lightest shade to the top of the lid and outwards - 'Illuminate'

I then applied some mascara to my eye lashes, to complete the look, I used 'Thick and Fast' by Soap and Glory. I like this mascara as the brush is a medium size and it seems to do well at separating the lashes and curling them as well.

This smoky eye kit comes in multiple shades including brown, green, purple among many others. I would recommend this kit as they shades blended really nicely and it was really easy to apply, easier than I expected which is always nice!

Has anyone else tried any of the smokey eye pallets and could recommend any? I would love to try some different colours!

x

Lazy Sunday

I've had such a lazy day, not being able to sleep until gone 3AM and then not getting out of bed till around 12PM. Woops, but that's what Sunday's are for right? 

I did however make some sort of effort with my outfit today. I went for my skater skirt from Topshop, which I bought in the summer sale, for about £15 (I think). I wore this with a pair of thick-ish tights, my River Island boots, which my boyfriend bought me for my birthday. 

I also decided to wear my new top from 'Not of this Earth' from Topshop. It is such a gorgeous top, with a great mirrored pattern and bat wing three quarter length sleeves. Just up my street.

This is my second sale bargain this year, I've wanted this top for...well since it came out around 3 or 4 months ago, but I didn't want to spend £25, hoping it would go into sale I kept looking on their website but to no avail. After popping in the Topshop in Southampton one afternoon, I came across it whilst sifting through the rails! I was so excited, even more so when I found the price was £12! It was only in a medium, but because it's a baggy fit it didn't really matter. It's just baggier than it should be.

I was even more delighted when I realised I could get my student discount on top of sale prices, so it took it down to £10.80! 

Happy Megan.

Has anyone bought any amazing sale bargains or anything that you've wanted for ages and finally have it in your hands?

x

I'm in Wonderland again

So after claiming to find the best combination for this Models Own nail polish the other day in my post 'match made in wonderland', I went and found another amazing match! 

I went from dark navy which is a more evening sparkle look, to Topshop nail varnish in 'Parma Violet' instead, and oh my life it is gorgeous. It creates a completely different look, more of a daytime sparkle. The lilac underneath looks so cute against the subtle glitter.

I love Topshop nail polishes, they come in so many different colours and shades, and it is surprisingly hard wearing, which you usually don't expect from a clothing brands make up ranges. 

This models own wonderland southern lights is now officially my favourite nail polish. What do you think is the better look? (other post here)

I will definitely be trying it out with many different colours underneath. Have you got any suggestions on which colours?

x

Ever yours, Ever ours

This is my outfit today, I'm wearing a brand new shirt, my boyfriend bought me from EverOurs, which is a really cute online shop, I love it. I stumbled across it a few months ago, and I just can't help myself with loving almost everything they sell. It helps that everything is really reasonably priced, and then they lower prices again in their sales! 

I'm wearing my Jamie ankle grazer jeans from Topshop which are dark burgundy, I love these jeans they go with practically everything I own, and they are so comfy; more like a jegging but they are still as thick as usual jeans. Amazing!

Along with these I'm wearing my Topshop boots I bought ages ago, and I've worn them to death. Would love another pair when these finally go. 

As I've already said I'm wearing a shirt from EverOurs, it is gorgeous with skulls all over it, just my cup of tea! I thought I'd take a few close ups to show you these as they are difficult to see in the photo above. 

I couldn't believe when this went into sale, I'd wanted it for so long and was going to buy it when it was full price so when it went to sale I was so excited. However my bank balance did not agree, (even though it was only £10 with £2.50 postage) so because my boyfriend is such a babe, he bought it for me. 

I'm off out in a bit, to an ice cream parlour - I know it's cold but come on...ice cream. 

Hope you all have a brilliant day, whatever you're doing.

x