One To Another

Hat - fox + feather

Gilet - eBay

Dress - fox + feather

Necklace - Waiste

Shoes - Dr Martens

This is my new favourite outfit! I had the gilet for Christmas and haven't worn it that much, but it's perfect for how the weather has been recently. This dress however i've worn pretty much every day since buying it two weeks ago! It's a Dahlia dress but I bought it from fox + feather, it's so comfortable, I love the print and the shape, i've worn it on nights out and just in the day like this outfit. I especially love the back, its a swing style on the front and smock on the back which combines my two favourite style of dresses in one! We have recently launched our new website over at fox + feather so go and check it out if you like this outfit, I have my eye on a few things for pay day!

I really wanted to do a post on my trip to Glasgow but if i'm completely honest I didn't take many tourist snaps, just 24 disposable camera pictures of the gig, maybe I will share a few so you can see some hilarious photos of me and my friends! Also has anyone been watching 'My Mad Fat Diary' because I absolutely love it! The soundtrack is so good, 90's Brit Pop is one of my favourite genres so every single song i'm shouting at the television YES COME ON! I'll leave you with the theme tune at the bottom because it is such a beauty! 

Silver Hair

One question i'm asked a lot be it on my blog or just out on nights out, is how do I get my hair so silver, and as recently I have been making an effort to look after my hair more, I thought I would share some tips for anyone who has or would like white blonde/silver hair.

My hair history is long and varied, I first dyed my hair at 13/14 it was a purple colour and after that I tried out blue streaks, bright red and black which was what I finally settled for. It wasn't until I was 17 that I decided I wanted white blonde hair mainly due to this picture of Debbie Harry on the right we had in our house, honestly I thought she was the embodiment of cool and wanted to look just like her - and still kinda do!

I've never bleached my hair straight away to achieve the white blonde colour, i've always built it up with some highlights to get my hair used to the bleach and then gone for an all over colour after around 6 months, i've had to do this twice; the first time I went blonde and when coming back from a bizarre black hair dye choice in 2009! When your hair is bleached it goes a yellow/orange colour so I always ask for a purple toner which takes out the yellowness and achieves the silver colour. Having your hair bleached can be expensive and sometimes a little uncomfortable so I only tend to have it bleached every 2-3 months rather than the normal 6-8 weeks, I don't mind having roots so I guess it's down to personal preference.

It's no secret that bleaching your hair can really take it's toll on the condition, so over the past 6 months i've built up a little hair saviour kit which I really do feel has made a difference to the condition and look of my hair.

Washing 
I wash my hair with TreSemme Platinum Strength Shampoo which smells great, I can really feel this Shampoo cleaning my hair without the fear that it will strip the colour, you should always use a colour conditioning shampoo for bleached hair otherwise it can go a bit brassy - not what we want.

I then use Bleach London Silver Shampoo as a toner rather than a shampoo. I apply this to my hair and then leave it on for 15 minutes to really bring out the silver/purple in my hair. I don't find that this shampoo is very good at cleaning my hair but it is fantastic at bringing out the colour, which is why I use TreSemme first, as it can feel a little dry if I didn't. Sometimes I put Silver Shampoo straight onto dry hair and leave for half an hour, it might not work for everyone but I tend to do that before a night out/event because it makes my hair super silver!

Conditioning
After 15 minutes I wash out the Silver Shampoo and condition with TreSemme Platinum Strength Conditioner, this conditioner instantly makes my hair feel soft and I can run my fingers through it straight away. Every few washes I use the TreSemme Platinum Strength Deep Conditioning Mask, I apply it to my hair and then wrap a warm towel around my hair which opens up the hair and really conditions it. I leave it on for anything from 10 minutes to half an hour depending on what else i'm doing and afterwards my hair is insanely soft! The TreSemme range is specifically for platinum hair, I don't think it is able to repair the ends of my hair but it has definitely made a difference to the overall condition.

After Care

When I take my wet hair out of the towel it can be a bit knotty so I use Redken Extreme Anti Snap Treatment first followed by Moroccan Oil Light and brush it with a Tangle Teezer.

Snapping and breakage is a big issue for bleached hair because the hair is quite weak and dry from all the chemicals so pulling a brush through it can cause quite bad breakage. I've been using Redken Anti Snap for around 6 months and can honestly feel how much stronger my hair is, it's more expensive than I would usually pay for a hair product but i've only used half the bottle in six months and really think it's helping with the condition of my hair. Morroccan Oil is a great product for any hair type or colour and again since using this I really can feel that the ends of my hair feel healthier and it is a lot smoother once dry. I have previously review the Tangle Teezer which you can find here. 

I was really excited to try out the TreSemme Platinum Repair range as anything that will help my damaged hair is always appealing to me and I am really surprised at the quality of the range considering the price. I've never been a TreSemme follower before but I can see why it's advertised as 'salon quality at home' it really has made a difference to my bleached hair.

If anyone also has silver/bleached hair and has some other product tips let me know in the comments, i'm always on the lookout for more products!

Peggy Sue

Hat - fox + feather

Jumper - Sweet Sorrow Vintage

Coat - fox + feather

Necklace - Waiste

Jeans - Topshop 

I've been in two minds about uploading this outfit shot, I think I look terrible, like my face looks so fat and puffy, and I just don't think I look very good,but the weather has been rubbish today to do a different one so i'm just gonna go for it!

 I'm wearing a gorgeous jumper I was kindly given by Sweet Sorrow Vintage with my Topshop Joni Jeans, a leopard print coat from fox - feather and my favourite Waiste necklace! I'm going to Glasgow tomorrow because my boyfriends band are supporting The Strypes so if anyone from Glasgow is gonna be there let me know and if anyone happens to catch The Shimmer Band over the next few weeks in their home town, don't forget to tweet me! 

Blogger Of The Month: Stephanie JW

I was a top rubbish blogger during January, I find it hard to motivate myself when the weather is rubbish, as i'm sure a lot of people do, but this month is already feeling so much more positive. As always the beginning of the month means picking one of my favourite bloggers to feature as blogger of the month, and this month i've decided to go for Stephanie JW. I can't remember how I found Stephanie's blog, but I really like her grungy, bohemian style and her enviable shoe collection. Working for Dr Martens means she usually teams her dresses and skirts with chunky footwear, a look I really like, it works well in both Summer and Winter. Favouring brands such as MinkPink and Evil Twin, Stephanie often layers jumpers and mesh tops underneath printed dresses adding a boyish element to an otherwise girlie outfit. 

Rather than always taking outfit photos of herself, I really like the way Stephanie lays hers out on the floor documenting both ideas for looks and her actual outfits on her blog. It reminds me of a feature 'Self Service' magazine had a few years back in which all the outfits for photo shoots were laid flat and photographed after each spread. It's a great spin on how to present your 'looks' especially relevant to me as recently i've been struggling with my confidence in posting outfit shots of myself and have been thinking of different ways to use photography on my blog.

If you haven't read StephanieJW before then think denim mixed with oversized jumpers and kimonos, printed dresses with mesh tops and chunky Jeffrey Campbells. Accessories are always featured and i've spotted everything from 90s style chokers, to long crosses and pendants, oversized circle sunglasses and black fedora hats.

Are you a regular reader of Stephanie's blog or is this your first introduction to her? Let me know in the comments :)

Product Review: Tangle Teezer

As I mentioned briefly in my last post i've been making a really effort with my beauty regime lately and i'm trying to extend the care to my hair as well. I've been bleaching my hair for almost 9 years, and am constantly chopping and changing from blue to pink to purple (with a dodgy to black and back a few years ago!) I am quite embarrassed to admit that I used to just buy whatever shampoo & conditioner was on offer, and always expected my hair to be ok. My mum used to make jokes about my hair falling out but it's only since one of my friends started training as a hair dresser that I started to take hair care a bit more seriously. I've gone into her salon a few times for her to use my hair for training and her senior stylist noticed I had some really bad breakage at the back of my hair, which really scared me! He recommended a few salon quality products which i'm slowly buying each month but one of the things that seemed to be a well priced must have product is the Tangle Teezer. 

Priced at between £9 - £15 depending on where you buy it, the Tangle Teezer is a detangling hairbrush which is a firm favourite with professional salons. It's ergonomic design fits perfectly in your hand and it's light weight bristles mean it slides through wet hair without the pulling and tugging i'm used to from my hair! As my hair is so bleached washing it is a total nightmare, I can barely get a brush/comb through it and feel as though I use more product than necessary because i'm trying to condition it. Washing my hair with my usual products and a small amount of conditioning treatment afterwards, the Tangle Teezer brushed through my hair with ease and I noticed A LOT less hair had come out after blowdrying. I thought this was a product aimed at using on wet hair, but after back brushing and hair spraying my hair on Saturday night I used it Sunday morning and was surprised at the effect it had on my styled hair.

I bought the Tangle Teezer from Boots for £10.99 and would 100% recommend it to anyone who has coloured/bleached hair. If you are sick of dragging a brush through your washed hair and feel nervous about the effect that might be having then invest in a Tangle Teezer!

Beauty Hauling

I'm not really one for New Years Reslolutions but for some reason around two weeks into January I decided to up my game and throw myself into a new skin care regime. I've always suffered with spots and wear foundation every time I leave the house without fail, it really annoys me when I stay at peoples houses or go on holiday because it makes me feel really self conscious when friends see me without make up. After reading a lot about French Pharmaceutical products I loved the idea that they were water based, and was also drawn in by the minimal packaging and clinical scent, I feel wary of sweet smelling products because I wonder what they've put in to make them smell that way! I've only been using these products for a few weeks so don't feel like I can do a proper review yet but will be sure to do one maybe next month, for now here is my mini beauty haul! 

The ultimate cult beauty product at the moment within the blogging world, Bioderma Micellar Water. I am pretty late jumping on the bandwagon with this one, I popped into Selfridges when I went up to London last week and could have spent a small fortune in the Lloyds pharmacy which was full of French Pharmacy products. I've only used this once or twice and so far I really like it, it takes off my eye make up very well and leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean. 

After discovering Superdrugs B.Ready through Selinas blog I have fallen pretty hard for the whole range. I love the fact that it's vegan friendly and i've really tried to make an effort since using it to buy products that are cruelty free. This moisturiser is light and doesn't feel to heavy on my skin yet really does moisturise and is lovely to use before applying make up. 

Another cult beauty product I read a lot about La Roche Posay before purchasing the Effaclar Foaming Gel. I bought it in the hope it would help with my terrible skin, i've suffered from bad skin for a long time and have never really found anything thats helped. After using for a few days I genuinely feel as though my skin looks fresher and brighter and will definitely do a review once I have been using it for at least 4 weeks.

Tea Tree is renowned as one of the best ingredients for spots and bad skin so I decided to purchase this mask from The Body Shop after I found a 40% off code on voucher cloud. It's quite a small pot and you don't need to use a lot in order for it to cover your face. I've used it twice and like the way it makes my skin feels for the next few days.

Missguided SS14 Blogger Event

Last week I was invited to the Missguided SS14 blogger event, so I travelled up to London Wednesday afternoon, excited to see the new collection. This was one of the first blogger events I have attended, apart from working at events with Motel Rocks, so I was pretty excited and a bit unsure of what to expect. 

The event was held in The Music Room, just behind Bond Street and was a large exhibition space with several rails showcasing what we can expect from Missguided this Spring/Summer. Two particular trends  jumped out at me straight away, one was festival style, think fringing, kimonos, draped sleeves and plenty of denim, the other was pastels, lots of 60's inspired shapes, colours and prints. I had a good look through all of the items and was pleasantly surprised at the quality, especially keeping in mind the price of your average Missguided piece. The brand seems to have really upped their game in the past year, I remember when I first discovered them a few years ago the site mainly consisted of body con dresses and I rarely found anything I liked, however this collection has got me really excited for what to expect from them in the future - on trend pieces that are unique and individual rather than just copies of more expensive high street stores. 

 I definitely plan on buying both of these items as soon as they're released!

As well as getting excited over the new collection I was also pretty excited by the cocktail bar! My favourite cocktail had to be the Alexa which was a gin & elderflower drink and I had a good few along with the gorgeous mexican inspired snacks that were floating around.

I took a quick picture of my outfit before I left for the event, I wore the lovely sun and moon print top from Motel Rocks with a Topshop skirt and my Dr Marten shoes. I have been a bit shy with outfit posts recently because I am extremely self conscious at the moment of my figure, i've joined a gym and am on a diet so hopefully after losing a few pounds I will be back to snapping what i'm wearing all the time!

Top - Motel Rocks

Necklace - Waiste

Skirt - Topshop

Shoes - Dr Martens

Belt - Vintage