Missguided AW 2013 Preview

Just wanted to share with you guys the Missguided AW 2013 collection featuring model of the moment Anja Konstantinova. I have fallen for the red kimono in the bottom picture as well as the green dress and burnt black kimono over the red velvet dress. 

What's everyones thoughts? ♡ ☯

Bleach London Collection

What i'm about to say is not going to shock you but...I am a self confessed hair dye addict! I've dyed my hair continuously since I was 14 - not telling how many years ago that was -  and have been every colour from jet black to silver white, with pink, red, orange and many more in between. Lets be honest I don't even know what my natural hair colour is anymore!

The one colour i've always been drawn to though is the silver, it's pretty much a blank canvas so if I feel like dying it pink for a night out I can, and it will only last a couple of weeks. The thing about the silver is firstly it goes with everything, you don't have to worry about not being able to wear certain coloured clothes or lipsticks because what doesn't go with white/silver? The other thing I love about the silver is it's such a statement, when I had brown hair to be honest I felt too 'normal' I like to have hair that stands out and I love it when people think i'm mental because my hair is bright blue.

I've always wanted my hair dyed at Bleach London, ever since I first discovered their salon in Topshop Oxford Circus a few years ago, but i've just never been able to afford it. I follow them on Instagram and am constantly dreaming over their beautiful pictures, so I can't quite express to you my excitement when I discovered they were going to be stocking a range of home dye kits in Boots! Honestly i've planned my colours for the next year with the amount i've fallen in love with.

I wanted to share with you guys my current hair lust list and would love to know if any of you are planning on a Bleach dying session anytime soon? All products are available from Boots website and are an absolute bargain with everything in the range under £7!

My first purchase this silver shampoo will keep my silver locks bright !
£5 available from Boots!

These are my current three favourite colours, pink and lilac are old favourites but I think Sea Punk will be the first one I try, I haven't had green hair before and this looks like the perfect pastel shade for me.

I change my mind a lot when it comes to hair so this is the answer to my prayers, when your fed up of your colour wash it out with this and try something else!

One Of Those Weeks...

All items available from Motel Rocks, use the code 'sophiepalms' for 20% off!

This week has in fact been 'one of those weeks' you know the ones that you feel really good about but everything and I mean everything goes wrong and it just seems impossible to stay positive? I won't bore you with all the details but the week has consisted of losing my favourite bracelet, spending around two hours each day in traffic, dropping the lens of my camera and breaking a light on my car! I now need to buy a new lens for my Canon 1000D so if anyone has any tips for where to pick up a cheap one then hit me up!

On the plus side I changed my blog name; let me introduce you to my new blog Opal Wren! I've wanted to change my blog name for quite a while, I love Across The Universe but as you know it's a Beatles song and I wanted a name that was totally original, something I could call my own. I did lots of research into names and styles and picked two words which I feel reflect my style, blog, life everything really. I hope you guys like it and thank you for all the positive feedback I have had so far on twitter.

I had a beauty post planned for this evening but my camera problems have made that pretty impossible so instead I leave you with this new print from Motel Rocks which I am in LOVE with, and remember you can get 20% discount when you use the code 'sophiepalms' at the till!

Staring At Stars

All items from Urban Outfitters online

This summer I have really fallen back in love with the 70's gypsy look I used to love so much as a teenager, I can't stop looking at Mink Pink dresses on ASOS and have been buying printed items rather than plain for a change. 

I recently discovered 'Staring At Stars' on the Urban Outfitters website when I noticed all the items on my wish-list were from the same label, I tried to do some research into the brand but can't find anything about it, so if you're familiar with it or have a website link then hit me up! 

In other news I have been working a lot this week, and had a great weekend which included a gin fuelled Saturday night and a pizza fuelled Sunday. 

Lime In The Coconut

When I was 15 I went on holiday with my family and had a holiday romance with a bag, a coconut bag to be exact. It's an actual coconut with a zip around the centre and a long rope handle, I used to take it into town on nights out (when you didn't need ID) with all my essentials; phone, debit card, keys and black eyeliner. 

Since then i've never quite found another bag which matched up, nothing seems as fun or interesting as a coconut...until now! I recently saw Olivia post the new Lulu Guinness bag on Instagram and whilst I can't quite afford the £395 price tag, it got me thinking about bags and how i'm a bit bored with the standard satchel or oversized handbag; I want something to make a statement! So I set myself a little challenge to find some interesting styles online and wanted to share my finds with you!

Look out for the black cat bag on my blog soon, I just couldn't resist! 

Choies - Cat Handbag

Choies - Metallic Unicorn Bag

Lulu Guinness - Sapphire Eye Clutch 

eBay - lip shape handbag

Blackbird Bag - Etsy

Penny Lane

1 - ASOS Swing Dress | 2. Louche Skirt | 3. Topshop Cloud Jumper | 4. eBay Buckle Boots | 

5. Boohoo Jumpsuit 

This is the most exciting time of the year for Fashion; the transition from Spring/Summer to Autumn/ Winter. It's time to get out your coats and boots and decide how your gonna keep warm this season. I have a trusty pair of Dr Martens and a faux fur coat which have both been staples for a few years but this year I really want a 70s style coat like Penny Lane in Almost Famous, wish me luck finding one of them! I love all the fluffy jumpers that are coming out at the moment but no matter how hard I try and find a cheaper version, nothing quite compares to the Topshop cloud, it is so soft and such a good length.

Quarter Life Crisis

Sequin Jacket - Vintage

Black Dress - Boohoo

Necklace - Primark 

Lipstick - Rimmel Kate Moss 107

Shoes - eBay

Rings - Biba and Bristol Silver Shops

It's been a while since I posted an outfit, over a month at least and it appears I have forgotten how to have my photograph taken, but after my little blogging break I am back and feeling super positive and excited about blogging again. I've made a few changes in my life over the past 6 months and can honestly say I am currently the happiest that I have been in a long time. My anxiety has almost completely gone away and I feel more like myself again after a very long and confusing period, which scared me and a lot of the people around me.

The biggest change I have made is I have a new job - yes again! When I finished University I felt an immense pressure to go into a career straight away and after interning and gaining experience in fashion retail management, I finally felt comfortable and secure working as the store manager for Motel Rocks. My heart was broken when they closed that shop, it meant so much to me and since the redundancy i''ve been wanting to care about a job that much again and wake up in the mornings looking forward to work. After the redundancy I did some temping and a few odd retails jobs but kept thinking back to how happy I had been whilst working at Motel and felt I needed to go back to doing something along those lines.

After a bit of a search during the summer I found a job with independent boutique Fox and Feather in Bristol; I am working 4 days a week in the shop as well as doing a bit of newsletter and blog writing. I feel really happy to have met Clare, the owner, I love helping her come up with ideas for the shop, and feel so lucky that we have such a great working relationship, it's great to feel like part of the company and not just an employee number.

Working part time means I might not have a lot of money but at least it means I am able to develop my other passions, I have time to practice bass guitar and am even part of a girl band now! I also have time to dedicate to this blog and to concentrate on another project which I can't tell you about just yet. I was a really unhappy person for a long time and if you suffer from depression you will understand quite how debilitating that can be, I feel as though i've finally come through it and understand how I want my life to be, sometimes you just have to do the things you want rather than the things you think you should be doing.

Sorry for the long and fairly deep blog post, I hope no one thinks i've lost the plot! I promise everything else will be light and chirpy from now on!