30 October 2009

Miss Selfridge Christmas '09 Collection



See the entire collection here!


Miss Selfridge have evidently stepped it up for the holidays, judging from their (literally) dazzling brand-new Christmas '09 collection. Expect glitter, studs, sparkle, sequins, leather, super-bodyhugging fits, overuse of the word 'gunmetal' and plenty of unashamedly glamourous pieces!

One could argue that the more sparkly pieces are ripped off from the worst fashions of the 1980s, reminiscent of too much hairspray and certainly way too much spandex. Though if you can't dress up in outrageously sparkly pieces at Christmas, when can you?

Personally I'm lusting after the glamrock-style studs, leather and metallics as well as the over-the-top, excessively sparkly dresses that are unlikely to be seen at any other time of the year (I'm in love..).

Any idea what you're wearing for those Christmas parties yet?

29 October 2009

TFT #6



'I Love London' Tote Bag - £6


Lately has consisted of going to university open days, reading university websites and fine-tuning every tiny detail of my UCAS application. Although this seems highly irrelevant to this week's TFT pick, it's not - London is the city that my top three choices are situated in and very close to. London has been my favourite city ever since the first time I went there - it's like a fairytale you can visit on the train - so it's only appropriate that I spend the next few years of my life living there. Plus the smiley cloud and clock tower design is irresistable.

I'm definitely getting one of these wonderfully appropriate totes next time I'm at Lazy Oaf.

26 October 2009

10 Ways To Keep Your Hair Gorgeous, Soft & Full of Life.



photo from here.


I have been asked numerous times about how I keep my hair alive and well despite all the stress I put it through: it's bleached, straightened and spiked pretty frequently, meaning I have to keep it in amazing condition for it to withstand this torture it's subjected to so often!

Considering the ominous winter season creeping up on us, this is one time you should definitely prioritise the health of your hair for it to withstand the impending snow, rain and wind. Whether you're growing it out or just prefer it to look fabulous, it is essential to create your own hair health routine and adhere to it meticulously.

1. Take your vitamins! Having the right vitamins in your diet is essential to keep you looking and feeling in top condition. Find a decent multivitamin that works for you and stick to it! My favourite is Centrum which is one of the widest available brands. Another great supplement which promotes hair growth is Biotin, though always consult your doctor before taking any new medications.

2. Eat healthily. Pretty obvious and follows on from the last, but what you put in your body makes a huge difference to health of hair and skin as well as how you feel. Foods such as fish, eggs, meat and oats, amongst others, are vital for hair growth as they contain the proteins which our hair and nails are composed of.

3. Sleep for at least 8 hours every night. A good night's sleep consists of between 8 and 10 hours, its health benefits often underestimated. If you skip a few hours of sleep every night, it will gradually begin to show. Find a good book and go to sleep early tonight, allowing you to look and feel full of energy for the coming day.

4. Leave an extra day or two between washes. Although they feel and smell rather strange, the natural oils our scalp produces are imperative to hair health and growth. Washing your hair every day or even every other day also washes away these oils that keep our hair healthy, so adjust your hair washing routine by a couple of days and use talc or dry shampoo to banish the greasy look between washes. I used to wash my hair every other day but now only do so twice a week, leaving my own hair feeling much healthier from it. If you get the opportunity, leaving hair 4 days or longer without washing will greatly improve its natural condition - the perfect excuse for a lazy weekend.

5. Find a deep conditioner that works for you. Hair inevitably dries out due to damage from sun, dyes and harsh winds. Finding a deep conditioner that suits your hair type plays a key role in having vivacious, lovely hair, one that gives your hair a thorough conditioning without feeling excessively waxy or greasy. My favourite is Aussie's '3 Minute Miracle' for Coloured Hair.

6. Lay off the heated styling tools. Although GHDs have become similar to a holy grail in recent years (and being promoted accordingly), what they don't tell you is that straightener overuse wrecks your hair! Split, dried and brittle ends are telltale signs of suffering from the overuse of heated appliances (this includes blow dryers, which are actually worse due to air+heat). Ideally give up the straighteners for good, or otherwise straighten much less frequently. I use mine once every 3-4 days rather than daily and whilst, not ideal, it's significantly reduced the amount of heat damage to my hair. If you're a GHD aficionado like myself, get a heat protection spray such as VO5 Miracle Mist. Although no product completely shields hair from heat, it's an absolute necessity if you can't do without the heated tools.

7. Protect yourself from the sun. You use high-factor suncream and SPF moisturiser to protect your skin, so why not protect your hair? Find a light comb-through anti-UV ray spray or simply wear your hair under a hat or bandana to protect both condition and colour. Hours of salty sea water and sunshine in the summer really do take a toll on your hair if you ignore it.

8. Schedule regular trims. Book an appointment with your hairdresser every 6-8 weeks to eliminate any split ends that may have appeared. The longer left, the worse they'll get. Regular trims keep your hair looking and feeling gorgeously healthy as the end damage is cut off, just make sure you keep it that way!

9. Avoid chemical damage as much as possible. This includes pool chlorine, bleach and any other chemical-rich hair dyes. If you must dye your hair, either use a natural dye or find a professional to do it for you. One messed-up home hair dye session means years worth of growth ruined simultaneously, so be careful what you put in there!

10. Style with care. Any tight buns, ponytails or barettes which pull on your hair are an absolute sin when it comes to healthy hair. Use a gentle, natural brush and a soft scrunchie rather than tight rubber bands when styling if you absolutely must wear your hair up. When using products, remember the golden rule of 'less is more'. More product means more buildup, so a light wax and spray are the very most that should be applied daily. Broken hairs are bad news, and rough styling will rapidly put unnecessary stress on your hair.

If you're growing your hair out, these tips should be regarded as even more important: unhealthy hair will simply break away when grown longer. Do your hair a favour and keep it beautiful!

23 October 2009

TFT #5!

Excuse the fact that this post is on Friday instead of a Thursday - my internet connection has been abysmal lately. Crossing my fingers and hope it works this time, as I found this beauty last night.



Accessorize Organza Vintage Pretty Flower Clip - £7


Lately Accessorize has been selling beautiful hairclips and fascinators - think diamantes, feathers, polkadots and divine shades of aqua and magenta..delightfully showgirlish!

This gorgeous, lifelike flower hair clip is perfect as a key piece with everyday wear - simply clip in for floral goodness which will brighten up a basic outfit. The flower does look unusually realistic, so beware of any demented bees it may attract.

17 October 2009

What I Wore Today: 17/10/09

Uni open days are so much fun. Additionally, I have the task of taking 100 photos this weekend for Photography homework and have so far taken 38..phew! Taking photos in public seems to attract the strangest & most concerned glances.


Jacket: H&M (new! forgot to take the tag off the 1st time I wore it the other day, oops!)
Scarf: Camden
Tee: You Me At Six gig
Belt: Harajuku Lovers @ Pac Sun
Shorts: Topshop
Tights: Oldoldold
Boots: Fryes

A question for my beautiful readers: how is autumn affecting the way you dress?
I'm feeling wonderfully inspired for my Photography project with all the amazing colours and textures around at the moment.

I took these photos today (ironically in one of the scariest, roughest towns in the South!) - they make me ridiculously delighted that autumn weather is here!


Are there any outfit posts in this blog where I don't wear these boots? I seemed to wear them all summer and they fit this season perfectly too.


You wouldn't have guessed that this stunning park harbours countless murderers, drunks and violent homeless people, did you?

15 October 2009

Thursday Fashion Therapy #4!

Thursday has rolled around again, along with drama, crazy giggling and the anticipation of wonderful things to come! Think of all the great events coming up over the next couple of months: Christmas, holidays, wintery weather, parties..there's such an enormous selection of events to look forward to in the near future! Due to the aforementioned drama and stress over the last few days, TFT is more than necessary.


Dorothy Perkins Silver Textured Bangle Set - £10


Noisy jewelry has become something of a trademark of mine lately - I'm nearly always wearing my DP biker bangle set (sans one jewel) and my Urban Outfitters wings necklace. Being your own walking percussion is a fantastic way to put a smile on your face and accessorize an otherwise plain outfit. Why not check out all the amusing rhythms you can jingle along to? These are wonderfully shiny with a great mix of textures, so mix them up to create a different look with your accessories every day.

13 October 2009

What I Wore Today: 13/10/09

Despite the sunshine outside, I didn't want to wait another day to start wearing my favourite coats again! Unfortunately one of the buttons came off soon after I got to school which I shall reattach shortly.



Coat: Kimchi & Blue
Skirt: Topshop circa 2003
Tights: Oldd (I got banned from wearing these at my last school! Apparently they were too exciting)
Boots: Fryes

Lately my outfit posts appear as if I'm not wearing makeup..leaving off eyeliner and eyeshadow makes a surprising difference! I recently had a minor eye infection so have decided to play it safe recently.

I am also having a minor wardrobe crisis - many of my clothes I just don't wear anymore! My style has changed a lot over the last few years and many trends at the moment just don't appeal to me, so shopping lately has been rather fruitless. Therefore I'm merely rotating a small collection of outfits which is completely depressing for someone who loves mixing up clothing as much as I do! Anything similar going on with anyone else?

Lockerz, anyone?

I'm sure a few people have heard of it before or have joined already, but this site slightly mystifies me. Free handbags for collecting points from answering questions and playing games? Possibly too good to be true, but it's worth a try, right?

The lovely Nikki from oh, fabulous sent an invite my way, so I had to check it out in person.

It seems Lockerz is being advertised as being 'the next big thing', building up a solid foundation of members with the temptation of gorgeous free stuff from points attained through daily activity before releasing secret new content. And free stuff is awesome, so I'm not complaining.



The bag, please!

Let me know by commenting with your email address if you'd like an invite - I have lots and would love to share them if anyone's interested.

8 October 2009

Thursday Fashion Therapy: Edition #3!

This week: the succulently sweet B Sugarlips Scrub!



B Sweet Lips Sugar Scrub - £4.40
B Mint Julips Sugar Scrub - £4.40
Also comes in bubblegum!



Lip scrub is undoubtedly one of those products you think you'll never need, but when you find yourself using it every other day it's difficult to remember how you ever lived without it. Being lucky enough to live near one of the delightfully glamourous and glittery B stores, I tend to wander in there when bored of the neighboring discount superstores and sniff/sample as many of the iridescent, colourful products as I possibly can. Although there's a time and a place for high-glitter creme eyeshadow and decadent shimmery body butter, their coveted lip scrub is my definite, must-have B essential.

The scrub is very easy and quick to use: simply massage a small amount onto clean lips before rinsing off with water, leaving formerly beat-up lips pillowy soft as well as a lingering chocolatey aftertaste (or minty if you're using the mint version!). If there's one coveted accessory this winter, especially after having your skin horribly ravaged by icy winds, it's gorgeous lips: get your own, all for a surprisingly minimal price. Try some for yourself!

4 October 2009

Inspired: October Edition


image from here.


Excuse my sudden absence from the internet - the last few days have called for impromptu celebration (passed my driving test!!) meaning I've had to go out to dinner, visit various people and see Flood Of Red - amazing band..go MySpace them! - as festivities to commemorate the occasion. TFT posts will resume next Thursday with an especially delicious new item for you to feast your eyes upon.

I wanted to introduce another new segment to my blog - welcome to the October edition of Inspired, featuring month-appropriate suggestions to stimulate your creative juices, pulverise boredom or blocks and invite some fresh insiration into your daily life. This blog will still be very much fashion-focused but with some scintillating new extra features by my very own self. Sounds good? Read on!

1. Start planning your Halloween costume! The 31st is soon approaching, which calls for some fabulously creative costumes for the event, whether you'll be trick-or-treating or partying. Check out 9 Awesome Last Minute Halloween Costumes You Can Make From Junk for some cool ideas on making some speedy but effective new disguises. On the other hand, if Halloween celebrations are scarce in your area, get together with a friend and watch some of your most beloved horror movies along with a Pick&Mix bag of your favorite sweets.

2. Try a new vegetable. Along with the chillier weather comes the flu, colds and a whole menagerie of nasty germs. As you probably know, eating vegetables and fruit every day will not only make you feel great, they help to keep away all these scary illnesses that we inevitably pick up during the winter months. If you're normally vegetable-shy like me, try the surprisingly tasty Innocent Veg Pots (my favourite is the Butternut Pearl Barley Risotto). If you're a veteran when it comes to healthy eating, why not try some more unusual delicacies such as salsify or the funky-looking romanesco?

3. Apply to university. Deadlines are in January but now's the best time to start your application. A degree is more valuable now than ever in terms of the opportunity it gives you, and with subjects available from Oceanography to Fashion Studies to Computer Science, there's bound to be something that you're into. See UCAS for more info on applying - it brings such a huge life change, but almost always for the better.

4. Invest in some extra-warm knitwear. Chunky knit cardigans, beanies and mittens are essential items for a winter wardrobe - don't get caught out without them! Check out Topshop's new Winter accessories.

5. Plan to have your Christmas in another country. New York, Spain, Greece, Paris or London at Christmas time - undoubtedly one you'll remember if you choose to go away for the holidays. Spending Christmas at home is fun, but going somewhere new and exciting is a fantastic getaway adventure. Start planning now!

6. Compile your own Spotify playlist. Excellent for while you're working, surfing the internet or planning a beautiful outfit for the next day, online playlists can be obtained for free through Spotify. Mix up some electro-pop with a bit of metalcore and punk thrown in and you're good to go!

7. Indulge your immature side and jump in a huge pile of leaves. Possibly the best thing about autumnal weather, besides epic conker wars.

8. Check out some of the gorgeous brand-new festive culinary goodies around. Christmas biscuits, mince pies and stocking fillers already?! There are some fabulous festive goodies stacked on shelves across the globe over the next few months, so hunt around your nearest supermarket or department store for some of the most unique, hilarious or beautiful holiday memorabilia bits & pieces you can find. This is one of my favourite - cute, sweet-smelling and useful!

This edition is a bit short due to other projects I have going on at the moment, but I hope it inspires you to try something new! Plus I'd love to hear any feedback from readers, so drop a comment or message and I'll be sure to write back.
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