GlossyBox April

The Natural Box

GlossyBox April Edition

Figs&Rouge Lip Balm in Rambling Rose

I've heard good things about this brand and was excited to get this lip balm to try. The scent is very florally but I like it. It sits on the lips for quite a while but its not sticky or oily and when it does sink in it keeps your lips moisturised for ages. This is something I'll be throwing into my bag everyday especially on windy days.

Ayuuri Body Wash in Neem

I wasn't so keen on yet another body wash in my GlossyBox but Mum is a big fan of the smell of this one so I'll be leaving it in the bathroom for everyone at home to use. I do like tea tree and peppermint in my shower/bath especially in the morning, very refreshing!

Inika Lip Liner in Moroccan Rose

I'm always happy to receive makeup in my GlossyBox especially if its from a brand I've never tried before. This lip liner is in the perfect coral-pink shade which will go with many lipsticks and is perfect for summer. I only own red lip liners so this will be nice to try out with my pink lipsticks.

Caudalie Serum

Going to give this one a go with hopes that the natural ingredients don't clog my pores which I find other serums do. Full size its £29.00 so its probably pretty good!

Philip B Styling Gel

I also love getting hair treats in GlossyBoxes and this styling gel from Phillip B is no exception. I don't usually go for gel like formulas but this ones very light weight if you only use a small amount. Need to give this more of a test before I can really report back.

Overall I'm very pleased with this month's GlossyBox and find that everything inside will be used and will be enjoyable to test out. No silly lip liner colours like black or purple - products that actually will come in handy.

Next month is GlossyBox's 1st Birthday so I'm very excited to see what will be in store because its bound to be a great box. I'm hoping for a re-working of the initial very first box where we see new products from those brands - but who knows! You can sign up for this box or the next one here.
You can also get free shipping on your first box for the whole of May by following this link. That means your box will cost just £10!

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Featuring in Altered Couture Magazine

When the people at Altered Couture magazine got in contact to ask if they could publish my Galaxy Tee DIY I was more than happy for them to do so! I've kept this quiet for quite a while but have been secretly excited about it since the end of 2011 when they got in touch.

It was decided my t-shirts and dresses would featuring in the May issue and today I received my copy before they even hit the shelves! I'm very happy with the three page spread and the huge 'Out of this World' tag line on the front cover! This is my first ever feature in a magazine and my first piece of officially published work - so its something I'm going to treasure forever and whip out when people come over.

Unfortunately Altered Couture magazine is only available in the US, so I can't trot along to my nearest supermarket and see it on the shelves but my big sister lives over in the States so I'm going to make her take a photo of it on sale!

You can of course still see the original DIY Galaxy Tees post on my blog just follow this link. And more good news is that I should have a few t-shirts going up for sale in the shop in the next week. (I know I keep saying this but I actually have stock now and will get around to it!)

A big thanks to Altered Couture and I hope some of my American readers go out and buy a copy!

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New Buys

Dress £13.00 

Skirt £10.00

both Primark

I only popped in to Primark for a few minutes the other day but I was so surprised at how many beautiful dresses they had in stock. I love these mirror image prints (does this print have a proper name?) and even though I'm 90% sure I'll never have an occasion to where this knee length pencil skirt, I bought it anyway. The design is just so beautiful if I find I'm not getting any wear out of it I'll just hem it 3 inches shorter.
The dress comes to mid-thigh which is the perfect length for me. I'm sure I'll be wearing this on the next night out. This type of high neckline and bold print doesn't need any jewellery, maybe some simple gold bangles on one wrist will do.

I'm glad I tried these on first, the skirt is high waisted and I bought it in a size 8 (and its still a little loose around my stomach but I'm sure with a top tucked in it will be fine) but I had to get a size 12 in the dress as its super super tights and I could hardly get in to the 10. They also have this style in a pastel lilac, lemon yellow and pale mint green. I might have to go back for more....

I'm being very good about new clothes and storing lots of spring/summer items in a box for the warmer weather. I have a habit of wearing new things the very next day but I'm holding back and I've now got a little collection of summer items that I can whip out on the right occasion.

Has anyone else had any brilliant Primark finds recently?

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What's on my Wrist #3

Neon Gold Spike Bracelet - JUNK&DISORDERLY 

Friendship Bracelet - JUNK&DISORDELY

Beads - H&M

A huge thank you to Rosie Spencer at GetBitchesMakeMoney.blogspot.com for shipping these beautifully made items out to me super quickly. I don't know how I came across her blog but I'm so glad I did because she hand makes the most amazing jewellery at Junk&Disorderly and I want everything in her shop.

The nails are a mix of Barry M, Models Own and MUA.

What's on my Wrist #1

What's on my Wrist #2

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Lilac Jewelled Nails

These nails were based on an earlier design I did with black and gold, and you can see that here! I wanted something fresher for Spring so went for a pastel colour with silver glitter and matching rhinestones. They look great teamed with a very simple all black outfit. Here's how I did it...

My base colour is Revlon's Lilac Pastelle 185 and I applied two coats of this letting it dry completely. I then used a clear top coat just on the tips of each nail before sprinkling fine silver glitter on to the tips. I created a gradient effect with the glitter as shown below....



This looks great as it is so you could finish off with a coat of clear nail polish here or carry on to add some rhinestones. Applying a thick coat of clear polish, and picking my gems up using a pencil with a blob of blue-tack attached, I dotted purple and silver gems in random areas of the nail. Grouping together a few gems while others floated free. The gems stick in the wet clear top coat and dry stuck to your nail.



When everything is dry, apply one or two more coats of clear polish to set everything in! And you're done!

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Happy Easter Sunday!

Cream Crochet Top - Topshop

Beige Cami - Primark

Leather Look Leggings - eBay

Bracelets - H&M and Handmade DIY

Watch - River Island

Nails - Barry M Peach Melba 

Happy Easter everyone! I'm wearing a not so festive outfit today, I can't help but think only a fluffy chick costume might be more appropriate. This is not the first time I've worn these two items together but I think I am yet to blog about this top. I usually wear these leggings with heels on a night out but they work just as well during the day with flats too. If you've seen my latest DIY project you will understand my obsession with friendship bracelets and multi coloured accessories. 

I'm spending today with my family - we're having a gathering at our house and I even made a brownie cheesecake (check my Twitter for updates on the cheesecake.) Thankfully I have no work today!

Had to include a picture of my wonderful Rocky Road Easter Egg that I awoke to this morning! I couldn't have asked for a more eggciting-egg so thanks Mum and Dad!
I hope everyone's enjoying the bank holiday weekend, I'm off to eat my weight in chocolate....

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DIY Friendship Bracelets

With Coachella fast approaching (oh I wish I was going) I've begun to catch festival-fever and would you have guessed it, this Spring/Summer the friendship bracelet is back. You'll have already spotted them invading the high street and I know asos.com have an amazing selection. But they can be expensive, and to build up a collection like the ones below can cost a fortune. So I'm going to show you how to make your own, simple and easy friendship bracelets. Perfect for upcoming festivals, holidays, to give away as presents or just something creative to do during the Easter holidays. 

images courtesy of tumblr.com and honestlywtf.com

This Chevron style bracelet is easy to make once you know the two basic knots. You can choose any colours and make your bracelet as wide or narrow as you like. My first attempt took me around 2 hours to complete. My second attempt was completed in under 90 minutes. Practice definitely makes perfect and you'll need a bit of patience too.

You'll need some embroidery thread in various colours. I bought a pack of 36 skeins mixed colours here on ebay for just £3.65. Start by cutting your strands to 1 metre each. You need two sets of each colour.

Below I have used 5 different colours, so 10 strands in total. (The more strands you use the wider your bracelet will be.) Combine the threads and tie a knot at the top leaving about 3 inches spare. Tape down to a table, a big sheet of card, or even the floor...

Arrange the strands in a mirror image pattern, with the outside strands the same colour and moving inwards. It goes in a pattern of 1 2 3 4 5 / 5 4 3 2 1

The basic knot which makes the chevron is the forward '4' knot. Starting with the outer strand on the left side (shown here in orange) make a four shape with the second colour strand. Loop it under and back through. Pull the knot tight to the top - its best to drag the orange strand up to the top whilst keeping the second strand straight. Make the same knot twice over each colour.

You're going to repeat this over each colour sticking with the orange strand and taking it across to the middle.
When the orange strand has reached the middle leave it there. This is half of the chevron pattern.

Now we're going to start from the right outermost strand (again this will be orange.) This time make a backwards 4 shape with the next colour along. Loop the orange under and back through. Pull the knot tight at the top. Remember to knot twice! Carry on knotting all the colours with orange until you get to the middle. Now you should have two orange strands together in the centre.

Backwards knot these twice to secure the two halves of the pattern together.

Continue with the new outermost left strand (which will now be green.) Remembering the colour order is important at first. Jot it down on a scrap of paper. After a few rows the colours should fall into place. I also find it helpful to draw out the number 4 on the left side and a backwards number 4 on the right side to help me make my knots.

Knot carefully, dragging up the colour to the top of the braid and establishing that colour strand into a colour knot. A stitch unpicker or hair pin is useful if any mistakes are made.

Finish the braid by tying a knot. You can plait the left over bits if you wish. You can see here two different bracelets I've made. My first being the pastel coloured braid has tons of mistakes, but its still wearable! I'm much more satisfied with my 2nd attempt. Tie the bracelets on to your wrist with a knot. You can opt to adorn a metal clasp to your bracelets to make taking them on and off easy. I prefer the more permanent nature of a knot and even leave mine on when I'm in the shower!

Beaded bracelets - H&M

If you're still scratching your head in confusion try having a look at this wonderful diy post from honestlywtf.com - its the same tutorial I used to begin with. Let me know if you give this a try, I'd love to see your pictures.

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Space Dye Jumper

Jumper - Primark

Leggings - H&M

Shirt - Primark

Watch - River Island

I first encountered this retro looking specimen at a photoshoot with a friend. She'd picked this out for me to wear and I thought she'd had another amazing find in a vintage boutique or charity shop. But in fact she'd found it in Primark for £16. I was quite taken with it so had to go out and buy my own of course! It might look like something your Gran knitted but I think thats sort of the point.

The colours are wonderful, a mix of blues, pinks and oranges; its even better in real life than on screen. It reminds me of some of the space dye knitwear items I've spotted on ASOS recently. 

It's not the most flattering of shapes so I'd always wear it with skinny jeans, leggings or even shorts to show that I am an actual human being and not a sack of potatoes. But its super comfy and perfect for lazy days and because of the large spacious knit summer evenings too. Popping it over a girly summer dress might work too!

All I've done today is work on a research statement for Uni - finally decided on my own topic to analyse and now I'm just collecting research. My friends are revising hard for exams and it kinda makes me miss it - coursework after coursework can be tough going. 

Here's to the Easter weekend!

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StyleSaint

The people at StyleSaint.com contacted me a few days ago to tell me about their fantastic new site made for sharing fashion images and inspiration. If you've ever explored Pinterest you may be familiar with this concept. As much as I love scrolling through Pinterest I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with the amount there that I'm not really interested in. StyleSaint is a place just for fashion. 

As a student photographer with a huge interest in fashion I've found the idea of collecting images from all over the web (or tearing from other users on StyleSaint) to be so helpful in terms of getting my thoughts and ideas together. If I see a photograph or set of images I like I can tear them to my own StyleFeed for future reference. The same goes for an outfit that might catch my eye. I tend to tear images from Tumblr or fashion blogs.

StyleSaint aims to give credit to the original source of the image linking back to exactly where you found it. You can even put together your own StyleBooks and fill them with whatever you want. I may use StyleBooks for things such as 'Spring/Summer 2012 Inspiration' or even narrow them down to current trends 'Denim' or 'Pastels'.


At the moment StyleSaint is in private beta and invite only - but you can apply for an invite by entering your email address on the home screen. You can check out my personal StyleFeed here and follow me for updates about what I'm currently loving.

*I've not been asked to write this review nor am I being paid or under any obligations from the people at StyleSaint. I simply felt I had to share this website with people and express how excited I am about using it!


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