Monday, 19 August 2013

How to Wear Ribbons in your Hair


I have seriously been loving ribbons lately. The type you would tie in your hair, not the kind you would twirl around on the end of a stick. I am not a fairy. They just add a girly, fun twist to any outfit and make me smile every time. Everyone has them lying around the house someone. Mine are courtesy of Glossybox (If you are not aware of this small work of genius, then here is a link to a post I did praising them earlier on this year), so its safe to say I have a pretty steady train of them coming in each month. I have come up with a few pretty hairstyles involving said ribbons over the past months and thought it would be nice to share them with you (I would like to point out that i am wearing no makeup in these photographs, so the ones where you can see my faces look like mug shots. I do apologies).
                               
                                                                    
1.
         























This one is fairly straight forward. Simply pull your hair back into a ponytail and secure it with a regular hair tie. Now wrap the ribbon around the hair tie so it is no longer visible, and tie it in a bow. it helps if you loop the ribbon through the tie first so it stays better. Now finish by spraying the ribbon with hairspray to keep it in place for the day.


2.

























For this one, start by just scraping your hair back into a messy type bun, or really just whatever sort of bun you like. Now tie the ribbon around your head, securing it with a little bow just below your bun. Tease your hair a bit before spraying some more hairspray.


3.


























Again this one is rather simple. Just tie back your front section of hair, following a line from the tops of your ears to the back, center of your head. Secure this with a hair tie and follow the same steps to keep the ribbon in place as you did in the first tutorial. I like to tease the shorter front sections of hair I have out a little bit so the over all look isn't too precise.


4.



























I think this look is probably my favourite. Start by parting your hair either down the center or the side. Now sweep your hair to one side and split it into three even parts. Tie a ribbon to the top of one of the parts and start braiding, making sure the ribbon is visible throughout . Once the braid is done, wrap the leftover ribbon around the bottom of your hair and tie it in a knot. Spray with hairspray, tease, just play around with it a bit :)


xo

Wednesday, 14 August 2013

A Floral Mrs



       
As my lovely Summer draws to a premature end I find my self (becoming depressed at the thought of a normal schedule) jumping at any last opportunity to wear a summery outfit. Unfortunately the weather hasn't been agreeing as we have had some slightly chilly weather as of late. But living in Britain means making the most sunny outfit opportunities. I have to also admit tho, that I am really looking forward to autumn wear. It is probably my favourite season for just the range of opportunity and the fantastic colours you can wear. Cosy knits, over sized coats and beaten up boots are about as simple and easy as it gets. They are also however, about as stylish and chick as it gets. Wish full thinking aside, it is not yet autumn and wont be for another month or so. So, in the mean time I thought I would share with you another whimsical summer outfit post to keep all you lucky ones still on holiday content.




Top - H&M  Trousers - Topshop (customised)  Bag - Asos  Shoes- Topshop (old)


xo


Sunday, 11 August 2013

Making Blondies


 I only learned of the existence of this baked wonder a few months ago. Shocking I know. For those of you who are in the same position as I was back in those dark, misinformed days, a 'Blondie' is a white chocolate Brownie. Creative name, I know. But don't be fooled, the Blondie is just as scrumptious as it's darker friend, if not surpassing it on the sweetness scale. Perfect with a huge cup of tea on a rainy day, in front of your favourite movie (preferably Disney), or on a cake stand for afternoon tea, if you are the sophisticated type. They are seriously freaking yummy, to put it bluntly.  You will love them, I promise.

What you will need
  • 120g butter
  • 200g white chocolate
  • 120g plain flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 120g soft brown sugar
If you are not a brownie - maker - using - cheat like my self, then before anything you should start by pre heating your oven to 180. Now melt 50g of the chocolate with the butter in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water until mixed well. Leave this to cool slightly.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Next, chop the remainder of the chocolate into small pieces using a sharp knife and using all your willpower, try to eat as little of it as possible. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until well beaten, before adding the cooled white chocolate and butter mixture to this, ensuring it too is well mixed. Now add the chopped chocolate and fold in the sifted flour, make sure to mix this well.

Now, if you are lazy like me and are using a brownie or tray bake maker then simply pour the mixture in to each segment and bake until ready. But if you are a traditional (normal) person, then grease your baking tray of choice with left over butter or line it with grease proof paper. Next pour the mixture in to the tray and pop your golden Blondie mix in to the oven for around 15-20 minutes (you may need them in for more or less time depending on your oven, so check them regularly). Once out, leave your Blondies to cool for around 20 minutes before cutting it into small squares. 
These are especially nice drizzled in a warm white chocolate sauce.



xo

Friday, 9 August 2013

Summer Dresses I Really Wish I Had...


       

                                                                                               


  
For me, Dresses and Summer are synonymous. I adore them and wear them possibly too much. My dress wish list is never ending and ever growing. And as we near the end of the sunny months and enter the somewhat less sunny ones, I thought I would share with you some of the delightful summer frocks that caught my eye, but didn't quite make the cut (mainly because buying them all is more of a dream than reality). I would like to apologise, by the way, for the awful editing skills and photo alignment, I am still finding my way around the ever stubborn Blogger editing package. So, from left to right...

1. Lace Dress- Topshop     2. Cold Shoulder Dress- Asos     3. Paisley Print Dress- Asos
 7. Striped Dress- Madewell    5. Smock Dress- Dahlia    6. Neon Silk Dress- Free People
7. Maxi Dress- Free People  8. Floral Dress- House of Hackney   9. Tank Dress- Urban Outfitters  



xo 

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Everybody's got something to hide except Me and My Monkey

 Having spent most of my Summer out of the country this year, I have certainly enjoyed spending the rest of it in a fully British manner. Drinking hot tea and looking out the window to find rain has been more enjoyable than usual. So when a short trip to London to join my good friend Molly was suggested, I could not decline the offer visit an utterly British place that also happened to be one of my absolute favourite places.
As two days is a rather short time to explore a city as diverse and large as London, we had to plan everything in advance. Market shopping was top of my list. You just won't find anywhere like Spitalfields market in the small isolated town I live in, so it was an absolute must. During our market day we also popped by Brick lane market and the gorgeous flower market, which both exceeded expectations. And both of which were probably twice the size of the place I live.
***
 On the second day London Zoo was the priority. Having never been before, I was blown away by the scale of things. It was huge! And far more exciting than I thought foreign animals could be.
Being a blogger means thinking far more about outfits than probably is healthy. So when the opportunity arises to wear a 'themed' outfit, there is no missing it. However animal print has never been a favourite wear of mine so I opted for a slightly different approach. Which I hope still works. Anyway, I thought I would share with you some of the furry and not so furry friends I made whilst at the zoo. Oh, and welcome my special guest 'Eve', who is long overdue a cameo appearance, here on my Blog. Hi Eve.

 Hey babe.


Trousers- Topshop  Top- Minkpink  Jacket- Forever21 (old) Shoes- H&M (similar)  Earrings- Topshop


xo

Saturday, 3 August 2013

Five Favourites- July

  1.   Sweet frog - Frozen Yogurt has been my savior recently. I swear, this stuff will one day take over the world.
  2. Warm Weather- Not - having - to - wear - a - coat - outside - warm.
  3. Walking Bare foot along the beach.
  4. Sea Food
  5. Pretty Little Liars - I have literally been hooked.
  1.  Eleanor Hardwick Photography
  2. The Little Deer Online Boutique
  3. Nylon Magazine Online
  4. Kyla La Grange Music
  5. The Civil Wars Billie Jean Cover

  1.  The Mad Hatter's Journal
  2. Velvet Nature
  3. Thoughts of a Bluebell
  4. What Olivia Did...
  5. WishWishWish

I got this lovely idea for a blog post from the ever fabulous A Rosie Outlook , so full credit goes to her :)

xo

Thursday, 1 August 2013

(5) Lips For Summer




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I love experimenting with Lip colours during Summer. This year bright and bold stole the lip scene during the S/S '13 catwalks. And while it looks great, it isn't wearable on a day to day basis for most. However these 5 treasures, I have found to be (on a particular brave day) completely fun and wearable. Some are more natural than the others, I think still look gorgeous. Anyway, without further ado, I give you my (5) Lips For Summer (oh and excuse the pun in the title, for those of you movie geeks who got it).




1. Sleek Pout Paint - 'Pinkini'                                                                                      2. Sleek Pout Paint - 'Lava'





3. Benefit - 'Benetint'                                                                                            4. Maybelline Baby Lips - 'Strike A Rose'
 
                               




                                            





xo