Greek chic

Evening all! 

Thanks for your response to yesterday's Tuesday tip! I've had a few Twitpics of people that have already got their spots on: @lucyjanewood, @effjaydee, @NikkiSunshine25 @diamondcanopy. Looking just lovely! 

Back to business: A couple of weeks back, Wonderbra contacted me to see if I'd like to be one of five bloggers to try out one of their t-shirt bras in their 'white t-shirt challenge'. Not to be confused with a wet t-shirt challenge, I might add! Along with a bra, we also got some credit to spend on Very.co.uk to help us style up the t-shirt. Always passionate about matters of the breast, I obliged. (Hmm, that sounded a bit dodgy!)

I opted for a Love Label midi skirt and Dr Marten shoes* to go with the white t-shirt I was sent, adding some of my own leopard accessories. I also coined a new term in my mind for the grunge geek look I'm always pursuing - Greek! Not sure Greek chic is really working for me on this occasion, but I think the skirt and shoes will look awesome styled separately.

I decided to get a more close up shot of my fun bags with a flash, to show you just how invisible the t-shirt bra is! I got it in the Skin tone - not the most aphrodisial look (Alex concurs), but it's the ONLY shade underwear to wear under pale coloured tops. Wednesday tip for you there. I don't even understand  white bras. You can totally see them under white shirts! Someone explain plz. 

On a practical note, the bra is very structurally sound. I feel extremely supported and jiggle-proof, and quite minimised too, which is fine by me. It's also really comfy, and unlike my M&S equivalent, I do not feel like my boobs are being banished to either side of my rib cage, doomed to a life of solitude. If they were a footie team, they'd definitely be Boobs United right now. 

(Skirt - Very, shoes - Very, socks - Topshop, scarf - H&M, Scaffolding - Wonderbra)

I'm chuffed to bits with this new bra, and for £26 it's definitely something I'd buy in real life. I may scrimp in almost all other areas of my life, but I don't mind paying a bit extra for future sag-prevention! If you're a size D-G you can find this bra here. A-DD's can find the bra here! 

Have you tried Wonderbra t-shirt bras before? If not, what is your brand of choice? 

♥ xo

* - Any tips on how to break these babies in? In an ideal world, I don't want to be standing on the fitting room at work in my socks, sobbing about my swollen, bleeding feet, like the last time I broke DM's in. It's unprofessional, for one, not to mention bloody painful and generally awkward for everyone involved! 

Tuesday Tips: Perfect polka dot nails!

Mmmmm spotty nails...

(Fuck Yeah Nail Art)

I have always yearned for perfectly polka dotted nails of my own, but have never been able to achieve it just using a nail polish brush. I thought using my nail pen might work better, but it turned out you couldn't get consistent dots with that either. What was wrong with me..? Couldn't I do anything right..? Before spiralling into depression, I did what any Generation Y-er at rock bottom would do. Youtube'd it.

Enter cutepolish and her alternatives to 'dotting tools'. Nail salons use these funny tools (see vid) to create spots, and they are actually rather cheap on eBay. But cutepolish has saved us a few quid and the anxiety of waiting for mail... (God, I sound well unhinged tonight!)

In her tutorial, Ms cutepolish outlines 5 ways to create polka dot nails using stuff around the house. Perfect Tuesday Tip material!

I decided to try out the Kirby Grip method and the sewing pin method. I started out with a base of Turquoise Shimmer, sent to me by Beauty UK. It's a bit like my favourite Models Own Top Turquoise polish, but with a shimmery tint. Lovely!

I then bent the kirby grip open and went a bit polka dot crazy! They came out so much more even than using a nail brush or pen! I just wish I'd spaced them out a bit more!

For the second method, cutepolish stuck her sewing pin in the end of a pencil to make it easier to use (her genius tips are making me feel sickeningly inadequate!)

I only tested this out on a couple of nails but I absolutely loved it! Perfect chubby polka dots!

I hope this has prevented anyone else from a downward spiral into depression. Dotpression.

Go forth and be spotty!!!

♥

PS - Sorry I haven't posted in a week. I have been incredibly busy with my FMP and this website! BBS! x

PPS - Can any of you chums tell me how to stop Blogger indenting every paragraph in my blog posts? Pisses me off.

Tuesday tip: Paint it black

Fashionably late, I know!

I wasn't even going to do a Tuesday tip this week, what with my trip away yesterday (it was awesome, by the way!), but sorting out my jewellery right before I went, I realised I was actually committing a tip then and there. So I took a few snaps to post up today!

I really like my toothy H&M necklace, but as with all cheapie jewellery, it goes all tarnished and crappy really quickly. I just got a really thick black polish by Rimmel ('Black Out') with my ASOS voucher, so I used it to paint over the tarnish and it looks all glossy and brand new now! Not exactly genius, but it has saved me chucking it in the bin and spending money on something new, so I thought I'd share!

Before - ew.

After - good as new!

I wish there was a way to prevent my faux-gold Topshop jewellery from tarnishing. People do say that painting clear nail varnish on jewellery prevents tarnishing (and green finger syndrome), but I'm not sure the gloss would look right on necklaces etc. Maybe a Matte top coat would work though? Hmmm, call that an unconfirmed extra Tuesday tip!

I'm catching up on Glee whilst Alex is seeing a friend, and also officially cancelling my social life from now until May 10th. From here on in, it's my Final Major Project all the way. I want my Tuesday Tips Bible (that's not the actual name of the book, just my affectionate nickname for it!) to be awesome. And that isn't going to happen if I'm going for dinner and having pals round all the time. Maybe I'll save pennies in the process!

Hope you've all been luscious. And I'll be picking a winner for my Boots competition tomorrow (it's closed now) so stand by your inboxes!!!

♥

Stripes, glitter, cross stitch, kitty

Yo!

I'm going on a road trip with Emily to stay with our friend Hannah tomorrow after work. Can't wait!!! I do have lots to do before hand so will try and keep this brief, but I know I never do! (EDIT: I failed).

Firstly, I HAVE to share this epic Primark bargain with you. I know it isn't the height of aesthetic excitement, but at only £4, this navy striped jersey skater style dress was a must-buy. They do it in loads of other colours too. I bought a black and white striped one. It's quite loose fitting so is very forgiving. Handy in the midst of a Jaffa Cake addiction relapse.

Socks and sandals, back by popular (ish..) demand!! The clogs are by Moheda c/o Sarenza.

My ASOS/Groupon purchases arrived, including the Katy Perry OPI 'Teenage Dream' polish. I couldn't decide whether to get the set of mini polishes or just one full size one. My Twitter homeys and SJ's (Cowbiscuits) handy review made me realise Teenage Dream was my favourite, so I decided to get a full sized one.

Isn't it just the glitteriest dream of a polish? I used three coats but it dried super quickly. It is so much more mesmerising in real life, it's always a bitch photographing glitter polish!

On the subject of hands, Sarah, the designer behind Magasin, sent me these two awesome rings the other day. Sarah specialises in creating genius cross stitch jewellery and accessories, and is also a blogger! I have had so many comments whilst wearing these babies - everyone is in agreement that it's a pretty ingenious concept! Being an OAP at heart (and often on the surface) I enjoy any nod to granny culture, and these cross stitch cuties are no exception. Anyway, it's not all yaaaay-look-at-my-freebies, as Sarah has kindly offered you all 15% off in her etsy store using the code GEMFATALE15!

Moustache, Blue tit

In other news, I borrowed a swishy Canon 500D camera from uni today for my project, so tested it out earlier on my gorgeous little model, Roxy. I've never been able to get such close/clear pictures of her with her eyes open as the flash on my little Nikon turns her eyes into squinting, glowing orbs. Isn't she just a beaut? I was going to just post one picture, but I couldn't choose my fave!

By the way, I call that little platform she's sitting on her Perch of Terror™! It's at the top of her scratch post thing, and for some reason whenever she's up on it, she goes a bit mad and will literally punch you if you walk past her. She doesn't have her claws out or anything though. It's so funny! She also chases her tail like a little lunatic. Will try and film both for your viewing pleasure!

Back soon for hopefully some LOL tales of my trip with Emily!

Stay safe!

♥

DP Denim Challenge: Final day!

Well, today marks the final day of the Dorothy Perkins Denim Challenge, and it is indeed the biggest style challenge I've faced this week. The wide leg!

A week of trying new styles seems to have built up my confidence, because I have decided to wear these jeans in an almost completely 'normal' way. For the sake of challenging myself, I wanted to see what it was like to wear an outfit without any of my usual style comfort blankets. No ankle socks. No leather. No leopard print. Yep, to quote The Mighty Boosh, this outfit is about as edgy as a satsuma.  

Blouse - c/o A|Wear (It's now £12.50 in the sale!), Shoes - thrifted from Guerrisol in Paris.

To my surprise, I am actually quite enjoying this outfit. I was originally going to cutesify it with some socks and wedges, but like I said, I decided to go for a less predictable (for me) look and see how it felt. And it feels nice, in an understatedly stylish way. I can totally see myself wearing this outfit to lunch. I do feel a bit stripped of my identity in a way, without any of my usual playfully punky signifiers present, but maybe it's sometimes good to take a break from all the style signifying and just enjoy some subtlety.

However, I couldn't resist adding a hint of playfulness (not sure about the punk!) with my kitten necklace from Claire's accessories! The lippy is by No7 and was sent to me a while back. It's from the limited edition Spring collection and the shade is 'Grace'. I've been wearing it quite a lot, as it's this lovely peachy nude shade. I had to share it with you, as I've found it to be the most moisturising formula of any lippies I own, and it works really well as a cream blusher too! 

And that wraps up my week of Denim challenges! It's been a real eye opener, and so nice to have an 'excuse' to challenge myself with my outfits every day. A bit like the wardrobe wake up I did last year! I feel newly energised and I am going to keep the momentum going, and continue making more of an effort with my outfits. Bring on tomorrow! 

So, what do you make of the wide leg look? Are you disappointed I didn't stick to my usual style, or is it refreshing? 

♥

Buy makeup - help Japan

A quick post to let you know that the Eyeko will be matching all ambassador commissions this week and donating them to The British Red Cross in aid of Japan.

Basically, if you buy something from Eyeko, 15% of your purchase amount will be donated to The Red Cross. I'm hoping this amazing gesture from Eyeko will get a huge response and help those affected by the dreadful situations Japan is going through.

You don't have to use mine, but if you decide to buy something from Eyeko, please put someone's Ambassador code in!

Check out my reviews/pictures of Eyeko products if you want some purchase inspiration:

Fat Balm

Posh Polish

Indigo polish

Rain polish

And if you would like to use my code, it's E11298, and you'll get a free gift if you spend over £15.

Cheers lovelies,

♥

DP Denim Challenge: Day 4

So, I've been getting off quite lightly this week in the Dorothy Perkins Denim Challenge, but the last two days of jeans are definitely a change from my usual style! In fact, tomorrow will be a complete departure from my style, can't wait to hear your thoughts! 

Today's jeans are the coloured cropped kick flare jeans. I seem to be the only one of my denim allies that opted for the mint green pair! These aren't particularly flattering on the thigh, in fact I feel a bit sausage-esque, but I somehow love them! 

I can imagine wearing them in the Summer on the beach whilst eating a matching mint choc chip ice cream. Well, I'll have to imagine this scenario, as Canterbury doesn't have a beach. The reality of my Summer is usually sitting in the park by the river trying to catch some sun, shrieking in terror every time an insect is within a 3 meter radius of me. Thus infuriating everyone within a 20 meter radius of me. Très glam. 

I kept my outfit neutral so I didn't look slightly crazy, but added a little pop of colour with my Barry M #146 lippie.

 

Jacket - Topshop, Top - H&M, Shoes - M&S via charity shop, Belt - Primark, veiny hooves - model's own!

I'm also wearing some fake lashes I got in my goodie bag at The Look Show. Not sure of the brand, they looked pretty cheap to me, but I am quite enjoying the overt falseness of them. Definitely going to pick up some thicker lashes than usual next time I'm makeup shopping! 

In other news, I just got back from a highly motivational day at uni (probably helped that I watched this on the train - is it anyone else's guilty pleasure?) I am feeling quite confident but I do have sooo much work to do it isn't even funny. Will try and keep blogging regularly though, as I have heaps I want to share with you!

Enough about my hideously dull life, what's new in yours?? And what do you make of my minty sausage chic look today? 

I know I've been a bit slack in replying to comments lately, but I read and enjoy every one, and always try and click through to your blogs for a quick nose around, even if I don't have time to comment! I'll be rectifying this as soon as I don't have my Final Major Proj sucking the life out of me. Bear with me. I appreciate you reading this more than you could know. 

♥

DP Denim Challenge: Day 3!

Bonjour ♥

So, today is the day of the Boyfriend jean in the Dorothy Perkins Denim Challenge. I chose some Peg Leg jeans, which are basically a looser fitting skinny jean with a higher rise and erm, roomier crotch, for lack of a better description. My brain doesn't wake up 'til 12, bear with me!

In keeping with the spotty theme from yesterday, here's how I wore them:

Top - H&M, Jeans - c/o Dorothy Perkins, Bag - Charity Shop

Necklace - Urban Outfitters, Clogs - Moheda 'Sofie' c/o Sareza, Socks - Topshop

I did find them comfortable, but something wasn't quite right for me. I found them a bit too bulky, and maybe not high waisted enough to be flattering. I do think they will look less bulky after they've been softened up in the washing machine, so hopefully that will improve the fit.

On a side note, my ankle sock addiction is raging out of control! I'm feeling like a one-trick pony, but I can't think of an outfit that isn't improved by an ankle sock! I hope you're not tiring of it. I'll buy some new ankle socks soon to keep things interesting!

Thank you for the comments on Day 1 and Day 2's blog posts. I was reading them on the train to London yesterday and they were keeping me entertained! I paid the price on the way home from London when my battery died. Without the distraction of Twitter/comments, I was forced to eat 3 Krispy Kreme's to fill the void!

Check out how the other bloggers have been getting on with the Denim Challenge at Style HQ for some outfit inspiration!

♥

Tuesday Tip: DIY distressed denim shorts!

So, it's Day 2 of my Dorothy Perkins Denim dress up challenge (See Day 1 here!). Today is supposed to be the Skinny Flare day. But, like I said yesterday, Dorothy Perkins have given us free reign to customise the jeans as we please. Considering flares don't particularly suit my "rockabilly meets librarian" style, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share some denim snipping tips with you guys.

I had so much fun dressing up in these jeans before I snipped them, because they reminded me of the flares I used to wear as a young teen when I was just getting into alternative music. I actually recreated one of my teen 'grunger' looks, but am saving those lolz for another post! You might be able to see my lesser spotted lip ring I donned for the occasion in the pictures below...

And don't go thinking I'm flaking out of taking risks in this Denim challenge... Flares will be addressed again, in their entirety, later in the week! (Eep!)

So here is the final product and my outfit:

(T-shirt - Topshop, Tights - Primark, Cardi - Primark, Socks - Topshop, Boots - Charity Shop, Belt - H&M kids)

And here's how the jeans started life! They were so comfortable and a really lovely shape. I know with my epic jugs I probably ought to be wearing a flare to balance me out a bit, but they just don't suit me! If skinny flares do suit you, you can find Dorothy Perkins' selection here. They don't seem to have this wash online, unfortunately, but the line number is 70154724 if you want to find them in a store.

DIY TIME!

♥ Right, to start with, determine the length you want your shorts, and snip a diagonal line (see below left) a bit longer than you think they need to be. It's better to be able to trim off extra material. You're screwed if you go too short!

♥ Put the jeans back on and see if the leg you've snipped is the right length. If not, trim some more. I wanted mine folded at the bottom instead of frayed. If you're of the kooky disposition, consider leaving them this way. It might catch on!

♥ When you're happy with the length and shape of the first leg, fold the jeans in half inwards (the seams line up better when folded this way) and use the chopped leg as a template to cut the other leg to match it.

♥ Woo, you did it! If your folds don't stay folded, you can either iron (or use straighteners) or just put a few stitches in to keep them in place.

If you want to put your own stamp on your new shorts, here are some distressing tips that work for me! (As in denim-distressing tips - not that these tips caused me emotional strife!)

Most places on the internetz suggest Sandpaper, but we don't have this in our flat, so I busted out my Models Own nail file! Which worked perfectly, I must say.

I found the best way to do it was to put the leg that you're distressing first 'on', but upside down. Like in the pic below (imagine my knee sticking out of the top of the picture), so it's like the jeans are sitting on your lap, but because they're on, you can pull the material taut and file it easier. I hope to god that made sense!

So we've sorted out the wear, onto the tear! To get a more ripped look, I used that side of the cheese grater that nobody knows what to do with. Anyone care to enlighten me?! I made the material taught but pulling upwards with my palm, and then gently grated the material over my hand. Be careful not to stab yourselves! This just pulls the threads out and makes little rips, which you can enhance with a seam ripper if you want to.

When you think you're done, try the jeans on and see how they look. I decided my nail-filed areas were a bit small, so I just filed them whilst they were on, so I had more control over which extra bits to do. It only takes a couple of minutes to get a faded look.

I absolutely love how these turned out. I am going to keep filing them and make them an ongoing project, but I was surprised how easy it was to get a cool faded/ripped effect! I might add some studs too when I next have some pocket money!

I accidentally made mine a bit too bummy, so will be wearing them with some cycling shorts like all the cool cats, until we get a heatwave!

My latest nails and my adorable 'LOL' ring sent to me by Stolen Thunder. If there was ever a piece of jewellery that was made for me, it was this. Lolz are my life. You can get 15% off Stolen Thunder jewellery using the code 'GEM'!

(Nails: OPI Banana Bandana, spots of Models Own Nude Beige, Leopard done with Superdrug 2True liquid eyeliner!)

And that wraps up this week's tip! What do you think? Do any of you have any tips for distressing or customising denim?

Don't forget to see how the other bloggers got on with Skinny Flare day at Style HQ!

♥