DIY - When Your Out Here In This Jungle

    So the perks of being a uni kid is of course the amazing parties that you get to go to, and the even better perks of being a fashion student is that when the party is fancy dress you can really go OTT on the the whole thing with your sewing kit (and in this case with the paints too!!!). This was a little while ago, but realised I hadn't posted the photos to share with you guys, so here we go! Basically the theme of this party was 'Jungle' and there was also a cash prize for the most amazing fancy dress (of which no one ever found out who won -  very suspicious!). Anyway, a few friends and I decided to go all out, both to try and win the money, but also just because! It's always fun to dress up right!?! Anyway I decided to go as a blue parrot, mainly because I had two stunning blue dresses I wanted to wear. BUT I was on a budget. So here's how I did it...

    So here's all I used (in addition with all the facepaint). Here I have several pieces of fabric for the wings (brought from the sraps bin, so costing around only £10), gold chain (to attach the wings to £3), necklace from New Look (£4 but going to be spruced up with embroidery threads) and THE DRESS, that I actually turned out not to wear as my original dress that I had ordered for the night arrived that day! Phew!!!

    So firstly, I used the threads to weave layers into the chain of the necklace to add more vibrant colours, as well as a bit of shine (from the threads) for more of a statement.

The wings : here I sewed a weaved in layers and layers of my fabric to add the texture of the wings. Not perfect (done in 48hrs!) but I was going for more fun than seriousness.

 Now the face paint, all over my body! I used dark blue, turquoise and purple to create a feathery streaky texture all over! Took literally hours. My friend then did the same for her leopard print skin.

 And there you have it! Here's a group shot :3

The dress above (blue body con) was from American Apparel, around £35 (can't remember) but can remember I then found discounts on top of that so I got it for about £25!!!

And the light blue dress (Topshop) was later put to a good use (I used it for another night out!)

I Think I Have Too Many Clothes . . .

   So, anyone who knows me right now will be thinking 'You've only just realised this?' or maybe 'Oooh I've never seen you wear that before!'... Well that's because this selection is probably only 5% of my wardrobe! Now before you think I am some crazy over-spender who is careless with money, that is not me at all! I am actually quite careful with spending in other aspects of my life, and even with clothes, I am a VERY thrifty shopper (think student discount, on top of sales, on top of discount codes!). Anyway this realisation came about when I began to have a little sort out at the end of term and clean my uni room, and while doing so, I thought why not give you guys a little peak into my closet? So here it is! I haven't shared any of my newest finds with you though, as you will have to wait till a later post to see my summer buys... ;)

It's the End of a Google Reader Era!

    As some of you may know already, Google reader will be leaving us on 1st of July. I'm sure I wasn't alone in panicking when first hearing of this news! It has helped so many bloggers with both building their own blogs and keeping up with others. However, luckily Bloglovin is offering a simple solution to import the blogs you followed with Google Reader, and personally I have been using this site far more anyway because of it's clear and concise format, making browsing through posts much easier on the eye! 

And this is how you do it!

Just click this link http://www.bloglovin.com/import/reader

Follow me on Bloglovin http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1900440

DIY Printed Nails and a Henna'd Hand

    Honestly, I love the new craze for nail art, but when it comes at a price of over £5 for one set of nail foils (after buying a great collection of nail-varnishes all these years) excuse me for saying, that I find it a bit of a waste of money! Instead have faith in your own handy work! Many people either use nail varnish and tiny brushes to create elaborate designs, but if your not that confident, then here's another way (similar to the foil nail transfer technique). Just have a little faith and practice a little, as you will need to once or twice before you get it perfect :)

Step 1

Chose you prints. Either cut them out of magazines or print some off on paper. What I find is that thin magazine paper works the best as it flexes around the curves of your nails but is also resistant to water so the print won't bleed and the paper won't rip as easily. Here are a few of the prints I chose bellow.

Step 2

Cut the prints down to a rough size, then soak the papers on top of a shallow dish of water, to allow them to curve around the nail easier.

Step 3

Do it nail by nail so you have time to concentrate on each. Start by painting a white/clear background to a nail. Pick a paper print and dab it dry gently, then place it on the wet nail. Push it into place and press it around the curves of the nail. If there is any excess, then cut it to size when the paper and varnish is dry. Repeat on all the other nails.

Step 4

Use clear nail varnish (here I have used one with blue glitter in to add to the effect) to add two upper coat layers on to both waterproof the paper and keep it on securely. I then also added a white tip to my nails, as a new twist on a French manicure.

 And voila! Here's the finished product of my hard work. Remember, keep practising. It is SO worth it and saves a lot of money!!

And remember, you can now follow all these stories on BLOGLOVIN!!

Shake It, Break It, Make It Bounce!

   So, ever since hearing/seeing Iggy Azalea's new video 'Bounce', I can't get the catchy song and vibrant imagery out of my head. The warm exotic hues and elaborate jewellery will most likely catch on very soon, firstly by taking over the holiday scene. The influence has already been seen on SS13 catwalks, such as in Reed Krakoff with their jewelled tones and at Donna Karen with the bejewelled chiffons. As well as this, the art of henna has been rising in popularity, and when a friend came to mine the other day with a whole tube of it, I jumped at the chance of using it again!

A-symmetric hemmed chiffon top - £24 New Look

Earings - £12 Dorothy Perkins

Serpent bracelet - A Moroccan souk

Want to see more? Then check out my Bloglovin!

30 Days Later . . . I do apologise

   So, you may have noticed an absence in my blogging recently ( a month to be precise) and for that I am sorry, as it was one of my new years resolutions to blog more! However the last month has been extremely hectic with my fashion design course, and it is only just coming to an end for summer. I have SOOOOO much to share with you guys, from my design work, attending different fashion events and fun fancy dress nights out. All of which I shall post v soon. But for now, here's a brief recap of my month. Enjoy :)

A social break... even on skype I can't be normal!! Why the bunny ears you ask? Who know!?!

 My sketchbook from this term (more to come on that project soon).

 A fashion PR event in London, following the shows at London Fashion Week.

 Where I am living at the moment, Falmouth.

 A surprise in the post for me :)

 The picturesque beaches around Cornwall.

After all the work was done, we decided an all nighter was in order, to wait and see the sun rise. It was SO worth it!

  It's not all work, in the words of  Ne-yo, I both work hard and play hard. The jungle party sore me painted head to toe blue as a tropical bird.

A few memories...

And finally, can you guess what all this was to make? I'll give you a clue, there is a huge hint in this post already! But more to come soon, so stay tuned!!!