Hair Refresh

I feel that we have all been there.. Making that one hair decision that we always wish we had never done. Whether it be trying a new cut, styling it differently or being brave and trying a new colour. Back when I was in year 10 at school, I had my first lot of highlights. I loved them! A nice subtle blonde running through the length of my hair. I loved it so much so that I decided next time I went back to the salon, to add a little bit more blonde. I did the same the next time that I went.. Until I was pretty much bleach blonde. 

Now being that age, looking back, I definitely did not look after my hair at all. I would wake up at 6am every morning, to wash it and style it before heading off to school for the day. That being said, the amount of product I would put into my hair was horrendous! It was so dry, it could have literally just been hay used to make a birds nest. Not a good look.. 

As you can guess, it didn't last for very long. Maybe a couple of weeks at max. She was back dying it to be a brunette once more. Even more damage to my hair.. It took years to grow out the bleach underneath the home box dyes, under the semi permanent dyes done at the salon. It was such a long process. The colour never stuck to my hair due to the bleach stripping back any sort of colour or pigment. Of course, there was nothing for the dye to cling too! I always remember being wary of being out in the direct sun as you could see how my roots were growing through. 

Since then, I have always been a bit against doing anything with my hair that's different. Other than minimising the amount of product used on my hair.. After seeing the balayage trend coming in, where colour was added to look natural, or the opposite if you fancied, I was obsessed! After umming and arring, I took the plunge and decided to go for something super natural, with no colour anywhere near my roots. I wanted that look of natural highlights from spending time in the sun. 

I have been over the moon with it! Even a month on from having it done, I still wish that I had done it sooner. Don't get me wrong, I am not going to go back as blonde as my school days (I am not going to insert any photos, to save myself the embarrassment haha), but I am in love with it!

Do you have any hair regrets?

Amber X

Winter Styling Edit

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I'm not great when it comes to buying clothes. I'm never one to quickly add an item to my basket or to walk into a shop, find something and go straight to pay. I always end up deliberating over whether I will actually get wear out of the item, and if it will go with the very few clothing pieces that I have in my wardrobe. Yes, I am a nightmare when it comes to buying new clothes haha. Dressing for Winter is definitely my favourite if I had to choose between all seasons. Give me some pointy boots, an oversized jumper and a pair of jeans, and I'm ready for the day. There have been a few items of clothing that I have been loving and I cannot wait to wear them out and about when the time comes.

>This< jumper has been one of my favourite buys. I have been trying to add a couple more knitted jumpers to my wardrobe as they are a piece that goes with everything.. Jeans, work trousers. skirts, and leggings. The quality itself is lovely and it goes so nicely with a thick scarf, on a cold day. The cable knit design always makes a jumper look super cosy and this one is no exception. It's also currently discounted!

I have wanted a pair of leather look leggings for a while, but couldn't seem to find any with a quality that would last. I used to have a pair of leather look jeans from Topshop, but can remember putting them in the wash and the waxed, leather look, just disappeared. I ordered from BecauseOfAlice when Alice first launched collection number 1 and fell in love with the light wash mom jeans. She released >these< leather look leggings and my dreams were finally answered. They're not flimsy in their fabric and don't cling to the legs. They fit just right and the high rise design is beautiful. 

Lastly, the most incredible pair of biker boots you have ever seen. Boots are a love of mine, and >this< pair are just beautiful. Another item that I think will be so versatile - they could be worn with my pair of leather leggings, jeans, skirts, and dresses.. I cannot wait to be able to wear these out properly!

What fashion pieces have you been loving lately?

Amber X

New Garms

I'm not entirely sure what has been the case with me and shopping lately. Whenever I go shopping, there aren't usually many things, if anything, that I like and treat myself too. But this has been flipped on it's head the past couple of weeks. I have found a few things that I can't wait to wear, and I thought to share them with you.

>This< Zara Ribbed Puff Sleeved Top - Being on the thicker end of being a 'top', I'd actually style this one as a jumper. Potentially wearing a thin white strapless top underneath, as if you were to wear a dark bra, you definitely could see it through. The sleeves really drew me to try this piece on, and I loved the puffed effect it gives on the shoulders. If anything is long sleeved, I like it to be long in the arms, so I can wrap the sleeve around my hands to keep warm haha. This one is perfect for doing that. I think it would look cute, tucked into some jeans or a skirt. Or even to just tuck the front bit into a pair of jeans, so the back and sides hang out.

>These< Zara High Rise Slim Fit jeans - Something I have wanted to add to my wardrobe for a while are some mom style, slightly baggier jeans. I ordered some of the Farleigh jeans on Asos to try. I had to order 3 different sizes, and none of them fit right. Some were too tight on the leg, tight on my hips but then far too big on my waist. A belt didn't save them either. I thought to leave it at that - that there wasn't going to be a pair that fit me properly. Until I tried these ones on in the Zara store. They fit like a glove in all the right places and then are looser in the places that they are meant to be. I love the straight leg, they're so different to any other jeans that I own. I can't wait to wear these in the spring with the above, or a white blouse.

>This< Hollister skirt - This style of skirt is something that I wanted to add to my wardrobe last year, but I didn't come across any that caught my eye, or were an item that I could have seen going with any of the pieces that I had already in my wardrobe. I saw this one recently, and fell in love instantly. I am a massive lover of all black clothes - typically most things I do wear are black. So this one was a must. I can't wait to wear it when it gets warmer (yes I am going there haha) with some converse, maybe a denim jacket, a cute top, and my Raybans glasses.

What clothing items have you got your eye on at the moment?

Amber X

Stepping Out Of 'The Comfort Zone'

When it comes to learning something new, meeting new people, accepting new opportunities, achieving a goal you've worked so hard for, and numerous other challenges, it's known that stepping out of your comfort zone may be one way you achieve it. That being said, the thought of this completely terrifies me. Leaving my little 'bubble' or safe place is usually my last thought. Why would I put myself out there, to only lead to rejection and vulnerability? But also, that same action could also provide happiness and newness? I find myself stuck in the in between almost always.

I have always been a person that isn't the biggest fan of change, even if it's small insignificant things. Having a routine is something I enjoy, so when something comes along that disrupts or alters my day, it doesn't make me the happiest of people. When change comes about, my moods can be terrible - even I know that. One minute I am on cloud nine and the next, I'm the total opposite. It's completely draining, and so hard to keep up with. Stepping out of my comfort zone or 'bubble' is definitely an idea that I think would slowly help coming to terms with change, and importantly, improve the sudden capsize of my moods.
How am I going to do this you ask? I think small steps in the right direction is the right place to start. No way am I throwing myself in the deep end right at the very beginning. When it comes to 'my style' (if I could even call it that haha), I am one for maintaining the same look. I'm 10000% the girl who has 12423 black t-shirts, blouses and jumpers, that get paired with black jeans, boots, and maybe a pair of Converse if I'm feeling it. Don't get me wrong, I love dressing this way, but recently, I have wanted a change.

On a whim, I purchased a pair of blue jeans... This may seem so stupid to most of you, but I'm breaking free of this 'style' routine, and stepping out of my comfort zone. I have always wanted to find the perfect pair of blue jeans that fit in all the right places. Being able to wear my new pair of blue jeans comfortably and not feel like I am cheating on the numerous pairs of black jeans hanging up in my wardrobe, is a small victory in my eyes.
Here's to accepting change one step at a time, regardless how big or small your achievement is.

What do you do to help yourself accept change?

Amber X

Top - Asos
Belt - Asos
Jamie Jeans - Topshop
Boots - Topshop (Similar)
Jacket - Topshop (Similar)

University Room

Having spent 2 (ish) months in my third and final university flat, I thought I would give you a little peek into my bedroom. Everything has finally found a place in my room now and I'm mostly happy with how it is all looking. My room is actually quite small, but looking at it in the photos, it looks a lot larger than it is. I'm all for making things cosy - if I could be in my dressing gown, pj's and fluffy socks all day, I would. Here is the contents of my room...

Bed Area

 Duvet cover and pillow cases - Ikea
Woollen white cushion - Ikea
Grey cushion - The Range
Teal cushion - Dunelm
Jewellery holder - Ikea
Desk lamp - Amazon
Fairy lights - Amazon
Photo's on the wall - Pinterest

Desk Space

Acrylic makeup storage - Amazon
Brush holders - Ikea
Free standing mirror - Ikea (apologies for the finger prints and smudges)
Illuminated round mirror - No7 at Boots

Other Side of The Room

Wooden Crate (I keep the bits in here that I use on the daily, mostly, but don't want to keep in the bathroom) - Ikea 

Light up letter 'A' - This was a gift - but you could find similar on Amazon.

What's your favourite part of your room? 

Amber X

Cheeky Little Asos Haul

When it comes to clothes shopping, it takes me ages to find pieces that I like. Then comes the debating as to whether I can see myself wearing it. If I can't see myself wearing it, it goes back onto the clothing rack. This is usually, if not always what happens whenever I attempt to go clothes shopping. It just so happened that the last time I looked on asos for some new clothing pieces to get for going back to University, I found a whole bunch of items I liked, result haha!

I'll leave links to the few items I picked up, in case you wanted to have a look yourself :-)

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Ox Trainers 

I have been thinking about getting a pair of Converse for a while now, but just haven't seen a style or colour that I think would suit me. Initially when I saw these on asos, I thought they were grey - when they arrived, they were not! However, I do love the colour of them (maybe even more than if they were grey) and I cant wait to wear them!

Asos Cami with Eyelet Trim 

Black cami tops are just my favourite - they look good with jeans, skirts, shorts, everything! The V neck and eyelet detailing makes this cami so different to any others I have seen and it breaks up my collection of plain, black tops haha! This little cami definitely meets the 'jeans and a nice top' memo.

^ How cute does it look with Converse?!

Asos Stripe T Shirt in Baby Loop Back

Stripy tops are something that I love to thrown on with a pair of jeans. You can never have too many. I love the style of this one -  being slightly baggy, it's nothing like the other stripy tops I own. It fits well around my shoulders and isn't too tight around my wrists - this is often something I find with a lot of long sleeve tops/jumpers. I may need to get the red colour too...

What have you treated yourself too lately?

Amber X