My hair smells like chocolate

Hello beauties! I hope everyone is having a fabulous bank holiday Monday. It's been yet another busy week for me! I've barely been in uni but I always end up having loads of stuff to do, and I've got some exciting things coming up for later in the year so watch this space. Anyway, I'm still looking into how to make the transition into Spring/Summer as part of my #DashOfcColour project (get yourself on Instagram). One thing that I have noticed in particular, mainly in magazines, catwalks and in the high street, is that Spring/Summer 2014 is all about being bold!

Everywhere in the fashion world is being dominated by dazzling prints, daring cuts, jewellery-encrusted clothing, and most importantly pink, pink, PINK! Burberry, Prada, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham have all gone crazy for the Barbie girl colour. I know some girls may say that they hate how girlish pink looks, but I completely disagree. I think pink has such great potential as it comes in hundreds of different tones and shades which can suit any fashionistas complexion. Plus, the way you choose to wear it can vary its impact. Hot pink can look sexy, whereas a baby pink might give you a relaxed, cute vibe. 

Now the trend for pink this summer is colour-blocking. Most items are worn as a 'hero-piece' such as this dress from Ark. This is a good option is you are feeling brave and are a lover of the pink. However, my advice is to keep the accessories to a minimum, because colour-blocking can be somewhat empowering, but you don't want to end up looking like you've had a circus thrown up on you. If you're a bit scared of bright colours, and feel more comfortable in neutrals, just add a bit of dash of colour to your outfit. This could be as simple as a fuchsia lipstick or vibrant nail varnish (see my last post). But most importantly, keep a twist of your own style in there. I adore anything kitschy or oozing with cuteness, so I've worked the pink trend with a collared dress.

Dress: Ark

Sunglasses: River Island

Sandals: Primark

Lipstick: Frosted Pink at Collection

Please get yourself on instagram and follow me (@katiejean48) and tag me in any outfits that you create that may have been inspired by this blog. Use the hashtag #DashOfColour.

Love Katie xx

High hopes

Hello lovelys! I am so, so sorry that I have not blogged in a extremely long time but I have had an insane year at uni which has kept my creative side very preoccupied. I just want to quickly share what's new for me; this year I've been in my third year of uni so I've had a heavy work load and an intense placement (I'm a trainee teacher); I joined a sports team at uni and soon took up a committee position so that has given me a full plate; and now I am looking at potentially working two jobs this summer before I start my fourth and final year of uni (oh no, save me!)

So yes, as you can imagine I've been in a bit of a flap this year but I'm looking forward to a more chilled summer (with two holidays to Portugal and Majorca, yay!) and hopefully spending more time doing creative ventures such as this blog and maybe setting up a vlog (watch this space).

This post in particular is dedicated to a adorable little friend of mine (you know who you are) who asked: "how can I adapt my wardrobe from Autumn/Winter to Spring/Summer?" Well firstly, please don't throw all your old clothes out and buy more! I know that is the immediate reaction, and I am guilty myself, but I do find myself cringing when I hear girls (and some guys, not being sexist promise)  telling me that they have a massive clear out every year and buy a whole new set of outfits. Okay, it's sensible to have a clear out every now and then but I live by the mantra: reuse, reuse, reuse! My tip for making the fashion transformation from the cold months to the warmer ones is to purchase things that you can wear in both! Cue the stripey top...

So who can tell me if stripes have ever gone out of fashion? No one? Okay, well that's cause they don't! They look perfect in winter layered under knitted cardis and cosy coats and they are so cute in summer with a pair of denim shorts. Which leads me to my next point: denim

Right so denim is a fail-safe every time with fashion; it never goes away and can look gorgeous in Autumn/Winter or Spring/Summer. My only tip would be is mix up the gradings of your denim. When it is a bit bleaker go for dark blue or even black denim, but switch it up in Summer to light washes of denim. Personally I have chosen to go with this kitschy denim pinafore as that's my style, but shorts, skirts or jeans are also winners.

Last step is add a dash of colour. Now for you colour-phobics out there, do not panic! This does not have to be a whole block of colour like a skirt or top, just go for something simple like a bright pair of sandals (jelly shoes are making a big comeback), a vibrant bag or even a striking lipstick. You don't want to drown yourself in colour but just give your outfit a nice little accent. I have gone for a bright pink scrunchie because I am absolutely in love with them at the moment and popped a coral lipstick on, but you just choose whatever makes you comfortable.

Denim Pinafore: River Island

Stripey Crop Top: Ark

Sandals: Primark

Scrunchie: Claire's Accessories

Lipstick: Maybeline

I want to try and become more interactive with my readers so I'm going to try something new. If you have a go at any of my tips then post a picture of yourself on Instagram with the hashtag #DashOfColour and tag me in it (@katiejean48) because I really want to see what ideas you guys come up with, then we can be a little fashion sharing community <3

Love xx

Shirts & Dresses

Hello all! I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday afternoon. I have come home from uni this weekend as I was missing my family a bit and it is also my friend's 21st birthday do tonight so Happy Birthday Emily (:

This morning I had some time to go and do some piccies, so we went for a little wander down the bridle-way. I don't know about you, but I think the temperature has really started to drop over the last week. I've actually had to buy a pair of tights!! Those who know me well will know that means that it has definitely got colder. So this mean no more t-shirts and shorts, and it's time to throw on our jumpers and jackets! 

I do love autumn fashion though! And I think you can still find ways to wear all of your wardrobe with some clever tweaking. For example, put some cute fashion tights on under shorts! I'm not much of a shorts person, however; I am a dress lover. Yet with it being chilly, it's sort of unbearable to go out with bare arms and legs. My solution: put a cute shirt underneath your dresses! It looks so adorable and keeps your arms nice and cosy. Make sure you choose a dress and shirt that complement each other though! In this post I have put a cream shirt under a burgundy dress to keep the look very neutral and simple. Let me know what you think (:

Shirt & Loafers: Primark

Dress: Topshop

Watch: River Island

How-to: eye make up to bring out green eyes

Bonjour beauts! So I promised you guys more how-to post on my blog so this is my second one. Now I am a big eye make up girl. I always believe that make up should accentuate your best features and my eyes tend to be what I get complimented on, so I usually concentrate on them.

 However, for a long while I didn't really know what suited my eyes. I always used to wear green eye shadow because I thought using the same colour eye shadow as your peepers would draw attention to my eyes. How wrong I was! I found that actually, using the same colour washes your eye colour out because the colours sort of camouflage together. 

Since I got the Naked 1 set by Urban Decay I have developed a new eye make up technique for those of us green-eyed girls. Think plum and purples lovelys! The best way to make your eyes stand out is to choose a colour extremely opposite to your natural eye colour, and for green eyes it is plum and purple. 

Now some of your might feel a bit scared when I say plum on purple; they don't sound like the most natural of colours! Don't worry, the Naked 1 set contains very natural shades of these tones. If you cannot afford Urban Decay products then try Rimmel: I have some lovely purply colours from there.

So let's get started!

Get your hands on some primer. I use the Urban Decay primer which is included in the Naked 1 set, but you can get pretty decent primers from any of the other make up brands on the high street. They just make your eye shadow smooth on well and help it to last all day.

So first you should apply the eye make up primer all over your eyelids and rub in, as I am doing in the picture above. If you do not have any primer you could substitute it with a eye cream as that will help the eye shadow to 'stick'.

Take a liner brush and wet it so that it's slightly damp. Then apply a shimmery, navy shade to the brush.

Take this colour and apply it like eye liner just above your lash line, like so.

With a flat eye shadow brush, apply a glittery, plum colour.

Cover your eyelids in this colour, blending it in with the navy line you have already applied.

And blend the same colour beneath your lower lash line.

Using an eye shadow blending brush, apply a rich, dark purple all over it.

Rub this shade into the crease of your eye lid (it helps to keep your eyes open so you can get a defined line).

Take a contouring eye shadow brush and apply to it a frosty pink colour.

Smooth this along your brow-bone to act as a highlight.

Using the same colour, apply this into the ball of your eye and underneath your eye to give you a wide-eye look.

Then take a mascara and apply it to your upper and lower lashes. I use Loreal Double Extension because it comes with a primer, which helps to lengthen my lashes extremely well!

Use as much mascara as your comfortable with. I tend to apply two coat but that just cause my eyelashes are very light naturally.

Et Viola! I would usually wear this eye make up for a meal with friends or even a night out, but it's a really easy method if you wanted to try it for day-to-day make up.

I hope you have enjoyed my how-to and comment for any other suggestions of how-to posts you would like to see (:

Burgundy & Orange

Heey lovelys! I have had a brilliant weekend and I hope you guys have too! I have spent time catching up with uni work and chilling with my beautiful friends. My amazing friend Emily was kind enough to take some photos for me on Saturday in a local park, and she has done an excellent job!

I've been thinking a lot about seasonal outfits recently, with the move into Autumn (although the sun did make an appearance today yay!). Fashion can be a cruel mistress in that respect as with the changing season we have to suddenly update our wardrobes to keep up with the latest trends; but you can never claim that fashion is boring! 

Unfortunately, if you don't have unlimited spending money, buying a whole new set of outfits every season might be a little bit impossible. Being a poor student (and even poorer this year with having less loan) clothes shopping can be dangerous. So, I got to thinking: basics! For autumn you only need to have a few staple items to keep you looking fresh every year.

This blog looks at burgundy and orange. Burgundy is one of the warmest and versatile colours you can wear during the winter. Don't go over the top with it though! Too much burgundy is going to look silly frankly; just go for one item of your outfit, for example I have chosen a burgundy blazer to wear in this outfit. And guess what? I got this blazer last Autumn and it still looks up-to-date! 

Now orange. This is pretty much a given. Rich, orange leaves fall from the trees in the chillier months so take your cues from nature and invest in items with warm, fiery colours. You can go bold with orange but like I said with burgundy limited it to one item only! Personally, I prefer a subtle look so I opted for these dainty, orange-patterned shorts which I actually bought for summer! Sometimes if you can't afford to buy new things you just need to be resourceful with what you already have hanging in your wardrobe! Anyway check out the outfit and let me know what you think.

Blazer: Primark

Jumper: Ark

Shorts: Topshop

Boots: Next

Bag: Acessorize

Watch: River Island