Monday 27 April 2015

Cheers Boris!

Sheer top - Primark
Crop top - Miss Selfridge
Jeans - Topshop
Shoes - Vintage Nikes
Bag - LaModa
Jacket - Vintage

Ahh it was so sunny the other week when my boyfriend was down in London with me; I absolutely love these glimpses of summer we're having at the moment. We decided to spend the day in Hyde Park, pretending it was 35 degrees (celsius) like the typical British people we are, eating ice creams and cycling around on Boris bikes. I wore quite a simple outfit, but I wanted to share my new vintage pieces with you all because they're just so cute for summer, these Barbie pink Nikes were such a gem of a find on Brick Lane!

I'm in the midst of revision at the moment so bear with me!

Love Ellen xx

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Wednesday 22 April 2015

Limecrime Cashmere


First things first, I'd just like to start by saying that I bought this product before Limecrime announced the whole hacking scandal thing and shortly after my purchase, received a letter and an email stating that my details had not been compromised. However, I do know that many people experienced huge issues after their details were stolen and as a result, Limecrime have lost many loyal customers for not notifying them sooner about the problem. I want to let you all make your own minds up about the company, but if you do not wish to purchase this product from Limecrime, you can always search on depop or eBay. I've also left some dupes below that you could try out as an alternative!

Despite the controversy surrounding the brand, I thought it was still worth sharing this product with you all, I've been wearing it non-stop since I bought it and as far as liquid lipsticks go, this product is the best I've tried. Like many Limecrime fans, I now wish I didn't love it as much as I do, but honestly, it's beautiful.

The formula is non-drying and comfortable to wear; it lasts ages on the lips and is the most long wearing throughout mealtimes than any other liquid lipstick I've tried. Plus it smells like toffee, which I totally wasn't expecting! The colour of Cashmere however, is what convinced me to place the order, it's just so pretty and looks completely different on various skin-tones. I've seen this shade range from grey to lilac to nude to brown, all depending on who's wearing it. In the first photo I'm wearing a pink lipliner with a generous layer of Cashmere on top, without the pink underneath I feel this colour is a little too strong for my fair complexion, but I really love how versatile Cashmere can look layered over different lipsticks. For a second example, in the second photo I have a light pink lipstick on as a base and I have dabbed a light layer of Cashmere over the top to create a really pretty nude. These two looks have been my go-tos with this product, but I'd love to layer it over some more shades and see how that turns out.

Cashmere dupes


Now that I've researched these dupes I really want to test some of them out! They're all less expensive that Cashmere so it'd be worth a try. Is that a post any of you would be interested in?

Love Ellen xx
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Saturday 18 April 2015

Purple Holographic Nails


I'm about to do something super annoying...yep, I don't know what this polish is called! *cries*

I had my nails done properly before I came to America and picked this gorgeous, purple holographic shade in an Essie bottle marked 'Cascade Cool'. I took a note of the name because this was a polish I needed in my life, seriously, my life is not complete without it.

When I got home I excitedly went to search for the name so I could buy a bottle for myself, only to discover that 'Cascade Cool' by Essie is actually just a regular pink shade...So now I'm just a bit confused.
Nevertheless I had to share these photos with you all, because it's just so darn pretty. In the sunshine, the rainbow of colours just set alight, the camera does not do it any justice, trust me.

So, the search for the perfect holographic polish goes on!

Love Ellen xx
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Thursday 16 April 2015

Crystal Maze

Top - Goodwill
Belt - Goodwill
Sunglasses - Forever 21
Shoes - Asos

Something a little different today! What do you think?! 
I've always wanted to be able to edit photos like this and be a bit more creative every now and again and I've finally learnt how! I took these photos against the garage at my Dad's, the snow had almost completely melted in the background I used before, so the ground had gone a bit muddy and the effect wasn't really the same. I've taken photos in front of the garage before, but this time, I was left feeling a bit 'merh' about the images; I love this outfit but the background and photos just weren't doing it justice. I had a bit of a play around (honestly, it took me hours) and this is what I ended up with! I'm quite proud of myself really, although I'll probably look back at this post in a few months time and think 'oh goddd, what was I doing?!'

This top was a gem of a find in Goodwill a few days ago (I don't think I need to preach anymore about how much I love that store!). It just so happens to match perfectly with my new culottes from Asos which fit so well and have most definitely converted me onto the culottes bandwagon (plus, they were a total bargain). 

Let me know what you think of this style of post?

Love Ellen xx

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Tuesday 14 April 2015

How I care for my bleached hair: Lee Stafford


I always get a lot of questions on my hair, how I get it this colour (see post here) and how I care for it after it's been bleached. So, I thought I'd talk you all through my hair care routine, discuss about my favourite products and share some tips on how to care for dyed hair!

I've always been a fan of Lee Stafford products, and those of you who've read my post on how I get my hair this lilacy/grey will know how obsessed I am with their purple shampoo! The products are all affordable but they feel super luxurious and smell UH-MAZING, plus the packaging is really cute and bright. I thought I'd write a short review of each of the products I use every time I wash my hair:

Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes Shampoo - This is my holy grail shampoo, not only because it feels creamy and nice to apply, leaving my hair clean, but also because it's the secret behind my pastel coloured hair. I use this shampoo every time I wash my hair (which is every other day) and leave it on for around 5min. It means I don't have to spend ages faffing around with Crazy Colour any more!

Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes Conditioner - I always buy my shampoo and conditioner on 3 for 2, so I buy two shampoos and one conditioner. This one is a great partner to the purple shampoo because it moisturises and nourishes my hair whilst helping to keep the grey/lilac tones.

Lee Stafford Breaking Hair Leave-In Treatment* - My hair has been bleached, which means it needs some extra care. I apply a walnut sized blob of this leave-in treatment after every wash, running it through the ends of my towel-dried hair. I tend to then wrap my hair back up in the dry side of the towel for around 5min so the treatment can really soak in and get to work. I've almost finished this tube and I notice a huge difference when I use this product, it leaves my hair feeling so silky soft and nourished.

Lee Stafford Moroccan Argan Miracle Oil - After I've taken the towel off my hair and the leave-in treatment has soaked in, I pump around 3-5 drops of this hair oil into my hands and run it through my hair, particularly focussing on the ends. My hair seriously drinks this stuff up! Sometimes I apply a generous amount to my hair a few hours before I'm about to wash it, for a more intense treatment.

Lee Stafford Big Fat Root Boost Mousse Spray* - I have fine hair, and especially when it's damaged it can look a bit flat and lacklustre. I use this spray-on mousse as the final part of my hair routine, massaging it into my roots to add body and volume to my hair, making it look healthier and thicker (without any stickiness or crustiness!)

Some other tips!

I try to avoid using heat on my hair, so I usually wash my hair in the evening, a few hours before I go to bed and let it dry overnight. I know this isn't ideal for everyone but I absolutely hate blow-drying my hair!

If you can, also try to avoid brushing your hair when it's wet. This is when your hair is most vulnerable to damage and breaking, so just run your fingers through it and leave it a while before you go in with a hair brush!

Massage your head for a couple of minutes when you apply your shampoo or conditioner. I try to do this as often as possible, as it stimulates the blood flow around your hair follicles which will encourage and stimulate faster hair growth!

Do you have any tips for looking after your hair?

Love Ellen xx

*All items marked with an asterisk were gifted to me, all others were bought with my own money. All opinions, tips and advice in this post however, are my own.

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Sunday 12 April 2015

Double Fluff

Jumper - Independent shop on Brick Lane
Jeans - Topshop Jonis
Bag - LaModa
Boots - SpyLoveBuy
Silver Necklace - Esty
Black Moon Necklace - c/o Wanderdusk

I'm in America! I arrived on Wednesday and as you can probably tell, it was quite cold, but the snow is melting now and we're getting glimpses of the sunshine. We're travelling to Chicago next week so I'm super excited about that, hopefully I can get some cool photos there!
I borrowed one of my Dad's camera lenses to take these photos and I'm so happy with how they turned out; the quality of the photos is so much higher and they look so much more professional with the bokeh effect (that's the blurred out background to you an I). Let me know what you think! Can you see a difference?

As soon as I saw this jumper on Brick Lane I knew I had to have it, it's sooo soft I just feel like a giant, cuddly marshmallow. I paired it with my big, chunky monster boots and skinny black Jonis so that I could avoid looking like a giant, dumpy marshmallow and of course, chucked my furry backpack over my shoulder. I know you're probably all bored of seeing it, but it's still one of my favourite things, like ever.

Love Ellen xx
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Friday 10 April 2015

Glitter bow decals

Bow decal - Tiger

You may remember these pastel confetti nails from a few posts back. Well, just as you thought it couldn't get any cuter, I found these little sparkly nail decals in Tiger!
This bow came in a pack of different sized pink and white glitter bows for £2, they also had loads of other designs so if you're ever near a Tiger make sure you pop in and have a look, I never knew they did stuff like this. You simply place the sticker onto dry nail polish (I used tweezers as this can be fiddly) and apply a top coat once your happy with the placement. 

What do you think of this design?

Love Ellen xx
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Thursday 9 April 2015

Blogger Love: March






Ahh I totally forgot about this post! Better late than never though right?
These past couple of weeks have been so busy with deadlines, exams and then my boyfriend coming to stay in London with me for 5 days. We had so much fun playing tourists around the city, even more so when the sun came out towards the end of our mini holiday, but it meant that blogging kind of took a side-seat. I'm in America now though and am determined to dedicate myself again, hopefully I can shoot a few outfits here and I get to play with some different camera lenses.

Not so many pastels in 'Blogger Love' this month! Don't worry I've not had a personality transplant, I've just been loving the more simplistic look recently; I'm all for a bit of monochrome every now and then. However, I do wiissh that the red docs in the first image came in pastel colours, that'd just  be perfection.

Also, shoutout to my sassy soul-sister Sophie Hannah Richardson (last photo)! We went on a blogger date last month and it was so fab, we just clicked and talked non-stop whilst getting a bit tipsy on some yummy cocktails. She is an absolute babe.

Who have your faves been this month?

Love Ellen xx

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Thursday 2 April 2015

Sequin Jeans of Dreams - Photoshoot with Kiran Gidda

Sun, Moon & Stars Top - Motel Rocks
Lilac knit top - Goodwill
Jeans - Topshop
Necklace - Topshop
Phone case - ℅ Skinny Dip London
Bag - La Moda
Boots - SpyLoveBuy
Trainers - Adidas
Glasses - Primark
Belt - Goodwill

Ahhh I'm so sorry I've been MIA for a while! This past couple of weeks have been non-stop with countless deadlines, a languages exam and not to mention the start of my styling course; to say it's been stressful would be an understatement.
However, yesterday was my last day of lectures and I've just handed in my final feature for the last deadline of the term, I'm really happy with it so hopefully I can share that with you all in a couple of weeks!

Anyways, seeing as how I haven't posted in about a week, I thought I would come back with a bit of a bang! A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by the wonderful Kiran Gidda, asking if I wanted to do a shoot. Of course, I said yes (her work is so cool!), so we met up one weekend, and despite the fact that it was absolutely bloody freezing, had such a fun time. I love working on shoots with a photographer, sometimes I feel so guilty dragging my flatmates out to take photos for me so collaborating creatively with someone else who has the same end goals is always exciting. 

By the way, I can't leave this post without mention those jeans! OH MY DAYS, THOSE JEANS! Magical, sequin, distressed jeans of dreams. 
I haven't been so excited about an item of clothing in such a long time, they may have just made my life.

What do you think of these photos?

Love Ellen xx
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