Snow White.

I'm not going to lie, the thing that stood out most to me when I looked at these photos was my deathly pale skin. I worked until 5.30 this evening, and then had to get ready in about 40 minutes to head to a gig....hence my lack of fake bake. I probably should have pretended that my paleness was intentional, shouldn't I? Oh well - you live and you learn. I went to see Kids In Glass Houses tonight, for possibly the millionth time. Incase you haven't heard of them, they're a Welsh band who are currently preparing for what will be their final tour; this is a depressing thought - not just because they're a talented band, but also because it makes me feel incredibly old....I've been going to their gigs since I was around 15 years old - it's like the end of an era! In terms of the venue, it was a relatively small and intimate gig, but once they started playing, you could have easily forgot that; their stage presence and energy is simply phenomenal, they have a profound ability to liven up even the most neglected of bars. I'll probably post a couple of photos on my Instagram account, I took them on my phone so the quality isn't sharp enough for my blog, sadly.  A quick tip: if you haven't heard Kids In Glass Houses before, give them a quick search on YouTube. "Drive" is my song of choice.

 

Kimono - River Island, T-Shirt - River Island, Skirt - ASOS, Boots - Kurt Geiger, Bag - Urban Outfitters, Necklaces - River Island, Cuff - New Look

I wasn't really too sure what to wear, it was an indoor gig so I went for something relatively cool. I  think the whole outfit would have worked a little better with a different choice of shoe, but I knew the entire place was going to be crammed, and I didn't want my poor little tootsies to get crushed. So, instead of focusing on my rather boring and mismatched outfit, I'm going to bang on about my hair for a little while. I've had a couple of private messages asking me what I do to style it, and the answer is frustratingly simple....I hardly do anything to it. My hair has a natural kink to it, which used to be the bane of my life. Nowadays I embrace it. I normally wash my hair, and then put it in a very loose and messy bun on top of my head until it's 80% dry, then I blast my hairdryer over it and rough straighten my "curtains". I then tip my head upside down and spray a little Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray through the ends and scrunch it in before combing through it all roughly. Voilà! That's basically it; my answer to scruffy, grunge hair! Oh, and another question I've had lately - "Do you wear extensions?" No, my hair is naturally this length. I'm always more than happy to answer questions about my style and/or beauty routine, so do feel free to tweet/comment/instagram/send smoke signals if you want to know anything more. Actually, maybe not smoke signals....I'm not sure if I'm fluent enough in smoke yet.

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Grungin' It Up In Gingham.

This is probably the first photo of me wearing a pink ensemble since I was about 7 years old, so drink it up. I think I have had a bit of an unfair aversion to pink clothing for the last few years, choosing to associate it with Barbie-esque hair extensions and a heavy spray tan; but when I saw this dress on Motel, I fell a little bit in love with it. I've made no secret of the fact that I like my outfits to have an element of grunge to them, and not look too "overdone", so with this in mind I was a little worried about how I could make pink work for me - but I do love a challenge. As always, I layered my favourite necklaces over it which are from ASOS and Empty Casket. This had the desired effect of taking me away from that dreaded Barbie route. I was originally going to team it with my JC Lita's, but it was so warm yesterday that I opted for my new La Moda sliders. This whole outfit was for a mini music festival that my local pub hosts every year, so the loose fit of this slip dress was a real winner when I spied the giant BBQ. Aside from the occasional "why are you wearing PJs?" comments, I was happy with how this outfit worked out and surprisingly didn't feel out of my comfort zone by not wearing my atypical outfit of 95% black.

(Dress - Motel Rocks, Shoes - La Moda, Choker - ASOS, Necklace - Empty Casket, Bag - H&M, bangle - Topshop, Rings - Primark)

As for my make-up, I kept it fairly simple but I opted for a purple toned lipstick for a more 90s feel, rather than my signature red lip, and my hair - as always- pretty much did its own thing. I let it dry naturally in the sun and then scrunched some Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray into the ends before flicking my straighteners over my fringe/curtains. Also, I apologise for the rather boring setting of my photos, I was running late as always. 

Another thing - if any of you choose to buy anything from Motel Rocks, you can get 20% discount off your orders with the code "RHIANSD24"

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Bohemian Vibes.

I feel a little self conscious writing another post about this kimono seems as I did one not too long ago - I think it's just such a statement piece that it remains rather fresh in my mind, but it's simply too pretty to end up being a "one time wonder" piece of clothing that I castaway to the far depths of my overflowing wardrobe. I went for a couple (okay - a lot) of drinks for a friend's birthday last night. We only headed down to our local pub, but regardless of that, I didn't really want to go for the "full slob" kinda look. Seems as it was the hottest day of the year to date, I thought I'd opt for a dress of sorts - however the problem which lies within this decision is that I have a rather unhealthy obsession with black clothing. Albeit, this is hardly an apocalyptic issue, but it does make summer dressing a little boring sometimes. That's why I think that this Rat and Boa kimono is perfect for those of us with a penchant for darker colours; it's sheer, lightweight and really lifts an otherwise boring outfit. It adds a great deal of colour and dimension to an outfit without being overpowering.

Kimono - Rat and Boa, Dress - ASOS, Shoes - La Moda, Anklet - Ebay, Rings - Primark, Watch - Marc Jacobs, Bag - Urban Outfitters, Choker - ASOS

I'm so glad that I finally got a hold of a pair of these La Moda shoes as well, especially because they went down to half price in the sale; they are just the most versatile shoe I have ever bought. Plus, I can finally give you all a break from my much-loved Primark sandals now. Oh - and as you can all probably tell by now, I do tend to recycle the same accessories over and over again. It's ridiculous, because I have so much jewellery and keep buying more, but I always go back to the same key pieces. Does anyone else do that? 

A nod to the 90's.

Mesh Jumper - River Island (past season), Skirt - Topshop, Watch - Marc by Marc Jacobs, Midi Ring - Primark, Ring - Pandora, Bracelets - Primark, Clutch Bag, River Island, Choker - ASOS, Boots - Ebay (JC Lita Lookalikes)

So, I had a bit of a moment in work the other day and decided to finally buy into the ombre franchise that's been hanging around the fashion world for a good few years now. There's something about dip-dye that makes me somewhat nostalgic to summers gone by...maybe it's the memory of all the cool kids in primary school whose parents would religiously and relentlessly spray Sun-In to the hair of their offspring until they looked like something out of a GAP advert....I wasn't at all jealous of them, honest. Ahem. Damn my toddler-self for her long, stubborn brunette locks that wouldn't even hold a curl, let alone a colour. But yeah - back to the point. I bought the Loreal Preference Intense Ombre 104 which was £6.99 from Boots. It was pretty simple to follow, even for a hair colouring novice like me. I staggered my applications because I didn't want to end up with an obvious band of colour, I wanted it to be as gradual and natural looking as possible. I applied it in 3 stages: 40 minutes at the very bottom, 30 minutes for the next layer which I took a little higher, and finally 20 minutes for the rest, which I basically just brushed through at uneven lengths with the nifty little brush that came with the kit. The results? A fairly subtle tint of colour through my lengths which has freshened up my rather boring hairstyle. I won't lie -  my hair was a little dry (okay - frazzled is probably a more apt description) afterwards but to be fair, it was in desperate need of a trim anyway, I'm going to the hairdressers tomorrow so I'll give you her verdict on the damage - but for now, I'm happy with the finished product, and will most probably be buying another kit to take it a little lighter in a few weeks.
After my fun day of playing hairdresser, I went to watch my boyfriend's gig down the Brewhouse in Cardiff, which is a bit of a local gem in regard to discovering fresh and upcoming music from some of the local talent. It's free entry and they host an "originals" night every Sunday from 7pm, which is somewhat refreshing in comparison to the majority of venues which will only accommodate to cover bands - definitely worth a look if any of you are ever in the area. I wore a pretty basic outfit, which ended up having a fairly 90s vibe to it thanks to my new ASOS choker. I'm really enjoying the grunge vibe that ASOS are encapsulating into some of their pieces lately, I find this whole 90s revival utterly inspiring. This season's fashion has been one of the best for a while in my opinion. What do you all think?
Oh, and seems as I just randomly dropped the my-boyfriend-is-a-musician thing into this post, I should probably link his music in the hope that some rich and influential producer should happen to stumble across this post and give him a record deal, thus making me rich enough to afford a lovely new wardrobe. A girl can dream, right?