Micro-Trend this Autumn: Occult Chic

So let's get this straight. I LOVE HALLOWEEN.

So when I discovered the vampiric micro-trend coming this autumn, I got a little too excited looking for pieces I could buy. In all honesty, I am a little cray for the gothic side of fashion, but without the courage to ink my skin or dye my hair black, I have to settle for haunting accessories. Whether it's faux pas fangs or fake taxidermy, ditch those yawn-worthy pastels and embrace the occult sub-trend.

Black Jack Lomography Diana F+ Camera // Dr Martens // The Forget Necklace // Addams Family Velvet Dress// Pentagram Handbag

Stars and Moons dress//  Ouija board underwear set 

My Favourite Online Stores at the Moment

There's a whole world of choice out there and thanks to the internet, you can pretty much buy anything you want from any country! For me, it is all about finding small stores or individuals who make unique pieces, items that were previously out of reach on the high street. Instagram has been the main channel that helped me find these stores, but a lot of them I found through Googling. It's definitely worth searching around if you are looking for something specific as you could support smaller designers and labels! 

Clothing

O Mighty

My favourite online clothing site of all time, O Mighty helps feed my '90s obsession. Their cheeky store is based in Singapore and often bases its print on current pop culture trends. From Justin Bieber mug shot socks, to Clueless sweatpants, Kim Kardashian cry-face phone cases to chicken nugget print skirts, everything is totally hilarious and totally worth the money. Celeb customers range from Miley Cyrus, Azealia Banks, Hayley Williams and Justine Skye. 

Visit the site here

Jade Clark 

An individual that I found through Instagram, I fell in love with Jade Clark's '90s inspired pieces, mixed with a 21st Century edge. Her pieces have a wonderful delicate appearance and are dominated by feathers and holograms. 

Visit the site here

Somewhere Nowhere

Somewhere Nowhere is a place I go when I'm in the money, or when there is a sale. Previously I detested the thought of wearing fluffy jumpers but this label has changed my mind completely. Mixing faux fur with sheer panelling, this brand is not for the shy and retiring! 

Visit the site here

Shoes

Cleated heels are to me, the must have wardrobe accessory and I spent a good month going between these two sites trying to decide which pair of shoes I wanted. 

My 1st Wish

With an array of flats, boots, heels, sandals and wedges, there is a little too much choice at My 1st Wish. I love unusual pieces but for those looking for neutral shades they have nude/white pieces available. 

Visit the site here

La Moda 

For me La Moda always seems to answer my cries for fashion help. Their cleated heels are superb - I ordered Harper in nude and was thoroughly impressed with a quick delivery and such stunning shoes! Their range of accessories is equally inspiring and I am so excited they teamed with Vida Kush to bring faux septum rings to the UK. Call me sad but I would rather try out a faux ring than get someone to stick a needle in my nose!

Visit the site here

Disappointment of the Month: Eyeko Liquid Eyeliner

I have always favoured liquid eyeliner as oppose to pencil but I often find it hard to get a flexible tip that I can use to create the cat eye I want. With this months Glamour magazine came Eyeko's liquid eyeliner, worth £12. Initially excited at trying out a new product for my eyes, I tested it out on my hand. 

With a felt tip-like end, the skinny nib ended up producing an impressively dark line on my hand. Despite my initial excitement however, the product disappointed when it came to applying it to my eyes. Lines were faded, it was hard to apply an even, thick coat and the brush kept running dry. All in all I was extremely disappointed and after leaving it on for a few hours, I even got small lines within the creases of my eyelids- very unflattering! 

For those looking for a more precise tip, I use liner that contains a thin brush, that way the look can be varied easily. 

Hair Dye Review: Blullini by Bleach London

I'm a big believer in experimenting with hair colour but just like a lot of people, I'm really not willing to commit to one colour, just in case I get bored or learn to hate it. Semi-permanent dye gives me the option to explore different shades without the worry that the look is here to stay. Having used Crazy Colour and Directions previously, I found BLEACH London products to be amongst my favourites. 

I purchased the blue/green shade Blullini, with the hopes that once faded, it would give me a nice minty pastel colour for my hair. BLEACH products come in a sizeable bottle and often contain enough for 2/3 applications (my hair is mid-length), although if you are looking for a particularly bright, intense colour experience I would attempt to use as much of the product as possible in one sitting. 

Instructions on the bottle say to leave on for 15 minutes, I left mine on for 20-25 and achieved a fabulous bright blue shade that I loved. For a pastel shade add a minimum amount to your hair and leave in for 5-7 minutes. Be aware that when using on a yellow/blonde shade, the colour may appear more green, which could be disappointing. After one week of washing, I still have a majority of the colour in, and have not achieved pastel just yet. 

I highly recommend the product for anyone looking for true colour stay, and for those who don't mind some slight fade. This is what my hair looked like just after applying the colour: 

This is what my hair looked like a week later : 

If you have any questions feel free to ask me, I have used quite a few of their colours as well as other dyes and can recommend many! 

Versace at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week 2014

Paris fashion week has come to an end *sad face* but what better way to get excited for autumn than to take a look back at some runway favourites. The first day kicked off with Atelier Versace's Fall/Winter 2014-15 show and the mystical midnight blues and purples looked ultra rich on the runway. 

Fringing can often be unattractive but I fell in love with Versace's approach. The midnight blue jacket with a half-crotchet look was elegant yet grungy with matching suede peep-toe boots. 

The fur pieces had a certain exotic bird quality to them, with varying lengths teamed with semi-sheer sectioned tops and cigarette trousers. 

Glitter and leather- who would have thought this combination could work together in such harmony. A metallic leotard made way for a leather bralet strapped on with a stunning matching train- a red carpet look I hope to see very soon. 

#5daylipstickchallenge

I'm ridiculously excited to complete the 5 day lipstick challenge I saw on blogger Allie May Redmond's page a little while back. I'm a huge fan of rouge, but other than nights out I can be a little afraid to reach for the lippy as I have extremely bright colours. 

From Left to Right: Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Laquer in Nude Eclipse// No7 Stay Perfect in Grace// Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in 380 Dark Night// Barry M  Matte Lipstick in 54 Coral // Saffron in 25 Blue 

I don't have particularly expensive taste when it comes to lipstick, however I do find of all of the lipsticks, it's No7's Stay Perfect that usually wins when it comes to lasting colour and layering. I will be reviewing each product on their texture, longevity, appearance and colour.  

Day One: Barry M

Day Two: Saffron

Day Three: Rimmel Moisture

Day Four: No.7

Day Five: Rimmel Apocalips

How to Rip and Score Your Jeans

Pinterest is often a place I look for inspiration, at the same time as trying not to become depressed with the hoards of skinny bodies I would LOVE to emulate. Summer fashion boards led me to grow a love for ripped or scored jeans, they look amazing with your favourite pair of stilettos and a giant clutch, or dresses down with some ballet pumps and a strappy top. 

How to Score Your Jeans 

1. Start by wearing your jeans and marking out the parts you want to be ripped.

2. Make two horizontal cuts which mark the bottom and the top of the rip

3. pull threads downwards one by one at the bottom of your second rip and you should begin to see a scoring pattern

4. Once all the threads are pulled you should end up with a number of white horizontal threads. Repeat in other areas of your jeans if desired. 

Beautiful Bodysuits

No faux pas wardrobe is complete without a snazzy bodysuit, and whether you are opting for sultry evening wear, or looking for a top to wear with jeans, bodysuits are the way forward.  

Celeb inspiration comes from the wonderful Katy Perry, who wore a candy themed bodysuit complete with multicoloured swirls around the bust- eye-catching! Kate Moss went racy in a nude bodysuit with embellishments covering her assets, and a white ring-leader blazer for a (slightly) more conservative look.Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Mix grunged her sheer panelled bodysuit with leather-look hotpants, a chunky chain and a striking red bomber jacket. Jennifer Lawrence kept it classy with a fabulous slate sheer gown with a plain black sleeveless bodysuit. 

Bodysuits provide a sexy, fitted alternative to an evening top, the quirkier the better! 

From Left to right: ASOS// Missguided//Black Milk

My  Poison Ivy bodysuit is from aliexpress, the t-shirt version can be found at Black Milk for $60 AUD. 

I'm Obsessed with... House of Holland Nails

It's official: false/stick on nails are my everything. 

Why bother growing out your nails when you can bite them down in a frenzy and stick over ready-made, pristine ones to cover up the horror that is your beauty regime?! I'm just kidding. 

But seriously, why fork out a fortune on acrylics when you can purchase unique and comfortably fitting nails for a lot cheaper? House of Holland have the most exquisite range at the moment and definitely fulfil my faux pas needs. 

My three favourite ranges are Geek Chic, Tweed and Sweet Tooth, all of which were at the fabulous price of £8.00-£9.00 on the official site. 

Compared with the heavily advertised Elegant Touch Express nails that contain what is fundamentally double-sided tape, the House of Holland nails have staying power when combined with a standard nail glue.

Look at those disgusting hands..

I use nailene ultra quick glue and have found my nails often last two weeks or more! With the amount of typing I do though, I do often get tired of the tinkling noise it makes... so if you are looking for pretty over practicality, House of Holland is your best option!

I LOVE HOUSE OF HOLLAND

The Ryan Gosling Tee (and other Celebrity-themed T-shirts)

There really is nothing better than having your favourite celeb's face on your tee, and I have a little too many. From Amy Winehouse, to Nicki Minaj, to Will Ferrell, I do love a famous mug. 

Most recently I picked up the most fabulous Ryan Gosling t-shirt in a wonderfully teenage collage style- Primarni at it's best. 

Not a fan of R-Goz? No fear, for here are a selection of my favourite celeb tees, Feast your eyes! 

From Left to right: Disturbia // Deer Dana // We Hustle // O Mighty // Black Milk Clothing

You don't have to practice a creepy stare with Disturbia's Jack tee- wear this baby and freak everyone out. Designer Deer Dana has created an abundance of cute cartoon portraits of celebs, they are the perfect accompaniment to some comfy jeans. With the wedding of Kim and Kanye upon us, why not celebrate with a breasty image of the Kardashian with the word Yeezus preserving her dignity- thanks so much We Hustle. 

What's better than one Bey? why multiple Bey's of course! The Queen B's face layered on a crop top and teamed with the pencil skirt will make almost all members of her crazed fan following super green with envy- go on, you know you want it. 

Steve Buscemi might be ugly, but we love him and his lazy eye. Stick a girl in a dress with his face on and voilá, she looks instantly cool. Courtesy of Black Milk Clothing, you can look that rad too.