The one where I've shopped the autumn colours.

I used to be a girl of many colours.  Always bright colours, regardless of the season.  It has changed recently though, I like deeper colours and more subtle shades and the colours that are in the shops this autumn/winter are gorgeous.

I got these high waisted shorts from New Look (of course).  They fit perfectly!  Some people say that high waisted shorts are uncomfortable but (although I'm slim) I love to feel pulled in at the waist.

 I bought these a couple of weeks after the first.  I just love the rust shade and the corduroy material, they are so soft!  I'm not sure about what tops to wear with these though.  What colours go with rust?  Both pairs of shorts were around £20 but I also got a student discount.  I plan to wear shorts through the winter with tights because I get too hot in jeans and find them too uncomfortable.

I hate wearing tshirts, I really struggle with things that cover my shoulder and the top of my arms.  It is very strange I know but it's just how I work.  I want to start wearing baggy tshirts with my new shorts though because I think they look good pulled in.  This is just a brown tshirt with boots on it, from Primark for about £3.  I might cut the sleeves off depending on how it looks on.

I get very hot very easily so I often just wear vest tops and then put a layer or two on top.  This mustard coloured top from New Look was about £12 and I think it will look cute over a vest top or on (slightly risque) nights out, simply paired with shorts.

I never wear scarves but I love the silky material and autumn colours of this scarf from New Look.  There were lots of different colours and patterns, this one has horse riding accessories on it which make up the pattern.  It cost £8 which I was reluctant to pay but I liked it so much I thought I'd treat myself.  Any suggestions for how to wear it would be welcome though!

This £7 Primark bag satisfied my desire for a new bag.  I used to be really 'matchy matchy' about my accessories and if I wore brown boots I had to have a brown bag and vice versa.  I now have brown and black shoes so this bag calms my matching urges!  It is just big enough to hold a notebook or book too so is perfect to take to a lecture.

The one where my obsession with high waists continues.

I wanted some more high waisted shorts and I loved these ones in rust corduroy.  Not sure what colours to pair them with though, I find colours very difficult!  Anything goes with dark blue but it'ss boring to live in denim forever.

Lace fringed top - New Look

Shorts - New Look

The one about self improvement.

I've told you about my continuing hair and skin problems.  Greasy hair, oily spotty face, it is, sadly, as simple as that.  Now that I'm back in my university town of Cheltenham, I have access to Superdrug and after pouring over blogs and vlogs could have easily spent ridiculous amounts on products that people have recommended.  I did restrict myself though!  Here's what I bought.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in medium and brunette

Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL volume

TRESemme Restructuring Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque

Scandalous Big and Beautiful Voluminising Shampoo

Scandalous Big and Beautiful Voluminising Conditioner

Tea Tree and Peppermint Facial Wash

Tea Tree and Peppermint Exfoliating Cream Wash

I've already gushed about dry shampoos and on discovering that the Batiste ones were 'better than half price' I decided to stock up a little.  They didn't have any of the 'dark and deep brown' variety that I am currently using so I decided to try the 'medium and brunette' and, ever on the hunt for volume, the one designed to give your hair volume.  They usually cost £3.99 but I got them for £1.95 each instead, bargain!

I've never really been concerned about deep conditioning my hair because it's never really dry, however I recently ombred it and so I thought I should probably start taking care of the ends.  I chose the 'TRESemme Restructuring Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque' because it is a whacking great pot of 500ml and sounded good!

I have seen the 'Scandalous Big and Beautiful Voluminising Shampoo and Conditioner' being recommended for volume and although I was originally going to try the Fat Hair range, the Scandalous ones were on a £2 off offer.  The shampoo and conditioner cost me £2.99 each which I thought was pretty good value considering they are supposed to be quite good.

I think my experiment with the Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser from Superdrug has to be judged as a failure.  I've had more breakouts than I did over the summer where I was working all hours, eating badly and not using any products on my face.  I love the creamy texture but the results just wern't good.  I thought I'd try the Superdrug washes for problem skin instead to see if they did any better.  One is just a gel while the other one is more creamy, with exfoliating bits in it so here's hoping one will do the trick!

I might do some reviews on these products if anyone wants to read them, or if they actually have an affect on my hair and skin!

The one with my first outfit.

My favourite thing about looking at other people's blogs is looking at their outfit photos.  When I was younger I did the whole 'taking photos of myself for Bebo' thing.  Yes Bebo!  Remember that?  I'm not even that old but those days seem like the dark ages.  Anyway when I started my blog I was too camera shy to start taking photo's of myself but now I have decided to bite the bullet and start, afterall it's about the clothes and not me!

Vest - Primark

Top - New Look

Shorts - New Look

Hairband - New Look

I bought all of these items of clothing within the last couple of weeks so they should still be in the shops.  I had been looking for some high-waisted shorts for some time and these ones fit me perfectly so I just had to get them.  A you can see, I've developed a bit of a love affair with New Look.  It's clothes are better quality than Primark's and far more reasonably priced than the likes of Topshop, they also have a great jewellery range.



I had just taken my hair down from a messy bun here which is why it appears to have volume, success!  I'm going to spare you from seeing my face though.

The one with my new saviour.

If you've read my blog before you might have picked up on the fact that I have just moved house and currently have no hot water.  It is definitely not ideal but I've also started going to the gym since I've moved so at least I get hot showers there.  With all this showering I've become concerned about my hair.  I usually wash my hair everyday because it gets greasy very easily but I have heard that washing your hair more often can make it more greasy.  The conclusion of this very rambling introduction is that dry shampoo has become my favourite products of the moment.  I use it to stop my hair from looking greasy and am going to try to limit myself to washing my hair every other day.

This is the dry shampoo I use.  It is the Batiste Dry Shampoo in 'dark & deep brown'.  I have used one of the minature scented ones before when I went to the 2000 Trees Festival and a beer festival over the summer but because I have brown hair I found that even when rubbed in the white powder changed my hair colour a little. 

The positives of this dry shampoo is that because the powder is dark, it doesn't make your hair grey.  I also found that the original colour required a more complicated application whereas with this one you simply spray it on, rub it a little and your hair stops looking greasy but without looking powdery.

On the downside it doesn't smell anywhere near as nice as the scented ones, maybe Bastiste should make scented, coloured dry shampoos!  And of course a coloured one for red heads as they seem to have forgotten that proportion of the population.

This dry shampoo was around £4 which may not sound expensive to most of you but is actually far more than the normal shampoo that I buy.

The one where I'm getting into jewellery.

One of the things I really love when reading other people's blogs is looking at their jewellery.  It has taken a while but I am finally starting to develop my own taste for jewellery and actually start wearing it!  I have already posted about a few new pieces I bought but since I've been in my new house I've been shopping a few more times and here is what I bought.

On my first trip to Primarni I bought this stag necklace.  I've seen it (and the matching earrings and ring) on several blogs and vlogs and thought that I couldn't pull off such a large pendant, however I thought it was cute (and it reminded me of the genuine stag's antlers that we have on the wall at home, no joke) so I bought it.  It was only £2 and I've already worn it several times so I am very pleased with that one!

A couple of days later I returned to Primark, looking for the stag earrings, maybe also the ring and some shorts that I didn't have enough money for the first time.  As is the case with Primark there were absolutely none left.  After two days!  I hate how this happens.  But anyway after much searching for the stag jewellery I found some other pieces to buy instead.  I don't usually wear long necklaces but I love this antique gold birdcage pendant and it was only £2.50.

 I have seen envelope pendant necklaces before but couldn't bring myself to spend much on one.  I pondered over this one while in the shop because it is bright 'gold' and quite cheap looking but it's also cute so I thought I could splash a whole £2 on it.

Again I have seen these earrings on blogs and vlogs, I know I have just said that I've developed my own taste in jewellery but blogs and vlogs are just a way to see what's in the shops and what I do and don't like.  I really like the antique gold detailing at the top and although I don't often wear dangling earrings I think these would look good if I wore my hair loose.  They were £2.

I've been on the lookout for some cameo jewellery and although I am not keen on the tacky diamante's around the edge of these earrings, for £1 you can't really complain.

The next shop I visited was New Look and to my delight I found some stag earrings!  They are a brighter gold than the necklace but I wouldn't wear them together anyway so I am very happy.  They were only £2.99 and I got a student discount too.

I've been admiring other people's rings for ages but have never really worn them myself.  My excuse has always been that I don't know what size my fingers are and I hate that feeling when you have to force a ring over your knuckle and then it is loose when it's actually on your finger.  Anyway I have decided that I am over this and here is the first of my collection.  I thought that the butterfly, leaf and 'pearl' detailing is really pretty, as is the pale pink colour of the stone.  It is big but not too big.  After leaving the shop I started to wonder whether it actually is pretty or tacky, let me know any thoughts.  I am planning on keeping it though as it was only £2.99.

So that's it, a nice selection of jewellery to boost my collection and start me off on accessorizing my outfits properly!

The one with the skin care challenge.

I read this blog post from Steff about her miracle acne cure and was inspired to try out the product she recommended product.  Because of my job I know lots about skin care products and I have tried many (only cheap ones though because I can't bring myself to spend much on beauty products).  I came to the conclusion that nothing I tried was working, I have oily skin and have suffered from acne since I became a teenager.  My sister suggested the old 'soap and water' thing so I tried that for a while and I think I noticed an improvement although as soon as I started working again and the stress started, I suffered from more breakouts. 

Today is my third day using the Superdrug Hot Cloth Cleanser.  This is what it looks like on the shelf.

It is a quite large tube of cleanser with a muslin cloth.  It feels lovely and creamy when you rub it into your face and then the muslin cloth gently exfoliates your face as you wipe it off.  After a day or two of using this I did come out with some new spots which I was not pleased about however I have just moved into a new house so that might be from stress rather than because of the product.  I am going to persevere with it as today (on the third day) my skin is looking a little better than it did yesterday.  The other problem I am having is that we are having a few problems with the hot water at our new house so unfortunately I am having to use it as more of a cold cloth cleanser!

Can anyone recommend any products to help my skin?  I am nearly 20 and completely sick of spots!