WHERE EAGLES DARE

SHIRT - CHARITY SHOP

FAUX FUR COAT - NEW LOOK

BEANIE - PRIMARK

BOOTS - DR MARTENS

It's been well over a month since my last post, I unintentionally took some time out from blogging, but now I'm back feeling refreshed and with a whole new look.

So you may have noticed I'm missing some hair, about 12 inches to be precise. After weeks of umming and ahhing I finally decided to go for the chop! It's been years since I had my hair short and I'm loving it. My long hair was just feeling so stale and was long overdue a change, also it's a hell of a lot easier to manage!

Now onto this weeks look...

HALLOWEEN LOOKBOOK

SKELETON BODYSUIT - MISSGUIDED 

MAKEUP - FREEDOM MAKEUP SFX GHOST STORIES PALETTE 
MUA LUXE VOLUMINOUS FELT LINER 

This Is Halloween, This Is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! HALLOWEEN!

I do love Halloween, it's such a creative time of year and lets not forget a time where you can acceptably walk around in public looking scary as hell! 

Over the past few years I've entered the lookbook.nu halloween costume contest. It's such a fun competition where you can really let your creative juices flow and I just love looking at what everyone else has come up with! So here is my entry for this year.

MY TOP 5 HALLOWEEN CLOTHING PICKS

It's that time of year again, my inner goth is calling out, yes it's halloween!

It's one of my favourite times of year, where you can get away with eating your entire body's worth of sweets whilst peeping from behind your pillow during horror film marathons. However, the best part of halloween, for me, has to be deciding on and creating the perfect costume.

Over the past few years I have noticed the way in which brands have embraced a more fashion forward approach to halloween. I love this direction they are taking, they are making more creative, better quality garments that are great to wear as part of a costume and can even be worn throughout the year!

I've seen so many great pieces this year that it has been really hard to narrow them down, so here are my top 5 halloween picks:

PEAKED APPAREL LOOK BOOK

I've been so busy recently that I've unfortunately had to put my blog on the back burner. So I thought why not do a post about some of the things I've been up to.

You may of noticed that I do a fair bit of photography, I actually studied it for my degree, I've focused mostly on personal and blog stuff over the past few months. However recently I've had the opportunity to work with a few clothing companies, one if them being Peaked Apparel.

This is the fourth time I have worked with Peaked and I just love seeing how the brand has evolved. There are some great items in their new winter collection, so if your into alternative fashion go check it out! 

BASIC INSTINCT

DRESS - H&M

BOOTS - ASOS

BANDANA - PRIMARK

In my last post I looked at shopping smart and how to prep your wardrobe for a new season. This week I've decided to continue this idea of shopping smart and sticking to a budget as a lot of us, unfortunately, don't have all the money in the world to spend on clothing and need to balance out what we spend.

A great way to do this is to invest in a few statement pieces and build around them with more affordable garments. By shopping around your key pieces you will find that you get the most out of them and are less likely to have those odd items in your wardrobe that never go with anything else. Admit it, you probably have at least one!

NEW SEASON, NEW WARDROBE

LEOTARD - H&M
SHIRT DRESS - PRIMARK
JEANS - NEW LOOK
BELT - PRIMARK
SHOES - RIVER ISLAND

Lets face it, we all have those garments lying about that we never wear or that have been worn way to many times and are falling apart. I find that reassessing what is in your wardrobe at the start of each season really helps narrow down all the unnecessary items and makes way for new purchases. 

The key to clearing your wardrobe is to be ruthless!
If anything has seen better days and is beyond repair, BIN IT. As for the items that have rarely seen the light of day, give yourself a few weeks to see if you can wear them or pair them up with anything in your existing wardrobe. If you don't have a good enough reason or occasion to keep the garments for, either send them to a charity shop, give to a friend or sell online via sites and apps such as eBay and Depop. Trust me you will feel a lot better once you are clutter free. 

COME AS YOU ARE

DRESS - PEACOCKS

BOOTS - DR. MARTENS

BEANIE - PRIMARK

SUNGLASSES - SNOOPERS PARADISE

JACKET - CHARITY SHOP / DIY

Is it Autumn yet?!

Don't get me wrong, I love Summer, but i'm definitely looking forward to Autumn. It's one of my favourite seasons, particularly when it comes to the wardrobe. I just love all those rich, warm, tertiary colours and copious amounts of layers!

So at the moment we are kind of in between seasons, all of the shops are getting their Autumn stock in, but it's still pretty hot outside. This dress is a brilliant example of how to shop between the seasons.

IT'S HIGH TIDE BABY

SHIRT -H&M
CROP TOP - SELECT

JEANS - DOROPHY PERKINS

GLASSES - SNOOPERS PARADISE
TRAINERS - ADIDAS by RITA ORA

Sorry it's been a while since I posted, I went back to my hometown for a few days to visit family. Thought I may as well do an outfit post whilst I was down there as there are some great locations along the south coast and I just love the sea!  

This weeks look is a bit more of a relaxed one as I was skating along the seafront on my bf's new cruiser board whilst shooting. This outfit is basically my go to casual style, a comfy pair of jeans, a baggy tee and an oversized shirt, you just can't go wrong!

PAINT IT BLACK

SHIRT - CHARITY SHOP

SKIRT - PRIMARK

SHOES - RIVER ISLAND

CARDIGAN - NEW LOOK

LIPSTICK - MAKEUP REVOLUTION

I do a fair bit of charity shopping and find some unique little gems but I have to say that this top is definitely one of my most favourite finds. I found this 80s shirt quite some time ago in my local salvation army store for £3.99 and I've finally got around to shooting in it!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

As its Thursday I've decided to do a bit of a throwback post. 

If you follow me on lookbook.nu you will know that I have been posting looks on there since 2012. It's only recently that I have started blogging and I wanted to share some of my favourite outfits on lookbook from the past.   

AMY STARDUST X

MILK SKATESHOP

OLD NO.19 T_SHIRT - MILK SKATESHOP

MINI-LOGO DECK - MILK SKATESHOP

SHORTS - TOPSHOP

SOCKS - LA MODA

If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I have recently taken up skateboarding.

It's something that I've always wanted to be able to do but I could never seem to stand on one without falling off, let alone ride one!

But with a bit of persuasion and encouragement from my boyfriend, Jay, I decided this summer would be as good a time as any to start learning.

REBEL REBEL

HAT - EBAY

TOP - PRIMARK

SHIRT - TOPSHOP

SKIRT - PRIMARK

Can't believe how beaut the weather has been over the past few days, SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE!

 I've been out enjoying the sun so much, learning to skate and catching Pokemon, (I feel like a teenager again!) that its taken me a while to post this look.

Now it's not very often that I wear an outfit without a charity shop find but this just happens to be one of them. 

I found this really cute A line denim skirt in Primark the other day for £8, I was pretty surprised as it doesn't look cheap at all! and i'm loving the button down fastening. They have a lot of really good stuff in there at the moment, it's worth a look.

BACK TO BLACK

TOP - H&M

HAT - PRIMARK

SOCKS - POUNDLAND

JEGGINGS - DOROTHY PERKINS

JACKET - TOPSHOP (CHARITY SHOP FIND)

SHOES - TOPSHOP (CHARITY SHOP FIND)

Now I'm not normally one to buy shoes in charity shops as a lot of them do look very worn and a bit tatty, however, the other day I came across this absolute bargain and brought my first pair of second hand shoes. The shoes I purchased from my local Salvation Army store were a pair of Topshop sandals costing me £3.99! and thats not even the best part, they are practically brand new, the soles look like they haven't even been walked on.   

DIY GREY OMBRE HAIR

Over the past few years dying your hair grey has become ever more popular. This trend has definitely become a lot more mainstream since the start of this year, so much that high street shops are providing products to make the process easier. 

I had been itching to dye my hair grey for a while now and finally decided to take the plunge! 

I had two options, I could either go to a salon or do it myself. Ideally it would have been great to go and get it done professionally but lets face it, we don't always have the money to do so and I certainly didn't. So DIY it was!

I wanted to share with you all how I finally achieved my grey ombre hair, as when I was researching it before hand there wasn't too many tutorials or definite ways to achieve this elusive colour, particularly when it came to dark hair.   

Please note that I am by no means an expert this is just how I achieved my hair colour.  

Also I warn you if you have naturally dark hair it's a pretty long process!

These are the products I used : 

I'M JUST A GIRL IN THE WORLD...

HAT - SELECT

DRESS - VINTAGE

CHOCKER - PRIMARK

BOOTS - DR MARTENS

I love vintage clothing and was pretty pleased when I got a really good haul from a recent vintage weigh & pay event. That's where I found this cute floral dress, essentially for £3.75 might I add! After looking at the labels and doing a bit of research I believe it's from the 1970s.  

For this look I styled the dress up a bit by rolling the sleeves and pairing it with some very 90s styled accessories. I feel that the 70s and 90s go hand in hand fashion wise, there definitely seemed to be a heavy 70s influence going on in many iconic outfits worn in the 90s. 

This dress is a great little number for the summer and still looks very on trend. I absolutely love how the 70s is still inspiring designs today, whether its in the print or the cut of the garment. I have to say that this has to be one of my favourite decades as far as clothing and music goes.      

VINTAGE WEIGH & PAY

Don't you just love it when it rains on your days off!!

Well despite the dreadful weather I decided to make my way down to Birmingham on Saturday to attend a vintage weigh & pay event.

Now if you don't know what a vintage weigh and pay is it's pretty self explanatory, it's basically a venue full of vintage clothing ready to be picked by you, however nothing has a price, it's all about the weight. This particular weigh and pay is £15 a kilo and if your careful you can get quite a bit for your money, it's all about finding those light fabrics.  

Most weigh & pays cost to get in, its only a few quid and you can come and go all day as you please. Personally I like to get their early as there is normally a lot more choice, the good thing about this weigh & pay though is that they keep on replenishing the stock every hour, so not all the good stuff goes early.

I've been to a few kilo sales before and I have to say this is the best one i've been to by far!  There was a broad range of quality stock for both men and women. It was also very organised everything was on rails and separated into sections, there was also a fitting room which is very helpful as vintage clothing ranges so much in size!     

NOT EVERYTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE

DRESS - CHARITY SHOP

JACKET - CHARITY SHOP

SOCKS - LAMODA

SHOES - OFFICE 

This weeks outfit shows just how much you can actually find in a charity shop, this entire outfit (minus the shoes and accessories) cost £13.49, ITS CRAZY! 

So last week I was wondering around my local charity shops, not looking for anything in particular, when I came across this gem of a jacket. It's vintage, red suede and fully lined, I loved it and at £8.50 it was a steal! 

SUMMER DREAMS

TOP - PRIMARK

GLASSES - PRIMARK

BOOTS - DR MARTENS

PINAFORE DRESS - H&M

BAG - HENRY HOLLAND

Such a lush day for shooting yesterday, lets hope the hot weather is here to stay! 

So I've had a pretty good time this week not being in work. I got these awesome Dr Marten boots from my parents when they visited me for my birthday, I'm in love with them!

Dr Martens are such a good investment they never really go out of style and work with so many different garments, I am yet to find an outfit they don't go with. 

For this look I paired my Dr Martens with a pinafore dress I brought last week from H&M for £24.99. I've been slightly obsessed with pinafore dresses recently, they are so practical, comfy and not to mention really cute, also this one has pockets! Need I say more?

I finished off my shopping trip last week with Primark where I found this stripy off the shoulder crop top, it goes great underneath the pinafore dress. I also got a new pair of round sunnies whilst in there for a quid!

I really like this outfit, I will definitely be wearing this dress a lot this summer. 

Photos by Jay Hillyer 

AMY STARDUST X

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

TOP - H&M

TROUSERS - H&M

SHIRT - CHARITY SHOP

BOOTS - SHOE ZONE

I have been trying to find a pair of faux leather trousers for a while now. After trying on numerous pairs that we're either too short in the leg or so low rise that they barley covered my bum, (which lets face it, is not a good look, unless your going for early 2000 chav chic!) I finally came across the perfect pair in H&M.

These biker style, faux leather trousers fit so well and are dead comfy to wear, they were also in the sale for £7!  

Happy with my bargain I decided to have a gander at the new stock, may as well spend the rest of my money!  

I can never resist a band top especially since H&M started making them in so many different styles other than the standard band t-shirt shape. I love Guns N' Roses and this is a great design, it went so well with my new trousers I just had to get it.

I finished off this look with an oversized sheer shirt I found in my local Salvation Army Charity Shop for £3.99 last week.

Bit Rock and Roll this week, you may also notice that I have bleached my hair, I'm not quite finished with it yet. I shall keep you updated and do a post about the products I used to achieve this when its done!  

AMY STARDUST X

Photos by Jay Hillyer 

GUEST BLOGGING FOR BARNARDO'S

So recently I was given the opportunity to guest blog for Barnardo's on their site The Thrift!

As Summer is heading our way, I decided to do a tutorial showing you guys how to up-cycle an old pair of denim jeans. 

Check out the final result in the photo above, if your interested in finding out how I made these shorts then head over to The Thrift

I really enjoyed making these and hope this inspires you to all have a go at up-cycling your old clothes! 

MY STYLE INSPIRATION

A broad spectrum of things influence my style from characters in films and TV series to musicians and artists. I pull so many references from popular culture within my looks and style that I have decided to dedicate a section of my blog to my style inspiration. I will try and post once a month about someone or something that has shaped my sense of style, breaking down their looks and outfits to see what makes them so memorable. 

Over the last few years we have been experiencing a big 90s revival and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon! For me this is definitely a most welcomed comeback as I grew up in the 90s and was at an age where I loved everything the Spice Girls or Sabrina The Teenage Witch wore but wasn't quite old enough to have my own sense of style. 

'NA, NA, NA, NA'

My style inspiration this month is Clarissa Darling

RINGS & TINGS JEWELLERY REVIEW

I absolutely love jewellery it can bring an entire look together, and lets face it i'm a sucker for anything that sparkles and shines! So when I was approached by Rings & Tings to review a few items I jumped at the chance!

CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO DIE

JEWELLERY - RINGS AND TINGS*

DRESS - CHARITY SHOP

JACKET - DROP DEAD

BOOTS - SHOE ZONE

As you all may know I love a good charity shop find, my wardrobe is full of them!

 I found this dress in my local Salvation Army store for £4.99, and it was practically brand new! 

My new(ish) dress was perfect to show off my collar necklace I was gifted by Rings and Tings. (Rings and Tings review up soon!) I love collar necklaces they really add detail to an outfit, its nice to have another option other than a standard necklace.  

I completed the look with a Drop Dead denim shirt I picked up a while ago for £20, I really love the patches on this top especially the huge tiger on the back! And finally my trusty combat boots and spiked beanie make another appearance (these are definitely two of my wardrobe essentials!)      

Photos by Jay Hillyer

AMY STARDUST

RED METAL

TOP  - H&M
BOOTS - SHOE ZONE
GLASSES - PRIMARK 

JEANS - CHARITY SHOP
JACKET - DOLLY MIX VINTAGE 

EARINGS + BANGLE - RINGS AND TINGS *

THE GIRL WHO FELL TO EARTH

DRESS - VIOLET HOUSE    

BOOTS - ASOS   

JUMPER - NEW LOOK   

GLASSES - PRIMARK

Ever since I watched the Labyrinth as a kid, I have been obsessed with David Bowie. So when I came across this dress hand made by Violet House I just had to get it! 

This 1970s inspired pinafore dress is made of a corduroy fabric, its bright, bold and definitely an eye catcher. I love the detailing on the skirt with the two tones of suede, it draws your eyes up the dress to the iconic Aladdin Sane lightning bolt. 

This garment is most definitely now a key piece in my wardrobe, it is such a well made, quirky and versatile little dress. And not to mention it was only £55! Which I think is brilliant for a hand made garment made in the UK to my exact measurements.    

http://violethouse.bigcartel.com/

For this look I really wanted to feature the dress so in choosing my other garments I picked subtle, block colours that complimented the dresses detailing. In the styling of this look I continued the retro vibe finishing the outfit off with platform knee high boots and a pair of round sunglasses. 

Photos by Jay Hillyer  

AMY STARDUST X

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS WEARING TOO MUCH BLACK

JACKET - CHARITY SHOP     SKIRT - PRIMARK      BOOTS - RIVER ISLAND     HAT, TOPS + GLASSES - EBAY

I LOVE the colour black, at least half of my wardrobe consists of it! 

As the title of this post suggests there is no such thing as wearing too much black, I feel that it's all about the textures and accents that make it pop and allow you to wear so much of the same colour. 

In this look I layered a mesh crop top over a lace bralet, these delicate fabrics contrast well against the denim jacket. The outfit continues with a plaid skirt, the pattern breaks up and balances out the solid coloured garments. I finished the look with some 90s grunge inspired boots and accessories.

Photos by Jay Hillyer

      AMY STARDUST X    

MY TOP TIPS FOR CHARITY SHOPPING

I love shopping in charity shops, Its where I find a lot of my clothes. I think its an affordable, economical and fun way to shop, there's a kind of thrill finding a beautiful item hidden away that no one else has discovered.

Now some people will dismiss going in charity shops straight away, refusing to wear old, worn and musty smelling clothes! This is such a misjudgment! There are so many unworn clothes with the labels still intact that people never got round to wearing, for a fraction of the original price! I find that this is quite common due to the fast fashion we see nowadays.

There are also lots of vintage items and even one off pieces that people have made. This is perfect if you are looking for something original and a little bit different from the high street. After all it's always better to stand out than blend in!

VELVET DEPRAVITY

DRESS - CHARITY SHOP     KIMONO - RIVER ISLAND     BOOTS- LAMODA

Sorry I haven't posted for a while trying to get used to this whole blogging on a regular basis thing! 

So I was looking through the charity shops the other day and came across this great little velvet babydoll dress! It was just the right size and an absolute steal at £4.99!

I love shopping in charity shops, I think it's a great and economical way to find unique, quirky and vintage clothing. It's also guilt free shopping as it is so cheap and going to a good cause. I shall be writing a post all about charity shopping soon as I find a lot of my clothes in them and think that everyone should give it a try, you never know what hidden gems you may find!

I paired my new dress with this gorgeous kimono I got from River Island a few years back, it's a great statement piece and can be worn with so many different things! 

 I finished off this look with Salvation Velvet Lacquer by Revolution makeup in the shade 'Velvet Depravity', this brings it all together mimicking the colours of the kimono.

AMY STARDUST X

THE WORLD THROUGH HEART SHAPED GLASSES

JUMPER - MOTEL ROCKS    COAT - ZARA    JEANS - H&M    HAT - SELECT    GLASSES - 

PRIMARK

This is an old shoot I did way back at the beginning of December, I've finally got round to uploading it! I seem to struggle keeping on top of this blog, its a lot harder than it looks!! I will definitely be posting more regularly this year.

AMY STARDUST X