Long Time No Blog

It's been a good few weeks since I've updated le blog. I've taken an unintentional blog break the past little while, mostly do to the lack of inspiration of things to post about. I'm trying to think of a recap to make about the things that I've been up to, but all the days are blurring together and I'm having a hard time remembering everything that has happened the past little while. Here's a few things that have been on my mind though:

1. Finishing university and moving

I'm so close to finishing my undergrad degree and its just starting to sink in that I have 4 more days of classes to complete before the end of an era. It's going to be weird not being in school because that's all I've known so far. I think the everyday stuff is going to be an adjustment, with not walking through campus, being a bus ride away from seeing friends and walking down the street-lamp lit street en route to the entertainment in the Market. 

I'm moving home and it's definitely going to be strange from living in a city for 4 1/2 years to the country. It's going to be so quiet outside. I'm so used to hearing sirens, having the street lamps giving a soft orange glow in my bedroom at night and being surrounded by tall buildings.

When I do move home, I have a few things that I want to focus on. As soon as I move home, I'm going to apply to H&M for a job. It would be so amazing working there, surrounded by amazing clothes and people with style. I also want to commit to a regular fitness regime. School has kind of been a pain-in-the-butt with that.

2. Changing up the hair

I always gets so fidgety with my hair and I'm craving for a change again. I absolutely adore my bangs, I'm so glad I decided to go back to them. I have a teensy bit of a grey patch growing in, it's not super visable, but its there. I kinda want to go dark with my hair! Nothing too dark, but something darker than what I have. I've thought about testing out a demi-permanent colour to see if I like it, but chickened out when I was in the store isle. I also really like the trend of clip-in feather extensions. Nothing too crazy on the colour, but maybe a white and brown patterned feather. 

3. This blog

I've also been thinking about this blog and what I want to do with it in the future. I think once school is done, I'm going to commit to posting on a regular basis and integrating more of my own content, especially with pictures. I also kind of want to turn this into a style blog! I think I'm starting to become more aware of my personal style, and with this blog helping along the way could help me discover and chip away at it more (although the thought of taking an outfit shot is kind of intimidating!).

Well, that's about it for now! I have class in the morning and tomorrow is going to be one of my last homework days as a student! I'm going to be writing some blog posts for my New Media class tomorrow, listening to music and putting on a coconut and shea butter mask that I got from Forever 21 for $1! 

Who's That Girl?

I had been toying around with the idea of getting bangs again for a long time but I was always too chicken to get them done again. Well, last week I took the plunge on a whim and I'm so happy with the result! I decided that I might as well get it done and quit wondering! Here's a picture of the final result!

I have to say that I was really inspired by Zooey Deschanel's hair, especially in her show "New Girl"! Sometimes I wish that my hair was a gorgeous mocha colour, but I should really learn to love my natural hair colour as it is. What do you think of my hair now?

The Gibson Roll

I'm really in love with a certain hairstyle right now. It's called the "gibson roll" and it looks so glamourous, and it is so easy to do! I tried it once just to see if I could pull it off (because lets face it, a lot of hair tutorials are not so easy, especially for people who are left handed). It was pretty easy and it can be used for a variety of occasions. I tried it out once and I was paranoid that I looked old and that it made my neck look weird, but I was just being silly. A little suggestion though: keep the hairstyle a little messy, it keeps it modern without looking too matronly. For instructions, head on over to Refinery29!

Girls Like You

Braids are my kryptonite! I remember when I was younger when french braids were super popular. I remember trying so hard to learn how to do it on myself, and eventually getting the hang of it when I was about 14 years old. Right now though, regular ol' braids don't satisfy me anymore. I love when I discover new types of braids that I wouldn't even think were possible to pull off. I came across this picture and I'm trying to figure out how to pull this look off.

From what I can gather, it looks like the top portion is a waterfall braid going from the left side of her head over to her opposite ear. From here, I think she gathered the pieces of hair from the waterfall braid and french braided them, only taking hair from the right side of the braid and then gathering everything into an elastic just beneath her right ear. Phew, that was a mouthful! I think I'll have to try this sometime. Isn't it so unique?

Every Little Thing

I have a confession to make...I am in love with the hair accessories from Urban Outfitters! I'm guessing my recent love for hair accessories stemmed from me getting my hair cut the other day. It sounds really gross, but I went without having my hair cut for about a year and a half (eeps!) I think it was because my last haircut was when I got my bob and I've been afraid of the hairdresser's chair ever since! But ever since getting my hair cut, my hair feels so healthy! I keep running my fingers through my hair like a weirdo, hahaha. Aren't some of these pieces so adorable?

Images via Urban Outfitters

The Real World

I absolutely adore Refinery29 when it comes to fashion and beauty inspiration. I was looking through the website today and found this amazing beauty trick for those of us who want to experiment with colour but don't want to commit to it.  This trick is so easy! Just grab some coloured blush or eyeshadow and dip a brush in the powder and slick it across your strands (preferably near the ends of your locks to get that ombre effect).  After you're done with the powder, add a light coat of hair spray to keep in the colour for the day. So easy right? I want to try this immediately!

This Is A Damn Cold City

...Not. It's actually grossly warm and humid. I swear, I need to relocate to somewhere cold like Russia or Iceland where I can comfortably wear cardigans, jeans and flats/boots all year round. Today is a classic example of how great I am at procrastination. I have to read a book by Tuesday for English class that I'm nowhere near finishing (yikes!). 

For some weird reason, I want to go to a live show/an open mic night and just listen to music and chill with a drink. Live music is always at least 10 times better than pre-recorded music.  I just wish Ottawa wasn't a city of secrets hiding all of the cool venues for live shows/open mics. Anyways, here's a cute hairstyle I want to take a stab at sometime soon. I think it's called a waterfall braid. Maybe today?

Everyday Waves

I found this lovely hair tutorial online and I love the result. This video makes me want to purchase a large barrel curling iron to make these everyday waves. I have the Conair Infinity You Curl which is amazing and easy to use, but a large barrel curling iron appears to create longer waves for a more casual look. Take a peek at the video below.

How Soon Is Now?

Let's talk about dream hair a little more. If I could have anyone's hair, it would be Zooey Deschanel's. I love her dream bangs and how her hair looks so cute when it's just left alone with  no fussy hair tools. If my hair were long enough right now, I would totally just want to go to a hair studio and ask them to give me her exact hair cut and colour. I'm feeling such an urge to do that right now, but I know I should wait. If you could have anyone's hair, who's would it be?

Help, I'm Alive

Do you dream of having perfect hair? What hairstyle would you rock? I personally would love to have this hair that was shown in April's issue of Glamour. Isn't it just perfect? This is the kind of hair I would want to sport all spring and summer long! It's super charming and it doesn't look like it took forever to style, like a mix of natural texture with a bit of help from a curling iron. Take a look below:

Oh Là Là

I found this fantastic tutorial on Hair Romance on how to do the perfect chingnon that looks so effortless and easy to do! I think this would look amazing on almost every hair type and looks so sophisticated. Take a look below at the visuals and follow the step-by-step instructions. Doesn't this look so elegant?

How-to:

1. Using a round brush, blow-dry hair smooth and straight, focusing on the top sections.
2. Once dry, use a large-barrel curling iron to create waves from the ears down.
3. Build height and volume at the crown by teasing hair gently with a fine-tooth comb.
4. Gather hair into a low ponytail. Twist it along the nape of your neck, pinning as you go.
5. Once you reach your ear, shape the remaining hair into curls, and pin them back over the twist.
6. Spritz strands in place.
7. To add texture, gently curl and scrunch the wispy ends with your fingertips.

Look at what I bought...

Girls and Haircuts

I found this picture on weheartit and had to share. This rings so true. When I cut my locks in February, I was so happy with the result, until the novelty weared off and when I realized I couldn't fully put my hair in a pony tail. Live and learn, right?

weheartit

Swallowed In The Sea

Lately all I've been thinking about is braids. French braids, fishtail braids, distressed braids, you name it. Right now with the state of my hair, I can only pull off a short french braid that nubs at bottom of my head. I can't wait until I can pull of these looks. Hopefully in two months or so!

The Boy Who Murdered Love

Well, the two posts I was planning on writing today fell through, but I promise that they will be up tomorrow. Lately I've been thinking about hair styles, I've been kind of obsessed with updos, but I got to thinking about bangs again. I've had bangs on and off throughout my life, just recently a year or so ago, but they've pretty much grown out now. With my hair in the process of growing out (the dreaded "in between stage"), I might consider getting bangs again sometime in the future.

My girl and hair crush Zooey Deschanel.

Photos: weheartit

Parisienne

I was looking at H&M's pre-fall style guide and was giddy to find that the fall line finds inspiration from Parisians and femme fatale (sexy and alluring women who lead men into dangerous situations). Haha, awesome. I've always loved the amazing the quality of H&M's clothes, and how affordable it is to students on a budget. Whenever I walk into an H&M, my heart literally skips a beat.

Note to self: must perfect the cat-eye look like Bridget Bardot in this photo. It's dramatic, yet soft. It's balanced out well with her teased hair and that lovely ribbon.

Photo: weheartit

Is this not the cutest picture ever? I love this girl's bangs and her tousled hair. I can't wait until the weather's cool enough to wear scarves. Speaking of which, I'm knitting a scarf at the moment. Yes, that's right, in July.

Photo: weheartit

I found this photo on weheartit, but I'm not sure if the person that uploaded is actually the owner of the photo. That being told, I couldn't help not including it in this post. I love the way this girl mixes black and brown. People always say that black and brown clash and don't go together, but after watching What Not to Wear, I was assured that since both colours are neutrals, they compliment each other. Well, that's all for now.

North of Light's End

It's July 2nd and the weather these past few days has been a bit chilly (around 17 degrees celsius) and its bringing me back to my love of the fall and winter seasons. I'm not really a summer person, anything higher than 25 degrees celsius is definitely too warm for me! Since I'm a lover of the cooler seasons, I thought I would compile a few things that are inspiring me at the moment and what I'm looking forward to once autumn is upon us again!

Photo: lookbook.nu

I love the combination of colours in this photo. I always had this strange aversion to mustard yellow, but the way it's balanced out with the dusty rose colour of her cardigan makes this outfit a beautiful combination.

Photo: weheartit

Photo: weheartit

How pretty is this hairstyle by the way? It looks like a combination of inverted/dutch braiding and hair curling and it looks like the ends were tucked underneath the braid. I think a lot of people try to perfect the art of french braiding, making them look neat and clean, but the effect becomes so much softer and ethereal when its messy like the photo above. I like to think I'm pretty good at doing braids, but it's going to take a bit of time for my hair to grow longer, when I can really experiment with them again.

The Perfect Bun

Normally I'm a bit skeptical about how my hair looks in an updo, but as of late, I've been drawn to these step-by-step instructions on how to create the perfect messy bun. I can just imagine travelling to and from class with this hair, wearing glasses and a warm pashmina scarf.

Photos: Yves Saint Laurent

I chopped off my majorly long hair this past February and miss my locks dearly. As soon as my hair gets long enough for an updo like this, you bet I'm going to be trying this out. Until then, I'll have to cope with my shoulder length bob that flips up at the ends and the excessive amount of bobby pins required to keep it in a ponytail. A girl can dream though, no?