Snow day

 

 

Manchester blogger enjoying the snow in style

For the past few days, the UK has been covered in a thick blanket of white snow. Although we are used to seeing a dusting every now and then, it seldom gets this deep or stays long enough to be enjoyed for more than a day. I’m not usually organised enough to get outfit pictures in the snow before it turns to mush, but this time it settled for long enough to give me a chance!

Mango cocoon coat Oliver bonas scarf

I often walk the dogs in the cold, but I usually wear waterproofs and thermals for that and I wanted to try out a  casual but put-together, weather-appropriate outfit, that could be worn to go shopping or even to work )if there isn’t a strict dress code).

doggy kisses in the snow

Ziva came too as she always loves an opportunity for another paddle in the reservoir, even if it is freezing! She’s always eager to be helpful and can be seen here, licking snow off my face!

mango mohair coat

The wind was cold and kept blowing snow into my eyes but I was pleased with my choice of double mohair (jumper and coat) as it did keep me warm, despite the lightweight look and feel.

I played with Ziva on one of the fishing bays, she loves to run around and catch snow in her mouth! I was also impressed by how suitable these boots were, this was my first time wearing these in the snow and for some reason, thought this style may be less hard-wearing than the classic ones (softer leather), however that doesn’t seem to be the case. They have plenty of grip and my toes didn’t feel cold at all for the hour that I was out walking.

grey coat and pom pom hat

I feel the item that really finishes off this outfit, are the long, fingerless gloves. I prefer fingerless gloves so I can touch things without getting wet gloves and use my phone and I love the fact that they are long, because they allow me to make certain style choices that would normally be unwise for the weather, such as bunching up the sleeves on my coat. I prefer the way they look like this, but I definitely wouldn’t like to have cold arms!

I really enjoyed seeing the familiar reservoir looking like a complete new place, the snow covered ice changed the landscape and make it look like snowy plains, divided by icy rivers. The swans and ducks seemed to like it too.

As I have gotten older, I have really enjoyed making sure I have appropriate clothing for all weather and finding items that make me feel comfortable in each situation but still fit in with my style.

OUTFIT:

Coat: Mango, unstructured mohair blend coat (similar)

scarf: Oliver Bonas (similar)

Jumper: & other stories (similar)

Trousers: Zara

Boots: Dr. Martens

Hat: gift

Gloves: Next

Images by Richard Ayres.

Bedroom decor update

Now that winter is coming to an end, I wanted to refresh my bedroom decor and make the whole space a bit more open, bright and airy.

I moved my makeup into my dressing room a few months ago and wanted to keep just my every-day essentials in the bedroom as it already has a few large pieces of furniture in it. I wanted to make the bed a focal point by adding some print and texture.

bedside table with jo Malone candle, floral bedding

I added some finishing touches, such as plants and beautiful smelling candles to enhance the atmosphere. The bold shapes complement the delicate, pencil-drawing-like print of the bedding.

maine coon clean herself on bed

Nymeria loves the smell of fresh bedding as much as I do and always comes to sit on it after I’ve changed it.

white bedroom with four poster bed

Against the window, I positioned the chest of drawers with with a plant and a vintage birdcage on it. I hope to get an other piece of furniture to put the vivarium on soon, so I can add some more plants.

white baroque mirror, Ikea botanical curtains

Next to the chest of drawers, I added a small ottoman stool, covered with a throw and some cushions to add some softness and texture.

ragdoll cat of floral JD Williams bed set

The monochrome, floral bedding adds a delicate, feminine touch, while still fitting in with the mood of the room and the charcoal throw, matches the bed frame. This bed set is reversible and features a larger print of the same flowers on beige on the reverse.

monochrome clothes on clothing rail, mother-in-law's tongue plant

On the side by the door, I have my clothing rail where I hang my most worn everyday clothing. These are definitely not my most displayable garments but they are the ones I reach for the most and having them in front of me when I get up in the morning helps me get dressed quickly. Next to the rail is my laundry basket and a mother-in-law’s tongue plant.

Silver Maine coon cat on bed with floral bedding from JD Williams

I don’t usually use the bedroom during the day, so it’s a good opportunity for the cats to enjoy it!

black satchel bag on grey tassel throw next to baroque mirror bedroom decor

I love these Ikea curtains that feature insects and botanical illustrations! They were originally pretty see-through so I sewed a blackout backing onto them. The same can also be done using iron-on bonding take if you would like to try something similar but don’t sew!

grey bog notebook, beauty products, succulent plant

On my bedside table, I decided to just keep my essential, every-day beauty products, a notebook for scribbling ideas while I’m in bed, a candle, a potted plant and a coaster for my glass of water.

Next to the clothing rail and laundry basket, stands one of our fish tanks. I always wanted one in the bedroom and this one has been here for a while now. I find watching the fish swimming around very relaxing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look great in bright light but it is definitely much more of a feature at night! I’m currently on the look out for some pieces of artwork to complete this wall! I’m thinking line drawings in black frames, something monochrome or maybe with a touch of green.

 

FEATURED ITEMS:

Anything featured in this post that is still available will be linked below:

Reversible duvet set

Quilted throw

Marble coasters

Mongolian cushion

Clothing rack

Plants

Wardrobe

Jo malone candle

Round cushion (similar)

Tassel throw

 

Hair story

I saw Audrey Kitching do a post on how her hair had evolved since 2005 and it got me thinking about the different hairstyles I’ve had in that time. I’ve had a multitude of different real and fake hair styles over the years and decided to dip out some photos to share some of them.

cyber silver hair cyberpunk model

This is one from my first photoshoot in my college boiler room in 2005.

I used to wear a lot of fake hair but it was actually black at the time.

I used to wear a lot of fake hair but it was actually black at the time.

Photo 333

21st birthday vanity shots

Photo 400

red 21st birthday vanity shots

 

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first bought dreads

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first knotted fake dreads I made

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ghost in the shell hair

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skin two ball 2005 or 6

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experimenting with wool dreads

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foam, synth dreads and plastic

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rexlace fringe and dreads

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short silver and purple dreads

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first time totally bleached before going lilac/grey.

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chopsticks bun dreads phase

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purple backcombed mullet

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puple weft extensions

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grey and purple curly and straight dreads

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natural hair and dreads

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purple fringe and dreads

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plum and purple

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purple mess

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purple bob

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purple synth dreads and fringe

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purple concave bob

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purple and blond victory rolls

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curly dreads

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white and lilac curly dreads

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lilac dreads

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dreads and weft extensions

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dreads and undercut

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curly dreads

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white curly dreads

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dreads with nut beads

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purple hair rolls

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rose red weft extensions

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rose red hair with salt and pepper weft.

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dread bun with plastic fringe

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white bob

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curly weft

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all the fake hair

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red and curly wefts

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mini crimped

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pinned up

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grey weft

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black and white curly weft

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rolls and weft

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buns

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short roll

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grey bob

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white bob

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curls and pug

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backcombed

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shaved side

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lilac and purple by toria brightside

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all up by neil lewis

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crimped

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lilac up-do

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backcombed

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deathhawk

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roll plait

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troll

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curls

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mono-roll

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more extensions

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double braids

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silver and grey

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fluffy

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black fringe

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lilac and white extensions

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pink by jennifer byron

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white crimped

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transitional dip dye by emily bailey

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braids and shaved

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black dip dye by jennifer byron

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1375064_564442596951489_1825898665_n fishtail

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light blue

piercing red 1

rope braids

glasses 5

turquoise

This is just a selection of my hairstyle pictures. The sizes are a bit all over the place but I didn’t want to exclude the smaller ones.

Some people think it’s embarrassing to upload old photos but I think it’s fun to remember past hair and style, as well as the memories that come with it.

I hope you enjoyed looking through my hair story.

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Gary Crozier Dolls

I’ve admired Gary Crozier‘s doll-like portraits for some years, since I was first asked to collaborate on a shoot with him. We have since made contact but didn’t manage to arrange anything so it was a nice surprise to get a message from him, nearly 2 years later, saying he was coming to Manchester and would like to shoot.

I thought his style would lend it’s self well to my new lingerie range, Persephone, which features a mixture of light and dark, delicate and edgy designs.

We shot in my studio and I invited 2 of my favourite girls to join in, Amber and Hannah. If you follow my work you should already be able to recognise them.

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We had our hair tied back during the shoot and at the end Gary took close up pictures of twisted sections of our hair, which he then used to create the crazy, elaborate hairstyles you see in the pictures.

I’m really pleased with the results, I think Gary did a great job with the background and making each model look like an individual character. I really think these would make a good post card set. If anyone fancies themselves as a Gary Crozier doll, you can get a quote and some info here.

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