Bleach London Rosé review!

I wanted to make this blog post because the amount of times I have searched for a review of this stuff on someone's hair that is not white is unbelievable. For those of you who don't know, Bleach London is an Insta-famous, super cool salon based in London, specialising in bleaching and crazy cool coloured hair. A couple years ago now, they released a line of their own products and the stand out colour was Rosé, the colour all girls wanted to achieve on their hair. Well, since my lengthy process going from brunette to a bright blonde, I have wanted to dye my hair a cool colour and as basic bitch as it might seem, pink was always going to be my first choice.

You can buy the Bleach London products on Boots.com or on Bleach London's website and from reading reviews on Boots saying it made very little difference to a lot of peoples hair, I did not have high hopes so I took precautions. I bought two bottles of dye (I have relatively long hair and this was unnecessary.. I didn't even finish the first bottle), the Rosé shampoo and the Rosé conditioner. Now, I bought these a while ago but I finally found the courage at 3am last night after finishing an essay.. See the results below and how I achieved it!!

Before:

As you can see, some bits are super yellow-y towards the front. About a month ago (before this pic was taken, I used Bleach London's white toner to brighten the hair to help it take to the dye better - try this if you feel it's necessary. I also use Bleach London's silver shampoo and conditioner religiously). You can also see the rough colour my hair was before in my previous blog post. This photo was taken by Christos Patelli <3

After:

Fruit salad sweetie results due to my different coloured strands of blonde. Can't say I don't love it though!

Sooooo, in order to achieve this I shampoo'd it twice with the Bleach London Rosé shampoo, leaving it on for 5 minutes both times before washing it out. It is only recommended to leave the shampoo on for 3 or so minutes but I decided to push it a little to help boost the colour better. After washing out the shampoo for the second time, I towel dried my hair and proceeded to messily apply heaps of the Rosé dye throughout my hair (with my bare hands - use plastic gloves if you have some). Now it says to leave the dye on for 15 minutes but after reading reviews on Boots.com, I pushed to an hour.. Yes. A whole hour. After the hour was up, I washed it out and applied the Rosé conditioner and left that on for 5 minutes then rinsed it out and this is what happened! So pleased I avoided a half arsed peach colour and achieved a full on baby pink. My next challenge is to not look too hipster now when dressing myself. Will probably leave the Wrangler mum jeans in the cupboard for the next month.

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Creeper xox

(Fur cape - vintage. Jeans - All Saints. Shoes - triple stack creepers by Underground London. Bag - Louis Vuitton. Vintage cashmere jumper - there's some great finds at Armstrongs!!)

These were taken in our stunning *cough* stairwell today right before I left for work (two hours too early cause I'm smart like that...). I work at EAST, a UK based artisan brand located on George St and today I pitched a quick idea to my boss. She then told me to phone the head of merchandising for permission and I got it! So this new project for the blog will be coming very soon!

 Also, if you have not yet invested in a pair of creepers - I recommend that you do. They make you feel and look cooler, taller and skinnier. For cheaper options, head to TKMaxx (where I got these for £30 when the RRP is £110) or look on eBay and Depop. They're great for walking through puddles without getting the bottom of your jeans wet..

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Holiday Wear

I went to the Lake District for a week and here's what I wore (if you care)...

Top - Topshop (similar here), Cardigan - EAST Clothing (shop here), Skirt - ASOS (shop here), Belt - vintage, Shoes - Hudson Shoes (shop here)

One of the first outfits I thought to log was the above. Before I packed, I planned most of the outfits I would wear so I didn't pack pointless items that I would never put to use, but this one I ended up throwing together and fancying enough to take a pic. I'm wearing a pair of snake print booties Hudson Shoes sent me which I absolutely adore.

Dress - Alexa Chung for AG Jeans (new version here)

I won this dress in a MyTheresa.com Pinterest competition when the first Alexa for AG Jeans collection came out and I barely wear it. It fits like a dream apart from the bust area where one button looks just a little like it's clinging on for dear life. I wore it anyway...

Vest - ASOS (similar here), Sports bra and matching pants - Calvin Klein (shop here), Jeans - All Saints (similar here), Shoes - Topshop (shop here), Bag - Louis Vuitton (vintage)

Sunny days in Britain aren't easy cause we usually know all to well that the minute a cloud covers the sun, we'll be reaching for our scarves and a pair of socks regardless of whether we are wearing sandals or not. Jeans felt appropriate but for when the sun was at it's brightest, I played it safe in a ribbed crop top, with flashes of Calvin for a slice of cool.. lol. I liked the way the waistband sat neatly  (with a lot of constant adjusting) above the fray top, button-less and belt loop-less All Saints jeans (I got these in the sale so unfortunately they are no longer available :( )..

Dress - EAST (shop here), Cardigan - EAST (seen previously), Booties - ZARA 

   I work for artisan high street brand East and here I am in their stunning silk backless Virginia hankerchief dress. I've been dying for an opportunity to wear this anywhere other than work and my boyfriend's grandparents 50th wedding anniversary seemed like the perfect one. Mixing prints by teaming it with my favourite ZARA booties, I wanted it to look a little more quirky than it might have with sandals or basic heels. Also the cropped mohair cardigan provided the perfect amount of warmth for when the wind picked up.

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(Other less-blog worthy outfit photos)

American Apparel swimsuit

For Love and Lemons crop top, One Teaspoon shorts, ADIDAS Stan Smiths

Neckin' It

A more notable trend of late - an upgrade from the recent revival of the 90's tattoo choker but a heck of a lot cooler...

1. The simple leather neck tie..

...wear it loose

or wear it tight.

Double wrap it..

And decorate.

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2. The bandana (to be worn round the neck)

Casual, a la Bella Hadid in this super cool shoot.

With delicate necklace layering...

 again with perfectly layered jewellery...

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3. Other (scarves, ribbon etc)...

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I figured you may already have a stray bandana lying around your bedroom from that one time you dressed as a pirate for Hallowe'en but in case you want to go more upmarket, here's one by Saint Laurent (a mere £85... £90 if you include net-a-porter's £5 shipping charge) or just find one on ASOS..

Saint Laurent printed cotton scarf (£85) on net-a-porter.com

Jacquie Aiche for For Love and Lemons bolo tie choker  ($1250.. yes, that's $1250.00)

ASOS long skinny scarf (£8)

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FISHNET FRENZY

To fishnet or fishnot? I felt a mildly compelling need this evening to write a blog post about fishnets to show my appreciation for them - in tight form, top form, shorts or other. 

Fishnets seem to have been lingering around helplessly waiting for their comeback to take off since 2010 but no-one, it seems, has given them a real chance. Anyone sporting a fishnet ensemble between then (2010) and now has either been a super cool ahead-of-the-times badass, a massive hipster, straight out the pages of the "retro" Teen Vogue issues that I still have sitting in my room or just plain weird. So in an attempt to raise recognition, I made a collage above of some 90's fishnet inspiration from super spunky Geri Halliwell to the always chic Claudia Schiffer to help you get in the spirit. 

Top left we see Shirley Manson in an outfit that wouldn't look much out of place on the streets today, if at all. I don't know many girls these days who wouldn't kill for a leopard print jacket like the one she's wearing and a lot of girls would quite happily sport this look today, including myself. Below her, queen of the fishnet trend, Madonna in a rad get up, swiftly followed by Geri in a more simple ensemble. Finally, Schiffer, making fishnet tights look less grunge and a lot sexier in a black mini dress with excessive gold chain detailing.

Here are more modern takes if you are still not convinced. And if these don't convince you, nothing will. Sky Ferreira is one of the previously mentioned 'bad-ass' trend setters that sported the fishnet style before it was cool and here she does it perfectly in a fitted fishnet top, layering a cropped tee over it for modesty. Below her, super cool model Agyness Dean in a 90's inspired shoot, hugging a bag of Cheetos because why not? To the right, a look from Balmain's SS11 catwalk complete with ladders, acid wash short shorts and embellished denim. And finally, Moss the boss, a woman after my own heart, sporting a fishnet dress at 37 years old.

I too have been (maybe not so successfully) sporting fishnets since 2011, which I didn't do for long until recently when I bought myself a Jonathan Aston pair and jumped back on the netted bandwagon, teaming mine with a new leather mini skirt I've grown fond of. 

*shudders* Here is 2011 me at the Insider festival. I'm wearing them with a vintage shirt, One Teaspoon vest and shorts, a Low Luv ring and Underground London creepers, a look I won't be revisiting any time soon..

Here's a more recent me, swagging the streets of Edinburgh up in my new fishnets which I have already managed to pierce a hole in. Please don't take my pose and the look on my face seriously.

Here I'm wearing a DKNY faux fur coat, vintage cashmere jumper, ASOS leather mini skirt and Toga Pulla booties.

And below, a look I wore for a night out - ASOS vest, mini skirt and Topshop heels.

I don't know if the above images have managed to convert you to fishnet life but if not, I have posted further inspiration below.. 

Live, love, life, fishnets <3

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ZARA TRF's F/W 2014 campain.

Alice Dellal 

Coooooooool

Krizia SS 14 left, Saint Laurent AW 15 right

MOSS

Balmain