How To: Pastel Hair

From left: Katy Perry, Blake Lively, Chanel SS12 and Rachel McAdams

Inspired by the gorgeous hair above my friend (Amy) decided to dye her ash blonde hair a very subtle pale pink/lilac. After toying around with the idea of only dip dyeing the ends, I managed to convince her to just dye it all! After watching countless Youtube videos we chose the following steps in order to achieve the desired outcome:

STEP 1: PREPARING THE HAIR

Using 'Live Color XXL: Absolute Platinum OOA' prepare the dye and apply to dry unwashed hair. Leave on for the specified time as on the instructions. However we chose to keep it on for half an hour to accelerate the colour and to ensure even coverage. 

Available for £3.99 from Superdrug 

Wash out the dye when you feel you are satisfied with the colour, and apply conditioner as normal (This is important as bleaching can severely dry and damage the hair).

La Riche Directions Hair Dye in Lilac

STEP 2: ADDING THE PASTEL COLOUR 

A week later once all of the natural oils had revitalised the hair from the intensity of the bleach and it looked a little healthier, we added the semi-permenant dye. There were so many shades to choose from so we got a bit carried away and stayed in the shop for way over and hour trying to decide which would look the coolest. To achieve the best results with this dye, you're advised to shampoo the hair before the dye to allow the pigments to bind more readily to the hair. The instructions say to leave on for between 15-30 minutes as the longer it is left, the more intense the colour will be - with this in mind we left it in for an hour.. We applied the dye more into the roots to create a stronger colour here, almost the opposite effect to the popular dip-dye.

STEP 3: STYLING THE HAIR

I would advise that if you follow these steps you invest in a professional haircut afterwards just to take off the dry ends.

Neon for Spring/Summer 13

Neon is back and brighter than ever, and can be seen in different aspects of our wardrobes from accessories to outerwear. On hearing 'neon' I can't shake the (embarrassing) image of me as a youngster strutting around at a neon disco in those dreaded leg warmers from Primark... but like myself neon has grown up and is now a desperately sought after colour addition to my wardrobe.

SS 13 Catwalk Inspirations:

Looking back at the fashion week's of SS 13 it's clear to see that there's lots of different ways that neon can be worn but there are three main styles that jump out at me .

• Twinning - matching top and bottoms

• Neon florals

• Statement colour worn with black/white

I particularly like Simone Rocha's neon florals which add a softer element to the dramatic in-your-face impact of the neon colouring. Cara Delvingne works her Simone Rocha dress with a clashing striped shirt - this shouldn't work but totally does! Then again Cara can pull off anything..Whilst I won't be going full on head-to-toe neon just yet, I have found a few great pieces, in particular handbags, which will ease me into the trend.

Wedges - £48 Urban Outfitters (Deena and Ozzy)

Trousers - £35.99 Zara

Bag - £39.99 H&M

D.I.Y Nails

For those of us unable to grow and maintain beautiful long nails (such as myself), I find the best cure is to just hide them underneath thick layers of nail varnish!

I've been skeptical about the beauty products available in PRIMARK for some time, however for £1 I just couldn't resist trying these gold Leopard Nail Wraps. They take seconds to apply and have so far lasted three days without signs of chipping or peeling. Teamed with gold accessories and a darker nail colour, even leopard print can be classy.

Elmo Hype

Following the Cara Delevingne craze, I was AMAZED to see her kitted out in Elmo attire as two years earlier I purchased Elmo mittens in New York! Thanks to the snow and crazy British weather I don't feel out of place wearing them in April either. Can be purchased on Ebay.co.uk

Monochrome Shopping Trip

Jacket: Primark

Peplum skirt: H&M

Grey stripy jumper: H&M

Black & White crop top: River Island

Black crop top: Primark

Grey crop top: Primark

Wedges: Primark

Despite it being 'Spring' at the moment, I couldn't resist overlooking the colours and heading straight to my comfort zone of black and grey! I found some great simple items which will work well with lots of outfits and can interchange between day and evening wear. I invested in loads of stripes and crop tops this shopping trip as I think they're really flattering, but favourite buys of the day were the peplum skirt with faux leather detail which I love because of it's feminine yet strong look and also the black wedges, as they are a really classic style as well as being comfortable so are ideal for a night out!