Thursday, May 15, 2014

Ripped Jeans | How To

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I have been in the market for my perfect pair of ripped jeans for quite some time now.. Having tried on several pairs over the course of the last few months I've been left disappointed. I just want a rip in the knee. Is that too much to ask? You can get ripped thighs and the arse ripped out of them but not the knee?

Then I spotted these on ASOS only to remember.. My short legs. It is difficult enough to find a pair of jeans that fit perfectly let alone have the rips in the right place. These may fall perfectly on Miss Legs Eleven over on Asos, however it is likely that the rips would end up mid shin on me. 

So I got to thinking and decided why not give it a go myself? After doing a bit of research into it, I learned that the mass produced ripped jeans you can buy on the "high street" are actually created using a sandblaster (a machine designed to blast rust off of things using tiny particles of metal). Well I don't have one of those lying around..  I'll just have to make do. 


What I used:
  • A pair of old jeans - avoid using elasticated denim as it just won't rip as well as the stiffer stuff. 
  • chalk
  • a scissors
  • an artists blade or in my case a Stanley knife
  • a tweezers
  • a grater
  • some cardboard
Now its time to DIY:
  1. While wearing the jeans mark out the areas you want to rip with the chalk
  2. After taking said jeans off, take the cardboard and put it in the leg holes under the area you want to rip. Taking the scissors make a little hole in the material.
  3. Now using your artists blade carefully drag it along the the mark you made to make the initial slit.
  4. Now taking the grater rough up the edges to give a sort of distressed look. I recommend using these side of the grater:
  5. Once the edges are nicely roughed up and you're happy with them. Take your tweezers and pull some of the horizontal threads from both the top and bottom of the rip and pull them towards the centre. These will loosen the rip slightly and make it easier for you to bend your knee. 
  6. Try the jeans on. See how they look, if they aren't distressed enough or need a little tweaking that can be done now. ( not while wearing them of course).

Here is my end result.. I'm easing myself into the trend with one ripped knee. If that goes well I may rip the other one.



If you are going to try it out whatever you do, don't rip a pair of expensive jeans. My jeans are just plain black ones from New Look. I think they cost about €19.00!? And they're perfect for it. I've about 10 pair of these bad boys - I just love them! They're the perfect fit for shorty mc short legs here. 

Happy DIYing.. I'm off to sit out in the sunshine comtemplating painting my bedroom some more!

Rebecca x

Ps: How NOT to rip jeans a la Kim Kardashian..


Monday, May 5, 2014

'Suddenly Diamonds' by Lidl | Review

Let me just start off by saying I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to perfume, so much so I would say that in the entiretyof my perfume wearing years I've owned a grand total of two Celebrity scents (both were gifted to me). Now thats not to say that there is anything wrong with the scents because there isn't. The issue I have with celebrity endorsed perfumes is.. " Do I really want to smell like Amy Childs hunni?" - Eh NO!

Anyway back to the point at hand. Around this time every year I treat myself to a bottle of Dolce & Gabbana 'Light Blue'. It was my first ever perfume and to this day it holds a special place in my heart, sort of a coming of age type thing. It's also a great Spring/Summer scent - crisp and clean!

I wasn't 5 sprays into my latest repurchase when it smashed in my handbag, destroying the bag and ruining my day. I must say it was a first for me (thankfully) and one that I didn't want to experience again. I just couldn't cope with the loss, it's so expensive after all! Around the time of the catastrophe I had been hearing a lot of hype surrounding this "Suddenly Madame Glamour" a fragrance release from none other than Lidl.It was labelled a designer dupe for 'Coco Mademoiselle' by Chanel. To be honest I kind of forgot about it again until I happened to be in Lidl. Low and behold it was SOLD OUT!

In its place was an uninspiring rectangular bottle 'Suddenly Diamonds', presumably a dupe for Armani 'Diamonds' right? Wrong! It was an identical dupe for none other than 'Boss Orange' by Hugo Boss, another great Spring/Summer scent.



Now I'm no expert but I'd like to think I know a thing or two about fragrance, I do kind of collect them! 

Top Notes - What you immediately perceive to be the perfumes scent. The initial and undoubtedly the mos important as this is the scent that dictates whether or not you buy it. A sales tactic.

I'm going to say in this instance that the Top Notes are Mandarin or more likely Orange Blossom as the scent is slightly more floral than citrusy and Bergamot. 

Base Notes - What is left behind when the perfume has settled and the top notes have evaporated. These tend to be deeper, richer scents and hold the key to the longevity of of the scent. Depending on whether you opt for an Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette these scents can be detected up to 24 hours after the initial application - Muskier scents if you will.

What is the difference between EDP and EDT you ask?
Eau de Parfum is more concentrated, it contains a higher percentage of essential oils, making it stronger and longer lasting while Eau de Toilette has a highter water content, making it a lighter and slightly cheaper alternative. 

The Base Notes in this particular fragrance are quite creamy. Consisting in my opinion of Vanilla and Sandalwood to cut through it so it isn't sickly sweet.

In plain English it is a Fruity/Floral scent. Light, fresh and clean. Perfect for day-to-day wear.

It is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine. Grab it while you can ladies, it is available in Lidl stores Nationwide for a limited time only and priced at €3.99 for 50mls EDP - it is a STEAL! (compared to its designer counterpart priced at €64 in boots for 50mls EDP currently) 

Where should I apply it?


Give a Posy #BeautyHack - I like to spritz a little onto my hairbrush and run it through my hair so that each time I give a little hair flick it releases a waft of scent *sniffs the air*


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