Loving this week: Greeting stamps by Kikki K

These totally saved my ass today, over the last year or so I have slowly been collecting various stamps, a lot of them are from Typo but I also splurged and bought this set from Kikki K. Handy as.

I had a baby shower to go to and realised that the gift bag I was going to use didn't come with a card, so I cut up some card from a shopping bag and attacked it with this stamp set, congratulations does the job nicely as well as a few other cute animals and birds I've bought. Instant greeting cards. Certainly something I'd recommend adding to your home-made kit.

Greeting stamps by Kikki K <3 <3 <3

How to Hair: Serena Van Der Woodsen's Ponytail

My recent post for an easy bad hair day solution was pretty popular so I'm going to talk you through another favourite and easy hairstyle of mine. It's a very chic up-do that looks great on everyone.
On Gossip Girl, Serena has an iconic hairstyle. Blake Lively looks fabulous and instantly done when she puts her hair up, (but wouldn't we all if we had hairdressers on our beck and call?) It's actually quite easy to do at home too.

Source

Step one: If hair is a little on the dirty side spray some dry shampoo through it, and if it's clean, apply some mousse and blow-dry upside down, this will give the hair some texture to play with.

Step two: Without brushing too much, pull hair back into a ponytail at the lower crown of your head, about halfway down the back of your head. You don't want it to look smooth, it if is looking a bit too smooth, rake your fingers from your face, back to the pony to rough it up a bit.

Step three: Rough up the pony a bit by getting a few chunks of it and teasing with a tail comb, spray the pony and make sure it still works as one piece, not a strange tangle.

Step four: Pull aside a small bit of the ponytail and wrap it around the hair-tie to hide it, then pin in place, for a hard to spot job, pin underneath the pony, and aim the pin back into the pony.

Step five:  Mist with hairspray to finish.


All you need is a pair of bold earrings or a statement necklace and you've got a 'done' look in no time at all.

What styles do you do to look done in a hurry?

Avoiding Ghost-face in photos

It's party season! And about time too. I cannot wait until Summer with some awesome cocktails and lots of chances to catch up with people that I have missed over the year. But what also comes out when you gather a group of close friends and family? Cameras.
Has anyone else ever had that annoying look in your photos where your face is paler then your body and you can't put your finger on why? It happens more at night then during the day. Guess what it is? SPF in your make-up and moisturiser.
This is because the SPF ingredients reflect the light of the flash and make you appear ghostly pale. So next time, make sure you use products that do not contain SPF, and your pictures won't come out so odd, (It's not like you need it when the sun goes down anyway!)

Tip of the Day: How to remove fake tan from your hands!

This is a dilemma at least once for every girl who fakes it (her tan of course!) How to get rid of any pesky and tell tail fake tan stains on the palms of your hands? or anywhere else for that matter? I stumbled across this solution by accident when I was younger and I had a knack for self tanning by myself and did it religiously. One time I forgot to shave my legs beforehand, and I thought I'd be good and use some depilatory cream (you know, the stuff that kind of smells funny but gets rids of hair for twice as long as shaving?) Well. that was stupid, it took off all my fake tan with it too! All that carefully applied perfection, gone. But it did give me an idea ....
So nowadays whenever I get fake tan on my palms, or want a foolproof way of cleaning it off once it's gone all blotchy (only on some parts of my body, like legs and arms and places I don't mind removing hair from as well). I put on the cream as a last ditch effort.
The reason why it should be a last resort is because a lot of depilatory creams advise you not to use it on places like your face, hands and genitals (lol). They use a kind of acid that breaks down the hair, and most of the time the top layer of your skin (good for exfoliation!) So if you do use it on your hands, only put it on for a minute or so, and DO NOT use it on your face in case you either have a reaction as the skin on your face is much more sensitive, or lose your eyebrows!
The other thing about it, is that it does leave a strong line where it has been. That is another good reason to go a minute at a time, so you can sort of blend it but doing a smaller patch the second time.
Also, please please please, do a patch test before using any kind of depilatory cream because your hands, though hardy on the palms, are not somewhere you want a rash! Try leaving a little bit on the back of your arm, just near your elbow for the recommended time to see if there will be any problems.
Products I like? I have been loving the hydro restore range by Veet, as it comes in a big pump bottle that lasts ages and moisturisers your skin as it goes. Grab the sensitive type if you're worried about how you will react.

Veet Hair Removal Cream Pump

Trouble blending foundation? Try a sponge.

I, like so many other girls my age have had it drilled into me that the best way to apply liquid foundation is with your fingertips. The heat from your hands helps the product spread over your face more evenly and creates the best base. But I found a way to one up it and make it look a lot more like skin, and not covered up skin.
I received a make-up sponge in a goodie bag not long ago and thought nothing of it, but gave it a go just to smooth over my foundation once I had applied it with my fingers. Perfection, it helped hide my pores perfectly and blended my make-up edges in a way I could just never achieve with my fingers.
So what I like to do nowadays is squirt some liquid foundation on the back of my hands, to heat it up a little, then dab a sponge in it and blend onto my face, starting at my nose and working outwards. I find this is the best way to keep it looking natural.
If you start to use a sponge, just make sure you wash it frequently. I like to clean mine with a make-up remover and rinsing very thoroughly.

Bonus tip: Get one without sharp corners for no streaks

Birdette does Laundry: How to wash your clothes

Boring! Yes I know. Trust me, I know. But it never ceases to amaze me just how clueless the majority of people are when it comes to washing clothes, guys in particular, but yes, some girls I know, the horrors! All in one, no colour sorting, bras in the dryer, No no no no no! My god no!
So I'm going to tell you all everything I know. Barely any of it I learnt from my mother so I don't expect yours to have taught you that well either. This will also help out anyone who has just moved out from home. Do not take your laundry home for your mother to still do once you move out. Grow up, buy a machine and do it yourself, she has only been looking after you for the best part of at least two decades! In fact, go buy her some flowers, just because she's been awesome all these years.

Buying a machine:
Personally I only have one piece of advice here, get one with a central spindle, mine does not have one, and it is a bitch that likes to tangle clothes and get stuck on repeat. Will be getting a new one when I can afford it.

Washing Powder:
My best advice it to use what your mother uses, chances are she's trialled a lot of them and she knows her stuff, plus you already know you are not allergic to it.
Also use white vinegar as an end of wash softener, it neutralises soap powder and finishes your clothes nicely.
Lastly buy a woolwash for your wool and silk items, best to handwash these.

Separate your clothes:
I normally do my washing once every two to three weeks, this is enough time to get up decent load sizes so I do not waste water in the machine, it will generally take at least 40 litres of water to run the smallest load, so you're better off hand washing if you have anything less then perhaps two kg of clothes to wash, (generalising here).
The categories I break up my load into are as follows (you may need to adjust depending on your wardrobe):
Blacks
Whites (I sometimes add lights into this load as I do not wear much white)
Lights
Brights (can need to be further broken down into colours, blues, reds etc)
Dulls (Mid range colours, but not brights, think tan, olive, grey muted shades)
Darks (nearly black but not quite, navy, charcoal  a lot of denim etc)
Delicates (silks and wools)
Dry cleaning

Also worth mentioning here is that you should wash your tea towels daily, bedsheets weekly, and towels at least weekly. they can generally go in the same wash as they tend to be colourfast, but check the labels. if in doubt, separate.
Take dry cleaning to the cleaners, and save your receipts, a lot of jobs will let you claim dry cleaning as a uniform or work related clothing tax refund.

Buy some garment bags.
Best to have about half a dozen of these, some mesh, some normal, the mesh ones are best for knickers, while the other variety are best for bras, fabric belts, and other items, Have a look around, a good price for these is just a couple of bucks each, I like Ikea and department stores to find them.
Items that you'd want to put in these are (but not limited to):
Bras
Knickers
Clothing with straps and attached belts (wrap around dresses and tops)
Shoestring singlets
Hosiery
Lingerie in general
Keep like with like in the bags, and make sure you do your bra clips up when you chuck them in, they catch on everything.

What temp to use?
My rule is to always use cold water, it's too much stuffing about if you separate your clothes by temp to wash in, cold water will wash everything and use up stacks less electricity too. Only bother with hotter settings for things like bedsheets, and if you haven't mixed your loads. Apart from risking colour leaking from item to item, it can sometimes shrink your clothes.

Got a top loader? Let the machine fill up a bit without any clothes in it yet.
For top loaders, it's a good idea to stick your washing powder in and then let it mix with some water before you put your clothes in, this is a good time to sort you load and garment bag any items that need it.

Suit your wash to what you are washing:
Gentle Cycles are for dedicates and items that are recommended for hand washing (if an item says to hand wash, I stick it in a garment bag and on a gentle cycle.) Heavy duty loads are for Tradie's uniforms, incredibly messy gear, rarely washed jeans and for linens. Everything else can go on a regular cold cycle.

Dryer vs. hanging up:
Do your electricity bill and the environment a favour and hang your clothes up to dry as much as you can. Some items of clothes you simply cannot chuck in a dryer, bras,  jeans, and sports gear come to mind but check the label before you put anything in the dryer. Personally, the dryer is made for uniforms that have frequent wash and wear, linens and for extra crisp cotton shirts. Bonus tip? If you dry your cotton shirts in there, and grab them out and hang them on coat hangers IMMEDIATELY, You made not need to iron them at all.
Also if line drying in the sun, turn your clothes inside out as this will prevent the majority of colour fading in garments, who cares if it's on the side? At least you can't see peg marks on the outside!

Well I do hope that's helped some of you out at least a little, I have more so share but I'm really over typing at the moment! If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to let me know!

Tip of the day: Make buttons stay on longer.

Do this to every piece of clothing where buttons aren't sewn on by hand. I learnt the hard way by losing an Alannah Hill button at the dry cleaners, and damn she chooses some impossible to replace buttons. *cries*
Don't know if your buttons are sewn on by hand or not? Chances are they weren't so do it!
Short of taking the buttons off your garment and sewing them back on yourself, the quickest way of helping them stay on is with a bottle of clear nail varnish. Open your garment up flat, with the backs of the buttons showing in a neat little line, then take your nail varnish and dab a tiny amount onto the stitches holding your button in place. Leave to dry, For the love of lambs do not put it on while it's drying.

If you trust yourself enough, it's not a bad idea to put a tiny amount between the button and the front of the garment, pinch the fabric so the button is sitting atop, and dab a tiny amount on the threads  in between. leave to dry, Definitely do not put your garment on while drying, or you'll risk the button hole sticking to the varnish, Big mess.

Tip of the day: Make drawers run smoothly

When we moved house last week, I managed to inherit a huge set of drawers. four huge drawers, two smaller, and even a little armoire on the side to hang up more clothes. I love it, but the drawers are a bitch. All jammy and hard to open and close smoothly.
Now you could get someone to sand down the edges so your drawers have a little extra room, but then you'd have a lot of work to deal with, and need to find someone you're OK with seeing your scanties. This method is much quicker, and less messy.
Keep a bar of soap in your knicker drawer. Firstly it will keep your knickers smelling nice, and secondly it's great for rubbing on the corners of your drawers to make them run smooth. Give it a go and see.

For nice drawer soaps, just your normal imperial leather just won't do, My favourite pretty soap brand is Mor, they have a huge range so you're bound to find something you like, and the packaging is so pretty you might not want to unwrap it (buy a few bars for your bathroom too). My favourite is the Black Cherry Plum.

A range of the scents available 

Mor Black Cherry Plum Soap

Mor is also available at selected Myer stores and Cosmetics Fragrance Direct for the bargain hunters out there.

Clothes Tip: How to make an inside showing waistband sit flat.

While I went to fashion school (lol) I picked up more then a few tricks to make clothing work better, techniques that are used on more expensive clothing that are just left out of a lot of mass produced clothing because it's time consuming, and time is money, money that not everyone wants to spend on your clothes!

Now that heading may sound a little confusing, so let me show you a picture that should sum it up nicely.

This is a picture of a skirt in my wardrobe, I love it, and when I bought it it was perfect, but after a few washes, lo and behold, the damn thing's waistband is looking kinda funny. It won't sit flat, and now this annoying sliver of the inside pops up for the world to see, Front and back. Sometimes in cheaper clothing land this is happening before you've even bought the skirt, but more on that later.

Here is How you can fix it. You will require a pair of fabric scissors, and a steady hand.
First check that you can have access to the inner workings of the skirt, get between the outer fabric of the skirt and the lining. Like so.

Unfortunately you may not be able to do this, in that case though you should be able to press the skirt flat to hopefully fix the problem, fingers crossed.

Once you have found the seam where the outer fabric of the skirt, meets the fabric that is annoying you, grab your scissors and make some little 'notches' (for the uninitiated, these are done by clipping perhaps half a cm into the seam, DO NOT cut through any stitches.)
Do them maybe 5-10cm apart along the entire waistband.
Do on the other side as well if required both front and back.

Now flip your skirt back out the right way and press. Sometimes you'll be lucky and won't need to press at all, other times you may have to go back and put a few more notches in.

Swish! Now your skirt sits properly and you can wear it over your shirts again.
This technique can also help with faced necklines that are doing the same thing.

Remember what I said before about this happening before you've even bought the item? Have a close look at the inside of it Before you take it to the counter to see if this trick can be done!

Why does this work?
Because this can happen on clothes where the waist (or neck) is curved, the tiny bit of fabric in the seam is shorter then the seam, only by millimetres but this is enough to cause problems. By clipping the shorter length, it enables it to sit flat.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd love to help!


Mwah!
-Birdette