Life's a Bleach | DIY Bleached Tie Dye

Hiyaaaa,

Ok don't know if I'm the only person who has this problem but I absolutely hate it when something is in season that I know I could do at home for a fraction of the price! I'll be shopping and see a lovely tie dyed pair of leggings (for example) but my brain just won't let me buy them! NO TOPSHOP I WILL NOT FALL FOR YOUR FAUX-FESTIVAL MARKETING!!

Anyway, tie dye is totes all the rage at the mo. This is something I used to do loads when I was little, like my wardrobe was just full of tie dyed items so why not do it now? My lovely friend Jennie made a tutorial to remind us how to do it which you can read here (it'll be much better than mine)...or you can read mine

So you'll need just a normal t-shirt. I bought this one from Primark for like £3. I think they call it 'The Boyfriend T Shirt' because it's oversized and you can wear it with leggings woohoo! (This photo just shows how much I need to start ironing...)

Lightly dampen your t shirt using a sponge or a spritz bottle or whatever you have to hand...

Take your t shirt in one corner and twist it into a spiral thing. Keep twisting til all the material is twisted up...

Something like this...but keep twisting. I found this bit the most difficult because I am unbelievably heavy handed so don't worry about being too precious about it. 

Secure it all with elastic bands or string. You can fold it over whilst you do this, it doesn't have to stay in the spiral

Then cover your t shirt in bleach. You're probably going to want to put it in a bowl because, remember, bleach will bleach EVERYTHING! I managed to bleach my garden table whilst doing this...

And leave it for about half an hour...

Ta dahhh! Yeah...I wasn't expecting it to turn orange either haha! 

Hang it up to dry! It'll probably change a bit because it's still got the bleach on it working away so if you're not happy with it you can leave it and if you're dead happy then rinse it off straight away...

So I left mine overnight to bleach more and it looks like this now...a bit odd but I kinda liiiiike it! Wear it with pride and you can look super indie hippy everywhere you go (plus leave the faint smell of bleach yummm) 

So you gonna give it a go? If you do, put them on instagram and tag me (@maisiemaizz) so I can see if your's worked out better than mine (it definitely will...)

That is SO punk rock

Hiyaaa,

Don't know about anyone but my eyes are still reeling from some of the catastrophes that occurred at the MET Ball. I know it's not fair to target a woman who's with child and I hate to jump on a bandwagon but Kim K's dress was just the biggest disaster in upholstery I'd ever seen!

Despite this there were some pretty rocking dresses going on. Ma faaave lady Anne Hathaway looked stunning with her newly bleacher hair, Cara Delevingne looked as punk as she always does and even Sienna Miller left boho behind for the night.

Hot weather and leather are not two things that usually go together but I think this punky, studded, black leather look is gonna stay around for a bit longer and the best thing is it's totes easy to replicate on a budget...

Happy Punking...

Miss Real Leather Cut Out Dress. New Look. £9 // Cross Print Leggings. Forever 21. £7.25 // Knitted Ladder Jumper. Topshop. £15

Leopard Print and Studded Hotpant. Boohoo.com. £18 // Punk's Not Dead Tee. ASOS. £45. // V London Tie-Dye Leather Skater Dress. New Look. £19.99.

FireTrap Draped Dress. New Look. £55.99 // ALDO Cut-out Boots. ASOS. £100. // Studded Ankle Strap Sandles. New Look. £19.99 // Silence + Noise Cut-out bralet, Urban Outfitters, £30

And some accessories...

Studded Top Visor Sunglasses. ASOS. £20.  Neon Spiked Earrings. Regal Rose. £14. Barbed Wire Upper-arm Bracelet. Regal Rose. £13. Skull & Cross Knuckle Ring. Regal Rose. £6

Make It Highstreet | Golden Globes 2013

So Golden Globes were last night and there really were a lot of big names on show! As with the People's Choice Awards there were some dresses I adored and some that fell a little flat (I'm looking at you Miss. Sienna Miller). I've always liked Lea Michele's style but I think with her excellent choice for the People's Choice Awards and the stunning white Ellie Saab dress she wore for the GG she's really coming into her own style! Jennifer Garner, Zooey Deschanel and Claire Danes co-ordinated with the red carpet gloriously in red gowns by Vivienne Westwood, Oscar de la Renta and Versace. Winner and my favourite actress ever Anne Hathaway looked amazing in classic white Chanel (and the short hair is stunning...I love it even if she doesn't)
There were some misses of course. Lucy Lui looked swamped by her Carolina Herrera gown; too much pattern, too much dress, too much everything! I could see where Kelly Osbourne was going with her Zac Posen fishtail gown but it didn't really do it for me. And Sienna Miller...I can't even look you in the eye that Erdem dress is one of the most hideous dresses I've ever seen, an example of how to make a gorgeous woman look beyond awful!

On a sidenote, Adele I am begging you please stop wearing the same black dress! We all know it looks great but please invest in some Burgundy or Dark Green!!!

Claire Danes wearing Versace, Halter Dress from Asos £40

Tina Fey wears L'ren Scott, Lipsy Lace Dress from Asos £55

Marion Cotillard in Dior, Talia split-side Maxi from Boohoo.com £20

Rachel Weisz wearing Louis Vuitton, Taya Dress by Topshop £20

Make It Highstreet | People's Choice Awards 2013

Award's are coming! Award's are coming! I'm so excited - I love a good awards season! The season crashed into action with the People's Choice Awards and it was certainly very glam! I sometimes worry about this award, it's voted for by the public and I sometimes wonder if really it's just a big battle of the fandoms but I was pleasantly surprised by the turn out of some big stars as well as the regulars to Trending Topics. There were some beautiful dresses on show, Heidi Klum showed off her figure in a sliced Julien McDonald gown and Lea Michele looked positively radiant in a neon pink Ellie Saab mini. There were the classic faux-pas as usual. For me the two worst looks of the night belonged to Katy Perry and Jennifer Aniston - a surprise considering what seasoned award attendees they are. They both dressed badly for their age, Jennifer took a step out of her comfort zone and went for a Dior leather mini. It just felt forced, a good dress but wrong for her. Katy Perry also stepped away from her norm in a Valentino dress, again I felt it was wrong for her age, too frumpy not the fun we're used to from the inventor of the whipped cream bra...

Now whilst we can't all get away with baring all a la Taylor Swift there were some lovely dresses on show and inspiration could definitely be found. Here's a few highstreet dupes of some of the dresses that were on the red carpet last night for us mere mortals to enjoy...

L-R Heidi Klum wearing Julien McDonald,  Ria Embellished Neck Maxi from BooHoo £15.00

L-R Katy Perry wearing Valentino, Anias Dress by Annie Green from Topshop £45.00

L-R Jennifer Aniston wearing Dior, Oasis cut-out leather dress, Asos, £115.50

L-R Naomi Watts wearing Alexander McQueen, Lisa Sequin and Chiffon Maxi from Boohoo, £15.00

7 days to go | Winter Warmers

No one told me that Norwich was cold. This meant that when  I got there, bright eyed and bushy tailed, for the beginning of university in September I had packed mainly the wrong clothes! I only had my grandma to thank for the 5 jumpers I had packed - other thank that it was all leggings and t shirts. This meant I had to go out and buy lots of lovely knitwear hats and scarves within my first week. Since then I have developed quite a love for the knitted beanie!

I particularly love the navy, flecked one from New Look below - I think pompoms are the cutest things ever on hats. The same goes for the pastel beanie from ARK. Whilst out on my knitwear purchasing hype I bought an infinity scarf from H&M (the one below is from Asos) and have since converted several of my flatmates to them! No more one-long-ended scarfs or that odd scramble for the other side of your scarf when you're trying to take your coat off in a hurry! Another time saver are the hand warmers being sold by New Look - these are great if, like me, most things you own are touch screen and you don't want to be stuck listening to the cringey music on your iPod whilst hammering your gloved fingers into the screen! Moving onto the fur. I first saw faux fur collars similar to the H&M one below in a video by Sammi aka BeautyCrush and thought they were an awesome alternative to the Peter Pan Collars which were popular this spring! Also, I'm very tempted to forray into the world of earmuffs and these ones from River Island (which are not only ear muffs but bear ears) are too hilarious to not love! Although I have recently been warned to stop buying clothes for comic purposes... hmmm some people are no fun!

L-R Pompom scarf, TopShop. Bear-ear Ear Muffs, River Island, Chalk Bobble Hat, ARK. Navy Bobble Hat, New Look,  Navy Handwarmers, New Look, Faux Fur Collar, Burgundy Infinity Scarf, Asos

8 days to go | LBD

Hear ye hear ye! Let us all gather round and praise the wonders of the LBD! Stuck for outfit ideas for the office christmas party? Trying to one-up the ex at a friends festive bash? Or simply spending a lovely wintery evening with the girls? Then look no further than the LBD!! For those of you who live on mars, the LBD, otherwise known as the Little Black Dress, is the ultimate wardrobe essential for all girls! I commit the cardinal sin of only owning one...but I do wear it constantly!

I love LBDs because they're simple yet usually gorgeous! Also, just because they're a classic doesn't mean they have to be boring. For example, you can go for the classic H&M one shown below which can then be jazzed up with accessories. Or on the other hand go for something completely different such as River Island's baroque take on the LBD! I also really love the galaxy detailing on the collar of the TopShop's dress, although the shape of this probably makes it more of a day time dress. To liven up a little black dress it's all about altered tailoring, cut-outs and mix-match hems! If you ignore the scarily skinny model, Asos's ice-skater style cut-out dress is really pretty and the studding detail on ARK's dress is very 'in' (also it's worth checking this out on the website just to admire the beautiful back-detailing)

L-R Asymmetric Chiffon dress, New Look . Digital Splash Collar, Topshop, Skater Dress, Asos,  Velvet Cut-out dress, ARK, Baroque Prom-style dress, River Island, Simple LBD, H&M

20 days to go | Peplum Dresses

Peplum has been a really big trend this year. I really love it because it's what I call a "universal trend"(pantent pending - don't go stealing my pretentious terms). By this I mean it's a trend that can work in so many ways. In the spring it looked gorgeous in floral patterns, in the summer it was great in bold, block colours and now in the winter you can rock it in dark colours or even my beloved sequins! Also, unlike most trends it's one which I feel can suit all body types. If you're a skinny minnie lacking in the curves department the extra material can make you look totally Marilyn Monroe and if you're a curvier girl who has "problem areas" (I hate that term) the shape will help "hide" them (I hate that term too)

Peplum dresses are a go to for the office do. You can where them to work in the day with thick tights and then just remove said tights to party hard afterwards if you don't have time to go home and change. And even if you do then peplums guarantee that you look glam but keep up your smart workwear facade in front of the boss. Two birds one stone.

Black Bardot Peplum by Miss Selfridge, Contrast Peplum by Topshop, "Oh My Love" Jersey Peplum by Asos, Pearl Peplum by Rare at Topshop, Petrol Blue Peplum by Dorothy Perkins, Red Peplum by Asos, Embellished Peplum by New Look, Navy Velvet Peplum by Boohoo

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Christmas is without a doubt my favourite time of year! Getting presents: yes, eating crazy amounts of foods: yes, wearing overly-tacky Christmas themed outfits: yes, yes, definitely yes!!
I'm a big fan of the Christmas jumper, in my mind the tackier the better. There is no item of clothing that better combines Christmas cheer with being warm and snuggly. Sequins dresses might be lovely in the candlelight but how warm are those sheer tights actually keeping you?
I actually own 3 jumpers myself, each getting slightly more bizarre. But there are loads available on the high street, they seem to be getting more and more popular. Here's my pick of some of my particular favourites available at the moment;

L-R: Green Santa Sweatshirt, Fab.com, £23.50. Candy Cane Jumper, New Look,  £24.99. Reindeer Jumper, Miss Selfridge, Robin Jumper, TopShop, £50.00. Polar Bear Jumper, Urban Outfitters, £45.00

(It's also worth having a look in Primark, they usually have some wonderfully tacky jumpers. Unfortunately none of them are online)

Make It Highstreet: AMA Sequins

Hayden Panetierre in Georgio Armani, Jenny McCarthy in Dolce & Gabanna, Taylor Swift in Zuhair Murad

Winter is coming, it's all a bit doom and gloom and we've got a whole month to wait til Christmas! So what better to lighten the mood than a sparkly award show?
Last week the American Music Awards were held in LA and the sparkles were out in force! Everyone from Gwen Stefani to Carly Rae Jepsen was reppin' a bit of glitz and glam! I loved Taylor Swift's Zuhair Murad mini even if it is a little similar to what we've seen her in before...if I had legs like that I'd be working the mini too! The same applies for Stacey Keibler who looked super hot in a super short and embellished Collette Dinnigan, keeping it demure with a high neckline. Also Elisha Cuthbert rocked head to toe sequins but kept it from being disco ball with minimal accessorising and hair. Top class.

Carrie Underwood in Abed Mahfouz, Stacey Keibler in Collette Dinnigan, Elisha Cuthbert in Editions by Georges Chakra 

To me, sequins are the ultimate winter trend, they come around every year in the build up to Christmas because it's party season and everyone needs cheering up. If you're like me and a total magpie for all things glittery you love it, so here's a couple of pieces on the highstreet that can bring that AMA glamour into your own wardrobe:

L-R: Pearl Sequin Dress, Urban Outifitters, £85. Gold Heels, Schuh, £50. Flash Burst Dress, Topshop, £50 (Sale). Peplum Skirt, New Look £12.99 (Sale). Rainbow Wedge, New Look, £68. Bandeau Dress, New Look, £44.99 (Sale). Jumper, Topshop, £85