The land of Dahlia.

Some photos courtesy of the lovely Sandra Borszcz

Yesterday was my shoot with Dahlia Fashion, and it really was a lovely day. There was cake, laughter, singing, flowers and plenty of pretty dresses. The other ladies were all so easy to get along with, and by the time the cameras were rolling it wasn't hard to get into the spirit of things - we all had so much fun with it! Among the others was Olivia from What Olivia Did (so much blog envy...) who I ended up chatting with about everything from blogging to babies.

We were all taking photos of every pretty detail as each scene unfolded, however I know I'm not alone in saying I can't wait to see the final product! I thought I'd share a quick taster of the gorgeous clothes and styling, however we'll have to wait to see the film itself!

Finding Nemo.

 

Dress - Primark

Heels - Dorothy Perkins

I've been eying up this Primark dress ever since I saw one of the other Casting Call winners, Rebecca, wearing it in the May issue of Company magazine. For only £17, it's one of those rare gems that you can't pass up! I picked mine up today and I'm already in love - definitely a new favourite dress!

This evening I've been busy decorating props for my shoot with Daisy Rain on Wednesday. We're trying a 'Hansel and Gretel' type theme, so you can be sure it'll be sweet as sugar and a lot of fun! My favourite prop has be be a pair of round sunglasses covered in dolly mix sweets! My fingers are covered in glue but it was totally worth it. Now I just need to somehow adorn a floral headband with strawberry laces...

Tomorrow is my rescheduled shoot with Dahlia Fashion! I really can't wait, the premise is amazing. I can't wait to share the final video with all of you! I know it's self indulgent, but part of me can't wait to have my hair and make up done by professionals again - it's always nice being pampered!

PS. Check out Charlotte Clothier's blog! She's a lovely girl whose recently been helping me revamp my blog and has just posted an interview with me. Gorgeous girl, amazing style.

"How doth the little crocodile 
Improve his shining tail, 
And pour the waters of the Nile 
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin 
How neatly spreads his claws, 
And welcomes little fishes in, 
With gently smiling jaws!"

Sunshine daisies butter mellow.

Blouse - New Look

Skirt - Dahlia Fashion

Flower Crown - ASOS Marketplace

Necklace (*) - Oasap

I am officially finished with uni for the summer! I did my first and only exam yesterday afternoon, and as of last night Grant and I have been in London. We're having a lazy day today however we did pop out briefly to do some food shopping and take a peek at the comicon crowds going on at the convention centre next door. Admittedly, it was pretty entertaining!

This is one of my new favourite necklaces. Oasap really do have a great collection of accessories! What do you think of this beautifully ornate deer necklace, this adorable hot air balloon pendant and this whimsical pumpkin carriage necklace?

Just a reminder, I have two giveaways running at the moment, both with special discounts! With five more days to enter, there's my giveaway with BBW with a stunning, frothy summer dress. With ten days left to enter, there's my giveaway with Romwe, to win a backless shift dress, $50 of freebies and a secret gift - get entering!

Romwe giveaway.

This morning I have some goodies for you courtesy of Romwe. Not only will one lucky reader be winning this lovely shift dress, but also $50 worth of Romwe freebies and a secret gift! To be in with a chance of winning this wonderful gift package -

- You must be following my blog

- You must have/make a Romwe account

- Leave your registed email below

For more chances of winning, share this giveaway on your blog or Twitter and leave the link below.

The giveaway is open until June 5th - good luck!

Curl up and dye.

I've been meaning to post these photos for a couple of weeks, but the opportunity kept evading me. This is my monthly hair dye in action, minus a view of my face (no make up/serial killer stains - no one wants to see that). DIY hair dying is inevitably a messy job, but here are my humble tips to make it as pain free as possible.

Don't apply dye to clean hair -

(courtesy of ms.ryan)

1. the oil-talg-mix (which is the unwashed greasiness) is like a scalp protection, especially if you have sensitive skin, because hair color is aggressive and the first layer of skin is made up of the same things your hair is, so it'll work on that as well. unwashed scalp is protecting that skin layer better -no burning sensations etc (especially if you lighten your hair!)

2. the first few millimeters of fresh grown hair are very 'play-doughy' before it hardens through drying and oxidation, so are very fragile. the oil-talg-mix also protects that part of your hair -less breakage, less hair thinning etc.

Apply petroleum jelly along your hair line -

It will stick around longer than moisturiser and avoid any unsightly dye lines.

Claim a 'dying towel' -

And keep it safe. I have destroyed so many towels over the five years I've been dying my hair red.

Have reading material/ a phone nearby -

Meaning you don't have to wander around your house/flat with a head full of dye. Plus you can set a more accurate alarm than if you have to go and keep checking a clock.

Don't apply dye at random - 

I do my parting, then my hairline, then my roots, then the tips, then the lengths. Finally I even it all out by piling it on top of my head and massaging it into one mass, which I roughly secure with a hair band. However, if you're dying your hair for the first time (or changing colour) you should dye the roots and tips first and the lengrths last.

Use a deep conditioning treatment - 

For a few days following the dye job. Dying is harsh on your hair, so be friendly help it recuperate.

If you happen to have any more DIY hair dying questions feel free to leave them below and I'll add them to the main post!

I'm not posh, just jolly good at croquet.

Dress - H&M

Floral Blouse - New Look

Flower Crown - ASOS Marketplace

Butterfly Clips - Crown & Glory

Necklace (in hair) (*) - Sergeant Fox

Heels - Dorothy Perkins

Necklace (*) - Oasap

Sunglasses - Ebay

Socks - H&M

After the success of my look, Beetlejuice Lolita, I have decided to make a set of looks inspired by it. I'm going to call the set 'Quirky England', and style alternative versions of English style stereotypes. The first look was inspired by quaint village fetes, and this one is inspired by the traditional garden party.

I found this flower crown on ASOS Marketplace for under a fiver, so naturally I had to snap it up. I couldn't resist fairytale-ing it up a bit (as if flower crowns don't already scream fairytale) with the butterfly clips and delicate pearl necklace.

Unfortunately, the title of this look is not ironic. As soon as the sun comes out my family do dig up the croquet set and enjoy afternoons of croquet and Pimms. Achingly middle class, but also really lovely. Not to mention I'm also a pretty good swing!

Deep in the meadow under the willow.

Dress (*) - Oasap

Necklace (*) - Oasap

Double Ring - Urban Outfitters

Boater Hat - Next

Sunglasses - Ebay

Shoes - Ebay

I swear that every time I receive a package from Oasap I am more and more impressed. This tulip skirt dress which arrived this morning is my favourite summer shape, and the fabric and print are ideal for the (hopefully) warm months ahead. The necklace is another hugely versatile piece to pair with lacking necklines. Next on my Oasap wishlist are this 'Princess' gauze dress and this lace panel hat - oh so pretty!

The shoes are a new arrival, fresh from Ebay. I've been missing my patent black brogues which I used to wear everywhere, and so I gave into the itch and ordered a new, studded pair. Do you like?

Tomorrow I'm off to St Ives - yay!

Bowties and butterflies.

Butterfly Crown & Clips - Crown and Glory

Car Print Shirt - River Island

Dress (worn underneath) - Miss Selfridge

Ok, so technically I ordered this Crown and Glory crown for our engagement shoot this summer (afer seeing them on the lovely Charlotte Clothier's blog), but it was simply far too pretty not to share with you for the time being. I got the crown itself last weekend, and the butterflies arrived this week with a small note from Sophie wishing us luck with the shoot.

The crown was gorgeous on it's own, but the butterflies really make it something special. Plus you can wear the buterflies alone as clips, which could come in very handy for a butterfly catcher themed shoot I am having with Chloe Lee Photography on Tuesday...

This was a lot of fun to style. The electricity was out so I couldn't curl my hair as I'd planned, so I settled for making it look soft and wispy. I chose to keep make up minimal with a bit of colour definition on the lips.

I am developing an infatuation with butterflies, so expect to see a lot more of them in my upcoming looks!

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Beetlejuice lolita.

Dress - Purple

Waterfall Jacket (*) - Siren London

Petticoate (not seen) - American Apparel

Heels - Dorothy Perkins

Boater Hat - Next

Sunglasses - Ebay

This was such a fun look to style. I knew I wanted to wear something with an edgy-village-fête kind of vibe, so I started with my striped waterfall jacket from Siren Lodon (a real bargain at £25, definitely worth checking it out!) and figured the rest of the ensemble out from there. I tried a few floral dresses, however initially they were clashing a little too much. Eventually I tried this Purple dress which I bought from Dorothy Perkins last spring, and the pieces seemed to work quite harmoniously. I felt like the boater and round sunglasses finished off the retro look, whilst the blush coloured patent heels kept the girly, English rose feel going.

Of course, the village fête vibe would not have been complete without a slice of victoria sponge cake in hand!

Don't forget, if you haven't entered yet I am hosting an internatinal giveaway with Beckybwardrobe to win a stunning, layered summer dress - you can find it over here.

I also have a magic little Beckybwardrobe offer exclusively for Briar Rose readers -

. Free shipping on orders under $120 (ie. $15 deducted from order)

. $15 off orders over $120 (since shipping is free)

. A free Beckybwardrobe necklace with any purchase

Just enter...

BBWfreeSrose

(please note that this code is valid until 31st May,

offers only available outside Hong Kong)

Whipping cream + GIVEAWAY with Beckybwardrobe.

Car Print Shirt - River Island

Net Maxi Skirt - Dahlia Fashion

Boater Hat - Next

Wedges - New Look

On this lovely, balmy afternoon, I have a very special treat for my readers. As you may know I've been collaborating with Beckybwardrobe for a while now, and to celebrate the opening of their new site I have an utterly gorgeous dress to giveaway and some wonderful discounts for all of my readers.

The giveaway is open internationally, so absolutely anyone can be in with the chance of winning this charming summer dress. To enter the giveaway you must -

1. *Like* Beckybwardrobe on Facebook
2. *Share* their May lookbook featuring Mayo
3. *Subscribe* to their site

You must also be following my blog on Google Friend Connect.

Leave your email below for a chance to win!

Product Info -

*One size

*100% Polyester

*Hand wash cold

*Imported

That's not all! I also have a very special code exclusive to the Briar Rose blog. By using the code below you will recieve -

. Free shipping on orders under $120 (ie. $15 deducted from order)

. $15 off orders over $120 (since shipping is free)

. A free Beckybwardrobe necklace with any purchase

BBWfreeSrose

(please note that this code is valid until 31st May,

offers only available outside Hong Kong)

Happy shopping!

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Fashion in art, my new banner dissected.

Whilst art has never been my calling, I do still appreciate it, and after several recent comments comparing my style to the ethereal figures in Pre-Raphaelite paintings, I thought it was about time for a slightly more cultured blog banner. I did some research into a handful of these pieces, and my favourites made it into my new banner! Here is a run down of the final six, their artists, and their dates.

Rossetti's Veronica Veronese 1872 (left) and La Ghirlandata 1873 (right).

Anthony Frederick Sandys' Love's Shadow 1867 (left) and John William Waterhouse's My Sweet Rose 1908 (right).

Sophie Gengembre Anderson's (1823-1903) Take the Fair Face of Woman (left) and Henry Nelson O'Neil's Ophelia 1874 (right).

I am so pleased with the final result! What more could you ask for in a banner than glorious red heads, flowers, Hamlet references, butterflies and immaculate brush strokes? I will miss my old, hand drawn banner, however I'm sure I'll find a place for it somewhere! What do you think of it?

Before I go, I must ask that you check out the Undercover Dress-Up Lover, who posted an interview with me yesterday. She got me opening up about a fair few things such as the development of my personal style and my opinion on my local street style - might be worth a read!

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Tea with Sergeant Fox.

Jacket - Sergeant Fox Vintage

Floral Blouse - New Look

Detachable Collar - Oasap

Net Skirt - Styelzi

Petticoat - American Apparel

Boater Hat - Next

Heels - Dorothy Perkins

If I said I was excited to introduce my latest partner, it would be an understatement. I've been talking with Sergeant Fox for quite some time now, and our partnership is finally in motion! This week I received this stunning vintage crop jacket along with some lovely vintage jewellery, and I must say I have been blow away by the quality. I simply love this jacket - it's perfectly fun and girly. I want to wear it to the fairground with a frilly dress; it's just so sugar-sweet and the cut is wonderful. I'm now eyeing up their Rose Garden Full Pleated Skirt and this Vintage White Eyelet Lace Blouse. How delightfully girly is her vintage collection? This is one Etsy site that is definitely worth a visit. Plus she's currently working on her own site - yay!

My lovely vintage-style collar can be found here on Oasap, and the extremely versatile net skirt over here on Stylezi. Take a peek if you're interested in recreating this look!

I hope you're all having a wonderful bank holiday weekend - I'll be back with more photos tomorrow.

Epistle to a lady.

Lace-Up Dress - Urban Outfitters

Flower Headband - New Look

Black Wedges - New Look

This week I did a bit of sales shopping in Bath, and here are a few of my finds. I found this dress in Urban Outfitters, reduced from something around £30 to a modest £10, and the floral headband was reduced to £3 in New Look. I suppose that makes this outfit £13 from the ankles up - who can argue that kind of price? The dress especially was a real bargain. The fabric is very sturdy and soft, and I simply love the lace up detailing on the back.

I am also happy to announce the winner of my BBW giveaway - Paige Joanna Calvert! I have emailed you regarding your prize.

I have a fair few bits to share with you over the bank holiday weekend, including an amazing facewear tattoo from Inkwear and some adorable vintage goodies from Sergeant Fox! Stay tuned - All being well it's going to be four days of very pretty photos.

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