DIY: Denim Shorts from Levi Jeans (cuffed)

I have cut up old jeans before in a whim to make my own shorts.. A lack of planning meant the 'shorts' came out looking not-so-great. This time I decided to prepare and plan before hacking into my jeans, this post will share with you my process & tips for successful DIY shorts.

Part 1: Cutting

Tools: 

Jeans (I used a pair of Levi denim jeans which stretch and become too

 baggy at the legs after a few hours of wear)

Scissors

Ruler

Fabric pencil (or just a white pencil)

Instructions (that's what the sticky note is)

Step 1: Fold jeans in half and ensure all parts are aligned. Find the crotch and measure 10cm down from where the crotch starts. Mark this point with your pencil.

Step 2: Place ruler horizontally in line with the mark. Draw a stippled line. Try on jeans so you can see where the leg will be cut. Remember we want it longer so there is extra length for cuffing. Also, it's better to be too long than too short. Now cut the top leg of the jeans along the stippled line. Make sure not to cut the bottom leg yet. If you are planning on cuffing the shorts, it doesn't really matter how neat the cut  is but try to keep a straight line on the pencil mark.

Step 3: Use the leg that you cut to measure out where you need to cut the bottom leg. Draw a line with your pencil and cut the bottom leg.

That is Part 1:Cutting complete. Try your shorts on now to see the length. If the length seems long remember it takes a few cm off when cuffing. If you don't want to cuff your shorts you can use tweezers to pull out the threads or throw them in the wash to fray. 

Part 2: Cuffing

This part requires basic hand sowing skills**(can be substituted by using fabric glue where I stitched)

Tools: 

Iron

Needle and thread

Scissors

Step 1: Fold the bottom of the shorts over once to desired width. I had no specific measurement for this. Iron down the first cuff so that it stays like this. Fold a second cuff and iron down again. Make sure to iron on the inside and outside seams as these easily lift up. 

Step 2: Using your needle and thread (colour to match the denim), make a basic stitch in the hem starting from the bottom. Loop the stitch to the inside of the cuff so that you cannot see it on the shorts. Keep doing this until stitch is secure then tie a knot and cut thread.

The image below shows what the stitch looks like from the inside of the jeans.

I kept doing this step on both legs inside and outside cuffs and also on the top and bottom middle. See the image below: each red circle indicates where a stitch was made. It is not necessary to make as many stitches as I did, but I do not like when my cuffs come undone and look sloppy therefore I did it this way.

I'd love to see if anyone tries this tutorial - please link your blog or a photo in the comments. Any feedback is welcome as well. 

Cara Delevingne Summer Make Up

Like, HOW STUNNING is this make up?! I will definitely be trying to recreate this look once Summer 2013/2014 hits! Reference for picture here.

Celebrity Street Style : Casual Summer Dresses

What's In My Handbag

I think the contents of someone's bag says a lot about who they are. I love watching 'What's in my bag tag' videos. It's in our nature to be nosy, so I decided to do a 'what's in my bag' post. This is not my everyday bag, it is my Uni/internship bag. The bag is by Double Oak Mills from The Iconic, it is still available here (much cheaper than what I paid as well!). It's similar to the Zara bucket bags but not as big. Because of the smooth leather (not real), it looks much more expensive than it is. The bag also comes with a detachable shoulder strap.

First are the odd bits out of my bag. I have my FCUK reading glasses, hand sanitiser, USB, tissues, spare charger and my intern card (which is on my MBFF lanyard).

Below is the contents of my 'make up bag', if you can call it that. I'm not one of those people that really applies make up during the day so I only have a few things - Swisspers blotting paper, Bourjois Duo Effect blush, BellaPierre Mineral Powder, Sigma Large Powder Brush, compact mirror, Garnier Under Eye Roll On, Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 16, Carmex and a Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume. My bag is from Type and it is actually a pencil case.

I use my Mimco Mim Pouch as my wallet everyday. It is in black with rose gold detailing (I am a rose gold fanatic!) I also carry my tablet (below) in my bag. I have the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 and the case is from ebay.

I have three notebooks in my bag - my intern notebook, my Uni notebook and my 2013 diary.

And that's all that's in my Uni/office bag

Review Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer Review

This week I have been in that 'week before Uni starts' slump. All I want to do is lazily watch Youtube videos. Today's post is on the new Rimmel London lip product, Apocolips Lip Lacquer. These new lip products are basically a lipstick in a liquid form. I believe there are 8 colours in total. What I like about these is that they aren't sticky, or as glossy as lip gloss (I am not a lip gloss fan!).

Celestial ; Nova

On the left we have Celestial, which is my very favourite! It doesn't look overly glossy, yet it's still not drying, and the colour is a beautiful natural lip colour. It's very similar to my Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey, which featured in my Revlon Favourites. On the right is Nova which is a bolder pink. Regarding the consistency, I think all the colours are different. The other swatches I did on my hand, with the darker colours, were much more glossy. In terms of wear, I don't think these are long wearing, however they leave a tint on the lips.

Celestial ; Nova

The lip lacquers have a doe foot applicator, a little bit different that the usual. The applicator has an indent in the middle which holds the product. This ensures really nice application. 

At the moment these are $7-something at Priceline but they are usually $15-something. However, they are available on Asos for around $7.00 permanently. If you wanted to see swatches of the full collection, check out Fleur De Force's blog post here. Overall I do like these two colours, but I still prefer my Revlon Balm Stains.

Selena Gomez Make Up Inspiration

June Beauty Favourites

As I am writing this post, I am staring out at the overcast sky and the wet roads, Queensland has seen a rather wet winter and I am very much looking forward to spring. But for now I will share with you all my handful of favourites from the past winter month. 

My skin is always very dehydrated in winter so it is important to take drastic measures. Which is why I purchased some pricey Dermalogica skincare products at the start of winter. Included with my purchase was this sample size 'Multi Active Toner'. Before this product I never used a toner in my daily skincare routine, I have noticed a difference in my skin this month. I spray it on my face after a shower, before moisturiser. It helps to clear your skin and really leaves it feeling hydrated and refreshed.

Trilogy Rosehip Oil is a 100% natural skincare product, which contains essential oils that are vital for regeneration of skin cells and repairing skin tissue. On nights when my face is feeling very dehydrated, I like to add a few drops of this oil to my nightly moisturiser. 

Cold outside air, mixed with dehydrating inside air from heaters, mixed with 5:30 am workouts in the wind has caused my lips to become extremely chapped and dry. For this there is only one cure, Carmex. I don't like Pawpaw ointment and Carmex is truly the only thing that really moisturises my lips.

I have rediscovered my Revlon Balm Stain in Honey. It really is the perfect your-lips-but-better colour. The creamy consistency of these stains balm stains also make them perfect for winter as they are not dehydrating or harsh on the lips. Swatches can be seen on this previous post.

While cleaning out my beauty cupboard I found this little pot of moisturiser. It came in a beauty box and was unopened. As soon as I opened the pot, I was in love! It has the most fragrant smell of ginger and lime. I keep this Lomasi ginger/lime body creme on my bedside table now.

A lifestlye favourite this month has been Green Tea. Mine is from T2 and is flavoured with cornflower petals. Lastly, my music favourite, Oh Sailor from Mr. Little Jeans. Her voice is so Lana Del Rey.