DIY: AMERICAN FLAG SHORTS

At the start of the week I embarked on my first ever DIY mission; American Flag shorts. I've been seeing more and more pairs of flagged shorts each time I venture into a store and every time I steer away from them for various 'too short', 'too expensive' and 'bad fitting' reasons. One pair in particular that many of you have probably seen are these from Topshop which are priced at £34 which I begrudge paying for a pair of shorts no matter how good they are!

So, what did I do you ask? Well I decided to grab a pair of boring jewelled shorts from my wardrobe and flag-dazzle them (see what I did there haha) and here is what I needed up with...

Taadaaaaaa! I'm so happy with how these turned out and they were so so easy to do aswel! All you need to do this DIY is:

- A pair of shorts

- A flag (or something large with a flag print on it)

- Scissors

- Fabric glue or sewing materials if you have the patience

- A couple of sheets of paper

- A marker pen/felt tip/pencil etc

 All you do is make a stencil with the sheets of paper of the area of the shorts you want to cover. Then draw round this stencil onto the flag (or you can guess like I did). Cut out the flag preferably bigger than the stencil so you have room to work with. Fold over and glue/sew the edges of the flag and then leave that to dry (important!). 

Once the edges are dry, apply glue to the edges of the shape and then begin to stick it to the shorts. Do both sides and any others flagged areas you wish and then let the glue dry over night. As a final thing, I decided to turn up the bottom of my shorts as I felt it looked better, so if you want to do this you simply turn up the material to your desired length and then either glue or sew it in place. That's it, DIY American Flag shorts in only a few hours. 

Tip: If you want your shorts to look a little more distressed afterwards, take a piece of sand paper, wrap it around a wooden block or something of similar shape and then rub it on the areas of your shorts you ant distressed, ripped, worn etc. Do be aware, the sandpaper will create holes very quickly so if this isn't the look you want, only rub lightly. 

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CHARLIZE THERON COVERS VOGUE UK

Charlize Theron finally lands herself the cover of Vogue UK after being no stranger to the covers of many other magazines including Vogue US. She models a pastel blue Versace Spring/Summer 2012 dress and Jimmy Choo shoes. The actress was photographed by Patrick Demarchelier and inside talks about her upcoming movie Snow White and the Huntsman and her newly adopted son.

This cover epitomises elegance and Charlize looks great; as the cover says, she really is a 'modern glamour star'. What do you make of Charlize Theron's May cover of Vogue UK? Will you be buying this issue?

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RIHANNA COVERS ELLE US

Rihanna covers the May issue of Elle US wearing a yellow studded look from the Versace Spring/Summer 2012 collection. This rocker-edge look really suits Rihanna's style and the bleach blonde hair and black nails really make this cover work. 

(source: Elle US)

I think Rihanna is the perfect cover star for Elle's 'Women in Music' issue and she really is rocking the cover and the accompanying editorial which you can see here. Others featured in this issue are Lana Del Rey and Jessie J and I'm surprised these two weren't considered of the cover...

Are you a fan of Rihanna's May cover of Elle US? Will you be buying this issue? 

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CHERYL COLE COVERS MARIE CLAIRE UK

Cheryl Cole has landed the May cover of Marie Claire UK with a newsstand and subscribers cover. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a fan of Cheryl Cole. At all. But I have to give it to her, these two covers are surprisingly good, especially the subscribers cover. I wish the subscribers cover was in fact the newsstand cover as it's a way better shot of Cheryl. I think I'll be giving this issue a miss as I'm not a fan, the inside editorial is quite unexpected though! 

(source: Marie Claire)

See the full Marie Claire shoot here. 

Are you a fan of Cheryl's Marie Claire UK covers? Which is your favourite?  

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PASTEL NAILS

In honour of this seasons pastel trend, I thought I'd emulate it through my nails rather than my clothes :) 

This is definitely a nail look that will get you noticed...some think it's silly and others think it's great; I personally love it! Why choose one colour when you can use five.
I used Barry M for four of the colours and then No7 for the fifth because I didn't have another pastel Barry M polish. No7 polishes cost £7 each and Barry M cost £2.99 and honestly, I prefer Barry M. It applies so easily and lasts ages whereas No7 polishes chip quite quickly.

Will you be trying these pastel nails? 

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MARCH FAVOURITES

It's that time again where I give you a run through of my monthly favourites and this time I have decided to do it a tad differently by grouping them all together. So lets just get straight to it...

Clearasil Daily Gel Wash - This is the best daily face wash I've ever tried. It's very gentle on the skin and it clears any blemishes in a matter of days. I have been using this on and off for months now and can't believe I haven't included it in a monthly favourites before! This is one you just need to try for yourself, it does leave your skin quite flaky after a week or so, but this might be worse/better on some skins types. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo - This dry shampoo is amazing. Firstly, it smells of coconut and summer which is great and the scent lasts on your hair all day so even between washes your hair smells fresh. It's also great on the white patch front too; once brushed through, there is no remnants of white in your hair which a lot of dry shampoos usually leave, which is the main reason I love this. 

Dove Summer Glow Moisturiser - I'm always on the hunt for a gradual tan moisturiser because I hate the fake tan 'look' and much prefer to look like I've been in the sun rather than in a tango machine. Anyway, my mum gave me this moisturiser a few weeks ago and I've been using it ever since. It's so easy to apply - just like any moisturiser - and if done right, it won't leave streaks or patches. It isn't as gradual or subtle as it claims though; a lot of people noticed I looked more tanned the first time I used it and since that I've had quite a few 'you look really tanned' comments! It does the job though. 

Natural Collection 'Rose Bud' Lipstick - This is a very natural 'your lips but better' lipstick which is perfect for me as I'm not daring enough for vibrant lip shades. Read my full review here.

Harajuku Lovers 'LOVE' - This is a perfume that I'll admit, I originally bought for the bottle - how cute! I'm so afraid it'll run out I've never wanted to use it before, but throughout March I've found myself reaching for it more and more probably because of it's sweet summery smell. Read my 'Fragrance for Thought' here. 

Rimmel Super Wear Topcoat - Finding a topcoat that you like is a hard task; some chip, some are too matt, some are too thick and some are too thin. I discovered Rimmel's topcoat a while back now and after using it for a few months I can honestly say it's the best topcoat I've ever used. It is the perfect consistency and is very hard-wearing which is great to find. I'd definitely recommend this. 

Topshop 'Hidden Treasure' -  I jumped on the ban dragon late with this and all Topshop nail polishes, but after trying this, I'm certain my collection will grow quickly! Read my post on 'Hidden Treasure' here.

The Good Wife - Oh I don't even know what to say about this show. I have become obsessed with it; it's actually becoming my favourite show! I'm a bit late with watching this show, it's already on its third season - which I have now caught up with - and I just can't believe it has taken me this long to start watching it. The cast is brilliant, and I love how it isn't just a law program, it's a lot more about the relationships between the characters as well. I could go on forever but I'm going to stop now, just watch the show and you'll see just how good it is! 

Well, that's it for my March favourites; quite a lot of things I've been liking throughout the month. 

Happy April 1st, have a great day! 

xoxo

Emma

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The observers of you all may have noticed that my information has changed slightly to the side of this post. As of last week I officially changed over to Fashion Journalism at university after filling out the vaguest form ever. I made the decision a while ago to move courses, after initially starting in September doing Magazine Journalism, I began to have doubts throughout the year as to whether the broad area of 'magazines' was where I wanted to be heading. I decided that I did want to work in a magazine and that is where my interests lie, I just want to work specifically for a fashion magazine and so that is why the decision to move over to Fashion Journalism became such an easy one to make. I'm feeling so much happier now about the next two years and I honestly feel like I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my course.

In other news, I'm now home for Easter break (whoop whoop!) which  is such a good feeling. Although I'm starting to enjoy myself a bit more at university, I am always going to miss home, that's just the type of person I am. These next three weeks will be a welcomed break at home...

So, this was just a quick post to check in with you all and let you now the goings on in my life. Talk soon!

xoxo

Emma

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