DIY Denim Shorts

What you'll  need: Some old jeans (mine are from Primark), scissors, a ruler and a pencil.

Following my denim shorts hype post the other week and the increase in sunshine, I've been in depression mode because I have no nice denim shorts. Yes I'm serious. I wear my pair of Levi shorts to death but I'm so poor at the minute and I'm trying to save, so... I thought I'd make my own and get a bit creative. To be honest it was quicker than I thought and was dead easy to do, so if you're bored you should all try it!

001. First try on your jeans and decide where you want them to finish on yourself.  Obviously you're deciding how long or short you want them, so they're tailored to your style. A big tip from me is to add an inch or two extra onto the length, just in case you cut them wrong. Make a small marking that you can easily see.

002. Lay the jeans out and draw a line right across the two legs with a pencil. You might have to go across the line a few times to make it stand out - this is just so you can see where to cut. Another tip is to turn the jeans inside out so you're not working on the direct side of the denim.

003. The next step is cutting your jeans. Make sure you have some decent scissors for this, then set away cutting the legs off. Obviously make sure you don't cut through the seam where the two legs meet at the crotch, otherwise you'll have a skirt instead of shorts (I admit I did this on my first attempt, by accident.)

004. When both legs have been cut, turn your shorts the right way round and try them on again. This is the time where you can adjust the length if you want them shorter, or make the bottoms a bit edgy if you don't want your shorts to look too perfect. And there you have it!

I didn't like the fact that the bottom of the leg was just straight and boring, so as you can see from the images above, I decided to grunge up my shorts and fray the bottoms. This is really easy to do, but did take a bit longer to do. Basically you take your pair of scissors and score the bottoms of the shorts. I found that scratching away at them frayed the denim, and after a few attempts at it the frays become longer and messier. I'm hoping that they'll fray even more when they've been washed, so they'll hopefully look more like my Levi shorts.

And there you have it - simple easy peasy DIY shorts. I've actually worn mine a few times and I really do like them. They're cut from an old favourite pair of jeans too so they're already super comfy and worn. I'm thinking of adding studs and customising them a bit more, so no doubt there'll be a little tutorial on how that goes too.

What do you think? Do you have any DIY tips?

Daily Want #5

Topshop Sleeveless Peplum Top - (£18.00)

I've been uming and awing about the Peplum style for quite a while now, as I never really thought it would suit me and my body shape. I saw this little Topshop number last week in store and I was instantly drawn to it, which is unusual for me. I didn't know if it was the colour, as at the minute I'm loving the grey marl look, or the style... but I was still a bit unsure. Anyway, I didn't end up buying it and now I'm really kicking myself. I think I've caved in to the Peplum trend after seeing this top to be honest, its a jersey sort of material so it would be perfect to wear in the day as well as dress it up at night. I thought this colour would go perfect with my favourite jeans too - I'm going to definitely have to invest in this now.

What do you think about the Peplum style? Do you love it?

My Very Own Scrabble Pillow

Scrabble Pillow - £3 

How cute is this pillow?! As soon as I saw the post Stacey did about these on here blog, I had to have one. I love anything different and I'd seen everything scrabble-related, apart from pillows, so it was obvious I'd be getting one. Stacey makes these herself from scratch, and is still taking offers until the 14th September, so you've still got time to get your hands on one of these! You can choose any letter, as well as numbers and punctuation to put on the cushion - I wish I wasn't so poor at the minute or I'd have a million of these by now. At £3 they're amazingly good value and just from looking at the pillow you can tell they're made really well too - overall I'm so impressed.

You can find more details about the pillows on Stacey's blog here. They're the perfect little gift and I challenge you to find someone who wouldn't love this. Super cute and amazing idea!

What do you think?

Daily Want #4

Foil Cross Tunic - Topshop (£20.00)

I have a little obsession with dresses and tunics at the minute... probably because I'm actually quite a nice colour at the minute. I'm always wanting to show my legs off, and at one time dresses really weren't my thing. I've gone from one to fifteen in a matter of months (blame holidays) but you can never have too many, right? I saw this in my local Topshop the other day and I loved it, I'm kind of kicking myself now for not buying it. I really think I need to start embracing the cross trend before it fades, so I figured this would be perfect. Its really slouchy t-shirt material so it would be perfect as a super comfy day outfit... I may have to nip back tomorrow and purchase this before all the size six's disappear. 

Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets

Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets - (£2.99) 

I first saw these little beauties in a magazine when Kleenex first launched their skin care range, and I was really sceptical about it. To me Kleenex is known for tissues... and that's it, so I was sort of like, how can they launch a skin care range? After seeing these everywhere I decided to give in like I always do and try something of theirs out. I went for the shine absorbing sheets, which are said to remove oil from your skin and keep you looking less shiny. I thought these would be brilliant for when I go away in a few weeks instead of having to reapply my foundation and powder to keep the shine away. There is nothing worse than being caked in loads of foundation on holiday when the heat is too much.

In Egypt I decided to go down the tinted moisturiser route instead of a foundation, so hopefully these sheets will help to combat shiny patches. Plus they'll be a godsend for those times round the pool when you want to freshen up your skin. The purple side of the sheet is a sort of thick, waxy material that I'm guessing soaks up shine and grease quite easily, while the other side is just like a soft tissue texture. I'll be sure to try thsese out at the next opportunity, so watch this space for updates.

Review: Impress Press-On Manicure

Impress Press-On Manicure - Broadway Nails (£7.99)

I've been tempted to get my nails done for a long time now, but I'm always unsure because I have a slight habit of biting the skin around my nails when I'm tired or stressed. I didn't see much point in having my nails done until they had healed, so I decided to give these a go. I keep seeing them advertised and I'm a sucker for trying anything new, so I finally caved in and decided to try them.

I've used packet nails before and the glue absolutely killed my nails. It left them dry and messy, and my actual nail layer peeled for weeks, so seeing something that didn't involve glue instantly drew me. They sort of reminded me of those dress-up nails you have when you're a little kid, so obviously I was sceptical to see if they actually worked.

To my amazement they were exactly what it said on the pack... 'fast and easy.' Probably the easiest thing I've ever done in my life. In the little bottle-shaped holder you get 24 nails in all different sizes, so it was really easy to match each up to my nails. Then all you do is literally peel off the tab underneath the nail, line it up with your cuticle, push and slide it down and hold it for a few seconds. That's it... lovely, nice nails in literally two minutes! Amazing! Apparently these nails last for up to a week, so I'm going to test out this method and see how they last. I work in retail and at the minute its all heavy-duty lifting and carrying sorting out the big sales, so hopefully these nails can withstand the strain.

On first impressions, I love them! They are quick and simple to do, there's no messy glue involved, and they look really lovely too. The ladies at work were actually asking me where I had got my nails done, so that was a bonus. The nails also some in a range of different colours and styles, which if these hold out I'll definitely be trying.

Have you used Impress before? How did you find them?

Review: Sexy Pulp Ultra Volume Mascara

Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Ultra-Volume Mascara (£16.90)

This is a Glossy Box June (2012) review of the little mini mascara that was included in my box. I have a million and one different mascaras that I hardly ever use for various reasons, but this still doesn't stop me buying more. I love big long lashes and I'm the worst at applying false eyelashes, so a good mascara is a must for me - especially on a night out. I usually take a huge bag with me but somehow never have room for a mascara, so this mini version was perfect at first glance. 

The description on Yves Rocher's website says that the mascara gives 'lash-by-lash volume without clumping', but when I first applied the mascara it clumped straight away on the ends of my lashes and in the corners of my eyes. I applied another coat and this helped to straighten out some of the clumps, but it did feel like my lashes were very sticky and clumped together. I combed them through with an eyelash comb, which did sort this out a bit, but I still found there were little clumps of mascara on the ends of my lashes. The colour is really good though and it leaves your lashes looking very dark, which is always a bonus. The curved brush is also a nice thing to have, but I'm not sure that it really helps to achieve anything, as it still made my lashes clump together.

Overall the mini size is a brilliant idea, but I just wish I could get on better with the mascara. At the minute Yves Rocher have a 50% sale, so the full size mascara is now only £8.45 if you want to try it out.