Alice Rhodes

I have to be honest, scrolling through the Topshop lingerie section I felt slightly let down. It was all very safe and generic. There was nothing that stood out to me or shouted out as 'the piece'. However, going through the sale section I did find two pieces that had some interesting designs.

Urban Outfitters do everything right but their lingerie section is just perfection. Whether you're looking for a comfy CK sports bra or a lacy bralette, they'll have the best option. The only downside to their gorgeous pieces is the price! 

I was reading Vogue's Snapchat feature a few weeks ago and came across an article highlighting up and coming trends. One of them, which linked into the western 'cowboy' trend, was dark denims. I have seen lots of photos of women looking amazing in dark jeans in the past and assumed they would soon be the in thing, however, I haven't actually seen it dominating the fashion industry yet. Knowing that it's likely to become more prominent over 2018 I decided to buy some dark blue Urban Outfitters 'flood' jeans. It's important to note by dark I don't mean black, it's more of a 90's natural indigo dye. What I really love about dark denims is how the stitching contrasts the material. The lines created give the garments a minimal style, the subtle white stitching is enough to finish of a look. Of course, I couldn't just leave my outfit as jeans and a t-shirt, it's just not my style. So I paired the dark denim with a baby pink top with 'love' embellished on and I layered it with a turtleneck in a deep shade of purple.

There's lot's of ways you can style this trend: jackets, jeans, coats or even accessories, but I went for a pair of jeans. I personally prefer wide leg or mom jeans oppose to skinny jeans at the moment so the Urban Outfitter's 'flood' jeans were exactly what I was looking for! They fit really nice and unlike lots of cropped jeans they don't make my legs look short. At £50 I think they are on the pricier side however with student discount and a jean sale I got them for £36 (I was particularly pleased with myself). I do think they're worth their original price because of how comfortable they are and how perfectly they fit my body. 

So if you're looking for a new jacket or pair of jeans, choose the indigo dyes with 90's nostalgia written all over them. If you liked this post follow my bloglovin for more and check out my social media links! Want to know more about this outfit? Tweet me @ alicerhodesblog or leave me a comment below!

 One of my New Year goals was to learn how to make clothes, specifically make some vintage style dresses. Starting my sewing journey, I wanted to sew all of the badges I've collected in my life onto my denim jacket. Obviously, I'm aware that swimming badges from when I was six and all my girl guiding badges aren't exactly the coolest things in the world and don't quite meet 'Insta girl' aesthetic requirements but then again I'm not pretending to be the cool trend setter, I'm just being me and doing the things that I enjoy. Therefore, I got out the sewing basket and sat on the sofa, with The Crown on in the background which, can I just say, is AMAZING, and began my attempt at personalizing my vintage denim jacket. 

So far, it's going wayyyyy better than expected. I've successfully sewn 14 of my Guiding badges onto the jacket and I've worn it out the house without any falling off so it's a job well done! I expected it to take a long time to do just a few badges but I've been doing about four every sitting so I think I underestimated my current skills! 

That's about all I have to say but the main thing I want to get across is you do you! I've started one of my goals and I'm doing it because I want  to do it, above all, I'm really enjoying learning a new skill and if I manage to make a dress by the end of this year, I shall proudly wear it on Christmas day knowing I've achieved my goal! 

This Christmas I asked for the Winsor and Newton 45 half pan studio watercolour set. That's quite a mouth full! I was lucky enough to wake up on December 25th and find the beautiful watercolour set wrapped up under my tree!  Naturally, I couldn't wait to try them out and see if the set lived up to Winsor and Newton's reputation. I already own the small travel set so I was aware that the actual paints are of beautify quality and create stunning paintings but  wanted to see if the range of colours provided were worth the money some retailers charge for this specific set. 

1. Starting of with the price, I searched around to find a good deal on this set. I decided to buy it from amazon which cost around £20 - £25. Having just looked on Amazon now, the price is £35 with free delivery so I think it must of been in a Christmas sale when I purchased it. Both of those price seem very reasonable to me as the set is of high quality from a renowned name, however, I've seen this retailing in the range of £70 - £90 in many retail stores. Those prices are considerably higher and, although the set is wonderful, I would personally say no set of water colours that come in the standard case are worth that much money! So my top tip would be search for the deals and don't get scammed!

2. Onto the actual product, as I have already stated, the quality of the actual watercolours isn't questionable! They're creamy and thick with lots of rich depth however, they can be watered down to become fainter and feathery. As for the range of colours, you couldn't possibly need more than what is given. There's a nice amount of cool and warm tones, a good variation of shades and tints and the set comes with a few whites and blacks too.

3. I mainly paint portraits as it is what I find fun, I enjoy progressing and improving over time and learning what my 'style' is. The problem I find most common is that sets, ironically portrait sets, don't provide enough shades for darker skin tones. This set isn't for portraits specifically, it's for anything but I found it had a really lovely range of browns, deep reds and oranges and dark blues which I find necessary when I'm painting ethnic skin tones! So if you're like me and mainly paint/draw portraits I'd highly recommend this set over a portrait pencil set etc. 

That's all I have to say about the watercolours! They are really beautiful and if you're looking to purchase something more special/expensive I'd recommend these. Apart for the price some retailers set I couldn't fault the product and think it is worth the investment if you are a passionate painter, however, if you're just starting out I wouldn't invest in an expensive set straight away, all watercolours (even the kids sets, which I love!) will do the job whilst you learn the basics. 

I hope you enjoyed this review, leave your opinion of the set in the comments if you own one! Have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll respond as soon as possible. Tweet me @ alicerhodesblog . Check out my art on Instagram @ alicerhodesart . Follow me on bloglovin for more posts like this!