-*** A Fave Thing- Sparkle, Glitter and Changing Faces! ***- (Other Accessories)

Member Name: kittykat18

Product:	Other Accessories
Date:	15/07/02 (698 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Glitter, colour

Disadvantages: Miserable schools and workplaces don't understand

I was a tomboy as a child. I had short hair and never wore skirts or dresses unless forced. Yuck.

I still don't wear dresses or skirts often (I would if I had the legs but that's another story) but I am altogether more girly. I enjoy making myself look different-younger, older, more sophisticated (is that possible?), and "schoolgirl" like (yes I have gone out clubbing with drawn on freckles and bunches- see my schoolgirl fetish op for more sordid details!) Accessories and make up just help me along the way.

At my rather posh, old fashioned girls grammar school (can't you just tell how well I fitted in, NOT!) the only jewellery allowed was one plain pair of ear studs and a watch. Once you were in Years 10 and 11 you were honoured with the privilege of being allowed a "discrete" ring. I bent the rules be wearing multi coloured laces in my shoes, broaches on my tie and "customising" my tie by pulling all the green threads out. I also had 5 holes in my ears which were rarely empty (at the start of the school day at least). I filled them with miniature ladybirds, sea horses and Celtic symbols. Towards the end of year 11, my form teacher summoned me and grudgingly handed back a stack of previously confiscated earrings, which took up the best part of a drawer. And since then, without rules or restrictions, my collection of bits and bobs has grown and grown. Call it expressing myself, call it brightening up the dull grey world I live in, call it what you like.

I tend to buy cheap jewellery as I lose most of it (I even lost my engagement ring a few times, wish I had lost it for good now) I would be gutted if I lost expensive items but am not too bothered if it was a 99p bargain. Some of my favourite places to buy accessories are Claire?s Accessories, H+M and Dorothy Perkins (where they have regular half price sales).

Here's a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing, and if you have an
y more, leave me a comment!

*** Buy a pot of Tiny Stars ***

These are fantastic. A pot of hundreds costs a few quid (Spectacular ones are good -and- cheap) last ages, and can be used in a number of ways.

-Paint your nails in chosen colour. Wait until dry, then add a layer of clear polish. While this is still wet, gently press a star into the centre of each nail. Seal with another layer of clear gloss.

This will last a few days and is a funky, different look.

-If you're going clubbing or to a party, pat a small bit of Vaseline onto your face (I favour the outer corner of the eyes or under the arch of the eyebrow) and stick one or two stars there. They sparkle under the lights and emphasise your eyes. They do slide off if you rub your face though, so be careful.

**** HAIR ***

Plain hair ties are like, so boring! If you have to tie it back at all, at least make it interesting! And plain slides- please.

You can get "flower" hair ties in the shops, these are pretty and eye catching. Get one that complements your hair (eg red for brunettes, purple for redheads).

For fun comfortable (if a little childish) hair bobbles, try the Bang on The Door range. You can get them in Boots and New Look. I have a zebra one, it works wonders when I am playing sweet and innocent. You can also get Winnie the Pooh. Piglet. Eeyore and various other animal ones.

I am a huge fan of hair clips and have loads, from Hello Kitty to psychedelic hippie ones to fabric butterflies. Use them to clip a fringe out of the way, or try twisting sections of your hair back and securing them with clips.

---Ear Clips---
For the un-pierced, you can buy ear cuffs which grip the top part of your ear. These are often in the style of a snake or a Celtic pattern.

--Cummerbunds---
My sister bought me one of these for my birthday a few years ago. It's a wide belt covered in sequins,
which attaches to your waist with Velcro. These look really nice with an otherwise plain outfit.

--Arm Bands---
No, not the swimming ones, although the plastic orange kind are possibly infinitely more attractive! When I was 14 (seems so long ago) I was desperate for one of these and was chuffed when I got one as a present, wearing it out clubbing. Picture a metal contraption fitted around the top part of the arm, squeezing into goose pimpled, white flesh. Mmm, attractive.

Ideas for Inspiration

-Womens Magazines- Heat!, Looks, Cosmopolitan etc. Just ignore the price tags, they think everyone is a millionaire.
- The past. You might be attracted to a certain era (think my ex was a fan of the medieval times, before washing was invented). I used to be very into 60's style, had my hair in a short bob and wore pale lipstick with fake eyelashes, short skirts and patterned tops. Get accessories to match and do it properly.

DIY

Making your own jewellery and accessories is a cheap and fun way of creating unique pieces. You could make your own bag out of an old pair of jeans, sew sequins onto a plain T shirt or use beads to make bracelets.

Try: The Brighton Bead Shop (sorry, don't know address)
Armadillos, Kings Heath, Birmingham
Top Shop, Oxford Street (with a whole floor dedicated to accessories, mmm)
Woolworths sell boxes of mixed beads for about a fiver. Look in the children's section.

Accessories may seem a strange choice as one of my favourite things. But I hate clothes shopping- things don't fit and all those unflattering mirrors and too bright lights depress me. A top which looks fine one day is too tight the next when you are having a fat and ugly day. A nice bracelet or bag always looks good, adds a bit of colour to my day and cheers me up. Why can't everything be so simple?

"Jill Murphy asked me to write about one of my favourite things to help
her celebrate her fourth anniversary of cancer-free living and to remind ourselves of all the nice things in the world. It takes more muscles to make a frown than a smile you know. If you'd like to join in, whether you've only just joined dooyoo, or you've been here ages, you're more than welcome. Just write about one of YOUR favourite things, make your title "A Favourite Thing: [your choice]" and include this paragraph at the foot of your opinion. And post before Friday, 9th August."

Thanks Jill, I am enjoying these opinions.

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