The Fish Tank

Review: Britney Spears Circus Fantasy Perfume

The lovely people at Superdrug were kind enough to send me the new britney fragrance to review, so, here are my thoughts!

I actually really like the packaging for this perfume. It may be bright and in-your-face, but I think the blue and red colour scheme looks good, and I like the fonts used. Inside the box lid is a picture of Britney in one of her Circus costumes.
The bottle is a nice blue colour, but the stuck on red crystals are a little bit tacky looking. But then you don't expect award-winning design for an inexpensive perfume (this retails at £24.99)
As for the important bit, how it smells. It's certainly very sweet, but still pleasant, not sickly. It's definitely not a perfume you'd describe as sophisticated, but then again, sometimes it's nice to be fun, rather than sophisticated. The scent lasted from morning to about midday, but the bottle isn't so fragile that you couldn't carry it in your bag and re-apply during the day.
Due to it's sweet, fruity scent, I'd say this would be a good perfume for a younger teen, perhaps as a first perfume after using body sprays. It'd be an ideal Christmas present for a younger sister or other relative.
Overall rating: 3.5/5

You can buy Circus Fantasy here from Superdrug.

1001 ways to tie a headscarf*

*actually only six ways. It took me long enough to figure half of these out, even though they're all ridiculously simple...

Crazy headpieces were all over the catwalks and collections for this Autumn/Winter season, from bunny ears to studs to gloves. Fun as these are, they don't translate very well into everyday wear, unless you're quite fearless with the way you dress.

A far easier, and less mental way to channel the shit-on-your-head trend is to use silk scarves. They're super quick and easy to put on and look really good at the same time.

(Another reason I've taken to wearing scarves on my head - and as a consequence am writing this post - is the new hair. I love how super blonde it is now, but as a result of the bleach it's a lot drier, so I'm trying not to mess with it or heat style it too often. The scarves make boring ponytails/buns look a lot better.)

I've used three different scarves, the smallest is the purple one, then the blue and green is the next biggest and the blue the largest.

They all cost between 99p-£2, so there's no need to go spending loads on a Hermes one. There are always tons of these "old lady" scarves hanging about in charity shops.

For all of these, I simply folded the scarves in half corner to corner to make a triangle, then rolled the triangle to create a long thin tube. Erm, it's not easy to explain but I'm sure you all understand.

Sorry I look so rough/crazy in these pictures. I'm not really too into headshots..

The simple wraparound

The middle of the folded scarf goes onto the base of the back of your head. Cross the two ends over the top of your head and tie the ends together at the back again and tuck/pin under to hide them if you want.
Barely needs explaining.

The pirate

As above, just over the top of "down" hair. You can position this further back, so it looks kind of gossip-girl hairband-y, or pull it forward more over your fringe, which I always think makes me look a bit like a pirate.

The washer woman

The middle of the scarf goes on top of your head, behing your fringe (if you have one). The two ends cross under at the back, then tie them at a slightly jaunty angle back on top of your head, with short end bits poking out. I think this is my favourite one.

The big bow

A bit like the washer woman, only you start with the middle of the scarf at the back of your head, then tie the ends into a bow on the top of your head and pull the loops until they're huge and floppy. Note: if your scarf is too big the bow will be too large you'll just look like you have floppy spaniel ears or something. Not such a good look.

The twist

Start with the middle of the scarf at the back of your head, twist the ends around each other on top, so each end comes back down the same side it went up on (I am so not making this clear) and tie at the back, tucking end under. Chic, non?

The bun bow

Start with a high messy top-knot. Tie a big bow around it facing the front or the back, whichever takes your fancy. This is a bit more in your face than the others but I really like it. It's a bit of a take on the top-knot and bunny ears seen at Louis Vuitton Fall 09, or at least I think it is.

So there we go, by no means an exhaustive list of ways to tie scarves around your head, but some ideas none the less. Oh, and don't worry if your find that they slip off easily, in most of the pictures above I've got kirby grips helping to keep the scarves on. You could use prettier, visible clips too I guess.

If anyone has a go, or comes up with any more ways to tie scarves do let me know in the comments!

Review: Littlewoods Love Label Military Knit Cardigan

A little while ago I was contacted to see if I'd like to choose a product from Littlewoods to review for The Fish Tank.
I was a little surprised at first, as Littlewoods is a brand I've always associated with grannies and twinsets, so I was unsure that they'd have anything particularly "fashion forward" to offer me. I was totally wrong however, as their new Love Label line is full of catwalk-inspired, brilliantly designed pieces.

I chose this military knit cardigan because I really liked the look of the detailing, and thought it would fit in well with both my existing wardrobe, and my plans for the new season.

Image from Littlewoods.com

In real life it's actually a darker, more marled grey than it looks on the website, but I like that better as I feel darker greys are more versatile.
To show you how it looks on a normal, non-model type (i.e. me), I thought I'd take a few pictures and bung on a military hat I drunkenly bought for about £3 at Reading Festival this summer.

It fits true to size. Not too baggy and not too tight, and it looks good buttoned up or left undone. I would prefer it to be a bit longer, but that's just a personal preference, and a longer cut may make it lose its boxy military look, and it is quite thin, so it's definitely more of a layering piece than keep-you-warm winter outerwear.

I'm really impressed with the detailing on this cardigan. As you might be able to see from the pictures, the knit is textured in a houndstooth pattern, which I've never seen before. The black faux-frogging detail is a sort of knitted piping, and is in relief, not knitted into the rest of the cardigan, which gives even more lovely texture (which is what it's all about this winter people.) The buttons are really detailed for a high-street priced item, with a coat of arms and anchor design on them, which unfortunately I couldn't get a clear picture of. And top marks to Littlewoods for including a spare button too.

I'd definitely recommend this cardigan, as it seems to be made to a high quality for a reasonably priced item (it retails at £39). I know it's a little bit more than you might pay at some high street shops, but the details on this item are definitely what makes it stand out and worth the money. Why spend £35 on a Topshop cardigan that everyone else has too, when you could get this hidden gem and look just as, if not better?

Thank you so much Littlewoods, and to Jon, for setting up this review for me. The cardigan will definitely be getting a lot of wear this winter. Keep an eye out for it in upcoming outfit posts too!