So bored of the way I look

[Hairynigel]

All I seem to wear is skinny jeans, vest top or similar and a cardigan. Swap between boots and converse most of the time. What can I do to spice things up a bit?

I'm 5ft 3, size 10-12 but I have rather short legs and feel dumpy in everything. My hair is just below shoulder length, boring mousey brown and always tied up in a bobble.

I've just lost all my confidence and feel like rubbish in everything I wear.

Go to a big John Lewis - book an appointment with their style advisor and give them your budget. If you hate what they recommend just bring it back but when I went they brought out things I would never of thought of and no hard sell because they are not on commission

Ooh that sounds like a good idea actually :) I just need someone to come along and tell me exactly what to wear, cos I have no idea!

How old are you?

go mad and dye your hair so its not boring mousey brown :)

get jackets instead of cardigans :)

Tunic dresses and knee high boots with wedge heels.. Helps me look a bit longer anyway

I love the idea of the John Lewis stylist, go! And let us know how it goes. Someone who doesn't know you would have great perspective.

Hair, do you need to have it out of the way, if so maybe a pixie cut, or have a shorter chin length bob and dye it a darker colour ??

Try knitted dresses, opaques and boots.

I'm liking these ideas! I'm 23 years old, don't really need my hair tied up I just like it out the with a toddler ds. I don't think I suit a pixie cut though, I'd feel to boyish after having long hair. I've been thinking of going blonde for a while but how easy is it to keep up the colour?

Blonde is not an easy colour to keep up even if your hair doesn't grow fast you're looking at a re-touch every 6-8 weeks to keep it looking good.

Depending on what type of look you want I would swap out the converse for some pretty ballet flats now that spring/summer is coming plus swap cardigans for blazers and wear pretty coloured shirts under. They seem to be in at the minute. Also for SS pastel coloured jeans are in, I'm sure you could easily pull them off.

You can try a semi permanent near to your natural colour to lift it a bit. It will make it shiny and a bit more 'something' ?

try the swirly thing where you twist the hair round off your face and clip it. I am growing out my short hair and am of girls who do this. It looks so pretty :)

Go for a bob, a long choppy one. Maybe a heavy fringe? I always wear statement earrings (not quite Pat Butcher) + bangles, even with a casual outfit. Agree with the jackets + tee post. Go for pretty colours. Ur at that wonderful age where the world's ur oyster and u can pretty much wear whatever u like (she says, sighing whistfully at the distant memory!)

Get some little, trendy scarves, bird print/skull print. U can wear all the above with skinnies (get some fab colured ones, darker ones obv make u feel slimmer, but I bet u look great and not 'dumpy' at all) and with converse or boots.

Get some ankle length boots with a small chunky heel (even I can manage the sch run/toddler chase in these!). They'll give u a little height lift.

Good luck with ur makeover, I'm excited for you! I regularly get stuck in a rut and hate my look, easily done when u have small children to look after, but even just a good haircut makes me feel better. :)

I'm feeling very similar at the minuite, especially with carrying a bit more weight around!
What makes me feel good is Tan, good hair and make-up especially false eyelashes, which i try to stick on every day.

If i were you, i'd get your hair done, and go-over your make-up routine, i bet you'll feel miles better.

I could be wearing joggers and a hoodie, but if i have the above done i feel a million times better.

Please let me know what you end-up doing, i'm in the middle of a make-over myself, i've got around 4 stone to lose, and I'm hoping most of it will be off by september (too optimistic!)

Right, decided I'm going to get some sort of heeled boot (a first for me, I never wear heels) and some ballet flats, a good jacket/blazer (any ideas?) and some scarfs for now. Might even be a bit daring and get a dress!

Still not sure what to do with my hair, might go for a deeper brown to give it some depth maybe. It's just so blaaaah at the mo.

What sort of thing are you doing for your makeover kate?

Thanks again for the advice everyone, it's got me excited to smarten myself up a bit :)

I think a black Blazer is a staple, i think it looks smart for every day when you put it on with a white tee, skinny jeans and a pair of every-day heels. It can be accessories up to make it a bit more stylish.

I stayed away from fake tan when i was pregnant, so i've been using Fake Bake, the beyond bronzer version 2/3 times a week, I've made a point of making sure i have nice make-up for work, e.g. eyelashes, eyeshadow, contoured cheeks, ect. I'm getting my hair extensions put back in on saturday and I'm getting my teeth whitened when I've lost a bit more weight. Also i've really gotten into filling in my eyebrows, nothing too much but it really frames your face, makes me feel a lot more presentable!
(although i've had an eyebrow accident and i don't think half of my right one will grow back - Oh the shame!)

It's killing me being this big. I'm a fashion student and love my clothes by none of it fits! It's like torture looking at all those lovely clothes that just won't go on!