Do you feel like your personal style is looking a bit dated or tired, and is need of an update? Or perhaps you want to embrace this new year (and new decade!) with a whole new look. You may simply want to experiment a little and try something different.

There are many reasons you may want a bit of a make over. This doesn’t need to involve  bit investment, a lot of work, or even any dramatic changes. A make over can be something small that focuses on just one aspect of your look, such as your hair, accessories or make up, and is something you can do yourself.

Here are some tips and ideas for doing your own mini-Style Make Over.

Prepare for Your Make Over

The first step for any make over is to come up with a plan. Start by deciding what needs to change and why. What are the aspects of your look you don’t like? What about them don’t you like? Think about people whose style you admire, either people that you know or celebrities. What about their style do you like? Pinterest is also a great place to search for ideas and inspiration. From there you can work out how to apply these ideas to your own style.

You can also ask your friends what they think about your style. Tell them you want their honest opinion about what is lacking and what needs to change, and be prepared to listen without taking it personally. Finally, don’t forget to take a before picture of yourself before your mini-make over so you can assess the results!

Start with Accessories

If overhauling your entire wardrobe feels intimidating, focus on just your accessories instead. Jewellery, hats, shoes and bags can make or break an outfit and an interesting accessory or two can breathe new life into your entire wardrobe.

Hit the high street or search online for pieces that you love. The more unique and distinctive the better, as this will allow you to start creating your own unique sense of style. Stores like the DC Jeweller have unique and custom designs that will bring a fresh new aspect to your look.

Update Your Make Up

Updating just your make up can make a huge difference to your overall look. You could start by choosing a new colour of eye shadow, or more dramatic nails. Read up in the beauty magazines and blogs, and try out one of the latest trends. Be sure to keep to colours that suit your skin tone, but otherwise be brave and experiment!

Another great idea is to head to the makeup counter at your local department store. Here you can usually have your make up done for free, although it is expected that you’ll buy a product or two. The professional doing your make up will know the best products and make up styles for your face and will likely have some great ideas.

Try a New Hairstyle

Changing your hair style can be a big decision, but it also delivers big results. A new hair cut can completely change how you look, and also how you feel. People can often be hesitant to make a big change to their hair, because this can often be difficult to reverse and take months to grow out. However the right change and make you look and feel amazing!

Collect pictures of hairstyles you like – whether in magazines, on Pinterest, or just photos you see online. Take the photos to your hairdresser and ask for their opinion. Professional hair dressers will have a good idea of what will work with your face shape, and what won’t. 

If you’re not ready to take the big leap and cut all your hair (yet) a new colour can also be a great option. Try something subtle like highlights or going a shade darker, or make a more dramatic change by going for a much lighter or darker shade, a shocking red or even an unconventional shade like blue or purple. The great thing about dyeing your hair is you can always dye it back! 

Shake Up Your Wardrobe

You can make some small but impactful changes to your wardrobe without having to go to all the work and expense of throwing everything out and starting over. A great way to mix things up is to get your mates together and have a clothing swap. Everyone brings in items they never wear, and you can swap them with each other – something which doesn’t work for your friend may look great on you!

You can even mix things up without any new pieces by simply combining the pieces you already have in different ways and wearing items in a way you wouldn’t normally. If you have one or two items, your favourite pair of jeans for example, that you wear all the time, try to shake things up by wear other items instead. Forbid yourself from wearing your favourite one or two pieces for a week and see what new ideas you come up with!