Match Made in Heaven

Last week I saw this lady wearing these amazing sandals which were like native-american, aztec print sandals. It was my lucky day as she was trying on shoes, so when she took them off I grabbed them and got the hell outta there...ha ha no just kidding. I saw the label on the inside and they were from Office. So 3 or 4 Offices later I found them in my size and they gave me a discount because one of the straps didn't have holes in so i got them for £20 instead of £35 (or £55-original price). 

Although I'm not a massive fan of matching belts to shoes and bags to belts and shoes to bags(confusing much..) I found the perfect belt for the shoes as the belt has a very similar aztec print and beading as the sandals, so I bought it and again it had £12 on the ticket but it was £10 at the till. I love it when that happens :)

x

Aztec print leather belt- Urban Outfitters 

Jumping For Joy!

So first of all I've never owned a jumpsuit (apart from having dungarees as a kid, but that just does NOT count) and second of all I just did not think it would suit my body shape. 

I have to say I am the most picky person when it comes to clothes that.. I barely have any (it's sad but true).

If it's cheap I don't like it and if it's expensive I can't afford it..massive dilemma..

But lately I've just been a little more relaxed about brands and labels (not that I ever wear logos plastered all over my tops and things) but I do prefer quality over quantity. Anyway.. the sales have started and nobody can resist a good bargain and I just happened to be flicking through the Topshop sale racks (on a weekday so there was no people to beat out of my way with a hanger) and I came across a jumpsuit which I thought was really nice, simple and elegant (and the crotch did not sag around your ankles which was a bonus). I tried it on and was still on the fence about it but I thought I'd buy it and try it on again at home. It was reduced from £68 to £30 which for a 100% silk was not bad at all, but to my surprise when I got to the till it was only £20!! Score (literally- if you're from England ha ha)

So here it is..looks much better on as it is fitted and it's brushed silk so it has the velvety effect. I love it (and to my even bigger surprise it was a size 8 so I was doubly happy :)

x

Black Topshop Jumpsuit with a peachy/nude button and collar trim

Long Hair or Blonde Hair

The story of my hair...

Having long hair was my thing. It was long, black and as the old saying goes- you don't know what you have until it's gone'...(can you already see the tragic ending..brings a tear to my eye every time)

It was black for absolute ages, as it suited me, and it was easy to maintain. And a while back for some idiot reason I decided that I no longer wanted to have black hair. I was officially bored with black. 

So I went to the hairdressers to have the colour stripped. 

It took 7 hours, numerous applications of bleach, a lot of heat and the end result was light brown (squirrel-esque) patchy hair. That was fine, as I was advised that this was just a transition and after a couple of weeks I could have w h a t e v e r colour I wanted. 

That was bad advice...

I never really thought about the damage that could be done, because I've never really cared about having blonde hair, and as far as I knew, everytime I dyed my own hair it always felt lovely, shiny and soft. Needless to say I had no common sense..

So long story short, I went to the worst possible hair salon, in a rush, and ended up looking like I had some sort of ratty bleached mop on my head. So as well as a complete waste of money (as soon as I got home I dyed it a darker colour)..by this point my hair was probably just wishing it was on someone else's head. 

And that is not even the crap part.. So obviously it was a 'little' dry and on my day off (and I entirely blame my dad for this) I was woken up by annoying drilling noises, so I thought 'I'm not gonna sit here and listen to this, I know.. I'll go for a "trim"..

And yes the moron kept cutting and chopping and going at my hair like she'd never seen hair before, to which I cried and sobbed and screamed... It was hands down the biggest hair disaster I have ever experienced..

I wanted to share this, horror hair traumatiser of an experience, as many people consider going from dark to light but do not think about their hair in the mean time (just like me).

And after trying out a million products I have selected a few really good ones that have definitely helped to get my poor hair back to some sort of condition.. And here they are. I strongly recommend them for dry, damaged over processed hair that needs a bit of tender loving care...

P.S. You've probably seen these before, but I recently came across them and am very happy I did and wanted to share the way to beautiful hair..

And also if you have dark hair naturally, the chances are you will always look better with shades closer to your natural hair colour. 

Philip Kingsley Elastisizer- intensive super-moisturizing treatment for all hair types. Adds elasticity, manageability, bounce and shine. It's applied on wet hair before shampoo and conditioner. I love it!

Wella Professionals Resist Strengthening serum for vulnerable hair- using one dose once a week really does help strengthen the hair fibers from within. I prefer it to Philip Kingsley as I use this after using shampoo and there is no need for conditioner. It's very light and silky and smells amazing.

Macadamia Natural Oil Nourishing Leave-In Cream- This leave-in conditioning texture cream is great for giving your hair some nourishment if you don't use regular conditioner (I'm not a big fan of conditioner as its too heavy) and it is very light and it is infused with essential oils to keep the hair healthy and easy to maintain.

 

 Philip B Rejuvenating Oil- An intensive hair and scalp treatment that closely replicates the scalp's own sebum, the body's natural hair food. Essential and Carrier Oils of plants, nuts and flowers. Seriously this treatment has every oil under the sun! I was originally looking for pure Almond Oil, but I found this (or rather walked into Space NK and asked the sales lady) but for fun I will list all the oils used- olive oil, sesame seed oil, peanut oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, walnut seed oil, lavender oil, and some other oils i can't pronounce. Genius! 

And finally Hershesons Ceramic Ionic Brush- This is Brush 2 (doesn't say the diameter, but like a medium sized round brush). This ceramic barrel distributes heat evenly for faster more professional styling. Nano mineral coated bristles protect the scalp, minimize split ends and boost volume and shine. All Hersheson ceramic ion brushes are anti-static & anti-bacterial with a built-in deodorizing function (er, i'm not even gonna ask why). Anyway I'm still trying to master an at home half decent blow dry, but using the right tools is gonna get me closer faster.

But that is the few products that have immensely improved the condition of my hair.Hope this was somewhat informative and before you think about bleach ask yourself- do you want blonde hair or long hair?

If anyone has any tips on how to grow your hair faster please comment and let me know. Otherwise it's the usual 3 year wait.. yay...

x

Back to Basics

So as a first ever post ( and blog for that matter -I know..with me it's always 'oh hi and welcome to 6 years ago') I decided to do a simple post of the basic and everyday essentials that we all need in our wardrobes, walk-in closets, bedroom floors or whatever space you find to squeeze in a thing or two.

I love simple pieces. They can be dressed up or down, accessorized the hell out of, or you can let simplicity speak for itself.. after all less is more.

I do think that simple things are better, easy and effortless, because not only does it go with more, but also there is nothing worse than buying the perfect dress with the cute embellishment or print, that fits like a glove and you love it, and you promise yourself (before handing over your hard earned cash) that you will wear it all the time, and then your so called 'friends' upload a picture of you (be it facebook, twitter, wherever..anywhere) and that's it. You've been seen. 

So now your stuck with two options. Do you A) pluck up the courage, wear it and then spend the whole evening avoiding any camera, flash or any picture taking device that can capture you wearing the same dress TWICE, or B) hang it up, vacuum pack it, and hide it from yourself..?

So as much as we'd all love to wear something once and then hand it back over to our trusty stylist  and on to the next, we have to be creative and use our own inspiration and creativity to make something look different and interesting, and that is why simple block coloured items are an essential and a blank canvas for us to try and put our own stamp on.

I'm not saying that we should all walk around wearing black, but if you want to invest in something make it a classic. And if you think about it, all the classics are simplistic and chic- the Chanel 2.55, the Hermes Birkin, the Little Black Dress, White Tee and Jeans, ballerina pumps,  Celine camel coat, the list goes on. 

So, recently I took my own advice and shopped around for some simple essentials, and have also included some of my all time favourite basics.

Enjoy

x

 

Michael Kors Rose Gold Oversized Watch

Pink American Apparel Clutch

Essie Nail Polishes from left: Little Brown Dress, Sand Tropez and Topless and Barefoot

H&M Basic tops in black and nude and H&M tube skirt

Miss Selfridge loose shirt

Gogo Philip Rose Gold Chain

 

From left:Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus,Mac lipstick in Myth,Mac Studio Careblend/Pressed Powder in Lush Light Bronze and Illamasqua lipstick in Faust

And now for some of my oldies but goodies...

Balenciaga Day Bag and a fox tail from Portobello Market

Ray Bans

 

And finally smelling good is the key to looking good (cheesy but true)

Chanel Chance