FASHION: Post-Christmas lull

So my in-laws have gone home now and it's just me, Mike and the kitties.  Have I introduced you to my babies by the way? Had them for just over a year now and in that time I have gone from cat-obsessed to full-blown crazy cat lady!!

Here they are when they were wee (yes I am turning Scottish)

And this is them now when they're all grown up!

They are seriously the funniest cats I've ever met, but I'll refrain from babbling on about my babies!

I've also been trawling the sales - only bought one top so far which I can't wait to arrive.  Going through a bit of a glam-grunge period at the moment, kind of All Saints style clothes (not that I can afford many of those though!).

Other things I'm loving in the sales are:


This ladder-knit jumper by Crafted at Republic

This cute leopard print skirt by Rare

I NEED NEED NEED these boots by Crafted at Republic.  Size 8 kthxbai

I've had my eye on this Rare skirt for months, and it's gone into the sale yay! Asymmetric hems are going to be massive for SS12.

This cutesy cropped tee from Topshop is only a tenner!

And last but not least, this Bench skirt (at HoF) which is awesome :)

Don't buy my size in any of these items though please guys or I will cry if it sells out!!! Hehe.  I'm really not feeling SS12 - too much sorbet tones and bright prints for my liking.  Guess I'm going to have to break with the trends....

MEMEME: What I got for Christmas!

I love reading other people's Christmas posts, so thought id join on the fun! Posting from my phone so apologies if this reads/looks crap!! Haha. So my boyfriend's parents spent Christmas with us up here in Scotland :) my family are coming up on the 30th dec and staying until my birthday (25 uuughh) On the 2nd january. Mike's parents Have literally filled our house with food ... 7lb of beef alone!! (and then the lamb, turkey, salmon...need I go on?) I have done nothing but eat since they got here 4 days ago!!! Xmas day itself was lovely - me and mike were snowed in last Xmas so it was just the two of us. This year was a true family celebration and it was ace :)Want to see what I got? Oh alright then ;)Here is the tree:

Mike got me some nice hair stuff - Babyliss wave envy which I've wanted for AGES and Tigi Small Talk, which stylists always use on my hair but I've never bought it myself:

Some books for depression and disordered eating, and my fave perfume Dior Pure Poison

Raw chocolate which I can't wait to try, and Debenhams £25 voucher. Think I'm going to get Diorshow Blackout mascara with it

RiRi albums cos I am obsessed hehe, and yummy Sanctuary body scrubs

Chocolate from friends and my boss!

Royal Jelly bath stuff, and a pair of woolly tights

Also, not photgraphed, some Body Shop cherry blossom bath stuff and some beautiful earrings. My skins going to be well looked after!!Can't believe how nice everything is, and I haven't even got anything from my side of the family yet! Disclaimer: Christmas for me isn't all about the presents even though this post is!!What did everyone else get? Link me to your pressie posts! I'm so busy window-shopping the sales at the mo, so much I want!!!Hope everyone enjoys their boxing day

FASHION: Winter is coming

Yes big love for Game of Thrones :p 

I cannot wait for winter, but that's probably because I've forgotten the craziness of last year's Scottish snow!  I just looove the clothes and fashion of winter.  I always fall for the 'luxe groupie' trend which Topshop and other stores always promote - heart the leather, lace and sequins.  And this winter gets even better, with all the faux fur that's around!!

I found an amazing faux fur and knit snood and headband both from Asos last weekend, and was almost glad of the cold weather yday so I could finally wear them!

I feel like a snow queen!

HAIR: Redheads do it best....

After a disastrous red hair dyeing incident that did not go well and took months, if not years, to stop rearing it's ugly rust-coloured head, I swore never to even consider going back to red!! That was, until I saw this picture: 

I was HOOKED.  The gorgeous red wine-esque, slightly violet, slightly pink tone was to die for! So I spent a month getting my dark-brunette hair in shape for the plunge (think masques and protein treatments).  

I also opted for this style of cut:

Even though I normally hate bobs! Yes, all change here!

My hair was bleached to an inch of it's life to lift the dark colour I had on there.  It looked amazing bleached though - very autumnal shades of russet, orange and gold.  I almost made the stylist stop right there lol.

So the outcome:

(DISCLAIMER: no pics do it justice!! It is full on magenta/violet and absolutely gorgeous.  Also an inverted bob which this pics don't seem to show!)

<3 <3 <3 <3

REVIEW: My version of the Oil Cleansing Method.. thoughts and improvements

Happy Sunday people (and on not such a jovial note, 10 years since 9/11 .. RIP .. )

Today I thought I would talk about the Oil Cleansing Method, or at least my version of it.  I've been intrigued by the idea of cleansing+moisturising with oil for about a year, when I first heard about it on MUA.   To me, even though I have dry skin, oil = clogs and greasy skin!

Not so.  

Most carrier oils, especially jojoba oil, mimic sebum, the oil our skin secretes naturally.  Sebum has many functions - it lubricates the skin, prevents moisture loss and even helps with healing of the epidermis.  Not bad ey!  

I have stubborn comedones on my nose that I've had for literally 10 years! Tried AHAs, BHAs and even PHAs (polyhydroxy acids such as mandelic acid) and still nada :( So, eventually, I bit the bullet and bought some jojoba and rosehip seed oils.

Ok, jojoba oil is great for oily skin for the reasons I mentioned above.  Somewhat counterintuitively, applyling sebum-like oils to your skin does not make your skin even more oily! Your skin recognises the oil, and inhibits any more sebum production.  So you end up with moisturised, matte-yet-glowy skin.  

Rosehip seed on the other hand, contains retinol-like molecules (retinol being a Vitamin A derivative.  Retinol is great for mature skin as it speeds up cell turnover and so effectively exfoliates your skin, getting rid of dead skin cells and making your skin smoother and more radiant, and pores smaller. 

Ok so what do I do? The classic Oil Cleansing Method suggests adding 1 part castor oil (a very powerful oil that gets right down to your pores and clean them out) to 3 parts something else.  I didn't get round to buying castor oil, and thought I'd just cleanse with jojoba oil.  While this is very effective at removing makeup etc., it hasn't made a difference to my comedones :( I will buy some castor oil and get back to you though!

In the evenings I use jojoba oil to moisturise, applying it to damp freshly-cleansed skin.  On the nights that I use mandelic acid (every other night), I cleanse with jojoba oil, which leaves my skin nice and soft, remove it and apply mandelic acid.  After ~20mins I reapply jojoba oil and leave it on.  I have to say though, it is better to apply to damp skin as it sinks in a lot faster!

In the mornings, I wash my face with warm water, apply my Nufountain Vitamin C serum ( <3 ) and moisturise 20mins later with rosehip seed oil.

Both oils have a faint but pleasant odour, and an oily texture that sinks in very quickly.  I'd recommend both of them as moisturisers - I tried using my old Roche-Posay Melt-in Creme yesterday (a very heavy moisturiser) and my skin felt really dry and tight! I don't think I'll ever go back to a 'normal' moisturiser now, unless I was on holiday and wanted something with a high SPF.

REVIEW: My thoughts on Tigi S Factor Diamond Dreams S&C

Hey guise! Woo it's the weekend, and therefore I have time to post!


I've just come back from the hairdressers (one of my favourite places in the world hehe), and thought it's about time that I should review the shampoo and conditioner that I've been using since March/April.


They are from the S Factor range by TiGi.  I've tried tons of other TiGi s&cs (mostly from the Bedhead range) and was never that impressed! I know a lot of other people rave on about them, but I was never a fan.  Then I discovered Diamond Dreams.  

Marketed as the ultimate luxury in hair care (I mean, c'mon it contains diamond powder, crushed pearls, cashmere and champagne extract after all!), it is supposed to give you "multi-dimensional shimmer, adding depth and richness to your colour, while protecting and conditioning your hair".


I wasn't fooled by that marketing direction - diamond powder? Try carbon particles!


HOWEVER


I was interested as it is sulphate free (like a lot of Tigi products) and low on 'cones, other than dimethicone which as far as I'm concerned is one of the less evil silicones out there.  Now, this doesn't make it unique amongst a lot of Tigi products - a lot of them are cone and SLS free.  But a combination of the decent ingredients and the downright crazy ingredients (champagne?!) had me very intrigued.


For the 2 tween sizes (750ml each) it will cost you a lovely £50.  I found them on EBay for £17.99 for the two.  Bargain!!!


Ok enough waffling.  From the first time I tried them I was hooked.  My hair was soft yet felt strong, manageable and the gloss! My god, the gloss was unbelievable.  I normally have quite coarse and dull hair, but thanks to this s&c my hair has been transformed to sleek and shiny.  I have had my hair cut twice since purchasing them in March/April.   But I didn't go to the hairdressers for them to cut off any damage - my hair is permanently split-end-free! I just went for reshaping etc.


LOVE IT.




A note of warning however, my hairdresser today asked me what s&c I used.  I gave my usual spiel of the awesomeness of Diamond Dreams and how good it's been for my hair .. she cut me off saying "yeah, TiGi products are renowned for causing product buildup, and it's drying out your scalp."


My jaw nearly hit the floor! I had never noticed I had a dry scalp?! So my advice to you guys is this: try it. It is amazing. But make sure you clarify at least once a week (I normally do it 1-2 a month oops).  

FASHION: What I bought last weekend

(L-R PU Pencil Rib Side Skirt - Topshop - Black Burnout Crop Vest - Miss Selfridge - Navy Faux Fur Collar Wool Coat - Topshop - Black Crop Padded Biker - Miss Selfridge - Leopard Jaquard Sweat - Topshop - Magenta One Sleeve Dress - Miss Selfridge)

So after I spent a few months drooling over all the incoming A/W11 trends, my wonderful other half Mike decided to spend his last ever paycheck on - wait for it - me!! This is just a selection of things that I bought, but I was kinda running out of space and patience (Photoshop is a ballache!) 


I love love love the PU items - I've always wanted a leather biker, but was never sure I could pull it off.  But this beautiful cropped number proved me wrong! I would wear it every day if I wasn't scared of being labelled a tramp.  Same for the pencil skirt.. it's mega flattering and verrry sophisticated.  I wouldn't wear the two together obviously, as I am no hells angel...


The leopard sweater is so cosy and comfortable, and looks very good with a black tube skirt or even skinny jeans.  It's not the warmest of items, so if it gets cold this winter (and if last year was anything to go by I'm sure it will!) I will have to layer it up but .. worth it!


I'm having a lazy day indoors today, as it seems that Midlothian is trying to be like east coast USA (too soon?) and blow a hurricane! Still rocking the dressing gown at midday; that's how I like a Sunday to be!

BEAUTY: Magnetic Nail Polish

Nail art has become a rapidly emerging trend in 2011, and MAGNETIC nail polish is the word on everyone's lips for A/W11.  I for one can't wait for it! Nails inc are releasing their magnetic-metallic range in September, retailing at £12 each.  I'm sure it won't be long until drugstore brands cotton on, a la Barry M with crackle polish.  In fact, LCN are already selling them, with star and diagonal striped magnetics, but I'm not such a big fan of the patterns...


How does it work? Well the lid of the polish has a magnet in it, so when you move it above your freshly-painted nails, the iron particles in the varnish move to create a unique pattern!  


There are three shades in the Nails inc range; Big Ben (gold), Trafalgar Square (chrome) and Houses of Parliament (blue).