Visiting Hair by JFK

29 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in Bargain, Edinburgh, Fashion, Hair, Nails, Reviews, Scotland

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A few days ago I attended a blogger/student event at Hair by JFK in Edinburgh. I took my friend Roxanna with me and we were both glad that we went along, it was a fun night. 

When we arrived we were whisked downstairs for some wine, cake-pops and sushi.

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While having some nibbles we were told about all of the treatments that we were generously being offered; manicures, fringe trims, hair styling(French braids etc) and makeovers by a professional make-up artist.

The first ‘station’ I came across was the nail station:

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One look at all of those sparkly colours and I decided that I was getting my nails done.  The lovely Katie Jane did my nails for me, she was very quick and friendly and I was very happy with the finished result. 

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Four full days later and my nails still look perfect. What’s more they look like I’ve actually had  them done, not like I’ve done them myself. I’ve not had many manicures but sometimes when I do get one I think it doesn’t look any better than something I could do at home but Katie tidied my cuticles and applied the polish flawlessy with the tiniest gap between the polish and the edge of my nails. If you are in Edinburgh and you would like to get your nails done then I really couldn’t recommend Katie enough.

While my nails were drying I met Connor the extremely photogenic hairdresser:

20140924_190429He was nice enough to give me a much needed fringe trim, I got my hair cut a few weeks ago (you can read my review here) and it’s the first time in years that I’ve had a fringe. It grew so quickly that I had already resorted to clipping it back and I had heard that some hairdressers won’t give you a fringe trim unless you are a regular (shocking I know) so I was really at a loss for what to do with it. Lucky for me and for anyone else out there with a fringe, Hair by JFK has:

20140924_193050The Bang Bar! A dedicated service for getting your fringe cut. Jump in for 5 minutes and walk out with a tidy fringe! On Fridays it’s free! Well sort of, Hair by JFK would like you to make a donation to The Edinburgh Dog and Cat home, donate whatever you can and you can walk out with a freshly cut fringe and a warm and fuzzy feeling from doing your good deed for the day.

Oh and by the way, you can even take your dog with you to get your hair cut. Seriously-it’s a dog friendly salon, there was a dog there when I was there. How cool is that? 20140924_193149Not only did Connor give my fringe it’s much needed trim, he thought that, seeing as I was already in the chair, he would throw a few curls into my hair for me. Thanks Connor 🙂

After my hair and nails had been done I had my first chance to get a good look at the salon while Roxanna was getting her make-up done.

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It is a very very cool salon.

The Hair by JKF logo is a zebra with a green mohawk and their philosophy is ‘Hair styling for the individual’ so I spotted a few zebras and several inspiring and unusual hair style ideas:

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With amazing styles like those above all around the salon, I wasn’t too surprised to find this either:

20140924_194442Once Roxanna was done getting her make-up done it was my turn:

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We were both glammed up and ready for our big night out at…McDonalds! Well, it was a school night and I had work in the morning, and it was the nearest place to the train station that was open…and I love McDonalds.

My night didn’t quite end there though, when I got home I opened my JFK goody-bag to find:

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How amazing is the calendar? That is the image that goes with September, it’s a dog/hairdressing calendar all the way through – told you they like dogs. Thank you very much to the team at Hair by JFK for the lovely treatments, the cool goody-bag and for being so friendly and welcoming. I’m sorry we were the last ones to leave!

Thank you also to Kelly at AJPR for inviting me along 🙂

For anyone who wants to know (that should be everyone who gets their hair cut in Edinburgh) you can find Hair by JFK at:

P.S If you are a student then your really should go check Hair by JFK out – they have their own student card and loyalty scheme with loads of discounts available.

Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂

 

So the first Beauty Advent Calendar to go on sale in 2014 is….

15 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in advent, Beauty, Christmas, Fashion, gift ideas, gifts, Inspiration, Make up

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I love Christmas. I love advent calendars. I love cosmetics. I love surprises.

So beauty advent calendars really are Christmas in a box to me. Fortunately the wait is over  and the first beauty advent calendar  of 2014 (that I know of) is now officially on sale!

 So what is it and where can you buy it?

It’s…The Ciate Mini Mani Manor Nail Polish Advent Calendar!

You can only buy it from Selfridges or from  www.selfridges.com , it is £49.00 and while I won’t be buying one myself because I have more nail polish than I can store, it really is an amazing little item and it will sell out FAST. So if you want one then you should hotfoot it over there.

Here is what the calendar looks like :

Ciate 1

They are currently still in stock 🙂

There are 3 different variations of the calendar and from what I can tell it is a lucky dip as to which variation you will receive.

Wondering what the next beauty advent calendar to go on sale will be?

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I’ll let you know soon.

Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂

12 Problems you have when you are a fashion or beauty blogger

27 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by in Beauty, Blogging, Fashion

≈ 12 Comments

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Pretty sure I can’t be the only blogger to face these problems.

1. You get frustrated using bloglovin’ because, while it is great for reading blogs from lots of different platforms, trying to leave a comment on it is a nightmare, which ID to use? Which one works? Why can’t I just have a bloglovin’ ID? My wordpress ID doesn’t work. ARRGHG!

2. You can remember other bloggers usernames or blog addresses but when a blogger friends you on Facebook or follows you on twitter using their actual name you have no idea who they are.

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3. You decide to review a product but oh wait someone you follow reviewed that yesterday.

4. Oh wow you just found out X,Y,Z, what a great thing to blog about! Tough, the rest of the world found out yesterday…and they blogged about it.

5. You would love a personal photographer for your OOTD posts but would never actually hire one. Boyfriend /Flatmate/self timer will just have to do.

6. There are too. many. social networks. How are you supposed to post on your blog, Instagram, tweet, post on facebook, upload to tumblr, post to google cirlcles etc. all in one day, nevermind interact with other bloggers across all of those platforms.

social networks

7. No one told you that blogging is a full time hobby.  Somewhere between work, your social life and mundane stuff like getting your washing done and buying groceries you have to find the time for the most time consuming hobby ever.

8. Your laptop is ALWAYS on.

9. You freak out about what to wear to blogger events because you are a blogger and you are supposed to look cool, fashionable, unique and edgy but you are also a scaredy-cat who is afraid of drawing too much attention to themselves.

dress choice

10. You face the whole should I wear makeup/ style my hair dilemma before attending an event where you will get your hair and/or make up done.

11. You want to post your make up and fashion looks/outfits but are scared about putting pictures of yourself on the internet.

12.  When you are away from your laptop you have a million ideas for blog posts and inspiration is everywhere. The minute you switch on your computer – tumbleweed.

Let me know if you experience these problems too or if you experience any other problems as a blogger.

Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂

Toast of the Town Photography Workshop

13 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by in Glasgow, Photography, Scotland

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So on Saturday I was lucky enough to attend the Toast of the Town photography workshop hosted by Millennium Hotel in George Square ( a gorgeous hotel, see for yourself at http://www.millenniumhotels.co.uk/millenniumglasgow ) in partnership with Joes Bloggers and Dreghorn Photography.

The workshop was very useful and I learned how to properly use the ISO and shutter speed settings on my camera. I also learned the most important rule of photography – NEVER USE AUTO! 

We learned the basics about ISO and Shutter speed and then we got to practice with our cameras to reinforce what we had learned.

I am so glad that I learned about how to use my camera’s shutter speed settings because now I can go from this:

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20140712_131028We also learned how to pick the right background for portrait photos. My partner for background exercises was the lovely Laura from http://www.lifeasanhourglass.com/  and here are some of the images I took of her :

20140712_12373720140712_124116Then it was time to break for lunch.

20140712_132738I had a haggis bon bon, a mini burger and a venison sausage hotdog. I have never tried venison before but I was very impressed with the venison sausage, it was a little tough but tasted great. There were also gorgeous looking desserts on offer but I was too full to go and get one.

After lunch we visited George Square, Royal Exchange Square and Buchanan Street and were let loose to put our lessons into practice and take interesting photos.

I spent most of my time experimenting with what I had learned about ISO and shutter speed so I took a lot of rubbish photos but there were some that I liked:

Photos from George Square

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Photos from Royal Exchange Square

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Photo from Buchanan Street

20140712_150527At the end of the workshop I was given a nice goody-bag by Millennium Hotels which contained, among other things, a camera cleaning kit which will be very useful 🙂

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To see the pictures taken by other bloggers  during the workshop checkout #toastofthetown on twitter.

Thank you to Millennium Hotels, Joe’s Bloggers and Dreghorn Photography for a great workshop, I learned a lot!

Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂

 

Sleeping Beauty Salon Blogger Event

11 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Beauty, Nails, Reviews, Scotland

≈ 4 Comments

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On Tuesday evening I made my way to Edinburgh to attend a blogger event at Sleeping Beauty Salon. I was so impressed by the salon, it’s services and it’s staff that, although I don’t live in Edinburgh,  I am planning on travelling there to visit the salon again and get some more treatments.

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Upon arrival at the Salon I was greeted with cocktails and cupcakes.20140708_184043 20140708_184015

and handed a pleasantly  heavy goody bag (the contents of which were amazing)20140708_215701
Then I was told that the Salon was offering us lucky bloggers a variety of free treatments including:

  • Eyebrow threading and waxing
  • Manicures and pedicures
  • Shellac Manicures
  • Application of Nouveau Lashes from the Millie Mackintosh range

AND we could have as many treatments as we liked!

While I decided which treatments I would like to get I explored the salon and took some pics of it’s lovely decor and products:

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I then decided to have a manicure 

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This shade is called ‘sugar spice’ and it is from Shellac’s own polish range.

I also had some Nouveau Lashes applied, I chose the City lashes from the Millie Mackintosh range and I was really happy with how natural they looked.

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When I got home I opened my goody bag and was far from disappointed.

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I have already used some of the products that I received so look out for some reviews coming soon.

I received a voucher for a Hot Lava Shell Massage so I will definitely be visiting Sleeping Beauty Salon soon for that and I’m having some issues with my skin at the moment so I am thinking of booking a facial also – so look out for reviews of those treatments.

Sleeping Beauty Salon has a membership system  which for a fixed price of £550.00 for a year or £275.00 for 6 months entitles you to £50.00 worth of treatments every month. Members also receive significant discounts on all treatments and the salon also has a point based loyalty system. It’s easy to see why the chain has won so many awards.

You can find Sleeping Beauty Salons in Edinburgh, Inverness and Lerwick, to find your nearest salon go to  www.sleepingbeautysalon.com

I would like to thank Kelly at AJ PR for inviting me to this event and all the staff at Sleeping Beauty Salon for being so welcoming and friendly and for hosting this great event. 

Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂

Fire at ASOS Warehouse forces them to take their website down for unknown period

21 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by in Fashion, News, Shopping

≈ 1 Comment

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Sad news folks 😦

ASOS warehouse caught fire last night. Fortunately no one was hurt but they have, understandably, taken asos.com down until they can assess the damage.

When you visit the website you will be greeted by the following message:

ASOS Fire

 

 

ASOS is my favourite online store because they have great products and they provide great service to their customers. I hope the company recovers from this tragedy soon.

Print Your Own MAKEUP!!!

08 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Beauty, Fashion, Make up, Makeup, Technology

≈ 3 Comments

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Wow.

Mink

 

Thanks to Mink it is now possible to PRINT MAKEUP!

The video below shows Grace the founder of Mink demonstrating how the Mink Make Makeup Printer lets you print makeup (eyeshadow, blusher, foundation or lipstick) in ANY colour, just by using an image from your laptop, camera or phone.

Basically if you see someone wearing a cool colour on their lips, take a snap and print your lipstick in the same colour. Or snap a picture of a daffodil and get an eyeshadow in the same colour. Or look at funny cat pictures online and think that colour of fur would be great as a foundation and…you get the picture.

Grace literally prints an eyeshadow in this video.

If you think this printer looks as awesome as I do then you will want to sign-up here to be notified when it goes on sale.

Makeup will never be the same again.

*This is not a sponspored post, I just found out about this and thought that it was really cool.

Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂

 

Why it is Dangerous to accept Gifts in Scotland

31 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in News, Scotland

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So yesterday I came across this article from STV about a wealthy man suing an ex-girlfriend for the cost of a designer handbag and a designer pair of shoes. Basically the man said the arrangement was a loan and he expected to be paid back and the woman claimed that they were a gift (although she had signed an agreement to pay the man back) Make what you will of the article but the article itself is not actually what interests me.

From reading the article I gathered that in Scottish law it is up to the recipient of a gift to prove that what they have received was in fact a gift, in other words if someone gives you a gift and then later claims it was a loan and takes you to court to sue you, unless you have proof that it was a gift you will have to pay them back. I have looked into this and it’s true, in Scot’s law there is a presumption against gifts.

I am the only one who thinks this is a bit unfair? Also, it’s not really the type of information that you are likely to know without looking it up.

So do we now need gift contracts? Have you ever made anyone sign a statement agreeing that a gift they have given you is a gift…I’ve never seen that happen at a birthday party.

You should be wary of getting into relationships with gift givers. If you’re new boyfriend or girlfriend treats you to a romantic weekend in Paris you may have to them pay them back for it.

I guess there is a silver lining, people who get ‘rinsed’ can now get their stuff back when they realise what has happened and people who loan each other money or items  and then don’t get their stuff back can sue eachother. Imagine how much stuff Ned Flanders could claim from Homer if they were real and lived in Scotland?

So what if your neighbour gives you their old lawn mower because they have bought a new one? Or someone treats you to a weekend away? or a wealthy relative pays your school fees? Or your parents buy you a car?

My advice would be to not accept anything that you can’t afford to pay back because at some point down the line you may well end up having to pay for it. Either refuse or at least have a pen and paper handy next time you are lucky or unlucky enough to be given a gift. I might make sure any future benefactors (not that I expect to have any) are recorded on video stating that they are giving me X,Y,Z as a gift.

Gone are the days of no take-backsies.

Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂 I would love to know your thoughts on this so please comment x

15 Free Must-Have Apps for Women

26 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by in Technology

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So you know the story, you want some apps for your phone or tablet but can’t think of one that you want. Well I have 15 suggestions for you.

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1. WomanLog Calendar

You’re a woman, you bleed every month. It’s handy to know exactly when mother nature plans to bestow this little inconvenient gift on you. WomanLog tells you. It’s really simple, you just download the app (it’s free!) and then when you get your period you input your start period date on it’s calendar and when your period ends you enter the end date. WomanLog will tell you when you should expect you’re period next month. Now all women are different but the good thing is the more you use WomanLog the better it gets. It gets used to the rythms of your body and is will soon be 100% accurate (it is for me)  in telling you when your period will start, how many days it will last and when it will end. It also has an ovulation and fertility forecast.

2. bSafe

This is an app to give you and the people who love you a little extra peace of mind. bSafe lets you :

• Set up your own social personal safety network of friends, family and coworkers
• Share locations to find each other more easily (optional)
• Ask friends to walk you home with Follow Me’s live GPS trace, or help friends stay safer by walking them home from wherever you are
• Use Timer Mode to program an automatic alarm that will trigger if you have not checked in in time
• Use I’m Here to tell selected people where you are right now
• Use Fake Call to make the phone ring when you want it to. You can even define who the call should be from
• And in case you are ever in trouble, the Guardian Alert button will immediately notify your friends and family members that you need help, and let them know where you are (GPS) and what’s happening (video). It will even set off a siren (optional)

3. Wikipedia

So you can nod along as if you know and then surreptitiously check you’re phone, the font of all knowledge.

4. Free English Dictionary

So you can check what ‘surreptitiously’ means and/or how it is spelled.

5. Bank balance app

If the bank you are with has an app, get it. There is nothing handier than quickly being able to check your bank balance. This is especially useful when you are in a shop and that dress that you probably shouldn’t buy is throwing itself at you.

6. Newspaper app

Pick a newspaper  that you trust and get it’s app. Then next time you are bored and about to check facebook on your phone, force yourself to read at least one news story first and keep up to date with what’s going on in the world before finding out what’s going on with Stacey from highschool who was in one class with you. She’s not going to let her heart rule her head anymore, aren’t you glad you know that?

7. First Aid by British Red Cross

Like I need to give a reason why this is a useful app to have.

8. Shazam

If you like music you probably already have this. Shazam is my favourite app, if you hear a song or tune that you like and want to know what it is you just open Shazam, tap your screen and it will listen to and identify the song. I use this all the time when I’m watching TV. Adverts and TV shows are always playing cool music that I want to add to my playlist. My most recent Shazam find is from a Thompson Holidays advert. Now I have the tune below on my youtube playlist and I have discovered The Piano Guys.

 

9. Maps

With Google Maps on your phone you will never be lost again and you will actually be able to find your way to that job interview. What is it with job interviews and getting lost anyway? Or is that just me?

10. TopCashback

If you shop then you should have this app. Here’s why :

 TopCashback Features:

  • – Search their list of retailers and view the cashback offers, discount codes and great deals you can get.
  • – Get online discounts with our codes
  • – Get access to in-store vouchers that can be used in highstreet stores and restaurants
  • – View the in-store vouchers on a map of your area (UK only)
  • – Take advantage of our Snap & Save offers and earn cashback on your in-store purchases such as groceries – a cashback site first!
  • – View all the latest online exclusive cashback offers
  • – View your full account earnings and recent transactions
  • – Access your Favourite Merchants list
  • – Update your main account details
  • -Send your Tell-a-Friend links so you can earn cashback when your friends join TopCashbac

11. Transport Apps

There are loads of free transport apps so if you quickly need to find out when the last train home is or you need a taxi number  there is an app for that, so download it. I have the National Rail Enquiries app because I get a lot of trains. Think about the transport you use and then go find a relevant app and never be stranded again.

12. ConvertPad Unit Converter

Want to know what £50.00 is in American dollars? Or what shoe size you have in Europe? Or how many inches are in a foot? This is the app for you. It is unbelievably useful.

13. Kindle

Books on your phone that you can read instead of making awkward eye contact on the subway plus lots of the books are free? Why don’t you have this yet?

14. Dropbox

Put simply, Dropbox lets you access everything everywhere. Never again will you say ‘you have to see this pic, oh wait it’s on my computer, I don’t have it on my phone.’

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your Android device, and even the Dropbox website! With the Dropbox app, you can take everything that matters to you on the go.
15. Wishlist
You know when your birthday is coming up and people are asking what presents you want and you can’t think of anything? Well with wishlist you can archive all the cool things that you see throughout the year so that when your birthday does roll around you can just share your wishlist.
Wishlist lets you:
  • 1. Create a personal wishlist and capture the information of your wish including image, location, price and notes.
  • 2. View your wish in grid, in list or in details
  • 3. Sort your wish by name or by date
  • 4. Search your wish
  • 5. Show the location of your wish on Google Map
  • 6. Share your wish through various social network, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and more.

I hope you have found this list useful. Do you have a favourite app? Leave a comment and tell us about it 🙂

Thanks for reading my blog 🙂

Marie Meili – My New Favourite Lingerie Brand

04 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Fashion

≈ 15 Comments

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Hey 🙂

So I was just torturing myself by browsing the ASOS website and looking at all the pretty things that I can’t afford right now when I stumbled across lingerie from Marie Meili.

Their stuff is gorgeous!

Now, I can be a bit of a cheap-skate, especially when it comes to lingerie since it’s not like you can go around showing it off. I usually try not to pay more than £10 for a bra (yes I really am that cheap)  but the Marie Meilli stuff is all so nice that I was adding loads of it to my saved ASOS items without looking at the prices. Luckily for my bank balance the prices are pretty reasonable if you are a normal person willing to spend more than £10 on a bra and justifiable if you are a scrimper like me. When I have some cash to spend on lingerie I will buy some from Marie Meili and review the quality, fit etc. but for now I can only show you how unbelievably pretty their stuff is. All the sets below are from ASOS and all the pieces can be purchased individually or as a set.

Here are just some of the sets that I loved:

Marie Meili Ambitious Set £28.00 from ASOS

Marie Meili Ambitious Set £28.00 from ASOS

Marie Meili Safira Set £37.00 from ASOS

Marie Meili Safira Set £37.00 from ASOS

Marie Meili Wilma Set £15.00 from ASOS

Marie Meili Wilma Set £15.00 from ASOS

Marie Meili Tanith Set £28.00 from ASOS

Marie Meili Tanith Set £28.00 from ASOS

The set below is my favourite  🙂

Marie Meili Varia Set £27.00 from ASOS

Marie Meili Varia Set £27.00 from ASOS

So anyway, I think these sets look really cool and I thought you might like to know about them. I just hope that I haven’t shot myself in the foot by telling everyone about them and then having them sell-out before I can buy some. I suppose if everyone likes them as much as me then ASOS and Marie Meili will be sure to go on working together so I shouldn’t really have anything to worry about.

Do any of you own Marie Meili lingerie? Would you recommend it? What is your favourite brand of lingerie?  Leave a comment  and let me know.

*This is not a sponsored post*

Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂