Discounts

This month's Glamour magazine has 20% off Nails Inc, bringing the nail polishes down to £9.20.  I love this metallic red "Aspen."

There's also 20% off at Whistles (I think it's Whistles) and a new competition where they're giving away £500 every month! 

I must admit, I've found the last few months of Glamour a tad disappointing, but this month's edition is jam packed and I'm back to loving it.

Go forth, readers, and spend money I don't have.  If anyone buys the nail polish, can I borrow it?

Cast Not Your Pearls Before Swine

I recently read a magazine article about women who had friends much older or younger than themselves.  One of the younger women said that the only thing that annoyed her about her older friend was the fact that she always wore a classic pearl necklace when they went out.  According to the younger woman, pearls are dated and old-fashioned. 

It was at this point that I decided the younger woman was a fool.

I love pearls, and I have about 4 strands that I wear all the time.  Some of them are real and some are plastic, but I mix them up and wear them together.  So, imagine my delight when, as I mentioned before, I found a stall in the Tenerife Sunday market selling lovely sets of fresh-water pearls.  They had pink, and white-ish ones, and they came in different lengths of necklace, as well as earrings and bracelets.  I zoned in on the medium length necklaces and came away with a lovely pink strand. 

I think pearls, like diamonds maybe, are classic and go with anything.  They don't look old-fashioned unless the rest of your outfit looks old-fashioned, and they go with pretty much anything and anyone.

Here are a couple of pics of my new strand, Thanks Mr Oyster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you sharp enough to spot it, I'm also wearing the new Lancome Colour Fever Shine lipstick.

 

 

 

I also picked up a cool thing that you can probably buy over here too, but which I've only ever seen in Spain.  It's just a hair clip, but it's so handy and is great if you've got mid-length/short hair like me.  Only in the last couple of weeks has my hair been long enough to tie back, and without the use of hairbands and kirby grips I always got big strands coming loose at the bottom. 

 

 Well, not any more! This thing (according to Google, it's called a 'banana clip') gets all my hair at once, gives me a januty pony-tail at the back, and a slight bit of height at the front, as if I'd done my hair in a chignon.

AND, it only cost about £2. Genius!

End-of-Night Chat

Just been to see Black Swan, with Hannah and a couple of her pals.  I thought it was really amazing, though I did hide behind my scarf at several points.  The girl sitting across the aisle from me kept doing really comedy jumps, but some parts were a bit squeamish, I must admit.  Loved the dancing, and the makeup, and Natalie Portman. After years of not knowing if I loved or loathed her, I am happy to say I am finally convinced by her, once and for all. 

I had a well-expensive glass of wine in the cinema bar (should have known better) and a random bag of Revels, which I've just realised I love!  Does anyone remember when they were called Strollers, back in the day, and they came in a Cadbury-blue packet?

I had high hopes for 2011 being a much happier year than 2010 but so far one of my friends has lost a job and a boyfriend in the same week, and I just read on my other friend's blog that her Grandad has passed away. 

I really don't know how I'll cope when my granny dies, even though just it really seems that she'll live forever.  Makes me appreciate the time I have with her, and the chances I have to go on holiday with her and go for lunches with her when I'm not working.  Sometimes she'll tell you the same story you've heard a hundred times before, but lots of other times she tells other stories and I learn a little bit more about her that I never knew before.  I never met my dad's parents, and my mum's dad died when I was only wee, so my granny is the only one I've really gotten to know and I'm really glad to still have her around.

Enough heavy stuff for one post, I think.  I just need to finish packing and then I have a Body Balance class to go to tomorrow, and then meet ED for lunch/brunch/cocktails I think. 

I think I'll stick my electric blanket on now so it's toasty for getting in to bed, and toss whatever else I need into my case, rather than try to do it tomorrow.  I have that Katy Perry song stuck in my head and I'm really hoping it won't keep buzzing round my brain when I'm trying to get to sleep, it'll seriously drive me mad.  

Baby, you're a fiiiiiiiiiiiiire-work!

Oh yeah, for anyone who's interested, I jsut signed up for an awesome yoga deal, at the Merchant City Yoga company.  You get 10 lessons for £20 which works out as a saving of 75%.  As far as I know, once you've paid you can take the 10 classes any time over the next year.  Click here if you want to sign up or read more!

Shopping with KM

Ooooft, I'm tired.

Yesterday I spent nigh-on the entire day in my bed, watching make-up clips 'n' tips from Lisa Eldridge.  I discovered some new ones that I hadn't seen before and revisited a few classics.  The reason for this uber laziness was KM and her rockin' party.  My dad very kindly went out to buy me straws (glitter lips had to remain in tact throughout Cava and punch drinking, and thus required straws) and bought me a bottle of the ole Cava to take up with me.  So when we arrived we tanked that and discovered the cheese board, which me & ED quickly scarfed before anyone else could get a look in.  Then we had KM's punch, which really did, er, pack a punch (badoom-TCHSH!) and then ED very kindly shared his posh grapefruit vodka and M&S lemon juice.  Met some lovely peeps, had a good bit of chat and admired in awe, KM's new flat which is really rather lovely.  She does have one of those mad canopy beds though - like a double-sized bunk-bed with no bottom part.  I must admit I slightly worry for her safety and await the day I get a text message from her in A&E with a concussion, having drunkenly missed a step on the ladder on the way for a mid-night pee.  So far, though, she's been OK.

I left my cardi at her flat so we met up today so I could get it back for my hols, and then we had a very nice day.  Went for lunch in a wee coffee shop in the West End where we had lentil soup and shared a plate of basil-tastic bruschetta, and then... what else? We hit the shops.  I got some toiletries from Boots and we went into that houseware/junk shop Townhouse, where we spent a happy hour or so browsing the junk and picking up some gems for KM's pad.  Then we went to that wee Moroccan (I think it's Moroccan) shop on Argyle Street and were having a happy nosy about when - joy of joys! - I saw a black turban hat slung on top of a row of jewellery hooks.  Now, anyone who has ever listened to my fashion-obsessive chatter for long will know that I've been searching for a wee stylish turban for a while, but to no avail.  The problem was that any I found were woolly, winter ones, or just cosy headbands which, for some reason, a lot of shops have taken to describing as turbans.  Things like this:





Nice though this may be, it is not a turban!




Liz T.  Now all I need are the diamonds to match.

 

So, anyway... as soon as I saw this lying there in the shop, I grabbed it and tried it on in joy.  It looks awesome, and it is actually exactly what I've been looking for; a bit Elizabeth Taylor, I like to think.  I decided that if it was under a fiver I would just buy it for myself.  So I skipped up to the desk and asked the price, and the guy told me that it was only 99p!  I flipped him a pound with a Cheshire grin and couldn't believe my luck.

The funny thing is, the way it was just lying there on top of a bunch of necklaces and earrings, and the fact that it was the only one in the shop, made us both think that maybe it wasn't really from that shop, and actually someone might have left it there while they tried something else on and then forgotten about it.  I think the guy working at the cash desk was just chancing his luck, selling it for a pound!  This suspicion was compounded when KM asked if he had any others and he very quickly replied (without so much as a glance at where I'd picked it up) "No, that's the last one."  The last one, or the only one, I wonder??

A very happy result for me today and I think I'll stick that on for travelling on Saturday because it's very lightweight and will be comfy for keeping my hair off my face, which is my pet hate.  Although I'm sort of growing my hair out at the moment (more out of indecision and apathy than anything else), it drives me mad when it's hanging in my face or on my neck, so I'm always tying it up or sticking a hat, scarf, or turban, on to get it out the way.  I'm sure it won't be long til I get it all chopped off again.  But in the meantime I'll wear my fabulous turban with joyous style and pizazz!

Why weren't we born in the 1920s?

Oh what a night.  Met Hannah and Keira for coffee at 5:30 and then me & Keira went round to Sloane's for our 2 for 1 macaroni cheese bonanza and it was lush.  The bottle of wine also helped it go down, natch. 

AND then we decided to have a wee drink of brandy afterwards, because... well, who needs a reason?  But instead of staying at Sloane's we headed round to Rogano's on Royal Exchange Square and there we propped up the bar to the sound of Billie Holiday and had our brandy. And then we decided to order a wee plate of oysters, seeing as that's Rogano's speciality, it was only £9 for a plate of 6, and I'd never had them before.  Well, I still have the fishy aftertaste in my mouth, but they were devine.  I highly recommend them to even the most skeptical of people.  We had another brandy and hung out at the bar, lamenting the fact that we weren't about in the twenties to be Flapper girls, listen to jazz every night, eat oysters and drink gin and whisky as a matter of course, whilst wearing pearls and fringy dresses. 

All in all, a very nice, and original night.  And we only spent about £20 each over the whole night!  Sweet!

Place your votes now!

For signing up to the La Redoute site, I got sent an e-voucher that will get me £10 off... when I spend £20 or more.  Now, these trousers I want are only £15, but there were a couple of other things that I liked the look of, for a tenner (give or take).  I'm going to post a few pics and let you all cast your votes of fashion advice, on which one I should get! 

All you have to is post a comment at the bottom with the one you approve of, and tomorrow afternoon I'll decide and place my order.

Interactive blogging - loves it!

VOTE purple vest (these are £6 for the two)

VOTE studded vest (£5)

VOTE ankle boots (these are a barginous £11, down from £39)

 VOTE slogan t-shirt (£6)

VOTE "square vest" (£5)

"Oh the shark has pearly teeth, dear / and he shows 'em pearly white..."

Just a polish at the dentist then, and then into my granny's on the way home to have some tea and cake, good times.  It's quite good hanging out with my granny, though sometimes she does tell you a story you've heard a million times before.  Like when I was wee and on holiday with her and my parents, she told me to hold her hand in case 'someone ran away with her.' Well, apparently I spun around and said, top of my voice, "Er, granny, you're 64! Who's going to run away with you?!"  That one cracks her up every time.  True story.

Only prob is, I've only just got him and it's almost half five and I still haven't worked any more on my job form. AND I've to go back to the jobcentre tomorrow, so I'll need to fill out my 'jobseeking diary'.  Apparently tomorrow I've got an interview to assess my jobseeking and tell them how I'm getting on. So that's bound to be highly useful and full of worldly job-hunting insight. I don't think. Ho hum.  My hatred for the jobcentre really knows  bounds.

Got a new pair of shoes in the charity shop in Milngavie today. My mum bought them for me - £7, Topshop originally, and in pretty good condition. Oh, and red and shiny and a perfect fit! I will post a picture for your viewing pleasure later on.  Charity shops in posh areas are clearly the way to go.  Byres Road Oxfam trumps Victoria Road; Merchant City trumps Byres Road, but we have a new contestant, ladies and gentleman, straight in to the Number One slot... put your hands together for Bernardo's Milngavie!

Thank you, thank you very much.