Edinburgh

The perks of staying in Dunblane is that it is so close to Edinburgh, and Edinburgh is my favourite place in Scotland. I'm not sure why, but I could easily live there, there is always something going on but it's not manic and crowded like London is. The only real thing that bothers me is that it rains quite frequently, but as my cousin stated to me today you should just learn to always bring an umbrella with you.

I must learn this habit once I get to Bergen, which I fear may rain almost everyday (from what I'm told and from what I hear, however these rumours could perhaps prove false once I see for myself...)

So today my cousin and I took a day trip to Edinburgh for some well deserved shopping (although I was playing more of a personal shopper role to my cousin and not spending the big bucks - even though I was tempted to), and also for some well deserved food (and this I did not hold back on). I love paying just that bit more for a meal because you know it's always going to taste amazing (it better!) just like you know paying more for clothes will mean the quality of fabric should be higher. We went to a place called "The Dome" (not like the cafe 'Dome' in Australia) and when we entered it I was in awe, there were high ceilings with huge chandeliers and the big doors were opened to a room gleaming with light and the hustle and bustle of waiters, and we were heading through those doors. My cousin had been here before and highly recommended it, her opinion has always been good in the past so I had a feeling it would be great. We both ordered a cocktail - I've forgotten the name but it had elderflower in it - whatever it was it went down a treat for me, it was very similar to a mojito: fresh and with a slight bite to it, but not overpowering in sweetness (I've gotten past really sweet cocktails as they always make me feel bloated and sluggish, and I find it takes many of them to get yourself drunk). For our meals, my cousin ordered halloumi cheese on a bed of vegetables and crusty bread, and I was really hungry at the time so went for the steak, mushroom and ale pie - perfectly heartwarming and the meat was slow cooked to perfection.

It was worth coming to The Dome, not just for good food but for the brilliant ambiance it offered there. Sitting in The Dome we felt like we were extremely important people being doted on by all the waiters and waitresses - yet we did see the VIP section and felt a little rejected, but it's nice to daydream.

After our grand feed, we did some more shopping, or more like my cousin did some more shopping and I happily followed along. I was much happier than I was in the morning because my stomach was finally full :) but as we waited for our lunch to wear off we got prepared for the best part of the day: afternoon tea at The Chocolate Lounge.

The Chocolate Lounge is in Harvey Nichols (which is a massive store with really only designer brands, a bit like the British version of Australia's David Jones). It does offer some foods that aren't covered in chocolate (last time I was here I had smoked salmon with crusty bread and salad), but the menu of course does cover an extensive range of chocolatey delights. I had one of those moments where my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I ordered a frozen mocha along with a shared mixed fondu between my cousin. I should of just shared the fondu, the drink (while it was yummy) did push my limits too far in regards to my stomach's capacity. It's called mixed fondu because basically there is dark chocolate and white chocolate which they then mixed together into a swirly pattern. Although I was unsure of it first, it was absolutely delicious, the mixing of the two actually went really well (but I was happy to see the dark chocolate overpowered the white because I find white chocolate a little too sweet for my liking).

Like always, it was a brilliant day visiting Edinburgh, however this time I think I overate way past my limit and I did end up leaving Edinburgh for Dunblane with a new bump, my food baby.

^ With the fondu you get a selection of strawberries, marshmallows, brownies, bananas, and a lemon pastry tart. ^

The strawberries and bananas will always be my favourite fondu choice :)

Bad hair days...

With only a week to go until I finally arrive in Bergen, I'm beginning to ponder on more of the things I've learnt about the city where I’ll be residing for 6 months. Like the weather for example, and from what I’ve heard I’m going to need to take an umbrella with me everyday when I venture outside, but not only this, for me in particular I’m also going to need some good hair advice. See the problem is, I have wavy hair, and yes it’s lovely having natural waves or curls, but it’s not nice when you walk outside and there’s a slight dampness or humidity to the air and your hair literally becomes a perm style gone wrong. Frizz is no friend of mine.

The reason I thought about this worry about my hair today of all days is because I am currently visiting my cousins in Dunblane, Scotland, and in Dunblane I swear it rains constantly – maybe not everyday but most of the days. I stepped outside and walked down the road with my cousin to the corner shop, probably only outside for 10 minutes at the most, it wasn’t raining but it previously had been, so it was pretty damp outside. When I came inside I caught my reflection, not because I thought, “who’s that pretty woman?” ha no more along the lines of “who’s that girl with the crazy hair?” I couldn’t believe it, how am I going to survive in Bergen where it rains more than it does here?! I won’t make any friends because I’ll look like I never wash or brush my hair!

I think this fear of my hair letting me down in the social world has stemmed from an event that occurred many years ago…

I was 14 years old (possibly going on 15) and just met some friends at the beach. The boys thought it would be funny to drag me into the water, so they did, and I got soaked up in the white wash of the waves. I wasn’t planning on getting my hair wet but it was ok as we were only at the beach (I might add there was only me and one other girl, who didn’t get thrown in or even go in the water, so she looked immaculate). Anyways, I thought we were only going to the beach, however everyone thought it would be a good idea to stop in the city – for food of all things, I mean come on you can get stuff by the sea you don’t have to trek all the way to the city! My hair goes wavy when it dries naturally, but there must be some sort of reaction with sea water, because whenever I go swimming in the sea my hair dries into crazy waves that are all over the place and not that “sexy beach waves” look that hair product companies so often promote. So anyways by the time we had arrived in the city my hair had dried into the untamed curly mess, and as I was waiting to order my food with my friend next to me, still looking immaculate, a little boy (probably about 7 years old) starts trying to get our attention. Then he makes some comments, which to this day I have still never forgotten, he turns to me and he says “You, you’re crazy…” then pointing to my friend “she’s the sexy one”. I mean seriously! When you’re a teenager you’re so aware of your appearance and it’s always a lovely token to be complimented, so for a 7 year old kid to suggest I’m crazy from the way I looked did in fact hurt a little, and I wondered whether the male company I was with were also not impressed with my horrid hair. (They probably weren’t impressed as I was forever in their “friend zone” throughout the rest of high school).

I learnt a few life lessons from that experience which are the following: try to avoid going to huge shopping centres after visiting the beach; when possible take a brush or comb to the beach (which I do and it makes my hair a little less ‘crazy’); try not to get hair too wet (although this is quite a hard task especially when the ocean is rough); and finally, don’t give a shit about what little kids think and wish that they have a shitty time growing up with their own flaws, which I hope was many for that particular kid.

So now you know of my background story of my fear of frizzy hair, I can continue on with my original story. After the frizziness I experienced today, I decided to take prior action and find the best ways to fight frizz.

I did this not through scientific testing (which would be good), but through the wonderful world of the internet that provides so much advice to the misguided, like me.

I went on a variety of websites and here are some tips I found:

-       Shampoo: these stylists seem to hate on it a little bit, but I think shampoo is still important, whether it dries out your hair a little, because it cleans you hair (as the argument goes in the movie Billy Madison). However what did intrigue me was one site stated to use shampoo that didn’t have sulphates in them. Apparently these dry out the hair and can cause frizziness to occur. So I might look out to see which products offer sulphate-free shampoo.

-        Moroccan oil: I use this religiously anyways, although I don’t use it to combat frizz but more to keep my hair (and especially my ends) healthy and conditioned. It does help with dry hair, making it more nourished. I was recommended to use Moroccan oil when I got back from the UK after a really cold winter and came back to Perth’s scorching summer. To say the least my hair did not cope well and my hairdresser noticed this and advised me to use this oil after washing my hair. I’ve used it ever since! I go a little bit mad though and I often put it on most nights on dry hair before going to bed to give my hair a bit more moisture during the night so it doesn’t dry out as much the following day.

-        Deep condition hair treatment: nearly all the sites I went on suggested this, and to do it once a week. It’s so easy (and so much cheaper) to get at home deep condition hair treatments. I used to do it back home, but again it wasn’t so much to fight frizz but to make my hair full of moisture since it does dry out sometimes. I’m undecided of the best deep condition treatments to use, supposedly it’s Moroccan oil products but I think I’ll have to search through more suggestions on it.

-       Heat-protective spray: I would only think to use this if I was blow-drying my hair, but it does seem like a good idea because even though I let my hair dry naturally quite often it might create a barrier to stop frizz whilst it dries naturally before I head outside.

-       Anti-frizz product: Now I know this seems like an obvious choice, but I hate putting on many products in my hair because surely it’s not good to layer on products day after day to your hair just like it isn’t good to lather on make-up every single day (I believe you do need to let you’re natural beauty breathe a little). However one of the websites suggested only to use a little anti-frizz product and to keep the application as light as possible, so I might give it a go.

-       Feed your hair: What??? That was my first reaction when I read the title, but the suggestion was to not only drink plenty of water (which is THE best remedy to skin and hair problems – I’m constantly reading the preaching of drinking as much water as you can a day, stating to try drink more than 2L or at least 2L. I try but it’s a little hard), the other suggestion was to eat half an avocado a day. Odd. I knew avocado was a super food, but apparently it improves your hair, skin and nails. I like avocados but I’m not sure I could commit myself to eating half a day.

So with all this in my mind, I will conduct my own scientific research and TRY these suggestions and see whether they hold to truth or not. So keep updated once I hit Bergen!

The only other advice I have learned, which is much easier, is to wear your hair up or in braids and then you won’t have to deal (as much) with the potential frizziness that could come at any chance of rain or humidity. Problem is, I’m really lazy and therefore bad at many hairstyles, but I guess it’s just a good opportunity to learn some new hairstyles :)

It's a nice day for a Scottish wedding

I visited Wick in Scotland not solely to see my family friends, but also to see one of my friends get married.

This was my first ever proper Scottish wedding, while I had seen Scottish friends at Australian weddings dress in their traditional kilts, I had not seen a whole wedding party kitted out with man skirts.

Apart from every male wearing a kilt, I didn’t know what else to expect from a Scottish wedding, so I was eager to see what it would be like compared to the standard Australian wedding. I was even more eager than usual due to hearing a Scottish friend tell me that they found Australian weddings quite informal with the guests not putting much effort into their attire. I didn’t really understand what he meant except for the men at weddings probably being more laid back in their dress, but as far as the women go I thought they dressed quite nicely and appropriately for weddings.

Maybe not though…

I had taken with me a real pretty dress for the wedding, but as a result of tiredness from travelling I really wanted to leave my hair it’s usual waves but I mustered some effort and straightened my hair properly to make sure I didn’t leave any messy kinks (which takes ages which is why I never do it). Now at the weddings I have been to in Australia (which isn’t many I might add) the women don’t really go out of their way to get their hair done, and if they do, it’s usually just a blow dry to make it lovely and straight, but no ever really gets their hair done up in pretty waves or buns unless they are a bridesmaid (and of course the bride). So, with this in mind I thought I had done quite a good job with my hair and would fit in quite well. This was not so much case… While I’m sure I did look lovely, to my surprise these women at the wedding were dressed with lots of effort and care. Majority were all wearing long dresses, some looking like ball gowns even! Not just this but they all had their hair done really lovely – I had only ever got my hair done up properly for my ball – and most were either wearing hats or fascinators (I have seen women wear hats at weddings before, but it’s usually the older generation, whereas I’ve only really seen young women wear fascinators or hats at the horse races). I have to admit, I did feel slightly under dressed and felt like everyone might think I didn’t make as much effort (but it’s not about me anyways, it’s about the bride and groom!). After seeing these women though, I could comprehend why my friend thought people were under dressed at weddings in Australian. I was actually overwhelmed how different it was here with the women! There were many men in kilts, as I knew and expected, and I must say I loved it. I don’t know there’s just something about men in kilts, perhaps it’s due to my curiosity of whether they are going commando underneath their skirt or not…

(Note: while I did threaten to get drunk and lift up many kilts before the wedding, I held on to my pride and acted like a proper lady and only got slightly drunk but lifted no kilts)

Another cool thing about Scottish weddings was how EVERYONE got up to dance, literally everyone! It wasn’t just people dancing around on their own either, they had a variety of slow dances for couples and also fast paced ones which many couples danced too. It was lovely to see, because apart from after the first couple dance where everyone is invited to the dance floor, most people just dance solo in a group with others but there is no more couple dances. What else was lovely was the traditional Scottish dances (which again are all with partners), I absolutely loved watching them but I was pretty gutted I didn’t know how to do them otherwise I would have been up on the dance floor as well. Ah well, there is always another Scottish wedding I’ll hopefully be invited to and I’ll make sure I learn the dances before the day.

There’s another tradition, which comes before the wedding day, and it is a really weird one. I have never in my life heard of this tradition before, supposedly it’s Scottish (I thought it might just be the highland towns) but on further chats it seems to be the coastal fishery towns in Scotland. It’s called a ‘doing’, basically during the week of their wedding the bride and groom are taken by friends in their town tied to chairs and have all sorts of stuff thrown up them, and this is apparently meant to give them good luck to their future together. I was told usually it’s flour and eggs that are thrown at them, but this has changed. The bride and groom had everything disgusting you can think of thrown at them: fish guts, soured milk, manure, bloody raw meat, even the groom had a bucket of urine thrown in his face (I don’t think this is usually done, I think someone went a step too far). I can’t think of anything worse! And it’s meant to be good luck! The only thing I could relate to how that’s meant to be good luck is the saying that it’s good luck if a bird shits on you, and the joke goes that it’s only good luck because your day can’t get any worse, well if I had all that stuff thrown at me I definitely would think my whole year couldn’t get any worse to that! Not only this, but even as I sat there shocked listening to this ‘tradition’ they were all shocked with me! They couldn’t believe I had never heard of a ‘doing’! I said if you did that in Australia people would think you’re bloody crazy insane! Now maybe if it was just flour and eggs I would let this happen to me, but when filth and rotten stuff get’s involved there is no way I, or any of my friends in Australia, would let this happen to them. While I did laugh at how shocking this tradition was, I still find it strange as to how it is good luck to have piss or fish guts thrown in your face.

Back to the wedding though,

Overall the whole wedding was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed every single second of it, and I definitely think the Scottish weddings are the best weddings to be a part of. Kilts, bagpipes, fresh seafood, loads of booze, loads of dancing, loads of laughter… what more could you ask for? 

The Beach House

The "Beach House" is at Ackergill Tower in the highlands of Scotland, the day before my friend's wedding we had a BBQ there for some of the family and friends of the bride and groom. Unfortunately I didn't get to stay there the night as it was just for the bridal party, but I did get to have a snoop before any of the guests arrived for dinner...

Here's a sneaky look for you too:

^ Mushrooms growing on trees! Apparently they are not edible ^

 

^ View of Ackergill Tower (actually a castle) from the beach house ^

  

^ View of the front of the beach house ^

^ View from the front door, looking out towards the ocean ^

I didn't take photos of every bedroom, but in total there were 5 rooms and the place could sleep up to 10 people. They had names for every room which I found quite cute, there was "pebbles" and "mermaid" among the ones I can recall.  There were two rooms that were my favourite, the first was the conservatory (or sunroom as others might call it) which you can see in the 9th image down. I absolutely love these rooms!!! My aunty in another part of Scotland has one and I love just sitting there in the warmth reading books or chilling out. I think the reason why I like the conservatory so much is because you have the ambiance of feeling like you're outdoors but still have the luxury of being indoors (meaning not getting irritated by pesky flies or other bugs). While you don't see them much in Australia as what you do here in the UK, I am definitely investing in one when I have my own house... one day... whenever it may be...
My other favourite room was the main bedroom (not sure if I'd call it the master bedroom, because every room in this house had an en suite bathroom so they all felt like master bedrooms). It was up at the very top of the stairs and had slanted walls which I love because the light that shines in from the windows is absolutely lovely because due to the slant it shines right on the room (see the second last photo - you can see the sunlight beaming on the bed). Yet the best part of this room wasn't the slanted roof, no, it was much, much better. As I walked around the room, I notice at the very end away from the bed there were two doors that looked like they would open to a wardrobe. Instead they opened out onto the bathroom and the first object I was greeted with was the beautiful deep bath (see the last photo). I actually wanted to close the doors, hide away, and lay in that bath until I looked old and wrinkly. It was so cool how the doors hid it away so well, it looked nothing like bathroom doors but actual wardrobe doors, it was really deceiving to the unknown visitor.

Nevertheless, even though I didn't stay in this beach house, I did get some wicked new ideas for the wish list of my dream house.

If the dream house doesn't happen? Well at least I know I can come stay at the Ackergill Tower beach house and think it's my own house, even if just for one night. 

You will meet a shirtless, Scottish stranger

When you're travelling, whether on your own or with a group of people, you'll always make many new friends along the way, and these friends will most likely become a part of your life and remain there for quite some time.

But what about those other journeys we take, and we meet a stranger who is travelling on the same train, bus, or plane. We converse with them and find out stories about their lives, but then when we arrive at our destination, we go our separate ways and never see that person again.

While I cherish all the friends I've met along the way in all my travels, I'll always remember those people who I met on the train, bus, or plane and never see them again. I don't remember their name, I might not even remember the stories they tell me, but I always remember that moment.

There are two instances which really stand out in my mind, the first was when I was 17 years old and with my parents and our flight got diverted to Istanbul instead of London Heathrow (due to severe weather); the second was more recently, on my train ride from London to Inverness.

When I was diverted to Istanbul, all the passengers on the flight were put together in this beautiful hotel (all paid and provided by the airline), and we stayed there for 3 days, unable to get back into London Heathrow airport which was covered in thick snow. During this time we met many people on the same flight, we spoke about where they were going, where they were from and slowly gained pieces to parts of their life, as they did with ours. Yet when we finally arrived in London, everyone went their own separate ways, and just like that we never saw any of them ever again.

Similar to this, on the train from London to Inverness, there was a girl who would of been close to my age too, sitting near me (along with a Scottish man who immediately became shirtless as soon as he stepped on the train, but that's a different story). I guess because it was such a long trip, and because it was so hot in the train, a few words were expressed here and there before eventually turning into conversations. Once we had finally arrived at Inverness, again the same thing happened, we all went off in our separate directions, never saw them again, and probably would never think of them again except when reminiscing about the eventful train journey we all shared (see my post travelling on trains if you want to know THAT story).

Maybe it's because these journeys were long and filled with delays and problems, and maybe because we were all so tired with the events that had occurred that the usual barriers put up against strangers crumbled down so we would let them in to our lives.

Whatever the reason, I'll always remember these small but memorable instances which did not greatly affect my life, but affected my memory just a little. I'll always be fond of those moments we have throughout life with strangers who seem to affect us just a little in that one moment, but then in an instant they'll disappear from our life completely.

Travelling on trains

In one of my first posts I wrote about how one cannot keep up their appearance whilst travelling on a plane, unless you were in first class or took bountiful amounts of beauty products with you to maintain yourself. Well while I travel by planes, whilst in the UK I travel often by trains because while it takes longer than just catching a plane, it is significantly cheaper, and you can get a chance to see so much more of the countryside than you would above the clouds in a plane.

Be warned though: if unprepared for a train journey, you could be in for a bad time.

So here’s some advice from me to you:

-       Book your tickets in advance! They will be much, much cheaper than if you purchase them on the day of travel. In addition to this, you also get to choose your seat.

-       When picking a seat, choose every preference you desire. Usually I pick a table because you get more room and can sprawl your stuff everywhere instead of at your feet (although be mindful of the types of people who share the table with, they might not appreciate it), and sit facing forwards (although backwards isn’t a huge issue), but one absolutely must choose a window! The best part about travelling on trains is being able to see so much of the countryside, and the countryside is incredibly beautiful heading north into Scotland, so don’t miss out on seeing it!

-       Bring plenty of food and water on your journey, but buy in advance at places like Tesco which are very cheap and offer many specials, unlike the food offered on the trains which prices are based on tourism charges so they will take unnecessary money from your pocket. (Also, since you have a lot of food it is always nice offering some to those sitting on your table, especially if you are taking up a bit of room, it’ll sweeten them up so they won’t notice your mess on the shared table).

-       Wear comfortable clothes. Most train journeys are quite long, so just like you would in a plane; choose comfort over style (or better yet, find comfy, stylish clothes!)

-       Bring hand sanitizer! The sinks don’t work very well, and you eventually feel very filthy once you reach your destination so at least this helps keep you fresh (I forgot mine on my train journey, my hands were hating me for the whole journey and I was filled with regret and kicked myself for forgetfulness).

-       Make sure your iPod is fully charged --- there is nothing worse than having your iPod die on a long journey and you have no other form of entertainment (I always take my iPod with me for good tunes whilst looking at the scenery, and also a book, and my laptop because sometimes wifi is available on certain trains).

Unfortunately, no matter how prepared you think you are for your upcoming journey, things don’t always go to plan and terrible events may occur.

This is the story of my recent train journey that was from London Euston station to Wick, Scotland. I had to take an overnight sleeper train from London to Inverness, and then in the morning catch my connecting train from Inverness to Wick. I left London at 7.50pm on Monday and did not arrive in Wick until 3pm Tuesday – that is how long my journey was. Usually I break up the journey by spending a couple of days in Dunblane with family before heading up, but due to time constraints I had to take the overnight train in order to get to my destination. I had never caught a sleeper train before so was a little apprehensive about it, especially because I was travelling with a cheap fare so I didn’t get a cabin with a bed like everyone assumes they would on a sleeper train, no instead I just had a normal seat and therefore did not have the luxury of privacy but these things happen in life, and you just have to suck it up and not make a fuss. Anyways, when I got on the train it was extremely hot; it actually felt like we had stepped into a sauna. While this may have been nice in the winter months, it was summer and London was in a middle of a heat wave, so it was actually ridiculously boiling inside the train carriage. There were about 12 of us passengers heading to Inverness in that carriage, and everyone else on the train were either in different carriages, in first class, or in cabins. Still we kept our spirits high and thought once the train started to move it would probably cool down. It didn’t. The real problem was that not only was the air conditioner broken, but also the windows were sealed so none of us could open them to get fresh breeze. I was sweating and angry at my choice of clothes as I did not expect it to be this hot, but I just sat there and melted away whilst trying to enjoy the scenery outside. It did not cool down in our carriage until about 2-3 hours later when the sun started to set, and I thought maybe I would be able to sleep all right in the end. Then we received some amazing news, due to a passenger consistently complaining about the heat in our carriage (our carriage was the only one with broken air conditioning) and as a result of many free cabins on the train, we got upgraded to cabins! We were all quite chuffed as we got to sleep in an actual bed instead of seats! Who said complaining got you nowhere, because it got 12 of us an upgrade and we didn’t even say anything! Although, every high peak has it’s downfall on the other side, and this wicked downfall came into my vision the next morning. I found out, after waking up at 8am thinking I’d be getting to Inverness at 8.30am, that we were delayed by 2 hours. Now I didn’t really care so much about another 2 hours, but I was freaking out with worry thinking I would miss my connecting train. Fortunately I made my connecting train on time, and funnily enough this train was warm too, so I was already in a sweaty filthy state, but I had to endure another 4 hours in another warm train making myself even more sweaty and filthy than before. It was worse than flying, if that is even possible (at least planes are always unbelievably cold so there is no chance of sweating furiously).

When I finally arrived in Wick and got to shower in the pure clean Scottish water, I felt fresh again and it was then and there I vowed to myself never ever should I go on an overnight sleeper train, not even if it’s the cheaper option. There is only so many times when I can rough it, and I’ve had enough of roughing it. 

"Look at your face!"

Last Friday my cousin organised for us to have a facial at Origins in Boots, Brighton. Origins skincare provide facials using their products, and if you’ve never been before you get your first facial free! Who could ever pass up a free facial? I sure didn’t, and I loved the fact Origins skincare is from plant-based ingredients so it’s not filled with harsh chemicals (although I’m still torn as to whether I should switch since I love Body Shop for using fair trade products and not testing on animals).

The way it works (as would be the same with any facial) is the person asks you about your skin – whether you have redness, are prone to pimples, oily/dry skin, etc – and also about your skincare regime (although our lady didn’t get us to go too much in to detail, just asked how often we exfoliated). Then after reading over your skin problems, they choose from a variety of products to help you with your skin. Now I’m quite lucky with my skin as I hardly ever get any pimples (only usually when I’m stressing out to the max, or leaning my hand on my chin which obviously causes dirt to get in my pores – I never learn though), the only real issue I have with my skin is it’s a little dry sometimes and I get red so easily. I don’t even need to use blush because literally anything can trigger my skin to go red: the heat, embarrassment, laughter, stress, anger, alcohol (especially red wine, my dad always likes it when I drink red wine because I have only 2 glasses and my cheeks go rosy red). Anyways back to the facial now, so the lady used the following products for my facial: face cleanser, treatment lotion (toner), face lotion, face serum, SPF15 moisturiser, eye cream, face mask, face scrub.

It took half an hour and this is how she did my facial (in case anyone feels like doing a DIY at home with their own products): Firstly she cleaned my face with the cleanser THEN used the scrub (now I have never been told to wash my face with cleanser BEFORE exfoliating, usually I just clean my face with water, but this lady told me you should clean it properly to get rid of any dirt inside pores, is the truth or a con? I don’t know…). After the scrub came the toner which supposedly “brings back the skins’ pH balance” (I never knew this either, again is it fact or fiction?), then the lady used the face mask which you’re meant to leave on for 30 minutes, but I only got 10 minutes and apparently this “would be good enough”. After the mask she washed it off, used the cleanser AGAIN and the toner “to bring back the pH balance”, then used face lotion for moisturising but then also used a face serum “to reduce the redness”, and on top of this used another moisturiser “because it has SPF” (in my opinion I don’t think it really would be good for the skin to use this many moisturisers/serums, why not just one which has all 3 components: moisturiser, redness reducer, SPF). To finish off, she used an eye cream to help reduce the look of tiredness and puffiness, and dusted my face off with some powder. She also used some product I have no idea about (she didn’t write it on my form like the other products! Now I will never know!!) that she made me sniff 3 times in big breaths and then rubbed it (it was cream I think) just below my cheekbone. It was for calming, I think it was peppermint and lavender among the ingredients. Whatever it was, it was amazing, it kept tingling all day and made both my cousin and I feel really fresh.

Even though those products were used quite ridiculously, we actually looked amazing. My cousin and I looked so fresh! It’s like we had completely new, untouched skin and we felt paranoid walking around the streets in the city air knowing this new fresh skin would be tainted by the pollution in the air.

It couldn’t last forever though, and I had to put make-up that night so I ruined my freshness, but my skin did still feel really soft and smooth and glowing and radiant the following day, so obviously something was done right by Origins.

I didn’t buy any of their products because I’m still pretty devoted to Body Shop and although Origins’ products were made from natural ingredients I feel if I used the same routine with Body Shop products the same result could be achieved.

However there is one product of Origins I would definitely buy and recommend to anyone. The eye cream, which is called GinZing eye, is worth investing in. I always have tired looking eyes as a result of working late in front of a screen doing university assignments and research, then having to get up earlier than my body would allow, yet this product literally reduced the bags under my eyes instantly. I have never seen a product work so well for what it is intended to do, so I was extremely impressed. You’re supposed to put it on day and night, but personally I think you can just use it once a day.

For my Aussie friends, if you’re interested in Origins, unfortunately it is only available in selected major cities – but I’m sure it can be found in Myer or David Jones in the likes of Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Note: if you do find Origins in Australia, I’m not sure the offer of a free facial is valid there, it might only be a Boots pharmacy deal here in the UK.

 ^ My cousin during her facial ^

"Oh I do like to be beside the seaside..."

The reason it's been a little bit longer between posts is because I was away down in the south of Britain, in Worthing and Brighton.

Firstly I would just like to say that Brighton is my absolute favourite place in the whole of the United Kingdom, and it always will be. When I was working in the UK just over 18 months ago I got to work in Worthing, which is only a 10 minute train ride to Brighton, so I got to visit Brighton on all my days off without having to pay the rent price tag if I was living there.

Here is a picture of the Brighton seaside:

I was fortunate enough to get a really sunny (and quite hot I might add) day in Brighton, I was even tempted to go for a swim in the water but I decided to avoid walking on the pebbles and get an ice-cream instead which was just as lovely and still gives a nod to the British summer.

I won't go into all about Brighton, but while I was there, I did come across some new places and things that either weren't there 2 years ago, or I just didn't notice them at the time. So here's a few:

Now Brighton pier has always caught my attention for all the rides, arcades, bars, restaurants and all sorts of attractions. I turn into a massive kid when I go to the pier because it's like a showground but it's even better because all those attractions are held up on the pier over the sea. This time however I got EVEN MORE excited because there was a new ride I had never seen before, and it was insane! I'm not sure how to best explain it or what the actual name is, but it looked like a crane and there'd be about maybe 4 or so people sitting in one pod and at the other end of the crane there would be another pod again with the same amount of people; the crane would then slowly tilt each side like a see-saw before getting really fast so in the end it wasn't like a see-saw but a really fast ferris wheel by moving in a circular direction; not only this but the pods themselves were moving, spinning around just as fast in all different directions. Yet this isn't the best part about the ride, what made it so insane is that when the crane moved around you literally would be over the ocean at some point during the ride. Here's a photo (the crane is standing tall in the middle because it wasn't moving at the time):

While the Brighton sea-front is beautiful and filled with a lot of fun, really the highlight of Brighton (and what it's renowned for) is the lanes. My cousin and I went wandering through them, and the usual places I love were all still there. What I love about the stores in the lanes is that they are all unique, and this is why I love Brighton, because you can find one-of-a-kind pieces, labels, and designers, and no where else in the UK or even the world will have them. I came across a new store while my cousin was shopping for a new clutch bag, it was called "Beretun Designs" and at first I thought it was just a wedding store but I soon discovered they had many accessories and shoes to offer (although the wedding clothes, shoes and accessories were absolutely amazing!). The owners design and hand craft all the shoes and accessories themselves - I saw one particular shoe that had a crystal encrusted butterfly on the front of a white shoe and it was then I thought "I must come back to Brighton specifically for wedding shoes and accessories!". My cousin found the bag she had been searching for all day which was equally as beautiful and unique as the shoes I saw: 

Luckily for all of us who don't reside near Brighton, there is a Facebook page, so if you want to check out some of the wicked accessories and shoes, search on Facebook "Beretun Designs by Linda Johnson", or alternatively here's the website www.beretundesigns.co.uk.

That's all about Brighton for now, but I will be posting a little more about Brighton (just about my facial pamper session I got for free with my cousin) and about Worthing too, but unfortunately at this present moment I have to get ready for my next train journey to Scotland :)

Keep an eye out for some upcoming posts this week!

Tasha's Top Vintage Places in London

There's no doubt about it, England has some of the coolest vintage and retro stores and markets in the Western world... well in my opinion anyways.

After visiting Camden Town yesterday I thought I would write this post on some of my favourite vintage stores I've so far found in England.

Here are my picks:

• Camden Town markets - right near the entrance to the stables, there is a line of vintage and retro stores. Some are a bit wacky with their clothing, but this is always useful if you have to go to say a disco fever themed party. However there are some really good quality clothes as well - you'll find cashmere, leather, German war parkas, fur coats (yes, most of the time it is real fur) among some of the garments available. One of the stores even has old school bikes!
• Beyond Retro - you can find this in London and Brighton (and can also order online see: http://www.beyondretro.com/). Personally, my favourite is Brighton as it is a bigger store, but in both of them you'll find loads of clothes, shoes, and accessories. This store literally has anything you can think of, and it is arranged in an easy and organised manner, so if you're looking for something in particular, like cable knit jumpers, you will find them all on the same rack together. One of the things I love about this place as well, which you'll also find on the website, is that it states the quality and wear of the garment which justifies the price, so for example it could have "never worn, hardly worn, extremely worn" and will also point out if it has any stains or damage on it, but majority of the clothes they have are in really good quality and still are pretty cheap in price. 
• Brighton - there are so many vintage and retro stores in Brighton, too many to name (and I've forgotten many of the names), and you can find them in the high street but also in the lanes as well. I definitely think Brighton has the best vintage and retro stores, particularly because of the range and variety it has. So if you're ever in Brighton, the best thing to do is just look around and you'll come across a vintage and retro store in a matter of minutes.
• Portobello Market -  another one of my favourite markets in England, the best time to go is on the weekend as this has everything from food markets, to antiques, to clothes. There are many different stalls of clothes, and it's all out in the open as it is a road market. This is probably the best place to look for fur coats, when I've visited before I had found a large range of fur coats at many of the stalls, and in all different varieties too such as long ones, short ones, vests, etc. These markets are a bit of a win or lose for clothes, unlike the other places mentioned, so you just have to look more at the quality of the clothes here but all the coats were in really good quality. As these are road markets, you're most likely find these are cheaper vintage clothes too. 

Well that's all I have for my list for now, they are my favourite ones I have so far come across in my time in England, but I am sure they are many more to find!

      ^ The vintage stores at Camden Town ^


Feel free to comment if you have any favourite vintage and retro places in England, or places you think I should check out :)

Camden is calling

While I love Carnaby Street, Camden Town tops the list of my favourite places in greater London. Whenever I visit here, I know I must go there or my trip to England will feel incomplete. There is just something about the place, it's vibe is so attracting - and while it has changed over the years with less Cockney's on the stalls and more people from other cultures and backgrounds replacing them, the essence of Camden Town still remains. There is still all the same stores along the high street, such as the various stores filled with punk and gothic clothing, along with many Doc Martin shops too, and the Camden Town market and stables has remained more or less the same.

Even though many of the stalls in the market and the stores along the high street cater a lot for the tourists who flood to Camden, it's image of a punk and music town is still untouched. While there are many tourists frantically taking as many photos as they can to take it all in, if you ignore what you're taking a photo of and look at the people walking around the streets, you'll often see many punks and goths roaming among the tourists too.

Yet it's not just punks and goths that make up the scene of Camden, but other groups as well. While looking through all the different stalls I came across one solely dedicated to trilby hats, which I really liked, and then coming out of the stables I noticed I knew store soon to make an appearance at Camden, "The Modfather Clothing Company". As the name suggests, it's a store completely dedicated to the Mod style. I was gutted it wasn't ready for opening yet, but there was a wicked scooter parked outside to fuel the excitement for the prospective store.

Another thing that I love about Camden is there is music playing everywhere, and not music played via iPods or any other new technology, but music playing from CDs and vinyls. I find people have so much more love for music when playing a vinyl record because you have to really think about your selection of what to play and which side of the record to play as well.

Apart from the vibe and essence of Camden Town, there is one thing I personally love more and is one of the reasons why I always revisit the markets: the unique knick knacks you can pick up from the stalls. I absolutely love the stalls which have one of a kind pieces whether it be jewellery and accessories, or pictures, or signs, or antiques, it's all there! Carpe Diem is by far my favourite of the stalls for original pieces, this is the store where I want to buy things for my glory box (because when I eventually move out from my parents, I want to have some really cool gifts to fill my home with). Unfortunately there is no actual website for the place, so if you want to buy anything from then you have to get it in Camden - I'm thinking I might get a few little pieces that are easy to take before I head home, because you never know I might not see the things I want again in Perth or even when I visit Camden again in another few years.

Although Camden Town attracts loads of tourists, it doesn't attract tourist prices, in fact you'll find many things in the stalls are quite cheap and will offer deals, for example canvas prints you can get one (depending on the size, so in this case it's 6x4) for 5 pounds, or 3 for 10 pounds. If you're really strapped for cash and are hungry, you might also be lucky to get a little feed for free - there are HEAPS of food stalls in the markets and a lot of them will offer free samples of their food to try entice you to buy lunch from them, but you could always go around to the different food stalls and try their samples, by the time you've got around most of them you'd have eaten enough to make up for a small lunch! (I don't encourage ripping people off, but if you have not enough money left for a feed and you're really hungry, this is an option).

(NB: There is also one other aspect of Camden I like, which is the vintage stalls - but I've gone into more detail of this in my next blog which is my top places for vintage in England.)

Lost in London

Even though I have visited London many times and can remember some of the ways I know, there are still loads more places that I have no sense of direction in, but that's all part of the fun!
I wander around trying to find paths that may lead to something exciting - on the one hand it might lead me to a dead end, or nothing interesting at all, although on the other hand there could be something that I never noticed was there before.

This happened to me when I visited Covent Garden yesterday - I last went to the markets there around five years ago, yet while I can remember many things I couldn't really remember this place vividly. When I exited the station, I didn't even go the right way to the markets, I thought to myself "just wing it, you'll eventually find your bearings". I walked down a long round which from a distance seemed to hold something appealing at the horizon and then I ended up finding myself at Leicester Square. Sitting in the centre park I noticed people with M&M bags, but I didn't really think too much of it, until... I turn around about to head back up to find another path when I suddenly see M&M's World.

I have always had this spoken to me from other visitors to England, but I never recalled myself actually going inside myself. As soon as I walked it, the place smelled amazing, you are greeted with a massive whiff of chocolate, making it even more inviting.

                                          ^ It sure is!

       ^ It might not look it from the picture, but this is actually completely made from M&Ms ^

I restrained myself this time (unlike in Choccywoccydoodah) and just looked without succumbing to become the next holder of an M&M World bag.

Instead I wandered back to Covent Garden and was immediately filled with memories of my time visiting the markets with my family when I was 15 years old. So while I didn't find anything new, I did re-find my previous childhood memories.

The point of this post wasn't just to show M&M World (another chocolate tourist attraction one should visit) but to demonstrate how wandering around and getting lost instead of sticking to a controlled map or itinerary can be so much more beneficial to your journey. I didn't expect to find M&M World, or even expect to stumble in Leicester Square which is a place I had completely forgotten about.

Wandering is the best journey to have because it rekindles your memory of past and old paths (like for me with Covent Garden markets), but also presents new paths to discover too.