NOTD Nails Inc ~ Belgrave Place

I haven't done a NOTD for a while so thought I'd pop this wee beauty up for you!  I picked up Nails Inc 'Belgrave Place' from the Boots clearance shelf for just £2 a couple of months ago & when I can actually get it back from my daughter, I'm getting a lot of use from it!

It's such a fabulous colour, almost navy blue in some lights but a brighter royal blue in brighter conditions.  Either way, it's a beauty & has the exceptional quality that Nails Inc usually offers in a polish.  One week, no chips & no wear.....amazing!

Such a great shade for the impending season change!

New hair part deux!

Thanks for all of your suggestions last week!  I arrived at the salon last Thursday morning ever-so-slightly resembling Monica in Barbados (apologies if you've never seen this episode of Friends!!) due to the fine drizzle outside but having a much clearer idea in my head of what I wanted.

This was only my second visit to The Hair Warehouse in Dundee but in just those two sessions, I feel like my stylist Kirsty actually understands what I'm trying to achieve - even when I'm not entirely sure myself!!

I explained that the current colour of my hair just wasn't doing it for me & showed her my (many) Pinterest photos of what I liked.  She explained what was achievable & she was honest enough to suggest that being that much lighter wouldn't suit my skin tone.

So between us, we decided to take my hair slightly darker again but quite golden with blonde ombré underneath & round my face......and I love it!!  I feel so much more like me again being darker but the ombré really lifts it & stops it from being too much of a block colour.

Here's a couple of very grainy (ie crappy!) phone photos!

After cutting some more layers in & then rough drying, Kirsty curled my hair using Cloud Nine straighteners (which, in her opinion, are better than GHDs btw!)  I love this soft curled effect but annoyingly, I can only do one side of my hair well myself - anyone else have this problem?!  You can see a photo of the back of my hair on their website.

As expected, my hair is feeling a wee bit parched at the moment after all the abuse I've put it through since July but I'm using hair products containing argan oil which is leaving it feeling fantastic!  

So that's me feeling more like me again!  And for those of you who don't get the 'Monica' reference, here you are......!!

New hair & Pinterest addiction!

As some of you may have noticed from my wee profile picture, I had an awful lot of hair lopped off at the beginning of July - about 16" in fact!  My hair is naturally thinning at the moment (see this post) & teamed with a disastrous haircut back in April when my stylist did not stop cutting & thinned it out far, far too much leaving it thin & straggly, I decided to cut it all off & start again.  That's the problem when you wear glasses & have to remove them at the salon, you can no longer see how much is being taken off until it's too late!  I've since found a new stylist....

At this point, I decided to start lightening my hair too as although I adored the colour of my hair, touching up my white roots every 3 weeks was becoming a real chore.  I thought by going lighter it would disguise my roots for a bit longer.  But I'm still not quite happy with my barnet!

This is what I started off with.....

Actually, this is quite an old photo, it was even longer than this!  When I first had it cut off & had the first lot of highlights, this is how it looked....

....and a couple of months down the line with even more highlights in, I'm now at this stage.....

(Apologies for the photo, it was late & I'd had a glass or 3 of vino at this point!!!)

You can see how much it's grown in just 2 months & I'm now having a cut & colour dilemma.  Do I keep it shorter like in the first photo, which I like the length of but involves much more styling than I'm used to or grow it to about shoulder length, so I have the option of tying up? (I do miss being able to have a messy bun!!!)

I'm also torn with the colour aspect of it.  I can't go back as dark as I was due to the shocking white roots problem but I'm still not entirely sure being blonde is 'me', if that makes sense!  I do like it but at the moment, it's just too in between. It either needs to be significantly blonder like these.....

....or I'm rather liking the balayage effect at the moment too.....

Or I could go to a golden light brown keeping the front blonder (as that's where my hair is now at it's whitest!!)

If it wasn't for the fact I'd get horrendous root glare, I'd be going this colour again for autumn!

So help me out please, do I keep it shorter or grow longer, blonder or more golden?  Seriously, I need help, I'm back in the salon on Thursday for the colour to be done again & I'd appreciate honest opinions!!!

You may have noticed that all but one of the images are taken from my Pinterest board (addicted much?!)  If anyone wants to have a nosy at my other Pinterest boards, you can find me here!

Autumn casual

                 

Autumn casual by fortytherapy


So there's a definite nip in the air in the mornings now, the cosy cardis are being unpacked & I get the urge to walk a lot more! I don't know what it is about autumn, but I love it when wee man has been dropped off at school & I can come back, harness up donkey-dog & take him over the park for a wander.

I've spoken before about how I have a mahoosive country park just across from our house & it's great walking round the reservoirs on sunny, crisp mornings.  I'm one of those annoying people who love this transitional stage from summer to autumn, the clothes are so much more 'me'!!

The above outfit is my standard sort of everyday, chuck-it-on outfit & what you'll mainly find me wearing on a daily basis.  I'm suddenly being drawn back to boot-cut jeans again after many, many months of skinnies & these from Next are gorgeous.  They're a slim boot-cut with a high-waist to suck in the muffin top - fabulous! - and are my preferred colour of denim.

On top is a simple white slub t-shirt, again from Next with a boyfriend blazer from Matalan.  I don't go here an awful lot but popped in a couple of weeks ago & spotted this.  I knew it'd be perfect to throw on & it was only £16, bargain!  I've also added a grey & white animal print scarf - just because I love it!

I spotted this Fossil bag on the John Lewis website & love it but I can't justify spending £129 on a cross-body bag so I'll have to find a cheaper alternative!

The red Converse are a staple item in my wardrobe & I've gone through many pairs of them.  I am actually in need of new ones again but I'm trying to hold out until we go to New York as they're much cheaper over there!!  And with such a plain colour outfit, I have to add a wee pop of colour on my lips & the Revlon Just Bitten crayons are fab for a hint of tint!

You may be wondering why there's a camera on my outfit list too.  I'd been looking at getting a new compact advanced system camera for all my travels next year but my husband pointed out a few weeks ago that I would then be lugging around a bigger camera & needing to change lenses etc so as a compromise, he went out & bought me this fab Fujifilm XF-1 instead - he's fab!!!  Although it's essentially a point & shoot camera, it's jam-packed full of extras & it's taking me ages to suss out all of the settings, hence why it comes out with me all of the time now so I can practise!!  But I so love the retro style of it & the fact it has a red leather casing!

I'm also loving Polyvore at the moment so expect a few more outfit posts coming up - I need to build up to WIWT posts with full-length photos of myself!!

*I wrote this post 10 days ago & have only just realised that I'd left it in draft form, doh!!!*

The one no one wants to talk about.....

Yes ladies, I'm talking about Cervical Screening!  I realise it's a a bit of a weird/TMI subject to discuss on here but I'd like to write about it nonetheless.  I knew I was overdue for my Cervical Screening (CS from now on) but like a lot of other things, it kept getting pushed further down my to-do list.  However, at the end of July I was reading a post from one of my favourite bloggers, Stacey from Expat Makeup Addict & it shocked me to the core to read that she had just been diagnosed as having cervical cancer.  She is only in her early 30s & by her own admission, she kept putting off booking in for a CS (which, like mine) was well overdue & she has now had to face the reality of not having children of her own due to having had a radical hysterectomy. 

I felt so deeply shocked after reading this post that I picked the phone up straight away & booked in for a CS, even though it would then be another 6 weeks until they could fit me in.  But last week, my appointment arrived so after some serious hair removal (ahem, ahem!!) off I went to the GP surgery.

I'll admit that I felt a bit nervous, after all, it's not a nice thought of what is about to happen.  But there are a lot of people out there who are petrified of getting this simple test done & I'd like to allay their fears a little by discussing the procedure.

First & foremost, this does NOT hurt in the slightest, not one tiny bit.  It wasn't even uncomfortable, there were just a few seconds where it felt weird - like something was tickling me deep down in my belly!!  I was in & out of the treatment room in 9 minutes & 8 of those minutes were spent getting my blood pressure taken & generally nattering with the lovely nurse about early menopause, living in France & exams!  She left me to get undressed behind the curtain & I hopped on the couch & waited for her to come back in.  She covered me with paper towel at this point so I didn't feel quite as exposed & then did what she had to do.  One difference I noticed to my last CS was that they now use plastic speculums so you get none of the shock of a cold, metal one being inserted - much better!!  No word of a lie, this part took a measly 50 seconds to do - yes, I was timing it & I explained I was going to do a blog post on it.  She was very pleased with any sort of information getting 'out there' about CS as it really does save lives.  This link will explain more about the procedure.

Later on that evening, I did experience some cramping (about a 5 on a scale of 1 -10!) but it was nothing that a couple of paracetemol & a warm wheatie couldn't fix.  I also had light spotting the following day, which can be normal I believe so again nothing to worry about & I should get my results in 2 - 3 weeks.

At the moment, CS is offered to women between the ages of 20-60 in Scotland & 25-64 for the rest of the UK (I strongly believe the age limit should be lowered to match Scotland though).  So I really just wanted stress the importance of booking in for CS, especially if any of you are overdue for your test, hopefully it'll remind you to book in asap! A 9 minute appointment every 3 years is really not a lot to ask.

*Edited to add information!*

Clarks A/W 2014 wishlist

                    

Clarks A/W 2014 wishlist by fortytherapy


So whilst perusing the Clarks website this morning, as you do, I've noticed that they've got some really great choices again for this season.  There are quite a few pairs that have made my wishlist, if only my budget would allow me to have them all!!  From top to bottom starting on the left;

Orinoco Jive in Brown £89.99
I had a pair of these last year in black & I just love them.  I wore them to death last year but I think they'll last another winter so I'd like to get them in brown for this year.

Freckle Ice in Navy £44.99
Another duplicate of ones that I had last year, although in red rather than navy.  These are ridiculously comfortable & unlike a lot of other ballet flats, the front comes quite high up meaning your toes aren't gripping onto the soul for dear life to stop them slip-slapping off you feet as you walk!  So glad they're available in navy (but please reintroduce them in red too Clarks, I need another pair!)

Busby Folly in Dark Tan £69.99
I love tasseled loafers but find a lot of other ones have the same problem as ballet flats, they come too low on the toes.  These look higher up so I'll be trying these on instore.

Hotel Chic in Black Interest Leather £65.00
I love the mix of leather & patent on this pair of tasseled loafers.  Slightly less chunky looking than the Busby Folly, not sure whether I prefer that though!

Hamble Oak in Dark Green £59.99
I know everyone & their dog had a pair of Hamble Oaks last year but I still love them & the dark green is a great colour.

Nessa Clare in Black £110.00
Another duplicate of boots I've bought in the past.  I bought these 2 years ago (when they sure as hell didn't cost £110!!!) & are the only riding boot style I've found to fit my wide calves.  Although my calves are wide, my feet & ankles aren't so usual extra wide fitting boots as like baggy wellies on me.  These are the perfect fit & very comfortable.  Mine may last another winter but if not, I would repurchase (might have to wait for a voucher code though!)

Amos Kendra in black Suede £69.99
I love these shoe/boots (shoots?).  I have many (many!) pairs of shoes that I can no longer wear as they're just too high for me now, I seem to have lost the ability to walk in them so I'm going to eBay them & replace with new ones!  These are the perfect height for me now & will go with pretty much everything.

Kendra Aviva in Black Suede £79.99
Again, for the reasons above re heel height.  I tried these on last winter & loved them then so this year I definitely want to get them!

Movie Retro in Dark Grey £89.99
I have a similar pair to these in black but I love the dark grey colour of these & the quilting on them.  Not sure I can justify buying them but I'll certainly be trying them on (and consequently talking myself out of purchasing because I'll inevitably love them!)

Mezze Game in Taupe £110.00
I lurve these boots but between these & the Orinoco Jive, I'll be getting the latter.  I'll be honest & say that is purely down to cost, I'm not sure what warrants these being £20 more expensive?

So lots of gorgeous footwear around but has anyone else noticed that Clarks prices seem to have jumped considerably lately?  I know when you break it down into cost-per-wear they work out reasonable but I really baulk at forking out £100 for a pair of boots!!  However, they last really well, fit perfectly & are ridiculously comfortable & I just don't do bad shoes anymore, my feet can't take it!!!

What's going to be on your feet this autumn/winter?