Buying Bouquets...

MA Graduation 2016.

Flowers are a strange thing. Some people have some in the house all the time, my Mum will normally have some, especially if there’s been a particularly nice bunch in Asda that week, but I rarely do. Unless it’s been a special occasion and someone’s bought them for me, I’m very unlikely to buy myself flowers unless they’re cheap-and-cheerful, £1 a bunch, daffodils. 

I’ve received three bunches of flowers this year, from what I can remember, but none made me smile more than the most recent bunch. Let me set the scene for you… 

I was at work, on a cloudy Thursday afternoon, just having come back from my lunch break, I’ve got that post-lunch sleepy vibe going on. Sam, my supervisor comes into the Stock Room (where I was loitering, putting off doing any work) and says there’s someone here to see me. Immediately ,I go into panic mode; which customer have I offended, or given the wrong change to…
But no, no. As I followed Sam back out onto the shop floor, I was met with an older man with fluffy white hair that I definitely did not recognise. It was then he held up a bag of a bouquet of flowers and said “…these must be for you then.” 

Having someone send you flowers at work is one of the most simultaneously embarrassing and blissful things that can happen. If someone can make someone else’s day (for day, read week/month) simply by sending flowers, why not do it? I think we should all make use of local florists more. Knowing that someone went to the effort to call, or find a website, pick out some flowers, and have them sent to you, even if they’re 100 miles away or 10 minutes down the street, really can change your whole outlook around. 

We don’t have to start sending flowers out willy-nilly, flowers picked up at the local store on your way to visit a friend or relative count too. If seeing you for that visit that weekend wasn’t enough, now they’ve got flowers to remind them that you made the effort to visit and cared enough to think of them, that they might like a bunch of happiness. 

I guess, all I’m trying to say is that sending flowers isn’t just for funerals, commiserations, or apologies. Send them in happy times too, or even with no occasion what so ever because ‘just because’ is always enough! Boyfriends, buy your girlfriends flowers. Girlfriends, send your Mum's flowers. Buy anyone/everyone flowers, because sometimes we all need a little pick me up. 

Look at me, getting all soppy now… 

Birthday 2016. 

Valentines 2016. 

Autumn Brings A Change

Hello Autumn,

I've been dragging my feet and reminiscing of long Summers days; whiling away the time in the sunshine, cocktails on rooftops and snoozing on beaches. However, Autumn is quickly turning into Winter and before it does, I'd like to take the time to embrace this season.

I'm looking forward to dog-walking in the park with leaves crunching under my Converse, windswept hair and crisp, but bright, Autumn mornings.

Today I've updated the What Lexy Said theme to Autumn, but in doing so, I had to pick just one for the header. I still want to use all the lovely pictures that the lovely Alex Thornber took, so I'm going to put them here. Hopefully they give you all the Autumn feels required for October.

Synaesthesia Treatment at Lush Spa Poole.

The definition of Synaesthesia is that of a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic reaction in a separate sensory outlet. Mark Constantine, Owner and Co-founder of Lush Cosmetics has synaesthesia and he used his experiences to create an eighty minute, personally tailored Spa experience which you can get at any of the Lush Spa locations. I chose to have my treatment at the Spa in Poole because not only is it situated at 29 1/2 High Street which still plays host to the very first Lush shop, but also because Poole is a quiet, little quayside town that I could imagine wanting to step out into after a fully immersive treatment. 

Set to a soundtrack of a 52 piece orchestra accompanied by whirling winds and birdsong, Synaesthesia combines mind, body and soul in such an overlooked way and it works wonderfully. It was also the first treatment ever designed for the venture that became Lush Spa.
When you arrive at the Lush Spa, you’re asked a few basic health questions and then whether you’d like to improve your sense of humour, gain perspective on life’s mysteries, gather the courage to tackle some mountains or some other equally as beautiful concepts. Given my own personal outlook on life at the moment, I thought it would be nice to gain some perspective and see if I could look at things in a bigger picture as opposed to obsessing over the smaller things. 

The word that you choose first matches with the massage bar that your therapist will be using on you, and apparently ‘perspective’ is one of the lesser chosen ones because most people tend to stick to what they think they’re expecting and choose the more basic ‘relax’ or ‘calm’ words from the initial paragraph of choices.
You’re then lead into the most quaint, English cottage style kitchen with a plethora of coloured bottles running along the shelves; without picking up and smelling each bottle, you’re asked to pick out another word that draws you in. 

These words match with the essential oil that your therapist will use during your treatment, in flasks that look like they should be upstairs in the Lush Product Creation lab, overflowing with what looks like dry ice and smoky, scented goodness. Words for the blended oils were things such as relax, be free, laugh, go do, meticulous, sweet, hug and good. I chose the word ‘good’ simply because the tagline was ‘lighter and brighter’ - after gaining a little perspective, who wouldn’t want to feel lighter and brighter in their outlook to life?

I was a little cautious with picking the words because I knew that the words would equate to my scents for the massage; what happened if I got stuck with a scent I hated?
In the end, I chose not to cheat and smell all the blends/words, and I went with my gut. This is my recommendation for anyone who is treated to the Synaesthesia in the future - base your choices on the words and your feelings; it’s the best way to get the full experience from the treatment.
A Lush Spa treatment is nothing like a regular spa experience; it’s much more immersive and tailored - never having had any kind of massages in a spa environment before my Synaesthesia, I can safely say I’ve been spoiled and now I’m not quite sure how other spas will ever match up in comparison. 

I wont talk about the treatment itself too much because I’d like anyone who goes to be just as enamoured with the whole surprise experience as I was. I will say, however, that Tori (my therapist) is a amazing masseuse and really worked hard to embody everything that Lush is trying to do with the Spa locations. While treatments are in progress throughout the Spa, therapists walk around in their socks so as not to disturb guests, they all talk in very hushed, melodic voices, and I’ve never felt more looked after.
The English Countryside feel is carried on throughout the whole Spa, from the treatment rooms, the kitchen and the lounge where you’re encouraged to spend as much or as little time as you’d like after your session, drinking the tea provided for you, laced with an intricate blend of your previous word choices as light flavourings. 

Synaesthesia is a full body massage, so you’re asked to strip down to just your pants (wear big pants to feel more comfortable) although I never felt exposed, or cold, or worried about that element. Tori was sweet and completely understanding that never having had any kind of Spa treatment before, I was a little nervous and hesitant. Your back, neck, arms, legs (front and back) are massaged with your massage bars, along with a choice of hot stone massage or stomach massage before a soothing facial massage at the end of your treatment. 

Feeling a little dozy and utterly pampered from head to toe, I was sleepily surprised when my treatment came to an end. “I feel so relaxed that I could sleep for a thousand years…” I mumbled to Tori in my daze. 

I can’t sing the praises for the staff at Lush Spa Poole, especially Tori, and the staff at Lush Poole, especially Charlotte anymore. They made me feel special, looked after and above all content - which I’ve not felt for a while. It’s almost as if Tori pressed my reset button. I may not have left with an energised spring in my step, but emotionally, I left feeling breezy and definitely with a little more perspective. 

5 Tips on Packing For Your Summer Holiday!

I can’t write the words ‘Summer Holiday’ without hearing my Dad singing along to Cliff Richard’s summertime hit, as I sat in the back of a people carrier as he drove my cousins and I to Disneyland Paris, every year. A lot has changed since then, and now that I’m an adult I apparently have to pack for myself and whilst I do go away for the odd weekend, I haven’t been away-away on a proper summer holiday for at least four years and I haven’t been seen on a beach, in a bikini for at least six years, so you understand my panic when my boyfriend invites me for 15 days away in the blissful sunshine of Mallorca, with nothing but hand luggage… 

Here’s what I’ve learned so far on my packing preambles.

1. ‘That’ plastic zip-lock bag.
   
   When you fly hand-luggage only, your friendly airport staff will provide you with a little plastic bag to deposit all your liquids* in.
   *Liquids here mean any creams, pastes or liquids (most make-up items) that must be less than 100ml and must collectively add up to less than 1 litre.
   Even though I don’t leave for another month, when I put my make up on every morning, I stare down in dismay and whittle my collection down in my head to ‘holiday must-haves’. Whilst I don’t want to overpack and be that girl, I’d like to be prepared for most situations.
   We’re flying with EasyJet and while most airlines only provide a 15x15cm plastic baggy - EasyJet go by a 20x20cm rule and my God, will I be glad of the extra room, I’m sure!
   
2. How much space?
   
   Again, when you fly hand-luggage only there are various requirements on the size of your carry on bags. Lucky for me, EasyJet allow two pieces of carry on luggage; one ‘carry on’ bag and one ‘personal bag’ - your ‘personal bag’ is considered to be a handbag, a laptop case etc and should be no bigger than 45x36x20cm (which has to be able to be placed under the seat in front of you) and your ‘carry on’ bag should be no bigger than 56x45x25cm; this piece of luggage is sized according to being able to fit in the overhead storage bins.
   Important as hell to Google your airlines allowances on cabin baggage before you fly - you don’t want to end up caught at the airport with too many bags.
   
   It’s the exact measurements of these bags that lead me onto my next tip…
   
3. Go smaller or solid…
   
   As I’m hoping the weather in Mallorca in the height of Summer will be aptly reflective of the season and be in the late twenties to early thirties (C) this means most of my clothing items will be substantially smaller than my usual attire (much to my panic)
   I’ve also cottoned on to the clever idea of ‘travel sizes/mini’s’ or swapping out products  that would usually be liquid into solids. I’m a panicker that liquids in my luggage mean leaking in my luggage, so now I solid where I can.
   Shampoo and Conditioner - don’t even worry. Lush have got the biggest range of solid haircare that you could possibly imagine so I’ve chosen Seanik and Jason & The Argan Oil for my shampoo options and Big for my conditioner choice.
   Sunscreen? Again, Lush has come to my rescue. I’ve chosen both Sunblock (a solid, in-shower sunscreen) and Powdered Sunshine (a translucent powder) for my trip and will pick up some lotion sunscreen whilst I’m there.
   Deodorants? I’m sure there’s a rule somewhere that you can’t take aerosols on planes, so I picked up a Dove Stick Deodorant; semi-waterproof and much smaller than a can! (Better for the environment too!)
   
4. Communicate!
   
   If you’re flying with someone, then perfect. Talk about who can take what; you both don’t need to take ALL of the toiletries under the sun. Also, if one of you has been there before (true in my case) talk about what is already at your destination; sunscreen, hairdryers, some toiletries, beach towels…
   The more items you can eradicate by communicating (a strange concept for humans, I know) the more space you’ll have in your carry on bag. Winner. 
5. IMPORTANT THINGS!
   
   Please, please, please find your passport and other important travel documents way in advance. Make sure everything is in-date and not about to expire any minute. If you need any Doctor’s notes for customs exemptions for whatever reason, get them sorted way in advance. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this one - but the panicky person in me, is panicking for you. 

That’s just a select few of the many things running through my mind as I get ready for my trip. Hopefully you’re as prepared as I’d like to be.
Enjoy YOUR trip, I hope you fly safe and have an awesome time. 

(Pictures used in this post are from six years ago. Am well overdue a beach holiday.) 

Supercat Eyeliner Pen - Soap & Glory Review

I’m the girl in the winged eyeliner. I have been for as long as I can remember. I think I started really being committed to winged eyeliner in my first year of University, before that we’d just been on a few dates, but once I’d got the technique down I knew I was ready to commit to the long haul. 

Now, having said that, I’m ashamed to say I’ve never really branched out into the many ways of going about winged eyeliner. I’ve been partial to the 2True (Superdrug’s Own) black liquid eyeliner and after that was discontinued, I switched my allegiances to the Collection (previously Collection 2000) black liquid eyeliner and if I’m honest, which I’m going to be, they’re all pretty much of a muchness. Same-same. 

Up until recently, I’ve been in a fairly happy partnership with my liquid, winged out flick. However, there’s been some squabbling in the ranks and I’ve been watching ALOT of YouTube videos where people have been voicing their love for - hold onto your seats now - pen eyeliners. Like, no pot of paint to stick your brush in and flick on… All of the goodness is sealed up inside your pen and it just trickles out of the nib when you want it to…
This was all news to me. With this revelation in mind and a Boots Birthday Gift Card in hand, I trawled the stands for a pen-nibbed eyeliner that I might take a shine to. After reading reviews and having a good long peruse, I picked up the Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner Pen. 

And oh- Good God.
The ease of which this pen glides over your eyelid is insane. The colour payoff may be it’s only downfall, as it could have been more of an opaque black, but going over the product works just as well. There was no drag across the eye and my-oh-my the easiest, quickest flick I’ve ever encountered. 

Sometimes with pure liquids or gel eyeliners, I have to say to myself ‘Now stop, because it looks okay and trying to make it better will just make it worse…’ - that  couldn’t be further from the truth with this beauty! Top ups are easy and the product doesn’t flake away with layering - the flick is simple and the corner of my eye has never been easier. If you want no mess, no fuss, no retouching and above all a quick perfect cat-eye, then look no further. 

This is the story of a Supercat convert. Well done, Soap & Glory. Well done. 

Alice Through The Looking Glass - Urban Decay Palette

#UDThroughTheLookingGlass #UDInWonderland 

After the success of the first Disney & Urban Decay collaboration, it only seemed appropriate that for the release of the new Alice Through The Looking Glass movie, the two fell down the rabbit hole again and hand-in-hand created a brand new, limited edition palette. Packed full of twenty beautiful shades, the palette is a Tim Burton tribute to four of the characters from the new movie (Alice, Mad Hatter, Mirana, Iracebeth and Time) organised in columns to fully immerse yourself into a character - or, pick and choose your own combination. After all, “we’re all mad here…” 

The ‘Alice’ collection of four colours consists of three very wearable colours; light pink matte ‘Looking Glass’ to the slightly deeper shimmer brown of ‘Dormouse’ and one of my favourites ‘Reflection’ which is a warmer pink than ‘Looking Glass’ and also matte. The wildcard for the ‘Alice’ collection is the perfect blue of “Metamorphasis” - think Alice’s dress, but a slightly darker blue flecked with green and blue iridescent shimmer. So unbelievably pretty - I’m determined to find a way to pull this shade off and climb out of my comfort zone. 

“I know who I was when I got up this morning, but i must have changed several times since then…”

Speaking of the comfort zone, the four colours for the ‘Mad Hatter’ collection are the ones that I’ll find the most challenging to wear - although this is definitely a challenge I’m looking forward to.
‘Hatter’ is a pure, summer-grass Green - very reminiscent of Johnny Depp’s coloured contacts as The Mad Hatter in the movie. Of course, all of the ‘Mad Hatter’ shades are shimmery - it just wouldn’t be right other wise. ‘Gone Mad’ is a deep purple shadow with very light flecks of almost red and pink shimmer. ‘Paradox’ is the only shade I’ve worn and felt completely comfortable in out of this four-colour collection and is a warm, peachy pink shimmer that looks almost orange on the skin. Very pretty, and perfect for a sweep along the bottom lash line for added effect. ‘Cake’ is the last shade from ‘Mad Hatter’ and is almost Barbie fuchsia pink that will take a little encouragement for me to wear. 

Calling Lucy, and any other make-up artist friends I have, please can we find a time to sit down so you can show me the best way to use some of these amazing shadows?

“I’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy. My reality is just different from yours…” 

‘Mirana’ features my most worn colours as they’re so easy for every day wear and not too far from that previously mentioned comfort zone. ‘Lily’ is an absolutely gorgeous opalescent shimmery colour with almost pink-lilac tones to it - I’ve been using this one in the corners of my eyes but this shade would also make an amazing highlight! ‘Duchess’ is a warm peach tone with a light shimmer to it; really lovely and similar to ‘Reflection’ from ‘Alice’ - slightly warmer in peachiness. ‘Kingdom’ is an amazing colour and is a perfect bronze. ‘Chessboard’ is probably my most used out of the whole palette so far, a nice warm brown; perfect for the crease or a nice dramatic sweep under the lower lash line. 

‘Iracebeth’ is quite similar to ‘Mad Hatter’ in terms of colour choices and features some of the best named colours. ‘Heads Will Roll’ - which I can’t say without hearing The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s in my head, is a wonderful turquoise with a light shimmer to it, ‘Bandersnatch’ - told you these names were good, is a much deeper blue than ‘Alice’s ‘Metamorphasis’ but beautiful none the less. ‘Salazen Grum’ is the shade that my eyes were first drawn to when I opened the palette - my brain said “Yes, that is the shade I want to figure out how to wear!” which is a dusky rose - red wine sort of shimmer colour. ‘Royal Flush’ is actually one of my absolute favourites from the palette so far; very light pink and similar to ‘Lily’ but this shade has a much more baby-pink toned shimmer to it, making ‘Lily’ the better shade for highlighting, but ‘Royal Flush’ perfect otherwise. 

Lastly, we have the ‘Time’ collection; definitely the part of the palette that features the darkest colours - make of that what you will. The shade ‘Time’ itself is a beautiful dark blue shade that makes me want to swim in it, with a light shimmer of pink and blue to it. ‘Dream On’ is a heavy-shimmer shade which actually has very light colour payoff which works as there are many other shades that have the darkness you might be looking for. A gunmetal shimmer. What more could a girl want? ‘Chronosphere’ is a lovely dark brown with dark brown shimmer running through, and then last but by no means least is ‘Mirror’ the shade to pair with ‘Dream On’ for all your gunmetal shimmery needs. The shimmer is much lighter in ‘Mirror’ but the colour pigmentation is heavier and it almost has a mauve-lilac tint to it’s predominant gunmetal shade. 

“Didn’t they tell us, don’t rush into things? Didn't you flash your green eyes at me? Didn’t you calm my fears with a Cheshire cat smile? Didn’t it all seem new and exciting, I felt your arms twisting around me - it’s all fun and games till someone loses their mind…” 

As if we needed confirmation that the colours were beautiful; how could they not be when they’re wrapped up inside such amazing packaging? The palette is quite heavy in your hand, which I love, as it feels special and important and so far from the make up that you don't mind rolling around at the bottom of your bag. This palette is my first Urban Decay palette and I couldn’t be happier with it - the brush is great, one end with a shorter bristle and the other end featuring quite long, tapered bristles which are almost paintbrush like. It really completes the image of opening up a box of magic and creating something special and daydreamy on your face. It's almost a right-of-passage feeling, when a girl like me gets their first 'real' make up palette - I'm so glad it was this one. 

My favourite combination of colours at the moment, is; ‘Chessboard’, ‘Reflection’, ‘Royal Flush’ and ‘Duchess’. 

So much time and effort has clearly gone into the design and presentation of this palette - it’s everything an Alice in Wonderland companion should be; heavily detailed, magical and inspiring. 

Thank you so much Sam & Lucy for the gift; you shouldn’t have (but I’m glad you did). 

Alice Through The Looking Glass came out in the UK in early May, so if it’s still around go take a peek. It features Alice, as we know and love, but now returned from her sailing of the seas far and wide - she finds a looking glass and slips back into Underland where the Mad Hatter is seeming madder than usual…

"And in the end, in Wonderland we both went mad..." 

'Just Go Away' - Working with Amberslide

Amberslide are a five-piece, Kent based band and they’re describing themselves as “…just a band like any other, making noise and trying to be heard” but I wouldn’t describe their music as just noise. For fans of rock/metalcore as a genre, Amberslide should be the next band to on your list. Whichever variation of the rock-based genre you find yourself fitting into, I’m sure you can find a track or two off their EP ‘Uneven’ to suit you.

My personal favourites from the EP are Spit On My Grave and Autumn Brings The Change.

After taking inspiration from a close friend’s daughter’s plight with bullies at her school, guitarist Tim Scrivens and lead vocalist Phil Washington have co-written ‘Just Go Away’ - a brilliant track inspired by entries of Ambers diary, detailing her feelings and miseries of going to school every day and seeing her friends turn against her; online as well as in real life. 

Having performed ‘Just Go Away’ at Scrivfest 2015, it was decided a music video was the next step for the track, and that’s where I come in. Admittedly I did put Tim’s request, of me being in their video, down in the ‘pipeline-dreams’ pile and forgot about it for a while, assuming it was just an idea that he’d had that would never come to fruition.
How wrong was I? Sorry, man.

A few short messages back and forth, I booked a weekend off work and suddenly it was a solid plan, penned in the diary for the end of November 2015.

Now, if anyone knows me I definitely have a penchant for things on the alternative side so when Tim talked me through the concept for the video I was immediately on board.
If you know my mother, you’ll know where I get my gothic tendencies from.
Dressing up like a goth for a weekend and being generally moody seemed like fun and 100% something I was capable of; I spent a large amount of my teenage years doing exactly that. 

When I met with Phil & Tim, morning of the first shoot, I was super nervous but tried to hide it and quickly settled into their company; Tim rattled on excitedly about the video and it quickly became apparent that this video and the band are his new baby. He’s been in touch with the S.O.P.H.I.E Lancaster Foundation, which if you read this blog post from 2015, you’ll know is a charity close to my own heart. S.O.P.H.I.E stands out for Stamp Out Prejudice Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere which the foundation implements by working towards eradicating prejudice and bullying toward the more alternative communities.

All money made from the single will be going back to the S.O.P.H.I.E Charity.  

Spending the day filming with the guys from the band, Duncan and the lovely Ash who plays the ‘frenemy’ was one of my favourite weekends of 2015. Multiple outfits, a hell of a lot of make up, and a lot of off-camera laughter made the nerves dissipate and I actually really enjoyed myself; I’ve missed the little adrenaline buzz that I used to get performing when I was younger.  

After reviewing the November footage, it was decided that the video needed more variety - some outdoors shots, which meant we had one more day of filming before the video was completely wrapped and ready to head into the editing process. 

We shot again in February, a cold beach shoot, which features a lot of trudging around in the rain and looking out to sea. The shoot in February was very different to the shoot from November, firstly it was bitterly cold and all the shots were outside. Tim & Phil had spent time scouting locations so we knew where we were shooting and we had a vague idea of what kind of shots they’d try to create. 

One more day of filming took place in April, just to really cement the storyline within the video; in this set up I got to be a bit more angry which I enjoyed and Ash was back as well, to see what all of her bullying and tormenting had turned me into.  

Through the process of making the video I’ve learned that  Phil, Tim & Duncan are perfectionists - but of course, why wouldn’t you be when creating something like this? Luckily, Phil & Tim seemed to be sharing the same creative brain when it came to the video; they’re so in sync that it’s scary but I’m sure it transfers well to film. Along with input (and final say so) from Duncan, they took on the role of co-directors and it’s been really interesting seeing their ideas develop, change and finally become real in front of the camera. 

Tim was the only member of Amberslide that I knew before any involvement in the music video, so I was consistently conscious of not letting him down; I didn’t want to screw it up and it come down on his head - this is the main reason I was nervous back in November I think. I was suddenly vastly aware that I had to prove to, not only the rest of the band, but also Duncan that I was the right recommendation for the video and that I could pull it off. 

Hopefully everyone is happy with the end product. 

It’s been a long wait for the video, but now that I've seen it I couldn’t be more excited. Tim’s been teasing us all releasing snippets of video here and there along with behind-the-scenes GoPro footage from the shoots, as well as pictures from the performance shoot that the band did last summer. The track is amazing and catchy as hell; it’s been stuck in my head for the last seven months, and I’m really glad to have been a part of something as awesome as this. 

S.O.P.H.I.E Charity has been a cause I’ve cared about for a long time and I’ve been wearing the silicone bracelet for longer than I can remember now. Buy the single, and the charity will receive the proceeds, or you can donate straight into the S.O.P.H.I.E bank account, or text a donation. I’ll leave all of the official websites for S.O.P.H.I.E below plus donation details. 

Lloyds Bank.
Account Name: The Sophie Lancaster Foundation
Sort Code: 30-11-48
Account No: 13881260

Text SOPH05 £(Your Amount) to 70070 

Click here to buy the single from iTunes.
Click here to (eventually) watch the Music Video.

S.O.P.H.I.E; Facebook, Website, Twitter. 
Amberslide; Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter.