So long Hair Elves! Product Review – L’Oreal 3 Day Straight Spray

I don’t know about anyone else but I always seem to get attacked in my sleep my hair elves. I go to bed with nice straight hair and wake up looking like I’ve slept with my finger in an electric socket. This is a pain in the neck, especially as I have to spend 20 minutes battling with it in the mornings before work instead of getting an extra few minutes kip. None of this is helped by having a double crown resulting in me earning the nickname ‘Mr Majika’ from my boyfriend.

So, when I heard of a wonder product coming on the market that promised to keep my hair straight for three days, I skipped off to the shops to bulk buy the stuff. L’Oreal launched three versions of their heat protect styling spray – straight, volume and waves. With promises to keep hair straight for three days, it seems like my ideal product.

I washed, conditioned and dried my hair as usual and sprayed the product on my towel dried hair. I followed instructions by spraying it from 15cm away and was presently surprised by the beautiful spray. My hair already felt silky soft as I began to blow dry my hair as usual. Once dried, I still ran my straighteners through my tresses as usual but I knew the real test would be the following morning.

Wakening up expecting to be greeted by the usual handy work of the hair elves I was shocked that my hair was still silky soft, smooth and to a great extent straight! Yes I still looked slightly like Mr Majika but I don’t think anything will ever cure that curse. No straighteners were needed. The next day I woke up early to wash my hair anyway but I could have got away with no straighteners that day either.  The only downside I would say is it can leave your hair quite flat. I suppose that is only logic as it is for straightening but I’ve learnt to combat that by keeping it away from my roots and using a root boosting product there.

A huge hit in my eyes and also good for my hair as less damage is caused from using my trusty GHD’s every day. Priced at £5.99 it is very reasonable and lasts ages. Great for during the week when you want to give your hair a rest from the heat. Highly recommended!

Gem x

VaVa Vintage

VaVa Vintage was a magazine I created for my masters dissertation. Huge thanks to all the wonderful people who gave up their time to let me interview them and for giving me a sneak peek into their vintage world 🙂
Please see below and enjoy! Magazine design by the talented Niall Donnelly.

 

View this document on Scribd

COVERwest Magazine – The Rise of the Metrosexual Male

Below is an article I had published in the April/May 2012 issue of COVERwest Magazine – the northwest’s lifestyle magazine.

View this document on Scribd

Buzz Magazine – Edinburgh’s league of heroes

Below is an article I had published in Buzz Magazine Summer 2012 edition. I looked at the comic artist industry in Edinburgh and spoke to four of the finest about their work…

View this document on Scribd

Tyrone Herald 23 April 2012 – Fashion takes a twist back to the fifties

Photography: Jude Browne https://www.facebook.com/JudeBrownePhotography

Oma Fair Lady introduces a vintage weekend on the first bank holiday in May 2012. Please see below an article I had published in the Tyrone Herald on Monday 23 April 2012 which features a fashion shoot showcasing fifties fashion.

Enjoy x

View this document on Scribd

bBold Fake Tan – Review

I never win anything. But as they say God loves a trier so I enter every competition going just in case luck will be on my side. So you can imagine my surprise when I found out I won a bottle of brand new tan to the market by sharing a photo on facebook. OK so it’s not the euro millions but to a self proclaimed beauty product guru like myself (I have hordes of products) I was thrilled.

The tan is called bBold and is created by an Irish company (making it even more appealing to me). It is available in either a lotion or a liquid. Enriched with aloe vera and vitamin E, its non streak formula is kind to your skin and helps achieve a flawless finish.

I carried out the usual tanning routine; exfoliated and moisturised and armed with the bBold mitt and tanning liquid (medium to dark) I set out on the tanning mission. The liquid is coloured making it super easy to apply as you can see where you are applying it and even out any unlikely streaks.

It tans instantly upon contact with the skin with the colour getting slightly darker over a few hours after application. The best part about this tan, is that it doesn’t have that usual biscuity smell you get with alot of tans. It has a nice fresh scent and according to a male friend, ‘it passes the smell test’. Drying within a few minutes I was able to get dressed and not worry about it streaking or rubbing off on my clothes. Always a huge plus from me.

The end result is a lovely natural, golden colour that fades off naturally without that nasty scaley look you get from some fake tans. I was really impressed with the product and have officially been converted to a bBold user.

Priced at around £15 for a 150ml bottle is reasonable enough, and with the liquid it should last for ages as a little goes far. For more information on the product and where to buy it, check out the bBold facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/BBoldtan/174403839327677

Buzz Magazine – Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show 2012 – Review

Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show 2012

The short wait for the show to begin only added to the buzz and excitement that engulfed Summerhall place on Thursday night for the opening of Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show 2012 (ECFS). Names such as Calvin Klein, Sssh…Ooh and the celebrity designer Mark Fast, who frequently designs for Beyonce, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, were on hand to display a vast array of delights for our viewing pleasure.

Opening the show with a bang was student designer Anneliese Hatt, with her distinctive use of leather and textured fabrics and trademark butterflies paced in models’ mouths.   Designing for both male and female, Reiss focused on tailoring with structured shapes. Bringing the crowd back to 90’s fashion by combining leather jackets with maxi length skirts, Reiss made the once worn styles fabulously fashionable again. The hit of the night was undoubtedly the Rodnik Band, with their quirky prints and bold designs. Inspired to make a “humorous relationship between fashion and art”. Designer Philip Colburt wowed the crowd with eccentric prints, notably a dazzling red sparkle shift dress, designed as a London Bus.  This dress provided the perfect British pop art edge. Closing the show was London based designer, Mark Fast, who added a modish twist with his trademark cut out pieces, sheer sleeves and cover ups.

In addition to the stunning catwalk designs, the music, signage and artwork were noteworthy. Students studying at Edinburgh’s College of Art provided each artistic contribution. The “Lab Bar” gave the atmosphere a quirky edge as guests found themselves a pew at long wooden lab benches, whilst bar staff dressed in lab coats provided the all-important refreshments. This was all topped off by cupcakes scattered around the bar.

ECFS 2012 chairwoman, Caroline Welles said on the night:

“Tonight has been amazing, it was great seeing everything come together so well after everyone’s hard work. There was a fantastic turnout for the opening night and I’m glad to say it all ran very smoothly.

However, what is most special to us is the ability to benefit such an incredible charity: Children’s Hospice Association Scotland. Our efforts, creativity, and passion have been motivated by the amazing services of CHAS. As model Hamish Crook has perfectly put it, our most recent CHAS firmly put into place why the E comes before the F in ECFS.”

ECFS 2012 is all in aid of a great cause, Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS). Speaking about the event Criona Knight, Corporate and Events Fundraiser for the charity said:

“CHAS provides the only children’s hospice services in Scotland for children and young people with life-shortening conditions. It’s thanks to supporters organising events such as the Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show that we’re able to raise over £7million every year to run our children’s hospices Rachel House and Robin House and the CHAS at Home service.  The ECFS committee have been a fantastic team to work with and we wish them the best of luck for the remainder of the event which we’re sure will be a great success.”

Article can be found online at:

http://www.buzzmag.org/2012/04/edinburgh-charity-fashion-show-2012-opens-with-a-very-fashionable-bang/

Buzz Magazine – Get that Festival Feeling

Image Source: Global Gathering

Once the festival of choice has been decided, it’s time to get a little organised. First on the agenda is camping—not most people’s favourite thing in the world. However, once experienced it’s easy to admit that it is brilliant fun. Yes, it gets cold at night and yes, there are creepy crawlies. But once you realise that everyone is in the same boat, it’s simply a case of getting on with it.

Going from previous experience, here at buzz magazine we would highly recommend doing a test-run with the tent before setting off: that way you won’t waste valuable drinking/band watching time poking yourself in the eye with various poles, or tripping over the guide rope. If there are more than two in the tent, it’s definitely worth getting one with a ‘living area’ in it. That way there’s somewhere to chill and have a few drinks, rather than on your makeshift bed.  A vital tip is to pitch your tent on high ground so you don’t float away when the inevitable monsoon occurs. Equally, don’t pitch it anywhere near the toilets—for obvious reasons.

Secondly, you must have a decent check-list with regard to things you need to bring with you. Take food and drink. Don’t laugh at your mum when she sends you off with a cool box stuffed full of food. Carrying it up the hill to the camp-site along with everything else may be back-breaking, but it will turn out to be an absolute God-send. This is what you will survive on (amongst the dodgy, overpriced burgers), and after a crazy night watching loads of good/mediocre/terrible bands, you’ll eat anything.

Other essentials to bring are baby wipes (you can’t do a festival without them); dry shampoo; hand sanitizer; hair gel for the guys lovely locks and, most importantly, a full list of all the bands, what time they’re playing and where; the very last thing you want is to miss any of your favourites. These guides are usually for sale throughout the grounds of the festival and, though overpriced, are well worth the investment.

Lastly, if there’s one thing that gets us in a quandary, it’s what to wear to a festival. You want to look stylish with the latest fashions, but you also have to be practical about it. If you’re guaranteed good weather then there’s no problem. But let’s face it, we’re in Scotland and the guarantee of good weather is about as likely as a sudden influx of Conservative MSPs. But never fear, a few key essentials and all will be fine. Wellies are the obvious choice of shoe to pack, and you’ll never regret taking them. Hunter wellies for men and women are awesome (as awesome as wellies can be) but expensive, so do shop around for cheaper brands—many stores stock a range of models, often in a variety of funky patterns.

For the ladies, denim shorts are a key item to take—match these with a floaty vest or a fitted t-shirt and a scarf. Add a straw hat and flowers to your hair to set off the boho-chic vibe, and the look is complete.

For the guys, a festival-must are chino shorts teamed with a cool t-shirt (as let’s face it, you may get your top half on TV at some stage) and a fedora hat. Simples. Oh, and ladies and gents must not forget the sunglasses for a truly slick and cool look whether it’s raining or not—you’re at a festival and that’s just the rules. OK?

The article is published on Buzz Magazine Online – buzzmag.org and can be found by clicking on the link below:

http://www.buzzmag.org/2012/03/get-that-festival-feeling/

Archbishop makes controversial claims to cut abortion rates

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, has made controversial claims that women should be shown scans of their unborn child before proceeding with an abortion.

The leader of Scotland’s Catholic Church said he thinks the NHS should introduce the measure which is currently used in America in order to reduce terminations in Scotland. In the US currently, there are seven states which require women to receive ultra sound scans and descriptions of the foetus before proceeding with an abortion.

Anti-abortion campaigners are in agreement with Cardinal O’Brien saying that if these procedures are in place they may help persuade women not to go through with the abortion after seeing their unborn baby and how developed they are. Approximately 200,000 abortions are carried out in Scotland every year.

These comments come on the 15^th anniversary of the Glasgow-based Cardinal Winning pro-life initiative which offers help for women facing crisis pregnancies. Sister Roseann Rweddy who runs the initiative said that around 120 babies are alive today because their mothers availed of their service.

A Marie Stope International Spokesperson said that the comments made by Cardinal O’Brien are deeply worrying.

“We believe the Catholic Church in Scotland’s desire for women to be forced to have ­- and look at – a scan of the foetus before being granted an abortion is deeply worrying.  This is something we’ve increasingly seen in the US over the previous year, and in several states this has in fact passed into law.

We do not want to see a situation like this in UK, where a woman’s right to choose and access this procedure is gradually eroded.  Women invariably know whether it is the right time in their life to have a child, and the decision to choose to terminate a pregnancy must be theirs to make without any further barriers being introduced.”

Scotland’s health improves due to smoking ban

Six years have passed since the implementation of the Scottish smoking ban and new evidence suggests the nation is healthier as a result of the change in legislation.

The ban was introduced to protect people from the dangers of passive smoking in public areas. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has revealed that it has proved a success among both smokers and non-smokers with 83 per cent of adults supporting the ban and an 86 per cent reduction in second hand smoke in bars.

Speaking about the ban, Sheila Duffy Chief Executive of ASH Scotland outlined the benefits of the ban.

“Six years on we can clearly see how Scotland’s smoke-free law is benefiting people. The law was opposed by the tobacco industry who sought to delay and derail it, much as they are doing with the current legislation.

Tobacco smoke is a toxic substance and poses a threat to health, particularly to children’s health. We need to continue to strive for people’s right to breathe clean air.”

A study carried out earlier this month by the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing, showed that complications in pregnancy have fallen as a result of the ban. It was found that there had been a decrease in the number of babies being born prematurely and a reduction of infants being born underweight.

Dr Jill Pell who led the research team said:

“These reductions occurred both in mothers who smoked and those who had never smoked. While survival rates for pre-term deliveries have improved over the years, infants are still at risk of developing long-term health problems so any intervention that can reduce the risk of pre-term delivery has the potential to produce important public health benefits.”